Chapter 978: The Guidance Of The Sword Immortal

One of the defining traits of intelligent beings was their capacity for thought and calculation. For humanity, a thinking and calculating enemy was far easier to deal with than one driven purely by animal instinct.

Take the Ancestor of Wisdom, for example. He had created the Reaper civilization and advocated for the humanization of the intelligent faction of the Reapers. In their war with humanity, the intelligent Reapers knew how to weigh options, employ strategy, and, most importantly, consider the balance between cost and gain. They had clear goals.

This gave humanity the opportunity to engage them in a battle of wits. But if the Primal Faction were the ones leading the war, their tactics would always boil down to mutual destruction, launching attacks regardless of cost. The purpose of their attacks would be nothing more than the act of fighting itself.

That kind of warfare would strip humanity of all ability to predict their opponents. All deterrents would become useless, and in the end, they would be dragged into an endless, irrational conflict that offered no meaning, only destruction. The losses would be irreparable.

That was why Lin Beichen had said the Ancestor of Wisdom’s dominance was a good thing for humanity. Between two evils, one must choose the lesser. Moreover, the Ancestor of Strength’s combat strength was simply too overwhelming.

If he ever launched an all-out assault on humanity with no regard for the cost, the fragile balance of power between the two great races would collapse in an instant. The human forces on the galactic front would suffer devastating casualties.

In the end, only a handful of top-tier powerhouses from both sides might remain, while everyone else would become mere cannon fodder in a senseless, apocalyptic war. The Five Human Emperors had no desire to witness such a scenario, but neither did the Ancestor of Wisdom.

“The battle at the Holy Ruins back then was actually a site chosen deliberately by the Ancestor of Wisdom,” Lin Beichen explained. “And the fight wasn’t between me and the Ancestor of Wisdom. It was a joint effort between the Ancestor of Wisdom and me to seal away the Ancestor of Strength.

“But that cunning bastard planned it all too well. He dragged me into it, making me the one who had to stay behind to maintain the seal and keep the Ancestor of Strength suppressed, ensuring he would never rise again.”

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Lin Beichen recounted everything that had happened.

Li Xiaofei could tell, despite Lin Sword Immortal’s constant complaints, if given the chance again, even knowing the Ancestor of Wisdom’s true plan, he would still have chosen to join forces.

The Ancestor of Strength was humanity’s mortal enemy. Only by sealing him could humanity gain room to maneuver in their long struggle against the Reapers. Li Xiaofei suspected that perhaps Lin Sword Immortal had known about the Ancestor of Wisdom’s scheme from the very beginning, yet had chosen to cooperate.

More than that, it was even possible that the Ancestor of Wisdom’s plans and strategies had, in fact, been part of Lin Sword Immortal’s own greater design all along. On the surface, it looked as though the Ancestor of Wisdom had manipulated Lin Sword Immortal. But in truth, had Lin Sword Immortal been the one making use of the Ancestor of Wisdom? So who was fishing? And who was the fish?

After understanding the full story, Li Xiaofei still couldn’t help but try his luck and asked, “Senior, I have two loved ones who were taken by the Reapers and sent into the Evolution Temple. I wish to rescue them. I wonder if you would be willing to draw your sword and aid me?”

Lin Beichen replied, “The Evolution Temple is the holiest site in the Reaper world. It’s said to hold the secrets of the Ancestor of Wisdom and the Ancestor of Strength’s evolution, and even the mysteries of the Land of Annihilation. It’s heavily guarded and, more than that, an extremely dangerous place in itself. Normally, Reapers would never send humans into such a sacred place, unless...”

He trailed off. A flash of light flickered in Lin Sword Immortal’s eyes. He didn’t say anything more. Instead, he fell into deep thought.

After a long while, his eyes cleared, and he said, “I can’t intervene on your behalf, but I can point you to a path, one that will help you reach the Evolution Temple safely.”

Li Xiaofei was overjoyed. If he could reach the Evolution Temple, everything else would be manageable. He could use the transfer function of the Secret Time Pavilion to escape in an instant with Si Kongxue and his daughter.

“But since you’ve come all the way to me, stay a little longer,” Lin Beichen said. “Let me see how much of the swordsmanship I left at the Burial Ice Cliff you’ve managed to grasp.”

A glint of excitement appeared in his eyes. Li Xiaofei immediately realized what was happening. This Sword Immortal of the human race had clearly gone too long without a proper sparring match and was itching for a fight. Now he had found someone to help scratch that itch.

Logically speaking, to spar with one of the Five Human Emperors, especially when the other party clearly intended to guide and instruct, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any martial cultivator. But a troubled look appeared on Li Xiaofei’s face.

“Senior, my family have already been inside the Evolution Temple for some time. I wish to hurry there as soon as possible...” said Li Xiaofei, trying to decline politely.

After all, he had been racing against time along the entire journey. He couldn’t justify staying put now.

But Lin Beichen said, “With your current strength, going to the Evolution Temple is a journey with a ten percent chance of survival. Even if you manage to enter, finding someone inside will still take time. As the saying goes, sharpening the axe does not delay the cutting of firewood. You’d be better off calming your mind and refining your strength first.”

Before Li Xiaofei could respond, Lin Beichen added, “Besides, time flows differently here compared to the outside world. You can train freely without worrying about losing precious time.”

Li Xiaofei finally relaxed and thought,

Is there truly such a convenient advantage?

“Then I humbly ask for your guidance, Senior.” As he spoke, he summoned the Blood-Drinking Sword.

He channeled his Immortal Force into it and an Emperor’s aura surged from him. This time, Li Xiaofei didn’t hold back in the slightest. He unleashed his full strength and struck directly.

With the power of the Blood-Drinking Sword behind him, Li Xiaofei displayed an offensive force equivalent to that of a Golden Immortal. Lin Beichen held no sword in his hand. He relied purely on body techniques to evade the strike.

Li Xiaofei wasn’t surprised by this. After all, this sword move was one that Lin Beichen had left behind at the Burial Ice Cliff. It was only natural that it couldn’t trouble him. Li Xiaofei’s intent behind displaying these moves wasn’t to defeat Lin Beichen, it was to seek his correction, to identify his shortcomings and refine his mastery of the sword arts.

Swish, swish, swish.

Sword qi streaked across the sky that was capable of severing stars. Under Li Xiaofei’s control, the Blood-Drinking Sword unleashed the most terrifying offensive power it had ever shown. Had it been aimed at any other opponent, they would already have been sliced to pieces.

But the white-robed Lin Beichen looked as graceful as a celestial being. He didn’t use any battle techniques or divine arts, only his movement skills. He only needed those to effortlessly dodge every sword strike. After executing five moves in total, Li Xiaofei let his sword come to a stop.

“Please give me your guidance, Senior,” he said.

Lin Beichen chuckled and replied, “Not bad. Quite good.”

Li Xiaofei blinked in confusion,

What does he mean by 'not bad, quite good'?

That sounded incredibly perfunctory. Couldn’t he be more specific and point out exactly where the problems were?

Noticing Li Xiaofei’s confusion, Lin Beichen said, “The same sword techniques, when executed by different people, will vary in power and effectiveness. The swordsmanship I left behind at the Burial Ice Cliff was static, but what you've cultivated from it is alive.”

Li Xiaofei grew thoughtful.

Lin Beichen continued, “You’ve made these five sword techniques your own. There’s no need for me to offer guidance, because if you train according to my understanding, the result will only be my swordsmanship, not yours.”

Li Xiaofei lowered his head in contemplation, then slowly came to a realization.