Chapter 71: The Secret from Three Thousand Years Ago

A stretch of time, as gentle as flowing water, appeared beside Lin Jiufeng. In front of him, illusions overlapped, pulling him into them, revealing a fragment of history from many years ago.

As the time smoothed over, Lin Jiufeng found himself standing inside a vast, pitch-black hall. At the center of the hall sat a Daoist, draped in Taoist robes, yet his hands formed Buddhist mudras. His expression was grave, eyes filled with a fierce light, as if he were a rakshasa.

Lin Jiufeng furrowed his brows. What's with this person?

The Daoist's appearance was strange: the robes of Taoism, the mudras of Buddhism, yet with the essence of the demonic sect?

As Lin Jiufeng observed carefully, he felt a deep sense of contradiction emanating from the figure.

Suddenly, the figure trembled violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His breath rapidly grew weak. After a long while, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and muttered, "This damned Grasswood Sword Qi... it's so difficult to clear. If it weren't for my extensive cultivation across the three teachings and nine streams, I might have been killed by the Grasswood Daoist."

Lin Jiufeng's spirit lifted. He had heard something important!

Grasswood Sword Technique?

Grasswood Daoist?

This person was wounded by the Grasswood Sword Technique?

Lin Jiufeng focused intently. After vomiting blood, the figure seemed much better. Sitting alone in the dark hall, he gazed out at the mountains and valleys, murmuring, "I was lucky this time. The Grasswood Daoist was too focused on reaching immortality. I ambushed him, seized the opportunity, and killed him. Otherwise, if we had faced each other directly, I would have stood no chance."

"After killing the Grasswood Daoist and absorbing his cultivation, I've made progress. The secrets of the Tenth Barrier are vast; I need time to comprehend them."

"I spent thirty years—ambushing, assassinating, and slaying thousands of cultivators, using their blood to form arrays. I caused turmoil in the cultivation world, driving the murderous energy of the mortal realm to its extreme. This way, I lured down the Immortal Path and tricked a group of top-tier experts. They came for the Dimension Battlefield, and I killed many using their impulsive desire to enter."

"Such a pity... such a pity."

"The Grasswood Daoist was too powerful. He shattered my primordial spirit, and now, breaking through the Eleventh Barrier is impossible."

"Now, I must enter closed-door cultivation for several thousand years, waiting for the next era of cultivation. Then, I will make my final push."

"Aside from that, I need to carefully cultivate the Supreme Dao and expand this new sect. I will make it the most powerful sect in the Taoist world."

At this moment, Lin Jiufeng realized who this person was.

The founder of the Supreme Dao, the Supreme Daoist!

Lin Jiufeng was stunned. He hadn't expected this at all.

"The Supreme Dao's founder, Supreme Daoist, was active three thousand years ago. He founded the Supreme Dao but soon passed the leadership to others and disappeared," Lin Jiufeng recalled from books he'd read in the past. The records were sparse, and the evaluations were low, only mentioning that Supreme Daoist founded the sect, but all the real accomplishments came from his successors.

He had believed this at the time, but now, he realized how wrong that evaluation had been.

"In thirty years, he ambushed, killed, and assassinated thousands of cultivators. He used their blood to form arrays, stirred up chaos in the cultivation world, leading to endless wars and rivers of blood. He successfully lured down the Immortal Path and tricked many top-tier experts, using their desire for the Dimension Battlefield as bait to slaughter them all. If it hadn't been for the Grasswood Daoist striking his primordial spirit, his plan would have succeeded much earlier."

Eleventh Barrier!

Lin Jiufeng's mind raced as he pieced it together.

In the darkness, the severely injured Supreme Daoist's gaze turned cold. Looking out at the vast world beyond the hall, he murmured, "Wait for me, three thousand years. In three thousand years, I will reign supreme!"

With that, he laid down in the deepest part of the dark hall. The iron gates surrounding the hall slammed shut with a resounding thud, plunging everything into darkness.

Lin Jiufeng's consciousness was immediately pushed out, and he returned to reality, disoriented.

"Turns out the fragments of the Immortal Path were like this…" Lin Jiufeng muttered in shock.

This was a secret from three thousand years ago. Those who had participated were long dead, and the Supreme Daoist himself had been in slumber for three millennia. If it weren't for Lin Jiufeng's unparalleled insight, no one would have known what had really happened.

"No wonder, no matter how I searched the records, there were no mentions of the battle three thousand years ago. I always suspected something was off—like it had been deliberately erased. Now I see, it was likely because of the rise of the Supreme Dao." Lin Jiufeng thought deeply.

After all, the Supreme Dao had to protect the dignity of their founding master. While the event had been kept hidden, those who knew were mostly dead. But still… what if someone survived?

"Five thousand years ago, the ten great kings sought the Immortal Path but failed and had no choice but to go to the Immortal Graveyard. They never would have imagined that three thousand years later, someone would go to such lengths—slaughtering countless people and using arrays to bring the Immortal Path down," Lin Jiufeng sighed, lamenting the sacrifices made three thousand years ago.

Now he understood the cause of the chaos from three thousand years ago. But the more he knew, the more he despised the Supreme Dao.

This sect, from its founding until now, had only done evil.

And it was still the leader of the Taoist world?

Lin Jiufeng's anger grew as he walked out of the room and onto the roof of the library.

Under the starry sky, the Milky Way hung overhead, vast and magnificent.

Beneath the stars, Lin Jiufeng seemed to see the past. He witnessed the brutality of that battle.

Some were innocently caught up, losing their families.

Some only wanted to cultivate in peace but were ambushed.

Some were full of ambition, desiring the Immortal Path.

Some had extraordinary talent and unlimited potential.

But these people—those who should have had brilliant lives—were sacrificed because of the Supreme Daoist's schemes and ambitions.

How innocent they were.

Staring at the stars, Lin Jiufeng's heart burned with rage. He felt a tightness in his chest, as if the anger within him could no longer be contained.

He wanted to capture the Supreme Daoist, to demand answers, and to avenge the common people who had suffered.

"Supreme Dao!" Lin Jiufeng suddenly shouted, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Supreme Dao's mountains.

That was where the Supreme Daoist lay in slumber.

That was the place where the darkness of the Taoist world had been concealed.

That was also the place that had oppressed the Feathered Gate for decades.

"I will not rest until I strike you down!" Lin Jiufeng declared coldly.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

In that moment, sword energy erupted behind Lin Jiufeng, ringing loudly and exuding a sound of confrontation.

Within this sword energy were the techniques of the Grasswood Sword, the Heaven-Splitting Sword Art, the Great River Sword Technique, and the Immortal Execution Sword…

All of these sword techniques were extraordinarily powerful.

The Grasswood Sword Technique, in particular, had a deep grudge against the Supreme Daoist's Grasswood Daoist.

Lin Jiufeng suddenly smiled and gripped the Grasswood Sword, saying, "Senior, though we have never met, separated by three thousand years, I have learned your sword technique. Today, I shall avenge you."

The Grasswood Sword in Lin Jiufeng's hand trembled slightly as the sword energy raged.

Lin Jiufeng's gaze locked on the Supreme Dao's location, the sword energy behind him flaring up. Several sword techniques began to merge, forming the one Lin Jiufeng had comprehended.

This sword was called The Sword of Humanity.

A sword of humanity naturally sought to attain understanding from the human realm.

A sword of humanity naturally required tempering in the mortal world.

Lin Jiufeng held the sword energy in his hand, his gaze distant. The energy within him surged like a ferocious dragon hidden in the depths of the abyss, and with a roar, it shattered the shackles of the Ninth Barrier.

He had broken through to the Tenth Barrier and stepped onto the divine path.

Lin Jiufeng's primordial spirit glowed, but his focus was on one thing: with all his strength, he swung The Sword of Humanity.

The target: the Supreme Dao!