Chapter 123: How Many Factions Are There, After All?

The night was dark, the wind was high, and the world was silent. In the vast wilderness, only the croaking of frogs kept company.

The Royal City had one distinct benefit: it never bothered to close its gates at night. This was not because the Lord of Heaven was careless, but because everyone here was an immortal, accustomed to coming and going as they pleased. If something truly happened, a mere city gate could never contain such figures. It was simpler to just station a few soldiers to go through the motions and report any trouble if it arose.

A city capable of standing as a Royal City naturally had its own strength. Furthermore, most of the inhabitants were ordinary immortals, and true masters generally disdained striking at the weak. Thus, peace was maintained for all.

When Su He stepped out of the city gate, the two guards merely flicked their eyelids open, glanced at him, and shut them again. They had seen this all too often. Most were young masters embroiled in petty disputes, heading outside the walls to settle scores. If they won, they felt satisfied; if they lost, at least no one saw. They took Su He for just another such young master.

"Hey," said the first soldier, "do you think this one will make it back today?"

The second soldier, eyes closed and leaning against the wall, smacked his lips and muttered, "Who knows?"

The first wanted to say more, but was roughly interrupted: "Sleep, just sleep. Everything you need is in your dreams. Why worry so much..."

Su He arrived at the riverside specified in the letter, located several dozen miles from the Royal City. The surrounding water-grass grew thick and reached his knees, its emerald hue visible even in the dark, with an occasional dewdrop sliding off a leaf tip.

Su He turned his gaze slightly. "Come out. I have arrived as promised; why not show yourself?"

Yet, after his words faded, only silence remained. The croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects in the grass grew piercing, sharp enough to seem to pierce one's eardrums.

Suddenly, a chill struck from the ground, aiming straight for Su He’s back.

"Is this your way of greeting? Quite unique," Su He moved with lightning speed, evading the lethal strike.

The attacker was clad in black and masked, holding a shimmering azure blade. "Hmph, if it weren't unique, how could it be worthy of the name Baili Su He?"

With that, he lunged again, his strikes continuous and relentless, each aiming for a vital point. He said coldly, "Show me your true ability. Only if you leave here alive tonight will you receive the antidote."

"It seems you have come specifically for me." Su He retreated repeatedly, then suddenly flicked his robe, kicked the blade aside, and closed in to launch a palm strike.

"And what if I have?" The man sneered. "Do you think I would only fight you with martial prowess?"

As the words fell, he channeled his energy into his blade. Instantly, the sword light surged, lashing out in several directions.

Su He’s expression shifted; he pressed his body low, sliding several paces to barely avoid the attack. He turned back suddenly, wiped the blood from his face, and said, "So, you truly have no intention of letting me leave?"

The man laughed, his azure blade vibrating straight, and declared loudly, "Is this all the Sealer of the Wusheng Gate has to offer?"

Su He looked at him, his gaze shifting slightly to the rear as he squinted. "You have done your homework well. Are you not afraid of the world mocking you for winning unfairly? To treat an injured man in such a way—if this spreads, it will surely tarnish your reputation."

"Hahahaha, is that so?" The man’s wild laughter ceased abruptly. He pointed his sword at Su He. "If others were injured, I would indeed disdain to strike. But you—how could you be so simple?"

He glanced elsewhere, malicious intent in his eyes. "Since you've all come, how can you expect to share in the spoils without putting in the work? Come out, all of you. Stop hiding like cowards."

"It’s not that we like to hide, but we were afraid someone might think we were ganging up on you, which would be unsportsmanlike," said a voice that sounded somewhat sinister. Unlike the first man, he was straightforward enough to show his true face—one that looked unexpectedly righteous, which contrasted sharply with his voice. He added, "What? Are you afraid someone won't recognize you?"

The first man sneered, "Mind your own business. If you aren't going to strike, what are you waiting for?"

"Strike, of course... we will strike."

As the words fell, two more figures emerged from the shadows. Suddenly, the four of them surrounded Su He from all sides. Su He stood in the center, sweat dripping down his face. Seeing this, the four men were filled with smug triumph.

They had long since learned that Baili Su He could not yet channel his true essence. They intended to strike while he was vulnerable; if he died, there would be no need for any tests. If he survived, it would prove that he truly was the Sealer of the Wusheng Gate. It would explain why the Gate had suddenly brought him into their ranks—perhaps they feared for his safety and chose to bring him out of the shadows. From unknown to world-renowned, as long as the Sealer proved his worth, he would become the safest of the seven great Sealers. At least, in the face of the great cause of the Yuhaitian, no one could simply sit by and watch him die.

The Wusheng Gate’s move was dangerous, but brilliant—it indirectly turned everyone else into their henchmen. This was what the four men could not tolerate; if he wanted to be a Sealer, he had to survive them first. If he died, everything would come to nothing.

The four men attacked with various techniques. But just as they closed in on Su He, an unexpected turn of events occurred. A strange mist rose from the ground, instantly disorienting the four of them. The masked man saw Su He nearby and lunged with his sword, but the person he turned to meet was actually one of his own cohorts, leading to a fierce clash of blades.

The man with the sinister voice was also lost in the fog when he sensed a killing intent from behind. He turned and saw Su He. Desperate to find him, he held nothing back, and the two began to fight tooth and nail. The more they fought, the angrier they became, neither realizing anything was amiss.

The situation was much the same for the other two. In the thick fog, they bumped into each other, each perceiving the other as Su He, and immediately unleashed their most lethal techniques. In the blink of an eye, the water-grass was shredded, and the river waves surged to the sky.

Suddenly, the masked man was wounded and his senses returned. Realizing something was wrong, he shouted, "Stop! We’ve been tricked!"

The other man wouldn't listen, dismissing it as Su He’s desperate ploy, and mocked, "Ha! Is this all the legendary Sealer can do? You might as well go home and learn to nurse a child."

The masked man, enraged, roared, "Your mother is the one who should go home! You’ve been played, you idiot!"

Before he could finish, a blade flashed toward his face. In his panic, the masked man raised his sword to block, his left hand throwing the scabbard, which struck the other man in the chest. The man hastily changed his stance to parry, but as he opened his mouth, a blast of icy white air, as solid as stone, shot toward the masked man’s face.

The masked man was furious; he channeled his energy to create a wall of air to block it. With three thunderous booms, the wall shattered. The other man lunged with his blade, but found only empty air. Looking up, he saw the masked man descending upon him with a sword strike. Before he could react, the blade pierced his flesh.

As the pain struck, his mind cleared. He cursed, "What the hell are you doing? Why are you stabbing me instead of Baili Su He?"

"It’s because you are useless—"

Before the words were out, the surrounding environment shifted. Two splashes of crimson blood erupted. Both men looked down, stunned to see their chests pierced by blades. Turning their heads, they saw that both were held by Su He. Before they could understand what was happening, they perished.

As they fell, Su He stood against Su He. Both were startled. Looking at each other, then glancing at the Su He on the ground, they frantically backed away. As they turned to flee, they were blocked by another Su He. Looking back, they saw two more.

Terrified, they screamed in unison, "Which one of you is real?"

The Su Hes replied, "Playing the fool, thinking you can escape death?"

They were forced back, stumbling over the corpses. In the air, besides a sense of unease, there was the faint, sweet scent of blood. With nowhere left to run, the two men stood back-to-back, cold sweat dripping down their faces. They realized they had been careless. But the problem was that the dead were Su He, the ones surrounding them were Su He, and even the person at their back was Su He. They were all real, all identical. Truth and falsehood were impossible to distinguish.

Suddenly, one of them had an epiphany. "Who wants the antidote?"

Every Su He fell into contemplation. A moment later, they laughed, "Why would I want that?"

The man, understanding, stammered, "There... there is no antidote, everyone at the Wangyun Inn will die. It is a special potion designed for immortals. If you don't take the antidote back before dawn, the potion will turn into a lethal poison. Once it becomes poison, there is no cure."

They swallowed hard, looking at the figures before them with a mixture of tension and hope. But they were soon disappointed. Some looked at them like they were idiots, some chuckled, and others ignored them entirely. None seemed to care.

"You... you don't want the antidote? You won't save them?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the mist, faint and calm, as if discussing trivialities: "If I kill you, I can still attain the Dao."

"Su He? You are the real Baili Su He, aren't you? Then who are they?"

"They? Aren't they just you?"

The man who had the epiphany realized something was wrong as he saw the Su He before him transform into his own likeness. They turned to each other and said, "Look, who am I?"

They saw the answer in each other’s eyes. It was clear: they were meant to kill themselves. Their hearts sank. They had thought this was a guaranteed win, only to be counter-killed and trapped.

While filled with regret, they also harbored doubts. It was said Su He couldn't use his true essence; how could he trap them here?

"Curious?" Su He’s voice sounded.

They nodded. They wanted to know before they died.

"But I can only tell one of you. Who should I tell?"

"Me."

"Me."

They spoke in unison, then glared at each other.

"How about this? Whoever has the antidote, I will tell. And then, I will let him go."

Silence was their only response, the silence of impending death. Both wanted to live. But people’s thoughts differ. The one who had the epiphany thought that since Su He wanted something, he wouldn't dare kill them. The other thought: since we are both going to die, why not seize the antidote and live?

In a split second, he chose to strike. He thought he could succeed in one move, but he failed. He slowly turned his head to look, but halfway through, his head rolled to the ground. "Why?"

"The dead don't need to know too much." Su He stepped forward. "The antidote."

"Here."

"You may go."

"You're not killing me?"

"I have no interest in you."

"Good. We shall meet again."