Volume One: Youthful Encounters in Humble Times Chapter 104: The One Atop the Peak, Finally Met Today (2)

The Taoist’s clone and Old Luo escaped into the void, and shortly after, the Taoist himself reunited with them.

Throughout this time, they had been quietly observing the unfolding situation in Tianmen Town—from the successful sacrifice, to Li Yu managing to offload his troubles, and finally to the discovery of numerous hidden factions beneath Tianmen Town. The Taoist maintained a detached, spectator’s stance, silently watching how events developed.

At the start of the ritual, Old Luo watched as Shen Tang’s parents were offered up in sacrifice. Knowing the Taoist’s connection to the Shen family, and seeing Shen Tang’s desperate cries, he couldn’t help but ask the Taoist in a pained voice, “Should we intervene? If we act now, we might be able to save them—and perhaps resolve the dilemma of the opening of Tianmen.”

The Taoist in the void exuded an aura of inscrutable mystery. If one did not use their mortal eyes, they would be unable to detect his presence—like a faint ray of morning light blending into the chaotic world. The world was him; he was the world.

The Taoist countered, “And after saving them? What then? They have already been branded as keys to Tianmen Town. As long as they live, they will inevitably be dragged back into sacrifice. Moreover, as long as Tianmen exists, the desires of those people will never cease.”

Old Luo’s eyes brightened with sudden understanding. “Are you saying... you want to destroy Tianmen?”

As he spoke, Old Luo wondered if he was overthinking. Tianmen had been passed down through countless ages! How could he dare to destroy it? Even if he dared, where would he find the courage and confidence to do such a thing?

The Taoist did not deny it. “It is the only way to utterly eradicate their delusions.”

Old Luo hesitated before asking, “Do you truly have the means to do it? That must be beyond the realm of human affairs. Destroying it won’t be so simple.”

Indeed, it was never simple. If it were, the Taoist would not have had to labor over it for years, even involving everyone present in his calculations.

If Old Luo were to learn the full extent of the Taoist’s plan, he might sigh, “This isn’t just about calculating the people—it’s about calculating time itself.”

Only a small portion of the plan could be entrusted to Old Luo. The Taoist asked, “I need you to do only one thing.”

When Old Luo understood, he fell silent, deep in thought. After a long pause, he asked, “Then what will you do?”

With a hint of boldness, the Taoist replied, “I have my own plans. Just focus on what I ask of you.”

Meanwhile, aside from the cultivators, the rest of the crowd at the sacrificial assembly wore complex expressions, unable to hide their grief and shock. They had expected a blessing ceremony to benefit Tianmen Town, never anticipating it would evolve into such a grim scene.

They now quietly thanked their fortune that they had not been chosen. As the old saying goes, a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Until the final outcome, no one truly knows whether something is good or bad.

One-third of the people in the square had vanished without a trace—friends and neighbors from Tianmen Town, some even relatives. They yearned to resist, to fight back, to seek justice for the disappeared, but despite their will, they lacked the courage to raise their voices.

In the face of overwhelming power, even the freedom to speak seemed lost.

They hung their heads in despair, contemplating their weakness. If those mighty cultivators chose to strike again, how could they possibly respond?

Zhang Helun was absent from the sacrificial assembly. Though he had not fully allied with the Taoist, he had agreed to undertake part of the tasks entrusted by him.

Thus, he found an excuse to remain at the city lord’s mansion, claiming he needed to oversee Tianmen Town’s security in case of emergencies. The others agreed—it was necessary for someone to oversee the town’s safety.

No one was more suitable than Zhang Helun.

The sacrificial assembly was jointly organized by three figures: the accomplished Zhou Yu, Li Zhonghong of the Tianshan Li family, and Dean Cao Xihe of the Imperial Pavilion.

Each represented a powerful faction. Zhou Yu stood for the state’s authority; Li Zhonghong represented independent cultivation sects; and Cao Xihe embodied the orthodox Taoist forces dominating the realm.

What puzzled many was Zhou Yu’s faction—the National Preceptor’s power. They sensed that Zhou Yu, sent by the Preceptor, was neither particularly strong nor highly esteemed despite being accomplished. His most notable credential seemed to be his royal lineage. Yet, a royal title without real power and with weak cultivation hardly granted him influence among these factions.

This baffled many, leading to speculation: did the National Preceptor have no deeper interest in Tianmen? Otherwise, why send someone without authority to preside?

Yet, none had the luxury to ponder such subtleties; their focus was solely on how to profit most from Tianmen’s opening.

The Great Sword Azure Mountain showed little enthusiasm or excitement regarding the matter. Their attitude was more serious than the National Preceptor’s, evident by their sending Elder Xie Tong.

However, despite dispatching Xie Tong, they intended no active role in Tianmen’s affairs. They would cooperate but not lead or intervene.

Such an aloof stance made others think these sword cultivators feigned lofty pride, preferring empty honor over securing greater benefits for their sect.

Yet, it was precisely this attitude that made them favored and trusted by others.

Only when sword cultivators ask for nothing can others gain more.

Xie Tong gazed at the once-crowded square, now reduced to a single black stele standing solemnly in the center, feeling a pang of melancholy.

Yet, no emotion could show on his face—even disgust had to be silently bottled up and digested alone.

At a signal from the other three hosts, he produced the sword seal prepared by Great Sword Azure Mountain and infused it with his sword cultivation as the key to unlock it.

The sword seal was a unique technique of their sect, akin in function to the Li family’s Spirit Lock Array. Both gathered the cultivation or Dao essence of their ancestors; once opened, it was as if their combined strength struck as one.

Unlike the Li family’s array, the highest-grade sword seal of Great Sword Azure Mountain contained not only the cultivation of predecessors but also years of their sword energy.

For a sword cultivator, the strongest attack comes not only from one’s swordsmanship but also from the strength of one’s sword energy. While sword techniques cannot be embedded in the seal, sword energy can.

At this moment, the seal Xie Tong revealed was the highest-grade sword seal of Great Sword Azure Mountain. Upon activating it, the three hosts stepped back, with Zhou Yu retreating several steps before regaining his footing.

They all glanced sideways at the seal, united in thought: “With Great Sword Azure Mountain’s strength, how many such seals could they produce?!”

Many had tried to uncover how the Li family and Azure Mountain crafted their arrays and seals. The Li family jealously guarded their techniques and never taught outsiders. Azure Mountain did teach theirs, and some had learned their method of forging sword seals.

However, when others tried to imitate and mold seals for their own sects, the seals often shattered. Eventually, someone discovered the cause in these failures.

Azure Mountain’s success lay in their sword intent within the seal all obeying a single commander—like tens of thousands of troops with one general. Only pure sword cultivators could achieve this, as their swords represented a singular rebellious spirit, accepting only one supreme sword intent.

Thus, they could achieve an exquisite balance among many sword intents.

By contrast, the sects attempting to copy this had seals containing competing great Dao intents, each vying for supremacy, unwilling to submit to any other.

It was clear that borrowing Azure Mountain’s method for their own seals was doomed to fail.

Then they considered, if the sword path was unfeasible, perhaps the route of the Tianshan Li family might succeed?

Before this idea could take root, someone poured cold water on it: “Putting aside whether we can obtain their technique, even if we do, isn’t their path also centered on the strongest among them? Don’t forget, the Li family specializes in Spirit Commanding. Would creating a Spirit Lock Array be any simpler than the sword cultivators crafting sword seals?”

With that, the discussion ended. The other was right—the Li family’s path of Spirit Commanding naturally honors the strongest, who needs no submission.

Thus, all thoughts of stealing their techniques were abandoned.

Now, among the three hosts, the strength of the sword seal was most keenly felt by Zhou Yu of the National Preceptor’s faction, while Li Zhonghong and Cao Xihe’s hearts grew heavier.

Simply put, Great Sword Azure Mountain was growing ever stronger!

If left unchecked, letting Azure Mountain advance unchecked might threaten the status of the Li family or the Imperial Pavilion.

Great Sword Azure Mountain was a sharp sword indeed, but if it slipped from their control and acted on its own, who could guarantee it would not one day turn against them?

Even if they managed to respond, it would come at a great cost.