Chapter 713: Sheltering from the Wind and Rain

Time is running out!

What an ominous thing to say!

Tang Zhao's heart sank as he heard this.

This sentence sounded just like a doctor telling you that your time is running out.

Moreover, when this is said, you at least look fine on the surface, able to eat and sleep; you only came to see the doctor for a toothache, yet you are told you are terminally ill. And the one passing the judgment is a true divine physician, whose medical skills are exquisite and beyond question.

How terrifying a thing is this?

Tang Zhao said, unwilling to accept it: "Are you being too pessimistic? Perhaps the front line is tight, but the Human World has generations of heroes; does the front line not have a way to recruit talent without sticking to one pattern? The Tianmo Jie are powerful for the moment, but if we all unite and give our all, I imagine the crisis can be turned into safety."

Six-Dragon Sword shook his head and said: "Heavenly Demon Tribulation? The Heavenly Demon Tribulations are worth nothing! They just occupy a position of ferocity; when soldiers come, block them; when water comes, cover it with earth. Our predecessors were never afraid, so what are we afraid of now? Just as you said, each generation of newcomers replaces the old; even if our generation is wiped out, there will naturally be others to follow. But what if the world itself cannot hold on?"

Tang Zhao let out an "Ah?" and for a moment could not understand the meaning, saying: "Is the Suiyu... unable to hold on anymore?"

Six-Dragon Sword sighed: "If the Sun Territory cannot hold on, then it cannot hold on. The Sun Territory was created by that person in the first place, not meant to last forever; eventually, there comes a time when it cannot hold on. But our world is also about to be unable to hold on."

He pointed to his feet and said: "It is the land we grow upon, the Human World, that is about to be unable to hold on."

Tang Zhao's heart sank further, and he said: "Is the world going to be destroyed?"

Don't look at how many stories he has read; stories often have doomsday crises, and there are even genres specifically about the apocalypse, but he had no realization that he himself would have to face the end of the world.

He still felt the world was perfectly fine; he was still waiting to cultivate success in the future to hold up the sky with one hand and turn the tide, so who knew why it was suddenly going to be destroyed?

"Why? Is it the work of the Tianmo Jie?"

Six-Dragon Sword sighed: "In a sense, you could say that. But it is not any specific Heavenly Demon Tribulation we see, but the Heavenly Demon Tribulation itself. Young Friend Tang—"

He pointed to a pavilion in the Huayuan; it was the only place in the small Huayuan where one could rest. Tang Zhao followed him into the pavilion and sat on the stone stool in the center.

Six-Dragon Sword said: "There are some things we do not let the juniors know; it is useless for them to know, only increasing their pressure in vain, and perhaps it would ruin their Sword Heart and make them hesitate. But I feel you should know. Sooner or later, you will be the same kind of person as us."

The same kind refers to...

Six-Dragon Sword stroked the pillar of the pavilion and said: "This perfectly good pavilion has always needed four pillars to stand. It can be supported by three, but eventually, the fourth pillar must be added. Only true pillars can serve as pavilion supports. There are not many pillars in this world, and the pavilion is too important, so every piece of good timber must be pulled in to serve as a foundation stone. Perhaps it is unfair to the pillars, but this is a necessary thing to do. As it happens, you are exactly a piece of fine, good timber."

Tang Zhao hurriedly asked: "If the four corners of the pavilion are complete, will the sky not collapse?"

Six-Dragon Sword suddenly laughed out loud and said: "Well said! No matter how well the pavilion is built, no matter how sturdy, it is still just a pavilion; can it really prop up the sky? Of course it cannot. It can only block the wind and rain for those inside the pavilion. In a great catastrophe, there is always wind and rain; those inside the pavilion will not be blown away by the wind, will not be drenched by the rain, and may not even know there is a storm outside the window. Until the moment the sky collapses, the pavilion cannot hold, and everyone is ground into dust together. But at least until the moment before the sky collapses, the people in the pavilion are safe."

"But a pavilion is ultimately just a pavilion; even if the pillars can bear the weight, it is only this high. Where can the pillars of the Human World truly reach the sky? One can only say that before the sky collapses, maintaining this pavilion has meaning."

Tang Zhao listened with a sense of melancholy; it did indeed sound meaningful, perhaps equivalent to the meaning of "hospice care."

Liulong Jian's voice was also a little melancholy, but only a little, and it quickly dissipated as he said: "Emperor Kun Sword says you want to raise a Sword Deity, which might take many years, and it is not certain to succeed."

Tang Zhao said: "I..."

Liulong Jian waved his hand and said: "It is fine."

Tang Zhao was stunned, and Liulong Jian said: "You can do whatever you want. Raising a Sword Deity is fine; not raising one is also fine. Handing the Golden Crow Sword to a junior to select a new Eastern Lord is fine; not handing it over and keeping it at home as a collectible is also fine. As you please."

Tang Zhao was speechless at first, but then he gradually understood his meaning.

Liulong Jian said: "The Golden Crow Sword does not matter. We previously searched for the Golden Crow Sword with great solemnity because, looking around, we could not find any pillars of talent, and only the Golden Crow Sword held the final hope; whoever is chosen by the Golden Crow Sword must have a great future, at least allowing people to see the hope of a new Pillar. We were never looking for the Golden Crow Sword, but for the person recognized by the Golden Crow Sword; after finding them, we were even prepared to wait for decades or a century. Now, we have already found a suitable person, it just isn't the Golden Crow Sword. And compared to starting from scratch, you already have your current foundation, and becoming a new Pillar is just around the corner, so the Golden Crow Sword is no longer important. The one who supported the Sun Domain with us back then was Ju Qingzhu, not a sword. We are looking for a new companion, not a sword. To abandon the person and choose the sword is to put the cart before the horse."

He spoke very bluntly and clearly, hitting the core immediately. This was different from the Sun Court Tang Zhao had imagined; he had clearly prepared a long defense to argue for the possibility of raising a Jinwu Sword Deity, even willing to provide a time limit, and if there were no results in a few years, he would do this or that.

Yet upon arriving here, he was met with a direct "It does not matter."

But thinking about it carefully, it should be so. The Jinwu Sword is only powerful in the hands of the Dongjun; if one does not seek a new Dongjun, what is the point of having only the Jinwu Sword?

The "Highnesses" in the Sun Court do not rely on the merits of their ancestors; the swords inherited from the previous generation are naturally theirs, and they are each strong cultivators in their own right, with talent, fortune, and intellect all being of the highest order. How could they be so rigid and pedantic as to fail to distinguish between the primary and the secondary? If some essentials can be seen by himself, how could other wise men not see them?

He suddenly thought again: Since you understand, why didn't you make it clear to Cai Yungui at the time? Wasn't everything they did putting the cart before the horse?

But perhaps the Sun Court felt there was no need to make it clear to Cai Yungui.

Because those people were not "the same kind of people" as them.

Tang Zhao said: "Many thanks to Your Highnesses for your high regard; I am willing to do my best, I only fear you have misplaced your affection."

Liulong Jian said: "It is not misplaced. During these days waiting for you, we also looked at your past. Young Friend Tang, you are a good child. You have talent and character. You have not made a mistake along the way so far; if you were to go wrong now with just these few steps left, that would be our fault."

"Let me say something blunt. Young Friend Tang must become a Sword Immortal, must become a Sword Immortal of the Sun Court. We will help you get through this hurdle as quickly as possible. The Sun Court cannot afford to wait."

This sentence has two meanings: one is power, the other is responsibility.

The Sun Court wants to help Tang Zhao become a Sword Immortal at the fastest speed; this is a tremendous benefit.

Not to mention ordinary Sword Heroes, just take Tang Zhao; with "Sword Immortal inheritance" on one side and "success comes naturally" on the other, it seems becoming a Sword Immortal is just around the corner, but if he hasn't become one yet, can he dare say he will definitely become a Sword Immortal?

There is a difference between immortals and mortals, but anyone who can give you a hand on the path to immortality can be said to have the grace of heaven and earth. Not to mention those who will do their best to escort you and ensure you become a Sword Immortal.

But the other meaning is also very clear: helping you is for the sake of the Sun Court. Once you become a Sword Immortal, you must become a Pillar of the Sun Court and support this pavilion, which is broken but still able to block the wind and rain, together with us until the day of destruction.

Is this request excessive?

For an ordinary person, it is not excessive at all; it is simply too generous. Even the status of a Pillar can be said to be a kind of power and glory. Is this not a double blessing?

For Tang Zhao, this condition is not particularly generous, and the responsibility is a true responsibility.

But he is willing to shoulder the responsibility; he has always strived to do beneficial things, even if it means sacrificing himself, he has no fear, so how could he refuse to take on the burden of the common people in a legitimate way?

Even if this responsibility had to be chosen from among many people, he would fight to be at the forefront, let alone when it is a case of "if not me, then who?"

To speak more selfishly, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; he could try to hide, but if the sky really collapses, where can he hide? Even if it is just the pavilion collapsing, it is not a good thing; losing the place to shelter from the rain, he would only be a drowned rat.

This can be considered a meeting of minds.

He nodded immediately and said: "I will do my best to support the Sun Court as soon as possible."

Liulong Jian laughed: "Good. Good child... Haha, since you have taken on this heavy responsibility, I shouldn't call you a child anymore. Because you are truly standing tall. I just tried, your Sword Essence still lacks a bit of heat and needs a few years of accumulation. We can afford to wait a few years. This accumulation cannot be directly skipped, but the previous accumulation can be guided to make you achieve twice the result with half the effort. You stay here for a few days first, and we will help you guide it. Then you can go back first to handle the affairs of the Human World."

"I expect you still have many entanglements in the Human World, none of which can be cut clear in a moment. There is no rush to cut the Gordian knot; dealing with it slowly is fine, otherwise, if your Sword Heart is disturbed, it would not be beautiful. Even in the future, you can often take time to return to the Human World, but the focus should be on the Sword Domain. Our guidance, your own cultivation, and the raising of the Sword Deity all need to be done in the Suiyu. If you don't want to stay in the Sun Court for long, that place of Cai Yungui is still empty; it was prepared for you."

Tang Zhao said: "Being on the front line is no problem, but I have a plan to travel through the Suiyu..."

Liulong Jian said: "That is fine. You can go traveling during these years of honing your Sword Essence, as long as it does not delay your cultivation, but you must ensure your safety; if something happens to you, we don't know how long we would have to wait. But the final step is the most dangerous, so you must come back and break through under our protection."

Tang Zhao agreed, then asked: "Your Highness, I can only support one pavilion after becoming a Sword Immortal; if I continue to grow, is there really no day when I can support the sky?"