The Poison Sword Immortal

Chen Asha rode on the Sword Light, wandering and patrolling among the mountains and marshes.

Over the years, she still looks like that country girl. She hasn't had her face sculpted or put on makeup. She just keeps her braids coiled on her head and tied with a two-foot-long silver comb. The front of the comb is decorated with three black birds, each with five beads under its feet. These beads are purple, white, gold, blue, and red, and they are her natal Gu beads, representing snakes, scorpions, centipedes, spiders, and toads.

On the back of the silver comb, eleven silver hairpins were inserted, each adorned with a silver chain pendant holding eleven silver flowers that jingled melodiously in the wind. She wore a Jiuli silver robe embroidered with silver pieces, bubbles, and flowers, and a nine-inch long pleated skirt with floral patterns on a dark blue brocade base, embroidered with esoteric Buddhist runes, seals, and black bird and flower designs in silver thread.

This elaborate attire wasn't for her to show off. In fact, this robe was quite special; it was probably the sacred robe of the high priest of the Gu Dao sect back then, and it was also a magical treasure that Asha obtained from ancient ruins during her search and training in Kun, Kunlun.

This outfit would have been a coveted relic thousands of years ago, but now that Gu cultivators have disappeared, no one is fighting over it anymore. She wears it openly, and at most, people will just say, "Wow, that's so uniquely ethnic."

After all, there are plenty of people in Ink Bamboo Mountain who wander around naked except for a silk robe; nobody cares what you wear...

In short, Chen Asha doesn't follow the path of the Yu Ling Sect. Others don't wear clothes to facilitate cultivation, but she wears all those troublesome Daoist robes and silver garments one by one, set by set, also for cultivation.

After all, these spider and snake's natal Gu worms have already broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm under the blessing of the moon's power and grown too big to be carried on one's body. Using them as mounts would be too noisy, and if five giant beasts walked in a row, people would think you were coming to wipe out your entire family, which is really quite inconvenient.

At this moment, the value of the Nine Li Silver Robe Set becomes apparent. This set of robes is not only impervious to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire, but it has also remained uncorrupted for thousands of years. Furthermore, it enhances the secret techniques of Gu Dao and has unique special effects. For example, the five beads on the crown are used to allow one's natal Gu to cultivate in a forbidden area, thus avoiding the risk of the natal Gu going out of control and backfiring.

Moreover, by wearing her natal Gu bead on her head, she can constantly collect lunar energy with silver ornaments and utensils to nourish her cultivation and use it to practice Gu techniques. In battle, in addition to her own Nascent Soul Stage core, Asha also has the assistance of five natal Gu Divine Nascent Soul on her head, making her magical power almost inexhaustible. In case she is about to die, she can entrust her primordial spirit to any Gu core to escape, greatly increasing her chances of rebirth.

With this equipment, Chen Asha is a true sixth- Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. Zheng Zetian estimated from the sword formation that she had undergone two tribulations of lightning, meaning she had at least a thousand years of cultivation. That was a very accurate assessment, not an overestimation at all.

With such abilities, and as the Tianyu Mountain, Chen Asha is a true core combatant of Ink Bamboo Mountain, guarding the Ten-thousand-mountains for the sect. Her responsibility is heavy, and she should not leave the mountain easily.

But she received a telegram saying that the seal on the demon's lair in Fashuang Mountain was showing signs of weakening, and that the Grand Master, hiding at the bottom of the Fanshui River, was testing the 'blind eye' of Yaoguang Cave and had also detected unusual activity, reportedly detecting a toad that resembled Divine Transformation! It was possible that the Jade Toad Granny had been discovered!

Asha naturally couldn't sit still. This great demon, Jade Toad Granny, had been at the top of the "Ink Bamboo Mountain Demon-Slaying List" for many years!

Although this demon isn't a top-tier demon king, and there are quite a few people in Ink Bamboo Mountain who can handle it, its main strength lies in its utter madness. It's immortal and just plays around. Just based on the fact that it wreaked havoc on Ink Bamboo Mountain back then, even experts like the abbot, the mountain master, the grandmaster, and the supervisor couldn't capture it, it truly deserves to be called a legendary demon.

Of course, this Jade Toad Granny is no fool. The fact that she has survived to this day shows how shrewd she is. Knowing that her name is extremely famous in Ink Bamboo Mountain, she abandoned Yaoguang Cave long ago and has not appeared in Lizhou for many years.

Although Asha knew in her heart that this might just be a loosening of some seal, or a toad demon that had become a spirit by Moon Worship, and that she would ultimately come up empty-handed, she still decided to make the trip.

After all, sword immortals always personally undergo tribulations. In the words of the Grandmaster, "As long as you don't die, you'll go all out to die." Why would they give up any opportunity to undergo tribulations?

Asha was indeed diligent, not only in cultivation but also in tribulations. Over the years, she repeatedly traveled between the Ten-thousand-mountains and Kunlun, seeking opportunities to fight and hone her sword skills. She relied on life-and-death battles to accumulate experience in the way of the sword and make up for her lack of talent.

But she herself knew that it was still a little short.

Although the Grand Master would teach her the Ruyi Sword Scripture every time she returned from her tribulations, before her killing intent subsided, Asha could never truly comprehend it. She always felt that she was just a little short, as if she was about to succeed.

Originally, she had a firm Dao heart and was never discouraged. If she couldn't succeed the first time, she would try again and practice repeatedly.

However, when Qin Jiu saw her use the ineffective Ruyi Sword Technique during the competition, and instantly realized the need for a counterattack, Asha was still caught off guard...

Is this what they mean by "there are always people more capable than you, and heavens beyond heavens"...?

Is the difference in natural talent really that great...?

Decades of relentless practice, can it all be no match for a sudden flash of talent...?

In fact, Qin Jiu had just condensed his Nascent Soul Stage at that time, and his Dao power was at least as much as that of Asha, who was enhanced by five Natal Gu. If it weren't for that moment when his Dao heart wavered and was injured, Asha probably wouldn't have been defeated.

But a defeat is a defeat. Asha wouldn't turn against her junior brother Qin Jiu just because she lost a sword duel and lost the title of senior brother.

Although Junior Brother Qin was a true disciple recognized by the Grand Master, he did not neglect Asha. Moreover, the Grand Master was not the only one who taught Asha the Northern Star Sword Technique.

After the defeat, the elder from Beichen Outer Mountain whom she had met by chance, now Senior Huangfu who was forging swords for Ink Bamboo Mountain, specially came out of seclusion to give her some pointers, saying that it didn't matter if she lacked a little understanding.

The key reason she could never achieve enlightenment was that she was always just one step away from true death.

Despite his hard work in training, his serious approach to life-threatening situations, and his numerous brushes with death, he never truly crossed that line.

She never died.

Since one has never truly faced a life-or-death situation, how can one comprehend the feelings of the Sword Ancestor Xuantian, who created the Annihilation Sword Dao from the brink of certain death?

So don't be discouraged. Look at that Giant Sword Heart, he wasn't that great either, but he was stabbed a lot, died and came back to life, and through repeated experience, he gradually learned how to stab people.

So Asha, don't be discouraged. Dying once is enough. If dying once isn't enough, die twice.

Although Chen Asha didn't understand what Huangfu was saying, she figured he was trying to comfort her in his own way, and she appreciated his sentiments.

Indeed, Chen Asha knew that she was being somewhat impatient and restless.

Because in recent years, the opportunities to undergo tribulations in Ink Bamboo Mountain have become increasingly rare.

After all, her natal Gu is constantly cultivating, and the higher its power, the fewer opportunities there are to trigger a killing calamity upon her. Moreover, with the countless flying swords she's broken over the years, the name of the Poison Sword Immortal has long been renowned throughout the Southern Country and has even reached the Central Plains. Everyone knows she has a powerful backer; she breaks dozens of flying swords at a time. How much wealth do you have? Can you afford to mess with her? Plus, her Nine Li silver robes are highly recognizable and have a strong ethnic flavor. Honestly, who would be foolish enough to fight her again?

Of course, among the veteran cultivators of the Divine Sect and the Xuanmen, there are many fearless demons who would like to spar with her and exchange a few blows, but the timing is not right now. These two groups are locked in a fierce battle in the Central Plains, too busy fighting each other to have time to visit Kunlun. Furthermore, due to strategic considerations, Ink Bamboo Mountain cannot openly antagonize either side, and at most allows its disciples to anticipate threats and retaliate in self-defense.

So much so that whenever Chen Asha went on adventures in Kunlun, she would join in whenever she encountered a fight, hoping to find a legitimate act of self-defense against a robber. The result was usually something like, "I saw this fruit first, please, Sword Immortal, decide for me," or "Since the Poison Sword Immortal is here, I'll give you face today."

Asha was ultimately too shy to admit it. After all, her senior brother always acted all high and mighty in front of her, and she was too embarrassed to do anything like murder or robbery. As a result, she gradually became a mediator in the conflicts of Kunlun...

Since rogue cultivators and heretics give her a wide berth, she can only look for opportunities to provoke demons and monsters.

But now, even the chance to slay demons and monsters in Ink Bamboo Mountain is something to be fought over.

The Moon Soul Sword Lord's appetite has grown ever larger, and it's said that another batch of flying swords will be released soon. It's incredibly anxious, rushing to steal monsters whenever possible. Newborn Devil Embryo don't even have time to cry before being blasted to pieces by the Moon Soul Sword Lord. Within the Ink Bamboo Mountain region, the Non-Thing demonic gods are basically no match for these sword lords.

Even demons who Divine Transformation are hard to find! That Qin Jiu is even more diligent than Asha! The area east of Moshan is his territory, spanning the Li and Xun states! He has even wiped out the demons that have crossed the South China Sea!

However, Asha couldn't say anything. After all, Qin Jiu was a cold-faced man who was extremely unapproachable. He would greet everyone with "Hey" or "Hey you," and his relationship with his fellow disciples was terrible. So far, there had been no news of him forming a cultivation partnership with anyone. He was basically only known for slaying demons and monsters everywhere, and you could never see him in person.

Tianyu Mountain is the territory of the sect, and it needs to manage the Ten-thousand-mountains for a long time. The situation inside is very complicated, with many arrays, seals, and forbidden areas. Moreover, it is necessary to coordinate the conflicts between the peak masters, guards, mages, and disciples. It is also necessary to have experts guarding and protecting the new disciples at all times to prevent the new disciples from being attacked.

These duties of guarding the town and its people are indeed not something that can be done by anyone other than her, the senior sister with the highest cultivation level and prestige. At present, there is no one who can replace her.

But now, the monsters in the Ten-thousand-mountains have either surrendered or fled, and they've almost all been wiped out. Near the sect, there are only two places left to farm monsters: Yu Mountain and Lei Marsh. Of course, those Nangong occasionally drop in hordes, which are excellent for sword cleansing, but as a senior sister, I can't just take away all the opportunities for my junior brothers and sisters to level up, can I?

Ugh, this is so frustrating. I hope this Divine Transformation demon will bring her some surprises...

Asha flew down to the bottom of the Fanshui River on her sword, set up arrays along the spiritual veins, and checked each array, barrier, and seal one by one. She carefully examined every spiritual cave. She did not simply slaughter the demon horde, but carefully examined the aura and origin of all the demons.

After all, the source of the floodwaters at Fashuang Mountain not only connects to the Lei Marsh, but also has suitable water temperature and abundant resources, making it a breeding ground for many local creatures. Every year, schools of fish from the South China Sea migrate upstream to spawn, and like the Lei Marsh Sea, this place is also a breeding ground for monsters.

Given the current circumstances, it's impossible to stop the animalistic beings from Moon Worship; their chances of becoming demons or evil spirits are far higher than those of humans. But surely we can't just kill them all, can we?

In the words of the Grand Master, we should pay attention to ecological balance and sustainable development. Therefore, according to the plan of Ink Bamboo Mountain, pregnant surrogate mothers and their unborn cubs will not be killed. On the side of Fashuang Mountain and Fanshui, only those great demons above the Nascent Soul Realm will be driven away. The rest will be given to Golden Core Stage disciples for training to control the size of the demon horde.

Asha circled around, checking all the magic arrays set up by the giant. There were indeed no signs of being disturbed by the Devil Embryo. It might have been a false alarm, or it might have been a monster lurking at the bottom of the river to lay its eggs.

Although somewhat disappointed, Asha still went to inspect Yaoguang Cave once more, since she was already there.

Back then, Jade Toad Granny relied on the location of the flooded area to gather a large number of water monsters in Yaoguang Cave. Although they couldn't compare to the hundreds of thousands of people in the South Sea Ling King's tribe, at their peak they numbered in the tens of thousands.

Although the Jade Toad Granny Demon Force has been wiped out, Yaoguang Cave has been preserved. This water mansion utilizes a natural karst cave, connecting to underground river channels. There are countless branching paths inside the cave, and many caves within the mansion have suppressed and sealed many of the old toad's former subordinates. These are not enough to be consumed all at once and are left for the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain to upgrade and undergo trials.

The Natural Giant wouldn't miss such excellent terrain, and set up many sword formations inside the tunnel, preparing to ambush that guy whenever he felt like returning...

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't bother lingering in this demonic cave, but Asha herself was a cautious person, and a person with great perseverance who couldn't comprehend the true teachings and could only refine her sword formation, hoping that the stones from other mountains could be used to polish her jade. Surprisingly, she actually noticed that the formation within the mountain array had been triggered!

Of course, given the terrain of Yaoguang Cave, it's inevitable that some fish monsters and demons might stray into a dead end. The marks left by the sword formation and Fourth Department scattered fish and beast bones clearly show this. However, Asha noticed that some sword marks were deeper than the ones around them.

In other words, this situation only occurred when two Sword Light struck the same spot.

In other words, a monster must enter the formation twice in a row via the same path in order to be successfully defeated.

The probability is extremely small, and judging from the sword marks, it seems that the sword formation reverted to its original state halfway through.

This situation likely occurs because someone entered the formation first, creating the illusion that they were killed by the sword formation.

Then, he entered the formation a second time via the same route, enduring several Sword Light head-on. Before the final, overwhelming sword force was triggered, he used a profound escape technique to retreat and break through the formation!

This is a monster that can use magic to escape!

But she was still spotted by the Grand Master's 'eyes'... No, it's obvious she scouted the area for a long time before being able to enter the formation from this spot. Did she really not know that the Grand Master had 'eyes' hidden Fourth Department?

There's an ambush!

Chen Asha had a sudden thought and slipped out of the cave!

In the blink of an eye! The instant her Sword Light flashed into battle!

"Boom--!"

An earth-shattering water pressure erupted! Like a tyrannical dragon emerging from Yaoguang Cave! With a deafening roar, a towering column of water shot up from the Fanshui River! It blasted fish, shrimp, and monsters into pieces! The white waves and water pressure surged out of the river, sweeping across the water and instantly submerging the dense forests on both banks! It projected water droplets, sand, shards of flesh, and rotten bones hundreds of feet away!

The torrential rain poured down, making the silver beads on Chen Sha's hairpin jingle.

Demon Child?

"Whoa, they're still alive... Hey! Hey, you, what's that killing spree thing, are you done setting it up yet?!"

"Hehehe, run, why run...?"

Asha grinned and counted the figures whose slender silhouettes were barely visible after being drenched by the downpour.

No mistake, Jade Toad Granny, two, four, six, eight...

Forget it, I'm not going to count anymore.

In the rain, Chen Sha, the Poison Sword Immortal, roared to the sky, stretching out her six pairs of heterochromatic eyes and six arms! She resembled a giant silver-backed spider awakened from a dream!

"Come! Die--!"