Chương 108: Chapter 105 – Arriving at the Azure Mountains

From their vantage high up in the sky, the view was breathtaking. The lush forests below them, the vast plains to the side, and a wall of mountains obscuring the distant horizon. Maybe it was the excessive amount of qi in the environment, but every scene was stunningly clear and vibrant. He could even spot large herds of beasts moving on the distant plains and flying creatures the size of a pagoda lazily drifting through the air. But nothing was more eye-catching than the sword.

Ren could already tell the mountains on the horizon were incredibly distant, yet their lofty heights made them look deceptively close. And dwarfing even those imposing giants was a sword that rose above the sky itself! It was broader than one of the mountains at its tip, and the hilt was lost in the clouds. There was no doubt about it; it had to be the 'Celestial's Sword' that Elder Yun Peng had told him about.

Back during his revelatory tea party with the elder, he had cautioned Ren that he would have to see it for himself to understand its majesty. Even from across such a vast distance, Ren was intimidated by the monument, the impossibly large sword that fell from a higher dimension. His emotions were in flux, both excited and afraid of their imminent arrival at the Azure Mountains. A place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, where the impossible was commonplace and hidden dangers were ubiquitous.

He was also glad he'd managed to get a copy of the jade slip given to him by Jian Feng to Bao Hua during the respite so he could become aware of the dangers as well. Ren had studied the slip many times during the journey, and half the things mentioned were so unbelievable that Ren found it hard to reconcile with all he knew about cultivators and cultivation.

At first, he had doubted whether that young master was intentionally misleading him, but Elder Ding's jade slip verified enough that Ren was forced to face an uncomfortable truth. All his achievements, his impressive speed of cultivation, and even his growing crafting skills were barely worthy of attention. The pride that had slowly been recovering and growing within him over the past 4 years was shattered once more.

While Elder Ding's slip hadn't gone into much detail, Jian Feng's slip had provided a few examples to highlight the differences. Apparently, the region the Heavenly Sword Sect was based in was referred to as the wastelands due to the thin levels of qi present there. Long ago, a mighty battle had taken place there, devastating the region so badly it had yet to recover.

Normally, no one would bother cultivating in such a desolate place, but it was still said to have its uses, such as the remnants of the ancient warriors who fell there. However, the lacking qi meant that the cultivator's potential was crippled without them knowing. Like training with their hands and feet bound, they would have to struggle to reach levels that others would reach as easily as turning over a hand.

As the transport sword consumed the distance, speeding towards the mountains, Ren found himself eager rather than depressed. Such a vast gap between the cultivators would have demoralized anyone, but Ren had lived the majority of his life under the impression that he wasn't special to begin with. This was not the first time that he had had his pride curbed. This news just confirmed that his perspective of the world was indeed wise.

Now, instead of being disappointed, he could freely look forward to the amazing opportunities that awaited him. If even the scraps of such mighty heroes were considered treasures in the Heavenly Sword Sect, then that just meant he was now heading to a place where treasures were abundant! He just needed to make sure to keep his head down and slowly and steadily cultivate.

Both Elder Ding and the Jian family's records warned them to be unerringly polite and humble to avoid conflict, and Ren intended to embrace that advice wholeheartedly.

"Ren, I'm hungry again." A pitiful voice sounded inside Ren's head, bringing him out of his musing. He stifled his laughter as he activated his improved privacy array and brought out some of his spirit beast jerky to feed the companion he had recently been reunited with. It had been a tremendous shock to discover a snake coiled around his leg a short while after the sword took off after their brief respite. In an impressive feat of stealth, the little black and red snake had snuck back to Ren without him noticing!

He had screamed and leapt so high; he worried he might have fallen off the flying sword without the safety arrays. Ren had ignored the numerous scowls and mocking laughter to lay out another layer of security so he could interrogate the little one in peace. Once he was done and certain that no one could peer through his arrays, at least for a while, he checked on the snake, only to find it deep in slumber. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

When it woke a few days later, it only requested more food that it tiredly ate before falling back to sleep. More answers would have to wait, but the first thing he did was bring out Wu Meng. The little tortoise had missed his friend terribly and squeaked in joy when it finally saw the snake after months apart. Ren's heart melted with warmth as the little snake coiled unconsciously around the tortoise in its sleep. Wu Meng promptly joined his companion in sleeping soundly.

It had been nearly two weeks since they entered the qi-rich territories of the Azure Mountains, and the Celestial's Sword only got more impressive the closer they got as it dominated the horizon, drawing every eye to it. Yet the closer they got, the harder it was to gaze upon it without feeling an ache in your eyes. Hopefully, they should be arriving soon because Ren was certain the sword wasn't the destination and the sect's border would stretch far from the sword.

They could already see far more cultivator activity as they flew past them. Ren even spotted a magnificent carriage being pulled by flying beasts far above them. There was a steady stream of flying transports of all kinds that made their way to and from the mountains in various directions. Most were too distant to make out clearly, and those that flew past them had impressive privacy wards. With nothing else to do, Ren was once more slowly going crazy with boredom.

Having come to terms with his emotions and having committed every scrap of information available on the Azure Mountains to memory, he still had plenty of time on his hands. He still couldn't cultivate his qi or his body while on the sword. He dared not cultivate his heart in fear of agitating the demonic finger and waking it from its slumber. Not when he was in such close proximity with the elders, and not to mention the test he might have to take at the Azure Mountains on arrival.

He had already written down all his experiences since leaving the sect as a way to pass the time. Naturally, he left out all mention of the intruder residing in his dantian. As he wrote, the new information he'd learned gave context to his experiences. Ren was now almost positive that the Golden Dharma Trials were actually the remnant dantian of an ancient warrior monk. Those curved floating rocks might have been his core!

Even in retrospect, it was awe-inspiring just how that cultivator had created an entire world within themselves that others could enter.

'Could I also do the same one day?' Ren could only dream of reaching such high realms of cultivation. Was it in the Nascent Soul realm, the realm that Elder Yun had failed to reach? Or was it the realm beyond Nascent Soul, the one that the Lightning Monarch was attempting to reach even now? If just part of the tribulation to reach that realm had destroyed the Heavenly Sword Sect, then just how impressive would that realm of cultivation be?

Ren's boredom was blown away when the sword transport suddenly drew parallel to one of the flying ships. Ren wasn't familiar with the design, but judging by the scorch marks from lightning, it was highly likely that this was one of the transports evacuating disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. His excitement surged at the thought of reuniting with others, but none of the elders made a move. After a few moments of hovering beside the ship as it limped on, the sword transport pulled away and moved ahead.

Ren was confused until it occurred to him that the elders had communicated from afar without jade slips. A few days after that encounter, they reached the foothills of the mountain ranges. The tall mountains in front of them actually concealed the Celestial's Sword briefly, and Ren was palpably relieved. The imposing sword's presence had unknowingly pressed down on him. Below them, it was impossible to ignore the sheer density of people and buildings in what was clearly a cultivator city.

Despite the carefully arranged layout, leaving plenty of wide streets, lush gardens, and more designed to give the city an open feel, the sheer number of cultivators cowed Ren. The elder landed the sword near a wide open ground that had a colossal gate on the side closest to the mountain. Even from a distance, it was obvious that they outshone the Heavenly Sword Sect's gates in every aspect, from size to quality to presence.

The disciples dismounting from the sword barely got any glances from the crowds around them, and it wasn't hard to see why. There were countless other transports all around that were more eye-catching. Ren found himself staring at a ship being pulled by two massive qilin-like beasts. Ren couldn't help but worry for Yu Ran because the young core formation beast would be the perfect snack for such powerful spirit beasts. Yet he drew no undue attention.

Whatever the little snake had learned of stealth from Elder Ding's earth elemental was clearly working. He suppressed a sigh of relief as he gathered with the rest of his companions. The elders led them toward the gates after a final warning to mind their actions. Though the crowds grew denser, with the stocky Elder Ding leading the way, they reached the base of the gates swiftly. The air was inordinately subdued for a crowd this size, but Ren could see why.

The towering structure practically exuded qi, letting its presence be felt in a most domineering manner. Despite finding it hard to breathe, Ren couldn't help but marvel at the sight. He thought back to his initial days, entering the sect with Uncle Tao.

'Though the Heavenly Sword Sect was imitating them with the gates, they completely failed to capture this sensation. The Azure mountains impress their superiority upon others so thoroughly that it feels natural!' It finally sunk in that they had arrived at the Azure Mountains sect.