Chapter 211: Chapter 135: Tower of Ten Thousand Paths, Conclusion and Aftermath
True Martial Mountain.
One by one, the disciples looked with amazement at the towering Inheritance Sword Tower before them. It had just been dug out from the Inquiring Sword Pavilion, and the soil still carried a fresh scent. To minimize embarrassment, the two Celestial Human Realm Elders of the Inquiring Sword Pavilion traveled by night, avoiding many cities along the way.
The Inheritance Sword Tower, standing three hundred and thirty-three zhang tall, was quite majestic, with the occasional ripple of Sword Dao sentiments and sharpness, filling sword practitioners with yearning.
It held the essence of a millennium of accumulation and the Sword Dao legacies of many top swordsmen.
If one could ignore the wooden blackened faces of the two elders from the Inquiring Sword Pavilion, it would be even more perfect.
Ning Qi looked at the Sword Tower with some anticipation in his eyes.
To him, it was a good resource for advancement; the only pity was that it only contained Sword Dao.
However, it wasn’t much of a problem.
He could draw parallels and use the Sword Dao to drive the development of other paths.
"Elders, you’ve worked hard," Luo Wentian said with a smile.
The elders’ faces darkened further. Their hearts were bitter, and with wooden expressions, they said:
"Sect Leader Luo, the rest of the items are on their way with Tang Qiu and others. We at the Inquiring Sword Pavilion have made a mistake, but we’ve received the punishment we deserve. We ask Sect Leader Luo to be gracious and spare the Inquiring Sword Pavilion."
Such humility, such acts of appeasement—what’s it all for?
Is it not for the continuation of the Inquiring Sword Pavilion?
Luo Wentian nodded faintly:
"Naturally, the Inquiring Sword Pavilion shall remain in seclusion for two hundred years."
He showed no mercy.
A mistake made requires a price to be paid.
However, this was the limit. The True Martial Sect couldn’t possibly slaughter the entire Inquiring Sword Pavilion. Even if they could, the Great Yan imperial court would not allow it, and such actions would not align with the True Martial Sect’s style.
Back when the Inquiring Sword Pavilion coveted the Heaven-Ascending Ladder and the True Martial Sword Stele, their own methods were applied against them, seizing the Inheritance Sword Tower in return.
If they truly intended to wipe them out, the True Martial Sect might face opposition from other Martial Path sects, which would not be a good thing. By then, many would no longer adhere to the unspoken rules when dealing with the True Martial Sect. After all, until now, the Inquiring Sword Pavilion hasn’t harmed any member of the True Martial Sect.
The Inquiring Sword Pavilion has stood in the Great Yan for a thousand years with many allied sects.
If they went too far, these allied sects would also speak out in support.
The two elders from the Inquiring Sword Pavilion looked bitter, but inwardly, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"The Inquiring Sword Pavilion will uphold the promise."
They turned back for one final glimpse at the towering Inheritance Sword Tower, their hearts bleeding. Gritting their teeth, they left through the air, not wanting to stay a moment longer in this place of sorrow. A moment’s mistake caused a millennium of effort to be destroyed overnight. No one could understand their pain.
Ning Qi simply watched silently.
Never mind two hundred years—who knows how much the True Martial Sect might transform in just twenty years? By the time the Inquiring Sword Pavilion reemerges, they might find the world has changed completely.
As the two Celestial Human Realm elders departed, a wisp of aura silently entwined with them, becoming an imperceptible mark.
Just in case these two acted rashly.
Ning Qi had a contingency plan.
With his current strength, dealing with ordinary Celestial Human Realm beings was as simple as a wave of his hand.
However, it’s most likely that these two wouldn’t dare to act recklessly, as doing so would bring about the true end of the Inquiring Sword Pavilion. With a glimmer of hope remaining, they dare not push to the brink. The most dangerous are those with nothing to lose, yet keeping the Inquiring Sword Pavilion serves as their ’shoes’ to restrain them.
Retracting his gaze.
Ning Qi once again examined the Inheritance Sword Tower before him. With so many people around, it wasn’t the right time to enter.
Luo Wentian spoke with a smile:
"Let’s disperse for now. Once we have clarified the situation of the Sword Tower, it will be open for you all."
How to handle the Sword Tower specifically still required discussions with Ning Qi and Taoist Longshan.
All the disciples looked on with anticipation.
After all, it’s the heritage of a millennium-old Sword Dao holy land, bringing a fresh sense of curiosity to them.
...
Late at night.
No one around.
Ning Qi silently entered the Sword Tower.
The Sword Tower was spacious and tall.
With its three hundred and thirty-three zhang, it had three hundred and thirty-three levels.
Each level had small rooms, and as Ning Qi stepped into one, he saw meditation cushions inside. On the walls were various patterns, writings, or sword marks. They seemed chaotic, but upon careful examination, one could discover the true intents of the Sword Dao hidden within.
The higher one ascends the Sword Tower, the more profound the Sword Dao true intents left behind.
By the later levels, there were already Sword Dao legacies left by Celestial Human Realm swordsmen, and the count exceeded ten.
Some were left by the Pavilion’s historical powerhouses, while others were from invited external Celestial Human Realm swordsmen.
Although the Inheritance Sword Tower never opened to outsiders, exceptions were made. Some who had shown kindness to the Pavilion were permitted entry, while others were part of exchanges, unlike the True Martial Sword Stele, which was completely open to the outside.
Ning Qi contemplated the various Sword Dao present, spiritual light surged in his mind, and he felt he gained significantly.
He roughly understood the operational mechanism of the Sword Tower.
Over a millennium, the interwoven Sword Dao intents inside had formed an invisible Sword Intent barrier. Only by reaching a corresponding level in Sword Dao could one ascend to that layer.
"Every time a great swordsman from the Inquiring Sword Pavilion approached the end of their lifespan, they would enter the Sword Tower, ascend as if ’inquiring about the sword’ across time and space with their predecessors. Until they reached the limits of their own Sword Dao and could no longer advance, they would leave all their Sword Dao essence on that level for future generations to comprehend."
Ning Qi sighed slightly.