Embers of Sword

Chapter 343 Lotus
The rafts and wooden boats stopped in the middle of the river, the water waves swayed, and a breeze rose.

Invisible murderous intent permeated the wind.

Yuan Jimo did not rush to act. He watched Queqi and a group of secret agents from the Imperial City go away, and the boat disappeared in the end of the river mist… He did not have much time left. The Purple and Green Treasure Ship was moving very fast, and Junshan and Miaozhen could escape at any time. If he wanted to handle everything perfectly, he would not have much time to waste.

"I don't really understand."

Yuan Jimo stared intently at the young man in black in front of him.

There was admiration and confusion in his eyes.

"Xie Zhen...you are just a caveman..."

Yuan Jimo said softly: "Why do you dare to meet me alone? Don't you know that I am here to kill you?"

From the imperial city to Qujiang.

The mission took ten days.

The Imperial City Administration waited and watched for ten days. During those ten days, Yuan Jimo seemed to be free, listening to music and entertaining himself in the teahouse every day.

But in fact.

He paid close attention to all the people related to Xie Zhen——

Qi Lie and Huang Su left the imperial city separately and went in the opposite direction of the delegation.

None of the other Yinshen masters of Dasui Sword Palace left the mountain gate.

He thought of almost everything.

Even the Snow Lord of Fangyuanfang was within his surveillance range.

Yuan Jimo knew that this was not a one-sided hunt, and the identities of the hunter and the prey could change at any time... Xie Zhen was the same person as himself, and that night on Yong'an Street, both sides were destined to fight life and death.

"Life and death are trivial matters."

Xie Xuanyi said softly: "You want to kill me, and I want to kill you. This is reasonable."

There was a hint of hesitation in the murderous intent deep in Yuan Jimo's eyes.

He doesn't understand.

Why is this Xie still so calm now?

Is this a deliberate attempt to confuse people?
Do not……

Xie Zhen is not that kind of person.

"You don't have to act. The Imperial City Department has been monitoring you for ten days."

Yuan Jimo said coldly: "Your two uncles are all in the sight of the Imperial City Division. Chen Jingxuan, Jiang Qihu, Snow Lord... all your acquaintances who may appear here, none of them are not under my control."

"……oh?"

Xie Xuanyi smiled and said, "Master Yuan, don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Yuan Jimo frowned, a sinister look flashing across his brows.

skillful?
After hearing what Xie Zhen said, he realized... it was indeed a coincidence. Every step of this carefully planned hunt went extremely smoothly. When he sent spies from the Imperial City to monitor the "important figures", he had actually already had the idea of giving up. As long as there was a Yin Shen Venerable whose whereabouts could not be determined, this hunt would be cancelled immediately.

Yuan Jimo was very cautious.

But... this opportunity really cannot be missed.

He spent ten days identifying the powerful people behind Xie Zhen, and none of them had time to get away, which led to Qu Jiang's attempts.

"so……"

Yuan Jimo seemed to have heard a ridiculous joke: "You actually sent them away on purpose? You also want to kill me... Are you serious?"

The river wind suddenly surged.

There was silence between the two again.

This time.

Xie Xuanyi responded with only one word.

"Yes."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile on Yuan Jimo's face suddenly froze, and his expression suddenly became filled with fear.

Crash.

The surging river water froze at this moment.

The raft was lifted up by the waves. Xie Xuanyi, who was originally in a low position, was lifted up by the waves by ten feet... This ten feet was neither high nor low, just enough for him to look down at the black-armored man in front of him. The two looked at each other, and Yuan Jimo's calm heart was suddenly filled with a strong sense of foreboding.

why?
Why did he feel fear when facing Xie Zhen who was in the Cave Heaven Realm?

Qi Lie, Huang Su, Snow Lord...

Do not……

These people are thousands of miles away. Even if they were really present, they couldn't make me feel this kind of fear!

Zhao Tongtian?

No, not him either!

The sword-wielding and law-governing person of Dashui Sword Palace is the person who is most strictly guarded by the Imperial City Bureau. The man from Renshou Palace deliberately set up a formation targeting Zhao Tongtian. Through the formation, the Imperial City Bureau can monitor the movements of the Yang Gods in Dachu. This time, he dared to set up an ambush in Qujiang, so naturally he had already confirmed that the location of the Eight Directions Yang Gods was stable.

Eliminating all the unexpected events, there is only one possibility left.

Yuan Jimo subconsciously raised his head and looked at Xie Zhen. The next moment, an extremely bright light suddenly burst out from the other's forehead.

That is a lotus.

A...broken, but still dazzling lotus!

"Pure Yang Sword Intent?!"

Yuan Jimo guessed the answer, but it was too late. He screamed with a distorted face and stepped back desperately, while stretching out his hand to try to grab the life-saving jade talisman he was wearing close to his body.

"His!"

Xie Xuanyi, with his sleeves fluttering, had a cold expression and pointed out with two fingers.

A flash of sword energy instantly slashed through!
Yuan Jimo's arm that was holding the jade talisman broke off!

"what……"

Yuan Jimo looked painful and had no time to scream. He quickly stretched out his other arm and tried to grab the jade talisman again.

The second ray of lotus sword intent followed.

Both arms were cut off.

Xie Xuanyi did not intentionally hold back and did not hit the heart with sword intent, but to sever the connection with the jade talisman, which was the only true solution.

Yuan Jimo spent ten days researching how to kill Xie Zhen.

During these ten days, Xie Xuanyi was also studying how to properly kill Yuan Jimo.

Before he left the imperial city, he had already made plans. In order to lure Yuan Jimo to show up, he persuaded Qi Lie and Huang Su to stay away from the imperial city and not follow the delegation. He also persuaded Xue Zhu to follow Chu Yin at all times and not leave the sight of the Imperial City Administration, and he even did not hesitate to leave the protection of "Qian San" himself.

Everything he did.

Just to be alone with Yuan Jimo today.

Killing the head of the Imperial City Division... is by no means an easy task, and Xie Xuanyi is not planning to use [Chronic Illness]. He does not intend to break through in this battle. Yuan Jimo is already a strong man in the late Yin God realm. Even if he breaks through, the Dao of Destruction that has just been condensed and completed may not be able to kill him.

He only prepared one move.

This is the only killer move, and it is also the most direct and effective killer move.

The lotus left by Master Chunyang.

Even Lord Jiu, who had achieved perfection in the Yin Spirit of Wucai Ridge, could not stop the slashing of the Lotus Sword Intent. Even if Yuan Jimo had hidden his realm, he could not resist this level of murderous intent.

but……

Even if he possesses the "Lotus", he may not be able to kill Yuan Jimo successfully.

The head of the Imperial City Department was blessed with the favor of the Holy Queen. He wore a jade talisman given by the Holy Queen. As long as the jade talisman was triggered, the Renshou Palace in the Imperial City of Dachu would immediately sense it. The Holy Queen, Qin Zu, Wu Zexian, and perhaps other Yang Gods would all sense Yuan Jimo's desire for help.

Xie Xuanyi knew very little about the magical powers of the "Holy Queen", and he did not intend to take any risks.

So he didn't intend to give Yuan Jimo the chance to trigger the jade talisman.

Two swords cut off the arm.

The pure yang lotus hanging above his head became three points dimmer at this moment. This lotus has been with Xie Xuanyi since he entered the capital. It saved Xie Xuanyi's life during the duel with Prince Jiu. Now Xie Xuanyi decided to use all of this lotus to ensure that he could kill Yuan Jimo.

"Buzz!"

The sword energy was so strong that the lotus petals broke and fell.

A ray of sword energy swept towards Yuan Jimo's heart. The head of the Imperial City Bureau, who had both arms cut off, was no longer as glorious as before. His face turned pale, his eyes were full of fear, and he staggered backwards. The moment the sword energy hit him, the black scale armor that was fitting onto his body suddenly shone brightly!
"珰!"

An extremely harsh sound exploded on the surface of the river.

The sword should have pierced his chest, but hundreds of pitch-black secret patterns instantly burst out from the black armor, which forcibly deflected the lotus sword energy a little. This was an extremely high-grade life-saving magic treasure that could withstand a perfect attack from the Yin God. This was also the reason why Yuan Jimo dared to leave Zhongzhou alone without fear of assassination.

This magical treasure was able to forcibly hold back the sword energy swaying in the Pure Yang Lotus.

This is the most powerful sword thought.

But it was not the last trace of sword thought.

The next moment, Xie Xuanyi no longer hesitated and tore apart all the lotus flowers. The entire river and the sky were wrapped in dense sword intent. Lotus petals fell one by one, and dozens of brilliant and sharp sword energy whizzed out... The most powerful attacks of this lotus had been completely exhausted. If Yuan Jimo still had a top-level spiritual treasure on him, maybe he could withstand the remaining sword energy.

But it's a pity.

Such a top-level spiritual treasure is hard to come by.

He only had one on him.

Then, each wisp of lotus sword energy, which was increasingly dim, passed through his body at an extremely fast speed, piercing his shoulders, his heart, his thighs, and his neck.

Dangdang Dangdang!
The crisp sound of violent wind and rain exploded densely.

A moment.

Yuan Jimo was stabbed like a hedgehog, nailed to the hull of the wooden boat. Coincidentally, his severed arm was flying in the air, and at the last moment, he grasped the "Jade Talisman" that was also flying...

The jade talisman glowed.

The space between Qujiang and the Da Chu Imperial City was opened up at this moment. The jade talisman burst into flames and turned into a door. It wouldn't be long before the Da Chu Yang God would arrive here.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Xie Xuanyi accomplished everything he wanted to do.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked coldly at Yuan Jimo, who was lying in a pool of blood... or rather, turned into a pool of blood. This head of the Imperial City Division, who was in the late Yin Shen stage, was more tenacious than Xie Xuanyi had imagined. Even though the back of his head was pierced by the sword energy, he did not die immediately and was still holding on tenaciously.

With the cultivation level of Yin Shen Realm, perhaps he can hold on for a while.

But so what?

Xie Xuanyi retreated expressionlessly. The pure yang lotus above his head completely turned into a dim shadow at this moment, and pieces of it floated down and dispersed. He wanted to leave this place of trouble and return to the Purple and Green Treasure Ship before the Yang God from the Da Chu Imperial City arrived.

……

……

In Renshou Palace, a great formation was built and holy light filled the air.

Deep in the hall, there was a bright light. A towering figure was cast on the ground. In this boundless light, it was like a long line, stretched very, very long.

A crisp cracking sound was heard in the boundless light.

The Holy Queen slowly opened her eyes.

She looked at the portal burning in the holy light, and also at the blood-stained arm that was half-hanging in the portal.

"..."

She silently stretched out her hand and waved gently.

On the other side of the Holy Light Portal, the waves of the Qujiang River surged, carrying with them the shattered wreckage of a ship, and poured into the Renshou Palace.

The bloody smell filled the hall.

The bright red blood destroyed the pure white holiness.

"How did it become like this?"

The Holy Queen looked at the man who was nailed to the boat, who looked like a dried-up man, and shook her head, her voice full of obvious reproach and stern rebuke.

"Ho ho..."

Because his throat was pierced by the sword energy.

Yuan Jimo was unable to make a sound and could only let out a pleading whine.

He tried his best to raise his head, wanting to look up at the owner of this boundless light, but unfortunately his vision was blurred. Even if he raised his head with strong willpower, all he could see was darkness.

in the dark.

It was as if slender fingers were slowly passing across his cheek.

Yuan Jimo is one of the very few lucky people who has visited Renshou Palace.

He knew that in this hall, there would always be light and flames.

only……

The fingers that touched his cheek at this moment were cold and piercing. They passed over his cheek, his neck, and his chest. The slender fingertips touched the broken black armor scales, making a crisp sound. The Holy Queen embraced the bloody man in her arms, and with a compassionate look and a cold tone, she slowly examined the shocking injuries.

"The Thousand Scale Armor couldn't save your life..."

The Saint Queen spoke with some regret: "You shouldn't have died like this... It's a pity that Zhao Chunyang's sword energy is too sharp. When I saw him fighting with Qin Zu that day, I guessed that he had touched the final threshold. If you died under his sword energy, it would be a kind of luck."

Hear the word "death".

Yuan Jimo's expression was stunned for a moment.

next moment.

Suddenly, a large amount of blood gushed out of his originally empty eyes, and his whole body became agitated. It was seen that he wanted to say something else, but unfortunately, blood gushed out from all sides of his body. This body supported by willpower finally reached its limit. His struggle gradually became weak, and his breath began to rapidly weaken.

"So be it."

The Holy Queen calmly stretched out her hand, ready to close Yuan Jimo's eyes.

But her movements suddenly stopped.

"……Um?"

The boundless light suddenly trembled.

The woman sitting in the deepest part of the light raised her eyebrows, and when her fingertips touched Yuan Jimo's eyebrows, her soul sea trembled slightly. She heard the poor man's pleading mutterings. Perhaps it was God's blessing, or perhaps it was fate. Yuan Jimo struggled to send out a ray of divine thought.

This divine thought caused the Holy Queen's movements to pause for a moment.

"interesting."

The Holy Queen smiled and looked away from the dying man. She looked towards the ceiling of Renshou Palace, the highest point of the formation. "What you said... is true?"

There was no response, only silence.

In the boundless light, there is naturally only boundless silence.

……

……

A moment later, a beam of light and fire ignited from the jade talisman portal of Qujiang.

A tall figure in a black robe walked out of the jade talisman portal.

As soon as he left the portal, his spiritual consciousness expanded rapidly, covering the Qujiang River, an area of dozens of miles, nearly a hundred miles in radius.

Just for a moment.

Then he locked onto the Purple and Blue Treasure Ship.

(End of this chapter)