The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 16

Chapter 7: Descending the Mountain

There are three realms in the world: the human world, the Tongxuan realm, and the immortal world.

While seemingly distinct, in reality, aside from the immortal world being far away in the Nine Heavens, the distinction

between the Tongxuan and human worlds is not so sharp. The Tongxuan realm and the human world are not as far apart as some assume, nor is their relationship one of superiority and inferiority, with no way of contact. Instead, there is a boundary and a sense of coexistence. The so-called immortal mountains and spiritual veins in the human world often represent the intersection of the two realms.

Within the Lianxia Mountains, three points connect to the human world.

Li Xun and his group found one of these points and descended to the human world.

It wasn’t until the day of their departure that Li Xun realized that Lin Ge’s reluctance to attend the Water Mirror Meeting wasn’t simply due to his depression.

He discovered that he wasn’t the only one accompanying Lin Ge.

Among the second-generation disciples were two uncles, Minglan Daoist and Yue Mingfeng, who were not members of the direct lineage. Among the third-generation disciples, there were fifteen, including Li Xun. What surprised him most was that Senior Sister Qi Bi, who had left a deep impression on Li Xun, was also accompanying them.

It turned out that this group wasn’t just going to attend the conference; they were also going to cultivate and hone their skills in the secular world before and after. In other words, as the leader of the group, Lin Ge was not only the Mingxin Sword Sect’s authorized representative at the Shuijing Conference, but also the caretaker, bodyguard, and mentor of sorts for the eighteen people in the group…

No wonder Lin Ge was so reluctant!

As Lin Ge’s disciple, Li Xun felt a little sorry for him.

Of course, the people on the mountain knew Lin Ge’s character. His two assistants, Taoist Minglan and Yue Mingfeng, were both skilled in handling internal affairs within the mountain. Lin Ge could easily leave all the travel responsibilities to them, leaving him to provide protection and guidance.

With a month and a half remaining until the Shuijing Conference, there was plenty of time.

Of the group, Li Xun was the youngest, while the others, with the shortest cultivation time, had already reached seventy or eighty years, making their skills naturally far superior to Li Xun’s.

However, among the three generations of disciples, only Qi Bi and Li Xun were considered direct descendants; the rest were from collateral branches. The

distinction between direct and collateral branches within the Mingxin Sword Sect is not particularly distinct.

Generally speaking, individuals like Qi Bi, who cultivated systematically and were favored by Mingru, the “Luoxia Sword,” in Qiyuan Hall, to become direct descendants, are the most typical.

Direct descendants typically possess superior aptitude and righteous character, capable of carrying on the sect’s righteous traditions. They benefit from the dedicated guidance of a master, surpassing their collateral brothers in subtlety. Furthermore, only direct descendants have the opportunity to inherit the position of sect leader.

Collateral descendants, on the other hand, are those who were not chosen by the previous direct line immortal master at Qiyuan Hall. Some of them worship non-direct line immortal masters, while others remain in Qiyuan Hall, listening to daily instructions from the immortal masters on the mountain and cultivating on their own.

Whether direct or collateral, the cultivation techniques differ little, and the gap is not irreparable.

Although they couldn’t become sect leaders, cultivators didn’t care about superficial fame. Because of this, there weren’t any irreconcilable conflicts between the direct and collateral branches of the sect, maintaining stability within the sect.

Li Xun was quite attentive to these matters within the sect, aware that his words and actions affected his standing among his teachers and fellow disciples, so he was extremely cautious.

During his days out, he acted like a younger brother, pretending to be a harmless young man. He became familiar with the dozen or so people in the group, and with his proper manners and sweet words, no one took a grudge.

Perhaps the only person who could understand his inner workings was Lin Ge.

However, Lin Ge had only one disciple, and while he was usually aloof, his gift of the rare “Phoenix Feather Needle” to Li Xun indicated his affection for him. Therefore, as long as the young man’s actions weren’t malicious, he would simply offer a few gentle criticisms and let him be.

However, after descending the mountain and spending time together, Lin Ge’s standards for Li Xun became even stricter.

Li Xun had received the “Blue Smoke and Bamboo Shadow” sword technique from Zhong Yin, who had handed it to him after descending the peak. While

others might not understand Zhong Yin’s thoughts, as Li Xun’s master, how could Lin Ge not understand? Zhong Yin’s painting was actually a subtle criticism of Lin Ge’s biased teaching methods, demanding he correct them.

Although Lin Ge felt downcast, he still held a deep admiration for his immortal uncle on the peak. Seeing the sword technique Zhong Yin had presented him, he knew exactly what to do.

From then on, Li Xun dedicated three hours daily to external cultivation.

Seven years of training on Zuowang Peak had brought Li Xun’s physical strength to the peak of his age. The next key was to master this body, achieving unity of mind and body, achieving unparalleled perfection.

The “Green Smoke and Bamboo Shadow” sword technique was worthy of being a unique skill personally taught by Zhong Yin. It progressed from the basics to the advanced, from the inside out

, a truly remarkable skill. Li Xun had practiced diligently for a month, and while he hadn’t seen any significant progress, he felt that his control over his inner vital energy had reached a new level. Especially during the movements, his vital energy shifted freely, like the movement of an arm or a finger, and every subtle detail was far superior to before.

The more he practiced, the more dedicated he became.

“Three hundred… three hundred and one… three hundred and two…” Li Xun’s body was drenched in sweat, soaking his clothes, but his breathing remained steady and measured, his hands as firm as cast iron, without the slightest tremor.

He counted silently in his mind as he thrust his sword one after another, following the same three movements: wrist raise, thrust, and retract. It was remarkable how consistent he remained, without a single slack.

He wasn’t just thrusting; his vital energy surged through his body as the sword thrusted back and forth, exerting a far greater strain than simply working his muscles.

After Li Xun had stabbed five hundred times, both his physical strength and his inner energy had reached their limits. When he tried to raise his sword again, his wrist trembled uncontrollably, and he could no longer hold it.

“Junior Brother Xun, take a break!” Qi Bi, who had watched him relentlessly practicing, said with pity.

Li Xun paused, and seeing it was Qi Bi, he was slightly surprised before smiling, “Senior Sister Qi!”

Qi Bi was renowned in the mountains for her gentleness and aloofness. Li Xun had no desire for such a female cultivator, so he felt most at ease with her.

Qi Bi and another female cultivator named Qi Yun were the only two in the group, and thus, they were the most sought-after during the trip.

However, Qi Bi, though beautiful and gentle, was already taken, and her Taoist partner, Wen Hai, was considered one of the most accomplished disciples of the third generation. Therefore, no one dared to pursue her.

Consequently, the petite and lovely Qi Yun became the primary target of the male disciples.

Therefore, Qi Bi enjoyed everyone’s care, while also not having to worry about the pursuits of male disciples. She had the most free time of all.

In fact, aside from the three immortal masters, including Lin Ge, Qi Bi still possessed the highest level of cultivation among the group. She had begun studying the Nascent Soul stage last year and was a respected expert in the Tongxuan realm. The sect’s decision to send her down the mountain was likely partly to help care for her fellow disciples.

Qi Bi’s expressions of concern were a testament to her dedication.

Li Xun also obeyed, accepted the “Green Jade”, and bowed to Qi Bi: “Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister!”

Qi Bi smiled and returned the bow. Seeing that he was covered in sweat, she said with concern: “Junior brother, you are sweating a lot. Go to the back to take a bath. You will probably need to eat soon. It is not good to be like this in front of the elders.”

Li Xun nodded slightly and was about to go forward when he heard Qi Bi ask: “Junior brother Xun, the sword technique you just used, is it not the ‘Green Smoke and Bamboo Shadow’? The sword technique created by Master Uncle Zhong “… “

Li Xun was also a little proud when he heard this, but of course he would not show it on his face, and just replied: “It is the ‘Green Smoke and Bamboo Shadow’. My younger brother was not abandoned by the immortal master and learned the sword technique

. How dare I not practice it with all my strength?” Qi Bi smiled lightly when he heard this: “Speaking of this, it reminds me. At that time on Guanxia Peak, Junior Brother Xun only saw me use the ‘Pixia Sword Technique’ once, and I was able to deduce the rest of it clearly. Thanks to Junior Brother, I suddenly understood it. I haven’t thanked you for this guidance yet!”

“Ah?”

Li Xun didn’t know what happened next that day. He was stunned when he heard this. It was only after Qi Bi explained it again that he understood.

He didn’t dare to really acknowledge this so-called “guidance” and quickly said a few humble words, saying that it was just a coincidence.

But Qi Bi recognized his outstanding talent and picked out some of his experiences in sword techniques to exchange and verify with him.

Li Xun was naturally delighted. For over a month, he had been daily pondering the mysteries of “Green Smoke and Bamboo Shadows,” gaining considerable insights. His knowledge had surpassed that of the “expert” who only understood the transformations of true qi.

Qi Bi’s insights and doubts often lay at crucial points, the very essence of the sword technique.

After a few questions, Li Xun was consumed by the thought and simply sat cross-legged on the floor, pondering carefully. He and Qi Bi exchanged insights, completely forgetting about his bathing trip.

This was the nature of Taoists: once engrossed, they often lost sight of the world outside themselves, secluded in their practice for decades. In this respect, Li Xun embodied the demeanor of a master. It wasn’t

until someone came to urge them to eat that they finally realized what was happening. They exchanged amusement, but by then, Li Xun’s sweat had long since dried.

Qi Bi was a little embarrassed: “I forgot to let my junior brother take a bath first…”

“How could that be? I have been busy learning swordsmanship these days, and I feel uncomfortable. Senior sister saved me!” Li Xun’s words were full of meaning. He was referring to the fact that when a group of people were eradicating the evil dragon by a big river in the human world a few days ago, he was held back by Lin Ge and could not do anything. Qi

Bi was gentle in nature, but very smart. He smiled softly when he heard it: “Junior brother Xun has been practicing Taoism for less than ten years. Even if he has excellent talent, he is still lacking in maturity. It is not appropriate to act hastily. For example

, the master uncle held you back yesterday for the sake of the junior brother…” “I think that the master uncle took you down the mountain to let you gain experience. The evil dragon is already accomplished and too dangerous. But if you encounter some other monsters or evil disciples on the way that match your cultivation level, I think the master uncle will not stop you from slaying monsters and accumulating external karma. “

She didn’t know that the words “kill the demons and eliminate the evil” she casually said made Li Xun shudder secretly.

Li Xun knew in his heart that he was different from Qi Bi, a cultivator who was devoted to the Tao. As for what he was doing now, even if it could not be called “bad deeds”, he had already violated the rules of the sect and betrayed his teacher and ancestors, or was in the process of doing so…

In the final analysis, with a Lingxi Jue, a “Netherworld Record”, and a mind that had never been truly loyal to the sect, he would not have a good ending in any sect.

Maybe after some time, in the eyes of others, he would be a demon to be killed and eliminated…

Qi Bi was still joking with him gently, but in a few years, who knew if she would use the method she used to kill the evil dragon yesterday to deal with him? Thinking of this, he no longer had the heart to talk, and found an excuse to run away.

He ate dinner without any appetite, swallowing a few After eating the fruit, he ran to the side and devoted himself to cultivation. Perhaps only at this time could he truly forget everything outside of himself and feel the great freedom of being a cultivator.

However, this night, he was destined not to enjoy this tranquility.

Tonight was a moonless night with only a few vague stars twinkling. The cultivators were used to living in the open air and had profound cultivation. Naturally, they did not need to find a place to stay. They just needed to sit in the forest and set up a few prohibitions to get through the night.

Li Xun had experienced this kind of life many times when he was on Zuowang Peak, and the others were not unfamiliar with this kind of life. Even the two female cultivators, Qi Bi and Qi Yun, were used to it.

The place where everyone was sitting cross-legged soon fell into silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Xun suddenly felt someone patting his shoulder. His golden elixir jumped, and the control of his true energy stopped running, and he opened his eyes.

Lin Ge lowered his eyebrows, but there was a sneer at the corner of his mouth: “Get up, a friend is coming!”

“Ah? “

Li Xun was stunned for a moment before he realized that the “friend” that Lin Ge mentioned was not a friendly name. His heart tightened and he grabbed the hilt of the sword.

At this time, everyone woke up. Several disciples with higher cultivation immediately stopped at the periphery and protected the rest of the people in the middle. Taoist Minglan and Yue Mingfeng came to Lin Ge, their faces were not very good.

Taoist Minglan was tall and thin, with a black beard, and he had a bit of immortal style, but at this time, his expression was quite solemn: “Senior brother, I just saw the “Heart Fire”, it seems to be someone from the Wuxin Sect!”

“Wuxin Sect?” Lin Ge’s face had no expression, but he looked into the darkness in the distance, where there was a ball of pale flame, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Yue Mingfeng was of medium build and looked quite tough. He didn’t look like a cultivator, but his cultivation was only second to Lin Ge in the group, and his strength was quite high.

He squinted at the strange fire in the distance: “The Eighth Turn of Heart Flame, the elder of the Wuxin Sect has arrived! But I don’t know which one it is? “

Lin Ge still had that lazy attitude as if nothing mattered, and just said to Li Xun: “Go inside the circle and know your own limitations…”

Li Xun was a smart man, and he responded and left without saying anything. When passing by the circle, he saw Qi Bi smiling at him.

He was the youngest and had the worst cultivation, so naturally he had to stand in the center of the circle. Even so, he felt a little uneasy, and his palm was always on the hilt of the sword to ensure that he could draw the sword at any time.

The pale flame in the distance went out! However, it was only a blink of an eye, and a low humming laughter was heard in the night: “Mingxin Sword Sect, Mingxin Sword Sect! Still can’t change that self-righteous habit! “

Amidst the laughter, a figure in a white robe floated and came to a distance of dozens of steps away from them. In the hazy night, Li Xun could only roughly see the outline of his face, but in the eyes of Lin Ge and others, each other’s faces were clearly visible.

The man only heard a voice, looking at Lin Ge, with a very subtle expression: “It’s been many years since we last met, ‘Tianxin Sword’ Lin Ge! How come you are willing to come down the mountain and show yourself?”

The corner of Lin Ge’s lips twitched, and then he smiled softly: “It turned out to be Xin Zhizi. I haven’t seen you for more than a hundred years, but you still haven’t made any progress. No wonder the Wuxin Sect is getting worse and worse!”

As Lin Ge said, the man was Xin Zhizi, an elder of the Youshan Wuxin Sect, one of the Ten Mountain Sects in Tongxuan Realm.

This person is of the same generation as Qingxu, but his cultivation is much worse, not even as good as Lin Ge. Of course, that was a hundred years ago.

He has long and thin cheeks, prominent cheekbones, and no blood on his face. He looks quite ugly, but he has plenty of energy. When he speaks, his voice floats in all directions and can be heard in all directions.

“No, no, it’s normal to have made no progress in the path of cultivation for more than a hundred years. But you are not like Lin Ge, who was exhausted back then and could only hide in the crotch of the goblins, and was pulled out by everyone!

“During the past hundred years, you have been hiding in the mountains, trying to wash off that smell, right? Now that you have come down the mountain… congratulations! You must be fragrant now, thinking of seducing a few female goblins to play with? “

These words were too hurtful. Every sentence hit the sore spot of Lin Ge, and every sentence was harsh and sharp.

When they were on the mountain, even if people knew about this kind of thing, who would dare to mention it in front of Lin Ge? Even if they did, they would often imitate the style of the Spring and Autumn Period and delete a few points, for fear of irritating him. Who would have thought

that after just a few days of going down the mountain, the first cultivator he met would be so sarcastic and merciless!

Li Xun finally understood another reason why Lin Ge didn’t want to go down the mountain.

Although he was in the inner circle and couldn’t see Lin Ge’s expression clearly, he also knew Lin Ge must have been furious at this moment. No one could remain indifferent to such humiliation, let alone Lin Ge, who was very particular about everything and loved his reputation.

Even if Lin Ge said nothing and drew his sword to kill someone, Li Xun would not be surprised.

Before Lin Ge could draw his sword, the brothers and sisters around Li Xun had already drawn their swords amidst the angry curses. Judging from their posture, it seemed as if they were going to rush forward and cut Xin Zi into pieces.

Although Li Xun didn’t agree with it in his heart, he had to pretend to follow suit and took two steps forward. The two brothers beside him hurriedly helped him He stopped him.

Xin Zhizi didn’t care about the actions of those juniors. He was alone and dared to show up in front of Lin Ge and others. Naturally, he had something to rely on. He was sure that if Lin Ge really couldn’t stand the stimulation and drew his sword to kill him, he would not be afraid.

A hundred years ago, he might not be able to deal with the “Heavenly Heart Sword”, but now he is a recognized “useless person”, can he not resist him?

Just thinking about it, Lin Ge laughed softly over there: “Back then, the Taoist friends from all the sects saved me from the boundless sea of desire, so that I could preserve my Taoist heart and cultivation. I still remember this…”

His laughter It was so strange, so low that it seemed to be vibrating out of the chest. Although everyone felt that his words were a bit weak, in this strange voice, no matter how he spoke, there was an invisible sense of oppression, so they did not dare to underestimate him.

He paused again, and his voice gradually became clearer, and his tone gradually rose, as if he was angry: “But there is still one thing I don’t understand. Brother Xinqizi was not a three-year-old child back then, but how come he had the same knowledge as the younger generations? Think about it, it was also at the Water Mirror Meeting that year, who swore so solemnly…”

“Ahem!”

Suddenly there was an unnatural cough, and Taoist Minglan interrupted Lin Ge’s words. His long beard fluttered on his clear face, and he looked at Xinqizi and said coldly: “Brother Xinqizi, you are so mean! The suffering of my senior brother Lin back then was understood by the leaders of various sects, including the leader of your own sect.

“Why are you pretending to be ignorant after a hundred years? With your attitude, even if your sect’s leader were here, he would be ashamed!”

Li Xun’s heart moved, and he felt that the three people here seemed to be playing dumb.

Of course, Li Xun thought this was normal. There are countless things in this world that appear to be legitimate but are actually full of shady things. Even if there was some inside story in the “Phoenix Killing” incident a hundred years ago, it was nothing big.

As he was thinking about this, Xin Zi’s face also showed a bit of embarrassment. Ming Lan’s words were not sharp, but rather plain and without any sharpness. However, because he spoke the truth, Xin Zi was unable to refute him, and he seemed to be making trouble for no reason.

However, Xin Zi was a person who could take it or leave it. Knowing that he would not gain any advantage in this matter, he stopped pestering. A slight frown crossed his long, thin face, a smile barely escaping his lips. “No, it was just a joke! I’m meeting you all today for a reason!”

“A reason?” Yue Mingfeng asked with a hint of sarcasm. “What could possibly warrant the Wuxin Sect elders and over twenty Daoist brothers coming together? If this is truly such a serious matter, please have Elder Xinzhizi report this to our Sect Master on Lianxia Mountain. He will surely give you an explanation!”

From Lin Ge’s “Xinzhizi,” to Minglan’s “Daoist Brother,” and finally Yue Mingfeng’s “Elder,” each address became more polite, yet the meaning behind it grew colder and harsher.

Xinzhizi laughed to the sky, the smile fading from his thin face. “Excuse me, everyone. Did you slay a dragon by the Shahe River the other day?”

Lin Ge seemed to have returned to his usual languid demeanor, and what he was thinking was beyond anyone’s comprehension.

Hearing what Xinzhizi said, he said lightly: “Indeed, there was.”

Yue Mingfeng cooperated with him perfectly. As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately interrupted: “This evil dragon is causing trouble in Shahe and committing countless murders. We cultivators kill this monster, which is in line with the will of heaven! Elder, why did you come here for this evil dragon?”

Without waiting for Xinzhizi to speak, a slightly exaggerated expression appeared on his capable face: “Could it be that the evil dragon has a history with the elder?”

Xinzhizi’s face turned pale, and a strange white light flashed in his sunken eyeballs. He snorted, and ignored Yue Mingfeng’s ridicule, and said grimly: “I don’t care if you kill the dragon, but there are three dragon beads in the dragon’s body, which are what my sect wants!”

He said this very frankly, and he dared to say the reason for robbing others.

“Dragon Pearl?” Taoist Minglan’s face flickered in surprise. “That Dragon Pearl is just an ordinary item. When has your Wuxin Sect ever lacked such a thing?”

Xinzhizi didn’t answer, but only chuckled coldly, his eyes shifting subtly amidst his laughter.

Li Xun’s heart skipped a beat. The Dragon Pearl might be a remarkable treasure in the mortal realm, but in the Tongxuan Realm, it was a commonplace item. While it had some benefits, such as improving eyesight and strengthening the body, and increasing cultivation, it wasn’t as reliable as actual cultivation. Most of the time, it was just a small toy.

No one in the group cared much about it, so yesterday, Lin Ge had taken the initiative and given it to him to play with. He still had it in his arms.

According to him, there was no need to clash with the Wuxin Sect over such an item. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the elders, who held the sect’s reputation above all else, this was about more than just three Dragon Pearls.

The three of them exchanged glances, each sensing something fishy.

In the center of the circle, Li Xun reached into his arms and touched the three dragon beads. The cool feeling was different from the touch of the “Jade Exorcist” on his chest.

The dragon beads felt a little slippery, far less refreshing than the “Jade Exorcist”. Just based on this feeling, Li Xun had the urge to throw them away.

He touched them twice, but due to lack of experience, he could not recognize the difference between the dragon beads and put the matter aside. When he looked up, he saw the strange eyes of Xin Zhizi in the distance.

“He is looking at me!” Li Xun intuitively determined in his heart: “Could he know that I am holding the dragon beads?”

A cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back, and the hand holding the hilt of the sword became more and more forceful: “Is there some kind of telepathy between this dragon bead and him?”

He wasn’t the only one thinking this. Seeing Xinqizi’s strange look, Lin Ge and the others also felt something was amiss, and their attention shifted slightly backward.

At that moment, Xinqizi let out a strange cry and rocketed into the air. “How dare you destroy my dragon pearl!” A ball of blazing white fire exploded from his body, emitting a series of crackling sounds that made one’s scalp throb. Amidst

the blast, two sparks detached, ricocheting over the heads of Lin Ge and the other two, before raining down upon the disciples.

“Such a burning heart! But Elder, you’re too impatient!”

Yue Mingfeng sneered, then took the lead and leaped backward. Sword energy in his hand hissed and whirled like a shuttle, striking the two sparks.

Taoist Minglan roared in anger, his sword energy surging through him as he soared into the air, meeting Xinqizi’s blazing heart fire head-on!