Chapter 401: Breaking the Flying Sword with a Finger

The Celestial Master Mansion is truly the number one holy site of the Daoist school; it is magnificent in scale and possesses three gates in total.

Behind the first gate is a white jade floor inlaid with an exceptionally large Eight Trigrams Taiji diagram.

Inside the second gate are the many famous structures of the Celestial Master Mansion, such as the Bell Tower, the Jade Emperor Hall, the Stele Gallery, and so on; they are brilliant, magnificent, and crafted with unique ingenuity.

Behind the third gate lies the private residence within the Celestial Master Mansion, with the four large characters "Xiangguoxiandu" inscribed horizontally on the courtyard wall; among worldly figures, only emperors, generals, and ministers can be welcomed through this gate.

The third gate also has front, middle, and rear halls; Yu Liancheng and the others were led to the middle hall, where two delicate young Daoist acolytes served tea.

In the hall are enshrined the portraits of the first three generations of Longhu Mountain's founding masters; in the center is the first-generation Celestial Master, ZhaoLingzun, standing with his hands behind his back, his immortal air and Daoist bones striking one in the face. To the left and right are the second and third-generation Celestial Masters, ZhaoChuyu and ZhaoJiqing, respectively; one sits in a dignified posture wielding a sword, the other stands holding a whisk, each possessing their own unique and extraordinary spirit.

"I have kept Mountain Master Murong waiting for a long time," Zhao Danxia said as he walked in, a smile on his face.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng and Murong Wuzhu could not help but turn solemn; the person before them was the sect leader of Longhu Mountain, one of the few great figures in the Liyang Dynasty, whose status was higher, not lower, than that of the former Xuanyuan Old Ancestor.

Meanwhile, Zhao Danping, who was behind Zhao Danxia, cupped his fists casually, his expression as gloomy as water. He had already learned that Yu Liancheng had kicked Zhao Ningyun and his son into the water, and furthermore, he had just been poaching talent from Longhu Mountain in public.

Had it not been for Zhao Danxia holding him back, he would have long since been unable to suppress his temper and would have started fighting Yu Liancheng with his sword.

"Not at all, not at all," Yu Liancheng replied with a cupped-fist salute.

After the two sides exchanged some brief pleasantries, Zhao Danxia cut to the topic: "I wonder what business brings Mountain Master Murong to the Celestial Master Mansion this time?"

Yu Liancheng was quite satisfied with the title "Mountain Master Murong," and the smile on his face deepened: "We shall be neighbors from now on; as the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, so naturally, we should visit one another. However, coming here this time, I truly wish to request a Flood Dragon; I have long heard that Sect Leader Zhao is elegant and magnanimous, so you surely will not let me return empty-handed."

In reality, Zhao Danxia had already learned of Yu Liancheng's intentions, and he revealed a hesitant look: "The Flood Dragon is a rare species of heaven and earth; even in the Dragon Pool, their numbers are few, and every single one holds great significance, this..."

Zhao Danping, who was to the side, snorted coldly and said: "Your Excellency previously kicked a disciple of my Celestial Master Mansion into the Qinglong Creek with one foot, and openly recruited the Sword Dao genius Qi Xianxia; now you even demand a precious Flood Dragon—do you not feel this is going too far?"

"You are wrong," Yu Liancheng said.

"How am I wrong? Do you mean to deny it?" Zhao Danping's gaze was cold.

"It was not one kick, it was three kicks. I kicked that brat Zhao Ningyun twice, and I kicked the other one once," Yu Liancheng sipped his tea lightly, calm and unruffled.

"You..." Zhao Danping slammed the table violently, his beard and hair standing on end; an ancient sword hanging in the room immediately began to hum, spitting out sharp Sword Qi, as if it might unsheathe and kill at any moment.

"Danping, calm down, do not be impulsive," Zhao Danxia said hurriedly.

Yu Liancheng smiled: "The Flood Dragon is incomparably precious, and I will not take it for nothing; naturally, I have a reward to offer, however..."

Zhao Danxia frowned: "However?"

Yu Liancheng revealed a faint, inscrutable smile: "Originally, I intended to trade it for a secret manual, but now I have a reward that will satisfy your Longhu Mountain even more; it is just that I cannot tell you yet, and can only deliver it after I have left Longhu Mountain."

Zhao Danping sneered: "That is all nonsense."

"If you do not wish to trade, that is fine, but if you regret it later, do not blame me."

Yu Liancheng shrugged and said bluntly: "And I am not someone who gives up easily; if you are unwilling to give it to me, I can only take it myself."

Zhao Danping sneered: "How do you intend to take it yourself?"

The corners of Yu Liancheng's mouth curled into a cold expression, and a scarlet light flickered in his eyes: "You would not want to know."

Unlike the joking tone from before, this sentence carried an unstoppable determination and a faint murderous intent.

—Those who submit to me shall prosper, those who oppose me shall perish.

When Zhao Danping met those eyes, he could not help but tremble all over, as if he had returned to the time before he had mastered his Daoist arts, when he was still a mortal and had accidentally encountered a fierce tiger in the mountains; that fear, deeply etched into his marrow, welled up once again.

But immediately after, a wave of anger followed; as one of the Four Great Heavenly Masters, a figure who was nearly a God in the eyes of mortals, how could he fear such a youth?

"Hmph, I do not want to know, but my sword very much wants to know."

Zhao Danping's robes billowed, and when the final word "Dao" was spoken, an endless chill instantly arose throughout the entire room.

The Sword hanging on the wall suddenly broke free from its restraints, as if pulled by an invisible hand, and shot violently toward Yu Liancheng.

The sword let out a dragon's roar, and the cold sword light scattered like stars and moon, causing the entire room to turn white in an instant, with sharp energy permeating the surroundings.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng and Murong Wuzhu, sitting beside Yu Liancheng, felt a chill through their entire bodies; they were frozen stiff, unable to move even a single finger.

If it were an ordinary expert facing this Flying Sword that resembled a meteor from beyond the heavens, with their body frozen and their energy unable to circulate harmoniously, they would have no choice but to wait for death.

Unfortunately, the person this Flying Sword was piercing was Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng seemed to have anticipated this; he pressed his index and middle fingers together, pointing them like a sword.

This point appeared plain and unremarkable. Yet it gave one a feeling of exquisite perfection, like Wang Xizhi splashing ink or Wu Daozi wielding his brush; it was truly a move of peak brilliance.

It could be called the finishing touch.

This finger also happened to strike the point where the sword light was most intense.

The Sword Qi was immediately triggered prematurely and vented out, its power gone.

Then, Yu Liancheng flicked his finger, striking the body of the sword with his middle finger, causing it to tremble incessantly; a crack appeared, spreading in all directions, and finally, it disintegrated with a "Crack!"

Zhao Danping's face turned pale instantly, and a sweet, bloody taste rose in his throat.

Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Qingfeng and Murong Wuzhu were even more nervous.

Yu Liancheng's act of breaking the sword with a finger made the situation between the two sides even more tense.

And this place was the Celestial Master Mansion of Longhu Mountain, whose foundation was countless times stronger than Huishan. The Four Great Heavenly Masters alone were almost not beneath Xuanyuan Dapan.

According to Xuanyuan Jingcheng's conjecture, Longhu Mountain might even have a Land Immortal sitting in residence; how could they not be nervous?

Yu Liancheng's expression was composed as he sipped his tea lightly. The martial power of this world was not particularly brilliant; even if it were a Land Immortal, he would not fear them in the slightest.

Furthermore, that Land Immortal in Longhu Mountain was not particularly skilled at head-on combat, and he was very confident he could defeat the opponent.

Even if Longhu Mountain had a trump card, at worst, his true self would descend and they would have a hearty fight; other matters could be dealt with later.

"Good cultivation; it was this old Daoist who was rude." Zhao Danping adjusted his breath for a moment, looked at Yu Liancheng, and pulled a smile to the corner of his mouth: "Elder Brother, Mountain Master Murong is the new head of Huishan and will be a neighbor to Longhu Mountain in the future; we have yet to send a congratulatory gift, so why don't we use a Flood Dragon as a gift?"

Zhao Danxia revealed a look of relief and stroked his beard slightly: "Good, let it be as Danping says."