Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 469 - 463: Getting Started 4

Chapter 469: Chapter 463: Getting Started 4

The old man’s eyes were half closed, his face expressionless, just tilting his head slightly to glance to the side.

"Daoist Shang Yang, you have arrived late."

As soon as the voice fell, a burst of white vapor exploded behind him, and from within it, two yellow-robed Daoist nuns—one tall and one short—slowly appeared.

The taller Daoist nun wore a purple crystal crown; her demeanor was serene, holding a delicate horsetail whisk in her hand. What was peculiar about this Daoist nun was her enormous height, almost three times that of an ordinary person, nearly reaching four meters!

From afar it seemed tolerable, but standing next to the shorter Daoist nun, she looked even more exaggerated, like an enlarged version of a meditating Taoist.

The smaller Daoist nun was delicate with lovely features, with a purple crystal embedded between her eyebrows and long red patterns faintly visible on the back of her right hand.

"Your Mysterious Leaf Cult’s four-direction spiritual Heavenly Venerable is truly incredible, even finding this old man’s hidden dwelling. Speak, what brings you to summon this recluse?"

Without turning his head, the old man spoke lightly.

"Daoist, you are a unique person, naturally untouched by fame and above the worldly affairs, but such a rare opportunity is hard to find. Our master has specially commanded me to invite you to the Taikun Birthday Banquet."

The giant Daoist nun spoke in a low and indifferent voice.

"That is a matter for your Vermilion Bird Holy Court." The old man replied offhandedly.

"The favor owed last time by the Heavenly Venerable." The Daoist nun reminded.

"Deal," the old man said decisively. "I am Jade Immortal, how may I address you, Daoist friend?"

Finally, he slowly stood up, casually throwing his fishing rod aside. It fell into the creek and disappeared in the blink of an eye—not just the fishing rod, but even the school of fish vanished, as if they had never existed.

"I walk through this world known only by my Daoist title." The colossal Daoist nun lowered her head.

"The mighty True Monarch of Shang Yang fears that this old man would use your true name against you?" The Jade Immortal old man said disdainfully.

"One does not stand under a wall that is about to collapse," replied the True Monarch of Shang Yang, smiling slightly.

The old man stared at her for a long while but did not insist any further.

"Well, I have long heard of the great name of True Monarch Mingxin, and it happens to be an excellent opportunity."

***********************

Time flew by.

In the Sword Sect’s Yu Peak realm, on Tai Kun Mountain.

Massive golden chains, linked together, densely encircled the entire mountain, resembling a huge golden fishing net that tightly ensnared the mountain from top to bottom.

In the half-air around the mountain, the numerous translucent Sword Shadows floated, rotating slowly.

At a glance, one could see at least hundreds of thousands of translucent Sword Shadows continuously turning, surrounding the mountain.

Below the floating Sword Shadows were procession after procession of well-wishers, diligently following the rules and climbing the mountain on foot.

Every so often, a disciple from the Sword Sect would come forward to guide them.

Around the mountain, there were four paths leading to the mountain gate, and these paths were like streams of unceasing human traffic. Large groups of people, exotic beasts, and carriages made their way toward Tai Kun Mountain.

"What a magnificent Nine Void Yin Yang Sword Array!"

From the window of an ox cart, a beautiful woman peered out. She looked up at the Sword Shadows spinning in the sky, her eyes reflecting genuine admiration and astonishment.

"Is Valley Master Xiao proficient in formations?"

The carriage was spacious, containing not only the beautiful woman, but also two other men and a woman.

The four were sitting opposite each other.

One of the men, dressed in brocade, casually asked while holding a cup of wine.

They were all regional lords who had come from their own territories to attend the banquet.

Lin Xin was also among them; after the redivision of the Sword Sect’s territory, the four were the beneficiaries.

Attending this banquet, they happened to meet on the way, so they traveled together.

The brocade-clad young man kneeling beside Lin Xin, holding wine, was Villa Master Chen Yuesheng. He governed a tenth of the Great Song territory, a wealthy local strongman.

Opposite him sat two women, both not yet thirty, one dazzlingly beautiful and the other tranquil—each with her own grace.

The stunningly beautiful woman Xiao Ye, the Valley Master, was the head of the Elixir Hall of the Sword Sect.

The serene woman was a recent rising star in the Formation Hall, having taken over the position only a couple of years ago—a woman surnamed Zhao.

Lin Xin had not asked for her name.

He was sitting alone, drinking and pouring for himself, occasionally listening to the others’ casual conversation. If anyone sought his opinion, he would reply casually.

His Spirit Heart Villa was strong enough to contend with the Jin Dan aristocratic Hua Family, and he had even established ties with the Fairy Dugu Lin of Yun.

His background was also extraordinary.

So there he was, drinking by himself, and the other three did not disturb him.

The troops of Spirit Heart Villa were mixed with those of the other three, marching just before and after the ox cart.

Most of those brought along were ordinary inner sect disciples; the somewhat stronger ones were several Innates, who with a few Talisman Swords on their backs, could maintain the situation.

Lin Xinyuan and her entourage of relatives and subordinates came over covertly with the group from Radiant Sun Sect to offer birthday congratulations. Lin Xin himself led the Villa’s troops, boldly raising their banner to attract enmity.

"I heard that Villa Master Lin is proficient in Formation Talismans, but compared to you, my little knowledge is nothing."

Valley Master Xiao said with a smile.

Lin Xin smiled back and raised his cup to her.

"With the Nine Void Yin Yang Sword Array here, even the old ancestor Yuan Jing wouldn’t dare to easily storm into our Sword Sect’s Mountain Gate. It seems our ancestor intends to display the full might of the array to deter the wicked."

Chen Yuesheng chuckled, his demeanor relaxed.

"I thought the situation was dire when I received the secret order, but now, with such an array in place, who could forcefully break through?"

Xiao Ye adjusted her hair, glancing at Lin Xin with seductive eyes.

"It’s not as simple as you say. The mountain gate is secure, but we, the sector leaders, will have trouble. If we can’t successfully call for reinforcements this time, it won’t be long before our homes get turned upside down."

"Don’t be careless. When the mountain rain is about to come, the building is filled with wind. If it weren’t for the frequent trickeries of the Vermilion Bird Holy Court, would the Daoist Master bother to hold such a birthday banquet?" Lin Xin said casually.

Though the four of them could be considered half-independent forces, they were not too closely affiliated with the Pine Forest Sword Sect and were not direct members, which is why their information channels weren’t very reliable.

"That’s easy to say, but I don’t believe that anyone could..."

Chen Yuesheng didn’t finish his sentence when a faint hubbub could be heard from outside.

The clamor quickly escalated into the sound of clashing swords.

Lin Xin frowned slightly and reached out to release a piece of Talisman Paper, which flew out of the carriage window.

The Talisman Paper burnt to ashes mid-air and suddenly condensed into a grey streak, shooting toward the source of the noise.

There, two groups were facing each other with drawn swords, the situation tense, and two individuals were already wounded, with blood visible on their shoulders.

One group was dressed in the grey attire of Pine Forest disciples.

The other group was clad in robes with vertical stripes of black, blue, and white, each carrying swords on their backs and bearing an embroidered green vine flower on their right shoulders.

"People from the Qingluo Secret Sect?"

"When did the Qingluo Secret Sect dare to be so bold?"

"To think they’d have the gall to provoke the people of Pine Forest Sword Sect."

Cultivators who had come to offer birthday congratulations crowded around to enjoy the spectacle.

Surrounded by the members of the Qingluo Secret Sect was a middle-aged man with a cold expression, staring at the opposing Pine Forest disciples.

The middle-aged man had only one left ear and wore a necklace made of black leaves around his neck, looking arrogantly at the leading woman from Pine Forest.

"So you are a formal disciple from the Sword Hall? I’ve heard that each of Pine Forest Sword Sect’s six halls excels in their own way, with the Sword Hall specializing in offense. Now it seems, it’s nothing special, huh?"

"Go fuck your Xipi godfather! Which of your damn eyes saw me as a formal disciple?" the woman retorted, wearing chunky gold earrings, standing two meters tall, with a face full of tough muscles and a mouth filled with bandit slang. She was glaring viciously at the man, her eyes filled with murderous intent, as if she was about to devour him alive.

"You turtle grandchildren from Mysterious Leaf Cult, this is Tai Kun Mountain, not your Mysterious Leaf Altar! If you want to make trouble, piss off!"

"Are all Pine Forest disciples big talkers with little skill?" the one-eared man casually said, "How about a one-on-one practice between us?"

"Sure, let’s practice, but let’s get one thing straight—I’m best at taking on a group. If you want to fight, I’m ready any time. If not? Heh, sorry, but roll back to wherever you came from!" the fierce woman said with a cold laugh.

"Your Pine Forest people injured my ninth senior brother with this kind of despicable tricks, huh?" the one-eared man’s expression darkened.

The conversation went nowhere, and they immediately came to blows.

Clang clang clang clang. Each unleashed their moves, and their Magic Artifacts and Talisman Swords clashed, surprisingly matched for a while.

People from the Mysterious Leaf Cult actually joined the fray, not concealing their identities at all.

Soon, stronger disciples from Pine Forest arrived and separated the groups, but they still let the Mysterious Leaf Cult members through.

The ash transformed by Lin Xin’s talisman circled in the air and quickly found that people from the Void Sword Cave were also hidden in the crowd, albeit less brazenly than those from the Mysterious Leaf Cult.

Representatives from the Four Sects were also arriving in batches.

However, there was no sign of anyone from Vermilion Bird Holy Court, the great enemy of the Four Sects.

The ash returned to the carriage and transformed into a transparent mirror in front of the four of them, replaying everything it had witnessed.

Chen Yuesheng, Xiao Ye, and the third were all amazed by the effect of the Talisman Paper. While astonished, they felt uneasy watching one scene after another unfold, suggesting a problematic situation was emerging.

"Within the potency of the Innate Yin Yang Sword Array, there’s still such an influx of those harboring ill intentions. Clearly, they mean no good," they mused.

"As long as the Sword Array is not broken, there’s no need to worry," said Lin Xin in an attempt to comfort them.

Clang!!

Before his words faded, another crisp sound reverberated through the air.

Looking up from the carriage, a blood-red carpet could be seen piercing through the air, defying the swirling mass of Sword Shadows, and charging straight into the Formation, shattering all the Sword Shadows into a burst.

The sound was that of the Sword Shadows shattering.

On that carpet, three figures appeared and were carried towards Tai Kun Mountain.

The Sword Shadows shot towards them mercilessly, but they failed to stop the trio’s advance and were violently shattered into pieces.

"Since the Heavenly Venerable Shang Yang from the Vermilion Bird Holy Court has graced us with his presence, open the Formation, Qian Ye."

An old voice came down from the peak of the mountain.

The three figures were two Daoist Nuns and an old man. The Daoist Nun at the front was particularly striking, standing four meters tall with a large skeletal frame, wearing an amethyst crown—a sight that left a deep impression.

As the voice descended, the Daoist Nun gave a slight bow towards the top of the mountain. The old man showed a slight smile, while the young Daoist Nun remained expressionless, almost puppet-like.

The three were carried up the mountain by the lengthy red carpet, quickly vanishing from sight.

Lin Xin watched the figures of the three, his expression subtly changing.

"It seems all the renowned experts have gathered, and everyone has arrived," Chen Yuesheng said with an ugly expression.

Even this formidable array was forcibly breached, indicating that the current situation was indeed troubling.

He wasn’t blind and could naturally recognize the aggressive approach of the people from the Vermilion Bird Holy Court.

"Don’t they fear the Sky-Piercing Pine Patterned Sword?" Xiao Ye asked with a somber tone.

"Is the Sky-Piercing Pine Patterned Sword in the Sun Spring Pool on Tai Kun Mountain?" Lin Xin suddenly asked.

"Of course. The Sixth Grade Divine Weapon is surrounded by Yuan Jing and doesn’t require much protection," Xiao Ye nodded.

"Do they possibly have a way to counter a Sixth Grade Divine Weapon?"

"Only a Sixth Grade can counter a Sixth Grade," Lin Xin said blandly.

"Could it be?"

Suddenly, the group all thought of a terrifying possibility.