You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
"Inn… innkeeper!"
The four Daoists stared at Qin Yi, who now radiated an icy and terrifying presence, their eyes filled with shock and fear.
Just a moment ago, he had been as gentle as a cat, carrying the air of a small, amiable shop owner. Yet once killing intent was sensed, he transformed in the blink of an eye into a ferocious demon-god. That dreadful pressure, so overwhelming that even their master had been unable to withstand it.
"Leave immediately!"
Those cold words made the four Daoists tremble. Sword intent swept across their faces, chilling them to the bone.
They had never felt such supreme sword intent before.
The old Daoist glared angrily, yet his heart was trembling. He knew very well that the man before him possessed power that had already reached an unfathomable level, far beyond anything he could contend with.
Coupled with the icy aura Qin Yi had just unleashed and that terrifying sword intent, it was clear that continuing this confrontation was meaningless. Worse still, escalating it further would only invite catastrophe.
Turning around, the old Daoist flicked his sleeve.
"Go!"
In the next second, the five of them hurried away from the tavern entrance.
"Husband." An Yi walked over anxiously and held Qin Yi's hand.
The sword intent slowly dissipated. Qin Yi's icy expression returned to calm as he let out a breath.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
"That old Daoist went too far; he dared to speak ill of you and even showed killing intent toward you."
Qin Yi did not care what the old Daoist thought of the Silver Moon Demon Wolf. What truly enraged him was that the man had dared to reveal killing intent toward An Yi. The naked murderous intent in those eyes, combined with his words, had completely ignited Qin Yi's fury.
"Husband, why be angry? I… am a demon, after all." An Yi smiled and shook her head, utterly unconcerned.
Years of living together had completely worn away her demonic ferocity. She was now even more human than most humans.
"After making such a scene, he'll probably go to Mount Shu. I'm afraid trouble will come." An Yi sighed, feeling troubled.
"It's nothing. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you. Not even Mount Shu's Sect Master, Chang Hao." Qin Yi said with a faint smile, confidence filling his brows and eyes.
As a King, his natural endowment and terrifying talent in cultivation had allowed him to comprehend far more than ordinary cultivators. In just over ten years, he had already cultivated to the Ninth Layer. At such a realm, even geniuses of this world would likely need decades of cultivation, and he already possessed the qualifications to serve as a sect master.
Of course, Mount Shu, as the leading sect of the Mortal Realm, required an even stronger sect master.
Xu Zhangqing, during his tenure, had already been an Earth Immortal. As for Chang Hao, whom Qin Yi had not yet encountered, he was likely beyond the Ninth Layer as well.
Yet Qin Yi did not fear him. In over a decade of cultivation, it was not merely his realm that had advanced, he had fused the sword techniques of Mount Shu and the Magnificent Jasper Faction into one, already beginning to create a sword path of his own.
Mount Shu's signature heavy sword techniques emphasized qi-based sword control, while the Magnificent Jasper Faction took sword weapons as the foundation, refining swords to manifest all kinds of divine abilities with overwhelming might. By merging the two, sword power became even more formidable. With such techniques in hand, Qin Yi naturally feared nothing.
As his realm rose, Qin Yi's understanding of cultivation in this world deepened further and further, so much so that he could already write his own cultivation insights and summarize experience.
The paths of the predecessors ended before the Eighth Layer. At the Ninth Layer, the road ahead belonged to oneself!
Inside the tavern, due to Qin Yi's release of sword intent, everything was now in ruins, as if an earthquake had passed through.
"Look, the tavern's been destroyed." An Yi held Qin Yi's hand tightly, complaining with her mouth, yet warmth filled her heart.
People often said humans and demons were different, but in Qin Yi's eyes, she had never once seen even a trace of disdain or disgust.
"Haha! If the tavern's destroyed, we'll just get something better. What's there to fear?" Qin Yi laughed loudly.
"Besides, I don't plan to stay here anymore." He added.
"Husband, you're leaving?" An Yi asked in confusion.
"It's time to go. The Magnificent Jasper Faction venerates sword weapons above all. After cultivating for so many years, I still don't have a weapon that truly suits my hand." Qin Yi sighed.
An Yi understood and nodded obediently.
The next day, Qin Yi and An Yi rode atop the Silver Moon Heavenly Wolf. Its steps were light as it carried the two away from Chenzhou, disappearing from the land.
At the ruins of the Magnificent Jasper Faction, Qin Yi had obtained many broken swords and metal materials. Forging a sword would not be difficult, but none of them matched the sword he envisioned in his heart.
"The sword I desire is one that grows as I grow!"
"I center everything on myself, absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, strengthening essence, energy, and soul, becoming ever stronger."
"Then the sword, too, should possess its own essence, energy, and soul. What I need is a sword that breathes!"
Yes, Qin Yi intended to forge a breathing sword.
A sword with a spirit, no different from a living being!
The Magnificent Jasper Faction had long recorded such methods, along with secret techniques for forging them. Even within the Mortal Realm, such records existed, so long as the method was obtained, one could forge a Spirit Sword!
Like the Demon Sword from Chinese Paladin 3, a blade with a will of its own!
Such swords were overwhelmingly powerful and incomparably sharp, possessing unimaginable uses. They could even house spiritual entities within them.
From that day onward, Qin Yi traveled the land with An Yi, riding his mount, named Da Huang by him, traversing tens of thousands of miles.
Mountains, deep seas, mortal cities, and the clouds above all bore his footprints.
The materials in his possession naturally grew more and more abundant.
At the same time Qin Yi left Chenzhou, Sun Li's master had already led the four disciples, burning with anger, up Mount Shu.
"Master… are we really going to Mount Shu?" Sun Li asked worriedly.
Compared to Mount Shu, their Evergreen Sect was worlds apart. Just a few big cats and small cats, two or three at most, and the entire sect had only a few dozen people. There was simply no comparison to be made.
"Of course we're going," The old Daoist snorted angrily. "Mount Shu raised such a disciple, very possibly even an Elder, who shelters Demons and even injured this old Daoist. How could this possibly be let go so easily?"
Cultivators were not truly free of desire. Once freed from worldly power and material concerns, reputation became the most important thing of all.
Every cultivator, deep down, harbored an obsession.
And this old Daoist's obsession was, slaying demons and eradicating evil. Looking back on the past, who among men did not carry a story of their own? Wasn't the so-called world, and the splendor of the cultivation path, precisely formed by the convergence of countless such stories?
With steady steps, the old Daoist led his four disciples up Mount Shu.
Toward fellow cultivators, Mount Shu had always been exceptionally courteous.
"Daoist Fu Ze, what brings you to our Mount Shu? Haha, it's been a long time! But why do you look like a frost-bitten eggplant?" The one greeting him was a Mount Shu Elder, laughing loudly as he joked.
"Enough with the jokes!" Fu Ze snapped angrily. "This old Daoist has come to Mount Shu on serious business!"
"I'm here to ask your Sect Lord, Chang Hao, exactly how Mount Shu teaches its disciples!"
"To think one would appear who shelters Demons, and even injures this old Daoist for a Demon!"
The Mount Shu Elder froze, his expression turning astonished.
"Sheltering Demons? Injuring you? Fu Ze, don't joke around. Someone capable of injuring you would mostly be an Elder in Mount Shu. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
Fu Ze remained furious, sweeping his sleeve.
"I don't have the patience to explain to you, call Chang Hao here!"
The cultivation world, after all, was not that large. The various sects frequently interacted, and naturally knew one another, especially those who had roamed the martial world for many years, whose connections and knowledge ran deep.
The Mount Shu Elder hesitated, then waved to a young Daoist behind him.
"Go inform the Sect Lord."
Seeing Fu Ze's expression, he knew this was no joke and decided to hear him out properly.
Fu Ze and the others were ushered into the reception hall. Young Daoists came to serve tea, while fragrant smoke curled upward from an incense burner at the entrance, calming the heart.
"Exactly what happened?" Only after the tea was served did the Mount Shu Elder ask solemnly.
"The day before yesterday, while eliminating Demons in Chenzhou, I encountered one of your Mount Shu disciples!"
Fu Ze recounted the entire incident in detail, neither exaggerating nor concealing anything.
"Our Mount Shu has such a disciple?" The Elder was greatly surprised after hearing it.
A Mount Shu disciple who could repel Fu Ze with a single strike relying solely on sword intent was no ordinary disciple.
At that moment, Chang Hao stepped inside.
His expression was solemn, his very appearance exuding authority, an aura formed by years of rigid temperament: dignified, restrained, and conservative.
He was excellent at maintaining stability, but innovation and advancement were another matter entirely.
Back then, Xu Zhangqing had chosen Chang Hao precisely because of this temperament. Under his leadership, Mount Shu's power surged, upsetting the balance between realms and triggering internal upheaval. The Immortal Land of Mount Shu collapsed soon after.
What Mount Shu needed next was stability, not ambition.
In truth, Xu Zhangqing's ideal choice had been Qin Yi. A Sect Lord with great perseverance and terrifying talent would have been perfect.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
"Our Mount Shu may indeed have such a disciple," Chang Hao said gravely as he took his seat.
When he arrived, the Mount Shu Elder stood up, and even Fu Ze rose slightly with respect.
Chang Hao's status was extraordinary. As Mount Shu's Sect Lord, his cultivation realm was openly acknowledged as the highest in the Mortal Realm, the Eleventh Heaven!
Combined with Mount Shu's qi refinement and sword arts, his strength was overwhelmingly dominant, a pillar-like existence of the era.
In the entire cultivation world, who would dare treat such a figure lightly?
It was precisely because of this towering cultivation that every word he spoke carried absolute authority within Mount Shu, none dared to refute him.
"Sect Lord Chang Hao," Fu Ze said solemnly, "I have come here to seek justice."
"That man consorted with Demons. When I attempted to eliminate them, he injured me instead."
"This matter has gone too far!"
"Fu Ze," Chang Hao said calmly, "Show me his appearance and the scene of his attack. This Sect Lord will judge whether he truly belongs to Mount Shu."
Fu Ze wasted no words. With a wave of his hand, the scene of the tavern battle appeared before them, and Qin Yi's face became clearly visible.
"This…?!"
The Mount Shu Elder stared at the familiar face, shocked.
"It's Chang Yi!"
"Hmph! I knew it!" Chang Hao roared angrily. "So he's been hiding all these years, disobeying this Sect Lord's orders!"
"And now he's mixed up with a demon woman?!"
"This is an absolute disgrace to Mount Shu!"
Chang Hao was furious.
(End of Chapter)