Taking the Scriptures

Zheng Zetian sped along the mountain road, using his invisible acceleration, like a gentle breeze, heading towards the cave where Chen Zhenjun, the guardian of Tianyu Mountain, cultivated.

So far, his luck has been pretty good. Although the arrival of the 'Yuzan' was unexpected, the Xuanmen sect has not disappointed him. They are vengeful and never let things linger overnight. This unexpected turn of events has bought him some time.

Of course, that's only a small part of it. Although that 'Yuzan' isn't very clever, it was able to swim through the sword formation and sneak into Tianyu Mountain alone to steal the <Ruyi Sword Scripture>. It's probably not something an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm could handle. Moreover, its combat power must at least be comparable to that of the Poison Sword Immortal Chen Sha to have a chance of snatching the <Sword Scripture> and taking it away.

Considering that Song Dayou was targeted because he was proficient in lightning magic, the group of demons sent by the company were all immune to lightning magic.

Given the company's elaborate plan to attack Tianyu Mountain, this "Yuzan" witch must also have a killing move prepared for the Sword Immortal Chen Sha. At least in a direct confrontation, a child with an extraordinary mind but a body only at the Foundation Establishment stage would naturally be powerless to resist.

'Communicator detected, company monitoring'

Upon seeing the words appear before him, Zheng Zetian understood immediately; the Flesh Scorpion was reminding him not to forget the gold-inlaid jade communicator on his waist.

It seems that the claim that "internal communications within the sect are interfered with" is just the company's one-sided statement. They can still eavesdrop if they want to. It would be foolish to believe that the other party didn't have something up their sleeve.

Zheng Zetian immediately stopped the system acceleration to avoid the company noticing anything amiss, since he had already arrived at his destination.

Real Person's cave dwelling was located in a medicinal garden. This place should be her private treasure. The blessed land was warm and humid, with spring-like weather all year round. The ground was covered with a thick layer of grass, wood and soil. However, unlike the medicinal gardens on the mountain that were usually planted with spiritual fruits, this place was infested with insects everywhere you looked.

Butterflies, bees, dragonflies, grasshoppers, beetles—they fly in the sky and crawl on the ground, they're everywhere, and they're all enormous, the kind that would make a child cry. I don't know what kind of rare and exotic creatures they are, or if they've been affected by evil spirits.

Every branch and trunk was crawling with larvae, and buried at the base of the trees were tiny, hand-held jars containing insect eggs soaking in medicinal liquid. Clearly, this was not a medicinal herb garden, but rather an insect farm for raising insects.

To be honest, insects were a bit beyond Zheng Zetian's knowledge. In the Central Plains, famines were frequent, and people couldn't survive. If there were insects, they would have been eaten up long ago. Who would actually study the ecology of these insects and ants? He had seen some demons in the Li Country before, but they were mainly animals. Insects becoming spirits was something he had never really heard of.

Suddenly he felt a light Xiaoyu, so he looked up and saw a huge white larva crawling across the tree trunk above him. Thick sap from its plump flesh dripped down like a waterfall, and the flesh undulated, giving it a strangely disgusting yet cute appearance.

It looks like a grub? But this one is huge! It must be as thick as an adult's thigh! How big must the adult be...?

Zheng Zetian took out a corner of a face towel, wet it with the medicinal liquid, and wrapped it around his face to prevent the scales and miasma from entering his body. Then he lit a roll of incense to repel insects, tiptoed through the dense forest, and carefully hopped across, making sure not to crush Real Person's precious insects.

The barbarians of Kun Country, the Five Poison Immortals...

Honestly, sword immortals are rare, but at least the Beichen Sword Sect's traditions are everywhere, just difficult to learn. But masters who can use Gu are truly rare.

If he remembers correctly, in ancient times, there were indeed some barbarian tribes in the Kun and Li states who were of the same race and kind as the Human Race of the Central Plains of the Three Realms. They also developed unique civilizations, as well as some demonic sects that practiced the Gu Dao, which dominated one side of the land.

However, in the era when the Immortal Venerable emerged and swept across the eight wastelands, these heretical demons who fought to the death and refused to surrender naturally had no way to survive. Although the southwestern barbarians resisted desperately, it was all in vain. In the end, they were all wiped out by the combined armies of the Three Enclosures and Eight Domains. Their former civilization was completely destroyed, and almost the entire tribe was exterminated. Only some remnants of savage tribes survived by hiding in the deep forests of Kunlun.

This Real Person not only possesses knowledge of the classics of the Sword Sect, but he can also restore the almost lost tradition of Gu Dao. He truly has a profound affinity with immortality and is unique in his own right.

Before I had taken more than a few steps, words started flashing before my eyes again.

'Parasitium detected; parasite digested'

'Parasitium detected; parasite digested'

'Parasitium detected; parasite digested'

Although Zheng Zetian had taken precautions beforehand and was careful not to have any leeches or ticks crawl into his body, according to the system's warning, he had still unknowingly been infected by the Gu poison. Fortunately, he had already been parasitized by the system, Flesh Scorpion that came first obviously did not welcome these foreign Gu insects, so rounding up, he could be considered to have some resistance to the Gu poison.

Master Chen Sha didn't set up any maze-like formations; she simply demarcated the area to prevent her insects from flying out of the mountain. After all, the abundant insect powder, poison, and miasma alone were enough to deter ordinary minions and dissuade disciples who had mistakenly entered the formation.

Zheng Zetian circled the insect field a few times and soon found the other party's cultivation ground in the dense forest insect field.

Zheng Zetian immediately recognized the other party's cultivation path and was astonished.

This is not the Revered Heavenly Demon Altar of the Tai Su Dao, but a Star Heaven Sword Tomb!

Good heavens, it really is a true disciple of Beichen...

Zheng Zetian had even read the Ruyi Sword Scripture, so he naturally knew that the swordsmanship of the Beichen Sword Sect required borrowing the power of the stars. The stronger the starlight, the stronger the sword power. Moreover, there were always stars in the sky, so one could at least borrow some power to use. Therefore, no matter how the Heavenly Dao changed, the Beichen Sword Dao would still be able to be used.

Incidentally, the Sword Master that night was actually able to borrow the power of the False Moon, which in these days is practically invincible swordsmanship. Clearly, the Beichen Sword Sect has also developed a new Dao technique.

However, judging from the sword mounds set up by Chen Sha, the Poison Sword Immortal, there are clearly five sword mounds. She probably follows the ancient sword path, which is the basic Five Elements Sword derived from the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the five spiritual energies of Tai Chi.

Zheng Zetian circled the sword mound, calculating with his fingers and releasing his Divine Sense to probe and experience the sword intent within. If his calculations were correct, Chen Sha must have started with the Moshan Sword Technique as her foundation, then cultivated the Beichen Sword Scripture, selected the Taiji Five Elements from the Nine Heavens Sword Art, and supplemented it with the secret refinement of Gu Dao, thus creating her own Five Poisons Sword Technique.

Moreover, the teachings of the Sword Ancestor Xuantian emphasize undergoing tribulations with swords. Once a flying sword is broken, it is inserted into the sword tomb. The more broken swords one has, the more tribulations one has undergone in sword battles, demonstrating the depth of one's skill.

Judging from the broken swords in the sword tombs, Chen Sha did not specialize in any one style, or rather, she was proficient in all five styles. Each of the five sword tombs contained more than ten broken swords of the Golden Core realm, which shows that her skills were solid and comprehensive, and she had no obvious weaknesses.

Her swordsmanship is already quite remarkable, and the fact that she has so many swords to forge means her financial resources must be even more extraordinary. She comes from a barbarian background and has no connection to any aristocratic family. This is clearly the result of a powerful figure giving her special treatment, using the resources of the entire sect to forge swords and nurturing her into a master.

Chen Sha has lived up to the sect's expectations, managing to break so many swords over decades, demonstrating her diligence and hard work. If she can combine her self-created Five Poison Swords into one after Divine Transformation and refine it to perfection, she might just become a grandmaster who will revive the Sword Sect.

However, after taking one look at the sword mound, Zheng Zetian understood.

He had initially thought Chen Sha was some extraordinary talent, capable of deducing the sword manual from the fragmented heritage of the Beichen Sword Sect. And just how powerful must Qin Jiu be to defeat such a master?

But it seems that this is not the case now.

If he were truly a sword genius, like the three he encountered before, let alone the "Ruyi Sword Scripture," he would have already perfected the Five Poisons Sword Technique by combining and refining it during the Nascent Soul. Why would he have spent decades developing it into five separate tombs?

Moreover, judging from the blade damage of those broken swords, some of the flying swords were clearly knocked down due to improper handling, and the blades were also severely worn. It can be seen that this person is more diligent than skilled, but lacks a certain passion for swordsmanship.

She still treated the sword as a mere weapon, not as her own limbs, showing little tenderness in its use. She even came up with the name "Poison Sword," which likely meant either coating the blade with poison or concealing poison within the edge. She used unorthodox methods instead of trusting the sword in her hand. While this might seem innovative in terms of poison techniques, it led her astray in terms of swordsmanship.

She probably never drank or spoke while embracing her sword, never shared her Daoist aspirations with it, so how could she expect the sword in her hand to cooperate with her and achieve the state of oneness between man and sword? It's one thing to lack talent, but if she doesn't even have this much dedication, it's impossible for her to master the <Ruyi Sword Scripture>.

Zheng Zetian could only guess that someone must have demonstrated the true essence of the Sword Scripture in front of her, which was why she could only learn a semblance of it without truly understanding it. It was no surprise that she couldn't defeat Senior Brother.

So the Ruyi Sword Scripture must have been passed down to her by the Grand Master? But where did that Grand Master obtain this true teaching? Could it be...?

Zheng Zetian had some vague guesses in his mind, but he wasn't sure yet. However, he didn't have time to think about it too much at the moment. The clone would probably catch up soon, so he had to hurry and find the Ruyi Sword Scripture before it did.

Indeed, it's obvious that a normal person wouldn't just casually leave something of the Ruyi Sword Scripture in their cave.

Even if the name of the Heavenly Book were read aloud, it would be predicted by someone with ulterior motives, and a flying sword would come to kill him. If Qingtingzi hadn't known that his time was coming to an end and that his disciple's life wasn't tough enough, and that he couldn't protect the book no matter what, he probably would have kept the book in Zheng Zetian's hands hidden with him, and would never have just casually stuffed it behind the mural.

Since Chen Sha had already revealed her divine skills in front of everyone, she must have been targeted by people since then. Who knows how many of the many international students in Tianyu Mountain sneaked in for the Sword Scripture? Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to break so many flying swords in just a few decades. Her cave has probably been raided by countless people long ago.

Zheng Zetian initially thought that the other party probably kept the Ruyi Sword Scripture on her person or had it memorized, and wouldn't leave behind a physical copy. However, after seeing the sword formation the other party had set up today, he realized that she hadn't actually learned the true teachings of the Sword Sect yet. Therefore, she was probably still observing and practicing the Ruyi Sword Scripture herself. So, most likely, the sword scripture was being suppressed within the Starry Sky Sword Formation.

However, it's still uncertain which sword manual it is; we'll have to break through the formation and see for ourselves.

Fortunately, this wasn't Zheng Zetian's first time passing the Starry Sky Sword Tomb Beichen Sword Array. Chen Sha's sword heart comprehension was simply insufficient. Her sword formation arrangement was all done step by step, following the formation diagram exactly, without any variation whatsoever. There was no innovation or attempt of her own, which explains why she had been stuck at this step for so many years.

Zheng Zetian only circled around once before figuring out the formation. He then broke through the formation and entered without triggering any sword Sword Light. It was as if the surrounding broken swords and sharp blades were all illusions. He strolled leisurely to the core of the formation.

Just as he expected, at the eye of the sword formation stood a stone tablet. Its origin was unknown; it was smooth and flat, as hard as black iron, and as cold as ice. The tablet was covered with countless sword marks, carelessly pierced by sword energy. Even these scattered marks contained an incomparably powerful sword intent that was dazzling to the eye. Although there was not a single word on it, it was immediately clear that it was a sword manual.

Zheng Zetian looked up at the newly carved sword tablet and breathed a sigh of relief.

It really is the true lineage of the foolish.

The Beichen Sword Sect has many methods of passing on swordsmanship. There is the Jade Wall Sword Transmission, where one can practice swordsmanship by reflecting their image on the wall and practicing with their reflection. There is also the Sword Realm Sword Transmission, where one can only break through the formation by learning the corresponding sword moves. Naturally, there are also classic meridian diagrams and sword style manuals.

Therefore, if it is the ancient method of the Sword Sect, Zheng Zetian will have to take the lead and make some changes to the sword manual, lest the company obtain the true teachings and cause a great disaster. He must not let those demonic disciples learn it. Anyway, if they go astray, they can blame it on their lack of skill and comprehension.

Upon seeing the inscription on the sword mark stele, Zheng Zetian felt relieved. There was no need to make any changes; even a ghost wouldn't understand it.

That fool loved to dig holes and burrows in various places, hiding the sword box and the true scriptures inside. He'd then carve two sword marks to help his disciples achieve enlightenment, calling it the 'Northern Star Sword Treasury,' hoping to fish for a few true disciples. Of course, he couldn't...

But you know what, the things he passed on to his disciples were really good. The sword box was overflowing. I remember there was a time when he would specifically go into this stupid guy's sword collection to open flying swords and sell them to make money to supplement his expenses... cough cough...

However, after examining the sword marks closely, Zheng Zetian couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

As expected, someone must have taught Chen Sha the true essence of the Ruyi Sword Scripture, first instructing her to memorize each word, then personally guiding her in front of her, inscribing these sword intents on a stele, and teaching her to supplement it with the Heart Sutra, so that she could slowly ponder and comprehend it.

Moreover, this person clearly knew that Chen Sha's comprehension was not very good, so he made such a large monument for her, both new and old, and carved at least a hundred or so marks in front of her, giving her pointers more than once or twice. It's just a pity that Chen Sha's sword heart is indeed lacking. She probably sees them as ordinary cuts and cracks, only grasping the form but not the meaning. She really can't understand the true meaning of swordsmanship and has not yet entered the gate.

It's not a big deal if someone's talent is just average; you need to have the talent to be average, right? It's just that it's one thing for others to not be able to learn it from the start, but it's quite lamentable that someone who's already at the very last step is still stuck.

To be honest, this sword mark was probably carved by the Grand Master. It's related to the Ruyi Sword Scripture, the False Moon Sword Lord, and the forging of flying swords. It's very likely that the Grand Master of the South Sea Sword Sect does have the true teachings of Beichen. However, he has too many things in his possession, so one more or less wouldn't make a difference. Everyone is used to it.

But who exactly is this Chen Sha?

With her talent, given the Sword Sect's rigorous and cruel selection process, she should have been rejected long ago and made a sword attendant for someone else, right? Look at how Qinglan is treated, and what kind of treatment is this Poison Sword Immortal receiving? She would have been abandoned long ago in the Xuanmen sect, yet she's being treated so well...

Hmm? She also has the surname Chen? Could she be a descendant of an old friend? But I never expected that guy to have descendants. Could she be another illegitimate daughter of the tycoon?

For a moment, Zheng Zetian couldn't sort out the complicated ethical relationships Inner Sect the Ink Bamboo Mountain sect, so he skipped it for the time being. He took out a stack of yellow paper, jumped up and pasted it on the stone tablet, used cinnabar to imprint the sword marks, and then compiled them into a book. Alright, mission accomplished, this counts as obtaining the <Ruyi Sword Scripture>.

What? Isn't this the proper "Ruyi Sword Scripture"? Oh, you don't understand it? What does it matter to me if you don't understand? Isn't it enough that I'm helping your company learn from it? I have to translate it for you too? Fine, you'll have to pay extra.

So he took the sword manual and went out into the battle. A gust of bloody wind hit him, and Zheng Zetian knew that the 'Yuzan' had caught up with him.

"Found you, senior brother. Why did you leave everyone behind and run away so fast? Are you trying to take the sword manual for yourself and claim all the credit, or... are you trying to betray us?"

Zheng Zetian looked up and saw 'Yuzan' emerge from the bushes and reveal its form. Its head was still 'Yuzan's' head, but from the neck down it was completely bald, with the skin and fat scraped off, leaving only layers of red flesh, tendons, and fascia.

Zheng Zetian frowned. "How did it get like this? Did you fail to save Songshan?"

"Oh, it's because I was trying to woo you, and it's inconvenient to carry it around, so I'll just leave it here for now."

'Yuzan' opened her mouth, and her huge mouth suddenly expanded like a culvert or tunnel. Then, you could clearly see the muscles inside her throat churning and writhing. From her mouth, she vomited out something wrapped up like a spring roll for him to see.

Although the object was completely covered in thick, yellowish-green pus, resembling amber, the dripping mucus on its surface still made it vaguely discernible that the sealed wax figure was indeed the tall disciple from Mount Song.

The Yuzan flashed at the person for a moment, then swallowed it back, patting its stomach and laughing.

"Hehe, senior brother, you didn't think that the Poison Sword Immortal could save you just because you got here before me, did you? Oh hehe, I forgot to tell you earlier that she's not in the mountains today either. Did you miscalculate? Hehehe!"

Okay, stop being naughty. To avoid you messing up my plans again, why don't you come in too? It's very warm."

Zheng Zetian didn't indulge her at all.

"Can you please stop dressing so disgustingly? Dressed like that, who wouldn't know you're Devil Embryo?"

I was afraid that if I walked with you, others would see through your true identity and implicate me, so I left first.

Here, I've obtained the sword manual. It's right here. Take it and give it to the system.

"What! You've already obtained the Cultivation Method and the scriptures?!"

'Yuzan' was taken aback, then flew over and snatched the yellow paper from Zheng Zetian's hand, frowning as she flipped it over.

"What are these things?!"

"The Ruyi Sword Scripture is genuine. Take it back for your 'young ladies' to see; my mission is accomplished anyway."

Zheng Zetian clapped his hands and left.

"... Wait! You just came out of this sword formation? What else is in this formation?"

Are you playing me again? Have you already betrayed the company?

"Say it! If you dare to lie to me again, I'll tear you apart!"

The 'Yuzan' shrieked and transformed into its 'second stage' once again. Its sharp claws and fangs swung in front of Zheng Zetian, and its flesh spread out like a bed sheet, as if to wrap around him and devour him alive.

Zheng Zetian didn't even bother with it.

"If I were to betray you, wouldn't it have been faster to just shout out among all those people in the classroom down the mountain? Anyway, I've already completed the task the 'girl' gave me. I can't be a spy who's been lying in wait, and then I'd be sending these things out of the mountain again, can I?"

What, aren't you leaving yet? Are you going to stay in the mountains for the banquet? That's up to you."

Then, without looking back, he walked towards the wall of flesh in front of him. As expected, 'Yuzan' didn't dare to actually stop him. In a flash, she transformed back into human form and hid to the side with a suspicious look on her face. Clearly, having been played like this, she had completely lost trust in this kid.

Zheng Zetian glanced at the path she had come from; she must have been rushing and trampled countless insect eggs and gu jars. He stopped and shook his head.

"Look what you've done! Do you even know that person is called the Poison Sword Immortal? And you're still barging around here like this!"

These Gu worms are all in sync with their master. By trampling so many of them, I'm sure you've alerted the enemy and made Ink Bamboo Mountain wary. Who knows, the Grand Master might have already laid a huge trap, waiting for you to fall into it!

I advise you to give up today. It wasn't easy to gather this small group of temporary workers. Tell them not to expose themselves, or they'll be wiped out. If the mission fails, they can blame it on me."

Upon hearing this, 'Yuzan' immediately burst into laughter.

"So that's what you were planning! You wanted to stop us from attacking Tianyu Mountain? I didn't expect someone as new to the sect to care so much about the lives of your fellow disciples!"

Hehehe, we've been preparing for this for a long time, and what we want this time is far more than just a sword manual! You think you can just tell us not to fight with a single sentence?!

If you're scared, then get out!

Zheng Zetian and said, "Greed knows no bounds. If you won't listen to my advice, fine. By the way, you're not capable of getting through that sword formation. I've seen it. Chen Sha's sword power has reached a state of perfection, with at least the power of two lightning bolts. It's not something you can handle. Anyway, there's nothing inside. Don't go looking for your own death."

If you insist on going in to take a look, you can follow the scent and step in my footprints. Otherwise, one wrong step will be like being pierced by a thousand swords. Although it probably won't kill you instantly, it will probably take a lot of pain."

After saying that, he walked directly into the insect field and left. Sure enough, before he had even taken a few steps out of the insect field, a shrill scream came from behind him. At the same time, sword wind entered the pillar, light flashed wildly, and blood rained down. Clearly, some fool who didn't know his own death had taken a wrong step and activated the Starry Sky Sword Tomb.

Zheng Zetian his eyes and shook his head.

Sigh, it's still more fun to play with the Daoist sects...