Chapter 300: Chapter 17 The Search for the Sword Ends Here
After hearing Ouyang Zhao’s demands, Ling Yunpo fell silent.
Great, it looks like a trip to the Eastern Emperor Realm is inevitable.
Thinking about it, it actually seems quite fitting.
I’ve now learned the Dragon Language, and I have a drop of Ying Long’s Essence Blood for Ah Jing to use. All the preliminary requirements for disguising myself as a member of the Dragon Clan have been met.
That’s right, I also obtained a cultivation technique of the Dragon Clan from the Mirror Lake Divine Palace, as well as undertaking the task to help Ying Long find his daughter…
Why is it always a daughter? Can’t you damn fathers keep an eye on your daughters?
Ling Yunpo sighed and had no choice but to say goodbye to Brother Hai Zi before turning to leave.
When he returned to the edge of the valley, he saw the Guan Family Patriarch and a group of people waiting eagerly there.
Seeing that he had come back empty-handed (instead of holding the Sun True Obscure Sword), everyone showed a look of ‘as expected,’ yet there was a subtle sense of relief.
“I’m sorry, Patriarch,” Ling Yunpo said, cupping his hands.
“It’s nothing,” the Guan Family Patriarch tried to hide his disappointment but still gently asked, “So what did Ouyang Zhao say?”
“He stated two conditions,” Ling Yunpo replied.
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Everyone: ………
Upon hearing this, the once disappointed face of the Guan Family Patriarch suddenly burst into an extremely joyful ecstasy:
“What did he say?! Oh, right! Wait a second, just wait…”
He quickly pulled Ling Yunpo away to a distant spot where the others couldn’t hear, and then asked him privately,
“What exactly did he say? Two conditions? Tell me in detail, I will hold true to my word.”
“The first condition is that the person must be from the Human Race, and cannot be of the unscrupulous kind,” Ling Yunpo explained.
“Of course,” the Guan Family Patriarch said without hesitation.
“Patriarch, the one inside the sea of fire said that those who are heartless and selfish, only thinking of themselves, are considered unscrupulous,” Ling Yunpo continued.
Guan Family Patriarch: ………
He might as well have stated outright, “Sentiment Inquiry Path, roll out.”
“Patriarch,” Ling Yunpo then curiously asked, “I only know that because of the last Tai Yin Sword Master’s incident, Shushan has a strong aversion to the Sentiment Inquiry Path; but why did that era’s last sword master, who practiced the Sentiment Inquiry Path, also detest the heartless path? Could it be that the two factions were already at odds with each other back then?”
The Guan Family Patriarch looked deeply at him, then revealed an intriguing expression and said,
“This is a matter of Daoist orthodoxy.”
“Daoist orthodoxy?” Ling Yunpo paused for a moment before asking, “Sister Guan has told me it’s generally related to Daoist Heart matters.”
“It’s more than just about the Daoist Heart,” the Guan Family Patriarch stated indifferently, “do you know that even among immortals there is a hierarchy of power?”
“Is the Patriarch referring to Earth Immortals, Heavenly Immortals, Golden Immortals, and Daluo Golden Immortals?” Ling Yunpo asked earnestly.
“That’s right,” the Guan Family Patriarch said, stroking his beard, “In the ancient early days, there weren’t so many ranks.”
“Golden Immortals and Daluo Golden Immortals were collectively referred to as immortals. Earth Immortals are those who cultivate with their Primordial Spirit after resolving their physical bodies. Since their physical form was compromised, they weren’t considered true immortals at the time.”
“Later on, the methods of becoming a Heavenly Immortal were progressively refined, and the term ‘Heavenly Immortal’ came into use.”
“The so-called ‘Path of the Heavenly Immortal’ refers to those whose cultivation realm has not reached the threshold of a Golden Immortal, but who do not wish to abandon their physical bodies. They have to cut off the Three Corpses within their Divine Soul to lighten the burden of ascension from another angle.”
“The Upper Corpse loves adornment, the Middle Corpse craves flavors, the Lower Corpse lusts for desires. If one cuts off the Three Corpses, from then on, they will be unable to distinguish beauty from ugliness, taste no flavors, and all desires will be extinguished, leaving only a pure heart for seeking the Tao.”
Ling Yunpo listened carefully and thought, isn’t this psychological castration?
So, the essence of being a Heavenly Immortal is basically becoming an immortal through castration, right?
“On the path of cultivation, who doesn’t wish to become an immortal?” the Guan Family’s patriarch lamented, “Since there is a way to become a Heavenly Immortal, there must be those who cannot reach the Golden Immortal realm. Striving toward this direction is essentially the origin of the ‘Sentiment Inquiry Path.’
“After all, if desires are kept indifferent from the very beginning, when the time comes, a simple severance will suffice.”
“So it is about ‘preserving the heavenly principle, eliminating human desires,’ right?” Ling Yunpo immediately understood.
“Correct,” the Guan Family patriarch nodded and said, “How difficult is it to ascend to the Golden Immortal realm? Forming a Golden Core and the Immortal Fetus, both must be of high quality, and lacking in any aspect means complete hopelessness.”
“In other words, if one cannot become a Golden Immortal, then the lowest standard of the Sentiment Inquiry Path is higher than other sects.”
“Earth Immortals must face Tribulation every ten thousand years, but Heavenly Immortals do not. Just this point alone can make most cultivators flock to the Sentiment Inquiry Path.”
“Some cultivators who originally had Daoist Companions and families, upon realizing the hopelessness of becoming Golden Immortals, would even go to the extent of killing their wives and children to sever their ties early, which has given the Sentiment Inquiry Path an extremely bad reputation.”
“Ouyang Zhao’s prejudices mainly stem from the impression that the Sentiment Inquiry Path left during that era, indeed a deplorable one.”
“I see, thank you, senior, for clarifying my doubts,” Ling Yunpo sincerely expressed his gratitude before adding:
“The second condition mentioned by Ouyang Zhao is to verify the status of Yin Xiaojing, who returned to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm back then, as well as the status of her posthumous child.”
Upon hearing this, the Guan Family patriarch’s face instantly stiffened.
“He wants us to go to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm on his behalf to investigate the whereabouts of his wife from ten thousand years ago?” he asked with a grim expression.
“Exactly,” Ling Yunpo said with a sigh, “He claims it’s the root of his obsession.”
“What’s more troublesome is that because he’s worried we might seize the Sun True Obscure Sword, he refuses to disperse the Sun True Fire.”
The Guan Family patriarch laughed bitterly in exasperation:
“What does he mean by that? If we can get through the Sun True Fire and enter the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm, why wouldn’t we just take the sword and leave?”
He directly pulled Ling Yunpo along, crossed through the thicket and the barren sand and gravel, to the edge of the boiling spring, and called out loudly:
“Ouyang Zhao! To travel to the Eastern Emperor Demon Realm, we must go through the Boundary Gate. If you don’t disperse this Sun True Fire, how can we get there to find your wife’s whereabouts for you?”
After a moment, a voice came from the sea of fire:
“That’s not my concern.”
The Guan Family patriarch almost spat out a mouthful of old blood, Ling Yunpo was indeed telling the truth!
“I am Ouyang Zhao’s obsession,” the voice from within the sea of fire declared, “He only wants two things: to confirm the whereabouts of his wife and to ensure that the Sun True Obscure Sword doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”
“Both conditions must be met simultaneously. As to how to achieve them, I do not know, I am merely an obsession, inheriting only Ouyang Zhao’s memories, personality, and emotions from when he was alive; I don’t have the capacity for complex thought.”
“But you still have to be reasonable!” the Guan Family patriarch roared with rage. They had finally gotten past this particular obstacle, only to find a dead end awaiting them, how could he not be infuriated?
“With these conditions of yours, it won’t be possible for anyone to accomplish them, not in ten thousand years, not even in a million years!”
“No, I believe he can do it.” The voice from within the sea of fire insisted.
The Guan Family patriarch paused for a moment before realizing—this entity was referring to Ling Yunpo.
“From the moment I saw him, I knew he was the key I had been waiting for, for a hundred thousand years,” the voice from the sea of fire continued, “Beyond this, I cannot say anymore.”
Turning away expressionlessly, the Guan Family patriarch gave Ling Yunpo a look.
Ling Yunpo obligingly reacted with a puzzled expression.
“Fine,” the Guan Family patriarch conceded helplessly, “then let him handle it.”
Turning around indifferently, he took out the Azure Spirit Divine Bead from his sleeve and threw it straight to Ling Yunpo.
“Thank you, elder,” Ling Yunpo quickly said, “though the result is hardly satisfactory…”
“Enough said,” the Guan Family patriarch, disheartened, started walking towards the valley’s entrance, sighing as he said:
“For now, let us put the quest for the sword to rest.”