Chapter 482 - 326: Great Freedom Heart Scripture, 7th Level

Chapter 482: Chapter 326: Great Freedom Heart Scripture, 7th Level

Lie Que said with a beaming smile, "It’s actually very simple. In the future, if the Lie Family makes a move against Brother Ling, I will certainly give you advance notice. I’ll tell you who... can be killed, and who... you should show mercy to. Also, if there are any particularly powerful individuals, I will remind Brother Ling to be on guard."

Ling Xiao was stunned for a moment. He looked at the handsome young noble, then slowly nodded his head. ’This man is a ruthless one,’ he thought. ’He talks about killing his own clansmen without even batting an eye.’

Lie Que smiled gently and said in a mild tone, "Brother Ling must think I’m ruthless. The truth is, the larger a family grows, the more of a luxury... kinship becomes. Of course, when facing external enemies, we can still present a united front. The family’s very survival is at stake, after all. But the current situation is that, besides myself, almost no one realizes what kind of devastation that woman surnamed Xie will bring to the Jingwu Family. Besides, the older a family line is, the thinner the blood ties become. Would you consider someone named Ling from a small kingdom thousands of miles away a relative? The reality is, you might have branched from the same ancestor in ancient times. That’s how it is with the great families; we just happen to have always lived in one place."

Seeing how frank Lie Que was being, Ling Xiao smiled. "Then, Young Master Que, what is it you need me to do for you?"

Lie Que’s spirits lifted. He rubbed his palms together like a common merchant and chuckled. "Brother Ling, you are incredibly mysterious. Every single thing about you is tempting, but... I also know my own limits. I ask for only two things. First, if my prediction comes true and that woman surnamed Xie brings chaos to my Lie Family, I hope Brother Ling will remember my honesty today and lend a helping hand. After all, there are some things you can do, Brother, that I cannot."

Ling Xiao nodded, understanding Lie Que’s meaning. In any clan, internal struggle was one thing, but kinslaying was a far more serious matter. At the very least, it spoke volumes about a person’s character.

Lie Que continued, "And second, if I can take control of the Jingwu Family in the future, I hope you’ll allow the Lie Family to trade for the Elixirs you possess, Brother Ling. Of course, in return, the Lie Family will absolutely offer items of equivalent value in exchange!"

He finished speaking with a broad smile, his eyes glinting as he watched Ling Xiao. "Only these two things. What do you say, Brother Ling?"

Ling Xiao readily extended his hand and struck it against Lie Que’s three times. "Deal!" he said with a laugh.

With the deal struck, both men were deeply satisfied. Ling Xiao didn’t care if Lie Que had other schemes in mind. As for himself, the only thing he lacked was time.

Once his power was great enough... A smile touched Ling Xiao’s lips, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He watched the beautiful fireworks continuously rising over the new city and thought, ’A Sword Venerable, is it?’

During the festival’s fireworks gala, Ling Xiao also invited Gongsun Sword to join them.

The instant Gongsun Sword and Lie Que met, a sharp glint flashed in both their eyes as they each registered the look of shock on the other’s face.

Lie Que thought, ’Ling Xiao truly has hidden dragons and crouching tigers among his men to have such a powerful young expert. It seems my choice was the right one. And I heard a few days ago that a group of experts from the Gongsun Family entered Lingxiao Mansion after the Zhe Family’s experts were wiped out. Could this young man be from the younger generation of the Gongsun Clan? Then again, only a great clan could produce such a young master!’

But then he looked at Ling Xiao, and a wave of deflation washed over him. The pride he held as a noble young master of a great clan evaporated completely. ’This Ling Xiao guy... he’s a freak! Dammit.’

Meanwhile, Gongsun Sword was thinking, ’Where did this young expert come from? How does he possess an aura so similar to my own? Could he also be from a great clan? It seems Grandfather was right. This Ling Xiao is truly unfathomable!’

None of the women of the Ling Mansion appeared before the guests at the reception. Since they had already decided to go to Nia Academy to further their studies, it was better to maintain a low profile.

Furthermore, when Gongsun Sword learned that the women of the Ling Mansion were heading to Nia Academy to study, he took the initiative to mention that the Gongsun Clan’s foundation was in the Nia Duchy. If the women of the Ling Mansion went to Nia Academy, the Gongsun Clan could help look after them.

This was no small promise. It was tantamount to a pledge from a great clan, and it completely put the last of Ling Xiao’s worries to rest.

Then, the selection of disciples for the Shushan Sword Sect could be left to Shangguan Yutong and High Priest Su Xue, while the Ling Mansion’s internal affairs could be managed by Ming Yue. With Huangpu Yue’s crisis averted, the Wulan Family wouldn’t dare trouble her again. By then, Penzes City’s six Sword Emperor Realm experts, plus a few great formations, would be more than enough for self-preservation.

’I... can finally focus my entire being on Cultivation!’

’I don’t need much time. Three years! Three years can change so much! And by then, I’ll be just in time to see the first batch of Shushan Sect disciples reach Foundation Establishment.’

As this thought crossed his mind, Ling Xiao’s gaze toward the night sky grew incredibly profound, as if it were piercing through layers of time and space to return to his former sect.

A Buddhist verse suddenly rang out in Ling Xiao’s mind: ’No self, no person, no living being, no life span. Yet the Dharma-form is manifest; this is to be free from all attachments!’

In that instant, countless scenes from his past in the Cultivation Realm flashed before his eyes, each one impossibly fresh and vivid.

Within Ling Xiao’s sea of consciousness, an immense Dharma-form suddenly materialized.

The Dharma-form was incomparably vast, seeming to fill his entire sea of consciousness. Its body burst forth with an infinite, brilliant light, around which swirled countless auspicious clouds: the Great Perfection Radiant Cloud, the Great Compassion Radiant Cloud, the Great Wisdom Radiant Cloud, the Great Wisdom Radiance Cloud, the Great Samadhi Radiant Cloud, the Great Auspicious Radiant Cloud, the Great Merit and Virtue Radiant Cloud, the Great Merits and Virtues Radiant Cloud, the Great Refuge Radiant Cloud, and the Great Praise Radiant Cloud.

It also produced all kinds of wondrous, subtle sounds: the Sandalwood Fruit Sound, the Corpse Fruit Sound, the Kantiparmita Sound, the Vihaya Parmita Sound, the Zen Fruit Sound, the Prajna Paramita sound, the Sound of Compassion, the sound of joyful giving, the sound of liberation, the sound of purity, the sound of wisdom, the sound of great wisdom, the Lion’s Roar, the Great Lion’s Roar, the Cloud-Thunder Sound, and the Great Cloud-Thunder Sound... An array of subtle tones washed over Ling Xiao’s soul.

The Shushan Sect followed the Sword Dao, which was originally a Daoist path of Cultivation. However, while the origins of the ancestor who created the Great Freedom Heart Scripture were never recorded, later generations at Shushan speculated that he must have come from a Buddhist Family. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to create such an exquisite Heart Method.

The merging of Buddhist and Daoist principles was quite common in the Cultivation Realm. Like the ocean that accepts all rivers, Cultivators were fond of absorbing the doctrines and scriptures of various schools.

That said, a Cultivator who could truly master the strengths and essences of multiple schools was a rare sight indeed.

Ling Xiao’s mind was a state of pure clarity. Beside him, Gongsun Sword and Lie Que were both elites of the younger generation, and the very instant Ling Xiao entered a meditative trance, they sensed it. A look of utter disbelief flashed in both their eyes.

They couldn’t believe it. Ling Xiao was so formidable that he could enter a state of cultivation anytime, anywhere!

The two exchanged a glance, a newfound respect for Ling Xiao’s fearless openness blooming in their hearts. If it were them, they would never dare to enter a state of cultivation with an outsider nearby.

Little did Ling Xiao know that this unintentional act had raised the two noble young masters’ respect for him by several degrees.

Moreover, there was something Gongsun Sword and Lie Que would never know: during a breakthrough with the Great Freedom Heart Scripture, Ling Xiao’s defensive power was at its absolute peak. If anyone dared to attack him now, someone at their level would be instantly incinerated into ash by the millions of rays of Buddhist light!

The profound and abstruse scriptures of the Great Freedom Heart Scripture flashed through Ling Xiao’s mind. Passages he once found incomprehensible were now met with sudden enlightenment, and a serene, knowing smile graced his lips.

Gongsun Sword and Lie Que were shaken once more as they felt a gentle yet immense power envelop them. In that same instant, it felt as if they had reached a sudden, new level of mastery in their own respective Cultivation Techniques!

Shock appeared on both their faces. They quickly sat down cross-legged, closed their eyes, and focused their minds, entering a state of cultivation.