A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 142 Immortal, Unfading, and Unregressive

Inside the Sword Forging Manor, everyone waited quietly.

Jiang Jiusi supported Xu Boyuan the whole time, silently using her internal energy to enhance the effects of the Ascension Tea and help him regulate his meridians.

To avoid further damage to the damaged meridians, Jiang Jiusi inputted only a tiny amount of true energy, like a wisp of cool mist that drifted slowly.

In the distant night sky, a cloud seemed to be gently swaying.

Jiang Jiusi's eyebrows twitched suddenly, and she looked up.

An Feiyu was right beside him. Noticing his strange expression, she glanced in that direction as well. Under the stars and moon, a few thin clouds drifted by, seemingly nothing noteworthy. She asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Jiusi looked bewildered and surprised, and said, "Under those clouds, no, a place a little further away, is Lao Jun Mountain. It seems to have a slightly familiar feeling to me."

He couldn't help but recall the first profound fear in his life, which was also the turning point that changed his personality.

Jiang Jiusi's gentle, polite, humble, and self-disciplined personality was not something she was born with.

He could be considered spoiled. He was the only son in Minister Jiang's family. Just because he suddenly became interested in swordsmanship when he was six years old, Minister Jiang did not hesitate to invite famous swordsmen from the martial arts world to teach him swordsmanship.

The Jiang family's inherited internal martial arts, coupled with the Jiangdong swordsman's willingness to impart all his knowledge to him because of his talent, allowed him to become a first-rate master by the age of sixteen.

In Luoyang, the eastern capital, there were all sorts of people from different schools of thought, and various sects and factions. After Jiang Jiusi mastered his swordsmanship, he would often hide and watch people from those sects compete and demonstrate their martial arts.

The young hero praised by others was full of flaws in his eyes. His swordsmanship, spear and staff techniques, and fist and foot techniques were flashy but ineffective, like a scarecrow that could be pierced with a single sword.

The older generation of sect leaders, Iron-Blooded Heroes, though experienced, were not without their clumsiness.

He deliberately didn't announce his name, and repeatedly imitated the stories of those ancient swordsmen, using his commoner appearance to tease those martial arts practitioners. He painted the face of the hot-tempered old hero, stole the hairpin of the heroic female warrior, and kicked the spirited young champion into the mud pit.

At that age, Jiang Jiusi was more than just arrogant; his arrogance was so great that he felt he was invincible in the Eastern Capital and would become a grandmaster within three years. When he held his sword and gave his critiques, all the civil and military officials and heroes of the world were mediocre and unambitious.

Even when discussing those great figures who had already become grandmasters, on the surface, there was naturally some respect, but in their hearts, they still felt that they were a generation or two older than themselves. They had only slowly entered the grandmaster realm at that age, and their talent and ability were not comparable to their own.

Because of this arrogance, after playing around with people in Dongdu a few times, Jiang Jiusi became too lazy to deal with any Jianghu sects anymore and went directly to the southwest to see the remains of the life-and-death battle between many masters.

The headquarters of the Demonic Cult was not only bombed and collapsed, but also burned down, with the black ashes covered by snow and frost.

He strolled leisurely along the steep mountain path, and whenever the mood struck him, he would brush aside the thick ice and snow to examine the sword marks and palm prints.

Many people in the martial arts world have already visited those ruins, and whether they were moved by their heroic spirit or impressed by their awe, in their eyes, those things were nothing more than a landscape for reminiscing about the past.

Jiang Jiusi, however, wanted to deduce from these ruins what kind of cultivation paths those grandmasters had back then.

From the Demonic Sect's headquarters to the snowy cliff bordering the abyss, there are two kinds of sword marks, the clearest of which are: one is faint and shallow, yet ever new; the other is extremely majestic, like a dragon soaring and gracefully dancing.

In terms of talent, Jiang Jiusi certainly had the right to be proud. He could indeed gain some insights from those traces. However, the more he observed and deduced, the more he involuntarily immersed himself in the artistic conception of the latter type of sword mark.

The swordsmanship of the Jiangdong swordsman surpassed his master, creating new styles and techniques. From the flowing waters of the Three Rivers and the misty pavilions, he developed even more sword variations similar to the latter type of sword marks.

After two months of seclusion on the snowy cliff with great enthusiasm, Jiang Jiusi suddenly discovered one day while practicing his swordsmanship that the sword techniques he had deduced from the sword marks were unknowingly altering the foundation of his internal energy.

The Jiang family's inherited internal energy and Jiangdong's internal sword energy both unknowingly deviated from their intended paths.

His inner strength became as if it could resonate with his own blood. With each strike, he felt as if his blood flowed onto the sword, and when he sheathed the sword, the coldness of the sword returned to his body along with his blood.

During his sixty-odd days on the lonely snowy cliff, on that day, he felt his heart pound with trepidation and his back go cold for the first time.

He reduced the number of times he practiced those sword techniques, but he still felt the chilling aura in his blood growing stronger every day. Although the blood was still fresh, it was no longer hot.

Jiang Jiusi began to fear this change. One day, he even had to cut open his palm and press it against his face to make sure his blood was still warm.

He no longer practiced swordsmanship, but he couldn't forget those moves. Every day in his dreams, there were reed marshes, rice paddies, or other things soaked in blood, and... an endless stream of corpses that died from testing swords.

Those weren't people he killed, but people killed by that sword technique—all sorts of beautiful and ugly people, men and women, old and young, who died for that sword technique.

Later, he visited Lao Jun Mountain.

After Master Yu Tu learned of his situation, he made him do his homework with the disciples of Lao Jun Mountain, but he had to read ten times more scriptures than the other disciples.

If Jiang Jiusi loses focus during this process and starts thinking about sword moves, Xu Boyuan, who has received instructions from Master Yu Tu, will strike him on the back of the head with a club, knocking him unconscious.

More than thirty days later, fearing that he would be beaten senseless, Jiang Jiusi hurriedly bid farewell to Master Yu Tu and left Lao Jun Mountain. Those uncontrollable sword marks and moves had been summarized and reduced into one move, a sword style that he could control.

From that day until now, there is no longer the arrogant and disdainful Young Master Jiang. Instead, there is the humble and thoughtful First Sword of the Eastern Capital.

But tonight, Jiang Jiusi once again sensed the aura of that sword technique that had almost transformed his burning passion into the splendor of ice, the beauty of snow, and the shattered edge of ice.

Although the past is long, the memories in our minds are but a blink of an eye.

To those around him, Jiang Jiusi merely looked up in that direction for a moment before suddenly turning back and asking with an extremely solemn expression, "In recent years, have any of you heard of any suspected successors to the Demonic Sect leader in the martial world?"

"Why the sudden question?"

Wu Pingqiang shook his head. "There are still some remnants of the Demonic Sect, but we haven't been able to find them yet. Most of them possess the Demonic Sect's internal energy manual and a secret martial art, but as for the sect leader's successor, there shouldn't be any."

"Because the Demonic Sect Leader's unique sword technique, the 'Morning and Evening Sword Technique,' was engraved on the sect's treasured sword, the Divine Weapon Flying Light. Back then, when Shao Lingxiao was killed by True Man Yu Tu, the Wuwei Divine Sword and the Flying Light Sword fell into the deep abyss of the Southwest Ten Thousand Mountains along with his body, and no one has been able to find them since."

"Even if someone still retains some of the moves from that sword technique, without the Flying Light Sword, it would be impossible to truly master it and gain widespread respect."

Mo Xiaoyi, who was sharp-eyed and knowledgeable, also said: "After all, superior martial arts have the meaning of different paths leading to the same goal. In fact, most of the martial arts of the Demonic Sect are not much different from the righteous path techniques."

"But the Flying Light Sword and the 'Morning Life, Evening Death Sword Technique' are unique and unparalleled. If they were to actually appear in the martial arts world, they would certainly attract attention. I haven't heard of such a thing in the past ten years."

Guilong Jiao Gai also said, "Young Master Jiang, you are young and did not go to the Southwest ten years ago. Otherwise, you would know that such swordsmanship makes people wonder if it should be seen in the human world! Let alone the fact that the flying light has disappeared, even if the sword is still there and the technique is complete, if Shao Lingxiao were to come back from the dead to instruct someone, there would be little hope of mastering it in ten years."

"If that's the case, then there's only one possibility." Jiang Jiusi stared at everyone and asked again, "Could it be that Shao Lingxiao isn't dead?"

A simple question, uttered in a low voice, caused the already heavy-hearted crowd to fall silent.

For the past ten years, no one has ever doubted this question. Back then, Shao Lingxiao was pierced through the heart by a sword, and the sword energy exploded through his skin and flesh, piercing through all the acupoints in his body. He was already completely dead before falling into the abyss. That was something many people witnessed.

However, a sudden and dramatic change occurred at Laojun Mountain, and Jiang Jiusi inexplicably brought up this question again...

Wu Pingqiang raised his voice and asked, "What exactly did you sense just now?"

boom!!!!

A howling wind, seemingly crashing down from the distant sky, struck a corner of the courtyard.

The strong wind tousled the hair of many people in the courtyard, and also made the wine pots and cups on the thirty-two tables sway.

An Feiyu felt a strong sense of foreboding. He knew that Guan Luoyang moved extremely fast and could manipulate airflow to eliminate sounds like air bursts and sonic booms, instead turning some of the air resistance into his own boost.

Just like when he left, he moved like a ghost, but when he returned, he made such a big commotion. This was not a sign of power, but rather a sign that his health might not be very good.

Over there, Guan Luoyang knelt on one knee, his left hand on his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The Thousand Illusion Treasure Robe behind him changed softly and fluttered in the wind.

"Everyone, evacuate the Sword Forging Manor immediately and find a place to hide."

His voice, when it reached the ears of everyone in the courtyard, shook their hearts like a thunderbolt.

"The Taoists on Lao Jun Mountain have all been wiped out. There shouldn't have been many who made a move, but there was at least one grandmaster who looked like a man from the Western Regions, and another person who had four attendants—a zither, a sword, a book, and an umbrella—by his side. When he drew his sword, his martial arts were at least equal to those of Meng Wanghou, who had just entered the grandmaster realm at that time..."

Guan Luoyang's pearly white teeth were soaked with blood as he declared resolutely, "Ten times stronger than him!!!"

"How is this possible?! Is this really true?" "Mount Lao Jun..." "Where did these two grandmasters come from..."

The crowd erupted in uproar, their expressions changing drastically.

Wu Pingqiang, Mo Liuli, Jiao Gai, and the others all focused their gazes on Jiang Jiusi.

Mo Xiaoli's hand trembled, and he plucked off a tuft of his own beard. He exclaimed in panic, "Even a novice Grandmaster is still a Grandmaster, ten times stronger! Could it be that he's really not dead?"

An Feiyu hurriedly stepped forward to hand the Ascension Tea to Guan Luoyang.

Just then, a childish exclamation came from the guest room of the Sword Forging Manor.

Guan Luoyang recognized the voice, stood up abruptly, but felt a tearing pain in his chest, and his back bent slightly. He said, "Xia Qing."

An Feiyu turned around and just then saw the little Taoist priest running over in a hurry, holding the Jade Snow Dragon Ring in his hands.

The white jade ring, which would normally only emit a gentle glow, was now throbbing and trembling violently in the young Taoist's palms, emitting a somewhat sharp tremor.

There was supposed to be a period of time in the evening when Xia Qing needed to infuse the Jade Snow Dragon Ring with the internal energy of the Glacier School. "Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, when I picked up this ring just now, it suddenly started yelling, and it's giving me a terrible headache... Hey, Second Senior Brother, what's wrong?!"

Before Guan Luoyang could say anything, Wu Pingqiang rushed to the young Taoist's side, his tone filled with urgency, and hurriedly said, "This is a warning from the Dragon Ring. It's causing you a lot of headaches. It seems that the Jade Snow Dragon Ring has already formed a mysterious connection with you."

"Junior nephew, our inner strength originates from the same source. I will pour my inner strength into your body, and you must send it all into the Dragon Ring. Remember, you must do your best to transfer it as quickly as possible!"

Wu Pingqiang had already placed both palms on Xia Qing's shoulders.

The young Taoist priest subconsciously did as the old man said. The glacial true energy, as thick as a milky white, cold liquid, surged from his palms and was instantly absorbed by the Jade Snow Dragon Ring.

The white jade dragon ring floated into the air, spinning even more violently. The buzzing sound became lower, but it continued without ceasing, making people even more agitated.

Qian Wanliang asked, puzzled, "What's the deal with this Jade Snow Dragon Ring?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of light emanated from the white jade dragon ring, like a water curtain, expanding outwards from the ring and covering the entire courtyard.

The white jade dragon ring rose higher and higher. Below, Wu Pingqiang's power surged through the little Taoist's body, rising and being absorbed by the dragon ring, causing rings of light to radiate.

Suddenly, everyone's ears went silent.

Not only did the trembling sound of the Jade Snow Dragon Ring disappear, but even the sounds of insects chirping, birdsong, and rustling leaves that should have been present in the Sword Forging Manor vanished.

The "sensory" power that those below the level of a grandmaster would not normally be able to perceive has been slightly downgraded from its intangible and unfathomable state due to the mutual disturbance with the Jade Snow Dragon Ring.

This allows those in the courtyard to also perceive that a shadowy image, whose full form cannot be seen, stands majestically atop a distant peak, projecting its perception across the entire universe, looking down upon them and searching for their location.

Even martial arts practitioners like Qian Wanliang, who had never heard of the Jade Snow Dragon Ring before, now understood.

According to legend, a master can use supernatural powers such as "seeing the heavens and hearing the earth, locking the soul across a thousand miles"—features praised and exaggerated in esoteric Buddhist scriptures—to pinpoint the exact location of the person they are looking for, even across mountains and rivers.

The dark image high above seemed to stand there for a long time in the senses of everyone in the courtyard.

These people, who usually pride themselves on being domineering, strong, and brave, were all shaken by this oppression.

Even though they knew that the person was not nearby and could not harm them, it had already made many people's hair stand on end, and they gathered their strength, ready to make a move.

Jiang Jiusi could see the illusion whether his eyes were open or closed. He closed his eyes for a few breaths, then suddenly opened them wide and stared intently at the illusion.

Ten years ago, he was still young and had no chance to meet the leader of the demonic sect. However, the trace of sword intent from the Southwest Sword Mark on his body made him certain that it was Shao Lingxiao from back then.

He was neither dead nor changed, nor impersonated, nor did he suffer any setbacks or despair. He was just like when he fought the four grandmasters alone and left those sword marks.

"How...how is this possible?"

Jiang Jiusi murmured bitterly to herself.

It's one thing that he managed to escape death, but the price those masters who went down in history paid with their lives for him, is it really so that he can't even show the slightest sign of decline?

When even Qian Wanliang, who was practicing health cultivation, unknowingly touched his hidden weapon pouch and became somewhat unable to control himself.

The illusion receded like the tide, instantly disappearing from everyone's mental vision.

The Jade Snow Dragon Ring no longer emitted light waves, but it was still much brighter than usual.

"I'm gone."

Wu Pingqiang's face paled slightly. He turned to Wu Weiyang and shouted, "Go! Gather all the disciples, dismiss the servants, and we must all leave the Sword Forging Manor tonight!"

(End of this chapter)