The Path Toward Heaven

If Jing Jiu’s judgment was correct that Nan Qü in the coffin wouldn’t wake up soon, he was nothing but a corpse. However, if he woke up, he would be a half fairy man without an equal in sword fight. It would be a simple choice for anybody.

Nan Wang turned to head toward the deep part of the mountain. The white cat moved a lot faster than she, vanishing instantly after turning into a flash of white residue; the cat didn’t even ma any sound.

Jing Jiu didn’t mind their action, because it was his suggestion anyway. And also he wasn’t confident enough about whether the corpse in the coffin would wake up or not.

The morning sun climbed higher, and the sky grew bluer; the mountain looked much clearer now.

The barren mountain was not far from the sea, but it didn’t get very many rainfalls over the year. The living beings were scarce here, even much less than those on the Cold Mountain.

The Cold Mountain looked barren, but it possessed rich fire sources and underground rivers; as such, a great number of wild animals and demons lived there.

Yet, the landscape here was so austere that the autumn view was actually more remarkable and fascinating. The golden and red leaves that looked ablaze lined neatly in rows from top to bottom, as if they were the colorful belts painted on by a magic pen.

Jing Jiu drew back his gaze and looked at his right hand.

Jian Xilai had cut his body in half from a distance of ten miles during the battle of the West Ocean, and later he wielded his sword carelessly to have injured Ada.

He was at his height of Cultivation state, deserving the title of the Godly Swordsman. Jian Xilai was a much brighter star now, unlike many years ago when he was overwhelmed by Cao Yuan.

Nan Qü was his Master and had a profound and unknowable Cultivation state.

Yet, all this shouldn’t be an issue.

Liu Ci was the immortal sect master of the Green Mountain Sect.

As such, he was the strongest swordsman on Green Mountain.

And he should also be the strongest swordsman in all of Chaotian.

Neither Jian Xilai nor Nan Qü should be his match.

Unfortunately, Liu Ci didn’t have a sword.

Back when the Immortal Jing Yang ascended, Liu Ci forced Jian Xilai to retreat to the West Ocean, but didn’t kill him. During the battle of the Cloud Platform, Liu Ci and Jian Xilai exchanged a wielding sword, ending up in a draw in the sky over the ocean; it was also because Liu Ci didn’t have a sword.

If Nan Qü chose to fight in the form of sword ghost, could Liu Ci fend off him without a sword?

Jing Jiu was of course the most suitable candidate for the job, and he was also aware that Liu Ci wished he could do so, but he didn’t want to take the risk.

The ominous premonition seemed to keep on warming him: If he fulfilled Liu Ci’s wish, he would regret it, because something would go amok.

The wild grass swayed without the aid of any wind.

Nan Wang came back while heaving the white cat by grabbing his neck. “According to your calculation, what are the odds that he will wake up?” she asked Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu reached out his hand to take back the white cat. He said after calculating one more time, “The odds are one in ten.”

The white cat meowed once, showing a resentful expression.

Jing Jiu was well aware that Nan Wang had no way to catch the cat if he didn’t want to come back. The cat came back because he wanted to, or in other words, he was too embarrassed to leave right now.

The event at the Fruit Formation Temple had taught the cat a long lasting and irritable lesson; as a result, Zhao Layue didn’t want to hold him in her bosom anymore, and Gu Qing and Yuan Qü changed their attitude toward him.

But, why did Nan Wang come back? Jing Jiu discovered that the hair on her temples was wet, so he guessed that she must have gone to the stream and taken a bath.

Nan Wang liked singing folk songs after she drank enough alcohol and got in good spirits, and she liked playing in the water when it was inconvenient to sing the songs; she would take off her clothes and jump into the water when she saw a stream or lake.

This had been a habit of hers for many years. Liu Ci could do nothing but to allocate the lake on top of Bihu Peak to her and make it a forbidden area for others, and cancelled the prohibition until she took over the position of the Qingrong peak master.

“Nine times out of ten, he won’t wake up…those are some good odds.”

Nan Wang had indeed drunk too much; she said after drawing another gulp from the alcohol jar, “It should be safe.”

“It’d be safe now that I’m here,” Jing Jiu said.

Nan Wang turned her head around and stared at him with her bright and wide opened eyes, saying nothing.

This was the third-most fearful thing about her to Jing Jiu.

He turned his head away, avoiding her gaze, and looked at the ruined temple a few miles away.

“Who the heck are you?” Nan Wang demanded.

Jing Jiu knew that she wouldn’t be able to guess his true identity, the same way Guo Dong couldn’t figure out who he truly was in the beginning.

Both of them couldn’t do it for the same reason.

He didn’t answer her question, but said, “I still suggest you two leave here.”

Nan Wang asked, “Do you remember the horse-drawn carriage in Daozhou City?”

In the middle of summer, they were busy looking all over the places for clues regarding where Nan Qü might hide. All of a sudden, a horse-drawn carriage charged to the lakeside, bringing the latest news. The doctor coming in the carriage didn’t conceal his identity, because that lake was within the territory of the East Mountain Sect and nobody else could get near it.

The East Mountain Sect was a local Cultivation sect that was supported by the Chen Clan, and the Chen Clan was an ordinary external family connected to Shiyue Peak.

This sort of connection was common, especially in the south. There were at least dozens of businesses like the Precious-Tree House existing in the south; and there were at least six or seven clans like the Gu Clan existing around this area. The southern barbaric tribes relied utterly on Nan Wang to support them so they could live a relatively peaceful life in the damp and hot mountains. The imperial court had never considered collecting taxes from them or extorting services from them.

In Jing Jiu’s eyes, she was simply a drunkard; but for the people of these southern barbaric tribes, she was a true god.

If the Green Mountain Sect were destroyed, all this would be unsustainable, and these ordinary folks might die as a result.

This was why Nan Wang couldn’t leave, nor could the white cat; Jing Jiu had even more reasons to stay put.

…

…

The sword lights illuminated the sky over Green Mountain; the bloody color seemed to hint at a foreboding and brutal fighting ahead.

That blood red thread returned to Shenmo Peak after having landed on Tianguang Peak; it changed into the Thoughtless Sword when it was held in Zhao Layue’s hand.

She inserted the Thoughtless Sword in the ground and twisted it forcibly to activate the forbidding formation of Shenmo Peak, then walked toward the outside of the cliff.

A small sword boat was moored in the ocean of clouds outside the cliff; a few disciples of Shiyue Peak greeted her by bowing.

Yuan Qü had already prepared everything for the trip. He led Ping Yongjia closely behind Zhao Layue. The farewell screams of the monkeys could be heard coming from the bottom of the cliff.

This was a very small sword boat, one which could only accommodate dozens of people, but it was decorated luxuriously.

Looking at the small protective sword formation at the bow of the boat, Ping Yongjia commented in surprise, “How many crystals would it use for the trip to and from the West Ocean?”

“What does it have to do with us?” Yuan Qü asked.

Yet, Ping Yongjia still felt it was a bit too wasteful, and remarked, “It’s understandable for someone like myself in a low Cultivation state to ride in a sword boat; but why aren’t the masters riding on their swords? It would be faster.”

Yuan Qü wondered why Ping Yongjia was dimwitted enough to make such a remark even though he was a disciple selected personally by Senior Master Jing.

“Let me ask you a question. Which is more comfortable, riding on a sword or riding in a sword boat?”

“Of course it’s the latter,” Ping Yongjia answered matter-of-factly.

Yuan Qü exclaimed indignantly, “So do you wish to see the masters ride on their swords while you are sleeping comfortably in the sword boat?”

The elders and disciples of other peaks were also in the process of embarking the sword boats; but their boats were a lot bigger because the other peaks had a much larger number of people than that of Shenmo Peak.

The cold fog was dissipating on Shangde Peak. The sword boat could be seen intermittently in the scattering fog.

Yuan Qijing had embarked the boat earlier than anybody else. Chi Yan and Duan Liantian were busy arranging the seats for all the disciples.

The Young Sister Yushan occupied a well-protected seat. It was a spot closest to the Sword Justice and surrounded by big brothers. It was certain that she would be safe even if the sword boat were destroyed.

The water in the lake on the top of Bihu Peak was stirred greatly, creating countless snow white sprays.

Chen Youtian led dozens of swordsmen embarking the sword boat, and he didn’t notice that the water in the lake tasted a bit salty until today.

The disciples of Liangwang Peak were also in the process of getting into the sword boat, their clothes fluttering and the sword lights glistening.

Guo Nanshan and others had to go to another battle after they had come back from the snowland less than one hundred days ago.

The disciples of Shiyue Peak embarked on the sword boat, led by the Immortal Guangyuan.

A crisp chirping rang out on the stone beam shrouded in the fog all year long.

A dark figure leapt out of the fog; but it landed on the sword boat of Shangde Peak instead of the one occupied by Shiyue Peak.

Seeing the ordinary rooster, even though he had a colorful and long tail, landing on the boat, the hearts of the Shangde Peak disciples skipped a beat; soon they bowed to him in reverence after figuring out the identity of the rooster.

The eyes of Young Sister Yushan were wide open wide as she wondered how Master Dark Phoenix turned out to be so good-looking.

Meanwhile, Chi Yan and Duan Liantian thought that the Sect Master was determined to wipe out the West Ocean this time since the Master Principal Guard was even to leave Green Mountain.

…

…

“Little Fourth, you stay behind to look after Green Mountain.”

Liu Ci said this toward Xilai Peak, without taking a look at Fang Jingtian.

He was clear about what was on Fang Jingtian’s mind, so Liu Ci called him “Little Fourth” to remind him or warn him not to do anything inappropriate.

He walked to the front of the stone monument, reached out his hand and took down the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword. “Senior Master still hasn’t made up his mind yet,” he said after a pause.

The Round Turtle opened his eyes slowly and shot a glance at Liu Ci, thinking that what he had just said was utterly nonsense because nobody was willing to have a rope wrapped around their necks.

He was not someone as stupid as that rooster, and was far from being an idiot.

Liu Ci didn’t say anything more; he flicked his fingers slightly.

Whoosh!!!

A sword sound echoed throughout Green Mountain.

Seventeen sword boats had left their respective peaks, flying skyward.

The Great Formation had been activated. The autumn rain had fallen down. The sword boats shot through the clouds, heading toward the distant West Ocean.

All of Green Mountain had embarked the boats, including those young men and women who had just entered the Sword-Washing Hall and who hadn’t inherited the swords yet.

Left behind on Green Mountain were Fang Jingtian, the horse on the slope of Shenmo Peak and those monkeys, and that dog and the prisoners in the Sword Jail.

…

…

In the morning sunlight, seventeen sword boats charged toward the West Ocean.

It was a magnificent scene.

On the largest sword boast in the front, Liu Ci stood at the bow, his long beard and sleeves fluttering with the wind, looking like an immortal man.

Dozens of sword letters had sent to various places in Chaotian, telling them that the Green Mountain Sect was to attack the West Ocean.

It was an explicit and straightforward act.

This was the way the Green Mountain Sect had always acted.

There was also another reason for the act.

It was because Liu Ci didn’t have a sword.

If he didn’t ride in the sword boat, he would travel much more slowly.

…

…