Longyuan 2

"Big brother Snow-Hair, did you walk through the wrong door? There are no immortal pills in our furnace here."

The man in black paused. The originally piercing killing intent dimmed for a moment. He stood up with some hesitation. "Isn't this Master Shenxu's alchemy room?"

I shook my head. "Our Master isn't Shenxu. The room you're looking for is probably the one where you turn left, turn left, turn right, go upstairs, then turn right twice and turn left again."

He didn't move. The long sword in his hand swung slightly as he turned his body a bit, his guard not relaxing in the slightest. "You're not going to stop me?"

I shrugged. "A directionally challenged person like you wouldn't be able to find it anyway."

"You!" Having stepped on his sore spot, he seemed quite angered and wanted to fight me, but he stopped after just one step because the sword vibrated slightly, seemingly reminding him of something. He was quite obedient and took a few steps back. "Just don't meddle in other people's business!" After saying that, he hurriedly ran out again.

White hair... Nuo God Mask... Seven-Star Sword... Why did this combination feel so familiar? Could it be that Sword Demon who had gained widespread fame in recent years and was known as the number one assassin in the world? But I hadn't heard that the Sword Demon was directionally challenged. Although our exchange just now lasted only an instant, I still felt that while his cultivation was not bad, it was still far from being worthy of the name Sword Demon. The cultivation of the sword in his hand was probably higher than his own...

I was curious in my heart, but I still had real business to do. I squeezed between the five brass legs of the alchemy furnace. On the ground, there were floor tiles engraved with the Eight Trigrams. I calculated the current time and pressed the tile in the Kan position. With the clattering sound of a mechanism activating, the originally open doors and windows slammed shut all at once in an instant. From the first floor to the third floor, all exits connecting to the outside, whether wooden windows or stone doors, completely closed. An invisible barrier rapidly opened outside the Danyuan Bureau like an umbrella. This was actually a self-protection mechanism installed in all forbidden and sacred grounds of the Shushan Sect. Here in the Danyuan Bureau, one was installed in every alchemy room, possessing sixteen variations according to the changing of the hours. Once triggered, all exits would be sealed tight, and no one could enter or leave unless they knew how to lift the restriction.

At the same time, if a mechanism in a certain alchemy room was triggered, the cultivator in charge of that room would sense it. So my Master should be hurrying over right now. Once he arrived, it would no longer be my problem. It would be better to take this chance to see what interesting things that Snow-Hair who looked like the Sword Demon was up to.

The corridors in the Danyuan Bureau were built in concentric circles. Like a maze, there were dead ends everywhere, and one would often find themselves walking right back to where they started. It was built this way, of course, to prevent theft. After all, if the immortal pills that the cultivators had worked hard for years to refine were stolen so easily, it would be too much of a blow to everyone's enthusiasm for alchemy. But I had already stayed in the Shushan Sect for nearly a hundred years and even knew exactly how many steps there were in the Shushan Sect in total, let alone this tiny maze. In no time, I found the "Sword Demon" sitting on the ground looking at a map in Master Qingyuan's alchemy room, his aura full of anxiety.

I leaned against the stone door, using my main body as a cane. "Still haven't found it?"

He turned his head, his killing intent suddenly surging, and thrust his sword at me. I hurriedly raised my sword to block it. Whoa! That Seven-Star Sword was really hard; the impact made my liver hurt.

"Take me to Master Shenxu's alchemy room right now! Or else I'll kill you!"

I said, "Why must you go to Master Shenxu's alchemy room? There are quite a few immortal pills and spiritual medicines in this room too."

He said, "Cut the crap! I want the Nine-Cauldron Resurrection Pill!"

The Nine-Cauldron Resurrection Pill was indeed the famous masterpiece of my Master's third junior brother, Master Shenxu. It could cure a hundred poisons in the world and allow those who were heavily injured and on the verge of death to undergo nirvana and be reborn. However, this pill was not easy to refine. It had to go through nine turns of the cauldron to succeed, and one pill took ten years to refine. Because of this, our Shushan Sect only had two of them to date.

This foolish kid really had a big appetite. However, people who usually needed this medicine should not be far from death. Seeing him so lively and bouncing around, I knew the one taking this pill definitely wasn't him, but someone very important to him. Daring to brave a major immortal sect like the Shushan Sect, which had treacherous mountain paths and was heavily laden with mechanisms, all alone for someone important to him just went to show that his IQ still wasn't high enough...

I originally wanted to waste a few more words with him, but who knew my Master would arrive so quickly? I only saw an ice-blue sword qi tear through the air, forcing the Snow-Hair back a few steps. My Master descended from the sky, his purple robes blooming in the air like a magnificent mandala. I immediately dissolved into my main body sword. With profound purple baleful qi bursting out all around me, I flew into my Master's hand. My Master stood there with the sword, true qi surging, as beautiful as a flower. All he lacked was someone to scatter some flower petals for him. The Snow-Hair was completely stunned watching him.

Behind him, several disciples and a few Masters also rushed over. As my Master shook his long sword, I worked hard to let out the roar of a dragon and the cry of a crane, whipping up gusts of whirlwind to blow back my Master's long hair and clothes, all to set off his peerless elegance. Although I hadn't been used by my Master in a long time, this divine sword was still as considerate as ever.

"Who goes there!" my Master shouted in a clear and ringing voice.

The Snow-Hair's arrogance had long since been defeated by my Master's complete set of high-profile posturing, and he seemed to still be awe-struck by my Master's beauty, unable to snap out of it, so his answer was somewhat stuttered: "I... I am the Sword Demon Qiu Mushuang!"

My Master frowned slightly, his phoenix eyes imposing. "You are not Qiu Mushuang. I have met him once before, and his aura is completely different from yours."

Well, you can't keep pretending anymore, can you?

"Audacious thief, how dare you trespass into the forbidden grounds of the Shushan Sect! Surrender at once!" The person who shouted this was the owner of the alchemy room that this Snow-Hair simply couldn't find, the Medicine Elder who was also the head of the Bixia Palace... Shenxu... Ah no, Master Shenxu. This guy was our Master's third junior brother. He had ordinary looks and his martial arts were barely passable, but his alchemy was top-notch.

Additionally, there was my Master's first disciple Guisheng and second disciple Duan Yaxu. The two of them were both elites among the younger generation of the Shushan Sect. Besieged by so many people, this Snow-Hair didn't even have the chance to escape.

However, he truly wasn't smart enough, unexpectedly summoning the Seven-Star Sword with a fierce jerk. That verdant long sword shot out dazzling holy light, rolling up a monstrous tide that roared towards me and my Master. Although this strike was fierce, it relied almost entirely on the power of the sword itself. My Master's emotions rippled for a moment. He was probably astonished by the formidable power of this sword. Loving swords by nature, he couldn't stand seeing a good sword; whenever he saw one, he always wanted to bring it home...

Thus, this made me feel a tiny bit displeased.

Damn it... I'm the sword god fighting side by side with you right now, you know?!

My Master held me upright in front of him. His sword fingers lightly stroked the blade as he chanted a true mantra, and his spiritual light surged. The power within my body boiled like volcanic magma, intertwining and merging with my Master's power. They mutually augmented each other before finally transforming into a fierce sword qi that shot forward, colliding with that verdant sword qi. I felt the opponent's fierce power crashing into my body, bringing a thrilling, numbing pain. But no matter how formidable a sword was, it could not compare to the destructive power created by a high immortal who had already broken through the Qianyuan Realm combined with the innate power of a divine sword like myself. So, although this sword qi was fierce, it gradually lost ground in the continuous clash. But I sensed that it didn't plan to back down; instead, it struggled to hold on. I suspected it wanted to stall us so that the Snow-Hair could escape.

However, the Snow-Hair's own cultivation was only enough to deal with Guisheng. With the addition of Duan Yaxu, he became somewhat hard-pressed. Now that Master Shenxu threw in a few fan strikes, he was soon pressed to the ground by Guisheng, unable to move. Seeing that its master had been captured, the Seven-Star Sword didn't weaken but grew stronger. Its sword stance changed thousands of times over, and its green light shone brightly; it was unknown whether it was trying to rescue its master.

My Master let out a sound of admiration, which made me feel even more upset. Therefore, I channeled all my spiritual energy. The purple flames around me dyed the entire alchemy room as if purple clouds had entered the chamber, causing my Master's true qi to churn violently as well.

'Ya Jiu! Calm down!' my Master's voice rang out in my mind, but I just wanted to beat the life out of this thing with seven stars...

Under the combined assault of me and my Master, the Seven-Star Sword gradually lost its strength and was finally kicked away by me. I trembled triumphantly, but I was flicked by my Master. When I looked up, I saw his somewhat displeased face.

Damn it... the fickle Sheng Wenxiu!

My Master held me straight behind his back and slowly walked up to the Snow-Hair. He violently pulled off his mask, revealing a delicate and handsome face that was probably under twenty years old.

"Why did you impersonate the Sword Demon and break into the forbidden grounds of my Shushan Sect? And how did that Longyuan Sword end up in your hands?"

Longyuan? So that was that guy's name? I shot a sideways glance at that iron sword, but saw the other party lying motionless on the ground without the slightest reaction.

The youth hesitated for a moment and suddenly broke free from Guisheng's control. Just as we thought he was going to make a desperate fight to the death, he knocked his head against the ground three times with heavy thuds towards my Master and Shenxu.

"I beg you, High Immortals, bestow the medicine upon me and save my older brother!"

"Eh?!" Guisheng and Duan Yaxu cried out, unable to figure out how this plot had suddenly gone from robbing medicine to begging for medicine.

Shenxu and my Master exchanged a glance and asked him, "What happened to your older brother? What medicine are you begging for?"

The youth raised his head, his tender eyes seeming to flash with tears, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. "My older brother is the Sword Demon you speak of. He was poisoned by the snake venom of the Serpent God of Jiuli. Right now, his three ethereal souls and seven physical souls are barely held together by me using a secret art of the Baimin Kingdom. If I cannot get the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill today, his soul will scatter and perish..." After saying that, he knocked his head three more times with heavy thuds. "I heard that the Masters of the Shushan Sect are all merciful High Immortals. I beg you, High Immortals, please save his life!!!"

My Master sighed and said to Master Shenxu, "Junior Brother, that is your medicine. It's up to you to decide."

Master Shenxu expressed his dissatisfaction with my Master directly tossing the hot potato to him by giving him a glare, then fanned his fan and pondered, "Let's not mention your previous trespassing into the Danyuan Bureau with the intent to steal medicine. The Sword Demon Qiu Mushuang has killed countless people. If I save him, wouldn't he create even more sinful karma through killing? It's not that I'm stingy, but he truly cannot be saved."

Hearing this, the youth hurriedly said, "But this time, he is only on the verge of death because he tried to assassinate the Serpent God who was bringing disaster to the common people within the borders of Jiuli! As long as you High Immortals bestow the medicine, I guarantee that I will definitely persuade him to stop being an assassin!"

Master Shenxu simply couldn't bear to part with his precious pills, so how could he agree so easily?

"You are just a youth; how can you stop the Sword Demon? Your guarantee is untrustworthy."

The youth was so anxious that his forehead broke out in a sweat. His eyes darted around and suddenly fixed upon the Longyuan Sword off to the side.

His eyes lit up, and he crawled over on his knees to hug Longyuan in his arms. His expression was somewhat sorrowful. "The reason my brother is unmatched in the world, aside from his own profound cultivation, actually heavily relies on this sword." He closed his eyes, seeming to have made a decision, and suddenly raised his hands. "As long as he loses this sword, it will be hard for him to continue being the number one assassin in the world."

I was shocked. The Longyuan Sword in his hands trembled slightly, and Master Shenxu was also dumbfounded. But my Master's eyes instantly lit up.

Thus, before Master Shenxu could even speak, my Master opened his mouth. "Junior Brother, this little boy's words make sense. It is a human life, after all. Weren't your pills refined to save people in the first place?"

Shenxu looked in disbelief at my Master who had already abandoned his armor and surrendered to the enemy. "Senior Brother... you don't mean to use my immortal pill to trade for..." Before he could finish, my Master placed a finger over his lips to stop him from speaking. He watched helplessly as my Master composedly revealed a merciful smile. "If you are willing to leave the Longyuan Sword behind, we will save your brother. However, you must swear that you will absolutely not let your brother indiscriminately kill the innocent again."

The youth was so excited that his face was covered in tears as he kowtowed repeatedly, but I looked suspiciously at my Master. The other party was begging for Shenxu's medicine. Even if he left the sword behind, it should be given to Shenxu; what was he getting so excited for?

However, two days later, when my Master stepped into the Sword Pavilion beaming with the spring breeze and cradling the Longyuan Sword in his arms, I knew that I had indeed underestimated just how shameless my Master could be...