ATPnovel Chapter 1 Encountering a Sword Immortal at Night
Chapter 1 Encountering a Sword Immortal at Night
Boom—!
A pale flash of lightning cleaved through the dim sky like a sharp sword, instantly illuminating the outline of a dilapidated building in the desolate wilderness below, making it look like a hideous monster.
Following closely behind was a deafening rumble of thunder, carrying the immense power of heaven and earth, rolling past.
Large raindrops then began to fall, pattering and pounding on the broken tiles, among the dense foliage, and in the muddy ground, creating a noisy yet oppressive symphony.
Zhou Ning jolted awake from his half-conscious state, only to realize that he had fallen asleep against the cold, damp wall.
He rubbed his knees, which ached from the cold, and in the brief moment of another flash of lightning, he was able to see his surroundings.
This is an ancient temple that has been abandoned for who knows how long. The plaque on the gate has long since decayed and fallen off, and its name is no longer legible.
Inside the hall, the Buddha statues were covered in dust and cobwebs, and the tattered curtains fluttered in the draft, emitting a strong musty smell.
"This is... utterly unlucky."
He muttered something under his breath, the sound echoing faintly in the empty, dilapidated hall.
As a scholar who was focused solely on studying the classics and preparing for the imperial examinations, I would never have ventured into such an obviously dangerous place to stay unless I had missed my lodging and encountered this sudden downpour.
The soaked blue shirt clung tightly to his body, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
Zhou Ning laboriously moved his almost frozen body closer to the small campfire he had just managed to start.
The flames flickered in the wind, offering limited warmth, but they did somewhat dispel the gloom and chill in my heart.
He took out the last of the dry rations in his bundle, which were soggy from the rain, and silently began to eat them, using the little water left in his water bag.
All that could be heard was the endless sound of rain and wind outside the hall, as well as a strange noise from the depths of the mountains and forests, whether it was the howl of wolves or something else.
"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or supernatural beings..."
He subconsciously recited the words of sages, trying to suppress the growing fear in his heart.
However, when his gaze swept over the Buddha statue, whose face appeared blurred and whose smile seemed to be neither one nor the other in the flickering firelight, a strange chill still crept up his spine.
Just then...
"Ugh!"
A sharp, piercing sound, completely unlike the sound of wind or the howl of any known wild beast, suddenly pierced through the rain and clearly entered the hall.
Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine.
The voice was filled with resentment and coldness, as if it had hooks that burrowed straight into the bones of a person.
The dry rations in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and his heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of his chest.
Immediately afterwards, a dazzling blue light shot into the sky from a distance outside the palace. Although it was only a fleeting moment, it illuminated the rain-soaked area as if it were daytime.
Within the light, a lithe figure seemed to move swiftly and agilely.
"Is someone outside? Or are they...fighting?"
Zhou Ning's mind flashed through scenes from supernatural tales, a mixture of fear and curiosity.
He gritted his teeth, suppressing his fear, and tiptoed to the dilapidated window frame, cautiously peering out through the crack.
The rain was so heavy that visibility was extremely poor.
Only faintly visible in the distance, in the forest clearing, could one see lights flashing and colliding, accompanied by increasingly dense and piercing howls and the sound of metal clashing.
Curiosity ultimately prevailed over fear.
He took a deep breath of the cold, musty air, mustered his courage, and quietly pushed open the nearly collapsing palace door. He slipped out and, using the pillars and shadows as cover, crept toward the direction from which the sound came.
As he got closer, the sight before him made him hold his breath, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
In a clearing in the woods, a man dressed in a light blue outfit, whose face was obscured, was engaged in a fierce battle with a huge and twisted black shadow.
The dark shadow seemed to be made of thick, inky smoke, constantly changing shape, sometimes extending sharp claws, sometimes opening its huge mouth full of fangs, emitting a terrifying howl.
It exudes a nauseating stench and a chilling aura that penetrates to the bone; wherever it goes, vegetation withers and decays at a visible speed.
The man in blue was as upright as a pine tree and moved as fast as a ghost.
He had no weapons in his hands, only his bare hands, which he used to slap, grab, point, or punch.
Each strike was accompanied by a faint blue halo, and the sound of wind and thunder could be heard as it was unleashed.
The blue light, though seemingly gentle, struck the shadowy figure like boiling water splashed on snow, causing the figure to howl in pain as black smoke billowed and dissipated.
What is particularly striking is that this person seems to be shrouded in an invisible aura. The dense raindrops fall three feet above his head and automatically slide to the sides, without a single drop touching him.
"This...this is..."
Zhou Ning was mesmerized and deeply shaken.
Such figures and such methods have never been recorded in the classics.
This is clearly... a sword immortal? A chivalrous knight? Or...?
Just as he was feeling agitated, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.
The dark figure seemed to be completely enraged, letting out a deafening roar. Its massive body suddenly contracted and then exploded, transforming into countless tiny, venomous black wisps that lunged at the man in blue from all directions.
The speed was beyond imagination.
The man in blue seemed to have expected this, and gave a cold snort.
Without him making any move, a clear and melodious dragon's roar rang out from the sword box behind him.
"Zzzzt!"
A dazzling sword light, like a bolt of lightning, shot into the sky, resembling a second bright moon rising in the dark night, instantly illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime.
The sword light was pure and vast, carrying an unparalleled aura of slaying demons and cleansing the universe.
The sword light multiplied in the air, from one to two, from two to four, and from four to infinitely many... In an instant, it transformed into countless sword shadows, like a sudden storm, precisely matching every incoming wisp of black energy.
Hiss!
Like a red-hot iron being scalded with oil, the black mist, upon touching the sword light, emitted a shrill shriek, instantly melting and evaporating into wisps of green smoke.
However, one of the most condensed and cunning black wisps, just before the sword net closed, found a gap and shot out like an arrow, heading straight for Zhou Ning, who was watching the battle from behind a pillar not far away.
The speed was so fast that it exceeded Zhou Ning's reaction limit.
He could only watch helplessly as the black aura, radiating extreme cold and malice, rapidly enlarged in his pupils. The shadow of death instantly gripped his heart, and his blood seemed to freeze at that moment.
At the critical moment.
"You wretched creature, how dare you!"
A clear shout rang out, like a thunderclap.
The man in blue didn't even turn around; he simply pointed his fingers like a sword and casually swung them backward.
A highly refined azure sword aura, only a foot long, arrived first, striking the black aura with pinpoint accuracy in the blink of an eye.
"Aww!"
The black mist let out a desperate and unwilling shriek before completely dissipating without a trace.
At the same time, the dazzling sword light that filled the sky completely annihilated and purified the massive black shadow, and the last trace of sinister aura dissipated into the rainy night.
Between heaven and earth, it seemed that only the sound of rain pattering down and the figure in blue robes standing proudly in the center of the open space, his body spotless.
Zhou Ning collapsed to the ground, leaning against the cold pillar, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Just a moment ago, he had truly felt the touch of death.
The man in blue slowly turned around.
The electric light just then came on again, illuminating his face.
He looked to be around thirty years old, with an ordinary face but sharp features and an astonishingly bright pair of eyes, like stars in a cold night, deep and sharp, as if they could see right through people's hearts.
His gaze swept over Zhou Ning with a hint of scrutiny and indifference, but without much emotion.
Zhou Ning's heart was pounding. Was he so frightened that he fled back into the palace, pretending that nothing had happened?
still is……
Thinking of the thunderous methods of exorcising evil spirits and slaying demons, and the unparalleled elegance of flying like an immortal on a sword, an indescribable desire and impulse overwhelmed all fear and reason.
He struggled to his feet, ignoring his muddy clothes, straightened his soaked attire, and bowed deeply to the man in blue with all the strength and courage he had ever possessed. His voice trembled slightly with nervousness, yet it pierced clearly through the rain:
"Scholar Zhou Ning thanks the immortal for saving his life."