Secret Records of the Leader of the Beichen Sword Sect
Chapter 64: The Hunt

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: The Hunt

In Jindu City, a distant view reveals, in the clouds, flashes of sword light, between the heavens and earth, thunder and fire seas, the sound of heaven and earth tearing asunder, resounds continuously. Clearly, as the explosions grow more intense, the battle’s intensity is also escalating.

Even if one cannot see, they can hear clearly; this crackle, boom, boom, earth-shattering, spectacularly lively. Clearly, the Shen sisters are caught in a fierce battle, surrounded by pursuing soldiers closing in from all sides.

The hawks and hounds of Kun Country are swarming from all directions, endlessly, like vultures and jackals, eyeing those two pieces of tender meat, ready to compete for credit and seize the opportunity.

But what’s strange is that the mantis and the yellow sparrow follow closely behind, crouching not too far or near on the ground, seemingly indifferent to the carnage before them.

Of course, the Treasure Shopkeeper is very anxious and concerned. He looks at the eunuch foe, buried under the earth with just his head exposed, afar from where he stands, and then at ’Xiao Liu’, brought along to escape into the ground, who similarly says nothing, buried silently in the soil.

"Young Hero Liu, shouldn’t we get going? If the Shen family meets their end, and that eunuch turns tail and runs, it could just be..."

Tie Dan gave him a sideways glance,

"What’s your hurry, didn’t you hear?"

"Hear what...?"

The Shopkeeper tilted his ear, listening to the battle still unfolding enthusiasm right there with its crackle, boom boom boom.

Tie Dan kept staring at the eunuch,

"Those thunderclaps aren’t random strikes; they’re military orders issued by signal cannon and signal arrow. It’s not just the mages of the Eight Domains Palace, but also the tributes of the Six Gates and the Forbidden Army of Kun Country. The higher-ups want them alive, mobilizing the Yulin Army, the Imperial Guard, and fifteen hundred men from the Left and Right Commanderies to encircle, driving them to Diquan Bridge, and finally having ambushers from both Flying Cavalry divisions capture them."

The Shopkeeper, "Military orders..."

Real or not, just hearing the crackle, boom, boom, boom...

Tie Dan coldly said,

"Ever hunted? Hunters don’t strike directly. They first encircle from all directions, feigning momentum to scare the prey into exhausting itself while fleeing all over, gradually trapping it with no escape.

Then releasing dogs, eagles, arrows, slowly bleeding them. Once their sword in the sheath is exhausted, their Qi in the belly used up, strength in their limbs depleted, then pounce to snare their necks, slit their throats.

With their cultivation and Qi power, I estimate at least another couple of hours to exhaust.

Just wait."

The Shopkeeper swallowed,

"I’ll listen to you."

And so waited silently for a while, the eunuch and Tie Dan still as if dead bodies, but the Shopkeeper began to feel impatient again, and couldn’t help but find something to say,

"Young Hero, you don’t seem worried about those two at all..."

Tie Dan expressionless,

"Told you already, not my concern, nor my turn for revenge."

The Treasure Shopkeeper really encountered this kind of lad for the first time, once so intimate, now heartlessly turning against each other, leaving him speechless, shaking his head and sighing,

"However, this Hidden Sword Manor, renowned, hailed as a Righteous Path in Jianghu, friends all over the world. At such a time, not a single person dares to lend a helping hand, truly makes one lament."

This fellow never stops talking nonsense, Tie Dan gave him a look,

"You can lend them a hand."

Treasure Shopkeeper was taken aback,

"Me?"

Tie Dan said,

"Your Treasure Jade Hall, even the princely heirs desire it. Just lift the Treasure Tower’s restrictions now, unleash five hundred years’ worth of treasures, a hall full of jade, let the Treasure Light soar to the sky, shake Jindu sufficiently to attract everyone’s attention. Then take advantage of the chaos to help them two escape the city underground, solving this situation.

But would you dare."

The Treasure Shopkeeper fell silent.

Tie Dan said,

"Right, not your concern.

If people only minded their own business, there wouldn’t be so many issues in the world.

It’s that they care about this, and that too, thus so many issues arise."

The Shopkeeper was left speechless by the retort, replying with irritation,

"Young Hero Liu, who taught you these strange doctrines?"

Who else could it be...

Tie Dan suddenly changed the topic,

"Is he using your household’s Earth Element Technique? Every quarter of an hour popping his head out, is he changing his breathing?"

The Shopkeeper looked up at the eunuch with his head exposed, made a calculation, and nodded,

"Indeed it is the Mountain Shifting and Ridge Covering Earth Technique of our Yishan Guard. This Earth Escape Skill was specially developed when the Immortal Army besieged Kunlun, to dig out the mountain foundation, sever the Spirit Vein of the Demon Sect. It allows for long-term underground operations with minimal Daoist energy consumption. It uses the secret Qi Gong to reverse-refine returning dust energy in the lungs to air for breathing, so even if trapped by a collapse, there’s no danger to life.

Once cultivated to Nascent Soul Realm, one can nourish Qi through all body pores, even hide underwater veins, seclude for months or even years.

However, that eunuch is only in the Golden Core Realm, and his cultivation fundamentally mismatches our Yishan Guard’s, so there’s a flaw in his Qi flow, making him come up for air at intervals... hmm...

Saying this, the Shopkeeper looked at Tie Dan with respect.

He himself cultivated this skill yet hadn’t noticed this flaw, but this youngster saw through it in one glance. And it dawned on the Shopkeeper as he spoke; this lad stayed buried with him for quite some time without needing air!

Doesn’t this mean, like a Nascent Soul True Man, he has opened the Zhou Tian Qi Acupoints! Using skin pores, he can complete the True Qi cycle internally and externally!

No! This mustn’t be some ordinary youngster! Must be a demonic old man rebirth! To be so crafty! Cold and ruthless!

Alas! Terrifying! Fearsome! Awe-inspiring!

Tie Dan listened to the signal cannon, contemplated, then suddenly shot a glance at the Shopkeeper, and then at the eunuch,

"You’ve reached the Nascent Soul Realm, run a treasure workshop, yet truly can’t handle him?"

The Shopkeeper sighed,

"Senior Liu, I’m just a businessman, first life of cultivation. Not like you Heaven’s Chosen who’ve turned for a few lifetimes, I mainly dig holes, push dirt, appraise goods, haggle prices, where would I get those mystical skills.

Let’s not mention the lack of secret manuals or divine skills from the Demon Palace and Mystic Sect, in the past even the measures of the Yishan Guard were archived in Orchid Platform when Left and Right Commanderies were disbanded. Family skills passed only to Core Formation and stopped.

The rest, those chaotic cultivation techniques, mostly excavated from tombs, or traded at high prices, I didn’t even know how in the world I successfully formed a Nascent Soul.

Fighting and killing, this, I’m really not good at it.

Tie Dan didn’t rush to question, naturally couldn’t fully believe either.

Though the Shopkeeper is a Nascent Soul True Man, might’ve gained knowledge through unorthodox means, it’s a genuine inner core form with Dao transmission. Plus, being eloquent, a bright mind. Moreover, sitting on valuable treasures, without skills, how could he safeguard it?

So certainly he’s hiding a trump card, possibly acting pitiful deliberately, planning to use his sympathy to gather opportunities without confrontation, not to be defenseless against.

Need further probing...

Matching the eunuch’s breathing rhythm, Tie Dan mimicking his frequency, contemplated for a while, estimating the opponent’s cultivation capabilities, suddenly turned to glare at the Shopkeeper.

"You just said the family method, most forms a Golden Core?"

"Yeah, yes..."

The Shopkeeper, seeing his grave expression, was startled, fearing he spoke the wrong word, offending the old demon again.

Tie Dan stared at him,

"Yishan Guard doesn’t use External Elixir?"

The Shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief,

"Oh, certainly not, during the Immortal Venerable’s time, there was no such thing as External Elixir, all studied Internal Elixir Dao from Ancient Daoist Sect.

Actually back then, Immortal Venerable wasn’t the only one cultivating, many from Ancient Daoist Sect did too, most couldn’t proceed due to ineffective methods.

Immortal Venerable became Immortal Venerable precisely because he was the first to summarize a complete Human Clan Body Refinement and open a path for cultivation.

The original Guardian Immortal Army selectively chose those from the Human Clan able to cultivate to Core Formation, experimented with various Ancient Daoist Sect arts to form a cultivation army.

Regarding External Elixir Dao, it came later with Three Constellations and Twelve Countries’ establishment, specifically for those noble by birth yet unable to cultivate naturally.

You know cultivation and refining are exceedingly difficult, Dao Seeds barely appear every century, so once External Elixir provided a backdoor path, soon, the talented couldn’t gain favor for Immortal Palace selections. Within centuries, Three Constellations, Twelve Country Kings filled with elites gaining longevity through External Elixir in the noble circles."

"I see..."

Noticing Tie Dan seems interested in history and heritage, the Shopkeeper, being profession-prone, knowledgeable about plenty, decided since now it’s all thunder and no attack, appeasement might be the better path,

"Senior, if calculating this way, actually we share similar origins."

Tie Dan just silently observed him.

The Shopkeeper choked for a bit, swallowed,

"I, I’m not saying senior robs tombs. Rather speaking of your sect, Mystic Sect, oftentimes similar to Yishan Guard situations.

Allegedly, Mystic Sect members who refused Immortal Records and Divine Listings and were marked Demon Path by the court, many were from Immortal Palace’s former Guardian Immortal Army, heritage gradually expanded during Demon Clan sweeps.

Righteous or demonic, fundamentally, it’s when court backing failed, the higher-ups wary of the skills below; when peace reached the world, no longer needing us, they act thoroughly decimating us.

Holding a sword, naturally, wouldn’t surrender to fate, thus fleeing mountain life as bandits for sustenance. Later absorbed by Xuan Nu, escalated to rebellion against officials...

So we indeed obtain Guardian Immortal Army’s teachings."

Tie Dan, "You seem to have heard quite a lot."

But really, not incorrect.

Simply from studying the Sword Sect secrets, that’s roughly the narrative.

Before the sword boys took initiative to exit Demon Palace, they indeed had a Guardian designation.

Beichen Guard

That Beichen of Ziwei Palace Beichen Hall, the Emperor residing in Beichen Pavilion, stars all around Beichen.

Pinnacle of skies, utmost north of stars, it was Zhen’s cornerstone, zenith star immovable, endless heavenly movements, Ziwei steady,

Lofty at Heavenly Wall, viewing the mundane, allowing Star Palace to revolve, myself standing steadfast,

That’s precisely Beichen Star of the Emperor.

Yes, they were the sword sheath of the Emperor Sword.

Thus Beichen Guard rebelled, taking the Emperor’s sword, aligned with Xuan Nu.

Naturally, then, the Emperor Star also fell.