Chapter 193: Shadow Emperor

The night sky was deep. The moonlight was icy. A light rain drifted down.

The brilliant moon, high in the deep night sky like a silver disc, cast a cold moonlight that merged with the sudden rainfall, illuminating the Seven Blood Eyes harbor with a glittering sheen. This light also flowed over the eaves outside the House of Dreams.

Raindrops formed lines, and these lines became a curtain. The moonlight, unable to avoid them, cast blurred shadows.

It was like a painting of a deep night scene with half-hidden homes, especially rare to see moonlight and light rain simultaneously.

At that moment, on the street hazy with rain, a figure in a gray Daoist robe approached step by step, holding a white oil-paper umbrella.

The person under the umbrella couldn't be seen clearly, but their slender, upright physique and the aura emanating from them as they walked caused the raindrops to transform into mist and drift past them upon approach. This mist then merged into the ripples left by their footsteps on the ground.

The ripples spread out in continuous rings and sheets.

To one side of the figure under the umbrella, in the shadows beneath the street eaves, were two other people: one held an umbrella, while the other, ignoring the falling rain, followed quickly.

The approaching figure was Xu Qing. Under the eaves were the Mute and Xu Xiaohui.

Although it was night, for this bustling street, all the revelry seemed to have just begun. The shops on both sides were previously abuzz with noise; the clinking of glasses, hearty laughter, and flirtatious banter were everywhere.

Especially outside some luxurious shops, many disciples with impressive auras stood guard like escorts. Most of them were attendants to the important figures chatting inside these establishments.

Xu Qing's target was also among them. It was a gaunt young man, standing under the eaves of the House of Dreams, who had just been chatting and laughing with a female disciple beside him. But the next instant, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up towards the street.

It wasn't just him; all the shops on the street fell silent at that moment.

Xu Qing's arrival didn't involve any deliberate display of cultivation, but the murderous aura around him and the fluctuations from his sixty-five dharma apertures still startled everyone who sensed them.

Consequently, numerous gazes from various places converged on him.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Xu Qing's expression remained calm as he walked step by step to the front of the House of Dreams.

As a window on the second floor opened, the Great Serpent's figure peered out from inside, letting out joyful gurgling sounds towards Xu Qing. Xu Qing moved his umbrella aside, looked up, and saw the Great Serpent.

He smiled faintly. Under the moonlight, amidst the rain curtain, the youth's smile caused the Great Serpent's cries to pause for a moment.

Its body seemed to soften even more, instinctively wanting to slither out and approach, but it was firmly grasped by the old man from Banquan Road behind it, who then glared at Xu Qing with extreme caution.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, looking at the trembling, gaunt young man outside the House of Dreams.

A tremendous roar erupted in the young man's mind. His breathing became rapid and uncontrollable, and his eyes stung. Xu Qing's figure, as he saw it, was like a divine being, distorting the surrounding void.

It was as if the other person had become a colossal vortex, capable of instantly devouring everything about him.

Fear and terror surged wildly through the young man's entire body. As his body trembled, every fiber of his being screamed at him, warning him of the extreme danger he was in.

Because not only did he see Xu Qing, but he also saw Xu Xiaohui, who had arrived with Xu Qing, her eyes filled with hatred for him!

He had seen Xu Xiaohui before. Three months ago, after eliminating that small fry, Zhou Qingpeng, he sensed that someone was investigating the matter. So, he secretly paid attention and discovered Xu Xiaohui, bewildered and helpless like a wounded fawn, searching for clues.

He initially didn't care about such a fragile person who could be easily crushed with a slap. However, seeing Xu Xiaohui's delicate appearance in that situation piqued his interest. So, he pretended to help, toyed with her for a while, then grew bored and stopped paying attention.

But now, his heart trembled. He knew Xu Qing and was aware of his current unparalleled fame. Before killing Zhou Qingpeng, he also knew that Xu Qing and Zhou Qingpeng were from the same cohort, but nothing more than that.

Within the Seven Blood Eyes, being from the same cohort was insignificant; it was all about raising vipers, so how could there be any genuine camaraderie?

So, even now, he felt that none of this was real, and perhaps it wasn't what he thought it was. Thus, when Xu Qing approached, he suppressed his trembling, lowered his head, and immediately greeted him.

"G-g-greetings... Senior Uncle Xu."

"Is it him?" Xu Qing's gaze fell on the Mute and Xu Xiaohui.

The Mute nodded respectfully. Xu Xiaohui gritted her teeth and glared furiously at the young man. The moment she saw the jade slip earlier, she had realized how foolish she had been all this time, and now she nodded vehemently.

Seeing this, the gaunt young man standing outside the House of Dreams felt his mind utterly explode. He instinctively stumbled back a few steps and urgently cried out, "Master, save me...!"

His voice was barely out before it abruptly cut off. A black iron skewer appeared out of thin air beside Xu Qing the moment he spoke, instantly closing in and piercing directly through his neck.

The thunderous power contained within it instantly spread throughout his body from the wound, causing the young man's soul to scatter immediately, his body to crack and seem on the verge of collapse.

And the thunder in the rain drew lightning from the clouds in the sky. In the blink of an eye, a bolt of heavenly lightning roared down from the firmament, descending rapidly like a silver serpent and striking the already lifeless, gaunt young man.

With a boom, his cracked corpse instantly disintegrated, turning into chunks of black jerky, smoking and scattering across the ground, only to be extinguished by the rain.

This scene was too shocking, causing immense waves of turmoil in the minds of all who witnessed it.

Although it's expected for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill a Qi Condensation cultivator so cleanly and decisively, Xu Qing's attack was too astonishing. The fact that he summoned heavenly lightning was what truly made the minds of the onlookers reel.

The black iron skewer returned instantly, floating silently behind Xu Qing, merging into his shadow.

The more it was so, the more the onlookers around felt their hearts tremble.

At this moment, the surroundings also fell silent. Xu Qing was about to leave, but just then, a surprised voice came from the second-floor window of the House of Dreams, opened by Ling'er.

"Oh, little Sword-Sword, the one who died was your attendant from earlier; he was just calling for your help." This voice belonged to the Captain.

When Xu Qing had previously looked at the Great Serpent and the old man from Banquan Road, he had noticed two other auras in that private room: one was extremely familiar to him, and the other was not unfamiliar.

So Xu Qing looked up at the private room's window above.

Inside the private room, Wu Jianwu, the First Peak's chosen talent, glanced at the Captain, who wore a half-smile. After a few breaths of silence, he snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and abruptly stood up. A surge of life-fire cultivation erupted within him, its imposing aura shaking the surroundings.

"Whoa~" the Captain quickly exclaimed from the side, playing along.

Wu Jianwu thought this person was an idiot, and it would be too demeaning to argue with an idiot. So, without even looking at the Captain, he walked towards the window with an extremely somber expression.

Once by the window, his aura surged throughout his body, and his cultivation was incredibly rampant. Amidst the lightning and thunder in the sky, bronze greatswords suddenly appeared from the clouds, locking onto the area.

It was as if a monstrous rage was brewing within Wu Jianwu, ready to erupt at any moment. An astonishing killing intent also permeated his being, eventually gathering in his eyes as he looked at Xu Qing.

"Why did you kill my attendant?!" He uttered this sentence with great arrogance.

Coupled with the authority radiating from him and his somber expression, his imposing aura, like a rainbow, also gave off the feeling of a chosen talent.

Especially as he spoke, thunder roared in the sky, echoing in all directions. The bronze greatswords that had formed radiated endless sharp edges.

This sight sent tremors through the minds of everyone in the surrounding shops.

At this moment, they all quickly left, having a strong premonition that a major battle was about to erupt here.

After all, Xu Qing had killed an attendant right in front of his master, which was like a public slap in the face.

Especially the cultivators of the First Peak, who valued their reputation the most, would certainly not let this go.

Meanwhile, the Great Serpent in the private room fixed Wu Jianwu with a fierce gaze, looking as if it wanted to lash out, but was held back by the old man from Banquan Road.

The old man, whose heart was already blooming with joy, secretly thought, "Ah, Xu Qing, Xu Qing, let's see what you do now. The First Peak is extremely protective of its own, and Wu Jianwu's eight senior brothers are fond of group fights."

At the same time, the Mute and Xu Xiaohui, by Xu Qing's side, also felt a jolt in their hearts.

The Mute looked up; even though his body trembled under Wu Jianwu's pressure, he still bared his sharp teeth, staring fixedly at the other person's neck.

Xu Xiaohui, biting her lower lip, felt extreme anxiety in her heart. She felt that her matter had implicated Xu Qing.

However, amidst the changing emotions of everyone else, only Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged.

He looked at Wu Jianwu standing by the window, his gaze icy, without uttering a single word. As he raised his right hand, the black iron skewer hummed as it rose from his shadow behind him.

Just then, a long laugh emanated from Wu Jianwu by the window. He laughed heartily, nodding as he did so, and spoke with a loud, approving tone, as if wanting everyone to hear.

"Ah, I see, you make a good point. Since this is a private feud between you, then indeed, I, Wu, should not get involved."

Xu Qing frowned. He said nothing.

"There's no need for drinks; I understand this matter," Wu Jianwu said, still laughing loudly.

"Haha, Brother Xu, no need to be like this. I truly don't have time recently, never mind, never mind. I, Wu, also admire your great deeds among the Sea Corpse Race, and since you are so polite... very well, since you treat me this way, I, Wu, am not a petty person. I'll pay you the 100,000 spirit stones for killing this person!"

Ling'er's eyes widened. She looked at Wu Jianwu, then at the empty space around him, somewhat bewildered by what he was saying.

"Yes, yes, very well. We'll meet again when we have time. I, Wu, shall take my leave first. It's been a pleasure meeting Brother Xu today!" Inside the private room, Wu Jianwu spoke loudly and heartily. His demeanor, initially imposing, gradually became cheerful, and finally, a smile appeared on his face as he clasped his fist towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's expression was odd. He hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end.

Wu Jianwu quickly scanned Xu Qing's expression, his heart trembled, and he quickly flicked his sleeve, maintained his hearty laugh, and stepped out of the private room.

He strode towards the distant horizon, facing the lightning and storm.

His figure floated like an immortal, like a beautiful painting, exuding an astonishing artistic conception. "Transcendent of the mundane between heaven and earth, I swallow the clouds and seas to become an immortal!" As he moved forward, all the bronze ancient swords in the sky accompanied him, and his voice echoed in all directions, fading as he went further and further away.