The Second Grandmaster

In the dark night, under the starlight and bright moon, amidst the mountains and wilderness.

Li Jiusheng dug a large pit and buried the corpses of more than a dozen Great Grandmasters. Then, he filled every inch of soil and planted fresh flowers on it.

He believed that nourished by these Great Grandmasters, the flowers would surely bloom with exquisite beauty.

After finishing everything, Li Jiusheng sighed, "It's a pity the strongest Great Grandmaster committed suicide by poison. I couldn't get the technique for concealing one's aura from him."

If Li Jiusheng hadn't been cultivating his Primordial spirit tonight, observing the phenomena of heaven and earth, he would never have discovered their infiltration.

The assassin organization's technique for concealing one's aura was excellent and worth learning.

Li Jiusheng had too little contact with them and couldn't find a suitable opportunity to activate his comprehension.

"I thought sealing the mountain would buy us time, but I didn't expect the Luochuan Sect and Emperor Wu of Zhou to be so impatient and hire an assassin organization."

"These dozen or so Great Grandmasters coming together would be the backbone of any force. If their sneak attack had succeeded, the Shangqing Palace would have been instantly wiped out and thrown into chaos. Then, my junior brother wouldn't be able to focus on his seclusion. That would have played right into their hands."

"Now that I've dealt with these dozen Great Grandmasters, I should be able to delay them for some time."

"Even for a top-tier assassin organization like the Human World, losing over a dozen Great Grandmasters at once would be a significant blow."

"Moreover, they won't know what exactly happened inside the Shangqing Palace, so they won't rashly infiltrate again."

"For now, buying some time for my junior brother will increase our chances of victory."

Li Jiusheng pondered as he walked back to the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

These dozen assassins were truly a terrifying force. If they hadn't encountered Li Jiusheng, the unlucky ones would have been the elders of the Shangqing Palace.

"Consider yourselves unlucky to have met me. Don't be assassins in your next life," Li Jiusheng chuckled coldly and returned to the tea room in the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

He used True Qi as a thread to draw a carrier pigeon and informed Li Qingshan about the Human World assassins infiltrating the Shangqing Palace.

It was a heads-up for Li Qingshan.

When the carrier pigeon reached the Golden Summit Hall, Li Qingshan received it and immediately ordered a thorough investigation around the Shangqing Palace. Simultaneously, he fully activated the mountain-sealing formation, ensuring it operated at full capacity at all times, regardless of the cost.

"Thank you, senior brother," Li Qingshan, unable to leave seclusion, could only express his gratitude to Li Jiusheng via carrier pigeon.

Li Jiusheng smiled and replied to Li Qingshan, "Come visit me."

Li Qingshan, who was about to enter strict seclusion, received the message and, without hesitation, immediately emerged from seclusion and came to the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

"Senior brother, did you need something?" Li Qingshan asked as he entered the tea room, a look of confusion on his face.

Li Jiusheng nodded, poured Li Qingshan a cup of tea, and then said, "Our previous guess was correct. The Luochuan Sect did indeed hire an assassin organization, likely the Human World. Besides them, no other assassin organization could dispatch over a dozen Great Grandmasters at once."

Li Qingshan's expression turned serious. Holding his teacup, he said, "That's why I need to break through as soon as possible to deter these petty individuals."

"Before you break through, I think we can employ a small stratagem," Li Jiusheng said slowly.

"What stratagem?" Li Qingshan's spirits lifted, and he immediately inquired.

"With so many Human World assassins perishing at once, they won't be content. Moreover, this mission was issued by the Luochuan Sect, and they can't afford to offend Emperor Wu of Zhou. So, if we wait a few more days and there's no news about these Great Grandmasters, the next ones to come will have to be Venerable-level assassins," Li Jiusheng said, his expression grave. He could handle Great Grandmaster-level opponents, but he wasn't confident against Venerable-level assassins yet.

Li Qingshan's expression was also serious. He asked Li Jiusheng, "Senior brother, what should we do then?"

"You should pretend to be in seclusion to lure these Venerable-level assassins in, and then kill them all in one go, leaving none alive. This will completely crush the morale of the Human World assassins. Then, you can go back into seclusion. This will buy us more time," Li Jiusheng said slowly.

Li Qingshan's eyes lit up. "Senior brother, that's a great idea."

Time passed slowly.

After the dozen Great Grandmasters were killed that night, the surroundings of the Shangqing Palace became much quieter, with no one else attempting to infiltrate.

Every night, Li Jiusheng's Primordial spirit covered more than half of the Shangqing Palace, monitoring and patrolling, but he found no anomalies.

Seven days passed, and the range of Li Jiusheng's Primordial spirit power had expanded to be as large as a Domain.

He had already gained an initial understanding of the Earth Store's Original Vows Sutra.

On the eighth day, outside the Shangqing Palace, on an unnamed peak, several assassins hidden in the shadows stared coldly at the majestic Shangqing Palace.

They were high-ranking members of the Human World.

Eight days ago, they were the ones who dispatched over a dozen Great Grandmaster assassins to infiltrate the Shangqing Palace and assassinate the elders, intending to throw the Shangqing Palace into complete chaos.

They had been waiting for news.

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

But the reality was that there was no news, and the Shangqing Palace remained as steadfast as a mountain, showing no signs of collapse.

These individuals, initially full of confidence, gradually became suspicious, and now, despair began to set in.

They had already accepted that their dispatched forces had been annihilated.

"These dozen Great Grandmasters were our carefully cultivated night assassins. Each one was proficient in the art of assassination and had never failed since their debut. Why were they all lost in the Shangqing Palace?" an old man in black asked incredulously, muttering to himself.

"Could it be true that there is a Grandmaster inside the Shangqing Palace, as the world says?" another assassin wondered.

"Impossible! There is absolutely no Grandmaster in the Shangqing Palace. That's just the foolish spreading of rumors. If they had a Grandmaster, why would Emperor Wu of Zhou of the Luochuan Sect pay such a high price to hire us?" someone shook their head and stated definitively.

"Could it be that they were discovered by a Venerable during their infiltration?" another assassin hidden in the darkness raised a doubt.

"No. As far as I know, the only person in the Shangqing Palace who could silently deal with these dozen people is one person: Li Qingshan, the chief disciple, who is currently in seclusion," an assassin shook his head.

"Li Qingshan is in seclusion. Everyone knows he's about to break through to the Ancestor Realm, so he definitely can't be distracted. It couldn't be him. Besides, the time and place we chose were the weakest points in Shangqing Palace's defenses. We shouldn't have encountered Li Qingshan," a killer muttered.

"It's not the Grandmaster, and it's not Li Qingshan. That means there's another terrifying existence hidden within Shangqing Palace. Should we take this job or not?" Another killer cut to the heart of the matter. While they were naturally saddened by the deaths of over a dozen Great Grandmasters, the question now was whether to continue with the mission.

If they continued, the original price would definitely no longer suffice.

If they didn't, the reputation of the Human World would be damaged. Moreover, over a dozen killers had died in Shangqing Palace. Should they seek revenge?

These questions plagued the higher-ups of the Human World.

"Send someone to notify the Luochuan Sect. Tell them there's been a change of events at Shangqing Palace. If they want the mission to continue, they'll have to pay more," an old man said solemnly after a long period of thought.

The other killer leaders nodded. The losses this time were huge, and it was all due to the inaccurate information provided by the Luochuan Sect. They had to be compensated by the Luochuan Sect, otherwise, the Human World would not let this matter rest.

News of compensation quickly reached the Luochuan Sect. The current Sect Master of the Luochuan Sect was furious upon receiving the message: "Scoundrels! These greedy bastards from the Human World are just trying to take advantage of the situation to raise their prices. Li Qingshan is the only one holding up Shangqing Palace right now. The price we offered was already generous enough, yet they're still not satisfied."

"Should we report this to the Grandmaster?" an elder asked hesitantly.

The Luochuan Sect Master pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Forget it. The Grandmaster hates Shangqing Palace to the bone and personally orchestrated this assassination plan. This is just the beginning. If we disagree, we'll only incur his wrath."

Ultimately, the Luochuan Sect Master agreed to the Human World's demands.

Pay more!

"I agree to all your demands, but if you want to receive the remaining payment, please complete the mission as soon as possible," the Luochuan Sect Master told the liaison from the Human World assassin organization.

The liaison immediately took the message back.

On a nameless hill outside Shangqing Palace, the higher-ups of the Human World had hollowed out a cave, establishing a temporary headquarters there to monitor every move of Shangqing Palace.

At this moment, all the high-ranking members of the Human World assassin organization were gathered there. There were six Venerables in total, each with a long and profound aura, hidden in the darkness as if they didn't exist.

Just then, a voice rang out: "Everyone, the Luochuan Sect has agreed to our demands, but to receive the final payment, we must accomplish something. Once the mission is complete, we can go to the Luochuan Sect to claim the remaining payment."

"Then let's kill our way in. Li Qingshan is in seclusion, and there's no one in the Luochuan Sect worth fearing. The six of us will infiltrate, carry out a bloody assassination, and be done within a night. Once successful, we'll flee immediately," a killer at the Venerable realm said coldly.

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

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

The other Venerables nodded one after another, unwilling to wait any longer. A mere Luochuan Sect, relying on a Sword Dao genius, had already delayed them for eight days, making them impatient.

"Alright, we'll proceed with this decision," the oldest killer declared, striking the table.

"Let's go. Sharpening our knives for the sheep," a Venerable killer said coldly, completely disregarding the elders of Shangqing Palace, viewing them as nothing more than sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

The six Venerables moved out together. They had no grand display of power, no magnificent fanfare. Each of them possessed profound cultivation, moving silently and stealthily. Even though the Luochuan Sect had strengthened their formations and maintained round-the-clock surveillance, the Venerables' actions instantly shattered the defensive formation.

The six Venerables exchanged glances without speaking. They were extremely taciturn, gesturing with their hands to quickly divide the areas.

Each Venerable would handle the targets in their own zone.

Once the areas were divided, the Human World's Venerable assassins prepared to act.

But just then.

With a hum!

A terrifying aura shot up into the sky from the Sect Master's golden peak. A brilliant sword light split into six, charging directly at the six Venerables.

Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique!

This was a sword technique Li Jiusheng had taught Li Qingshan, originating from the Sword God of a thousand years ago, and it had been improved by him. It was already an Ancestor Realm sword technique, possessing infinite power. Li Qingshan, being a Sword Cultivator, was perfectly suited for it.

He had followed Li Jiusheng's advice, pretending to be in seclusion while constantly monitoring everything happening around Shangqing Palace.

He was at the peak of the Venerable realm, his combat power was unmatched, his sword energy was calm and enduring, and his Primordial spirit was like a vast sun. Under his surveillance, the Venerable-level assassins of the Human World had no idea they were being watched.

They thought Li Qingshan was in seclusion, but in reality, he was observing them.

Seeing that they had divided their respective zones, Li Qingshan became enraged and unleashed this ultimate sword strike.

Everything had been silent until the sword light descended and the sword energy roared. It was only then that the Human World's Venerable assassins realized something was wrong.

"Not good, Li Qingshan is playing 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 us down."

"It's over, everything is over."

The first thought that flashed through the minds of the Human World's Venerable assassins upon seeing the sword energy descend was despair.

Then, with a boom, the sword energy suppressed them. The sword light flowed, continuously striking the Venerable assassins, killing them directly.

Some Venerables died on the spot, while others still retained a sliver of consciousness.

He felt a chill.

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

He felt he shouldn't be this cold, because he was a Venerable.

He wanted to reach out and touch something.

But he couldn't sense his hand.

The final thought, he saw colorful sword energy, he saw brilliant sword light.

His consciousness fell to the ground with his body, his pupils turned gray, losing their luster.

Six Venerables died on the spot.

Li Jiusheng, standing in the Scripture Repository Pavilion and looking this way, remained silent.

This was Li Qingshan, who was about to break through to the Ancestor Realm.

He was truly a bit strong!

In the tea room of the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

Li Qingshan and Li Jiusheng sat opposite each other, enjoying tea, which was quite pleasant.

"Thanks to Senior Brother's brilliant calculations, not only were we able to eliminate six Venerables from the Human World this time, but it will surely cripple them. They definitely won't be able to target Shangqing Palace in the short term, and I can go into seclusion with peace of mind," Li Qingshan said with a great weight lifted from his heart.

"Go into seclusion. Judging by the aura you exuded last night, Shangqing Palace's third Grandmaster is truly not far off," Li Jiusheng said with a smile.

Upon hearing about the third Grandmaster, Li Qingshan sighed, "It's a pity that the Second Grandmaster disappeared after breaking through. Otherwise, Shangqing Palace wouldn't have fallen to this state."

This was an old story, unknown to outsiders, and even few disciples of Shangqing Palace knew about it.

To the public, Shangqing Palace had always claimed to only have its founding Grandmaster.

However, private records indicated that Shangqing Palace had once had a Second Grandmaster.

But it was for a very brief period.

The Second Grandmaster was the direct disciple of the founding Grandmaster. He participated in various battles alongside the founding Grandmaster, was exceptionally talented, and achieved great merit. After the founding Grandmaster died from his injuries, he refused the position of head disciple and chose to enter seclusion for arduous cultivation, eventually breaking through to the Ancestor Realm.

But unfortunately, the Second Grandmaster stayed in Shangqing Palace for only a very short time. After breaking through, he traveled to a foreign land and has been unheard of ever since.

There were very few records of this within Shangqing Palace, which was why they had never publicized the existence of such a Second Grandmaster to the disciples.

"The departure of the Second Grandmaster took away the founding Grandmaster's ultimate techniques. If not, Shangqing Palace would absolutely not have fallen to this state," Li Qingshan said with a hint of resentment in his voice. The founding Grandmaster's ultimate techniques were taken by the Second Grandmaster back then and did not remain in Shangqing Palace, which was why Shangqing Palace had not produced a Grandmaster for so many years.

If Li Qingshan had the founding Grandmaster's ultimate techniques, he wouldn't have had to wait for Li Jiusheng to teach him the Grass and Wood Sword Technique and the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique. He probably would have broken through to the Ancestor Realm long ago.