Chapter 563

He asked himself about his talent in the Sword Dao — looking across the world, apart from Ximen Wudi, he was beneath no one else.

Yet after spending ten days, no one had comprehended the Wanjiangui Sect.

Thinking of it this way, even if he had won the sword duel back then, what good would it have done if Master Jianhui had given the secret manual to him?

A sudden sense of frustration welled up in his heart. He shook his head and returned the sword manual to Jian Yu,

"This junior has failed to live up to Senior's kind intentions. This Wanjiangui Sect — I have never been able to comprehend it."

"Hahaha! A junior of Jian Wu's caliber, and yet he cannot comprehend the Wanjiangui Sect!"

Hearing that Wuming had failed to comprehend it, Jian Yu actually felt a bit pleased.

He laughed long and loud toward the sky, and finally looked at Wuming with a strange gaze,

"However! Do you know that this Wanjiangui Sect is still missing one line of oral formula?"

"Mm?"

Wuming did not understand what he meant.

Jian Yu could have handed the Wanjiangui Sect directly to him, so why deliberately leave out one line of oral formula?

"Heavenly Sword Wuming — even with my 'Yuantian Sword Art,' it would be very hard to defeat him."

Jian Yu saw the doubt in Wuming's eyes and explained directly,

"But your weakness is also very obvious."

"What weakness?"

Wuming vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

"First, your tireless pursuit of the Sword Dao."

"The Wanjiangui Sect is the supreme art of the Jian Sect. Placed before a Sword Dao genius like you, you absolutely could not resist the urge to penetrate its mysteries."

Jian Yu raised one finger and spoke slowly.

"Correct! The Wanjiangui Sect is one of my obsessions. These past ten days, I have been constantly trying to penetrate it."

Wuming nodded in admission.

"Second! Because you are the Heavenly Sword, you are the most compassionate, and also the most prone to trusting those around you."

Jian Yu raised a second finger and let out a strange laugh.

Wuming's heart stirred, and he suddenly circulated his true essence.

Yet he discovered that his true essence seemed to have all been dispersed.

At this moment he possessed only the realm of the Sword Dao, with not a trace of true essence remaining.

"Why?"

Wuming had already understood, and looked at Jian Chen in disbelief.

Jian Chen now no longer showed his former cautious deference and obedient compliance.

A hint of wickedness on his face, he said,

"Master! Let me call you Master one last time."

"The sword art you passed down to me looks fine, but from the age of six when I began cultivating until now, I cannot even match a single one at the peerless level."

"After following my martial uncle into the Sword Realm, by a twist of fate I obtained the Xuanyin Sword Art."

"This sword art instantly gave me the combat power of the supreme Mythical Realm."

"Yet you insisted I abandon this sword art and switch to cultivating the sword art of your own sect."

"Tell me, how many years would I have to cultivate to reach my current combat power?"

Hearing this, Wuming could not help but feel a pang in his heart.

So Jian Chen had betrayed him simply because he had urged him to turn back!

"Chen'er! There are no shortcuts in anything, and the path of the Sword Dao is even more so."

"The Xuanyin Sword Art may seem to double your combat power, even letting you reach in one stroke a height you could not reach in decades."

"But any sword art achieved through shortcuts carries its own peril."

"I used the Heavenly Sword to observe the Xuanyin Sword Art. Cultivated to its end, this sword art will produce a state of the sword controlling the person."

"When that time comes, you will no longer be Jian Chen — you will be the Xuanyin Sword!"

"This… is this what you want?"

Jian Chen would never believe Wuming's words, thinking Wuming was merely clinging to the distinction between righteous and evil.

"Hmph! Wuming, cease your silver tongue."

"Now that your true essence has been completely dispersed, you still have the leisure to lecture me?"

"Enough! Jian Chen, take Wuming away! I should go find the next Sword Dao master."

Jian Yu gave a cold laugh, no longer listening to the grievances between master and disciple, and vanished from the Zhonghua Pavilion.

"Let's go! Wuming!"

Wuming had no true essence left, possessing only the realm of the Sword Dao — how could he resist Jian Chen?

Lifted up by him, he left the Zhonghua Pavilion directly.

……

Yunzhou Shaolin Temple, like other Shaolin Temples, was originally a sacred ground of martial learning in the Wu Lin.

It was just that Yunzhou Shaolin Temple hid the Yuan-grade Maho.

After the Demon Lord Bai Suzhen detected this power, she directly occupied Yunzhou Shaolin Temple.

Countless experts within the temple, none daring to resist, could only scatter across the martial world of the Nine Provinces.

In an instant, the Shaolin Temple became completely empty.

On the mountain path, long unkept by anyone sweeping, fallen leaves had piled up thickly.

When Dugu Qiubai and his party arrived at Yunzhou Shaolin Temple, this was the scene that greeted them.

The group was unsurprised and climbed the steps.

Entering Shaolin Temple, they found it completely empty.

The rumored Demon Lord Bai Suzhen was nowhere to be found.

The group stayed in Shaolin Temple for two days, but still saw no sign of Demon Lord Bai Suzhen's return.

With no choice, under Second Dream's guidance, they headed for the Orthodox-Unorthodox Path.

The Orthodox-Unorthodox Path was actually another cave heaven.

Under Second Dream's guidance, after entering this cave heaven—

Dugu Qiubai sensed it briefly and could not help but say,

"Senior Dugu, this Orthodox-Unorthodox Path truly lives up to its name."

"Between heaven and earth, there is only boundless unorthodox qi, not a trace of orthodox qi."

Dugu Qiubai's sword Dao is neither orthodox nor unorthodox; he takes all things under heaven as potential swords,

so entering the Orthodox-Unorthodox Path did not diminish his strength in the slightest.

Dugu Jian's Sword Twenty-Three is also called the Heaven-Destroying Earth-Sundering Sword Twenty-Three.

Therefore, his sword Dao is likewise unaffected within this Orthodox-Unorthodox Path.

On the contrary, Second Dream and Ming Yue—

The two of them had only ordinary Wu Gong to begin with, and the "Mount Qingcheng Love" they comprehended belonged to the extreme of emotion, a sword Dao of love.

Within this Orthodox-Unorthodox Path saturated with unorthodox qi, they only felt utterly ill at ease.

As for Seeing Nie Feng, he was affected even more greatly.

Earlier, due to Qin Shuang's death, the blood of frenzy and demonhood had been triggered within him.

Afterwards, he was restrained by "Mount Qingcheng Love" and successfully broke free from the demon-devouring state.

Now, upon entering the Orthodox-Unorthodox Path, under the pervasive unorthodox qi, he involuntarily began to fall into demonhood once more.

"Nie Feng, gather your spirit! Use your ancestral 'Ice Heart Art' to suppress the demon heart."

Dugu Qiubai was the first to notice something amiss with Nie Feng and immediately called out a warning.

Hearing this, Nie Feng immediately circulated the Ice Heart Art and finally managed to calm the demon heart.

No longer affected by the unorthodox qi, the group once more, under Second Dream's guidance, headed for the Shengsi Sect.

The party were all Wu Lingaoshou; although the Orthodox-Unorthodox Path was saturated with unorthodox qi, their speed was not slow.

Before long, they arrived before a mountain cave.