Borrowing a sword

Chapter 144 The Madman of the Ninth Realm [Long Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets!]

Upon hearing this, Chu Huaixu looked at Han Shuangjiang, who had slightly furrowed brows, and smiled, saying:
"I'm just spacing out, you don't think I'm staring at you, do you?"

Ah, Puxin woman!
Okay, she's not exactly average-looking.
Okay, okay, I admit you do fit my aesthetic preferences.

Upon hearing this, Big Ice Block ignored him and continued drinking.

Seeing that her wine glass was empty, Chu Huaixu poured her another one.

"Bang—!" Fireworks went off from who knows where.

During festivals and holidays, the Taoist temple is always incredibly lively. Who knows, the fireworks that fill the sky might even be set off by the authorities to add to the festivities.

Overall, Chu Huaixu felt that the Taoist sect had a strong sense of everyday life, with more of a human touch than a celestial one.

However, this makes people feel that these high-ranking Taoist figures don't really have the air of superiors.

The girl sitting opposite him immediately turned her head to look at the dazzling fireworks in the sky. Her eyes, which were somewhat hazy from drinking, instantly brightened.

She was so vibrant at that moment; even though it was night, she was so radiant under the glow of the fireworks.

It's quite obvious that these fireworks were indeed set off by the Taoist authorities.

Because it was too grand.

But it makes sense, considering it's the Eastern Continent Grand Competition and the Mid-Autumn Festival, plus there are so many foreign guests at the Taoist temple. It's quite normal to put on a fireworks show.

"Bam—!"

The entire fireworks show seemed to be reaching its climax at this moment.

Colorful and dazzling fireworks filled the entire night sky at this moment!
Among them, there was one particularly large firework.

"Chu Huaixu, look!"

After drinking, Han Shuangjiang was noticeably more lively than usual.

But she simply went from being a cold and aloof person to an ordinary young girl.

She turned her head and found that the other person was smiling at her again, not even looking at the magnificent fireworks display.

But that dead fox is really wicked.

He was staring at the other person just now, but he vehemently denied it.

But this time, he appeared incredibly candid, revealing the intricacies of romantic relationships involved.

"Don't look at me like that. Okay, I admit, I am looking at you right now," he said with a smile.

These words startled Han Shuangjiang slightly. Their eyes met, and a strange flutter stirred in their hearts.

She quickly turned her head away, pretending to continue watching the fireworks.

In reality, Yu Guang had been secretly glancing at Chu Huaixu to see if he was still looking at him.

It's a very strange feeling.

If he were watching, she would actually feel a little nervous and embarrassed. Her long, slender legs under the table would involuntarily tense up, but her toes would lightly touch the ground.

But if he's not watching, she seems to feel a little disappointed.

Fortunately, Chu Huaixu still had a smile in his eyes, appreciating the beauty before him with a pure gaze.

Many people like to use the phrase "fleeting" to describe the beauty of fireworks.

Yes, beautiful things are always fleeting.

But for him, such a lively and vibrant block of ice after drinking is something he doesn't usually see.

On the other side, inside the gate, is the Gentleman's Temple.

Compared to the bustling outside, the Junzi Temple was quite deserted.

This area, being the core of the inner sect, has relatively few members.

Only two of the older generation remain, while Xiang Yan's generation is busy with affairs.

Apart from them, only the youngest group of true disciples remained.

Nowadays, the number of true disciples within the Junzi Temple is actually quite small.

After all, neither Shen Man nor Chu Yinyin had taken on any disciples, and the quota for Nangong Yue and others was not filled either.

At this moment, Jiang Zhi, the junior master of the Daoist sect, carrying a jar of spiritual wine, pushed open the door that he rarely opened.

Even though he had known that person in the courtyard the longest and had the closest relationship with him, he rarely visited him.

Or rather, they dared not visit him.

Among the true disciples of the Gentleman's Temple of their generation, quite a few practiced swordsmanship; there were nine in total.

These nine people had all practiced sword formations and their coordination was extremely smooth.

At a young age, they made a name for themselves and were known as the Nine Swords of Taoism.

At that time, the Xuanhuang Sword Fate seemed to favor the Taoist sect.

Within the Gentleman's Temple, the art of swordsmanship flourishes!
These nine sword cultivators completely overwhelmed the Sword Sect, leaving them utterly powerless.

Of the Four Divine Swords of that generation, the Taoist sect possessed three of them!

Moreover, the Sword Master of that generation from the Sword Sect could only rank fourth.

What a magnificent sight that was!
The current animosity between the Daoist sect and the Sword Sect is partly due to historical issues left over from that period.

Now that the Sword Sect feels powerful again, they will naturally try to regain the face they lost.

As the youngest disciple among the true disciples of the Taoist sect, Jiang Zhi was just as unreliable as Chu Yinyin when he was young.

Until the fifth level of the Origin Spirit Realm opened, the nightmare that had plagued Jiang Zhi his entire life began.

The fifth level of the Primordial Spirit Realm, unlike the first four levels, has almost no limit on the number of people.

However, this layer is also very special. The power of the Heavenly Dao inside is extremely chaotic. If an ordinary seventh-realm cultivator enters, they will likely explode and die within a few breaths!

Therefore, unless one is as strong as Shen Man, the eighth realm is the threshold of the fifth level.

That night, almost all the powerful figures from the Daoist sect came out; a total of 19 people went.

Of the Nine Swords of the Daoist School, eight also perished.

Jiang Zhi was the only one who did not go in, because he was seriously injured during his descent from the mountain to vanquish the demon.

The final result was—[Eight swords departed, five swords returned].

"Only the fifth sword—Zhong Ming—has returned."

"The only one who came back, the fifth senior brother, has gone mad."

"A madman at the Ninth Realm!"

"None of the other senior brothers and sisters have returned either."

No one expected that the fifth level would be so dangerous!
Jiang Zhi never wanted to recall that night in her entire life.

The fifth senior brother, who was usually the gentlest and loved to make pastries for everyone, had become so foolish and insane.

As the junior disciple, Jiang Zhi was always the most mischievous one among the generation of the Gentlemen's Temple, so he was often punished.

Even when he was punished, he didn't think he had done anything wrong and would even sulk.

His fifth senior brother would then make him pastries.

However, that night, Jiang Zhi, who was guarding the entrance to the [Origin Spirit Realm], witnessed such a scene.

The fifth senior brother held a necessary item for advancing to the ninth realm—the [Fragment of the Profound Yellow Origin]—with a silly grin on his face, and even drool was dripping from the corner of his mouth.

He did it just like he always did when handing pastries to his junior brother, repeatedly saying with a smile, "Here you go, here you go, here you go."

In an elegant courtyard, Jiang Zhi, dressed in a white robe, sat in front of an old man with disheveled hair.

The area where the old man was located was covered with restrictions, and arrays were engraved in every corner.

Black iron rings were attached to all four of his limbs.

The iron rings were also engraved with complex and obscure runes, shimmering with a ghostly light.

These four iron rings were not meant to restrict the old man's movements.

I'm just afraid he might suddenly go mad again and hurt himself. After Zhong Ming came out of the Origin Spirit Realm, his sea of ​​consciousness suffered severe damage, and his divine sense was also severely damaged.

His mental world can be described as having collapsed.

All the alchemy masters in the Xuanhuang Realm have come to see it, but they still cannot find a solution.

"Fifth Senior Brother, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Why don't you skip making Ding Sheng Gao and make mooncakes instead?" Jiang Zhi sat at the table, watching the old man who had been busy at work.

But he ignored them and stubbornly continued making Dingsheng cake.

The old man always had a smile on his face, and he was better off now than he was many years ago, drooling less.

Jiang Zhi poured herself a drink and took a few steps closer.

"Fifth Senior Brother, to tell you the truth, the pastries you're making now are really awful," he said.

The old man looked up at him, but he was still the same as always: either ignoring people or repeating the last few words spoken by others.

He laughed loudly, but his hands didn't stop moving, and he kept saying, "It's awful! It's awful! It's awful!"

Jiang Zhi had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.

Anyway, no matter how bad the pastries are, he'll still eat them all.

He returned to the table and continued pouring himself spirit wine.

While drinking, he talked incessantly to the old man, telling him all the "strange things" that had happened inside the gate recently, regardless of whether the old man could understand him.

Jiang Zhi spoke of Xu Ziqing, Han Shuangjiang, and also mentioned Chu Huaixu.

He also told his fifth senior brother about the stupid things he and Li Chunsong had done.

He mentioned the sword on the mountain and also the words that Chu Huaixu had inscribed on the Gentleman's Stele.

“Now, Xu Ziqing has become a sword attendant. I have taught him some secret techniques, and that sword should be able to control him.”

"However, its overall power may have declined somewhat."

"As the chosen one, he should shoulder this heavy responsibility."

"As for Chu Huaixu, I don't really like him. Maybe Ninth Senior Sister... Never mind, let's not talk about it."

"Fifth Senior Brother, now that I have the Dao Ancestor Sword, I feel much more at ease and can focus on preparing for the fifth level."

"I think there shouldn't be any problems with the first and second levels of the Origin Spirit Realm." He said, as if he were giving a work report.

As a result, the old man, who had been constantly moving his hands, began repeating the last few words again.

"There's a problem, there's a problem, there's a problem."

Jiang Zhi smiled helplessly, shook her head, and continued drinking by herself.

He drank cup after cup of spirit wine, and after downing a large amount, his eyes began to glaze over as the effects of the alcohol took hold.

After a while, the busy old man suddenly put his hands on his head, his face showing pain, and his expression began to become ferocious.

Zhong Ling, disheveled and seemingly insane, stared wide-eyed, repeatedly shouting, "Fake! It's all fake!"

"It's all fake, it's all fake!"

"No one died. No one died."

"I'm dead! I'm the one who's dead!"

Jiang Zhi quickly got up, but she was already somewhat used to the scene before her.

A powerful pressure emanated from the old man.

The spiritual power of the ninth realm within his body began to gradually become violent!

All the formations in the entire courtyard were activated instantly.

The black iron rings on his limbs, and the obscure runes, began to glow brighter.

They were keeping the old man in check to prevent him from doing anything out of line.

He is clearly a survivor who saved the world, but now he is trapped in this "cage".

After about half an incense stick's time, the old man gradually calmed down, as if nothing had happened, and began making pastries again with a smile on his face.

Jiang Zhi sighed, his eyes filled with endless pain.

Because the other person is crazy, stupid, while he is still very clear-headed.

He returned to the table, picked up the spirit wine, and gulped it down his throat.

Soon, his eyes began to become increasingly unfocused, and he was getting drunk.

“I don’t want the [Fragment of the Primordial Origin]. I said before you went in that I didn’t care whether I entered the Ninth Realm or not.”

He seemed to be talking to a group of senior students, as if he could hear their replies.

"Alright, alright, I took myself too seriously. I know that helping me retrieve the [Original Source of Xuanhuang] is just a side thing. The main thing is that the Origin Spirit Realm must not be lost, and we must hold off the coming calamity of heaven and earth."

"But you can't, you can't... leave only me and my fifth senior brother here, can you?"

"His pastries are really awful now, so awful, so awful."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man came over with a small plate of Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake), placed it in front of him, and looked expectant.

Jiang Zhi's face stiffened. He picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he began to drink the spirit wine in large gulps, swallowing it down his throat.

After finally finishing the meal, he was even more drunk.

As a result, the old man still wanted to do it.

"Fifth Senior Brother, that's enough! That's really enough!"

"I'm going to have a get-together with the younger generation later, and I still have a meal to eat."

The old man ignored him completely.

Jiang Zhi shook her head; the alcohol was getting stronger.

Before his eyes, it seemed as if one figure after another appeared.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he naturally hopes to reunite with them.

"With none of you here, I can't finish all the food," he said with a wry smile.

He habitually makes enough for twenty people.

A beautiful figure appeared before Jiang Zhi's eyes.

The lively woman he longed for day and night seemed to be pointing at him and making fun of him.

"Junior brother, who told you to always snatch the food? Now you can eat your fill! Haha!"

"It's so awful, so awful," Jiang Zhi mumbled drunkenly, then gradually buried his head in the table.

He buried his unremarkable face in his arms, muttering to himself.

"You've all left, leaving only me and a madman."

"Now that's great, they all want me to be the abbot of the Gentleman's Temple."

"You all know how terrible my temper is."

"If everyone were still alive, and Fifth Senior Brother hadn't gone mad, the next abbot should be chosen from among the eldest senior brother, third senior sister, fifth senior brother, and sixth senior sister."

"Xiang Yan has mentioned it to me many times."

"But I am his senior martial uncle, and if I say I won't accept it, then I won't!"

"The position of abbot is more suitable for you than I am, more suitable than I am. I am not suitable, not suitable." This junior master of the Taoist sect kept repeating this sentence, as if he was completely drunk.

The old man brought over another plate of Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake) and placed it on the wooden table.

He still had a smile on his face, and began to habitually repeat the last few words from other people's conversations.

Zhong Ming just smiled at his junior brother, pointed at him, and kept saying:

"Perfect, perfect, perfect!"

(P.S.: First update, a 4000-word long chapter, please vote with monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)