Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 362 - 4: A Strand of Gold Threads Gathered from the Sea_2

Chapter 362: Chapter 4: A Strand of Gold Threads Gathered from the Sea_2

Such a discovery made Xie Yunnan immediately begin to use her mana to deploy her movement technique, her figure darting out like a ghostly apparition. Perhaps it was some kind of mechanism present on the ship – once mana fluctuations were detected, the shrill sound of a bell rang out immediately.

Gu Wen and his two companions took only a few breaths to locate the suspicious cultivator who was affixing talismans.

There was no exchange between the two parties; Xie Yunnan’s spiritual sword turned into a streak of flowing light, flying out, and a head immediately dropped to the ground.

Chunxuan pinched a spell with his hand and slapped it down on the core of the Immortal Boat. Ink-like, a patch of mud smeared over the black talisman.

With the problem resolved, Gu Wen stooped down, his fingertip lightly touched, and a wisp of barely discernible purple qi entered his hand.

The purple qi entered the Qi Sea, marking the heads of three hundred people, but he couldn’t find the true body.

One, the distance was too far. Two, he hadn’t learned any powerful probing techniques. He could only carry out the most primitive divine thought investigation, scanning tens of thousands of Immortal Boats within a hundred miles radius and the several hundreds of thousands of passengers, each and every cultivator.

This took thirty breaths, which made Gu Wen feel that he should learn some magic skills for tracking auras.

If one does not learn, one will not know.

Gu Wen’s mouth opened slightly, and a wisp of golden light wrapped in Qi Refinement Realm mana flew out, leaving a hair-sized hole in the hull.

Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, mana golden light.

This was what Chi Yu Zi had taught him in the past.

Boom!

The entire body of the ship began to shake as if something had collided with the Immortal Boat.

Xie Yunnan said, "Let’s go to the deck first. If the Immortal Boat can’t hold up later, we can escape."

The three of them exited the core cabin, and the ship’s cultivators who had sensed something amiss also rushed over. Xie Yunnan spoke with them, informing them of the cause and effect, and during this time she noticed the Daoist named Red Dust had silently left.

Gu Wen walked down the long corridor, with the glow of fire illuminating the right side of the boat outside. The next moment, the firelight turned into golden light, reflecting in his desolate eyes.

Golden light streamed past one round glass window after another, drawing the attention of everyone to the outside; Xie Yunnan also looked away from the somewhat strange Daoist.

A golden thread flew across the chaotic Immortal Boats, exceptionally conspicuous amidst the fire and turmoil.

The Immortal Boats that initially exploded, two figures fought in mid-air, both at Nascent Soul Stage, scattering Immortal Boat debris within a ten-mile radius as they battled.

"You despicable rats, daring to make a fuss while Master Wen is in seclusion!"

"Victory to the king, defeat to the bandit, if we cannot defeat Qingcang, naturally we would resort to some tricks? Today is but the opening fireworks for the Tianxuan Conference, brace yourselves Taiyi City!"

Surrounded by purple qi, a Nascent Soul Cultivator opened his arms, and the chaotic cluster of Immortal Boats ahead suddenly stopped.

A strand of golden silk hung up the thousands of Immortal Boats, and he caught sight of a strand of golden light. In the next breath, the Nascent Soul Evil Cultivator was also pierced through the brow.

The Evil Cultivators, engaged in battles with the cultivators of Taiyi City, were all stunned, equally given no time to react; the golden light accurately penetrated their foreheads.

Nascent Soul Stage, Golden Core Stage, Sensing Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage... all levels of cultivation seemed like useless trinkets; it took only a breath for the golden light to snatch their lives, stringing them up in some orderly sequence.

In the following eight seconds, golden light passed through all the Immortal Boats, exterminating all the Evil Cultivators.

Even at this moment, people hadn’t reacted, still howling in panic, while the exploding and uncontrollable Immortal Boats were immobilized.

The golden light appeared in the first breath, too fine to be noticed by anybody.

The golden light appeared in the second breath; it penetrated the Protective Array of three thousand-fathom Immortal Boats, and its subtlety was still unknown to anyone.

The golden light appeared in the third breath; it had spanned a hundred miles across the sky, with a thousand Immortal Boats and tens of thousands of flying shuttles, all under the dominion of the golden light.

Gu Wen returned to the deck, standing at the edge, a thread of golden silk wrapped around his index finger three times, gently lifting and suspending million of Immortal Boats.

It was merely Qi Refinement Realm mana, merely an inch at the fingertip, yet it propped up three hundred miles of the sky.

"Old Lord, your way of using the Demon Sword is indeed wonderful."

Gu Wen’s lips curled in a smile, reminiscing about what the old friend had taught.

Sword Intent, thin as silk, holds up heaven and earth, hangs the sun and moon.

It sounded exaggerated, and once Jun Yan had also described it as such, yet now Gu Wen had accomplished it.

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

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the golden thread disappeared, and the stagnant Immortal Boats began to move.

More Imperial Guards from Taiyi City had arrived, among them a great power from the Mahayana Realm. Although the scene was chaotic, it was at least under control.

Another two hours passed, and the Immortal Boat began to move slowly, but even more slowly than before.

A Steward from the boat’s managing sect was calming the passengers, explaining when they would arrive in Taiyi City.

"Taiyi City needs to inspect all personnel and the Immortal Boat to repel any remnants of Evil Cultivators, and now disembarking is not permitted. Everyone, please cooperate and do not leave on your own initiative, or you might be mistaken for an Evil Cultivator and captured by the Imperial Guards of Taiyi City."

"Today, after surviving disaster, great blessings shall follow. The dining hall has now prepared a complimentary dinner for everyone, complete with wine and meat. Everyone is welcome to eat their fill; Taiyi City will pick up the tab."

The dining hall was the restaurant aboard the Immortal Boat.

With its size ten times that of an aircraft carrier from his previous life, the various rooms and facilities were very spacious. Looking around, hundreds of long tables were laden with food.

Some Cultivators had dietary restrictions or were at a certain stage in their cultivation, contenting themselves with some Spiritual Wine.

Gu Wen, on the other hand, had no such concerns and started to eat ravenously, devouring food resembling roasted suckling pigs and comparing them to the food from his previous life.

Such a wild demeanor was quite eye-catching.

"Fellow Daoist of the Red Dust, may I sit here?"

Xie Yunnan approached, followed by an ’oh’ of odd exclamation from the disciples of Broken Sword Mountain. Immediately after, a yellow-clothed man sent over a gloomy look.

Scenes like this had been played out countless times in different places, with different people, and at different times. The matters of the heart, existing in the past, present, and future.

If Gu Wen were younger by eight hundred and fifty years, he would have been thrilled at twenty-something, brimming with joy, imagining all sorts of possibilities.

They might have started planning to drink and share cups of wine after exchanging only a few words.

To yearn for love in one’s youth is natural.

Then Gu Wen would return to reality, considering his own identity and status, and consequently reining in his thoughts. In contrast, he saw that younger member of the Liuyun Sect as quite bold and admirable for his courage.

Perhaps if he had been less aggressive and haughty, his chances of success would have been higher.

Gu Wen was certain of this, for he had already experienced it.

"Please, take a seat."

Xie Yunnan sat down opposite Gu Wen, smoothing out the folds of her dress with gentle hands. Her long, slender eyebrows carried a hint of sharpness, and her palms, unlike those of ordinary women, were full of scars and callouses.

She tentatively transmitted her voice: "Should I address you as Senior, or as Fellow Daoist?"

"Either is fine."

Gu Wen’s lips curled with a hint of a smile as he reassessed this inheritor of the Innate Sword Bone, a true legacy of ancient times.

Theoretically, it was impossible for her to detect any traces, even if she fixed her gaze on him from start to finish. A giant extending a finger towards an ant can only let it perceive the crevices of the skin like chasms, but not the full extent of its form.

Conversely, if she did discover something, that would be rather peculiar.

Xiao Yunyi’s disciple had excellent natural talent; the Innate Sword Bone should be a physique born from the Law’s projection into the world after an Immortal Sword achieved its path. But she was not yet at the Golden Core Peak, and it would be hard for her to glimpse his Little Saintly being.

"Was that golden light Divine Skill from earlier the work of Senior?"

"How did you figure it out?"

Gu Wen did not deny, and Xie Yunnan’s eyes lit up as she answered, "It was a guess. Everyone else was looking outside the window, while only you appeared very calm."

"You’re very intelligent and observant, smarter than your master by far."

Gu Wen complimented her, which made Xie Yunnan more certain.

The man before her with an unremarkable appearance was the great power sent from the Sanqing Taoist Sect to liaise with her.

Recently, the Human Race had been plagued with frequent appearances of Evil Cultivators. The Three Religions’ great powers were exhausted from pursuit, and many times the Evil Cultivators had escaped. It was believed that there was a traitor among them, and self-inspections were sure to be ineffective.

Hence, the Sanqing Taoist Sect conspired with Broken Sword Mountain to send someone for a covert investigation.

Her master said the great power dispatched by the Sanqing Taoist Sect possessed a divine body, nearly invincible among peers, able to kill a True Monarch as easily as stepping on an ant, and also a friend of his.

Putting it all together, this would be none other than Gu Wen before her, right?

Although she was unsure why this Senior had arrived early, she had certainly witnessed his vast divine abilities.

"I am an envoy sent by Broken Sword Mountain specifically to meet with Senior. This is my token of proof."

A palm-sized silver badge floated up from beneath the table, landing on Gu Wen’s thigh.

"Hmm?"