The Path Toward Heaven

It was not a rainy day since the rainfall had stopped.

The sound of thunder was a boom in a blue sky.

The people who heard the thunderous boom felt like they were being struck by a bolt of lightning.

One Green Mountain disciple fell off his flying sword due to the shock. Fortunately, he was rescued in time to avoid his death by dropping into the stone forest.

Most of the people were stunned speechless. They looked at that young man in white clothing in the hut in a stupor.

Many people suspected that they had heard it wrong because their ears might be damaged by the thunderous boom.

The sound of thunder was still echoing in the sky, as if a huge invisible bird was gliding in the air.

Save for the echoing sound, it was totally noiseless on all the peaks of Green Mountain; it was extremely quiet.

The eyelids that usually drooped on Zhuo Rusui’s face were wide open at that moment, his eyes full of shock and surprise.

Guo Nanshan and the others were also quite shocked as they stood in place like stone statues.

The faces of Lei Yijing, Yao Songshan and the other young disciples were flushed, their eyes full of bewilderment.

Nobody was willing to accept this fact at that moment in any shape or form; but in the next moment, they found that those important figures, such as the Young Zen Master, the Immortal Bai and Senior Master Yuan Qijing, showed a calm countenance, which made them feel dismayed as they wondered if what Jing Jiu said was true.

Was it true that Grandmaster Jing Yang had ascended? Why was he still here in the human world? And why had he become this person?

When encountering the thunder and lightning, people would have different reactions. Some of them would try and find a hiding place while covering their heads with their hands; some would climb up to the rooftop and shout to warn others to bring the drying clothes back inside before the rain fell down; some would draw their swords and point it toward the sky, yelling “Let’s fight”, and then be struck into something like a burned piece of wood.

Yuan Qü felt like he was on fire right now; it seemed as if a puff of green smoke was coming out from his head.

Gu Qing lowered his head and looked at his own sweat falling to the ground as it splashed in all directions. It was unclear what kind of mood he was in and if he recalled some of those guesses he made about Jing Jiu in the deep part of his mind.

Standing behind Bu Qiuxiao, Liu Shisui looked blankly at Jing Jiu at the top peak and couldn’t utter a single word even though he opened his mouth; he had no need for the Vow of Silence at the moment. He knew that his Young Master was an extraordinary person, and he had had some ridiculous guesses about his Young Master, but he didn’t dare think too much about the issue. Unexpectedly, the truth turned out to be more shocking than his guesses!

“You’re Jing Yang…” muttered Nan Wang, her face pale. “It makes sense now; but why didn’t I figure this out earlier?”

Like Nan Wang, more and more people calmed down and came back to their senses.

In the last few years, the people in the Cultivation circle of Chaotian had been wondering if Jing Jiu was the offspring of the Immortal Jing Yang, because what had happened to him was simply too incredible.

By now they had realized that this was the most credible answer.

Why did Jing Jiu have such a talent in Cultivation? Why did the Immortal Liu Ci leave a Will for him to be the sect master?

It was because he was no one other than the Immortal Jing Yang!

…

…

A thunderstorm occurred on the Chessboard Mountain that day many years ago, the lightning illuminating the Go board under the pavilion.

Tong Yan, regarded as the number one in chess playing, was defeated by that Green Mountain disciple, obviously a beginner in chess playing.

That painting with bloody plum flowers was still kept in the Royal Palace. It depicted how many monsters of the Snowy Kingdom that Green Mountain disciple had killed in one night during the Cultivation tournament in the snowland that year.

The damaged stone forest at the foot of Tianguang Peak was proof that that Green Mountain disciple defeated two swordsmen back to back during the Sword Trial, and he also fought someone with a higher state and broke Guo Nanshan’s sword, the Blue Ocean Sword.

Different people thought of a different scene. In the end, they all remembered the scene on the top of Buzhou Mountain in the Illusionary Realm of the Green Sky Mirror.

That Green Mountain disciple wielded his sword at the sky and at the rules of the Illusionary Realm; wasn’t it tantamount to breaking through heaven?

Wasn’t what he did similar to ascension?

“The reason Shangde Peak provided evidence for Jing Jiu is because I knew from the very beginning that he was the Young Senior Master.”

Yuan Qijing looked at Fang Jingtian and continued nonchalantly, “You should have guessed it a long time ago; why are you pressing the issue today?”

As soon as these words were uttered, the matter was settled.

…

…

Jiu also means Yang in Jing Jiu’s name.

Jing Jiu had the same meaning as Jing Yang; so Jing Jiu must be Jing Yang.

…

…

Looking at Jing Jiu in the hut, Bu Qiuxiao thought of the conversation he had with him in Zhaoge City, his feeling complicated. “In truth, I was talking to the Immortal,” he remarked sentimentally.

Having said this, Bu Qiuxiao bowed all the way to the ground toward Jing Jiu. There were many more people who were doing the same, like State Duke He, Zhang Yiai, and those of the Great Marsh and the Mirror Sect. The sect master of the Hanging-Bell, Chen Xueqiao, bowed down with utmost reverence in her wheelchair.

Xiang Wanshu and other disciples of the young generation looked at Jing Jiu with admiration and awe in their eyes.

The unbelievable and incredulous expressions showed in the eyes of He Wei and some others.

The Immortal Jing Yang had the highest status, talent and Cultivation state in Chaotian.

Everybody thought that he had ascended several decades ago; but unexpectedly, he was still in the human world.

In addition to the Immortal Bai, who had guessed the truth, and the Young Zen Master and Yuan Qijing who had known the truth, there were two people on the site who hadn’t shown any reaction.

Bai Zao lowered her head slightly. The locks of her hair swayed in front of her eyes as they were blown by the wind, making the scene on the peak top and that person look different from time to time.

A tear hung on her eyelid and didn’t fall down, because the eyelid didn’t move at all.

Though she had known the truth, she still felt sad; and yet she had no choice but to accept it.

But somehow, the sadness lingered.

The spring wind could pass through White Town, but it’s hard for it to blow away the memory of six years in the snowland.

A great man could let go of beauty, but it’s hard for him to forget the beauty under the begonia tree.

The other person who didn’t respond to the news was Zhao Layue.

She wouldn’t feel sad in the least, because she had been with him the entire time and had done many things with him, and she had guessed his identity a long time ago; and she had attempted to ask him about it.

And Jing Jiu didn’t deny it.

She only felt a bit surprised at the moment, but meanwhile she felt relieved and relaxed.

Keeping this secret, even though she did it along with him, was still a heavy burden.

“You have finally decided not to conceal it any longer,” Zhao Layue thought while looking at Jing Jiu in the hut.

However, he had concealed it for so many years; why would he suddenly admit it so honestly and casually today? It was tantamount to the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom being killed by a monk in White Town when she led the monsters invading the south in an effort to unite all of Chaotian after tens of thousands of years in preparation.

It was still difficult for her to understand; so she felt a bit bewildered.

Even though Fang Jingtian had enough evidence to doubt his background so that he couldn’t live a life as Jing Jiu, he could still offer other explanations.

Yuan Qijing would still help him conceal his true identity, and the Young Zen Master would still speak on his behalf; but why did he admit it so easily?

Thinking of one possibility, Zhao Layue felt a sense of pity for him.

He must have been tired of all this.

…

…

Yet, others didn’t think the way Zhao Layue did. In their eyes, it was evident that Fang Jingtian had the evidence to prove that Jing Jiu was not the second son of the Jing family in Zhaoge City; as such, Jing Jiu had no choice but to admit his true identity. On the contrary, what they didn’t understand was another matter.

According to Yuan Qijing, Fang Jingtian had guessed Jing Jiu’s true identity a long time ago, but why did he force Jing Jiu to admit he is the Immortal Jing Yang today?

If Fang Jingtian wanted to contend for the position of sect master by claiming that the Will of the Immortal Liu Ci mentioned Jing Jiu rather than Jing Yang, he would become a joke.

If the Immortal Jing Yang wished to be the sect master of Green Mountain, he had no need for a Will.

Who would be unconvinced on Green Mountain and in Chaotian if he wished to do so?

Fang Jingtian suddenly laughed out while looking at the ground.

The spot he looked at had neither sweat falling down nor the tear hanging on the eyelid, what he saw was the rock that had stayed on the peak of Tianguang Peak for tens of thousands of years.

There were many complicated emotions in his laughter, including a hint of wryness and sorrow, and more of a delight he had been waiting for over many years.

“You’re Jing Yang…my Young Senior Master?”

Fang Jingtian lifted his head and asked Jing Jiu expressionlessly, “But hadn’t Senior Master Jing Yang ascended?”

“There were some unfinished businesses to take care of,” said Jing Jiu.

This was the answer he gave to the Young Zen Master at the Fruit Formation Temple.

It was natural that Fang Jingtian wouldn’t believe him. His smile emerging from the raised white eyebrows had more of a mocking intent.

“Even though you have failed, you still can be so at ease, as if you were an immortal man sitting atop the cloud.”

He went on while staring at Jing Jiu, “In this aspect, you’re indeed like Young Senior Master.”

The people around Tianguang Peak were at a loss when they heard what Fang Jingtian said.

Now that Jing Jiu was the Immortal Jing Yang, he was of course like the Immortal Jing Yang.

“Maybe, when one plays a certain role for too long, he will become more and more like that role; in the end, he will even forget who he really is.”

Fang Jingtian looked at Jing Jiu and continued calmly, “Have you actually forgotten that you’re not Senior Master Jing Yang, but rather a sword?”

…