Chapter 81: The Mountain Gate of Li Mountain (Part 1)
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The gauze curtain could block the prying eyes of others, but it could not block the understanding that had long been shared between the two.
Xu Yourong watched him turn to look at her and knew what he was thinking. After a moment of contemplation, she gently shook her head.
The reason Chen Changsheng felt a sense of familiarity was not only because the small black stone in the red tray was very similar in shape to his own small black stone, but also because the fluctuation of energy emanating from the small black stone was very close to the one he had found in the Lingyan Pavilion. In other words, this small black stone brought out by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion might be related to Wang Zhice.
The small black stone left by Wang Zhice that Chen Changsheng had obtained in the Lingyan Pavilion was a Heavenly Book Stele. Could this small black stone be another Heavenly Book Stele? Having been to the Heavenly Book Mausoleum and the Zhou Mausoleum, and having had a conversation with Divine General Han Qing, he and Xu Yourong were most clear about the whereabouts of those Heavenly Book Steles lost in the world, and they couldn’t help but feel some suspicion.
In the past, the Stone Boiling Conference had always used ordinary celestial stones, so the elders and important figures from various sects who had participated in previous conferences were also somewhat surprised. But those cultivators attending the Stone Boiling Conference for the first time were unaware of the difference. When they noticed Chen Changsheng looking toward the layers of gauze curtains, they became very excited, thinking that Little Dean Chen was indeed deeply in love with his former fiancée.
Most of the cultivators from the south were seated in the same direction as the Holy Maiden Peak. At this moment, noticing Chen Changsheng’s gaze, many of them showed expressions of mockery or sympathy on their faces. Some disciples of the Holy Maiden Peak, thinking of the broken engagement in the capital, couldn’t help but sneer, mocking someone for clinging on stubbornly and being utterly boring. Others sharply pointed out that someone needed to look in a mirror—some things weren’t a matter of wanting or not wanting; you couldn’t just get them whenever you wished. Still others said heavily that someone should show some self-respect.
Not a single cultivator from the south directly mentioned Chen Changsheng’s name, but everyone knew these words were aimed at him.
This world-famous engagement had gone through too many twists and turns, stirring up too many storms, until last winter, when His Holiness the Pope forcibly dissolved it, finally bringing it to an end.
In this story, Chen Changsheng was naturally the one insulted and wronged at the beginning, but in the end, it was Xu Yourong who bore all the shame.
In people’s minds, the person in the world who hated Chen Changsheng the most now was naturally Xu Yourong.
She was the Southern Holy Maiden, the True Phoenix Maiden admired and loved by countless people. She didn’t like Chen Changsheng, so naturally, many people wouldn’t like him either, especially those cultivators from the south. They certainly wouldn’t show Chen Changsheng any good will, even if he was the future Pope. They had to vent their anger for the Holy Maiden.
Pavilions, terraces, and towers stood amidst the clear breeze, quiet and elegant. Those mocking words about Chen Changsheng drifted like willow catkins brushed by the wind across the square, falling into everyone’s ears.
The faces of the national religion’s clergy turned somewhat unpleasant. Mao Qiuyu remained calm and silent. Linghai Zhiwang raised his thick eyebrows slightly, as if quite interested.
Chen Changsheng withdrew his gaze from the direction of the Holy Maiden Peak and rubbed his knee awkwardly.
Zhe Xiu didn’t care about these matters. Tang Thirty-Six knew the inside story and laughed brilliantly.
……
……
Brilliant sword lights occasionally flashed on the stone platforms among the towers, like summer thunderstorms or the thrilling strokes in murals.
Except for the military forces of the Great Zhou, represented by the Star Picking Academy, the vast majority of cultivators in the world were still most accustomed to using swords. At today’s Stone Boiling Conference, the sword lights seemed never to cease.
The cultivators qualified to attend the Stone Boiling Conference were all highly talented geniuses, at least with outstanding potential and strong cultivation realms—at least a full level stronger than during the Grand Examination or the Zhou Garden. Those bold enough to step onto the stone platforms to challenge others, or qualified to be challenged by name, were at least at the Tongyou Middle Realm.
The several battles that had already concluded were extremely exciting. Both sides used their ultimate techniques without holding back. Under the watchful eyes of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and the national religion’s important figures, there couldn’t be any overly serious accidental injuries, but some bloodstains were inevitably left on the stone platforms.
Although Chen Changsheng was very interested in that black stone, he had no intention of stepping down, and naturally, no one came to challenge him.
With his current status and position here, unless he was willing, no one could force him to step down and fight, just like last summer.
Xu Yourong’s status and position were even higher than his, so she was even less likely to get involved in this matter.
Thus, they sat quietly beside the Heavenly Mechanism Elder, watching the battles on the stone platforms.
Strangely enough, as time passed, still no one challenged the other two members of the National Teaching Academy.
Zhe Xiu only watched for a short while before closing his eyes to rest, seemingly uninterested in those exciting battles.
Tang Thirty-Six, on the other hand, was bored to the point of idleness, constantly ordering the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s maids to change the tea in his cup and commenting on the snacks in the tray.
It wasn’t until someone stepped into the arena that Zhe Xiu opened his eyes, and Tang Thirty-Six put down his tea cup, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, and his expression turned serious.
The one stepping down was Liang Banhu.
His opponent was a master from the Heartless Sect of Hanqiu City.
This Heartless Sect master had earlier used a very brilliant Ten Thousand Willows Sword technique to easily defeat a female disciple from the Cijian Temple. He was about thirty years old, with a cultivation realm at the Tongyou Upper Realm. In the past, he would definitely have been worthy of the title “genius,” but in recent years, too many cultivators younger, more talented, and with higher realms had emerged…
Liang Banhu was a disciple of the Li Mountain Sword Sect, ranked fifth among the Divine Kingdom’s Seven Laws, naturally representing these young people.
Perhaps because he had just defeated a strong cultivator from the south and was at the peak of his confidence, or because he had been overshadowed by the Divine Kingdom’s Seven Laws in the past two years and had accumulated too much dissatisfaction, or possibly because of the resentment from the destruction of the Ten Thousand Willows Garden by a letter from Su Li, this Heartless Sect master unhesitatingly challenged the Li Mountain Sword Sect.
He specifically challenged Liang Banhu, which seemed like a casual choice, but many knew it was a carefully considered decision, even somewhat insidious.
Liang Banhu was the younger brother of Liang Xiaoxiao—and now the entire continent knew that Liang Xiaoxiao had once colluded with the demon race, attempting to harm fellow disciples and Chen Changsheng in the Zhou Garden. After his plot failed, he had even cruelly committed suicide by cutting his own throat, trying to frame Chen Changsheng.
By choosing Liang Banhu as his opponent, this Heartless Sect master naturally intended to exploit this matter. Sure enough, as soon as Liang Banhu stepped into the arena, the man said coldly, “Although you are Liang Xiaoxiao’s younger brother, I won’t hold his crimes against you. But I also won’t allow you the chance to obtain this celestial stone.”
Hearing these words, the arena fell into a deep silence.
Everyone knew that this Heartless Sect master was just deliberately finding an excuse, actually trying to shake Liang Banhu’s fighting spirit.
However, neither the Li Mountain Sword Sect nor the allied Holy Maiden Peak lineage could react much to the words themselves.
Liang Xiaoxiao and Liang Banhu were both descendants of the Liang Prince’s Mansion, and the Liang Prince’s Mansion had played too complex a role in this history. If Liang Banhu, like Liang Xiaoxiao, couldn’t forget his princely origins and couldn’t strictly adhere to his identity as a Li Mountain Sword Sect disciple, then many forces wouldn’t want to see him obtain the celestial stone.
Guan Feibai’s face was covered with a layer of frost, and his gaze at the Heartless Sect master was filled with murderous intent, but in the end, he didn’t move.
Gou Hanshi’s expression remained unchanged as he quietly watched Liang Banhu’s figure. He had great confidence in his junior brother.
In the midst of the silence, before the battle began, a voice rang out.
The speaker was Tang Thirty-Six.
He looked at the Heartless Sect master and said, “If you’re going to fight, just fight. Why say so much nonsense?”
The atmosphere in the arena shifted instantly, and the Heartless Sect master’s expression changed slightly.
No one expected that this wasn’t the end. Then, everyone heard Tang Thirty-Six’s next words.
“…Just like that old ancestor of yours, in the end, wasn’t he beaten into an idiot?”
……
……
The sect master of the Heartless Sect, the master of Hanqiu City, and the soul of the Tianliang Zhu Clan were all the same person, the old ancestor of many, including that Heartless Sect master.
That old ancestor was ranked among the Eight Winds and Rains, none other than Zhu Luo, Drinking Alone Under the Moon.
Tang Thirty-Six’s words were reckless, offensive, and forceful, but upon careful thought, they weren’t wrong.
Whether in the night rain of Xunyang City or the spring breeze of the Ten Thousand Willows Garden, Zhu Luo had been utterly defeated, cut down like an idiot by a letter from Su Li.
His words greatly boosted the momentum of the Li Mountain Sword Sect.
Guan Feibai looked toward the National Teaching Academy, thinking that this guy had changed his tune today. If they ended up facing each other later, he might as well let him bleed a little less.
The Heartless Sect master’s expression changed dramatically as he looked at Tang Thirty-Six and said coldly, “Later, I will definitely challenge you.”
Tang Thirty-Six shook his head and said, “You won’t have the chance.”
The arena erupted in uproar, with everyone wondering why he had such confidence in Liang Banhu. But no one noticed him leaning close to Chen Changsheng and whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, “In your judgment, who’s stronger—Liang Banhu or this idiot?”
Chen Changsheng asked, “Why do you look so worried right now?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “I think… since I insulted Zhu Luo like that to vent for you, this guy will definitely fight me to the death later, so it’s best not to run into him.”
Chen Changsheng looked at Liang Banhu’s figure and said, “Don’t worry. You’re right—that man won’t have the chance.”
He and Gou Hanshi had thoroughly studied the Daoist Canon, a rarity in the world, and among their peers, their judgment was naturally excellent.
Gou Hanshi had never worried about Liang Banhu.
Chen Changsheng thought the same.
Liang Banhu was different from Liang Xiaoxiao.
Liang Xiaoxiao was a pine tree in a dark ravine.
Liang Banhu was a blade of grass on a sunny slope.
Liang Banhu’s personality was very wooden; he rarely spoke, and even his facial expressions seldom changed.
Among the Divine Kingdom’s Seven Laws, he had always been the least famous.
But that didn’t mean he was the weakest.
Moreover, there were no weaklings among the Divine Kingdom’s Seven Laws.
Liang Banhu drew the sword at his waist, looked at the Heartless Sect master, and said one word: “Please.”
The Heartless Sect master raised his eyebrows slightly, ready to say something more.
However, Liang Banhu didn’t give him another chance to speak.
A cloud of dust suddenly rose on the clean stone platform, rushing forward like a dust dragon, extremely swift.
A simple, thick aura, like yellow earth, appeared in everyone’s perception.
The nearby lake seemed to feel some pressure, rippling with faint waves.
No one blinked; no one had time to blink. The dust storm surged, the yellow dragon rolled forward, and Liang Banhu was already in front of the Heartless Sect master.
The Heartless Sect master’s pupils contracted sharply as he felt an extremely strong sense of crisis.
He hadn’t expected Liang Banhu’s sword technique to be so starkly opposite to his personality—so violent and forceful.
How could he counter such violent sword intent? Only with even more violent sword intent.
A fierce roar erupted, and the Heartless Sect master’s sword pierced the air, howling forward without retreating, directly stabbing at Liang Banhu!
Liang Banhu’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were still that farmer tilling the slopes, wielding his iron sword like a hoe, striking straight down.
This sword strike looked like a very ordinary move, and indeed, it was a very ordinary move.
This sword wasn’t fast—it couldn’t even match one-fifth the speed of the Heavenly Dao Academy’s Linsword.
This sword wasn’t fierce—it didn’t have even a trace of the National Teaching Academy’s Daoshan Staff’s aura.
This sword wasn’t beautiful—it had no right to be compared with the legendary “Spring Has Gone” of the Nanxi Studio.
Compared to the countless exquisite sword techniques of the Li Mountain Sword Sect, Liang Banhu’s sword strike had nothing worth mentioning.
But this sword was steady—whether the hand gripping the sword or the move itself, it was extremely stable, like an unmoving cliff, like a mountain path in the hills.
The reason this sword could be so steady was that this sword technique was the foundation, the basis of countless sword techniques in the Li Mountain Sword Sect.
“Mountain Gate Sword.”
Zhe Xiu looked at the not-so-dazzling sword light in the arena, but a gleam flashed in his eyes, and then it turned blazing hot.