The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 452 A Sword Comes from the West, A Celestial Immortal Descends
“This…” Zhao Ti scratched his head: “How would my nephew know?”

Yang Jian thought for a moment: "Could it really be someone from the Sima family? But where did the Sima family get the Four Illuminations Divine Skill from..."

Zhao Ti said, "Uncle, didn't Father say that knowing the Sima family sword technique doesn't mean one is a member of the Sima family? Otherwise, if that person had mastered the Four Illuminations Divine Skill, he would most likely be a member of the Yang family."

Yang Jian's face was grim. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "This matter is shrouded in mystery. It is probably related to the grudges and feuds among some of the elders in the family."

"Is it that complicated?" Zhao Ti couldn't help but rub his temples.

Yang Jian was silent for a moment: "Nephew, don't you plan to learn martial arts?"

Zhao Ti said, "Recently, I've thought about it carefully and feel that learning martial arts is a good option. There's no need to wait until I pass the imperial examination and achieve fame and success. I'll start practicing after the autumn examination is over."

"That's perfect, that's perfect!" Yang Jian exclaimed with delight. "Otherwise, it would be a real shame to waste my nephew's exceptional talent."

Zhao Ti humbly replied, "Uncle, you flatter me. What talent do I have? I may never be able to even begin to understand it."

"Then your uncle will come and give you pointers when you practice?" Yang Jian asked.

“Well… I think it’s better not to. Your uncle has his own things to do, and besides, the Four Illuminations Divine Skill cannot be known to others. If your uncle stays here for too long, won’t people become suspicious?” Zhao Ti said.

“That makes sense…” Yang Jian pondered. “Now that an outsider has mastered the Four Illuminations Divine Skill and is targeting the Yang family, it will surely cause a huge uproar within the family. The patriarch will definitely order a thorough investigation from the beginning. It’s best to be cautious.”

Zhao Ti said, "So, for now, nephew, you can figure it out on your own. If there's anything you don't understand, then you can try to ask your uncle for help."

Yang Jian nodded: "The Four Illuminations Divine Skill must not be revealed to anyone. As for the Peach Blossom Sword Technique, it is up to you. If you use this skill to control the sword technique, no one will notice anything amiss."

Zhao Ti said, "I understand..."

Yang Jian gave a few more instructions on the precautions for practicing the Four Illuminations Divine Skill, then turned and went out the window.

Zhao Ti picked up his book and continued reading. As midnight approached and he was about to go to bed, he suddenly looked out the window again.

A gentle breeze stirred the windowpane, and then a figure silently leaped in.

"Ah, Uncle..." Zhao Ti was stunned upon closer inspection; it was Yang Dian who had entered from outside.

Yang Dian's face was flushed. He was still by the window, but the strong smell of alcohol already wafted over. Zhao Ti's lips twitched. Just how much alcohol had he drunk? How could he smell so strongly of alcohol?
“Nephew!” Yang Dian said.

"Ah, Uncle, is there something you need to do so late at night? You drank a lot of wine last night, why aren't you resting yet?" Zhao Ti asked hurriedly.

"Actually, I wasn't drunk. I was just pretending to be drunk to save face for my brother-in-law. It was my brother-in-law who was really drunk," Yang Dian said with a hint of smugness.

"I see..." Zhao Ti didn't say much after hearing this. If he wasn't drunk, then he wasn't drunk. But his face and smell of alcohol really didn't look like he was sober.

"Nephew, your uncle is asking you, do you want to learn martial arts?" Yang Jian lowered his voice and asked mysteriously.

"Huh?" Zhao Ti blinked. "I don't have time to practice martial arts."

“Hey, you’ve managed to find time to practice all this time. Otherwise, if you pass the imperial examination and become an official, how will you protect yourself without any skills? Even if you find a master to protect you, it’s still not as good as having some means of self-defense on your own,” Yang Dian said.

Zhao Ti took a breath, wondering what this meant. Could it be that he was also going to pass on his martial arts skills?
"uncle……"

"Nephew, your uncle has a divine skill manual and a divine sword technique here. I will teach them to you. Practice them whenever you have time," Yang Dian said eagerly, seeing the doubt on his face.

"Ah?" Zhao Ti thought to himself, "As expected," but then looked troubled. "My uncle taught me the martial arts with good intentions, but I really don't know when I can start practicing."

"That's alright. Find some time this year to learn the basics first. Once you've mastered them, everything will be fine. Practice whenever you have time. It's better than being completely powerless," Yang Dian said.

“Alright…” Zhao Ti nodded, but then pondered, “Uncle, please don’t tell me about that Four Illuminations Divine Skill. Since this skill is a secret of the Yang family, it might bring you endless trouble. Besides, I’ve heard from my uncles that this skill is not easy to master. If it’s for this skill, then forget it.”

Yang Dian frowned upon hearing this and said, "I was going to pass on this internal skill to you, but since you are unwilling, and this skill does indeed have too many problems, let's choose another one. However, there is no need for swordsmanship. My divine sword technique was obtained from an ancient forbidden land. It has immense divine power. After mastering it, it may be able to split mountains and sever rivers, cleave wind and clouds, and cut stars!"

"Also obtained from an ancient forbidden land?" Zhao Ti looked at the other party with a puzzled expression. Are there many ancient forbidden lands? Yang Jian said that the Peach Blossom Sword Technique was obtained from an ancient forbidden land. Your sword technique was also obtained from an ancient forbidden land. It seems that many ultimate martial arts have been lost from ancient times to the present. They are hidden in some ancient places and few people in the world know them.

No wonder. According to the crow, back then, when humans fought against demons and heavenly demons, experts could fly and escape into the earth, ride the wind and void, their sword energy could stretch for hundreds of feet, and their magic was unpredictable. They could even summon the moon and pluck stars. But now, no one has seen or heard of anyone possessing such amazing skills. Could it be that they have all been lost?
It is estimated that most of them cherished their own knowledge, and since there were no more foreign enemies on the mainland, they gradually preferred to hide it in their own place of death rather than pass it on to others, or take it to their graves to turn to ashes with their bones.

"I wonder what kind of cultivation technique and swordsmanship Uncle... he's going to give me?" Zhao Ti couldn't help but feel curious. "From what Uncle said, that swordsmanship doesn't seem to be mastered yet, otherwise he wouldn't have said 'maybe'." "Hehe." Yang Dian chuckled. "Let's put aside the cultivation technique for now. Let's talk about this divine sword first. I haven't mastered it yet. It's an extremely ancient divine swordsmanship called... Celestial Immortal!"

"What? Celestial Immortal?" Zhao Ti was shocked upon hearing this. What a grand and arrogant name! Celestial Immortal, could it be a metaphor for this sword coming from beyond the heavens, as if wielded by an immortal, or as fast and indestructible as an immortal's body?

"It is indeed a celestial being descending from the heavens!" Yang Dian nodded emphatically: "On the night of the full moon, atop the white clouds, a sword came from the west, a celestial being descending from the heavens!"

"I survived countless near-death experiences in that ancient forbidden land to obtain this sword technique. It is an unparalleled sword art and peerless martial art. In the present world, it is estimated that there is few sword art that can surpass this divine sword technique of a celestial being descending from the heavens, but..."

"But what?" Zhao Ti asked.

"It's just that this sword technique is too difficult to master. I've been struggling with it for three months, and I still haven't even mastered the first move..." Yang Dian looked somewhat ashamed.

"With Uncle's talent, you haven't even mastered one move in three months?" Zhao Ti looked surprised, thinking to himself, "No wonder you didn't use it in the sword fight in the forest. It turns out you haven't mastered it. Otherwise, I would definitely be able to tell the difference with such powerful swordsmanship."

"Indeed, but once this sword technique is mastered, there will be no other sword technique in the world that can rival it. Especially the last move, Sword God's Smile, if mastered, it will have already entered the ranks of divine swords, transcending the realm of human power."

"The Sword God's Smile?" Zhao Ti was slightly stunned. So this sword technique really existed. He had thought it was made up when the other party mentioned it in the courtyard. It turned out that this sword technique really did exist.

“That’s right. This Celestial Flying Immortal Sword has nine forms. The last one is called Sword God’s Smile. Once you master this sword, you will become an immortal god and step into the realm of celestial gods. You will no longer be a mortal!” Yang Dian said.

"There are nine forms in total. Mastering them will make you an immortal, allowing you to enter the realm of gods and no longer be a mortal?" Zhao Ti was utterly shocked upon hearing this. Could there really be such a martial art in the world? One that could make a person become a god and ascend to immortality?

Although the mainland worships the Taoist Ancestor and the Heavenly Court, and Taoist palaces and celestial pavilions are set up everywhere, he never thought about immortals. Isn't such a thing just a legend? Is there really a powerful martial art or Taoist technique that can make people become immortals or gods?
"Exactly, this is also why the scions of various noble families frequently venture out to search for ancient relics. In ancient times, people could become gods by cultivating martial arts or Taoist arts. However, as time passed and the world changed, the continent suffered several calamities and disasters, and many years of apocalypse and decline. Many ancient cultivation sects disappeared, and many divine skills were lost. However, in each era, some elites went to various mountains and seas to search, and some did obtain ancient techniques. With minor success in cultivation, they could dominate the world and be invincible. After achieving great success, they either shattered the void directly at that time or shattered the vacuum in their later years, crossing space to go to the heavenly realm of gods and immortals!"

"Shatter the void? Destroy the vacuum? Go to the divine realm beyond the heavens?" Zhao Ti was even more surprised upon hearing this. Could it really be like this? This was probably similar to the Taoist concept of ascending to heaven in broad daylight.

“However, they are extremely rare, just a grain of sand in the Ganges, but they are all recorded in the classics, so they cannot be faked.” Yang Dian said, “Although most of them only dominated for a time and were invincible in the world, they were still enough to be the supreme ruler of a generation.”

"Then this Celestial Flying Immortal Sword Technique..." Zhao Ti rubbed his temples hard and looked at Yang Dian.

"This sword technique should be the legendary ancient skill that can cross the chasm between gods and men. However, it is too obscure and difficult to understand. Even if you understand it completely, it will be very difficult to cultivate. But once you master it, it can change your life state, allowing you to fly and escape into the earth, become a god or an immortal, and extend your life by countless years. It can also make you a supreme being in the world, seeking no one to defeat. How wonderful!" Yang Dian said with some excitement.

"Uncle, is this sword technique really that difficult?" Zhao Ti subconsciously touched his chin, then suddenly felt strange. Why would he suddenly make this gesture? He would never touch his chin for no reason before.

“Difficult, difficult, difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven.” Yang Dian said, “But the more difficult it is, the more it proves the immense power it will have after mastering it. This kind of martial art and swordsmanship can only be comprehended by peerless geniuses. How could ordinary people possibly dabble in it! I am a peerless genius myself, and I think your talent is also excellent, so you should be able to comprehend a bit of it as well!”

"Uncle...where did you get this kind of divine skill?" Zhao Ti was increasingly puzzled. If it was really such a divine skill, how could it be so easy to obtain? I'm afraid martial artists all over the world would fight tooth and nail to get it.

"Hehe..." Yang Dian said smugly, "There are seven ancient forbidden lands on the continent. A year ago, I made full preparations and secretly went to the White Cloud Forbidden Land. Legend has it that it was the place where the Lord of White Cloud City cultivated tens of thousands of years ago. It contains divine skills and secret techniques for becoming a god or immortal, but it is also full of dangers, with countless traps and mechanisms, and even guarded by evil spirits. I brought many things and treasures as backup. After going through all kinds of hardships and almost dying several times, I finally obtained this divine sword technique."

"How can I, your uncle, accept this without any merit or ability, having risked my life to obtain it?" Zhao Ti felt guilty. He did want such a divine skill manual, but it was something the other party had obtained through great effort, even risking his life and relying on luck. After all, the Seven Forbidden Lands of antiquity were not places of peace and danger. He felt ashamed to accept it so easily.

Yang Dian sighed upon hearing this and said, "Nephew, you don't know, Seventh Sister did a great favor for Thirteen and me. The favors we owed back then are too numerous to count. It's just a secret manual, what does it amount to?"

Zhao Ti asked in bewilderment, "Uncle, back then..."

Yang Dian waved his hand: "Family history, old grievances, let's not talk about it anymore."

He reached into his robes and pulled out a jade tube, handing it to Zhao Ti: "This is the Celestial Immortal Sword Technique that I obtained in the White Cloud Forbidden Land. Inside the tube is a jade scroll that records this technique. Although it is written in ancient script, you have studied for many years, so it should not be difficult for you to recognize it. As for understanding and comprehending it, that depends entirely on your own talent and hard work. After all, I haven't fully comprehended it yet. If I fully understand it in the future and you haven't, then it won't be too late for me to teach you the meaning."

Zhao Ti nodded without any hesitation and took the jade tube.

Yang Dian pondered for a moment and said, "As for the cultivation method, it's better not to learn the Four Illuminations Divine Skill. This skill is difficult to master, with too many requirements and time. It's not easy to learn, and not only is it a waste to practice without learning it, but there are also many troubles after learning it. It's not good to use it openly, lest it cause some trouble. So, Uncle will give you another internal skill."

"What internal energy? Is it also from the Yang family?" Zhao Ti asked. To be honest, he didn't really want the Yang family's martial arts anymore. Just as Yang Jian said, there were too many troubles and potential problems. It was definitely not easy to use openly. Having the Four Illuminations Divine Skill as a trump card was enough. It would be best to learn a martial art that he wouldn't be afraid of being seen by others.

“It doesn’t belong to the Yang family; it’s a martial art from the Jingjue Temple back then,” Yang Dian said.

"Jingjue Temple? What kind of place is that?" Zhao Ti asked, puzzled, having never heard of the name before.

"That was a temple dedicated to the goddess Jingjue, passed down from the Great Yu Dynasty. There weren't many such temples on the continent to begin with. Later, when the founding emperor of this dynasty launched a rebellion to slay the dragon and unify the north and south, this Jingjue Temple secretly assisted the Great Jin Dynasty. The founding emperor didn't say anything at the time, but after the world was at peace, he gathered the eight great families and some experts from the royal family, and they trampled the Jingjue Temple. In seven days and seven nights, they leveled the main temple of the Jingjue Temple, and within a month, they destroyed all the other branches of the Jingjue Temple. Most of the temple's members were killed, and the escapees were pursued for more than sixty years before they finally stopped. All the martial arts, scriptures, wealth, and so on of the Jingjue Temple were divided up by the eight great families and the royal family," Yang Dian said.

"The Celestial Maiden of Jingjue? An outer goddess?" Zhao Ti asked疑惑地, "Uncle, what does this mean?"

(End of this chapter)