Legend of the Great Sage

reddened rapidly.
“Let go of me!”

Li Qingshan raised a jar of alcohol and drank it all.
He laughed aloud.
“I’m afraid I can’t abide!”

The smell of alcohol wafted into the surroundings, and Han Qiongzhi seemed to catch the scent too.
This man who had once made her, someone who did not even know what love was, fall in love at first sight, had become even bolder than before.
A simple smile from him possessed the charm to steal her heart.
That was true in the past, and it was no different right now.
Even though they could not become partners of cultivation, even though they spent more time apart than together, she did not feel any regret.

Everyone roared in laughter.
Only when Li Qingshan saw her grow redder and redder, almost to the point where she was embarrassed out of her mind, did he release her, making her sit right next to him.
However, he still had his hand around her waist to prevent her from running away.

Han Qiongzhi elbowed him viciously.
Unable to break free, all she could do was give up.
She was embarrassed, but there was a hint of happiness in her eyes.

The group drank under the moon, which sure was cheerful.

“Qingshan, if you become a guest elder of the Sword Collection palace, we’ll be able to travel together,” Hua Chengzan said.

“If it’s possible, I’d obviously like to draw a renowned sword.
However, I still need my master’s permission with regard to this.
I can’t make the decision arbitrarily.”

Li Qingshan glanced at Yin Xiaochou.
He was currently drinking by himself, sombre like he was drowning his sorrows through drinking.
But in Li Qingshan’s eyes, he only seemed like another poser.
A legacy from the sword just was not his personal comprehension.
A slight difference existed.

Since this kid is bold enough to mention it- no, since the Sword Collection palace is bold enough to mention it, don’t tell me they’re certain that the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga will agree to it? Otherwise, wouldn’t they completely embarrass themselves? Or is the Sword Collection palace thinking of forging an alliance with the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, and they want to use me as a binding force?

Li Qingshan contemplated and gradually made up his mind.
Suddenly, he raised his head.
“It’s going to rain.”

Everyone looked up.
The bright moon hung in the middle of the sky with only a few, wispy clouds floating through the deep-blue night sky.
It did not seem like it was about to rain at all!

But very soon, fierce winds arrived, whistling past the mountain peak.
Like a huge, invisible hand pulling over a great curtain, dense clouds shrouded the entire sky in the blink of an eye, weighing heavily down on the mountain peak.
It was like they were within arm’s reach.

“A storm is brewing!” Li Qingshan said slowly. 

After the war in the Clear River prefecture passed, the situation across the nine provinces gradually began to shift over the past few years.
Battles between humans and daemons constantly erupted, and the demonic sects that had been suppressed for several millennia began to emerge once more, stirring up a vicious mess in the Cloud, Mist, Frost, and Thunder provinces.

The Great Xia empire’s control over the various provinces was rapidly declining.
Actually, that was already evident from the White Lotus cult.
In the past, even if the White Lotus Mother had fled to the Mist province, she would have to tuck her tail between her legs and behave.
Why would the Hawkwolf Guard allow her to rebuild her headquarters in such a brazen manner? But now, no one cared anymore.

And, that was the boundary of the Mist province that was very close to the Green province and the Dragon province.
If he went further south by another several tens of thousand kilometers, he could basically imagine what the South Sea commandery would be like.

The time when order disintegrated was also the time when weapons would be raised.
Everything would depend on strength.
The Sword Collection palace and the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga were both so-called orthodox sects.
At such a critical time, strengthening their unity was an obvious choice.

“Yeah!” Hua Chengzan sighed.
No one present was stupid.
They could all tell what Li Qingshan was implying, and they sank into their thoughts.
For a moment, the terrace was silent.
Only the wind whistled through the air.

Everyone had personally experienced the brutality of the war in the Clear River prefecture, but looking at it now, that was merely a small problem, the calm before the storm.
Even greater problems were awaiting up ahead!

The dark clouds blotted out the moon and large droplets of rain fell down.
The surroundings were pitch-black, filled with the pitter-patter of rain, but surprisingly, there was no thunder.

The halls below the mountain shone brightly with lantern light, but they seemed to become dimmer, wavering in the wind and rain.

The rain was unable to reach them, but the atmosphere had become rather stifling without the moon and stars.

“The orthodoxy of the world needs to be protected by the swords of my generation, to guard the common people from suffering!”

Yin Xiaochou stood up solemnly.
His black hair flew through the air, and he radiated with might.

With a clang, he drew the Breaking Water sword from his sheathe and swung it at the pitch-black sky.

The slash passed by in a flash, like a bolt of lightning that darted across the night sky.

A crack appeared in the clouds silently, allowing the moonlight to pour through and the starlight to twinkle.

“What a sword! What swordsmanship!” Everyone praised loudly.
The clouds seemed close, but they were very far away.
Slashing open the clouds from so far away was basically a marvelous feat.

“It’s all thanks to the defeat you granted me that day, fellow.
It’s given me quite the inspiration, allowing me to comprehend something new about the path of the sword.
Why don’t you show us your abilities so that you can widen our horizons?”

Yin Xiaochou turned around and stared at Li Qingshan.
He wanted to show off the might of the Breaking Water sword, and he had a vague intention of sparring. Your cultivation might be higher than mine, but what I can do isn’t what you necessarily can do.
I’m not your opponent right now, but once I undergo the second heavenly tribulation, you definitely won’t be my opponent.

Li Qingshan stood up lazily and tossed the empty jar of alcohol off the cliff, pushing forward with both hands.

“Ocean Wielding—The Cloud Parting Form!”

The clouds surged and shifted out in all directions.
Before long, almost half the clouds in the skies had been parted, and the moonlight became even clearer.

Li Qingshan said, “Fellow Yin, I will report this to my master.
If he doesn’t object to it, I’ll definitely pay the Sword Collection palace a visit with you!”

The banquet came to an end, and everyone dispersed.

Very soon, the Unraging monk gave his answer.
He wanted Li Qingshan to make the decision himself, and he only had a single request, which was to not tarnish his reputation!