474: Chapter 474 The Enraged Heavenly Sword Master: Xu Ruyu, I Want You Dead

Tian Jianzi's pupils constricted violently, and the smile on his face froze into a twisted expression of shock.

His mouth hung open, his eyes were wide, and his entire body was frozen in place, motionless.

He stared at Xu Ruyu, the young man covered in blood yet standing perfectly straight, his eyes filled with disbelief.

What was that aura? Half-step Saint Realm?

He had lived for tens of thousands of years and Cultivated to the Half-step True Immortal realm; he considered himself well-informed and believed nothing could escape his eyes.

But Xu Ruyu, this young man who had feigned weakness under his very nose for so long, this "Qi Refinement Stage trash" whom he had probed with Divine Sense countless times, actually hid the strength of the Half-step Saint Realm.

Moreover, he had hidden it so deeply that even a Half-step True Immortal like himself hadn't noticed.

Countless images flashed through Tian Jianzi's mind—Xu Ruyu's weak appearance when detonating the Acetylene Great Array; Xu Ruyu leaning against a rock with a pale face and trembling hands; Xu Ruyu being dragged off the rock by Zhao Qian and thrown to the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth and powerless to resist—it was all an act.

It was all a facade.

He had intentionally made himself look like he was at his wit's end, a lamb to be slaughtered, all to lure Zhao Qian in and wait for this moment to deliver a fatal blow.

And Zhao Qian, that fool, had actually fallen for it.

He had been carried away by success, letting his guard down, failing to notice the trace of killing intent in Xu Ruyu's eyes.

He thought he was the hunter, unaware that he was the prey.

Tian Jianzi's face instantly turned ashen.

Fire almost spewed from his eyes—it was anger, shame, and also fear.

Anger that Xu Ruyu dared to kill Zhao Qian right in front of him; shame that he, a senior, had been played like a fool by a young man; and fear—just how many trump cards did this young man still have?

"Zhao Qian!"

Tian Jianzi let out a roar filled with grief and rage.

The sound was like a thunderclap, causing gravel on the cliff to tumble down and birds in the distant forest to take flight in a flurry.

The roar carried the terrifying power of a Half-step True Immortal; the surrounding air vibrated, and the gravel on the ground jumped from the force.

Zhao Qian was his martial nephew, someone he had watched grow up and an Elder of the Tianshu Sword Sect.

Though he often scolded Zhao Qian, it was because he held high expectations for him.

He thought that while Zhao Qian's Aptitude wasn't as good as those peerless Geniuses, he made up for it by being steady and obedient.

He never expected Zhao Qian would die here, die before his eyes, and die at the hands of Xu Ruyu.

How could he explain this to the Sect? To the Sect Head? To himself?

"Xu Ruyu!"

Tian Jianzi shouted sharply, his voice thick with killing intent, every word squeezed through his grit teeth.

"You are looking for death!"

Sword Intent erupted from his body with a boom.

That Sword Intent was incomparably sharp, almost tangible, slicing the surrounding air into ribbons.

His robes snapped in the sword wind, his white hair danced wildly, and he became like an unsheathed divine sword, radiating a terrifying aura that made one's heart skip a beat.

His Cultivation—the Half-step True Immortal realm—was released without reservation at this moment.

The aura was as heavy as a mountain, as deep as an abyss, and as irresistible as heavenly majesty.

The surrounding air froze; even the wind stopped.

The moonlight seemed to dim slightly, suppressed by that terrifying aura.

The gravel on the ground was pulverized by the Sword Intent, turning into dust that scattered with the wind.

The runes on the pure white longsword in Tian Jianzi's hand lit up one by one, emitting a blinding white light.

The light contained fluctuations of the Law of heaven and earth, as if this single strike could sever all things.

His eyes were full of killing intent, which felt as solid as two sharp swords piercing straight for Xu Ruyu's heart.

He had lived for over ten thousand years and had never been toyed with like this.

Who among those who stood before him was not respectful? Who was not trembling in fear? Yet today, this Qi Refining brat had killed his martial nephew right in his presence.

If this grudge was not avenged, how could he, Tian Jianzi, face the world?

"Xu Ruyu, die!"

He raised his longsword, the tip pointed at Xu Ruyu.

The light on the sword grew brighter and more intense, like a small sun, illuminating the entire cliff as if it were broad daylight.

Sword Qi swirled around him; invisible blades rotated and whistled, slicing through the air with sharp shrieks.

All of his power was concentrated into this one strike.

A full-strength blow from a Half-step True Immortal was enough to split a mountain, sever a river, and change the very color of the sky.

He wanted Xu Ruyu dead.

To die under this sword, completely and utterly, with not even a speck of dust remaining.

The longsword fell.

That strike had no fancy moves or complex changes in Sword Qi; it was just the simplest of slashes.

But this simple strike contained the power of the Law of heaven and earth.

Wherever the sword light passed, the air was torn asunder, and tiny cracks even seemed to appear in space, emitting a piercing hiss.

The sword light was so fast its trajectory was nearly invisible, like a bolt of lightning, a falling star, or the scythe of the Grim Reaper, slashing directly at Xu Ruyu.

Under the moonlight, the sword light was like a rainbow, and the killing intent was like a tide.

Xu Ruyu stood beside Zhao Qian's corpse, covered in blood and pale-faced.

Looking at the incoming sword light, there was no fear or panic in his eyes, only an indescribable... calmness.

In that calmness, there was mockery, disdain, and a hint of an inexplicable... anticipation.

He stood there, motionless, as if waiting for something.

The night wind blew, fluttering the charred edges of his clothes.

The moonlight spilled over him, casting his shadow very, very long.

The sword light grew closer and brighter, illuminating his pale face and his bright eyes.

He still did not move.

He merely allowed a faint smile to curl at the corner of his mouth.

In that smile, there was mockery, disdain, and an indescribable... confidence.

The sword light was only thirty feet away from him.

Twenty feet.

Ten feet.