Thriller Paradise Chapter 195: Cangling Debate of Swords (Part 3) - Novel Cool

Chapter 195: Cangling Debate of Swords (Part 3)

Chapter 195: Cangling Debate of Swords (Part 3)

Though Cangling Town was surrounded by mountains on three sides, there were two paths leading into it.

The first was the main road, stretching all the way from Tongqiu County, the nearest settlement.

The second was a narrow path—the very one Feng Bu Jue’s group had taken to enter this scenario.

Let’s start with the main road. The situation there had grown tense.

Tongqiu was now flooded with martial artists from various sects, wandering cultivators, and even imperial soldiers dispatched by the court. Thousands of people milled about, inside and outside the city. Obviously, none of them could be allowed to flood into Cangling Town—if they did, the settlement would be flattened in no time.

Thus, entering Cangling through the main road required meeting specific conditions.

After discussions among the sect masters, two rules were established. First, each sect master could bring no more than twenty disciples into the town. The rest had to stay behind in Tongqiu, forbidden from causing trouble. Second, "evil cultivators" were barred entry. Naturally, the definition of "evil" was left to the so-called "orthodox cultivators."

Besides notorious fugitives wanted by both the martial world and the imperial court, many independent martial cultivators were also deemed heretics and blocked in Tongqiu. Though lacking the reputation of righteous heroes, these cultivators weren’t necessarily wicked. Most were simply solitary by nature or had eccentric personalities, rarely associating with the orthodox sects. Now they experienced firsthand the cruelty of factional loyalty—punishing dissent and rewarding conformity.

It’s worth noting that in this scenario’s setting, the imperial court generally ignored martial world feuds unless they spilled into civilian affairs. Likewise, martial cultivators had no interest in imperial politics—who sat on the throne or governed well was irrelevant to them. This invisible boundary between the two forces was absolute and inviolable.

Thus, at least officially, the imperial soldiers in Tongqiu were merely maintaining order. If any martial cultivators disturbed the peace, they’d be arrested—but otherwise, they’d stay out of it.

Now for the narrow path. Those taking this route were either blocked at the main road or couldn’t risk being seen in Tongqiu at all.

Disciples from various sects guarded the main road day and night. Sneaking through or forcing entry would mean certain death. Lower-tier martial artists would be riddled with arrows like honeycombs, while higher-tier ones would eventually collapse under relentless waves of attacks, their inner energy drained.

Thus, the only way for these outcasts to reach Cangling was via the narrow path. Small groups moving stealthily could slip out of Tongqiu, then skirt around the mountains for a day’s journey to reach this trail.

But here stood a killing star.

The blue-robed old man was the steward of "Sword God" Ye Cheng’s estate, named Ye Hai. Though unknown in the martial world, his name was unfamiliar to most. This was because he had never ventured into the jianghu himself.

Ye Hai had entered Ye Mansion as a servant at age twelve and had served there for over sixty years. When he became the estate’s steward at thirty-two, the Ye Family had cycled through three masters—yet his position remained unshaken.

All his martial arts were bestowed by Ye Cheng’s grandfather. Though Ye Hai’s talent was mediocre, he understood this well. As a servant, even if he possessed prodigious gifts, he had no right to formally join the Ye Family’s sect. But back then, the old Ye Lord had secretly guided this youth. While the young master practiced swordplay, Ye Hai was made to sweep nearby floors, with the old master deliberately reciting cultivation secrets aloud. At night, when Ye Hai secretly trained, the entire mansion pretended not to notice.

The Ye Family’s martial arts were supreme techniques. With diligence compensating for innate limits, Ye Hai had reached minor mastery by thirty, becoming a quasi-top-tier martial artist in the jianghu. Two years later, he became the mansion’s steward, married, and had children. For Ye Hai, those were the happiest years of his life.

Years later, the old Ye Lord passed away, and Ye Cheng’s father inherited the family business. He allowed Ye Hai’s son to formally join the Ye Family as a disciple. Unfortunately, the boy was hot-headed. At sixteen or seventeen, before completing his training, he recklessly fought others and met his end. Soon after, Ye Hai’s wife also died of illness.

After losing his family, Ye Hai’s sense of duty to the Ye Family became his sole spiritual anchor and life purpose. His loyalty and gratitude toward the Ye Family had been absolute and unwavering throughout his life.

Now, in terms of martial prowess, even sect masters from major sects would find themselves outmatched by Ye Hai. Only two types of people could defeat him. The first were rare, peerless experts—the likes of Xie San or Ye Cheng themselves. The second were cultivators who had painstakingly refined their innate energy over years, with talents surpassing Ye Hai’s, techniques not inferior to his, and inner energy at least sixty percent of his strength. Only those meeting all three criteria could hope to best him.

With such a figure guarding the narrow path, the results were inevitable.

Within just half a month, countless villains, infamous or unknown in the martial world, had been personally eliminated by Ye Hai—a convenient act of cleansing the populace.

For those martial artists of ambiguous alignment whose skills fell short, Ye Hai merely "invited" them back. Only true "experts", those worthy of witnessing the duel, were allowed through the narrow path into Cangling Town.

As for figures like Yu Mian Tan Hua Bai Dian, who appeared to be martial cultivators but secretly served the imperial court, many had also perished. After all, the imperial court was still the imperial court. Historically, the bureaucracy always practiced double standards—publicly refusing to interfere in martial affairs while secretly meddling, never admitting their involvement. Thus, when encountering such cases, martial cultivators would ruthlessly eliminate these imperial agents, leaving the court to swallow their silent losses.

……

At the same time, that night in the northern mountains near Cangling Town, not far from the legendary haunted Ruins Temple.

Here, vines and grass grew waist-high, an eerie silence blanketing the area. Looking into the forest, deep shadows pooled under tangled branches overhead, thorns carpeting the ground.

A figure soared through the undergrowth, gliding silently over the grass.

The newcomer was a woman, clad in a simple green robe, her slender yet athletic figure graceful. Her appearance was delicate and refined.

Yet her expression was grim now, eyes flickering with unease.

"Lightning-fast footwork", a cold mechanical voice suddenly remarked.

As he spoke, another shadow materialized in an instant. The figure not only carried no weapon but also kept both hands behind his back, as if boasting he could win without even lifting a finger.

Without hesitation, the woman slashed her sword, channeling her full cultivation into a single strike.

The shadow evaded the attack with an impossible motion, then placed his foot on the blade. Using an overwhelming surge of inner energy to pin the sword, he left the woman straining fruitlessly, her face flushed crimson as she failed to pull free.

"Pity. What you call your strength—the art of footwork—is merely a circus trick to me", the shadow rumbled. "Lu Qing Ning, your misfortune was stumbling upon my secret... so you must die."

Before Lu Qing Ning could reply, the surroundings suddenly shifted.

At that moment, eerie bell chimes rang out from the darkness, and an indescribable chill enveloped them both...

(End of Chapter)

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