The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 275 Sword Fight (4k)

The old beggar, wearing the fine robe soaked in black dog blood, stood there in a daze.

He didn't know whether he should continue trying or go back to that gentleman and beg him to be lenient and reconnect with the ties he had severed so completely.
However, having already embarrassed himself, and then ignoring the repeated advice, he is now in this predicament and simply cannot bring himself to go back.

After all, this is more than just a little bit embarrassing.

Despite his usual appearance as a beggar, seemingly unconcerned about his looks, he doesn't seem to care about his appearance at all.

In reality, it was simply because he knew that appearances are superficial, while true nature is the truth.

He possesses his true self, a golden image within himself, so what fear is there of a muddy and unsightly exterior? The world laughs at me, but I only value appearances, failing to see my true self, ignoring my golden form.
Now the golden body is shattered, and the true form is broken.

He went from a wise and carefree man to a shameful, slovenly old man.
The difference before and after is simply like night and day.

After much deliberation, he remained rooted to the spot, at a loss for what to do.
-
Meanwhile, on Du Yuan's side, the man in black couldn't help but say:
"Sir, if my friend goes this way, I'm afraid he really will miss his chance!"

As the saying goes, "the one involved is often confused," and what the old beggar couldn't see clearly, he saw exceptionally clearly.

However, given the circumstances, he found it difficult to speak. After all, Du Yuan had tried to persuade him repeatedly.
Du Yuan shook her head and smiled:
"If we miss each other, then we are truly not destined to be together. Fate and destiny cannot be forced. You and I should both understand this very well."

The man in black sighed and nodded.

"Yes, you can force anything, but not fate."

This is not only the fate between the old beggar and the girl, but also the fate between the girl and the old beggar.

It's not enough for just one person to have the intention and the cause!
Since that was the case, he stopped thinking about it and simply accompanied Du Yuan on her way forward.

As for the man in the straw raincoat, seeing that everything was alright, he quickly disappeared into the mountains and was nowhere to be seen. It seems that after this incident, he will probably never dare to join in on any more commotion.

He had only walked a few hundred feet forward when the man in black stopped and looked ahead, smiling.

"Sir, I know what this sword is."

Previously, due to the distance and the suppression of the Heavenly Law, it was impossible to see through them.

Now that we're closer, I finally understand.

He recognized the sword.

"Oh, may I ask what kind of sword it is?"

"This sword is named 'Following the Trend'! It takes its name from the Taoist principle of 'acting in accordance with the trend,' meaning not to go against the current or to force one's way. It was the sword of the abbot of Liuyun Temple in the past. That abbot was no ordinary person. He was a renowned sword immortal who was famous throughout the world, and his roots were firmly planted in the orthodox lineage of the Taoist ancestral temple. No matter how you look at it, he was a truly top-notch cultivator!"

At this point, the man in black suddenly smiled, his tone shifting slightly:
"Speaking of which, you may not know that this host has a rather significant connection with that kid, Li Shiyi."

"how do I say this?"

Du Yuan grew increasingly curious; he was quite interested in Li Shiyi.

After a moment of contemplation, the man in black carefully spoke:
"Back then, Li Shiyi personally went to the ancestral temple of Taoism to challenge the master of swordsmanship. Moreover, he was the master's first disciple!"

At this point, the man in black robes became even more emotional.

Speaking of which, the reason why this abbot was accepted into the sect by the old patriarchs was entirely due to his exceptional talent in the sword cultivation lineage—he was a born sword immortal, and it was clear at a glance that he was no ordinary person.

As expected, he broke through the Great Dao at a young age, became a Great Sword Immortal, and became the mainstay of the sword cultivator lineage. Countless younger generations regarded him as a benchmark to follow.

Unfortunately, there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. Li Shiyi is destined to be a mountain that sword cultivators can never climb over.

You became the youngest Great Sword Immortal at just over a hundred years old, while I am only in my early twenties and have already lost to the others by only half a move!

It's obvious at a glance which is better!

Even if some say it's just a sword duel, not a matter of life and death, then the dignified patriarch Yu naturally cannot truly unleash his full power, lest he be branded as bullying the weak.

But the question is, can Li Shiyi really give it his all?
She was the most dazzling star in that magnificent era!

Du Yuan nodded and smiled:

"I see. There is indeed a cause and effect."

"So, do you intend to keep this sword?"

Du Yuan did not answer directly, but instead looked in the direction of the stone bridge and said:
"Let's go take a look first."

"Well, that's fine too."

The two said no more and silently walked forward.

Upon reaching the summit and seeing the stone bridge, the man in black, who was about to speak, saw Du Yuan gazing down the mountain and fell silent, quietly staying behind her.

But this wait lasted a long time, until the sky began to change color, and finally the man in black could not help but ask:
"Sir, is there a problem?"

As he spoke, he looked down at the stone bridge. It was definitely not, as the local legends said, carved out by the locals; it was a natural formation. At most, the local people had simply added some steps and railings to the existing structure.

Apart from that, he couldn't see anything different. Everything was exactly the same as what he had seen from afar at the beginning.

Du Yuan remained silent.

This puzzled the man in black, so he tentatively took a step forward.

He asked again:
"Sir? Sir? Is there a problem?"

Du Yuan still didn't react, which puzzled the man in black even more, so he waved his hand in front of Du Yuan.

After realizing there was still no response, the man in black realized that something might have gone wrong.

Then he reached out to try and shake Du Yuan awake.

Before his fingertips could even touch Du Yuan's clothes, a golden light shone brightly, followed by a powerful repulsive force.

The man in black felt a chill run down his spine, realizing something was wrong, and immediately tried to cast a spell to resist. But this only made things worse; the moment he made a move, the repulsive force increased exponentially.

In a short while, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string.

"How is this going?"

Although he wasn't injured, he was covered in dust and dirt. After getting up from the ground, he looked at Du Yuan blankly.

He couldn't understand why this gentleman had suddenly become like this.

Looking at Du Yuan, who remained motionless, and then at his own trembling hands, he realized that she was a trembling hysteriac.

The man in black thought to himself:
'It seems to be some kind of powerful, self-regulating force?'

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. It was just a matter of his supernatural ability spinning around, and he was easily sent flying.
He had seen similar things before, but they only happened to people with vastly different cultivation levels. He knew there was a big difference between their cultivation levels, but he hadn't expected it to be this big.

In a daze, he even felt as if he had returned to the past, when he followed a Buddha of a subdued state to subdue demons and saw the wrathful Vajra.

Back then, that demon's cultivation was almost three points higher than his.

But before that Buddha, in a single glance, he was pressed under the five-colored glazed pagoda that the Buddha casually tossed aside.

At that moment, he realized with a start that he would probably never reach that point. And later, he never saw anything like it again.

Unexpectedly, today I actually felt that it was pretty much the same.

But that's even stranger!
This is just a decent Legend of Sword and Fairy!
Just as the man in black was about to delve deeper into his thoughts, he was astonished to see the stone bridge below suddenly collapse.

Not only did the 'smooth' weapon fly out from under the bridge, but it also transformed into a streak of light and soared into the sky.

Even as the stone bridge cracked, a celestial sword flew out from within!

Two immortal swords flew into the air simultaneously, their clashes and roars never ceasing. The two sword lights instantly shattered the sky and tore through the clouds!
"There are actually two immortal swords hidden here?"

The man in black was astonished; he had never expected to misjudge something like this.

To not understand Du Yuan means one's cultivation is far inferior. But what does it mean for a former great sword immortal to not understand swordsmanship?
The appearance of the sword in the stone was like a slap in the face, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

In his shock, he hurriedly looked at the sword in the stone in an attempt to salvage the situation.

It's normal to be mistaken if it's an exceptionally powerful or special immortal sword.

But the more he looked, the more confused he became.

Because this sword is indeed quite good, and it also has a remarkable origin.

Its name is "Lotus," and it originally belonged to the current abbot of Miaohua Temple. That abbot was not a hermit monk in his younger days, but a renowned exorcist!

Since he became famous, he has traveled far and wide for hundreds of years, specializing in slaying demons.

However, his "demon-slaying" was never for the purpose of eliminating evil and upholding justice; it was merely for the sake of money and profit.

Therefore, when he slays demons, he doesn't care whether the demon is evil or causing chaos in the world. He only looks at whether the demon has valuable inner cores, fur, flesh, or bounty. If he can get a great deal, he will slash his sword without mercy.

Over the centuries, he has stained his hands with the blood of countless innocent demons and committed countless atrocities.

Later, he encountered a powerful demon who shattered his Qi Sea and cut off his three flowers on the top of his head, almost completely destroying his cultivation. He then disappeared without a trace.

When he reappeared in the world, he had already reformed himself, entered the Buddhist order, and become an inconspicuous guest monk in Miaohua Temple.

As for how he was able to take up the position of presiding officer, it was because he used his remaining years as a guide to convert the great demon that had shattered his dantian back then, helping it to shed its demonic nature and ascend to heaven.

It was this magnanimity and cultivation that earned him respect in the temple and ultimately led him to take charge of Miaohua Temple.

So his sword was certainly not bad, but it was definitely not a sword that could make him mistake it!

After all, it would be wrong to say that they are exactly the same, but it would be a joke to say that they are worlds apart.

Utterly puzzled, the man in black suddenly looked at Du Yuan with a start—if he shouldn't have misjudged the sword, could it be this person?
Thinking back to Du Yuan's strange behavior just now, he became even more convinced that this was indeed the case.

But what good does knowing it do?
He has absolutely no idea what to do right now.

The battle between the two immortal swords in the sky has intensified, not only stirring up the sky into chaos, but also causing countless sharp sword intents to scatter and sweep in all directions amidst the crisscrossing sword lights.

Even a great swordsman like the man in black felt a sharp pain in his eyes from the sword intent, and couldn't help but feel puzzled:

"How can two unclaimed immortal swords possess such power?"

He stared intently for a moment, secretly estimating in his mind—in the current situation, even if the original owners of those two swords were resurrected and used their full power without regard for the loss of their cultivation, they probably wouldn't be able to match the current state of affairs.

What is the reason for such exaggerated power?
Gazing at the increasingly frenzied battle between the immortal swords in the sky, the man in black couldn't help but tremble.

He seemed to see two celestial beings fighting each other across the void, their aura of destruction sending a chill down his spine. If they continued to fight like this, they might soon go from disrupting the heavens to shattering the entire world.

The last time I saw such a terrifying scene was before the great calamity, during the final battle of the struggle between mountains and rivers.

The sword light, filling the sky, hung lower and lower, almost touching the earth. The man in black robes' eyelids twitched violently—the summit of the highest mountain in the area had instantly turned to ashes and vanished without a trace!

He had already begun to consider retreating, but this was the Sword Tomb, a place he had resolved to guard well before he came here.

If he escapes again this time, he will be completely dead.

Moreover, there are so many innocent people at the foot of the mountain. Although they are mortals and may be ignorant, unable to distinguish between demons and immortals, they should not be affected by this battle for the immortal sword.

After a moment's hesitation, gazing at the increasingly lowered sword aura that seemed to devour everything, the man in black struggled briefly before finally reaching out his hand slowly toward the mountain behind him.

Deep in the mountains, the suppressed "Spring Breeze" once again emitted a series of buzzing sounds, as if responding to his call.

The man in black took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and adjusted his mental state.

When he opened his eyes again, a bit of his former sharpness had returned, and that sharpness was still rising.

He exhaled a deep, lingering breath, and at the moment his spirit reached its peak, he slowly opened his mouth, uttering only one word:
"sword!"

But just as the word "come" was about to be uttered, the sound suddenly stopped!

This time, it wasn't that he gave up voluntarily, but rather that he witnessed firsthand how the two immortal swords, which had been locked in a frenzied battle, suddenly fell still and slowly descended. Even the countless sword lights vanished in an instant, leaving only a sky shattered by the turbulent clouds.

"W-what's going on?"

The man in black felt a tightness in his chest, a breath that was neither coming up nor going down, making him almost vomit blood.

Just then, a long sigh reached his ears. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Du Yuan, who had regained consciousness, slowly turning around to look at him.

"I may have worried you before, but don't worry, I'm fine now." Du Yuan's voice remained calm.

The man in black opened his mouth, but a bellyful of questions stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only ask one question:
"Sir, are you all right?"

"Okay, everything is fine. There was an unexpected mishap just now, but it's all over now."

Du Yuan smiled and offered a brief explanation, but did not elaborate on the details.

The man in black paused, then pointed to the two immortal swords that had quietly fallen back to the ground, and asked hesitantly:
"Do you still want these two swords here, sir?"

Du Yuan shook her head and said softly, "We can't accept it, we can't accept it!"

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving the man in black standing there, completely bewildered.

But why exactly is it said that we can't accept it?
(End of this chapter)