Volume 2 Tian Nan ? Xuan Qing Volume Chapter 35 The Devil's Trail Appears, No Beginning or End

  After dinner, the disciples of various sects were arranged by Wu Jincai, the eleventh master brother, to rest in the backyard or go to Diancang Peak for a stroll. The Shaolin, Wudang, Kongtong and Qingcheng sects all went down.

  While Dian Cangpai's ninth disciple, Li Feng, and Lin Meng'er were asking Di Feng and other Kunlun disciples to go to the backyard to practice swordplay, Di Feng smiled and said: "Little sister Meng'er hasn't been seen for four years, although she has grown much taller, but her temperament hasn't changed at all!"

  Lin Meng'er smiled and pouted: "Dì Dà Shī Xiōng, you're teasing me, right? I'm going to tell Sword Master Bó!"

  Di Feng burst out laughing, and before he could speak, Lian Wanrou had already grasped Lin Meng's arm and said: "Elder brother Di is absolutely right, I'm afraid that Elder sister Meng's temperament can't be changed for a lifetime!"

  After finishing this speech, Lu Lun, Li Feng, Sun Hui Guang and others also burst out laughing! Tian Lian, Luo Zhi Han was also interested, so he went to the backyard to practice sword with everyone.

  In the northwest of Kunlun Mountains, also known as Tianzhu in ancient times, there is a peak that holds up the sky. On top of it lives a branch of the Kunlun family. The Tian Nan Dian Cang family has been on good terms with them for generations, especially the two current leaders who are famous throughout the Jianghu. Many disciples have met each other several times and can be considered as having known each other since childhood, so they naturally don't feel any estrangement.

  Changkong Dashi and Liuyun Dao Ren, Jianceng Wang, He Zhuo Bao and Heng Fan, Cheng Man, Gong Sun Lie returned to the Yunyan Great Hall with Dian Cang Sanzi. The hall was brightly lit, and everything was as it had been during the day. The decorations were still vibrant and lively, but the remnants of the fruit peels and shells from the daytime had already been cleaned up by Yunque's arrangements.

  After everyone sat down, Yunyuan had already ordered someone to serve the best tea made from the special product of Cangshan Mountain, and then he retreated.

  Jian Zeng had gone to the front and smiled, saying: "Bai Yun brother, Lin Zhangmen, your Qingyuan sect in the south of Tian Nan is indeed quiet and peaceful, not asking about worldly affairs. Is the Jianghu calm or not? Does it have anything to do with the Qingyuan sect?"

  Gu Baiyun said with a strange tone: "With Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun and all of you here, what could possibly happen in the Jianghu?"

  Lin Ruo Chi also smiled and said, "Sword Master's words are good but without reason. Now the world has been at peace for thirty years, the Jianghu has been calm for eighteen years, our Qian Yan Sect is just safely located in the south, with no intention of going to the Central Plains."

  "Lin Zhangmen is unaware that the thirty years of peace and eighteen years of serenity in the Jianghu are about to be shattered!"

  Gu Baiyun was shocked and asked: "Why did you say that, Master Heng?"

  "Honestly, last month when I was in charge of the sect's gate, the Star Heaven God Diagram showed some signs, and next year there will be turmoil in the world!"

  Lin Ruo Chi didn't speak, lowered his head to think for a moment, then raised it and asked Gu Bai Yun: "Big Brother Master, how is the destiny of this child?" He knew that Gu Bai Yun's Five Elements divination was also a high-ranking expert in the Taoist sect, so he asked.

  Gu Baiyun furrowed his brow in thought, his fingers moving in unison for a moment before he spoke: "Indeed, it is as Leng Shanmen said. This year, the Emperor has reached the age of 70, and next year will be his final limit, when he will ascend to the heavens on the back of a crane!"

  He finished speaking, and then let out a sigh. These thirty years, although the Son of Heaven has pacified the world, scattered the heretical sects without courtesy, and killed meritorious officials without righteousness, he has implemented benevolent policies, executed corrupt officials, and for the people of the world, he is still a good emperor!

  The Great Master of the Vast Sky said, "Amitabha!" and then continued, "It's just that I don't know who will rule the world after this old immortal has been gone for a hundred years."

  This is exactly what everyone is worried about. The position of the Son of Heaven is related to the lives of all people, and if there is even a slight mistake, the world will be in great chaos!

  Gongsun Zhi had been silent all along, and now he interjected: "Seniors, apart from the change in the world, our Shifu also mentioned something about a demonic sect. I request that you seniors discuss this matter as well!"

  The crowd fell silent for a moment, and then Flowing Cloud Taoist spoke up: "Master Changkong, Master Lin, Sword Hero, I'm sure you all have your own awareness. Recently, the demonic sect has been making moves. We at Wudang received news that just a few days ago, two of the demonic sect's senior elders returned from East Sea First Heaven Holy Butterfly Island to Central Plains and headed towards Shu, my junior brother Flying Sand is already tracking them. Master Lin wants to take advantage of this gathering of all the schools and factions at Diancang to discuss and come up with a solution."

  He was referring to Fei Sha, a famous master of Wudang, whose martial arts skills were not inferior to his own. The name "Flying Sand Swordsman" was also renowned in the Jianghu.

  Everyone was shocked, and this time, Wu Dang's "Flying Sand Sword Guest" Fei Sha Zi personally went to drive out the demons. Liu Yun Dao Ren invited everyone to discuss together, it seems that the two great elders of the Demon Sect are also quite feared by the Orthodox.

  "In the lower palm door, Shixiong went down the mountain last month and went to Shu Zhong. I hope he's lucky and can meet these two elders." Heng Fan interrupted, "Actually, our Kongtong has always meant to gather all the orthodox masters, launch a surprise attack on Xiantian Sacred Butterfly Island, and annihilate the Demon Sect!"

  Everyone knows that the leader of the Kongtong Sect, Lie Chi Yan, has a high level of martial arts skills and is treacherous in nature. He shows no mercy to anyone, including those from the Demon Cult. If he were to encounter the two senior elders of the Demon Cult first, it would naturally lead to an intense battle!

  It's just a rumor in Jianghu that Lie Chi Yan Wu has already made great achievements, and this time he set foot in the Central Plains again from Xiyu, he must have come with his unique skills!

  "Impossible, my junior fellow apprentice said that the East Sea's Primordial Butterfly Island is far out in the middle of the East Sea, the journey is treacherous and unpredictable. If one doesn't know the way, even after ten years it's not certain they'll be able to find it. Moreover, it's rumored that the island is filled with mechanisms and poisonous creatures everywhere, if we rashly go there, it will be more harm than good!" Jian Zeng had been thinking carefully in his heart, far from being comparable to Heng Yan. His Kunlun Sect obviously did not agree with Heng Yan's view.

  Lin Ruo Chi nodded and said: "What Sword Brother said also makes sense!"

  Jian Zeng continued, "Recently, Jian's junior fellow disciple also accepted the invitation of Wudang's leader and went down to Kunlun Mountain. It seems that the martial arts world is indeed experiencing a storm!" When he said "Wudang's leader", he bowed his head slightly, showing respect for the words of Liu Yun, the Flowing Clouds Taoist. Although Jian was known as the "Flying Flower Swordsman" and his name was renowned throughout the land, he also showed extraordinary reverence for Wudang's leader.

  Gu Baiyun heard this and burst out laughing: "What? Is Xī Xiān also coming to join the fun? Haha, great! This time Kunlun will be pointing at the sky, flying swords will shine in the slanting sun, sword techniques will reach the divine, each one shaking a side! And we can fly southwest together again!"

  Apart from Gong Sunli who didn't know the allusion of "Flying Heaven Slanting Sun", and had no expression, a group of famous people all knew it and burst into hearty laughter.

  After laughing, He Zhuo suddenly heard that the two great elders of the Demon Sect were going to Shu and loudly said: "The Demon Sect is actually going to our Shu this time. It seems that they really don't take my Shu's Emei School and Qingcheng into consideration. Our Qingcheng School will definitely investigate further!"

  He paused, then turned to the Flowing Cloud Daoist and asked in a low and serious tone: "Is the Daoist's message accurate?" Although he was old, he also understood that this news was extremely confidential, and whether the source was reliable was also very important!

  The Cloud Wanderer gazed at the vast sky, then looked at the horizontal signboard of the Kongtong Sect and nodded. "The news is absolutely true!" He sighed, but didn't reveal where the news came from or who told him. Lin Ruochi thought to herself: "There must be some hidden truth behind this. Since he won't say anything, it seems no one will ever know!"

  Everyone knew that this news seemed to be known by the three factions of Wudang, Kongtong and Shaolin first. But why didn't they let Kunlun, Diancang and Emei factions know at the same time?

  Is it the channel for insurance, the less you know the safer, or is there another deep meaning? Lin Ruochi was also secretly thinking and guessing the reason in her heart. He was a point of Cang Palm Gate, famous in Jianghu, not only relying on martial arts, but also the meticulousness of his mind, which was beyond ordinary people.

  "But what is the purpose of this trip for all of you from the Demon Sect to come to Zhongyuan? Eighteen years ago... Ah..." Gu Baiyun furrowed his brow and asked.

  Cheng Man Dao said, "What's the point of asking about their purpose? Demons and evil people from the Devil Sect, kill one whenever you see one, that's the right way!" Liu Yun Dao Ren slightly frowned, but first replied to Gu Bai Yun, "Brother Gu, the Devil Sect does things in an unconventional manner, no matter what they do, we must be cautious and prepare ahead of time, it's not wrong to be prepared for a rainy day!"

  Lin Ruochi thought: "Are they really unaware of the Demon Sect's arrival in the West, or are they intentionally not saying anything? Who can know for sure?"

  "Ah, Amitabha Buddha! I really don't want to see the rivers and lakes killing each other again. The chaos of 18 years ago still lingers in my heart!"

  He was still unaccomplished in martial arts back then, followed Shaolin Temple to battle the Devil's Cult, several times almost died in battle, now famous in Jianghu, occasionally thinking about it, also with lingering fear.

  Lin Ruo Chi, Gu Bai Yun and Liu Chen Fei looked at each other, all of them trembled with sorrow, their eyes filled with grief. Thinking of the names on the memorial tablet this afternoon, they felt even deeper sorrow.

  Suddenly, a series of footsteps came from afar, and everyone fell silent. Then, another voice was heard outside, and everyone recognized it as Yun Yuan's voice. He reported from a distance: "Reporting to Master and all the uncles and aunts, outside, Ding Zhi Shitai of Emei Sect and Ma Qiang Shixiong of Kongtong Sect have come up the mountain, and they are already at the gate of the temple. They say they have letters from the leaders of Emei Sect and Kongtong Sect to deliver!"

  "Ah, invite them in quickly!" Lin Ruo Chi raised her head and said softly, but her voice carried far.

  Everyone knows that the nun Ding is a disciple of Dust Ice, the first goddess of Emei School and the Buddhist school. In the generation of "Xiu Shen Yang Xing, Hui Zhi Lan Xin", she is the sixth disciple, and in the Jianghu, especially in Sichuan, she also has a good reputation.

  But Ma Qiang was actually a great disciple of Cheng Man, and Huang Langzi also had to call him "Big Brother Master". Many people have heard of this.

  Gu Baiyun smiled and said: "They are indeed traveling together, but I don't know why. It shouldn't be for the same thing!" Heng Man shook his head and said: "I don't know what Ding Zishi is up to."

  In a moment, the temple gate was pushed open and Yunyuan, two nuns and two young Taoists rushed in.

  The nun in front was the Dharma Master of Emei Sect, who had been practicing for about 40 years. When she paid respects to the people in the hall, she said: "Dharma Master of Emei Sect has seen all the masters and senior fellow practitioners!"

  Lin Ruo Chi, Gu Bai Yun and Jian Zeng Wang all stood up and returned the courtesy, saying: "I dare not!"

  It is worth noting that the current Emei Sect leader, Dust Ice Goddess, is actually one generation higher than Lin Ruochi and Kunlun Sect leader Chu Jingxi. Lin Ruochi, Gu Baiyun, and Jian Zeng are at most half a generation higher than Ding Zhen Master, so how dare they accept Ding Zhen Master's visit?

  Ma Qiang of the Kongtong Sect also came forward to pay his respects: "Disciple Ma Qiang of the Kongtong Sect greets Master Lin and all seniors!"

  Lin Ruo Chi nodded and said: "Xian Zhong, rise!"

  Ding Zishi and Ma Qiang stood up, respectively handing over the letters to Lin Ruochi. After Lin Ruochi finished reading the letter from Emei Sect, she didn't say a word and handed it over to Liu Chenfei, saying: "Liu Shidi, please read it out loud for everyone!"

  Liu Chenfei then loudly read out:

  "Lin Zhangmen, it's been nearly twenty years since we last met. I heard that the seventh generation of your sect is holding a grand ceremony to bestow swords recently, and my heart is filled with blessings. As the abbess of Emei for thirty years, I have weathered many storms in Jianghu, but as a woman, I no longer have the energy to deal with worldly affairs. My only concern now is to devote myself to Buddhism, hoping that the Buddhist teachings will bring salvation to all sentient beings and help people avoid the three poisons. We have decided to hold a grand ceremony to seal the mountain on September 19th, and due to my poor health, I have also decided to pass on the position of Emei Zhangmen to my eldest disciple, Dingxiu, on the same day. I hope that Lin Zhangmen will look at our sect's long-standing friendship and honor us with your presence. Dust and ice pay their respects."

  He read with increasing astonishment, several sentences in the middle were read out in astonishment, and the last few sentences seemed to be polite words from Dust Ice Goddess to her own Shixiong, and her voice was much softer.

  "What?!" Hei Yan exploded, "Elder Ding Zhi, how come I've never heard of Emei planning to seal the mountain before I left Sichuan?! And Dust Ice Goddess is almost seventy years old, but when I saw her last year, she was still full of energy! How could it be time for her to pass on the position of leader to Ding Xiu already?!"

  He Qingcheng, Emei in Shu Zhong, "Three Hands Fire Sword" Shu Zhong fame is extraordinary, Ding Zishi recognized him early.

  Ding Zhen made a bow again, with her palms placed in front of her chest: "In response to He Da Xia's words, our Shifu said that for the past twenty years, Emei has not interfered with worldly affairs or paid attention to Jianghu, which is equivalent to sealing off the mountain. Since we have devoted ourselves to Buddhism, we must do it thoroughly and clearly announce it to the martial arts world."

  She paused for a moment, then bowed her head to the surroundings and said: "Everyone, seniors, Master calculated that when I delivered the letter, you were all on Mount Diancang. At that time, he also asked me to inform everyone and invite you all to participate together."

  "Amitabha Buddha, Dust Ice Goddess has indeed broken through the mundane world and no longer pays attention to fame and fortune. She is truly a high-ranking Buddhist master! Amitabha Buddha!" Master Changkong praised in his heart, saying repeatedly: "The Emei Sect's swordsmanship is unparalleled, their orthodox internal skill and mental method are also unmatched in the martial arts world, and their Buddhist Dharma is boundless. The 'Crowd-Subduing Magic Spell' of the Buddha's Law is the only one of its kind in the world! After sealing the mountain, it will be a great loss for the orthodox sects of the martial arts world!"

  Liu Yun Dao Ren also sighed, and everyone nodded in agreement!

  Jian continued, "However, Master Dharma, your elder sister Master Dharma's Buddhist teachings are subtle and profound, her martial arts achievements are on par with our revered Master Goddess. She has long been famous throughout the land, and passing on the position of leader to her is indeed correct! On the 19th of September, I will definitely accompany our junior master to Mount Emei to celebrate our master's and your sister's birthdays!"

  He and Ding Xiushi were familiar with each other as they fought against the Devil's Cult together in the past. Although they belonged to different schools, they got along harmoniously, which was why he spoke like that. Moreover, the Emei Sect was a renowned school in the world, so it was only natural for him to attend the ceremony of succession and offer his congratulations. Upon hearing what Jian had said earlier, Ding Xiushi knew that he was a chivalrous hero who always kept his word, so she quickly bowed her head in gratitude and said: "Thank you, Sword Hero of Kunlun!"

  Everyone was a sigh of regret, but also did not decline, said on the nineteenth day of the ninth month to go up Mount Emei as Dust Ice Goddess Nun, Master Taizhen congratulated!