CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 2 SWORD, LISTEN TO THE SWORD CHANTING

The setting sun sank westward, and the bustle of Qing Town gradually faded into the distance.

Li Mo turned to look back, only to see dozens of Kongming Lanterns rising above the city wall.

He had spent far more time in Qing Town than in the Heart Beast Sect. Without even realizing it, he had grown familiar with every plant and stone in the town.

"Walking the Immortal Path alone—hopefully, a thousand years from now, Qing Town will remain a paradise."

Li Mo shook his head with a bitter smile.

Thinking so was unrealistic. In the past twenty to thirty years, trade caravans had started passing through Qing Town.

Soon enough, thanks to its excellent geographical location, Qing Town would regain its prosperity but also become a chaotic mix of fish and dragons.

"Fortune and misfortune depend on one another—there is no absolute safety in the mortal world."

Li Mo quickened his pace, leaving Ming Lin and the other disciple struggling to keep up.

They had no choice but to apply Featherweight Talismans to their legs, barely keeping from falling behind.

Ming Lin worried silently about Elder Taiyi’s condition, sensing that ever since his Lifebound Flying Sword had been damaged, his mental realm was far from optimistic.

On the surface, Elder Taiyi appeared unhurried and carefree in Qing Town, but his mental realm could well be on the verge of collapse.

It was important to know that a Lifebound Flying Sword was akin to a bridge for channeling spiritual power. Severe damage could lead to the dissolution of the Nascent Soul.

Ming Lin suspected that Elder Taiyi’s Lifebound Flying Sword was already teetering on the edge of collapse.

He might have intended to live out his days peacefully in Qing Town, but due to Sword Tongue Sect’s assignment to the Cocoon Sword Meeting, Taiyi did not resist the summons.

The journey to the Heavenly Sword Sect still spanned thousands of miles, and they could only hope for fortune along the way.

"Ah..."

Ming Lin let out a heavy sigh—surviving the journey alone would be like threading the needle between life and death.

Li Mo paid no mind to Ming Lin and the other’s inner thoughts as his calculations for refining the Illusion Fish Sword continued within Xia Dao Palace.

Unknowingly, they had already left Qing Town ten miles behind and arrived in a world blanketed entirely by silvery snow.

They came upon a ruined inn by the roadside, its abandoned state clearly evident. However, a faint light flickered in a second-floor window.

"Ming Lin, it’s better to set off as early as possible for such a long journey,"

Li Mo spoke, then embraced his Illusion Fish Sword and fell into silent meditation.

If one were to walk the path of the Sword Cultivator, every aspect needed careful consideration—besides his Lifebound Flying Sword, which had merged with his Nascent Soul, he needed an Illusion Fish Outer Sword ready for immediate use.

Li Mo intended to refine the Illusion Fish Sword further to achieve perfection, aiming for it to naturally evolve Spirit Patterns and ascend as a Fake Magical Treasure.

Ming Lin hesitated before forcing out a few words from between clenched teeth.

"Elder Taiyi, please wait here for a moment."

Ming Lin and the other disciple returned to the inn, where the narrow interior was packed with dozens of Sword Cultivators, all seizing the time to sit cross-legged and cultivate.

The Sword Tongue Sect’s Sword Cultivation Method was highly peculiar, utilizing external stimuli to enhance their Tongue Swords.

Among their practices, insect-feeding was the most common—they raised Poison Bees within their mouths, using the venom to stimulate the growth of their Lifebound Flying Swords.

No matter how they nourished their swords, they were ultimately serving as vessels for the Heavenly Sword Sect.

As sword sheaths, once they perished and their Dao disappeared, their Tongue Swords had to be surrendered to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

The only solace lay in the lowly tier of their Lifebound Flying Swords, which spared them from the torment of taboo techniques.

A Sword Cultivator spotted Ming Lin and couldn’t help but ask, "Senior Ming Lin, has the Elder been found? When will we depart for the Heavenly Sword Sect?"

They harbored faint hope.

By chance, some might even be accepted into the Heavenly Sword Sect—every Cocoon Sword Meeting granted luck to one or two exceptional Sword Cultivators.

"I’ve heard the Cocoon Sword Meeting is arranged autonomously by the swords themselves. Arriving early might boost our odds of entry,"

Ming Lin hesitated before replying, "Elder Taiyi is unwell for the journey. Let us use my Sword Shuttle to travel—ten people per group will maintain the Magic Artifact."

Ming Xue froze, saying, "Senior Brother, Elder Taiyi has never stated that his health was..."

Ming Lin reached out to silence Ming Xue.

His greatest fear was that Li Mo’s excessive spiritual energy depletion during travel further aggravated damage to his Lifebound Flying Sword, jeopardizing the Elder’s cultivation and causing him to drop from the Core Formation stage.

According to Cocoon Sword Meeting rules, without Nascent Soul-level protection, they wouldn’t even be able to reach the Heavenly Sword Sect and would have no choice but to forfeit.

The consequence of forfeiting was also death.

The Heavenly Sword Sect would release the Flying Sword "Hunter" to track and kill escaping Sword Cultivators.

"Let me repeat: Elder Taiyi is unwell. We shall use my Magic Artifact for the journey. You all know time is tight—we must reach the Heavenly Sword Sect’s borders within ten years."

No one raised objections.

The Sword Shuttle, when driven over long durations, was prone to damage. Ming Lin’s offer effectively constituted a sacrifice of his own artifact.

"Let’s head out."

Ming Lin’s expression softened as he retrieved a tooth from beneath his tongue. Infusing it with spiritual energy, it transformed into a Bone Boat that hovered in his palm.

After briefly assigning personnel, he led his senior and junior brothers outside the dilapidated inn.

Ming Lin scanned his surroundings.

The environment was damp and frigid, and amidst the desolate mountains, thick water fog rose unexpectedly, adding further uncertainty to their journey.

Li Mo remained in meditation, refining and calculating the process for the Illusion Fish Sword. His aura was imperceptible, betraying no trace of Nascent Soul-level cultivation.

"Elder Taiyi,"

"Why don’t we set off ahead? I happen to own a seventy-refinement Sword Shuttle Magic Artifact. It’d spare Elder Taiyi from wasting spiritual energy."

Having spoken, Ming Lin noticed Li Mo opening his eyes with interest.

"Sword Shuttle? Let’s take a look."

Ming Lin infused spiritual energy into the artifact, and the Sword Shuttle expanded to a length of twenty meters, resembling a metallic vessel capable of comfortably carrying a hundred people.

The surface of the ship bore inexplicable sword patterns, inspiring envy from the other disciples.

Li Mo’s mouth twitched.

"Ming Lin, did you buy this from the Four Seas Commerce Company in the black market?"

"How did you know, Elder?"

Li Mo did not reply. The so-called Sword Shuttle had originated from a Magic Artifact Catalog he had given to the Heart Beast Sect, previously named "Ship Shuttle."

Who’d have imagined Tian Changwen had a knack for business?

He rebranded the Ship Shuttle, added misleading sword-related engravings, and sold it shamelessly in the black market to fool Sword Cultivators into parting with their Spirit Stones.

"This won’t do—space is too cramped; surely we can’t all be squeezed in there?"

"But..."

Li Mo cut off Ming Lin’s argument with a stretch, saying, "I have my own method of traveling—probably better than your Sword Shuttle."

Boom.

A sudden eruption of frost and snow filled the air.

Ming Lin and the others stared in disbelief into the thick fog as a massive figure began advancing toward them, radiating an indescribable sense of oppression.

The sound of a whale’s call echoed in their ears, making them involuntarily take half a step back.

The fog parted slightly.

A Kun Whale’s colossal head, four to five stories high, emerged, its oral organ lined with razor-sharp teeth. Two dragon whiskers over a hundred meters long draped beside it.

"Let’s move."

Li Mo waved his hand, and all the disciples landed on the Kun Whale’s back.

Seven Tattooed Beasts cultivated at different efficiencies, but with Li Mo’s guidance, three hundred years had been enough for them to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage.

After its Nascent Soul promotion, the Kun Whale’s most noticeable change was its size.

Though now manifesting at about five hundred meters, its actual body exceeded two thousand meters and could effortlessly induce a large-scale rainfall.

Atop the Kun Whale’s back sat several elegantly designed courtyards.

Li Mo lightly tapped the Kun Whale’s spine, infusing Universal Illumination Sword Intent into its gaze, causing the Tattooed Beast to gain a semblance of ornamental sword qi.

"Speaking of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s philosophy that all things can become swords—doesn’t that mean Tattooed Beasts can also exhibit sword-qi-like spells?"

Li Mo wasn’t concerned about his identity being exposed; the Heavenly Sword Sect paid little attention to whether outsiders participated.

Filling in for Elder Taiyi was merely to simplify matters.

Li Mo’s true goal was to acquire the Fake Buddha, infiltrate the Heavenly Sword Sect, and avoid entanglement with hundreds of Affiliated Sword Sects.

"Ming Lin, you all should enter seclusion."

"The seclusion rooms accommodate ten per chamber—and do not leave the courtyard’s boundary, as you cannot withstand the Gang Wind generated by the spirit beast’s sky-controlling abilities."

Li Mo glanced at the disciples, who had yet to recover from their shock at the Kun Whale’s appearance.

Ming Xue suppressed her complicated thoughts and said ingratiatingly, "Elder Taiyi, has your Lifebound Flying Sword recovered?"

"No—it’s why I have turned to other paths."

Li Mo shot Ming Xue a cold glance before adding, "In the Cocoon Sword Meeting, everyone fights on their own anyway. Besides, I won’t have the excess energy to protect you."

Ming Xue attempted to say more, but Ming Lin deferentially interrupted, "If we can safely reach the Heavenly Sword Sect, we juniors owe you everything."

Li Mo walked away from the courtyard without looking back, harnessing the Gang Wind to further his Great Light True Body refinement.

From the courtyard, Li Mo could hear rounds of arguments erupt. None could remain calm in the face of death, desperately grasping for any lifeline.

"Everyone must follow their own destiny."

"If you don’t wish to go to the Heavenly Sword Sect, you’ll find someone willing to take your place for every ounce of wealth—but it’s laughable how many cling to misguided hopes."

The Gang Wind crackled fiercely, nourishing Li Mo’s flesh and bones with Great Sun Spiritual Power.

An expression of faint resignation flickered in his eyes.

Ever since the Sunlight Bodhisattva began refining the Fake Buddha, his body seemed to grow increasingly attuned to Universal Illumination Sword Intent during body refinement practices.

A hundred years ago, Universal Illumination Sword Intent had reached an unknown realm’s perfection.

Regrettably, Li Mo remained clueless about how to further advance sword intent, leaving Universal Illumination Sword Intent frozen without progress.

The path of the sword was as vast as the sea—even with the aid of his Tao Seed, groping forward alone squandered valuable time.

Once acclimated to the Gang Wind, Li Mo resumed refining the Illusion Fish Sword. Keeping its external form as a bamboo fishing rod, the artifact underwent steady enhancement.

All spiritual materials focused on the concept of "illusion," making the Illusion Fish Sword versatile and adaptable.

Given Li Mo’s dual cultivation across four techniques, future insights into diverse sword intents were likely. He didn’t want the Illusion Fish Sword to favor any particular spirit attribute.

With the material ratios clarified, the refinement progressed smoothly.

The Illusion Fish Sword fully integrated with the Illusion Spirit Root, already capable of replicating thirty percent of the Fake Buddha’s potency. Clearly, the artifact harbored greater potential for advancement.

Li Mo cast aside the Illusion Fish Sword, simultaneously pursuing both body refinement and high-altitude fishing.

The Illusion Fish Sword emitted faint light, converting the surrounding birds and beasts within ten miles—but the sword intent consumption was minimal, lasting only two to three breaths.

Unable to break through Universal Illumination Sword Intent’s bottleneck, he focused on refining his application of it instead.

A Kun Whale and a lone angler moved northward.

None of the Affiliated Sword Sects encountered along the way detected the Kun Whale hidden amidst the clouds.

Five years passed in a flash.

Li Mo awoke with a subtle sense of perception.

Before him lay a barren, infinite wasteland.

The ground was riddled with traces of sword qi wielded recklessly, and sporadic flurries of sword qi cascaded like raindrops from midair.

Li Mo gazed upward.

Countless stars hung low beneath the clouds, each bearing distinct spirit attributes. Elegant pavilions and towers dotted their surfaces, alongside... uncountable flying swords.

To forge swords from the stars, test swords against the heavens, and make swords of all creation.

"Even immortals may be no more than this?"