Longevity Candle

Chapter 34 The First Outsider to Ascend the Sacred Mountain of the Grasslands

Yao Yao left Zhenbei City and headed north. She didn't know where the Bai Di tribe was, but she would find them.

She saw a mountain of skulls, and she didn't know if her father was among them. With a single stroke of her sword, the earth split open, swallowing the mountain of skulls, thus burying them.

She continued north, using her lightness skill to navigate through arid lands, just like the land within the Great Qian Dynasty.

Two weeks later, she saw green grass and tents in the distance.

Before she could get close, more than thirty fast horses arrived, carrying strong men wielding curved swords, their eyes filled with lewdness: "Women from the Qian Kingdom?"

"Coming to the grasslands alone, that's quite bold. A martial arts master from the Jianghu?"

"Who cares who she is, take her back and enjoy her in turn."

The well-equipped men on horseback all drew their bows and nocked arrows.

The arrows came whistling through the air, aimed at the limbs.

"Tianshu."

The sword case opened, and a sharp divine sword was drawn from its sheath. With a soft hum, it shot out like a serpent emerging from its hole, tearing through the air.

Sword energy crisscrossed, sharp swords flew, and more than thirty heads shot into the sky, while headless corpses fell to the ground.

The arrow, which had been drawn open, had not yet been released.

The horses were startled, so Yao Yao grabbed one of them and galloped to the tents.

The elderly and weak in the village all picked up the hilts of knives.

"Where is the Bai Di tribe?" Yao Yao asked.

The only responses she received were arrows and swords.

Tian Shu was drawn again, and no one could stop it in its path, but it only severed tendons in the hands; she did not want to kill the old, weak, women and children.

A child, finally unable to bear the fear any longer, said: "Three hundred li to the northeast is the Bai Di tribe."

Yao Yao sheathed her sword and spurred her horse toward the Bai Di tribe.

She covered a distance of three hundred li in just one day.

It was nighttime, and the people of the Bai Di tribe gathered around the campfire, singing and dancing.

They spotted Yao Yao immediately because she wasn't hiding.

These people rushed forward excitedly, shouting, "Qian Kingdom women are Qian Kingdom's two-legged sheep..."

The moment the term "two-legged sheep" appeared, a brilliant sword light shone.

The vast Bai Di tribe was shrouded in the light of swords.

She strolled leisurely, with seven swords flying around her, as if she were a fairy among swords.

The Bai Di tribe pleaded in anguish, finally realizing how terrifying the woman before them was.

"Nine years ago, the Qian Kingdom's army invaded the grasslands, and a troop of soldiers came to your Bai Di tribe. Do you remember them?"

Yao Yao looked at the old man in front of her, a sword held to his neck.

"I remember, I remember." The old man was terrified and dared not hide anything: "Many people died back then, and many people also escaped."

"They escaped?" A glimmer of hope appeared in Yao Yao's eyes. "Where did they go?"

"In the northwest, the battlefield was divided, and a group of people fled to the northwest. Our warriors did not catch up with them, and they entered the holy mountain."

"Holy Mountain?"

"The Eternal Heaven is enshrined there. The Holy Maiden came from the Holy Mountain. Without the Holy Maiden's guidance, entering the Holy Mountain will surely lead to death."

"The Holy Maiden?" Yao Yao frowned.

"Whenever there is chaos, the Eternal Heaven will send a holy maiden down to earth to save us."

She didn't listen to what they said after that, and with enough water and food, headed northwest.

The next day, scouts from Zhenbei City arrived and were horrified to see the remaining Bai Di tribe members—the elderly, women, and children—dealing with the corpses.

They were all people who had experienced war, so they didn't feel uncomfortable.

"Another sword immortal, Ayan," the thin man muttered to himself.

"Hey, those cattle and sheep carcasses still have water. It's not hot here, so they haven't spoiled yet."

One of the scouts inspected the area and exclaimed with delight.

The drought has little impact on the grasslands.

“You go back, I’ll continue the pursuit,” the thin man said. “She’s so skilled, she shouldn’t be in any danger. Why risk going deeper? We don’t know where she went either,” one of the scouts said.

"This is just a small tribe of the Bai Di people; she might go to a larger tribe."

The gaunt man said, "Moreover, her father died in battle for his country and is filled with hatred for the grasslands. As long as she is stationed in Zhenbei City, the grasslands will definitely not dare to invade southward."

Upon hearing this, the scouts said, "We'll go with you. Just send two brothers back to report."

The gaunt man no longer hesitated, ate something casually, and led them deeper into the area.

As a skilled martial artist, he was confident that he could escape even if he encountered dozens of people.

The group ventured deep into the grasslands and soon encountered a small tribe, but they did not find Yao Yao.

Five or six days later, they learned from the herdsmen that someone in the northwest was inquiring about the holy mountain.

"She's going to the Holy Mountain?" The skinny man's face turned pale. That was the Holy Mountain of the grasslands, a place where the Eternal Heaven was worshipped, heavily guarded.

"Should we still go with them?" The spies hesitated.

"I'll go with you, and you take the message back." The thin man thought for a moment and decided to go anyway.

He traveled northwest, and everywhere he went, there were corpses. Some cattle and sheep were still alive, but no one was taking care of them.

A large army, with its banners waving, marched toward the northwest.

He rode swiftly forward and saw a sky full of sword light, outlining a sky full of peach blossoms. Seven swords poured out their sword energy, forming the Big Dipper constellation. In the midst of the army, they danced gracefully like spirits.

The cavalry of the grasslands were routed by one man wielding eight swords and fled in panic.

The gaunt man watched this scene in horror: "A sword immortal, yet another sword immortal!"

One man can defeat an army of ten thousand!

Only the legendary swordsmen of yesteryear, these younger generations, no matter how hard they train, cannot break through the shackles, cannot surpass the four-foot sword light, and step into that realm that is both immortal and demonic.

Even the so-called Sword God, Wanli Yidianhong, is so insignificant and laughable in front of them.

Yao Yao continued northwest; she could already see the sacred mountain, though it was still very far away.

She had already warned the grassland army that she only wanted to go to the sacred mountain to find her father, and if he was dead, she would bring his body back with her.

But they wouldn't listen and wanted to kill her, so she had no choice but to draw her sword.

There was still no blood on her body, nor on the sword.

A month later, she arrived at the foot of the sacred mountain, where an army stretched as far as the eye could see.

The army lined up on both sides, revealing a three-meter-wide passage.

Yao Yao gazed at the army, all of them strong cavalrymen clad in armor, but they were not as high as the sun, so she was not afraid.

A general mustered his courage and stepped forward to ask, "Peach Blossom Sword Demon, what exactly do you want? My grasslands have not offended you."

"The Peach Blossom Sword Demon?" Yao Yao paused for a moment, then said, "Nine years ago, my father traveled northwest and entered the Holy Mountain. I want to go to the Holy Mountain to find him."

The general's face darkened: "When two countries are at war, life and death are inevitable. We didn't know that was your father."

Yao Yao took down the sword box: "I only want to bring my father back. If he dies, you can help me bring his remains down."

The general's gaze was cold, his eyes flashing with a fierce light: "The sacred mountain is not open yet, and no one is allowed to go up."

Yao Yao frowned: "What about that Holy Maiden? Is it not even enough to just have her send down the remains?"

"The Holy Maiden is not someone an ordinary person can see," the general said coldly.

Yao Yao looked at the passage, her brows suddenly relaxing: "You left a passage because you wanted to see if I could climb the sacred mountain."

After saying that, she put down the sword box, and the seven swords soared into the sky, arranging themselves into the Big Dipper formation.

The brilliant gold and silver light shone brightly, transforming into a radiant sun and a luminous moon.

The grassland army watched in horror at this scene, for someone could actually control the sun and moon.

"I've only come to find my father, to see him alive or dead. I have no intention of getting involved in the war between the two countries. Is that enough?" Yao Yao pointed her fingers like a sword, manipulating the sun and moon.

She didn't understand the methods of immortality, but she knew the terrifying power of the sun and moon, so she kept gathering the essence of the sun and moon in preparation for any eventuality.

Just then, a faint voice came from within the sacred mountain: "Your Excellency, please enter the sacred mountain."

A beam of snow-white light extended from the sacred mountain, covering the passage and landing at Yaoyao's feet.

Without hesitation, Yao Yao withdrew the seven swords and stepped onto the white light.

The grassland army watched her climb the mountain, their images etched into their hearts. She was the first outsider to ascend the sacred mountain.

(End of this chapter)