Lin Xingchu watched this happen, his heart immensely shaken. This Fate Stone, imbued with a trace of Lin Zhao's life essence, was hidden within the stones of the pond, yet not a single person among the thirteenth and twelfth realm cultivators at the mountaintop villa had detected it. However, the moment the fourteenth realm Confucian sage arrived, he found it effortlessly.
The old gentleman was indeed formidable. As a direct disciple of the Supreme Sage and a revered figure in the Confucian literary world, his deductive and observational skills were far beyond those of the cultivators in the human world. In other words, while the old gentleman might not be the most powerful fourteenth realm cultivator, he was an indispensable one in this world.
"Elder, what is this?" Lin Wanhua asked.
"A remnant of a grotto-heaven from the war of the immortals," the old gentleman replied, holding the stone and smiling. "Little Zhao is trapped within it."
"Ah?!"
Su Qingjiu, Lin Wanhua, Tang Zhi, and Tong Yu were all astonished. Even Wang Yue, the sword-bearing official who had accompanied Lin Xingchu, parted her lips in surprise. Hearing the old gentleman's words, the matter became even more unfathomable.
"Buzz~~~"
Without further ado, the old gentleman waved his sleeve, and a bronze water vat was placed beside the trellis. He flicked his finger, drawing pond water directly from the lotus pond to fill the vat halfway. Then, he meticulously took out a golden lotus seed from a cloth bag at his waist. With a "plop," the seed fell to the bottom of the vat.
"..."
Everyone watched in silence. Lin Wanhua, Lin Xingchu, Su Qingjiu, and the others could tell that anything the old gentleman produced was likely a treasure. The water vat, rich in ancient charm, was inscribed with totems of ancient sacrifices. Its spiritual energy was so potent that it almost overflowed. The lotus seed was undoubtedly extraordinary, containing a faint trace of the Heavenly Dao.
"Hiss!"
The old gentleman pointed at the water vat. Instantly, a golden character for "life" (生) diffused on the water's surface. Following this, golden Confucian characters, like those on a compass, began to emerge from the character for "life." These golden characters seeped into the water, nurturing the lotus seed at the bottom. Soon, with a faint "sizzling" sound, the lotus seed's outer shell peeled off, revealing a tender sprout. Under the nourishment of the Confucian essence, the sprout grew rapidly, quickly forming a segment of golden lotus root. Upon the root segments, lotus flowers bloomed in the water vat, exuding spiritual energy.
"Plop~~~"
The old gentleman dropped the Fate Stone into the water vat. With a flick of his finger, the intricate patterns on the stone appeared on the water's surface in the vat. A green vein transformed into a mountain range. At the foot of the mountain, Lin Zhao, riding his flying sword Hongye, carried the young Chen Changsheng and was rushing through a torrential downpour.
"Brother Lin Zhao!"
Su Qingjiu bit her red lips, finally seeing him. Unfortunately, Lin Zhao was within the Hundred Flowers Realm and could not hear Su Qingjiu's words.
Lin Xingchu, Lin Wanhua, and Tang Zhi watched silently, marveling at the old gentleman's power, which seemed to bend the very fabric of heaven and earth. As for Huang Tingyu, Tang Guangjun, Mu Zha, and Chu Yu, they watched the detailed images appearing on the water, seeing the Golden Core elders of the Feiyun Sect pursuing Lin Zhao, and wished they could rush in and slay them with their swords. In fact, if they were present, it would not be difficult; any one of them could easily flatten the Feiyun Sect on Cuiwei Mountain, or even the entire Hundred Flowers Realm.
"This heavy rain must be so hard on Little Zhao..."
The old gentleman reached out and swept his hand, causing a lotus leaf on the water's surface to move and cover the mountain range where Lin Zhao was located.
...
Hundred Flowers Realm.
Suddenly, the torrential rain overhead stopped, to Lin Zhao's astonishment. Such a peculiar occurrence, and it stopped so quickly, felt too strange.
Naturally, he had no way of knowing it was the work of his elder's elder.
By dawn, Lin Zhao and Chen Changsheng were at least three hundred li away. However, sword cultivators still occasionally swept past on their flying swords, and Lin Zhao didn't know if they were from the Feiyun Sect. Thus, he decided to keep a low profile. He stopped using his flying sword, bought two straw capes, and walked slowly along the official road with Chen Changsheng.
In the afternoon, a restaurant appeared ahead. Lin Zhao ordered two bowls of beef noodles and sat opposite Chen Changsheng to eat.
"Immortal Master Lin..."
Chen Changsheng's expression was filled with guilt. "It's all because of me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have to be so fearful..."
"Not at all. It has nothing to do with you." Lin Zhao smiled. "Chang Sheng, even if it were someone else, I would still do the same."
"I know..."
The young man frowned. "Before, I often heard the old people in the village say 'the mountains are heartless.' I never understood what it meant. After experiencing this, I gradually realized that those who seek eternal life in the mountains are not all as upright as they seem."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. "There are countless paths to cultivation, it depends on what each person chooses. For instance, the Feiyun Sect actually tames demonic beasts as spirit beasts, feeding them with the flesh and blood of living people to absorb demonic energy and nourish their own cultivation. This is hardly different from the legendary evil cultivators. If I encounter such a thing, I will definitely intervene."
The young man pursed his lips. "Immortal Master Lin, thank you... If it weren't for you, I would have long become a pile of bones."
"No need to thank me, eat your noodles." Lin Zhao pointed to the noodle bowl in front of the young man and smiled. "You must finish this whole big bowl. After eating, we still have to travel. Our next destination is Wangshu Cliff."
"Wangshu Cliff?" Chen Changsheng was surprised.
"Mm." Lin Zhao nodded and smiled, spreading out a book titled "Travels in the Ancient Shu Kingdom" that he had bought in a small town. He pointed to the map on it and smiled. "Wangshu Cliff is considered one of the top scenic spots on the border of the Ancient Shu Kingdom. The travelogue records that Wangshu Cliff is named after a deceased Sword Saint of the Ancient Shu Kingdom, Han Wangshu. It is said that Wangshu Cliff is Han Wangshu's ascension site."
"Ascension site..."
Chen Changsheng picked up his chopsticks. "I've heard from some people in the martial world that our Hundred Flowers Realm holds a martial competition every ten years. The top three experts will have a chance to ascend the Ascension Platform and become one of the three ascending cultivators. Sword Saint Han must have been one of them back then."
"Yes."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Wangshu Cliff is only fifty li from here. If we walk a bit faster this afternoon, we should reach Wangshu Cliff by evening. Since you have nowhere else to go, why not come with me to Wangshu Cliff to enjoy the scenery and broaden your horizons?"
Chen Changsheng nodded repeatedly. "Alright, thank you, Immortal Master Lin!"
...
Dozens of li away, in a mountain forest.
Suddenly, a piercing flute melody arose. Birds scattered from the forest, startled. The flute music came from an old man in a red robe, one of the Golden Core elders of the Feiyun Sect. His eyes held a faint killing intent. After playing the flute, he looked into the distance. Soon, a figure darted through the canopy of the forest, using the branches to propel himself dozens of meters forward with each step. Clad in black and wearing a mask that revealed only a pair of murderous eyes, he was clearly an assassin.
"Elder Jin!"
The assassin knelt and said solemnly, "May I know why Elder Jin summoned me?"
"Someone killed my Feiyun Sect's ancestor's personal disciple on Cuiwei Mountain, and he was a Purple Mansion realm sword cultivator, a prodigy who had a great chance of becoming a Golden Core Sword Immortal. This debt cannot be left unpaid."
Saying this, the Golden Core elder took out two portraits from his robe: one of Lin Zhao, the other of Chen Changsheng. "It's these two. One is named Lin Zhao, a sixth realm sword cultivator. The other is Chen Changsheng, a commoner without cultivation. Our Feiyun Sect wishes for you to cooperate with us in killing these two villains. If you can bring Lin Zhao's head, the Feiyun Sect is willing to pay twenty Jin Zha coins as a reward."
Upon hearing twenty Jin Zha coins, the assassin's eyes lit up. He said solemnly, "Rest assured, there is no one the Prime Minister's Guard assassins have targeted who has lived through the night. Furthermore, it's just a mere sixth realm sword cultivator. I will immediately send people to investigate the whereabouts of these two. Once we have information, we will join forces to eliminate them."
"Mm."
The Golden Core elder narrowed his eyes, his killing intent thick. Liu Yu's death didn't directly concern his lineage, as he was the ancestor's disciple, and he wasn't worried about it at all. However, Liu Yu and one of his female disciples were in love and were about to become Dao companions. Once Liu Yu became a 'son-in-law' of his lineage, his faction would naturally receive more favor from Old Ancestor Qin Fei. Damn that Lin Zhao, for killing Liu Yu with a single sword!
...
Late at night.
Two figures appeared at the foot of Wangshu Cliff. Scattered lights flickered at the base of the mountain, where there were two thatched inn rooms and three eateries serving the martial folk from the mountain. Lin Zhao glanced back. The young Chen Changsheng was panting from exhaustion after the long journey. So, he smiled and said, "Shall we eat before we go?"
"Mm!"
The young man nodded emphatically.
The two sat down at an eatery, ordered a bowl of pancakes and two small dishes. They were simply filling their stomachs, with no great expectations. Moreover, in such a remote place, even if they wanted to eat something delicious, it was unlikely to be available. Shortly after, when they were full, they lit a torch and began their ascent.
Wangshu Cliff, shaped like a moon.
From a distance, moonlight shone upon a stele inscription on Wangshu Cliff. When Lin Zhao squinted and looked with his Nascent Soul realm eyesight, he saw that the inscription bore words. These characters were written with sword qi, full of "integrity." Lingering sword intent emanated from between the strokes. Because of this, countless sword cultivators sat cross-legged on the peak of Wangshu Cliff, gazing at the stele, trying to glean even a sliver of sword technique from the sword intent left by Sword Saint Han Wangshu.
Lin Zhao and Chen Changsheng were about to reach the summit.
"Stop!"
Two third realm sword cultivators raised their hands to block their path. One of them sneered, "Wangshu Cliff is a sacred place for sword cultivators. You two have not submitted your calling cards, so you are not qualified to observe the Sword Saint's inscription today. You might as well wait until tomorrow. Remember to submit your calling cards before noon, otherwise, you will have made a wasted trip."
"???"
Lin Zhao was dumbfounded. It felt like they were trying to cordon off an area for leveling up. Was this Hundred Flowers Realm even reasonable?