Chapter 953: The Whole World Is Enemy

When Deng Taia arrived by sword, he saw only the young feudal lord sitting alone atop the badly damaged stone steps, a saber across his knees. Xu Fengnian, whose clothes were stained with blood, looked utterly exhausted. Yet, his spirit was vibrant, and his extraordinary physique, which had endured continuous heavy blows, was now like a withered tree coming back to life. It was regaining full vitality and steadily approaching its peak condition.

Deng Taia landed gracefully, the ordinary iron sword gifted by his disciple at his waist. He held the Taia sword inverted as he stood beside Xu Fengnian, saying, "Eight hundred years of scholarly spirit, now dispersed among humanity."

Xu Fengnian nodded. "The old master was clearly a bit reluctant before he left," he said. "He lingered for a couple of hours, properly arranging some final affairs, and only then underwent rainbow transformation on the spot."

Deng Taia frowned. "Then this fight..."

Xu Fengnian gave a wry smile. "The supreme sage and master, the backbone of the Central Plains' cultural lineage, likely trusted Li Yufu, whose Taoist heart is pure. Patriarch Li had escorted a dragon carp along the Guangling River to the sea, and the old master must have observed him secretly and found him trustworthy. As for me, he didn't have much faith. Not only am I Xu Xiao's son, but I'm also very likely to contend for supremacy. If I were him, I wouldn't feel confident handing over the old man's legacy. That's why this whole ordeal happened; he insisted on pushing me to the brink of death and despair, only willing to stop after witnessing my true fundamental nature."

The Peach Blossom Sword God, who had never shown the slightest interest in the rise and fall of empires, sneered, "In the end, he was still flaunting his seniority."

Xu Fengnian neither confirmed nor denied it. He turned his head and asked with a smile, "Are you resentful that your flying swords couldn't enter Mount Wudang?"

Deng Taia replied candidly, "Of course. Once a sword is unleashed, how could it return without accomplishing its purpose?"

Xu Fengnian and Deng Taia simultaneously looked up at the distant horizon, which was gradually turning fish-belly white. After Sage Zhang of the Zhang Family underwent rainbow transformation—a process similar to a Taoist immortal dissolving their physical form—a new, ineffable atmosphere seemed to emerge between heaven and earth, obscuring the heavenly secrets.

"Heaven and Earth possess the upright Qi, which takes varied forms as it flows, filling the vast firmament."

Xu Fengnian whispered, "To establish virtue, achieve merit, and make great statements—these are the three imperishable achievements of a scholar. This old master truly couldn't achieve them all."

Deng Taia crossed his arms. "Impressive, yes, but to me, it still felt somewhat unsatisfactory."

Xu Fengnian sighed helplessly. "In life, not everyone can be like you, Deng Taia. You shouldn't speak as if it's so easy."

Xu Fengnian suddenly remembered something and smiled. "Oh, right, before he left, the old master told me that, in his opinion, your swordsmanship is the greatest that has appeared in the thousand years since swords came into existence."

Deng Taia retorted grumpily, "The path of swordsmanship is merely the sesame seeds Patriarch Lü discarded after picking up the watermelon."

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes. "Talking to you is really boring."

Deng Taia shot him a sideways glance.

Xu Fengnian asked, "What about the two hundred thousand swords scattered across the ground at the Wu Family Sword Mound? Do you need to return them?"

Deng Taia countered, "What, do you want to keep them?"

Xu Fengnian quickly waved his hand. "How could I dare? That old patriarch of the Wu Family would fight Beiliang to the death! One can't be too excessive when digging at someone's foundation."

Deng Taia simply said, "Oh. Then I'll return them all. Wu family's things have always been an eyesore and troublesome to me anyway."

Xu Fengnian lowered his voice. "No, don't! At least pick out a few hundred or a thousand good swords and famous blades and secretly keep them. Just say they were destroyed by Sage Zhang. If the Wu Family Sword Mound insists on making a fuss, they can go smash Sage Zhang's residence!"

Deng Taia's face was full of disdain. "I'm too lazy to do something like that."

Xu Fengnian grinned brightly. "No need for the Peach Blossom Sword God to trouble himself. I'll do it, I'll do it. I'm quite familiar with intercepting things like that."

Deng Taia clearly didn't want to engage further. He began to hold his breath, concentrate his mind, and cultivate his intent. Controlling over two hundred thousand flying swords to journey to Beiliang was no easy feat.

Xu Fengnian suddenly said, "Before he left, the old master told me that Tuoba Pusa of Beimang had made rapid progress in his martial arts cultivation overnight."

Deng Taia, who instantly grasped the implications, darkened his expression. "Are they planning to use Tuoba Pusa and Tantai Pingjing to deal with you simultaneously?"

Xu Fengnian hummed in agreement. "More or less."

Deng Taia asked, "Did the old master say how high Tuoba Pusa's cultivation has reached? Is there any comparison?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head. "It was vague. He only said five words: 'Heavenly Human Great Longevity.'"

Deng Taia frowned. "I've never been good with such obscure words. Just tell me directly: when Wang Xianzhi left the East Sea, was Tuoba Pusa slightly inferior or comparable to him?"

Xu Fengnian had clearly pondered this troublesome question for a long time. He blurted out, "I guess the best outcome is that he's slightly half a step inferior."

Deng Taia asked, "And the worst outcome?"

Xu Fengnian joked, half-seriously, half-falsely, "I'm afraid it might scare you if I say it."

Deng Taia twitched the corner of his mouth. "Has anyone ever told you that talking to you is also quite boring?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head. "No, actually, especially not women. There's a saying widely circulated in the Central Plains right now that proves it: 'Ten years to cultivate Song Yushu, a hundred years to cultivate Lu Dongxuan, a thousand years to cultivate Xu Fengnian.'"

Deng Taia said nonchalantly, "Oh, isn't it 'a hundred years for Xu Fengnian, a thousand for Lu Dongxuan'?"

Xu Fengnian stroked his chin, feigning confusion. "Did I remember it wrong?"

Deng Taia couldn't help but raise his voice. "Spit it out!"

Xu Fengnian dropped his joking expression and sheathed his Liangdao saber at his waist. "The worst outcome is that at certain moments, Tuoba Pusa's combat power will even surpass Wang Xianzhi's by half a step."

Deng Taia simply laughed it off, uncrossed his arms, and stretched as dawn approached. "Well, if that's the worst outcome, why don't I handle Tuoba Pusa?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head, squinting as he gazed at the peaceful, gradually pale blue sky in the distance. He said languidly, "You've already fought him once in Beimang. This time, let me do it."

Deng Taia was silent for a moment, then, with belated realization, he scoffed, "Don't forget, you've already fought him twice in the Western Regions and outside Liangzhou Pass. If I recall correctly, it was one draw and one loss, wasn't it?"

Xu Fengnian let the clear breeze brush his face, dispersing the last of the bloodstains' scent from him. "When have I ever lost? Besides, during that thousand-li campaign in the Western Regions, if Li Mibi hadn't intervened at the last moment, Tuoba Pusa would already be dead."

Deng Taia simply laughed it off. "Fine, if you're so intent on being a hero, I, Deng Taia, will grant your wish."

Xu Fengnian said softly, "Perhaps in terms of combat power, we few are all at the Heavenly Human realm, and the difference isn't vast. However, there's a unique state of mind that Wang Xianzhi possesses, which you, Deng Taia, couldn't have even with the Taia in hand, and Tuoba Pusa couldn't have even with a gift from an immortal."

Deng Taia asked curiously, "Unrivaled in the human world?"

Xu Fengnian suddenly drew his Liangdao saber, its tip pointing at the great sun that had now risen into view. "An enemy to the whole world!"

Deng Taia asked again, "Do you have it?"

Xu Fengnian answered indirectly, "Beiliang has always had it."