The Path Toward Heaven

It was not easy to learn the One move of the Inherited Heaven Sword style.

It took several years for the Drifter, a talented Cultivation practitioner, to learn it with full concentration.

Yet, it shouldn’t be too hard for those in the Heavenly Arrival State to learn it.

The reason few people knew about this move was because it had been kept a secret.

Besides the sect masters of Green Mountain, nobody else knew about this sword move.

If others learned the move that could control the All in One Sword, how could the sect masters of Green Mountain hold onto their posts?

Unexpectedly, the Immortal Taiping had taught this sword move to the Drifter.

…

…

In the deep part of the Sword Jail.

At the far end of the gloomy passageway.

Sitting on the bamboo chair with the quilt wrapping around herself, the Snow Girl fixed her gaze on the fake snowy mountain and icy peak on the fake window, as if she wouldn’t be bored of looking at it for another ten thousand years.

All of a sudden, she turned toward Tianguang Peak and gurgled twice; a glow flashed in her black pupils, which were full of contempt and mockery.

…

…

In the deep part of the southern barbaric territory.

In the ruined Mountain-God temple.

The green bird landed on a tree branch. Looking at the familiar statue in the temple, she cocked her head, feeling a bit perplexed.

In the next moment, she landed on the ground and shoveled the dirt to cover an exposed corner of the Green Sky Mirror with her claws.

It seemed that she had suddenly sensed something; she turned toward Green Mountain and chirped twice, feeling perplexed.

…

…

Gurgling and chirping were both calling.

The One move of the Inherited Heaven Sword was like a magic treasure that could recognize someone’s spiritual soul. If it called someone, would they dare to answer it?

It was deathly quiet on the top of Tianguang Peak; everybody was waiting for Jing Jiu’s decision.

Jing Jiu stroked the back of the white cat slowly and steadily with his right hand while sitting in the chair, saying nothing.

If he were the Immortal Jing Yang, he could simply take out the Inherited Heaven Sword and let the Drifter substantiate his identity.

Why hadn’t he made his decision? It was obvious that the more suspicion the people had, the longer he hesitated.

“Since the Inherited Heaven Sword is the holy treasure of the sect master of Green Mountain, how can we give it to a devil man of the Underworld?” Zhao Layue said icily.

It was impossible for the Immortal Taiping to not predict such a response.

The Drifter said to her, “If you don’t believe me, I can teach the One move to Big Brother Yuan Qijing and let him test it.”

Nobody would doubt the integrity of Yuan Qijing. He had become an enemy of his Master a long time ago, and he was the Sword Justice of Green Mountain; hence, he was the most suitable person for such a task.

By far, the Immortal Taiping had blocked all the routes for Jing Jiu to back out of the quandary.

The sound of thunder in the sky had stopped a long time ago, and it was soundless on the top of Tianguang Peak. The sound of the white cat yawning could be even heard clearly.

As time elapsed, the atmosphere grew graver and more intense.

Guo Nanshan and other Green Mountain disciples displayed a grim expression; Lei Yijing, Yao Songshan and others began to feel bewildered.

Jing Jiu didn’t say anything, and neither did he have the intention of taking out the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword.

Looking at Jing Jiu’s back, Zhao Layue’s eyes grew dimmer. She thought that Jing Jiu should give the sheath to Yuan Qijing and let him keep it for a while and that he shouldn’t have maintained a stalemate with the Immortal Taiping.

She was the only one who knew what was on Jing Jiu’s mind among the Cultivation practitioners present, numbering more than one thousand and three hundred.

Those who didn’t know what Jing Jiu’s thoughts were came up with their own.

In their eyes, the fact that Jing Jiu didn’t dare take out the sheath of the Inherited Heaven Sword proved that he was indeed the All in One Sword.

The expressions in the eyes fixed on Jing Jiu had changed gradually. The trusting expression changed to one of suspicion, the peaceful expression into the painful one, the doubtful into one of the contented, the bewildered into the hateful.

…

…

“That is why you’ve been a genius since a young age…” thought Master Lü painfully; he was a disciple of Shangde Peak who had brought Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui to the South-Pine Pavilion.

“You were so lazy but also very proud back then; is it because you are a sword devil?” thought Lin Wuzhi suspiciously and uneasily; he was a disciple of Tianguang Peak, one who had treated Jing Jiu with great care by the Sword-Washing Stream.

“That is why you could defeat your opponents at the Sword Trial on Green Mountain and broke the sword of Guo Nanshan. You are not the so-called born shapeless sword body but a sword devil!” thought Fu Wang in disgust, he was the peak master of Yunxing, and he was recalling the events in the past.

…

…

On the cloud platform where the Hanging-Bell Sect was situated.

Sese was very nervous while looking at the top of Tianguang Peak and Jing Jiu who was sitting in the chair at ease.

She had her hands clenched into fists by her sides, yelling inwardly: “Take it out! Take it out!”

The sect master of the Hanging-Bell, Chen Xueshao, sitting in the wheelchair in front of Sese, displayed a calm and even a bit bored expression on her pretty face. She remarked regretfully, “He is nothing but a sword devil…That is why he looks so handsome.”

…

…

Another person among the Cultivation practitioners had the same reaction as Chen Xueshao.

Young Sister Yushan held her arms in front of her chest as she looked at Jing Jiu nearby, her eyes glittering like the stars in the night sky.

She was a little dumfounded at the moment, thinking that the Sect Master was so handsome simply because he was a sword devil.

It was just then that a tall figure blocked her sight.

She was upset and about to ask that person to move aside; but she found that the person was Senior Master Yuan Qijing. She retreated after sticking her tongue out a bit to express her resignation.

Along with the light snow, Yuan Qijing landed on the top of Tianguang Peak.

He glanced at the Drifter, then Fang Jingtian, then Jing Jiu, and remained silent for a long time.

The wind didn’t grow stronger, and the snowflakes were drifting like catkins, making everyone feel troubled and depressed.

As the crowd felt the atmosphere was nearly unbearable, Yuan Qijing suddenly remarked, “Even if he were the All in One, so what?”

An uproar broke out among those who didn’t know anything about the past secrets of the Green Mountain Sect.

The regular Green Mountain disciples wondered why Senior Master Sword Justice, who had always behaved justly and honorably, made such a remark.

If Jing Jiu were a devil hailing from the heavenly sword, he should be captured and even killed.

However, the peak masters and the experienced elders at the Green Mountain Sect remained silent.

It was because they were fully aware of what the All in One Sword meant for the Green Mountain Sect.

Many, many years ago, a devil sword appeared in the south of Chaotian; the spiritual sources converged to form a peak after the response of heaven and earth toward it.

The sword wills in the peak nurtured themselves and produced many flying swords; it was the current Yunxing Peak.

The founder of the sect understood the essence of the sword work and established the Green Mountain Sect only after finding this devil sword.

There was no Green Mountain Sect without the All in One.

This was a literal and spiritual fact.

“You’re wrong. He is a sword devil, not a sword spirit.”

The calm and resolute voice of the Drifter echoed on the top of Tianguang Peak.

For many people, like Yuan Qijing, Fang Jingtian and others who were familiar with the Immortal Taiping, a delusion had formed in that moment.

They thought that the child in blue clothing in midair was neither a member of the royal family of the Underworld nor a letter, and that he was nobody else but the Immortal Taiping who had written the letter.

Those people who stood behind the Drifter seemed to see a huge figure of a fairy man.

The Drifter glided to the front of the hut and looked down at Jing Jiu. He then made three statements.

“If you were the true spirit of the All in One Sword, you should be treated reverentially at the Green Mountain Sect for tens of thousands of generations to come.”

“But when the Immortal Jing Yang ascended with you, you were suddenly overcome by your greed and had procured his spiritual soul as your own.”

“You killed and ate him. You are nothing but a devil.”

The expression on Chen Youtian’s face changed slightly, thinking that it would be more urgent to keep the All in One Sword if this were the case.

A cold intent formed in Fu Wang’s eyes.

Nan Wang was the only exception as she looked at the distance emotionlessly, reflecting on something.

The Drifter continued while looking at Jing Jiu, “Moreover, since you deceived everybody and became the sect master of Green Mountain, you colluded with the Underworld and attempted to select a new Underworld Emperor. Why did those priests of the Underworld die on the Cold Mountain? What kind of pact did you have with the Underworld Master? I’ve witnessed all this with my own eyes. Do you need more evidence?”

Upon hearing this, Bu Qiuxiao turned to Liu Shisui and said, “You are not allowed to strike later.”

The Immortal Bai thought that this was indeed the style of the Immortal Taiping. When the Green Mountain Sect wanted to wipe out the West Ocean Sword Sect, he went to the West Ocean and made himself a target.

He was using the same method when he wanted to destroy Jing Jiu or the All in One. But it was unclear why the child in blue clothing of the Underworld was willing to carry out such a task.

It was something Jing Jiu wished to know as well. “What has he promised you?” Jing Jiu asked the Drifter.

If the Drifter hadn’t appeared on the peak top today, he would become his personal disciple tomorrow.

And he would obtain the Seal of the Underworld Emperor ten years or a few decades later and become the ruler of the Underworld.

What had the Immortal Taiping promised him to make him be willing to give up the position of Underworld Emperor?

“My Master has treated me very well.”

The Drifter went on, “And he promised to let me cultivate and study in the human world, so I don’t have to go back.”

This promise seemed simple and even a bit ridiculous; but if one thought a little deeper about it, they would be able to find out the significance of it.

For those in the Underworld, coming and living in Chaotian was equivalent to ascending for the humans.

If any Cultivation practitioner was asked to choose between ascension and becoming the emperor, they would choose the former without hesitation.

“Oh, that is why.”

Jing Jiu didn’t say anything more.

It was normal that he hadn’t predicted this since he was not as knowledgeable about the Underworld as that person.

…

…

The situation was clear by now.

Most people believed in what Fang Jingtian said.

Jing Jiu was not the reborn Jing Yang, but a sword devil of the All in One who had procured the spiritual soul of the Immortal Jing Yang.

The atmosphere grew extremely tense.

The practitioners of various sects on the cloud platforms all had a grave countenance.

Looking at Jing Jiu in the chair, the elders and disciples of Green Mountain displayed a cautious expression in their eyes; some of them had even called out their flying swords, ready to strike at any moment.

A patch of dark cloud had suddenly drifted over in the sky, blocking the sunlight. In the next moment, the raindrops began to trickle down. It was unclear why the rain had passed through the Great Formation of Green Mountain and arrived on the peak.

It was not the gentle spring rain, but the foreboding wind and rain.

“The Immortal would like to ask you: You have been regarding yourself as Jing Yang, are abandoned by your colleagues and loved ones after colluding with the Underworld, and are about to be imprisoned in the Sword Jail; what are your thoughts right now?” the Drifter asked Jing Jiu.

Each of these events was a story all by itself.

They were something the Immortal Taiping had experienced himself.

Jing Jiu replied, “I have no thought. It’s because those things that happened to him will not happen to me.”

“The Immortal has one last question.”

The Drifter continued, “Maybe, you have always believed that you are the Immortal Jing Yang; but have you ever considered that you might have forgotten yourself that you are actually the All in One?”

This was indeed a fatal issue: If one lost their memory of the past and obtained a brand new memory and believed that he was that person before discovering that all of it was an illusion, how sad and helpless would he feel?

Upon hearing this question, all the Cultivation practitioners fell silent.

It was indeed one possibility.

Jing Jiu might have inherited all the memories of the Immortal Jing Yang when he woke up and believed he was the Immortal Jing Yang as a result.

If it were the case, what wrong had he done then?

Many Green Mountain disciples and Cultivation practitioners of other sects had thought this way.

For instance, Chen Youtian, Mei Li, Lin Wuzhi, Zhen Tao of the Water-Moon Nunnery and others had suddenly become sympathetic toward Jing Jiu as they looked at him sitting in the chair by himself.

The Immortal Bai raised her eyebrows slightly, as she wondered why the Immortal Taiping asked such a question since he was on the brink of winning completely and being able to lock Jing Jiu in the Sword Jail.

“Maybe some of you think he wants to give me a chance of getting out of this alive by asking this question…No, it’s because he wants to defeat me even in principle, out of habit.”

Jing Jiu went on, “He wants to make me doubt myself and think I might be the All in One. In so doing, he will be able to win the entire game.”

The Drifter remarked after a moment of silent, “You really don’t know who you are, at least it’s not provable.”

Who am I?

This was a simple enough question.

But if one thought about it deeply, the question would be like an abyss, making the questioners feel dread.

Who on earth am I?

…

…

I was born in Zhaoge City; it was a winter day with the snowflakes drifting in the air.

I was born with natural Dao quality; I had an extraordinary talent since my birth. I had never played zither and painted anything; I was only interested in reading relevant books for Cultivation.

I was brought to Green Mountain at a young age, and became the peak master of Shenmo.

I am Zhao Layue.

If one day I met a young woman who had the similar messy hair and distinct black and white eyes, and she insisted on believing she was Zhao Layue with exactly the same appearance and memories as mine, how could I prove that I am the true Zhao Layue? How could I convince her that she was not Zhao Layue?

Or in other words, the concept of Zhao Layue didn’t belong to me in the first place, and it could belong to somebody else.

I am only something to do with Zhaoge City, snowflakes, seasons, talent, appearance, body, habits…

If one day I had lost all of the memories related to Zhao Layue, would I still be Zhao Layue?

Who would I be then?

…

…

“This is indeed a tricky issue.”

Zhao Layue was brought back from her inner thoughts by a nonchalant voice. She found Jing Jiu was staring at her.

She shook her head slightly, indicating that she had no issue to worry about.

Glancing over the Cultivation practitioners on the peaks of Green Mountain, Jing Jiu said, “However, as Cultivation practitioners we must solve this issue first.”

The Young Zen Master picked a wild flower in the cloud and asked him earnestly, “Who on earth are you then?”

Jing Jiu replied, “I’m the result of all cause and effect.”

“You are indeed my Master,” said the Young Zen Master, smiling faintly.

…