Chapter 28: Our Karma Ends Here

After Chen An finished speaking, another sword hum sounded clearly in the air.

The blade vibrated faintly, as if mirroring its owner's impatience.

Yet, Chen An still ignored it, his attention still fixed upon Ji Qingge. "Since I'm already here, I feel like I should do something—but, then again, it's your choice."

"Do you want to leave, or would you prefer to go back to Zhengqing Sect with this ice-block?"

It seemed like an absurd question. Ji Qingge even stared at him incredulously, wondering if perhaps his mind had broken.

'Is this even about what I want or don't want?'

She wanted to say something sharp to the Daoist, but when her gaze met his composed, unwavering eyes, she found herself hesitating. Opening her mouth slightly, no sound emerged.

Yet Chen An already had his answer.

With a clap of his hands, he finally turned and faced the ice-block he'd previously ignored. Chu Qingli stared back at him, her sword rising ever so slightly. Her irises were tinged with faint amber.

"Step aside—or die."

Her words were softly spoken, yet carried no room for negotiation. A crushing aura of sword intent pressed forward, suffocating in its intensity.

Chen An stepped forward, calmly shielding Ji Qingge and Su Chichi behind him—and blocking the incoming blade intent with ease. His figure didn't seem especially imposing, yet it was exactly enough to shield the two behind him perfectly.

"You're at Foundation Establishment. So am I," Chen An suddenly asked casually. "Why are you so sure you can easily defeat me?"

Chu Qingli's eyes narrowed slightly. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't bother answering such pointless questions. 

But today, her emotions were unusually disrupted, and she had no desire to shed more blood. So she answered briefly, hoping the Daoist would retreat:

"Below Golden Core, I've never tasted defeat."

These calm eight words echoed softly, filled with quiet yet overwhelming confidence.

Hearing this, Chen An raised an eyebrow and replied curiously, "Oh? You're also invincible in the same realm?"

The words seemed odd—so odd, in fact, that even Ji Qingge's expression twisted strangely upon hearing them.

Chu Qingli slightly lifted her chin. "You could say that."

Before she finished speaking, her sword had already thrust forward. Enough idle chatter had passed today—since he refused to step aside, she'd let their blades decide. 

Chu Qingli never announced her moves or shouted battle cries; she'd learned since childhood that victory alone decided who had the right to speak.

The sword's brilliance shone clear like water, mirroring Chu Qingli's cold eyes, which saw nothing but victory.

Chen An stood motionless, not evading. Behind him were two lives he could neither abandon nor endanger.

'Did his mind wander?' The fleeting thought crossed Chu Qingli's mind as she saw the seemingly distracted man before her.

But she never adhered to meaningless martial courtesies.

She tightened her grip, channeling power fully. Both sword and wielder surged forward at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, the blade's tip arrived mere centimeters from Chen An's chest.

Yet, she hadn't aimed for his heart. Chu Qingli didn't wish to kill wantonly. Just injure the Daoist, cast him aside, and take the fox demon back to the mountain—that was all.

But at this instant, Chen An finally seemed to awaken from his daze. His gaze shifted slightly.

Then, impossibly, the sword halted abruptly, a mere finger's width from his chest, frozen utterly in midair.

"Hm, not bad," Chen An remarked curiously, stepping forward calmly. 

Amidst Chu Qingli's stunned expression, he easily took the sword from her grasp.

For one surreal moment, time and space seemed entirely suspended.

Chu Qingli stood paralyzed, unable to move an inch despite furiously circulating her cultivation technique—her skin even flushed faintly crimson from exertion.

But still, she couldn't move.

"Relax," Chen An chuckled gently, reassuring her. "You've never seen this technique before, right? I call it 'Time Stop.' Interesting name, isn't it? Actually, in my world, this term is nearly worn-out from overuse—but it fits perfectly here."

He leisurely examined her sword, turning it slowly in his hands before finally returning it. Chen An then took Chu Qingli's delicate hand, gently closing her fingers back around the hilt.

Only then did he calmly say, "Grip it properly now. That thrust you did earlier was extremely fast. Demonstrate it again for me—I'll copy your moves. My swordsmanship isn't very good, so lend me a hand."

Hearing these casual remarks, Chu Qingli felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm her mind.

'Demonstrate it again? Copy my moves?'

'Does he think swordsmanship is as simple as drinking water?'

Even with her typically cold personality, Chu Qingli struggled not to scream inwardly at this absurdity.

Yet Chen An appeared perfectly serious, not joking in the least. As if rewinding, events repeated themselves again.

"You've already taught me the Demon-Sealing Formation today," Chen An smiled lightly. "But I'm rather greedy. I'd like to learn a bit more, lest I have nothing else to teach my disciple in the future. Wouldn't that damage my reputation as a master?"

"So…please help me out a bit longer."

…

Strike after strike, sword after sword, countless gleaming arcs flickered through the air amid fluttering sleeves.

From cautious tension at first to numb repetition later, Chu Qingli became nothing more than a controlled puppet. The light had faded entirely from her eyes.

This 'Time Stop' was simply too absurd.

She felt as if every single strike punched empty air; no matter how much strength or skill she exerted, it was meaningless. Simply put, she couldn't even touch Chen An.

This eerie situation genuinely terrified her.

Eventually, after completely exhausting her spiritual energy, Chu Qingli finally collapsed onto the ground. Her slender body trembled faintly, yet she stubbornly raised her head, glaring directly at Chen An without fear—only resentment, refusal to concede.

In her mind, she hadn't truly lost.

Silence settled heavily over the courtyard, broken only by the woman's ragged breathing.

Chen An stood in thought, his consciousness immersed deeply within a storage pouch.

Inside lay numerous objects: all manner of weapons, colorful clothing, and especially peculiar, brightly-colored vials and jars. These were spoils he'd claimed after destroying Su village from those evil cultivators.

Among the many items, he'd found a curious manual titled 'A Hundred Ways to Subdue a Female Sword Immortal.' The descriptions within were vividly explicit, providing detailed procedures for subjugating sword immortal women. At the book's end, there was a note:

'Use together with specially refined Binding Immortal Ropes and Immortal-Taming Powder for best results. (Updated in Year 223 of Shenzhou Calendar: Immortal-Taming Powder ineffective against cultivators at Golden Core or above.)'

The bad news was Chen An didn't know how to craft either item. The good news was that both items were already conveniently stored within the storage pouch.

He could only conclude everything was simply too coincidental.

However, feeling that something was inherently off about the so-called Immortal-Taming Powder, Chen An opted to just take out the Binding Immortal Rope.

A crimson rope materialized in his grasp.

With a mere thought, the rope shot forward, swiftly wrapping around the exhausted female sword immortal. Within three short breaths, Chu Qingli found herself tightly bound.

Having finished this smoothly, Chen An finally turned around again.

Ji Qingge stared at this unbelievable scene before her, mouth agape in a perfect circle of astonishment.

This Daoist… He actually tied someone up? Moreover, the proud genius of Zhengqing Sect?

Her expression was complicated, Ji Qingge found it nearly impossible to process.

Only Su Chichi remained unconcerned, entirely confident from the start that her master would never lose.

Chen An approached calmly, gently taking Su Chichi's small hand into his own.

He spoke only a simple sentence to Ji Qingge:

"I've returned your freedom. Our karma ends here."

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