Chapter 518: Chapter 520: A Gate
 

…

To the east, a group of white-clad swordsmen, in a grand procession, were fiercely returning to Sword Manor.

Master Zheng Mei stood on her Flying Sword, and when she saw the devastation of Long Valley and the mountain lake along with countless traces of blood, her face paled instantly.

All was lost, the White Robe Sword Sect had been caught off guard by the Demon Sect. Those inside were likely slaughtered to the last by the beasts of the Demon Sect. The thought of this filled her heart with sorrow and ignited a raging fury within her.

“Sect Leader, Master, Elders…”

At that moment, Lín Zhong, Ming Xiu, and the others stood in front of the manor, calling out to the returning members of the Sword Manor.

A group of white-clad Sword Masters landed in the shattered remains of the manor, their gaze sweeping over the members who had stayed behind.

“Where are the followers of the Demon Sect?” the Sect Leader of the White Robe Sword Sect asked.

“They have been repelled,” Lín Zhong replied.

“Just by you people??” Master Zheng Mei asked in astonishment.

“It was that Sword Master from Yaoshan Sword Sect…” Ming Xiu immediately excitedly recounted how Zhu Minglang alone had repelled the Demon Sect invaders.

“He alone??”

The Sect Leader, Master, and the Elders exchanged incredulous looks, not even the Sect Leader was entirely confident she could have repelled the Demon Sect army led by Demon Lord Lu Jiang!

Sword Manor was saved, apart from those disciples who were killed at the mountain gate during the initial sneak attack by the Demon Sect, the vast majority were still alive, and many of the manor’s crucial foundations were preserved.

The Sect Leader and Master both wanted to thank him in person, but Zhu Minglang had already descended the mountain and left, concealing his achievements and fame!

“In future troubles of Yaoshan Sword Sect, our White Robe Sword Sect will definitely lend our full support!” the Sect Leader firmly told the members of the White Robe Sword Sect.

“Lend our full support!”

“Lend our full support!”

Many family members of the swordsmen resided in Sword Manor, if they had been slaughtered by the Demon Sect taking advantage by surprise, what would the purpose of their mighty cultivation have been? This gratitude was naturally buried deep in the hearts of these white-clad swordsmen!

…

The elderly Master Zheng Mei was also very generous, teaching Zhu Minglang several of the most simplified yet powerful Flying Sword techniques.

After learning them, Zhu Minglang paid his respects and then left the territory of the White Robe Sword Sect.

One really ought to get out and about. In these wild and remote places, not only did he pick up a girl from the Demon Sect to be his main maid, but he also learned several practical Flying Sword Techniques. From now on, even without using Sword Awakening, he could slay enemies unseen!

“With these skills, I should be able to traverse Li Chuan,” Zhu Minglang reflected.

Leaving Li Chuan required surmounting peaks and crossing ranges; despite flying on the Divine Green Holy Dragon, it had still taken a long time.

Upon returning to Li Chuan, Zhu Minglang flew on his sword, standing with hands behind his back, his hair fluttering in the high-altitude breeze. Amidst the clouds, sometimes overlooking mountains and plains, sometimes myriad household lights – how could one describe the ease and divine charm!

…

After traveling a thousand miles, and then another thousand, Zhu Minglang found himself missing his wife and sisters-in-law, considering the many secrets they harbored, he knew he needed to bring his absolute strength to bear.

There were two matters of particular concern to Zhu Minglang.

The first was about the ancient ruins on the Li Chuan Continent.

What exactly were these ancient ruins? Although similar ancient ruins existed in the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, even the Zhu Heavenly Officer had said that the ruins in Li Chuan were quite special. Where could these particular ancient ruins of Li Chuan be hidden?

The second concerned the notion of the Sky Guests, a term that had come from the lips of Zhu Xuehen. What did these people represent?

Li Yunzi had always been making early preparations. What exactly was she guarding against that kept her from ever finding peace?

During his journey, Zhu Minglang continuously heard snippets of news about Li Chuan.

Zhu Minglang had an inkling that Li Chuan might not be as simple as it seemed and noticed that a great number of powerful beings from the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent were converging on Li Chuan. Whether resting at city-states or relay stations, Zhu Minglang more than once overheard discussions about Deity-mortals teams and Dragon Shepherd teams heading in the direction of Li Chuan.

Had the ancient ruins appeared?

To the people of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, a new ancient ruin was like a mountain of treasures, within which lay countless age-old divine and natural treasures, possibly hiding mythical dragons and sacred beasts thought to be extinct on the continent, or even spirit vein secret realms that could sustain a Sect Forest for ages!

Just last year, Li Chuan was still a desolate place, a barbaric land on the far east side, yet overnight it became a new continent, a land teeming with gold, with various powers dispatching expeditions and solitary cultivators flocking to it eagerly…

“Old chap, has some golden immortal mountain sprouted in Li Chuan? Why is everyone heading there? Has its ruler developed some famous historical site and deliberately been promoting some ancient ruins to attract tourism, selling soil Lingzhi souvenirs that lack spiritual energy but are ridiculously priced?” At a moving fortress, Zhu Minglang saw a group of young travelers and approached them for information.

The young traveler looked down on Zhu Minglang with disdain, sizing him up and upon noticing the two Juvenile Spirits he had with him, replied impatiently, “You’re really out of the loop. What emerged in Li Chuan isn’t some dilapidated relic, it’s a ‘gate’!”

“A gate??” Zhu Minglang was completely bewildered.

“Yes, an Immortal Gate, a Sky Gate, a gateway to a heavenly realm of gods and immortals!”

“Has anyone entered it? What’s inside?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“Everything you can imagine! Holy Dragons are a common sight, Ancestrial Dragons prostrate in the chasms, Immortal Fruits cover the mountains, and Spirit Veins are inexhaustible!” the young traveler replied.

“Do people actually believe that?” Zhu Minglang raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t get it. Li Chuan Continent originally arrived from beyond the skies, bordering our Supreme Court Courtyard Continent. Since it’s a land that flew in from beyond, why wouldn’t it have Immortal Spirit Cave Mansions or divine signs of heavenly nations?” the young traveler retorted.

“Er…” Zhu Minglang didn’t quite know how to respond.

From Zhu Minglang’s perspective, standing within Li Chuan Continent, it was clearly the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent that had moved across the sky and bordered Li Chuan on the far west.

From the perspective of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, however, the notion of Li Chuan as a star that flew in posed no problem at all!

A gate?

Zhu Minglang wasn’t sure how much truth there was in what these people were saying, but overnight, Li Chuan had become a hot topic in the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent. It seemed no matter where he went, people were discussing the divine signs that had emerged in Li Chuan.

On the Imperial Dynasty’s side, they were clearly well-prepared. From the beginning, their intent to have Rui Country attack Li Chuan was to pave the way for this very purpose. After discovering that Li Chuan was a tough nut to crack, they simply chose to make peace, incorporating Li Chuan into the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent’s plate, granting it the status of a kingdom and bestowing a ruler.