The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 137 - 134: The Leaderless Swords Invite the Seven Stars

Chapter 137: Chapter 134: The Leaderless Swords Invite the Seven Stars

The conversation beneath Five Elements Mountain brought forth the emergence of the Dao-seeker, as Wukong raged and cursed, provoking Mahasatya to strike mercilessly, only for the Dao-seeker to beat the five of them to a state of bruised and battered agony.

As soon as the Dao-seeker left, Wukong sneered with a strange laugh, and said, "Mahasatya, you bald donkey, you wanted to fight your grandpa, didn’t you? Try hitting me one more time and see? Let’s see which fellow Daoist will come to give you a good thrashing next?"

This infuriated Mahasatya beyond words, his Three Corpses Deity furious as thunder, yet he dared not strike again. Who knew if that ghostly Daoist had left? If he were to make another move and the Daoist returned with a counterstrike, that would be dreadfully bad. Moreover, all five of them were no match for just one person. That Daoist clearly had a significant background, employing the art of summoning wind and calling rain with a divine perfection, seemingly possessing the divine skills of the Ancient Rain Master Chisongzi.

The Five Directions Kaide could never have guessed that this Daoist was but a third form created from Wukong’s fetal transformation and easy shape-shifting. Having endured much humiliation, Wukong inevitably sought to teach them a lesson.

Constrained by their own guilt and the fact that the five of them could not defeat one, it was a loss of face so severe that it could not easily be reported to the Buddha Ancestor.

Wukong said with a smile, "I don’t ask for much, just bring me some fruit to eat. If you try to fob me off with those iron pellets again, I’ll pester you to death."

Left with no alternative, the Five Directions Kaide reluctantly picked wild fruits from the nearby mountains for him. Wukong, as promised, did not persist further. After eating the wild fruits, he went to sleep peacefully, occasionally taking out the handwritten note from Patriarch Subhuti to study and silently meditate on the Dao principles.

Speaking of the Dao-seeker, he left in high spirits after venting his anger and rode away on the clouds. However, upon his departure, two sword cultivators blocked his path.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait!" The two sword cultivators called out loudly, bowing to the Dao-seeker upon seeing him.

The Dao-seeker inquired, "Fellow Daoists, what is the matter that you bar my way?"

One of the sword cultivators said, "I am a disciple of the Shushan Sword Sect. Passing by Five Elements Mountain just now, I saw the fellow Daoist wielding his sword and came forth with a request."

The Dao-seeker said, "Whatever it is, please speak, fellow Daoists."

That sword cultivator said, "My name is Xu Qing, and this is my brother Xu Hai. We’ve descended the mountain this time due to a great incident within our Sect. A wicked creature sealed by our esteemed Patriarch, the True Man of Great Purity, is about to reemerge. Even with the full might of our Sect, we have been unable to suppress it, so we set out to wander the mortal world, seeking formidable sword cultivators to lend their swords in aid. Together, we hope to quell this wicked creature with our combined sword qi. Just now, seeing the fellow Daoist’s sword, which appears to be the Seven Stars Sword of Grand Supreme Lord Laozi, I ventured to ask for your assistance!"

The Dao-seeker felt a surge of inward amazement. The Patriarch of the Shushan lineage was the True Man of Great Purity, and this True Man had quite a connection with Grand Supreme Lord Laozi. This man, named Song Lun, was from Luoyang during the Zhou dynasty and devotedly practiced "The Five Thousand Words of Morality." After twenty years, Laozi enlightened him, passing on the "Tao Te Ching." He then spent decades in arduous cultivation until he achieved the Dao of Immortals. Unwilling to take office in the heavens, he opened a cave abode on Mount Shushan. Having cultivated the Great Pure Dao to achieve immortality, King Zhouxuan honored him as the True Man of Great Purity. His fame grew, and many who sought the Dao came to him, making him an outstanding figure. As a result, a growing number of disciples took him as their master, eventually forming the line of the Shushan Sword Sect.

"What kind of wicked creature did your Patriarch seal away there, that it is so powerful Shushan’s three thousand sword cultivators still cannot suppress it?" asked the Dao-seeker curiously.

"We too are unsure; it remains a Sect taboo. Moreover, all the prior generation disciples who knew have gone to participate in the battles of the Middle Ancient Period. None have returned. We, the younger generation, only know that there is a wicked creature sealed there that must not be allowed to emerge easily," explained Xu Qing.

"If something that even three thousand Shushan sword cultivators can’t suppress is seeking me out, what good would I be? This sword of mine is not a Sage’s Treasure; it is merely a replica," remarked the Dao-seeker with a frown.

Xu Hai replied with a bowing gesture, "I notice that though fellow Daoist’s sword is a replica, it’s quite similar to the genuine article. Since the Middle Ancient Period, our Sect has weakened after many disciples participated in the great battles, resulting in a lack of united sword qi. As your sword is the Seven Stars Sword and seems crafted by the hands of Morality God Laozi himself, even if a replica, it can lead the combined sword qi of our entire Sect, enabling us to suppress the wicked creature once again."

Song Lun’s mana was exceedingly high, far beyond his reckoning, evident from the might of the Shushan lineage.

A wicked creature personally sealed by Song Lun would certainly be extraordinary.

The Shushan lineage has three thousand disciples, with the Sect Leader being Green Duckweed Daoist, who cultivates a three-foot sharp sword, powerful through the heights of the heavens and depths of the Yellow Springs, and is known as a True Man of Dao and Virtue both within and without the Three Realms. Shushan’s lineage descends from the Great Pure Dao; their cultivation techniques are derived from the principles of the "Tao Te Ching" but primarily focus on swordsmanship, earning them the title of sword cultivators.

Recognizing the Shushan Sword Sect as a reputable and upright lineage, the Dao-seeker had no concerns they were seeking to deceive him into a trap to kill and rob him. These were peaceful times, unlike the chaos of Ancient Times, and those of the Immortal Path generally maintained amicable relations, rarely engaging in slaughter and conflict.

The Dao-seeker then inquired, "When was this wicked creature sealed?"

Xu Hai replied, "It is said to have existed since the creation of the world and nearly emerged once under the Patriarch’s rule on Mount Shushan. However, it was suppressed once again. Over time, especially since the Patriarch likely met his fate during the Middle Ancient battles, the seal has weakened considerably. Now, the creature threatens to emerge once more! The current state of Mount Shushan is one of panic, with no unified leadership of swords. We earnestly hope for fellow Daoist’s assistance."

The Dao-seeker questioned, "You claim a connection to Lord Laozi, so why not seek the genuine Seven Stars Sword in heaven?"

Xu Qing sighed and said, "Our most revered Sect Leader has already ascended to the Thirty-Three Heavens once, but the masters of the Upper Pure Heaven, Jade Pure Heaven, and Great Pure Heaven were not there, whereabouts unknown."

The Enlightened Daoist was puzzled, "What trickery are the Three Pure up to this past century? To which corner have they vanished? They are not even in the Thirty-Three Heavens."

Green Duckweed Daoist also had the mana of a Daluo Golden Immortal from the Third Heaven, so it was easy for him to ascend from the Celestial Palace to the Thirty-Three Heavens. After all, for such a True Man of Dao and Virtue, the Celestial Palace would still afford him some respect.

Enlightened Daoist thought to himself, "It’s unknown what kind of evil creature has emerged from Shushan, one that has existed since the creation of heaven and earth. Well, these two are begging me so earnestly, it would be really embarrassing not to go along with them."

Song Lun could suppress that evil entity only with the sword qi of Shushan lineage. However, since the Middle Ancient Period, Shushan had weakened, and with the seal loosening now, the evil entity was about to break free. Therefore, the supreme Sect Leader Green Duckweed Daoist ordered his disciples to descend to the mortal world and invite masters of the Sword Dao to help suppress the creature again.

The two of them eagerly awaited Enlightened Daoist’s agreement, looking at him until he found it awkward to refuse.

The Divine Swords of the Shushan Sword Sect were all taken away by the disciples during the war in the Middle Ancient Times. As a result, not a single disciple returned, leading to the decline of the Shushan Sword Sect. Unable to suppress the evil entity with their sword qi, and without a leader for their swords, the one that previously led all swords on Sword Mountain was the Divine Artifact among swords, the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss.

This sword was also replicated in the mortal world by the Sword Forging Master Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang. Of course, the replica was not as powerful as the genuine article.

It was rumored that the true form of this sword was forged from the body of an Ancient Heavenly Dragon, refined many times over with thousands of hammer strikes, until finally, it was crafted. When viewed from above, it looked like a Divine Dragon coiled in the deep abyss with seven cold stars shining, hence the name Seven-Star Dragon Abyss.

Without this sword, Shushan no longer had a Divine Sword to lead the many swords of Sword Mountain, causing the sword qi to be chaotic without order. This time, many Shushan disciples descended the mountain to invite masters of the Sword Dao to guide the sword energies and suppress the evil creature once more.

Enlightened Daoist couldn’t help but chuckle, "Since both fellow daoists have requested so earnestly, I would indeed be at fault if I didn’t go. Besides, the evil entity was suppressed by True Man of Great Purity. The True Man of Great Purity is a True Man of Dao and Virtue, and if something he suppressed emerges, it could potentially harm the human world. We who cultivate Taoist Teachings should restore order out of chaos, conduct a thorough check of heaven and earth, and uphold the good name of our Taoist Teachings."

"Exactly, precisely! Your words are reasonable, fellow daoist. Shall we proceed together?" Xu Hai said with a smile.

Enlightened Daoist nodded and replied, "Of course, we shall go. Please wait a moment while I inform my fellow daoists at home. They might worry if they don’t see me return."

Xu Qing replied, "Take your time, fellow daoist, as you please."

Enlightened Daoist then took out a Jade Talisman and wrote that he was going to visit Shushan, and he let the Jade Talisman fly away. Ascending into the sky, it turned into divine light and streaked towards the Dongsheng Immortal State, aiming for Flower-Fruit Mountain.

"Is everything taken care of, fellow daoist?" Xu Hai asked.

"All set, all set! I have long heard of the great reputation of the Shushan Sword Sect, and I’ve never visited. Today, I will have a good look; please, lead the way," said Enlightened Daoist.

In the celestial mountains of the Shu Region, soaring ten thousand zhang high, they were beyond the reach of ordinary people, and even if one managed to climb up, they would be confounded by the barriers set by the People of the Immortal Path.

The Shushan Sword Sect was hidden among these mountains, surrounded by several peaks, among which was a Sword Mountain. It was here that past generations of swordsmiths placed the Sword Artifacts they forged, and over time, countless Divine Swords accumulated on that mountain. When a Shushan disciple was initiated, they would enter Sword Mountain to choose a Sword Artifact and henceforth cultivate the Sword Dao with that sword as their companion.

If a disciple faced unfortunate fate and perished during a trial, their Sword Artifact would return to Sword Mountain for a person of destiny to wield in the future.

"Fellow daoist, seeing you wound those five bald monks earlier truly delighted us immensely! We thought if you were not their match, we would come to your aid, but it appears we overestimated ourselves." Xu Qing exclaimed.

"Ha-ha! It seems that you fellow daoists also share little love for those bald monks of the Buddhist sect." Enlightened Daoist replied heartily upon hearing this. It was great that Shushan’s lineage also had little regard for the Buddhist sect.

Xu Qing continued, "The Buddhist sect indeed lacks shame. With such a large domain as West Cow He State to themselves, they still want to spread Buddhism in our Southern Toad Continent—truly insatiable greed! And to top it off, they shamelessly claim that Morality God transformed into a Buddhist and wrote the ’Huahu Scripture,’ promoting it widely."

Enlightened Daoist nodded in agreement and then asked, "What’s your view on that Sun Wukong who is suppressed under Five Elements Mountain?"

"That monkey is quite capable, and no one knows who his master is. Although his skills aren’t that great, yet he could cause Havoc in Heaven. The Emperor and Celestial Venerables ignoring the matter clearly indicates behind-the-scenes maneuvering. We don’t really care about him. He committed a fault and must repay it. Tathagata suppressing him is only fair," Xu Hai said.

Enlightened Daoist did not show anger but thought to himself, "These outsiders can see that there was something fishy about my rampaging in the Celestial Palace in my past life, yet I was oblivious. How foolish I was!"

To find out what happens next, please follow the story in the next part.