Chen Zhou did not stay in Jiuquan Village for long.
Since the play of the goddess saving the world had already begun, he could leave the rest to Su Xue and Ku Chan—the two professionals—to fill in any gaps.
Accompanied by Wu Gou, he left the village that had just regained its vitality and headed toward the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The Heavenly Sword Sect was situated atop the highest peak in the Northern Region, Broken Sword Peak. Covered in snow year-round and shrouded in clouds and mist, the peak resembled a giant sword thrust upside down between heaven and earth.
Chen Zhou was in no hurry to ascend the mountain. Upon reaching a leeward hollow in the hills, he met Jian Huaishuang, who had been waiting there for some time.
After several days apart, the aura around Jian Huaishuang seemed even colder. His snow-white paper armor almost merged with the surrounding blizzard.
Seeing Chen Zhou, he dropped to one knee, his movements crisp and efficient.
"My Lord."
"Stand up and speak," Chen Zhou said with a wave of his hand. "Judging by your appearance, you've discovered something?"
Jian Huaishuang stood up and nodded, his expression grave.
"I infiltrated the Heavenly Sword Sect and scouted the perimeter. I did not find any particularly strong defensive seals. Their so-called sect-protecting arrays are designed to keep out honest men, not scoundrels. If we wished to intrude, we could break them at any time."
"But that is precisely what is strange."
Jian Huaishuang paused before continuing, "As the only immortal sect in the Northern Region, their defenses are far too lax. It is as if they have nothing to fear."
"Furthermore, I discovered a sword mound in the forbidden grounds of the back mountain."
"A sword mound?" Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. That sword mound is protected by high-level seals. Fearing I would alert them, I did not force my way in."
A flicker of confusion crossed Jian Huaishuang's eyes. "However, even through the seals, I could smell a soaring scent of blood."
"It was the smell of demon blood. Specifically, wolf demon blood."
"Wolf demons?" Chen Zhou mused. "The Heavenly Sword Sect takes the slaying of wolf demons as its duty. If there is wolf demon blood in the sword mound, perhaps it is used for a sword sacrifice?"
"No." Jian Huaishuang shook his head, his tone certain.
"If it were a sword sacrifice, the blood qi should be stagnant and filled with resentment."
"But the blood qi there is alive."
"I could even faintly hear the howls and screams of tens of thousands of beasts."
Chen Zhou rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The Heavenly Sword Sect claims to slay demons and eliminate evil, yet they keep thousands of wolf demons locked in a sword mound?"
"I cannot see through it," Jian Huaishuang answered truthfully. "The aura is very strange. It feels both like a living thing and a dead thing, suppressed by a vast sword intent and being slowly digested."
"Digested..." Chen Zhou chewed on the word. "It seems this Heavenly Sword Sect is not as glamorous as it appears on the surface."
"Glamorous? Nothing in this world is truly glamorous."
Wu Gou tossed aside a pear core. "Peel off the skin, and it's all rotten meat inside."
Chen Zhou ignored Wu Gou's commentary and looked back at Jian Huaishuang. "Anything else?"
Jian Huaishuang hesitated, seemingly weighing his words.
"There is one more thing. I am not sure if I should mention it."
"Speak."
"When I was withdrawing from the Heavenly Sword Sect during the height of the morning blizzard..."
Jian Huaishuang's hand instinctively brushed the heavy sword on his back, then he pointed toward a distant solitary peak.
"In that direction, about a hundred miles away, I sensed a sword intent."
"A sword intent?"
"Yes." A hint of respect surfaced in Jian Huaishuang's eyes.
"It was extremely pure. It was not inferior to my own."
Chen Zhou was somewhat surprised.
One had to remember that Jian Huaishuang possessed the General Star destiny and the Lucid Sword Heart. For someone to receive such an evaluation from him, their attainment in the Dao of the sword had to be incredibly high.
"It was an icy sword intent."
Jian Huaishuang closed his eyes, as if recalling the sensation of that moment.
"Cold. Colder than the winds and snow of the Northern Region."
"Yet within that coldness, there was an endless sorrow."
"I could feel that this person's sword heart is dead, yet the sword intent remains alive."
"Like a walking corpse, swinging a sword based purely on a single obsession."
"It is very peculiar."
'The sword heart is dead, but the sword intent remains alive?' Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. 'Strange occurrences truly do come one after another in the Northern Region.'
Chen Zhou looked in the direction Jian Huaishuang had pointed.
The wind and snow were vast, obscuring his vision.
But he remembered that direction.
That was the path he and Wu Gou had taken to get here—the direction of Frost-Snow Fortress.
A figure surfaced in Chen Zhou's mind.
White hair, one eye, a lame leg, wearing a tattered white swordsman's uniform covered by a wolf-skin cloak.
A madwoman who dared to charge an army with a broken sword, who had been pierced through the heart by Li Zhaoye only to return to life.
The lunatic of Frost-Snow Fortress.
Earlier, while traveling across the snowy plains, Wu Gou had drunkenly muttered: 'There are many lunatics in the Northern Region.'
Wu Gou was one, the female ghost of Frost-Snow Fortress was another, there was one hidden in the Heavenly Sword Sect, one lurking in the Moon-Swallowing Wolf Court, and even one buried underground.
It could practically be called the Northern Region's lunatic asylum.
"Since everyone is a lunatic, then this dead end naturally cannot be resolved with the methods of a sane person."
"Wu Gou, didn't you ask me how I plan to break this deadlock?"
Wu Gou played along, asking, "How?"
Chen Zhou straightened his robes, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes. "Since we need to break the deadlock, then let's just break it."
"We'll flip the table and tear down the stage. Since everyone is a lunatic, let's see who is the craziest."
Chen Zhou turned back to Jian Huaishuang, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
"Huaishuang, did you bring your heavy sword?"
Jian Huaishuang was taken aback for a moment, but then he understood Chen Zhou's meaning. Fighting spirit instantly surged in his eyes.
"I did."
"I have carried it on my back, never putting it down."
"Good!" Chen Zhou laughed loudly. "Then follow me to meet the immortals of this Heavenly Sword Sect."
Chen Zhou led Jian Huaishuang and strode toward Broken Sword Peak.
At this moment, the area outside the Heavenly Sword Sect's gates was already a sea of people.
The Northern Region was bitter and cold; life for mortals was not easy.
The recruitment ceremony held every five years was, for the surrounding villages, undoubtedly a chance for a carp to leap over the dragon gate—a supreme opportunity where one person's success could bring fortune to their entire clan.
Ordinary villages had never produced a disciple like Li Zhaoye, so parents could only bring their children, crowding the plaza in front of the mountain gates with hearts full of hope.
Upon the massive white marble plaza, sword qi crisscrossed.
"Look! It's Senior Brother Li!"
"Immortal Master Li Zhaoye has come out!"
A cheer erupted from the crowd.
Hidden within the Ghost Domain, Chen Zhou led his two companions through the crowd. Several streaks of sword light descended from the sky.
Li Zhaoye wore a moon-white sword robe, pristine and untainted, his posture as upright as a pine tree.
Behind him followed several disciples, each carrying several bloody wolf heads in their hands.
"Fellow villagers."
Li Zhaoye tossed the wolf heads onto the plaza, his voice clear and resonant, reaching everyone present.
"Zhaoye has fortunately not failed his mission. Just moments ago, I slew twelve marauding wolf demons at the foot of the mountain."
"My Heavenly Sword Sect swears to protect the peace of this land."
The wolf heads rolled across the ground, hideous and terrifying, but in the eyes of the mortals, they were the greatest medals of honor.
"Good! Well killed!"
"Immortal Master Li is mighty! The Heavenly Sword Sect is mighty!"
"Thank you for saving our lives, Immortal Master Li!"
Rate on N.U.
