Chapter 120: Jade Void Peak
Over the course of two days, Pang Yue gathered all the materials needed to brew Enlightenment Jade Dew.
Upon returning to Cloud霄 Peak, he immediately began brewing the spirit wine according to the prescribed method.
But just as he had finished preparing everything, Cao Jingzong sent him a flying-sword message, inviting him to attend a pill banquet.
The banquet was being hosted by Murong Shao, one of the ten foremost direct disciples of the Sword Sect.
Everyone invited to this banquet was a fellow disciple whom Murong Shao acknowledged. None of them was an ordinary or mediocre figure.
According to Temujin, Cao Jingzong was Murong Shao’s right-hand man and enjoyed his deep trust. If Cao Jingzong took a liking to someone, it was tantamount to earning Murong Shao’s approval as well.
As for the benefits of entering the circle surrounding the ten foremost direct disciples, they went without saying.
The pursuit of the Dao and immortality was never a smooth journey.
One was bound to encounter all manner of setbacks and difficulties. Relying solely on the strength of one’s own sect lineage, there would always be times when one’s power proved insufficient.
The ten foremost direct disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect had all been selected by the sect itself. Every one of them was an unparalleled prodigy with hopes of attaining the Primordial Spirit realm in the future.
The degree to which cultivation resources were concentrated upon them was astonishing.
The resources controlled by a single one of the ten foremost direct disciples were comparable to those commanded by the master of one of the seventy-two peaks!
The circle centered around those ten disciples naturally enjoyed treatment unlike that given to ordinary members. More importantly, the members of the circle assisted one another, combining their strengths and making up for one another’s weaknesses. In this way, they could avoid many unnecessary detours.
Pang Yue also wished to see for himself what the foremost Dao Foundation cultivators in the world were truly like.
That day, he accepted the invitation and arrived at Jade Void Peak.
The scenery of each of the seventy-two peaks was unique.
Jade Void Peak was rugged and magnificent, like a pillar of heaven rising into the void. Its entire body gleamed with crystalline purity, resembling flawless jade.
The lofty mountain was riddled with exquisite hollows, while its ridges and summits were奇秀.
Across the whole mountain, only a broad, protruding rock halfway up the slope offered a place to stand. Everywhere else consisted of sheer, jagged cliffs impossible to set foot upon.
The level rock covered several acres. Auspicious clouds curled around it, while on either side a waterfall clung to the cliffs and slanted downward, each like a jade dragon dancing through the air as showers of spiritual rain drifted through the sky.
The protruding platform was as smooth as a mirror, utterly spotless and exceptionally clean.
Near the mountainside stood a grand hall, majestic and towering, blending harmoniously with the mountain itself.
Pang Yue lowered his escaping light and appeared upon the platform.
A richly dressed boy immediately came out from the hall to greet him and ushered him inside.
Before coming, Pang Yue had made a rough inquiry and learned some information about the host of the pill banquet, Murong Shao.
Murong Shao was a disciple of Jade Void Peak. After a century of cultivation, he had been designated by the sect as one of its ten foremost direct disciples thirty years ago.
Since then, his status on Jade Void Peak had risen sharply, surpassing even some of the Golden Core elders there.
Upon entering the grand hall, Pang Yue saw more than a dozen banquet tables laid out, with several dozen Dao Foundation cultivators chatting and laughing in high spirits. The atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
Pang Yue swept his gaze across the hall and immediately saw Cao Jingzong seated high above with four others. Among them, one possessed the most extraordinary bearing.
That must be Murong Shao.
The moment Cao Jingzong saw him enter, he personally rose and led him to the chief seat.
He then introduced him to everyone. “This is the disciple of Cloud Peak whom I mentioned earlier, Chen Mo!”
“Junior Brother, this is Senior Brother Murong Shao.”
Pang Yue cupped his hands and saluted. “Greetings, Senior Brother Murong, and greetings to all the senior brothers.”
Murong Shao was also a young Daoist with a lofty nose and brows that swept into his temples. His features were handsome and refined, and a faint smile rested upon his face, making those around him feel as though they were basking in a warm spring breeze.
Yet his eyes were like bottomless abysses, deep and unfathomable. A single glance from him seemed capable of exposing every secret one possessed.
With a smile, he said, “Junior Brother, to possess such cultivation and swordsmanship at so young an age—you will likely become the second Yang Su of Cloud Peak before long!”
His words suggested that he held Yang Su, the senior-most disciple of Cloud Peak, in considerable esteem.
“Senior Brother is too kind,” Pang Yue replied modestly before taking his seat.
Including Pang Yue, there were six people at this table.
After exchanging a few words of conversation, they became acquainted.
Aside from Murong Shao and Cao Jingzong, one of the other three came from Red Moon Peak. His name was Song Zongze, and the aura surrounding him was deep and profound, in no way inferior to Cao Jingzong’s.
The remaining two were Dao companions, both disciples of the Immortal Talisman Pavilion, one of the six pavilions.
With his sword heart clear and luminous, Pang Yue sensed that none of these people was weaker than his true self.
Murong Shao in particular was formidable. Unless his true self wielded the Primordial Yang Axe or summoned the Immeasurable Light Buddha, he might not necessarily be his match.
At this pill banquet, everything served at the tables consisted of various spiritual pills.
Some enhanced cultivation and magical power.
Others strengthened the physical body, augmented divine sense, or cleansed the soul.
Dozens of varieties of miraculous pills and medicines were brought forth in an endless stream by the maidservants for everyone to sample.
As they chatted, Pang Yue gained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The seventy-two peaks of the Heavenly Sword Sect possessed a total of seventy-two supreme sword arts, each at the pinnacle of the Golden Core realm.
By arranging and combining portions of these seventy-two sword arts, one could form five paths to the Primordial Spirit realm.
The Purple Empyrean Immortal Gourd Sword Scripture cultivated by Cao Jingzong, for instance, contained elements of the Tai Bai Gengjin Gourd Sword Art.
That sword scripture was composed of thirteen separate sword arts.
The Chaotic Thunder Sword Art cultivated by Song Zongze of Red Moon Peak likewise incorporated inheritances from several other peaks. It was composed of sixteen sword arts in total.
The Starry Heavens Sword Canon cultivated jointly by the Dao companions of the Immortal Talisman Pavilion was the same. It merely contained even more sword arts—no fewer than twenty-four.
As for the Tai Bai Immortal-Slaying Sword Art cultivated by Murong Shao, it was formed from thirty-six sword arts!
According to legend, among the Heavenly Sword Sect’s five great Primordial Spirit sword arts, the most difficult to cultivate was the Nine Swords of the Human Sovereign. It consisted of seventy-two sword arts in total.
In other words, a cultivator had to master the sword art of every one of the seventy-two peaks before they could cultivate it.
In every age and era, the supreme geniuses and the truly dull-witted were both exceedingly rare.
The ordinary people between those two extremes made up the vast majority.
Even within the Heavenly Sword Sect, where geniuses were as numerous as clouds, disciples capable of cultivating the Nine Swords of the Human Sovereign were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Pang Yue’s heart was as clear as a mirror as he continuously analyzed these five sword arts.
If he wished to avoid being erased as a calamity by that person from the Heavenly Demon Sect in the future, the safest path was still to cultivate the Nine Swords of the Human Sovereign.
The Heavenly Sword Sect was as famous as the Heavenly Demon Sect, and its path of attack was even more formidable.
If he could master the Nine Swords of the Human Sovereign, he would surely give that qilin son of the Ping family a tremendous surprise.
The Demon Monk Hui Ding had also recognized Pang Yue’s talent in the sword Dao. That was why he had transmitted the teachings to Pang Yue and sent him to infiltrate the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The virtual-reality game from Pang Yue’s previous life had an extraordinary origin, impossible to judge by ordinary reason.
He had roamed within it for many years, dueling and exchanging techniques with countless players. His experience in battle far exceeded that of the vast majority of cultivators in the Eastern Sea cultivation world.
Moreover, he had languished for several centuries within the Heavenly Demon Illusion Realm, waging campaigns across the heavens. His swordsmanship had consequently been tempered to consummate perfection, while the strength of his soul far surpassed that of an ordinary Dao Foundation cultivator.
As for deducing and comprehending sword arts, with the Innate Limitless Stele at his disposal, he would encounter no obstacles whatsoever.
All these factors were what had enabled Hui Ding to take notice of him.
And for the same reason, Cao Jingzong treated him with such favor.
“A few days ago, I carried out a task for the sect, and the sect rewarded me with an island. If any of you are interested, you may go and manage it,” Murong Shao said with a smile.
A divine light flickered across Song Zongze’s face as he refined the medicinal power of the spiritual pills and said, “Since it was bestowed by the sect, it must be no ordinary place.”
Murong Shao nodded. “Spiritual veins converge beneath the island. The sect has developed three hundred acres of supreme-grade spirit fields there, suitable for cultivating all kinds of top-tier spiritual medicines.”
After a pause, he continued, “However, the island lies quite close to the territory of Ten Thousand Demons Island, so it will inevitably suffer attacks from waves of demons.”
Cao Jingzong suddenly turned toward Pang Yue and asked, “Junior Brother, would you be interested?”
An island rich in spiritual medicines, if managed well, could provide a steady and inexhaustible supply of cultivation resources.
Everyone present was tempted. But since Cao Jingzong clearly intended to show Pang Yue goodwill, they all turned their gazes toward him and waited to hear what he would say.