Chapter 261: Advent of the Divine Dragon (17)

Usually, as a martial artist’s realm rises, their discernment also sharpens. This is because masters view the world from a broader perspective.

While Ximen Surin only knew about Qing’s Heavenly Slaughter Star after taking her pulse, Wuxue Dashi could sense it just by meeting her gaze.

In contrast, Tang Nanah takes Qing’s pulse every time she sees her, but always just says “Hmm, hmm. You’re healthy today too?”

So the gaze of Wuxue Dashi, the world’s greatest expert, contains an amount of information ordinary people can’t even imagine.

And that Wuxue Dashi saw Qing’s demonic art, one of the cursed Ten Great Demonic Arts under Heaven, a cursed lightning strand of the Purple Lightning Demonic Arts.

So he opened his eyes wide and said:

“Oh my. Such pure Daoist True Qi. It’s like a momentary path connecting heaven and earth. Truly worthy of being called immortal arts. But what martial art is it? Did the Divine Maiden Sect have such a martial art?”

Of course, obtaining more information than others doesn’t necessarily lead to the correct answer.

At this, Chai Gan the Immortal, sect leader of the Wudang Sect, answered:

“Doesn’t it feel similar to the Violet Mist Divine Art?”

At this, Yu Ha the Immortal, sect leader of Mount Hua and owner of the Violet Mist Divine Art, snorted and objected:

“Hmph. What nonsense. Why not just call it the Purple Lightning Demonic Arts?”

Then Chai Gan the Immortal responded:

“You were making such a fuss about Crescent Moon Divine Sword and future world’s greatest expert, I thought she might be some hidden daughter you passed down the Violet Mist Divine Art to.”

“What do you mean making a fuss? Use your eyes and look. Is this the martial prowess a mere twenty-year-old, young child should show? You should develop your discernment.”

“What did you say?”

“Hmph.”

Mount Hua and Wudang, who compete for the title of world’s greatest sword sect, are old rivals, so their sect leaders bickering is also a long tradition.

Anyway, it is annoying how Yu Ha the Immortal goes around boasting as if showing off a hidden daughter.

It’s not actually boasting about the Divine Maiden Sect disciple, but in fact boasting about his own discernment.

So Chai Gan the Immortal watched Qing’s match with displeased eyes.

Amidst this, Wuxue made a “Hmm?” sound expressing strangeness.

Something about that sword style, seems familiar somehow.

Clearly something, unsettling. That momentum as if. Evil.

That’s when it happened.

Chai Gan the Immortal, who was watching Qing’s match looking for something to criticize, clicked his tongue.

“Every move the Daoist child unfolds is such a vicious killing sword. Though the energy is pure and Daoist, the wielder handles it like an asura or rakshasa, so how can she reach achievement like this?”

Rakshasas are guardian deities who converted to Buddhism, but asura-rakshasas refer to evil spirits that eat people in their previous state.

At this, Yu Ha the Immortal responded:

“Then when swinging a sword, isn’t it a killing sword rather than a living sword? Seeing such pure Daoist energy, what asura-rakshasa nonsense is this? Why not just call it the One Hundred and Eight Asura Sword? Why not say she’s using the Black Slaying Demonic Palm, no, since the child’s hands are so pretty, say she’s using the White Hand Demonic Arts? Why not curse her saying she has the face of a man-eating evil spirit who gathered all Ten Great Demonic Arts under Heaven?”

It was an astounding accuracy rate that if Qing heard, she would recommend quitting the Daoist temple and setting up a shrine to become a shaman instead.

It could be said he had the discernment he prided himself on and boasted about.

At this, Chai Gan the Immortal became embarrassed.

He disliked Yu Ha the Immortal, but he didn’t have ill feelings towards the Divine Maiden Sect disciple.

“Tsk. Who said it was demonic arts? I just said the killing intent is thick. Is a sword imbued with killing intent something a Daoist should wield?”

“When she’s using it for the purpose swords were made for, isn’t that better than pseudo-practitioners who say they’ll save people while holding swords when they’re not even doctors?”

Mount Hua’s swords are beautiful but also vicious killing swords. On the other hand, Wudang’s swords only deflect sword strikes without directly harming, so they go around calling them living swords.

“Oh my. How childish in front of senior members. Both of you should restrain yourselves. And Yu Ha the Immortal is right. If you hold a sword, shouldn’t you stab?”

The Kongtong Sect leader pretended to mediate while casting a vote for killing swords. This is because Kongtong’s martial arts take the extreme killing sword of giving flesh and taking the heart.

At this, the elder of Zhongnan standing next to him nodded.

“These people gathering to practice the art of killing. Oh, Senior Wuxue. The path of saving people is so difficult.”

Chai Gan the Immortal asked Wuxue for help.

Shaolin’s martial arts are for saving lives, though it’s unclear if it can be called saving lives when they completely crush evil people’s bones, cut their tendons and meridians, and throw them in repentance cells barely keeping them alive.

“Ahem. Still, wasn’t it a bit much for Chai Gan the Immortal to mention the Ten Great Demonic Arts?”

Wuxue Dashi had already given his heart to Qing the “Old Man Slayer”, so he only lightly rebuked him not to mention the Ten Great Demonic Arts even as a joke.

And then, Amitabha, what was I thinking about, I thought there was something familiar about that child Ximen Qing’s martial arts.

“Senior! How. Hm? But wasn’t it that guy who mentioned the Ten Great Demonic Arts? Why me?”

“Haha, you fool. This is precisely yin-yang and taiji. You still have a long way to go. People should try to see the good sides, why do you only dig for flaws?”

Yu Ha the Immortal quipped.

“Kuk.”

Chai Gan the Immortal clenched his fist as if upset.

To be defeated by the principle of taiji from that ignorant Mount Hua bastard, is there such humiliation in the world again? he thought.

Qing’s palm strike headed towards Gongson Yoye’s solar plexus. Gongson Yoye, realizing belatedly, instead leaned her body forward, so the sharp attack aimed at her solar plexus ended up harshly slapping her right breast.

It was a grand decision to offer her chest instead of her solar plexus.

Gongson Yoye made a choked sound as her breath was cut off from the pain. Ah, that really hurts. Qing hesitated and slowed her offensive.

If it were a life-or-death duel, the match would have been decided long ago.

This was because the White Hand Demonic Arts is originally a vicious demonic art that tears apart qi and blood with dark energy that seeps in at the moment of contact.

It’s dark energy that inflicts permanent wounds on qi, blood and dantian, the White Hand Poison of the White Hand Demonic Arts.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to do that to Gongson Yoye, so she had already struck her limbs several times with just the form.

If it were a life-or-death duel, she would have staggered by now with her inner force circulation tangled and qi and blood not flowing, but she couldn’t tell the judge “She’s been hit with the White Hand Demonic Arts several times, please make a judgment.”

Then, is this sincere?

“Huu. Huu.”

Gongson Yoye looked like she had just come out of a bath. The content of the match was extremely intense, but it seems the act of using Innate True Qi itself causes great physical exhaustion.

However, her expression alone is bright.

Qing can’t understand.

Why on earth, why with such an excited face.

While even shaving off her own lifespan.

“Ye, you look tired.”

“Huk, no. I can do more. Huap!”

Bang! With a fierce step forward, Ye’s figure blurrily disappears from view.

But after over forty exchanges, Qing’s eyes are already used to it, so she took two steps to the side and slightly twisted her body.

With the effects of the Awakening divine art, she roughly knows what it feels like about one chi away from the exposed skin of her face and hands without even looking.

Gongson Yoye’s stretched sword energy passes far by Qing’s neck like a ray of light.

When she raises her sword to meet the sword energy, Gongson Yoye’s sword energy disappears as if it had never been there. Then it grows again from a distance and a huge fan-like blade bisecting a wide area rushes towards Qing.

The Xuanyuan Sword’s sword energy that freely adjusts its length is tricky to deal with. It was an example of how great an advantage it is for a martial artist to be able to control distance at will.

However, Gongson Yoye suddenly rushes towards Qing and sticks close. It was a foolish attempt to give up the advantage of distance herself.

In fact, Gongson Yoye getting hit here and there came from this reckless close combat attempt.

Since the difference in innate strength is so great, when the two collide, Qing unilaterally gains the advantage. Like this.

Clang, sparks fly as the blunt sword blades collide.

Though it’s Gongson Yoye’s hard strike led from speed as she rushed forward with all her might, Qing just calmly blocks while standing still.

According to the law of inertia, Gongson Yoye’s sword and body come to a stop, and only sticky sweat droplets fly unpleasantly like a drizzle.

Come on, what are you doing? Quickly, faster.

Even without saying it in words, Gongson Yoye’s words, her intention, are transmitted through the sword.

Don’t hesitate and play more.

Let’s play together excitedly, using our bodies to run and roll and swing and hit and get hit.

Though she’s already drenched in sweat and panting with ragged breaths, Gongson Yoye conveys this with a bright smile showing her teeth.

I, I don’t really understand. Ye, what are you so happy about?

I think I hit you too hard. Doesn’t it hurt?

But Gongson Yoye is just reckless. With gestures almost like courtship, it was a seduction saying I’m here, won’t you swing your sword even like this?

Now Qing seems to understand.

A loner who trained alone in the training ground her whole life. But Gongson Yoye’s past is not a painful memory.

It’s the expression of someone affirming the ascetic practices that ordinary people couldn’t endure, because that time led to now.

Isn’t that why we’re crossing swords like this?

I’m doing my best like this. As I have in every moment.

Gongson Yoye’s expression, gladly burning her own life while just enjoying this moment, is truly dazzling.

As if saying what’s the big deal about using a bit of tomorrow to enjoy now.

To Gongson Yoye, martial arts are the only thing she has in life, and therefore joyful.

But, for me?

For Qing, martial arts are accompanied by painful memories.

Falling into an unfamiliar world with a strange body, in the midst of contempt, oppression and mockery, the only way to live, to survive, because she had to live.

For Qing, martial arts are a means of taking.

Because the back alleys of the Central Plains are too harsh a cesspool for both you and me for compassion to take root. Because everyone is hungry in the wild so there’s no room to give or yield to others, she only knew how to take.

That time she still vividly remembers, the sensation of strangling and cutting off breath, that despair, the intuition that she had crossed a line she could never return from, that this sensation would remain like a lifelong brand.

But it wasn’t like that.

Now thinking about it, what’s the big deal about killing one bastard who deserved to die, why did I make such a fuss about taking a few coins, I should have been proud of getting rid of trash who beat a child to death.

It was an embarrassing memory of fleeing while crying ugly tears clutching a single piece of loot.

Ah. Right. Moonlight Sword, Number One.

It was the first thing Qing stole after killing someone. More precisely, it was something she killed to steal.

Though the back alleys were all trash and a den of people who deserved to die anyway, the reason she specifically killed that guy was because she wanted a sword. When all you have is swordsmanship, what can you do without a sword?

A sword broken in half and rusted. A piece of scrap metal not worth taking even if given away.

Qing killed a person to get that one piece of trash.

My Moonlight Sword Number One. No, it wasn’t even Number One then since it was the first.

My Moonlight Sword. My treasure.

I used it until it completely crumbled and could be broken off by hand. I even made a grave and buried my treasure nicely on a mountainside in Jianping when only the handle was left.

And still not enough, I promised in front of your grave that all swords would become Moonlight Swords from then on.

Suddenly my master’s words come to mind.

One sword held in your heart.

Ah. Right. I had forgotten the glorious founder of Moonlight Sword for too long.

A smile forms on Qing’s lips.

That one sword obtained like that was so precious that I always hugged it while sleeping, and carefully stabbed with it afraid the blade might get damaged, not even slashing at all.

Back then, it felt like I could do anything with just one sword.

Suddenly the memory in my hand comes alive.

The balance was terrible, the handle was damp and sticky with hand sweat, but fortunately the broken cross-section was very sharp.

Back then I didn’t even have demonic arts.

Just the Moon Maiden Sword Sutra. The only swordsmanship I had.

My sword. My swordsmanship.

In this uncivilized and primitive medieval Central Plains land, it still allowed me to think of tomorrow.

It helped me hope that things would eventually get better.

Qing naturally unfolded the Moon Maiden Sword.

First movement.

Wandering Child Picks Up a Stick. A wandering child picks up a stick.

Qing’s sword draws a strange trajectory. To be precise, rather than strange it’s clumsy.

A child picked up a long stick and just swung it excitedly, so without subtlety, utility or purpose, just swinging with joy, it was the discovery of primitive fun that humans have.

Just one long, well-extended stick.

To a child, it would have been no less precious than the world’s greatest sword.

Just as my Moonlight Sword Number One was to me.

Gongson Yoye hurriedly twisted her body at the suddenly extending sword strike. Because it’s swordsmanship extending without any subtlety, it’s rather unfamiliar and difficult to deal with.

Swinging and stabbing, meaninglessly extending left and right, then suddenly coolly coming in under the chin to threaten.

Gongson Yoye looked at Qing in surprise.

It was such a gaze full of affection asking if she still had hidden swordsmanship, just how amazing is Miss Ximen.

But Gongson Yoye is surprised again.

Because she can’t meet Qing’s eyes.

At the sight of Qing sprinkling her sword like dancing lightly with closed eyes and gently curved lips, Gongson Yoye held her breath as much as possible, barely and carefully muffling even her rough breathing.

After all, she can’t disturb a swordsman who has entered a state of no-self.