This not only shook Qin Rushan, but also stunned everyone watching from the shadows.
“What kind of sword is that? How can it be so sharp?”
“I’ve never heard of it, but to sever Qin Rushan’s magic treasure in an instant, its grade must be extraordinary.”
“She’s only at the Grotto-Heaven realm. How can she wield treasures like those?”
“I know those two swords.” Yin Rushi suddenly spoke up. “Back at Busi Manor, the ancestor saw her swords and praised them as a pair of excellent blades.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s discerning eye was renowned. Any sword he praised as excellent was undoubtedly a peerless treasure rarely seen in the world.
“What’s so strange about that?” White Crane Dao Lord spoke up in Shu Xin’s defense. “The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book has been preserved by the Inquiry God Sect. Keeping two more swords is hardly difficult—it was probably just a matter of convenience.”
That explanation did make sense.
Whatever they truly thought in their hearts, on the surface, everyone continued to heap praise on Shu Xin.
Qin Rushan, meanwhile, watched as Shu Xin severed the magic treasure he had painstakingly refined with a single stroke. His heart bled.
“You… How dare you?” Qin Rushan’s eyes bulged with rage. He wanted nothing more than to devour Shu Xin alive.
“What do you mean, how dare I? You flew right up to me and tried to take my life.” Shu Xin clicked her tongue twice. “Qin Rushan, don’t think that calling you Senior Qin means I respect you. Someone as treacherous and ungrateful as you isn’t worthy of my respect. But when a person gets bitten by a dog, they don’t bite the dog back, do they? That’s the only reason I’ve been polite to you. And yet you came at me with a show of force and even tried to kill me. You’re at the Immaculate realm, while I’m only at the Grotto-Heaven realm, and you still bullied me. Now that I’ve fought back, you’re upset? What, are you some kind of earthly immortal? Is the entire world supposed to bend to your will?”
“If I weren’t being polite, I’d call you Old Dog Qin—and even that would be insulting to dogs. Dogs are loyal creatures that guard their homes. They’re nothing like a beast such as you.” Shu Xin rolled her eyes in disdain. “If I were your parents and found out we’d given birth to such an ungrateful wretch, I would have strangled you the moment you were born. Why let you live until now?”
Ever since Qin Rushan had embarked on the path of cultivation, he had been praised as a genius. Later, after marrying into the Longevity Dao Sect, he had heard countless flattering words from the people around him. When had anyone ever dared to insult him to his face like this?
“Very good, very good. Xu Guan really did take a fine disciple.” Qin Rushan could barely maintain his expression. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as skilled at cursing as Shu Xin and could only stew in his anger.
“You’re too kind. I’m only a little better than you.” Shu Xin waved a hand in front of her face as if fanning away a foul smell. “It’s a good thing you left the Inquiry God Sect back then. If I’d seen someone like you there, I definitely wouldn’t have joined. The stench of beasts is something I really can’t stand.”
“You insolent junior!” Qin Rushan finally lost his patience.
Although the Mountain-Breaking Awl had been cut in half, he still had plenty of other treasures.
Qin Rushan moved with incredible speed, and the cultivation method he practiced emphasized overwhelming, wide-ranging attacks of immense power. The spiritual energy around him surged more violently with his rage. Fortunately, all the spiritual flowers and herbs in the Inquiry God Sect had already been killed by Master Yushan’s tribulation. Otherwise, Qin Rushan’s attacks would probably have killed them all over again.
In an instant, sand and stones flew through the air, blotting out the sky and covering the earth. Shu Xin could almost hear the land itself crying out in anguish.
[Prolonged combat is disadvantageous for you.] Sword Spirit reminded her. [Unless I help you cut him down directly, you’ll lose once he drags this out until your spiritual energy is exhausted.]
[I told you that you should have fought more battles against opponents above your level. Instead, you insisted on picking fights with people below your level.] Sword Spirit seized the opportunity to lecture her.
“Sword Spirit,” Shu Xin said helplessly, “don’t you think you’re starting to sound like an old busybody?”
Sword Spirit exploded in anger.
[An old busybody? And whose fault do you think it is that I’ve become like this?]
How could Shu Xin have the nerve to say that?
“Don’t worry. I can handle him.” Shu Xin smiled. “All the Imperial Purity Pills on this man were taken by me and given to Wen Jingzhi as snacks. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t be able to maintain the Immaculate realm by now. But he’s still holding on, so someone must be helping him seal his aura with an external force. External force is still external force, though. As long as he reveals an opening, I’ll win.”
[What if he doesn’t reveal one?]
“Oh, that’s impossible.” Shu Xin thought for a moment. “If he were really that strong, I wouldn’t have provoked him like this just now.”
In the end, you’re still bullying the softest target you can find!
“Old Dog Qin, what’s the matter? Getting anxious?” Shu Xin continued taunting him. “You should be anxious. I heard that you used to be my master’s senior fellow disciple and entered the sect more than ten years before he did. And what do you have to show for it? My master is already preparing to break through to the Mahayana stage, while you can barely maintain the Immaculate realm. Don’t move so wildly. With a body like yours, you might throw out your back and end up paralyzed in bed.”
Qin Rushan’s eyes reddened, and several spells flew toward Shu Xin one after another.
Yet Shu Xin seemed to have anticipated every move.
Her two swords guarded her from the front and rear. At the same time, whenever Qin Rushan cast a spell, she struck out several talismans, directly neutralizing his attacks.
When Qin Rushan used a fire spell, she responded with a Water-Drawing Talisman.
When he used a wood-element spell, she answered with an Explosive Fire Talisman.
This might sound simple, but in reality, it placed extremely high demands on a cultivator.
The time required for a talisman to activate after being thrown was slower than the time it took for a spell to take effect.
That meant that the moment Qin Rushan began forming his hand seals, Shu Xin had to predict what spell he was preparing and cast the appropriate talisman in advance to dispel it.
After several exchanges, Qin Rushan had failed to gain even the slightest advantage over Shu Xin.
Impossible!
The cultivators observing from the shadows could hardly believe their eyes.
How could a cultivator at the Grotto-Heaven realm see through the techniques of someone an entire realm above her so thoroughly?
“This is impossible!” Qin Rushan’s state of mind was clearly beginning to crumble. After so long, he still couldn’t defeat even Xu Guan’s disciple?
“What’s so impossible about it?” Shu Xin took the opportunity to say. “What you’re using now is nothing more than the cultivation method you learned from the Inquiry God Sect back then. The techniques the Inquiry God Sect gave you were already among the finest in existence. After you joined the Longevity Dao Sect, do you really think they would give you cultivation methods better than those of the Inquiry God Sect? Of course not. So everything you know still comes from the same set of techniques you learned at the Inquiry God Sect.”
Shu Xin tightened her grip on her sword. “When all is said and done, everything you take pride in was bestowed upon you by the Inquiry God Sect. You simply can’t tell right from wrong. Now that you’ve come here, the only thing you’ve accomplished is showing the world what an ugly spectacle you are. You have no other purpose.”
Qin Rushan seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Shu Xin, however, had no intention of stopping.
As she spoke, she began circulating the cultivation method of the Great Sword Scripture of Heaven and Earth. The sword intent around her surged several times over, as though she were gathering strength for a decisive blow.
“What have you gained since joining the Longevity Dao Sect? You’ve come here to bully a junior like me simply because you want to force my master out of seclusion so he’ll kill you. How pitiful, Qin Rushan. You’ve worked and schemed for so many years, yet in the end, you’re still nothing more than a pawn pushed forward by others. Even if you defeat me here, do you really think your fate will improve?”
“No. Your reputation will only become even more disgraced.”
“And even if you somehow survive my master, the Longevity Dao Sect would never allow someone like you to return. Your life has been empty from beginning to end. In the end, you’ll return to wherever you came from. You’ve rushed about all your life, only for everything to come to nothing—a mere dream.” Shu Xin sighed. “If I were you, I’d simply kill myself. Perhaps then you could at least leave behind a shred of a good reputation.”
Qin Rushan’s entire demeanor seemed off.
Shu Xin’s words were like knives, stabbing again and again into the darkest corners of his heart.
He was now so close to Xu Guan, yet at the same time, impossibly far away.
Back when he was still in the Enquiring God Sect, he had already realized that this junior fellow disciple would become a tremendous threat to him.
His master had once praised him for his extraordinary talent. Yet after accepting Xu Guan as a disciple, he had stopped paying attention even to his own cultivation and did nothing but praise Xu Guan as the future hope of the sect.
It had taken Qin Rushan three months to go from an ordinary mortal to entering the Dao and condensing qi.
Xu Guan had needed only three days.
What was more, Xu Guan had entered the Dao later than he had, yet had reached the Core Formation stage first by asking the Dao and passing through the Dao Gate, while Qin Rushan was still seeking a breakthrough.
One step behind, and one would fall behind at every step.
He refused to believe that his talent was inferior. Instead, he convinced himself that his master had secretly given Xu Guan special privileges.
The Longevity Dao Sect, on the other hand, possessed abundant resources. Surely, joining them would allow him to break through in one fell swoop.
As expected, after he had secretly revealed the location of the Enquiring God Sect’s spiritual vein to the Longevity Dao Sect, the resources they provided helped him successfully break through to the Dao Infant realm.
But to advance any further, he needed even more treasures.
He could no longer turn back.
Now, with no other choice but to continue down this path, he had no way out.
“I really would like to see what kind of expression Xu Guan would wear if I slowly killed you right in front of him.” Qin Rushan had instead become unnervingly calm. His eyes held a venom so deep it made one’s spirit tremble.
“Then I’ll be sure to take a good look.” Shu Xin had never been frightened into submission. She answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Xu Guan, your senior brother has taken the wrong path. He’ll cause you no end of trouble in the future. Your master… your master won’t be able to help you anymore.”
Even on the verge of death, his master was still worrying about the disciple who had left him.
“Our sect is too small. I could only afford to take two disciples.” His master had patted Xu Guan on the head. “I used to regret it, too. With talent like yours, if you had joined one of those great sects, your future would have been limitless. By forcefully keeping you in the Enquiring God Sect, I fear I may have done you no favors.”
“What are you saying, Master?” Xu Guan was no longer young and ignorant. “Without your protection, if I had joined one of those great sects, I would either have been corrupted along with them or killed before I could grow. How could I have survived until now?”
“Your senior brother… sigh. If you ever meet him again, don’t hold back. Do what must be done.” His master had originally wanted to plead for Qin Rushan, but he knew his eldest disciple’s nature. If Xu Guan refused to act because of his master’s words, then Xu Guan would be the one to suffer. “If the day ever comes when Senior Book Spirit falls and can no longer protect the sect, take the sect’s possessions and leave as well. When that day comes, the Enquiring God Sect’s fate will have run its course. You must not force its destiny to change, do you understand?”
“…Master, I can’t promise you that.”
“I will definitely make the Enquiring God Sect flourish.”
…
Countless scenes surfaced one after another in Xu Guan’s mind.
On one side was his master’s earnest care for him.
On the other was the sight of himself becoming an immortal and founding an eternal legacy, with thousands bowing before him.
Yet none of it could withstand the sudden shout that rang in his ears.
【Xu Guan, wake up!】
Everything seemed to drift away like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon seen in water, dissolving like bubbles.
Those strange and bizarre scenes shattered in an instant.
Only his true self remained.
It was as though he stood alone between heaven and earth, empty and possessing nothing, yet somehow possessing everything.
Xu Guan opened his eyes.
Not a trace of impurities remained in his body. Instead, the spiritual energy throughout him seemed to be undergoing a qualitative transformation.
It was as though the spiritual energy were being compressed continuously inside him, changing into an entirely different form.
He turned his head and saw the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book.
It should have been shining with golden light, but now it had grown dim.
“Senior Book Spirit, you…” Xu Guan realized what had happened and tried to stop it. “Senior Book Spirit, you don’t need to sacrifice yourself. I can still reach the Mahayana stage on my own.”
【It’s all right. I didn’t have much time left to begin with.】 The characters manifested by the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book were much paler than usual. 【If you exhaust your potential, how will you protect the entire sect in the future?】
Xu Guan was slightly stunned.
“Senior Book Spirit, Shu Xin… is she truly…” Xu Guan hesitated for a moment, unable to bring himself to say it outright.
When he compared the scenes he had witnessed during the Three Winds and Four Fires trial with reality, he had already understood the difference between them.
A world without Shu Xin.
A world without Situ Jian.
The world as it was now would never have existed either.
【You are the one I chose. The Immortal-Slaying Sword and I are both spirits of immortal artifacts, so naturally, we can sense one another.】 The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book was not surprised that Xu Guan had discovered Shu Xin’s identity.
Though it was not as powerful in battle as the Immortal-Slaying Sword, nor did it bear Heaven’s Mandate and possess the ability to endure through the ages, they were fundamentally equal as immortal artifacts.
And the spirits of immortal artifacts born from the Heavenly Dao were naturally connected to one another.
Xu Guan was also Shu Xin’s master, and their karmic ties ran too deep. It was only natural that he would sense the will of Heaven when undergoing his tribulation.
【That is why you need to accept my help even more.】 the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book said. 【She has not yet reached the point where she can resist those Earthly Immortals. She still needs someone to protect her on the path of cultivation.】
In this world, there were very few people capable of serving as Shu Xin’s protector.
Xu Guan was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“Thank you, Senior Book Spirit. The ancestors of the Enquiring God Sect, through all its generations, will forever be grateful for your kindness.”
【I did not remain for the sake of gratitude,】 the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book replied.
【The world has fallen into such hardship. Though I lack the strength to save it, I still wish to preserve a single spark of hope.】
【Fortunately, I waited for you.】
Once, it had possessed countless friends among the spirits of immortal artifacts.
Together, they had looked forward to following their masters through ascension and seeing the wondrous sights of the Heavenly Realm.
But gradually, everything changed.
Cultivators could no longer ascend. The Earthly Immortals had lost their source of spiritual energy, and the spirits of immortal artifacts were the first to bear the brunt. Only they could supply the spiritual energy the Earthly Immortals required.
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book watched one friend after another willingly perish for their so-called “masters.”
It refused!
Clearly, those people were utterly unworthy of the loyalty of these immortal artifacts!
Those Earthly Immortals had drained the spirits of the immortal artifacts, yet that still wasn’t enough for them to walk freely beneath the heavens.
So they began absorbing the spiritual energy of the world instead, and countless living beings were plunged into misery.
Babies born in the cultivation world had all the spiritual energy within their bodies drained away before they even came into the world.
As for ordinary mortals, their lifespans were reduced to less than thirty years. If misfortune struck, entire towns and villages could vanish without a trace.
The earth withered. Living creatures wailed in agony.
It was not until an immortal sword emerged once more, bringing with it the swordmaster it had chosen, that the world was saved from the brink of destruction.
But the swordmaster of that immortal sword was ultimately still human. He could be killed. He could be defeated.
Over the tens of thousands of years that followed, the immortal sword emerged several times, and its swordmasters changed one after another. The Earthly Immortals were slaughtered until their corpses lay strewn across the land, and at last, they ceased to appear.
Yet the world continued repeating the same cycle.
The reason the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book was willing to preserve Asking-Deity Sect was simply that its former master—the Earthly Immortal of Asking-Deity Sect—had not consumed it or the world in order to prolong his own existence. Instead, he had sealed himself away, dispersed his spiritual energy, aided his disciples in their cultivation, and protected the mortals in the region.
Unfortunately, not every master of an immortal artifact was like him.
Nor did every Earthly Immortal wish to save this world.
Now, it had finally waited for the one it had been waiting for.
That was enough.
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book flew to Xu Guan’s chest, transformed into a point of starlight, and slowly entered his body.
In an instant, Xu Guan seemed to witness the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book’s experiences over the past ten thousand years—the rise and fall of the world, the transformation of seas into mulberry fields.
Thunder suddenly boomed across the skies above Asking-Deity Sect.
Bolts of lightning descended as countless dark clouds began gathering over the area.
In that moment, the Earthly Immortals and Mahayana cultivators throughout the cultivation world all sensed the tremendous change taking place between heaven and earth.
“He passed through the Three Winds and Four Fires so quickly?” The Blood Demon Ancestor was stunned at first. Then, after calculating with his fingers, he burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Interesting, interesting. Master Yushan is probably going to be unable to sit still now.”
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had vanished, merging its immense power with Xu Guan’s. This allowed Xu Guan to advance along his future path without having to expend his own spiritual power, ensuring that his cultivation would continue smoothly.
Compared to Master Yushan, Xu Guan’s achievements would only be greater.
As long as one of the Earthly Immortals fell, Xu Guan could take his place.
That made him a far greater threat than any other Mahayana cultivator.
Yet no one had expected the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book to willingly merge with him and abandon its own existence.
After all, who would have thought that an existence comparable to an Earthly Immortal would sacrifice itself to broaden the path of a Mahayana cultivator?
Judging others by themselves, the Earthly Immortals would never do such a thing. Naturally, they had assumed that the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book would not do so either.
But it had done precisely that.
This meant that it held Xu Guan in very high regard—and that it had formed an entirely different opinion of the cultivation world’s future circumstances.
The Blood Demon Ancestor weighed the matter carefully. In the end, he still could not oppose the greater tide of events.
As the spirit of an immortal artifact, the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book could foresee things that he—a being hated by the Heavenly Dao—could never perceive.
Since he was powerless to prevent Xu Guan from becoming a formidable Mahayana cultivator, he might as well take the opportunity to win a favor and disgust Longevity Dao Sect at the same time.
If not for the tribulation facing heaven and earth, and the fear that the Earthly Immortals would incur Heaven’s wrath, Wuweizi would probably have already acted to suppress Xu Guan in the face of such a prodigy.
Unfortunately, once someone reached the Mahayana Realm, they were already a quasi-immortal. Killing one was no easy matter.
With that thought, the Blood Demon Ancestor sent another message to his subordinates stationed at Asking-Deity Sect.
Their order changed from “prevent Xu Guan of Asking-Deity Sect from ascending to the Mahayana Realm” to “protect Xu Guan as he ascends to the Mahayana Realm.”
There was no harm in selling someone a favor.
Within Asking-Deity Sect, everyone noticed the change in the celestial phenomena.
The process that had originally been expected to take a year had clearly been accelerated by Xu Guan. Though no one knew what had happened, everyone’s state of mind had changed completely.
“Our Ancestor has given the order. We dare not disobey.” The members of Blood Demon Sect showed helpless expressions upon receiving the message, but they had no choice except to follow the Ancestor’s instructions.
It seemed that the Ancestor thought very highly of Xu Guan.
The elders of the other Daoist sects also wore complicated expressions.
They had known that Xu Guan had a high chance of advancing, but witnessing him draw down the heavenly tribulation so soon was an entirely different matter.
They had failed to persuade Shu Xin to form an alliance. Now, they could no longer stand by and do nothing.
With that thought, White Crane Dao Lord was the first to speak. “Qin Rushan, how shameless of you to bully someone weaker than yourself! If you truly wish to spar with someone, this old man will be your opponent.”
The other Daoist sects quickly followed suit.
“That’s right. Young Friend Shu Xin, come over here at once. We will guarantee your safety.”
The situation between Shu Xin and Qin Rushan immediately reversed.
“Hahahaha!” Shu Xin laughed loudly. “Do you see that, Qin? My master has already drawn down the heavenly tribulation. He has passed through the Three Winds and Four Fires. You won’t even be able to touch the hem of his robes in this life—or the next! People will remember that Asking-Deity Sect has Xu Guan. As for you, you’re nothing but cannon fodder, an ugly clown destined to be forgotten!”
“Damn it!”
Qin Rushan’s state of mind had already been unstable. Under the stimulation of Xu Guan’s tribulation and Shu Xin’s taunts, his emotions exploded, and a crack appeared in his Dao Heart.
As his expression grew dazed, his cultivation began to collapse like a deflating ball. In the blink of an eye, spiritual energy poured endlessly from his body.
The Immaculate Realm shattered.
Before everyone’s eyes, Qin Rushan’s cultivation fell to the Grotto-Heaven Realm.
“Useless.” Ning Weixuan glanced at Qin Rushan with disgust. He truly was incapable of accomplishing anything and more than capable of ruining everything. He could not even stabilize his cultivation in a situation like this!
A secret message reached his ears.
The Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had vanished. Xu Guan no longer had the protection of the book spirit, making this the perfect opportunity to strike!
Ning Weixuan immediately transformed into a streak of escaping light and silently slipped into the rear mountain.
At the same time, seeing that Qin Rushan’s cultivation had finally fallen, Shu Xin grew excited.
Excellent. Now he could finally display his full strength.
Shu Xin made a hand signal.
Wenjing Zhi turned around and likewise transformed into a streak of escaping light before disappearing without a trace.
When it came to dealing with the Nine Sons of Longevity, Wen Jingzhi was the true specialist.
The other cultivators hesitated, but ultimately chose not to follow.
If Xu Guan mistook them for enemies, they would suffer a great loss.
Given the current circumstances, it was better to play it safe.
[Let’s go. Kill this Old Dog Qin and offer him as a sacrifice to the book spirit!]
The Sword Spirit felt somewhat melancholy. After all, spirit artifacts were already dying out one by one. Every death meant one fewer remained.
Now that this fellow had fallen to the Grotto-Heaven Realm, killing him would be perfectly justified.
“It’s about time.”
Shu Xin gripped both swords in his hands.
The sword intent around him surged violently, and the tips of the blades were already pointed at Qin Rushan.
“Qin Rushan, your time has come.”
