Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 324 Heavenly Pavilion
“Hmm…” Upon hearing what Song Yan said, Boqi fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he spoke up and said, "Fellow Daoist Jia, the cultivators of the Stealing Heaven Sect are hated and universally condemned precisely because their methods are unpredictable and difficult to guard against. Naturally, I also do not know how to guard against them."

Upon hearing this, Song Yan was slightly taken aback, then seemed to realize something.

Indeed, if it were truly so easy to prevent, there would be no need to be afraid...

"but……"

Birch changed the subject: "I have indeed learned about the methods of these reclusive evil sects, as well as the possible limitations, from the sect's archives."

"However, please take this as a reference only, fellow Daoist Jia. It may not be accurate, and may even be just metaphysics."

"Oh?"

Song Yan was very interested: "Fellow Daoist Boqi, please speak freely. I will give you the things when the time comes."

Boqi first looked up and glanced at it, then pondered for a while before saying, "The cultivators of the Stealing Heaven Sect are not simply pursuing precious items."

“It’s possible that they will only steal things that interest them or things that the cultivators ‘don’t care about.’ So there have been cases where, after a treasure was stolen, the thief lost interest and returned it before the cultivator even noticed it.”

"Return it?"

Hearing this, Song Yan was slightly surprised.

"good."

"Moreover, such deceptive methods as concealing divine thoughts to steal spiritual objects must have many limitations. The ancient texts do not elaborate on this matter, only mentioning the concepts of luck and destiny."

"Besides that, the cultivators of the Stealing Heaven Sect should be unable to steal living souls or destined objects."

He added, "That is, the natal magic weapon of a Golden Core cultivator, or the natal flying sword of a sword cultivator."

Birch told Song Yan everything he knew.

Although Birch thought these things were all unrealistic, they were quite an eye-opener for Xiao Song.

The jade tooth scepter is no longer of much use to me, so exchanging it for this information is definitely worthwhile.

"I see."

After a moment, Song Yan nodded: "Thank you for your detailed explanation, fellow Daoist."

"I wonder where Fellow Daoist Boqi wishes to trade this item? Or I can send someone to the Central Region for you to pick up yourself."

In the Nuo Realm, members trade with each other, and he would never be a dishonest person.

After hesitating for a moment, Boqi suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist Jia, you should already be in Junping, Fufeng County, right now?"

"Ok?"

Song Yan was startled, wondering how the other party had figured it out.

However, he didn't intend to lie and simply admitted it openly.

"That's right, I am indeed in Fufeng County, and I will also be participating in the grand event at Daozi's Hometown."

"However, it is also true that I answered Fellow Daoist Misjudgment earlier. I know nothing about painting. I am here to accompany a friend and do not intend to participate in the painting process. I am just an observer."

Birch looked enlightened: "I see."

In this light, what this fellow Daoist Jia said is not untrue.

He suggested, "How about this: a month from now, we'll trade at the Longshun Restaurant in Maoling Ward, south of Fufeng County. What do you think?"

One month later, on the second day of the second lunar month, two days before the opening of the Daozi Hometown Garden.

Song Yan shook his head: "The time is fine, but the location needs to be changed."

"Please say."

"It's at Luohua Restaurant in Maoling Market."

After a moment's thought, Birch nodded in agreement: "No problem."

The two briefly discussed the details of the transaction before withdrawing from the Nuo realm.

He removed the Nuo mask from his face.

He took a deep breath. This was his first time dealing with these cultivators from the Central Region face to face. He hoped there wouldn't be any unexpected problems.

He carefully put away the Nuo mask, then nervously checked all the valuable spiritual items in his Qiankun bag to make sure nothing was missing before he could finally relax and begin his cultivation.

No wonder the cultivators of the Heavenly Stealing Sect are universally hated; no one could bear living in constant fear and anxiety.

Everyone has moments when they need to relax.

……

On February , the dragon looked up.

In two days, the Michiko Memorial Park will open.

At this moment, the Fallen Flower Restaurant was bustling with activity.

A plain-looking man with an expressionless face walked in from outside. He glanced at the restaurant's signboard and lingered for a while on the dish "Flaming Waves".

He then stepped inside. Inside the eatery, a storyteller was telling a story, which was naturally about the painting master Wu Daoxuan.

Following the directions given by fellow Daoist Jia, I arrived at the second floor of the restaurant and took the seat closest to the middle of the table.

As soon as he sat down, a figure who had been listening intently to the story by the railing turned around, stepped across, and sat down opposite the man.

"..."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jia."

Even if the person in front of him remained silent and did not introduce himself, Birch was able to recognize him.

Because the person in front of him was dressed in a black robe, with black and gold bandages wrapped around his hands, completely covered up, and also wearing a mask on his face.

The mask's design was rugged and ferocious, similar in style to his own Nuo mask.

It seems this is the Nuo mask made by Jia Zuo.

Birch showed no displeasure at A's secretive behavior, after all, he himself had also changed his appearance, and once they became familiar with each other, no one could say anything about the other.

He rarely does this, but this time is different, after all, it is the first time that two people who were originally thousands of miles apart have met.

Speaking of which, this fellow Daoist Jia is quite strange.

Despite covering themselves up completely, they brazenly wear such a precious item as a Nuo mask on their faces.

Aren't you afraid that you'll take it away from me?

Now he was becoming increasingly curious about the person behind the mask.

"..."

The man opposite remained silent, but he took out a Qiankun bag from somewhere in his bosom and handed it to Boqi.

This Qiankun bag had no imprint of refined spiritual power. Boqi took it and probed it with his divine sense, and saw the jade tooth scepter inside.

Then, he put it away.

At this point, A finally spoke his first words: "Aren't you going to look at what's inside?"

Birch raised his head, glanced at him, and chuckled: "No need, I believe Fellow Daoist Jia would not deceive me."

"Alright, then I'll take my leave."

"Hey, wait a minute," Birch suddenly called out to him.

"What else?"

A turned around, his tone containing a hint of wariness.

After a moment's hesitation, Birch said, "In my opinion, the information and rumors about the Stealing Heaven Sect cannot compare to the value of a battle technique."

"What I told my friend was just vague information; our transaction was not equal."

Jia slowly turned around, wondering what this person wanted to say.

“Fellow Daoist once mentioned in Nuo Realm that you like to collect some legendary ancient swords. In fact, I do have some clues, but they are rather vague, and I don’t know if they meet your requirements.”

"Right now, let's exchange this jade tooth scepter for the intelligence we obtained from the Heaven Stealing Sect."

"Oh?"

At the other end of Maoling Market, Song Yan, inside Jing Shui Residence, raised an eyebrow.

Any unexpected gains?

"When I was young and traveling, I heard rumors about the sword that could slay demons in the Ghost Mountain area of ​​Yuzhou." Originally, Song Yan was very happy, but upon hearing about Yuzhou, his heart immediately sank.

Too far.

He had seen the location of Yuzhou on a map before; it was located somewhat in the center of the Central Region, but the Central Region was simply too vast.

From Qingzhou, where Junping is located, to Yuzhou, there is still a distance of half the width of the Eastern Wilderness.

But since it was at least a clue, I listened patiently.

"Fellow Daoist has not been to Yuzhou, so perhaps you are unaware that there is a legend of an extremely Yin place in the Ghost Mountain area. Both the local cultivators and ordinary people believe that there is a path to the underworld in the extremely Yin place, and that as long as you find that place, you can go to the Netherworld."

"If those who arrive there have a strong longing for the deceased, they will be able to meet them."

"There was a powerful demon cultivator in the Demon Ruins. He was wicked and used the ghosts here to cultivate his demonic arts. He was killed by a powerful figure who came from an unknown place."

"But the demonic cultivator was not completely dead. That senior left a demon-slaying sword in that extremely yin place to suppress all evil."

"These are some ancient legends circulating in Ghost Mountain. I don't know if they are true or false. It would be best if they could help you, fellow Daoist."

Actually, if Chongqing weren't so far away, this intelligence would certainly be useful.

Unfortunately, I won't have the chance to go to Chongqing this time.

Without Lin Qing's help, he might indeed be able to return to Chu Kingdom directly using the Sword Nourishing Chapter, but the Central Region is so vast and unfamiliar with the place, his cultivation level is probably not enough.

Let’s take a long-term view.

Song Yan recorded this information for the time being.

"I must thank you again, fellow Daoist."

After the transaction was completed, Birch thanked them and left.

Xu Xiang watched his retreating figure leave the restaurant before slowly getting up.

The storyteller in the hall downstairs seemed to have told the anecdotes and folk tales about the elder Wu Daoxuan too many times, so today he was not telling his story.

Instead, it was a great cultivator named Zhang Bogao, who seemed to be skilled in calligraphy and had some connection with Wu Daoxuan.

But Xu Xiang didn't listen to the details of the story.

He walked straight up to the restaurant manager and said, "Bring me a plate of grilled bouncy balls, and take it with you."

The original owner never said she wanted to hear all these stories, but Xiao He did say she wanted to eat frogs.

……

Two days later.

Fufeng County, Tianting.

The terrain here is already quite high, and atop the mountain, there is an incredibly spacious white jade platform.

At this moment, more than a hundred cultivators have gathered here.

At the very front of the high platform was a cultivator named Wu Xingzhi, sent by the Wu Clan of the Central Region to preside over the opening of the Daoist's Hometown. He was a Golden Core cultivator.

Led by him, several younger members of the Wu clan held incense sticks and paid homage to their ancestors.

“Wu Xingzhi, an unworthy descendant of the Wu family, led his clansmen to kowtow to the holy spirit of their ancestor.”

"The legacy of our ancestors benefits future generations. The descendants of the Wu family, carrying on the traditions of their forefathers, have reopened this garden, and respectfully welcome all those who love painting to join us in exploring the art of painting."

After speaking, Wu Xingzhi held the incense sticks high with both hands and bowed deeply three times.

The surrounding cultivators all wore solemn expressions.

"The ceremony is complete. Fellow practitioners, please follow me into the garden."

Wu Xingzhi's voice returned to normal. He did not use any magical artifacts to fly, nor did he transform into a streak of light; he simply walked on foot.

The group followed behind him, crossed Tianting Mountain, and headed downhill.

A group of cultivators, numbering over a hundred, walked silently behind the Wu family.

After walking for about half an hour, the mountain path became increasingly secluded, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and their branches and leaves blocking out the sun.

The group had ventured deep into the heart of the mountains.

Wu Xingzhi finally stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary steep rock face.

This place is deserted, with only vines entwining the stone walls and flowing water soaking the moss, creating a desolate and wild landscape.

Wu Xingzhi stopped.

He raised his right hand, joined his middle and index fingers together, and spiritual power surged from his fingertips, instantly transforming into color and condensing into black ink.

Complex and mysterious runes were drawn in the air.

"Om-"

A deep, resonant hum rippled outwards, and then, like a curtain of water, layers upon layers of colorful ripples spread out around the stone wall.

As the light flows, the restrictions dissolve.

The spiritual energy barrier receded like a tide, and the scene before us changed drastically in an instant.

The steep, desolate stone wall had disappeared, and what lay before them had become the entrance to a secluded valley.

The group stood at the mouth of the valley, looking into it.

The valley is not large, but it is lush with greenery and dotted with exotic flowers and plants.

The spring water seeps out from the crevices of the rocks halfway up the mountain and gathers into a cold pool at the mouth of the valley, with the blue stones around the pool naturally forming steps.

The valley meanders inward, its depths shrouded in mist, seemingly real yet illusory; the scene before one's eyes is truly like a landscape painting slowly unfolding.

This is the hometown of Michiko.

Among the crowd, Song Yan and Lin Qing stood at the back of the line, with people occasionally walking past them.

The two felt a surge of powerful spiritual energy, several times purer and richer than that outside, rushing towards them.

It has the scent of grass, trees, and ink painting, which invigorates the spirit.

Just then, the two suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some commotion in the middle of the group.

A moment later, a young-looking cultivator was seen grabbing a girl and dragging her away from the valley.

"Hey...can't we talk this out? Hey, indecent assault! Indecent assault!"

"An official from the Imperial Palace is molesting a female cultivator in broad daylight! Is no one going to do anything about it?!"

Upon hearing the girl's shouts, a shadow fell across the boy's previously carefree face.

Looking at the cultivator staring at him, he explained, "This is a case handled by the Imperial Court; this is the suspect."

"Oh……"

Song Yan and Lin Qing didn't recognize any of these people, nor did they know what crime the woman had committed; they were just there to watch the excitement.

At the same time, one can't help but marvel.

The existence of the Great Tang Dynasty and the Daitian Prefecture made the ecology of the cultivation world in the Central Region very different from that in the border regions.

In the border regions, sects and monasteries abound, and Taoist temples and Zen monasteries are countless, giving it a wild and untamed feel.

However, in the Central Region, joining a sect or a family is not the only way out for independent cultivators.

If one possesses exceptional strength or innate intelligence, or in any aspect of outstanding ability, one has the opportunity to join the Tang Dynasty government.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the Imperial Observatory, and so on were all publicly known institutions of the Tang Dynasty.

For example, the young man in front of us is a cultivator from the Daitian Palace.

The minor disturbance quickly passed as the boy took the girl away.

Since it had nothing to do with them, no one paid much attention to it.

Everyone's thoughts remained focused on the old home of Michiko before them.

This is a place where cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage once lived!
Even if one cannot participate in the painting process, observing from the sidelines may provide an opportunity to learn about the Great Dao by borrowing the spiritual essence left behind by the predecessors.

Anyone could potentially gain an opportunity from the former residence of an elder, so why not oneself?

Everyone thinks this way.

(End of this chapter)