From martial arts sects to immortality sects

Chapter 93 A Thousand Years of Heritage, The Sword God

"Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Zhang Yuchun asked Li Qingqiu cautiously, his tone tense.

Li Dongyue walked over, looking at Li Qingqiu with the same confusion.

Li Qingqiu withdrew his gaze and said, "This sword should be the Emperor Xuan Sword. This kid is quite lucky. You should send him inside first."

Seeing that Li Qingqiu didn't seem to be possessed, Zhang Yuchun breathed a sigh of relief. He carried Li Sifeng into the house, and Li Dongyue followed.

Li Qingqiu walked to the long table and placed the Emperor Xuan Sword on it.

He finally understood why the Emperor Xuan Sword had such a great reputation; this sword was actually a magical artifact, and a more powerful one at that than the Flying Fish Knife.

The Emperor Xuan Sword contains a sword spirit, which has established a connection with Li Sifeng's soul. Li Qingqiu saw Li Sifeng's soul imprint on the sword spirit.

Even without injecting vital energy, Li Sifeng can still borrow the power of the sword soul.

However, this sword spirit is extremely malevolent. If one's body is not strong enough, using it repeatedly will harm one's body and mind. Cultivating immortality can both enhance one's physique and strengthen one's soul, so Li Qingqiu can rest assured that Li Sifeng can use the Emperor Xuan Sword.

Although the Emperor Xuan Sword is stronger than the Flying Fish Knife and the Thunder-Attracting Flag, Li Qingqiu does not intend to take it for himself, after all, it was obtained by his sixth junior brother at the cost of his life.

He is currently just curious about the sword spirit and trying to understand the method of the sword spirit recognizing its master.

Once the Emperor Xuan Sword recognizes its master, no one else can use it unless they can break the method of recognizing its master.

Li Qingqiu, who possesses the destiny of a god among men, can see through the sword spirit as if peeling back layers of an onion just by looking at it.

After a while, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue followed them out of the house and came to the opposite side of Li Qingqiu.

“Someone is chasing Sixth Brother. When we went down, they hesitated for a while in the distance before choosing to retreat. I’m afraid this matter won’t end well,” Zhang Yuchun said with a frown.

Li Qingqiu looked up at them and snorted coldly, "Perfect, saves us the trouble of looking for them everywhere."

"Based on previous intelligence, it's very likely that we'll attract the attention of the Pei family."

"What, do the Pei family members not have a head?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuchun knew that his senior brother was truly angry, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the Pei family.

The Pei family may be powerful, but if his senior brother were pushed too far, he felt that any leader of any faction could be killed by his senior brother.

In terms of individual martial prowess, he couldn't even imagine the strength of his senior brother. He felt that it was not impossible for him to even enter the capital and kill the emperor.

"Senior Brother, don't let Sifeng go down the mountain anymore. He's too impulsive and could easily get into trouble," Li Dongyue said, frowning.

Li Qingqiu nodded. This time, he was truly afraid. He couldn't imagine what he would do if Li Sifeng died out there.

Zhang Yuchun laughed and said, "That's right. The Hall Master of the Training Hall is training all day long, and his disciples can't find him. It's outrageous."

He couldn't control Li Sifeng; only Li Qingqiu could. Even when Li Sifeng went down the mountain with Jiang Zhaoxia, he would still act willfully. Jiang Zhaoxia had said before that she wanted to hit him, but she felt that he was too old for that and was afraid of hurting his self-esteem.

Li Qingqiu gestured for them to sit down, then said, "Since we need to guard against attacks from the Pei family and the Di family, we must make plans early and not just wait."

Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue thought it made sense, and the three of them began to discuss countermeasures.

……

Spring has passed and summer is coming; the temperature between heaven and earth is slowly rising.

In a town, Xue Jin, dressed in black, entered an inn, followed closely by his twelve junior brothers and sisters.

As Xue Jingang stepped across the threshold, the waiter came up to greet them warmly.

After being seated, Xue Jin casually ordered a few dishes.

Zheng Yunqiao, ranked second among the Thirteen Sword Masters, sat to Xue Jin's left and asked, "Senior Brother, we've been out for so long, are we still looking?"

The other junior brothers and sisters also looked at Xue Jin.

Xue Jin drank a bowl of tea and said, "Even if we can't find the person, we must bring back some news. This matter cannot be taken lightly."

A female disciple complained, "Master Li is really something. He has a high position and great power, but he can't enjoy his life. He's always running around. Is that Emperor Xuan Sword really that powerful? It would be better to practice on the mountain. Anyway, I miss the days on the mountain now."

Some agreed with her words, while others disagreed. More than half of her disciples preferred the life of wandering the martial world, finding it more exciting.

Xue Jin stopped participating in their discussion. Regardless of what others thought, he had to find Li Sifeng.

Jiang Zhaoxia was his master, and the sect leader was the one who changed his fate. He had an obligation to find their junior brother so that they wouldn't worry or feel uneasy.

"The Emperor Xuan Sword, what's wrong, esteemed guests? Are you all very interested in that legendary demonic sword?"

The waiter brought the dishes up and stood next to Xue Jin, asking curiously.

Zheng Yunqiao looked at him and asked, "Do you know something?"

The waiter looked around, then bent down and said, "I advise you all not to covet the Emperor Xuan Sword. The Pei family is currently searching the city. It is said that the Emperor Xuan Sword was snatched right under their noses. This Pei family is no ordinary family. The current Imperial Censor is surnamed Pei, and there are even generals in their clan. They are not to be trifled with. What they want, which sect in the martial arts world would dare to steal?"

Xue Jin and the others already knew that the Pei family was vying for the Emperor Xuan Sword. One of the male disciples couldn't help but ask, "Waiter, do you know who stole the Emperor Xuan Sword?"

"I don't know about that. It's said to be a very young swordsman."

After the waiter finished speaking, he took the plate and left. Zheng Yunqiao looked at Xue Jin and asked in a low voice, "Could it be Hall Master Li?"

Xue Jin's eyes flickered, and he said, "We can't keep wandering around like headless flies. Let's go find the Pei family and ask them."

The disciples were used to his audacity, but forcibly breaking into the Pei family was not so simple.

"Senior brother, this is no joke," Zheng Yunqiao said, frowning.

Xue Jin glanced around and said, "Even if it means bloodshed, we have to find out where Hall Master Li is. They happen to be in the city. Let's make our move after this meal. Don't eat too much, so you won't feel bloated when we need to kill someone."

After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

The disciples' expressions changed, but they did not try to persuade them further. They each picked up their chopsticks and prepared to eat.

……

One morning after the start of summer, Jiang Zhaoxia returned.

"It went surprisingly smoothly. The governor really did hold a banquet to take a concubine," Jiang Zhaoxia said, sitting at the table.

Zhang Yuchun frowned and said, "No, someone must have recognized that you are not the leader of Qingxiao Sect, which is why they did not make a move."

Jiang Zhaoxia looked at him and asked, "They treated us with courtesy, so I shouldn't do anything reckless, right?"

Zhang Yuchun nodded, then said to Li Qingqiu, "Senior Brother, there might be a spy within the sect."

"It's not necessarily an internal traitor. After all, many pilgrims have seen me. Since the governor doesn't dare to act rashly, let it go. He should probably keep quiet for a while."

After Li Qingqiu finished speaking, he asked Li Dongyue to go and get a pen and paper.

Zhang Yuchun sat down and smiled at Jiang Zhaoxia, saying, "Third Junior Brother, Sixth Junior Brother came back before you, and he brought the Emperor Xuan Sword with him. He boasted that he would challenge you to a duel once he recovered from his injuries. You'd better be prepared. His sword is not simple. Even Senior Brother said that if you are careless, you might lose."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxia raised an eyebrow, shifted her gaze to Li Qingqiu, and said, "Senior Brother, are you looking down on me?"

Li Qingqiu glared at Zhang Yuchun and then said, "Third Junior Brother, I'm not talking nonsense. That kid's strength is indeed far inferior to yours, but that sword has a thousand-year history."

Jiang Zhaoxia seemed to be deep in thought.

Li Dongyue returned to the long table with pen and paper, and Li Qingqiu took them and began to write.

Jiang Zhaoxia asked, "Second Senior Brother, you just said you'd wait for him to recover. What happened to him?"

Zhang Yuchun recounted Li Sifeng's own experience, confirming that Li Sifeng was indeed being hunted down by the Pei family, and that the siblings who brought him back had been settled on the mountain.

"The Pei family."

Jiang Zhaoxia's eyes turned cold, but she didn't say anything more.

Li Dongyue stood beside Li Qingqiu and said, "Senior brothers, I advise you to be careful. There are more and more enemies. The Cui family of Linchuan will definitely continue to investigate Chen Huilan's whereabouts. This is a hidden danger. The Pei family and the governor are also our great enemies."

Zhang Yuchun said helplessly, "After a sect develops, there will always be all sorts of troubles. We will deal with them one by one. I am also thinking about this issue. I have asked Hall Master Yang to befriend those aristocratic families and sects that take the initiative to show goodwill. We will see who has a grudge against these three parties and then make a plan."

"It's good that you've considered this."

Li Dongyue smiled. She didn't feel any pressure. In fact, she felt that it was a very happy thing that the seven of them could deal with different things and move forward together.

Subsequently, Zhang Yuchun and Li Dongyue began to inquire whether Jiang Zhaoxia had any other experiences or observations during her trip down the mountain.

Li Qingqiu stopped writing, handed the paper to Zhang Yuchun, and said, "Keep a close eye on these disciples; there must be a traitor among them."

Zhang Yuchun took the paper and saw that there were seventeen names in total. He asked in surprise, "Senior brother, how did you know?"

“Although I have no real work to do, I don’t just sit idly when I go down the mountain.”

Li Qingqiu said mysteriously, "These disciples have extremely low loyalty, some even have zero loyalty. They are utter traitors."

Zhang Yuchun was skeptical, while Li Qingqiu got up, as he still needed to heal Li Sifeng's Qilin.

Li Sifeng's return was largely thanks to the Yu Qilin. The auspicious creature was so capable of sensing its master's impending danger from thousands of miles away that it was truly amazing. This even made Li Qingqiu want to raise an auspicious creature.

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. After noon, Li Qingqiu had just finished lunch. He had stayed at the Spirit Mine last night and only returned this morning.

Yuan Qi suddenly ran into the courtyard. Judging from his posture, Li Qingqiu knew without guessing that something had happened again.

"Sect Master, something terrible has happened! A man has come down from the mountain, claiming to be Shen Yue, and he wants to challenge all the experts in our sect. He says that if he wins, we have to give him the Emperor Xuan Sword!"

Yuan Qi came up to Li Qingqiu and said quickly.

Li Qingqiu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who is Shen Yue, and why is he so domineering?"

This person dared to mention the name of the Emperor Xuan Sword, which is very likely unrelated to the Pei family. Could it be that the whereabouts of the Emperor Xuan Sword have already spread throughout the martial arts world?

Yuan Qi replied, "When I went up the mountain, I heard people say that Shen Yue was known as the Sword God in the martial arts world. Even Emperor Gaozu once offered him a large sum of money to serve in the palace, but he refused. This person is a truly peerless master who is famous throughout the martial arts world, and he is far superior to the number one martial artist in a state."

　Thank you to reader 20230521145535917 for the 100 Qidian coins!
　　First update this morning! Requesting recommendation votes on Monday!
　　Yesterday, I only stayed up until the third watch of the night, and I felt a pang of guilt, which was hard to believe.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)