Chapter 592 Vladimir Appeared
Jonathan’s pupils constricted when he saw the axe coming straight toward him. With the help of spiritual energy, he quickly stepped toward the right by a few centimeters, barely dodging the axe. The weapon basically slashed right past his shoulder.
At the same time, he stretched his hand out and pressed it on Sofus’ spirit shield without looking. “Break!” Jonathan muttered as spiritual energy poured out of his hands. Sofus’ spirit shield that was protecting him trembled like waves under the impact of a pure spiritual energy attack.
“How is this possible?” Sensing the anomaly happening to his spirit shield, his expression changed drastically. He held the axe with both his hands, aimed it toward Jonathan’s face, and brought it down.
“It’s too late.” The edges of Jonathan’s mouth curved upward before his right hand suddenly broke the spirit shield on Sofus’ chest apart.
Pftt! Blood spurted out of Sofus’ mouth as a look of disbelief was seen in his eyes. He flew backward violently into the valley. While his body was still flying in midair, Jonathan dashed forward faster than him.
The sword fragments rapidly jabbed into Sofus’ meridians to seal off his spiritual energy. In an instant, Sofus appeared like a deflated balloon as he stared at Jonathan sullenly on the ground. “How did you break my spirit shield apart?”
“Nothing is impossible.” Standing next to Sofus, Jonathan uttered, “If your spirit shield were formed by the spiritual energy you’ve amassed yourself, then it wouldn’t have been easy for me to shatter it. However, breaking apart a spirit shield formed with impure spiritual energy is much easier. I just need to use a little pure spiritual energy to destroy the balance of the spirit shield and crack it.”
He then picked up the axe and played with it. “I’m only here to look for medicine, Sofus. Based on what you said earlier, your master’s not dead yet. Even though you attacked me, I won’t give you two trouble as long as you hand me the medicine.”
Sofus laughed in response. “You won’t give us trouble? Jonathan, you have a terrible sense of humor, Jonathan. Summerbank Abyss requires the blood essence of four Grandmasters every three years to reseal it. Otherwise, the monsters from within will break the seal apart and flood into the outside world. We, the Phoebus Sect, have been protecting the world for nearly two thousand years, and now you’re telling me you won’t bring us trouble? Let me tell you something, Jonathan. If you insist on protecting Lauryn for your own selfish reasons, you’ll become the cause of a disaster that’ll bring ruin to the world— “
Before he could finish speaking, the axe was already placed next to his neck.
He was stunned. As his line of sight followed along the axe, he saw Jonathan’s expression had turned icy. “I hate it when people try to stop me by saying it’s for the greater good. I don’t give a d*mn if you’re trying to seal monsters or gods here. The pill is the only thing I care about.”
“You…” Sofus stared at him with a puzzled look. “How can you not care about the world…”
“I’m not the Messiah. I don’t care about the world,” Jonathan spat coldly. “In that two-thousand-year period, there are about seven hundred instances of a three-year gap. If four people died every three years, then it means almost three thousand Grandmaster Realm cultivators died in the hands of the Phoebus Sect. Let me ask you this. Do you consider those three thousand cultivators as part of the people living in the world? Even if Summerbank Abyss contains some of the deadliest creatures on the planet, what right does your sect have to decide who should be sacrificed?”
“That…” When Sofus heard that question, he looked as though he was a little lost. “But what we’re doing is to save more people…”
“If you sacrificed yourself to save others, then you can say you did it for the greater good. However, if you sacrificed others to save people, then you’re just a clown who thinks he has a higher moral ground.”
That shut Sofus’ up completely.
Jonathan stood at the side and went into deep thought. Sofus is only sixteen years old, yet his cultivation level has already reached the advanced phase of Grandmaster Realm. His monstrous constitution is enough to cause a commotion in any faction. However, he’s still too young. Even though he may appear mature for his age, his line of thinking is far too naïve because he had been cultivating deep in the mountains for a long time. It’s easy for people to manipulate him if he was brainwashed with extreme ideas from a young age. Based on our conversation earlier, it’s not hard to figure out he had been brainwashed to think that the axis of morality is built upon the responsibility of saving the world. I doubt I can change his way of thinking with just a few sentences, but it’s probably good enough if that planted a seed of doubt in his mind.
At that moment, Jonathan turned around because he felt an extremely powerful spiritual energy rapidly approaching him in that direction.
Upon sensing that powerful spiritual energy, Sofus shouted with joy, “Master! I’m here, Master!”
Following his shouting, a black figure finally appeared in front of them.
It was a skinny old man wearing a black robe with a white beard so long that it touched his chest. He also had a hair bun.
The old man was holding a horsetail whisk. Unlike how other people wield the weapon, he was just holding it casually.
Faint spiritual energy continuously flowed out of the old man’s body. It made others feel as though his spiritual energy had a life of its own and breathing like a human being.
He looked like an old man on the verge of dying. However, even though he was just standing there, Jonathan felt as though there was an endless amount of pressure coming from the old man.
“Vladimir?” Jonathan asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Upon hearing that, the old man gently leaped and crossed more than ten meters in a single motion before landing next to Sofus.
“It’s been two years since we last met, Mr. Goldstein. You’ve improved a lot.” As Vladimir spoke, he waved the horsetail whisk in his hand.
Suddenly, it was as though an invisible string was pulling the sword fragments lodged in Sofus’ body away.
“I gave you the pill back then because I saw great fortune surrounding you. I didn’t expect things would turn like this after saving your life. Well, forget about it. Since this mess started because of me, I should be the one to end it. As this is how we met today, once I kill you, I’ll sever the fate that binds us both. What do you think, Mr. Goldstein?” Vladimir uttered.
Jonathan unleashed his force field before staring at the old man warily. “I’ve never forgotten about the fact that you saved my life, Sir. However, it is inevitable that things would end up this way today. I still believe it’s better if we don’t fight each other.”
With a gentle shake of his head, Vladimir informed, “The Three Ultimate Formations need to be replenished with the blood essence of four Grandmasters today. If you don’t want to fight me, you’ll have to seal your companion’s meridian. Once I replenish the formation, I’ll give you the pill and let you go.”
Even though his tone sounded plain, the threat in his voice was obvious to even the most inattentive listener.
“What if I don’t want to do that?” Jonathan asked with a smile.
Vladimir’s horsetail whisk gently lay on his arm. “If you insist on antagonizing me, then I have no choice but to send you to the afterlife.”
