Tang Thirty-Six's gaze moved back and forth between the two of them as he asked, "How can the two of you be so calm when discussing such a serious and even terrifying matter?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "Back in the Orthodox Academy, I told you that I've been sick since I was a child and wouldn't live past the age of twenty."
Tang Thirty-Six naturally would not forget that matter.
At the time, the Orthodox Academy had been shrouded in a gloomy fog.
Every word Chen Changsheng had said had sounded like his last words to them.
Zhexiu replied, "I've also been sick since I was a child."
Yes, from a certain perspective, Chen Changsheng and Zhexiu's lives were extremely similar in their wretchedness.
When they came to this world, they knew that they could not stay here for too long.
There was no more accurate description of life in the face of death.
In a certain period of time in the past, they had probably been depressed, disappointed, and even despaired, staring at the shadow of death night after night until they finally grew numb and became calm.
Even now, they were still very young, but they were even more indifferent to death than the vast majority of the world's elders.
This was very admirable, and also somewhat sorrowful.
Hu Thirty-Two sighed.
Ye Xiaolian, who had remained silent all this time, turned around and rubbed her eyes.
The cliff was quiet, the mood rather gloomy.
Tang Thirty-Six felt even more strange and inexplicably apologetic. He mumbled, "Shouldn't I have also been sick since I was a child?"
Zhexiu expressionlessly replied, "You've always been sick."
Tang Thirty-Six's eyes went round as he asked, "What illness?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "The illness of wealth?"
Tang Thirty-Six saw that they were still in the mood to tease him and knew that the situation was not as tense and terrible as he had imagined. He somewhat relaxed and patted Zhexiu on the shoulder. "Then let's go. Whether it's a dragon's pool, a tiger's den, or the Myriad Sword Array, I'll accompany you today and fulfill your last wish."
He was naturally speaking of that mountain shrouded in clouds.
Zhexiu replied, "I might not necessarily die, so I can't say it's my last wish."
Chen Changsheng replied, "Correct, I've already lived to twenty."
Tang Thirty-Six asked, "Then why do we have to go to Mount Li?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "Because Mount Li is there."
(There's a saying in the spy: Why do we fight? Because the enemy was there! It's a famous saying from the mountaineering world. It's very sour, but I think it's very cute. I know that it's very cheap to use it here, but I can't help but use it. Everyone, close your eyes and bear with it.)
Why go to Mount Li?
Because Qi Jian was at Mount Li, if Zhexiu wanted to see her, it was just that simple.
Moreover, Mount Li was very close to Holy Maiden Peak, so it wouldn't take long for them to arrive.
To Chen Changsheng, besides satisfying Zhexiu's wishes, this trip to Mount Li this time had an even more important reason. He had once read a certain treatise on the sword in the Daoist Canon, which mentioned that the Mount Li Sword Sect had a method that should be able to temporarily stabilize Zhexiu's illness. It was just that he did not know if there was anyone in Mount Li who had cultivated this method.
The iron chains within the clouds were faintly discernible, lightly swaying in the wind. It looked extremely dangerous, but for Chen Chang Sheng's group, it wasn't a difficult task.
It didn't take long for them to cross the bottomless mountain stream and arrive at the opposite mountain peak.
Under Ye Xiaolian's lead, they passed through the precipitous stone path between the cliffs, heading towards the peaks of the north.
After walking for an unknown amount of time and passing by several green mountains, they finally saw the main peak of Mount Li in the distance.
The main peak of Mount Li was divided into two parts by the clouds. The lower part was covered in lush vegetation, while the mountain above the clouds was completely made of rock. It was like a stone pillar that reached the heavens, sparkling with dazzling rays of light under the sunlight. From a distance, it seemed like a massive sword ready to stab at the heavens at any time.
Seeing this stone peak, Chen Chang Sheng and the others felt a fierce sword intent assaulting their faces.
They even had a feeling that the rays of light refracted by this mountain could at any time transform into sword Qi that crisscrossed the world.
The closer they got to the main peak of Mount Li, the clearer this feeling became. However, they still did not see any flying swords, only the occasional glimmer of sword glows in the depths of the clouds. Through Ye Xiaolian's introduction, they realized that these were probably the disciples of the various peaks diligently practicing the sword.
Chen Chang Sheng's talent in the way of the sword was extremely high, and his understanding of the Mount Li Sword Style was extremely profound. Just from the traces of the sword glows, he could determine what sword style the disciples of Mount Li Sword Sect in the clouds practiced and what path of the sword they cultivated. His current level of attainment was very admirable.
When Zhexiu and Tang Thirty-Six saw those sword glows, they mostly felt that those sword glows were very dazzling and their sword intents were very fierce, but they were also very open and aboveboard, giving off a feeling of righteousness. They seemed especially youthful and exuberant, full of vitality.
Even though there had been many stories between him and the Mount Li Sword Sect in the past few years, and Tang Thirty-Six had never liked them, he had to admit that this made him think of the Orthodox Academy.
His favorite, his Orthodox Academy.
Zhexiu and Chen Chang Sheng felt the same. They even thought that if they had not entered the Orthodox Academy, coming to Mount Li to cultivate would have been an excellent choice.
As they followed the stone path upwards, the terrain gradually became higher. The mountain forest gradually became colder, the leaves gradually became sparse, and the mountain wind gradually became stronger. Much of the clouds were dispersed, and they could gradually see the scenery between the peaks.
Sword glows crisscrossed the countless plateaus, and a few secluded caves had disciples sitting cross-legged in front of them, comprehending the sword.
Ye Xiaolian explained to them that those caves were often the residences of the elders of Mount Li. Those buildings with red maple leaves were the Torture Hall, and even higher up were the Sword Hall. As for the several dozen small white courtyards in the middle of the plateaus, they were the disciples' courtyards. As they walked forward …
"What sort of stone is this?"
Tang Thirty-Six pointed at a square stone that seemed to have been washed by water for tens of thousands of years, its surface extremely smooth.
The shape of this square stone did not seem special, but it faintly exuded some sort of Sword Qi. It was clearly not an ordinary object.
Ye Xiaolian replied, "The founder of Mount Li sharpened his sword for three hundred years before comprehending the Dao of the sword. It's said that this is that sharpening stone."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "If the rumors are true, then this really is a treasure. I wonder how many crystals we can get if we auction it off in Xuelao City."
Ye Xiaolian snapped, "What you need to consider is not how much money you can get, but how many days you can survive the full-force pursuit of the Mount Li Sword Sect."
Tang Thirty-Six said indifferently, "It was just a joke. There's no need to be so serious."
He was prepared to walk forward, but Ye Xiaolian called him back.
"This stone is now called the Sword Comprehension Stone. Any cultivator going through the main peak of Mount Li must remove their swords here as a sign of respect."
Ye Xiaolian said, "If you walk over like this and something happens, don't blame me for not warning you."
"Truly arrogant."
Tang Thirty-Six had never had a good impression of the Mount Li Sword Sect, and he was also used to being the most arrogant person. He said, "I don't understand, but what can I do?"
Ye Xiaolian knew his temper and did not continue to provoke him. "You can also remove your swords, but you need to wait for a Mount Li disciple on the peak to come and receive you."
Tang Thirty-Six felt that this was very troublesome, but he also did not believe that anything would actually happen, so he just walked over.
Chen Changsheng shook his head at this sight.
Just as Tang Thirty-Six walked over the Sword Comprehension Stone, a Sword Qi that was not sharp, but incomparably mellow suddenly emerged from the stone.
The sheath of the Wenshui Sword seemed to ripple with light, and then it began to hum. It seemed to be some sort of response, and also seemed to be some sort of explanation.
Whooshwhooshwhooshwhooshwhooshwhooshwhooshing through the air could be heard as several dozen white lines emerged from the clouds.
Several dozen swords quietly floated in the air, their sharp tips aimed at Chen Changsheng's group.
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