Supreme Sword Exalt

Ah Sha slowly sat up inside the heaven-class room. She seemed unusually subdued, lacking her usual liveliness. A trace of confusion flickered in her eyes from time to time.

Gu Han suddenly had a bad premonition. “Ah Sha, did you dream this time?”

After a moment of silence, Ah Sha shook her head. “No.”

This is bad! Gu Han’s heart sank. The effect of the Fallen Nether Fruit was far less than he had imagined. Actually, this was to be expected. The Ghost Physician’s pill was refined from a half-saint herb, while the half pill from the mystic stone was an extremely rare treasure. Naturally, the Fallen Nether Fruit could never hope to match their effects.

Gu Han quickly took out the other two spirit herbs. “Ah Sha, quick, eat them.”

Ah Sha silently took the herbs as her eyes suddenly reddened. “Young Master, Chief Steward Li is dead...”

It seemed that only now did she begin to feel the loss.

Gu Han patted her head. “Don’t worry, I’ve already avenged him, None of those who harmed him got away.”

Ah Sha’s mood was still somewhat low. “Young Master, am I very useless? I got Chief Steward Li killed. I have been holding you back...”

Gu Han continued to pat her, saying gently, “It has nothing to do with you. It’s just that those people went too far. They’re just like the Gu family, too arrogant and unreasonable.”

“Young Master, are there many unreasonable people?”

“Yes, many.”

“What should we do then?” ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“It’s fine. I have a sword to reason with them!”

By now, Ah Sha had already taken the spirit herbs.

She yawned repeatedly, her eyelids growing too heavy to stay open. “Young Master, I’m sleepy again.”

Gu Han smiled. “Sleep then. When you wake up, I will take you somewhere. They have the best roasted meat in the world there!”

Ah Sha’s eyes lit up for a moment before she fell into a deep sleep. “Roasted meat...”

***

Gu Han left the room, carrying the sleeping Ah Sha on his back.

Upon seeing them, Murong Chuan had a complex look on his face. “Have you made up your mind?”

“Mhm.”

“You’re really not going to reconsider?”

Gu Han smiled. “Senior, is it because you can’t bear to see me go?”

Murong Chuan sighed with emotion. “Now that’s going too far. It’s just that the things you’ve done are very much to my liking.”

Gu Han thought for a moment. “Senior, how about I don’t leave? I can always stay here and be the manager.”

Murong Chuan fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand. “I won’t see you off!”

The two stared at each other and laughed.

After asking Murong Chuan for the location of Fengwu Court, Gu Han turned serious. “Senior, until we meet again.”

“Like I said, I won’t see you off!”

Long after Gu Han had left, Murong Chuan still stood there, not moving. After a long while, he said, “Go. Follow him secretly. If he encounters any danger on the road, help him at all costs.”

Several black shadows flashed and vanished. “Understood!”

The exchange somewhat puzzled Qian Liu. As far as he recalled, the Murong family’s hidden guards had never set a precedent for escorting others.

“Manager, why did you...” he asked cautiously.

Murong Chuan answered with another question, “Qian Liu, if you lost someone as he did, could you be like him? Could you still seek revenge knowing death was inevitable?”

Qian Liu shook his head. “No, and not many would.”

Murong Chuan was overcome with emotions. “Exactly. I wouldn’t either, but he would, and he succeeded. This time, it has nothing to do with Old Ancestor, the young lady, or any benefits. Just this once, I’ll be willful.”

***

Outside the city was nothing but desolation, with no living beings in sight.

Located several thousand li south of Great Qi’s imperial capital, Fengwu Court wasn’t difficult to find. With Gu Han’s cultivation level, if he exerted himself to the limit and traveled without rest, he could reach it in four or five days.

Gu Han carefully separated a trace of spirit qi to protect Ah Sha. Then, he pushed his cultivation to the brink, almost becoming an afterimage as he sprinted forward. His speed approached that of a Spirit Profound realm cultivator.

He didn’t encounter anyone else along the way, apart from a few scattered rogue cultivators. In just two days, he was already more than halfway through his journey.

Just then, Ah Sha slowly woke up on his back. “Young Master...”

“Are you awake?” Gu Han was delighted and quickly stopped, finding a secluded spot to gently set her down. “Did you dream?”

Ah Sha shook her head. “No.”

Gu Han was somewhat disappointed. Even though Ah Sha’s mental state was much better now, it was far from her previous liveliness.

Ah Sha looked around blankly. “Young Master, where are we?”

“This is—”

Before he could finish, his expression shifted drastically. He sprang to his feet, shielding Ah Sha behind him.

Ah Sha also looked nervous. “Young Master, what’s wrong?”

She had never seen Gu Han make such an expression before. There was tension, apprehension, and even a trace of barely perceptible fear.

Gu Han was fully on guard. “She’s here.”

As soon as the words fell, a bunch of noises came from the distance.

“Chase her!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

“This little wench is truly hateful. Once we catch her, we’ll make sure she suffers!”

Several vicious voices rose at once, followed by another—panicked, trembling, and on the verge of sobbing.

The next moment, a figure with delicate features, crying pitifully with tears like pear blossoms, stumbled into view. As soon as she saw him, she wept for joy, tears streaming down.

“Help... Brother Gu Han!” She rushed over. “I’ve finally found you, save me quickly!”

Ah Sha was stunned for a moment, then somewhat puzzled. “Isn’t that Miss Liu? Um, it looks like her, but somehow... not?”

Gu Han drew his sword and pointed it at Liu Ying, light gathering at the tip. “Stop right there!”

Liu Ying halted, heartbroken. “W-what are you doing? Brother Gu Han, do you know how much suffering I’ve endured to find you?”

Finally, her pursuers arrived.

The leader was skinny with a creepy face, his cultivation at the ninth stage of Essence Gathering. His eyes were full of lust. “Why did you stop?! Keep running!”

“Hmph, daring to play tricks on our boss, you’ve got a death wish!”

“A beauty with such low cultivation daring to wander outside... It seems you don’t understand the dangers of the cultivation world.”

“It doesn’t matter, we’ll teach her a lesson later.”

The group of men surrounded Liu Ying, spewing profanities.

Liu Ying’s face turned pale, full of misery and despair. “Brother Gu Han, save me!”

The leader then noticed Gu Han. “You’re her brother?”

Gu Han said nonchalantly, “I don’t know her. Do whatever you want with her, it has nothing to do with me. Ah Sha, let’s go!”

He picked up Ah Sha and prepared to leave.

Liu Ying stared at Gu Han as if she’d suffered the worst betrayal. “You’re so heartless! That little fatty said you were waiting for me! After all the hardship I went through just to find you, I never imagined you’d be so heartless...”

Gu Han was stunned, then suddenly realized. A vein throbbed on his temple. Fatty? That fucking bastard!How dare he set me up? Next time we meet, I’ll definitely hack him to pieces!

The leader looked impatient. “Enough nonsense! If you don’t know her, then get lost quickly! Don’t interrupt our fun!”

Behind him, one person pointed at Ah Sha and whispered, “Boss, that little girl looks quite pretty too...”

The leader’s gaze swept over, instantly perking up. “You’re right. She’s so young but already a budding beauty. Tsk tsk, in that case, you don’t need to leave either.”

Gu Han stiffened and turned to Liu Ying. “All of this was all part of your scheme, right?”

Liu Ying looked wronged, overflowing with more tears. “Brother, how can you accuse me like this? They saw me, had evil intentions, and wanted to do unspeakable things. That’s why I fled all the way here. Your words are too hurtful...”

“One great beauty, one little beauty! Tsk tsk, my luck is good today. “ The leader was in high spirits. He glared fiercely at Gu Han. “Kid, if you want to live, leave that girl behind. You can get lost!”

Gu Han didn’t speak, but he gently set Ah Sha down.

The leader seemed smug. “That’s right! You know what’s better for yo—”

A flash of light suddenly appeared before his eyes. The group went blank for an instant, their consciousness went dark. Then, they fell to the ground one after another. A half-chi-long sword marks split their foreheads open.

Liu Ying’s eyes lit up. “Brother Gu Han, you’re so powerful!”

Gu Han smiled. “Is that so? How about you try it too?”

Before the words faded, twelve strands of Great Evolution Sword Qi shot out, flying toward Liu Ying’s various vital points. Her figure blurred for an instant. The sword qi passed right through her, snapping countless thick ancient trees along its path.

Liu Ying went pale, gently patting her chest. “Brother, you really are heartless!”

Ah Sha saw Liu Ying’s action, glanced down at herself, and felt a tinge of jealousy.

Gu Han wasn’t surprised that his attack failed. He understood that the demoness before him was too bizarre. Although her cultivation was only at the Acupoint Unsealing realm, her real methods were likely extremely terrifying.

“Speak. What do you really want?” he demanded.

Liu Ying seemed resentful, slowly walking toward Gu Han. “Brother, you’re so ruthless...”

Gu Han frowned deeply. “Not going to say? Then I’m leaving.”

Liu Ying was stunned for a moment, then suddenly trembled with laughter. Ah Sha grew even more jealous. After a long while, her laughter abruptly stopped as she approached him.

“Brother Gu Han, from the moment I first laid eyes on you, I could tell that you were extraordinary...” Her gaze was filled with intoxication and reminiscence, as if recalling something. “For example, that light that injured me in your consciousness space last time. What exactly was it? And why is your soul power so strong? Also, why do you smell so pleasant? I almost want to devour you!”

She licked her lips, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.

Gu Han sighed. He finally understood why this demoness kept hounding him. His soul power was so formidable because he had absorbed part of the demon monarch’s remnant soul. The demon monarch was a figure who had reached the pinnacle of the demonic path. For demonic cultivators, even just a trace of his aura would be an extremely fatal attraction.

“So, let me smell you again... Or, you can tell me your secrets. As long as you promise me, I will agree to anything.” Liu Ying chuckled. A blush flashed across her face, her chest heaving. “And I do mean anything...”

Before Gu Han could speak, Ah Sha flew into rage. “You’re so shameless for seducing Young Master!”

In all her life, this was the first time she had been so furious.