218: Journey to the Wanjian Sect

On the way, as he neared the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, Li Xiangyun thought about it and decided to return to the Sect.

Mainly, after so many years, he wanted to see how Li Muwan was doing.

At this moment, before the mist had fully receded, Li Xiangyun's figure had already landed before the white jade steps of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect's mountain gate.

Frost clung to the welcoming pines on either side of the stone steps, a chill he had brought with him when he arrived on his sword.

He hadn't returned to the mountain gate for over a decade, and even the wind at the gate felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet it softened imperceptibly when he saw the saber engraved with the words “Ten Thousand Swords” on the waist of the Disciple guarding the steps.

“Halt, who goes there!” The two young Disciples guarding the steps blocked him with their swords. No sooner had they spoken than one of them suddenly stared blankly at Li Xiangyun's face, his hand gripping the sword hilt trembling.

“You... you are...” Before he could finish, his Senior Brother beside him suddenly reacted, dropping to his knees on the stone steps with a thud, his voice changing pitch: “It's... it's Elder Li! Elder Li has returned!”

The shout was urgent and quickly spread up the stone steps.

Before long, the Disciples practicing swordplay halfway up the mountain all stopped and looked towards the mountain gate.

Some peered over the railing at the cliff edge, while others simply ran down the stone steps with their swords, their footsteps rustling the fallen leaves.

Several Inner Sect Disciples who had seen Li Xiangyun back then crowded at the front, their eyes reddening as they looked at the white-robed figure standing in the frost: “It really is Elder Li... Ten years, you've finally returned!”

Li Xiangyun nodded at the Disciples without a word, then tapped his toes and stepped onto the ice shards, heading towards the stone pavilion at the mountain peak.

Passing by “Listening Snow Courtyard,” where he used to live, he noticed the red plum tree in the courtyard was still there, only a bit thicker than ten years ago. The snow accumulated on its branches was swept down by the wind he created as he passed, rustling onto the stone steps.

As the clouds drifted over the mountain peak, Li Xiangyun landed outside the stone pavilion, treading on condensed ice shards.

Thin snow covered the bluestone slabs beneath the pavilion. Ten Thousand Swords True Lord stood by the stream, a falling plum petal pinched between his fingers. His moon-white Daoist robe stirred slightly in the wind, and his gentle brows concealed a hidden sharpness.

Lord Xuanjian, on the other hand, leaned against a pavilion pillar, still in his uninhibited youthful appearance.

“You're here?” Ten Thousand Swords True Lord turned his head first, the plum petal in his fingers turning into light smoke. His smile, when it fell upon Li Xiangyun, was softer than the mist over the stream.

Lord Xuanjian also stopped twirling his sword and looked up. The moment his eyes swept over, they suddenly lit up, and then he let out a “Ho!” and straightened up: “You're pretty good, kid! This spiritual energy fluctuation... Late Stage Nascent Soul? You're already at my level.

Ten years ago, you were only at Golden Core, right? So, you weren't hiding out there; you were secretly brewing a big move?”

As he spoke, he moved closer, circling Li Xiangyun halfway. “This is great. I was originally thinking if you came back without any progress in your cultivation, we'd go support you. Now, it seems unnecessary.”

Li Xiangyun raised his hand to brush away Lord Xuanjian's hand, then looked at Ten Thousand Swords True Lord and said, “I came to inform you two... In three days, I will go to the Great Zhou Imperial City alone.”

“I expected as much.” Ten Thousand Swords True Lord sat down on a stone stool in the pavilion, tapping his fingers lightly on the stone table. “The Li family's grudge, you've held it for ten years. It must come to an end.

However...” He paused, the gentleness in the corner of his eye fading slightly, “Do you know that the Great Zhou Emperor Emeritus, who was rumored to have died, might not have died?”

Li Xiangyun showed no great reaction to this, but calmly said, “I had some suspicions.”

“Then you still dare to go?” Lord Xuanjian was startled, straightening up from the pavilion pillar, his gaze filled with uncertainty and surprise as he looked at Li Xiangyun, as if trying to discern whether his calmness was genuine confidence or forced composure.

Li Xiangyun didn't respond, only lowered his gaze to his palm. The fragments of the ice beads he had just crushed still clung to his fingertips, and at this moment, they suddenly began to tremble.

The wind in the stone pavilion suddenly grew cold. The thin snow that had fallen on the stone table instantly froze, spreading up the pavilion pillars, and even the surface of the stream developed a layer of clear ice shards.

His fingertips remained still, yet the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be seized by an invisible Law, transforming entirely into the form of ice.

The red plum at the corner of the pavilion was frozen in its half-open state, and even the small sword Lord Xuanjian was twirling at his waist solidified with a “click” between his fingers, its blade covered with a fine pattern of ice.

Ten Thousand Swords True Lord's eyes narrowed slightly, and he instinctively raised a hand to brush his sleeve, only to find that the cuff of his moon-white Daoist robe had already formed thin ice. That chill did not come from spiritual energy, but from the oppressive power of the Law itself.

He exchanged a glance with Lord Xuanjian, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes—it was the power of Law.

It was hard to imagine what Li Xiangyun had experienced in the past decade; not only had his strength advanced by leaps and bounds to the Late Stage Nascent Soul, but he had also comprehended the Law of Ice.

As Li Xiangyun slowly raised his eyes, the frost in his palm quietly dissipated, and the chill in the stone pavilion receded with it. The ice shards on the stream melted into fine water, flowing gently once more.

It was as if the chilling cold that had frozen the world moments ago was merely an illusion.

“If I don't dare,” his voice remained calm, yet it carried a more profound strength than before, “the Li family's blood will have been shed in vain.”

Afterward, Li Xiangyun conversed with Lord Xuanjian and Ten Thousand Swords True Lord for a few more moments, then transformed into a sword light and departed.

However, before leaving, Li Xiangyun also left behind a Xuan Tian Mirror, allowing the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to observe this great battle when the time came.

Watching Li Xiangyun's departing sword shadow, the stone pavilion fell silent for a moment.

Lord Xuanjian then raised a hand to rub the lingering chill from his fingertips. When he turned to look at Ten Thousand Swords True Lord, the astonishment in his eyes had already transformed into clear admiration: “As expected of the Genius we favored, every step he takes is beyond our expectations.”

Ten Thousand Swords True Lord gazed in the direction Li Xiangyun had departed, the plum petal he had been twirling between his fingers having unknowingly solidified into an ice flower.

He chuckled softly, tossing the ice flower into the stream and watching it melt into tiny water droplets and disperse: “To be beyond expectation, that is Li Xiangyun.”

The wind brushed his moon-white Daoist robe, carrying a hint of frost. “Back then, he was able to fuse two Dao Intents, and he never relied on following the rules.”

Lord Xuanjian pouted, then leaned back against the pavilion pillar, twirling the newly unfrozen small sword between his fingers: “True. But speaking of which, with his Law, even if the Emperor Emeritus is truly alive, he'll probably have to reconsider.

“This way, you can finally begin your Breakthrough to Soul Transformation, right!” Saying this, Lord Xuanjian looked at Ten Thousand Swords True Lord, his expression showing a rare steadiness.

The stream flowed gently, carrying their voices deep into the mountains. The thin snow on the stone pavilion gradually melted, leaving only a few faint ice patterns on the pavilion pillars, as if quietly remembering the momentary power of the Law that was capable of freezing the world.

Meanwhile, Li Xiangyun, after meeting Li Muwan and confirming that she was doing well, left the Ten Thousand Swords Sect and continued towards the Imperial City.

As for Sun Ping, after scanning the area with his Divine Sense and confirming that the other party was not in the Sect, he bothered to search no further.

Past grievances needed to be resolved, but not now.

Worst case, he would just cut him down with a single sword next time they met.

After all, some things, one can hide from the first, but not the fifteenth!