Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Chapter 77 Two Leaves Decide the Outcome!

Outside the Supreme Sect, in front of the South City Gate.

“Sword Venerable Fudao, if you do not show up within 30 minutes’ time, then I will carve two more words on the Heavenly Repair Platform!”

Han Ming’s voice resounded, loud as rolling thunder, reverberating between heaven and earth for a long time.

His words stirred the cultivators into a flurry of discussion. Although the disciples of the Supreme Sect frowned, they did not dare to curse him, as he had observed the formalities first.

Having eagerly awaited for a month, the fact that Sword Venerable Fudao hadn’t appeared left even the disciples of the Supreme Sect somewhat disappointed.

Zuo Lin on the city wall breathed a sigh of relief; though he felt Han Ming was no match for Sword Venerable Fudao, having spent a month together, he sincerely didn’t wish for anything untoward to happen to Han Ming.

Zuo Yijian, on the other hand, looked into the distance, instinctively feeling that Sword Venerable Fudao would surely come.

The commotion in the city grew louder.

On the gourd magic artifact, Jiang Qiong whispered, “Could it be that Sword Venerable Fudao is really the Sect Leader?”

“It’s possible,” Hu Mo mused, “Although Han Ming is not much stronger than Chu Xian, Sword Venerable Fudao would need to reveal his true form to defeat him, so he wouldn’t dare show up.”

“If Sword Venerable Fudao truly is the Sect Leader, it’s going to be interesting, and it will be seen as a self-directed play…”

His expression was mocking, his tone laced with disdain.

The gourd under their feet glowed faintly, a restraining force isolating them from the surrounding space.

Jiang Qiong was about to speak more, but suddenly, a powerful Sword Intent erupted from the South City Gate. Immediately following, an unimaginable force surged from the southern horizon.

She jerked her head up, and Hu Mo beside her did the same.

In front of the South City Gate.

Han Ming lifted his sword box and stepped out a hundred zhang; he planted the sword box into the ground, its base sinking into the soil. The sword box opened, and two treasure swords sprung out to the sides.

His right hand pressed on the top of the sword box, his body bursting with vast Sword Intent, alarming all onlookers.

Before most could track his movements, a streak of Sword Qi shot from the distant horizon, sweeping through forests and mountains, unstoppable.

In the blink of an eye, this streak of Sword Qi collided with Han Ming’s vast Sword Intent.

Han Ming’s Sword Qi formed a blue light curtain, nearly two hundred zhang high, immensely grand. However, when struck by the mysterious Sword Qi, his blue Sword Qi tore apart, seemingly shattered in an instant.

He widened his eyes, looking up, his pupils reflecting a leaf.

Boom——

The leaf swept over his head, sending his black hair fluttering, causing him to stagger back a couple of steps.

Every cultivator on the city wall paled, Zuo Yijian instinctively raising his arm to protect his son, barely discerning what lay within the Sword Qi.

Another loud rumble, and the city wall shuddered, but did not break.

When the violent Sword Qi dispersed like a gale, a leaf was embedded in the wall, surrounded by spider-web cracks.

Han Ming steadied himself, advancing again, drawing two treasure swords from the sword box, looking up into the distance.

The flying leaf passed, the gale roaring from the horizon as if to uproot everything in its path.

Han Ming stood firm, his robes flapping backward, accentuating his robust physique.

He fixed his gaze on the horizon, poised for battle; cultivators from all directions, as well as those within the Supreme Sect, held their breath in anticipation.

Sword Venerable Fudao had arrived!

…

“Wow! Master, you’re amazing, what swordsmanship is that? I want to learn!”

An Hao, after a brief moment of daze, jumped up in excitement.

Gu An picked up the leaf from An Xin’s hand, startling her into looking up at him.

“This is the swordsmanship I taught you earlier. Once you’ve mastered it, you too can be like me. However, true mastery of the Sword Path is about returning to simplicity, achieving overwhelming power without grand displays.” Gu An said softly, then tossed An Xin’s leaf away.

An Hao and An Xin’s eyes followed the leaf as it floated ten steps away, then suddenly accelerated like a streak of lightning.

This time, the leaf didn’t create the deafening display from earlier, appearing rather unremarkable, only its speed was fast.

An Hao chuckled, “I like it when it’s dramatic, it looks more impressive!”

Gu An placed his hands on their shoulders, and they vanished into thin air.

Fifteen thousand miles away, in front of the South City Gate of the Supreme Sect’s outer sect.

Han Ming, holding two swords, stood in readiness.

Silence reigns over the world!

Everyone awaited the next move of Sword Venerable Fudao!

Suddenly!

Han Ming’s pupils contracted sharply, immediately releasing his swords and casting a spell. The remaining sword in the sword box unsheathed, and three swords circled around him. With a gesture of his right hand forward, the three treasure swords rose and charged forth.

The three swords interwove and swirled, releasing terrible Sword Qi that transformed into three dragons of Sword Qi racing forward, uprooting trees along the way, raising dust, and shaking the earth and mountains. The cultivators in the sky were flung away by the spectacle.

A glimmering light streaked from the horizon, it was a leaf shrouded in Sword Qi.

It had come!

Han Ming sharply focused on the leaf, which, though less oppressive than the previous one, felt even more dangerous to him.

The leaf suddenly accelerated!

Turning into a glimmering light, it pierced through Han Ming’s Sword Qi, sending his three swords flying. Before they could settle, the leaf was already before Han Ming.

So fast!

Damn it!

Han Ming was horrified, instinctively pushing out his palm. His robes erupted with a golden light, forming a golden bell shadow.

Boom!

The leaf shattered the golden bell shadow, piercing Han Ming’s right shoulder. The powerful force left him unable to resist, dragging his body along, splitting the ground beneath him.

Han Ming crashed into the city wall, shattering the wall behind him but not bringing it down.

The reason it didn’t collapse wasn’t due to the wall’s sturdiness but because Gu An had controlled it deliberately.

Han Ming was pinned against the wall, spitting blood, his head hung low as if dead.

“Master…”

Zuo Lin, atop the shaking wall, called out anxiously.

Countless cultivators gasped; the Mad Swordsman of Great Yu had been defeated by Sword Venerable Fudao with just two leaves?

How great was the gap?

“Flying Leaf Sword Immortal! Sword Venerable Fudao is the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal!” A Supreme Sect disciple excitedly shouted.

No need for him to spell it out, all spectators realized this.

On the gourd magic artifact, Hu Mo opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.

Ye Lan gazed at the remnants of Sword Qi in the sky, eyes full of envy.

How advanced must one’s cultivation be to wield such near-godlike power?

Shen Zhen flew over the city wall, landed on the ground, and swiftly pulled out paper and pen to sketch Han Ming pinned against the wall.

…

Under the blue sky, amidst the mountains, a small town sat by a large lake.

“If anyone asks, do not mention me. Just say you are children from this town.”

Gu An’s voice transmitted. An Hao and An Xin landed, instinctively turning around, but Gu An was already out of sight.

At this moment, they stood in an alleyway, with moss-covered mud walls on both sides.

As An Xin was about to speak, An Hao covered her mouth and said, “Sister, let’s go catch frogs.”

He gave An Xin a look, and when she nodded, he released his hand.

Then, they walked out of the alley one after another, drawn by the bustling street, smiles naturally spreading across their faces.

After all, they were still children.

On the other side.

Removing his mask, Gu An donned a blue Daoist robe and stepped into an inn.

Having a rare chance to come out, he intended to enjoy the Mortal World’s sights.

He went up to the second floor of the inn, sat at a window-side table, ordered the inn’s signature wine and dishes, then gazed out at the street below.

Street vendors peddled their goods on both sides, with travelers passing by. Gu An even sensed the aura of other cultivators, though their numbers were not abundant.

Patrons in the inn chatted about the grievances between Jianghu heroes, giving Gu An a feeling of having traveled through time again.

Before his food and drink arrived, Gu An sensed a strong Divine Sense sweeping across the town.

As expected, someone was coming!

The Divine Sense swiftly vanished, not appearing again.

Gu An was in no hurry, ready to relax for the day.

When his food and drink arrived, he began to drink alone, admiring the old-fashioned street bustling with people below the window.

The sun set, the moon rose.

As night fell, the town remained lively, red lanterns hanging on the buildings, with small rivers crisscrossing the town, glowing faintly.

Gu An stood atop a stone bridge, his brow furrowing slightly.

He sensed a wisp of Demon Energy entering the town.

Not very strong, just a second-rank demon creature, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Gu An initially planned to return to the Supreme Sect the next morning to enjoy victory’s accolades, so he wasn’t in a rush, curious to see what the demon creature intended.

Though no cultivators openly resided in this town, the second-rank demon creature was still cautious, suggesting a particular reason.

Gu An slowly walked toward the direction of the Demon Energy.

As he passed by a courtyard, a voice called out to him.

“Junior Brother Gu!”

The voice was old, tinged with surprise and hesitation.

Gu An turned his head, seeing an old man watching him from a courtyard.

The old man had white hair and a stooped back, appearing in his seventies or eighties.

Gu An frowned, suddenly thinking of something, hesitantly asked, “Senior Brother Zhang?”

Zhang Chunqiu!

It had been so long, Gu An had nearly forgotten Zhang Chunqiu’s aura, and Zhang Chunqiu’s appearance had changed significantly.

The old man quickly walked out, excitedly saying, “It’s really you! I felt like the person on the bridge looked like you from upstairs, but I didn’t dare to believe it. Junior Brother Gu, what brings you here? Are you on a mission as an outer disciple?”

Gu An nodded, “Something like that. Senior Brother, what are you doing here?”

What a coincidence!

Zhang Chunqiu smiled, “This town is the wealthiest near the Supreme Sect. I’m here to spend my retirement.”

That made sense.

Gu An chose this place because of its safety and vibrant population.

Zhang Chunqiu took Gu An by the wrist, smiling, “Come in and chat, you’re not in a hurry, are you?”

“Not at all,” Gu An replied, sensing no one else in the courtyard. He was curious about Lotus’s whereabouts.

He had once eavesdropped on Zhang Chunqiu muttering to himself, learning Zhang Chunqiu had come down the mountain for a girl named Lotus.