Seeking the Flying Sword Path

Patriarch Goldensnake put away his Dharma treasures, his face still pale. Qin Yun’s First Lightning Encounter had indeed left him grievously injured.

"Where’s the Guardian Talisman?" Qin Yun looked at Patriarch Goldensnake eagerly.

"Goldensnake," said the spectating rhinoceros demon with a loud laugh. "Supremacy monitors the entire Skywolf world. No action can fool him. You have lost this match and Supremacy already knows this. It’s best you hand over the Guardian Talisman quickly."

"Don’t worry. Since I admitted defeat, I’ll naturally hand it over." Patriarch Goldensnake flipped his hand as a golden talisman floated above his palm. He was unwilling to part with it.

It represented status and was the key to all sorts of benefits. Yellow-robed Supremacy was very willing to spend his resources on his subordinates, after all.

"Here." Patriarch Goldensnake waved his hand, sending the golden talisman at Qin Yun.

At that moment—

People from the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion and Dark Yin Gate stared at the golden talisman with burning eyes. This talisman represented status and benefits. All the Skyimmortals and Skydemons in the Skywolf world would go crazy for it.

Qin Yun reached out his hand and grabbed the golden talisman.

It was a thin, golden piece of paper with inscriptions on it. Qin Yun infused it with his Dharmic powers, easily gaining control of the talisman.

Silently... the Guardian Talisman melted into Qin Yun’s palm.

"I’ve finally obtained it." Qin Yun felt an upsurge of emotions. After refining the Guardian Talisman, he would truly become a Guardian.

Of course, becoming one of the hundred and eight Guardians...

The true reason for this was that Qin Yun wanted to rescue his daughter.

"Daoist Goldensnake sure is forthright," said Qin Yun. "We shall not stay any longer. Goodbye."

Patriarch Goldensnake only wore a cold expression and did not say another word.

He was still wallowing in the sorrow of losing his position as Guardian. What else was there to say?

"Daoist Brother Qin Yun, how impressive! You defeated that golden snake."

"Daoist Brother Qin Yun, congratulations on becoming a Guardian." The crowd from Dao Seeking Sword Mansion flew up, all of them looking delighted.

Soon after, Qin Yun and the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion entourage returned on their warship.

The Dark Yin Gate could only feel somewhat aggrieved.

******

The moment they returned to Dao Seeking Sword Mansion, a celebratory banquet was held.

Moments after the banquet ended, Qin Yun bade farewell to Daoist Blackkill, Fairy Jun, and company.

"Qin Yun, you just became Guardian. I know you are in a rush to head to the Skywolf continent but can’t it wait a day?" Daoist Blackkill felt exasperated.

"There’s nothing for me to do in Dao Seeking Sword Mansion. It’s better I head there early," replied Qin Yun.

It was already polite enough that he patiently returned to celebrate the banquet.

"The Combat Generals under Supremacy typically reside in the Skywolf continent," said Daoist Blackkill. "As for Guardians, they are a level lower after all. Although they frequently head to the Skywolf continent, they spend most of their time in their own sects. Brother Qin Yun, with your impressive strength, I believe your strength will make another dramatic breakthrough once you meet Supremacy and he bestows you with a powerful Dharmic formulation. When you return to Dao Seeking Sword Mansion, make sure to give us some pointers."

"We shall spar again when the time comes." Qin Yun swept his surroundings. "Everyone, I bid you farewell."

"Bon voyage."

Fairy Jun, the rhinoceros demon, and company were all somewhat envious.

Following that, Qin Yun transformed into a beam of light and streaked across the sky, vanishing across the horizon.

"This Daoist Brother Qin Yun only joined our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion for a month before heading to the Skywolf continent to meet Supremacy. He came fast and left fast," said a golden-horned demon to the side with a sigh. "From the looks of it, he only came to us in order to gain the status of swordmaster to challenge a Guardian."

"Yes." A fat man beside him nodded. "That is likely the case. Daoist Brother Qin Yun’s strength is unfathomable but he’s only mortal? Clearly, he has mysterious origins. It does seem like he came to our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion in order to gain the status of swordmaster."

"There’s no need to fret over that." The red-dressed woman said, "Since he joined our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion, he’s naturally one of us! If he ever did betray the sect, Mansion Lord and Supremacy would not spare him."

"Sister Jun is right. Regardless of his origins, he is still a swordmaster of our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion," said the rhinoceros demon with a smile.

...

Qin Yun flew all the way.

The Skywolf world was a Small World after all. It did not take long for him to arrive at the boundary of the Skywolf continent.

There was fog that spread out endlessly!

"Legends say that the fog hides the Skywolf continent," thought Qin Yun. "Without Supremacy’s permission, even heavenly troops from the Heavenly Courts will not be able to charge in. Now that I have become a Guardian, I can easily enter."

Sou!

He flew straight into the fog.

Once he was in the fog, Qin Yun could sense that it was formed by terrifying array formations. Just sensing the array’s strength gave his heart slight palpitations.

"What a terrifying array formation. It’s the most horrifying array formation I have sensed in all my years of practicing martial arts. It’s worse than the array formation that enveloped the Ancient Augury World. As expected of Yellow-robed Supremacy!" thought Qin Yun.

Yet Qin Yun passed through the clouds unhindered for several kilometers before it turned clear.

Ahead of him was a vast continent! There were long stretches of mountains with roaring rivers. There were also horses galloping.

"The Skywolf continent, the place where Yellow-robed Supremacy and his followers recluse themselves in cultivation." Qin Yun took in the land. "And my daughter is likely here in the Skywolf continent."

"Daughter, I’ll find you very soon." Qin Yun turned even more eager.

"Hahaha... Brother Qin Yun."

A sound boomed.

From a distant spot in the sky, a thin man appeared in front of him with a flash. He had a sword on his back, his eyes as sharp as swords yet there was an uninhibited pride in between his brows.

"I have been waiting for your arrival ever since I saw you defeat that golden snake." The lanky man said with a laugh when he arrived in front of Qin Yun.

"Greetings, Mansion Lord." Qin Yun had seen the projection of Dao Seeking Sword Mansion’s Mansion Lord Chufu before. He immediately bowed.

"We are brothers, and you are a swordmaster of my Dao Seeking Sword Mansion. There’s no need for these formalities," said Chufu with a frown.

Qin Yun smiled and immediately corrected himself. "Greetings Brother Chufu."

"That’s more like it." Chufu laughed. "Let’s go. Follow me, I have quite a few old friends who want to meet you."

"Alright." Qin Yun followed Chufu as they transformed into streams of light that flew across the sky.

"I watched as you became a swordmaster of the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion and when you defeated Kuiniu and Goldensnake." There was a blurry stream of light around them as Chufu spoke to Qin Yun with a smile.

"You saw all of it?" Qin Yun was astonished.

Chufu explained, "The outside world cannot probe the situation inside the Skywolf continent but we can monitor the outside world. Therefore, we know of everything that happens inside Dao Seeking Sword Mansion or any other major event in the world."

Qin Yun was enlightened.

Although he had arrived in the Skywolf world through a spatial rift, cultivators from more than a hundred neighboring worlds came here as well. It was not something out of the ordinary.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

They flew all the way.

Qin Yun was constantly probing his surroundings. "As long as she’s within fifty kilometers of me, I should be able to sense my daughter at my present realm."

Unfortunately, Qin Yun did not sense his daughter even when he arrived at Yellow-robed Supremacy’s palace.

...

In a manor garden in the Skywolf continent.

"Matron, you are truly formidable. Killing those demons is like killing chickens for you!"

"Now, no one in the surrounding fifty kilometers will dare offend our Hu Manor."

A bevy of fox girls waited upon an old woman.

As she enjoyed the treatment, she ate some fruits.

"You bunch of foxes," chuckled the old woman. "All of you have such glib tongues. Alright, take your leave. I need to enter seclusion and cultivate for the next few days."

"Yes, Matron."

The fox girls obediently retreated.

Hu Manor was mainly a place where a bevy of fox demonesses lived.

And the matron of the manor was formidable in strength, and so it was that the fox demonesses waited on her quite willingly.

"Rumble."

The matron walked into a chamber.

When the chamber’s doors closed, the matron relaxed. In a flash, she transformed into a young girl.

She sat on a mat, her brows filled with worry. "To break through? Or not?"

"I’m a dragon and Master bestowed me with the Dharmic formulation, Skydragon Body. I cultivated to the Connate Golden Core so easily. According to Master, I’m very talented in the Sword Dao. I stepped into the Dao three years ago and could have condensed an Essence Soul."

"But..."

"Mortals can freely kill other mortals."

"Once I step into the Essence Soul realm, my senior brothers and sisters will show no mercy," muttered the girl. "Is it worth it to become an inherited-teachings disciple?"

"Master, why are you this ruthless? Why are you forcing us to compete?"

The girl really did not wish to engage in the competition.

However, she had no choice as one of the many in-name disciples her master had taken.

Yellow-robed Supremacy was, after all, a great demon from the Ancient Heavenly Courts era. He was a demon through-and-through, and so he followed the adage of survival of the fittest. The strong would survive and the weak perish!

"I have no choice. I don’t want to die. I want to stay alive so I can find my father and mother," muttered the girl. "I’ll break through and risk it."