Chapter 141: Chapter 138: Wishing to Compete with Song Lun Chapter 141: Chapter 138: Wishing to Compete with Song Lun Let’s talk about Daoist Equal to Heaven, who upon receiving the news of enlightenment, learned that this evil being was an arm severed by Hongjun. They didn’t know to whom it belonged, but it was frightening enough. An Ancient Immortal’s formation couldn’t keep it sealed. Just the arm alone was enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

Mount Shu has been a place of exceptional people and spiritual land since ancient times, with many high Daoists emerging from it. It’s unclear who these Ancient Immortals were, but they must have been peers of Rain Mage Chi Songzi and Feng Bo Fei Lian, or else they wouldn’t have been able to seal this arm for so many years.

Sitting at Guan Jiangkou and discussing the Dao over wine, Daoist Equal to Heaven said to Lu Dongbin, “Pure Yang Daoist Friend, I have a matter of great importance to discuss with you, something that concerns the safety of the Shushan Sword Sect. I dared not delay.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Dongbin set down his jar of wine and said, “Please speak, Daoist Friend. If there’s any way I can help, naturally I will!”

Daoist Equal to Heaven said, “I received a message from a Daoist friend that there’s an evil being about to emerge on Mount Shu. This being has no small origin, and the whole of Mount Shu can hardly suppress it! Mount Shu is now like an army without a leader, and knowing that you, Pure Yang Daoist Friend Lu, excel in swordsmanship, I’d like to invite you to Mount Shu to suppress this evil being.”

Lu Dongbin said, “In that case, I shall go to Mount Shu. Although there’s little interaction between us, Mount Shu is ultimately a well-established righteous sect, and we should support each other.”

Daoist Equal to Heaven couldn’t help but joyfully say, “Exactly, exactly! The Sect Leader plans to reinforce the seal in three days, and as Mount Shu is near here, we can afford to wait another two days.”

Lu Dongbin, however, was full of chivalry and said, “Since they are in trouble and have asked for our help, we should go there earlier to set their minds at ease.”

The Complete Truth Sect, too, is a righteous sect in the Cultivation World, held in high esteem, but it has not yet spread widely in the mortal world, hence its lesser incense offerings, which led to the later incident of his descending to the Tang Dynasty.

The strength of these Immortal Sects should not be underestimated. Even though their foundations lie in the mortal world and not the Heavenly Court, the resources they’ve accumulated since ancient times cannot be matched by ordinary sects.

Chen Tuan laughed and said, “Since there’s nothing pressing, I shall accompany you, my Daoist friend.”

Daoist Equal to Heaven calculated the time, knowing that Zhang Jiao’s uprising was still some time away and not urgent, so he decided to go to Mount Shu first. After all, there were no powerful magical treasures in the enlightenment place, only a Seven Stars Sword, while he still had three Swallowing Dragon Steles at his disposal.

Yang Jian said, “Let’s go then. The sooner we resolve this matter, the sooner we can drink in peace.”

The four flew on their clouds towards the southwest, heading to Mount Shu in the Southern Toad Continent, not far from Guan Jiangkou. With all their mana being above the Second Layer of the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, they naturally traveled extremely swiftly and reached Mount Shu in no time. Daoist Equal to Heaven, familiar with the path, descended upon the Welcoming Immortals’ Platform.

The disciples were startled when the Welcoming Immortals’ Platform flashed, showing that the four were all experts of the Da Luo Golden Immortal level. They hurriedly sounded the bell, twenty-two rings, and the Head of Mount Shu, Green Duckweed Daoist, with Venerable Ape and Enlightenment Daoist, came down to greet them.

Once Daoist Equal to Heaven and the others were received, Green Duckweed Daoist asked with a smile, “May I know who the distinguished Daoist friends are?”

Daoist Equal to Heaven replied, “I am Daoist Equal to Heaven.”

Lu Dongbin said, “I am Chunyang Zi, Lu Dongbin.”

Chen Tuan said, “I am Master Fuyao, Chen Tuan.”

Yang Jian said, “I am Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun, Yang Jian.”

Green Duckweed Daoist couldn’t help but be overjoyed, knowing they had come at the behest of enlightenment, and said, “Please accompany me up the mountain, gentlemen. We can discuss these matters at leisure.”

After inviting the four guests to sit down in the great hall on the mountain, they ordered the Child to serve up Sword Tea. This tea is harvested on the mountain once every hundred years, yielding only ten jin, from which the Elders who had reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm within the Sect were allocated just about two liang. The remainder was kept for the Sect, to be offered to the esteemed guests as a way to showcase the elegance of Shushan.

Once a disciple of Mount Shu’s lineage reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal level, they could become an Elder within the Sect, with annual offerings as a benefit.

Upon tasting this tea, the group couldn’t help but marvel, and thanks to the good fortune of Enlightenment Daoist and Venerable Ape, they had the opportunity to enjoy another serving.

After the Sword Tea was drunk, they turned to serious matters. Just then, more than a dozen Elders of the Shushan Sword Sect arrived. These Elders had gone in search of master swordsmen and Divine Swords to help deal with the evil entity about to break through the seal. However, their efforts had largely been in vain, and they had returned, somewhat disgruntled, bringing with them just one or two fairly advanced practitioners.

Daoist Equal to Heaven and Enlightenment Daoist looked on in embarrassment. They hadn’t realized just how vast the world was with so many experts until they had ventured out. Each Elder had attained the First Heaven of the Da Luo Golden Immortal. They had thought themselves unrivaled after causing Havoc in Heaven, but suddenly it dawned on them what Xu Jingyang had mentioned when helping them against a demon, “Times change.” It struck them that perhaps Xu, the Heavenly Master, had been under the charge of the Great Emperor or the Three Pure Ones.

The assembled guests exchanged greetings, aware that these were the experts invited to aid Mount Shu, and they showed them great respect. The formalities are not detailed here.

The Head of Mount Shu, Green Duckweed Daoist, calculated that three days hence would be an auspicious day, and it was also the day when Mount Shu would clear of clouds and fog. Shrouded in mist throughout the year, Mount Shu would see clear skies for only about eight or nine days annually, which was when the Sword Qi of Mount Shu would be most potent and majestic.

The Sect Leader said, “Please make yourselves comfortable here, gentlemen. In three days, we’ll commence the ritual to reinforce the seal and prevent the evil being’s emergence.”

The True Men of Dao and Virture from Shushan unanimously nodded in agreement. Most of these True Men had exemplary conduct and a humble nature, never rashly causing conflict with others. Seeing that Daoist Equal to Heaven and the other friends had strong mana and impressive backgrounds, they came forward to join them in drinking tea and discussing the Dao.

Among these individuals, many were Loose Cultivators lost to history, but their high level of mana was astonishing. These Loose Cultivators, often blessed with immense destiny, would encounter Secret Realms in overseas territories or desolate places, and therein attain legacies that allowed them to reach such levels of Cultivation.

The elders of Mount Shu had invited seven Daoist friends, with each True Man of Dao and Virtue possessing mana at the level of the First Heaven of Da Luo Golden Immortal.

Feeling a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Enlightenment recalled his boundless arrogance in a previous life. Had he encountered these individuals, he probably would have been beaten to a point where he couldn’t even find his way north. It was because Tathagata had suppressed him for five hundred years and put a headband on him, otherwise, he might have reached the level of a Da Luo Golden Immortal as well.

Venerable Ape invited Enlightenment to discuss swordsmanship. Enlightenment then took out the “sword” character from the Xia Dynasty Dragon Seal to share and explain its principles and mysteries.

The single character of the sword represents: fortitude, integrity, sharpness, unyieldingness, and vigorous progression.

The sword is also a spiritual symbol. The ancestral Patriarchs of the Mount Shu lineage did not have any motto or cautionary words, they simply carved a large ‘sword’ character onto the cliff behind the mountain with a Divine Sword! This character, revealing unparalleled sharpness, often inspired the junior disciples observing it at the cliff to gain insight into the true meaning of sword dao and make great strides forward in their practice.

Green Duckweed Daoist invited everyone to tour around Mount Shu and would share the stories and origins associated with some desolate places as they passed by.

When they arrived at Sword Cliff, everyone instinctively felt in awe. The cliff towered a hundred feet high, with a surface so smooth it was unmatched, and on it was carved an extremely ancient sword character. Straight and upright, each turn of the character was filled with vigor. To True Man of Great Purity, not only was the swordsmanship superior, but the calligraphy was also peerless!

Lu Chunyang praised, “Such a splendid character! Just by looking at this character, even my Pure Yang Sword can’t help but tremble.”

The sword artifacts on the backs of the sword cultivators present began to buzz and tremble, resonated by the character.

Pointing at the character, Enlightenment said to Venerable Ape, “This character is also extraordinary. Although it does not surpass the Xia Dynasty Dragon Seal, it does indeed encapsulate the true essence of sword dao.”

The people of Mount Shu couldn’t help but feel displeased, thinking that he was boasting excessively.

Green Duckweed Daoist said with displeasure, “Enlightenment Daoist Friend, please refrain from making boastful claims. This character was left by our Patriarch, how can you comment on it so casually?”

Enlightenment chuckled, unconcerned. Being a free-spirited man, he looked around and noticed another cliff opposite Sword Cliff, also quite large and roughly seventy to eighty feet high with a relatively smooth surface.

“I shall carve the ‘sword’ character that I’ve understood on this cliff wall. Would you like to see it?” Enlightenment asked.

Green Duckweed Daoist replied, “If Daoist Friend wishes to carve, then go ahead and carve.”

Enlightenment clasped his hands and said, “Forgive my humble skills!”

With a stomp of his foot, the Seven Stars Sword at his back soared into the sky, emitting a dragon’s roar. With a clang that sounded like a Divine Dragon’s cry, the Sword Qi lingered, spanning across all directions and not dissipating for a long time.

Everyone couldn’t help but praise silently, “What a fine sword! Yet for this Taoist to utter such grandiose words, his skills better measure up. If the character he carves doesn’t compare to that of Mount Shu’s Patriarch, he might lose face.”

Enlightenment leaped into the air, holding the Seven Stars Sword in his hand and a sword technique at the ready in his left hand, he let out a fierce shout. Sword Qi burst forth from the tip of the sword, extending a hundred feet. As his hand moved, the Sword Qi responded as easily as his own arm, and with a stroke, he cut the steep part of the cliff wall to be as flat as a plank.

“What swordsmanship!” The crowd couldn’t help but shout in excitement. This move had revealed a hint of Enlightenment’s strength, truly formidable.

Enlightenment changed the sword technique in his left hand and gave a series of shakes with his right, spinning out blossoms of Sword Flowers. Landing on the wall of the cliff, they turned into Sword Qi, carving out lines in every direction.

Dust and debris rose all around, engulfing the mountaintop, as the people emitted a cyan light from their bodies, the incoming dust instantly repelled and unable to touch them.

From within the clouds of dust came the continuous sound of Sword Qi’s dragon-like roars along with the noise of the cliff being cut by Sword Qi and the fragments of rock falling to the ground.

After finishing the character, Enlightenment formed a spell with his hand and shouted, “Summon Wind!”

A gust of wind swept through, and the power of Chi Songzi’s Divine Skill Summoning Wind was of course extraordinary, being the Eight Trigrams Breezy Wind. It blew away all the dust into the mountains beyond in an instant.

Daoist Equal to Heaven used a Moving Mountain Divine Skill, and the huge pieces of rock immediately took flight, landing outside the mountain as well.

Everyone felt a piercing aura of sharpness press upon them, causing a tingling sensation on their skin.

Looking up, they saw a character carved into the wall. Although they did not recognize the character, they knew it represented the word—sword!

Because the sharpness and spirit unique to a sword are unchangeable.

To find out what happens next, please tune in to the following chapter.