Chapter 252:

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Dao Zhen is very calm.

Unlike other cultivators who look down on others, he has met and interacted with several members of the Qiao family.

Even when facing Qiao Mu at this moment, he still doesn’t underestimate him.

"Xiaojian Sword."

A small sword flew out from his sleeve and hovered in front of him.

Dao Zhen formed a spell with his hand and the Xiaojian Sword split into two, then four, then eight, quickly changing at an astonishing speed.

"One hundred swords."

One hundred and twenty-eight identical flying swords fell from the sky like raindrops, converging on Qiao Mu from all directions.

The powerful spiritual sense of the cultivator controlled the one hundred flying swords as easily as if they were extensions of his own arms, giving Qiao Mu the illusion of being surrounded and attacked by over a hundred swordsmen.

"Are these swords all real? Not illusions? There are over a hundred of them?"

Qiao Mu wielded the King Qin Sword, sweeping in all directions, sending flying swords soaring out.

The King Qin Sword was large, as tall as a person and as wide as a person, swung by Qiao Mu in a relentless manner.

After City Lord Guo Yan passed away, he left Qiao Mu a manual on the "Shadow Transformation Sword Technique", a complex and skilled sword technique where with only one sword in hand, one could produce over ten sword shadows with intricate and swift moves.

However, Dao Zhen’s flying swords truly transformed into a hundred, each one a genuine flying sword.

The sword techniques of martial artists and the sword attacks of cultivators were completely different.

Martial artists held their swords, no matter how varied their moves were, they were ultimately bound to it, having limitations. Some experienced martial artists could even predict their opponent’s sword moves by observing the wrist movements of a skilled swordsman.

Dao Zhen’s flying swords, on the other hand, were different. Each flying sword moved according to Dao Zhen’s will, their trajectories elusive like a deer’s horn, untraceable, and in great number.

"A thousand swords." Dao Zhen lightly pointed, and those one hundred flying swords rapidly multiplied, turning into a total of one thousand and twenty-four flying swords.

The flying swords were coming at Qiao Mu like a storm, making it hard for him to handle King Qin, and he was getting tired.

Dao Zhen used this opportunity to rise into the air by stepping on a flying sword.

Instead of running away, Dao Zhen stood in the sky, silently watching Qiao Mu being attacked by numerous flying swords.

Although Dao Zhen was a powerful Golden Pill cultivator, his swords were no match for the combined attack of many foundation building cultivators and Dao Fei.

However…

"His movements are slowing down… It’s normal for him to exhaust his energy." Dao Zhen thought to himself.

Qiao Mu, who had mastered the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method to a superb level, displayed astonishing strength as he held off the attacks of many cultivators, smashing Dao Fei’s golden bell and causing Dao Fei, a golden core cultivator, to meet his end. �

"Senior Brother Dao Fei underestimated the martial artist, not seeing Qiao Miao as a worthy opponent. The other cultivators thought the same way, just wanting to defeat him quickly."

"He is at the third level of Golden Core, with double the power of mine, but his misuse of power left him almost powerless. What’s the use of having more power and higher cultivation if it’s not utilized? He paid the price for it."

Dao Zhen was very calm.

As a rare Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator, he had formed the Great Tao Golden Pill, naturally gaining favor at the Immortal Gate. The Xiaojian Sword in his hand was bestowed by his master Elder Qingyi, capable of transforming into a sword array with just one swing.

However, the Xiaojian Sword was not his only treasure.

"Heart Demon Mirror." A magical mirror floated above his head, reflecting the sword rain in the sky.

In the next moment, numerous flying swords flew out from the mirror, joining the thousands of flying swords outside, forming a total of two thousand flying swords.

The two thousand flying swords densely surrounded Qiao Mu, spinning rapidly.

Not to mention blocking with the King Qin Sword, the sheer number of flying swords even obscured the immediate view.

Qiao Mu swept through with the King Qin Sword in hand, with this strike, five to six flying swords were knocked away, while more than ten hit flying swords twisted and then vanished into thin air.

"Are the ones in the mirror illusions? Now there are a thousand real flying swords and a thousand illusions?"

Qiao Mu frowned, unable to tell if these flying swords were real or not, so he tried his best to knock away the swords in front of him while moving towards Dao Zhen.

Sword after sword pierced through him, and he couldn’t completely block them anymore, leaving many holes in his body.

But he didn’t care, just frowned and kept walking forward, letting his body be pierced.

Just as he knocked away another wave of flying swords and his vision cleared, he saw Dao Zhen’s figure soaring to a height of tens of meters in the sky.

"Dao Zhen’s style is really different from Dao Fei’s," Qiao Mu squinted his eyes.

Dao Fei’s eyes were higher than the peak, standing out among other cultivators, thinking very highly of himself.

Dao Zhen’s style can be summed up in one word: dragging.

Xiaojian Sword, Heart Demon Mirror, all were delaying tactics, seeing Qiao Mu’s injuries worsening, he showed no urgency, no arrogance as a cultivator, just slowly wearing him down.

"Dozens of meters high in the sky…" Qiao Mu had a flash of thought in his mind, thinking of how to climb up, but then he saw Dao Zhen in action in the sky.

He held a handful of light gold round beans in his hand. With a flick, the beans quickly transformed into several tall and round bean soldiers.

"I heard that the Great Dao Sect excels in the art of creating Taoist soldiers…" Qiao Mu’s eyes widened.

He had dealt with the Great Dao Sect’s Taoist soldiers many times before and knew that fighting them head-on would only lead to exhaustion and being overwhelmed by their vast numbers.

So…

"Phew…" He took a deep breath, leaped into the air, and used King Qin as a shield to scatter the sword rain in front of him.

Although the sword rain in front was dispersed, many swords, some real and some illusions, attacked from the side, leaving him with several bloody wounds.

"Red Moon Burning Blood Technique·Blood Sword Technique!"

At this moment, his entire body was bleeding, and the blood droplets gathered once again on the King Qin Golden Body, forming a giant sword made of blood.

"Heavenly Slashing Swordsmanship!"

This is the spiritual refining sword technique of the Earth Sword Immortal, which requires a very high level of mindset and fighting spirit.

Even the Earth Sword Immortal, who created this sword technique, couldn’t perform it during his years of mediocre practice. He said it lacked spirit and couldn’t be drawn out.

When Qiao Mu first learned this spiritual refining sword technique, he struggled to master it until he confronted Elder Qingzhuo in the Hundred-mile Desert. With the guidance of the Earth Sword Immortal, who could transform into a sword, Qiao Mu successfully used it for the first time.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time Qiao Mu had performed the Heavenly Slashing Swordsmanship on his own.

All his remaining internal strength erupted completely, turning into a blood-colored sword light rising into the sky.

The dazzling sword light flew out for about twenty to thirty meters, but quickly dimmed with each meter it traveled, until it finally struck Dao Zhen’s body.

In the next moment, Dao Zhen’s body twisted and then disappeared on the spot…

This scene was similar to the earlier vanishing of the phantom swords, but now Dao Zhen had also transformed into a mirror-like projection…

"Phantom Swords."

At that moment, Dao Zhen’s figure appeared higher in the clouds.

His true form had already disappeared into the clouds, suddenly pointing a sword in his hand, at the moment when Qiao Mu was in mid-air with no support, a thousand flying swords turned into a dense sword rain falling.

In an instant, Qiao Mu’s body was pierced by a thousand swords, filled with countless holes, almost like a hedgehog made of blood, his body fell from the sky.

"A member of the Qiao family has finally died."

Dao Zhen remained expressionless, with little emotional fluctuation, just glanced around the city.

He had observed more than one member of the Qiao family, and had already figured out the first rule of the Qiao family: once one member died, the next one would quickly arrive.

He didn’t believe that one Qiao Miao could scare off Elder Qingzhuo, even if he killed a Golden Core period disciple in front of Elder Qingzhuo.

"As Elder Qingzhuo said, there are still other high-level cultivators from the Immortal Gate in this city, or there is another hidden reason."

After scanning with his spiritual sense and finding nothing unusual, his gaze finally fell on the edge of a market street in the city.

That was a group of common people attracted by the Sky Boat.

Among them were devout followers of the Great Dao Sect, as well as some talented and bold martial artists who had not left the city.

At that moment, watching Qiao Miao’s body, full of swords, fall from the sky, there was an immediate gasp from the crowd.

"He’s dead, after all, he’s dead…"



"We martial artists who want to use martial arts to defeat immortals, in the end, still have to pay a price."

"Even in death, he died as a hero, look at the bodies around him…"

"Though the body is dead, the Qiao family member’s spirit lives on."

Beside Qiao Miao’s body pierced by a thousand swords, almost devoid of a complete human form.

It was the King Qin Golden Body, long dead and soul departed, with a twisted face and eyes askew.

They found the bodies of dozens of powerful Great Dao Sect cultivators.

As they looked at the bodies, their excitement turned to sadness and regret.

Dao Zhen stayed silent, squinting at the people before reminiscing about a tragic event from many years ago.

Even when he was just a child, Dao Zhen had seen such expressions before…

Every time the ruthless attack happened, and the soldiers of the Western Conquering Army carried their fallen comrades into the city, the people in the streets wore similar expressions.

After a moment of silence, Dao Zhen disappeared into the sky in a flash of light.

Having long understood the first law of the Qiao family, how could he stay after taking the life of a member of the Qiao family?

He opened his eyes, only to find himself in a dream again.

Back to the beginning, Qiao Mu had no expression on his face.

His mind sank into the Ouroboros Long Life Lock, and a piece of information immediately appeared.

Death Assessment this time: A (Facing many enemies alone, using martial arts to defeat immortals)

Lifespan consumed by death: 80 (16*5) years

Remaining resurrection chances this week: 2 out of 5

Current age: 295 years old

Vitality: 60%

Eighty years, equivalent to a mortal’s lifetime without rest or sleep.

"It’s great, I have plenty of time to practice now," Qiao Mu said with no expression.

To examine our hearts and ask ourselves if we regret something is one thing, but going to jail is another.

In this world, sometimes there are true heroes who are willing to risk everything for others, even if they get hurt, they still say they have no regrets.

But that doesn’t mean anyone would like being stabbed with a knife.

"This time, I only hope to stay strong in words and thoughts, and not let time change my mind," Qiao Mu muttered to himself.

There is an old saying that goes: you learn from your mistakes and become wiser.

But in life, people tend to repeat the same mistakes and go down the same path over and over again.

Former martial artists like King Qin and Luohan, who possessed high spiritual power, were once strong and determined martial artists in their youth.

However, they later retreated, regretted their decisions, and chose the so-called path of "using martial arts to achieve enlightenment."

When someone is twenty, they may feel very confident and think they are the best, but in another ten, twenty, or thirty years, they may not feel the same.

"People’s bodies grow old, but what’s equally dreadful is their hearts growing old."

"If the heart stays young, spiritual development will not regress, even at the age of eighty or ninety, one can still remain at the third level of spiritual refinement."

"But…"

The challenges Qiao Mu faces are actually more difficult than those faced by ordinary elderly Spirit Refining martial artists.

Martial artists like Luohan and King Qin, even if their hearts grow old and they choose shortcuts, at most their focus may waver and their spiritual development may decline.

Because Qiao Mu’s lifespan is endless, he will spend countless long years in his dreams.

If there’s one retreat, one moment of regret, regretting why he stood out and pushed himself to the point of imprisonment… then he will be consumed by his negative emotions in the long solitude.

Eighty years ago, when Qiao Mu chose to pursue his true heart…

He embarked on a one-way road with no way back.

Every time he fell asleep, he had to question his true feelings in the long dream repeatedly until his mind collapsed or reached the end of this dead-end road. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Last time in the dream, Qiao Mu lasted for eighty years, but that doesn’t mean he can get through this challenge this time.

There is no sudden enlightenment in this world. The road ahead is not smooth after crossing this threshold… obstacles always exist and cannot be avoided.

"Next, let’s practice first. Once you enter the state of flow, you may feel like time is passing faster."

Just like last time, Qiao Mu temporarily put aside these matters. With a thought, he found himself in the solitary city arsenal.

"To advance to the next level in the ‘Human Path Sutra,’ it will take more than two hundred years… Although this technique is the foundation of my current strength and cannot be neglected, expecting rapid progress in the ‘Human Path Sutra’ in eighty years is unrealistic."

"To deal with a cultivator, you need to further enhance your lightness skill."

"If you want to live a little longer, you can find a hard skill in the solitary city arsenal."

Qiao Mu spent half a day browsing through the solitary city arsenal. The hard skills he found inside were of average quality, mostly like "Iron Head Skill," "Overlord Elbow," "Iron Palm," primarily used by martial artists training below the 4th rank of strength.

Because most martial artists practice Spiritual Refining Method, traditional external martial arts like hard techniques are considered outdated.

After searching for a while, he finally found the only high-level hard martial arts book called "Dragon Tiger Vajra Skill."

This "Dragon Tiger Vajra Skill" originated from a general in the Western Conquering Army, who was once a skilled fighter in the Shaolin Temple. Before the Inhuman War forty years ago, he left the temple and joined the army… but he died in the Hundred-mile Desert.

Before his death, he submitted this exceptional hard martial arts book to the city’s arsenal.

In the world of ancient martial arts, the top hard technique is called "Vajra Immortal Skill," which is a secret skill of the Shaolin Temple, on par with Wudang’s "Pure Yang Wuji Skill."

The general actually practiced the "Vajra Immortal Skill," but he didn’t reach the highest level of mastery.

Due to the traditional views of the martial arts world at the time, the general didn’t submit the Shaolin secret skill of "Vajra Immortal Skill"; instead, he submitted his self-created "Dragon Tiger Vajra Skill."

In a way, this "Dragon Tiger Vajra Skill" can be seen as a lower-level or simplified version of the "Vajra Immortal Skill."

He said, "I have plenty of time, so I can practice multiple martial arts, as long as they are beneficial."

Having found the hard work he wanted, Qiao Mu thought again, this time appearing in front of a hundred-meter cliff.

Qiao Mu leaped forward, this time landing lightly on the flowing water of the waterfall beneath him, instead of the damp mountain rocks.

The Heavenly Dragon Eight Steps are also known as the Fish Leaping Dragon Gate.

After the Climbing Waterfall Stage, comes the Fish Leaping Stage where one must use light skills to step on the waterfall curtains flowing straight down, reaching the top of a hundred-meter cliff at the waterfall’s end.

If you can reach this level, your lightness skill will basically reach the pinnacle of ordinary people’s lightness skill, and it could be considered unbelievable.

In this world, skills like walking on water or crossing a river on a reed are already considered extraordinary. The Heavenly Dragon Eight Steps of the Fish Leap period are even more advanced than them. Even if there is a bit of flowing water, one can jump high in the air with this technique.

When Qiao Mu woke up again, he found himself in a deserted alley behind the market street of Great Qin City.

"Another lifetime has passed." He blinked his eyes, and his gaze gradually returned from the still ancient well, now with a bit more humanity.

Without hesitation, when he walked out of the dark alley and rushed back to the previous vegetable market battleground, all he saw was his own body pierced by a thousand swords, with no trace of Dao Zhen.

"Where’s Dao Zhen gone?" he frowned.

"Is he a senior member of the Qiao family… that inhuman guy from earlier has already run away," a young martial artist from the rivers and lakes responded.

Qiao Mu furrowed his brow, but then noticed under his horrifying corpse a scruffy multicolored cat, meowing at him.



The impermanence took two steps in one direction, turned into a black shadow and gracefully jumped onto the roof, then turned back to look at him and meowed twice, its tail swaying gently.

"Huh? Do you want to lead me somewhere?" Qiao Mu blinked slightly.

The human-sucking cat always had a silly expression and sprawled on the ground, hardly doing anything useful, to the point that he completely forgot that the cat’s true nature was a monster.

"Please ask this young man to take care of tidying up Qiao Miao’s remains for me, I, Qiao Shuanggui, will be back soon."

Leaving these words behind, the man and the cat quickly departed along the roof.