Volume One: Youthful Encounters in Subtle Times Chapter 105: The Man at the Summit, Finally Revealed Today, Part Three
Under Elder Xie Tong’s spell, the sword imprint gradually coalesced in midair into a spectral sword. This ethereal blade was intangible and formless, its body composed entirely of the sword energy from the Azure Mountain sect. Within it lay the swordsmanship of most of the sword immortals of Azure Mountain. These swordsmen’s techniques were not chaotic or independent; rather, they were arranged hierarchically, and under the contemporaneous presence of the One Sovereign Sword, they formed a sword formation.
All who gazed upon the spectral sword in the sky were deeply shaken, yet none had the leisure to ponder what kind of technique this was. Instead, their full attention was fixed on what this sword would do next.
The phrase “sword opening the Heavenly Gate” was something they had only heard about in legends; no one in reality was known to possess such power.
Indeed, whether it was even possible to open the Heavenly Gate with a sword remained an unknown.
In the existing records, there was no evidence proving that the sword imprint of the Azure Mountain sword cultivators could open the Heavenly Gate. Nor was there certainty that their swordsmanship could accomplish this feat.
There were two reasons: firstly, no sword cultivator had ever reached the fifteenth realm, so no one had the confidence or cultivation strength to forcibly open the Heavenly Gate. Secondly, though their swordsmanship might be formidable in the mortal realm, the Heavenly Gate belonged to the immortal world, and they dared not entertain the thought of challenging it.
Perhaps this was why the sword cultivators could not become the top combat forces in the current cultivation world.
Li Yu once heard in conversation with a Daoist that today’s sword cultivators were far inferior to those of the ancient era, though the Daoist never explicitly stated where the difference lay.
Later, after visiting the Great Achievement sect and the Azure Mountain sword sect himself, Li Yu gained some understanding—though that is a tale for another time.
After the spectral sword finished gathering energy, it attacked the illusory Heavenly Gate in the air. Everyone’s hearts were fixed upon it, anxiously awaiting the outcome. Unexpectedly, the sword passed right through the illusory gate, as if it were nothing but a phantom, unable to affect the sword in the slightest.
No one anticipated this result; they all stared in astonishment—except for one.
In the void, Elder Old Luo and the Daoist silently observed the proceedings. Old Luo looked puzzled and asked the Daoist, “Dao Master, could it be that the Heavenly Gate does not actually exist?”
The Daoist replied calmly, “No. To open the Heavenly Gate, besides using the sacrificial formation to offer the living beings guarding the gate, there is another equally important step.”
Old Luo asked, “What is that?”
Then, the Company Commander Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, one of the six great sects, chuckled and stepped forward. “Everyone, may I speak a word? You all doubted what I said before, disbelieved the information I provided. Now, perhaps you can seriously consider my words?”
The others exchanged glances, thinking how deeply the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had concealed their knowledge.
Someone urged him, “Stop beating around the bush. If you know something, just say it!”
The Company Commander Elder said, “To open the Heavenly Gate, what we have done so far is correct, but we are still missing one final step: the blood of the Netherworld Beast.”
The Daoist explained to Old Luo in the void, “They have indeed done everything required to open the gate, but they lack the blood of the Netherworld Beast.”
“Why did the ancestors seal the last Heavenly Gate in Heavenly Gate Town instead of destroying it completely at the time?” The Daoist did not look at Old Luo, speaking as if to himself.
Old Luo said nothing. In fact, this was the first time he had heard such talk about the Heavenly Gate. Though he held some status in the cultivation world, his former position had not allowed him to uncover such profound information. It seemed the Heavenly Gate concealed even deeper secrets.
The Daoist continued, “The ancestors did not want to destroy this last gate but simply could not. Yet leaving it unattended would render their previous efforts meaningless. In the end, they devised a compromise: to split the last Heavenly Gate into two parts, using the Netherworld Beast and Heavenly Gate Town. The gate’s form was hidden in the void of Heavenly Gate Town, accessible only through the sacrificial formation. Meanwhile, the gate’s essence was contained within the blood of the Netherworld Beast, which naturally carried the Netherworld Dao, gradually eroding the gate’s essence over time, hoping that time itself would eventually wear it away.”
Hearing this, Old Luo could no longer suppress his curiosity and shock. “Then why did the ancestors want to destroy all the Heavenly Gates?”
The Daoist did not answer but looked up at the sky and softly said, “I am sorry. What you seek to do, I will delay a while longer for this mortal world. What happens next is destiny’s will.”
After speaking, he sat cross-legged, quietly awaiting the moment, preparing for the great battle to come.
The Company Commander Elder’s words stirred great upheaval among the sect representatives. Elder Huang of the Yinshan Sect asked, “Commander Elder, are you sure? The Netherworld Beast is a demon beast of the fourteenth realm—no, it should no longer be called a demon beast but a divine beast unknown to us!”
The Commander Elder proudly said, “Of course. Such a serious matter—I wouldn’t deceive you. In truth, this is not something I discovered myself; it was revealed to me by our sect’s Patriarch.”
Elder Chen Xing of the Tianji Sect asked, “Then where is your Patriarch? Can we invite him to clarify? After all, this is no ordinary demon beast. Without understanding it, it might be difficult to obtain its blood.”
Before the words ended, a voice came from afar, “No need to invite me; I have come myself.”
The Company Commander Elder’s face lit up when he saw the approaching middle-aged man. He hurried forward in salute, “Disciple Lian Fu greets the Patriarch.”
The Patriarch of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect nodded and waved dismissively, “You have done well in your duties.”
The Commander Elder’s face creased deeply with pride, wrinkles folding as though they could trap a fly.
Others looked at the Patriarch with amazement at his aura and strength. With their experience and power, they could not gauge his true level. Among them, Li Zhonghong and Xie Tong were the most wary, secretly thinking, “He must have reached at least the fourteenth realm.”
The Patriarch glanced indifferently at those around him, lingering only on Li Zhonghong and Xie Tong. He first addressed Li Zhonghong, “The Li family sent only you? I don’t believe that old man isn’t waiting for ascension. What is he still waiting for?”
Li Zhonghong’s expression changed instantly.
He had not expected such ease in exposing his family’s plan. In truth, everyone harbored suspicions. When the Heavenly Gate opens, who is most tempted? Certainly those old monsters desperate to ascend. But due to their status and strength, no one openly spoke of it, and their own sects were no different.
It was merely a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
After finishing, the Patriarch turned to Xie Tong. “Does Azure Mountain really intend to give up this chance? No regrets? Not a single old friend came?”
His tone was curious and probing. When he spoke to the Li family, he was certain they would come, perhaps sensing their aura. But when asking about Azure Mountain, his tone was more tentative.
Xie Tong replied, “No one came. Before leaving, our Patriarch told me that if I met an old senior, I should show courtesy. If the other party is approachable, I may also pass on a message for our Patriarch.”
“Oh? They have a message? What is it? I am easy to talk to—no matter how harsh, I would not make things difficult for you,” the Patriarch asked with interest.
Upon hearing this, Xie Tong said, “The Patriarch asked me to tell the senior that cultivation has always been a defiance of Heaven that risks life; there are no shortcuts. Such a simple truth—how could it be forgotten after so many years of cultivation?”
These words clearly carried a didactic tone. If a narrow-minded person heard this, they might think it mocking.
After speaking, the others present quietly stepped back a few paces, wary that if the elder became angry, collateral damage might ensue.
In fact, the Patriarch’s anger flared briefly upon hearing this, surprised to hear such words from the other side. But the anger was fleeting, quickly suppressed with a snort. “Which of your Patriarchs said that? Sword Lone Wine, or Sword Long Song?”
Xie Tong respectfully replied, “Neither. It was the Nameless Patriarch.”
None present had heard that name. Even the Ten Thousand Beasts Patriarch’s pupils contracted, and his eyes narrowed. “He still has not passed on?”
“The Patriarch is in good health. He once said that if any old friend inquires, simply say: merely surviving, nothing to boast of,” Xie Tong replied politely and calmly.
“Just like his style,” the Ten Thousand Beasts Patriarch snorted coldly.
Then he glanced into the void, whether at the Daoist Lin or not was unclear. His gaze lingered only briefly before swiftly moving away.
Old Luo in the void looked at him with trepidation and said, “That scared me. I thought we were about to be discovered.”
The Daoist looked at him with disdain. “Why aren’t you so afraid when you’re beside me? Am I not more terrifying than him?”
Hearing this, Old Luo recalled it was indeed so.
In truth, it was not surprising he was not afraid of the Daoist. At the fifteenth realm, no one knew how long he had stayed. Once there, all return to simplicity; their aura and cultivation vanish, and they appear as ordinary people. Unless they release their power, even the most formidable methods cannot detect them.
Below, the Ten Thousand Beasts Patriarch briefly sensed someone else in the void, but when he focused, the presence vanished.
He thought it was a hidden old monster, never suspecting the elusive Daoist Lin.
Strangely, since the Heavenly Gate began to open, everyone seemed to deliberately ignore Daoist Lin’s existence. If he did not approach them, they would not consider such a variable in the situation.
The Patriarch looked around and called out, “Are you still hiding? The Netherworld Beast is not to be trifled with. If we do not act together, we may gain nothing from it. Do you still want to open the Heavenly Gate? Do you still want to ascend?”