The Path Toward Heaven

The universe includes all the space and all time.

A sword that could cut through the time and space was worthy of the name of the Sword of Universes.

The name of this sword was indeed extremely overwhelming.

All the people present in the Tranquil Garden were shocked, and so was Zhuo Rusui.

All of the Green Mountain disciples knew about the story of how Jing Jiu obtained this iron sword.

Back when the Immortal Master Mo of Shiyue Peak reached the end of his Cultivation, he decided to return the sword to Green Mountain.

He had copied the books for over a hundred years among the peaks, and his Cultivation state was not high, nor was his fame. Normally, he would have been forgotten by everybody on Green Mountain soon after leaving a slight reminiscence behind. Yet, back when he arrived outside the Yunxing Peak, he happened to encounter a group of new disciples who had just entered the inner gate, including Jing Jiu.

For some reason, Jing Jiu suddenly asked the Immortal Master Mo: “How is your sword?”

Since the Immortal Master Mo hadn’t used the sword for a long time, his answer contained a hint of regret.

Jing Jiu said that he would like to give it a try.

…

…

Jing Jiu decided to inherit that sword.

In the eyes of many people on Green Mountain, it was almost an impossible thing for Jing Jiu to inherit the sword, because the Immortal Master Mo had placed the black iron sword in a very high spot on the Sword Peak.

And the sword looked quite ordinary, devoid of any uniqueness.

The reason Jing Jiu made the decision to inherit the sword was because the iron sword was very broad, meaning he could sit on it more comfortably, and he also thought that this sword had contributed to Green Mountain silently all its life, just like its master, Junior Master Mo, as such it should see some glorious days.

In order to obtain this iron sword, Jing Jiu climbed the Sword Peak; as a result, he had encountered many incidents, like meeting Zhao Layue there. The iron sword had been with Jing Jiu ever since.

This iron sword was indeed very ordinary. Not to mention the main swords of the nine peaks on Green Mountain, the flying swords of the Liangwang Peak disciples were even much better than this iron sword.

No one knew about what had happened to the iron sword later on.

During the Cultivation tournament, Jing Jiu and Bai Zao were trapped in the snowland, with the freezing cold temperature. Jing Jiu burned his Sword Source to make the iron sword act like a blazing torch, illuminating the cave and warming Bai Zao swaddled in the cocoon made of the natural worm silk; it was actually tantamount to being tempered for six years. In the Fiend Prison, the iron sword sank to the bottom of the green pond, soaking in the water of strong poison for three years, which was actually inside the stomach of the Old Dragon.

Most importantly, the iron sword was often tied to Jing Jiu’s back, so the sword had been nurtured by his sword will the whole time. In fact, the iron sword had already gone through a complete revitalization. The only problem remaining was that the rust on its surface created by the burning and the marks eroded by the poison wrapped the sword in a layer of dirt. It had been awaiting an opportunity to reveal its true nature.

It was on that day that Qi Ling’s powerful strokes landed on the iron sword.

The ancient and purest divine force broke down the rusts and dirt on the iron sword, as the last and most needed catalyst, to make the iron sword finally come to a glorious life.

The desolate Sword of the Universe had eventually presented itself to the world.

…

…

Still looking at the ground, Zhuo Rusui couldn’t calm himself down. The Sword of the Universe could cut open Qi Ling’s body and withstand a head-on assault from Qi Ling. It had an extraordinary power, so it must be a sword in the Fairy State. Later on, this sword, as Jing Jiu’s Cultivation state kept on improving, would probably become a famous sword that had never been witnessed by the world!

He had said that…this sword was not good…was too ugly…was useless…

His Young Senior Master was right; there was nothing wrong with this sword, only his judgment of it.

It was then that he heard Qi Ling’s voice again.

“This sword…is indeed marvelous.”

Looking at the Sword of the Universe in Jing Jiu’s hand, Qi Ling said nonchalantly, “Yet, if the person using it died, how useful would it be hen?”

Zhuo Rusui suddenly recalled that Senior Master Mo of Shiyue Peak. Though he couldn’t remember his full name, he believed that the name of that Senior Master would be recalled by many people after the presentation of the Sword of the Universe, even a great many years later.

Seeing the reflected figure of Qi Ling on the ground, Zhuo Rusui remarked seriously, “No. Even if the person died, they would still be with us as long as the sword is still with us.”

The Cultivation practitioners on Green Mountain would often choose to return their swords to Green Mountain before their deaths.

The disciples of later generations would inherit the swords and might let them enjoy more glorious days.

Thought it seemed to be the sword that was inherited generation after generation, it was actually the Dao and the spirit of Green Mountain that were inherited.

The sword was the spirit of Green Mountain.

As long as the sword existed, the Green Mountain would exist as well.

…

…

Crouching on the eaves of the building in the distance, the white cat watched the scene in the Tranquil Garden, his gloomy and cold pupils full of admiration, as he thought that Gu Qing was indeed very fortunate.

Jing Jiu decided to let Gu Qing become the sect master of Green Mountain before leaving Green Mountain; more importantly, he said that he would find a better sword for Gu Qing. It looked like the suitable sword had just appeared.

Qi Ling and Jing Jiu were causing such a commotion, which understandably drew attention from many monks at the Fruit Formation Temple. The sounds of Zen were ringing out constantly in the halls, and the Great Formation was to be activated. However, everybody was at the moment preoccupied with what was happening in the Tranquil Garden; as such, no one noticed the cat crouching on the eaves.

“If you really want to kill the Unicorn, why don’t you go to the Tranquil Garden instead of remaining here?”

A voice burst out behind the white cat.

A handsome young monk arrived on the eaves of the Chenhua Hall and sat down by the side of the white cat.

The white cat shot this young monk a glance, full of mocking emotion in his eyes, musing that this fight wouldn’t be able to take place if he were there.

The young monk said earnestly, “But the Unicorn knows you are here.”

“Well, do you think that deformed horse will stop attacking? Of course not. Those ugly ones on the Cloud-Dream Mountain all have a short temper. Even if he doesn’t dare kill Jing Jiu in front of so many people, he will still want to hurt him as much as he can. In my opinion, the stupid horse wants to wound Jing Jiu severely and then let the Fairy Book control him afterwards. In so doing, he won’t be blamed for it.”

“Seems like a good idea.”

“What?” the white cat felt true disdain for this young man, thinking that he was misinformed about Jing Jiu. “That Jing Jiu guy is the most deceptive and sly person in the world. Who can scheme against him? In addition to this Master Cat, there must be another covert helper hiding somewhere. Maybe, he will get this stupid horse killed today.”

The young man flashed a faint smile, as he asked, “Why didn’t you go over to help him then?”

“What are my identity and status on Green Mountain? A Green Mountain Guard can’t get involved in a fight engaged by a disciple of the young generation. If the Unicorn were injured severely by Jing Jiu later on, I would consider sneak attacking him. If it were the same case as when I was at the Fiend Prison, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Thinking of the Old Dragon dying in front of him, the white cat meowed regretfully.

All of a sudden, he found that something was wrong with the way he was doing; why would he think so much? And why would he talk so much to this young man?

The white cat turned around and looked at that young monk again; but he turned very slowly this time, as if he froze in the midst of the cold wind.

“It’s better that you don’t strike; our Green Mountain can’t afford to lose face.”

The young monk walked to the side of the cat and sat down; his right hand touched the cat’s head in a casual manner and then rubbed him from head to tail.

His rubbing was very proficient, as if he had done so for hundreds of years.

The cats’ hair was usually smooth after being rubbed; but to the contrary, the white cat’s hair all stood on its end, swaying incessantly in the wind, resembling a dandelion that was about to scatter in the midst of wind.

The erection of a cat’s hair indicates anger or a sign for fighting, but more often than not, it is a sign of fear.

The white cat showed fear in his eyes, his pupils shrinking into two tiny black specks; they couldn’t even be seen if not looked at closely.

Even though the white cat could kill this young monk sitting nearby with one swing of his paw…he didn’t dare.

The situation was similar to when he and Jing Jiu were on Bihu Peak back then; even though the white cat could easily maul Jing Jiu to death, he didn’t dare do so.

It was merely a moment when the white cat came up with countless filthy sayings in his mind, which couldn’t even be written in words.

It was because he was on the verge of experiencing a nervous breakdown.

Still, he managed to focus those filthy sayings on himself and his own fate, rather than on that young monk.

The White Ghost of the Green Mountain Guard was always famous for his cruelty; he didn’t even care about the Immortal Sect Master’s wishes. And yet, somehow, he did have someone that he was scared of in this world.

When he met such a person, he became more cowardly than anybody else.

It was the pair of brothers he feared most in this world.

Actually, he feared the Big Brother the most. It was because the Big Brother, in comparison to the Young Brother, was more capable of killing, more willing to kill, more cunning, more hideous, more brutal, more pitiless, more intelligent, more capable of calculating, more undefeatable, more resilient, more elegant, more striking, more…

“I like the description of ‘more elegant’. Though I’m not as good-looking as he, though I nevertheless look a lot livelier than his rigid face.”

The young monk was none other than Yin San.

He continued with a small smile, “You don’t have to use so many nice words to butter me up. I’m in a very low Cultivation state right now, so you can try to kill me.”

If cats could cry, Liu Ada would have tears running down like the river by now.

The pair of brothers had said similar words when they met him after their reincarnations.

The white cat was certain that the scent he smelled a few years ago on those paper slips…was from the Immortal.

It was fragrant.

He meowed twice and then snuggled against Yin San’s foot, an obedient expression showing on his face.

“This is truly a good place to watch the show.”

Looking at the Tranquil Garden on the other side in the distance, Yin San revealed a faint smile.

The chilly wind ruffled his monk robe constantly; he could then he could smell the firecrackers coming from the villages and the preserved meats.

The story was not over yet.

It was merely the beginning, from that day on.

…

…

It was deathly quiet in the Tranquil Garden.

Everybody was waiting for Qi Ling’s third stroke.

The Sword of Universe was still held in Jing Jiu’s hand, but no one thought he had a chance to survive.

The difference between the levels of lives could only be compensated by the levelling of the Cultivation state. It was impossible for a human in the middle state of Free Travel to be the equal of the Unicorn in the Yuanying State.

An immensely strong energy came out from Qi Ling, enshrouding the whole Tranquil Garden.

The weed in the crack between two stone slabs leaned on the ground and was unable to stand erect again; it was soon crushed to pieces.

The expression on the Monk Duhai’s face was grim. He waved his sleeve again to exude more Zen wills, in order to insulate Qi Ling’s energy and prevent Xi Yiyun and other young disciples from being wounded severely.

Though the Monk Duhai had a profound Cultivation state, it was still rather difficult for him to insulate Qi Ling’s energy. As such, one could imagine just how hard it would be for Jing Jiu to deal with it.

Yet, Jing Jiu didn’t wait for Qi Ling to launch his third stroke.

Instead, he chose to strike first.

The desolate Sword of Universe broke through Qi Ling’s energy, passed through the air that had become many times thicker, and arrived in front of Qi Ling.

The high frequency of friction created a bright line of light, which was seemingly set ablaze; the desolate chill the sword normally displayed turned into violent intent, which also contained a hint of indescribable danger.

The flame created by the Sword of the Universe illuminated Qi Ling’s face clearly.

The veins that looked like the old vines under his skin appeared extremely ugly; and the horn on his head appeared exceedingly terrifying.

Qi Ling thought this sword was indeed interesting, but he didn’t care so much about its power.

Affected by Qi Ling’s energy, Jing Jiu’s sword moved a lot more slowly than before.

However, the moment Qi Ling attempted to catch Jing Jiu’s sword and use it to kill Jing Jiu, the sword suddenly disappeared in front of his eyes.

Crack!!!

After the first faint cracking sound, many more followed.

Countless tiny rifts appeared on Qi Ling’s clothes.

A small bloody cut appeared on his earlobe.

And a tiny bloody cut appeared both on the side of his nose and the corner of his mouth.

A bead of blood was seeping out from each cut.