Lord Shadow

Chapter 572: Coming closer to the end (2)

Azief knows why he swing his sword.

But Xi Feng, even though his swordsmanship is one of the top tier martial arts in the world, he did not know why he keeps swinging his sword.

As such, to Azief, the sword lack weight

He keeps wrecked by uncertainty. There is a contradiction to him. And that contradiction made his sword strike light and not heavy

Azief could see what Xi Feng wanted to do and he could see what he will become.

But Azief could not tell him that.

In the end, telling him might change what he will become and it is always important for one to seek the answer to such question by oneself.

Azief could only predict. But in the end, there is a reason why prediction is called a prediction. Because sometimes it did not come true.

Xi Feng had to understand it by himself. whether he become a man crazed killer or righteous swordsman, both possibilities exist for him

Azief never told him which path to take. He is only telling him that there is a path. To walk on it, to not walk on it, has always been one choice.

Xi Feng understood his position so he trained regularly during their journey.

Then there is the Temple of Xi.

Out of all the martial arts schools and the many sects that populated the vast land of the Yong Empire, that temple is the place Azief wanted to go the most.

Xi Feng also knows that his teacher had long express desire to go to the illustrious temple that is said to originate all the martial arts in the world

So, Xi Feng pushed that creaking wheelchair and they began their journey from Jiaping Pass.

Before he goes to the Temple, he had something to do at Ruo so, so they travelled to Ruo first to go to the Sword Residence

They went pass Xuan Pass and come down to Jianding. In Jianding as they were resting, Azief met the Sect master of the Cloud Abode, Li Dan.

Li Dan is known as the Old Man Seeking His Path. He is said to reside on the Heaven peak, the highest and loneliest peak in the Cloud Abode.

He was an old man but Azief could sense power bubbling underneath that weak appearance.

That night was a rainy night with thunder roaring up in the dark night. Li Dan appears outside the inn that he was staying in, standing on top of the roof of the adjacent buildings.

He declares his intention to duel and Xi Feng pushed Azief wheelchair out. The moment that declaration was uttered, the whole city knows about it.

Now, the whole city and the whole world knows that the Sword God had arrived at Yong.

The martial artist that heard the news quickly dropped whatever they were doing and rush as fast as possible to the Ruan Inn to see the once in a lifetime duel

Azief examines the Sect master of the Cloud Abode. Li Dan had white hair and white beard, he stands straight like he could never be bended and he had a scholarly aura.

The rain droplets seem to avoid to drop on Li Dan white and black robe that seems to be designed in according to Yin and Yang

The Sword God and the Old Master of the Clouds Li Dan have met! There were many powerful experts in the martial arts world. There is the Abbot of the Temple of Xi.

There is immortal Tian who had comprehended many martial arts and its essences and there is White Robed Lady Duan.

But out of all this many grandmaster, there is another powerful grandmaster of the martial arts world.

No one dares rank this grandmaster because of his status but also because no one had ever seen him fights against the other grandmaster.

Azief noticed that the Old Master of the Cloud Abode is nearly reaching the limit of this world peak power.

That night he battled with the Old Master of the Cloud Abode using only his palm. They fought over the area, leaping through buildings like they were flying.

Each of their strikes creates powerful shockwaves that destroys countless stalls and building that is unfortunate to get in their way.

Azief restrain the use of his Physique and instead enjoy the exchange between them. The more they fight the more he could see Li Dan is improving.

Azief then fought him some more before finally defeating him on top of the hill outside the outskirts of the city.

All around them is destroyed buildings and places. Their battle induces a change in the weather, opening up the cloud above them

The rain and the wind stopped as they finished their battle.

It was a short downpour and in that short downpour, they both traded hundreds of palm strikes and attacks.

Azief could feel that Li Dan uses the worldly energy which made Azief had felt a little hard to defeat him without using his true power.

Li Dan is probably one of the strongest person Azief had fought since he come down the mountain

Those who could see the battle felt that they did not waste their time rushing to come to see the duel. Once again, the Sword God records of being undefeated is still not broken.

While the rain and the wind has stopped thunder still roars up in the sky. Nobody dares to come near the Sword God and the Old Master of Cloud Abode.

As Li Dan was coughing up blood, Azief had uses his internal energy to heal him. Azief rarely found someone he felt affable with in his journey down the mountain.

And it is clear Li Dan did not come to make things harder for him instead was purely dueling him to seek his path.

Azief no longer wonder why people called him Old Priest Seeking His Path.

They talk with each other on top of that hill that were turned into a mess because of their battle.

Azief talk to Li Dan about martial arts and they talked about philosophy and how it could be incorporated into martial arts

The beliefs and the intention of a move when to attack and to defend all could be derived by other things.

But one must not forget deriving it from other concept is not blasphemous but to be consumed by it would turn a man into nothing but an ideal.

An ideal is not a man. And a man feels and a man loves.

They talk a lot about many things and both men seem to think fondly of each other. As the sun slowly coming up, they finished their talk.

The Old Master of the Cloud Abode lose the battle but win the war.

He came to fight Azief because he wanted to break though to his limit. And even though he did not break through his limit, he now had a clue on how to do it.

And that made him happy. Azief also did not mind it.

Azief also spoke to him that he wanted to go to the Temple.

Hearing this the Old Master advises him to be careful about the Temple.

When Azief ask why, Li Dan said his Cloud Abode had quite a history with the Temple and not all of that history is cordial.

Azief just nodded and then as they reached the city again, in full view of the martial artist that have been waiting patiently since midnight, Li Dan humbly acknowledges his defeat to the Sword God.

He then declares that he would return to seclusion but will open the Cloud Abode in the next four years to accept disciple.

Azief was shocked at the declaration and then he remembers what Li Dan had said to him about Xi Feng and Azief nodded to himself.

At that time, Azief was thinking it might not be that bad for Xi Feng to learn a bit of other people martial arts.