Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology

Cloud Peak Vajra!

This is the name the world has given Song Lin, earned because of the hardness and stature of his Nine-Transformation Indestructible Body.

It is said that no one has ever been able to break Song Lin's Golden Body, and some claim that the Cloud Peak Vajra's Golden Body is specifically designed to counter the path of sword cultivation.

No one knows the exact circumstances of Song Lin's killing of Qu Ying, but others have imagined this scene:

A colossal Golden Body, impervious to blades and spears. Qu Ying, wielding a sword pill, fought for half a day before collapsing from exhaustion and perishing.

Song Lin was in the midst of adjusting his breath when he overheard this nickname, and couldn't help but feel a bit amused.

Why do these nicknames sound so excessively ferocious?

Could it not be something more ethereal and graceful?

Cloud Peak Vajra... If it were something like Donghua Sword Immortal, he might reluctantly accept it.

Qu Ying's death spread to the Nine Heavens Jade Tower.

The entire Taoist Alliance was abuzz with discussion.

"Heavenly Master! Let me kill this man!"

"This is intolerable!"

"Senior Sister Qu Ying! Your junior brother will avenge you!"

Mournful cries echoed throughout the Nine Heavens Jade Tower.

Qu Ying was well-liked in life, always admired by others. Many junior disciples looked up to her.

Now that she had been killed by Song Lin, these people wished for nothing more than mutual destruction with him.

Jian Wuliang's face was dark, his Sword Qi in the void feeling cold and ominous, ready to spring forth.

Song Lin had gone so far as to kill his beloved senior disciple.

Jian Wuliang wanted nothing more than to seek swift vengeance.

But now, the timing was clearly not right.

Even if he acted, the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master would not sit idly by.

Moreover, whether Qu Ying killed Song Lin or Song Lin killed Qu Ying, both were within the bounds of established rules.

He could not violate the principles that Senior Qingchen had always adhered to.

"Let it go, and refrain from seeking vengeance. Wait until the Succession Tournament begins, and then exact revenge—it won't be too late then."

Song Lin's killing of Qu Ying demonstrated his ranking as the third strongest among cultivators in the Transcendence Tribulation Stage.

Second only to Xiang Liu of the Jiuxiao Dao Alliance and Jianxin of the Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance.

Now, they could only hope that Jianxin might be able to slay him.

"Heavenly Master, Senior Jianxin has returned!"

Jian Wuliang rose suddenly, looking towards the disciple who had spoken.

"Where is he?"

"At Bright Moon Tower in the Capital."

Upon hearing "Bright Moon Tower," Jian Wuliang hesitated briefly before heading to the Capital.

Bright Moon Tower, a centuries-old tavern, is an asset of the Nine Heavens Jade Tower.

Standing nine stories tall, during full moons, the moon appears to rest atop the tower, both melancholic and radiant.

At this moment, the rooftop terrace had been sealed, preventing outsiders from entering.

A young man stood at the edge of the railing.

Dressed in a simple green robe, his hair casually tied into a ponytail, there lay a half-treasure sword and a jug of murky wine on the table before him.

He gazed at the moon, polished his sword, and drank wine.

Drinking alone under the moon, there was an air of casual elegance tinged with melancholy.

Tap!

At that moment, Jian Wuliang descended.

Seeing this scene, he thought of Qu Ying, whom he'd cherished like a daughter.

The young man before him was Jianxin.

The foremost genius of the Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance, and the only prodigy in a thousand years.

The Shangqing Dao Alliance consists of five Taoist Schools: the Ancient Sky Dao, Thunder and Transformation, Imperial Dominance, Myriad Laws Return to Origin, and Nine-Nine Returns to One.

The sect Qingchen belonged to was Nine-Nine Returns to One.

The Ancient Sky Dao has only one true successor per generation.

Thus, the Heavenly Master position for the Ancient Sky Dao has remained vacant for years, as no one had succeeded in cultivating it.

Jianxin was the one who had succeeded.

He was also the future Heavenly Master.

Qu Ying and Jianxin had met at Bright Moon Tower, forming a strong bond. Anyone could see the emotion between them.

Jian Wuliang was also aware of this and approved of their connection.

Their relationship could truly be called a celestial pairing.

Now, because of Jian Wuliang's mistake, Qu Ying had sought trouble with Song Lin, leading to them being separated by life and death—a fact that left Jian Wuliang feeling deeply guilty towards Jianxin.

Jianxin turned, his appearance ordinary and his gaze lacking the sharpness typical of Sword Cultivators. He was not as extraordinary as the legends suggested.

"Greetings, Building Master!"

Jianxin bowed slightly, his manner calm and composed, showing no sign of grief.

Jian Wuliang said nothing, choosing instead to drink his sorrow away in silence.

After a long time, Jian Wuliang asked: "Regarding Qu Ying..."

"Has her body been recovered?"

"I've sent disciples to retrieve it, but as for her sword pill and other artifacts, they claim they've been lost."

Speaking of this brought a surge of frustration Jian Wuliang found difficult to suppress.

Were he not Heavenly Master himself, he would have long drawn his sword and sought vengeance.

"Those who kill will themselves be killed. As for Qu Ying's death... I do not hate Song Lin. Yet, if I decide to kill him, no one will be able to stop me."

Jianxin spoke calmly, his resolve unshakable.

"Good. In the Succession Tournament at the Imperial Earth Altar, the fate of all depends on you."

Jian Wuliang patted Jianxin on the shoulder, offered a few words of encouragement, and departed.

Three months remained before the tournament.

The entire Wu Kingdom was stirring at every level.

The Dragon Head Heavenly Master arrived in full ceremonial attire at the Imperial Palace, joining the Emperor and his civil and military officials to commence a three-month-long Zhou Tian ritual honoring the heavens and venerating the ancestors.

Various Taoist Schools similarly established dharma altars to inform the Heavenly Court, with each Heavenly Master bringing ministers, immortal officials, and three selected disciples to the Capital.

The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master's delegation had already reached the Capital.

Above Donghua Jungle hovered a luxurious floating ship.

Yun Xiao of the Spirit Treasure Sect, an old acquaintance of Song Lin, descended to summon someone.

Inside the World in the Pot.

Song Lin had just finished cultivating, stowing away twenty-four talismans hovering in the air and eying the Nine Heavens Moonlight Sword Pills, buzzing like flies around him.

"Even as an Acquired Spiritual Treasure, it's not bad."

Song Lin was quite satisfied.

Sword Pills require compatibility between form and spirit; once their owner—Qu Ying—was gone, its grade fell from Innate Spiritual Treasure to Acquired, though it remained a powerful artifact.

Many challenging sword techniques were easier to perform using the Sword Pills.

At that moment, his subordinate arrived to report.

"Yun Xiao, Senior Spirit Treasure Sect cultivator, requests an audience."

"I see."

With a flash, Song Lin exited the World in the Pot and landed beside Yun Xiao.

"Greetings, Taoist Yun Xiao. Long time no see."

Song Lin greeted her.

"Taoist, please board the ship,"

Yun Xiao responded with a gentle smile.

Song Lin ascended the floating ship alone.

Soon after, they set off for the Spirit Treasure Sect.

Zhengxin, Mei Hua, and Zhonghuang Zi watched as Song Lin departed.

"Does Song Lin have a high chance of winning?" Zhonghuang Zi asked Zhengxin.

"As the strongest below the Heavenly Master level, he is sure to claim victory."

"Oh? I've heard there are numerous cultivators at Thunder Tribulation Perfection this year, including many Sword Cultivators. Can he still claim victory?"

Yuanbo expressed surprise.

Having roamed Yin Spring Palace for years, Yuanbo had interacted with many Taoist Schools, encountering countless strong individuals.

Zhonghuang Zi, had he not broken through to Primordial Spirit, would likely struggle against the Thunder Tribulation Sword Cultivators of Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance.

"Though I don't know much about these so-called 'strong individuals,' I do know Song Lin well. Just wait and see,"

Zhengxin replied confidently.

Many believed Song Lin had acquired some immortal cave mansion.

This rumor had been spread by Zhengxin himself.

Only Zhengxin truly understood that Song Lin likely possessed an even greater immortal inheritance. Judging from last time's Heavenly Human rebirth incident, it might be connected to the long-lost Heavenly Court.

Thus, Zhengxin was exceptionally confident in Song Lin.

Soon, the floating ship arrived at the Spirit Treasure Dao Sect.

At this moment, waiting there were the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master, Spirit Treasure Forest Taoist Bai Mei, Taoist Alliance Minister Azure Dragon, and over a dozen Assistant Envoys.

Xuan Hee and a portly man also stood nearby.

Song Lin recognized the portly figure as Taixuan from the Yuanfu Taoist School—a cultivator at Thunder Tribulation Perfection and reputedly a Swordsmanship Master.

"All right, everyone's here. For this tournament, you three will compete."

The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master clapped his hands.

Behind him, a radiant golden portal appeared.

The group entered the Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect Gate.

A flash of golden light engulfed them, and they instantly traversed thousands of miles, arriving in the Capital.

On the outskirts of the Imperial City, a massive Dao arena had been established.

The ground of yellow earth was covered with a layer of fine dragon-embroidered golden cloth, with talisman banners positioned every ten steps and Taoist Soldiers stationed every thirty feet.

At the center stood the towering five-colored dharma altar. On the master's throne was an offering to the Primordial Emperor Daojun of the Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance—marking the alliance's reverence for the Heavenly Court.

Flanking him were representations of the Primordial Demons from Black Heaven and the Witch God Dao Alliance; the Emperor from Jiuxiao and Miao Fa Netherworld; and the Yuan Shi Heavenly King from Heaven and Earth Xuan Sect.

Treasure tripods burned with fragrant incense, while chanting and spell-singing continued unceasingly with the reverberation of the dharma conch's sound.

Taoists were dressed in ceremonial attire—the most distinguished wearing Nine Dragon Sun, Moon, and Star Heavenly Master purple robes, while dragon-patterned purple robes, phoenix-patterned purple robes, yellow robes, and red robes were as commonplace as cabbages.

The Spirit Treasure Celestial Master greeted various Heavenly Masters.

The Wu Kingdom housed seven Taoist Alliances and thirty-two Taoist Schools, with thirty-two Heavenly Masters, including the Dragon Head Heavenly Master.

Song Lin followed the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master to the dharma altar to offer incense in worship of the Heavenly Gods.

As he gazed at these Heavenly Masters, including within them the likes of Tianhe, a blazing fire ignited within Song Lin's heart.

One day, he vowed to climb to the pinnacle of Wu Kingdom's Taoist Alliances.

These were the true masters who determined the destiny of 300 million people.

To be a Heavenly Master was to be a chess player in life.

Even if Tianhe was currently in a disadvantaged position, he remained an insurmountable chasm in Song Lin's path.

The rear of the Dao arena was reserved for the banquet hall, where everyone would gather.

The group followed the crowd to the banquet.

Suddenly, Song Lin sensed a gaze directed at him.

Turning his head, he locked eyes with the source.

A plain-looking young man.

So strong!

This was Song Lin's first impression of the individual.