89: Crazy to the extreme

"Where did this lunatic come from? The Chess Sword Pavilion Forbidden Ground is off-limits to everyone without permission. Retreat immediately!"

"Hmph."

With a cold snort, Shen Lian did not show any intention of stopping and stepped directly onto the stairs.

"Presumptuous!"

The burly man holding a sword was furious at this; with a flash, he stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at Shen Lian.

"Did you not hear me speaking to you? Stop right there!"

The sound wave surged like a tide, rushing towards Shen Lian.

But Shen Lian turned a deaf ear, stepping onto the stairs again with an attitude that looked down upon everything.

"You!"

The burly man holding the sword was very surprised by Shen Lian's behavior and could not help but frown.

When they were only three steps apart, Shen Lian spoke: "I have come to negotiate; step back!"

His words seemed to possess infinite deterrence, actually causing the burly man holding the sword to involuntarily retreat three steps.

By the time he reacted, Shen Lian had already finished climbing all the stairs and stood before him in a standoff posture.

Instantly, the humiliation of having his dignity trampled surged into the burly man's heart.

"You are courting death!"

With a roar, the massive sword, as tall as a person, on the burly man's shoulder was swung down directly, aiming to strike Shen Lian's head.

For a moment, tyrannical power whistled, and the air seemed to be torn apart at this moment, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.

However, Shen Lian did not dodge or avoid it, not even blinking an eye; a faint smile always hung on the corners of his lips as he quietly watched the heavy sword descend.

Just as the bladeless edge was about to smash into Shen Lian's head, a flash of surprise suddenly crossed the burly man's ferocious face, and he abruptly reined in his strength.

The heavy sword stopped abruptly just three inches from Shen Lian's face.

"Boom, boom, boom—"

The air wave stirred up by the sword wind instantly caused a series of chain explosions in the surroundings.

Shen Lian's hair fluttered and scattered in the blowing sword wind; it lasted for fully ten breaths before this storm finally ceased.

The reason that forced the burly man to stop was a piece of unpolished jade held in Shen Lian's palm.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The burly man asked.

"If my memory serves me correctly, this restricted area is the center of the Chess Sword Pavilion's earth core strange fire, is that right?"

"So what?"

"If it is, then that's correct!"

Shen Lian placed the inconspicuous piece of unpolished jade in his hand in the void, half an inch from the sword tip.

"Very unfortunately, in my recollection, over a hundred and twenty years ago, the Chess Sword Pavilion's earth core strange fire experienced violent fluctuations, and the one who quelled this catastrophe was none other than me, Shen Lian!"

The burly man's pupils constricted: "What nonsense are you spouting! The one who quelled the earth core strange fire back then was the current Sect Master, Nangong Li. How could it be you!"

"Hahaha! Nangong Li has the guts and ability to help the Chess Sword Pavilion quell the earth core strange fire? I didn't expect that Wu Aozhou, one of the three Grand Elders of the Chess Sword Pavilion, would be such a naive and foolish person!"

"You, know me?"

"Is that strange?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Aozhou put away his heavy sword and hoisted it back onto his shoulder.

"Heh."

He sized up Shen Lian, then let out a light laugh.

"Even so, this is not a place where you can run wild as you please. In consideration of the contributions you once made to the Chess Sword Pavilion, I will pretend I didn't notice today's events. Leave quickly."

Shen Lian: "It seems you all know the inside story from back then. Since that is the case, let's negotiate a condition. After all, this is something your Chess Sword Pavilion owes me, Shen Lian."

Wu Aozhou sniffed: "If you want to use this to claim credit, then I advise you to give up that thought. Back then, it was you who agreed to handle the earth core strange fire's loss of control in exchange for an opportunity for Nangong Li to enter the Chess Sword Pavilion, and the Chess Sword Pavilion granted your request as you wished. Now that over a hundred years have passed, what is the use of bringing up the past again?"

Shen Lian stepped to the side and walked to a stone sword in the center wrapped in iron chains, saying: "My request is very simple. As long as you return the crouching dragon marrow that I gifted to Nangong Li back then, I can leave the Chess Sword Pavilion right now."

Wu Aozhou: "This is a private matter between you and Nangong Li; what does it have to do with me?"

"Nangong Li is now the Chess Sword Pavilion Sect Master. As a Grand Elder, are you not going to manage this?"

"The duty of a Grand Elder is to protect the entire Sect, not to interfere with internal Sect affairs. You and Nangong Li should resolve your grievances privately."

"I am not discussing this with you; I am notifying you!"

Shen Lian's gaze suddenly changed, and he pointed the unpolished jade at Wu Aozhou: "You should be thankful that you didn't strike down with that sword just now; otherwise, the Chess Sword Pavilion's foundation of tens of thousands of years would have been completely destroyed because of your recklessness!"

Wu Aozhou was angry: "What do you mean by that? What exactly are you trying to say!"

"You must really want to know what this perfectly ordinary piece of unpolished jade in my hand actually is, right?"

Wu Aozhou did not respond, but the confusion on his face already confirmed Shen Lian's words.

"It wouldn't hurt to tell you. This unpolished jade is linked to my heart. As long as the jade shatters, my heartbeat will also stop simultaneously."

Wu Aozhou sneered: "You wouldn't be using this ridiculous trick to stage a scene of forcing us to submit by threatening to die, would you?"

"Hahaha!"

Shen Lian gripped the unpolished jade tightly.

"It seems you still don't understand my meaning. No matter, I will waste some breath on you."

"Back then, I risked being swallowed by the earth fire alone to quell the out-of-control earth core strange fire for the Chess Sword Pavilion. However, in the process of dealing with the earth core strange fire, a wisp of strange fire aura was accidentally implanted in my heart. Coincidentally, this wisp of strange fire aura is connected to the earth core magic core."

Wu Aozhou's brows tightened slightly.

"It seems you, this idiot, still haven't understood. Then I will say it more simply."

"My life is now tightly connected to the earth core strange fire. If my heart stops beating, then the earth core strange fire will definitely erupt even more violently than it did a hundred years ago!"

"Just think about it. The moment the earth core strange fire explodes, not only the Chess Sword Pavilion, but half of the Southern Territory and hundreds of millions of lives will be buried with me. Just thinking about such a scene makes one's blood boil."

"What did you say!"

Wu Aozhou was shocked, but still forced himself to stay calm: "Boy, stop fear-mongering there. How could the earth core strange fire possibly be connected to your life? Such a thing is truly unheard of!"

"Then you can go ahead and try!" Shen Lian spread his palm, "As long as you crush this piece of unpolished jade, you can prove whether what I just said is true. However, do you dare to bet?"

"You are threatening me!"

Wu Aozhou was furious and swung his heavy sword directly.

"Boy, you want to deceive me with this kind of ridiculous trick? In your dreams!"

A flash of madness appeared in Shen Lian's eyes: "Come, let's make a bet. Let's see if I am fear-mongering or if it is true. Let's bet the entire Southern Territory and hundreds of millions of lives to verify the truth of my words!"

"You think I dare not?"

"Hmph."

Shen Lian smiled contemptuously, looking at Wu Aozhou with an extremely pitiful gaze.

Wu Aozhou smashed his sword directly at Shen Lian.

But Shen Lian maintained a calm and indifferent posture throughout, without the slightest sign of wanting to fight back.

"Boom—"

With a loud noise, the Sword Qi echoed for a hundred miles, leaving a three-foot-deep sword scar on the floor paved with premium granite on the high platform.

This sword strike ultimately failed to land on Shen Lian, falling almost right past his shoulder.

This gamble, Wu Aozhou could not afford to take.

"What exactly do you want!"

"I have stated the condition clearly and explicitly. I only want the crouching dragon marrow in Nangong Li's hands. That should have belonged to me in the first place. Return it to me, and everything can be peaceful."

Seeing Shen Lian's expression of having nothing to fear, Wu Aozhou's ferocious face twitched a few more times.

"I must discuss this matter with Clear Moon before giving you an answer."

"One incense stick of time. If we cannot reach an agreement, I will commit suicide and let the entire Southern Territory and the Chess Sword Pavilion be buried with me. Go quickly."

Wu Aozhou was completely stunned.

He had seen many lunatics, but one who was mad to such an extreme was definitely the first he had ever seen in his life.