The Portal of Wonderland

“Why..?! Why are you on their side?! They were the ones abusing their power!” the ragged man screamed in horror and anger with the ancient sword tightly gripped in his hands.

“Helping the abuse?” Shi Mu was stunned and his movements slowed down.

This man’s sword skills were definitely not weak, even compared to Ling Feng. Though he was ugly, his body seemed to exude a special type of aura. Such an aura could only belong to someone of a higher rank.

“Who are you exactly? Why would you go to such lengths to steal a remnant of the Fang Clan?” Shi Mu asked.

“Who am I? Hehe… I’ve never changed my name. I am the thirty-fourth generation leader of the Fang clan. My name is Fang Bozheng! This ancient sword belongs to the Fang clan and only the leader possesses the right to have it, so how am I even stealing it in the first place?!” the ragged man said loudly with pride.

“If you are indeed the real leader of the Fang clan, then the Fang Bozheng who sent me here to retrieve the sword… Could he be an imposter?” Shi Mu was asked in shock

“The Fang Bozheng you spoke of… His real name is Jin Wugui. He was a human who came to my clan for training a few decades back. Seeing how well-off he was, I decided to take him in. However, I did not expect him to hide such scourge, trapping me here now. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be in this position today. I despise that man!” the ragged man said.

“What the hell is really going on? Explain in detail!” Shi Mu said.

The ragged man looked at Shi Mu and his eyes changed slightly. After letting out a sigh, he began to explain everything again in detail.

“Even if you’re a disciple of the Holy Land, you should learn to be able to distinguish between right and wrong, undoing the wrong that was done onto me. This all happened the day when Jin Wugui joined my clan decades ago. At that time, I was in charge of the patriarch. However, the foundation wasn’t stable for more than ten years. This person was very respectful to me when he first joined the clan, and always seemed concerned about the clan’s internal affairs. I did not fully trust him at first until he saved my life from an enemy. From then on, I began to trust him and kept him at my side to keep the clan’s affairs stable. Unfortunately, things took a turn. About three years ago when I was in my retreat, he suddenly barged in telling me that something happened. I took him for his words and followed him into a secret chamber.”

“What happened then?” Shi Mu asked eagerly as soon as the ragged man paused.

“After entering the secret chambers, he attacked me violently, even using a type of poisonous fog that I had never seen before. I was unable to defend against the sneak attack and ended up bound. As he placed his hand right on my face and began chanting a strange spell, I felt a tearing pain on my face. The face you’re seeing right now is what was done to me by that traitor! With that strange spell, he took my face and I was left with this horrible appearance instead,” the ragged man said with sadness in his voice as he touched his scarred face.

“Why did he do these things to you? How did you escape later?”

“He had his eye on the treasure of my clan and imprisoned me here to take it. What he didn’t know was that there was an escape passage in the secret room that only the patriarchs of the past dynasties knew about. The sword had been in my possession all this time, so I was able to escape with it.”

“How did you get here then?”

“When I was escaping, he was following close behind I had no other way to go, zo sneaking into the forbidden land in the secluded Serene Moon Mine was the only option. Jin Wugui is aware of the danger and strangeness that lurks here, so he has never dared to set foot here. I’ve been relying on the environment and consuming the flesh of the strange worm-like monsters to survive this long.”

“This story is quite intriguing, but can you prove your identity?” Shi Mu’s brows furrowed in suspicion a little as he asked.

The ragged man waved with one hand and raised the large Ancient Imperial Sword up toward the sky.

“The Ancient Imperial Sword is a remnant of my clan, cast by a special method: blood refining. Those who are not of our bloodline can’t use them! If you don’t trust me, you can try it out for yourself.”

The ragged man plunged the sword into the ground in front of him, wanting Shi Mu to test it out for himself.

Feeling suspicious, Shi Mu marched forward and grasped the Ancient Imperial Sword. He lifted it up and tried to wave it.

It made two whistling sounds but the sword did not light up.

Shi Mu tried to infuse the sword with his inner qi but there was still no reaction. He felt like he was holding a heavy blunt sword. There was not even the slightest connection to the weapon.

In addition, he did witness the ragged man using the remnant sword with his own eyes.

It proved that this person was not deceiving him at all.

“Since this ancient sword can only be used by those in your clan, why would Jin Wugui want to steal it?” Shi Mu handed the Ancient Imperial Sword back. At this point, he trusted the words of the ragged man and asked further.

Seeing Shi Mu’s trust, there was a hint of joy in the ragged man’s eyes.

“What Jin Wugui sought was not only the Ancient Imperial Sword but the high-level martial art preserved in my family known as the Art of the Aquatic Drizzle Sword.”

“Aquatic Drizzle Sword? Such a thing exists in your clan?” Shi Mu was shocked as he asked quickly.

He had read about it in some of the historical records, the Aquatic Drizzle Sword was once one of the most well-known styles of swordsmanship in the Magnum Solis.

It was created by someone who reached their peak of cultivation, but the technique had long been lost to time. Such an art required practicing for thousands of years or even longer.

At that time, it became one of the greatest powers in the Magnum Solis. Such power attracted countless disciples.

It is said that the ancestors of the Holy Land had tried to recruit those who were aware of and learned the art. It was a failure however, and those people gradually disappeared.

The ones who disappeared were well-known for their cultivation along with the high-level expertise in the Aquatic Drizzle Sword.

The Holy Land of Qinglan used all its forces to inquire and collect even half of the system but to no avail. In the end, it was just another flawed technique, as only a fraction was available.

Shi Mu remembered that he could not practice it because it required a thousand Xuanling points.

“Yes, my family had a relationship with the sorcerer and we possessed the complete system of the Art of the Aquatic Drizzle Sword. It is hidden in a secret fort, and the key to opening it is this Ancient Imperial Sword,” Fang Bozheng said.

“Since your family had such fine swordsmanship, why did none of you practice it?” Shi Mu asked.

“My family had always adhered to the way of the sword, which required cultivation of the heart. Plus, there was a taboo saying that learning the art had its cost. Since it was left as a treasure, the Fang clan did not practice it.”

Shi Mu listened and his thoughts flowed quickly.

This method was of the water attribute. It was based on the path of yielding followed by one’s yang energy. If their resistance to the water attribute was weak, it was unsuitable for them to learn.

At this point, the Art of Breeding a Strong Evil Ape had come to an end. If he were to learn the Aquatic Drizzle Sword, he would be able to advance.

Moreover, with the foundation of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art and the power of the yin and yang, Shi Mu would be able to cultivate fire-attribute techniques without a problem.

“I believe that you are the real Fang Bozheng and I can help you return to your home,” Shi Mu said.

“Do you mean it?” Fang Bozheng was caught off guard and appeared happy. Even the tone of his voice had improved by eight degrees.

“I don’t go back on my word. Jin Wugui had rewarded me the Millennium Burning Ginseng as a reward for your death and the retrieval of the sword. What would my reward be if I were on your side?”

Fang Bozheng remained silent for a while and showed a hint of decisiveness in his eyes.

“If you help me return to my clan, you’ll be the benefactor of my family for eternity! The Millennium Burning Ginseng will naturally be yours and the Art of the Aquatic Drizzle Sword… I would offer you this technique as a reward as well.”

“The Art of the Aquatic Drizzle Sword?! Are you serious about it?”

“Hehe… My clan vowed never to go back on our word as well. If you’re willing to help me, it’s only natural that I offer something equivalent in exchange. I’ll never regret it,” Fang Bozheng laughed bitterly.

“It’s a deal then. Now, let’s head back to the fortress together.”

After half a day, Shi Mu had appeared back in the fortress of the Fang clan.

Traveling on the green-winged flying carriage, he got out of it as he was still lost in his thoughts.

A buzzing sound could be heard outside the fortress. Suddenly, the barrier surrounding the fortress trembled as a gap began to split in the middle. Two figures could be seen on the back of a giant eagle as they flew out from within.

The two figures were none other than Fang Jinghai and Fang Jingde

As they landed in front of Shi Mu, they realized there was not much dirt, dust or bruises on him. Seeing his condition, they could not help but feel doubtful.

“So..? Don’t tell me all you did was walk around the mine in circles until you felt that it was time to come out, huh?” Fang Jinghai gloated with sarcasm.

“Jinghai, hold your tongue!” Fang Jingde quickly snapped.

Fang Jinghai snorted and said nothing after that.

“Sect fellow Shi, the Serene Moon Mine is indeed unusual, and to retrieve the sword from within is no easy task. There’s no need to feel bad since several Heaven-ranked disciples failed as well,” Fang Jingde said while smiling bitterly.

“Take me to see your leader then,” Shi Mu said with a blank expression.

Fang Jingde heard his words, then nodded in agreement, leading Shi Mu into the fortress.

Fang Jinghai stood alone on the eagle and looked at Shi Mu’s back as he snorted.

Soon, Shi Mu and Fang Jingde both landed on a square in the fortress.

Fang Jingde asked Shi Mu to wait a moment as he went in to inform a few older clansmen of the Fang clan.

After a moment, he came back following behind a few older clansmen in gray robes. The head of this group of people was the leader and master of the Fang clan, Fang Bozheng.