The End of the Immortal Path

"Then how should we coordinate with you?" Steward Luo asked cautiously.

Jiang Man shook his head. "Just act as you normally would, Steward Luo. Don’t give me any special treatment. I won’t be completing the mission, though."

"Alright, no problem," Steward Luo replied instantly.

How could he dare let Jiang Man complete the mission now? That would be the death of him.

Three days later, the sword was halfway out.

Seven days later, the sword was almost completely out.

「Nine days later.」

「July 13th.」

The Iron Sword had been pulled out completely.

Steward Luo saw it the instant the sword was pulled out.

He was utterly astounded.

It was the first time he had ever seen someone pull out a Spirit Sword with such ease.

Meanwhile, Lin Fei cautiously approached Jiang Man and told him he had found a remarkable sword under a large boulder.

Jiang Man froze. "There’s a sword under the boulder?"

"Naturally. Some swords are even buried in the earth," Lin Fei said.

Jiang Man fell silent.

’No wonder I couldn’t find the source of the Sword Intent. It seems what I’ve seen so far isn’t all the swords there are.’

Jiang Man then went to the spot Lin Fei had discovered.

It was indeed a sword under a boulder.

Its blade was covered in sand and dirt. It wasn’t thrust into the mountain peak, but looked as if it had been carelessly dropped and abandoned here.

The sword’s hilt had intricate patterns, giving it a very distinguished look.

Though somewhat rusted, its craftsmanship was still apparent.

’This sword must have been very expensive.’

Jiang Man reached out and touched it. He felt it was also held by some force, but it was much weaker.

After counteracting the force, he gave a slight tug, and the sword came free.

When it came out of the earth, however, only a small part of the blade was left.

"A Broken Sword?" Jiang Man found it a bit of a shame.

He then activated the Celestial Mirror Hundred Books.

’Since I’ve already picked it up, I might as well see if it’s junk.’

Soon, the pages of the book began to turn.

They stopped at the final page.

Jiang Man felt a tinge of disappointment. ’The last page means it wasn’t worthy of being recorded.’

’So I couldn’t find the Sword Intent after all.’

Soon, words began to manifest.

[The sorrow of a Broken Sword, the pain of a daughter’s loss. A relic of Meng Qiewei’s father, the most important sword he wielded in life. It was shattered by a frenzied Ting Fengyin, and the man was buried along with it. Abandoned in this land, it remained untouched. It once housed a sliver of Sword Intent.]

The moment he read the text, Jiang Man nearly threw the sword away.

’What did I just read?’

’The relic of Meng Qiewei’s father.’

’And it’s connected to a frenzied Ting Fengyin, no less.’

Jiang Man thought it over for a moment and came to a horrifying realization.

’Ting Fengyin was the one who killed Meng Qiewei’s father.’

’I’m screwed,’ Jiang Man lamented internally. ’If Meng Qiewei ever finds out I’m working for Ting Fengyin, is she going to kill me?’

He never imagined things would turn out like this.

He heaved a heavy sigh. ’People really shouldn’t know too much.’

’The more you know, the more it affects you, leading to uncontrollable situations.’

"What’s wrong with the sword?" asked Lin Fei, who was standing nearby.

He had seen Jiang Man frown, and his mood seemed off.

Jiang Man sighed again. "This might be my father-in-law’s relic."

Lin Fei: "???"

For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Jiang Man put the Broken Sword away.

He hadn’t expected to find so many things related to Meng Qiewei in such an insignificant place.

It was like he’d stumbled upon Meng Qiewei’s secret trove.

It seemed that when the fight happened back then, everything had fallen here.

However, the Broken Sword had once contained a sliver of Sword Intent. This was very likely the source of the Sword Intent he had been searching for.

It had merely seeped out of the Broken Sword and vanished to an unknown location.

Jiang Man searched the area but found nothing.

He wasn’t in a rush, though. It was mid-July, and the Magpie Bridge was about to open.

For now, all he had to do was stay here, read his books, and wait for the Magpie Bridge to open.

Once the Magpie Bridge opened, he would hold all the cards.

But...

’My location will definitely be revealed then. Should I show him the sword?’

Jiang Man decided he should. Perhaps it would allow him to learn more.

’Since I already know this much, my only option is to find a way to learn more.’

’Otherwise, I’ll be too passive.’

Jiang Man found a random spot and began to read.

Of the Thirty-Six Books of Ascension, he had fourteen left to read.

This time, he immersed himself completely in his reading.

After five days, he had finished two books.

After ten days, he had finished four.

After fifteen days, only eight books remained.

「August 1st.」

Everyone else was warily keeping an eye on Jiang Man, but he was more aware of the fluctuations in the Array. ’Those three from before must be making their move,’ he thought.

The people from the Lingyue Sect had also noticed and were setting up, waiting for their opponents to walk right into the trap.

That day, Jiang Man had just closed a book when he saw weeds sprouting at his feet.

The weeds began to cover everything around him, and then a stone stele approached from the distance.

He understood. ’The Magpie Bridge is open.’

’Ting Fengyin has come.’

In the blink of an eye, the stele came to a halt before Jiang Man.

The words on it were familiar.

Without hesitation, Jiang Man stepped through.

It was the same path as before. The first time he had come, he had met Meng Qiewei. Every time since, it had been Ting Fengyin.

A short while later.

Jiang Man saw the familiar spot with the fruit tree. This time, the tree was different.

It had become a blood-red fruit tree, completely different from before.

A man in silver armor was sitting beneath the tree, eating a piece of fruit and gazing out over the lake, lost in thought.

However, there were still bloodstains on his armor—even more than last time, it seemed.

Hearing footsteps, he turned his head toward Jiang Man. "Still at the Middle Stage of Golden Core? You’re slow."

Jiang Man fell silent.

’If I’d known, I would’ve just focused on breaking through to the Late Stage of Golden Core before coming in.’

"Strange," Ting Fengyin said, his curiosity piqued. "Given the talent you’ve shown, you should be at the Late Stage by now. Why are you still at the Mid-stage?"

"Because I’ve been busy with other things lately," Jiang Man explained casually.