Chương 260: Sword Forging Villa

Sword Forging City, inside the inn. In his room, staring at the thin layer of fine ash left on the table, Song Que couldn't help but fall into a trance. Old Blood's minor tricks might not have much offensive power, but they were genuinely practical. If their Heavenly Ghost Sect used this method for intelligence gathering and transmitting messages, it would be the perfect tool for the job. The Horizon Ocean Pavilion wouldn't even be fit to carry their shoes! In truth, Scumbag Song was overthinking it.

It wasn't easy for the Blood Robe to create a Yellow Paper Effigy. It was only because he had chanced upon a large chunk of Soul-Nourishing Wood last time that this old man dared to be so extravagant as to deploy a few of them. Ghostly entities were heavily suppressed by the vitality and Blood Qi of martial artists. Without this specific wood to serve as a vessel, a little ghost daring to enter a crowded place would simply be seeking death; it would be burned away and have its soul scattered in mere moments.

The Blood Robe was also wary of Song Que's strength. Unwilling to meet this guy casually, he used the Yellow Paper Effigy to relay his orders instead. Who could have expected this brat to casually squeeze the 'ghost' out of curiosity? With over one elephant of Blood Qi radiating from his body like a blazing furnace, the paper effigy couldn't withstand the touch at all. It barely managed to squeeze out a few words before crossing into the netherworld.

Even with his deep pockets, the Blood Robe felt a stinging pain in his heart...... The next afternoon, right at the onset of the Shen hour, Song Que arrived as scheduled outside the North Gate at a desolate, dilapidated Mountain God Temple. After asking around and gathering information throughout the day, he had roughly guessed the dog Blood Robe's objective. Although he didn't know the specific plan, it was undoubtedly a plot to snatch the Divine Sword set to emerge from the Sword Forging Villa tomorrow.

What massive dog guts! Grandee Song had repeatedly considered washing his hands of the matter and walking away, but after much deliberation, he still came here to probe for more information. With Old Ancestor Blood Robe's meager strength, he definitely didn't have the qualifications to lay his hands on this treasure.

Furthermore, recalling the lousy secret signal he was given, it wasn't hard to guess that the mastermind behind this operation was the newly ascended Grandmaster of the White Lotus Cult—the White Lotus Holy Mother. This woman's desire to obtain a Divine Weapon wasn't a matter of just a day or two; the martial world had long been boiling with rumors about it. Recently, the Jiannan Circuit could be described as plunged into an abyss of suffering, with the hearts of the people gripped by restless anxiety.

Originally, this entire region was dominated by a single giant: the Jade Mountain Daoist Temple. Their Temple Master, Perfected Jade Emptiness, was a genuine Grandmaster whose prestige covered the entire Circuit. Below them were factions like the Broad City Sect, led by the Nine Rivers Alliance's Vice Alliance Leader, 'Earth-Rending Palm' Du Renjie, managing Jiannan in an orderly fashion. However, chaotic times had continuously erupted recently.

First, the White Lotus Holy Mother, who had been hiding and preaching in secret, unexpectedly broke through to the Grandmaster realm. The White Lotus Cult immediately seized their destiny, turning the tables to become masters. They aggressively emerged to split the world evenly with the Jade Mountain Daoist Temple, fighting brutal, life-and-death battles everywhere to seize territory. Next, the Defense Commissioner of the Yan Border, Yang Yixing, was convicted of treason.

The Yang Family Army was shattered overnight. From the Hundred Thousand Mountains to the west, the people of the Hundred Tribes swarmed out like sparrows freed from a cage, causing chaos everywhere. The common folk truly had a hard time getting by. These matters were distant concerns. The immediate issue was the conflict surrounding the Sword Forging Villa and the Divine Sword.

Simply put, the White Lotus Grandmaster felt that lacking a Divine Weapon with her current status was far too embarrassing, so she wanted to acquire one. The Sword Forging Villa had the ability to forge Divine Weapons, and coincidentally, a Divine Sword was truly destined to emerge under the full moon tomorrow night. It was truly a heaven-sent match, an ideal pair! Unfortunately, while the White Lotus was interested, the Sword Forgers didn't give a damn.

Having received the grace and protection of the Jade Mountain Daoist Temple for countless generations, how could they do something akin to handing a weapon to the enemy? This Divine Sword, which took decades of nourishment to forge, had already been pre-ordered by the Daoist Temple before it was even born. Outsiders had no share in it. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Because of this matter, the two factions—who already found each other eyesores—had continuously clashed violently these past few days, dragging the entire martial world of the Jiannan Circuit into a storm of precarious turmoil, leaving everyone terrified. When Song Que first read about this in the early spring edition of the Martial World Chronicles, he felt it was quite a distant affair. He never expected to be dragged into this struggle today. Truly, the affairs of the world were unpredictable!

Just as he was filled with sighs and lamentations, a man wearing a hemp garment that looked half like a monk's robe and half like a Daoist robe approached from nowhere.

"Alms Giver, standing here alone, are you admiring the scenery?" Seeing Grandee Song's figure—a sword at his waist and a ghost mask on his face—yet still daring to approach and strike up a conversation, this was undoubtedly the person he was waiting for. Song Que grinned:"That is exactly right!"

"I wonder, in Alms Giver's eyes, what is the most beautiful flower in the world?"

"Naturally, it is a white lotus growing on rootless pure soil."

"Excellent, excellent!" The man's face lit up with joy.

"The True Void is our Home; the Unborn Venerable Mother! Alms Giver, please follow me." Saying that, he executed his movement technique to lead the way. Song Que followed closely behind, and it wasn't long before they arrived at a cave where quite a few people were already waiting inside. On the highest vantage point sat four people. From the auras they emitted, it was certain they were all First-Tier experts. The old thief Blood Robe was among them.

Seeing him arrive, the Blood Robe nodded in satisfaction:"Impermanence, come here!" Waiting until Song Que walked over, the old thief finally introduced him to the three people beside him.

"Protector Golden Saint, Arhat East Guard, Venerable Soul Harvester, this is my capable subordinate, Impermanence. Impermanence, quickly greet the three lords!"

"Greetings, Protector Golden Saint, Arhat East Guard, Venerable Soul Harvester!" Song Que obediently bowed to the big shots. The three merely gave faint nods of acknowledgment before letting him stand beside the Blood Robe to wait upon them. From early afternoon until late at night, people only continued to arrive at this location; not a single person left. Once the number of people in the cave reached nearly a hundred, no more arrived.

Everyone quietly found a corner, closed their eyes, and rested to conserve their energy. Standing close to the Blood Robe, Song Que managed to glean quite a bit of information by listening to their casual conversations. As he had correctly deduced, the White Lotus Cult was truly mobilizing a massive force to raid the Sword Forging Villa and snatch the Divine Sword. Fearing their strength was insufficient, they paid a heavy price to invite fellow martial artists from the surrounding martial world to assist them.

It was worth noting that this group operated with hidden tracks and secretive methods. Therefore, their acquaintances were all akin to snakes and rats. Those willing to lend a hand were purely demonic path cultivators and dark faction evildoers, but this combined force was similarly not to be underestimated. Not to mention the nearly hundred people and four First-Tier experts here, there were three other identically arranged locations secretly surrounding the Sword Forging Villa.

Furthermore, the White Lotus Holy Mother and the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Holy Envoys—top-tier experts—were also present. It could be said that the White Lotus Cult had deployed its entire core strength this time. The Divine Weapon was supposed to be completed tomorrow night, but these evildoers had found a method to accelerate the process, forcing it to emerge immediately.

It was precisely for this reason that the White Lotus Cult dared to gather on such a large scale, aiming to catch the Jade Mountain Daoist Temple completely off guard. Everyone was still operating under the assumption that the enemy would arrive tomorrow night. The Jade Mountain experts might not even be fully assembled yet. Truly, it could be said that the people of the Sword Forging Villa were destined to experience a night of tragic agony. Although Song Que predicted this outcome, he did absolutely nothing.

In such times, with his small-fry strength, he couldn't accomplish anything anyway. Since he was already here, he might as well obediently tag along and play his part as a background character; any thoughts of upholding justice could be forgotten. Did they expect him to find a way to warn the righteous path factions, have them lay traps, and coincidentally throw himself into the pit as well? Even with his thick skin and tough meat, he couldn't withstand playing like that!..... Midnight, the Xu hour.

The sky was clear, the breeze cool, and the moon hung high overhead. Today was only the 14th, yet the moon was already exceedingly beautiful and full. The moonlight cascaded down like soft spun gold, draping all living things on the earth in a hazy, ethereal layer. Unfortunately, while the scenery was beautiful, the people were living lives more flawed than a cracked pot.

Song Que sighed in lamentation as he silently marched with the crowd, arriving at a hidden corner at the foot of the Sword Forging Villa to await orders. The people around him wore the same combination of masks and black cloaks, standing there like wooden statues without a single word, their faces filled with murderous intent. He didn't know how long had passed when, suddenly, a cold, authoritative shout echoed between heaven and earth.

"Attack!" In a moment of shock, all eyes converged on the sky. A blinding white light, like a falling meteor, plummeted from the heavens at an extreme speed, aiming straight at the densest cluster of buildings within the Sword Forging Villa. With his sharp eyes, Song Que clearly saw a woman in a white, rainbow-patterned palace dress standing in the center of the white light. She currently held a sword in her right hand, and the radiant light surrounding her was entirely formed by her sword Qi.

The world-destroying, apocalyptic momentum of her sword was so terrifying that even standing thousands of feet away, he felt his hair stand on end, his soul trembling frantically. Is this the might of a Grandmaster?! If a human can achieve this, how are they any different from an immortal deity?! Grandee Song was both terrified and intensely thrilled.

"Charge for me!" Hearing the command, Protector Golden Saint on this side didn't hesitate in the slightest. Letting out a loud roar, he took the lead and charged forward. From the other three locations far in the distance, a large number of people surged out simultaneously. The grand battle was on the verge of erupting; the situation was tense to the extreme!