The Heavenly Dao Sword and Mirror Lake, the White-Robed Elder's Identity
The Heavenly Dao Sword and Mirror Lake, the White-Robed Elder’s Identity
Just as the entire Profound Sword World was in an uproar, with everyone searching for the World’s Will...
Far away outside the Boundless Valley, Lin En was frowning as he trekked deeper into it.
The Boundless Valley lived up to its name. From afar, it stretched vast and limitless, with no border in sight, as if one were standing within a sea of mist.
A hazy, dense white fog shrouded everything, with mountain foothills scattered sporadically throughout. Strange winds blew through from time to time, as if sweeping in from some distant shore.
Apart from the peaks of a few mountain ranges poking above the sea of clouds, every other place was filled with boundless fog, making it impossible to find any entrance.
Along the way, Lin En had seen far too many skeletons buried outside the valley—ghastly white and gleaming with a crystalline sheen. Some belonged to ferocious beasts, others to Cultivators. Who knew how many years they had been dead here.
Rumor had it that the Boundless Valley hid the deepest secret of the Profound Sword World.
That was why many powerful Cultivators, when their lifespans were running out, would come here to try their luck, hoping to find a way to extend their lives.
But in the end, they all met tragic deaths outside the Boundless Valley, unable to even find the entrance leading deeper inside.
The reason Lin En could venture so deep was entirely thanks to a fragmentary page he had once read, which told him the route ahead. Beyond that, his own formidable cultivation allowed him to avoid many calamities.
“The Shu Sect destroyed, my shifu’s fate unknown... I will definitely settle this debt.”
Lin En’s eyes narrowed slightly, his ears twitching faintly. Through his informants outside the Boundless Valley, he could learn of much of what happened in the outside world.
He had never imagined that in the days since he left the Shu Sect, such a monumental event would occur.
Not only had his shifu, the Old Sword Immortal, been handed over by the Shu Sect—the Shu Sect itself had been erased from this world, reduced to ruins and rubble, its former glory gone forever.
And the cause of it all was merely the shockwaves of a great battle between Gu Changge and the World’s Will.
“The Boundless Valley contains the method of Absolute Detachment. As long as I succeed in transcending, I can take the head of that Gu fellow and avenge my shifu.”
Lin En’s gaze turned somewhat cold. Then his figure gradually faded, disappearing into the valley.
Several days later, following the records in the fragmentary page, Lin En found a path. The fog on both sides parted, revealing a forest of stone pillars.
He proceeded along the stone forest, advancing over thirty li, until he finally beheld a place of breathtaking beauty.
Auspicious mist swirled, immortal cranes danced in flight, and all manner of rare beasts moved in and out of sight—a scene of magnificent wonders.
It could be said that the scenery here was utterly different from the outside world. There was not the slightest trace of mortal worldly air; it was practically a Celestial Realm.
This made Lin En’s eyes widen in astonishment. It was hard to imagine. “Could this be the true face of the Boundless Valley’s interior? These are immortal birds only ever recorded in ancient texts, yet there are so many of them.” Lin En walked forward slowly, his mood gradually calming.
Within the valley, it was like a Celestial Realm, with streams of colorful haze winding about. The valley entrance connected to this stone forest, and inside grew all kinds of spiritual trees, aged medicinal herbs, and the like.
At the valley entrance stood a stone stele, engraved with four ancient characters: Boundless Immortal Valley.
This was a place of peace and tranquility, with streaks of auspicious light, fragrant medicinal herbs, and creatures unstartled by the presence of people.
No ripples stirred; all was serene and harmonious.
Upon arriving here, Lin En felt even his killing intent dissipate, no longer as furious and restless as before.
This place seemed capable of dissolving all the troubles of the mortal world.
“To think there are even large groves of the Ancient Sword Faith Tree, long vanished from the records.”
Lin En looked ahead in some astonishment. Within this immortal valley, thin immortal mist curled and drifted.
There stood a grove of ancient trees, their fragrance spreading outward. Each one was like a coiling dragon, branches intertwining, like wondrous trees carefully cultivated.
And most peculiar of all, the flowers blooming on the ancient trees were marvelous—crystal-clear and glistening, shaped like miniature divine swords, shining brilliantly. Truly extraordinary.
“It seems you are the fated one this old man has been waiting for.”
Just as Lin En was looking around in puzzlement, an aged, gentle voice suddenly rang out from deep within the mist.
He looked over in great surprise, only to see the fog ahead part of its own accord, revealing a small path that seemed to lead to some unknown place.
“May I ask who qianbei is?”
His wariness kept Lin En from walking straight over; instead, he called out the question.
“This old man is precisely the one you seek,” the aged, gentle voice sounded again.
“The one I seek?”
Lin En’s heart shook. Though puzzled, he was no longer as cautious as before, and he stepped forward.
At the end of the small path, he saw a thatched hut, extremely simple, surrounded by a fence, with many Spiritual Plants and spiritual trees growing around it. To one side was a spiritual pond, where several swimming fish flickered past in a flash.
All was harmonious and tranquil. A spiritual spring bubbled, clear water flowing beneath a small arched stone bridge—truly picturesque.
Such a peaceful and serene scene dispelled many of the worries in Lin En’s heart.
His whole being became otherworldly and transcendent, as if he could ascend to immortality at any moment, transcending this world.
“You’ve come, fated one.”
An elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in white robes, with the bearing of an immortal sage, walked out of the thatched hut with a chuckle and greeted Lin En.
“Qianbei is...?”
Lin En’s heart tightened. With his cultivation, he actually could not sense the existence of the elder before him—it felt as though the man had merged with heaven and earth itself.
He existed everywhere, yet also nowhere.
This was an extremely profound realm—becoming one with heaven and earth, becoming one with all things.
“This old man is but a nameless nobody, waiting here for the arrival of the fated one. It seems you are the fated one this old man has been waiting for.”
The white-robed elder waved his hand and said with a chuckle, his gaze toward Lin En carrying warmth and approval.
Seeing Lin En’s great confusion, he wasted no words and explained to him that he was of the guardian lineage of the Profound Sword World, specifically waiting within the Boundless Immortal Valley for the arrival of the fated one.
When the Profound Sword World faced a great calamity of heaven and earth, a Child of Fortuity would be born, shouldering the duty of propping up the collapsing edifice and saving all living beings from fire and water.
In his view, Lin En was the fated one he had been waiting for all along, for only the fated one could find this place.
“This old man is the three-thousandth inheritor of the guardian lineage, charged with guarding the Heavenly Dao Sword.”
At these final words, the white-robed elder’s expression grew solemn. “The Heavenly Dao Sword is the convergence of the Profound Sword World’s Fortuity. It can wield the Heavenly Dao Authority in its stead and contains supreme might.”
“The Heavenly Dao Sword... Could this be the greatest secret of the Boundless Immortal Valley?”
Lin En was astounded. After hearing all this, only one thought remained in his mind—to obtain this so-called Heavenly Dao Sword.
To wield the Heavenly Dao Authority—wouldn’t that mean possessing supreme power within this world?
Even contending against Gu Changge would be effortless.
“Qianbei, are there any requirements to obtain the Heavenly Dao Sword? The outside world has already been turned upside down, the people can barely survive, the Otherworldly Sky Demons have invaded, and the Thirteen States are beginning to fall. I fear it won’t be long before the Profound Sword World is completely overrun.
I must obtain the Heavenly Dao Sword to resolve this crisis and return peace and tranquility to this world,” Lin En asked solemnly, feeling the burden on his shoulders grow heavier.
“With the world in great chaos, it is indeed time for the Heavenly Dao Sword to emerge once more and quell the turmoil.”
The white-robed elder showed an approving expression. “As expected of the fated one this old man has waited so long for. Such courage is truly beyond ordinary men.”
As he spoke, light emerged from his palm, with threads of rules and order interweaving and cascading down, forming the shape of a key.
“This is the key to unlocking the Heavenly Dao Sword. Take it and go search the depths of Mirror Lake. The Heavenly Dao Sword was sealed within it back then, and only one holding the key can undo its seal.”
The elder explained to Lin En as he handed him the key.
“Mirror Lake? Isn’t that the lake where Sword City is said to be buried? After Sword City was buried, Mirror Lake also vanished. How am I to find it?”
Lin En was extremely astonished. Mirror Lake was a mysterious place in the Profound Sword World.
Its surface had once been like a mirror, able to reflect all under heaven. Many powerful figures had gone searching for it, attempting to forge swords using the substances within.
Because of this, a city named Sword City arose around Mirror Lake. In its glory days, all the famous swords under heaven came from it—even the current Shu Sect was far from a ten-thousandth of its equal.
But later, for unknown reasons, Sword City collapsed overnight, burned to nothing by a great fire, then sank into the depths of Mirror Lake, never to be seen again.
That legend was now tens of millions of years old.
The Thirteen States of the Profound Sword World never lacked people searching for Mirror Lake, but all came up empty. Over time, Mirror Lake and Sword City became mere legends, their truth unknowable.
“Rest assured, Mirror Lake has always been there. It’s just that very few can find it. With the key to the Heavenly Dao Sword in your hand, you will naturally find Mirror Lake,” the white-robed elder said with a faint smile, his expression peaceful and serene.
“I understand.”
Lin En nodded, knowing this matter was of great importance and no failure could be allowed. So the Profound Sword World actually had such a divine sword, merely sealed away in the depths of Mirror Lake all this time.
“Does qianbei have any other instructions?”
He asked, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. The environment here looked extremely peaceful and serene, nothing like the mortal world, yet for some reason it gave him a faint sense of unreality.
The white-robed elder shook his head gently. “This old man’s duty is to wait here for the fated one and hand him the key. There is nothing more to instruct. Once this is done, this old man can depart in peace.”
“What? Qianbei, you...”
Lin En couldn’t believe his ears. Could this mysterious, unfathomable elder before him actually be nearing his end?
“If fate allows, we shall meet again. You should go.”
But the white-robed elder did not answer his words. He merely smiled faintly, then swept his sleeve, directly sending Lin En out of the Boundless Immortal Valley.
“Qianbei...” The rest of Lin En’s words vanished between heaven and earth, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
When he came back to his senses, he was already outside the stone forest he had come through.
Such mysterious, unfathomable power left Lin En deeply shaken.
“This white-robed elder’s strength absolutely far surpasses that of an Earth Sword Immortal. What a pity I couldn’t invite him out.
Truly a shame—otherwise he might have been able to deal with that Gu Changge. But the priority now is to find the Heavenly Dao Sword first.” Lin En stepped forward, a flying sword appearing beneath his feet, and swiftly vanished from the place.
Meanwhile, within the Boundless Immortal Valley, after Lin En disappeared, the peaceful expression on the white-robed elder’s face also vanished, replaced by utter coldness, as if devoid of any emotion.
With a mere flick of his sleeve, the many scenes before him began to disintegrate. The thatched hut crumbled and vanished, the small bridge and flowing water turned to dust, dissipating into smoke—everything exploded with a bang, reduced to ashes.
In an instant, the place became a barren valley, with only some broken skeletons remaining—crystalline, ghastly white, exuding an ancient aura.
“A shell fused with the aura of two worlds—what a fine vessel.”
The white-robed elder’s gaze slowly shifted, blood-red surfacing in his eyes as he looked at the unconscious Tuo Ba Xiao Yao at his feet, seemingly talking to himself.
But the next moment, his brow furrowed and his expression changed.
The void before him suddenly collapsed, and a giant hand reached through, wreathed in Chaos Energy and five-colored divine light, with stars of the heavens condensing within its palm—as if striking at him across a vast distance of space.
“How did he find this place?”
The white-robed elder’s gaze instantly turned profound. He caught sight of the burly figure disappearing into the void, and only then understood that he had been tailed.
However, he had no time to strike at that burly figure, because that figure’s extremely troublesome master was attacking him from across space.