The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1435 739: The Sect Leader Arrives

A small courtyard in the Capital, dusk.

The setting sun dyed the courtyard a blood-red hue, with withered vines climbing over the mottled earthen walls.

Under the old locust tree at the corner of the courtyard, a little girl in a floral dress crouched beside a pile of wood shavings, carving a wooden bird with a small knife.

Though she was young, she was exceptionally focused.

Humming a nursery rhyme, her nimble hands moved swiftly, and the wood shavings gently fell.

In no time, a vividly lifelike wooden bird was completed.

If it were an ordinary woodworker, this would be enough to earn praise, but the girl seemed unfazed, showing no pride.

Because she was the only granddaughter of Master Lu, the master woodworker.

Her talent had been apparent since childhood, destined to become an exceptional craftswoman.

The girl didn't notice the strands of black mist slowly seeping out from the gaps in the woodpile behind her, twisting like a living thing.

In the moonlight, a pale paperman's face faintly emerged within the black mist.

A gust of night wind blew, abruptly silencing the nursery rhyme, replaced by a subtle "swoosh" sound, like fingernails scratching cloth.

In the courtyard, there was no sign of the little girl, only leaves rustling in the night wind...

Within the room, the oil lamp flickered like a bean, as Lu Chengye leaned over the desk, refining a wood carving.

Crack!

The carving knife suddenly snapped.

The old man frowned and looked up, seeing the shadows cast by the locust branches outside the window swaying like ghostly claws, and the girl's song had disappeared.

Lu Chengye's body suddenly stiffened, and he rushed out of the courtyard immediately.

"Huaniu, Huaniu!"

Lu Chengye shouted anxiously a few times, just about to go out searching, when a piece of paper fluttered down slowly by the night wind.

With trembling fingers, the old man unfolded the paper.

The paper was yellowed, with dark red blood-like words crawling crookedly like worms: "Your granddaughter is in my grasp, heed my commands, or every day a piece will be sent!"

...

"Master Lu, Master Lu!"

A nearby anxious voice interrupted Lu Chengye's thoughts.

A Mystical Craft disciple hurried over with a wooden tray, saying urgently, "They're pressing on the other side, we need to speed up, or else Master Tao will start yelling again."

"Okay."

Lu Chengye glanced at the distant, irritable Tao Fengchun directing the work and lowered his head, replying woodenly, "Alright... alright, let's start."

By now, it was deep into the night, but the workshop remained as bright as day.

Tao Fengchun was leading over a hundred craftsmen, making final adjustments and drawing the Array on the crucial component of the Divine Statue's crown — the "Sui Lun True Monarch Crown," symbolizing knowledge, power, and transformation.

Sweat dripped onto the scorching bronze mold, instantly turning into white mist.

"Stay awake, anyone who wants to sleep can roll out of the Academy to rest!"

Seeing some disciples tiredly nodding off, Tao Fengchun scolded them angrily, fully immersed in his work, as if possessed.

Meanwhile, Lu Chengye, clutching an inconspicuous piece of charred wood, silently made his way through the bustling crowd to his solitary workstation.

He fixed the black wood onto the work stand, carefully picking up the carving knife, his movements steady and flawless.

The blade fell, instantly stripping away a thin layer of charred surface.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, save me!"

Suddenly, his granddaughter's cries echoed in his mind again.

Lu Chengye's body trembled, secretly glancing around.

Everyone was busy, only he could hear it.

Lu Chengye understood that this was a warning from them.

He had no idea who they were, nor understood how they managed to leave no trace of an unusual presence.

But he knew that they surely had some scheme against the Sui Lun True Monarch.

Who knows how many would die because of this...

But he was old, and only wished for his granddaughter's survival.

Composing himself, Lu Chengye picked up a charcoal pencil and carefully outlined on the wood — it was a Cloudy Dragon Waist Button.

Its creation as a waist button was as per their demand.

Though exquisite, it remained inconspicuous amidst the entire True Monarch divine statue.

Clang, clang!

The surrounding clamor and the clashing of tools became his best cover.

His movements were swift as a phantom, the carving knife dancing, the wood shavings flying.

Under the admiring gaze of the nearby disciples, the large Cloudy Dragon Waist Button gradually took shape, and after some polishing, it became smooth and shiny.

After all this, it seemed he had exhausted all his strength, large beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead, but his hands never paused.

Bringing forth the specially made wood varnish, he applied a coat before finally saying, "It's done, leave it here to dry, apply two more coats by tomorrow morning and noon."

"Yes, Master Lu."

Nearby disciples carefully placed the waist button on the wooden rack.

A row of wooden racks displayed all sorts of wooden components.

The timeline was tight, and unable to find sufficiently strong spiritual materials, Tao Fengchun decided to construct the divine statue using an iron frame, with mortise and tenon structure.

The night grew darker, the firelight flickering.

No one noticed the waist button's wood seemed to have undergone some strange quenching, presenting a disturbing dark red, emitting a faint rotten sweet and fishy scent...

......

While the Academy was busy, the court was not idle either.

Southwest Imperial City, the main hall of the Captain Bureau.

The hall was dimly lit, with only a few brass oil lamps flickering, casting shadows on the mottled stone walls where mountain and river maps and various ceremonial items hung.

The air was thick with the scent of iron and stale ink, each breath felt heavy and oppressive.

Zhao Wujiong stood with his hands behind his back, his crimson Python Robe like congealed blood in the dark.

Kneeling before him were several Commanders from the Captain Bureau, all dressed in black with silver-embroidered Taotie, iron badges hanging from their waists, heads bowed, not daring to look directly.

"Gentlemen," Zhao Wujiong began, his voice raspy like a rusty knife scraping bone, "The Sect Leaders from the Mystical Sect have left the mountains and are headed to the Capital."

Everyone held their breath, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

"Wudang's Yu Chanzi, Dragon and Tiger's Heavenly Master Zhang, Zhongnan's Qiu Changchun, Qingcheng's Chen Kongzi, Emei's Wang Miaoyin..."