Chapter 56

"Alright, no more nonsense." Guchen Sha looked at Chenshan Feng and said, "I don't start trouble unless provoked, but you actually want to capture me and extract my bloodline. That's a bit too much. But you are still a member of my mother's clan, so I don't want to make things difficult for you, and I certainly don't want to kill or hurt you. How about this: you tell me how to obtain the Law-Breaking Immortal Sword, and I'll let you go, allowing you to leave freely."

"Daydreaming!" Chenshan Feng sneered repeatedly, "Even if you imprison me now, the Chen family has many experts who will come to rescue me. Besides, you've just made a powerful enemy. Right now, you are surrounded by enemies on all sides. That Gufansha, Lou Baiyue, Guzhensha, and even the court, aren't they all your enemies?"

"That doesn't matter. Even if you don't tell me, I can still find a way to subdue this sword." Guchen Sha observed the Law-Breaking Immortal Sword in the "Sun and Moon Altar" and noticed that the sword was quite obedient, lying there calmly, occasionally moving as if it were very comfortable.

He immediately recalled the books he had read, searching for any records of how ancient emperors performed rituals to obtain magical treasures.

In theory, the ritual to worship heaven is all-powerful. This kind of minor task should be easy to accomplish if one knows the ritual method.

But after recalling for a long time, he found nothing, realizing that he still needed to read more.

"This sword was refined by Grandmaster Wen Hong, with his spirit infused into it. As long as he thinks about it, the sword will fly back to him." Chenshan Feng said disdainfully, "Unless your power exceeds that of the Grandmaster, there's no way you can take it."

"I remember the Law-Cutting Immortal Sword is in the hands of the seventh elder." Guchen Sha tried to gather more secrets.

"He is a member of the Legalist school, and these six swords were refined by ancient sages and the Legalists after a fierce struggle. That's why they are called Lawless, Law-Ending, Law-Destroying, Law-Cutting, Law-Absorbing, and Law-Breaking. After obtaining this sword, he returned to the Legalist school and used secret methods to suppress and study the sword, greatly enhancing his power. But the Grandmaster will eventually come to reclaim the six swords and unite them." Chenshan Feng revealed the secret, his eyes slightly moving, unsure of what he was planning.

"You won't get away either." Guchen Sha crossed his fingers, "Since you are a rebel, capturing you is a greater merit than killing an old demon. I will hand you over to the court."

Hearing this, Chenshan Feng finally showed a look of fear.

Guchen Sha changed his tone, "But I have the emperor's command to recruit the remnants of the Xian dynasty. If the Xian royal family can make amends, they can join my ranks. How about this: you assist me in fighting the barbarians, and if you can kill three thousand of them, I will release you."

"Hmph!" Chenshan Feng coldly snorted, sat on the ground, and closed his eyes, neither fleeing nor agreeing.

"Anyway, the town will soon be attacked by the barbarians. If you don't kill them, they will kill you and offer you as a sacrifice." Guchen Sha ignored him, stood up, and walked outside.

"Should I run or not?" Chenshan Feng was torn: "If I can't escape, I might anger him, and if he hands me over to the court, I will be doomed. The key is that he can obtain the Law-Breaking Immortal Sword, which means he has more cards than I imagined. I should stay here and figure out his cards before making a decision."

Outside the courtyard, Shizhong Tie was practicing his sword skills diligently. He was deeply motivated and striving to improve.

The sword light enveloped his body, dancing up and down, advancing and retreating, moving left and right, as if drawing a landscape painting. One could vaguely see the towering mountains and rocks in the sword light, layer upon layer, pressing down.

Suddenly, he let out a long whistle, and the sword light shot into the sky, like a mountain rising from the ground, connecting heaven and earth, becoming a pillar.

"I still can't break through." After a long time, he sheathed his sword, stood still, and sighed.

"The Dao realm is extremely difficult to pass. I have been stuck here for a long time without making progress." Guchen Sha learned a lot from Shizhong Tie, who had extensive combat experience, years of hard training, and many qualities that he lacked.

"I entered the Martial Master realm ten years ago and have been struggling ever since, unable to break through the barrier between mortals and immortals." Shizhong Tie bowed, sheathed his sword, and had a look of melancholy on his face: "The Duke told me that this barrier requires accumulation. The longer the accumulation, the further the path after breaking through. One must not rush, but ten years is a long time to endure."

"I have been a Martial Master for less than a year." Guchen Sha thought to himself: "If I can't break through in ten years, I might become disheartened. Perhaps I can form a good relationship with Shizhong Tie..."

He then took out a small bottle, "Catch."

"What is this?" Shizhong Tie caught it, opened the bottle, and found a few drops of dew. The fragrance was overwhelming, and just a whiff made his meridians feel relaxed, his blood and qi circulating with a cool and warm sensation, almost making him lose himself: "This is Heavenly Dew!"

"You know about Heavenly Dew?" Guchen Sha was somewhat surprised.

"The Emperor once bestowed it upon the Duke, and I have seen and smelled it before. I never thought that the Nineteenth Prince would have it. How can I possibly accept such a reward?" Shizhong Tie knelt on one knee, not daring to accept.

"The Duke gave me three hundred sets of Horned Dragon Armor, which are invaluable. I have nothing to offer in return. Besides, you are at a critical point in your cultivation. If you can make further progress, it will greatly benefit the fight against the barbarians. You are also familiar with combat and training methods, and my soldiers need your training to become elite." Guchen Sha frowned: "These days, I have been uneasy, sensing that the barbarians have some plot. I need to investigate the temple again, but I captured Chenshan Feng yesterday and don't want to kill him. He also refuses to submit. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Chenshan Feng has a significant position in the Xian royal family and is a key member." Shizhong Tie reluctantly accepted the Heavenly Dew, clearly feeling more favorably: "If you hand him over to me, I have many methods to make him reveal the truth."

"Severe torture is not necessarily the best choice." Guchen Sha shook his head: "To be honest, the Xian royal family and I have a blood connection. They are my mother's clan, and the Emperor's intention is to recruit them, using their influence among the people of the Xian dynasty to resolve the blood feud of the past."

"In that case, the only option is to release Chenshan Feng and secretly follow him. Once he leaves, he will surely contact other members of the Xian royal family, providing us with valuable information." Shizhong Tie frowned: "But he is a Dao realm expert, and it will be very difficult to follow him. Moreover, if we encounter other remnants of the Xian dynasty, we might be in danger."

"That's a good idea." Guchen Sha nodded in approval: "In that case, I will follow him personally."

"Nineteenth Prince, you must not." Shizhong Tie quickly stopped him: "A prince of the blood should not take such risks. If anything happens to you, I will not be able to bear the responsibility."

"Without entering the tiger's den, how can one catch the tiger's cub?" Guchen Sha patted his shoulder: "I'm afraid that if I leave, the barbarians will attack."

"Nineteenth Prince, rest assured. We have rich combat experience." Shizhong Tie saw that Guchen Sha was determined and knew that persuasion was futile, so he decided to focus on his own tasks.

These days, he was secretly amazed that Guchen Sha was giving his subordinates Blood-Strengthening Pills, a treatment reserved for the most elite under the Marquis of Giant Rock. The prince was rumored to be poor, yet he was now being so generous. Where did he get the wealth?

Guchen Sha turned back to the hall, and Chenshan Feng was indeed still there, meditating and gathering spiritual energy, which was being absorbed into his body. Unfortunately, his understanding was not deep, and the spiritual energy was intermittent, sometimes present and sometimes absent. If this continued, he might regress to the Martial Master realm.

Cultivation can regress.

For example, in the practice of absorbing spiritual energy through breathing, one uses mental感应 to sense the spiritual energy and then incorporates it into the body through breathing. However, if one encounters a major setback or doubts one's path, the mind becomes clouded, and the ability to sense spiritual energy is lost, leading to regression to the Martial Master realm.

If one cultivates through personal effort and endures various trials, regression is less likely. However, if one relies on elixirs or sacrifices, the risk of regression is much higher.

Chenshan Feng had suffered a significant setback, losing the Law-Breaking Immortal Sword and being captured, which left him mentally agitated. His cultivation was weak, and there was a risk of regression.

"You can go. I've decided to let you go." Guchen Sha pointed to the outside.

"Really?" Chenshan Feng opened his eyes wide: "You're not just trying to trick me into revealing secrets?"

"Do you want to go or not?" Guchen Sha was too lazy to explain.

Chenshan Feng immediately leaped up, ran out of the courtyard, jumped onto the wall, and disappeared.

Guchen Sha's body flickered, and he moved in another direction. He wasn't worried about losing Chenshan Feng, as he had already caught his scent and used the Sun and Moon Transformation to focus his mind on his nose, making his sense of smell more acute than a hound's.

The Sun and Moon Transformation involves many acupoints, meridians, and spiritual orifices in the body, as well as methods to cultivate the nervous system. For example, there are several secret points on the nose. If one concentrates blood and qi and mental energy on these points, one can enhance one's sense of smell beyond normal human capabilities.

In the distant forest, Chenshan Feng panted heavily, staring at the town he had just escaped from, his face twisted with a fierce expression: "Guchen Sha, you've taken my Law-Breaking Immortal Sword. I won't let this go. But I haven't figured out all your cards yet, which is a problem. You let me go so easily, surely you want to follow me. In that case, I'll use your plan against you and lead you into a trap."

After resting for a while, he flew through the forest, paying close attention to his surroundings. After running for two hours, he found no signs of being followed.

"Did he really not follow me? No, I can't think that way. This person is not that kind. But I've run for hundreds of miles, and it's time to contact someone for safety." He took out a jade token from his pocket and crushed it, causing a flash of fire.

After crushing the jade token, he sat on the ground to rest and wait.

When dawn came, a black dot appeared high in the sky, descending like an arrow. Upon reaching the mountaintop, it turned out to be a giant golden-winged roc, with black-gold feathers and a massive body. Its wingspan was about three to four zhang, and its talons were large enough to grab not just a cow but even an elephant.

"A Golden-Winged Roc."

Guchen Sha, hiding in the distance, frowned when he saw the bird.

His eyes were sharp, and he saw a woman on the bird's back.

(End of the page)