noveltune Chapter 42 The Path of Ten Thousand Paths Returns
Chapter 42 The Path of Ten Thousand Paths Returns
Three years later, at the Qingyun Sect.
The three cracks on the Sword Stele Square remain exactly as they were. The Elders' Council originally intended to repair them, but Jian Xuan stopped them, saying that these were the last sword marks left by Ling Chen, an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect, and that it was better to leave them as they were than to fill them in. Newly admitted disciples always liked to squat down in front of the Sword Stele and touch the three cracks, then listen to the senior brothers and sisters on duty tell the story of that useless, spiritual-rootless man who pulled the sword from the stele, entered the Sword Tomb, slew the Demon General, and sealed the Demon Lord. At the end of the story, someone would always point to the newly built Sword Pavilion on the back mountain and say that the portrait of Grandmaster Ling was hanging inside, and those who wanted to see it could go and pay their respects.
Ling Chen himself rarely appeared at the Sword Pavilion. He spent most of his time in his secluded cultivation chamber deep within the forbidden area, occasionally venturing out to bask in the sun and, incidentally, to substitute for Jian Xuan in a few classes at the Transmission Hall. The new disciples both revered and were curious about this legendary grandmaster uncle, and whenever he substituted, the seats in the Transmission Hall were always filled in advance. However, he never mentioned the war between gods and demons when lecturing, only explaining the breakdown of basic sword moves. When a disciple mustered up the courage to ask him how he defeated the Demon Lord back then, he simply placed the Severing Thoughts Sword horizontally in front of his lap and asked the disciple in return how to connect the third move of the basic sword technique to the seventh move. If the disciple answered incorrectly, he would start teaching from the beginning. Jian Xuan leaned against the doorway watching this scene, scoffing, "Teaching disciples is even more verbose than I am," but the slight smile playing on his lips betrayed him.
The remnants of Iron Bone's three hundred expeditionary soldiers have built three new villages within a hundred miles of Ghost Cry Mountain. Iron Bone himself formally submitted his retirement application to Bai Ze, but it was rejected on the spot. Bai Ze said, "The vacation you owe me from tens of thousands of years ago has long expired. If you mention retirement again, I'll transfer you to the Demon Emperor's Palace as a gatekeeper." Iron Bone slammed his demon bone prosthetic leg on the ground and said, "Then I might as well continue leading troops." Bai Ze picked up his teacup with satisfaction: "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"
The Demon Clan Expeditionary Force Memorial Hall is located next to the permanent docking port of the Netherworld Ship. Inside, relics collected from various battlefields after the Battle of the Conferred God Platform are displayed. Among them is the faded cloth piece bearing the character "念" (nian, meaning "remember") from the Sword Servant's sword tassel, and the last fragment of the forge left from the forging of the Flame Servant's Heaven-Burning Sword. A label next to the cloth piece lists the names of those who died in the war between gods and demons ten thousand years ago; below the Sword Servant's name remains blank. The Ice Servant did not die; her name should not be engraved on the stone tablet. That blank space was left by herself.
In the most recent alchemy competition at Luoxia Valley, Ling Xue emerged victorious. Her fire control technique allowed her to precisely control the temperature of every flame within her alchemy furnace, producing pills that even the Valley Master of Luoxia Valley marveled at. Xiao Lie privately nicknamed her alchemy fire "Little Burning Heaven." Ling Xue was furious and chased Xiao Lie across half the training ground. In the end, Xiao Lie was tripped by Han Tie, and Ling Xue's alchemy fire scorched half of his sleeve. All three were punished by Jian Xuan to sweep the Sword Stele Square. Ling Chen, while in seclusion, received a letter from his sister, delivered through a messenger. Inside was only a small portrait—a drawing of himself wielding the Broken Army Saber on the Qingzhou arena years ago. The drawing was childish, yet the eyes were remarkably lifelike. On the back, scrawled in crooked handwriting, was a line: "Brother, I'm better than you now. Let's have a sword-fighting contest sometime."
Liu Yuan spent three years organizing and archiving all the remaining files of the Shadow Demon's old subordinates. His right leg was corroded by residual demonic energy while investigating an abandoned mine. Although it wasn't life-threatening, he walked with a slight limp. Jian Xuan asked him if he needed a transfer, but he said no—he said that this leg was something he owed Zhou Qing, and he would keep it as a memento. Now he still wears the inner sect sword robe he wore back then, but he now wears a plain-colored overcoat, like the one worn by the compiler of the Scripture Pavilion, and the tassel on his soft sword has been replaced with a faded strip of cloth, the same style as Duan Nian's.
On the day Jian Xuan stepped down as the head of the Transmission Hall, he summoned Ling Chen to the hall. The old man placed his sword, which he had used for most of his life, on the table and pushed it towards Ling Chen, saying that this sword had been with him for so many years and it was time to find a new master. Ling Chen hesitated for a moment, then took the heavy old sword with both hands.
Jian Xuan then mentioned something else—the Qingyun Sect Master and two Supreme Elders had discussed for a long time and decided to create a new position above the Head of the Transmission Hall called "Supreme Guest Elder." This position would be exempt from sect rules, wouldn't require attendance at elders' meetings, and the only requirement would be to step in and support the sect when needed. Ostensibly, it was a way to give him a retirement title, but in reality, it was a way to allow him to continue living in the mortal realm. He pointed to the newly engraved Supreme Guest Elder token on the table and asked Ling Chen if he wanted it. Ling Chen was silent for a moment, then accepted the token, saying that he would have to audit classes from now on. Jian Xuan chuckled and scolded him, "You little brat, trying to control me?" but ultimately pushed the token off the table.
The threat from the outer void remains. The Nine Revolutions Demon-Sealing Array keeps demonic energy outside the Three Realms, but its foundation can only defend against the corrupting influence of the Demon Lord's lineage. Other ancient wills wandering in the outer void will not cease their activities simply because the Demon Lord has disappeared. Elder Mo's recovery time from the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram is getting longer, and his condition is much more stable than three years ago. He says that once Ling Chen recovers to the peak of the True Condensation Realm, they can begin repairing the damaged 30% of the diagram. At that time, the defensive range of the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram will expand from the Three Realms to the outer void. However, that will require meteorite black iron, which is only found in the outer void.
When Su Qingyuan entered the courtyard, she brought intelligence from the Central Plains Immortal Sect. A meteorite had recently crashed in the far north of the mortal realm, its core component being meteorite black iron. The Central Plains Immortal Sect had already sent an advance team to confirm its location; the iron content was sufficient to repair the Myriad Dao Returning to Ruins Diagram. However, there was a naturally formed extremely cold domain around the meteorite, requiring ice-type sword intent at the Heavenly Spiritual Root level to open the entrance. There were currently no available personnel in the Central Plains, so they asked if she could return there.
The two were alone. The vast, desolate Arctic plains stretched out before them, save for the aurora borealis swirling overhead. Su Qingyuan's Frostbite Sword touched the ground, silently spreading frost and carving a narrow crevice in the outer ice wall of the frigid domain, just wide enough for the two to pass side-by-side. Ling Chen followed behind her, his Blade of Severance gently parting the drooping icicles. The aurora cast long shadows of the two. Meteorite Iron hovered in the center of the crater, surrounded by naturally sculpted ice like countless ancient mirrors, reflecting millennia of starlight.
Su Qingyuan planted the Frost Condensation Technique on the edge of the crater and sat cross-legged. The Frost Condensation Technique and the Extreme Cold Technique resonated in unison, and an icy blue halo enveloped her entire body. She closed her eyes to regulate her breathing, her white robes tinged with light purple by the aurora. She said it would take about half an hour to melt the outer ice and asked him to put the Xuan Iron away first. Ling Chen stood under the aurora for a moment, then suddenly asked her if she had truly only wanted to ask him one question when they first met in Qingzhou.
The ice crystals on Su Qingyuan's fingertips paused for a moment. "Guess."
Ling Chen didn't guess. He sat on the edge of the crater, placing Duan Nian across his lap, waiting with her for the ice to melt, just like many years ago at the Qingzhou inn when she first held his hand and channeled ice-type spiritual energy into her chaotic dantian. So many years had passed, and not even a single crack had appeared on that ice crystal.
In the distance, the aurora borealis swirled, and the meteorite iron refracted starlight like stars deep within the frigid realm.
(End of the book)