Sword Flight Immortal

Spiritual Energy Body Tempering.

The Purple Sun Sword Qi had changed again.

Previously, it was formed from inner qi compressed through a secret technique, intangible and formless.

Now, after merging with Earth Elemental Spiritual Energy, it had transformed into a yellow-brown True Yuan.

Zhou Yi moved his mind, and a True Yuan Flying Sword, one-third of an inch long, hovered in his palm.

"False Qi Condensation!"

Joy surged in Zhou Yi's heart as the True Yuan Flying Sword dispersed.

"False Qi Condensation doesn't just consume True Yuan in the body—it also drains Spiritual Power! Cultivators meditate day and night not only to refine qi but also to condense their spirit!"

Zhou Yi channeled the Earth Elemental Spiritual Energy within three feet around him, shaping it into an Invisible Flying Blade that sliced through the greenstone wall.

Silently, the greenstone split in two.

"The Innate realm can mobilize Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, but its power is far inferior to True Yuan in the body—it can only bully those below the Innate stage."

An Innate Grandmaster, transcendent and extraordinary, could tap into Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy as one of their hallmarks.

Postnatal experts, lacking a comparable means to counter it, were easily crushed—unless they overwhelmed the Innate Grandmaster through sheer numbers, exhausting their energy.

"Still, trying to overwhelm an Innate Grandmaster to death is basically impossible."

With a thought, the Purple Lightning Sword hung motionless in the air, and Zhou Yi leaped onto it.

With a wave of his hand, the room's door shattered into pieces as he flew out on his sword.

Seclusion blurs the passage of sun and moon.

When he broke out of seclusion, the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Cold moonlight bathed Zhou Yi, draping him in a faint halo.

The Blade Hands on night patrol heard the loud crash and rushed over, only to see Zhou Yi soaring on his sword.

"A god!"

"It's the Sword Saint!"

"The Sword Saint has become an immortal!"

The ancients firmly believed in gods and immortals, and in this world, there truly were immortals and demons.

The Blade Hands fell to their knees, kowtowing, some shouting "Immortal!" and others begging for blessings.

"This poor Daoist is Chi Xiaozi. Today, I have awakened to the Innate Great Dao—how exhilarating!"

Zhou Yi let out a long cry to the sky, his flying sword rising over ten feet, and in the blink of an eye, he sped toward Black Mountain.

"Tell Miss Chen to transport the Fierce Fire Oil to Black Mountain—this poor Daoist has great use for it!"

His lingering voice faded, and a silhouette vanished into the moonlight.

The Blade Hands stood dumbfounded, then burst into a rush toward Immortal's Pavilion, shouting all the way.

"The Sword Saint has become an immortal..."

"The Sword Saint has become an immortal..."

Immortal's Pavilion.

Chen Jinyu was startled awake by the commotion outside. When she opened her eyes, Chu Hong was already guarding by her side.

"Sister, you've worked hard. What's happening outside?"

Chu Hong shook her head. She too had been woken up and had come first to protect Chen Jinyu.

Thump, thump, thump!

A knock at the door.

Then a maid's voice came through: "Madam, Madam, Chen Kuan requests an audience on urgent business—it's about the Sword Saint."

"Chen Kuan? Isn't he in charge of guarding Husband's seclusion site? Has something gone wrong?"

Chen Jinyu quickly threw on her clothes and ran out.

Chen Kuan was a collateral branch of the Golden Saber Sect's Chen family, and by seniority, he was Chen Jinyu's elder brother. Leaving Zhou Yi's seclusion site in the hands of outsiders was too risky.

Chu Hong blocked her for a moment, saying gravely, "Beware of a trap!"

The stakes of Immortal Brew were too high; schemes and plots wouldn't be surprising.

"No, Husband is the most important."

Ignoring Chu Hong's warning, Chen Jinyu went straight to the fourth floor and met Chen Kuan.

Chen Kuan dropped to his knees with a thud: "Madam, the Sword Saint... he has become an immortal!"

"Become an immortal? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Chen Jinyu's heart ached. Instead of joy, she felt a wrenching pang.

"The Sword Saint has been in seclusion for over two months without food or water. Everyone guessed he was cultivating some immortal art. Until tonight, when I was on night watch..."

Chen Kuan rambled on, repeating himself three or four times before he finally made the simple matter clear.

By then, Chu Hong had come downstairs. Hearing that Zhou Yi had flown off on his sword, she was stunned and uncertain.

"Flying on a sword, an immortal... how could it be... how could it be..." Chen Jinyu murmured, unable to believe it.

Chu Hong couldn't help but say, "Jinyu, I've read the founder of Hundred Flowers Valley's manuscripts. When martial arts reach the Innate realm, one can harness the power of heaven and earth and glide through the air. Though there's no mention of sword flight, the Sword Saint is a master of swordsmanship—such mystery isn't beyond comprehension."

Chen Jinyu looked up, and only then did Chu Hong notice the tear streaks on her face.

"Sister Hong, I still don't want to believe it..."

"Jinyu, what's wrong with you? The Sword Saint has become an Innate Grandmaster. Everyone in the world who covets Immortal's Brew won't dare have a single stray thought."

Chu Hong was a true wanderer of the martial world. She had joined Hundred Flowers Valley as a child and roamed the jianghu for nearly a decade. In terms of worldly experience, she had more than Zhou Yi.

So Chu Hong knew exactly what an Innate Grandmaster represented.

The Great Jing Court had decayed to this point. At least half of the Thirty-Six Prefectures harbored rebellious intentions, yet no one dared raise a banner of revolt.

The root cause was the old undying within the imperial clan—an old prince from two generations ago who had attained Innate and whose Lifespan had yet to run out. Anyone who rebelled would be courting death.

The imperial family scoured the world for methods to extend life, sparing no expense to prolong the old prince's years, unwilling to let this stabilizing pillar break.

Zhou Yi was barely twenty, yet he had become an Innate Grandmaster. To put it bluntly, if he harbored rebellious intentions and raised a banner, he could quickly gather a force that would sweep through Jiangnan.

Chen Jinyu shook her head, crying as she said, "Sister, you don't understand. I've long known he could become an Innate Grandmaster."

"I thought it would take at least ten or twenty years. Even if I saw him rarely, there was still hope. By then, I'd be old and faded, and seeing him or not wouldn't matter much. I just didn't expect this day to come so soon..."

"Sister, I have a feeling that maybe I won't see him more than a few times in my whole life."

Chu Hong sighed and patted Chen Jinyu on the shoulder.

Chen Kuan stayed off to the side, head pressed low, kneeling on the ground as if he heard and saw nothing.

After a moment, Chen Jinyu composed herself and asked, "Did he say anything else?"

"The Sword Saint instructed you to transport Fierce Fire Oil to Black Mountain, as much as possible!"

"Hmph! He's always ordering me around, as if he's got me figured out!"

Chen Jinyu stamped her foot. "Chen Kuan, go contact the Western Region Merchants. Another ten thousand jars of Fierce Fire Oil, and have them take wine back in return. More is better than less—don't mess this up."

Chen Kuan's face lit up with joy. Sure enough, bringing good news came with great rewards.

By now, everyone in Guo Bei County knew that following Fairy Chen in selling wine was the most promising path.

"This servant will handle it perfectly. I'll squeeze every last drop of Fierce Fire Oil out of those Westerners. It won't delay the Sword Saint or the Fairy's affairs."

Black Mountain.

It was now the dead of night. A sinister wind howled on the mountain.

A dense aura of malevolent yin shrouded the entire peak. Zhou Yi circulated his true essence to ward off the yin qi's invasion.

"The tree demon has operated here for a thousand years. The whole of Black Mountain has become a domain akin to a dojo. Fighting the tree demon here puts me at a natural disadvantage by three-tenths."

Zhou Yi had just entered the Innate realm. Flying on his sword consumed too much true essence, so after leaving the city, he traveled on foot.

A wisp of spiritual energy buoyed his steps, making him glide several zhang with each stride.

Lanruo Temple was right ahead when suddenly, the sound of a zither reached his ears.

A faint woman's voice drifted along with the music, singing softly.

"Nie Xiaoqian..."

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment, then strode straight into Lanruo Temple.

A love story between a man and a ghost held no interest for him whatsoever.

An Innate Grandmaster facing a Thousand-Year Tree Demon was, nine times out of ten, no match.

As for Xiahou the Swordsman's remains—Zhou Yi had buried them with his own hands.