IS Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Recently, nothing major has happened in the Immortal Dao world.

With no one around, two young Daoist disciples of the Great Mountain Sect sat opposite each other at the mountain gate. Each held a messenger hawk, chatting idly.

They talked about the conflict between a sect in the West Sea and the Upper Purity Mountain over the “Four Seas Survey Map,” and how the First Disciple of the Upper Purity Mountain’s Dao Sect had suddenly died for unknown reasons. The Dao Sect was the leading sect of the Upper Purity Mountain…

They also mentioned that the number one swordsmith of all time from the Southern Border was gone, and the Sword Casting Valley was currently holding a white event (funeral).

“Isn’t our Supreme Elder’s Return I Sword made by that swordsmith?”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Supreme Elder. I heard his swordsmanship has improved again…”

Just then, one of the young Daoists suddenly changed expression, his eyes fixed on something down the mountain: “Senior brother! Senior brother, look!”

As he spoke, his hand tugged painfully on the messenger hawk, which cried out in dissatisfaction.

The young Daoist called “senior brother” followed his gaze and looked down—

They saw a tall, slender figure in bright red robes slowly climbing the steps on the mountain path, where green vines grew and white mist swirled. As he got closer, they could see his expressionless face and the dark, dull long sword he carried on his back.

The senior brother scrambled to his feet, letting go of the messenger hawk: “Quick, go tell the Supreme Elder!”

His junior brother immediately scrambled away as well.

The senior brother took a deep breath and carefully straightened his clothes before standing solemnly outside the gate.

Soon, the person arrived in front of him.

The Daoist senior brother took another deep breath, put on a serious expression, and met the visitor’s eyes.

“…”

He felt that something might be wrong with his body. Why did he feel so cold every time he saw this person—despite the beautiful face and eyes?

The young Daoist straightened up and greeted formally: “Who is the visitor? What brings you here?”

The person’s voice was short and calm.

“Micro-Snow Palace, Ye Zhuo, here to inquire about the Dao.”

The young Daoist’s voice was unnaturally stiff: “Please, follow me.”

As everyone knows, Ye Zhuo is a sword cultivator.

Naturally, what he inquired about was the Sword Dao.

How to inquire about the Sword Dao?

–Naturally, by exchanging blows and learning from each other.

Great Mountain Sect, Infinite Path Venue.

The floor of the venue was paved with black and white jade stones in the shape of a giant Tai Chi symbol. The jade stones emitted a hazy mist, revealing a hint of the Dao’s origin.

Irrelevant people, outer disciples, and disciples with insufficient cultivation had been evacuated from the venue. Only a dozen or twenty high-level disciples who practiced swordsmanship and a few solemn-looking grandmaster elders remained.

Ye Zhuo stood quietly on the black and white dividing line on the north side of the venue. Opposite him, a gray-robed, white-haired elder with a sword walked slowly—it was the Great Mountain Sect’s Supreme Elder, Pu Xuan Hui.

The Great Mountain Sect had a thousand-year legacy and a profound foundation, making it a major sect in the southeast. Supreme Elder Pu Xuan Hui had been stationed here for a hundred years and was a renowned sword dao master.

Standing opposite Ye Zhuo, Elder Pu Xuan Hui nodded slightly: “Young friend Ye, how have you been?”

Ye Zhuo performed a junior’s greeting: “Thank you for your concern, Elder. I am well.”

Pu Xuan Hui’s gaze fell on the sword in Ye Zhuo’s hand, scrutinizing it for a long time.

“Recently, I have heard that a divine sword was born in the Sword Casting Valley, attracting nine levels of thunder tribulation. Now that I see young friend Ye’s sword, it seems different from before.”

“The sword has been reforged,” Ye Zhuo said, “Its name is ‘No Self’.”

This was an admission that the divine sword that had attracted nine levels of thunder tribulation in the Sword Casting Valley was indeed this sword.

Admiration flowed in Pu Xuan Hui’s eyes: “A good name. I presume young friend Ye’s swordsmanship has also reached a new level.”

The disciples below watched the exchange intently, inwardly praising their composure and the demeanor of great immortal dao figures.

Only the Great Mountain Sect’s Clan Master, standing behind Pu Xuan Hui, could see that the Supreme Elder’s left hand, behind his back, seemed to tremble slightly.

The Clan Master himself could not remain calm either.

This sword was like the finishing touch of a dragon painting; it was indeed different from before. Anyone with discerning eyes could see it.

Such a divine sword, held in the hands of this fiend, no wonder Uncle-Master lost his composure…

Ye Zhuo showed no reaction to Pu Xuan Hui’s courteous words and drew his sword.

“Elder Pu, please enlighten me.”

Pu Xuan Hui also drew his sword calmly: “Young friend Ye, please guide me.”

In an instant, a cold sword light like a moon startled the sky, flew straight at Elder Pu’s face.

This ghostly, frosty sword stunned the disciples, and the viewing area became silent.

Elder Pu remained calm and unafraid, blocking forward with his sword.

The “Return I” Sword was made of ancient profound iron, five feet long, seven fingers wide, and weighed a thousand jun.

The Great Mountain Swordplay was ingenious but clumsy, with a heavy sword and no sharp edge. Its advance was like a mountain collapsing, inescapable, and its retreat was like a mountain range, complete and natural.

The sword blades collided, and the aftershock of the sword energy swept outwards like a storm. Elder Pu immediately changed his move to a defensive stance, his feet remaining firmly planted, while Ye Zhuo’s figure shifted, his sword turning like a startled swan, chopping down from mid-air!

The terrifying sword momentum overflowed outwards, and the chilling sword energy shook people’s souls.

The sword energies clashed with a clang, and in that instant, the world changed, and the mountains trembled.

The disciples who saw such a battle for the first time finally understood why the other disciples had been evacuated.

The atmosphere of heaven and earth surged, and the sword light flared so rapidly that it was almost impossible to see clearly. All they could see was Ye Zhuo’s frosty figure, moving like snow, his sword like a dragon.

The people looked at the red figure in the center of the storm, and the brief description in the rumors surfaced in their minds.

Ye Zhuo, the Number One Sword Under Heaven.

Once the sword is drawn, there is no turning back.

The Great Mountain Swordplay was majestic and profound, airtight, and should have had a natural advantage against such a fierce, decisive, and unretreating sword style. However, after a hundred moves, Pu Xuan Hui’s footsteps were forced back a step by this storm-like offensive.

In that instant, it was as if a dragon had emerged from the clouds, charging forward, wrapped in thousands of thunderbolts, and crashing into a pillar supporting the sky.

The wind and clouds changed color.

At the five hundred and seventy-first move, the heavens seemed to fall.

At the one thousand three hundred and fifty-fourth move, the mountains collapsed.

The Return I Sword trembled, almost slipping out of his hand.

The narrow, black “No Self” sword had crossed Pu Xuan Hui’s neck.

The Infinite Path Venue fell silent.

Ye Zhuo withdrew his sword.

Elder Pu cupped his hands: “Second Palace Master Ye has made great progress again. Congratulations.”

Ye Zhuo: “Elder too.”

Elder Pu smiled and shook his head: “It’s not worth mentioning.”

As he spoke, the surrounding disciples gradually recovered from their stunned state.

A new disciple, seeing such a scene for the first time, stammered: “How could… it be possible to… withstand our sect’s swordplay like this…”

His senior brother patted him on the shoulder consolingly: “You’ll get used to it if you watch it again next year.”

“Ah?”

“Oh, you’re new here, so you don’t know. Second Palace Master Ye comes to inquire about the Dao every year.”

“…Ah?”

The two in the center of the venue talked about swordsmanship for a while, and then Elder Pu said, “Would young friend Ye like to stay a little longer?”

“No hurry,” Ye Zhuo said calmly, “I heard that the Elder has a beloved disciple who has created nine sets of swordsmanship with remarkable insight.”

Pu Xuan Hui’s expression was instantly indescribable: “…”

Among immortal sects, especially sword cultivators, inquiring about the Dao and exchanging blows was a tradition, so how could he refuse?

The Supreme Elder, who had always remained unmoved even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, took a deep breath and waved his hand towards the disciples with an expression of undisguised pain: “Xi’er, come and spar with Second Palace Master Ye.”

Stepping forward was a white-robed youth with a clear spirit and outstanding temperament.

The disciples faintly cheered for their senior brother.

Pei Xi of the Great Mountain Sect was the Supreme Elder’s beloved disciple, with excellent comprehension and extraordinary talent. He not only inherited the true teachings of the Great Mountain Sect but also created his own swordsmanship, showing the makings of a founder of a sect. He was a leader among the younger generation.

It was always a beautiful story in the immortal sects when a disciple surpassed their master.

He stopped in front of Ye Zhuo, his eyes full of eager anticipation.

Ye Zhuo carefully sized him up for a few breaths, changed his aura, and suppressed his spiritual power cultivation to the same level as Pei Xi.

This was also a tacit rule among sword cultivators when discussing swords; with the same cultivation level, one could better test the skill of the swordsmanship.

Pei Xi drew his sword and said in a clear voice: “Second Palace Master Ye, please enlighten me.”

Ye Zhuo drew his sword again.

The cold intent of the sword surged again. This time, he did not use spiritual power, but the sound of weapons cutting through the air could be heard in the venue, and they had exchanged dozens of moves in an instant.

Then, Pei Xi’s sword was knocked to the ground.

Ye Zhuo sheathed his sword: “I concede.”

Pei Xi looked at Ye Zhuo, then blankly at his long sword lying alone on the ground. After a long time, the corner of his mouth trembled.

“I… you…”

A thousand words seemed to be contained in that broken gaze, as if he didn’t know what to say to Ye Zhuo, or as if he had begun to doubt the way of the sword itself.

The disciples carefully watched the state of their senior brother, whose Dao heart seemed to be shattered, and finally understood where the Supreme Elder’s painful expression came from.

Having watched this scene, the Great Mountain Sect’s Clan Master turned away in pain.

Only Elder Pu Xuan Hui seemed to remain calm.

He asked politely and tactfully: “Where does young friend Ye plan to go next?”

Ye Zhuo: “Wandering Immortal Valley.”

“Hehe, the old monster Zhou of Wandering Immortal Valley sent me a letter a while ago, saying that he had comprehended the true meaning of the Sword Dao among the stars of heaven and earth. I heard that his young apprentice Fang has also been making progress at a thousand miles a day…”

Ye Zhuo was thoughtful and said goodbye to Elder Pu.

The Great Mountain Sect breathed a sigh of relief.

After the sigh of relief, there were days of continuous dark clouds.

From that day on, the senior brother Pei Xi moved a prayer mat and sat in the center of the Infinite Path Venue every day, staring blankly at the sword marks left on the ground, his face expressing a mixture of sorrow and joy, laughter and tears. Some disciples said that they had heard strange laughter coming from the Infinite Path Venue late at night.

The Supreme Elder Pu Xuan Hui also sat silently facing the wall every day, and disciples passing by could always hear deep sighs.

The Clan Master walked back and forth between the Infinite Path Venue and the Supreme Elder’s quiet room every day, sometimes checking whether Pei Xi would commit suicide with his sword, and sometimes visiting the Supreme Elder to see if he had gone into qi deviation.

“Clan Master, will that Second Palace Master Ye come next year too?”

“He came the year before last, he came last year, he came this year, what do you think?”

“Clan Master, why does Second Palace Master Ye do this?”

“It is said that Second Palace Master Ye believes that a sword cultivator should see all the sword techniques in the world.”

“Doesn’t he have to see them once a year?”

“So he comes every year to force out new sword techniques.”

“Clan Master…”

“Can you stop asking! If others hear it, the Great Mountain Sect will lose all face!”

“Then Clan Master, what are you waiting for?”

“…Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.”

Finally, three days later, a snow-white messenger hawk brought news from afar. The Clan Master opened the letter, his face lighting up with joy, and immediately grabbed the back of Pei Xi’s collar, dragging him to Pu Xuan Hui’s quiet room.

“Uncle-Master, great news! There is news from Wandering Immortal Valley.”

Pu Xuan Hui’s eyebrows twitched slightly: “Tell me in detail.”

“That old monster Zhou lasted one thousand three hundred and thirty-one moves under Ye Zhuo’s sword, a full twenty-three moves less than Uncle-Master. That young apprentice Fang did manage to last over a hundred moves, but after the fight, he cried and clamored to switch to practicing the saber. It seems that our Xi’er’s temperament is far superior to his!”

The gloom on Pu Xuan Hui’s face was swept away.

That day, the disciples passing by the quiet room heard the Clan Master’s and the Supreme Elder’s hearty laughter, interspersed with the strange laughter of the senior brother: “Hehe…”

As the news spread, the Great Mountain Sect smiled.