Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 412 Demon Sect
Yayu Immortal Abode, Langxuan Secret Realm

The Realm of Great Void, the Free and Unfettered Demonic Sect
Ginseng, giant salamander, Nan Hua, Grand Master Xuandu
In an instant, like a torrent of lightning flashing across my forehead, the details of the dream and past memories intertwined.

Tie Dan seemed to suddenly understand something, or perhaps he saw something more inexplicable.

For a moment, I was caught in a state of bewilderment, feeling as if I had grasped something, yet not quite understanding why.

However, standing still and hesitating has never been in Tie Dan's nature; he'll know once he goes in and takes a look.

So Tie Dan picked up his axe and stepped into the water.

His earlier actions, which had caused the mountains and earth to split open, had already drained most of the pool's water, almost filling the cracks in the ground. Now, all that remained was a shallow puddle, barely reaching the knees.

In stark contrast to the crystal-clear Spirit Brew Immortal Spring that Huangfu Yi had seen in his dream, the pool in front of Tie Dan was extremely murky. It was probably because he had severed the earth's veins, and the water was mixed with yellow mud that had been churned up from underground. For a moment, the mud and sand were murky and unclear, just like the Yellow Springs. It was impossible to tell where there was any secret realm or cave.

However, according to Wang Pengzu's statement and what he had just seen, entering the secret realm seemed to be a matter of mechanism, and had nothing to do with the amount of water.

So this time, Tie Dan raised his golden axe and chopped it down, then leaped into the water, made a hand seal, and disappeared into the water.

After splashing around in the mud for a couple of moments, Tie Dan was already mostly convinced.

The law is no longer effective.

Yes, he couldn't use even a fraction of his millennia-old Dao power or the power of the Nine Luminaries Sword! He, the dignified sect leader of the Sword Sect, the Dao Lord of the Northern Star, and the True Monarch of the Profound Heaven, couldn't use any sword techniques, escape arts, or water-based Dao methods!
That leaping pounce, intended to vanish in an instant without getting a drop of water on him, turned into a clumsy, landlubbling mess. Where was even a trace of divine grace?!

Tie Dan was quite surprised and taken aback, nearly choking on the muddy water. Realizing that he had fallen into a mortal state at this moment, he suddenly understood why Ling Xuzi had been so terrified.

For immortals, what could be more terrifying than the inexplicable loss of their magic?

Imagine you, a true disciple of the Xuanmen sect, a prodigy, who has consumed cinnabar and immortal dew, formed dragon and tiger bonds, cultivated for a thousand years, survived tribulations and avoided disasters, and achieved your Daoist cultivation through countless hardships, and suddenly it all disappears, your magic stops working, and you lose all power. Don't you know why?

Inexplicably and without explanation, in the blink of an eye, all the skills you once relied on became useless, turning you into a complete mortal, one of the masses you used to look down on, one of the ants you trampled underfoot.

How could you not be horrified? How could you not be afraid? How could you not be terrified?

Well, Tie Dan didn't actually have that much feeling or resentment yet. After all, he had only been seriously cultivating immortality for three and a half years. As for talking about being the head of the Sword Sect and the Xuan Tian Dao Master, he still felt more connected to the memories of the life of the shepherd boy in the Northern Frontier.

Besides, a thousand years of cultivation is too easy to acquire, so losing it is not a great loss. Moreover, he would occasionally dream of going to the Outer Heavens, and from Chen Xuantian's perspective, he still couldn't use Qi. Tie Dan had long been used to the debuff of his magic not working.

Of course, the most important point is that it may not be completely ineffective; at least my sword is still intact.

Yes, with a thought, a sword incantation is formed, and the black sword appears in the palm of the hand, held like an obsidian dagger. It's like holding hands with an old friend you've known for a long time, ready to brave any danger, no matter how great the danger or how dangerous the abyss.

With a sword in hand, Tie Dan was no longer panicked.

He dog-paddled through the murky mud, wading across the muddy waters, swimming for who knows how long in the chaos, until finally his feet touched solid ground. With a sword in his left hand and an axe in his right, he stood up with a "whoosh".

Standing in the chest-deep mud, Tie Dan looked around and found himself in a strange new world. He seemed to be in an underground river or lava cave. As his vision gradually adjusted to the darkness, he could vaguely see a broken stone archway on the bank not far away.

It looked like the gate of an ancient Taoist temple, but it was stuck upside down in the ground. The plaque was filthy, as if it had been buried in the soil for a long time, and was rotten. Moreover, the writing was blurry and the light was dim, so it was impossible to see what was written.

However, this place is probably the so-called ruins of the Free and Unfettered Demon Sect.

So Tie Dan picked up his axe and sword, went ashore and walked in. He immediately saw a red rope about the thickness of a thumb tied to the gate, with a string of copper coins hanging on it. Was he really catching ginseng? Hmm?

Tie Dan leaned closer for a look, sniffed the air, and recognized it as blood coins.

What, does the religion's law still work?
However, speaking of which, it's the same in the Outer Heavens. The Tai Chi method can't be used, but the Blood Scroll method allows one to fly and disappear unpredictably. Isn't the faction balance just too poorly done?

Of course, Tie Dan is decisive and quick-witted, unlike that other guy who's stubborn, gets stuck on details, and insists on using sword techniques. As long as he can kill, he doesn't care whose technique it is; he'd even care if it's just dust in his eyes.

Without further ado, Tie Dan took a blood coin, hid it, stepped over the red rope, and continued walking inside.

In fact, judging from the texture of the surrounding rock walls, the steps and pavilions overhead, and the upside-down mountain gate, it can be seen that this immortal relic should have originally been on the mountaintop, but it was destroyed by someone who broke through the mountain peak, knocked it to the ground, and buried it upside down at the bottom of the mountain.

What was originally a narrow mountain path leading to the sky has now become an inverted, long tunnel, and the gaps become narrower and narrower as you go forward, so that Tie Dan, a seven-foot-tall man, has to squeeze in by turning sideways, hunching his neck and bending over.

Forward, forward, through the confined, dark, narrow, and crowded tunnel, even Tie Dan lost his sense of time. He didn't know how long he had walked, and his vision seemed to be squeezed into a narrow space by the tunnel. It was as if he had melted into this closed and silent space, with no way to escape, no place to retreat, only forward, forward, forward...

Then Tie Dan stopped.

Because there's something blocking the mountain path ahead.

A large, grayish-white, sticky-looking lump completely filled the narrow tunnel.

Then the thing turned its head and stared at Tie Dan's face.

Oh, it's that 'woman' I just saw.

Tie Dan: "What are you looking at? Keep moving forward!"

“Ahhhh——!!”

The woman screamed in a piercingly loud voice!
"Shut up! Don't block my way!"

However, Tie Dan was even fiercer! Embodying the fundamental principle of the Sword Sect disciples that the brave prevail in a narrow encounter, he raised his axe and swung it down! The blow landed squarely on the monster's face! A burst of amber-colored liquid gushed out, splashing into Tie Dan's mouth, surprisingly carrying a slightly sweet aftertaste. It really did taste like ginseng!
"Let's go! Let's go!" "Awooooo!"

The monster howled and screamed as it retreated, its skin torn and bleeding from the axe blows, its body oozing fluids as it desperately pushed forward. But Tie Dan didn't let it go, pouncing on it and hacking at it relentlessly, hacking at the monster until it howled and screamed in agony, a truly gruesome sight.

Of course, Tie Dan had already shown mercy. After all, having tasted this, he knew that this guy was probably the ginseng monster. He never expected that after tens of thousands of years, it could actually grow to look like a human.

After all, Tie Dan doesn't need to worry about his lifespan at this time, and judging from what he saw in his dream, this ghostly thing was probably just something that Grand Master Xuandu specially prepared and kept for future use.

If his calculations are correct, the old man Xuandu is probably secretly raising giant salamanders in the Taixu Realm. Fearing that outsiders might discover this and ruin his plans, he uses this ginseng as a smokescreen. In this way, he can set up a magic array and barrier in a grand manner, creating a place for calamity and restricting entry to only a few people.

Those who enter the country to search for treasure have also undergone a round of screening. They are indebted to the Grand Master and can only try their luck by bringing his axe to seek a thousand years of lifespan. Even if they see the Grand Master's pet, they will naturally not rashly harm it.

"Ahhh—!" "Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the monster disappeared from the tunnel entrance. Iron Egg, on high alert, raised his axe and gripped his sword, rushing out of the tunnel.

Suddenly, everything became clear and bright. It was still a closed mountain cave, but the space was much larger. Judging from the inverted buildings overhead and the flat ceiling, it must have originally been a spacious plaza or training ground.

Not far ahead, the main hall and side buildings had all fallen upside down into the ground, with roof tiles scattered all over the ground and ruins everywhere. At a glance, only a few golden and stone pillars of the main hall were still barely holding on.

The ginseng monster, clutching its scarred head, huddled in a corner like a person, sobbing softly. Despite being thoroughly beaten by Tie Dan and terrified, it seemed even more afraid of the collapsed sect ruins nearby, desperately huddled in the corner, not daring to approach.

"Hey, where's the person who chased you in here?"

"Awoooo ...

But the ginseng monster just clutched its head and howled, clearly devoid of any intelligence. Tie Dan was too lazy to pay attention to it, and without stopping, he continued forward, entering the dilapidated main hall, where he immediately saw the statue of the Mysterious Maiden placed right in front of him.

Even someone as cold-faced and with an iron will as Tie Dan couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows and exclaim inwardly, "Good heavens!" upon seeing this.

As expected, it's the Free and Unfettered Demonic Sect.

This statue of the Carefree Mystic Maiden is identical in material, size, and even posture to the one enshrined in the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion, except for three differences.

Naked, pregnant, faceless. Good heavens, what else is there to say? No wonder the Xuanmen (Taoist sects) won't forgive these evil demons! Even Tie Dan would have to shout, "Xiaoyao Guichu, you deserve to die!"

However, Tie Dan was in no hurry to destroy this disgusting thing that defiled the Supreme Being. He saw that there were scriptures on the stomach of the Free and Unfettered Mystic Maiden statue.

The lighting was dim, making it difficult to notice. It took touching to discover that the jade statue was covered in densely packed, tiny characters. Even Tie Dan couldn't figure out what kind of cryptic writing it was on his first try, but after thinking about it for a while, he understood.

That's not right, the scripture is engraved inside.

It's really weird. What's with carving it inside? Is it for a pregnant woman to repair?

At this moment, Qi cannot be used in this secret realm, and magic is ineffective. Tie Dan decided to memorize the scripture first, and then continue walking in, passing the main hall and arriving at the inner mountain gate.

After circling around, Tie Dan discovered that the Daoist Scripture Pavilion was completely destroyed. Not only were the buildings upside down and collapsed, but there was also nowhere else to go. The bookshelves and storerooms inside had also been completely emptied.

Judging from the obvious scorch marks and human-shaped charcoal ash marks around them, this sect of the Free and Unfettered Demonic Path was destroyed and driven to the bottomless abyss. When they were in the depths of hell, they were burned, killed, and looted. A huge fire was set, and they were completely slaughtered, leaving nothing behind.

However, judging from the layout of these palace ruins, it can be seen that the Free and Unfettered Demon Sect and the Profound Sect share the same origin. At least it is exactly the same as the Nine Luminaries Sword Pavilion where Tie Dan lives now. According to calculations, after passing the main hall, there are the eight inner courtyards. The first room in the back courtyard is an archive room used to store the Daoist records of the true disciples of all generations.

The six courtyards on either side serve as the repository for scriptures, containing various cultivation techniques and secret manuals for inner disciples to study and comprehend, as well as Daoist texts, formulas, and diagrams accumulated over many years in the five arts of calculation, formation, talisman, alchemy, and artifact crafting. The innermost courtyard is the meditation room of the sect leader, containing various secret techniques not passed down within the sect, which cannot be opened by anyone other than a direct disciple of the sect leader.

It is clear that the Xiaoyao Sect here was suppressed and sealed by the Xuanmen. All kinds of Daoist traditions and inheritances were sealed and destroyed. Obviously, the Xuanmen did not want the Xiaoyao Sect to pass on even half of its teachings.

However, how come the Xuan Nu Demon Statue in the front hall was able to escape the calamity and even have a scripture passed down? It seems that the Free and Unfettered Demon Sect does indeed have some unorthodox methods...

Tie Dan ignored the other buildings and went straight to the ruins of the sect leader's secret chamber. After rummaging around for a while, he actually found it.

The room was completely destroyed, but there was still a stone screen. Although the spiritual energy had dissipated and turned into ordinary stone, and it was clearly cleaved and smashed to pieces by knives and swords, and even the characters carved on the screen had been scraped off, large clusters of floral carvings could still be seen. It was clear that it was a treasure of the same origin as the Thousand Calyx Screen.

So Tiedan stood the screen up and tried walking around it...

Hmm, it's no use. Is it because the magic weapon is already damaged, or is it that you must obtain that Wild Duck Seal and be regarded as a true successor of the Free and Unfettered Sect to have the chance to enter the next level of the secret realm?

To be honest, the old man Xuandu's series of challenges were quite troublesome. If you missed even a little bit of luck, you'd hit a wall and get stuck. Even Tie Dan was scratching his head for a while. But now that he'd come this far, how could he give up halfway and waste all his previous efforts?

So Tiedan thought for a moment, looked at the axe in his hand, and threw it on the ground with a clang.

Come on, ghost.

……

……

……

Pshaw, is the ghost not coming out... or has it already come, but the magic isn't working and it can't see it...? It can't see it, but there are things that can see it!
On a whim, Tie Dan immediately picked up his axe, turned around, and rushed out. While the unfortunate ginseng monster was still howling in the corner, Tie Dan pounced on it without saying a word and chopped off its head with his axe.

"what--!"

The ginseng head calls.

Tie Dan tucked the axe into his waistband, raised one hand over his head, and held the sword in the other. Amidst the dripping sound of blood, he walked around the Xiaoyao Ruins once.

"Ah~~ Ah—Ah~~ Ahh ...

Hmm, this trick works pretty well. This ginseng head really can see ghosts; the frequency and volume of its screams are noticeably different.

In some places within the ruins, such as near the stone screen, the ginseng head was screaming at the top of its lungs, like a pig being slaughtered and impossible to restrain; it seemed to have gone mad.

But when he turned back to the main hall, he became quiet and even stared at the statue of the Mysterious Maiden, grinning foolishly, like an infant looking at its mother, his expression momentarily just like a real person.

Hmm... interesting...

If we're being really that serious, ever since he entered this Demon Sect ruin, everything he's seen has been turned upside down and destroyed. Why is it that only this demon statue is upright? Could it have been upside down from the start?
Or perhaps the entire mountain gate was uprooted, turned upside down, and thrown into the netherworld to suppress it?
Although there was some progress, it still couldn't solve Tie Dan's problem, so he decided to put in a little more effort.

So Tiedan carried the statue of the Mysterious Maiden over and moved it to the front of the stone screen, placing its head in the middle.

He couldn't even handle the ginseng head properly. He was smiling on one side and shouting on the other, as if he was so terrified that his voice was stuck in his throat.

But it's not over yet.

Tie Dan drew his axe and struck the faceless goddess's swan-like neck.
"answer."

……

I'm going to keep you at bay!

Tie Dan raised his axe and chopped!

"clang!"

With a crisp, metallic sound, the axe blade that was about to strike the neck was caught by the statue of the Goddess of the Mysterious Maiden.

"Kerala"

With a soft sound, the statue of the Mysterious Maiden slowly turned its head, turning 180 degrees, its jade face, devoid of eyes, mouth, ears, and nose, gazing at the man behind it.

All that could be seen was a shadowy figure, vaguely resembling a human, emerging from the darkness deeper than the night sky, with a pair of pale blue pupils emitting a star-like, ghostly light.

Then it slowly lowered its head and looked at the black sword that the other party had been holding in its hand, which was now pressed firmly against the pregnant belly.

Tie Dan laughed.

Answer me, or I'll rip the demonic fetus out of your belly.

Then the statue of the Goddess of Mystery smiled.

From the otherwise blank jade surface, a bloody gash split open, revealing a mouth full of fangs and a terrifyingly dazzling smile. Then it suddenly attacked! It grabbed at the black sword! And lunged to bite down on Iron Egg!
But Iron Egg is faster.

"state!"

He crashed headfirst into the face of the Xuan Nu statue, the blood coin between his teeth cutting his tongue and activating the blood talisman drawn on his tongue.

Soul-splitting and decapitation.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp crack, the head of the Xuan Nu statue split open, perfectly smooth, as if cleaved in two by a knife.

The goddess seemed to freeze for a moment, as if she wanted to scream, but that momentary stiffness was enough.

The black sword thrust forward, piercing through it in one stroke, severing its five fingers, dissecting its abdomen, rupturing its demonic embryo, and destroying its meridians.

"what--!"

Then the goddess let out a scream, sounding as if she had died.

(End of this chapter)