Chapter 88: The Millennium Ancient Sword
“Oh? What happened to him?”
Li Qingqiu asked calmly.
Every time he saw Li Sifeng’s Fate Traits, he couldn’t help but worry, afraid that the boy might stray down a wrong path.
So when he heard Xue Jin mention Li Sifeng, his heart skipped a beat.
Xue Jin took a deep breath and said, “He’s currently in Eastern Tomb Province pursuing a divine sword. This sword is called the Emperor Mystic Sword, an ancient blade with a history spanning a thousand years. It’s said that whoever obtains it would gain the power to dominate the Martial World. For this reason, he’s gotten himself involved in a great feud. I tried to dissuade him, but he scolded me instead and told me to return quickly to report the mission, saying I needn’t concern myself with him.”
“The Emperor Mystic Sword? Do you know what this great feud is about?”
Li Qingqiu followed up with another question.
After the State Capital Battle, Li Sifeng had already been envious of Xu Ning’s Thunder Flag, though Li Qingqiu hadn’t permitted him to pursue it.
As for the divine weapons of the Martial World, Li Qingqiu didn’t fully dismiss their existence.
The Demonic Cult Protector’s Cold Abyss Blade from before had been quite extraordinary.
Though not a magic implement, it contained a strange chilling aura—likely related to its material.
That Cold Abyss Blade, known as the Demon Blade, had not been given to any disciple.
Li Qingqiu still kept it in his own room, waiting for someone destined for it.
“It involves two great clans,” Xue Jin said.
“The first is the Pei Clan, currently basking in immense imperial power—family of the current Censor-in-Chief. The second is an ancient family that has lasted for centuries—the Di Clan, ‘Di’ as in ‘Emperor.’ It’s said the Emperor Mystic Sword was forged by their ancestor. Now that the sword has resurfaced in the Martial World, the Di Clan is investigating, and the Pei Clan also shows interest in it. Both sides are seeking the sword and have already had several clashes. Hall Master Li seems to have close dealings with one side, though I don’t know the details. I only saw him speaking privately with a mysterious person.”
Xue Jin told him everything he knew, then added, “I think all these so-called divine weapons are just external things. Even just training in the Clear Sky Sect can lead one to the peak of the Martial World. That Emperor Mystic Sword sounds too miraculous—it feels like someone’s plotting something behind the scenes.”
After hearing this, Li Qingqiu actually felt relieved.
So that’s all?
He’s just opened a side quest—let him play it out.
Although Li Sifeng’s cultivation hadn’t yet reached the Fourth Layer of the Nourishing Vital Energy Realm, he was close.
His talent wasn’t weak; he just lacked the patience to cultivate diligently.
Li Qingqiu nodded and said, “You did well to report this. I’m satisfied. Go get some rest.”
Xue Jin nodded, saluted, and left.
Li Qingqiu stood and paced around the courtyard, his mind already on another matter.
The new Inspector-General of Guzhou!
This person had plotted against the Clear Sky Sect—there was no way he could pretend not to know, nor could he let it go so easily.
He just needed to decide how to handle it.
The simple way would be to kill him directly.
But then another Inspector-General would soon arrive.
His instincts told him that this new Inspector-General was acting under someone’s orders.
Perhaps he could use the Soul Restraining Curse, like he did with Jia Yi, to control him.
But if the man chose death over submission, he’d still have to kill him.
And unlike Jia Yi, the Inspector-General was no minor figure.
If his behavior changed too drastically, people would notice, and the existence of the Soul Restraining Curse might be exposed.
To Li Qingqiu, the Soul Restraining Curse was a hidden trump card, reserved for solving difficult problems—he had never passed this spell on to others.
That evening, instead of brooding alone, he summoned the Hall Masters and explained the situation.
“We can’t just kill the Inspector-General outright. The court may ignore martial feuds, but an official’s death—especially one of such rank—would bring the imperial army marching to flatten Clear Sky Mountain.”
Zhang Yuchun hurriedly spoke up, afraid Li Qingqiu might once again declare someone’s name erased.
“We can’t kill him.”
Li Qingqiu gave a wry smile and said, “I never said I would.”
Yang Jueding spoke next, “If the Inspector-General went through such trouble to scheme against us, it means he doesn’t want a direct confrontation. We need to investigate this matter carefully.”
Li Qingqiu chuckled.
“That’s why I’m telling you all. You’ll handle it. If you can’t resolve it, I’ll step in.”
He’d already reasoned it through that afternoon—if no better plan came to mind, he might as well let others handle it.
If things completely fell apart, they could always replace the Inspector-General.
Though he couldn’t fight an entire army, he could still take the enemy commander’s head amidst thousands of troops as easily as reaching into a pocket.
As the Clear Sky Sect grew stronger, his fear of the dynasty continued to fade.
“I’ll take charge of this,” Zhang Yuchun said directly.
“Though I may need Hall Master Zhu’s help later.”
Zhu Yan nodded slightly and replied, “Hall Master Zhang, there’s no need for courtesy. We all act for the sake of the sect.”
“The second matter—have you heard of the Emperor Mystic Sword?” Li Qingqiu asked.
Although he had confidence in Li Sifeng’s abilities, he couldn’t help but worry—after all, the boy was his junior brother.
Everyone shook their heads, even Yang Jueding hadn’t heard of it.
“The Emperor Mystic Sword,” Zhu Yan explained, “was forged by the Di Clan. It’s also called the Demon Sword or the Divine Sword. It’s said to hold unimaginable power and once helped their ancestor ascend to the imperial throne and establish a dynasty. I only read about it in an ancient record.”
Li Sijin asked in surprise, “A Demon Sword and a Divine Sword at the same time?”
Zhu Yan nodded.
“Some used it to save the nation; others used it to slaughter the Martial World. It bears both glory and infamy. Why do you ask, Sect Master? Has it reappeared in the Martial World?”
Li Qingqiu didn’t hide it—he told them about Li Sifeng’s pursuit of the Emperor Mystic Sword and mentioned the Di and Pei Clans.
“This brat always looks for shortcuts, thinking he can become Number One Under Heaven without training,” Jiang Zhaoxia said with a frown, clearly displeased.
Yang Jueding, on the other hand, was curious about the Di Clan and said with a tsk, “The Di Clan—aren’t they afraid of offending taboos? They dare to bear the surname ‘Di,’ meaning ‘Emperor’?”
Zhang Yuchun pondered, “This could turn into something big. If Senior Brother worries, we could post a mission in the Training Hall, letting disciples investigate the Emperor Mystic Sword. They might even cross paths with Sixth Brother and watch each other’s backs. Many disciples wish to travel the Martial World anyway.”
Li Qingqiu praised, “That’s a good idea.”
Many disciples already felt their skills were sufficient—or simply found their daily lives too monotonous—and longed to explore the Martial World.
Li Qingqiu thought this was a good thing.
It would save provisions, free up resources for new disciples, and spread the Clear Sky Sect’s reputation.
Though the number of disciples kept growing, true geniuses remained rare.
The more disciples they had, the higher the chance of discovering one.
Moreover, disciples venturing out might trigger Dao Lineage notifications—bringing him more fortuitous fate and inheritance rewards.
Perhaps some fortunes could be discovered through his disciples’ journeys.
Thus, Li Qingqiu discussed the Training Hall mission plans in more detail.
With Li Sifeng absent, they would have to work together to build it up.
……
Guzhou State Capital—
After half a year of reconstruction and the movement of townsfolk, the capital no longer bore the look of ruin, though it hadn’t regained its past prosperity.
Inside the Inspector-General’s Residence.
The newly appointed Inspector-General, Fan Xi, was hosting an honored guest in a small pavilion, nervously pouring tea for him.
The man across from him wore a black robe and an Evil Ghost Mask.
Under the sunlight, he looked like a fierce ghost, making sweat bead on Fan Xi’s forehead.
Fan Xi, slightly overweight and already past fifty, with graying hair and beard, hardly looked the part of an Inspector-General at that moment.
“Lord Xuan, may I ask why you have come personally?” Fan Xi asked cautiously.
He had come from Zhenyang Imperial City, and even before becoming Inspector-General, he had already heard of Lord Xuan—and witnessed his methods.
In his eyes, Lord Xuan was even more terrifying than His Majesty himself.
Lord Xuan picked up his teacup, admiring it as he said, “Didn’t you write that the Clear Sky Sect is filled with powerful experts, making them hard to deal with? So I’ve come in person to assist you.”
Fan Xi trembled with fright and hurriedly explained, “Lord Xuan, I swear I wasn’t shirking! I’ve just arrived and am still establishing my own faction. On my first day here, the city’s general humiliated me—he serves the Crown Prince. I couldn’t afford to offend him, so I’ve been biding my time. Under such conditions, I truly lack the manpower to handle the Clear Sky Sect.”
“Still, I haven’t been idle. I asked the Inspector of Eastern Tomb Province for help—he sent experts from the Nine Absolute Sect to assassinate the Clear Sky Sect Master. But not only did they fail, the entire Nine Absolute Sect was wiped out…”
Just recalling it made Fan Xi break into a cold sweat.
Lately, he had feared that experts from the Clear Sky Sect would sneak into his residence at night to kill him.
Even with many martial experts hired for protection, he felt no safety.
Lord Xuan said leisurely, “The Clear Sky Sect truly isn’t easy to deal with. Sending assassins after their Sect Master was sheer stupidity. You, of all people, should know how powerful the Demon Emperor was. For someone to slay him—Clear Sky Sect’s Master must be one of the top martial experts in the world.”
Fan Xi gave a bitter smile.
“I didn’t expect the Eastern Tomb Inspector to be so foolish.”
“I’ve brought you two men,” Lord Xuan said nonchalantly.
“Their martial strength is no less than that of the Demon Emperor. After taking immortal elixirs, they’ve grown even stronger. As long as you can lure the Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect to your residence, they’ll kill him. Once he’s dead, you can find any excuse to exterminate the Clear Sky Sect.”
He set down his cup, snapped his fingers, and immediately two figures leapt over the courtyard wall—shadows flickering until they appeared beside them.
Both wore tight black garb, Evil Ghost Masks, and bamboo hats.
From their builds, they seemed almost identical.
So fast!
Fan Xi was stunned by their speed.
He quickly bowed in thanks to Lord Xuan, then asked, “Since these two peerless experts are here, why did you come in person, Lord Xuan? Had they brought your token, I would’ve received them most respectfully.”
Lord Xuan rose and said, “I have other matters to attend to. Dealing with the Clear Sky Sect will serve as a test of your capability. You must prove yourself worthy of the title of Inspector-General. His Majesty is watching—don’t disappoint him.”
“I will give my utmost and never disappoint His Majesty,” Fan Xi said solemnly, bowing deeply.
Lord Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and left the pavilion.
Fan Xi wanted to see him off, but when Lord Xuan raised a hand to stop him, he dared not insist—only standing there, watching him go.
Yet unease gnawed at his heart.
Lord Xuan had served His Majesty for thirty years without leaving Zhenyang Imperial City.
What business brought him here now?
For some reason, Fan Xi felt that Lord Xuan was hiding something—and that he might not be acting on imperial orders at all.