Chapter Thirty-One: Clarifying the Heart Through the Sword

Performing rituals, praying for rain, slaying demons, and comforting the populace—these were the duties of a sect disciple.

Chen Xuan couldn't help but recall the first time he met Liu Shuyue.

Not knowing what to say, he could only respond, "Right. Since there are so many benefits to slaying demons, then it must be done. Is this great demon what you wanted to show me?"

"I wanted you to witness all of this. Even if the plan to flee Qingzhou fails in the end, there will be someone who remembers us." Liu Shuyue paused. "Chen Xuan, when you retrieve the 'Omniscient Archive,' these stories should be recorded within it as well, right?"

What did she mean, retrieve the Omniscient Archive? Wasn't that an ability he had already traded away?

While he was lost in thought, a long, piercing howl echoed through the air. It sounded like neither man nor beast, grating and enough to make one’s head spin.

"It’s here," Liu Shuyue said, looking toward the mountains.

*So soon? I’m not mentally prepared for this! And this sound is nothing like the dragon roar I imagined.*

Chen Xuan followed her gaze. A cyan "long snake" emerged from the stone forest, twisting gracefully around stone pillars before soaring into the sky and swimming toward them. It flew without wings, possessed two pairs of claws beneath its body, and had a massive head crowned with shimmering, long horns—it looked exactly like a dragon from legend.

Yet, remembering its penchant for eating people, this majestic display felt deeply terrifying.

Simultaneously, a wind began to howl across the hillside. What had been a bright and sunny scene only moments ago turned gray and overcast, the refugee camp in the valley below becoming blurred and indistinct.

"Don't worry, this is a change in weather patterns caused by Xuan," Liu Shuyue explained. "The Azure Dragon can summon wind, thunder, and thick fog. Whether it’s trapping prey in the mist to toy with them until death or whipping up a gale to toss them into the sky and dash them against the rocks, it’s all part of its repertoire."

"…Would you like to borrow the Thousand-Thought Sword back first?"

"The Thousand-Thought Sword is fine for slaying minor demons, but it’s ineffective against a great demon like this." For some reason, she chuckled softly. "You really are yourself… even at a time like this, you’re still thinking about rentals. You truly value business above all else."

"But someone like you actually puts me at ease," Liu Shuyue said, drawing the long sword from her back and holding it in her hand. "At least you won't default on a debt."

"That goes without saying. In our line of work… sincerity is what matters." Chen Xuan didn't offer further explanation. "May I take it that you are still hiding a power even more formidable than the Thousand-Thought Sword?"

"Naturally. One shouldn't sell their trump cards first," she said as if it were obvious. "Though this power is strong, it isn't easy to use. I don't think you’d like it very much."

*Really? When it comes to abilities, one never knows until they get their hands on them.*

"You seemed certain the great demon would come," Chen Xuan said, raising a hand to shield his face as the wind grew too strong to keep his eyes open. "I thought these demons were all sneaky, coming and going without a trace."

"Why would it hide? Xuan is the king of this territory. Have you ever seen a king hide from outsiders?" Liu Shuyue said dismissively. "Not to mention the border regions, it even ventures deep into Qingzhou every few years to hunt. Each trip results in hundreds of casualties. Now that a massive amount of rations has been delivered to its doorstep, it couldn't possibly resist."

"It’s that arrogant?" He was genuinely surprised. "Then why haven't you slain it before?"

Or rather, why hadn't previous generations of sect disciples destroyed the demon? If the Lotus Cloud Sect had records of Xuan, it meant it had existed for at least several hundred years. This didn't seem to make sense. After all, every part of an Azure Dragon was a treasure, and its blood could transform ordinary people into cultivators. If the major sects didn't care for it, the Emperor surely wouldn't let it go easily, would he? Could the Emperor and his armies not defeat it? But the Emperor could command sect disciples like Liu Shuyue.

"Because it is rumored that the dragon is a manifestation of the ruler's destiny…" she said with a hint of self-mockery. "To threaten the dragon is to threaten the stability of the dynasty. So, even though it is a great demon that plagues the land, and even though everyone knows it exists in the south, it continues to live on. Thinking about it now, those predecessors of mine were nothing more than that…"

"You said the dragon is a manifestation of the Emperor’s destiny? And yet you’re here to slay it?" Chen Xuan was astonished. "If word of this gets out, won’t your position as the Immortal Teacher’s aide…"

Seeing her calm expression, he realized that perhaps other events had transpired during the twelve days he had been away. Was it really just a lack of disaster relief?

Chen Xuan was about to press her for details, but a sudden, overwhelming gust of wind forced him to turn his back. When he looked again, the space beside him was empty.

*Where is she? Could it be—*

He looked up, unable to suppress a gasp. *Holy cow, she can fly!*

Liu Shuyue was indeed flying! She ascended against the wind, shrinking to the size of a sesame seed in the blink of an eye. The Azure Dragon had also emerged from the Great Wilderness of Ten Thousand Mountains, charging toward them.

*Is this a battle between immortals?*

Chen Xuan felt his heart pounding. Despite having dealt with Liu Shuyue for so long, he had never seen her fight for real. How intense would the battle between an immortal and a demon become? Was it truly safe to watch from this hillside?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but his body followed its most instinctual reaction: he pulled out his phone, opened the camera, and aimed it at the billowing, clouded sky.

He saw Liu Shuyue toss her sword into the air and point two fingers toward the sky. The blade stood upright against the wind, as if it were sentient, hovering above her fingertips! Then, brilliant, seven-colored light erupted from the blade!

The Azure Dragon opened its blood-red maw. Only then did Chen Xuan realize the dragon was terrifyingly large; its mouth alone could easily swallow a locomotive.

Liu Shuyue swung her sword. She did it with a simple downward motion, without a single wasted movement.

The manic howling of the wind in his ears suddenly ceased. In an instant, a surge of brilliant light slashed out from the tip of the sword, like a blindingly bright thread, sweeping down across the dragon's head! The dragon’s mouth remained open, but the lightning flickering on its horns suddenly flickered out, as if the power had been cut by that single strike.

*Did it hit?*

No sooner had the thought occurred than the dragon’s body split down the middle, a horrific wound appearing across its massive belly! But that wasn't the extent of the strike.

For immediately after, the sky itself split open!

The churning clouds were pushed aside by the wake of the blade, and the previously gray, murky firmament was cleaved in two, revealing the clear, vast blue sky behind it. This single strike hadn't just hit the dragon; it had sliced through the wind and the demonic fog it brought!

*Clatter…*

The silence broke, replaced not by the howling of wind and thunder, but by the pattering of rain.

It was raining.

Logically, the rain following such a gale should have been violent. But this was no ordinary rain. It was as gentle as a spring shower, yet the water was red and smelled of blood.

He looked down at his feet. The bloody rain fell silently, staining the once-verdant earth a dark, somber hue.

*Is it over? It only took her one strike to slay a dragon?*

Chen Xuan suddenly felt poetic, tempted to recite a verse—perhaps something about "a single sword's cold light spanning nineteen provinces" or "like a demon-slaying seed descending from the heavens"—but ultimately decided that "badass" was the most fitting description.

This! This! Was! Cultivation!

Even though he wasn't the one who had slain the dragon, his blood was boiling. One day, perhaps he, too, could reach such heights.

He looked up to find Liu Shuyue again, but froze. The sky that had been sliced open had not returned to its normal state; even the original blue backdrop had a tear in it. Through that gap, he seemed to see countless high-rise buildings…

*High-rise buildings?*

*Am I seeing things?*

He rubbed his eyes and looked again, unable to believe it. This time, he even activated his Divine Eye technique, magnifying his vision tenfold.

The buildings became clearer. He could see not only the sleek glass curtain walls but also some of the advertising billboards mounted on the rooftops.

"Tianheng Life Insurance Co., Ltd.?"

He read the name aloud, then gasped. Wasn't that the landmark building near his own apartment complex!?

...

...

In the room, red warning lights spun frantically, and the blaring alarm was loud enough to burst one's eardrums.

"Can you turn off that damned siren! Even if it screams louder, we still can't fly over there!" Wang Baihu shouted at his colleague in front of the desk while hurriedly packing his gear. "Has the threat level been confirmed?"

"Yes! The system classifies it as..." The colleague paused for a moment, then added in horror, "A-level contamination breach!"

"Location?"

"Tianlu District, Peace Avenue. Captain Wan is already on his way."

"Understood, I'm heading out." The young man jogged to the underground parking lot and saw his partner, Honglian, already waiting in the driver's seat of their specialized vehicle. As soon as he climbed in, she slammed the pedal to the floor.

"Slow down! I haven't even closed the door yet!" Wang Baihu shrieked, grabbing the handle and hooking the door shut with his toe. "Whew… A-level breach. Things are about to get interesting."