Chapter 5

He Xiaoshan, who had a shorter cultivation period and did not know Jiang Xuejun, asked with his characteristic hoarse voice, "Brother, who is this Jiang Xuejun? How could she scare you so much?"

Qi Deng sighed, "You don't know. Jiang Xuejun was already a famous Earth Immortal over a hundred years ago, before we started our cultivation. She looks like a beautiful and graceful lady, but she is extremely ruthless. Anyone who displeases her even a little bit might end up beheaded by her flying sword, or worse, completely obliterated! I heard that even our Master suffered at her hands back then."

He Xiaoshan widened his eyes in surprise, "She is that powerful?"

"Exactly! I once heard Uncle Ni talk about her. She roamed the world back then, and the number of sword immortals killed by her was no less than eight hundred, if not a thousand! Later, due to excessive killing, she suffered a calamity, and her body turned to ashes. If not for her Master's timely rescue of her soul, she would have been completely destroyed."

Xiao Longzi coldly remarked, "If such a person were allowed to ascend peacefully, it would be a travesty of justice!"

Qi Deng nodded, "Jiang Xuejun is also a proud and arrogant person. She didn't reincarnate but directly cultivated as a soul to regain her status as an Earth Immortal..."

"How is that possible!" He Xiaoshan interrupted Qi Deng in shock, "Without a body, her essence and spirit would be depleted in no time. She wouldn't even be as strong as a wandering immortal, let alone an Earth Immortal."

Qi Deng said with a hint of jealousy, "It's all because she has a good Master! Her Master is Yan Yingmu from Miaozhen Temple on Dongting Mountain in Suzhou! You haven't heard of her? Let me tell you, Yan Yingmu is on the same level as the Long Eyebrowed Immortal of Emei Sect! Jiang Xuejun relied on her Master's boundless power to use thousands of immortal herbs to重塑 her body, thus regaining the path of a celestial immortal. Although her cultivation is more painful, it's not slower than ours. It's been many years since she last appeared. Because her soul body cannot be damaged, or she risks losing her cultivation and even her soul, her Master strictly controls her. That's why the world has been peaceful for the past hundred years, and it's no wonder you don't know her."

He Xiaoshan exclaimed, "Even Senior Brother Yue couldn't match her. Her power is indeed enough to look down on all the heroes in the world!" He turned to Yue Qinbin, "Fortunately, Senior Brother Yue returned safely. As the saying goes, 'As long as the green hills are there, one need not fear a lack of firewood.' We can regroup, gather materials, and choose the right time and place to try again. How could Jiang Xuejun always appear like a divine warrior? Next time, when Senior Brother practices his sword, we can ambush around. If she dares to come, we'll show her our strength! Even if she is powerful, she won't be a match for all four of us!"

Yue Qing put down his teacup and said solemnly, "I don't plan to cultivate the Divine Infant Sword anymore. My Master once said that to cultivate this sword, one must have ten thousand merits, or face heavenly retribution. I have failed three times, and the last time I nearly lost my life. This confirms what my Master said. If I persist, it will only be a waste of time and even endanger my life."

He Xiaoshan hurriedly consoled him, "Senior Brother, don't be discouraged. Not long ago, Brother Qi went south and met Senior Brother Long Fei, who had joined the White Bone Spirit Lord. He is cultivating the Nine Mother Yin Soul Sword, which ranks higher than the Divine Infant Sword and is second only to the Five Poison Immortal Sword cultivated by the Primordial Ancestor. He is almost done, which shows that as long as we..."

Yue Qing waved to stop him, "We are at odds with the Emei Sect and can no longer coexist. Even if we don't seek them out, they will surely try to eliminate us. I am not giving up, but I suddenly realized that to defeat the Emei Sect and restore the greatness of our Master's time, cultivating a single treasure sword or a few magical artifacts is not enough. Even if I cultivate the Heavenly Demon Immortal Sword and defeat Qi Shuming, the Wutai Sect will still be in decline. The most important thing is to inherit our Master's teachings. The *Primordial True Scripture* has three volumes and a supplementary volume. I only have the middle and lower volumes, and I need to find the upper volume and the supplementary volume."

Xiao Longzi said, "The upper volume was only cultivated by the Primordial Ancestor. Others have only heard of it but never seen it. Initially, everyone suspected it was with Xu Feiniang, but it was later proven that she didn't have it. As for the supplementary volume, it was stolen by the traitor Zhu Hong along with the Taiyi Five Smoke Net. No one knows where they are." Xiao Longzi's voice grew colder, "If not for his theft, the Primordial Ancestor wouldn't have failed and died in the battle against the Three Immortals and Two Elders. We have been searching for years, and it won't be easy for Senior Brother to find the scriptures."

"Our Master's great vengeance has not been avenged, and our sect is in danger of being destroyed. No matter how difficult or dangerous it is, we, as disciples, must fulfill our duty," Yue Qing said firmly. In fact, he already knew where the traitor Zhu Hong was hiding, but he couldn't tell the three of them. If the news got out, the Wutai Sect's fellow disciples would all try to seize it, and even the Fire Ancestor of the Huashan Sect and our Uncle Mahavira, who lives in the Yunmeng Mountains, would come forward to claim it as elders. Although he was close to the three, he didn't tell them.

The next day, Yue Qing bid farewell to Qi Deng and the others, proposing to travel the world to capture the traitor Zhu Hong.

He and Situ Ping left the Gansu and Shaanxi regions, flying southwest to the Four Gates Mountain.

The area was surrounded by steep mountains, with four towering peaks like gates guarding a small basin in the center. The basin was barren, with only bare rocks and no vegetation, and even rats didn't come here to forage. Due to its remote location in the southwest, few people had discovered it.

Yue Qing landed on the northern peak, found a shady spot, and gathered the Five Elements True Qi in his right index finger. The tip glowed with colorful light as he drew several talismans on the rock, which, despite being hard and smooth from years of wind and rain, was carved as easily as tofu, with fragments falling off to form the talismans.

He surrounded Situ Ping with the talismans in a circle and instructed, "Stay here and don't leave the circle no matter what happens. I... your Master will be back soon." Seeing Situ Ping nod in understanding, he patted his head to encourage him.

Yue Qing knew Zhu Hong's background well. Zhu Hong had only studied at Wutai for about twenty years but, due to his intelligence and flattery, was deeply favored by the Primordial Ancestor, who privately taught him many techniques and personally helped him cultivate the Three Elements Sword. He was even allowed to enter the alchemy room and inner cave. This allowed him to steal the supplementary volume and the Taiyi Five Smoke Net, which indirectly led to the Primordial Ancestor's severe injury and eventual death during the second sword battle.

In a real fight, Zhu Hong was no match for Yue Qing in either sword techniques or magic, but the Taiyi Five Smoke Net was a powerful protective treasure, so he needed to use some tactics.

Yue Qing took out eight small banners, each with a golden rod and a silver silk surface embroidered with strange talismans. He placed them at the eight trigram positions around the dragon veins, inserting the golden rods into the rock with a light crack. He sprayed a mouthful of true qi, and the banners disappeared. The eight banners formed an array, covering the entire area within dozens of miles.

Yue Qing arrived at the entrance of Zhu Hong's cave, his heart pounding with emotion. His Master had saved him from the chaos of war, raised him, and taught him the ways of cultivation, acting as both a teacher and a father. However, his Master died because of Zhu Hong's theft, and for the past thirty years, he had been determined to capture Zhu Hong, to eat his flesh and wear his skin!

Overwhelming hatred surged in his heart. Yue Qing gathered his true qi into a Five Elements Divine Thunder, which he released from his palm. With a loud boom, the thunder shot out, shattering the stone door and collapsing half of the cave entrance, sending debris and dust flying. Yue Qing took a deep breath and shouted, "Zhu Hong! Yue Qing has come to see you. Come out and meet an old friend!"

After a moment, the dust settled, but the cave remained eerily quiet.