Chapter 128 A Land Beyond This world, there is no such thing as a true land beyond...
Although Shen Zhengyuan seemed to have had some unpleasantness with Zen Master Mingcun, he did not forget to travel. Moreover, it must be said that with people from the Dharma cultivation world around, traveling became a very easy task.
In the blink of an eye, they appeared in a clearing in the woods.
Li Chen glanced around and found that he was surrounded by a dense forest.
But within this lush, dense forest, dozens of small pavilions stand scattered about.
But she clearly remembered that when Li Xianghuan was tricked into coming to this place, the area was still a desolate wasteland with no inhabitants. How could so many houses have appeared out of thin air in just a few years?
What puzzled her even more was that since Shen Zhengyuan was prepared to accompany her to retrieve the sword, why didn't he go directly to the place where the Sword God had fallen?
This place is still quite a distance from the valley where the Sword God fell. Surely Shen Zhengyuan doesn't want to take a leisurely walk with her, like in the storybooks, using a stroll through the woods to foster their relationship?
Before she could even ask a question, a muffled cough suddenly came from beside her.
She turned her head and saw Shen Zhengyuan's face was as pale as paper, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Li Chen was taken aback. "When were you injured? Did you get so angry with Monk Mingcun that you lost your temper? I didn't realize you had such a temper."
As she spoke, she reached out to check his pulse.
But before she could touch his wrist, he turned aside and avoided her hand.
Then, he wiped the blood from his lips and said, "It wasn't from anger, I was just injured. I was going to take you in, but your sword was very hostile to me."
“Even if a spirit sword has no consciousness, it can still communicate with its master’s thoughts. When you abandoned your sword, you must have wanted to kill me, so your sword is still full of killing intent towards me even now.”
Li Chen was taken aback. "Me? My sword? How did you tell?"
Shen Zhengyuan said casually, "Naturally, it is exactly the same as the power of the spirit sword that pierced my chest, severed my wrist, and almost pierced my throat."
Shen Zhengyuan glanced at her and said casually, "After being slashed a lot, you'll naturally be able to feel it."
Li Chenjin: "..."
so what?
Is she going to apologize now?
Or should I try to appease them again?
But how do we appease them in this situation?
This kind of scene has never been written in storybooks!
The stories she read mostly featured relationships that developed naturally, with the exception of a few involving forced sexual assault or coercion. She had never actually read a story where the protagonists were mortal enemies who would kill each other at the slightest provocation...
Li Chen scratched his face, unable to think of any reasonable explanation for her stabbing him in the chest and trying to dig out his heart. He couldn't very well say that she wanted to win his heart, could he?
There was also the time when she originally wanted to cut off his arm, but Shen Zhengyuan dodged in time, so she only had time to cut off one of his hands.
I still remember that after she killed Shen Zhengyuan, she returned to Wanshan Sect and was happy for a while.
Unexpectedly, Shen Zhengyuan's severed hand was reattached by people from the alchemy world.
When she learned the news, she was filled with regret that she had only wanted to cut off his arm. Because of her regret, she began to seriously think about what she should have done. She thought that if she had made a more detailed plan at that time and had anticipated that Shen Zhengyuan would be so good at dodging, she should have moved a few inches to the side when she made her move.
If you approach the attack with the intention of splitting him in two, even if he manages to dodge, at that distance, you can at least dislocate his entire arm.
So how can this be explained?
Could it be that she thinks Shen Zhengyuan's hands are beautiful, so she wants to take them back and keep them as a keepsake?
And there's what Shen Zhengyuan just mentioned, about how he almost pierced his throat.
Actually, she didn't intend to just stab his throat. Her original move was the same as when she killed people hundreds of years ago: after stabbing his throat, she would flick the sword upwards to split his head in two.
If this move is used correctly, even if you invite someone from the alchemy world, or even a Great Luo Golden Immortal, it would be impossible to revive someone whose head has been split in two.
So how do you explain this kind of thing?
Could it be that she wanted to see if she was even in his head?
Using these excuses to fool people, even if Shen Zhengyuan didn't believe her, just saying them would probably make her seem like a pervert...
It's really hard to say...
You can't say anything about it...
She coughed lightly, looked up, and glanced around. It was unclear whether she had noticed something or was trying to find a topic to steer the conversation away from the matter.
Just then, a voice suddenly reached Li Chenjin's ears, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing on the territory of the Northern Sect?"
"Senior brother, I heard that things are in chaos outside. Could it be that the Southern Sect has stopped taking care of things, so someone has come to our Northern Sect for help?"
"Even so, what can we do? The cultivation world outside still regards the Southern Sect, led by the Wanshan Sect, as the orthodox sword cultivator world. Even if we lend a hand now, won't the credit go to the Southern Sect?"
"Senior brother, you are mistaken. Currently, the Southern and Northern factions each manage their own affairs. Although outsiders may not be aware of this, as long as we take care of things that the Southern faction cannot, over time, our reputation will accumulate and we will eventually overshadow the Southern faction. At that time, won't outsiders then regard our Northern faction as the leader?"
As they talked, they walked towards Li Chenjin and the others, seemingly unafraid that they would overhear what they were saying.
These things must be common knowledge in the sword cultivation world; she just hadn't inquired about them before, so she didn't know.
When those people reached them and saw Li Chenjin's face clearly, their conversation abruptly stopped.
When Li Chen looked at them, she saw that they suddenly knelt down in unison, cupped their hands in front of her, and their voices trembled with excitement, "Sword God!"
"Sword God, you've finally emerged from seclusion?!"
"Sword God, do you wish to avenge your grievances? We swear to follow you to the death, Sword God, at your command!"
"I swear to follow the Sword God to the death!!"
To be honest, it had been so long since she had heard anyone shout at her that her ears were ringing.
She picked at her ear, instinctively wanting to deny it, but then she thought that she was going to enter this valley later, and if she denied it, what identity would she have to enter later?
In addition, the sword cultivation world is not peaceful right now. Although Shuo has been handed over to Han Shannan, she, as a person from the Zen cultivation world, cannot devote much attention to the affairs of the sword cultivation world. However, she still wants to help Han Shannan a little, so that the silly boy will not be unable to handle such a big situation when he takes over for the first time.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh and said, "Get up. I heard some things about you at the peace talks, but there is one thing I don't understand."
"Most sects in the sword cultivation world still belong to the Wanshan Sect and obey its commands. The Wanshan Sect, as the headquarters of the sword cultivation world, has been rooted for hundreds of years and has many dealings and close exchanges with other cultivation worlds. It is precisely for this reason that other cultivation worlds now only trust the sword cultivation world under the leadership of the Wanshan Sect."
"Therefore, making enemies of the Wanshan Sect will not benefit you. Even if you are dissatisfied, you can just put on a show and let it pass. Why must you take things to this extreme?"
A younger sword cultivator looked up excitedly and said, "We entered the sword cultivation world because of the Sword God! We're not here for the Ten Thousand Goodness Sect, so why should we work for them? Besides, we didn't believe the Sword God's fall at all. Some people may appear to revere the Sword God, but they don't actually care whether it's true or not. We disdain to associate with such hypocrites!"
Another person chimed in, "That's right! We came here after learning where the Sword God had fallen. Upon arrival, we saw that the area for dozens of miles was shrouded in sword energy, and no one could force their way in. Anyone with eyes can see that this sword energy is the work of the Sword God! If the Sword God had truly fallen, how could there be such powerful sword energy here? But this matter..."
"This matter... clearly many people in the sword cultivation world know about it, but they all pretend not to know, and forbid us from spreading the news... The Sword God is right, the Ten Thousand Goodness Sect has been rooted in the cultivation world for hundreds of years, and its power is so great that it is not something we ordinary disciples can resist. Even if we try our best to spread some rumors, they will be quickly suppressed, and outsiders will have no way of knowing..."
No sooner had that person finished speaking than someone spat and said, "The reason I came to the cultivation world was to leave the mortal realm and find a secluded place. But I never expected that some places in the cultivation world would be no different from the mortal realm. It's all about whoever has money and power, whoever is right!"
Li Chen sighed again and shook his head slightly. "In this world, where is there any truly secluded place? Wherever there are people, there is a world of martial arts; wherever there is a world of martial arts, there is conflict. Even in the temples of the Zen world, one cannot avoid the interaction of human relationships. These things are inevitable wherever there are people; it's just a matter of degree."
"You've been here for many years, so you should be able to see clearly. Many people in the sword cultivation world aren't unaware that the Sword God's fall is suspicious; they simply don't want him to return. Since so many people don't want the truth, why are you so persistent?"
One person couldn't help but retort, "But in the sword cultivation world, half of the people initially hoped for your return. Later, the number increased to 60%... 70%... 80%... If it weren't for that, we would have been purged by the Wanshan Sect long ago! You can see those who don't want you to come back, so why can't you look at those who do?"
Immediately afterward, another person said, "In fact, many sects that have submitted to the Wanshan Sect also long for the Sword God's return. However, although they hope for your return, they lack the courage to break ties with the Wanshan Sect. If you are willing to return, those sects will surely submit to you immediately and help you reclaim the position of sect leader of the Wanshan Sect and regain control of the sword cultivation world!"
Li Chen smiled slightly, “I have no interest in regaining control of the sword cultivation world. You did not participate in the peace talks, so there are many things you are unaware of. Zeng Shujin has temporarily stepped down from his position as sect leader, and the one temporarily taking over as sect leader of Wanshan Sect is a disciple I took in when I had nothing else to do.”
"Although he is young, he is kind-hearted. If you are willing, you can go to Wanshanmen to see him and test him. If you think he is alright, then make peace with Wanshanmen."
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