Despite Shi Yuqing's words, Xu Ying still brought Jin Buyi back to the Fusang tree. Jin Buyi was in poor condition and needed to return to the Shang people's tribe so their Nuo masters could offer him immortal medicines.
Many among the Shang people had already become Qi Refiners and opened the Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body. They worshiped Jin Buyi and prolonged his life with immortal medicines in exchange for peace and safety for their tribe.
Shi Yuqing accompanied them to the tribe, intending to select several youths with outstanding aptitude and send them to the Sword Sect to cultivate.
After receiving care from the tribe's Nuo masters, Jin Buyi showed slight improvement and resumed dozing in the branches of the tree. Not wishing to disturb him, Xu Ying let him rest while he went to help Shi Yuqing choose talented youths.
Yuan Qi lay coiled beneath the Fusang tree. From time to time, solar divine fire poured down from above, scorching him until he was halfway cooked, but Seventh Grandpa was already well accustomed to it.
Furthermore, from recently contemplating the Sword Immortal Precipice, Seventh Grandpa's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, making him capable of enduring the burns of the solar divine fire.
As the fire roasted him, he actually grew increasingly comfortable.
"Seventh Grandpa, I probably can't keep following Ah Ying anymore."
As Jin Buyi's voice drifted down, Yuan Qi looked up, only to see Jin Buyi still dozing in the tree as if asleep. Yet his voice continued to carry over.
It was the great bird's divine sense transforming into a voice within his mind.
"I am too old. So old that I always forget things, so old that I cannot remember where I am. I have become a burden to Ah Ying."
Jin Buyi's voice echoed in his mind, laden with the vicissitudes of ages. "These days, I have tried so hard to follow you all, trying to keep pace with your footsteps so as not to drag you down, but I am simply too old. I constantly forget you all, and forget my own responsibilities.
"I tried hard to watch you all. I wanted to keep watching for a little longer."
His voice dropped lower, tinged with bitterness. "Yet I often forget my purpose. But this is enough. You may not be strong, and you may not be clever. You are still very young, unaware of just how terrifying the enemies are. Even so, I believe that like me, you will follow Ah Ying and look after him.
"I followed him across countless tens of thousands of li, across tens of thousands of years. Whenever he was captured by enemies and his memories were washed away, I found him again, time and time again. You can do the same. You will be able to find him, too.
"Having watched you for so long, I can see the bond you share with Ah Ying. You are just as I was in those days. As far as I am concerned, I can put my heart at ease."
Jin Buyi's three talons firmly gripped the branch of the Fusang tree. Tucking his beak into his feathers, he buried his head under his wing.
"You will take good care of Ah Ying. You will never leave nor forsake him. I can rest easy now."
Flames streamed from the three-legged golden crow's plumage onto the Fusang tree like fiery tears, causing the divine tree to blaze ever more vigorously.
"I can no longer fly. I leave him in your hands," he said in a calm tone.
Yuan Qi froze in a daze. "Grandpa Jin..."
Just then, Xu Ying's voice called out, "Seventh Grandpa, over here."
Yuan Qi looked up at the Fusang tree, then slithered over to Xu Ying's side. Xu Ying whispered, "The sect master has chosen the disciples. We're heading back to the Mount Shu Sword Sect."
Yuan Qi said, "Ah Ying, Grandpa Jin, he..."
Xu Ying replied, "Don't disturb him; we'll slip away quietly. Grandpa Jin has grown old, and our situation is becoming increasingly perilous. We can't let him risk his life anymore. Every time he fights, his condition worsens."
Yuan Qi nodded silently and looked back toward the Fusang tree once more.
The flames on the Fusang tree burned with mounting fury, and the solar divine fire flowing from the golden crow's wings grew ever brighter, bathing him in radiant gold like a deity dwelling within the sun.
"He has fought all his life. He should stay here to live out his remaining years in peace."
Xu Ying felt a prickle of sorrow in his nose and murmured softly, "Every time he fights, he falls into a deep stupor and sleeps for a long time before waking. I'm always terrified that once he falls asleep, he will never wake again. He has already fought a lifetime for me."
Yuan Qi looked back; amid the blazing fire, the elderly golden crow appeared to be weeping bitterly.
Leading Yuan Qi, Xu Ying caught up with Shi Yuqing's entourage. Gazing into the distance, he said, "Seventh Grandpa, I plan to make a trip to Kunlun. Before going to Kunlun, I want to enter the Netherworld again to find the one Granny Meng called Dongyue. He has a golden crow as well. Perhaps I can learn a way from him to prolong Grandpa Jin's life."
Yuan Qi's spirits lifted, and he said, "Ah Ying, when we went to the Taichu World to look for you earlier, we ran into Dongyue. He seemed to recognize Grandpa Jin."
Xu Ying turned back toward the receding Fusang tree. A setting sun hung in the branches, within which the three-legged golden crow spread its wings like a totem from the ancient past.
"Even if I can't find any useful clues from Dongyue, I still have other ways."
He withdrew his gaze and spoke with resolve. "Grandpa Jin once consumed the immortal medicine. I will find an immortal mountain for him, so he can survive just like Xu Fu and Wu Tianzun! If there is an opportunity, I will send him to the Immortal Realm and let him ascend!"
Upon returning to the Sword Sect, Xu Ying went straight back to the Sword Immortal Precipice and walked directly toward the cliff face left by the Sixth Generation Patriarch.
Within the mental battlefield, the Sixth Generation Patriarch drifted through the air with peerless elegance, the Bright Moon Wheel floating behind her.
Xu Ying stood opposite her. He held no sword, yet standing there, he seemed like a streak of sword qi that could cleave heaven and earth.
Suddenly, the female immortal deployed the Bright Moon Wheel. Like a radiant full moon, everything illuminated beneath its light was filled with her sword qi and techniques!
Xu Ying's figure flickered like an incomparably brilliant flash of sword light, meeting the Bright Moon Wheel head-on and passing right through its center!
The mental battlefield shuddered violently, then shattered with a crash.
Xu Ying opened his eyes and moved to the next cliff face—the cliff face of the Founding Patriarch.
Back then, the Founding Patriarch had discovered the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art, sat beneath the cliff face to contemplate it, and decades later grasped the indisputable profound truths of the Sword Dao, founding the Mount Shu Sword Sect! Over the tens of thousands of years that followed, no one had ever fully mastered or learned his sword art.
Now, someone had finally arrived before the Sword Dao cliff face he left behind—not to learn his sword art, but to test himself against his Sword Dao.
The instant Xu Ying's consciousness lightly brushed against the consciousness lingering within the stone wall, a mental battlefield slowly unfolded, revealing a simply clad youth.
A single long sword hung at the youth's waist—its blade slender and thin, seven feet long, with a tip shaped like a water droplet.
Back then, the Immortal Sword Siwuxie was merely an ordinary iron sword.
With a smile, the Founding Patriarch raised his finger, and the iron sword Siwuxie flew from its scabbard, thrusting straight toward Xu Ying. His consciousness was entirely innocent, free of any extraneous thoughts, utterly pure like a mirror.
Any thought in Xu Ying's mind and any stance he prepared to execute were reflected in that mirror, surfacing within the youth's awareness.
This was the origin of the Immortal Sword Siwuxie—only one who harbored no wicked thoughts could master the Founding Patriarch's sword art and comprehend his Sword Dao.
Yet the world had only ever seen a single person with such pure, unblemished intent: the patriarch himself. For that reason, down to this day, no one had been able to learn the sword art he handed down. He could anticipate the enemy's every move, piercing straight into the flaw of an opponent's technique before it was even unleashed. No one could withstand such a seemingly simple thrust!
Xu Ying did not even have time to strike; the moment he unleashed a move, he would surely die.
He had no choice but to retreat, granting himself the space and time to switch to a second move.
Yet the instant his intent shifted, the Founding Patriarch's sword technique shifted as well. This strike was aimed at the second move he had yet to unleash—still anticipating his initiative. As long as Xu Ying struck, death was certain!
Xu Ying retreated again. Technique after technique from the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art flashed through his mind, yet every time a stance crossed his thoughts, the Founding Patriarch's shifting techniques countered it in advance, leaving him unable to execute it at all!
He fell back again and again, watching every move he had yet to perform get dismantled inside his mind, filling him with boundless frustration.
Suddenly, the iron sword Siwuxie flicked upward like a spiritual serpent, tapping lightly against the center of Xu Ying's brow.
Xu Ying froze where he stood, entirely motionless.
The iron sword Siwuxie retracted, flying into the distance to return to the Founding Patriarch's side.
In those brief moments, Xu Ying had retreated dozens of li away; the Founding Patriarch looked exceedingly tiny.
The youth stood in his original spot with a perpetual smile, having never moved a single step.
Xu Ying gathered his wits, dissolved his consciousness, and withdrew from the mental battlefield.
His defeat had been absolute. Even though he had learned the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art, and even though his version was more complete than what the Founding Patriarch possessed, he still could not last a single exchange against him.
Whether he struck or not, defeat was inevitable!
"What am I lacking compared to the Founding Patriarch? Is it an exquisite sword heart, pure and unblemished, capable of reflecting heterodox paths? Or did his sheer obsession and infatuation with the Sword Dao surpass mine?"
Xu Ying sat upright, remaining motionless before the cliff face.
Over and over, he circulated the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art, honing the sword qi pent up within his chest, attuning himself to the Sword Dao, recalling the Founding Patriarch's sword moves, and searching for an opening to strike.
"There is one thing, however: the Founding Patriarch's comprehension of the Return formula fell far short of mine!"
After a long time, he entered the mental battlefield once more.
This time, without giving the young patriarch a chance to make the first move, he directly galvanized his sword qi and unleashed the "Return" technique from the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art!
As this sword thrust forth, it felt as though all Daos were returning to truth, and the Great Daos of heaven and earth were converging into the Sword Dao. Its sheer might and profound subtlety could rival an immortal art!
*Chii!*
The iron sword Siwuxie pierced through the Return formula, skewering Xu Ying's conscious head.
The mental battlefield dissolved, and Xu Ying collapsed to the ground with a thud, his consciousness thrown into disarray. It took a long time before he finally recovered.
"If the Return formula couldn't defeat him, does the problem lie in my state of mind being inferior to his?"
Xu Ying reflected on himself, only to quickly decide that self-reflection was pointless. "This is just the way my disposition is. His thoughts are innocent, and he anticipates every move. There's no way I can match him in disposition, so I'll compete in something else!"
Xu Ying circulated the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art once more, contemplating it again and again, cultivating repeatedly, while the sword intent and sword qi within his body grew stronger and stronger.
Previously, he had merely deciphered the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art without diligently cultivating it himself. Being defeated twice in a row by the Founding Patriarch ignited his drive to advance, driving him to hone his Sword Dao Return to Truth Art with near-obsessive zeal.
His sword intent and sword qi became increasingly pure, and his mastery over the Sword Dao grew ever stronger.
Xu Ying re-entered the mental battlefield to challenge the Founding Patriarch. Defeated again!
Just as before, without landing a single blow, the Founding Patriarch anticipated his moves and ran him through with a sword, killing him even faster than the first time.
Recovering for a while, Xu Ying pondered once more, cultivated again, and grasped even more subtleties within the Sword Dao Return to Truth Art. At last, his confidence bolstered anew, he entered the mental battlefield.
He died again, even faster than the previous attempt.
He tested himself over and over, failing time after time. During this period, Shi Yuqing visited several times. Seeing him like a madman—disheveled hair, murmuring to himself, with terrifying sword qi occasionally bursting from his body—she chose not to disturb him.
Shi Yuqing told Yuan Qi, the purple immortal plant, and the bronze bell not to interrupt Xu Ying, saying, "No madness, no greatness. He has entered a state of obsession; he will either achieve a major breakthrough or remain crazed."
Yuan Qi asked, "About how long will it take?"
Shi Yuqing shook her head. "I don't know either. I went through a phase like this myself back then, and it lasted over three months. I heard that a senior of our Sword Sect was once mad for several centuries before suddenly coming to his senses one day, his sword attainments advancing by leaps and bounds."
Yuan Qi was startled. "If Ah Ying also goes mad for several centuries..."
Suddenly, the Immortal Sword Siwuxie discharged a ray of sword light that landed and transformed into the sword child. Rushing toward Shi Yuqing, he cried, "Hurry to the Hall of Ten Thousand Swords! A decree from the patriarch has arrived!"
Hearing this, Shi Yuqing was greatly shaken. Leaping up, she turned into a streak of sword light and sped toward the Hall of Ten Thousand Swords on Minor Sword Peak, calling out loudly, "Which patriarch?"
Sitting cross-legged within the slipstream of sword qi behind her, the sword child replied, "I don't know either! I only heard a voice from the Immortal Realm telling you to go to the Hall of Ten Thousand Swords to receive a decree."
The Hall of Ten Thousand Swords enshrined the personal swords and statues of past patriarchs. Behind every sword or sword casket stood a powerful sword-cultivating Qi Refiner!
Enshrined at the very center was the Founding Patriarch.
Shi Yuqing stepped forward to offer incense and prostrated herself. Fragrant wisps of smoke curled upward, riding the ascension rosy glow straight to the dome of the hall.
Light spilled from the dome, revealing another world gradually taking shape with growing clarity. Then, a golden immortal talisman radiating brilliant golden light drifted down from above, landing squarely in Shi Yuqing's hands.
Shi Yuqing looked down. Falling along with the golden talisman was a geographical map depicting mountain ranges, beside which the word "Kunlun" was written.
Opening the golden immortal talisman, Shi Yuqing heard a grand sound of the Immortal Dao echoing in her mind.
It was a sound ordinary people could never comprehend, yet Shi Yuqing seemed to understand it. Bowing, she said, "I obey the decree."
Holding the talisman and map, she slowly rose as the light at the dome faded and the other world gradually vanished.
"The patriarch has bestowed a golden immortal talisman to protect me and commanded me to proceed to Kunlun," Shi Yuqing told the sword child. "The patriarch said the Kunlun Realm is about to open completely, and great fortunes lie within, already marked upon this map. I must set out immediately! Sword Ancestor, remain behind to guard the Sword Sect; I will take the Bright Moon Wheel with me!"
The sword child hurriedly asked, "What about Ah Ying?"
Shi Yuqing hesitated for a moment, then said, "He is at a critical juncture of his obsession. We won't wait for him!"
After packing lightly and giving a few instructions to Venerable Cangyang, she tossed the Bright Moon Wheel into the air. The wheel transformed into a full moon. Shi Yuqing leaped into the moon, and the bright celestial orb whistled toward the west across the sky.
Half a month later, at the far end of the ten-li precipice, Xu Ying sat cross-legged. Though his hair was tangled and his face grime-stained, not a single bristle of a beard had sprouted on his cheeks.
He still possessed the appearance of a youth.
Staring at the Founding Patriarch's cliff face, Xu Ying suddenly stepped into the mental battlefield once more. Facing the peerlessly brilliant Founding Patriarch, he thrust out a sword.
The sword light flickered, the sword intent immaculate. With his mind guarding Taiyi, the will reflected in the Founding Patriarch's sword heart shrank into nothing more than a single point.
"This time, my sword intent and Sword Dao are fused with Taiyi—let's see how you break through me!"
The Founding Patriarch finally drew his sword in earnest, the iron sword Siwuxie meeting his sword qi!
Their sword qi clashed, exchanging dozens of moves in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, the iron sword Siwuxie snapped, and Xu Ying's sword qi came to rest against the Founding Patriarch's throat.
"You never mastered the Return formula; your sword art's power is a notch inferior to mine."
Dissipating his sword qi, Xu Ying withdrew from the mental battlefield and chuckled softly. "I have finally defeated the Founding Patriarch before his ascension!"
Chapter 221