The Three Light Cave Master

Shi Feiyang followed Sikong Xuan down Dinghu Peak. Night lay thick around them as ghost and Long traveled through the woods. The ghost's body was translucent, stirring gusts of chill wind as he flew; Long's long body wound forward above the trees, raising wave after wave of mist wherever he passed.

Sikong Xuan brought him to an exceptionally secluded spot, where the trees grew lush and the grass and foliage were thick. "Senior, look! There it is!"

The patch he pointed to measured several dozen feet across. Its black soil lay completely bare, without a single blade of grass, as though someone had sprayed it with a powerful pesticide.

Only two plants grew at its center. One resembled a lingzhi mushroom, as large as a washbasin, glossy black and conspicuous. Beside it grew a lush emerald herb, the two flourishing together.

"It really is Queen Mother Grass!" Shi Feiyang exclaimed in approval. He waved his Dragon Claw, and mist billowed around him. Dense Bai fog surged like a tide, descending from above and filling the spaces between the trees.

Sikong Xuan drifted farther away. Through the dense mist, he saw the silhouette of a black dragon over a hundred feet long descend toward the Queen Mother Grass. His heart instantly leaped into his throat.

Bang! Bang, bang! A succession of explosions rang out, and long banners rose on every side.

Each banner was thirty feet long, made of bright yellow satin embroidered with intricate talisman script emblems in red thread. There were sixteen in all, floating unsupported in the air without poles. The talisman script shone brilliantly, its light joining together to form a formation.

A Daoist in blue robes appeared in a tree due east. He stood perfectly still on a horizontal branch no thicker than a chopstick, his eyes flashing like lightning. Holding an Immortal Sword that gleamed with Bai light, he shouted, "Vile beast, your time has come!"

This was Sikong Xuan's uncle, Eight-Eyed Vajra Sikong Hu, the Three Light Cave Master of Chongming Island, Jiangsu!

"Uncle!" Sikong Xuan called, about to float over.

“Stand aside first. Let me slay this beast!” Sikong Hu held his sword in his right hand and formed a hand seal with his left, invoking Lei. The sixteen long banners flashed red and pressed inward. Fist-sized balls of blood-red Lei formed within, roaring as they shot and tumbled wildly, exploding without cease.

After he unleashed Lei for a short while, Long's silhouette shattered and dispersed under the blasts. The fierce counterattack he had expected from the Demon Dragon never came.

An ominous premonition rose in Sikong Hu's heart, and chills ran down his spine. Looking around, he saw the fog between the trees growing thicker and thicker. His heart suddenly clenched. He hurriedly raised his sword to protect himself and lunged forward, spinning around at lightning speed as he moved.

The enormous black Long appeared behind him, the lower half of his body on the ground and the upper half reared into the air. His sharp teeth were bared and his eyes blazed with cold light. Using Elixir Qi from his mouth, he sent a streak of Sword Light dozens of feet long shooting like lightning straight at Sikong Hu's chest!

Clang! Sikong Hu caught the incoming sword with his White Light Sword and used the impact to retreat into his own Banner Formation. Seeing yellow Sword Light tinged with cyan and Bai, he recognized the sword he had bestowed upon his nephew Sikong Xuan, and his anger flared even higher. "You wretched beast! You dare use my sword to kill me! Today I'll skin you and tear out your sinews, then take your Primordial Spirit and forge it into a sword spirit!"

As he saw it, he had forged this sword himself, and after receiving it, Sikong Xuan had refined it using the methods he had taught him. Their techniques came from the same lineage. Even if the Monster had temporarily seized it, surely it knew nothing of the Daoist School's sword-refining methods. At most, it could wrap the sword in Elixir Qi and send it striking over a distance; it could not command an Immortal Sword as freely as a Daoist. Trying to attack him with it was nothing but a fool's dream.

He said to Sikong Xuan, "Xuan, don't grieve anymore. Watch your uncle take this sword back for you!"

He tried to retrieve the sword with his own Sword-Catching Technique. Little did he know that the Monster Dragon Shi Feiyang had obtained the Lesser Book of Heaven and was using orthodox Daoist School sword-refining methods, many times more sophisticated than his own!

Seeing him try to catch the sword barehanded, Shi Feiyang turned his scheme against him, deliberately pretending that his control of the sword was clumsy. Just as Sikong Hu caught its trailing end, he suddenly spat out vital qi. The sword hummed and darted away, its trailing light lashing left and right in an attempt to slice off Sikong Hu's entire arm.

Fortunately, Sikong Hu had cultivated diligently for many years and possessed a solid foundation. He reacted quickly, dodging in time and blocking with protective qi condensed from his True Essence. Only then did he save his right hand, though the Sword Light still cut a deep, bloody gash across his palm.

"You vile beast! You'll be the death of me!" Sikong Hu stamped his feet in fury. He had cultivated on Chongming Island for over sixty years and slain countless crocodile dragons in the Yangtze River. Though beasts that became spirits might possess formidable magical power after long years of cultivation, they had no masters or lineages. They relied entirely on instinct to gather the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and absorb the essence of the sun and moon, with abysmal efficiency. Most knew how to gather power but not how to refine it, leaving them unable to transform and elevate its substance. Their cultivation might span hundreds or even thousands of years, yet their actual fighting ability was pitiful.

He had thought capturing it would be as easy as reaching out his hand. Only because his nephew repeatedly stressed how formidable the Monster Dragon was, and how unfathomable its magical power, had he laid a formation in advance. That was already giving the dragon more than its due. Yet the creature had seen through his plans and used some unknown spell to send a false silhouette inside, tricking him into activating the formation to trap it while its real body hid behind him for a sneak attack that had nearly skewered him clean through.

Twice in succession, it had deceived him and ambushed him, drenching him in cold sweat both times!

Fury blazed in Sikong Hu's heart. He raised his hand and released his Immortal Sword, forming a Spiritual Incantation as he barked, "Die, Monster!"

Shi Feiyang also wanted to test the fruits of all his hard work refining the sword during this time. Rallying his spirits, he commanded his sword to strike back.

The two swords tangled in midair, one Bai and one yellow. They collided and slashed, twisted and sliced, showering sparks as brilliant as fireworks.

After a brief exchange, Shi Feiyang realized he was no match for his opponent.

There was no doubt that the sword techniques in the Lesser Book of Heaven surpassed Sikong Hu's. Their attacks often came from unexpected angles, exceptionally fierce and ruthless. Had their cultivation been equal, he could have taken Sikong Hu's head after only a short exchange.

But Shi Feiyang had cultivated for too little time and was woefully inexperienced in wielding a flying sword. His sword's quality was also lacking. Sikong Hu had originally obtained his white-light Immortal Sword together with two Daoist books in Three Light Cave on Chongming Island. Its Sword Light was pure Bai, resembling a bright moon reflected in autumn waters, radiating in every direction. As it flew back and forth, it became rings of Bai rainbows and sharp flashes. Every collision dimmed the yellow light of Shi Feiyang's Flying Sword.

Knowing he could not defeat his opponent with a Flying Sword alone, Shi Feiyang brought out the Three Talents Mirror, poured Elixir Qi into it, and sent it into the air. He summoned Lan light from its surface, pressing it down upon his opponent like a mountain.

Sikong Hu was greatly shocked at the sight of the Three Talents Mirror. He had not expected this Monster Dragon to know how to refine treasures as well as swords. He hurriedly formed hand seals and twice tried to retrieve the treasure, but failed. Seeing the Lan light descend, he knew the precious mirror's power: once its light enveloped him, his movements would be restricted.

By now, he had cast aside every trace of contempt for the Monster Dragon and dared take no further risks. He formed seals with both hands before his chest, rapidly chanted two incantations, and bit the tip of his tongue. Spitting out a mouthful of vital blood mixed with true essence, he pointed two joined fingers skyward and shouted, "Go!"

His Flying Sword immediately erupted with dazzling Bai radiance, illuminating a great stretch of forest as brightly as daylight. It became a sharp flash shooting toward the Lan light, piercing it instantly like a hot knife through butter. Then it struck the surface of the Three Talents Mirror and paused for only a moment. At Sikong Hu's sharp cry, it drove onward and pierced the precious mirror clean through!

Shi Feiyang had not expected his opponent to be so formidable. The precious mirror had been destroyed almost as soon as he brought it out. He called loudly, "Don't you want your nephew anymore?"

Having pierced the Three Talents Mirror in one forceful attack, Sikong Hu immediately formed a Sword Art seal and sent the Bai light sweeping back to entangle the yellow Sword Light he had personally forged all those years ago. A rapid series of cracks rang out as it ground the sword into fragments!

He was determined to slay the Monster Dragon today, even at the cost of destroying two treasures. He planned to send his nephew on to Reincarnation afterward, then forge new flying swords and magical treasures for him. Once his nephew reached adulthood, he would bring him back to the mountain, teach him swordsmanship, bestow treasures upon him, and have him cultivate anew.

He and his nephew were as close as father and son, and he regarded him as the heir to his legacy. Their bond was deep. Hating the Monster Dragon for killing his nephew, he was wholly intent on revenge. Suddenly hearing the dragon speak in a human tongue caught him by surprise, and he did not quite make out the words. "What did you say?"