Chapter 275

  Grudges (III)

  Elder Qin opened his eyes slowly as he stood up, feeling that it was time.

  He'd been meditating for almost four days now, waiting in the darkness, but he felt it at last--the twine was broken, the one he set up at the very edge of this place.

  For a while now, he'd been tracking the movements of the so-called 'Ghostblade', an Elder of the Immortal Sword Haven Sect.

  The man largely locked himself up within the Sect's confines, and as the Sect had entirely closed itself off from the world, he could seldom catch a glimpse of him. The rumors were that they were preparing for the opening of a Secret Realm, but he couldn't care less.

  Nonetheless, with a bit of patience and a bit of wit, he finally had the chance.

  About a month ago, he'd spread the rumor of a sentient trace of Sword Qi some four hundred miles south of the sect, not to the disciples directly, of course, but by being slightly 'loose-lipped' with some chatty mercenaries.

  He already knew that the man called Ghostblade had been stuck at the peak of the Inner World Realm for a long while and had probably given up even attempting to break through any further. But the tantalizing invitation of the sentient trace of Sword Qi...

  Precisely because that was, in effect, its sole purpose; it was entirely useless to those still progressing in the path of Sword, as they hadn't yet reached the 'Wall'. For those that have, though, and have no hope of climbing or tearing through it on their own, the sentient trace of Sword Qi was their only chance.

  Yes, they'd get to see what is on the other side, but that would be as far as they'd ever go.

  Staring through the shadows, he finally caught a glimpse of the figure--he'd pulled a hood over his face and had concealed his Qi the best he could, making it seem as though he was 'only' at the Revolving Core Realm, but it was child's play to see through.

  No, that was a bit of an exaggeration; before his 'death', he would never have seen through the wool of Qi, even if he had a hundred lifetimes to investigate.

  Something had... changed, deeply, inside of him, in far more ways than just one.

  The man kept looking around, though there was nothing there.

  Feeling that he had reached his peak state and activating the concealment array, Elder Qin stepped out, immediately alerting the man, who tried to dart out and away, only to realize there was nowhere to go.

  Though the array itself wasn't of particularly high quality, it did the one thing it was supposed to do--prevent the man from escaping immediately.

  "Who are you!?" the man asked, using Qi to distort his voice.

  Unlike him, Elder Qin didn't bother hiding his appearance--not that the man would recognize him. Even if he was at the Sect's attack and just one of those who stayed outside, who he was today and who he was on the day he died... those two men were different, vastly.

  "Ghostblade," Elder Qin said. "Before I sever your head, I wish to confirm it's the right head I'm severing."

  "Huh? This... was a trap? Ha ha ha," the man suddenly laughed and removed the hood over his head.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The sharp, azure eyes stood out even more when framed by a face rather than a piece of cloth. A handsome man, all things considered, though the touch of ineffable arrogance dulled it ever so slightly.

  "Clever. I hadn't been trapped like this in a long time. Congratulations on that, at least. But what? Do you think you can—what was it? Sever my head? Oh, you naive little fool."

  "So, it is you."

  "Ha ha, it indeed is. Why would I hide it from a little pup like you? Though I am mighty curious, just what hole did you crawl out from? I make it a point to never leave behind a root that can sprout even into useless weed. I don't recall ever missing one, either."

  "A man of your stature probably doesn't remember it, but you had a role to play in the destruction of my sect. While inconsequential for you, it was monumental for me."

  "Oh? A surviving pup of some sect? Interesting," he grinned rather strangely as he pulled out a sword. "As you've amused me, I will give you the first strike. Consider it an Elder's gift."

  Elder Qin himself nearly rolled his eyes, as that man could lie with the best of them; he recalled the other pup that would lie frequently enough, too, but it was never quite this annoying.

  Why?

  He couldn't quite say.

  Regardless, he pulled out a sword, but rather than attacking forward, he stabbed back. A metallic clang echoed out as the man who had just been standing in front of him disappeared, his figure manifesting behind Elder Qin, crouching and pulling back.

  Without exchanging another word, Elder Qin pressed forward; he wanted to know his exact strength. He'd figured that his own cultivation was most likely somewhere in the Demigod Realm but wasn't quite certain. He was using the skin-wearer in front of him to confirm it.

  It was a flurry of lights and sounds that quickly consumed the entire forest; the trees became chopped debris flying everywhere, with dozens of craters quickly forming.

  Each strike of the sword caused the entire world to seemingly shake, and the two men had exchanged hundreds in the span of just a couple of minutes.

  Within the first twenty exchanges, Elder Qin realized that the man was looking to escape. He must have realized that a 'swift kill' was unlikely and wasn't willing to risk his life any more than this.

  But now that he had him, how would he ever let him go? He'd just hole himself up in that sect of his and never leave, also informing his seniors that there was somebody hunting him.

  Each time the man attempted to flee, Elder Qin would manifest in the path of retreat and pull him back into the flat that had been a forest not five minutes ago.

  Bit by bit, despair crawled onto the man's face, all haughtiness and arrogance swallowed up by fear.

  Another clash yielded a slightly different result--Elder Qin put in as much effort as he saw fit to test the limits of his martial arts, but what usually resulted in a relatively even clash had now sent the man back a full forty feet as he stumbled to regain his footing.

  There were dozens of gashes decorating his robes, though the blood itself was difficult to see as they were black.

  He was panting, holding onto the sword as though it were a cane, helping him stand up.

  "Just who the hell are you?! You can't be just some random nobody!"

  "It always begins with arrogance," Elder Qin said, walking up slowly. "And it ends with the same questions. That vermin that once called himself master of the Fire Sun Sect said that you goaded him into attacking my home and that he didn't even know your forces would even participate in it until the day of."

  "Fire Sun Sect...? What the hell is that?! I don't remember such a place!"

  "Of course you don't," Elder Qin shrugged. The man was clearly trying to buy some time to recover a bit of Qi, but it was irrelevant. His fate was already sealed. "Why would you? We were inconsequential ants to your heavenly greatness. Just like you are a nobody to me right now."

  "If you kill me, the wrath of all Holy Lands will swarm upon you!! There will be no corner of the world to hide in! Everyone you've ever cared for will be hunted down and made an example of! Think carefully about it!"

  "Hah!" he scoffed. "Mighty words from a man cowering like a child from an angry parent. There would have been a time when a notion of the Holy Lands hunting me would have been... fearful. But, alas. One day, I will destroy them all. One by one. Their greed, their unabashed arrogance, their unrivaled apathy to anything they deem unworthy... I will wash this world with their blood and hold the rites of all those they've unjustly condemned."

  "H-ha ha ha! You're mad! Ha ha ha! You are absolutely insane! Destroy the Holy Lands?! Who do you think you are?! An Emperor?!"

  "No," Elder Qin said as he stealthily pressed the blade against the man's neck and pulled it forward. "Just an old man with a broken heart, on a path of vengeance."

  A head flew up, and silence followed.

  By the time it landed, Elder Qin was gone--as though never there.

  A soft wind blew, and the body toppled to the side, falling right by the head, where a maniacal smile remained etched as the expression of life's finality, for now and for forever.