Heavenly Dao Heart Zen Art

"Great Gan Forbidden Ground. You have gathered here in a mob—are you trying to cause trouble? Disperse at once." Lieutenant Zhang Zhuo of the Imperial Guards rested his right hand on the hilt at his waist, his gaze icy.

Several zhang away, a large group of martial world people stood scattered about. Hearing this, they all retreated several steps.

An old man in hempen clothes sat lazily atop a Green Stone, took two swigs from his wine gourd, bared his large yellow teeth, and said with a grin, "General, don't go making wild accusations. We are all law-abiding citizens of Great Gan. How would we dare cause trouble? We are merely resting here for a moment. This is not a Forbidden Ground, and the Imperial Court has never said that no one is allowed to enter the Guiyun Mountain Range, has it?"

"That's right, General, don't make wild accusations. This is a matter that could cost us our heads—how would we dare do such a thing? We're only resting here. Our Great Gan governs by law and persuades by reason. Why not tell us, General, which law of Great Gan we have violated?"

"Exactly. General, why not explain it to us? We've never heard that no one was allowed to come to the Guiyun Mountain Range."

For a moment, voices rose in a clamor as everyone spoke up.

Zhang Zhuo's face darkened. He raised a hand and barked, "Raise your bows! If you have not retreated by the count of three, do not blame us for showing no mercy."

The dozen or so soldiers accompanying him removed the powerful bows from their backs and nocked arrows to the strings.

The martial world people shouted, "Does the Imperial Court still care about reason? Even the Imperial Guards cannot be this overbearing and tyrannical, can they?"

"Three!"

The longbows had already been drawn.

"That's right. We haven't broken any law. I refuse to believe he truly dares kill people."

"Two!"

The arrows were already aimed. To enter the Imperial Guards, one had to be at least an Origin Warrior Seventh Level, possessing the potential of True Martial. The armor-piercing bows of the Divine Eagle Guard were made from special materials and possessed tremendous power, easily piercing ordinary protective True Qi.

The martial world people's faces changed one after another at the sight. They did not dare gamble that the Imperial Guards would not truly strike. Fear showed on their faces as they backed away.

A young man standing at the very front forcibly suppressed a thread of fear in his heart and said, "Fellow martial brothers, I, Zhang Yuanfeng, will put my words here. If they dare make a move, I will dare go to the royal capital and beat the drum to lodge a complai—hey, why are you all running? Wait for me!" When he turned around, there were already barely any figures left behind him. His expression changed at once, and he no longer dared say another word. Scrambling and rolling, he fled in haste.

In mere moments, the people gathered here scattered like birds and beasts. Not a single one remained.

Zhang Zhuo lowered his hand.

The soldiers behind him also lowered their longbows.

Someone said, "I thought they really weren't afraid of death."

An Imperial Guard beside him laughed loudly. "Most martial world people are greedy for life and afraid of death. How would they dare face our Imperial Guards head-on?"

"They are nothing but a rabble."

Zhang Zhuo turned calmly and headed toward the military camp.

"General." Zhang Zhuo bowed.

"Have those martial world people been dealt with?"

"They have all dispersed, but they will not leave. They have merely gone a little farther away. Most of them are only at the initial True Martial realm, and many are still Origin Scholars. I do not know what they are thinking. Even if there truly is a Secret Sword in these mountains, do they think that with their cultivation, they can obtain it?"

Deputy Commander of Divine Eagle Guard Yuan Yingsong gave a cold snort. "These martial world people idle away their days and never think of serving their country with loyalty. They have wasted a lifetime of cultivation. Rumors in the martial world say that a Grandmaster may appear this time. Those who have come now are merely here to join the excitement. Once they return later, they can use it as material for conversation."

Zhang Zhuo complained somewhat, "Who knows how long this matter will last? These past days, the brothers under me have been patrolling all around North Spring Mountain every day, with scarcely any time left for cultivation. I do not know who spread this news so thoroughly that everyone in Great Gan knows of it. If this conduct is investigated deeply, it is clearly a plot with ill intent."

"Today, I received a message from the Commander. Everyone in the Eight Treasures Merchant Guild has been seized by the Heavenly Policy Mansion and thrown into prison. It is said to be His Majesty's imperial order. Presumably, it is related to this matter."

"The Eight Treasures Merchant Guild? How could a mere merchant guild dare do such a thing? There must be someone behind them directing it, no?"

"What is hidden within all this remains unknown for now." Yuan Yingsong's expression also darkened. The Divine Eagle Guard had first encountered the Demon Realm Seal and the attack of the Crimson Dragon Cult remnants. Only a few peaceful days had passed, and just as he had taken charge here, he had run into this matter. If a Grandmaster truly appeared, who knew what might happen.

"General, did that Young Master Gu on North Spring Mountain truly obtain the Secret Sword of the North Spring Sword Sect? In this subordinate's view, there must be a reason behind this matter. It could not have arisen from nothing."

Yuan Yingsong glanced at Zhang Zhuo and said flatly, "Enough. What truly lies behind this is not something we need worry about. Since His Majesty is already concerned with this matter, the sacred will shall make its own decision. As Imperial Guards, we need only do what we ought to do."

On Hongyan Mountain, beneath the trees beside the waterfall, six people stood looking out toward North Spring Mountain opposite them.

"Big Brother, look, there's someone standing over there. Could he be Gu Yuanqing? Should we go up and take a look first? If we wait any longer, experts will arrive from everywhere, and it will no longer be Dragon Gallbladder Mountain's turn. The Imperial Guards below the mountain are at most Profound Martial Seventh Layer. So long as we are not surrounded by a military formation, we six brothers can come and go freely."

"What are you panicking for? Can you be certain this is not a trap set by the Imperial Court? Perhaps they are simply waiting for us to go up so they can sweep us all up in one net."

"Moreover, a year ago, the grandson of an elder from the Lingxu Sect had his arm severed on this mountain. How do you know there is no Grandmaster within North Spring Mountain? Let the others test the waters first.

"I heard that Ghost Butcher Shentu Hong, ranked fourth on the Black List, and Ghost Hand Void Form, ranked seventh, have both appeared near the royal capital. Given their temperaments, their patience is unlikely to be very good."

On the mountains surrounding North Spring Mountain, various forces lay hidden here and there. Like Dragon Gallbladder Mountain, all of them were waiting for someone else to test the path first.

The appearance of the Secret Sword of North Spring Mountain concerned matters beyond Grandmaster Realm. To the martial world, it counted as a major event. Even those lacking the strength still hoped that fortune might descend upon them.

Even if they were fated to gain nothing, seeing a Grandmaster make a move, learning a move or half a stance, or glimpsing a path to break through to Grandmaster Realm would be an enormous profit.

Gu Yuanqing stood within the Scenery Pavilion, vaguely feeling as though someone was watching him. Following that sensation with his gaze, he saw several people standing above the waterfall.

He merely glanced at them twice and paid them no mind. There were more and more people like this around North Spring Mountain.

This was, after all, a Forbidden Ground of Great Gan. Few were willing to be the bird that stuck its head out first; they were all watching and waiting.

Gu Yuanqing had waited expectantly for several days. It was not as if no one had been bold enough, but before they could even ascend the mountain, they were discovered by the Imperial Guards and immediately turned tail and ran. Gu Yuanqing never even got the chance to act.

Still, so many people coming truly exceeded Gu Yuanqing's expectations. It left him unable to fully relax at any moment. Even while cultivating, he had to spare some attention to observe the mountain and remain on guard.

After wandering about the mountain once and teasing the increasingly intelligent goshawk and wild fox, he returned to the courtyard.

"Aunt Feng, if you see any movement outside these days, hide yourself. Do not come out, no matter what."

Gu Yuanqing reminded the middle-aged woman. As for the old man who was suspected to have come from the North Spring Sword Sect, there was no need for him to worry. With high-level True Martial cultivation and the ability to find a way onto North Spring Mountain, he was surely an old fox as well.

At night, Gu Yuanqing sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion in his room. The boundless spiritual energy of heaven and earth within his Sea of Consciousness flowed out continuously, transforming into his own True Qi. More than five hundred Acupoints throughout his body glimmered with faint light.

By now, he no longer needed to devote his entire focus to circulating his cultivation art. Whether walking, sitting, lying down, or standing, the art continued to circulate. Aside from focusing on swordsmanship, he had also begun deducing his cultivation art again.

Profound Martial Ninth Layer was not far from Grandmaster Realm. He needed to continue deducing his cultivation art upward, thereby creating the Mental Method most suited to himself.

He named the cultivation art he had created the Heavenly Dao Heart Zen Art. He retained the words "Heart Zen"—first, because they had been the original template of his cultivation art, and second, to remember Li Miaoxuan's kindness.

As for the words "Heavenly Dao," it was because he firmly believed that if immortals truly existed in this world, he would surely stand above them. Thus, the name needed to be more grand, lest he have to change it in the future.

Time passed bit by bit. In the blink of an eye, it was already the third watch of the night. A figure, like a nimble cat, silently slipped through layer after layer of Imperial Guard defenses on the Front Mountain and vanished into the forest. Even the hidden sentries were deftly avoided as though he possessed foresight...