Chapter 919: Chapter 625 Back Hill_2 Elder Master Xun frowned. In the Qianxue State boundary, the noble families were prosperous and peace had reigned for a long time; indeed, it had been quite a while since he had heard the term “Taoist Demon.” Now hearing it again, it somewhat felt as if it was from another era. Elder Master Xun calculated with his fingers and suddenly felt a tremor in his heart. He silently lowered his hand and asked, “What kind of Taoist Demon is it?” “A Corpse King amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood…” Corpse King… Elder Master Xun silently took note and then looked up at the bearded elder, his eyes revealing deep concern: “Elder Brother, are you… alright…” The elder coughed a few times, his voice hoarse, “It will be fine after some days of rest… Although times have changed, a single cause and effect from a Taoist Demon is still not enough to severely damage my Divine Thought…” After saying this, he coughed a few more times. His breath gradually became weaker, as if his original injury had worsened. Elder Master Xun felt compassion and sighed: “Elder Brother, stop using Divine Thought into sword…” “I know my limits…” “Elder Brother!” The bearded elder, his expression indifferent. Elder Master Xun sighed and said solemnly, “You, who cultivate the Sword of Divine Thought, should know better than I that though Divine Thought into Sword holds supreme Sword Intent, capable of cutting both tangible and intangible beings….” “Success lies in the Sword Intent, but so does failure.” “This Sword Intent is not an external sword weapon, but your own Divine Thought.” “Once the Sword Intent is released, it either harms others or harms oneself, and even while harming others, it depletes one’s own Divine Thought.” “Ordinary Sword Cultivators cut with their Sword Weapons. If a Sword Weapon is damaged, it can be fixed; if it breaks, it can be reforged; if it is destroyed, another can be made…” “But Divine Thought is different…” “With Divine Thought into Sword, if the sword is damaged, the spirit is injured; if the sword breaks, the spirit stills; if the sword destroys, the spirit dies…” “And that is not even the worst part…” “The most terrifying thing is…” Elder Master Xun looked at the bearded elder, “When Divine Thought transforms into a sword, Sword Intent leaves the body, making it very easy to be tainted by evil spirits; once tainted, the Taoist Heart is polluted with impurity, making it hard to pursue the Great Dao ever again, even…” Elder Master Xun felt a pain in his heart and did not continue. The bearded elder, however, gave a bitter smile and said self-deprecatingly: “… even end up like me, neither human nor ghost, merely guarding this shell of a body, confined within these drawn bounds…” “Elder Brother…” “I know…” The bearded elder sighed, “I know, this sword technique can no longer be cultivated…” “I am the last person to cultivate this Tal Xu Sword Skill…” “From now on, disciples of the Tai Xu Gate must not cultivate the ‘Divine Thought into Sword True Jue’ or even be told of its existence…” “This heritage shall end with me.” “And will perish along with me in this Tai Xu Sword Tomb.” “But I am not dead yet…” The bearded elder’s face showed signs of aging, but his eyes emitted a sharp light: “I am still a disciple of the Tai Xu Sword Skill…” “Those evil spirits that violate my Tai Xu, the murderous intents arising from Divine Thought, cause and effect, and Heavenly Mechanism, I cannot but cut them with my sword…” “Even if it depletes my Divine Thought, even if my spirit fades and Dao vanishes…” “This is also the last thing I can do.” Elder Master Xun felt both admiration and sorrow, and couldn’t help but sigh, trying to console: “In the Qianxue State, with noble families standing prominent and sects flourishing, a scene of prosperity, some demon monsters, petty and insignificant, dare not offend the Eight Great Gates…” “Elder Brother, you don’t need to…” The bearded elder’s expression turned cold, and he lightly laughed, “Do you believe that yourself?” Elder Master Xun was taken aback. The bearded elder looked at Elder Master Xun and said, “Junior Brother, you are a Formations master, surely you must understand better than anyone…” “Our Tai Xu Gate simply does not have a tradition in Heavenly secret Calculation.” “My Tai Xu Gate has always relied not on calculation but on Swordsmanship…” “If Heavenly Demons or evil spirits invade, they shall be cut down with the Divine Thought, severing cause and effect, blocking the perils within the Heavenly Mechanism…” “We can only kill…” “We cannot learn or master the true calculation technique, so there are some things we simply cannot see…” Elder Master Xun fell silent. He also knew in his heart that his elder brother was speaking the truth. Heavenly secret Calculation was far superior to Formation Calculation. His own extrapolations were merely based on Formation Calculation, not the true Heavenly secret Calculation, thus he could only glimpse some of cause and effect, but could not foresee the source… The bearded elder continued: “Since we cannot calculate it, merely using our eyes to see, how can you know that the so-called prosperity is the truth?” Elder Master Xun frowned, “Our Tai Xu Sect may not be proficient in calculation, but other Sects…” The bearded elder shook his head, “Throughout the entire Qianxue State Boundary, whether Formations Calculation or Heavenly Mechanism Calculation, both are already in decline…” “There was a time when Qianxue State was flourishing with Formations, cultivators had firm Daoist Hearts, holding the world in their hearts, thus Heavenly Mechanism cultivators emerged frequently…” “But now…” “The calculations still exist, but the noble families and sects only calculate for their own interests, not for the people, not for destiny.” “The sect leaders and elders who hold the seats of power in the sects and noble families, indulge in their own interests, fattening themselves; such people can neither see nor want to see, or even refuse to see.” “Once greed blinds them, the Heavenly Dao is also obscured.” “Once the Heavenly Dao is obscured, external Heavenly Demons and barbaric evil gods will inevitably stir, taking human hearts as a breeding ground, spreading and proliferating…” The bearded elder’s expression was indifferent: “Those people can only see the facade of prosperity, not the crumbling foundations…”