Chapter Fifty-two: Sword God Without Self

  The miserable howl of the two-headed ice and fire qilin when it was dying, shook heaven and earth. The sound spread from the lair of the ferocious beast to the outside, in an instant it reverberated back and forth on the stone walls of the cave thousands and millions of times, not only did it not weaken or disappear, but instead it traveled further and further, finally making the entire Lingyun Mountain rumble with a loud noise.

  Yang Xiu, the King of Shu, who was walking in the depths of Lingyun Cave with a gloomy expression, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He cocked his ear and listened for a moment, then furrowed his brow and said, "What's that... those two beasts are barking?"

  "The sound is filled with nothing but dead air." Ning Dao's face was filled with a sorrowful and unbearable expression. He sighed softly and said, "The Qilin divine beast is finished. What a pity, what a pity."

  "Is what Ning Xian said really true?" Yan Wang heard the words and was overjoyed, hastily saying: "Your Highness, our original intention for this trip was to capture the Qilin alive. But now... alas, there are forks in the road everywhere, and it's unknown where those two beasts actually died. It seems that only the old mouse will benefit. Your Highness' body is worth a thousand pieces of gold, why take risks? Why not retreat first?"

  Yang Xiu suddenly turned around, her eyebrows inverted, and two sharp gazes stared at Yan Wangjiao's face, shouting: "How, Master Yan wants to leave quickly, huh?"

  The chill in his words was even more freezing than the icy aura emitted by Bing Xue Lian, causing Yan Wu to shudder on the spot. His back immediately became drenched with cold sweat. He hastily forced a smile onto his face, one that was almost indistinguishable from crying, and said: "Being able to serve Your Highness is the good fortune of several lifetimes for old Yan. If Your Highness tells me to go east, I will not dare go west; if Your Highness orders me to jump into boiling water, I will not dare hesitate. As long as Your Highness remains here, even if you kill me, I absolutely will not leave."

  Yang Xiuzi snorted, saying: "Then shut up." She then took out a map from her bosom and examined it carefully in the light of the torches, saying: "Not far now, turn left ahead." She strode forward first.

  He let out a long sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his hand, and hastily followed up with the torch. In his heart, he didn't know how many thousands or hundreds of times he had cursed himself for trying to curry favor with this prince, rushing all the way from Chengdu to Mount Lingyun to send himself to death. But what could he do now? Even if he knew he shouldn't have boarded this pirate ship, he was now in a situation where he couldn't get off. All he could do was grit his teeth and pray desperately to the Jade Emperor, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the Three Pure Ones.

  Yang Xiu said it was not far, but in fact it was still a long way off. The road inside the Lingyun Cave was winding and turning, with forks leading to more forks, making people feel dizzy just by looking at it. However, every time they came to a fork in the road, this prince would take out his map, refer to it briefly, and immediately point out the correct path, walking into it without hesitation. At first, Yan Wugong was still anxious, but gradually he also saw the subtlety of it. It was just that as they walked deeper into the cave, the road under their feet became smoother and no longer had the natural rugged appearance of before.

  After walking for a while, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew in front of him. The flame of the torch shook violently. In the flickering light and shadow, Yang Xiu vaguely saw a long black shadow appearing in front of him. His heart tightened, he sidestepped and raised his hand to protect the torch, waiting for the cold wind to pass before raising it high again. Under the firelight, he saw that right in front of him was a stone giant dragon carved vividly as if alive. To be more precise, it was "half a giant dragon". Because what could be seen was only the dragon's tail and a small part of its body. The rest of the dragon's body wound its way into the depths of the mountain wall, and it was unknown where the dragon's head was. Yang Xiu exclaimed: "Ah, Dragon Road! It's here!" Before he finished speaking, he had already leaped onto the stone dragon's back and rushed forward. Ning Daoqi turned his head to glance at Yan Miaojiu and smiled: "Yan Manor Master, please go first."

  He didn't dare ask why there was a stone-carved giant dragon inside the Lingyun Cave, and how Yang Xiu and Ning Daoqi knew about it. He just smiled bitterly and said: "Ning Xianchang, please don't be polite, let's go." He jumped onto the dragon's back, unfolded his lightness skill, and chased forward tightly. The corpse soul skill of the Yin family was indeed not ordinary, with his arms still and knees straight, he really looked like a stiff corpse jumping forward, his speed was incredibly fast. After running for about half an hour, the front suddenly opened up. Everyone had already entered a huge stone cave that was dozens of meters high and hundreds of meters wide.

  Yang Xiu slowed down his pace, looked around carefully and examined the surroundings. But the four walls of the cave were no longer natural stone walls, but carefully trimmed and paved with large marble stones. Countless night pearls and jade, agate, crystal, diamonds and other treasures were inlaid, and under the firelight, they suddenly transformed into a vast expanse of colorful light like a dream. Looking down, he saw countless pottery figurines wearing helmets and armor, no different from real people in size, holding weapons and standing in formation beside the giant dragon, kneeling and worshiping in the direction of the dragon's head. However, the stone-carved giant dragon flew across the cave, then passed through the mountain wall on the other side, still without revealing the true face of Lushan.

  Yang Xiu suddenly stopped in his tracks. The excitement in his heart dissipated, and uncontrollable anger and frustration arose, followed by an irrepressible sense of horror. The intense emotional fluctuations were all because although there was still a road ahead, it had been blocked by someone and he couldn't continue moving forward.

  Under the radiant light of the gemstone, on the back of a stone-carved giant dragon, in front of the cave entrance, at this moment, there is a slender and elegant beauty standing with a sword. Her clothes fluttering as if she had just arrived on the wind, also seeming to be able to leave with the wind at any time. Whether it's her posture or demeanor, all are filled with a certain otherworldly, unconventional, and solitary mysterious beauty. On her snow-white face that surpasses the beauty of frost and snow, her lips are like frozen cherries, her nose is like a jade pendant, and her long eyebrows reach her temples. In her dark and bright eyes, there shines through an unparalleled loneliness and determination. Her beauty has reached its peak, and so has her coldness. In this world, aside from the successor of the Quiet Chamber, Qing Hui, who else can possess such beauty, and who else is worthy of possessing such beauty?

  Ning Daoqi let out a soft sigh and smiled as he walked forward, saying: "Fang Shi younger sister, what brings you here?"

  Fang Qing said calmly: "I came for what I should do. Ning Shixiong, didn't you think so?"

  "Ning was indeed here for the same reason. Only... Ning said, stroking his beard and speaking slowly: "After all, what should be done and what shouldn't be done, it seems that Venerable Sister Fan has already had a disagreement with me."

  "Qinghui has been thinking of the misfortunes and blessings of all living beings in the world from start to finish. This heart is only concerned with the rise and fall of the world." Qinghui sighed, "As for who owns the rivers and mountains, it's not something I've considered. Ning Shixiong, you should ask yourself, isn't what you're doing now completely opposite to your original intention?"

  Ning Daoqi's expression changed slightly, and he involuntarily turned his head to look at Yang Xiu. Coincidentally, Yang Xiu was also turning his head to look back at him. The four eyes met in mid-air for an instant, and even with Ning Daoqi's cultivation, he couldn't help but feel a stinging sensation in his eyes. He hastily retreated two steps, standing behind Yang Xiu by half a body length, and cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, the wish in my heart is, apart from the difference between you and the Crown Prince, no different from that of the Tian Shi of Chao Yang."

  "Alright, I trust you." Yang Xiu's face was gloomy as he said: "Ning Sanren, quickly help me capture this madwoman. With great things at hand, I don't have the leisure to entangle with this kind of good-for-nothing who changes her mind every now and then."

  The words of Yang Xiu contained a deep-seated resentment, even Ning Daoqi couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He wondered if he was "raising a tiger and inviting calamity". But this thought had just sprouted when it was immediately nipped in the bud. Ning Sanren clasped his hands together and said: "Ning has done his best." He stood up straight, shook his head and said: "Venerable sister Fan, you should know that in extraordinary times, one must take extraordinary measures. You ask yourself if your original intention remains unchanged, but Ning also believes that only by taking such measures can he turn chaos into order and ultimately achieve peace. Who is right or wrong, each will act according to their own beliefs. But at this moment, Venerable sister Fan should also understand that relying solely on one's own strength, how can a mantis stop a chariot? It's better to retreat for now."

  Fang Qing's smile was faint and gentle, neither confirming nor denying. She raised the divine sword Disintegrating Soul in her hand, folding her fingers to pluck its body. A clear and crisp "ting" sound echoed endlessly, her cherry lips lightly opening to say: "Ning Shixiong, please." Before her voice had even fallen, her slender figure floated out like a wisp of smoke, her movements as beautiful and unpredictable as the Flying Heaven Music God. Wherever Disintegrating Soul moved, its sword energy was neither fierce nor murderous, but it covered the entire sky, leaving no gaps. The red light was so brilliant that it almost made one unable to open their eyes.

  If one's martial arts skills were slightly inferior, such as Yan Wang's back, facing the Soul-destroying Sword's momentum, at this time, a desperate thought of having no way to avoid or block would inevitably arise in their heart. However, Ning Sanren, whose name shook the world, was not someone that the master of Yan Manor could compare to? Yan Qinghui had just drawn his sword, and he had already seen through his opponent's intentions. At this moment, he couldn't help but slightly sneer, and with his left hand's thumb, he drew a few dozen large and small black and white energy spheres to protect himself. In an instant, the energy spheres met the Soul-destroying Sword's momentum, instantly forcing out a series of light explosions that sounded like "popping". The sword shadow dissipated, leaving only the final and most threatening sword strike, which happened to meet Ning Daoqi's right hand.

  Five fingers gathered, shaped like a bird's beak. Swords clashed, and suddenly a deep, resonant sound burst forth, like the evening drum and morning bell. The reverberation lingered, swirling around people's ears. The soul-stirring red light converged, condensing into a clear "卍" Buddhist seal, which instantly flew out and imprinted itself on Ning Daoqi. This move was precisely the "Sword God Without Self" that Fang Qing had mastered but never used against an enemy before.

  "The Ci Hang Jian Dian" is one of the four great extraordinary books, along with "War God Tu Lu", "Mo Ce" and "Chang Sheng Jue". Its mysterious and profound nature far surpasses that of ordinary martial arts secret manuals. Apart from its actual lethal power, it places even greater emphasis on spiritual cultivation. Take for example Nan Gong Wen Tian, the successor of the Tian Jing sect, who created the "Tian Xin Jian Shi" (Heavenly Heart Sword Technique). The final move, "Tian Ren Jian", does not contain a single bit of strength, but instead uses benevolence to subdue one's enemies. It can be seen that when martial arts reach their highest level, they all share a common goal.

  The Tianren Sword harmonized with the Tianjing, even the demonic seed that was full of murderous and destructive desires could be transformed. The Sword God Wuji couldn't reach this level naturally, but under the full force of Fan Qinghui's efforts, he was confident that he could transform Ning Daoqi through his own beliefs and make him understand the error of his ways. In an instant, the Buddha's golden light pierced into Ning Daoqi's forehead, causing this wandering immortal's movements to come to a complete halt. For a moment, the two men's spirits simultaneously left their bodies, as if drifting towards an unfathomable mystical realm. The feelings of birth, aging, illness, and death, joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure, hatred, sadness, and even the cycle of formation, existence, decay, and emptiness all came to a sudden stop in an instant, as if the two men had become wooden puppets, losing all reaction.

  No, not a complete loss of reaction. At least, Ning Daoqi wasn't! In an instant, his originally scattered pupils suddenly contracted, and between the flashes of sharp light, he let out a long laugh. The Buddha's golden light that had previously penetrated into his brow was suddenly bounced back out of his brain, shattered into powder. Fang Qinghui's slender body shook violently, incredulously saying "Ning..." before she could even finish speaking. Ning Sanren's Taiji black and white energy sphere rapidly condensed, reversing direction to brand itself between her eyebrows. This elegant and refined fairy-like girl suddenly seemed as if she had been electrocuted, making a "ding-dang" sound, losing all vitality and falling to the ground, her radiance completely lost. As for Ning himself, his knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

  Ning Daoqi stepped back two steps, shaking his head and saying: "Venerable sister, you are a stunning talent, truly the most outstanding successor of the Quiet Abode in 200 years. Unfortunately, your determination is not firm enough, and you have ended up like this. One misstep leads to eternal regret, what a pity, what a shame." He then turned around and bowed his hands to Yang Xiu, saying: "Your Majesty, Ning Daoqi has fortunately not disgraced himself. As for how to deal with this woman, please decide, Your Majesty."

  Occasionally pray for friends with many red votes and clicks

  The weather has warmed up again, so it's more comfortable to write at 12 pm. Well, I hope this warmth lasts. However, the book is a bit cold, and the clicks have been squeezed out of the top 10. 12 crying ORZ

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