Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48: Showdown on the Desolate Mountain
Beneath a large, ancient tree.
Shen Daoxing sat cross-legged, carving a wooden sculpture with his full attention.
His entire being—his Essence Qi, spirit, and focus—was one with the short blade in his hand.
Five streams of radiant light flickered into existence with every pass of the blade.
This was the Five Sword Intent.
"This is bad!"
Just then, He Ku’s panicked voice rang out. "The people from Celestial City Academy are coming up to kill us!"
"!?"
Shen Daoxing paused, the short blade in his hand momentarily stilling. He lifted his head and looked over.
He saw He Ku running toward them, gasping for breath.
Following him were countless figures rushing forward from the distance. The man in the lead wielded a long saber, his eyes gleaming with a cold, unstoppable sharpness.
The newcomer was none other than Jiang Chen.
"Shen Daoxing is over there!"
When the students of Celestial City Academy saw Shen Daoxing, they looked like a pack of starving wolves that had just spotted a fattened sheep.
The students who dared to follow Jiang Chen up the mountain were all top-tier prodigies of Celestial City Academy. The weakest among them was at the Fifth Layer of the Profound Platform realm. Now, with murderous glints in their eyes, their combined presence was terrifying.
"The Xiaoyue Curved Saber. It weighs one thousand, one hundred and seventy-two catties, is two feet and one inch long, and half an inch thick. An eighth-grade Treasure Saber."
Jiang Chen looked at the saber in his hand as if it were his lover. "The one who will kill you is Jiang Chen!"
Shen Daoxing held an ordinary iron sword and said nothing.
Ever since arriving in the imperial city, he had rarely used his Great Ming Demon Sparrow.
The air fell utterly silent, and the tense atmosphere solidified to an extreme.
Jiang Chen’s pupils contracted sharply. The saber in his hand moved like a sliver of the moon, carrying a boundless chill as it slashed toward Shen Daoxing.
As fast as a meteor! As clear as day!
Jiang Chen’s saber arts were profound. This single strike sealed off all of Shen Daoxing’s paths of retreat.
CLANG—!
Suddenly, the sound of a saber and sword clashing rang out. The noise reverberated outward in expanding waves, piercing the eardrums of the crowd.
Shen Daoxing’s sword had struck Jiang Chen’s saber with pinpoint accuracy, hitting the blade’s weakest point and bringing Jiang Chen’s attack to a dead stop.
"Release it!"
Jiang Chen roared, wrenching his saber back. He threw a punch that seemed to carry the roar of a lion, tiger, and dragon, blasting toward Shen Daoxing with unparalleled momentum.
The tearing gale whipped up Shen Daoxing’s loose hair and the corners of his robes.
BANG!
Shen Daoxing met the fist with a palm strike. The collision forced both of them back several steps.
’Eighth Layer of the Profound Platform realm!’
After that single exchange, Shen Daoxing had gauged Jiang Chen’s strength.
’This Shen Daoxing is really something. No wonder that waste Zhang Chaoyang died at his hands.’
Jiang Chen shook out his arm, a blazing battle intent flaring in his eyes.
"Again!"
Jiang Chen’s body flashed as he shot into the air again. The curved saber in his hand struck at Shen Daoxing, this time thirty percent faster than before.
"So fast! I could see afterimages before, but now I can’t see a single trace."
"Saber Intent! That’s Saber Intent!"
"Senior Brother Jiang Chen is too strong! Shen Daoxing is a dead man for sure."
...
The eyes of the Celestial City Academy students lit up.
CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK!
A continuous series of frantic metallic clashes rang out.
’Jiang Chen truly deserves his title as the champion of the Three Academies Martial Competition!’
As the boundless, ferocious aura spread, He Ku felt as if he were a tiny boat tossed on a vast, misty sea—utterly helpless and weak.
At that moment, a stunningly beautiful figure landed on a distant branch.
Ling Shuanghua’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly. She thought to herself, ’Celestial City Academy truly produces a wealth of talent. First, there was Xia Junze, then the Four Heroes, and now this Jiang Chen.’
An Eighth Layer Profound Platform cultivation, and he has comprehended Saber Intent.
Either of these accomplishments alone would be enough for him to look down on all his peers.
But now, both were present in a single person.
How could one not be shocked by this!?
"Jiang Chen has gone up Desolate Mountain!"
At the same time, this piece of gossip spread like wildfire.
As the recent champion of the Three Academies Martial Competition, Jiang Chen was a prominent figure. His every move was watched by interested parties.
The news that he had ascended Desolate Mountain to find Shen Daoxing naturally sent shockwaves through countless people.
Upon hearing the news, disciples from Divine Wind Academy and the Royal Academy all rushed toward Desolate Mountain.
...
「Halfway up the mountain.」
Lin Haitao sat cross-legged. His cloudy, aged eyes were not looking up the mountain, but down.
Just then, a figure appeared at the foot of the mountain.
It was a hale and hearty old man with a full head of white hair.
His figure seemed ethereal, exuding the air of an immortal. With a single step, he covered a distance of several dozen feet.
"You’re here."
Lin Haitao sounded as if he had long been expecting him.
"I had to come."
The old man spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. "Hand Shen Daoxing over to my Celestial City Academy, and we can pretend this whole affair never happened."
This was no ordinary person, but the current Dean of Celestial City Academy, Ren Changfeng.
Lin Haitao asked, "Hand him over to your Celestial City Academy?"
Ren Changfeng nodded. "That’s right. He should have joined my Celestial City Academy in the first place. You just got lucky and snatched him up."
Lin Haitao smiled. "Hearing you say that, I take it you plan on nurturing him?"
"You know better than anyone that life is a road of no return. Make the wrong choice, and you will be burdened by your own foolishness for the rest of your days."
Ren Changfeng said coolly, "Since he has joined the Sword Institute, it’s impossible for him to ever enter my Celestial City Academy. I am taking him away to break both his legs and make him kneel on Celestial City Mountain to atone for his crimes with his life. Only then can we deter other upstarts and preserve the reputation of my Celestial City Academy."
His tone was exceptionally calm, as if he were stating something perfectly natural and just.
The prestige of Celestial City Academy could not be sullied by anyone.
Lin Haitao’s smile deepened. "You haven’t changed a bit since all those years ago."
Ren Changfeng’s eyes narrowed. "And neither have you."
Lin Haitao clasped his hands behind his back and looked up the mountain. "If you want to take that boy away, it will depend on the abilities of your Celestial City Academy students."
Ren Changfeng also looked up. "If that’s the case, then let’s wait and see."
...
「Atop Desolate Mountain.」
Jiang Chen fought with increasing ferocity. The speed of his saber strikes grew faster and faster until the blade began to glow with a faint red light.
This was Saber Intent!
Every time Shen Daoxing’s sword struck out, it blocked the most critical point of attack, instantly neutralizing Jiang Chen’s offense. He had already brought his Swordsmanship to the peak of its profoundness.
CLANG!
Another violent clash of metal rang out, and the two figures staggered apart by several steps.
Jiang Chen spun around abruptly. His Treasure Saber was now bathed in a crimson, blood-red light. The glow was so brilliant that it captivated the onlookers’ gazes, leaving them with nothing in their vision but a raging, boundless sea.
Blood-Sea Crescent Moon!
A blue saber light, carrying a heaven-storming, ferocious power, slashed down without hesitation. This single strike was powerful enough to cleave the ground in two. A sense of irresistible despair began to boil uncontrollably in the hearts of everyone present.
In comparison, Shen Daoxing’s figure seemed so small he was almost negligible.
Shen Daoxing’s own aura flared to life as he brandished his longsword.
Four Symbols Sword Technique! Swift as the Wind!
He swung his sword, and it was as if a Wind Blade had pierced through the air.
TING!
There was no explosive roar as everyone had imagined, only a single, crisp metallic sound that slowly faded away.
But in the next moment, under the horrified gazes of the Celestial City Academy students, Jiang Chen’s arm began to tremble uncontrollably as he heaved great, ragged breaths.
