I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 699 Be careful, so you can live longer!
There were faint ink drawings of figures, vaguely resembling Gu Yuanqing.

"Our cultivation levels were unknowingly pulled into the painting, trapped in an illusion without our awareness. More than ten thousand years have passed within the illusion, but in reality, it seems that only half a day has passed at most. This painting is not simple; it seems to belong to someone outside the cultivation world." Chi Jinyu, the master of the Demon-Slaying Sword, focused his gaze on the painting and probed it with his divine sense, but at this moment, he could not sense anything at all.

"This painting is enshrined in this main hall, and it is the most important item in this hall. Perhaps this is the greatest opportunity in Qingping Palace," said the Heavenly Demon Sword Master.

“Divine objects are inherently hidden, and only those with the right destiny can touch them. We were fortunate enough to enter, but unfortunately, we failed to find this source law. Now, it seems that this opportunity will be seized by this man surnamed Gu. Look at this man's right hand; it's completely blank. There must have been something there before. Do you think this thing might be the Heavenly Dao Scripture?” said Daoist Qingxu.

“The Heavenly Dao Scripture is extremely profound. Even with our cultivation level, it is difficult to truly comprehend it completely. It seems to be something other than what we live in. Since it comes from the Qingping Dao Palace, it is indeed very likely that it is so,” said Chi Jinyu, the master of the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Qingxu turned around and suddenly asked, "Did you bring the other half of the Heavenly Dao Scripture?"

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master replied, "Never!"

Chi Jinyu raised an eyebrow: "Useless! More trouble than good! You knew you were coming to Qingping Dao Palace, so why didn't you bring him? The reason this guy surnamed Gu is left in the painting might be because he brought half a scroll of the Heavenly Dao Scripture!"

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master's face darkened, and he said coldly, "You surnamed Chi, don't think that just because we share the same origin, you can be so presumptuous. If you dare to speak disrespectfully again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"You're too kind? You want to kill me? Do you think I'm afraid of you? We're not like the real body and the clone. With your cultivation level, hmph." Chi Jinyu's eyes were full of mockery and disgust.

Master Qingxu said lightly, "Alright, we are one, why do you have to do this?"

Chi Jinyu said coldly, "I don't want to get involved with him. It disgusts me. If it weren't for the Qingping Dao Palace's inheritance, it would be best if we never had anything to do with each other."

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master sneered, "What? Do you think you've really cleared your name? What's the difference between you and me? You cut yourself off, severed your past memories, does that mean you've been reborn? Aren't your hands stained with blood too? And... it seems that the memories have finally resurfaced in your heart. Even the most wondrous Heavenly Dao technique can hardly completely wash away the marks left on your body."

"Alright, now is not the time to talk about this. The inheritance of Qingping Dao Palace is the most important thing. The first volume of the Heavenly Dao Scripture is also in the hands of this person surnamed Gu. Only by obtaining the complete Heavenly Dao Scripture can one have the opportunity to break the shackles and become an immortal."

Only by becoming an immortal can one truly step into the underworld!

"Everyone should know what we really want. Our time is running out. If we miss this opportunity, we may never have another chance!" Master Qingxu said in a deep voice.

Chi Jinyu snorted coldly and said nothing more.

Back then, "they" killed the previous Heavenly Demon Sword Master and took his place.

But after all is released and hatred is gone, only emptiness remains, and the past and future come back to mind.

He once sealed his memories, but in the end it was just self-deception, and he could not escape the calamity of chaos.

Later, he comprehended a wonderful method from the lower volume of the Heavenly Dao Scripture, and then severed the Heavenly Demon Sword Dao and his memories.

First, Qingxu Daoist left, intending to sever all ties with his future and past, and he did indeed succeed. However, when he achieved Huntian, all the karma and consequences once again came back to haunt him.

To sever his ties with worldly life, he entered the Taoist sect for solitary cultivation.

But in the end, it's hard to let go of everything.

He learned the secrets of the underworld and the methods of rebirth from the Taoist sect, and found the master of the Heavenly Demon Sword.

After discussion, Chi Jinyu was executed again.

The three each cultivate a different path, searching for the true inheritance of the Heavenly Sword Elder through various means, while also seeking the Heavenly Dao Scripture.

The three were originally one, but the current Heavenly Demon Sword Master is the very aspect of their past that they least wanted to see, which is why the situation is what it is today.

The Heavenly Demon Sword Master didn't refute further, suppressing his displeasure, and said, "Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with him. The most important thing right now is to control the Qingping Dao Palace. As for Gu Yuanqing, even if he obtains the Immortal Fortune, he'll still be in the Qingping Dao Palace after he comes out. As long as we capture him, all the Immortal Fortune will still be ours. Qingxu, you are proficient in array formations and have the highest cultivation level. See how we can seize this palace?"

"Let me take a look!" The image of Yin and Yang and the Eight Trigrams rotated in Qingxu Daoist's eyes. He stepped on the steps of the Big Dipper, made hand seals, and deduced in his mind. Then he stepped out of the main hall and stared at the Zhou Tian Star Array.

A moment later, he re-entered the main hall and said in a deep voice, "In this world, the center of the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array is this Qingping Palace, and the core of the array in this palace is this painting. However, this painting itself is too mysterious, and we dare not move it without permission."

"Then how do we break this?" asked the Heavenly Demon Sword Master.

Master Qingxu surveyed the area around the hall and said, "It's not impossible. The three of us control three swords. Although this man surnamed Gu wields the head of all swords, he is trapped in the painting and cannot control the Demon-Subduing Sword. This is our opportunity!"

"Then let's get started. There's no time to lose. If we wait until it breaks free from the painting, things might go wrong!" Chi Jinyu closed his folding fan and said in a deep voice.

……

Gu Yuanqing continued walking, and halfway up the mountain, an old man sat in a pavilion.

There was a chessboard in the pavilion. The old man smiled and said, "Young friend, it's still early. How about we play a game of chess?"

"Good!" Gu Yuanqing replied with a smile and sat down in front of the chessboard.

The old man casually grabbed something, and the universe within his hand transformed. Using the Great Dao as his material, he condensed it into several white stones.

Gu Yuanqing stared for a moment, then gently placed his finger on the chessboard, using the same Dao as his material, and condensed it into a black piece.

The old man chuckled, "Then you may go first, young friend."

With my palm open, it fits exactly one.

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, senior."

As soon as Gu Yuanqing placed his piece on the star position, sword energy soared into the sky, transforming the entire chessboard into a sword domain.

The old man also placed his piece on the diagonal star position, and the two sword domains began to contend with each other, evenly matched.

As black and white chess pieces were placed one by one, the entire chessboard transformed into a battleground for swordplay, gradually evolving from a simple sword domain confrontation into a sword formation clash.

Illusionary formations, puzzle formations, trapping formations, killing formations, and deadly formations all change in the hands of the two, and every move they make is aimed directly at the opponent's weakness.

It's been a long time.

The old man pondered for a moment, then suddenly put down the chess piece and said with a smile, "Young friend, you are quite skilled. You have had your fill today. Let's end this game here."

Gu Yuanqing stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed: "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

The old man laughed loudly, his figure vanished with the wind, leaving behind the words: "Go up the mountain!"

As Gu Yuanqing continued forward, he suddenly heard the clanging sound of blacksmithing.

Take a few more steps, and the world changes, and you find yourself in a blacksmith's shop.

Looking at the fire again, it was a purplish-gold flame that was almost solidified. When the eye came into contact with it, it seemed to hurt, as if looking at it would set the person on fire as well.

The man in front of the furnace stood shirtless, his skin bronze. The moment he broke out in a sweat, it was evaporated by the terrifying heat and turned into wisps of white steam that rose and swirled around him, forming a hazy mist around him.

His bulging muscles rose and fell with each breath, like dormant mountains slowly awakening, containing immense power capable of shaking mountains.

In the firelight, his sweat-soaked skin shimmered with a dark golden luster, as if he were divine iron just taken out of the furnace and not yet cooled.

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding——!”

With each hammer blow, the metal clashed, as if the sound of the Great Dao itself resounded, amplifying, vibrating, and echoing wildly within the sealed cave. Each strike precisely struck the most delicate "node" within the sword embryo.

The sword embryo seemed to slowly come to life, emitting a painful yet joyful shriek! Faint traces of Dao patterns appeared on its surface before disappearing into the sword embryo.

"The Way of Sword Forging!"

Gu Yuanqing naturally noticed it.

The Three Masters Elder is renowned throughout the world for his mastery of swordsmanship, formations, and weaponry—a tradition passed down through the Qingping Dao Palace.

The swords used by sword cultivators within the Dao Palace are mostly forged by themselves, because only in this way can the sword be completely connected with their mind and spirit and be controlled by them.

After observing for a while, Gu Yuanqing discovered that this constant hammering technique was actually a form of cultivation.

While forging the sword, one is also refining one's own sword intent. With each fall of the hammer, it seems that one's sword will merges with the smallest particles of one's own body.

Gu Yuanqing's eyes suddenly lit up.

"This... is also the Undying Sword Dao of Chaos!"

He carefully sensed the nuances, and his breathing began to change in sync with the blacksmith's breathing, gradually synchronizing with it.

At this moment, he felt his sword intent surging and boiling, in an unprecedentedly active state, and his perception of the Great Dao seemed to have become more acute.

The blacksmith seemed to sense something, turned around, tossed the hammer in his hand to Gu Yuanqing, and said, "Young man, you give it a try!"

Gu Yuanqing caught the hammer and felt a sudden weight in his hand, as if he were holding not a hammer, but a mountain!

No, to be more precise, it was as if he were holding the unpolished Great Dao in his hands!
The weight of the Great Way is greater than that of a mountain!
Gu Yuanqing didn't stand on ceremony and stepped forward, swinging the hammer in the same way the blacksmith had done.

After all, he was a cultivator of the Chaos Realm, and after observing for a long time, he could be considered to have just entered the basics.

At first, he was still a bit clumsy, but after a short while, he grasped the essence of it. He infused the swordsmanship into the hammer, and each time he struck, it was as if a sword was falling.

In the midst of the collision, I felt my sword intent become more refined and concentrated.

The insights gained in the Qingping Dao Palace gradually and truly integrated into his own swordsmanship through constant practice.

Time passed little by little.

"clang--!"

Gu Yuanqing brought down the final hammer, the longsword hummed, sword energy soared into the sky, and the three Dao principle imprints within the longsword were fully formed!
This also signifies that this longsword has become a Dao artifact!

The blacksmith laughed loudly: "Not bad!"

Then the blacksmith shop and the blacksmith vanished into nothingness.

Looking closely, he saw a burly man carrying a broadsword on his back nod slightly to Gu Yuanqing before disappearing. The sound he had just made was from a bell in his hand.

Gu Yuanqing clasped his hands and bowed slightly.

The scene depicted in this painting is truly astonishing!
Just then, Gu Yuanqing suddenly looked up, his Void-Piercing Heavenly Eye activated, as if trying to see through the world within the painting.

All he could see was mist. He frowned slightly, sensing that the Demon-Subduing Sword seemed to be acting strangely.

Looking back, they did not see the figures of the Heavenly Demon Sword Master, Qingxu Daoist, Chi Jinyu, and others.

"The Demon-Subduing Sword is currently connected to the Zhou Tian Star Array. I vaguely sensed that it is showing signs of movement. It seems that these three people may have already left the painting and intend to take control of the Dao Palace!"

Just then, a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth appeared, bowed slightly and said, "Honored guest, please do not worry, my young master invites you!"

Gu Yuanqing withdrew his gaze, his heart tightening slightly.

In this painting, his cultivation level remains intact, and Gu Yuanqing can see through the previous figures to some extent.
He felt he couldn't see through the page at all; the page appeared to him like a fog, and if he didn't look, he wouldn't be able to detect his presence.

The young master they mentioned is naturally the owner of this painting.

Gu Yuanqing cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Immortal Child!"

"Please come, honored guest!" The pageboy stepped aside to invite him.

Gu Yuanqing followed.

We walked uphill and arrived at the blue stone.

The man in blue robes continued to lazily look at the book in his hand.

The page stood to the side, remaining silent.

Gu Yuanqing stood quietly to the side, not disturbing the man, her gaze fixed on the scroll in his hand, but it was all in a blur and she could not see anything inside.

Looking at the man's face again, it was shrouded in mist and difficult to see clearly.

After a long while, the man in blue seemed to finally notice someone beside him.

He sat up, laughing and scolding, "You little brat, why didn't you remind me when guests arrived? You deserve to be punished!"

The page seemed startled and quickly knelt down, saying, "Please forgive me, young master."

"Never mind, learn from this next time."

The man in blue stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked at Gu Yuanqing, sized him up, and said, "Finally, someone else has come. I don't know how long it has been since the last time. It's so boring in this painting. Now we can finally do something different."

Gu Yuanqing clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Greetings, senior. I apologize for the intrusion into the mountain. I apologize for any inconvenience caused."

The man in blue waved his hand and said, "I'm here to wait for someone. Since you've come, it must be fate. By the way, what's your name?"

Gu Yuanqing said, "My name is Gu Yuan. May I ask your honorable name, senior?"

"Gu Yuan? You're quite cautious, but it's good to be cautious so you can live longer. I've long forgotten my name. As for you, you are indeed quite interesting. With your personality, you should live longer than me." The man in blue suddenly looked up with a smile.

This glance seems to transcend time and space to meet Gu Yuanqing's true self.

"You flatter me, senior. I just happened to have some urgent business to attend to."

Unbeknownst to him, Gu Yuanqing had already withdrawn part of his mind and merged his mind with that of Beiquan Cave Heaven to prevent any accidents.

The man in blue laughed and said, "It's alright. It's true that you and I are destined to meet. I have something that you should already have. However, rules are rules. I have three questions. If your answers please me, you can take one of the items from me. Otherwise, then our fate ends here."

(End of this chapter)