Chapter 588: All Sword Techniques Under Heaven Come from Above
It was fortunate that the entire Sword Qi Great Wall had already been plunged into a standstill in the river of time; otherwise, just that one sentence from the tall woman would have been enough to destabilize the sword hearts of not a few sword immortals.
Of course, those nearby like Zuo You, or the Hidden Official farther away, or even Dong San'geng, could still remain unrestrained, but they could no longer perceive what was happening with Chen Qingdu. Because if the Oldest Sword Immortal acted in such a manner, and someone dared to move without authorization, that would be a challenge to Chen Qingdu with a sword—and Chen Qingdu had never been one for courtesy. Sword immortals who had died under Chen Qingdu's sword qi numbered more than just one Dong Guanpu ten years ago.
One who could see Chen Qingdu draw his sword was a sword immortal.
That was no joke.
Chen Qingdu, surprisingly, showed no sign of anger. He smiled, leaped onto the city wall, sat cross-legged, and gazed at the vast southern lands, asking, "How did the Confucian Temple dare to let you stand here? Those sages must have known the consequences. Could it be that Old Scholar vouched for you? Yes, he just accomplished a great deed, then worked for nothing again. For his closed-door disciple, he was really willing to spend his merits."
On the city wall, one stood and one sat, high and low distinct.
She frowned slightly and slowly said, "Chen Qingdu, after ten thousand years of cultivation, your courage has grown quite a bit."
Chen Qingdu laughed. "It's been a long time since I last spoke with senior. This opportunity is rare. A few scoldings are nothing."
She had only stood here for a short while, yet she already knew some secrets that perhaps even the saints of the Three Teachings and many sword immortals could not learn. She shook her head. "Pitiful. If I had known this would happen, why did it have to come to this? Do you have any regrets?"
Chen Qingdu nodded. "Speaking only for Chen Qingdu, I have many regrets. Back then, people like Chen Qingdu already had a path to take, unbound by heaven and earth, and could even defeat most gods. Yet Chen Qingdu still raised his sword and climbed high, joining so many like-minded companions in rising up among the mortal world, challenging heaven with our swords. Those who died never regretted it. So whether a single Chen Qingdu regrets or not doesn't matter."
Chen Qingdu looked up. "Has senior ever regretted?"
The tall woman, with her palm pressing against the sword hilt, was silent for a moment, then answered irrelevantly, "Those three strands of sword qi hidden in the acupoints—could you not see them?"
Chen Qingdu replied, "I saw some clues, but I just couldn't believe it. At the same time, Chen Qingdu also worried that it might be part of a far-reaching Confucian scheme."
Chen Qingdu raised his head to look at the sky and sighed. "Before that child, senior's companion—how exalted was he? How unmatched in the world? A sword here, a sword there, casually, and there were piles of divine corpses, shattered and broken blessed lands and cave heavens. Then came an ordinary young man, with the aptitude of an Earth Immortal, but whose Longevity Bridge had been severed. Back then, was he at the third or fourth rank of martial artist? How could senior expect Chen Qingdu to believe it? To this day, I rack my brains and cannot understand why you chose Chen Ping'an. So I deliberately turned a blind eye, just waiting for this day. I hope that in this life of Chen Qingdu, when I open my aperture, it will be to see senior, and when I am about to die, what I see last can be a new glance."
Chen Qingdu smiled, extended his two fingers together, and gently swept them forward horizontally. Suddenly, in the far distance, a river of sword qi lit up, but it was not a straight horizontal line; rather, it was twisted and crooked, like a long river overlooking the mortal world from the heavens.
Chen Qingdu smiled. "The earliest sword technique Chen Qingdu learned was like this. To be honest, the sword hearts of today's sword cultivators are murky, their Dao hearts unclear. They truly are not as talented as our generation. With just one glance, they knew the Great Dao."
This sword strike, falling in the Barbaric Wild World near the Sword Qi Great Wall, was likely to cause quite a stir.
Some would guess whether Chen Qingdu was, for the first time in ten thousand years, about to descend from the Sword Qi Great Wall and challenge the entire Barbaric Wild World with his sword.
She asked, "Are you showing off this trivial skill to me?"
Chen Qingdu laughed. "How would I dare?"
Then this old man of endless years, the Oldest Sword Immortal in the eyes of everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall, finally showed the bearing befitting Chen Qingdu: "Besides, now, this junior's sword technique is truly not low. Ten thousand years ago, if I had been an enemy of seniors, I naturally would have had no chance of victory. But now, if I were given another chance to travel back up the river of time, carrying my sword, to go to the battlefield of those days..."
She made no visible move, but the long sword tilted and hung in the air, its tip pointing at Chen Qingdu sitting beside her.
Even though the sword tip was no more than three inches from his head, Chen Qingdu remained motionless. At the tip of the sword, a light the size of a mustard seed condensed.
She said, "On this Sword Qi Great Wall, others can do nothing to you, Chen Qingdu. I am the exception."
The world's sword techniques were originally divided into four branches: the Sword Qi Great Wall's Chen Qingdu was one lineage, the Dragon Tiger Mountain's Heavenly Master was one, the Great Xuandu Temple's Daoist sword immortals were one, and the Lotus Buddhist Kingdom had another.
This was the extremely hidden ten-thousand-year inheritance of the sword technique orthodoxy, long unknown to the world. Even many sword immortals from the Northern Juzhou Continent did not know the origins and roots; they only knew that there were four immortal swords in several worlds.
These four lineages of sword technique orthodoxy each had their own emphasis, but if only killing power was considered, of course, the Sword Qi Great Wall's Chen Qingdu lineage was well-deservedly the strongest, firmly in first place.
Chen Qingdu was certainly not afraid of this tall woman beside him, who was far from reaching the peak of the sword path.
It was respect.
But to put it another way, fear was not an issue, but how could he not be somewhat worried? As she said, no matter how high Chen Qingdu's sword technique was, before her, it would never be the highest.
In fact, this statement was far more shocking than their reunion after ten thousand years, when she told Chen Qingdu to get lost.
One must know that unless a saint of the Three Teachings personally came to the Sword Qi Great Wall bearing a token of authority, then Chen Qingdu, stationed at the Sword Qi Great Wall, was truly invincible in the world. Even if Dao Second held an immortal sword, he would still have no chance of victory.
Why did the Inverted Mountain exist? Why was there a Catch Release Pavilion on the Inverted Mountain? Why did Dao Second, having already arrived at the Inverted Mountain in his early years, still not take one more step? Why did this second disciple of the Dao Ancestor, who most loved to contend with heaven and earth, bring his sword to the Haoran World but return to the Qingming World without drawing it? One must know that this Daoist's original plan was to step on the world's largest mountain word seal and fight a desperate battle against Chen Qingdu, standing on the Sword Qi Great Wall!
To prove that his Dao magic was not only profound—hence half of the White Jade Capital was of his making—and also to prove that he had created a new path for the world's sword techniques, opening a fifth lineage of sword technique orthodoxy!
The two of them were both gazing into the distance. From start to finish, she never once looked directly at Chen Qingdu.
On the southern city wall of the Sword Qi Great Wall, every stroke of the large carved characters, each as big as a cave heaven, began to rain down dust. Some Earth Immortal sword cultivators practicing the Dao there swayed slightly but were completely unaware.
Chen Qingdu smiled. "Senior, is that enough?"
She said, "Do you know that your inaction back then slowed down my master's cultivation by a great deal? Originally, with eighteen stops of sword qi, my master should have broken through that barrier long ago."
Chen Qingdu said, "Young people walking slowly and suffering a bit more hardship—what harm is there? Walking too fast, climbing too high too early, and being accompanied by senior by their side—for several worlds, it's not a good thing. Zuo You was absolutely right to tell Wei Jin about holding the sword. Zuo You should really tell his junior brother about it. If Chen Ping'an cannot truly become senior's master, then in my opinion, it would be better for this child's cultivation path to be slower, even slower, and it would be best if he never lifted his sword. In any case, the later he reaches the summit, the better. If Chen Ping'an ever has a day when he likes to draw his sword at will, I would regret letting him go to the Lotus Flower Blessed Land for training, using that opportunity to rebuild his Longevity Bridge. If I remember correctly, that place where the blessed land and cave heaven connected was originally where senior suppressed and killed a true spirit god. The sword qi from that strike caused the damage, splitting open a shattered small world, right?"
She said no more.
At the sword tip, a light the size of a mustard seed suddenly grew to the size of a fist. The hair at Chen Qingdu's temples slowly drifted up, some of it being cut off and drifting away in the wind. Strands of hair easily sliced through the stagnant river of time.
"Chen Qingdu, if I give you some face, you'd better take it properly!"
Her expression was cold, and deep in her eyes, a brilliance even surpassing that of the sun and moon gestated. "Ten thousand years ago, my previous master took pity on you. You ants on the ground caught that pity. Ten thousand years later, I have already fallen too much. Your sword path has risen several steps, but that is not a reason for you to speak to me like this. Old Scholar sent me here, terrified the whole way, talking a basketful of nonsense—that was not without reason."
Chen Qingdu smiled bitterly. "Surely Old Scholar didn't talk about proposing marriage, and senior is sulking with me? Old Scholar is so crafty, he never wants to suffer the slightest loss!"
Chen Qingdu reached out and grasped the ball of light at the sword tip. "No more can be given. This pure sword intent, senior can take it all away. Consider it compensation from this junior for delaying senior's sword honing. If it were any more, I wouldn't mind, but I'm afraid that if Chen Ping'an finds out later, he will feel uncomfortable."
She frowned, put away the long sword. The ball of light flashed at the sword tip and was gone, slowly flowing along the sword body. She resumed her posture of leaning on the sword.
Chen Qingdu turned his head to look and smiled. "Senior, now that you look at the mortal world again, what are your thoughts?"
She sneered. "Too small."
Chen Qingdu nodded. "Indeed, once upon a time, the sun, moon, and stars all paled before senior's sword light. Or rather, it was beings like seniors who created the brilliant starry river we have today."
The myriad points of stars in the sky were all floating corpses.
Chen Qingdu stood up, his figure hunched, as if overwhelmed by the burden. For ten thousand years, he had never truly straightened his spine again.
Sword cultivators of several worlds, except for a handful of great mortal sword immortals, had long forgotten that the world's sword techniques, traced back to their origins, were obtained from heaven.
After that came the myriad of supernatural powers and magical techniques, which were brought down to the mortal world by long swords raised among men, along with various gods, all struck down to the earth. They were picked up one by one by the ants of the mortal world, who were originally in the midst of fire and water, and only then did they ascend to become mountain immortals.
From puppets that were merely sources of incense, from livestock raised by the multitude of gods, they transformed in a single turn into masters of the world. That was an extremely long and hardship-laden era.
Chen Qingdu was one of the earliest people in the mortal world to learn the sword, the most senior founding sword cultivator, and only then could they join forces to open the heavens. This is the reason why the sword is the sword, and why sword cultivators alone have the greatest killing power, surpassing heaven and earth.
However, in the later stages of that great battle that shattered heaven and earth, a disagreement arose among humanity. Sword cultivators were reduced to criminals and exiled to the Sword Qi Great Wall. The demons were driven to the barbaric lands. The Haoran World had the Central Earth Confucian Temple, where nine great Suppression Towers were built, standing tall between heaven and earth. The little Daoist who rode a green ox went far away to the Qingming World and laid the foundation for the White Jade Capital. The Buddha stepped on a lotus, and the Buddha's light shone upon the earth.
Compared to that, the extinction of the dragon species eight thousand years ago was nothing.
Chen Qingdu asked softly, "Why did senior choose to favor that child?"
She said, "Qi Jingchun said that for some people, a ten-thousandth chance is ten thousand. He told me to give it a try."
Chen Qingdu asked, "Were you disappointed again?"
She casually lifted her sword and thrust.
A single thrust pierced through Chen Qingdu's head. The golden light flowing out from the sword body was like a small Milky Way hanging over the mortal world.
Chen Qingdu remained motionless, only sighing. "Senior's temper is still not very good."
She said, "It's already much better."
Chen Qingdu sidestepped a few paces, dodging the sword, and laughed. "Then back then, did senior still intend to split the Inverted Mountain with one sword?"
If not for the Secondary Sage personally stopping her and appearing outside the Confucian Temple that time, the Inverted Mountain would likely have collapsed by now.
She said, "At that time, my master was unconscious. I could act on my own."
Chen Qingdu said helplessly, "No matter how I try to think, I cannot imagine that senior's master would be Chen Ping'an. But thinking a little more, it seems that if it were anyone else, that would be wrong—no matter who, it would be wrong. If it were anyone else, who would truly be the master? Hard to say."
Chen Qingdu suddenly laughed. "Qi Jingchun's final move—what kind of divine hand was that?"
She grabbed casually, pulling the golden light out of the sword body, and gathered it into a ball of brilliant light. She held it in her hand and crushed it casually, sneering. "Gifting sword intent? You, Chen Qingdu?"
Chen Qingdu smiled and nodded, saying nothing.
She pressed her two fingers together and smiled. "I'll take it myself."
Throughout the entire Sword Qi Great Wall, specks of golden light began to appear out of thin air.
Chen Qingdu's expression shifted slightly. He sighed. If he really wanted to stop her, he could, but the price would be too great. Besides, he truly could not gauge her current temper. So he had no choice but to use his trump card.
Thus, the young man in blue, who had scattered the smell of wine on the road and was about to arrive at the Ning Mansion, stumbled onto the city wall and appeared beside the tall woman.
Chen Ping'an, his face full of confusion and joy, softly called out, "Fairy Sister?"
The tall woman flicked her sleeve, dispersing the golden light, and the long sword in her hand vanished. She turned around, revealing a smile, and then hugged Chen Ping'an tightly.
Chen Ping'an was momentarily at a loss, spreading his arms and turning his head to look at Chen Qingdu with an innocent expression. But she pressed his head down and leaned him against her.
Chen Qingdu closed his eyes, then opened them again.
It really wasn't his eyes playing tricks on him.
The Oldest Sword Immortal reached up and rubbed his temples. That sword strike earlier—didn't it hurt?
Chen Ping'an's face was bright red, but fortunately, she let go. She bent down slightly, lowering her head, staring at him with narrowed, smiling eyes. She said softly, "Master has grown taller again."
Seeing her about to reach out again, Chen Ping'an quickly reached out and gently pressed down her arms. He smiled bitterly and explained, "If Ning Yao sees this, I'm dead."
She wore a look of grievance, reaching a hand to her heart. "Aren't you afraid I'll die of heartbreak first?"
Chen Ping'an's eyes were filled with a unique luster. He beamed, turned his head to look at the sky, raised his arm high, and pointed at the three bright moons. He asked, "Fairy Sister, I heard that in this world, even losing two bright moons doesn't matter; the seasons still change, and everything remains the same. Is it possible that one day in the future, we could cut one down and bring it home? For example, we could secretly place it in our own Lotus Flower Blessed Land."
She looked up and smiled. "Not possible for now, but not hard in the future."
Chen Qingdu, standing nearby, felt incredibly awkward.
She glanced sideways at Chen Qingdu.
Chen Qingdu took his leave.
But before leaving, Chen Qingdu said casually as if it were nothing, "Don't worry, I won't tell that Ning girl."
Chen Ping'an turned around, his eyes clear, and laughed. "I'll tell her myself."
She stood beside Chen Ping'an, still smiling.
But in Chen Qingdu's heart lake, a thunderclap sounded—just three words: "Get far away."
Chen Qingdu, hands behind his back, walked away slowly.
Chen Ping'an, hands in his sleeves, walked shoulder to shoulder with the Sword Spirit.
Chen Ping'an was more than familiar with the river of time. Walking within it, not only did he not find it painful, but he felt like a fish in water. The torment of his soul trembling was nothing. If it weren't for the need to maintain some face, and if the Sword Spirit were not by his side, Chen Ping'an could have broken into a run. After all, the benefits of being in a stagnant river of time were almost impossible to come by.
Chen Ping'an turned his head and smile. "How come you came? Did my master make a trip to Dragon Spring County?"
She nodded.
Old Scholar was still worried about his closed-door disciple's safety here at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Of course, Old Scholar had also told her plainly: that old immortal Chen Qingdu might not give him, Old Scholar, face, but wasn't it utterly unreasonable to not even sell the face of his disciple's master? Wasn't that also not selling the face of his disciple, her master? Who gave Chen Qingdu such dog's courage?
Chen Ping'an said, "I thought I would have to wait decades before seeing you."
She smiled. "As for honing the sword, the Dragon-Slaying Cliff at Wind Snow Temple has been fully consumed. Don't worry, master, I still explained the reasoning. At first, when Wind Snow Temple discovered the signs, they were scared out of their wits. None of the stationed sword cultivators there dared to act rashly. Then a little boy with a baby face secretly made a trip to Dragon Spine Mountain, performed all the proper rites there, and I agreed to meet him. I taught Wind Snow Temple a sword technique in exchange. They were quite happy, as it could help him break through his realm. Next was the area of Ruan Qiong. Ruan Qiong agreed, so now the Great Li Dynasty has specially selected another site for the Dragon Spring Sword Sect. Ruan Qiong was quite clever; he made no demands. I was so pleased that I taught him a forging technique. Otherwise, with his meager realm, what he longed for was nothing but wishful thinking. As for the Dragon-Slaying Cliff of True Martial Mountain, forget it. Too many entanglements, easy to bring trouble. I don't care, but master would have a headache."
Some things, she could do, but just as Chen Qingdu worried about who was the true master, if she did them, it would become Chen Ping'an's trouble.
Some of what Chen Qingdu said was not wrong, but she just felt that someone like Chen Qingdu had no right to lecture her.
Chen Ping'an, hands in his sleeves, said calmly, "One day, before me, trouble will be nothing but trouble."
She was overjoyed.
Twists and turns, she thought she would be led astray by thousands of miles. If that happened, it wouldn't be a matter of disappointment, just a little regret. But unexpectedly, in the end, he had turned out to be exactly the sword-wielder she wanted.
She smiled and asked, "Master, if you can keep climbing higher, what kind of person do you want to become?"
"Words with reason, actions with the Dao."
Chen Ping'an answered without hesitation. "Then one sword thrust beyond the heavens, one fist striking down, and all martial artists under heaven will only feel that the heavens are above."