Chapter 232: 24: Eradicating Demons

“Senior Sister An, your swordsmanship is impressive!” Ling Yunpo exclaimed in admiration.

Just a moment ago, he had almost projected himself into Qiu Changtian’s place, subconsciously thinking that it was Junior Sister Xu’s Feather Jia Sword.

Because Senior Brother Qiu used to go out for real combat practice with Junior Sister Xu, he was very fond of playing this game of “who kills the monsters first” with her…

But Senior Sister An was not so competitive; she probably just saw the demons and killed them in passing without thinking too much about it.

“It’s just a ‘White Rainbow Piercing the Sun’, how can it be called impressive swordsmanship?” An Zhisu said with a slight smile.

“Senior Sister’s White Rainbow Piercing the Sun truly captures the essence of ‘speed’ from the Seven Kills Sword Technique!” Ling Yunpo said earnestly, “This junior lacks talent but wishes to show what I’ve learned.”

He formed a sword technique with his hands and pointed forward, and the Green Duckweed Sword shot out like lightning.

Opposite, on the mountain path, a small demon had just appeared, seeing its companion’s body nailed to the cliff, it hastily raised the gong in its hand, just preparing to strike it when suddenly it felt a chill at its neck and its vision dimmed instantly.

“Not bad.” An Zhisu commented, “You can try to incorporate more variation in your sword movements.”

As the small demon was killed by the Green Duckweed Sword, its gong fell to the ground, producing an extremely loud sound of metal clashing, immediately echoing through the valley and startling a flock of birds and herons.

“How should I vary it?” Ling Yunpo pondered, calling back the Green Duckweed Sword from afar, “Do you mean to use the terrain to my advantage and aim to pass through the target’s blind spots?”

“That’s right,” An Zhisu also called back the Flying Smoke Sword, speaking in an instructive tone, “Although a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, very often, it is not the best choice.”

“Seven Kills Swordsmanship emphasizes on striking the first blow, but it doesn’t rely solely on ‘speed’ to defeat the enemy; such swordsmanship is too crude.”

“Our usual sparring on Qingluo Peak focuses on counteracting moves and controlling the rhythm, with basically no consideration of the terrain.”

“Since we have the chance to engage in real combat this time, I will teach you how to use various terrains to execute the movements of the Seven Kills Sword Technique.”

No sooner had her voice fallen than a horde of demons appeared on the mountain path opposite, fluttering, scampering, winged and hooved creatures of all sorts surged forth in an instant.

“What is going on with Yuqing View?” Ling Yunpo frowned and said, “So many demons occupy this place, and yet they turn a blind eye!”

“A good opportunity to test my sword!” An Zhisu said in a grave voice, stepping on the Harsh Cold Sword to lift her figure and dashed into the crowd of demons in an instant.

In a short while, countless severed limbs and body parts were flung about, blood splattered and even the stream below was dyed crimson.

Ling Yunpo watched intently from behind, filled with admiration for his Senior Sister’s exquisite swordsmanship.

A snake demon approached him from behind, about to bite at his neck, when a glint of golden light suddenly shot out from the sword box on his back, as the Thunder Punishment Sword swept across, cleaving the snake demon to pieces.

An Zhisu gracefully returned on her sword, her robe sleeves fluttering in the wind without a single speck of blood on them.

Looking back at the creek and valley below, it was now a scene of utter destruction, too gruesome to behold.

“Did you see that clearly?” An Zhisu asked softly.

“Yes, Senior Sister,” Ling Yunpo nodded in response.

He had seen clearly just now; those demons were mostly at the Qi Refining Rank, even if he were to venture alone with his sword, he could easily come back unharmed.

But to remain as unblemished as his Senior Sister in the midst of flying flesh and blood with his current level of swordsmanship, that was indeed not feasible for him.

No wonder Ah Jing had said that Senior Sister An was probably nearing the threshold of the “Innate Sword Heart,” which was the realm of some kind of “Dao.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

………

While An Zhisu was using the demons to test her sword and demonstrating in person for Ling Yunpo, cutting a path through them all the way.

In a cave within a thousand-zhang deep valley, an old Daoist was cautiously studying the restrictions, while a green-faced, fanged bat demon impatiently tapped its steel trident on the ground, repeatedly urging and cursing.

“This is torture! Torture!” the old Daoist cried in his heart.

If only he had known about the swarms of demons here, he would have abandoned his ancestor’s Daoist temple and fled with his disciples at the earliest opportunity!

“Old Daoist, are you done yet?” Listening to the noisy sounds coming from afar, the bat demon grew even more impatient, “If the king returns and finds the restrictions still in place, being ripped open and having your liver dug out will be your fate!”

“I have already figured out something about these restrictions,” the old Daoist said with a fawning smile, “Have you ever heard of ‘Dreaming of Mount Tianmu and Leaving a Farewell Poem’?”

“Ah?” the bat demon uttered a confused sound, not understanding.

“Mount Tianmu in Yangzhou has been associated with tales of Immortal Sect since ancient times,” the old Daoist continued. “It’s said that there was an Exiled Immortal who was reincarnated as a human and dreamt of wandering through Mount Tianmu, eventually reaching the Immortal’s Palace. And this poem was composed based on what he saw in his dream.”

“The poem says, ‘The heavens cracked and thunder roared, hills and ridges crumbled. The Stone Gate of Cave Heaven, with a thunder, did open.’ That is to say, one needs to strike the cave with Thunder Method to open the entrance to that Immortal’s Palace.”

“I see!” the bat demon was overjoyed, “But where can we find this Thunder Method?”

“Right here.” The old Daoist gave a sly chuckle as a white light suddenly shone in the palm of his hand and he slammed it onto the bat demon’s body faster than lightning!

Before the bat demon could react, it was struck by a Shenxiao Thunder. The expression of surprise was still frozen on its face, but its body stiffened like a statue and toppled forward to the ground.

A single Shenxiao Thunder obliterated all signs of life within the demon’s body—its power terrifying to such an extent!

The old Daoist grabbed its wings from behind and dragged it laboriously into the cave, then tumbled and scrambled down the mountain.

With his current Qi Refining Rank cultivation level, he could only muster three strikes of the Shenxiao Thunder at best, yet there were at least a thousand demons entrenched in this mountain—he stood no chance by himself.

The demon horde leader was a deer spirit, who somehow had come upon news of a celestial hermit’s cave dwelling within Mount Tianmu and led its underlings to settle in the mountain, trying to uncover traces of this clue.

Moreover, this cunning and patient deer spirit leader usually severely constrained its minions from disturbing human villages, so much so that it had not attracted the attention of the nearby Cultivation Sects…

No, I must get word out! Otherwise, if the deer spirit king discovers the celestial hermit’s relics, Yangzhou will no longer have peaceful days!

The old Daoist staggered along the stream, his shoes and socks soaked with water and mud, his hair disheveled when suddenly two figures descended from the sky.

“Excuse me, are you Daoist Zhang Zhengfa?” the younger of the two asked.

The old Daoist looked up in astonishment to see a handsome and brave figure with a determined look, dressed in a green cloud-patterned Daoist robe, carrying a sword box as tall as himself.

From memory, it seemed only a Shushan Sword Immortal would wear such an attire.

“I am indeed Zhang Zhengfa,” the old Daoist quickly greeted with a bow, then eagerly said, “There are many demons in this mountain, we should talk more after we get out!”

“The demons have all been slain by us,” the female sword immortal on the side said.

Though she was dressed as a nun, with long hair coiled up, beyond the grace and beauty of a woman, she also possessed an inherent heroic spirit that complemented her male counterpart.

“You might not be aware,” the old Daoist said hesitantly, “but there are many concealed demons in this mountain—in the woods, under the streams, inside the valleys, at the bottom of caves, numbering as many as a thousand…”

“One thousand two hundred and more,” Ling Yunpo interrupted, “All slain.”

Old Daoist: ………

His lips parted slightly, but he didn’t know what to say. One thousand two hundred and more… Even if they were pigs, it would take several days for a butcher to kill that many!

Indeed, these were none other than the Shushan Sword Immortals!