Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 345 Ancient Sword Dao
"Even if it means you have to become enemies with your fellow disciples from the Sword Arrival Hall again, are you still willing to do it?" Ling Ying asked, somewhat reluctantly.

"Having left the Sword Hall, Ye Suo has already completed three Level 3 difficulty missions for the hall. The past favors have long been repaid. If they insist on being enemies with Ying'er today, Ye Suo will not show mercy as he has in the past!" Ye Suo said, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart as Ling Ying looked at him.

"There's no need for that. They are, after all, old friends and relatives of Fellow Daoist Ye, and former brothers. If you can show mercy, you shouldn't hurt them. After all, if Ling Ying goes to the far west with you for secluded cultivation in the future, she will need to get along well with the people of the far west." Ling Ying blinked and gently advised.

"Ying'er is kind-hearted, and Ye Suo knows what's important. It depends on whether Senior Brother insists on helping this scoundrel because of the small favor Su Daoren did for the far west, or whether he will grant my wish and let Ying'er go because of my thousand-year friendship with him!"

Ye Suo's gaze was firm, and so was his sword heart. In truth, he was no longer bewitched by Ling Ying's Azure Fox Spirit Eyes, but because of his deep love, even if he was not bewitched by the Dharma Form, his sword heart was willing to fall for him!
Ling Ying was extremely satisfied with Ye Suo's reaction.

She had been cultivating on Langya Immortal Island for many years. Her Nascent Soul father was always engrossed in his own cultivation and hunting evil spirits at sea, and rarely had the opportunity to guide her cultivation. Therefore, the person who guided her on her cultivation path was the poisonous woman, Madam Lanxiang, whom she now hated to the bone.

She learned from her how to manage people by combining kindness and severity, and she also learned how to use her appearance and facial features to bewitch people with her looks and move them with her emotions.

In short, she is very good at training and manipulating sycophants.

It's just a shame that that Taoist Su didn't give her the chance to use PUA!
Ling Ying's gaze fell outside the neighborhood, landing on Su Qing, who had brought people to the front of the neighborhood.

"Master Ling, it's not closing time yet, why are you closing? I wonder what brings you here? Am I bothering you? If it's inconvenient for you today, I'll come another day."

Standing in front of Langya Archway, Su Qing asked in a grand and righteous voice.

When dealing with this woman, one must be open and aboveboard, and speak frankly about everything. Otherwise, given her cunning, if you have a private conversation with her even once, she might make a big deal out of it and spread rumors throughout Wanghai, such as that Su Qing has allied with Langya Fang and that harming her is tantamount to harming Su Qing.

The reason for the concern is that forces like Jia Tianxia and Baibaoge have already suffered from this.

According to Ying Wushen, he had only made a deal with this woman before, but somehow the whole city was filled with gossip that he, Ying Wushen, had taken this woman as his thirty-seventh Daoist partner. This attracted many forces in the city to come and inquire about whether the news was true, causing unrest in his home and exhaustion in his mind and body.

For a woman of her frail stature to be able to protect Langya Lane for ten years after the death of a Nascent Soul cultivator is quite remarkable. Su Qing even admired her for her cunning and resourcefulness.

But if she wanted to take advantage of him, Su Qing was unwilling to give her even the slightest chance.

"We are closing down because we have a distinguished guest!" Ling Ying's voice was clear, bright, and full of energy.

"May I ask who the distinguished guest is?"

"It is indeed Fellow Daoist Su!"

"But I am not here today for you, fellow Daoist. I only wish to see Fellow Daoist Ye Suo. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Ye would be willing to come out and meet me!"

"Ling Ying can handle Fellow Daoist Ye's matter entirely. Fellow Daoist Su, it would be best to come to the brothel for a chat. The brothel is quiet and undisturbed by outsiders, making it the perfect place to discuss matters!"

"Oh, so Fellow Daoist Ling Ying can also participate in that sword cultivator duel on behalf of Fellow Daoist Ye, to determine the superiority of the Lesser Dao Sword, and then decide who owns the Chunmu Sword?"

Su Qing's eyes narrowed slightly, and she gave a cold shout, dispelling the foxy and seductive aura that Ling Ying was intentionally or unintentionally exuding, and insisted on challenging Ye Suo to a battle.

Inside Langya Lane, Ling Ying, provoked by Su Qing's Qiongqi's ferocious aura, leaned back slightly and looked at Ye Suo, saying:

"So this Daoist Su has come today for Fellow Daoist Ye? Fellow Daoist Ye, rest assured, if you do not wish to fight this person, Ying'er will sacrifice everything to keep him out of the market and not give him the slightest chance to harm you!"

"Hmph, the Chunmu Sword is my personal sword. In the past, my fellow disciples in the hall used their sword skills to determine who owned this sword. I, Ye, was superior and defeated Senior Brother Ji, thus obtaining this sword in my hand."

At the time, my fellow disciples were unconvinced, saying that if they made progress in swordsmanship in the future, they would come and fight me with their swords, and then we would discuss who owned the sword.

I thought Senior Brother Ji would be the first to challenge me to a sword duel, but it turned out to be this Taoist Su. Ying'er, there's no need for you to do anything for me. This Taoist Su's puppets are powerful, but in a sword fight, he's no match for me!

Ye Suo leaped out of the workshop with his sword, a gust of wind accompanying him as he gracefully descended from Langya Workshop.

As a sycophant, he fawned over his idol for years but gained nothing and achieved nothing.

But as a sword cultivator, he is the most talented one in the far west in the past ten thousand years. Countless third-tier Golden Core cultivators have been defeated by his sword, and he has the confidence to not fear any of his peers.

“Su Qing, you are not a member of the Sword Arrival Hall and are not qualified to fight me with your sword. However, since you have been recognized by Senior Brother Ji and others, Ye Suo will not dwell on it. If you want to fight me with your sword, then draw your sword!”

Ye Suo drew both swords from their sheaths.

One is the natal Gale Sword, which he formed after establishing his foundation. He endured the torment of the Guixu wind for more than a hundred years in the eye of the Guixu wind, honing his sword courage and refining his sword heart before finally achieving it. Currently, it only has the power of the third rank, but given time, it may have the power of the fourth rank!

The second item is a third-tier Toona sinensis sword made from the core of a fourth-tier Toona sinensis tree and crafted by a weapon refiner. It has been in his possession for hundreds of years, and he has long regarded this sword as the most precious item besides Ling Ying and his natal sword.

Since Su Qing wants this sword today, he will not easily hand it over.

Seeing Ye Suo draw his twin swords, their sword aura chilling and killing intent fully revealed, Su Qing had not yet reacted, but the group of sword cultivators from the Sword Arrival Hall behind him could not help but speak up.

"You little beast, who are you pointing your sword at? You think you can point at Master Su like that!"

"You've been bewitched by a vixen and lost all sense of right and wrong, you've become ungrateful and treacherous. Ye Suo, you're pathetic!"

"Junior Brother Ye, turn back before it's too late! Come back to my Sword Arrival Hall now, and we can forgive and forget. You can still be my good junior brother, a true hero of the far west!"

"You little beast, the Great Chun Wood Sword originally belonged to my Sword Arrival Hall. Since you are unwilling to become a member of my Sword Arrival Hall, this sword should be returned to the hall!"

·······
Ji Yong'en, mindful of their past friendship and still hoping to win Ye Suo back, spoke to him rather politely.

The other sword cultivators were all upright people. They despised and hated Ye Suo, who had forgotten the kindness of being raised in the far west after smelling his body odor for a few years and had severed all ties with the Sword Arrival Palace. They started their conversation with Ye Suo by calling him a little beast.

Ye Suo ignored the angry rebukes and admonitions from his fellow disciples in the Sword Arrival Hall. If he could be persuaded, he would have been sent back long ago, instead of waiting until today. "Senior Brother Ji, Ye Suo can't go back. What Ying'er can give Ye Suo, neither you nor the Sword Arrival Hall can. Once Ye Suo has helped her fulfill her wish, he will take her back to the far west. At that time, however the elders want to punish Ye Suo, Ye Suo will accept it willingly."

"Since Su Qing wants a sword duel today, let's not dwell on the past. Let's judge solely on our swordsmanship. If Su Qing's swordsmanship is superior, what harm is there in giving him this great cedar wood sword!"

Ye Suo spoke frankly, but Ji Yong'en felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He glared fiercely at this junior brother who had once been so highly regarded by their masters and elders, then turned to Su Qing and said in a deep voice:
"The Holy Master insisted on fighting Junior Brother Ye with swords to determine who would own the Great Chun Wood Sword. I, Ji, could not persuade him otherwise, and I will not try to persuade him any further at this moment."

Please be careful, Holy Master. Junior Brother Ye's swordsmanship is an ancient swordsmanship inherited from our far west, originating from the same school as the swordsmen of the Eastern Wilderness of the Heavenly Sea. It is incomparable to the inferior swordsmanship developed in the Western Sea in recent years.

If the Holy Master is no match for him, that's normal. There's no need to be fixated on victory or defeat; simply concede. Even if we lose this battle, I, Ji, will find another way to get the Great Chun Wood Sword from Ye Suo and give it to the Holy Master!

In front of everyone, Ji Yongen, out of consideration for Su Qing's feelings, didn't speak too bluntly. In his heart, he didn't actually think Su Qing had any chance of defeating Ye Suo with his sword.

The cultivation world is changing rapidly, and today's cultivators are not necessarily inferior to those of ancient times.

With the development of various modern cultivation arts such as intelligence, bionics, and spiritual energy, as well as puppets and formations, the cultivation world today is far more prosperous and developed than in ancient times.

However, there are some lineages that modern practitioners can never reach the level of the ancient cultivators.

Sword cultivators belong to this category.

Legend has it that ancient cultivators had a method of nurturing and refining swords, which allowed them to cultivate a natal sword within their bodies and become intimately connected with it. Although this method had the side effect of causing the sword to break and the person to die, it also granted them the ability to have a clear understanding of the sword's intent and to use it with perfect precision when activating the natal sword.

In addition, ancient sword cultivators also had many sword cultivation techniques such as gathering five thunders with the sword, opening the heavenly gate with the sword, dual swords inside and outside, and the two theories of vertical and horizontal. They also divided the sword path into five realms of sword cultivation: the sword heart enlightenment that gives birth to the natal sword, the sword light differentiation that comprehends the changes of sword mechanism, and the sword qi thunder sound that is as far-reaching as the distance and as elusive as thunder sound.

The sword cultivators of the Eastern Wilderness, relying solely on their ancient sword cultivation methods, suppressed countless great demons within the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Eastern Wilderness for millions of years, forcing the Tianyuan Dynasty, at its peak, to not dare to invade the Eastern Wilderness even once.

Thanks to this ancient sword cultivator, the far west region has gained a place in the Western Sea cultivation world and has not fallen to the point of being put into a spirit cage by the Yuanlai Tower and turned into a slave trade.

The ancient swordsmanship was far superior to the profound-level Daoist technique that Su Qing had derived from Lin Shuangmu, which involved wielding a sword with spiritual power.

Su Qing was aware of this, and he wasn't so reckless as to use his sword control technique to fight Ye Suo, who had reached the third level of sword cultivators and possessed the ability of sword qi and thunderous sound.

Just as Ji Yongen said, Su Qing is a puppeteer and does not rely on swordsmanship.

If a puppet can do something, then a puppet should be used to solve it!
He waved his hand, dismissing Ji Yong'en, who was unaware of his power and the height of his Tiger Egg Sword.

Tiger Egg, clad in automatic armor, sprouted nine tails and wielded nine swords from his back. He also held two second-tier magic swords brought from Wanghai City. With one person and one puppet, a total of eleven magic swords, he overwhelmingly confronted Ye Suo's two-handed swords in terms of the number of swords!

"I thought you had something to rely on to dare to challenge me with a sword, but you rely on the power of a puppet. It's laughable! The way of the sword is as profound as a vast ocean. Even we sword cultivators can hardly fathom its true power. How could a mere puppet understand the mysteries of the sword? How could it possibly compete with me in swordsmanship!"

Ye Suo's gaze fell on the Nine-Tailed Nine-Sword behind Su Qing. Although he was surprised, he remained calm and inwardly despised him, while mocking him.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, be careful. This puppet once displayed its power on the White Cloud Battlefield. It is a divine beast-type armored puppet made by imitating the divine beast Lu Wu. It has the power of a third-grade superior. Combined with the Qiongqi Dao pattern on Fellow Daoist Su's body, the two were able to fight against the sect leader Bai Mei with this puppet on the Cloud Mountain Battlefield."

Over the years, Fellow Daoist Su must have made some improvements to this puppet, which has now acquired the ability to wield a sword. Judging from its aura alone, it seems to possess the power of a third-tier expert. Fellow Daoist Ye, you must be cautious in your encounter. Even if you are defeated in this battle, losing this Great Pine Wood Sword is not a big deal. Please prioritize your own safety!

Seeing that Su Qing, wearing the tiger egg, had an aura that surpassed Ye Suo's, Ling Ying in Langya Fang no longer had any intention of having Ye Suo teach Su Qing a lesson.

What I was thinking was genuine concern for Ye Suo.

It wasn't that she had fallen in love with Ye Suo; it was just that a high-quality simp like Ye Suo was hard to find. If she hurt or softened up, it would always be a loss for Ling Ying. Seeing that Su Qing was not someone to be trifled with, she naturally thought that when she suggested Ye Suo bite someone, she should be careful not to hurt herself.

Ye Suo, unaware of Ling Ying's true thoughts, assumed she was feeling sorry for him and responded with a confident and carefree smile. Encouraged by his goddess, he no longer paid any attention to Su Qing.

Sword cultivators value sword realm above all else; the number of magical swords they possess has absolutely no impact on the outcome of a battle.

Just as Ye Suo and Su Qing were about to clash.

Under the clear sky above Wanghai City, wherever there is riot or injustice, there will be the shadow of the Black Heaven, though late, it will arrive.

In fact, Hei Qingtian had arrived early in the morning. He initially thought that Su Qing, with a group of sword madmen, was going to get serious with Langya Workshop in order to seize Langya Workshop's assets, or at the very least, to seize Ling Ying.

If that's the case, it involves a conflict between two major powers. Fearing he might get caught in the crossfire, he could only turn a blind eye and pretend he didn't know anything. At most, he would lead a team to clean up the battlefield and wash the ground afterwards.

But upon hearing this, and knowing that Su Qing had set up this formation solely for the magic sword in Ye Suo's hand, he immediately felt that the situation was under control. It was a good opportunity for his Law Enforcement Hall to show its face and expand the influence of his righteous Dao patterns in this city.

It was a desperate moment when two powerful figures were about to engage in a fierce battle, and the surrounding shopkeepers were trembling with fear but dared not speak out to stop them.

The guardian deity of Wanghai City, Hei Qingtian, with his charcoal-black face and righteous markings, stepped forward!

"Fellow Daoist Su, Fellow Daoist Ye, hold your hand. This area around Langya Lane is lined with shops and bustling with people. You two are incredibly powerful. If you make a mistake and destroy other shops or injure fellow cultivators, it will not be good."

"Please proceed to the Hall of Law Enforcement and fight on the dueling platform there. There, you two can be uninhibited and display your full skills to your heart's content!"

In the eyes of Su Qing and Ye Suo, the Hall of Law Enforcement had no face whatsoever.

But what he said made sense. Langya Workshop was Ying'er's property, and if it was accidentally damaged, Ying'er would be heartbroken. Ye Suo nodded in agreement.

Next to Langya Lane was his own puppet shop, and Su Qing felt even more sorry for it, so he was willing to change the venue to fight.

Both nodded in agreement, prompting the surrounding shopkeepers and a group of independent cultivators to shout that he truly deserved to be called the upright and just official. Even the powerful Daoist Su and the fearless Ye Suo were intimidated by his righteousness and were willing to give him some face.

(End of this chapter)