T/N: This chapter was translated by Elysian Pit. I DO NOT own the translation and all credit goes to the original translator. I’ve picked up this novel to continue from where the previous translator left. Thank you ❤️❤️
Qin Wanwan was flung into the vortex by Jian Xingzhi. A strong gust of wind sucked her into the gate and someone held her shoulder to stabilize her body. That person’s voice was trickling with concern, “Fellow Daoist Qin, are you okay?”
“Bai Suiyou?”
Qin Wanwan stared dazedly at Bai Suiyou. She recovered to her senses when she realized what transpired a second ago. She got to her feet and rushed back, “Long Aotian, that bastard! I……”
Bai Suiyou hurriedly went to hold her back. As he was about to dissuade her, Qin Wanwan stood frozen.
The vortex was a light gate that could let them see the opposite side, and Qin Wanwan, from where she was standing, got a clear view of the secret realm.
The sky of the secret realm was woven with cracks, the only support of the sky was the pillar that Xie Gutang constructed, but even the pillar was as transparent as a cicada’s wings. It was apparent the pillar couldn’t last long. Cultivators scrambled to enter the gate, but Jian Xingzhi alone rode back against the mass and rushed to Xie Gutang’s side.
“It’s dangerous to follow him.”
Bai Suiyou stood behind Qin Wanwan and advised her, “Fellow Daoist Qin, let’s go into the Sword Mound first. This place is just a passage opened by Daoist Monarch Xie. Once the secret realm collapses, this place will also collapse.”
“You can leave.”
Qin Wanwan pursed her lips, “I’ll wait for them here. They all stayed inside to save everyone, I can’t just leave them behind and run away.”
Bai Suiyou was startled, as if Qin Wanwan’s choice was outside of his expectation. He observed Qin Wanwan taking a few steps forward and her hand hovered on the edge of the vortex as she looked down from the gate. Bai Suiyou hesitated for a moment and walked behind her, “Then, let me accompany Fellow Daoist Qin as we wait for them.”
When everyone else scampered to get out of the secret realm, Jian Xingzhi landed beside Xie Gutang. Xie Gutang saw Jian Xingzhi come back and frowned, “Why are you…”
“A certain someone said that the strong should protect the weak,” Jian Xingzhi lifted his hand, forming a seal, “She has done her best, I can’t afford to lose out.”
“You…”
Xie Gutang was clueless about the person mentioned by Jian Xingzhi. He was about to urge him when he saw light swirling on Jian Xingzhi’s hand.
“Break past the upper limit; The Sword follows my will*.”
[T/N: 上极问九 – shǎng jí wèn jiǔ. Lit. Nine for the Upper Limit. 九 is the extreme, the top, the limit. So asking for nine is like the limit. It has no other meaning other than being some fancy incantantion for your spell.]
Jian Xingzhi slammed his hand on the ground. 666 sucked a breath of cold air, “Master, don’t!”
Jian Xingzhi did not care of 666’s dissuasion. His Divine Sense processed into Spiritual Power and he injected it into the array. At the same time, electric currents shocked his body.
A huge sword lit up in the pillar of light that was fragile like a cicada’s wings. The huge sword rose into the sky, supporting the falling sky.
A top-notch Sword Intent that he had never witnessed before materialized right before his face. Xie Gutang jerked his head at Jian Xingzhi in marvel. Jian Xingzhi gritted his teeth, enduring the spread of electric current throughout his body, he made an effort to let out a sound through his gritted teeth, “People have evacuated, you too, go.”
“Boss…”
The electric current whizzed through Jian Xingzhi’s body.
666 couldn’t bear to look at his painful situation and covered its eyes.
Qin Wanwan watched from above as Jian Xingzhi knelt on one knee, his blue clothes flutttered by the wind. He trembled from head to toe as if he was enduring something, guarding in place even though he blacked out momentarily.
She used to think he was just a bully, but at this moment, she discovered that this person may not be someone who spoke of righteousness and justice, but he was without a doubt, someone who would act for righteousness and justice.
At this moment, Jian Xingzhi, who was out of tune from his usual laid back manner, was especially dazzling. Her heart palpitated, each beat loud and clear.
She stood in a daze.
Her senses returned to her soon and realized that she must do something about this situation.
“38, for those who are bound with a System, what are the consequences for violating the character setting?”
“Haven’t you tasted it first hand?” 38 was tingling with phantom pain, “Electric shock!”
From the first meeting, the scene of ‘Long Aotian’ using his power beyond the ability of ‘Jian Zhiyan’ flashed in Qin Wanwan’s mind one by one. She instantly understood what restriction the System put on Jian Xingzhi.
“Is there any way for me to help a person with a System to avoid the punishment?”
“Yes, there is…” 38 hesitated, “It’s 500 points for a free OOC ticket…”
“Give me one.”
Qin Wanwan did not hesitate. 38 was somewhat resistant to part with the points, “Host…”
“Fast!”
Qin Wanwan insisted and 38 could only sigh, “Goodbye 1035 points. Welcome back, Poverty!”
Qin Wanwan sensed a talisman appearing in her sleeve. She groped the talisman and tossed it towards Jian Xingzhi while shouting, “Long Aotian!”
Jian Xingzhi raised his head and saw a talisman flying straight to him from a high place. He extended one hand to catch it and in a flash when the talisman got into touch with his palm, the pain caused by the current vanished. 666 clamored in surprise, “Ai? A free OOC ticket? This is 500 points ah!’”
Upon hearing this, Jian Xingzhi faced the swirling gate with a smile on his lips, “My care for her is not in vain.”
His words had just fallen and Xie Gutang couldn’t restrain the blood surging from his chest. He coughed blood and the pillar of light shattered, the sky collapsed down a large part, leaving behind Jian Xingzhi’s light sword as the sole support to the crumbling sky.
“Senior…”
Xie Gutang put his hand on his chest to calm the surging blood in his chest. He appeared to want to say something to Jian Xingzhi who faintly glanced at him, “There is no use for you to stay here in your predicament, leave here and protect Qin Wanwan for me.”
Qin Wanwan signed up for the test in Tian Jian Sect under the name of ‘Qin Wanwan’ so he used her alias that Xie Gutang definitely knew. Xie Gutang knew that he was just a drag right now and simply saluted, “Understood, Senior.”
With that, Xie Gutang soared with his sword toward the gate.
Jian Xingzhi built the light sword using his Divine Sense. Even for a powerful person like him, the damage dealt to his Divine Sense was sesvere. The pain in his Sea of Consciousness was no less from the pain when he was struck with electric currents.
As the cultivators escaped one by one and the sky descended, the corridor where Qin Wanwan was located began to shatter.
Bai Suiyou monitored the surrounding area and expressed his trepidation, “Fellow Daoist Qin, let’s leave first. Once this passage breaks, we won’t be able to go to the Sword Mound.”
“You go ahead.”
Qin Wanwan stared down at Jian Xingzhi. She pursed her lips without looking back at Bai Suiyou, “I’ll stay here.”
‘The genuinely strong protect the weak,’ was what she said, she couldn’t leave Jian Xingzhi behind and flee by herself after she said that.
Qin Wanwan shook, clenching the gate frame. Bai Suiyou gazed worriedly at her. She was clearly frightened, but she never wavered from her original choice and still made the same choice unhesitatingly. He perceived her calm persistence was quite different from her usual temperament. His gaze became deep and serene, as he softly chucked, “Fellow Daoist Qin and Fellow Daoist Long really have profound sentiments for each other.”
“It’s not the matter of profound sentiment,” Qin Wanwan gnashed her teeth, “If it were you who stayed below to save a bunch of people, I wouldn’t run either.”
Bai Suiyou was stunned. It was at this moment that Xie Gutang stumbled into the gate. Qin Wanwan held a hand to support him, “Daoist Monarch Xie.”
“We should leave,” Xie Gutang said as soon as he steadied himself. He grabbed Qin Wanwan’s wrist. “Senior leaves me an order to protect you.”
“I won’t leave. The gate may close at any time. I have to wait for him to come back!” Qin Wanwan refused, and looked at Bai Suiyou, “Bring Daoist Monarch Xie with you and get out.”
“But…”
Xie Gutang was about to speak when Qin Wanwan shot a low-level heavenly spell to his hand. Xie Gutang was already injured, and Qin Wanwan took the chance to escape his grasp, it made Xie Gutang look up in astonishment at her.
Qin Wanwan stood beside the gate with a firm look, “Daoist Monarch Xie, I have ways to protect myself. You can leave, I will be fine.”
The cultivators entering the gate became less and less and the passage was vibrating heavily. Large pieces of debris peeled off from the top. Sounds of fighting came from the Sword Mound at the other end of the passage.
Xie Gutang glanced at the direction of the Sword Mound, recalling the responsibility given to him by the sect elders. He was put with difficult choices.
The last cultivator sped into the gate.
While in the secret realm, Ji Wuyou gave Jian Xingzhi a look and urged him, “Young man, leave here at once.”
Jian Xingzhi smirked at him, “You kicked Laozi* once, Laozi would definitely return it back to you some other day.”
[T/N: 老子 – lǎozi. I (I, Your Father) . Prideful and arrogant way to address oneself. Commanding respect. Another variation of arrogant “I” is 老娘 (lǎoniang).]
He released his hand from the array. The light sword blasted into rays of light and the sky crashed down.
The entire passage began to quiver and the gate began closing.
Qin Wanwan did not hesitate to raise her hands and grasped the frame of the vortex. She yelled to Bai Suiyou and Xie Gutang behind her, “Go ah!”
With her other hand, she drew out her sword and thrust it into the vortex, exorting her Spiritual Power to block it from completely closing.
Bai Suiyou was aware the situation was not going well. He grinded his teeth and grabbed Xie Gutang, “Let’s go!”
Both of them hustled out.
Qin Wanwan was clinging to the vortex. The vortex required a lot of Spiritual Power to slow it down from sealing off, and Qin Wanwan utilized her Golden Core, using the method of absorbing Qi from Jishan to frenziedly absorb the surrounding Qi. She cursed Jian Xingzhi under her breath as she absorbed the Qi.
“Long Aotian, if I die here, I won’t let you go even if I must turn into a ghost!”
“You run faster ah!”
“I must have been crazy to be your accomplice!”
Seeing that there was only one light spot left in the vortex, Qin Wanwan stretched out her hand in the vortex. She cried out mournfully, “Long Aotian!!!”
Jian Xingzhi flew to the gate at high speed, watching the vortex becoming smaller in size.
He was midway when the vortex closed into only one spot of light, which could be sealed off at any moment. His heart thumped and he accelerated his speed. Just before the vortex closed, he saw a slender hand reaching out from the light, accompanied by Qin Wanwan’s mournful cry as if he were dead, “Long Aotian!’”
Jian Xingzhi clutched her hand.
Qin Wanwan felt someone grasping her hand and she urgently yanked Jian Xingzhi inside.
The sky and earth merged, the gate disappeared and the passage shattered.
Jian Xingzhi reached out and hugged her. He protected her head and they rolled out of the corridor from the impact. He crashed to the ground outside the passage with Qin Wanwan in his arms at exactly the time the passage completely shut off.
The instant they hit the ground, Qin Wanwan sensed a flash of light coming from the side. She held Jian Xingzhi in her arms and rolled around, escaping the attack.
The attacker was kicked away and Nan Feng scampered over to help Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi “Master, Daoist Monarch, are you guys alright?”
Jian Xingzhi’s lips were sealed tight. Cold sweat poured from his forehead. Excessive consumption of Divine Sense made it difficult for him to speak.
Qin Wanwan was shaking all over. She controlled herself with reason and tremblingly took out a bottle from her Qiankun pouch. She shook it several times, but still couldn’t shake a pill out. Jian Xingzhi took the bottle and poured the pill into his own hand. He raised his hands and clasped it to Qin Wanwan’s mouth and fed her the pill. He then threw some into his mouth and weakly joked, “The courage is quite small, but the determination is quite big. Qin Wanwan, you are amazing*.” Jian Xingzhi gave her a thumbs up and praised, “Really amazing.”
[T/N: Og. Qin Wanwan, 你属牛. 真牛啊 – nǐ shǔ niú. zhēn niú a.
Remember that 牛 – niú is equal to “NB” or “Niubi” which is slang for awesome but 牛 can also mean the literal ox/bull. 属 can be “belong to/are”. 属牛 can be “you belong to the category of awesome” or “you belong to the family of ox:”
While 属牛 is the ox (chinese zodiac). The zodiac ox is believed to have the characteristic that JXZ said “The courage is quite small, but the determination is quite big.” That is, even if they are timid, once they make a decision, they will be steadfast to the end. (JXZ actually just want to make a pun of 属牛 and 牛, praising her as awesome but at the same time calling her an ox)]
“Fellow Daoist Qin, Fellow Daoist Long!” Just as Jian Xingzhi finished speaking, he saw Bai Suiyou heading toward them with a bloodstained mourning stick. He gasped with relief, “It’s great you’re all right.”
“What’s going on?”
Qin Wanwan’s eyes swept the surrounding area and stopped at Bai Suiyou.
It appeared that an extremely fierce fight had occurred here, with corpses litttered all over the place.
The fight seemed to have reached its end because everyone was steering forward to the two towering mountains ahead. There were swords all over the mountains. The mountains formed an invisible canyon in the center, and the canyon was surrounded by black fog. A faint sense of powerful aura surrounded the canyon, but the exact location of said aura was unknown.
“The Spiritual Treasures have emerged,” Bai Suiyou wiped the blood from his face. “The cultivators are now hustling to grab them. They are not in the Foundation Establishment at all and each one is stronger than the last.”
Qin Wanwan heard a ‘ding’ in her mind when Bai Suiyou finished his explanation. The panel displayed her progress bar:
【Task 2: Search for a sword at the Sword Mound and display your talent. Completion Rate: 90%. Main Task Hint: Obtain the Natal Sword*, Yuanning.】
[T/N: 命剑 – mìng jiàn. lit. Life Sword. Destined/Fated Sword. A sword unique to a cultivator. The sword will be linked to the cultivator and no one else can take a claim on the sword.]
Qin Wanwan got the prompt, Jian Xingzhi also got it.
【Task 5: Assist the Female Lead obtaining her Natal Sword. Estimated Reward Points: 1000】
【Affection Brach Task: Assist any male with a face value of 90 or above to save the Female Lead. Estimated Reward Points: 50】
The two traded glances. Jian Xingzhi saw weariness from Qin Wanwan’s eyes, and Qin Wanwan saw ‘Points’ from Jian Xingzhi’s eyes.
“Fetching a sword?” Jian Xingzhi’s mood was boosted, “I will help you!”
Qin Wanwan looked at him with admiration and envy, “Young man, aren’t you tired? Doesn’t your head still hurt?”
“Let’s go first. Just lend me your shoulder.”
Jian Xingzhi said without any burden, “I will rest on our way! I have a rich experience with this kind of injury, you can rest assured.”
Jian Xingzhi rested one hand on Qin Wanwan’s shoulder and borrowed her strength to stand up. He looked at Bai Suiyou, “Where is Xie Gutang?”
Bai Suiyou pointed to the canyon, “Daoist Monarch Xie has gone in.”
“Nan Feng.”
Jian Xingzhi beckoned Nan Feng who chnaged into a huge ant at once. Jian Xingzhi sent a glance to Qin Wanwan, “Help me up.”
Qin Wanwan looked at the huge Nan Feng in front of her and burst out laughing, “As per your order.”
Qin Wanwan grabbed Jian Xingzhi’s hand and… flipped him over her shoulder.
The defenseless Jian Xingzhi was directly thrown onto Nan Feng.
He tumbled up when Qin Wanwan jumped over to hold Nan Feng’s antennae as the steerinig wheel. She tilted her head at him and mocked, “Does it feel awesome to be thrown?”
Jian Xinzghi realized she was retaliating for his previous act and bit back a smile, “Awesome.”
“Oh,” Qin Wanwan nodded, “Then, I’ll dump you a few more times later.”
Qin Wanwan pulled his hand over her waist and instructed, “Hold it well.”
Jian Xingzhi stilled. He couldln’t discern whether it was his brain or his Sea of Consciousness that was messing with him as he stiffly held Qin Wanwan’s waist.
He watched Qin Wanwan spoke to Bai Suiyou, “Fellow Daoist Bai, let’s go.’”
Upon hearing the words, Bai Suiyou nodded. Qin Wanwan shouted loudly, “Charge!”
Nan Feng began to rush towards the canyon, with Bai Suiyou standing on the mourning stick beside, flying towards the canyon with Qin Wanwan.
Nan Feng’s speed was fast, and his body was nimble. Jian Xingzhi, aside from Qin Wanwan, had nothing else to cling on. He could only hold Qin Wanwan’’s waist, leaning on her back.
He raked around his Sea of Consciousness to search for the source of his strangeness. The touch under his hands was extremely peculiar to him… There was something indescribable about it that made Jian Xingzhi feel odd.
He calmed his mind and adjusted his breath. Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes and looked at Qin Wanwan through the gale. Her eyes were pristine and tenacious.
He thought of the slender hand that stretched out to him and broke open the sky
His mind was complicated and for a split second, something inexpressible emerged in his heart.
“I didn’t expect that you would wait for me.”
Jian Xingzhi was the type of person who would say whatever that came into his mind, and Qin Wanwan was a bit embarrassed by his straightforwardness.
She never thought that she would one day experience this kind of life and death experience with him, but once she recalled that Jian Xingzhi bore the electric current to save Xie Gutang, she felt that what she had done was nothing at all compared to him.
As she was about to reply with some humility, she heard Jian Xingzhi call her–
“Daughter,” his voice was full of emotion, “My care for you is not in vain.”
Qin Wanwan’s hands convulsed and her anger flared, “Long Aotian! If you have the guts, I dare you to call me that in front of my father!”
“Accepted.”
Jian Xingzhi answered in one breath, “When I regain my original identity, I will go find your father and be his sworn brother.”
“Good, good!” Qin Wanwan chucked angrily, “I will tell my father to wait for you!”
With her father’s capability, dare this Jian Xingzhi become his ‘sworn brother’?
Just wait for her father to tear this brat to pieces!
They reached the canyon as they spoke. From a distance, they saw a mountain covered with swords and light around it. Xie Gutang was in the crowd, fighting with a young man in white.
Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi looeked from far away and he held his breath, “That’s the rabbit* from before!”
[T/N: Remember Jun Shu turned into a rabbit after getting inside Su Yueli’s Sea of Consciousness.]
Qin Wanwan stared intently and realized that the one who was entangled with Xie Gutang was Jun Shu!
In addition to Jun Shu, Song Xinian was also present. There were many people from other sects as well and all were fighting each other. The scene was chaotic.
It was unclear what they were fighting for.
“Jun Shu, The Gate of Immortality is only a myth. Did your father know you privately broke into the Sword Mound for this reason?”
Xie Gutang’s sword fell like rain, hunting after Jun Shu. Jun Shu sneered, “What does it matter whether my father knows it or not?”
As he spoke, Song Xinian jumped on the mountain and began to search for something.
Qin Wanwan and the others stopped far away, her eyes darted between them as she wondered, “What are they fighting for?”
“Yeah, what are they fighting for?”
Jian Xingzhi arched his brow, “They start fighting even when they don’t know where the Spiritual Treasure is?”
Jun Shu, who heard Jian Xingzhi’s ridicule, stumbled.
Jian Xingzhi shouted towards Xie Gutang, “Daoist Monarch Xie, how about you guys wait until the Spiritual Treasure comes out before you fight?”
And as soon as the words fell, Jun Shu’s sound waves collided with Xie Gutang’s sword. Xie Gutang had used too much power in the secret realm. Hence, although Jun Shu was on a realm lower than him, they fought to a draw. The impact of the sound waves and sword blasted them away.
“Daoist Monarch Xie.”
Qin Wanwan bounced down Nan Feng and ran to Xie Gutang’s side. She held Xie Gutang up from the ground.
Song Xinian fell behind Jun Shu and lifted him up.
Jian Xingzhi strutted to the middle and raised his hand, “Ladies and gentlemen, listen to me.”
The people present heard his voice and turned to look at him. Jun Shu felt a sense of familiarity from this man, but he was unable to pinpoint the source of it. He vigilantely saluted him, “May I ask for Fellow Daoist’s identity?”
“Oh. I am Long Aotian,” Jian Xingzhi pointed to Qin Wanwan, Bai Suiyou, and others behind him, “They are my friends.”
Jun Shu did not speak. He was speculating about Jian Xingzhi’s cultivation level. He seemed to be merely in the Golden Core realm, but his aura was intimidating. He concluded that the young man before him couldn’t be underestimated. Xie Gutang was already troublesome enough. If another Long Aotian was added to help Xie Gutang, it may lead him into an unfavorable situaion.
Before confirming whether this man would be his friends or enemies, Jun Shu did not dare to say much. Jian Xingzhi swept a circle and proposed, “Everyone, we know that the treasure hasn’t appeared yet. It is not good for us to fight like this, why don’t we stop fighting, save our energy, and wait for the treasure to emerge? When the treasure appears, we will compete fairly, how does that sound?”
“No!”
Xie Gutang coughed blood but still denied strongly, “The White Dragon Jade must not fall into their hands. They cannot be given a chance to seek the treasure.”
“So you will allow them to kill you instead? Isn’t that the same as giving them the chance?” Jian Xingzhi side-eyed Xie Gutang, “I won’t help you if you don’t listen to me now. Without my help, can you win?”
Xie Gutang’s expression stiffened. Jian Xingzhi inclinced his head at Jun shu, “What do you think? If you don’t agree, I will help Xie Gutang.”
Jun Shu’s expression was extremely ugly. Xie Gutang listened to this man’s opinoin, so this person may be a master. He held back for a long time and ultimately conceded, “This Junior has no objection.”
Jian Xingzhi nodded and beckoned Qin Wanwan, “Lao Qin, come here.”
Qin Wanwan nervously walked up to Jian Xingzhi. She felt like a net partition on a ping-pong table, ready to be attacked from both sides. Being in the center gave her a lot of pressure. She stood in front of Jian Xingzhi, unable to contain her trembling.
Jian Xingzhi stood behind Qin Wanwan and put his hands on her shoulder, “Come. Feel it, where is your Natal Sword?”
Qin Wanwan looked up blanky at the mountain of swords in front of her. She only felt something was calling her faintly, but she couldn’t find which one was calling to her.
Jian Xingzhi saw that she was in a daze. He lifted his finger and gestured to the staid sword on the mountain and called it, “Hey, you, come here.”
The sword quickly flew down the mountain and stopped in front of Qin Wanwan.
The crowd was dumbfounded.
In the past, when others went to Sword Mound to choose their swords, they would fight to death to claim it. The Sword Spirit residing in the sword on the Sword Mound were all the souls of famous people. They inhabited the sword after they died. Which one of them was not a proud soul? Where had they seen a Sword Spirit so obedient like this?
Jian Xingzhi turned blind eyes toward their stupefaction and introduced it carefully to Qin Wanwan, “This is a good sword. It has followed dozens of masters, which all upheld justice and defeated evil. No deranged person has ever wielded this sword. It is a sword with a mature mind, how do you feel?”
Qin Wanwan was numbed, her brows creased as she stared at the sword. Jun Shu and the others looked at Jian Xingzhi in disbelief. His grasp on his flute tightened and he broke into cold sweat.
Xie Gutang looked at the summoned sword with astonishment and stammered, “Wen… Senior Wenyu …”
The Sword Spirit was recognized and it bowed its head in shame, not daring to look at Xie Gutang.
Jian Xingzhi examined Qin Wanwan’s expression and ordered Wenyu to return. He beckoned another sword, “What about this one? This is a female Sword Spirit with good temper, but as a sword, this can’t be considered that bad either. Do you like this?”
“Senior Fengluan…”
Xie Gutang felt he was witnessing something magical.
One sword may be a lucky shot, but when there was another one that obediently followed his words, what did it mean?
Jun Shu and others unconsciously took a step back.
Jian Xingzhi observed that it was not to Qin Wanwan’s liking and called out a few more. Qin Wanwan refused them one by one and Jian Xingzhi pondered, “Do you feel nothing at all to these swords?”
“I feel…” Qin Wanwan’s brows were knitted into a tight knot, “as if someone is calling me.”
Everyone glanced at each other and watched Qin Wanwan moving forward, “But it’s from inside the mountains.”
She squatted down and placed her hand at the foot of the farthest hill.
The sound became more unmistakable when her hand got into contact with the ground.
Xie Gutang saw the situation and he was on pins and needles, “The Sword Mound is so huge, can Fellow Daoist Qin perceive a more specific location?”
Jian Xingzhi nodded, “I understand.’”
The crowd was bewildered, not quite understanding what Jian Xingzhi understood.
Jian Xingzhi lightly said, “Let’s just level the mountain and confirm if it is really inside or not.”
As soon as this remark was made, Xie Gutang’s face changed dramatically, “Senior, no!”
Jian Xingzhi turned back, “Why not?”
“This is the Sword Mound, where all the Sword Spirit return. If you level the mountain, the Sword Spirits may not agree.”
After a polite reminder from Xie Gutang, Jian Xingzhi nodded again, “You have a point.”
Xie Gutang breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard Jian Xingzhi dropping another bomb, “Then, I will make them move.”
“There are so many Sword Spirits here,” Xie Gutang didn’t believe his ear, “It won’t be easy…”
“Those in these two mountains, go and find another place to rest.”
Without waiting for Xie Gutang’s reaction, Jian Xingzhi commanded the swords in the mountains surrounding the place Qin Wanwan chose, “Move.”
Jian Xingzhi released his Sword Intent which had broken countless famous swords and was perceived by all the Sword Spirits. The Sword Spirit was more sensitive than these ordinary people, they could detect that the person before them was powerful from his pure Sword Intent. He could shatter them to pieces without breaking a sweat.
In a blink, the Sword Spirits on the mentioned hills uniformly squeezed to the side, leaving the two mountains empty.
Jian Xingzhi looked at the Sword Spirits on the mountain ahead and issued a warning, “I’ll give you a quarter of an hour, move quickly, or I’ll tear the mountain down with you on it.”
The warning made all the Sword Spirits fly out from the mountain and inserted themselves into the deliberately emptied mountains.
The crowd’s eyes were about to fly from their pockets. Jian Xingzhi clapped his hands and ordered Nan Feng, “Nan Feng, get bigger and dig this mountain.”
“Understood.”
Nan Feng jumped off Qin Wanwan’s shoulder and turned into an ant as tall as a mountain and started digging the ground.
Xie Gutang dazedly watched the soils whizzed past him. When he came back to his senses, he slumped to his knees, seemingly unable to process the scene in front of him. He murmured as if he had lost his soul, “Sword Mound… The Ancestral Inheritance…”
Qin Wanwan witnessed Xie Gutang’s mourning expressiom and hastily pulled him up, frantically offering words of comfort for him, “Daoist Monarch Xie, don’t be saddened. We will pile the mountain back for you in a moment and let the Sword Spirits return to their positions… Oh, and the Spiritual Treasure, we will help you to find it, we will compensate you, we will surely compensate you…’”
“Right, right.”
Bai Suiyou joined to offer condolences to Xie Gutang, “Fellow Daoist Xie, the mountain is dead itself, and the Elder Sword Spirits themselves consented. You don’t have to blame yourself so much.”
Jun Shu and his entourage watched in horror at Jian Xingzhi as Nan Feng dug the mountain. Song Xinian swallowed and stuttered, “Senior Martial Brother Jun, this… this person dug up the Tian Jian Sect’s Sword Mound… I’m afraid that even my Master can’t make this happen… this… shall we still fight for the White Dragon Jade?”
Jun Shu took a deep breath, “We shall.”
Jun Shu clenched his teeth, “The Gate of Immortality is our last chance! There are so many of us, don’t be afraid!”
When Jian Xingzhi was directing the Nan Feng to plough the mountain like a contractor, Qin Wanwan held Xie Gutang aside and consoled him with Bai Suiyou. Xie Gutang was sluggish, but he slowly accepted the fact that the Sword Mound had been dug. Weary, he took a sip of water before turning to Qin Wanwan, “Fellow Daoist Qin, if I may ask, I wonder what is the reason for Fellow Daoist Qin and Senior Long to come to the Tian Jian Sect?”
“It’s to find my Natal Sword,” Qin Wanwan answered sheepishly, “I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble.”
“The Sword Mound of the Tian Jian Sect is the place where all the swords return. Our ancestors have passed down the orders that we should try our best to help all Sword Cultivators in the world to find their own way. It is the good fortune of the Tian Jian Sect for Fellow Daoist Qin to come to the Tian Jian Sect to search for her sword.”
“Don’t worry,” Qin Wanwan caught the hidden meaning in Xie Gutang’s words, “I know you’re worried. But, really, don’t worry, we’re not here to cause trouble.”
Xie Gutang nodded. Qin Wanwan hesitated for a moment and cautiously probbed, “Daoist Monarch Xie, the treasure you are guarding to today, what exactly is it?”
“If I heard it right,” Bai Suiyou looked at Xie Gutang, “Isn’t it the legendary White Dragon Jade?”
Xie Gutang nodded, his complexion was pale.
Qin Wanwan was curious, “What is White Dragon Jade?”
“White Dragon Jade is the key to The Gate of Immortality.” Xie Gutang spoke profoundly, “Have you ever heard of carp jumping over the Dragon Gate?”
“I heard that this Dragon Gate is actually the legendary Gate of Immortality.”
“Correct.”
Xie Gutang confirmed, “The Gate of Immortality is real, it once existed as a gift given to the Dragon Clan by the Heavenly Dao. Only the Dragon Clan can cross the Gate of Immortality and achieve enlightenment. However, thousands of years ago, a cultivator created a secret method that can conceal human cultivation as that of the Dragon Clan by swallowing the Dragon Core, tricking the Heavenly Dao. They can cross the sea and climb the Gate of Immortality as a human. This secret method requires raising a dragon from the Dragon Clan and bound them with a secret technique. It takes nearly a hundred years for their Golden Core to develop and be ready to harvest.”
“Compared to cultivating with their own hands, Gate of Immortality is undoubtedly a temptation as it is a shortcut to ascension. Cultivators are eager to try this method, so the Dragon Clan was slaughtered, nearly to the point of extinction. At last, the Dragon King and several major Sects reached an agreement. Together, they destroyed both the White Dragon Jade and the Gate of Immortality, cutting off their road to ascending. Only that way was the way to end the catastrophe of the Dragon Race.”
“But, was the Gate of Immortality destroyed thoroughly?”
Qin Wanwan realized the key point, the Dragon Clan was slaughtered but they made an agreement with the cultivators. What benefits did the cultivators get that they stopped their slaughter? If they helped the Dragon King to destroy the Gate of Immortality, the Dragon Clam must give them some generous benefits. Now that the rumored Gate of Immortality had appeared again, perhaps the destruction of the Gate of Immortality was not in accordance with legend and it was not destroyed at all.
“White Dragon Jade is, after all, the most precious treasure in the Immortal Realm. At that time, there were not many resources in each major sect, so White Dragon Jade was divided into five parts and handed to each major sect. Where White Dragon Jade is located, the Qi gathered, which can nourish the Spiritual Vein of the sect. It is the most precious treasure. For instance,” Xie Gutang looked up and stared at the half-excavated Sword Mound. He pinched his fist and controlled his heartache, feigning calmness. “The Sword Mound of Tian Jian Sect originated from the blessing of the White Dragon Jade.”
“Then,” Qin Wanwan was at a loss, “Why did the White Dragon Jade suddenly appear again?”
“Because,” Bai Suiyou smiled, “Someone has raised an Azure Dragon and wants to rebuild the Gate of Immortality.”
“This kind of person,” Xie Gutang displayed his contempt, “is either a person who is greedy for shortcuts or…” Xie Gutang’s voice sank down, “someone rejected by the Heavenly Dao and can’t ascend using the normal way. If this kind of person ascended with the use of the Gate of Immortality, the Heavenly Dao will absolutely get enraged. The worst part is our world may be implicated and all the road to ascension will be cut off.”
“So, you want to secure the White Dragon Jade because you are afraid that the latter kind of people will get the White Dragon Jade and ascend to the Immortal Realm, blocking the path of ascension on this world?”
Qin Wanwan eventually grasped the problem.
At the same time, Nan Feng made a ‘clang’ sound, his sharp claws clanged with a hard object.
Qin Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat.
Jian XIngzhi noticed the anomaly, and with a sweep of his divine sense, he saw what Nan Feng had dug up.
Jun Shu and Xie Gutang rushed forward at the same time, but Jian Xingzhi was faster.
He slashed his sword, blocking their path.
“Hold up!” Jian Xingzhi stopped in front of them.
Jun Shu restrained his agitation and narrowed his eyes coldly at Jian Xingzhi, “Daoist Monarch, you said you want fair competition.”
“This is fair ah.”
Jian Xingzhi eyed Jun Shu, “You send one person from your side and we send one person from our side. Just stand behind this line. When the time comes, Nan Feng will dig out the treasure. And when the Spiritual Treasure appears, we rush together, whoever catches it first is the victor.”
Jun Shu exchanged glances with Song Xinian next to him and smiled, “Alright, I will listen to Senior.”
“Xie Gutang,” Jian Xingzhi faced Xie Gutang, “I will grab the White Dragon Jade for you. Protect Lao Qin.”
Xie Gutang quickly arched his hand and bowed, “Many thanks, Senior!”
Jian Xingzhi sent his sword to the nearby mountain and stood behind the line while Jun Shu and Song Xinian discussed who would compete with Jian Xingzhi.
Nan Feng resumed digging the mountain, and Jun Shu glanced at Jian Xingzhi, “Senior, have we met before?’”
“Maybe in your dream,” Jian Xingzhi did some warm ups, stretching his arms and feets.
Jun Shu, holding the white Jade Flute, stood beside him with a graceful demeanor, “Although this is my first time meeting the Senior, I always felt like I had known Senior before.”
“Don’t try to butter me up.”
Jun Shu: “…”
Nan Feng cast away the last bit of soil and a silver sword revealed itself.
The sword blade was revealed and a dozen rays of light emerged from the soil. It condensed above the sword blade. Without any warning, Jian Xingzhi and Jun Shu dashed towards the light at the same time.
Jun Shu was a moment slower than Jian Xingzhi, but Song Xinian next to him was already prepared to pounce in the direction of Jian Xingzhi!
Qin Wanwan had no time to react. She watched Xie Gutang move faster. He lunged at Song Xinian and the two tumbled to the ground. The two sides were tangled and started another fight.
Meanwhile, Jian Xingzhi and Jun Shu swiftly arrived at the front of the sword and the two blocked each other back and forth. Jian Xingzhi pressed Jun Shu’s head and Jun Shu’s restrained Jian Xingzhi by the waist. Jian Xingzhi shouted, “You smelly rabbit, release me!”
The name ‘smelly rabbit’ relieved the shadow of a cannonball smashing towards himself and him falling into a latrine pit.
Jun Shu breathed heavily. Jian Xingzhi seized the opportunity and snatched the jade piece on the light. He yelled, “Lao Qin. Use your Divine Sense on this sword, conquer it!”
He then led the crowd towards another mountain not far away, maneuvering like a dexterous monkey, grasping the broken jade with one hand and leaping from one sword hilt to another sword hilt on the mountain, jumping and swinging onto the top of the mountain with ease.
The cultivators roamed the mountain to catch him, but Jian Xingzhi was like a fish in the water on the Sword Mount. The Sword Spirit of the entire Sword Mourn discreetly protected him.
Taking advantage of the disturbance caused by Jian Xingzhi, Qin Wanwan headed to the sword. She lifted her hands and grasped the rusty hilt. As soon as she grasped it, she heard an ancient and deep voice coming from afar.
“I am Yuanning, who are you?”
Something surged in Qin Wanwan’s heart, it overlapped with the sensation she received after entering the Sword Mound. She clenched the sword and opened her Divine Sense, chugging it down sharply towards the sword blade. She was using her Divine Sense to report her name to the Sword Spirit residing in the sword, “I am the Lady of Jishan—”
Her body shook as she pulled the sword outward. She could sense the domineering force from the sword, confronting her without mercy.
The sword blade vibrated and created a shockwave.
Everyone paused and stared at Qin Wanwan. They realized the Spiritual Treasure appearing this time was not only the White Dragon Jade, but also the precious sword in Qin Wanwan’s hands.
But, Jian Xingzhi had led all the cultivators up the mountain, everyone couldn’t bother to care about it.
They chased after Jian Xingzhi, jumping up and down the mountain.
Jian Xingzhi watched Qin Wanwan grasping the sword in the light, but the sword didn’t bulge at all. Qin Wanwan clenched her hand to pull it out and because of excessive force, her palm was torn open. Blood flowed from the hilt and slowly dripped to the blade.
When her blood brushed the blade, the rust vanished, revealing a smooth and sharp surface.
Qin Wanwan shut her eyes so she didn’t notice it, her mind was all on confronting the sword with all her heart. She could feel it shift, and at the critical moment, she used all her strength to pull it out and shouted her name to Yuanning, “Qin Wanwan!’”
A seal formed on the sword hilt as she shouted her name. Qin Wanwan stumbled back and was about to crash to the ground.
Fortunately, a hand gently supported her waist to stabilize her.
Qin Wanwan gasped heavily and she opened her lips to thank the savior, only to feel a blade of a knife hit her neck.
Qin Wanwan was frozen in place.
“Fellow Daoist Long,” Bai Suiyou’s voice echoed in the Sword Mound.
Jian Xingzhi stood high up on the mountain. He looked down and saw that the mourning stick on Bai Suiyou’s hand had turned into a knife, pressing against Qin Wanwan’s neck.
He still had his usual clean and clear gaze with the temperament of a scholar. Even his manner of capturing people captive was gentle and elegant, making the act of malice unbelievable to the eyes.
“Bai Suiyou?” Jian Xingzhi glowered.
Bai Suiyou cocked his head and smiled, “Hand over the White Dragon Jade, if you may.”
【Mini Theater-1】
Jian Xingzhi: I, the leader of the demolition team, advise you to leave quickly within a quarter of an hour, otherwise I will demolish the mountain with you on it.
Sword Spirits: Sir, yes Sir! Right away, Sir! We will move right away!
【Mini Theater-2】
Yuelai Inn Owner: Daoist Monarch Xie , I want to make a report that a person named Zhang San tore down the sign you gave me. You may not know it, but when I saw the sign fall, it’s like my soul was sucked away and I lost my strength to stand and slumped to my knees.
Xie Gutang: This Zhang San, is his other name Long Aotian?
Yuelai Inn Owner: I have heard people calling him by that name, so, yes.
Xie Gutang (smoking.jpg)*: Say no more. Just now, he dug up the Sword Mound. When I watched him dig the mountain, like you, I also lost my strenght to stand and slumped to my knees.
OMG, what a cliffhanger!