Li Yu stood where he was, watching the two formidable Foundation Establishment Cultivators seemingly prepare for a fight to the death. A thin sheen of sweat formed on his back as he tried to think of a way to leave without attracting their attention.
Both were outstanding even among Foundation Establishment Cultivators. A stray spell or a ripple of Sword Qi from either could dispose of him in passing.
Although he did not understand why they wanted to fight to the death, the quick-witted Li Yu had formed a horrifying suspicion from their few brief exchanges.
"The Death Sword you cultivate may be formidable, but my Transcendent White Lotus Sutra happens to counter it perfectly. Once we start fighting, I won't hold back!" Yuan Hao clearly lacked the will to fight and did not want a death match with Sun Yuanji, a Sword Cultivator. He made one last attempt to dissuade him.
But Sun Yuanji could not be bothered to say another word. A gray-black current wreathed the longsword in his hand as he slashed at the Fragrant White Lotus surrounding Yuan Hao.
Yuan Hao snorted coldly and was about to take out his Spirit Artifact when he suddenly raised his head toward the sky.
"That's enough. You're both over a hundred years old, yet your tempers are still this bad. You're making a spectacle of yourselves in front of the boy."
An aged, mild voice rang out. At some point, a short, stout old man carrying a wine flask had appeared in midair. He flung a handful of ocher sand down from his sleeve.
At first, it was only a small handful, but as it fell, it kept expanding and spreading. By the time it reached the sea, it had become a towering curtain that cut off the sky.
Sun Yuanji's Death Sword struck the wall of sand. It held out for only a single breath before being bounced back.
"Senior Zhao, are you going to bully the young with your seniority? Aren't you afraid our sect's supreme elder will take the Three Divine Swords up Heavenly Pillar Peak?" The moment Sun Yuanji saw the short, stout old man, he knew fighting was pointless. He sheathed his sword, but his words remained utterly uncompromising as he challenged the old man directly.
Heavenly Pillar Peak was the main peak of the Five Lotus Sect.
Although the Mount Lao Sword Sect had the fewest members among the Ten Great Sects of the Mystic Dao, its foremost experts surpassed those of the Five Lotus Sect. If they truly came west bearing their divine swords, it would surely send shock waves through the Eastern Lands.
The short, stout old man was Zhao Qian, the steward of the Five Lotus Sect's Zhao Kingdom Branch. Naturally, he knew this too. With a sigh, he pressed his Yellow Sand toward Yuan Hao as well.
In an instant, the transcendent white lotuses Yuan Hao had spread across the sea collapsed into streams of pure qi beneath the crushing Yellow Sand.
Zhao Qian said, "Martial Nephew Sun, I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer regarding this matter. But at present, there is no evidence that Martial Nephew Yuan colluded with outsiders to murder your sect's disciples. Please give me some time to investigate thoroughly."
Hearing this, Li Yu immediately lowered his head, desperately wishing he were deaf.
Ying Feiyun had said earlier that, so long as he killed the three members of the Mount Lao Sword Sect here, someone would naturally produce evidence after they returned proving that Luo Guan had hired Rogue Cultivators to seize Ying Ruomu's Supreme Spirit Pearl.
Li Yu had been wondering who possessed such far-reaching influence that they could deceive two great sects of the Mystic Sects.
If it was Yuan Hao, the deputy steward of the Five Lotus Sect's Branch, then everything made sense.
He was the one who had brought them here. Once he returned, the outcome and its causes would naturally be whatever he said they were.
No wonder the Locator Talisman had still failed to bring Yuan Hao over even after Li Yu had slain Ying Ruomu and put away the Pure Heart Lotus. So he was the mastermind who had laid this trap.
No, right now, this is only Sun Yuanji's suspicion. There's no conclusive evidence yet.
Perhaps it wasn't Yuan Hao...
Then it could only be Zhao Qian. That would be even more terrifying.
The instant Li Yu realized this, he understood why Sun Yuanji had drawn his sword and attacked Yuan Hao without the slightest hesitation.
"Your name is Li Yu, correct?"
A stream of Yellow Sand suddenly swept over, lifting Li Yu and carrying him before Zhao Qian.
"Yes. This disciple pays his respects to Steward Zhao." Li Yu hurriedly bowed.
"Tell me everything you experienced, one detail at a time. Conceal nothing." Zhao Qian's expression was mild as he asked, but Li Yu felt an overwhelming pressure.
He immediately recalled what had happened and recounted everything without adding any embellishments.
"Give me that Pure Heart Lotus." The moment Zhao Qian finished speaking, Li Yu took Ying Ruomu's Spirit Artifact out of his storage pouch and presented it with both hands.
"A Spirit Artifact forged and sold by the main peak's Treasure Artifact Bureau seventeen years ago. Its provenance is legitimate and in order." Zhao Qian frowned after using a special method to examine the sect's mark on the Pure Heart Lotus.
If Yuan Hao had not given Ying Ruomu this Spirit Artifact, they could not conclude that he had colluded with the Ying Clan.
"This Spirit Artifact is crucial evidence in this case. I need to confiscate it." Zhao Qian's words made Li Yu's heart ache. He had barely had time to warm it in his hands.
But faced with a Golden Core cultivator, he could only nod.
"This flying sword is one I used in my youth. Consider it a reward for saving the Mount Lao disciples this time." Zhao Qian drew a small ocher sword from his gourd and tossed it to Li Yu.
Li Yu hurriedly caught it. Without even inspecting it, he put it straight into his storage pouch and respectfully thanked him.
Next, Zhao Qian inspected Ying Feiyun's and Ying Ruomu's storage pouches. He took away a few suspicious written records, leaving Li Yu everything he deemed unimportant, such as the spirit stones.
This steward is someone worth knowing.
After cooperating with him through the whole process, Li Yu had a very favorable impression of Zhao Qian.
At least he handled matters with relative fairness.
Sun Yuanji, however, was deeply dissatisfied with Zhao Qian.
He believed Yuan Hao should have been executed on the spot to avenge his disciples.
But citing insufficient evidence, Zhao Qian merely sealed Yuan Hao's cultivation and said he would report the matter, then wait for the Enforcement Hall at the sect's main peak to send someone before making a final decision.
Standing aboard the spirit boat on the return journey, Li Yu appeared to be gazing at the scenery of the Roaring Thunder Sea, but in truth, he was meditating on the Taiqing Mystic Sect's Formless Sword Qi.
Beside him, Qin Jian, whose wounds had only just healed, held a gourd, drinking as he chattered incessantly.
Xu Wei stood quietly watching them, the Shaoqing Sword on her back.
The three could now be considered companions who had shared life and death, so they often stayed together aboard the boat.
More importantly, Qin Jian and Xu Wei had both suffered serious injuries and could not cultivate for the time being, leaving them free to come find Li Yu.
As it happened, Li Yu did not understand the Taiqing sword intent very well, so he sought guidance from the two of them.
"Our sect has twenty swords like the Shaoqing Sword, each with a sword embryo. Each contains one of twenty sealed sword intents, which together form the complete Taiqing sword intent. When twenty fellow disciples wielding these swords join forces, they can lay down the Taiqing Sword Formation. With the Taiqing Divine Sword as its core, even a Nascent Soul cultivator who falls into it will perish."
"But that still isn't the Taiqing Sword Formation at its strongest. Its highest realm is to form the array alone. In other words, one person fuses the sword intents of forward and reverse, life and death, darkness and light, illusion and annihilation, mastering
the Taiqing Mystic Sect's Formless Sword Qi and gaining complete command of the Taiqing Divine Sword."
"That is the realm of immortals spoken of in legends. With a single stroke, the vast primordial universe is reduced to dust!"
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