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

Chapter 330 Borrowing a Sword! (3k)

The moment that word "good" was uttered, Zou Zi was also deeply moved.

The world around Wang Chengsi seemed unchanged, yet only someone of his level could see through it—that world had overlapped and merged with the prosperous era before the great calamity of the past.

The next moment, the young man glared at him angrily, while the old man in the long robe smiled at him with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Zou Zi sneered, "You were defeated back then, do you still want to turn the tables now?"

Neither of them answered. Only Wang Chengsi used his fingers as knives and swiftly slashed open his wrists. Blood spurted from his wrists. He dipped the blood in ink and sprinkled it to form talismans. When he looked up, his entire body was covered with mysterious inscriptions.

He then clasped his hands together and miraculously produced an incense stick out of thin air, offering prayers to the heavens above and to the earth below, standing between heaven and earth.

He was originally a nobody, and even if the patriarch nodded in approval and he wanted to inherit the Great Dao, he would only have to risk his life.

When the incense burns out, the person dies; I will go through this even if it means dying nine times!

At the same time, all the cultivators in the world were startled by the strange movement, turned their heads, and then exclaimed in surprise:
"Is that Zou Zi, a master of Yin-Yang philosophy?"

"A celestial being has descended?!"

"Even the patriarch of novelists is here?"

"Is the dispute between the two families still unresolved?"

"Insane! In this world, how could a celestial being personally intervene?"

People have long been unable to clarify the fundamental basis of the novelist's identity, and even the identity of his founder is unclear. However, everyone knows that the novelist was once one of the Hundred Schools of Thought and once competed with the Yin-Yang School for the orthodoxy of the Great Dao.

Therefore, upon seeing this scene, they were all dumbfounded—they had long known that the capital was dangerous, but they never imagined that it would alarm the two patriarchs to personally confront each other.

Looking towards the earth-shattering commotion in the direction of Kyoto, those who had fled Kyoto earlier, especially the Chen family of Bashui, felt a chill run down their spines.

They almost all perished in that city.

Fortunately, he realized his mistake in time and was able to escape.

But why are the founders of Yin-Yang School and novelists fighting here?
Where are those three masters of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism now?

Although everyone was puzzled, the conflict between the two families was already imminent.

The moment the young man and the old man in the long robe overlapped, Wang Chengsi, who had temporarily gained superhuman abilities by borrowing the power of his ancestor, took a deep breath and stepped into the capital.

The death trap he had previously avoided at all costs—this coward who had once been determined to die—has finally returned.

The colossal furnace of heaven and earth overhead, which had swallowed up the entire capital of Kyoto, continued to roar incessantly.

Wang Chengsi glanced at it only once before looking up at Zou Zi on the sky and said in a deep voice:
"That poisonous insect wasn't targeting my cousin, it was coming for my mother, right?"

Zou Zi smiled strangely and slowly nodded.

He was the one who started this conflict between the Yin-Yang School and the novelist, and he never intended to let it go.

With just a little manipulation and calculation, the poisonous insect could escape from the foolish mortal and rush straight to the other courtyard—just one step away from killing the woman and then dragging Wang Chengsi to his death.

Unfortunately, the final outcome was shattered by that one unexpected factor.

After all, if his mother, who was reborn through his body, died, why would Wang Chengsi leave?

As long as he stays in the bureau, what troubles are there to talk about?

It simply can't be done!
Fortunately, he had put that variable under his control, and from then on there were no more surprises.

Wang Chengsi asked again:
"Did you also trick her into coming to Kyoto?"

Although they didn't explicitly say who it was, they both understood—they were talking about the Palace Master of Hanqiu Palace, the little girl he had casually pulled out of a pile of corpses years ago.

When faced with this question, Zou Zi first shook his head, then nodded, his expression unreadable.

Finally, for the first time, he spoke slowly, directly to Wang Chengsi:
"Didn't she really shield you from death? But why did you have to come back yourself?"

The fairy, whose figure was becoming increasingly ethereal and who was about to pass away, truly shielded him from this calamity, preventing Zou Zi from slaying the hidden dragon.

"So vicious and cunning, you dare call yourself a founder of a school? You dare be ranked among the lowest of the low?"

Wang Chengsi's voice was full of anger.

Zou Zi shook his head repeatedly at this, then burst out laughing:

"Aren't all these rules and regulations imposed on me by you? Has the law of nature ever said that I must live the way you want me to? Since the law of nature hasn't said so, why should I do what you want me to do?"

"Evil cannot prevail over good; this has always been the case. Since you have embarked on the evil path, don't blame me for acting on behalf of Heaven!"

In the past, during a major battle between the two schools of thought, the novelist suffered a crushing defeat and was ultimately expelled from the top ten schools and excluded from the lowest ranks.

Even though they were heartbroken, they accepted it—after all, the foundation of a novelist's career lies in superficiality, making it difficult to follow the right path in the world, and mostly consisting of far-fetched and unrealistic statements.

Even sages said that although these are minor paths, they must have something to offer, but pursuing them too far may lead to stagnation, which is why a wise person does not engage in them.

Therefore, novelists are considered low-class, and they have nothing to say.

But this is by no means a reason for Zou Zi to be so ruthless, nor is it an excuse for his viciousness!

Zou Zi found it absurd and scoffed:

"Acting on behalf of Heaven? If your ancestor were truly here, that would be one thing. But you're just a junior borrowing the power, what gives you the right to talk about 'acting on behalf of Heaven'? Besides, you only have an incense stick's worth of life left, yet you're trapped in my trap, wasting your breath on me. Do you really think you have even the slightest chance of winning?"

"This is utterly laughable!"

Then, he smiled at Wang Chengsi and said:
"You're just like your ancestor, utterly unworthy of respect!"

Wang Chengsi's expression was solemn:
“I borrow the law for the sake of benevolence, and I sacrifice my life for the sake of righteousness. In contrast, you are of low social standing, a dignified celestial being, yet you have no virtue whatsoever, your heart is utterly empty. How can I not be qualified to speak of ‘acting on behalf of Heaven’ in your presence?”

"And you say my ancestor is not respectable? That's a joke! My lineage of novelists may be a minor one, but we are far superior to a heartless, vicious, and despicable person like you!"

"What does a stick of incense matter? This stick of incense is my life, and also your calamity!" "Today, either I'll drag you down with me, or I'll bring you your head and give the world an explanation!"

Upon hearing this, Zou Zi found it amusing and burst into laughter before finally uttering a single sentence:
"That's fine then. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother saying anything, but since your ancestor chose you, then let me see if you can win for him, against someone he couldn't even beat!"

In an instant, the cosmic furnace above Kyoto suddenly contracted, transforming into a black and white "yin-yang fish".

Two streams of true energy, one of extreme cold and the other of extreme heat, surged forth from the fish's eye. The two forces intertwined to form a Yin-Yang net covering thousands of miles, locking the entire capital city and Wang Chengsi within it.

Each time the net contracts, the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth flow back and forth, attempting to "refine and unify" the ancestral method borrowed from Wang Chengsi's body.

If that's all, it's far from being considered truly remarkable. It would only require a major overhaul on the mountain to unleash its full potential.

On the ground, the mountains and rivers shift constantly with the movement of Yin and Yang, aiming to completely turn this place into Zou Zi's "killing trap"!
Among them are even those large mountain peaks that have become half-worldly and half-hidden Taoist temples, where protective formations and powerful magical artifacts are completely ignored.

Without offering any resistance, Zou Zi 'took it away'.

Seeing this scene, the people on the mountain could only tremble and utter a single sentence:
"Truly worthy of being called a celestial being!"

Inside the Sword Tomb of Hexi, the old beggar, who had given up on himself and reverted to his beggar form, glanced around and exclaimed in astonishment:

"This world has truly gone mad. Things that were unseen only once every few hundred or even a thousand years in the past are now commonplace!"

The Great Buddha of Qingzhou was bestowed the title of Mountain God, the True Lord of Songshan in the Southwest refined elixirs, and now this place is turning the yin and yang of heaven and earth.

Even someone his age hadn't seen it many times.

Now, we've actually met again!

The man in black standing nearby nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, after holding it in for so many years, wouldn't everyone go crazy?"

The little girl next to me, who was playing with sugar figurines, looked up at me curiously and asked:
"Master, why can't I see anything?"

The old beggar lovingly patted her head and said softly, "My disciple, you have no cultivation now, so naturally you can't see. This is a good thing."

Before he could finish speaking, the little girl pointed into the distance and added crisply:
"Master, are you saying that those mountains are moving?"

The two looked in the direction she was pointing and were immediately shocked—the Sword Tomb Mountains seemed to be moving but not actually shifting. Rather, the roots and water veins deep within the mountains had been silently taken away by Zou Zi to make his move and close the net.

A strange light flashed in the eyes of the man in black, and he praised:

"To be able to perceive such profound mysteries so soon after entering cultivation, this child has great potential! However, Zou Zi's skill is truly ashamed of itself, like looking up at the blue sky and being unable to reach his level."

He looked down at his hands, his fingertips trembling slightly, and then let out a long sigh.

The sword cultivator lineage has always relied on its sharpness to break through all laws, yet they simply cannot employ such earth-shattering methods.

The old beggar slowly nodded: "Yes, with such methods, the outcome is probably already clear."

These words made the little girl even more curious, and she tugged at the old beggar's sleeve, pressing him for an answer:

"Master, can that Brother Li Shiyi you mentioned win?"

Both of them were taken aback—Li Shiyi to Zou Zi?
The young man who almost restored the sword cultivator's backbone faced off against Zou Zi, the founder of the Yin-Yang School.
After a moment's consideration, the two gave completely opposite answers.

"I think Zou Zi will win in the end." The sword cultivator in black robes spoke first, his tone full of helplessness.

The old beggar, who was not a sword cultivator, shook his head: "I think Li Shiyi will win in the end."

The man in black frowned immediately, puzzled, and said, "Li Shiyi is too young, he is far inferior to Zou Zi, how could he possibly win?"

The old beggar looked at him strangely. "You are a sword cultivator, and a great sword immortal among sword cultivators. How come you have forgotten the fundamental principles of a sword cultivator?"

He pondered for a moment and said, "Of all the cultivation methods in the world, sword cultivators possess the greatest killing power, are the most adept at breaking through stalemates, and are the most willing to fight to the death. What you sword cultivators seek is to forge ahead without hesitation, even at the cost of death; you cultivate the sword with your lives on your side!"

Upon hearing this, the man in black was struck dumb, frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

Seeing this, the old beggar said no more. He left half a sentence unsaid: Others might be afraid or retreat, but Li Shiyi's sword never hesitated or lost its edge.

Zou Zi, who is used to using the power of the masses to intimidate others and using the principles of Yin and Yang to leverage others' strength, is absolutely no match for that sword that dares to fight to the death!

He was not qualified to presume to discuss the celestial beings, but the fundamental principles of these two were indeed immediately apparent.

Therefore, the outcome was quite clear, since the two did not seem to be vastly different in skill level.

The two were so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't notice the little girl beside them, who, like the man in black, had suddenly become stunned.

The little sugar figurine in her hand fell to the ground, covered in dust, but she didn't notice. Her beautiful eyes were staring blankly at an ordinary green mountain in the distance.

After a long while, she gently tugged at the old beggar's sleeve and whispered:

"Master, there is a sword in that mountain."

"There's a sword too?"

Aren't most of the swords in the Sword Tomb empty?

The old beggar and the man in black who had just come to their senses were both startled and quickly looked in the direction she was pointing.

The next moment, a sword aura that shone brilliantly throughout the heavens shot up, piercing through the clouds and heading straight for the celestial being Zou Zi above the capital!

Along with it, a clear and melodious voice resounded, echoing throughout the heavens and earth:

"Novelist Wang Chengsi, borrow a sword!"

As soon as he said that, cultivators all over the world were in an uproar and ran around in a panic.

Only in the little girl's eyes was reflected the shy yet towering figure of a boy.

(End of this chapter)