Chapter 191: One Cut Severs the World of Dust

What happened?

Li Yan maintained his spirit's focus, sensing only a slight anomaly.

That white-light figure moved astonishingly fast; from his spirit-view perspective, the world suddenly flared bright.

Of course, he had no time to ponder it.

As the humanoid light entered the mist on the second floor, his spirit-space immediately began to tremble.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Below, the ocean of yin energy boiled again, surging into towering waves.

At the same time, the black-and-white mist on the second floor churned wildly, as if countless sword glimmers flashed and spun within it.

Soon, the clouds parted and the mist cleared, revealing a slightly smaller palace.

The spirit temple had become two stories—this was the sign of successful tower construction.

This second-floor spirit tower, too, arose from his visualization, but its material differed, appearing silver-white, like metal.

Before Li Yan could react, a chilling, deadly aura descended, as if his spirit were being sliced by ten thousand blades, agony searing through him.

"Geng Metal Qi!"

"How could there be Geng Metal Qi?"

Li Yan was stunned, nearly losing his spiritual composure.

This realm had no spiritual energy, only Gang and Sha energies.

Gang was yang; Sha was yin.

Each had many subtypes—for instance, this primordial Gang energy, beyond yin and yang, could also be divided by the Five Elements, with countless varieties.

Gang and Sha energies gathered, dispersed, and flowed, forming various configurations.

All cultivation techniques derived from this principle.

His method was the Luo Feng Scripture, which opened and cultivated yin and yang energies to form Luo Feng Mountain and the spirit palace—precisely as the saying goes: "Above lies the Nightlight Palace, below the Nine Courts; yin and yang give birth to life and death, calamities and records halt within."

Logically, Geng Metal Qi should never appear.

Yet now it suddenly emerged, catching him completely off guard.

"Could it be because Huashan is the Western Peak, and the primordial Gang energy here carries Geng Metal Qi?"

Li Yan was deeply puzzled, but had no time to dwell on it—these streams of Geng Metal Qi were nearly splitting his spirit into pieces.

He struggled to hold on, but the Geng Metal Qi seemed endless, gradually weakening his spirit.

Finally, he could no longer endure and began repairing it with the Great Luo Body.

If his spirit shattered, tower construction would fail, forcing him to restart—wasting considerable time and leaving him bedridden for months.

Of course, with the Great Luo Body, he had no such fear.

Yet as soon as the Great Luo Body repaired, the Geng Metal Qi struck again.

Li Yan gritted his teeth and resisted.

Unconsciously, his spirit neared collapse once more.

Li Yan had no choice but to repair it again.

Again and again, he did this, unaware how much time passed.

Crack!

With a sharp snap, the Great Luo Body in his dantian shattered rapidly, though it quickly restored itself—yet one of the soul-lamps on his shoulder went out.

Li Yan immediately felt regret.

Had he known, he never would have chosen to cultivate here on Huashan.

But now, he had no choice but to press on.

Fortunately, as the Great Luo Body repaired, his spirit could now match the Geng Metal Qi blow for blow.

Eventually, they merged together.

Instantly, the clouds parted and the mist vanished; the white light disappeared.

Only then did Li Yan steady his spirit and examine closely—he was stunned. His spirit tower had changed again.

The upper and lower levels remained stone, but the pillars supporting the tower had all turned silver-metallic.

"Damn it, what the hell just happened?"

Li Yan was bewildered—this cultivation session made no sense.

Fortunately, despite the unexpected events, the second floor had been successfully built.

He formed the fist seal with both hands, stabilized himself, then slowly opened his eyes.

The room was pitch black; the lotus lamps around him were nearly burned out.

These one-time artifacts became useless after use.

Of course, the earlier phenomenon of light appearing in the empty room had long vanished—he had no idea what had occurred.

Li Yan paid it no mind and immediately sank his spirit into his dantian.

He examined closely. The Great Luo Body had indeed extinguished one soul-lamp; moreover, it now bore numerous cracks and significant damage.

Li Yan was furious, wanting to curse.

Fortunately, after careful inspection, no other anomalies appeared—his spirit was clearly much stronger, and he could now begin cultivating certain techniques from the Bei Di Scripture.

"Well then, misfortune and fortune are intertwined—perhaps this averted a disaster."

Li Yan could only console himself.

He rose, slowly pulling open the stone door.

"Young Master Li."

Wang Wang Daoxuan and Lu San hurried over.

Seeing their strange expressions, Li Yan asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu San pointed upward, grinning: "You just lit nine Huashan Spirit Lamps—your potential is clearly stronger than theirs!"

"Nine?"

Li Yan frowned in confusion—could this be related to his earlier cultivation?

It was now deep into the night; the Huashan path was treacherous, and traveling at night was unwise. Despite his many questions, Li Yan had no choice but to rest here with the two.

They waited until dawn, then set off back to Wangxian Pavilion.

The moment Li Yan arrived, he sought out Yu Luo Fengzi and recounted last night's events—mentioning the disturbance of Geng Metal Qi.

Yu Luo Fengzi listened, not startled but delighted: "A rare opportunity! This has nothing to do with the Huashan Spirit Lamps. Others cultivating in other celestial realms have also drawn Geng Metal Qi."

"We Pure Yang Sect call this Huashan Geng Metal Qi the blessing bestowed by the Lord of the Western Peak—but in my memory, few outsiders have ever received it."

"Never expected you'd be the one to get it."

Li Yan was puzzled. "Is this a blessing?"

"Of course!"

Yu Luo Fengzi nodded: "Geng Metal Qi, if you endure for just three breaths, a trace will cling to your spirit—when cultivating blade or sword arts, you'll gain slight benefits."

"If you endure longer, your control over blades becomes more agile—it's a feeling, like swimming freely in the sea, then entering a small stream and feeling even more at ease."

"To be honest, I once encountered it myself—I held on for two breaths. Young Master Li, how long did you hold on?"

Li Yan was stunned. "Uh… I held on for three breaths."

"Impressive!"

Yu Luo Fengzi smiled approvingly: "Young Master Li, your potential is truly remarkable."

His words left Li Yan uneasy.

So this wasn't something to resist—it could be absorbed simply by letting go.

He'd spent nearly half an hour resisting with the Great Luo Body last night—would that cause problems…?

"There's such a thing?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei, standing nearby, stared in disbelief, his eyes brimming with envy: "This blessing is downright envy-inducing! Young Master Li, try it out!"

Saying this, he drew his waist sword with a clang and tossed it over.

The blade Li Yan had been using was Yao San's—he'd already melted them all down and carried none.

He caught the sword, swung it twice in his hand, but his frown deepened: "I feel nothing…"

"Hahaha!"

Yu Luo Fengzi chuckled and shook his head: "Would it be that immediate? Young Master Li, just practice with the blade regularly—you'll gradually feel it."

"Fine."

Li Yan sheathed the sword and let it go. If Yu Luo Fengzi was right, it was indeed a blessing.

After all, sword techniques required not just practice, but repeated battlefield trials.

His sword skill had long hit a bottleneck, stubbornly resisting breakthrough—so even a slight improvement was worth it.

With tower construction complete, everyone had temporary free time. They stayed at Wangxian Pavilion, exploring leisurely while awaiting the forged weapons.

Li Yan had considered observing, but Yu Luo Fengzi directly stopped him, saying the elder master disliked spectators while working.

Disturbances would make him fly into a rage—if he ruined the blade, disaster would follow.

Wang Wang Daoxuan stayed busy, asking Yu Luo Fengzi and others for advice, purchasing high-grade talisman cords, and crafting his new purchase into a coin sword.

Unaware, several more days passed.

It was now past the first lunar month. With a distant rumble of thunder, a light drizzle began falling; the snow atop Huashan melted.

The runoff formed a substantial flood, turning the mountain path into a muddy mess.

!.

Li Yan and Sha Hearing Sha Lifei went specifically to check; fortunately, they hadn't bought much—had they been like others, hauling crates and sacks, they might have struggled even to descend the mountain.

At the same time, he sensed something was amiss on the mountain.

Yu Luo Fengzi had lost his usual smile, and the Daoists passing by wore grim expressions; the Pure Yang Palace's incense burned day and night without ceasing, its bells ringing continuously, as if performing some blessing ritual.

Li Yan could no longer hold back and asked.

Yu Luo Fengzi offered no concealment; his eyes brimmed with sorrow as he said gravely, "Our Pure Yang Palace's abbot has suddenly fallen gravely ill—perhaps… he is about to transcend."

With this news, Li Yan naturally dared not say another word.

Under this atmosphere, everyone was busy preparing for the funeral; they grew increasingly uneasy on the mountain, feeling like strangers.

Fortunately, the next day, word arrived that the blade had been forged.

Yu Luo Fengzi was occupied with matters, so Li Yan went alone.

When he reached the ravine, it too had been scoured by flash floods.

Mount Hua's entire rock face held little loose soil; the pool water remained clear, but the ground was carved with muddy streaks.

Had they forged the blade incorrectly?

Seeing this, Li Yan's heart sank.

"What are you standing there for? Come in!"

At that moment, a hoarse voice rang from inside the hut.

Li Yan hurried into the thatched hut and saw the elder still seated cross-legged on the earthen kang, the candlelight dim, obscuring his face.

Seeing Li Yan enter, the old man wasted no words—he lifted a long blade from beside the bed and drew it with a sharp clang.

Li Yan saw a flash of white light, and a chilling aura surged straight toward his third eye.

He sniffed, startled—this was the scent of the blade unsheathed, thick with stern, deadly energy.

A divine artifact just forged, and merely its aura and scent already threatened him—undoubtedly extraordinary!

Looking closer, the blade's form had changed; it was no longer his usual Guanshan Guanshan Daozi, but more like a Tang crossblade.

The blade's center glowed yellow, clearly forged from Shoushan copper essence, faintly bearing dragon-like patterns, while its edges blazed with snowy, icy radiance—likely forged from Yao San's meteorite-tempered blade.

He could not fathom how the elder had made this blade absorb the essence of Shoushan copper.

The elder lightly formed a sword seal with his fingers, tracing the blade's length; the edge hummed, emitting thunderous resonance.

The elder nodded slightly: "Shoushan copper essence as the core, hundred-fold refined steel as the edge—this blade carries heavy killing intent, suits your grip, and after much thought, I made minor adjustments."

With that, he flipped his wrist, revealing the hilt.

The hilt was carved from black sandalwood, each of the twelve Yuan Chen copper coins Li Yan had bought at great cost embedded upon it.

Six on each side, arranged according to the Twelve Earthly Branches.

The elder said gravely: "I see you practice Thunder Art—making this into a tassel would be a waste; better to embed it within the blade."

These Life-Soul Coins can store Gang-Sha energy; you may store your Thunder Art within them each day, and when fighting, simply form the seal to release it.

"Strike when unprepared, shatter the opponent's spirit—this is a true weapon."

As he spoke, he pulled out the tassel.

The Three Talismans Exorcising Demon Coins had changed too.

The original tassel, woven by Master Wan from rhinoceros hide, had been dismantled and now linked by dragon-shaped clasps forged from Shoushan copper essence.

The elder said gravely: "The Three Talismans Exorcising Demon Coins were forged from Yang Yi's demonic blade of the former dynasty—any other method merely obscures their brilliance; this is their true use."

"If you can find the other one hundred eight, you may forge them into a Coin Whip by the proper method—binding demons, subduing evil, unstoppable!"

"The joining method I have already written down; later, simply find any Xuanmen craftsman to follow it."

He added with deep meaning: "Are you ready to receive the blade?"

Li Yan was stunned, then straightened and bowed respectfully:

"Disciple is ready!"

The elder nodded and flung the blade directly at him.

But the blade's edge aimed straight for his third eye.

Li Yan's heart leapt, the hairs on his nape bristled—but the elder meant no harm, and the blade moved slowly.

He sidestepped, reached out, and seized the hilt.

The instant he gripped it, a deadly aura surged into his third eye.

Li Yan's vision blurred—he saw, as if through misty rain outside, a white-bearded Daoist in robes, face filled with murderous intent, charging straight at him.

The opponent's sword intent was terrifying; the pressure left his mind blank—he swung the blade instinctively.

At the same time, his inner spirit changed.

Li Yan felt a surge of Geng Metal energy burst from his Louguan, stern and deadly, merging with the blade's intent.

A wet thud—as if he had cut something.

"Who's attacking?!"

He frowned, snapping back to reality.

"What happened?"

The elder on the bed asked calmly.

Li Yan, wary, glanced around—but no one was there. "Just now, something seemed to attack."

The elder said coolly: "This blade carries fierce malice—you couldn't bear it, your eyes conjured illusions. Your cultivation is still far too weak."

"Oh, indeed, disciple has only just entered the path."

Li Yan admitted frankly.

Looking again at the blade in hand, he liked it more and more.

The elder on the bed spoke again: "A blade must have a name. Name it."

Li Yan nodded slightly, thinking: "It holds the Twelve Yuan Chen Life Coins—how about Twelve Yuan Chen Hu Hu Dao Ren?"

"No." The elder shook his head slightly.

"It stores Thunder Art—what about Ziwu Thunder Hu Hu Dao Ren?"

"Common. Too common!"

The elder snorted, his expression displeased.

Li Yan instantly understood, sheathed the blade quickly, and bowed deeply: "Please, Elder, grant it a name."

The elder finally nodded in satisfaction: "Call it… Duan Chen."

Duan Chen? What kind of name is that…

Li Yan mentally grumbled, but nodded in agreement.

After all, what a blade was called didn't matter to him—as long as it was powerful enough.

"Go, go."

The elder seemed weary, unwilling to speak further: "Once you leave this door, tell no one you saw me."

"Yes, Elder."

Li Yan knew the elder's identity must be a secret.

But it was a world he could not yet reach, so he said no more, bowed farewell, and departed.

Watching Li Yan's figure vanish into the drizzle, the elder fell silent for a long while, then gazed toward the Pure Yang Palace, his eyes filled with sorrow:

"Old friend… go in peace…"

(End of Chapter)