Chapter 115: Water Restriction Escape Sword

Mu Yuan would not go to the Southern Barbarian Mountains for the time being. Demon Beasts were raging there. Although he had killed several that had cultivation, the thought of that Monster Saint wiping out the Clear Water Palace master with a wave of his hand still made Mu Yuan feel extremely scared in his heart. Avoiding the Southern Barbarian wild mountains, he rode a Brocade Deer. He traveled by day and rested by night, harmonizing the water and fire, which made him feel quite relaxed!

The jade slip he got from the Immortal’s Abode was called the Earthly Abyss Immortal Tome. It recorded all sorts of strange spells and tricks. The Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing was one of the amazing Divine Abilities it held. This Art was specifically for hiding one’s own cultivation level.

As the saying goes, to fool others, you must first fool yourself. That means making the lies real until even you believe them. This was the principle of the Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing. It shackled Zhenqi and imprisoned Spiritual Sense, making all your cultivation hard to use. With nothing usable, it could deceive others’ eyes!

Right now, the Southern Wildlands mountains were in chaos. Demon Beast tides spread, with a trend toward invading the borders of northern and southern countries. Luckily, there were no Demon Beasts with great Divine Abilities among them. Each country stationed elite troops at their borders to fend off attacks. News of the Heavenly Demon Palace and Clear Water Palace destruction had long reached major sects’ ears. For this Demon Beast tide, the sects sent their disciples to secretly help the countries, so things remained stable enough!

Mu Yuan secretly cultivated the Pure Stream Heart-Cleanse Truth Art, and his progress wasn’t slow. After all, Tidal Flow was a top-tier Water technique. Plus, Mu Yuan was filled with Dragon King’s Dynamic Force throughout his body, making him highly sensitive to water. Channel Passage, channel convergence, and Dharma Body cultivation were familiar paths for him. In just a month, he reached the third layer!

With self-protection skills now, he used the Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing to seal his various Zhenqi forces. Only one thread of Clear Water True Qi remained, flowing like a clear stream, making Mu Yuan feel very refreshed!

The Daoist Sect techniques were sealed, but he couldn’t hide the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force body-refining power. Luckily, Dragon King’s Dynamic Force had watery qualities. Mu Yuan wasn’t afraid of revealing flaws. He casually blended some icy Yin energy into his Clear Water True Qi. He wasn’t an outstanding disciple, nor was he foolish. He sealed the Longevity Sword, Minghe Immortal Sword, Six Harmonies Sword Pills, and even the Numinous Jade Belt he got from Bimo into the Black Water Gourd. The whole person now looked exactly like a Clear Water Palace disciple!

Without these Flying Swords, Mu Yuan wasn’t worried. The Earthly Abyss Immortal Tome had many spells, including one for making Talisman Swords. In a city along the way, he bought a tough Iron Sword. Mu Yuan thought he could first turn this into a Talisman Sword for self-protection!

The Earthly Abyss Immortal Tome covered a broad range. Its many wondrous spells were all ones True Lord Shuiyun practiced in his life. The simplest Talisman Sword method was called the Water Restriction Escape Sword, which happened to be a water-based refinement approach. That night, resting in a forest, Mu Yuan started to think it over.

The Water Restriction Escape Sword involved eighteen sets of Talismanic Scripts. Mu Yuan sat cross-legged, his mind calm and peaceful. He began to meditate. As Zhenqi slowly gathered, the first Talismanic Script took shape on his hand. It was a slim, curved one like a crescent moon, shimmering with pure light as bright as moonbeams.

The Pure Stream Heart-Clean Truth Art wasn’t good for fighting but was perfect for purifying the mind. This Talismanic Script made from Clear Water True Qi was the same. With a flick of his finger under Spiritual Sense control, the Talismanic Script landed on the Iron Sword in front of him. It imprinted on the blade as if pressed down. A soft, flowing radiance spread from the script along the sword edge. Like a spark of electricity, it traveled back and forth in moments. The Iron Sword itself was sparked by the script’s power, making the edge appear even sharper!

After finishing the first Talismanic Script, Mu Yuan casually pointed. That Iron Sword whooshed up into the air and spun around. The pure light glowed into a ball, cold as ice. Mu Yuan happily took it back!

Ordinary swords were just sharp at the edges and had no Talismanic Scripts or formations. Even if touched by a Primordial Spirit expert, they could only be controlled by Zhenqi. Even if they could fly out, it was just Qi Condensation into Threads to manipulate the blade. No Spiritual Sense could drive it. Mu Yuan had infused the first Talismanic Script to allow an iron sword to soar and be controlled by Spiritual Sense. It felt more lively and easier to handle!

He tested the first one, then went to the second, the third… Up to the eighteenth. When all eighteen Talismanic Scripts were embedded in the Iron Sword, it looked nothing like before. The whole thing was like a clear pool of autumn water, sparkling with cold energy. With a thought, Mu Yuan brought it close to his body. It circled him once and turned into a stream of water. It vanished into the air in moments!

The Water Restriction Escape Sword wasn’t described as powerful, but it was an aid for using water escape in the Five Elements. Everyone could escape through the Five Elements Path, but some were better than others. With this sword, water escape was over twice as fast as normal methods.

For his first try, Mu Yuan felt happy. He suddenly appeared in mid-air, flicked his fingers, and shot out a Sword Qi. It circled a large tree next to him. The tree thick enough for two people to embrace snapped at the waist. Mu Yuan beamed with joy, took back the Flying Sword, and landed!

Now, Mu Yuan had only this one Talisman Sword, with his Zhenqi being Clear Water True Qi. His combat power was lower than the average Cultivator at his level. Inside, scanning his body, he saw a subtle black-and-white rainbow in his Dantian. It appeared or vanished with Mu Yuan’s will. At its center, a multicolored Zhenqi mass meant that a mere thought would break through the shackles and burst out.

“The Great Art of Yin-Yang Soul Shackling and Qi Sealing is truly wonderful! It seems the Immortal’s Abode left by True Lord Shuiyun really has good stuff. Who knows what treasures Lin Feiyun and others found there?”

With that thought, Mu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. “I cultivate on my own, so why care about others? Fate is set by opportunity; it’s a waste of energy to stress over it!”

Seeing the sky bright, he realized this simple set of Talismanic Scripts had taken all night, from dusk to dawn. It also used up much of his limited Clear Water True Qi. He sat cross-legged to adjust his Zhenqi immediately. Water vapor in the air and trees stirred gently. Wispy, mist-like energy drifted into Mu Yuan’s body. His Zhenqi blended with it, flowing through his channels and completing the circulation. It was tempered and nurtured in his Dantian as his own Zhenqi!

The cool Zhenqi spun around his body. Mu Yuan felt refreshed, and all his night-toiling fatigue vanished. In this state, his ears and eyes seemed sharper than usual. Every rustle or tremble of nearby plants was under his grasp. His mind was pure, his Spiritual Sense clear, and his whole body felt at ease.

Just then, the soft silence was shattered by noise. Mu Yuan suddenly jumped up on alert. He opened his eyes and saw several young Cultivators in matching robes walking over, arguing. All wore tight black outfits with a roaring gold dragon on their chests. Their movements had a fierce power to them. Besides these five in the same clothes, there was a weasel-faced kid in blue robes, with a Nine Palace diagram on his back. The five others pushed him along urgently.

Mu Yuan silently hid himself, protected by the Water Restriction Escape Sword. He concealed himself in the tree branches and mist, making it hard for anyone to find him unless they searched intentionally!

The five in matching clothes were three males and two females. One with a strong look and a beard under his chin said, “This person escaped from the Heavenly Demon Palace—I think we should send him to our sect first. We’re all from the demonic line, so preserving a branch of the Heavenly Demon Palace is good. As for the Southern Wildlands, don’t rush there!”

“That’s wrong, Brother Wei. The southern chaos has wiped out many sect legacies. The saying goes: to seek wealth, take risks. If we go now, we might score good stuff. But if we return to our sect and come back, we might get nothing!” This came from a dark-skinned short guy, shaking his head and looking scornful.

Brother Wei shook his head. “We can’t go to the Southern Wildlands mountains. We’re only here to capture some Demon Beasts to raise back home. With the southern chaos so bad, it’s too dangerous for us. Along the way, we’ve seen many Daoist Sect disciples clearing Demon Beasts. We should leave quickly now, not linger!”

“So that’s it!” Mu Yuan lost interest in hearing more arguments. From this, he guessed the five’s sect probably raised Spirit Beasts. They came to catch Demon Beasts but met an escaped disciple from the Heavenly Demon Palace. Hearing of the southern chaos, some wanted to grab advantages, others disagreed, causing the debate.

“Better to have the luck to go than lose your life coming back!” Mu Yuan thought to himself. He planned to slip away quietly, but then two streams of pure light flew in from the southern sky, wobbling as if badly wounded. The Demonic Sect disciples below spotted it too. The dark-skinned short guy whispered, “Daoist Sect disciples—looks like they’re hurt. Why not grab a bite while they pass?”

The others agreed. Though Mu Yuan didn’t know the newcomers, he didn’t want Daoist Sect members hurt by the demonic crowd. He thought of warning them, but the two suddenly stopped their escape glows and landed.

As the escape glows faded, Mu Yuan saw clearly: it was a male and a female, both in white robes. The male looked ordinary, the female was quite pretty, but both seemed flustered. Especially the male: he had a bright bloodstain on his left shoulder from some wound. As soon as he touched down, he collapsed weakly.

They landed about a hundred feet from Mu Yuan. From above, watching closely, Mu Yuan saw it all. The Demonic Sect disciples stopped arguing and spread out quietly, circling the pair!