Huang Qing tried to comprehend the earthly sword art by observing the falling Celestial Lightning. However, this strange Taoist priest appeared out of nowhere, interrupting his cultivation process. Strangely enough, even though his sword comprehension was disturbed, it did not hinder his cultivation advancement. In fact, his sword intent became more complete at an accelerated pace.
The Taoist’s headgear was clearly the The Carefree Scarf (Xiaoyao Jin), typically worn by Wudang sect practitioners, yet he wore a robe from Longhu Mountain. His feet were clad in simple hemp shoes, and without visible movement, he suddenly appeared beside Huang Qing. While the sword qi was directed toward Xu Fengnian, the Taoist faced the Copper Human Patriarch, maintaining a clear boundary between them. Huang Qing entertained a contradictory and absurd thought, improbable yet entirely possible. This unexpected guest was the immortal, Qi Xuanzhen, who once resided on the Demon-Slaying Platform for a full sixty-year cycle—an individual who, though not officially the strongest, was as formidable as the mightiest in the realm.
In his youth, Huang Qing once met Yuan Qingshan, the Northern Liang national master, who shared secrets of the Taoist sect and evaluated the attainments of its high-ranking members. Most so-called “immortals” were merely “monastic priests,” while Wudang’s sect leader Wang Chonglou and the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master were considered “mountain-dwelling priests,” living in the mundane world yet free from worldly distractions, enhancing the sacredness of mountains and blessing their sects. Above them, there was a Zhao surname priest living in solitude on Longhu Mountain, who stole heavenly secrets, nurtured a malevolent dragon, and overturned the natural order, qualifying as a hidden recluse. Over the past millennium, many immortals have ascended, yet Yuan Qingshan revered only two predecessors: one was the repeatedly incarnated immortal priest, while the other was the celestial immortal who transcended the Celestial Gate but chose to return—Lu Zu, Lu Dongxuan. Qi Xuanzhen’s status as Lu Zu’s reincarnation was now beyond doubt, and Huang Qing had confirmed this from the Imperial Tutor Qilin (Qilin National Master). As for whether Hong Xixiang, the former Wudang sect leader, was also Lu Zu’s reincarnation, Huang Qing never met Yuan Qingshan again after their parting and thus dared not speculate on such heavenly secrets.
As for why “Qi Xuanzhen” appeared at this moment, Huang Qing had a bold hypothesis. If the rumor that Lu Zu transcended the Celestial Gate but returned to the mortal world was true, then the Copper Human Patriarch, the guardian of the Celestial Gate who had fallen into exile, could be logically explained.
Huang Qing felt a sense of helplessness. If Qi Xuanzhen were to intervene, even if he managed to deliver his final sword strike and the Copper Human Patriarch could fully unfold his magnificent scroll, would they still succeed?
Qi Xuanzhen finally spoke. Though no sound was heard in the heavens and earth, Huang Qing heard every word clearly.
“Huang Qing, if we possess a three-foot-long sword, how can we bow our heads to the powerful and noble?”
Wisdom shared is like receiving gold; heavy words weigh like mountains.
Huang Qing involuntarily arched his back slightly, bitterness spreading across his face. The Northern Liang martial world had been subjugated by the Emperor’s iron-fisted rule, becoming a pawn in the quest for Central Plains dominance—a trend too strong for him, the Sword Qi Proximity of the Chess Sword Music Bureau, to oppose. More importantly, he first grasped a sword within the Chess Sword Music Bureau, and Taiping Ling had saved his life.
Huang Qing slowly straightened his back and calmly said, “Immortal Qi, I Huang Qing have my limits and my purposes!”
Qi Xuanzhen sighed softly, filled with regret.
Still, he did not stop Huang Qing from nurturing his final sword strike.
The Copper Human Patriarch stood beneath the colossal Dharma Body of the Heavenly King, roaring, “Qi Xuanzhen, you are but a lingering breath—how dare you oppose me?!”
The tall old man appeared furious, and his Dharma Body mirrored the wrathful Heavenly King.
Qi Xuanzhen ignored the Patriarch’s threats, instead gazing upward at the divine scroll unfurling above them.
On this scroll were the seven-hundred-year-old paragons who had ascended through the Celestial Gate, transcending the Three Teachings and Nine Sects. Each was a genius of unparalleled brilliance in their time.
Though merely projections of these celestial prodigies, their presence was enough to terrify even the mightiest terrestrial immortals. Whether this spectacle was unprecedented was debatable, but it would certainly never be repeated.
The already darkened sky thickened further, like a boiling cauldron, and the unstruck purple lightning grew even more intense.
The very lightning that had already struck the ground surged in power several times over, and Xu Fengnian’s six-thousand-mile sword qi, which had already shattered most of the lightning, now showed signs of faltering.
To attain immortality, each descending thunderbolt allowed only one breath of energy—there was no chance for renewal.
The mighty sword qi, which had previously extended like a vast river, had already cut through sixty to seventy percent of the purple lightning in one continuous motion. However, after the Copper Human Patriarch’s hundred-zhang Dharma Body disrupted the balance, the heavens and earth transformed, the furnace roared, and the purple lightning on the ground collided, erupting into countless sparks that engulfed Xu Fengnian. Only a faint trace of the once-mighty river remained, flowing around him like a small stream, barely shielding him from the lightning.
The Copper Human Patriarch, voice like a great bell, sneered, “Qi Xuanzhen, are you merely bluffing? Why do you not intervene?”
He took a step forward, the sound booming louder, “Qi Xuanzhen, are you unable or unwilling?!”
Qi Xuanzhen’s long sleeves fluttered, his hair gently swaying in the wind, exuding an air of effortless elegance.
The immortal smiled, “You, a mere gatekeeper, dare to disturb my Daoist cultivation?”
He turned to gaze at the storm of lightning, shaking his head, “This is only the fourth heavenly thunder. Even with your meddling, why would this humble Daoist need to act?”
Companions on a six-thousand-mile journey, how vast the road, how long the Guangling River.
Yet outside Liangzhou City, a small stream flowed nearby, so small, so close.
Once, an old man with a missing tooth and a fondness for yellow wine led his horse across the river, never to return.
Amidst the storm of thunder, a voice rang out in laughter, “Old Huang, when the wind blows strong, we don’t run away!”
The fourth thunderbolt shattered in an instant.
But the fifth, even darker and more intense, descended in the blink of an eye!
Xu Fengnian stretched out his hands.
The Tyrant Lifts the Cauldron (The Overlord Lifting a Cauldron)!
Purple energy poured Madnessly from his fingers, surging over his head and shoulders.
Qi Xuanzhen turned his gaze away, his smile fading. “The immortals treat the earth as a chessboard, mountains, cities, and nations as mere pieces. They wield the fate of the world as their arm, deciding life and death on a whim. In this humble Daoist’s view, such actions violate the Great Dao!”
Violate the Great Dao!
As these four words left Qi Xuanzhen’s lips, the sacred scroll of the Heavenly King’s Dharma Body emitted a sound like tearing silk, which grew louder and louder. The scroll began to crumble, and the immortal figures upon it vanished one by one.
Even the Heavenly King’s Dharma Body developed a crack in its forehead, radiating golden light.
The Copper Human Patriarch’s forehead split open, golden blood flowing down his face.
Qi Xuanzhen coldly said, “Today, I am here to settle our old grudge from the Celestial Gate. You refused to listen to reason!”
With one hand behind his back and the other extending a single finger, the immortal lightly pointed forward.
The Copper Human Patriarch was struck as if by thunder, crashing backward into his Dharma Body, which also toppled over.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Qi Xuanzhen seized the Patriarch and hurled him toward a distant horizon, vanishing from sight.
Without even glancing at the Copper Human Patriarch, who had disappeared in an instant, Qi Xuanzren sneered, “Since you refuse to listen, then be gone!”
Huang Qing, who had been holding Motionless (immovable) with the Calm Wind and Waves (Calm the Storm), suddenly moved. He dashed forward, sword in hand, charging toward Xu Fengnian, who was under the onslaught of the purple lightning.
The might of this single sword strike rivaled a heavenly thunder.
Qi Xuanzhen did not intervene, only sighing.
On the path of this man and his sword, a figure blocked their way.
The intruder allowed the sword to pierce his chest, then struck Huang Qing’s forehead with a fist!
Huang Qing died instantly!
The corpse of the sword-wielding man fell heavily in the distance.
Blood flowed from his seven orifices, yet his face bore no trace of regret or sorrow—this was the Sword Qi Proximity, who had vowed since childhood to dominate the Liyang martial world.
The boy whose chest had been pierced by the sword let his hands drop lifelessly, roaring toward the sky.
Qi Xuanzhen gazed at this youth, who in another life would have been his brother-in-law, his eyes filled with guilt. He softly said, “The great road is wide, each must walk their own path. Li Yufu, I am no match for you.”
As Huang Qing had said, a man lives in the world, doing what must be done and refraining from what should not be done. How much more so for Qi Xuanzhen, who was a cultivator in both life and death.
Each person walks their own path. Qi Xuanzhen could remove some obstacles, but he could not walk their paths for them.
Qi Xuanzhen’s form faded like a cloud dispersing in the wind, eventually vanishing into nothingness.
The boy, eyes hollow and expressionless, unexpectedly managed a faint smile toward the middle-aged Taoist he had “seen” on the Demon-Slaying Platform all those years ago. “Brother-in-law, take care on your way.”
Qi Xuanzhen smiled in understanding and nodded.
A thick surge of energy arose from a location in the Western Capital of the Southern Court, heading southward, threatening to disrupt the scene once more.
Qi Xuanzhen, furious, made one final gesture before his complete dissipation.
The dormant vat in the Western Capital’s tower exploded.
The entire building flooded with water.
A dragon emerged from the water.
As Qi Xuanzhen neared complete dissipation, his face filled with concern and regret. “As for slaying the dragon, my strength has limits…”
Huangman’er grinned, twisted his neck, and the boy, who had never been taught, instinctively summoned his sword qi to draw the Calm Wind and Waves (Calm the Storm), tossing the sword high into the air and catching it with his teeth.
Invisible yet absurd, yet it was still a Crossed Sword (horizontal sword stance)!
The boy first glanced at his older brother in the distance, then turned back to Qi Xuanzhen.
That gaze seemed to say, “I am here. You may go with peace of mind.”
Qi Xuanzhen nodded, gazed toward the sky, and vanished completely, as if asking the heavens, “If mortals suffer from emotions, what joy is there in immortality without them?”
Xu Longxiang began running northward.
Biting the sword, lowering his head, bending his waist, holding the sword horizontally!
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