Chapter 90: Imprisoned Benevolent Master: I Can Bear the Sin of Slaughtering My Fellow Disciples

Yet seeing the blue-clad youth with nothing in his hands, he actually, at great risk, extended two fingers and pinched, thus gripping the sword's blade.

"The Se Kong Sword is not meant for a person."

Shi Feixuan started, frowned, and said:

"Is this your excuse for not wanting to wield a sword again?"

Zhuang Buran lightly flicked the sword blade; Shi Feixuan, taking advantage of the momentum, rose into the air, turned, and swung her sword again.

Only seeing the sword form perfectly round and natural, the sword shadows layered, forming flawless halos one after another, radiant and brilliant, like the Buddha's light shining everywhere; it not only made his own defense flawless, but also allowed him to preemptively dissolve the enemy's fierce attacks with a smooth, encompassing force.

"Senior sister, why don't you understand? I don't use a sword because I don't want to win in an unworthy way!"

Zhuang Buran struck with astonishing speed, his finger force amazing; in an instant he hit the gap in Shi Feixuan's sword technique, forcing her to fly sideways five or six zhang following the force.

Then he swung the sword again; this move was unfathomable in its reality and illusion, the sword shadow appearing and disappearing unpredictably, like the mysterious footsteps of a Buddha.

It let people only see the sword light flickering, yet hard to grasp its exact trajectory; if one were slightly careless, they would surely be wounded by this unpredictable sword style.

Zhuang Buran flicked his sleeve, which rolled up like clouds, his sash fluttering, stirring flowing starlight; the sleeve wind swept like an iron whip, weighing a thousand jun, and again struck the gap in Shi Feixuan's sword technique.

She clenched her silver teeth silently, then thrust another sword; the sword body was steady, the sword manner tranquil, like a Zen practitioner's heart, serene and peaceful; appearing slow but actually containing deep inner force, using stillness to control motion, striking first despite moving later.

The blue-clad youth's hand moved like an orchid, a flick without a trace of worldly fire; Shi Feixuan instantly sensed a sinister force, her sword manner suddenly changed, becoming extraordinarily agile, like the flash of wisdom's light, attacking his back with a clever angle and a treacherous trajectory.

"Our sect's Cihang Sword Canon originally was the Other Shore Sword Secrets, which once had thirty forms; through generations of sect heads pouring their hearts out and painstakingly researching, they eliminated the complex and kept the simple, condensing it into the Other Shore Nine Forms."

"You have indeed mastered this sword secret to the level of changing it at will, but it's still not enough."

After the blue-clad youth finished speaking, his speed was like thunder and lightning; in one move he actually sent Shi Feixuan's Se Kong Sword flying, where it slanted into the blue stone floor.

She herself was also repelled by a burst of force, retreating seven or eight steps, then exclaimed in utter shock:

"Sword Heart Clear allows one to imprint the heart with the sword, reflecting without omission everything occurring outside the heart, producing excellent sensitivity, enabling one to sense the breathing, heartbeat, and even the fur's contraction of those around."

"This is why you have always struck with unerring precision at the weak point of force in my sword techniques."

She suddenly shook her head:

"You haven't used a sword; how can you imprint the heart with the sword?"

Zhuang Buran said slowly:

"Because you have taken the sword of succession that I wanted from past sect heads, even if I reach the Sword Heart Clear realm, I would no longer wish to use a sword; but why can't I create a cultivation method from this?"

He disregarded Shi Feixuan's incredulous expression:

"My 'Heaven-Mending Calamity Hand' can know the fish swimming in water, know the insects underground; when cultivated to a marvelous degree, it can sense birds flying far away and insects moving; it is neither body nor spirit, yet both body and spirit, reaching up to the azure heavens and down to the yellow dust."

"Isn't it more marvelously useful without end than Sword Heart Clear?"

Fan Qinghui, who had been standing outside Cihang Hall watching the battle, felt his pupils tremble; he only sighed at fate's trickery, that the realm which the most outstanding disciples of recent generations had never reached was actually penetrated by a male disciple brought in by a twist of fate.

This also inevitably gave rise to feelings of indescribable emotion; he guessed that perhaps the ancients' understanding of the sword canon was insufficiently deep, or perhaps a male body is more suited to the sword canon's path.

But upon thinking of the special nature of his two disciples he had taken in, and looking around, he bitterly smiled:

"Such a handsome man is probably unprecedented in past ages and unmatched in future ones, an existence like a celestial oddity, born of converging circumstances."

At the same time, Shi Feixuan suddenly realized, her expression complex, and said:

"Your immortal fetus's external immortal transformation exceeds mine; I should have guessed earlier—such a heavenly-human appearance, how could you not yet have entered Sword Heart Clear?"

The blue-clad youth's face showed mockery:

"Senior sister, don't be overconfident in being human; even without immortal transformation, I should still be far better-looking than you."

He shook his head and sighed lightly:

"I have to say, this body of mine leaves even myself speechless; it's truly too beautiful, with an excess of yin and soft energy—I need to find a way to balance it a bit."

After hearing this, Shi Feixuan fell silent; all women in the world who cultivate the Cihang Sword Canon likely wish to become beautiful to the utmost extreme, and only he would disdain excessive immortal transformation.

"Junior Brother Qing, I now feel some regret; why aren't you a woman? If you were female, you could not only have your wishes fulfilled, but also bear great responsibilities; if you were, you would surely carry out your mission better than I."

"Hehe, this is why I created the New Stillness Studio."

Zhuang Buran's eyes grew slightly deeper:

"How can you insects possibly truly spread the light of the orthodox path across the world? Superficial appearances are empty; to exterminate demons and uphold the way, to uphold justice, relies on a pair of fists."

He paused, then said:

"Absolute strength will bring absolute justice."

Shi Feixuan, over the years, had also grown accustomed to that person's sharp and cutting words, and calmly said:

"Junior Brother Qing, how do you now intend to cultivate the heavenly Dao, how to uphold justice—are you planning to slaughter the entire jianghu?"

She sincerely advised:

"This method treats the symptoms, not the root; only by letting a great and talented enlightened ruler appear in the world can there be hope for an age of great unity."

"No wonder, then, that both you and past sect heads mostly stop at the Sword Heart Clear realm."

The blue-clad youth's face showed helplessness:

"We who cultivate the heavenly Dao as outsiders actually have little distinction between righteousness and evil."

"True compassion is to respect the heavenly Dao's laws, letting what should happen happen, letting flowers become flowers, trees become trees."

"The closer one gets to the Dao, the more heartless one becomes; this is what Laozi said: Heaven and earth are not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs."

"Heaven and earth have their inherent laws, not swayed by emotions, thus there is no notion of good or evil."

"Just as the Heavenly Father would not, out of pity for the weak lamb, prevent the wolf from eating it, nor let the wolf starve."

"Its approach is non-interference, letting nature develop freely—survival of the fittest, the strong devouring the weak, elimination of the unfit, adaptation of the fit."

"Thus one can penetrate the heavenly Dao's path, not distinguishing so-called good and evil, only in the heart; what matters is not the process but the result."

"My desire to exterminate demons, uphold the way, and uphold justice is not born of benevolent thoughts; it comes from the heart—if I want to do it, I do it, for no particular reason."

Fan Qinghui walked down slowly and shouted:

"Jingyuan, your path is wrong; if good and evil, right and wrong are not distinguished, how are you different from heretical external paths?"

The blue-clad youth said lightly:

Master, the Heavenly Dao has no good or evil.

But people distinguish good and evil." Fan Qinghui said without room for doubt.

If one cultivates the Heavenly Dao with a mortal body, then one ought to let go of thoughts of good and evil.

Being no different from the Heavenly Dao, can one still be human?

Therefore, since the Earth Nun Ancestor Master created the Ci Hang Sword Classic, no one in the entire sect has been able to fathom the Heavenly Dao or shatter the void.

The blue-clad youth's words struck like a vital point, plunging the square into an almost deathly silence.

I too should go down the mountain for training; when I return to Emperor Tread Peak, if Master again hangs the so-called ancestral teachings on his lips, it will only invite ridicule.

Zhuang Buran leapt up from the ground, his white hair spreading out, thousands of strands bending into arcs, like a sheet of snowy white flying feather, lightly supporting himself in midair.

Such a scene shocked everyone's pupils to tremble.

When the day comes to return to the mountain, let this disciple teach you how to be the abbot, the leader of the orthodox martial world; I hope Master will not force me.

The blue-clad youth paused a moment, then said:

Otherwise, the crimes of imprisoning my benefactor teacher and slaughtering my fellow disciples, I can also bear.

Having said that, the wind around him grew fierce, and he actually rode the wind away.

Master, Junior Brother Qing must have gone into deviation while practicing; I will go after him right away." Shi Feixuan came to her senses and hurriedly spoke.

His thoughts have already been laid bare just now; he cannot be called back.

Fan Qinghui drew a deep breath and said:

The abbot's position has actually caused him to be obsessed with greed, anger, ignorance, and doubt, leading him onto the evil path where good and evil are not distinguished.

It is my fault; not detecting it sooner may bring great calamity to the orthodox martial world.

(End of chapter)