Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 112: Those Four Months of Training, the Leader

In ancient times, the gods held Dan Yuan Dharma Assembly, where they refined various elixirs of immortality and shared them with each other. It was a pleasant and enjoyable thing for friends to gather together to discuss Taoism.

The style of Tongxuan Realm is not that high, but the Eight Scenic Spots, the number one orthodox religion in the world, invited two disciples from the Palace of Incarnation of Ten Thousand Beasts to participate in the Eight Scenic Spots Ceremony, which still made many people feel honored.

Especially for many low- and middle-level disciples in the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace, the fate of them and their families is closely related to the sect. Therefore, during this period of time, Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er, mother and daughter, are much happier when they go out to play, because they have gained the heartfelt respect of many people in the Palace.

There are only a few things that low- and middle-level sect disciples can do to improve the sect's reputation:
Break through to a higher realm in a relatively short period of time, but after so many years of development in the Tongxuan Realm, this has become very difficult. Cangjian Palace, Bajing Sect, Xiantian School, Western Region Tianhe Orthodox Sect, these famous sects all have disciples who want to condense the Sha Gang and refine the true form in the shortest possible time to win reputation for their own sects and to gain more attention from the sects. As a result, the Sha Gang goes in the wrong direction, and the lighter ones’ skills are completely wasted, and the heavier ones explode and die on the spot.

Moreover, some geniuses in cultivation only need three to five years to reach the level of Condensing Sha, and only seven to eight years to reach the level of Refining Gang. It is almost impossible for ordinary disciples of sects to catch up with this speed of cultivation.

Apart from that, creating and improving magic formulas and sword techniques, defeating the predecessors of both the righteous and evil sects, and refining golden elixirs are all life-threatening matters.

In comparison, the Eight Scenery Assembly has both benefits and the safety is guaranteed by the Eight Scenery. At the same time, the number of participating disciples from various sects will also affect the overall evaluation of each sect by the Tongxuan Realm.

For example, in recent years, there have been several sects in the Xuanmen that have solid basic skills and quite a few disciples. In addition, the Tianhe Orthodox Sect has closed its doors, and there have been voices in the Tongxuan Realm that want to kick Tianhe out of the ranks of the eight top orthodox sects.

Although this is actually impossible, as long as Master Jiao is still alive, it will be meaningless no matter how many second- and third-rate sects in the Xuanmen try to make a move.

But Master Jiao doesn't care. If you were a disciple of Tianhe, how could you not care?
Inside the Thunder and Fire Hall of the Heavenly Palace, people were toasting each other at the long jade table. On the day that Lu Cheng received the invitation to the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, he had already closed the door to visitors.

However, you can avoid other people, but it is difficult to avoid visits from teachers, fellow students and senior brothers and sisters.

Feast and discuss philosophy.

Among those who came to congratulate Lu Cheng, in addition to the second senior sister Wu Lingjun and the youngest junior sister Xiao Yuxue, there were also the fifth senior brother Niu Meng and the sixth senior brother Zhong Li Ling, all of whom had higher cultivation than Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng, his concubine Xue Yuzhen, and his daughter Yun Ling'er hosted a banquet and entertained them warmly.

"Brother, I have cultivated the mixed beast body refining method and the great power of all beasts. Today, I will take advantage of the wine to let you taste it."

After the wine was drunk at the banquet, Niu Meng walked into the spacious banquet hall while talking.

"rise!"

His tongue uttered thunderous sounds, and with the circulation of his magical powers, his body suddenly changed into a giant hundreds of feet tall. Huge horns grew on his forehead, and thick bear skin appeared on his skin. His body was solid and his strength was immense. When he reached a high level of cultivation, he could move mountains and cross seas, and had the courage to resist any man.

Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er, who were also at the banquet, were so shocked when they saw this change for the first time that they almost dropped their wine glasses.

Although they had some knowledge, it was their first time to witness the exquisite Taoist methods of a top sect up close.

As Niu Meng performed his boxing skills, all his muscles, bones, and flesh were tangled and moving like a mad python. His boxing skills seemed rough, but in fact they contained exquisite and deadly moves, and were extremely fierce.

In a real fight, Niu Meng would not easily change to such a huge size, but in normal form he could also exert 70% to 80% of the defense and strength of a hundred-meter giant. Once he explodes, he can dominate the world with martial arts alone, even without any magic, and few can stop him.

Lu Cheng has the meridian-severing sword energy and the innate school's innate qi catching essence magic power. The condensed magic power is actually very suitable for practicing these close combat martial arts. In fact, in "Nine Heavens" there are also body refining monks and close combat methods.

However, Lu Cheng felt that it was foolish to use his fists instead of using a sword, so even though he knew a lot, he cherished his body and never wanted to use them.

Now his magic power and sword energy are almost as sharp as a real flying sword. Lu Cheng feels that he can comprehend the essence of it to some extent and integrate it into his own fighting methods.

"When you have time, you can go to the Bull Palace to learn from him. Niu Meng's martial arts should be the best in the Heavenly Palace except for Master."

"Old Nine, Brother, I am practicing Heaven-Swallowing Kill. No matter if my opponent is a huge army or a sword or magic spell, I will swallow them all in one gulp and move them into my Ten Thousand Beasts Formation."

Fifth brother Niu Meng finished his practice, shrank his body and returned to the banquet. Sixth brother Zhongli Ling appeared again. At this point, Lu Cheng knew that these were several senior sisters and brothers who had specially prepared for him to participate in the Eight Scenery Assembly and to display their years of Taoist practice experience.

In a broader sense, Lu Cheng represented the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Sect in attending the Eight Scenes Dharma Assembly. In a narrower sense, such performance by the senior sisters and brothers would also help improve their impression in the master's mind.

Of course, Lu Cheng accepted all the benefits, so he also had to be grateful in his heart.

Zhongli Ling was of unusually tall stature, with light golden hair that flowed loosely over his shoulders. Just standing in front of the banquet, he looked majestic, like a god or general from heaven.

He asked Lu Cheng, Xue Yuzhen and Yun Ling'er to cast spells on him as much as they wanted.

Lu Cheng and Xue Yuzhen smiled at each other and each unleashed their own sword energy. Yun Linger used all her magic power and even sacrificed a magic weapon.

However, Zhongli Ling sneered slightly, suddenly opened his mouth and sucked!
"Mad Lion Devouring the Sky!"

Roar.

Along with the roar of the beast, the image of a mad lion opened its huge mouth, and the sword energy of Lu Cheng and Xue Yuzhen, and Yun Linger's magic weapon, turned into rays of light and fell into Zhongli Ling's big mouth, and he swallowed them all!

Click, click.

"Well, little girl, that golden bell magic weapon you just used is pretty good, crispy and refreshing."

Zhongli Ling laughed loudly, but he was most fond of Yun Ling'er who was trying her best. Seeing the little girl's face full of heartache and reluctance, he simply took out a bunch of magic weapons from his Qiankun bag and pushed them to her.

"Oh, how can I let you spend so much money." Xue Yuzhen felt a little embarrassed, but he also knew that it was not good to refuse in such an occasion.

"Why don't you thank you, Uncle Zhong." Lu Cheng's mind was mostly on the spell he had just spoken, so he said casually.

For Zhongli Ling, at his level, he would not be short of these low-level magical weapons.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhong."

Yun Linger took the magic weapon with a slightly happy expression.

"Mad Lion Swallows the Sky to Kill! I'm not afraid of knowing a thousand moves, I'm just afraid of one ultimate move! Although Senior Brother Zhong said that he is only proficient in this one move, the power of this move can kill anyone who is not as good as him, even if the opponent is outnumbered. Even to those who are much more powerful than him, it is still a great threat."

At the banquet, Zhongli Ling returned to the table.

Finally, the second senior sister Wu Lingjun held up her wine glass and said with a smile:
"Ninth Junior Brother, this period of time is the critical period for Senior Sister to cultivate her true form, so I will not practice Taoism with you. I will give Ling'er a small gift."

As she spoke, Wu Lingjun lightly shook the wine glass and then poured it down. The nectar-like wine rolled into a ball and froze in mid-air, forming a picture of a cold dragon spitting pearls. The cold dragon was lifelike and the ice ball was extremely exquisite.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Senior Sister."

Lu Cheng took over the ice ball on behalf of Yun Ling'er, feeling the flow of energy in it and seemed to have some understanding.

The monks of the Ten Thousand Beasts Incarnation Palace practiced the Ten Thousand Beasts Taoism. Wu Lingjun, Niu Meng, and Zhong Li Ling demonstrated their own Ten Thousand Beasts Taoism to Lu Cheng to enhance his foundation. Although the banquet was in the late stage, Lu Cheng also went on stage to practice a set of sword techniques.

But none of the three people present were proficient in swordsmanship. No matter how brilliantly Lu Cheng's sword techniques were displayed, the gains of the three were relatively limited.

"Brother Lu, although I didn't get an invitation to the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, all the Jindan Zhenren of previous Dharma Assembly will receive invitations. Daddy has promised to let me go to broaden my horizons."

When the banquet ended that night and everyone left on a cloud, Xiao Yuxue suddenly turned around and conveyed her thoughts to Lu Cheng.

This is normal. There are probably no more than twenty Golden Elixir True Immortals in the entire Tongxuan Realm. Only cultivators who have formed top-grade golden elixir can be called True Immortals.

The golden elixir turns nine times, and there will be no regrets when the elixir is completed.

The first to third grades are the top grade golden elixir. The cultivators who have formed elixir beyond these are only the grandmasters of the golden elixir. Some people say that the gap between the grandmaster of the golden elixir and the real golden elixir is as big as the gap between the ninth level of the refining gang and the real golden elixir. Although this statement is exaggerated, it is not entirely without reason.

Every time the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly is held, Jindan Zhenren will be invited. These Zhenren usually do not attend the ceremony, but will send their relatives and disciples to taste the Yuxu Yandao Fruit.

Xiao Yuxue's sister and senior brother will be attending the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly this time, so there is no reason for Master Huang Longzi not to allow Xiao Yuxue to go and gain knowledge and accumulate experience.

Under the premise that safety is relatively guaranteed, this is indeed a grand event in the world of Tongxuan.

The next day, another servant from the palace brought an invitation. When Lu Cheng opened it, he saw that it was Senior Sister Xiao Yuhong, the head of Mingxin Palace, who invited him.

"Sister once participated in the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly and received the comment of 'Jade Sword Flying Rainbow'. This time she asked me to go, probably to give me some experience so that I can be prepared."

After a brief thought, Lu Cheng understood the whole story. He immediately changed his clothes, put on a linen Taoist robe, straw sandals, and a wooden hairpin, and flew to the residence of Senior Sister Xiao Yuhong in Mingxin Hall on his sword.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Palace covers a large area, but it is not so large that a teleportation array is needed. A cup of tea later, Lu Cheng had already arrived in front of the Mingxin Palace. After being informed, he entered the palace and, under the guidance of the waiter, he arrived at the backyard of the Mingxin Palace, where Xiao Yuhong practiced her magic power on a daily basis.

Pushing the door open, Lu Cheng saw the beautiful lady again.

The simple stone room for training had nothing in it except a cushion and a female cultivator in white sitting on it. She was unlike Xiao Yuxue, who was delicate and charming, and worthy of protection and pity.

Xiao Yuhong was sharp and bright, just like the light on a sword, firm and sharp. Therefore, even though she looked almost exactly like Xiao Yuxue, her completely different temperament would make it impossible to mistake her for someone else.

"Ninth Junior Brother, you are here."

Xiao Yuhong lightly tapped the stone bed and flew up. She came to Lu Cheng's side and walked out. Lu Cheng naturally followed behind.

Xiao Yuhong was a straightforward person and didn't like to beat around the bush. So she got straight to the point:

"Father asked you to set your cultivation level before because the Eight Scenes Dharma Assembly is divided into two major fields, the Foundation Building and the Condensation of Evil Spirits, which are further divided into six smaller fields. Junior brother, you are at the peak of the middle stage of the Foundation Building. You can get a place in the six smaller fields, and even... Father hopes that you can go further." When he said this, Xiao Yuhong looked at Lu Cheng deeply. "In previous years, the Eight Scenes Dharma Master Assembly prepared nine treasures. Obtaining them will be of great benefit to your future cultivation, and even to the sect. Junior brother should do his best."

After hearing this, Lu Cheng thought for a moment and understood the rules of the Eight Scenery Ceremony:
There is one large battle for foundation-building monks, and one each for early, middle, and late stage monks.

There is one big match for the Condensing and Refining Gang cultivators, and one each for the early, middle, and late stage cultivators. This makes up two big matches and six small matches.

The Master of the Eight Landscapes will prepare nine treasures as a prize. If Lu Cheng breaks through in this period, he will not only be at a disadvantage in the battle with the cultivators in the late stage of foundation building, but he will also inevitably get one less treasure. Instead, his cultivation is suppressed like now. According to Master Huang Longzi's intention, Lu Cheng will be able to protect his first place, and then compete for the top spot among the cultivators in the late stage of foundation building depending on the situation.

"Having a master with profound cultivation and broad knowledge can really help you avoid many detours and gain countless advantages on the road of cultivation."

Lu Cheng was sighing in his heart, but he didn't notice that Xiao Yuhong was leading him all the way to the spacious back mountain.

When Xiao Yuhong turned around, he noticed his surroundings.

"I know that you are very talented and have excellent swordsmanship. However, all the cultivators who can participate in the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly are outstanding figures of the younger generation in the Tongxuan Realm. We are carrying the expectations of our teachers and should work hard."

"Junior brother, if you have time, you can practice sword skills with me in the near future, exchange experiences, and help each other."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng bowed his head and naturally would not refuse.

Fellow Taoists at the same level can still benefit greatly from communicating frankly with each other, not to mention that Xiao Yuhong in front of him has already reached the sixth level of Condensation of Demonic Realm.

She is only a few years older than Xiao Yuxue, but her personality is completely different from her sister.

Today's actions were obviously intended to help him win the championship of the Eight Scenery Assembly and add glory to the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace.

"Then I will have to ask Senior Sister for advice during this period of time."

Xiao Yuhong is only five years older than Xiao Yuxue, but her magical powers far exceed her sister's. On the one hand, it is because she has reached the realm of "condensing the evil spirit and embracing the elixir, and refining the true form", which allows her to increase her magical powers with the help of the essence of the true breath of heaven and earth. On the other hand, it is also because she has a solid foundation in Taoism, so she has made rapid progress.

Lu Cheng guessed that if it was Xiao Yuxue, Master Huang Longzi and Madam Baoxiang, they would probably keep an eye on her all the time, for fear that she would be greedy for merit and advance recklessly, thus ruining her path.

At the same time, deep in the Southern Wilds, in the Yinshan Moyun Cave, the leader of the Southern Demon Cult, Yinshan Zhenren, was sitting sideways on the throne, scolding his disciples:
"During the last Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, you didn't bring me any secret treasures for transcending tribulations. If you return empty-handed again this time, don't blame me for not considering the relationship between master and disciple..."

"Please rest assured, Master."

Under the seat of Yinshan Zhenren, all the disciples, led by the third disciple Bai Luzi, kowtowed like crazy and responded in unison.

In the Eight Scenery Dharma Assembly, there were actually quite a lot of disciples participating from the twelve orthodox sects in the world (the four major demonic sects are also orthodox) and the sixteen evil sects. There were fewer disciples participating from the Palace of Incarnation of Ten Thousand Beasts because Huang Longzi attained enlightenment quite early and took refuge in the Western Regions with his wife to cultivate for immortality and enjoy a carefree life, so he accepted fewer disciples early.

However, Yinshan Zhenren attained enlightenment relatively late, and founded the Southern Demon Cult also late. Therefore, most of the disciples he taught were able to catch up with the upper limit stipulated by this Eight Scenery Conference. They had a large number of people and profound magical powers, and had a great advantage.

In addition, there will be some outstanding figures from second- and third-rate sects in the Xuanmen and overseas cultivators who will receive invitations.

Therefore, the same scene and similar situations are also happening in the mountain gates of various sects. Although ordinary Jindan masters do not have forty-nine tribulations, they also have various tribulations such as demon tribulations, life tribulations, external tribulations, etc., and they do not have the magic power of Jindan Zhenren. Once the tribulation comes, they often turn into ashes, and hundreds of years of cultivation are completely destroyed.

Therefore, they also require their disciples to compete for the secret treasures that can help them transcend tribulations, and promise them countless benefits. Participating in the Eight Scenery Ceremony is the easiest and safest way to obtain such secret techniques and treasures, and of course they will do their best.

Four months later, in the Western Regions’ Ten Thousand Beasts Palace, there was a dense forest in the wilderness behind the mountain.

The bright sunlight shines through the treetops, casting a mottled shadow on the mud and stone path in the forest. Two figures follow each other closely, shuttling quickly through the dense forest like a gust of wind.

The woman in Taoist attire had fluttering sleeves, long black hair like a waterfall, and a cold and focused gaze. The Yuhong sword in her hand, along with the deep and endless true evil in her body, transformed into brilliant sword energy. Wherever the sword went, it was so sharp that it could cut through the void, making it difficult for anyone who stood in her way to escape.

On the other hand, her opponent was a young Taoist with five-colored light flowing around him. The five five-element flying swords surrounding him had almost lost their sword form and turned into five brilliant lights that were barely visible and barely visible, and they were in a stalemate of attack and defense.

Clang.

The two men clashed with each other, their swords facing each other, like anvils striking each other, and a deafening roar of swords rang out.

The sharp and fierce intention spread out, causing many leaves in the surrounding forest to sway and fall.

These two people, of course, are Xiao Yuhong and Lu Cheng.

Xiao Yuhong originally only planned to give Lu Cheng some advice for a few days, and then prepare for the battle with all her strength, and adjust her body and mind to a relatively perfect state before the Eight Scenery Ceremony.

It's just inexplicable that this sword fight between the two people with such a huge difference in skills continued.

Even Xiao Yuhong herself had to admit that she had gained a lot and improved day by day in the past four months. Junior Brother Lu's talent in swordsmanship was far superior to her own.

Xiao Yuhong's magical power is powerful and profound. When he performs the Jade Dragon Sword Technique, every sword move is like moving mountains, with astonishing power.

Lu Cheng struggled to block more than ten sword strikes, and then he felt that Xiao Yuhong's flying sword seemed to be sharp, but in fact it was smooth and seamless.

The flying swords' sword energy either tore, pulled, pushed, or exploded in the astonishingly dense heaven and earth vital energy of Guizang Mountain. Almost every sword was in sync with the flow of vital energy.

It looks like flying a sword, but in fact it is using the sword to draw the energy and controlling the sword with the mind. It is the most superior and orthodox Taoist way of refining the mind and controlling the energy with swordsmanship.

"The nature of the dragon? It seems that this Senior Sister Xiao intends to cultivate the true dragon blood in her body and use the sword to perform the way of the dragon flying to the sky."

After more than a dozen strikes, the vitality of heaven and earth flowed along with Xiao Yuhong's sword. When it reached a certain limit, Lu Cheng was almost at war with a small world. With his current magical power, how could he stop it?

Since I can't stop it, then I won't stop it.

Lu Cheng attacked Xiao Yuhong fiercely with a sword, and then he "disappeared" out of thin air in Xiao Yuhong's perception!
All I see is swords, where is the enemy?
At this moment, Xiao Yuhong's sword power had been pushed to the peak. To use an inappropriate analogy, it was as if she was holding a small world and was ready to swing it to hit someone. This sword power should have been unstoppable, but she couldn't find Lu Cheng for a while.

Lu Cheng's fierce sword attack just now, the sword intent affected Xiao Yuhong's mind for a moment, and then he disappeared. Xiao Yuhong knew that he could not hide for long, but she could not hold on for long in this state either.

"He has finally mastered the Five Elements Sword Escape Technique!"

Lu Cheng has five frequently used third-grade top-grade flying swords: Chunjun, Yaoshi, Baiyu, Chiyan, and Cangfeng.

He used his own five energies to build his foundation, and with the five flying swords integrated with his own sword, he cultivated the Five Elements Escape Techniques: Golden Mist Escape, Water Illusion Escape, Wood Hide Escape, Fire Absolute Escape, and Thick Earth Escape.

The Five Elements Escape Technique itself is not an extremely advanced escape technique and has been circulated in the Tongxuan Realm for a long time, but in Lu Cheng's hands it showed amazing effectiveness and power.

The key to sword fighting is to avoid the real and attack the fake. I can attack the enemy, but the enemy cannot attack me. Lu Cheng initially relied on the Heavenly Soldiers and Divine Generals Method to protect himself, and now he has mastered the Five Elements Sword Escape Technique. Even with Xiao Yuhong's profound foundation and spiritual power, he will not be able to see through his hiding place in a short time.

At the critical moment, Xiao Yuhong could only decide on the spot, roughly guessing the most likely direction, and striking down with a sword.

The Yuhong Sword carried an aura as huge as a small mountain, violently splitting the earth and leaving a deep and long sword mark that spread out.

Spread the sword energy. If Lu Cheng is indeed hiding in this direction, then even the aftermath of the sword energy will make him appear.

But the reality was that Lu Cheng suddenly appeared behind her and slashed with a sword. The tip of the sword left pure sword marks in the air, like flying snow all over the sky. The cold sword energy filled the air and went straight to Xiao Yuhong's vital points.

The sword light slashed at the real dragon's evil spirit, and the dragon shape flew around and roared violently.

"Go!"

Xiao Yuhong gave a light shout, and with a gesture of the sword in his hand, the Yuhong Sword instantly turned into a long platinum rainbow, crossing the sky and colliding head-on with the flying snow.

Clang.

The two powerful flying swords collided violently, bursting out with brilliant sword light that spread like ripples. The surrounding trees were shaken to the point that their leaves fell like rain, and even the grass and trees on the mountaintops were shaking at this moment.

Finally, Lu Cheng took back the White Jade Sword, and Xiao Yuhong also took back the Jade Rainbow Sword. The two of them took a step back, and the exchange ended here.

As a cultivator in the Condensed Evil Realm, even though his spiritual consciousness and magic power were stronger than his opponent's, he was slashed by his opponent's sword and his protective True Evil was severely damaged. No matter what, he lost. With Xiao Yuhong's character, she would certainly not deny it, but she still had doubts in her heart:
"I've wanted to ask you for a long time, why are you able to guess my judgment every time, and then suddenly draw your sword when I least expect it? Is there some instinctive habit that I don't know about?"

"That's not the case. It's just that after fighting with others for many times, I naturally know a few blind spots of most people. Especially if I am familiar with the opponent's personality, it is easy to judge the opponent's judgment."

"I always feel that you use very plain words to say something very impressive. Forget it, with your cultivation and swordsmanship, it should not be difficult to fulfill father's expectations."

They have been together almost day and night for four months. Even with Xiao Yuhong's slightly cold personality, she has gradually become familiar with him. She greatly admires Lu Cheng's talent in swordsmanship.

He even said something like "it shouldn't be difficult", but then Xiao Yuhong sighed softly. It would not be difficult for Lu Cheng to win the top spot in the middle or even late foundation building stage, but Xiao Yuhong did not have enough confidence in herself.

She wanted to share the burden with her father and obtain a secret treasure to overcome the tribulation, but in all the previous Eight Scenery Dharma Meetings, this kind of magic weapon was the most sought-after and the most difficult to obtain.

"Senior Sister Xiao seems to have something very important on her mind. She and Junior Sister Yuxue are two completely different characters."

Lu Cheng could vaguely sense that Xiao Yuhong was worried, but he didn't know what it was exactly, so naturally he had no way of explaining it. And the thing that could make Xiao Yuhong so embarrassed didn't seem to be something he should be asking about or worrying about right now.

After the sword fight, the two of them flew back to the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace together.

(End of this chapter)