Chapter 688: The Sword Saint's Challenge Letter
Gai Tianjiao caught up from behind. Seeing Zhang Ruochen standing beneath the altar, she revealed a curious expression and asked, "Junior Brother Lin Yue, what are you doing?"
Like a tidal wave, his spiritual power rapidly surged back into Zhang Ruochen's body.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand from the altar, turned around, glanced at Gai Tianjiao, and smiled. "Nothing. I was just suddenly curious—was this jade altar here on Ancient God Mountain since ancient times, or was it built later?"
Gai Tianjiao didn't think much of it and said, "This altar was built five hundred years ago for the Heaven-Sacrificing Ceremony of the Sword Discussion Assembly. It consumed a great deal of manpower and resources at the time. Even now, millions of spirit crystals are spent every year to maintain the formation beneath it."
Zhang Ruochen raised an eyebrow and asked tentatively, "Just to maintain a formation, it costs that many spirit crystals every year?"
"I'm not entirely sure either. But Ancient God Mountain does hide many secrets. Some forbidden areas are so dangerous that even I would be walking into certain death if I barged in."
A hint of doubt flickered in Gai Tianjiao's eyes. "Junior Brother Lin Yue, why are you so interested in the jade altar?"
Knowing that Gai Tianjiao was starting to suspect him, Zhang Ruochen abandoned the idea of immediately investigating the altar's base and quickly said, "Just curious, that's all."
"Farewell."
Zhang Ruochen cupped his hands to Gai Tianjiao, then without lingering, left Ancient God Mountain.
Gai Tianjiao stared at the retreating figure, scrutinizing it carefully. Then, she returned to the Sword Pavilion.
Burial Moon Sword Saint was still sitting cross-legged above. Seeing Gai Tianjiao, he asked, "Have you seen him off?"
Gai Tianjiao nodded, her expression quite grave. "Master, I think Lin Yue has some issues. He seems to be hiding a lot. Is it really a good thing for us to trust him so much?"
Burial Moon Sword Saint smiled. "You don't need to worry about Lin Yue. He was personally chosen by Grandmaster Taiyi. Even if you don't trust him, you should trust Grandmaster Taiyi."
Gai Tianjiao breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Since he was chosen by the Grandmaster, I can rest assured. But is it too risky to place all our hopes on him alone?"
"His comprehension and talent are indeed extremely high. If he cultivates in the Sword Pavilion, there's still a slim chance he could reach the second level of Sword Two."
"But letting him cultivate outside, I'm worried that by the ninth day of the ninth month, he won't even reach the first level of Sword Two."
It wasn't just Gai Tianjiao who was worried; even Burial Moon Sword Saint didn't have much confidence in Lin Yue.
Sword Two was far more difficult than Sword One. Just the first level, "Yin-Yang Alternation," was enough to stump many sword masters. They could ponder it for ten or twenty years and still fail to cross that threshold.
Gai Tianjiao was a case in point. She had long reached the tenth and perfect level of Sword One, but she had never been able to step into the threshold of Sword Two, no matter how hard she tried to comprehend the realm of "Yin-Yang Alternation."
While her own constitution played a significant role, it also showed that for cultivators in the Fish-Dragon Realm, Sword Two was extremely difficult to master. Even just getting started was as hard as reaching the heavens.
Burial Moon Sword Saint pondered for a moment, then said, "In that case, for the next few months, you will supervise him. Don't let him slack off too much. As long as he can reach the second level of Sword Two by the ninth day of the ninth month, we'll still have a glimmer of hope."
"Disciple accepts the order," Gai Tianjiao said.
"Whoosh!"
Just then, from the dark blue horizon, a light talisman flew in like a meteor. It pierced through the clouds and mist of Ancient God Mountain and circled around the Sword Pavilion.
Burial Moon Sword Saint let out a soft exclamation, then immediately reached out a hand and grabbed toward the void.
In his hand, a jade talisman appeared.
After reading the contents of the talisman, Burial Moon Sword Saint smiled. "This year's Sword Discussion Assembly is getting more and more lively."
Gai Tianjiao asked, "Master, what happened?"
Burial Moon Sword Saint said, "Xuanji Sword Saint has sent a challenge letter to Jiuyou Sword Saint. It's said that he wants to seek justice for his disciple. On the ninth day of the ninth month, at the Sword Pavilion, they will fight to the death, and he has asked me to be the witness."
"Two sword saints are going to fight to the death?" Gai Tianjiao was extremely shocked.
Every cultivator in the Eastern Domain knew that Jiuyou Sword Saint had killed Xuanji Sword Saint's disciple, Zhang Ruochen. That incident had caused a huge uproar a few months ago.
Everyone knew that Xuanji Sword Saint was very protective of his own. He would never let the matter rest.
Now, Xuanji Sword Saint had finally made his move. When a sword saint issued a life-or-death challenge, it meant he would follow through.
It would be either his death or the other's.
Would Jiuyou Sword Saint accept the challenge?
"Whoosh!"
Another light talisman flew in from beyond the heavens.
Burial Moon Sword Saint collected the talisman, glanced at it, furrowed his brow slightly, and sighed. "Jiuyou Sword Saint has accepted the challenge. A life-or-death duel between two sword saints will definitely draw the attention of all major forces in the Eastern Domain. Even more cultivators will flock to Liangyi Sect. I hope nothing unexpected happens."
Burial Moon Sword Saint wasn't the only one who received the talisman. That night, the news of the two sword saints' life-or-death duel spread throughout the major sects and saintly clans of the Eastern Domain, shaking the entire land.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen had just returned to Purple Cloud Spirit Mountain and naturally knew nothing about Xuanji Sword Saint sending a challenge to Jiuyou Sword Saint.
"Shua!"
Xiao Hei darted out from the night, landing on top of the wicker fence. His round, shiny eyes glowed brightly in the darkness.
He asked, "So? On the third level of Ancient God Mountain, did you find the Heaven and Earth Altar?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I didn't find the Heaven and Earth Altar, but I did discover something interesting. However, the Sword Pavilion is full of experts, and I was stretched thin. I couldn't investigate personally. Next time, you'll come with me to the Sword Pavilion. We must find the power of the Heaven and Earth Altar."
In the sky, a vast expanse of pitch-black clouds rolled in, blotting out the bright moon and making the whole world feel stifling.
Thunder rumbled from within the clouds, causing the world's spiritual energy to vibrate faintly.
It was clear that a torrential downpour was imminent.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "While I was at Ancient God Mountain these past few days, did Qi Feiyu show any unusual behavior?"
"While you were at Ancient God Mountain, that girl was also waiting at the foot of the mountain the whole time. This emperor is starting to wonder if she's really fallen for you?" Xiao Hei yawned lazily.
Then, Xiao Hei added, "But as soon as you came down the mountain, she left immediately. What's strange is that she didn't go back to Yuqing Palace. Instead, she left the Two-Ceremony Sect."
"Left the Two-Ceremony Sect?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted constantly. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he said, "Something's wrong... Xiao Hei, you can follow her, right?"
Xiao Hei chuckled. "This emperor has already used a secret technique to collect a trace of her aura. As long as she's within ten thousand miles, I can find her by scent alone."
"Let's go. We'll follow her and see."
Zhang Ruochen immediately took out a metal mask and put it on his face. Then, he activated his movement technique and rushed out of the Two-Ceremony Sect's mountain gate.
...
...
Qi Feiyu walked out of the Two-Ceremony Sect's mountain gate. Her graceful figure transformed into a ball of blood mist, charging into the forest and disappearing into the night.
Soon after, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and a torrential downpour began.
In the Fallen God Mountain Range, towering peaks stood like pillars holding up the sky, exuding a majestic and imposing aura. Especially during the thunderstorm, powerful barbarian beasts living in the wilderness emerged from their lairs to absorb the power of the lightning.
At the base of one such peak lay a bottomless, miasma-filled poisonous valley. From within the valley, a massive beast over two hundred meters long surged out—a centipede, pitch black all over, with only its two eyes glowing with golden light.
The giant centipede coiled its way up the mountain peak. When it reached the top, it opened its mouth and sucked dozens of lightning bolts from the clouds into its body.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, the giant centipede's body shrank, transforming into a man with eight arms and eight legs. He landed on the ground at the peak's summit.
At the top of the peak stood an ancient, blue-gray Daoist temple. Outside the temple gate stood a broken stele, inscribed with three characters: "Wusheng Temple."
Besides the eight-armed, eight-legged man, there was also a young woman with a pair of cyan wings on her back. On her brow was a flame-like mark.
She wore a cyan feathered robe, each feather as sharp as if forged from metal.
"They're here!"
The eight-armed, eight-legged man and the woman with cyan wings stood in the rain, flanking the left and right sides of the temple, gazing into the curtain of rain.
A ball of blood mist flew out from the forest, emitting an unusually fragrant scent.
As the blood mist flew, it gradually condensed into a stunningly beautiful woman with a graceful figure, dressed in a Daoist robe. She landed lightly on the ground.
"Greetings, Saintess."
The man and woman outside the temple simultaneously bowed to Qi Feiyu.
"Creak."
The temple's wooden door opened. From within, a man in his twenties walked out. He had thick, dark eyebrows, strong, angular features, and wore simple blue clothes. Holding an oil-paper umbrella, he walked toward Qi Feiyu in the rain.
"I've brewed a pot of your favorite Qinlong tea. I've been waiting for you for a while."
The blue-clothed man held the oil-paper umbrella over Qi Feiyu's head, shielding her from the rain, and used his own body to block the wind.
He looked up at the lightning in the sky. "The wind and rain came too suddenly tonight. Let's go inside the temple and talk slowly. Wu Ba, Que Jiu, you two stand guard outside. Be very careful."
The blue-clothed man and Qi Feiyu walked into Wusheng Temple. They sat down cross-legged facing each other. On the brazier between them, a pot of tea was boiling.
The tea bubbled with a gurgling sound, and its fragrance filled the entire temple.