Chapter 808: Move back! Move back! Move back! (I)

Chapter 59: Move back! Move back! Move back!

Inside the residence of the Penglai Supreme Sect’s leader, a lean Daoist monk with a goatee and tanned skin stared at Daoist Cangsheng with a troubled expression before saying gravely, "Sect Leader, we have a major crisis.

"The Penglai Secondary Sect members from the three islands have united in revolt. The scale is too large for the law enforcement disciples to control. They’ve already surrounded Mirage Mountain.

"For now, the enchanted formation of the supreme sect is holding them off. As for what should really be done to handle this situation, please make a decision."

This was Daoist Canghong, a member of the Penglai Supreme Sect and the overseer of the three islands of Penglai. For years, the islands beneath Mirage Mountain had remained peaceful, so he had long enjoyed a rather idle position in sect affairs. Never did he expect to face such an overwhelming crisis today.

The sect leader of the Penglai Supreme Sect had not been seen for a long time, and everyone assumed he was in closed-door cultivation. After much effort, Daoist Canghong managed to knock open the doors of the cave dwelling, only to be stunned speechless when he saw that his senior brother was missing an arm.

Daoist Cangsheng simply shook his head, signaling him not to ask too many questions and to focus on his report. Only then did Daoist Canghong begin explaining the revolt started by the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect across the three islands.

"The three islands have always been peaceful. What could have caused such a sudden revolt?" Daoist Cangsheng asked, his expression calm and untroubled, not a hint of panic in his gaze.

"I immediately sent people to investigate. Earlier today, there was an incident, and someone took advantage of the situation to incite a rebellion... Not much time has passed, so I used Shadow of Radiance to recreate the scene," Daoist Canghong said as he waved his hand and casted an image in the air.

It all started with a boy from the Penglai Secondary Sect who was caught stealing a spirit plant. The law enforcement disciples were preparing to execute him publicly, a common practice on the three islands. If the rules were not strictly enforced, theft of spirit plants would become widespread.

However, at that moment, two young men suddenly appeared and defeated the law enforcement disciples. Then, one of them gave a passionate and rousing speech.

Though the speaker was quite tanned, his handsome and refined features, eloquent words, and unmistakable strength as a seventh-realm prodigy revealed that he could only be Chu Liang of the Mount Shu Sect.

Upon seeing that figure, Daoist Cangsheng’s pupils visibly dilated.

When the projection faded, Chu Liang was seen raising his arm and calling upon the disciples of the Penglai Secondary Sect on Fanghu Island to go to the other two islands and rally everyone to fight back together.

Daoist Canghong continued, "I’m not sure whose access talisman they used to enter Fanghu Island, but they should have already left by now. Those two are no longer among the rioting crowd."

"Chu Liang..." Daoist Cangsheng muttered his name thoughtfully.

Seeing that Cangsheng seemed more interested in Chu Liang, Daoist Canghong hurriedly reminded, "Sect Leader, whoever he is doesn't matter right now. The urgent issue is how to quell the chaos on the three islands!"

Daoist Cangsheng replied, "The revolt by the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect is nothing unusual."

He took a slow breath and uttered a single word. "Kill."

"Huh?" Daoist Canghong seemed taken aback, looking troubled as he asked, "How many do we need to kill...?"

"Naturally, kill the two law enforcement disciples," Cangsheng said indifferently. "Be gentle with the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect. We must not oppress them."

"This..." Daoist Canghong paused, clearly unsure. "You want to kill the disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect?"

He understood why the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect should not be oppressed. Penglai was already under close watch by various immortal sects, and this incident had been sparked by outsiders. Even if they succeeded in quelling the rebellion, the news would leak, and any mistake would be used against them.

Moreover, the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect had already resonated with the speech. If the Penglai Supreme Sect started killing the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect, how many would they need to kill to quench the unrest? If too few were killed, it could fuel more defiance and unrest. If too many were killed, where would they find enough low-level cultivators for the menial tasks?

But... the law enforcement disciples of the Supreme Sect were all his direct subordinates. Even during the riot, the Penglai Secondary Sect disciples hadn’t dared to kill anyone. The two law enforcement disciples defeated by Xu Ziyang were later rescued by Canghong’s men.

And now, just to appease the secondary sect, Cangsheng wanted to execute two disciples of the supreme sect? Canghong couldn't help but hesitate.

"Those two law enforcement disciples acted ruthlessly. They took lives recklessly, which led to this disaster. They must be executed as a lesson to others," Cangsheng said. "The new laws for the three islands of Penglai have long been under discussion and now is the right time for us to put them into effect.

"From now on, if a disciple of the Penglai Secondary Sect urgently needs a spirit plant to save a life, they can request one from the law enforcement team. The specifics still need to be discussed. Have the Penglai Secondary Sect select a representative from each of the three islands to come and discuss this."

Daoist Canghong nodded as he listened, but after hearing the decision, he frowned. "If we go ahead with this, the consumption of spirit plants will increase significantly. Won't this affect the cultivation of the members of the Penglai Supreme Sect?"

Cangsheng shot him a sharp glance and said in a low voice, "Do you think no one knows what you and your law enforcement team have been doing? If you hand over the spirit plants you’ve been secretly selling all these years, there will be more than enough to supply the disciples of the secondary sect on the three islands. From now on, if any of you dare to steal again, you will be punished just like the disciples of the Secondary Sect."

Canghong was taken aback by the words, quickly standing up with a guilty look on his face. "Sect Leader..."

The reason he had been granted control over the three islands inhabited by the members of the Penglai Secondary Sect, a profitable yet idle position, was that he shared the same esteemed teacher as Daoist Cangsheng.

He was the sect leader’s junior brother. Without Cangsheng’s trust, he would be unable to contend with the other elders in terms of strength.

Fortunately, Daoist Cangsheng did not seem inclined to pursue the matter further. He turned his gaze toward the west with a slight smirk and muttered to himself, "I was wondering how I should handle you... but it seems you’ve brought your own demise upon yourself."

...

"Achoo—"

Chu Liang rubbed his nose, thinking that someone in Penglai was likely cursing him. After all, this entire situation would probably end with the Supreme Sect backing down, which would result in a significant loss for them in the end.

Of course, the most important thing was upholding justice. The prosperity of the Penglai Supreme Sect had long been built on exploiting the East Sea. It was too far from the world of immortality cultivation and much too close to Penglai. The islands inhabited by the members of the Secondary Sect had been suffering for years, which was why they were so easily rallied.

Having put his achievements and reputation behind him, Chu Liang and his companions collected the two copper talismans and made their way back to the Mount Zhong Sword Hut.

Xu Ziyang summoned the Tribulation-Forged Divine Bronze again before placing the unified copper talisman before it.

Whoosh!

As soon as the copper talisman appeared, the Tribulation-Forged Divine Bronze emitted a faint glow. The talisman lifted by itself and merged seamlessly into the glowing divine bronze.

The divine bronze, which even the world's strongest Samadhi True Fire couldn't smelt, changed for the first time. As it opened, a deep, ancient aura poured out, bringing with it an indescribable sorrow.

It was the deep regret and sadness of lovers who had been separated for millennia.

Standing at the front, Xu Ziyang sensed another emotion, one of gratitude.

A streak of light extended from the chunk of divine bronze and floated before Xu Ziyang’s chest. He reached out and caught it, revealing a three-chi-long shard of divine bronze.

The remainder piece of the divine bronze chunk glimmered and shrank into a small bronze talisman before drifting toward Chu Liang.

"Me?" Chu Liang blinked in surprise. "What is this for?"

"The chunk of divine bronze has a spirit..." Chen Buyan mused. "It gave part of itself to Young Hero Xu as a token of appreciation for fulfilling the agreement. But the main part of the chunk has chosen to follow you, likely because it believes it will find its destined opportunity with you. Just as people cultivate to seek transcendence, so do artifact spirits. Throughout history, legendary artifacts have always had the ability to choose their master."

"This..." Chu Liang turned to Xu Ziyang.

Had it been anyone else, he would have gladly accepted it. However, since Xu Ziyang was the one who found this chunk of divine bronze, it didn’t feel right for him to take it.

"Just take it," Xu Ziyang said with a smile. "We explored the Jiuli Hidden Realm together, so any rewards should be shared. A three-chi long divine bronze shard is more than enough for my contribution."

Hearing this, Chu Liang accepted the bronze talisman and stored it away.

Materials at the level of legendary artifacts were undoubtedly priceless, but they also needed the right conditions to truly unlock their potential. Even if one possessed them, they would remain essentially useless without the proper opportunity.

Instead of the big bronze chunk, Chen Buyan glanced at the three-chi bronze shard in Xu Ziyang’s hand and suggested, "If it were the complete Tribulation-Forged Divine Bronze chunk, I wouldn’t dare attempt refining it. But with just this three-chi piece, I can try forging a sword for you."

Hearing this, all three of them were delighted. "Then we’ll be counting on you, Master Chen."

"But with such an extraordinary material, I need to think carefully about how to forge it," Master Chen said, furrowing his brow. "I’ll need to find inspiration first."

Chu Liang grabbed Chen Buyan by the sleeves and pleaded earnestly, "Esteemed Senior! Is inspiration really that hard to come by?"

If they left the old man to find inspiration at his own pace, it could take ten days, a month, or god knows how long! They needed to push him to act faster.

Chen Buyan said with a sigh, "You don’t understand ancient sword-forging methods... It’s very difficult."

Chu Liang stuffed a storage jade slip into his hand and said firmly, "How about putting in a little more effort?"

Chen Buyan scanned it with his spirit sense and cleared his throat. "Ahem... Rest assured, Young Hero Chu, this old man will do his best."

Chu Liang handed over another jade slip. "Inspiration comes when it’s most needed, doesn’t it?"

Chen Buyan raised a brow and looked around. "I can feel it, the inspiration is close... Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts..."

Chu Liang pushed another jade slip forward and said assertively, "Let’s speed this up and get that inspiration flowing."

Chen Buyan’s eyes lit up. "I’ve figured it out! The Tribulation-Forged Divine Bronze shard should be forged exactly like this! Quick, disciples, fire up the furnace! We are making a sword!"

The disciples responded with loud shouts. It was a rare sight indeed to see Master Chen forging a sword in the Mount Zhong Sword Hut. Soon, the entire sword hut was bustling with activity.

Meanwhile, Chu Liang and the others were unable to help, so they stood off to the side, becoming the most idle people around.

"With the divine bronze shard and Master Chen’s skill, this sword will rank in the top fifty in the Catalog of the Mortal World’s Ten Thousand Treasures!" Lin Bei turned to Xu Ziyang and asked, "Eldest Senior Brother, have you thought of a name for this sword?"

Xu Ziyang shook his head. "Not yet."

Lin Bei pondered. "Since this is a sword gifted by the spirit of the Bronze City, why not call it... the Bronze City Sword?"

Well then, with that logic, why not just call it Sword Five Eight

[1]?

Just as Chu Liang was about to object, he heard Xu Ziyang say, "If that’s the case, I think Azure City Sword[2] sounds better."

...

1. There’s a popular site in China call 五八同城 which would sound like Five Eight Bronze City ☜

2. bronze in Chinese is the combination of the characters azure and copper ☜