The Lotus Guardian and the War Swords

A bone-piercing chill enveloped Xiao Chen and Qingqing, as if two peerless swords were pressed against their spines. That a gaze alone could hold such power was staggering—a testament to the woman’s unfathomable strength.

Suddenly, a streak of dazzling light tore across the sky in pursuit. As the radiance softened, a woman materialized above the sea, her face revealed in the gentle glow. When Xiao Chen saw her features, he stopped short—she was identical to the woman in the painting, the one he had cut from his heart: Ruoshui.

Qingqing tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "That isn't the woman who gestated in the lotus platform. This is a manifestation of her essence energy."

Xiao Chen nodded. Even faced with this double of a former beloved, his heart stirred not at all. He was an outsider, detached, and asked calmly, "Who are you?"

The woman, formed entirely of pure essence, regarded him with cold aloofness, then fixed her gaze on Qingqing. "From now on, you will follow me."

Without another word, she tore open a spatial passage and reached out with a slender finger toward Qingqing.

Xiao Chen did not expect her to act so abruptly. A being of such power was immeasurable; judging by her aura, she was not far from a Half-Ancestor. He hurled the Dark-Iron Seal at her, then seized Qingqing and shot into the sky with the Eight-Aspect Extremes.

The Dark-Iron Seal had once slain a Half-Ancestor, but now it was cracked and almost broken, yet its grade was enough to make even Half-Ancestors pause.

In an instant, they fled a hundred li, but within moments the woman crossed through space and caught up. Few could match the speed of the Eight-Aspect Extremes, yet she was one of them.

With a flash of light, she cut off their escape and stared at Qingqing, repeating her earlier words: "You will follow me."

"Pretty sister, why do you want me to follow you?" Qingqing asked.

The woman did not answer. She turned her gaze to Xiao Chen, whom she had been ignoring, and said, "Step aside."

It was only then that the cracked Dark-Iron Seal flew back from afar into Xiao Chen's hand, a few more fissures added to its surface.

"Why take her away?" Xiao Chen planted himself in front of Qingqing, the Golden Divine Halberd appearing in his hand and the Dark-Iron Seal hovering before him.

"Move!" the woman replied coldly. Her long sleeves billowed forward—formed of pure essence, they carried terrifying power. Even with the protection of the Golden Divine Halberd and the Dark-Iron Seal, Xiao Chen was hurled back several hundred zhang. Fortunately, she did not intend to kill, only to drive him off.

Though her face was the spitting image of Ruoshui, Xiao Chen had already excised that person from his heart. He felt no emotional stirring, only confusion and anger.

Qingqing rushed over to support him and faced the woman, who had followed like a shadow, saying, "Pretty sister, I'll go with you. But you must not hurt him again."

"Very well," the woman replied with a proud nod, not sparing Xiao Chen a single glance.

In that moment Xiao Chen was certain that this woman was not Ruoshui. In her haughty eyes lay a weariness born of ages—not something a young woman would possess.

Qingqing squeezed his hand hard, sealing the words on his lips. He felt a small crystal tower, no larger than a thumb, slip into his palm, and instantly understood her intent.

"Big uncle, take good care of yourself," was Qingqing's last words as the woman took her away.

Xiao Chen felt a sense of loss, mingled with humiliation. He had watched helplessly as Qingqing was taken, powerless to stop it.

In his hand, the tiny crystal tower was warm and lustrous, flowing with iridescent light. He caressed it softly, knowing that Qingqing meant for him to use this tower to seek the help of that mysterious and powerful old man.

He shot into the sky and flew into the distance.

Out on the vast sea, chaos still reigned. The enormous dragon pearl had shattered, its fragments—like dragon souls—bursting through the seals and shooting in all directions, sinking into the sea and charging toward the scattered immortal islands.

"As the old ancestor predicted, forced acquisition is impossible. We must take it slowly," sighed the cultivators of the Shu Mountain lineage.

The chaotic battle gradually subsided. Shadows of men dispersed across the sky, leaving corpses floating on the sea. Blood attracted schools of sharks, which soon devoured the fallen cultivators.

How could he find that powerful old man? Xiao Chen immersed his divine consciousness into the crystal tower and unexpectedly discovered a spiritual imprint explaining how to command the treasure.

"Heh, Brother Chen Zhan, we meet again," came a voice from afar. A figure sped toward him—handsome, in a purple robe—young Deng Yu of Shu Mountain's younger generation.

"Pleasure," Xiao Chen replied flatly. He had no liking for the man but no desire to fight him now.

"Where has Fairy Qingqing gone?" Deng Yu wore a smile.

"She had other matters and departed."

"Truly a pity. I missed her again." He glanced at Xiao Chen with a half-smile. "Brother Chen, your skills are refined; why don't we spar? Now that Qingqing is not here to stop us, we can have a proper exchange."

Xiao Chen caught the irony in his tone and frowned. "I am no match for you. Find someone else."

"Now that Qingqing is not present, no one will interfere with our fight. Brother Chen, don't be modest." The mockery was clear.

"Are you saying that without Qingqing, no one protects me?" Xiao Chen looked at him calmly.

"If you see it that way, so be it." Deng Yu's expression turned teasing. "Qingqing isn't here now. You'd best use your real skill, or you might end up seriously hurt."

"You are at the Nirvana realm?"

"Correct—but we call it the Calamity Fire realm."

Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Calamity Fire, Flying Immortal—these were the five great realms of the cultivator's path to immortality, each divided into nine heavens. In fact, the realms of the cultivators corresponded directly to those of the martial artists and practitioners: Foundation Building to Mortal-Shedding, Golden Core to Spirit-Treasury, Nascent Soul to Sky-Mastery, Calamity Fire to Nirvana, and Flying Immortal to Deathless Longevity.

With a flash of light, Deng Yu closed in. A purple flying sword, gleaming and no more than half a foot long, hovered before him as he said with a cold smile, "Whether you live or die depends on your luck and your strength."

Xiao Chen did not flee. Instead, he gave a faint smile and prepared to unleash the Haotian Pagoda. He had only just learned to command it, but he believed in its power.

With a “shing,” the purple sword tore through the void, trailing a long violet wake as it slashed down like a rainbow.

The thumb-sized crystal tower, warm as jade, rose as Xiao Chen sank his divine consciousness into it.

“Clang!”

The Haotian Pagoda grew to a foot in length and struck hard against the purple sword. Misty Chaos Qi spilled forth, and the pagoda knocked the radiant sword flying. It was the first time Xiao Chen had used it, and his control was imprecise—ideally, it should have drawn the flying sword directly into itself, not barged about like this, but even so it displayed part of its might.

Deng Yu watched with shock and uncertainty. “What treasure is this?” His heart churned. The purple sword was a supreme treasure of Shu Mountain—to be knocked aside so easily meant the pagoda was of an extraordinary origin.

Xiao Chen did not answer. He directed the Haotian Pagoda to envelop Deng Yu.

Deng Yu hastily produced a green jade, which expanded into a mountain of emerald suspended in the air before him.

“Clang!”

Again, Xiao Chen’s control was clumsy; the pagoda crashed into the jade mountain and shattered it, sending fragments tumbling into the sea.

Chaos Qi rippled outward as the Haotian Pagoda spun in the sky, growing larger and larger. At last, Xiao Chen grasped the true method of commanding it.

The moment Chaos Qi flooded the air, Deng Yu’s face changed dramatically. He shot skyward, crying, “We’ll meet another day!”

“You wanted to fight, and now you want to leave? It’s not that easy.” Xiao Chen sent the Haotian Pagoda in pursuit, but then he burst out laughing and retrieved it. “The Nirvana realm—truly a cause for both joy and worry. A cultivator’s power fluctuates so unpredictably, and you are now… ha ha…”

He dashed after the staggering Deng Yu and, without ceremony, drove his right fist into the man’s cheek.

“Pfft!”

Deng Yu spat blood and tumbled into the sea, then emerged in disarray, glaring at Xiao Chen with rage.

Xiao Chen sneered. With a flicker of the Eight-Aspect Extremes, he appeared again and delivered another punch to Deng Yu’s nose.

“Crack!” The straight bridge of his nose broke, blood streaming.

“You—!” Deng Yu was shocked and furious, but also terrified. He had not expected that at this critical moment, his Calamity Fire realm would suddenly destabilize his cultivation. He knew it was caused by the Chaos Qi from the Haotian Pagoda; normally he would still have about half a month before reaching his trough.

“Thump!”

Xiao Chen’s right leg swept across Deng Yu’s abdomen, sending him flying with a scream.

“Whelp!” Deng Yu felt utterly humiliated. At the worst possible moment, his power had failed him, and he was being beaten by a cultivator weaker than himself—nothing could be more galling.

“Slap!” Xiao Chen’s backhand sent him spinning, then bounded onto him and stomped him over a dozen times.

It was pure brutality, a savage beating dealt to a Calamity Fire realm cultivator.

Deng Yu’s body flickered with light as a suit of battle armor appeared, covering even his head.

“Does that help? I wasn’t trying to kill you before.” Xiao Chen sneered and raised his right palm—the Hand of the Ancients, brought down with intent.

“Boom!” His palm struck Deng Yu’s chest squarely.

“Crack, crack.”

The armor shattered, and Deng Yu stared in disbelief. This was a defensive treasure, yet Xiao Chen, far below his own realm, had shattered it with such ease.

“Halt!” From the distant sky came the sound of breaking air; two middle-aged cultivators flew toward them.

Xiao Chen did not even look back. He pressed down on Deng Yu, and in that instant Deng Yu’s bones all cracked, and the Nascent Soul within his body was shaken and split.

Deng Yu screamed. His spirit and energy seemed to drain from his body, and he collapsed limply toward the sea.

Xiao Chen offered up the Haotian Pagoda and drew him inside.

“You—!” The two middle-aged cultivators were enraged. With thunderous roars they arrived in a flash, never expecting Xiao Chen to be so decisive and ruthless.

“I never show mercy to my enemies. I never leave a future threat alive.” Xiao Chen now had confidence; the Haotian Pagoda had great power and could handle these two.

One of the middle-aged cultivators closed in; sword aura filled the sky.

Xiao Chen, unruffled, offered up the Haotian Pagoda. Now he had fully mastered how to command this supreme treasure.

The crystal pagoda spun, radiating resplendent light that illuminated all directions. It rapidly expanded and descended, Chaos Qi surging like a tidal wave.

“Ah!” The middle-aged cultivator was terrified, finding himself unable to resist the terrible force, and was swallowed by the pagoda.

With a flash of light, the Haotian Pagoda shrank to the size of a thumb and flew back into Xiao Chen’s hand, glowing with dreamlike brilliance.

“That’s… the legendary Haotian Pagoda?” The other cultivator stared in disbelief. “Impossible!” He fled without looking back, shouting, “The Haotian Pagoda has reappeared in the world…”

Xiao Chen considered using the pagoda to seal him as well, but changed his mind. Let him spread the news. If that mysterious and powerful old man was still in the Mortal World, he would come to find Xiao Chen on his own.

Now, he had to find a hidden place to lie low, waiting for the strong ally to sense the spiritual imprint within the pagoda and come.

Xiao Chen did not know the origin of the Haotian Pagoda, but many in the cultivator’s world knew of this sacred object’s storied history.

The news spread quickly. Xiao Chen waited for half a month on a desolate island before the owner of the pagoda finally appeared.

Though they had never met, Xiao Chen knew at a glance that this old man was the eccentric old elder Qingqing had spoken of. The old man was grinning and seemed an optimist, like an old child, his white hair wildly disheveled, his clothing sloppy and unkempt.

His cultivation was impossible to fathom: at times like an ocean vast and boundless, at other times like a vacuum, deep and empty.

“Young man, you went to great lengths to lure me here. Has something happened to my disciple?” The old man’s eyes gleamed with wise light.

Xiao Chen was amazed. Before he could say a word, the old man seemed to have guessed most of it. This saved him much explanation, and he laid out the whole story directly.

“How did you provoke her …” The old man frowned. “In the entire cultivation world, few dare to provoke her.”

“…” Xiao Chen’s heart sank.

“No matter. We’ll go directly to her and demand my good disciple back.” The old man waved his hand. “If she won’t reason, I’ll trade a few moves with her.”

The old man’s powers were immense. With a point of his finger, he tore open a spatial passage and pulled Xiao Chen in. In an instant, they appeared above a certain immortal island.

“This is not Shu Mountain.”

“I know.” The old man led Xiao Chen deeper into the island and explained, “There are nine islands in total, each with a spatial gate that connects to the dimensional space where that woman dwells.”

“How can this be?” Xiao Chen was perplexed.

“These nine islands represent nine major sects of the cultivation world. That woman’s background is terrifyingly deep. She is watching over the Tongtian Death Bridge, ensuring the passage between the cultivation world and the Mortal World remains open.”

As they spoke, they stepped into the spatial gate on this island, and with a flash of light appeared in the dimensional space where the twelve-grade lotus platform was located.

“She has actually found a twelve-grade lotus platform. This seems even greater than the Buddha’s supreme treasure of the World of Immortality, because this one is still growing. I understand: she wants to use this still-developing twelve-grade lotus platform to warm and nurture those four legendary war swords!”

At that moment, a voice colder than ice came from within the twelve-grade lotus platform: “You have guessed correctly.”