Reborn Ouyang Ke: From The Condor Heroes to the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 64 The Sword Demon's Former Residence, An Invitation from Mount Hua.

Everything in the desolate valley remained the same. Moonlight shone on the rugged rocks, casting a long shadow of the old pine tree in the valley.

Ouyang Ke and his group soon arrived at a cave. The entrance was small, but the interior was surprisingly spacious. There was a stone table and chairs, and although they had been there for many years, they were not covered in dust.

When Li Mochou first stepped into the cave, she looked around and felt a strong sense of familiarity.

The scene before her eyes was strikingly similar to the ancient tomb where she had lived since childhood, even the slight chill seeping from the stone walls was exactly the same.

Her gaze was quickly drawn to a pile of rubble in one corner of the cave. The stone slabs were stacked one on top of the pile, simple yet exuding an indescribable solemnity. In front of the rubble stood a stone tablet, on which were carved several large characters with a sharp weapon: "Tomb of the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai".

Seeing this scene, before Li Mochou could speak, Ouyang Feng said in a deep voice, "Ke'er, is this the burial place of that Sword Demon?"

Ouyang Ke nodded, gazing at the pile of rubble with respect in his eyes: "Indeed. Brother Eagle did not want his master's remains to be desecrated by wild beasts, so he carried huge stones every day, piling them up one by one until this stone mound was finally formed."

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou subconsciously looked at the Divine Eagle standing quietly not far away. Although the eagle was ugly in appearance and its feathers were sparse, it was motionless at this moment, as if it was also reminiscing about its deceased friend, and its eyes revealed an indescribable sorrow. The Firebird poked half of its head out from the Divine Eagle's messy feathers, looking left and right, completely unaware of the solemn atmosphere.

Recalling her previous thought of subduing the Divine Condor, Li Mochou felt a pang of guilt and lowered her eyes, no longer daring to look at the eagle.

Ouyang Feng glanced at the Divine Condor out of the corner of his eye, a rare hint of respect appearing in his usually cold and ruthless gaze. He had spent half his life wandering the martial world, killing countless people, yet he also respected loyalty and righteousness. For a feathered beast to possess such a protective heart towards its master was stronger than many others.

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"There are writings on the cave ceiling?" Li Mochou exclaimed softly as she caught a glimpse of something above.

Hearing the sound, Ouyang Feng focused his gaze. On the stone wall above the cave, he saw lines of small characters, bold and vigorous. Although he was far away, his eyesight was excellent, and he could see each word clearly: "Having roamed the martial world for over thirty years, I have killed all my enemies and defeated all heroes. There is no one left in the world who can stand against me. Helpless, I can only live in seclusion in a deep valley and take eagles as my companions."

"Alas, in my entire life I have sought a worthy opponent but have found none; truly, this loneliness and desolation are unbearable!"

The inscription was signed with four large characters: "Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai".

Ouyang Feng stared at the lines of writing, the cold glint in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. With his discerning eye, he could naturally see that these words were more than just words—between the strokes, it seemed as if streaks of sword light moved swiftly, crisscrossing and darting about, their sword energy chilling, as if about to burst forth from the wall. Just observing these characters was enough to inspire awe.

Both he and Hong Qigong had used swords in their early years, and their swordsmanship was quite good. However, during the first Mount Hua Sword Tournament, they were both defeated by Wang Chongyang's sword and abandoned swords after that.

One switched to a stick, and the other switched to a cane.

Now, Ouyang Feng stood beneath the stone carving, looking at the line of small characters, and understood in his heart: the master of this place was even more skilled in swordsmanship than Wang Chongyang in the past.

The sword intent remaining in these stone carvings alone is enough to make any swordsman bow down.

Compared to Ouyang Feng, Li Mochou's martial arts skills were still relatively shallow. Although she couldn't sense the power of the sword intent within the words, she couldn't help but gasp and exclaim, "This Senior Dugu is truly formidable!" upon reading the biography of Dugu Qiubai described in the stone inscription.

She paused, then changed her tone, saying regretfully, "It's just a pity that this senior sought only one defeat in his entire life but could never achieve it. Truly—"

So pitifully lonely.

Ouyang Feng looked up at the lines of writing, remaining silent for a long time.

He rarely submitted to anyone in his life. Even when facing Wang Chongyang, he only admired his martial arts skills, but never truly submitted to him. Yet, gazing at the lines of small characters on the cave ceiling, his heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

Before coming to the desolate valley, he had already learned about the sword demon's life from Ke'er, but he didn't think much of it at the time.

Looking at the stone carving now, it's as if I've instantly grasped the state of mind of Dugu Qiubai—a man who roamed the martial world his entire life, yet had no equal, truly pitifully lonely.

Li Mochou's lament naturally resonated with him.

Ouyang Ke shook his head and said softly, "To roam the martial world your whole life without having a single opponent is not just loneliness, but a punishment."

"Punishment?" Li Mochou blinked, puzzled.

Looking at the inscription "No one in the world can rival him" on the stone wall, Ouyang Ke said with a touch of emotion, "For someone like Senior Dugu who devoted himself to martial arts, to have a lifetime of unparalleled skill without a single opponent—isn't that the greatest punishment?"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Feng's body trembled slightly.

Admittedly, others only see Dugu Qiubai's loneliness, but they don't know that behind this loneliness lies the desolation of not even finding an opponent who can fight at full strength. Especially after Ouyang Feng came into contact with the concept of "shattering the void," he understood that the end of martial arts lies in a supreme realm that transcends the world.

Dugu Qiubai, a genius of unparalleled talent, ultimately had no rivals to find and could only befriend eagles, dying alone in a desolate valley. For such a remarkable person, this loneliness was tantamount to being imprisoned by heaven and earth.

At this moment, Ouyang Feng seemed to feel the same state of mind that Dugu Qiubai had back then.

Ouyang Ke's eyes flickered as he looked at Ouyang Feng, a smile playing on his lips: "Fortunately, Uncle still has an opponent."

Ouyang Feng was slightly taken aback, then nodded, his tone revealing a hint of relief: "That's right."

Li Mochou glanced at the uncle and nephew, her eyes still filled with confusion, clearly not fully understanding the deeper meaning behind their words.

Seeing her like this, Ouyang Ke's heart was touched, and he said gently, "There is also the sword tomb left by Senior Dugu in the back mountain. Let's go and take a look."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the divine eagle cried out loudly, as if in agreement. It shook its body, and the firebird poked its head out from its ruffled feathers, swaying from side to side, looking unwillingly disturbed from its sweet dream. This scene dispelled the sadness in his heart...

The solemn Li Mochou couldn't help but chuckle.

The firebird, oblivious to everything, perched comfortably on the eagle's head, scratching its crest with its tiny claws, completely at ease. The eagle seemed displeased, shaking its head, but the firebird remained unmoved, instead letting out a low cry, as if complaining. The eagle, exasperated, ignored it and strode off towards the valley's edge.

The three people and the eagle crossed the desolate valley and arrived at the foot of the towering cliff on the back mountain.

Looking up, the cliff face was as if carved by a knife and axe, reaching a height of twenty or thirty feet. The legendary Sword Tomb was located on the platform atop that precipice.

The Divine Eagle took the lead, stretching its claws to grab the moss-covered footholds on the stone wall and leaping upwards. Ouyang Feng followed closely behind, his figure elusive, and in a few leaps, he had already reached mid-air.

Li Mochou looked up at the impossibly high cliff and was somewhat stunned. Although her lightness skill was not weak, she still lacked the strength to use it to climb up such a smooth cliff.

Just as she was hesitating, she suddenly felt a warmth on her right hand as a large hand firmly grasped hers.

"Don't be afraid."

Ouyang Ke's voice rang in her ears, gentle and steady. A warm, comforting force emanated from her palm. Li Mochou felt her cheeks flush slightly, her heart pounding like a deer, yet she couldn't bear to pull her hand away.

Ouyang Ke exerted his strength, and the two figures soared into the sky. One in black and one in green, their robes fluttering, they appeared like immortals in the moonlight. Li Mochou only felt the wind whistling, and in the blink of an eye, she had already risen more than ten feet.

She turned her head to look at Ouyang Ke. In the moonlight, his profile was clearly defined, and his eyes were focused and calm, making him look completely different from the white-clad man in a wheelchair a few months ago.

She was both surprised and delighted—Brother Ouyang's lightness skill was so superb, much more impressive than she had imagined. When the two met earlier at the foot of Mount Taibai, Ouyang Ke had a leg ailment, and although his martial arts were superior to hers, he hadn't shown much of his lightness skill.

Now that they meet again, I realize that his lightness skill has reached a state of perfection.

But what stirred her heart even more was the drastic change in Ouyang Ke's attitude towards her. The Ouyang Ke of the past, though polite, always maintained a distant, aloof air. Now, he took her hand, his words filled with tenderness, and that distance had vanished completely. She didn't know why he had changed, but she couldn't bear to ask, only wishing this moment could last a little longer, much longer.

After a few breaths, the two walked hand in hand onto the platform.

Ouyang Feng was already standing on the platform. Seeing the two arrive hand in hand, his gaze swept over their clasped hands, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. He didn't say anything, but silently turned his head and cast his gaze towards the Sword Tomb not far away.

After the divine eagle stepped onto the platform, it let out a soft cry towards a giant rock, as if paying its respects.

Ouyang Feng looked in that direction. Two lines of text were carved on the boulder: "Since the Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai was invincible in the world, he buried his sword here."

Alas! The heroes are helpless, their swords are useless; is this not a tragic end?

His gaze slowly moved downwards, landing on the three longswords side by side behind the boulder. Stone carvings beside the swords indicated their origins and the period of their use. While the sharp, powerful sword and the Purple Rose Soft Sword abandoned in the deep valley certainly had their merits in Ouyang Feng's eyes, they weren't worth his excessive attention.

What truly moved him was the third sword—that dark, unassuming heavy sword made of black iron.

"A heavy sword has no edge, great skill is without artifice." He murmured the words carved in the stone, his eyes gleaming. To overcome skill with clumsiness, to break through techniques with force—this was the pursuit of his martial arts for half his life. Toad Style was originally based on this path.

But the inscription on the bottom of the last sword—that long-rotted wooden sword—made him fall into complete silence.

"After the age of forty, one is no longer attached to material things; grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can all be swords. From then on, one refines one's skills and gradually progresses to the realm where having no sword is better than having a sword."

Ouyang Feng stared at the words, his eyes revealing genuine admiration for the first time. Only now did he truly understand that Ke'er's words were true. This Dugu Qiubai truly deserved the title of "Sword Demon," his life of unparalleled skill in finding no defeat was not mere boasting. His realm of "no sword is better than having a sword" was almost akin to the Dao itself.

He stood with his hands behind his back, silent for a long time. The night wind rustled his clothes. At this moment, the arrogance of this "Western Poison" who had dominated the Western Regions for decades vanished completely.

Li Mochou also noticed the stone carvings, and her pretty brows furrowed slightly as she asked curiously, "Can grass, trees, bamboo, and stones all be used as swords? Brother Ouyang, is there really such a sword technique in the world?"

Ouyang Ke smiled slightly, his gaze towards her gentle and warm: "Such swordsmanship naturally exists in the world, Mo Chou."

There are many martial arts in the world, and many extraordinary skills and techniques are difficult for ordinary people to understand. The "Six Meridian Divine Sword" of the Dali Duan family can injure people with invisible sword energy after being mastered; the "Northern Darkness Divine Skill" of the Xiaoyao Sect can absorb other people's internal energy for one's own use; and the "Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Supreme Skill" of the Tianshan Child Granny can make people rejuvenate.

But these past events are long forgotten.

His gaze fell on Li Mochou's face, and he continued softly, "Just like the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra created by your sect's founder, Heroine Lin."

Looking across the martial arts world, it is also a rare and invaluable martial arts classic.

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou asked in surprise, "Brother Ouyang also knows about the 'Jade Maiden Heart Sutra' of our Ancient Tomb?"

She grew up in an ancient tomb, isolated from the outside world, and thought that no one knew about her sect's martial arts. However, she did not expect that Ouyang Ke knew them like the back of his hand.

At this moment, Ouyang Feng also came to his senses, a look of doubt appearing in his eyes: "Heroine Lin? Jade Maiden Heart Sutra?" Although he was not from the Central Plains, he had traveled the martial arts world for many years and knew the masters and famous figures of the major sects in the Central Plains like the back of his hand, but he had never heard of the names "Heroine Lin" and "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra".

The martial arts skills that Li Mochou displayed when she fought the Condor Heroes were clearly from a prestigious family, yet he had no one in mind who resembled her.

Ouyang Ke noticed his uncle's confusion and smiled slightly, saying, "Uncle, you should be familiar with this founder of Mochou."

"Oh? Could it be an old acquaintance?" Ouyang Feng's eyes showed even more suspicion.

Ouyang Ke slowly said, "This Lady Lin is the confidante of Master Chongyang."

Ouyang Feng's eyes gleamed with a strange light: "Wang Chongyang's confidante?"

He had never heard anyone mention that Wang Chongyang had such a past, so you can imagine how shocked he was.

Ouyang Ke said, "Uncle, please don't underestimate this Lady Lin. In terms of martial arts, she is on par with Master Chongyang."

However, being a woman, she rarely appeared in public, so few outsiders knew of her, and her reputation remained unknown. Lady Lin harbored deep affection for Master Chongyang, who also greatly respected and admired her. But both were proud and unwilling to openly express their feelings, thus preventing them from being together. Long before the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, Lady Lin, heartbroken by her unrequited love, passed away.

In terms of martial arts skills at the time, she surpassed, and was in no way inferior to, her uncle and the old leader of the Hong Clan.

Ouyang Feng scoffed, "I'm inferior to a woman?"

Although his tone was cold, there was no real anger in his eyes, but rather astonishment and resentment.

Ouyang Ke knew that Lin Chaoying was proud and arrogant, yet deeply admired him. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Uncle, please don't be offended. This Lady Lin was a born martial arts prodigy. Her creation, the 'Jade Maiden Heart Sutra,' was ingenious, using unorthodox methods to gain the upper hand. Her movements were incredibly fast, rarely seen in the world. After her passing, Master Chongyang secretly went to pay his respects and was greatly astonished to find the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra left behind by Lin Chaoying on the top of the stone chamber. After leaving the Ancient Tomb, he built a hut on the mountain for three years, meticulously studying how to counter the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. Although he made some progress, he was never able to create a complete and comprehensive martial art."

Disheartened, he admired Lin Chaoying's intelligence even more and conceded defeat, ceasing his pursuit of knowledge. More than ten years later, after winning the Nine Yin Manual at the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, he resolved not to practice the skills contained within, but driven by curiosity, he couldn't resist flipping through it once more.

His martial arts skills were already unparalleled in the world at that time. After reading through the various secrets and profound meanings recorded in the Nine Yin Manual and pondering them for more than ten days, he had completely grasped them. He then laughed heartily, returned to the Tomb of the Living Dead, and carved the essential points of the Nine Yin Manual on the ceiling of the most hidden underground stone chamber, pointing out the methods to break the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou suddenly realized that the inscription in the ancient tomb was actually left by Wang Chongyang. A new sense of curiosity arose within her—why would Brother Ouyang know so much about the sect's secrets?

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Feng's eyes no longer held any contempt. He greatly admired Wang Chongyang's martial arts; even he had to rely on the Nine Yin Manual to figure out a way to counter it, which showed just how high Lin Chaoying's martial arts level was. If she hadn't died young, the title of "Number One Under Heaven" might have truly belonged to another woman.

Thinking of this, Ouyang Feng felt absurd, yet he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Lin Chaoying. As a renowned martial arts master, he knew all too well the difficulty of creating a new martial art. Lin Chaoying, as a woman, had managed to create a martial art that even Wang Chongyang found extremely challenging; her talent and genius were rare indeed, and she deserved utmost respect.

"It's a pity I didn't get to experience the martial arts of this Lady Lin back then," Ouyang Feng said with regret.

Ouyang Ke smiled and said, "This is not difficult. If Uncle is willing, we can invite Mochou's master to the Mount Hua Sword Tournament."

Ouyang Feng's eyes gleamed brightly, clearly quite tempted.

Li Mochou looked at the uncle and nephew with slight doubt. Having rarely traveled in the martial arts world, she was unaware of the significance of the words "Mount Hua Sword Tournament" in the martial arts world.

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