Chapter 377 - 202: Treasure, Please Turn Around?

Chapter 377: Chapter 202: Treasure, Please Turn Around?

The Taiyi Rainbow Sword flashed through the void, its sharp edge brazenly displayed, threatening to outshine the great sun itself.

At its most brilliant, it suddenly retracted. In an instant, it vanished without a trace. Immediately after, the Du Xu Palace began to move slowly.

"What?" Zhen Ping and Wang Guang’s expressions changed. Without a second thought, they both activated their Escape Techniques, flying as if their lives depended on it. The very instant they landed before the palace doors, the Du Xu Palace abruptly shot away. In a mere moment, it was already ten thousand miles from its original position.

Although cultivators’ Flying Escapes were incredibly fast in the void, the Du Xu Palace’s speed was still far beyond what the two of them could ever hope to match. If they were truly left behind, they would probably never be able to catch up.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the lingering shock in each other’s eyes. Zhen Ping suddenly said, "Brother Li, David, and Xiaowei..."

Wang Guang’s expression flickered. He felt no grief, only a sense of relief. After a moment of silence, he said, "In ten years of hard labor, I only ever saw Li He once. The Wei Brothers had the worst cultivation and had to split up to cover different routes. It’s doubtful they’re even still alive..."

Zhen Ping leaned against a Golden Palace Pillar, his gaze distant as he stared silently into the void.

Having accumulated a massive amount of Spiritual Essence over ten years, the Du Xu Palace’s escape speed grew faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, it had left the vicinity of the great sun. Just as it was passing a planet, its Flying Escape came to a sudden halt.

Before the two could even wonder why, the sky-shattering white rainbow burst forth from the top of the Du Xu Palace once more. The Sword Qi shot toward the heavens, then ruthlessly slashed down at the planet below!

BOOM!

The powerful spiritual sense of a Nascent Soul Cultivator allowed Zhen Ping and Wang Guang to perceive a faint yet astonishing sound from across the void. The Taiyi Rainbow Sword had violently cleaved open a chasm in the cracked earth, leaving a shocking scar upon the desolate planet.

Their eyes widened in shock. They had the strange feeling that the desolate planet had shifted by a hair’s breadth. Upon closer inspection, however, everything seemed fine. Alarmed, they couldn’t help but let out a long breath. ’Shaking a planet... How could a Nascent Soul Cultivator do that?’

’But his Divine Techniques are already terrifying, and with such a magical treasure in his hands, he’s simply horrifying.’

While the two were terrified, Xuzhuang had already appeared atop the Du Xu Palace. With a thought, the Taiyi Rainbow Sword finally returned to its usual form. It transformed into a barely visible streak of sword light that tore through the void and back into the Vermilion Gourd, still pulsing with waves of excitement.

Xuzhuang looked down, admiring the masterpiece created by a single strike of the Taiyi Rainbow Sword, and a faint smile touched his lips.

It had not been a waste of ten years of hard work to refine this lethal Sword Qi. Its power even slightly exceeded his expectations. The only flaw was—

The Taiyi Rainbow Sword was not, after all, a conventional weapon of slaughter. To unleash this earth-shattering strike, it needed several breaths to gather power, making it difficult to use as a surprise attack during a display of Swordsmanship.

Xuzhuang took the gourd from his waist and held it up to examine it. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he muttered, "Please, treasure, turn around?"

The Taiyi Rainbow Sword did not understand his meaning, but in its excitement, it suddenly spat a three-foot beam of sword light from the gourd’s mouth. It was like a yellow sprout in white snow, a sliver of brilliant light, eager for action.

"Haha." Xuzhuang laughed, retracted the Sword Qi, and returned the gourd to his waist. His figure then flickered and vanished from the top of the Du Xu Palace. The palace shuddered and resumed its Flying Escape.

Zhen Ping and Wang Guang stood before the palace doors, their emotions in turmoil. Seeing that the doors remained shut, they were still relieved that they hadn’t been thrown off.

Although their situation was humiliating, survival was far more important. Zhen Ping shook his head, simply sat down cross-legged before the doors, and began to regulate his breathing.

Seeing this, Wang Guang followed suit. And so, the two began another long journey through the void with the Du Xu Palace, sitting before its doors, until one day, after an unknown amount of time had passed, they were both abruptly startled awake.

"I wonder if you two remember this place. This is where you tried to ambush me."

Xuzhuang’s voice, seemingly coming from nowhere, echoed in their ears, making their hearts leap into their throats.

"I said before that if your hard labor for me was satisfactory, it would be enough to atone for your crimes."

"However, your efficiency has not been to my satisfaction. And it just so happens I’m not one to slaughter indiscriminately. After much thought, I’ve decided to simply release you back here. Let’s consider our karmic debt settled."

Hearing this, their faces drained of color. Zhen Ping’s mind raced, but he heard Wang Guang fall to his knees with a THUD and beg for mercy, "Venerable, forgive me! Venerable, forgive me! I wasn’t intentionally slacking off! I was just conserving my Magical Power to deal with any unexpected situations, all to better serve you!"

Zhen Ping immediately caught on and pleaded in unison, "Venerable, this place is extremely far from the Little Void Realm! With our level of cultivation, leaving us here is a death sentence! Venerable..."

Before he could finish, a soft snort came from the air. They only heard Xuzhuang’s cold voice say, "Leave. If you linger before the doors past your time, don’t blame the Array for being blind." After that, there was only silence. No matter how they begged, there was no response.

Zhen Ping and Wang Guang pleaded desperately a few more times but received no answer. Wang Guang suddenly let out a long sigh, rose to his feet in frustration, and flew away on a streak of escape light without another word.

He flew a short distance and waited for a while before Zhen Ping finally caught up. Only then did he speak, his voice full of resentment, "What were you waiting for back there? Letting that man treat us like dogs..."

He hadn’t finished his sentence when his eyes trembled. Blood sprayed from his lips, forming into ruby droplets that floated in the void.

The tip of Zhen Ping’s Flying Sword emerged from his back. Zhen Ping moved closer to his ear and said apologetically, "Brother Wang, I’m sorry. I have nothing left on me to replenish my Magical Power. Borrowing your strength is the only way I’ll have a chance of survival to make it back to the Little Void Realm."

... ℴℴ𝘮

Xuzhuang couldn’t be bothered with their grievances and feuds, or the fickle nature of the human heart. After casting the two of them out, the Du Xu Palace set off once more, heading for the Little Void Realm.

On the way there, he had needed to constantly consult star charts to find his way. The return journey was on a familiar route, and with an ample supply of Spiritual Essence, it was naturally much faster. In almost half the time, the Dragon-Headed Ship came into view.

Unlike his departure, the ship was now deserted. It probably wasn’t completely empty, but any occupants were likely in their cabins regulating their breathing and hadn’t shown themselves.

This was, in fact, the norm in the vast expanse of the Little Void Realm. Xuzhuang paid it no mind. He recalled the Du Xu Palace, but he was not alone. A haggard-looking Daoist in a tall cap appeared with him.

Xuzhuang called out coolly, "Li He."

Of the Seven Friends of Huangshan Lake, Chequan and Wang Jiao had been slain on the spot when they tried to rob Xuzhuang. The Wei Brothers had perished during their hard labor for him. Zhen Ping and Wang Guang had been exiled into the void. The man before him was the only one left.

"Here. Please give your orders, Venerable," Li He replied.

"You are not my slave. There is no need to speak of orders," Xuzhuang said faintly. "You haven’t forgotten the oath you made when you begged me for mercy, have you?"

"I would not dare," Li He replied with a solemn expression. "I swore upon my Daoist heart to turn over a new leaf and never again harm others for profit..."

Xuzhuang waved his hand. "Let me be blunt. I am no saint, nor am I one to lecture and reform villains."

"I spared you partly because you offered me that secret, but also because you never once slacked off during your ten years of hard labor. Whether it was the Taiyi Celestial Rainbow or the Great Sun Spirit Essence, you were always the one who contributed the most."

"As for your oath, that is for you to remember."

"Yes, I understand," Li He replied.

Xuzhuang nodded slightly and said no more. With a wave of his sleeve, he activated a talisman, using the Array of the Little Void Realm to tear through space and head straight for Guangyuan.