Blade - Unbound

Although preparations for this assembly had taken quite some time, the event itself lasted only a single day. After all, at its core, it was simply a marketplace for selling treasures.

The following day, the cultivators of the Daoist world began departing Mount Hua one after another. Each carried a large quantity of precious spiritual materials. As beautiful as Mount Hua's scenery was, it couldn't outweigh their eagerness to leave.

Some Daoist lineages and sects had people waiting to receive them at the foot of the mountain. Even members of the unorthodox paths sought out acquaintances and traveled in groups.

The Daoist world was also part of the jianghu, and there was no shortage of evil cultivators who made their living by murdering others for their wealth.

"Everyone, take care on your journey." Shopkeeper Wan's eyes were slightly moist as he shook his head with a bitter smile. "When you get old, you just can't bear partings anymore."

He knew that once Li Yan and the others left Mount Hua, they would continue their journey through the jianghu. The road ahead was long, and who knew when, or even if, they would meet again. At his age, he might already have become nothing more than a handful of earth by the time they found the next opportunity to meet.

Li Yan wasted no words. He fetched a jug of watered wine and clinked cups with Shopkeeper Wan three times before saying solemnly, "Senior has helped me greatly. There are some things that needn't be said aloud. Please take good care of your health."

After Shopkeeper Wan departed, Yuan Ba and his master also came over. Quan Wanzhong's purchase had gone smoothly, and he was in an excellent mood.

Cupping his hands with a smile, he said, "If any of you ever come to Mount Mei, you must come find this old man. I'll be sure to treat you properly."

Li Yan smiled. "Of course."

Before long, Mount Hua became noticeably quieter. The morning bell rang, accompanied by the sounds of wooden fish drums and ritual chimes from the various Daoist temples. Wisps of incense smoke drifted through the air as the Daoists resumed their usual morning lessons.

It wasn't until nearly noon that Yu Fengzi finally came looking for Li Yan. Cupping his hands repeatedly in apology, he said, "There were still a few miscellaneous matters to deal with, and I've only just finished. Fellow Daoist, simply follow me."

Li Yan had already made his preparations. "Many thanks."

He had packed away the Shoushan Copper Essence and the Twelve Earthly Branches, along with the two blades he had taken from Yao San. Those weapons had been forged from meteoric iron. Though they weren't spiritual artifacts, they were still excellent materials, more than suitable for use as supplementary components.

The two set off together, once again arriving at the secluded mountain hollow.

After entering the cottage, the old man examined the Shoushan Copper Essence and the Twelve Earthly Branches coin set before picking up Yao San's treasured blades and tapping them a few times.

Only after some time did he nod. "They'll barely do. Off with you. Come back in five days."

Evidently, even these priceless treasures, purchased at tremendous expense, were nothing remarkable in his eyes. Li Yan knew the mysterious old man had to possess an extraordinary background. Thus, he didn't dare ask unnecessary questions. After leaving the thatched cottage, he climbed back up the mountain together with Yu Fengzi.

He said, "Daoist, about the matter I entrusted to you..."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. It's already been arranged," Yu Fengzi replied with a smile. "There are quite a few unoccupied spiritual nodes on the mountain these days. I picked out one of the better ones for you, and all the ritual implements you'll need have already been prepared."

The matter Li Yan referred to was naturally borrowing a spiritual node within Mount Hua's blessed land for cultivation.

Since secluded cultivation required someone to stand guard, the two of them first went to the Pure Yang Courtyard to collect the ritual implements needed to construct the next floor of his inner temple. They then returned to Wangxian Temple and departed with Wang Daoxuan and Lu San. As for Sha Lifei and Yan Jiuling, they would remain behind at the temple.

The group first descended North Peak before taking a winding path halfway down the mountain. After traveling another five li northward, they climbed yet another peak.

Jagged cliffs rose and fell around them. Towering pines and cypresses flourished everywhere, while waterfalls cascaded down the mountainside. A stone chamber had been carved into the mountaintop, with an ornamental archway erected outside it. Nearby was even a thatched cottage intended for those standing guard over the cultivators within.

This was what a complete spiritual node in a blessed land was truly supposed to look like. The stone chamber had already been renovated specifically for Daoist cultivators to undertake secluded cultivation. Unlike the one on Mount Taibai, which had remained undeveloped and almost completely untouched, this one was fully prepared.

Before they even entered, they noticed a stone ram statue standing at the entrance.

Wang Daoxuan's eyes immediately lit up. "Could this be the Stone Chamber of Lord Yang?"

"That's right." Yu Fengzi smiled. "This is indeed the Stone Chamber of Lord Yang."

Seeing Li Yan's curious expression, Wang Daoxuan explained, "During the Warring States period, the great cultivator Lord Xiuyang cultivated here, living on nothing but Solomon's Seal roots and sleeping upon beds of vines. During the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Jing admired him greatly and invited him to court to lecture on the Dao. However, Lord Xiuyang refused to go and instead transformed himself into a stone ram. On one of its legs were carved the six characters: Lord Xiuyang Thanks the Son of Heaven."

Li Yan asked, "You mean this statue?"

Wang Daoxuan shook his head. "Of course not. This statue was carved later by descendants to commemorate him.

"Lord Xiuyang was also regarded as the ancestor of the Yang clan, bearing the Daoist title White Ram Perfected. The Forbidden Mountain Script and the Seventy Talismans for Subduing Tigers, Leopards, Wolves, and Bears were both attributed to him. He was one of the great cultivators recorded in the Biographies of Immortals!"

After hearing this, Li Yan felt a surge of longing. He had already encountered Maiden Mao before. Lord Xiuyang was most likely genuine as well.

The ability to transform into another form... If that wasn't merely an illusion, then he had truly been little different from an immortal.

Yu Fengzi smiled. "This spiritual node ranks among the finest on Mount Hua, and it's famous for another reason as well. Whenever cultivators are practicing here, those blessed with sufficient fortune may see lights appear along the mountain ridges and cliffs at night. Sometimes there are three, sometimes five, drifting about like lanterns. They're known as the Divine Lanterns of Mount Hua.

"This also serves as a kind of measure. You can count them at night. The more Divine Lanterns of Mount Hua that appear, the greater the cultivator's potential is said to be."

"Oh?" Li Yan became even more curious and he couldn't help but ask, "And what's the reasoning behind that?"

Yu Fengzi burst into laughter. "That's simply what everyone says. No one actually knows the reason. But once the astral qi gathers on the mountain, this phenomenon truly does occur. This spiritual node is highly sought after."

"Many thanks, Daoist Yu."

Only after Li Yan had expressed his gratitude several more times did Yu Fengzi finally drift away, leaving only the three of them behind.

Lu San, standing to one side, spoke in his usual muffled voice. "Let's begin cultivating as soon as possible. Once we're finished, we'll leave immediately."

Li Yan frowned slightly and immediately asked, "Oh? Did something happen?"

Lu San disliked dealing with people and usually remained silent. But whenever he spoke, there was always a reason.

Slowly, Lu San raised a hand. Accompanied by a screech, a hawk dove down onto the leather bracer wrapped around his forearm. There, it squawked several times in quick succession.

Lu San listened carefully before shaking his head. "A large number of government troops have arrived at the foot of the mountain. At first I thought they were escorting the Daoist masters away. But instead, they went to the Tang imperial tomb outside Huayin and dug up every corpse buried there. They're also conducting a thorough search of the surrounding area.

"They've now sealed off the foot of Mount Hua. I don't think they come with good intentions."

"Oh?" The moment Li Yan heard this, he understood. With a cold smile, he said, "Looks like the gentlemen from the Regional Military Commission still haven't vented their anger..."

The Regional Military Commission was responsible for the garrison forces stationed throughout the empire. The Tong Pass nearby was the strategic gateway linking Jinzhou, Shanxi, and Henan, as well as the entrance into the Guanzhong Plains.

The Tong Pass Garrison stationed there was not a weak force, with three thousand soldiers. Situated at the junction of three provinces and guarding a vital military pass, they certainly wouldn't mobilize troops without orders from above.

It seemed those people had finally decided to make their move.

Naturally, their first objective was to search for evidence of gunpowder use. Although Li Yan and the others had thoroughly wrecked the scene, there was little they could do if the other side insisted on framing them anyway. Those old military scoundrels were greedy and reckless. Once they got carried away, doing something like planting evidence wasn't surprising at all.

Back when the Maitreya Sect had been causing chaos, those same people had even murdered innocent civilians and falsely claimed them as enemy kills to earn military merit. It could only be said that they escaped accountability back then.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yan quickly took out paper and brush and wrote a letter.

"Brother Lu, please deliver this to Sha Lifei."

Lu San nodded. With another cry, the hawk spread its wings and flew toward Wangxian Temple. Not long afterward, another message arrived in return. Surprisingly, it was Yan Jiuling who had written back. He had decided to descend the mountain immediately, and return to Chang'an to seek official orders from Li Siyuan to drive those troops away.

Although Yan Jiuling himself kept a low profile, Sha Lifei had managed to pry into his background. Yan Jiuling's grandfather had once been a renowned Confucian scholar at White Deer Academy. Though the old man had passed away long ago, many still remembered him and placed value on the bonds between teacher and student.

Li Siyuan, the Provincial Administration Minister of Shanzhou, was one of those former students. As for Tang Yang, the Regional Military Commissioner, he had sensed which way the political winds were blowing before the New Year, and had aligned himself with the Li Family. Whether or not he was directly involved in this incident, the Li Family's words would likely carry considerable weight with him.

After reading the letter, Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled. "This Young Master Yan has the physiognomy of a fortunate man, and carries righteousness within his heart. He'll surely accomplish great things in the future."

Li Yan nodded. "A favor owed should naturally be repaid. Once we reach Yichang, we'll go first to his residence and treat his mother's illness."

With the matter settled, the three entered the blessed land's spiritual node to take a look around. Inside, the chamber was completely empty and spotlessly clean, with walls constructed of neatly stacked bluestone. At its center stood a stone platform, forming the traditional layout of a round heaven above and square earth below.

Since every Daoist lineage had its own unique method of constructing a new floor for their inner temple, the Pure Yang Courtyard had wisely refrained from installing any formations of its own. The only thing they provided was a square stone altar. Once properly arranged, it would become a ritual altar.

By the time they had finished making all the necessary preparations, dusk had already fallen.

Just as before, Li Yan spread a yellow cloth across the ground, covered the surrounding walls with yellow talismans, and, following the positions of the Earthly Branches, lit twenty four Soul-Guiding Lotus Lamps in a circle around himself.

The number of lamps had doubled compared to last time.

This time, he had also purchased a Yin Yang Eight Trigrams Bronze Mirror. Much like the lamps, it was also a consumable spiritual artifact. Though inexpensive, it would help maintain the balance of yin and yang during cultivation.

Once everything had been arranged, Lu San and Wang Daoxuan pulled the stone door tightly shut. With a deep rumbling sound, the chamber was plunged into complete darkness.

Li Yan paid it no mind. Sitting cross-legged, he calmed his mind and adjusted his state until it reached its peak. Before he realized it, midnight was approaching.

Once he was ready, he opened his eyes, struck a fire starter, and lit each lotus lamp one by one. A dim yellow glow immediately illuminated the pitch-black cavern.

He had already constructed his inner temple, and after cultivating the Northern Emperor Yin Mountain Rite over this period, activating the ritual altar once again came as naturally as breathing.

He stepped in the formation of the Big Dipper, each step corresponding to a celestial star. He was utterly focused, as though paying homage to the immortals, while his hands formed the Inverted Lotus Luofeng Hand Seal.

In mere moments, an icy, sinister aura rose from beneath the ground. Suddenly, it thrust at him like a drawn sword. Li Yan smoothly evaded it, guided it with his hand seal, and sprayed a mouthful of consecrated water.

In an instant, wind sprang up across the level ground. The lotus lamps flickered unsteadily as the innate astral qi and killing qi throughout the entire spiritual node connected with the ritual altar, surging in from every direction.

Li Yan sat cross-legged and circulated the Luofeng Scripture as he entered meditation. He felt his surroundings growing ever darker, until only the lotus lamps remained, protecting his consciousness as he started his Spirit Visualization.

The scenery around him changed once more as he entered a strange state. Below, black mist churned like an endless sea. Above, white vapors revolved like swirling clouds. Then, a towering black mountain slowly rose from the depths. It was none other than the visualized Mount Luofeng.

Upon Mount Luofeng stood an ancient temple, within which resided the deity he had visualized. This was the Luofeng Divine Palace, also known as the Palace of Night Radiance. Below it stretched the Yin Sea.

After his previous sessions cultivating the Northern Emperor Yin Mountain Rite, Mount Luofeng had grown steadily taller, already displaying an imposing and precipitous grandeur. The temple on it had expanded considerably as well.

Li Yan calmly formed one hand seal after another, carefully sensing every change. Gradually, he merged with the deity within the temple. While continuing to form hand seals, he first used the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to enact the transformations of Heaven before stabilizing everything.

The entire surrounding space seemed to fall under his control as he continuously expanded the boundaries of his visualization realm by drawing upon the astral qi and killing qi from the outside world.

A deafening rumble echoed in his mind and before long, the black Yin Sea below expanded rapidly. It surged like a storm tide as it crashed madly against Mount Luofeng.

At the second level of cultivation, the key was no longer opening the yin and yang, but rather raising the Heaven by one foot while deepening the Earth by one foot, condensing both yin and yang qi even further.

Naturally, the dangers increased as well. Under the relentless pounding of the Yin Sea, Mount Luofeng seemed as though it could collapse at any moment.

Li Yan did not dare slacken in the slightest, guarding his mind with utmost vigilance.

Gradually, Mount Luofeng stabilized. Then, little by little, it began rising once more. At the same time, atop the Divine Palace, yin and yang underwent another transformation. Dense black-and-white mists churned and revolved together, as though something was being conceived within them.

Outside the spiritual aperture of the Stone Chamber of Lord Yang, Lu San, who was standing guard, suddenly sensed something. He immediately looked up.

"Daoist, look!"

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly raised his head as well, his eyes widening in shock.

A faint ghostly light had appeared above White Ram Peak. It drifted back and forth like ghostfire, yet without any of ghostfire's sinister aura. Its dim glow looked more like someone carrying a lantern, floating gently through the air, transformed into a divine lamp.

"So the legend is true." Stroking his beard, Wang Daoxuan smiled, his eyes filled with curiosity. After watching for a while, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "We cultivators follow the laws of Heaven and Earth, of yin and yang. Yet the Great Dao is infinitely profound. How could human effort ever fully comprehend it?

"There are countless phenomena that even those of the Daoist world cannot explain. In the end, they can only be attributed to immortals and gods, making them sound ever more mysterious. These Divine Lanterns of Mount Hua are probably one such example."

Just then, another light appeared.

"Two lanterns are lit!"

A childlike smile appeared on Lu San's face. Even to him, this was an extraordinary spectacle. No sooner had he spoken than a third lantern lit up. The three divine lanterns resembled fireflies as they circled one another, connected head to tail while spiraling gracefully through the air.

Meanwhile, atop the mountain opposite them, two elderly Daoists sat cross-legged. One of them was none other than Jing Xuzi, the Supervising Elder of the Pure Yang Courtyard.

"This young man truly is rather extraordinary." Jing Xuzi smiled. "Lighting three Divine Lanterns puts him on par with ordinary disciples of the orthodox sects. I also heard that he's cultivated entirely on his own, without the guidance of any master. Possessing such aptitude under those circumstances is indeed remarkable."

Turning toward the old man beside him, he added, "But that's all there is to it. Senior Brother, I think you may be reading too much into this."

An elderly man was seated beside him. Even while sitting cross-legged, his back remained perfectly straight. Faint sword light flickered within his eyes, though his advanced age made it impossible to conceal the signs of old age.

The old man spoke calmly. "A few days ago, while observing the celestial phenomena at night, I discovered a thread of yin and yang qi beneath the mountain. Though faint, it was enough to give one pause.

"Later, the Immortal Pine on the mountain blossomed, an unmistakably auspicious omen. Sure enough, once this young man came up the mountain, he resolved the great calamity that had threatened Mount Hua."

Jing Xuzi laughed. "Senior Brother's art of observing qi is renowned throughout the world. This junior truly admires it."

The old man merely cast him a sidelong glance before snorting softly. "Why bother saying such empty compliments?"

He let out a long sigh, and weariness deepened in his eyes. "I've refused to yield all my life. In my youth, I roamed the world with sword in hand, competing against every worthy opponent, believing myself far above the mundane. Yet after looking back upon a hundred years, I find that I remain trapped within the mortal world all the same.

"Our Mount Hua Pure Yang Courtyard appears prosperous beyond measure, but Heaven and Earth are now undergoing transformation, and the Human Dao itself is changing. There is still not a single one among our disciples capable of supporting the heavens alone. I must undergo self-dissolution as soon as possible. Only then can I continue protecting all of you for another hundred years."

The moment Jing Xuzi heard those words, a look of anxiety flashed in his eyes. "Senior Brother..."

Before he could finish, the old man raised a hand to cut him off. "I've already made my decision. While I still have one breath left in me, I must seize the opportunity. If I continue hesitating, I'm afraid I won't even be able to complete it."

Jing Xuzi's eyes brimmed with reluctance. Turning once more toward the opposite mountain, he said softly, "Senior Brother, perhaps your reading was mistaken. Even if this young man possesses some fortunate destiny, it may only go so far. If something goes wrong..."

Before he could finish speaking, the words got stuck in his throat as another lantern lit up on the opposite peak.

Once the fourth lantern appeared, it was as though some hidden bottleneck had been broken through. One divine lantern after another burst into existence. In the end, nine of them revealed themselves, fully lit.

The nine flames gathered together, their brilliance growing noticeably brighter. Linked head to tail, they soared up and down through the night sky, winding like a living dragon.

Jing Xuzi stared in utter disbelief. "N-nine lanterns?!"

The old man burst into hearty laughter. "Just as I was back then! If nothing unexpected happens, he has undoubtedly obtained the fortune of the White Emperor. If I undergo self-dissolution upon Mount Hua through his hands, success will surely be achieved in a single stroke!

"Remember this. Within the entire Pure Yang Courtyard, only you know of this matter. Whether it succeeds or fails, you must never take your anger out on him!"

Though grief filled Jing Xuzi's eyes, he could only grit his teeth and agree, "Yes... Senior Brother."

Meanwhile, below, an unexpected change also occurred to Li Yan. A mysterious divine radiance suddenly illuminated the empty stone chamber, turning the entire cavern as bright as day.

Li Yan himself remained immersed in meditation and noticed none of it.

At the same time, at the outer edge of the Yin Sea in his sea of consciousness, a vague humanoid figure of light appeared. It strode across the sea with astonishing speed, like a streak of flowing light.

With a single whoosh, it shot directly into the swirling clouds surrounding the second floor of his inner temple.