Longevity Begins With Gu Refining

Chapter 216: The Sword of Slaughter Bows to the King

The River Styx.

The thatched hut.

The fragrance of wine seeped out from the cracks in the hut.

Outside the hut, Zhou Li raised his head. He was dressed in black robes with his arms crossed and a blade in his arms. The rain continued to fall.

It was not easy to create a thatched hut in the Death Realm. Fortunately, all the disciples of the Immortal Mountain who entered would bring a handful of straw with them.

Afterwards, this thatched hut was built here.

The Immortal Mountain had seven peaks, and the Killer Daoist came from the seventh. This mountain was called Mayfly.

It referred to the creatures of the world. Life and death were like mayflies, existing with a single thought and a flash of brilliance.

Very few people could survive for more than three years on Mayfly Mountain, because it possessed the densest killing intent in the world.

At night, the furious roars of swords could always be heard, like the growls of man-eating beasts.

The Killer Daoist had already lived for over two hundred years.

Zhou Li pushed open the door. The fragrance of wine filled the air.

Before him was a white-haired old man. The old man sat with his legs crossed, and a sword was placed horizontally before his knees.

There were shark teeth on one side, while the other was a single blade that was as smooth as water.

Zhou Li's gaze landed on the sword. Every time he looked at it, he would feel his mind sway.

Even though he had already seen it once, he still could not help but ask again, "Is this the sword that can kill kings?"

The Killer Daoist raised his head, and his hawk-like gaze landed on Zhou Li. "Correct. The sword's name is Slaughtering Elephant."

Zhou Li asked rather curiously, "This sword's might is no weaker than a king's sword, so why hasn't it become a king's sword yet?"

The Killer Daoist said, "That's because the king's sword of slaughter still exists. As long as the sword named Whale of Slaughter still exists, there won't be another king's sword of slaughter in this world."

Zhou Li nodded. "The whale is the head of the sea, while the elephant is the head of the land. These names do bring out the best in each other."

Zhou Li went up and picked up the jug of wine. He poured a cup for himself and the Killer Daoist. "The prince's news has arrived. He wants us to go bite the Dragon Stallion Army of Green Ruins."

The Killer Daoist reminisced, "Although the aura of death in this world is dense, there's still not enough slaughter."

"I miss Mayfly Mountain a little."

He picked up the wine cup and poured the wine on the Slaying Elephant. Miraculously, the sword seemed to know how to drink wine and absorbed all the wine.

Killer Taoist looked at the gloomy rain outside and suddenly said, "I wish to offer my sword to the king!"

This sword was born to slay kings.

Offering his sword to the king meant that he had to slay the king.

Zhou Li pondered for a moment. "His Highness only asked us to stop him."

Killer Taoist asked, "Are you confident?"

Zhou Li put down his wine cup, his heart still fluttering with fear. "I heard from Yan Xingchen that nearly 200 people died in two charges."

"As for the Dragon Legion Corps, it seems like not a single person has died."

"The Dragon Stallion Army only showed their sharpness once on the battlefield, and they already have the courage to look down on the world."

"Even if we combine our forces, we only have 1200 men."

"If it's a city defense, I still have some confidence. But if it's a field battle …"

"We are no match for him."

Killer Taoist reached out to stroke the Killer Elephant. His expression did not change even when his palm was cut open, and fresh blood slowly covered it.

"That's right."

"Let's prepare to welcome King Wen."

"Since we want to slay a king, we have to give him the standard of a king."

"Only then can the Killer Elephant kill to his heart's content."

"Either this sword doesn't come out, or it will definitely slay a king."

"Qing Xu is known as the Master of Literature in Nanli. He does have the aura of a king, so it's not a disgrace to the Killer Elephant."

Zhou Li cupped his hands. "Then I'll go and prepare."

Killer Taoist waved his hand and closed the door. He softly recited an ancient poem, "Cultivating for 200 autumns, I have never taken anyone's head with a flying sword."

"Today I offer my sword to the king, when will the dragon and elephant return to the swan?"

The door closed. In the thatched cottage, the fragrance of wine and the sound of a sword intertwined.

Two hundred years of cultivation, all for one sword.

Today, it was time to unsheathe.

When Chen Qing arrived at the Crossing of Bones, he had some doubts in his heart.

Because after defeating Yan Xingchen, he rarely encountered enemy troops. At most, he encountered some enemy scouts.

This meant that the enemy troops stationed here had already gathered together to prevent him from breaking through them one by one.

At the same time, it also meant that the enemy had a method similar to the Aurora Sect's Ghost Face, which allowed them to send messages from afar.

Was it the Dragon Palace's Thousand Mile Sound Transmission Conch?

That should be it.

The Crossing of Bones was a ferry crossing. The origin of its name was very simple, because there were many white bones on the banks of the river.

Once, a ghost of the Ye Kingdom had even composed a poem.

Corpses are hard to bury on the battlefield.

Chen Qing guessed that this was a cultivator very similar to Jiang Xingchuan.

Raindrops fell into the mud, smashing small holes, which were then covered by the next raindrops.

Then, a horse's hooves stomped on the water, creating several splashes.

Suddenly, someone in front of him sang loudly, "King Wen has come, the fish gushes from the spring. I offer the sweet rain to wash away the turbid frost."

Chen Qing looked at the ferry crossing in front of him through the curtain of rain. He saw five cultivators draped in flowery clothes with painted faces. They were carrying flags on their backs and beating drums and gongs.

Above their heads, the light of the stars pierced through the dark clouds and shone on the ground.

The stars in the sky were scattered like stars on a chessboard.

Chen Qing's gaze turned cold. "Zhou Li?"

He stretched his hand forward. "Second Brother, what are they up to?"

Xuan Mang seemed to be a bit familiar with this. "They seem to be welcoming the king."

Wei Qingchen thought of something. "It's the Killer Daoist. He is welcoming the king!"

"It is rumored that Immortal Mountain has a sword that can only cut down kings."

"Now, it seems like they are welcoming Master Wen with the king's greeting, and then offer this sword to Master Wen."

"This sword, in terms of killing dao, is only inferior to Sword Swimming Palace's Killer Whale."

When he heard about Sword Swimming Palace, Chen Qing became a bit interested. "A copy of Sword Swimming Palace's Killer Whale?"

He didn't know which sword his senior sister obtained from Sword Swimming Palace.

Chen Qing closed his eyes, listening to the breathing of heaven and earth. An instant later, Chen Qing opened his eyes. "Just a trifling twelve hundred people, yet they dare block my path?"

Lu Shenglong said, "Master Wen, then should we wipe them out?"

"Let's take care of this group of enemies first so that we won't be at a disadvantage after they meet up with Ji Chang."

Chen Qing shook his head. "We won't fight a battle we aren't prepared for."

"Don't treat your opponents like fools. They clearly know that they aren't our opponents, yet they still want to throw away their lives."

"There are only two reasons for this. The first is that they have confidence in killing me."

"The second is that Ji Chang is about to arrive."

"How exactly is Ji Chang marching? He actually managed to catch up to me?"

Xuan Mang urged his horse forward. "Master Wen, what should we do?"

Chen Qing's legs clamped down on the green ox. "Charge forward, head straight for the Bridge of Helplessness. Ignore them."

"No one can catch up to us in the Death Realm."

"Don't fight. Just charge through!"

"Lu Shenren and the others, follow me!"

"We don't need to kill the enemy in this battle. We just need to pass through quickly."

He was only in the early stages of the Ghost Face Realm. Why would he fight the enemy head-on?

Xuanmang said, "If that's the case, why don't we go around them?"

Chen Qing rubbed his chin. "That's fine. It's not impossible, but it's hard not to charge through with their formation."

At that moment, Chen Qing suddenly heard an old voice. "I have a sword that I'm willing to give to King Wen!"

The old voice seemed to come from the abyss, empty and lonely.

Chen Qing suddenly felt that the butterfly in his heart had slowed down by half a beat, as if something had locked onto it.

His gaze pierced through the rain and looked at the enemy's formation. "There's really someone who can single-handedly resist an army of a thousand?"

"No wonder he dares to block my way."

"Let's go around and give him face!"

"Let's go!"

Chen Qing immediately rode his green ox and took a detour, completely ignoring the other party.

Zhou Li stood at the side of the ferry and watched Chen Qing lead the army around. He couldn't help but sigh. "What a steady person."

"The eight hundred Dragon Stallion Army soldiers are facing twelve hundred people, and they're holding back from attacking."

He looked to the side and realized that Killer Taoist hadn't stopped welcoming the king at all. Instead, he was continuing.

That long and mysterious eulogy was still going on. "In my two hundred years of cultivation, I've never taken anyone's head with a flying sword!"

When Chen Qing heard this, he almost couldn't help but turn back to look.

The butterfly in his heart flapped its wings faster and faster, as if it had been locked onto by the murderous intent.

"Damn it!"

"Everyone, charge! Leave this place quickly!"

He already had a feeling that Killer Taoist definitely had a trump card!

The feeling of being surrounded by murderous intent and being ambushed from all sides made him very uncomfortable.

Zhou Li also felt the change in the situation. He felt like there was a blade at his back.

He turned back and hurried to where Killer Taoist had raised his sword. He saw Killer Taoist sitting cross-legged on a withered tree at the ferry.

Green smoke was already rising from the top of Killer Taoist's head.

The murderous intent around him was about to solidify. Zhou Li even felt his skin hurt as if it was being pricked by needles.

"This is … the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception?"

He turned his head to look in Chen Qing's direction. Chen Qing had already galloped ten miles away on his bull.

"Even from such a long distance, he was still able to kill him in one strike?"

Killer Taoist's face was flushed red, showing a ruddy complexion that was completely different from that of an old man.

He recited slowly, "Today, I hold my sword and salute you."

Even Chen Qing, who was five kilometers away, heard this shout clearly. Chen Qing stopped and turned to look at Bai Gudu in the distance. He shouted, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

He had a very clear feeling. "The other party's sword might be at the Grandmaster level!"

A large number of the Dragon Legion Corps quickly moved to the side. They also felt a strong pressure.

They turned their heads to look at their surroundings. A piece of reef was suddenly cut out of thin air. The cut was as smooth as a mirror.

The flag of the Dragon Legion Corps was suddenly cut in half and slowly fell to the ground.

Chen Qing stared at Killer Taoist with a murderous look in his eyes.

Killer Taoist sat cross-legged on a withered tree and howled, "When will the Dragon-Elephant return?"

It was as if everything around him was solidifying, and everything was starting to slow down.

Chen Qing opened his arms. The Dragon Sparrow Sword appeared in his hand, and the Sickle Weasel danced in the air, circling around his arms.

Chen Qing drew a circle in front of him. Dao Slaying!

Sword against sword. At this moment, their sword auras began to clash.

Killer Taoist laughed wildly. He lowered his head and kowtowed to the Slaying Elephant in a strange posture.

"I kowtow to King Wen with my blood!

"Today, I offer my sword to King Wen!"

Weng weng weng!

The sword whistled. The sword was so fast that it was unbelievable. In an instant, it pierced through the bodies of three Dragon Legion Corps soldiers, causing blood to splatter everywhere.

He couldn't dodge. The killing intent that had lain dormant for two hundred years had completely locked onto him.

The rain curtain between heaven and earth split open.

Endless torrents flowed to both sides like a broken river.

Chen Qing held his sword horizontally and attacked. Thousand Waves Sword, Freezing River Lock!

Bam!

The Slaying Elephant, which had transformed into a blood sword, pierced through Chen Qing's sword aura and then pierced through Chen Qing's Dragon Sparrow Sword, splitting it into two!

Chen Qing lowered his head. A bloody hole had already appeared in his chest.

Blood splattered everywhere. Chen Qing felt an intense pain in his chest. His vision darkened, and he fell from the green ox into the muddy rain.

Five kilometers away, Killer Taoist was also on the verge of collapse. He fell from a withered tree and collapsed into the mud.

Only the Slaying Elephant, dripping with blood, flew over from afar and stabbed into the ground in front of him.

Droplets of dark golden blood dripped down, as if indicating its battle accomplishments.

All of the killing intent completely dissipated at this moment. This was because the Slaying Elephant had completed its mission.

Zhou Li hurried over and helped the completely powerless Killer Taoist to his feet. "Brother, how are you?"

Killer Taoist said, "That Qing Xu has taken a sword strike from my two hundred years of cultivation. He should be unable to reverse the situation."

Zhou Li was overjoyed. "Brother, you've done a great service!"

"Brother, rest well. The Dragon Legion Corps will definitely be in chaos now that Qing Xu has been slain. I'll lead the army to slaughter them right now!"

Zhou Li unsheathed his saber. He was just about to shout when he heard a crack behind him.

He turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, only to see a crack appear on the Slaying Elephant.

Killer Taoist looked at his sword in shock. Chen Qing's roar sounded in his ears again.

"Old crook!"

Chen Qing fell from his horse. Wei Qingchen, Xuan Mang, and Lu Shenglong all dismounted in shock. They quickly walked over and surrounded Chen Qing.

They helped Chen Qing up. However, they saw that the blood that had mixed with the rain on the ground was converging into a stream and flowing toward Chen Qing's wounded body.

It gradually returned to Chen Qing's body. His chest also gradually began to heal.

Even so, Chen Qing's face was still pale.

Chen Qing checked his Dragon Sparrow Sword. Because of this injury, it had lost twenty years of its lifespan!

Chen Qing materialized his Dragon Sparrow Sword again. However, it lacked a sliver of spirit.

Chen Qing swung his sword. "All soldiers, heed my command. Charge into the enemy ranks and leave no one alive!"

Chen Qing shook off Xuan Mang and Wei Qingchen. "What are you standing around for? Get on your horses and charge with me!"

Chen Qing leaped onto his azure cow's back and charged toward the enemy ranks. The Dragon Legion Corps followed closely behind.

He was indeed severely wounded. However, he definitely couldn't reveal this. Once he did, Ji Chang would hunt him down even more crazily.

Moreover, once he revealed this, the morale of the Dragon Legion Corps would also be shaken.

Thus, he had to raise his sword and charge again before he fainted from his injuries. He had to show everyone that he was fine.

Who wouldn't risk their lives to fight a king?

The sound of hooves thundered through the rain.

(End of Chapter)