The Path Toward Heaven

The Cultivation practitioners of various sects were baffled after coming to Green Mountain and hadn’t found any scholar of the One-Cottage House present.

Even though it was the critical moment for Bu Qiuxiao to become the Saint, the One-Cottage House should at least send a few disciples to Green Mountain given their relationship in the past one hundred and more years.

Their question didn’t get an answer until they saw Liu Shisui.

Everyone knew of the relationship between Liu Shisui and Jing Jiu, and he was an important figure at the One-Cottage House, and so they all thought this was an appropriate arrangement.

But some people with a more sinister agenda had more thoughts at this.

Xi Yiyun and Liu Shisui were the two most favorite disciples of Bu Qiuxiao. The person inheriting the house master would be selected from one of them. It was said that the One-Cottage House had already split into two factions. Though Xi Yiyun and Liu Shisui were friendly and respected each other on the surface, who knew what kind of schemes against each other they had in secret?

Now that Bu Qiuxiao couldn’t make any decisions at the house, Xi Yiyun must have had some sort of scheme up his sleeves if it was Xi Yiyun who sent Liu Shisui to Green Mountain to participate in the inauguration ceremony.

No matter what those people thought about it, the inauguration ceremony of Green Mountain had to take place.

The Master of the Great Marsh gave a speech on behalf of the guests of the Cultivation circle. No one thought the compliments he offered were outrageous, which was because those compliments were targeted at Jing Jiu.

The compliments that sounded like they had been written in history books drifted about the surroundings of Tianguang Peak like flowers, bringing out many strands from the ocean of clouds.

Looking at the man in white on the peak top, the people experienced complicated emotions, feeling a sense of admiration and awe, but mostly bewilderment.

Even though he had lived another life, this man in white clothing was still the most outstanding figure in Chaotian, the Immortal Jing Yang.

Of course, some changes had happened to him.

Back then, Jing Yang had stayed on Shenmo Peak like a hermit and didn’t brother getting involved in the affairs of the world, and he hadn’t left any disciple behind.

In this life, Jing Jiu was as lazy as ever; but he had done quite a few things that he hadn’t done before and taken on many disciples.

Zhao Layue was a strong swordsman in the upper limit of the Broken Sea State, though Liu Shisui, judging from his energy, was not inferior than her.

Zhuo Rusui was deeply affected by him, even though he was not Jing Jiu’s disciple.

Gu Qing and Yuan Qü were the important figures on Green Mountain as well as in the imperial court.

Ping Yongjia was the peak master of Yunxing.

His followers also included Que Niang of the Mirror Sect and that Underworld Queen, whom everybody knew but nobody dared to mention…

Not to mention the outside supporters from the Fruit Formation Temple and the Water-Moon Nunnery.

Under complicated gazes, the Master of the Great Marsh finished reading the speech.

A dozen highly achieved monks of the Fruit Formation Temple came out and washed Jing Jiu’s forehead with the dew from the stone pagoda of their temple.

Then the representatives of various sects presented their gifts.

The Emperor Jing Yao greeted Jing Jiu in person.

Yuan Qü was in control of the inauguration ceremony of the Sect Master. He was fully aware of Jing Jiu’s temperament, which is why he tried his best to simplify the process. The singing and sword performance stipulated in the sect rules were all eliminated from the program. However, the process of the ceremony still lasted a long time, the sun eventually reaching the middle of the sky. Fortunately, the Great Formation of Green Mountain formed a shield. No one felt hot except that they found the sunshine was quite bright.

The Immortal Guangyuan came before the stone monument and read the Will of the Immortal Liu Ci again.

After that came the last part of the ceremony.

Jing Jiu had to present the Inherited Heaven Sword and receive the greetings from the elders and disciples of the nine peaks of Green Mountain before he became the sect master of Green Mountain officially.

Raising a sword was a simple act; any mortal of three years was able to do so. However, the atmosphere on the top of Tianguang Peak grew grave all of a sudden.

More than one hundred years ago, Jing Jiu was reluctant to bring out the Inherited Heaven Sword, and he was expelled from Green Mountain for it…

What would happen today?

Jing Jiu was in the Broken Sea State back then, and the Inherited Heaven Sword might have been snatched away from him if he presented it, and the Immortal Taiping might attempt to suppress him with it, and this is why he had to act prudently at that time.

But he was a figure in the Heavenly Arrival State now and had just defeated Fang Jingtian. In many people’s minds, he was already in the upper state of the Heavenly Arrival and almost on a par with the Broadsword King and the immortals Tan and Bai.

Considering the prowess of the Sword Formation of Green Mountain, he had nothing to worry about right now.

Ignoring those gazes on him, Jing Jiu strolled into the hut and sat down on the chair.

The chair was very steady.

Zhao Layue, Liu Shisui and the others stood behind the chair.

“I’ve repaired this chair myself. It’s quite steady. What do you think?”

Zhuo Rusui said this conceitedly whiling standing shoulder to shoulder by Gu Qing.

Gu Qing said to him with a faint smile, “I heard it was you who damaged the chair in the first place.”

Nobody had heard this exchange, because they were all focusing their attention on Jing Jiu at the moment.

This chair was the seat for the sect master of Green Mountain.

Sitting on the chair was an act of symbolic importance.

However, Jing Jiu did it in a casual manner.

He did it the same way as when he sat in the bamboo chair.

He did it the same way as when he sat in the horse-drawn carriage of the Gu Clan.

He did it the same way as when he quarreled with Liu Ci.

He did it the same way as when he and Yuan Qijing stared at each other.

And he did it the same way as when he held Lian Sanyue’s hand.

Jing Jiu remained silent while gazing into the horizon.

It was quiet on top of Tianguang Peak.

Nobody spoke.

An icicle fell down in the manor cave on Shangde Peak, breaking into pieces on the ground. The faint noise startled many people.

Jing Jiu pulled back his gaze and brought out an item.

The bright sunlight shone on his right hand.

As expected, the Inherited Heaven Sword was not a sword, but a sheath.

Ancient marks were etched on the sheath.

The dark and serene opening of the sheath exuded the faint sword wills of extremely high state.

Jing Jiu was holding the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword with a steady hand, not quivering even once.

Everybody was well aware that he would in no way release his hand and let it go, no matter whether it was the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword or this Green Mountain.

The Immortal Guangyuan bowed all the way down to the ground slowly.

So did Nan Wang.

So did Zhao Layue.

So did Chen Youtian.

And so did Gu Qing.

…

…

All the disciples of Green Mountain bowed to the ground.

The sword wills in the distant Sword Peak stirred slightly, and the clouds and fog were dispersing. It was believed that the magnificent scene of ten thousand swords greeting the master would come to pass soon.

Sitting in the small green curtain sedan, the Chief Nun of the Water-Moon Nunnery bowed down a bit as the green curtains rippled slightly.

The dozen highly achieved monks of the Fruit Formation Temple pressed their palms together to greet Jing Jiu while reciting mantras.

The Cultivation practitioners of various sects either knelt down on the ground or bowed down.

The Immortal Tan and the Immortal Bai, who was inside the fog, had also bowed slightly.

Everybody greeted Jing Jiu.

They were showing their respect to the Green Mountain Sect.

This was respect toward the Immortal Jing Yang.

It was also respect the Cultivation practitioners in Chaotian had for the Dao.

However, there was one person on the peak top who didn’t make a move.

He was the most unlikely person to do so.

The whole Cultivation world knew that he had been brought to Green Mountain from a small village by Jing Jiu and that he was willing to die for Jing Jiu.

Why was he just standing there quietly at such an important moment today?

Zhao Layue raised her head and looked at the person; the expression in her eyes changed a bit.

The Immortal Guangyuan and Nan Wang watched the person with a baffled expression in their eyes.

Countless gazes were fixed on the person, their eyes full of incredibility, shock and bewilderment.

It was Liu Shisui who hadn’t made a move.

When Jing Jiu raised the Inherited Heaven Sword, the corners of his mouth curled up, flashing an incomprehensible smile.

Liu Shisui stood by the chair quietly without moving a muscle.

It wasn’t until everyone looked at him that he dusted his cloth a few times and took one step forward. “Let me do it,” he said to Jing Jiu.

…

…