Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 355 - 348 Traveling 9

Chapter 355: Chapter 348 Traveling 9

Lin Xin remained silent, not replying.

He had been hiding all this time, using Formation Talismans to conceal his aura, all to delay the Red Spine Sect from finding him.

Now it seemed that he had delayed them to the utmost already.

He stood up.

"This matter has nothing to do with you, please leave as soon as possible," he said, and without waiting for the boy king to reply, he walked out of the Cave Mansion directly.

"You little..." the furious voice of the boy king came from behind, but it gradually faded away.

Outside the cave, in the gray-white sky, a dozen dragon-like streaks of red and black light kept circling.

Behind the lights was a large cluster of clouds, carrying a group of people, all dressed in the distinctive attire of the Red Spine Sect.

One of them stood at the forefront, holding a redwood lute, with no hair, eyebrows, or beard, his entire head shiny and bald.

"Red Flower Sword Devil, for the assassination of our Red Spine Sect’s Guest Elder, Elder Chi Shengming, and the sneak attack on the Double Foundation Elder leading to his death, I, Iron Zither King Hou Wuyou, have personally come to capture you. Will you defend yourself?"

The bald lute player looked down from the clouds.

"Ranked fourth in the Xiuling List, Hou Wuyou?" Lin Xin asked, looking up in response.

"It is indeed I," the bald man said expressionlessly, but a faint unease was surfacing in his heart.

The Xiuling List represented the ranking of the strongest martial artists below Yuan Jing recognized by the entire Central Prefecture.

This Iron Zither King, Hou Wuyou, was not known for his martial arts but for the Yin Yang Iron Zither in his hands. This zither, refined by him over two hundred and ninety years, was a top-tier magical weapon capable of firing thousands of Sun God Needles, piercing through anything, especially potent from a long distance under the scorching sun.

And as the fourth on the Xiuling List, his power was naturally much stronger than that of Elder Chi Shengming and the other Foundation Establishment experts, which was why the Red Spine Sect arranged for him to lead the capture.

This was also the strongest expert the Red Spine Sect could dispatch without violating the unspoken rules.

Of course, to be safe, Hou Wuyou was only leading the front openly, but there were actually more than ten other people; they were the real force dispatched to capture Lin Xin.

"Now that I have arrived, it is up to you to surrender willingly or for us to take action. Think carefully, for if a fight ensues, life or death will be unpredictable," said the Iron Zither King indifferently.

Lin Xin didn’t look at him, but his gaze drifted to the side where those more than ten red-garbed people stood huddled together like turtles washing. These people were all enveloped in red robes, wearing hoods, covering their faces so completely that not even their eyes were visible through the murky grey mist, utterly concealing their faces.

"I’ve heard that the top five on the Xiuling List are in an entirely different league from those behind. Today I’d like to witness myself what this different level is all about."

Lin Xin slowly drew out the Red Flower Sword, angling it diagonally in front of him to the right.

"It seems you won’t shed tears until you see the coffin..." Hou Wuyou’s expression turned cold, as he slowly raised the lute in front of him. A nearly liquefied dark red Demonic Qi suddenly ignited from his hand, the burning palm slowly extended towards the Yin Yang Lute. As the distance closed,

a terrifying pressure almost solid in nature, descended from the sky, targeting Lin Xin and crashing down upon him.

Boom!!

Without attacking, just the Demonic Qi’s pressure, similar to Spiritual Energy’s spiritual pressure, a mere consolidation of momentum and oppression,

made it seem as if the air around Lin Xin was twisting, ripples of air currents continuously vibrating and spreading out.

With his body as the center, like a small pebble thrown into a pond, ripples radiated outwards in large concentric circles.

The terrifying pressure pulled at Lin Xin’s long hair, blowing it wildly behind him, as his black robe fluttered loudly in the chaos.

Hum...

The Red Flower Sword slowly brightened, and a deep Demonic Pressure, akin to hidden fangs, likewise swelled.

clang!!!

Suddenly, a deep bell toll drifted over from not too far away.

This bell sound was like the morning bell of a mountain temple, somewhat clear, but with an echoing reverberation that soaked into one’s core. It seemed to permeate through one’s entire body, causing it to subtly vibrate in harmony with the bell.

Both Lin Xin and the Iron Zither King showed a slight change in their expressions.

"I’ll let you off today!" Iron Zither King looked warily in the direction of the bell and, with the group of red-garbed people on the cloud, immediately turned and left.

The cloud zipped away into the distance.

Lin Xin’s eyes flickered, and he leaped up, becoming a streak of black light as he flew towards the source of the bell sound.

Crossing over a vast range of forest and grassland, he soon saw, within a field of limestone spires, the tallest spire where a gaunt old man in a white robe sat cross-legged. The description ’skin and bones’ didn’t even begin to convey his emaciated state; he seemed more like a mummy that had just awakened from a thousand-year-old coffin. His skin was also grey and black.

He simply sat on the sharp tip of the spire as if it were no different from sitting on flat ground.

What caught Lin Xin’s attention was the black patterned small bell the size of a human head that the old man held, the other hand clutching a small hammer, clearly the source of the bell tolling.

As Lin Xin approached, the old man turned his face and slowly revealed a gruesomely unpleasant smile.

"I am Guan Mingyue, giving my respects to the Crown Prince," the old man greeted.

Lin Xin hovered in midair, quietly gazing at the old man, noticing the smiling human face etched on that small bell, his eyes faintly shifting.

"So it is an Elder from our Sect. It’s somewhat impolite of Lin to make Elder Guan come all this way," he said.

Elder!

How many Elders there are in the Yuan Dou Demon Sect is unknown to all, but what everyone does know is that there are definitely more than one.

This Guan Mingyue should be the one sent by the sect specifically to assist him.

As one of the Sect Master’s closed-door disciples, this is a guaranteed benefit and treatment.

"Could it be that something happened to the sect for Elder Guan to seek me out personally?" Lin Xin asked.

Guan Mingyue smiled, though his smile was actually more terrifying than crying.

"The Crown Prince’s cultivation has made significant progress, but some cannot bear to see it. After the Great Princess learned of this, she specially asked this old one to come out of retirement to protect and support Your Highness on your journey."

Lin Xin understood instantly.

It seemed that the Red Spine Sect did not just send the Fourth Layer’s Iron Qin King; it was probable that Yuan Jing, the old freak, was also quietly stirling. Therefore, the sect had an Elder personally move out to ensure his safety.

It seemed that the Demon Sect was keeping an eye on every single move he made.

Guan Mingyue saw that Lin Xin remained silent and continued.

"Your Highness is highly talented and perceptive, but I wonder which layer of the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique you have reached?"

"Elder Guan can’t discern it?" Lin Xin was genuinely surprised.

Guan Mingyue shook his head.

"The Yuan Dou Demonic Technique is one of the top Demonic Arts in the Central Prefecture, and apart from those few Supreme Cultivation Techniques, even within the Immortal-Demon Alliance, only techniques like the Netherworld Art can be mentioned in the same breath. It is not so easily seen through. Even if it were your master, the Sect Master himself, he would likely not be able to fully discern your cultivation level."

"I see." Lin Xin understood that this was an indirect way of telling him that the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique possessed an extremely terrifying concealment aspect, and there was no need to worry about being easily seen through by others.

Guan Mingyue glanced at Lin Xin.

"Recently, Your Highness has been capturing Foundation Establishment talents to comprehend Taoist Intent, which has already caused quite a bit of resentment among the various sects. The Red Spine Sect has even sent out an Elder intending to ambush. Before coming here, this old one has already encountered the opposing Elder."

"Thank you, Elder Guan, for your protection." Lin Xin knew that the other party had mentioned this deliberately to let him owe a favor.

"Your Highness is too polite. This is what this old one should do. Below Yuan Jing, all are but ants; this saying, Your Highness must remember well. The gap between Yuan Jing and the levels below is vast, as different as heaven and earth. It is not something that can be compensated for by talent or aptitude," Guan Mingyue said earnestly.

"Should Your Highness encounter an enemy of the Yuan Jing level when alone, do not hesitate to employ every method at your disposal and flee immediately."

Lin Xin nodded solemnly.

Although the books recorded that some Golden Core Daoist Masters could even use some heaven-defying Divine Skills to injure Yuan Jing, those were exceedingly rare cases.

And most of those were Innate Divine Abilities, specifically, the extremely rare and powerful offensive types among the Innate ones.

Such chances could only be acquired by one with a Divine Beast Bloodline.

Lin Xin did not consider himself to have any Innate Bloodlines; he was just an ordinary person. His Innate Divine Ability, Divine Shadow, actually had only one effect, which was to greatly increase speed.

Having now comprehended nearly fifty different types of Taoist Intent, he had been promoted to the Fourth Layer of the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique, but the upcoming Fifth Layer was a significant hurdle. He needed to accumulate at least three hundred different types of Taoist Intent for any advancement.

This was a process where quantitative change induces qualitative change.

And the Fifth Layer of the Demonic Arts was equivalent to condensing Yuan Jing. This layer required a very long time, not just in comprehending Taoist Intent, but also in using the correct Taoist Intent to condense the Yuan embryo.

Coming back to his senses, Lin Xin looked towards Guan Mingyue.

"By that, you mean Elder Guan is here to aid my trials?"

"That’s only one part. In another year, it will be the grand ceremony of the Taoist Sect, as well as the re-establishment of the Twin Lists. The Great Princess has asked this old one to pass a message to the Crown Prince, hoping that you will personally attend to represent our sect," Guan Mingyue explained.

"The grand ceremony of the Taoist Sect?"

Lin Xin’s brows furrowed slightly, as he was pressed for time and couldn’t afford to waste it on other trivial matters.

The ceremony would probably consist merely of formalities and small talk, wasting his time.

"Your Highness needn’t worry; the ceremony is mainly for exchanging and showcasing the strengths of all sects and factions. Given that Your Highness wants to comprehend Taoist Intent of numerous and varied types, you would likely have to rely ultimately on the Myriad Laws Hall."

"What is the Myriad Laws Hall?" Lin Xin was hearing this term for the first time.

"The so-called Myriad Laws Hall is where everyone has, upon excluding the Twin Lists, left a record of their Taoist Intent. It is a tradition and a rule and offers significant benefits," Guan Mingyue said with a smile.

"Leaving a record? What benefits does that bring?"

"Does Your Highness recall, during the Foundation Establishment breakthrough, if you heard anything about the Yuan embryo when you encountered Sun Spring?"

Lin Xin shook his head.

He didn’t hear anything about it; during his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, he hadn’t used Sun Spring at all but directly used the Yōufù system of Body Cultivation to surge forward.

Of course, he couldn’t mention that since bringing something out from the Yōufù was one of his biggest secrets.

"Since Your Highness hasn’t heard, then let this old one enlighten you," Guan Mingyue said, shifting his body into a cross-legged sitting position.

"In our breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, regardless of whether it’s Taoism, Buddhism, or Demonic Arts, one requires a strand of Sun Spring to enter the Innate to form the Foundation. This is the harmonization of Yin and Yang."

"To ascend to Yuan Jing, apart from comprehending the Law Domain, it is crucial to form the Yuan embryo. And the Yuan embryo must be cultivated with Sun Spring."

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