Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme - Chapter 516

Chapter 516: Chapter 315: The Curtain Falls_2

This is the nobility of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, a sixth-rank grand sect!

Therefore, Li Cangwu proposed to take only the Female Sword Thunderflame, weaker and slightly inferior, as his reward for artifact refining, leaving the Male Sword Heavenly Strike for Xu Yang.

But unexpectedly, Xu Yang declined, insisting on giving both swords of the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords to him.

Such an attitude, even for an Integration Great Power like Li Cangwu, was somewhat alarming.

There was no way around it, he simply couldn’t afford it!

If he were to take both swords of the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords, what would he use to offer as compensation? He certainly couldn’t put up the South Sea Sect as collateral.

If he didn’t provide compensation, not only would he feel uncomfortable, but he might even suspect that the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords had some issue or concealed trap that could pose trouble at a critical moment.

Li Cangwu felt he couldn’t owe such a debt, as he didn’t know what he could use to repay it.

Therefore…

Li Cangwu said earnestly, “Fellow Daoist is also a Sword Cultivator who loves and cherishes swords; how could Cangwu greed over what is loved by others? Therefore, it’s better for the Male Sword to remain with the fellow Daoist, while I shall be content with the Thunderflame.”

“Fellow Daoist, there is no need to refuse.”

Xu Yang shook his head with a light laugh, saying, “I live in seclusion on a lonely island, sharpening swords and refining artifacts, with little conflict with others. In my hands, these swords would merely be a pair of ornaments, while in your hands, fellow Daoist, they could become renowned throughout the Four Seas, fulfilling their destiny!”

“Fellow Daoist…”

Li Cangwu wanted to say more, but when he saw Xu Yang’s expression, he had to swallow his words and could only clasp his fists and say, “Fellow Daoist’s love for swords is unparalleled, and I cannot match it. I dare not boast of repayment, but I can only swear on my life that I will never let these swords be dimmed in value.”

“With fellow Daoist’s words, I am relieved,” Xu Yang said with a smile, then turned to look outside, “In this era of great contention, there are endless troubles, and even the Southern Sea is not tranquil!”

His words were suggestive.

“…”

Li Cangwu was silent for a while before finally saying, “We cultivators face trials and tribulations; no matter the hardships, we must still test ourselves.”

“Indeed!”

Xu Yang nodded, smiling lightly and saying, “I have some trivial matters to attend to, and this Lingbao Island will be closed off for a period. Fellow Daoist…”

Li Cangwu understood and nodded, saying, “I too must return to my sect. Another day, I will visit again to spar with fellow Daoist.”

Xu Yang smiled, “Then I won’t see you off.”

“Please.”

“…”

After seeing off Li Cangwu, Xu Yang turned his gaze back and saw two storage bags lying quietly on a stone table nearby, one woven from gold thread and the other congealed from bloodlines.

Xu Yang walked over and opened them to find a dazzling array of rare treasures countlessly filling the bags, with spirit stones alone numbering in the hundreds of millions. There were also numerous spirit pills, talismans, magical treasures, and various unusual jade slips.

Xu Yang took out a jade slip and probed into it with his Divine Consciousness, and a cultivation technique appeared.

“Southern Sea Sword Spell?”

Looking at the technique, Xu Yang smiled and exclaimed, “After all, I haven’t entrusted my efforts to the unworthy!”

The Southern Sea Sword Spell was the signature cultivation technique of Li Cangwu, the number one Sword Cultivator of the Southern Sea. It was created from the fusion of the Four Directions Rogue Sword Skills and the Thunderbolt Skill and represented the fruits and understanding of Li Cangwu’s cultivation up to now.

Though it was a thunder-attributed skill with stringent requirements, it was a remarkable Integration legacy. In the Southern Sea Cultivation Realm, where high-grade cultivation skills were scarce and various legacies were incomplete, it truly held great value, entirely equivalent to a Low-Grade Immortal Artifact.

However, that was not the main point; the significant aspect was that this was Li Cangwu’s lifeblood technique, intricately tied to him. If it fell into an enemy’s hands, allowing them to find flaws and counter it after study, it could pose a lethal threat to him.

Even so, he entrusted the technique, showing his sincerity.

Apart from this cultivation technique, there were also a vast number of spirit stones and all sorts of rare and exotic treasures, which were even a bit more abundant than Chen Yanqi’s wealth at the beginning.

Furthermore, there was a storage bag woven from bloodlines. Upon opening it, it was filled with dazzling treasures of all kinds, as well as a large number of Yin Altars, Bone Cups, Corpse Bodies, and other items of the Heretical Dao, along with numerous skills related to the ghostly underworld kind and the evil methods of commanding ghosts and deities.

Obviously, this storage bag was not owned by Li Cangwu but was battle spoils from slain enemies.

“It seems Old Ghost Jiang’s luck is more bad than good!”

Xu Yang chuckled, not refusing the spoils, and took the storage bag into his own.

Leaving behind these two storage bags was akin to handing over most of one’s net worth. Even so, Li Cangwu likely still felt a great sense of debt.

Xu Yang had no choice but to accept this.

Although the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords were valuable, they were just average to him. As long as he had the materials, he could refine them at any time and could even use this opportunity to fleece the Heavenly Dao’s image by using the Asking Heaven Tribulation method to enhance his artifact refining proficiency.

Therefore, he didn’t place much importance on the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords. On the contrary, he hoped to use them to build his reputation and have the Integration Great Powers from the Southern Sea Cultivation Realm to gather materials and then come to him for immortal artifact refinement.

In this way, he could not only bring business to the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion and gain significant profits but also greatly improve his refining skills, aiming for a surge towards the rank of a Seventh-Tier Immortal Tool Master.

Thus, such business was a win for him and even the consumption of the Fire Essence Ley Lines could be quickly recovered with the Earth Deity Law. There was no need for a century or so; with just over a decade of work, he could reopen the Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace and continue refining Immortal Artifacts.

But he couldn’t explain these matters to Li Cangwu, so he could only let this renowned figure of the Southern Sea, Venerable Cangwu, leave with a sense of owing a great debt.

Of course, these were just minor details, unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

This time in refining the swords, Xu Yang put in his full effort, not just for the purposes mentioned above but also for a significant reason.

That was to maintain the balance in the Southern Sea!

Currently, in the Southern Sea, there are the three Mahayana factions: the South Sea Sect, Mysterious Yin Island, and Bright Moon Pavilion!

Among them, Bright Moon Pavilion stays out of worldly affairs and conflicts, leaving only the South Sea Sect and Mysterious Yin Island in a struggle between righteousness and evil.

The South Sea Sect currently has the upper hand, suppressing Mysterious Yin Island for thousands of years, forcing the Mahayana Ancestor of Mysterious Yin Island to shrink back into the Ghost Realm, daring not to take half a step outside.

But such a situation will not last forever. The South Sea Sect’s Ancestor has limited lifespan left, and with Mysterious Yin Island receiving support from the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion, once the lifespan of the South Sea Sect’s Ancestor comes to an end, Mysterious Yin Island will most certainly retaliate and destabilize the Southern Sea situation.

This was something Xu Yang did not want to see. He had only recently settled in the Southern Sea and had welcomed a period of stable development; how could he allow himself to get involved in warfare again?

Not to mention Mysterious Yin Island represents pure heresy; while the South Sea Sect, as part of the righteous path, might not be entirely noble, Mysterious Yin Island, as a force of heresy, would certainly commit acts of inhumanity. If they were to gain power and replace the South Sea Sect as the supreme force in the Southern Sea Cultivation Realm, his life would become immensely difficult.

Therefore, Xu Yang decided to exert a forceful effort to help the South Sea Sect suppress Mysterious Yin Island. He may not seek to annihilate them, but he must at least ensure that these people couldn’t immediately make waves once the lifespan of the South Sea Sect’s Ancestor comes to an end, allowing him more time to develop.

This was his main reason for gifting the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords to Li Cangwu.

As to whether this could maintain the balance in the Southern Sea…

He was not certain.

With Li Cangwu’s strength, after acquiring the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords, although he could further squeeze the living space of Mysterious Yin Island and even assist the South Sea Sect Ancestor in breaking through Mysterious Yin’s Ghost Realm, behind Mysterious Yin Island was the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion.

This faction is one of the six holy places of the Central Plains Righteous Path, standing alongside the Five Elements Immortal Sect, the Big Dipper Immortal Sect, and the Great Sun Immortal Sect, specializing in the Sword Dao with formidable strength.

Li Cangwu has a complicated history of grudges with them. Thus, over the years, Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion has been secretly supporting Mysterious Yin Island. Although they have not personally intervened, they have enabled Mysterious Yin Island to withstand the pressure from the South Sea Sect.

Now, with Li Cangwu in possession of the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords and mentioning that the situation in the Southern Sea might change in a century, it is likely that the South Sea Sect Ancestor’s lifespan is indeed coming to an end. How the South Sea Sect will act and how Mysterious Yin Island and Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion will respond, leading to what kind of changes in the Southern Sea situation?

It is all difficult to predict!

Only one thing is certain, that is, the South Sea Sect can draw fire in the forefront while he still has at least a hundred years to develop.

Thus, the matter of the Southern Sea can be set aside for the time being. In a hundred years, it will be addressed again.

As one act ends and another begins, the curtain falls on the Southern Sea side, while a grand play is just starting on the side of the Western Barbarians.

Therefore, Xu Yang decided to make a journey to the west, to the Barbaric Wastes and the Void Spirit Cave Heaven, to see the world, conclude some karmic ties, and to understand just what makes the revered sacred places and Immortal Gates of the righteous path so different.