Immortal of the Ages

Azure Kite Street buzzed with activity, yet beneath the lively commerce loomed an aura of calculated menace.

Yun Xiao, with a mix of calm and curiosity, found himself stationed before a quaint shop within the Spirit Treasure Walk. The sign overhead squawked its proprietor's philosophy: "Madam Qian’s—Freshly Baked! No Stale Pills Here."

Inside, Madam Qian, a woman of a certain age yet untamed vigor perched on a stool behind the counter. Her legs were nonchalantly crossed, a pipe, teetering between her lips, billowed lazy clouds of smoke. She regarded Yun Xiao with an amused, undulating stare, the essence of unvoiced questions swirling in the opulent air around them.

“All this is primo stuff!" she bellowed, “Soft, lightweight, breathable. Ideal for a young lady to discreetly armor herself. Heck, each piece will even ward off Sword Souls from the Establishment Origin Core Realm!”

“And if the armor fails?” Yun Xiao’s fingers danced over a piece of delicate armor, internally marveling at the complexity hidden within its seemingly fragile form.

"Well, if it fails, I guess it fails! Maybe we'll hold a feast! I’ll snag a seat at the kiddos' table.” A playful grin unfurled across Madam Qian’s visage.

“You’re a crafty one, huh? Charging me 200,000 Spirit Stones for this?” Yun Xiao’s eyebrow arched upward, his voice twinged with amused incredulity.

“Look, you get what you shell out for. That’s our golden motto here in Spirit Treasure Walk,” Madam Qian replied, not missing a beat.

A mental wrestle concluded within Yun Xiao, and for the sake of his Senior Sister Zhao’s happiness, his wallet would mourn its losses today.

“Lin Lin, lend me your expertise, will you? What would a girl like?” His eyes flitted toward the younger woman nearby, revealing his utter ineptitude in such matters.

Beside him, the young girl in a goose-yellow skirt paused momentarily, her demeanor frosty. When Yun Xiao spoke to her, she subconsciously glanced behind. There lingered thousands of ruthless, malicious gazes.

“So many people want to kill him, and yet here he is, buying magic treasure armor, haggling with the shop owner?” Lin Lin couldn’t comprehend his actions, silently muttering, “Where does his courage come from? We snuck into Spirit Treasure Walk so discreetly. My father won’t even have time to rescue us if these people attack!”

The atmosphere was frigidly tense.

“Choose one!” Yun Xiao urged.

Lin Lin coldly regarded him. Purchasing a piece of treasure armor for 200,000 Spirit Stones was indeed a lavish act. She felt a pang of envy, but remembering that the funds came from Sword Heaven, she soured again.

“This one!” She chose a yellow piece, side-eyeing the surroundings where many influential individuals seemed to be alerting their respective family's powerhouses.

“That won’t do,” Yun Xiao, after inspecting the piece, shook his head.

“Why not? This is the prettiest piece here,” Madam Qian questioned, baffled.

“Got something a bit… looser?” Yun Xiao probed.

“Is the lady you’re gifting rather... plump?” Initially, Madam Qian thought the gift was for Lin Lin.

“Not quite. Her waist is as slender as this girl's,” Yun Xiao pointed at Lin Lin, “It’s just the upper part that might need to be a bit... more accommodating!”

“What exactly is the size, dear brother?” Madam Qian grinned mischievously.

Yun Xiao gestured toward a white jade lantern overhead, “Somewhere in that ballpark...”

“Understood!” Eyes alight with commercial lust, Madam Qian whispered, “Wait here.”

It wasn’t long before she unveiled a black piece of magic armor, combining generous top coverage with a sinuously tapered waist, as fragile as silk and, crucially, available as a set. Black stockings, two pairs, hung nonchalantly to the side.

Yun Xiao’s heart played an erratic dance upon one glance, imagining the ethereal picture of Zhao Xuanran donning such exquisite armor and leg guards.

“How do you find this piece?” Madam Qian, her eyes a playful squint, inquired.

“Passable! If the price is right, it's a deal,” Yun Xiao commented, unperturbed.

“Young man, you’re truly blessed,” Madam Qian signed with a shake of her head.

Blessed? What in the heavens was she jabbering about? It was an enigma to Yun Xiao.

“Let’s cease the games and speak of price, shall we?” he interjected.

“500,000 Spirit Stones,” Madame Qian, a crooked grin accenting her features, embarked upon a lively spiel, “This, my young friend, is the crème de la crème of our Spirit Treasure Walk’s armory, nearing a tool of magic, tailored for the eminent female cultivators, ensuring unparalleled protection...”

Yun Xiao paused momentarily, then, with a courteous bow, made to exit. “Too expensive. I'm taking my leave!”

An armor set with a price tag rivaling the coveted Azure Spirit Cauldron! The audacity! Poverty's cold grasp clenched him.

“Wait wait wait! The price, my dear boy, is negotiable,” Madam Qian, her voice laced with urgency, called after him.

“I've only got 200,000 Spirit Stones,” he declared stoically.

Madame Qian drew a heavy puff from her pipe, glancing between the black armor in her hand and Lin Lin, then spoke, “With this paltry sum, you could only afford a smaller Dao Companion!”

"..." Yun Xiao could offer no reply.

“Have you all had enough?” Lin Lin was ablaze with anger, she glared at Yun Xiao, “What toad dares to dream of feasting on swan?”

“My dear, if I may be so bold! Amongst you, it is this young gentleman who most resembles the swan,” Madam Qian retorted, a chuckle rippling through her words.

“Madam Qian!” Lin Lin cast her a frosty glance, “This matter has nothing to do with your Spirit Treasure Walk. Mind your sarcasm!”

Madam Qian chortled, “Child, I have walnuts here. Care to purchase some to boost your brain?” Daring to mock the daughter of the Sword Lord, one could tell she possessed a certain audacity.

Furthermore, the front of her shop was now teeming with people, all of whom eyed Yun Xiao with no good intent, yet she dared to converse and laugh heartily with him. Where would she be without some leverage?

“You!” Lin Lin was about to unleash a string of choice words when a procession emerged from within the Spirit Treasure Walk.

“Brother Chu!” Her eyes alighted upon a youth shrouded in violet robes. Instantly, her fury dissipated, replaced by an elixir of joy and sweetness as she dashed towards him.

A single day’s absence had rendered three autumns’ longing.

“Lin Lin.” Holy Son Chu, gently cradling her hand, soothed, “Fear not! With your Brother Chu here, he dares not harm you.”

“Yes!” Lin Lin nodded vigorously, clutching him tighter at the memory of being visually ravished by the unworthy Yun Xiao. Noticing the persistent bandage crowning Holy Son Chu’s head, her voice caressed with concern, “Brother Chu, are your ears still not healed?”

“It has,” Holy Son Chu reassured. “I merely forgot to remove the bandage amidst my breakthrough. It’s become somewhat dirty. I’ll have to wash it out on my return.”

“I will wash it for you,” Lin Lin whispered, a gentle crimson tinting her cheeks. Reunited with her beloved, her father’s admonitions were cast to the winds.

“Mhm!” A cough escaped Holy Son Chu. Suddenly elevating his gaze, his piercing eyes locked with the solitary white-clad youth, now encircled. “Yun Xiao!” A name that grated even in his dreams.

“Holy Son Chu?” Yun Xiao’s eyebrow quirked subtly, his gaze drifting past him to those who followed.

A motley gathering indeed! There were people like Xiao He, Patriarch Fan, and Ning Que. The younger lot included Fan Jian, Xiao Xing'er, Ning Jing, and several others. There were also quite a few unfamiliar faces, all dressed similarly to Holy Son Chu, likely members of his family.

“Choosing the road through heaven, but hell-bent on barging into hell instead, eh?” Holy Son Chu’s eyes twisted into a malicious glare at Yun Xiao. He had trained with mad fervor these past few days, breaking into the Late Origin Core Realm, his heart filled with a single, obsessive thought—to have the man before him slashed a thousand times over.

"Yun Xiao! With the powerful from the Chu, Xiao, Ning, and Fan Families of the Sea of Swords all gathered, and thousands of Sword Cultivators surrounding you, how do you expect to survive this night?" Lin Lin clutched Holy Son Chu’s arm, her eyes shimmering with rage. “Brother Chu, this useless guy has run amuck during your seclusion, even daring to let Ning Yan claim that you couldn't take a single sword strike! He’s tried to smear your name! Show him the might of the Forbidden Tower’s Holy Son Chu, here in front of this grand assembly!”

"Chu Yan, my son, strike! He's defiled the Azure Kite Sea and must be executed by your hand, the Holy Son!" The green-robed man, Patriarch Chu, called out.

“Kill him!” Beside Chu Yan, a seductively enchanting woman spoke in a cold voice. This was Li Xian'er, Holy Son Chu’s mother, a woman renowned for her beauty across the Sea of Swords.

“This little beast, sheltering under the Sword Lord’s protection, shows no respect for anyone! If he doesn’t die, where will the face of a hundred thousand Sword Cultivators of the Sea of Swords go?” Chu Yun, the elder brother of Holy Son Chu, called out.

"Little Bro! Strike him down with one sword! This honor is yours!"

Chu Feng, Chu Yu, and others spoke one after another. They were Holy Son Chu’s big brothers and sisters. Though they weren't Heaven Chosen of the Forbidden Tower, they were still top disciples at the Origin Core Realm. They were all stronger than Ye Tiance.

"Holy Son Chu! Purge the wicked with a single strike!" The eyes of thousands of Sword Cultivators were ablaze, all focused on the violet-robed youth. Their blood boiled with fervor.

Feeling the gaze of Lin Lin, then his Chu Family, and finally the thousands of Sword Cultivators, a trace of panic flickered through Holy Son Chu’s eyes. “This Yun Xiao... he hasn’t truly drawn his sword in public yet, has he...”

Otherwise, the scene would be different.

“Given the combat power he showed in the Northern Wastelands, I should be able to defeat him, to wipe away my previous shame, after breaking through a stage. But the problem is his Sword Aura is too high now. There’s a huge risk...”

As this thought flitted through his mind, Holy Son Chu coughed slightly, his gaze shifting to Yun Xiao with an icy chill. "Tonight, my family, friends, and I are feasting, a moment of celebration. I don't want to kill you, lest I dirty my hands! Do the deed yourself!"

"Eh?" Lin Lin blinked, startled. "With his thick skin, how could he possibly end himself? Brother Chu, just throw a casual strike, it won’t dirty your hands.”

“It will dirty my Sword Soul!” Holy Son Chu ground out through clenched teeth.

“I’ll help you clean it...”

Holy Son Chu's heart was in turmoil.

Just at this moment, a hand landed on his shoulder, causing Holy Son Chu to jolt. Turning his head, it was his protector Xiao He.

“This little beast has drained the Azure Kite Sea clean. Although his cultivation is lower, it’s best you geniuses don’t confront him, to avoid unexpected mishaps,” Xiao He said, his gaze indifferent as he looked at Yun Xiao.

Relief washed over Holy Son Chu, though anxiety still pricked at him. "Master Xiao, please end Yun Xiao with one sword stroke!”

“You’re Xiao He, right? Chu Yan’s protector? Ensuring his growth?” Yun Xiao, observing the performance of Holy Son Chu with a slight smile, suddenly let his gaze grow cold, locking onto Xiao He.

“What of it?” Xiao He stood with his hands clasped behind him, his mighty power swirling around him like a dragon, seeming to scrutinize Yun Xiao from among the clouds.

"What realm are you in?" Yun Xiao inquired.

"Establishment Origin Core Realm!" Lin Lin interjected disdainfully, eyeing Yun Xiao. "Your ignorance of even this explains your fearlessness, your audacity to prance about tonight, doesn’t it?"

"Oh, Establishment Origin Core Realm?" A subtle smile edged Yun Xiao's lips.

"Yes! A realm that should make you tremble! Though your Sword Soul has high quality, in this lifetime, you might never cultivate to such a lofty realm!" Lin Lin scoffed.

"Feeling desperate?" Holy Son Chu laughed, leisurely stepping back behind Xiao He.

"Trembling? Desperate?" In Yun Xiao's eyes, a lethal intent suddenly erupted. What a farce! Although he'd only been in the Sea of Swords for two days, he'd genuinely had enough! The incessant babble of not being able to withstand a single sword stroke echoed throughout the Sea of Swords, yet he’d had no opportunity to publicly take action. He could bear it no longer!

This was precisely the moment when everyone thought Yun Xiao would be toyed to death by this group of powerful family cultivators!

People shook their heads and scoffed coldly.

In that instant, Yun Xiao's hands suddenly wielded the Heaven Burial Sword Soul, bursting with over a hundred layers of Sword Aura!