Sword Aura to the Heavens
Chapter 108 - 104 Two Swords

Chapter 108: Chapter 104 Two Swords

The people of Chuzhou City looked up at the sky and saw the Sky Vaulting Sword whistle through the heavens.

A figure emerged from the void, sword aura coursing beneath his feet, carrying him forward on a blade.

The newcomer was clad in a light azure robe, spotless and untainted, with a tranquil demeanor, as stately as a pine and as elegant as bamboo. A sword was sheathed on his back, but the most striking feature about him was his head of silver hair, glistening like frost and snow.

He appeared young, but the silver strands carried no trace of age or decay. Instead, they exuded a celestial aura.

"Ji Hua!" The middle-aged man beside Ye Yunke’s eyes flared with sharpness.

"So it’s him," Ye Yunke said, clearly familiar with the name.

Ji Hua rode his sword through the skies, his silver hair flowing like silk. He looked down toward Wen Ruyu and called out with a smile, "Junior Wen, it’s been a long time."

"Brother Ji," Wen Ruyu replied with a smile of his own.

There were very few people atop Li Mountain that earned his admiration; those old relics held no place in his heart.

Yet the Brother Ji who stood before him was one of the rare exceptions whom he respected.

Ji Hua, the direct disciple of Gu Qingyang.

Wen Ruyu’s father was Ji Hua’s senior, making Wen Ruyu technically of a younger generation.

However, since Wen Ruyu was apprenticed to the Old Blind Man, whose seniority was undeniably high, it caused Wen Ruyu’s generational rank to become muddled.

Thus, everyone addressed each other according to their own interpretations.

As for Li Fan, though young, his seniority within Li Mountain was also conspicuously high.

"This must be Junior Fan," Ji Hua said as his gaze landed on Li Fan, smiling. "How radiant. It seems Li Mountain is destined to produce another Great Sword Cultivator."

"Junior Brother, this is Brother Ji, Master Gu’s first disciple," Wen Ruyu introduced to Li Fan. Though Li Fan had spent over a decade on Li Mountain, he had never met Ji Hua before.

Ji Hua had left Li Mountain many years ago to wander the world and had not returned since.

At the time, Gu Qingyang had hoped to pass on his mantle and make Ji Hua the master of Sword Mountain atop Li Mountain.

But when Ji Hua learned of it, he immediately fled, leaving Gu Qingyang fuming with rage.

Now, after more than a decade, Ji Hua had resurfaced, arriving in Chuzhou City.

Wen Ruyu naturally understood that Ji Hua’s visit this time was because he had sensed Li Fan’s presence and so returned to Li Mountain.

"Brother Ji," Li Fan greeted with a smile. Though he had sensed a powerful cultivator from Li Mountain in Chuzhou City earlier, he hadn’t known it was Ji Hua.

This senior brother was different from the elders of Li Mountain. His eyes sparkled with vitality, and his unrestrained, carefree demeanor revealed a confident arrogance.

The surrounding crowd, overhearing their exchange of titles, quickly recognized Ji Hua as a Great Sword Cultivator of Li Mountain.

For Chuzhou City, the mere presence of Li Fan seemed to create an unprecedented storm.

After exchanging greetings, Ji Hua’s gaze shifted, finally landing on Zhou Ding. He addressed him with a smile, "You’re planning to kill my junior brother?"

"Ji Hua."

Zhou Ding locked eyes with Ji Hua, his voice like a rumble of thunder. "I’ve heard of you."

Years ago, when demons wreaked havoc, Ji Hua had distinguished himself in battle and made his name known. Back then, however, Ji Hua had not yet achieved his current brilliance.

Later, he vanished without a trace. The genius Sword Cultivator of Li Mountain had left its peaks behind, and no one—neither Li Mountain nor Zhou Ding—knew where he had gone.

"Apologies, I’ve never heard of you," Ji Hua said lightly. "But the name of a dead man is hardly important, so whether I know it or not doesn’t matter."

"Few dare to speak to me like this," Zhou Ding said as he stepped forward, the heavens trembling as though an earthquake had struck the earth below.

"Then you must not meet many people," Ji Hua replied with a laugh. As his words landed, he casually waved a hand. Instantly, the sword on his back unsheathed itself and shot straight toward Zhou Ding.

The sword appeared unremarkable at first, but as it cut through the air, its speed suddenly surged. In an instant, brilliant sword light illuminated Chuzhou, and the sky reverberated with the whistle of its flight.

Half of Chuzhou City felt the oppressive power of that sword’s might.

The blade expanded dramatically, and with a deafening roar, the heavens rumbled. Before the sword even arrived, its overwhelming Sword Intent descended like an avalanche. The cascading sword light made it nearly impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open.

A furious roar shattered the heavens, deafening all who heard it. Those on the ground felt their *Divine Souls tremble violently,* as if pierced by the sound. It was a tiger’s roar. In the skies above Zhou Ding, an enormous tiger shadow emerged—it was his Martial Spirit.

Zhou Ding threw a punch forward, an enormous fist-shaped aura erupting from his strike. The tiger’s roar mingled with the fist’s energy as they merged into one, surging toward the incoming monstrous sword.

"Squelch..." The sky seemed to shimmer with divine radiance as the massive sword tore through the fist projection, shredded the tiger demon, and continued unimpeded, charging directly at Zhou Ding.

Zhou Ding’s arms vibrated as his Martial Spirit fused with his body. His tiger shadow enveloped him, transforming him into a white tiger-clad warrior, his Golden Body impervious to destruction.

"Clang..."

A thunderous crash erupted as the sword struck the white tiger armor, sending Zhou Ding’s body hurtling backward. Ji Hua waved his hand, and the sword immediately returned to hover in front of him.

Zhou Ding lowered his gaze, the cracks on his white tiger armor clearly visible. Tilting his head back, he drained a mouthful of wine, then turned his fiery eyes toward Ji Hua. The bloodlust emanating from him surged to the heavens, causing the skies to writhe and filling the air with a deadly chill.

The citizens near the battlefield’s periphery could sense the overwhelming killing intent, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, legs weak with fear.

*What realm was this?*

Zhou Ding, once a court general of the Da Li Dynasty, had slaughtered countless foes, naturally building up an intimidating air of death and violence.

"Pretentious! And that killing intent of yours—who are you trying to scare?"

Perceiving the murderous aura radiating from Zhou Ding, Ji Hua spoke with mockery in his tone, fueling Zhou Ding’s fury as flames of wrath flickered in his eyes.

Zhou Ding had been a prominent general of the Da Li Dynasty, his hands stained with an ocean of blood, his path paved over mountains of corpses. Even after leaving the military, he had ruled supreme in his domain.

Yet now, he was subjected to such disdain.

"Sent to die by those scheming behind the scenes, and here you are, obliging? Do you even realize how out of your depth you are in these turbulent waters?" Ji Hua’s tone remained indifferent, but his Sword Intent continued to grow stronger.

Despite Zhou Ding’s status as a former general, Ji Hua seemed unimpressed.

A mere former general, daring to meddle in court and Li Mountain affairs. Clearly, Zhou Ding had been manipulated—or tempted with promises of reward—failing to measure his worth against the opposition.

*Did he really think that Li Mountain was as easy to crush as any of his past adversaries?*

The armor of a general, worn too long, must have tricked him into thinking himself invincible.

In the skies above, the Sword Aura flowed like streaks of radiant light, dazzlingly beautiful. The crowd gazed upward only to see waves of sword light washing over the sun itself.

"I’ll strike just once. If you survive, I’ll let you leave."

Ji Hua stood tall in the void, riding the Sword Aura. His calm voice brimmed with unrestrained arrogance.

The people of Chuzhou City were speechless. Against a Great Practitioner like Zhou Ding, Ji Hua intended to strike only once?

Even before Ji Hua’s sword descended, the currents of Sword Intent flooding the sky were already cutting into the white tiger armor encasing Zhou Ding. Feeling the tidal waves of Sword Intent crashing against him, Zhou Ding lowered his head, the killing intent in his eyes now blazing.

*Gone was his earlier composure.* With the pressure of the Sword Aura mounting, his wine gourd shattered. Even the spilled wine defied gravity, suspended mid-air, held aloft by the Sword Aura. Sword light refracted off the floating wine, scattering into a spectrum of brilliant colors.

Zhou Ding raised his arms and let out a roar as his Martial Spirit unleashed an earth-shaking tiger’s cry. High above, an enormous tiger demon materialized in the sky, coiled among the clouds. It lunged toward Ji Hua while Zhou Ding unleashed another punch. This time, fist shadows filled the sky like meteors, hurtling toward Ji Hua.

"Boom..."

Zhou Ding’s foot stomped into the void, and entire buildings within Chuzhou City crumbled in an instant, reduced to rubble. Countless people groaned under the shock.

Just as the crowd thought Zhou Ding was about to engage Ji Hua in a life-or-death battle, his body suddenly hurtled downward out of nowhere, racing toward Li Fan and Wen Ruyu with blinding speed, like a streak of light.

Ji Hua’s arm moved. In the instant Zhou Ding acted, Ji Hua slashed with his sword.

The Sword Intent drifting through the sky seemed to crystallize in that moment, transforming into a colossal Heaven-Splitting Sword as it swung forth, slicing the heavens in two.

To the citizens of Chuzhou, it looked as though the sky itself had been severed. Then they witnessed the breathtaking scene that followed.

Zhou Ding’s diving figure was cleaved in half mid-air, torn into two pieces.

Though bifurcated, Zhou Ding was not yet dead. His massive eyes radiated terror and fury as he continued his descent, roaring as he surged toward the ground.

Ji Hua swung his sword again. With a swift "squelch," the downward-plummeting remainder of Zhou Ding’s form was split further, blood splattering across the sky as his mangled corpse plunged earthward.

Ji Hua had originally intended to strike only once, but Zhou Ding had tried to lay a hand on Li Fan to gain leverage over him.

As a result, Ji Hua struck twice, erasing Zhou Ding completely.

The Sword Aura in the heavens dissipated, yet the hearts of Chuzhou’s people remained unsettled for a long time.

Zhou Ding’s arrival had been nothing short of a seismic event for Chuzhou.

Yet to kill him, Ji Hua used only two strikes.

"The Seventh Realm?" Ye Yunke asked the middle-aged man beside him.

"The Seventh Realm," the man affirmed with a nod. His gaze rested on the distant figure in the air, rippling with emotion. The once-gifted Sword Cultivator of Li Mountain, who had left its heights over ten years ago to wander the world, had now ascended to the Seventh Realm—a feat even more astonishing than before.

It seemed Ji Hua was destined to surpass his teacher.

Given the circumstances, the emperor would need to act quickly. Li Mountain’s new generation could not be allowed to thrive.

Around the inn, countless eyes turned toward Ji Hua.

Ji Hua sheathed his sword, stepping forward through the void. In mere moments, he stood before Wen Ruyu and Li Fan.

"That man liked his drink," Ji Hua said. "I thought he’d have more backbone. But it turns out he was a coward after all. People really can’t be judged by appearances. I overestimated him. That supposed love of wine? Pure pretense for show."

As he spoke, he pulled out a wine flask of his own, taking a hearty swig before offering it to Wen Ruyu. "Care for a drink, Junior Wen?"

"How could I not?" Wen Ruyu said, taking the flask. Suspended mid-air, he tipped it back, letting the wine dribble down his cheeks before passing it to Li Fan. "Your turn, Junior Brother."

"Alright," Li Fan replied without hesitation, tilting his head back to gulp down the wine.

"Junior Fan, it seems, has a taste for good wine as well," Ji Hua said with a hearty laugh.

"Drinking requires good company," Wen Ruyu said. "And just as a sword needs its wielder, wine needs its companions."

"Shouldn’t there also be beauties involved?" Li Fan asked with a sidelong glance at Wen Ruyu.

"Your senior sister isn’t here," Wen Ruyu replied, giving Li Fan a look. "Even if she were, she wouldn’t drink. But your senior sister dotes on you, so it’s really up to you to earn her favor."

"I..." Li Fan muttered, a little wistful as he admitted bashfully, "I don’t dare."

Wen Ruyu and Ji Hua burst into hearty laughter. Ji Hua remarked, "You two junior brothers are amusing. It’s a shame this isn’t the time for merrymaking, or we’d drink our fill."

As he spoke, his gaze turned toward the distance, his voice ringing out loud and clear. "Since you’re here, why not come out."

With those words, yet another tidal wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.

In Chuzhou City—there were still other Great Practitioners present!