Chapter 370: Dark Moon Sword

Lu Yang felt that the enlightened monk from the Golden Buddhist Kingdom truly spoke with profound wisdom.

Lu Yang grew even more curious: "Elder, how did you meet this eminent monk back then?"

"This eminent monk held an extremely high position; he was a master of the 'Ming' generation. His aspirations were as high as the heavens, and his Dharma name was 'Tomorrow.' Everyone who knew him called him Master Tomorrow.

"At the time, both Master Tomorrow and I were interested in the same woman. Since one woman cannot serve two masters, Master Tomorrow and I began to compete. The main competition was over who had more spirit stones. When I was young, I applied for numerous patents, so when it came to spirit stones, I never feared anyone."

"When Master Tomorrow saw that he couldn't outdo me in spirit stones, he asked if I could make an exception for him. He said he saw a connection with me and was willing to bestow the True Fire of Desirelessness upon me. I insisted that it wasn't necessary, but the master insisted it was, and practically forced the True Fire of Desirelessness onto me."

"At that moment, I realized that beauty was merely skin deep, a 'pink skeleton.' Why should I waste my time in a brothel? So I left the brothel."

"Later, I wanted to discuss this matter with Master Tomorrow, preferably to give him a good beating if the opportunity arose.

"Unfortunately, Master Tomorrow was highly skilled in Buddhist teachings and shamed me speechless. More importantly, Master Tomorrow's cultivation was superb; he was already at the Tribulation Transcending stage, and both the Third Elder and I couldn't defeat him."

Lu Yang: "..."So, the Third Elder's Six Heaven-Shaking Forms weren't meant to shake the heavens, but to shake Master Tomorrow?

"Speaking of which, Immortal Fairy, did Buddhism exist in your time?"

"Yes, it did."

Lu Yang was very surprised. According to Buddhist records, Buddhism had a long history, dating back to ancient times. However, having met the Immortal Fairy and learned about the existence of the Five Ancient Immortals, Lu Yang suspected that this historical account was fabricated by Buddhism to elevate its status.

If Buddhism and the Buddha existed in ancient times, why had the Immortal Fairy never mentioned the Buddha?

Lu Yang also didn't think the Five Ancient Immortals could be associated with the Buddha.

"It really existed? So the Buddha also existed? Was he an immortal?"

"I recall that in Buddhism, there's the Buddha, countless Buddhas across the heavens, numerous Arhats and Bodhisattvas, and concepts like the Thirty-Three Heavens, right?"

"Yes, various scriptures record them."

The Immortal Fairy revealed a sly smile: "Then, doesn't this kind of setup sound a lot like the Heavenly Court?"

"!!!" Lu Yang's expression showed extreme shock. He had thought of a certain possibility. The genuine article!

The Immortal Fairy was very pleased with Lu Yang's expression and laughed: "That's right, Buddhism was something the five of us created together."

This explained why the Immortal Fairy confidently believed her Arhat Fruit Fist was more authentic than the Arhat Fist.

As one of the founders of Buddhism, her status was transcendent, and she possessed supreme authority. If she declared something authentic, then it was.

Lu Yang gasped. The Five Ancient Immortals' talent for deception was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

"The several Heavenly Court settings you five devised didn't survive, yet the Buddhist settings you created have persisted to this day and have even been greatly developed by later generations."

The Fifth Elder, unaware that Lu Yang was conversing with the Immortal Fairy, found Lu Yang's changing expression quite peculiar.

However, within the Dao Inquiring Sect, it wasn't overly strange.

Back when the Ninth Elder was Lu Yang's age, he fantasized about having an ancient fierce beast sealed within him, whose escaping aura would destroy all life. So, he would walk around with a poker face all day, feigning indifference, claiming he had sealed away his emotions.

Sometimes, he would even clutch his wrist in agony, saying he couldn't suppress the beast within him anymore and telling others to run.

Now, if anyone brings up that story to the Ninth Elder, he'll get enraged and start swinging his sword at them.

Compared to the Ninth Elder who would wail on the ground for no reason, Lu Yang's changing expression seemed relatively normal.

"Perhaps this is the master-disciple inheritance, the destiny of a Sword Spirit Root," the Fifth Elder murmured.

"Ah, Fifth Elder, what did you say about the destiny of a Sword Spirit Root?" Lu Yang snapped back to attention, his spirit tensing when he heard the Fifth Elder mention it.

Could it be that the Sword Spirit Root has a hidden destiny? For instance, perhaps every generation of Sword Spirit Root holders has had an enemy, but each one has failed, living with lifelong regret?

Was Master's 'playing around in the human world' merely a manifestation of lifelong regret and an outlet for his emotions?

The more Lu Yang thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

"The True Fire of Desirelessness is the true fire I use most often for artifact refining. Artifacts refined with it allow their owner to maintain maximum calmness during combat."

The Fifth Elder believed that calmness was the ultimate secret weapon for increasing one's chances of victory.

The Fifth Elder then raised a hand again, taking out another true fire from a small bottle: "This is the Six Ding Divine Fire, an ancestral true fire passed down through generations of Peak Masters of Hundred Refinements Peak. It can devour impurities and is most suitable for artifact refining. The 'Stone in Fire' and 'Peak Spirit Stone' within the immortal sword need to be refined and separated using the Six Ding Divine Fire."

He placed the Six Ding Divine Fire in the center of the refining chamber and activated the arrays carved into the floor and walls. The temperature in the chamber suddenly soared, forcing Lu Yang to use his Samadhi True Fire for protection just to feel more comfortable.

The Fifth Elder ignored the high temperature, his eyes fixed on the immortal sword as the flames licked it, melting and consuming the outermost layer of immortal gold powder.

The immortal sword revealed its original appearance: dull gray-black and unremarkable, with no hint that it was refined from two precious and unusual stones.

Under the intense heat of the Six Ding Divine Fire, the immortal sword melted, separating into two lumps of metallic liquid, one red and one black, both imbued with spiritual energy. The Fifth Elder swung his iron hammer, vigorously striking the metallic liquids.

The metallic liquids, upon impact, exploded within the flames but could not escape the encirclement of the Six Ding Divine Fire.

The Fifth Elder pointed with his left hand, and the True Fire of Desirelessness, suspended in the air, plunged into the Six Ding Divine Fire. The two true fires merged, combining their distinct properties.

Lu Yang did not understand the profound skill behind this maneuver; if an expert refiner had witnessed it, it would have been enough to overturn their entire concept of artifact refining.

The two metallic liquids, the 'Stone in Fire' and the 'Peak Spirit Stone,' gradually fused into a single entity, slowly taking shape to become the sword embryo.

The Fifth Elder reached out, removed the sword embryo from the true fire, extended two fingers, and lightly brushed both sides of the sword embryo. Exquisite patterns became clear—these were sword patterns, designed to reduce wear on the spirit sword and increase its lifespan.

Every artifact possessed specific patterns, but most refiners did not master the method of engraving them. Instances like the Fifth Elder's, where they appeared with a mere touch, were exceedingly rare.

The glowing red sword embryo was gently dipped in water repeatedly. Its temperature gradually lowered, revealing the sword body's original silver-white color.

The Fifth Elder then attached the hilt, tassel, and other decorative elements, completing the masterpiece.

"Here, try it," the Fifth Elder said, tossing the spirit sword to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang wielded the sword, finding it incredibly light, like an an extension of his arm. As he swung it, it moved precisely with his will, fluid and exhilarating.

"Break!""Cleave!""Slash!"

Lu Yang performed each sword technique, his movements fluid and without any awkwardness, as if he had been using this sword for a very long time.

After completing a set of sword techniques, Lu Yang retrieved the sword, his hands behind his back, and his smile unwavering: "What a magnificent sword!"

"Give it a name," the Fifth Elder said, chuckling.

Lu Yang examined the patterns on the new spirit sword and smiled: "A sword is an instrument of killing. Its silver-white blade is like the silver moon hanging in the sky. How about we call it 'Underworld Moon Sword'?"

The Fifth Elder nodded: "Azure Edge Sword, Underworld Moon Sword... Azure Edge and Underworld Moon do make a good pair."