Second Grandmaster

Night, starlight, moonlight, the wilderness.

Li Jiusheng dug a large pit and buried the corpses of more than a dozen Great Grandmasters. He packed down every inch of earth, then planted flowers over the freshly turned soil.

He believed that nourished by these Great Grandmasters, the flowers would surely bloom in lush, vibrant splendor.

After finishing everything, Li Jiusheng sighed. "It's a pity the strongest Great Grandmaster took poison and killed himself. I couldn't pry the breath-concealment method from him."

If Li Jiusheng had not been cultivating his primordial spirit tonight and observing the phenomena of heaven and earth, he never would have discovered their infiltration.

The assassin organization's breath-concealment method was exceptionally good. It was worth learning.

Li Jiusheng had spent too little time with them and had not found a suitable opportunity to activate his own comprehension.

"I thought sealing the mountain would buy us time. I didn't expect the Luochuan Sect and Emperor Wu of Zhou to truly lose patience and hire an assassin organization."

"More than a dozen Great Grandmasters came together. In any faction, they would be the backbone. If they had truly succeeded in their sneak attack, Shangqing Palace's middle ranks would have been wiped out in an instant and the sect would have fallen into chaos. Junior Brother would not have been able to cultivate in seclusion peacefully either. We would have fallen right into their trap."

"Now that I've dealt with these Great Grandmasters, we should be able to stall for a while."

"Even for a first-rate assassin organization, Human World would feel the pain of losing more than a dozen Great Grandmasters at once."

"And since they don't know what exactly happened inside Shangqing Palace, they certainly won't dare infiltrate recklessly."

"For now, every bit of time we win for Junior Brother improves our odds."

On his way back to the Scripture Repository Pavilion, Li Jiusheng walked and pondered.

Those dozen or so assassins were truly a terrifying force. If they had not encountered Li Jiusheng, the unlucky ones would have been Shangqing Palace's elders.

"Consider yourselves unlucky to have run into me. In your next life, don't become assassins again." Li Jiusheng gave a cold smile and returned to the tea room in the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

Using True Qi as threads, he outlined a carrier pigeon and informed Li Qingshan that Human World assassins had infiltrated Shangqing Palace.

It served as a warning for Li Qingshan.

When the carrier pigeon flew to the Golden Summit Hall, Li Qingshan indeed received it. He immediately ordered a thorough investigation of Shangqing Palace's surroundings and fully activated the mountain-sealing grand formation, regardless of cost, keeping it at maximum operation every moment of every day.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Li Qingshan could not leave his seclusion, so he could only thank Li Jiusheng through the carrier pigeon's voice transmission.

Li Jiusheng smiled and replied to Li Qingshan, "Come over here."

Li Qingshan, who had been preparing to enter closed-door seclusion, received the message and did not hesitate. He immediately emerged from seclusion and came to the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

"Senior Brother, did you call for me?" Li Qingshan entered the tea room and asked in confusion.

Li Jiusheng nodded, poured Li Qingshan a cup of tea, and said, "Our previous guess was correct. The Luochuan Sect really did hire an assassin organization. It should be Human World. Other than them, no assassin organization could dispatch more than a dozen Great Grandmasters at once."

Li Qingshan's expression turned grave. Holding his teacup, he said, "Then I need to break through as soon as possible to deter these petty scoundrels."

"Before you break through, I think we can use a little trick." Li Jiusheng spoke slowly.

"What trick?" Li Qingshan's spirits lifted as he immediately asked.

"Human World lost so many assassins at once. They certainly won't accept this willingly. And since this mission was issued by the Luochuan Sect, they cannot afford to offend Emperor Wu of Zhou. So after a few more days without news from these Great Grandmasters, the next assassins they send can only be Venerable Realm assassins." Li Jiusheng's expression was solemn. He could handle Great Grandmasters, but he had no confidence against Venerable Realm assassins.

Li Qingshan's expression was equally serious as he asked Li Jiusheng, "Senior Brother, what should we do?"

"You should pretend to be in seclusion and lure those Venerable Realm assassins inside. Then kill them all in one stroke, leaving none alive. Crush Human World's assassins' morale completely, then return to seclusion. Only then can we buy more time." Li Jiusheng spoke slowly.

Li Qingshan's eyes lit up. "Excellent idea, Senior Brother."

Time passed little by little.

After that night, when more than a dozen Great Grandmasters were killed, the surroundings of Shangqing Palace became much quieter. No one infiltrated again.

Every night, Li Jiusheng spread his primordial spirit across more than half of Shangqing Palace to monitor and inspect it, yet he found no abnormalities.

Seven days passed, and the range of Li Jiusheng's primordial spirit had expanded to the size of a domain.

He had already entered the Earth Store's Original Vows Sutra.

On the eighth day, atop an unnamed mountain outside Shangqing Palace, several assassins concealed in the shadows stared coldly at the towering Shangqing Palace.

They were Human World's upper echelon.

Eight days ago, they had dispatched more than a dozen Great Grandmaster assassins to infiltrate Shangqing Palace, intending to assassinate Shangqing Palace's elders and throw the sect into complete disorder.

They had been waiting for news.

They had also been observing Shangqing Palace, hoping to see it collapse from within.

Yet the reality was that there had been no news whatsoever, while Shangqing Palace stood as immovable as a mountain, showing not the slightest sign of collapse.

These people had gone from being full of confidence, to harboring doubts, to feeling despair at this moment.

They had already accepted that everyone they sent had been wiped out.

"These Great Grandmasters were night assassins we carefully cultivated. Every one of them was proficient in the Dao of assassination, and none had ever failed since entering the trade. Why were they all lost in Shangqing Palace?" An old man in black night garb could not believe it and muttered to himself.

"Could the rumors that Shangqing Palace has an Ancestor Realm expert inside be true?" another assassin asked doubtfully.

"Impossible! There is absolutely no Ancestor Realm expert in Shangqing Palace. That is merely a rumor spread by fools. If they had one, why would Emperor Wu of Zhou from the Luoshan Sect pay such a high price to hire us?" Someone shook his head and declared firmly.

"Could they have been discovered by a Venerable while infiltrating?" another assassin hidden in the darkness voiced his doubt.

"No. As far as I know, there is only one person in Shangqing Palace who could silently deal with all of them, and that is Li Qingshan, who is currently in seclusion." An assassin shook his head.

"Li Qingshan is in seclusion. Everyone knows he is trying to break through to the Ancestor Realm, so he definitely cannot divide his attention. It could not have been him. Besides, we chose the timing and location carefully. It was Shangqing Palace's weakest point of defense. We could not possibly have encountered Li Qingshan." An assassin muttered.

"If it wasn't an Ancestor Realm expert, and it wasn't Li Qingshan, then Shangqing Palace must be hiding another terrifying existence. Should we still take this job?" An assassin pointed directly at the heart of the matter. They had lost more than a dozen Great Grandmasters, and of course they were grieved, but the question now was whether they should continue carrying out the mission.

If they continued, the original price was certainly no longer acceptable.

If they did not continue, Human World's reputation would suffer. Moreover, more than a dozen assassins had died in Shangqing Palace. Should they avenge them?

These questions troubled Human World's upper echelon.

"Send someone to notify the Luochuan Sect. Tell them that something has changed within Shangqing Palace. If they want the mission to continue, they must pay more." After pondering for a long time, an old man said in a deep voice.

The other assassin leaders all nodded. This time, their losses were enormous, all because the Luochuan Sect's information had been inaccurate. The Luochuan Sect had to compensate them, otherwise Human World would not let the matter rest.

The demand for compensation quickly reached the Luochuan Sect. When the current Sect Master of the Luochuan Sect received the news, he flew into a rage. "Bastards! Those greedy Human World scoundrels only know how to raise their price at a time like this. Shangqing Palace currently has only Li Qingshan holding it together. The price we offered was generous enough, yet they are still dissatisfied."

"Should we report this to the Ancestor Realm expert?" an elder asked hesitantly.

The Sect Master of the Luochuan Sect pondered for a moment, then ultimately shook his head. "Forget it. The Ancestor Realm expert hates Shangqing Palace to the bone and personally arranged this extermination strategy. This is only the beginning. If we refuse, we will only provoke his anger."

In the end, the Sect Master of the Luochuan Sect agreed to Human World's demands.

More money!

"I agree to all your demands, but if you want to receive the remaining payment, complete the mission as quickly as possible." The Sect Master of the Luochuan Sect said this to Human World's liaison.

The liaison immediately brought the message back.

Within an unnamed hill outside Shangqing Palace, Human World's upper echelon had hollowed out a cave and established a temporary headquarters there, constantly observing every movement of Shangqing Palace.

At this moment, all of Human World's deployed upper echelon had gathered there. There were six Venerables in total, each with deep, enduring auras, hidden in darkness as though they did not exist.

Then a voice rang out. "Everyone, the Luochuan Sect has agreed to our demands. But if we want the final payment, we must accomplish something. Only after completing the mission can we demand the remaining payment from the Luochuan Sect."

"Then let's kill our way in. Li Qingshan is in seclusion, and there is no one in the Luochuan Sect worth fearing. The six of us will infiltrate, launch a bloody assassination, and finish the job in a single night. Once we succeed, we'll flee immediately." A Venerable Realm assassin said coldly.

"Li Qingshan is very strong," another Venerable assassin reminded him.

"No matter how strong he is, he is still in seclusion. We'll sneak in, kill, and run. What is there to fear?" This Venerable clearly supported the proposal.

The other Venerables nodded in succession, unwilling to wait any longer. A mere Luochuan Sect, relying on one Sword Dao genius, had delayed them for eight days. Their patience had run out.

"Good. We'll proceed as decided." The oldest assassin slammed his hand on the table and made the decision.

"Let's go. Sharpen our blades for the cattle and sheep." A Venerable assassin spoke coldly, not taking Shangqing Palace's elders seriously at all, seeing them only as cattle and sheep awaiting slaughter.

The six Venerables set out together. They displayed no grand aura and no flashy spectacle. Each was more profoundly cultivated than the last, moving in utter silence. Even though the Luochuan Sect had reinforced its formations and maintained day-and-night defenses and surveillance, the moment Venerables struck, they shattered the defensive grand formation.

The six Venerables exchanged glances without speaking. They had perfect tacit understanding. Each made a gesture with his hand, and they quickly divided up their areas.

Each Venerable would deal with the targets in his own area.

With the areas assigned, Human World's Venerable assassins prepared to act.

But at that very moment.

Buzz!

A terrifying aura soared into the sky. From the Sect Master's Golden Summit, a dazzling sword radiance shot upward, splitting into six and charging straight at the six Venerables.

Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique!

This was the sword technique Li Jiusheng had passed to Li Qingshan. It originated from the Sword God of the old calendar a thousand years ago, and Li Jiusheng had improved it. It was already an Ancestor Realm sword technique with boundless power, and Li Qingshan, being a sword cultivator, was an incomparably perfect match for it.

He had followed Li Jiusheng's advice and pretended to be in seclusion while constantly monitoring every movement around Shangqing Palace.

He was at the peak of the Venerable Realm, with peerless combat strength. His sword energy was enduring and vast, his primordial spirit like a mighty blazing sun. Under his surveillance, Human World's Venerable Realm assassins had noticed nothing at all.

They believed Li Qingshan was cultivating in seclusion, when in truth, he had been observing them.

When he saw them assign their respective areas, Li Qingshan flew into a rage and unleashed this supreme sword strike.

Everything had initially been silent. Only when the sword radiance descended and the sword energy roared did Human World's Venerable assassins realize something was wrong.

"Not good, Li Qingshan tricked us."

"Run! Li Qingshan is at the peak of the Venerable Realm. We're no match for him."

"We can't run. This sword energy has locked onto us."

"It's over. Everything is over."

These were the first thoughts that flashed through Human World's Venerable assassins' minds when they saw the sword energy descend.

Then, with a boom, the sword energy came crashing down. Sword light swirled as it continuously smashed into the Venerable assassins, cutting them down on the spot.

Some Venerables died instantly, while others retained a faint trace of consciousness.

He felt a little cold.

It was as though he had entered the depths of winter, lying naked in the snow and shivering from the cold.

He felt that he should not be so cold, because he was a Venerable.

He wanted to reach out and touch himself.

But he could not sense his own hand.

In his final thought, he saw rainbow-colored sword energy. He saw dazzling sword radiance.

His consciousness fell to the ground along with his body. His pupils turned gray and lost their light.

Six Venerables died on the spot.

Li Jiusheng, watching from the Scripture Repository Pavilion, remained silent.

This was Li Qingshan, on the verge of breaking through to the Ancestor Realm.

He really was rather strong!

Inside the tea room of the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

Li Qingshan and Li Jiusheng sat facing each other, sipping tea in complete comfort.

"Thanks to Senior Brother's brilliant calculations, we managed to eliminate six Venerables from Human World this time. This will surely wound them badly, and they definitely won't be able to target Shangqing Palace in the short term. I can finally cultivate in seclusion without worry." A great weight lifted from Li Qingshan's heart as he spoke easily.

"Go cultivate in seclusion. Judging from the aura you displayed last night, Shangqing Palace's third Ancestor Realm expert is truly not far away." Li Jiusheng said with a smile.

At the mention of the third Ancestor Realm expert, Li Qingshan sighed. "It is a pity that after the Second Grandmaster broke through, he vanished without a trace. Otherwise, Shangqing Palace would not have fallen to such a state."

This was an old matter unknown to outsiders. Even among Shangqing Palace's disciples, few knew of it.

Publicly, Shangqing Palace had always claimed that it had only one Founding Grandmaster.

But private records stated that Shangqing Palace had once had a Second Grandmaster.

Only, it had been for an exceedingly brief time.

The Second Grandmaster was the Founding Grandmaster's direct disciple. He followed the Founding Grandmaster through every kind of battle, possessed outstanding talent, and earned tremendous military achievements. After the Founding Grandmaster died from his injuries, he refused the position of Sect Master and chose to cultivate behind closed doors. In the end, he broke through to the Ancestor Realm.

But regrettably, the Second Grandmaster stayed in Shangqing Palace for only a very short time. After breaking through, he traveled far beyond the borders, and there was no news of him ever again.

Shangqing Palace had very few records concerning this, which was why it had never publicized the existence of such a Second Grandmaster to its disciples.

"The Second Grandmaster took the Founding Grandmaster's ultimate arts with him when he left. Otherwise, Shangqing Palace would never have declined to this extent." Li Qingshan's words carried a trace of resentment. Back then, the Second Grandmaster had taken away the Founding Grandmaster's ultimate arts rather than leaving them in Shangqing Palace. That was why Shangqing Palace had not produced a single Ancestor Realm expert for so many years.

If Li Qingshan had possessed the Founding Grandmaster's ultimate arts, he would not have needed Li Jiusheng to pass down the Grass and Wood Sword Technique and the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique. He likely would have broken through to the Ancestor Realm long ago.