The First Sword of the Universe

Chapter 436 Surrounded by Heroes, the White-Clad Fairy's Eyes Gaze Coldly
That evening, during dinner, Madam Wang and Wang Yuyan expressed their sincere gratitude to Xu Xingchen.

The next morning, he left Dayu Manor with a group of servants and maids and went down the mountain.

Throughout the entire process, the jade statue was never mentioned, which shows that Madam Wang had already tacitly approved of placing the jade statue in Dayu Villa.

It's also possible that the mother and daughter received so much benefit from the resort that they were too embarrassed to bring it up again!
Once they left, Xu Xingchen was left alone in the entire villa again, and the villa returned to its original quiet and secluded state.

However, this period of peace and quiet lasted only two days before someone came to visit again.

On this day, the weather was fine and the sky was clear.

Xu Xingchen moved the jade statue from inside the house to the pavilion outside.

His residence was surrounded by lush green trees, with a winding stream and small bridges spanning the canal, connecting the left, right, front, and back.

The pavilion with red pillars and gray tiles is built in a small green bamboo grove at the corner of the wall.

The bamboo branches are emerald green, and the bamboo leaves are scattered. Unlike the dense canopy of other trees, the bamboo branches are not lush enough to block the sunlight shining down from the sky.

Fine, scattered spots of light fell inside and outside the pavilion, swaying gently as the bamboo swayed.

The sunlight was insufficient, but a gentle breeze blew, rustling the bamboo and causing its branches to sway.

Sitting inside, one is greeted by soothing greenery and can also enjoy views of the outside world through the sparse bamboo poles.

The wind blowing in from elsewhere penetrated the bamboo forest, as if filtering out a layer of stuffiness, leaving only coolness.

Xu Xingchen placed the jade statue on the ground in the pavilion, and with a flick of her wrist, the black cloth strip wrapped around it loosened like a serpent.

After hovering in the air for a few minutes, they drifted down and landed on the table beside them, piling up in a flurry.

Xu Xingchen turned around and sat on a wooden stool to the side, watching the jade statue in front of her, which was once again shimmering with colorful light and surrounded by auspicious energy under the dappled sunlight.

He secretly wondered where he should put it.
Although it is as beautiful as a fairy or a goddess descended to earth, it is still just an inanimate object. If an ordinary person were to get up in the middle of the night and suddenly see it, they would be startled.

Xu Xingchen naturally didn't have such concerns, but she also didn't like having such a jade statue in her room.

It's disgusting!

Now that it has achieved its purpose of attracting Wang Yuyan and Madam Wang, and is temporarily no longer of any use, we should find a way to put it away.

His thoughts drifted in the air with the cool autumn breeze.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses and said with a smile, "Of the three great skills of the Free and Unfettered Sect, I have already mastered two; now I only have the Eight Desolations and Six Directions Supreme Skill of the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny left."

"The Northern Darkness Divine Art allows one to absorb the power of others and use it for one's own purposes. Over time, one's internal strength will reach an unbelievable level; it is both wondrous and terrifying."

"The Lesser Formless Skill, with and without form, transforms Yin and Yang, and almost governs the circulation and changes of Qi and blood in all meridians within the body. Therefore, it possesses the ability to command the martial arts of all schools and sects under heaven."

"However, the martial art I most desire is actually the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Supreme Skill cultivated by the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny."

"In the story, the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny suppressed her physical growth and remained stunted because she practiced this powerful and domineering martial art."

"Originally, once she mastered her divine skill, her body would have been freed from its limitations, allowing her to grow taller and larger again, just like a normal person."

"On the day she was about to master her divine skill, she was frightened by Li Qiushui and made a mistake at the crucial moment. From then on, she was never able to grow up again."

"Moreover, every now and then, his power will dissipate and fade away, turning him back into a helpless child."

"His white hair turned completely black; even the wrinkles on his face disappeared, making him look like a child again."

"To recover, one must drink scalding beast blood daily, which will increase one's power by a year in a single day; it will take several dozen days to fully recover all strength."

"Because of Li Qiushui's fright, the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny could no longer grow up, and naturally harbored deep hatred for Li Qiushui; it's no wonder that she secretly sneaked into the Western Xia palace and left a deep, indelible scar on Li Qiushui's face."

"A woman, her body as small as a child's, will never grow taller; a woman, her stunning beauty has been ruined."

"Both of these factors are crucial for a woman."

"Whether it's the Heavenly Child Granny or Li Qiushui, they both stabbed each other in the spot where it mattered most. No wonder they became mortal enemies."

"That Li Qiushui always takes advantage of the time when the Heavenly Mountain Child Granny's powers are waning to go to the Heavenly Mountain to provoke and cause trouble."

"The Heavenly Child Granny also deeply resented Li Qiushui, and they would fight every time they met."

"Their grudges and grievances are one thing; what I want to know is whether the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Supreme Technique that Tianshan Child Granny cultivates is like what is described in the world of the book, where she always remains in the form of a little girl, experiencing the changes of growing up, aging, and reverting to childhood?"

"Or is it like Wu Xingyun in the movie, who turns into a little girl when her powers fade and grows into an adult when they return?"

"I don't care for the former; but the latter, its profound and mysterious techniques might even surpass the Northern Darkness Divine Art and the Lesser Formless Art."

Sitting in the pavilion, Xu Xingchen muttered to herself, when suddenly her mind stirred, as if she had sensed something.

"Unexpectedly, just a few days after Madam Wang and her daughter left, guests have returned."

"Let's see, who are these people from?"

The words still lingered in the pavilion when Xu Xingchen's figure vanished. One step out of the pavilion, two steps out of the bamboo grove, three steps into the courtyard, and four steps to the top of the artificial hill.

I looked up towards the direction of the villa's gate.
There, swift figures scaled over the tall courtyard walls and entered.

In the blink of an eye, twenty or thirty people came in.

Subsequently, even more people continued to scale the wall and enter, one after another, in countless numbers.

Those who rushed into the villa first bounced a few times in the spacious courtyard before leaping onto the roof of the front yard again.

"That guy is over there."

"Surround him quickly!"

"Don't let him get away."

With each shout and yell, the martial arts masters leaped and bounded even faster and more swiftly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A moment later, figures landed around the courtyard where Xu Xingchen lived.

Some landed on the wall, some on the roof, some on the treetops, and some in the courtyard.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More figures rapidly approached from behind, raining down on the outer edges of the courtyard, encircling it in layers, densely packed, like an iron barrel.

Once all the visitors had landed, Xu Xingchen glanced around and estimated that there were over a thousand people. He couldn't help but feel a sense of amazement.

While waiting for these people to approach, Xu Xingchen had already realized that they did not belong to the same sect.

Their clothes were varied and different; their weapons included swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—you name it.

If they are from the same sect, they should wear clothes of the same color and style, and the weapons they use should also be the same.

But if they aren't from the same faction, why would they act together? And why would they cooperate so seamlessly?
This kind of tacit understanding can never be formed without years of practice!

Just as Xu Xingchen was pondering this, thousands of people around him simultaneously looked up to the sky and shouted, "Welcome, envoy! Welcome, envoy! Welcome, envoy!"

Three consecutive shouts resounded, the sound waves soaring into the sky, shaking and surging endlessly above the manor built in the valley.

The birds that had been perched in the treetops of the other courtyards immediately flapped their wings and took flight in a flurry, fleeing in flocks towards the edge of the valley at the sound of the commotion.

Amidst the resounding shouts...
A figure shot into the sky from the direction of the valley entrance, tracing an arc as it flew rapidly toward this place.

With each bounce and leap, the figure moved a considerable distance closer to this side.

With a few leaps, they had already rushed into the villa.

Finally, with two or three leaps, he traversed a distance of dozens of feet, seemingly riding the wind as he swept across the sky above everyone's heads, and lightly landed in the courtyard where Xu Xingchen was.

The newcomer was a woman dressed in a white gown embroidered with auspicious clouds. Her face was covered by a white veil, revealing only her smooth forehead, her sharply angled eyebrows, and her deep eyes that belied her age.

This woman's lightness skill was extraordinary, far surpassing those who had landed around her before.

Her figure was like a dandelion, slowly drifting down from the sky, untouched by the dust of the mortal world.

When their feet landed on the tiled roof ridge not far away, they made not a sound.

Just by standing there, she exuded an aura of aloofness and otherworldly elegance, making everyone around her feel inferior and unable to look her in the eye.

In her snow-white, jade-like hand, she grasped a long sword. The scabbard was carved with exquisite and intricate patterns and inlaid with colorful gemstones. It was clear at a glance that it was an extremely rare and precious sword.

Upon seeing this woman's arrival, thousands of martial arts practitioners in the surrounding area, whether standing on treetops, walls, rooftops, or courtyards, immediately knelt and bowed, shouting once more, "Greetings, Envoy of Lingjiu Palace!"

The woman in white gave a nonchalant snort that echoed in the ears of everyone present: "Get up!"

"Thank you, Envoy!"

The crowd shouted in unison before standing up.

They remained silent, their expressions solemn, and their occasional glances at the woman in white were filled with awe and fear.

The woman in white fixed her gaze on Xu Xingchen atop the artificial hill, her eyes cold and ruthless: "So you're the scoundrel who bullied the maids of my Lingjiu Palace's Nine Heavens and Nine Departments in Wuliang Mountain, Dali?"

Xu Xingchen raised an eyebrow, somewhat displeased, and said, "You woman, you are truly rude; you come to my manor as a guest and dare to call me a thief; who gave you the courage? The Heavenly Child Granny?"

"Insolence!" A divine light flashed in the white-clad woman's cold eyes, piercing towards Xu Xingchen not far away like an arrow. She coldly rebuked, "How dare you, a scoundrel, call out the name of the Child Granny? Moreover, you dare to be disrespectful to this envoy. You truly have a lot of nerve!"

Facing the white-clad woman's aggressive gaze, Xu Xingchen treated it as a gentle breeze, completely unconcerned, and said with a laugh, "A name isn't given for others to call you, is it? Since the master of your Lingjiu Palace is called Tianshan Tonglao, why can't I call her that?"

"Ah! Should I call her Tianshan Child? Tianshan Maiden? Tianshan Immortal? Or perhaps Wu Xingyun?"

Then, under the increasingly cold and murderous gaze of the woman in white, he calmly said, "As for you, this uninvited guest, I'm already being very polite by speaking to you calmly."

"If we're talking about rudeness, who can be rude?"

(End of this chapter)