Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 114 - 98 The Number One Swordsmanship of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 114: Chapter 98 The Number One Swordsmanship of Heaven and Earth

A stick of incense later, the atmosphere returned to its usual calm.

Before Gu Wen’s thoughts could diverge, Yu Hua pulled him aside to write down the "Luo Shenfu" he had just recited.

After six months, Gu Wen’s calligraphy still wasn’t easy on the eyes, but with the aid of his cultivation, it had at least progressed beyond ’chicken scratch’.

His crude handwriting carried a hint of the essence of spear and sword, exhibiting a unique style.

While the fragrance of books and ink blended with the scent added by the red sleeves, the conversation returned to its original topic.

Yu Hua said, "The unity of the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Swords is the True Sword Dao. The origins of this are profound. You only need to know that the Sword Master of Broken Sword Mountain first transitioned from Tao to Buddhism, then from Buddhism to Demon, secretly learning from all three to comprehend and transcend the Dao Realm with his sword."

Gu Wen paused his writing, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Even after betraying two religions, there were still those who would take him in?"

This was no mere quest for knowledge but stealing secrets and apostasy.

"Bald donkeys are the most fond of stealing disciples, and the Demon Sects care least about one’s background," Yu Hua answered. "As long as one’s talent is high enough, and one is strong enough, even after turning to the Demon Path, it’s not impossible to return to the Daoist sects."

"..."

Gu Wen fell silent; indeed, even in the pursuit of immortal cultivation, human nature prevailed. No great power with high cultivation had achieved immortality.

As long as there existed a large number of peers, compromises were inevitable, and it was unavoidable to be tainted by worldly concerns. This was a good thing for him, as it meant those on the path of cultivation still thought with conventional logic.

"What happened afterward?"

"This person was derided as a servant to the Three Religions. Later, after achieving the Dao Realm, he established the doctrine of Broken Sword Mountain and directly became known as the Sword Master. Prominent figures from all Three Religions acknowledged their kinship."

"Why then is this technique not found in Broken Sword Mountain?"

"There are two theories: one is that this was a pact between the Three Religions and the Sword Master. Achieving the Dao Realm is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, but there are still quite a few old monsters within the Three Religions. The other theory is that the True Sword Dao is not a specific technique; it is almost akin to the Dao itself. Leaving behind such cultivation techniques would only mislead the younger generations."

Yu Hua turned her head slightly to gaze out the window at the green mountains and said, "Can you reach the mountain peak just by watching it while you walk? If future generations are capable, they will naturally seek out the Three Swords of Buddha, Tao, and Demon."

Gu Wen suddenly understood; the state of the True Sword Dao was exceedingly lofty. Leaving it behind would likely wreak havoc on the sects.

As for warnings or other measures, in the span of time that cultivators lived, which could stretch over thousands of years, all warnings and contingencies would become ineffective.

Yu Hua implied meaningfully, "Indeed, there are some who have found it."

Gu Wen, ever intelligent, and having honed his wits for five years at Dragon Bridge, guessed, "Xiao Yunyi?"

Yu Hua nodded and said, "Correct. Broken Sword Mountain went to great lengths to get the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Swords for him, though perhaps he doesn’t possess the latter levels of the Demon Sword yet. Before this, he was stronger than the Jade Sword Buddha; but as of today, he is just a bit weaker than you."

"To grasp the world’s number one sword, one must bear its weight."

The unification of the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Swords is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Skills, and the world’s strongest offensive technique. Yet, even mastering one skill is enough to make one a Venerable. Gu Wen already possessed the Yuqing Daoji, and Yu Hua did not recommend that he pursue the True Sword Dao.

Even someone as strong as Xiao Yunyi, the current foremost talent of Broken Sword Mountain and the most talented sword cultivator of his time, had to pause before the True Sword Dao. If he had diligently cultivated the Broken Sword Dao Foundation without seeking the True Sword Dao, he wouldn’t languish at the seventh position in the rankings.

But Yu Hua wouldn’t speak plainly about this; everything should be decided by Gu Wen himself. He had the qualifications to train in the True Sword Dao—it was only a matter of time.

Advising him against practice might affect his morale now, for Yu Hua knew that Gu Wen had strong self-control, capable of enduring as naturally as drinking water, if necessary.

Endurance was not necessarily a good thing.

Yet unexpectedly, Gu Wen asked her, "Can I practice it?"

Yu Hua replied, "It’s not a question of can or cannot, but whether you want to or not. If you practice it, of course, you’ll succeed. It’s just a matter of time."

He knew when to reveal his sharp edge and when to maintain humility. His intelligence made him needless of guidance; sometimes, when faced with risk, he preferred to opt for caution.

Although now beginning to show his talent, he was not yet fully mature—but still, he remained that slippery eel.

"As for the Heavenly Spring Mountain matter..."

"The restriction on the number of attendees has been lifted. If you can’t make it up there, I will take you. Aren’t you also going to refine Jade Pendant?"

"It may delay things a bit, but my dharma form should be fine."

Gu Wen shook his head, estimating that the amount of Heavenly Marrow he could acquire was enough to congeal the Sword Dao Dharma. He would use the remaining Heavenly Marrow to practice the second and third of the Buddha and Demon Swords.

Currently, his issue was not with cultivation but that his techniques were not perfect enough; he needed an external cultivation that could compete with talents from the Three Religions, like the Jade Sword Buddha.

The Three Swords of Buddha, Tao, and Demon were difficult to practice, but for Heavenly Marrow, it wasn’t too difficult.

Yu Hua just smiled and remained silent, her belief or disbelief uncertain.

Subsequently, Gu Wen passed the message from the Demon Sect’s successor to Yu Hua, who merely scanned it briefly before tossing it onto the table.

"The successor of the Demon Sect and Xiao Yunyi plan to set up a ploy, intending to work with me and the Jade Sword Buddha to block those old monsters on the outside. But the successor has a bad relationship with the nun, so he wants me to act as a go-between."

"Once the Sword Pond opens, the Sword Array will activate, leaving only the Ten Thousand Sword Path."

Gu Wen also glanced at the message.

The content of the message roughly indicated that the Demon Sect’s successor and Xiao Yunyi felt they had attracted too many old monsters, which might affect their chances at Heavenly Spring Mountain, and they alone couldn’t withstand everyone.

Thus, they wanted to enlist Yu Hua and the Jade Sword Buddha as allies, claiming that the alliance of the Demon Sect’s successor, the Jade Sword Buddha, and Xiao Yunyi would make even a Venerable wary. And with Yu Hua’s help, no one could contend.

Yu Hua asked, "What do you think?"

Gu Wen nodded and said, "If we go in and activate the Sword Array afterward, it would indeed be to our advantage. But don’t they want the Immortality Pill?"

"Young and talented, one generally wouldn’t be like moths to a flame," Yu Hua picked up the Luo Shenfu that Gu Wen had just finished writing, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said, "If you think there’s no problem, then I will participate in this so-called Buddha, Tao, and Demon Sword Inquiry Conference."

A month later, the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Sword Inquiry Conference.

Two months later, at the Sword Pond of Heavenly Spring Mountain.

Gu Wen was now at the Third Level Dao Foundation and Yuqing Sword Skill Fifth Level, still insufficient to contend with the Three Religions’ Talents.

But to be aware of deficiencies and pursue improvement, to study as if never matching up, was to fear losing it.

What he learned from Jade Sword Buddha was not just inadequacy but also a complement to his own cultivation. If these flaws continued to be concealed, Gu Wen would actually fear their non-appearance.

Cultivation was for the sake of becoming immortal.

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

The next day.

Gu Wen specifically went out to meet Brother Hee and Hee Huan to ensure that they were well and also inquired about the Demon Sect heir.

The background of Jun Yan, the Demon Sect heir, was unknown. All that was known was that his identity as the heir had been recognized by the giants of the Demon Dao from the four abysses and eight caves. It was rumored that he might be related to a reclusive Demon Lord.

First, the Demon Sect heir is not called Hee Junyan but Jun Yan. Second, he is not Brother Hee’s older brother. Third, he is not Lu Chan’s older brother but rather her ’senior sister.’

He disguised himself as a woman to enter Qianfeng Sect and stole the Sect’s Secret Techniques, which made his illusionary techniques even more vivid. During that time, he took great care of the newly initiated Lu Chan and had kept in touch with her ever since.

Jun Yan’s pills came from Lu Chan.

And he was a mortal enemy to Jade Sword Buddha. The two had fought for many years. Once, in order to pursue Jun Yan, Jade Sword Buddha bravely entered the Demon Sect alone, with a single sword smashing through two abysses and four caves and defeated ten thousand Demon Dao cultivators, among them thousands of geniuses and dozens of peerless talents, just to find the hidden Jun Yan.

Though the premise of such a heroic feat assumed that the older generation would not intervene in the fights of the younger generation, the strength of Jade Sword Buddha among his contemporaries was apparent.

As to why the two became enemies, no one knew. The only certainty was that whenever Jun Yan appeared, Jade Sword Buddha would be sure to kill him with one sword strike.

Gu Wen asked, "How to identify the change technique?"

Hee Huan replied from the side, "For that, you need to ask the dead nun; she always finds me."

"....."

Gu Wen and Brother Hee were speechless as they looked at Hee Huan, unable to detect anything amiss, from cultivation aura to facial expression and demeanor.

The feeling of having someone close unexpectedly replaced was chilling.

Jun Yan, disguised as Hee Huan, smiled and said, "There’s no need for such expressions. I rarely kill people. On the contrary, the more strong people there are imitating my techniques, the better. I hope they live so that my identities increase."

"And you need not be afraid, I came here to give thanks; I didn’t expect you could really manage to invite that Heavenly Girl."

He threw a small bag of pills to Gu Wen, and then in the blink of an eye, he turned into a palm-sized paper figure.

Gu Wen glanced at the bag. It still contained ten top-grade pills from yesterday, with the potency roughly equivalent to seven-year-old Heavenly Marrow.

But he couldn’t be happy about it, as this helpless feeling was what he loathed the most, like when he faced Zhao Feng five years ago.

His cultivation was still not high enough!

Then Gu Wen and Brother Hee confirmed Hee Huan’s safety and went to visit him at his mansion, asking the servants to announce their presence.

"Brother Red Dust, Brother Hee, what brings you here?"

Hee Huan emerged somewhat disheveled, and behind him followed nearly twenty varied women, fat and thin, beautiful and plain, and even those with disabilities. Hee Huan was not picky; the only thing he chose was how pitiful the circumstances were.

Brother Hee saw this scene for the first time and expressed his bewilderment at Hee Huan’s preferences. Then they started to argue again.

Further away, another group was engaged in a magic battle, the waves churned seven or eight meters high along the river.

In Luodu, another peaceful day.

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

After half a day of commotion, Gu Wen could finally return to his room for cultivation.

With the second batch of pills and Jun Yan’s token of appreciation, he had gained a total of fifty-seven-year-old Heavenly Marrow.

Then he went to obtain three jars of Spiritual Wine from Jiu Zhenjun, drinking them all in one go and feeling a little dizzy afterward. The Heavenly Marrow reached sixty years. Combined with the original thirty years of Heavenly Marrow, his total now was ninety years.

Yuqing Sword Skill Sixth Level was a step from intent into spirit. To reach Yuqing Sword God required eighty years of Heavenly Marrow.

Eighty years of Heavenly Marrow turned into a furnace of heaven and earth. The Jade Sword was refined within it for ten days, emerging divinely sharp.

In comparison to the Flame Dharma form, its hardness jumped from fifty to one hundred, and its power was already seventy percent that of the Flame Spear.

[Heavenly Marrow ten years.]

[Buddha Sword takes the great momentum of heaven and earth, and with one strike, can create three thousand worlds. The First Level requires forty-five years of Heavenly Marrow.]

[Demon Sword draws upon the murky energy of celestial yin and terrestrial turbidity, forming a sword body thousands of feet long, capable of tearing the sky and shattering the earth. The First Level requires forty-five years of Heavenly Marrow.]

The Heavenly Marrow requirements for the other two swords were reduced.