M49S Vol 1 Chapter 58. Bond Severed

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the blink of an eye, Meng Qiqi flung his ring-hilted blade. It spun through the air in a wide arc, striking aside several of Yu Yao’s flying swords infused with vital force. Then, veering out of control, it flew toward the pagoda and smashed apart the tiles along the second-story eaves.

Fragments burst out from the eaves, forcing nearby cultivators to raise their sleeves in defense.

Meng Qiqi had already drawn Xiujian and, without holding back, unleashed a full-force Ten Thousand Swords Return to One at Yu Yao.

Yu Yao was forced back onto the surface of Mochou Lake. His longsword scraped across the water, and thunder seemed to erupt from beneath the surface. In the next breath, he flicked the blade upward, sending a wall of waves crashing toward Meng Qiqi.

But Meng Qiqi was as light as a swallow. His celadon gauze robe rippled in the wind, and with a single breath’s movement, he was already behind Yu Yao. Xiujian swept forward in a flash of cold light, stabbing straight at the center of Yu Yao’s back.

“What… what is going on?!” Zhong Wu leaned over the railing, his face full of disbelief. First came the shocking news of Jiang Xie’s death, though no one had seen the body. Then Dai Xiaoshan suddenly turned the fight around and began pressing Wang Ning. And before they could even begin to process any of that, Yu Yao was already clashing with Meng Qiqi.

Everything had happened so quickly that not only the younger cultivators on the terrace were caught off guard—even the elders from the various sects on the seventh floor had been a beat too slow to react.

Wang Changlin stood by the railing, his face dark with thought. With something like this unfolding, he had to act fast to contain it. As he gave orders for his men to investigate the cause of Jiang Xie’s sudden death, he also prepared to go down himself and intervene.

At that moment, Wang Ziqian was also on the seventh floor, still at Gu Shutong’s side making one last attempt. Gu Shutong had been unusually distracted today, and though so much had just occurred, he had seemed almost oblivious. But the current situation could no longer be ignored. He rose to his feet, intending to go with Wang Changlin.

However, just ahead, Wang Changlin was blocked by Tang Li.

Wang Changlin frowned. “Brother Tang, what are you doing? Are you not concerned for Meng Xiu’s safety?”

Tang Li’s expression turned grim. “The feud between Gushan Sword and Beidou is ours to settle. Clan leader Wang would do well to stay out of it.”

“Come now, Brother Tang, let’s not speak that way. We are all people of the cultivation world, branches from the same root. Besides, this is Jinling. The Wang clan is your host…” Wang Changlin said.

At that, the straw-hatted elder could no longer stay silent. He stood up and said,
“Clan leader Wang, what matters most now is to find the cause of Jiang Xie’s death. Only then can we resolve the conflict at its source.”

Tianlao had always remained aloof, traditionally avoiding involvement in sect disputes. But they were not like the Chen family. Things had escalated to a point where silence was no longer an option, and privately, the elder’s sympathies leaned toward Gushan Sword.

In the end, the Wang clan was still a worldly house at heart.

“I’ll go.” Gu Shutong stepped forward. “I have no ties to either Gushan Sword or Beidou. If I take the lead, things may go more smoothly.”

The others quickly voiced their agreement. No matter what happened next, stabilizing the situation had to come first.

Tang Li let out a quiet breath of relief. With the straw-hatted elder’s support, along with the already impartial Master Kongming and Gu Shutong now stepping in, even if someone tried to play dirty, the situation likely wouldn’t spiral too far out of control.

Still, Tang Li was deeply worried that his junior brother and the younger disciples would suffer. As soon as Gu Shutong set out, he followed close behind. Then came the straw-hatted elder, Master Kongming, and the rest. In the blink of an eye, most of the seventh floor had emptied.

Chen Wujie followed a step behind, hands behind his back, walking through the air as if strolling through a garden. In moments, he arrived beside Meng Qiqi and Yu Yao.

Meng Qiqi had already made up his mind to kill.

Jiang Xie had almost certainly been murdered. The only group he had come into conflict with beforehand was Gushan Sword. No matter who it was, the first suspect would inevitably be Meng Qiqi. And Yu Yao, who had just lost face in front of everyone, was already furious. The death of his beloved disciple had pushed him into a state of near madness.

With the two sides at each other’s throats, the true culprit stood to benefit.

Meng Qiqi saw this clearly, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Had Yu Yao truly been blinded by grief and rage? Could he really not see through this setup at all? Or perhaps… he did see it, and simply played along, seizing the chance to pin it all on him.

Jiang Xie was dead. As a person, he no longer had any value, but his death could be exploited for enormous gain.

Meng Qiqi never hesitated to assume the worst of his opponents. Their move was clever, and undeniably effective, but he disliked it all the same.

So he made up his mind to kill. Since Yu Yao had struck first, there was nothing unjust about striking back. If one makes the move on the first day of the month, the fifteenth belongs to the other.

He compressed his killing intent into a single edge of his sword. A flash of cold light flickered in his eyes. As he unleashed A Glimpse of the Soaring Swan, his figure ghosted around Yu Yao’s body like a specter. He bit down on the tip of his tongue, and the taste of blood spread through his mouth. The light on Xiujian flared another inch, and with one sharp sweep, he carved a thin line of blood across Yu Yao’s arm.

Yu Yao was forced into a bitter struggle. To his shock, Meng Qiqi’s cultivation had surged mid-fight.

That someone so young could already match him meant his cultivation had reached third realm minor perfection. That alone was astounding. But now it had risen another level.

In the third realm, every minor breakthrough came at a brutal cost. Some cultivators spent decades without progress. Some never even neared the threshold of full perfection. Yet Meng Qiqi advanced as if it meant nothing. His talent was frightening.

This sudden surge in cultivation was clearly the result of some secret technique, but the very fact that Meng Qiqi possessed such a method was enough to make people wary.

Even so, it wasn’t enough to truly strike fear into Yu Yao. Sensing the killing intent hidden within Meng Qiqi’s attacks, he merely sneered. “You insolent brat. You dare?”

Did this boy really think he, Yu Yao, Grand Elder of Beidou, was someone who could be killed just like that?

Meng Qiqi answered with an even fiercer flash of sword light. “Then don’t run!”

Meng Qiqi was set on killing Yu Yao. Every move he made drove the battle farther from the center of the lake, drawing Yu Yao away from the dueling platform in the opposite direction.

Though Yu Yao wasn’t afraid of Meng Qiqi’s strikes, he had no intention of fighting to the death. He threw all his effort into retreating toward Master Kongming, who was approaching from behind. As long as a third party intervened, Meng Qiqi would have no chance to finish him off.

“Both of you, stop!”

Gu Shutong was the first to arrive. His shout rang out like a sword’s edge. He drew his blade, not caring whether he might be struck in the crossfire.

But Meng Qiqi acted as if he hadn’t seen him. Xiujian remained steady in his grip, not veering in the slightest. Gu Shutong, unwilling to harm him, shifted his blade aside to avoid a clash. But just then, another sword flew in from the side. It didn’t carry much force, but it struck at just the right moment, cutting off his advance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Shutong saw who it was.

Dai Xiaoshan.

He and Wang Ning had been fighting nearby. The moment their match ended, Dai Xiaoshan had hurled his sword to block Gu Shutong for Meng Qiqi.

Seizing the opening, Meng Qiqi lunged at Yu Yao. Yu Yao twisted to dodge, but not quickly enough. Xiujian tore a deep gash across his shoulder.

Blood sprayed outward, splashing into the lake below.

Yu Yao’s face turned ashen, but he didn’t strike back. Instead, he gritted his teeth and retreated swiftly, trying to create distance. Gu Shutong had already shaken off Dai Xiaoshan’s interference, and Master Kongming had now arrived as well.

But so had Chen Boyan.

Wuwang was already drawn. With a single stroke, Chen Boyan stood between Gu Shutong and Master Kongming, blocking both on his own. Neither man wished to see Yu Yao cut down before their eyes, yet neither wanted to raise a hand against Chen Boyan.

And behind him, there was still Tang Li.

Yu Yao saw the situation spiraling and shouted at once, “Chen Boyan, are you really going to abet evil?!”

Chen Boyan remained unmoved. If one looked closely, they would see that the sword mark at the center of his brow was gleaming cold, a growing frost radiating outward and rendering his gaze even more indifferent.

He looked out toward the distant sky, where Chen Wujie hovered. Their eyes met, and though no words were spoken, the unspoken struggle between them was plain in their gaze. Only the lake sensed it. Its surface rippled, uneasy and beginning to churn.

Chen Wujie’s hand, hidden behind his back, slowly clenched into a fist. Something about Chen Boyan in this moment felt different. He was sending a clear warning: do not interfere. And yet, ever since awakening his sword body, this man had only grown colder. Why was he so intent on shielding Meng Qiqi?

Chen Wujie narrowed his eyes. Suspicion weighed heavier in his chest. He even felt the urge to strike at Meng Qiqi, just to test how Chen Boyan would react.

But the thought remained just that. In the end, he held back.

It was Gu Shutong who could not stay still. “Master Kongming,” he said urgently, “you hold him off. I’ll move in from the front!”

Master Kongming gave a solemn nod. With his staff extended before him, he blocked Chen Boyan’s path and called out in a clear voice,

“Brother Meng, I swear we will seek justice for you. Please, do not stain your hands with unnecessary bloodshed.”

Meng Qiqi’s expression was cold, his brows sharp with defiance. “Those words should be spoken to that old dog Yu, not to me.”

With a flash of arrogance in his eyes, he raised Xiujian high and brought it crashing down. The sound of a dragon’s cry echoed out as waves exploded across the lake.

Song of the Water Dragon!

Yu Yao could no longer wait for Gu Shutong to block the blow for him. With a shift of Star Shift and Converge, his figure flickered and reappeared on the opposite side. Raising his sword, he launched dozens of vital force swords straight at the water dragon Meng Qiqi had formed.

The blades pierced through the dragon’s body, nearly tearing it apart. Even the scattered droplets now carried traces of vital force, and the moment they struck, they stung like needles.

But Meng Qiqi paid it no mind. He tapped the dragon’s head with the tip of his foot and deliberately shattered it beneath him, sending a massive wave surging outward.

Yu Yao instinctively raised his arm to shield himself, though his eyes never left Meng Qiqi for even a breath.

Meng Qiqi flipped through the air overhead.

His celadon gauze robe billowed in the wind, light as a drifting cloud.

A silver lotus bloomed along the edge of Xiujian. The center of the flower pointed straight at Yu Yao, and the petals unfolded in a burst, fluttering downward in a storm of petals.

Yu Yao’s pupils constricted. He had no time to dodge. All he could do was dive into the lake.

Gu Shutong had never imagined Meng Qiqi would unleash such a killing move right under his nose. He rushed to intercept, but a streak of cold light tore through the air and sliced into the lake, brushing past the tip of his nose.

So fast.

Cold sweat broke out across Gu Shutong’s back. His first instinct was to look toward Chen Boyan, but it hadn’t been him. Then who? He turned, sword in hand, scanning the broad surface of the lake, but saw nothing but open water.

Suddenly, another sharp sound split the air behind him. Master Kongming’s voice followed close behind.

“Watch out!”

Gu Shutong swung his sword back instinctively.

Clang!

The blades collided. Because he had defended with his off hand, the force of the impact drove him several steps backward. At that moment, the great wave from the falling lotus finally spread outward. The water struck him square in the back, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Clutching his chest, he looked up, and saw someone walking across the lake.

Dressed in a flowing robe of blue, her figure graceful and poised, she was unmistakably the one who had just attacked him. Yet she was clearly a young woman.

The moment Gu Shutong saw her face, he froze.

That face was far too familiar. Time and again, in the dead of night, he had longed to see her again, even if only in a dream, just to find a moment of peace.

But she had never appeared in those dreams.

What he saw instead was always the same endless nightmare.

He had blamed himself and regretted it endlessly, but no matter how far he searched, he could never find a chance to make it right.

Until yesterday, when that silver hairpin appeared out of nowhere. He had chased after it, but failed to see her. All he found was a slip of paper, instructing him to be at the dueling platform in the center of the lake today.

So he came. And now she had come too. But…

“Brother Gu!”

Master Kongming’s startled cry snapped him back to himself.

His reaction came half a beat too late. He raised his sword to block, but he couldn’t hold back the relentless blows, each one laced with hatred. Master Kongming had no idea who this woman was, but seeing Gu Shutong only defend and never strike back, he was deeply shocked.

He made to intervene, but Chen Boyan remained squarely in his path. “Master,” he said quietly, “some things are not for outsiders to interfere in.”

Master Kongming did not understand, and neither did anyone watching from the terrace.

The young woman who had suddenly appeared fought as if she bore a deep and bitter grudge against Gu Shutong. Every strike came for him alone. And Gu Shutong, like a man robbed of his soul, no longer resembled the proud hero he had always been.

On the other side, Yu Yao had plunged into the lake to escape the falling lotus. The blossom had long since scattered, yet he still had not surfaced.

Was Yu Yao dead?
And who was this woman?

“Wait, miss!” Wang Changlin moved to intercept her, and the straw-hatted elder circled in from the other side. But just then, as if they shared the same mind, Meng Qiqi and Chen Boyan both shifted at once, each using A Glimpse of the Soaring Swan to change positions and block one man apiece.

Xiujian was leveled at Wang Changlin’s throat. Meng Qiqi smiled. “Why the rush, clan leader Wang?”

Wang Changlin’s tone turned cold. “Brother Meng, are you stopping me because you know who she is?”

Meng Qiqi raised an eyebrow. “Gu Shutong’s allowed to intervene, but I’m not? Since when did that become a rule?”

Wang Changlin did not believe a word of it. He was certain Meng Qiqi had some connection to the woman, but without evidence, he could do nothing.

Suddenly, a cry rang out from behind him.
“Holy Sovereign of Cangtian!”

Lu Yunting had arrived.

No one had time to wonder how he recognized her. Shock and confusion swept through the crowd.

Cangtian had always been at odds with the Central Plains sects. What was someone of her rank, a true Holy Sovereign doing here? Did she not fear becoming the target of them all?

In an instant, the entire dueling ground at the center of the lake fell silent. Not a sound could be heard.

The entire dueling platform at the center of the lake fell into utter silence.

Now that her identity had been exposed, the Holy Sovereign didn’t press the attack. Instead, she withdrew her sword, casting a cold, imperious gaze across the sea of stunned faces. A wave of pressure rippled outward from her, making her seem impossibly tall.

At this moment, no one dared to think of her as an ordinary woman. She was a Holy Sovereign, a demonic cultivator with a reputation for killing without a flicker of hesitation.

A chill ran through Wang Changlin’s heart. He had never imagined Meng Qiqi would go so far as to bring a Holy Sovereign into the mix. It was reckless to the extreme. And yet, Cangtian had remained peaceful with the cultivation world for years. Even if she stood alone now, Wang Changlin did not dare act without caution. After a brief pause, he said,

“May I ask why the Holy Sovereign of Cangtian has come here today?”

The Holy Sovereign did not answer. Her lips curved into a faint smile, one laced with something between scorn and hate.

She turned to Gu Shutong.

And so his pale face was laid bare before the entire crowd. His shock, his anguish, his conflict, all of it only deepened the amusement in her eyes.

He had never imagined… that this would be her.

How could that face resemble hers so perfectly? And yet… how could she possibly be the Holy Sovereign of Cangtian? How could this be?

Gu Shutong opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Wang Changlin, watching closely, suddenly seemed to grasp the truth. His expression shifted at once. He wished more than anything for the Holy Sovereign to leave immediately, to bury whatever might follow before it ever had the chance to emerge. But Meng Qiqi had no such intention.

In fact, he found the entire scene unbearably slow.

So he spoke.

“Senior Gu, what is your relationship with the Holy Sovereign of Cangtian?”

Meng Qiqi’s words struck directly at Gu Shutong’s old wound, exposing everything he had buried for years and leaving him nowhere to hide.

“She…” Gu Shutong’s voice was hoarse. Everything he had longed for all these years was now standing before him, yet in this moment, his throat felt choked with sand and stone. He could not speak.

The Holy Sovereign looked at him, the smile at her lips finally twisting into pure mockery.
“You still don’t dare to say it, do you? After more than twenty years, you still don’t have the courage.”

“No… that’s not…” Gu Shutong tried to speak. He had longed for this reunion every day, every moment. He had longed for it more than anything.

But the Holy Sovereign only shook her head. “You don’t have to say it. I’ll say it for you.”

“You are Gu Shutong, a master of the sword, a man of righteousness, upright and passionate. But no one ever imagined that a man like you could have a daughter who became the Holy Sovereign of Cangtian, isn’t that right? You were too afraid to admit you had a wife from the demonic path. You held fast to your virtue, to your selflessness, and yet you were a coward who couldn’t even protect your wife and daughter. You wouldn’t even acknowledge us.”

“You used your so-called righteousness to build your reputation. And in the end, it was that blind righteousness that killed my mother, the woman you always claimed to love most.”

The Holy Sovereign stepped forward. Her gaze was sharp as a blade. Every word she uttered cut to the bone.

Gu Shutong gripped his sword tightly. Blood roared through his heart, but he said nothing.

All was silent. The only sound left was her final, merciless words.

“I came here today to sever all ties.”