Chapter 71: Fellow Daoist, Please Meet Your End!

Having made up his mind, Master Six Plagues immediately withdrew his spiritual power, intending to recall the robe that had been locked in a stalemate with the fierce winds in the void.

“Today I have had my fill—let us end this contest here. Another day, we shall see who prevails!” he declared, urging the robe back to him.

But unexpectedly, the winds, which had previously only retreated defensively, suddenly surged forth with renewed ferocity, binding the Plague Robe tightly and refusing to let Master Six Plagues retrieve it.

Lin You remained composed, a gentle laugh escaping his lips. “Come and go as you please? Friend, you take matters far too lightly.”

Master Six Plagues’ expression darkened at these words. He had offered his adversary a graceful exit, only to find it refused!

He replied coldly, “What do you want? Would you have us fight once more?”

He checked his own spiritual reserves—about half remained. Based on his calculations, this Daoist before him should have been drained of power by now. Was he merely posturing, all bravado with no substance?

As he pondered, the young Daoist opposite him shook his head with a carefree smile. “Nothing more. I simply invite you to meet your end.”

Master Six Plagues began to laugh, a deep and mounting sound laced with suppressed fury. How many years had it been since anyone dared speak to him so?

Ever since he inherited the legacy of True Lord Yuan Embryo, the Heavenly Plague Daoist, he had advanced rapidly, earning the distinction of a prodigy. Even the national preceptor, a cultivator of Dao Foundation, admired him, appointing him as the head of the Plague Division with the cultivation of True Energy at the seventh cycle.

He commanded life and death at will, his orders obeyed without question.

Yet now, this Daoist spoke so lightly, declaring he would send Master Six Plagues to his death?

Utterly absurd!

“Very well! I shall see how you intend to bring about my demise!”

All thoughts of his subordinates vanished from his mind. Now, his sole focus was to crush the audacious Daoist before him.

Consumed by rage, he no longer held back, pouring all his spiritual power and true energy into his spiritual treasure, activating its powers.

At once, a heavy aura of calamity pervaded the scene.

In the air, countless visions of heavenly plague disasters seemed to appear, invading the Crimson Pine Daoist’s domain.

This was the most potent technique left within the Plague Robe by the Heavenly Plague Daoist—a spell of a hundred plague arts woven into a single supernatural power.

The spirit of the wind sensed the terror of this force, recoiling in fear, unwilling to touch the corrupting energies that eroded even spiritual essence.

Yet Lin You’s expression remained serene.

He showed no fear of the impending disaster.

Through his earlier duel with Master Six Plagues, his own spiritual power had not been greatly depleted; twenty streams of pure true energy still coursed within him.

Across from him, Master Six Plagues had spent much of his reserves.

Though he had not forced his adversary into the Daoist domain, Lin You now required no such aid.

He rose slowly, his azure robe billowing in the wind.

“Your supernatural powers are impressive…” he said.

He drew forth a pine-grained wooden sword, gazing at the calamity sweeping in like a tide, and stepped forward.

Within his sea of consciousness, a small jade-green branch bore a single supernatural leaf, trembling gently.

All twenty streams of pure, orthodox true energy were channeled into it.

“I too have a sword—may you taste its power!”

With these words, he brought the wooden sword down.

The dark, disaster-laden skies were instantly pierced by a brilliant azure sword-light, spanning heaven and earth.

It was as if dawn had broken through the night.

The myriad plagues and disasters surging toward him were utterly annihilated by this single stroke.

“How can this be? After half a day’s contest, how do you still possess such power?” Master Six Plagues cried, his eyes wide with terror.

This Daoist’s spiritual force was pure and upright, seemingly refined entirely through spiritual insight, following the most orthodox path of ancient cultivators—unlike his own, which was patched together by consuming medicines and elixirs.

Thus, when their powers collided, his own spiritual force was instantly shattered.

In disbelief, he watched as the dazzling azure sword-light engulfed his form completely.

His mind flashed with one last thought—Wasn’t this Daoist a practitioner of the Wind Path? How could he wield such sword arts?

With that single stroke, the world was cleansed; the filth in the sky was swept away.

Even the mountain peak where Master Six Plagues stood was shorn flat.

Deprived of its master’s control, the Plague Robe tumbled from the sky.

This spiritual treasure was of exceptional quality, and under the force of the Jade Sword’s intent, it remained unscathed.

As it fell into Lin You’s hands, it sensed the threat of destruction and tried to resist, to flee.

Had it been an age rich in spiritual energy, a spiritual treasure left by True Lord Yuan Embryo would have been unmatchable even without a wielder, far beyond the reach of any cultivator at the True Energy realm.

But in this era of waning spiritual power, the treasure could not draw on the world’s energy; thus, it could only resign itself, as the jade-green tree drew out all its Daoist essence.

On its branch, another azure Dao-seed sprouted, exuding the aura of plague and misfortune, as if it contained all the world’s filth and ill fortune.

Lin You, with a stir of thought, sensed the extraordinary nature of this Dao-seed.

Within it, he detected the essence of “calamity.”

Men have disasters; heaven and earth have calamities as well.

This truth had dawned on him since he first set foot on the immortal path.

Presently, calamity had not arrived, only because the Daoist domain had yet to fully mature, so for now, only minor disasters appeared.

Within the domain, disaster energy was already accumulating, and he estimated it would erupt once he established his Dao Foundation.

Most of this energy stemmed from the calamities suffered by Pine Ancestor; now that Pine Ancestor was part of the domain, the accumulated disaster energy belonged to the whole domain.

The visit from Master Six Plagues today fulfilled the domain’s “human calamity.”

Lin You’s gaze deepened as he regarded the azure Dao-seed of plague and calamity, gaining new insights.

If he could mature this seed and integrate it into his domain, its benefits would surpass even the Sword Path Dao-seed.

Yet at present, he was utterly destitute—not only lacking the Daoist essence to mature the seed, but his own true energy had been exhausted by the recent contest.

A pity, for Master Six Plagues had been cautious and never set foot within the domain; otherwise, Lin You could have settled matters with far less cost.

With these thoughts, he turned to look at the now empty domain.

The Plague Master was gone, and the mother plague insect had been reduced to ash.

The great epidemic in Jiangzhou was now at its end; he believed Senior Brother Yujing and the others were more than capable of handling the aftermath.