Chapter 23: The Old Sword Saint and the Mastermind

Chapter 23: The Old Sword Saint and the Puppet Master

"Is there a person known as the Old Sword Saint in the Sword God Sect?" Ye Yun asked, looking at Luo Li with a gentle smile.

"The Old Sword Saint?" Luo Li was momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, a look of shock flickered across her face. She nodded repeatedly and explained, "Ancestor, such a person does indeed exist. However... this Old Sword Saint has been living in seclusion for over a hundred years. The current Sword God Sect is managed by a new Sword Saint."

Ye Yun continued, "What kind of faction is this Sword God Sect, exactly?"

Luo Li hurriedly replied, "Ancestor, the Sword God Sect is the top-ranked faction among the ten great powers of the Guyue Dynasty. A century ago, it was led by the Old Sword Saint, Ximen Chuixue. This Ximen Chuixue was a peerless prodigy of astonishing talent, hailed as the invincible Sword Saint of the Guyue Dynasty. For hundreds of years, no one could best him. However, a century ago, this Old Sword Saint washed his hands of worldly affairs and retreated into the mountains. It is said he went into deep seclusion to attempt to reach the Divine Bridge Realm..."

"I see!" Ye Yun nodded slightly, unimpressed.

The mastermind persecuting the Divine Dragon Sect was hidden with such secrecy, their schemes interlocked perfectly and flawlessly. Judging by the actions of that Supreme Elder, this Old Sword Saint was likely nothing more than a puppet, with an even greater power pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Ye Yun was deeply curious. Who could it be? Why would someone go to such malicious lengths to target a small sect like the Divine Dragon Sect, hunting them down for nearly fifty generations? What exactly did the 250th Sect Master do to provoke such deep-seated hatred, causing this person to torment the sect generation after generation? Rather than delivering a swift end, they chose to toy with the Divine Dragon Sect like a cat playing with a mouse. Could they be waiting to reach the 300th generation to complete a cycle of fifty? Such perverse psychology truly disgusted Ye Yun.

Once he unraveled the threads and dragged the mastermind into the light, Ye Yun would ensure they were sealed away for eternity, forced to endure a million types of torture for ages to come.

The current clues pointed to the Old Sword Saint of the Sword God Sect, the greatest power in the Guyue Dynasty. This suggested that within the Guyue Dynasty, the highest authority was indeed this Old Sword Saint. According to Luo Li, this invincible figure had been the strongest in the dynasty for over a century. A hundred years ago, he was already a powerhouse at the half-step Divine Bridge Realm. Now, after a century of silence, he was likely only a hair's breadth away from the Divine Bridge Realm itself.

At present, Luo Li and Jun Moxiao were only at the Divine Sculpting Realm. If they were to face a half-step or full Divine Bridge Realm expert, they had no chance of victory. They required a long period of tempering.

With this thought, a preliminary plan formed in Ye Yun's mind. There was no rush to find the mastermind. The priority was to hone Luo Li and Jun Moxiao into the future peerless warriors of the Divine Dragon Sect. Since he would eventually leave the Cangnan Continent, he had to cultivate these two successors.

Ye Yun smiled at Luo Li and said, "We need not rush to the Sword God Sect. Let us travel the world first and help you improve your cultivation along the way."

As he spoke, he produced two small vials from his robes and handed them over.

"Ancestor, what is this?" Luo Li curiously held the vial to her nose and sniffed. An indescribable aura wafted out, making her body feel incredibly comfortable.

"These are Dragon-Tiger Pills," Ye Yun laughed. "You have reached the Divine Sculpting Realm; it is the perfect time to consume these to enhance your cultivation."

Jun Moxiao and Luo Li exchanged bewildered glances. They had never heard of Dragon-Tiger Pills. However, since they were a gift from the Ancestor, they were certainly no ordinary items. Both opened their vials and gazed inside, sensing the aura of the pills.

"Ancestor, could these be of god-tier quality?" Jun Moxiao asked with a trembling voice.

Ye Yun nodded with a smile. Jun Moxiao and Luo Li felt as if they were in a dream. They hurriedly cast their divine senses into the vials and were shocked to discover that each contained over ten thousand Dragon-Tiger Pills!

"Oh my heaven, so many god-tier pills! Ancestor, you are too kind to us!" Luo Li clutched the vial to her chest, overwhelmed with surprise and delight.

Ye Yun burst into laughter and playfully tapped the two young ones on the forehead. "You two are the only remaining disciples of the Divine Dragon Sect. If I do not cultivate you well, how could I face the past Sect Masters of the Divine Dragon Sect?"

These words caused both Luo Li and Jun Moxiao to blush.

"The medicinal power of these Dragon-Tiger Pills is aggressive; you must only take one per month," Ye Yun instructed softly. Their bodies were not yet strong enough to withstand the full, violent potency of god-tier pills.

As for the recent trip to the Chuyun Sword Sect, Ye Yun gave Luo Li and Jun Moxiao a barely passing grade. They lacked combat experience and were too naive and not ruthless enough.

He decided that since the Sword God Sect was still far away, and there were eight other top sects and several quasi-first-rate factions left, he would challenge them one by one to properly train the two youngsters.

With his mind made up, Ye Yun patted their shoulders. "Very well, let us be off."

Ye Yun entered the black carriage and gave the order. The carriage descended back to the ground. Jun Moxiao and Luo Li hurriedly climbed onto the driver's seat.

With a loud neigh, the black horse galloped off, its hooves flying along the rugged mountain road.

"Ancestor, what happened to the Chuyun Sword Sect?" asked Luo Li as Jun Moxiao steered the carriage.

"Those ants dared to covet this carriage..." Ye Yun replied with a faint smile, leaving the rest unsaid.

"Those people deserved to die!" Jun Moxiao said indignantly.

Luo Li’s dark eyes darted about, and a look of realization dawned on her beautiful face. She tapped Jun Moxiao on the shoulder and giggled, "Need you ask? They must be gone..."

Jun Moxiao understood immediately and laughed aloud.

The black carriage continued forward. After exiting the mountains and entering the plains, a towering city appeared a hundred miles away. Ye Yun’s thoughts stirred, and the carriage came to a halt.

"Ancestor?" Jun Moxiao asked in surprise, looking back toward the carriage. The black horse would only stop if the Ancestor commanded it; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to make it stop.

Ye Yun stepped out of the carriage. He tapped Jun Moxiao and Luo Li lightly, and their cultivation levels instantly plummeted from the Divine Sculpting Realm down to the Origin Sea Realm. Jun Moxiao was reduced to the fourth level of the Origin Sea Realm, and Luo Li to the first.

Sensing their cultivation drop drastically, both were struck with terror.