Chapter 874: The Saintess Peak in the Mist
"It should be the Combined Sword Technique," Hu Sanshier said.
Hearing this name, Chen Changsheng finally recalled this legendary sword art.
The Saintess Peak was most famous for the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation.
It was said that countless years ago, even a being as powerful as Zhou Du Fu, the strongest beneath the stars, had been trapped for a moment by this sword formation when he stormed the Saintess Peak.
During the upheaval at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, Xu Yourong left dozens of Nanxi Zhai disciples for Chen Changsheng. They had intimidated many experts within the National Academy, also thanks to the sword formation.
The foundation of the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation was the Combined Sword Technique.
This supremely exquisite sword art required at least two people to execute. Its essence lay in the trust and mutual understanding between the swordsman and their companions. It was said that with practice, two Nanxi Zhai disciples wielding the Combined Sword Technique could defeat four opponents of equal skill, three could defeat nine, and so on. The more Nanxi Zhai disciples who performed the Combined Sword Technique simultaneously, the more terrifying their combined strength became. The strongest version of the Nanxi Zhai Sword Formation was said to consist of over three hundred disciples, and one could imagine its power—even an expert in the Divine Domain would be reluctant to face its edge head-on.
No wonder Xiao Zhang had said in Fengyang County that those young girls' sword formation was troublesome.
But Chen Changsheng still felt something was off.
The sword technique used by these two Nanxi Zhai girls was not exactly the same as the Combined Sword Technique he had read about in books back then. It seemed to have undergone some modification.
The problem was, who could possibly have the ability to modify such a peerless sword art as the Combined Sword Technique? Even Su Li might not be able to do it.
...
...
Tang Thirty-Six also heard Hu Sanshier's words and finally realized this was the Nanxi Zhai Combined Sword Technique.
But he couldn't care less about that. His sleeve was torn, and he was furious. Gripping his scabbard, he glared at the two Nanxi Zhai girls and shouted, "You've made me unhappy!"
Zhe Xiu turned his head away, unwilling to look at him.
Chen Changsheng said, "That's your own problem. Why scare them?"
Tang Thirty-Six said irritably, "You two aren't married yet. Can you stop defending your wife's family so early?"
The two Nanxi Zhai girls exchanged glances, utterly bewildered, having no idea what these people were talking about.
Tang Thirty-Six dropped his smile, his expression turning extremely serious. Raising the Wenshui Sword, he said, "Please enlighten me."
He wasn't truly angry, of course. This was his way of showing respect to the two Nanxi Zhai girls.
Sensing the shift in his intent, the two girls grew more solemn and raised their swords.
Sword light suddenly illuminated the mountain path once more. Fierce winds howled through the woods around the stone gate, and cracks appeared on the tree trunks.
With two crisp cracking sounds, the two girls were knocked back behind the stone gate, their faces pale, their swords now only half their original length.
"Thank you for yielding," Tang Thirty-Six said, reattaching the sword to his waist. Throughout the exchange, the Wenshui Sword had never left its scabbard.
Seeing this scene, the two girls felt the gap between themselves and their opponent. Despair washed over them, followed by humiliation.
Nanxi Zhai was a sacred site of the Daoist sect. Whether in town or among other sects, they were regarded as celestial maidens. No one had ever dared to be so rude to them.
A few days ago, when they guarded the mountain gate, they had encountered fellow Daoists and ordinary tourists who wanted to enter. A single word from them sent the visitors retreating. They had never met anyone bold enough to force their way in.
Even if Nanxi Zhai disciples were outmatched, they couldn't let someone just barge into the Saintess Peak like this.
They reached into their sleeves for something—perhaps a magical artifact—to send a warning down the mountain.
Just then, two broad, steady hands landed on their shoulders, suppressing the two most crucial meridians in their bodies.
Hu Sanshier had silently passed through the mountain gate and arrived behind the two Nanxi Zhai girls without a sound.
He smiled and shook his head, signaling them not to act rashly.
What he thought was a gentle smile appeared to the two girls as terrifying as a demon's.
Feeling the man's hand on their shoulders, imagining that with a slight infusion of true essence he could sever their meridians, and realizing he had effortlessly breached the gate they were guarding, the two girls were a mix of panic, anger, and fear. They burst into tears with a wail.
"I told you we couldn't just follow what the books say, or something would go wrong."
"The senior sisters are busy in the studio all day and don't have the energy to teach us. How was I supposed to know how to guard the mountain gate?"
The two girls sobbed, occasionally lifting their sleeves to wipe away tears. Their faces were streaked with tears like rain on pear blossoms, looking utterly pitiful.
Tang Thirty-Six shook his head repeatedly, wondering what was wrong with Nanxi Zhai, letting two clearly naive young girls guard the mountain gate.
No matter how sorrowfully the girls wept, Hu Sanshier's expression remained unchanged. He still wore that faint smile, then glanced at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning and said, "I'll go take a look first."
Zhe Xiu said, "I'll stay in the shadows."
With that, he vanished into the forest beside the path. The blazing sun cast countless shadows among the leaves, making it impossible to tell which one might be him.
...
...
Passing through the front mountain gate of Nanxi Zhai, he was once again met by that seemingly endless mountain path.
At a time like this, Nanke was not suitable to appear. Chen Changsheng pushed his speed to the limit, occasionally using the Yashi Step. Sometimes he was on the east side of the path, sometimes on the west, sweeping through like the wind. Only when changing direction did he leave a faint afterimage on the smooth surface of the green bamboo.
The mountain ridges were beautiful, the scenery pleasing to the eye, but he had no mind to appreciate it. Letting the howling mountain wind buffet him, he kept his eyes wide open, watching for any subtle changes on the path. His divine sense also rode the wind, allowing him to detect movements ahead in advance. His main goal was to figure out those formations.
Xu Yourong hadn't discussed much about the specific affairs of Nanxi Zhai in her letters, but she had mentioned the formations—or rather, the restrictions—on the mountain path.
Sure enough, on the mountain path for over ten li beyond that bamboo grove, Chen Changsheng encountered several extremely intricate formations. Even with his strength, even if he unleashed ten thousand swords at once, it would take a long time to break them.
Fortunately, he had exchanged many insights on this subject with Xu Yourong in the Zhou Garden, the Snow Temple, and the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, so he had some understanding of these formations. Moreover, as the current Pope, though the northern and southern branches of the national religion had some differences, they ultimately came from the same lineage. He quickly found the life gates of these formations and passed through them with ease.
The life gates of the formations often left the mountain path, leading to a spot beneath a stream or beside a large boulder, but the general direction remained correct. He continued toward the distant cliff ahead. Behind the cliff lay a mist that seemed to have lingered for ten thousand years, and the Saintess Peak appeared faintly within that mist. Even though he was much closer now, its true form was still hard to discern.