Supreme Sword Exalt

Chapter 177 - Another One? Then Let’s Deal with Them Together

Jiang Xuan raised a hand shrouded in faint spirit light to block the red beam. Though the gesture seemed casual, he completely stopped the overwhelmingly powerful attack.

Seeing how formidable Jiang Xuan was, the monster roared once more, “Defiling our god, you must die!”

The red beam grew even thicker.

In response, divine light surged violently in Jiang Xuan’s eyes. His aura climbed another notch, and a look of euphoria spread across his face. After decades of dormancy, endurance, and scheming—at this moment of success, his boundless, pent-up frustration transformed into soaring ambition.

“This divine essence was always meant for the fated one!” Jiang Xuan’s aura climbed to its peak. He was only half a step away from the Transcendent realm. “How am I defiling it?!”

He stretched out his hand, pushing against the beam. Amid the churning red mist, a tremendous explosion suddenly erupted. The monster’s forehead was struck squarely by Jiang Xuan’s palm.

The next instant, the force in the palm exploded, shattering its vertical eye into pieces. As it dispersed, the force completely dispersed the surrounding red mist.

The monster limply collapsed. “My god will surely punish—“

Before it could finish, the light in its eyes had completely faded.

“Is that so?” Jiang Xuan frowned slightly. He glanced at his own palm and it was scorched black. “I’ll admit, its power is formidable. It’s a pity it still ended up torn to pieces by someone. This ’god’ title sounds somewhat undeserved!”

Following that, he clasped his hands behind his back and stared into the distance. Then, he took a step forward and reappeared a hundred zhang away.

“You can’t escape!”

***

Several li away from the secret realm’s center, Chu Kuang furrowed his brow once again, sensing the fighting commotion from afar. His gaze went frigid.

“Hmm? There really is someone? Who is it?! Daring to covet what belongs to me. Wait, it’s actually him!” Seemingly sensing something, he burst out laughing. “Forget it! Since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep, it saves me some trouble. I’ll just deal with you first.”

***

Spirit light blazed around Gu Han as his speed pushed to the limit. He desperately fled forward, nearly turning into a series of afterimages. After all, he knew Jiang Xuan would make quick work of that monster. This bit of time was his only chance to escape.

Thus, he ignored his injuries and gritted his teeth. His cultivation operated beyond its limits, increasing his speed by another third. He ran while coughing up blood.

Moments later, his expression shifted slightly, and he instantly stopped in his tracks. “Hmm?”

Not far away, amid the churning red mist, Chu Kuang landed in front of him. “So it really is you!”

The moment he laid eyes on Gu Han, his expression grew deeply emotional. “You truly have remarkable ability! You really keep surprising me!”

Gu Han secretly sighed. With Chu Kuang’s arrival, his escape became even more difficult. Still, having accepted the situation, he was no longer anxious.

“Same for you. You also keep surprising me quite a bit.”

Chu Kuang grinned. “You came here for the liquid treasure, right?”

Gu Han coughed up another mouthful of blood. “Aren’t you?”

Recalling the monster’s roars he heard earlier, Chu Kuang raised an eyebrow. “Quite heavily injured? It seems the monster’s evolution speed has somewhat exceeded my expectations. I admit, although you are excellent, you are too arrogant, conceited, and greedy. The opportunities here simply do not belong to you.”

Gu Han said expressionlessly, “Go ahead. Your opportunity awaits you. No one’s stopping you.”

Chu Kuang said leisurely, “There’s no need to hurry. It’s just this little distance left. That item will be mine sooner or later. It’s just that before that, we need to settle the matter between you and me first!”

Gu Han frowned slightly. “You want to attack me?”

“Yes!”

“If I remember correctly, there’s no bad blood between us, right?”

Chu Kuang smiled. “Of course not. It’s just that you are too outstanding! Not only did Yang Lin’s red bead fail to kill you, but you even turned the tables, killing everyone except Meng Xing. I consider you a threat.”

Gu Han’s eyes turned cold. “Meng Xing? He’s with you?”

Chu Kuang nodded. “Yes. I’ve had an easier time making him submit than you.”

Gu Han agreed. “True, when it comes to being someone else’s dog, he is indeed more skilled than I am!”

Chu Kuang ignored his sarcasm. “I have a question. Yang Lin’s red bead is inevitable and deadly. For you to survive, it definitely wasn’t just luck. You must be hiding a great secret.”

Gu Han scoffed. “I have many secrets on me!”

Chu Kuang slowly advanced. “Tell me, and hold nothing back! I can consider giving you another chance to submit to me.”

Gu Han looked at him as if he were a fool. “Have you defeated me?”

Chu Kuang sighed. “See, outstanding, yet so arrogant and unruly. Your actions know no bounds. You simply cannot be used by me. Left unattended, you would inevitably become a major obstacle to my plans.”

The dark light around him slowly retracted back inside. Behind him, a faint, indistinct, formless giant maw slowly opened.

“In that case, I’ll just destroy you!”

Gu Han said seriously, “Actually, have you ever considered that you might also die here today?”

“No one can kill me—hmm?” Chu Kuang smiled confidently, but mid-sentence, his expression drastically changed. “Half-Step Transcendent! How is that possible? Where did he come from?!”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “It seems like you have many secrets too, actually noticing his presence before I did!”

Chu Kuang stared fixedly at Gu Han. “You dare scheme against me?”

Gu Han narrowed his eyes. “Don’t forget that you were the one who blocked my path first. All I can say is, you brought this upon yourself!”

Amid his hearty laughter, Jiang Xuan instantly landed in front of the two.

He wore a beaming smile. “Excellent, excellent! You can’t blame him. If you hadn’t blocked his path, you wouldn’t have encountered me. If you hadn’t encountered me, you wouldn’t have to suffer the death tribulation! You reap what you sow! Young man, all things in the world are predetermined by karma. If you—huh?”

Just then, Jiang Xuan did a double take on Chu Kuang. “You are not simple! Probably no worse than this young man!”

Chu Kuang’s dark light gave off an impression of unfathomable depth.

Jiang Xuan said with surprise, “I never imagined that during the years I was gone, the Northern Domain actually produced some remarkable juniors. Haa... Time is like fleeting clouds. In the blink of an eye, seas have changed into mulberry fields. It seems the era that belonged to me has long passed!”

Chu Kuang ignored his sentimentality. “Who exactly are you?! And how did you get in here?!”

“Me? Who I am is not important. What’s important is...” Jiang Xuan shook his head, glancing between Gu Han and Chu Kuang with pity. “...these two great Heavenly Prides of the Northern Domain—these rising future stars—will both die by my hand today!”

Chu Kuang’s heart sank. Instinctively, he wanted to turn and flee from here.

Gu Han sneered coldly. “You think you can run?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Xuan had reappeared, blocking Chu Kuang’s escape.

Jiang Xuan smiled warmly. “Young man, you can’t escape! You should actually learn from that young man. Sometimes, learning to accept fate is also a kind of growth, isn’t it?”

“Right! You must accept fate!” Gu Han said with utmost seriousness, darting out extremely fast.

Jiang Xuan shook his head repeatedly. “Why won’t you listen to me?!”

With a flick of his wide sleeve, a terrifyingly offensive force shot at Gu Han.

Shit! Gu Han’s heart leaped. He forcibly stopped his forward momentum, swiftly sidestepping. After a deafening explosion, a crater over ten zhang deep appeared on the spot.

Not far away, Gu Han leaned on his sword, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood. His protective spirit light flickered unsteadily, clearly indicating severe injuries.

Jiang Xuan sighed. “Actually, I understand the mindset of you geniuses. You believe you are favored by fate, blessed by the Great Dao. You believe miracles are bound to happen to you. Even at a dead end, you still harbor hope in your hearts, exactly like I was back in the day! What a pity, every genius who thought that way never survived!”

Chu Kuang’s expression darkened slightly. “You really intend to attack me?”

Jiang Xuan ignored him, looking at Gu Han. “Young man, considering we are old acquaintances, I can give you one more preferential treatment.”

Gu Han struggled to stand up. “Are you going to let me go?”

Jiang Xuan grinned. “Of course not, I find you more agreeable. I’ve decided to let you live a little longer. I’ll kill him first. What do you think?”

Gu Han nodded. “Fine by me! Then... cough, cough... get on with it! Don’t just stand there!”

Chu Kuang said expressionlessly, ”Give me a reason for your actions!”

Jiang Xuan slowly advanced. “Apologies, what I wanted to say, I’ve already said to that young man. I don’t wish to repeat it to you. You can just be a confused ghost!”

Chu Kuang shook his head. “Fine then! Since you seek your own death, then don’t blame me!”

Jiang Xuan frowned slightly. “Hmm? What do you mean?”

Chu Kuang sighed. “I never expected the contingency I prepared would have to be used on you first. You should feel proud!”

As his words fell, the entire secret realm trembled. An aura of terrifying, peerless pressure descended upon the scene. Even a mere trace of its residual force crushed Gu Han into vomiting another mouthful of blood.

All confidence vanished from Jiang Xuan’s face, replaced by sheer terror. He retreated uncontrollably. “This is the aura of a Saint Weapon! Who exactly are you?!”

A Saint Weapon is the Dao artifact used by a Saint realm cultivator. Constantly tempered by Dao charm, its power far surpasses that of ordinary Dao artifacts.

Chu Kuang slowly clasped his hands behind his back. “You didn’t seriously think I’d dare be reborn without any preparation, did you?”

As if realizing something, Jiang Xuan’s eyes widened. “You are a saint’s reincarnation?”

Chu Kuang smiled. “Correct. Now guess, with your cultivation, can you withstand a Saint realm strike?”

Cold sweat instantly broke out all over Jiang Xuan. Withstand my ass!

Don’t talk about escaping a Saint realm strike, he couldn’t even fathom it.

His expression turned solemn and earnest. “Young Brother, let’s talk this out properly! Please don’t act rashly! This is all just a misunderstanding!”