Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 105 - 91 Heavenly Spring Mountain Pierces the Sky

Chapter 105: Chapter 91 Heavenly Spring Mountain Pierces the Sky

Gu Wen’s eyebrows knitted slightly. He did not voice an opinion because he was unclear about the situation in the Cultivation World, but just from listening to their conversation, he could roughly understand what had happened.

He had been put up for bounty. In any society where such transactional activities occurred, whether among Immortals or mortals, commissions were inevitably involved.

However, suddenly being targeted by three old monsters at the Tenth Level was making Gu Wen’s scalp tingle. This meant he couldn’t move around alone at will, at least not too far from Yu Hua, until he was capable of protecting himself.

Yu Hua’s voice was slightly cold as she said, "Do they have the life to take it?"

To her, those at the Tenth Level were merely a slap away.

"That’s easy to say, but it’s not the thief who comes that you fear, it’s the thief who keeps you in mind," Ao Tang grumbled. "I don’t know which old geezer put up such a big bounty, treating a Taoist Soldier like it’s common cabbage. They’re shameless, using it against a youngster."

Yu Hua said, "I remember there aren’t many True Monarchs on the Bounty List. Let the sect send someone to have the bounty retracted."

"The Daoist Sect did send someone to knock on their door right away. The Immortal Land apologized and retracted the bounty, saying it was a disciple’s mistake, but they’ve made this excuse countless times."

Ao Tang paused, knowing that Gu Wen was not from the Cultivation World, and explained in more detail, "The Immortal Land knows putting a bounty on someone offends people, so once they find a suitable person, they handle it privately. Whether the bounty is still there or not doesn’t matter anymore."

Yu Hua’s face showed contemplation, as if there were no other options, and she said, "The best we can do now is to keep a closer watch on you."

"That’s why what I mentioned yesterday is very necessary."

Ao Tang looked at Gu Wen and didn’t speak directly, instead he sent a telepathic message, "Second Ancestor, you must not underestimate those old monsters. The difference between the Four Realms is like heaven and earth. If we compare the Four Realms to a Golden Core, then Yun Miao is pig iron, I’m a stone, and the True Monarch you killed is an egg."

"It’s just a thin shell formed outside around the Daoist foundation, with nothing but liquid inside. Outside they can still rely on their mana to have some of the majesty of a True Monarch, but here they’re just a puddle of water. Do you understand?"

Gu Wen nodded slightly. He did not feel that he could easily face all True Monarchs at present.

Because Ao Tang had previously captured and killed a True Monarch with ease, and that True Monarch had one more fulfilled level than the one he had killed.

Ao Tang said, "The Daoist Sect has countless treasures; I can ask for a treasure to protect your life on your behalf, but you need to make the higher-ups see your worth. So, I need to report the specifics of your situation to them. Do you agree?"

"Do you even need to ask me?"

Gu Wen was a little surprised; in theory, the other party didn’t need to be so considerate of him.

"I wouldn’t have asked before, but now I do. Talent is a kind of strength that commands respect."

"I’ll follow Senior’s arrangement."

Once Ao Tang got the go-ahead, he turned and left the room, seeming able to transform into anything. He became a bee and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

All became quiet again. Gu Wen sat by the window, looking out at Luodu as it gradually darkened, when suddenly a thought occurred to him.

My thousand jin of Spiritual Medicine, where is it?

No sooner had the thought arisen than a streak of white light shone in the distance, and two figures stood in the air, each wielding a sword.

The night momentarily turned to day, as if an endless Sword Intent was being unleashed.

"Amitabha Buddha, third on the Human List, Buddha Sword, here to inquire about Xiao Daoist’s True Sword Skill."

In the cover of night, two figures crisscrossed, their sword lights clashing to the extreme. Finally, a dharma form of the Sword Buddha with three heads and six arms clashed with a Willow Tree Dharma, and the Sword Buddha was split in two by a sword, returning everything to tranquility.

It seemed that the third-ranked Buddha Sword had been defeated.

-----------------

Thump, thump, thump!

The door was knocked, and when Gu Wen opened it, he saw Hee Huan standing outside. He stepped aside to allow Hee Huan in, poured him a glass of water, and asked, "How much Spiritual Medicine did you get?"

Hee Huan held up his thumb and index finger, saying, "A total of seven hundred jin. There are two distribution plans. The first is each of us takes our share. The second is to give all the Spiritual Medicine to the Fox Fairy to refine into Pills, and then distribute according to the number of pills produced."

Gu Wen asked, "How much does the second option charge, Lu Chan?"

Hiring someone to practice Alchemy required payment, and Lu Chan, as one of the top Alchemists at present, could charge up to half of the pills produced. So, you would have to give half of the produced pills to the other party, and even then you might not get a spot in line.

But Gu Wen needed Heavenly Marrow, not the more easily refined pills.

"Only twenty percent. I guess she wants to do me a favor," Hee Huan responded with a very reasonable price.

After a brief thought, Gu Wen nodded slightly and said, "Then let’s go with the second option."

He estimated he could take about five hundred jin, or, to do a favor, take a little less, perhaps four hundred jin, which would be enough for him for quite a while. Eating them required not only refining the medicine’s power but also dealing with excess quantity; pills had no such concern.

Ao Tang could practice alchemy, but it seemed he wouldn’t be returning anytime soon.

Gu Wen shifted the topic, "Did you see the fight just now?"

"Of course, I was delayed because of it."

Describing the battle vividly, Hee Huan began to critique both parties.

Swordsmen, the kings of all weapons and the edge of the human race, were widely celebrated among cultivators. Many cultivators’ weapons of choice were swords.

Initially, among the Three Religions, there were Buddha, Tao, and Demon Swords, with each disputing over the strongest practitioner, using their blades to argue their doctrines. Only later did Broken Sword Mountain quell their strife.

This generation’s Sword Buddha emerged from the Buddha Tripod Sect, one of the Buddhist Four Realms Ten Positions. Rumor had it that she was born accompanied by the position of a Buddha, and at ten years old debated scriptures, leading a Fourth Realm high monk to pass away, thus earning her the title of Heaven-sent Buddha’s Son. The Buddhist Sect pinned their hopes on her, envisioning to nurture a new Buddha.

But for some unknown reason, her temperament suddenly changed, and she turned to cultivate the Way of the Sword, severing her dharma of boundless spiritual incense and transforming into the Sword Buddha of her generation.

Hee Huan then explained the hierarchy within the Buddhist Sect to Gu Wen, where the lowest position of great power started with the Vajra followed by Arhat, Bodhisattva, and then Buddha.

As for the Sword Buddha, due to differing power and aptitude between generations, at most they could only hope to become a Bodhisattva, typically only reaching the standard of an Arhat. Essentially, she went from being a potential Buddha Ancestor to a candidate for Arhat, which puzzled many.

Gu Wen, getting a glimpse into the mysteries of the cultivation world, mentally took notes, then inquired, "The third on the Man Ranking seemed to have lost to Xiao Yunyi."

"He certainly wouldn’t lose if he went all out, but he claimed they were only competing in swordsmanship. Could Brother Hongchen win without using his spear?"

Hee Huan countered, to which Gu Wen shook his head and frankly replied, "If I were to use only a sword, I would be undoubtedly defeated."

His Yuqing Sword Skill had only been cultivated to the Fourth Level; to beat his opponent, he would need at least the Seventh Level, perhaps even the Eighth. This was Gu Wen’s assessment based solely on his own Flame Spear without employing any other means.

And judging by the aura from the recent fight, Xiao Yunyi was evidently stronger than before.

Hee Huan’s mana was also much more potent than before, hinting that it wouldn’t be long until he fulfilled another level.

The two chatted a while more, and Hee Huan clearly warned Gu Wen about a Great Demon’s inheritance outside the city being a trap.

To enter Immortal Land, one must construct an array known as the Breaking Realm Array, which couldn’t be reused and was so costly that few people ventured in, leaving mostly just top-notch talents.

Thus, it attracted some great powers with ulterior motives, who left behind legacies to entice the prodigies, aiming to seize their bodies.

This ploy had been going on for countless years, yet each time, someone fell for it. The reason was that great powers would bring their life’s learnings and treasures, while the unique nature of Immortal Land made body seizing extremely difficult, giving these geniuses a chance to strike back at the old monsters.

Rather than a scheme, it seemed more like a gamble.

Not every talent entering Immortal Land was wealthy; many—from smaller and poorer sects—were in dire need of the resources and inheritance from these great powers.

"The key point is just the inheritance; those old monsters can’t possibly bring many Immortal Pills and medicines with them. If they could, I’d move the entire sect treasury in, and Xiao Yunyi would have to flee on sight."

In the end, Hee Huan boasted grandly and left the room.

Gu Wen sat in meditation, within his Qi Sea his Dao foundation at the Fourth Level was three-quarters fulfilled, still missing a hundred Heavenly Marrow to complete it, and needing two hundred and eighty more Heavenly Marrow to achieve the Sword Dao Dharma form.

He needed to refine his Yuqing Sword Skill to the Seventh Level to reach the level of Sword Dao Dharma before the opening of Heavenly Spring Mountain, defeating Broken Sword Mountain’s top talent in the realm of the sword.

’But it seems that the pure Seventh Level of Yuqing Sword Skill might not be enough.’

Gu Wen felt the pressure; being limited to swordsmanship was too restrictive for him.

Since Xiao Yunyi was exceptionally strong in swordsmanship, Gu Wen needed to overcome the other’s strength with his own weakness.

Sword Intent required time to condense, and although his realm in Yuqing Sword Skill allowed him to condense it much faster than before—over tenfold—it was ultimately still too short a time.

At present, Gu Wen couldn’t unleash the full might of the Yuqing Sword Skill and could only hope that the thousand-jin Spiritual Object could be refined into more than two hundred Heavenly Marrow.

The night passed quietly as Gu Wen immersed himself in honing his Sword Intent, only interrupted by the sound of birds and the increasing commotion outside.

Opening his eyes, exiting meditation, he found that contrary to other days, the sunlight did not pour into the room, nor was it a rainy or overcast day outside.

A green mountain blocked out the sky, like a Heavenly Sword piercing the clouds.

The first layer of clouds could only reach halfway up the mountain, with layer upon layer of auspicious cloud seeming like a crown, casting Luodu entirely in its shadow.

Heavenly Spring Mountain, grown a hundredfold overnight!

Gu Wen craned his neck but couldn’t see the peak. Snapping back to reality, he hurried to Yu Hua’s room next door, not bothering to knock and pushing the door open.

Yu Hua stood by the window, gazing at the sky, her delicate figure draped in light veils revealing a hint of astonishment.

Gu Wen approached and asked, "Is this how things always are when Heavenly Spring Mountain opens?"

"No," Yu Hua shook her head, her tone grave, "This is the first time since the ancient times."