Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 472 - 466 Dark Sun 1

Chapter 472: Chapter 466 Dark Sun 1

"Indeed. Mingxin True Monarch committed a grave mistake by framing his fellows, causing them to die at the hands of the insect queen. If he does not come forward to confront the matter, then do not blame us fellow Daoists for disregarding the friendship of yesteryears!"

Daoist Master Dong Xie spoke in a low voice.

Below, Lin Xin blended in with the seats of the Suppressors in the pine forest, his face calm as he watched the crowd above pressuring the Pine Patterned Sword Sect to hand over Mingxin True Monarch in a drama.

"The play is quite well acted."

He sipped his wine, but felt Fairy Shenxi’s gaze on him.

When his eyes moved to the Hua Family’s seats, Fairy Shenxi was indeed looking at him with a calm complexion, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.

"Today will settle both the matter of the Pine Forest and our own issues," Fairy Shenxi transmitted her message.

"On such a grand birthday, why must brother Hua be in such a rush to come and go?" Lin Xin drank down the wine in his hand.

Fairy Shenxi, however, turned her head to look elsewhere.

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

Boom!

A wave of golden energy violently spread throughout the desolate cave.

A group of black-robed and masked individuals spread out to guard, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the place.

In the depths of the cave, within a pool of golden water, a figure cloaked in red light was slowly rising to his feet.

"Sect Leader, the birthday feast has begun."

A black-robed man said in a low voice by the poolside.

"Indeed, just as the intelligence reported, these shameless people want the severely injured Mingxin True Monarch to show himself for confrontation, merely to probe if the True Monarch is still well."

"Who is involved?"

The silhouette in the pool shimmered with a faint golden halo.

"The Wind-Riding Sect is taking the lead, the Golden Jade Sect, Vermilion Bird Holy Court, and a group of Loose Cultivators. Additionally, individuals from the Qingluo Secret Sect and Void Sword Cave are also showing unusual movements."

Another black-robed man appeared by the poolside.

"What about the others?"

The young man in the pool asked in a deep voice.

"Those who have been sneaking around, too scared to show their faces."

"There are signs of their secret collaboration behind the scenes, but it’s not strong. The major sects are all here for the Sky-Piercing Pine Patterned Sword."

A black-robed man said.

"As long as the Sword Array holds, they wouldn’t dare to act rashly," another black-robed man remarked indifferently.

"The Sword Array holds?" The man in the pool chuckled lightly. Golden water vapor continuously rose, condensing into a spherical light above his head, where the mist twisted, seemingly about to nurture something.

"Whether the Sword Array holds or not, it doesn’t really make much difference now."

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed, and even from the back mountain of Tai Kun Mountain, one could feel the immense vibration of an explosion coming from the front mountain.

Above the young man in the pool, three ethereal white lotus flowers slowly emerged, merging into one, gradually taking the shape of a human baby.

"It’s begun..."

He looked up towards the front mountain.

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

Tai Su’s hand fiercely imprinted onto Taikun’s chest and abdomen.

Blood slowly dripped from Taikun Daoist Master’s mouth.

Continuous explosions came relentlessly from the outskirts, a huge chain reaction of the damage caused by the breaking of the Yin Yang Sword Array.

Yet, at this moment, a large group of cultivators at the seats rose up in a whoosh.

Those there to support Pine Forest stood on one side.

Those who had come for potential gains and were tempted to act stood on the other side.

The two camps were clearly separated, conveniently standing on the left and right.

Most cultivators held sharp treasure blades in their hands, fully prepared.

But at this moment, whether it was the cultivators on either side, they were stunned by the sudden change before them.

The one who should have been Taikun Daoist Master’s senior disciple, Tai Su, was now fiercely striking his own master’s chest and abdomen.

"You...!!?"

Taikun Daoist Master had been distracted by the explosion of the damaged Sword Array and had not anticipated his senior disciple’s sudden attack.

Nor did he expect that Tai Su could break through his Protective Aura and severely injure him.

"The fate of Pine Forest has ended! Taikun Daoist Master, you’re too old, even your eyesight has failed you..."

Tai Su let out a cold laugh.

"Master!!"

A group of disciples and the six Hall Masters flew in to rush over.

But Taikun was the fastest, delivering a fierce palm strike to the figure of Tai Su before him.

Bang!!

The entire figure of Tai Su burst apart, tearing open like clothes.

Not far from the banquet at the center, a silhouette appeared, which was surprisingly Tai Su.

He grabbed his own face and violently ripped it off.

In just a short moment, he transformed from Tai Su Daoist Master into another person with a completely different demeanor, a cold Taoist.

"You are... Void Sword Cave’s Lu Sanxi!!" Taikun’s face trembled, "Where is my disciple Tai Su!!"

"Tai Su? Since I am here, what do you think has become of your disciple?" Lu Sanxi of the Void Sword Cave sneered coldly.

"Hahahaha! Taikun, just admit where you’ve hidden Mingxin True Monarch, and I may yet spare your life."

Daoist Master Dongxie laughed heartily as he stood up.

"Framing an ally, colluding with demons! Disregarding righteousness, today we are here to slay demons and eliminate evil on behalf of the ancestors of the Pine Forest. Upholding justice!!"

True Monarch Shang Yang also stood up.

"The Vermilion Bird Holy Court has come here not to take even a penny, but merely to seek a clear and serene sky for the southern manor. Although there is a distinction between the righteous and the demonic, we would never resort to faithlessness and betrayal, or to the act of framing our fellow cultivators."

From the previous sword trials, it was apparent that the Pine Forest had reached a desperate situation, and at this moment, no one bothered to hide their intentions anymore, frankly stepping forward to take action.

"If Taikun would hand over the whereabouts of True Monarch Mingxin, we fellow cultivators wouldn’t be averse to granting your line a way out,"

Golden Jade Sect’s Zhao Yufeng declared loudly.

"Shameless!"

Fairy Yuzhu and others gathered around Taikun, joining forces with Dugu Lin to defend from all sides.

"Where does this talk of shamelessness come from? We are merely eradicating a generational blight from the southern cultivation world."

Celestial Maiden Mei Hua actually spoke up calmly.

What shocked Dugu Lin, Fairy Yuzhu, and the others was that she was supposed to have been on Pine Forest’s side all along, but now she had surprisingly moved to Daoist Master Dongxie of the Wind-Riding Sect’s side as well.

"Celestial Maiden... you!!" Taikun was completely taken aback, never expecting that Mei Hua would suddenly side with the opposition.

He looked around, only to see that all the cultivators around him were eyeing the Pine Forest Sword Sect with predatory anticipation. In addition to the main leaders like True Monarch Shang Yang standing on the four principal pillars, there were also subtle but powerful presences hidden among the crowd of attendees.

The atmosphere became tense all of a sudden, and Taikun slumped back into his chair, his disciples rushing up anxiously to administer medicine to him, as his injuries from earlier were evidently not yet healed.

What was more peculiar was that although a group of cultivators, numerous Foundation Establishment Stages among them, clearly had the upper hand against a severely injured Taikun, no one made a hasty move.

Instead, they spread out, encircling without attacking, creating an inexplicably weird atmosphere.

Although Dugu Lin, Fairy Yuzhu, and the others were psychologically prepared, they still did not expect the opponent’s backup plan to be laid so deep.

The situation was unfolding, and it seemed they might have to use their last move.

However, unexpectedly, the several Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators simply spread out, doing a lot of talking but no action.

Taikun let out a bleak chuckle.

"All of you hid your intentions so deeply. The sword array is broken, and since you’ve decided not to save face, why the hesitation now?"

His gaze turned to True Monarch Shang Yang.

"Go ahead."

Strangely, True Monarch Shang Yang averted his gaze, flickering uncertainly, clearly exhibiting extreme wariness.

Taikun was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at Daoist Master Dongxie of the Wind-Riding Sect.

This person was also avoiding his gaze, eyes flickering.

"Elder, something’s not right; there seems to be a turning point,"

said Fairy Yuzhu quietly to her fellow disciple with a shift in expression.

Taikun nodded slightly, then turned his attention to the Golden Jade Sect and Celestial Maiden Mei Hua.

Celestial Maiden Mei Hua remained expressionless, but her gaze was locked directly onto someone in a different direction.

Taikun was immediately intrigued. These people had meticulously planned their actions, breaking the sword array and ambushing him with a sneak attack. Now they were in this position yet still did not take action. Could it be that the real focus was not on him?

Not only him, but Fairy Yuzhu and Dugu Lin also noticed Celestial Maiden Mei Hua’s barely concealed gaze.

Following her gaze, Dugu Lin and the others were horrified.

The positions of these visiting venerable elders, who had come to celebrate a jubilee, seemed to revolve, albeit faintly, around a certain spot amongst the banquet seating.

True Monarch Shang Yang, Daoist Master Dongxie, Lu Sanxi of the Void Sword Cave, and Celestial Maiden Mei Hua, the four great Foundation Establishment Stages, were all positioned around the person in the banquet as if forming a massive ring, unconsciously and silently pressuring and encircling them.

Clack.

A wine cup was gently placed on the table.

Lin Xin wore a half-smile as he surveyed the surroundings, with almost every presence around focusing on him alone.

There were overt attentions like Celestial Maiden Mei Hua’s, covert ones stinging like needles, and a slew of familiar or strange, avaricious, and brutal presences, teeming and swarming.

If at the beginning, the secrecy was well maintained, with each acting undisruptive and scheming in the shadows, but now it was blatantly exposed, bare for all to see.

Chen Yuesheng and Xiao Ye, who were beside him, sensed the odd atmosphere and hastily stood up, eager to leave quickly.

Soon, he was the only one left in his original position.

"Evil demons, everyone is justified in killing you!! Villa Master Lin Xin, back when you secretly practiced demonic arts, I was just short of gathering all the evidence,"

spoke Hua Shenxi, as he stood up slowly and drew his sword, his eyes intense with bone-chilling intent to kill, focusing on Lin Xin.

"Today just happens to be an opportunity using the Pine Forest Sword Sect..." He suddenly felt the atmosphere was a bit off.

The words he intended to say next somehow got stuck in his throat.

True Monarch Shang Yang and the other three great Foundation Establishment Stage ancestors looked at him as if he were a fool.

Even if Hua Shenxi wasn’t adept at plotting, he was still a dominant force in his own right and immediately sensed that something was amiss, halting his speech. A careful glance around, and suddenly his forehead broke out in cold sweat.

He didn’t realize when he had suddenly become the center of attention.

"Interesting."

Lin Xin slowly stood up.

"This is very interesting indeed. It seems I’ve witnessed quite the spectacle."

He didn’t even glance at Hua Shenxi; instead, his gaze fell on the four great Foundation Establishment Stages.

Hum!!

The ground suddenly burst open with bloody lines, sprawling wildly beneath the feet of the four elders, spreading out into a massive circular formation, perfectly encircling Lin Xin at the center.

"What’s this?!"

Hua Shenxi’s face showed shock, apparently completely at a loss as to how the situation turned out this way.

Wasn’t Lin Xin just a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator? How did it suddenly come to be that he was the main focus, encircled by four great Foundation Establishment Stages?

Fairy Yuzhu and Dugu Lin were also astonished.