"Laugh? What are you laughing at!"
For a normal person, Li Lin's ability to ban passive time travel is like covering their eyes and plugging their ears.
To Li Lin, who hadn't covered his eyes or plugged his ears, this was too shameful.
He could see the real reason why those martial arts practitioners secretly rebelled—just to see the look of disappointment on Li Lin's proud face.
It wasn't because Li Lin targeted their sect or family at all.
They wanted Li Lin to look at them more.
Just like when boys were kids, they liked to bully the people they liked.
What the hell, Humanoid Succubus!
Even the Golden Sand from the Tathagata Nirvana could not suppress it.
Yes, the primary purpose of this Golden Sand is not to provide concentration, but to suppress Li Lin's extraordinary charm, transforming it into Zen, from a charismatic and indulgent type to an ascetic type.
But clearly, it didn't work.
Even with his eyes covered and ears covered, Li Lin is still Li Lin.
They are all manifestations of Basil's attention; self-imposed interference is ineffective.
But for one Li Lin...
This kind of intervention is useful.
He not only covered his eyes and ears, but also fell into a deep sleep.
He doesn't even exist as Li Lin.
He is a sword, a blood-drinking sword, the most renowned sword in the martial arts world.
That was the owner of that box, a sword that even his father, Master Xiao, couldn't break or destroy.
That was a sword that even a three-year-old child could wield and be invincible with.
"Before it appeared, I thought there was no sword technique that could not be broken, no sword that could not be broken, and no swordsman that could not be defeated." Xiao Lexue, the owner of the box, said, "If you use the right weapon and moves, as long as you encounter a swordsman, you can break his technique, break his sword, and kill him. This is called the Art of Sword Breaking."
"I was indeed like that before that sword appeared."
"I regard all the famous swordsmen in the world as dirt; they are all vulnerable in my eyes."
"But things have changed now?" the boy beside him asked.
His name is Gao Jianfei, and everyone calls him Xiao Gao.
He is the son of Xiao Lexue and the father of Xiao Leishui — Master Xiao, a sword-making master comparable to Madam Xu and Lu Ban. In order to break the curse of his most perfect work, the Tear Stain Sword, he sent his third disciple, who inherited his most prized Thrusting Technique, to live in seclusion in the deep mountains with the Tear Stain Sword.
Later, this third disciple adopted him and one of the girls from a village that had been Carnage and left with only three children.
The reason they came to this village was because one of the three children was Xiao Lexue's child.
The other two are twins, so of course they aren't.
He was initially unaware of his own background.
But as the Tear Stain Sword was severed by that sword, he realized his relationship with the god-like, demon-like man before him.
According to his adoptive father, Master Xiao's third disciple.
"Yes, things have changed. I can't guarantee that the sword won't end up in the hands of those renowned swordsmen." This man, whose existence was known to all and regarded as the Grim Reaper, and who had always been shrouded in mist, now had a trembling voice.
"You may have indeed seen that sword, know its power, and lost your confidence after seeing it," Xiao Gao said. "But I have also seen that sword."
He thought Xiao Leishui didn't know he was his son.
"Where is it?" Xiao Leishui's voice was filled with urgency, but it still retained a trace of tenderness that he himself did not realize.
He knew the young man before him was his son, but he also thought the young man didn't know he was his father.
"On a mountain," Xiao Gao said, "On a mountain where only I, my master, and my junior sister are."
"It was in my junior sister's hands. When she was eleven years old, she used it to sever the Tear Mark and then went down the mountain."
"Then she brought back a girl who looked exactly like her, named Die Wu."
"I might have seen her. That Die Wu." Xiao Lexue was lost in his memories. "She was beautiful, and her dance was beautiful, but what was most beautiful were her legs. No one can describe her dance moves, and no one can describe the beauty of her legs."
"I simply can't believe that a person can have such legs."
Xiao Gao listened carefully. He didn't think that the man in front of him had seen few women. In that Underground Palace, the four or five stunning beauties, each with a perfect figure, dressed in thin gauze, had already proven the man's aesthetic sense.
Xiao Lexue continued speaking without pause.
"But the most beautiful thing is the sword in her hand."
"It was an elegant sword-shaped work of art, as if it were crafted from blue and white porcelain."
"Everyone would mistakenly believe that."
"But I won't. I inherited that person's sword-finding skills. This is a perfect, invincible, earth-shattering, soul-capturing sword that I cannot describe with any words."
"Then, I put the box down."
"A box?" Xiao Gao asked in surprise.
Having already been to that magnificent Underground Palace, he already knew what was in that box.
This Iron Chain Flying Sickle is crafted from the essence and corresponding moves of thirteen weapons used by martial arts masters who dominated their respective eras, including the Green Willow of Gu Daoren of Bashan, the Xuanhua Great Axe Woodcutter of Wuling by Hermit of Huangshan, the Nameless Person of Dongying of Huangshan, and the Iron Chain Flying Scythe of an unnamed person from the East.
Although it contains only fragmented iron blocks, pipes, and sheets, as long as there are skillful hands that can put them together in the shortest time, and a user with rich experience, quick reflexes, and accurate judgment to determine what type of weapon is needed to subdue the opponent in the shortest time.
This box will transform into the most powerful weapon, capable of overcoming any weapon in the world, and the weapon of any master.
"Yes, because I understand that as long as I have that sword, this box will no longer be needed," Xiao Lexue said. "That girl doesn't know martial arts; she just stood there timidly. All I need to do is walk over and reach out my hand."
"But that's not the case," Xiao Gao said.
"Yes." Xiao Lexue nodded. "The sword compelled her to draw it and point it at me. The tip of the sword trembled, like a beginner."
"But that must be very dangerous." The confident smile that had been on Xiao Gao's face disappeared.
"It's extremely dangerous. If I take another step, I will lose my life," Xiao Lexue said.
"And then?" Xiao Gao asked.
"And then?" Xiao Lexue raised an eyebrow. "Then I turned around, picked up my suitcase, and left without looking back."
"From then on, I developed a habit: if the person I was going to kill was a swordsman, I would spend half a day observing whether he had a porcelain sword."
"Why half a day?" Xiao Gao asked.
"Because after killing someone, I need half a day to take a bath," Xiao Lexue said. "Taking a bath is the best way to get rid of fatigue and emptiness."
"Emptiness?" Xiao Gao asked in surprise.
In his view, if we disregard the sword and its wielder, his father was capable of taking anyone's head, not even the emperor in the Golden Imperial Hall, nor Sima Chaoqun of Great Escort Agency).
In addition, there's that Underground Palace that's comparable to a heavenly palace.
How could someone like that feel empty?
"All my efforts were to survive the curse of the Tear Stain Sword," Xiao Lexue said. "When a precious sword is born, even gods and ghosts fear it. The Tear Stain Sword, once forged, carries the curse of ghosts and gods and the malevolence of heaven and earth. Not only will it injure people when it is drawn, but it will also require one of Master Xiao's closest people to be sacrificed."
"Whether it's being an assassin or mastering thirteen extraordinary martial arts techniques to be worthy of this box, it's all so that I'm the one who survives."
"Was I born a sacrifice?" Xiao Gao's face suddenly turned pale.
He always believed that the person the [Tear Stain Sword] was meant to kill was his father.
"You know?" Xiao Lexue sighed. "My father was a great man, but also a cruel one."
"In order to break this curse."
"He blinded the eldest disciple."
"They cut off the second disciple's legs."
"He killed himself."
"Only three disciples survived; your master did."
"He has trained you very well. Your martial arts are well-founded, and it seems that you have also practiced yoga from the Indian Esoteric Buddhism, specifically the Yoga Technique from the peak of the Holy Mother's Water."
"The eldest disciple, who learned the [Sword Appraisal Technique], lost his eyes, and the second disciple, who learned the [Sword Forging Technique], lost his legs." Xiao Gao was drenched in cold sweat.
Hands are essential in forging, but for skilled swordsmiths, their legs are far more important than their hands.
"That's why I say he's cruel," Xiao Lexue said. "His eldest disciple transformed into the Old Man Zhiyin, using the [Absolute Home Needles] to roam the martial world."
"The second disciple transformed into the Old Man Liushui, who nurtured Zhuo Donglai, the true mastermind of this Great Escort Agency."
"High mountains, flowing water, and a kindred spirit?" Xiao Gao realized that his master's pseudonym was Gao Shan (High Mountain).
"You're wrong." A voice that Xiao Gao knew all too well, a voice that haunted his dreams, rang out in the room.
"Amber!" Xiao Gao turned around, and the person who came was Amber and Die Wu.
Both of them were wearing silver fox Cloak, silver short jackets, and silver long skirts.
As she moved, her long skirt flowed like water, creating shimmering light. Even the Stone Heart man would be momentarily stunned by her presence.
But Xiao Gao and Xiao Lexue's gazes never wavered, remaining fixed on Amber's waist.
That unsheathed sword, even more dazzling than the two of them.
"Where did I go wrong?" Xiao Lexue asked.
He was a handsome, slender, and tall man, casually dressed in a shiny black silk robe, with his long, jet-black hair draped loosely over his shoulders.
Even though he was dressed so casually, he looked like an emperor.
Especially his face.
His face has very distinct features and very clear lines.
His face was pale, completely devoid of color, as if sculpted from a block of snow-white marble, exuding an indescribable coldness and nobility.
This makes his words carry a lot of weight.
But Amber still smiled aloofly, her stunningly beautiful face only showing indifference, which only thawed when her hand touched the hilt of the sword. "If you had studied Zhiyin and Liushui, you would know that what Liushui Zhuo Donglai was not cultivation, but torture."
"Zhiyin seems to have given up everything and is only studying poisons and hidden weapons, but he is using every means to destroy the Great Escort Agency and Zhuo Donglai behind it."
"Why are they so hostile to Zhuo Donglai? He was just an infant when he was adopted by Liushui. He was a child whose legs were crippled by his brother."
"Crippled?" Xiao Gao exclaimed in surprise. "How could someone like him be crippled?"
That's Zhuo Donglai, the true Zhuo Donglai of the Great Escort Agency, who has never failed and never made a mistake.
His swordsmanship and Lightness Skill are unparalleled.
Xiao Gao witnessed all of this firsthand, and there was nothing about him that made him seem like a cripple.
"He put in a lot of Mental Power to make himself like a normal person," Amber said.
Xiao Lexue had already sensed Amber's unspoken meaning. "He is my brother?"
Amber nodded. "So, the flowing water torments him, but doesn't kill him."
"Neither you nor Xiao Gao were chosen as the sacrifice."
"But it was this disabled son."
"In the martial arts world today, only Zhuo Donglai can figure out the power of the box in an instant and exchange his sword for it, thus taking it away."
"That sword can only be [Tears of Blood]." Xiao Lexue's lower body was very stable. He was naturally very stable because he could kill almost everyone in this martial world. But now he was a little unsteady on his feet. "Why are you telling me? I've been watching. You don't care about Xiao Gao."
"Because I only severed its form back then, sooner or later its omens will still come true," Amber said.
"And now?" Xiao Lexue stared intently at Amber.
"Its god has perished," Amber said. "Didn't you notice that my sword was already drawn when I entered this room?"
"A scabbard?" Xiao Gao asked in confusion. "Does a sword like this even have a scabbard? My master has worked hard for ten years, but there has never been a scabbard that can hold it."
"I, and Die Wu, are his scabbard." A strange expression suddenly appeared on Amber's indifferent face, like a most devout believer suddenly mentioning his most revered deity.
She looked at Xiao Gao, "That's why you can't touch him. Only a pure girl with sufficient talent can become the Sword Slave of [Hongyan] and contain his sword energy that is enough to cut through everything."
Xiao Gao sized up the two faces, and combined with the sword name "Hongyan," he roughly understood what the so-called "aptitude" was.
A face that could launch a thousand ships, a beauty that could rival any other.
"That's why Die Wu gives me the same sense of crisis," Xiao Lexue suddenly realized. "Because the sword energy within you is the strongest weapon."
Die Wu, who had been silent, looked at Amber. "Master's mission is complete. We should leave now."
"Mission? Leaving?" Xiao Gao asked.
He knew Amber could never like him, but he hoped to stay by her side, even if only as her coachman.
"Sever the strongest sword," Amber said. "That is the master's mission. As for leaving us, we will leave this era without [Tears]."
As soon as they finished speaking, the two disappeared, just as abruptly as they had arrived.
Xiao Gao stood there blankly for a long time before finally speaking, "I've changed my mind. I want to learn everything about you."
His eyes Winky, as if they were burning with an inextinguishable flame.
"Okay." Xiao Lexue nodded. "What is your purpose?"
"A sword," Xiao Gao said in a deep voice, "I want to forge a sword, a sword that is even more perfect and sharper than [Tears of the Goddess]."
"Father, I need your help."
"We also need Zhuo Donglai's help."
"It even requires the help of kindred spirits and flowing water."