"So it's you, Four-faced Venerable." Yue Shanjian's gaze was intense; his eyes narrowed in seriousness.
He looked more dignified than even Three-armed Monarch. Since he could observe all four directions at once, he left the crowd in trepidation.
"Ancestor." Swordgrasp Young Noble bowed after seeing him.
This was a top ancestor from Swordgrasp School. He was actually in charge for a long period before choosing to go into seclusion.
He was a dragon lord with two sacred fruits. Today, he appeared along with Three-armed Monarch in the academy, going as far as activating their power. This was all for the sake of the vessel.
"Fellow Daoist, return the vessel to us to avoid unnecessary bloodshed from this misunderstanding." Four-faced Venerable looked down and said.
He recited his words like a mantra, his aura overpowering and making it impossible for weaker cultivators to resist.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"The academy rules never change." Yue Shanjian declared, unflinching.
The students admired his unwavering resolve, unlike others who might have cowered or trembled, giving in to the demand to surrender Bai Shaojin.
Four-faced and Three-armed exchanged glances before staring at Shaojin. Giving up now was out of the question.
They must not let Shaojin leave right now or they might lose the vessel forever. No one could afford to give up that supreme treasury.
"After we finish here, we will apologize to the academy." Four-faced Venerable asserted.
"Surrender now!" Three-armed immediately attacked with one hand wielding a gauntlet and releasing a resplendent radiance.
"Fellow Daoist, take this!" Four-faced joined in as well and raised his hand, summoning a dark expanse to capture Shanjian.
"Back up!" Shanjian was alarmed but didn't falter, telling Shaojin to hide behind him.
"Boom!" His single sacred fruit released endless sword dao, reaching the limit of its potential.
He no longer held back and let his power roam free - a slash capable of both offense and defense. It created a barrier on top of attacking the two foes.
This would have dominated anyone from the same generation. Alas, he was facing two experienced cultivators.
They easily stopped the attack and broke through his barrier, sending him flying and vomiting blood. This was merciful since they could have killed him with one move.
They came for the vessel and didn't need to kill Shanjian. Doing so would be quite problematic, to say the least - nothing short of declaring war on the academy.
"Give it here!" Ascension Sacred Lord appeared next to Shaojin and raised his saber.
He instantly attacked, not wanting to lose this godsend opportunity of obtaining the vessel. Plus, he was confident in outrunning the other dragon lords.
"Don't even think about it!" Radiant Young Monarch formed a mudra to send a wheel of light to stop Ascension. The dao exploded and crushed the area in its path.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Clank!" Suddenly, they heard the hymn of a saber. Bloodlust took over instantly even before the formation of saber energy.
This happened in the blink of an eye and shocked everyone including Four-faced Venerable and Three-armed Monarch.
The gleam of a saber shone with a crimson hue, slicing through the air.
The young monarch cursed, rapidly dodging and escaping since he wasn't overly committed.
Meanwhile, Ascension Sacred Lord was caught in Shaojin's trap. He sensed the impending danger and quickly summoned the power of his sacred fruit to defend with his saber. But to his horror, the slash broke through his sacred fruit and grand dao, cleanly slicing his head off.
Blood spurted out as his lifeless body hit the ground. As his head tumbled, he caught a glimpse of his own torso.
Even with his quick escape, the young monarch wasn't completely unscathed, suffering serious injuries. A mere fraction of a second slower, and he would have suffered the same fate as Ascension Sacred Lord.
Students gasped in shock, witnessing the unprecedented event of one dragon lord being killed and the other badly injured. The pervasive bloodlust shook them to the core.
Four-faced and Three-armed promptly retreated at the sight. Then, they noticed an old man in an iron hat standing beside Yue Shanjian. The old man had already sheathed his saber after the single, fatal strike.
"Bloodsea Blade!" They felt alarmed.