Chapter 50: Yang Jian and Xi

  Tai Qing Zhen Ren turned his head to see him frowning, and immediately raised an eyebrow to ask: "Xuan Zhen, do you have any dissatisfaction with my decision as your master?" Although the tone was light, a hint of pressure was conveyed.

  Xuan Zhen's face changed, and he hastily knelt down again, saying in a low voice: "Disciple does not dare."

  "You have a kind heart and your actions are quite just and chivalrous, this is not wrong." The Taiching True Person said coldly, "But tell me, with your current cultivation at the 8th level of the Heavy Boundary, how many evil deeds can you punish, how many innocent people can you save? It would be better to focus on cultivating, and when your cultivation is complete, a small matter like the Qingyu Altar will not be a problem, and with just a wave of your hand, those thousands of people who died can come back to life. This is truly a benevolent act."

  Xuan Zhen was taken aback, unable to believe that his master could see through his cultivation level with just one glance. He felt a deep sense of respect and admiration for his master's profound abilities, which seemed unmatched by anyone else. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something not quite right about what Tai Qing True Person had said, although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

  Taiqing Zhenren saw him kneeling on the ground with a look of shame, and thought he was reflecting on his mistakes. He slowly said: "If you can understand this, then it's not in vain for me to have taught you. Now that the Qinghua Sect also has important matters, instead of thinking about those useless things, it's better to cultivate well. For the next few years, don't go down the mountain again."

  "......Yes, Master. But I don't know what's going on?" Xuán Zhèn was stunned for a moment, then quickly looked up and asked.

  The Taichang True Man fell silent for a long time, finally letting out a long sigh and said, "Forget it, telling you won't hurt either." He paused for a moment before continuing, "You come with me." As he spoke, he stood up from his chair, shook his sleeves, revealing an emaciated old hand that suddenly grasped the magic seal.

  On the white jade stone slab, a blue light suddenly burst forth, and two small magic arrays appeared, just under the feet of Taiching True Man and Xuanzhen. Among them, several talismans shook up and down, emitting a bright glow. Xuanzhen recognized that this was a spell to instantly transport people to another place, and he quickly calmed his mind and stood up in the center of the magic array.

  The Taiching True Person waved his hand, and those talismans were embedded in the law array one by one. The blue light flashed more dazzlingly, and when the light dissipated, it was no longer in the inner chamber of the Qinghua Palace.

  The mountain wind was biting, and it was unclear from which direction it came, bringing with it a whistling sound. In the vast open space, only this wind sound seemed exceptionally clear, also exceptionally mournful.

  As far as the eye can see, giant rocks stand upright on the empty ground, intersecting and stretching out in all directions, filling up a vast area to the brim. Those giant rocks are carved into the shape of huge swords, and at first glance, they seem like a forest of swords.

  Xuan Zhen had never been here before, but he had also heard that in the Qionghua Sect, there were two places dedicated to paying respects to their predecessors. One was the Su Xian Hall, where the ancestral tablets of the successive generations of leaders and elders were enshrined, and the other was the Jian Lin, where the precious swords used by the sect's ancestors were placed.

  He looked around and indeed saw that the giant stone swords surrounding him had several long swords hanging on them, most of which were already dusty and worn out, obviously having been left here for many years. Those predecessors who had once dominated the world with their swords now had nothing but a pile of white bones left behind, leaving only these precious swords that no longer shone. Thinking of this, Xuan Zhen couldn't help but feel a deep sense of melancholy.

  When he came to himself, there was only one person left on the empty ground. He glanced around and saw that Tai Qing's figure had already turned behind a stone sword in front of him. He hastily chased after him in quick steps.

  In the forest of swords, those stone swords seemed to be inserted randomly, but in fact they were secretly arranged into a large array. Xuanshen followed his master east and west, only then did he make out a path, and looking at the ground and the bodies of the stone swords, there were yellow talismans stuck on them, which were not eye-catching, but the spiritual energy attached to them was really not weak, making it difficult for people to ignore.

  "This place is close to the gate of the forbidden land, where all the generations of masters have laid down their own array with their own strength, and secretly left symbols to guard. If you hadn't followed me in today, those symbols would probably appear and surround you endlessly." Taiching Zhenren turned his head and saw that his gaze was fixed on the talismans, and explained indifferently.

  Xuan Zhen nodded. He had also felt it early on, that the spiritual energy of those talismans and the sword energy of this forest were mutually complementary, so it seemed that dispersing the talismans would only cause the spiritual energy to reassemble after a short while, and the intangible yet substantial talismans would continue to regenerate.

  Tai Qing brought with him the last stone sword, and finally arrived at the other end of the empty land. Before them stood a steep mountain wall like a screen, blocking their way. At the foot of the stone wall was a massive stone gate over ten feet high.

  The gate looked very thick at first glance, and there were no door handles or other objects on it. In the center of the gate, four clouds surrounded a sword pattern, which was exactly the emblem of the Qionghua Sect. Xuan Zhen was admiring the gate when he suddenly heard Tai Qing Zhen Ren say, "Xuan Zhen, do you have that piece of Ling Guang Miao Yu with you?"

  "It is, therefore, precious and heavy. Not a moment dare I leave it." Xuan Zhen said, taking out the round jade pendant from his bosom and handing it to his master.

  Taiqing True Person took over the jade and said proudly, "You can take a good look." As he spoke, one hand drew a circle in front of his chest, while the other hand held the Lingguang Moya Jade high above his palm.

  But in the air, a blue light suddenly appeared, and the spiritual light was wrapped in it, slowly rising, and slowly rose to the same height as the fairy sword in the badge. The blue light was strong, and Xuan Zhen couldn't help but raise his hand to block his face.

  Just after the intense light, a dull thud suddenly rang out. The dull thuds continued one after another, as if they were the sounds of stone walls rubbing against each other. At the same time, a warm and cold wind blew towards me.

  Xuan Zhen put down his arm and looked again, the stone gate in front of him had already opened, revealing a wide and dark tunnel behind it. Tai Qing True Person stretched out his hand to catch the slowly falling Ling Guang Miao Yu, and stepped forward towards the door. Xuan Zhen followed closely behind, having walked only ten or so steps, when he heard the sound of dull thuds from behind, and that gate had closed again.

  The path in the cave was not very long, and after walking for a while, they arrived at an extremely large cavern. The cavern was several dozen feet high, with strange rocks resembling bamboo shoots growing densely on the top. On the stone wall were carved many characters, some of which were still new, while others had already been half-eroded. Xuan Zhen read three or two sentences and immediately recognized that this was a superior Daoist heart method from the Qionghua sect, with some small, blurry characters on the side that seemed to be various interpretations of that heart method, also extremely profound.

  He couldn't help but become absorbed in thought, and the more he comprehended the few words left behind by those superior beings, the more he admired them. It wasn't until he came back to his senses that he discovered, apart from his master, there was another person standing before him, who had appeared at some unknown time.

  That old man also had temples like frost, hair like snow, a dark face, and many wrinkles. He looked older than Taiching Zhenren by several years. However, Xuanshen knew in his heart that this Chongtian Longlao was probably the youngest among the gatekeepers and several elders of the sect.

  He bowed respectfully and said, "I've seen Master Zong Lian." However, he was somewhat perplexed in his heart. As the eldest of the Cheng Tian Sect, Zong Lian rarely appeared before the crowd, usually only practicing swordplay with a few close disciples at the Cheng Tian Sword Pavilion. Why had he suddenly come to this forbidden place?

  Zong Lian's elderly appearance was stern, but in reality, his temperament was very kind and gentle. He immediately stretched out a large palm to pull Xuan Zhen back, laughing: "Xuan Zhen has been away for half a year now, and it seems that he has become more stable."

  "Junior brother, don't praise him blindly, he still has a lot to learn." Tai Qing True Person shook his head and pointed to the north side of the cave, "This time I brought him here is to let him know about the big matter in our sect, but I don't know what happened to that sword now?"

  What's that sword? Xuán Zhèn's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the stone wall in confusion. He saw that on the north side of the cave, there was actually another small path that had been opened up, from which a faint light emanated, and a cold air seeped out, as if there was something extremely cold inside.

  "The power of the Yang Yan is extremely strong, if not for sealing it in layers of ice walls, I'm afraid the sword energy would have already destroyed the forbidden area. Alas, it's indeed a stubborn and unyielding thing!" Zong Lianzhang also shook his head, but a smile appeared on his face, clearly showing his fondness for the treasured sword in his mouth. From his tone, it didn't sound like he was describing a sword at all, one might even think he was talking about a beloved disciple."

  "The sword is indeed extraordinary, but finding someone who can match it will require a lot of effort." Taiching True Person sighed and swung his sleeve, heading towards the small path, "Never mind, let's go take a look at it first."

  Xuan Zhen followed the two seniors, slowly walking into the small path on the north side. The stone path was quite narrow, only allowing one person to pass through at a time. Xuan Zhen walked at the very end, feeling increasingly cold as he moved forward. By the time they exited the tunnel, the ground beneath their feet had already been covered with a thick layer of white ice.

  Looking at the stone room in front of him again, it was also covered with thick ice everywhere, and there were strands of cold mist floating on the ice, making the entire stone room look cool and refreshing. Ordinary people who came to this place would probably freeze into an ice sculpture in just a moment, but Tai Qing True Person and Zong Lian Long Lao were both highly cultivated individuals, so they were not affected at all. Even Xuan Zhen only felt a slight chill.

  Three people slowly stepped up the stone stairs and arrived at a platform in the stone chamber. The icy power was strongest here, and a large ice pillar stood in the center of the platform, with a faint red glow emanating from within the ice layer. Xuanshen slowly walked to the back of his master's body and stood still, only then did he see clearly that there was actually a sword frozen inside the ice wall.

  The sword body is entirely crimson, short and heavy, even in the ice it emits a faint dark red glow, not yielding to the cold air at all. As if sensing someone approaching, the immortal sword in the ice actually trembled with all its might, and a circle of fierce flames emerged from the sword tip, shooting through the ice layer.

  "What a great sword!" Everyone in the Qionghua Sect used swords, and Xuán Zhèn's eyesight was no weaker. He immediately praised, "Water can overcome fire, this immortal sword is clearly of a fiery nature, yet even when suppressed it can still resist and counterattack, truly a powerful sword to the extreme!"

  "Haha, Master Xuanzhen's nephew is right!" Elder Zonglian was also a sword enthusiast. With one wave of his sleeve, he extinguished the flames and laughed, "My sect's third generation swordsmith spent their entire life perfecting this sword, and it was finally forged in my hands - the Xihe Yang Sword! It's truly a blessing for our Qionghua Sect, and for us!"