The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 140 - 137: Who Severed the Arm of Hongjun

Chapter 140: Chapter 137: Who Severed the Arm of Hongjun

Upon arriving at Mount Shu, Daoist Enlightenment and Venerable Ape ascended and found their way to the Welcoming Immortals’ Platform. The custodian of the platform, noticing the arrival of the esteemed guests, busied himself by striking the Great Bell twenty-two times, indicating the exalted status of the visitors.

Upon hearing the bell toll twenty-two times, the Sect Leader, Green Duckweed Daoist, knew that prestigious guests had arrived, and descended the mountain, riding his sword. He appeared middle-aged, dressed in simple, plain green clothes, embodying the saying ’donning green robes whilst wielding a sword’. Most sword cultivators preferred to wear green.

The Sect Leader alighted at the Welcoming Immortals’ Platform, and the surrounding disciples couldn’t help but bow and address him as the Supreme Sect Leader. Green Duckweed Daoist nodded slightly and raised his hand to signal them to rise.

Green Duckweed Daoist laughed, "Venerable Ape, I have sent you letters, and I’ve been looking forward to your visit! You’ve finally arrived!"

Venerable Ape laughed heartily, "How could I not come when Daoist Green Duckweed beckons? It’s just that I had an epiphany about a sword technique on the way, which caused some delay."

Green Duckweed Daoist turned his head and felt that although the black-clothed Daoist seemed ordinary, he exuded a depth like that of an abyss, a restraint akin to a wild knife wrapped tight or a Divine Sword sheathed—his appearance was plain, but formidable. The Daoist hurriedly bowed deeply, "May I ask how to address this Daoist friend?"

Daoist Enlightenment responded with a bow, "I am known by my Dharma name, Daoist Enlightenment. Previously in the Southern Toad Continent, I was invited by your distinguished Mount Shu disciples to ascend the mountain, and along the way, I met with Venerable Ape. Our arrival is somewhat presumptuous; please forgive us, Sect Leader."

Green Duckweed Daoist replied, "How could I? It is an honor for Daoist friends like you to visit Mount Shu. This time, I must also ask for your assistance."

He glimpsed at the sword behind Daoist Enlightenment, finding it extraordinary. Even sheathed, there was a sense of sharpness leaking out. He thought, "This must be a Divine Sword! It’s surprising that Xu Hai and Xu Qing have indeed found a master with such a sword."

"Sect Leader Brother," Xu Hai and Xu Qing greeted with a bow.

"No need for formalities," Green Duckweed Daoist slightly nodded.

Venerable Ape scratched his ear and cheek, "Daoist Green Duckweed, let’s hasten to the mountain to have a couple of cups of tea first. I’ve been craving your Mount Shu’s Sword Tea for quite some time!"

It was then that Green Duckweed Daoist burst into laughter and said, "Pardon me, pardon me! Come, let us ascend the mountain. We shall drink a cup of tea together first."

Daoist Enlightenment said, "Thank you."

Venerable Ape and Daoist Enlightenment ascended the mountain with Green Duckweed Daoist. Green Duckweed Daoist’s cultivation had reached the Indestructible Realm; he had refined his Primordial Spirit with Heavenly Thunder, removing all impurities and rendering it flawless. Even if he were reduced to a fragment of his Primordial Spirit, he could revive himself through it—such was the terrifying nature of the Immortal Realm! When attempting to kill a powerhouse above the Indestructible Realm, it is essential to utterly destroy their Primordial Spirit, for they are the most challenging to kill. If one cannot overpower them, employing the Dismantling Art to split the Primordial Spirit into hundreds or thousands and escaping in all directions becomes an option, and without a formidable Magical Treasure, capturing them would be impossible.

Xu Hai and Xu Qing took their leave, understanding that the Sect Leader intended to discuss matters with Venerable Ape and Daoist Enlightenment.

The Path of Immortals is difficult to cultivate. After thousands of years of practice, most of the thirty-six generations of disciples are still around the level of Taiyi Golden Immortals, with Mount Shu having just over a dozen Daluo Golden Immortals. Nonetheless, such a number is terrifying enough. Not even the Taoism of the Heavenly Masters has as many experts; only a handful of Sect Leader Heavenly Masters have attained the mana of Daluo Golden Immortals, and perhaps only the Wudang Sect under Great Emperor Zhenwu can compare with Mount Shu.

In the Middle Ancient Times, Mount Shu was hailed as the abode of a hundred thousand Sword Immortals, with countless disciples and geniuses in the Sword Dao emerging every generation. However, after the wars of the Middle Ancient Times, the Sword Dao began to decline. At that time, no evil being could rise; suppressed dead by the Sword Qi, they couldn’t even twitch.

Upon entering the reception hall, the Sect Leader invited the two guests to be seated and sent a Child to fetch some tea.

The tea was served in a porcelain cup, exquisitely crafted and translucent, a rarity even in the Heavenly Court.

Green Duckweed Daoist smiled, "This tea is Mount Shu’s unique Sword Tea. The tea is grown atop Sword Mountain and can only be harvested once every hundred years, with each harvest yielding no more than ten pounds. It is exceedingly rare."

Daoist Enlightenment opened the lid to look inside and saw that the tea leaves resembled little swords, truly living up to their name. It wasn’t surprising that they were known as Sword Tea, for the tea trees on Sword Mountain were nourished by Sword Qi day and night, enabling them to take on such a form. This Sword Tea was incredibly precious; drinking it could refine the Sword Qi within the body and aid in grasping the true meaning of the Sword Dao. Without esteemed guests present, such tea leaves would never be served because they were far too precious, with only ten pounds produced in a century.

Daoist Enlightenment took a sip and immediately noticed the fragrant sweetness, which infiltrated his viscera from the tip of his tongue. Yet, it seemed to contain an edge that coalesced into Sword Qi within his Five Qi, much to his surprise, as he hadn’t expected the Sword Tea to be this effective. He praised, "This Sword Tea of yours, Daoist friend, is truly a wondrous thing! Excellent, excellent!"

Venerable Ape, savoring his sip of Sword Tea, said contentedly, "This Sword Tea is indeed marvelous. What a pity it’s produced in such small quantities; otherwise, drinking a cup daily would significantly enhance one’s mana and swordsmanship."

While a good idea, it was impractical. Additionally, for those on the Immortal Path at such a high level, external items, unless exceptionally against nature, would bring no significant improvement in cultivation if consumed. Daoist Enlightenment ate Peaches of Immortality daily, and over a hundred years he had consumed a total of thirty to forty thousand, ascending only to the Second Layer of Heaven. Naturally, this was due in part to his trinity, splitting the True Qi of a peach amongst three individuals.

After drinking the tea, they continued with water drawn from Mount Shu’s Sword Pool within their cups, refilling them. This process lasted for three infusions, after which the tea would no longer have any effect or taste.

After the three cups, Venerable Ape grew slightly more serious, "Let’s discuss the important matter at hand!"

Green Duckweed Daoist’s expression also became solemn as he had the child take away the tea cups and then leave the reception hall. He said, "This matter is of great importance. It concerns an ancient evil that was sealed during the Zhou Dynasty by the True Man of Great Purity, the founding patriarch of our sword school. That is why I have sent out invitations far and wide, asking for the assistance of sword masters from all over the world and dispatched disciples to seek Divine Swords, to serve as the head of the swords of Mount Shu, to lead the Sword Qi in suppressing this evil once more."

Enlightenment Dao frowned and said, "Evil, evil! What exactly is this evil being?"

Green Duckweed Daoist replied, "According to our patriarch, this evil being is an arm severed by the founder of Mystic Sect, Hongjun, during the creation of the world in ancient times. This arm fell onto Mount Shu and became sealed within a formation by an Ancient Immortal. However, during the Middle Ancient Times, the seal loosened, and it was on the verge of breaking free. It was precisely at this time that our Great Emperor of True Martial in seclusion on Mount Shu reinforced the formation and sealed it once again. By himself, he could not suppress it indefinitely. Thus, he ordered people to forge swords on Mount Shu, relying on the Sword Qi and the righteous energy of the Sword Dao to keep it suppressed. Over time, this led to the formation of our Shushan Sword Sect lineage."

Venerable Ape and Enlightenment Dao suddenly realized, so this was how the Shushan lineage came into being.

"This is an arm severed by the Mystic Sect’s founder Hongjun himself? Whose arm was it, to be so formidable?" Venerable Ape exclaimed in shock.

In ancient times, the Daoist order was also known as Mystic Sect, with Hongjun being the founder. He enlightened the saints and divided the Three Teachings of Ren, Chan, and Jie. However, later on, Zhunti and Jieyin had a dream, left Mystic Sect, and established the Western Religion in West Cow He State, which gradually evolved into Buddhism and the monastic tradition.

To them, Hongjun was a mythical figure, known by reputation even if unseen. He was the teacher of Pangu, who created the world, with unparalleled mana and incomparable to anyone else.

One could only imagine the extent of the mana possessed by someone whose arm required Hongjun himself to sever.

Green Duckweed Daoist shook his head and said, "I do not know the details, but our patriarch left a strict warning to never let this arm come into being, for if it does, it will bring about another bloody and brutal turmoil."

With a sigh, Enlightenment Dao and Venerable Ape said, "We’ll do what we can! If it can be stopped, that would be for the best."

Both felt a sense of being inadequate for the task at hand. After all, this was an arm severed by Hongjun. Who knew how powerful it might be? With the seal now loosening and the evil about to emerge, they wondered whether it could be suppressed once again. An arm capable of continuously breaking formations and threatening to emerge even under the immense Sword Qi of Sword Mountain was truly terrifying. Possibly even a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal among the creators would have to exert great effort to emerge.

Green Duckweed Daoist reassured them, "You need not worry too much, my Daoist friends. I see that the sword artifact of Enlightenment Daoist friend is indeed a first-rate Divine Weapon and is sufficient to lead the swords of Mount Shu. The problem is that our swords of Mount Shu have been without a leader, hence the chaotic Sword Qi of Sword Mountain allowed for the rise of the evil. If we can reorganize and redirect the Sword Qi, we can certainly suppress this evil once more."

To have existed since the beginning of the world is something truly terrifying. It seems that this journey to Shushan will indeed be an eye-opening experience!

Enlightenment Dao inquired, "When do you plan to take action, Daoist Green Duckweed?"

Green Duckweed Daoist said, "I believe there is no time to delay. We are preparing to act in three days, which coincides with the time when the Sword Qi of Mount Shu will be at its most vigorous."

In three days, when the clouds clear and the fog disperses, the Sword Qi will face no obstructions and can exert its maximum power.

Green Duckweed Daoist bowed politely and said, "This matter is a secret of Mount Shu, so I must ask you, my Daoist friends, to please not speak of it to others."

Enlightenment Dao and Venerable Ape nodded slightly and said, "Since you trust us with this matter, we naturally will not speak carelessly of it."

Green Duckweed Daoist added, "In three days, I’m afraid we will have to rely on the help of Enlightenment Daoist to draw his sword and assist in suppressing the evil."

The majority of the Ancient Divine Swords were lost, or else it wouldn’t have come to his counterfeit Seven Stars Sword. There are replicas of the Ancient Divine Swords in the mortal world, which are quite exceptional, but to take command of the swords of Shushan, they are still inadequate.

Enlightenment Dao declared, "Since this arm was severed by the Ancestral Taoist Master Hongjun, it is surely no good. Allowing it to come into being would be undesirable. I will certainly do my utmost to aid Shushan!"

Green Duckweed Daoist was extremely grateful, and Enlightenment Dao suddenly thought of Lu Dongbin and said, "I will invite a friend, another Daoist, to assist. His swordsmanship is also quite formidable and may very well be of great use."

Green Duckweed Daoist inquired, "May I ask who this True Person is?"

"Lu Chunyang!" Enlightenment Dao said with a smile.

Green Duckweed Daoist was overjoyed and exclaimed, "If we can have True Man Lu Chunyang assist us, our chances of success will be even greater. His Pure Yang Sword is also extremely formidable and just about sufficient to command our swords."

After all, Enlightenment Dao’s sword came from the hand of Laojun, and in the unseen ways of fate, it was imbued with the fortune of a Saint, more than sufficient to lead the swords. Lu Dongbin’s sword was formidable too, but it was something he had forged himself. Its power was noteworthy but to lead all the swords, it could only suffice, though barely. However, his cultivation was extraordinary, and he was a powerful individual of the Immortal Realm. With him coming to help, our chances would be even greater.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the following part of the story.

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