The Path Toward Heaven

The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect mused that this being was nothing
but a rooster with phoenix in his name.

He wouldn’t say this out loud, of course.

In the next moment, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect thought that
the Dark Phoenix would lose the Cultivation accumulated over one thousand years if he
was to give up a feather of his life force; that was why he had mentioned what the
Immortal had promised.

The horse-drawn carriage left the ground crack, heading toward the east of the barren
land. The bone flute rang out again; but it sounded considerably more cheerful, rather
than depressing.

The Dark Phoenix squatted atop the carriage; his long tail dangled behind the carriage
fluttering with the wind, looking like a ponytail of the carriage.

His shrieking voice echoed in the wind as well.

“Immortal, you have to do something about it.”

“Now that Little Fourth is imprisoned in the hermit peaks, if Yuan Qijing got the position
of the sect master, what should we do then?”

“That guy Yuan Qijing is different from the Immortal Sect Master; he is someone who
really wants to have you killed.”

“What’s wrong with appointing the heir of the next generation? Is it not allowed
according to the sect rules?”
…
…

Yuan Qijing of course wanted to have the Immortal Taiping killed. The reason was
simple enough. There were more than three hundred sect rules of Green Mountain, and
his Master had violated almost all of them except for those regarding the sexual
harassment.

That was why he followed Jing Jiu like a bodyguard, disregarding his own self-esteem
as a figure in the Heavenly Arrival State, when Jing Jiu went to the Hanging-Bell Sect
with the First Child Sword and later traveled the world.

However, the Immortal Taiping also knew how to deal with him. Even though the
Immortal Taiping was fully aware of the importance of the First Child Sword, he had
chosen not to show up. As such, Yuan Qijing would have no choice but to go back to
Green Mountain.

Though Green Mountain was far away, he had the Three-Foot Sword; so he could
return to Green Mountain much faster than Liu Ci.

Jing Jiu entered Zhaoge City and arrived in that small alley. He suddenly halted his
steps.

Ada crawled out of the sleeve, and climbed up onto Jing Jiu’s shoulder along his arm.

The Jing house was up ahead. So Ada didn’t climb all the way to Jing Jiu’s head in an
effort to save him some face.

Glancing at Jing Jiu’s side profile, Ada wondered what had happened to him. The panic
one felt when one was near their home was totally absent for Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu looked at the gate quietly, and his gaze had already passed it and fallen on the
front living room.

The family was having the dinner. Jing Shang had more wrinkles around the corners of
his eyes; Jing Shang’s father looked quite old, and it was unclear how many more years
he could live; Jing Shang’s wife and Qin Shi were dividing the dishes; Jing Li was
saying something in a low voice. It was a picture of a happy family.

Jing Jiu pushed open the gate and entered. As he walked into the front living room, the
others were startled.

Jing Shang got up and approached him. He thought that Jing Jiu would go directly to
the study room like what he had done before. Unexpectedly, Jing Jiu seemed to have
no intention of leaving them.

Jing Li placed a chair at the head of the table hurriedly. Jing Jiu sat on the chair without
hesitation. Qin Shi brought a cup of tea to him with a smile.

She was no longer the most favorite mistress of the Prime Minister Manor, the Seventh
Mistress, but a daughter-in-law of the Jing family.

She was very grateful toward Jing Jiu for this matter, so she intended to show her
young uncle how good she was as a housewife.

Jing Jiu took a sip of the tea and found it was the same as the tea he had three years
ago; it was a cold tea. “Get me a bowl of soup,” he demanded.

Jing Li came to his senses, and glanced at his wife helplessly, though he realized that
his wife had no idea what she had done wrong.

Having finished the bowl of soup, Jing Jiu got up and left for the study room.

The reason Jing Jiu had done so was because he thought that he would stay on Green
Mountain for many years in a row; this was a sort of farewell.

He didn’t summon State Duke Lu to come over to his study room; instead, he went to
the neighboring manor of State Duke by the underground tunnel.

The bedchamber of State Duke Lu was empty, and the retired soldier responsible for
listening to the sound of breaking ware in the courtyard didn’t hear his steps.

This was the first time Jing Jiu came to the manor of State Duke Lu. He looked around
and finally fixed his gaze on the precious ceramic ware on the shelf.

He had no idea which kiln this ceramic ware was made from; but State Duke Lu had told
him that the wares on this shelf were all very famous and precious.

He picked up a ceramic ware and threw it onto the floor, breaking it into pieces.

Maybe, the more precious a ceramic ware, the more ear-pleasing and far-reaching the
sound of its breaking was.

Soon after, State Duke Lu came to the bedchamber.

Jing Jiu took a glimpse of State Duke Lu, certain that he would live for many more
years; he felt satisfied.

State Duke Lu knelt down hastily to greet him, asking what he intended to do in Zhaoge
City this time.

Jing Jiu replied, “Make the arrangement. I’ll go to the Royal Palace tonight.”

It was for the same reason. Jing Jiu thought it would be hard to leave Green Mountain in
the future, so he needed to give necessary instructions.
…
…

The Emperor had favored the Royal Concubine Hu for many years, but he didn’t make
her the Empress. The people within and outside the imperial court had been guessing
the reason for a long time. In fact, the Emperor thought it was too troublesome to
debate with his chancellors about this matter, and he would rather keep it this way and
have more freedom.

The Royal Palace had no other concubine now, and so the position of the Empress that
had no subordinates held no appeal to the Royal Concubine Hu. Speaking of the
appeal…she paid close attention to her appearance and make-up over last few years.
She opted to wear clothes in a conservative manner, yet the tight clothing made her
look even more appealing. Clothing couldn’t conceal inborn attractiveness.

“Long time no see, Teacher,” she bowed to Gu Qing.

Gu Qing bent his body slightly, saying, “No need for the courtesy, Your Highness.”

He had been living in a remote room in the palace, far away from the bedchamber of the
Royal Concubine Hu. No matter whether he intended to avoid the gossips or something
else, he had never stepped into her bedchamber other than to Jing Yao the knowledge
and sword work. It was Jing Yao who came to his place frequently and spent most of his
time there.

The two of them hadn’t seen each other for quite a while. After exchanging a few words,
they fell silent.

Jing Yao didn’t detect anything unusual about them. Yet, he felt a bit nervous as he
thought that he would see his grandmaster soon.

This grandmaster of his was very famous in the Cultivation circle as well as in the mortal
world.

He had even heard the rumor that he was the bustard of the Immortal Jing Yang.

How could Jing Yao not feel nervous?

State Duke Lu led Jing Jiu into the grand hall. The Royal Concubine Hu and Jing Yao
bowed to the floor before Jing Jiu hurriedly.

Jing Jiu didn’t look at her. He glanced at Jing Yao, and found this child hadn’t made
much progress in Cultivation, but it was evident that he had worked diligently enough.
He uttered “hmm” to express his satisfaction.

Gu Qing felt contented.

Jing Jiu took out the First Child Sword and handed it to Jing Yao, saying, “Take good
care of it, and use it well.”

Gu Qing recognized the identity of this sword, feeling astonished. He wondered why
Jing Jiu gave this sword that could be ranked among the top three in the world to this
child.

Jing Yao had no idea what kind of a sword it was; he took the sword with both of his
hands.

Jing Jiu said to Gu Qing, “Get ready to leave for Green Mountain.”

Gu Qing felt astonished again, as he wondered why he had to leave at such a critical
period of time. Jing Yao had been the Crown Prince for merely two years, and he had
no base of support in the imperial court yet, let alone being independent.

But what Gu Qing didn’t know was that nothing was more important than that matter in
the world as far as Jing Jiu was concerned.

There were too many things to be dealt with on Green Mountain; Gu Qing was needed
badly there.
…

…

The starlight shone on the ceramic plates on the roof of the grand hall, looking like a
layer of sugar covering the plums.

It was total darkness in the grand hall, with no light. However, it had no effect on Jing
Jiu and the Emperor.

They sat across from each other over a hundred feet apart.

It felt rather comfy to sit on the cool floor in the mid-summer.

“Don’t worry,” said the Emperor. “I’ll live some more years.”

Jing Jiu uttered “hmm”, but he found it was probably a little too nonchalant, saying, “As I
said, you shouldn’t rely on the total transformation, a deviant method.”

The Emperor laughed, as he said, “If I couldn’t get out of this world, it’s meaningless to
live a few more years.”

“The more years you live, the more hopes you’ll have,” Jing Jiu said.

The Emperor took out that jade egg of rosefinch, and caressed it gently, as he said,
“Not everyone is like you. Someone like me, having a limited talent, has no choice but to
rely on the external objects to help my ascension.”

“But the egg can’t hatch,” Jing Jiu said.

This jade egg can’t hatch, and the rosefinch wouldn’t be able to re-appear in the world;
as such, the total transformation was nothing but an illusion.

The Emperor changed the topic, as he said, “You gave the sword to Jing Yao; I’m afraid
he doesn’t deserve it.”

“It’s his problem if he doesn’t deserve it,” said Jing Jiu.

“You had given the sword to me back then, and now you’ve given it to him. You have
given us such a significant gift twice. As a junior of yours, I must give you a gift in
return.”

Having said this, the Emperor threw the jade egg of rosefinch to Jing Jiu.

After catching the egg, Jing Jiu fell silent for a while, and put it away.

The Emperor had nurtured the jade egg for a great many years and established an
attached feeling to it; but he had to think about who could guard it more safely in the
future.

This gesture was tantamount to asking Jing Jiu to take care of Jing Yao in the future.

Green Mountain was undoubtedly the safest place to keep the egg, as long as the
Green Mountain had no mishap.

Jing Jiu thought of another matter.

Even if the Royal Concubine Hu were protected by Green Mountain, could she, a vixen
with deep affection, withstand the pain of separation?

Jing Jiu had probably figured out the Emperor’s intention, feeling a bit displeased.

He was displeased for two reasons: First, why would the Green Mountain Sect have to
take care of this matter?

Secondly, the Emperor had paid so much attention to this matter, mostly for the sake of
love; how could he cultivate and achieve total transformation when being so emotional?

Seeing the expression in Jing Jiu’s eyes, the Emperor knew that Jing Jiu had guessed
his intention. The Emperor felt a bit embarrassed, and changed the topic abruptly.

“Has the position of the sect master been decided?”

“Yes.”

The Emperor thought that he had no need to worry about the selection of the sect
master as long as the heir was chosen by Jing Jiu. “Something had happened in the
Fiend Prison last year. Do you wish to go there and have a look?” he asked Jing Jiu.

Jing Jiu uttered “hmm”.
…

…

The officials of Taichang Temple were asked to stay in their respective rooms, not being
allowed to peek at the outside of their rooms.

Jing Shang boiled a pot of tea, and drank a bit from his teacup tastelessly. He had
vaguely guessed that all these arrangements must have something to do with his
brother in name.

Led by State Duke Lu, Jing Jiu entered Taichang Temple. He recalled many past events
after he passed that patch of bamboo forest and saw the cluster of purple flowers.

Those events had happened many years ago, but it seemed that they were happening
in front of his eyes right now. It seemed as if he could see the transparent face of the
Underworld Emperor in his iridescent clothing.

The current Fiend Prison was the corpse of the Old Dragon, devoid of any magic,
except that it was very strong. It didn’t take long for him to reach the deep part of it.

The poisonous Green Pond was still there, but the level of water had lowered a great
deal. It was evident that the pond would dry up soon.

Jing Jiu noticed that the cliff behind the pond had collapsed and that there was a crack
extending all the way to the underground.

This should be the hardest part of the Old Dragon’s body; it was impossible for it to
collapse naturally only after a few years. He was certain that it was done by somebody.

He disappeared from the original spot, and entered the deepest part of the crack.

It looked like an earthquake had happened there, with broken pebbles everywhere.

The Sword of the Universe flew at an unimaginably high speed, gathering all the broken
pebbles together in a gentle manner. The sword then rearranged the broken pieces.

It was a very difficult task, requiring a powerful vision and calculating ability.

Yet, it was rather simple for someone who had often spent his time piling up sand.

The broken pebbles had gradually been reconstructed as they were before; the layers
of the rocks and colors were basically the same as before. He found that there was a
gap in the middle.

Someone had taken a bit of the Old Dragon’s bone marrow.

Apart from using it to boil the soup, what else could it be used for?

Jing Jiu couldn’t understand it.
…
…

Jing Jiu decided to stay in Zhaoge City for a while, though it was unclear if it was
because he intended to figure out why the bone marrow was taken, or for other
reasons.

Yet, it was obvious that he asked Gu Qing to go back to Green Mountain in a hurry that
night.

Jing Jiu went to the Zhao Garden. Lying on the boat in the lake, he looked at the clouds
and rain in the sky. Summer had elapsed and autumn had arrived.

More and more people knew that Jing Jiu was in Zhaoge City, drawing a great deal of
attention.

The event at the Hanging-Bell Sect was over. Many people had guessed that the
strange deaths of those elders and De Yuanquan must have something to do with Jing
Jiu.

He Zhan couldn’t take all the credits after all.

Jing Jiu had been proven to be much more powerful since he could kill so many highly
achieved swordsmen inside the Great Formation of the Hanging-Bell Sect and under
the nose of the Grandmaster. The others could vaguely feel that Jing Jiu demonstrated
the prowess of someone from the earlier generation.

It was unbelievable that he had improved so much in his Cultivation state since the last
Plum Meeting he participated in twenty years ago.

The rumor that he had the blood of the Immortal Jing Yang in his body had been
accepted by more and more people.

The turmoil at the Hanging-Bell Sect had demonstrated that the Green Mountain Sect
was still very powerful. As such, people had no choice but to ask that question again.

Who would become the next sect master of the Green Mountain Sect?

In a sense, the sect master of Green Mountain held the highest power in the Cultivation
circle and even all of Chaotian. It was inevitable that endless discussions about it would
ensue.

No Cultivation practitioner and official dared express whom they would like to support in
public. All they did was discuss about the possibility and express their choice of the
candidates prudently.

There were three people they thought to be the most possible candidates: the peak
master of Xilai, Fang Jingtian; the peak master of Shiyue, the Immortal Guangyuan; and
the peak master of Yunxing, Fu Wang.

Of course, if Yuan Qijing didn’t care about the resentment of Tianguang Peak and was
determined to be the sect master, nobody could stop this Master Sword Justice.

Along with a gust of autumn wind, Xi Yiyun arrived in a visit to the Zhao Garden.

Standing by the lakeshore, Xi Yiyun bowed before saying, “My Master wants to know
the name of the next sect master.”

What Jing Jiu couldn’t understand was that he was merely the youngest elder of the
second generation at the Green Mountain Sect even if he was the personal disciple of
the Immortal Jing Yang or even the offspring of the Immortal Jing Yang. How could he
possibly influence the decision of the sect master of Green Mountain? Why would the
house master pay so much attention to his opinion?

Jing Jiu mused that Bu Qiuxiao sent his disciple to come and ask for an answer, which
was no difference from procuring something for free. “Not Fu Wang,” he said.

Having said this, Jing Jiu lay down on the bow of the boat, and resumed looking at the
clouds running away with the wind in the sky, as if it was a very interesting scene.

Xi Yiyun thought it was boring, since everybody knew that the peak master of Yunxing,
Fu Wang, was least likely to become the sect master. He resented the fact that he had
obtained such an answer after coming all the way here from the Thousand-Mile Windy
Corridor.