Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 132 Nothing

Jiang Xun stood at the door and made eye contact with Helian Bo for a moment.

Then he clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed, and gave a respectful greeting.

"Junior Jiang Xun greets Senior Helian."

The study was quiet for a moment.

Helian Bo didn't speak, he just stared at him.

The aura suddenly intensified, like a mountain pressing down on Jiang Xun's head, making his knees weak and his clothes on the back of his back instantly soaked.

But he didn't kneel. He gritted his teeth and stood up straight, like an iron spike nailed to the ground.

"Since you know who I am," Helian Bo said, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper, "you still dare to barge in, you've got some nerve."

Jiang Xun looked up and smiled.

"You're not feeling well, so it's best not to get angry."

Helian Bo narrowed his eyes, and his aura intensified. Jiang Xun felt his bones creaking, as if being gripped by an invisible giant hand, ready to shatter at any moment.

"This junior is arrogant and doesn't know his own mortality."

"Senior is too kind." Jiang Xun walked into the room with a generous air and sat down opposite Helian Bo. "I've heard that you are decisive and ruthless. If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done it long ago. You wouldn't use your aura to intimidate people and put on airs."

Helian Bo stared at him with a gloomy look, but showed no intention of making a move.

"Young man, what brings you here?"

Jiang Xun, acting as if they were old friends, crossed his legs and said, "This junior has come to make a deal with you, senior."

"A deal?" Helian Bo snorted, the sound forced from deep in his throat, carrying a rotten, sour odor. "What right do you have to talk to me about a deal?"

"Qualification isn't about age, it's about what you have." Jiang Xun said neither humbly nor arrogantly, looking directly into those cloudy eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, senior, your time is probably nearing its end, isn't it?"

The atmosphere in the study suddenly changed.

It was no longer oppression, but murderous intent—an intense, almost tangible murderous intent, like countless invisible knives stabbing from all directions, cutting the skin painfully.

Jiang Xun secretly channeled his inner energy, enduring the killing intent, while feigning indifference on his face, and even picked at his ear.

"You really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Helian Bo's voice was icy, like cold air rising from a crack in the ground.

"Senior is a grandmaster; killing a junior like me is indeed not difficult for you." Jiang Xun's palms were sweating, but his words remained firm. "But you're only hanging on by a thread right now. While my martial arts are not as good as yours, they're not weak either. Even if you kill me, it will take you considerable effort. Are you willing to waste that effort on me?"

silence.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps a moment, perhaps a long time—the murderous intent suddenly receded, like the tide going out, revealing a dry beach.

"Young man, you're not bad," Helian Bo spoke again, his voice even colder than before. "How did you know?"

This is tantamount to admitting it.

Jiang Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his legs even higher: "When I came near here last time, I felt that your aura was unstable. Considering the matter of the Sword God's inheritance, it's not hard to guess."

"The legacy of the Sword God?"

"You've gone to such lengths to create this Sword God inheritance, not to select a successor, but to select prey." Jiang Xun emphasized the word "prey." "You send young people to obtain the inheritance, only to have them used by you later. I suspect you've practiced some kind of evil art that allows you to refine people to prolong your own life."

Helian Bo's eyes flickered slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy pupils.

"Chen Lei obtained the Blood Bodhi in the Sword Ruins, so you attacked him. Am I right?" Jiang Xun stared intently at him.

Helian Bo suddenly laughed.

His laughter was hoarse, like a withered branch broken by the wind, or like a leaky bellows, giving one goosebumps.

"Young man," he said breathlessly, his voice even hoarser than before, "you are smarter than I thought."

"You flatter me." Jiang Xun smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. "However, there's something I don't quite understand, and I'd like to ask you for your guidance, senior."

"explain."

"Chen Lei is the direct disciple of Yin Zhai and the only candidate to become the next sect leader. You dare to touch him? Aren't you afraid of Yin Zhai's retaliation? That's a sect with two grandmasters. If either one of them comes, Shuofeng City won't be able to withstand it."

Helian Bo's smile vanished.

"Could it be that you have someone else backing you?" Jiang Xun feigned deep thought, then suddenly slapped his thigh, his voice rising several decibels, "I know! It's the treasure map of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion!"

The temperature in the study suddenly dropped.

Jiang Xun, seemingly oblivious, continued, "With the treasure map, we can find the secret treasures of the Great Sheng Dynasty. With the wealth and martial arts within, you won't have to fear anyone. Helian Quan's smuggling of repeating crossbows and expansion of his private army are all preparations for the treasure hunt, aren't they?"

"You know everything." Helian Bo's voice seemed to come from an ice cellar, each word carrying a chill. "Then die."

He made his move.

There were no signs whatsoever.

There was no movement to get up, no indication of raising a hand.

He just sat there and struck out with his palm.

The palm strike was fierce and powerful, heading straight for Jiang Xun's chest.

Jiang Xun was prepared.

With a push of his feet, he unleashed the Azure Lotus Divine Power, his entire body drifting backward like a leaf blown by the wind.

"Bang!"

The palm strike slammed into the bookshelf behind him, causing it to shatter like paper, splintering wood chips, scattering books everywhere, and sending pages flying wildly through the air.

The second palm strike followed immediately.

Faster and more ruthless, the palm wind condensed into a line, like an invisible sword, piercing straight for Jiang Xun's throat.

Jiang Xun dodged to the side, his palm whizzing past his ear before striking the wall, shattering the brickwork and leaving a crater the size of a bowl.

The third strike is coming.

This palm strike wasn't aimed at Jiang Xun, but at the ground.

"boom!"

The palm strike exploded on the ground, shattering the blue bricks and sending shards of stone flying in all directions like countless hidden weapons.

Jiang Xun had nowhere to hide and could only endure it.

He drew his longsword from its black sheath and unleashed the full power of the sixth level of the Spring Water Sword Technique. The sword light was like water, weaving a net in front of him.

The pebbles struck the sword net, making a series of clanging sounds and scattering sparks.

Jiang Xun was so shocked that he staggered backward, his back slamming against the wall, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He received three moves from Helian Bo in three moves.

Helian Bo stopped.

It's not that I'm soft-hearted, it's that I can't fight anymore.

He sat in the chair, panting heavily. His already withered face was even paler than before, like a sheet of yellow paper.

"I warned you before, senior," Jiang Xun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled nonchalantly, "You'll have to put in a lot of effort to kill me. You won't be willing to do it."

Helian Bo stared at him without saying a word.

In those cloudy eyes, the killing intent gradually dimmed like embers, revealing the weariness and age beneath.

Just then, the sound of horns came from afar.

A desolate, lingering sound drifted from outside the city, piercing the night sky, passing through layers of courtyards, and finally settling into this dimly lit study.

Jiang Xun smiled, a smile that carried a sense of relief and a hint of smugness.

"I forgot to tell you," his voice was low but clear, "Da Yong and Da Han have reached an agreement and are besieging the city. Your schemes are nothing in the face of absolute power."

Helian Bo's expression darkened further.

He never expected that, in the end, he had underestimated his opponent.