Blood River

The Grand Chancellor's Residence.

"Moyu holds high prestige within Dark River, but after all, the current family head is Su Changhe. Su Changhe is different from Moyu. Moyu values loyalty and righteousness, while Su Changhe prioritizes profit. If you truly wish to cooperate with Dark River, it might be better to wait until Su Changhe arrives before discussing further matters." The man standing in the hall wore official robes, his expression grave—this was none other than the Heaven Official, one of the Three Officials.

"Are you confident you can negotiate with Su Changhe?" Yi Bu rose to his feet and asked solemnly.

"Yes. Even when he was on the verge of obtaining the Sleeping Dragon Sword, Su Changhe still refused to abandon Moyu's life. As long as we can capture Moyu, we can force him to submit." The Heaven Official clenched his fist. "Then, we can mobilize the entire Dark River sect to kill a prince in Heaven Revelation City. Whether Dark River continues to exist afterward will no longer matter."

"Good. Then we shall alter our plans—no need to wait for Moyu's stance. Tonight, we'll throw him into the Shadow Prison!" Yi Bu flicked his sleeve.

"As you command." The Heaven Official immediately withdrew, followed closely by the other two figures.

Imperial Music Academy.

Su Muyu and Butcher Second Master walked side by side, emerging from the Hundred Flowers Brothel.

Butcher Second Master staggered slightly, as if he had drunk too much: "I'd heard of Young Master Su's reputation before, thinking you were some kind of earthly demon. Never expected that upon meeting you today, you'd turn out to be such a dashing young man! I feel like we've hit it off at once. How about—"

A sudden whoosh —an arrow sliced through the air, aiming straight for Butcher Second Master's head. He tilted his head slightly, catching sight of the arrow, but his body refused to obey, leaving him no time to dodge. Su Muyu extended a finger and effortlessly caught the arrow mid-flight.

The arrow had come within inches of piercing Butcher Second Master's skull.

"Wha—what?! Who dares to kill in the Imperial Music Academy?!" Butcher Second Master exclaimed, his drunkenness instantly vanishing.

Three more arrows shot toward them. Su Muyu discarded the one in his hand and was about to act when Butcher Second Master roared in fury, charging forward first with a sweep of his palms: "Back!"

A surge of icy energy erupted, freezing the three arrows into solid icicles that shattered upon hitting the ground.

Butcher Second Master fumed: "Who's there, skulking in the shadows, attacking with cowardly arrows?!"

"This matter does not concern you." A Judge's Brush landed beside Butcher Second Master, lightly grazing his chest. He blocked with a punch but was sent stumbling back three steps. When he steadied himself, he saw before him a man in official robes—though not the orthodox attire of present-day Beili, but rather resembling the garb worn by deities and spirits in temples.

Butcher Second Master frowned slightly: "Who's playing at being ghosts and gods here?"

"Second Master, please step back. These people are here for me." Su Muyu stepped forward, gripping Butcher Second Master's shoulder and pulling him behind.

"Are these your enemies, Young Master Su?" Butcher Second Master asked.

Su Muyu lifted his gaze slightly. On the left eaves, the Water Official smiled down at him. On the right, the Heaven Official had drawn his blade for the first time. And standing before them, his face twisted in anger, was naturally the Earth Official. Su Muyu chuckled: "Not exactly enemies. They were once part of Dark River too."

Butcher Second Master was stunned: "What kind of ghosts are they now?"Su Muyu shook his head slightly. "They are not ghosts, but gods seated in the temple. It is we Sword Holders who are called ghosts—what you might refer to as the asuras of the human realm."

Butcher Second Master swallowed hard. As his anger subsided, fear rose once more in his heart. "I don't really understand, but it all sounds terrifying."

"Not necessarily. It's just that I left in a hurry tonight and didn't bring any weapons." Su Muyu sighed softly. Tonight, he had indeed made a grave mistake. Thinking it odd to bring weapons to a place like the Imperial Music Academy, he had left his arms back at the inn.

Perhaps these past days had given him an illusion—that on rare occasions, he could walk through this city as an ordinary man.

But after all, he was no ordinary man, and Heaven Revelation City was no ordinary city.

"Weapons?" Butcher Second Master rummaged through his clothes and finally pulled out a dagger. "I don't usually carry weapons. This is the only dagger I have, for self-defense when necessary."

"Good enough." With a flick of his hand, Su Muyu took the dagger. His fingers spun it lightly, and a sword flower blossomed in his grasp. "The Inch Finger Sword—I've studied it for a while. Though not as skilled as Chang He, it should suffice."

"Didn't you have a friend who came to the Hundred Flowers Brothel?" Butcher Second Master asked.

"Yes. The more commotion he stirs, the more time we buy until Uncle Zhe arrives." Su Muyu nodded.

"He won't be coming!" The Earth Official shouted, swinging his Judge's Brush in an attack.

"Second Master, step back. This has nothing to do with you." Su Muyu pushed Butcher Second Master's shoulder with his left hand, sending him ten paces back, while his right hand wielded the Inch Finger Sword to meet the Earth Official's Judge's Brush.

The Earth Official's brush danced swiftly. Having learned from his previous battle with Su Changhe, he no longer underestimated his opponent and unleashed his full strength from the outset. Su Muyu, wielding the Inch Finger Sword and lacking the advantage of his usual weapon, could only retreat step by step under the assault.

Strangely, with each step he retreated, a character appeared on the ground.

Illuminated by the red candlelight, they vanished as quickly as they came.

Su Muyu retreated four steps in total, leaving four characters behind:

"Submit", "Integrity", "Death", "Friendship."

"That's the Divine Brush technique!" Butcher Second Master recognized the martial art. "Be careful—each character on the ground is a strand of True Qi. Once the brush releases them, he'll target your weak points."

"Shut your mouth!" The Heaven Official on the rooftop to the right snorted coldly and fired another feathered arrow.

This time, Butcher Second Master repeated his earlier tactic, summoning a frosty aura to block it. But the arrow pierced straight through the cold barrier, forcing him to retreat three steps to barely evade.

"Second Master, leave quickly." Su Muyu dodged while glancing down at the ground. He noticed the fleeting characters hadn't completely disappeared—upon closer inspection, their traces remained. Immediately, he swept his leg low, trying to erase them, but the Earth Official was prepared. With a stroke of his brush, he blocked Su Muyu's leg.

"Rise!" The Earth Official lifted his brush, and the four previously written characters transformed into streams of True Qi, surging toward Su Muyu.

Su Muyu swung the Inch Finger Sword fiercely but was forced back three more steps. Fortunately, Butcher Second Master's dagger was clearly no ordinary blade—it remained unscathed despite the fierce blows. Seizing the moment, the Earth Official swiftly wrote four more characters on the ground.Life, glory, death, sorrow.

"The divine brush, why does it only write of death?" Su Muyu murmured softly.

"Because today is the day you die, not even the gods can save you," the Earth Official sneered.