hotmtlnovel Chapter 19 Sword of State
Chapter 19 Sword of State
Huaguo Mountain was a place where it always seemed like springtime, with spiritual fruits scattered everywhere and lush trees thriving all around. A scholar in a green robe stood atop the mountain summit, staring blankly at an open space ahead, lost in thought.
A voice came from within the forest, "Scholar, have you discerned anything?" A majestic monkey lay leisurely on a tree branch, still holding an unfinished bunch of bananas. It was none other than Wukong and Lu Yu, who were traveling through Huaguo Mountain.
"Monkey, your fortune and destiny are immense. This place is the ancestral vein of the Ten Continents and the origin dragon of the Three Islands, where the fortune and destiny of the Divine Land converge. If someone indeed has designs on this, it must be part of some earth-shattering scheme. By the way, do you still have the broken stone fetus from when you were born?"
"I was clueless when I was born, but somehow a voice in my heart told me that object was important, so I hid it in that cave over there!" After saying this, he pointed, and sure enough, there was a cave about five hundred meters away.
When they got to the cave, Lu Yu indeed found some broken stone pieces, on which could vaguely be seen holes and sockets arranged according to the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.
"Scholar, what use is this thing?" the monkey asked. He knew that though the Scholar was no match for him in magical combat, when it came to extensive knowledge and strong memory, the Scholar was far superior to him.
"This object is your placenta. If someone harbors ill intent, they could use it to cast spells and curse you. You must hide it well. Moreover, it's a fine thing, having absorbed the essence of the sun and moon and being linked to your destiny.
Someday, it could be refined into an external avatar of yourself, indistinguishable from the real one!" Lu Yu said, examining the stone piece carefully in his hands.
"Then this really is a good thing, I must hide it well!" the monkey quickly snatched the stone piece back.
"You monkey, I'm not going to steal your stone, see how flustered you are. Come on, let's enjoy a good drink. Bring out your treasured Monkey Wine and treat me properly."
Lu Yu stayed in Huaguo Mountain for several days, during which he spent his time discussing Taoist laws and observing military training with the monkey. He also personally trekked across Huaguo Mountain, feeling he had gained much from the experience. However, as there are no feasts that don't come to an end, Lu Yu knew it was time for him to leave.
"Scholar, why leave? Just stay here in Huaguo Mountain with me, and you can be the second Great King. Wouldn't it be better for us brothers to stay together?" The monkey was very reluctant to see him go. In terms of friendship, Lu Yu was probably the first friend he made in his life.
"Monkey, Huaguo Mountain is your home, and I have my own home too. Besides, what would it look like for a human to mingle among monkeys? I have a long way to go when I leave here. You must practice diligently and not become too impetuous or violently aggressive!" Although Lu Yu knew the monkey might not take his advice to heart, he couldn't help but say it anyway.
After saying this, auspicious clouds rose under his feet, and soon he was far from Huaguo Mountain.
Traveling from east to south on cloud, suddenly a golden light blocked Lu Yu's way. Upon closer inspection, it was treasure light bursting forth from the ground. Lu Yu descended from the clouds and after searching carefully for the source of the golden light, he found a piece of Divine Iron in a depression among the mountains.
Looking at the ancient patterns on the surrounding rock walls, it dawned on him that this place was where the legendary Yu the Great had refined the Nine Tripods.
"So this means, this piece of Divine Iron must be the leftover scrap from when the Nine Tripods were originally forged. What I can't fathom, though, is why it would emit divine light upon my arrival, clearly showing a connection with me," Lu Yu said to himself, weighing the Divine Iron in his hand, puzzled about why it resonated with him.
However, as the old saying goes, to refuse what heaven offers is to invite trouble. Naturally, Lu Yu wouldn't make such a mistake. Before long, he decided to forge the iron into a weapon, especially since he had achieved some mastery in his cultivation but was still missing a weapon.
Lu Yu watched the Daoist in Black Robes cast his spell calmly, having already planned to use this morally corrupt Taoist to test his sword. With a gentle swing of the Sword of State in his hand, a sword light instantly burst forth from the blade, as if the Milky Way had descended from the Nine Heavens to the mortal world.
Since Lu Yu's cultivation had reached a certain level, his understanding of the Way of the Flying Sword had deepened daily. He had already integrated his insights into the Way of Water with the sword light, forming a unique Sword Intent of his own.
However, his own Flying Sword material had been average at best, unable to withstand his immense Sword Intent, which was why he hadn't been able to unleash it until now.
As the Sword Intent-infused sword light sliced through the swarm, within just a moment, the Gu Insects appeared as if they were savagely cut to pieces, and the enormous skull-faced specter collapsed instantly. Gu Insects lingering with sword light fell from the sky like falling stars, creating a stunningly beautiful scene.
The Daoist in Black Robes stood agape at the sight before him, not finding the scene remotely pleasant. A chill that rose from the depths of his heart made him shudder uncontrollably.
These Gu Insects were not easily cultivated to such a scale; they were his reliance for commanding power in this realm. Now that someone had obliterated them with a single sword strike, his pain was imaginable.
At this moment, he dared not express any anger. The disparity between him and the young man before him was simply too vast—just one sword strike had brought down all his Gu Insects. How could he not realize that he had kicked an iron plate this time?
The Taoist suddenly knelt on the ground, crying a river of snot and tears.
"I, a lowly one, failed to recognize Tai Shan and have disturbed the esteemed gentleman's law framework. I beg of you to see the hardships of my cultivation and spare my pitiful life. In my next life, I will be a bull or a horse to repay your immense kindness and great virtue," he said with resolution, knowing well he was no match for Lu Yu, and promptly put on an act of sincere repentance.
He hoped the Scholar opposite him was one of those new to the world of cultivation, believing a well-executed show of face might afford him a sliver of a chance to live.
However, what he received was not an answer, but another sword light.
As his head flew into the air, his lingering consciousness could still see the Scholar's icy gaze, and only then did he realize that this was not some naïve young novice he had imagined.
Lu Yu looked indifferently at the beheaded corpse of the Daoist in Black Robes, feeling very calm inside. Perhaps the Taoist's words might have deceived those unacquainted with the ways of the world, but Lu Yu was clear about what lay in the Taoist's heart.
With a gentle wave of his hand, a Secret Tome flew out from the Daoist's embrace. People like the Daoist in Black Robes, who had a cold nature, had no one in the world to trust. Being selfish, they were never willing to share anything good with others, so they often carried most of their possessions with them.
For Lu Yu at this moment, what the Daoist thought were rare treasures were mundane to him. Only the Cultivation Technique held some value, at least enriching the methods he could use against his adversaries.
Upon carefully reading the tome in his hands, he found it recorded various Raising Gu Techniques, an overwhelming array that was dazzling to behold. There were also insights penned by the Taoist, revealing that this Daoist in Black Robes indeed had some talent in Gu cultivation.
Lu Yu, who had already achieved photographic memory through his cultivation, simply looked through the tome once and memorized everything in it. With a slight motion from him, the book spontaneously combusted.
The Raising Gu Techniques recorded in this book were not considered orthodox; several required the sacrifice of human lives in their evil methods. Lu Yu did not wish such things to spread and harm others, so he decided to burn the book clean.
Having burned the book and put away the Sword of State, Lu Yu heaved a slight sigh, "It's time to go home. I wonder how my family is faring." However, with his current level of cultivation, he had an innate sense—he just didn't want to believe it. After saying this, he rode up on Auspicious Clouds and flew straight toward the Great Chen Dynasty.