Free Web NovelChapter 260: Chapter 259: Sword Control Skill, Earth Escape Technique
When Gu Zhao returned to Yangcheng, the Taoist Research Institute was also welcoming two elderly Daoists. Taoist Yan Song and Taoist Jing Feng were waiting at the entrance, and they both smiled upon seeing the two arrivals.
Seeing Taoist Jing Feng, Taoist Jing Chun stepped forward to greet him. "Senior Brother!"
Taoist Jing Feng grinned. "I’m glad you’re here."
The other newcomer, Taoist Yan Qi from Qingcheng Mountain, asked Taoist Yan Song, "Where is Senior Brother Yan Ling?"
Taoist Yan Song laughed as well. "The three ’Yans’ of Qingcheng Mountain are finally gathered. The others are still young, so we’ll have them wait a while longer." freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Taoist Yan Qi asked curiously, "Wait for what?"
"For the next batch of slots. To cultivate the Dao, practice its techniques, attain longevity, enact justice on behalf of Heaven, and for Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits!"
"Huh?"
...
「Daluo Palace.」
The few new Daoists quickly integrated into the group. They restored their Magical Power, learned the Golden Light Curse, and received their standard-issue longswords and Golden Gang Bracelets. While they were at it, they familiarized themselves with their new abilities and gained some practical combat experience.
Taoist Qingwei was fending off a joint attack from Yang Chi and Lu Yue.
Taoist Qingwei stood motionless. A gentle breeze stirred with a wave of his hand. Neither Yang Chi’s Palm Force nor Lu Yue’s longsword could get near him, and a faint Tai Chi Diagram hovered in the air around him.
"Brother Qingwei has truly mastered this Tai Chi Skill. It’s in his very bones," Taoist Jing Chun praised.
Taoist Qingwei had also entered the path of cultivation through the Martial Dao. He focused primarily on Martial Arts Training while also cultivating an Inner Pill. The fact that he could produce Taoist True Qi this way spoke to his extraordinary talent. Although he didn’t possess the sheer power of Taoist Yi Hong’s Heaven and Earth technique, he had a superb combination of reflexes, speed, strength, and endurance. Much like Taoist Qingyuan, he was a top-tier, all-around fighter.
The next moment, Taoist Qingwei executed a Sparrow’s Tail, parting Yang Chi’s palms. He followed up with a Cloud Hand, and with a quick turn and pull, Yang Chi and Lu Yue crashed into each other. Sent reeling by the surge of Magical Power, they both retreated several yards.
"Incredible!" the two exclaimed.
The two had been in Daluo Palace for nearly a year. After switching to Taoist Skills, their Dao Practice had advanced by leaps and bounds, and their Magical Power was profound. They could be considered experts in their own right.
But when sparring against this Daluo Palace Elder, they couldn’t even get close to him!
It was as if his body was constantly surrounded by a perpetually cycling cushion of energy that deflected and redirected force. It could not only neutralize physical attacks but also deflect and shift magical ones, and even use them to counterattack.
They had been fighting as a team for a long time and had expended most of their Magical Power, yet their opponent seemed to have just warmed up.
Taoist Qingwei offered a warm, cupped-fist salute. "Thank you for the match."
Elsewhere, Taoist Shen Hao and Taoist Yuan He were testing their skills against each other.
A spark of fire and a beam of Sword Light shot back and forth in midair. On one side, the firelight blazed for hundreds of yards; on the other, the Sword Light sent a chill through heaven and earth.
Those with sharp eyes could see a crimson Bell at the heart of the firelight. Its surface was engraved with patterns of flames and clouds and the image of a majestic deity. It released a golden-red fiery glow, overflowing with radiant light as if it had focused all the light in the world onto itself.
At the center of the other Sword Light was a Flying Sword with neither hilt nor guard—just a three-inch blade. Yet this tiny blade projected a Sword Light that was a full thirty feet long. The Sword Light was a warm yellow, suffused with Pure Yang Qi, and was Primordial Impermeable, as if it were a complete world unto itself.
Ever since Daluo Palace occupied the territory of two prefectures and established a point system, the sect’s treasury had steadily grown richer. Disciples would periodically offer up herbs and materials imbued with Spiritual Qi.
By now, not only could every member be given a Storage Gourd, but there was also no shortage of various Artifact Refining Materials. Taoist Yuan He, who had just arrived, had found a metal in the warehouse that was compatible with Pure Yang True Qi. He cut off a small piece and forged Flying Swords for himself and his disciple.
Now, in battle, it was maxed out in terms of both power and sheer style.
The disciples Daluo Palace had recruited from the Otherworld watched with rapt fascination, wishing they too could one day cultivate to such a realm—to wield a Flowing Gold Fire Bell or cut down enemies with Sword Control.
Never mind them—even Yunyang was watching with envy. "Flying Swords... Flying Swords..."
Gu Zhao nodded as well. "That really is cool. I should look into learning it later."
Sword Control and Swordsmanship were not the same thing. Whether it was Taoist Yan Song’s Seven-Star Sword, Yunyang and Taoist Jing Fa’s Eight Immortals Sword, or Taoist Qingyuan’s Tai Chi Sword, those were all forms of Swordsmanship.
They were styles of Swordsmanship that could only unleash their full power when held in the hand.
It wasn’t that those swords couldn’t be controlled from a distance, but doing so would significantly reduce their power. If they went up against a Sword Control master like Taoist Yuan He, their own sword would be struck down in a single blow.
However, this didn’t mean Swordsmanship was inferior to Sword Control. Be it the Eight Immortals Swordsmanship, which could activate the Eight Immortals Dharma Aspect, or the Tai Chi Swordsmanship, which used Tai Chi for both defense and offense, neither was weaker under comparable conditions.
But it definitely wasn’t as cool as Sword Control!
And speaking of cool...
The match between Changyi of the Celestial Master’s Mansion and Yangshuo of the Pure Yang Sect was truly a sight to behold!
The two were separated by dozens of meters. One stood perfectly still, his hand forming a Sword Pointing gesture. With horizontal and vertical flicks of his fingers, a Flying Sword similar to his master’s crisscrossed the air, leaving streaks of Sword Light in its wake.
His opponent, meanwhile, stepped in a Kuigang pattern, formed the Ziwei Seal with his hands, and chanted the Celestial Star Technique. Even in broad daylight, rays of starlight materialized to shield his body, forming a hazy, shimmering veil around him.
Yunyang clicked his tongue. Looking at the stylish Changyi and the stern Yangshuo, he thought, ’I should let them see what my Senior Brother is capable of one of these days.’
Then he heard Gu Zhao point at Yangshuo and say to him, "Look at that. The heir to the orthodox Pure Yang Sect. Lü Zu was called a Sword Immortal, and *that* right there is a real Sword Immortal."
Yunyang retorted, unconvinced, "I cultivate the *Zhong Lü’s Inner Alchemy Collection*!"
Gu Zhao nodded. "And the Cultivation Technique he inherited is the *Pure Yang Pill Scripture*!"
"I can manifest Lü Zu’s Dharma Aspect!"
"And he can use the Pure Yang Sword Technique!"
Gu Zhao patted Yunyang on the arm. "You’re an heir of the Dragon Gate Sect. Stop trying to pass yourself off as one of the Pure Yang Sect."
Yunyang was speechless. "..."
Yunyang turned his head, changing the subject. "Looks like we have a new Basic Skill to add to the Eight Great Taoist Spells."
Gu Zhao also looked over and saw the newcomer, Taoist Yan Qi, take a step forward and merge his entire body into a Purple Sandalwood tree. His aura became faint and indistinct, making him difficult to sense for anyone with a low Cultivation level.
The people nearby clicked their tongues in amazement, and Taoist Yan Song was even more surprised. "Your *Primordial Yang Five False Disaster Avoidance Method*... it’s actually a Five Elements Escape Technique?"
Taoist Yan Qi emerged from the tree, equally astonished. "I didn’t expect it either!"
Breathing and circulating the Five Qi, internally refining the Five Elements and the five viscera, is something every Daoist must do. It’s just that every sect and family has different methods, with varying degrees of emphasis and application.
For example, Taoist Yan Song could condense Wind and Fire, Taoist Yi Hong nourished his body with Qi, Taoist Ming Yu could manifest the Five Thunders, and Taoist Shen Hao could throw his Fire Bell.
But no one had ever actually managed to merge their body with an object of the Five Elements.
But Taoist Yan Qi had done it. He was seen chanting another Spell, "Central Earth, Vitality hidden within. The color Yellow stands firm, to be guided by circulation. Hear my incantation, let my body transform with the shape."
The moment the words left his lips, his form shrank, and he sank into the earth.
"Holy crap!" Everyone gasped in unison.
He hadn’t tunneled underground, because the spot on the surface where he had vanished showed no change whatsoever. He had treated the earth like water and simply swum into it!
The next moment, he emerged from the ground not far away, gasping for breath. "It’s a bit draining on my Magical Power."
Everyone let out a laugh, then all their eyes began to shine.
Are you kidding? No one there was a fool. This Earth Escape Technique was a god-tier survival skill. Who cared if it drained some Magical Power? For something like that, what more could you possibly ask for?
