Buying Pearls and Returning the Casket

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, it can't be this coincidental..."

Why can't it be this coincidental! Look at how you hid things! Two cases of flying swords, good heavens! That's tens of thousands of guan worth of mantou slices!

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, but This Seat clearly set it so only a qualified successor could... oh, he does meet the requirements... Wait! Host! You've struck it rich!"

Li Fan couldn't be bothered to reply, his heart weary.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, don't be like that! Hurry! Hurry and ask him for the sword case to confirm!"

Buying the casket and returning the pearl, are you...

Li Fan forced a stiff smile onto his face. "Master Yao, this junior is reckless, but has always admired the bearing of sword immortals. Today, by fate, I witnessed your divine might in sword combat, and I'm overjoyed. Might I beg to see the sword case you opened in Lei Marsh..."

Yao Xuanzhou chuckled. "What's the harm in that? This sword case is indeed fine, clearly a masterpiece forged by the Beichen Sword Sect."

As he spoke, he casually flipped his hand and produced two jade cases. One was larger, about four feet long and two feet wide, made of green-white jade. The other was smaller, roughly a foot long and half a finger wide, made of yellow jade.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, just as I thought! Host, listen carefully: open the big case and read the characters on the lid, from left to right. Open the small case and look at the bottom, from bottom to top. Record the big case first, then the small case! Cross-reference and memorize them! Don't miss a single character!"

What kind of code are you cracking that's this troublesome? If it weren't for his innate talent of photographic memory, he'd be driven mad!

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, hahaha! Isn't it maddening! This is precisely the <Key Scroll of Breaking Evil and Manifesting Evidence, Lower Volume>! Losing a few low-grade flying swords is nothing! We've truly got our hands on it now! The Void Star Heavenly Scripture!"

Holy crap? The Void Star Heavenly Scripture? That Void Star Dao Ancestor with the purple bubbles?

Thank goodness the system was reliable, letting Li Fan read ten lines at a glance, sweep with both eyes, and recite back and forth three times, forcing him to memorize the characters engraved on the lids of both sword cases.

And you know what? These characters weren't even the common script used in the Human Dao nowadays; they were entirely ancient seal script. At first glance, they looked like decorative patterns on the sword cases, not something you'd flip open and read directly. Even the system didn't give a mood drop prompt, so naturally no one would think it was some divine technique.

Besides, even if you forced a translation, it wouldn't make sense. The sentences were incoherent, and it was only half a volume.

It really took a mad genius like Profound Heaven Sword Intent to come up with a way to hide a heavenly scripture like this. Even a talented sword cultivator like Yao Xuanzhou, who had held these cases for years, had never seen through it.

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, tsk, this Xiao Yao is a bit of a blockhead. This Seat actually left the first characters of the flying swords in the case as a hint for the order of reading and interpreting the scripture, but he fell short in talent, only seeing the first layer. In the end, he couldn't comprehend the legacy This Seat passed down!"

You're insane! What normal person would match your wavelength with this kind of trickery! And this isn't even your legacy—it's the Luo Sect's heavenly scripture, right?

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, bullshit! The Tai Su Dao belongs to the capable! Since This Seat has collected both volumes, it's This Seat's heavenly scripture! Right! From now on, this is the Beichen Sword Sect's Tai Su Heavenly Scripture! Host, remember to write out the full scripture and sign it <Beichen Sword Sect Profound Heaven Dao Ancestor's Sword-Breaking Void Star Heavenly Scripture>! Don't fight This Seat for the title! This Seat will pass this divine technique to you!"

Who wants to fight you over a book title!

Li Fan rolled his eyes inwardly, keeping his expression calm as he returned the sword cases to Master Yao and added a reminder, "There are many scriptures on these cases. Could they be some divine technique?"

Master Yao laughed heartily. "Divine techniques aren't so easily obtained. They're just decorations. I've kept them as a memento. Later, when our sect successfully forges swords, I plan to imitate that senior and place some flying swords in Lei Marsh, leaving them as an adventure for my Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples."

Well, with a hint like that, you really have no Dao affinity...

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, hahaha, Xiao Yao's not bad, that's the idea! It's no fun when elders just hand things over. Sword cases should be found all over the mountains; opening them is the real joy! Ahahaha!"

Being your disciple is truly exhausting...

By now, the monks scurrying around inside and outside the temple had been mostly killed. Actually, looking at Qingguo, Jinz, and Zhang He's artifacts, it was clear that due to the Foundation Establishment Realm's mana limitations, they only had the most basic auto-tracking kill function, nothing particularly miraculous.

The real power was Xuanji the Layman's hairpin artifact. The pearl drops shone with light, not only dispelling the various techniques and formations of the evil monks below but also illuminating and freezing in place the figures sneaking around with invisibility talismans.

The monks below were clearly no ordinary mortals, but most were merely Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment heretics, and almost none had protective artifacts. The few who could control flying swords to flee had already been beheaded first by Zhang Jiugao and Chi Qiu's sword.

Thus, the remaining ones, lacking a solid foundation, could only stare blankly at the artifact, frozen stiff. Those with a bit more cultivation had to strain their energy just to resist the hairpin's suppression, making even walking to escape difficult. How could they withstand the indiscriminate slaughter from above—jade hammers, spittoons, and flying swords?

Once they'd finished off the remnants outside, they landed the boat in the courtyard, and under Master Yao's lead, everyone headed straight into the main hall.

Though guarded by Master Yao, a big shot, Li Fan still held his double maces in readiness. He glanced at Zhang He, who was beaming, chatting with Qingguo and the others, taking out a jade bottle and willow branch to sprinkle spiritual liquid, cleaning the bloodstains and brain matter off their artifacts. They were probably exchanging insights on controlling objects. Why were they so happy after killing so many people...

"Profound Heaven Sword Intent indicates, so Host, if you kill one, you'll understand too!"

You need to get in the mood for that! Haven't you heard of killing in a fit of rage? He'd just drunk a bellyful of cold tea—where was the fury?

Li Fan pursed his lips and looked at the corpses on the ground. Well, killing monkeys had been useful; at least now, he didn't have a stress reaction to this bloodbath scene. And there was one more thing: as soon as he stepped into the temple, he could see it clearly.

These people deserved to die.

A pure Buddhist sanctuary—even if you didn't believe, you could climb the mountain, burn some incense, eat some vegetarian food, and breathe fresh air. That would be fine.

But after these heretics took over, they'd gone all out. The shrines were replaced with demonic statues, not a single one sitting properly in meditation; they were all tangled up in cultivation of the Joyful Zen. Some demon statues were even 'decorated' with remains and skins. It seemed these evil cultivators weren't satisfied with their own pleasure and wanted the demon lords to enjoy themselves too, draping the corpses and flesh over the statues for amusement, arranging severed limbs into various ornaments, and dismantling them into props to pose the demon lords...

Zhang He took one look and ran out the door to vomit.

Li Fan sighed. Just a bunch of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment miscellaneous cultivators, and they'd already stopped treating people as people...

Xuanji the Layman sighed softly, activating the hairpin to shine light on the inhuman remains hanging from the statues, dispelling the Sha Qi. Jinz released her spittoon, collecting the mortal corpses one by one.

Qingguo clasped his hands and said, "Master Yao, the three of us have already gained quite a bit. We won't go further in. We'll stay here to gather the remains of these innocent people."

Master Yao nodded. "Thank you for your trouble. Jiugao's grandnephew is still weak in spirit; let him rest outside. We'll go deeper."

Li Fan nodded and followed Master Yao into the inner hall.

There's no need to detail the hellish scenes along the way. Suffice it to say, it was no wonder these evil sects were hunted and driven out by the various nations.

Every side room had been turned into a Devil's Lair, the ground a mess of blood and flesh, with barely a clean spot to step. The blood was still wet, suggesting these Tiantai Mountain heretics knew the Ink Bamboo Mountain was coming for them, that their end was near, and decided to indulge one last time. They'd spent the night before in wild debauchery, and before fleeing, they'd slaughtered all the temple's mortals.

Walking in, he found not a single survivor.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

Seeing this with his own eyes, Li Fan felt no sympathy or nausea—only a rising fury in his chest.

"Heretic cultivators, unbound by sect discipline, not worshipping orthodox gods or teachings—this is how they run wild." Master Yao also dropped his smile. With a flick of his sleeve, he tossed out a green gourd. A cool wind swept from its mouth, and a white-robed scholar appeared, his face covered with a black square cloth, a phantom floating in the air like a paper cutout.

'Li Fan's mood has decreased by 1 point.'

Master Yao said to the scholar, "Please gather the corpses here, friend."

The scholar clasped his hands and bowed. The Green Gourd floated, collecting the slain bodies one by one.

Li Fan took a deep breath and remained silent.

Master Yao looked at Li Fan. "For your age, your mental fortitude is quite good. Keep following me."

Trying to update twice a day.