Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "It can't be such a coincidence..."
How could it not be? Look at how you hid the things! Two cases of flying swords, for heaven's sake! How many thousands of steamed buns could those be worth?
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "But I clearly set it so only an heir who met the standards could... Oh, he really does have the right aptitude... Wait! Host! You've made a fortune!"
Li Fan couldn't even be bothered to answer. He was exhausted.
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Don't just stand there! Hurry! Ask him for the sword cases so you can check them!"
You're the one who's supposed to buy the pearl and return the casket...
Li Fan forced a smile. "Master, please forgive this young one's impertinence. I've always admired the bearing of sword immortals, and today I was fortunate enough to witness your mighty swordsmanship. I'm overjoyed. Might I ask to take a look at the sword cases you opened in Lei Marsh..."
Yao Xuanzhou smiled. "Why not? These sword cases really are excellent. You can tell they were fine work by the Beichen Sword Sect."
As he spoke, he casually turned his hand over and took out two jade cases. One was larger, a full four feet long and two feet wide, made of bluish-white jade. The other was smaller, about a foot long and half a finger wide, made of yellow jade.
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Just as I thought! Host, listen carefully. Open the large case and look at the characters on the lid, from left to right. Open the small case and look at the bottom, from bottom to top. Memorize the large case first, then the small one! Write them down in alternating order! Don't miss or mistake a single character!"
What kind of password was this, to make it so complicated? If Li Fan hadn't been gifted with an exceptional memory, he would've been driven completely mad.
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Hahahaha! Isn't it supposed to drive you mad? This is the second volume of the Key Scroll of Breaking Evil and Manifesting Evidence! Who cares about losing a few inferior flying swords? The Void Star Heavenly Scripture is finally in our hands!"
What the hell? The Void Star Heavenly Scripture? The one belonging to the Void Star Dao Ancestor, the purple bubble?
Thankfully, the system came through, allowing Li Fan to read ten lines at a glance. He swept his eyes back and forth, reciting the characters three times over before finally committing the inscriptions on the lids of both sword cases to memory.
Come to think of it, the characters weren't even in the script commonly used in the Human Dao these days. They were ancient seal script, and at first glance they looked just like decorative patterns on the sword cases. They were completely unadorned, so anyone who opened the cases could see them. Even the system hadn't given a notification that his mood had dropped, so naturally, no one would suspect they contained some powerful art.
Besides, even if someone had forced a translation, it wouldn't have made sense. The word order was incomprehensible, and it was only half a book.
It really was remarkable that Profound Heaven Sword Intent, that mad genius, had come up with such a way to hide the Heavenly Scripture. Even Yao Xuanzhou, a genius swordsman who'd had the cases for years, hadn't figured it out.
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Tsk, tsk, Xiao Yao's a blockhead too. The order of the first characters on the flying swords I left in the cases already hinted at the order for reading and interpreting the scripture. But his aptitude was just a little lacking. He only saw the first layer, and in the end, he couldn't comprehend the legacy I passed down!"
Oh, get out of here! Who could possibly be on your wavelength with this kind of mind game? And how is this your legacy? Isn't this the Heavenly Scripture from the Luo Sect?
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Bullshit! The Tai Su Dao belongs to whoever is capable of wielding it! Since I'm the one who gathered both volumes, it's my Heavenly Scripture! That's right! From now on, it's the Beichen Sword Sect's Tai Su Heavenly Scripture. Host, remember to write out the entire scripture and title it 'The Beichen Sword Sect's Profound Heaven Dao Ancestor's Sword-Breaking Void Star Heavenly Scripture'! Don't try to take credit from me! I'll pass this divine art on to you!"
Who would want to fight you over the title of your book?
Li Fan rolled his eyes inwardly, keeping his expression composed as he returned the sword cases to Master Yao. "There are so many scriptures on these cases. Could they contain some divine art?"
Master Yao laughed heartily. "Divine arts don't come so easily. They're only decorations. I kept them around as a memento. Once our sect succeeds in forging swords, I plan to follow that senior's example and put some flying swords into the cases, then leave them in Lei Marsh for disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain to discover by chance."
Right, he'd even spelled it out for you, and you still had no connection to the Dao...
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "Hahahaha, Xiao Yao's got it! That's exactly how it should be! It'd be no fun if the elders simply handed things over. You've got to search high and low for a sword case yourself. Finding and opening it is the fun part! Ahahahaha!"
Having you as a teacher would be exhausting...
By then, the monks running around inside and outside the temple had nearly all been killed. Judging by the magical artifacts of Qingguo, Jinzhao, and Zhang He, they were clearly limited by their Foundation Establishment cultivation. They only had the most basic function of automatically seeking out and killing people, and didn't seem particularly remarkable.
The main reason was that Adept Xuanji's hairpin artifact was powerful. Its pearls shone with light that not only dispersed the various arts and formations cast by the demon monks below, but also illuminated and immobilized the figures sneaking around under invisibility talismans.
None of the monks below were ordinary people, but most were only Qi Refinement cultivators or rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators, and almost none had magical artifacts to protect themselves. The few who could control flying swords to escape had already been decapitated by Zhang Jiugao, who'd joined forces with the Chi Qiu sword.
Those who lacked sufficient cultivation could only stare blankly, frozen in place. Even those with some cultivation had to struggle to circulate their energy just to resist the hairpin artifact's suppression. They could barely take a step, so how could they withstand the hail of jade hammers, spittoons, and flying swords raining down from above?
Once they had nearly wiped out the remaining fiends outside, they landed their vessel in the courtyard. Led by Master Yao, the group headed straight for the main hall.
Even with Master Yao, a powerhouse, guarding him, Li Fan kept his dual maces at the ready. He glanced over at Zhang He, who was grinning as he chatted with Qingguo and the others. He took out a jade bottle and willow branch, sprinkling drops of spiritual liquid to wash the bloodstains and bits of brain off their magical artifacts. They were probably discussing their experiences controlling objects. Li Fan couldn't understand how they could be so happy after killing so many people...
Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, "So why don't you kill someone yourself, Host? Then you'll understand!"
You had to work yourself up first! Haven't you heard people say they killed in a fit of righteous anger? He'd just drunk a bellyful of cold tea. Where was he supposed to get that kind of rage?
Li Fan curled his lip and glanced at the corpses on the ground. What could he say? Killing monkeys had helped. At least now, a scene like this didn't make him react in shock. And there was something else: he could see it as soon as he walked into the temple.
These people really deserved to die.
This was supposed to be a pure Buddhist sanctuary. Even if you didn't believe in Buddhism, it was still nice to climb the mountain, offer incense, eat some vegetarian food, and breathe in the fresh air.
But after these outsiders took over, they'd turned the place into something else entirely. All the shrines in the hall had been replaced by demonic statues. Not one was sitting cross-legged in a proper pose; they were all entwined together, practicing the Joyous Union Zen. Some of the statues were even "decorated" with corpses and scraps of skin. Apparently, the evil cultivators didn't think it was enough to enjoy themselves, so they'd decided to let the Demon Lords have some fun too. They'd draped the statues with the dead, playing around with scraps of flesh, and arranged severed limbs into decorative shapes. They'd even dismantled bodies to make props for the Demon Lords...
Zhang He took one look and ran outside to vomit.
Li Fan sighed. They were only rogue cultivators at the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages, yet they'd already stopped seeing people as human...
Adept Xuanji let out a soft sigh and activated her hairpin, shining its light on the disfigured corpses hanging from the statues to dispel the baleful energy around them. Jinzhao brought out her spittoon and collected the bodies of the ordinary people one by one.
Qingguo clasped her hands. "Master, the three of us have already gained plenty from this trip, so we won't go any farther. We'll stay here and gather the bodies of these innocent people."
Master Yao nodded. "Thank you for your help. Jiugao's grandnephew still needs to steady his mind, so let him take a moment outside. The rest of us will continue in."
Li Fan nodded and followed Master Yao farther into the inner hall.
There was no need to dwell on the scenes of carnage along the way. Suffice to say, there was a good reason those evil sects had been hunted down and driven out by the various nations.
Nearly every side chamber had been turned into a demon's lair. Blood and flesh covered the floors, leaving almost nowhere to step. The blood was still fresh. The evil cultivators of Tiantai Mountain must have known that Ink Bamboo Mountain was coming for them and that their time was up. With disaster at their doorstep, they'd decided to indulge themselves one last time. They'd spent the first half of the night wantonly satisfying their lusts, then, before fleeing, slaughtered all the ordinary people in the temple.
When they entered, they didn't find a single survivor.
"Damn them. Damn them. Damn them..."
After seeing it with his own eyes, Li Fan couldn't feel the slightest trace of sympathy or disgust. There was only anger surging in his chest.
"Rogue cultivators from unorthodox sects have no master to restrain them, and they don't worship any righteous gods or follow any orthodox teachings. This is what happens when they're left to do as they please." Master Yao had lost his smile too. He flicked his sleeve, and a green gourd flew out. A cool breeze swept from its mouth, revealing a white-robed scholar whose face was covered by a black square cloth. The figure hovered in midair like a paper cutout.
Li Fan's mood dropped by 1 point.
Master Yao said to the scholar, "Please gather up the bodies here, friend."
The scholar cupped his hands in salute. The Green Gourd floated through the air, collecting the corpses of the slain one by one.
Li Fan took a deep breath and remained silent.
Master Yao looked at Li Fan. "For someone your age, you've tempered your mind quite well. Keep following me."
Trying to manage two updates a day.
Before you continue