Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 470 - 464 Birthday Banquet Part One

Chapter 470: Chapter 464 Birthday Banquet Part One

Taikun Mountain, Tai Kun Pool Cave.

Several black-robed, masked figures walked towards the cave’s entrance with a steady stride.

They followed the sloping hillside, treating the surrounding formations as if they were nothing, walking confidently and directly towards the hidden Tai Kun Pool Cave.

"Who goes there!"

As they approached near the entrance, a group of middle-aged swordsmen carrying dual swords suddenly appeared around them and sternly called out to stop the black-robed figures.

"This is the Forbidden Land of Taikun Mountain, outsiders are not allowed to enter!"

A cultivator wearing a golden helmet shouted loudly.

The group of black-robed figures slowly halted their steps.

Among them, one person slowly stepped forward.

"Within ten breaths."

"Make it quick."

The leading black-robed figure spoke calmly, his voice somewhat youthful.

"Don’t worry."

The black-robed figure who stepped forward chuckled, and suddenly flicked out a Black Blade from his hand.

"Dare to trespass into the Taikun Mountain’s Sun Spring Pool!? Someone! Alert...." The golden helmet hadn’t finished speaking when his expression suddenly changed dramatically. He turned and dodged, letting a black halo that brushed past him go by.

Hisss...

In an instant, the mountain guardians standing behind him were all engulfed by the black halo, their eyes rolled back, and they all collapsed to the ground unconscious. Only the leader with the golden helmet remained conscious.

"Eh? Not too shabby."

Before the golden-helmeted cultivator could react, he heard someone’s voice near his ear.

Alarmed, he swiftly turned his head, his Protective Aura suddenly bursting forth, but it was already too late.

Bang, a burst of black light engulfed him, and he fell to the ground without even a grunt.

A mountain guardian attempted to send a Message Talisman with a raised hand, but it was knocked down instantly by the black light, preventing even the signal from being sent.

The black-robed figure retracted his right arm and looked at the leader of the black robes.

"Let’s go."

The group continued walking towards the cave.

Soon, they gradually disappeared into it.

Shortly afterward, a white halo enveloped the area, and the original unconscious mountain guardians all stood up, expressionless, and returned to their original posts as if nothing had happened. Soon, everything reverted to the same state as before anyone had arrived.

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

Taikun Mountain summit, Innate Pool.

On the oval-shaped blue Innate Pool, a large stone sculpture of a white-striped tiger lay quietly beside the water.

The tiger, hundreds of meters tall, blinked its eyes occasionally, and emitted thick white vapors from its nostrils.

The white vapors turned into misty columns, forming a small cloud layer above its head.

Above the cloud layer was a square and orderly Taoist Palace.

At that moment, teams of people were continuously entering the palace’s main gate via the stairs formed by the mist below.

Among those streams of people, Lin Xin’s carriage procession followed behind the Plum Blossom Sect’s group, indistinguishable from the many other Suppressor forces that had come together.

Clang!

A deep bell rang.

Disciples shouted.

"The Wind-Riding Sect’s Supreme Elder, True Monarch Dong Xie has arrived! Wishing Daoist Master Zhu Taikun longevity beyond the heavens, presenting a congratulatory gift!"

"Plum Blossom Sect’s Celestial Maiden has arrived! Wishing Daoist Master Zhu Taikun eternal divine fortune, presenting a congratulatory gift."

"Vermilion Bird Holy Court’s True Monarch Zhang Yang has arrived, wishing Daoist Master Zhu Taikun a luminous life and enduring youth. Presenting a congratulatory gift!"

Such congratulatory words echoed throughout the area around Taikun Mountain, audible to everyone within several li. The great sects arrived in unison.

Lin Xin looked up at the Taoist Palace above, entered through the main gate with the stream of people, and surprisingly found the interior to be far more spacious than it appeared from outside.

Special banquet attendants were responsible for leading everyone to their designated seats according to their status and served them with banquets and beauties flitting about to serve.

The interior of the Taoist Palace was a massive, rectangular banquet hall, enormously widespread; the sides lined with exceptionally neat banquet tables, white jade platforms, and azure cups with pearls floating up and down in the wine.

Many guests had already taken their seats, with disciples standing behind them.

At the upper end of the room were several raised platforms, all marked with silver patterns, distinguishing them from other banquet tables.

Standing on these platforms were representatives of several major sect forces.

True Monarch Zhang Yang and the Celestial Maiden, among others, were quietly waiting above.

The hall was spacious enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people for martial practice and demonstrations, and besides the guest seats, there was a large circular arena at the far end.

After being shown to their seats, Lin Xin and his companions sat eating fruit, waiting for the banquet to begin.

At the same time, his eyes were also drawn to the Sword Sect’s disciple seats, where the six Hall Masters and six Golden Core Daoist Masters were present.

Among the disciples standing behind these Daoist Masters, he recognized several familiar faces.

Like Zhong Xuan, standing behind an elderly man, who once saved him during the "Human-faced Fruit" incident. Now, however, he guessed that Zhong Xuan wouldn’t recognize him. He was whispering to his fellow disciples beside him.

Master Aunt You Xuan stood behind the Formation Hall Daoist Master, her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, seemingly oblivious to his location.

Dugu Lin was seated within the ranks of the Sword Hall, aligned beside this side, seemingly lost in thought.

As one of the elite disciples, she naturally had her own designated seat.

As for the others, Lin Xin did not recognize most, as they were unfamiliar faces, indicating that the Sword Sect had undergone significant changes over the last few years.

Groups of young women in red skirts walked out from a small door beside the Taoist Palace wall, converging into the center of the banquet area like a stream, and began performing songs and dances.

The music sounded, and the fragrance of flowers imperceptibly spread everywhere.

With the dancers’ graceful figures moving back and forth, a giant withered branch, taller than a man, mysteriously appeared in the center at some point.

The thick branch, as wide as the arm of a child, topped with two green leaves the size of human heads, and most notably, a face-sized longevity peach.

Daoist Master Taikun also slowly approached amidst the music, seated securely in the principal seat with the assistance of a group of disciples.

His face, covered with a white beard, held a walking stick, and was enveloped in a layer of blue light, his features somewhat blurred.

Yet everyone could see his expressionless face, his demeanor solemn.

"This birthday banquet seems cheerful," one of the elders of the Golden Jade Sect, Zhao Yufeng, said with a chuckle, shaking his head on one of the high platforms.

"Zhao Brother alternates shaking his head and laughing, what exactly is your attitude towards this birthday banquet? Taikun is already unable to smile."

A man in green robes nearby smiled as he fanned himself.

"Hua Brother is also coming, it should be lively then," Zhao Yufeng said indifferently, looking at Daoist Master Taikun at the high platform being carefully supported by two disciples.

"I have heard that Daoist Master Taikun is known as the Gentleman’s Sword. If we talk about the most benevolent and righteous person within the Four Sects, no one can match him besides him. It’s only natural that so many people attend."

The man in green seemed to be giving a critique.

"Benevolent and righteous? If it were Mingxin True Monarch, maybe, but him? Forget it," Zhao Yufeng shook his head again, this time with a hint of scorn in his eyes.

"Had he not suppressed it during the year of the ’Human-faced Fruit’ incident, the implications for the higher echelons of the Pine Forest would have been more than just that."

"Elder Hua of the Hua Family has arrived!! Praising Daoist Master Taikun with the ’Nine Blessings of Longevity,’ evergreen like the pines and cypresses! Presenting a congratulatory gift."

At that moment, another voice announced.

Both men turned their gaze toward the entrance of the banquet.

A handsome man in white, accompanied by two Golden Core True Monarchs, floated over, bowed to Daoist Master Taikun, and then sat down at his designated spot, led by a child.

Fairy Hua Shenxi’s eyes flashed with black lines as they straightly fell on Lin Xin sitting opposite.

Lin Xin smiled and toasted him from afar.

"You actually dare to show up." Hua Shenxi narrowed his eyes and transmitted his voice coldly.

"Elder Hua Shenxi is too tense. Today is a good and auspicious day, with fine wine and good food. Why don’t we sit down and enjoy a moment of rest together? Discussing conflicts and battles all day, what’s the point?"

Amid the music, Dugu Lin also toasted and transmitted her voice, stepping in between the two.

She sat in the foremost position on the third level, immediately beside her Senior Sister, Fairy Yu Zhu, a top-tier expert at the Great Perfection stage of Golden Core Dao Seeking. Only slightly less powerful than Yuan Jing, it was under her support these years that Fairy Hua Shenxi had not been able to overthrow Spirit Heart Manor.

Hua Shenxi let out a cold huff, looked apprehensively at Fairy Yu Zhu, and ceased to speak.

Lin Xin then toasted Fairy Yu Zhu with a smile.

"Many thanks to Fairy for your help over the years."

"No need for thanks. I only did it for Sister Lin’s sake." Fairy Yu Zhu appeared to be a cold but warm-hearted person, sparing with words, concluding with that and saying no more.

Lin Xin didn’t mind and merely scanned all the seats. While a few people conversed, many more continued to take their places, nearly all seats getting filled.

Representatives of the Four Sects were present on four high platforms, including Elder Yuan Jing, Shang Yang True Lord from Plum Blossom Sect, and Taoist Priest Dong Xie from the Wind-Riding Sect.

The other was the only Golden Core True Monarch, Zhao Yufeng of the Golden Jade Sect, who was not just any Daoist Master but the progeny of a Supreme Elder of the Golden Jade Sect.

Lin Xin and an introspective Dugu Lin exchanged pleasantries briefly, talked with Chen Yuesheng and others nearby.

The song and dance gradually ceased, and the dancing girls slowly exited, leaving only the gigantic longevity peach behind.

"Today we celebrate the Daoist Master’s significant birthday, thankful for the fellow cultivators of the Cultivation World who arrived to celebrate. I, Tai Su, being the direct senior disciple of the Daoist Master, present...."

He was speaking when suddenly his voice was abruptly interrupted.

"It is heard that the swordsmanship of the Pine Forest Sword Sect is respected, and the Sky-Piercing Pine Patterned Sword is famous far and wide. Today, at the Daoist Master’s birthday banquet, why don’t we elevate everyone’s spirits with a display of Swordsmanship?"

A pudgy cultivator standing beside Taoist Priest Dong Xie of the Wind-Riding Sect called out loudly.

Dong Xie appeared as ordinary as any other old Daoist, unremarkable, and when his disciple spoke out, he simply closed his eyes and meditated, showing no reaction, apparently conceding.

Tai Su’s eyes narrowed, and he glanced at his master and brothers.

Indeed, they had come.

They had long been prepared for troublemakers at this birthday banquet, but they had not expected the opponents to abandon all pretense of cordiality and start aggressions outright without even waiting for a few words.

"For the Swordsmanship display, I wonder what kind of sparring Daoist friends from the Wind-Riding Sect are suggesting?" Tai Su’s expression chilled as he spoke softly.

In an instant, everyone at the banquet fell silent. Although everyone could guess that this birthday banquet was no peaceful feast, no one expected the first to cause trouble would be a cultivator from the Wind-Riding Sect, which was supposed to be an ally of Pine Forest.

By then, the surrounding audience stands had also filled with a large crowd of people who came to celebrate, all spirited up by this development, with thousands of eyes now focused intently forward, all eyes on the center stage.