BXBX NOVEL Chapter 421: Gathering of the Swords
Chapter 421: Gathering of the Swords
It only took her a moment of thought to guess Chu Liang's intentions.
Now that she had solid evidence, her only concern was that the city lord might try to use his influence to forcibly quash the matter into nothingness. However, she was confident that as long as an esteemed sect elder intervened, even the city lord, with all his authority and power, would be unable to meddle in matters concerning the immortal sects of the Divine Nine.
Although the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten were merely sects, they held enough power to negotiate with the imperial family—the Xia Family. The idea that government officials could intimidate these immortal sects was nothing more than a fantasy.
In a way, these otherworldly cultivators acted as overseers beyond the law, like a sword hanging over the heads of government officials.
Although the Yu Dynasty had long attempted to control the actions of immortal sect cultivators, the most they could do was encourage them to communicate with the Imperial Supervisory Bureau and let the imperial court handle matters, rather than taking the law into their own hands to punish wrongdoers.
It was impossible to completely stop such actions.
After racing back to Mount Shu, she first went to Silver Sword Peak, only to find that Di Nufeng had yet to return.
There weren't many people at Mount Shu who were close to Di Nufeng. The first was Jiang Yuebai's teacher, who was currently in closed-door cultivation. The second person... was hard to track down, but fortunately, Jiang Yuebai remembered her teacher mentioning someone.
The Discipline Master, Tian Lingxin.
Few among the younger generation at Mount Shu knew that Di Nufeng had been raised by the Discipline Master. In truth, the Discipline Master was of the same generation as Chu Liang's grandmother, and therefore, of the same generation as Xu Hongqiu's great-grandmother. It was best not to dwell on the complexities of generations and titles too deeply.
When Jiang Yuebai arrived at the Hall of Discipline, the Discipline Master was already scolding someone, despite it being just dawn. This was her daily routine.
If a disciple from any peak violated the rules of Mount Shu, the Discipline Master wouldn't reprimand them directly. Instead, she would summon the peak master and give them a stern scolding. If a supervising elder or disciple in the Hall of Discipline wasn't meeting her standards, she'd call them in for a rebuke. She would even summon Venerable Wen Yuan for a scolding if he ever behaved improperly.
When the Discipline Master got angry, even Venerable Wen Yuan wouldn't dare talk back.
She always dressed in black, her hair meticulously tied back, and her eyes sharp as swords. Wherever her gaze fell, all of Mount Shu trembled.
However, Jiang Yuebai wasn't afraid of her. She was the kind of girl adored by elders, having grown up showered with their affection. Of course, it wasn't just the elders who loved her.
"What's the matter?" The Discipline Master, noticing Jiang Yuebai's sudden approach, set aside her current task and immediately focused on her.
"I have urgent news to report," Jiang Yuebai replied.
She then recounted what she and Chu Liang had discovered in Wu'an City, including how Chu Liang was now detained in the City Supervisory Division.
After listening to the story, the Discipline Master nodded calmly and said, "Don't worry."
With that, she stood up and led Jiang Yuebai out of the Hall of Discipline.
Upon arriving at the vast square on the Heaven-Reaching Peak, she raised her hand and sent out a jade talisman. In an instant, a beam of light shaped like a flying sword shot into the sky with a sharp whoosh!
Jiang Yuebai's eyes widened in surprise.
This was the Sword-Gathering Order!
Many Mount Shu disciples, upon reaching a bottleneck in their cultivation, would leave the sect to explore new paths and seek greater growth. On one hand, Mount Shu's resources weren't enough to support so many high-level cultivators; on the other, staying within the comfort of the sect often made it difficult to encounter the life-changing opportunities they sought.
Yet even after leaving, these disciples remained part of Mount Shu. Each one carried a Sword-Gathering Talisman with them, a bond that kept them connected to the sect no matter how far they wandered.
Only the Sect Leader and the Four Guardian Elders had the authority to issue a Sword-Gathering Order.
If the sect needed to gather its disciples, all it took was the activation of a Sword-Gathering Order, and Mount Shu disciples from across the land would swiftly return in response.
However, the Sword-Gathering Order was never issued lightly. The routine tasks were handled by the younger disciples as a means of training and growth, while the more challenging matters were handled by the sect's powerful elders. This order was reserved for times of war, when large numbers of fifth and sixth-realm cultivators were urgently needed.
Jiang Yuebai recognized the order because one had been issued on the day of the Mount Shu Summit. However, the battle that day had started and ended so swiftly that by the time many of the older disciples returned, it was already almost over.
The Sword-Gathering Order had different tiers. The one issued during the Mount Shu battle was of the highest tier, summoning all Mount Shu disciples from across the world to rush to aid.
The one issued now was of the third tier, calling back any available disciples within a thousand li.
But for a young disciple like Chu Liang, such treatment was far beyond what his position warranted!
If he were just an ordinary disciple, he wouldn't receive such treatment. But as the swordmaster of Mount Shu's Violet and Azure Twin Swords, his safety was extremely important.
Thus, the Discipline Master was willing to deploy such a formidable force, likely intending to send a powerful message.
She unleashed a cloud-piercing sword!
In just a few moments, over a dozen swordlights descended upon Heaven-Reaching Peak.
Each of them was a former disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, and they all arrived with eager anticipation, bombarding her with questions.
"Discipline Master?"
"Are you going to war again?"
These former disciples might not match the current younger generation in raw talent, but they had all reached the peak of their abilities. Even the weakest among them were at fifth realm.
In less than one hour, around eighty to ninety people had gathered.
Though there weren't a massive number of people, there were still nearly one hundred fifth-to-sixth-realm cultivators of the conventional path! Each of them were capable of fighting independently.
"We're not waiting any longer," the Discipline Master declared, swiftly rising into the air. Her voice echoed with authority as she announced, "A fellow disciple in Wu'an City needs our help. Follow me to rescue him!"
The gathered disciples responded with a thunderous roar.
The forces gathered were more than enough to rescue someone. In fact, if they wished, they could have easily taken over Wu'an City.
In an instant, nearly a hundred dazzling sword lights shot into the sky, like a grand rainbow cloud surging toward the southeast!
Jiang Yuebai followed closely beside the Discipline Master. Though her face remained calm, concern weighed heavily on her heart as she silently urged, "Chu Liang, you must be careful."
...
"Be careful, be careful," the bald giant whispered to his underlings as he leaned against the wall, "Don't wake up that fiend."
Everyone in the prison was resting on straw mats at this hour, and Chu Liang was no exception, lying alone on one. The bald giant, however, dared not sleep. He only allowed himself a bit of relaxation while Chu Liang was asleep.
If Chu Liang so much as turned over, the giant would immediately kneel again.
This bully, who had spent years tormenting others, had ample experience in being bullied, so he knew how to handle himself.
He had been channeling all his qi and blood to heal his injuries, and after most of the night had passed, he finally managed to stop the bleeding from his broken arm. But with his limited cultivation, regenerating the limb quickly was impossible. He could only let time do its work.
Just as he was about to catch his breath and perhaps doze off for a moment, a sudden explosion erupted beside him!
Boom—
The source of the explosion grazed past his eyes—it was an enormous fist, larger than his own head!
The prisoners in the cell were startled awake, and moments later, the clamor of battle echoed from outside. However, the noise quickly faded, suggesting that the prison guards of the City Supervisory Division had been swiftly brought under control.
The punch had shattered the enchanted formations on the wall, and a massive figure burst through. It turned out to be an actual enormous giant that was even taller than the cell itself.
His skin was an ashen gray, as if it were carved from solid rock, with muscles bulging like mountain ridges. His features resembled those of a rough, burly man, but they were far larger than those of an ordinary human.
As he lowered his head and scanned the tiny prisoners on the ground with wide eyes, he called out in a deep, resonant voice, "Advisor?"
The prisoners should have taken the chance to flee, but with the giant's gaze fixed on them, not a single one dared to move. They all trembled in silence.
The frail middle-aged man who had previously spoken to Chu Liang quickly stood up and said, "I'm here."
"Heh," the giant chuckled as he scooped the man up in one hand. "Let's move—reinforcements from the City Supervisory Division will be here any minute."
"Wait..." The middle-aged man, struggling against the giant's grip, managed to stretch out his arm and point at the bald man. "Take off his limbs."
"Huh?" The bald man was suddenly struck with terror.
Who would have thought that this middle-aged man, who had always been so submissive and never fought back when bullied, held such power?
He wanted to beg for mercy, but it was too late. In the presence of the giant, his pride in his physique and strength meant nothing. Without a word, the giant set the middle-aged man down, grabbed the fleeing bald man with one hand, and with a casual, effortless motion, tore off all his limbs, sending blood splattering everywhere!
The giant did it as easily as a child tormenting insects, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
The frail middle-aged man finally looked satisfied. Just as the giant was about to leave with him, the man pointed at Chu Liang, who had been silently watching the scene unfold. "Bring this brother with us too."
"Huh?" Chu Liang muttered.