From the side hall of the Sword Palace came the despairing roars of True Monarch Xuanyue: "In your dreams! Sky Azure Hall will never yield! Not unless—"
Several terrifying sword qis merged into one, unleashing a mountain-shaking sword chime: "Shut up! This is an internal affair of our Sword Palace; we will not allow an outsider to meddle!"
Immediately after, the sword qi split into several strands. The one in the center was calm and balanced, without the slightest hint of edge. Another strand shone with radiant brilliance spanning myriad zhang, peerlessly sharp, carrying the Sword Palace's most traditional sword glow to its absolute peak.
The two immortal swords confronted each other, neither willing to yield an inch. There were also three strands of sword qi that had not yet ascended to immortality, all aligned behind the myriad-zhang sword qi. One of them actually reached nine thousand zhang as well, glowing with immortal light from within.
The disciples of the Sword Palace looked on in awe; such a grand spectacle had not been seen in a hundred years. They simply wondered what formidable enemy had arrived to force both Palace Masters and several Supreme Elders to respond with all their might. Many Sword Palace disciples concurrently cultivating the Invincible Heart quietly grabbed their clothing bags and shoeboxes, preparing to execute a tactical withdrawal.
Yet watching how things developed, it seemed more like the two Palace Masters were having an argument. Thus, these disciples put back the bundles containing all their worldly possessions and went right back to nurturing their Invincible Hearts.
In the side hall, Feng Hanzhou stood facing the Palace Master, who had the appearance of a wealthy squire. Between them, countless sword rays flickered into existence and extinguished, coalescing into rippling black waves. For all of Xuanyue's obsession with saving face, his complexion changed upon seeing these ripples, and he was forced to step back several paces. Yet in doing so, he also distanced himself from the dharma idol projection carrying Zhang Sheng's aura.
The tiny Sword Families Under Heaven floated in the center of the sword qi storm, completely unharmed. Even as the two sword immortals clashed fiercely, every wisp of sword qi veered around it, and even stray sparks from collisions did not come close, fully displaying what true immortal-level mastery of entering the minute was.
Including the female sword cultivator, all three Supreme Elders at Scenery Command perfection stood behind Feng Hanzhou. Though unable to intervene in a clash of immortals, their stance could not have been clearer.
Feng Hanzhou's face was dark as still water. "Palace Master Bai, your inaction over these years was one thing. But today you commit such a perverse act—I, Feng, cannot stand by and watch! Though you and I are fellow disciples, righteousness comes first, so forgive me for crossing you!"
Killing intent gleamed in the squire-like Palace Master's narrow eyes, yet a beaming smile remained on his face as he said, "Feng Guangdian, have you already forgotten how you begged me back then? No matter. You were no match for me back then, and the same holds true today. Allow me to polish your Invincible Heart once more."
Feng Guangdian? Aside from the female sword cultivator, the other two Supreme Elders and the disciples outside the hall pricked up their ears.
Feng Hanzhou's murderous aura surged sky-high in an instant. He roared, "Fat thief! Today it is you or me! Don't think your victory is assured. A just cause finds abundant support, while an unjust cause finds little! Can't you see where the hearts of the people lie? Right now in the Sword Palace, you are completely isolated!"
Palace Master Bai gave a light sigh. "You are still as reckless as ever. Have you not considered what will happen to those two legacy disciples of yours?"
Decisive and ruthless, Feng Hanzhou immediately replied, "Having found such a wonderful disciple today, those two can be gifted to others! Elders, haven't you always been fond of them? Just one for each of you."
Feng Hanzhou glanced to his left and right, only to find that the two Supreme Elders had already slipped behind the Palace Master.
The wealthy squire smiled. "Where the hearts of the people lie—do you see it clearly now?"
Only then did Feng Hanzhou realize that in a momentary lapse of vigilance, he had fallen right into the old fox's trap. Keeping his expression unchanged, he grew anxious inside, racking his brains for a countermeasure.
At this moment, the female sword cultivator appeared beside True Monarch Xuanyue. Conjuring a table and chairs, she invited him to sit. "Instructing such a grand-disciple must be terribly exhausting, wouldn't you say?"
"Hardly need to manage them at all; strictly free-range," True Monarch Xuanyue said without standing on ceremony. Raising the teacup, he drained it in a single gulp, then gestured for a refill.
The tea of the Sword Palace was a notch superior even to what Yanshi had, and the female sword cultivator, serving private interests under public guise, had brought out their finest. Before Wei Yuan came along, a single cup of this tea would have cost True Monarch Xuanyue a full year of toil. Such a wondrous treasure could nurture sword qi in the most minute recesses of the physical body. Xuanyue was a magic cultivator who relied on his physical body for his livelihood; even if it meant throwing face to the winds, he could never let an opportunity like this slip away.
Showing no hint of stinginess, the female sword cultivator poured Xuanyue three cups in a row. At this point, even Feng Hanzhou and the Palace Master could fight no longer, their gazes turning in unison toward the side.
The female sword cultivator remained completely unperturbed. Waiting until Xuanyue finished his tea, she said, "Following you, that child must have suffered quite a bit. She didn't have to go out and do odd jobs back when she was in the Dao Foundation realm, did she?"
Xuanyue froze, feeling his cheeks grow warm.
The female sword cultivator continued, "The child has had it so hard. As a senior, you can't just think about yourself, can you? How about this: every once in a while, send her to stay with me for a few days, and I will make it up to her on your behalf. What do you say?"
Xuanyue intended to refuse, but seeing the astonishing brightness in the female sword cultivator's eyes, and savoring the lingering finish of the immortal tea on his palate, the refusal sank back into his belly. Yet even this subtle reaction could naturally not escape the eyes of the sword cultivators.
Xuanyue finally nodded.
The two sword immortals exchanged a glance and silently retracted their sword qi. Although an unexpected turn had occurred, bringing Zhang Sheng to the Sword Palace was of paramount priority; everything else could be settled later. When the time came, could two sword immortals fail to keep a mere peak Scenery Command cultivator in line?
Seeing Xuanyue agree, a faint smile finally graced the female sword cultivator's face. She poured the last cup of tea from the pot for Xuanyue. Xuanyue seemed about to sigh, but swallowed it back down. He silently lifted the teacup, paused for a moment, and only then slowly drank it down, as if the contents of the cup were not a sacred body-refining elixir, but an extraordinarily bitter medicinal broth.
Seeing Xuanyue drink this cup of tea, the sword cultivators all breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere in the hall grew lively.
Little did they know that in this moment, Xuanyue's acting skills had attained an unprecedented peak.
Zhang Sheng was naturally not sold off to the Sword Palace just like that, but a connection with the Sword Palace had now been forged. As for the specifics of this relationship, that remained to be negotiated slowly in the days to come.
Both the Palace Master and Feng Hanzhou also breathed a sigh of relief. At least when the new generation's foremost sword cultivator stepped into the world, those in the palace cultivating the Invincible Heart wouldn't have to mend their Dao hearts.
The Palace Master immediately said, "Just now, when my junior brother and I were sparring, we accidentally damaged Brother Xuanyue's robes. Attendants! Fetch two sets of robes from my wardrobe for Brother Xuanyue to change into! We must not tarnish the Sword Palace's hospitality!"
Feng Hanzhou inwardly cursed him for being shameless. The two Supreme Elders also wore contemptuous expressions, thinking the Palace Master was utterly shameless to already be addressing him as 'Brother Xuanyue.'
Xuanyue, however, was most susceptible to such treatment. His face was already beaming with joy as he said, "How could I possibly impose? When Zhang Sheng comes over for a stay, how about having her stay at your place for a few days too?"
"Heh~ quack quack quack quack!" The Palace Master chuckled like a pressed duck, nodding repeatedly.
Feng Hanzhou cursed him for being shameless once more, while the two Supreme Elders wore looks of envy.
Afterward, True Monarch Xuanyue had dinner at the Sword Palace and departed laden with bundles and packages. Yet just as he stepped out of the Sword Palace's gates, he suddenly sensed something—a wisp of ill intent. Without batting an eye, he swept out his divine sense and discovered two young female sword cultivators in a corner of the garden—the very two who had received him upon his arrival.
They were hovering over a shadow-recording orb, constantly making fine adjustments. The footage on the shadow-recording orb was none other than the scene where they had summoned Xuanyue. The line 'You're Xuanyue, right? Follow us' sounded exceptionally arrogant, while Xuanyue swallowed his pride in silence.
The two female sword cultivators' whispered conversation also drifted into Xuanyue's ears:
"Turns out this Xuanyue is actually capable of ascending to immortality, and he's even that person's grandmaster! We absolutely have to preserve this clip! Hey, don't just focus on yourself—my skin doesn't look fair enough in there, brighten me up by two shades!"
"Hold on a second, let me lengthen my legs a bit more first. Hmm, these shoes are new, I need to add some lighting to them."
True Monarch Xuanyue gave a heavy huff, but mindful of his status, he couldn't actually go over and discipline young girls. Besides, laden as he was with all sorts of gifts from the Sword Palace, he truly couldn't turn hostile, leaving him no choice but to let out a long sigh.
Still, True Monarch Xuanyue finally understood why the Sword Palace had been stuck in limbo all these years, neither rising nor falling.
Every single one of them was obsessed with superficial external things—how could they forge ahead on the path of cultivation? They were nothing like Sky Azure Hall; having no external luxuries, they had been forced over the years to advance vigorously and forge ahead just to pursue them, which was why talent now flourished among them in such abundance.
In Qingming, Zhang Sheng looked at True Monarch Xuanyue before her with a faint, knowing smile and said, "So, for three cups of immortal tea, you sold me out?"
"Four cups!" Xuanyue corrected.
Zhang Sheng held out her shapely hand. "Hand it over."
Xuanyue was utterly bewildered. "Hand over what?"
"My kickback."
Chapter 989