Wandering Swordsman |

"Senior..." Wudigong's voice was low and hoarse, filled with unprecedented respect, as if he was afraid to even breathe to disturb the silence that had been frozen for thousands of years. "Junior Odin has come to seek the 'Heavenly Demon Divine Art'."

No one answered.

Only the lava roared beneath the ice, like the murmur of an ancient beast, deep and drawn-out, causing the ice surface to tremble slightly, yet it never cracked.

The seated figure remained motionless, his blue robe unchanged, his hair falling onto the ice surface, seemingly frozen in time along with the world.

Thorne stood behind him, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles white from the force.

Although he was loyal and fearless, he felt a kind of oppression from the depths of his soul at this moment—as if there were not two people standing here, but two ants trying to peek into the secrets of the gods.

The cold intensified, even the air began to crystallize, forming tiny frost flowers all around them that fluttered down as if the heavens and earth were issuing a silent warning.

In the midst of this deathly silence, a killing intent, sharp as a needle, suddenly pierced through the icy cold!

Invincible Duke felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his back stood on end—this was no ordinary hostility, but a boundless killing intent fueled by blood feuds and tempered by the years! The aura was like ten thousand years of icy ice piercing his bone marrow, or like molten lava burning his meridians, causing even this leader of the Seven Stars to tremble.

He spun around abruptly, his silver armor drawing a cold arc in the dim light, reflecting his suddenly constricted pupils.

Fifty paces away, four figures stood silently on the ice, as if stepping out of thin air.

The cold air condensed into frost around them, but it couldn't suppress the murderous aura that soared straight to the sky.

One of them was as tall and straight as a pine tree, with blood-red eyes; it was Hua Tianyou!

His eyes burned with a hatred powerful enough to melt ice, and his right hand gripped the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He stared at Odin, his teeth clenched, and a low growl escaped his throat: "Odin... I've finally seen you."

With his enemy within reach, Hua Tianyou's internal energy surged wildly like a raging dragon, his meridians on the verge of bursting.

His fingertips trembled slightly, and he almost drew his sword and charged forward recklessly. If Shen Mo hadn't given the order, he would have already been splattered with blood five steps ahead!

However, Shen Mo's gaze was not on Wudi Gong at all.

His unfathomable eyes were fixed on the figure beneath the totem—his pupils contracted sharply, and his breathing nearly stopped.

Meanwhile, the demonic energy was surging within him, as if a slumbering ancient beast had been awakened.

The person sitting cross-legged exuded a faint aura, like a frozen pool frozen for millennia, or like molten lava deep within the earth!

Odin, the invincible king, stared at Hua Tianyou, his brows furrowed, as if struck by lightning.

That face—it was exactly the same as Hua Shenyong's back then! The curve of the brow bone, the straightness of the nose, the contour of the jaw, even the tiny scar at the corner of the mouth were identical as if copied.

He clearly remembered seeing the infant in Hua Shenyong's arms years ago, with Hua Shenyong holding the baby in his arms, his eyes full of love.

Now, that infant has grown into a young man, bearing the same features as his father, but his eyes burn with a hatred that could consume everything.

"Are you Tianyou's nephew?" Odin's voice was deliberately gentle, as if he were catching up with an old friend, but his fingertips had already quietly tightened their grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Hua Tianyou's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had been bitten by a venomous snake.

He suddenly took half a step back, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and the knuckles turned bluish-white from the force.

He let out a low growl, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping: "Shut up! Don't call me that!" He suddenly ripped off the stray hairs from his forehead, revealing a brow bone exactly like Hua Shenyong's, his eyes like knives, piercing straight into Odin's heart.

Over the years, every time he dreamed that his father was deeply poisoned and was transmitting his power to him through the "Pelican Empowerment," he felt a surge of helplessness and regret.

With his enemy so close at hand, Hua Tianyou's hatred surged through his veins like magma, almost bursting out of his chest.

A fierce glint flashed in Odin's eyes, but it was quickly masked by a smile.

He waved his hand gently, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the dark blue light: "Originally, I planned to cross three perilous places after finding the 'Heavenly Demon Divine Art' to search for the Heavenly Demon Qi at the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. But I didn't expect you to return to the far west." He deliberately dragged out the word "again," as if reminding Hua Tianyou that they had already formed a life-or-death enmity.

Hua Tianyou's breathing became rapid, and his chest heaved violently.

He stared intently at Odin, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, blood seeping from between his fingers and dripping onto the ice, instantly freezing into tiny ice beads.

He could almost hear his blood boiling, and hatred was about to devour him.

He wished he could draw his sword immediately and cleave his enemy in two.

"Your mother is alive and well," Odin said in a voice eerily calm, as if he were discussing the weather.

Hua Tianyou shuddered, the murderous intent surging in his eyes receding by more than half. His voice trembled, yet remained wary: "Where is my mother?"

"Want to know? Then transfer the demonic energy you received from your father to me, and I will tell you!" Odin's tone left no room for argument, as if he were trading an ordinary commodity.

He gritted his teeth, his voice like a knife: "Since you won't talk, then I'll kill you, and then slowly search your territory." He turned to look at Shen Mo, his voice hoarse but firm, "My lord!"

Shen Mo didn't answer immediately. He slowly turned around, his gaze as calm as a deep pool. He looked at Hua Tianyou, his voice low but clear: "Go. If it doesn't work out, I'm here for you."

These words were like a warm current, instantly melting away the last trace of hesitation in Hua Tianyou's heart.

A flicker of gratitude flashed in his eyes, which quickly turned into a resolute killing intent.

He turned around, his sword already drawn, its cold light flashing like lightning, pointing directly at Invincible Lord.

Just then, Wudi Gong's gaze swept over the three people behind Hua Tianyou.

He saw the faceless one; the mask concealed all expressions, making it impossible to discern his identity.

He saw Shen Mo, whose ordinary robes concealed no aura, as if he were just an ordinary passerby;

But when he saw Albert, his pupils contracted sharply. Albert stood behind Shen Mo, his face calm and composed. Yet, his eyes, like Hua Tianyou's, radiated hostility!

Hua Tianyou's eyes burned with an inextinguishable fire of hatred, his three-foot-long sword humming as it pointed directly at Wudi Gong, ten steps away.

He moved with lightning speed, shooting out like an arrow released from a bow. His sword light tore through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages in the sky.

Odin, the Invincible, stood motionless, his grey robes unfurling in the cold wind. When the sword tip was only three inches from his throat, he suddenly raised his right hand, his two fingers clamping the blade with pincers as precise as iron clamps.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, you're overestimating yourself." His voice was deep, yet it was like a surging torrent beneath the ice, causing the surrounding air to ripple outwards.