Novel Full Chapter 2780 - The Winds and Clouds Rise at the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly
Chapter 2780 – The Winds and Clouds Rise at the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly
Light Beam Sword Pavilion was one of the top thirteen Heavenly Monarch factions in the Literati Continent.
However, it was near the bottom of the rankings.
They said that once, a long time ago, a group of its Sword Monarchs left the sect to hunt yao, only to meet with disaster. Only one survived.
The survivor was none other than this disheveled, frail-looking old man.
The year prior, Su Yi left the sect frequently. He’d encountered the sole patriarch of the Light Beam Sword Sect, Bu Meng, on one of his many excursions.
The old man was as welcoming as could be. He nattered on about how hunting yao and killing demons was the mark of a true man, and he said that when he saw Li Muchen hunt yao, he was reminded of his younger self. He even encouraged him to continue his cultivation in Light Beam Sword Pavilion instead!
At the time, Su Yi didn’t know whether or not to laugh or cry, and he refused without hesitation.
But Bu Meng stuck to him like toffee; there was no dissuading him. He did everything in his power to convince Su Yi to switch sects.
The old man even said that if Li Muchen joined, he’d help him become the future leader of the sect!
Ever since, Bu Meng had appeared without fail every time Su Yi left the sect, like a lingering ghost.
Wherever Su Yi went, he went.
Su Yi drank and inwardly sighed with appreciation. Killing yao, drinking wine, riding the wind on the flats of our swords, and fighting injustice. These are a sword cultivator’s four greatest joys!
Wine is a wonderful thing, a sword cultivator’s greatest pleasure!
When the old man saw Su Yi killing yao, he exclaimed over his swordsmanship, but lamented that he didn’t have Light Beam Sword Pavilion’s supreme classic of the sword. He said that with it, “Li Muchen” would be even more magnificent!
After a while, Su Yi grew accustomed to the old man popping up wherever he went.
Now that he’d left Blueleaf Sword Sect for good, Bu Meng appeared again, just as Su Yi predicted.
Actually, Bu Meng hadn’t explicitly told Su Yi his identity; Su Yi had guessed it.
Furthermore, he knew that Light Beam Sword Pavilion was ranked so low because Bu Meng was the only Heavenly Monarch it had left, but it had once been among the continent’s top five.
Moreover, when it came specifically to killing yao and demons, they were the best in the continent!
Its sword cultivators were fearless, just like the cultivators of the Heavenly Sovereign-level faction Limitless Palace.
The difference was that the cultivators of Light Beam Pavilion were highly specialized in hunting yao and demons.
“I just want a spot in the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly. I cannot possibly spend the rest of my life in Light Beam Sword Pavilion,” said Su Yi. He had no intention of lying to the man.
Bu Meng wiped the grease off his mouth and grinned. “That’s no big deal! To tell the truth, Light Beam Sword Pavilion is really down on its luck. We have quite a few Unfettered Realm cultivators, but none who can put up a real fight.
“Giving you a spot doesn’t mean we’ll tie you down forever. What’s there to be afraid of?” Bu Meng struck the table. “Blueleaf Sword Sect is too blind and foolish to accommodate a sword cultivator as talented as you, but we of Light Beam Sword Pavilion know a heroic figure when we see one. We aren’t after anything, either. Asking for a reward would be uncouth. What’s the harm in just giving you a spot?”
Su Yi smiled.
The old man kept pestering him, but Su Yi had never disliked him for it.
This was why. The old man was a true sword cultivator!
“Alright, it’s settled.” Su Yi nodded.
Inwardly, he decided to repay this favor when an opportunity arose in the future.
Bu Meng laughed. “To be clear, this means you’ll be participating in the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly as a disciple of Light Beam Sword Pavillion.”
Su Yi raised his cup and smiled. “But of course.”
Bu Meng raised his cup and offered Su Yi a toast. This young man is extraordinarily capable when it comes to hunting yao and demons, but better yet, his sword heart is utterly unyielding!
Someone as experienced as Bu Meng naturally couldn’t fail to pick up on that.
As for whether Li Muchen stayed in Light Beam Sword Pavilion? Bu Meng didn’t care.
Money couldn’t buy happiness. If this made him happy, who cared about the rest?
……
Half a year later, the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly, the event that everyone in the Literati Continent was paying attention to, began on Qingpu Mountain.
Thirteen Heavenly Monarch-level factions sent their best and brightest Unfettered Realm cultivators to participate.
Qingpu Mountain was surrounded by people. Everywhere within a thousand miles was packed. All of them were cultivators who’d come to watch the spectacle.
They’d come from far and wide. Apparently, quite a few were sword cultivators who’d come from other continents.
Meanwhile, on the mountaintop, the experts of the thirteen participating factions were seated around a massive arena.
Sect Leader Shi Huiyan, Patriarch Du Ya, and the others were all in attendance, as well as several of the legacy disciples of the Ancestral Hall, like Lu Xuanwu and Wang Yuan.
The assembly had yet to begin, so they were conversing amongst themselves.
“Never mind the rest. There are only thirty spots in the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly. I’ll be happy if Blueleaf Sword Sect claims even three of them,” whispered an old-timer.
“The pressure’s high, but we have real hope of success,” Shi Huiyan said with a smile.
The Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly consisted of matches between the various sects’ legacy disciples. In the end, only the top thirty would gain entrance to the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone.
But each participating sect had sent ten legacy disciples to participate in the competition. That meant one hundred and thirty people in total!
The Blueleaf Sword Sect was among the continent’s top thirteen Heavenly Monarch sects, but it was in the middle of the pack. They weren’t remotely comparable to the sects in the top five.
A goal of three spots put immense pressure on them. It’d be difficult to achieve!
“Rest assured, Sect Leader. I’ll be sure to claim a spot in the top thirty!” Lu Xuanwu said calmly.
He was dressed in white, and he wore a golden crown. He had an extraordinary bearing.
He was the foremost Unfettered Realm cultivator in the Blueleaf Sword Sect, and more than that, an unparalleled figure famed throughout the continent.
Divine Reverence Pavilion had long since taken note of him, and he was sure to appear on the next Unfettered Ranking.
None of the higher-ups found his assurance the least bit strange. It would have been stranger if Lu Xuanwu couldn’t claim a spot.
“I might not be as capable as Senior Apprentice Brother Lu, but it won’t be difficult for me to claim a spot, too!” Wang Yuan said with a smile.
Patriarch Du Ya looked gratified. “With that kind of spirit, success is all but assured!”
Many of the others nodded.
Wang Yuan had a powerful background and an illustrious status. Even rarer, he was shockingly powerful. He really did have hope of claiming a spot.
Suddenly, someone laughed, drawing the attention of everyone present. “Haha, I heard that old man Bu Meng of the Light Beam Sword Pavilion’s newest recruit is the cast-off disciple of the Blueleaf Sword Sect.”
Whispered conversations arose throughout the vicinity.
By now, the whole continent knew that Li Muchen, a former inner sect disciple of the Blueleaf Sword Sect, had left due to unfair treatment. This incident had stirred up quite a few waves, too.
Blueleaf Sword Sect publicly announced that Li Muchen had erred, leaving them no force but to expel him from the sect.
Were that the extent of it, no one would have suspected a thing.
But then, Patriarch Bu Meng of the Light Beam Sword Pavilion repeatedly and publicly mocked the Blueleaf Sword Sect for its corruption. He said Li Muchen was a rare, unparalleled junior, yet he’d been repeatedly suppressed and ostracized. He insisted that that was why Li Muchen had no choice but to leave.
Moreover, Bu Meng went so far as to express his gratitude to the Blueleaf Sword Sect, for it was their blindness that let the Light Beam Sword Pavilion pick up an extraordinary talent for free!
Bu Meng was one of the top Sword Monarchs on the continent. His words naturally created ripples and provoked countless heated discussions.
As a result, Li Muchen’s name entered the public’s awareness.
Blueleaf Sword Sect had endured a lot of criticism of late.
Sect Leader Shi Huiyan, Patriarch Du Ya, and many of the others were inwardly furious. Du Ya had even said that if he’d known, he’d have executed Li Muchen as a traitor rather than let him leave!
That’s right. Because of this whole mess, and because he’d since joined the Light Beam Sword Pavilion, the Blueleaf Sword Sect now saw Li Muchen as a traitor!
“Calm your fury, seniors. Li Muchen is nothing but trash the Blueleaf Sword Sect threw away, yet now, he’s become the apple of the Light Beam Sword Pavilion’s eye. I’ll prove it with my own strength during the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly. We’ll see who loses face in the end!” said Lu Xuanwu, his gaze cold.
His seniors looked gratified. That would naturally be best!
That old bastard Bu Meng’s nonsense has damaged our reputation. Worse, he really thinks he picked up a treasure. We’ll just have to take this opportunity to take you down a peg!
Wang Yuan laughed coldly. “Light Beam Sword Pavilion has fallen so far that it barely counts as a Heavenly Monarch-level faction, but they still dare act wantonly? Their behavior is ridiculous!”
He paused, then said, “When I next meet with my clan seniors, I’ll be sure to bring this up. We can’t let Light Beam Sword Pavillion get away with this kind of wanton arrogance!”
In other words, he was going to use his family’s influence to suppress the entire sect!
Several of the higher-ups looked impressed.
When Wang Yuan claimed Li Muchen’s rightful spot in the Ancestral Hall, many of them were uncomfortable.
But by now, the tradeoff seemed entirely reasonable!
How could an Unfettered Realm traitor compare to a powerful backer like Wang Yuan’s family?
“Also, we can’t let a traitor like Li Muchen cause too much trouble,” Wang Yuan said casually. “When the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly ends, there’ll be no need for my family to take action. I’ll arrange for someone to make that traitor pay for what he’s done!”
His eyes flashed with cold light.
He’d endured a lot of criticism of late, too. Outsiders said that Wang Yuan’s strength was lacking, and that he’d relied on his family connections to suppress Li Muchen, ultimately forcing him to leave the sect.
Even within the sect, many felt aggrieved on Li Muchen’s behalf. Wang Yuan was criticized there, too.
By now, Wang Yuan bore a deep grudge against Li Muchen.
“Excellent. We’ll leave it to you, then,” Du Ya said with an approving glance.
Sect Leader Shi Huiyan said nothing. Inwardly, he was deeply disappointed in Li Muchen. It’s not like I didn’t give Li Muchen a chance. I just wanted him to take a step back and let Wang Yuan enter the Ancestral Hall first.
Who’d have thought that ungrateful, white-eyed wolf would turn around and join the Light Beam Sword Pavilion? Or that Bu Meng would seize the opportunity to launch a smear campaign against the entire Blueleaf Sword Sect?
Shi Huiyan wasn’t just deeply disappointed; he was furious, too.
He peered through the sea of people and gazed at the battlefield, where the combatants of Light Beam Sword Pavilion were standing. There, he saw a familiar figure in blue robes.
Li Muchen, you brought your death upon yourself. Who does the Light Beam Sword Pavilion think it is? And what does an Unfettered Realm sword cultivator like you matter? You’re no more than an ant, and you won’t be able to jump around much longer!