The Path Toward Heaven

The feel of summer grew more and more tangible. The weather grew hotter by the day and the wind felt warm and damp.

It was unclear if the people of Dayuan City missed the wind and snow that had happened unexpectedly. Anyhow, the bamboo chair was seen less often under the corridor.

As all the flowers in the lotus pond had bloomed, Bu Qiuxiao finished repairing the chasm of the sea and came to the Three-Thousand Nunnery by riding on the Diligent Study Boat.

He was a true Saint. Normally, the Green Mountain Sect would have received him warmly; but for some reason, or by the request of Bu Qiuxiao himself, the Immortal Guangyuan and Nan Wang were absent at the Three-Thousand Nunnery.

Bu Qiuxiao looked scruffier than the Young Zen Master. His cotton cloth was dirty, as if it were dyed black.

Liu Shisui received his Teacher. Then he got the towel, warm water and new cloth ready as quickly as he could.

Bu Qiuxiao took the warm towel and wiped his face casually with it. He put on the new cloth, but refused to take a bath. Like what the Young Zen Master did, he, after taking a look at Jing Jiu, stepped over the round window, came to the lakeshore and sat down on the stone bench.

“I planned to use the water in which the Saint has bathed to make some high-quality medicine,” Zhuo Rusui said indignantly while looking at the outside of the window.

Que Niang couldn’t help but crinkle her nose slightly when she heard this since she craved cleanness.

Bu Qiuxiao’s combat against Jian Xilai was even simpler; he took out a book and handed it to Jian Xilai.

Jian Xilai took the book and started reading it. The pages that could be turned by a gentle wind seemed as heavy as a mountain when he tried to flip them.

A gust of violent wind would occur on the surface of the lake each time he turned a page. As he turned the last few pages, even heaven and earth responded; the dark clouds gathered to block the scorching sun, casting a chilling shadow as well as a cold intent.

It didn’t take long for Jian Xilai to finish reading the book. He handed the book back to Bu Qiuxiao, and then rubbed his face a few times. He appeared rather tired.

Bu Qiuxiao took the book and commented sentimentally, “Nobody is your match now in Chaotian!”

Jian Xilai said, “You’ve suffered a severe injury, and you haven’t rested for many days. This combat is invalid.”

Bu Qiuxiao said while shaking his head, “It takes me longer to read the book than you even under normal circumstances.”

A Saint of the One-Cottage House was a half state higher than the Heavenly Arrival State. If Bu Qiuxiao admitted he was not Jian Xilai’s equal, what a powerful state was Jian Xilai in?

What was that book?

Liu Shisui sensed the gazes from Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qü, and shook his head, thinking that this item was not among the four precious treasures of the One-Cottage House.

Bu Qiuxiao stood up and was about to leave.

Though the sea was peaceful now, the mountain in the Thousand-Mile Windy Corridor was still unstable and the gap under the Cold Mountain needed repair, and as such, he still had many things to take care of.

Liu Shisui handed him a hot towel.

Bu Qiuxiao wiped his face forcibly with the towel. Seeing his expression, Bu Qiuxiao asked with a faint smile, “Do you wish to know the content of the book?”

Liu Shisui nodded honestly.

After some thought, Bu Qiuxiao took out the book and handed it to him, saying, “Don’t force yourself to turn the pages. You should do it according to your ability.”

Liu Shisui took the book reverentially before saying, “Rest assured, Teacher.”

Seeing this, Zhuo Rusui and the others didn’t know what to say, as they recalled the nickname given to Liu Shisui by those mouthy Cultivation practitioners.

Zhuo Rusui found Liu Shisui on the same night. “The ‘Scholar with many treasures’, what is in that book?” asked Zhuo Rusui while rubbing his hands.

He didn’t rub his hands because he felt embarrassed, but rather because he felt quite excited at the moment. He knew that Liu Shisui wouldn’t mind sharing the book with the people of Shenmo Peak since Bu Qiuxiao didn’t say anything against it. As for the fact that he was not a disciple of Shenmo Peak…he would rather consider himself one of them when it was necessary to do so, no matter how the others felt about it.

“There are rivers, lakes and seas…in the book.”

Liu Shisui looked a bit pale. He must have sustained some injury while reading the book.

Liu Shisui handed the book to Zhuo Rusui who had a fearless and vehement expression in his eyes. “Don’t continue reading it if you feel ill,” Liu Shisui reminded him.

“Do you think I’m an irresponsible person?” Zhuo Rusui retorted.

…

…

“Why did Zhuo Rusui pass out?”

Nan Wang picked a lotus flower and tossed it to a disciple of Qingrong Peak who would cook a dish with it. “He is the favorite disciple of Big Brother. Nothing bad must happen to him,” she said to the Immortal Guangyuan.

The Immortal Guangyuan said, “The Three-Thousand Nunnery sent a message back though it’s not detailed. I don’t think he is seriously hurt.”

A new message came not long after: Zhuo Rusui was awake and the reason for his unconsciousness was found out.

Nan Wang remarked crossly with raised eyebrows, “Liu Shisui told him to be careful, but he was still that greedy…I don’t understand why Big Brother favored this guy so much.”

The Immortal Guangyuan said, “He is so anxious to improve himself because he intends to contend for the position of the next sect master for the sake of Big Brother. Don’t blame him too much.”

Hearing this, Nan Wang’s expression grew grim. She felt even more troubled when she thought that Zhuo Rusui would fight with Gu Qing for the position of the sect master. She changed the topic abruptly.

“Any news from the Underworld?”

The Immortal Guangyuan shook his head a few times.

“Neither the Young Zen Master nor Bu Qiuxiao is his match. So nobody can drive him away?” Nan Wang exclaimed.

Jian Xilai was perceiving the essence of the sword work at the Three-Thousand Nunnery while holding the corpse of the Dark Phoenix as he guarded the sleeping Jing Jiu. Though he hadn’t done anything, the Green Mountain Sect was obviously being suppressed by the branch of the Foggy Island. The longer this situation lasted, the more humiliating the Green Mountain Sect felt. Nan Wang’s face would darken whenever she thought of this.

The Immortal Guangyuan sighed, “His Cultivation state and sword work have already surpassed Nan Qü’s. Unless that person comes back, nobody can do anything about him.”

Liu Ci, the Immortal Tan, the Immortal Bai and the Broadsword King Cao Yuan were the strongest swordsmen among the Cultivation practitioners of the same generation.

The Godly Swordsman of West Ocean had been among the strongest swordsmen before his departure one hundred years ago.

Now the Immortal Tan was severely wounded; the Dead Dog was also wounded; Liu Ci and the Immortal Bai were dead. Who would be his equal besides the large Buddha?

…

…

There was no wind in the Underworld. The vast Hulun Lake looked like a gray mirror, laying silently among the mountains.

Yet, the mountains were all new, with cliff rocks falling from time to time. However, they became increasingly more stable with no danger of collapsing after the swordsmen and countless laborers of the Underworld had worked hard to reinforce them.

The peculiar flames in the Underworld River had already vanished; and the green smoke was nowhere to be found.

In the high sky, the large Buddha was repairing something with his iron broadsword full of gaps. His belly looked rounder than before; it must have contained a great deal of green smoke in it.

The collapsed dams were fixed. It remained unclear when the marsh would be completely drained. He had something more urgent to take care of at the moment.

Crack!!!

A rift appeared on the hard cliff rocks. It expanded swiftly as the bright lava rushed out.

The large Buddha uttered a weary sigh before he threw himself to the river of lava, inserting his own body into the rift.

Bu Qiuxiao could be seen employing the amulets on the other end of the rift, where the river of lava came from.

The lava splashed in all directions when it bumped into the large Buddha, looking like fireworks in the air.

It was hard to destroy this world, but it was even harder to repair it. It would take a long time to complete the work. It was unclear how long he would stay in the sunless Underworld to finish the job.

An iridescent light ray rose from the ground, looking like a rainbow.

As the rainbow abated outside the flames caused by the lava, the Drifter appeared. She pulled up the leaf-like black hair in front of her forehead and yelled to the large Buddha in the sky, “When will you go there? My Teacher is being watched by Jian Xilai and might die at any moment.”

The large Buddha said, “Jian Xilai just wants to test his sword work with him. Xilai won’t strike as long as he is not awake.”

The Drifter thought what he said was sensible. “But I’m worried that my Teacher will never wake up,” she remarked bitterly.

The large Buddha said, “If this were the case, what would I kill Xilai for? If he is unwilling to wake up, what can I do?”

…

…

The Three-Thousand Nunnery received one more guest.

He was neither Cao Yuan nor the Emperor, but a person who was not famous.

The sect master of the Mysterious Heaven Sect, Lu Jin, was a swordsman in the Broken Sea State, but he was not paid much attention by the important figures at the Green Mountain Sect, since there was no way he would be treated the same as the Young Zen Master and Bu Qiuxiao.

He was stopped outside the lotus pond. If Lei Yijing and the others didn’t remember clearly that he had entered the Scenery Garden, Nan Wang wouldn’t have let him in.

Even though he was a regular Cultivation practitioner, he, as the only guest visiting the Scenery Garden, was someone special.

Lu Jin didn’t want to tell anyone his intention after he arrived at the Three-Thousand Nunnery, as he insisted upon seeing Jing Jiu.

As he walked into the meditation room with a round window, Lu Jin saw the unconscious Jing Jiu and Bai Zao who had slept on the bed for more than one hundred years. He couldn’t help but recall the Plum Meeting many years ago, as if it had happened in his former life. It was at the Cultivation tournament of the Plum Meeting that he had fought alongside Jing Jiu and Bai Zao. It was probably because of this experience that he had gained the opportunities afterwards.

Zhou Yunmu was worried that the trip was too dangerous and bade him to guard the Mysterious Heaven Sect. As his disciple, Lu Jin was unwilling to do so. However, the trip was unexpectedly safe and trouble-free. Now he realized that few people would remember what had happened one hundred years ago.

“Can you tell us now?” Nan Wang prompted expressionlessly.

After glancing at the crowd, Lu Jin fixed his gaze on Zhao Layue, then he took out a black board and handed it to her deferentially.

Looking at the black board, Nan Wang found it familiar. It seemed that she had seen it somewhere. She had vaguely guessed the origin of it.

Seeing Lu Jin give the black board to Zhao Layue, Nan Wang generated a cold expression in her eyes as she wondered why it was not for her.

After taking over the black board, Zhao Layue sensed the hidden sword wills inside. She infused a sword will into the board after remaining silent for a moment.

A dozen light rays came out from the black board, forming a picture. Judging from its shape, it should be a map of Chaotian.

Nan Wang had seen such a magic when she and Jing Jiu went to look for Nan Qü’s coffin. Looking at the light speck on the map, she asked with raised eyebrows, “Where is this place?”

The light speck was situated outside a mountain range. Judging by the location of the mountain range on the map, it should be Green Mountain.

There was a thin line nearby; it should be a river.

Finding it familiar, Liu Shisui had finally remembered after a while. “I think…I have been there when I was a little boy,” he exclaimed in surprise.