Every day, each member of the entire clan gives me a wisp of spiritual energy.

Chapter 70 Inheritance

"And then the patriarch passed away?" Shen Qing asked softly.

"Yes. My lifespan was already nearing its end, and I had shattered my golden core, so my physical body couldn't hold on for much longer. After Han Yan established his foundation, I dispersed my physical body and sank my remnant soul into the Immortal Linglong. This sleep lasted for more than two hundred years."

Qingyun Daoist gave a wry smile.

"I thought I would never see him again in this impoverished place, until one hundred and thirty years ago, when Xian Linglong was suddenly touched."

"It's Huang Gongwang."

"Yes, that hunter."

The voice of the Qingyun Daoist carried a hint of regret, "A cultivator with a single spiritual root has boundless fortune. If he had entered my Qingyun Sect from a young age and used the Sword Sect's Qi cultivation method to refine his meridians, with the assistance of the Immortal Linglong, his future achievements would have been limitless."

"But unfortunately, when I found him, he was already at the ninth level of Qi Refining and had reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. His potential had been exhausted, so I did not show myself."

Shen Qing remained silent for a while before asking a question that had been weighing on his mind: "If Huang Gongwang hadn't established his foundation near Qingyun Mountain back then, Xian Linglong wouldn't have been touched by him."

"The Huang family wouldn't have coveted Qingyun Mountain for 130 years, and the Qingyun Sect would have continued to exist peacefully until today. What is this? Is it cause and effect? ​​Or retribution?"

"The Immortal Linglong is attached to the base of Qingyun Mountain, relying on the entire mountain. Anyone who establishes their foundation on this mountain, as long as their luck is deep enough, may resonate with the Immortal Linglong."

"Although Huang Gongwang did not establish his foundation on Qingyun Mountain, his luck was too strong, and the distance at which he established his foundation fell within the range that Xian Linglong could sense."

Shen Qing fell silent. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

Was it Huang Gongwang's fault? He was just a hunter who happened to hear the Daoist teachings, and with that, he built his foundation and founded a family.

He didn't steal anything from the Qingyun Sect; he didn't even know what that Daoyin was.

Was it Qingyun Daoist's fault? He merely hid Xian Linglong in this mountain and then slept for two hundred years, having no power to intervene in anything that happened outside.

Is it fate's fault? Shen Qing doesn't believe in fate; cultivation is inherently about defying the heavens and fighting against destiny.

In the end, if one had to find a reason, it could only be the Huang family's greed. But in the Huang family's eyes, they just wanted to elevate the family to a higher level.

There is no right or wrong in this matter, only different perspectives.

"Back then, my master divided the Sword Sect's legacy into four parts, which were then carried by the four of us brothers to break through the encirclement," Qingyun Daoist continued.

"The Lingyun Sword Sect has four heirloom treasures, each corresponding to one of the four realms of sword cultivation."

"Sword bones can forge an unparalleled sword body, and the physical body becomes the strongest flying sword. The sword heart can condense a clear sword heart, and all techniques can become swords. The Immortal Sword is the personal sword of the first patriarch of the Lingyun Sword Sect, and this sword has transcended the boundaries of the mortal world."

"And, the Lingyun Sword Manual recorded by Xian Linglong, is a treasure that is the general outline of swordsmanship, recording the supreme swordsmanship of our Sword Sect."

The voice of the Taoist Qingyun revealed a kind of obsession that transcended time.

"If the four inheritances can be reunited... one can obtain the complete method to become an immortal."

Shen Qing took a deep breath to suppress the pounding in her heart.

"Master, the Immortal Linglong was activated because of me. Does this mean that I will receive this inheritance?"

"Don't rush."

A hint of amusement suddenly appeared in Qingyun Daoist's voice.

"I have waited in this exquisite place for over two hundred years, waiting for this moment. How could I let you leave empty-handed with the legacy of the Sword Sect? Before we begin, there is something I must tell you."

"The reason why it is called Fairy Linglong is because it is said that this treasure came from ancient times and was imbued with true immortal energy."

"Burial it into the earth's veins will allow it to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of a hundred miles, creating its own world within the exquisite structure. There are two conditions for activating it: first, the Qi cultivation secret method of the Sword Cultivation Sect must reach the twelfth level of Qi cultivation; second, it must be a resonance accidentally triggered by a person with extraordinary luck during the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Huang Gongwang belongs to the latter, you belong to the former. The effects they evoke are worlds apart."

"Once the Immortal Linglong is fully activated, all the immortal spiritual energy within it will be released. This immortal spiritual energy will split in two, with one half transforming into the Dao Dao Sound, imprinting the Sword Sect's inheritance into the soul of the one who activates it, and the other half being exhausted to maintain the operation of the Linglong Heaven and Earth. The day the inheritance is completed will be the day when the Immortal Linglong's spiritual power is exhausted and dissipates into the world."

"At that time, I will also vanish."

The Taoist Qingyun spoke these words calmly, as if he were not discussing matters of life and death.

"I have only been able to survive for more than two hundred years thanks to the spiritual energy of the Immortal Linglong. With the Immortal Linglong gone, my wisp of remnant soul naturally cannot hold on any longer."

Shen Qing remained silent for a long time in the darkness.

He was not a sentimental person. He had never met this founding master in two hundred years, and today was only the first time they had spoken.

But when he heard the word "dissipate," he still felt a little stifled.

"Master, is there any other way?"

"no."

The Taoist Qingyun's voice carried a hint of laughter, "I should have vanished two hundred years ago. To have lived for these extra two hundred years and wait for you to come is already a bonus. There's no need to feel sorry for me. I only have one question for you."

"If the reappearance of the Sword Sect's legacy attracts the attention of the Imperial Sword Sect, what will you do?"

"run."

Shen Qing responded quickly without hesitation.

"I will run, I will hide, until the day I am strong enough. Sword bones, sword heart, immortal sword—if I have the opportunity, I will find them. If not, I will pass on the sword manual from generation to generation, and one day, the seeds of the Lingyun Sword Sect will take root again."

Qingyun Daoist was silent for a while, then smiled—a smile of satisfaction.

"Alright. I'm relieved now."

"Listen carefully. Once the inheritance is activated, you will enter a state of enlightenment. How much you comprehend depends entirely on your own comprehension; I cannot interfere."

"As for whether you will acknowledge yourself as a successor of the Lingyun Sword Sect in the future, I have no right to force you to do so."

"You can pass on the Sword Sect's cultivation methods to whomever you want. The general principles of swordsmanship are in your hands. You can make it whatever you want it to be."

Before Shen Qing could express his opinion, Qingyun Daoist spoke in his mind's eye:

"Enter the coffin in meditation, empty your mind, focus your energy in your dantian, and prepare to receive the inheritance."

Shen Qing took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The twelve-grade flawless Dao platform in the dantian slowly rotated, and the five elements of spiritual energy circulated endlessly in the meridians.

Then, the world turned upside down.

Shen Qing felt as if he had suddenly found himself in a completely unfamiliar world. There was no frozen ground above his head, no coffin boards under his feet, and all around him was not cramped darkness, but a vast and boundless void.

He stood in the void, with nothing beneath his feet yet walking as if on flat ground.

All around him, countless swords floated in the void, some of them broad and ancient, like relics from the Bronze Age.

Some swords are as slender as willow leaves, their blades gleaming; others are broken and incomplete, covered in cracks.

The swords slowly rotated around him, forming a magnificent sword formation.

Looking over, Shen Qing couldn't see the boundaries of the sword formation, but felt an overwhelming sword intent piercing through the void.

The next moment, a sword light struck down from the depths of the void without warning.

Shen Qing instinctively tried to dodge, but the sword light was too fast, so fast that his divine sense could not even capture its trajectory. He only felt a blur before his eyes, and the sword light had already entered his brow.

boom!

A burst of golden light exploded in his mind's sea; those were characters condensed from the essence of Tao.