The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 138 - 135: Enlightenment Dao, Meeting Venerable Ape Midway

Chapter 138: Chapter 135: Enlightenment Dao, Meeting Venerable Ape Midway

The story tells of an ancient evil sealed within Mount Shu that was about to emerge. The Head of Mount Shu, realizing the gravity of the situation, dispatched a thousand disciples to find powerful sword cultivators to come to Shu for assistance.

On the other hand, the brothers Xu Qing and Xu Hai found Wu Dao. Seeing their sincerity, Wu Dao couldn’t easily refuse. He also wanted to form a good relationship with Shu, a sect that stood powerful even among those within the mortal world. Unlike other sects, Shu was not one easily rivaled, and he wanted to learn their Sword Controlling Technique to maximize the power of the Seven Stars Sword in his hand. Given that it was a product of Laojun, even as a replica, it was sought after by countless People of the Immortal Path. If this sword was placed in Shu, it would surely be the noblest among swords, the king of swords!

The war in the Middle Ancient Times caused devastating losses to the Daoist sects, with countless techniques lost to oblivion as numerous sects perished. Mount Shu also suffered greatly, with tens of thousands of senior disciples never returning, taking with them innumerable divine weapons and magical treasures. Furthermore, the sword forging masters of Shu were drafted away, making it difficult for the sect to produce divine swords ever again.

The sword artifact in the hands of Green Duckweed Daoist was forged from a fragment of the Qingping Sword, which was shattered by the Celestial Venerable during the ancient Divine Enthronement. Even though the Qingping Sword had broken into over a hundred thousand pieces, this fragment, the size of a fingernail, was considered large! Once this sword was complete, it proved to be much more powerful than others, yet it still wasn’t enough to command the swords of Shu, given the fragment’s imperfection and the dispersal of its spiritual power. If it wasn’t for the residual spiritual power, it might not even surpass a slightly more potent sword artifact forged by a Golden Immortal.

As Wu Dao traveled with the two swordsmen, he rode atop a dark cloud—this was a divine skill of Rain Mage Chi Songzi, called "Moving Clouds." This cloud, less impressive only in comparison with VLOOKUP(A1025,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0), moved with incredible speed. The other two were flying on their swords; their entire cultivation was dependent on these sword artifacts—it could be said that their life was tied to their swords, and should their swords be destroyed, they too would perish. Yet, breaking the sword of a sword cultivator was no easy feat.

The Shushan Sword Sect considered Laojun as the Patriarch, while outside sword cultivators generally revered the Spiritual Treasure as the Patriarch. After all, the significance of the Four Swords of Celestial Slaying by Celestial Venerable was unparalleled. Which sword cultivator could achieve such a feat? But the Patriarch of Shu, True Man of Great Purity, became an immortal through Laojun’s enlightenment and the teaching of the "Tao Te Ching," hence Laojun was worshiped as the Patriarch there.

As Wu Dao and the two swordsmen just entered the Shu Region, they found the land to be quite hot and humid, with mountains galore and rugged paths.

Indeed:

The road to Shu is arduous, more difficult than ascending to the blue skies!

In the mouths of later generations, this statement seemed exaggerated. For the immortals, flying through the sky was a breeze.

Below, the scenery was picturesque, with clear waters and lush trees. Wild beasts roamed the mountains, and winding paths snaked like serpents.

Wu Dao couldn’t help but sigh, "Truly, the Shu Region has fine scenery. No wonder many hermits chose to seclude themselves here through ancient times."

Xu Hai and Xu Qing added, "Indeed, the scenery of Shu is remarkable; it’s unmatched even by many famous landscapes in the Southern Toad Continent. Friend, you’ve seen too little. If you had seen more, you wouldn’t find it so pleasing to the eye."

Wu Dao laughed heartily, about to speak, when suddenly a sword qi burst forth from a tall mountain below, shooting up to the sky, targeting him for a direct attack! This burst of sword qi came out of nowhere, swift as lightning and graceful as a startled swan—a truly stunning sword gesture.

The sword, the king of all weapons, is elegant and dignified. In the mortal world, it’s a symbol of authority. Emperors and generals often wore side swords when stepping out. It’s also a symbol of chivalry among the lower-ranking folks—swordsman can take a life within ten steps and travel a thousand miles without leaving a trace. In the Dao of Immortals, the sword is favored by many immortals, but only the sword cult has truly brought the use of the sword to such heights!

Surprised, Wu Dao quickly drew the Seven Stars Sword from his back, flicked his wrist, and spun a Sword Flower, pressing it down toward the attack.

"Pfft!"

The Sword Flower released by Wu Dao was as large as a round table and immediately shattered on contact with the approaching sword qi.

Before Wu Dao could react, a white figure surged upwards, striking as fast as lightning with a sword aimed straight for his throat. The piercing Sword Intent threatened his Primordial Spirit, nearly paralyzing it, while the sharp sword qi seemed poised to slash his body apart in an instant.

"Walking Clouds and Falling Rain!" Wu Dao cried out softly, and the dark cloud beneath him flew forward, blocking the incoming sword of the white figure.

This too was a Divine Skill from the "Gui Water True Scripture" created by Rain Mage Chi Songzi. Despite the era of great powers in Ancient Times, Chi Songzi was a standout, and his self-created technique was exceptional—otherwise, Wuzhiqi wouldn’t have required Emperor Da Yu himself to capture it. The magnitude of Da Yu’s mana, as the last of the Five Emperors, following Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Emperor Yao, Yu Shun, and Da Yu himself, was beyond comprehension.

From the cloud, numerous water thunders exploded!

With only the cultivation level of the Third Layer of Taiyi Golden Immortal, Xu Hai and Xu Qing quickly retreated, not daring to come too close, yet Wu Dao had reached the level of the Second Heaven of Da Luo Golden Immortal, far surpassing them.

The white figure seemed no less powerful. Looking closely, Wu Dao could see the figure dressed in a white straw raincoat and wearing a large straw hat, which covered the face, making it impossible to discern any features.

Wu Dao cursed, "Who in the world are you, and how dare you ambush travelers on their way? If you persist in this nuisance, be wary that I might use my Great Divine Power on you!"

The white figure danced with the sword, turning the sword qi into lotus blossoms that bloomed, popping the water thunders and repelling them one by one.

The figure in white sneered, "I saw the divine sword on your back with its qi soaring to the sky and thought you were a master of the Sword Dao. It turns out you’re just another cowardly immortal, using the sword for show. Such a divine sword in your hands is truly wasted!"

Enraged, Wu Dao flicked his sword and spat, "I see you’re nothing more than a Second Heaven Da Luo Golden Immortal in cultivation, having taken advantage by launching a sneak attack just now. Try taking this sword from me!"

Blinded by fury, Wu Dao abandoned using Chi Songzi’s divine skills, simply lifted the Seven Stars Sword, and with a flick in the void, used the sword as a pen to write the character "Sword" using the Xia Dynasty Dragon Seal script.

He had seen Confucius write this character in Luoyang, and having already acquired three Swallowing Dragon Steles, he had spent a century in seclusion with the Daoist Equal to Heaven, who had not spared any details in using the inscriptions on the steles for observation. Through observation, it came naturally to him, as the three became harmoniously united, each able to grasp the true essence within. This character "Sword," was one such essence he had comprehended over those hundred years.

With the inscription of this character, the void trembled, and strands of sword qi materialized, crisscrossing for thousands of zhang, inadvertently grazing a mountain below and immediately shearing off half its peak.

"Ah! What kind of divine skill is this sword? It’s incredibly powerful!" Exclaimed the straw-cloaked white figure and both Xu Hai and Xu Qing, unable to help themselves from crying out in alarm at the same time.

Wu Dao’s sword thrust was truly world-shattering; the void was sliced with fine cracks, a feat that only a master of the Third Level Da Luo Golden Immortal could barely achieve, but with his strike, he had torn the void asunder. Although it did not shatter completely, it was still enough to inspire awe and shock.

Seven cold stars flickered on Wu Dao’s sword, even borrowing the star force from the Big Dipper in the sky, which greatly amplified its already formidable power!

"Tsss!"

As Wu Dao thrust his sword, the white figure quickly shook open the three-foot-long sword held, swish, swish, swish, a cascade of sword flowers descended from the sky, enveloping the figure entirely.

This sword attack was relentless; as it thundered down, the sword qi surged tumultuously, and the void tore apart like a spider’s web. The sword flowers instantly shattered into nothingness.

After obliterating most of the sword flowers, the sword’s power diminished slightly, shredding the remaining flowers, and then weakened just a bit more before striking ferociously toward the man in the straw cloak.

The straw-clad individual hastily positioned the sword horizontally, unleashing an exceptionally fierce burst of sword qi. When the two forces collided, the earth shook and the mountains trembled, the river at the side of the mountain reversed its flow, peaks collapsed, and the rumbling resonated so far it was immeasurable, sounding like a massive thunderclap.

Crimson blood spurted out from the cloaked figure’s body, wounds inflicted by the incomparably sharp sword qi. The previous strike was so terrifying that even Wu Dao hadn’t anticipated that deploying the "Sword" character from the Xia Dynasty Dragon Seal with the Seven Stars Sword could unleash such dread-inspiring power.

"What kind of divine skill is this?" The cloak and hat burst off the figure, revealing an old white ape wearing a Taoist robe.

Seeing that it was a white ape, the anger in Wu Dao’s heart dissipated by half, and he laughingly scolded, "You audacious Macaca, how dare you block my way."

Often being called a Macaca himself, he found it amusing to use the insult on someone else, chuckling inwardly at the thought.

The old white ape touched the wounds on his body and said, "You are indeed formidable, my friend. I was rash just now! However, I was compelled by the extraordinary sword artifact on your back and couldn’t help but make a move."

Wu Dao responded with a cupped fist salute, "You’re too kind, too kind!"

Only then did Xu Hai and Xu Qing dare to approach, exclaiming in wonder, "So it’s Venerable Ape, the senior!"

Wu Dao’s mind churned, wondering who this Venerable Ape was; the name sounded oddly familiar. Being amongst the immortals, he would have a deep impression of things he had heard or seen, though in his previous life, he was a rascal who didn’t pay much attention, so his memories were fleeting. Still, some impression lingered even if he could not immediately recall who Venerable Ape was.

Venerable Ape nodded and said, "Ah, it’s both of you, Xu Qing and Xu Hai!"

Wu Dao then inquired, "My friends, what’s the story behind this Venerable Ape?"

Xu Hai replied hastily, "We don’t deserve such courtesy! We were presumptuous to have addressed you as a peer earlier, not knowing you were so skilled. Please don’t address us as friends, just use our names directly."

The two had passed by the Five Elements Mountain just as the battle concluded, which is why they hadn’t witnessed Wu Dao’s true strength. However, they saw clearly Wu Dao’s exchanges with Venerable Ape, realizing that this man’s prowess was not trivial, managing to surpass Venerable Ape’s swordsmanship!

"I’m just an old ape from the mountains, who later had some fortunate encounters that allowed me to transform into a human and wander the mortal world. I have a particular fondness for the Sword Dao, so I learned swordsmanship. After traversing the world, few could match me until a woman bested me. So I went back into seclusion in the mountains, delving deeper into study, and finally, I became an immortal through the sword. However, the woman who defeated me has vanished, perhaps returned to the yellow earth," Venerable Ape sighed upon hearing Wu Dao’s words.

Wu Dao suddenly realized that this was indeed Venerable Ape; the one who defeated him must have been Lady Yue!

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the following Chapter.