Chapter 99: Against the Current

"Moon-Soul" unsheathed its blade.

Cheng Xinzhan’s emotions remained largely unchanged. He only felt a twinge of discomfort hearing the mournful cry of "Taodu." The sword was blameless, and the blade itself held no conflict; it was merely a matter of where one stood.

"Moon-Soul" emanated a chilling frost, its flight path trailing a scatter of fine ice crystals as it drifted leisurely forward. "Taodu" surged with the fierce, searing energy of Bing-Fire, leaving a trail of brilliant morning glow in its wake. Within that radiance, the sword was swift and agile, nearly impossible to track.

Suddenly, the sound of water—like surging ocean waves—echoed through the sky. Faintly, Cheng Xinzhan felt as if he truly saw a cresting wave. "Taodu" flickered and darted forward, but that wave abruptly manifested in its path, stalling its momentum just for a heartbeat.

In that brief interval, "Moon-Soul" closed the distance. The azure blade pressed against "Taodu," its tip rotating with a motion that appeared slow but was in fact blindingly fast. A gentle, persistent force scraped against "Taodu," showering the air with sparks. As "Moon-Soul" pulled back, it sapped the momentum of its rival. Within a few breaths, it had forced "Taodu" to a complete halt.

Cheng Xinzhan was stunned. He maneuvered "Taodu" to retreat and regain its momentum, but the result was the same; it nearly lost the blade entirely. She understood the trajectory of "Taodu" perfectly—or perhaps, she understood the vital keys of the "Tieguai Li’s Discourse on the Rapid Fire Sword Classic" perfectly.

Was this a sword technique specifically designed to counter that classic?

Thoughts raced through Cheng Xinzhan’s mind. Zhou Qingyun surely had deep ties to Emei. Such a flying sword technique would not be easily passed to outsiders. Yet, her master was Master Canxia of Mount Huang. Could Emei be looking to absorb Mount Huang? Furthermore, was Emei’s influence spreading from the Southwest toward the East? With the growing friction between the Eastern and Western Daoist sects in recent years, was Emei taking a new approach by first winning over the rogue cultivators of Qingzhou? Master Canxia was the founder of the Mount Huang administration and held a position of high esteem among the rogue cultivators there. If she were to support Emei, it would be grim news for the Eastern Daoist sects. But had she gifted the classic merely so her disciple could curry favor for Emei at a opportune moment—like now? Was that not too grand a gesture? Even if this classic contained techniques for containment, it remained a peerless immortal text!

He was lost in these thoughts when, in his moment of distraction, "Taibai Zhirui," which had been lurking behind "Xuansha," suddenly sprang to life. Just as "Taodu" was entangled and spent by "Moon-Soul," "Taibai Zhirui" lunged forward to deliver a follow-up strike.

Li Yingqiong was clever. Back at Rotten Peach Mountain, Cheng Xinzhan had used body-sword techniques to break flying swords by striking the center of the blade. Cheng had always been adept at learning from others during combat. Now, his own strengths were being used against him.

From dusk until dawn, "Taibai Zhirui" had struck the center of "Taodu" four times—each time on the same side, at the exact same spot. Her objective had been clear from the start: she intended to destroy "Taodu."

And she succeeded.

At the fourth strike, "Taodu" snapped in two and plummeted from the sky. The consciousness Cheng Xinzhan had anchored to the blade was shattered by the Taibai Geng-Metal energy.

"Senior Sister Zhou, so you were indeed covering for me. Yingqiong misunderstood you." Under the eaves, Li Yingqiong smiled at Zhou Qingyun. Zhou Qingyun remained silent, hearing only the wailing cry of "Moon-Soul" in the sky. She felt unworthy of the sword and dared not weep.

In front of the Haishi Restaurant, Cheng Xinzhan was momentarily stunned. *Taodu* had snapped? *Taodu* had actually broken? He watched the two fragments falling, their spiritual light dimming. The sword spirit, manifesting as a phantom rooster, clutched the two pieces to prevent them from separating. The rooster continued to cry out as if weeping blood; "Taodu" still yearned to soar and continue the battle, but it could not halt its downward spiral.

Could he blame "Taodu"? No, he could only blame himself. Why had he allowed Li Yingqiong to shatter "Taodu" using the very method he was so familiar with?

Was it merely because someone had helped pin it down? Not necessarily. The true reason was that he had underestimated Li Yingqiong, viewing her as incapable, even while being more vigilant of her companions than of her. In truth, her timing had been perfect.

Cheng Xinzhan stood up abruptly. The crowd around him watched with tension; they recognized that red flying sword as belonging to Daoist Cheng. He looked up at the falling "Taodu." Since they chose to bully him with numbers, he would certainly not let "Taodu" fight alone.

"Taodu" had been one sword; now, it was two. Spiritual light surged from his body, and two faint, human-shaped auras could be seen flickering.

"Xinzhan, do not be rash!" came the shouts of Feng Jihu and the others from upstairs. But by then, the human-shaped auras had completely detached from his body and soared into the high sky. The six of them leaped down, surrounding Cheng Xinzhan’s motionless physical body. Sun Miaoshu, looking tense, shouted, "Everyone, stay at least five yards back!"

Although martial arts were forbidden in Peacock City, they had already unsheathed their weapons and ritual artifacts. If people could attack a flying sword in the sky, who was to say others wouldn't strike on the ground? They were powerless to intervene in the aerial duel, but they would never allow anyone to harm Xinzhan’s physical vessel. If anything happened to his body, his soul would have nowhere to return—that would mean death and the dissipation of his path!

The six of them simultaneously drew out jade bells and began to shake them violently. *Cling-clang, cling-clang.* The crisp sound of jade striking jade echoed like ornaments, yet they shook them with such urgency that the sound became sharp and piercing. Though the bells were small, the sound carried far.

Within a few breaths, a figure landed before them. Seeing who it was, they immediately relaxed. "Greetings, Mountain Master Wu." The newcomer appeared to be a man in his forties, though in reality, he was the Deputy Mountain Master of Danxia Mountain in the Lotus Blessed Land, a high-level cultivator of the Third Realm, Sixth Wash.

Mountain Master Wu nodded, looking at the motionless body protected by the youths and the two souls departing into the sky. He immediately understood why the juniors were ringing the bells.

Barely two breaths later, another person appeared. Seeing him, Mountain Master Wu remarked, "So, you are here as well." The juniors were unfamiliar with this man and addressed him as "Daoist."

"This is Elder Jiao from the Sword-Casting Mountain," Mountain Master Wu explained. "He spends much of his time abroad, so it is normal that you do not recognize him."

Elder Jiao, who appeared even younger than Mountain Master Wu, smiled. "I spent some time in the East Sea and happened to follow the Huanzhu Tower here. I even managed to become a guest advisor for them."

Seeing the two elders look so relaxed, the six youths felt a measure of relief. As they spoke, others began to land one after another.

"Mount Siming Heart-Illumination Temple of the Myriad Laws Sect—did the ancestral court send a summons?" an old man asked the six youths holding the bells.

"Great Dragon Mountain Guanshui Temple of the Myriad Laws Sect."
"Wutong Mountain Qinghua Temple of the Myriad Laws Sect."
"Jiugong Mountain Tianjing Temple of the Myriad Laws Sect."

People continued to land at the entrance of the Haishi Restaurant. The onlookers retreated, leaving a space far larger than five yards. Everyone was shocked—was this the power of the great sects?

Mountain Master Wu thanked each newcomer on behalf of Mount Sanqing. Elder Jiao asked the youths, "Whose children are these? They have certainly earned great renown for Mount Sanqing today."

Sun Miaoshu stepped forward. "Elder, they are students of Mountain Master Wen of Mount Mingzhi."

Elder Jiao nodded. "I thought as much. Only Mount Mingzhi has the ability to send a soul out to travel while still in the First Realm. However, his lightning techniques are also quite exquisite. Why is that?"

Sun Miaoshu replied, "Xinzhan’s physical body suffers from an ailment that can only be resolved through lightning techniques, so he has been auditing classes at Shuji Mountain for the past year."

"I see. When I return, I shall discuss this with Mountain Master Wen. He should come to audit at Sword-Casting Mountain for a year as well. With such talent, it is a pity to practice swordcraft blindly on his own," Elder Jiao sighed. "Fortunately, Tower Master Li only allowed duels below the Second Realm, so his talent could overshadow his lack of sword technique. Otherwise, he would have made a fool of himself."

Sun Miaoshu forced a smile. He didn't understand how such swordplay could be considered making a fool of oneself.

At that moment, Elder Jiao raised a hand, and a beam of magical light spilled from his fingertips, flying toward the sky. It quickly caught up with the two souls. He muttered to himself, "To dare to control a sword with one's soul at this stage—he is truly a sword-seed. I shall pass you a technique; learn it now and see how much you can grasp."

Xiao Shiniang had already stood up and whispered urgently to Qingyu, "Quickly, find seats for the Daoists!" With that, she began carrying chairs out from the restaurant herself, forcing a smile while suppressing her inner anxiety.

***

High in the sky, sunlight shone upon the two souls. The "Secret Decree of the Immortal Fetus Manifesting Spirit" stated that when a soul travels, it must first travel by night, then by day, to avoid being scorched by the solar fire. However, since the beginning of his cultivation, he had meditated on the Pleiades and absorbed solar fire, so his soul felt an affinity with the Great Sun. Furthermore, as his dual souls often resided outside his body, they were already exceptionally resilient. At this moment, he felt quite comfortable.

Just then, a beam of magical light merged into his soul-body. Cheng Xinzhan examined it and discovered a sword classic titled "The Primordial Flying Qi Sword Classic." He glanced back and saw the circle of people gathered around his body, all watching him. He surmised they must be from his sect, and this sudden gift of a sword classic must be a token from them.

He scanned it rapidly. Soon, his two souls encountered the falling "Taodu." Seeing their master’s soul, the sword spirit began to chirp with renewed vigor.

The dual souls separated. The "Yojing" soul transformed into the likeness of Daoist Yuandan and, together with the sword spirit, merged into the broken blade. The "Shuangling" soul transformed into the likeness of the Star Lord Maori and merged into the other half of the sword—the hilt attached to the remaining length of the blade.

Instantly, both broken blades erupted with dazzling fire. Their downward momentum ceased, and after a brief pause, accompanied by the ringing of steel, both blades soared high once more!

The two broken blades swirled and spiraled upward, trailing two intertwined tails of fire. Had it been night, it would have been a breathtaking sight. Now, amidst the morning glow, the massive fire-tails looked like a giant bird being born from the clouds, with the two crimson broken blades serving as its eyes.

There were few flying swords still competing in the sky. Looking closely, there were exactly thirty-six, now at an altitude of three thousand zhang. The others had either been struck down or had fallen on their own. The owners of the surviving swords kept their eyes on the Moon-Reflection Mirror, watching their rankings, while those whose swords had fallen followed their descent. Gradually, they noticed the giant fire-bird. They were astonished—had these two blades only just launched?

But upon closer inspection, they realized these were not two swords, but the two halves of a single broken blade! They quickly recalled that this was the very sword that had been targeted and besieged from the start.

The two halves flew higher and faster, surging against the current of falling swords.

*It is the end of the month, fellow book lovers! I beg for monthly tickets! I am almost at the top of the new book monthly ticket rankings! Just a little bit more!*