Faced with the cloth-robed swordsman, Wei Yuan remained silent for a moment before saying, "We don't know each other."
He had nearly been hacked to pieces by this man just moments ago. That Wei Yuan could face him calmly now was already testament to his exceptional composure.
There was no telling how long this cloth-robed swordsman had been trapped in the grotto-heaven, but back when it shattered, Wei Yuan had still been absorbing moon splendor in the Palace of Grand Beginning. For all he knew, by the time this man had turned into something neither human nor ghost, Wei Yuan hadn't even been born yet.
Therefore, Wei Yuan felt there was no way he could have had any connection to him.
Surprisingly, an expression appeared on the cloth-robed swordsman's face—a look that said "just as expected." He said, "You are still you. No matter how many cycles of reincarnation you pass through, you always manage to keep that spark of true spirit unclouded. You are also just like before: never willing to trust anyone, trusting only yourself. I just wonder whether you are still as cold and ruthless, as insidious and vicious, as you used to be."
Hearing this, Wei Yuan immediately took offense. His strategic foresight and careful planning before acting came from being well-versed in history books—how was that insidious and vicious? Besides, his achievements today were entirely due to hard work in this life; what did they have to do with any past life?
The cloth-robed swordsman's face once again showed an expression of "just as expected." He let out a soft sigh and said, "It doesn't matter if you cannot remember. It's just that a reincarnated body is not unique. You could be it, someone else could be it—I simply happened to encounter you. Since you are unwilling to accept the karma of your past life, I shall just look for another reincarnated body. It is only a pity that his legacy will remain buried for who knows how much longer."
Wei Yuan's ears immediately pricked up, seizing upon the word "legacy."
A legacy treated with such gravity by even the cloth-robed swordsman was likely no lesser than Arhat true blood. As for past-life karma, Wei Yuan only worried right now that he didn't have enough karmic entanglements.
Wei Yuan feigned deep contemplation, then said, "My cultivation is currently low, and I cannot pierce the womb delusion. I have no idea who I was in my past life, so how am I supposed to take on this karma?"
The cloth-robed swordsman said, "No matter. Once you obtain his legacy, you will naturally know everything. As for now, your strength truly is not sufficient, completely unable to bear his legacy. Heh, back then, a petty thief was able to establish an aristocratic clan and rank among today's prominent houses relying on just a stolen, incomplete portion of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns. Although you relied on external aid, being able to defeat this sloughed husk of mine is still no small feat. Yet even so, the current you cannot shoulder a ten-thousandth of what he learned in his lifetime."
Wei Yuan was secretly stunned. Could this be referring to the Xu family? Was Xu Wangu that petty thief from back then? He had only obtained a fraction of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns? Then how much had Wei Yuan himself obtained?
Shock aside, Wei Yuan felt that his achievements in this life might indeed have something to do with a past life. He just didn't know what kind of person he had been back then.
Wei Yuan sighed. "If it was truly left behind by me in a past life, taking on the karma is no big deal. I only wonder what this karma actually is... What's with that look on your face?"
The cloth-robed swordsman wore an expression that said "I knew it," looking at Wei Yuan with a half-smile.
Wei Yuan instantly felt as if his inner thoughts had been laid completely bare. Feeling embarrassed and provoked to anger, he snapped, "I erected a boundary stone in a desperate land, carved out a domain of my own, and slew over a hundred thousand Shamans! Does any of that have the slightest relation to a past life? I come from the Palace of Grand Beginning—would I be lacking in legacies or immortal treasures? Think about it: what did I just use to strike you down?"
The cloth-robed swordsman said calmly, "You are still just as you used to be. The moment someone touches a sore spot, you fly into an embarrassed rage."
"We don't know each other," Wei Yuan said coldly.
The cloth-robed swordsman did not argue with him, saying, "To receive the legacy, you must accept the corresponding karma. There are two things you must do now. First, master the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns."
Wei Yuan frowned. "I did obtain a sword manual, but it is incomplete."
However, Wei Yuan didn't reveal where the sword manual came from. This cloth-robed swordsman was deeply mysterious. Although he put on the air of an old acquaintance, if he learned that the primeval spirit of his physical body had been fed to the shadow in the moon by Wei Yuan, he would probably turn hostile on the spot.
The cloth-robed swordsman said, "I only learned half of it as well, but that is enough."
He pointed a finger at Wei Yuan. In Wei Yuan's consciousness, another copy of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns appeared—this time, the upper half.
"The second thing is to avenge me."
*Here comes the real meat...* Wei Yuan thought without showing anything on his face. He asked, "Just who are you?"
As if recalling something, the cloth-robed swordsman said slowly, "I... am Xu Wangu's son. At the time of my death, I was his youngest son. But after I died, I do not know."
Wei Yuan froze for a moment before asking, "What do you mean, you don't know after you died?"
Extreme agony and struggle suddenly broke out across the cloth-robed swordsman's face. Clutching his head with both hands, his entire body slowly curled up, trembling incessantly as intermittent beast-like howls tore from his throat.
The sudden turn of events caught Wei Yuan completely off guard; for a moment, he had no idea what was happening.
The cloth-robed swordsman's figure began to distort violently as he gasped out in broken fragments, "Right here... below... find it... be careful..."
The scenery before Wei Yuan's eyes twisted, and his divine sense was expelled from the sword hilt.
The hilt suddenly shattered, turning into fine sand and slipping through Wei Yuan's fingers. Broad patches of mottled rust broke out across the greatsword's blade as cracks slowly spread across it—it, too, was ruined.
Wei Yuan stood stunned for a moment, then began examining the sword manual he had just received. But at first glance, he cursed inwardly. All that remained of this manual was the general outline and a single stance—Opening the Heavens with a Single Stroke. The rest consisted of fragmented bits and pieces, reduced to mere words and phrases. Even the general outline was riddled with gaps, making it virtually impossible to cultivate according to it.
In contrast, although the sword manual delivered by the three-eyed bird head was labeled incomplete, its contents were far more comprehensive. Not only did it include the general outline, but it also contained four sword stances.
Both sword manuals contained insights of true intent, both originating from the cloth-robed swordsman. However, what the shadow in the moon had provided was distinctly more complete, with a conception far loftier and deeper.
Wei Yuan set the matter of the sword manual aside for now and looked around, intending to break through this minor world first and reunite with his master and Eldest Senior Sister.
The scattered words the cloth-robed swordsman uttered during his sudden madness at the end clearly implied there were other threats here. Wei Yuan didn't dare be careless; at the very least, that monster wasn't dead yet.
Just as Wei Yuan was preparing to make a move against the white jade square, the void to his side tore open, and Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli walked out.
"Master!" Seeing that Zhang Sheng was unharmed, Wei Yuan was overjoyed and dashed over.
A point of sharp sword qi suddenly appeared right at Wei Yuan's throat. Halting instinctively, Wei Yuan stopped ten feet away from Zhang Sheng. With an expressionless face, Zhang Sheng produced a scholar's robe and handed it to Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan looked down, only now realizing that his clothes had long since been reduced to tatters, leaving everything that should and shouldn't be exposed out in the open. Hurriedly taking the scholar's robe, he scrambled to put it on.
Ji Liuli suddenly tossed over a medicine bottle and said, "Creation Jade Dew. Drink it."
Wei Yuan's hand shook, almost dropping the jade bottle. Creation Jade Dew was a supreme treasure of the Monastery of Creation, exceptionally adept at repairing primeval spirits and perfecting Dao Foundations. A single bottle cost at least a hundred thousand taels of immortal silver.
Looking at the dozen-odd sword scars and several patches of scorched earth across his Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, Wei Yuan couldn't bear to drink it no matter what.
"Drink it! Or else face a cleansing!"
Ji Liuli's accumulated authority from all these years was still potent. Shivering slightly, Wei Yuan had no choice but to drain the Creation Jade Dew in a single gulp.
Zhang Sheng looked at Ji Liuli, then at Wei Yuan, suspicion creeping across his face.
Ji Liuli kept her eyes fixed on Wei Yuan until he swallowed the very last drop without leaving a trace before asking, "Just what did you encounter earlier? Are there any hidden dangers left?"
Thinking back to the battle against the cloth-robed swordsman, lingering fear still stirred in Wei Yuan's heart. He briefly recounted the course of the fight, then said, "This man was probably a formidable dharma idol cultivator."
"Just formidable? Take a look for yourself." Ji Liuli handed Wei Yuan a Merit Booklet.
Wei Yuan took it and looked. Right at the top, the first name caught his eye: Wei Yuan. Heavenly merits: 13,100; remaining: 7,030.
"That's impossible!" Wei Yuan blurted out instinctively.
According to the Palace of Grand Beginning's calculation rules for heavenly merits, the limit for a single dharma idol cultivator was six thousand four hundred heavenly merits. Wei Yuan remembered that last time, he had spent his heavenly merits down to single digits. Which meant this cloth-robed swordsman was actually worth seven thousand heavenly merits?
Chapter 284