Chapter 131: The Sword Dao of the Cloud of Determination
"Esteemed Teacher, your disciple has something to report."
When Di Nufeng returned from Solitude Peak, she saw Chu Liang waiting for her in the main hall of the pavilion with a very serious expression.
She immediately showed an excited expression as she asked, "What's the matter? Were you beaten up again?"
"..."
Even if I did get beaten up, you don't have to be so happy about it.
Chu Liang couldn't help but silently complain. It seemed as if his teacher was taking pleasure in his misfortune.
Of course, he understood why Di Nufeng showed such behavior. The past few times of him getting beaten up had conditioned her into believing that his misfortune would bring in extra income.
For decades, she had been beating people up and losing money. It was only recently that she discovered she could make money while doing so, and it was all thanks to Chu Liang.
Sorry. Your disciple wasn't bullied this time. Sorry for disappointing you...
"I have received a new message through the Soul Subjugator Token of the Dark King Sect. A Southern-Route Guider has ordered subordinates to gather outside the Southern Bastion Mountain within seven days. They appear to harbor some ulterior motive," reported Chu Liang.
"Eh?" Di Nufeng frowned and remarked, "A Southern-Route Guider? That's just a small fry..."
Hearing the disdainful tone, Chu Liang felt wronged.
Teacher, that so-called small fry can easily kill me. Chu Liang thought to himself.
He then shared with Di Nufeng what he had been contemplating.
"In my opinion, the Dark King Sect, and especially the Violet Gold Marquess, must be laying low and preparing for their next strategic move. However, the Violet Gold Marquess' subordinate, the Southern-Route Guider, is making a conspicuous move, openly gathering forces to enter the Southern Bastion Mountain. They must be trying to achieve something important by doing this. If we could capture the forces of the Dark King Sect along with their target, we would then make a great achievement..."
"And if we manage to capture the Southern-Route Guider, there might be a chance to discover the whereabouts of the Violet Gold Marquis," Chu Liang added.
"Hmm..." Di Nufeng pondered, nodding. She naturally understood the predicament her disciple found himself in.
Chu Liang had been undercover as a Soul Subjugator, and once he took action, he would undoubtedly be exposed. Thus, the opportunity for undercover work was essentially a one-time affair. If he refrained from participating in the operation, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions, compelling them to close the net in advance.
"Even if we can't catch the big one, nabbing a couple of small fries should be acceptable, right?" Di Nufeng tilted her head and said helplessly.
Having said that, she suddenly raised an eyebrow and added, "Oh? Anyway, since that Soul Subjugator Token can be used by anyone now, why don't I go undercover instead? It saves you from risking yourself."
Upon hearing her suggestion, Chu Liang couldn't help but feel slightly moved. At least, his teacher was considering his safety. However, the thought of Di Nufeng disguised as a low-level member of a diabolical sect...
The Soul Subjugator, being the lowest-ranked member, might be subjected to arbitrary commands and could be ordered around at will. If someone were to scold or threaten Di Nufeng even slightly, she might retaliate with a punch, potentially leading to fatal consequences. This would undoubtedly alert the enemies, not to mention jeopardize any hopes of setting up an effective dragnet.
"I don't think so. To be an undercover, you need..." Chu Liang almost blurted out that brains would be required to be an undercover agent.
"What?" Di Nufeng glared, appearing rather sensitive to the statement.
Thankfully, while the words were on the tip of his tongue, Chu Liang's reason stopped him. Instead, he said, "One would need to have the ability to disguise themselves. Teacher, your radiance is like a firefly in the dark—so distinct and outstanding. It's apparent at a glance that you are not part of a diabolical sect. How could you possibly blend in with them?"
"That makes sense, hehe." Di Nufeng's lips curled upward as she chuckled. "Then I'll accompany you to the outskirts of the Southern Bastion Mountain. Bring along a tracking jade talisman so that I can locate you easily. If anything goes wrong, crush the talisman immediately, and I'll come to your rescue!"
"That would be good." Chu Liang nodded.
"Lastly..." Di Nufeng's eyes shifted, gazing into the distance. "Make sure to keep that Dustless Sword safe. No matter what happens, you must not lose it."
"Naturally, I will take good care of the sword bestowed upon me by you. I'll handle it with utmost caution," Chu Liang replied, a bit puzzled by why Di Nufeng suddenly emphasized this.
After some contemplation, he still felt that something was off with Di Nufeng, so he asked, "Is there something special about this sword?"
Without directly answering, Di Nufeng suddenly recited a couple of lines of poetry.
"The heavens' divine light, a prism's art,
"Splits into nine hues, a celestial start.
"Above the clouds, the celestial door gleams,
"Unfolding in sequence, like ethereal dreams."
Di Nufeng then murmured, seemingly to herself or someone else, and not really talking to Chu Liang. "If my guess is correct, this must be the key."
"Huh?" Chu Liang expressed his bewilderment, noticing that she seemed to be immersed in some kind of memory.
When did his teacher learn to speak in riddles? Is something wrong?
...
As Chu Liang came out from the small attic, he descended to the foot of the mountain and retrieved the Dustless Sword.
Since returning from Taotie City, he had never dared to reveal this sword in front of others. Only in the dead of night, he would cautiously take it out from his enchanted storage tool, touching and wiping it with a heart full of excitement and reverence. It was as if he were handling a pile of gold and silver locked away in a landlord's cellar.
He well understood the principle of not revealing one's wealth, especially considering his current level of strength being no match for the value of this sword. If he were to flaunt this sword like how his teacher did with the Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade, he would likely attract bandits the moment he left Mount Shu.
The crystal-clear sword body seemed almost intangible under the moonlight, with only the rippling golden mist within revealing its sharpness. Whenever his foundational qi was infused, the golden mist would rapidly spread, filling the entire sword body with a radiant golden glow.
Chu Liang swung the sword casually, and a platinum-colored sword qi swiftly flew out, making a sizzling sound
This strike, though as swift and flowing as unrolled white silk, carried an undeniable fierceness!
In terms of its power, this sword was no less impressive than the Lightning Gale technique that Fang Ting had executed when they were in the Southern Bastion Mountain! One should know that Fang Ting was a cultivator at the fourth realm and formed a high-tier Heavenly Golden Core of Five Lightning and he had performed his best sword technique.
Is this the power close to that of a divine sword?
Of course, with Chu Liang's cultivation, he wasn't quite at this level.
Common iron had some resistance to foundational qi. If an ordinary iron sword were used, only about seventy percent of the foundational qi could be channeled to the sword tip. In contrast, the standard flying swords of Mount Shu could channel about ninety percent. A sword capable of channeling a full one hundred percent was considered extremely valuable. The swords previously advertised for sale at the Hall of Weapons were examples of this.
Legendary swords could amplify the power of the sword qi. When the wielder infused ten percent foundational qi, the unleashed power would surge to twelve percent or beyond. As Chu Liang infused ten percent foundational qi into the Dustless Sword, it seemed to unleash fifteen percent, coupled with unique effects.
Much like Di Nufeng's Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade, weapons require unique effects to vie among the divine swords in the ranking.
The special effects of the Dustless Sword were evident in the Dao essence blended with the sword qi. As explained by his teacher to Xu Kunwu, this Dao essence, named "Cloud of Determination," was infused into the sword during the forging of the Heavenly Cloud Ancient Sword.
This was also the primary cultivation path of Daoist Yan.
The Cloud of Determination Dao focused on soaring to the ninth heaven, with a single sword technique resembling floating clouds, embodying a profound and resolute sword intent.
Daoist Yan had quietly cultivated on Mount Shu for many years without attracting much attention. Her moment of fame came during a decisive battle when she unleashed an immortal Sword Dao technique called "Heaven-Raising Sword" atop the Azure Falling Peak. The sword energy reached a thousand miles away, striking down demonic forces and astonishing the entire Nine Provinces!
Since then, even the head of the Endless Sword Sect declared that if anyone in the world could surpass him in the Dao of the sword, it must be Daoist Yan from Mount Shu.
The power of the Cloud of Determination Dao was evident.
Initially curious, Chu Liang had also asked his teacher Di Nufeng about the Dao she cultivated. She answered that she primarily cultivated the Dao of Incinerating Heaven, which emphasized the radiant virtue of fire, burning down everything. It was a path filled with fervor and destruction.
Upon hearing this, Chu Liang couldn't help but feel that this cultivation path perfectly suited his teacher. Given Di Nufeng's intelligence, this path seemed tailor-made for her.
As Chu Liang thought about it, it seemed that the Dao that each seventh-realm cultivator followed was more or less connected to their characteristics. Perhaps this was one of the keys to stepping into the Heavenly Gate?
Choosing a Dao that harmonized as much as possible with oneself, or choosing a certain Dao and then embodying it?
Of course, this was not something Chu Liang needed to consider now. He was still just a handsome guy worrying about obtaining resources for his Core Formation.
But...
As Chu Liang held the Dustless Sword in his hand, he felt so confident.
He was confident that even though he was currently in the Spiritual Awareness Realm, he should be the most powerful cultivator among people of his cultivation level in the nine provinces.
After all, with a divine sword in hand, coupled with the continuous supply of foundational qi from the Large-Headed Doll, he surpassed others of the same cultivation level in both intensity and endurance.
Despite being at a lower cultivation level, Chu Liang was confident he could take on someone at the Golden Core Realm, as long as they were among the weaker ones at that level. Although facing someone of a higher cultivation level would be tough, Chu Liang believed he was capable of doing so.
Under the moonlight, he raised his finger and exclaimed, "Rise!"
The Dustless Sword soared into the air, cutting through the sky with a golden radiance, then swiftly rushed forward!
Swish—
He practiced the Dual Talismanic Sword of Wind and Fire.
This was the most powerful attack Chu Liang could unleash with the Dustless Sword. With the gold and white Cloud of Determination sword qi, the sword technique struck the wall, causing a thunderous roar!
Boom—
A large section of the mountain wall was shattered by this one sword!
"Hahaha..."
Feeling the immense power he possessed, Chu Liang's chest swelled with pride. He laughed three times at the bright moon and felt that heroes in the world were nothing more than this. Immediately, he decided that tomorrow he would leave the mountain with this sword and use it to challenge some powerful opponents...
The Thorny Black Balls!
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