The Path Toward Heaven

 Seventeen sword boats from Green Mountain were traveling over the surface of the ocean.

A dozen Green Mountain disciples sat at the bow of every boat.

They kept their eyes closed while driving the flying swords to launch a nonstop assault on the surface of the ocean.

The bolts of lightning the Cultivation practitioners saw from a hundred miles away were created by their flying swords.

The sword boats were protected by the formations and guarded by their masters, who were the truly strong swordsmen, so the Green Mountain disciples had no need to worry about being attacked by the enemies. All they had to do was attack their foes at full strength. The power of the Green Mountain swords was undoubtedly remarkable.

Under these sword lights, both the steely rocks and those disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect, who were brave enough to come out on their swords and challenge them, were all slashed to pieces.

Such formidable assaults from the flying swords had exhausted the sword source of these disciples at an extremely fast pace. It didn’t take long before these disciples of Green Mountain blanched due to exhaustion and were replaced by other disciples who would continue the assaults by driving the swords.

The sword lights hadn’t stopped flashing over the surface of the ocean since the onset of the battle.

The magic pills and crystals prepared by Shiyue Peak ahead of time had played a highly important role, with their aid giving the Green Mountain disciples the chance to recover their sword source quickly.

The sword lights were bombarding the islands on the surface of the ocean like a violent rainstorm with a shocking force.

Many small islands had been leveled along with the thunderous booming sounds. It was unclear how many disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect had fallen into the sea water as either wounded or dead.

This patch of the West Ocean Islands was not within the central territory of the West Ocean Sword Sect; so the Great Formation of their mountain gate couldn’t withstand the ferocious bombardment from the sword boats of Green Mountain.

Soon, over a hundred islands on the outskirts of the West Ocean Islands had been either emptied or destroyed. And the disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect on some of these islands chose to surrender to Green Mountain.

The sword boats of Green Mountain didn’t continue attacking those islands where the disciples had surrendered; instead, a few sword lights came out from the sword boats and bound those surrendered disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect with the sword ropes, imprisoning them on the islands for the time being.

Seventeen sword boats acted like seventeen huge swords, slicing everything in their path to pieces as they traveled forward over the ocean.

The Green Mountain had indeed demonstrated an unstoppable force.

…

…

Hundreds of flying swords of the Green Mountain Sect were traveling in the air like the seagulls flying all over, creating countless horrific huge waves as the energy of heaven and earth became ferocious and chaotic.

No Cultivation practitioner dared fly close to the West Ocean Islands to observe the battle, because nobody was willing to be injured accidently.

Save for the strong swordsmen like Bu Qiuxiao, He Wei and the Grand Master of the Script Instruction Hall of the Fruit Formation Temple, few people could observe the details of this battle from a distance of fifty miles away.

A majority of the Cultivation practitioners could only see the scenes of the sword boats of Green Mountain traveling slowly through the rain of ocean and the wind of sky, and of those flying swords flashing like lightning.

However, they could clearly sense the formidable power of those flying swords as well as the despair of the disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect while being engulfed in the wind and rain.

If it were their own sect facing such a powerful assault from seventeen sword boats of Green Mountain, how long could they hold out?

Many people began to think about this issue, and they had all reached a conclusion soon enough. Their faces grew much paler as a result, and their eyes were filled with a sense of fear.

The sect master of Kunlun, He Wei, had a terrible look on his face when he saw the ashen faces displayed by the disciples of his sect. As he was about to chastise them for their cowardice, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly after he found that the Cultivation practitioners of other sects nearby had all shown similar behavior.

A battle at such scale hadn’t happened in the Cultivation world for a great many years, so the Cultivation practitioners of the younger generation hadn’t witnessed something like it before.

The battle scene would have a long lasting and negative impression on the minds of these young disciples.

It was also because He Wei was undergoing a similar experience.

The sword lights from the sword boats of Green Mountain hadn’t halted even for a brief moment.

He Wei had soon calculated how many crystals and magic pills would be used for the battle on the part of Green Mountain, the amount of which was unimaginable.

Which Cultivation sect, besides the Green Mountain Sect, could keep up such a fighting style? It was so brutal and expensive.

Even though the Center Sect could do it, they wouldn’t do it as wildly as the Green Mountain Sect.

The Green Mountain Sect was so powerful; in fact, they were extremely powerful.

Thinking of this, He Wei felt helpless. He led the disciples of his sect flying to a farther place to meet the Cultivation practitioners of other sects.

“Greetings, House Master.”

He Wei greeted Bu Qiuxiao by cupping his hands as he arrived by Bu’s side.

The Cloud Boat of the Center Sect was hovering near the Empty Realm in the sky, having no intention of descending.

As such, Bu Qiuxiao, the House Master of the One-Cottage, was the one with the highest status amongst the crowd.

He Wei commented sentimentally, “No matter whether it is true or not, the Green Mountain Sect is acting too arrogantly by launching the crusade without finding out more evidences. Must we watch them wreak havoc and do nothing?”

Bu Qiuxiao didn’t respond to him while looking at the deep part of the West Ocean.

Dozens of scholars of the One-Cottage House sat on the Boat of Diligent Study. One of them was thin and dark-faced; he lifted his head and glared at He Wei.

It was then that an elder of the North-Stream Sect suddenly yelled, “Is that the Hall of Heavenly Calculation?”

…

…

Over the ocean in the southwest, a sword boat of Green Mountain arrived in front of a large island.

This large island was different from the islands they had encountered earlier. It didn’t rely on the Great Formation of the mountain gate of the West Ocean Sword Sect to protect itself, because it had its own protective formation.

The sword lights coming out from the sword boats of Green Mountain were blocked by the protective formation, which meant that the sword lights looked a bit chaotic right now.

This protective formation was quite marvelous, as if it were releasing a sliver of the Dao. The flying swords, no matter how powerful they were, could scarcely assail the island itself.

It was because of this feeling that the elder of the North-Stream Sect thought this large island was where the rumored Hall of Heavenly Calculation was located.

The Hall of Heavenly Calculation was a special place for the West Ocean Sword Sect, and it was constructed under the close supervision of Tian Jinren. As a result, its protective formation was quite outstanding.

It occurred to many people that this was the first time the attack by the Green Mountain Sect had been thwarted since the battle began, and that the West Ocean Sword Sect should be able to last a bit longer; maybe a new situation would take place.

A composed and smooth voice broke out on the sword boat of Green Mountain: “Set up the formation.”

Dozens of flying swords shot up into the sky, forming a net-like entity above the surface of the ocean; it looked incredibly bright while the flashes of lightning occurred constantly amid it.

The sword net was bearing down on the large island, and soon met the protective formation of the Hall of Heavenly Calculation.

Pah!!! Pah!!! Pah!!! Pah!!!

Along with the intensive cracking sounds, countless fire sparks emerged in the sky.

He Wei’s face looked awful as he stared at this scene. The other Cultivation practitioners were all stunned speechless.

It wasn’t until then that many people remembered that the most powerful part of the Green Mountain Sect was the Sword Formation of Green Mountain, even though their sword work had no equal in the world.

The flying swords couldn’t destroy the protective formation directly; but could the Sword Formation of Green Mountain achieve the feat?

As the two formations met, the victor would be the stronger one and the weaker one, on the other hand, would be annihilated!

The strong wind was whistling; and the sea water turned into steaming white smoke.

The protective formation of the Hall of Heavenly Calculation was destroyed instantly!

The large island was plainly visible for all the onlookers.

“You people are too relentless!”

A furious and vicious voice broke out on the island.

A figure leapt skyward. He held a magic treasure in his hand, which exuded thousands of glows, and charged toward the net-like sword formation in the sky.

It was unclear what that magic treasure was made of, and it wasn’t broken apart by the sword wills inside the Sword Formation of Green Mountain. The magic treasure acted like a large fish intending to break through the fishing net, and created a bulge in the sword formation.

This person was the current Master of the Hall of Heavenly Calculation, Qi Moshu; the magic treasure in his hand hailed from the Institute of White Deer.

By the time the sword formation was almost being stretched open, a cracking booming sound suddenly burst out in the sky.

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.

Countless waves and endless tides formed on the surface of the ocean.

The bolt of lightning passed through the sword formation and landed squarely on the magic treasure held in Qi Moshu’s hand!

Boom!!!

Qi Moshu was hit by the bolt of lightning. His body stiffened, and countless puffs of white smoke came out from it. He then fell into the sea water below; it was unclear if he was dead or alive.

That magic treasure was indeed extraordinary; it wasn’t damaged by the strike of the flying sword. But it lost its prowess after the loss of its master. The powerless magic treasure was dragged by the Sword Formation of Green Mountain back to the sword boat.

…

…

The bolt of that lightning was so bright that the surface of the ocean many miles away was illuminated.

The Cultivation practitioners were so stunned that they became after witnessing the scene.

As they thought that the West Ocean Sword Sect might be able to change the situation of the battle, Qi Moshu was unexpectedly injured severely and fell into the sea water in an instant, and the magic treasure was snatched by the Green Mountain Sect!

The Green Mountain Sect resumed the attack, and the sword boat descended on that large island.

The tides arrived along with the sword wills, hurling the waves onto the cliffs of the island.

Dozens of sword lights landed on the island, and the thunderous booms bombarded the ears. All the buildings on the large island had been destroyed in the blink of an eye.

For those Cultivation practitioners observing the battle, the aftermath of capturing the island was not as important, as they were preoccupied with the thought of the earlier sword that was as powerful as a bolt of true lightning…

“How powerful that wielding sword is…”

The elder of the North-Stream Sect felt aghast and awestruck, as he went on murmuring, “What style was that sword? Was it the Immortal Liu Ci who had struck personally?”

Many other Cultivation practitioners were wondering as well. They thought that it must be the Immortal Liu Ci or the Master Yuan Qijing who had struck, since the sword could strike down a strong swordsman of the West Ocean armed with a magic treasure.

“That was the Tide Sword, employing the style of the Eight-Sides Sword.”

He Wei continued with an unsightly expression on his face, “It was Chen Youtian who had wielded the sword.”

Upon hearing this, all discussions stopped short. The Cultivation practitioners felt it unbelievable.

Chen Youtian was the peak master of Bihu of Green Mountain and had entered the Broken Sea State not long ago. He was actually the weakest peak master of the Green Mountain Sect.

Of course, Zhao Layue was a peculiar one and not counted as one of the normal peak masters.

But, this weakest peak master had wielded his sword like a thunderbolt and killed Qi Moshu instantly!

In fact, Chen Youtian’s Cultivation state was not much stronger than Qi Moshu’s. Yet, Qi Moshu’s magic treasure was trapped in the sword net of Green Mountain, and Chen Youtian had stored his energy long enough and was guided by the sword formation of the disciples of Bihu Peak. As such, his wielded sword struck like thousands of tides as powerful as mountains and sea water being turned upside down; how could Qi Moshu resist such an unstoppable strike?

A sword boat of Green Mountain had encountered the first true resistance.

There was a black stony mountain on that island where the disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect fought fiercely against the Green Mountain disciples while hiding inside the caves on the mountain.

The flying swords collided in the air, and countless sword lights mingled in heaven and earth, producing a bright and colorful vista in the sky.

Occasionally, an unblocked flying sword would leave a mark of certain depth on the mountain and the bottom of the sword boat.

The Green Mountain disciples were protected by the sword boat, and the disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect were similarly protected by the black stony mountain. As a result, they were tied in a stalemate for the moment.

All of a sudden, two flying swords shot out from the sword boat with a black sword light and a white sword light, and bombarded the black stony mountain.

The black stony mountain was very strong and protected by the formation. When the flying swords of the Green Mountain disciples struck the mountain, the most they did was cause some rock chips to fly.

However, these two sword lights had passed through the mountain and met each other inside it. They had actually cut the mountain in half!

Boom!!!

The black stony mountain was collapsing gradually. The disciples of the West Ocean Sword Sect fled in tandem by riding their swords toward the surface of the ocean while uttering surprised screams.

Seeing the scene in the distance, the Cultivation practitioners were stunned speechless again.

The elder of the North-Stream Sect exclaimed in a trembling voice, “It’s too powerful! It must be the work of the Three-Foot Sword of the Immortal Yuan!”

He had never seen the Three-Foot Sword, but he assumed that Yuan Qijing, as the Sword Justice of Green Mountain, was renowned for being just and impartial, and that these two sword lights also suited the colors of blackish mountain and white snowy Shangde Peak.

A strength so formidable as to cut open the stony mountain must come from someone as important as Yuan Qijing. Who else could accomplish this?

“They are from Mo Chi and Bai Rujing of Tianguang Peak,” Bu Qiuxiao said expressionlessly. “They are both in the Broken Sea State.”

The crowd fell silent again.

…

…

From the deep part of the West Ocean Islands.

A swordsman suddenly leapt up in the air, bringing the rain of sea and the wind of sky with him.

He was an elder of the West Ocean Sword Sect, and had been in the Broken Sea State for a great many years.

Seeing him charge forward, the onlookers became excited.

A Daoist wearing green clothing, after a slight quiver of the sword boat, suddenly appeared in the sky, blocking the path of the elder of the West Ocean Sword Sect.

As the dazzling sunlight shone on his body, six sword lights suddenly came out from it.

The Sword of the Returning Sun.

The style of the Six-Dragon Sword.

The sword light flashed slightly.

The elder of the West Ocean Sword Sect fell toward the ocean below after being cut in half.

The Daoist in green clothing glided back to the sword boat with a nonchalant air.

It was deathly quiet in heaven and earth.

The Cultivation practitioners observing the battle were shocked into a dazed state.

He Wei’s face turned as green as a bronze, as he thought to himself that he probably couldn’t block this swing of sword himself.

Bu Qiuxiao thought in silence that he could at most end up in a draw when fighting against this person if he didn’t have the Dragon-Tail Inkstone with him.

Two faint plops were heard on the quiet surface of the ocean a few moments later.

The sound was that of the two halves of the West Ocean elder’s body splashing into the sea water.

The Cultivation practitioners had finally snapped out of their daze.

Who was the man in green clothing?

What was the style of the sword?

How powerful it was!

Not even He Wei or Bu Qiuxiao knew the identity of this Daoist in green clothing.

Nobody dared guess who he was. They grew more in awe the Green Mountain Sect.

It was a common knowledge that the Green Mountain Sect was very powerful.

But, why didn’t anybody know of him even though he was so powerful?

How come the Green Mountain Sect had become so powerful as to have some nameless swordsmen?

Bu Qiuxiao turned around and looked at the thin and dark-skinned scholar on the Boat of diligent Study.

This dark-skinned scholar was none other than Liu Shisui.

“He is the Immortal Guangyuan of Shiyue Peak,” said Liu Shisui.

…

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