Chapter 68: 3 Shushan Demon Tower, The Clues Emerge

Next, the process of cramming began.

Senior Sister An’s strength was certainly not weak, but she really wasn’t that great at teaching.

The reason was her strength was too formidable; she simply didn’t need to and wouldn’t bother understanding other sword cultivators’ combat styles and habits in swordsmanship.

Why bother with such things? Would you pay attention to the differences between every ant under your feet?

On the contrary, Lin Duanshan, whose main focus was the Myriad Forms Sword, a sword Dao that emphasizes strategic variation, had an excellent grasp of intelligence on various sword cultivators.

Not only that, but Elder Brother Lin was also a genius in swordsmanship, proficient in the major sword methods of various sects.

Whenever he talked about a Sword Immortal on the Immortal Sword Ranking, he could hit the nail on the head, describing their style of swordsmanship in great detail, and instantly point out their flaws, even the fatal ones.

Besides, Lin Duanshan was able to replicate another cultivator’s style of swordsmanship almost perfectly during sparring practice, allowing Ling Yunpo to not only acquire knowledge but also to apply it quickly and adapt!

No wonder Senior Sister An asked him to teach herself.

However, simulating swordsmanship styles still had its gaps compared to real combat, as it was impossible to replicate Sword Dao Techniques exactly.

So Lin Duanshan didn’t stay for too long, merely briefed on the intelligence of a hundred Sword Immortals from the Immortal Sword Ranking, and then simulated the corresponding swordsmanship for Ling Yunpo to get a basic adaptation.

Who prefers to fight head-on, who is accustomed to treacherous tricks; he familiarized him with these roughly.

Having done all that, Lin Duanshan hastily took his leave again.

Because he had sniffed out an ominous scent, it seemed like if he continued to use sparring as an excuse to thrash a certain junior brother, he would end up being hung up and beaten by a certain senior sister…

After Lin Duanshan left, Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu continued practicing swordsmanship for several hours.

During a break, Ling Yunpo ventured to ask:

“Senior Sister, what is your relationship with Lin Duanshan… with Elder Brother Lin?”

An Zhisu thought seriously for a moment:

“I have defeated him.”

Ling Yunpo: ………

“Senior Sister, have you ever shattered his life-bound sword artifact?”

“Not that far,” recalled An Zhisu. “He was polite in his speech at that time, so I didn’t go too hard on him.”

“Oh, I see he seems to know you quite well,” Ling Yunpo probed again.

“You heard him say it; the strength of the top four seats on the Immortal Sword Ranking is of the same level,” smiled An Zhisu. “Plus, they are all individuals with great pride, so it’s quite normal for them to know each other well.”

No, no, no, Lin Duanshan said it was the second to fourth seats that were in the same level; you, An Zhisu, are in a level by yourself…

But Ling Yunpo knew that his senior sister was accustomed to downplaying the fact that she was “more formidable than her junior brothers,” so he changed the subject, asking:

“Now that I’ve met Lin Duanshan, what are the people in the other two seats like?”

An Zhisu pondered before answering:

“Duan Fenhai in his early years came from a background of a jianghu hero and even reached the position of Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch.”

“Later, because he offended a certain enemy, his entire family was killed… That’s why he came to our Shushan to practice swordsmanship.”

“Almost a decade ago, he left the mountain to exterminate his enemy’s clan. After avenging his great grudge and returning to the mountain, he, in fact, became much more disillusioned and was often lethargic.”

“I see,” Ling Yunpo silently noted.

“As for Guan Shanyue, she is a woman with extreme pride,” continued An Zhisu.

“From the Longxi Guan Family, generations of Sword Immortals, and Guan Shanyue is the strongest of the Guan Family’s younger generation.”

“Although she usually looks all smiles and pretends to be without schemes, she actually has a foul temper and holds grudges,”

“Junior Brother, if you ever encounter that Guan Shanyue, it’s still best to keep your distance from her.”

Got it, Senior Sister An is jealous.

Ling Yunpo immediately nodded in agreement:

“Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I won’t get entangled with that Guan Shanyue!”

“Senior Sister isn’t trying to interfere with your relations with others,” An Zhisu said awkwardly. “Just worried that you might get deceived out there.”

Got it, she’s worried I might get duped by a bad woman.

After thinking for a while, Ling Yunpo asked again:

“What kind of place is the Demon Locking Tower then?”

“The Demon Locking Tower,” An Zhisu said with a smile, “is an ancient inverted tower located beneath the rocky cliffs of Thunder Hole Plateau, extending almost a thousand zhang into the ground. It is a place Clarify Cult used in ancient times to confine demons.”

“An ‘inverted tower’ looks like a normal pagoda, but flipped upside down, larger on top and smaller at the bottom.”

“The deeper you go, the fewer the imprisoned demons, but the more formidable they become. It’s said that the demons at the deepest level of the Demon Locking Tower even possess the strength of Daluo Golden Immortals, though it’s uncertain if this is true or not…”

Ling Yunpo zoned out for a moment before suddenly catching on.

One zhang is three point three meters, almost a thousand zhang… isn’t that about three kilometers underground?

Could it be, the fragment of the Heaven-Mending Stone I’m looking for is in the deepest part of the Demon Locking Tower?

“Senior Sister,” Ling Yunpo said cheerfully. “Tell me more about this Demon Locking Tower.”

An Zhisu looked somewhat surprised but without suspicion, she continued:

“The history of the Demon Locking Tower is said to be even more ancient than that of Clarify Cult, likely dating back to the era of Fuxi and Nuwa.”

“Nearly a thousand zhang deep with a hundred levels, each level ten zhang high. But the inside is not an open area; it’s divided into various big and small isolated spaces.”

“Ancient cultivators would catch demons outside and throw them into the Demon Locking Tower. The tower would automatically transport these demons to a level corresponding to their strength.”

Ling Yunpo pondered for a moment, then asked:

“Is the existence of the Demon Locking Tower solely for the imprisonment of demons?”

“Of course not,” An Zhisu said softly. “The Demon Locking Tower has many uses. For example, there’s a Blood Pool within it that’s greatly beneficial to cultivators at the Marrow Cleansing Rank; it’s said to be filled with Dragon Blood.”

“And this Dragon Blood comes from a dragon of the Dragon Clan imprisoned somewhere inside the tower.”

“In fact, many of Shushan’s products come from within the Demon Locking Tower. For instance, some of the Flying Swords in the Sword Pool come from the outside world, some from trade with Yuqing View, and others from the Sword Slave tribe within the Demon Locking Tower.”

“Sword Slave?” Ling Yunpo asked in surprise.

“They seem to be demon blacksmiths,” An Zhisu said uncertainly.

“Sword Slaves are mild-tempered demons,” Kunlun Mirror suddenly spoke up in the Sea of Consciousness. “They feed on metal ores and are especially skilled in sword casting.”

“I see,” Ling Yunpo quickly grasped the crux of the matter. “So, our Shushan Shangqing Faction actually maintains regular communication and exchanges with many demons inside the Demon Locking Tower, right? Who in the faction is responsible for these tasks?”

“It should be managed by Golden Core True Persons. I’m not very clear on the details,” An Zhisu answered. “After all, entering the Demon Locking Tower is dangerous, and it can’t be entrusted to an outer disciple.”

As expected.

Ling Yunpo became thoughtful.

That means, Shushan has the ability to enter the Demon Locking Tower at any time.

I need to figure out a way to get clear on this.