Chapter 29: Wei Su’s Ambush, The Strings Are Gone

Chen Kuang slowly withdrew his stance while the lingering alcohol in his body steamed off in waves, dispersing into a white mist like a waterfall.

His back was drenched with sweat, and the once-overflowing Spiritual Energy inside him had now returned to a normal level.

If not for the lingering warmth of the Carefree Wine still simmering in his stomach, he would've already dropped back down from his peak.

But even so, this boosted state wouldn't last long.

As the wine's power gradually evaporated, his cultivation would start to fall again.

So, a swift battle was best.

To kill an Innate Realm cultivator with a single strike, it looked impressive, but Chen Kuang knew the truth: it was due more to luck and tactics than actual strength.

The Innate Realm was split into three levels: Origin Force, Converged Force, and Illusory Force, all manifestations of unified primordial qi.

Origin Force meant that each use of Spiritual Energy would naturally regenerate over time, removing the need for meditation to recover. It provided nearly uninterrupted power in battle.

Converged Force was when scattered Spiritual Energy condensed into a stream. When unleashed, it surged like a bursting dam, flooding outward.

Illusory Force was when Spiritual Energy no longer resided in the Qi Apertures but infused directly into the flesh. Every movement and thought triggered its flow, free from all constraints.

The gap between Origin and Converged Force wasn't insurmountable, but it was significant.

That Black Armor Guard just now had been of the Origin Force level.

Chen Kuang's "pseudo-Innate" state barely scraped into Origin Force.

But he had struck first. The enemy was unaware, distracted, and mentally disrupted by the Heavenly Demon Law, which gave Chen Kuang time to charge up White Lotus Rebirth with three full waves of force for a devastating blow.

He'd used zither first, then fist, forcing the guard to focus on sound attacks, only to be blindsided by a physical strike.

That sudden switch, from mage to warrior, caught the man completely off guard.

Most crucially, Chen Kuang had discovered that "Piercing Insight" had a surprising combat application: it could detect the enemy's deliberately hidden weak points and vital spots!

That last palm strike had gone straight for the target's fatal flaw.

In short, it was a lucky, fully stacked burst. Under normal conditions, he wouldn't stand a chance.

But there were still eighteen more Black Armored Guards at that level.

He needed to move, fast.

Fortunately, the prison tower was close to the outer wall.

With that major obstacle out of the way, the exit was finally within reach.

Chen Kuang turned back, helped Chu Wenruo to her feet, and began sprinting with her and the princess toward the gate, no longer conserving his power.

Any soldier they encountered, regardless of strength, was slain with the Dragon Gums Zither. With every few steps, another life was taken. A single note, a single death.

The more Chen Kuang killed, the fiercer his aura grew.

He became like an unsheathed blade, a feral tiger breaking loose, just meeting his eyes was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

He killed like cutting weeds.

And as his enemies withered, his killing intent flourished. His strength surged with it.

In his mind, the phantom sword he'd long envisioned was finally coming alive, its terrifying radiance and demonic power blooming.

It stirred restlessly, as though it now had a will of its own.

The Weed-Cutting Song...

"Kill like cutting grass, life and death in an instant. A living sword must drink blood, to kill others is to kill the self..."

Chen Kuang murmured the verse instinctively.

He looked up, the tightly shut east gate was just ahead. Once he broke through, Liang's remaining cultivators would come to receive him.

Chu Wenruo suddenly cried out: "There's someone on the wall!"

Of course he'd noticed.

A refined-looking middle-aged man stood atop the city wall, holding an unfolded, blank folding fan and gently fanning himself. A serene smile played on his lips.

Clearly, he'd been waiting there a long time.

Wei Su.

Heir to the Three Calamities Sect and a cultivator of the Sea-Cleaving Realm!

Wei Su looked down, locking eyes with Chen Kuang.

Ink spread across the once-blank fan, forming multiple messy patterns.

"You know," he said softly, "you could've traded the Elixir of Immortality for your life."

He glanced toward Chu Wenruo, his tone admiring. "I've long heard that the Lady of Liang is a peerless beauty. Seeing her today, it's clearly true."

Then his voice turned cold: "But alas... soft beauty is a hero's grave."

Chen Kuang's eyes narrowed.

So this was the man. His earlier attempt to sow discord had nearly succeeded, which meant Wei Su must've realized that Li Hongling believed Chen Kuang held the elixir.

Now he was here, for his own reasons...

Chen Kuang sneered. "General Li already said, when the seven days were up, I'd die regardless of what I said. Clearly, I was never considered human. A man may die, but not in disgrace. Treated like that, I wouldn't hand over the elixir even if it cost me my life."

He paused, then added, "But... if you could promise me safe passage out of the city..."

Wei Su shook his fan and sighed.

"If you'd said that a few days ago, maybe I'd believe you. But now? You had the guts to bargain with Li Hongling. You're not afraid to die."

"And more importantly..."

Wei Su's eyes dropped to Chen Kuang's legs.

"I heard Li Hongling crushed both of your legs but now... they seem perfectly fine."

Chen Kuang's expression didn't change. "If I said that Immortal Shen healed me out of pity, would you believe it?"

Wei Su closed his fan and laughed.

"Of course I'd believe it. Why wouldn't I?"

Suddenly, he vanished.

His voice, however, came from behind, sinister and sibilant like a venomous serpent.

Ink on the fan transformed, into zither strings.

"If I beat you half to death, and examine your legs myself, I'll believe whatever you say!"

Wei Su's hand landed on Chen Kuang's shoulder. Overwhelming Spiritual Energy crashed down, shredding through flesh and bone.

Chen Kuang scrambled to pluck his zither, but...

The strings were gone.

The Dragon Gums Zither lay bare, its surface empty.

There was nothing there at all!

Stealing Heaven, Swapping Sun, the art that erased even the concept of the Elixir of Immortality.

A technique capable of nullifying reality itself.

The difference between them, three whole cultivation realms, was a crushing, undeniable gap!

CRACK!

With a twist, Wei Su tore off Chen Kuang's arm.

Sweat poured from Chen Kuang's brow.

The scholar in white chuckled gently.

"I even tracked down your former colleagues, the few musicians who survived, and confirmed that you really were blind once."

"But now... your eyes seem just fine."

"There's only one thing in this world that can reverse death itself..."

"...Unless you've taken the Elixir of Immortality."

He saw Chen Kuang's pupils contract, and smiled gleefully.

The Three Calamities Sect had won.

Far behind them, a raspy female voice, amplified by Spiritual Energy, echoed through the entire capital:

"Since all heroes have gathered today... allow me, in front of Liang's people, to personally send the Butcher of Liang to his end, as a final gesture of respect."

Atop the city wall, Li Hongling stepped toward the kneeling Huo Hengxuan, raised her halberd, and said coldly:

"From this day forth, Liang will become dust in history."

"Watch closely, see who truly rules this world."

She took a deep breath, spun her Meteor Abyss halberd, then swung it down at Huo Hengxuan's skull..

BOOM!

The halberd stopped abruptly.

There was no sound of flesh splitting, only something catching the blade.

And then, inch by inch, it began to rise.

Li Hongling's pupils shrank. Her arms bulged with veins and corded muscle, but she couldn't stop it.

Huo Hengxuan's severed arms had regrown, pure white, like jade.

He held the halberd with one hand.

With the other, he swung sideways, grabbing two Black Armored Guards by the neck and trapping them under his arm.

With a crunch, their heads exploded like melons.

Huo Hengxuan slowly rose, his body glowing gold.

Huo Hengxuan stood up slowly, his entire body flashing with golden light. Amidst the crisp, resounding crackle of surging energy, golden needles coursed through his body, unraveling each restriction one by one.

"Tell me again... Whose world is this?"