Chapter 136: A Sword Comes from the West, Xu Daozhi

The sound shook the snow from the treetops and pierced straight into everyone’s heart.

Who was Xu Daozhi?

After Jiang Yu had crushed the Qin family, slain a Grandmaster, and made his name resound across the four seas, someone still dared, at such a moment, to challenge his authority.

Many people instinctively turned their eyes toward the main hall, eager to see how Jiang Yu would respond. Yet not the slightest sound came from within, as though he had heard nothing.

The middle-aged man left them with a final declaration:

“Jiang Yu and Xu Daozhi are destined for a life-and-death battle. Let them determine who is the true immortal master.”

Then he turned and strode away.

That day, at Li Hao’s command, every wealthy magnate and powerful tycoon in the provinces of Jiangbei and Monan began investigating the identity of Xu Daozhi.

…

The secular martial world of China had been anything but peaceful over the past month.

The name Xu Daozhi had entered the eyes of the world.

On December 11, Xu Daozhi challenged the Xingyi Boxing Sect and killed its sect master with a single finger.

On December 12, a hundred miles away, the ancient Vajra Temple was destroyed along with its sacred statues. The Vajra Temple’s secret arts were contemptuously dismissed by Xu Daozhi as nothing more than heterodox tricks.

On December 13, Xu Daozhi ascended the Celestial Master Sect. Wielding thunder of immense force like a heavenly being descended to earth, he cleaved apart the sect’s mountain-protecting formation with a single sword and shattered the golden body of the first Celestial Master and sect leader with a flick of his finger. He then proclaimed his intention to dominate the world.

After Jiang Yu of Jiangbei, China’s martial world had produced another young Grandmaster—a nineteen-year-old.

On December 15, dozens of billionaires from Zhongzhou, Jiangnan, and Weihai submitted to Xu Daozhi. People came from every direction to pay homage, in a spectacle unprecedented in history.

At the same time, Gu Changsheng emerged from seclusion atop Mount Kunlun with a long howl, announcing his return to suppress the secular martial world. The hidden sects mobilized, and Grandmasters rushed from across China and overseas to their headquarters in response to the upheaval in the martial world.

Xu Daozhi went so far as to proclaim, “With me, Xu Daozhi, in China, why would we need the Earthly Immortal Gu Changsheng?”

On December 19, Xu Daozhi came from the west with a single sword and cleaved apart Mount Tai, engaging a hidden Grandmaster in a battle to the death. No one knew the outcome. Those waiting at the foot of the mountain only saw Xu Daozhi descend alone.

For a time, Xu Daozhi’s name stood alongside that of Jiang Yu of Jiangbei. Together, they were hailed as the Twin Heroes. Only then did Li Hao and the others learn of Xu Daozhi’s existence. All further investigations were suspended while they waited for Jiang Yu to emerge from seclusion before making a decision.

China had produced yet another nineteen-year-old Grandmaster. Whether this was a blessing or a calamity, few could say.

While the secular martial world was in chaos, overseas assassins, superpowered elites, and countless organizations entered China, throwing their weight around and bringing disaster wherever they went. During this period, news of some wealthy magnate being assassinated appeared almost every day.

The entire martial world had become a boiling mess. The hidden sects dispatched three Grandmasters, seven Half-Grandmasters, and more than a dozen martial masters who had reached the Transformation Realm to various parts of China, where they put down the enemies invading from abroad.

It was said that the Shadow-Killing Grandmaster, Venerable Flamebreaker, had arrived in China half a month earlier, only to vanish without a trace after evading the hidden sects’ surveillance. Even the Rothschild family sent an SSS-rank superpowered elite to China. Anyone with eyes could see that these two experts had come for Jiang Yu.

The winds were rising and the clouds were moving. Xu Daozhi’s name crowned the whole of China, and within a month he had even surpassed Jiang Yu’s reputation.

On December 25, the hidden sects met with Xu Daozhi. The talks apparently broke down, and a heaven-shaking battle erupted. Two Grandmasters who had reached the Unity Realm joined forces, yet in the end they were seriously wounded and withdrew in disarray.

No one knew where Xu Daozhi had come from or who had taught him. Like Jiang Yu of Jiangbei, he was shrouded in mystery and possessed virtually no background. It was as though he had sprung from a stone, becoming famous throughout the world in the blink of an eye.

News swept through the secular martial world almost every day. The day after the two Grandmasters of the hidden sects were defeated, it was said that Gu Changsheng personally sought out Xu Daozhi and spoke with him in private.

The arrogant young Grandmaster finally restrained some of his pride in the presence of the Earthly Immortal.

As for the result of their secret conversation, no one knew. Gu Changsheng kept silent. After speaking with Xu Daozhi for an entire day and night, he departed, and Xu Daozhi returned to Jiangnan to serve as its resident Grandmaster.

Many people began wondering who was stronger: Xu Daozhi or Jiang Yu?

…

The headquarters of the hidden sects.

Qin Huishi wore a dark expression. “This is outrageous—utterly outrageous. He’s even more arrogant than Jiang Yu. Does he really think no one in this world can keep him in check? Have you finished investigating him?”

She dropped angrily into a chair.

An old man gave a bitter smile. “This person is far too mysterious. He has no force behind him, yet in the span of a single month he rose at astonishing speed and made his name known overseas. He’s practically faster than a rocket. Have you noticed that Xu Daozhi and Jiang Yu share certain characteristics?”

Another man spoke gravely. “Both became famous at a young age, and both possess Grandmaster-level strength. Their ways of doing things are almost identical—decisive and ruthless, with haughty personalities. Most importantly, both of them crowned the four corners of the world with their names in an incredibly short time.”

Qin Huishi said, “The two of them haven’t encountered each other yet, have they? Given their tempers and dispositions, if they ever do meet, wouldn’t they fight until heaven and earth collapsed, until one of them was dead?”

The old man smiled. “Perhaps that is for the best. Let them keep each other in check. By the way, we’ve located Jiang Yu. He seems to be within the Qin family’s territory. Did you see that video online? Jiang Yu’s strength has advanced again. He actually beat a Grandmaster so thoroughly that the man could not fight back.”

Everyone fell silent.

If the two were allowed another thirty years to develop, then in all the vast land of China, there might truly be no one left capable of restraining them.

The Twin Heroes of China faced each other across the river. One guarded Jiangbei and Monan, while the other held sway over Zhongzhou and Jiangnan, with countless powerful figures bowing at their side. Could it be that heaven and earth were about to undergo a tremendous transformation?

“What of Elder Gu?” someone asked softly.

The old man replied helplessly, “Elder Gu has gone to hunt down those overseas experts. They have disregarded China’s three regulations and five edicts and brazenly attacked ordinary people. The most urgent task now is to eliminate those invading experts and restore China’s divine prestige.”

“Jiang Yu and Xu Daozhi are Chinese, no matter how you look at it. Their conduct may be flamboyant, but they know where to draw the line. They have never attacked ordinary people.”

At the head of the room sat a burly man who had listened to the discussion for a long while. Only then did he open his eyes and speak.

“What are you panicking over? So two young Grandmasters have appeared. Do not forget that the hidden sects still have the Four Martial Gods and Gu Changsheng. So long as we remain, they cannot stir up any great storm.”

The Four Martial Gods—Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow—were, apart from Gu Changsheng, the strongest figures in China.

The man who had spoken was General Heavenly Mystery. His cultivation had already reached the pinnacle of the Unity Realm.

Qin Huishi was troubled, her fingers tapping against the table. Compared with Xu Daozhi, she was more inclined toward Jiang Yu, whom she had once dealt with personally. If the two heroes were to stand as equals and only one could survive, she fervently hoped that the survivor would be Jiang Yu.

By the end of December, Xu Daozhi had thrown Jiangnan into turmoil for an entire month. The only places he had yet to strike were Jiangbei and Monan, where Jiang Yu held sway.

Even as everyone marveled at Xu Daozhi, they could not help wondering where Jiang Yu had gone.

He seemed to have vanished from the world. There was no news of him, and he gave no response to Xu Daozhi’s provocation. Some even wondered whether Jiang Yu had grown afraid and retreated.

A true man could bend or stretch. If he had withdrawn for the moment, it was understandable. He could bide his time and cultivate for several decades, then return to the world after entering a higher realm.

…

The Qin family valley.

Jiang Yu, the focus of countless discussions, had been in seclusion for nearly a month and a half.

A month earlier, the flames within the ruined palace had suddenly vanished. Immediately afterward, a violent energy began spreading from the palace in all directions.

After taking a deep breath, many people discovered that their cultivation seemed to be on the verge of advancing.

“Jiang Yu, when are you finally coming out?” Xia Ning sat before the palace, her chin resting in her small hand as she complained in boredom.

She could clearly sense an extremely terrifying aura brewing within—one unlike anything she had ever encountered.

Above the palace, clouds and mist gathered together, eventually forming a vortex that revolved slowly overhead like a funnel. The oppressive aura continued to intensify. In the end, the Great Elder had no choice but to order everyone away from the palace.

“I wonder how powerful Teacher will be when he comes out this time.”

Li Hao stood high above the valley with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn.

Members of the Fang family and the royal clans had also remained in the area for nearly two months. By now, under the immense might radiating from the palace, the last trace of resistance in their hearts had vanished completely.

It was simply too powerful. A mere thread of that aura was enough to make them feel an impulse to kneel in worship.

How terrifying, then, would Jiang Yu himself be?

Two more days passed.

Everyone was frantic with impatience, especially Li Hao. The rise of Xu Daozhi had given him an immense sense of crisis.

During this period, many of his businesses in Jiangnan had been swallowed up by competitors. With no other choice, he had slunk back to Jiangbei.

In the south, Jiang Yu was supreme. In the north, Xu Daozhi reigned as champion.

Suddenly, a long howl shattered the heavens.

The vortex of clouds and mist revolving slowly above the palace began spinning rapidly.

“Is Teacher about to emerge from seclusion?”