Chapter 1918: Guiding

The Time Rift was entrusted with a unique fate to target the Demon Ancestor.The Crossroads drew Jiang into a vortex, its intention set on Malevolent Yin.

Among the three ancestors, the Medicine Ancestor was the only one they couldn't strictly guard against, as his only publicly known aspect so far was Bei Huai. Yet, Bei Huai also operated behind the scenes, his true body far away in the Weeping Imperial Realm. It wasn't that they didn't want to target him; it was simply beyond their reach.

At this point, Jin Ren's mission was considered complete for the time being.

Openly repairing the plank roads, secretly crossing Chencang.Then crossing Chencang again, and again…

Xu Xiaoshou initiated this game using clever tactics; after all, brute force wouldn't truly overcome the three ancestors. He only wanted to "keep a close watch." Even if the surface layers were eventually peeled away and the trick was exposed, the Demon Ancestor would face Kui Lei Han, and Malevolent Yin would see Jiang Nayu.

A layer deeper, if Dao Qiongcang's prediction came true, Cao Erzhu would step in, and Jiang Nayu’s identity as a complete demon would be exposed. The former was still a variable. As for the complete demon, they didn't expect him to do much; if he could detect even one abnormality in the Blood World Pearl, and Malevolent Yin started to scheme, his mission would be accomplished. If this chess piece, Jiang Nayu, could still cause Malevolent Yin to suspect a genuine collusion between the Demon Ancestor and Xu Xiaoshou, thereby deepening the rift within the Three Ancestors’ alliance, then his sacrifice would be well worth it.

Once a crack was opened, Xu Xiaoshou had many ways to make them suspect each other, thus expanding the rift until eventually, they couldn't stand each other and started fighting.

And if one were to talk about an even deeper layer…At worst, if all of Jin Ren's schemes were exposed, Jin Ren would simply die for them to see, and he would create another.

In any case, Xu Xiaoshou didn't intend to wade into these troubled waters this time. He would act as a fisherman, playing Beast Chess with Dao Peipei, waiting for the opportune moment to make his move. With sleeves hanging low, a celestial being, his mind as still as water.

Earlier, Dao Peipei was still holding onto his little mouse, which was supposed to be hidden in the river, refusing to let go, even letting the tiger be eaten just to save the mouse. He truly had a special fondness for mice that could challenge bigger opponents.

Looking across the Heavenly Ladder, both inside and outside the Time Rift, various generations of prodigies were in position, and ancient ancestral gods were waiting in the wings. The general situation was like an arrow on the bowstring, with the horn bow drawn into a full moon.

"It's about to be shot…" Xu Xiaoshou sighed silently. Though clearly orchestrating a scheme for the first time, he exhibited the composure of an otherworldly master. Was he too relaxed, or so tense that his nerves had snapped? Unable to find an answer after deep thought, he furrowed his brow, withdrew his distant gaze, and focused on the incomplete Beast Chess game before him.

"Capture!" he shouted, feigning an aggressive move. Dao Peipei was startled, and Xu Xiaoshou seized the opportunity to nudge his cat piece forward with his toe, still coveting Dao Peipei's mouse. What's the point of playing chess without cheating? He wasn't some upright gentleman, after all.

The chess game involved another round of pushing, pulling, and trickery, eventually escalating into a shouting match. Xu Xiaoshou took a moment to glance at Lingyu. It was just as heated…

Everything that needed to be done had been done; the traps had been laid, and the key points had been guarded. All was ready, only lacking the crucial element. Cheating was a clever shortcut. Now, this game had to return to a direct confrontation at Lingyu Mountain, to see who, among Hua and Ba, had superior swordsmanship.

"Xu Xiaoshou!" Dao Peipei suddenly bared his teeth and said ominously, "I'll let you cheat on this move, but you have to tell me, where is your true body?"

Xu Xiaoshou paused, then burst out laughing. He pointed to himself, raised his eyebrows high, and, without speaking, conveyed his confusion. He leaned forward again, reached out, and touched Dao Peipei's forehead. "You don't have a fever…"

"Tell me or not!""Are you sick? If I'm not here, where else could I be?""Pretend, keep pretending!" Dao Peipei narrowed his eyes, his gaze sinister, judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.

Xu Xiaoshou was amused by his narrow eyes and waved his hand, saying, "Yes! The most dangerous place is the safest place. Actually, I'm on Lingyu Mountain.""Pretend, keep pretending!" Dao Peipei became even more sinister, trying to peek into Xu Xiaoshou's "dirty soul" through his eyes.Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, smiled, and remained silent.

"Cluck cluck cluck—" A black chicken crowed, poking its head out from Yu Zhiwen's embrace. After steadily looking left and right, it stepped onto his chest, then his shoulder, and pecked his soft earlobe, as if hungry and looking for food. Yu Zhiwen felt ticklish and pulled the chicken back. "Awake?""Cluck, cluck! Cluck cluck..." The black chicken began to sing an unpleasant song, unbearable to the ear.

Even so, it didn't attract much attention, as there weren't many people at the foot of Lingyu Mountain to begin with. Yue Gongnu glanced sideways, her gaze also on the young Yu who was stroking the chicken's feathers, and smiled silently. Liu Fuyu, on the other hand, was accustomed to such sights; she paid no mind to the playful squabble of the young couple, her eyes fully fixed on the Lingyu situation.

Gou Wuyue's declaration, "We ancient sword cultivators advance unyieldingly," completely announced the elimination of 'Coward Xu-ge'. At this moment, no one paid attention to Xu Xiaoshou, the post-battle auxiliary healer. Everyone knew that only three protagonists remained in this game.

"Good." The Sword Ancestor's figure became seventy percent transparent. His time was running out. Under the watchful eyes of the multitude, after only a slight pause, the Sword Ancestor flicked his sleeve, sending out three rays of white light, which flew towards Hua, Ba, and Gou respectively.

All three were alert but did not flinch. After they reached out and cupped them, the white light dissipated, revealing three warm, milky-white jade pieces. There were no engravings on them, only simple cloud patterns, but inside, they contained a singular, ultimate power.

Guidance… Ba Zun'an was familiar with this power. It existed in the Divine Ruins, and the Divine Worshiper Liu of the Apricot Realm also possessed it. However, the guiding power of these jade pendants clearly didn't lead to either of the two locations he knew, and it seemed there was no need to ask where it led.

"These are 'Sword Jades'," the Sword Ancestor's voice was ethereal, and as his figure flickered between bright and dim, his voice sounded much weaker: "Each of you three has made significant achievements in the way of the sword and possesses the ability to unlock the 'Moon Gazing Diagram' inheritance. However, there is only one Moon Gazing Diagram. The mysteries behind the door, the scenery above the door—only one person can view it, and it will self-immolate afterward. There are three Sword Jades. The last one to crush theirs will be guided into the tower to view the diagram. As for how to choose, the three of you may decide for yourselves."

As his words paused, the Five Domains erupted in an uproar. What was happening? They had thought that after questioning the three, the Sword Ancestor would lead all of them into the Sword Tower. Unexpectedly, the Sword Tower had entry restrictions; only one could enter? Didn't this clearly mean that Hua, Ba, and Gou were expected to compete, with the best chosen to enter the tower?

"Something's not right, why does this sound like a 'conspiracy theory'?""Xu-ge was right earlier; the Sword Ancestor really seems out of line. Isn't this clearly inciting discord?""Hua, Ba, Gou, all three want to enter the tower... They say the last one to crush the Sword Jade enters, but actually, they have to rush over and crush the other two's Sword Jades, and then the remaining one can enter, right?""Ah haha, fight! Fight!"

The Five Domains had seen through the trick, and Hua, Ba, and Gou naturally couldn't fail to understand the Sword Ancestor's implied meaning. "You want me to join the game?" Gou Wuyue took a deep breath, clearly annoyed. He had kept a low profile for so long, and finally, he had actively spoken. Was the price that he had to enter the fray as well? The mysteries behind the door were indeed spectacular. And indeed, "a stone from another mountain can serve to polish one's own jade." But his "desireless, reckless sword" didn't need to reach the ultimate creation at such an early stage, nor did he need to be the pig at the center of the storm, slaughtered by thousands.

"You two!" Gou Wuyue preempted them, giving Hua Changdeng and Ba Zun'an no time to react. Seeing them both instinctively look over, he raised the Sword Jade in his hand and unceremoniously crushed it. As the Sword Jade shattered, a phantom chain link burst out and quickly dissipated into specks of light. This didn't attract any particular attention, as it was just a normal guiding dao chain link.

"Please, go ahead." After crushing the Sword Jade, Gou Wuyue turned. Just like Xu-ge earlier, he walked into the crowd and merged with everyone.

The live broadcast screens from various apricot-realm cultivators shook, immediately flooded by countless scrolling comments:"So decisive!""Sorry, that was me, Gou Wuyue, being reckless. You two, Hua and Ba, should take the limelight. I, Gou, am just useless.""Hahaha, I knew Xu-ge ran away first! So he had anticipated the enemy?""He cowered, he cowered! Is this the dignified Wuyue Sword Immortal? You've made me laugh so hard!"

It seemed no one could believe that this was a choice a Sword Immortal who had publicly declared "We ancient sword cultivators advance unyieldingly" could make. As the comments scrolled to the end, they uniformly redefined the ancient sword cultivators' ability to adapt and be flexible:"You ancient sword cultivators advance unyieldingly!""We, Gou Wuyue, retreat first!"

Hua and Ba were put on the spot. Not by Gou Wuyue, nor by the Sword Jade. Both of them realized almost simultaneously that the development of events had been wrong from the very beginning.

The "Sword's Opening of Mysteries," seemingly grand, had in fact only summoned one Sword Ancestor. This was vastly different from the "True Nature of Creation" recorded in the "Introduction to the Sword Sutra." Clearly, the mysteries behind the door should not only have bestowed Dao Resonance and radiant light upon ordinary ancient sword cultivators of Lingyu Mountain but also granted breakthroughs in realm and insight to Hua and Ba. There was nothing. Thus, they had chosen to reject that Dao Resonance and radiant light.

After that, a Sword Ancestor appeared, claiming that even through another Sword Ancestor, by crushing the Sword Jade and entering the Sword Tower, they could still obtain the "True Nature of Creation"—it was just one more step. Wrong! Something was very fishy!

Ba Zun'an had already received an earlier warning from Xu Xiaoshou, knowing that something was amiss in the Sword Tower and that the Demon Ancestor's spirit had likely revived. Hua Changdeng, unaware of the Sword Tower's internal secrets, could nonetheless discern clues from the Sword Ancestor's series of abnormal actions and Xu Xiaoshou's act of preventing Hua Weiyang from bowing deeply.

The Sword Ancestor's appearance was enigmatic, and he had been exceedingly generous right from the start, bestowing the ancestral god's fate-chart. Was the "True Nature of Creation" truly inside this Sword Tower? Even if the "Moon Gazing Diagram" existed, would viewing it truly lead to breakthroughs? Was the so-called "scenery behind the mysterious door" merely bait to lure "we ancient sword cultivators" from the very beginning? Was it a plan to simply reel in the fish when their minds were unprepared?

Ba Zun'an stroked the Sword Jade in his hand. Without waiting for another reminder from Xu Xiaoshou, he was quite reluctant to enter the Sword Tower. Mysteries upon mysteries... Having cultivated the sword for so long, to say he didn't want to glimpse the Sword Ancestor's mysterious door would be an absolute lie. However, if the price of a glimpse was being possessed, or having his cultivation foundation and Dao heart ruined, destroying thirty years of hidden sword accumulation, it would be far too great a loss.

Hua Changdeng's thumb rubbed the Sword Jade, his thoughts running deeper. He walked the same path as the three ancestors, yet also a different one. If the three ancestors entered the game after his breakthrough, whether through the Ghost Buddha, the Crossroads, or the Time Rift, he, Hua Changdeng, was confident he would have the power to fight. But if the three ancestors rushed into the Sacred Divine Continent before his breakthrough, and the Sword Ancestor was still in reincarnation, what kind of waves could a mere Sword Dao Saint Emperor make? At that time, he would be the fish on the chopping block, and they the butcher. The first one to devour him would undoubtedly be the Medicine Ancestor!

"Brother Hua, the Sword's Opening of Mysteries and its scenery were originally meant for you. This Sword Tower, I yield it to you." While deep in thought, Ba Zun'an raised the Sword Jade in his hand and crushed it without hesitation. The Five Domains erupted in an uproar again. Of the three Sword Jades, Gou Wuyue's decisiveness was understandable. With only two left, Ba Zun'an's choice required even greater courage and boldness. After all, the deduction could be wrong. Yet the Sword Ancestor had already stated that the mysteries behind the door and the scenery above were all in the Sword Tower's "Moon Gazing Diagram." Now, the initiative was entirely in Hua Changdeng's hands.

"Snap!" A crisp sound. When Hua Changdeng looked up, the Sword Jade in Ba Zun'an's palm had already turned into a dao chain link and then vanished into specks of light. Ba Zun'an frowned. There was indeed something amiss. That dao chain just now felt somewhat familiar… Hua Changdeng also stared at the spot where the dao chain disappeared, lost in thought. He actually felt an impulse, believing that life and death were fated, to enter the tower first and view the diagram, discussing other matters later. He also raised his Sword Jade.

The Five Domains waited expectantly. At the foot of Lingyu Mountain, the black chicken nestled in Yu Zhiwen's arms suddenly bristled and stood up."Wait!" At that moment, on Lingyu Mountain, Xiao Kongtong suddenly shot up, soaring into the sky: "Sword Immortal Hua, will crushing this Sword Jade truly lead you into the Sword Tower, or will it instead summon the Sword Tower to… meet you?"

Hua, Ba, and Gou were momentarily stunned. The onlookers from the Five Domains didn't immediately grasp the meaning of Xiao Kongtong's words, though Xiao Kongtong's sudden leap and shout were quite strange. Before anyone could ponder further, the Sword Ancestor, who had given ample time and opportunity for the Sword Jades to be crushed, took a step forward and spoke again: "My remnant will's time is up. Two Sword Jades have been crushed. Since the three of you have made your choices, you may enter the tower when the time is right. However, before that…"

The Sword Ancestor paused, his gaze sweeping back from Hua Changdeng to the ancient sword cultivators on Lingyu Mountain. Everyone he looked at inexplicably straightened their backs, gaining confidence, feeling "chosen.""Entering through the way of the sword, exiting through the way of the sword. The three of you can be said to be 'fellow cultivators,' but you are no longer 'on the same path.' Since the 'Moon Gazing Diagram' is about to be viewed and then self-immolate, before that, I still need to find other inheritors of the Sword Dao to accompany me into the tower and receive true transmission."

At these words, the ancient sword cultivators of Lingyu Mountain erupted. Even the many Spirit Refiners from the Five Domains became excited. All previous anomalies of the Sword Ancestor and Xiao Kongtong's sudden outburst were cast aside; everyone's mind was left with only one thought: "Choose me! Choose me! Choose me!"

The ancient sword cultivators of Lingyu Mountain had the best chance. It was then that they fully understood what the Sword Ancestor's sweeping gaze had represented: It represented instant enlightenment and a sudden ascension to greatness.

The Sword Ancestor's figure dimmed further, becoming indistinct, but his ethereal voice sounded even more resolute and definite: "I once chanted scriptures; ordinary mortals could not grasp their meaning, and those who loathed the sword could not gain full understanding. Yet, from this, three seeds of inheritance were gained, awakening one after another under the true words of the Sword Dao…"

As these words were spoken, even before they were finished, everyone understood. Their burning gazes immediately locked onto Gu Qingyi, Xiao Wanfeng, and Lei Shuangxing."No…""Why them…""Ah, I also remembered a part! I was the fourth to awaken! Aaaah!" Envy, jealousy, and hatred – no need to mention them; emotions simply surged forth.

The Sword Ancestor lowered his sleeves, and three rays of guiding light descended, as expected, enveloping Gu Qingyi, Xiao Wanfeng, and Lei Shuangxing respectively."What's going on?" The three of them hadn't even fully registered what was happening, only feeling their feet lift off the ground as they ascended into the air.

"Three Dao Seeds have emerged; I shall guide them first. Fellow cultivators of the Sword Jade, you may enter the tower after making your decision." With these words, the Sword Ancestor flicked his sleeve and vanished. Gu, Xiao, and Lei, chosen by the guiding light, also disappeared in silence and terror.