The Path Toward Heaven - Chapter 679

Chapter 679: Standing Higher than Everybody Else

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Speaking of the Cultivation states, the ones with the highest state in Chaotian were the immortals Tan and Bai, Liu Ci, the former Jing Yang, the Immortal Taiping, the Great Grandmaster Nan Qü, and the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean. But as far as the strongest swordsman in Chaotian was concerned, it was none other than Cao Yuan.

It was well known in the Cultivation world that he was the only one who had fought many times against the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom and survived.

And the Cultivation world also had a high respect for him.

He had been holding a lone broadsword to guard the wind and snow.

It was a rather heroic deed, but it was an extremely hard life.

Not everyone could guard in a small temple in White Town for hundreds of years.

But only the one who could withstand the solitude and pressure could become a King.

To say nothing of those orthodox Cultivation practitioners, even the practitioners of the deviant sects had tremendous respect for the Broadsword King.

His Mysterious Dark Sect was destroyed by the sword of Liu Ci and the broadsword of Cao Yuan; it was natural that the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect hadn’t had any respect for Cao Yuan until they met in person that day. In order to fight against the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom, this strong swordsman had consumed enough crystals, magic pills and foods to turn himself into a Buddha…

He wouldn’t die if he ate a bit less, but more humans would die as a result.

The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect was moved by his effort. “The Immortal thought that it was impossible for you to recover from your severe wound; so he didn’t take you into consideration,” said the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect sentimentally.

Cao Yuan was an honest man, so he explained, “Jing Yang went to White Town and healed my wound.”

“You think I’m an idiot?” the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect snapped irately. “The Immortal of course knew he had been to White Town; but how could that guy heal your wound?”

Cao Yuan was indeed an honest person, explaining further, “He gave me some of the fairy energy in his body.”

The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect fell silent for a while, as he suddenly had some respect for Jing Yang. “Did he predict all this back then?” asked the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect.

Cao Yuan said, “I asked him the same question, but he told me that he didn’t predict anything; he just felt like doing something at the time.”

“Since he hadn’t predicted all this, why did you leave White Town ahead of time?” the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect asked in bewilderment.

“I left this morning,” replied Cao Yuan.

Feeling being humiliated, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect demanded tersely, “Even if you were the Thoughtless Sword, you couldn’t possibly travel so fast. If you hadn’t left ahead of time, how could you get here so fast?”

Pointing to the deep part of the ocean, Cao Yuan said, “I came from the Singing Spring.”

With a slight change on his countenance, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect asked with uncertainty, “What do you mean?”

“The Heavenly Slaying Formation was a bit hard to handle; so I’m somewhat late to get here,” said Cao Yuan.

The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect found it was harder for him to believe it. “You said that you had left White Town this morning. Did you go to the Huge Whirlpool and dismantled the Heavenly Slaying Formation and then come here?” he demanded sharply.

Cao Yuan was an honest guy. He understood why the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect had a hard time believing him; so he explained further still, “The Immortal Jing Yang taught me the Control of the Soul Fires.”

Back when Jing Jiu was in the Fiend Prison, he learned the Control of the Soul Fires from the Underworld Emperor before he practiced the Underworld Fairy Sword. Yet, he couldn’t conceal it from the Immortal Taiping even though he could do so to everybody else in the world. The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect and the Immortal Taiping had traveled the world together for more than one hundred years, so he knew about this fact. “But you’re a human being, not a sword like him. How could you learn it,” he asked, baffled.

Cao Yuan pressed his palms together and uttered a mantra before saying, “I have a golden body.”

…

…

The downpour pelted down on the top of Tianguang Peak, making “pah” noises.

The Cultivation practitioners of various sects had fled to the sky a long time ago. The Immortal Guangyuan, Nan Wang and Zhao Layue were still there, unwilling to leave.

The lightning illuminated the pine trees and the stone monument. The Round Turtle still kept his eyes shut, as if he could pretend that he knew nothing about what was going on at the moment; at least this way he didn’t have to look at the pair of brothers.

The two figures at the edge of the cliff were still confronting each other, the Inherited Heaven Sword still hovering quietly. However, the peaks of Green Mountain were plunged into chaos; the cliffs were collapsing everywhere, and the snow had already reached the windowsills on Shangde Peak, the icicles hanging like swords in that manor cave.

“One person can defeat the world, like what Liu Ci did before his departure; but you can’t destroy the world.”

A flash of lightning illuminated Jing Jiu’s face, making his eyes look exceedingly bright and sharp, as he said to the Immortal Taiping, “It’s because this world is alive and won’t allow you to change its shapes like sand grains and mud at your will.”

The downpour falling from the sky was also illuminated by the lightning; the raindrops looked like the beautiful pearls in Tahiti, exuding a bright and semitransparent glow.

A raindrop landed on Jing Jiu’s palm and splashed, moistening the broken green bamboo board and the black feather hidden in it.

The Immortal Taiping sighed after he saw what were on his palm. “You have eventually used it,” he said sorrowfully.

“When I asked for this bamboo board back then, I had the intention of using it someday.”

Jing Jiu tossed the broken bamboo board and the feather off the cliff.

The Immortal Taiping said, “Even if you could predict what the Dark Phoenix would do, you still wouldn’t be able solve the problem over there.”

“Back in the days you made many friends in the world, including the Underworld Emperor and the regular caretakers of the Cultivation sects, and you asked me to make some friends…”

Jing Jiu went on after a brief pause, “I have few friends up to this point. But my friends are all very useful though.”

The rainfall suddenly slanted slightly, and the energy of heaven and earth changed a bit. A faint noise could be heard somewhere in the distance.

The faint noise sounded like a sigh, tearing of a fan, or someone’s fingers brushing a muddy wall.

The Immortal Taiping looked in the direction of the East Ocean, and fell silent for a while. “Who is there?” he suddenly asked.

“Cao Yuan,” replied Jing Jiu.

The Immortal Taiping sighed after he wiped the rainwater from his face with his hand, “Emperor Xiao is my friend, but I’ve treated him like a dog. I’ve thought that he will turn around and bite me when he has the opportunity; but he hasn’t. Instead, he is becoming more helpful to me. Do you know why?”

“I can guess most of it,” said Jing Jiu.

“It’s because he believes in my ideal, and thinks what I’m doing is meaningful, and so do the other practitioners of various sects,” said the Immortal Taiping. Then, he turned to Jing Jiu and asked while staring into his eyes, “But I can’t understand you. You’re someone that I raised and taught; and yet, you don’t believe me.”

The rainwater fell onto the dark face.

It was the face of Liu Shisui, but the worry and sense of responsibility on the face evidently belonged to the Immortal Taiping.

He looked like a farmer who was busy stopping the flood from a gap in the river bank.

“You’re the flood, and not a person to stop it,” said Jing Jiu. “Cao Yuan is the one to stop the flood.”

The Immortal Taiping thought of one possibility, and asked, “Have you taught him the Control of the Soul Fire? How can he learn it?”

“As the river bank is going to collapse and the flood is going to destroy the whole of human world, a large Buddha is going to block the gap.”

Jing Jiu continued, “He is that Buddha, and he has cultivated the golden body a long time ago.”

After a moment of silence, the Immortal Taiping asked, “How did you heal his wound?”

“I gave him some of my fairy energy,” Jing Jiu replied.

The Immortal Taiping furrowed his eyebrows slightly, as if he had heard something most incredible. “Don’t you wish to ascend anymore?” he asked Jing Jiu.

“I went to see him because I thought about what would happen after my ascension,” said Jing Jiu.

When the Immortal Taiping thought about how to destroy this world, Jing Jiu thought about the future of the world after his departure.

Hence, he went to see Cao Yuan and another person.