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Chapter 31 Using the Sword to Clarify the Mind
Sacrifices, rain prayers, demon slaying, and comforting the people... these are the duties of disciples of a sect.

Chen Xuan couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Liu Shuyue.

He didn't know what to say, so he could only agree, "Alright, since there are so many benefits to slaying demons, then we definitely have to slay them. Is this the great demon you wanted to show me?"

“I want you to witness all of this. Even if the plan to escape Qingzhou ultimately fails, people will still remember us.” Liu Shuyue paused. “Chen Xuan, when you retrieve the Ancient and Modern Compendium, these stories should be included in it too, right?”

What does that mean? "Take back the knowledge of the past and present"?

Isn't that capability already traded away?
In the moment of his daze, he heard a long howl.

The sound was neither human nor bird-like; it was extremely piercing and made one's head spin!

"It's here." Liu Shuyue looked towards the mountains.

So fast? I wasn't prepared at all! And the sound was so different from the dragon's roar he had imagined.

Chen Xuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a blue "long snake" appear among the stone forest. It nimbly circled the mountain pillar a few times before flying into the air and swimming towards their direction. It could indeed fly without wings, with two pairs of claws under its body, a huge head, and long, shimmering horns on its head, just like the legendary dragon.

But the thought of its man-eating nature makes its imposing appearance somewhat frightening.

At the same time, the wind picked up on the hillside.

Just moments ago the weather was fine and sunny, but now the sky has turned gray and hazy, and even the refugee camp below the valley has become indistinct.

“Don’t worry, this is a change in the celestial phenomena caused by the vortex.” Liu Shuyue explained proactively, “The Azure Dragon can summon wind, thunder and dense fog. Whether it’s trapping its prey in the fog and toying with it to death, or using a gale to lift it into the sky and make it fall to its death, these are all its specialties.”

"...Why don't you borrow the Thousand Thoughts Sword back first?"

"The Thousand Thoughts Sword is good for killing lesser demons, but it's not very effective against a powerful demon like this." She suddenly chuckled for some reason. "As expected of you... even at a time like this, you're still thinking about leasing. You really value business above all else."

"But someone like you actually puts my mind at ease." Liu Shuyue drew the long sword from her back and held it in her hand. "At least you won't renege on your promise."

“Of course, in our line of work… sincerity is paramount.” Chen Xuan didn’t elaborate further. “Can I take that you’re hiding an ability even more powerful than the Thousand Thoughts Sword?”

"Of course, we can't just sell our best-kept secrets first," she said matter-of-factly. "But while this ability is powerful, it's not that easy to use, so you probably won't like it too much."

Really? You don't know what ability is until you actually have it.

"You seem to have predicted that the great demon would come." Chen Xuan raised his hand to shield his face, the wind was so strong that it was hard to open his eyes. "I thought these demons were sneaky and would come and go without a trace."

"Why hide? The Whirlpool is the king of this place. Have you ever seen a king who has to hide from outsiders when he travels?" Liu Shuyue said dismissively. "Let alone the border areas, it also ventures deep into Qingzhou to plunder every few years, causing hundreds of casualties each time it goes there. Now that a large amount of food is being delivered to its mouth, it is impossible for it to hold back."

"So arrogant?" He couldn't help but be somewhat surprised. "Then why didn't you kill it in the first place?"

Or rather, none of the disciples of the sect in previous generations have been able to eliminate this demon—since there are records of the vortex within the Lotus Cloud Sect, it means that it has existed for at least several hundred years.

That doesn't seem to make sense.

After all, the Azure Dragon is a treasure trove, and its blood can transform ordinary people into cultivators. Major sects may not care about it, but surely the Emperor won't let it go easily?

The Emperor can't defeat ordinary troops? But he can command a sect disciple like Liu Shuyue.

"Because legend has it that dragons are the embodiment of the ruler's fortune..." she said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Threatening a dragon is equivalent to threatening the dynasty's rule, so even though it's a powerful demon that plagues the region, even though everyone knows that such a demon exists in the south, it still lives a good life. Now that I think about it, those predecessors weren't all that great after all..."

"You say the dragon is the embodiment of the emperor's destiny? Then why are you still here to slay it?" Chen Xuan was greatly surprised. "If word gets out, won't your position as the Immortal Master's Assistant be in jeopardy...?"

Looking at the other person's calm expression, he suddenly realized that something else must have happened during these twelve days of separation.

Is it really just a lack of disaster relief food?

Just as Chen Xuan was about to ask him more questions, a sudden gust of wind made him instinctively turn his back. When he turned back, there was no one beside him.

Where is she?
Could it be——

He looked up and couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "Holy crap, she can actually fly!"
Liu Shuyue did indeed take flight! She rose steadily against the wind, shrinking to the size of a sesame seed in the blink of an eye. The Azure Dragon had also flown out of the Great Wilderness and was charging towards them.

Is this the battle of immortals?
Chen Xuan felt his heart pounding. Although he had known Liu Shuyue for so long, he had never seen her get serious.

How far will the battle between the immortal and the demon go?
Is it really safe to stand on the top of the hill and look around?
Countless thoughts popped into his head, but his body still carried out the most instinctive reaction—he took out his phone, turned on the camera mode, and pointed it at the rolling clouds and mist in the sky.

Liu Shuyue threw the sword out, put two fingers together and pointed it above her head. The sword stood upright in the wind as if it were a spirit, hovering above her fingertips!
Then, a dazzling seven-colored glow appeared on the blade!

The Azure Dragon opened its gaping maw, and only then did Chen Xuan realize that the dragon was enormous; its mouth alone could easily fit a locomotive.

Liu Shuyue swung her sword. She simply directed her hand, without any unnecessary movements.

The frantic wind suddenly stopped in my ears.

In an instant, a burst of radiant light shot out from the tip of the sword, like an extremely bright thread, sweeping down towards the dragon's head! The dragon's mouth was still open, but the lightning flashing on its horns suddenly went out, as if the sword had cut off its power.

"Hit it?"

The moment this thought crossed his mind, the dragon's body split open from the middle, revealing a horrifying wound on its enormous belly!

But that's not the whole story of that strike.

Because then the sky cracked open too!
The swirling clouds spread outwards along the sword mark, and the previously gray sky seemed to have been split in two, revealing its original clear and sunny appearance.

This sword not only struck the dragon, but also cleaved away all the gale and demonic mist it brought!

Wow…

The silence resumed, but Chen Xuan no longer heard the roar of wind and thunder, but the patter of rain.

It's raining.

Logically, the rain is most intense after the wind has calmed down.

But this was no ordinary rain.

It is as gentle as spring rain, and the rainwater is both red and fishy.

He looked down at his feet, where the blood-red rain fell silently, staining the once verdant earth with a dark hue.

Is this the end?

She only needs one sword to slay the dragon?
Chen Xuan suddenly felt inspired and wanted to compose a few poems, such as "A sword's light chills nineteen provinces" or "Like a demon seed descending from the heavens," but in the end, he felt that the word "awesome" was the most appropriate.

This! Is! Cultivation!

Even though he wasn't the one who slew the dragon, he still felt his blood boiling.

One day, perhaps he too can achieve that level—

Looking up, Chen Xuan searched for Liu Shuyue again, but froze in shock. The cleaved sky hadn't returned to normal, and even the original azure blue background had cracked open. Through that crack, he seemed to see countless tall buildings…

High-rise buildings?

Am I seeing things?

He rubbed his eyes and looked again in disbelief. This time, he even activated his Divine Eye Technique, magnifying his vision many times over.

The high-rise buildings became clearer; not only could you see the gleaming glass curtain walls, but you could also spot some billboards standing on the rooftops.

"Tianheng Life Insurance Company Limited?"

He involuntarily murmured to himself, then gasped in shock. Wasn't that the landmark building near his neighborhood?!
……

……

The red warning light in the room spun wildly, and the beeping alarm almost shattered eardrums.

"Can you please turn off that damn loudspeaker! No matter how loud it is, we can't fly over there!" Wang Baihu shouted to his colleague at the desk while quickly packing up his equipment. "Has the threat level been confirmed?"

“Yes! The system has determined it to be…” The colleague paused for a moment, then exclaimed in astonishment, “Class A contamination intrusion!”

"Location?"

"Captain Wan is heading towards Heping Avenue in Tianlu District."

"Okay, I'm coming right now." The young man jogged to the underground parking lot and saw his partner, Honglian, already waiting for him in the driver's seat of their car. As soon as he got in, she stepped on the accelerator.

"Slow down, I haven't closed the door yet!" Wang Baihu exclaimed, grabbing the handrail and hooking the door handle with his toes to close the car door. "Phew... A-level intrusion, this is going to be really fun."

Don't try to apply the settings from other cultivation novels to this; it's pointless. ^^
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(End of this chapter)