Lu Beiyu’s expression instantly revealed a trace of seriousness when he saw this, and he raised his head to look at the sky and seemed to have thought of something. “If we start a battle here, then not only this city but this entire kingdom would be annihilated. Are you able to endure such consequences?’

Qiu Xuanshu frowned and pondered deeply for a moment before he said, “I can’t. But I can guarantee that not even this street will be destroyed.”

As he spoke, he raised the pitch black ruler in his hand and lightly struck the space before him.

Om!

Instantly, space suddenly started roiling in the area they stood, and it seemed to surge like a tide. It was like countless waves overlapped each other before returning to calm in the blink of an eye.

The street was still the same street.

The city was still the same city.

All the changes in the surroundings that occurred earlier seemed as if it hadn’t happened.

But in the eyes of Lu Beiyu, the space he resided in had become a completely unfamiliar area, and it seemed like countless layers of space had piled up together, causing it to possess an infinite size.

“Cubic Saint Ruler!” Lu Beiyu’s eyes suddenly erupted with a wisp of bright light that seemed like a bolt of electricity, and his expression finally turned slightly grim.

According to rumor, the Cubic Saint Ruler was refined by a sage of the primeval times that possessed ability that shock the heavens and the earth. That sage wasn’t a human, but a ferocious beast Dijiang, and it innately controlled the Spatial Grand Dao. [1]

The Cubic Saint Ruler was an Immortal Artifact that was nurtured by the aura of righteousness possessed by the sage and refined using the Laws of Space.

Once such a spatial Immortal Artifact was utilized, boundless space would overlap layer upon layer within a cubic inch, and it would possess boundless variations that allowed it to become boundlessly large or small like a grain of sand. If one was accidentally trapped within it, then one might even be trapped within it forever and find it impossible to escape!

“Sect Master Lu is really knowledgeable. I’m filled with admiration.” Qiu Xuanshu smiled modestly.

Bang!

Lu Beiyu didn’t continue talking. He flashed forward while his palm contained a blazing crimson sheen, and it was like a dazzling stream of crimson that slashed down at Qiu Xuanshu.

He’d already been boundlessly infuriated by Qiu Xuanshu. The dignified Sect Master of one of the 10 great immortal sects, the Heavenflow Dao Sect, had been annoyed by a junior to such an extent, what would the outside world think about it if news of this were to spread?

The battle erupted.

Qiu Xuanshu’s expression remained warm, modest, and composed when facing Lu Beiyu’s attack, whereas his attacks were just like him, upright and aboveboard.

The ruler smashed down directly like an iron chain that lay across a river, and it dispersed Lu Beiyu’s attack with a bang.

Before his move finished its motion, he twisted his wrist, causing the ruler to move like a dragon that left its lair as it swept directly at Lu Beiyu’s face.

Bang!

The ruler emanated a myriad of green and hazy glows. It was the aura of righteousness that was all-powerful, lofty, and vast. It crushed through the sky all along the way and emanated an unshakable feeling.

Lu Beiyu’s eyelids twitched. This kid’s combat strength is actually so formidable?

He shouted abruptly as fingers clawed as if he was rending a mountain, and it condensed into a seal that was coiled with crimson arcs of lightning. It carried an imposing aura of annihilation as it smashed down with the intention of blasting the ruler away.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Slap!

However, to his surprise, the ruler easily moved through the force of his palm as if it had teleported, and it smacked fiercely on the back of his hand. It felt like a burning red piece of iron had smacked his hand, causing his entire hand to swell up while pain from heat that bore down into his heart spread throughout his arm.

If he hadn’t dodged in time, then merely this strike would have almost crippled his hand.

The overlapping of space was fused within this attack! The attainments of this kid in the Spatial Grand Dao are truly too terrifying... Lu Beiyu’s face sank, and he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to his pain as he withdrew an indigo blue sword. It seems as if it contained an ocean and emanated a myriad of waves. Lu Beiyu stopped fighting head on with his body alone.

This was the treasure that he was renowned for, the Oceansoul Shining Light Sword!

This Immortal Sword was refined from ancient Oceansoul metal that was gathered from the Jadepool Ocean, and it was fused with the treasure of the heavens and the earth, the Yin Phoenix Divinelight. It was specialized in slaughter, spatial, illusory, and evil attacks.

“What a sword! I’ll take care of it properly once Sect Master passes away, so as to avoid it collecting dust in the world and being a waste of god’s given gifts.” Qiu Xuanshu’s eyes lit up, and he clicked his tongue endlessly in admiration.

Lu Beiyu’s face twitched fiercely before he said with an icy cold and low voice, “You’re such a hypocritical little fellow for speaking of underhand deeds like killing and seizing treasures in such a refined manner. You truly deserve death!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he slashed out a strand of profound sword qi. A myriad of violent waves surged out while filled with sword lights that were fine like the hairs on an ox, and it carried a monstrous impetus as it swept towards Qiu Xuanshu.

Rumble!

The sword qi was like a tide. Everywhere it passed, space shattered while the rumbling of the Grand Dao arose, and the aura of slaughter enveloped the heavens and the earth. If this was the outside world, merely this strike was sufficient to flatten the entire of Pine Mist City 10 times over.

“Spatial Circulation, Starshifter.” Qiu Xuanshu waved his ruler as if he was cutting through Yin and Yang, and the surging sword qi was like a water dragon that was led by the nose, and it turned around and rumbled towards Lu Beiyu.

Bang!

Lu Beiyu’s eyes focused as he shattered this strike with a slash of his hand, and his expression turned grim. “Substituting one thing for another? Looks like your attainments in the Spatial Grand Dao has attained perfection!”

“Sect Master Lu is too kind.” Qiu Xuanshu smiled modestly, and then he said seriously, “Next, it’s my turn to counterattack.”

As he spoke, he suddenly vanished on the spot.

At the same time, the entirety of space in this area suddenly surged with sheet after sheet of embroidered literature, and every single word was written gracefully and emanated boundless righteousness.

“The sky is dark, the earth is yellow, and the universe is in a state of chaos; the sun is straight yet slanting, the moon is round yet lacking, and the stars cover the boundless outer space...”

“The Grand Dao of the heaven and the earth, it’s like the changing of the four seasons and the movement of the stars. It’s profound and unfathomable while one seeks the truth...”

“Vast and impressive is the ultimate knowledge of sages, and it opens up the heart of the world and establishes peace...”

Numerous waves of grand chanting reverberated through the heavens and the earth, and it was like the ringing of an enormous bell and like the chanting of sages as it transformed into a vast fluctuation that resounded without end.

In an instant, Lu Beiyu’s expression went grim because this was a rare and supreme Dao Art that transformed the principles of scholars into a rhythm that seemed to be shapeless, yet was murderous!

Coupled with the boundless space opened up by the Cubic Saint Ruler, it caused him to have nowhere to dodge!

Rumble!

A torrent formed from countless embroidered words suddenly charged at Lu Beiyu. The word in the lead was an ancient ‘镇’ character that meant suppress, and it was like a heavy mountain that caused Lu Beiyu who was caught off guard to have no choice but to resist head on.

Bang!

His entire body staggered back from the strike, and he was in a sorry state while his entire right arm felt numb.

However, before he could recover from this, another row of embroidered words whistled over. It was led by the character ‘明’ that represented light, and it glowed brightly and blazed like a scorching sun, causing Lu Beiyu’s eyes to hurt and have no choice but to dodge.

The character ‘裂’ that represented split!

The character ‘困’ that represented trap!

The character ‘崩’ that represented collapse!

The character ‘灼’ that represented burn!

...

Just like that, winding and graceful words that were like intelligent literature of the sages whistled through the heavens and the earth as they assaulted Lu Beiyu repeatedly, oppressing him to the point he could only passively defend himself. It caused his clothes to become tattered, his hair to become disheveled, and he himself was in an extremely sorry state.

“Dammit! Are all the disciples of the Unknown Lands so abnormal?” Lu Beiyu was shocked and infuriated. Never had he imagined that Qiu Xuanshu’s strength would actually be so formidable, and it wasn’t much inferior to Chen Xi. Moreover, his aura of righteousness had even attained the acme of perfection.

This caused Lu Beiyu to have the impulse to flee!

“Slash!” Qiu Xuanshu took a large stride forward while the ruler in his hand was emanated a thick and sharp ancient character that was like a bolt of lightning, and it slashed down at Lu Beiyu.

This strike was extremely simple, yet it vividly displayed the aura of the word ‘slash,’ and it seemed impossible to resist; even a Fiendgod would be split into two before it.

Lu Beiyu’s expression finally changed, and he sensed lethal danger.

...

At the Chen Clan Estate.

Everyone including Chen Hao glanced at each other, and they had strange expressions on their faces.

Within their fields of vision, the street was so silent and desolate, and there wasn’t the slightest bit of sound. There were only two figures that were flickering repeatedly in an area of less than 300m.

Due to the speed of their movements being too swift and every single move they made emanated blazing glows, it caused all the people in the Chen Clan Estate to be unable to see exactly what was going on.

But this scene was undoubtedly strange.

It seemed as if it was occurring in another space, whereas they were only watching a projection of it.

This caused all of them to recall the scene that frequently appeared in the desert — a mirage.

“Inserting an enormous thing within a cubic inch and forming a world of its own within the space... This young man that respectfully addressed Big Brother as his Little Martial Uncle is really too strong...” Chen Hao muttered. Amongst the people present, only he and a mere few more people were able to perceive the profundities in the scene before their eyes, and his eyes couldn’t help but reveal a wisp of shock.

“When did Big Brother get such a formidable Martial Nephew? Based on this, Big Brother’s current cultivation has probably attained an unbelievable height.” The nearby Fei Lengcui spoke in a light voice.

“Of course!” Chen Hao replied without the slightest hesitation and in a resolute and powerful tone.

Even if he’d become a renowned great figure in the Darchu Dynasty, his respect and admiration towards Chen Xi hadn’t reduced in the slightest.

“Sect Master Lu, I’m sorry. I don’t desire to kill, yet I can’t help that the matters of the world are difficult to foresee. What can I do now that I have another Little Martial Uncle now? If you want to blame someone, then blame the will of the gods for playing tricks on you. I’m sorry, I’m sorry...” Qiu Xuanshu’s voice suddenly resounded in the heavens and the earth, and it was still warm and modest.

However, as soon as his voice finished resounding out in the sky, a clump of thick and scarlet rain of blood sprayed down from the sky, and it descended onto the desolate and empty street, adding a strange and horrifying aura to it.

At the same time, Qiu Xuanshu who wore green clothes, had a meek appearance, and a modest expression held an indigo blue Immortal Sword as he walked through the street that was mottled with blood.

His figure was stately, and he seemed like a scholar that had entered the capital to be attend a test, yet who would have imagined that the Sect Master, Lu Beiyu, of one of the 10 great immortal sects, the Heavenflow Dao Sect, had been easily annihilated by him just moments ago?

Everyone was stunned when they saw this, and their bodies couldn’t help but go cold. This scholarly looking fellow is a terrifying and great figure that absolutely can’t be offended!

...

At the banks of the isle at the center of the lake.

Ji Yu raised his head and glanced with surprise at Qiu Xuanshu who’d just returned, and he said, “Your strength is really not bad. It’s much stronger than your Master all those years ago.”

Qiu Xuanshu cupped his hands and bowed, and then he said modestly, “Senior is too kind.”

Ji Yu smiled lightly and said, “Take these two little fellows along with you when you leave.”

As he spoke, Ji Yu pointed at the distant Chen An and Chen Yu. “You ought to be aware that the Supreme Righteousness Scripture of Azureforest Academy is lacking thirty three scrolls. If you wish to read them, then bring them to the Dark Reverie. You’ll naturally have the opportunity to head to Oracle Mountain once you find Chen Xi.”

Qiu Xuanshu cupped his hands and bowed solemnly once more. “Thank you, Senior, for your guidance.”

On this day, the Sect Master of the Heavenflow Dao Sect, Lu Beiyu, perished within the Darchu Dynasty, whereas the disciple from the Azureforest Academy in the Unknown Lands, Qiu Xuanshu, left Pine Mist City and headed to the Dark Reverie with Chen An and Chen Yu.

Their parting needed no words as there was too much advice and unwillingness in it.

— End of Book Nine —

1. A divine bird of legend, google ‘帝江’ for pictures. It was mentioned once in Chapter 771.