Chapter 138 - 135: Enlightenment Dao, Meeting Venerable Ape Midway
The story tells of an ancient evil sealed within Mount Shu that was about to emerge. The Head of Mount Shu, realizing the gravity of the situation, dispatched a thousand disciples to find powerful sword cultivators to come to Shu for assistance.
On the other hand, the brothers Xu Qing and Xu Hai found Wu Dao. Seeing their sincerity, Wu Dao couldn’t easily refuse. He also wanted to form a good relationship with Shu, a sect that stood powerful even among those within the mortal world. Unlike other sects, Shu was not one easily rivaled, and he wanted to learn their Sword Controlling Technique to maximize the power of the Seven Stars Sword in his hand. Given that it was a product of Laojun, even as a replica, it was sought after by countless People of the Immortal Path. If this sword was placed in Shu, it would surely be the noblest among swords, the king of swords!
The war in the Middle Ancient Times caused devastating losses to the Daoist sects, with countless techniques lost to oblivion as numerous sects perished. Mount Shu also suffered greatly, with tens of thousands of senior disciples never returning, taking with them innumerable divine weapons and magical treasures. Furthermore, the sword forging masters of Shu were drafted away, making it difficult for the sect to produce divine swords ever again.
The sword artifact in the hands of Green Duckweed Daoist was forged from a fragment of the Qingping Sword, which was shattered by the Celestial Venerable during the ancient Divine Enthronement. Even though the Qingping Sword had broken into over a hundred thousand pieces, this fragment, the size of a fingernail, was considered large! Once this sword was complete, it proved to be much more powerful than others, yet it still wasn’t enough to command the swords of Shu, given the fragment’s imperfection and the dispersal of its spiritual power. If it wasn’t for the residual spiritual power, it might not even surpass a slightly more potent sword artifact forged by a Golden Immortal.
As Wu Dao traveled with the two swordsmen, he rode atop a dark cloud—this was a divine skill of Rain Mage Chi Songzi, called "Moving Clouds." This cloud, less impressive only in comparison with VLOOKUP(A1025,[1]Sheet1!$A:$B,2,0), moved with incredible speed. The other two were flying on their swords; their entire cultivation was dependent on these sword artifacts—it could be said that their life was tied to their swords, and should their swords be destroyed, they too would perish. Yet, breaking the sword of a sword cultivator was no easy feat.
The Shushan Sword Sect considered Laojun as the Patriarch, while outside sword cultivators generally revered the Spiritual Treasure as the Patriarch. After all, the significance of the Four Swords of Celestial Slaying by Celestial Venerable was unparalleled. Which sword cultivator could achieve such a feat? But the Patriarch of Shu, True Man of Great Purity, became an immortal through Laojun’s enlightenment and the teaching of the "Tao Te Ching," hence Laojun was worshiped as the Patriarch there.
As Wu Dao and the two swordsmen just entered the Shu Region, they found the land to be quite hot and humid, with mountains galore and rugged paths.
Indeed:
The road to Shu is arduous, more difficult than ascending to the blue skies!
In the mouths of later generations, this statement seemed exaggerated. For the immortals, flying through the sky was a breeze.
Below, the scenery was picturesque, with clear waters and lush trees. Wild beasts roamed the mountains, and winding paths snaked like serpents.