Chapter 471: Who Is the Hidden Backstabber

Chapter 471: Who’s the Sixth Player

By the time Zhao Changhe reached the mountaintop, he saw Yue Hongling darting out of the cave in a flash, fleeing under the pursuit of Yingshuang and the others.

Yue Hongling had initially wanted to seize the bone sword, but found she couldn’t take it. The sword was enshrouded in a swirling array of sword qi; she could use her own sword qi to penetrate and disrupt the formation, but she couldn’t reach out and grab it. She didn’t know Zhao Changhe’s Crane Control Art, and even if she did, she couldn’t have used it amidst the encircling sword qi—any externalized true qi would be sliced apart by the array’s sword energy, unable to connect.

After a test revealed she couldn’t retrieve it, Yue Hongling decisively gave up the struggle and bolted straight out of the cave.

If Shi Wuding caught up and trapped her inside, she’d be dead for sure.

Sure enough, barely a few breaths after she emerged, Shi Wuding arrived from the horizon in a frantic rage, swooping down with fury: “You two bastards are asking for death!”

With a *whoosh*, Yue Hongling veered to the side. Shi Wuding’s sword qi exploded against the rock beside her, blasting it to ashes.

Yue Hongling was inwardly stunned—such terrifying sword qi. She wondered how Zhao Changhe had managed to fight him just now…

Turning her head, she saw Zhao Changhe following close behind Shi Wuding, raising his blade and hacking wildly at the back of Shi Wuding’s head.

Yue Hongling smiled faintly.

She could tell Zhao Changhe had grown much weaker. He had probably borrowed the power of the Longque, draining his true qi dry. Fortunately, his physical strength was still formidable, enough to keep fighting.

He was already no match for Shi Wuding, and now weakened, yet he still rushed back frantically to join forces with her.

The little man was truly reliable now, bringing her comfort.

But Shi Wuding, following right on the heels of his sword qi, thrust his blade straight at her—a strike that shook her spirit, impossible to block.

When they set aside the clash of long-range sword qi and entered the realm of true sword technique, the swordsmen saw something entirely different.

Yue Hongling suddenly felt a sense of loneliness, as if she stood alone atop a snowy peak, the world vast and desolate, a lone wild goose against the setting sun, nothing but herself. Before her eyes, a gleam of celestial light arose—the end of the sword.

What was the meaning of living in this world?

Nothing had meaning; only the sword was meaning.

Cut away all worldly affairs, even cutting away one’s own heart…

But behind that boundless, uncertain celestial light, there was a man huffing and puffing, raising his blade in a flustered chase, unable to keep up, as clumsy and endearing as a bear.

Yue Hongling suddenly laughed. Man and sword became one, charging straight at Shi Wuding in midair.

The setting sun mirrored on the river—Yue Hongling’s signature technique, the very one that had turned the tide against Lan Kuotian in her moment of weakness. But this time, she used it with a subtle difference.

In Shi Wuding’s eyes, the snowy peak stretched upward, revealing the dying sunset that stained the sky crimson, as if annotating his own sword path.

Then the perspective pulled downward, revealing a village at the foot of the snowy peak beneath the evening glow—roosters crowing, dogs barking, smoke curling from chimneys. Men returned home with hoes on their shoulders, old folks played chess under the trees by the gate, women scolded children rolling in mud like little monkeys.

The mortal world, peaceful everywhere—a peace that could calm all killing intent.

Shi Wuding suddenly realized what was happening. Their swords clashed.

The thread of the mortal world, broken or continuous—which was the true meaning?

Where was the sword path?

*Clang!* Another sharp ring that shook the snowy mountain. Yue Hongling’s long sword, which had accompanied her for years, finally snapped. A wound appeared on her shoulder, blood spurting out.

But Shi Wuding was not unscathed. Sword qi churned in his meridians; Yue Hongling’s sword energy drilled into every blood vessel, numbing his body and leaving him momentarily paralyzed.

In that instant of paralysis, the broadsword howled behind him. Longque slashed at his neck.

Shi Wuding dodged urgently, but the blade’s radiance surged and grazed his shoulder.

He whipped his sword back in a lightning-fast counter.

Zhao Changhe twisted barely in time, brushing past. At the same time, he tossed the Ancient Sword Dragon Emperor from his ring to Yue Hongling. She cast aside her broken sword, caught the Dragon Emperor, and felt no resistance from it.

The three stood in a triangular formation, one sword and one blade aimed once more at Shi Wuding.

For a moment, the air atop the snowy peak seemed to freeze. Yingshuang and the others, who had just emerged from the cave with swords drawn, stood dumbfounded.

This pair of lovers, working together, had actually wounded the Sect Master!

It was only a graze, but it was still astonishing.

These two were strong, famous in the world, but at best they were only at the first level of the Secret Treasury, not yet breaking into the second.

Shi Wuding was not only at the second level but a standout among them, one of the top figures on the Earth Ranking. The gap between them—calling it greater than the gap between a man and a dog might be an exaggeration, but it was no different from an adult beating a child.

Yet these two children had actually wounded the adult!

Shi Wuding’s eyes locked onto Yue Hongling as he spoke slowly: “Originally, your sword intent and mine should have had similarities.”

Yue Hongling’s face was pale, but the hand holding the Dragon Emperor remained steady: “Indeed. I once intended to go to Bashan to seek verification from the Sword Hut. I never expected it would come today.”

Shi Wuding said, “Then when did your sword intent change like this?”

Yue Hongling replied, “Just a few days ago… or rather, just now.”

Shi Wuding glanced at Zhao Changhe: “Because of him?”

“Because of him.”

Shi Wuding looked up, pondering: “A change or elevation in sword intent shouldn’t cause your base power to suddenly become so high… It’s because you absorbed some of the power from my sword slaves when you fought them earlier, saving it to use against me…”

Yingshuang: “…”

Shi Wuding looked at Zhao Changhe again: “This is Sir Si’s swordsmanship. So the left and right guardians of Xiang Simeng are you two. No wonder I thought Miaojiang had suddenly produced such a powerful pair of swordsmen.”

Yue Hongling blinked and said nothing.

If the occasion weren’t so dire, Zhao Changhe would have wanted to tuck his hands in his sleeves and sit obediently.

Figuring that out was one thing—just don’t mention Wang Daozhong.

Shi Wuding sighed: “Good… the stronger, the better… The sword slaves I need must have such abilities.”

Zhao Changhe finally spoke: “You’re dreaming.”

Shi Wuding’s deadpan face cracked into a smile: “Do you think that because you work well together, I might not be able to kill you? Or do you think that by rescuing Han Wubing and shaking the formation’s heart, you’ve already disrupted my grand plan beyond repair?”

The couple exchanged a glance and said nothing.

Shi Wuding said calmly, “You are young and inexperienced. That bone sword… is not actually a sword. It is the spine of some ancient beast, merely shaped like a sword.”

Zhao Changhe’s mind stirred, as if something occurred to him.

Right—what kind of beast bone was used to make the Blood God Array Plate?

Shi Wuding continued: “Its purpose is not to serve as the formation’s heart. Rather, the grand formation exists only to accumulate energy for it. Since you cannot steal it, your efforts are meaningless. On the contrary, your battle with me constantly feeds it energy. Your sword qi is more direct and effective than the cold, killing force of the snowy peak. There’s no need to rely on the weather anymore… You may have noticed the weather isn’t as cold, but it means nothing.”

The couple’s expressions finally changed.

Had everything they done been in vain? Worse, they had been feeding the sword with their own qi?

“As for the Seven Star Formation, it is merely a defensive array, unrelated to the energy-gathering formation. Have you never wondered why Lan Wujiang didn’t need to come and set it up?”

Zhao Changhe thought it over, his expression growing darker.

“The formation is underground, spanning the entire snowy peak. Han Wubing… the moment he stepped into this region, he was already part of the formation. That wasn’t the effect of my domain—it was the formation’s effect. His arrival was enough.” Shi Wuding finished in one breath, his smile deepening. “Two clever young people. When you become my sword slaves, you can reflect on your mistakes.”

As he spoke, Han Wubing appeared at the edge of the mountain, slowly approaching Zhao Changhe from behind.

Yue Hongling’s expression shifted: “Be careful. Han Wubing is no longer Han Wubing. Don’t let him get close.”

Zhao Changhe said nothing. His rear eye calmly watched Han Wubing approach slowly.

If they ignored him and just fled together, Shi Wuding might not be able to stop them.

But can we simply ignore it?

Abandon such a loyal friend... and truly let Shi Wuding complete the bone sword absorption, pierce through both realms, cause the snowy mountain to collapse, and bring ruin to the multitudes... can we bear to watch?

Yet if we stubbornly stay here and refuse to leave, wouldn't that be a pointless sacrifice?

Zhao Changhe's rear eye fixedly stared at Han Wubing's vacant gaze, watching him approach from behind, the sword in his hand slowly rising.

Yue Hongling cried out in alarm: "Watch out!"

Han Wubing thrust his sword out in a sudden strike.

At the same moment, Shi Wuding also thrust his sword, aiming at Yue Hongling.

Yingshuang and the others moved in unison, sealing off all escape routes for the young couple.

In this moment of extreme instability, Zhao Changhe suddenly rose with a blade, slashing toward... Shi Wuding ahead.

Shi Wuding: "?"

Are you tired of living? Han Wubing is about to stab you in the back, and you don't care?

Yet Han Wubing's sword viciously stabbed toward Zhao Changhe's back, but it narrowly grazed past him, the sharp aura of the sword howling wildly, piercing straight for Shi Wuding's throat from several zhang away!

What seemed like a two-on-two situation suddenly turned into a three-against-one. Yingshuang and the others, who had formed a blockade, stood dumbfounded, their minds unable to catch up for a moment.

Shi Wuding completely misjudged the situation. His sword was already entangled with Yue Hongling's, and Han Wubing's sword aura was upon him. He dodged by a hair's breadth, and Zhao Changhe's blade silently reached his neck again.

Hell on earth!

"Clang!" Shi Wuding barely managed to block the Dragon Sparrow, and Yue Hongling's sword turned, grazing dangerously close to Shi Wuding's dantian but failing to strike.

Yet the sword aura still invaded, this time truly churning Shi Wuding's dantian and qi sea into chaos. He let out a muffled groan and retreated.

Everyone turned to look at Han Wubing. After unleashing that sword aura, which had gathered his lifelong cultivation, he stood motionless, appearing no different from a sword slave.

But why had the sword aura attacked Shi Wuding?

The pair continued to besiege Shi Wuding, who, amidst the chaos, still sought an answer: "How can you still have a self?"

Han Wubing spoke slowly: "In the bushes just now, I thought for a long, long time... and figured out quite a few things..."

"The guidance of the sword aura you bestowed when I was a child seems to have been flawed..."

"But my cultivation has always relied on that wisp of sword aura to grow, and it has long merged into all my practices, including my soul and sea of consciousness. When I broke through the first secret vault, it was tightly integrated... Once it changed, I was no longer myself."

"I thought about it, and actually, this matter is quite simple."

Shi Wuding was baffled. Simple?

"Indeed, it's very simple... Because all I have to do is abandon my cultivation, and it's done? I don't even have to die, isn't that simple?"

Shi Wuding's eyes widened in horror.

Sensing carefully, Han Wubing indeed had no cultivation left; he had dispersed his power.

The sword aura he had just released was, literally, his "lifelong cultivation"—he had expelled all his power...

At this moment, Han Wubing was weaker than the most feeble patient. His meridians were as if scraped clean, his dantian utterly empty; even if he wanted to rebuild his cultivation, it would likely be impossible.

But simply put, he was no longer under control.

"I am still myself, isn't that simple?" Han Wubing smiled faintly. "It's just a pity—I truly love the sword... I'm sure this isn't because of your guidance; it's because I genuinely love it... Ah, well."

Zhao Changhe fiercely attacked Shi Wuding, thinking to himself that there was still a chance... If he perfected his Return Spring Technique, he might be able to heal him.

In the midst of this brief exchange, the mountain suddenly rumbled.

An extremely sharp sword aura shot up from the cave, piercing the nine heavens.

Shi Wuding was overjoyed: "It's done! Whether you disperse your cultivation or not, your sword aura has been released, and the final missing piece is filled. The piercing force needed for the bone sword has been rea—"

Before he could finish, his voice caught in his throat.

An old man, carrying the bone sword, dashed out of the cave in a flash. No one knew when he had entered.

Shi Wuding stared in shock.

"A fine treasure—I'll take it to my dear disciple." The old man scurried down the mountain in a flash: "You all take your time playing..."

Suddenly, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

A sword shadow silently approached the old man's back through the snow.

The old man whirled around, pulling out a dagger he had rarely used. With a "clang," he parried the sword, then his body drifted with the wind, vanishing without a trace.

His laughter drifted on the wind: "You think I didn't fight Shi Wuding and let the youngsters struggle so hard for no reason? Because I was fully focused on guarding against you, Sixth on the Heavenly Ranking. Come chase me!"

His voice faded into the distance, and he was gone.

The snow howled, carrying a sound like ghostly wails, sweeping in pursuit.