The Cultivation practitioners around Tianguang Peak were shocked again.
It was because of the name Taiping Zhenren.
It wasn't surprising to hear the name Taiping Zhenren from the mouth of this member of the royal family of the Underworld. One of Taiping Zhenren's crimes back then was that he colluded with the Underworld and attempted to destroy the human race. It was evident that Taiping Zhenren was behind the civil strife in Aoyama this time. He must have had something to do with Fang Jingtian taking the Immortal Tai Lu away from the Sword Jail.
But Bai Zhenren and the other important figures of various sects thought that Taiping Zhenren would hide behind the scenes and control everything from a distance, just like he had done before. They didn't expect that he would take action in person, and his action was … to write a letter. What was the content of the letter? Why did this member of the royal family of the Underworld have to come in person?
According to the child in blue, he was also the personal disciple of Taiping Zhenren. No wonder he called those disciples of Aoyama fellow disciples when he saw Guo Nanshan's flying sword.
"He has taken in another one?"
Looking at the child in blue on the peak top, Bu Qiuxiao said with a grave countenance, "And he dares to show up in broad daylight. This devil is getting more and more arrogant!"
…
…
The child in blue drifted slowly toward the peak top.
The Blue Ocean Sword and a dozen other flying swords surrounded him, following him.
After confirming that this child from the Underworld was not a threat, Yuan Qijing waved his hand to indicate that they didn't need to be too vigilant.
Guo Nanshan and the others took back their flying swords.
The child in blue patted his chest, the leaf-like fringe on his forehead fluttering in the wind, looking somewhat adorable.
He drifted toward the small hut. As he passed by the stone monument, he glanced at the Round Turtle reflexively, showing a frightened expression in his eyes.
The Round Turtle didn't open his eyes.
The child in blue drew back his gaze hastily and came to the front of the chair. Floating in the air, he knelt down before Jing Jiu and bowed solemnly.
"Are you Apiao?" asked Jing Jiu.
In the beginning after Tong Yan entered the Underworld, the mosquito had sent him some information.
He easily understood everything.
It was true that this child in blue clothing was the future King Of The Underworld chosen by the Underworld Master for Jing Jiu. She was also Apiao who had played chess with Tong Yan in the Underworld for many years. Because of the agreement between Jing Jiu and the Underworld Master, Apiao was brought to the land of Chaotian by Tong Yan. She came to Aoyama through the small green curtain sedan. After doing something in the hermit peaks, she appeared on the top of Tianguang Peak.
If all of this was planned by Taiping Zhenren in advance, it would be really scary.
The question was, why would Taiping Zhenren allow Apiao, who might become the future King Of The Underworld, to appear in front of everyone at the Aoyama Ceremony?
He had schemed for such a long time and prepared for so many years. What exactly was he trying to achieve?
"Yes." Kneeling in the air, Apiao said to Jing Jiu, "Thank you for thinking so highly of this junior, Immortal. However, I had already become a personal disciple of my Teacher a few years before you were ready to take me on as your personal disciple."
"Don't worry about it," said Jing Jiu.
"Thank you for your understanding, Immortal," said Apiao.
Though the conversation was simple, it had many hidden meanings.
Those who were observant would understand the hidden meanings.
Moreover, it was evident that Apiao had said those words on purpose.
Many people suspected that Jing Jiu had colluded with the Underworld. This suspicion was not new. Back when the Zhongzhou School pressured the Aoyama Sect at the Guocheng Temple, the priests of the Underworld suddenly appeared on the Cold Mountain one after another and were then killed by the Aoyama Sect … The Cultivation circle had already suspected it back then.
It looked like these suspicions would be confirmed today.
"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you like how I killed Senior Master Tai Lu?" asked Jing Jiu.
"The Immortal Tai Lu deserted the Sword Jail without permission, so he deserved to die. Though I'm the disciple of Taiping Zhenren, I've come to Aoyama to warn you today. Why should I die?"
Apiao said this with an innocent expression, as if she were truly innocent.
This statement was a mess, but it seemed to make sense after the mess was over.
Yet, Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qü felt the expression on this small devil of the Underworld looked familiar, and they felt uncomfortable.
Jing Jiu didn't intend to kill him, asking, "Where's the letter?"
Apiao stood up and straightened her collar. "The Immortal knows that you won't admit that you are a sword devil, and he even predicted that you wouldn't defend yourself and would kill the Immortal Tai Lu directly," she said to Jing Jiu with a serious expression. "It's because you've taken the spiritual soul of the Immortal Jingyang and inherited all his memories and temperament. Just like him, you don't like trouble and are lazy."
"But your problem is …" he turned around and looked at Fang Jingtian, saying seriously, "You've reached the Heavenly Arrival realm, so you must be a bit arrogant. You think you can do anything by inviting the Immortal Tai Lu. But you don't know that it's all in vain."
These words were impolite, and could even be called a rebuke.
But Fang Jingtian listened quietly, because it was a message on behalf of his Master.
He had been in closed-door training in the hermit peaks all these years, cutting off contact with the outside world, so he didn't know the arrangement of his Master Taiping Zhenren.
He didn't leave the manor cave until the bamboo flute sounded and the wild flowers bloomed all over the mountain.
Now that he thought about it, the bamboo flute should have something to do with this cute little child of the Underworld.
It turned out that his Master was right about him. He was indeed a bit arrogant.
The Immortal Tai Lu couldn't play a decisive role.
Even if the Immortal Tai Lu were still alive, he couldn't overthrow Jing Jiu from the position of the Sect Master of Aoyama.
Which one is the proof of who I am, the spiritual soul or the physical body?
The Immortal Tai Lu had only seen the appearance of the Sword Devil, so how could he tell who Jing Jiu was?
This was still an unsolvable problem.
"Stop nagging," said Jing Jiu.
Apiao understood his advice. She floated to the midair on the peak top and turned her head to look at him in the hut, saying, "You should be proven, and you can be proven."
When he was still on the mountain path, he had already said these two sentences.
He repeated it because it was important.
Bai Zhenren, Bu Qiuxiao, Zen Master, Shui Yue Nunnery, and other important figures in the Cultivation circle had all remained silent from beginning to end.
This was a major internal affair of the Aoyama Sect. Keeping silent was a sign of respect.
It was then that Zen Master suddenly spoke.
He walked to the edge of the Cloud Platform barefoot, looked at the blue-clothed child on the peak top, and asked, "How can you prove that he is Jingyang, or that he is not Jingyang?"
"I don't need to prove whether he is Jingyang or not. I only need to prove that he is the All in One Sword, and then he is not Jingyang."
Faced with Zen Master's inquiry, Apiao was very calm and indifferent, as if the blue-clothed child who was timid under the flying sword of Aoyama was not him.
It was because he was Taiping Zhenren writing the letter, and what he said was what Taiping Zhenren wanted to say.
"How can you prove that he is the All in One?"
Apiao said, "The details Fang Jingtian found are only clues and suspicions, and the Immortal Tai Lu's identification is only a witness; there is no concrete evidence after all."
To solve a case, clues are the index, and witnesses are the light; but only things like material evidence are the most credible.
The problem was, how could there be any material evidence for this kind of thing?
"You are the evidence," Apiao said to Jing Jiu, looking at him.
This sentence seemed to be the same as what Fang Jingtian had said at the beginning, but everyone knew that it must be different.
As expected, Apiao continued, "I have a way to prove that you are the All in One."
Bai Zhenren also stood up from the chair, walked to the edge of the Cloud Platform, and asked, "What way?"
"When I was very young, I was sent to a village and studied with a teacher for several years."
Apiao said, "During those years, apart from the most basic zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as eating, drinking, and playing, I only learned one sword move."
He was accepted as a successor by Taiping Zhenren and a candidate to be the next King Of The Underworld, so his talent was naturally extraordinary.
He had spent several years being taught by Taiping Zhenren, but he had only learned one sword move. It was not hard to imagine how amazing that move was.
Apiao looked at Jing Jiu and said, "That move is the Normalization of the Inherited Heaven Sword Style."
Hearing this, the Cultivation practitioners of other sects didn't have much reaction, nor did the disciples of other peaks in Aoyama. Only those of Tianguang Peak were quite surprised.
Tianguang Peak had learned the Inherited Heaven Sword Style, but they had never heard of the Normalization of the Inherited Heaven Sword Style.
Even the elders like Mo Chi had never heard of this Inherited Heaven Sword Style, let alone the young disciples like Guo Nanshan and Zhuo Rusui.
Fang Jingtian hadn't heard of the Normalization of the Inherited Heaven Sword Style either, but his eyes lit up as he guessed what it was.
Yuan Qijing slightly raised his eyebrows.
Fu Wang, Chen Youtian, and the other peak heads were moved.
…
…
The Cultivation circle had always thought that the Principal Sword of Aoyama was the Inherited Heaven Sword; but in fact, the Inherited Heaven Sword was merely a sheath.
The real Principal Sword of Aoyama was a Devil Sword called All in One.
It could even be said that the entire Aoyama came from the All in One Sword.
Many years ago, the founding grandmaster of Aoyama picked up this Devil Sword among the green peaks. He had finally found a way to control it after many years of trying.
It was the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword that he had built himself, and the corresponding sword move.
Later on, all the sect masters of Aoyama would control the All in One Sword with the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword. Only such a person was qualified to be the true sect master.
However, the All in One Sword suddenly disappeared among the peaks of Aoyama many years ago as the Immortal Daoyuan and the Immortal Chenzhou died suddenly.
Taiping Zhenren and the Dead Dog had been searching for it secretly in Aoyama for many years, but they couldn't find it.
Unexpectedly, this sword had fallen into the hands of Jing Jiu.
Of course, it was also possible that Jing Jiu was that sword move.
The "Returning to One" mentioned by Apiao was the sword move that could control All in One.
"Immortal, do you want to prove that you are not the All in One? It's simple. "
Apiao said to Jing Jiu, "Please take out the Inherited Heaven Sword and let me try this sword move. What do you think?"
It was deathly quiet among the peaks of Aoyama.
The iron eagles on the distant Sword Peaks didn't take off.
The atmosphere became a bit weird.
Everybody looked at Jing Jiu.
The Inherited Heaven Sword was in his hands.
If he was willing to take it out and let Apiao try it with the "Returning to One" move, it would prove that he was not that sword devil.
If he was unwilling to take it out, then … the answer would be revealed.
It turned out that the letter from the Immortal Taiping was directed at this sword.
…
…
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