Chương 128: So this is sword intent

"The Secret Cave of Qingcheng?"

Zhao Rui narrowed his eyes slightly. This was indeed somewhat unexpected, yet also quite reasonable.

"I will inform the sect leader and then explain the details to you, believer."

Master Yu held his sword, clasped his hands in a salute, and faced Zhao Rui as he was now, he even felt as if he were facing the old sect leader.

Perhaps it was because he had just finished a great battle, and his aura lingered around him, unnaturally exuding a strange aura.

"Well, I'm afraid this female demon has some tricks up her sleeve, so I dare not leave this place for the time being. I'd like to trouble you, Daoist, to bring the sect leader or another influential person from the Qingcheng Sword Sect over here!"

A rare serious expression appeared on Zhao Rui's somewhat youthful face.

His gaze drifted slightly toward the eerie, wavy space behind him.

This space is abrupt; although it is transparent, it clearly presents a thick, gel-like feel.

It gives you the feeling of looking at things through glass.

"Could it be spatial folding or spatial distortion?"

Zhao Rui had a variety of thoughts running through his mind, but no matter what, he had to stay here for the time being.

"I'll go and inform them right away!"

Master Yu quickly agreed, turned around, and used his lightness skill to swiftly head up the mountain.

The other Taoist priests stood guard at the cave entrance to prevent anyone from entering.

Inside the cave, Zhao Rui stepped into the crystal pool, sat cross-legged, opened his thirty-eight acupoints, and used his magic to continue absorbing the misty energy emitted by the spirit stones into his body to circulate the microcosmic and macrocosmic orbits.

About half an hour later, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the cave.

A moment later, Master Yu led a group of people in.

Among them was the old sect leader, who was barely breathing, being carried by four Taoist priests on a chair.

Beside the old sect leader were Uncle Yun Hao, whose arms were bandaged, and other remaining core members of the sect.

As the group entered, they immediately saw the female demon lying on the ground, her body torn in two, and exclaimed in unison, "Amitabha!"

Unexpectedly, the female demon was found dead here.

Once they had calmed down, everyone looked at Zhao Rui, who was sitting cross-legged, surrounded by a misty aura, looking like a deity in a painting.

"Your merit is immeasurable, and your good fortune is boundless! Our Qingcheng has escaped this great calamity entirely thanks to your efforts!"

The old sect leader bowed tremblingly.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Rui slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of white air, which shot straight forward like a bolt of lightning.

It was a distance of at least ten feet.

After finishing his practice and standing up, Zhao Rui looked at everyone, quickly jumped into the crystal pool, and said with a smile, "Thank you for coming, Sect Leader. I'm sure Daoist Yu has already told you!"

The old sect leader grunted in agreement and nodded to Master Yu.

Master Yu understood, took a step forward, and said in a deep voice, "Twenty years ago, strange phenomena appeared on Mount Qingcheng, and this place was discovered by our sect..."

"At first, just a few crystals suddenly appeared, but they gradually accumulated and eventually reached their current size."

"After investigation by the sect leader and several elders, it was discovered that these crystals actually contain a kind of magical true energy that can aid in cultivation."

"Unfortunately, ordinary martial arts techniques cannot absorb it... until an elder discovered a fragment of the Thunderclap Sword Technique in the classic texts."

"Therefore, over the years, the Sword Sect has been training successors capable of cultivating the Thunderclap Sword Technique..."

"The cultivation technique is incomplete and requires too much talent. Even if ordinary disciples practice it, it will only be a mortal technique, and they will not be able to master it, let alone absorb this power..."

"In the past twenty years, no fewer than twenty disciples have lost their lives because of this."

"Unfortunately, the Qingcheng Sect has lost its lineage and its talent pool has dwindled. To this day, only Junior Brother Yun Hao has mastered the Thunderclap Sword Technique!"

After listening to Master Yu's words, Zhao Rui nodded, saying that he had been quite straightforward.

So he asked about the relationship between Elder Ge and Qingcheng.

"A hundred years ago, Elder Ge was a disciple of my Qingcheng Sect, but due to differences in ideology, he left the mountain with his grandmaster and dozens of others..."

"They had only been away from the mountain for a few years when Qingcheng suffered a great calamity, and its mountain gates were destroyed..."

"Later, his master and others all died in battle, leaving only him to survive... Unfortunately, most of his skills were learned during the war years, and are not the unique skills of our Qingcheng..."

After listening to Master Yu's words, Zhao Rui suddenly understood.

No wonder Master Ge would send a disciple with a lineage to Qingcheng Mountain every now and then.

Perhaps out of consideration for their relationship, they send people up the mountain to stay for a while, to learn some Qingcheng skills, and to build a good connection.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui nodded and said, "Indeed, our connection is quite deep. If the sect leader doesn't mind, I'd like to stay here for the time being..."

"It's alright. With you here, young friend, the entire Qingcheng community can rest assured! We are truly grateful for your help!"

"In a way, we're all family!"

Zhao Rui smiled. These were all places where Elder Ge "inherited" his knowledge, but he hadn't learned Elder Ge's true teachings.

That old man is so stingy! I'll definitely have to get to the bottom of this when I see him.

After this exchange, the Qingcheng disciples, led by the old sect leader, returned to the Qingcheng Sword Sect, which was now in ruins.

With so many people dead, even the imperial court would not sit idly by.

This has clearly blown up!

However, these matters will be handled by the people of Qingcheng, so he doesn't need to worry about them.

Zhao Rui's current focus was on the eerie space behind him, which resembled ripples on the water's surface, and the crystals beneath his feet that emitted a misty aura.

Based on the female demon's actions before her death, it was clear that she was heading towards the eerie space.

Zhao Rui slowly extended the peach wood sword into this space, and the sword passed through smoothly as if it were a normal thrust.

It is completely unaffected.

Zhao Rui then changed to things like stones and futons.

They all passed through the strange space without any hindrance.

Until he picked up a crystal and poked it.

Then the situation changed; the crystal seemed to melt, and its tip disappeared into the void.

energy?

Zhao Rui's heart stirred, and he opened his acupoints, absorbing some of the crystal's energy. Then, he flicked his finger and shot out a stream of true energy into the strange space.

As expected, the true energy disappeared into the strange space.

"Depend on!"

Zhao Rui couldn't help but spit out his anger. Clearly, the female demon was not dead at all.

Whether it was a soul transfer or an energy manifestation, the female demon must have escaped from here.

"No, I need to hurry up and start cultivating!"

Zhao Rui immediately felt an invisible pressure pressing down on his heart.

In the days that followed, he settled down in the cave.

He absorbs this inherent power daily to cultivate demonic techniques, as well as several divine skills such as the Enchanting Immortal Technique and the Thunderclap Sword Technique.

Despite their busy schedules, the people of Qingcheng brought him bedding, tables, chairs, and beds, and even connected the cave to water and electricity.

The entrance to the cave was fitted with two red copper doors inlaid with rivets, making it look like a hermitage of a Taoist priest from afar.

Zhao Rui would never admit that he was the one who requested the installation of this grotesque door.

Sixty years have passed in the mountains, while a thousand years have passed in the world!

I roam freely in the heavens and earth, and dwell in the eternal palace of immortality!

Zhao Rui felt that a couplet was still missing, but fortunately he wasn't shameless enough to hang it up.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.

The eerie space was completely still, as quiet as a mirror.

He had also consumed about half of the crystals in the pool, and had originally planned to continue cultivating.

As a result, the old leader of Qingcheng could not hold on any longer and passed away.

Zhao Rui had no choice but to leave the pass and see him off.

Qingcheng is a renowned martial arts sect, and its former leader is a top-tier martial arts master.

His funeral was quite grand.

Officials from the imperial court in charge of religious affairs, the head of the Sichuan Martial Arts Association, and the heads of martial arts colleges of many universities in Sichuan Province, as well as various martial arts schools and social organizations within their jurisdiction, all came to pay their respects.

Martial arts sects naturally wouldn't be left behind; all the prominent sects sent people over.

The Emei Sect, being the closest, naturally attracted the most visitors.

A large group of monks mixed with a group of beautiful young women was quite an eye-catching sight.

If one were unaware of the true nature of Emei, one might mistake it for a corrupt and filthy Buddhist sect.

However, the "Emei Sect" is actually divided into the Emei Sect and the Emei Sword Sect. The Sword Sect is more of a simple martial arts sect and does not involve complex religious doctrines.

The Emei School is the true inheritor of the Buddhist and Zen theories of Mount Emei.

This is different from the Qingcheng Sword Sect's integration of Taoism and martial arts.

Similar to Qingcheng, there are also renowned and prestigious sects like Wudang and Shaolin.

Zhao Rui, dressed in a Taoist robe, followed Zhang Zheng and the others, acting as a little Taoist priest, chanting Taoist scriptures in the hope of ascending to immortality!

The entire funeral process was rigorous and followed numerous rules. Whether it was people from the imperial court or people from various sects, they all showed the Qingcheng Sect sufficient respect.

Who would dare disrespect a sect capable of single-handedly defeating a demon lord?

Since outsiders are unaware of the specific situation, Qingcheng naturally won't say much, and will hold out for as long as possible.

Once Uncle Yunhao recovers and his skills improve further, he will be able to guard this vast Qingcheng Mountain without worry.

At this moment, in the main hall, a disciple of the Kongtong sect, dressed in plain clothes, stepped forward three steps, raised his left palm over his right fist to eyebrow level, lifted the hem of his Taoist robe, knelt on one knee, and his voice resounded throughout the mourning hall:

"May the Heavenly Gang weep and the Earthly Fiends grieve! I, Lin Han, a disciple of Yue Su of the Kongtong Sect, on behalf of my master, pay homage to the lotus seat of the Xuanqing True Person of the Qingcheng Sword Sect!..."

This man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a broad back and a strong waist, and a good physique. Yet, he spoke with refined manners and had an upright demeanor, which made the onlookers around him sigh in admiration.

This person is only about thirty years old, yet he can go out to pay respects on behalf of the sect leader; he is definitely not an ordinary person.

Those who knew him were already whispering among themselves, "This is Lin Han, the unparalleled genius of the Kongtong Sect, a talent that appears only once in a century! We never expected it to be him!"

"It seems the old sect leader intended for him to take charge of the sect!"

"Hmm, but we dare not speak recklessly. Master Lin has three senior brothers and five senior uncles; it's not his turn to speak!"

"I have high hopes for this Master Lin. Let's wait and see!"

The whispers were merely a smokescreen; everyone present was a martial arts expert.

It was obvious from their conversation that the two were deliberately talking like this.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Lin Han's eyes.

The ceremony for offering condolences was quite elaborate, with leaders from various sects personally coming to express their deepest condolences, or others bowing and weeping on behalf of their leaders.

It took most of the day for each sect and faction to finish offering condolences and prayers.

Zhao Rui's mouth became dry from chanting scriptures, and his knowledge also increased considerably.

I got to meet many martial arts figures and experience a sect life that was completely different from my university life.

Each journey reveals a new world; what you encounter is merely the world you perceive it to be.

Just as the procession finished their worship and gradually left the main hall, Zhao Rui keenly sensed that someone was looking at him.

He turned his head and was immediately delighted, raising his hand slightly in greeting.

The person looking at him was none other than his high school classmate, Bai Xuening. It had been so long since they last met!

When Bai Xuening saw him greet her, she was both surprised and delighted. She pointed outside, indicating that he should wait until the process was over and then go outside to talk.

Zhao Rui nodded in agreement.

Who is it?

A female disciple of the Emei Sword Sect standing next to Bai Xuening asked curiously.

"A high school classmate!"

Bai Xuening said casually.

"Your classmate is really impressive. There was Zhao Rui before, who was quite impressive, and I didn't expect there to be another one who came to Qingcheng Mountain."

"It's been so long, I didn't even know."

Bai Xuening gave a simple reply, then tugged at her sleeve, signaling her not to say anything out of line.

After half an hour, the entire ceremony was finally over.

After completing his task as a "disciple," Zhao Rui bowed to the old sect leader and then left the main hall.

At this moment, under the eaves of the plaza in the distance outside the main hall, a young girl was sitting on the steps, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Zhao Rui glanced at it, stepped over, and greeted him with a smile when he got close.

"Long time no see, old classmate!"

"Long time no see! What brings you to become a Taoist priest!"

Hearing the noise, the girl smiled and stood up.

"We're a Taoist priest and a nun, it's fine!"

Zhao Rui smiled.

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuening rolled her eyes at him and spat, "Still so unserious. I haven't taken vows. We are lay disciples of the Sword Sect."

"Oh, why didn't you say so sooner? I'd already stamped it with the Taoist seal!"

Zhao Rui said, "Stunned."

"You, why are you clinging to me like this, even though you're a Taoist priest?"

Bai Xuening felt a little guilty when she heard him speak so truthfully, wondering if it really was because of her.

"I've heard nuns earn a lot of money, and I'm afraid I'm not good enough for you!"

"Pah, you're so annoying!"

Bai Xuening then realized that he was still mocking her, and immediately spat in dissatisfaction.

"I'm just kidding, it wouldn't be appropriate if someone saw us." Zhao Rui smiled, then said seriously, "I've been to Emei twice, but unfortunately I didn't see you either time."

"Yes, I'm currently in seclusion, but I've heard of your name countless times!"

"Oh? Am I that famous?"

"More than that, we all went down to Emei... Well, anyway, you're very powerful, you've even comprehended the sword intent."

"Is sword intent difficult?"

Zhao Rui raised an eyebrow and said.

"It would be strange if it weren't difficult; there are only a handful of people in the entire Emei Sect who know how to do it."

"Give me your hand!"

"what?"

"Let me show you the essence of swordsmanship!"

Zhao Rui gently grasped Bai Xuening's outstretched slender hand, and the sword intent within his body grew wildly like spring seedlings.

The sword intent gradually spread from Bai Xuening's arm throughout her body, guiding her consciousness to experience a different realm.

It felt like being there in person.

Bai Xuening had never felt the sword intent bursting forth from her body so vividly before.

For a moment, I was completely mesmerized!

However, this feeling came and went quickly, and Zhao Rui only gave her a brief taste of it.

"So this is sword intent!"

Bai Xuening's eyes were clear and sparkling with starlight. Then, she sat down on the ground and closed her eyes to ponder.

"This level of comprehension? No way!"

Zhao Rui was also taken aback, then stood aside to protect her.

(End of this chapter)