Chapter 615: The Charm of That One Sword

The strange spirit beast hide was indeed effective.

Hum!

As the hide settled, it resonated with the Nine Cauldrons' divine might, trembling continuously; the ancient maps of the Nine Provinces and the Yu Tribute waterways engraved upon it lit up one by one, as if outlined in golden threads.

As if lifted by an unseen force, the hide descended slowly, yet never ceased its fall.

At last, the hide settled over the Nine Cauldrons.

Almost instantly, the Nine Cauldrons' divine might vanished, their golden radiance faded, and even the swirling storm and demonic qi around them disappeared rapidly.

In this world, every treasure has something that subdues it.

Some objects, though immensely powerful and seemingly mystical, may be countered by something utterly unremarkable.

It's not surprising at all.

This spirit beast carried the bloodline of the Kuiniu.

In ancient times, it was made into a war drum by the Yellow Emperor, its roar shaking five hundred li, possessing primordial abilities to connect heaven and earth and suppress earth veins, resonating with the Nine Cauldrons, and having absorbed divine aura over centuries of incense offerings in the snow region.

After Yu the Great tamed the floods, he cast the Nine Cauldrons to symbolize the Nine Provinces, inscribing upon them the mountains, rivers, and terrain of each province.

Lu Sheng carved the maps of the Nine Provinces and the Yu Tribute waterways onto them, a kind of illusionary spell to pacify the Nine Cauldrons.

Of course, these were merely temporary measures.

The spirit beast hide could not hold out much longer.

Before the Nine Cauldrons erupted again, they must be taken away and sealed with secret methods, awaiting the gathering of the other nine.

Meanwhile, the white vortex formed by the storm and demonic qi vanished completely, revealing the scene to all.

Seeing the dimmed divine cauldrons, the armless Cheng Jianxin, and Li Yan, still motionless and crackling with lightning, everyone harbored suspicions.

"Stop him!"

Ming Shanzi, wounded, had just arrived and shouted immediately upon seeing this.

Everyone leapt forward; Sha Li Fei raised his fire gun.

Watching the crowd charge, Lu Sheng sneered coldly, without hesitation, drew five talismans from his robe, and threw them to the ground.

"Huo!"

At his command, fierce winds erupted around them.

Rolling black mist rose, faintly revealing five shadowy figures circling Lu Sheng and the sacred cauldron.

The Five Ghosts Transporting Method!

Seeing this, everyone grew frantic.

There are many variations of the Five Ghosts Transporting Method in the Daoist sects.

For instance, the Wan Fa Gui Zong contains the "Five Ghosts Confusing Heaven Method," commanding five ghosts to use copper coins or ingots as mediums to cast the "Five Ghosts Moving Wealth Spell."

After completion, one must "distribute grain to appease the spirits," or face backlash.

Folk lineages also have various "Five Ghosts Moving Wealth Techniques," requiring the Five Ghosts Flags, but many know that "the five ghosts are not malevolent spirits—they are the Five Directional Gods of Poverty; moving wealth inevitably damages one's moral virtue."

This technique exists throughout Shenzhou, even known among common folk; in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there is a proverb:

"The five ghosts bring a mountain of gold, but the King of Hell claims your life at midnight."

But the true Five Ghosts Transporting Method is, in fact, a teleportation art.

When the five ghosts rise, one can vanish a hundred li in an instant.

The five ghosts Lu Sheng used were clearly no ordinary trick—their aura was so fierce it surpassed many minor temple deities.

Boom!

Sha Li Fei fired first.

Other soldiers in the square, though unaware of the reason, followed Zhao Xianda's signal and opened fire.

Gunfire erupted continuously across the square.

Lu San, disregarding the damage to his demon gourd, summoned a swarm of venomous bees that surged down like a black cloud toward the black mist.

Others also unleashed their arts, trying to stop Lu Sheng.

Yet every attack vanished as if swallowed by the sea, consumed by the swirling black mist.

Their hearts turned cold—they knew these bullets, venomous bees, and hidden projectiles had already been transported away.

This was the power of the Five Ghosts Transporting Teleportation.

Yet they had to stop him from succeeding.

As the Nine Cauldrons appeared, the earth veins trembled more violently; the ground beneath their feet rumbled and cracked, bricks splitting open.

Farther away, palace walls lost tiles and split into massive fissures.

The Shu Prince's Palace had taken decades to build, begun in the previous dynasty; later, deeming the palace old, the current Emperor even granted silver to renovate it, making it the center of Chengdu Prefecture.

If this place was already damaged, it was clear many other buildings must have collapsed.

Such a great calamity must be stopped.

But they had been held back earlier, and Lu Sheng's Five Ghosts Transporting Method was too subtle—they were already too late.

Clang!

At that moment, the sword's chime rang again.

It was still Cheng Jianxin.

The old man had burned his life force to shield Li Yan from the descending immortal Li Wenyuan, his left arm shattered, his life nearing its end—yet he stood firm, refusing to fall.

His white hair had lost its luster and fell strand by strand.

His skin had aged terribly, his face suffused with deathly pallor.

As if hearing the cries around him, his longsword trembled, emitting a mournful cry; his clouded eyes opened once more.

He raised his hand and swung his sword.

Clang!

The sword sang like a dragon, radiating blinding cold light.

In his final moment, Cheng Jianxin seemed to enter a certain realm—though his life was spent, he unleashed the art of a Sword Immortal.

The sword sang like a dragon, yet carried not a trace of murderous intent.

All who watched felt their vision blur; in their minds appeared a scene: a bustling city street, crowds thronging, cries of merchants and buyers blending into the warm hum of mortal life.

"Master…"

Chang Tianque's tears burst forth.

He recalled his journey with Cheng Jianxin—how the old man never acted like a Sword Immortal, but laughed, cursed, and loved mingling with peddlers and laborers.

In this moment, he understood his master's sword Dao.

The world knew only that Cheng Jianxian's elegance was peerless, his sword dominating Shu—but none knew this peerless blade was born from protection.

A sword of the mortal world would never arrogantly ascend to heaven's gates.

Where this swordlight passed, the black mist scattered; the shadowy figures within crumbled and dispersed instantly.

"Die!"

As the mist cleared, Lu Sheng's furious voice rang out.

He had planned everything perfectly—yet been stopped by this dying old man.

The Nine Cauldrons were heavy, and he was now surrounded; countless experts, ten thousand soldiers, and innumerable fire guns—no immortal could stand against them.

Yet his rage was useless.

After unleashing that peerless sword strike, Cheng Jianxin's life force vanished completely—he held his sword, bowed his head, and stood motionless, like a statue.

Lu Sheng, with nowhere to vent his fury, flashed forward to Cheng Jianxin's corpse, his sleeves flaring, his palm crackling with storm qi, and slammed down.

"Ahh!"

Chang Tianque's eyes turned blood-red; he charged wildly with his sword.

But the distance was too great—he could not reach in time.

Thud!

Yet just as Lu Sheng's palm descended, a figure suddenly appeared before him, meeting his fist and palm in collision.

It was Li Yan, awakened.

Li Yan's appearance was now strange.

The Thunder Bureau's troops had departed, yet electric arcs still crackled across his body; his pupils glowed with blue radiance.

Zzz~

Lu Sheng felt his palm go numb and hastily retreated.

No wonder he was a remnant of the Fangshi from the end of the Qin—after one glance, his face darkened: "Thunder Bureau arts? Hmph, so even they resort to trickery…"

He guessed correctly.

At Wudang Mountain's Thunder and Fire Refining Hall, after passing the trial, Li Yan's Soul-Grabbing Chain had been transformed, infused with Thunder Bureau arts, becoming the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain.

This was one of Li Yan's hidden cards.

Using the stored thunder from the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain, he could perform the "Divine Transformation Art," appearing as if the Thunder God had descended—even the evil dragon in Shennongjia had been slain by him.

Yet the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain consumed thunder; since entering Shu, Li Yan had encountered no thunderstorms, so this card remained unusable.

This time, summoning the Thunder Bureau finally replenished it completely.

Even better, after Li Wenyuan was struck dead by lightning, the Celestial Official task was complete, and the Thunder Bureau's reward was finally granted.

It was a primordial thunder Gang.

Similar to divine Gang, yet far stronger.

After merging with the Soul-Grabbing Thunder Chain, the art underwent a qualitative transformation—it could now generate thunder spontaneously, making thunder arts far more ferocious.

Although using the "Divine Transformation Art" rapidly depletes one's Qi and requires slow replenishment, at least one will no longer be hindered by weather.

Li Yan had been absorbed in this very act before.

Those around him saw it and immediately rejoiced.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A dense volley of gunfire erupted.

Yet Lu Sheng merely dodged left and retreated right, stepping in the Nine Steps of the Gang, as if splitting into multiple forms—transforming into several phantom shadows that shifted along the Eight Trigram directions, effortlessly evading every bullet fired at him.

"Hmph!"

Lu Sheng glanced coldly at the Nine Cauldrons, a mocking smile curling on his lips, "Enough. The Nine Cauldrons have emerged—the grand scheme is settled. I'll leave this item in your care for now!"

With that, his figure flickered and swiftly retreated.

Everyone saw it and their hearts sank half-dead.

Under the interference of the beast hide, the Jingzhou Cauldron had fully detached and become solid, while the celestial phantom of the Dragon Palace was gradually fading.

Everyone immediately understood Lu Sheng's intent.

The Jingzhou Cauldron had emerged—the disaster could not be undone.

This terrifying artifact, once the beast hide's power vanished, would once again radiate divine might, and they could not handle it.

Worse still, it would attract countless greedy souls.

They would be exhausted trying to fend them off, while Lu Sheng merely needed to lurk in the shadows and reclaim the cauldron at the right moment.

"Hahaha..."

Amidst wild laughter, Lu Sheng's figure shifted unpredictably, now left, now right, dissolving into countless phantom shadows as he fled toward the palace gates.

His escape technique was astonishing—numerous experts along the way tried to stop him, but no matter what method they used, all they grasped were mere phantoms.

"You're not getting away!"

A cold voice rang out.

Li Yan stood suspended in midair, three feet above the ground, two soul-snatching chains piercing through his shoulders and running down his back, lightning crackling and hissing like the sash of a Thunder God.

Li Yan had already tried—he could not sense the chain's aura on Lu Sheng, as if he carried some divine artifact.

His cultivation was inferior, so he could only use the "Divine Transformation Art" to assume the form of a Thunder God.

Unlike the Ming God formed by borrowing underworld power, Li Yan was now entirely wrapped in soul-snatching thunder chains, his speed and offensive power greatly enhanced.

Boom!

A thunderclap rang out—and Li Yan stood directly before Lu Sheng.

"Huh?"

Lu Sheng was also startled, but his reaction was swift—he shifted his stance, and multiple shadowy figures rapidly retreated backward.

Not only that, he formed a hand seal and chanted a spell, then suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a wisp of misty vapor, which surged into thick white fog.

Instantly, fierce winds howled and the white fog spread rapidly.

"Kill!"

Countless battle cries rose from all directions.

To everyone's astonishment, dense armies burst forth from the thick mist—each soldier clad in long tunics, leather belts at the waist, short pants, leg bindings, and low shoes, wielding bows, crossbows, spears, halberds, and other ancient weapons.

Their attire was archaic, and their killing aura surged skyward.

They were none other than the Qin Army, once dominant across the land and unified the Six States.

Wang Daoxuan and others knew it was an illusion, but the soldiers on the square did not—they were shaken by the Qin Army's aura and frantically formed ranks to fire.

In an instant, sparks flew everywhere, and the earthquake grew more pronounced—the entire square descended into chaos.

Soldiers fired wildly, and many were wounded.

Even Cui Bai of the Bamboo Grove Six Idle Ones had his arm shattered by a musket.

Everyone was furious, but the white fog surged and illusions multiplied—many dispelling techniques could no longer be used.

"Hahaha..."

Lu Sheng laughed wildly and retreated swiftly.

He was a Daoist from the Qin era, naturally skilled in illusions—he had once left behind the immortal legend of "Lu Ao Traveling the Northern Sea," recorded in the "Taiping Guangji," even unrecognizable by the Xuanmen.

During the Tang dynasty, he disguised himself as a Confucian scholar and spread tales of the "Cloud Lord's Divine Palace," attempting to lure cultivators into exploring it for profit. Though he failed, he stole a wisp of Cloud Lord's misty Gang Qi and forged it into a divine art.

The art was called the "Cloud Lord Illusion Art"—it could construct illusions using the mist of the Yunmeng Marsh, combined with the Nine Steps, making him immune to encirclement.

Yet this illusion did not deceive Li Yan.

At this moment, Li Yan was wrapped in thunder Gang —poison and illusion arts had no effect on him. His form flickered into several streaks of lightning and blocked Lu Sheng once again.

"You seek death!"

Lu Sheng's murderous intent surged.

His plan had been flawless.

But since Li Yan entered Shu, a series of small incidents had accumulated, exposing numerous flaws in his once-perfect scheme, leading to this situation.

To say he wasn't furious would be a lie.

With the square in chaos, now was the perfect moment to kill!

Facing Li Yan's Thunder God form, Lu Sheng showed no fear—he drew his bronze ancient sword with a clang, stepped the Nine Steps, and thrust forward violently.

Clang!

The blade's light split into three radiant beams.

This sword technique was called the "Taiyi Splitting Light Sword."

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when the Hundred Schools contended, countless extraordinary arts emerged. Though many were destroyed after Qin's unification and the burning of books and burying of scholars, as a cultivator of that era, Lu Sheng naturally knew this art.

Hiss!

Li Yan couldn't dodge in time—even with thunder Gang protection, a gash opened across his ribs and chest, shocking him.

He didn't know that during those war-torn times, many cultivators had developed Gang force, and with Daoist techniques for Gang protection, corresponding countermeasures had also arisen.

The Taiyi Splitting Light Sword was one such technique—specifically designed to break through protective Gang force.

Without a word, Lu Sheng's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He stepped the Nine Steps, conjuring multiple shadows, and countless sword blades flew wildly, surrounding Li Yan from all directions.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

More bloodied wounds appeared—Li Yan was struck repeatedly.

"Good!"

Li Yan showed no fear either. Despite the wounds on his body, he raised his blade, thunder Gang flashing, and stabbed straight at Lu Sheng.

He couldn't distinguish the sword shadows—but he could find Lu Sheng's true body.

Lu Sheng had no choice—he raised his sword to block.

Sssss~

But at that moment, a massive amount of thunder Gang gathered on Li Yan's Broken Dust Blade, glowing with blinding radiance.

His Broken Dragon, Broken Dust Blade had been reforged by the Fire Monk—its maximum power could only be unleashed with thunder arts.

The more thunder Gang, the greater the power.

And what Li Yan had in abundance right now was thunder energy.

Boom!

A deafening explosion.

Lu Sheng's bronze sword shattered completely.

Though he desperately dodged, Li Yan's Broken Dust Blade still slashed down from his left shoulder, cleaving into his chest.

"Roar!"

Lu Sheng, writhing in agony, raised both palms— Gang energy gathered in his palms, and the shattered sword fragments instantly reassembled, slamming down with both hands.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Li Yan was instantly pierced like a hedgehog, blood gushing.

"Hehe~"

Lu Sheng spat blood, his eyes filled with malice, "Boy, you're impressive—no wonder they chose you. But I can always swap bodies. Today, you die here!"

As he gloated, his eyes suddenly went blank.

The broken blade fragments on Li Yan's body were repelled by thunder Gang, clinking and clattering to the ground, while his wounds healed visibly before their eyes.

"You..."

Lu Sheng's mind went utterly blank.

Cultivators ascending to godhood must shed their mortal forms—but the body remains the vessel for transcending calamities; whether resurrecting, descending, or possessing, a good body is indispensable.

A martial artist's body is as precious as oil; so too is a cultivator's.

Such rapid healing—even beast beasts could not achieve it.

This boy... what kind of monster is he?

Lu Sheng, who understood many cosmic secrets and plotted deeply, feared unpredictability above all.

Li Yan's terrifying healing ability had filled him with dread—he wanted to flee immediately, clarify the situation first.

But suddenly, his chest felt hollow—he saw Li Yan holding up an ancient Qin jade tablet: "Is this it?"

Lu Sheng's heart turned cold upon seeing it.

It was a Qin palace ritual artifact—he had stolen it from the imperial palace when he fled, relying on it to evade heavenly and underworld detection.

If he lost it, his life was certain to end.

Thinking of this, Lu Sheng abandoned all else and reached out to snatch it back.

But as his hand reached out, Li Yan twisted his left arm, using the Splitting-Circling Silk Hand to entangle the man's arm, then swung his blade, stabbing twice through the heart with a wet thud-thud.

"Aaah~"

Lu Sheng let out a shriek, black smoke spurting from his mouth.

His body was already ruined; he could only let his yin spirit wander, seeking another vessel to possess and usurp.

With his protective divine artifact seized, the soul-binding warrant immediately reacted, humming and vibrating, rapidly growing hot.

All he needed to do now was chant the incantation to summon yin soldiers to capture him and receive a Gangling from the Underworld as a reward.

Given Lu Sheng's status, he might have other items on him.

Yet Li Yan merely narrowed his eyes, ignoring the warrant entirely—two soul-snatching cords on his shoulders shot out, howling as they wrapped tightly around Lu Sheng's yin spirit.

Crackling! Thunder roared.

With Lu Sheng's body destroyed, his techniques lost effect, and the smoke and mist in the area quickly dissipated.

All saw that after the blinding thunder faded, Li Yan stood revealed, his clothes torn but all his wounds gone.

In his hand, he held Lu Sheng's—or rather, the "Shu Prince's"—head.

Gurgling~

Li Yan casually tossed it; the head rolled to Zhao Xianda's feet, clearly meant for him to deliver as proof.

Li Yan had no intention of explaining further.

He knew Lu Sheng and his crew were merely pawns—the true mastermind lurked in the Great Luo Dharma Realm, possibly some colossal figure.

Even if he sent him to the Underworld, he could still be protected.

To prevent any risk, even without reward, he had to eliminate him.

Of course, no one else understood the reason.

They didn't care to ask—they were staring at the Nine Tripods in the distance.

The animal hide covering them had, at some point, been pierced by stray spears, leaving a gaping hole—no longer able to suppress the Jingzhou Ding.

Hummm!

With a roar, the divine tripod once again radiated golden light.

"What do we do?"

Sha Li-fei, visibly flustered, hurriedly asked.

But all he received was silence.

Faced with this incomprehensible divine artifact, everyone was at a loss—and none dared move.

At this moment, the earth veins beneath Chengdu City were trembling violently.

If mishandled, the disturbance would spread instantly, causing countless deaths.

Just then, Li Yan's mind stirred—he turned toward the city gate.

A man strode forward, wielding a three-pronged, double-edged halberd, wearing a bronze nu mask, a blinding golden glow pulsing at his third eye.

It was Erlang Yang Jian.

His aura had vanished—he seemed utterly mortal.

More precisely, his aura had merged with the surrounding heaven and earth.

Merely walking, he carried an aura of spiritual grace.

This was because Erlang had used Wen Lingguan's divine flame to burn away the demon qi, then fused it with the auras of past Sichuan Lords.

At this moment, he had fully become the Sichuan Lord.

Though he walked normally, the scene before him shifted constantly—light and shadow from ancient times to the present flashed rapidly.

The Sichuan Lord was the guardian of this land.

He had clearly witnessed the battle that had just taken place.

Ignoring the complex gazes of the crowd, Yang Jian walked to Cheng Jianxin's still-standing corpse, extended a finger, and lightly tapped it.

Thud!

Cheng Jianxin's corpse collapsed instantly.

"What are you doing?!"

Chang Tianque charged forward, sword raised, roaring.

But Yang Jian merely turned his head—and Chang Tianque found himself frozen, unable to move.

"Ten years from now… Wang Family Village beneath Qingcheng Mountain…"

A cold voice echoed in Chang Tianque's ear.

Only he could hear it.

Chang Tianque's heart lit up with sudden understanding; his face filled with joy as he knelt and bowed his head.

Then Erlang Yang Jian approached Li Yan, gazing through the bronze nu mask, hesitated, then slowly removed it and placed it in Li Yan's hands, saying coldly: "It might be useful…"

Li Yan was utterly baffled by these words.

He looked down at the bronze nu mask with protruding eyes in his hand—

At its third eye, a faint glow seemed to pulse…

Having done this, Yang Jian walked to the Jingzhou Ding.

The Jingzhou Ding now shimmered with golden light, radiating divine power.

Yet Yang Jian stood tall, spun his halberd, and slammed it into the ground, then pressed his palm onto the divine tripod.

"Aaah—!"

His jade-like face twisted in strain, his entire body erupting with force.

Thick incense qi transformed into visible golden light, blazing like golden flames.

A gale howled, wrapping him and the entire divine tripod in its fury.

In an instant, everyone smelled the heavy scent of incense.

Boom!

The ground trembled; the thick fog over Chengdu slowly dissipated.

The blinding golden light forced everyone to shield their eyes.

From within the gold came a clear voice:

"A thousand years of incense—returned in full."

"I depart now…"

The golden light faded—the space where the tripod had stood was now empty.

All felt something deep within them—they looked up at the sky.

The phantom image of the Dragon Palace's Water Mansion vanished entirely; the thick mist and water qi over Chengdu turned into a gentle drizzle…

…………

In Chengdu City, wailing never ceased.

Though the calamity had passed, many civilians had died or been injured.

Some, cursed into madness, wandered and froze to death on that snowy night…

Others, still unconscious, were buried beneath collapsed walls—not to mention the countless soldiers and martial artists who perished in the battle at the Shu Prince's palace.

Outside the ruined palace, Wang Daoxuan and the sorcerers held bells, chanting scriptures to guide the souls of the dead.

Near the Wuhou Shrine outside Chengdu, Cheng Jianxin's funeral was underway; many from the martial world had come to pay their respects.

Watching the coffin slowly covered in earth, many sighed.

With the death of the Sword Immortal,

perhaps an era was drawing to a close.

Li Yan stood among them, his expression solemn.

He had not known Cheng Jianxin well—the man had looked down on him—but to fight beside him in his final moments was an honor.

Chang Tianque, clad in mourning sackcloth, suddenly turned and asked: "Li Shaoxia, my master told me to watch closely, but my cultivation is too low—I didn't see clearly."

"Just how powerful was that sword strike?"

"That sword strike…"

Li Yan looked up, recalling the scene he had seen when conscious.

"That sword buried a myth—and bought the enduring smoke of hearths in Jinguanyi…"

(End of Chapter)