Chapter 145 - Sword That Rules Heaven and Earth (Part Seven)

Ye Beizhi flicked his wrist and blood slid off his blade, leaving a red line on the ground.

Lin Jiulao's head lay nearby, his eyes fixed in a blank but lifeless stare.

Ye Beizhi sheathed his blade and left without a second glance at Lin Jiulao’s corpse. He stepped over the chaos left in his wake and proceeded along the previous path. The earlier fight had likely alerted those above, and he was only halfway up the mountain. It was best to finish the climb quickly.

As he continued upwards, the path grew narrower, and the weeds between the stone slabs became thicker, proving this place saw few visitors. The mossy stone steps made the path slippery and even more difficult to navigate.

Clang. Clang. Clang—

A rhythmic metallic sound echoed from further up the path.

Ye Beizhi paused and looked up.

As the metallic sounds grew louder, an old man walked into view.

The old man had graying hair and his back was slightly hunched, yet his steps on the mossy path were steady. Although he seemed to take one gradual step at a time, he was before Ye Beizhi in no time.

Only now did Ye Beizhi see that the metallic sound came from something the old man was holding.

The old man held a peculiar seven-chi-long weapon that was two heads taller than him in his hand. The jet black central haft of the weapon seemed to be neither made of metal nor wood. It carried a faint sheen from years of use. Each end had a smaller crescent blade pointing outward, with cloth strips wrapped around the handles behind each crescent blade where the weapon was gripped. Each crescent shaped blade had three iron rings embedded in their spines respectively. The previous clanging sound seemed to be how the imposing weapon announced its presence.

Ye Beizhi’s pupils narrowed, his expression growing serious as he realized the weapon he was up against. "The Qiankun Sun-Moon Blade..."

"

Heh heh

..." The old man grinned. "A young hero with keen eyes. Not many can still recognize this weapon these days."

Ye Beizhi said nothing more, but knowing the weapon, he understood his predicament all too well. Scarce few knew the Qiankun Sun-Moon Blade and even fewer could truly wield it. The weapon was as difficult to wield as the Fangtian Halberd[1], and those who mastered it were undoubtedly experts.

Ye Beizhi stood as still as a spear, and his muscles grew tense. Though the man before him appeared to be an old man with a hunched posture, Ye Beizhi felt as if a towering mountain was blocking his path.

Ye Beizhi stared into the old man’s eyes. "You're in my way."

The old man chuckled and waved his hand.

"Young hero, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not here to stop you."

Puzzled, Ye Beizhi furrowed his brow slightly.

"I came here," the old man said, "To discuss a little something with you."

"

Hm

?" The pressure intensified Ye Beizhi’s heart, and he remained wary.

"It’s nothing serious. I just want to"—the old man cupped his hands toward Ye Beizhi, a sudden surge of murderous intent in his eyes—"borrow your head for a while."

As he spoke, the old man swung his Sun-Moon Blade in a wide arc, covering Ye Beizhi in its reach. The blade’s cold gleam swept horizontally, slashing toward Ye Beizhi’s waist.

Ye Beizhi had always been on guard against the old man. The moment the old man attacked, Ye Beizhi moved as well, his Tang blade unsheathed instantly, slashing downward toward the old man’s forehead.

The Sun-Moon Blade was swung horizontally, but the Tang blade came down directly and slightly faster. If the old man insisted on following through with his attack, his head would be cleaved in two.

The old man grinned, pulling back his blade and dodging Ye Beizhi’s strike.

"Impressive move, young hero. The younger generation always surpasses the old. Let's see what you can do today."

Ye Beizhi looked down and saw a slit in the fabric of his left waist. It had been cut open by the gust trailing the Sun-Moon Blade's swing. If he had reacted even a fraction slower, he would have been cleaved in two.

The old man’s huge blade had to travel a far greater distance than Ye Beizhi’s own downward slash, yet even so, Ye Beizhi had almost been killed by that initial stroke. This could mean only one thing... The old man was far faster than him.

Ye Beizhi swallowed, his heartbeat quickening. It had been a long time since he had felt trepidation like this.

The old man still wore a welcoming smile. He cupped his hands and said, "Young hero, I forgot to introduce myself earlier... how rude of me. I am the Heaven-ranker Sand Scourer, my name is Fu Yiran. You may call me Old Man Fu... but perhaps you won’t have a chance to call me that."

Ye Beizhi’s pupils contracted again as his mind raced.

Heaven-ranker? How could that be possible? How could someone of such skill be just a Heaven-ranker?

But Old Man Fu didn’t intend to give Ye Beizhi more time to think. With a shake of his Sun-Moon Blade, the iron rings clinked together, with a clear

clang

. He said, "Young hero, since I came here with a duty to fulfill, I won’t hold back!"

As he spoke, Old Man Fu leapt up, gripping the Sun-Moon Blade horizontally with both hands. He spun in midair, bringing the blade down diagonally toward Ye Beizhi!

In the blink of an eye, Old Man Fu was already above Ye Beizhi. Ye Beizhi’s right hand quickly reached back, instinctively grasping the hilt of his Tang blade in a reverse grip and slashing upward!

Dong!

The clash of weapons exploded in his ears. Ye Beizhi’s lower body sank as he felt numbness in his right hand, nearly unable to withstand the force. He was completely stunned! Who would have thought this frail-looking old man's frame hid such impressive power?

Coping with the impact, Ye Beizhi’s mind faltered for an instant. He heard the sound of wind tearing through the air and glanced over to see a knee growing larger in his vision.

With a dull

thud

, the knee landed squarely on his forehead, and his head jerked back uncontrollably, carrying the rest of his body backward with it.

He landed hard, his back skidding across the ground. His mind was foggy and his vision blurred. His back began to sear with a burning pain.

Ye Beizhi had no idea where Old Man Fu was, but he knew that the formidable old man wouldn’t give him any time to recover. He pushed off the ground with great effort, intending to flee into the forest.

After just two steps, a cold glint flashed at the edge of his vision. He immediately ducked and rolled.

Whoosh!

The slicing wind grazed the top of his head. Ye Beizhi looked back and saw that a tree as thick as his waist next to him had been cleanly severed, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

Old Man Fu stood behind him, holding his long weapon with both hands. Ye Beizhi's skin crawled when he saw the old man smiling at him. Seeing Ye Beizhi looking back, the Sand Scourer Fu Yiran announced, "Stormqueller, there is no escape."

1. The fangtian ji (Chinese: 方天戟; lit. 'square sky ji'), was a weapon which had a spear tip with crescent blades on both sides.They had multiple means of attack: the side blade or blades, the spear tip, plus often a rear counterweight that could be used to strike the opponent. ☜