Swords Hidden in the Mountain-Look Upon Them and Die

Chapter 37: Swords Hidden in the Mountain—Look Upon Them and Die

Lu Xun went down the mountain with Shen Yan. Since he still could not use Object Manipulation Flight, he treated Shen Yan like a taxi for once.

Not being able to fly was the main reason he had not gone to visit Ji Li lately. It was simply far too troublesome—definitely not because men were heartless.

As one of the rare Eighth Realm powerhouses on the Tian Chen Continent, Shen Yan merely waved a hand, and a current of air lifted Lu Xun up before carrying him toward the mountain peak where the Outer Sect Disciples lived and cultivated.

Once they were high in the air, the most conspicuous of all the outer mountains was Reception Peak at the very edge.

A few days ago, Lu Xun had jumped from that very cliff.

Like Shen Yan, it was completely bare. There were no trees on the mountain, not even a blade of grass. It was utterly barren.

The platform at its summit looked as though it had been sliced flat with a single sword strike. From afar, it truly resembled an enormous Sword Sheath plunged into the earth!

Although it was far from his first time seeing it, Lu Xun was still deeply captivated, marveling inwardly at the mountain's uncanny craftsmanship.

Seeing Lu Xun's gaze linger on Reception Peak for so long, Shen Yan could not help asking, "Little Martial Uncle, do you find Reception Peak somewhat unique?"

"Mm," Lu Xun said.

Shen Yan glanced at Reception Peak as well and sighed. "Then does Little Martial Uncle know who gave this mountain its present appearance?"

Lu Xun shook his head and waited for Shen Yan's answer.

"It was the founder of the Demon Sect, Eldest Brother of Master, and also my Master."

That was right. The Founding Ancestor of the Demon Sect was Lu Xun's First Senior Brother.

On the Tian Chen Continent, the righteous path was led by the four great sects, while the Demonic Path revered the Three Great Demonic Sects.

Of those seven major sects, four possessed long and storied histories, while the other three were different.

They were One Sword Mountain, Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, and the Demon Sect.

One Sword Mountain and Ten Thousand Swords Mountain did not have long histories. The reason was simple: they had split off from Sword Mountain, one of the oldest sects in the entire Tian Chen Continent.

The Demon Sect was different. Shen Yan was only the Demon Sect's second-generation Sect Master, and the inheritance of the Sect Master position had only reached its second generation.

In terms of foundation, the Demon Sect could not compare with the other six great sects at all. But when it came to the strength of its Sect Master and upper echelons, the Demon Sect was no weaker!

On the surface, Sect Master Shen Yan was an Eighth Realm peerless powerhouse, while the several Peak Lords were all at the peak of the Seventh Realm.

In secret, the other six great sects might have hidden forces such as Supreme Elders, but did the Demon Sect not have Master?

With Master alone...

—It was enough.

Yet this history also proved from another angle... that someone as powerful as Master was actually just an unaffiliated cultivator!

Precisely because Master belonged to no sect, his eldest disciple likewise belonged to no sect, allowing him to establish the Demon Sect. Otherwise, would that not have been betraying his original sect?

Lu Xun's First Senior Brother was named Yan Li. Lu Xun had not met him yet; in fact, even Mao Nanbei had never met First Senior Brother.

Everyone in the Demon Sect knew that this Founding Ancestor was undergoing Secluded Life-or-Death Cultivation.

The difficulty of Secluded Life-or-Death Cultivation could be felt just from its name.

Take one step forward, and one lived. Fail to take that step, and one died.

To this day, First Senior Brother had yet to emerge from seclusion.

Across the entire Tian Chen Continent, many hoped he would live, and many hoped he would die.

One Sword Mountain and Ten Thousand Swords Mountain in particular had especially complicated feelings.

The reason was nothing else: as the two most famous sword cultivator sects on the Tian Chen Continent, holy lands for practitioners of the sword, they had been overshadowed by a man from outside their sects.

First Senior Brother cultivated the sword.

An unparalleled sword.

If someone made a ranking of sword cultivators across the world, ranks two through ten might all belong to One Sword Mountain and Ten Thousand Swords Mountain. Yet the universally acknowledged number one was undergoing Secluded Life-or-Death Cultivation in the Demon Sect.

As long as he did not draw his last breath, he would forever remain the foremost figure of the sword path in this age!

Lu Xun could not help looking at Reception Peak again. When he had first entered the sect, he had said that this mountain, which looked so much like a Sword Sheath, gave off a feeling of—utter solitude!

The World's First was bound to be utterly solitary!

Now that he looked again at the platform atop the mountain, a surge of heroic spirit rose within him for no reason at all!

Shen Yan seemed to see through Lu Xun's emotions. Smiling, he said, "Back then, Master cleaved the mountain with a single sword strike. To this day, half a strand of Master's sword qi remains within Reception Peak. That is why this mountain is utterly barren."

So that was the foreshadowing, Lu Xun thought.

He truly had not known about this. It seemed to be one of the Demon Sect's secrets.

Shen Yan seemed rather talkative today and continued, "This half strand of sword qi hidden within the mountain is actually the first layer of our Demon Sect's Mountain Protecting Formation."

He pointed at a small hill opposite Reception Peak. "Not many outsiders know this secret, but it is not entirely unknown. Every few years, a few old sword cultivators come to that hill to gaze into the distance at Reception Peak. Unfortunately, the sword is hidden in the mountain, and most cannot see through it, much less study and comprehend it."

Hearing this, Lu Xun glanced at the little hill and asked in puzzlement, "Why do I feel like that hill has been cut in half at the waist?"

He had the distinct feeling that the hill had once been taller and had been deliberately damaged by a Great Cultivator.

"Little Martial Uncle has sharp eyes. That mountain... was cut by me," Shen Yan said.

He slightly lifted his bald head and said unhappily, "It is one thing for those sword cultivators to try stealing techniques, but why did they have to stand so high?"

Lu Xun could not help laughing at that.

By cutting the mountain in half, Shen Yan had forced those sword cultivators to stand on the little hill and look up at Reception Peak.

As for flying on swords through the air to look levelly at—or down upon—Reception Peak... did they really think Demon Sect Disciples were easy to provoke?

Lu Xun's main character in his previous life had only reached level sixty. Since level sixty had been the level cap in that version, he was very curious about the strength of an Eighth Realm powerhouse in the eighties. Thus, he asked:

"I really want to know: when Sect Master cut that mountain, how many sword strikes did you use?"

Shen Yan said, "One strike as well."

After saying that, he added, "Though both Master and I used only one sword strike, the gap between my strike and Master's is immense. I do not know whether I will ever have the chance in this life to follow in Master's footsteps."

"Then can Sect Master see the half strand of sword qi that First Senior Brother hid within Reception Peak?" Lu Xun asked again.

"I can. Whenever I encounter doubts in cultivation, I come here to study it," Shen Yan said honestly, without the slightest embarrassment.

Seeing the longing on Lu Xun's face, he asked, "Does Little Martial Uncle wish to see it?"

Lu Xun nodded. There was nothing to deny.

Who would not want to see half a strand of sword qi from the world's greatest sword cultivator?

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yan said, "I can help Little Martial Uncle with that."

Lu Xun's eyes immediately lit up.

Yet Shen Yan wore a solemn expression. "Studying it yourself and studying it under someone's protection are two different things. I will only let Little Martial Uncle look once, and Little Martial Uncle may only look once. Do not be greedy for more."

"What will happen if I look too long?" Lu Xun asked curiously.

Shen Yan said, "You are observing the sword qi, and the sword qi is observing you."

Those words reminded Lu Xun of the saying: when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Shen Yan's next words were:

"And when the sword qi looks at you once, you die."