Chapter Eighteen: Fight to the Death

Amidst the raging storm.

The man’s voice was clear, carrying an unmistakable note of appreciation, for the talent of the youth before him was nothing short of astonishing.

Shen Yu asked calmly, “Who are you?”

The man shook his head slightly. “No need to say.”

“It’s my first time taking a life in this world,” Shen Yu said with a faint smile as he looked at the man. “I should at least know his name. Tell me, do you think killing is an easy thing?”

The boy’s tone was detached. For some inexplicable reason, the man in black felt a chill of dread, then found the notion absurd.

That the killer should fear the one he would kill—utterly preposterous.

Slowly, the man extended his right hand, his gaze turning cold once more.

Thunder crashed!

Atop the cliff, several thick bolts of lightning struck down from the heavens, shattering the rocks nearby.

A dull, crimson glow appeared before the man—shadowed and dangerous.

He spoke in a deep voice, “Can you see what level I’ve reached?”

Shen Yu nodded. “The True Cavern realm. Peak.”

“Correct,” the man in black praised, and then a powerful aura burst forth from him. The dim red light flared with dazzling brilliance as he pointed his right hand forward.

The crimson light shot toward the youth like a meteor, splitting into three streaks mid-flight.

The raindrops around them turned to a fine white mist as they drew near the glowing sphere.

The gap between the Initiate realm and the True Cavern realm—in strength and in cultivation—was insurmountable.

The man held nothing back, unleashing all his power and deploying his famed arcane technique from the onset.

Yet, to his surprise, the youth did not retreat before such a merciless assault. Instead, he charged straight at the three streams of light.

The next instant, the man’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Shen Yu.

A moment ago, the youth had evaded the blazing meteor-like technique with a casual twist and step, bypassing the attack. In the same breath, a lunge brought him within three feet of the man.

The youth’s fist shot toward the man’s face.

Had there been witnesses, they would have marveled at the boy’s keen perception and decisiveness in combat.

With such a vast disparity in cultivation, turning to flee would be futile. Daoist cultivators, after all, shared a single weakness—their bodies were frail.

Thus, close-quarters combat was his only chance.

With a thud, the man in black transformed his outstretched hand into a palm, meeting the punch head-on. He seized the youth’s arm and flung him away. Shen Yu’s body crashed into a distant stone wall like a kite with its string cut.

Clutching his chest, Shen Yu rose with difficulty, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained calm as ever—unmoved.

The man in black subtly clenched his right hand, which trembled slightly behind his back, a look of shock flickering across his lips. The youth’s display had far exceeded his expectations.

“You are too surprising. Today, you must die.”

As the words left his mouth, a black chess piece appeared from thin air before him. It gleamed like jade, emitting a white brilliance. With a whistle, it vanished and reappeared before Shen Yu.

A life-bound spiritual treasure, usually nurtured within a cultivator’s core, but the man in black was not holding back tonight.

Shen Yu gazed at the black chess piece—at the life-bound treasure of a peak True Cavern cultivator. In a split second, all avenues of escape were sealed.

No way to run. Nowhere to hide.

No matter how astonishing the youth’s talent, his cultivation was simply too low.

Between Initiate and True Cavern, between the lower and middle realms, no skill could bridge such a gap.

With a dull sound, the black chess piece pierced his abdomen, leaving a small, bloody hole.

Then his right hand, left shoulder, and knee erupted in further sprays of blood.

Shen Yu’s vision blurred, a faint mist of blood clouding his sight.

At the last moment, as the black chess piece spun toward his brow, the youth, cornered and spent, managed to tilt his head just enough to avoid a fatal blow. The piece carved a deep gash along his cheek instead.

He fell heavily to the ground.

The man in black, seeing this, finally let some tension slip from his face. He gestured, and the black chess piece flew back to him.

“If fate allowed, I would wish for you to become my disciple.”

Shen Yu, weakened, leaned against the stone dais. Even gravely wounded, a faint smile played on his lips. He looked at the man’s triumph with a hint of mockery.

Sensing the meaning behind that look, the man’s expression darkened. “There are too many in this world with remarkable talent, but those who survive are the truly strong.”

He deliberately stepped before the youth, looking down at him.

“If you beg for mercy, perhaps I can grant you a quicker death,” he said, bending with a smile. “I might even let you choose how you die.”

“You know,” Shen Yu replied, “those who speak too much often die sooner.”

The man in black froze, pupils contracting.

Suddenly, all changed.

A streak of green light shot from Shen Yu’s sleeve, darting toward the man’s heart.

Instinctively, the man struck out, sending the youth flying once more—but it was already too late.

The sound of something sharp piercing flesh rang out.

Staggering, the man in black collapsed near the edge of the stone dais, trying in vain to grasp its side as suffocation overtook him.

“What is this? Guanyin Bamboo...”

He stared in agony at the green light in his chest; as the dust settled, he saw it was nothing more than an ordinary segment of Guanyin bamboo.

“Sword Control Art?! The Sword Immortal City’s Sword Control Art!”

The man’s eyes bulged as he struggled and roared, “You actually know the Sword Immortal City’s technique!”

Shen Yu leaned against the stone dais, silent.

That last blow had again injured his internal organs; he had to summon every ounce of strength just to remain upright.

Slowly, the boy extended his right hand, tracing a mysterious pattern in the air. The green bamboo flared with fierce light, instantly suppressing the spiritual power pouring from the man’s chest.

If the man and his life-bound treasure united again, Shen Yu would surely perish.

“It’s useless. You will still die,” the man said coolly. “In a moment, my treasure will recover. Unless you kill me now—but do you have another spiritual weapon?”

Shen Yu said nothing, instead glancing at the purple wooden sword leaning quietly against the stone dais not far away.

It had been silent from the beginning.

The man’s eyes followed and then he barked in fury, “Impossible!”

....

The rain gradually eased. On the stone dais where the wooden sword lay, a small puddle trickled down the cracks toward the ground.

Time slipped by; Shen Yu grew weaker, the green light pressing on the man’s chest dimmed, while the man’s aura grew ever stronger, like storm clouds gathering overhead.

Staring at the purple wooden sword, Shen Yu said quietly, “Back then, Tianxuan’s temperament was almost exactly like yours. I was nearly beaten to death, and it still ignored me.”

“I just don’t understand. This place is so desolate, so dusty, with not a soul around—why do you like staying here?”

“The outside world is so vast and wondrous. Don’t you want to go out and see it with me?”