IS Chapter 93

Ye Zhuo was wondering where to start.

He also knew that Yu Shan and Yu Hu were thinking the same thing.

If they wanted to continue negotiating, unless he made a swift and decisive move now, killing them all in front of the Ghost Emperor.

That way, he would still be the leader of the Immortal Alliance and could still claim, “Witnessed by all in the Human Realm.”

Shen Jingzhen also understood what would happen next.

Life and death hung in the balance, all in that one moment.

——How to prove that one can be the master of the entire Human Realm?

By killing all those who oppose you, you can be the master of the Human Realm.

If you can’t kill them, then let those who can be the master!

Talismans swirled as Shen Jingzhen stared directly at True Man Yu Shan before him. But Ye Zhuo’s gaze finally settled on True Man Yu Hu, who was seated across from the Ghost Emperor.

As for the Ghost Emperor, appearing here as the master of a realm, instead of leading the Ghost Realm’s forces to attack the Human Realm, he also had other plans, a jackal of the same tribe.

If he were to attack, they would all come at once, but since it was highly likely he wouldn’t, Ye Zhuo didn’t even spare him a glance.

His sword was already in hand.

If not now, when?

The wind and clouds shifted, all in an instant!

No one was faster than anyone else; in that critical moment, the four of them launched attacks at each other simultaneously!

No holding back, no testing the waters, they went all out from the start, a fight to the death!

Behind Ye Zhuo, the Red Lotus Seal appeared in its entirety, and a sky-filled blaze of scarlet flames rose with a roar, like the legendary Kunshan Fire, consuming jade and stone alike.

But in his eyes, the raging fire had burned out, leaving only the silence of the embers scattering away.

His sword was the same.

The wind whipped Jun Shao Liu’s hair and robes back, but the Ghost Emperor remained motionless, watching the sword break through the air. The closer the sword tip got, the clearer it became in his vision. Even though it wasn’t aimed at him, he felt like he was about to die under its blade.

That sword’s edge was as fiery as death, as silent as death.

This was a beautiful sword.

This was a sword meant to kill.

True Man Yu Hu also met the attack with all his might, using offense as defense.

The Dao domain of mountains and rivers conformed to the great principles of the Dao, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, compressing it into a single, quintessential hexagram, as if recreating the universe, pressing down on Ye Zhuo.

Ye Zhuo’s sword slashed down vertically.

In an instant, there was an earth-shattering clap of thunder, splitting the world into two halves of black and white chaos. The colliding sword energy Gang winds swept outwards, overturning everything on the ground and startling all the wandering and lurking ghosts in this land.

But at the center of the storm, only Ye Zhuo’s sword intent remained unwavering, the edges of his robes fluttering like flames.

His hemline shimmered with layers upon layers of magnificent cold light over the resplendent embroidery, like the surging waves between life and death.

He did not retreat.

But Yu Hu did.

He retreated ten feet to avoid the sharp aftershock, accumulating his next strike in the gap he created.

How could Ye Zhuo let him have his way?

That distinct figure, like a will-o’-the-wisp, lunged towards Yu Hu. And behind Yu Hu, a phantom identical to Ye Zhuo emerged from the Red Lotus flames, scattering embers behind it, slashing down at Yu Hu’s head from both front and back with the same sword intent.

Yu Hu was suspended in the air, unable to advance or retreat, and he flung out both sleeves, the laws of the Great Dao colliding head-on with the attackers!

Both being from The Upper Purity Mountain, the fighting style of the Main Sect True Man was not essentially different from that of the Dao Sect’s Human Immortal.

It was just that their cultivation was more profound, their Daoist techniques were more refined, and every action they took was more in tune with the fortune of heaven and earth.

Above the sky, it was as if two completely different Great Daos were engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

Was it endless vitality, or ultimate annihilation?

Yu Hu’s attacks and defenses changed constantly, like waves rising one after another. The so-called cycle of heaven and earth, endless life, but since he wanted to use new “life” to fight against “cessation,” did he already acknowledge in his heart that where there is life, there must be death?

Ye Zhuo had fought this kind of battle many times, so he was used to it. The so-called Dao, the so-called domain, the so-called fortune, he treated them all as illusions. He only wanted to see blood and kill with his sword.

All the ghosts, big and small, raised their heads from their hiding places to watch the wind and clouds change in the sky, shifting a thousand times in an instant.

Occasionally, a clear light would shine, illuminating the entire world.

Sometimes, a formless void would sweep over, threatening to destroy both body and soul, so dark that one couldn’t see one’s own fingers, as if all things had come to an end.

Only after watching for a long time did they realize that it was not the light of the sky, nor the light of the sun and moon that they had never seen in the Ghost Realm, but the light of the sword.

That darkness was not some great power in the Ghost Realm summoning the Nine Nether Hells, but the silence of Buddhist Dharma, illuminating the emptiness of the five aggregates.

All the buildings in Listening Heart Town had been destroyed—except for that opera stage and the rooftop where Li Yuan was.

The Ghost Emperor floated down beside him, casually picking up a wine pot and pouring himself a cup.

Unfortunately, Li Yuan did not drink with him.

The wine cup was set aside. Standing on the roof ridge, he simply watched Ye Zhuo’s sword, as if admiring a beauty in the mist.

And he wondered how to deal with it.

“Who exactly is he? How come I’ve never heard of him?” Suddenly, he heard Jun Shao Liu’s voice asking, “Which realm is he from? This Human Realm? Doesn’t seem like it.”

The ulterior motive behind the series of questions was obvious.

Li Yuan: “That doesn’t seem to be any of your business.”

“How can you say that it’s none of my business? Meeting so suddenly today, the situation is really awkward. If I knew which realm he was from, I would send an invitation to visit and ask for guidance on the way of the sword.”

Li Yuan glanced at him, seeing the flattering expression on the ghost’s face, which was disgusting.

Li Yuan: “With your sword skills, you’d better avoid embarrassing yourself.”

“That’s precisely why I need to humbly seek guidance.” Jun Shao Liu’s eyes were blazing as he looked at Ye Zhuo’s figure, seeming eager to try, “My Ghost Realm has seven treasures, one that controls life and death, one that controls reincarnation, and one that controls falsehood. Do you think he would be interested if I invited him to the Fengdu to discuss the Dao?”

He would be interested.

But Li Yuan was not interested.

Li Yuan: “It’s not too late to talk about it after you’ve sorted out the affairs of the Ghost Realm.”

Bringing up this matter made Jun Shao Liu gnash his teeth.

The forces in the Ghost Realm were complex and intertwined, with various demons and monsters each occupying a part of the territory. His position had been precarious since the moment he climbed into it.

If it weren’t for that, why would he have run here to collude with the Human Realm in private?

Immediately, he snorted coldly in a sarcastic tone, and continued to watch the battle in the sky. “The Dao of realms is indeed interesting,” he said.

Li Yuan had no objection to this.

In fact, when coming from the Human Realm to the Void Realm, and then from the Void Realm to the Ghost Realm, the strength of the Dao protectors would weaken in turn.

They cultivated the Dao of a realm, and in that realm, the power of heaven and earth would work together, increasing their strength several times. But when they arrived in another realm, they would no longer have such an advantage.

With the blessing of one side of the Heavenly Dao, in the Human Realm, he and Ye Zhuo would have no chance of winning against the Dao protectors.

In the Void Realm, they would focus on fleeing.

But in the Ghost Realm, they could fight with their backs to the water.

But even so, these two Dao protectors were well-versed in the rules of the Great Dao and were among the best of the Human Immortals, veritable peaks of the Human Immortal realm.

When fighting Ye Zhuo, True Man Yu Hu was showing slight signs of decline. But on Shen Jingzhen’s side, Yu Shan was gaining the upper hand.

He was still able to hold on, entirely relying on the many talismans in Shen Jingzhen’s hands—all of which were attack talismans at the Human Immortal level.

Li Yuan suspected that when the Hongmeng Sect Master was in the sect, he was secretly drawing “kill” characters in a small room every day, accumulating them until they piled up like a mountain, ready to smash them all on the heads of The Upper Purity Sect one day.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but glance at Shen Xinge. Shen Xinge had been brought over by him a long time ago and had been watching the fight in the sky with his cheek propped up.

“Little ghost,” Jun Shao Liu said, “you’re very calm.”

“Big ghost,” Shen Xinge said, “you’re very impatient.”

“Where am I impatient?”

“Dao friend Ye came to kill them. You don’t know if you can still get benefits in the Human Realm, and you’re afraid that Brother Yuan will also interfere. You’re anxious.”

“?” Jun Shao Liu smiled slightly, “So, his surname is Ye.”

Jun Shao Liu wanted to die.

Li Yuan: “Jun Shao Liu, you’d better not go and cause trouble in front of him.”

“Oh? How do you know that as a fellow sword cultivator, Dao friend Ye wouldn’t want to spar with me?”

“Your sword is not good enough.”

“I say, Little Prince, why do you always boost the morale of others and destroy your own prestige?”

“Who is ‘we’ with you?”

Oil and salt were not getting in, Jun Shao Liu focused on watching the fight.

In the sky, True Man Yu Hu was retreating layer by layer, with blood on his shoulder, and a hint of panic between his eyebrows.

And the aura on Ye Zhuo’s body was like splitting bamboo, climbing layer by layer.

The sword came out like a startled dragon, going forward without hesitation, not returning until victorious.

His swordplay had become a unique style, reaching the pinnacle of perfection. What Jun Shao Liu had been watching earlier was also his swordplay and sword intent.

Now that the victory or defeat was slightly determined, and it was no longer a critical moment, he had extra thoughts to look at other things.

For example, the shape and material of the natal sword in his hand, and the wind’s lament on the sword.

It didn’t matter if he didn’t look.

But after one look, Jun Shao Liu was shocked.

——Immediately, he staggered back a few steps, keeping his distance from Li Yuan.

Li Yuan looked at him inexplicably.

He saw Jun Shao Liu looking at him with suspicion, and after a long time, he took a deep breath and sighed sincerely:

“…A love guru!”

Li Yuan: “?”

“You’re really willing to pull one out and give it to him.” Jun Shao Liu wished he could be ten feet away from him, not wanting to get close, but he admired him from the bottom of his heart.

No wonder he had been so dismissive when he said he wanted to visit and befriend Dao friend Ye, as if he didn’t think much of it at all.

It turned out that such a generous gift was required.

Li Yuan remembered that Jun Shao Liu had just been looking at Ye Zhuo’s sword, so he naturally understood the meaning of his words.

…With such a way of thinking, the Ghost Emperor was truly unique.

This kind of ghost was frivolous and shallow, with ulterior motives, and he thought that others were also as eager to please as he was.

“I didn’t give it to him,” Li Yuan said, “Also, he is my long-time nemesis, not a friend.”

——Jun Shao Liu was momentarily speechless.

At this moment, Ye Zhuo’s sword was like a sudden storm of wind and snow, the bright and clear light sweeping away all the ghostly and demonic aura between heaven and earth. Between the Blue Sky and the Yellow Springs, there was only this fleeting sword, pushing Yu Hu to the brink.

Li Yuan naturally watched with all his attention, treating Jun Shao Liu as nothing.

In fact, the words “long-time nemesis” were very interesting.

If the feud was not over, it meant that the victory or defeat was not yet decided, which also meant that they were evenly matched.

Then this person’s strength and realm would also symbolize his own strength and realm.

If the grievances were known to the world, others would inevitably mention that person when they talked about him—even before his teacher, relatives, or even his Dao partner.

Therefore, if his nemesis was someone like Jun Shao Liu, Li Yuan would only feel ashamed if the news spread.

But if that person was Ye Zhuo, the one who ascended Spirit Mountain at thirteen and pulled out the dragon scale at fifteen, the one who killed the Human Immortal and shocked the audience, the most dazzling and eye-catching person in the heavens and earth, everything would be completely different.

——He would gladly bring it up, gilding his own reputation.