Fragments of the Past

In the tea room, wisps of smoke curled upwards, and in the dim lamplight, Li Jiusheng and Li Qingshan sat opposite each other, discussing Emperor Wu of Zhou.

"Since he was your only friend, why did you still kill him?" Li Jiusheng asked, puzzled. Did Emperor Wu of Zhou not consider the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land a friend?

"This part of history, ever since Emperor Wu of Zhou became an Ancestor, has rarely been mentioned. After several hundred years, it's been buried in the dust of history. I only learned the reasons after asking many seniors," Li Qingshan said, picking up his teacup and draining it in one gulp.

Li Jiusheng refilled his cup and continued to listen.

"When Emperor Wu of Zhou was young, he swept aside all his opponents, but he could never defeat the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land. Every time he made progress, he would seek out the other, but the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land would also improve, making it difficult to determine a winner."

"Emperor Wu of Zhou walked the path of martial arts and body refinement, comprehending Dao techniques, and his Primordial spirit comprehended Buddhist teachings. With the three paths merging into one, he became overwhelmingly powerful."

"The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land followed a pure Sword Dao. His swordsmanship was so powerful it reached the divine. He was a man of few words and had few friends. The world didn't know his name, and because his swordsmanship was divine, the younger and older generations of the Old Land could not compare to him. That's how he got his name, meaning the strongest Sword God in the Old Land for the past thousand years."

"In his youth, Emperor Wu of Zhou acted recklessly, killing many talented young individuals, which displeased numerous elder experts. Once, an elder who was infinitely close to the Ancestor Realm intercepted Emperor Wu of Zhou. In a moment of crisis, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land arrived and fought alongside Emperor Wu of Zhou to repel this formidable enemy, buying Emperor Wu of Zhou some time."

Li Qingshan recounted the tale.

"After saving his life, Emperor Wu of Zhou still killed the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land? Wasn't he afraid of the world's condemnation?" Li Jiusheng frowned, finding it hard to understand.

Li Qingshan scoffed, "When has Emperor Wu of Zhou ever cared about the world's condemnation?"

Li Jiusheng nodded. That was true; Emperor Wu of Zhou didn't care about his reputation at all. "What happened next?"

"Afterward, Emperor Wu of Zhou went into hiding to cultivate diligently, no longer showing himself. Meanwhile, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land met a Fox Woman from the Outer Domain. The two, one human and one demon, quickly fell in love and decided to marry within a few years."

"They didn't invite anyone else to their wedding, only Emperor Wu of Zhou."

"But no one expected that on their wedding day, Emperor Wu of Zhou would arrive with ten Supreme Elders from the various Great Dao sects. He declared that people from the Old Land could not marry demons from the Outer Domain, as it violated the Heavenly Dao, and advised the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land to abandon this marriage," Li Qingshan said.

Li Jiusheng frowned, utterly disgusted by Emperor Wu of Zhou's character. "On his wedding day, he brought ten Supreme Elders to cause trouble. Is that what you call a good friend?"

"Besides, why can't people from the Old Land marry people from the Outer Domain?" Li Jiusheng asked curiously.

Li Qingshan enlightened him. "Senior Brother, you might not know this, but cultivators in the Old Land are naturally distrustful of the various powers and races from the Outer Domain. The Fox Woman came from the Outer Domain and had offended the various Great Dao sects, leading to their united opposition. The Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land insisted on being with her, which angered the older generation. They wanted to capture and interrogate the Fox Woman. To protect her, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land engaged in a fierce battle with them."

"That battle was extremely brutal. The wide-ranging conflict was observed by top experts. In the end, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land slew the ten Supreme Elders of the Great Dao sects. His swordsmanship was dazzling to the extreme. At the critical moment, Emperor Wu of Zhou forcefully broke through his bottleneck and entered the Ancestor Realm, only then managing to kill the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land," Li Qingshan said.

"So that's when Emperor Wu of Zhou broke through to the Ancestor Realm," Li Jiusheng remarked.

"Yes. Since then, Emperor Wu of Zhou changed his ways and lived in seclusion, cultivating peacefully within the Luochuan Sect. The world said he became more stable after entering the Ancestor Realm, but only those who knew the inside story understood that Emperor Wu of Zhou wasn't more stable. It was because he was gravely injured in the battle with the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land. Upon entering the Ancestor Realm, his Ancestor foundation was severed, leaving him unable to be arrogant and willful, forcing him to recuperate."

"After recuperating for two hundred years, Emperor Wu of Zhou reappeared, forcefully killing the peerless Heavenly Immortal of our Shangqing Palace, attempting to declare that his injuries had healed. But unexpectedly, at the last moment, Li Tianxian's desperate sword strike tore open his wounds once more, severing his Ancestor foundation again. He was forced to go into seclusion for another hundred years," Li Qingshan said.

Li Jiusheng suddenly understood. "So that's how it is. Emperor Wu of Zhou debuted four hundred years ago and was domineering for a century. He entered the Ancestor Realm, but was injured in the great battle with the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land. While killing the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land, his own Ancestor foundation was severed. After finally going into seclusion for two hundred years, he thought it was repaired and he could return to the world. But he encountered a peerless Heavenly Immortal of the Sword Dao again, who fought desperately and severed his Ancestor foundation once more. These two injuries, combined, are the fundamental reason why this Ancestor has been in seclusion all along, and why he remained indifferent even when his disciple was killed."

Li Qingshan nodded. "Senior Brother's summary is accurate."

Li Jiusheng took a sip of tea. "If that's the case, what do you have to worry about? Last time, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land severed Emperor Wu of Zhou's Ancestor foundation, and he was in seclusion for two hundred years. This time, Li Tianxian severed his Ancestor foundation, and he's only been in seclusion for a hundred years. There's still a hundred years left."

In a hundred years, Li Qingshan would have enough time to cultivate to the Ancestor Realm.

Even if he couldn't, there was still Li Jiusheng. As a latecomer, he would surely achieve the Ancestor Realm.

At that time, what would Emperor Wu of Zhou have to fear?

Li Qingshan gave a wry smile. "If everything went as smoothly as Senior Brother says, I wouldn't be so worried."

Li Jiusheng frowned. "Junior Brother means something has changed?"

Li Qingshan nodded. "I received highly confidential information that not long ago, the Luochuan Sect traded away their sect's supreme treasure, the Legacy Dragon Boat, in exchange for an Ancestor-level great medicine. That medicine came from the Yi Mountain clan. Although their combat strength is lacking, their medical skills are astonishing. The Luochuan Sect doing this clearly indicates they intend to cure their Ancestor, Emperor Wu of Zhou!"

Li Jiusheng's expression darkened. "So that's your worry. Emperor Wu of Zhou obtained the Ancestor-level great medicine and could recover at any time. When he emerges, with his vindictive personality, he will definitely come after you."

Li Qingshan said, "When an Ancestor who has been in seclusion for a hundred years emerges, they naturally want to display their absolute power to the world. The thousand-year-old Shangqing Palace is the best target. By destroying Shangqing Palace, Emperor Wu of Zhou can both avenge his disciple and intimidate the world. The Luochuan Sect will also shine brightly. It's simply perfect."

Li Jiusheng's expression turned displeased. Did they really think Shangqing Palace was made of mud?

But upon careful consideration, just Emperor Wu of Zhou's disciple, Zhang Wudao, had left Shangqing Palace helpless, forcing them to push Li Qingshan forward. What about Emperor Wu of Zhou at the Ancestor Realm?

It was no wonder Li Qingshan was so troubled and under immense pressure.

He was now the Sect Master of Shangqing Palace and naturally had to be responsible for its safety. But he was facing an Ancestor.

"Senior Brother, I heard that in the Great Xia Imperial City, there is a Royal Academy that is open to cultivators from all over the world. As long as a certain amount of spirit stones is paid, one can enter and study. Since Senior Brother enjoys reading historical texts so much, why not go take a look? I've already arranged for a flying beast to take you there," Li Qingshan suddenly said.

Li Jiusheng looked at Li Qingshan, his brow furrowed. Was he trying to send him away?

Li Jiusheng asked, "Has the situation become so critical?"

Li Qingshan's tone was somber. "Tomorrow, under the witness of the heroes of the world, I will inherit the position of Sect Master of Shangqing Palace. This was decided long ago. If I were Emperor Wu of Zhou, I would definitely make my move on this day, killing the new Sect Master of Shangqing Palace in front of all the heroes of the world, intimidating the entire Shangqing Palace, and forcefully declaring its complete annihilation."

Li Jiusheng's brow furrowed tightly. He hadn't expected the situation to deteriorate to this extent. No wonder Li Qingshan had come to persuade him to leave overnight; he didn't want Li Jiusheng to be buried with them.

"This is all your speculation. Nothing has happened yet," Li Jiusheng comforted, not mentioning leaving. Li Qingshan was like a younger brother to him, having watched him grow up. He was one of the only two people in this world that Li Jiusheng considered family, and he wouldn't leave easily.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Li Jiusheng, Li Qingshan said helplessly, "Senior Brother, if anything unexpected happens tomorrow, don't hesitate. Immediately go to Bird Beast Peak. There is a flying beast there that travels three thousand miles a day and can carry Senior Brother away."

After speaking, Li Qingshan stood up and left, his back resolute, with a sense of facing death.

Li Jiusheng's brow remained tightly furrowed. He hadn't expected the usually silent Luochuan Sect to be plotting in secret. Tomorrow was the ceremony for Li Qingshan to inherit the Sect Master position. If, as Li Qingshan said, an Ancestor attacked, how could Shangqing Palace resist?

Li Jiusheng couldn't think of a solution.

Perhaps the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land or Li Tianxian coming back to life would offer a sliver of hope.

"Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land... I seem to have seen him in some book from a long time ago." A flash of inspiration struck Li Jiusheng. He immediately got up and went to the Scripture Repository Pavilion. He quickly headed for a bookshelf and accurately found the book he remembered.

[The Names of Old Land Sword Cultivators]

This book is entirely about Sword Immortals, all famous Sword Immortals from various eras of the Old Land, including the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land.

Many years ago, Li Jiusheng merely glanced at it. At the time, he didn't practice swordsmanship and wasn't interested in such things. But now, he flipped through it rapidly, searching carefully, and soon found information about this Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land.

The book recorded some anecdotes about this former Sword God's life. It said he rose from humble beginnings, dedicated himself to practicing the sword, disliked talking, and never opened his heart to anyone, except for one person.

Emperor Wu of Zhou!

When the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land first met Emperor Wu of Zhou, he thought he was just an arrogant and overbearing person. He drew his sword, intending to teach him a lesson, but he never expected his opponent to be so strong; even with all his might, he couldn't defeat him.

Later, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land practiced his sword diligently, striving to improve himself and grow stronger step by step. But before he could seek out Emperor Wu of Zhou, the latter came to him first, and without a word, they fought.

This battle, too, ended in a draw.

After that, whenever Emperor Wu of Zhou made some progress, he would come to fight the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land. Neither of them could defeat the other. Eventually, if one of them hit a bottleneck, Emperor Wu of Zhou would also come to spar with the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land, so they could improve together.

As they interacted more, the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land's impression of Emperor Wu of Zhou changed. He felt that while Emperor Wu of Zhou was a bit arrogant and overbearing, he was actually a resolute martial arts fanatic.

Thus, the two became friends.

The book stated that the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land focused all his attention on the Sword Dao and didn't care about anything else, which was why Emperor Wu of Zhou was his only friend.

Seeing this, Li Jiusheng curled his lips. His only friend, and in the end, he killed him.

[You have been watching the book intently and became immersed, triggering some past fragments. Do you wish to view them?]

Suddenly, a reminder appeared in Li Jiusheng's mind. He was astonished, never expecting to activate some fragments just like this.

These fragments must be related to the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land. Li Jiusheng was very curious.

"View them!" Li Jiusheng said in a deep voice.