Chapter 403: Sword Pavilion |
Within Cloud Valley City.
In a quiet chamber of a private courtyard, candlelight flickered dimly.
Grand Lord Di Cang wore a dark golden wolf-fur cloak, standing alone before an unfurled map of Yan Kingdom's northern territories.
The map was densely marked with mountains, rivers, cities, and fortresses, along with several secret routes and red dots drawn in cinnabar.
These represented the elaborate plan he had carefully orchestrated, coordinating with the Blood Leopard and Black Python tribes to execute a series of consecutive assassinations targeting the Taiyi Upper Sect and its allied forces.
His face was aged, wrinkles furrowed like tree bark, with a deep purple vertical marking between his brows like a closed celestial eye.
As the Azure Wolf Tribe's foremost expert and a renowned top-tier Grandmaster among Jinting's Eight Divisions, Di Cang possessed not only unfathomable cultivation but also first-rate cunning and strategy.
This southern campaign ostensibly aimed to disrupt the Six Sects Grand Market and intimidate Yan Kingdom's various factions, but its deeper intent was to cut off the Taiyi Upper Sect's wings and weaken its influence.
Suddenly, Di Cang's chest cavity violently convulsed!
"Hum..."
A small crimson jade vial hidden in the inner armor against his chest began trembling violently.
Inside the vial, a drop of dark red vital blood suddenly went "pop," transforming into a cloud of dim blood mist.
Di Cang's body abruptly stiffened.
He slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling to his chest.
That was Di Chang's vital blood.
He had personally planted it, connected through secret techniques. Only when one died and the Dao dissipated would it completely scatter.
"Di Chang...?"
Di Cang murmured to himself, carrying a trace of incredulous bewilderment.
Di Chang, his own nephew, whom he had kept by his side since childhood, personally teaching cultivation methods and tempering battle techniques, regarding him as his own son, the successor into whom he had poured countless efforts to nurture.
Though a newly ascended Grandmaster, his foundation was solid. He had also cultivated several of the Azure Wolf Tribe's core secret techniques. His combat power was formidable, and his conduct cautious—he was no reckless fool.
He had specifically arranged for Di Chang to handle the Fei family route.
Though Liang Province's Fei family was a millennial aristocratic family on good terms with the Taiyi Upper Sect, according to intelligence analysis, their traveling group's strongest members were merely two retainers at eight True Origin refinements, with no Grandmaster accompanying them.
With Di Chang's strength, coordinated with Tumen, Vulture Granny, and other tribal elites, this should have been absolutely certain. They could seize the Fei family's token, eliminate a potential ally, and use this to intimidate other wavering forces in Yan Kingdom.
How could he have died?
How could he possibly die?!
"How is this possible?!"
Di Cang suddenly raised his head. The purple vertical marking between his brows abruptly opened a crack, revealing a blood-red vertical pupil!
An extremely terrifying pressure erupted uncontrollably with a thunderous boom!
"Boom—!!!"
Within the quiet chamber, the air seemed to freeze, then was madly churned by invisible tremendous force!
The sandalwood desk shattered into powder with a "crack," fragments flying everywhere.
The heavy blue brick flooring cracked inch by inch, spreading like spider webs.
The candlelight violently flickered, brightening and dimming unpredictably.
A thread of piercing killing intent boiled and rolled in his chest.
Di Chang wasn't merely his nephew—he was the Azure Wolf Tribe's future hope, an important piece in his strategic layout.
The Azure Wolf Tribe elites guarding outside sensed the terrifying aura suddenly erupting from within the room and couldn't help but change color in shock.
Hurried footsteps quickly approached, then knocking sounds rang out:
"Grand Lord!"
Di Cang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his killing intent.
He closed his blood-colored pupil, the vertical marking between his brows slowly closing, though the crimson depths of his eyes hadn't faded.
"Enter."
His voice was hoarse and low, yet carried a bone-chilling calmness.
The door was pushed open, and a lean black-clothed figure silently flashed inside—it was precisely Nine Shadow, the top expert under Di Cang's command who specialized in intelligence and assassination.
His heart jolted. He immediately knelt on one knee, bowing his head respectfully, "Grand Lord."
"Which route was Di Chang assigned to attack?" Di Cang's voice revealed neither joy nor anger.
"In response to Grand Lord, it was Liang Province's Fei family and Zhu family convoy." Nine Shadow replied.
"Fei family, Zhu family..." Di Cang took a deep breath and said slowly, "Di Chang is dead!"
Nine Shadow suddenly raised his head, his face showing unconcealed shock, "What?! Grand Lord Di Chang he... has fallen?"
A Grandmaster's fall!
Even for a newly ascended Grandmaster, this was an unbearable loss for a great tribe like the Azure Wolf Tribe that dominated the northern lands!
"His vital blood has scattered, his soul imprint annihilated."
Di Cang's voice was ice-cold and piercing, each word seemingly squeezed from between his teeth, "Di Chang's vital blood scattered very quickly, indicating this person's strength is formidable, absolutely not an ordinary Grandmaster expert."
Nine Shadow instantly felt a chill rush from his feet to his crown.
Having followed Di Cang for many years, he deeply understood this Grand Lord's temperament. The calmer he appeared, the more his killing intent had boiled to the extreme.
"Go investigate immediately!" Di Cang stepped forward, "Mobilize all our available covert contacts within Yan Kingdom's borders, at any cost! I want to know exactly what happened at Cold Stone Town! Who killed Di Chang!"
He paused, his tone sinister, "Di Chang cannot die in vain. My Azure Wolf Tribe's Grand Lord absolutely cannot die without clarity. Blood debts must be repaid in blood!"
"Yes! This subordinate will handle it immediately!" Nine Shadow knocked his head heavily, vanishing in an instant.
The quiet chamber returned to deathly silence, only Di Cang's heavy breathing remaining.
…
The Golden Feather Eagle cut through the clouds, flying rapidly toward Jiuli City.
On the eagle's back, Luo Zhixian sat cross-legged, his gray robe gently fluttering in the wind.
Chen Qing sat in a position slightly behind, the True Origin within his body slowly circulating as he regulated his breathing and recovered.
"Great Snow Mountain, Jinting," Luo Zhixian suddenly spoke, "if you encounter forces from either of these two sides in the future, you must be careful."
Chen Qing collected his thoughts, listening respectfully.
"Great Snow Mountain sits lofty above all. Though located in the bitter cold lands of the northern frontier, its foundation is unfathomably deep. Successive generations of Holy Masters have all possessed heaven-reaching, earth-penetrating abilities."
Luo Zhixian slowly said, "Though they and Jinting's Eight Divisions both occupy the northern lands, they are not unified. Great Snow Mountain stands transcendent and aloof, not as simple as you understand. Wait until your cultivation is sufficient before we discuss further."
He paused, continuing, "As for Jinting's Eight Divisions, they are truly fierce barbarian tribes. Though the eight divisions have internal conflicts, they are extremely united when facing external threats."
"The Di Cang we killed today was merely the Azure Wolf Tribe's newly ascended Grand Lord. The true leader of the Azure Wolf Tribe is Di Chang."
Chen Qing listened with a solemn heart.
"However."
Luo Zhixian changed his tone, "Though Jinting's Eight Divisions are fierce, they don't dare easily penetrate deep into Yan Kingdom's heartland. First, the court watches them, and second, the Six Great Upper Sects are not easy opponents, especially the Taiyi Upper Sect, which has a blood feud with Jinting's Eight Divisions. Once they discover Eight Divisions experts have infiltrated, they will certainly mobilize to hunt them down."
"This time Di Cang and the others sneaked in secretly, presumably with some scheme."
Chen Qing nodded, "This disciple understands."
He had witnessed Great Snow Mountain before—two Dharma Kings personally arriving at Prison Peak, that Grandmaster battle still unforgettable to this day.
Jinting's Eight Divisions, he had also gained some experience with today.
"As for that Fei family." Luo Zhixian suddenly said, "This time can also be considered forming a good karmic connection."
Chen Qing's heart stirred as he looked toward his master.
Luo Zhixian pondered for a long while before slowly saying, "The jianghu road is long, the martial Dao lengthy. Fighting alone may be satisfying, but it also easily makes too many enemies, making the path ahead difficult. In this world, one ultimately still needs to form more good karmic connections, leave more backup routes. Only then can the road be walked longer."
He looked at Chen Qing, his gaze profound, "The Fei family is a millennial aristocratic family in Liang Province with deep foundations and close relations with the court. That Fei family old ancestor, Fei He, had several encounters with this old man back in the day. Though we're not close friends, we can be considered old acquaintances."
"Helping them out in passing this time may benefit you in the future."
Chen Qing understood.
So his master taking action wasn't only to kill Jinting Eight Divisions experts, but also had the consideration of using this to form a connection with the Fei family.
With Luo Zhixian's status and strength, he naturally didn't need to deliberately curry favor with anyone, but casual acts of kindness could pave a wider road for his disciple.
"This disciple understands." Chen Qing said solemnly, understanding Luo Zhixian's painstaking intentions in his heart.
Luo Zhixian closed his eyes to rest, saying no more.
Two golden streams of light cut across the sky, rushing rapidly toward Jiuli City.
Three days later, at dusk.
The clouds in the sky were like fire, dyeing half the sky red.
Below, the mountains and rivers gradually became gentler, official roads crisscrossed, and human habitation gradually thickened.
Chen Qing sat on the eagle's back, looking far into the distance.
He saw that on the distant horizon, the outline of a majestic giant city gradually became clear.
That city was built against mountains, its walls towering high. Every several zhang, a banner was planted. The banners were dark golden, embroidered with sword-shaped patterns, fluttering loudly in the wind.
This was Jiuli City!
One of Yan Kingdom's eleven giant cities, a holy land of the sword Dao named after one person!
The Golden Feather Eagle slowly lowered its altitude, landing in a forest clearing several li outside the city.
Chen Qing leaped from the eagle's back, patted the Golden Feather Eagle's neck, fed it several beast cores, then walked shoulder to shoulder with Luo Zhixian toward the city gate.
At the city gate entrance, pedestrians came and went endlessly—merchant caravans, jianghu travelers.
Many wore swords at their waists, sword qi faintly accompanying their steps, clearly all cultivators of the sword.
Above the city gate, two characters in iron strokes and silver hooks were carved into the blue-black giant stone: Jiuli.
The brush strokes were sharp as swords, each stroke seemingly about to break through stone and pierce the firmament.
Chen Qing only looked once before feeling his eyes slightly ache, as if two invisible sword qi were assaulting his face. He hastily averted his gaze.
"Such powerful sword intent." He was secretly alarmed.
Merely two characters could contain such sword intent. The cultivation of the person who left these characters had probably reached an inconceivable realm.
Luo Zhixian raised his eyes, "These two characters 'Jiuli' were personally carved by Xiao Jiuli back in the day. In ordinary people's eyes, they're merely fine calligraphy, but the deeper one's cultivation and the higher one's realm, the more one can feel the sharp sword intent contained within."
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing understood.
This both announced to the world whose city this was, and was also a silent intimidation to every expert who came to pay respects.
Having such attainment back then, this 'Sword Lord's' cultivation now was probably even more unfathomable.
The two followed the flow of people into the city.
The streets within the city were wide, paved with bluestone slabs, clean and tidy.
The buildings on both sides were mostly not tall, yet extremely orderly, their eaves and corners sharply defined, like unsheathed swords.
What shocked Chen Qing most was that the layout of the entire city faintly formed a massive sword formation!
The streets crisscrossed like patterns on a sword blade, and at the very center of the city, that towering pavilion was the tip of this giant sword!
That pavilion was entirely dark golden, its height unknown, its peak hidden in the clouds. Under the setting sun, it reflected brilliant radiance, like a true heaven-reaching giant sword pointing directly at the firmament.
Sword Pavilion!
The core of Jiuli City, Sword Lord Xiao Jiuli's residence, and the holy land in countless sword cultivators' hearts.
Chen Qing's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the Sword Pavilion.
He could feel that the ubiquitous sharp aura throughout the entire city originated from that tall pavilion.
"Master, that's the Sword Pavilion?" Chen Qing asked in a low voice.
Luo Zhixian slightly nodded, his gaze also turning toward that tall pavilion, "That old fellow Xiao Jiuli has become increasingly fond of grand displays these years."
The two walked along the main street toward the city center.
On both sides of the street, everywhere could be seen things related to swords.
There were weapon shops selling longswords, martial halls teaching sword techniques, and even smithies specializing in sharpening and maintaining swords for people.
Among the pedestrians, seven or eight out of ten were sword cultivators.
"This Jiuli City truly deserves to be called a holy land of the sword Dao." Chen Qing sighed inwardly.
Here, the sword was no longer a simple weapon, but a faith, a Dao fused into bone and blood.
Before long, the two arrived at the city center.
This was a wide bluestone plaza, covering several hundred zhang in radius. The ground was smooth as a mirror, faintly showing traces of residual sword qi, clearly indicating people frequently practiced swords and sparred here.
At the plaza's very center stood that majestic Sword Pavilion.
Viewing it up close was even more shocking.
The Sword Pavilion's base was octagonal, each face over ten zhang wide, its surface carved with densely packed runes and sword-shaped patterns.
Most eye-catching were the stairs leading to the Sword Pavilion's top level.
These weren't ordinary stairs, but a stone stairway about three zhang wide, ascending straight up from the plaza ground, spiraling along the Sword Pavilion's outer wall, leading directly to the pavilion peak hidden in the clouds.
The stone steps were entirely white as jade, particularly striking against the pavilion's backdrop, like a white dragon coiled around a giant sword.
Chen Qing focused and carefully counted, his heart stirring.
There were ninety-nine stone steps in total!
Beside each step stood a small, exquisite wooden house.
Chen Qing's divine sense swept over them. He could faintly sense that within the wooden houses, there was also an incomparably sharp aura.
Sword guardians!
According to legend, to meet Sword Lord Xiao Jiuli, one must start from the first step and challenge upward step by step.
In the wooden house beside each step sat a sword Dao expert. Only by defeating them could one continue upward.
Ninety-nine steps, ninety-nine sword guardians.
This meant that to meet Xiao Jiuli, one had to consecutively defeat at least ninety-nine sword Dao experts!
What harsh conditions were these?
What confident grandeur was this?
According to jianghu rumors, these ninety-nine sword guardians were all sword Dao prodigies Xiao Jiuli had encountered during his travels throughout the world over the years, or sword cultivators who voluntarily remained after being defeated by him.
They guarded the Sword Pavilion here, both as a commitment to Xiao Jiuli and as a form of cultivation.
Each person had honed their sword Dao to the extreme. For ordinary experts to fight their way up in one go would absolutely not be easy.
Chen Qing took a deep breath, gazing at those stairs towering into the clouds.
To be able, with the strength of one person, to make so many sword Dao experts willingly guard the steps, his strength and personal charisma had probably both reached levels difficult for ordinary people to imagine.
Luo Zhixian brought Chen Qing to the starting point of the stairway, standing before the first stone step.
Only by raising one's head could one see the stairway winding upward, disappearing into the clouds.
The setting sun's afterglow shone from the side, casting long shadows on the white stone steps, adding several parts solemnity and majesty.
At this moment, Chen Qing could clearly feel that from those ninety-nine wooden houses, at least a dozen gazes simultaneously fell upon them.
"Master, should we announce our presence?" Chen Qing asked in a low voice.
"Announce? Why bother with that trouble?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Zhixian simply waved his hand casually, "Just fight our way up."
Chen Qing was slightly stunned upon hearing this, subconsciously confirming, "...Who fights?"
Luo Zhixian turned his head, his gaze falling on Chen Qing.
"Naturally you."
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