INE Chapter 114: Sword Saint

The tea on the stone table had long cooled.

Gong Yu picked up the porcelain cup, took a sip, and then set it back on the table, not taking a second drink.

At this time of year, she would usually be lounging in bed, reading sword manuals or grading her disciples' papers.

But today was a special day, and she didn't want to waste it. So, she sat in the Yanhui Pavilion and brewed a pot of tea.

A few days ago, someone had ignored the seal on the Chixiao Sword and taken it away.

Mei Lixue and Kongji had asked her for the formation compass to track the person’s location, and she had given it to them.

She guessed that by now, they had found the thief who had stolen the sword.

Whether the person who took the Chixiao Sword was the seemingly dead Gu Baiyi or someone else, Gong Yu no longer cared.

The righteous path and the Demon Sect would surely fight over this sword. Even the usually peaceful Bodhi Sect would find it difficult to stay out of the chaos.

Gong Yu ran her finger along the intricate patterns on the tea cup.

The sound of her nails lightly tapping the porcelain was crisp.

She smiled faintly and murmured, “It’s better this way. Let the chaos begin.”

Whether from the righteous sect or the demonic one, none of them were good people. For their own interests, they had used false pretenses to force their master to her death.

So none of them would be able to live comfortably.

Gong Yu’s gaze shifted to the green bamboo planted beside the pavilion, and many memories flooded back to her.

She remembered the rain in Xuanji City.

She remembered the moment Mei He had looked lost when he saw that girl.

She knew what he was thinking.

Ji Rong, with her resemblance to their master and her yin body, was the perfect vessel.

Using ancient forbidden techniques, Mei He could summon their master’s soul, and then use Ji Rong’s body to bring their master back to life. His plan was flawless.

But Gong Yu didn’t want to see him succeed.

For the past hundred years, Gong Yu had been thinking about revenge.

She wanted to see the demons fight among themselves, and to find out if the righteous sects would turn on each other when faced with temptation.

But Mei He, by nature, was weak, so she could only trap him using the River Seal. After that, she could move freely without being constrained.

Yet now that the big event was about to unfold, Gong Yu suddenly felt a sense of boredom.

Why was she bored? She didn’t know.

Perhaps it was because, after all these years of numbness, there was nothing left in her heart but hatred.

Maybe there was something else, but it only appeared in her dreams.

Gong Yu often dreamt of Yue Qianqiu.

In her dreams, the master would always smile at her and patiently teach her sword techniques.

She knew it was a dream because her master had already passed away and would never return.

But Gong Yu still spoke gently to Yue Qianqiu, telling her about everything that had happened over the past century.

There were big events, and there were small ones.

Like the letter she wrote to Mei He, she reported everything in detail, her voice low and gentle.

In the dream, Bai Yushuang and Chu Changli never interrupted, so Gong Yu spoke for a long time.

She said everything she had kept bottled up for a century. Only when she had said it all did she look at Yue Qianqiu and softly ask, “Master, your name was given to me by you, and my life was given by you. Since you’ve left, what meaning does my life, Gong Yu, still have?”

When Gong Yu woke up from the dream, her eyes were neither sad nor happy.

She suddenly understood. Although she longed to see her master, she also didn’t want to.

She thought, in her dream, her master was hers alone. Smiling only at her, speaking only to her.

But if her master was resurrected by Mei He, the revived master might not be the same. Even if the soul was the same, it would no longer be hers alone, but shared by all.

Gong Yu raised her hand and looked at her pale, slender fingers.

The skin was almost transparent, a little sickly.

It reminded her of the plain silk flower pinned in her hair when she sold herself to bury her father in Yue City a hundred years ago.

Recalling this, Gong Yu lowered her hand and let out a soft laugh.

Back then, she found it laughable that Mei He hadn’t saved their master, but now, after all his scheming to resurrect her, it seemed absurd.

But now, she understood.

Perhaps what couldn’t be obtained was the best after all.

Her master might truly be a celestial being, already returned to the immortal realm.

There was no such thing as a demonic seed or a true immortal in this world, and perhaps that was the fairest outcome for everyone.

After realizing everything, Gong Yu stood up and left the Yanhui Pavilion.

After walking a few steps, her gaze froze as she looked at the eaves of the pavilion.

She stared at the peach blossom petals that had gathered at the corner of the eaves.

Because it wasn’t just at the eaves, even her hair and robes were covered in tiny flower petals.

Like a hundred years ago, the petals had flown and scattered, covering the mountains and fields.

A hundred years later, the peach blossom rain had once again descended upon the world.

….

At the peak of the mountain in Divine Sect.

A trace of fresh blood dripped from Jiang Fei’s lips, but she didn’t raise her hand to wipe it away.

Because she still had to catch Feng He’s next sword.

Feng He looked at Jiang Fei, holding the Longyuan Sword, his face as expressionless as ever. “You’ve already received three swords.”

The implication was clear.

You’ve taken three of my swords; that’s enough.

Blood dripped onto the peach wood sword.

Jiang Fei had suffered internal injuries. Though her breathing was still relatively steady, she was already at her limits.

Feng He was a peak of Desperate realm. When they had fought just now, he had only used fifty percent of his strength.

But in the cultivation world, even a small step up made a huge difference. Not to mention, Feng He’s sword intent was already at the level of “no-self.”

Facing the number one on the Cultivation Ranking, Jiang Fei had taken three of his swords. If the world knew, they would surely be in awe, calling her a swordsmanship genius.

But Jiang Fei still wanted to take the fourth sword, so she raised her sword.

When Feng He saw Jiang Fei raise the peach wood sword, his expression finally changed.

His gaze was subtle, as if he were looking at a disobedient disciple. His tone was serious as he said to Jiang Fei, “Boring.”

This was no lie; it came from the bottom of Feng He’s heart.

He truly found Jiang Fei boring. She knew she couldn’t defeat him, yet still insisted on wasting his time.

But unexpectedly, she asked in return, “Why does Sect Leader Feng think I’m boring?”

It was the first time Jiang Fei had ever heard someone say that about her.

She was puzzled. Didn’t she know that she couldn’t beat Feng He? Yet, she still came to find him for a fight. Wasn’t that a bit of an interesting thing to do?

Feng He raised his Longyuan Sword with a blank expression and said, “Because you’re too immature.”

He was about to strike, fulfilling Jiang Fei’s wish, but his sword strike halted in midair.

Because he saw the fluttering peach blossoms.

The petals, carried by the eastern wind, drifted like snowflakes, scattering across the mountainside.

The mere peach blossoms weren’t the only reason Feng He stopped his strike.

The reason he didn’t defeat Jiang Fei with that sword was because a sword engraved with crane patterns had blocked it.

Feng He frowned as he looked at Mei He, who was standing in front of Jiang Fei.

According to the High Priest, the great formation of the Divine Sect could even imprison immortals, let alone someone like Mei He.

But Mei He wasn’t imprisoned under the wutong tree. Instead, she was smiling, standing right in front of him.

He looked at Mei He and asked, “Sect Leader Mei, how did you break the formation?”

Mei He answered, “I did not break the formation.”

“Then how did you escape?”

Mei He smiled, “The Divine Sect’s famed ‘Spirit Binding Formation’ was actually a formation written by my master in a book. I transcribed it for him, so I’m quite familiar with this formation.”

“Over a hundred years ago, when the sect was just founded and in need of funds, my master asked me to anonymously sell the formation to the High Priest of the Divine Sect.”

“One formation traded for five hundred swords. It was worth the exchange.”

Feng He fell silent.

The High Priest had long since fallen. Even if he wanted to question him, he couldn’t find anyone to do so.

So Feng He could only ask, “Then why didn’t you use the formation before?”

Mei He smiled and reached out, catching a falling peach petal. “Earlier, the game wasn’t over, and I was just waiting and observing. Now that the game has concluded, there’s no need to keep watching. Also…”

Mei He looked at Jiang Fei, who was standing behind her, eyes fixed on her.

Jiang Fei’s peachwood sword was stained with blood, her robes covered in dew and dust, but her eyes still shone brightly.

Though Jiang Fei wasn’t seriously injured, it didn’t mean Mei He could stand by and watch her disciple being beaten.

So she raised her Hegui Sword and said to Feng He, “Furthermore, you’ve struck my disciple. I, of course, have to take it back.”

…

The Cangming Sword pointed directly at the Samsara Beads.

Ji Rong raised her sword, and with the falling peach blossom rain, thousands of petals landed on the prayer beads.

The spiritual energy was as smooth as satin, brushing past the Samsara beads.

In the next moment, the Samsara Beads shattered suddenly.

The powder scattered in the wind, vanishing without a trace.

With the beads destroyed, Kongji felt the backlash and spat out a mouthful of blood.

He lifted his head and looked at Ji Rong, who was standing on the Qinglian.

When he saw her turn and lightly sheathe her sword, in that moment, the figure of a former acquaintance seemed to perfectly merge with her.

If he had lost to that person, Kongji wouldn't have been the least bit surprised.

Mei Lixue, though still young, didn’t understand what this peach blossom rain represented, but Kongji was very clear.

He thought to himself, if Ji Rong truly was that person, then the person standing next to her couldn’t possibly be…

The petals of the lotus, like glass, shattered, falling from the clouds.

Ji Rong lowered her gaze to Gu Baiyi, noticing that, at some point, a hanging fox had clambered onto her leg.

She really was a companion who knew how to hold onto the right support.

Gu Baiyi stood on the Chixiao Sword, meeting Ji Rong’s gaze.

There was a smile in her eyes as she extended her hand to Ji Rong and said, “Senior Sister, don’t be afraid, Baiyi will catch you.”

It was only when she saw this gesture that Ji Rong realized she was still floating in the air.

Just moments ago, the Qinglian had served as a stepping stone, but once it shattered, there was nothing left to support her.

Oh no.

Because Ji Rong had exerted more power than her cultivation level allowed, she had exhausted too much spiritual energy, and now she was completely drained.

But as she fell from the clouds, she wasn’t anxious at all. After all, she still had two swords and a pet with her.

And yet, it was Gu Baiyi who caught her.

She couldn’t help but sigh.

Sure enough, neither the swords nor the pet had any eyes.

Gu Baiyi caught Ji Rong and embraced her warmly.

She held Ji Rong close, much like Yue Qianqiu had done a hundred years ago when she crouched down and lifted her up on the arena.

Both of them were covered in peach blossoms.

Gu Baiyi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she gazed at Ji Rong and gently said, “Senior Sister, you look beautiful.”

This response was the same one she had given when she first saw the peach blossom rain.

At that time, she was still Chu Changli, playing in the courtyard with her sisters. After getting drunk, her consciousness had become a little fuzzy.

She had heard Yue Qianqiu say that a peach blossom rain would fall, but she didn’t know what that meant.

When Yue Qianqiu sheathed her sword, she understood.

After understanding, her master turned around and asked them if the peach blossom rain was beautiful.

Of course, it was beautiful.

What was beautiful was the moonlight, and also the frost that spread like the full moon.

But the most breathtaking part was the person standing in the center after the petals fell, holding the sword.

No color could compare to her smile.

At this moment, Mei Lixue looked at the two embracing each other, and her expression was no longer calm.

She had thought that with Kongji present, everything would go smoothly. But in the end, not only was the formation broken, but even the Bodhi Sect’s sacred artifact was lost.

She thought, it seemed like she needed to find Sect Leader Feng.

So, Mei Lixue crushed the token in her hand. After a moment, Feng He didn’t appear.

Her expression turned extremely ugly. Her lips moved slightly, asking Kongji, as if she were asking herself.

“Why?”

Kongji looked at the blood on his cassock, his expression slightly absent-minded. “Because one of those two practitioners is likely connected to the former Demon Lord, Chu Changli. As for the other…”

“She’s probably the Sword Saint herself.”