Legend of the Great Sage

let out a feeble smile before asking, “This is… Great Buddha mountain?”

“That’s right.
The masters have already learned about the Sword Collection palace’s scheme and understood that I’ve saved the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga.
We’ve already buried the hatchet,” Li Qingshan said rather proudly.

The corner of the Dauntless monk’s eye twitched, but he did not refute him.

“Really? That’s wonderful!” Through his observations, Hua Chengzan knew the matter was nowhere near as simple as Li Qingshan had described it to be, but he did not point that out.
He said in surprise, “You saved the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga?”

“Yeah!”

“Fellow Hua, you’ve spent many years in the Sword Collection palace.
Do you know anything in detail about the Sword Collection palace’s collusion with the Demon domain?” the Unraging monk asked.

“The Sword Collection palace’s colluding with the Demon domain? Oh, I see.
They probably came for the Demon Suppression hall this time!” Hua Chengzan was taken aback before guessing the reason.
He said apologetically, “Sorry, Unraging master.
A secret like that isn’t something a regular elder like me can come into contact with.
However, after undergoing the second heavenly tribulation, wicked thoughts gradually sprang up in my mind, which I could not dismiss.
Only then did I realise there was something wrong with the sword, but I was already too deep in.
It’s all thanks to you, Qingshan, who forced me to make a decision.”

“Haha, I always do good deeds without noticing!” Li Qingshan said.

“Yeah, that would make sense.” The Unraging monk was rather disappointed, but this was expected.
Probably only great sword cultivators that had undergone the third heavenly tribulation could learn about such a crucial secret, but by that stage, they probably would have fallen into the demonic path completely already, leaving them beyond salvation.

“However, the source of all problems might lie within the Sword Collection peak.” Hua Chengzan changed the topic.

“The Sword Collection peak! What do you mean?” the Unraging monk questioned closely. 

The Unraging monk speculated that the Sword Collection palace had given into the temptations of the Demon domain.
He even suspected them to possess a demon cavern specially for communication with the Demon domain, but he never suspected the Sword Collection peak.
That was just a mountain after all, and it had already existed for several thousand years.

“I once looked into the historical annals of the Sword Collection palace.
In the very beginning, the Sword Collection palace was not called Sword Collection palace, nor did they possess such great might and influence.
They only began to rise when it was passed into the hands of their seventh palace master, Sikong Cangjian…”

The Dauntless monk interrupted him.
“That’s not a secret.
Sikong Cangjian was known as the Sword of the Nine Provinces back then.
Even in the current day, all the sword cultivators throughout the world worship him.
He also changed the name of the Divine Sword palace to the Sword Collection palace, so he can even be described as the first palace master of the Sword Collection palace.”

Li Qingshan shook his head.
This name change sure was tasteless.

TL: The “Cangjian” in Sikong Cangjian and the “Sword Collection” in Sword Collection palace are the same characters.
In a sense, Sikong Cangjian basically named the Sword Collection palace after himself.

“The Sword Collection peak also appeared around then?” Gu Yanying said in thought.

“That’s right.
Even many of the renowned and treasured swords appeared during that age, forming the foundation of the Sword Collection palace.”

“Are you saying Sikong Cangjian colluded with the Demon domain and planted the demonic seeds in the swords on the Sword Collection peak?” the Unraging monk asked.

“That’s the greatest source of doubt.
This palace master Sikong ascended long ago, while many of the swords on the Sword Collection peak were gathered afterwards.
My original sword is an example.
It only entered the Sword Collection palace two thousand and seven hundred years ago, so who exactly planted the demonic seed in the sword?”

“Perhaps it was the past masters of the Sword Collection palace if they began colluding with the Demon domain right from the beginning,” the Dauntless monk suggested.

The Unraging monk denied that possibility.
“That’s impossible! Even they themselves have not completely converted to demonfolk.
They don’t even have a hint of demon qi, so they can’t condense demonic seeds like this.
The demonic nature within these demonic seeds are extremely pure too, something that even regular Demon Kings can’t achieve.
It’s probably the handiwork of a Demon Emperor or Demon Sovereign from the Demon domain.”

Gu Yanying said, “But that would mean opening a demon cavern and sending the swords through.
However, even if you ignore the cost of that and whether it’s worth it or not, Great Xia had already been established two thousand seven hundred years ago, and the nine cauldrons had been forged.
It would be impossible to fool the King of Chu’s Green Province cauldron if they opened any demon caverns.”

“I didn’t consider that.
However, as a sword cultivator, I understand just how difficult it is to meddle around with a sword cultivator’s lifebound sword.
On top of that, demonic seeds are merely a condensation of demonic thoughts.
They cannot exist forever.
Also, every single sword was pulled out of the Sword Collection palace before being returned there.”

“Oh right, Yangying, don’t tell me the guy we encountered was the Sword Collection peak?” Li Qingshan recalled the despicable voice he heard in the Waterside Pavilion of Listening Wind.

At the same time, thousands of kilometers away, the Sword Collection peak cleaved through the cloud layer and hovered in the sea of clouds like a lone island, no different from how it had been for the past few millennia.