A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 436 Past Events

Yan Zangfeng was taken aback by the words of the Sword Master. Meeting the Sword Master's expectant gaze, Yan Zangfeng felt the Ling Shuang Sword in his hand become heavier than a thousand pounds. Looking around, the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, Huangfu Changhen, and Master Sixin all had encouraging eyes, while Xiaoyao Lang, Liu Yiyi, and Jianxiong looked at him with envy.

"This junior will certainly live up to your expectations. As long as I, Yan Zangfeng, live, I will shed my last drop of blood for the sake of all living beings!"

Upon hearing this, Sword Master smiled with satisfaction. Just then, Gu Xu walked over, glanced at everyone, and said, "Guan Yutian, Helian Ba ​​and Liao Rushen have both escaped. We don't need to worry about them for the time being. There are less than three months left until Mars guards the heart. In the next period, we need to help Cang Feng adapt to the Frost Sword as soon as possible."

When Master Sixin and the others heard Gu Xu utter the words "Yinghuo Shouxin" (荧惑守心), their expressions changed, while the younger disciples like Jianxiong looked completely bewildered, not knowing the reason behind it.

Upon seeing this, Huangfu Changhen immediately stepped closer and said to Gu Xu, "Daoist, I have also read about the phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart in our sect's records. It is said that the day Mars guards the heart will cause a great change in the world. Could this anomaly be related to the Ling Shuang Sword?"

After Huangfu Changhen finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to him. Gu Xu nodded first, then looked at the Ling Shuang Sword in Yan Cangfeng's hand and said calmly, "The appearance of the Ling Shuang Sword is inevitable due to the conjunction of Mars and the Heart. Now that things have come to this, I will tell you all that five hundred years ago, Ying Shuntian built a huge chess city, which contained the enormous wealth he had plundered and various martial arts manuals. Whoever could obtain it could rise to the top and become the supreme ruler of the world. However, when the chess city was completed, Ying Shuntian killed all three thousand craftsmen and sixty thousand laborers and sank their bodies into Mirror Lake. He also set up an evil magic array to protect the city with their vengeful spirits. Furthermore, he forged a gate outside Chessboard Mountain with meteorite iron from outer space and concealed its shape with the Qiankun Reversal Array."

At this point, everyone except the Sword Master took a deep breath, their faces showing horror. At the same time, they wondered if Ying Shuntian was a demon, otherwise how could he have done such an evil thing?

"The Heaven and Earth Reversal Formation, isn't that the Heavenly Mystery Sect's forbidden formation? But the Heavenly Mystery Sect wasn't established five hundred years ago, so..."

Huangfu Changhen stared at Gu Xu in disbelief. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He looked up at Gu Xu and saw Gu Xu nod slightly at him. Huangfu Changhen was greatly shocked.

"The founder of the Tianji Sect, Dao Tianji, was also a remarkable figure. He was proficient in Qimen Dunjia, medicine, divination, and astrology. At the age of twenty-five, he became famous in the martial arts world for his nine extraordinary formations and twelve subtle and profound abilities. However, his reputation did not grow better with time. Later, Ying Shuntian approached Dao Tianji and asked him to help set up a formation to purify demonic energy, eliminate the wronged souls in Mirror Lake, and set up another formation to prevent outsiders from entering Qipan Mountain. Dao Tianji did not know the reason behind it and was young and impetuous. He agreed without hesitation. However, he did not expect that just when he was about to complete the Qiankun Reversal Formation, Ying Shuntian's evil deeds were finally discovered. Dao Tianji could not believe it, but the evidence was right in front of him and Ying Shuntian himself admitted it. Dao Tianji immediately stopped setting up the formation."

"However, Ying Shuntian threatened him with his family and relatives, forcing him to complete the Qiankun Reversal Formation. After the formation was completed, Ying Shuntian immediately killed Daotianji and destroyed all the blueprints for the formation."

Huangfu Changhen's face turned ashen upon hearing this. Although he didn't know where Daoist Gu Xu had obtained these secrets, he believed them to be true, otherwise he wouldn't have described them in such detail. The others also looked at Gu Xu with shock and curiosity. Daoist Gu Xu was so familiar with events from five hundred years ago. What was his background? Even the Sword Venerable couldn't remain calm and stared intently at Gu Xu.

Gu Xu ignored the gazes of the crowd and continued, "However, the secrets of heaven were incomplete, and life and death hung in the balance. Ying Shuntian did not expect that the one who stole the secrets of heaven still had a breath left. After waking up, his first thought was to dismantle the purification array. But when he got to the lakeside, he discovered that the originally pure and righteous demon-purifying array had turned into a soul-refining evil array."

A chilling fog hung heavy, and eerie chants echoed. As far as the eye could see, countless wronged souls wove a black curtain that blotted out the sky. The area within a hundred miles of Mirror Lake was transformed into a living hell. The Heavenly Thief was already nearing his end and powerless to alter the formation. He could only depart with guilt and resentment. The Heavenly Reversal Formation outside, having previously been flawed, was altered by using celestial phenomena to prevent Ying Shuntian from noticing. Whenever the celestial phenomena changed, the Heavenly Reversal Formation would open.

"After changing his formation, Dao Tianji immediately left and headed straight for his hometown. However, his hometown had already been razed to the ground by Ying Shuntian's men. Dao Tianji's hair turned white overnight, and he disappeared without a trace. However, three years later, a new sect appeared in the martial arts world. This was the Tianji Sect. The first message released by the Tianji Sect shocked the entire martial arts world. Ying Shuntian was acting against the natural order and was not tolerated by Heaven. He would die in less than a month due to his own masterpiece. After causing a great uproar in the martial arts world, the Tianji Sect disappeared from the world, leaving behind only this puzzling statement."

After Gu Xu finished speaking, everyone fell silent. Finally, Jian Xiong stepped forward and said, "Daoist, this celestial phenomenon is Mars guarding the heart, and the key to opening the door is the Ling Shuang Sword, isn't it?"

"It is true that the key is the Ling Shuang Sword, but the celestial phenomena do not only refer to Mars guarding the heart, but also to the Seven Fires in July, Venus eclipsing the Pleiades, the Dragon's Tail burying the Sun, and the alignment of the five planets. According to my calculations over this period of time, the Mars guarding the heart three months later is the only opportunity in the next few years, and it will also be the longest-lasting one."

"Master, did Ying Shuntian's final fate truly fulfill the prophecy of the Heavenly Mystery Sect?"

Yan Zangfeng gripped the Ling Shuang sword, looking at Gu Xu with anticipation. Not only him, but everyone else was also eager to know Ying Shuntian's final fate.

"In order to compete for the title of the best in the world, Ying Shuntian fought with the Chess Saint and Sword Ancestor at Mirror Lake. In the end, they died together. Their bodies sank to the bottom of the lake and were torn apart by vengeful spirits. Before his death, he uttered a so-called curse, saying that he would be reborn in spirit five hundred years later and take back the supreme position."

"What arrogance! Five hundred years ago he was a figure of some importance, but five hundred years later the world has changed. It's wishful thinking for him to want to suppress the martial arts world."

The Immortal of Wine looked disdainful. Although the martial arts world had experienced several upheavals, it had always been moving forward. Those outdated things were either eliminated or abandoned. Five hundred years ago, the only things that would be valuable today would probably be some antiques.

“We must not be careless. Someone who can rival the Chess Saint and the Sword Ancestor and leave a mark on history is no ordinary person. Daoist, I have also seen some records in the city’s books. It is no surprise that Ying Shuntian’s descendant is the ancestor who founded the Demon Sword Clan, and Guan Yutian is the most outstanding figure in this clan in the last hundred years. Is there something wrong with this?”

Sword Master had previously scoffed at the idea of ​​spirit possession, but over the past few years, his thinking had been constantly changing, especially after seeing the Taoist priest's various miraculous methods, which made it impossible for him not to believe it.

"I don't know, but I believe that regardless of whether the spirit possession is real or not, what we need to do now is to find the Chess King Cave as soon as possible, and after the Chess King Cave is opened, take out the treasure inside, complete the unification of the martial arts world, and quell the conflicts in the world."

"What the Daoist says is very true. Now that we have the Thousand Spirits Chess Manual, the two blank Heavenly Books, and the Frost Sword, we have already taken the initiative. If nothing unexpected happens, before the day when Mars guards the heart, Guan Yutian will surely send someone to invite us to the Chess King Cave."

Apart from the Demon Sword Clan, no outsider knows where the Chess King Cave is hidden. But if Guan Yutian fills in this gap, their chances of winning will be virtually limitless.

"Now all we need to do is calm down and wait patiently. City Lord, I will take Cang Feng away first. The rest is up to you. Cang Feng, let's go."

Gu Xu bowed to the Sword Master, then beckoned to Yan Zangfeng. The two bowed to the crowd again before heading out.

"The Taoist priest is preparing to teach Cangfeng the Four Symbols of Heavenly Will Technique."

Huangfu Changhen stroked his beard and smiled. The three heroes of the Wind and Dust stood by and their eyes lit up. If the Taoist priest taught him, Cang Feng might be able to master the Heavenly Will Four Symbols Technique within three months. At that time, he would be able to overpower Ren Qianxing's Sword Separation and win this battle.

On the other side, Guan Yutian and his disciples, who had escaped from Sword Forging City, didn't even have time to summon their disciples before rushing out of the city. After running for three miles, they realized that no one was chasing them. Guan Yutian breathed a slight sigh of relief, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body went limp, almost falling over.

"Master!"

Ren Qianxing hurriedly helped Guan Yutian up and leaned him against a tree. He placed his palms on the back of his head and channeled his already limited true energy into Guan Yutian's body. After a moment, Ren Qianxing's true energy was exhausted. He withdrew his palms and looked at Guan Yutian, who was still unconscious. Ren Qianxing then looked at the Ling Shuang sword stuck to the side, straightened up, walked over, and pulled it out.

Just then, the Ling Shuang Sword flashed with crimson light, and Ren Qianxing felt a pain in his dantian. Then, a thin stream of pure true energy flowed from the sword. As soon as it entered his body, his dantian felt slightly warm, and his depleted true energy began to grow. Ren Qianxing was startled and hurriedly released the sword hilt. He looked closely and saw that the sword was bright and flickering. After a few breaths, the intervals between the flashes of crimson light became longer and longer, and then it disappeared after a moment.

"Let's wake up Master first."

Ren Qianxing generously channeled the remaining true energy he had regained into Guan Yutian's body. Just as the true energy was about to be exhausted, the true energy Ren Qianxing channeled seemed to hit a solid wall. Startled, he looked up and saw Guan Yutian turning his head to look at him, his eyes unfathomable.

"Master, you're awake!"

Guan Yutian grunted, his body trembled, and he returned all the true energy he had sent. Ren Qianxing was stunned for a moment when he heard Guan Yutian's voice.

"You'll benefit from withdrawing your true energy."

Upon hearing this, Ren Qianxing immediately withdrew his true energy. Strangely enough, after the withdrawn true energy returned to his dantian, it was like a clear spring flowing into parched land, nourishing all things. The speed at which his true energy condensed also increased continuously. In less than half an hour, Ren Qianxing felt that his cultivation had improved significantly. "How is it?"

By the campfire, Guan Yutian was roasting rabbit meat, and asked without turning his head.

"Master, I feel that my skills have increased significantly."

Ren Qianxing got up and walked towards the campfire, picked up a piece of firewood and threw it into the fire.

"It's all because of the Frost Sword. I never imagined that you and the Frost Sword would be so compatible. It's just right, it's wonderful."

Guan Yutian looked at Ren Qianxing with a gratified expression and handed him the roasted rabbit meat. The latter hurriedly took it, looked at the Ling Shuang sword beside Guan Yutian, and couldn't help but show a puzzled expression. He took a bite of the meat and asked, "Master, just now when I held the sword, I suddenly felt a sharp pain, and then pure true energy surged into the sword. What exactly happened? Does this sword have the ability to restore true energy?"

"Qianxing, since the Frost Sword has chosen you, I will tell you everything I know. There was originally only one Frost Sword, but now there are two. According to the clan's records, these two swords are the Demon Sword, which governs death, and the Heart Sword, which governs life. The one next to you is the Demon Sword. This sword is extremely murderous and cannot be controlled by ordinary people. It is truly a matter of fate. If you had not mastered the Sword of Separation, you would have been sucked into a dried-up corpse when you held this sword. The true energy hidden in the sword is only a little bit left after it was separated from the Heart Sword. This energy is naturally nurtured and is a peerless treasure for martial artists. It is already a great blessing that you were able to reach the top in just half an hour."

After Guan Yutian finished speaking, Ren Qianxing was shocked. He looked at the demonic sword with a mixture of fear and excitement.

"The Demon Sword belongs to death. Without the nourishment of a living sword, it needs the blood of living beings to maintain its sharpness. Qianxing, from now on you will wield this sword with the skill of 'One Sword Separates Worlds.' You must master 'One Sword Separates Worlds' within three months. Only in this way can you defeat Yan Cangfeng in the upcoming battle, seize the treasure of the Chess of Life and Death, and let the Supreme Alliance reign supreme over the world!"

Although Guan Yutian was somewhat disappointed that he could not master the Ling Shuang Sword, fortunately, Qian Xing was not an outsider. In the future, he would entrust everything to him, and this was just a matter of advancing the timeline.

"Disciple will certainly not disappoint Master, but Master, what is the treasure of the Chess of Life and Death?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Qianxing immediately responded, but he was somewhat confused by what his master meant by treasure. Judging from his master's tone, this thing must be extremely important.

"Qianxing, let me tell you about the origin of this Frostbite Sword..."

Guan Yutian looked at the campfire in front of him and told Ren Qianxing his story word by word. Ren Qianxing sat quietly to the side and listened attentively.

Half an hour later, Guan Yutian stood up, looked at the stars and moon in the sky, and said in a deep voice: "Back then, when our ancestor Ying Shuntian learned that the founder of the Tianji Sect had changed the Qiankun Reversal Formation, he was furious, but it was too late, so he had no choice but to ignore it. However, he left behind a handwritten map, instructing his descendants to go to the Chessboard Mountain to check every time there was a celestial anomaly. But every time someone went in, no one came out. The most recent celestial anomaly was a hundred years ago. The clan sent a team of elites into the Chessboard Cave, but only three people came out alive. Not only was the map lost, but they all went mad and died after three days of painful wailing."

At this point, Guan Yutian looked at Ren Qianxing and said, "Later, the clan compiled the information through oral accounts from the survivors. The general idea was that any descendant of Ying Shuntian who entered would be plagued by nightmares and lose their soul. After the clan elders deciphered this secret, they spread the news. At the same time, according to the notes left by the ancestors, five hundred years later would be the best time for the treasure of the Chessboard of Life and Death to appear in the world. So, in accordance with the will, they entrusted the Sword Casting City to forge the Frost Sword, which would become the key to open the Chessboard Cave, and at the same time search for the three lost wordless heavenly books."

As he spoke, Guan Yutian took out a piece of white cloth from his bosom. Ren Qianxing's eyes widened as he looked at Guan Yutian and said, "Master, this is the wordless heavenly book. Where are the other two pieces? Your disciple will go find them immediately."

"No need to look anymore. The other two blank books are in the hands of Sword Casting City. If I'm not mistaken, in addition to the blank books, the Thousand Spirit Chess Manual has also fallen into their hands."

At this point, Guan Yutian couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. Of the three items related to the Chess of Life and Death treasure, Sword Casting City had taken up most of them, and he had no choice but to cooperate with them.

"Master, what about us?"

Ren Qianxing had obviously also figured out the key point and was taken aback. After all this trouble, in the end they still had to cooperate with the people of Sword Casting City. No wonder his master looked like this.

"There are about three months until Mars guards the heart. During this time, you should focus on your cultivation. Your master will take care of the rest."

Although Guan Yutian was considering cooperating with Sword Casting City, he still needed to carefully consider how to maximize their benefits.

"He's incredibly resourceful and wise, yet he's suffered such a huge loss this time. I don't believe he doesn't have any ulterior motives."

Thinking this, Guan Yutian felt reassured. Just then, footsteps came from outside. Ren Qianxing's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He reached out and grasped the Ling Shuang Sword. A red light flashed on the sword. Just as he was about to strike, Guan Yutian shouted.

"stop!"

Upon hearing this, Ren Qianxing hurriedly drew his sword and looked closely. The one who emerged from the shadows was none other than Jian Yin.

"How are you?"

Guan Yutian looked Jian Yin up and down, smelling a hint of blood. Upon hearing this, Jian Yin shook his head and said calmly, "He only suffered a minor injury and is fine. It's too close to Sword Forging City, so it's not advisable to stay here for long."

Guan Yutian nodded upon hearing this and gave Ren Qianxing a look. The latter sheathed his Ling Shuang sword, released his palm force, and covered the burning campfire with soil. The three figures quickly disappeared into the night, leaving only a faint smell of smoke.

Half an hour after the three left, a group of people from Sword Forging City searched the area and found traces. Zhuo Ting, the leader, stopped the group from giving chase.

"Don't pursue a defeated enemy. It's good to know they've already left Sword Forging City. Go back and report to the city lord. I'll take full responsibility."

After saying that, Zhuo Ting led everyone toward Sword Forging City.

Meanwhile, in a valley fifteen miles southeast of Sword Forging City, Liao Rushen was soaking in a stream, circulating his true energy to slowly expel the fire within his body. The cool stream water around him bubbled and rose in temperature with each breath, like a hot spring.

"Hmph, this fire poison is really hard to eradicate, Sword Master, humph!"

Liao Rushen's face was gloomy at this moment, and the joy of his great increase in cultivation was also greatly diminished. After getting up and dressing, Liao Rushen sat on the stone platform and continued to dissolve the Sword Venerable's fierce blood sword energy by taking advantage of the formation's energy.

Two full hours later, Liao Rushen's chest and abdomen bulged, his hands gathered their energy, and he opened his mouth and spat out a jet of blood that landed on the ground, hissing and smoking. Liao Rushen's complexion gradually returned to normal.

"I will remember this sword strike!"

Liao Rushen got up and looked at the red sun gradually appearing on the horizon. He glanced at the direction of Sword Casting City, then his figure flashed and disappeared into the mountains and forests in a few leaps.

(End of this chapter)