The walls of Heavenly Palace were adorned by many sword immortal treasures. When Wu Yu stepped in, the swords clanged and banged, as though welcoming him.
Feng Xueya was standing on a balcony on Heavenly Palace, his hands clasped behind his back. The balcony extended out, and one could see the beautiful scenery of the Bipo Mountain Range stretch out. Half the range would be beneath the observer's feet.
As Wu Yu walked up to stand beside him, he turned to observe him. Feng Xueya was indeed more circumspect than before. He was no longer as arrogant, and evidently there was something on his mind.
"Wu Yu, look at the Bipo Mountain Range. Do you think it is big?" Feng Xueya asked, looking at him.
Wu Yu looked out. Perhaps it was his initial impression lingering, but he felt that the Bipo Mountain Range was extremely huge. Range upon range of mountains, and peaks upon peaks. There were also huge patches of empty land. Although he had felt it shrink slightly ever since he could use the Art of Sword Flight, he still said, "Naturally it is very big. When I first came here, I thought I could not leave even if I walked for my whole life."
Feng Xueya laughed lightly. "You are an otherworldly talent. Sun Wudao's qualities were unknown. He gave you such an unbelievable transformation; he had a good eye."
"What do you mean?" Wu Yu knew that there was more within his words.
Feng Xueya looked out at the mountains. "Within this area, there are only barren plains which rouse little interest. Otherwise, why would it be me who stands supreme? There are 3,000 immortal kingdoms in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. Any place that borders the mortal realm is, without exception, a poor land in the eyes of true martial cultivators. The truly abundant immortal sects are in places where mortals can never even reach. Those places are deep in the mountains, in forbidden lands, strange and dangerous places that mortals could never, ever touch. To mortals, those places are no different from sky palaces and immortal palaces."
"Is that really so?" Wu Yu still thought that this was not a bad place. He had come from the mortal realm, and understood what Feng Xueya was trying to tell him.
"The Dong Sheng Divine Continent is very big, and the real treasure houses and immortal mountains are far removed from the ordinary world. Our Heavenly Sword Sect is a humble place. Within the countless immortal sects, tribes, and families in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent, we can only be considered ninth class. Although I am the sect leader here, and hailed as a Jindan immortal, in truth, I am nothing but a ninth class martial cultivator in the wide expanse of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent." Feng Xueya gave a self-mocking laugh before he continued, "To all of you , I might seem arrogant and self-possessed. In truth, I, Feng Xueya, am nothing more than a speck of dust."
The change in his attitude was drastic.
Wu Yu had guessed as much from his interaction with the Ninth Spirit.
The Ninth Spirit was terrifying here, mistress over life and death for countless others. But in truth, she was just someone who was helpless to take the revenge she wanted.
"You have superb talent. It is time to broaden your horizons and see a bigger stage. I once said that your battlefield should be the entire Dong Sheng Divine Continent."
Wu Yu was even more anxious than before to know about the outside world, and he hurried to press. "Master, please enlighten me."
Feng Xueya said, "Let me start from my own life history. Actually, I'm not from around here. Previously, I was a disciple in one of the superpowers of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. Afterwards, because my potential was just too lacking, I was chased out of the sect. I was ordered to start the Heavenly Sword Sect here, and become one of the thousands of tributaries for that superpower in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent."
This must have been a shameful thing for Feng Xueya to share. As he spoke, he could only smile painfully.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect is actually a tributary?" Wu Yu was surprised. He had not thought Feng Xueya to have such an identity. He had seen Feng Xueya as strong enough. Who would have thought that he would have been kicked out from a superpower sect because of a lack of talent, cast out to establish a tributary far away from the motherland….
Just how awesome was that superpower sect?
"That's right. That place is the origin of sword dao in the entire Dong Sheng Divine Continent. It is also the motherland of sword cultivators, and also the dream of all sword cultivators. It is one of the biggest sects within the Dong Sheng Divine Continent, and a force to be reckoned with. You have yet to see it, so you don't know how grand it is. Someone like me is only a speck of dust. Besides you, the rest of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, even those like Snow, are far from reaching the standard to be a disciple there."
He was sold at "the origin of sword dao."
"This means that any official disciple who emerges from there can destroy the entire Heavenly Sword Sect. I was one of the rejects from that place." Feng Xueya had a big ego, and normally would not share such hard truths.
"That place can truly be called an immortal sect. A history of a million years, pride built on the backs of countless swords. And it has even nurtured those who have truly reached immortalhood! Its territories are thousands of times wider than the Bipo Mountain Range. The tallest mountain there is also the tallest in the entire Dong Sheng Divine Continent. It pierces the clouds, and is called the Clear Sky of Shushan. To climb the Clear Sky of Shushan is harder than flying to heaven itself."
Thousands of times wider than the Bipo Mountain Range was very vast indeed. Wu Yu's entire distance travelled to date had not even surpassed 100 Bipo Mountain Ranges. And given his current level, even if he went there, he could not get out.
Speaking of that place, Feng Xueya was filled with wonder, and also anguish - because he had been cast out and abandoned.
"The Bipo Mountain Range's spiritual qi tripling is wonderful news to us. But the spiritual qi at the Clear Sky of Shushan is a thousand times that of ours! That is truly a place that is bountiful and rich enough to support the journey to immortalhood. It's said that more than a million years ago, the one who started the sect flew to the Sky Palace and became an immortal, dominating the heavens themselves!"
Wu Yu listened, dumbstruck. A thousand times the spiritual qi. That was mind-boggling....
So there really were people who had become immortals. That was Wu Yu's greatest dream. At least Ming Long had not been able to.
He asked, "After telling me so much about it, what is that sect called?"
Feng Xueya sighed heavily, and said piously, "It's full name is the Clear Sky of Shushan, The Origin of All Distress and Disasters, Immortal Sect of the Sword. It is a name that has been handed down for more than a million years, and is poignant with meaning. But normally we call it the Shushan Immortal Sect."
"Shushan Immortal Sect?" Wu Yu started. He found the name familiar. Suddenly, it came to him. Didn't the Ninth Spirit's enemy, Zhang Futu, come from Shushan Immortal Sect....
Was it just a coincidence?
The Heavenly Sword Sect was actually an insignificant tributary of this Shushan Immortal Sect. Feng Xueya explained that many of those cast out from Shushan Immortal Sect chose to enter second class or third class sects. Some chose to establish tributaries to the Shushan Immortal Sect, and there were now thousands of tributaries for the Shushan Immortal Sect. Some were big, and others smaller; those like the Heavenly Sword Sect were considered of the smallest scale.
"Actually, the Zhongyuan Dao Sect is also a tributary to another superpower sect on the same level as the Shushan Immortal Sect, except that Jiang Xie was not cast out. Instead, it was his ancestor that had been eliminated, and it was passed down to him. Their mother sect is known as the Shangyuan Dao Sect, which is the real deal. Its tributaries are generally known as Zhongyuan Dao Sects, and there are also other Xiayuan Dao Sects.
However, the Shangyuan Dao Sect that sits above might not stand up for all its Zhongyuan Dao Sects, so there is no worry that they will send people to seek revenge."
So that was how it was.
Afterwards, Feng Xueya also spoke of Lan Huayi's history. She was still an official disciple of the Shushan Immortal Sect, although her talent was considered poor there. But she still kept her identity and connections to the sect. Although she had been assigned here to assist Feng Xueya, it was possible that she might eventually return.
All in all, because of Lan Huayi's presence, the relationship between the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Shushan Immortal Sect was closer than the Zhongyuan Dao Sect's relationship with their Shangyuan Dao Sect. After all, there were also many other Zhongyuan Dao Sects which did evil under the name.
Besides them, there were also a few other superpowers who were all the movers and shakers of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. But they were not that relevant now, and Feng Xueya did not elaborate further. However, this opened up the workings of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent before Wu Yu's eyes.
With the Shushan Immortal Sect and the Shangyuan Dao Sect as the first class sects, they were all giants who had influenced the Dong Sheng Divine Continent for a million years. Under them there were dozens of second class sects, and then hundreds of third class sects. Although they were called second and third class, they still had many powerful experts.
At the level of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Zhongyuan Dao Sect, those of the Jindan Dao Realm could already become sect leaders. Even if they were not considered ninth class, they were seventh or eighth at best. There were millions of them, constantly fighting and wiping each other out. The true powers would not even bother with them.
"Those giants are the true nuclei of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. It's impossible for me in this lifetime. Wu Yu, I hope that you can leave this place and go to the biggest battlefield in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent to make your name. Given your talent, it's definitely possible! I have already been eliminated, and I hope you can return. That would be the wish of my lifetime...."
Saying thus, he clasped Wu Yu's arm, speaking more solemnly than ever before. Wu Yu could see that this was truly his dearest desire. Back then, when he was confident in his power, he had been eliminated for being too weak, and then abandoned. He must have been very resentful. But after so many years, the years had taken the edge off his pain, and he had given up on that dream. Until Wu Yu had emerged....
To make his name before thousands! To have his name strike fear into all! That was the true meaning of 'all!'
That was the true path that led to immortalhood, where a hundred barges fought for water!
Wu Yu was still picturing that magnificent battlefield, and now he felt a little stifled. In these days, he had sensed it as well, that he should leave. Only, he had not known just how great the battlefield of the future would be. He could already see countless martial cultivators rising from the dust, charging and killing towards the skies.
They truly contested like deer vying for supremacy.
He could not help asking, "Master, you mean for me to go to the Shushan Immortal Sect? How would I stand a chance...."
Feng Xueya cut him off. "Before, there was neither a chance, nor an opportunity. The Clear Sky of Shushan is unbelievably far from us, and one would need to traverse a good length of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent to the extreme west. But because of the sect defense, the chance has come. I had sent a request for assistance to the immortal sect, and they have sent me reinforcements, although they are late. But within a month, reinforcements will arrive. Although the battle is over, once they hear of your performance, I believe they will be interested and will bring you to the Shushan Immortal Sect...."
"Reinforcements? So late?" Wu Yu wondered just how far the Clear Sky of Shushan was.
But would they really bring him to the birthplace of sword dao....
1. T/N: Shang, Zhong, and Xia are literally High, Middle, and Low respectively
