Grand Dao Divine Weapon

Sparse stars, a pale moon, and clouds drifting slowly across the sky.

While they were drinking, an immortal appeared, riding the wind and passing directly over the mountain peak. Xu Xian looked up and saw him clearly.

It was a burly, silver-haired man with the build of a tiger and the waist of a bear, treading upon the wind with a sword beneath his feet.

On his back, he carried a withered, white-haired old man who was fast asleep.

You couldn't hear any snoring, but the snot bubble on his nostril was expanding and shrinking rhythmically...

They weren't flying very high.

Nor were they moving particularly fast.

Li Qingshan stood up abruptly and gave a hurried bow, not forgetting to give Xu Xian a sharp kick with his foot.

"What was that for?"

The burly, silver-haired man seemed to have noticed the two of them. As he flew past, he glanced over, his gaze sweeping across Li Qingshan, Xu Xian, and Lu Yuan in turn.

He gave a slight nod.

It was a simple acknowledgement.

Then, he suddenly accelerated.

In an instant, they vanished from sight.

Xu Xian was still a bit dazed and hadn't stood up. He just glanced at Li Qingshan and asked, "Who was that?"

Li Qingshan gave Xu Xian a look of deep disappointment, as if he were frustrated that Xu Xian wasn't living up to expectations.

He shook out the hem of his pants and sat back down. Without saying a word, he raised his jar and took a long drink.

Xu Xian reached out and gave him a kick.

The latter's expression darkened.

"Are you deaf? I'm asking you a question."

Li Qingshan replied impatiently, "Who else could it be? The Eighth and Ninth Senior Martial Uncles."

Xu Xian let out an 'oh.' No wonder Li Qingshan had been so polite as to stand and bow. He then offered his own commentary:

"Ninth Senior Brother seems like a really nice person."

He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing as he added, "But Eighth Senior Brother... he looks a bit old."

Li Qingshan glanced at him and said nonchalantly, "You've got it backward."

"Huh?"

Li Qingshan said, "The one on the back is the Ninth Senior Martial Uncle."

Xu Xian was stunned.

"What?"

Li Qingshan looked at him with disdain. "What's there to be so surprised about?"

Xu Xian clicked his tongue in amazement. "Well, the big one carrying the little one... I suppose that's reasonable too."

Li Qingshan took a deep gulp of wine and said in a low voice, "Ninth Senior Martial Uncle's blood and qi must be completely exhausted, leaving him without the strength to stay awake. It seems the commotion in the North Sea this time was quite significant."

Xu Xian found this confusing and quickly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Li Qingshan looked at Xu Xian and answered with a question of his own: "You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

Li Qingshan explained one by one, "As soon as the fighting started in the East Desolation, Sixth Senior Martial Aunt went to the Broken Sword Mountain Range, Seventh Senior Martial Uncle went to the Demon Abyss, and the Eighth and Ninth Senior Martial Uncles went to the North Sea."

"Oh."

Li Qingshan took the initiative to elaborate, "This world has never been peaceful. Whenever there's even a hint of trouble involving our Wendao Sect, those outsiders start getting restless. The fighting in the East Desolation is so fierce that if several of our Patriarchs hadn't gone to suppress things, others would have likely tried to sneak up to our mountain gates by now."

Once Li Qingshan put it that way, Xu Xian understood immediately. He commented, "True. Instead of waiting to be attacked, it's better to take the initiative. My senior brothers and sisters certainly have spirit."

Li Qingshan didn't deny it. He continued to himself, "There's no movement in the Demon Abyss, and the Broken Sword Mountain Range is fine. But for the Eighth and Ninth Senior Martial Uncles to return only today, something must have happened. Everyone in the sect thought the North Sea was at peace with us and posed the smallest threat."

"Nonsense."

"If it weren't for the hundred thousand miles of frozen plains separating us, those sea beasts in the North Sea would likely be the most troublesome of all."

"Even so, those great demons of the North Sea haven't given up on their wicked ambitions; they're always looking for an opportunity."

"Fortunately, Ninth Senior Martial Uncle is there. Over these past few thousand years, they've behaved themselves quite a bit."

Xu Xian could hear the resentment and loathing in his voice, and naturally, he picked up on the underlying meaning. He asked tentatively, "I only know that the Demon Abyss was beaten into submission by Seventh Senior Brother. Could it be that Ninth Senior Brother also has a history with the demons of the North Sea?"

Li Qingshan wasn't surprised by the question.

Among the disciples of the Wendao Sect, ninety-nine point nine percent only knew that there were five Patriarchs in the Ancestral Peak, but they didn't know who was who or what specific abilities they possessed.

They only knew they were saints.

But they didn't know exactly how strong they were.

Xu Xian was the same.

Li Qingshan decided to keep him in suspense. Instead of answering Xu Xian's confusion directly, he asked a question: "Do you know why our sect once had five saints, yet the common folk only say that the Wendao Sect has four supreme sword dao experts?"

Xu Xian shook his head first, then guessed, "Could it be that Ninth Senior Brother isn't a sword cultivator?"

Li Qingshan spoke vaguely, "He is a sword cultivator."

"However..." Li Qingshan emphasized his words, "Ninth Senior Martial Uncle has a method that is even more powerful than his sword techniques."

Xu Xian's interest grew even stronger.

Even Lu Yuan, who was practicing in the distance, twitched his pointed ears...

"It's just that this method... is rather costly to one's life."

Xu Xian became even more confused. "If you're going to tell me, then tell me properly. Don't squeeze it out bit by bit like a sheep dropping dung."

Li Qingshan seemed to be doing it on purpose, enjoying Xu Xian's frustration. He took a casual sip of wine and said with an air of seniority:

"The world only knows that the foundation of our Wendao Sect lies in its Patriarchs. Very few know that our true foundation consists of three supreme treasures left behind by the Sword Ancestor."

Xu Xian leaned closer to Li Qingshan.

"First: a Sword Mound."

Xu Xian: "Uh-huh."

"Second: a sword formation."

Xu Xian: "Heh."

Li Qingshan glanced at him. "This third item, you definitely don't know about."

Xu Xian gritted his teeth. "I really want to give you a taste of my sword right now."

Li Qingshan laughed heartily and gave the answer: "A Grand Dao divine weapon named the Ten Thousand Demon Banner."

"Ten Thousand Demon Banner?" Xu Xian repeated softly. He began searching his mind for information about it; it felt as if he had heard the name somewhere before, but he couldn't quite recall it.

Before he could find the answer in his memory, Li Qingshan spoke up with unusual directness this time: "Legend has it that in the primordial era when Fanzhou first appeared, the heavens possessed the Great Dao, allowing all things to cultivate. The earth generated spiritual energy, nurturing the revival of all spirits. At that time, four Grand Dao divine weapons were born alongside the realm. One of them was the Ten Thousand Demon Banner."

A flash of inspiration struck Xu Xian's mind, and he interrupted, "The Ten Thousand Demon Banner, the Hunyuan Cauldron, the Yin-Yang Mirror, and the Spirit-Sealing Bead."

Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at him with newfound respect. "You actually know about them?"

Xu Xian said seriously, "Later, these four divine weapons became the supreme treasures of four different races. The Hunyuan Cauldron is at Shanhai Academy, which is why they've always claimed to be the head of the Three Sects. The Spirit-Sealing Bead is the supreme treasure of the demon race, located within the Demon Abyss. As for the Yin-Yang Mirror, it's the supreme treasure of the spirit race, but its whereabouts are unknown. I didn't expect the Ten Thousand Demon Banner of the demon race to be in our sect..."

Li Qingshan nodded in satisfaction. Everything Xu Xian said was correct. He told Xu Xian, "The Ten Thousand Demon Banner was originally the supreme treasure of the demon race. Once activated, it naturally suppresses them. When the Ten Thousand Demon Banner appears, all demons must follow its commands. Any who refuse are refined in an instant."

"I heard from my master that this banner was originally in the hands of the True Dragon Clan of the North Sea. Later, before the Sword Ancestor went on his long journey, he feared the demons of the North Sea would bring chaos to the human world. So, he took a trip to the North Sea and 'borrowed' this Ten Thousand Demon Banner from the Dragon Clan, warning them that if they ever dared to invade the Wendao Sect in force, he would destroy the banner."

Borrowed?

What a fine "borrowing."

Xu Xian expressed his skepticism regarding this.

Li Qingshan continued, "Later, the Sword Ancestor left the banner behind and passed down the method to use it. However, this Ten Thousand Demon Banner is malevolent. To drive it, one must burn their lifespan. Even with the cultivation of a saint, using it once costs at least several hundred years, and at most over a thousand. The Sword Ancestor warned that it must not be used unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, it has remained sealed and untouched for ten thousand years, which is why so few people in the world know of it..."

Xu Xian nodded, only half-understanding. "So, what does this have to do with Ninth Senior Brother?"