Chapter 209

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Chapter 209: Peak of Martial Arts and the Elders of the Immortal Gate

On the sandy battlefield in front of the gate of the Lonely City.

Earth Sword Immortal stood in front of the blood-stained sand dune, looking at the torn and fragmented body of the old man, who had been slashed by more than ten Taoist soldiers. He remained silent for a long time.

After Captain Hai and the other old soldiers had overcome their initial shock, they looked at the back of Earth Sword Immortal with complex expressions.

Earth Sword Immortal’s thoughts could not be understood by his own brother, Lu Yanbei, let alone them.

But regardless of his true intentions, since Earth Sword Immortal had joined the battle, Captain Hai naturally represented the remaining surviving soldiers on the battlefield to express their gratitude to him.

As for the words with a hint of moral pressure like, "If you had intervened earlier, the old soldiers might not have been injured or killed…" the old soldiers were not naive kids and naturally wouldn’t say it out loud.

Although they wouldn’t say it out loud, this kind of thought did occasionally cross their minds… It’s just human nature.

After showcasing his strength, Earth Sword Immortal surprised the old soldiers and planted similar thoughts in their minds.

Earth Sword Immortal’s reputation was still well-known, especially among the military and civilians of this isolated city.

During the forty years of the Inhuman War, Jiu Province experienced great changes. The heroes on the Tide Listening Building Hero List vanished, and the list was abolished. After forty years, only the name of Martial Saint remained in Jiu Province, with no mention of Earth Sword Immortal or the other ten individuals.

However, the military and civilians in this isolated city were all remnants from forty years ago. In their time, Earth Sword Immortal, as the leading martial artist, had a reputation that surpasses even Martial Saint, who was a top-ranking official in the court.

Being an ordinary martial artist in the era of the Nine Immortal Gates, being called Earth Sword Immortal by martial artists was extraordinary and brought high expectations from ordinary people.

"Respected senior Earth Sword Immortal." Storyteller Clairvoyance, with a hint of respect in his tone, also stepped onto the battlefield at this moment.

"Even though the inhuman bean soldiers have been slain, there should still be at least one inhuman hiding in the shadows. This matter is not yet resolved…" Clairvoyance pondered how to convince Earth Sword Immortal to take action and hunt down the inhuman.

Clairvoyance was now on the same boat as the old soldiers and naturally cared about his own and everyone’s safety.

After secretly passing on Dao Ni’s location to Qiao Ruosen, he had expected Qiao Ruosen to make a desperate escape from the battlefield and attack Dao Ni.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Ruosen was already on his last breath and soon after he transmitted his message, he died of exhaustion.

After Qiao Ruosen’s death, the situation in the battle was clearly at a disadvantage. Storyteller Clairvoyance believed she was doomed and had no time to worry about Dao Ni hiding in the dark.

If there was anyone left on the battlefield with enough strength to chase after Dao Ni, it was clearly only Earth Sword Immortal.

Just as the words were spoken, Clairvoyance’s gaze became fixed and she suddenly sensed something, looking towards a direction.

Behind the sand dunes in the distance, two figures were quickly running towards them, one in front and one behind.

Both figures appeared very old, with vaguely similar features, as if they were brothers, and bore some resemblance to the late Qiao Ruosen.

"Could it be the Qiao’s family?"

The thought crossed the minds of Clairvoyance and the others.

In the Hundred-mile Desert, there were very few outsiders, but recently several members of the Qiao’s family had entered, seemingly having a grasp on how to enter the formation.

"My name is Qiao Zhuosen Qiao Ruosen. I am the younger brother in my family. The two of us have already killed the inhuman Taoist soldier who was controlling us, but unfortunately, it was too late."

Qiao Mu looked at his body, which was already broken into pieces on the sand dunes, with an unmistakable expression of regret in his eyes.

Clairvoyance showed a surprised expression, actually having already guessed vaguely that Qiao’s family had similar secret methods like the Jade Slip of the Immortal Cultivators, which could communicate across space.

Now that two more members of Qiao’s family appeared, it also confirmed his suspicion.

At this time, an elderly member of the Qiao family behind Qiao Mu also stepped forward, carrying a blood-stained storage bag in their hand.

Dao Ni’ body had already twisted and deformed, so it wasn’t brought along, but the storage bag was enough proof of Dao Ni’ death.

Since Dao Ni was already dead, that meant this matter had come to an end.

The people on the battlefield relaxed slightly, and Captain Hai approached.

"Are you Mr. Qiao Zhuosen? Then may I know what to call this person behind Qiao Mu?" Captain Hai looked at the elderly member of the Qiao family.

When these words were spoken, everyone couldn’t help but look to the side.

Before, there were two brothers named Qiao Shuangsen and Qiao Ruosen, and now another brother named Qiao Zhuosen has appeared.

These two people look similar and are brothers. The older brother’s name is Qiao Zhuosen, so the question is, what should the younger brother be called?

"Qiao Xiaoming," said the elder of the Qiao family seriously.

Both sides briefly exchanged information about the situation of the battle.

However, what surprised Qiao Mu was that Captain Hai and the others didn’t dig deep and ask too many questions, such as how Qiao Mu and the other person entered and why there were two of them… these small details.

This is because their attention was actually focused on another person.

Earth Sword Immortal.

Earth Sword Immortal’s actions today did indeed surprise them, so much so that the appearance of the two elder Qiao family members didn’t steal much of their attention.

And at this moment, Earth Sword Immortal also noticed the commotion and walked over.

"Is it Qiao’s family again?" Earth Sword Immortal walked over, his eyes lighting up when he saw Qiao Mu and the others.

"Do you guys know the Iron Crotch Skill too?"

"Of course," Qiao Mu replied.

The Iron Crotch Skill is actually just a simple and widely spread martial arts technique, nothing fancy or extraordinary.

If the Long Life Fist is considered high-level martial arts, then the Iron Crotch Skill can only be considered a low-level technique.

But what’s extraordinary is that Qiao’s family has taken this low-level technique to an unprecedented level of mastery.

In a way, it’s not necessarily the Iron Crotch Skill itself that is impressive, but rather the fact that Qiao’s family has taken it to an unprecedented level.

Upon hearing this, Earth Sword Immortal couldn’t help but be intrigued.

"I see! I feel a strong connection with both of you. I would be honored to become brothers with you and learn and share martial arts together…"

"Yannan, are you ever going to stop? Is it time for teasing now?" Lu Yanbei walked over and assumed his older brother’s stance.

"Let’s follow the rules of seniority. I am talking to Fourth Brother, so please don’t interrupt, Fifth Brother." Earth Sword Immortal’s face turned slightly pale and his breathing became a bit heavier in the middle of his words.

"Are you injured?" Lu Yanbei asked, surprised.

Just now, he saw his own younger brother sweeping through the enemies, displaying an invincible presence that completely exceeded his expectations. He had not noticed when his brother got injured.

"How could those small fries hurt me?" Earth Sword Immortal said calmly.

"I’ve just exhausted my internal strength a bit too much, that’s all."

"It’s already good enough if my internal strength hasn’t been completely wasted after decades of not practicing."

"Exhausted internal strength?" Lu Yanbei was confused for a moment.

The Earth Sword Immortal just defeated more than 200 bean generals effortlessly, without even drawing his sword. He simply pointed his finger, and his enemies were no match for him.

Even his older brother thought that his younger brother’s strength was far beyond imagination, but in reality, it took a great toll on him.

But when you think about it, it makes sense.

The two brothers were born from the same mother and are both 87 years old.

Although the Earth Sword Immortal practices the Pure Yang Wuji Skill, a martial arts technique from the Wudang Sect, his inner energy is not very profound because he lost his vitality at an early age and didn’t train during his childhood.

What’s even more important is that he has been living in this city for thirty years without accomplishing much.

The level of proficiency in martial arts is different from the level of one’s martial arts realm.

The depth of one’s skill, or their internal strength, depends on the techniques they practice and the accumulation and perseverance over the years.

The Earth Sword Immortal was already the number one in the world forty years ago, but that is now just a thing of the past.

Practicing martial arts is like rowing against the current. If you don’t move forward, you will fall behind. After thirty years of negligence, you will have to bear the consequences of declining skills.

"I told you to train diligently earlier… Otherwise, how could it end up like this?" Lu Yanbei said helplessly.

"This is called the breath of a hero," Earth Sword Immortal said confidently.

"Can someone be called a hero if they are not breathless?"

"Besides, we don’t even have time to train." Earth Sword Immortal said calmly.

"Elder Qingzhuo from the Great Dao Sect is probably already on his way. The destruction of this isolated city will happen today. Why bother training?"

Earth Sword Immortal seemed to know a lot, but he never revealed it to others on ordinary days.

It was only at this moment, when everyone was rarely relaxing after the battle, that Earth Sword Immortal suddenly revealed it, causing Captain Hai and the others to be startled.

"Earth Sword Immortal, what is the meaning behind your words?" Captain Hai asked with a furrowed brow.

Barely surviving the bloody battle, but now finding out that there are even stronger enemies coming, and suddenly jumping to the level of Elder Qingzhuo from Immortal Gate?

"As a simple martial artist, I actually only have a vague understanding of the internal situation of Great Dao Sect," explained Earth Sword Immortal.

"This Elder Qingzhuo is said to be a cultivator of the same generation as the Great Dao Sect sect leader. As an elder of the sect, his status should be only below the sect leader and a few other high-ranking elders."

An elder at the top level of one of the Nine Immortal Gates…

Captain Hai felt a bitter sourness in his heart, and his heartstrings tensed once again.

His doubts grew, as he looked at Earth Sword Immortal’s peculiar behavior, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask a single question.

"It seems like you know a lot about Immortal Gate," Qiao Mu also asked.

Earth Sword Immortal, who had been walking slowly towards the city gate, responded to Qiao Mu’s question with a counter-question:

"Why does Third Brother think I came to this lonely city?"

"Was it because of hiding from Martial Saint?" Lu Yanbei blurted out.

Qiao Mu was tricked into Great Dao Sect by Dao Zhen, a disciple, using cunning tactics, and Lu Yanbei was too.

But Earth Sword Immortal? Obviously, there was another reason.

"Martial Saint? I am indeed hiding from him," Earth Sword Immortal admitted candidly.

"The Martial Saint from forty years ago wasn’t qualified to challenge me."

"As for thirty years ago, I didn’t want to determine life and death with the Martial Saint."

When the two clashed, one would surely die. The victor would be the Martial Saint, bearing the responsibility of eleven top-notch martial arts experts.

Earth Sword Immortal didn’t want to bear the responsibility.

Although he believed that his strength surpassed that of the Martial Saint at the time, he had already started to deteriorate thirty years ago.

The top Spirit Refining martial artist’s battle was not just about techniques, but also a clash of spirits.

Since Earth Sword Immortal didn’t want to take responsibility, it meant that he no longer had the desire to compete against Martial Saint.

A swordsman without the desire to compete, even if their skill level was high, might not be able to fully display it.

To fight for life and death against someone like Martial Saint, losing the desire to compete would be a huge weakness.

"But that’s a different matter. If I wanted to avoid Martial Saint, why would I come to this isolated city?"

Earth Sword Immortal entered the city gate and walked towards the old Taoist temple, talking as he walked, completely ignoring the gaze of others.

"Do you remember, this isolated city is not a place where no one has ever left?"

"There was once a child in this city named Gu Zhen, who had a rare Heavenly Spirit Root. Because of this, Great Dao Sect Elder Qingyi took him as a disciple and took him out of this prison."

"As for me, thirty years ago, I was just a prisoner captured by Taoist Qingzhuo and brought here."

"Thirty years ago, that old guy Qingzhuo told me that I was naturally gifted with sword skills and he wanted me to cut off worldly ties and join the Immortal Gate."

"How did you respond then?" Lu Yanbei asked anxiously.

He knew that his little brother was cold-hearted by nature. If he really became a cultivator, he would probably become a huge disaster for the Jiu Province.

And cutting off worldly ties… wasn’t his elder brother, Earth Sword Immortal, part of those worldly ties?

"At that time, I told that old guy Qingzhuo, ‘You are just a seed of the sword, your whole family is a seed of the sword.’"

"Then I was imprisoned in this city," Earth Sword Immortal continued.

"That old guy muttered to himself, saying that he wanted me to personally witness the difference between immortals and mortals, to see the weakness of mortals, and then cut off worldly ties and eventually join the Immortal Gate."

"Qingzhuo left a restriction inside me. If I assist the old soldiers of this city, he will come and kill all the soldiers and civilians of this city."

Captain Hai felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this.

If Earth Sword Immortal is a good person, then he might worry about this and witness the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers over thirty years, while Earth Sword Immortal, who is famous but has never fought, will surely be criticized by the whole city.

Thirty years have passed, and Earth Sword Immortal, who has witnessed the life and death, sacrifices, love, and hatred of mortal beings, will he, as Elder Qingzhuo thought, cut off worldly bonds and join the Immortal Gate?

"Are you enduring the criticism of the entire city for thirty years without drawing your sword because of this?" Lu Yanbei couldn’t help but ask.

Captain Hai, who was beside him, still didn’t like Earth Sword Immortal, but he listened quietly, with fluctuating emotions in his heart.

"Don’t be too impressed with yourself," Earth Sword Immortal said lightly.

"Using the lives of others to threaten me, I find such a foolish thing laughable."

As long as he has morals, no one can kidnap him.

Earth Sword Immortal observed the sacrifices of the remaining soldiers in the city for thirty years, feeling puzzled and unable to understand their actions.

However, he didn’t choose to join the Immortal Gate like Elder Qingzhuo did, but made a third choice.

He started directly.

Earth Sword Immortal didn’t help the old soldiers in the city, nor did he try to escape the isolated city. Instead, he stayed and carved stone statues in the Taoist temple. Thirty years passed in a flash.

"Since I have made a move today, that old Qingzhuo guy will probably come soon."

"So, today is indeed your final battle, because from now on, this city will become history," said Earth Sword Immortal calmly.

Captain Hai and the others felt a chill in their hearts, only Lu Yanbei still had some expectations for Earth Sword Immortal.

He still had some understanding of his younger brother.

These thirty years were a waste.

But since he made a move today, it must mean that he has already made some kind of decision in his heart.

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