Sword Demon

"Are you certain this cave dwelling has no owner?" Qin Sang's voice was grave. The last thing he wanted was to provoke a powerful enemy for no reason. If it came to that, he would rather go to the trouble of helping the sisters find a suitable cave dwelling himself. Yue Xing nodded repeatedly. "We're certain. Its master has indeed been dead for a very long time... Senior, do you happen to recall a certain unsolved mystery from several centuries ago in the Yuncang Great Marsh?" Naturally, Qin Sang knew nothing of such an affair. He shook his head. "Tell me about it." "Supposedly, an immortal's cave dwelling appeared deep within the Yuncang Great Marsh, leading to a bloody tragedy. A female cultivator obtained a great treasure inside, only to be besieged and killed..." As Yue Xing recounted the story in detail, Qin Sang began to piece together an understanding of the incident. However, because so much time had passed, and because Yue Xing's cultivation and background limited what information she could uncover, much of the account remained ambiguous. The Yuncang Great Marsh was a vast, unbroken expanse of waters. Countless cultivators had explored it over countless years, yet many undiscovered secret realms and ancient abodes remained hidden within its depths. Many cultivators tirelessly combed the marsh, hoping to unearth ancient legacies or relics to defy the heavens and change their fates. With such a vast territory and sparse population, the emergence of a secret realm or ancient dwelling typically caused few ripples. Those fortunate enough to enter would quietly reap the fortunes, retreat into seclusion to cultivate in earnest with their newfound treasures, and take their secrets to the grave. That immortal's cave dwelling, however, had been different. When it emerged, immortal music echoed, strange phenomena arose one after another, rainbows spanned the horizon, and celestial clouds blanketed the sky, plainly visible from vast distances. Such phenomena inevitably heralded the appearance of an extraordinary treasure. Every cultivator in the Yuncang Great Marsh at the time was thrilled, and they rushed toward the site. Although the abode lay deep within the marsh, the phenomena persisted for an entire day before it finally opened. By then, quite a few cultivators had already gathered outside, and they entered together. The bloody tragedy unfolded inside. The female cultivator was said to have obtained a priceless treasure, but she inadvertently leaked the secret and was besieged and killed by the others who had entered alongside her. Among those who took action were two Golden Core Masters from the Yuanshen Sect. Hearing this, Qin Sang was not surprised in the least. Great treasures stirred greed, and killing others to seize their treasures was an everyday occurrence in the cultivation world. Yet what caused an uproar was not her murder, but the fact that she had a Dao companion of terrifying strength. Following her death, he emerged out of nowhere to avenge her. Back then, that solitary figure, armed only with a sword, slaughtered every cultivator who had entered the immortal's abode. He drenched the Yuncang Great Marsh in blood and struck terror into every heart. In the end, he even stormed into the Yuanshen Sect, cut down those two Golden Core Masters beneath his blade, and made a clean escape. His whereabouts remained unknown, leaving behind only the title of Sword Demon. When Qin Sang heard this, his first reaction was: *How is that possible?* Like Shaohua Mountain, the Yuanshen Sect had its mountain gate located within the Yuncang Great Marsh, situated to the west while Shaohua Mountain lay to the east. The Yuanshen Sect's gate was even more remote, bordering the sphere of influence of the western Heavenly Demon Mound. As one of the Eight Righteous Sects, the Yuanshen Sect had a Nascent Soul Patriarch presiding over it. Would such a sect simply sit by and watch its Golden Core Masters get slaughtered? Furthermore, the Yuanshen Sect was renowned for its mastery of formations. When the founder of the Yuanzhao Sect had set up their grand defensive formation, he had invited a Nascent Soul Patriarch from the Yuanshen Sect to do so. The Yuanshen Sect's own mountain-protecting formation had to be even more formidable; even if a Nascent Soul cultivator came in person, they might not necessarily come out on top. Not only had the Sword Demon slain two Golden Core Masters, but he had also escaped the Yuanshen Sect unscathed. Just what level of cultivation did he possess? Filled with doubt, Qin Sang turned to Granny Jing for confirmation. To his surprise, Granny Jing glanced at him and spoke up. "This did indeed happen. Fellow Daoist Qin may verify it by consulting records at Tianhen Tower. From what this old woman knows, that Sword Demon had deep ties to Shaohua Mountain as well. It is very likely he was a man from Shaohua Mountain named Qingzhu." *Senior Qingzhu!* Qin Sang was utterly astonished. He suddenly recalled that when he had first joined the sect, Zhuang Yan had mentioned Jianmen Pass and recounted the legend of Senior Qingzhu—flying into a rage for a woman, cleaving through the front mountain with a single sword strike, breaking the formation, and leaving behind Jianmen Pass. To this day, Shaohua Mountain's disciples still gazed upon the mountain of peach blossoms and reminisced about Senior Qingzhu's elegance. After deciding to cultivate the technique, Qin Sang had once hoped to study Senior Qingzhu's cultivation path, but Pagoda Peak contained very few records of him, noting only that he had formed his core in forty years. Even Senior Brother Wen's knowledge of Senior Qingzhu had been superficial. Later, once Qin Sang found his own path of cultivation, he had not pursued the matter further. He now realized that there was more to this than met the eye. If Qingzhu had truly killed two of the Yuanshen Sect's Golden Core Masters, it would have dealt a severe blow to relations between the two sects, even if he had already defected from Shaohua Mountain. No wonder Shaohua Mountain had deliberately erased all traces of Senior Qingzhu. Yet how had Senior Qingzhu managed to slay Golden Core Masters? The remnant manual could only be cultivated up to the early Golden Core stage. Had he switched to another cultivation method? Astounded, Qin Sang pondered for a moment before asking the Yue sisters, "Was the master of the cave dwelling you discovered killed by the Sword Demon?" "Indeed. The master of that cave dwelling went by the Daoist title of Real Master Cangli. At the Foundation Establishment stage, he was a fairly well-known rogue cultivator at the time and was among those who entered the immortal's abode. Although no one witnessed him being slain by the Sword Demon with their own eyes, Real Master Cangli vanished without a trace from then on, and no one ever saw him again. Later, people discovered that all who had entered the abode, even those not publicly executed, were gradually found dead, all slain by the Sword Demon—including Real Master Cangli. My sister and I stumbled upon this cave dwelling by chance, and after extensive investigation, we confirmed it belonged to Real Master Cangli. Unfortunately, the dwelling is protected by layer upon layer of restrictions. We cannot breach them ourselves, which is why we had no choice but to seek Senior Qin's assistance." Yue Xing looked at Qin Sang with expectant eyes. "As long as Senior Qin agrees, we will leave this piece of tree root here with Granny Jing. Once the restrictions are broken, the root will belong to you." Qin Sang neither accepted nor refused. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Since the two of you discovered the cave dwelling, you must have tested the waters. What kind of restriction is it? How powerful is it? Could you tell me about it?" "Of course." Seeing that Qin Sang's attitude had softened, Yue Xing spoke with some excitement. "Real Master Cangli's cave dwelling is exceptionally well concealed, hidden deep beneath the water. Had it not been for a stroke of luck, we wouldn't have found it either. His cave dwelling was built atop an underwater knoll, completely sealed off by a water-element restriction. This restriction is not only remarkably durable, but also possesses fierce counterattacks that only a Foundation Establishment cultivator can withstand. We tested it multiple times and were left utterly helpless. Two of our defensive magic tools were destroyed, and we nearly lost our lives before the barrier. Still, our efforts were not in vain. From what we observed, Real Master Cangli's cave dwelling should have only this single layer of protective restriction. Once it is broken, there shouldn't be any danger inside."