Chapter 118: Calling for Backup
A powerful sword intent surged from Xu Zhong’s body, pressing down over six thousand miles.
The sword qi came from beyond six thousand miles away, compressing the starlight into a single line, forming the blade’s edge.
Gao Wentian immediately felt an unprecedented pressure and thought to himself, “This person is likely invincible.”
“Friend, I hail from the Gao family of Hedong, a direct lineage. My grandfather and father are Outer Realm Qi Refiners, and within our clan, we have Qiwu Realm Qi Refiners guarding us. Surely, you don’t wish to make an enemy of the Gao family, do you?”
“Hedong?” Xu Zhong was puzzled. “Is that east of Dushu River?”
Seeing Xu Zhong contemplating, Gao Wentian thought he had successfully intimidated him.
After all, the Gao family was considered one of the top noble clans in Mingzhao.
Just as he was feeling proud,
Xu Zhong suddenly surged forward, brilliant sword light roaring out, sweeping vast starlight and moonlight into an overwhelming oppressive force.
Gao Wentian’s heart pounded, his hair stood on end; he sensed imminent danger.
He was caught off guard and was struck directly by a sword light from Xu Zhong, flying backward.
Although they were of the same realm and he was too startled to retaliate, being blasted away so easily was somewhat humiliating.
“Are you alright?” Xu Zhong looked at Su Jie.
His own Muyao Secret Vault had fully opened, vast vitality surged forth. Then, with a flick of his finger, streams of life force flooded into Su Jie’s body, healing his wounds. In an instant, the bleeding ceased, and the wounds began to grow flesh.
His injuries inside were completely controlled in a moment.
Su Jie was both surprised and delighted, quickly rising to thank him, “Thank you, Brother Xu.”
“No trouble!” Xu Zhong nodded, then turned his head.
He saw Gao Wentian running away.
From within Xu Zhong’s sleeve flew four Divine Banners of the Four Symbols, drawing down countless stars, transforming into a massive prison cage that sealed off all escape routes.
“Friend, do you really want to be an enemy of the Gao family?” Gao Wentian’s face darkened; he clenched his sword tightly.
“If you die here, how would the Gao family know we did it?” Xu Zhong smiled gently. “If you manage to escape, that would be troublesome!”
Gao Wentian took a deep breath, channeling his magic power, drawing on the Yin-Yang Secret Vaults; the two energies converged, magic surging through his body.
He leapt up like a humanoid tyrannosaurus, the treasured sword in his hand twirling like a soaring dragon, stirring boundless Taiyin energy that froze and iced the surroundings.
Xu Zhong countered every move.
His body summoned the Thunder Marsh God, stirring thunder, his heart beating like a great bell, unleashing endless thunderclaps. Then he opened his mouth and roared.
In an instant, countless thunderbolts transformed into a Golden Core Dao Tree that flew out from Xu Zhong’s mouth.
This thunder dragon fiercely defended against Gao Wentian’s sword strikes.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Sounds erupted continuously.
Sword lights and thunder flashes scattered everywhere.
Afterward, Xu Zhong appeared right before Gao Wentian.
He discarded the Swallowing Cloud Sword and used both hands — fists, palms, seals, claws — magic howling and spinning, targeting all the weak points on Gao Wentian’s body.
Gao Wentian’s magic surged; he suddenly left the ground, breaking free from Xu Zhong’s entanglement. His figure whipped up winds and waves three zhang high, soaring like a dragon swimming through vast oceans. Thunder sparked in his palms, striking Xu Zhong’s brow.
“Using thunder magic against me?” Xu Zhong found it amusing.
Magic power flowed back into his hands, manifesting divine thunder, entangling into a brilliant burst.
“Behold my Thunder Seal!”
Xu Zhong slapped his palm out.
In an instant, his palm grew larger and larger, covering heaven and earth. Within his palm lay the Thunder Marsh, pressing down, and the thunder marsh fell upon Gao Wentian.
Gao Wentian was blasted far away by the Thunder Seal.
If not for standing on a reed, he might have been knocked into the Dushu River.
---
The Dushu River bore the properties of Weak Water, unable to support living beings.
But flying over it was permitted.
He stood atop the reed.
Behind him, a boat drifted slowly forward.
“Brother Gao, did you win?”
The newcomer seemed to be a friend.
They were originally called by Gao Wentian to witness his victory over Su Jie, but now, they became his lifeline.
“Brother Zhao, Brother Zuo, Fairy Yun, come save me! This Su Jie has no honor—he challenged me but brought reinforcements to ambush me!” He struggled to catch his breath as he spoke, then coughed up blood.
“Is that so?” Zhao Tong, righteous and furious, clenched his fists and drew two curved blades from his Fire Secret Vault. “Brother Zuo, Fairy Yun, draw your weapons—kill them!”
Zuo Chang’an and Yun Xiaohan exchanged glances.
Their families were not influential; their clans could only support them to the Zhenzhen Realm at best.
Though they knew Su Jie’s nature wouldn’t allow such treachery, they had no choice but to cling to Gao Wentian’s side, so they followed Zhao Tong’s lead and drew their own magic weapons from their Secret Vaults.
Xu Zhong flew over from afar and caught sight of this scene, finding it amusing.
Su Jie’s expression was grave.
He had assessed Zhao Tong and the others’ cultivation; they were roughly second-tier geniuses.
“I’ll help!” Su Jie said, drawing his sword and moving forward.
But then Xu Zhong shook his head at him, “No need.”
After saying this, he looked at Gao Wentian and the others with wild arrogance, “You can all attack together if you wish. Let me show you how I kill you all!”
Xu Zhong laughed uproariously, powerful magic coursing through his body. The Golden Core Dao Tree’s phantom shimmered behind him, connecting heaven and earth, endlessly transforming, each movement filled with immense power.
With the Golden Core’s presence, Gao Wentian and the others could not even summon their own Golden Core.
Zhao Tong charged forward, wielding his twin blades.
Blade light flashed, blade qi dense and impenetrable like a torrential downpour. The snowy white blades became indistinct, only their sharp edges visible, shredding a patch of reeds to dust.
Seeing this, Xu Zhong reached out and tore through the blade light and qi. Supporting the blade with his Thunder Seal, he then punched fiercely; divine light condensed on his fist, blasting the boy wielding the blades far away.
Xu Zhong multitasked, manipulating his mind. The Swallowing Cloud Sword shifted, the blade flickering, and countless flying swords shot from it, forming a sword formation that trapped Zuo Chang’an and Yun Xiaohan.
They were swallowed in dense sword qi and light, crashing into the formation like headless flies, eventually battered and bleeding.
Zhao Tong landed and wielded his two snowy white blades, “shush shush,” flying towards Xu Zhong. His blade technique was cunning and tricky, flipping and twisting with sharp angles, flying through the air.
Xu Zhong noticed several slender threads connecting to each curved blade, like puppet strings controlling the flying blades.
Xu Zhong charged forward, but the curved blades fluttered, their blade light forming a wall of light, blocking his advance…
Zhao Tong closed the distance.
Clearly, in close combat, blades were stronger than swords.
The blade light in Zhao Tong’s hands was sharp and fierce; his magic surged even more violently.
His plan was obvious: “Close the distance and finish quickly!”
Magic flowed into his arms, extending the threads from his fingertips, making them longer and more adept.
The curved blades danced like silver snakes; the blade qi and light transformed into a raging wind, roaring toward Xu Zhong’s face.
Xu Zhong dodged nimbly, channeling energy into his finger bones, tapping the flying blades.
Like gentle rain nourishing all without sound,
In the silent moment, thunder roared.
His fingertips struck, and the sky resounded with tremendous thunderclaps.
The dance ended; the curved blades were blasted away.
Xu Zhong stepped forward, lowered his body, and dove, arriving before Zhao Tong in an instant. He extended his hand, magic swirling, summoning a fierce wind.
The gale was like a dragon, enveloping him, looking like a dragon pearl held in the dragon’s mouth.
---
Next, Xu Zhong’s palm pressed on Zhao Tong’s dantian.
Zhao Tong frowned, fully aware of Xu Zhong’s intent.
He summoned all his magic; the suppressed Golden Core spiraled upward, releasing a torrent of magic like a raging river, crashing against Xu Zhong’s invading magic.
“Eh!” Xu Zhong was surprised.
He had not expected Zhao Tong to resist.
So he used his Golden Core.
The Dao Tree shifted position.
In an instant, even stronger power surged from Xu Zhong’s palm.
Zhao Tong felt as if bearing the weight of mountains; unable to withstand the Golden Core’s pressure, he landed unsteadily, falling flat on the ground.
“Your cultivation is strong, and your blade technique is sharp, but your vision is lacking,” Xu Zhong withdrew the Golden Core.
The immense pressure vanished abruptly.
“Look at yourself, struggling desperately, and now, what are your friends doing?”
Zhao Tong shakily stood on the boat, looking back.
There was no sign of Gao Wentian behind him.
“He ran away after you all acted,” Su Jie said, descending from the air to Zhao Tong’s side.
Xu Zhong dispersed the sword formation.
Zuo Chang’an and Yun Xiaohan within the formation breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been suffocated by the overwhelming sword qi and light.
The formation was ever-changing and mutually countering.
Breaking one corner only led to the formation shifting its shape.
Clearly, this was beyond their capacity to handle or their desire to provoke.
“Senior…” Zuo Chang’an had just begun to speak before Xu Zhong interrupted.
“I bear no grudges from the past, nor enmity now, so I won’t casually kill you. But I advise you well—”
“You should have known better than to wade into these troubled waters.”
Zuo Chang’an nodded repeatedly.
Clearly, he realized Gao Wentian had escaped, tightening his heart.
“Although we need to curry favor with him, his temperament is such that if he abandons us today, he could betray us tomorrow…”
“Senior, beware of the Gao family,” Yun Xiaohan said after a moment’s thought.
“Gao Wentian’s father and grandfather are Outer Realm Qi Refiners, and as a direct heir, he is deeply favored.”
“Today, you’ve insulted him; tomorrow he may call upon his family.”
Xu Zhong was unconcerned.
Suddenly, he sensed something and gazed into the distance.
“No need to wait for tomorrow,” Xu Zhong said.
“He comes for revenge today.”
Beside Gao Wentian stood a cold middle-aged scholar, coughing into a handkerchief.
“Trouble—it’s Gao Xuan, the North Mo Blade King,” Yun Xiaohan recognized the newcomer.
“He is Gao Wentian’s uncle, a Qi Refiner of the Chengwu Realm.”
Xu Zhong remained indifferent, saying only, “We fight at the Chengwu level.”
This is an excerpt from the fastest updates of the highly acclaimed “Sword Immortal, Not Immortal” by the master Lan Yuan. To continue enjoying the latest chapters, please be sure to bookmark the book!
Chapter 118: Summoning Allies.