The Path Toward Heaven

The rolling waves produced countless sprays of water, forming mist that covered the surface of the ocean. The violent wind rose up, which caused the temperature to drop rapidly.

The moss on the rocks were peeled off by the waves, and that fat sea animal had submerged from the ocean a while ago.

The iron sword traveled to the deep end of the West Ocean.

The mist grew bigger and bigger until it connected to the dark cloud in the sky. The sunlight was blocked by the dark clouds and mist; it was dark and gloomy in heaven and on earth.

It was hard to see the iron sword flying amid the large waves at a high speed.

Jing Jiu looked at the deep end of the West Ocean and said to Gu Qing, “If something happens, toss the cat.”

The white cat took a look at Jing Jiu and meowed once.

He wasn’t express discontent; rather, he was giving Jing Jiu a warning.

Even though they were concealed by the mist, dark clouds and large waves, they would still be discovered by the opponent if they went over this way.

Cats were of course very good at the game of hide and seek.

Jing Jiu knew what the cat said was correct; so he told Gu Qing to sit tight.

The iron sword dropped sharply from the high sky and plunged into the fast rolling ocean water.

The water in the ocean had a high resistance force.

Sitting in the front end of the iron sword, Jing Jiu raised his right hand forward. A gentle and clear sword will shot out from his fingertips.

The ocean water was like hard rock when colliding with it at a high speed; but somehow, the ocean water became soft when it was touched by the sword will. The water parted, forming a tunnel accompanied by thunderous thudding sounds.

Back when Jing Jiu flew past the quiet and desolate snowland, he used the same posture.

It was only then that he used the Six-Dragon Style of Shiyue Peak, and he used another style this time.

Gu Qing was astonished by this scene.

His Master had learned the Inherited Sword of Tianguang Peak and taught it to him. So he could easily accept the fact that his Master also learned the Tide Sword of Bihu Peak; but the baffling part was that his Master employed the Tide Sword a bit too well; as a matter of fact, his Master did it even better than the current peak master of Bihu…

The tide rose and then ebbed. The thunder rumbled, and the ocean parted; the transparent walls formed around the iron sword.

All sorts of fish and seaweeds moved backwards at a high speed, turning into a line of different colors. They could occasionally see the large and puzzled eyes of the sea animals in the distance.

The black iron sword traveled at the bottom of the ocean at a high speed while carrying two men and a cat. After a long while, the iron sword slowed down, and the rumbling of thunder died down.

Countless huge black columns occurred on the surface of the distant ocean, resembling the whales leaping up vertically.

Those huge black columns were actually the parts of the floating islands submerged in the ocean.

This place was not the Penglai Island, but the Islands of West Ocean.

It was until now that these islands in the deep end of the West Ocean belonged to the mermaids in name; but they were snatched by the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean many years ago and used as the mountain gate of their sect.

The iron sword stopped some distance away outside the Islands of West Ocean. The sword sank like a piece of broken wood noiselessly until it reached the bottom of the deep ocean.

It was dark everywhere here. Not a thing could be seen.

Jing Jiu looked up and saw the blue sky as his pupils generated a trace of sword fire.

Gu Qing was in a relatively high Cultivation state now; so he followed his Master to use the sword fire to clean his eyes. As such, his sight could penetrate the darkness and see the surface of the ocean in the distance.

Looking up through the darkness of the ocean bottom, the surface of the distant ocean looked like a blue gemstone; revealing a sight of beauty.

Also, that blue gemstone could be the blue sky.

The surface of the blue gemstone had many cracks.

Those were hundreds of air flows in the sky and also the lines in the ocean water.

Those lines were formed by the bubbles, one mile long; and they were dispersing slowly.

Looking up at this magnificent and amazing scene, Gu Qing was shocked speechless; and he even forgot that he was in the ocean water.

Were these the marks left in heaven and earth by the two swordsmen?

Soon after, another flash of sword light struck down from the sky, soundlessly.

Countless cracks appeared on the surface of the West Ocean. The deepest one was about a mile long, and was close to the iron sword.

The soft ocean water seemed to have changed its nature after being struck by the sword light, and become many times denser.

In fact, this was only a small part of the sword light. One could imagine just how formidable the actual power of those sword lights was.

Gu Qing had witnessed the fight between the Underworld Emperor and the Old Dragon while he was in the Royal Palace in Zhaoge City.

That battle was a fight between two spiritual souls. Though it was marvelous, its action was far less heart-wrenching than the fight between the two flying swords in the sky right now.

The sword lights sliced the clouds into pieces. The ocean waves rolled up and down. The distant morning sun wavered amid the waves, illuminating the ocean water a bit.

Gu Qing saw countless dead fish, and even spotted a few corpses of small whales floating up and down with the waves further away.

He couldn’t help glancing at Jing Jiu, feeling nervous.

He could vaguely guess that these two powerful swordsmen should be the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean and Mister Pei of the No-Mercy Sect.

But he wondered why his Master brought him here.

The fight between the swordsmen of the Heavenly Arrival State was not easily witnessed by anybody. For a Cultivation practitioner, this was an excellent opportunity for them to learn something.

Yet, the problem was that they were so close to the battlefield of these two powerful swordsmen; what if a sword light struck them?

If his Master intended to help Mister Pei, how could they offer any help in their current Cultivation state?

Gu Qing looked down reflexively at the white cat in his chest.

It was then that the surface of the ocean suddenly abated.

Countless small objects like the broken rocks fell down into the ocean from the sky, resembling the rainstorm, cutting out countless thin lines on the surface of the ocean.

Soon after, someone fell into the ocean.

That person was motionless. His white hair rose and ebbed along with the ocean waves like seaweed. Then, the water was reddened by the blood.

…

…

Everyone is the main character in their own stories.

It is only that some were stories of comedy, some were tragic, some dramatic, some stories concerned the struggles between wives and mother-in-laws, some full of enthusiasm, and some being legendary. If someone thought they were the main characters of a more important story, they must have had something different from others, like good looks, exceptional family background, a special talent, or unique experience.

That Wang Xiaoming thought he was the main character of his own story came from the same idea.

The same was true of He Zhan.

He Zhan was famous in the Cultivation circle for his good luck. Even though he found out the hidden truth behind his good luck, it hadn’t changed his viewpoint.

Now that he had such an auntie, who could be the main character if not he?

Since he was the main character of the story, he had to participate in the story, rather than stay far away from the action as a mere audience to experience the mortal world.

On his journey to the Fruit Formation Temple from the Baotong Zen Temple, he defied Guo Dong’s will and went to Haizhou secretly. He disguised himself as a fisherman and sailed a boat deep into the West Ocean, waiting for the important story to occur so that he could get on the stage in all his glory.

He didn’t do this because he craved fame and excitement, but since the whole thing started in the Baotong Zen Temple, and two of his friends got to know each other because of him; and the plan was made by a senior of his family. It was evidently very dangerous so that he decided he couldn’t stay away from the action.

He sailed the fishing boat on the West Ocean for a long time. He didn’t dare get close to the Islands of West Ocean, or get too close to the battle field chosen by Tong Yan, all in order to avoid a certain person’s suspicion.

In the early morning hours that day, two sword lights appeared from nowhere, slicing the morning sunlight into pieces.

The battle between the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean and Pei Baifa had begun.

The heaven and earth changed colors, and the huge waves rose on the ocean.

It took merely a moment that his fishing boat was crashed into pieces by the huge ocean waves and sank to the bottom of the ocean.

But He Zhan didn’t dare fly up; all he could do was hold a piece of wood and float in the midst of endless big waves.

He sensed the two powerful and formidable sword wills in the high sky and felt he was merely an ant floating on the water.

It was then that he suddenly realized why the Cultivation world regarded the most powerful swordsmen as their masters. The true main characters were those who were the truly powerful swordsmen.

Hence, he was not qualified to be a main character in this story.

As a matter of fact, he hadn’t thought that he had the ability to participate in the action of killing the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean. All he wanted to do was come over to see if he could offer some help.

As for how to help, he had no idea. In fact, even now, he still didn’t understand the meaning of the seemingly simple plan designed by Tong Yan.

The ocean water washed over his body ceaselessly, muddling his thoughts.

Since Mister Pei had already struck, was it Tong Lu or Zu Ziye who had enticed the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean to battle? Were they exposed? When would they flee from there? And yeah, how many people could sit on his Huanxi Silk? He had always traveled by himself before, and had no chance to try it. If he had known the situation, he would have visited the Great Marsh.

As he was thinking of these matters, he suddenly noticed the approaching waves grew smaller.

The wind abated and the dark clouds dispersed. Both the ocean and the sky returned to their blue color.

He Zhan craned his neck to look skyward.

A figure fell down from the Empty Realm.

A moment later, another figure fell down from the Empty Realm.

The two figures fell into the ocean one after another. The splash caused by their falls was almost unnoticeable. They sank slowly to the bottom of the ocean.

He could see vaguely dozens of sword lights in the distant Islands of West Ocean.

…

…

Looking up at the surface of the ocean from the dark ocean bottom was like looking up at the sky from the bottom of a well.

The patch of the sky over the well was beyond the reach of a frog in the well; but it was also hard for the people in the sky to discover the frog in the shadow at the bottom of the well.

The iron sword parked itself at the bottom of the ocean; and nobody could discover it.

Gu Qing found that his spiritual energy was full and wasn’t experiencing problems with lacking energy; he wasn’t sure whether this had something to do with him holding the white cat.

The ripples on the surface of the ocean had gradually faded away, and then two splashes occurred again.

Pei Baifa fell into the ocean.

The Godly Swordsman of West Ocean fell down as well.

Gu Qing was ashen on his face. His right hand summoned the sword instruction, ready to strike at any time.

Jing Jiu had no intention of striking. All he was doing was staring at the bottom of the ocean up ahead silently.

The Godly Swordsman of West Ocean sank downward slowly.

He was big and tall. Though he lay horizontally in the water, he still gave off an aura of reverence.

Countless tiny sword wills were enshrouding his body like thin lightning bolts.

The ocean water moved away gently from his body; and the vicious sea animals swam to the deeper end or farther places of the ocean to flee in extreme fear.

The sunlight streamed through the sea water and shone on his face, which exuded a jade like white color. Yet, the line from his nose ridge to the chin was a bit awkward.

He was sinking to the bottom of the ocean slowly and without motion, his eyes closed as if he was asleep.

In a spot ten miles away, Pei Baifa was sinking to the bottom of the ocean as well.

He was motionless, his eyes also closed. His white hair was floating in the water; and the blood had already been washed away by the ocean water.

The outcome of two swordsmen of the Heavenly Arrival State was that they were both defeated and hurt?!

Dozens of sword lights appeared on the surface of the ocean in the west. They had separated into two groups after leaving the islands. One group headed toward the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean, their intention probably being to save him, and another group went to where Pei Baifa was, and it was obvious why.

Gu Qing looked at Jing Jiu again with wide open eyes, thinking that Mister Pei would be dead for sure if they didn’t strike now.

The white cat even raised his front paw to scratch Jing Jiu once. The cat didn’t look in the direction of Pei Baifa, but at the spot in the ocean where the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean was, thinking that they shouldn’t miss such a good opportunity to kill him since he was a formidable enemy of the Green Mountain Sect, that Jing Jiu should let him go right now.

Jing Jiu ignored Gu Qing.

He was also looking at the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean, though that is not where his true gaze fell. It seemed that he was afraid of alerting somebody. His right hand pressed on the white cat forcefully.

…

…

The flying swords separated into two groups after leaving the Islands of West Ocean.

The elders and the disciples in a higher Cultivation states went to rescue their sect master, and the rest went to a farther place.

Though killing Pei Baifa was a big achievement, it was also very risky. And who didn’t want to be the first to be seen by their sect master when he opened his eyes?

Su Ziye joined the West Ocean Sword Sect as a guest, and he was favored by the Godly Swordsman in the last two years. So he wasn’t liked by the others at the West Ocean Sword Sect; he was usually discriminated against there.

He would of course go to the place where Pei Baifa was.

It didn’t take long for him and a dozen disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect to arrive at the patch of ocean.

The flying swords pierced the surface of the ocean. The Hidden Tide Style of the West Ocean Sword Sect was extremely powerful under such circumstances, the water exposing the Pei Baifa’s body as the ocean was parted.

Su Ziye’s face grew even greener, and his energy suddenly turned cold. He reached out his hand to grab Pei Baifa from the bottom of the ocean.

The disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect hadn’t realized what was going on at the moment.

A piece of green leaf flew out from Su Ziye’s mouth; it grew along with the wind and turned into a flying boat of the jade green. It shot skyward instantly and headed to the east rapidly.

By now the disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect realized that Su Ziye was attempting to rescue him.

The angry yells could be heard over the surface of the ocean. The disciples pursued them right away. Unexpectedly, a wall of water suddenly formed in the ocean, blocking them.

The wall of water had a faint green color, as if mixed with seaweeds, exuding a stinky and bloody smell; it must have been poisonous.

The disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect failed to evade it in time as they collided with the wall of water and fell down in tandem. They didn’t dare pursue them anymore, guarding their Dao Hearts hastily and took the magic pills to fend off the poison.

…

…

The rest arrived at the patch of the ocean bottom and by the side of the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean.

Tong Lu was in front.

Though he wasn’t the one with the highest generation status and Cultivation state, he was the most favored disciple of the Godly Swordsman; so nobody wanted to contend with him for the position.

The sunlight fell on the face of the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean; he looked pale.

Seeing his Master, who seemed to be asleep, Tong Lu’s face was even paler, full of struggle and pain in his eyes, his hands trembling, and the West Cold Sword under his feet was making a buzzing sound.

Someone finally found that something was not quite right about Tong Lu, and yelled sternly, “What do you want to do?”

The Godly Swordsman of West Ocean still had his eyes closed, as if he hadn’t noticed anything.

The ocean was illuminated by the sword lights. The frightful sword lights came over constantly from all directions.

A bloody gap occurred on Tong Lu’s left shoulder after being sliced by a sword. He backed up a mile away, losing the best opportunity to strike.

The crowd of the West Ocean Sword Sect stared at Tong Lu, who was holding the sword with his right hand, caution and bewilderment filling their eyes.

He was the most outstanding disciple among the young disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect, and favored by the Sect Master. Even though Tong Lu performed terribly in the battle of the Cloud Platform, the Sect Master didn’t blame him…But now, he even intended to kill the Sect Master! Did he forget that the Sect Master was his Master?! This was indeed treacherous!

Unexpectedly, the more absurd thing happened next.

A disciple of the West Ocean Sword Sect came close to the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean undetected and noiselessly and landed his palm on the Godly Swordsman’s chest!

…

…

The Godly Swordsman of West Ocean suddenly opened his eyes!

The expression in his eyes lacking any emotion.

…

…

Along with a thudding sound, the ocean water rolled violently.

The sword will was dreadful.

The members of the West Ocean Sword Sect nearby had all been knocked away.

…

…

The disciple of the West Ocean Sword Sect who attempted the assassination backed up silently, their black hair flapping backwards to cover half of their face.

It was an ordinary face.

It turned out that the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean hadn’t passed out.

He pretended to be unconscious!

At the critical moment, no fear could be seen in the young woman’s eyes; they were serene as usual.

It was because she was Guo Dong.

In the years of her Cultivation, she had experienced too many extraordinary people and things.