NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 301: The Battle for Dao
Chapter 301: The Battle for Dao
Out of the dense fog, Xu Lian appeared.
He gathered the women with lower levels of cultivation – Pei Zhaoxi, Xiaomei, Caixia, Yu Qingning, Miao Yueyue, and others. After 56 years, they still hadn’t reached the Grandmaster Realm, and their life spans were dwindling.
Xu Lian took out two precious medicinal herbs and distributed them among them. Each herb could extend their lifespan by several hundred years; together, they would give them over a millennium of extra life. Evenly divided, each woman received an extra century or more of longevity.
After consuming the herbs, the women’s appearance changed. From mature beauties, they returned to youthful maidens. This delighted them immensely – after all, who wouldn’t want to remain young and beautiful?
However, for now, Xu Lian refrained from giving them the King Grade Black Lotus Seeds. He feared that granting them over a millennium of life span at once might make them complacent in their cultivation.
As for people like Yu Qingyao, the Nine Heavens Holy Maiden, Dou Qianxue, the Heavenly Mystic Holy Maiden, Tao Qian, the direct daughter of the Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, Huo Xin’er, the Sword Servant, Jiang Xianyu of the Jiang Family, and Jing Se, the direct daughter of the Duke of Jing, they were all naturally gifted women with abundant life spans. Even without consuming any longevity-extending elixirs, they still had centuries, if not millennia, of life ahead of them.
With this matter settled, Xu Lian finally felt at ease.
“Now that I’ve resolved these concerns, I can focus entirely on… the Origin Tracing Light.”
Just as Xu Lian was about to cross space and head to Wuguang City, he suddenly sensed movement within his spatial bag. Upon inspection, he discovered that the token given to him by the Heavenly Mystic Holy Lord was vibrating.
“Father-in-law, is something wrong?”
Xu Lian took out the token and activated the voice transmission.
The voice of the Heavenly Mystic Holy Lord came through, “Someone was looking for you. Unable to find you, they came to the Heavenly Mystic Holy Land and asked me to deliver the message.”
“Who is it?” Xu Lian inquired.
“It’s a messenger from the Sword Pavilion – a man named Chen Fei.”
Chen Fei? Back when Xu Lian was in Pingyang County, Chen Fei, the Sword Seeker’s emissary, had invited him to join the Sword Pavilion. After becoming an honorary disciple of the Sword Pavilion, Chen Fei naturally became the intermediary between Xu Lian and the Pavilion.
Why hadn’t the powerful figures of the Sword Pavilion’s Huo Clan informed him directly?
Xu Lian recalled the two “sneaky old men” who often hid in the void. Since joining the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land and gaining the support of the Goddess of Time, he hadn’t seen them in ages. For the past few decades, he’d been traveling between the ancestral lands of the Divine Race and the unclaimed cultivation resource zones. The two elders couldn’t enter the Divine Race’s ancestral lands and had lost track of him. It was likely that they’d returned to the Sword Pavilion and the thirteen clans.
At Xu Lian’s current level of cultivation and strength, he was no weaker than those two protectors. There was no longer any need for them to follow him around.
“Do you know what they want?” Xu Lian asked.
“No idea,” the Heavenly Mystic Holy Lord replied. “He is waiting for you at the entrance of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land. You can ask him yourself.”
Xu Lian put the token away and crossed the space, appearing at the gates of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land.
“Nine Heavens Holy Son, long time no see,” Chen Fei greeted with a smile. “After decades, you’ve grown from a small town genius at the Transformation Strength rank to one of the top powers in the Origin Tracing Realm. Your talent is truly rare throughout history.”
Xu Lian gave him a deep look. “Decades have passed, yet you haven’t aged a day. Obviously, your lifespan is long and your talent runs deep.”
Chen Fei’s smile faltered slightly, and he shook his head. “I was just an inner disciple of the Sword Pavilion. Now, I’ve barely risen to the position of a minor steward. Compared to you honorary disciples, I’m far behind.”
Xu Lian remained skeptical. Something about this Chen Fei didn’t sit right with him. “What brings you here after such a long journey?”
Chen Fei explained, “The competition for the Dao of the Sword is about to begin. The Sword Pavilion has decided to summon all the honorary disciples to compete for the inheritance of the Sword Emperor!”
Xu Lian’s mood soared. Talk about perfect timing! This was incredible news.
He still needed around 250 strands of Origin Tracing Light to ascend to the eighth and ninth stages of the Origin Tracing Realm. He’d already exhausted the 100 strands provided by the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, and now he had to rely on himself to gather more. If he relied solely on Wuguang City, where he obtained one strand every eight to ten years, it would take him two to three thousand years to collect 250 strands.
But now, with the Sword Pavilion’s inheritance contest underway, if he could secure the Sword Emperor’s legacy, the Pavilion would undoubtedly pour vast amounts of cultivation resources into him. Obtaining the Origin Tracing Light would no longer be an issue!
Even Sage Realm and Supreme Realm cultivation resources would be at his disposal!
Of course, he shouldn’t get his hopes too high. The Sword Pavilion was a reclusive powerhouse without a Supreme Being, lacking its own exclusive cultivation resource zone. Over the course of countless years, they’d almost exhausted their reserves. They certainly couldn’t compare to the wealth of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, which were essentially the combined forces of nine top-tier powers. Not to mention, the Sword Pavilion was a faction that could only just defend itself, so its resources paled in comparison.
“Are there any Sage Realm cultivators among the honorary disciples?” Xu Lian asked.
With his current strength, bolstered by the Sacred Spirit Record, his divine left arm bone, and the Sword of Destruction, he could confidently claim invincibility below the Sage Realm. Only a Sage Realm honorary disciple could surpass him.
Chen Fei replied, “I’ve heard that there’s one honorary disciple who has cultivated for over two thousand years and reached the Sage Realm.”
Xu Lian’s expression darkened. “Forget it. I won’t participate.”
Chen Fei quickly interjected, “According to the agreement between the Sword Pavilion and the honorary disciples, participation is mandatory.”
Xu Lian frowned. “Was there such a clause? I don’t recall you mentioning it when I joined. You said that the only disadvantage of being an honorary disciple was that my sword would be returned to the Sword Pavilion upon my death. Honorary disciples don’t have to obey the Pavilion’s orders.”
Chen Fei explained, “That’s right, honorary disciples don’t have to follow the Pavilion’s orders. However, this is a competition for the Sword Emperor’s inheritance. Surely you didn’t become an honorary disciple just to ignore this opportunity? How could you not attend?”
Xu Lian retorted, “I’ve only been cultivating for less than a century, while others have been at it for over two thousand years and have reached the Sage Realm. Tell me, how am I supposed to compete? Even if I participate, what’s the point? I’ll just end up being someone else’s stepping stone. Do you think I, the Holy Son of the Nine Heavens, have no pride?”
Chen Fei chuckled. “You’re thinking too much. The Sword Pavilion is not so unreasonable as to pit you against someone who has cultivated for over two millennia.”
This made Xu Lian interested again. “Then how does the competition work?”
Chen Fei explained, “The Sword Pavilion has divided the competition into two tracks.
The first track is for those who have been cultivating for less than fifty years – young geniuses.
The second track is for those who have been cultivating for over fifty years. Participants will face opponents at similar levels of cultivation. For example, someone like you at the Origin Tracing Realm will face other honorary disciples of the Origin Tracing Realm who have been cultivating for hundreds of years.”
“Tracks?” Xu Lian almost thought that this was some kind of race.
Chen Fei handed him a map. “Here’s how it works: You start from the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land and head towards the Sword Pavilion. Along the way, you’ll encounter other honorary disciples of the Origin Tracing Realm coming from various regions. You must duel them. If you lose, your journey will end. If you win, you will continue until you reach the Sword Pavilion.”
Xu Lian understood. “And once the winners of each course reach the Sword Pavilion, how will the Sword Emperor’s inheritance be determined?”
Chen Fei replied, “Upon reaching the Sword Pavilion, the contestants will have the chance to enter the Sword Emperor’s Tomb. Ultimately, the decision rests with the Sword Emperor’s remaining will – it will choose the successor.”
Xu Lian frowned. This introduces an element of uncertainty. What if the Sword Emperor didn’t choose him? Would he have come all this way for nothing?
Seeming to sense his concern, Chen Fei added, “Those not chosen by the Sword Emperor won’t leave empty-handed. The Sword Pavilion will reward the winners of each track with cultivation resources corresponding to their level.”
Xu Lian’s eyes lit up. “Alright, I’ll take part!”
If the Sword Emperor chose him, that would be ideal. If not, there was still a consolation prize. He was confident in his ability to win the Origin Tracing Realm track.
“You can start now,” Chen Fei said with a smile, pointing to the route marked on the map. “Remember one thing: during the duels, you can only use sword techniques. No other martial arts are allowed.”
“I understand.”
Xu Lian took the map and crossed the space, departing. However, instead of following the route designated by the Sword Pavilion, he first returned to the ancestral lands of the Divine Race.
It was his habit to inform his “wise helper,” the Goddess of Time, before embarking on long journeys. It was always prudent to seek her advice.
Deep in the mist, Xu Lian got straight to the point. “O, the Sword Pavilion has summoned its honorary disciples for the Dao of the Sword contest. What do you think?”
The Goddess of Time opened her beautiful eyes, a hint of confusion in her gaze. “So soon?”
Xu Lian noticed the anomaly. “Is something wrong?”
“The Sword Pavilion usually holds these competitions for honorary disciples every five thousand years,” the Goddess of Time explained. “It’s only been three thousand years since the last one.”
Xu Lian frowned. “Why the sudden change?”
The Goddess of Time pondered for a moment. “Perhaps the Sword Pavilion senses the impending chaos and has decided to speed up the timeline for the honorary disciple competition.”
“Should I go?” Xu Lian asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “While you’re cultivating, remember to occasionally glance back at me from a distance. That way, I can ensure that no ill-intentioned Supremes snatch you away.”
Xu Lian chuckled at the jest and departed, crossing space to follow the route designated by the Sword Pavilion.