Chapter 74: The Path of Mortal Man

The starry sky stretched endlessly, with silver flames illuminating the world below in a beautiful glow.

Yuhua Sect

Scripture Pavilion, Rooftop

Lin Jiufeng sat quietly, gazing ahead, his sight penetrating space. He could see the sword of the Mortal Path falling. He saw the complete destruction of Taishang Dao. He saw the figure of the Grasswood Daoist drawing his sword. He witnessed the downfall of Taishang Daoist.

Finally, he also saw the Grasswood Daoist hurling the sword energy towards him.

Boom!!!

The sword energy tore through the sky, leaving a trail of silver fire across the galaxy, and fell before Lin Jiufeng from miles away.

Lin Jiufeng gently raised his hand, and the sword energy landed in his palm, piercing through his skin and entering his body.

Thud!

In the next moment, Lin Jiufeng's entire body trembled.

Within his sea of consciousness, a figure appeared—the Grasswood Daoist.

"Young friend, thank you for allowing me to depart without regret. This sword is the culmination of my three thousand years of contemplation. It can be considered a later version of the Grasswood Sword Technique, and now I pass it to you," the Grasswood Daoist said.

Lin Jiufeng didn't speak. The figure of the Grasswood Daoist before him was merely transmitting a sword energy—it was a one-way transmission, as the true Grasswood Daoist had already passed on long ago. Not even a fragment of his soul remained.

In Lin Jiufeng's sea of consciousness, after finishing his words, the Grasswood Daoist immediately began demonstrating the sword.

"From the Seventh Lock onward, one can begin to perceive the various Dao harmonies. By the Tenth Lock, these Dao harmonies will become the nourishment for your ascension to the divine, allowing your soul to transcend," the Grasswood Daoist explained.

"As for truly understanding the so-called Great Dao, you must comprehend the Path of Mortal Man!"

"The Path of Mortal Man is an advancement of Dao harmonies, a simplification of the Mortal Path. It is the key to breaking through the Eleventh Lock."

"After ascending to the divine stage, without comprehending the Path of Mortal Man, it will be impossible to break through the Eleventh Lock."

"And this sword represents the Path of Mortal Man."

"It is called the Sword of Life and Death!"

"As the name implies, it divides life and death, cutting through Yin and Yang."

"Watch closely."

The Grasswood Daoist's voice echoed as he began demonstrating the sword technique.

The Path of Mortal Man, the Sword of Life and Death, materialized in Lin Jiufeng's sea of consciousness.

Lin Jiufeng's vision expanded—he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain. After Dao harmonies, the Path of Mortal Man was indeed a surprise to him.

What surprised him even more was that he had already acquired a form of the Path of Mortal Man—the Sword of Life and Death.

This sword had been passed to him by the Grasswood Daoist, not learned by his own extraordinary insight.

That night, Lin Jiufeng stayed atop the Scripture Pavilion, learning the Sword of Life and Death from the Grasswood Daoist. Of course, he had only grasped the basics; he had not yet fully comprehended it. However, Lin Jiufeng wasn't worried—he had plenty of time to learn it at his own pace.

When the first light of dawn broke and the sun began to rise, Lin Jiufeng descended the pavilion and entered his new study. There, he sat in silence, reading books and quietly practicing, trying to fathom the mysteries of the Sword of Life and Death.

But before long, the Scripture Pavilion was visited by many people, led by Bai Yunfei, the higher-ups of the Yuhua Sect.

They had all come to Lin Jiufeng's new study, including Wen Xinyun, who had just recovered her strength.

"Senior Brother, Taishang Dao has been destroyed!" Bai Yunfei burst into the room, excitedly shouting, unable to contain his joy.

The biggest burden of Taishang Dao's oppression on Yuhua Sect had fallen on Bai Yunfei. After all, he was the sect leader. In the past, when Yuhua Sect was weak, with many disciples and elders divided, he had struggled to keep the sect together.

He hated Taishang Dao more than anyone, always wishing for its downfall. Yet, he could never have imagined that, after such a seemingly ordinary night, he would hear that Taishang Dao had been destroyed.

At first, Bai Yunfei thought it was a false rumor. However, after investigating, he realized it was true—Taishang Dao had really been destroyed.

Ecstatic, Bai Yunfei rushed over to Lin Jiufeng to discuss with his senior brother. On the way, he called together the sect's core members, gathering them at the Scripture Pavilion.

Lin Jiufeng smiled at Bai Yunfei's excitement and nodded gently. "I know."

Bai Yunfei was puzzled. "Senior Brother, aren't you surprised?"

Lin Jiufeng shook his head. "What's there to be surprised about?"

Bai Yunfei suddenly had a realization and pointed at Lin Jiufeng, trembling with excitement. "Senior Brother, was it you? Did you destroy Taishang Dao?"

As soon as he said this, the others, including the freshly recovered Wen Xinyun, looked at Lin Jiufeng in shock.

Her large eyes darted back and forth as she said, "Master, you were in the Scripture Pavilion last night, never leaving. You were there all night."

Bai Yunfei's excitement immediately dissipated like a bucket of cold water. "If you were there the entire time, how could you have destroyed Taishang Dao?"

Others also stopped expecting any answers.

Lin Jiufeng saw their changing expressions and smiled slightly. "Yes, it was me who destroyed Taishang Dao."

Boom!

His words struck like a heavy punch, leaving everyone stunned.

They couldn't believe their ears.

Bai Yunfei asked in disbelief, "Senior Brother, if you were in the Scripture Pavilion last night, how did you destroy Taishang Dao?"

Wen Xinyun, too, was confused. She had clearly sensed Master sitting atop the Scripture Pavilion, enjoying the starlight all night long. When did he destroy Taishang Dao?

Had she misunderstood?

Lin Jiufeng laughed softly. "Was it difficult to destroy Taishang Dao? I destroyed it with a single sword."

"Master, you were in the Scripture Pavilion. How could you destroy Taishang Dao with just one sword?" Yue Dashan asked curiously.

"Well, I simply swung a sword, crossed mountains and rivers, and destroyed Taishang Dao," Lin Jiufeng said casually.

But the others didn't see it that way.

To casually destroy one of the most powerful sects in the world with a single sword? How strong must one be?

Bai Yunfei's excitement intensified. "Senior Brother, have you broken through the Tenth Lock?"

At this, everyone looked at Lin Jiufeng in surprise. Yuhua Sect had reached the Tenth Lock?

Lin Jiufeng nodded, admitting it openly. "Alright, go back to your own affairs. Taishang Dao was just yesterday's sunset; it's not worth mentioning. Don't bother me anymore."

Bai Yunfei immediately waved to the others, who left with smiles on their faces. He then turned to Lin Jiufeng, saying, "Senior Brother, I'll come by later to ask for guidance on how to break through the mid-stage of the Ninth Lock."

Lin Jiufeng nodded gently, watching them leave before clearing his mind and continuing his study of the Sword of Life and Death.

This was the Path of Mortal Man, and he had to master it.

Now that he had broken through the Tenth Lock, his next steps were to transcend his soul to the divine stage, comprehend the Sword of Life and Death, and advance the Dao he had gained.

It wouldn't be easy.

The one comfort for Lin Jiufeng was that Yuhua Sect had finally grown strong, and Taishang Dao, their greatest enemy, had been wiped out. He could now focus on his cultivation in peace, living in seclusion at the Scripture Pavilion for a while.

It was a rare moment of tranquility.

He couldn't help but look forward to it.

"I need to elevate all the Dao harmonies I've comprehended to the level of the Path of Mortal Man. This way, I might be able to glimpse the Immortal Path, or perhaps the mysterious Dimensional Battlefield!" Lin Jiufeng murmured to himself.