Chapter 159: Purpose

Chapter 159: Purpose

Silence enveloped the forest, with only the wind rustling through the snow-laden trees.

Scholar Liuyun naturally did not respond to the black-clothed man’s words. Not only did he not answer, but he also had no intention of engaging in combat with him.

Though he was unsure when the other party had begun to trail him,

it was evident by now how formidable this person's martial arts were.

In such a situation, to engage in a life-or-death battle would be sheer folly.

However, from his perspective, this black-clothed man was not particularly clever either.

Clearly capable of approaching him silently, he had instead chosen to make a grand entrance.

But the enemy's foolishness was his opportunity.

So he turned and walked away.

But the next moment, he realized his mistake.

A person who had meticulously followed him for so long would hardly be unprepared.

Someone was standing in the woods behind him, unnoticed until now.

Leaning against a tree, head slightly tilted back, this person looked at him with a somewhat arrogant gaze.

Slightly lean, tall, and holding a sword...

A sword... seven feet long!

"Lord of Heavenly Gate revisits his old haunts; Mr. Liuyun, you should be familiar with this place as well."

The Qilin Swordsman spoke softly, "Since that is the case, why leave so soon? My sister and I have prepared three cups of thin wine, and we dare to invite Mr. Liuyun to join us for a chat."

"Seven-foot Blacklight Sword."

Scholar Liuyun suddenly turned to face the black-clothed man, "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter."

The black-clothed man shook his head lightly, "Surrender quietly, and we can avoid unnecessary trouble."

Scholar Liuyun sighed deeply, opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly raised both hands. Instantly, a flurry of flying stars scattered in all directions.

The Qilin Swordsman's lips twitched, and his seven-foot Blacklight Sword spun, creating a continuous clinking sound.

His seven-foot sword, drawing a circle to block the darts, was perfectly suited for the task.

The black-clothed man, however, was even more direct. Without any attempt to defend against the hidden weapons, he lowered his palms and pressed them downward.

Without a sound, the flying stars suspended in mid-air, just a foot in front of him.

Then, with a single wave of his hand, the flying stars formed a line, hurtling straight toward Scholar Liuyun.

Scholar Liuyun used the hidden weapons to obstruct, hoping to escape, but he hadn't anticipated that as soon as he took flight, the hidden weapons were already behind him.

With no choice, he turned, gathered his sleeves, and used the technique of the Sleeve of Heaven and Earth to collect all the hidden weapons into his sleeves.

As his toes touched the ground, his figure flickered, evading the scene, and a loud clang echoed.

The Qilin Swordsman's sheathed long sword struck the ground forcefully.

"This is not how one treats guests!"

Scholar Liuyun's eyes twitched.

"If esteemed guests do not come willingly, we must invite them forcibly."

Missing his strike, the Qilin Swordsman raised his hand, and with a metallic ring, the sword sheath flew away.

Scholar Liuyun sidestepped, and the sword sheath slammed into a tree, piercing it halfway through and embedding itself in the trunk.

Lifting his head, he saw the long sword descending from above, its blade radiating at least ten feet in all directions.

He flicked his finger, and with a hum, the blade's radiance shattered. Moving forward, his fingertips covered the Qilin Swordsman's chest pressure points.

The Qilin Swordsman, unperturbed, turned his body, and the sword's edge rained down like a storm.

Scholar Liuyun flicked his fingers twice, and the sword's edge deflected. Then, with a light step, his inner strength flowed underground, drawing a line, and a hissing sound continued as it rushed toward the Qilin Swordsman.

The Qilin Swordsman immediately responded with a step.

The two inner strengths collided on the ground, causing a thunderous boom and leaving a pit three feet wide.

Scholar Liuyun extended his figure, and with two fingers, a continuous gust of wind sounded.

The Qilin Swordsman countered each move.

In an instant, the entire area was torn apart by finger winds and sword energy.

Both were masters; Scholar Liuyun's inner strength was extremely powerful, and his finger techniques were subtle and continuous.

The Qilin Swordsman's seven-foot Blacklight Sword was unique, and his skill application and combat experience were highly refined.

Their confrontation was a clash of techniques and strategies.

The man in black stood with his hands behind his back, silently observing.

His eyes were like the cold snow under the icy wind, calm and composed.

Suddenly, he moved, his figure as light as a shadow, not showing the slightest hesitation, and he was already behind Liuyun.

He extended a single palm, aiming directly for the vital points on Liuyun's back.

"Ha ha ha ha, I've been waiting for you!!"

But Liuyun laughed heartily, transforming his fingers into a palm, which moved unpredictably like floating clouds, shifting in an instant.

This was the Liuyun Palm!

On that day within Jiaolong Water Village, the leading monk had once used this technique to temporarily force Li Siyun back, attempting to break through the door.

But he was killed by Su Mo with a single punch.

At this moment, the palm technique wielded by Liuyun far surpassed the power of that monk from that day.

The Qilin Swordsman's face changed, and he turned his seven-foot black light sword, instantly creating multiple sword shadows. He raised it high, and with a fierce strike, all the swords converged and fell!

Buzz, boom, bang!!!

The two forces collided, causing the surroundings to tremble.

The Qilin Swordsman retreated three steps, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

However, Liuyun didn't even glance at his palm. He simply turned, his hands moving together, and with a sudden flip, he clashed palms with the man in black with a loud thud.

One of them had a palm technique that was unpredictable and myriad in form.

The other moved like a fleeting ray of light, swift as a meteor.

In the moment they clashed, Liuyun was immediately overpowered, flying back more than ten feet, his face changing dramatically:

"Surprised Light Hand!?"

With those words, he turned and fled.

This attack was part of his plan; he knew the man in black would not remain a mere observer.

Thus, he had held back the Liuyun Palm until the man in black made his move, then launched a powerful strike to push back the Qilin Swordsman, using the man in black's palm force to escape the battle.

Now, with the man in black having taken a direct hit from the Liuyun Palm and the Qilin Swordsman's internal energy disrupted, it was the perfect opportunity for him to escape.

What he hadn't expected was that the man in black would use the Surprised Light Hand!

His mind was momentarily filled with shock and myriad thoughts, but now was not the time to dwell on them. With a quick step, he was about to leap away.

"You have the nerve to run?!"

The Qilin Swordsman was furious. After all the effort he had put in, how could he let him escape?

Turning to look at the man in black, he saw him pressing a hand to his chest, seemingly injured. For a moment, he couldn't think of chasing after Liuyun and just watched the man in black with concern.

The man in black quietly watched Liuyun's retreating back and sighed softly.

Then, he lightly flicked his finger, and Liuyun, who was almost out of sight, suddenly convulsed.

Immediately, his feet, hands, wrists, ankles, chest, and back...

At least sixteen acupoints, front and back, burst and bled simultaneously!

His face was a mix of shock and joy.

There was also a sense of relief at the prospect of surviving a great calamity.

But at this moment, it all turned to despair.

Looking back at the man in black, he saw him standing tall, his hand, which had been pressed to his chest, now falling gently.

Where was any sign of injury?

The Qilin Swordsman felt as if he had been deceived and couldn't help but glare at the man in black. He had been about to express his concern, but before he could speak, he realized it was all a ruse.

"What are you doing?

"Why are you pretending... pretending?"

The harsh words were almost on the tip of his tongue, but remembering their connection, he didn't dare say them.

The man in black glanced at him: "The young ones are more unpredictable than I imagined. The Mandarin Ducks Scroll is of great importance, and I have always felt as if I am being watched along the way. Naturally, I needed to check if there was indeed a hidden threat behind me.

"If it were truly so..."

He left the rest unsaid, but the Qilin Swordsman understood.

Rolling his eyes, he said, "That's the difference between being managed and being left alone. My sister and I were left alone."

"If no one had managed you, you would have been thrown into a ditch long ago. How would you have learned these skills and gained the ability to seek revenge?"

The man in black looked at the Qilin Swordsman.

The Qilin Swordsman thought for a moment but couldn't find a counterargument, only sighing softly:

"On this point, we do owe you thanks. Otherwise, even if we had escaped the great calamity, we wouldn't be where we are today.

"But why did you show yourself so mysteriously when you arrived instead of capturing him directly?"

"Turns out you were worried they would follow you, so you deliberately staged this whole act of feigning capture?"

"…Not exactly."

The black-clad figure walked up to Liuyun and said, "If it were truly a ploy of feigning capture, I should have used him as bait to see if anyone would come forward. Instead, I only relaxed to this extent… Sigh, this person is indeed important, even I lost some patience."

He casually picked up Liuyun.

Liuyun was not dead, but he could not move at all.

With the shock of the Swift Light Hand technique, the internal energy the black-clad figure had injected into his body exploded with a single finger, severing his meridians.

The force was perfectly controlled.

All his meridians were severed, yet his heart meridian remained unharmed.

Though he could not move and his martial arts were completely ruined, his life was in no danger.

This level of precision surpassed many others.

Held in the black-clad figure's hand, Liuyun still tried to reach for the black-clad figure's mask:

"You… you really are… a remnant from the past?

"Are you… are you really Yang Yizhi?"

The black-clad figure's eyes remained cold, and he spoke calmly:

"Didn't Yang Yizhi die from the poison you gave him?"

"…"

This statement left Liuyun speechless.

Yang Yizhi had died before his eyes, there was no doubt about that.

But if it wasn't Yang Yizhi… then who could it be?

He struggled to move his hand, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

He could only let the black-clad figure carry him to a tree.

The Qilin Swordsman began to meticulously clean up the traces of the fight…

After all, it was hard to say whether the people from the Three Absolutes Sect would come back to check.

The Three Absolutes Sect was always cautious, especially the leader of Heavenly Gate, whose thoughts were unfathomable.

What if he suddenly decided to investigate further?

Therefore, everything had to be done flawlessly to ensure peace of mind.

During the cleanup, what troubled the Qilin Swordsman the most was the sword sheath he had embedded in the tree trunk.

"Why did I use that move? This is just making things harder for myself. A rotten tree, why can't you grow stronger?"

He muttered to himself while tidying up the surroundings.

At this moment, the black-clad figure did not ask Liuyun a single question.

Instead, Liuyun kept asking him.

Finally, out of impatience, the black-clad figure simply sealed his voice point, silencing him.

When the Qilin Swordsman finished cleaning up the battlefield, the three of them moved together and gradually disappeared into the forest.

Only then did Yang Xiaoyun let out a light sigh.

Just as she was about to speak, Su Mo made a gesture for her to be quiet and covered Zhen Xiaoxiao's mouth with his other hand.

"Wait a bit longer."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded lightly. Sure enough, moments later, footsteps sounded again.

It was the black-clad figure, the Qilin Swordsman, and the carried Liuyun returning.

After scanning the area where they had fought, the black-clad figure finally exhaled deeply:

"Really no one, I was being paranoid."

With that, he turned and left again.

Su Mo then released the two of them.

"How did you know they would come back?"

Yang Xiaoyun asked, surprised.

"It's just logical."

Su Mo explained, "He must have truly sensed our surveillance on the way, so he conducted two tests in succession.

"The first time, he pretended to release Liuyun. If I hadn't fought him before and known the depth of his internal energy,

"Liuyun's martial arts, though formidable, wouldn't be enough to injure him with just one palm strike.

"So, I anticipated he would have a follow-up move, which is why I held back and didn't interfere when Liuyun was released.

"Afterward, his conversation with the Qilin Swordsman, on the surface, was an explanation to the Qilin Swordsman, but in reality, it was the second test for us."

The person who was following them felt reassured upon hearing his words, knowing that their movements were still concealed...

"But this will inevitably lead him to fall for the trap of his own feint."

Yang Xiaoyun listened with a series of grimaces: "Your mind is so deep; even old hands would feel inferior. But... why do you think his words were part of a feint?"

"…Because of Liuyun."

Su Mo observed a bit more, confirming that Yang Yizhi had not turned back, before he got up with the two of them and followed behind.

As they walked, he explained in a low voice: "A person who has been meticulously planned for and finally captured must have a lot to ask. Even if he doesn't ask, Liuyun's current state of being captured by the enemy is the best time to probe for secrets through his disarray and slip-ups.

"But he didn't ask a single question, and he even prevented Liuyun from speaking.

"Do you think he's worried about what Liuyun might say?

"Or is he worried that someone who shouldn't hear it might overhear?

"This indicates that he still harbors suspicions about the 'sparrow' behind him.

"Combining these two points, it was expected that he would turn back."

Yang Xiaoyun couldn't help but admire him.

In terms of caution, Su Mo had truly reached the pinnacle.

"Your ability to discern the significant from the trivial and your quick thinking are unmatched."

Yang Xiaoyun sighed softly.

Su Mo shook his head: "In this world, the higher the skill, the faster the thinking. Their exchange just now was filled with hidden intentions… no one can be underestimated."

"But speaking of which, I don't understand something."

Yang Xiaoyun frowned slightly: "Father… I mean, the black-clothed man who might be Father, has been following us all this way. Shouldn't it be for the Mandarin Duck Spectrum or Liuyun?

"If it's for Liuyun, he could have captured him directly when he got the Mandarin Duck Spectrum.

"If it's for the Mandarin Duck Spectrum, why would he let go of it and capture Liuyun instead?

"He should have followed the other black-clothed man to find the so-called Heavenly Gate leader.

"What does he really want? I can't figure it out.

"And there's that Qilin Swordsman… why is he everywhere?

"How do they know each other?

"In their conversation, it seems there's some deeper connection."

"Qilin Swordsman…"

Su Mo suddenly had a thought: "Where are we now?"

After three days of relentless travel, they had chosen paths through uninhabited mountains and wilderness, sometimes without any path at all.

At this moment, Su Mo was a bit uncertain about their exact location.

Yang Xiaoyun thought for a moment and said: "We passed through several places I'm familiar with… um, we started from Haoran Academy, and we should be close to…"

She paused, looking at Su Mo:

"Foggy Cloud Mountain."

"Hah…"

Su Mo suddenly laughed, his eyes gleaming: "Now, I think I really know what they're after.

"Foggy Cloud Mountain… Blue Wind Valley, the Yu Clan.

"An old place revisited."

Yang Xiaoyun's expression also changed: "Li Siyun mentioned the Golden Jade Awl, the Mandarin Duck Spectrum… and a map. Liuyun said everything is ready! You must have figured it out…"

"The Qilin Swordsman has seen that map."

Su Mo nodded lightly: "Let's go. If my guess is correct, the place where the dagger is revealed should be ahead.

"With the Mandarin Duck Spectrum now in place, their true intentions are clear."

Yang Xiaoyun didn't say anything more. As for Zhen Xiaoxiao…

She had been out of the loop the entire time.

Having not eaten for three days, she wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but she was already plotting what to eat later.

They continued to follow.

After passing through the forest and walking for half a day, they indeed arrived at a low, deep valley.

Following the winding path down the valley, the black-clothed man and the Qilin Swordsman arrived at a hidden cave entrance with ease.

Someone was waiting at the cave entrance, whom Su Mo didn't recognize, but Yang Xiaoyun immediately identified him.

"It's Wu Daoyou."

And at the moment Yang Xiaoyun recognized Wu Daoyou, Su Mo's brow twitched slightly.

He then sighed: "How could I forget… your ghostly concealment skills?"

"You shouldn't be here."

A voice came from the side, startling Yang Xiaoyun and Zhen Xiaoxiao, who turned around abruptly.

They saw a woman of exquisite beauty, with deep and cold eyes, standing quietly on a massive rock, observing them.

It was Yu Lingxin!