Chapter 20: Settling Scores and Asking Heaven (Part 2)

  Actually, the greatest feature of this artifact, Xiao Tie Gun, is its indestructibility. Except for its master, in anyone else's hands, it weighs over 10,000 kilograms, and even Tian Dao Zun was shocked when he first took it out from Hai Long's arms. As for Tian Qin, who had just formed her Dao fetus, she was no match for it. Although Hai Long couldn't fully utilize Xiao Tie Gun's power, relying on his own counter-shock force, Tian Qin still couldn't withstand it. Of course, this doesn't mean that Hai Long is very strong; if Tian Qin hadn't chosen to collide head-on with Xiao Tie Gun and instead attacked him directly, even ten Hai Longs wouldn't be able to defeat her. Tian Qin realized this the moment she was sent flying. However, just this alone deeply shocked her heart at the power of Xiao Tie Gun.

  "It's impossible, absolutely impossible." Tianqin said somewhat flustered: "Even if it were a divine artifact, it would be impossible to exert its power with your current cultivation at the Fow Tiger boundary. What...what is this?"

  "Hmph, why should you have good treasures and I don't? If you want to kill me, now's your chance. Otherwise, I'm leaving. In the future, whether it's the Tianyun Sect or the Yuanyue Sect, if they ask about today's events, just blame it on me. Listen well, I am Hailong, a fifth-generation disciple of the Lianyun Sect, with the Daoist name Tan Yu." After finishing speaking, he put away the small iron rod that had returned to its original size and turned to leave with large strides. Watching Hailong's proud figure, Tianqin's heart trembled, knowing that in her own heart, Hailong's cold and arrogant appearance would never disappear. The words Hailong spoke earlier echoed one by one in her ears, and from his tone, she understood that this suddenly changed Hailong must have a lot of pain in his heart. Thinking of this, her heart softened slightly.

  "Wait a minute." Tianqin floated up, although she was injured, but with her cultivation, she easily caught up with Hailong. At this time, Hailong didn't want to suffer any more humiliation for the sake of survival, stood still and calmly said: "What do you want? Want to kill me? Come on, but I won't be captured without a fight."

  Tianqin stood five meters in front of the sea dragon, a hint of confusion flashing across her beautiful eyes. She let out a soft sigh and said, "I'm sorry, my words were too extreme earlier. I apologize to you. Please forgive me."

  Hailong blinked his eyes, thinking he had misheard. Tianqin was like a live volcano in his impression, but now she was apologizing to him, was he dreaming?

  A hint of desolation flashed in Tianqin's eyes, and he said pitifully: "Don't you want to forgive me? You're a man, after all. Besides, you've already beaten me up."

  Facing such a scene, the icy expression of Hailong could no longer be maintained. He let out a bitter laugh and said: "No need to apologize, what you said is not wrong. It's because of my mistake that I offended the two major sects of Zheng Dao. I'm angry because you told me to get lost. All of you who are more powerful than me always put on an air of superiority in front of me. Indeed, your strength is strong, but that's because you've been cultivating for a long time. If it were the same amount of time, I wouldn't necessarily be any worse than you. What I said earlier counts, and today's matter will be shouldered by me. At worst, it's just one death."

  Tianqin smiled slightly and said, "I understand your current mood. In the past, when I first entered Qianhui Valley, seeing that my senior brothers had such profound cultivation also made me feel inferior. Sorry, it was all my fault earlier. I shouldn't have misunderstood you. Can you forgive me now? As a cultivator, your tolerance won't be so narrow, will it?"

  Hailong shook his head helplessly and said, "I've already told you, there's nothing to forgive. You have your own principles for doing things. Since you've already apologized, why would I still mind? Alright, it won't affect your training. I'm leaving now. My only hope is to obtain even greater power as soon as possible to deal with future events. Therefore, I must hurry back to Lianyun Sect to cultivate."

  Tianqin's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning, and he said, "Since you've already forgiven me, we should settle the matter of you destroying my flying sword. That sword was personally crafted by my master for me, and although it's just a spiritual artifact, without it, I wouldn't be able to fly or pull. At that time, I was in the wrong, so I won't blame you. As long as you return a flying sword of similar quality to me, you can leave."

  After hearing Tianqin's words, Hailong was momentarily speechless. Ah! Flying swords are extremely precious in the eyes of cultivators who practice the true way. Without a flying sword, unless one's cultivation has reached the realm of Da Long, it is impossible to fly for an extended period. But what could he use to compensate her? Taking a deep breath, Hailong removed the Seven Refining Sword from his back and handed it to Tianqin: "This sword was given to me by a senior master. Its quality should not be inferior to your flying sword. Take it, and consider it compensation for your loss."

  Tianqin took over the Seven Refining Sword. Due to Hailong's insufficient cultivation, it did not merge with the Seven Refining Sword, so this flying sword Tianqin could indeed be used. As she infused her spiritual power into the Seven Refining Sword, a layer of pale blue light suddenly lit up. Tianqin couldn't help but exclaim: "Good sword." Looking at Hailong, she said: "Are you really willing to give me this sword? Not only is its power not weak, but the gemstone on the hilt is also full of spiritual energy, which is very beneficial for cultivation." She hadn't thought that Hailong would actually give her a sword before, but now seeing the Seven Refining Sword, she suddenly felt a sense of attachment.

  "Alas, what can I do? Who made me destroy your flying sword? Take it away and use it. I think it'll take a long time for me to cultivate to the Cloud Soaring Realm, by then, finding another flying sword will be easy. However, this flying sword was given to me by an elder who is very good to me, so you must treasure it well. If there's a chance in the future, I'll exchange another flying sword with you." How could he bear to part with it? Among all the magical instruments on him, aside from the small iron rod, his favorite was this Seven Refinements Sword. Even the newly acquired Inverse Heaven Mirror couldn't compare to its place in his heart. Watching it become someone else's possession, his mood naturally wouldn't be good.

  She played with the Tianqin for a while, then handed it back to Hailong and said: "Forget it, a gentleman doesn't take away what others love, so I'll return it to you. However, remember that you owe me a magical treasure. Actually, I was tricking you, my Jiu Xian Qin can also be used as a flying sword. Alright, you can go now. I hope that next time we meet, your cultivation level will surprise me. As for what happened earlier, I'll immediately return to Qian Hui Valley and report it to the seniors, they'll handle it, so don't worry. Hailong, I'll remember you. We'll definitely have a reunion in the future." After finishing speaking, she pinched her fingers together, and from who-knows-where, summoned out the Jiu Xian Qin, rising into the air, transforming into a silver-colored shooting star at twice the speed of flying swords, disappearing from Hailong's line of sight.

  Staring blankly at the trail of flames left behind by Tianqin's disappearance, a sudden pang of reluctance arose in Hailong's heart. The image of Tianqin playing the zither still lingered vividly before his eyes. He patted the Inverse Heaven Mirror in his bosom and suddenly felt an urge to return this sacred artifact to Qianhui Valley. Shaking his head vigorously, he forcibly dispelled this notion, knowing how crucial the artifact was for his future cultivation journey. Possessing both the Inverse Heaven Mirror and the small iron rod, which was no less than a sacred artifact, as long as his cultivation reached a certain level, he would undoubtedly become a legendary master in the cultivation world. Amidst emotions filled with longing for the future, Hailong let out a long whistle, retracted the protective Star Blue Armor, accelerated to the limit, and sprinted towards the west.

  After the gathering of the seven orthodox sects, under the leadership of the high-ranking members of each sect, the Orthodox Sect launched a massive purge against the Evil Sect. Due to Zhi Shui's overwhelming strength displayed during his duel with Wu Zhao Xian Yun, the other sects' respect for Lian Yun Sect greatly increased. Although only two members from Lian Yun Sect participated in this action - Piao Miao and Zhi Shui - they became the main force. Two months passed, and under the Orthodox Sect's thunderous actions, many members of the Evil Sect lost their lives. As Mo Sect remained hidden, the Evil Sects, having lost many high-ranking members, came to their senses and followed Mo Sect's example by hiding in remote mountains and vast wilderness. For a time, the newly risen evil forces were completely suppressed by the Orthodox Sect, and the land of Shen Zhou regained its tranquility. The gathered high-ranking members of each sect dared not relax even slightly, continuing to search for any signs of the Evil Sect. On this day, Piao Miao and Zhi Shui were wandering within the borders of Li Tang Country.

  "Sister, it's been so many days already, and there's no sign of any evil cults. It seems that under the pressure of the righteous path, they've all gone into hiding."

  "Ah, this is a good thing! The disappearance of the demonic path is exactly what we wanted to see, isn't it? Without the threat of the evil path, we can also travel more freely on the continent of Shen Zhou." Now, they had all used their shape-shifting techniques to change their appearances and physiques. On the surface, they looked like two ordinary middle-aged women.

  Zhi Shui Dao took a deep breath of the fresh air, gazing unflinchingly at the dazzling sunlight in the sky and said, "Master sister, I've been noticing that you seem to be distracted lately. What's on your mind?"

  Dao Zun's face turned slightly red and he said, "I wasn't thinking of anything, just pondering the Dao principles."

  Zhi Shui Dao Zun laughed and said: "Who are you kidding! At your current level, the improvement of Taoist skills is no longer just a matter of cultivation, it requires opportunities. Ah! I know, you must be thinking of that kid Hai Long, right? Look, I guessed it right, your face turned even redder. It seems that you really have a crush on him!"

  "Shut up. As cultivators, we cannot be swayed by worldly emotions. By now, I reckon Hai Long should have returned to the vicinity of Lianyun Mountain Range."

  "That little brat is really something, he's more cunning than us! Eldest sister, although he might have an impact on your future cultivation, I think you're putting too much emphasis on him. You even gave him the precious Kunlun Ring, I just don't get it. That little brat has a sharp tongue, if we let him follow us around, I'm afraid I'll be driven mad sooner or later. When we get back, just watch me deal with him." Just thinking about Hai Long's appearance when he was stirring up trouble made Zhi Shui Dao Zun clench her teeth in anger, she didn't know why, but every time she saw Hai Long, she couldn't help but feel furious despite her high level of cultivation and self-control.

  Piao Yu Dao Zun smiled and said, "I think it's better to let it go. He's still just a kid after all, and as his cultivation improves, he'll learn to restrain himself. We're far superior to him in terms of seniority, so if we do too much, it won't be good either. That old guy Tian Shi is even more protective of him than I am, and now that he's back at Lian Yun Sect, you might not be able to punish him even if you want to - Tian Shi won't agree to it, oh? Don't look at me, I won't help you. Speaking of which, having Hai Long by my side really makes me happy. He's like a breath of fresh air for me. As long as he's around, the atmosphere will never be dull."

  Zhi Shui Dao stroked the forehead of Piao Yu Dao and said, "Sister Master, you're really not well! You can't have actually fallen for that little brat, can you? That's impossible!"

  "Stop making a fuss. Actually, I think you're being too harsh on him. If you think about it carefully, you'll realize that although Haicheng's words are piercing, they're mostly reasonable. It's just that his tone is too extreme, so people don't easily accept them. Sigh... I hope he can return safely to Lianyun Mountain."

  She couldn't help but admit that the words of Piaoyue Daozun were all facts, and the appearance of Hailong emerged in her mind. Zhi Shui discovered that his not-so-handsome face was surprisingly clear in her heart. She let out a light sigh and said, "Sister, since you're so worried about him, why don't we hurry back to the mountain? That way, you can confirm his safety, right?"

  Piaoyu Daozun laughed and said, "No, I don't want to rush back at all. It's not easy to come out, and if we don't play for three or five years, I won't go back to bitter practice. The sea dragon is not a creature in the pool, perhaps his encounter has already been arranged by heaven. From his face, he is absolutely not a person who will die young. Let's go, it seems there is a big city in front of us, let's take a look and see what new things we can find."

  The feeling of melancholy in her heart completely disappeared, and Zhi Shui Dao said: "This is my good sister after all, it wasn't a waste to follow you out this time." Their figures flashed twice, and the two women's silhouettes simultaneously vanished into thin air.

  After more than two months of traveling, Hailong finally entered the Western Regions through the Li Tang State and Zhao Song State. During these two months, apart from rushing on the road, he spent all his time cultivating. However, as before, no matter how hard he tried, his realm remained stuck at the initial stage of Fuhu, and the lake of spiritual power in Lingtai seemed like a bottomless abyss, swallowing up all the spiritual power he had condensed. Although the mixed spiritual power within him became more harmonious, the stagnation of his cultivation made Hailong feel extremely disheartened. Nevertheless, he did not give up; he firmly believed that every effort would yield results. Moreover, the strange person in the monkey group on Moyun Peak had once said that he had restricted his spiritual power growth rate, and in his heart, he trusted that person the most. He believed that the strange person had let him cultivate diligently for a reason. Therefore, not only did he not give up, but he also became more focused on his cultivation.

  Today's last chapter is here. I'm really too tired lately, so tomorrow might only update one chapter. However, everyone doesn't need to worry, if I update less tomorrow and the day after because of rest, then on Sunday I will definitely upload three chapters as compensation.