Chapter 14: Thief Robs Thief!
Chapter 14: Thief Robbing Thief!
A flash of sword light, accompanied by thunderous roars.
In an instant, Zhao Xuhe's head was severed by the sword light. Yet before it could hit the ground, his body abruptly exploded, scattering bones across the earth.
"Which fellow disciple lies in wait for Zhao here?"
After the bones shattered, a wisp of yin energy swiftly retreated, reforming Zhao Xuhe's figure a hundred meters away, his face still etched with lingering panic.
Before his words could fully land, the sword light pursued like a shadow.
Whoosh—!
The next moment, Zhao Xuhe's head soared skyward once more, only to dissolve into countless bones again. The yin energy retreated another hundred meters, revealing his form anew.
"I—"
Boom!
"You—"
Crack!
"Enough!"
Dozens of sword lights filled the space, having slain Zhao Xuhe over ten times before he finally regained his footing, seizing a fleeting moment to evade the attacks.
Though brief, Zhao Xuhe grasped the opportunity perfectly. With a flick of his sleeve, a storm of crimson dust surged forth, enveloping him protectively. He then swallowed several pills to restore his injuries and true qi before turning his attention outward.
"Lü Yang, it's you!"
Zhao Xuhe's sharp gaze instantly recognized the sword light that had slain him repeatedly—it was the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Formula. He immediately identified Lü Yang.
Yet even so, his heart trembled with shock.
The power behind those sword strikes was something he had felt firsthand—far beyond what an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator could muster. In just a few days, Lü Yang had already reached mid-stage Qi Refining.
"This man must harbor some great fortune!"
With this realization, Zhao Xuhe suppressed his anger, his heart brimming with delight. "Excellent! Today brings double blessings—this fortune shall be mine!"
Outside the Maze Formation, Lü Yang wore a grave expression.
"Truly troublesome..."
He had struck with ruthless precision, yet Zhao Xuhe had still seized a sliver of survival, preventing Lü Yang from finishing him in one relentless assault.
Worse, his identity had been exposed.
But with the Maze Formation obscuring his position, Lü Yang remained hidden in the shadows, attacking from afar with flying swords. In a prolonged battle, his odds of victory were still higher.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuhe also detected the Maze Formation surrounding him. Though merely a rudimentary confinement array—something he could dismantle with time—Lü Yang's interference and his own depleted true qi (now less than half its peak) left him momentarily helpless.
His eyes flickered with calculation before he suddenly spoke:
"Brother Lü, truthfully, there is no enmity between us—"
"Go!"
Strike while the enemy is weak—Lü Yang had no intention of reminiscing with Zhao Xuhe or giving him time to recover. He immediately formed sword seals, launching another assault.
"Tch! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!"
Zhao Xuhe's gaze turned icy. Abandoning his delaying tactics, he instead formed hand seals, summoning a golden iron seal into the air.
This treasure, the "Primordial Magnet Golden Seal," could attract all metal objects, specializing in suppressing flying swords. It was Zhao Xuhe's trump card, reserved for future battles against Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion disciples during the Righteous-Demonic War. Yet now, he deployed it early to counter Lü Yang's sword light.
"Restrain!"
Zhao Xuhe activated the seal, precisely capturing an incoming sword light. With a single press, the sword light was immobilized, unable to move or shift.
Lü Yang, however, remained unfazed.
At his peak while Zhao Xuhe languished in weakness, a battle of attrition favored him. He felt no urgency.
"My greatest advantage lies in hiding. With the formation masking my position, Zhao Xuhe cannot locate me. Even if he has some reversal tactic, it's useless unless I reveal myself. Dragging this out ensures my victory."
Thus resolved, Lü Yang refused to emerge.
Flying sword? Let it go!
Zhao Xuhe couldn't refine it quickly anyway and would expend true qi suppressing it—exactly what Lü Yang wanted. How long could he last?
"Boom!"
Standing outside the formation, Lü Yang channeled his true qi. A misty white energy rose from his crown, coalescing into a massive palm several zhang in size before slamming into the formation.
This was no sophisticated technique—pure brute force.
Zhao Xuhe's face darkened as he realized his scheme had been seen through.
"Damn bastard!"
He cursed inwardly. How could Lü Yang, also mid-stage Qi Refining, be so cautious? Where was his opening for a counterattack?
Though he still had strength for a desperate strike, killing Lü Yang would likely cost him his own life. How could Zhao Xuhe, having just obtained such fortune, accept that?
As his true qi dwindled further, Zhao Xuhe finally snapped. "Brother Lü! Do you know what fortune I obtained on Coiling Dragon Island? A third-grade true technique pointing directly to the Golden Core path! If you cease now, I'll share it with you!"
"Third-grade true technique?"
Outside the Maze Formation, Lü Yang abruptly stood. True qi was graded into nine ranks and thirty-six tiers. Below seventh rank, Foundation Establishment was impossible; below third rank, Golden Core unattainable.
And now, Zhao Xuhe was offering a technique capable of cultivating third-grade true qi—a path to Golden Core!
Such immense fortune!
"Wait—"
Lü Yang took a deep breath, suppressing his greed as he sat back down. "He's baiting me with riches. Stepping out would be falling into his trap."
"Well? Brother Lü, shall we reconcile?"
Inside the formation, Zhao Xuhe continued persuading, only for a voice to echo from all directions: "Foolish! Killing you means the technique is mine anyway!"
"You misunderstand, Brother Lü." Zhao Xuhe shook his head with a smile. "Fortune is ordained by heaven. This third-grade true technique is something I cultivated over three lifetimes, exchanging virtue for this opportunity. It has no connection to you. Even if you kill me, the technique will flee rather than fall into your hands."
"What?"
Lü Yang froze, his expression fluctuating wildly. Fortune ordained by heaven? No connection? The technique would vanish even if obtained?
But soon, he sneered. "Then why reconcile for something I can't keep?"
Zhao Xuhe hastily explained. "Though you lack connection now, if I willingly share it with you, that connection will form."
"...Fine."
After a pause, Lü Yang said, "Copy the technique for me, and I'll let you out."
"Agreed." Zhao Xuhe complied without hesitation, producing a jade case. Opening it revealed two volumes of Daoist scriptures.
"The first volume, 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》, is a Qi Refining technique that cultivates 'True Dragon Fiend Qi,' granting peerless combat prowess within the same realm. The second, 《Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Treasure Scroll》, is a Foundation Establishment technique forming the 'Myriad Chariots Dragon Riding' foundation, paving the way to Golden Core."
Having introduced the techniques, Zhao Xuhe abruptly shifted tone:
"But Brother Lü, I'm injured and weak in true qi. If I hand them over now, what if you betray me?"
"...Simple."
Lü Yang's eyes gleamed as he proposed, "Give me 《Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Treasure Scroll》 first and keep 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》."
"As a Qi Refining cultivator, I can't use Foundation Establishment techniques anyway. You needn't fear me turning on you." His face radiated sincerity. "Once I release you, you can give me 《Nine Transforming Dragon Art》. Fair?"
After consideration, Zhao Xuhe found the logic sound.
"Deal!"
He extracted 《Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Treasure Scroll》 from the jade case. Lü Yang, still hidden, summoned a true qi hand to seize it from afar.
With a silent sigh, Zhao Xuhe relinquished his last hope and surrendered the technique.
Lü Yang memorized every character before grinning.
"Goodbye!"
The next instant, Lü Yang sank his qi into his dantian—and detonated the Killing Curse!
Boom!
As the dust settled, Zhao Xuhe's bewildered face emerged.
"My technique... gone?"
Why self-destruct?
And why wait until obtaining the technique before doing so? I hadn't even read it myself yet!
"Lü Yang..."
Standing in the wind, staring at the ashes of 《Myriad Chariots Dragon Ascension Treasure Scroll》, Zhao Xuhe's expression twisted with rage as he uttered the name:
"You beast!"