Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 11

"Supreme Sword Master - Chapter 11: Backing Down—Once Never, or Countless Times!"

Chapter 11: Backing Down—Once Never, or Countless Times!

Gu Han explained A Sha's condition to the shadow in detail.

"Hmm?"

The shadow became somewhat interested.

"This little maid of yours—her identity isn't simple!"

"Why do you say that?"

"The soul is the foundation of a cultivator. If damaged, unless one reaches a realm like mine where the soul cannot be destroyed, her mortal body wouldn't survive more than three years. Yet this maid of yours has no cultivation and has lived safely for so many years. Clearly, someone used an extraordinary method to seal her soul, preventing the loss of soul energy. Anyone capable of such a feat must possess strength rivaling mine—or at least close to it!"

Gu Han furrowed his brows.

He had naturally asked about A Sha's past.

But A Sha couldn't even remember events from the last two years, let alone something like this.

In her simple mind,

There was only Gu Han, chicken legs, and half of Gu Tian.

"If there was a seal, then why..."

"Do I even need to explain? The seal must have broken. Didn't you say she's been feeling sleepy these past two days? That's a sign of soul energy leaking!"

"What should we do?"

"It's simple!"

The shadow suddenly paused dramatically.

"But there's a condition!"

"Speak!"

"You release me!"

Gu Han fell silent for a moment.

Pfft!

The next instant,

A chilling sword intent pierced through the shadow!

"You little bastard!"

The shadow was furious.

"You promised not to attack me again!"

"I changed my mind!"

"You..."

"Are you going to talk or not?"

"...For her condition, either use a soul-nourishing holy medicine to prolong her life, or wait until I recover my strength to reseal her soul. There's no other way!"

He could tell—

If he continued to make demands, Gu Han would truly tear up their agreement and obliterate him completely.

Backing down...

Only happens zero times or countless times.

So this time, he chose to back down immediately.

"No other options?"

Gu Han wasn't ready to give up.

"Aren't you calling yourself the Demon Lord? Always talking about ants this, ants that—this is all you've got?"

"Boy!"

The shadow exploded with anger.

"Do you really think I'm omnipotent?"

"And besides, do you even know what a Demon Lord is? To put it bluntly, we're practitioners of the demonic path—experts at killing, not saving lives! We dominate everything under the heavens, suppressing all beings. Those who obey thrive; those who defy perish! That's what I do! Have you ever seen a demon path practitioner dedicate themselves to studying ways to save people?"

His words left Gu Han speechless.

It seemed... he had a point.

However.

Release him?

Absolutely impossible!

Forget about how long it would take for him to recover his strength—if released, the first thing he'd do is come after Gu Han!

Hmm?

Sensing that A Sha might be waking up outside,

He didn't linger further or bother with the shadow, leaving the consciousness space immediately.

"Damn it!"

Seeing Gu Han leave,

The shadow cursed under his breath.

"This little bastard! So young, yet his heart is pitch black, and his methods are ruthless beyond measure. At this rate, sooner or later, I'll end up dying by his hands!"

"No, I must kill him!"

"Just wait—it's a long road ahead. Let's see how this plays out!"

...

Outside.

Gu Han opened his eyes.

Right before him were A Sha's bright, sparkling eyes.

Compared to before,

They now held less dullness and more vitality.

If her previous state was like a stagnant pond, it was now a clear spring. Combined with her already exquisite face, she now carried a faint trace of mesmerizing beauty.

"Young Master."

Being stared at so intently by Gu Han,

A Sha's cheeks flushed red.

"What are you looking at?"

"Hmm?"

Gu Han snapped back to reality.

"A Sha, you... got smarter?"

Before, A Sha had been dull, lacking in emotional depth. Other than Gu Han and chicken legs, nothing else interested her—not even when several of Commander Gu's men died right in front of her. But now, after taking the pill, her emotions seemed richer.

"That's right!"

A Sha realized it too.

"I feel smarter now. Hmph, from now on, no one but Young Master can call me A Sha anymore!"

"Good!"

Gu Han smiled warmly.

"From now on, if anyone calls you A Sha, I'll beat them up!"

"Young Master."

"Hmm?"

"I just had a dream."

"What was it?"

"I dreamed someone took me away, and I could never see Young Master again."

"Silly girl."

Gu Han chuckled.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one will take you away!"

"Mm!"

A Sha nodded obediently.

"Roar!"

Suddenly,

A faint roar reached their ears!

A demonic beast!

"Young Master..." A Sha grew tense.

"Don't worry, it's fine!"

"Roar!"

The roar sounded again, growing clearer.

Gu Han's expression darkened slightly.

It wasn't because of the beast itself—but because his heightened spiritual awareness instantly detected several people approaching their location!

"A Sha."

He remained calm.

"Stay here and don't move. I'll go check it out."

"Okay."

...

Outside.

Several wandering cultivators were fleeing in panic.

Unknowingly,

They had approached the cave where Gu Han was staying.

"Second Brother, we can't go any further!"

"Yeah, Second Brother, the beasts here seem even scarier!"

"It's too late!"

A man in his thirties glanced behind him.

"If we're caught, we're dead anyway. Might as well take a gamble—we might still have a chance!"

"Roar!"

As they spoke,

The massive creature behind them drew closer!

Over ten feet long, with sharp fangs and bristling black fur, a silver-white stripe as wide as a palm ran from its forehead to its lower back.

A second-tier demonic beast.

Silver-Striped Ironback Bear!

In an instant,

They arrived near the cave!

"Second Brother, there are people here!"

"The beasts here seem to have disappeared!"

"Damn it! It's catching up to us!"

"Roar!"

Behind them, the Silver-Striped Ironback Bear seemed to have lost its mind, ignoring the lingering aura of the Crimson Flame Serpent and charging straight in. With its bloody maw open, it lunged toward the group!

It's over!

The group looked utterly hopeless.

Swish!

At that moment,

A flash of light suddenly shot into the bear's forehead!

Thud!

The bear didn't even have time to roar before collapsing in front of them, splitting into two halves!

In their stunned gazes,

Gu Han calmly stepped out from the shadows, ignoring them completely as he retrieved the beast core and stored the bear's corpse in his storage pouch.

"This..."

The group finally came to their senses.

This Silver-Striped Ironback Bear was known for its tough hide and brutal nature, comparable to a Spirit Enlightenment fifth-level cultivator. It was aggressive and vengeful, chasing them relentlessly. Yet Gu Han had effortlessly dealt with it.

"Little Brother."

The man clasped his fists and walked over.

"Thank you for saving us... Hmm?"

As he got closer,

He suddenly recognized Gu Han's face.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Han frowned.

"Nothing... Thank you for saving our lives, Little Brother!"

"No need to thank me."

Gu Han's expression remained cold.

"I just didn't want to miss out on the beast core. If there's nothing else, you can leave now."

With that,

He ignored them and walked back into the cave.

Having narrowly escaped death, and seeing Gu Han's indifference, they naturally didn't want to stay any longer.

On the way,

The man's face lit up with excitement.

"Huh?"

One of the female cultivators was puzzled.

"Second Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"That boy—I recognize him!"

"Recognize him?"

The woman sneered.

"What's so special about him? Acting all high and mighty because he's strong. If Big Brother were here, he wouldn't even have had the chance to act. What a waste of that beast core!"

"No!"

The man shook his head.

"You don't understand. One beast core means nothing. He... might be Gu Han!"

"Gu Han? The Gu Han wanted by the Gu Family?"

"Yes!"

"What does Second Brother mean by that...?"

"Hehe, it seems misfortune brought us fortune. This time, we're going to make a huge profit!"

"But..."

Another person looked worried.

"He killed that Silver-Striped Ironback Bear so easily. His cultivation must be at least Spirit Enlightenment eighth level or higher. I didn't even see how he attacked. With our strength..."

Among them,

The strongest was only at Spirit Enlightenment third level—the man called Second Brother.

"Find Big Brother!"

The man sneered.

"He's a Spirit Mastery expert. Dealing with this guy will be easy!"

"That's right, how could we forget about Big Brother!"

"Let's hurry! If we're late and someone else finds him, we'll lose big time!"

"..."

In their conversation,

They seemed to have completely forgotten that Gu Han had just saved their lives.

...

"Mmm... so delicious!"

Inside the cave.

By the campfire,

A Sha happily gnawed on a golden, fragrant bear paw, her true nature as a foodie fully revealed.

Beside her,

Gu Han was also focused on another bear paw.

It wasn't that he was hungry—cultivators at the Spirit Enlightenment stage could go without food or water for half a month. But since this bear was a second-tier demonic beast, its flesh was rich in essence, which could slightly boost his cultivation.

Though the increase would be minimal,

Given his current lack of resources, he naturally wouldn't pass up any opportunity to improve himself.

"Burp... so full!"

Finally satisfied,

A Sha set down the half-eaten bear paw—four or five times the size of her head—and let out a contented burp.

"Full?"

Gu Han wiped the grease from her mouth.

"Then let's go."

He urgently needed to find spirit herbs to boost his cultivation and wouldn't stay any longer.

Moreover, the aura of the Crimson Flame Serpent had weakened significantly after several days, making this place no longer safe. Otherwise, even the ferocious Silver-Striped Ironback Bear wouldn't have dared step foot here.

"Mm, okay!"

A Sha didn't ask questions.

Wherever Gu Han went, she followed. Over the past decade, they had developed an unspoken understanding.

"Young Master."

Resting on Gu Han's back, A Sha suddenly spoke.

"I want to cultivate too."

"Cultivate?"

"Mm, I want to help Young Master!"

"Alright!"

Gu Han smiled.

"I'll teach you."

Previously, he had tried teaching A Sha cultivation, but back then, her mind was foggy, unable to sense spiritual energy, let alone draw it into her body. Over time, the matter was naturally abandoned.

Now,

These obstacles were no longer an issue.

...

Not long after Gu Han left,

A group of people arrived at the cave.

It was the same group Gu Han had saved earlier.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the situation inside the cave, the man's expression darkened.

"Big Brother, he's gone!"

"It doesn't matter!"

A middle-aged man with a fierce scar across his face glanced at the still-warm fire.

"It's still warm—he hasn't gone far. Let's chase him!"

"This bounty absolutely cannot fall into someone else's hands!"