The Path Toward Heaven

Zhao Layue came out of the Great Formation of Green Mountain on her sword, and she could see clearly the red trees on the ground that seemed to be ablaze.

The further north she traveled, the more colorful the ground looked; the forests looked like they were painted with all sorts of colors.

As she traveled further north, the color grew more monotonous and the earth became more desolate.

The feel of autumn grew more and more salient.

When she arrived at the edge of the snowland, White Town had already been covered in snow, becoming a white colored town literally.

Zhao Layue didn’t land in the town, instead going to a cluster of courtyards by the edge of the snowland.

More than one hundred years ago, the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom had been pregnant, and the snowland was in chaos. Many young Cultivation practitioners who participated in the Plum Meeting were trapped in the snowland, including Bai Zao and Jing Jiu.

The swordsmen of various sects came to their rescue. Many courtyards were built overnight here. These courtyards remained, even now.

These courtyards were repaired occasionally so they didn’t look dilapidated. One could see some plum flowers and green pines in the snow once in a while. The scenes were quite beautiful.

Zhao Layue landed in a courtyard. He Zhan came out to meet he as he flashed a small smile at her.

One hundred years later, these young geniuses had become true swordsmen.

Zhao Layue was in the upper state of the Broken Sea. He Zhan had been fighting and struggling for one hundred years in the snowland, and he learned the magic methods of both the Water-Moon Nunnery and the Fruit Formation Temple; as a result, his Cultivation state was not inferior to hers.

The sound of bowls and chopsticks breaking was suddenly heard from the kitchen in the backyard. The expression on Zhao Layue’s face changed slightly; she took a look at He Zhan.

“She has been learning how to cook lately,” He Zhan said while covering his face with hands.

…

…

Cooking was a very difficult thing for Sese, a mistress at the Hanging-Bell Sect, to do; it was many times more difficult to learn it than to make the Clean-Heart Bell.

They would be able to eat the meal only if what she cooked was the hotpot.

The fog created by the cooking rose in the courtyard and then scattered in the winds.

The three of them sat around the table. The plates contained some regular mutton and tofu, the precious dishes were the green vegetables transported here from Juye City a thousand miles away.

Sese had calmed down from the initial excitement of reuniting with Zhao Layue. “How is he?” she asked Zhao Layue concernedly.

Zhao Layue lifted her head only after she had finished eating the mutton on her plate. “I didn’t go to Zhaoge City,” she said calmly.

Sese and He Zhan exchanged a look, feeling startled, wondering what had happened to her.

Based on the relationship between Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu, she came to the snowland rather than going to see him after coming out from behind closed doors; something was obviously wrong with this.

There must be a reason for this, but Sese thought it was inappropriate for her to ask Zhao Layue. So she began to eat the mutton with lowered head. The atmosphere around the table was a bit awkward.

Zhao Layue knew that they misunderstood her, so she asked them, “What is the latest situation in the snowland?”

“The Queen should have been injured during that major battle,” replied He Zhan. “She sent many snowy monsters that were her personal guards to the south. If we go into the deeper part of the snowland, it’s rather dangerous. However, the situation in White Town and along the border wall is much better than usual. The monster invasion hasn’t happened in more than one hundred years. It looks like it won’t happen in the next few decades.”

“How is the condition of the Broadsword King?” asked Zhao Layue.

He Zhan replied while shaking his head, “His injury was very bad. And he hasn’t completely recovered yet after recuperating for many decades. He won’t be able to fight in a short time. The Young Zen Master will come here from Zhaoge City next spring.”

After Lian Sanyue died, a bright broadsword light shot out of the small temple behind White Town, and headed toward the deep part of the snowland.

The battle between the Broadsword King and the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom had been going on for ten years.

It was an earth-shattering and unparalleled fight.

Many people came to the outskirts of the snowland to watch the fight. Though they couldn’t see the actual fighting scene in the deep part of the snowland, they saw the collapsed black mountains and the snowy mist rising up to the sky.

The earthquakes hadn’t paused for a moment during the period.

The Broadsword King had demonstrated incredible fighting prowess and nearly insane fighting intent during the battle.

The last battles fought by Liu Ci and Lian Sanyue were the only ones that could match his.

The difference was that the Broadsword King didn’t die. He dragged his severely wounded body back to the small temple behind the back mountain of White Town.

…

…

The Commander of the North Divine Army was killed by Jing Jiu in the royal palace of Zhaoge City back then; but the Center Sect still had tremendous influence on the army.

During the decades after the Broadsword King was injured, the Windy-Broadsword Church was suppressed greatly by the North Divine Army. A large part of their territory had been taken over by the army.

Furthermore, the Kunlun Sect had become stronger under the support of the Center Sect; they had many conflicts with the Windy-Broadsword Church in Cold Mountain. The future was unclear for the two sects yet.

The two sects made an appointment of staging a competition next spring at the former site of the Scorching Sun Gorge. The outcome of the fight would determine the ownership of Cold Mountain.

The result would be decided in five fights. It was evident that they tried to copy the competition between the Green Mountain Sect and the Center Sect in Zhaoge City over a hundred years ago.

The reason for the fight next spring was obviously because the Green Mountain Sect would select a new sect master by then.

This was something He Zhan failed to figure out.

Jing Jiu was still unconscious, and the position of the sect master was on the verge of being replaced; why did Zhao Layue come to the snowland?

“My Cultivation state is still not stable; so I need some fights.”

Zhao Layue offered her reason for being here; but He Zhan and Sese didn’t think this was the whole reason.

…

…

This was not Zhao Layue’s first time in the snowland; but this was her first time to enter the deep part of the snowland.

Before entering the deep part of the snowland, she went to the temple behind White Town.

She and Guo Dong waited for Jing Jiu in this temple for a long time back then. After the departure of Guo Dong, she waited until the pear flowers bloomed throughout the town; then she left after cutting off her hair.

She entered the temple and stood in front of the Buddha statue. Her short hair was billowing like wild grass being blown by the wind.

This Buddha statue had been covered with gold. The golden layer, due to the passing of one hundred years or other reasons, was peeled off, exposing the faint red clay inside; it looked rather worn out.

The iron broadsword in front of the Buddha statue, about thirty feet long, had a terrible gap in the middle.

One could easily imagine just how fervent the battle between the Broadsword King and the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom was, and how formidable the Queen was.

Zhao Layue had sat on the doorsill of this temple for a year. The two of them were acquaintances. “How are you doing?” she asked him.

“I’m not going to die soon,” the deep and hoarse voice rang out leisurely.

Zhao Layue thought that the voice sounded much hoarser than before; it would be harder for him to get better even if he wasn’t about to die.

“Are you going to enter the snowland?” asked the Broadsword King.

Zhao Layue told him the same thing she had said to He Zhan and Sese.

“Don’t try and contend with her.”

The voice rang out again after it paused for a while.

Zhao Layue said with raised eyebrows, “I don’t understand.”

“You’ve broken through the upper state of the Broken Sea at such a young age, and your talent and willpower are indeed amazing and not inferior to her own at the same age. However, to kill the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom and eliminate the major threat to the human race is not something you can do all by yourself. She failed to do it; you will too.”

The Broadsword King continued, “She insisted on doing so because she wanted to contend with Jing Yang. The evidence proved that what she did was wrong. We shouldn’t contend with other people, but rather with nature.”

Zhao Layue said calmly, “I’m not that stupid. I’m not like Lian Sanyue, nor I do I wish to become like her.”

A deep laughter echoed in the small temple like ringing of a bell.

The Broadsword King understood what she meant.

She didn’t want to become the second Lian Sanyue, not even a resemblance of her. She didn’t want to be a substitute in Jing Jiu’s heart.

It was probably because of this reason that she cut her hair short.

“She intended to gather a large group of swordsmen and charge into the snowland to kill the Queen back then. She had even considered recruiting those in the hermit peaks of Green Mountain and the back mountain of Cloud-Dream. However, nobody paid attention to her idea except for me and Pei Baifa.”

The Broadsword King went on, “Jing Yang’s answer was the most disappointing one. After that, the two of them became strangers to each other until this lifetime.”

“What was his answer?” asked Zhao Layue.

The Broadsword King said, “Don’t disturb my attempt to ascend.”