Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 245 Endless Treasure

……

The inner library of the Dongyuan Sect.

Not long after Song Yan left, an inconspicuous figure in a gray robe strolled out from the flow of disciples coming and going on the mountain path, as if appearing out of thin air.

The man was extremely ordinary-looking, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, dressed in a faded, coarse gray cloth robe, with a few specks of dust even clinging to his shoulders.

His aura was so faint as to be almost nonexistent.

If one does not see it with their own eyes, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would subconsciously ignore it if they scanned it with their divine sense, as if it were just a stubborn rock or a piece of rotten wood.

An ordinary mortal.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, yet each step covered several meters as he walked towards the entrance of the library.

It's really magical.

At the bustling entrance, the disciple on duty was chatting and laughing with several familiar fellow disciples who had come to borrow books, completely oblivious to the gray-robed figure walking straight past.

This person entered the library as if it were empty; the inner disciples who were constantly moving around and whispering seemed completely unaware of his presence.

She unconsciously made way for him as he approached, but her gaze never lingered on him.

He continued walking, heading straight up the stairs leading to the upper floors, his steps never faltering.

The stairwells leading to the fourth and fifth floors were not deserted; two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators stood on either side, their eyes scanning every disciple who passed by.

Except this person.

As the gray-robed figure approached, the two guards looked somewhat dazed and confused.

His body instinctively turned slightly to the side, allowing the gray shadow to pass silently between them.

They subconsciously rubbed their eyes, experiencing a brief moment of disorientation, unaware of the reason.

The man in gray robes thus arrived at the top floor of the inner library.

The spiritual energy barrier enveloped the entrance like an invisible film of water, silently separating as he approached without causing the slightest ripple.

The top floor is not a library that ordinary disciples can freely enter; rather, it is an elegantly furnished quiet room.

"The Dao is singular..."

"The application is divided into three parts..."

In the quiet room, a person lay on their side with their eyes closed, their lips moving slightly as if they were whispering something.

This person was dressed in white, with long, black and white hair that was scattered all over the ground.

In front of him were several scattered ancient books and jade slips, carelessly discarded on the ground.

He appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged man, but his voice was aged and hoarse when he spoke, which was quite strange.

"..."

Suddenly, the man's face changed, sometimes appearing as a young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and sometimes as a weathered face full of wrinkles.

"This secret technique is truly profound and difficult to understand..."

At this moment, a clear, youthful voice came from his mouth.

"Om-"

The man seemed to sense someone's arrival and suddenly opened his eyes. In an instant, three different figures pulled out of his body, as if trying to break free from his true form.

The three figures were shrouded in gray mist, making it impossible to discern their features. One was heroic and upright, another was strong and powerful, and the third was somewhat hunched over and huddled up.

Before long, the three gray figures seemed to have reached their limit, and with a "poof," they collapsed and dissipated, disappearing without a trace.

However, the man did not care at all. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, lowered his eyes, glanced at the scrolls, ancient books and jade slips on the ground, and gently shook his head.

When the gray-robed man entered the room, his appearance had changed into that of a thin old man, deep in thought as he stared at a chessboard.

He was the head of the inner library of the Dongyuan Sect, the elder who was the subject of all sorts of mysterious rumors among the disciples.

Perhaps no one in the entire cultivation world of Chu has ever heard of his name.

Wu Xusheng.

"Sect Master, your presence is an honor to welcome us. I have failed to greet you properly."

The old man uttered flattering words, but in reality, he didn't even glance at him. He would occasionally move the black pieces and the white pieces, his entire mind focused on the game in front of him.

"I hope the sect leader will not take offense."

The man in gray robes was none other than Chen Linyuan, the Master of Dongyuan Sect and the Daoist Lijun.

He casually sat down opposite the chessboard, took a rough earthenware wine jar from his waist, broke the clay seal, and a strong, mellow aroma of wine instantly filled the air.

He took out two rough earthenware bowls, poured one for the old man, and then filled his own bowl.

"How's your training of this supernatural power going?"

Chen Linyuan picked up the bowl, took a big sip, and spoke casually in front of the old man.

Wu Xusheng didn't even lift his eyelids. He gently placed a white jade chess piece between his fingertips on the chessboard, making a crisp sound.

He then picked up the wine bowl in front of him, smelled it, and pushed it aside without drinking it, saying with obvious disdain, "You drink this kind of stuff?"

He set up the chess pieces by himself.

"This Qi Transformation into Three Pure Ones is a genuine divine technique. How could I, a mere Nascent Soul Realm old bone, comprehend it so quickly?"

"Don't worry about my affairs, old man. Just mind your own business, okay?"

"You're quite the carefree one, shirking all responsibility for the sect's affairs..."

Chen Linyuan smiled nonchalantly and drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp.

"If I, as the sect leader, have to get involved in these old, trivial matters like Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining, then I might as well give up on cultivating immortality."

"How about we go to the Demon Ruins, find a demonic cultivator, and just plunge in and die?

Chen Linyuan scoffed: "Establishing a sect was an unintentional act."

"Heh," the old Taoist chuckled, "I see you're really enjoying yourself."

"That kid named Yang Wenxuan has been up to no good, colluding with the Qin family and suppressing other elders. He's been quite the troublemaker these days."

"It seems they're also connected to demonic cultivators..."

"Let him be."

Chen Linyuan spoke as calmly as if he were discussing the weather, but his mind seemed to be on something else: "If I could lure the demonic cultivators to me, I could kill them all at once, which would save me a lot of trouble."

The old Taoist priest nodded.

For them, this was indeed a trivial matter.

Like an ant calling its friends together, gathering several of its kind to discuss moving a small piece of sugar crumb.

No one will care, nor will they bother to put down what they're doing to kill them one by one.

As long as the sugar jar isn't overturned and no major trouble is caused, why bother getting involved?

Moreover, they simply don't have that ability.

These people, who thought they were causing all sorts of trouble, were nothing more than a bowl of cold rice on a chopping board in the eyes of Chen Linyuan and Wu Xusheng.

Wu Xusheng remained silent for a moment, put down the chess piece in his hand, and turned his gaze to the lush and verdant scenery of the sect outside the window.

"That makes sense... but aren't you afraid that kid named Song Yan might be affected by it, or even die young?"

"Worry?"

Chen Linyuan chuckled, his gaze becoming somewhat distant.

"The sharpness of a sword is not honed by pampering. Every swordsman of the past has overcome numerous obstacles and survived life-or-death trials."

He waved his hand.

“He chose this path himself. If he can’t even handle the small shrimp in this shallow pond and needs my constant protection to grow, then he is not worthy of holding this edge. His fall is only the natural order of things.”

Wu Xusheng nodded, then shook his head.

"Hey, this old man of mine, having sons and grandsons, is just different from you guys." He gave a wry smile.

"If I could find my grandson, I would want to stay by his side and protect him every moment."

Upon hearing this, Chen Linyuan seemed to remember something, put down his wine bowl, and spoke with a slightly more serious tone.

"By the way, Old Wu, I came here to ask you something."

"You've traveled far and wide, seen much of the world, have you ever heard of... a secret method that can truly reverse time? Or a wondrous treasure that can carry the flow of time backward?"

"Time reversal?" Wu Xusheng raised a white eyebrow, revealing a rare look of surprise: "Foolish dream! The river of time flows endlessly, which is the ultimate way of heaven and earth. If it were truly possible to reverse the flow, it would be even more astonishing than a true immortal descending to earth."

"Where did you get this from?"

Wu Xusheng knew that what the person standing in front of him said was definitely not a casual question asked on a whim.

Chen Linyuan slowly told Wu Xusheng about Lin Qing's claim of "living a second life" and the demonic calamity that Dongyuan Sect might face in the so-called "future" that Lin Qing described.

After listening, Wu Xusheng's surprise faded, replaced by deep thought.

"This matter... is indeed extremely bizarre. In this world of cultivation, there are countless strange, wonderful, mysterious and unpredictable Daoist techniques and treasures, but to say that time can be reversed is something I find extremely hard to believe."

He thought for a moment and continued, "However..."

"I do have some ideas about what can achieve the same effect."

“When I was traveling, I heard the ancient legend of ‘Zhuangzi’s dream’, a dream that lasted for a thousand years. I take this as a warning.”

"Or perhaps it's some forbidden artifact from ancient ancestors, through which one could glimpse the secrets of heaven by consuming the energy left behind. That person may have experienced the former. Stumbled into a strange realm and dreamt of the past?"

He shook his head: "But these are all too vague and unbelievable."

Chen Linyuan gave a soft "Mmm": "Maybe so."

"But I'm telling you this because since this kid claims to know something about the 'future,' maybe he's seen your grandson, who was kidnapped by demonic cultivators and lost for many years, in his 'dreams'? Even if it's a slim chance, it's still one more clue, isn't it?"

He took out a jade slip from his Qiankun bag and tossed it to Wu Xusheng.

Wu Xusheng looked at the jade slip in his hand, a complex light flashing in his eyes, a mixture of hope and deep weariness and helplessness.

He reached out and took it, tucking it into his sleeve. He then solemnly cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Chen Linyuan: "I appreciate the Sect Master's kindness. I know this matter is like finding a needle in a haystack, with little hope..."

"But even if it's just a fleeting illusion, I'll give it a try."

He sighed with a wry smile, picked up the bowl of turbid wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

"But... alas, as you said, his life will probably have almost no intersection with my grandson."

A sigh.

……

Within the ruins of the Sword Sect.

Song Yan followed the bamboo path upwards.

Its direction is completely different from the direction of the square, pavilions and other buildings of the inner gate of the Sword Sect when Song Yan looked into the distance.

Previously, when entering the Sword Sect ruins, due to insufficient cultivation, I could only explore the outer perimeter.

He had thought that all pathways would eventually converge at the core area, but now he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

"Could it be that my previous thinking was wrong?"

"This forest path is secluded and deep. It doesn't seem like a main road leading to the sect's main area. It seems more like a place for practicing magic or a cave dwelling."

Song Yan raised his palm and gazed at the increasingly clear Yin-Yang Pearl.

A sense of understanding arose in my heart.

Perhaps it was this place that led us here, unrelated to the rest of the Sword Sect's heritage and treasures, but closely related to this bead.

Yeah.

These two beads held great significance for him, and he wanted to find out their true origin and function as soon as possible.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, when Song Yan took a step, the two-colored stone beads in his palm suddenly stopped.

Immediately, the scene before my eyes rippled like water.

The forest is deep and the bamboo is lush; at the end of the path, the view suddenly opens up.

A very simple and rustic courtyard lies quietly, nestled among several clumps of purple bamboo.

There are no exquisitely carved pavilions and towers, nor do they display the dazzling beauty of rare and exotic flowers.

There is only a stone path, a bamboo fence, a small, ethereal pool of ink, and a few verdant purple bamboos.

Clear spring water seeps silently from the bamboo roots, flows over the inkstone, and merges into a small pool.

Although this place lacks the splendor of gold and jade, its celestial atmosphere far surpasses any magnificent palace Song Yan has ever seen.

Solitary and extraordinary, serene and profound.

In the center of the courtyard, beneath several particularly vigorous purple bamboos, stands a dark stone tablet.

The shape of the stone tablet felt very familiar to Song Yan.

This was so similar to the black stone tablets he had seen countless times in the Yin-Yang Realm.

It now stands before me in this small courtyard, making it feel somewhat unreal.

However, what attracted Song Yan's attention even more was not the stone tablet itself, but an object leaning against it.

It is simple and narrow, black and white, with a spiritual light slowly floating on it.

It is a sword case.

Song Yan glanced down at the beads in her hand, but the Yin-Yang Beads were unusually quiet at that moment.

He stepped forward and gently stroked it.

The sword case is entirely composed of a mysterious blend of black and white, and its material is neither wood nor jade, but rather resembles a condensed chaotic aura.

It feels cool and heavy to the touch, with a very unique tactile experience.

Its form is extremely simple, with clean and crisp lines and almost no superfluous decorations.

It is slightly longer than the useless sword box that Song Yan used to hold flying swords, and its shape is more concise and square, simple to the extreme, exuding an indescribable inner charm.

"..."

Song Yan seemed mesmerized.

In his view, the sword box itself was like an ancient and profound sword intent.

In the upper center of this sword case, where the black and white colors meet, a spherical indentation is clearly visible.

Its shape and size are exactly the same as the Yin-Yang Pearl that Song Yan is currently holding tightly in his palm.

"Om-!"

Just as Song Yan was lost in thought, a sudden change occurred.

The Yin-Yang Pearl in his palm suddenly burst forth with unprecedented light, its black and white colors forming a vortex.

It resembled a rapidly beating heart.

Before Song Yan could react, his five fingers were instantly shattered by the force.

It transformed into a streak of black and white light, trailing a trail of spiritual energy, and flew towards the indentation in the sword box.

Zheng——

The moment the Yin-Yang Pearls were embedded in the recess, a tremor reverberated from the sword case!
The sword case, which had previously appeared somewhat "lifeless," suddenly began to gleam, and the black and white colors were no longer clearly distinct.

They subtly intersect and flow endlessly.

In the center of the sword case, below the Yin-Yang Pearl, three ancient characters are faintly visible amidst the flowing black and white light.

"Inexhaustible treasure."

(End of this chapter)