The Thousand Swords of Trust

After years of pent-up pain and despair finally poured out through his sobs, Mu Northson gradually regained his composure. He released his hold on Ji Ning.

“Senior apprentice-brother, I’m alright now. I couldn’t control myself just now. I must have embarrassed you.”

“We’re brothers. Why say such things?” Ji Ning looked at Mu Northson. “Junior apprentice-brother, tell me… what happened?”

“Nothing.”

Mu Northson shook his head gently. “What was meant to happen has already happened.”

He looked at Ji Ning. “Senior apprentice-brother, how did you get here? This is a forbidden zone, tightly guarded. Even a Celestial Immortal couldn’t break in.”

Ji Ning’s heart ached as he watched his junior apprentice-brother, now so weary and lifeless, carrying the weight of the grave. Even at this point, Northson was still unwilling to speak.

“I know this is a forbidden zone,” Ji Ning said. “I also know this is within the Donglin Mountain Range of the Huoshang Commandery. With my abilities, I can enter without anyone knowing. Junior apprentice-brother, tell me… what on earth happened?”

“Don’t ask,” Mu Northson shook his head.

“If I were in such dire straits, would you refuse to ask?” Ji Ning countered.

Mu Northson was stunned.

Yes.

They were brothers. If Ji Ning were in danger, he too would risk life and death without hesitation.

“Tell me,” Ji Ning said seriously.

“Senior apprentice-brother.” Mu Northson looked at Ji Ning. “Telling you would only harm you. I’ve already been ruined by this. I truly don’t want you to be ruined as well.”

Ji Ning understood that there must be enormous forces involved. Just from the many Loose Immortals he had seen in that castle, he knew that the forces at this Donglin Mountain stronghold alone were not inferior to the Beishan clan of Anchan. They might even be stronger. And that was just the tip of the iceberg of an entire vast power behind it.

“Junior apprentice-brother, don’t underestimate me either. You know very well that this forbidden zone is nearly impenetrable, yet I managed to enter. That’s because I am no longer the person I once was.” Ji Ning said seriously. “After the Immortal Fortunes Assembly ended, I became a disciple of a Daofather. I am now a Daofather’s personal disciple.”

His master had only forbidden him from revealing that the master was Patriarch Subhuti. As long as Ji Ning didn’t utter that name, he wouldn’t be violating his master’s command.

“What?” Mu Northson was shocked.

“I trained for over thirty years and grew tremendously in power. I finally received my master’s permission to descend from the mountain and return to the Grand Xia.” Ji Ning looked at Mu Northson. “Even if I truly encounter danger, my master will act to save me. The Grand Xia world is indeed turbulent right now, with hidden forces capable of contending against even the Grand Xia Emperor himself. But for my master to save my life would be effortless. So you need not hold back.”

Mu Northson stood there, stunned.

“You don’t believe me? Take a look.” Ji Ning waved his hand, and around them appeared a cluster of supreme-grade Immortal-ranked flying swords, densely packed together. Because they had to fit within the room, they were piled up.

“These…” Mu Northson sensed the might emanating from the supreme-grade Immortal-ranked flying swords.

“Your eyes should be sharp enough by now,” Ji Ning said.

“Supreme-grade Immortal-ranked flying swords?” Mu Northson guessed.

“Yes.” Ji Ning nodded. “There are a thousand of them here.”

Mu Northson swallowed hard. Even within this forbidden zone, he had witnessed the tip of the iceberg of this terrifying, mysterious power. Yet he was still stunned by what Ji Ning had just shown. A thousand supreme-grade Immortal-ranked flying swords… each one extremely precious. A thousand of them was simply inconceivable!

“When I was permitted to descend from the mountain, this was my master’s gift to me.” Ji Ning looked at Mu Northson. “And I was able to enter this forbidden zone with ease. Do you believe me now?”

Mu Northson was wavering.

“Take another look.” Ji Ning’s form shifted.

Whoosh.

He transformed directly into another Mu Northson—the same gray robe, the same weary appearance, even the same faint white hairs.

“Th-this…” Mu Northson stared at Ji Ning in disbelief. “The aura is completely identical. Even the karmic merit is exactly the same. How is that possible?”

“How could it not be possible? Watch again.”

Ji Ning then transformed in succession into Wufeng Immortal, the ancient Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang, Shaoyan Nong, the Celestial Immortal Yan King… and a dozen more figures that both of them recognized. Only then did he revert to his original form.

“Are you still worried about me?” Ji Ning looked at Mu Northson.

“I believe you have indeed taken a Daofather as your master. I’ve never even heard of such a transformation technique,” Mu Northson said, nodding. Then his voice dropped low. “I know you will insist on uncovering everything, senior apprentice-brother. Fine. I’ll speak.”

Ji Ning let out a sigh of relief.

Mu Northson sat down. “We still have a little under an hour. I’ll start with me and Yu Xia. Back in Anchan City, Yu Xia and I met. She was a disciple of the Qianchuan Sect, but she was also deeply interested in the art of puppetry. Of course, in that regard, she was far inferior to me.”

After Mu Northson’s master died, he had become the foremost expert on puppetry within the Black-White College. Partly because few in the sect studied it, and partly because his talent in the art was genuinely extraordinary.

“Yu Xia often sought my guidance, and I would instruct her.” A faint smile appeared on Mu Northson’s face. “Over time, we grew close and became Dao-companions. Those were the happiest days of my life—carefree, spending time with my Dao-companion, studying the art of puppetry. How comfortable, how free.”

“Yu Xia and I built a home on a lake in a remote wilderness, living a peaceful life by the lakeshore.”

“I wished so much…”

“That those days would never end.” Mu Northson closed his eyes. “But that day came. A group of black-robed men—all Loose Immortals, and not ordinary ones at that. Yu Xia was merely a Wanxiang Adept. I had only just broken through to become a Primal Daoist. We had no power to resist.”

“I was captured. Yu Xia died. Even her soul… instead of reincarnating, it was taken by them.”

Ji Ning’s pupils contracted.

Yu Xia died, and her soul was taken?

“I was brought here.” Mu Northson said. “Brought to this forbidden zone. The people here forced us to build puppets for them.”

“Build puppets?” Ji Ning instantly understood. “The other gray-robed men… they were also captured? All experts in the art of puppetry?”

“Yes. They are masters of the puppet arts from over a hundred commanderies in the surrounding region,” Mu Northson said. “All gathered here. I suspect that the Donglin Mountains are just one stronghold of this mysterious power, covering these hundred-plus commanderies.”

Ji Ning frowned. “One stronghold? You know about more?”

“I’m guessing,” Mu Northson said. “During my years in the forbidden zone, I saw seven ‘generals’ visit our facility. ‘General’ is a title for those of higher status within this power, all at the Celestial Immortal level. One general is stationed long-term at the Donglin Mountains. On several other occasions, different generals delivered treasures. Altogether… I’ve seen twelve different generals.”

Ji Ning was inwardly alarmed.

Twelve Celestial Immortals?

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“They have you build puppets?” Ji Ning asked. “What kind of puppets?”

“Extremely powerful puppets.” Mu Northson’s eyes held a look of disbelief. “This power’s research in the art of puppetry is incredibly profound—millions, billions of times deeper than the records in our Black-White College’s archives!”

Ji Ning was stunned.

Millions? Billions of times deeper?

That was absurd.

“Don’t think I’m exaggerating,” Mu Northson insisted. “When I first arrived, they taught me a method for building a ‘low grade’ puppet by their standards. As I built it and absorbed the mysteries contained within the puppet’s design, my own insights into puppetry continuously deepened.”

“As my level rose, they gradually had me build stronger puppets. They also bestowed Primordial Liquid upon me, allowing me to reach the Earth Immortal level.”

“Now, I’m considered one of the top hundred puppet grandmasters in this forbidden zone.” Mu Northson said. “Currently, I and the other puppet grandmasters are jointly forging an incredibly powerful puppet—the most powerful Divine Fiend Puppet in this stronghold.”

“Puppet grandmaster?” Ji Ning found it hard to believe his junior brother had grown so fast.

“Senior apprentice-brother, you have no idea what life is like here,” Mu Northson said. “Here, they squeeze every ounce of strength out of you, forcing you to build puppets nonstop. Every powerful puppet we complete opens our eyes wider. And the one we’re building now, the most powerful Divine Fiend Puppet… it is terrifying beyond imagination.”

“How terrifying?” Ji Ning pressed.

“Nearly invincible against any opponent below the True Immortal or Empyrean God level,” Mu Northson said solemnly. “In the hands of a single Celestial Immortal, even ten or a hundred Celestial Immortals working together could not withstand it.”

Ji Ning was shocked.

“Don’t be surprised. Even the slightly lesser puppets we’ve built before—when wielded by a Loose Immortal—grant the power of a Celestial Immortal in battle,” Mu Northson sighed. “You cannot imagine how profound this power’s research into the puppetry arts truly is. Those puppet matrices are incredibly profound. For those of us who study the art of puppetry, every single matrix is a priceless treasure. And here… I’ve already seen over a thousand of them.”

Ji Ning nodded slowly. “So this forbidden zone exists to manufacture puppets. But is everyone here willingly cooperating?”

“Willingly?” Mu Northson’s voice was filled with sorrow. “No one is willing. Forging these top-tier puppets is extremely difficult, draining our mental energy. Yet we are squeezed dry, given very little time to rest.”

“They captured us. We all hate them. Many want to die. I wanted to die at first too.”

“But…” Mu Northson’s voice broke. “Yu Xia’s soul is in their hands. If I diligently build puppets for them, I can visit her once a month and speak with her. But if I dare to kill myself, they will torment her soul for tens of thousands of years, never allowing her to be reincarnated.”

Ji Ning shuddered.

Never reincarnated?

“I don’t dare to die,” Mu Northson said bitterly. “And their general even voluntarily issued a Heavenly Dao oath. As long as we build puppets here in peace, within a thousand years, they will set us free and allow us to take our loved ones’ souls with us.”

Free?

A thousand years?

Ji Ning understood. It was a carrot-and-stick approach. Even though they were being tormented and drained here, they still had hope. And so they kept enduring.