Chapter 200: Leaning Sword Tower

"Where is she?" Seeing Yan Shanhai talk for a long time but only manage half a sentence, the most crucial other half still unspoken, Dongfang Wuji pressed further.

"At the Shaolin Temple," Yan Shanhai replied.

"Shaolin Temple..." Dongfang Wuji obviously feared this place; when these three words were mentioned, his body visibly trembled. Since ancient times, Buddhas and demons cannot coexist, and the Buddhist demon-subduing methods have been renowned for over a thousand years.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Yan Shanhai retorted to Dongfang Wuji.

"Heh... Old man Dongfang Wuji, have I ever feared anything?" In Dongfang Wuji's mouth, the Shaolin Temple was merely "anything" among many.

"Then go; she's waiting for you there."

"If there's anything fancy, don't blame me for being impolite then; at worst, we'll fight to the death!" After saying this, Dongfang Wuji waved his hand, signaling them to leave, then closed his eyes and returned to his seated state.

"You're harming Miss Dongfang and Chen Yi He!" On the way out of the cave, Ling Huoshang said to Yan Shanhai.

Yan Shanhai merely lowered his head, then said to Ling Huoshang, "I don't know if that person Dongfang Wuji will go to the Shaolin Temple; someone as crafty as him, how could he possibly risk himself going to the Shaolin Temple?"

"Sigh..."

"Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for this."

"It's not just a matter of who takes responsibility; we abandoned this young couple for the sake of the world—was that really right? I fear Chen Yi He might retaliate then, the consequences unimaginable!" Ling Huoshang said worriedly. After they walked out of the cave, the outside sky was already growing dark, so they weren't blinded by the harsh sunlight.

"First, protect the people; I hope they can understand me. Now Chen Yi He and Dongfang Xing are separated; the news won't leak in the short term, so we just wait for the truth to surface later—there's nothing else we can do." Yan Shanhai strode out of the cave; gaining Dongfang Wuji as such a strong ally, he felt the odds of the martial world alliance winning increased by at least thirty percent.

From the previous ten percent to now forty percent.

"This place isn't suitable for lingering; let's hurry back." Yan Shanhai said to Ling Huoshang.

Dongfang Wuji agreed to help them, provided he could obtain Dongfang Xing, he would surely contribute his strength to this great battle between humanity and heaven. And his strength is of utmost importance.

"I wonder how the other three are doing..." Yan Shanhai worriedly muttered, "I hope the sacrifice of the tiger and leopard was worth it; otherwise, how could we face ourselves?"

Yan Shanhai originally also considered refusing Dongfang Wuji's rude request, but later, considering that the tiger and leopard had already sacrificed themselves for this journey, if they returned empty-handed or even lost their lives, how would they face the tiger and leopard in the underworld?

Ling Leng thought that since things had come to this, he couldn't decide, couldn't speak, so he might as well follow Yan Shanhai. He thought that the West Depot's eighteen cavalry chasing them all the way indicated that Master Leshi and his two companions would surely not escape calamity.

"Just return to the imperial capital; their fate is now up to destiny!"

Ling Huoshang said to Yan Shanhai, "Then let's head straight back to the imperial capital; the earlier we return, the more we can thwart the plots of the imperial ancestors or the heavenly trio."

"Let's go."

……

Just as Yan Shanhai and Ling Huoshang were rushing back to the imperial capital at full gallop, Master Leshi, Sister Shang Rong, and Hong Liang were also on their way to the imperial capital, but they were taking a different route, making it unlikely they would meet.

As for the route of these two swordsmen, Duan Sheng and the Ximo Sword Devil, it was steady and flat... Upon passing this mountain ahead, they arrived at the Leaning Sword Tower.

The Leaning Sword Tower lies in a secluded, winding path; the scenery is beautiful, the view pleasant, and more importantly, it is not disturbed by outsiders. Ordinary people, before even reaching the Leaning Sword Tower, are blocked by the towering mountain that reaches into the clouds ahead.

This mountain isn't particularly tall, yet it perfectly blocks the view of travelers, making them believe that beyond it lies nothing but primitive wilderness.

In fact, the Leaning Sword Tower, most renowned among swordsmen, lies just behind the mountain.

"Hey... have you finished your drink?" Duan Sheng fiddled with his own wine flask, holding it upside down, discovering not a single drop would come out. The wine in the flask had been drunk dry by him.

The Ximo Sword Devil rides his horse backwards, treating the horse like a donkey, leisurely sipping wine as if he had already emerged from the shadow of his broken sword. He drinks while saying, "Don't eye my wine; you drank it so fast—I see the Leaning Sword Tower isn't far off; go inside and find some wine."

"Look at you, you're stingy to death!" Duan Sheng, angry, threw his own wine flask away, but then reconsidered: if he met a wine seller on the road, lacking a flask would be problematic. So he dismounted and picked up the worthless flask again.

Seeing Duan Sheng in that state, the Ximo Sword Devil nearly laughed himself to death from the wine, he tossed his wine flask to Duan Sheng and said, "You owe me a favor."

"No problem!" Duan Sheng took the flask and gulped down the remaining wine in one go.

The Ximo Sword Devil knew that once he gave the wine to him, there would be none left, "Good thing we'll reach the Leaning Sword Tower tomorrow, otherwise we'd truly starve to death."

"Who says no? Your bloodthirsty sword is saved." Having drunk his fill, Duan Sheng's mood instantly brightened, and he turned his gaze to the scabbard behind the Ximo Sword Devil.

The Ximo Sword Devil drew that segment of the bloodthirsty sword, leaving another segment in the scabbard, "Baby, baby, I've had someone come to rescue you!"

The two of them, chatting and laughing, entered the mountain.

"It's been many years since I last came; I don't know if the Leaning Sword Tower has acquired any new precious swords."

The Ximo Sword Devil laughed loudly, saying, "That sword master, would he let those priceless treasures go? I just don't understand why, when he was at the God Sword Mountain Villa, he would abandon the Heavenly Opportunity Sword, such a precious sword—no, that sword is a treasure among treasures."

"Yeah, and there's also Shangguan Yunyi, but Zhou Ke personally invited him down from the mountain, and yet he failed to accomplish anything—isn't that ruining his own sign?" Duan Sheng also lamented, "Right, speaking of this, I just remembered—take this."

Having said that, Duan Sheng then pulled a long object from the pack on his horse's back and threw it to the Ximo Sword Devil.

"What is this?" the Ximo Sword Devil asked, although he had a feeling.

"The second divine sword of the God Sword Mountain Villa, the True Honor Sword." Duan Sheng replied.

"Why are you giving me such a precious sword?"

"It's not like you have no sword to use, while I'm not accustomed to using such a slender sword." Duan Sheng replied.