"So it really is someone from your Mount Shu!" Daoist Fu Ze's eyes narrowed, his face turning icy cold.
"Sect Lord Chang Hao, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation!"
Among the various sects of the cultivation world, there might be occasional conflicts or friction, but those were minor matters. When Demons appeared, however, all sects would immediately unite, slaying demons and eradicating evil without mercy. Qin Yi's actions, helping Demons and attacking fellow cultivators, could be said to have crossed a fundamental taboo.
Even Mount Shu could not possibly condone this. If this matter were not handled properly, it would inevitably tarnish Mount Shu's reputation built over centuries.
"This Sect Lord will naturally give you an explanation…" Chang Hao said coldly.
"He is Chang Yi. He was once appointed by the previous Sect Lord, Xu Zhangqing, as Mount Shu's Laws and Morals Elder. However, he disappeared more than ten years ago."
"I once sent disciples everywhere to search for him, yet there was no trace. I never expected to see him surface here." Meeting Fu Ze's gaze, Chang Hao continued,
"Daoist Fu Ze, rest assured. Mount Shu will take action."
He turned his head and spoke directly to the Mount Shu Elder beside him.
"Chang Yi's behavior has completely violated Mount Shu's sect rules. As Sect Lord, I hereby revoke his position as Laws and Morals Elder. In addition, immediately dispatch disciples, Elder-level experts included, to search for him. Order him to return to Mount Shu at once!"
"Consorting with Demons, this shows utter disregard for Mount Shu's honor!"
Chang Hao was rigid in temperament, strictly adhered to old rules, and possessed a sharp, unforgiving nature. Naturally, he would never tolerate someone as unrestrained as Chang Yi.
"But… what if Chang Yi refuses to obey the Sect Lord's order?"
The Mount Shu Elder hesitated. Long ago, that man had already done such things, and had even dared to confront the Sect Lord head-on.
"Then capture him and bring him back…" Chang Hao replied.
He showed no hesitation. No matter how willful Chang Yi was, he was still a Mount Shu disciple. Chang Hao did not believe that, when faced with such a serious matter, Chang Yi would truly lose all sense and openly oppose Mount Shu.
As Sect Lord and a peak expert of the Twelfth Realm, Chang Hao's personality might be inflexible, but his mind was clear.
He knew very well that Chang Yi had once been close to Xu Zhangqing. The former Sect Lord had shown him great favor, and if Chang Yi had not left Mount Shu back then, the position of Sect Lord might not have fallen to Chang Hao at all. He also understood that Chang Yi, after fifty years of stagnation, had suddenly surged ahead, rising from behind with terrifying talent.
Such a person would naturally be proud and aloof, likely looking down on him.
In other words, the two were natural adversaries. Each found the other disagreeable. Chang Hao resented Xu Zhangqing's favoritism toward Chang Yi, while Chang Yi disdained Chang Hao.
It was a deadlock.
Only one day, when the two stood face to face and decided victory and defeat, could such a knot be untied.
Once the Sect Lord's order was issued, Mount Shu moved immediately.
Several Elders descended the mountain, leading dozens of disciples who scattered to search for Qin Yi's whereabouts. Such a lineup was extremely powerful, enough to rival a small sect.
Seeing Chang Hao handle matters this way, Daoist Fu Ze had nothing more to say.
Within the True Martial Hall, Dugu Yuyun sat cross-legged in meditation.
"Senior Brother Dugu!" Behind him, a figure hurried in, carrying a heavy smell of alcohol.
"Situ Zhong, you've been drinking again!" Dugu Yuyun frowned, his voice stern.
"Heh, Senior Martial Uncle isn't around, and Mount Shu has no Laws and Morals Elder. I finally get some peace and quiet. Senior Brother, don't manage me so tightly." Situ Zhong said with a grin.
"I came this time to bring you good news."
Dugu Yuyun closed his eyes, ignoring the rogue. "Speak."
"There's news of Senior Martial Uncle."
In an instant, sword intent surged skyward within the hall. Dugu Yuyun suddenly opened his eyes, and an aura of icy detachment, like supreme oblivion and severed emotion, crashed outward.
Situ Zhong shuddered. When he looked ahead again, he realized that this senior brother had already turned around at some unknown moment.
"Where is he?" Dugu Yuyun asked calmly.
"Tsk tsk, your sword intent keeps getting stronger. The Ninth Realm really is terrifying! If Senior Martial Uncle doesn't return, the next Sect Lord will probably be either you or Senior Brother Jiang Qing."
Situ Zhong sighed.
"Cut the nonsense. Where is Senior Martial Uncle?" Dugu Yuyun said coldly.
"I don't know either. I only just received word that he injured Daoist Fu Ze. The Sect Lord has already sent people down the mountain to capture him. Striking a fellow cultivator… this time, Senior Martial Uncle will probably have to return and accept punishment." Situ Zhong sighed.
With such a transgression, as Laws and Morals Elder, there was no way to escape responsibility.
"By now, Senior Martial Uncle's position as Laws and Morals Elder has already been stripped. That certainly suits Chang Hao's wishes."
Dugu Yuyun frowned.
"There are still many within Mount Shu who hold Senior Martial Uncle in high regard. If he's willing to return, Chang Hao won't be able to do anything to him."
The foundation Xu Zhangqing had cultivated formed the very pillars of Mount Shu today. Among them were many who knew Qin Yi well. Dugu Yuyun, Situ Zhong, and Jiang Qing were all Qin Yi's juniors, and his friends.
"I'm just afraid Senior Martial Uncle won't return. You know him, he appears calm, but deep down he's proud, domineering, and unwilling to bow even slightly." Situ Zhong sighed.
Dugu Yuyun's eyes flickered with light.
"Inform Senior Brother Jiang Qing about this matter. Have him go look for Senior Martial Uncle and give him advance notice."
"And be sure to explain the entire course of events clearly."
Situ Zhong blinked.
"That's no problem, but do we also have to mention that Senior Martial Uncle is… uh… romancing a beauty from the demon race?"
Dugu Yuyun shot him a glare. "Say it."
Situ Zhong chuckled and ran off. After Situ Zhong left, Dugu Yuyun let out a quiet sigh.
"Senior Martial Uncle… I hope you can return soon. Mount Shu has grown much weaker. It truly needs you."
Compared to the era when Xu Zhangqing was still around, Mount Shu's strength had declined by thirty to forty percent. It was a time of desperate need for talent.
At the same time, in a city within the Central Plains…
Qin Yi was walking hand in hand with An Yi, leading Da Huang as they strolled down the street.
"A sword weapon also possesses Essence, Energy, and Spirit," Qin Yi murmured. "Essence forms its blade, its hilt, its bones, it is the fusion of all materials into one, its core framework."
"Energy draws in the spiritual qi of the void. This requires spirit-gathering arrays, spirit-condensing arrays, spirit-circulation arrays, and other formations engraved into it."
"As for Spirit, it requires a single true soul."
The first two were actually easy. It was this final Spirit that posed the greatest difficulty for Qin Yi. A demon sword used the soul of its forger as its spirit, carrying demonic might, born as an inauspicious blade.
But Qin Yi did not want such a sword.
What he wanted was a sword of his King's Path!
Sword intent as king, himself as king, then the sword, naturally, must also be the king among swords. Only then would it match his status.
"But how should this King Spirit within the sword be obtained?"
This was the one problem that truly troubled him.
He and An Yi had traversed tens of thousands of miles, crossed countless mountains and rivers, gathered enough materials, and already completed all the necessary array combinations, arranging them in the most precise and optimal order.
All that remained was to forge the sword body and draw a spirit into it.
Yet Qin Yi refused to settle. He would only cast the sword after finding the most suitable spirit for himself.
Otherwise, it would always feel imperfect.
As dusk approached, the two walked hand in hand along the street. The number of pedestrians had grown sparse.
"Husband, look." An Yi suddenly tugged at Qin Yi's right hand and pointed toward the horizon.
Qin Yi looked up, and froze slightly.
In the darkening sky, around the crimson setting sun, a stretch of clouds edged in gold emerged. At a glance, they looked like dragon claws looming in and out of the clouds, magnificent, resplendent, utterly breathtaking.
"So beautiful," An Yi said with a smile.
She was dressed in white, radiant as a fairy. When she smiled, even the dimming sky seemed to brighten.
"It really is," Qin Yi replied with a smile.
Yet his gaze flickered intensely.
What An Yi saw were golden-edged clouds. What Qin Yi saw was royal aura.
Yes, the Central Plains were precisely where the ancient dynasty's royal capital lay. And the place where the golden clouds gathered at dusk was exactly in the direction of the royal city.
"Ordinary spirits or demon spirits could be placed into my sword, it would still succeed. But that would not be a King Spirit Sword. This royal aura, this dragon qi, is the spirit of a king! To draw upon it, to capture it, is enough to give birth to a King Spirit within my sword!"
Qin Yi's lips curved upward, joy rising in his heart.
After resting for a day with An Yi, the two set out for the royal city the next morning.
Three days later, an endless expanse of palace halls stretched out before them. Grandeur, splendor, and supreme majesty surged toward them.
"This is it." Qin Yi made his decision at once.
On the fifth day, Qin Yi and An Yi entered the royal city and selected a location.
It was not bustling, rather, it was somewhat secluded. The terrain was slightly elevated compared to the flat lands of the dynasty.
But Qin Yi knew, this was where the dragon's head lay. It could also be called the dragon lair.
The birthplace of dragon qi.
Dragon qi was the clouded fortune of a nation. Damaging it would harm the fate of the entire dynasty.
But Qin Yi did not care.
He was not of this world. The rise and fall of dynasties meant nothing to him.
What's more, he had already made a new decision regarding this nation.
After all, overthrowing emperors was his old specialty, wasn't it? There was no need to wait for this dynasty to decline; regime change was already on the horizon.
Sitting cross-legged atop the dragon lair, Qin Yi waved his right hand, and layer upon layer of materials appeared.
"True fire, arise, Dragon Flame, burn!"
With a sharp shout, space rippled before him as crimson flames ignited. Guided by the terrain, the flames transformed into dragon fire, their temperature terrifyingly high.
"Earth Spirit Stone, Wind Spirit Stone, Blood Crow Essence, Ten-Thousand-Year Blackwood, Ancient Dai Marrow, Malachite, Crimson Wood Blocks."
One material after another was cast into the flames.
Hiss, Hiss, Hiss!
As the flames roared, the materials melted rapidly into liquid. Impurities were expelled, and the liquid grew purer and purer. An Yi watched quietly from the side. She knew Qin Yi was forging his own sword, and once it was complete, this blade would surely shock the entire world.
Material after material was thrown into the fire. The molten substances attracted and merged with one another, gradually transforming into a sword body.
First came the core. Then, bit by bit, the materials fused together in sequence, rapidly filling out the form and gathering into a complete body.
Like the growth of an infant within the womb, this sword was growing, developing!
Gradually, night fell. The crimson flames did not extinguish.
Qin Yi remained seated there, calm and focused, carefully refining every fraction of the sword, as if carving a priceless work of art.
In this process of sword forging, time once again lost all meaning.
In the blink of an eye, forty-nine days passed.
On this day, two people arrived at Qin Yi's location, a man and a woman. Qin Yi was so deeply immersed in forging the sword that he could no longer perceive the outside world.
An Yi was startled.
But the handsome man raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence.
Then, with a solemn, worried expression, he looked toward Qin Yi.
"This… is an act that defies the will of heaven."
"Senior Martial Uncle."
(End of Chapter)
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