Chapter 3992: Phantom Of Sword Intent

As the carriage pulled into the city lord's manor, Lu Yin and the others dispersed. They had earned the right to join the city lord’s treasure-hunting team, which would take place once the insects were completely exterminated.

For independent cultivators like Ling Guang, this was a rare opportunity. Given the previous assignment that they had completed for the city lord's manor, he and his sister had the right to join the treasure-hunting team twice.

Ling Shu was reluctant to end her time as an escort, as was Ling Guang.

Only Lu Yin appeared to be indifferent, and he casually walked out of the manor. When he looked back, he had but one thought.

The real show is about to begin.

Elsewhere, Yu Sheng arranged for a private courtyard for Little Lotus King to rest, while Yu Xiang'er hurried to bid her uncle farewell. She was very eager to leave.

“Xianger, do you look down on your family?” Yu Sheng asked sternly while staring at the woman.

Yu Xiang'er was taken aback by her uncle’s serious attitude. “Uncle, what do you mean?”

“Ever since you became one of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciples, our family’s attitude toward you has changed. Everyone indulges you and allows you to do as you please. However, there are still times when you should think of your family! Little Lotus King only just arrived in Blackmarsh City, and yet you are already leaving. How will that reflect on our family?

“Everyone is aware of your father’s intentions, and yet you refuse to even give the man a chance. Instead, you fled into the Blackmarsh. Do you realize how much ridicule your father has endured?

“Outsiders talk about how the Seven Fairies stand as a faction of their own. Jue Qing, the second daughter of the Jue family, Ming Xiaolong of Everchange Valley, and Lu Siyu of the East Command Sword Sect are all people who have no one in their families or sects who dare to cross them, and no one cares. Being granted the title of one of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciples has granted you a great deal of honor, and your family has basked in that glow as well. However, even if you had never gained that title, your family would have still treated you well, right?

“Before you became one of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s nominal disciples, how did our family treat you?”

Yu Xiang'er whispered, “I really don’t want to get married...”

Yu Sheng sighed. “Our family isn’t trying to force you. Still, at the very least, you should show your father a bit of face.”

Yu Xiang'er looked at Yu Sheng. “Father dreams of me marrying Little Lotus King. If I show him a bit of face, that means that I really will have to get married. Uncle, you know my father’s personality. Even if Little Lotus King refuses, my father won’t give up. He’ll simply try to push me into spending more time with him. In his mind, spending time together will eventually lead to affection.

“As for Little Lotus King,” Yu Xiang'er added with a shrug, “He doesn’t care. He could marry me or not. It’s all the same to him.”

Yu Sheng rubbed his temples. “You really don’t want to marry Little Lotus King?”

“I don’t want to marry anyone. I just want to live my own life. That’s better than anything else,” Yu Xiang'er answered honestly.

Yu Sheng shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. “What’s wrong with your personality? Forget it. Since this is how things are, then you need to think of a way on your own, but it needs to be one that preserves your father’s dignity while not making you miserable. Xianger, whether you are Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciple or not, your father has always treated you well.”

Yu Xiang'er returned to her quarters and laid down by the window. She blankly stared up at the birds flying freely through the sky. “You can be free, and yet I have no freedom at all. What is it that people really pursue in their lives?”

After being lost in her own thoughts for a time, she called Lu Siyu and poured out all her grievances.

“Fifth Sister, I think that your uncle is right. Your father isn’t wrong—he simply wants you to live well,” Lu Siyu said, “For some time, I failed to see that, and I ended up pushing Father to the point where now...”

...

Blackmarsh City was shaken by someone’s arrival: Xue Zhan, of the Scion Spire, son of the Eighth Night Pillar’s Odyssey Commander Xue Lou, and grand-disciple of Greater Sancte Blood Tower.

From atop the city wall, Lu Yin watched as Xue Zhan approached the city lord's manor. The man’s entire body emanated an aura of blood. To the uninformed, it looked like he was there to make trouble.

While City Lord Yu Sheng was quite strong as a sequence powerhouse, he had no advantage against a peak powerhouse as strong as Xue Zhan.

Just as Xue Zhan entered the city lord’s manor, another person arrived close on his tail and loudly shouted a challenge. The man’s voice echoed across Blackmarsh City, stunning nearly everyone.

“Who is that?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve never seen him before...”

And yet, the anticipated battle did not break out. Instead, the challenger also entered the city lord's manor.

Many were watching and waiting. City Lord Yu Sheng was incapable of suppressing anyone from the Scion Spire, especially since Little Lotus King was one of the people inside the manor.

Several days passed, and still no commotion erupted.

Finally, another person arrived. This person left behind a phantom of sword intent at the manor’s gate before passing through.

No one knew who the person was, but anyone who entered the city lord's manor without being invited by Yu Sheng was clearly not an ordinary person.

“Huh? Isn’t that the young master of the Nanliu family? Why is he here?”

“The Nanliu family? The family at the southernmost edge of the South Domain?”

“What other Nanliu family is there?”

Beside Lu Yin, Ling Guang let out an exclamation of surprise before commenting, “Nanliu Zhifeng? I didn’t expect him to also come to Blackmarsh City.”

“Brother, is he the one whom they call Nanliu’s first young master? That Nanliu Zhifeng?” Ling Shu asked in astonishment.

Ling Guang nodded. “The Nanliu family lives at the southernmost edge of the South Domain, between the Third and Fourth Night Pillars. They control a vast territory, far larger than the entire Blackmarsh. They rule over the Nanliu Realm. While the family isn’t regarded as one of the top factions, they are like the Hundred Cities Assembly in that they rule over a region. It gives them no small amount of influence. Many in both the Third and Fourth Night Pillars have benefited from the family. They have a good reputation.

“As for Nanliu Zhifeng, he inherited the spirit of his forebears, and his cultivation talent is particularly impressive. The people of the Nanliu Realm see him as a genius who is destined to enter the Scion Spire.”

Lu Yin watched Nanliu Zhifeng as he slowly approached the city lord's manor. The man must have learned that Little Lotus King and others had arrived and wanted to compete with them. More and more people would be gathering soon.

Several other young experts had arrived before Nanliu Zhifeng, but none of them had dared to enter the city lord’s manor. Instead, they rested a short distance away and kept watch on the gate.

They were clearly a step weaker.

The fact that Nanliu Zhifeng dared to directly enter the manor revealed his confidence.

Countless eyes watched as Nanliu Zhifeng arrived at the manor and offered a deep bow. “Nanliu Zhifeng of the Nanliu family requests an audience with City Lord Yu Sheng of Blackmarsh City.”

Someone inside the manor looked out at the man, though no one responded.

Yu Sheng also looked out. He intended to welcome the man but could only shake his head helplessly. This was not because he did not want to, but rather because he had been warned.

He had been warned by the man who had left behind the phantom of sword intent. That man’s background was ordinary, and he certainly could not compare to the Hundred Cities Assembly, but the man himself was extraordinary. Yu Sheng had seen records about the man in history.

He was another genius of an era, and he could even rival Little Lotus King. If not for going into cryostasis to await the day that Little Lotus King awakened, he would have long since surpassed Yu Sheng’s strength.

This man was another who was destined to hold a great position in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

While he was still only a Spirit Ancestor, Yu Sheng did not dare to treat him lightly.

With the competition for the title of First Scion at hand, Blackmarsh City had to remain completely neutral.

Nanliu Zhifeng called out his request for an audience a second time, but there was still no response from the manor.

He gave a faint smile and then looked over at the phantom of sword intent at the gate. He took a step forward, approaching it.

Once he arrived within one meter, the phantom of sword intent turned and attacked. Nanliu Zhifeng maintained a smile on his face, though his eyes grew cold as he reached out for the phantom of sword intent.

In the distance, Lu Yin looked away. This man was not qualified to join the current competition.

Right after that, Nanliu Zhifeng was sent flying, his hand bleeding profusely from the countless wounds that had been opened across it. Shocked, he cried out, “Impossible!”

He had believed himself to be among the most powerful members of the younger generation, and he had been preparing himself to compete for a pod in the Scion Spire. When he had heard that Little Lotus King and the others had been awakened and were going to the Blackmarsh, he had wanted to compete with them. He had never considered the possibility that he would not even be able to pass through the gate.

Unwilling, he charged back at the phantom of sword intent, releasing everything that he was capable of.

Inside the manor, Yu Sheng shook his head. If Nanliu Zhifeng was incapable of defeating even a mere phantom of sword intent, he could forget about confronting the man himself. Nanliu Zhifeng was still far behind.

In one of the manor’s courtyards, the man who had left the phantom of sword intent slowly sipped some tea. “Little Lotus King, when should you and I have a match? I have waited too long for our fight.”

In another courtyard, Little Lotus King opened his eyes. “There’s no rush. Whoever is meant to come will come. We’ll settle everything in one go.”

The man who had left the phantom of sword intent behind chuckled while setting down his cup. “True enough. We’ll settle everything in one go.”

“Excellent. Let’s settle this in one stroke! Let’s see just how poor the Scion Spire’s judgment really is!” A voice rang across the manor. It belonged to the ghost-like man who had challenged Xue Zhan. His name was Gui Ji.

In a more distant courtyard, Xue Zhan was surrounded by a haze of blood. From it, faint sounds of battle echoed around him.

Even farther away was Yu Xiang'er’s courtyard.

When she overheard the conversations of the guests, Yu Xiang'er grew frustrated. Why do such things have to happen next to me? If Seventh Sister were the one present, she would probably be thrilled, since she loves watching spectacles, but I don’t enjoy it at all.

Who else will come?

She wanted to leave, but that was not possible. Leaving at this moment, especially when combined with her sudden departure from Dayi City, would completely disgrace her father. It would also cement the rumors that she was running away from Little Lotus King and the others.

How annoying.

Just then, her communication device trembled. Yu Xiang'er answered the call, but the display remained entirely black. She only heard a voice. “Fifth Sister.”

Yu Xiang'er’s eyes bulged in surprise. “Eldest Sister?”

Deathmound’s Great Master was calling. She was also the oldest among the Seven Fairies. “It’s me. I heard that you’ve ended up in quite the troublesome situation.”

Yu Xiang'er complained bitterly, “Eldest Sister, please save me...”

After sharing all of her frustrations, Yu Xiang'er stared at the screen with high expectations.

The Great Master finally replied, “You are naturally lazy but not greedy. You also possess a calm mind; all of us sisters know this. Since that’s the case, why not simply and openly show your father a bit of face, while also doing the same to Little Lotus King and the others? Take them on a tour of Blackmarsh City.”

Yu Xiang'er sighed helplessly. “I’m just afraid that Father will overthink things. My big brothers should be fine, especially since I can simply tell them no. On the other hand, you don’t understand my father’s personality, Eldest Sister. He’s someone who won’t move when pushed, but if you strike him, he’ll retreat. All the while, he’ll put on the act of being a solemn master strategist. He’ll always insist that everything’s for my own good. That’s always what he says, and I-”

“I understand. As long as you make it so that your father can’t pressure you, everything will be fine. Since that’s your situation, I’ll offer you a strategy, though the cost will be quite steep. You can decide for yourself whether you want to pay it or not.”

“Thank you, Eldest Sister!”

...

On the walls of Blackmarsh City, Lu Yin watched as one incredible genius after another tried to defeat the phantom of sword intent, only to fail. He had to admit; whoever had created this phantom of sword intent was exceedingly powerful for his cultivation level. Even Lu Yin admired it. Of course, he merely admired the strength of the man with the cultivation of a Progenitor. There was no comparison to himself.

What had he been like when he was a Progenitor?

Lu Yin thought back. No one with the same level of cultivation had ever been able to defeat him, and these geniuses from the Scion Spire were no different.

All around him, people occasionally let out shouts of excitement. These independent cultivators rarely ever saw so many famous geniuses gathered in one place. Each one was famous, perhaps not across the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse, but certainly within a given region.

What made the independent cultivators the most envious was that most of the people had impressive backgrounds.

“Yu Xiang'er has come out!” someone shouted.

Countless eyes turned back to the city lord's manor.

They saw Yu Xiang'er step out, accompanied by her maid, to casually stroll about the city’s streets.

She was not using her carriage, and she did not even have any guards following her. She was just taking a leisurely walk through Blackmarsh City.

While wandering about, she eventually arrived below the city walls.