Invisible Sword Qi

Shi Feiyang studied the strange flower for a long time, but could barely determine that it was a spiritual herb, free of poison and capable of greatly replenishing blood and vital energy. The Little People within its blossom were nearly fully grown, and ought to be born at full term like human children.

He already had two immortal herbs, Queen Mother Grass and Immortal's Couch. Wanting to nurture this one as well, he quietly kept watch beside it.

The Vulture recovered its strength and flew away that afternoon. Shi Feiyang did not stop it.

The next morning, a crimson Greater Yang rose slowly above the eastern horizon, illuminating a vast stretch of sea until its rippling waters looked like fire. Rosy light filled his vision, breathtakingly beautiful.

The Immortal Herb was nearing maturity and had developed some spiritual awareness. Shi Feiyang let out the two Little People, Mo Zhui and Moxiang, so they could help identify its medicinal properties and communicate with it.

The Immortal Herb did not know what humans called it either. Mo Zhui told it how kind Shi Feiyang was, explaining that Shi Feiyang had also helped Moxiang shed his original form and take human shape, and urged it not to be afraid.

Seeing the infant-shaped fruit growing within the Immortal Herb's petals, Shi Feiyang named it Mo Ying. He promised to protect it until it fully matured, then take it with him as well.

Mo Ying, the Immortal Herb, was delighted. However, its consciousness was not yet stable enough, and it needed long periods of sleep to develop. Mo Zhui and Moxiang left it undisturbed and went off to run and play among the grass, enjoying the sunlight.

Facing the sun, Shi Feiyang drew the solar essence and true yang from the true solar fire to refine his Divine Fire Inner Core.

Suddenly, he sensed something and turned toward the southwest. He could distinctly feel someone approaching on a flying sword, yet all he saw was blue sky and white clouds, with a gentle breeze drifting beneath them. Nothing else was visible.

He hurriedly turned around and focused his attention, keeping a wary guard.

The newcomer reached the island in moments and revealed himself in midair. He was a handsome young man with a tall, well-built frame and imposing features, dressed in a dark green Daoist robe. A jade crown sat on his head, and a silk sash encircled his waist, hung with a jade pendant and a scented pouch. He stood suspended in the air.

Shi Feiyang could faintly perceive the formidable Sword Qi surrounding him. He was riding an unseen Immortal Sword.

The newcomer's eyesight was extraordinary. He first spotted the two Little People running through the grass and recognized them as spiritual herbs that had taken human form. Intending to capture them and raise them at Turtle-Fishing Rock or Mount Emei, he pointed downward, splitting off a ring of invisible Sword Qi to enclose them.

Holding Moxiang's hand, Mo Zhui hastily tried to burrow underground. The man used a restrictive spell to seal the ground, then rapidly shrank the ring of swords, squeezing the space in which the two Little People could move.

Shi Feiyang flew over at once. Before he could do anything, the man was startled to see a black Long soaring toward him. He formed a hand seal to control his sword and pointed into the air, sending invisible Sword Qi shooting toward Shi Feiyang. The Sword Qi divided, one becoming two, two becoming four, four becoming eight, until there were sixty-four invisible streams in all. They hissed as they tore through the air, fearsome indeed!

Shi Feiyang hurriedly spat out two Inner Cores. They spun into a circular taiji diagram before him, blocking every stream of Sword Qi.

He called out, "Who are you? We have no grievance or enmity, so why try to kill me the moment we meet?"

The young man was astonished as well. He withdrew his Sword Qi. "You can actually speak human language?"

Shi Feiyang replied irritably, "Who exactly are you? What do you want?"

The young man said, "I am Zhuge Jingwo, a disciple of the Emei Sect. My honored master sent me here specifically to gather Millennium Purple River Grass."

"Purple River Grass?" Shi Feiyang thought of the strangely shaped Mo Ying. "Are those two Purple River Grass?"

Shi Feiyang abruptly unleashed his power. His Inner Cores surged forward, shattering numerous streams of Sword Qi. The sword ring Zhuge Jingwo had used to trap the two Little People on the ground broke apart in an instant as well.

Mo Zhui pulled Moxiang away at speed. In the frantic escape, a fragment of Sword Qi cut Moxiang in two at the waist. Holding only his upper body, Mo Zhui fled nearly a hundred zhang without touching the ground. Realizing something was wrong, he hurried back, picked up the lower half, and fled again.

Seeing one of the Little People injured, Shi Feiyang was overcome with both anxiety and fury. He drove his Inner Cores charging forward while considering how to retaliate.

Zhuge Jingwo's Sword Qi could not withstand the impact of the two Inner Cores. Only after releasing the actual blade of his invisible Immortal Sword did he manage to block them.

He steadied himself in midair again, his composure surprisingly unshaken. "Are you the guardian beast of that Purple River Grass?"

Seeing that he wanted to talk, Shi Feiyang eased his assault somewhat. "You could say that!"

Zhuge Jingwo considered his wording, then spoke again. "Cultivation is immensely difficult for nonhuman beings, fraught with calamities and hardships. One or two Immortal Herbs or Spiritual Herbs cannot let you defy heaven and change your fate. My master ordered me to gather this herb, and I must obtain it. If you yield it to me, I can promise that should you encounter a calamity you cannot overcome, you may seek help at Turtle-Fishing Rock in the Eastern Sea. If I am there, I will certainly not stand idly by. Even if I am absent, my fellow disciples will lend you a hand if they encounter you. What do you think?"

Xuanzhenzi was the eldest senior brother of the Emei Sect's older generation and ranked first among the Three Immortals of the Eastern Sea, even ahead of Sect Leader Qi Shouming. His mastery of Daoist arts was also the greatest. Zhuge Jingwo was his foremost disciple and the inheritor of his mantle. Obtaining a promise from him was no easy matter; it was almost equivalent to receiving a protective talisman. The temptation was considerable.

Shi Feiyang asked in return, "What will you do with the herb once you take it back?"

Zhuge Jingwo patiently explained, "My master and my martial uncle, the sect leader, intend to refine the Nine-Turn True Essence Recreating Pill. This medicine is indispensable."

Shi Feiyang hesitated, but ultimately shook his head. "No. This herb has already awakened to spiritual awareness, and I promised to help it shed its original form and take human shape. If you need it for medicine, you can wait until it transforms, then take some of its blood."

Zhuge Jingwo said, "The Nine-Turn True Essence Recreating Divine Pill is a secret transmission of the Purple Palace. It requires the entire mature Millennium Purple River Grass, and it must be used after it matures but before it takes human form. Otherwise, once its primordial qi turns from precelestial to postcelestial, it will be useless."

"Then I'm sorry." Shi Feiyang knew that handing over the Purple River Grass now would allow him to befriend a foremost disciple of the Emei Sect. So long as he flattered them properly afterward and took good care of their junior disciples, he would have a powerful thigh to cling to. When calamity struck, the Emei Sect would most likely lend him a hand. Refusing to surrender the Purple River Grass, however, would offend not only Zhuge Jingwo but also Xuanzhenzi, turning him into an outright enemy of the Emei Sect from then on.

Yet he still chose to refuse. "Purple River Grass may be rare, but the world is vast. Surely this cannot be the only lone shoot growing anywhere. Go look elsewhere."

By then, the two Little People had reached him. He looked down at Moxiang, severed at the waist by Sword Qi, and his heart ached.

Mo Zhui busied himself with the rescue, spitting repeatedly onto the severed surfaces. He fitted the two halves of Moxiang's body together, then sprayed a mouthful of mist over them. They joined in an instant, though a crack remained in the skin and would need some time to heal completely.

Shi Feiyang opened his mouth and swallowed them into his belly. The Jade Casket opened automatically and took them inside.

Witnessing this, Zhuge Jingwo secretly marveled. A Black Dragon accompanied by two Immortal Herbs in human form, one of which ought to be the legendary Queen Mother Grass—and it could actually bring living creatures back from death, saving one even after he had been cut in two at the waist. Truly, it was wondrous beyond compare.

"I did not originally know these two little fellows belonged to you. Since they have an owner, I will not take them. But my master sent me to obtain the Purple River Grass, and I must have it." In the tone of someone delivering a final ultimatum, Zhuge Jingwo asked, "Will you yield it or not?"

"No!" Shi Feiyang's answer was decisive enough to cut nails and cleave iron.