Chapter 117: Su Jie

Mingzhao, situated between the Chaotic Sea and the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, serves as a vital hub. The pivot of Mingzhao is the Du River.

Due to the recent appearance of a second sun in the skies above Mingzhao, the celestial phenomena had been thrown into disarray. At this moment, the heavens were thick with dark clouds, thunder rumbled incessantly, and a torrential downpour lashed the earth. Amidst the gale and storm, the river churned violently, sending layer upon layer of waves crashing against one another.

Suddenly, a massive fissure tore open in the sky. Xu Zhong plummeted from above. With a loud splash, he fell into the Du River. He attempted to cast a water-repelling spell, only to realize that he could not channel his inner energy. He tried to swim toward the bank, but found himself sinking into the depths, unable to move, left to drift with the current.

The violent waves battered him, causing stars to dance before his eyes. He rose and fell in the water, gulping down mouthfuls of the river. The water was strange, possessing the ability to obscure all traces of life force. Had it not been for the Golden Elixir Dao Tree suppressing his vitals, the water would have surely choked the life out of him.

"Is this... Weak Water?" Xu Zhong wondered, struggling to stay afloat.

River water continuously entered his body through his nose and mouth, only to be expelled by the Golden Elixir Dao Tree. He did not know when he had been wounded, but blood flowed from him unceasingly, blooming in the water like a shadow that refused to leave his side. This uncanny river seemed similar to the Weak Water he had once seen in the Longdu Grotto-Heaven.

As wave after wave surged, a fishing boat suddenly appeared on the surface. A middle-aged man in fluttering white robes, a long sword strapped to his back, watched Xu Zhong splashing in the water and tossed him a rope.

"Grab the rope! I'll pull you ashore!"

Overjoyed, Xu Zhong freed one hand and gripped the line. The rope lifted him lightly, pulling him clear of the Du River and floating him toward the fishing boat.

*Thud!* Xu Zhong landed heavily on the deck. His wounds quickly reopened, staining the wooden planks with blood. The man in white flicked his finger; the rope in his hand writhed in the air, transforming into a large python that manifested behind him before settling onto his skin as a tattoo.

Xu Zhong channeled his inner energy, activating his Fire-Element Secret Treasury to expel the Weak Water from his body. Simultaneously, his Wood-Element Secret Treasury erupted with a surge of vitality, wrapping around his wounds. Yet, the vitality was quickly devoured; the blood continued to flow, and his injuries remained as severe as before.

These were Dao-wounds inflicted by a deity. Such injuries were beyond his power to heal.

Xu Zhong looked at the man in white and hurriedly rose to offer his thanks: "Thank you for saving me, fellow Daoist."

Though the Du River remained tempestuous, the fishing boat beneath his feet remained steady and unmoving. The man in white gazed out at the water and smiled. "It was merely an act of righteousness. There is no need for thanks."

Xu Zhong recalled the chivalrous heroes from the tales of the jianghu, who acted not for gratitude but for the sake of justice. Thus, he refrained from further thanks. A resolve formed in his heart: since his life had been saved, it should be repaid with his life.

"I owe you my life," he declared. "From now on, should you ever have need of me, through water or fire, I shall not refuse, even unto death!"

The man in white looked at Xu Zhong with interest and chuckled. "I did not save you to demand your life in return. Besides, at your current level of cultivation, I doubt there is much you could do to help me."

The man in white’s cultivation was similar to Xu Zhong’s, both having reached the realm of "Discarding the False to Preserve the Truth." The next step required the fusion of the three souls and seven spirits into a divine soul to step into the "Carrying Objects" realm. However, because Xu Zhong suffered from Dao-wounds, he appeared exceptionally disheveled. Furthermore, his Golden Elixir Dao Tree was currently dormant after being damaged by the lightning tribulation; without the manifest Golden Elixir, others naturally perceived him as being below the realm of Truth-Preservation.

Xu Zhong did not offer an explanation. He surveyed his surroundings and asked thoughtfully, "Fellow Daoist, where are we?"

The man in white looked at him with a strange expression. "This is the Nine-Curved Du River, the greatest river in Mingzhao, running through the entire region." He continued, "How did you end up falling into the Du River if you didn't even know where you were?"

He added with a half-joking tone, "Did you fall from the sky?"

Xu Zhong smiled. "The Du River..." he murmured.

At that moment, the wind died down, the rain ceased, and the river slowly calmed.

"I will find a pier and send you on your way," the man in white said once the waters were still. "Do not misunderstand; it is not that I do not wish to keep you with me, but I am heading toward a decisive battle, and it would be inconvenient to bring you along."

Xu Zhong smiled. "You saved me; how could I possibly misunderstand you?"

"That is good." The man seemed to recall something. "By the way, my surname is Su, and my given name is Jie."

"I am Xu Zhong!"

With names exchanged, they were considered acquaintances. Just then, sails appeared on the river. A large ship emerged behind them, and hundreds of Qi practitioners on board shouted in unison, "Stop the boat!"

Xu Zhong did not believe they were coming for him, so he remained motionless, feigning ignorance. Beside him, Su Jie withdrew his gaze and said comfortingly, "Rest assured, with me here, no one can touch you."

With a sudden, long whistle, Su Jie vanished from the deck. His speed was astonishing; in the span of three breaths, he appeared on the opposing ship. Before the others could react, Su Jie drew his long sword as if performing a trick.

In an instant, the sword left its sheath, flashing with cold light. Thousands of sword beams soared into the sky, clear as moonlight and mournful as the wind. The moon was the sharpness of the blade; the wind was the peerless sword aura. With a single strike, countless men on the large ship perished.

Simultaneously, a figure leaped from the passenger ship. The man possessed profound Daoist arts and clashed with Su Jie, neither gaining the upper hand. They retreated, stood firm, and collided once more.

*Boom!*

As palm and sword met, their moves underwent twelve changes in an instant; Su Jie thrust twelve times, and his opponent parried with twelve palm strikes. The calm river turned violent again, stirring up layer upon layer of waves. Xu Zhong gripped the helm to keep their boat from capsizing.

Meanwhile, Su Jie’s wrists turned, unleashing streams of sword light from his blade. For a time, there was nothing in view but the brilliance of the sword. His opponent’s palm techniques were equally formidable, with ever-changing maneuvers. The palms and seals shifted constantly, whistling with power, conjuring an illusory dragon that resonated with heaven and earth, shaking the Du River.

They fought rapidly, clashing and separating in quick succession. Their robes fluttered as they stood on the prows of their respective ships, eyes locked on one another. A moment later, the opponent let out a roar.

The roar, imbued with power and masculine energy, sent ripples across the water. Su Jie merely pointed his sword tip, shattering the sound and blooming hundreds of sword flowers. After more than three hundred exchanges, the opponent was slain by Su Jie.

Su Jie returned to the fishing boat, carrying the man's head. As soon as his feet touched the deck, he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

"He was fierce, but I was fiercer," he said, coughing up more blood.

Seeing this, Xu Zhong asked with concern, "What kind of people have you offended that they would go to such lengths to kill you?"

Su Jie did not want to explain. He muttered, "Take the helm, bring the boat to the bank, and remember to guard me!" He sat down on the boat, adjusted his breathing, and activated his Wood-Element Secret Treasury to heal in silence.

Xu Zhong took the helm and steered the boat into a patch of reeds, startling a flock of gulls. The moon rose to the center of the sky, and a lone goose flew overhead. Xu Zhong felt a shift in the air and looked up slightly.

Above the goose, a gaze seemed to descend, and a sword light slashed toward him. Xu Zhong frowned, preparing to act.

He heard Su Jie laugh aloud, then draw his sword to shatter the incoming light. "Gao Wentian, you invited me to a duel on the Du River, which delighted me so much I longed to share wine and discuss the Dao with you. Yet, I never expected that the moment I entered the Du River, you would send men to intercept me."

He tossed the severed head into the void. It rolled and landed at the feet of a youth named Gao Wentian.

"This is your steward, isn't it?" Su Jie stood, his white robes like snow, his black hair fluttering with an ethereal, transcendent aura.

"I do not understand what you are talking about," Gao Wentian said, glancing at Xu Zhong behind Su Jie. "We agreed to duel on the Du River on the third day of the third month. Knowing you would lose, you actually hired an accomplice to ambush me here."

Xu Zhong smiled to himself. He realized what was happening. Both men were young prodigies of Mingzhao who had agreed to a duel, each hoping to use the other's reputation to elevate his own. Su Jie was straightforward, while Gao Wentian had chosen a devious path: sending strong enemies to exhaust Su Jie’s strength before stepping in to defeat or kill him. Gao Wentian had simply not anticipated that an uninvited guest like Xu Zhong would be on Su Jie’s boat.

"Elder Yun saw through your conspiracy and came to advise you, yet you killed him in cold blood," Gao Wentian declared, speaking with such conviction that he made the lie sound like truth.

"Enough talk," Su Jie said, ignoring him and drawing his sword. "Let us settle this with our skills. However, this brother Xu is innocent. If I fall, I hope you will not strike at him."

Gao Wentian sneered, "He killed Elder Yun. Do you think I will let him live?"

"Then I shall have to kill you."

Su Jie stood on the boat and unleashed a sword strike. The sword suppressed the galaxy. His blade was as lingering as moonlight. He was clearly a sword cultivator who harvested moonlight to refine his blade, seemingly following the path of "Man and Sword as One."

"The sword is Yin, the man is Yang. When Yin and Yang harmonize, man and sword become one."

The white moonlight was the gathering of Taiyin energy. The man, like a furnace, was the energy of the sun.

"His talent for the sword is immense," Xu Zhong observed. Su Jie’s sword aura covered a mile; in the Truth-Preservation realm, he was already among the best. He executed the technique of Man and Sword as One, spiraling toward Gao Wentian.

Gao Wentian also slashed downward with a sword stroke. It was also Taiyin sword energy, but he did not use the path of Yin-Yang harmony like Su Jie. Instead, he took an extreme path, filling his own body with Taiyin energy.

"The two have different approaches to the Dao, but their cultivation is similar. No wonder they are fighting."

Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu. And in the jianghu, nothing is more common than comparison. Youthful blood is hot, and those who cannot bear being compared will duel for fame. It was clear that this was how their conflict had begun.

They were matched in level and sword cultivation, and logically, it should have been a draw. But Su Jie was injured and quickly fell into a disadvantage. Even so, he kept protecting Xu Zhong behind him.

"Brother Xu, leave quickly! I fear I cannot hold out much longer," Su Jie’s voice whispered in Xu Zhong's ear.

"You dare to be distracted while fighting me?" Gao Wentian pierced a large hole in Su Jie’s shoulder with his sword, blood gushing out, the blade piercing to the bone.

Having lost the initiative, Su Jie was now in a desperate position. Gao Wentian even spared a hand to deal with Xu Zhong. "You should not have seen so much."

A sword light descended.

"Gao Wentian, you despicable wretch!" Su Jie roared, blood spilling from his mouth as he desperately tried to rush toward Xu Zhong.

Seeing the strike, Xu Zhong said coldly, "Get lost!"

In an instant, his voice shattered the sword light. Simultaneously, the Swallowing Cloud Sword appeared in Xu Zhong's hand.

"I said that you saved my life, and should you have need of me, through wind and fire, I would not refuse," Xu Zhong stood tall with his sword. "Now, do you want him to live, or do you want him to die?"