Thirteenth month of death

Chapter 259 Asking the Heart in Cambridge
The mountain gate of the Azure Sword Sect is hidden deep in the clouds and mist, and its seventy-two sword peaks pierce through the sea of ​​clouds like sharp swords.

As Li Daosheng and Su Moshi flew down to the foot of the mountain on the bronze mirror, an invisible sword aura suddenly blocked their path, forcing the bronze mirror back three zhang.

"Halt, all who come!" An aged voice echoed from the clouds. "The Azure Sword Sect has been closed for a hundred years and sees no outsiders."

The long scar between Li Daosheng's eyebrows glowed with purple light, and the power of the Blood Jade Bead and the Cold Marrow Needle circulated within his body.

He stepped forward, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable power: "Master Su Mo of the Supreme Heaven of Separation and Hatred, along with his disciple Li Daosheng, have come to pay a special visit to the Sect Master of the Sword Sect."

Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, an elderly man in hemp clothing appeared, leaning on a bamboo cane.

His eyes were cloudy and he seemed blind, but his pupils contracted slightly when he looked at Li Daosheng: "You... fine, if you want to join the Sword Sect, you must cross the Bridge of Life and Death."

The old man tapped his bamboo cane lightly, and the clouds and mist dispersed, revealing a stone bridge spanning the abyss.

The bridge is only three feet wide, with no railings on either side, and below it is a bottomless valley.

Even more bizarrely, the bridge is covered with countless sword marks, each radiating a completely different sword intent.

"This bridge tests the swordsman's will," the old man said in a hoarse voice. "Those who cross the bridge must answer one question: Is the way of the sword to kill or to save lives?"

Su Moshi frowned slightly.

This question may seem simple, but it actually gets to the heart of the art of swordsmanship.

Just as she was about to speak, Li Daosheng had already taken his first step onto the stone bridge.

"A sword is a weapon of destruction, and swordsmanship is the art of killing." Li Daosheng's voice echoed in the abyss. "No matter how eloquent the words used to disguise it, this remains an unchanging fact."

With each word he spoke, a flash of blood appeared on the sword marks on the bridge.

When I reached the center of the bridge, the entire bridge was stained with blood.

"What a brilliant killing technique!" the old man laughed, but there was no joy in his laughter. "Then do you know why you killed him?"

Li Daosheng stopped in his tracks, a purple light flashing between his brows.

Fragments of Wudao's memories surged in his mind.

Many years ago, Wudao came to the Qingming Sword Sect alone with his sword. He arrived at the Bridge of Life and Death and seemed to have asked the Sword Heart. He experienced countless killings in the illusion and saw countless lives floating in the sea of ​​blood.

“I have no sword heart,” a long sword appeared in Li Daosheng’s hand, “but a friend of mine wields his sword to protect.”

The sword flashed, like a thunderclap splitting through the clouds.

Li Daosheng did not move, but his sword energy had already swept across the abyss, carving a deep mark on the rock wall on the opposite bank.

Strangely, the withered moss around the sword mark instantly turned green again, only to wither away just as quickly, repeating this cycle endlessly.

"Those who protect life..."

A glint of light flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes as he turned to Su Moshi: "Little girl, what about you?"

Su Moshi stepped onto the stone bridge, the bronze mirror spinning in his palm: "I do not use a sword, but rather ask my own heart..."

"Of all the weapons in the world, there is only one purpose."

"Severing cause and effect, or... continuing cause and effect."

The bronze mirror suddenly deformed and elongated, transforming into a long sword with flowing blue light.

Su Moshi flicked his wrist, and the tip of his sword drew a perfect arc in the air.

Wherever the arc passed, rubble was restored, mist turned into rain, and the shapes of things changed under the sword she conjured.

"it is good!"

The old man pounded heavily with his bamboo cane.

The bridge shook violently, and the sword marks on both sides shone with completely different lights—blood-red light shot into the sky on the left, while azure clouds swirled on the right.

Li Daosheng and Su Moshi's answers clashed in the void, neither gaining the upper hand.

Suddenly, the old man laughed loudly: "Wonderful! The minds of those traveling together are completely different. Do you know the origin of this Bridge of Life and Death?" Without waiting for an answer, the old man swept his bamboo cane across the bridge.

All the sword marks lit up at the same time, and the entire bridge began to disintegrate, with stones falling into the abyss, revealing the true form of the bridge—it was a giant sword that spanned the canyon!

"This is the sword of the founder of the Azure Sword Sect, called 'Heavenly Question'."

The old man's voice was solemn: "Before his death, our patriarch sealed his life's sword intent into the sword, which transformed into this bridge. For thousands of years, countless people have crossed the bridge, but no one has been able to truly answer that question."

Li Daosheng felt a pulse emanating from the giant sword beneath his feet, as if it were alive.

Wudao's memories resurfaced—it was a rainy night when the remnant spirit of the Qingming Ancestor debated swordsmanship with Wudao for three days. In the end, the two disappeared amidst laughter. Wudao never entered the Qingming Sword Sect again, because the Qingming Ancestor had personally imparted all his sword dao insights to him, so why would he need a secret manual?

Li Daosheng reached out and grasped, the red light of the Blood Jade Bead and the blue light of the Cold Marrow Needle merged in his palm, transforming into a phantom longsword shrouded in purple mist.

At the same time, Su Moshi's bronze mirror sword flew up automatically, and the two swords touched in mid-air without any repulsion.

“A sword is simply a sword,” Li Daosheng said in a clear, ethereal voice. “The direction of the swordsman’s mind is the way of the sword.”

The illusory longsword and the azure longsword intertwined and spun, drawing a yin-yang pattern in the air.

The moment the pattern took shape, the giant sword bridge emitted a sword roar like a dragon's cry, and a pillar of light rose from the hilt, soaring straight into the sky.

Countless sword shadows appeared within the pillar of light, the sword intent left behind by those who crossed the bridge throughout the ages.

At this moment, they all awakened and surged into Li Daosheng and Su Moshi's swords like rivers flowing into the sea.

Li Daosheng felt an intense burning sensation on the long mark between his brows. Wu Dao's voice perfectly matched his thoughts: "Everyone understands the principle, but... can you do it?"

Before Li Daosheng could answer, Wudao's voice rang out in his mind again: "The rose hairpin is at the end of the pillar of light. Go and get it. It was prepared for you."

Su Moshi looked at Li Daosheng and found that the purple light in his eyes had faded and his eyes had regained their clarity.

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously leaped into the pillar of light.

At the center of the pillar of light, a seemingly ordinary wooden hairpin floats silently.

The hairpin is carved with a budding rose, yet it exudes a fearsome sword intent.

Li Daosheng reached out and grasped the wooden hairpin.

In an instant, the roses bloomed, and countless sword intents surged into his body.

This time there was no pain, only enlightenment—about the sword, about life and death, about…the choice of the unprincipled.

When the pillar of light dissipated, the two were already standing on the ancestral sword, which had transformed back into a stone bridge.

The seventy-two peaks resonate with the sound of swords, and the surging sea of ​​clouds resembles sword strikes.

The old man in hemp robes spoke from afar: "Returning the item to its rightful owner, would you like to enter Qingming?"

Li Daosheng looked down at the rose-patterned hairpin in his hand and shook his head slightly: "No need."

"let's go."

He whispered to Su Moshi.

Although the various sword intents accumulated on this bridge cannot directly improve the cultivation level of the two, the insights gained over the years are an extremely rich treasure. Perhaps they do not understand them now, but one day in the future, one of their insights may be able to tell them the answer.

Su Moshi looked at Li Daosheng's profile; his appearance and demeanor were becoming increasingly otherworldly, and he was becoming more and more unlike the original Li Daosheng. "Where to next?"

Li Daosheng looked into the distance: "Yama Sect, Wusheng Seal."

A mountain wind suddenly rose, blowing the robes of the two men.

The rose-shaped hairpin spun around and unexpectedly slipped into Su Moshi's hair.

Su Moshi summoned the bronze mirror, and the two of them flew away.

(End of this chapter)