Published: March 4, 2025
Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Contest
Tie Butian appeared ordinary at first glance, but he was a combination of the imperial divine art and the ice heart jade bone divine art. He aimed to give the other party an impression of being invincible within the first moment, instilling a sense of "this person is a natural-born king."
As long as this feeling took root, it would greatly aid Tie Butian in recruiting this individual in the future, making cooperation or recruitment a natural progression!
At this moment, Tie Butian naturally believed the other party was merely passing by and was completely unprepared for his gaze. In fact, whether in battle or conversation, one would generally pay attention to the other's eyes. But who could have imagined that there could be such effects in a gaze?
Chu Yang’s gaze, of course, was even more intentional!
For this look, he had even drawn out all the cold energy from the Nine Calamity Sword's tip, transforming it into his own power, creating an atmosphere that felt like a thousand miles frozen over. He made the first move, gathering boundless arrogance in his heart and revealing this look!
This gaze had to leave an indelible impression on Tie Butian!
Chu Yang’s eyes were calm, sharp, proud, and wild, like the wolf king of the extreme northern plains—sharp as a sword, cold as ice. In these eyes, there was a fullness of ruthlessness!
In such a gaze, all beings in the world were like ants, ripe for slaughter; the Nine Heavens were like straw, ready to be trampled upon!
But Tie Butian's gaze was gentle, warm, calm, and without waves, like the sea that encompasses all rivers, lofty and supreme; yet it was as if he overlooked all from the clouds, exuding an air of a ruler that spread effortlessly!
Here I stand, reigning supreme!
Under heaven, all lands are the king's; on the shores of every land, all are the king's officials!
One was earnest, the other indifferent, yet both were giving their all!
This was a contest!
But this contest had no victor or loser. If Chu Yang's gaze was the waves, Tie Butian's gaze was the reef. The waves surged, stirring up piles of snow. The reef stood tall, unyielding.
Was it the reef that shattered the waves? Or the waves that engulfed the reef? Who could say who triumphed?
But after this gaze, Chu Yang rushed like a whirlwind, stopping beside Tie Butian and his entourage at a distance of four to five zhang, whirling past, and with a whoosh, he turned into a shadow and vanished toward the city gate. His expression never changed throughout.
Tie Butian's gaze also returned calmly, contemplative.
It seemed that this time was merely a coincidence. A fleeting encounter.
Even Tie Butian and the others regarded this meeting as a chance occurrence!
"What a terrifying person." Behind Tie Butian, dozens of experts whose power had reached their limits breathed a sigh of relief, their faces heavy. A few even broke into a cold sweat at their noses. The ground beneath them cracked with a loud bang as the sudden exertion of power dissipated!
The chill that had hit them earlier felt like falling into an ice cave.
Although the other party had made no moves and merely flew past, everyone felt as if a sharp sword was slicing through the air, about to kill before breaking through again—an overwhelming sense of terror!
"A terrifying person? Just how terrifying?" Tie Butian looked thoughtfully in the direction Chu Yang had departed, slowly asking.
"From his eyes and the aura he exudes, that person is likely a top executioner in the world!" A person in blue beside Tie Butian inhaled sharply and spoke with intense vigilance: "However, this person's intent is clearly not aimed at the crown prince. Because when he looked at you, your highness, there was no hint of killing intent—only a sense of… indifference."
At this point, dozens around them suddenly seemed to reflect: Facing a crown prince with such grandeur, yet being so dismissively indifferent… it was clear how resilient this person's nerves and how high his self-control were.