Secret Records of the Leader of the Beichen Sword Sect-Chapter 852 - 40: Cang Yun and Cang Ming

After a night of slaughter, the horizon gradually brightened. The former capital of Liang State had been leveled by the Demon Blood Immortal Light and the battle between the Mystic and Demonic forces. The scene all around at this time matched the saying of heaven and earth collapse, ten thousand rooms sinking flat, especially in the vicinity of the East King Mansion, where the devastation was the most severe, with everything thirteen miles around reduced to dust.

The disaster outside the city was also great, with tens of thousands of houses destroyed, and countless people shattered. Rubble rained down like iron filings, falling like chaff and rice; broken bodies fell like hail, corpses piled high, reeking stench filled the sky. Many of the dead were severely mutilated, with severed arms and broken legs, crushed heads and missing noses, lying in the streets and alleys, indistinguishable. Human arms and legs lay everywhere, piled up like mountains.

Amidst such a mountain of corpses, surrounded by wild ghosts, in the relics of the once-mighty Mansion, there stood a tripod at the core of the Earth Vein mechanism.

The tripod was over nine feet tall, three-legged and double-eared, its belly round like embracing the moon. It was as blue-black as Mystic Iron, and when struck, it echoed like thunder. The belly of the tripod was engraved with the four fierce beasts: Taotie, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Hundun, all with glaring eyes and bared fangs, scales and armor grimly vivid.

Taotie occupied the south, its head like a bull without a body, holding a Kui pattern in its mouth; Qiongqi guarded the north, shaped like a tiger with wings, its claws clutching Thunder Cloud; Taowu guarded the east, its face human-like with tiger paws, its tail coiled with a Panchi; Hundun crouched in the west, resembling a dog but blind, its belly hiding a whirlpool. The beasts were separated by cloud and thunder patterns, crisscrossed with Panchi and Kuailong patterns, casting only a ghostly light that seemed to flow as if inhabited by ghosts and gods.

The feet of the tripod were adorned with cicada patterns, symbolizing eternal life; on the outer sides of the double ears were bas-reliefs of snakes, their heads proudly facing the sky. Inside the walls were cast with Xuan Bird totems, with corpses piled beneath the tripod as fuel, at that time the firelight gathered, burning smoke rose, and the four beasts seemed to leap out, reflecting the flames, making the watchers tremble in fear and hold their breath.

Inside the tripod, red blood boiled, thick as grease, with occasional ghostly cries and divine howls, dragon roars and tiger growls, metallic clanging booms like thunder. It seemed as if something alive was trapped inside, desperately struggling for life, causing the giant tripod to ring with metallic notes and sway side to side, blood water splashing fiercely, yet no matter what, it could not topple the tripod or break free.

There were also three Taoists, sitting in a pin formation around the tripod, silently chanting, fingers pinching the formula, spurring True Flame Mastery, fanning the flames incessantly.

The Taoist sitting firmly like a mountain, presiding in the center, appeared to be in his thirties, clad in white clothes, overlaid with a black cloak, wearing a Lotus Crown tying his hair, with three long mustaches, his forehead branded with a Thunder Seal, eyes like tigers shooting electricity, square jaws, high cheekbones, it was the Mountain Man of Emei, Cang Bi.

Beside him were two young Taoists, both appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, also dressed in white clothes and black robes, Lotus Crowns on their heads, dressed identically.

Among them, the one on the right had hair like a waterfall, with a handsome and dignified demeanor, fair as jade. The one on the left was frosted at the temples, with a sallow complexion, silent and cold, gloomy in appearance. Both had a stream of True Breath flowing within them, like clouds and mist enveloping and protecting their bodies, clearly signs of a superior nurtured Qi Gong mastery, far from an entry-level Daoist, each having attained True Cultivation over the years, only thus could they retain the youthful appearance, the Qi converging, Elixir sinking.

Among them, the young Taoist with the handsome appearance glanced toward the sky, his star-like eyes flashing, Divine Light radiating outward, he saw the hundred miles away, vast Qi flame converging, the sandstorm rolling to the sky, surging tornadoes rushing up, he couldn’t help but watch in contemplation, calculating with his fingers, face revealing worry.

"Senior brother, it seems the Third Brother can no longer hold on."

Cang Bi didn’t even lift his eyelids, just waved the horsetail whisk with one hand, increasing the fire, and said indifferently.

"That person could slay our Emei’s three True Disciples, Chi Zhang, Qinggui, White Amber, naturally holding a measure of skill."

The young man inquired,

"Why not let Cang Ming go and lend a hand?"

Cang Bi’s voice remained as undisturbed as before, with no waves,

"Cang Long has other Heterodox cultivation methods, not so easy to be defeated, no need to worry about him. Cang Bai and Cang Wu also came to learn with skills, solid in foundation, their skill levels match that person’s evenly.

This battle, though fraught with danger to their lives, yet jade is not polished, it cannot become an artifact. If they can witness the real skill of the Mystic Sect this time, it would be their opportunity to attain the Dao.

As for the two of you, having just received True Transmission, with slightly shallow foundation, not refined in Daoism, unable to withstand even a single strike from him, do not deliver yourselves to death in vain, wait another five hundred years of cultivation."

"Understood."

Upon the senior brother’s words, the handsome young Cang Ming could only bow his head and listen in obedience.

As for the sallow-faced, frosted-temple youth, he remained silent throughout, with no trace of expression, appearing to only focus on the Alchemy Furnace, entirely absorbed, yet also seemingly just in a daze.

So the three of them just stood guard by the furnace, Cang Bi didn’t speak. Suddenly a crisp crack sounded, as if the fire was too intense, or perhaps the resistance within the cauldron was too fierce, unexpectedly causing a crack on the tripod’s body.

Cang Bi suddenly furrowed his brows, calculating with his fingers,

"Change of hands?"

The two young Taoists, seeing the change, suddenly stood up, holding swords in hand, awaiting their senior brother’s command.

Cang Bi thought for a moment, then spoke to reassure them,

"It’s still not a concern, I’m going to check who’s coming. You two guard the Chaos Tripod, although this group of Blood Demons can’t escape, after all, it’s borrowed items we’re using, it must be returned intact, make sure not to damage it."

Both bowed their heads, "Yes."

Then with a step, Cang Bi rushed out, with golden light gleaming, flashing by, within a short distance, he vanished to the horizon.

Cang Ming, seeing the senior brother whisking away, suddenly worried endlessly, pacing back and forth. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Cang Yun, what do you think that Sword Sect person is capable of, that even the three senior brothers together couldn’t defeat him?"

The sallow-faced, frost-whiskered youth didn’t speak, just sitting silently staring at the fire, occasionally waving a fan.

Cang Ming knew well the little junior brother’s reticent nature, didn’t expect him to answer, only muttered to himself,

"It’s said though that, even if that person is a Sword Sect renegade, during the last Cloud Platform grand assessment, he forged a Divine Sword, evaluated by the Five Elders as Mystical Sect True Inheritance, an Artifact Refining Master. Calculating it, he would’ve entered the sect the same year as us."