Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 108 The Scripture of Restoring Heaven and Returning to the Origin

The Middle Ages ended with the fall of many holy kings and dramatic changes in the world.

Since then, immortals and gods have disappeared, and powerful beings have withdrawn from the world.

The lifespan of martial arts masters is getting shorter and shorter.

The feudal lords fought each other incessantly, and the chaos lasted for thousands of years. Then, the first dynasty after the Middle Ages was established, founded by the descendants of a sage king, and named Xia.

Later generations referred to it as the Great Xia Dynasty.

It reigned for 10,072 years before being replaced by the Northern Wei.

As a descendant of the sage king, the lifespan of the Xia emperor gradually declined from a thousand years for the first emperor to five hundred, three hundred, and finally to one hundred years, the same as that of ordinary people.

The sacred halo is gone; the throne is no longer exclusively his.

In the early Northern Wei Dynasty, there were still traces of those above the Grandmaster level, known as Human Immortals.

Some people are fortunate enough to encounter a celestial being, enter a blessed land, and enjoy a cup of celestial wine before being sent away.

However, as time goes by, the perfection of the Dharma body seems to have become the limit of this world.

At least Lu Li could not find a single Grandmaster who had made a definitive breakthrough in the official records of the Great Wei Dynasty.

For the few grandmasters who have disappeared, later generations can only speculate using words like "possibly" or "perhaps," wondering if they may have broken through to a higher realm.

"This technique is quite interesting. By observing the stars and knowing the changes of the seasons, one can adapt to the timing of the heavens and actively align one's actions with the celestial phenomena. If one can borrow the timing of the heavens, a half-step Refining Spirit can fight against an early-stage Refining Spirit. If one goes against the timing of the heavens, it may be the other way around, and an early-stage Refining Spirit will be no match for a half-step Refining Spirit."

Because of his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Sword Heart, Lu Li flipped through the pages extremely quickly, with almost only his hands and eyes working.

The eyes scan the content, while the Seven Apertures Exquisite Sword Heart analyzes it sequentially, extracting key words.

For example, he had already turned to the fifth book, and the contents of the third volume came to mind, making him stop.

"The restrictions are too great. Let's keep it as an alternative—a Dharma Body from Hanzhong County who later offended Baiyun Temple and had his entire clan wiped out. His cultivation method should be included in the temple."

Lu Li's interest waned further. Even if he used the Seclusion Talisman to come to the Northern Wei world in the future, he would not spend his time on this.

Hanzhong Prefecture is not only thousands of miles away, but the family has already been wiped out. Do you think they can go to Baiyun Temple to demand something?

Whether in this period or in the real world, Baiyun Temple has always been a colossal entity at the very top, with virtually no period of decline.

Getting something out of Baiyun Temple is not something an ordinary person can do.

After flipping through dozens more volumes, I was able to find a few martial arts manuals that matched the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual, but they all had some flaws and I wasn't entirely satisfied.

His eyes lit up when he found the biography of a grandmaster at the very end of the last bookshelf.

Qi Dongjun, a world-destroying god and demon, was a grandmaster with perfect Dharma body and was active in the early days of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Legend has it that he was a descendant of the sage king Yao, and from birth he possessed various divine abilities and displayed astonishing talent.

After reaching adulthood, he used a scroll of his family's Daoist canon to study the Big Dipper and the Jade Balance, and investigated the earth veins of the nine provinces, thus creating an unparalleled martial arts manual that uses the Way of Heaven to govern the Way of Man and the four seasons to refine his true form.

The entire text is divided into three stages and nine realms, and one must rely on the right timing, favorable location, and a good mindset to achieve great success.

When the celestial sphere aligns with the divine, it brings enlightenment; when it deviates from the earth's order, it leads to exhaustion.

He took in four disciples, passed down the Four Seasons Revolving Formation, and achieved the astonishing feat of trapping and killing a mid-stage Dharma Body cultivator with four half-step Dharma Body cultivators, which made him famous throughout the world.

He himself could command the celestial phenomena and control the seasons; within a radius of a hundred miles, heavy snow would fall and spring thunder would rumble, all with just a word.

Yin Yin was the strongest person in the world at that time.

Later, for some unknown reason, he clashed with the imperial court. It seems that someone wanted to use his status as a descendant of the Holy King as a banner to gather people.

But Qi Dongjun had no such intentions; he hid and avoided direct conflict as much as possible.

However, ten years later, they were still surrounded by the strongest god-slaying team in the world, composed of the Northern Wei, with more than thirty Dharma Body Grandmasters participating in this epic battle.

In the end, fewer than ten Dharma bodies returned alive.

Qi Dongjun and a large island were buried together in the depths of the East China Sea.

The supreme martial arts manual he created, called the "Heavenly Return to Origin Scripture," was collected and treasured by the Northern Wei imperial family.

The contents recorded in the case file could not possibly be so straightforward; much of it was deduced by Lu Li after reading it thoroughly.

For example, despite having the nickname of a world-destroying god and demon, there are few records of Qi Dongjun's evil deeds; it is only said that he has a long list of wicked acts.

Furthermore, from the biographies of other Dharma bodies of the same era, a series of similar endings can be seen.

He died at the hands of Qi Dongjun, passing away in the battle against the world-destroying gods and demons, succumbing to his injuries and perishing in the East Sea.

Such texts are commonplace.

"How terrifying. In the files I found, there were three Grandmasters who died directly in the East China Sea. The number of Grandmasters is in the double digits. If he hadn't refused to retreat to the deeper parts of the East China Sea, he would never have been surrounded and killed."

Lu Li gasped in astonishment. This was true invincibility among his peers, dominating an entire generation.

It's understandable that the Northern Wei court was determined to kill Qi Dongjun and tarnish his reputation, even at a heavy price. The combination of a descendant of a sage king and a grandmaster was too dangerous.

For the human race, who have just emerged from the long rule of the Great Xia, it possesses a natural appeal.

Just that background alone is worth an army of 100,000.

Not to mention his personal strength, he was virtually unstoppable.

In the eyes of the Emperor of Wei, regardless of whether there was any deep affection between them, there was already a deep bond between them.

However, the Northern Wei royal family took away the "Zhi Tian Gui Yuan Jing" (Scripture of Returning to the Origin of Heaven), and no strong person who cultivated this martial art has emerged in the many years since.

Moreover, this martial art and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual are not just a perfect match; they seem to be completely from the same lineage.

"Could it be that when the Northern Wei Dynasty fell, the 'Heavenly Returning to Origin Scripture' was lost, and some of its contents flowed into the Great Wei—the sages of the Four Academies saw this part of the text, were inspired by it, added their own understanding, and formed the final Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique!"

Lu Li boldly guessed that this possibility was not nonexistent.

"There are two paths: go to the capital, seize the opportunity to get close to the royal family, and obtain the Heavenly Return to Origin Scripture; or patiently wait for the great fire when the capital falls, when this magnificent city is reduced to ashes and countless treasures are reduced to ash in the fire that lasts for months."

"This is the best opportunity to obtain the Heavenly Return to Origin Scripture—moreover, the destruction of the capital city will be seven years later. Seven years have passed in the real world, and my strength will definitely be completely different from what it is now."

With such a powerful martial art that perfectly suits him, the Northern Wei world's status in his heart has risen another level.

After reviewing all the files, Lu Li rubbed his sore eyes and went to the shelf on the other side, where spiritual items confiscated from the Heyin branch were displayed.

Except for the most precious portion which was transported to the capital immediately, the rest were registered and stored in various county branches.

These spiritual items were used as rewards for branch members or exchanged with the Imperial City Guards of other prefectures and counties.

Lu Li already had experience, so he only picked those spiritual materials and meteorites that were obviously related to the starry sky, gathered them into a pile, and made them sparkle with starlight.

"Picking stars can earn me eight thousand merits. I don't ask for much; I only need four thousand merits from the Nebula Palace."

He opened a cloth bag and put everything inside.

Compared to the entire treasure trove, these few items are insignificant when they are missing.

"If you find the assassin, come to the prefect's residence to find me."

After leaving the secret vault, it was already dark. Lu Li found the half-step Divine Refinement Cavalry Captain not far away and gave him some instructions.

In comparison, I feel safer living in the prefectural governor's mansion.

Although Cui Xu is the source of danger, the assassins are targeting him.

However, the prefectural governor's mansion had two Refinement Gods, and after the great battle, several elite squads were transferred in, led by several Half-Step Refinement Gods, to guard inside and outside the mansion.

Moreover, the assassin's target will only be Cui Xu, so staying by his side greatly reduces his importance, making him practically invisible.

"Regardless of the success or failure of the mission, just knowing about the 'Heavenly Return to Origin Scripture' makes this trip to the Northern Wei world worthwhile—of course, it would be even better if Cui Xu could live, as it would mean that I have high-level connections for the first time in this Compass World."

Lu Li and Cui Xu had been through life and death together, so their bond was naturally strong.

Even scions of prominent families like Cui Xu, without merit, could be appointed to the minimum probationary period, always performing excellently in every term, and would be immediately filled when a vacancy arose.

This time, having made a great contribution, he will be able to rise rapidly in rank.

Next time I'm transported to the Northern Wei world, things will be much easier with Cui Xu around.

The western part of the city is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with merchants from all over the country gathering there.

You can hear accents from various prefectures here, and even the awkward and stiff Mandarin of the Great Wei Dynasty, spoken by the nomadic people of the desert carrying furs...

Yam, haggling with someone.

This is the most vibrant place in the county town, but also the most likely place to harbor filth and corruption.

People have seen all sorts of strange people, so no one pays attention to you, and no one is curious about your true identity.

For enough money, a weapons merchant will gladly sell a bull-horn-tipped knife, even if that knife will pierce his own body the next moment.

No one would find it strange to wake up one morning to find dozens of cold corpses lying on the street.

The shopkeepers would quietly drag away the bodies, wash the ground clean, and load them onto carts to be transported out of the city.

No business owner would choose to report it to the authorities, as that would damage the business of all the shops on the street and greatly affect customer traffic.

A middle-aged man with a gloomy face and a long sword in his hand walked onto the main street, seemingly wandering aimlessly.

He grabbed a handful of pastries, bought a bag of melon seeds, and was even stopped by an old woman who tried to sell him a cheap copper hairpin, which only the poorest rural women would wear.

"Be careful, don't bump into anything!"

The middle-aged man helped up a short, clumsy boy, firmly grasped his wrist, and a sharp blade hidden between his fingers fell out.

With a gentle twist, a snap was heard, and the boy's wrist broke. He was in so much pain that he opened his mouth wide and forgot to scream.

These pickpockets are everywhere on the streets, and they even work together to attract the attention of their targets.

Once something is lost, it can never be found again.

However, the middle-aged man's move clearly demonstrated his considerable martial arts skills, which intimidated the pickpocket group, and no one dared to continue their attack.

Ignoring the heavily made-up women waving handkerchiefs on the roadside, the middle-aged man finally changed his mind on his third visit. He twisted his body and somehow made his way through the crowded street to the other side, where he stood in front of a foreign merchant.

"How much does this fine curved knife cost?"

He pointed to the several slender curved knives scattered on the ground and asked.

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