Chapter 968: Sable Eye
The feather of light shot toward the blade, dissolving the sword intent in one go continuing toward Luo Bingfeng's heart.
Luo Bingfeng didn't evade, nor did he block. He simply gazed at the black-rimmed feather of light as it entered his chest and tore out of his back, his countenance full of reminiscence, sentiment, and relief.
The sword in his hand gradually slumped down. He gazed sadly at Qianye and said slowly, "So you're Andruil's inheritor. Being able to see the Black-Winged Monarch's divine power, this final journey of mine can be considered quite brilliant."
Qianye stood silently in front of Song Zining. Luo Bingfeng was simply too powerful, so powerful that he could kill everyone with a casual wave of his hand. Things had reached this stage only because the city lord was letting people off since the beginning of the battle, and all of Song Zining's follow-up plans were dealing great damage to him. There was also a non-negligible luck factor involved as well.
Qianye didn't dare to underestimate the man, despite sensing that he was already a spent force at this point. Song Zining was also prone to collapse at the first blow, yet he was hell-bent on visiting the small courtyard for some reason. One finger was enough to kill him right now.
Luo Bingfeng paid no heed to the vigilant Qianye. He simply walked over to the unmoving woman and reached out to lift her up. The moment his fingertips touched her clothes, however, she shattered into countless specks of light that scattered in the wind.
Only at this point did Qianye understand that the woman had already left the moment Luo Bingfeng's sword shattered. Her death was complete and thorough, even her corporeal body fading away from this world. Perhaps she never even had a corporeal body and that sword was her true self. It was just that the little courtyard was equipped with arrays that could lock time, and hence, it was able to preserve that final moment. Only when the entire holy mountain array was broken by the imperial experts did time start flowing forward.
That was why Luo Bingfeng witnessed the moment Nan Nan was being assassinated when he stepped into the compound.
Even at this point, Luo Bingfeng wasn't willing to believe this truth. He reached out to grab at the specks of light, but the motes simply passed through his palm—they flew high up into the sky and disappeared. Looking dejected and lost, he was only willing to let go when the last bit of light had vanished over the horizon.
After what seemed like an eternity, Luo Bingfeng woke up from his reverie and glanced at the sword in his hand. It was a black and white sword, one that had cut through the defenses in the courtyard and killed Nan Nan. The sword itself didn't have that ability, but it had become invincible after the addition of Zhang Buzhou's power. Since the blade could destroy the seals Luo Bingfeng had placed on the compound, it could easily injure her as well.
She must've accepted the weapon gladly as it went through her heart. Because, that way, the blade wouldn't land on Luo Bingfeng's body.
Perhaps the city lord had figured this out, or perhaps he hadn't. He flicked the edge of the sword, conjuring the figure of a dignified middle-aged man in the air. The projection looked down at Luo Bingfeng with a wooden expression. Its appearance stifled everyone in the courtyard. Apparently, Zhang Buzhou's consciousness had arrived at the place by virtue of the remaining power in the sword. This was no longer just a lifeless image.
Luo Bingfeng gazed into Zhang Buzhou's eyes, almost spewing out flames and sparks as he did so.
Luo Bingfeng heaved a lengthy sigh, saying, "Big Brother, you left the holy mountain and passage in my care back then, and I told you that I would protect them with my life. Today, I have completed my duty."
Zhang Buzhou was slightly moved, but then he calmed down after a short while.
Luo Bingfeng raised the blade to his eyes, saying, "This sword contains your power, and is akin to your avatar. So, let this strike repay your life-saving grace and sever our brotherly bond."
With that, Luo Bingfeng spun the tip around and stabbed the blade through his heart and body.
Zhang Buzhou was visibly moved and reached out to stop the suicidal thrust, but his hand stopped midway and ultimately didn't interfere.
Luo Bingfeng's eyes gradually turned dim. "All old sentiments have been severed. If there's a next life, I hope to fight to the death with you!"
The city lord finally collapsed with a loud thud—a peerless expert of the generation thus fell into the dust.
Zhang Buzhou sighed to himself. He then cast his gaze at Song Zining and Qianye, his expression pensive as he gazed at the latter. Soon afterward, he raised his right hand ever so slightly.
Song Zining flicked his finger upon seeing this. A leaf shot out and struck the black-white sword, immediately dying the blade in green and cutting off Zhang Buzhou's energy.
"How dare you!" Zhang Buzhou was furious. He was just about to attack when his figure began to blur. He simply didn't have the energy to attack.
Song Zining laughed loudly. "There are indeed things this young master does not dare to do, but unfortunately, offending you isn't one of them. Cultivate in peace, I won't see you off!"
Zhang Buzhou was furious. His lips moved in what looked like a curse, but the figure was extremely faint at this point, and the words wouldn't come through.
Qianye walked over to Luo Bingfeng's body to pick it up. The man was a great talent of the generation, and it was a great pity that he would fall to this fate.
At this moment, however, the entire holy mountain began to shake. The entire place, including the city, began to tremble and sway.
The sound of raging tides grew louder as giant waves rose up from the abyssal depths of the Eastern sea and crashed onto the cliffs by the shore. The waves grew taller and taller, seemingly poised to connect heaven and earth, ready to crush the entire shore.
In the depths of the Eastern Sea, an enormous consciousness awakened and started observing the scene.
The mercenaries on the holy mountain staggered and stumbled down—no one below the champion realm could stand firm. It was at this moment that the signal to attack started to slow down and turned into a bugle cry representing the order to retreat. Almost immediately, the soldiers started to retreat like the receding tides.
They had a vague feeling that a terrifying existence was currently waking up in the depths of the holy mountain. Even the most bloodthirsty of mercenaries found themselves trembling and almost unable to stand firm, let alone press the attack. The two sides simply weren't on the same level. The massive chasm between them wasn't something that could be made up for with willpower.
It wasn't just the mercenaries. The surviving imperial experts couldn't withstand the pressure either and started shaking. The elders from the Li family and the imperial clan, however, were excited. They stared fixedly at the peak of the holy mountain, not even willing to blink.
The tremors increased in intensity. All of a sudden, the little courtyard at the summit began to sink downward, bringing Luo Bingfeng's corpse with it.
Qianye grabbed Song Zining and took to the air, where he looked down at the bottomless pit with a serious expression.
The courtyard, along with Luo Bingfeng's body, thus sank into the giant pit and vanished.
Although a fair number of people had their eyes on Luo Bingfeng's treasures, who would dare to approach the giant hole? All they could do was sigh in pity as they watched the small courtyard disappear.
Qianye, however, felt content. This was the only way to preserve Luo Bingfeng's dignity and give this peerless expert eternal peace.
With the holy mountain collapsing, a giant ball of dark radiance eventually emerged from the pit. It revolved slowly with a grey halo hanging around it. The spherical body was lightly colored on the exterior and deeply colored inside, as though it was accumulating an unimaginable amount of power within. Its appearance alarmed almost all experts at the scene. They began to flee in all directions as though they had been locked onto by a primordial beast.
A black crack soon appeared on the ball of light. It seemed like a giant existence was opening its eyes!
Immediately upon seeing the eye open, Song Zining pushed Qianye from behind. "Get in!"
Caught off-guard, Qianye was flung into the pupil. The moment he passed through the eye, he could vaguely hear the imperial experts cursing and shouting, but he could no longer discern the contents of their angry discussion.