Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 212 - 205: Fierce Battle Part 1

Chapter 212: Chapter 205: Fierce Battle Part 1

"What are you calling me for?" Dugu Lin pretended to be heartbroken, covering his chest with a look of regret, "Ah! It’s such a pity. We were so close to catching that guy."

"I will remember what happened today," Su Wan said indifferently.

"Ah, you’re not going to pin your failure on me, are you?" Dugu Lin exclaimed in horror, "I cannot bear such a burden."

Not far away in the midair, Hua Yunu finally confirmed that the wounds on his body contained no poison; it was just a type of medicine that caused an itching sensation. But he was so scared that he didn’t dare to move in midair for a long time, fearing the "poison" would spread faster.

Thinking of this, Hua Yunu felt a stifling rage he couldn’t express. He had once been able to match a Golden Core cultivator, such a glorious achievement, yet he was paralyzed with fear for half a day by some nobody using fake medicine.

"Really... This is outrageous!"

He felt as though the cultivators around him were laughing at him. He hadn’t been poisoned, yet he floated in the air like a fool, afraid to move, giving the enemy the chance to save someone and escape.

"Two esteemed Foundation Establishment Cultivators, yet you can’t even catch an insignificant unknown person... You guys are really something!" He heard Dugu Lin and Su Wan quarreling nearby, which only made his anger surge uncontrollably.

"Hua Yunu, I’m only giving you face because of your master. Do you really think I’m afraid of you?" Dugu Lin turned her head sharply and stared at him.

"Or do you really think you’re in a position to command us?" Dugu Lin’s eyes were cold and fierce. Her journey had been smooth sailing, except for her brother’s death, she had rarely encountered any real difficulties. This man was not a Spirit Gathering Physique, yet he dared to shout and yell in front of her.

Su Wan’s face also darkened.

"Young Master Hua, I am not of your Pine Sword Sect. When scolding someone to vent anger, you should choose your target wisely."

Hua Yunu’s face turned even uglier. Although he realized his mistake as soon as he spoke and wanted to immediately back down, it was already too late. He had planned to apologize right away, but Dugu Lin’s words had nearly made him explode with anger, and Su Wan’s follow-up remarks made the fury in his heart even harder to vent.

"Good... Very well! You really think I can’t see what’s happening?" He blurted out, barely able to contain his near-rampant emotions.

Hua Yunu’s talents were exceptional. Even if he wasn’t a Spirit Gathering Physique, he would still become a Core Formation Cultivator sooner or later! He created the Transforming Dragon Technique, unrivaled by anyone in the same realm! How dare these upstarts, Dugu Lin and Su Wan, disrespect him to his face!

"So what if you see it? What if you don’t?" Dugu Lin huffed coldly and swept away.

Su Wan, too, didn’t spare Hua Yunu a glance and turned to leave.

The other Foundation Establishment Cultivators were helpless. They wanted to speak up and mediate, but they all understood that to these proud talents, people like them didn’t amount to much. Didn’t Su Wan get disrespected by Dugu Lin, and Dugu Lin disrespected by Hua Yunu? If even the geniuses were like this, it went without saying for everyone else.

Hua Yunu may have seemed gentle, but in reality, his pride was even stronger than that of the other two.

"The Talisman Master must not be lost. Is there anyone else willing to join me in the search? I, Hua, will be sure to reward you afterwards!"

Seeing the two leave, Hua Yunu, in his urgency, shouted aloud.

Half of his magic artifact was in that person’s hands; he had to retrieve it. It was the culmination of decades of his effort, sacrificially refined over a long time. If lost, it would be like losing half of his wealth. But he was also concerned about another Talisman Master lying in ambush, so he wanted to gather some support.

A few Foundation Establishment Cultivators looked at each other, undecided. The previous person had managed to escape even under their siege, and now, with the absence of two key experts, Su Wan and Dugu Lin, chasing after him would be tantamount to seeking death.

Several Qi Cultivators did speak up in agreement, but Hua Yunu was too tired to pretend any longer. Since his true nature had been revealed, he didn’t care anymore and snorted coldly, ignoring them.

"It seems that no one wishes to join me. We, the Sect Cultivators, lack the spirit to face difficulties head-on..." Hua Yunu tried to sound pleasant, but his tone couldn’t help but come off as stiff.

He couldn’t even continue speaking as he reached the end.

"If that’s the case, everyone may return to the camp on their own." After all, these people weren’t his subordinates. They were only the elites of regional Suppressors, and he couldn’t command them, nor were they necessarily willing to follow his orders.

These people followed him because of his strength, which they could rely on, but now that he was heading towards danger, they couldn’t be blamed for not supporting him.

"Big brother," Hua Lin stepped forward, "I’ll go with you!"

Hua Yunu raised his hand.

"If no one else is going, you don’t need to either. I am enough by myself. If it weren’t for that man’s trickery, how could I have allowed such a trivial clown to succeed right under my nose? Saving someone right from under my eyelids?!"

He looked around at everyone’s eyes, knowing he couldn’t rally them, and his Fish Sword vibrated in his hand. If he went alone this time and couldn’t salvage his reputation, then his standing would indeed suffer in the future.

Word would spread that he led a large force to besiege a Talisman Master, was on the verge of capturing him but got scared stiff by someone’s tactics, allowing the enemy to easily escape with the Talisman Master. Not only could his family not bear such an outcome, but his prideful teacher would certainly punish him.

"Everyone, return on your own." Without further ado, he leaped high into the air, his Fish Sword expanding in his hand into a golden sword over a meter wide in diameter, carrying him swiftly away. He rushed in the direction Dongyue and the others had left.

*******************

On the edge of the Giant Tree Forest, a white waterfall cascaded down with a roar, crashing into the deep pool below.

Amid the thunderous sound, water droplets splashed, creating a great mist that spread all around.

On the edge of a deep pool on the shore, a fox with a body size of dozens of meters high and covered in snow-white fur was curled up into a ball, lying there sound asleep.

Its fur undulated continuously, waving gently like white snow.

The entire fox was like a small mountain; its body melded almost seamlessly with the stone floor of the deep pool. Moss and stones were congealed between the fox and the ground, blocking the crevices.

Behind the fox, two figures clothed in bloodstained garments, a man and a woman, collapsed to the ground, the man gingerly setting down the woman from his back. He couldn’t bear it any longer and fell to the side, gasping for breath.

"Yue’er..." A golden sword was nearly piercing through the woman’s chest, and countless tendrils of black qi emanated from her body, forming into myriad tiny arms that clung to the sword desperately, the black arms struggling against the golden light on the blade.

The sword seemed to want to break free, but it remained unable to leave.

"Jing’er..." The man moved closer, embracing her, and the two of them huddled together.

"Yue’er... are we... going to die?" said the woman in a low voice.

"...Perhaps..." Dongyue searched and grasped her hand, pressing it against his cheek. "But even if we die, we’ll be together," he said softly.

"Is that so?...." Jing’er’s eyes widened, as if she was beginning to lose her sight, her gaze scattered and her face almost devoid of color.

"But.. I don’t want you to die...."

"It’s okay, it’s okay, none of us will die...." Dongyue quickly reassured her. "This is the waterfall of the Slumbering Fox. Can you hear it? The Slumbering Fox can hide all traces of presence. Even the connection between the small sword in you and that person will be severed. He definitely won’t be able to find this place, rest assured!"

"The Slumbering Fox...?" Jing’er seemed to recall this place too.

"It’s from here! Chase them!"

Suddenly, a distant voice echoed from above, seemingly that of a woman.

"It’s that malicious woman who’s been chasing us all this time!" Dongyue whispered urgently to Jing’er, "Shh.."

Jing’er nodded quickly, remaining silent.

"There’s a waterfall!" The voice of the pursuer sounded a bit noisy, indicating that there was more than one person present.

"There’s a Blood Beast!" Immediately someone spotted the giant white fox lying near the waterfall.

The white fox was as massive as a small mountain, roughly level with the waterfall, curled into a ball and sleeping soundly, very conspicuous.

"This is the Slumbering Fox! Be careful not to use any spiritual power fluctuations, or you’ll attract the attack of its shadow!" The leading female cultivator seemed to recognize the huge fox.

"The Slumbering Fox, has Fairy Han really seen this enormous creature before?" someone asked with a slightly surprised tone. "We’d better leave quickly!"

"Yes, I’ve only read about it in books, I don’t know if it’s real. Everyone be careful," the female cultivator with the surname Han’s voice faded away as though they were retreating.

It wasn’t long before their voices could no longer be heard.

Dongyue and Jing’er both let out sighs of relief.

"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine... They won’t dare to come near here easily," Dongyue whispered in reassurance. "The Slumbering Fox is the biggest Blood Beast nearby, and from time to time, Huashou Fish appear. Only here where we’re hiding is safe. No one would ever guess that we’d be hiding here."

"Let’s hope so...." Jing’er, having experienced much more, naturally understood the strength of those top cultivators. Although not holding much hope, she still nodded in agreement.

"This sword... I must find a place to remove it, or else if this continues, my bug garment will be destroyed, essence qi will drain away, and it will not only attract cultivators but could also lead to many other changes..." Jing’er rested a bit, seeming to recover some spirit, and her speech became more fluid.

"Remove it...." Dongyue looked at the golden sword embedded in Jing’er’s chest, feeling uneasy within.

Jing’er nodded, about to speak, when suddenly a shrill whistling noise came from afar, seemingly someone flying through the air.

"Silence." She lowered her voice and whispered urgently.

Dongyue too didn’t dare breathe heavily, as he was now blind, his body had lost too much blood, and he barely had the strength to move. If they encountered any danger by chance, it would truly be the end.

Above the waterfall, a golden sword hovered, Hua Yunu standing on it with a frosty expression, overlooking below.

"The Slumbering Fox?" He saw the giant slumbering white fox beneath the waterfall and his face changed slightly.

"The trail ends here... Could they have hidden nearby?" He glanced down at the Youyu Sword at his feet. The sword’s golden light shone brighter and more dazzling than before.

Raising his index finger, he suddenly traced a fish-shaped talisman, leaving behind trails of golden lines in the air, deftly weaving a small golden fish. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian [qidian.com] to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)