Chapter Forty-Six: The Immortal Sword Subdues the Mountain

After pondering for a while, Ye Qiu turned to the two of them and said, “This calamity was brought about by your actions. Tell me, how do you propose to resolve it?”

At Ye Qiu’s questioning, the two immediately panicked. The Empress, Yue Chan, had just dealt them a few simple yet brutal blows, leaving them gravely injured. Even if they wanted to flee, escape was impossible now—especially since it wasn’t Yue Chan standing before them, but Ye Qiu himself.

This man was far more terrifying than the Empress. The unfathomable depth of his cultivation exuded an oppressive aura that was almost suffocating.

“Kill them, kill them…” the crowd shouted.

With a single move, Ye Qiu shifted all blame onto the two, instantly drawing everyone’s attention and triggering an outpouring of public resentment.

Old Tian Yi’s heart sank. He knew their chances of survival today were slim to none; their only hope lay with Ye Qiu. There was no escape—Yue Chan watched from the side, and Li Jianchen was also present. No matter how great their abilities, they could not hope to slip away.

“Senior, spare our lives. We know we’ve committed a heinous crime, but what’s done is done—killing us now will do no good. Why not let us redeem ourselves instead…” Old Tian Yi was quick-witted. Only Ye Qiu now held their fate in his hands. Sensing Ye Qiu was not a wanton killer, he believed that if he could persuade him, no one else would dare to harm them.

“Redemption? Hmph… And what could you possibly offer in atonement?” Li Jianchen retorted coldly. With their level of cultivation, they wouldn’t even dare approach the breach, let alone the River of Realms itself…

This disaster could only be resolved by Ye Qiu. Keeping these two alive served no purpose.

However, Ye Qiu thought differently.

“Make amends? Heh… Those are your words, not mine!” Ye Qiu’s eyes glinted wickedly. He had just been wondering how to slip away from responsibility, and now the opportunity had presented itself.

Since that was the case, he wouldn’t hold back.

“Ahem… Silence!” Ye Qiu called out, halting the crowd’s angry shouts. Turning to the two elders, he said, “Since you wish to make amends, I will give you the chance…”

Internally, Ye Qiu smirked: “Let these two old men go throw their lives away, and I’ll take the chance to slip away. Isn’t that delightful?

Hmm… Not bad at all! Now, what excuse can I use to avoid getting involved myself, while also silencing the others?”

After a moment’s thought, Ye Qiu spoke casually: “Earlier, you mentioned that a rift had opened in the taboos guarding the River of Realms, and the demonic gods escaped through it, correct?”

Li Jianchen nodded and explained, “That’s right! While I was observing the river’s edge, I noticed a breach from which several demonic gods escaped. I managed to stop eighteen of them; the rest vanished and I don’t know where they went. These demonic gods cannot be killed—if they enter the Great Wilderness, it will spell disaster. Senior, we must seal the breach quickly and hunt down the remaining ones to destroy and suppress them…”

“Hmm?” Ye Qiu thought, Unable to kill them? That can’t be right. Didn’t I just kill a few myself? How could they be immortal? Unless… my swords have some power to ward off evil?

Well, well… that’s rather impressive! Seems I can show off a little…

Ye Qiu’s mood lifted as he reconsidered. Despite his years of idleness, he had produced quite a few treasures. Perhaps he could now claim the title of the greatest swordsmith in the Great Wilderness.

He glanced at Li Jianchen, then at Yue Chan, who looked at him in puzzlement, wondering, “Why is he looking at me? Is he planning to trick me again?”

The memory of being fooled by Ye Qiu in her naive youth was an embarrassment she rarely spoke of—a rare stain in the history of the otherwise imperious Empress of the Celestial Palace. Even she had not escaped being duped by him.

“Ahem, enough arguing! I have already made my decision…” Ye Qiu said at last. “If I don’t descend into hell, who will?”

With a gentle wave of his folding fan, Ye Qiu stood above the Nine Provinces, the ferocious Swallowing Heaven Sparrow at his feet. An aura of righteous grandeur erupted from him, stunning everyone present.

“Hiss… If I don’t descend into hell, who will? My heavens, what a shocking declaration! How could he think of such a thing?” The crowd trembled inwardly—even Yue Chan cast a surprised glance, thinking, “How could he say such a thing? This doesn’t sound like him at all…”

The former king of tricksters—had he really turned over a new leaf?

No, something was off! He must be up to something!

Ye Qiu then pointed at Li Jianchen and said, “Do you remember what I once told you? The greater your power, the greater your responsibility. Now that you have become a sword immortal, it is time to prove yourself in these turbulent times. Here—let me give you something to aid you in tracking down the demonic gods who fled into the Great Wilderness…”

Ye Qiu spoke these words somewhat guiltily, but as soon as he finished, Yue Chan understood and nearly burst out laughing—thankfully, no one noticed.

As she thought, “Of course, he always takes the credit for himself while sending others to do the dirty work. That’s the Ye Qiu I know…”

She didn’t voice the harsh words, but the meaning was clear.

So he gets to play the hero while I do the grunt work?

Being singled out by Ye Qiu, Li Jianchen was honored and excited. “No problem, senior! Just say the word—no matter the danger, I will not hesitate!”

Good grief, sold off and still counting the money for him? Tell me, how much did he pay you? Are you really that eager to please him? If he doubled the price, would you come work for me instead?

Yue Chan was speechless. She couldn’t understand what had gotten into Li Jianchen to make him so obedient.

How could she know that Ye Qiu was not only Li Jianchen’s benefactor but also his mentor, the man who had saved his life? Whatever Ye Qiu asked, Li Jianchen would never refuse—and would even do it gladly.

“Heh, you said it yourself!” Ye Qiu grinned wickedly, his smile growing ever bolder. He then drew a sword—a single-edged blade, with jagged teeth along the spine, its design most unusual.

“This sword is called Mountain Suppressor! Two edges: the true edge judges, the reverse edge suppresses souls! I forged it myself—it is a peerless weapon. Today I give it to you! Do not let this sword’s name be sullied…”

Ye Qiu was secretly delighted as he tossed the sword to Li Jianchen, thinking, “Mountain Suppressor, my foot! It’s just an ordinary iron sword. Judgment? Suppressing souls? Whoever wants to believe that nonsense can go ahead. They wouldn’t know the difference anyway. I’ll just hoodwink them, send them off, and then slip away myself…”

It all seemed perfect in Ye Qiu’s mind, but as soon as Li Jianchen took the sword, a powerful sword aura erupted from him—pure, righteous energy infused the blade.

“Hmm? The sword carries his own righteous aura? How could he bear to part with it?” Yue Chan was momentarily stunned. This man, who was known never to suffer a loss, was being unusually generous today. This was a true artifact of the highest order! With that righteous aura, never mind demonic gods—even the god of darkness himself, Li Jianchen could stand toe to toe with him…

“What a terrifying sword intent! With such a divine blade, Li Jianchen is virtually unstoppable…”

The entire crowd was in an uproar at the sword’s appearance. Even Ye Qiu felt as if it was all unreal.

“What the…? Isn’t that just a regular iron sword? What’s wrong with these people? Do they really think this sword is some kind of miracle?”

Impossible. I made the sword myself—I know exactly what it is! No one’s going to fool me.

I’ve got hundreds more just like it. If it really were a treasure, wouldn’t I be the richest man in the Great Wilderness by now?

No way…