A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

The moonlight hung in the night sky like a silver plate. Chen Yu sparred with Yang An that evening, and when he was resting, he took out the Heaven-Slaying Sword from his cloth bag.

Two days have passed since then. After Su Baichuan made some preparations, Chief Escort Meng once again escorted the goods to Chang'an.

Chen Yu and Yang An went to assist during this period.

The bodyguard who was slightly injured in the battle of Ziyun Village stayed behind. There were still more than ten bodyguards and escorts in the agency. The bodyguards who had become familiar with Chen Yu invited him to spar. He then used the Yue Nu Sword Technique, the Nanshan Palm Technique, and the Fanzi Fist to fight. After two days, he had gained a very objective understanding of the strength of the agency.

The ordinary escorts were stronger than the disciples of the Green Bamboo Gang, and the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) were about the same level of skill as the Green Bamboo Gang leader that Chen Yu encountered on the Xiang River. The Su Family Escort Agency had more than 200镖师 and 趟子手 (bodyguards/escorts), making it one of the largest in Sichuan.

Their overall strength is comparable to that of ordinary small sects.

Chen Yu also gained a lot, memorizing many moves such as "Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber" and "Overlord Spear Technique" with his photographic memory. His current foundation, comprehension, and ability to use the saber directly surpass those of bodyguards who wield sabers and spears.

In the evening, Chen Yu pondered matters concerning the Five Immortals Sect and the Hengshan Sect, deciding to observe Miejue's reaction upon returning to Emei. The strength of the Five Immortals Sect was still uncertain, but the martial arts of Bai Xilou and Ba Biao were not to be underestimated. The resounding victory at Ziyun Village was due to the enemy's underestimation of him, their use of lime and cinnabar to injure Bai Xilou's eyes, and their reliance on the sharpness of the Yitian Sword. In terms of true skill, they were superior to him; the enemy was caught off guard and hadn't even resorted to poison.

The investigation into the Five Poisons Sect was partly to avenge the original owner's father, and partly for Chen Yu's own benefit. But before that, he needed to improve his cultivation. With this in mind, Chen Yu looked at the Heaven-Slaying Sword. With this merit, he would surely become a disciple of the Extinction Sect. He just didn't know if the other party would teach him the "Emei Nine Yang Skill".

The longsword in hand was flawless and perfectly fitted.

Chen Yu drew his sword, and a clear, resonant sound pierced the air.

"The Nine Yin Manual and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, huh?" Chen Yu looked at them repeatedly, sighed, and sheathed his sword.

……

"drive……"

Armed with weapons and lightly armed, Chen Yu and his entourage galloped along the road. Wherever their horses passed, the wind bent the flowers and grass along the roadside of Mount Emei, and startled the butterflies into flight.

"Senior Sister Ji, Senior Sister Su, Senior Brother Yang, and Junior Brother Chen are back."

The voice of a disciple on duty rang out, the trees parted suddenly, and Zhao Lingzhu leaped out with an outer disciple.

Chen Yu and the others dismounted.

"Is Master here?" Ji Xiaofu asked hurriedly.

"They're here, they haven't even come down the mountain yet, what was the outcome of their trip?" Zhao Lingzhu asked.

"Everything went smoothly." Ji Xiaofu turned to Su Mengqing and said, "Junior Sister, please settle Uncle in first, and I will take Junior Brother to pay respects to Master."

"It's all up to my senior sister."

"I'm going to the horse stable," Yang An said.

"Thank you for your trouble, junior brother."

Ji Xiaofu made all the arrangements perfectly. Yang An took the horses to the horse shop in the county town, while Su Mengqing arranged for Su Baichuan to stay at home. She then took Chen Yu to pay his respects to Miejue.

The two climbed the mountain from Yixiantian, passing Tianchi Peak and Yuxian Temple to Xixiangchi, and headed straight for Woyun Nunnery.

……

The sunlight at dusk was tranquil. The wind swept across the mountains and fields, and the leaves in the air rustled. Then, the leaves began to move as well, like a wisp of smoke, so ethereal and graceful.

She took a step east and a half step west, her movements unpredictable. But upon closer inspection, a pattern emerged: she followed the four symbols of the Azure Dragon in the east, the White Tiger in the west, the Black Tortoise in the north, and the Vermilion Bird in the south. Each symbol represented seven constellations, and the twenty-eight constellations underwent further transformations, creating a fantastical and unpredictable effect. This was the change in her footwork. Extinction's hands moved apart and then came together, the swirling palm shadows both round and square, like a storm descending, with a sharp sound of wind breaking with each strike.

After a while, Miejue's palm technique changed again, and the speed suddenly slowed down. Yin and Yang complemented each other, and suddenly Miejue appeared in the position of the White Tiger. Her clothes fluttered, her body tensed, and her black robes bloomed in the air like lotus petals. She pushed and pressed with her right palm.

With a snap, the branches and leaves of a thick, large tree swirled wildly, the wind pressure spreading outwards towards the extinction point. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the old tree broke in the middle and flew away horizontally.

"This is the Four Symbols Palm."

"Xiaofu is back?"

Ji Xiaofu took Chen Yu to Woyun Nunnery, where she learned from Jingxuan that the other party was practicing martial arts. She then rushed to the forest, where Chen Yu witnessed Miejue Shi's earth-shattering palm strike.

As soon as Ji Xiaofu uttered a sentence, Miejue identified the person by the sound of footsteps.

"Master, we're back. This is the Heaven-Slaying Sword," Ji Xiaofu said hurriedly.

Extinction's body stiffened for a moment, she shook her head as if in a hallucination, then suddenly turned around, "What did you say?"

"The Heaven Sword, Junior Brother retrieved the Heaven Sword?"

Chen Yu removed the cloth bag from the sword and held it with both hands.

Extinction's pupils contracted sharply, and in one stride he was in front of Chen Yu, so fast that Chen Yu's hair flew up like fluff.

A dragon roars from within the box, its roar a sign of injustice. A thousand pieces of gold are of little value; a hundred setbacks are worth more than reputation.

Miejue grabbed the Heaven-Slaying Sword. Her arm trembled, and the sword resonated as if in response.

"That's right, it's the Heaven-Slaying Sword. How did you obtain it?"

"Yes, disciple will tell Master right away." Ji Xiaofu concisely recounted how she encountered the Tartar prince at Qingcheng Mountain, and how Chen Yu risked his life to seize the Heaven-Slaying Sword.

"It's fate, it's fate, it really is fate."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Abbess Miejue exclaimed three times that it was the will of Heaven. The Heaven-Slaying Sword was originally forged by Chen Yu's ancestor and a master craftsman, but now Chen Yu has found his lost sword again.

It was truly divine intervention from our master.

Ji Xiaofu was an excellent orator, speaking concisely, yet Miejue could not fail to discern the danger in her few words.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but finding the sword will be a great deed."

"How dare this disciple accept such a gift? If it weren't for Senior Brother Yang, Senior Sister Ji, and Senior Sister Su, this disciple would never have been able to obtain such a precious sword."

"Okay, okay, I understand." Even though Master Miejue was a mature and composed man, he was now holding the Heaven-Slaying Sword and his emotions were surging and difficult to calm down.

"You've all worked hard, go down now."

"This disciple takes his leave."

"clear."

Ji Xiaofu and Chen Yu took a few steps back, turned around and left the woods.

……

As dusk fell, the sun had not yet set, and the crescent moon had already climbed up. The twilight scene, painted by the crimson sunset and the silvery moon, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Extinction appeared at the Cliff of Self-Sacrifice.

"Master."

Jingkong and Jingxu came forward to greet them.

"You wait here."

"Yes, ma'am."

After the two disciples left, Abbess Miejue walked along the smooth bluestone path for about ten feet. She saw that the terrain in front of her suddenly opened up, with lush trees, exotic flowers and rare plants, and several pine trees standing alone, with their handsome and majestic appearance and green needles. In the middle of the field were two tombstones.

Extinction knelt down with a thud.

"Grandmaster, your unfilial grand-disciple lost the Heaven-Reliant Sword, but now the sword has finally returned to the Emei Sect."

As Miejue gazed at the two characters "Guo Xiang" on the stone tablet, her vision gradually blurred, and a hazy white mist rose into her field of vision. Her voice also became low and somber.

"Grandmaster, the one who retrieved the sword was Chen Yu, an outer disciple. His grandfather was one of the master craftsmen who was hired by Master Guo in Xiangyang to forge the Dragon-Slaying Saber and the Heaven-Reliant Sword. This must be because Grandmaster is watching over us from heaven and guiding us in the dark so that his grand-disciple can atone for his sins."

Extinction took a deep breath, her voice growing stronger, "Chen Yu is benevolent, brave, loyal, and righteous, possessing both jade and precious stones. He may seem unrestrained in his actions, but in reality, he is meticulous in his thinking. Grandmaster will surely like this young man. His grand-disciple will recruit him as a personal disciple, imparting all his knowledge to him. The grand-disciple also vows to retrieve the Dragon-Slaying Saber, obtain military treatises and secret manuals, and to drive out the Tartars, restore the Han people's land, and strengthen the leadership of Emei until death."

After finishing his speech, he respectfully kowtowed, then rose and went to the tombstone of Abbess Fengling, saying similar words before leaving with his sword.