Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 541: Chapter 353: Sikong Yang

Ling Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly. He had already guessed the reason for the trio’s visit. ‘Are they here to use me as cannon fodder?’

‘Be it the Demon Realm or the Netherworld, they can forget about setting foot in my Shushan Sword Sect! It’s not out of the question for me to help in a joint defense, but if they want me to be cannon fodder on the front lines… they can dream on!’

So, Ling Xiao asked a question that seemed completely off-topic. “Elder Sikong, what do people from the Demon Realm look like? Can they enter the Holy Sanctuary as well? If they can, couldn’t you just kill them one by one as they arrive?”

Sikong Yang’s expression remained unchanged, but Ximen Aotian, who stood beside him, stiffened slightly. He probably thought this young Sect Leader was more cunning than he’d expected, so his gaze toward Ling Xiao now held a hint of displeasure.

Sikong Yang remained composed. According to the instructions he had received from the Holy Sanctuary, they were to win this young man, Ling Xiao, over by any means necessary. If Ling Xiao was willing, they could even grant him the status of a Guardian, even though the Shushan Sword Sect was not a Guardian Clan.

Others might not have understood the benefits of a Guardian’s status, but Sikong Yang was keenly aware. He couldn’t help but marvel at Ling Xiao’s good fortune. As a disciple from a Guardian Clan with a lineage passed down through generations, Sikong Yang knew with absolute certainty that a Guardian’s entry into the Holy Sanctuary was guaranteed. Once there, those with Guardian status would be recruited by the major powers of the Holy Sanctuary. This was the true, tangible reward for a Guardian’s duty of protecting the Mortal World!

As for those who ascended to the Holy Sanctuary through their own efforts, they had two choices: either find a family or organization to pledge allegiance to, or live as a solitary recluse.

The Holy Sanctuary was incomparably vast, so even if one chose to live as a recluse, it was unlikely anyone would cause them trouble. At the same time, the Spiritual Qi in the Holy Sanctuary was incredibly abundant! Cultivation was countless times faster there than in the Mortal World.

But for these unaffiliated individuals, advancing further was actually incredibly difficult.

Although the Spiritual Qi in the Holy Sanctuary was abundant, there was a catch: after entering the Holy Sanctuary, what everyone truly sought was not the Martial Arts Peak, but… eternal life!

For someone with no Cultivation Techniques, no Crystal Stones… nothing at all… to ascend again from within the Holy Sanctuary and enter the legendary Divine Realm was a nearly impossible feat!

Take Gongsun Huang of the Gongsun Family, for example. In the Mortal World, he seemed glorious—hailed as the first person to ascend to the Holy Sanctuary in three hundred years! But the Holy Sanctuary was filled with old monsters who had lived for eighty or even a hundred thousand years. To beings like that, whether someone ascended every three hundred, five hundred, or even a thousand years, it was of no consequence whatsoever.

After ascending to the Holy Sanctuary, Gongsun Huang would only have a chance to gain a firm foothold if he could find his family’s elders, and only if those Gongsun Clan elders were influential. Otherwise… look at the genius Martial Artist Yun Zilan from all those years ago. What became of him? After entering the Holy Sanctuary, didn’t he also vanish without a trace, fading into obscurity?

As for the legends of the Saint Domain Emperor… in the eyes of the Guardian Clans, they were nothing short of a joke!

Although many of them admired the Saint Domain Emperor’s intellect, methods, and especially his courage—he had indeed fused himself with the Holy Sanctuary, becoming a small part of its rules—he could not represent the Holy Sanctuary as a whole. This was a fact known to all the Guardian Clans.

This showed just how crucial a Guardian’s status was to a Martial Artist from the Mortal World. And yet, the Holy Sanctuary organization that supervised the Sikong Clan had even proposed offering Ling Xiao the status of a Guardian!

Even a man like Sikong Yang, whose heart was as still as water and was rarely moved by worldly affairs, couldn’t help but marvel at Ling Xiao’s incredible luck.

“There are two types of beings in the Demon Realm. One exists in the form of Magical Beasts. In fact, you probably don’t know this, but one could say that all Magical Beasts on the Canglan Continent are descendants of the Demon Realm! However, many of them have now completely lost their Demon Realm bloodline. There are also many Magical Beasts that can take on human form by continuously increasing their strength to the point of transformation. But in the Human Realm, Magical Beasts capable of reaching that level are practically nonexistent! In the Demon Realm, however, there are still many Magical Beasts with the power to transform. This time, the weakest of those entering the Human Realm through the passage are all transformed Magical Beasts. In other words, they all possess strength that surpasses a Sword Venerable at the very least!” At this, Sikong Yang sighed softly. ‘In just five more years, I could have ascended to the Holy Sanctuary, but something like this had to happen. I may look calm on the outside, but I am gravely worried! The Human Realm doesn’t necessarily lack powerful individuals, but they all fight for themselves! It’s too difficult to unite these people and form a formidable force!’

Lost in thought, Sikong Yang continued, “The other type of being from the Demon Realm is of a pure and noble bloodline. They can take human form from birth! As the ruling class of the Demon Realm, they are… virtually indistinguishable from humans! They don’t emit any of the so-called Demonic Qi. The only difference is that human blood is red, while the blood of a Demon Realm native is blue!”

Sikong Yang’s patience took Ximen Aotian by surprise. He subconsciously glanced at Ling Xiao again. ‘Is this Ling Xiao really that special?’ he wondered. ‘The Guardian Clans are all in contact with one another, after all! And the Sikong Clan is far, far larger than my Ximen Clan! In my opinion, if the full elite force of the Sikong Clan were to mobilize, it would be no problem at all for them to sweep over every major family and sect on the Canglan Continent!’

That was why Ximen Aotian had always been so polite to the brothers Sikong Yang and Sikong Liu. For cultivators of their realm, even if they felt displeasure, they would never show it on their faces like some common rogue. They certainly wouldn’t dare to offend them directly.

Sikong Yang went on, “So, if the upper echelons of the Demon Realm enter the Human Realm, it’s impossible to tell them apart as long as they aren’t injured. And as long as their strength meets the standard of a human Sword Saint, the Holy Sanctuary Gate will open for them just the same! Because… there are factions from the Demon Realm inside the Holy Sanctuary as well! They’ve long been against the passage being sealed. If not for the rules of the Holy Sanctuary, they probably would have come down long ago to help their people break it open. I suspect they had a hand in this recent opening as well!”

Ling Xiao’s eyes gleamed. He had certainly learned a great deal of what he wanted to know from Sikong Yang today. At the very least, the similarities between the Holy Sanctuary and the Cultivation Realm made him look forward to it that much more.

Ling Xiao was the type of person who believed in returning a favor for a favor. Regardless of Sikong Yang’s motives for seeking him out, Ling Xiao now owed him a great debt just for the information he had shared today.

It is impolite not to reciprocate. So, Ling Xiao’s expression turned serious as he asked, “Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Elder Sikong. But may I ask why you have come looking for me?”

Sikong Yang said, “To be frank, the number of Guardians in the Human Realm is not large. On the entire Eastern Continent, there are only just over a hundred of us in total. But this time, the activity from the Demon Realm’s side is enormous. We’ve also received a notice from the Holy Sanctuary that the Demon Realm might be planning a major offensive. Therefore, we are concerned that the strength of the Guardians alone won’t be enough to repel an invasion. We need to unite the experts of the Mortal World to stand against the Demon Realm together! Otherwise, if they truly break through, it will mean devastation for all living things!”

Ling Xiao sighed softly, understanding Sikong Yang’s point. He smiled and said, “In that case, as a member of the human race, I naturally have a duty to resist. How about this? I will remain here and await your call. Whenever you need me, I’ll be ready. What do you say?”

Sikong Yang likely hadn’t expected the young Sect Leader to be so agreeable. He had even been prepared for Ling Xiao to refuse, at which point he would have played his trump card—offering Guardian status and tempting Ling Xiao with its benefits. As for taking the time to answer his questions… a tremendously powerful Martial Artist like Sikong Yang would never have shown such patience to an ordinary person. He only did so because of the Holy Sanctuary’s interest in Ling Xiao. Sikong Yang was simply trying to build a favorable connection.

‘This Ling Xiao is so young, yet so powerful that even I can’t see through him,’ Sikong Yang mused. ‘With his strength, and with a major power in the Holy Sanctuary taking notice of him, his future ascension is all but guaranteed. Befriending him now could very well prove useful in the Holy Sanctuary down the line!’

As the saying goes, with age comes wisdom. In this regard, the Sikong brothers were far shrewder than the slightly arrogant Ximen Aotian, who couldn’t let go of his pride.

Seeing Ling Xiao agree, Sikong Yang nodded at him. “Sect Leader Lingxiao, you truly understand the greater good. I am deeply impressed. Then it’s settled. We have other families to visit, so we won’t disturb Sect Leader Ling any longer!” With that, he tossed Ling Xiao a Token. “When the time comes, this Token will be your credential. The person who comes to summon you will carry an identical one!”

Sikong Liu gave Ling Xiao a slight smile and a nod, then his body abruptly vanished. In the next instant, he reappeared far to the north.

Ximen Aotian, however, gave Ling Xiao a long, deep look and chuckled. “Let’s have a match sometime, if we get the chance!” Without waiting for a reply, he vanished into thin air along with Sikong Yang.

Ling Xiao remained floating in the air, his gaze fixed on the spot where they had vanished. His expression gradually grew solemn, all traces of his earlier ease gone.

From what he had heard about the Holy Sanctuary, Ling Xiao had now confirmed his suspicions. No matter how great the Saint Domain Emperor might have once been, he had not created the Holy Sanctuary!

Combined with the similarities between the Holy Sanctuary and the Cultivation Realm, Ling Xiao’s yearning to go there grew even stronger.

‘There were originally no Magical Beasts on the Canglan Continent? They all escaped from the Demon Realm?’ The new information about the Demon Realm was a chaotic jumble in Ling Xiao’s mind. He decided to simply push it all aside for now.

Ling Xiao toyed with the Token Sikong Yang had given him. It was palm-sized, jet-black, and made of some unknown material, feeling quite heavy in his hand. One side was engraved with exquisite patterns, while the back bore a single word: “Guardian.”

Ling Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly, and he muttered again, “The Demon Realm.”

With a flash, he disappeared from the sky.