The Path Toward Heaven

The clouds below Tianguan Peak looked like the snowland while being illuminated by the sunshine.

Standing by the cliff’s edge and watching the scenery below, Zhao Layue suddenly thought of going to White Town, but she soon suppressed this idea to the bottom of her mind.

A sigh was heard.

She turned around and saw a tall figure. “Greetings, Sect Master,” she greeted and bowed to him.

Standing in front of the stone monument and looking at a certain spot, Sect Master of the Green Mountain asked, “Is this your first time on Tianguang Peak?”

Following his gaze, Zhao Layue fixed her sight on the sword sheath on the monument. “Yes,” she answered while keeping the shock inside her mind in check.

“I thought that you were still too young even though you were the personal disciple of my Senior Master, so I planned to fill you in on many important matters later on. Unfortunately, my plan didn’t work out as expected, which is because you do things without consulting others.”

Sect Master turned around and walked to her side, looking down at the ocean of clouds below the cliff.

Zhao Layue said, “Is the Inherited Sword only a sheath? It’s still meaningless, even if I can find out the answer.”

Sect Master said, “This so-called secret is indeed meaningless. I invited you to come here today because I want to ask you about the death of Luo Huainan.”

“That has nothing to do with me,” Zhao Layue claimed.

Sect Master pressed, “Jing Jiu might not be dead, but why did you want him to die?”

It was then that claiming it had nothing to do with her.

Zhao Layue remained silent for a while, saying, “He desired Jing Jiu’s death, and thus I his.”

“There is nothing capable of deceiving everyone,” the Sect Master said.

Zhao Layue said, “You people had already figured it out, but none of you did anything. I’ve waited for your action for three years. Since you did nothing, I had no choice but to do it myself.”

“Luo Huainan had done so many good deeds in the past three years. Even I had hesitated; and besides, there wasn’t enough evidence.”

“The Center Sect doesn’t have enough evidence either,” said Zhao Layue.

“That’s right. You people had plotted a perfect scheme,” Sect Master said. “Even if someone suspects you, they can’t find any evidence related to you, and the people you used will not betray you.”

Neither the Precious-Tree House nor Royal Concubine Hu would have reason or courage to sell Shenmo Peak out.

Sect Master continued, “But have you considered that this event would affect the relationship between the Cloud Dream Mountain and us?”

“It was Tong Yan who had dealt the last and fatal blow, so it’s the carnage kept between the disciples of the same sect.”

Sect Master said, “If someone had figured it out, it would be disaster. ‘Catastrophic’ would be a more appropriate word for the aftermath.”

The war between the Green Mountain Sect and the Center Sect would happen, just like what Jing Jiu had predicted in Zhaoge City years ago.

“I didn’t think that about that much,” said Zhao Layue.

“In other words, you’re too lazy to think about it. Was Shi Fengchen the name of that official? Am I right about his name? He isn’t totally unreasonable to be worried about you.”

It was then that Sect Master suddenly asked her, “You have already figured out who he is, haven’t you?”

After a long moment of silence, Zhao Layue asked instead of answering the question, “Whose sword is the First Child Sword?”

The Sect Master didn’t answer her question either.

…

…

It was not so simple.

Standing by the cliff’s edge and listening to the happy shouts of the monkeys at the bottom of Shenmo Peak, Zhao Layue thought.

After seeing Royal Concubine Hu that night, the Emperor asked Sir Jin to give the First Child Sword to her, indicating the matter wasn’t so simple.

The First Child Sword was truly powerful, just as powerful as the Thoughtless Sword when being used by her. That was why she could wound Luo Huainan so badly with the sword that night.

Gu Qing came to the cliff’s edge, saying in a low voice, “I’ve found out. It’s the sword belonging to one of the hidden swordsmen.”

Feeling surprised, Zhao Layue asked with raised brows, “The one on the sea?”

The Third Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect was hiding deep underground, and he wasn’t good at riding sword; that royal grandson should be holding the turtle shell somewhere by the Great Marsh, and as such, that Fairy Swordsman of the Heavenly Arrival State must be the owner.

Gu Qing nodded in response, a solemn expression showing on his face.

It was rumored that the Fairy Swordsman who had been forced by the Green Mountain Sword Formation to hide on the Fog Island had some kind of relationship with the Godly Swordsman of the West Ocean.

What was the intention of the Emperor who used somebody else’s sword to kill a man? Was his target the West Ocean Sword Sect or the Old Ones? Or, did he just want to team up with the Green Mountain Sect to intimidate the Center Sect?

Mulling over these matters, Zhao Layue turned even paler, coughing twice.

During the battle with Luo Huainan, she had suffered severe injury, and she had to use a great deal of zhenyuan to conceal it at the Precious-Ware House, so she was extremely weak at the moment.

Gu Qing glanced at her, feeling worried.

“Send the message to all nine peaks that I’ll be behind closed doors.”

Shooting a glance to the north, Zhao Layue turned around and walked to the inside of the manor cave.

Gu Qing called Young Yuan and told him a few things, then said, “I’ll be behind closed doors as well. Remember to wake me up if the Plum Meeting resumes.”

The cold fog made the snowland inaccessible, so the Cultivation tournament couldn’t take place, nor could the Plum Meeting.

The day when the Plum Meeting resumed would be the same day the cold fog would have lifted.

Young Yuan understood his intention, and vaguely guessed what they had done in the last few days. “I won’t tell the other side,” he said with uneasiness.

Gu Qing rubbed his head with a smile, saying nothing.

Thinking of the matter, Young Yuan said sentimentally, “I didn’t think Liu Shisui would do it. He has indeed never forgotten about Senior Master Jing.”

“As I said, he is the Big Brother of Shenmo Peak.”

Gu Qing added, “Besides, ask the other side to take good care of the village. I don’t want to see my master get angry when he comes back.”

Young Yuan felt it troublesome to carry out the task, asking, “Are you sure that side would help us?”

Gu Qing didn’t respond, walking toward the forest at the foot of the cliff.

He wasn’t to stay behind closed doors in the manor cave, but rather, in the small cabin in the forest where he had lived for a long time.

The monkeys in the forest screamed when they saw him approach, indicating their welcome of his stay there.

Gu Qing remained reticent.

Back when Liu Shisui took the Devil Pill in secret and displayed some peculiar symptoms, he was locked in the jail for demons, suffering from the tortures day and night, and on the brinks of breaking down.

He remembered Jing Jiu’s instruction before his departure, so he wrote a note and asked the monkeys to seek the help.

The very next day, Liu Shisui was released.

Until now, the disciples of Liangwang Peak still thought it was the Sect Master’s idea.

At the time, Gu Qing had no idea of who lent the helping hand. However, he had learned of which peak the monkeys had gone to after he had more communications with them over the years.

…

…

Sect Master Mistress of the Center Sect came to the Green Mountain to give an explanation, when the assassination attempt on Zhao Layue was carried out.

Yet, Zhao Layue didn’t die that time.

Luo Huainan was dead this time, and Liu Shisui was the expelled disciple of the Green Mountain.

As a result, Sect Master of the Green Mountain went to the Cloud Dream Mountain in person.

This was the first time in two hundred years.

A few days later, the Center Sect and the Green Mountain Sect issued a directive, admitting that Liu Shisui was the real killer of Luo Huainan and asking all the Cultivation practitioners to help capture the culprit. Any disciple of any sect or any free traveling Cultivation practitioner would be eligible for the awards offered by these two major sects, as long as they could kill or capture Liu Shisui, or provide accurate information to help the Center Sect or the Green Mountain Sect kill or capture Liu Shisui.

From two leaders of the orthodox Cultivation circle, and for such a significant matter, the awards offered by the Center Sect and the Green Mountain Sect were dazzling as well.

There were two high level magic methods and two heavenly magic treasures.

Liu Shisui’s picture was hung above the city gates, in the streets and restaurants, almost in all the places in Chaotian.

Even the magic boats that traveled to distant regions over the sea had his picture onboard.

His appearance, temperament, and his magic methods were well known around the world.

In his current Cultivation state, he wasn’t qualified to be called the “hidden swordsman”.

Yet, he was in fact not different from those three famous hidden swordsmen.

Liu Shisui would be pursued for the rest of his life, and he would never get any break, unable to see the daylight ever.