Raise a sword!

Jiang Peng and Huang Cheng were led inside the temple to wait.

Not long after, Zhang the Taoist reappeared.

This time, he first said to Huang Cheng, "The matter of the demonic calamity is not urgent. You should stay in the temple for a few days, and we will see you again after the True Lord has deduced the heavenly secrets."

"This junior obeys," Huang Cheng replied hastily.

Then, Zhang the Taoist priest looked at Jiang Peng.

"Come with me."

Jiang Peng got up, somewhat confused, and followed Zhang Daoshi through the passageway in the Taoist temple all the way to the rear hall.

It wasn't until she stood outside the hall that Jiang Peng belatedly realized what was happening.

"Does the True Lord want to see me?"

"The True Lord said that he has a connection with Fellow Daoist Jiang. Since you are here, why not meet him?"

Jiang Peng never expected that she had only accompanied Huang Cheng to the Dragon and Snake Temple with the intention of broadening her horizons.

Surprisingly, he was given the opportunity to meet the Nascent Soul True Lord ahead of schedule.

It should be noted that because of the Cangshan Sect's scheme against the Dragon and Snake Temple, Master Lü personally came here to accept punishment and voluntarily requested the Cangshan Sect to use a grand formation that would seal the mountain for ten years.

Even for such an important matter, Master Lü was not summoned by the True Lord.

The Taoist priest beside him vanished without a trace.

Jiang Peng felt a little nervous. After hesitating for a moment, she finally gritted her teeth and stepped into the inner hall.

As I stepped over the slightly dilapidated threshold and my foot landed in the main hall, a warm voice rang out.

"It has been more than four hundred years, and it is rare for a true sword cultivator to emerge in the Southern Mountain Region."

Jiang Peng froze on the spot.

In the not-so-spacious rear hall, there were two prayer mats on the floor, and a thin, middle-aged Taoist priest was sitting on one of them.

The Taoist priest had ordinary features and a blank expression, but in Jiang Peng's eyes, he always seemed to be smiling gently.

Jiang Peng immediately realized what was happening.

This illusion stemmed entirely from the aura emanating from the Taoist priest before them.

Calm.

It is the composure to remain calm even when the sky is falling and the earth is collapsing, and the composure to have great power return to oneself.

"sit."

Jiang Peng subconsciously sat down on the futon opposite the Taoist priest, only to realize after sitting down that she was sitting opposite the True Lord.

Although it was their first meeting, as a cultivator from the Southern Mountain Region, Jiang Peng had naturally heard of the person before him.

Dragon-Snake True Monarch Zhang Lingsong is the most brilliant and talented person in the Southern Mountain Region in the past five hundred years.

He was a wanderer at the foot of the mountain from the Dragon and Snake Temple back then, just like the Taoist priest Zhang is now.

Since he first made a name for himself in the Southern Mountain Region, in just a century, he has crossed realms from the peak of Foundation Establishment, survived the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, and become a Nascent Soul True Monarch who looks down on all living beings from the clouds.

Many of Zhang Lingsong's deeds have become blurred over the centuries, but the fact that he cultivated himself into a True Monarch in a hundred years is undoubtedly true.

"Young friend, there's no need to be anxious. I summoned you here because of the matter of Tiancan."

Upon hearing the words "Heavenly Cripple," Jiang Peng was not too surprised.

When Zhenjun mentioned the true sword cultivator and the time frame of over four hundred years, Jiang Peng already had a premonition.

"Where is Tiancan now?" Zhenjun asked.

Jiang Peng replied, "It's all vanished into thin air."

The True Lord was not surprised, but said with a slight regret, "What a pity, Fellow Daoist Tiancan is a genius... Back then, when Senior Luochen saw him doing evil, he originally intended to kill him, but it was I who persuaded him that Senior Luochen spared his life."

A look of surprise flashed in Jiang Peng's eyes.

He never expected to hear news of Luo Chen from Dragon Serpent True Monarch, and he never expected that the Luo Chen Daoist mentioned by Tian Can would be addressed as a senior by Dragon Serpent True Monarch.

However, Zhenjun did not explain anything, even though he had already noticed Jiang Peng's doubts.

The True Lord simply waved his hand gently.

Jiang Peng immediately felt his magic sword being activated.

When he came to his senses, the Xuanyuan Sword was already in Zhenjun's hands, and he was playing with it over and over again.

The Xuanyuan Sword, which was usually extremely sharp, had completely concealed its edge at this moment without Jiang Peng needing to control it.

"Interesting. You've actually developed a certain spirituality in it, and this sword even seems to share your destiny... So Tian Can wasn't lying to me back then. The inheritance of ancient sword cultivators truly has its wonders."

Dragon Serpent True Monarch muttered to himself, and soon noticed that Jiang Peng looked a little puzzled.

He laughed and said, "Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch is not omniscient and omnipotent. I am a Daoist cultivator and do not understand sword cultivation. The only little bit I know is what Fellow Daoist Tiancan said back then."

"The reason I met you this time was because I saw the clues about the Heavenly Chen Sword Nurturing Technique in you. After a little deduction, I found that you were actually related to Fellow Daoist Tian Can, so I invited you to meet."

"After meeting you, the dispute with Fellow Daoist Tiancan back then has finally come to an end. It turns out that I was wrong and Fellow Daoist Tiancan was right... The path of ancient sword cultivation is indeed another path to heaven that is no less than that of Dao cultivation."

As he spoke, Dragon Serpent True Lord suddenly stopped talking and quietly looked at Jiang Peng.

This calm gaze sent a chill down Jiang Peng's spine.

After a moment, Dragon Serpent True Monarch chuckled and said, "Young friend, your mind is clear and you are not possessed. Then you must be a person of another soul."

Jiang Peng remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was in turmoil.

The self-proclaimed Nascent Soul True Monarch, who was not omniscient or omnipotent, could tell at a glance that he was not the original soul of this body.

"Young friend, do you know what a strange soul is?"

"This junior does not know," Jiang Peng shook his head.

The Dragon Serpent True Monarch said softly, "In his previous life, he was a powerful cultivator. After his death and reincarnation, he was reborn and devoured the original soul of the body, thus becoming known as a person of a different soul."

"This is not possession. What I just said refers to things before the child was born."

"Young friend, there's no need to be afraid. Strange souls are not uncommon. Once they've passed through reincarnation, they can no longer awaken the wisdom of their past lives. What happened in their past lives is no longer important... After all, if someone truly had the ability to defy reincarnation, how could they have fallen into it in the first place?"

Jiang Peng then realized what was happening.

It turns out that what the True Lord said was not the same thing as what he thought.

The Dragon-Snake True Lord continued, "I am a person of different souls."

Meeting Jiang Peng's astonished gaze, he explained, "We, the beings of different souls, are exceptionally talented. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, our talents become apparent, and we often have a smooth journey. However, there is a hidden danger before we reach the Core Formation stage... It was only because I saw that you, my friend, are also a being of different souls that I brought this up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dragon Serpent True Lord returned the Xuanyuan Sword to Jiang Peng.

"Seniors always have to give juniors some benefits. I originally wanted to upgrade this magic sword for you, but when I tried to do so in secret, the magic sword resisted... Magic swords have spirits. Ancient sword cultivators are truly interesting."

Jiang Peng looked at the Xuanyuan Sword in her hand, completely unaware that such a thing existed.

Immediately afterwards, Dragon Serpent True Lord raised a finger and pointed at it.

Jiang Peng instinctively wanted to dodge, but the moment the thought crossed her mind, the finger was already pointing at her forehead.

"Those with different souls are born with a discordant body and soul. This may not be apparent in normal times, but it can be particularly troublesome in critical moments... Since we have the opportunity to meet today, I will bestow upon you a method."