Sword Sect

Yun Province Prefecture was naturally not far from Yunshan Mountain. At Xie Yuan's pace, though he had not been traveling quickly, he reached Yunshan Mountain's gate in less than half a day.

He still had Yunshan's disciple token, and passed through the mountain gate with ease before making his way up the mountain.

Yet whether it was the guards at the gate or the disciples he encountered along the way, all of them left Xie Yuan somewhat puzzled.

Tight security was only natural. With the world in chaos, even the foot of Yunshan Mountain was no longer as peaceful as before.

But there were far fewer disciples on the road than in the past. Those he did see all wore grave expressions and hurried along, utterly lacking the clear-eyed air of a time when all of Yunshan had been united in pursuit of the sword.

Moreover, Xie Yuan vaguely noticed white mourning drapes hanging outside some disciples' residences.

His gaze darkened, worry stirring within him. He hastened toward the main peak and soon reached its summit.

The main peak was not so easy to enter. Xie Yuan had no choice but to reveal his identity, immediately startling the disciple on duty.

"You're Xie... ah, you're Zhang... um, please wait a moment. I'll report this at once."

The disciple immediately used his lightness skill and ran off like he was flying.

The deeds and reputation of Xie Yuan—or rather, Zhang Shan—had long spread throughout Yunshan. A legendary disciple rare even in recent years, or indeed in the entire history of the Yunshan Sword Sect, naturally became the subject of every disciple's discussion. Almost no one had not heard of him.

Xie Yuan had waited only a moment when he saw a figure emerge. After several flashes, the man arrived before him.

"Junior Brother Zhang, come. Master is already waiting for you."

Qin Zhenyang spoke politely.

Xie Yuan gave Qin Zhenyang a respectful bow.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Qin."

Qin Zhenyang returned the bow, and the two headed toward the sect master's study.

After pondering for a moment along the way, Xie Yuan asked, "Senior Brother Qin, has anything major happened in the sect recently?"

"Something major?"

Qin Zhenyang raised his brows, considered it, then shook his head.

"No. Why do you ask, Junior Brother Zhang?"

"I saw that all the disciples were hurrying about, and there seemed to be quite a few white mourning drapes."

Xie Yuan's voice was low.

Subconsciously, he stroked the sword at his waist.

If the Yunshan Sword Sect had encountered grave trouble, then perhaps he would have to draw his sword and cut down every enemy. The Yunshan Sword Sect had helped him greatly. Now was the time to repay that debt.

But contrary to his expectations, Qin Zhenyang shook his head.

"There is no major event. Those are fellow disciples who have fallen while slaying demons and eliminating evil at the foot of the mountain these past days."

His voice lowered somewhat.

"The world changed in the blink of an eye. The Imperial Court does nothing; I hear the Central Plains have become a pot of porridge, and our several border provinces are even worse. Bandits and brigands rise everywhere, wandering swordsmen and reckless brutes run wild, and even things buried in the mud have crawled back out at such a time. Demons and monsters, flies buzzing about and dogs scrambling for scraps.

"The common people are drowning in misery. How could Sword Sect disciples stand by and watch? Master issued an order long ago: any disciple qualified to descend the mountain was to travel below and rid the violent of evil while bringing peace to the good.

"But this chaos is no ordinary chaos. Master says it is a tribulation. That is true for the common people, true for everyone in the Sword Sect, or rather, true for everyone. Demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters walk the earth, and many of our brothers and sisters have been wounded or killed. A month ago, a demon emerged from the Western Desert and crossed Gourd Pass to wreak havoc. Uncle-Master Luo went to kill it, but he himself suffered serious injuries and is still recuperating in seclusion. We have not seen such a powerful demon in many years. In the past, there were only two or three little cats at most, merely somewhat stronger than ordinary beasts."

Xie Yuan understood, and what he understood weighed heavily on him.

The Yunshan Sword Sect was putting into practice the sword path it had always upheld. But in such a vast situation, one mountain and one sect could not turn the tide.

Xie Yuan sighed and raised his head toward the hole in the sky.

"Heaven leaks spiritual energy, yet all things do not burst forth in rivalry—they descend into madness. Senior Brother Qin, with the sect sending all its disciples out, I fear the danger is truly great."

"I know. Master naturally knows as well. And how could those junior brothers and sisters not know? But with swords in hand, we at least have more strength than ordinary people."

Qin Zhenyang's tone was low, yet open and forthright.

"What the Imperial Court is unwilling to manage, we will manage. If we can protect one city, one place, then that is one city, one place. Only then will we not disgrace the longswords in our hands or the martial arts we have cultivated."

His words struck the ground like metal, leaving Xie Yuan silent. He recalled his days seeking the Dao on Yunshan Mountain. Back then, he too had gradually been influenced by the sect's spirit, gradually come to like this place.

"Junior Brother Zhang, we're here."

Qin Zhenyang pulled open the study door, interrupting Xie Yuan's reverie.

Xie Yuan looked into the spacious study, at the great swordsman who seemed forever seated amid mountains of accumulated documents. He walked in and gave a respectful bow.

"Xie Yuan greets Sect Master."

"Sit."

Li Xingtuo set down the dossier and brush in his hands. Looking at Xie Yuan across from him, he smiled.

"What troublesome matter has brought you here this time?"

Li Xingtuo clearly understood him.

Xie Yuan fell silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Yet Li Xingtuo's tone carried a few traces of teasing and jest, while the rest was warmth and patience. There was not the slightest hint of refusal. Instead, his easy words eased some of the burden in Xie Yuan's heart.

Xie Yuan let out a breath and began from the start—from the great tribulation, all the way to the Black Heaven Book. He told Li Xingtuo everything he knew, including the fact that he had long known there was a Black Heaven Book Above Sword Peak.

Li Xingtuo listened quietly without interrupting.

Some of it he already knew, while much of it was unknown even to him. Yet no matter how secret Xie Yuan's revelations were, his expression remained calm.

After Xie Yuan finished, Li Xingtuo nodded and spoke slowly.

"If that is the case, then many things make sense. The struggle of heavenly beings?"

He turned his head slightly and looked through the study's broad window at the torn sky beyond the verdant mountains.

"The Second Generation Ancestor laid the foundations of Yunshan. He attained enlightenment in a single day, had few rivals throughout his life, and transformed Yunshan from a minor sect into one of the world's renowned sword sects overnight, his might shaking the world. Yet the sect records have always been vague about his later years, saying only that he challenged powerful foes and vanished without a trace."

Li Xingtuo spoke slowly.

"I once read in an obscure Sword Scripture in the scripture repository that the Second Generation Ancestor wished to defy Heaven, though it did not explain how. Now that I think of it, perhaps he embarked upon the same road as many powerful predecessors.

"In truth, many cultivators famed throughout history lived lives of dazzling splendor, their deeds known to all beneath Heaven, yet their endings were always hazy and indistinct. Even those who noticed merely took it for omissions amid piles of old papers. Now, it seems perhaps all of it was related to this world."

Xie Yuan nodded.

"Perhaps Heaven and Earth restricted the development of martial arts. Those Great Grandmasters who stood at the very pinnacle could advance no further, so they could only seek a path forward through the Heavenly Dao—without destruction, there could be no establishment."

"Perhaps."

Li Xingtuo nodded faintly.

Many matters could not be known without reaching that realm.

Yet both of them felt in their hearts that it might not be so simple.

Li Xingtuo looked at Xie Yuan.

"So, you truly possess five pages of the Black Heaven Book, and you also wish to take That Page on Sword Peak away to seek a means of ending this great chaos?"

Xie Yuan nodded.

Li Xingtuo looked at him.

"May I have a look at your Black Heaven Book?"

At his words, Xie Yuan did not hesitate in the slightest. He took out the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, the Eight Trigrams Lotus, and the others, placing them upon the desk.

Li Xingtuo looked at those strange and wondrous treasures, surprise flashing across his face before vanishing. Clearly, even someone as composed as him could not simply turn a blind eye to the Black Heaven Book—much less so many pages of it.

But he merely examined them for a few moments without touching them. Then he looked at Xie Yuan with a half-smile.

"You told me you had so many pages of the Black Heaven Book, then brought them out so openly. Are you not afraid that I might greedily take them all for myself?"

Xie Yuan shook his head slightly.

"The Sect Master is not that kind of person. I trust you."

"These are five pages of the Black Heaven Book. Before something like this, I do not even know what sort of person I would become."

Li Xingtuo revealed a faint smile.

"Put them away."

Xie Yuan silently collected the items. Then he saw Li Xingtuo studying him, his gaze gradually sharpening until it became almost tangible, like two keen swords aimed at him.

"You do not trust me. I think you trust yourself."

Xie Yuan paused, then replied noncommittally, "I have always admired the Sect Master. That I trust the Sect Master, that I trust the Sword Sect's sword path—those are my heartfelt words."

"Haha, what a slippery little rascal."

Li Xingtuo suddenly burst into laughter. When he finished, his face was filled with emotion.

"On a whim, I took in a little rat like you. I never expected that one day, you would learn to such a degree that you could stand shoulder to shoulder with me."

"The Sword Sect is where my path began. The Sect Master, the elders, and all my brothers and sisters have helped me immensely. Xie Yuan has never forgotten it for a single moment."

Xie Yuan spoke sincerely.

Li Xingtuo nodded with a smile.

"I also believe you are not one to forget your roots. But... since you remember the Sword Sect's kindness, why do you still intend to dig up the very foundation of the sect and take it away?"

His smile gradually faded as he stared at Xie Yuan.

Under Li Xingtuo's swordlike gaze, Xie Yuan was silent for a long while before slowly speaking.

"I seek to take this sword not for myself, but for the world, for all living beings.

"Before coming here, I hesitated for a long time and felt deeply guilty. But after ascending the mountain, I understood that the Sect Master would certainly agree."

Li Xingtuo raised his brows. Xie Yuan met his eyes calmly.

"I saw that all Sword Sect disciples still upheld the sword in their hearts, defended justice, put people first, and did not betray fairness. Thus I understood that in this time of great chaos, I remain a fellow disciple and fellow traveler of the Sword Sect. I go to take this sword only to cut away the calamities beneath Heaven and the suffering of the common people—not for myself alone, nor for the Sword Sect alone."

Hearing Xie Yuan's words, the swords in Li Xingtuo's eyes slowly withdrew, replaced by a smile and deep emotion.

"If you put it that way, would refusing not mean betraying the world?"

He smiled and waved a hand, stopping Xie Yuan from explaining further.

"There is no need to say more. As you said, perhaps only in your hands can the thing on Sword Peak now serve a greater purpose—not for Sword Peak alone, not for anyone alone.

"Go. I permit you to Ascend Sword Peak.

"This time, you may ascend directly to the ninety-ninth level."

Xie Yuan rose and solemnly bowed to Li Xingtuo before leaving the study.

Li Xingtuo watched his retreating figure until he vanished from sight. Only then did he shift his gaze upward, toward the portraits of patriarchs hanging in the study, remaining speechless for a long time.

The main peak was probably where Yunshan currently had the most disciples.

Though the disciples all came and went in haste, their minds burdened with worry, whenever someone happened to glimpse that figure high upon Sword Peak, they could not help but slowly stop walking.

Then word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred.

"Who is that? Which elder is it? We can see him even from here—he must be around the sixtieth or seventieth level already, right?"

"He's still climbing! Look at his steps—every one is spaced exactly the same. He has not rested at all!"

"That can't be possible, can it? The Sword Wind higher up Sword Peak is like a storm of sharp blades. Even many elders cannot keep their footing there. How can he keep climbing?"

"Where is he going?"

Under countless gazes, Xie Yuan climbed one stone platform after another at a steady pace. At last, before the stunned eyes of all Sword Sect disciples, he stepped onto the highest tier.

At present, Li Xingtuo was the only person in the entire Yunshan Sword Sect who had ever reached this tier.

Xie Yuan looked over the summit of Sword Peak, the highest place in all Yunshan. It was bare, with room for only two or three people to stand. There were several wondrous Sword Marks upon it, and nothing else.

Xie Yuan first carefully contemplated those Sword Marks. What they bore were all peak Sword Sect arts—the essence of the Fleeting Light Shadow Sword, for instance. A single stroke contained an entire lifetime of insight.

He had only looked for a short while when he felt he had gained immensely, and a stirring arose within him—a sign that his swordsmanship was about to break through.

Though this was worth rejoicing over, it was clearly far from his main purpose.

But while others, including many predecessors of the Sword Sect, might have found nothing else here, Xie Yuan was different.

With five pages of the Black Heaven Book upon him, his perception of the Black Heaven Book here was incomparably strong.

Xie Yuan drew in a deep breath and slowly reached toward the summit, as though he were about to grasp Sword Peak itself, a mountain resembling a colossal sword.

Rumble—

A heavy mass of dark clouds pressed down out of nowhere. Sword Peak trembled, and the Sword Wind upon it surged, whipping up an unprecedentedly terrifying storm around the entire mountain.

The disciples on the main peak staggered about, but even so, they stared in shock at the trembling Sword Peak encircled by the storm, at the dark clouds pressing down upon it, and at Xie Yuan standing on the summit as he drew a sword from the peak.

It was an illusory colossal sword, a sword of precisely the same shape and size as Sword Peak itself.

Everyone stared blankly as the mountain-sized colossal sword—or rather, Sword Peak's own phantom—was slowly pulled free by some unknown method and rose into the air.

Whoosh—

A sword light that linked Heaven and Earth blazed forth, piercing through layer upon layer of dark clouds and revealing the lofty azure sky.

Everyone in the Sword Sect stared with shock, blankness, and fervor in their eyes. They had never seen, nor even imagined, such sword light or such swordsmanship.

But just as they wanted to see more, the phantom of the colossal sword vanished.

In their sense of loss, they suddenly discovered that Sword Peak stood utterly still, as though it had completely lost its soul and its former wonder.

In that instant, many disciples became anxious. Everyone knew that Sword Peak was the Sword Sect's foundation and confidence, the basis upon which it stood and its sole sacred ground. If Sword Peak had been stripped of its soul, could the Yunshan Sword Sect still be the same Yunshan Sword Sect?

A tide of panic quietly spread. The Sword Sect fell into dead silence, with no one daring to be the first to break it.

Suddenly, Li Xingtuo appeared atop Sword Peak. He swept his gaze around and called out loudly.

"Sword Peak is still here. Why should any of you be troubled?"

His longsword left its sheath. Incomparably powerful sword light flashed, directly carving a new mark into Sword Peak.

It was like casting a boulder into still water, instantly sending enormous ripples spreading outward.

The entire Sword Peak began trembling again. Then every Sword Mark upon it and every broken sword emitted sword qi at once. Slowly, slowly, they circled Sword Peak and formed the endless Sword Wind anew.

Sword Peak had always been a wondrous land left behind jointly by the Black Heaven Book and countless Sword Sect predecessors. Though the Black Heaven Book was gone, the sword intent of the ancestors upon Sword Peak remained. Even without the Black Heaven Book, this was still a sacred ground of swordsmanship belonging solely to the Yunshan Sword Sect.

"From this day forth, Sword Peak shall be a place where every Yunshan Sword Sect disciple may comprehend the sword. Should you gain insight, you may leave behind Sword Marks for those who come after. One day, Sword Peak will be covered in Sword Marks, and every mark shall be a supreme sword art passed down through the ages.

"We Sword Sect disciples rely neither on people nor on objects. We rely on ourselves to turn Sword Peak into an endless sacred ground of the sword path!"

Li Xingtuo raised his longsword high and shouted.

"Let it begin with me, and let all of you inherit it thereafter!"

He suddenly circled Sword Peak, drawing his sword again and again. In the space of moments, he unleashed an unknown number of sword techniques, leaving carved marks from top to bottom.

This was the labor of his entire life. Every Sword Mark accelerated the whirlwind around Sword Peak by another measure.

By the time Li Xingtuo's longsword came to rest, Sword Peak's imposing aura was almost no different from before.

He looked up at the sky, gave a long laugh, and suddenly swung his sword, thrusting straight into the blue vault of Heaven.

Dazzling sword light flashed, and everyone instinctively narrowed their eyes.

When they opened them again, Li Xingtuo had already vanished.