Chapter Seventy-Six: The Command to Kill

Murderous intent filled the air. An unremarkable wooden sword shot out from in front of Shen Yu, swift as an arrow loosed from a bow, aimed straight for Yang Yiqing’s forehead.

In that instant, the young man ranked among the top three talents of Guiyun Immortal Sect felt his mind shatter, utterly unable to react, forced to watch helplessly as the sword’s tip drew ever closer.

For decades, his cultivation path had been smooth and untroubled; never before had he felt death approach so near.

A split second.

Several beams of light suddenly flared on his body as rare talismans and treasures activated their defenses on their own. Jade pendants, paper effigies, wooden puppets—all burst forth together.

Yet these layered shields of spiritual power, when faced with the unstoppable wooden sword, gave way with a sound like bursting bubbles. They shattered instantly, without even the slightest pause.

It was as if awakening from a dream.

For the first time, the innate spiritual treasure Scenic Sword, acquired from the Daoist Sect’s Treasure Cliff, revealed its full brilliance.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles from Vast Town, a stern-faced elder suddenly turned his gaze to the distance, his expression fierce. He shouted, “Who dares harm my disciple?”

At Yang Yiqing’s brow, a beam of yellow light abruptly bloomed, colliding head-on with the swiftly approaching sword tip.

The flying sword’s momentum finally halted, though it did not retreat.

The surge of spiritual power unleashed by both combatants instantly knocked unconscious everyone within dozens of yards.

Lu Caiwei, who had just stepped into the second realm of cultivation—the Entry Dao stage—was nonetheless in a sorry state, collapsed heavily against a stone wall, barely managing to stay conscious.

“Qing’er, strike!” A harsh voice thundered in Yang Yiqing’s mind.

The dazed young man, as if struck by a bolt from the blue, finally regained his senses. Shame, fury, and shock flashed in his gloomy eyes.

But before he could erupt in anger, another sword of jade shot toward him.

To Yang Yiqing, this scene was no less terrifying than the first sword.

Cultivators typically nurture only one life-bound spiritual treasure; sword cultivators of Sword Immortal City possess but a single sword, their lives tied to its existence.

Yet this man could wield sword-control techniques—could he be from Sword Immortal City, one of the nine great sacred grounds?

Despair deepened as he realized the young man in green could simultaneously control two immortal swords. This required not only immense spiritual power but also an extraordinarily resilient mind. Even stranger was—

How could he nurture two life-bound spiritual treasures?

Among cultivators below the True Immortal realm, even those with heavenly-grade Daoist bodies could only nurture one such treasure.

To have two—could he be the legendary Innate Daoist body?

Back in Cloud Cliff City, the master of the Jiang family had witnessed Shen Yu, so young, effortlessly commanding countless spiritual treasures, and had abandoned any thought of confrontation.

Yang Yiqing, now calm, no longer intimidated by the fierce sword aura, eyes dark, drew several strokes in the air with both hands, his voice icy: “Stop.”

Ripples appeared in the air before him as his fingers moved.

Both flying swords, as if trapped in a quagmire, were suspended in midair.

Shen Yu advanced.

Yang Yiqing continued to trace in the void, gathering spiritual energy into transparent arrows. He thrust forward, shouting, “Die!”

The arrows were sharp and chilling.

Shen Yu stepped forward, colliding with the arrows of energy, and traces of blood began to drift through the air.

“Courting death!”

Yang Yiqing sneered coldly, but before his smile faded, his pupils contracted.

The young man in green vanished without a sound, reappearing at his side the next moment.

Though his body bore many wounds, he remained composed and indifferent.

Shen Yu’s plain yet powerful fist struck Yang Yiqing’s chest and abdomen with such force that Yang doubled over, clutching his stomach.

A moment later, a hand gently pressed down on Yang Yiqing’s head.

Shen Yu, left hand behind his back, right hand resting lightly on Yang’s skull, asked softly, “Well?”

Though it was a simple question, Yang Yiqing felt an overwhelming surge of murderous intent. He trembled, blood drained from his face, his legs buckled uncontrollably, and he knelt before Shen Yu.

These noble disciples of sects, untested by the fires of war, no matter how lofty their cultivation, faltered at the edge of life and death.

Everything happened in an instant.

Shen Yu’s right hand slowly tightened.

Gone was Yang Yiqing’s former languid expression; terror dominated his face as he stammered, “N-no… Please… Spare me.”

Elder Zheng Xuan of Guiyun Immortal Sect finally reacted, shouting harshly, “Spare him!”

Yang Yiqing’s wrist suddenly glowed, and a furious voice echoed from afar, “If you dare kill my sect’s disciple, I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth, and your soul will be scattered, never to reincarnate!”

Shen Yu heard this, his expression cold, and pressed his right hand downward.

The Daoist sects possess secret arts; immortals touch the crown, severing the path of longevity.

Thunder crashed.

Yang Yiqing bled from seven orifices, all his meridians ruptured.

...

Lu Caiwei stared blankly at the scene, her mind a whirl of thoughts.

Yang Yiqing’s body slumped to the ground, a figure drenched in blood, barely breathing.

Shen Yu withdrew his hand, as if awaiting something.

A brief silence.

A dignified voice issued from the bracelet, “Disciples of the Immortal Sect, seize him and wait for me to personally execute him.”

There was no rage, no grief—only calm.

Yet precisely because of that calm, the boundless murderous intent in the words was unmistakable.

“Seize him!”

As the highest-ranked elder present for this disciple recruitment, Zheng Xuan shouted in fury and charged at Shen Yu.

More than a dozen disciples of Guiyun Immortal Sect with considerable cultivation followed.

Shen Yu’s right hand moved slightly, the blood-colored wooden sword whirling before him.

Despite such overwhelming odds, he showed no sign of retreat, as if ready to fight again.

But just as his momentum rose, someone grabbed his left sleeve and yanked him backward.

Lu Caiwei, running and glaring, cried, “Idiot, run! Do you want to stand here and die?”

Forced to flee, Shen Yu’s face was odd; after a moment’s pause, he sighed and slashed backward with his sword, scattering sword energy to block the disciples.

Then, pressing Lu Caiwei’s shoulder, the two transformed into a streak of rainbow light and escaped into the distance.

...

Half an hour later, a gloomy-faced elder appeared outside Vast Town, surveying the devastation, furious beyond measure.

Zheng Xuan hurried over, respectfully reporting, “We’ve sent people to pursue them. As for Yang Yiqing, he’s barely alive, but…”

The stern-faced man replied calmly, “Speak.”

“His meridians are all severed, his cultivation lost, and even his core shattered.”

Zheng Xuan cautiously watched his expression, sighed, and said, “He’s already… a cripple.”

A fierce aura erupted from the elder, his silver hair rising despite the still air.

He commanded in a deep voice, “Transmit my decree: the Immortal Sect will issue a kill order. Across the whole Eastern Ancestor Province, all disciples must spare no effort to capture this man—preferably alive. If he resists, show no mercy!”

Zheng Xuan was surprised. He vaguely recalled the last sect kill order issued a century ago, when the target was a demon infiltrator from the northern wastelands.

He ventured, “The one who struck was very young, exceptionally talented, wielding an immortal sword.”

Young, prodigiously gifted, commanding an immortal sword—likely from Sword Immortal City.

“But the Three-Storied Academy is about to open. Why would a young cultivator from Sword Immortal City appear now?”

The elder sneered, “If he was truly from one of the nine great sacred grounds, why would he need to come here for our tests?”

Zheng Xuan thought for a moment and replied, “That’s true.”