Chapter 1017: Chapter 581: Weighing Good and Evil on Dragon and Tiger (Double Chapter)

Even the cold wind on Cangwu Peak is worth reminiscing.

"Master, what grade am I now?"

With a thick-skinned face and shameless demeanor, he leaned closer. Zhou Yitang reached out and said:

"Fifth-grade."

"Finally, fifth-grade," he paused and glanced at the sword at her waist, "May I touch your sword? I want to perceive its essence."

The one-armed woman frowned slightly, hesitated a little, but still drew her sword out and held it horizontally before him.

He carefully stroked the sword’s body, feeling the restrained and awe-inspiring Sword Intent flow through his fingertips, his gaze at that moment was as if in reverence.

Zhou Yitang let go, and the sword fell into his hands. He wielded it with a dance, bringing chill to the hall. The Sword Intent seemed to flow through each of his meridians. He danced vigorously, but the Sword Armor sensed something amiss in the subtleties.

After a long while, the sword unexpectedly slipped out of his hand, with a thud, it embedded into the wall, leaving him awkwardly frozen.

Zhou Yitang silently raised a finger, and the sword returned to her hand.

"The sword doesn’t quite recognize me," he said. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"It’s you who can’t control it, yet you insist," Zhou Yitang pointed out.

He still held some innocence, scratched his head, "I just wanted to integrate my Sword Intent into it."

"To this sword, the fifth-grade Sword Intent is too immature."

"Touch me, I’m not immature," he said with a cheeky smile, always speaking without boundaries.

Zhou Yitang wasn’t overly concerned, casually placing her hand on his Heavenly Spirit Cover. He childishly pushed his head forward.

The one-armed woman narrowed her eyes slightly and applied a slight pressure, making him feel like he was filled with lead, fixed on the spot.

"Your meridians are almost fully opened." She withdrew her hand.

He said, "Then it’ll be soon before I catch up with you, Master."

"Arrogant words." Seeing him still grinning cheekily and not listening, the one-armed woman coldly said, "If you continue like this, how can we talk about passing on my legacy?"

"... Master’s reprimand is justified."

"Always has been."

"Yes, Master’s reprimands have always been justified." Saying so, he glanced at the Ruoque Sword and said, "If I inherit your legacy, will this sword also be passed to me?"

"... Naturally."

"Oh, aren’t you afraid I’ll break it?"

Recalling the sword slipping from his grasp earlier, he asked cautiously, seeing this, the one-armed woman chuckled and shook her head,

"You don’t have the ability."

He seemed unconvinced, discontentedly said:

"What if?"

Zhou Yitang initially wanted to straightforwardly deny this, but seeing his unserious demeanor, questioned back, "Where would this ’what if’ come from?"

He smiled mysteriously, "For instance, if there were a forty-mile stone mountain, and every century a long-living person lightly brushes it once. By the time the stone mountain is completely eroded away, that would be the ’what if’..."

Before he could finish speaking, she tapped him with her finger,

"Using Buddhist paradoxes, you will be penalized."

......

Memories are like fine wine in a cellar, the lingering fragrance wafting from corners of the heart, subtly bypassing the nose now and then. But when you truly attempt to unseal and savor the tastes of before, you find that they’ve long evaporated completely, leaving nothing but emptiness.

Zhou Yitang gazed afar at the mountain scenery, the sky hazy and indistinct. At this time of dawn and dusk, the land was covered by ethereal pale yellow hues, the view couldn’t be more ambiguous. Because the outlines were blurred, all kinds of transformations weren’t surprising. Sometimes transforming into a small flower sea under dense firs, sometimes resembling the intricate and even textures of skin. The damp mountain range felt like sweaty bedding, having no tension, thus no definite shape, constantly moving, lifting and falling, that scene reminded her of the interwoven breathing afterward. She pressed her lips tightly, her breath still lingering on his neck, he lowered his head and eyebrows, not only prying open her lips but even trying to match the rhythm of her breathing. At this moment, she turned her face away with disgust, looking from the window’s lattice to the splendid sunset and racing clouds.

Meaningless memories drifted through the mind, just like the last flicker of candle flame seen by a senior monk during lamp extinction. Zhou Yitang turned away and descended the steps.

Standing at the highest point, the halls of Dragon and Tiger Mountain spread down the slopes in order.

Zhou Yitang’s gaze crossed the mountains, falling towards the foot of the mountain. He had already left Dragon and Tiger and wouldn’t return.

To avoid sudden twists, it was better that he left like this.

The glazed Golden Summit of Jade Emperor Hall shimmered with flickering halos, as if the Old Heavenly Master had crawled out from the threshold, heavily bowing towards the one-armed woman.

"Heavenly Master, no need for such courtesy."

Still solemn, the Old Heavenly Master slowly said: "If it weren’t for Master Tongxuan fetching this furnace, we’d have almost failed this time." After saying this, he withdrew his hands, laughed, "Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to bow to a junior with this old body of mine."

During the conversation, the Old Heavenly Master turned aside, raising a hand to invite them in. The most conspicuous thing within the wide hall was a large three-legged round furnace, vast enough to fill half the hall, equal in height to the Jade Emperor statue. This was the furnace Zhou Yitang borrowed from the Holy Emperor.

The taotie pattern faced the main door, seemingly using heaven and earth as its jaws and teeth, its sinister visage exuding murderous air.

The Warlord Furnace.

In ancient times, Chi You was the Warlord, creating five weapons, smelting copper and iron, waging war against the Yellow Emperor in Zhulu. This furnace was an Ancient Ritual Artifact used for worshiping Warlord Chi You.

There were altars on all sides of the furnace, surrounded by Dragon and Tiger Daoists holding tokens, long banners, and other objects. Each of them, despite their elderly appearance, had youthful complexions, rare to see as their abilities were profound and concealed. Upon seeing the Old Heavenly Master leading Zhou Yitang inside, they respectfully bowed.

Afterward, their gazes unanimously focused on the one-armed woman.

Zhou Yitang did not delay, passing her hand over the Square Land, revealing two broken sword pieces.

It was indeed the Ruoque Sword.

The sight of the sword made everyone’s breathing somewhat weighty, as even split into two pieces, this sword remained one of the renowned swords in the world, holding significant weight in people’s hearts.

Zhou Yitang clapped, "Go."

The broken Ruoque Sword transformed into two streams of light, flying into the furnace, awaiting reforging.