Chapter 509

Chapter 509: The 140-Year-Old Earth Sword Immortal

In an instant.

The middle-aged man’s fist power broke through the air, sharp and unstoppable, like a giant wave crashing forward, with an unstoppable momentum.

And he was not the only one moving.

"Roar!"

A strong man with shoulders as wide as mountains let out a long howl that sounded like a dragon’s roar, causing the air to visibly twist and ripple outward quickly.

The stone-paved marketplace cracked in the blink of an eye, with fissures rapidly spreading towards the melon seller.

"Not only Wu Aotian’s Aotian Divine Fist but also Founding Emperor Yan’s Po Yue Long Yin Gong."

Qiao Mu stood with his hands behind his back, watching from a distance behind the crowd.

"Not only has he practiced these amazing martial arts, but he has also grasped their essence, reaching the stage of ‘divine understanding.’ Fifty years ago, this could be called ‘superb skill’…"

At first, Qiao Mu felt confused, but then he understood.

This grand world of Jiu Province does not stop just because he is not there; if one still views today’s martial artists through the lens of the past, it would indeed be committing the sin of "arrogance" like in the days of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates.

The concept of ‘superb rank’ in martial arts actually means "beyond the usual level," referring to those who are exceptionally strong compared to almost all martial artists.

A hundred years ago, during the time of the Earth Sword Immortal, there were only about ten such strong people in the entire world.

The term ‘superb rank’ in skills also means being ahead of the current era in martial arts.

"What was once cutting-edge is not the same today. The peak skills of the past, after fifty years, are no longer unattainable treasures."

As attacks came from all directions like a flood, the fruit vendor finally dropped his disguise.

The golden bell’s shadow loomed overhead, fiercely blocking dozens of shining blades from all directions.

The melon vendor transformed into an old man with white hair and beard, looking exactly like the statue in Qiao Mu’s hand, and it was none other than the Shaoyin Taoist Lord himself.

Qiao Mu watched from a distance with great interest.

At this moment, as the two sides fought, the bustling market turned into chaos, and the people ran in every direction to escape.

However, the more than ten people did not fare well against the Shaoyin Taoist Lord, and could only barely hold their ground.

"It is still too much to handle the Soul Changing Taoist Lord," Qiao Mu thought after observing for a while, gaining some understanding of the martial artists on this side.

As the saying goes, even a clever woman cannot cook without rice; no matter how high one’s realm, without enough deep internal strength, it is still too difficult to contend with the Soul Changing Taoist Lord.

Among these ten or so martial artists, the two with the highest skills had already reached a level where their martial arts were in perfect harmony with the spirit.

However, their power was somewhat lacking, totaling about fifty to sixty years of true strength.

Even the wounded Soul Changing Taoist Lord is not someone they can match; they can only struggle to hold him back and prevent his escape.

As the battle dragged on, Shaoyin Taoist Lord became somewhat impatient.

At this moment, Shaoyin Taoist Lord looked a bit weary, but still sneered.

"I won’t pretend anymore, but you all better not act like good people."

Behind Shaoyin Taoist Lord, a tall figure with four arms appeared, looking somewhat like him.

As soon as the figure appeared, it quickly grew in size, and golden light burst forth from its hands, shining like a rising sun, shooting out thousands of sharp golden rays in all directions.

These thousands of golden rays not only aimed at the ten or so Jiu Province martial artists surrounding them but also shot toward the crowd in the marketplace beyond.

"This really shows their despicable intentions," a martial artist snorted.

The power of the Nascent Soul Immortal’s magic is strong enough to flatten a city of mortals.

If the Soul Changing Taoist Lord desires, he can freeze the flowing river that stretches for thousands of miles and make frost fall in August.

Even if injured, the Shaoyin Taoist Lord is still the Soul Changing Taoist Lord; to him, the Lone Goose City by the Sky Piercing River is as fragile as a sandcastle built by a child on the beach.

However, he hides in such a place, choosing to disguise himself as a melon seller in the busiest market, clearly waiting for this moment.

At this moment, beams of golden light shot out like swords, and more than ten martial artists tried to defend but were still knocked back.

"Are you taking the whole city of commoners as hostages? Creating chaos to escape in the confusion?" Qiao Mu stood at the back of the crowd with his arms crossed, not making a move.

Qiao Mu is not surprised that the Shaoyin Taoist Lord has no burden of being a "higher being."

He is just a bit puzzled; such tactics are not clever and are rather lowly, but if the esteemed Soul Changing Taoist Lord has to resort to such means, it indicates that… his skills end here.

So, who has forced him into this situation?

It is obviously not the more than ten martial artists in front of him.

"We can no longer stand by and watch; this matter should come to an end."

Qiao Mu withdrew his palm from behind him. A powerful strike was about to be unleashed.

If a Soul Changing Taoist Lord were to unleash all his power, not only would this bustling market be affected, but perhaps even the entire Lone Goose City would be left with very few survivors. He would not wait until it was too late to take action.

It was just in that fleeting moment.

Suddenly, a clear and crisp sound of a sword echoed, like a dragon’s roar in the sky, resonating throughout the busy marketplace.

To be precise, this was not just one sound of a sword; it was the sound of dozens or even hundreds of swords ringing out almost at the same time, their sounds merging together.

The sound came from the long swords held by more than ten martial artists and echoed from the houses on either side of the bustling street.

Shaoyin Taoist Lord’s expression changed slightly.

Then, a voice came from the sky.

"Thank you all for holding back the Shaoyin Taoist Lord; it is time to put an end to this matter."

Suddenly, over a hundred swords rose like a waterfall against the current, powerfully shooting up into the sky, cutting off thousands of invisible golden rays.

The Shaoyin Taoist Lord made a quick decision and transformed into a beam of light that soared into the sky.

Just as he took off, he saw a person coming from above with a sword in hand, standing on a cloud of True strength, with a thousand swords floating behind him.

This person had white hair like snow but did not appear aged. His eyebrows were sharp, and his eyes sparkled, with a small red mark on his forehead like a leaf or a small sword; his gaze was deep like the sea, exuding an indescribable otherworldly presence.

He wore a blunt stone sword at his waist but held a peach wood sword in his hand.

"Shaoyin Taoist Lord, you escaped once; can you escape a second time?"

The white-haired swordsman said lightly:

"In the second year of Wuping, strange occurrences appeared in the Sky Piercing River, flowing backward like a waterfall into the sky, heading to unknown places beyond. I observed the flowing backward of the Sky Piercing River and gained some insight."

"Today, this sword is called ‘Sky Piercing Sword River’, and it will send you to the heavens!"

Thousand swords fell like rain, coming from all directions like a storm.

He held a wooden sword in his hand, and suddenly, a thunderous sound of rushing water echoed behind him.

Qiao Mu and the Sky Piercing Water Spirit were slightly taken aback and looked up.

They saw that behind the white-haired swordsman, a ghostly image of a long river appeared, and as he pointed with his sword, the water surged upwards.

"Is this… the Sky Piercing River?" The Sky Piercing Water Spirit was momentarily stunned but quickly came to his senses:

"It is not the real Sky Piercing River; it is… an illusion?"

From a distance, a long river swept upwards to the sky. Upon closer inspection, they saw that the vast river in the air was actually a gathering of countless beams of sword light, rushing away.

In an instant.

The Shaoyin Taoist Lord was engulfed in a vast river of sword light, his body shattered piece by piece, and even the Nascent Soul could not escape, leading to his death and disappearance.

The shadow of the river vanished, and the white-haired swordsman stood in mid-air, as long swords gently fell to the ground, caught by the few martial artists from before.

"What a true show of power," Qiao Mu said lightly.

"In fifty years, I guess I am nearly one hundred and forty years old, yet my heart remains pure like a child. Your wish to show your true self in front of others has not faded at all, which is quite rare."

"It is the Earth Sword Immortal!"

The more than ten martial artists could hardly hide their excitement as they watched the Earth Sword Immortal slowly descend.

The martial artist who used a sword reached out to borrow the sword that the Earth Sword Immortal had temporarily taken, his hands trembling slightly, even his eyes were a bit moist.

"It was worth it to respond to the Immortal Slaying Army’s call, risking my life to take on the Taoist Lord’s assassination order. Being able to see the Earth Sword Immortal in action made it all worthwhile!"

"It is indeed worth it!" another swordsman echoed, his voice trembling.

"The Earth Sword Immortal stood at the peak of martial arts in Jiu Province a hundred years ago, a sword that overshadowed all opponents."

"Even though the Martial Saint and Qiao family martial ancestors shone brightly later on, sweeping away all foes in their time, they could not completely hide the brilliance of the Earth Sword Immortal."

"Now, both the Martial Saint and Qiao family members have passed away. The great river flows eastward, and countless heroes have turned to dust, yet the Earth Sword Immortal remains."

"A hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the Earth Sword Immortal still stands at the peak of martial arts in Jiu Province, truly one of the legends of our time."

"One of the seven martial legends of today, his name is well-deserved, and I cannot understand why a river of sword light appears…"

"You’re exaggerating." The Earth Sword Immortal replied gently as he landed on his feet with a smile.

"It’s just a little trick."

"The true essence of strength is the combination of internal strength and spirit."

"Before the emergence of the ‘Divine Transformation Technique’, the power of a martial artist’s moves depended on how deep their internal strength was and how many years of practice they had, that is, the amount of internal strength."

"But when the internal strength transforms and achieves True strength in martial arts, there are more possibilities."

"If the amount of True strength represents the quantity of True strength."

"Then the involvement of ‘God’ will determine the quality of True strength. The same amount of water and lava, or steel, will always be different."

"I observed the amazing scene of the Sky Piercing River and understood this move, the Sky Piercing Sword River, which is also part of True strength in martial arts…"

Earth Sword Immortal spoke eloquently, which made Qiao Mu see him in a new light.

Over fifty years ago, Earth Sword Immortal personally taught him the Heavenly Slashing Swordsmanship, but back then, Earth Sword Immortal had little patience and experience for teaching martial arts.

The so-called teaching of swordsmanship was actually forced, and only by turning himself into a sword and personally guiding him did Qiao Mu truly master it.

"Earth Sword Immortal seems a bit out of touch, but he is actually a proud person. After fifty years, while it may seem he enjoys the praise when discussing martial arts, he truly does have the demeanor of a master."

"What has changed him? Why is he wearing Lu Yanbei’s wooden sword at his waist?"

Qiao Mu felt a mix of emotions but also had some doubts in his heart.

At that moment, a middle-aged swordsman with a look of admiration said in amazement:

"This move, Sky Piercing Sword River, is beyond anything I imagined about martial arts. It is difficult to comprehend, far surpassing the martial arts of the Jiu Province."

"Fifty years ago, Martial Saint was unmatched, and the Qiao family was brilliant and invincible for a time. But in the end, even they did not reach the level of mastery that Senior has, did they?"

"That’s true," they all agreed when they faced the Earth Sword Immortal, naturally saying only good things.

Although Martial Saint and the Qiao family were once very famous, they have now passed away. They belonged to a previous era, and only their names and stories remain.

Especially the Qiao family.

In those times, the revered Shaolin monk Damo was their ancestor, and the honored Zhang Zhenren of Wudang was also an ancestor. The other martial schools also had great generals like Yue Wumu as their forefathers.

These martial arts pioneers, who were once famous throughout the Jiu Province, have now become mere figures in the background.

The Qiao family member is the closest martial arts ancestor to this era, so he is often used for comparison.

When talking about fierce generals on the battlefield, one cannot avoid mentioning Lu Bu; when discussing strategists, Zhuge Wuhou must not be forgotten, and this has always been true throughout history.

The words praised in front of the Earth Sword Immortal were actually topics that these younger martial artists had discussed privately, and now they were simply said in front of the Earth Sword Immortal.

However, when these words were spoken,

At first, the Earth Sword Immortal still wore a smile.

But after a moment, his smile grew slightly stiff as he caught a glimpse of Qiao Mu at the back of the crowd, their eyes meeting for a brief second.

"Hmm?" Qiao Mu was slightly surprised.

Martial artists above the 3rd rank of the Spiritual Refining Period have extremely sharp instincts, but intuition can also lead one astray.

If he wanted to, even with the face of the Qiao family member, he could easily influence other Spirit Refining martial artists’ instincts, making them unable to sense anything unusual, even if he were to run naked in the street.

And the Earth Sword Immortal… at this moment, his smile was slightly stiff, and he was covered in sweat.

"Brother, please stop bragging! You are making me uncomfortable." The Earth Sword Immortal was at a loss, unable to maintain the earlier poise of a master, and called out directly.

This sudden change left the more than ten martial artists surrounding the Earth Sword Immortal momentarily stunned.

Then, the Earth Sword Immortal let out a small sigh. He gently tapped the wooden sword in his hand, closed his eyes slightly, and the red sword leaf mark on his forehead glowed softly.

When he opened his eyes again, his expression had returned to seriousness, and there was a bit more righteousness in his brows than before.

He then asked:

"I would like to ask you, how should one cross a towering mountain?"

Everyone was confused, and a middle-aged swordsman cautiously spoke up:

"Uh, just climb over it and you can get past the mountain?"

"That’s right." The Earth Sword Immortal gave a positive answer.

"Crawling over is the simplest and fastest way."

"Now, let me ask you, if a hundred people need to climb over this tall mountain, what should they do?"

"A hundred people need to climb the mountain?" Although everyone thought the question was strange, some still responded.

"Since there are a hundred people, it’s not very good for them to climb the mountain all at once."

"But they can choose some strong young people to clear a path through the thorns and rocks, so that others can follow the path they created."

"Though they still have to climb the mountain, having a path makes it easier than climbing without one."

"Very good." The Earth Sword Immortal praised.

"Now let me ask you, if there are thousands or even ten thousand people who need to cross the mountain, and they do not climb at the same time, but over the course of ten, twenty, or even fifty years, how should they manage it?"

"What kind of ridiculous question is this?" someone mumbled. "Do thousands of people need to cross the mountains? What a poor and remote place to live; we could just move away without any trouble!"

The Earth Sword Immortal was famous, so he only dared to mutter quietly, but it was clear that more than one person thought the same way.

However, how could his quiet murmuring escape the notice of the Earth Sword Immortal, who was so close by?

"What you said is not entirely wrong," the Earth Sword Immortal replied slowly.

"If one person needs to cross the mountains, going directly is the easiest and quickest way; it can take at least half a day, or maybe one or two days at most."

"But this method does not consider those who come after. If the second and third people want to cross the mountains, they will face the same difficulties."

"If a hundred people cross the mountains, considering those who come after means that the strong and young must prepare the way in advance. Crossing the mountains could take ten days, half a month, or even longer," the Earth Sword Immortal said slowly.

"But what if ten thousand people need to cross the mountains? With more than ten thousand people, there will surely be not only the strong and young but also the weak, old, and sick."

"What you said earlier is actually the most reasonable approach: there is a big mountain blocking the way, so I can just go myself, right?"

"However, some foolish ones still have other choices," the Earth Sword Immortal said slowly, with a glimmer of memories in his eyes.

"For example…"

"Moving mountains."

"Moving mountains?" The group of martial artists was surprised and momentarily lost for words.

"A great mountain is blocking the way, but I will move it. Day after day, I will chip away at the stones and cultivate the land, as my ancestors did, to clear this great mountain and make the path ahead smooth."

"Thus, behind me are thousands, tens of thousands, even millions, and from now on, they will face only a smooth path, never again experiencing the hardship of crossing mountains and valleys."

The Earth Sword Immortal’s gaze became deep.

"Climbing mountains and crossing hills takes only half a day; forging a path through thorns may take at least ten days to half a month."

"Opening up a mountain, splitting stones, and creating tunnels may take months or even years."

"But if we pound the stone and turn the soil, and finally move the mountain, how many years will that take? It would take more than a thousand years!"

The people seemed to understand and got it, but it didn’t seem like they completely understood.

So, the Earth Sword Immortal explained again:

"If fifty or a hundred years from now, thousands or tens of thousands of people walk this clear path, they will look back and laugh at the mountain mover for being so foolish, wasting thousands of years to cross a mountain that could be crossed in just a day or two. That is truly very slow."

"So, do you think that can be called wise?"

"Not at all!" said the middle-aged swordsman from before.

"The speed of pounding stones and turning soil cannot be compared to the speed of climbing mountains and crossing hills. Can this even be compared? Who is more foolish!"

"Not just foolish, but also forgetting our roots," the others replied.

The Earth Sword Immortal looked at these few people with a blank expression, and finally revealed the truth.

"The ancestors of the Qiao family that you speak of did indeed move mountains."

"Now, fifty years later, is it wise to discuss the shortcomings of the martial arts of the Qiao family members from back then?" said the Earth Sword Immortal lightly.

"The Immortal Gate has exerted pressure on the mortal world for nearly a hundred years, and naturally, martial arts have advanced rapidly under such heavy pressure. It is only right to say that things have changed from the ancient times to now; but to claim that the ancients were not as good as the present is indeed arrogant."

Upon hearing this, everyone naturally felt convinced, and the few who had spoken earlier looked embarrassed.

However, Qiao Mu did not pay much attention to these words; he watched the Earth Sword Immortal with great interest.

The recent metaphor about climbing mountains felt like a kind and patient old man guiding them gently, which did not seem like something the Earth Sword Immortal would usually say.

It seemed more like the words of Earth Sword Immortal’s older brother, who was known for his chivalry, a master of martial arts from Zhong Province, Wooden Sword Walker Lu Yanbei.