Chapter 378: Nether Moon Sword

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Lu Yang felt that he was indeed a master of the Golden Buddha Realm; the words he spoke held profound Zen wisdom.

Lu Yang grew even more curious: "Elder, how did you meet this eminent monk back then?"

"This eminent monk was of an extremely high generation, a master of the Ming generation. His ambitions were higher than the heavens, and his Buddhist name was Mingtian. Everyone who knew him called him Master Mingtian.

"Back then, both Master Mingtian and I took a liking to the same lady. As a woman cannot serve two masters, Master Mingtian and I competed for her. It was mainly a contest of who had more spiritual stones. In my youth, I had applied for multiple patents, so when it came to spiritual stones, I feared no one."

"Seeing that he could not outmatch my spiritual stones, Master Mingtian asked if I could yield to him. He said we shared a fated bond and was willing to bestow the True Fire of Desirelessness upon me. I said there was no need, but the master insisted, forcing the True Fire of Desirelessness into my hands."

"At that moment, I suddenly felt that beauties were nothing but pink skeletons and questioned why I should waste my time in a brothel, so I left."

"Later, I wanted to find Master Mingtian to debate this matter, and if the opportunity arose, give him a good beating."

"Regrettably, Master Mingtian was so proficient in Buddhist dharma that he left me thoroughly ashamed. Most importantly, his cultivation was superb; he was already in the Tribulation Transmutation Stage. Neither Third Brother nor I could defeat him."

Lu Yang: "...

Could the Third Elder's Six Heaven-Shaking Styles not be meant to shake the heavens, but rather to shake Master Mingtian?

"Speaking of which, Immortal, did the Buddhist Sect exist in your time?"

"Yes, it did."

Lu Yang was greatly surprised. According to Buddhist records, the Buddhist Sect possessed a long history dating back to ancient times. However, since Lu Yang had met the Immortal of Eternity and learned of the existence of the Five Ancient Immortals, he had assumed this was an origin story fabricated by the Buddhist Sect to elevate their own status.

If the Buddhist Sect and the Buddha existed in ancient times, why had the Immortal of Eternity never mentioned the Buddha?

Lu Yang also did not think any of the Five Ancient Immortals could match the description of the Buddha.

"It really existed? Then the Buddha existed too? Was he an immortal?"

"I recall that in the Buddhist Sect, there is a Buddha, a sky full of Buddhas, countless Arhats and Bodhisattvas, and things like the Thirty-Three Heavens, right?"

"Yes, all kinds of ancient texts record this."

The Immortal of Eternity revealed a sly smile: "Then don't you think this kind of setting looks a lot like the Heavenly Court?"

"!!!" Lu Yang showed an expression of immense shock as a certain possibility crossed his mind.

The authentic one.

Highly satisfied with Lu Yang's expression, the Immortal of Eternity smiled and said, "Correct, the Buddhist Sect was made up by the five of us together."

No wonder the Immortal of Eternity confidently believed her Arhat Fruit Punch was more authentic than the Arhat Punch.

As one of the founders of the Buddhist Sect, her status was transcendent, and she possessed supreme authority; whatever she deemed authentic was authentic.

Lu Yang sucked in a breath of cold air; the trickery level of the Five Ancient Immortals was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

The five of you made up several sets of Heavenly Court settings that failed to be passed down, yet the Buddhist Sect setting you fabricated survived to this day and was even expanded upon by posterity.

The Fifth Elder did not know Lu Yang was conversing with the Immortal of Eternity; seeing Lu Yang's expressions shift rapidly, he found it very strange.

Though in the Dao-Seeking Sect, it was not entirely unusual.

Back when the Ninth Elder was Lu Yang's age, he too had fantasized that an ancient ferocious beast was sealed within his body, and that if its aura leaked, it would destroy all living beings. Thus, the Ninth Elder wore a stern face all day, pretending to be utterly cold, claiming to the outside world that he had sealed away his emotions.

Sometimes he would even grip his wrist in agony, shouting that he could no longer suppress the beast inside and telling everyone to run.

Nowadays, anyone who brought this up to the Ninth Elder would make him fly into a rage, drawing his sword to hack them down.

Compared to the Ninth Elder kneeling on the ground and wailing for no reason back then, Lu Yang's shifting expressions were quite normal.

"Perhaps this is the inheritance of master and disciple, the destiny of the Sword Spiritual Root," the Fifth Elder murmured.

"Ah, Fifth Elder, what did you say about the destiny of the Sword Spiritual Root?" Lu Yang snapped back to reality, his heart tightening upon hearing the words.

Could the Sword Spiritual Root have a hidden destiny? For instance, every generation of the Sword Spiritual Root faced an enemy, but every single one failed, leaving them with lifelong regrets?

Could his master's lifestyle of playing around the mortal world be an expression of lifelong regret and venting emotions?

The more Lu Yang thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"The True Fire of Desirelessness is the flame I use most frequently for artifact forging. Magic treasures forged with it allow their masters to maintain the utmost calmness during battle."

The Fifth Elder firmly believed that calmness was the ultimate weapon to increase winning chances.

The Fifth Elder raised his hand again and retrieved another flame from a small vial: "This is the Liuding Divine Fire, an ancestral flame passed down through generations of peaks masters of the Hundred Refinements Peak. It can consume impurities and is most suitable for forging. The Fire-in-Stone and Mountain-Top Spiritual Stone within the immortal sword need to be melted and separated using the Liuding Divine Fire."

He placed the Liuding Divine Fire at the exact center of the forging room and activated the formations carved on the floor and walls. The temperature in the room skyrocketed instantly, forcing Lu Yang to use his Samadhi True Fire for protection to feel slightly better.

Ignoring the intense heat, the Fifth Elder stared intently at the immortal sword as the tongues of fire licked it, melting and consuming the outermost layer of immortal gold powder.

The immortal sword revealed its original appearance, a dull greyish-black, completely ordinary, making it impossible to tell it was forged from two types of precious, rare stones.

Under the burning of the Liuding Divine Fire, the immortal sword melted, separating into two pools of metallic liquid, one red and one black, both brimming with spirituality. The Fifth Elder swung his iron hammer, striking the metallic liquids violently.

Struck by the impact, the metallic liquids exploded within the flames but could never escape the enclosure of the Liuding Divine Fire.

The Fifth Elder pointed with his left hand, and the True Fire of Desirelessness floating in the air rushed into the Liuding Divine Fire. The two flames merged into one, possessing the characteristics of both.

Lu Yang did not understand the technical weight of this move, but if an expert artifact forger saw it, it would be enough to overturn his entire concept of forging.

The two pools of metallic liquid, the Fire-in-Stone and Mountain-Top Spiritual Stone, gradually fused into one, taking shape and becoming a sword embryo.

The Fifth Elder reached out to remove the sword embryo from the true fire, extended two fingers, and lightly wiped across both sides of the embryo. Magnificent patterns became clear; these were sword inscriptions, which could reduce the wear and tear of the spiritual sword and increase its lifespan.

Every magic treasure had specific patterns, but most artifact forgers did not master the method of engraving them. One who could make them appear with a gentle wipe like the Fifth Elder was exceptionally rare.

The glowing red sword embryo was dipped lightly into water repeatedly, and as its temperature gradually dropped, it revealed the original color of the blade, a silvery white.

The Fifth Elder then fitted the hilt, tassel, and other decorations, finally completing the grand task.

"Come, try it." The Fifth Elder tossed the spiritual sword to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang brandished the sword, feeling that it was remarkably light, as if it were an extension of his own arm. As he swung it, it moved precisely with his will, offering a thoroughly exhilarating feeling.

"Break!"

"Cleave!"

"Slash!"

Lu Yang executed the sword techniques one by one with fluid movements and not a shred of awkwardness, as though he had been using this sword for a very long time.

After finishing the set of sword forms, Lu Yang brought the sword behind his back, his smile unfading: "A fine sword!"

"Give it a name," the Fifth Elder said with a chuckle.

Lu Yang examined the inscriptions on the new spiritual sword and smiled: "A sword is a weapon for killing. The blade is silvery white, like the silver moon hanging in the sky.

Why don't we call it the Underworld Moon Sword."

The Fifth Elder nodded: "The Green Peak Sword and the Underworld Moon Sword; Green Peak and Underworld Moon do make a fine pair."