After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 258 One Sword

The old man looked extremely old, with a head of long, slightly disheveled gray hair, dull eyes, and a withered face, as if he were about to die.

He was dressed in the old robes of an ordinary disciple of Luoshen Peak, and looked unremarkable, as if he were just an old servant guarding the ancestral hall of a sect.

However, Sikong Xuan and the others felt a strange sense of unease and remained silent, not daring to make the slightest move.

At this moment, Yuwen Chengqing's expression changed, and he immediately took a few steps forward, came before the blind old man, bowed respectfully, and said:
"Cheng Qing greets senior. It has been many years since we last met."

Upon hearing this, the blind old man slowly turned to face Yuwen Chengqing, and spoke in a hoarse voice as if withered wood were tearing silk:
"You shouldn't have come here. I only wish to live out my remaining years in peace and quiet, and I have no desire to get involved in the conflicts of this worldly martial arts."

Yuwen Chengqing's expression changed slightly. He glanced at the blind old man, then his face immediately showed sorrow as he hurriedly explained:

"Cheng Qing knew that the senior was detached from worldly affairs and only wished to devote himself to martial arts cultivation. In fact, Cheng Qing also wanted to concentrate on martial arts cultivation like the senior, but things did not go as planned. The Da Li Dynasty launched a surprise attack on Luo Shen Peak and massacred the sect's disciples."

"The sect is now on the verge of destruction, and even the sect leader and the four Venerables..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the blind old man stopped him with a gesture and slowly said:
“You don’t need to explain. I already know about the matter of the sect leader and others. I am well aware that you came here to ask me to take action.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Chengqing's expression changed drastically. He immediately bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly, and said:
"Cheng Qing knows his guilt, but Cheng Qing really had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure. He only hopes that senior can consider the relationship between the sect and provide Luo Shen Peak with a way out. If so, Cheng Qing is willing to accept any punishment from senior."

Upon hearing this, the blind old man fell silent for a moment and did not reply.

Sikong Xuan, who was not far away, looked solemn. He observed the blind old man from a distance and could not detect any true qi in his body, nor could he sense any martial aura or pressure.

However, judging from how the other party silently and easily neutralized his and Yuwen Chengqing's attacks without his knowledge, it's clear that...

The other party was definitely not an ordinary old servant from Luoshen Peak; he must be a master with extremely profound martial arts cultivation, perhaps even stronger than him and Yuwen Chengqing.

Yuwen Chengqing's respectful manner towards the blind old man further demonstrated the latter's formidable strength.

More importantly, Sikong Xuan had never seen any information about this person in any of the files concerning Luoshen Peak.

He truly hadn't expected that, besides the sect leader and the four Venerables, Fallen God Peak actually harbored a martial arts master whose strength surpassed that of all the other peaks.

To be honest, meeting him at this moment is neither good news nor bad news for him.
Sikong Xuan's eyes narrowed, and he was already considering whether to make the first move.

He wasn't afraid of death, since his days were numbered anyway, but if the difference in strength between them was too great, then it really wouldn't be very interesting.

Meanwhile, Yu Mianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi, who had followed behind, were also observing the blind old man from a distance.

Especially Ouyang Mingqi, after hearing the rumors about Yuwen Chengqing, knew that there's no smoke without fire.

There was once a master who specifically searched for the extraordinary encounter of Yuwen Chengqing on the main peak, but unfortunately, he returned empty-handed and found nothing.

He had been to this ancestral hall before, but had never seen the blind old man there.

It now seems that the other party's martial arts cultivation is probably even higher than his, which is why he easily evaded his search.

"The rumors are actually true. My Fallen God Peak actually has such a senior expert hidden in the background."

Yu Mianjiao looked surprised and suspicious. She could naturally guess that the blind old man in front of the small hall had unfathomable martial arts cultivation.

Ouyang Mingqi's eyes flickered slightly, and he shook his head, saying:

"It's a pity. Even if there really was such a senior, he probably still couldn't defeat the Eighth Prince of Dali. The destruction of Luoshen Peak was already inevitable."

Upon hearing this, Yu Mianjiao nodded slightly, but did not refute it.

Clearly, Li Musheng's feat of single-handedly killing the sect leader of Luoshen Peak and the four Venerables was too terrifying. Even though they knew that the blind old man in front of them was powerful in martial arts, they did not believe that he could be stronger than Li Musheng.

Just then, the blind old man slowly turned his face. Although he could not see, his dull and lifeless eyes were looking at Sikong Xuan, Yu Mianjiao, and Ouyang Mingqi.

Then, the blind old man, his lifeless eyes facing Sikong Xuan, suddenly spoke:
“I am not willing to take action. This is the ancestral hall of the disciples of Luoshen Peak, and also my place of seclusion. Outsiders are not welcome here. You shall leave immediately.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Chengqing, who had been bowing and maintaining a salute posture, suddenly changed his expression. Since the blind old man had said this, it was clear that the other party intended to protect him.

At this moment, Sikong Xuan narrowed his eyes. He could sense that the blind old man didn't seem to take him seriously, but he didn't retreat immediately. Instead, he spoke in a deep voice:

"If you can withstand one of my palm strikes without retreating, then I might consider leaving."

Sikong Xuan was not intimidated by the other party's casual remark. On the contrary, he was already determined to assess the blind old man's martial arts strength.

If there is a significant disparity in strength between them, he will naturally retreat. But if there is a fight to be had, he will certainly not back down an inch.

Upon hearing Sikong Xuan's words, the blind old man remained expressionless, simply shaking his head slowly:
"Your martial arts aura is declining, your blood and energy are depleted, and your life force is weak. You are already on the verge of death and cannot withstand my sword at all."

As he spoke, the blind old man slightly turned his face, seemingly looking past Sikong Xuan at the jade-faced beauty and Ouyang Mingqi behind him, and said:
"I can tell your identities. You were once the peak leaders of your sects, but now that you have pledged allegiance to the Great Li Dynasty, let's make a move together."

"In that case, there might still be a slight chance that the three of you can block my sword."

Upon hearing this, both Yu Mianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi's expressions changed immediately.

They followed Sikong Xuan on this trip with the hope that they might be able to lend a helping hand when he was in trouble and gain some favor and credit.

They never considered actually taking the risk of fighting, especially since the blind old man's strength was clearly unfathomable. They certainly didn't want to actually confront the blind old man.

Immediately, Ouyang Mingqi spoke to Sikong Xuan:

"Lord Sikong, the three of us have ventured deep into the main peak without any reinforcements. We should proceed with caution. Perhaps we should retreat for now and wait for the Commander and the various Tianjin Guards to arrive before making further decisions."

At this moment, Yu Mianjiao also spoke with a solemn expression:

"Lord Sikong, I had heard rumors about Senior Brother Yuwen and this senior before. This senior once guided Senior Brother Yuwen's cultivation, and his martial arts cultivation is unfathomable."

"It is not that I am belittling myself, but I am afraid that even if the three of us joined forces, we would still be no match for this senior."

Then, her beautiful face turned and she bowed respectfully to the blind old man from a distance, saying solemnly:
"I hope you can understand, senior. With the deaths of the sect leader and the four venerable ones, the destruction of Fallen God Peak is inevitable. We have no choice but to serve the imperial court in order to barely save our lives."

Upon hearing this, the blind old man's aged face remained calm and composed, seemingly ignoring Yu Mianjiao's explanation.

Regarding Yu Mianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi's betrayal of their sect and surrender to the court, his true attitude remained completely unreadable. The blind old man's lifeless eyes were fixed on Sikong Xuan, as if awaiting his decision.

Sikong Xuan stared at the blind old man, clearly hesitant.

The fact that his opponent could see his current state made him feel uneasy, but he was not sure whether the opponent's "shameless" claim that he could not withstand a sword strike was an exaggeration.
Moreover, the blind old man's words really stung him.

Sikong Xuan was once a commander of the Great Li Tianjin Guard. His martial arts skills were no weaker than Fu Qiwen's now. It was only because of his old age that his martial arts skills declined and were not as good as before.

However, his pride remained, and if he were still alive, he would naturally assess the situation and retreat.

But now, all he wants is to fight a good battle before he dies, having already abandoned most of his concerns.

In the end, Sikong Xuan did not choose to retreat. Instead, his expression turned solemn, and he looked at the blind old man and said:

"Then let me test your skills. Even if I die by your sword, I will accept it!"

Having said that, Sikong Xuan no longer hesitated and immediately attacked with all his might.

In an instant, he raised his hands, his palm lines deeply embedded with azure light, his robes billowed, and a fierce wind tore through the air, causing the space within a radius of several dozen feet to suddenly solidify.

The next moment, Sikong Xuan clasped his hands together and thrust them towards the blind old man.

Visible to the naked eye, the immense martial arts true energy within his body condensed into nine azure pythons, radiating a power capable of destroying cities and shaking mountains wherever they passed, causing the air around the entire world to ripple like waves.

Sikong Xuan's palm strike was incredibly powerful; the nine azure pythons instantly shattered several meters of space before enveloping the blind old man.

Under the terrifying pressure of his palm strike, the air around the blind old man froze instantly, as if filled with lead and mercury.

However, the blind old man simply stood there quietly, while Yuwen Chengqing seemed to know the other's strength and stood expressionlessly to the side, showing no intention of making a move from beginning to end.

On the contrary, the way he looked at Sikong Xuan was as if he were looking at a dead man.

In the next instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent.

Suddenly, a sword shadow, seemingly real yet ethereal, appeared above the blind old man's head.

At the same moment, the atmosphere in front of the small hall became like a prison, and the intent to kill permeated the heavens and earth.

Then, the sword shadow hovering above the blind old man's head moved slightly, and the place where the sword tip pointed seemed to transform into a hellish sword prison.

At the same time, Yu Mianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi's expressions changed drastically, and they were extremely shocked!
The two realized that the blind old man's sword was pointing at them, and it had completely enveloped them.

In the blink of an eye, before the two could even react, they found themselves in a terrifying sword prison.

In an instant, Yu Mianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi felt a chill run down their spines and were overwhelmed by an invisible sword intent that was difficult to resist. They only had time to desperately use their martial arts techniques to protect themselves.

At this moment, the two finally realized the blind old man's attitude towards them.

Although the other party didn't say anything, it was clear that seeing that they had pledged allegiance to the Dali court, they wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate the two of them.

At the same time, Sikong Xuan's face was also extremely ugly. The nine green pythons he had previously unleashed had almost instantly disintegrated under the sword finger.

At this moment, sword energy surged above his head like locusts devouring the moon, as if he were in an inexhaustible sword domain. The blind old man's terrifying sword intent spread out, with killing intent as its sharp edge, and had already landed above his head, about to cut him in two in the next instant.

No matter how Sikong Xuan tried to use his martial arts skills and drive his true energy to resist, it was all in vain. He could only watch helplessly as the sword slowly fell.

"It seems I was wrong. He really did kill me with just one sword."

At this moment, a look of fear appeared in Sikong Xuan's eyes.

Even though he knew this day would come sooner or later, when he actually faced death, he still couldn't face it calmly.

Meanwhile, Yu Mianjiao and Ouyang Mingqi are facing the same predicament as Sikong Xuan.

At this moment, besides the fear of that sword strike, the two were filled with endless regret. They shouldn't have followed Sikong Xuan here and provoked someone they couldn't afford to offend.

However, just as Sikong Xuan and his two companions were about to be killed by the blind old man's sword.

At this moment, a large cat carrying a dark blue jade tablet suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Its bright green eyes were suddenly startled by the scene before them, and it froze on the spot.

Clearly, the big black cat had only come to scout ahead. Upon seeing the blind old man unleash such a powerful and terrifying sword strike, it was completely at a loss for what to do.
However, the moment the big black cat appeared, everyone present, including Yu Mianjiao, Ouyang Mingqi, Sikong Xuan, Yuwen Chengqing, and the blind old man, was caught off guard.

They all turned their heads at the same time and looked at the big black cat.

Yuwen Chengqing's eyes clearly showed a look of shock, while Sikong Xuan and the other two all looked incredulous.

The blind old man's usually calm and aged face showed a rare ripple of surprise and doubt.

At this moment, everyone could see it.

After the big black cat suddenly barged in, the Senluo Sword Prison that the blind old man was originally under was as if it was being tightly gripped by a hand.

The entire world froze instantly.

The sword that was originally aimed at Sikong Xuan and the other two stopped abruptly half an inch from their heads, and did not strike any further.

At this moment, Sikong Xuan and the other two, who were still on the verge of life and death with swords hanging over their heads, had no idea what had happened.
But they could vaguely guess that all of this might be related to the strange big black cat that suddenly appeared.

"senior……"

Yuwen Chengqing frowned and looked at the blind old man beside him, but was stopped by the old man reaching out his hand.

The blind old man seemed to be trying his best to sense the situation of the big black cat.

But just then, the big black cat finally reacted slightly, and hurriedly turned around and meowed softly into the darkness behind it.

(End of this chapter)