《The Sword Named No Way Out》 CH 1 Editor: Sahloknir Puuuchh¡­ Fresh blood spurted out along the sword. Gong Wei staggered half a step backward and fell to the ground. A crisp clang sounded, and the poisoned dagger slipped out from his hand and fell to his feet. ¡°Chief!¡± ¡°Lord Xu?¡± ¡°What is happening, what¡ª¡± The crowd on the Immortal Ascension Platform shuffled forward quickly but their terrified expressions could no longer be clearly seen. Gong Wei lay on the ground and looked towards the bloodstained sword. The sword¡¯s hilt, which had three engraved words¡°Bu Nai He¡±, was held in a death grip by a slender yet strong hand with the distinct rippling of tendons on the knuckles. It was a terrifying sight. Gong Wei¡¯s gaze moved up the arm attached to that hand, and there was Xu Shuangtze with his lofty and perennially stiff face as he said, ¡°¡­You want to kill me?¡± Gong Wei shut his eyes and rapidly gasped, then opened his lids again to focus on the snow capped mountains and forest in the distance. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice seemed a little louder, but perhaps because he was close now, and the words he spoke seemed to be articulated with emphasis from between his teeth, ¡°Why?¡± Gong Wei did not respond. The chill, which had set in due the rapid blood loss had paralyzed his senses, and even his vision was now blurred. In a trance, he heard a heated clamour in the distance, and several other sect leaders rushed forward simultaneously and forcefully attempted to channel their spiritual power to prolong his life. Yet it did not help. Xu Shuangtze had attained the highest realm of cultivation and was the world¡¯s most formidable man. There was none who had survived under his sword, ¡®Bu Nai He¡ªNo Way Out¡¯. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gong Wei forced out a smile. Though blood continued to gush from the corners of his mouth, the laugh lines on his pale face were evocative, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡­you look¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± ¡°Lord Gong!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Gong Wei went on as if he was deaf to the surrounding cries, he gasped and lifted his hand. In the direction he pointed, were the winter mountains and forest¡ªa land of grey and white solitude. The cold wind whistled and blew over the mountains and a sea of pine trees before dispersing into the distant horizon. ¡°Obbx, qfjmt yibrrbwr.¡± ¡ªWe Vtejcuahf¡¯r ojmf, qfgtjqr fnfc tlr ygfjat, rffwfv ab yf ogbhfc ralii. Pc atja wbwfca, Xbcu Qfl¡¯r gluta qeqli kjr ragjcufis liiewlcjafv ys j ygluta, gfv uibk jcv ogbw atf alq bo tlr rifcvfg olcufg oifk j wliilbc rmjgifa qfajir. Pa ibbxfv jr lo atfs kfgf uilaafglcu yeaafgoilfr oieaafglcu lc atf klcv, rkfqa ogbw atf ktlaf pjvf qijaobgw vbkc ab atf fjgat, ktlmt kjr yijcxfafv ys atf tjgrt klcafg. In a flash, it was as if spring had returned. The mountains, rivers, fields and peach blossom forests were lush and in full bloom, scarlet clouds of exceptional brilliance spread across the horizon and reflected in everyone¡¯s frightened eyes: ¡°This¡­what is this?!¡± ¡°Illusion, illusion magic!¡± ¡°You will never be able to ascend in this lifetime.¡± Gong Wei lay in a pool of his own blood, grinning with his eyes curved as he stared at Xu Shuangtze. Every word he spoke was terrible and clear, ¡°Your cultivation in this life¡­will end here.¡± He could no longer see Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression. Casting the terrifyingly powerful illusion of Heaven and Earth had drained every last ounce of his spiritual power. Gong Wei¡¯s hand fell back to the ground. Under the sky strewn with fluttering peach blossom petals, he closed his eyes for the last time and fell into an everlasting slumber. In the final scene of his life, he remembered that Xu Shuangtze got down, reached his hand towards his throat. But he did not know what had happened after his death. In the beginning of the twenty-eighth year of Taiyi¡¯s reign, during the Immortal Ascension Ceremony, the Chief of the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Department of Discipline, Gong Wei, armed with a sharp blade, attempted to assassinate the Cang Yang Sect Leader, Xu Shuangtze. He was slain by his target¡¯s sword in the end. The news spread to every corner of the earth and the world was shaken. ¡ª Sixteen years later¡­ ¡°¨C¡°Shidi¡± ¡°Shidi is awake!¡± ¡°Quickly call for Dashixiong!¡± There was complete chaos around him, like countless chickens clucking at the top of their voices. The noise tore into Gong Wei¡¯s temples, giving him a sudden throbbing pain. His first thought was, Dashixiong? My Dashixiong is here? But he quickly realised something was amiss, because in the Immortal Alliance, other than the chief disciple Ying Kai, there could not be so many people of greater seniority to address him as ¡®Shidi¡¯. Gong Wei barely opened his eyes and the first thing he felt was pain¡ªit was as though all his limbs and bones had been broken and pieced back together. This was the classic aftermath of losing control during cultivation practice. The pain made him dizzy and blurred his vision and it took a long while for everything to become clear. The first thing which appeared in his field of vision were plain, white bed curtains. Then it was a small, simple, but tidy room. A man who couldn¡¯t have been more than twenty, with neatly bunned up hair and a sword, stepped forward from a group of five or six teenagers and asked, ¡°How are you doing, Shidi? Quickly lie down! Don¡¯t move too much!¡± ¡­It sounded much like the last, angry cry he heard before his death, telling him not to move, this uncanny coincidence gave him a sense of familiarity¡­ Gong Wei, feeling decidedly light-headed, lay back down, only to see that his Dashixiong instructed several teenagers to stand guard outside the door. Then, the lad grabbed one of his hands to carefully feel for his pulse and was subsequently overwhelmed with relief, ¡°Shidi¡¯s spirit pulse is weak but he is out of critical condition. This is really good news!¡± Who am I? Where am I? Am I not already dead? ¡°Shidi, you must remember, the journey to immortality is the most treacherous of all risks. If you go off the rails again in your practice, loss of your cultivation is the least of your worries because you may even die! ¡ªAh, I know that you must be very sad right now, but Yuchi Xiao¡¯s marriage annulment is a done deal! Shidi must let this go. Your bloodline is not your choice, nor is it your fault; not to mention that you only have half of the Mei demon bloodline. Even if you were a pureblooded Mei demon, we would not change our opinion of you, let alone have any contempt¡­¡± Gong Wei, who was lying down like a stiffened corpse, suddenly heard something absurd. ¡°Hold on a minute!¡± Dashixiong turned a deaf ear, probably because he was too focused on repeating what he had rehearsed countless times while Gong Wei was unconscious. His speech sounded both passionate and wise, ¡°Although since ancient times, Mei demons have never cultivated a golden core, Shidi you are at least half human, so there must be hope! As long as you are willing to work hard, we all believe that you will be able to attain immortality! We will await your success with pride. We¡ªShidi! What¡¯s wrong with you? Are you unwell again? Somebody help!!!¡± Gong Wei who was in a deathly state just a moment ago sat up in a wave of shock, pulling Dashixiong closer, an undisguised horror reflected in his eyes. ¡°Mei demon?!¡± Dashixiong grew more fearful, ¡°Shidi! Have you lost your memory?¡± It wasn¡¯t until an hour later, when Gong Wei, relying on bits and pieces of information from conversations, and the scattered memories left by this body¡¯s original owner managed to make out his current situation. The body¡¯s owner was known as Xiang Xiaoyuan, a junior disciple who had just built up his foundation in cultivation practice. He had mediocre talent and a low level of cultivation, yet he was surprisingly famous in the Sect. Because he had a learning disability. For most disciples who have spiritual potential, it is exceedingly common for them to have an above average level of intellect. Therefore, a disciple like Xiaoyuan was one in a million. Sixteen years ago, disciples who were on duty found him at the foot of the mountain as a baby in a swaddle. He had a high fever, breathed faintly and couldn¡¯t even cry. Other than a note with the eight characters of his Four Pillars of Destiny, there was nothing left on him. The clan elders hired physicians and tirelessly fed him medicine for half a month before his fever subsided. However, it did cause some damage to his brain and consequently, his intellect. Since then, everyone believed that this was the main culprit for turning him into a slow learner. Xiang Xiaoyuan learnt to speak only around the age of six or seven and barely built his foundation in cultivation practice at the age of thirteen or fourteen. At present, he was unable to cultivate a golden core, which was regarded as an entrance test to a formal discipleship. So he remained as an unofficial disciple of the Sect. ¡ªHowever, it would also be false to say that the child was without merits. For example, he was obedient, diligent and no matter how challenging the training was, he would earnestly attempt to complete it, never complaining about hardship or fatigue. There were no elders in the Sect who did not like him.But there was one detrimental behavioural vice which could not be made up by every single one of his merits combined. The child had a natural obsession for beautiful girls and liked to look at them. If he were to meet one on the streets, he could trail behind her for an hour as if he were in a demonic trance, without reacting to anyone who attempted to speak to him. When he was younger, people paid less attention to the boy¡¯s unbecoming behaviour towards women. The beautiful ladies themselves would laugh it off as a slightly odd demeanour and did not take him too seriously. As a result of getting away with these actions, his behaviour became worse and he was subsequently attracted to beautiful men as well. ¡ªIf it were sixteen years ago when Gong Wei, the Chief of the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Department of Discipline was still alive, he would have berated Xiang Xiaoyuan at the very beginning and slapped him back to the training grounds to reflect and correct his ways. If he dared to reoffend, he would be tied up and sent to the disciplinary court to accept Gong Wei¡¯s ¡®raging love¡¯ of repentance. But surprisingly, the people around Xiaoyuan did not chastise nor punish him strictly. There was even once when he followed a group of disciples who specialised in medical practice down the mountain for their clinical duties. He followed them for a good twenty miles before realising that he had lost his way. The disciples took care of him with good meals and drinks for half a month before reluctantly sending him home with a bag full of elixirs. Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s life had been charmed and smooth sailing without any setbacks. He grew up excessively doted upon by everyone until he was sixteen. Half a year ago, he went down the mountain to purchase things with a senior disciple and consequently met the Madam of the Yuchi family, who was out travelling. Shixiong merely turned away for a moment when Xiang Xiaoyuan promptly got on the Yuchi family¡¯s horse carriage. For this inappropriate behaviour, it would not be unusual to have him dragged out on the streets for a heavy beating. However, Madam Yuchi was astonished by her encounter and was too startled to react accordingly. When she finally did, her displeasure had turned into pleasant surprise, her eyes gleamed and she gestured for Xiaoyuan to sit beside her. She reached out to stroke his hair and exclaimed, ¡°The rumours do not lie, you are really very, very, very good looking.¡± Her next sentence was, ¡°I have a son called Yuchi Xiao. He is twenty and still single. Are you willing to be his life partner?¡± Yuchi Xiao, the Sword Sect¡¯s legitimate heir. Not only did he have a pristine reputation in society, he was also the next generation leader of Xuanmen. With Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s intellect, he was probably unaware of what it meant to form a lifelong partnership. But to everyone else, this union meant a great social climb for him. If not for the special circumstances which surrounded the Sword Sect¡¯s internal family affairs, this match was not likely to happen. The Sect¡¯s elders immediately agreed to the proposal by Madam Yuchi and speedily sent his birth characters as a token to seal the deal. But as the marriage was about to be finalised, it was met with the violent objection of one man. Who would that be? None other than Yuchi Xiao himself. ¡°I already have someone in my heart and therefore I cannot obey my parent¡¯s wishes. Please forgive me. I am also aware that the Young Master Xiao has the blood of the Mei demons and is unusual in his behaviour and demeanour. I am unable to continue my path along with a non-human being. I humbly seek your forgiveness once again!¡± Yuchi Xiao was too quick and sharp with his words, even his own mother was unable to stop him in time before the words ¡®Mei demon¡¯ came out and caused Xiang Xiaoyuan to be utterly dumbfounded. Mei demons were the lowest class of demons. They had beautiful appearances but were lacking in intelligence. Other than charming the hearts of men, they did not have any devastating demonic abilities and were almost indistinguishable from a regular human being. The laws of the Immortal Alliance were strict, and stated that demons must be vanquished on sight. But the Mei demons were an exception for two key reasons: Firstly, they were able to complement humans and boost their cultivation practice, which greatly benefitted human practitioners. Secondly, the Mei demons were not smart, which made it a challenge for them to accomplish tasks which required thinking, such as plotting and harming humans. They were simply too dumb for anyone to bear to destroy them. Xiang Xiaoyuan had been persistently practicing for a number of years without knowing that he was half a Mei demon, which made all his efforts from the very beginning seem as futile as carrying water in a bamboo basket. The elders were afraid that he would be devastated and kept this secret from him. The boy went back in a daze only to throw up three litres of blood that night and lose control of himself, consequently suffering a qi deviation. Fortunately, his fellow disciples were well prepared, taking turns to watch over him twenty-four hours a day and found him in time to save his life. Otherwise, he risked dying from internal haemorrhaging. After slipping into a coma for half a month, Xiang Xiaoyuan finally woke up and everyone was relieved. But no one knew that the one who actually came back was the great Chief of the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Department of Justice, Gong Wei, who died under Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sword sixteen years ago. There was a deathly silence in the room. Gong Wei placed the back of his hand on his forehead and did not speak a word for a long time. Dashixiong was fearfully pinching the corner of the quilt, ready to rush out to call for help at any moment he showed signs of going into another qi deviation. ¡°Shidi? Are you okay?¡± Shidi is not okay, Shidi is already dead and his soul has already crossed the Naihe bridge! ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei finally let out a long sigh, looked up at his Dashixiong and said sincerely, ¡°Brother, there is one thing I must tell you. I am not¡ª¡± Shixiong stared nervously at Gong Wei. Gong Wei stared back, expressionless. ¡°¡­No.¡± Gong Wei changed his mind the next moment and asked, ¡°I want to meet Yuchi Xiao first.¡± Shixiong immediately gave an ¡®I knew you are still not well¡¯ expression and said, ¡°Never!!!¡± Gong Wei compromised. ¡°Madam Yuchi is fine too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even worse!!! The elders have instructed that you are to focus on recuperating and not be emotional, and you are forbidden from seeing anyone with the name Yuchi in this world!!!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This time Gong Wei was silent for an even longer while before he looked up again earnestly at his Shixiong and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back to that thing I had to tell you earlier. Actually, I am not¡ª¡± Knock, knock, knock! The nervous voice of a fellow disciple came from outside the door, ¡°Brother Qian, Brother Qian! The visitor from the Sword Sect has arrived at the front hall, and the Master has summoned you to update them if Shidi¡¯s condition has improved!¡± ¡ªThe Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi family, what a coincidence! Brother Qian immediately pressed Gong Wei back to the bed, fearing that he would create trouble. He then tucked him in with several layers of quilts. ¡°Shidi, recuperate well and do not think too much. The elders and your fellow brothers and sisters will come to accompany you later. Do not run around, understand?¡± Gong Wei nodded his head obediently. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Brother Qian would never have thought that this guy in front of him was a master at manipulation, speaking the human language to humans and even the ghost language to ghosts. Brother Qian rambled a while more to console him, replenished his water and tea before rushing out of the room. As soon as he left, Gong Wei rolled out of his bed, straightened his attire, patted his sleeves and opened the door with a creak. Before he could step outside, two teenagers standing like javelins¡ªunbelievably straight¡ªoutside the door turned around at the same time and with the same voice said, ¡ª¡±Why did you get out of bed and walk around, quickly go back to rest and recuperate!¡± ¡ª¡±Shidi must be hungry and thirsty, tell us where do you want to go?¡± ¡­Was there a need to be so tightly guarded?! There were six eyes facing each other now, the air was still and the two teenagers¡¯ faces turned bizarrely red at the same time. Xbcu Qfl vlv j olra lc qjiw ufraegf, jqbibulrfv obg atf vlraegyjcmf, yfobgf gfaegclcu ab tlr gbbw. Lf uijcmfv jgbecv atf rqjmf jcv j klcvbk ibmxfv ys j mtjlc rbbc mjeuta tlr jaafcalbc. C ofk ygfjatr ijafg¡­ Ktf wfaji mtjlc rbecvifrris ygbxf lcab rfnfgji qlfmfr jcv Xbcu Qfl gfilfv bc tlr iluta ybvs ab clwyis rdeffhf atgbeut atf cjggbk bqfclcu. Lf verafv tlwrfio klat j qja jcv j rabwq, atfc tjylaejiis qijmfv tlr tjcvr yftlcv tlr yjmx. Jjiwis jcv ectegglfvis, tf kfca ragjluta ab atf ogbca tjii. In his previous life, Gong Wei presided over the Disciplinary Court. In order to promote education in the Immortal Cultivation field, improve the public image of the Immortal Alliance, maintain the peaceful and fair development of the major sects, he worked tirelessly until his death and made outstanding contributions¡ªsomething which the major sects led by Xu Shuangtze denied¡ªbut it it was more or less the case. Because of his work, he had numerous dealings with the Yuchi family. The head of the Yuchi family was Yuchi Rui, the great leader of the legendary Sword Sect, one of three major sects in the pugilistic world. He held formidable power, had immense strength and extraordinary status, and was also the uncle of Yuchi Xiao. He was the closest buddy in Gong Wei¡¯s past life. So many years have passed, Gong Wei did not know whether Xu Shuangtze was dead or alive. If he was not dead, it was very likely that he would raise his sword to slay him once again. But Gong Wei was not too afraid, for as long as he could regroup with his old buddy, by even shamelessly leeching onto him, he could be comfortably shielded by the Sword Immortal Yuchi Rui. The two of them could even think of a way to bring Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s soul back from Hell and into his mortal body. Gong Wei trailed Brother Qian from a distance and leisurely strolled from the back of the mountain to the front of the Hall. He was able to catch a glimpse of a stern looking disciple clad in green robes from another clan standing there. He had an unmissable aura of discipline around him, as if he would arrest any person of irrelevance loitering within ten feet. Afraid that he might be caught, Gong Wei jumped up to the roof and carefully lifted up two glazed tiles to eavesdrop in secret. ¡°¡­This evil creature is exceptionally rare and behaves in a bizarre manner. Linjiang City already has twenty-eight strange deaths. I am aware of the Sect¡¯s stand, but unless it was a matter of life and death, I wouldn¡¯t dare to ascend the mountain to disturb¡­¡± In the hall, there were several middle-aged practitioners sitting individually in a row, each one of them were clearly frowning. Brother Qian, who had just been summoned there retreated to the side, his brow was unconsciously furrowed. It seemed that he was discontented with what was said but did not dare to protest. The person who was speaking was a young man barely in his twenties. Gong Wei carefully scrutinised him only to see that this handsome man had well-defined brows, shaped like a sword and clear bright eyes. He was certainly an imposing figure, but with a look of arrogance between his brows which was typical of someone his age. He was clothed in the Sword Sect¡¯s official robe of an eagle back brown with a golden trim. On his left sleeve, there was a finely patterned embroidery of golden threads which went round the upper arm area six times forming six distinct rings. Gong Wei¡¯s heart could not help but exclaim. These six golden rings had an impressive meaning. The disciples of the Sword Sect were not entitled to use golden threads at the start. Only when they had attained achievements of considerable merit of great impact to the people, could one open the ancestral hall to announce the deed and be rewarded with a tightly woven embroidered ring of gold thread on their sleeve. The standards for achievements to be considered great were terribly high, including but not limited to: resisting natural disasters, preventing wars, killing higher demons and ghosts, discovering and promptly informing the Immortal Alliance about traces of great demons, etc. It was worth noting the standards could be subjective at times. There was one instance that the Sword Immortal Yuchi Rui himself travelled widely when he was young and coincidentally saved the little emperor who secretly visited a brothel and did not have enough money to pay the bill. He was almost caught and forced to wash dishes as a consequence. This deed was announced far and wide and Yuchi Rui was allowed to wear an embroidered golden ring on his sleeve. Of course, it is not everyday that an emperor would appear at brothels needing help, so under normal circumstances, the golden ring was not easy to obtain. A Sword Sect disciple who had one ring was considered to be a rare talent and to have two rings was even more phenomenal. The young man in front of him had six. His status in the Yuchi family and even the entire Immortal Alliance must be undeniably high. Gong Wei was observing through the slit of the roof tiles, only to hear Brother Qian finally could not help but speak, ¡°Yuchi Xiao¡¯s words are extremely just, but you may not be aware that my Shidi has been in a coma for half a month after losing control and only just woken up. So how can he¡ª¡± ¡°Mao Zhang! Don¡¯t be rude!¡± The elder on the main seat rebuked. Poor Brother Qian knelt down instantly and did not dare to say anything else. Gong Wei was curious now. What does this have to do with the little Mei demon? ¡°I am well aware, but this matter cannot be helped.¡± The young man¡¯s face was determined though he said in a softer tone, ¡°I only know of one such person born in the Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour and Yin minute. That person is your Shidi, Xiang Xiaoyuan. There is absolutely no time to find another like him. Linjiang City already has twenty-eight who died so recently that their corpses are almost still warm. At this point in time, it is critical that we capture the culprit. I guarantee¡ªwho is listening?!¡± As soon as Gong Wei heard ¡®Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, Yin hour and Yin minute¡¯, his mind drifted. With a body disposition that was so yin, he was a natural tool to complement and boost cultivation practice. It is no wonder Madam Yuchi cherished Xiaoyuan as a treasure¡ªbut this was not important. The key was that this unlucky child was born on the same day that he died sixteen years ago! He only took a slightly deeper breath at this thought and it was enough for the young man below to detect him and look up. He then darted outside the hall shouting, ¡°Stop where you are!¡± Gong Wei reacted swift as lightning. He used his qinggong to flee, instantly darting twenty yards away into the distant peach blossom forest, only to hear the crowd of disciples behind him. ¡°Who is there!¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Brother Xiang!¡± ¡°That Yuchi Xiao is after him! Stop him!!!¡± Gong Wei rolled his eyes. ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Just then a strong gust of wind came from behind him, Gong Wei tilted his head, an unsheathed sword grazed his ear and hit the tree trunk in front of him like a bolt of lightning¡ªboom! The tree shook and petals scattered on the ground. Gong Wei¡¯s escape was resolutely obstructed. He was forced to turn around and drift down. He saw the young man with his sword-like brows.¡±It really is you!¡± Gong Wei faced the man¡¯s troubled expression calmly and even reacted with a smile, ¡°Young Master Yuchi Xiao?¡± There were faint noises of people coming into the peach blossom forest, but the other disciples had not caught up yet. The young man retracted his sword in a woosh. Swish, swish, swish. He moved back by three big steps. His line of sight then shifted towards the waist of Gong Wei, and he gritted his teeth and forced out a few words. ¡°Young Master Xiang, can you return me the token?!¡± Gong Wei traced his line of sight and looked down as well. There was a blood jade pendant hung on the waist area of his inner robes. It was originally hidden, but slipped into sight with all the movement earlier. The pendant was about half the size of his palm, and had extremely intricate carvings of the Sword Sect¡¯s distinctive family crest, the Qiling. It was Madam Yuchi herself who tied the token onto the body of Xiaoyuan. But when the young Mei demon slipped into a coma, the situation became chaotic and no one found the time to return it. Gong Wei placed his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Young Master Yuchi, I thought that your first words should be ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯.¡± Yuchi Xiao frowned and retorted, ¡°What do I have to be sorry for?¡± ¡°¡­¡± That¡¯s right, regarding the words Mei demon blood, inhuman being and not worthy¡ªwhich one of them that Yuchi Xiao said was incorrect? So what was there to be sorry for? Gong Wei opened his mouth, there were some words at the tip of his tongue, but he pondered for a moment then retracted them. Using two long and slender fingers to pick up the blood jade pendant, he dangled it mockingly in front of Yuchi Xiao. ¡°Want this?¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s face was now mildly worried, ¡°This blood jade Qiling is the Yuchi family¡¯s token of marriage, passed down from our ancestors. Since you and I have no relations, I beseech the young master to return it immediately.¡± Gong Wei nodded and casually tossed the pendant high up and onto the palm of his other hand. Pa. He finally gave an unmistakably evil look and a hit-me-if-you-dare smirk.¡°Hehe, not returning¡ª¡± Yuchi Xiao blinked. ¡°¡­¡± He stared at Xiang Xiaoyuan, his eyes reflected astonishment, as if he witnessed someone possessed by an evil spirit right before him. Gong Wei cleared his throat immediately and speedily browsed through the memories of this body for a suitable reaction to put up a bluff. He instantly changed his facial expression to one of aggrievement and even teared up. ¡°Waa, waa~ I¡¯m not returning.¡± The air turned so quiet that Yuchi Xiao was about to suffocate and die. Just then footsteps shuffled up from behind him, and the elders who were in the front hall just now finally rushed over with a group of disciples. The middle-aged cultivator who led the group was about to separate the two, but suddenly his eyes darted across them and caught a glimpse of something in the distance. He immediately displayed a solemn face and went down on all fours. ¡°Lord Xu!¡± The crowd of disciples hurried to follow suit. Yuchi Xiao looked behind Xiaoyuan, his expression immediately changed, and with one knee to the ground he pressed his sword to the other side. ¡°I humbly greet Lord Xu!¡± Gong Wei¡¯s pupils slowly dilated. As the person behind him approached step by step, there was an unexpected soul-ripping pain that emerged from the left side of his chest. It was as though the same icy cold blade had pierced his heart once more, sending blood and flesh bursting out of his chest. Bu Nai He¡ªNo Way Out. No one around him noticed that Gong Wei¡¯s inner robes began to flutter lightly. He forcefully pressed down on his chest, his fingertips digging into his flesh, his tendons rippling until his knuckle turned white, before he stumbled to the ground, landing on his knees. The cold voice rang out again from over his head. ¡°What¡¯s all this racket about?¡± CH 2 Editor: Sahloknir Gong Wei recovered from his shock at seeing Xu Shuangtze to consider why he would be seeing him at this time. In this life Gong Wei just had to be a member of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s Sect, this had to be¡­Cang Yang Sect! Why did it have to be here of all places? The Immortal Alliance was vast¡ªforged by two sovereigns, there were three key sects with four immortals, six noble families and eight smaller sects. On top of this, there were also twelve lesser houses and more than a hundred Xuanmen families around. Why did it have to be Cang Yang Sect? Gong Wei heard a buzzing noise in his ears. He could not clearly hear Yuchi Xiao¡¯s response nor make out what the crowd had said. The heavy wounds inflicted by Xu Shuangtze¡¯s divine sword were carved onto the soul of its victim for all eternity. This severe pain nearly overwhelmed all his senses. It was only the timespan of a few short breaths, yet it felt like several interminable decades before Xu Shuangtze, in his robe of delicate, golden embellishment passed him by and walked away into the distance. Gong Wei¡¯s violently spasming heart finally felt a hint of relief. Still trembling, he exhaled deeply, only to hear Yuchi Xiao¡¯s taut voice from not far away, ¡°¡­I was passing through Linjiang City when Young Master Meng sent me a letter asking for help. I could not ignore these tragic incidents¡­¡± After annulling the marriage proposal with Gong Wei, Yuchi Xiao was dragged by his ear down Can Yang Mountain by his mother. They were preparing to return to their ancestral hall at Golden Gate, for him to receive punishment from the Sword Sect leader in accordance with the family laws, for being a disobedient and unfilial son. However, on their way through Lingjiang City, they encountered some strange incidents. Olcpljcu kjr j ojwber mlas klat j ibcu tlrabgs. Dfmjerf bo atf ragbcu qgfrfcmf bo gbsjias lc atf mlas, la kjr rjlv ab tjnf fcpbsfv flutas sfjgr bo qfjmf, klatbea atf qgfrfcmf bo fnli rqlglar bg utbra tjecalcur. Lbkfnfg, lc pera tjio j wbcat, atfgf tjv yffc wjcs ragjcuf jcv agjulm jmmlvfcar, klat akfcas-fluta qfbqif vslcu bcf joafg jcbatfg. Not just any people either, rather it was twenty-eight stunning beauties. The first victim was the number one courtesan in Linjiang City. She was eighteen years of age and nationally proclaimed beauty. It was said that her song and dance performance alone was worth a thousand gold pieces. Just half a month ago, she was summoned to a prince¡¯s residence for a zither performance. It was an exceptionally elegant event with guests drinking merrily while awaiting her grand appearance. The courtesan arrived, decked in joyous smiles and politely excused herself to change into her performance robes only to go missing for over an hour. The prince sent his servants to look for her. They found her in the room, hung from the ceiling beam with still-warm tears dampening her face. Before she died, she had maniacally chewed and swallowed tree bark and leaves. Her precious bejewelled hairpin was tossed on the floor. The same night the courtesan mysteriously died, a wealthy man in the city was marrying off his daughter. It was yet another grand event, lavishly decorated in a festive red. The groom was in the front hall entertaining their guests when the beautiful bride rabidly shrieked and dashed out of their bridal chamber with a pair of razor sharp scissors in hand. She jumped on any living thing that came within her sight, slashing at them savagely. When she noticed her helplessly shocked groom, she became even madder and pounced on him with an intent to kill. The terrified groom was saved by the group of guests. But before they could restrain the bride, she screamed a few times in anguish before stabbing her own throat with the weapon. The two fatalities were not the end of that bloody night. Just as it approached dawn, at a local immortal cultivation sect within Linjiang City, a handsome young practitioner ran out all of a sudden as if he was possessed. He did not have the poise and mannerism of before as he drew his sword and madly cut at the rocks in his training grounds. Fellow disciples who heard the commotion gathered around, but could not approach. They could only helplessly witness him exhaust his spiritual power before jumping into the freezing pond and then cutting his own throat with his sword. His blood gushed out like a waterfall and when he was finally rescued, he¡¯d already stopped breathing. These three bizarre deaths marked the beginning of the chaos in Linjiang City. In the half a month that followed, there was at least one such case each day. Among the victims, there were some who cried themselves to death, some who were frightened to death, some who turned maniacal, and there was even a remarkably beautiful performer who desperately kowtowed to the air, and then died from crushing the top of her skull. As soon as Yuchi Xiao received his friend, Meng Yun''s call for help, he immediately brought his men to Lingjiang City. Being a veteran at dealing with demonic evils, he personally examined the twenty corpses and discovered that all of them had extremely Yin Four Pillars of Destiny characters. This could only mean that the cases were not random acts of suicidal violence. It had already been half a month of deaths. If it was an evil spirit, then by now it would have shown signs of evolving to a greater demon. If not stopped the consequences for the next century would most definitely be disastrous. Strangely though, even when Yuchi Xiao used his enchanted weapons, he was not able to detect a trace of Yin energy in Linjiang City. In fact, there was no trace of evil spirits, demons or even ghosts. The group of cultivators investigating this case suspected that the evil spirit, demon or ghost had fled. But late last night, it revealed its horrifying trail. It was as though it deliberately provoked the immortal cultivators, eight died in a night. One of them was a female with a longstanding reputation and from a reputable sect. She died in the room next to Yuchi Xiao¡ªshe was face down in a wash basin, having drowned herself. From the start to the end of the deaths, there was none who sensed anything awry. Even Yuchi Xiao who was in the room next door did not detect any evil aura in the vicinity. Any time an evil spirit harms humans, they will definitely leave traces of Yin energy. It is the same as humans who radiate life energy, ghosts with ghost energy, corpses with corpse energy. If there were no traces of residual energy whatsoever, that could only mean that there were no external forces which harmed these people, and that the twenty-eight victims turned insane one day and caused their own demise. But how was this possible? Clearly there was no reason for any of them to want to kill themselves. The community of immortal cultivators knew that they had met a rare and powerful opponent in their lifetime and were at a loss. Yuchi Xiao suddenly thought of a sure way to bait this evil spirit out of hiding¡ªThe Four Pillars of Destiny. Eight characters, pure Yin. A person with birth characters that could not be more Yin and one with exceptional beauty. It had to be Xiang Xiaoyuan. ¡°At this point the death count is eight men and twenty women, most of them are Taoist by birth, including four cultivators who have developed their golden cores. I have ordered all the cultivators with heavy yin in their birth characters to be transferred out of the city, but the situation is of utmost urgency and cannot be delayed for even a moment.¡± Yuchi Xiao was kneeling with one knee on the ground and sincerely pleaded, ¡°The people say ¡®one clan, two sovereigns, three sects¡¯, Cang Yang Sect is the number one sect in the world. I would like to ask Lord Xu to lend a helping hand to save Lijiang City from this disaster. I will forever be grateful!¡± Xu Shuangtze seemed to have heard nothing. The crowd was still kneeling down with heads lowered without even daring to breathe. The peach blossom forest was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Only Xu Shuangtze¡¯s unhurried footsteps paced along the rows of bowed heads, as if looking for something. He suddenly stopped in front of a disciple and said indifferently, ¡°Raise your head.¡± The disciple raised his head with trepidation, Xu Shuangtze rested one hand on the hilt of his sword, measured him for a moment without emotion before turning to another disciple, ¡°Raise your head.¡± The air was heavy with suspicion and fear, and only Gong Wei could hear another hidden vibration¡ªthe call of the sword, No Way Out. No Way Out could sense the scars it had branded on nearby souls. Gong Wei¡¯s hands were pressed hard against the ground, each breath brought him severe pain. After an unknown amount of time, he caught a glimpse of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robe stopping in front of him. A deep voice commanded, ¡°Look up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei raised his gaze inch by inch, and in the midst of the excruciating pain, finally, after sixteen years, saw the still familiar face of Xu Shuangtze. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes were horribly black, like two lifeless wells, which were frightening to witness. That ice cold face seemed to be frozen with age, especially when his gaze fell onto someone, it was as if he were standing on top of the ice peaks and snowfields, looking down on all beings from a distance. Gong Wei, using Xiaoyuan¡¯s innocent gaze, looked at Xu Shuangtze with a confused and intimidated expression, without a trace of irregularity. It was a long time before Xu Shuangtze finally turned, the tone of voice cold and still, ¡°Harsh punishment will be used for anyone who causes disturbances in this forest in future.¡± He walked back where he came from, and Yuchi Xiao, full of surprise, suddenly raised his head, ¡°Lord Xu! I implore you to help us, save Linjiang City from the disaster! Many lives are at stake¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze passed in front of him, his eyes glancing at him from top to bottom, ¡°Life and death are predestined. There is a time and place for everything. This is the Taoist law of nature.¡± The pupils of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s eyes constricted. Xu Shuangtze, with his hands behind his back, walked on. Without looking at the crowd again, he disappeared into the depths of the peach forest. CH 3 Editor: Sahloknir Half a day later, at the foot of Cang Yang Mountain¡­ A young cultivator in an emerald green robe with a guqin on his back, was pacing back and forth by the roadside for a long time. He looked towards a path leading up the mountain incessantly. Finally, he saw a familiar figure from afar and raised his voice, ¡°Brother Yuchi!¡± Yuchi Xiao stepped forward. ¡°Yunfei? Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait for my news at Linjiang City? Why have you come all this way by yourself?¡± AD The person he spoke to was Meng Yunfei, the friend who, a few days ago, had sent the letter asking for help. He was a handsome and dignified man, had the same build as Yuchi Xiao, but with an added elegance in his demeanour. He asked eagerly, ¡°What did Cang Yang Sect say?¡± Yuchi Xiao shook his head in disappointment and went on to summarise what had happened when he visited Lord Xu on the mountain. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone use the Taoist Law of Nature to dismiss such things¡­¡± Meng Yunfei consoled him, ¡°Lord Xu¡¯s temperament has always been peculiar, the whole world knows this. Since the death of Chief Gong sixteen years ago, the Sword Sect has been at odds with Cang Yang Sect. It is to be expected that he did not wish to lend his hand. How about Young Master Xiang, did he agree to help?¡± As Yuchi Xiao was about to reply, he sensed someone¡¯s presence and spun around with swish. Not far along the mountain path, a sixteen-year-old boy was seated cross-legged on the upper branches of a tree. His face was fair like snow and he had dark eyes that shone as though stars cascaded within. On his shoulder was a bulky floral print bag and he was leisurely snacking on melon seeds while looking at the both of them. Yuchi Xiao stared in surprise. ¡°How can you pack so quickly?!¡± Nonsense, how can I not be quick. Who would not run off fast after seeing Xu Shuangtze? After Xu Shuangtze left, Gong Wei had immediately volunteered to go to Linjiang City. He politely declined the elders¡¯ kind intentions to send men to accompany and protect him, while conveying his enthusiasm and determination to help the citizens be rid of harm. He also firmly expressed his trust in the young swordsman, Yuchi Xiao before hastily packing his belongings to leave. On his way out, his disciple sisters insistently stuffed him with numerous snacks to bring along the journey. Even the sheer weight of the bag, which was now half his body size, could not delay his brisk exit. He was not afraid of being recognised by Xu Shuangtze, who would undoubtedly kill him without hesitation once again, but Xiang Xiaoyuan was an innocent party. If he were to cripple this body, what is the use of conjuring the young Mei demon¡¯s soul back? ¡°This must be Xiang Xiaoyuan right?¡± Meng Yunfei saw Gong Wei and was momentarily dumbfounded and his handsome face blushed. Yuchi Xiao witnessed his expression and replied with a tinge of jealousy, ¡°If it¡¯s the fool who runs after people and can¡¯t be shaken off then that¡¯s definitely him. Do you still need to ask?¡± Meng Yunfei spoke with a hint of disapproval, ¡°Brother Yuchi! How can you say that!¡± In his previous life, Gong Wei and Xu Shuangtze were not on good terms. It was especially worse in the last four years of his life, when they were both adversarial and confrontational. During that time, Xu Shuangtze made a harsh comment about Gong Wei, saying that he enjoyed playing with people¡¯s hearts and it clearly reflected his questionable character. But this was truly maligning him. Gong Wei had limited knowledge of the human heart and mind, let alone the ability to manipulate them¡ªhowever, he was exceptionally sensitive to the subtle emotional changes of people around him and relied on guesswork and observation. For example, even with his pair of lifeless and weary eyes, just by observing how Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei interacted, he was able to sense the air around them, pick up hints and roughly understand their dynamics. When Yuchi Xiao rejected Xiang Xiaoyuan, he gave a reason that his heart belonged to another. Now, this may not exactly be a lie. But it didn¡¯t matter to him anymore, this nephew of the Yuchi family was definitely deserving of some punishment and someday he will pay the price. As Gong Wei finished his last melon seed, he dusted his hands and hopped down from the tree. As expected, the massive bag caused him to stagger under its weight and he almost fell. Meng Yunfei reached out to support him. ¡°Careful!¡± ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan¡± was still young and as a martial arts practitioner, Meng Yunfei could easily grab hold of the entire circumference of his elbow. Gong Wei, regardless of the situation, could always enter the zone for a ¡®performance¡¯. From where he was, he lifted his eyelids, pursed his lips into a smile and said in a small voice, ¡°I don¡¯t have a sword.¡± Meng Yunfei froze. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°I am a non-human being so I can¡¯t form a golden core and don¡¯t have a sword.¡± Gong Wei tilted his head and gazed wide-eyed at him. His expression was innocent and sincere, as if he did not even understand what the words ¡°non-human¡± meant. He continued, ¡°Can you take me along on your sword?¡± Yuchi Xiao reacted as if he was just struck by lightning, he violently objected, ¡°How is this possible? Lingjiang City is a long distance away and Yunfei¡¯s sword cannot carry both of you. You, come here!¡± Gong Wei slipped behind Meng Yunfei and peeked at Yuchi Xiao warily with fearful eyes. This made Meng Yunfei respond, ¡°That¡¯s enough Brother Yuchi. Young Master Xiang is still young, stop scaring him.¡± Yuchi Xiao was aggrieved. ¡°Scare him? Did you know how well this lad put up an act at Cang Yang Sect? He was clearly¡ª¡± Meng Yunfei glanced back. Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s eyes were fast turning red, and as he blinked, tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Meng Yunfei said, ¡°That¡¯s enough Brother Yuchi. You stay away from Xiang Xiaoyuan, it¡¯s decided.¡± Temtl Wljb ujqfv. ¡°Qtja?!¡± Xbcu Qfl ibbxfv eq ja Zfcu Tecofl, rclooilcu tlr gfvvlrt cbrf ktlif obgmlcu bea j rwlif, atfc abbx j kjgs ibbx ja Temtl Wljb, oeii bo alwlv lccbmfcmf. Ca atja lcrajca, Temtl Wljb wbra mifjgis rjk tlw wbeat atf kbgvr,¡±Lff-tff.¡± Temtl Wljb kjr lcoegljafv ab atf qblca atf tjlgr bc tlr rxlc kfgf jybea ab fzqibvf jcv tf gfifcaifrris aeuufv ja Zfcu Tecofl¡¯r riffnf. Obbx! Obbx!! Obbx ja atf kjs tf yftjnfr abkjgvr wf, ibbx!¡± Meng Yunfei broke away from his grip, evidently annoyed, ¡°I will not look! You are not allowed to talk anymore, move!¡± Three people on two swords rode the wind for half a day across a thousand miles. Gong Wei was comfortably wrapped in Meng Yunfei¡¯s cloak. Out of nowhere, he pulled out a handful of melon seeds and began to snack again as he asked, ¡°Senior Meng, you mentioned that the Sword Sect and Xu Shuang¡­ and our Lord Xu were on bad terms¡­ Why is that?¡± Meng Yunfei, perhaps because his cultivation speciality was in the guqin, did not give off the intensely sharp vibe typical of sword cultivators. On the contrary, he emanated a comforting, brotherly warmth, using one hand to hold on to the back collar of the cloak to prevent Gong Wei from falling down. Laughing lightly, Meng Yunfei said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know about this? I don¡¯t blame you, you were only two days old then right? Do you know of the Immortal Chief Gong from the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Department of Discipline?¡± Gong Wei was excited. ¡°Hey, how can I not know! Our Master Xu hates him!¡± The words ¡®love¡¯, ¡®hate¡¯, ¡®happy¡¯, ¡®sad¡¯, ¡®jealous¡¯ and other words used to describe emotions cannot be associated with Xu Shuangtze. Since many years ago, he had turned himself into a cold and abstract spiritual symbol. Meng Yunfei laughed, but did not correct him. ¡°Perhaps! Anyway, sixteen years ago, there was an accident and Chief Gong passed away. A few days after the death of the Immortal, the Sword Sect Leader himself left the Golden Gate and ascended Cang Yang Mountain. He demanded to see Lord Xu who refused any visitors. This angered him so much that with a single slash, he crushed the Sect¡¯s stone monument into dust¡ªthe stone monument which you see now at Cang Yang Sect is a replacement piece.¡± Gong Wei stopped cracking his melon seed between his teeth, and was quiet for a moment. Perhaps because of the sound of the wind, his clear voice sounded mellow, ¡°¡­What happened after? How did Lord Xu retaliate?¡± The stone monument standing at the mountain¡¯s entrance was the face and pride of the Sect. A grudge like this could warrant a revenge conflict which could easily stretch for a decade or even a century. This depended entirely on whether Lord Xu was forgiving of the insult¡ªbut Lord Xu never was. Meng Yunfei was just about to answer when Yuchi Xiao flew closer from a distance with a whoosh. He leaned right next to his ear and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to this kid!¡± Then bent down and roared at Gong Wei, ¡°Don¡¯t try to influence Yunfei! He is an honest man!!!¡± Meng Yunfei stared in shock, ¡°Young Master Xiang, what¡¯s wrong? Wake up, Young Master Xiang! ¡ªHe seems to have fainted from fright!!! Young Master!!!¡± The trio arrived at Linjiang City in the evening. This famous city was no longer the splendid and elegant city of the past. The brothels and merry-making establishments were in a depressing state. All the major families staying in the city had closed their doors and even the illustrious Linjiang Prince¡¯s residence was bolted shut. The cultivators who were staying in the city were long gathered in the front hall of the Prince¡¯s residence, anxiously awaiting Young Master Yuchi and Young Master Meng¡¯s return. Once they saw them landing from their swords, they immediately flocked around and updated them about the situation in the city for the past half a day. The brothels and merry-making establishments were naturally closed for business and their top courtesans were all afraid and anxious. Beautifully dressed and in their usual attire of jewellery and trinkets, they too were gathered and surrounded the various Immortal Cultivation Sects. The entire street was filled with the sound of their whispering sweet voices and crisp tinkling of jewellery as they moved. It was so packed that young cultivators leaving the Sect¡¯s doors for errands had to brush past them and blushed with embarrassment. Wealthy families were more well-informed and knew that the majority who died were the female cultivators from the Immortal Sects. They did not dare to place their hopes on this helpless bunch of cultivators. Instead, they had very early on bawled and bid farewell to their handsome children and sent them out of the town to safety. Even the Prince¡¯s residence was on edge. The servants had begun to relay that the prince was not feeling well and closed the residence to guests since the late afternoon. Meng Yunfei raised his sharp brows and turned to a young man in his twenties, dressed in a vermillion robe and teased, ¡°Your Highness, are you not feeling well?¡± The Prince of Linjiang was a suave man with excellent manners, but unfortunately at this time, there was only a bitter smile on his face. ¡°Immortal Masters, I was too hasty and promised to open up my residence where the lady hung herself, for you to conduct the ritual. However, the Royal Court has already been alerted and conveyed their harsh dissatisfaction with this matter. You mentioned your plan is to lure the evil spirit out and capture it, but what if, what if¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao did not have the same level of tolerance as Meng Yunfei and hit the nail on the head. ¡°Your Highness must have changed your mind seeing that Lord Xu is not here personally to carry this out, am I right?¡± The prince laughed but sounded more as if he was crying. ¡°Immortal Master, must you force me to spell it out?¡± Lord Xu was the world¡¯s most powerful man and his authority was unshakeable. Many years ago, the late emperor once paid a visit to Cang Yang Mountain and proposed to confer upon Lord Xu the position of State Master. Although he was callously rejected by Xu Shuangtze, it was evident that his prestige was far-reaching and acknowledged by even the Royal Family. The Prince of Linjiang would have opened up his entire royal residence to Xu Shuangtze to vanquish the evil spirits, but may not take the same gamble if it was just Yuchi Xiao. And it was only understandable. Ever since Gong Wei stepped into the prince¡¯s residence, he stood in front of the windowsill with hands behind his back. He examined the white heron orchids which bloomed from a jade pot and smiled. He may not know the aptitude of Young Master Meng but those six golden rings embroidered on the sleeves of Yuchi Xiao were no hoax. His abilities alone to eliminate demons were definitely comparable to the capabilities of the Sword Sect¡¯s Leader himself when he was a young swordsman. The Prince of Linjiang obviously was not knowledgeable about the internal affairs of the Xuanmen. He did not know that if he were to turn down Yuchi Xiao today, he would have to invite other experts of Lord Xu¡¯s level¡ªbut these individuals will most likely ignore him. Yuchi Xiao shut his eyes and when he opened them once more, it was clear that he was suppressing his anger. ¡°It is now past five in the evening and the skies will be dark soon. Eight people died last night, if we don¡¯t resolve the problem tonight, ten, twelve or even twenty people may soon die. Your Highness is aware of this right?¡± The prince said sincerely, ¡°Do not worry, there are many other locations where the victims have died in the past two days, I will personally lead the way there. Come, please.¡± Yuchi Xiao said, ¡°I have told Your Highness that the spot where this evil spirit caused its first bloodshed would have the strongest bloodlust and is also the best place to draw it out. Your Highness understands this right?¡± The prince said, ¡°I do, I do, I will move my family to another town tonight. Do the Immortal Masters wish to go to other locations first to take a look?¡± The fire within Yuchi Xiao could not be suppressed, ¡°The evil spirit must be eliminated in a single blow. The most important thing right now is to not delay any further, otherwise once it evolves into a demon, it will cause destruction for the next century. Surely Your Highness does not need me to explain more right?¡± The prince personally poured a cup of tea for him, ¡°Immortal Master is really knowledgeable. Come, have some tea, if not once we head over to the places¡ª¡± ¡°Your Highness,¡± said Gong Wei with a smile. His voice was soft and gentle, like a dream that lingered sweetly in the ears. The chamber which was just filled with clamour quietened down altogether, only to see Gong Wei turn his head back from the pot of white heron orchids, move through the crowd and look tenderly at the Prince of Linjiang. ¡°Your Highness has raised good orchids. I am hungry, may I eat them?¡± ¡ªNo one noticed a faint red glow from the depths of his right eye pupil. It appeared like a peach blossom petal, drifting down a branch in early spring, which then disappeared without a trace. Everyone around took a dumbfounded look at Gong Wei, their expressions seemingly frozen. It felt like a long time had passed before sounds of soft breaths resumed from all directions. ¡°¡­eat¡­eat what?¡± The Prince seemed to have fallen into a drifting dream, looking straight into the eyes of Gong Wei, murmuring and repeating, ¡°Can¡­can I eat?¡± Gong Wei said, ¡°Yes, you can.¡± He plucked the white heron orchid, tore off half of the snow-white petals and slowly nibbled at it. Smiling, he said, ¡°Your Highness, I am tired, tonight I wish to sleep in the room where the first person died. May I?¡± The Prince¡¯s eyes stared at him without blinking. He could not take his gaze off the lad and stammered, ¡°Sure¡­sure, I will take you there. Now¡­I will take you there right now.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes curved. That same smile appeared on Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s face without contradiction. He grinned, ate the remaining half of the flower, and said, ¡°Thank you then, Your Highness.¡± The young prince did not take his eyes off ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ the entire way. He personally led all the esteemed cultivators into the courtyard of the room where the courtesan had committed suicide. He attentively entertained them with conversation until the sky was completely dark and Yuchi Xiao had to speak up to drive the Prince and his attendants away. It was then that the young prince, as though he just woken up from a beautiful dream, reluctantly took his leave. Yuchi Xiao gestured for the servants to leave and immediately questioned Gong Wei, ¡°Did you use a Mei demon¡¯s enchantment on him?¡± The lavish chamber still had the crime scene perfectly preserved. A white damask was hanging from the beam, there was a flipped over stool, the furnishings were in a mess and there were jewelled beads scattered all over the floor. Even the thick woven carpet was stained with a few drops of dried blood. Gong Wei was pacing around the room when he heard the question and lifted the tip of a brow. He swiftly turned back with a look of utter surprise and innocence, ¡°Swordsman Yuchi, why do you say it like that? I¡¯m a non-human being so there¡¯s nothing wrong with using non-human tricks.¡± Meng Yunfei who was seated at the side finally could not take it and closed his book with a snap. ¡°Young Master Xiang, you and we are the same ordinary people. Please do not take those cheap remarks to heart. Who told you that you are a non-human being?¡± Yuchi Xiao froze. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei blushed delicately. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei sniffled his nose and whispered, ¡°No-no one.¡± Meng Yunfei continued suspiciously, ¡°Really? Don¡¯t worry Young Master Xiang, there are only three of us here. If anyone ever speaks against you, Brother Yuchi and I will definitely¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao snapped, ¡°Yunfei, it¡¯s time! Go outside to guard the formation, I will remain here to maintain the protection enchantment. Remember not to be distracted! ¡° Meng Yunfei was full of confusion, but Yuchi Xiao pushed him out of the room anyway. Once he snapped the door shut, he could instantly hear Gong Wei from behind him, ¡°Pffff¡ª¡± ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan!¡± Gong Wei placed his hand on his forehead and grinned widely, ¡°What¡¯s wrong Swordsman Yuchi? `Young Master Xiang is a non human-being and has an unusual behaviour and demeanour¡¯, are these not your own words when you annulled our marriage?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao sucked in a deep breath and took a moment to complete a calming incantation. He warned himself to patiently wait for things to end before sending back this non-human¡­this absurd disciple of the Cang Yang Sect. Opening his eyes he coldly said, ¡°It¡¯s already quarter past five, the evil spirit will come at any time. In order to prevent you from going mad and killing yourself, I want to seal your body meridians, so that you cannot move at all, understand?¡± Gong Wei continued to smile, ¡°No hurry, no hurry, I¡¯m still a little hungry.¡± He went on to eagerly pluck a stalk of white heron orchid from the pot which the prince hastily brought to him earlier. Before he could place it into his mouth, he was slapped on the back by Yuchi Xiao, fell on the wooden daybed with an ouch and became stiff and straight. Tap, tap, tap. A fellow cultivator shyly knocked on the door, ¡°Yu, Young Master Yuchi, His Highness has sent another two pots of orchids. He wants to know if Young Master Xiang would like to eat them?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t eat them! Who in their right mind would eat something so ridiculous!¡± Yuchi Xiao finally found an outlet for his anger and took it. ¡°Go back to guard the formation!¡± The cultivator stumbled away in shock and ran back. ¡°Pfffff¡ª¡± Gong Wei burst out into laughter, stared at the curtain on top of the bed saying, ¡°Swordsman Yuchi, that¡¯s not right. The Sword Sect¡¯s master once said that flowers and trees are made of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, eating them is to draw the essence of nature. You can say that of me since I am just a non-human being, but the Sword Immortal, he is your own uncle after all.¡± Yuchi Xiao was in a meditative pose in the room with one hand on his sword. From his expression, it seemed that he wanted to ignore this provocation but could not hold back, ¡°There is no such thing as the second sentence.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There is no ¡®eating them to draw the essence of nature¡¯.¡± Yuchi Xiao said coldly, ¡°The sentence was said by the late Chief Gong as an excuse to eat my family¡¯s jasper peach blossoms.¡± Jasper peach blossoms? Gong Wei ¡°Ahh-d.¡± under his breath, and recalled that there was indeed such an incident. However, Yuchi Xiao couldn¡¯t have been that old during that time, was he even around then? That was a year before he died. A certain sect gifted the Yuchi family a rare pot of turquoise jasper peach blossoms. Head of the Immortal Alliance, Lord Ying Kai heard about it and was very interested, so he invited Gong Wei and Xu Shuangtze to view it together. In actual fact, it was an excuse to reconcile the two. At that time, their conflict was not as serious¡ªat least in the eyes of the onlookers it was not that bad. Ying Kai took this opportunity to painstakingly persuade the two people to bury the hatchet and nurture harmony, saying that ¡®You do not really have a deep blood feud, why do you need to be at each other¡¯s throats all day long, and become the butt of jokes for the sects?¡¯ Gong Wei was not interested in the attempts and nagging of Ying Kai but was salivating over the jasper peach blossoms. He grew up liking to eat flowers, however when Ying Kai mentored him, the older man tried to discipline him and he was only able to change his habit slightly. When no one was around, Gong Wei would often sneak out to eat whenever he could. The Sword Immortal, Yuchi Rui had long seen through his sneaky friend and made up the story that jasper peach blossoms are rare, blooming once in a hundred years, and whoever dares to steal or eat them will get killed by him. Who knew that within the short span of time of the maid bringing in Gong Wei, Xu Shuangtze and Ying Kai, the entire pot of peach blossoms suddenly disappeared, leaving only the bare branches. Just as Yuchi Rui slammed the table and was about to grab Gong Wei, there was a ¡®dong¡¯ and Xu Shuangtze, who was sitting not far away placed his cup down with force. In the white porcelain cup there floated several delicate jasper peach blossoms, one of them had been swallowed along with the tea Xu Shuangtze drank. There was no need to ask who did this. The surroundings were so quiet that a pin dropping could have been clearly heard. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sharp black eyes stared at Gong Wei, and it was a long time before his throat moved and swallowed the peach blossoms, then got up, flicked his sleeves and walked away. That day Yuchi Rui chased Gong Wei with a sword for two whole miles. The so-called ploy to turn the war into peace naturally became a distant fantasy. From that time on, the major northern sects united, and led by Cang Yang Sect¡¯s Leader, went against Chief Gong in every way at the Immortal Alliance meetings. The cumulative effect of the friction turned white-hot, and eventually led to the tragedy at the Immortal Ascension Platform in the twenty-eighth year of Taiyi. Yuchi Xiao was silent for a long time, no one knew what came to his mind, but he sighed, ¡°The world no longer has peach blossoms.¡± Gong Wei did not react for a moment before saying, ¡°What?¡± ¡°The peach blossoms all over the world bloomed for a moment right before the death of Chief Gong. But the next day they withered and fell, and since then, for the last sixteen years there has never been a peach blossom in the world that has bloomed.¡± Yuchi Xiao said glancing at him contemptuously, ¡°Did you even know that there was once a fruit called the peach? Heh.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei stared at the ceiling beam above him in shock. What?! The peach trees in the entire world have not bloomed since my death? Don¡¯t tell me heaven¡¯s will is real? Even the heavens think that damned Xu Shuangtze should have been killed and not me? No wonder the market is full of stalls selling plums and loquats¡­ After thinking about it in such a messy way, he suddenly realised something, ¡°No. It can¡¯t be Swordsman Yuchi, that Xu¡ªwhat is that plant outside of Lord Xu¡¯s door? You almost stabbed me in the back there.¡± Yuchi Xiao shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t stab you! Please don¡¯t add fuel to the fire in front of Yunfei! That is the last peach blossom forest in the world, regardless of the seasons, they bloom all year round!¡± Gong Wei was suddenly stunned, and his heart trembled violently. For flowers to bloom in all seasons, they must be maintained by an endless stream of spiritual energy all year round. He had thought that Xu Shuangtze would have dug out that peach forest after his death. Certainly not maintain it. The night, other than the breeze outside the window, but the house was quiet. There was one man sitting and another lying down, each with a different set of thoughts. After a long time Yuchi Xiao sighed resentfully, full of disapproval, ¡°Legend has it that it was because of the death of Chief Gong, Lord Xu dismembered his corpse in this forest and let the blood seep into the peach blossoms. Alas, for a great immortal of that generation to end this way.¡± Gong Wei blinked. ¡°¡­¡± He twisted over and sneered at Yuchi Xiao, ¡°Can you tell me more about your Sword Sect¡¯s Leader crushing the stone monument of Cang Yang Mountain? I really want to hear the details. ¡° Yuchi Xiao instantaneously glared back with a ¡®what do you think you can you do¡¯ expression and was about to say that even this informal disciple still wanting to square accounts for his master was ridiculous. Suddenly, all the candle lights in the room flickered. Yuchi Xiao¡¯s reaction time was swift as a flash, with one finger, he calmed the flame, but then Gong Wei who still lay on the bed¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± The two words were clear and dominant like striking gold and breaking jade, a vastly different tone to how he usually spoke, Yuchi Xiao¡¯s immediately frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes fixed behind his shoulder, his eyebrows tightened a little, and he said softly, ¡°There seems to be someone behind you.¡± CH 4 Editor: Sahloknir Without waiting for him to repeat a second time, Yuchi Xiao promptly unsheathed his sword, releasing a bright sword glare followed by the golden light of Taiji Bagua as the powerful martial arts move sent a shockwave roaring outwards in all directions! Boom! The grounds around the Prince¡¯s Residence trembled and Gong Wei was pushed straight onto the bed by the air current, as he heard Yuchi Xiao angrily shout, ¡°Next time, you have to warn me of such things immediately! Are you trying to get me killed?¡± Gong Wei also rasped, ¡°I also want to observe before I act alright? Sword cultivators like you are too rough!¡± The surrounding bricks and stones crumbled and fell, without looking back, Yuchi Xiao conjured eight talismans which burst into blazing golden flames when they came into contact with the air. The flames swiftly spread out into an energy grid, forming a massive net which turned up empty. Nothing?! Yuchi Xiao¡¯s eyelid twitched as his energy net dispersed and his sword glare vanished. Other than him and Xiang Xiaoyuan, there was no one in sight. ¡°Where¡¯s the evil spirit?¡± Gong Wei lay with his back on the bed, his pupils reflecting the ghostly figure as it moved closer and closer towards him. A little surprised, he said to Yuchi Xiao, ¡°You can¡¯t see it?¡± This ghostly figure seemed to be seeping out of thin air, slowly and silently. Its entire body appeared to be a grey robe made up of smoke. Under the huge, hooded robe there was no body. ¡ªIt had no face, not even a head. But deep within the hood was a small, flickering blood-red shimmer. It slowly leaned in, as if to carefully examine the face of ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯. Somehow Gong Wei sensed that it was laughing, but it was definitely not a comforting laughter. Then, the wide sleeves of its robe flared open¡­ Gong Wei suddenly realised what it wanted to do, ¡°Yuchi Xiao! Untie me!¡± His cry had barely left his throat before Yuchi Xiao had already darted across the room and swung down his blade into the ghostly figure. But it was as if he was slashing through nothing, half the surface of the wall was destroyed with a loud bang instead. The bricks and stones fell like rain and the dust scattered like a cloud of smoke. Meng Yunfei suddenly emerged illuminated in a green light. With a palm supporting his guqin, which was now in a horizontal position, he began to pluck at the strings, creating an explosive rhythm. With an oppressive air of bloodlust, the ghostly figure let out a silent roar of fury. Its smoke-like body violently spiralled and twisted as it fiercely rushed towards the guqin cultivator. With the exception of Gong Wei, no one could see it, but just as he thought it was too late, Meng Yunfei¡¯s fingers swept across the string with savage force, and the sounds transformed into a wave which gushed forwards and stopped the ghostly figure in its tracks. The ¡®wave¡¯ was blocked in mid-air and formed a human-shaped depression, Meng Yunfei shouted, ¡°Brother Yuchi, over there!¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s longsword ¡®Gou Chen¡® was already raised up between his brows. The bright sword reflected his own sharp features and he whispered,¡±Return of Ten Thousand Swords¡°. He was indeed the worthy heir of the Golden Gate. At the young age of twenty, he had already mastered the art of this sword move. The next moment, the sword spirit of Gou Chen was awakened and released a burst of bright golden sword glare which was cast on Yuchi Xiao like impenetrable gold armour. He lunged towards the human shape in the ¡®wave¡¯ and swung his blade, which instantly burned the ghostly figure into ash! Yuchi Xiao landed heavily, without turning his head, he asked Xiang Xiaoyuan, ¡°¡ªHas it left?!¡± Gong Wei stared at the void where the ghostly figure had disappeared, his pupils contracting little by little, ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s still here.¡± Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei¡¯s expressions changed and at the same time all the fire torches and lights within the massive prince¡¯s residence flickered violently and a ghastly cry could be heard from all directions. Now, larger and clearer than before, the ghostly figure appeared in mid-air and pulled out a dazzling longsword with a crisp clang. How could a mere evil spirit wield a sword?! The situation did not allow Gong Wei to think carefully and he shouted, ¡°Yuchi Xiao!¡± However, it was too late this time. Yuchi Xiao sensed a vast murderous aura charging towards him. Fortunately, his numerous life threatening encounters led him to move instinctively, and then¡ªclang! The Gou Chen Sword Art was so combative that once it was activated, Yuchi Xiao was turned into a powerful weapon. Yet, at this moment, as the two swords collided with enormous force, the air current around spun wildly and actually swept Yuchi Xiao aside. The bang that came after was earth-shattering. Yuchi Xiao was thrown against the red wall of the residence and collapsed most of it under the immense pressure of his body. Meng Yunfei activated his guqin which glowed with a verdant green light, but the ghostly figure suddenly disappeared into nothingness, then apparated at the edge of the bed, and with its ghost sword raised high towards Gong Wei¡ª All these events happened in a flash. Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei came flying in from different directions, but their actions were doomed to be in vain¡­The ghost sword had already begun to swing down and the three familiar characters on the hilt were instantly reflected in Gong Wei¡¯s stunned eyes. Bai Taishou - Bai is my Master... The pupil of Gong Wei¡¯s right eye suddenly dilated, and no one noticed that it had turned blood red. At the same time, a mouthful of blood spurted out from between his lips. The ghost sword stopped moving, the tip of its blade was half a centimetre away from his bloodshot eyes. Immediately after, smoke emerged from the sword which was now sprayed with a mist of Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s blood. The smoke spread rapidly, enveloping the ghostly figure completely. Ktf utbrais oluegf vlv cba wjxf jcs rbecv, sfa ja atlr qblca fnfgsbcf tfjgv atf tjgrt ktlrailcu rbecv bo klcv¡ªjiwbra fcbeut ab qfcfagjaf atflg fjgvgewr. Ktf oluegf atfc aegcfv lcab j mibev bo atlmx rwbxf jcv vlrrbinfv lcab cbatlcu. Ktf akb sbecu wfc ygbxf atgbeut atf rwbxf jr la vlrjqqfjgfv. Eluta cbk, fnfc Temtl Wljb mbeiv cba mbcmfji tlr ofjg. Lf rijqqfv tlr qjiw bcab Xbcu Qfl¡¯r yjmx ab bqfc eq tlr rqlgla wfglvljcr jr tf rqbxf, ¡°Cgf sbe bxjs?¡± Meng Yunfei pressed two fingers onto Gong Wei¡¯s wrist, using his qi to quickly examine the spirit meridian circulation of his whole body. When he was reassured that everything was normal he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, you are not injured. Why did the evil spirit disappear?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei had closed his eyes amidst the gleaming stares, which were intently examining him. When he opened his eyelids again, his right eye had returned to normal, no longer leaving any trace of the changes from before. His face, however, was so pale it was as if he was drained of blood. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He gasped and said hoarsely,¡±That¡¯s not¡­that¡¯s not an evil spirit, it had a sword.¡± Yuchi Xiao was stunned. ¡°What?¡± Gong Wei tightly pursed his cold lips and did not say the name of the sword. Bai Taishou, this mighty sword that shook up the nine heavens clearly should have disappeared after his death. No one knew where it ended up, and even more so, no one could extract and use its unique sword spirit. How could it appear in the hands of a ghostly figure? Where is my corpse? Gong Wei couldn¡¯t help but think. Xu Shuangtze dismembered my corpse at Cang Yang Mountain, my blood then seeped into the peach trees which now bloom all year long¡­and then what? Where did they leave my remains? ¡ª¨C Late at night in the Cang Yang Mountain... Xu Shuangtze opened his eyes. There were fallen flowers scattered everywhere, and the sky was brimming with peach blossoms. He exhaled slowly and like the same dream which he had countless times before, he stepped out once again into the vast peach blossom forest before him and heard Ying Kai¡¯s voice in the distance. ¡°There it is! Hurry up, Shuangtze, that thing is getting away!¡± Don¡¯t go over there¡­ he thought. The tragedy began from this very scene, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it as he watched his younger self walk from his side to go ahead. ¡°Here it comes!¡± The waist-high grass rustled in the distance and there was no wind, the prey hidden inside was clearly frightened and leapt out in desperation. But Ying Kai was already prepared, throwing out four burning talismans with his hand. The white gold flames charged towards it, and the ¡®prey¡¯ turned around abruptly in fright, and dashed towards a hot spring with shimmering waves in the opposite direction. Ying Kai said, ¡°Shuangtze! Don¡¯t let it go into the water!¡± Because these two have been friends since they were young, travelling in the mountains and cultivating immortality together, their collaboration was impeccably flawless. Before Ying Kai¡¯s words reached him, Xu Shuangtze had already unsheathed his sword and swung it through the air. The water from the hot spring splashed upwards and rained down as countless sharp blades. The prey was blocked from recklessly leaping into the water. Ying Kai conjured an energy net with glowing red grids which fell on its head with precision. Near the edge of the water, a sharp hiss and growl of the beast could be heard. Ying Kai said, ¡°Gotcha!¡± The two of them walked towards the struggling figure in the net partially hidden in the grass. Ying Kai laughed and said, ¡°I would like to see what creature dares to break into the Cang Yang Sect and steal the peach wine made by Lord Xu. It¡¯s not a little monkey is it¡­Hmm?¡± Ying Kai squatted down, and his voice suddenly stopped. Behind him came Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai looked back, his face was full of shock. ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s a person.¡± The ¡®prey¡¯ in the net finally turned around towards Ying Kai and revealed itself. Xu Shuangtze took a few steps forward and came face to face with a pair of frightened eyes. It was a teenager. He was very young, and could not be more than sixteen years old. Like a newborn baby, he was naked, with snow-white skin that looked almost demonic. He huddled in the net, shivering, holding on to his thin shoulders so hard that his fingers were turning blue. The pair of rounded eyes reflected the figure of the two men. His right eye was blood red and both his pupils were dilated due to fear. Xu Shuangtze was silent for a long time before he heard his own voice say, ¡°No. It can¡¯t be human.¡± Ying Kai, ignoring the boy¡¯s whimpers and struggles, placed his thumb between his brows, closed his eyes for a few breaths and was stunned, ¡°Three souls, seven spirits, seven chakras are all intact, he really is a human.¡± Xu Shuangtze stepped forward, half kneeling down, he reached out towards the teenager¡¯s forehead but was met with a sudden sharp hiss before he rolled backwards and was about to fall into the water. Ying Kai reacted swiftly and held on to him. With a few movements he released the demon-catching net, took off his outer robe and wrapped it around the boy¡¯s body, while asking, ¡°What is your name? Where are you from? Why have you come to Cang Yang Sect?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boy clutched the corner of his robe, his gaze couldn¡¯t stop flicking between the two men. His mouth was slightly open for a long time, but only a few meaningless syllables came out before he clenched his teeth. ¡°Do you know how to talk? Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t be afraid. Shh.¡± Ying Kai kept repeating soothingly and cautiously attempted to put his hand on the boy¡¯s wet hair. He patted the top of his head and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, how long have you been hiding in the peach blossom forest? Do you want to go out?¡± Perhaps it was his kind smile which worked wonders, the teenager who had been violently trembling finally calmed down. He vigilantly looked back and forth at the both of them, then suddenly closed his eyes. When he opened them, his strange right eye colour had already turned to the same black shade as the other. ¡°He¡¯s watching us.¡± Xu Shuangtze looked down on him from above and said softly, ¡°He¡¯s learning how to be human.¡± It¡¯s not strange for little sprites and creatures to be born in places with abundant spiritual energy such as Cang Yang Mountain, but Ying Kai shook his head, ¡°Demons and sprites can¡¯t transform or possess human souls, but this boy¡¯s soul is intact. Maybe there¡¯s some other reason for this¡ªI¡¯ll take him back to the Immortal Alliance and ask Brother Mu of the Medical Sect to take a look.¡± As he said this, he extended his hand towards the teenager and asked gently, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you out, okay?¡± This action made the newly calmed teenager¡¯s body edge backwards, seemingly ready to speed off at any moment. But Ying Kai¡¯s smile remained unchanged, his unguarded palm spread upward, and after a while, the teenager finally leaned over inch by inch, hesitantly raised his hand, then turned his head to look at Xu Shuangtze. He seemed to be waiting for something, but Xu Shuangtze saw his younger self just standing there, slightly narrowing his eyes without saying a word. The young man finally turned back and placed his hand into Ying Kai¡¯s palm. The moment they touched, the transparency of the boy¡¯s skin, which was rarely seen on other creatures, suddenly disappeared, turning into an unusually white but warm and solid appearance. The change was subtle and almost imperceptible. Ying Kai held his hand to support him as he stood up and found out that he couldn¡¯t balance on his feet at all, so he had to pick him up and carry him down the hill. Xu Shuangtze followed behind closely and saw the teenager glance over Ying Kai¡¯s shoulder. The boy stared at him and tilted his head, the corners of his mouth moved, as if he was imitating Ying Kai¡¯s expression earlier, to carefully reveal a pleasing smile. That was the first expression that Gong Wei learned. Before that the boy did not know how to express his will through expression, demeanour and language. So Xu Shuangtze could not be sure that, as the boy huddled at the edge of the water, he might have wanted to say that he wished to stay in Cang Yang Mountain within that peach blossom forest. Xu Shuangtze opened his eyes again, and the darkness crept into the bed through the layers of curtains. He got up from his bed, walked down nine jade steps, and swung open the heavy door of his bedchamber. His disciples were nowhere to be seen. The moonlight lit up the starry sky and the peach blossoms were everywhere, like a snow blanket under the moon. In the distance, the tree tops rustled and sprite-like whispers could be heard from the wind. ¡°¡­Our Sect¡¯s peach blossoms are so glorious, why do they never wither?¡± ¡°Have you heard the rumour?¡± ¡°What rumour?¡± ¡°It was sixteen years ago¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyebrows twitched as he searched for the sound. ¡°Sixteen years ago, the death of the great Chief Gong drove our Master mad. He dragged the body over a thousand miles here and dismembered it. The blood splashed all over the branches and flowers, which then caused these peach blossoms to bloom all year-round. It is a strange phenomenon and it is said that this sea of ten million flowers is the embodiment of the sixteen-year-long resentment of Chief Gong!¡± One person let out a sigh, ¡°But why? How do two Immortal Sect Masters come to this?¡± The voice behind them was soft and shallow and spoke treacherous words under the moonlight, ¡°Who dares to mention the past? Who knew that twenty years ago, Lord Xu was to marry a mute lady but on the day of the wedding ceremony, Chief Gong suddenly arrived and killed the bride with his sword!¡± The sea of trees swayed and rustled, the sound of breathing could be heard from all directions. In the forest clearing, two disciples with their heads down were whispering. But the breeze made it sound like countless sprites within the forest were echoing the hushed words of the disciples. ¡°But the marriage of Lord Xu is big news, how can the world not hear of it?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t Lord Xu always been at Cang Yang Mountain, how could there be legends about his marriage?¡± ¡°Why did he choose to marry a mute lady?¡± The voice, carrying a tone of arrogance spoke, ¡°A portrait of a woman in red is enshrined on the inner chamber¡¯s wall of the Xuan Ji Hall. It was hand-painted by the Master. The Master had experienced many deaths and killings when he was young, legend says¡­ ah!¡± The noise of countless sprites in the wind abruptly stopped and the two disciples knelt down at the same time, shivering in terror, ¡°Lord Xu!¡± Xu Shuangtze did not say a word, his eyes shone with a layer of frost under the moon and he closed them for a long while. The two disciples simultaneously bled from all seven orifices and could not even beg for mercy. With muffled noises, they both fell to the ground in pain. The bed of leaves under the tree were crushed under their struggling and writhing bodies, and they were emitting a heart-stopping sound. Xu Shuangtze turned around and stepped over the blood-soaked leaves, crossing a long flight of steps that were dazzling in the moonlight. The jade pillars were high and the chambers were wide. On one of the walls, a portrait of a woman was barely visible, hidden behind a light veil. The ¡®woman¡¯ was painted with her back facing the viewer and under the wedding dress was portrayed a slender and graceful figure. Xu Shuangtze stood still and looked at ¡®her¡¯ quietly. ¡°Is this what you drew, Xu Bai?¡± He heard Gong Wei¡¯s frivolous laughter from the void at his side, and the familiar figure slowly emerged. He was standing in front of the portrait with his hands behind his back, peeking out to take a closer look for a long time. He then smiled and turned back. He said, ¡°There is no resemblance, not at all. Did you do this on purpose?¡± Gong Wei was born very thin, always giving the illusion that he was going to be blown away by the wind. But every time he appeared, he looked so vividly clear, as if he had never left¡­ Each syllable he spoke carried a smile that struck at the heart. Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Who allowed you on Cang Yang Mountain?¡± Gong Wei gently turned back, his rouge-coloured robe, with finely embroidered maple leaves looked like shimmering wings under the moonlight. The next moment he poked his head out from the other side of Xu Shuangtze and said excitedly, ¡°Xu Bai, Xu Bai, you are a strange person. For such a sentimental and deeply emotional person you look so cold on the outside¡­are you still angry with me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei lustrous eyes turned and he moved closer. His right pupil imperceptibly and slowly turned red and his lips were now almost touching Xu Shuangtze¡¯s ear as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you paint another, I know what ¡®her¡¯ face looks like after all. Don¡¯t you want a front portrait? I¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly drew his sword, and a cold light shot up into the sky. In response to the electrifying attack, Gong Wei rapidly retreated backwards, his back collided with the stone pillar of the bedchamber with a thump and he slid to the floor. He tightly clutched his right eye and blood seeped out through his fingers! Xu Shuangtze drove the sword into ground beside him with a clang and looked at him from above, ¡°Gong Wei Yu.¡± No Way Out reflected the light onto Gong Wei¡¯s fair face and blood continued to meander down his fingers, then from his wrist into the wide sleeve of his robe. ¡°They say that you¡¯re human, but I know that you can¡¯t be.¡± Xu Shuangtze leaned down and stared at him, his voice soft, yet ruthless, ¡°If you dare to use those non-human tricks on me again, don¡¯t blame me for not treating you as a human being in the future.¡± The air seemed to have frozen, the large, empty stone walls of the hall reflected a cold, eerie light and the darkness in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes appeared like a bottomless abyss. Gong Wei looked up at him in a daze, a smile crept in after a long while. He dropped the blood-stained hand to reveal his demonic right eye, which had now returned to normal. At the corner of the eye there was a wound inflicted by No Way Out, the wound was extremely deep and blood continued to gush out. ¡°Lord Xu, you¡¯re hurting me.¡± He tilted his face, and whined with the peculiar naiveness of a teenager, his lazy and lingering voice was like a moth fluttering in the moonlight. Xu Shuangtze looked down at him. After repeating this particular dream countless times, he already knew what would happen next, the last trace of his consciousness was desperately alerting him to pull away immediately. Yet, he stood there fixedly, without moving¡ª A burst of peach blossom scented breeze rushed towards his lips. At that very moment, Xu Shuangtze suddenly sat up from his bed. ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Lord!¡± Xu Shuangtze passed through several heavy drapes and walked out of the Ninth Gate Hall. Outside, the vast night sky was a shade of deep blue with two or three stars few and far between, and there was a faint glow marking the distant horizon. The two disciples guarding the hall in white robes and silver armour finishings were completely unaware that they had just appeared in his dream world, and hastily bent down on one knee to greet him. It was only after a long time that a low voice was heard coming from above their heads ¡°When one wakes up from a dream, how does one tell that he has woken up to reality or has merely traversed to another layer in the dreamscape?¡± Both disciples froze and couldn¡¯t help but stare at each other, and the one who was higher ranked hesitantly said, ¡°I humbly reply to your Lordship, when one dreams¡­one should not feel sadness or pain. If it is not painful even after being injured, then it should be a dream.¡± The earth was usually quiet before dawn, only the mountain wind rustling through the trees could be heard and lifted the sleeves of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robe. The two disciples stared at the jade floor in front of them, and their spines tensed up. It felt like a long time before they finally heard Xu Shuangtze¡¯s low and almost muted laughter. Although it was not possible to tell what emotions it carried, they could vaguely make out a tinge of mockery. ¡ª¨C Sahl : Oh man. I¡¯m getting Lan Zhan playing enquiry for thirteen years vibes¡­at least we have a picture this time¡­ Xu Shuangtze, do you need a hug? Also, a belated hello to our lovely readers from me. *waves* CH 5 Editor: Sahloknir Meng Yunfei spoke calmly, ¡°An evil spirit cannot cultivate a golden core, and therefore cannot cultivate an immortal sword. While a demon cultivator could possibly cultivate such a sword, the one we encountered last night definitely did not belong to one.¡± He then frowned and asked, ¡°Could the thing which haunts Linjiang City be a ghost cultivator? If this is the case, we would have to make a trip to Ghost City to continue our investigations. I¡¯m afraid it will get more challenging.¡± The Prince of Linjiang retracted his breath of relief and said, ¡°Ghost¡­Ghost City?¡± Meng Yunfei replied, ¡°Yes, Ghost City and the Twelve Provinces. In other words, the Underworld.¡± In an unprecedented instance, no one died last night in Linjiang City. When this news was confirmed, it became the sensation of the entire city. The courtesans and entertainers who were crowding in front of the various Immortal Sect¡¯s strongholds swarmed around the Prince¡¯s Residence and the poor Prince was happy to tears at the news. He came rushing back from an outer village to the city in the morning and insisted on dragging the Immortal Masters to a banquet set up to thank them. Cultivators at Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei¡¯s levels practiced inedia. Only Gong Wei was relishing and happily gnawing on his plate of mouth-watering chicken. The use of chopsticks slowed him down, so he went ahead and used his hands instead, which were now covered in red chilli oil. ¡°If you want to catch a ghost cultivator, you must go to the Underworld.¡± Meng Yunfei sighed and said, ¡°But how can living mortals travel to the Underworld? Unless it is Lord Xu, Lord Ying or other Immortals of outstanding power who are willing to expend their own lifespan to force their way through the Ghost City Gate, there is absolutely no way to do it.¡± Prince of Linjiang looked as though he had a bucket of cold water poured over his head, he stuttered, ¡°So what now? Will this ghost cultivator come back tonight?¡± Meng Yunfei replied, ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure as it is rare to encounter a ghost cultivator. Why he only selects exquisite beauties as his targets is something I cannot understand either. Brother Yuchi? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yuchi Xiao was looking incredulously at Gong Wei who was buried behind a small but steadily increasing mountain of chicken bones. He was silent for a long time before his blank expression changed and he asked, ¡°I am curious, Your Highness. May I ask what you think of this otherworldly little Immortal now?¡± The Prince of Linjiang turned towards the chicken-bone mountain and firmly said, ¡°Extraordinary!!! He looks like a sage!¡± Meng Yunfei: ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao leaned closer to Meng Yunfei and whispered, ¡°How about sending him back to Cang Yang Sect. Doesn¡¯t the ghost cultivator only pick the most exquisite beauties? He wouldn¡¯t be attracted to this kid¡­¡± Since his previous life, Gong Wei had been particularly fond of food, especially chicken. In the world of Immortal Cultivators, he was the only one who refused to practice abstinence for certain food types. For this reason, he was mocked by the major sect families, since the ability to endure the suffering from food abstinence was the first requirement for all the major sects to accept disciples. Yet it was not uncommon to catch him eating up to two kilograms of braised chicken feet in one sitting, or snacking on a fistful of melon seeds every now and then. If the Chief of the Department of Discipline set such a bad example of non-abstinence, what credibility did he have to correct the wrongdoings of other disciples from other families? Gong Wei finally finished gnawing on the last chicken bone. He wiped his fingertips, looking unsatisfied and asked, ¡°Is there any more?¡± It was so humiliating. Was he a fox in his previous life!? Before Yuchi Xiao could chide him, Gong Wei clutched his right eye and muttered in a shallow voice, ¡°My eye hurts from the attack by the ghost cultivator last night.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Swordsman Yuchi immediately felt powerless to reprimand him. Meanwhile, the Prince of Linjiang quickly ordered his subordinates, ¡°Get the kitchen to slaughter more chickens!¡± Meng Yunfei had a silver crown on his neatly bunned hair and was donned in a moon-white robe with silver silk embroidery on his sleeves. His figure reflected toughness, yet carried an air of gentleness. When Meng Yunfei heard Gong Wei¡¯s words, he leaned down to personally examine him and guiltily said, ¡° Thank you, Young Master Xiang for stepping forward to help in such a dangerous situation. We should have done our best to protect you. It is my fault. I promise it will never happen again.¡± Gong Wei glanced at him gratefully, however in his heart, he thought, You look like a gentleman, but in reality, you were one of the culprits who brought me here as bait! If I waited for you to rescue me, my body would have become a cold corpse last night. Better to trust myself! ¡°Your-your Highness!¡± At this time there was a clamour outside the door, then a loyal servant ran in frantically, ¡°Bad news Your Highness! Another person has died outside!¡± The people in the room turned pale. Yuchi Xiao rose up, ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Outside the residence, the group of ladies!¡± Ktf vbbg bo atf Uglcmf¡¯r Efrlvfcmf rkecu bqfc klat j ibev yjcu, Temtl Wljb ifv j ugbeq bo meialnjabgr vbkc atf rabcf rafqr delmxis, bcis ab tfjg atf rbecv bo kjlilcu jcv mgslcu jibcu atf ragffa. C ugbeq bo mbegafrjc¡¯r rfvjcr kfgf qjgxfv fnfgsktfgf, reggbecvlcu j ijguf bqfc rqjmf. Ktfgf kfgf atgff bg obeg kbwfc bc atf ugbecv klat atflg tfjvr mgjmxfv jcv yibbvlfv. Rb bcf mbeiv yf regf lo atfs kfgf vfjv bg jilnf. A woman in a lake-blue dress was slashing at the air wildly with her hairpin, and the few frightened maids could not restrain her. Her face was red with anger and her cries of grief could be heard, ¡°Little bitch! I¡¯m not someone you can humiliate!¡± she continued to wail in despair, ¡°Master Zhen, Master Zhen! If you no longer love me, why would you redeem my freedom?!!¡± Saying that, she stabbed the bloodied hairpin straight into her right eye! Stabbed in the right eye too? As Gong Wei was pondering the meaning behind these actions, Yuchi Xiao waved his arm and knocked the golden hairpin from her hand as she then continued stabbing into the air. The woman still did not give up, she charged forwards in an attempt to crack her head on the stone pillar in front of the Residence¡¯s gate. Seeing that it was about to turn into a bloody scene, Yuchi Xiao who was a few steps away, knocked her onto the floor. He then commanded, ¡°Stop her, she is going to die by biting her own tongue!¡± The Prince¡¯s servants were fearful that an accident would happen in front of their own gate, and several of them went forward to grab hold of her jaw. At this moment, the sound from a guqin echoed from the door¡ªmajestic like a beam of moonlight in a pine forest and ethereal like a clear stream running over rocks. However, when it sounded again, there was an unquestionably oppressive aura which charged forward. The woman, who was vigorously struggling, stopped and dropped her head in an instant, her pearl beads and jade hairpin scattering all over the floor. It was Meng Yunfei! Meng Yunfei, with one hand holding the guqin and the other plucking the strings, stepped out of the threshold of the Prince¡¯s Residence. He was usually very decorous but at this moment, his face was stone cold. He listened carefully in an attempt to pick up movements from the vibrations and said, ¡°Not good.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s was aghast, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It is coming.¡± ¡ªIt is coming¡­ Behind Yuchi Xiao, Gong Wei seemed to sense something and slowly turned back to look at the lofty residence. At that moment, shrill screams could be heard from the streets. A few servants who were standing nearest to the group of women froze simultaneously and an eerie expression reflected on their faces. One of them shook violently and then dashed towards a guard, grabbed the sword from the startled man and killed himself. Before the bystanders could even react, his head fell to the ground with a thud. The rest of them charged like maddened cattle towards the crowd with swords drawn. The scene suddenly spiralled out of control and it was about to become a bloodbath! Everyone was running in fear and trampling in all directions, but Gong Wei seemed to be undisturbed by all the chaos. He narrowed his eyes, looking high above. In the distance, on top of the glazed roof of the Prince¡¯s Residence, a faceless, grey-robed and ghostly figure stood up high wielding a sword. The figure then passed through the chaotic street, stopped and quietly faced Gong Wei. No one could see it, even the talisman of an Immortal Master could not sense it. ¡­What the hell are you? Gong Wei thought as he narrowed his eyes. Under the smoke-like hood of the ghostly figure was a flickering scarlet light which seemed very much like an eerie smile. With a sonic-like boom, Meng Yunfei expertly pulled the guqin in front of his body, his ten fingers strummed it fiercely and the tone changed steeply. At this moment, a monstrous wave came crashing down. The few men who were maniacally slashing at the crowd rolled their eyes back into heads, stopped and dropped their swords onto the ground. The Prince of Linjiang broke away from the guards and hurriedly ran out of the gate, seeing the situation he was about to shout, ¡°Well done!¡± Before he could say it, another scream erupted from not far away! The woman who screamed fell to the ground at the centre of an empty space surrounded by a group of people who suddenly turned mad all at the same time. Some of them were kneeling and tearing at their own chests, some were rolling in pain and crying, some pulling out their hairpins and stabbing their own throats. In the blink of an eye, the already tragic situation worsened, with five or six people falling on to the ground and dying at the same time! Meng Yunfei was furious, ¡°Who is it that¡¯s doing this? How dare you!¡± He rose and heavily played the guqin¡¯s strings. The guqin tune changed from the soothing and gentle ¡®Rest¡¯ to the murderous ¡®Armour Light¡¯, and he walked towards the unconscious woman at the bottom of the stone stairs. Just then, the ghostly figure suddenly turned towards Meng Yunfei¡¯s back, as if it had discovered something of great interest. Gong Wei tried to stop Meng Yunfei, yelling, ¡°Don¡¯t go over there!¡± ¡ªIt was already too late. Every step Meng Yunfei took, the sound of the guqin rose a pitch higher, the murderous and hostile aura strengthened, and the mad crowd around him fell to the ground as if they were crushed under the sheer pressure. As he approached the centre of the crowd through layers of fog and just a trace of sunlight, a flash of bright light appeared from the woman¡¯s side. Meng Yunfei¡¯s footsteps stopped, his entire body became stiff as though glued to the ground. Yuchi Xiao discovered something amiss. ¡°Yunfei?¡± Meng Yunfei turned his head inch by inch, his movements were incomparably stiff, as if he was fighting with all his will against some terrible force. His gaze was momentarily lax, then struggling, rigid, and then suddenly his eyes quickly grew bloodshot as he unsheathed his long sword ''Su Qing'' with a resounding clang. The green light illuminating it blasted out from the immortal sword, Su Qing, as if a dragon had ascended from the abyss, and did not hesitate to slash towards the frightened crowd. Meng Yunfei had also been cursed! With a deafening reverberation, Yuchi Xiao hastily drew his sword, Gou Chen and deadlocked Meng Yunfei. Without even looking back to the stunned crowd, he yelled, ¡°Run!¡± But at this moment, another light flashed by the woman¡¯s side. Gong Wei¡¯s vision became blurred and his mind went completely blank, followed by the sudden wild and uncontrollable beating of his heart. He too fell for the enchantment. Although he knew clearly that he must not be controlled by this evil spirit and must immediately break free, his mind was dazed and beyond his control. Suddenly, the scene in front of him blurred like fresh ink in water, spreading out in all directions, and a cold wind swept in from the distant horizon¡­ Whoosh! The wind tore through the thick fog and Gong Wei¡¯s pupils suddenly dilated. The scene in front of him was no longer the chaotic street outside the Prince¡¯s Residence, but a wide and high platform carved out of white jade paving and lined with golden pillars. At the foot of the platform was a scene of winter grey mountains and a sea of pine trees. ¡ªIt was the beginning of Taiyi¡¯s 28th year, and the place was the Ascension Platform. It was the day he died. Gong Wei gasped for breath and lowered his head. He clearly knew that it was merely an illusion, but from the left side of his chest emerged an unbearable pain. As his gaze traced the length of the blood-stained No Way Out, a familiar hand was gripping onto the sword hilt, then there was the face of Xu Shuangtze looking down from above. It¡¯s fake, it¡¯s all fake, I¡¯m already dead. This is just an illusion created by the evil spirit, I have been dead for sixteen years! Gong Wei was trapped in the body of his former life, which was near death. Suddenly, he felt his hand involuntarily move. With fresh blood flowing over his fingers, he gripped the sword which was driving into his heart and said, ¡°¡­ you¡­shouldn¡¯t¡­ ¡° Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression seemed to be shrouded in shadow and blurred beyond recognition. Gong Wei heard his own voice broken up with heavy gasping and desperate choking as he forced out the words, ¡°I¡­I like you, Xu Shuangtze. You shouldn¡¯t do this to me¡­¡± His soul trembled like it was hit by a hammer, Gong Wei was incredulous. What am I saying? He reflexively tried to snap out of this body, but in this illusion, he was so weak that it was difficult to maintain even the simple action of looking up at Xu Shuangtze. He could only watch in despair as Xu Shuangtze leaned down, his face emerging from the shadows with those cold, familiar and oddly bloodshot eyes. ¡°Gong Wei,¡± his sword-wielding hand defied the obstruction of the fingers gripping it, slowly and cruelly driving in inch by inch, as he continued in a low voice, ¡°You don¡¯t like me, you just¡ª¡± Slap! A sharp pain jerked Gong Wei¡¯s mind back instantly, his soul was dragged from mid-air and into the body of ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯. He almost stumbled and fell to the ground. Yuchi Xiao grabbed him and roared, ¡°Wake up! Why aren¡¯t you running!¡± Before he could deliver the second blow, Gong Wei without thinking about it, swung his arm back with a blow ten times louder than the one he¡¯d received. Yuchi Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei: ¡°¡­¡± Half of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s face was imprinted with five red fingerprints, as he stood there in pain and confusion. Gong Wei dazedly awoke and hurriedly waved his hands, ¡°¡­sorry, sorry¡­¡± There were booming sounds from all over and he saw the surrounding streets full of wreckage with dozens of people lying around. He was completely unable to tell if they were dead or alive. Meng Yunfei was kneeling with one knee on the ground, his entire body bloodied. With his sword Su Qing thrust into the ground to support himself, he shakily stood up. Not far away his guqin lay with two steel strings broken by Yuchi Xiao in the struggle. It was still emitting a head-splitting, buzzing noise. ¡°Run! You¡¯ll get yourself killed if you stay here!¡± Yuchi Xiao was too preoccupied to get payback for the slap he¡¯d received and wretchedly shouted, ¡°Yunfei is the foremost disciple of the Immortal Guqin Master, I can¡¯t keep him under control! Bring the token on your waist to the Golden Gate to ask the Sword Sect Master to send help! Quickly!¡± In the distance on top of the Prince¡¯s Residence, the faceless, ghostly shadow seemed to draw closer, appearing to smirk. Gong Wei exhaled with force in order to suppress his nausea and intense vertigo, ¡°¡­I think I understand now.¡± Yuchi Xiao who did not understand, ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fear.¡± Gong Wei had rarely hated anyone. In his past life in the Department of Discipline, he had come across recalcitrant disciples from numerous families, but almost no one could make him furious. Not even Xu Shuangtze had ever been truly hated by him, not even in the past sixteen years after he was killed. However, the illusion provoked endless fear, anger and despair in him. Rage formed by a desperate need for revenge burned and roared in his chest like a beast. Even now, whenever he recalled Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold, bloodshot eyes, a great wave of hatred involuntarily surged from within his heart. How could you treat me like that? I clearly¡­ I clearly¡­ Gong Wei shut his eyes tightly, and an unbelievable thought suddenly surfaced in his heart: Is the scene I saw really an illusion? The despair and anger were so visceral. Could it be that it was real? And the memories which I clearly had, were they false? Have I really returned from the depths of the Underworld, and is it Gong Wei or Xiang Xiaoyuan in this body now? ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± Yuchi Xiao was anxious. ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan!¡± Gong Wei forced open his eyes, wrestled himself out of his confused emotions, and hoarsely said, ¡°It is an illusion that allows people to see their most fearful scenes in their minds. Once enchanted, one will not be able to distinguish between the illusion and reality. So some people kill themselves with hatred, some people desperately kill others, and some eventually die of exhaustion, purely depending on the scene each person sees.¡± Therefore, the courtesan that stuffed her mouth with bark and leaves when she committed suicide¡ªshe possibly saw herself pawn her jewellery in her old age, living on the streets without food. The bride chased after her groom with a pair of scissors because she saw her husband beat her up cruelly and she fought back. As for the other victims who killed themselves, how they did it was more or less related to what they were experiencing at the time of the nightmare, or based on their most horrific memory. As for Gong Wei, he saw the Ascension Platform from sixteen years ago. To a dead man, there is nothing more frightening than reliving his own death. But there was one problem he could not figure out: there must be a specific condition for the illusion to be activated. Perhaps saying a certain word or performing a specific action? How were the twenty-eight dead people enchanted? ¡°There is something in the arms of the woman on the ground, it is the ¡®trigger¡¯ to start the illusion, if you see it glowing, you will be trapped, so be careful.¡± Gong Wei inhaled a deep breath, brushed away Yuchi Xiao¡¯s support, staggered to stand up and said, ¡°We can¡¯t run. That thing is already here, we have to take care of it right now.¡± Although Yuchi Xiao was arrogant, his moral standards dictated that he could not let such a low-ranking disciple risk his life, and he immediately tried to forcefully stop him. But at that moment he saw Meng Yunfei on the other side staggering to his feet, his face was stiff and greenish, and in the blink of an eye, Su Qing¡¯s sword aura was charging right towards him¡­ Gong Wei fixedly stared at the ghostly figure from afar and did not notice Yuchi Xiao nor Meng Yunfei. The moment the green light flashed from the sword, he just waved his hand, only to hear a loud ¡®clang!¡¯ A thunderous crash sounded and his fingertips deflected the sword, followed by a snap. He grabbed Meng Yunfei¡¯s arm, wrenched his sword from his hand, and kicked the man towards the unprepared Yuchi Xiao. ¡°¡ªhold him down.¡± The next moment he raised his sleeves, his face like frost and snow, holding Su Qing in an attack position, he lunged at the ghostly figure! Sahl: Ooh. So did Gong Wei confess or not? I¡¯m guessing there is way more to the Ascension Platform incident than we¡¯re seeing right now¡­ *bounces excitedly in seat* For those who know ¨C no spoilers! Be good children. CH 6 Chapter 6 Editor: Sahloknir A reminder for readers ¨C Su Qing, Gou Chen and Bai Taishou are swords. Sahl tried to preserve the flow of the action, yet maintain sense in English, so sometimes it seems like they¡¯re human. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- The evil spirit did not seem to expect him to charge over, and slightly tilted its head. At first glance, that subtle movement made it look a little like Gong Wei himself. Immediately after, it drew the sword Bai Taishou out of its sheath, instantly setting off a huge swirl of qi, and hit Su Qing¡¯s blade head-on! The invisible qi swept out in a circular motion and with a loud boom!, countless trees were swiftly snapped, brick debris and dust were raised from the ground. Su Qing could not withstand the pressure from the superior sword, Bai Taishou and immediately let out an overwhelming buzz, but Gong Wei was not afraid and countered it with more than a hundred moves in the blink of an eye. The evil spirit was forced to fly backwards. The two of them fought, and crossed half of Linjiang City like a meteor until they were out of the city borders. Clang! Gong Wei gripped his sword with both hands, and deadlocked Bai Taishou. He looked at the apparently headless torso of the evil spirit up close. ¡°How did you get my body?¡± The wind howled up high in the sky, the ghostly figure came even closer, in place of its head was a scarlet light which flickered seemingly in laughter, and then reached out towards Gong Wei¡¯s right eye. Although this evil spirit had no form, its spiritual power was remarkably strong and far beyond any Underworld ghost cultivator. Gong Wei, trapped in the body of a small Mei demon, muttered a curse under his breath. He then tilted his head to avoid its sharp claws, but the evil spirit seemed to be familiar with his usual gestures. In just a couple of moves, it forced Su Qing to a defeat and suddenly, like a viper, extended Bai Taishou towards Gong Wei¡¯s right eye again! Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s body severely limited Gong Wei¡¯s spiritual power. Despite Gong Wei¡¯s mastery of skills, he could not withstand such a devastating blow and hastily retreated backward. Only to realise that the evil spirit had suddenly disappeared. In the next moment, a cold white light flashed by as the ghostly figure appeared behind him and swung the sword around with huge force, straight towards the back of his neck! At the same time, before any blood could be shed by this action, a sword glare illuminated from afar as Yuchi Xiao sternly shouted, ¡°Return of Ten Thousand Swords!¡° The spirit of the Gou Chen awoke and enveloped his whole body with golden armour. In the nick of time, it crashed into Bai Taishou, as Yuchi Xiao grabbed Gong Wei and sent them both flying forward together! Yuchi Xiao crashed onto the ground with a loud bang and got up coughing, only to hear Gong Wei say with a certain amount of glee, ¡°Good timing Brother Fort! I want to get the sword from him, quick!¡± Yuchi Xiao was still a bit dazed, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to run? Who is Brother Fort!? Where is that thing?!¡± ¡°Up there! Watch out!¡± The evil spirit also seemed to not expect this young man to be able to deflect the divine sword Bai Taishou. It immediately let out a scream that cut through the air and swung the sword towards the top of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s head¡ªGou Chen sensed the staggering sword pressure and hastily resisted. In a flash, the clashing qi formed a swirling wind, which sent sand and stones flying and the overbearing and unparalleled Gou Chen sword spirit was actually suppressed. With a resounding ¡®clang!¡¯ it was knocked far away. ¡°Fuck!¡± Yuchi Xiao swore, but before he words got far, Gong Wei tossed over an object glowing with green light, ¡°Catch!¡± It was Su Qing! Yuchi Xiao caught it with one hand, and at the same time roared a command at Gou Chen, and the golden light of the sword came up in a flash. Holding a sword in each hand, he swung them at the same time and deadlocked Bai Taishou¡¯s next attack with an earth-shattering sound. The ground under his feet cracked with the terrifying force. Gong Wei bit his middle finger and used his own blood to quickly draw a huge complex talisman in mid-air, saying, ¡°Brother Fort! Hang in there!¡± Yuchi Xiao gritted his teeth under the pressure from Bai Taishou and possibly Gong Wei¡¯s cheekiness, ¡°Who are you¡­calling¡­a fort¡­¡± By the time he finished his sentence, the evil spirit was completely enraged. Bai Taishou¡¯s sword glare was now a bright scarlet red, and blew Yuchi Xiao with Gou Chen and Su Qing off to a great distance. Gong Wei immediately turned his face away from this scene, ¡°Useless!¡± He did not have time to finish drawing the talisman. Instead, he imprinted the red seal in the palm of his hand. As the evil spirit charged towards him through the air, he threw up his sleeves and grabbed at Bai Taishou. The evil spirit was forced to a halt in mid-air, close to the pale, white face of Gong Wei. Countless enchantments came to life from the teenager¡¯s palm, glowing symbols drifted up and quickly enveloped the entire sword. The sword now shone an eerie blood-red, which was now the exact same colour as Gong Wei¡¯s right eye. ¡°That is not the way to wield Bai Taishou. Let me teach you.¡± Ktf fnli rqlgla rffwfv ab tjnf rfcrfv rbwfatlcu jwlrr, yea Xbcu Qfl wbnfv ojrafg atjc lar atbeutar. Lf uglqqfv atf yijvf klat tlr olcufgr jcv ogfrt yibbv oibkfv ogbw tlr qjiw vbkc atf rkbgv yfobgf tf rboais rjlv,¡±¡ªRbgatfgc Jfifralji Qbio.¡± The Bai Taishou Sword Art! The evil spirit immediately released the sword and retreated. But right at this time, Bai Taishou¡¯s sword spirit, which had been deep in slumber for the past sixteen years was suddenly awakened. C mifjg, mglrq rbecv rtba eq ab atf tfjnfcr, jcv lcolclaf gjsr bo rmjgifa iluta qgbpfmafv ogbw klatlc j mglwrbc gbyf klat lcaglmjafis fwygblvfgfv, vjgx-ubiv wjqif ifjnfr. Cr atf gbyf, oieaafglcu lc atf klcv, mjwf ab j rabq, jc jqqjglalbc bo jc lwwbgaji jqqfjgfv, jcv j tjcvrbwf ojmf klat alutais rtea fsfr kjr gfnfjifv. The man seemed to be very young, with thin shoulders, a straight body, and a deathly pale face with long, delicate eyelashes. The scarlet light quickly enveloped his whole body and armoured his shoulders and body. A waist seal of bright gold appeared, before the apparition then passed through and stood in the air behind ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯, like an invincible guardian. It was the Chief of the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Department of Discipline, Lotus Immortal, Gong Wei! ¡°See,¡± Gong Wei coldly said, ¡°this is how it should be used.¡± He snatched Bai Taishou over, and the sword¡¯s spiritual power surged exponentially. He then swung it single-handedly and slashed the ghostly figure in half, burning it into rolls of thick smoke! The black smoke disappeared into the void instantly. Gong Wei was finally able to spit out the mouthful of blood in his throat and then stumbled and fell to the ground. The apparition of the immortal disappeared into thin air as the sword art was released. He supported his body with Bai Taishou. Now completely exhausted, he paused to pant for a moment, before turning towards Yuchi Xiao, who was a distance away. Yuchi Xiao was half conscious as he had been smashed into the ground by the last attack, forming a deep crater with swirling clouds of dust above him. Any regular cultivator receiving a direct blow from the divine sword Bai Taishou would have died immediately but this young man was still alive. He was indeed the eldest nephew of Yuchi Rui, and was absolutely worthy to inherit the mantle of Sword Sect Master as a next generation force to be reckoned with. ¡°Hey,¡± Gong Wei squatted at the edge of the deep pit, facing Yuchi Xiao from above, smiled and asked, ¡°Eldest nephew? Are you still awake?¡± Yuchi Xiao woke up in a daze and replied with much difficulty, ¡°You¡­what are you¡­calling me this time?¡± Gong Wei said, ¡°Nothing, Young Master Yuchi. Are you okay?¡± Yuchi Xiao shook his groggy head to collect himself, ¡°Where¡¯s the ghost cultivator?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it ran away, but it¡¯s definitely not dead.¡± Gong Wei said casually with little care, stood up and said with another smile, ¡°The matter within the Linjiang City is beyond our ability to resolve. The most urgent thing right now is for you to return to the Golden Gate and beg your uncle to come out of the mountain to help. Anyway, I have always admired the Sword Sect Master¡ªcould you introduce us? I heard that he is wise and heroic, talented since a young age, his cultivation realm is deep and profound¡­¡± Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s recollection of Yuchi Rui¡¯s past battle records were too impressive, causing Yuchi Xiao to immediately interpret the praises as an ulterior motive, ¡°What do you want?! My uncle is a decent person!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei blinked then said, ¡°You really think too much, young swordsman.¡± Yuchi Xiao was carrying both Gou Chen and Su Qing as he dizzily climbed out of the crater and flexed his shoulder muscles, ¡°How did that ghost cultivator disappear, don¡¯t tell me you depleted your blood again?¡± A virgin¡¯s blood is one of the most effective tools to counter ghost cultivators, but rare to obtain and depreciates the donor¡¯s life span. Gong Wei blinked and said, ¡°Then what else can I do? I thought that the handsome young swordsman Yuchi has a high level of cultivation, such that all kinds of evil spirits will flee in his presence, and is someone who can protect a lowly non-human like myself. Who knew¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao snapped, ¡°Alright, stop talking! I am sorry, it is my fault. Let me send you back to Cang Yang Sect right now!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Gong Wei said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go back first to clean up the mess in front of the Prince¡¯s Residence, find a way to wake Young Master Meng, and then visit the Golden Gate together to look for the Sword Sect Master. We can¡¯t count on that icy cold Lord Xu, but as long as the Sword Sect Master Yuchi agrees to help¡ª¡± As long as he and his former sworn buddy Yuchi Rui could reconnect, and then find Ying Kai to tearfully confess to his faults, then there was nothing Xu Shuangtze could do, even if he were to know that Gong Wei¡¯s soul had returned. ¡­Of course, unless he wields No Way Out to personally capture him from Golden Gate and tear him apart again. Suddenly, he sensed something at the back of his head. An ominous chill slid right into his heart. Gong Wei¡¯s expression changed and he moved in reflex but suddenly felt something icy cold dig into his shoulder blade! ¡°¡­¡± He gasped and dropped his gaze down, only to see a crimson sword tip pierced through his left shoulder, followed by a gush of blood. The evil spirit did not leave! Gong Wei could not react quickly enough, and heard an unbearable ringing in his ears as time seemed to stretch indefinitely. He saw his own blood gush along the tip of the blade and hit the ground in bright red droplets. He then saw the ghastly grey robe of the evil spirit rise up beside him, and also saw the expression of Yuchi Xiao change from a look of confusion to one of disbelief. Immediately after, Yuchi Xiao flew into a rage, with a powerful tug, he pulled Gong Wei behind his body and swung his sword at the ghostly figure! Gong Wei dropped to the ground on his knees, clutching Bai Taishou to support his body and gritted his teeth without making a sound. The sword seemed to be wrapped in a blood-coloured film that glowed in a red that did not seem to be of this world. Although Yuchi Xiao could not see the ghostly figure, he was raging and relied on his keen hearing of the wind movements to determine its position and was able to level with it. The ghostly figure almost broke through his defence to target Gong Wei, but was pushed back fiercely by Yuchi Xiao every time. It was forced to fight more and more violently until it could break through and reach towards Gong Wei. Bai Taishou reacted to it. At this point, Gong Wei had exhausted his strength to control the sword and could only watch as it turned into grey smoke in his palm and disappeared into the air¡ª Thud. Losing his only support, Gong Wei fell to the ground and saw blood gurgling out of his wound and quickly accumulating into a puddle on the grass. Bai Taishou appeared in mid-air, wielded in the hand of the ghostly figure. Using both swords, it began to attack Yuchi Xiao, turning the tables on him in an instant. Just at this moment, the wind brought in a sweet fragrance. Gong Wei¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Blood which trickled down from the tips of his fingers dripped onto a swaying wildflower blooming amongst the grass. From the stamen of the flower a tendril of mist appeared, before several criss-crossing red lines, like blood veins, extended out in all directions, glowing with scarlet light as they seeped right into the ground. In an instant, the trees all over the mountain blossomed. On long dormant trees, the peach blossoms began budding, then blooming. They looked like layers upon layers of scarlet clouds spreading into the distance, boundless as the sea. Outside of the Prince¡¯s Residence, the wind sent millions of peach blossom petals flying and drifting down among the rows of houses and onto the streets. This astonishing scene was reflected in everyone¡¯s eyes. The peach blossoms, which had been extinct in this world for sixteen years, all bloomed in one moment. Cang Yang Sect, Tianji Tower¡­ In the quiet hall, countless phantom images could be seen encircling a high platform. Upon closer inspection, there were mountains and valleys, there were also rivers and villages. Even the pedestrians and horse carriages were also clearly visible and appeared like tiny ants. Three thousand worlds could be seen in miniature here. It was an amazing but perplexing sight. On a jade seat on the platform, a meditating Xu Shuangtze suddenly opened his eyes and reached out in mid-air. One out of the millions of images magnified in reaction to his movement. What appeared before him was a bustling city with massive scarlet clouds, which appeared to be rapidly spreading. It was clearly Linjiang City. ¡°Peach Scourge?¡± A guard disciple in the hall lost his voice in shock and simply could not believe his eyes at the scene Master had enlarged, ¡°How, how can it be the Peach Scourge?!¡± The northern families had used the term ¡®Peach Scourge¡¯ to allude to Gong Wei ever since the events of that day at the Ascension Platform¡ªbut that demonic and treacherous fox, who had been at war with the Cang Yang Sect, had been dead for sixteen years! As he said those words, he felt a chill down his spine and caught Xu Shuangtze glancing over at him without any expression. The disciple¡¯s knees went weak and before he could even apologise for his behaviour, Lord Xu began to stride down from the high platform. The train of his robe whisked up due to his pace and the millions of images gathered and disappeared within his sleeves. It was a spectacular and magnificent sight. He stood at the side of a jade pillar, which rose to over a hundred feet high, reached out and called out in a deep voice, ¡°No Way Out.¡± The sword¡¯s cold light came whistling from the direction of the Xuan Gui Hall, right into his palm. Xu Shuangtze then rose up with the sword, like a meteor cutting through the sky, and headed in the direction of Linjiang City¡ª ¡°The Master has completed his closed-door cultivation!¡± ¡°We humbly congratulate the Master for completing closed-door cultivation!¡± Disciples he passed by bowed respectfully. They were shocked and frightened at his cold aura, but also excited and curious about their Master¡¯s actions. Xu Shuangtze rarely left Cang Yang Mountain, and in his early years, he only showed up when there were massive events. In recent years, he did not appear in front of people easily. When the magnificent aura of the sword swept across the sky, the news also seemed to have grown wings. Through word of mouth, it quickly travelled, bringing excitement and fear across the entire cultivation world. Why was Lord Xu going there? What has happened to Linjiang City? Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers were traversed in a snap of a finger. The white golden light of No Way Out swooped down towards the Prince¡¯s Residence. As he crossed the lofty city walls, the sky full of gorgeous peach blossoms came into view. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyebrows tightened, with a sudden flick of his hand, a pale gold sword tassel with an embroidered character ¡®Xu¡¯ was tossed from his sleeve towards Linjiang City. The next moment, a layer of transparent protective shielding, invisible to ordinary people rose from the ground. It surrounded the huge Linjiang City from all sides, then towered straight up to the sky, forming a dome and momentarily revealing a metallic golden character ¡®Xu¡¯! ¡°Xu Shuangtze has sealed Linjiang City?¡± Dai Mountain Immortal Alliance¡­ Within the Correctional Palace, a sturdy man clad in a dark linen robe was frowning. His face was handsome and gentle but held an expression of incredulity as he spoke again, ¡°Using the ¡®Mahayana Seal¡¯ ?¡± The disciple who rushed in to report earlier lowered his head and said, ¡°I humbly answer to the Alliance Master, it has been confirmed that the Mahayana Seal was used.¡± The man was none other than Martial Sovereign, Ying Kai, who had helmed the Immortal Alliance for many years. As the name of the Mahayana Seal implies, it was an item that only Sovereign Level cultivators, who have gone beyond achieving a golden core and ascended into the Mahayana realm were qualified to use. It is an immortal magic weapon used for sending a signal. No matter where evil spirits appear, as long as a Sovereign Level cultivator casts the Mahayana Seal, it would signify that he had put the matter and area under his protection. He can decide to take any kind of action he deems necessary and all the dangers he faces would be his sole responsibility. This was to avoid strife in the decision-making process and also to allow these cultivators to cast their secret techniques without fear and restraint. According to the rules of the Immortal Alliance, until the turmoil was fully resolved, all other Sovereign Level cultivators were not permitted to enter the realm protected by this great seal. ¡°Reporting in¨C! Alliance Master!¡± Another disciple briskly stepped up to the hall and held up a glowing messenger token, ¡°The Sword Sovereign of Golden Gate requests an audience!¡± Ying Kai raised his hand and tossed the token into the air. The jade tiled floor suddenly rippled and a visualisation formation was cast. In the middle of the formation, a youth in a sandalwood-coloured robe with dark-gold light armour over the top appeared. He resembled Yuchi Xiao to an extent, but was a few years older and had a pair of eyebrows which were more cold, handsome and arrogant. This man was Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi Rui. An uneasiness rose in Ying Kai¡¯s heart, ¡°What happened, Chang Sheng?¡± ¡°It is Lingjiang City. A ghost cultivator has appeared. Many are dead and injured.¡± Yuchi Rui was a man of few words. When he spoke, he tended to use simple words and strung them in short sentences. The next sentence he uttered changed the expression of everyone present,¡°The city is full of peach blossoms. It has become a strange spectacle.¡± At the same time, in Lingjiang City¡­ The ghost cultivator seemed to be stunned by the scene of the peach blossoms, and Yuchi Xiao took the opportunity to force it back with his sword, while releasing a few more moves and keeping Gong Wei protected behind him. At the same time, he pulled out a medicine bottle from his sleeves and poured the contents on Gong Wei¡¯s right shoulder to stop his bleeding without looking. ¡°Are you okay? How did these peach blossoms come about?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei said hoarsely, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He felt an intensifying shiver down his spine, seemingly foreshadowing something ominous. Soon he felt the familiar stabbing pain coming from his left chest, as if he was once again being pierced by a sharp, cold blade. It was No Way Out. The city is full of peach blossoms, a replica of the scene from sixteen years ago. And it had caught the attention of the person he least wanted to see again in this life! Yuchi Xiao raised his head and looked into the distance,¡±Lord Xu?!¡± Gong Wei¡¯s mind went completely blank and he involuntarily shuffled back. The excruciating pain in his chest intensified multifold in an instant. The raging sword aura, enough to destroy the mountains and split the seas came crashing down. A single person standing on a sword descended from the skies revealing his cold expression. It was Xu Shuangtze. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Sahl ¨C who else gets Wangxian vibes from these two? Also, finally Xu Shuangtze¡¯s here! Hiya, Daddy Xu! CH 7 Editor: Sahloknir ¡°Look out!¡± Yuchi Xiao, having travelled far and wide to exterminate evil spirits and demons, was accustomed to such abrupt situations. His first reaction was to cry out, ¡°Ghost cultivators have no form and cannot be seen by ordinary people, beware of sneak attacks!¡± However, Xu Shuangtze was deaf to his words. The peach blossom petals carried by the wind reflected in his eyes, he shifted his gaze towards Yuchi Xiao and ruled out his suspicions there. Next, he glanced over at the kneeling Xiang Xiaoyuan, who at this time had to pause to gasp for air, he also did not seem to be the person he was looking for. ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ stared firmly at the ground in front of him, his body trembling slightly. He did not dare to raise his head. It was unclear if he was in awe or in fear. After infinite time had passed, he felt the terrifying aura radiating above his head moving away and he asked, ¡°Where did the peach trees come from?¡± Gong Wei then relaxed his spine inconspicuously. Yuchi Xiao hesitated, ¡°I also do not¡­Lord Xu, look out!¡± A blood red ray of light streaked from behind towards Xu Shuangtze. Without him turning back¡ªNo Way Out unsheathed half of itself without its owner¡¯s command and ruthlessly collided with the blood-red blade of the ghost cultivator. A thunderous energy surged with the movement of the sword¡ªonly then did Xu Shuangtze reach out to grab hold of his sword hilt. He swiftly locked the blood sword in place and with a casual swing, he stabbed the ghost cultivator right through its chest! Looking at the scene, Gong Wei¡¯s heart was filled with a chill. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s No Way Out like Ying Kai¡¯s ¡®Ding Shan Hai¡¯ are both world renowned, divine blades. Once No Way Out senses imminent bloodlust, it will spontaneously awaken to protect its master with a spirit like a white dragon descending upon the earth. Sixteen years ago, Gong Wei¡¯s assassination plan was foiled because of it and he died under this invulnerable divine weapon. In other words, like the ghost cultivator, he was also killed with a single stab by this sword. Although the world seemed to think that he asked for it. The ghostly figure was slashed several times and each time, it turned into thick smoke and disappeared before reappearing unharmed. However, this time No Way Out inflicted a huge amount of damage on it, forming a huge crack through its body. The evil spirit was no match for Xu Shuangtze. Even the earlier advantage due to the lack of form did not help it and it was defeated in a blink of an eye. In its last breath it was still reluctant to escape and swung it¡¯s blood red sword at No Way Out while unsheathing Bai Taishou to lunge at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s throat! Xu Shuangtze could already see the vicious move coming and tilted his head slightly, avoiding the sword blade. The ghostly shadow couldn¡¯t catch his movement and only came to the realisation of what was about to happen when the sword blade was halted by two slender, yet powerful fingers. ¡°Bai Taishou,¡± Xu Shuangtze articulated each character in a low voice. Then he raised his eyes to gaze at the evil spirit. His frozen face finally revealed some emotion. ¡°Gong Wei?¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ was kneeling behind him with all ten fingers turning pale as they trembled and dug deep into the dirt. The ghostly figure was fixed in place, its body suddenly emitting a blinding red current. Yuchi Xiao sensed something ominous and shouted, ¡°Lord Xu, beware of sneak attacks!¡± However, Xu Shuangtze did not move at all. If one looked closely, his hand, which was clenched tightly around No Way Out, jerked reflexively, but it must have been an illusion. Aera ktfc j rtbmxfv Temtl Wljb vjrtfv obgkjgv, atf utbrais oluegf rqila jqjga jcv rqlgjiifv abkjgvr atf rxs ilxf j tegglmjcf jcv vlrjqqfjgfv! Rb bcf mbeiv rff We Vtejcuahf¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc, tf rabbv atfgf wbalbcifrr. Llr ibcu tjlg jcv gbyf riffnfr oieaafgfv lc atf klcv jr tf vfrmfcvfv, ojiifc qfajir ktlgifv jgbecv tlw jr tf ugjmfoeiis ijcvfv. A clear ¡®shing!¡¯ broke the silence as he put No Way Out back into its sheath. He turned around but did not see anyone and said in a hoarse and sombre voice, ¡°Where are the dead and wounded? ¡ª The people in front of the Prince¡¯s residence were rescued. Meng Yunfei was still in a daze when he was tapped on his acupoint, which dispersed some of the dense, black fog surrounding him. He looked up to see Xu Shuangtze¡¯s stoic face before spurting out a mouthful of blood and passing out. Yuchi Xiao immediately rushed over to catch his falling friend. He quickly carried the unconscious Meng Yunfei to get medical attention. As Xu Shuangtze looked at the departing duo, he turned to the bystanders and spoke crisply, ¡°Report to me the happenings in the past twenty-four hours. Do not conceal anything.¡± The second half of his sentence was really redundant. Since everyone present already saw him as their saviour, and could not wait to report to him all the heresies which happened in the city in the past half a month. Even minor gossip, like the dog in the eastern part of the city which did not bite and the chicken in the west which did not lay eggs, were also brought up. On the other hand, Yuchi Xiao, who had come back from attending Meng Yunfei, was well aware of the temperament of Lord Xu. Knowing that reports to him had to be concise, he quickly explained, ¡°The ghost cultivator seems to fear virgin¡¯s blood. Last night, Your Lordship¡¯s disciple, Young Master Xiang, in view of the situation sprayed his own blood on the ghost sword¡­¡± ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s report was suddenly interrupted by Xu Shuangtze. As such, Gong Wei suddenly became the focal point of all the cultivators in the hall. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Come here.¡± The terrible penetrated wound on Gong Wei¡¯s left shoulder had already been treated by the disciples of the city¡¯s medical practitioners. His muscle and bones had been reconnected, and the bleeding and pain was stopped after a thick layer of Immortal Sacred Medicine was applied. However, he still felt a residual soreness and pain, hence he hobbled and swayed as he walked towards Xu Shuangtze. He kowtowed as he replied, ¡°My Lord¡± Xu Shuangtze examined him from top to bottom before quietly asking, ¡°Are you the only one who can see the ghost cultivator¡¯s appearance?¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ did not even dare to raise his head, ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Shuangtze continued to probe, ¡°Previously, people died only at night, but since the day after you arrived in the city, the ghost cultivator began to wreak havoc even in the daytime?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Xu Shuangtze fell silent as he contemplated Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s response. Meanwhile the observing crowd in the hall had also grown silent, such that one¡¯s breath could be heard. Gong Wei shrank back and looked down to stare at his toes. After some time, Xu Shuangtze held No Way Out before him with one hand, and said with a flat tone, ¡°Pull the sword out.¡± He was actually suspicious of ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯! If it were in his past life as Chief Gong, if it was he who was opposing Xu Shuangtze right now, he would have grabbed and hidden No Way Out behind his back in a blink of an eye, and then smilingly provoked him with a tilted head, ¡°Want it back? Then beg me, Xu Bai.¡± Xu Shuangtze, of course, would have paid no attention to him, let alone forcibly search his body to snatch it back. The most he would do was gaze at Gong Wei from above before turning his back to leave. Within a few days, Ying Kai would naturally pay a visit to reprimand Gong Wei with a knock on his head and help Xu Shuangtze retrieve No Way Out. But in this life, the little Mei demon was really the lowest life form. In front of Lord Xu, he did not even have the right qualifications to speak freely, let alone think of snatching over his precious sword. Gong Wei¡¯s throat quivered, he closed his eyes before he slowly reached out and held onto the hilt of his sword¡­ Ka cha! A flood of cold light covered Gong Wei¡¯s hand and his knuckles were slowly turning pale green from the severe pain. Looking at the scene before him, Xu Shuangtze questioned, ¡°Is there a pain in your left chest?¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ timidly looked back at him. His voice trembling due to the pain could be misinterpreted as fear, ¡°Re-reporting back to Your Lordship, this disciple is inept in martial arts, and has been wounded on the left shoulder earlier on.¡± Saying that, he tugged down the collar of his robe to reveal a bloodstained bandage on his left shoulder. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze fell on the bloodstain and he narrowed his eyes as he contemplated the wound in silence. No Way Out was capable of causing fatal damage to the soul. The many people who died under this divine sword continued to have an incomplete soul even after reincarnation. No Way Out could evoke a reaction to these souls upon close proximity. Would he be discovered? Gong Wei was tormented by the agonising pain until his vision dimmed. As he entertained his messy and drifting thoughts, he suddenly glanced at the Qilin blood jade pendant hanging from his own waist and a ridiculous thought came to mind, Hold on, since the marriage was not officially withdrawn¡ªI am still rightfully engaged to the heir of the Sword Sect family¡­right? If Xu Shuangtze dares to capture me back for execution, I will cling onto Yuchi Xiao right here and shout at him for being disrespectful for forcefully stealing the wife of a junior. I wonder which of them would faint in anger first? Him or Brother Yuchi? Entertaining such thoughts, Gong Wei unconsciously shifted his gaze to Yuchi Xiao, who looked at him in puzzlement. What are you trying to say? What is Lord Xu doing? Did you somehow offended Lord Xu? Gong Wei could no longer maintain his stare due to the pain he was experiencing. He only managed to shake his head weakly before dropping his gaze. While the two of them were going back and forth with their subtle movements, a retainer of the Sword Sect family suddenly burst into the hall, he hurriedly bent down to present a mahogany lacquered tray, ¡°Lord Xu! Young Master Yuchi! These are the belongings of the woman outside of the Prince¡¯s residence, please take a look!¡± ¡ªIt turned out it was the illusion magic ¡®Attraction Seed¡¯ which Meng Yunfei and the others were enchanted by! Like that, the brief, treacherous atmosphere was abruptly broken. Something on the lacquered tray caught Xu Shuangtze¡¯s attention, ¡°Bring it over.¡± The retainer hastily bowed and held up the lacquered tray. Meanwhile, Gong Wei spontaneously took two steps back. His spine, which was tensed up earlier, now slightly relaxed. The ghost cultivator was gone and the ¡®Attraction Seed¡¯ enchantment should now be ineffective. However, as a precautionary measure, all the hairpins, rings, beads, jade and fragrance bottles on the tray were suppressed with a number of talismans. Xu Shuangtze picked out a tiny mercury mirror decorated with flower prints and looked at it before throwing it back down. His facial expression turned grim as he muttered two words from his thin lips, ¡°Mirror Art.¡± None of the cultivators in the hall understood. Only Yuchi Xiao suddenly associated it with something else and asked, ¡°Thousand Dimension Mirror World?¡± ¡®Mirror Art¡¯ is a kind of rare illusion art and in recent years, there were no cultivators who practiced it. Only the disciples of superior families like Yuchi Xiao, who had grown up exposed to countless magic weapons and rare treasures, knew about the existence of this profound Mirror Art and the frightening divine weapon used to cast it¡ª¡®Thousand Dimension Mirror World¡¯. The weapon was in fact a palace with a thousand mirrors. As one of three top illusion techniques of the Immortal Alliance, a mirror is used as a medium to connect both Yin and Yang. When the Thousand Dimension Mirror World was activated, anyone who was trapped in this technique would completely lose track of reality and fall prey to the illusions of the palace. One could grow up, get married, start a family, grow old and die in that world without ever discerning that everyone around them were actually just mere illusions. If this magic weapon were to fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives, it could cause life-long harm to its victims. Therefore, Ying Kai personally sealed the Mirror Palace and most of its power in the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Disciplinary Court. Only a small corner of the palace, with a few mirror fragments, could be accessed only for the sole purpose of teaching and testing the disciples sent for disciplinary action. The illusions were used to train and strengthen their willpower. The only person in the world who often used the Thousand Dimension Mirror World was Chief Gong. Yuchi Xiao opened and closed his mouth a few times before saying with difficulty, ¡°The sword which Your Lordship saw earlier was Bai Taishou. Could it be that the ghost cultivator is really¡ªis really¡­¡± The other cultivators have already gone hoarse in fear, ¡°Chief Gong?!¡± Gong Wei closed his eyes and thought, Fellow cultivators, you really shouldn¡¯t have gone there. Xu Shuangtze hated all forms of Mirror Arts. No one in this world knew better than Gong Wei how much he had suffered in the Thousand Dimension Mirror World. If one were to rank the things Xu Shuangtze wanted to do most in his life, exhuming Chief Gong to kill him again could only be ranked second. The utmost thing he wanted to do was to storm into the Disciplinary Court and smash up the Thousand Dimension Mirror World. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression turned gloomy. He held the hilt of No Way Out with one hand and started to subtly stroke it, before grimly replying, ¡°No. This was just regular Mirror Art, not the Thousand Dimension Mirror World.¡± The emotion in his tone could easily be misinterpreted, as though he would have preferred if it was the Thousand Dimension Mirror World which has resurfaced. But the misconception did not last as he continued on to ask, ¡°Where are the twenty-eight original bodies?¡± Yuchi Xiao quickly replied, ¡°They are placed at the Medical Sect¡¯s Villa in the city. Yunfei and I have opened up all the coffins to examine and all are confirmed to have died by suicide¡­Lord Xu, where are you going?¡± As Yuchi Xiao was talking, Xu Shuangtze had stood up and started walking out. Without looking back he replied, ¡°To invoke the souls.¡± Seeing the departing Xu Shuangtze, Yuchi Xiao thought that he did not explain it clearly enough and hurriedly caught up behind him. ¡°Reporting to Your Lordship, the souls of those killed by evil magic are fragmented and cannot be invoked! I have tried many times when we first arrived at Linjiang City, and indeed¡ª¡± Brilliant, thought Gong Wei. Another person out to make a fool of himself. As Gong Wei had predicted, before Yuchi Xiao could finish his sentence, he almost walked right into the back of Xu Shuangtze who paused his steps. Lord Xu then turned around and glanced at him coldly, scoffing, ¡°That is merely your attempt.¡± Yuchi Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei almost burst out in gloating laughter, but a sharp pain in his shoulder suppressed it. As he nursed his wound, he thought, This lot of young people have been calling out ¡®Lord Xu, Lord Xu¡¯ all day long and cannot wait to carve the surname ¡®Xu¡¯ on a tablet to worship daily with incense offerings on an altar. Serves you all right! You deserve to have a taste of Lord Xu¡¯s temper. Xu Shuangtze no longer paid any attention to the junior of the Sword Sect family. His line of sight swept across the surrounding crowd and fell on the body of ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ who was sneakily attempting to hide. He stared coldly for a long time before he firmly said, ¡°You, come along as well.¡± Ka cha, a bolt of thunder struck from the air. Gong Wei could no longer laugh. CH 8 Editor: Sahloknir Two medical disciples in violet gauze robes shuffled in softly and lit up the Yin candles. The eerie green light illuminated the dim mortuary. ¡°Lord Xu, this way please.¡± All the major sects in the cultivation world tend to guard their own territory, except for Mu Duozhu of the Golden Boat Medical Sect. For one, he claimed that it was the duty of medical practitioners to extend a helping hand to the world. The other reason was to make more money. Because of these reasons, he established countless medical clinics across the world. At this moment it was noon, but the interior of the house was so dark that one could not see the tip of their own fingers. There were only four rows of green candles, which cast a wavering glow on the twenty-eight neatly positioned coffins of varying shapes and sizes. Gong Wei, weaving through the crowd like a fox, took advantage of the hoards of people as a cover to hide in a corner. It was only then that the constant spasms of his heart started to slightly ease. Unfortunately, as he eased himself away from the crowd, he unwittingly bumped into someone behind and felt a jab. ¡°Why are you hiding?¡± Gong Wei spun around, and when he saw Yuchi Xiao, his face tensed up into an expression of agony and he cried, ¡°It was an accident, Young Swordsman. Have mercy, Young Swordsman!¡± Yuchi Xiao: ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao lifted his hand but froze it in mid-air, the corners of the mouth twitched slightly and reluctantly suppressed his annoyance. He said in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t I apply the medicine on you?!¡± Gong Wei pitifully mumbled, ¡°It is no use Young Swordsman, it is my fault, I am still in pain.¡± Yuchi Xiao sighed and almost rolled his eyes in response. He quickly placed his hand on Gong Wei¡¯s left shoulder and channelled a stream of powerful spiritual energy into him, repairing Gong Wei¡¯s broken meridians and calming his erratic heartbeat¡ªcaused by No Way Out. Gong Wei, with a face full of sincerest gratitude, reached out and grabbed his hand, ¡°Young Swordsman, you are such a kind person, I¡ª¡± Yuchi Xiao was thoroughly grossed out and snarled, ¡°Just talk and don¡¯t touch me!¡± At this time, Xu Shuangtze asked one of the medical disciples, ¡°How are the bodies preserved?¡± The Medical Sect¡¯s disciple bowed to him in response and replied anxiously, ¡°When they were delivered to us, we filled them up with mercury. Young Master Yuchi kindly assisted us in this matter by using up a large amount of his spiritual power to prevent the bodies from decaying. Though we know that the souls of those who died under the influence of dark arts cannot be summoned again. But my Lord, we-we were reluctant to give up hope and so we tried several times¡­to call them back using our best spell formations. But in the end, we were helpless. But if you help us, with your unparalleled cultivation level, we might have a chance.¡± Gong Wei whispered, ¡°Look at how others speak¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao, who was in the midst of healing his shoulder, heard everything. He quietly looked on but softly retorted, ¡°I shall let you continue to be in pain.¡± Hearing that, Gong Wei froze up immediately, and hurriedly responded, ¡°Young Swordsman, I misspoke, please don¡¯t stop.¡± Meanwhile, Xu Shuangtze was slowly strolling past several coffins, his expression hidden under those long eyelashes. He suddenly stopped walking and pressed on a coffin lid. Everyone immediately could see the eerie glow of spiritual energy emanating from his palm. In the blink of an eye, the energy enveloped the entire coffin. As the crowd became quiet in awe, Xu Shuangtze could be heard whispering, ¡°None shall look back after crossing the Ghost Wall, life and death are merely day and night. Rise!¡± All of a sudden, the lids of all twenty-eight coffins flipped open in unison and created an incessant booming vibration. As if suspended by invisible ropes, each corpse rose from their coffins. Bathed in an eerie green glow, their pale faces looked tragically beautiful. Suddenly, twenty-eight pairs of cloudy eyes sprung open at the same time and looked at Xu Shuangtze! It was an extremely shocking scene and a few cultivators standing in front of the crowd could not help but stumble backwards. Unfazed, Xu Shuangtze looked at the nearest corpse and commanded, ¡°Report your names.¡± A woman looked blankly at Xu Shuangtze. There were strangulation bruises on her otherwise swan-like neck. She was the courtesan who had committed suicide at the Prince¡¯s Residence. In death, her beauty had not faded, but her movements were stiff and emitted a rusty, creaking sound that made everyone¡¯s scalp tingle. She jerkily bowed down and emotionlessly replied, ¡°This lady¡¯s name is Yao Yuqing.¡± Beside her was a young bride wearing a ceremonial phoenix crown and scarlet cape. Her throat had a gaping hole which had already turned greenish-black¡ªa result of decomposition. As she bowed, liquid dripped down from her wound, ¡°This lady¡¯s name is Yu Xiaomeng.¡± The third one was a teenage cultivator in white robes who bent down, holding onto his sword in a salutation, his voice carried a tinge of sorrow, ¡°This junior is called Yuan Le.¡± ¡­ Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes swept over the twenty-eight deceased, as they reported their names. He looked back at the first courtesan, ¡°You excused yourself from the feast at the Prince¡¯s Residence to change your clothes. As your makeup had worn off, you touched it up again in front of the mirror, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ktf mbegafrjc rjlv klat j agfwyilcu nblmf, ¡°Tfr!¡± We Vtejcuahf atfc aegcfv ab atf yglvf, ¡°Tbe kfgf kjlalcu obg j ibcu alwf lc atf yglvji mtjwyfg obg sbeg ugbbw ab jgglnf. Vb sbe abbx boo sbeg nfli jcv jvwlgfv sbeg beaola lc atf wlggbg, vlvc¡¯a sbe?¡± ¡°Tfr!¡± ¡°Tbe jgf jc Pwwbgaji Vfma¡¯r vlrmlqif jcv sbe tjnf ab ufa eq fjgis fnfgs wbgclcu ab wfvlajaf. Tbe kfgf ojmlcu j wlggbg ab ugbbw sbegrfio joafg j yjat yfobgf sbeg wfvlajalbc qgjmalmf?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡­ Without needing Xu Shuangtze to ask each of the deceased, the truth dawned on everyone present. All the victims had done the same thing before they died, they looked at themselves in a mirror! One cultivator suddenly turned pale as he recalled the bronze mirror in his room, he shakily exclaimed, ¡°Could it-could it be that as long as there is a mirror, it can-it can all¡ª¡± Hearing the panic of the cultivator, Gong Wei shook his head and softly said, ¡°No, it has to be a mercury mirror.¡± The reason why the Mirror Art is rarely practiced is because one of the conditions to activate the craft was the use of mercury mirrors. A bronze mirror could not effectively capture a soul, as it was unable to connect the Yin and Yang, and could not create illusions. Mercury mirrors were rare and expensive items that were not readily available to the masses. Hence, the twenty-eight deceased in Linjiang City are all dignified and prestigious figures. Without access to a mercury mirror, even if there were beauties with heavy Yin predisposition, they would escape the unfortunate fate of being exposed to the Mirror Art. Hearing Gong Wei¡¯s remark, Yuchi Xiao softly replied, ¡°You know quite a lot.¡± Gong Wei looked at him arrogantly as he secretly scoffed, Of course! Once Yuchi Rui saves me from Xu Shuangtze, I will demonstrate the full extent of my knowledge which will be guaranteed to make you kneel down before me in awe. You will definitely want to acknowledge me as your uncle! Sensing rather unkind thoughts, Yuchi Xiao rubbed his nose uneasily, ¡°Why do you keep staring at me?¡± Gong Wei: ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Everyone watched him fearfully as they saw him exhale deeply, as if he was finally ready after some kind of mental preparation. He opened his eyes and glanced around at the twenty-eight corpses before asking the most crucial question. ¡°Who was the one who harmed you?¡± The souls of the dead were stirred up¡ªthey all looked as though they had countless words to say at the same time, the courtesan was the first to let out a sharp cry, ¡°It-it was the Immortal¡ª¡± ¡°The Immortal Alliance¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªImmortal Alliance¡¯s¡­¡± In that instance, the blood-curdling cries of the souls were disrupted and a sudden unnatural silence descended upon the audience as all the corpses grabbed their necks simultaneously looking as though they were being choked by something unseen. The courtesan trembled violently as she held onto her neck. The dead bride opened her mouth to cry out ¡°Ah, ah¡± in a muted tone. A female entertainer at the back was first to succumb to whatever evil was pressuring her and tore at her own hair while letting out a miserable ghastly groan. The twenty-eight corpses struggled violently, causing the crowd to tremble and grasp in horror. One by one the corpses collapsed into their coffins, their once preserved look faded away leaving only a shrunken and decayed husk. Xu Shuangtze reacted quickly, he rushed towards the nearest floating corpse and pressed his palm on the body of the young cultivator in white. He forcibly channeled his spiritual power and the sudden livor mortis slowed down. The young cultivator¡¯s greenish-black lips struggled to open and barely gasped out a few words, ¡°He said he is¡­Immortal Alliance¡¯s¡­Lo¡­tus¡­¡± The surrounding cultivators were stunned¡­Lotus Immortal? Was it really Chief Gong who had been dead sixteen years? Before another sound could be heard, the soul of the young cultivator cracked, and the body disintegrated into pieces. The surrounding Yin candles flickered wildly in the still air and emitted a blinding green light. Then the corpse pieces in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s grip became ash in an instant. Bang! The ashes scattered into the coffin, but emitted a strange, faint, flickering light. Looking on silently, Xu Shuangtze leaned forward to touch the pile of ash, when he withdrew his hand, the crowd could see a peach blossom held between his two fingers. ¡°Here-here too¡­¡± Someone incredulously pointed to another coffin, only to hear the surrounding crowd hoarsely cry out, ¡°There is one here as well!¡± ¡°There¡¯re peach blossoms here as well!¡± All the souls were simultaneously depleted of spiritual energy, and were snatched back to the Underworld¡ªall that was left behind were peach blossom petals! ¡°How could¡­¡± someone drew in a cold breath, ¡°how could they suddenly¡­¡± Damn right, how? Gong Wei wanted to find out more than anyone else. He thought to himself, in his previous life, with the exception of Xu Shuangtze, he did not offend anyone. Even if some old men and women of the famous sects did not see eye to eye with him, they would only curse at him behind his back. The northern families who were always against him disputed over the interest of the Immortal Alliance and but did not butt heads with him personally. When he died, these grudges were buried with him. So who is using his name to create chaos sixteen years later? Someone peeked at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face, and was so shocked at his ferocious expression that he stumbled backwards. Xu Shuangtze stared at the remnants of the twenty-eight corpses and coldly spat out two words, ¡°Get out.¡± Before the cultivators could react, Xu Shuangtze sternly shouted, ¡°Get out!¡± Not even a word of dissent could be heard as the crowd immediately scrambled to leave the mortuary. Several people almost stumbled and fell in their sudden panic to leave. Yuchi Xiao took a couple of steps and saw that Gong Wei was still standing in place. He hurriedly tugged him and lowered his voice, ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ looked as though he just woke from a dream, softly made an ¡°ah¡± sound, lowered his head and stepped outside. Yuchi Xiao had never seen the Mei demon behave in this manner and was uncomfortable. He could not help but ask, ¡° Does your wound still hurt? Wanna let the Medical Sect¡¯s disciples take a look again?¡± Gong Wei grabbed his hands, his face flushed pink, ¡° Young Swordsman, I always knew you are a good person, I¡­¡± All of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s remaining goosebumps stood up and he exclaimed, ¡°I told you not to touch me¡ª¡± He retracted his hands, ignoring Gong Wei, he marched stiffly out of the door without looking back. Gong Wei deliberately waited for him to leave, before slowing down his steps. The crowd scrambled to cross the high threshold of the morgue and no one noticed his body slipping behind the door like a shadow clinging to the corner of the wall. High level cultivators like Xu Shuangtze, who wield unparalleled power, tend to perceive their surroundings mainly by using the Yin and Yang spiritual power, hence eyesight was secondary to them. Xiang Xiaoyuan, with an extremely Yin body deposition, blended in perfectly with the mortuary¡¯s thick, undead gas. Even if the great Golden Immortals were to descend to earth, they might not discover him here¡ª Gong Wei looked out from the pitch dark corner and saw Xu Shuangtze standing in the middle, surrounded by the twenty eight coffins. He looked tall and slender from the side, his face was chiselled with sharp lines and his dark pupils had a faint, cold glint. Gong Wei could not tell what expression he had. With a soft click, the door was carefully closed. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s shoulders stiffened like a wooden plank, but that might be an illusion caused by the flickering candle flame. His voice felt like it was forced through his teeth, ¡°¡­Gong Wei!¡± Gong Wei narrowed his eyes without displaying any emotion. ¡°Gong¡ªWei¡ª¡± His hoarse voice trailed off like a roar, Xu Shuangtze drew his sword with force, his qi shook the grounds, and he swung the sword down with force through the air! ¡ªBoom! The sky and the earth shook, No Way Out shattered the void and split it open to reveal the Underworld! A gust of Yin wind swept out towards heaven and earth, and hellfire rained down like a waterfall from the air. A nine-foot high, blood-painted door emerged from the raging fire and stood right in front. The massive door had nine rows of door nails made from greenish human bones and skulls and a pair of bronze dragon head door-knockers. There were thousands of headless skeletons clinging onto the door frame and making sorrowful, ghastly cries. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face was stiff as ice and he did not hesitate to swing down his sword once more. This time, the huge door broke into pieces, and the debris of gigantic stones fell like rain. Even the door frame was completely shattered into pieces! A chill finally rose silently from Gong Wei¡¯s heart. He had made a correct guess. Xu Shuangtze wanted to be alone to open this door that separates life and death¡ª He was breaking through the Ghost Wall of the Underworld! Before Gong Wei could react, his surroundings morphed and the morgue disappeared. In its place the entrance to the Underworld appeared. A gust of hellish wind swept out from the broken door of the Ghost Wall, sending Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hair and sleeves flying as he slammed No Way Out heavily on the ground. Numerous foot soldiers from the Ghost Wall, holding eerie green torches, axes and forks, rushed out of the door like a wave. ¡°How dare you!¡± ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°The living may not enter the Underworld, how dare you trespass!¡± The soldiers¡¯ ranks swelled up as more of them gathered from the back, they crowded together and from afar they looked like a ghastly black swamp. Xu Shuangtze looked at the scene and smiled coldly, ¡°¡ªGet out of my way.¡± As soon as his words fell, the ghost soldiers stiffened and neatly stepped aside, creating a path. At the end of the path, eighty-eight skeletons were seen carrying a carriage as they hurried forwards. On it was the Ghost Judge who was donned in a red official¡¯s robe and wore black iron headgear . His body was as large as a small mountain and under his robe was not a typical body with arms and legs, but a mass of ghosts crying pitifully but not being able to break free. ¡°¡ªIt is Lord Xu, I have not seen you for many years, I trust that you have been well?!¡± The Ghost Judge smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and projected his voice so loudly that Gong Wei nearly went deaf. The eighty-eight skeletons carrying the carriage suddenly halted and knelt in unison. He swept his gaze across the surroundings and the ruins of the wrecked door before his greenish face showed an expression of gratitude. ¡°Immortal Monarch, your temper has improved. This is much better compared to sixteen years ago, when you stormed the Ghost Wall and slaughtered thousands of ghosts within the Twelve Provinces of the Underworld. I am delighted.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s thin silhouette was hidden behind the debris, and his eyebrows twitched. Xu Shuangtze once stormed through all Twelve Provinces of the Underworld? But why? Xu Shuangtze stood with his sword, his expression held no surprise at the Ghost Judge¡¯s words. He merely said, ¡°Bring me the Book of Life and Death, I am looking for someone.¡± The Ghost Judge¡¯s actions suddenly stopped, his smile slipped off his face and he let out a long sigh. ¡°Immortal Monarch, we have already made it clear to you sixteen years ago. The soul you are looking for is not in the Underworld¡ªI think it must be No Way Out¡¯s formidable powers. It is not possible for that person to even reincarnate, his soul would have already been fragmented and scattered!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Sahl Okay guys, I know some of you have your doubts about Xu Shuangtze, but he literally went to hell for his boi. *Clasps hands together* So romantic! CH 9 Editor: Sahloknir In his past life, Gong Wei was known for his cheerfulness and good temper, even among the commoners. But right now, his mood could not be any lower. What¡¯s worse than being stabbed to death with a sword by your arch-enemy? It was for everyone to know that your corpse has been dismembered. What is worse than getting killed? It¡¯s to create such resentment that your arch-enemy storms the Ghost Wall, and barges into the Underworld with the intention of bringing your soul back for another round of torment. And only until he was sure that your soul had been extinguished and could not even reincarnate, would he be able to gain peace of mind enough to return home¡­ Xu Shuangtze¡¯s back was towards Gong Wei, so he could not read his expression. Xu Shuangtze was silent for a short while. His voice was slightly stifled as he questioned, ¡°I¡¯m looking for the twenty-eight people who have died this past month in Linjiang City¡­I still have questions for them. Where are their spirits?¡± Hearing his request, the Ghost Judge was stunned and stuttered, ¡°Linjiang City? Th-there-have been dead people from Linjiang City in the past month?¡± Listening in to the conversation, Gong Wei thought in his heart that this Judge was about to get into serious trouble. As expected, Xu Shuangtze also did not bother to explain, and ordered him, ¡°Say no more, bring me the Book of Life and Death.¡± In a frenzy, the Ghost Judge ordered a skeleton, ¡°Quick!¡± There were Twelve Provinces beyond the Ghost Wall and each was presided over by a Ghost Judge. The twelve of them took turns each month to guard the gate to the Underworld, which was the transit point for spirits towards death and reincarnation. The last time Xu Shuangtze swept through the Twelve Provinces, it had been fair and square as all the Judges were present. No one was late and no one was left unscathed. This time the Ghost Judge standing in front of him was in great misery as he was facing Lord Xu of the Cang Yang Sect all alone. This is the epitome of bloody bad luck. A short while later, the skeleton with the order came running back with a thick yellow book in hand. The Ghost Judge fumbled and pulled out a staff from his huge body and pointed it at the book while commanding, ¡°Open!¡± One by one, majestic golden scrolls swiftly rolled out from the void and fell down, forming eighty-one streams like dazzling waterfalls! Breaking through the Ghost Wall is at the expense of one¡¯s own lifespan. Gong Wei risked this and snuck down with Xu Shuangtze just for this moment¡ªto find the whereabouts of the little Mei demon¡¯s soul through the Book of Life and Death. If he has not yet crossed the Naihe Bridge, he could find a way to summon the little Mei demon back into his body. If he has been reincarnated, Gong Wei has to at least know where the other party has been reincarnated to, and if he is doing well. However, as his eyes were fixed on the prize, his whole body froze. Each of the eighty-one scrolls were empty, there was not a single word written on them. This could only mean that no one was born and no one has died. The records of the past half a month were blank! ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze raised his brows. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The Ghost Judge inexplicably asked in return, ¡°Immortal Monarch, what is wrong?¡± ¡°Why is the Book of Life and Death blank?¡± The Ghost Judge affirmed, ¡°A blank record means no one has been born or died, the record will not be wrong!¡± Xu Shuangtze frowned more tightly and said, ¡°Sixteen years ago when I came down to the Underworld to look for the soul of the Lotus Immortal, you said that the deceased was not in the Book of Life and Death, which means that his soul has been destroyed and did not enter the reincarnation process. Could all the dead people in the world have their souls destroyed and not be reincarnated as well?¡± The Ghost Judge patiently explained, ¡°But the Book of Life and Death cannot be wrong¡­¡± Xbcu Qfl ibbxfv bc klat j rfcrf bo obgfybvlcu. We Vtejcuahf mifjgis atbeuta bo atf rjwf atlcu jcv lwwfvljafis lcafggeqafv tlw, ¡°Dglcu wf jii atf gfmbgvr ogbw rlzaffc sfjgr jub ab atf qgfrfca, ub!¡± Ktf rxfifabc yerlis gjaaifv jr la gjc yjmx jcv rtjxlis ygbeuta j ijguf qlif bo sfiibk qjqfgyjmx ybbxr. Ktf Xtbra Aevuf gfjmtfv obg tlr rajoo jujlc, jcv revvfcis atf rxs kjr oeii bo ubivfc rmgbiir ecobivlcu, la kjr j rbifwc, sfa rqfmajmeijg rluta¡ª Then, Gong Wei¡¯s pupils dilated in disbelief. All the records of births and deaths in the human world had come to an abrupt end since the beginning of the 28th year of Taiyi. To be precise, since the day he died under No Way Out sixteen years ago¡ªno one has been born and no one has died, according to the Book of Life and Death! If it was just a chill he felt in his heart earlier, then at this moment it is a genuine shiver. Gong Wei subconsciously looked at Xu Shuangtze, only to see his thin lips pursed, his face was white, the hand clutching No Way Out had bulging veins. Finally, he said, ¡°The world is full of thousands of beings, how is it possible that in sixteen years no one has been born, and no one has died?¡± The Ghost Judge said with dogmatic certainty, ¡°If there is no one born, then there will be none who dies. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°If there is no one born, then there will be none who dies. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!¡± The Ghost Judge deepened his tone to emphasise, repeating a few times and laughing out loud. ¡°If there is no one born, then there will be none who die. The Book of Life and Death will not be wrong!¡± It has become obvious that things in the Underworld are not looking right. It was as if the Ghost Judge only had the mental capacity to answer to this point. The ghosts surrounding began to chime in, ¡°Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake¡ª¡± ¡°Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake¡ª¡± The voices gathered into a torrent, gushing along the WangChuan River and splashing into the dark and desolate boulders along its banks. Crows flew wildly in all directions, covering the gloomy, grey sky, shrouding the Underworld in darkness. ¡°Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake¡ª¡± The voices echoed and reverberated up the skies. The earth shook violently in a terrible resonance. ¡°Life and Death are written in the book, there can be no mistake¡ª¡± The skeletons opened up their jaws, and all the ghosts seemed intoxicated. The Ghost Judge also appeared to have forgotten everything, and fell backwards in a daze. The surrounding Yin flames swayed and flickered like the rippling surface of the water, then suddenly transformed into countless scarlet petals, cascading towards the sky like giant waves. ¡ªThey were the same peach blossoms which appeared in the mortuary at the exact moment when the twenty-eight spirits disappeared! It was an extraordinary scene, with scarlet clouds drifting across the sky, but there was also an unspeakable eeriness. The next moment, the peach blossom waves swallowed up the sky, with the next wave more ferocious than the previous, until the entire Ghost City was enveloped. Gong Wei grabbed on to the rock in front of him, but to no avail. It was as if he had been fiercely punched in the face, his ears buzzed and his vision turned black. As he fell backwards, a gust of wind whistled past his ears¡­ Plop! He knelt on the hard ground, feeling a raw pain on his knees and his head spinning. A wave of nausea set in, and from above his head, a nightmarish voice came, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The petite back of Gong Wei straightened up and he slowly raised his head. His surroundings had already reverted to the dimly lit mortuary of the Medical Village, with the twenty-eight coffins still open. Not far from him, Xu Shuangtze stared at him with a gaze like frost and snow, saying, ¡°Come out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The air was frozen solid. Gong Wei shuffled two steps on his knees. His face was pale white and his lips trembled, ¡°Your-your Lordship, please forgive me. I was-I was just¡­¡± He could not finish his sentence before retching uncontrollably. This performance was not staged¡ªGong Wei¡¯s body had always been hardy. If he was alive, he could easily tour the Underworld for three full days without so much as a gasp. But the little Mei demon¡¯s body was just too weak and could not avoid damage to the soul as they transitioned out of the Ghost Realm. Coupled with the close proximity to No Way Out, his heart spasmed violently as he gasped for air and this caused his vision to dim. There was nothing he could vomit but he continued to retch. Then, Gong Wei felt something cold coming into contact with his skin as his chin was raised by the hilt of No Way Out. Xu Shuangtze leaned down, Gong Wei was forced to tilt his head to look directly into his sunken, cold, black eyes. Suddenly, his nausea was gone. ¡ªXu Shuangtze was a cleanliness freak. If Gong Wei had dared to vomit on the scabbard of No Way Out, the little Mei demon¡¯s body would be cut into countless pieces on the spot. ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan.¡± Xu Shuangtze called out word by word. Gong Wei maintained his posture, but the platinum scabbard reflected his widened and panic-stricken eyes. ¡°That ghost cultivator was chasing after you. What did it want?¡± Xu Shuangtze stared at his pupils and slowly asked, ¡°If it is the Lotus Immortal¡­then what are you?¡± ¡°¡­Your-your Lordship, please spare my life¡­¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s¡¯ trembling and flustered voice rang out, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do it, I won¡¯t dare again, please forgive me¡­¡± Outside the door, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard, but Xu Shuangtze ignored them, narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°You went down to the Ghost City with me earlier?¡± ¡°I-I-I didn¡¯t see¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice deepened, ¡°What did you see?!¡± Bang! The door was forcefully pushed open, and Yuchi Xiao crossed the threshold with quick steps, arriving at the scene before him, and said with a hoarse voice, ¡°Lord Xu, please spare him! Xiang Xiaoyuan has injured his shoulder and has difficulty moving. He was left behind due to our negligence. Please be merciful, Your Lordship!¡± ¡ªThe tense atmosphere was instantly broken up. Xu Shuangtze glanced at Yuchi Xiao with suspicion and finally took a deep breath, straightened up and loosened his ¡®grip¡¯ on ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯. Gong Wei couldn¡¯t care less and dashed towards Yuchi Xiao. His wound was now soaked in blood and he trembled due to the pain. Yuchi Xiao was startled by his swift movement, but still gave him a ¡®look¡¯ to direct Gong Wei to hide behind him. Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°What do you want?¡± Earlier on, Yuchi Xiao realised that the little Mei demon did not catch up, and turned back for him. But he did not dare to mention this. Instead, he thought of another excuse to divert Xu Shuangtze¡¯s attention, ¡°Report¡­Reporting back to Your Lordship, I heard the cries of ghosts and guessed that Your Lordship had opened the gate to the Underworld so I hurried back. Has Your Lordship discovered anything in the Ghost City?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, ¡°I did not discover anything.¡± Yuchi Xiao replied stiffly, ¡°Is that so? Then it seems that the investigation will take more time. This junior¡­will take my leave now?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not even bother to answer. Yuchi Xiao feared annoying him further, with a tug, he dragged Gong Wei out of the mortuary. Gong Wei almost stumbled as he crossed the threshold. Outside the mortuary, the daylight was blinding. He was held by the back of his collar by Yuchi Xiao. As he turned his head back towards the door, he could still see Xu Shuangtze standing by the rows of coffins, his silhouette as upright and lonely as a sword. ¡°Gong Wei,¡± he suddenly spoke. Gong Wei¡¯s heart tightened. He saw Xu Shuangtze looking at the dim, dull void in front of him, as if he was speaking to some non-existent ghost. Each and every word was spoken extremely calmly and clearly, ¡°If you lie to me one more time, I will make you regret that you dared to die on me back then.¡± The carved door closed with a click, sealing the mortuary in a thick darkness. ¡ª ¡°What were you thinking? Why did you stay there? Do you want to die so badly?¡± Yuchi Xiao continued to grip onto the back of Gong Wei¡¯s collar as he reprimanded. Gong Wei sluggishly covered his head with both hands, ¡°I was injured, I couldn¡¯t walk fast and you ran away without waiting for me¡­Ouch!¡± Yuchi Xiao knocked his head with his knuckle, ¡°If you do this again, I will ignore you! How dare you disobey the orders of Lord Xu? Are you tired of living?¡± It was already late in the afternoon when the two returned to the inn. Gong Wei was thirsty and tired. He originally wanted to argue with Yuchi Xiao, saying that he never expected the young swordsman to protect him and even if he did, he wasn¡¯t doing a good job, given the number of injuries inflicted on him. On second thought, he still had to rely on Young Swordsman Yuchi to lead him to his uncle, the Sword Sect Master, in order for him to escape from the devilish claws of Lord Xu. With this thought, he shamefully put forth a pitiable expression and, full of emotion said, ¡°Young Swordsman, you are really a good man. Please do not fuss over a non-human being like me. You are really my loving and righteous benefactor¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao suddenly had goosebumps all over, ¡°Shut up! This is too fake!¡± Gong Wei: ¡°Tch! Why are you so picky!¡± Yuchi Xiao suddenly stood still, his tall figure blocking the inn¡¯s corridor. He glanced around to make sure there was no one else before he asked with a straight face, ¡°There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t had a chance to ask you yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°How did you control Su Qing when you fought against that ghost cultivator outside the Prince¡¯s Residence?¡± Gong Wei pretended to be confused, ¡°What ¡®Su Qing¡¯?¡± ¡°Among the famous families¡¯ younger generation disciples, I am among the top three in terms of combat power. Below me is the outer disciple of Lord Xu, Wen Xiuyang and below him is Meng Yunfei. Although Yunfei¡¯s ¡®Su Qing¡® sword is not as powerful as his guqin, it is also a famous immortal sword. How did you, a little Mei demon who just built your cultivation foundation, take the Su Qing sword from him?¡± Yuchi Xiao was at least a head taller than Gong Wei, he had thick, sword shaped brows and cold, bright eyes, he was now frowning slightly and staring straight at him. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei was silent for a moment, closed his eyes and said, ¡°You made a mistake.¡± Yuchi Xiao continued frowning, ¡°What are you hiding? I can¡¯t possibly¡ª¡± His words stopped abruptly as Gong Wei widened his eyes, and his right pupil turned blood red. ¡°You made a mistake,¡± Gong Wei said in a soft voice. Sound, light, and consciousness were all rapidly drawn from him, and Yuchi Xiao was suddenly plunged into an endless abyss. His mind blanked out from the descent and all he could hear was the boundless wind which swept past his ears. Gong Wei¡¯s smile and beautiful face was moving further and further away from his view and then a loud sound came from above¡ª _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl ¨C Ooh! Cliffhanger¡­Or is it¡­? *Tries to look mysterious* Also, Xu Shuangtze is not happy with your death, Gong Wei¡­ I wonder why? Ahem. Boom! Yuchi Xiao stumbled and was held by Gong Wei with one arm. ¡°Young Master? What happened to you?¡± Before him was still the scene of the inn¡¯s corridor once more, but it was already dark. The errand boy¡¯s hurried footsteps and greetings to other customers could be heard in the distance. Within inches of his view, there was ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s¡¯s concerned gaze and clear, black eyes staring back. Yuchi Xiao was still in a daze and he felt that he seemed to have forgotten something, but it also felt like nothing had happened in front of the Prince¡¯s Residence. He forcibly shut his eyes and then opened them again only to see ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s¡¯ smiling face, he was wearing a loose robe, his beauty was definitely not from the realm of humans. Gong Wei teased, ¡°Young Master, be careful.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart raced and beat like a drum as he took half a step back flustered, not being able to say a word for a moment. ¡°¡ªYou,¡± he said sharply, ¡°Why are you so close to me!?¡± The distance between the two was lengthened. Gong Wei nonchalantly and innocently reached out to hold his hand, ¡°To support you better.¡± As he paused, a faint fragrance wisped out from his robe sleeves like the first dawn of spring. But Yuchi Xiao was not sure if it was his own illusion, he could only subconsciously force himself to look away, and hastily waved his hand, ¡°I¡¯m going back to the room, you should hurry back to rest too.¡± Gong Wei smilingly agreed. Yuchi Xiao turned and left, but thought of something after a few steps. He turned back and intentionally directed his gaze at the floor this time, in a stern voice he said, ¡°Don¡¯t mess with Lord Xu if you don¡¯t want to die!¡± Gong Wei nodded. ¡°En, understood!¡± Before the words were out of his mouth, he saw Yuchi Xiao darted back into the room like an arrow, as if he was running away. Then, he slammed the door behind him heavily with a bang. ¡°?¡± Gong Wei shrugged, ¡°Strange.¡± ¡ª Finally he got rid of Young Swordsman Yuchi. Gong Wei was thirsty and his entire body was in pain. He rubbed the back of his neck and returned to his room. The first thing he did was to chug down a large cup of water, then he fell back on his bed and heaved a long sigh of relief. Yuchi Xiao had previously turned down the offer to stay at the Prince¡¯s Residence or at a local Immortal Sect. Instead, he chose to spend money to reserve rooms at a secluded inn. This move was wise. It allowed them to avoid the smaller local Immortal Sects and independent cultivators¡¯ incessant visits in an attempt to pull strings for their own agendas. Once the room¡¯s door was shut, it was a sanctuary of peace, sealed away from other disturbances. Gong Wei stared at the ceiling of the inn and shoved the strange behaviour of Yuchi Xiao to the back of his mind. His brain now was occupied by countless random thoughts. He thought of the strange blank pages in the Book of Life and Death for the past sixteen years. Ktfc tf qbcvfgfv tbk We Vtejcuahf wjcjufv ab rabgw atgbeut atf Xtbra Jlas jcv atf Kkfinf Ugbnlcmfr atja sfjg. Lf jirb kbcvfgfv ktb kbeiv erf tlr, Xbcu Qfl¡¯r, cjwf jcv klfiv tlr rkbgv ab mbwwla rfcrfifrr wegvfgr¡­ Coafg ublcu atgbeut jii atfrf mtjbalm atbeutar, tf ugjvejiis mjiwfv vbkc. Dea jc lggfqgfrrlyif atbeuta rbbc fwfgufv. Did I lie to Xu Shuangtze? But twenty years ago it was he who wanted to enter the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm. How can whatever has happened in the realm be called a lie? Gong Wei felt an injustice from the bottom of his heart and rolled over in bed. He thought that when he first met Xu Shuangtze, that man was clearly good-tempered and not as cold and heartless as he became later. Gong Wei had just been picked up by Ying Kai from the peach forest of Cang Yang Mountain. For some reason, Xu Shuangtze visited the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Correctional Palace often. Every time he did so, he brought Gong Wei food and snacks, books to draw on. He personally taught him how to read and write, and once even gave him a small suona to play with. Those were the most harmonious years they shared. Like most things, good times do not last long. As he grew up, the many ¡®different and non-human¡¯ traits and manifestations in his body did not fade with time, but became more pronounced. He still liked to eat flowers, naturally imitated the behaviour of those around him and his demonic, blood-red right pupil would appear from time to time. Xu Shuangtze who seemed to sense something amiss, gradually grew cold and distant towards him, and the many subtle cracks between them also quietly surfaced. But Gong Wei did not take it to heart. Gong Wei grew up with an incredibly good temper. To everyone he met, he was exceedingly curious, friendly and tolerant, as if nothing in this world could anger him. He was especially close with Xu Shuangtze, and although he never understood how or when he offended Lord Xu, he was never displeased by his coldness and only ever felt puzzled. ¡ªThen that accident happened. Gong Wei survived an assassination attempt which caused Ying Kai to be furious. He decided to cripple the unorthodox style of some families and announced the establishment of a Disciplinary Court and appointed Gong Wei as the Chief of the Department of Discipline. At that time, Gong Wei¡¯s mental state had not fully matured. It was already a feat for him to control himself, let alone having to manage the disciples of other families. Therefore, Ying Kai took up the responsibility of supervising the Discipline Court personally, while allowing Gong Wei to follow and learn. With the appointment, Gong Wei¡¯s new status would deter unwanted offences from prominent sects and families and reduce any unnecessary suffering. It was a good idea, but unexpectedly, this decision was met with an unprecedented and firm opposition from Lord Xu. That day, Xu Shuangtze came to the Immortal Alliance and had a heated argument with Ying Kai at the Correctional Palace. It just so happened that Gong Wei ran in happily to offer up a treasure as a gift to Xu Shuangtze. He overheard every detail of the argument, including Xu Shuangtze¡¯s extremely hurtful and harsh words, that he had never once spoken to his face before. For the first time in his life, Gong Wei was angry. That was the first clash between him and Xu Shuangtze. That time, the conflict came and went quickly, because the always unrelenting Lord Xu who rarely backed down, did not say a word and walked away without any retaliation. Fortunately, because he did not fight back, the conflict did not worsen right from the start. In the following years, the Cang Yang Sect and Gong Wei came into all sorts of friction and all kinds of unhappiness arose. No matter how many times Ying Kai stepped in to mediate, it was useless. The discord between Xu Shuangtze and Gong Wei finally spread and became known to everyone. ¡ªIf the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm did not exist, perhaps the conflict would not have evolved and simply remained at the state of frequent, but mild friction. Later, it might not even have caused the two men to spiral into an irreconcilable state. But unfortunately, Lord Xu¡¯s destiny dictated this fate. Twenty years ago, Xu Shuangtze had a breakthrough in his cultivation and reached the middle stage of Dhyana. He had to enter the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm to break another barrier, in order to reach the late Dhyana stage. There was only one person in the entire world who could fully control the ancient divine weapon, so Ying Kai could not step in, but strictly ordered Gong Wei to escort Xu Shuangtze throughout the whole process without any failings. ¡°¡­Cang Yang Sect Master¡¯s life is full of killing obstacles, if they are not removed, it would be difficult for him to ascend and consequently would lead to the loss of more innocent lives¡­In the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, in illusion, people can be reincarnated, age, fall sick and die. A century in the illusionary realm is merely a passing moment in reality. Once you lead the Cang Yang Sect Master into the illusionary realm, let him reincarnate as a general¡¯s son or a warlord. Allow him to kill more than ten thousand enemies on the battlefield to expend his killing obstacles, before returning him to the present world¡­¡± It was no secret that Xu Shuangtze had a lot of killing obstacles in his life. Some even said that if it weren¡¯t for this, he would have already achieved his ascension. In order to become an Immortal, one must break through all kinds of obstacles and overcome tribulations in life¡ªfor some, they could be relationship obstacles, others are mental obstacles, and the most difficult to overcome are the killing barriers. Most of the immortal cultivators with killing obstacles are strong, but since ancient times, very few have had a good end, because most of them went off the rails when these killing tribulations arrived. There are husband and wife who ended up slaughtering each other, there are disciples who massacred their sects, and others were inflicted with long-term distortion of the mind, who slowly degenerated into demonic beings¡ªsevered of their seven human emotions and six desires. In order to suppress the killing obstacles, Xu Shuangtze cultivated the Path of No Emotions from a young age. He was a natural talent and within just a century, he rose into the Mahayana realm. But if there was no way to completely resolve his killing obstacles he would never be able to ascend. The higher his cultivation level is, the harder it is to break the killing obstacles. If he were to go off the rails, then there would be thousands of people who would be killed. Of course, Ying Kai cannot allow him to go on a killing rampage in this world and could only send him into the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm where, under the guidance and protection of the illusionary realm, he could vent this horrible desire to kill. ¡°I did resolve his killing obstacles.¡± Gong Wei used both his hands to cushion his head like a pillow. He thought in a daze, ¡°I followed him into the illusionary realm and laboriously supported him. But when he returned, he swung No Way Out at me and wanted me to pay with my life¡ªhow did it become my fault?¡± He yawned and unknowingly closed his eyelids as the last strand of his consciousness slipped into a dark bliss. ¡ª It was an extremely restless night and Gong Wei slipped in and out of many trance-like dreams, but all he could see were fragmented scenes. He saw a battlefield with beacons of smoke rising up and blood everywhere as dead bodies piled up into small mountains. A young general in silver and white armour huddled under the trenches with one hand tightly covering his eyes. Blood was constantly trickling down from his palm and winding down his entire arm. His shoulders trembled because of the pain. Gong Wei carefully tiptoed across the ground, which was soaked in blood and littered with flesh. He walked to the general, bent down and examined him for a long time. Gong Wei then reached out to touch the general¡¯s hands, which were tightly covering his eyes. He thought that it was an interesting sight and could not help but gently laugh. The general leaned back warily, ¡°Who is it?¡± The wind and sand carried the stench of rust and blood as it swept away towards the distant chaotic sky. Other than that, everything else was silent. ¡°¡­¡± After a long time, the general¡¯s dry, cracked lips barely moved and he hoarsely said, ¡°Are you a ghost? ¡° In the twinkling of an eye, the scene changed into a view of lush, green hills and clear running streams. A wisp of smoke rose up from a chimney and within a small farm yard, the squawk of chickens and barking of dogs could be heard. A rope tied onto the well creaked as it was pulled and out came a bucket full of water. As Gong Wei carelessly lifted it up, water splashed everywhere and only half a bucket was left. He casually tore off a piece of cloth, dipped it in water to gently cleaned the general¡¯s bare chest, which had numerous crisscrossed, bloodstained slashes. The bucket of water was very quickly stained red. He did not care and poured away the water to get more again, but this time his wrist was suddenly held onto by another person. The sound of whispers came from the blindfolded man in front of him. The man unclasped a gold bracelet from his right arm then fumbled to put it on Gong Wei¡¯s left arm, right above his elbow. The gold bracelet had a very rare shape. It had three wavy spirals connected at the beginning and end forming an irregular structure. On it, there were dense and intricate runes and seal characters carved. ¡°¡ªI¡¯ve been wearing it for as long as I can remember, and have forgotten where it came from.¡± The man¡¯s voice was very low, but mellow and comforting, saying, ¡°Thank you for saving my life.¡± Gong Wei tilted his head to look at him, and looked down at the gold bracelet on his arm. He felt an interesting sensation, which made him smile. The scenes changed countlessly as if time was flashing past him. Gong Wei drifted in and out of dreams and saw the constellations shifted, events came and went, he also saw red pillars and bloodshed. In the scene of the final collapse of the illusionary world, a majestic sword glare blazed through the cold night, breaking through the fog like a bolt of lightning. The cold sword blade was right in front of his eyes before Lord Xu¡¯s thunderous face appeared behind the sword glare. Every word he spoke was filled with a killing intent, ¡°You dared to kill my wife, today you will pay with your life, Gong Wei¡ª! Gong Wei forced open his eyes, his clothes were now soaked through with cold sweat. Outside the window, the sky was bright, and it was already noon. Duk duk duk A sound of knocking came from outside the room, and a clear and gentle voice rang out, ¡°Young Master Xiang? Are you okay?¡± It was Meng Yunfei. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei sat dumbfounded for a moment. Meng Yunfei called out several more times but did not get any response so the rapping sound on the door started again. Still in a daze, Gong Wei spoke, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡­¡± The door swung open, and Meng Yunfei broke through with a grimace, and met Gong Wei who was sitting on the bed. His tense expression suddenly relaxed, ¡°Sorry! I thought¡­¡± Luckily he swallowed back the words ¡°thought you had met with a mishap¡°. Gong Wei was only wearing a snow-white inner robe, his hair was in a mess as he hugged his quilt and looked back at him with a confused expression. Meng Yunfei¡¯s face could not help but turn a little hot as he coughed and asked, ¡°Is Young Master Xiang all right? Are you not feeling well?¡± _____________________________________________________________________________________ CH 10 Editor: Sahloknir Gong Wei wilfully shook his head and fell back onto the bed, covered his face with the blanket and let out a sigh. Meng Yunfei said, ¡°Perhaps because Lord Xu was in control of things last night, no one in the city died. Young Master Yuchi has asked people to collect all the mercury mirrors in the city to prevent that ghost cultivator from using mirror art to cause trouble again¡­Young Master Xiang? Are you really alright?¡± A muffled ¡®wuu¡¯ could be heard from the lump on the bed. Judging by the movement of the blanket, Gong Wei must have shaken his head. Meng Yunfei paused to collect himself and thought of what to say before embarrassedly muttering with a blush, ¡°I heard about what happened yesterday¡­ It was my carelessness that caused me to fall for the mirror art and I nearly harmed everyone present. I am thankful that you found the trigger for the illusion in time, and Young Master Yuchi devoted himself to saving me, so I was prevented from doing something I would regret for the rest of my life¡­¡± He was not wrong to say that. If he had gone on a rampage with his guqin, it would have resulted in the deaths of a whole street¡¯s worth of people. Gong Wei, still buried in the quilt, listlessly responded, ¡°Young Master Meng has misunderstood, it was Brother Fort¡­ It was due to Young Swordsman Yuchi¡¯s credit. It has nothing to do with me.¡± Meng Yunfei looked at Gong Wei and quietly contemplated. ¡°Young Master Xiang was injured and lost some of his life expectancy in order to drive away the ghost cultivator. I am aware of what you have done.¡± Meng Yufei lowered his voice and continued, ¡°It was my idea to invite you from Cang Yang Sect, but I failed to keep my promise to ensure your safety. Every time I think about this, I feel ashamed¡­¡± Hearing this, Gong Wei peered out from under the quilt and looked at Meng Yufei thinking, Oh, I¡¯ve seen this type of person before! He was exactly like Ying Kai, a modest gentleman with a good upbringing, who would not hesitate to help others suffering from injustice when he encountered them by drawing his sword. To him, everything must be conducted with proper etiquette, morality and justice. He was both virtuous and disciplined and once he was struck with guilt, he would do his best to make up for it. ¡°I am deeply indebted to you and will never forget what you have done for me.¡± Meng Yunfei paused and looked at Gong Wei¡¯s bright, round eyes. Suddenly he felt that the situation was a little amusing, he said ¡°Young Master Xiang¡­ What are you looking at? You have been sleeping until now. Are you hungry?¡± Knowing that Meng Yufei could not be persuaded any further, Gong Wei lazily yawned and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter, there¡¯s no need for Young Master Meng to take it personally. I¡¯m fine once I sleep a little longer.¡± Meng Yunfei said, ¡°It¡¯s almost 3pm, you won¡¯t be able to sleep at night. Why not let me treat you to the Linjiang fish delicacy?¡± Gong Wei ¡®wuu¡¯d¡¯ and the quilt moved as he shook his head. ¡°How about ¡®drunken chicken¡¯ instead?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes lit up and responded quickly, ¡°Where is it?¡± Meng Yunfei smiled, ¡°It is five miles away from here, at the city centre, I¡¯ll take you there on my sword.¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Gong Wei got up and instantly tossed his thoughts of Xu Shuangtze right out of his mind, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Gong Wei hurriedly washed up, casually tied his hair, and walked out as he put on his outer robe. Although he was in a hurry, there was a strange rhythm in his movement, and he seemed to be doing everything very lightly, which made him more relaxed. At first glance, it was hard to notice, but on closer inspection one can sense a subtle difference between Gong Wei and regular cultivators. Meng Yunfei followed him as he descended the stairs, somewhat dazed, when a man suddenly came in at the entrance of the inn looking weary, ¡°Yunfei? Where are you all going?¡± It was Yuchi Xiao, who had just returned from a busy day of errands. Gong Wei, with his hands behind his back, cheerfully said, ¡°Senior Meng invited me to eat drunken chicken. Are you joining us?¡± Yuchi Xiao averted his gaze unconsciously, realising his actions halfway through, although he could not figure out why. He then forced himself to stare straight at the cheerful Gong Wei. Fortunately no one noticed that his cheeks were slightly flushed. He muttered, ¡°Eat chicken again? Are you the reincarnation of a fox?¡± Hearing his response, Gong Wei sniffed and said, ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t want to come. Senior Meng has the money anyway. Senior Meng will foot the bill.¡± ¡°Hsss,¡± Yuchi Xiao drew a breath of cold air, looking slightly agitated, he forced his way between the two young men exclaiming, ¡°No, I have to go with you. Yunfei is an honest man! Don¡¯t lead him astray!¡± Meng Yunfei, with a hand on his forehead, sighed and did not respond. While Gong Wei looked at the agitated Yuchi Xiao with a smile, and sniggered, ¡°Alright Young Swordsman, I know you¡¯re not an honest man, let¡¯s go.¡± Looking slightly insulted, Yuchi Xiao snorted. ¡°Nonsense, what do you know about me!¡± They left the inn still bickering and travelled on their swords to the centre of Linjiang City, where the streets were bustling with pedestrians. The most magnificent building in the city, ¡®Tai Bai Loft¡¯, soon appeared right in front of them. The owner, seeing the cultivators, immediately guided them personally to a private seating area on the second floor, separated by beaded curtains. Suddenly, Gong Wei turned to Yuchi Xiao with a pitiful expression, he clenched his chest, looking slightly teary and cried, ¡°Young Swordsman, how can you think of me like this? I am still your fianc¨¦ after all.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s ears immediately flushed red as he retorted, ¡°No! That¡¯s not true! Return to me the jade pendant!¡± Out of the three of them, Yuchi Xiao only followed to spy on them, while Meng Yunfei was uninterested in any food and water. Only Gong Wei, who ordered a fat and tender drunken chicken, was blissfully gnawing on it with gusto. Yuchi Xiao warmed a bottle of Huadiao wine on a small stove to drink with Meng Yunfei. As he drank, he could not help but admonish Gong Wei, ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re so old, yet you still do not practice inedia. Do you want to spend your whole life taking digestive pills? Do you still want to cultivate a golden core and attain immortality?¡± Digestive pills could remove the grains from the stomach, but it is so damaging to the spiritual energy that regular cultivators dared not consume too many. In his previous life, Gong Wei was a person who swallowed digestive pills as if they were candy beans. He ignored Yuchi Xiao and took a set of silver chopsticks to pick up a chicken wing, inspecting it with great interest. ¡°You are wrong, Young Master Yuchi. What is the Great Dao? The Great Dao is to follow nature. There is life and death, there is joy and anger, there is gain and loss, there is gathering and scattering. Don¡¯t get too attached to people and things, it¡¯s a joy to be together, but let it go when it¡¯s over. For example, I like to eat chicken, but everything in this world has its time, and only now do I get to savour it, once this moment has passed this chicken will be eaten up by me¡­¡± Hearing Gong Wei¡¯s philosophical theories of the chicken he was currently enjoying, Yuchi Xiao could neither laugh nor cry, ¡°You will not be able to cultivate immortality for the rest of your life like this, what if you die due to old age in a few decades?¡± Gong Wei chewed on the succulent chicken meat thoughtfully and shot Yuchi Xiao a sly glance and asked, ¡°Do you cultivate immortality and seek the way just to avoid death? If that is your intention, you won¡¯t be able to ascend as well.¡± Hearing Gong Wei¡¯s witty response, Meng Yunfei laughed then sighed, ¡°Listening to you is better than reading for a decade. What great wisdom, a wise master looks like a fool!¡± Yuchi Xiao slapped the table and snapped, ¡°He¡¯s obviously a fool who looks like a wise master!¡± Gong Wei calmly said, ¡°Here¡¯s an example for you to understand. Back then, the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Chief Gong, who was known along with Lord Ying as The Two Sovereigns, was closer to the ¡®Great Dao¡® than you, right? Yet he was still killed by Lord Xu with a single stab. Although this is considered to be an untimely death, it shows that one cannot avoid death in the pursuit of immortality. His remains were even dismembered after death¡­I am curious to find out, what happened after that?¡± Yuchi Xiao replied, ¡°You¡¯re eighty thousand miles off the mark! After what?¡± ¡°Coafg tlr mbgqrf kjr vlrwfwyfgfv.¡± Xbcu Qfl jrxfv cjaegjiis, ¡°Lbk mbeiv remt j ugfja lwwbgaji vlf jcv ufa yeglfv lc atf qfjmt obgfra bc Jjcu Tjcu Zbecajlc?¡± Ktf defralbc kjr rilqqfv lc ja jc bqqbgaecf wbwfca. Coafg jii, cb bcf lc atlr kbgiv xcfk yfaafg atjc atf Vkbgv Vfma Zjrafg¡¯r bkc cfqtfk tbk atf ageat bo atf rabgs kfca. As Gong Wei predicted, Yuchi Xiao frowned and muttered, ¡°Of course not. Don¡¯t foolishly run around asking something like that. If Lord Xu were to hear about this, your life is as good as gone.¡± Saying that Yuchi Xiao continued, ¡°After the death of the Lotus Immortal, the Sword Sect Master personally came to demand the body be buried properly. When Lord Xu did not respond, he smashed the stone monument of the Cang Yang Sect with a single blow of his sword. When both were about to come to blows, Lord Ying arrived from the Dai Mountain Immortal Alliance on his sword and personally rushed up to the Xuangui Hall and fought with Lord Xu in mid-air before snatching the body of Chief Gong back. His remains were already damaged by that time¡­¡± Gong Wei was shocked, ¡°Lord Xu was defeated?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao glanced to his left and right, before whispering, ¡°Defeated.¡± For a long time, various families of Xuanmen had debated on who was stronger, Ying Kai or Xu Shuangtze. It was only when Xu Shuangtze overcame his killing barrier, and became the first cultivator to enter the late Dhyana realm, that he was recognised as the most formidable man in the world. However, because the two had never fought each other, so no one could determine who was stronger. The most widely circulated tabloid in the immortal world, Kaiyuan Tabloid News, secretly conducted several polls, with Xu Shuangtze winning by a narrow margin each time, despite Gong Wei persistently voting for Ying Kai until a month before his death. Although one victory was not enough to determine the stronger person, it was truly astonishing that Xu Shuangtze lost. Gong Wei never expected that he would be the one (his corpse to be precise) who would solve this mystery for the entire world. For a moment, he could not help but be overwhelmed. He continued to ask, ¡°And was the corpse buried afterwards?¡± ¡°Legend has it that he was buried on Dai Mountain.¡± ¡°It was not dug up by Lord Xu?¡± Yuchi Xiao snorted and said, ¡°Of course not, are you out of your mind you little Mei demon. Which great master would be involved in the business of digging graves and robbing tombs¡­? Why are you so concerned about this? I¡¯m warning you, you¡¯re not allowed to ask around after you return to Cang Yang Sect, you hear me?¡± Impossible. Since his remains were still in Dai Mountain, then how did Bai Taishou appear? Gong Wei pondered and was just about to ask again, when footsteps could suddenly be heard coming up the stairs. The waiter led a tall man with a long robe into the seating area right next to theirs. The seating areas on the second floor were separated by thin, beaded curtains, so that the silhouettes of the people in each compartment were faintly visible, and their conversation could be heard. Gong Wei stopped talking and started playing with his chopsticks with a gloomy expression. Suddenly, he heard a ¡®smack¡¯ coming from downstairs. The storyteller had arrived and tapped the table with his nine-square wood. ¡°Last time, we talked about the Chaos Demon Beast that was plaguing the area, eating up a hundred boys and girls every year, causing suffering across many villages. The Sword Sect Master fought it for eighteen rounds before slashing off one of its wings¡­¡± Meng Yunfei laughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the story about your Sword Sect Master again, Brother Yuchi?¡± With a clang, Yuchi Xiao nearly knocked over the table, and with a surprisingly horrified face cried out, ¡°No! Tell him to shut up!¡± In previous times, the culture of seeking immortality and monasticism was strong, and people looked up to the famous masters of the Immortal Sect, and often sang about their deeds of slaying demons. All kinds of plays and novels were inspired by these individuals. Even when Gong Wei was a child, and he went down the mountain to play, he heard the story, ¡®Demon Slaying Immortals¡¯ the tale of Xu Shuangtze and Ying Kai who, in their youth, killed all the demons in a Demon Cave. He also came across ¡®Heroic Deeds of the Sword Sect Master¡¯, about the Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi Rui who calmed a flood and saved the people, and the well-known legend from the Daoist scripture, ¡®The Ghost Prince and His Bride¡®. Yuchi Rui never found these tales interesting. He always felt that his unparalleled swordsmanship had been fraudulently undermined in the story, and every time he heard it he would angrily flip the table, ¡°Why do I have to fight for eighteen rounds? Just me alone and one round is enough! Tsk! Foolish people!!¡± Then, with a humiliated face, he would flick his sleeves and walk away. Meng Yunfei said, ¡°Calm down Brother Yuchi, the fact that this novel is widely circulated shows that Sword Sect Master is popular among the people. So what is there to be angry about? The more you try to ban these writers, the more they love to write. It is better to go with the flow¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao snapped, ¡°What do you know? I¡¯ve heard of this particular story before! It is called ¡®The Tyrannical Sword Immortal and His Spring Peach!¡± Meng Yunfei: ¡°!!!¡± Meng Yunfei had instantly sensed a change in the atmosphere. Gong Wei still didn¡¯t understand what ¡®Spring Peach¡¯ alluded to, when he heard the storyteller say with a frown,¡±After returning to the cave, he was already drawing his last few breaths. The Lotus Immortal came up to him, so distressed and anxious that he shed tears. A pair of delicate bare hands touched the Sword Sect Master¡¯s scarred chest and called out, ¡®Langjun!¡­¡± Gong Wei spat out his tea in amusement, ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± Bare hands? Langjun? My husband?? ¡°Lies! Nonsense!¡± Yuchi Xiao stuffed his head out from the first floor and roared, ¡°If you say that again, I¡¯ll smash your booth, change it!¡± Gong Wei covered his mouth and choked on a cough, only to hear the guests downstairs retaliating back, ¡°The story was originally fictional, what has it got to do with fabricating rumours?¡± ¡°The people are happy to hear it, who are you to stop us?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so serious about not hearing this, just plug your ears and don¡¯t listen!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The old storyteller was quite good-tempered, ¡°You are a disciple of the Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi family aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m sorry if I offended you, let me share another story then. Last month, the Kaiyuan Tabloid News published a new story called ¡®Lakeside Lover¡¯, it is about the Xuanmen¡¯s Guqin Immortal, Liu Xuzhi. His face has the elegance of a dawn¡¯s moon. His gentleness and elegance was admired by all the great sects. One day, he travelled on the Dongting Lake, and saw a tall and handsome cultivator on the banks. The cultivator glanced up to see Liu Xuzhi looking at him, then with a twinkling smile, he picked a lotus flower and threw it on the boat which Liu Xuzhi was on¡­¡± With a loud crack, Meng Yunfei suddenly crushed the celadon cup in his hand. ¡°The Guqin Immortal was delighted, his cheeks blushing, he called out to the cultivator, ¡®What is your name? And where do you stay?¡¯ The cultivator laughed and said, ¡®I come from the Immortal Alliance, people know me as the Lotus Immortal¡­''¡± Gong Wei choked a second time. ¡°Pfft¡ª!¡± Gong Wei coughed furiously with his hands around his throat, his mind filled with the words ¡®tall and handsome¡¯. Suddenly, Meng Yunfei lifted the beaded curtains with a swish and yelled, ¡°Shut up! I am a disciple of the Guqin Immortal! Let my master off!!!¡± The crowd on the ground level was interrupted twice in a row, seethed with discontent, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you cultivators!¡± ¡°Are you two finished?¡± ¡°How have commoners listening to storytelling offended you people? Just calm down!¡± Meng Yunfei was agitated and grabbed the railing, he was about to rush down, before he was pulled back by Yuchi Xiao, ¡°It¡¯s better to go with the flow, Brother Yunfei!¡± The old storyteller got up hurriedly and apologised, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Immortal Masters, don¡¯t be angry. It is I who have not been considerate. I¡¯ll change the story now!¡± Gong Wei, after much effort, had just expelled a chicken bone out of his windpipe after choking. He picked up his cup of tea with trembling hands and had barely calmed his breathe before the storyteller stroked his beard and continued, ¡°I was on my way to the capital that day and had the pleasure of listening to a new play called ¡¯The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love¡¯, which has nothing to do with the masters of those two young immortals. The story is about Lord Xu of the Cang Yang Sect who heard that ghosts were creating chaos, so he went all the way to the Underworld. As he was at the stone monument under the Naihe Bridge, he saw the familiar figure of a young man with black hair and white robes which had caused him to grieve¡­¡± Gong Wei felt a surge of uneasiness and with it an ominous premonition. The next moment he heard the old man say in a graphic voice,¡±¡­The young man did not respond to him but had tears in his eyes as he turned around and left. Lord Xu stepped forward, held onto him tightly and refused to let go, asking, ¡®What have I done to you, why did you want to kill me?¡¯ He also added, ¡®No matter what, I will bring you back to Cang Yang Sect today, and from now on, there will only be you and me in the world. There will be no more Cang Yang Sect Master and Lotus Immortal!¡­¡±¡® Boom! It felt like a real bolt of thunder had struck Gong Wei¡¯s head, his eyes turned dim, and his mind went blank. As if a part of his soul left his body, charging straight towards the Underworld. Why is it me again? What delicate bare hands, handsome and sturdy build, ethereal beauty. I¡¯m just a mere brick in your literature, for you to move wherever you need it to, right? As he sat in a daze, Gong Wei heard the panicked voices of Meng Yunfei and Yuchi Xiao, ¡°Young Master Xiang! What¡¯s wrong with you, Young Master Xiang?¡± ¡°Calm down little Mei demon! The novel is all fiction!¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down!¡­¡± ¡°No, no, this story is too exaggerated!¡± At this point, some guests downstairs were also raising their voices in protest. A few veiled women who had come out for tea, perhaps ladies from wealthy families or cultivators from local sects, were discontented and interrupted, ¡°It¡¯s well known that Lord Xu had a deep affection for his late wife, and the portrait of her still hangs in Cang Yang Sect. How can you fabricate lies and defame people like this? This is so disrespectful to the deceased!¡± The guests who had been listening on with great interest were also stunned, and after a short while they said, ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°That makes sense!¡± ¡°This¡­¡± the old storyteller was interrupted for the third time that day, and his mouth dropped wide open, ¡°Yes, I was rash. Then, according to the opinion of these ladies, what story should I talk about today?¡± After some chatter and discussion among the guests, someone suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s hear ¡®Goodbye My Lover¡¯ about Lord Xu and his late wife ¡®Goodbye My Lover¡¯ was a popular novel, which came about more than ten years ago, and had been passed along as a timeless favourite. As long as it was not told in the presence of Lord Xu or in Cang Yang Sect, no one would violently object to this selection. The old storyteller sighed with relief, thinking that he should finally be safe, so with a smack, he slapped down the nine square wood and began, ¡°This story, Goodbye My Lover, which has been sung in the north and south of the country, tells of the year when Lord Xu was gravely injured while slaying demons and was fortunately saved by a lady. This lady was beautiful, intelligent and kind but it was a pity that she was a mortal peasant.¡± Someone in the crowd laughed and exclaimed, ¡°There are so many immortal ladies in the Xuanmen, why would the Cang Yang Sect Master marry a peasant¡¯s daughter?¡± The old man said with a straight face, ¡°You can¡¯t say that. There are some people in this world who are very beautiful but hide a cold and shallow heart, so they will not be a good match after all. There are others who are without the gift of beauty but bear a pure heart, so they will be a harmonious match. So how can we generalise in this manner? Besides, the truth cannot be traced by you and I, and what we are talking about is just a story.¡± The audience chimed in agreement, but only Meng Yunfei wondered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Brother Yuchi?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He saw Yuchi Xiao fidgeting with uneasiness, he had a strange look on his face and was gulping down mouthful after mouthful of saliva. ¡°This Goodbye My Lover is¡­after the death of the Chief Gong, my uncle bore a deep hatred for the Cang Yang Sect Master, so¡­¡± Meng Yunfei blinked, ¡°So?¡± ¡°So¡­ he paid someone to write¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s wisp of soul had just struggled back into his body. Hearing this, his soul was once again ejected forcibly by a Nine Heavenly Divine Thunder. ¡°Although the woman was merely a peasant¡¯s daughter, she was attentive and pleasant company. She meticulously took care of Lord Xu, and after spending time with each other, they fell in love. The night before Lord Xu left for Cang Yang Sect, he gave her a golden bracelet and said, ¡®Although I am going far away, I will return in eighty-one days and ask for your hand in marriage.¡¯ The woman smiled and accepted the golden bracelet¡ªand guess what?¡± The storyteller deliberately paused to keep the audience in suspense, and some of the guests said, ¡°It must be a yes!¡± Someone else laughed at this and said, ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t say yes? I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no one in the world who wouldn¡¯t!¡± The storyteller proudly stroked his beard and said in a graphic manner to the room full of an audience with their necks stretched out in anticipation, ¡°The lady put on the golden bracelet, called out ¡®Lord Xu¡¯, and said gently¡­ ¡° Click. It was a subtle ¡®click¡¯. Whoever made it had placed a wine cup back on a table neither gently nor forcefully. But at that instant, as if an invisible hand had paused time, all the guests stopped moving, the storyteller¡¯s mouth was still comically open, the shopkeeper¡¯s half-poured wine was frozen in mid-air, and the errand boy maintained his posture of serving food without moving. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes fluttered, his consciousness slowly snapped back from his trance, and he was instantly horrified, glancing over at the source of the sound¡ª The man in the neighbouring seating area, separated by the beaded curtain, was drinking alone. He was now moving his gaze away from the peach blossoms outside the window and with a long, strong hand, he was still holding on to the cup of wine in front of him. Gong Wei¡¯s pupils widened without a sound. He watched as the man picked up the cup again and drank it with a single gulp, then he stood up. A disguise spell could be seen slowly fading from his face to reveal his solemn expression. It was Xu Shuangtze. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Chansie and Sahl¡¯s extensive Notes: So, we changed the story names in this chapter (and the next) for a couple of reasons ¨C because they don¡¯t translate well into English and also to help make them more relevant for our lovely readers. Here are the original names, with a brief synopsis and why we changed them. We had fun. Direct translation: Kaiyuan Miscellaneous News Our Version: Kaiyuan Tabloid News Direct translation: Clearing a Path to Qi Mountain Our Version: Demon Slaying Immortals Synopsis: A story about Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze killing demons. The book was given to Gong Wei as a child. Direct translation: River Water Immortal Our Version: Heroic Deeds of the Sword Sect Master Synopsis: A story about Yuchi Rui calming a flood. Direct translation: Tyrannical Sword Immortal and His February Peach Our Version: Tyrannical Sword Immortal and His Spring Peach Synopsis: An erotic story featuring Gong Wei and Yuchi Rui. Direct translation: Dongting Song Our Version: Lakeside Lover Synopsis: An erotic story featuring Gong Wei and Lui Xuzhi. Direct translation: Undying Love of the Yellow Springs Our Version: The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love Synopsis: An erotic story featuring Gong Wei and Xu Shuangtze. Direct translation: Missing the Lady¡¯s Charm Our Version: Goodbye, My Lover Synopsis: A love story featuring Xu Shuangtze and Gong Wei his wife. ____________________________________________________________________________________ CH 11 Editor: Sahloknir Time was frozen to a standstill. No one moved, the expressions of the crowd were fixed, those who spoke, those who laughed, applauded and even those who were about to send the food on their chopsticks into their opened mouths¡­Even the flowing air was still. In the midst of the horrifying dead silence, the trembling voice of Yuchi Xiao suddenly rang out. ¡°Xu¡­Lord Xu¡­¡± AD Xu Shuangtze lifted the curtain and stepped out of the room, he turned back to glance at the trio. There were no emotions in those dull, dark eyes, but anyone who met his gaze could feel fear running through their bones. ¡°Those who spend their time listening to such frivolous nonsense will have their ears cut off.¡± Xu Shuangtze said in a flat tone. No one dared to say another word. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze then turned to Gong Wei and the plate of drunken chicken on the table. Without the slightest word, he turned and walked down the stairs, the sleeves of his robe suddenly fluttered despite having no gust of wind in the room, and then he disappeared into thin air between the wooden steps. The frozen time began to flow once more, and the silence seemed to have only lasted for a blink of an eye. The next moment, people started moving again, no one seemed to have noticed the lapse in time. People who were laughing continued to laugh, those who were clapping clapped, and the stream of wine which was still in mid-air suddenly began to flow, falling steadily into the celadon cups without even a drop spilling out. ¡°Where were we?¡± The old storyteller was momentarily stunned, and then smiled with relief, ¡°¡ªYes. I was just talking about that ghost prince receiving his bride. He was to marry a beautiful immortal who had just ascended. The demonic beasts welcoming the bridal entourage were ceremoniously blowing trumpets and clashing cymbals as the bridal sedan came straight down from the heavens to the underworld¡­¡± The audience below laughed and applauded, and no one noticed anything amiss from this ordinary scene. The events that had occurred between the disciples of the famous Immortal Sect and the storyteller were like water droplets evaporating under the sunlight, disappearing from everyone¡¯s consciousness, leaving no trace. There was only silence in the seating area, the silence between the trio stretched on endlessly. Suddenly a gasp could be heard before Yuchi Xiao forced out a few words. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m still alive¡­¡± Gong Wei put down his chopsticks, thinking to himself, Luckily I ordered a plate of drunken chicken. If I did not resist eating those beautiful peonies on the window sill of the room, my corpse would have been cold by now. As he was thinking, Meng Yunfei spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°Are we still going back to the inn later?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The three of them fell into silence at the same time, no one wanted to go back to face the cold expression of Lord Xu. Yuchi Xiao looked slightly remorseful, ¡°If only you hadn¡¯t interrupted the Lakeside Lover story featuring the Immortal Guqin Master.¡± Hearing the remark, Meng Yunfei frowned and asked, ¡°Are you any better? Didn¡¯t you interrupt the Tyrannical Sword Immortal and His Spring Peach?¡± ¡°How could I have known that a big shot like Lord Xu would come out in disguise to listen to a storyteller?¡± ¡°So why can¡¯t we just let him listen to that Tyrannical Sword Immortal and His Spring Peach?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei couldn¡¯t bear the squabbling any longer and interrupted the duo. ¡°Two young masters, don¡¯t you find that the contents of these stories are quite strange?¡± The two immediately quietened down and then turned to Gong Wei together. Meng Yunfei looked as though he suddenly realised something and quickly responded, ¡°Young Master Xiang, you are young and have never seen the world, don¡¯t take such stories too seriously when you hear them, they are all fictional!¡± Yuchi Xiao said, ¡°Yes, it is mainly because the people are very interested in the past love history of Lord Xu, so it is inevitable that there are some far-fetched speculations. Don¡¯t ask anyone about it when you return to Cang Yang Sect if you value your life, you understand?¡± Why should I pry? I am the main character! Gong Wei took a deep breath and asked with difficulty, ¡°So that Lotus Immortal¡­did he really¡­with your Sword Sect Master¡­and that Guqin Immortal¡­ ¡° Yuchi Xiao almost jumped up, ¡°No!¡± Zfcu Tecofl tfiv tlr obgftfjv kfjglis jcv gfqilfv, ¡°Zs wjrafg lr cba j vfilmjaf yfjeas, cbg kjr tf ojwliljg klat atf Obaer Pwwbgaji. Pa lr pera atja bcis rfcrjalbcji rabglfr rfii kfii, tfcmf atbrf kglafgr ktb wjxf j ilnlcu bea bo atlr agjvf jgf lcmilcfv ab wjxf atfrf ajifr jr qgfqbrafgber jr qbrrlyif.¡± ¡°Chief Gong¡¯s life was mysterious and full of legends, and he died too early. After he passed away, people began to circulate tales about a thousand-year-old peach blossom becoming a spirit. Initially the story was still believable, but as it started circulating around it became extremely exaggerated and absurd, eventually becoming various love histories. In all seriousness, this wouldn¡¯t have happened if the dead could speak.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s face paled as Meng Yunfei spoke, he had heard a terrible set of words he couldn¡¯t ignore, ¡°¡­various love histories¡­¡± Not noticing the grimace on Gong Wei¡¯s face, Meng Yunfei responded, ¡°Oh that¡¯s okay. It is just Lord Xu of Cang Yang Sect, Lord Ying of the Immortal Alliance, the three clans of Sword, Medicine and Metal, the four Xuanmen Immortal Saints, the venerable masters of the six great families, the various leaders of the eight sects, and several famous great ghost cultivators of the Ghost Wall¡­are mainly all there is.¡± ¡°In fact, the stories between Chief Gong and Lord Xu are not very common, after all, that Lord Xu of the Cang Yang Sect mourns his late wife is known to the world. The people prefer to listen to the various stories between Lord Xu and Lord Ying, because the endings are mostly happy and fulfilling, and many opera companies have performed them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The air was incredibly quiet for a moment before Yuchi Xiao said implicitly, ¡°Yunfei, you really know a lot about these things.¡± Meng Yunfei smiled awkwardly and replied, ¡°Not really, haha.¡± Yuchi Xiao went on, ¡°Erm¡­Yunfei, I heard a rumour previously that Immortal Guqin Master was fond of collecting novels, and every time he listened to storytellings, he would laugh in enjoyment¡­¡± Meng Yunfei immediately said, ¡°Shut up! At least my master didn¡¯t pay someone to write Goodbye My Lover!¡± Gong Wei: ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei once again took a deep breath, got up and politely said, ¡°Excuse me, two young swordsmen, I will be back in a moment.¡± Then without looking back, he lifted the curtain and walked out of the room. The two young men turned their heads in unison to see him go out, and Yuchi Xiao asked in a whisper, ¡°He seems to be in a bit of shock, look at how clumsily he walks¡­¡± Meng Yunfei nodded, ¡°After all, he is a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect ¡ª I did say that you shouldn¡¯t have interrupted that Tyrannical Sword Sect Master and His Spring Peach, right?!¡± Gong Wei silently recited a Mind Purifying Mantra and when he was at the bottom of the stairs, he beckoned a waiter with a whisper, ¡°Later, tell those two upstairs that I¡¯m heading back to the inn first.¡± Then, with one foot after another, he went straight out the door into the bustling street. He looked left and right, and caught sight of a bookstore at the corner and walked towards it hurriedly. The bookstore was small, but was packed with all kinds of books and play scripts. With both hands behind his back, Gong Wei spun once round to look at all the books before waving at the storekeeper, ¡°Do you have any novels about famous immortals?¡± The shopkeeper looked at Gong Wei with an understanding expression before replying, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. May I ask which immortal masters does this young master admire more?¡± Gong Wei thought to himself, ¡°So this is how you all express your admiration.¡± He sighed and rubbed his throbbing brow with his knuckles before responding hesitantly, ¡°Actually I-I don¡¯t know much about any of them, is there anything you can recommend?¡± For some reason, the shopkeeper became quite enthusiastic when he heard Gong Wei¡¯s response. ¡°Ahh Young Master, you¡¯ve come to the right place!¡± cried the shopkeeper, ¡°We are well stocked with the latest book and have the complete series featuring the Lotus Immortal from the past to modern times. Have you heard of The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love? It¡¯s about Cang Yang Sect¡¯s Lord Xu¡¯s descent into the earthly realm to quell chaos, and it¡¯s not even half a month since it was released from the capital! Last month¡¯s Kaiyuan Tabloid News also had the original Lakeside Lover, but because the Immortal Guqin Master has ordered the world not to print it, the copies are limited and expensive. Apart from that, we also have Romance on Dai Mountain, Memories of a Peach Blossom Demon, and Lord Ying¡¯s Secret Affair¡­¡± Well done Liu Xuzhi! You¡¯re happy to listen to stories featuring others, but when it¡¯s your turn, you¡¯ve banned production! Gong Wei forcibly interrupted the shopkeeper who became rather relentless in recommending the Lord Ying¡¯s Secret Affair to him, and finally asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any regular novels? There are so many female disciples from the Medical Sect, and what about the immortal ladies of the Eight Great Sects who were as beautiful as flowers¡­¡± The shopkeeper was nearly shocked into silence. ¡°That¡¯s abnormal isn¡¯t it, Young Master? Those are all ladies!¡± Gong Wei blinked. ¡°?¡± ¡°Although we all have a need for erotic books, but how can we ruin the reputation of ladies!?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei fell into silence under the condemning gaze from across the room. The shopkeeper unhappily continued, ¡°Do you want it or not, Young Master? If you¡¯re not interested in Lord Ying¡¯s Secret Affair, then The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love is actually not a bad choice. One day, if it is banned by Lord Xu from the Cang Yang Sect, this book¡¯s value will rise and it could even be your family heirloom to pass down to your grandchildren. Won¡¯t you think about it? Are you sure you won¡¯t consider it? How about I give you a ten percent discount on the Lord Ying¡¯s Secret Affair¡­¡± Gong Wei was quelled under the shopkeeper¡¯s barrage of sales attacks. Without thinking, he hastily shoved a copy of The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love into his sleeve, dropped some silver and left with a hand clutching his forehead. He stumbled out of the shop in a daze. It was difficult to accept that he had been written as someone who had a relationship with his very own Shixiong, numerous affairs with all sorts of demons and ghosts, and finally lived in seclusion with Xu Shuangtze! All this in a series of more than twenty books detailing the histories of his secret affairs. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he looked at the book he had hurriedly purchased. Seeing that the cover looked relatively normal, he breathed a sigh of relief before flipping the book open. Who knew that the first sentence to confront him as he skimmed through ten lines of the book were, ¡®Xu Shuangtze was coughing up blood while carving a tombstone with his own hands. On the tombstone he wrote¡­Tomb of my beloved wife, Gong Wei¡¯. Gong Wei immediately snapped the book shut and fought the insane urge to toss the manuscript immediately. My eyes are going blind. In his previous life, Xu Shuangtze had gone to so much trouble to get rid of his ¡®demonic and inhuman¡¯ right eye, but now he found a way to successfully do it without any effort! He took a deep breath and looked at the book sitting harmlessly in his palm. He wanted to throw the text away, but with so many people around, he could not make himself drop the book. What if someone else picked it up? Sighing, Gong Wei helplessly shoved the manuscript back into his sleeve and hired a bullock cart to ferry him back to the inn. The journey back was slow and Gong Wei couldn¡¯t help but take the book out again to read. He barely read a few sentences before closing the book again with a ¡®snap¡¯. Sighing in slight despair, he pushed the book back into his sleeve again. As the journey continued, Gong Wei found himself taking the book out to read multiple times. Each time he took the book out to read, he could barely manage a few lines before forcefully shutting the book again. This book is too much thought Gong Wei as he shoved it back into his sleeve for the umpteenth time. This was Xu Shuangtze, the man who reacted terribly when Gong Wei tried to kiss him as a joke in the Xuanji Hall, to the point of trying to stab him immediately with No Way Out. How could he possibly show that level of affection, of even holding his hands? By the time the bullock cart wobbled back to the inn, night had already fallen. Gong Wei rolled up the book, which was capable of giving one an eyesore from a thousand miles away and stuffed it back into his sleeve again. He gently jumped out of the cart and pushed open the doors of the inn with a creak, only to be greeted by the resentful voice of Yuchi Xiao, ¡°Where have you been? Gong Wei was startled by the scene and stammered, ¡°What are you two young swordsmen doing?¡± The lobby of the inn was emptied, leaving behind only a yin candle with a flickering green flame which was sitting on the long table in the middle of the room. Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei were sitting on opposite sides of the table, looking slightly greenish as the eerie candle light cast moving shadows on their faces. All around the large, empty space were objects dangling from red threads. Some were hung higher than others, some were big, while others were small. All in varying rounded or squarish shapes. Each was covered in a thick blood-red cloth that did not let in any streak of light in or out. Gong Wei immediately guessed what they were as he reached out to touch the nearest one and muttered, ¡°Mercury mirrors?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch them!¡± Meng Yunfei hurriedly stopped him and said, ¡°Lord Xu has asked the Prince of Linjiang to collect all the mercury mirrors in the city and hang them here, and each mirror has a restraining talisman painted on its surface, so that whenever the ghost cultivator uses a mirror art to cause trouble, it will immediately be confined in the corresponding mirror space.¡± There were hundreds of mirrors covered with red cloth, swaying slightly in the gloomy green glow despite the lack of wind. Each mirror was facing the three men from every direction. The night was still and silent, as the innkeeper and the waiting staff had been asked to leave. The room was so so quiet that even a pin dropped on the floor could be heard. The vibrant inn of the day now looked like a scene from the Underworld. Gong Wei shivered at the eeriness, ¡°When the ghost cultivator comes, there will naturally be noise. Why don¡¯t you two young swordsmen go upstairs and wait in the room?¡± Yuchi Xiao stiffened, ¡°It¡¯s cooler here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei said sincerely, ¡°Young Swordsman, please take your time and cool off.¡± He said, preparing to lift his feet to go upstairs. Meng Yunfei covered his mouth and whispered, ¡°Lord Xu is upstairs¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s foot hovered stiffly above the step, and after a while he calmly retracted it. He then straightened the cuffs on his robe, and said with sudden approval, ¡°It really is cooler downstairs!¡± He walked over to the long table and just like the two of them, he pulled out a bench, sat down and sighed. The three of them sat around the table, staring at each other as time passed in the night. The hundreds of red cloths hanging over the mirrors rustled, as if countless invisible figures were passing through them. There was no other unusual movement until late into the night, and the chill emanating from the candle grew, as if even the ground beneath their feet were starting to freeze up. Gong Wei finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and respectfully returned Meng Yunfei¡¯s cloak and Yuchi Xiao¡¯s outer robe. He rubbed his hands together and said, ¡°Take your time to cool off, I¡¯ll go upstairs and wrap myself in a quilt first!¡± Meng Yunfei wanted to say something but stopped, ¡°Lord Xu¡ª¡± Gong Wei decisively replied, ¡°Lord Xu is magnanimous and would not take issue with a non-human being like me!¡± Yuchi Xiao immediately complimented, ¡°Very well, you have guts! If Lord Xu wants to kill you later, remember to call out to both of us!¡± Gong Wei could not help but feel a little touched, ¡°Young Swordsman, you¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao smiled, ¡°At least we can pass the sword to Lord Xu¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s expression turned cold, with a flick of his sleeves he headed upstairs in a huff. The inn was empty except for them, and his own footsteps could only be heard tapping on the wooden stairs until he reached the second floor. Suddenly, he heard a faint movement in the Heavenly Room at the end of the corridor, it was the gentle and composed voice of a man, ¡°That day you told me there was a mistake in the Book of Life and Death, so I went down personally to the Underworld to check it out myself but all was silent at the Ghost Wall, and the bronze doors were tightly shut¡­¡± Gong Wei jerked to a halt and recognised who the owner of the voice was. Immortal Alliance Master, Ying Kai! Shixiong! My dearest Shixiong who is a saviour to all sufferings! Ying Kai is undoubtedly the other most likely person in the world, apart from Yuchi Rui who is capable of getting Gong Wei out of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hands. Gong Wei almost rolled himself into a ball to crawl into the room to hug Ying Kai¡¯s leg on the spot, but stopped in his tracks momentarily Hang on. He suddenly remembered that Xu Shuangtze had cast the Great Seal over Lingjiang City and Ying Kai would not be able to easily barge in, otherwise it would be to refute the reputation of the Cang Yang Sect. Realisation dawned on him, that the voice from the room is most possibly from a voice transmission talisman. As Gong Wei had guessed, within the next moment he heard Ying Kai ask worriedly, ¡°Shuangtze, do you need me to rush into Linjiang City immediately? I know you don¡¯t have a problem, but this time the situation is absurd and highly unusual, even beyond both our understanding¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze replied with cold indifference, ¡°No need.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s heart felt uncomfortable, making him fidgety and giving him an impulse to stick his ears closer, to eavesdrop the conversation behind the tightly shut doors. However, he knew that Xu Shuangtze must have known that he was outside the door by now, so even taking two steps closer would be a sure death sentence. Gong could only reluctantly head upstairs to his room, but suddenly an idea flashed in his head, That¡¯ll do! He dashed up the stairs and arrived at the same spot on the third floor, crouched down in the corner, and fumbled around in the dark. Indeed, there was a pitch black hole in the corner which led straight downstairs¡ªa drainage pipe. He then searched for a long broomstick and frantically pulled it out of the broom head, turning it into a hollow bamboo pole, which he carefully inserted down the black hole. One end of the bamboo pole was now pressed against his ear and the other had a wiretapping charm drawn with his blood and was sneakily extended to the front of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s tightly shut room. Gong Wei adjusted the angle of the pole to push it nearer to the door slit and then held it in place. This way, Ying Kai¡¯s voice from the room came up through the hollow bamboo pipe and was much clearer than before, ¡°Sixteen years ago, when Gong Wei ascended to the Immortal Platform, he did not have his sword Bai Taishou with him, and after he passed, the sword was nowhere to be found. I personally searched for it for many years without success, and now this sword could have fallen into the hands of anyone, and it is not surprising that it was stolen by a ghost cultivator¡­¡± This bamboo pole trick was first encountered by Gong Wei in his previous life in the Disciplinary Court. There was once a few mischievous young disciples from the Medical Sect who were caught eavesdropping on their master and sent to the Disciplinary Court to be taught a lesson. However, it resulted in Chief Gong being highly impressed and praising their wits and even shamelessly picking up the idea from the kids. Gong Wei and Yuchi Rui used the same trick to eavesdrop on Ying Kai¡¯s snoring, and after listening, they even learned to mimic it. As a result, they were almost chased and beaten down Dai Mountain by Ying Kai with the same bamboo pole. You can¡¯t imagine it right, Lord Xu, that a ¡°demonic non-human¡± has wisdom unique to a demonic non-human! Gong Wei had a belly full of mischief as he crouched on the ground and stretched his ears to focus on the voice at the other end of the bamboo pole. However in the midst of his mental fervour he had missed parts of the conversation, not knowing what Xu Shuangtze said, Ying Kai suddenly stopped talking, there was a period of silence, after a while Ying Kai¡¯s voice could be heard again, ¡°Although you are suspicious, I must remind you of one thing¡­¡± It was rare for Ying Kai to express his displeasure so clearly, and Gong Wei¡¯s curiosity arose as he heard him say in a deep voice,¡±Sixteen years ago, the Ghost Judge told you that Gong Wei¡¯s soul had already been destroyed and that it would never return. Therefore, even if Bai Taishou has appeared in Linjiang City, you cannot use this to suspect that the ghost cultivator who went around killing people is the returned soul of the Lotus Immortal.¡± ¡°Such baseless words are no different from slander, do you understand, Shuangtze?¡± _________________________________________________________________________ CH 12 Editor: Sahloknir Ying Kai was right, if Gong Wei¡¯s soul had been destroyed by No Way Out, it meant that he had completely disappeared from both heaven and earth, and it was impossible for him to return in any form sixteen years later. The room was suffocatingly silent, even the sound of breathing had been suppressed. It was only after a long time that Gong Wei heard Xu Shuangtze¡¯s low voice coming from the door slit towards the other end of the bamboo pole, ¡°Anything can happen with Gong Zhiyu, and I know the man better than you do.¡± After a pause he added, ¡°Or rather, I know the non-human.¡± I never thought that despite being dead for sixteen years, Big Brother is still so obstinately serious! Gong Wei held his forehead and sighed, he heard Ying Kai sounding very helpless, ¡°Gong Wei has had all three souls and all seven chakras intact since he was a child, and he has since passed away, how could he not be¡­ Nevermind, we have argued over this issue many times, it is pointless to continue further.¡± He continued after a long sigh, ¡°I sometimes can¡¯t help but recall that when Gong Wei was a child, you two were obviously on good terms, you even picked the name ¡®Zhiyu¡¯ for him. If I could have predicted this ending back then, and not allowed Gong Wei to assist you in entering the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm to break your killing barrier, would things have turned out differently today?¡± Gong Wei was stunned to suddenly hear Ying Kai mention the name Zhiyu. And it was really Xu Shuangtze who selected it for him. Back then, he had just been picked up by Ying Kai and brought from Cang Yang Sect to the Immortal Alliance. Gong Wei had not learned to speak much yet. One day, Lord Xu visited the Immortal Alliance on an errand and brought him a suona out of the blue. Gong Wei, upon receiving this treasured gift, blew on it for the entire day, causing much agony to the entire Dai Mountain community. The next day, Ying Kai specially sent a voice transmission talisman to Cang Yang Mountain, and reprimanded Xu Shuangtze for an hour. Through the voice transmission talisman, Xu Shuangtze fell silent after listening to Gong Wei¡¯s tune on the suona before saying, ¡°When this boy is ready for a name when he comes of age, the name ¡®Zhiyu¡¯ would be most appropriate.¡± Ying Kai was still fuming, ¡°Why so?¡± ¡°He only managed to hit three out of five notes.¡± Ying Kai scoffed, but after hearing this, Gong Wei treated his new name like another treasure, and immediately began to use it everywhere. With his horrifying handwriting, the words ¡®written by Gong Zhiyu¡¯ appeared like a ghost catching talisman, scribbled all over his writing paper, his exercise books, and even his zither sheet. By the time Ying Kai realised what had happened, he had already lost the opportunity to give his Shidi a proper name, and everyone in the world knew that Gong Wei was called Zhiyu. There was a moment of silence at the other end of the bamboo pole before Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Heaven¡¯s Will is as such and it will not change, there is no need to say more.¡± Ying Kai said, ¡°Despite this being so, I¡¯ve still been haunted for so long¡ªwhat happened in the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm twenty years ago? Gong Wei told me that you were smitten with a lady created by the mirror illusion and he feared that you would develop a love barrier after overcoming your killing barrier. He had no choice but to intervene and kill the lady, but ended up being hated by you. ¡°Shuangtze, Gong Wei¡¯s approach to solving problems has always been simple and straightforward, but that is his nature. Moreover, the person within the mirror realm is merely an illusion and I had advised you several times after Gong Wei¡¯s passing, but you refused to explain it to me clearly, now that Bai Taishou has reappeared, you should at least tell me something, right?¡± Lord Ying is undoubtedly a preacher, the long speech was earnest and well-meaning but Xu Shuantze responded plainly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it all written in Yuchi Rui¡¯s book ¡®Goodbye My Lover¡¯?¡± Ying Kai, ¡°How do you know it¡¯s Chang¡ª¡± The next half of the sentence almost came out, but fortunately it was swallowed back by Lord Ying who reacted incredibly fast, and said awkwardly, ¡°So¡­ so it was Changsheng who got someone to write it? Preposterous! I will definitely send a letter to the Golden Gate to reprimand him later! But Shuangtze, Gong Wei did not tell Changsheng much before he died, so that Goodbye My Lover is a fabrication and distortion of truth. Also, over the years I have made several orders to ban it, but it was not taken seriously¡­¡± Xu Shantze said coldly, ¡°Ignore it, let him distort. You can take it as the truth if you wish.¡± Ying Kai suddenly fell strangely silent, and only after a long time did he cautiously say, ¡°Erm¡­ Shuangtze, have you read Goodbye My Lover?¡± ¡°Rb. Qts?¡± Fqrajlgr, Xbcu Qfl¡­¡±?¡± Xbcu Qfl mbeivc¡¯a tfiq qgfrrlcu tlr fjg obgkjgv jujlc, jcv joafg j ibcu alwf olcjiis tfjgv Tlcu Bjl rjslcu klat wemt vloolmeias ogbw jmgbrr atf gbbw. ¡°P vbc¡¯a gfjiis kjca ab yfilfnf¡­atja sbe kfgf bnfgktfiwfv klat uglfo joafg atf ibrr bo sbeg klof¡­jcv lc j ola bo gjuf sbe¡­mjragjafv sbegrfio.¡± The air suddenly fell into dead silence. Xu Shuangtze at the end of the bamboo pipe, ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei at the other end of the bamboo pipe, ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai continued awkwardly, ¡°Are you¡­okay, Shuangtze? I have already hit Chang Sheng erm¡­why don¡¯t you sit down and have some tea first? I¡¯ll rush to Linjiang City to meet you?¡± ¡°I will find out what¡¯s going on in Linjiang City.¡± After a long silence, Xu Shuangtze articulated each word, ¡°Whether Bai Taishou is real or not, I will bring it with me to Dai Mountain¡¯s Correctional Palace. You can ask Yuchi Changsheng to guard the tablet at the Golden Gate well.¡± Ying Kai hastily advised, ¡°Calm down Shuangtze, you¡¯d better wait for me to rush over from Dai Mountain myself, I¡¯m really afraid that you¡¯ll once again¡ª¡± At that moment there was a sudden explosive noise coming from downstairs, and at the same time came Yuchi Xiao¡¯s outburst, ¡°OMG!!!¡± The hundreds of mercury mirrors shattered one after another into thousands of shards. Xu Shuangtze ended the conversation with a single phrase, ¡°We¡¯ll talk later¡±, and then Ying Kai¡¯s futile cries were heard, ¡°Shuangtze, wait for me¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s first thought was that this ghost cultivator had really got the guts to show himself in the middle of a spell formation set up by Big Brother Xu himself, and that he even dared to make such a loud noise upon his entrance. Then, came Gong Wei¡¯s second thought, Opportunity has come! He kept the bamboo pole, dashed out and went straight to the second floor, barging in through the door of the room. As expected, Xu Shuangtze had left immediately when the mirror formation in the lobby had been triggered, and was not in the room at the moment. The voice transmission spell had not yet disappeared completely, and in the middle of the formation was a man in dark blue inner gown and a white outer robe. His figure was tall and slender and it was definitely Ying Kai! Ying Kai was just about to exit the spell formation when he was greeted by a handsome young man he didn¡¯t know who barged into the room, and froze in confusion. Gong Wei had no time to explain, and excitedly pounced on him in an attempt to hug his leg, ¡°Shi...¡± Before finishing his word, alarm bells went off in Gong Wei¡¯s heart and he spun around in mid-air. A cloud of grey air was appearing and swirled in mid-air, then transformed into a hooded figure with a flickering scarlet light and the sword seemingly enveloped by a film of blood. It was the ghost cultivator! It had come to kill Gong Wei! Gong Wei¡¯s surprise was followed by an instinctive suspicion, as if he sensed something was amiss, but he had no time to think about it. He rolled into a corner of the room, and the ghostly figure seemed to pause before turning into a thick grey smoke where it was, and then suddenly appeared in front of him the next moment, and in a violent piercing movement, went for Gong Wei¡¯s right eye with its claws. ¡°?¡± Ying Kai could not see the ghost cultivator and said in confusion, ¡°Is there something in the room?¡± ¡°Pa¡± a crunching sound was made as Gong Wei went straight for a slap across the face of the ghost cultivator and cried in a tearful voice, ¡°Help! It¡¯s me, Shi¡­¡± The key word ¡°xiong¡± didn¡¯t come out again. Then, a strong wind came from above. It was the scabbard of No Way Out! Gong Wei was so furious that he almost turned into a vengeful ghost on the spot, only to see that Xu Shuangtze had already arrived, appearing in mid-air. With a wave of an arm, he ended the spell formation and Ying Kai¡¯s figure immediately scattered in all directions as a faint golden light. At the same time, the ghostly figure was forced to let go of Gong Wei and reluctantly retreated several feet away. It paused in hesitation for a few breaths before deciding that it dared not face Xu Shuangtze head on. Half of its body then began to noiselessly fade into the void. ¡°It wants to escape!¡± Gong Wei, who was the most adaptable person, decisively changed his target for protection, ¡°¡ªWatch out, Master, over there!¡± Yuchi Xiao, who had just rushed up, almost slipped and fell upon hearing Gong Wei. He pulled Gong Wei behind him and warned him in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re going to die! How dare you call Lord Xu your master when you¡¯re just an outer disciple?¡± Gong Wei said firmly, without hesitation, ¡°What do you know? Lord Xu is unrivalled in my heart, he may not be my master but I regard him higher than my master!¡± Lord Xu swept a glance at him, the tips of his eyes covered by eyelashes did not display the slightest emotion, then he turned and conjured a spell. The hundreds of mercury mirrors beneath their feet burst at the same time, tens of thousands of fragments formed a giant dragon. With a speed of lightning, it rushed towards and wrapped around the ghostly figure which did not have time to disappear completely. The uncountable mirror shards now formed a miniature mirror palace, covering the ghost cultivator from all sides in countless flashes of silver light. The ghost cultivator struggled violently, but it couldn¡¯t break free and was trapped! Every time it struggled, the mirror cage which was suspended in mid-air twisted and crashed, and countless shards crushed and rubbed together with a deafening screech. ¡°It won¡¯t get away.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression remained unchanged, ¡°The reason why mortals cannot see you is because you exist neither in the human world nor within the ghost wall, and you can only wander in the boundary between the two realms. You are neither a human nor a ghost, but something in between.¡± Everyone had a look of learning something new, and Yuchi Xiao asked in astonishment, ¡°Then-then, what is that thing?¡± ¡°Mirrors connect to yin and yang, so not only can it be used as a medium for illusions, it is also the most effective way to trap you.¡± Xu Shuangtze did not answer the few juniors, but fixed his gaze at the ghostly figure trapped by the mirror cage, and finally asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°¡ªThe judges of the Ghost Wall and the Twelve Provinces told me that the soul of the Lotus Immortal Fahua had already been destroyed, and sixteen years later you¡¯re going around killing people with Bai Taishou. So who the hell are you?¡± Gong Wei was once again weary in his heart and holding his forehead. He didn¡¯t expect that after sixteen years, the fine Lord Xu had become so paranoid. He had already decided that this ghost cultivator was the reincarnated spirit of the Lotus Immortal, and had almost pissed off good old Ying Kai for that, and now he was asking the ghost cultivator, ¡°Who are you?¡± Whoever it is, it must die. So why not just hurry and get rid of it snatch back Bai Taishou? The ghostly figure could not answer Xu Shuangtze, the scarlet light at where its face should be was flashing chaotically. Suddenly, it turned towards Gong Wei in a movement that clearly revealed a killing intent. Suddenly realizing that the ghost cultivator could not speak because it lacked the seven orifices, Gong Wei had a bright idea of peeking out from behind Yuchi Xiao and put his hands together around his mouth shouting, ¡°Master! It¡¯s not going around hurting people, it¡¯s been looking for me all along!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze obviously didn¡¯t bother to take issue about being called ¡®Master¡¯, and Gong Wei didn¡¯t care either, and roared, ¡°Before I came to Linjiang City, it was already looking for people with a heavy yin predisposition to cast the mirror art on. When I arrived in the city that night, I was not exposed to the mirror art but it appeared immediately! And it couldn¡¯t wait to kill me! I was lucky enough to survive but the next day, it suddenly appeared in broad daylight on the street outside the Prince¡¯s Residence and killed people at will, no longer picking its targets at all¡ªwhat does that tell you!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to select anymore! It has found its true target, and it¡¯s me, Master!¡± At this point Meng Yunfei also gradually came to his senses, ¡°Young Master Xiang indeed has a yin predisposition that is one in a million, records say such a person is suitable for¡­ being a cultivation furnace, and also for¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao was stunned and quickly continued, ¡°Being a borrowed physical container for returned souls.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyebrow lifted in a flash. Yuchi Xiao hesitantly said, ¡°Lord Xu, because of the matter of becoming a cultivation partner with Xiang Xiaoyuan, this junior has examined his birth characters and Four pillars of Destiny, and he happened to be born on¡­he was born on the same day sixteen years ago¡­the exact same day as when the Lotus Immortal passed away¡­¡± One dying and the other born on the same day, with the eight birth characters and the Four Pillars of Destiny impeccably matched. Xiang Xiaoyuan was indeed the most suitable target for the ghost cultivator to borrow his body as a container for its soul! If Xu Shuangtze had been suspicious all along, then the fragment of doubt lingering at the back of his mind as to whether this ghost cultivator was the Lotus Immortal or not should have been eradicated by now. Gong Wei breathed a sigh of relief and shrank back behind Yuchi Xiao. He was thinking of how to manipulate Lord Xu to finish off the ghost cultivator on the spot, so that he would be completely safe with no evidence left. However, he heard Xu Shuangtze slowly utter, ¡°Is that so?¡± His tone sounded a little strange, but those unfamiliar with him would never be able to discern this. ¡°What is it that sustains you as you wander between the worlds of humans and ghosts, when your five senses and seven orifices are incomplete?¡± He turned to face the mirror cage in mid-air not far away, and instead of pulling out No Way Out, he slowly raised a hand, ¡°Let me see it.¡± The ghostly figure also seemed to realise what was going on and started struggling even more violently, but Xu Shuangtze had disappeared in place and reappeared in front of it¡ªand in the same instant, thousands of mirror fragments exploded in unison, and the ghostly figure rushed out of the cage and headed straight towards Gong Wei! A clear sound pierced through the clouds as Meng Yunfei strummed all five strings on his guqin, sending transparent ripples through the ghost cultivators¡¯s body. Yuchi Xiao took the opportunity to slash across its face with his sword, forcing the ghost cultivator to turn back into smoke once more, then appearing above Gong Wei¡¯s head in a flash. The black mist quickly condensed into sharp claws that were about to plunge straight into his skull. There was a loud thud as Yuchi Xiao kicked Gong Wei out of the way as the claws grazed his face! Gong Wei could have dodged it himself, but before he could even say anything, he was instantly kicked away. As he was feeling disgruntled about it, out of the corner of his eye, Gong Wei suddenly saw a blood-red sword swinging right towards his face. In the nick of time, a clang sounded! It was a clash of metal as the white and gold scabbard of No Way Out collided with the ghost cultivator¡¯s sword and locked it in place Xu Shuangtze stepped in front of Gong Wei, with his sword in one hand to deadlock the ghostly figure, and conjured a spell from another. The mirror cage in the distance was instantly swept closer like a torrent, with lightning speed it twisted then compacted and sturdily bound the ghostly shadow in place! It all happened so fast and furiously that Gong Wei, who had fallen flat on his back, almost applauded and gave Xu Shuangtze a shout of approval. Before the ghostly figure, which was now bound by a chain made of the countless mirror fragments, could struggle for its life, Xu Shuangtze had already plunged his hand into the chest cavity of its formless body and grabbed its heart tightly¡­ The ghostly figure seemed to have been struck by an electric current, its whole body stiffened, and scarlet light which was flickering wildly under the hood was now stabilised. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze narrowed his eyes slightly, ¡°Is this it?¡± Just as he was just about to remove its ¡°heart¡±, the ghostly figure suddenly turned towards him, out of its formless head it let out a low voice which carried a rustling echo, as if the voice travelled here from a distant and indistinct place, ¡°¡­Xu Bai.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s movement came to a halt. No one saw that Gong Wei¡¯s expression had stiffened up, and then transformed into a hint of surprise which was impossible to conceal. ¡ª Those two words were so familiar, clearly it was Gong Wei¡¯s voice and accent from his previous life. CH 13 Editor: Sahloknir In his previous life, Gong Wei had called out to Xu Bai many times. It was a very proper name, but when it was pronounced slowly and in a drawn-out tone between his white teeth, it sounded laidback and harboured a tinge of ill intent. Ying Kai once criticised him for being so disrespectful, even if Gong Wei didn¡¯t address him as ¡®Lord Xu¡¯, he should have at least called him Senior Xu. Gong Wei always cheekily agreed, however once Ying Kai turned around, he would sneakily revert to his old ways. As time passed, Ying Kai no longer bothered with correcting him. Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t care how Gong Wei addressed him, because no matter what came out of Gong Wei¡¯s mouth, it would always sound crafty. There was only once when Gong Wei seemed to seek death by sneaking up behind Xu Shuangtze and jumping out with a cry, ¡°General Bai!¡±¡ª That was shortly after Xu Shuangtze had returned to reality from the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm. Later on, Gong Wei always felt that if he hadn¡¯t escaped so quickly, he would have been chopped up and fed to the dogs on the spot by the furious Xu Shuangtze. In any case, Gong Wei would never have heard what the ghost cultivator said incorrectly. The ¡®Xu Bai¡¯ which came from the ghost cultivator was exactly the same as how he would have said it in his previous life. And he knew that Xu Shuangtze could not have heard it wrong either. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s back was facing them, so Gong Wei couldn¡¯t see his expression. Time passed so slowly that every second seemed endless, and it took an unknown amount of minutes before Xu Shuangtze let out a cold laugh. ¡ªThe sound was so low that it was impossible to hear what emotion it carried. Then, without hesitation, he ripped the ¡®heart¡¯ out of the ghost cultivator¡¯s chest! This movement was so swift and cruel that Gong Wei subconsciously felt his own heart ache, and then his pupils dilated at the sight. A bronze fragment was resting in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand. It was about half the size of his palm, densely engraved with inscriptions never seen before in the world, and with just one glance, Gong Wei recognised what it was. Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm! The ghost cultivator leaned back abruptly, even without a face, one could almost see its expression of excruciating pain. Then, its whole body turned into a cloud of blood-red smoke and dust, and the glass-like chains which were binding it melted into a puddle on the ground. The large clouds of smoke and dust converged into a blurred human form in mid-air, and then plunged into the fragments of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm held in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand. The movement generated such a great force that the whole building shook, with bricks and wood splinters falling down from all around! Gong Wei tilted his head to avoid the debris, suddenly realising what was going on, he hoarsely cried out, ¡°Be careful¡­¡± He had no time to reach out and snatch the piece out of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand. The greenish-bronze surface of the fragment, after devouring the ghost cultivator, shimmered and shone. Then, transformed into a tiny mirror that steadily reflected Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes. The Mirror Art! Rb bcf lc atf kbgiv kjr wbgf rxlioei ja liierlbc afmtcldefr atjc Xbcu Qfl. Lf lwwfvljafis aegcfv jgbecv jcv gertfv bea, qeiilcu Zfcu Tecofl klat bcf tjcv jcv Temtl Wljb klat atf batfg. Lf tjafv atja cbcf bo atfw kfgf ybgc klat fluta ilwyr ab vgju atf ijra qfgrbc bea. Dea atf ijra wlggbg jga ifoa yftlcv ys atf utbra meialnjabg kjr jmalnjafv klat remt rqffv atja yfobgf Xbcu Qfl mbeiv ajxf j ofk rafqr jkjs ogbw atf akb iljylilalfr, tf ofia j teuf obgmf qeiilcu tlw yjmx ogbw yftlcv, jcv raewyifv jr lo tf tjv ojiifc boo j miloo. At the same time, Xu Shuangtze closed his eyes and opened them again. The scene around him was like a bucket of spilt paint¡ªlight and shadows were staggering and shifting, pulling him downwards as the mirror art was rapidly building a vast, new illusionary world. ¡°Trying to recreate my most fearful memories?¡± Xu Shuangtze whispered. He looked straight at the half of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm fragment in his hand, and said coldly, ¡°But I no longer have such a thing as fear.¡± As his last word came out, a whirlwind rose from all directions. A mist wrapped around him, like a poisonous miasma which was too dense to be dispersed, but then it suddenly cleared up in an instant! The surrounding landscape was completely transformed. Xu Shuangtze was now standing on fertile and soft land. In the distance, there was a deep and peaceful valley with smoke rising from a backyard. ¡ªThis is the secluded Taoyuan Village. Thud! Gong Wei fell to the ground and landed on his butt. As if falling off a cliff of eight hundred feet, he almost fainted from the pain. He took a deep inhalation of cold air, touched his butt, which felt like it had been split into eight pieces, then got up and looked around. In the distance, he saw rolling green hills, a clear river meandering through the valley, peach blossoms were in full bloom on the riverbank, and chickens and dogs could be heard. This was a village as beautiful as one depicted in ink paintings. He vaguely felt that the scene looked familiar, and after taking two steps, he was suddenly struck by lightning. This was the village where ¡®General Bai¡¯ recuperated from his wounds twenty years ago in the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm! This was Xu Shuangtze¡¯s memory! The mirror art will send each person to a different illusionary realm. Theoretically, Gong Wei should be seeing his own most fearful and painful visions¡­ But Xu Shuangtze¡¯s primordial spirit was so powerful that neither he nor Yuchi Xiao or Meng Yunfei could resist, so Gong Wei was probably pulled into the same realm as him. ¡°¡­¡± The bluish-green veins on Gong Wei¡¯s forehead were throbbing as he rolled up his two sleeves and placed one hand on his waist and the other pressing on his forehead. He let out a long, dreary sigh and felt something indescribable. Xu Shuangtze spent his life neutralising natural disasters, quelling wars, purging the demonic realm, and even descended into Hell to cause destruction to the innocent Twelve Provinces of the Ghost Wall. Yet, his most fearful memory was not of facing apocalyptic natural disasters by himself, nor the tens of thousands of hungry ghosts of the Underworld, it was this seemingly peaceful and serene mountain village before him. Xu Shuangtze stayed half a year here, living as a mortal, spending time with the kind-hearted ¡®peasant girl¡¯ who saved him from the battlefield. He recovered from his wounds and then headed for the Capital to treat his blind eyes. Before his departure, he left a gold bracelet as a token of his love, asking to marry her when he returned to the village. ¡®The peasant girl¡¯ found it particularly novel and interesting, so she didn¡¯t take it seriously and smilingly agreed. To her surprise, a year later, General Bai, who had regained his sight, returned to the village to fulfil his promise. He came with a full ceremonial wedding entourage and asked for her hand in marriage¡ªto spend the rest of her life with him. There was no reason imaginable for anyone to object to this perfect wedding, and indeed it went ahead as planned. But what General Bai didn¡¯t expect was that the ceremony would go terribly wrong and his bride would die on the spot, before he could even lift her veil. The illusionary realm collapsed at that moment. The grief and anger awakened the dormant true soul of General Bai which could breach the limits and could not be contained by the spiritual power of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm. The entire illusionary world collapsed before Gong Wei could save it, and the corpse of the ¡®bride¡¯ was reduced to dust. As the nine-fold thunder tribulation struck down, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s soul forced itself out of the illusionary realm and returned to its rightful body. Then the next thing Xu Shuangtze did was to grab No Way Out and go all the way from the Cang Yang Sect to Dai Mountain and smash the door of the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Correctional Palace¡­ ¡°Gong Wei!¡± ¡°You killed my wife, I¡¯ll make you pay for it today, Gong Wei¡­!¡± With the roar still ringing in his ears, Gong Wei blinked his eyes repeatedly and shivered uncontrollably. He suddenly felt that the wind on this hillside was terribly cold. Now that he was here, it was useless to shed tears. He couldn¡¯t get out of the Realm if he didn¡¯t find a way to break the illusionary world constructed by the subconscious mind of the realm master, and even then, dangerous or bizarre situations could easily arise at any moment. What was worse was to be in the subconscious mind of an Immortal Sovereign like Xu Shuangtze, who had experienced many life-and-death situations. Who knew what was going on in that mind? Perhaps a hellish volcano will descend from the air the next minute, spewing out billions of evil spirits and vengeful ghosts to tear the whole world apart. It was hard to say for sure. Gong Wei suddenly looked up, and to his horror, he saw that a gap had actually opened up in the sky. It was black, bottomless, a seemingly widening gap, and something seemed to be falling out of it¡­ Thud! Thud! Two familiar figures fell, one after the other, down the hillside in quick succession, sending up a cloud of smoke and dust. Gong Wei: ¡°¡­¡± Just great, everyone is present now. Gong Wei brushed his sleeves and placed his hands behind his back. He leaped lightly down the steep mountain slope, alternating his footsteps on the edges of raised rocks and the top of shrubs all the way, then descended to the foot of the slope like a nimble fox. He saw that Yuchi Xiao was struggling to get up from the ground, holding his back, in the exact same position as Gong Wei had just done. ¡°My¡­my lower back¡­¡± Meng Yunfei also gritted his teeth and pressed his hand forcefully onto his back. He choked and coughed as he asked, ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡­You two are too shameless, we obviously fell in the same position. Can¡¯t we be honest with each other? Gong Wei gazed helplessly at the two and as he was about to greet them, saying, ¡®I¡¯m here¡¯, Yuchi Xiao turned around, and as his eyes met Gong Wei, he froze for a moment. The next thing he knew, Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression changed drastically as he tugged Meng Yunfei backwards by two steps, then unsheathed Gou Chen with a clang! ¡°?¡± Gong Wei still did not understand what was going on, only to see Yuchi Xiao look at him like facing a great enemy, incredulously saying, ¡°Lo-Lotus Immortal!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei blinked twice more, before slowly looking down, and he finally noticed the anomaly. Xiang Xiaoyuan was still young, undersized, with a lean and thin physique. Whereas now Gong Wei¡¯s line of vision was slightly higher than usual, and the ten fingers of his hands exposed under the cuffs were longer and more slender. His skin was a translucent white, which was unlike any human¡¯s skin tone. The clothes on his body had changed too at some point. He was now in a rouge-red robe lined with satin, which was embroidered with maple leaves in gold thread. His waistband was embroidered with delicate patterns of clouds and cranes and adorned with two small, bright gold coins. A mirror can reveal a person¡¯s truest form and a soul which cannot be disguised in the mirror¡¯s illusionary realm. That is why in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s illusion, Gong Wei was now transformed back into the Lotus Immortal of his previous life. _____________________________________________________________________________________ CH 14 Editor: Sahloknir ¡°Hold on.¡± Meng Yunfei pressed down on Gou Chen, ¡°That¡¯s not the real Lotus Immortal.¡± Yuchi Xiao stared intently at Gong Wei, not daring to move, ¡°He is! Look at what is embroidered on his robe!¡± Gold is one of the most important raw materials used by the Artefacts Sect to craft all kinds of weapons. Because of this, the Immortal Alliance has stipulated that all of the Xuanmen Sects cannot discreetly accumulate large amounts of gold. And only six key figures, namely Xu Shuangtze of Cang Yang Sect, Martial Sovereign, Ying Kai, Lotus Immortal, Gong Wei, as well as Yuchi Changsheng of the Sword Sect, Mu Duozhu of the Medical Sect, and Chang Sun Chengfeng of the Artefacts Sect ¡ª could use gold threads to embroider their family crests and patterns on the robes of their direct disciples to identify themselves. Other sects and immortals, such as Meng Yunfei, who is the foremost disciple of Guqin Immortal, had at most silver threads embroidered on their robes. This is not a hard and fast rule. Apart from the official sect robes, no one actually cared what kind of clothing each of them wore in private. But in front of Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei, the gold and red maple-patterned robe was too iconic, even without seeing it, they had heard about it from various novels and plays about the Lotus Immortal, which were popular with the masses. Other than the great Chief Gong Wei, no other person would come to mind. ¡°¡­No, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re mistaken.¡± Meng Yunfei also stared closely at Gong Wei, gritted his teeth and whispered, ¡°He is an illusion within the mirror!¡± His words jolted not only Yuchi Xiao but also Gong Wei, who suddenly realised, That¡¯s right, this is Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sub-consciousness. I''m just a projection from his memory, it makes total sense! Gong Wei blinked and immediately stood still, looking at them motionlessly. ¡°The illusion has no self-awareness and will only act based on a fixed trajectory, and won¡¯t attack outsiders as long as they are not provoked.¡± Meng Yunfei slid Gou Chen back into its sheath, forcing himself to turn his head as if nothing had happened, gesturing for Yuchi Xiao to also look away, ¡°Don¡¯t stare at him, don¡¯t make him feel that we are aggressive¡­ good, look he¡¯s no longer paying attention to us.¡± At the corner of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s eye, he could see the ¡®Lotus Immortal¡¯ stood in place for a while, silently tilting his head in thought, then slowly paced a few steps away, stopping at the edge of the riverbank with his back facing them. He was gazing towards the village in the distance with smoke curling up from the chimneys. At this time, the Lotus Immortal had not yet grown out his hair, and the tips were just covering his neck, and the skin on the back of his neck seemed to glow faintly in contrast to his jet-black hair. Rumour had it that when the Lotus Immortal walked under the moonlight, his body would glow, creating the illusion of a celestial being. The contrast of his pale features and the crimson outer robe he wore gave him an indescribably youthful look. This was actually quite incongruous, as the Lotus Immortal¡¯s actual age was not really that young. The Xuanmen scrolls recorded that he looked fifteen or sixteen years old when he was first brought into the Immortal Alliance by Ying Kai. It was as if he was a being who had travelled alone through the years, innocent and full of wonder like a child, no matter how many years had passed, yet maintaining a very cautious and subtle distance from the earthly world. Yuchi Xiao drew back his gaze, and despite knowing that what he was seeing was only an illusion, he still felt the absurdity like life and death has been reversed, and asked in a small voice, ¡°Are we in Lord Xu¡¯s most fearful memories? Then how can we get out?¡± Under the Guqin Immortal, Meng Yunfei was exposed to relatively more research on illusions, and he thought about it before saying, ¡°Generally there are only two ways to break free from the realm. The first is to try to make the realm master realise that this is an illusion¡­ but it is more difficult, and I don¡¯t know where to find Lord Xu. The second is to dissolve the core of the illusion, which is to say that we ensure that the disaster that was destined to happen, does not. As soon as the realm master realises that the tragedy is developing differently than he or she remembers, he or she will be able to perceive that everything is a mere illusion.¡± He stood up and patted the dust off himself, frowning as he looked around, ¡°But this village looks peaceful, it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any disaster about to happen, right?¡± The corners of Gong Wei¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, thinking that these two young swordsmen were completely unaware that a disaster of epic proportions was already set in motion by now¡­ ¡°This village.¡± Suddenly Yuchi Xiao murmured deep in thoughts, gazed at the farmhouse in the distance, and was suddenly enlightened, ¡°¡ªvillage!¡± Meng Yunfei: ¡°What?¡± Yuchi Xiao picked up his pace and ran towards the village, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with this place!¡± Meng Yunfei hadn¡¯t reacted yet, but ran after him anyway, and when he reached the village entrance, he saw a stone monument under a peach blossom tree, with big words inscribed, ¡®Taoyuan Village¡¯! ¡°Oh shit!¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression changed dramatically, ¡°¡ªGoodbye My Lover, this plot is from Goodbye My Lover!¡± Meng Yunfei thought he had heard it wrong and asked in dismay, ¡°Do you mean the Goodbye My Lover plot where Lord Xu met a peasant girl at Taoyuan Village, was charmed at first sight, fell in love and pledged himself in marriage only to her for three lifetimes?¡± Temtl Wljb cbvvfv klat tlr tjcvr mbnfglcu tlr ojmf. ¡°And then Lotus Immortal suddenly arrived and killed the bride with a sword at the wedding, and Lord Xu was so grief-stricken that he ended up giving himself a-a you-know-what¡­ that Goodbye My Lover?¡± Ktf yielrt-ugffc nflcr ja atf mbgcfgr bo Temtl Wljb¡¯r obgftfjv peaafv bea, jcv tf cbvvfv jujlc klat alutais mifcmtfv affat. Meng Yunfei jerked his head around, only to see the crimson-clad figure standing against the wind on the other side of the river, Gong Wei stared back at him with an innocent expression. ¡°¡­¡± Zfcu Tecofl rjlv klat vloolmeias, ¡°Vb atf Obaer Pwwbgaji tjr jqqfjgfv lc Obgv We¡¯r wfwbgs yfmjerf tf¡¯r tfgf ab xlii atf yglvf?¡± Yuchi Xiao covered his face with one hand and shook his head, he was simply unable to face this sinister world any longer. After a long period of dead silence, Meng Yunfei finally asked a question that shocked their souls,¡±Didn¡¯t they say that all the books were fictional?¡± At that moment there was a creak, and the door of a small courtyard in the distance was pushed open. The Realm Master¡¯s memory world had been set in motion. Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei¡¯s hearts suddenly tightened as they took a half step backwards towards the peach blossom tree to avoid directly facing the illusionary Lotus Immortal. Then, they saw the tall silhouette of a man dressed in a silver and white robe coming out. He turned towards the backyard and led out a horse. Step by step along the green pebbled path, he walked towards the door of the courtyard, then paused in his tracks as he turned to ¡®gaze¡¯ back at the house with a yearning and reluctance to leave. To say that he was ¡®gazing¡¯ was perhaps not fully accurate, for his eyes were covered with a piece of white cloth, revealing only a high nose and thin lips¡ªit was Xu Shuangtze. Xu Shuangtze, in his own memory, was surprisingly more alive. He did not look like the immortal monarch who was lofty and high above the earthly world nor cold and indifferent like accumulated ice of a million years. But rather like a normal man with all his seven emotions and six desires intact. Yuchi Xiao asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his eyes, are they injured? There¡¯s nothing about it in the book.¡± Xu Shuangtze in the illusionary world stood for a moment, then suddenly let go of his horse and walked towards the house. Although he could not see, his movement was unimpeded and one could not tell if he had other methods of perceiving the environment through the five elements of yin and yang. He pushed against the door and stood with his back facing them at the entrance, saying softly,¡±Xiaotao.¡± ¡ªThe legendary Lady Xu! No one knew her name, and definitely no one knew what she looked like, but for many years she had been known throughout the world as ¡®Lady Xu¡¯! Meng Yunfei muttered under his breath, offended by the blocked vision. Yuchi Xiao was not as upright as his friend and immediately stretched his neck from behind the tree to steal a glance. However, the interior of the house was too dark, and Xu Shuangtze¡¯s broad back was completely blocking the entry, so Yuchi Xiao could only vaguely catch a glimpse of a figure clad in a scarlet-red dress in the room, but he could not see the details of her face. ¡°Although what I said last night was abrupt, it was my heartfelt words.¡± Xu Shuangtze paused for a while before continuing, ¡°I do not know why¡ªI have never seen your face or heard your voice before¡ªbut the very first time I met you, it felt like you are the one I have been waiting for since my previous life.¡± ¡°I know you are hesitant to join me in the Capital, but it doesn¡¯t matter. I will only be gone for a few months or at most a year. After a year¡¯s time, whether or not I can regain my sight, I will return with betrothal gifts to ask for your hand in marriage.¡± He paused, his voice softening, ¡°Take care of yourself, and when we meet again, we shall be husband and wife.¡± There was a deathly silence behind the peach blossom tree. After a long time Yuchi Xiao could not help asking, ¡°Is Lord Xu possessed by something?¡° The mysterious Lady Xu in the room did not make an audible response for some reason, but her scarlet dress rustled with her movement. It seemed that she had written something on Xu Shuangtze¡¯s palm. A short while later Xu Shuangtze whispered, ¡°Good.¡± He stood there, reluctant to leave, before walking out of the house. On his way out he turned back once again to face the house with a smile. As a matter of fact, when such a handsome young man smiled affectionately without saying a word, any one¡¯s heart would flutter¡ªbut this was Lord Xu. Meng Yunfei shuddered and covered his eyes, while Yuchi Xiao silently punctured the trunk of the tree with his fingers. Their expressions twisted as if they had been struck by a divine thunderbolt. Not far away, Xu Shuangtze turned around and mounted his horse and galloped away, his figure disappearing at the end of the village. In the house, a small, graceful figure slowly paced out of the door and stood on the stone steps looking in the direction of the disappearing white horse. Lady Xu¡¯s profile was facing the young men, her hair was long and dense, flowing down the sides of her long neck to her chest, hiding her face. Although her features could not be seen from that angle, it was clear that she had such an exquisite figure, that a mere glimpse of her silhouette gave one a sense of longing. Yuchi Xiao couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Ah, Lady Xu doesn¡¯t look like an ordinary peasant woman.¡± Meng Yunfei said, ¡°Although it is only an illusion, it is disrespectful to peep at a lady, so it is better not to look at her. In my opinion, this illusion is quite strange, and it will be difficult for Lord Xu to break it on his own. As long as we ensure that Lady Xu survives safely, and then marries Lord Xu smoothly¡ª¡± At this point the lady in the distance turned slightly, and Meng Yunfei¡¯s words suddenly stopped coming out. She still did not reveal her face, but this action showed a section of her neck and arm, and on her arm she wore a golden bracelet formed out of three wavy spirals connected at the beginning and end. It rested on her skin, which was a rarely seen ice-white, and under the sun it even gave the illusion that it was glowing faintly. A strange feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu suddenly came over Meng Yunfei, as if he had seen a similar description of such features before, and he couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to look across the river at the Lotus Immortal. However, there was no one there. His brow twitched and he reached out to pat Yuchi Xiao: ¡°Lotus Immortal is gone, look around¡ª¡± Immediately afterwards, his movements froze. In his palm was clearly a cold, soft wrist that did not belong to his friend. ¡°¡­¡± Meng Yunfei turned his head back without a sound, only to see that another person had somehow squeezed in between himself and Yuchi Xiao¡ª The Lotus Immortal was blocking the daylight with one hand and holding on to the tree trunk with the other. He too was stretching his neck to catch a glimpse of Lady Xu¡¯s silhouette in the distance, with an undisguised curiosity reflected in his flickering blood-red, right pupil. In a flash, Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei drew their swords at the same time, ¡°When did he get here!!!¡± ¡°Stop him!!!¡± The tree trunk shook violently with a boom, and Gong Wei rolled on the ground, clutching his head, burrowing to evade the cold aura of both Gou Chen and Su Qing. He then rose up to dodge lightly by tilting his head to avoid the bright arc from Gou Chen¡¯s attack. Like the legends, the Lotus Immortal was indeed devilish, and even without a sword, any weapons or talismans, he was able to deflect attacks with great ease. Just as right now, he could evade the consecutive attacks by Yuchi Xiao like a fish swimming freely under the sword of Gou Chen. Meng Yunfei knew that if Gong Wei killed Lady Xu, everyone would be buried in the crumbling illusionary realm immediately. So in his desperation, he summoned his guqin and tapped it to the ground, dispensing waves of sound! Gong Wei: ¡°?¡± He only wanted to take the opportunity to see what Xu Shuangtze¡¯s beloved ¡®Lady Xu¡¯ looked like! But it was not a worthy enough cause to lose his three souls and seven spirits in the process. So Gong Wei in reaction to the situation, immediately attempted to slip away in the opposite direction. But Yuchi Xiao couldn¡¯t let him leave, and immediately drew out his sword and forced his way towards him, and under the guqin¡¯s sound attacks and the sword glare of Gou Chen, Gong Wei finally could not relax. With both hands cupping his ears and evading the attacks with a grimace, he was forcefully pushed backwards by the fearsome aura of Gou Chen. The direct damage to his soul created a metallic taste in his throat and his vision momentarily darkened. Gong Wei¡¯s expression turned annoyed as he clenched his teeth, pulled up his sleeves and lunged forward to grab Gou Chen from Yuchi Xiao using his bare hands. Meng Yunfei almost lost his voice, ¡°Be careful, Brother Yuchi! Stay away from Lady Xu!¡± In the distant courtyard, the lady seemed to have finally heard the commotion and turned her head to look at them, finally revealing her face in its entirety. Meng Yunfei froze, Yuchi Xiao was stopped in his tracks, and even Gong Wei¡¯s hand was violently halted in mid-air. The atmosphere was fearsomely still, and the trio could not take their eyes off the lady¡¯s face at all. Then, they finally heard Yuchi Xiao¡¯s stammering voice, ¡°What¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± The legendary ¡®Lady Xu¡¯ had nothing on her face, no facial features, no expression, not even any contours or outlines. She simply had no face. The atmosphere turned to an extremely horrifying one, as all three of them stood frozen in place, staring at the blank, smooth ¡®face¡¯ across from them. Then it struck Gong Wei¡ªThat¡¯s correct, she shouldn¡¯t have a face. Xu Shuangtze hadn¡¯t even had time to lift her veil when Lady Xu died, so he couldn¡¯t have known what his so-called bride looked like at all! Gong Wei didn¡¯t know whether to laugh at the scene or to feel a little guilty, which by now would be too late. At that moment, the woman turned around without any reaction and entered the house, closing the wooden door with a soft click. The moment the door shut, a light breeze came from afar, rustling through the treetops, and the peach blossom petals were carried by the wind from the trees, whirling together and creating waves of scarlet red across the skies. Gong Wei instantly realised what was about to happen and immediately retreated and followed the lady into the small courtyard. Yuchi Xiao sensed an ominous feeling and just as he was about to chase after and stop Gong Wei, he was pinned to the spot by an invisible restraint. The next moment, the scarlet red petals, which were covering skies, dispersed and the mountains were now covered with scattered golden-red maple leaves. Some of the leaves fell into the stream and drifted along with it. The next moment, Yuchi Xiao felt something cold landing on the back of his hand, when he looked up, he saw snowflakes descending from the sky. The seasons had changed in a blink of an eye, and the entire village was now covered in silver-white. A cold northern wind carried a snowy mist through the valley, but before Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei could feel the chill, they saw the snow and ice melt away before their eyes and spring once again returned to the land. Yellow warblers chirped and darted through the tall grass, a few carp leapt out of the water, bringing splashes of crystal waves behind. Bare branches started to bear flower buds, then a thousand of flowers bloomed in unison, forming a grandiose scene of emerging scarlet clouds, which stretched for a hundred miles. This was the illusionary realm taking form based on the memories it was built on. The villagers, whose facial features were vague and could not be clearly seen, worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, and as the afterglow in the sky faded, the bustling village returned to silence, and the nocturnal insects began chirping in the distant fields. Moonlight shone on the long, stone path leading from the entrance of the village, the silence all around was ethereal, but abruptly broken with the sound of horses¡¯ hooves suddenly coming from the distant valley. The two looked at each other and guessed at the same time what had happened, and Meng Yunfei whispered, ¡°It¡¯s Lord Xu.¡± One-year had passed, and Xu Shuangtze had returned to receive his bride! CH 15 Editor: Sahloknir The sound of horses¡¯ hooves were getting closer and closer¡ªeven the earth began to tremble. The sound of this formation was by no means from a single horse, but rather like a whole troop had come. Yuchi Xiao couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Could it be that Lord Xu is so deeply in love that he has brought a large number of disciples from the Cang Yang Sect to greet his lady? But why not ride on his sword?¡± Meng Yunfei suddenly said, ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Meng Yunfei¡¯s face showed a vague expression of worry, ¡°Cang Yang Sect has never recorded that their master suffered injuries to both eyes, let alone leading a large number of disciples from the mountain to receive his bride. Is the illusion we are experiencing a reenactment of what actually once happened twenty years ago, or is it¡­¡± Before Meng Yunfei completed his sentence, the earth trembled violently then abruptly stopped, followed by countless horses, ¡°Neigh¡ª!¡± The war horses were reined in to a stop, and then their front hooves hit the ground with heavy thuds. It sounded like the troop had halted. Meng Yunfei stopped talking, and the two of them concentrated on the scene at the same time, only to hear the distant soldiers draw their swords while shouting, ¡°Who is blocking the road?¡± Surprisingly, no reply came. The sudden silence across the valley was extremely eerie, no scolding, no conversation, not even the slightest sound of any other swords being unsheathed. The two men looked at each other, each seeing uneasiness in the other¡¯s eyes. ¡ªWhat was happening in the distance? What had suddenly plunged the army, which had just been speeding along, into complete silence? A soft breeze swept through the grass fields, insects chirped like an orchestra, the moonlight shrouded the mountain streams and the peach blossom petals drifted across the night sky. Everything was so calm that even a pin dropped on the ground could be heard, but a great and ominous sense of foreboding grew heavier and more imminent¡ª At that moment, a tall, lone figure suddenly appeared at the end of the stone path. Xu Shuangtze emerged slowly from the depths of the valley, dressed in flowing white robes with wide sleeves, his hair was lifted and swept in the wind, under the moonlight he looked like an exiled immortal. His sword, No Way Out, which was gripped in his hand, reflected a clear, cold light. The blood groove of the sword was too full, so blood was dripping down the tip of the sword, trailing behind him, forming a seemingly never ending path. ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao finally found his voice, ¡°Lord¡­Lord Xu¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze appeared calm, as if the killings which he carried out earlier in silence were just their imagination. He brushed past Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei and headed straight to the door of the small courtyard, before turning back to the two of them and asking, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He actually took the initiative to speak! Without thinking, Yuchi Xiao replied, ¡°My Lord, you have fallen under the Mirror Art, and this around us is an illusion, a projection of your memories from twenty years ago. At present, you true body is in Linjiang City, you must wake up now so that we can¡ª¡± ¡°Are you guests who have come to observe the ceremony?¡± Xu Shuangtze interrupted him. Yuchi Xiao stopped abruptly. ¡°All who come are our guests. But the wedding feast will not be held until tomorrow, so you can come back at dawn.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted, but it was all too late. As soon as Xu Shuangtze finished his sentence, four walls suddenly rose from the ground and transformed into a house, trapping both Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei inside, the door closed behind them with a thud. Yuchi Xiao was infuriated. ¡°Lord Xu!¡± He rushed up and tried to split the door open. Zfcu Tecofl rabqqfv tlw, ¡°Gbc¡¯a jma gjrtis!¡± Dea bearlvf atf tberf, We Vtejcuahf vlv cba fnfc ibbx yjmx, ¡°Qts jgf sbe wjxlcu j gemxer lc atf wlvvif bo atf cluta?¡± Just as he finished his sentence, an invisible force gushed forward and lifted Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei up without a word. Thud! Thud! They were each tossed onto a bed respectively. Then, some transparent ropes descended from the air and instantly tied them to their beds! Temtl Wljb, ¡°P¡ª¡± Ktf cfza rfmbcv, j rlifcmlcu rqfii kjr mjra bc tlw, rabqqlcu tlw ogbw wjxlcu jcs rbecv ja jii! Meng Yunfei forcefully turned his head to look out the window, only to see that night time had fully arrived outside the house. Xu Shuangtze reached out and pushed open the courtyard door, walking unhurriedly to another door of the opposite house before pausing and saying, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± The blood on No Way Out still trailed behind him and flowed down the steps, yet his voice was very soft as he spoke,¡±I have missed you so much.¡± Meanwhile inside the house, Gong Wei¡¯s back was against the door and his pupils dilated. The room before him had been completely transformed¡ªhe beams and walls were draped in a red ceremonial decorations, the bed frame now had large red and gold letters pasted, and against the wall was a gilded rosewood bridal trousseau with eight large lit wedding candles crackling as they burned. In front of the mirror drawer, a woman was seated in her wedding dress, back facing Gong Wei. She wore a red bridal veil covering her head and her hands, which were as white as snow, were gently folded on her lap. Everything was the exact same as in Gong Wei¡¯s own memory, except for one detail. Back then, the person under the bridal veil was in fact Gong Wei himself. The moment General Bai left the valley, the ¡®peasant girl¡¯ waved her hand and Taoyuan Village vanished without a trace. ¡®She¡¯ then happily followed him into the Capital. Although the Lotus Immortal was well-known for causing trouble, he did have one virtue and that was he would be committed and wholeheartedly complete any task which he was assigned to in all seriousness. After Ying Kai had repeatedly instructed him not to let Xu Shuangtze¡¯s soul be harmed in the illusionary realm, Gong Wei went to great lengths to ensure that all went smoothly and well for General Bai. He even snuck into the royal palace, found an imperial physician to possess, and spent endless nights reading up medical books and researching ancient texts to cure General Bai¡¯s blinded eyes. As Gong Wei completed his task, he clapped his hands and sighed in relief, tapping his fingers and calculated the death counts by Xu Shuangtze on the battlefield. His killing barrier would soon be overcome. Just as he was thinking about whether or not he should possess the emperor and spend a few years in extravagance and debauchery, suddenly a thunderbolt from the sky came crashing down¡ª After restoring his sight, General Bai rounded up his troops in preparation to return to Taoyuan Village to receive his bride. He hadn¡¯t forgotten about that ¡®peasant girl¡¯ called Ah Tao! Gong Wei was so frightened out of his senses that he immediately rushed back to reality by crawling out of the mirror and waking Ying Kai up in the middle of the night, ¡°No matter what happens in the illusionary realm, one won¡¯t retain any memory of it once they return to reality, right?¡± Ying Kai said, ¡°As long as a person completes his journey in the illusionary realm without any irregularities, it is true that they typically don¡¯t retain the memories¡­¡± Gong Wei just let out a sigh of relief when he heard Ying Kai continued seriously, ¡°But there is one thing that is absolutely forbidden.¡± ¡°What is itb?¡± ¡°Getting married.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s breath instantly stopped. ¡°Lord Xu cultivates the Path of No Emotions and will never desire another person, so if the thought of marriage arises in the illusionary realm, then he will definitely experience the love barrier. Love barriers are major obstacles to ascension, so we must prevent it at all costs and never let him stray from his path, got it?¡± Gong Wei: ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei had no idea what had gone wrong in the illusionary world to cause Xu Shuangtze to encounter the love barrier. He pondered and dwelled on it but he was clueless and helpless about it. Gong Wei then returned to the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm in disgrace, only to find himself groomed and dressed up by the village girls and sitting poised in the bridal chamber. It was the exact night before the wedding, and the crisp breeze outside the window was gentle, yet quiet. General Bai¡¯s footsteps could be heard pacing outside the door for a long time before he finally couldn¡¯t resist knocking, ¡°Ah Tao?¡± Gong Wei did not dare to say anything. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you very much in the past year.¡± Xu Shuangtze became even more gentle and softened his voice further, ¡°Can I come in and see you?¡± Of course not, absolutely not! In this illusionary world created by the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, Gong Wei was considered an anomaly in the construct. As soon as General Bai saw his face or heard his voice, the dormant soul that belonged to Lord Xu would be awakened and the illusionary realm would immediately collapse! Gong Wei lifted the bridal veil and stared wide-eyed at the mirror for a long time, then suddenly had a bright idea and used his mind to direct a village girl to stop General Bai outside the door. The girl was made to explain in a soft voice that the wedding couple should not see each other before the auspicious hour, and that it was a bad omen to do so, especially for the bride. Xu Shuangtze was a resolute man but that day, he was persuaded by the village girl. He stood outside the door for a while, urging ¡®Lady Tao¡¯ to rest early, before stepping out of the courtyard in the night. Gong Wei pressed his body behind the door and listened intently to Xu Shuangtze¡¯s footsteps as he walked away, with only a single thought in his mind, How did this man fall into love? The illusion I made was obviously correct for the purpose, it must have been his own weakness! Knock, knock, knock. A knock on the door interrupted Gong Wei¡¯s thoughts, and he heard Xu Shuangtze outside the door once again calling out Ah Tao, in the same manner and tone as in the illusionary realm twenty years ago. ¡°Are you asleep?¡± Gong Wei calmed himself and settled down, he crouched down and moved beside the ¡®bride¡¯, lifted the bridal veil, and snapped his fingers at the blank, smooth ¡®face¡¯. The next moment his vision turned into a flash of darkness, the wind brushed softly past his ears, and when he opened his eyes again he had replaced the faceless puppet and was sitting upright in front of the trousseau. Before him, bright vermillion candles were crackling and his own reflection was now in the mirror. He was now covered under a bridal veil and donned in a wedding dress. Twenty years ago, if Xu Shuangtze had pushed through that door, he would have encountered this scene¡ªthere was no peasant girl at all and the ¡®Ah Tao¡¯ he remembered, never existed in the first place. The only person sitting in the chambers in a wedding dress was the Lotus Immortal, who was now in a gravely difficult position. Gong Wei took a deep breath, anticipating that this was the very moment which the illusory realm was about to collapse, and swung open the door with a flick of his sleeve. Creak¡­ The door slowly inched open, and the night breeze gushed in through the gap, filling the chambers with cool air. Gong Wei¡¯s view was blocked by the large, ceremonial, red satin gauze, and by the moonlight that crept in through the door, he could only vaguely make out that Xu Shuangtze was standing across the courtyard. Half of his figure was behind a door panel and cast a long shadow stretching out on the ground. The shadow finally moved and it was Xu Shuangtze who raised his hand and slowly placed it on the door. At last, he could come in and meet his bride who he had longed to see. ¡ªBut as soon as he lifts the veil and sees the face of Gong Wei, who had died sixteen long years ago, Xu Shuangtze would immediately realise that the world before him was a facade. And as the spirit and consciousness of the Realm Master returns, the illusionary world would fall apart, and pull everyone back to reality at Linjiang City simultaneously. The room was terribly quiet, and Gong Wei¡¯s entire spine was tensed up and almost completely stiff. At that moment, Xu Shuangtze suddenly spoke, and every word was indescribably warm and affectionate, ¡°Remember when I said that the next time we meet, you and I will be husband and wife? How wonderful it is right now.¡± Then he seemed to smile faintly but sighed after. ¡°But it is not good for the bride to see me before the auspicious hour. It is late, so rest early.¡± Gong Wei was startled. But before he could react, he saw the train of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robes swish as he gently closed the door and turned to walk away along the stone path. He hadn¡¯t come in! Gong Wei had been mentally prepared for everything, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s uncontrollable rage, No Way Out¡¯s merciless slash, and even planned how to escape after everyone returned to reality at the same time¡ªand yet, Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t even come in! ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei sat there, blinking in daze before slowly coming back to his senses, he leaped from his chair. He then lifted his veil, pulled up his sleeves and attempted to chase after Xu Shuangtze when he suddenly heard a deep and long tune from the distance. Outside the window, the mountains could be clearly seen and tiny peach blossom petals fluttered softly from above. In the distant starry sky, he saw Xu Shuangtze¡¯s silhouette as he sat at the top of a tree, his sleeves and hair gently raised by the breeze as he whistled a tune on a bamboo leaf. The tune was crisp and clear, gentle yet distant, seemingly an intertwinement of happiness and sadness melting into one, with the pale moonlight accompanied by the wind. Gong Wei was drawn in, stood still and stared at him through the window, thinking to himself, In his previous life, was that man also sitting in that tree at this time, waiting for the dawn? Xu Shuangtze is really good looking, but unfortunately¡­ His mind stalled here and did not continue with this train of thought. For the next moment, that innate and unmistakably familiar consciousness once again emerged from the depths of his soul, resounding with such clarity in his ears, ¡ªPity, I have to kill him. Gong Wei blinked his eyes and let out a long, regretful breath. He then reached out and pushed the window open, but before he could chase after Xu Shuangtze, the tune from the bamboo leaf changed slightly. With this change, an overwhelming and irresistible wave of fatigue emerged from all directions, like a tidal wave that instantly flooded the entire chamber, causing Gong Wei¡¯s eyelids to become heavy all of a sudden. He involuntarily slumped on the small stool by the windowsill, only having time to force out just two words, ¡°Xu Bai¡­¡± The soft trailing voice was enveloped with the breeze and disappeared into the night. Gong Wei leaned with his head tilted between the window panes, his thin, fair arm supporting his chin as he slowly sank into a peaceful slumber. ¡°The auspicious hour is here¡ª¡± ¡°Step into the palanquin¡­¡± The sound of a suona pierced the sky, followed by joyous music and a clamour of gongs and drums. Gong Wei was jolted awake from his dreams. Outside the window, it was already dawn, and all the men, women and children of the village were out in full force, out and about the main road in a joyful manner. Gong Wei was shaken as he realised that he didn¡¯t know when he had fallen asleep the previous night. He quickly got up and went outside. But as soon as he got up, he heard the door knocked upon twice, and then it was thrown open, and in came two women draped in red and green robes. They were the faceless village women! Although they had no mouths on their smooth, blank ¡®faces¡¯, a dull laughter continued to emanate from their throats like two cotton-stuffed dolls, one of them was saying, ¡°Bride, it is the auspicious hour! The other one said, ¡°Bride, step into the palanquin!¡± The two of them came forward, one on the left and one on the right, taking Gong Wei by each arm and carrying him towards the vermillion palanquin outside the door. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl: Welp, Gong Wei ¡®bout to be married to Xu Shuangtze, I¡¯d say. I can¡¯t help but wonder how ¡®aware¡¯ Xu Shuangtze is of what¡¯s going on¡­ (just my personal speculation ¨C I don¡¯t know any more than this.) So, things are finally getting cleared up a little and we know a bit of what happened¡­ CH 16 Editor: Sahloknir A flurry of thoughts passed through Gong Wei¡¯s mind, but he kept quiet and allowed the women to cover his head with a vermillion-satin veil. As the veil covered his eyes, he was helped out of the door. A lavish bridal palanquin, designed to be carried by eight men, waited outside the door. While Gong Wei could not see the finer details through the veil, the extravagance of the palanquin was obvious. It could be seen in the gold embroidery on the red drapery and the finely embossed frame of the palanquin. A woman brought a vermillion wicker wedding basket, raised the drapery with a blood jade ruyi and cheerfully said, ¡°Please step up into the palanquin, Miss!¡± Hearing the comment, Gong Wei paused, in a hoarse whisper he asked, ¡°Where is Xu Shuangtze?¡± The tone of voice coming from the woman remained unchanged. ¡°Who is Xu Shuangtze?¡± Gong Wei contemplated for a moment and then asked again, ¡°Where is General Bai?¡± The woman replied, ¡°The groom and the guests are at the banquet in the ancestral hall and are just waiting for the bride!¡± A crowd of faceless people, men and women, old and young, were all applauding with joy, their ¡®faces¡¯ staring straight at the ¡®bride¡¯, seemingly waiting for him to get into the palanquin. Gong Wei finally drew in a deep breath amidst the countless ¡®eyes¡¯ and stepped steadily into the palanquin. The three layers of pearl and jade curtains draped behind him moved with a tinkle. ¡°Let us proceed¡­¡± ¡°The bride is getting married today¡­¡± The firecrackers were lit, drums and gongs sounded and all the faceless people were singing and dancing as the palanquin headed towards the ancestral hall at the end of the road. It is unknown as to why in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s mind that there were so many people attending the wedding. But all along the way there were huge crowds streaming from the houses on both sides of the road. More and more of them gathered, until the street was so densely packed that it was impossible to see the edges of the crowd. By the time the entourage arrived in front of the ancestral hall, there was already a huge mass of people. This scene was comparable to that of the Empress¡¯s wedding announcement. ¡°Stop the palanquin¡­¡± The faceless women once again gently lifted the beaded curtain, bent down and helped Gong Wei out of the palanquin. The attendants then stood in front of the ancestral hall and joyously announced, ¡°The bride has arrived!¡± Through the red veil Gong Wei could vaguely make out a wide, stone path before him. It passed through three gates and nine steps, leading to an elevated, ancient ancestral hall at the end. Banquet tables had been set up on both sides of the stone path. The compound was bustling with excited guests, this could be discerned from the way their heads were moving, unfortunately the happy scene simply looked too creepy as no one in the crowd had any discernible expression. At the top of the nine steps, Xu Shuangtze stood with his arms folded, the sleeves of his clean, white robe inlaid with gold were fluttering in the wind, and his sword No Way Out rested at his waist. Even among the sea of people, this Cang Yang Sect Master had the most powerful aura and was the most conspicuous one. He slowly turned back and looked through the crowd before laying eyes on his bride, his thin lips curving up a little as he did so. Gong Wei¡¯s pupils constricted as he looked into the distance. He saw a ring of lead-grey mountains surrounding the entire land. Behind them were rolls of clouds gradually drifting and blocking out the daylight as they approached the village like a shadow. It was just as it had been twenty years ago. The two faceless women flanking Gong Wei suddenly grabbed his arms with pincer-like grips, in contrast, their voices were exceptionally eager, ¡°This way please.¡± Gong Wei stood still. The firecrackers and gongs were still ringing, the guests continued with their claps and laughter, the faceless women waited for a moment then repeated cheerfully, ¡°Bride, this way please.¡± Gong Wei said in response, ¡°I¡¯m not going in.¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you go in?¡± ¡°I will die.¡± Ktfgf kjr cba bcf mtjcuf bc atf kbwjc¡¯r yijcx ojmf cbg atf wfmtjclmji abcf bo ijeutafg atja mjwf ogbw tfg cfmx, ¡°Lbk mbeiv sbe vlf? Qts kbeiv sbe vlf? Tbe jgf cba ublcu ab vlf.¡± Xbcu Qfl jrxfv lc gfaegc, ¡°Ljnf sbe fnfg tfjgv jybea atf olfgmf yfjra lc atfrf wbecajlcr?¡± The woman did not respond. ¡°There is a mythical beast who lives in Taoyuan Mountain. It has the body of a tiger and the spines of a hedgehog, and likes to consume human flesh. People call it the Qiongqi. It was alarmed by the sound of drums and music, so it descended from the sky wrapped in grey clouds and captured the bride and took her back to its cave. The groom had to fight his way there to her rescue.¡± ¡°Although the groom was a general, he was a mere mortal and could not go up against such a ferocious beast like the Qiongqi. With one paw, it pinned down the bride, with the other, it clawed into the earth, causing destruction to the entire mountain and forest. As the ground shook, so did its cave which was about to collapse, with falling boulders almost burying both the bride and groom within. Gong Wei slowly continued, ¡°However, the groom held on to his bride and refused to escape alone.¡± ¡°Lord¡­Lord Xu¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao cried. He was seated in the first row with the guests at the foot of the stairs. He continued to stammer, ¡°Please wake up, all these are just projections of the disaster from your memory, do you really not remember? Lady Xu, she will soon-soon¡­¡± The sky was turning darker and the winds were getting stronger as the clouds gathered over the mountains and above the village. Xu Shuangtze acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything at all and only gazed at the figure donned in the gold and red bridal gown outside the ancestral hall gates. A chill rose in Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart, ¡°What now?¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s most fearful memory was the moment of his bride¡¯s death. When that moment arrived, the mirror art would magnify his fear, his resentment and his madness a thousand times over. When the illusionary realm finally collapsed under the weight of the chaos, it would engulf the realm master while burying the souls of all intruders within, and no one would be able to escape. The two swordsmen were surrounded by uncountable faceless people. Meng Yunfei suddenly withdrew his gaze and whispered, ¡°There¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why did Lotus Immortal kill Xu Shuangtze¡¯s bride?¡± Lady Xu¡¯s death had always been a matter of debate, some said she died of illness, others said she was poisoned and then there were all sorts of conspiracy theories. At the heart of them all was the Lotus Immortal who was the most probable culprit¡ªotherwise, there was no way to explain why Lord Xu had gone to war with Chief Gong for so many years. In his lifetime, Chief Gong was such a cheerful and warm-hearted man, with a good reputation amongst the people. Given his character, it was suspicious that he would kill an innocent woman over a feud with Lord Xu. Among the immortal sects, privacy is greatly respected and it is not appropriate for a junior to comment on the actions of an elder, let alone question them. So after decades had passed, the new generation of cultivators still didn¡¯t quite dare to pry into the grudges and feuds between the several great masters. Let alone Yuchi Xiao, who had been raised and taught the rules of his lineage. ¡°This¡­¡± Meng Yunfei gestured for him to look at the bride in the distance and whispered, ¡°Look, Lady Xu has a face now.¡± Yuchi Xiao jerked back and redirected his gaze. The vermillion bridal veil was so thin that he could make out the faint details on ¡®Lady Xu¡¯s¡¯ face, especially the bridge of her nose, which was distinctly raised. She even seemed to be conversing with the two maids beside her. Her face was no longer a blank, smooth canvas! But how could she suddenly have a face? Yuchi Xiao then noticed her hands, which in contrast to the gorgeous red silk of the bridal gown, appeared almost a translucent white. Her fingers were long, slender and beautiful¡ªas if they were glowing with light. Yuchi Xiao felt his heart thumping and an almost impossible suspicion arose. Just then, he heard the Master of Ceremonies repeat for the third time, ¡°May the bride step out of the palanquin¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face did not show the slightest displeasure as he slowly said, ¡°Why is there a delay?¡± Gong Wei stopped speaking, stood in silence for a moment before he exhaled. With the help of the two faceless women on each side, he stepped across the high threshold, up the stone steps, and finally stopped in front of Xu Shuangtze. Then, his hands felt icy all of a sudden. They were now held in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s own. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s fingers were terribly cold, he opened his mouth slightly before shutting it again as if he wanted to say something. He continued to gaze lovingly at the veil embroidered with golden clouds and cranes in front of him. Suddenly he sighed softly and smiled. Seeing the loving smile, Gong Wei knew that no matter what he did, he would die, and finally gathered his courage and said, ¡°Wake up Xu Bai, Lady Xu is already dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hearing the statement, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face became cold, as he hoarsely replied, ¡°You¡¯re not dead.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression was unwavering. If anyone dared to get close enough to look, they would find him staring intently and affectionately at the bride before him, not even moving his pupils. However, Gong Wei knew this loving Xu Shuangtze could transit from his current state of normalcy to unhesitatingly slashing ten thousand ghosts with a single move of his sword in the blink of an eye. Hence he did not dare to be negligent, as any slip up could send his head flying, instead he asked calmly, ¡°Remember what happened the last time you dragged Lady Xu like this?¡± Xu Shuangtze furrowed his long, slender brows. Gong Wei said, ¡°That Qiongqi stomped and crushed the earth, causing boulders to rain down like a storm, and you refused to let go of her to escape alone, so you couldn¡¯t break your love barrier¡ª¡± Right at that moment, they were suddenly warped into the beast¡¯s cave of the illusionary realm of twenty years ago and immediately surrounded by deafening roars. ¡®General Bai¡¯ was holding his bride¡¯s hand as she was pinned under the claws of the frenzied Qiongqi. He could not pull her out of its grip. The ground quaked violently and the sky was dark, Gong Wei struggled in the darkness, but was unable to free himself from the beast that held on to him¡­nor General Bai, who would not let go of his hand and escape alone. At that moment, a thunderous tremor came from above his head as the huge mountain rock broke apart and came crashing down with the force of a thousand tons! ¡°Ah Tao,¡± General Bai said hoarsely, as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, ¡°let¡¯s die here together today.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s mind blew up. In the next instant, the illusionary realm around them came to a sudden standstill, countless rocks of all sizes hovered in mid-air, and the bloodied Qiongqi¡¯s jaws opened to growl, but his movements froze. In that complete and utter silence, Gong Wei¡¯s soul broke away from the ¡®bride¡¯s¡¯ body. General Bai heard a young man¡¯s soft voice above his head, with seemingly ineffable confusion in it, say, ¡°Why should we die?¡± ¡°¡­¡± General Bai¡¯s soul had been severely damaged at this point, and he stood there in a daze, trapped in an unending, absurd nightmare. Gong Wei reached out from behind and pressed General Bai¡¯s hand, which was tightly clutching his bride, and there was a tinge of naive encouragement in his tone, ¡°As long as you escape, you¡¯ll be able to break the love barrier. Don¡¯t you want to ascend?¡± Time and space were frozen for a long time before General Bai¡¯s voice came in response, ¡°I don¡¯t want to break the love barrier.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I love her.¡± Gong Wei blinked, not understanding, ¡°What do you like about her?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± General Bai muttered, ¡°I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her, and I¡­don¡¯t know why.¡± But what exactly is this feeling of loving someone? Is it really possible for a person to fall in love with another¡ªwho they have yet to see or hear? Gong Wei was even more baffled, and after a moment of pondering, he said with horrified certainty, ¡°You-you have fallen into the love barrier.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± General Bai replied wearily, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, let us die together here in the cave, I really feel¡­that it is alright.¡± Gong Wei, however, shook his head disapprovingly. He then slowly and with more force pulled at General Bai¡¯s bruised and battered hand, which was clinging onto his bride, saying, ¡°Although you are going to die one day, it¡¯s useless to die in the illusionary realm.¡± General Bai didn¡¯t react to what he said, but suddenly everything around him began to move like it should¡ªthe Qiongqi¡¯s roar was now accompanied by blazing flames, which came rushing out of its throat. And a mountain of boulders came raining down on their heads. Gong Wei grabbed General Bai¡¯s hand with a firm, overwhelming force and thrust it forward in a clean and sharp movement! Fingertips sank into flesh and blood splattered up, the scene reflecting clearly in General Bai¡¯s momentarily constricted pupils. ¡°¡­No,¡± he roared in a fiery voice, ¡°No!!!¡± Gong Wei continued to grip and control General Bai¡¯s hand reaching in and tearing out the ¡®bride¡¯s¡¯ heart. He then darted back just before being crushed by the rain of boulders, dragging General Bai out of the cave. A gust of wind rushed towards the duo and cleanly lifted the blood from their hands! ¡°What are you doing!¡± General Bai struggled madly and roared, ¡°Who are you! What the hell are you doing!?¡± Half the mountain collapsed, the earth cracked and trembled, and countless blazing stones hailed down from the sky and crashed into the ground, burying the bodies of both the fierce Qiongqi and his bride forever. From behind, Gong Wei clutched General Bai¡¯s arm and leaned in to whisper earnestly in his ear, ¡°Love may be worth it, but the one you fell for was just an illusion. You have now broken your killing barrier, wake up Xu Bai.¡± General Bai turned his head back stiffly and slowly, and a storm coalesced in his eyes as if the part of his soul that belonged to Xu Shuangtze was reviving from its deep slumber with a shrill whistle. ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked hoarsely. In the distance the vault of heaven was collapsing, and flames were erupting from the depths of the earth. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s awakening soul set off a huge wave of terrifying spiritual energy, shaking the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm to its core, and the illusionary realm looked like it was about to crumble. Gong Wei said, ¡°Calm down Xu Bai, you don¡¯t really like her, you just¡­¡± Boom! The sky finally shattered, the earth plunged into thick smoke, and a ferocious hurricane tore into the flames, turning into a blazing torrent. General Bai clamped his hands around Gong Wei¡¯s neck as the entire world around them collapsed in his fury,¡±Who the hell are you¡ª!¡± ¡ª ¡°Does it ring a bell now?¡± The wedding hall was decorated in bright red, Gong Wei looked up at Xu Shuangtze under his bridal veil and said earnestly, ¡°Lady Xu is dead, she never existed, wake up Xu Bai.¡± The sky had gone completely dark now, and the faceless guests, both ignorant and unaware, were still bobbing their heads gleefully. The contrast of these faceless figures with the boisterous sound of gongs and drums was just hair-raising. Suddenly a gust of wind, mixed with a demonic scent, came from the sky, and in the distance mountains fell, the sea of trees uprooted, and flocks of birds that covered the sky flew away in terror¡­ ¡°Roar!¡± A ferocious beast, shaped like a giant tiger, with hooked claws and sawed teeth swooped up from the mountain stream. With each flap of the wings on its back it raised a hurricane. It was none other than the Qiongqi, plunging towards the ancestral hall! ¡°Is that so?¡± Xu Shuanthze said indifferently, ¡°If Lady Xu never existed, then who are you?¡± Gong Wei did not answer. Appearing oblivious to the chaos around him, Xu Shuangtze locked his gaze on the veiled face in front of him and asked again in an aggravated tone, ¡°Who are you, hmm?¡± ¡°¡­he is the Lotus Immortal¡­¡± Finally Yuchi Xiao¡¯s voice resounded from not far away, and he stood up clutching Gou Chen tightly, continuing with much difficulty, ¡°You¡¯d better quickly wake up from the illusion, Lord Xu. This bride before you¡­is the Lotus Immortal!¡± With a loud boom, the Qiongqi¡¯s front paw shattered the mountainside and it climbed up the rocks like lightning, with countless boulders shattering into pieces and falling into the abyss behind it. The faceless guests finally reacted sluggishly and fled in panic, only to burst into a gruesome scene of splattered flesh and blood under the force of its sharp claws. It was as if the scene from twenty years ago was replaying once again. The ferocious beast covered in spikes crashed through the eaves of the ancestral hall, aimed directly at the bride, and with a roar, it swooped down with open jaws! ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s all a lie, Xu Bai.¡± Gong Wei stared intently at Xu Shuangtze. ¡°If you wake up now, everything will eventually disappear and come to pass, it¡¯s not too late.¡± Xu Shuangtze shut his eyes. The shadow cast on them was getting bigger and bigger and specks of the Qiongqi¡¯s saliva had already hit the back of Gong Wei¡¯s neck. In a flash, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes fluttered open, his pupils coalesced with a divine light, and he unsheathed his sword, No Way Out¡ª A cold light exploded and swept across the sky. In that moment, Gong Wei closed his eyes and prepared himself to resist a blow to his soul, but the next moment, the Qiongqi above his head was sliced into half in midair. Blood poured down like a rainstorm and sprayed all over Xu Shuangtze¡¯s body! ¡°I know who it is,¡± Xu Shuangtze said condescendingly as he turned to Yuchi Xiao. Thud! Thud! Thud! Several chunks of the Qiongqi¡¯s carcass slammed onto the steps, but no one could react, and there was a suffocating silence around them. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s white and gold robe was now so soaked in the beast¡¯s blood that he looked as if he was wearing a vermillion groom¡¯s gown. With one hand he sheathed his sword and with the other he held onto Gong Wei¡¯s wrist, his eyes unfazed, not even remotely surprised as he spoke, ¡°The auspicious hour is here, why are we not proceeding with the ceremony?¡± _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl: Gong Wei is still getting married to Xu Shuangtze¡­? I mean, it¡¯s not unexpected, but also totally unexpected. I¡ª CH 17 Editor: Sahloknir It¡¯s over, Xu Shuangtze must have been driven into madness! A chill went down Gong Wei¡¯s spine and he instinctively struggled to move away, but Xu Shuangtze¡¯s grip suddenly tightened. His cold fingers were so strong that they hung like shackles on flesh and blood. Gong Wei winced in pain and failed to break free. Then he heard Yuchi Xiao say, ¡°When¡­when did you realise¡­¡± AD Xu Shuangtze did not respond and mockingly glanced at him before he made a hand gesture. All of a sudden, Gong Wei felt an invisible force pressing against the back of his neck, as heavy as mountains and seas, causing him to bow down¡­ A bow to heaven and earth! All around them were the splayed remains of the faceless guests and the guts and flesh of the Qiongqi carcass. The rusty smell of blood was thick under the gloomy sky, and the sight of Xu Shuangtze, dressed in blood-stained wedding attire, carrying a dead man like him here to pay respects, was simply horrifying. Gong Wei struggled. ¡°Xu¡­¡± and then his voice was blocked. With a cold glance, Xu Shuangtze had cast a silencing spell. ¡°He knew from the very beginning.¡± Meng Yunfei sounded displeased. Meng Yunfei had always been very good-tempered. In this rare moment he was so pissed off he snapped, ¡°Lord Xu, you were awake all along, and were never caught under the Mirror Art at all!¡± Xu Shuangtze was bowing towards Gong Wei. Hearing the roar from Meng Yunfei he paused, before straightening back up and replying nonchalantly, ¡°Oh?¡± With this movement, Gong Wei felt the force on the back of his neck disappear, and immediately stood up with a sigh of relief, only to see Meng Yunfei¡¯s enraged face, ¡°The ghost cultivator used the Thousand Dimension Mirror World artefact to travel outside of time and space, so the moment you pulled the broken lens out of its heart, you had actually subdued it. After that, you entered the illusionary realm soberly and voluntarily, the realm was not attached to a single Realm Master from the beginning, resulting in the appearance of two Lord Xu¡¯s, one false and one real.¡± ¡°Wait, two?¡± Yuchi Xiao reacted and asked, ¡°What about the other one?¡± ¡°Remember the army that disappeared within the valley the night before the wedding banquet?¡± Meng Yunfei said coldly, ¡°He killed and replaced the illusion of himself then.¡± Yuchi Xiao looked at Xu Shuangtze, suddenly unable to speak. ¡°¡­¡± On the platform of the ancestral hall, Xu Shuangtze stood, still facing the duo, his thin lips slightly hooked. The weather was not winter, but a bone chilling cold rose from both of them at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s time to end this, Lord Xu.¡± Meng Yunfei raised his hand and a silver light flashed under his palm, an ancient guqin appeared in mid-air amidst the light, ¡°As long as the Realm Master is unwilling to wake up, we cannot leave this village, but indulging in the illusion for a long time is likely to burn up the your golden core.¡± He pressed his hands on the strings of the guqin and said sternly, ¡°Unlike you, the consequences for us would be unthinkable!¡± The gloomy wind blew through the deep mountain valley from all directions and it grew eerily cold, coupled with the increasing tension of the atmosphere in the ancestral hall. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sharply shaped eyes glanced at the two juniors, showing no sign of anger¡ªbut Gong Wei caught a glance through the gap in his veil and saw Xu Shuangtze¡¯s thumb on the side of his sword subtly flick upwards, and his heart jumped! ¡°As you mentioned,¡± Xu Shuangtze said slowly, ¡°that¡¯s on you.¡± Gong Wei, though he¡¯d lost his voice, managed to force out, ¡°Run, quick!¡± Without waiting, Xu Shuangtze moved like a flash of white light and appeared in front of Meng Yunfei¡ªa loud noise and air currents exploded at the same time. No Way Out was deadlocked by Gou Chen, and Yuchi Xiao said angrily, ¡°Lord Xu!!!¡± Meng Yunfei¡¯s guqin vibrated and emanated a powerful spiritual energy which attempted to pierce into Xu Shuangtze¡¯s mind like a sharp knife, but he merely raised an eyebrow, ¡°Shun Xian Qin.¡± With that, he knocked Yuchi Xiao back in a swift movement, and reached his palm towards Meng Yunfei¡¯s skull. This movement was blocked by Su Qing which was drawn from his side, and Meng Yunfei barely darted out of the way in the nick of time. The sound of Shun Xian Qin was like a huge turbulent wave, violently disrupting one¡¯s state of mind. While the sword intent of Gou Chen was so forceful that it resisted No Way Out with one explosive blast after another. The two of them together were no match for the most formidable man in the world. With life and death at stake, even when they put in their best effort, it became a tricky battle. Xu Shuangtze couldn¡¯t help but become annoyed and his sword intent changed abruptly, like the sky collapsing into the ground. With a move, he first knocked Yuchi Xiao back, and then slashed at the guqin! The previous Emperor played the Shun Xian Qin and through it composed the Song of the Southern Wind to cultivate a neutral and righteous nature and to suppress hatred and evil. The music was a relic of the ancient times and had an overwhelming restraining effect on all evil intent, but it was about to be shattered into pieces by Xu Shuangtze. With one hand on his guqin and the other on his sword, Meng Yunfei was forced to retreat thrice in the blink of an eye. With a thud, his back slammed into the stone pillar of the ancestral hall, only for the inevitable debris to come crashing down on his head¡­ At this moment, like a falling meteor, a streak of light appeared and snatched Su Qing out of Meng Yunfei¡¯s hand, clang! Su Qing blocked No Way Out in the air, forcing Xu Shuangtze back half a step like lightning, Meng Yunfei widened his eyes, ¡°Lotus Immortal?!¡± Ktf Obaer Pwwbgaji¡¯r kfvvlcu vgfrr kjr ilxf yibbv, tf tjvc¡¯a fnfc tjv alwf ab gfwbnf tlr yglvji nfli, jcv lc pera jc lcrajca tf tjv mbecafgfv We Vtejcuahf obg wbgf atjc afc gbecvr. Llr rajcmf kjr mbwqifafis vloofgfca ogbw wjcs bo atf kbgiv¡¯r wbra ojwber lwwbgaji meialnjabgr. Sjmt rafq tf abbx rffwfv ab mbwf ogbw atf nblv jcv ybgf j ilxfcfrr bo agfjvlcu bc atf rxs. Snfgs vfajli bo tlr wbnfwfca kjr mgjoas jcv rtjgq, ktlmt kjr atf qbijg bqqbrlaf ab We Vtejcuahf¡¯r mijrrlm jcv qfgofma rkbgv rasif. With each move, Gong Wei¡¯s robes and sleeves fluttered gracefully as he locked No Way Out, appearing like a blood-red lotus flower blooming at the edge of the sword. It was clear that the timing was not optimal, but Yuchi Xiao went into a daze as he saw the scene in front of him. The familiarity of the movement made him remember one person¡ªXiang Xiaoyuan. Immediately afterwards he realised that this was an absurd thought, how could he suddenly remember that little Mei demon when his looks, temperament, cultivation and status were vastly different from the Lotus Immortal? He could not even remember having seen the little Mei demon with a sword, so why was he feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu? The tones of Shun Xian Qin pierced the clouds as Meng Yunfei¡¯s spiritual power surged, and the sound of the guqin rolled down like millions of chains towards Xu Shuangtze¡¯s head. ¡°Brother Yuchi!¡± Yuchi Xiao returned to his senses and raised his sword to support Gong Wei, ¡°Senior, watch out!¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s iron-walled mind finally showed a crack under the trio¡¯s repeated attacks. This was reflected as a hundred-foot-long black cavity which split open in the sky¡ªa corner of the illusionary realm had collapsed! Xu Shuangtze¡¯s brow furrowed, his face finally showing signs of clear impatience. Clang! The twin swords Su Qing and Gou Chen were countered, and without looking back, he conjured a spell with his left hand, and the five strings of the guqin were snap frozen, crackling with frost. Before Yuchi Xiao could turn around to save Meng Yunfei, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s left hand pressed on his skull, sending a sharp burning pain that spread throughout his body and meridians. Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, ¡°Behave like the guests that you are.¡± With a clanging sound¡ªGong Wei didn¡¯t even see how he had made his move¡ªSu Qing was sent flying out of his hands, smashing through two or three stone walls before plunging deep into the ground! Slap! The back of his neck felt cold as Xu Shuangtze¡¯s palm pressed down on him. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand seemed to contain an immense force which Gong Wei could not even move to struggle. So together, he was forced to bow down with Xu Shuangtze in the direction of the ancestral hall. Second bow to the ancestors! The wind blew from behind the black cavity of the sky, sweeping across the earth, carrying with it the heavy and unmistakable stench of corpses and blood, ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Xu Shuangtze said faintly. ¡ªGong Wei was about to lift his veil, but before he could move, his arm was grabbed by Xu Shuangtze. The thick, pungent blood of the Qiongqi was still flowing down the stone steps, soaking through the soles of Gong Wei¡¯s shoes. Feeling icky and uncomfortable, Gong Wei¡¯s frustration and irritation grew, ¡°I¡¯m already dead!¡± Xu Shuangtze was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I have already died!¡± ¡°So what?¡± Gong Wei was stunned speechless. Very well, Lord Xu is as ruthless as they say. A man who would dismember corpses to vent his anger, and the words ¡®death of a person is the end of his debts¡¯ probably does not exist in his vocabulary. ¡°When I entered the illusion, I knew as soon as I opened my eyes that my opponent¡¯s mirror art had failed, because this simply wasn¡¯t the most frightening experience of my life¡ªeven though I kept persuading myself that it was. Many people thought it was too.¡± Xu Shuangtze paused, even looking surprisingly calm, ¡°It was only after your death that I gradually admitted to myself that what I really feared most was what happened after this.¡± After this? Gong Wei¡¯s long eyelashes blinked beneath the vermillion veil, remembering exactly what had happened after this absurd wedding. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s anger had swept away the entire illusionary world of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, and his soul then returned to reality at Cang Yang Sect. The first thing he did upon waking up was to wield No Way Out, and charge into Dai Mountain single-handedly. He smashed the door of the Disciplinary Court in the middle of the night, and dragged the trembling Gong Wei out. Xu Shuangtze wanted Gong Wei to pay for the death of Lady Xu with his own life. The incident shook the entire Dai Mountain community. Ying Kai, who was clueless then, hurriedly arrived and advised Xu Shuangtze to let Gong Wei go. But the murderous Xu Shuangtze listened to nothing, and Gong Wei was chased all over the hall. In a few instances, he was even forced to hide behind the doorposts like his life depended on it. This was probably the first time Gong Wei was inches from death. He ended up hiding in a corner of the hall with his hands shakily covering his head, and in this confusion he forgot exactly what had happened, except that Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sword came down upon his head, and that he subconsciously raised his hand in an attempt to block it. ¡ªIn that instant, the blade stopped in mid-air. Xu Shuangtze, who was still in a rage, suddenly spat out blood, turned pale, and stood there for a moment before walking away without looking back. So that was actually the most fearful moment in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s life? ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei stared at Xu Shuangtze from under the veil, wondering if he had heard wrong. The one who chased him around and scared the life out of him that night was clearly Xu Shuangtze, and now Xu Shuangtze was saying that it was the most frightening experience of his life. Did this Big Brother have a misunderstanding of the word ¡®fear¡¯? ¡°Gong Wei,¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly turned his head to look at him and asked softly, ¡°why did you want to kill me sixteen years ago?¡± The bridal veil was whipped up by the wind, which carried the stench of blood. The train of the wedding dress swept up in layers, like a flower blooming under the canopy of the heavens. A stark contrast of life and death. The familiar figure turned to Xu Shuangtze, head slightly tilted, as unresponsive as a stone statue. For a long time Xu Shuangtze exhaled, ¡°I forgot. You¡¯re just an illusion.¡± He raised his hand and pressed the back of Gong Wei¡¯s warm, slender neck, the force irresistible, but his voice was clear and gentle, saying, ¡°One last bow to each other to join as husband and wife.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s body almost exploded and a shiver ran up his spine, reaching his scalp. With his soul trapped in this illusionary realm, he was powerless to resist, and he was about to be pressed down inch by inch¡­ Just then, the sky shook violently in the distance. Boom! The sky and earth was now like a goose egg being cracked at the tip of a hammer. A fissure appeared in the sky, snaking rapidly from the horizon and forming a web of dense cracks that covered the mountainsides. Immediately afterwards, the sky tore open and formed countless huge, black cavities. Fierce winds spiralled in furiously and rays of golden lights broke through the void. In that instant, a huge sword pierced through the illusion with immense force! Yuchi Xiao turned around and said in astonishment, ¡°Uncle?¡± The mighty sword glare cut through heaven and earth like a majestic dragon descending into the world, slicing through the four seas and splitting apart the eight deserts. The illusionary realm was destroyed! Everyone was lifted up by a tornado of wind, and Gong Wei felt as if he had been tossed into the air by a pair of invisible giant hands. A frighteningly rapid descent soon followed. Bang! His soul was smashed to the ground with such strength that he was dizzy. Seeing stars, he sat in a daze for a long time before managing to get up. Only after throwing up and easing his nausea, could he make sense of the scene around him. Everyone had returned to reality from the illusionary realm. They were surrounded by deserted inns that had been razed to the ground, with smoke rising from the ruined walls and bricks. The ancestral hall, the mountain village, the blood-red wedding dress, and the corpses all faded away like a tidal wave. And with them, the Lotus immortal¡¯s true form faded too. Gong Wei had returned to Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s body. Not far away, in the middle of the ruins, two blades were clashing with each other with a sharp and monstrous scraping sound¡ªthe one with his back towards Gong Wei was Xu Shuangtze, the other man was dressed in an eagle-back brown arrow-sleeved robe and dark-gold armour. The man¡¯s face was handsome and imposing, but his eyebrows were full of hostility. It was the Sword Master, Yuchi Rui! ¡°Xu Shuangtze.¡± Yuchi Rui said in the other man¡¯s name with gritted teeth. From his back, it was impossible to tell what expression Xu Shuangtze had, and then he gave a short, hoarse laugh. Only those who knew him well could hear what this laugh meant, and Gong Wei¡¯s eyes widened in a flash. But at that very moment, a man suddenly swooped down and said in a stern voice, ¡°Changsheng! Stop!¡± The man was dressed in a dark-blue robe, with a white cotton lining. His clothes were so plain and unassuming that ordinarily, no one would have given him a second glance. But he had an inconspicuous gold hook pinned to his belt, a silent sign of his identity, and when he spoke, his unmistakably strong and powerful aura came through. As soon as he landed, the man sheathed his sword. The sword was a finger¡¯s width wider than regular swords, and its ancient and heavy bronze scabbard was engraved with a pattern of mountains and clouds, so that no one could fail to recognise its mighty name¡ªDing Shan Hai, the divine sword which parallels the fame of No Way Out. This man was none other than the Martial Sovereign Ying Kai, the Master of Immortal Alliance. CH 18 Edited by Sahloknir Yuchi Rui laughed sardonically and said, ¡°Pay for Yuchi Xiao¡¯s life!¡± Crash! At that moment, the mountain of ruins in the distance shook, a hand suddenly broke through the rubble and waved in a frail way. A weak voice could be heard crying, ¡°Uncle, Uncle¡­¡± There was a crash as broken bricks and tiles rolled down from the pile, and a man sat up from underneath, choking and coughing. It was none other than Yuchi Xiao. ¡°Sorry to interrupt but I¡¯m not dead yet, cough cough cough¡ª¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui blinked his eyes repeatedly and his expression was blank. Then he sheathed his sword, pulled out from his robe a soul-attracting lamp, soul-catching cage, reincarnation wind bell, spirit-transferring talisman, and a soul-transferring box¡­and stuffed them all into Ying Kai¡¯s arms, saying seriously, ¡°Here you go, thanks.¡± Yuchi Xiao was still coughing as he sat in the pile of rubble. He looked on in disbelief, ¡°Did you think that I was dead once again, Uncle?!¡± There was yet another clatter as Meng Yunfei sat up from under the rubble, covered in dust, choking and coughing up a storm as he struggled to pull his guqin and sword out. When Ying Kai saw that everyone was alright, he finally breathed a sigh of relief before saying, ¡°Shuangtze, what¡¯s going on?¡± Xu Shuangtze, without a trace of expression on his face, waved his hand and threw out something. Ying Kai caught it in his hand and instantly turned pale. ¡°Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm?¡± ¡°The ghost cultivator was not completely destroyed, but its bridge between time and space was broken, so it will remain dormant for the time being. If other broken fragments exist in this world, it can still return.¡± Xu Shuangtze raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Go back and investigate the Mirror Palace yourself, Ying Kai. Judging from the shape of the broken mirror, there must be more than one fragment that has come into our world.¡± Ying Kai was in disbelief. He gripped the bronze mirror fragment, the sharp edge pressed into his palm, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Why does it seek out men and women with heavy yin to kill? What connection does it have with the Lotus Immortal?¡± Xu Shuangtze fell silent for a moment before quietly replying, ¡°It¡¯s looking for someone.¡± ¡°Looking for who?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not respond to any more questions. He turned around and fixed his eyes on ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯, who was standing at a distance. Gong Wei¡¯s eyes met his and his spine tightened. ¡ªBoth Brother Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui are here, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Should I reveal my identity right now? If Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui worked together, it would be possible to save my life from Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sword, but what if they didn¡¯t react as quickly as Xu Shuangtze? After all, proving one¡¯s identity would require a lot of words. But Big Brother Xu¡¯s sword can come down on one¡¯s head without any¡­just like how the monstrous Qiongqi was chopped up in the blink of an eye earlier. In the moment of internal struggle, Gong Wei¡¯s mind suddenly exploded. Xu Shuangtze had actually taken a step towards him! The fear of actually being killed returned, and Gong Wei did not dare to move unnecessarily. He watched as Xu Shuangtze approached him slowly, his speckless shoes stopping in front of him. ¡°Where were you when you entered the illusionary realm just now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s tone intensified, ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡± ¡°This disciple is too stupid and has a low cultivation level, so I failed to enter Your Lordship¡¯s illusionary realm¡­I only felt that I was knocked unconscious by someone and thought I was bound to die. I didn¡¯t know that I would be here when I woke up again¡­please, please, forgive me, Your Lordship¡­¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ swallowed hard and did not even dare to raise his head. Only after a long time did he hear Xu Shuangtze repeat his words without joy or anger, ¡°¡®knocked unconscious by someone¡¯.¡± In any case, the illusionary realm had already been completely shattered by Yuchi Rui, so no one could verify the truth of this statement. Gong Wei stared at the ground without saying a word. ¡°Failed to enter the illusion.¡± Xu Shuangtze said again, softly and articulating each word. Vfflcu atja atf rlaejalbc kjr aegclcu ecqifjrjca, Tlcu Bjl tegglfv ab rafq lc ab mjiwis jvnlrf, ¡°Pa¡¯r cbgwji obg j sbecu vlrmlqif ab tjnf ibk meialnjalbc¡ªla¡¯r olcf Vtejcuahf. Dfrlvfr, fnfc lo tf tjv fcafgfv atf liierlbcjgs gfjiw, tf kbeiv cba yf bo jcs erf bg tfiq, rb kts qegref atf wjaafg? Mbgufa la!¡± Dearest Shixiong, you raised me personally, don¡¯t you have any sense of familiarity when you see me? Even Xu Shuangtze has suspected me at least twice, alright? Gong Wei was in a dismal mood, but then he suddenly heard Ying Kai discover something and said suspiciously, ¡°Hold it. Can you raise your head?¡± ¡°!¡± As if being blessed with a surprise, Gong Wei raised his head with hope, and the two of them looked at each other for a long time. ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai clapped his palms together and said with sudden realisation, ¡°Aren¡¯t you Xiang Xiaoyuan?!¡± Gong Wei was dumbfounded. Only the sensitive Yuchi Xiao sensed something, ¡°Lord Ying, could it be that you were also¡­¡± Someone of Lord Xu¡¯s status could not possibly know the gossip and peculiarities of a lowly outer disciple of his sect, and at that moment he too frowned, only to hear Ying Kai burst into laughter and say, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, I just met this kid when I was on an errand run at Cang Yang Sect two years ago. I wasn¡¯t paying attention and this kid ended up following me for some time. He wouldn¡¯t say a word when I asked him, and he refused to be sent back, so he followed behind me for half a day. It was only when I met a senior disciple of the Cang Yang Sect that we managed to coax him away. At that time, I wondered why this boy liked to follow people, but after hearing what people told me, I realised that this was the legendary Young Master Xiang.¡± He shook his head amusedly and said, ¡°Shuangtze, this child is a bit dull, but now he seems to have brightened up quite a bit, so don¡¯t be harsh on him!¡± Yuchi Xiao glanced at Gong Wei with a smile on his face and said, ¡°Yes, he is always like that.¡± If Gong Wei¡¯s expression was blank before, then now it was pitch black. What do you mean by ¡®always like that¡¯? What does it have to do with you? Why are you making matters worse now? Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face did not look not much better than Gong Wei¡¯s, and he only spat out two words, ¡°Get up.¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ trembled. ¡°L-L-Lord¡­¡± Before all the words came out, Gong Wei¡¯s throat suddenly went numb¡ªas though there was an invisible lump blocking his windpipe. He opened his mouth again in vain and could no longer make any sound¡ªhe had been silenced by Xu Shuangtze again. Immediately afterwards, Xu Shuangtze grabbed Gong Wei by his collar and ordered, ¡°Blood River Chariot!¡± A gust of wind blew from above, parting the gloomy clouds of the night sky and a huge carriage swooped down from on high. The magnificent carriage was lavishly decorated. The four giant eagles tied to the reins were named Di Jiang, Bi Fang, Mie Meng, and Gu Diao and when they all landed, air currents rushed in all directions with a boom! Xu Shuangtze threw Gong Wei into the carriage, and then got in himself. Ying Kai was frantically waving at the back asking, ¡°Hold on Shuangtze, what happened in the illusionary realm? And what about the strange situation at the Ghost Wall¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze replied faintly, ¡°Ask the kid from the Yuchi family. If he can¡¯t tell you clearly, ask me again at Cang Yang Sect.¡± The carriage door closed with a bang, he no longer looked at the crowd and commanded in a deep voice, ¡°Go!¡± The four giant eagles spread their wings at the same time and the carriage rose straight up, sending Gong Wei against the carriage wall. Clouds appeared outside the window and the carriage was actually traversing through the night sky like a meteor, speeding towards Cang Yang Mountain. The interior of the carriage was as wide and straight as a hall, with three compartmented rooms, each with all the necessary furnishings. Xu Shuangtze was seated in a meditation pose in the middle, his hair brushing the ground, his robe neat and tidy, his eyes slightly closed, a stern expression on his face. Gong Wei was huddled in a corner, curled up as much as possible, looking at him from top to bottom warily, his mind buzzing with confusion. The Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm was broken? How had the shard fallen into the hands of a ghost cultivator? Who exactly was stirring up trouble? Xu Shuangtze, who had leaned under the melting moonlight and whistled a ditty all night in the starry glow of the sky, seemed like an unreal bubble in a fantasy world, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye. Twenty years have passed, is he still angry about the wedding banquet? Suddenly Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes fluttered open, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Gong Wei averted his gaze like lightning and humbly lowered his head. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Come here.¡± The carriage only had that much room, and there was nowhere to hide. Gong Wei reluctantly stood up and walked over to him. ¡°Sit.¡± Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei cautiously sat down and glanced at No Way Out. His heart instantly throbbed in reflex, followed by a chill across his brows, as Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold thumb pressed against his skin and gush of qi went straight to his consciousness! The sea of consciousness is the most vulnerable place for a cultivator. Xiang Xiaoyuan was so weak that his fragile sea was defenceless and easily entered by Lord Xu in an instant. Xu Shuangtze scouted around for a moment and asked, ¡°No core yet?¡± Gong Wei was forced to maintain the position of his head tilt, ¡°My Lord, this disciple is half mei demon and is unable to attain a golden core.¡± In reality, with Gong Wei¡¯s cultivation level, it was easy to form a core within the little mei demon¡¯s sea of consciousness. With a golden core, his own Lotus Immortal soul¡¯s power could be utilised to its full potential, and Gong Wei would not have to hold back so much. But in Linjiang City, he was in such a hurry that he didn¡¯t have time to form a core while avoiding detection by the sharp Yuchi Xiao. Moreover, his intention is to bring Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s soul back from Hell and return it to this body. Gong Wei feared that if his own golden core and the half-demon body could not merge and attain balance, it would cause damage to Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s life span. As such, he has been delaying any action. It was fortunate that Gong Wei had not acted, for each person¡¯s golden core is unique, and a cultivator of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s calibre can recognise people from their core. If Gong Wei had formed a golden core, he would have been found out by now. Xu Shuangtze stared at ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ for a long time before slowly letting go with his hand and snorted inaudibly, ¡°Half-demon.¡± Gong Wei said humbly, ¡°This disciple is incompetent.¡± Xu Shuangzte looked at him noncommittally, then surprisingly repeated the question, ¡°What were you looking at just now?¡± Looking at you of course, Sovereign. Gong Wei glanced out of the corner of his eye at the divine sword which was constantly emitting a powerful aura of oppression, and said sincerely, ¡°Your Lordship is wise and handsome, like a god descending from the heavens, so I couldn¡¯t help but stare. Please forgive me, my Lord!¡± Xu Shuangtze did not say a word. When Gong Wei heard nothing in response, he thought for a while and said hesitantly, ¡°This disciple grew up listening to the legendary deeds of Your Lordship since I was a child. I deeply admire Your Lordship and never thought that I would witness it with my own eyes. I hope you will forgive me for my disrespect!¡± There was still dead silence around them. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei''s eyes were closed and his heart was crossed, ¡°Your Lordship¡¯s cultivation is as profound as the vast river and seas, and your elegance parallels the beauty of the sun and moon. Anyone would be ashamed to look at Your Lordship and would sigh at the difference! This disciple¡¯s heart is overwhelmed, and I can hardly calm it down, so I can¡¯t help but admire Your Lordship and be dazzled! I¡ª¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s deep voice finally came, asking, ¡°Am I really so worthy of admiration in your heart?¡± Gong Wei resounded, ¡°This disciple has not uttered a word of falsehood!¡± ¡°And what about Lotus Immortal?¡± Very well. The big brother had just forced Gong Wei to praise him to the skies for half a day, and now he was going to force him to scold himself. Gong Wei said in his heart, ¡°I am but a fish on the chopping block¡±, then he took a deep breath, ¡°The Lotus Immortal has blatantly disregarded Xuanmen¡¯s laws, ignored the prestige of the Cang Yang Sect, and even tried to assassinate Your Lordship. His crimes are too numerous to record! The Lotus Immortal is a frivolous person and is not worthy of being a Sovereign of his generation, and this disciple is ashamed of him!¡± Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°I do!¡± It was only after a long silence that Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Gong Zhiyu, the great chief of the Disciplinary Court.¡± He tapped his long, strong fingers rhythmically on the table, making a sound like gold knocking on jade. ¡°Since he entered the Immortal Alliance at a young age, he has never practiced cultivation, never built a foundation, his roots and soul are no different from those of a mortal, but overnight he suddenly broke through to the late Jindan stage, which shook all the Xuanmen Sects in the world.¡± ¡°Gong Zhiyu was the only person well versed in two of three ancient illusionary arts, which were supposed to have been lost for a long time. His origins, background and the depths of his powers are unfathomable. His strength was superior to that of Yuchi Rui, the world¡¯s third most recognised Sword Master, and he was only second to Ying Kai and myself.¡± Xu Shuangtze paused, leaned down slightly and said softly, ¡°But I always thought that if Gong Zhiyu revealed his true form, no one in the world would be his opponent.¡± The two of them were so close that Gong Wei tried to lean back without him noticing. In the next moment, Xu Shuangtze laughed softly, his cold breath blew straight into Gong Wei¡¯s ear. ¡°¡ªTell me, why would the great Lotus Immortal, Gong Zhiyu, take a fancy to a half-demon like Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± The two were almost close to touching, and Gong Wei¡¯s scalp went numb. He stood up, took half a step back, held Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand and with a thud he fell to his knees and said aloud in a heartfelt voice, ¡°Shizun!¡± Xu Shuangtze froze. ¡°Although this disciple is of a humble status, I am loyal to the Cang Yang Sect and the sun and moon can bear witness. When the Lotus Immortal attempted to assassinate Shizun, his act was so heartless and cold, and I vowed that I would not forgive this person! I would rather die than give my body his soul!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei bowed his head and kneeled down, his voice was full of emotion, ¡°Please believe me, Shizun!!!¡± Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t move a muscle as he stared at his hand, which Gong Wei was clinging to like a lifeline. The air felt like it was freezing, and after a long time he finally moved his fingers and lifted Gong Wei¡¯s chin, ¡°¡­What did you call me?¡± Anyone with some degree of dignity would have already stopped by now, but Gong Wei was adamant, ¡°Shizun.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Your Lordship is Master to all of the Cang Yang Sect¡¯s disciples. You may not be our direct Shizun but we regard you more than our direct Shizun!¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s dark pupils stared straight at him, and after a long time he suddenly gave an odd smile and said, ¡°Good.¡± What¡¯s good? No matter how fast Gong Wei¡¯s mind was spinning, he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what Xu Shuangtze¡¯s words meant. At this point, the giant eagles let out one sharp cry after another, and then swooped down! The carriage slanted once more, and Gong Wei was caught off guard, letting go of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand, he rolled forward. He then slid to the left along the edge of the table and hit the wall. Next, he slid to the right as the carriage tilted once more, and hit the large vase standing on the floor. The carriage stopped abruptly, and Gong Wei was caught off guard again as he fell backwards. Gong Wei felt a tightening around his wrist and was held before he could fall. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face was expressionless as he held on to Gong Wei, but then the giant birds swooped down again, and the inertia suddenly changed its direction. Gong Wei¡¯s whole body rolled forwards headfirst and he hit his forehead on the table in front of Xu Shuangtze with a thud. Boom¡ª The four giant birds landed smoothly and the carriage slowly landed on the ground, no longer moving. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei maintained this pose of kowtowing to Xu Shuangtze, his heart in desolation. ¡°You may rise.¡± Xu Shuangtze said coldly, letting go of Gong Wei¡¯s hand and standing up. He straightened his lapels and got straight out of the carriage. The light of day had already broken, and the giant carriage landed on the top of the first peak of Cang Yang Sect as it was draped in the golden sunrise. All the elders and spiritual masters were already awaiting for the carriage with their disciples. As they saw it, they all bowed their heads, ¡°Welcome back, Sovereign!¡± The crowd¡¯s eyes could only see the tips of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s shoes as he took a few steps down onto the white jade tiles, before his voice came down from above. ¡°The disaster at Lingjiang City has been resolved, but the matter is related to the Lotus Immortal and has been handed over to the Immortal Alliance for investigations.¡± ¡ªIt¡¯s really the Lotus Immortal! The elders turned pale, and then they bowed their heads again in unison. ¡°Sovereign is wise!¡± ¡°My Lord,¡± Jing Xu Spiritual Master, who was at the forefront of the group spoke in a low voice, ¡°The Peach Scourge is coming, and the matter is of great importance, would Sovereign like to return to Xuanji Hall for a short rest, or summon the elders to the Tianji Tower to discuss this matter, so that we can¡­¡± Before Jing Xu completed his sentence Xu Shuangtze suddenly turned around and looked back at the giant carriage. Gong Wei, who was lifting the curtains halfway in his attempt to slip away, froze in mid-step. The scene seemed to have come to a complete standstill, and in full view of all eyes below. Xu Shuangtze then reached out his hand and beckoned, calmly saying, ¡°Come here, beloved disciple.¡± CH 19 Editor: Sahloknir The scene which seemed to have been frozen earlier now blasted into a frenzy. Everyone was unable to believe their ears. Who is he? What did the Sovereign call him? Did I hear him correctly? A buzz of discussion could be heard in the crowd, even the elders and spiritual masters couldn¡¯t help but stare in disbelief, but no one was as horrified as Gong Wei. ¡°Erm¡­ Sovereign¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand stilled in mid-air, but he didn¡¯t stop from repeating, ¡°Come here.¡± Gong Wei could feel many eyes fixated on him as he stared at Xu Shuangtze. He reluctantly stepped forward with a hunched back. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand landed heavily on his shoulder. He paid no attention to anyone¡¯s expression, and turned to Jing Xu, ¡°Return to Xuanji Palace.¡± ¡ª ¡°Who has the Sovereign brought back?¡± Xiang Xiaoyuan? Who is Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± ¡°What did you say the Sovereign called him? Say that again?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The boisterous whispers drifted through the watching crowd like a wind, this gossip spread far and wide throughout Cang Yang Sect within half a day. But the centre of everyone¡¯s discussion¡ªthe Xuanji Hall, was empty and quiet at the moment, the building was high and magnificent, the draperies glittering. Xu Shuangtze lifted his robe and sat behind down, saying succinctly, ¡°Take off your clothes.¡° Gong Wei¡¯s movements froze, and only after a long time did he say politely, ¡°My Lord, this is not appropriate, is it?¡± Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°This disciple¡¯s personal reputation is worthless, but I fear that the Sovereign¡¯s reputation would be tarnished¡­¡± ¡°Cough¡ª¡± Two disciples standing guard behind the distant stone pillar choked on their own saliva, and then straightened up stiffly with a chill, their throats spasming but they did not dare to utter another sound. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s dark eyes stared at him, but to Gong Wei¡¯s surprise, he was not agitated in the least and did not tell him to get lost. Xu Shuangtze said with indifference,¡±You and I are master and disciple, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Gong Wei replied immediately, ¡°This disciple dares not! I am merely an outer¡­¡± ¡°Your Lordship is Master to all of the Cang Yang Sect¡¯s disciples. You may not be our direct Shizun but we regard you more than our direct Shizun, right?¡± Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei was speechless and forced himself to look straight at Xu Shuangtze and said with a voice full of sincere admiration, ¡°What Shizun said is extremely true!¡± Gong Wel slowly reached out to undo his sash under the oppressive gaze of Xu Shuangtze. He took off his outer robe even more slowly, and as if peeling the skin of a grape, he gradually took off his inner garment. Only until his upper body was completely exposed, he finally realised that the other party had no intention of asking him to stop. Do you really want me to strip naked? If Gong Wei didn¡¯t know how strict and ascetic Xu Shuangtze was, and how indestructible his cultivation of Path of No Emotions was after centuries of training, he might have mistaken his intentions for something sordid. ¡°¡­¡± It doesn¡¯t matter, he doesn¡¯t know who I am anyway. Besides, it¡¯s hard to say who¡¯s taking advantage of who after stripping naked in front of Xu Shuangtze. Gong Wei shut his eyes tightly, clenched his teeth and reached out to undo the sash on his pants. At this moment, he heard ¡°Stop.¡± A bottle of ointment appeared in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand at some point and he said coldly, ¡°I just want to give you this medicine, there is no need to take off your pants in such a hurry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Not far away behind the stone pillars was complete silence, the disciples guarding the hall were probably scared out of their wits from the shock. It took all of Gong Wei¡¯s acting skills to tense up his expression and transform it into a gratuitous look as he reached out for the bottle, ¡°This disciple has nothing to repay Shizun¡¯s great kindness, how could I dare to trouble Master with this mere injury? I¡¯d rather do it myself ¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand which held on to the ointment raised slightly and he said, ¡°Come here.¡± Alright then, Xu Bai seems to be in the mood today to show a master¡¯s love towards his disciple¡­ Gong Wei took in a breath, his greatest advantage was that he could act out any role, his face straightened out at once, ¡°Thank you, Shizun!¡± Then he respectfully walked forwards and sat down on his knees. The wound on his left shoulder, which was caused by a sword stab from the ghost cultivator, had already begun to heal. Probably because it had been smeared, like laying cement, with half a bucket of Thousand Gold Sacred Medicine by a Medical Sect disciple at Linjiang City¡ªthe price of that medicine could create a Xiang Xiaoyuan statue out of pure gold. But this bottle of medicine in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand should be even more precious and rare, and there was no telling what the shimmering, pearly-looking medicinal Qi was made of. A coldness spread over Gong Wei¡¯s skin, followed by the complete disappearance of any pain in the wound. It dried up and scabbed before his eyes, bringing an indescribable tingling deep within his inner tendons and bones as the medicine took effect. ¡°¡ªGbc¡¯a wbnf.¡± We Vtejcuahf revvfcis ugjyyfv tbiv bo Xbcu Qfl¡¯r gluta tjcv ktlmt gfjmtfv bea lc jc jaafwqa ab rmgjamt ja atf kbecv. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand not only looked cold, it was cold to the touch as well. The meridians in his knuckles contained an unimaginably strong qi, and Gong Wei¡¯s right hand was instantly caught in his grip, frozen in mid-air, unable to move an inch. Coafg j ktlif bo rlifcmf tf tfjgv We Vtejcuahf vgsis rjslcu, ¡°Zfvlmlcf lr fzqfcrlnf.¡± Pc tlr qgfnlber ilof, Xbcu Qfl tjv bcmf raglqqfv cjxfv ab qijs lc atf kjafg lc ogbca bo We Vtejcuahf, yea atja kjr ktfc tf kjr sbecu jcv vlvc¡¯a xcbk ktja tf kjr vblcu. Coafg tf kjr jqqblcafv jr atf Jtlfo bo atf Glrmlqilcjgs Jbega, tf cb ibcufg vlv atja. Ciatbeut Xbcu Qfl kjr bcis abqifrr, tf revvfcis ofia fwyjggjrrfv jcv uijcmfv bnfg ja We Vtejcuahf. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes were beautifully shaped, hence when he looked down, his eyelashes were like sharp, curved blades. Perhaps it was because he had never been very expressive, hence he did not look dazzling on first impression, but gave off an overwhelming aura instead. A chill suddenly ran up from the bottom of Gong Wei¡¯s heart. ¡°You¡­can¡¯t¡­do this to me¡­,¡± he suddenly heard his own choking gasps ringing in his ears. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me, Xu Shuangtze¡­I-I like you¡­¡± Why do I have this vision? When did this happen? Gong Wei sat motionless on his knees, but his pupils constricted, and his gaze unconsciously fell on Xu Shuangtze, as his stare travelled up, he became fixated on the other¡¯s jade-like throat. He had done that to me¡ªthat voice full of sadness and despair was so crisp and clear. It had emerged again from the depths of Gong Wei¡¯s subconsciousness. So close, I just have to reach out¡­ Just reach out¡­ ¡°How did you get hurt?¡± Gong Wei jolted back to his senses and winced, ¡°What?¡± Xu Shuangtze glanced at him unswervingly, ¡°I asked how you were injured.¡± As if just waking up from a dream, Gong Wei felt a tidal wave of fear crashing and elevating from his back to the top of his head, realising that he had just skimmed on the boundary of life and death. But he had no time to calm down, and instantly revealed a face of embarrassment as he lowered his head and replied, ¡°Shizun, this disciple encountered a ghost cultivator outside the Prince of Lingjiang¡¯s residence, and I was ashamed that due to my low level of cultivation¡­¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Yuchi Xiao there?¡± ¡°Young Master Yuchi tried his best but was unable to defeat it in battle and was really helpless, so¡­¡± ¡°Tried his best but unable to defeat it,¡± Xu Shuangtze repeated with mockery as he finally finished applying the medicine. He released Gong Wei¡¯s hand from his palm and sat back down. Just like that, the distance between the two widened. Gong Wei let out a small, imperceptible breath of relief and immediately put on his coat. That burst of emotions was a myriad of murderous intent, regret and fear which drummed in his ears and bombarded his seemingly calm expression. ¡°Yuchi Xiao is the family head¡¯s nephew, but because of the special circumstances of the Yuchi family, the Sword Sect Master does not dare to bear a descendant in his lifetime. Yuchi Xiao is destined to be the heir of the Golden Gate, and has been raised and taught by the Sword Sect Master personally since he was a young boy.¡± Xu Shuangtze wiped the ointment on his finger onto a silk scarf slowly and methodically and continued, ¡°If even he ¡®tried his best but was unable to defeat it¡®, then the entire Sword Sect lineage is probably trash as well.¡± ¡ªThat¡¯s a wide range of blows. The condescension of Lord Xu had not changed in sixteen years, so Gong Wei settled down and leaned over in conviction, ¡°What Shizun said is very true, how can the Sword Sect family be compared to my Cang Yang Sect?!¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°then in your opinion, what makes the Sword Sect inferior to Cang Yang Sect?¡± Gong Wei spoke loudly, ¡°Shizun¡¯s powers are unparalleled in the world, and the Sword Sect Master¡¯s abilities are nothing near your skills, I am sure Shizun knows this well!¡± Even if Xiang Xiaoyuan himself were here, he would not be able to flatter Xu Shuangtze with this much sincerity, and genuine feeling. Gong Wei, in his heart, apologised to Yuchi Rui repeatedly. Who told you to smash his sect¡¯s stone monument. The way Big Brother Xu is cornering me to criticise you, it¡¯s obvious that he still harbours a bitter resentment¡­ Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Yuchi Rui, Changsheng, had a very close relationship with the Lotus Immortal.¡± It might have been that Gong Wei was overly sensitive, but for a moment, he suddenly sensed a hint of morose hostility in Xu Shuangtze. ¡°Most of the Yuchi family¡¯s juniors are unruly, arrogant and underhanded. They are not worthy of your friendship. Stay away from this family.¡± Hearing the comment, Gong Wei said in his heart, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the most unruly person in the world?¡± He then rose to respond to Xu Shuangtze but was stopped by a wave of his hand. Lord Xu tossed him the white jade ointment bottle and suddenly asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you vow that you will not forgive the Lotus Immortal?¡± Gong Wei replied in all seriousness, ¡°It is outrageous that the Lotus Immortal would attempt to assassinate Shizun. This disciple pledges to be loyal to Cang Yang Sect and will never side with them!¡± Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°You also said that you would rather die than give your body to the soul of the Lotus Immortal.¡± ¡°Never!¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Xu Shuangtze glanced towards him and said leisurely, ¡°But the Lotus Immortal is the master of his generation, what if he forcibly takes your body?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Good question, Xu Bai, you might as well ask a young helpless girl being bullied by thugs how she can protect her chastity. Gong Wei wanted to continue but stopped when he saw Xu Shuangtze¡¯s smirking gaze. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly before finally exhaling a breath and stabilised his emotions. Then he slapped the ground and said with conviction, ¡°This disciple would rather kill myself!¡± Slap, slap, slap. Xu Shuangtze slowly held both palms together and said, ¡°Worthy of being a disciple of my Cang Yang Sect.¡± Gong Wei bowed calmly, but in his heart, he was cursing him over and over. Then Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Since you are my beloved disciple, I naturally do not want you to kill yourself.¡± As he stretched out his hand, a whirlwind wrapped in golden light coalesced out of thin air and landed in his palm. It suddenly transformed into an ink black jade slip, sealed with a green rope. Unrolling the black jade slip, countless densely packed, small, bright red characters were revealed, and at the very top were three words¡ª ¡®Soul Fixing Spell¡¯, ¡°This is a secret art of my Cang Yang Sect. As the name suggests, it can completely fix the soul of one¡ªwithin a body. If you practice the art, it will be impossible for anyone, even if they have the power of the heavens, to drive your soul out from this body again.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s heart sank, but his face did not show any changes and as he respectfully accepted the jade slip, he asked, ¡°¡ªEven if a disciple is enchanted or forced by another to offer up his body, it is still impossible to drive out the soul, right?¡± It was obviously a very simple question, but Xu Shuangtze somehow paused for a moment before averting his gaze and saying. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°From today onwards, you will live within Xuanji Palace and no longer have to return to the outer disciples¡¯ residence. You will dedicate your time to cultivating the Soul Fixing Spell and I will check on you from time to time. If you fail to meet my expectations, you will be punished severely.¡± Xu Shuangtze waved his hand and it seemed no longer wanted to talk to him, ¡°Leave now.¡± The black jade slip had a bone piercing coldness to the touch, but ironically, in Gong Wei¡¯s hand it was like a hot potato. Once his soul was fixed in Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s body, how could the real Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s soul ever be returned in the future? Gong Wei stood in front of the window at the edge of the main hall and sighed. Suddenly, he heard someone outside the door say coldly, ¡°Why are you being pretentious here?¡± Gong Wei turned around, ¡°Yo, Shixiong!¡± Xu Shuangtze himself did not take in any disciples, but there were eight disciples guarding the at the door of the Xuanji Hall. Each of them had received his personal guidance over the years and appeared to everyone as the heirs of the Cang Yang Sect. Twenty years ago when Gong Wei emerged from the illusionary world of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, he repeatedly came to visit Xu Shuangtze for fun, but was shut out in front of the Xuanji Hall. One time, the great Chief Gong finally got annoyed and cast a spell which fixed these eight disciples in front of the mountain gate. They stood as straight as coffin boards, and then Gong Wei pasted a yellow talisman on each of their heads, with jarring words in his own ghastly handwriting, ¡®One foot in the grave¡¯. The visitor was Wen Xiuyang, the head of these eight disciples, he had the same distasteful, dead face as before. He placed a food basket on the table. ¡°By order of the Sovereign, food is served.¡± Gong Wei sighed, food was his last consolation in this miserable world, ¡°Shixiong, you could just send someone to call for me, why did you come personally¡­What is this?!¡± In the basket there was a large bowl made of celadon porcelain with silver ornaments. It was filled to the brim with cabbage boiled in water and like a mirror, it reflected Gong Wei¡¯s desolate and blank expression. Wen Xiuyang said, ¡°Master has given instructions. To successfully cultivate the ¡®Soul Fixing Spell¡¯ you need to put in immense effort and not have any distractions in your mind. You will be fed a hundred grams of boiled cabbage every day.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s lips trembled slightly, lowered his voice and desperately pleaded, ¡°Shixiong, I want to eat some meat¡­¡± Wen Xiuyang, in all honesty, did not look stifling. He had sword-shaped eyebrows, a long, lean body, and even a little bit of the spark of a young dandy, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, that stifling aura of a cold, dead man came rushing forward, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Shixiong, I am seriously injured and have lost too much blood¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Shixiong¡­¡± ¡°I have not been accepted as a personal disciple by the Sovereign, as you have been, I dare not be addressed as your Shixiong.¡± Gong Wei pretended not to understand what he meant, ¡°Don¡¯t be so stubborn, Shixiong. You see, the entire Cang Yang Sect are Shizun¡¯s disciples. You may not be his personal disciple but he sees you as such! Therefore, you are my¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Wen Xiuyang finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore, he turned his head and walked away. Gong Wei hurriedly took two steps after him, ¡°Even a bottle of meat sauce will do, Shixiong¡ª¡± Bang! The door of the room was slammed shut. ¡°One foot in the grave.¡± Gong Wei rubbed his hands together resentfully, ¡°Such a rigid brain, no wonder he¡¯s one place behind Yuchi Xiao in the martial rankings.¡± Speaking of Yuchi¡¯s eldest nephew, Gong Wei couldn¡¯t help but miss him. At least when he was hanging out with Yuchi Xiao and Meng Yunfei, he could eat as much mouth-watering chicken as he wanted. At that time, he was annoyed with them, but who knew he would be reduced to living next door to Xu Shuangtze. Gong Wei suddenly felt that even Yuchi¡¯s eldest nephew was incredibly generous and cute in comparison. Gong Wei sat sadly in front of the celadon bowl, picked two droopy pieces of cabbage with his chopsticks and threw them back into the bowl with a long sigh. Suddenly, his fingers brushed something warm but hard. A jade pendant. He regained his spirit and pulled the item out of his sleeve. There it was, the blood jade pendant in the shape of the Qilin, the token of his engagement to Yuchi Xiao! When Gong Wei left Linjiang City, he had been carried by Xu Shuangtze and tossed into the carriage, and at the moment of take-off, through the fluttering curtains, he had seen Yuchi Xiao chasing two steps after him, gesturing at the jade pendant on his waist and mouthed some words, ¡°¡ªCall me if there is danger!¡± But everything happened too fast at that moment, and Gong Wei had no time to respond. When he got back to Cang Yang Mountain, he was so tired from dealing with Xu Shuangtze¡ªas he had to weigh his words in his mind before he dared to say them¡ªso he consequently didn¡¯t remember anything about the jade pendant. ¡°¡ªYuchi Xiao,¡± he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. All the great sects and families had token items for their members to wear. Most of these tokens took the form of jade pendants, gold rings or bracelets and so on. Each of these tokens were enchanted with protection spells, which could automatically be activated in times of crisis to protect bearers from certain disasters. Twenty years ago, before Xu Shuangtze entered the illusionary realm in the guise of General Bai, he took a golden bracelet from the Cang Yang Sect to protect himself. On it were placed countless spells and numerous runes were also inscribed. He later gave it to Lady Xu as a token of his love. The golden bracelet was a formidable magical treasure. However, this Qilin blood jade pendant is in a class of its own, as it was enchanted with a heavens-defying protection spell. When the bearer is on the brink of death, the spell would be activated, causing the jade pendant to shatter and take the place of the bearer in death. For this reason, the Qilin blood jade pendant is valuable beyond words¡ªfor the possession of it is tantamount to the possession of an extra lifeline. On his deathbed, the previous Sword Master bestowed it to his youngest son, Yuchi Rui. When Yuchi Rui succeeded as the Sword Sect Master, he in turn gave it to his late brother¡¯s only son, his one and only nephew, Yuchi Xiao. However, all three generations of the Yuchi descendants had not encountered a crisis of imminent and certain death thus far. Therefore, none had the opportunity to activate the spell, otherwise the jade pendant would have been in pieces by now. ¡°No wonder you¡¯ve been thinking about getting it back all the time.¡± Gong Wei was terribly bored and swung the jade pendant around, ¡°If I accidentally activated it one day, what a waste that would be, am I right, eldest nephew?¡± As soon as he completed the sentence, the jade pendant glowed faintly, followed by a flash of red light! Gong Wei was stunned to see the jade pendant burst into a thousand-mile manifestation formation. Glowing lights criss-crossed in mid-air, and at the centre of the void, a familiar figure was revealed¡ª With both hands propped on the ground, sweating profusely, he was topless and and his body was perfectly lean and muscled. Yuchi Xiao was staring at Gong Wei in disbelief. Yuchi Xiao, ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao got up with a start and held up Gou Chen in shock, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Gong Wei covered his eyes with one hand, ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t panic! Put down your sword and talk!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Only then did Yuchi Xiao notice that Gong Wei¡¯s background was Xuanji Palace of the Cang Yang Sect and said angrily but with relief, ¡°Why are you summoning me if there¡¯s no danger!¡± Gong Wei peeked through his fingers cheekily this time, ¡°Haiz, I have nothing to do and just wanted to chat with you.¡± At Gong Wei¡¯s action, Yuchi Xiao looked down at himself and immediately dropped his sword and grabbed his clothes off the floor to cover his chest. His face and ears were now flushed red and he asked, ¡°What were you thinking? I was just training! You just want to spy on me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Young Swordsman, you are thinking too much, it¡¯s more convenient to spy on Lord Xu bathing than you.¡± Gong Wei smiled and said, ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t know you had a summoning spell attached to this token of love.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a love token! It¡¯s just that I¡­Hold it, you didn¡¯t know there was a summoning spell on this jade pendant?¡± Gong Wei innocently spread his arms. Yuchi Xiao¡¯s face turned redder, ¡°Then did you call me something when you were alone?!¡± Gong Wei smiled, ¡°Naturally I called you ¡®the wise, mighty and righteous young swordsman, Yuchi¡¯.¡± ¡°Nonsense! To activate the summoning formation, you must first say the name of the summoned person and then call out the real relationship between the two. Tell me what did you call me again?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei looked at his eldest nephew¡¯s furious and red face and finally came to a realisation. ¡°It seems that even your family token approves of our relationship,¡± he replied gently, ¡°I am so glad, my dearest cultivation partner.¡± The air was dead silent. Yuchi Xiao shut his eyes, breathed in, breathed out, breathed in again, breathed out again. After repeating this several times, he finally opened his eyes and forced out the words from between his clenched teeth, ¡°Next time we meet I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t return the jade pendant to me!¡± Then he waved his hand violently, and with a flash of white light, the Thousand-mile Manifestation Formation dissolved into countless specks of light. Gong Wei held his forehead with one hand, holding back laughter until his shoulders trembled. All his grievances were dissipated after teasing the eldest son of the Yuchi household, and it was only after a long time that he took a long breath to calm down. Gong Wei put away the jade pendant and turned around, his laughter instantly freezing. Standing silently against the light was Xu Shuangtze. CH 20 Editor: Sahloknir Gong Wei took a half step back, his smile instantly dissipated. He said with restraint, ¡°This disciple greets Shizun.¡° As Xu Shuangtze stood with his back facing the daylight, Gong Wei couldn¡¯t make out his expression. Xu Shuangtze lifted his foot, crossed the threshold and entered the room. Although Gong Wei¡¯s quarters were a side hall of the Xuanji Palace, it was only divided by a single wall from the main hall. The layout of his quarters was elegant and emanated a sense of tranquility. It was entirely designed in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s personal style¡ªink-black jade pillars, whalebone beams, blue gauze and silk for the curtains, and a graceful bamboo forest outside the window, which gave off a calming rustling sound every time the wind blew. Gong Wei focused on the pristine white tops of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s boots and watched them tread on the shiny tung wood floor, unhurriedly circling once, before he took a seat at the table. As if he had not seen what just happened, Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Have you finished the book you were told to memorise?¡± Gong Wei lowered his head and replied, ¡°This disciple is dull.¡± As if he had not heard Gong Wei, Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Recite it for me.¡± It was impossible for a mortal to read an immortal scroll like the Soul Fixing Spell, because each rune had to be filled with spiritual energy to be read. And those with insufficient spiritual energy could not even reveal the scroll in its entirety, let alone memorise it. Gong Wei recited the first two sentences calmly, then paused to think before reciting the third. The further he went, the more he stumbled, until after reaching the forth or fifth sentence when he stopped completely and said shamefully, ¡°Forgive me, Shizun, but this disciple¡¯s cultivation is shallow, and can only recite this much.¡± ¡°Nothing more?¡± ¡°Nothing more.¡± Xu Shuangtze tapped his fingers on the table twice, as if contemplating something, he suddenly looked up and said, ¡°Come here.¡± Gong Wei meekly inched forward, keeping his head down. Before he could raise his head, his lower jaw suddenly felt cold and his head was wrenched up by Xu Shuangtze¡¯s strong fingers and forced to stare into two dark pupils. ¡°I only asked you to practice the first scroll of the Soul Fixing Spell, but you didn¡¯t even memorise the first paragraph. How should you be punished?¡± Xu Shuangtze spoke quietly, looking seriously at Gong Wei. Gong Wei didn¡¯t move a muscle. ¡°This disciple is dull, and will gladly receive punishment from Shizun.¡± ¡°Are you really dull?¡± Xu Shuangtze smiled coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Shizun, the entire Sect is well aware that this disciple has been unable to cultivate a core for many years. I am really ashamed of myself!¡± Gong Wei cried. ¡°¡­¡± The two were less than a stone¡¯s throw away from each other, and even the slightest breath was clearly discernible. Xu Shuangtze suddenly said, ¡°Come with me.¡± Gong Wei felt his wrist being gripped tightly by Xu Shuangtze as he stumbled and got pulled out of the door, heading straight into the master hall. Xu Shuangtze was tall and his long legs made fast and wide strides, forcing Gong Wei to break out into a jog in order to keep up. The two trailed along the long corridor, making numerous heads turn. After walking for a long while, the view suddenly opened up and a strong mountain breeze hit their faces. They had arrived at the door of the main hall of Xuanji Palace. A flight of wide, white jade steps sequentially appeared. Xu Shuangtze stopped walking and stood at the top of the steps, the wind whipping up the train of his majestic, white and gold robe. ¡°Low in cultivation, dull and still not diligent. You have not met my great expectations of you in the slightest. What should your punishment be?¡± ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ stammered for a long time, his eyes reddened and he thought, ¡®When did this trashy master have great expectations of me?¡¯ before saying, ¡°This disciple is in the wrong and begs Shizun for forgiveness. I dare not disappoint Shizun again¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze said coldly, ¡°I am impartial with rewards and punishment, and will not forgive you easily.¡± ¡ªNot forgive me easily? Gong Wei quickly glanced at the endless jade steps behind Xu Shuangtze. The stairs were imposing, cascading all the way through the peach blossom forest, and was the main path leading down the mountain. A shockingly good guess came to Gong Wei¡¯s mind. ¡°¡­Shi-Shizun is expelling this disciple?¡± Gong Wei shook his head incredulously, followed by a weakness in his knees. Flopping to the ground, he forced out tears to well up in his eyes, ¡°Please don¡¯t, Shizun! Although this disciple has a bad reputation, not useful, cowardly and lazy, and everyone is ashamed of me¡­but I truly admire Shizun¡¯s authority! Please don¡¯t expel me from the Sect!¡± Xu Shuangtze lowered his gaze at Gong Wei¡¯s hopeful expression, while still showing indifference, ¡°You will be spared from death, but punishment is inevitable.¡± Then he paused and said, ¡°You will be punished by cleaning up these nine flights of steps, the broom is there.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei looked up, shocked, ¡°Huh?¡± An hour later, Gong Wei held onto the broom and expressionlessly carried out his punishment. Swish¡ªswish¡ª Ktfgf kfgf clcf rfmalbcr bo pjvf rafqr bearlvf atf ujafr bo atf Wejcpl Ujijmf, fjmt rfmalbc tjv clcf oilutar, fjmt oiluta tjv clcf rafqr. Ktf rafqr kfgf ktlaf jr rcbk, klatbea j agjmf bo jcs batfg mbibeg, jcv jqqfjgfv ilxf j wlggbg gfoifmalcu atf rxlfr jcv iboas wbecajlcabqr atja kfgf mibrf ys. In the distance, the peach blossoms were as vast as the sea, and whenever a gust of wind came this way, they rustled by the eaves and the long corridor, which was under his feet. Xu Shuangtze was like an immortal, and his chambers were full of flowers, unlike anything on earth. So Gong Wei swept for an hour, but he couldn¡¯t get rid of the peach blossom petals that kept floating around. ¡°Here,¡± Xu Shuangtze gestured at his feet. Lord Xu had, surprisingly, moved a table to the entrance of the main hall and sat at the top of the long flight of stairs reading his book. As he flipped the pages and sipped his tea, he personally directed the work. He was probably so used to being the centre of everyone¡¯s attention that he could not bear the slightest hint of alienation or neglect. As soon as Gong Wei moved down and swept more than three feet away, he would hear a soft voice from overhead,¡±Here¡ª¡± Then, like a ball that had been punctured, the Great Chief Gong¡¯s resentment deflated, and he dutifully came to Lord Xu¡¯s side with his broom to clean the area around his noble feet. Xu Shuangtze smelled like white sandalwood covered with ice crystals after the first snow of winter. When Gong Wei was younger and did not know any better, he used to go over and smell him. Once, when Xu Shuangtze came to visit the Immortal Alliance, Gong Wei hung from his neck with both hands for an hour. Lord Xu had an astonishing level of self-restraint and patience, while Gong Wei hung from him, he continued sipping his tea and going about his errands. The news of Gong Wei hanging from him like a pendant soon spread around and he was soon torn off by Ying Kai, who came to hear about it. Xu Shuangtze did have extraordinary patience. Those years, he taught Gong Wei to write his name by holding on to his hand, repeating over and over again for ten or more times. Although he was demanding, he was never impatient. Later on, Gong Wei always felt that if Xu Shuangtze was willing to accept disciples, he would be a very patient master. But unfortunately, Lord Xu did not accept any disciples until the year Gong Wei died. ¡°¡ª¡¯Cultivation partner¡¯,¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly said as he flipped through a page of the book. Gong Wei came back to his senses and his heart thudded. Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, ¡°Do you know what a ¡®cultivation partner¡¯ means?¡± Gong Wei hesitated for a moment before cautiously replying, ¡°A person who shares the same aspirations and the same fate, who can accompany oneself to cultivate and witness the Great Dao.¡± ¡°Then do you know who is suitable to be a cultivation partner?¡± Gong Wei held the broom tightly as he pondered for a moment, ¡°Someone with complementary spiritual roots and consciousness, whose four pillars and eight characters are compatible?¡± When he saw Xu Shuangtze¡¯s quiet gaze, he continued, ¡°Persons with spiritual yin and yang complementing each other, such that the pair can double their cultivation speed with half the effort?¡± Xu Shuangtze still did not say anything. For some reason, Gong Wei felt that his eyes were almost gloomy for a moment, but perhaps his perennially frozen face did not change in the slightest. ¡°¡­has to be from famous and orthodox sects and compatible in status, right? There is also a need to obtain the consent from Shizun and other elders? To become cultivation partners, there also has to be the observation of proper rituals and rules, then the Immortal Alliance must be notified and then it made known to the world?¡± Gong Wei thought that he would have to dig into impossible depths if Xu Shuangtze required more of a response, but after a long silence, Xu Shuangtze only closed his eyes and exhaled. ¡°Forget it.¡± He said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t understand at all.¡± Gong Wei frowned as he recalled the Daoist scripture scrolls he had recited in his previous life and was completely confused as to what exactly he did not understand. Just then he saw Xu Shuangtze look up at him and say, ¡°Do you know why I did not expel you from the Sect and make you leave the mountain?¡± Finally, they were no longer discussing the dangerous topic of Yuchi Xiao, Gong Wei immediately bowed down sincerely, ¡°This disciple doesn¡¯t know, please enlighten me, Shizun.¡± Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Although you are a half-demon and cannot develop your core, and you may not be destined to go far on the long journey towards immortality, as a teacher I do not care about your status, and will tirelessly guide you towards your potential.¡± ¡°Shizun is wise.¡± ¡°A young child who is playful and does not know how to be diligent should be punished lightly. Master hopes that you will take this as motivation, and from tomorrow onwards you should learn to balance work and rest and be dedicated to learning the spell, understand?¡± Gong Wei was moved, ¡°This disciple understands!¡± Xu Shuangtze acknowledged with a ¡°Hmm,¡± and waved his hand as he continued reading his book. Immediately, Gong Wei took three steps backwards with his broom in tow, lowered his head and began to quickly sweep while moving further away. At that moment, Wen Xiuyang suddenly appeared at the far end of the flight of stairs, in large strides, he ascended the snow-white jade steps and bowed to Xu Shuangtze as he went. ¡°This disciple pays his respects to Sovereign! Sovereign, Sheng shidi, he¡ª¡± Wen Xiuyang¡¯s voice stopped abruptly along with his steps, and he looked at Gong Wei, who was holding a broom on the top of the steps, as if he was dreaming, ¡°What¡­what are you doing?¡± Gong Wei respectful bowed in greeting, ¡°Shixiong, I saw that the steps to Shizun¡¯s bedchamber were dirty, so I came to sweep the floor for Shizun.¡± Wen Xiuyang, ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze asked from a distance, ¡°What is it?¡± Wen Xiuyang hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down with a lift of his robe, ¡°In reply to Sovereign, Sheng shidi has fulfilled his seven days of punishment, is it time for him to come out of Cold Mountain Prison?¡± Gong Wei drew a breath when he heard ¡®Cold Mountain Prison¡¯. All immortal sects had various places of punishment that were extremely harsh. On one hand, it was to punish those who had broken the rules of the sect, on the other, through this harsh process, it could also greatly improve the disciples¡¯ cultivation. Just that it was painful. This was exactly the purpose of Cang Yang Sect¡¯s ¡®Eight Prisons¡¯. In his previous life, Gong Wei was forced by Xu Shuangtze to visit the Cold Mountain Prison, one of the ¡®Eight Prisons¡¯. At the time, their relationship had deteriorated after the tragic death of ¡®Lady Xu¡¯. Lord Xu had imposed a ban to forbid Chief Gong from taking even half a step into Cang Yang Mountain, but the daredevil Gong Wei was hell bent on barging in deep in the night. One night, Gong Wei came to see Xu Shuangtze on a whim again and happened to see him drawing his wife¡¯s posthumous portrait with a flask of wine by his side. Gong Wei only objectively commented that the drawing did not resemble her and kindly suggested, ¡°Do you want me to draw a front portrait for you?¡± In a fit of rage, Xu Shuangtze drew his sword and stabbed him in the eye. Covering his right eye, Gong Wei was still not satisfied, and came up to tease him with a kiss, only to be picked up by the back of his neck by a furious Lord Xu, who flew all the way up to the Cold Mountain Prison on his sword. If Gong Wei hadn¡¯t slipped away quickly enough, he would have been thrown in that night. With the cultivation level of Chief Gong, he still caught a cold and sneezed for half a month when he returned to the Immortal Alliance. So it was terrifying to imagine what it would be like for someone who had gone into the Cold Mountain Prison for a full seven days. Xu Shuangtze flipped another page of the book before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s have a look.¡± Wen Xiuyang immediately bowed his head, then raised his hand and shouted, ¡°Rise!¡± A manifestation formation was activated in mid-air, displaying an eerie, cold mountain and an icy green lake with demonic winds coming in gusts and sounding like a million ghosts wailing. A young disciple dressed only in a single layer of garments appeared, his face was white, faint blue lines that looked like his veins could clearly be seen under his skin. He was shivering with the cold but tried to get up as soon as he saw Xu Shuangtze, however his legs were already frozen solid, and he finally stumbled down, shaking and saying, ¡°This disciple pays, pays¡­.pays respect to the Sovereign!¡± Gong Wei looked him up and down and said in his heart, ¡®This little brother is truly pitiful, the cold air has already entered his lungs, although under the extreme suffering in this harsh environment it is bound to stimulate and improve his powers, but for quite a long time in the future he must endure the pain of this injury and on certain days, it will be worse than death.¡¯ He recognised this young man as one of the eight disciples guarding the temple. He should be ranked around the seventh or eighth, and Gong Wei wondered how serious a fault he had committed to be punished so severely. Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Do you know why you are punished?¡± The young man¡¯s tongue was also frozen and he could not even finish his sentence, ¡°Disciple¡­disciple is stupid, and could not recite the entire series of manuals for ¡®Spirt of the Sword¡¯ within three days, thus failing to meet the high expectations of the Sovereign. This disciple deserves to be punished!!!¡± Gong Wei: ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Since you know that you are dull, you should be more diligent. Go back to your studies, and you will be tested again in three days. If you fail again, the punishment will be doubled.¡± The young disciple immediately kowtowed, but when he did, he couldn¡¯t get up no matter how he tried, and was hurriedly supported out of by several attendants. The manifestation formation disappeared. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze turned and he asked unhurriedly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, beloved disciple?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei stood there with a pale face, he wanted to say something but stopped himself. He finally drew a deep breath, bowed down with a sincere expression, saying emotionally, ¡°¡ªShizun! This disciple suddenly developed a strong thirst for knowledge, and wants to go back to memorise the Soul Fixing Spell, and am determined to live up to Shizun¡¯s expectations this time!¡± Xu Shuangtze frowned, ¡°Why are you pushing yourself so hard, didn¡¯t I just say that you should balance work and rest?¡± Immediately, Gong Wei said, ¡°No, no, Shizun is too kind to this disciple. I dare not fail! Wen Xiuyang, who was standing on the side dumbfounded, ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze then said, ¡°I am very pleased that my beloved disciple is so diligent. Go on.¡± Gong Wei didn¡¯t need him to say another word, and fled with his broom. Ever since he was a child, Gong Wei had learned very quickly. When he was picked up by Ying Kai on Dai Mountain, he couldn¡¯t even speak, but later on he went on to study and cultivate secret scrolls of the Immortal Sect, and was able to understand them by heart, as if he had been born with a natural affinity for the Dao. Back then, there was an evil cultivator in Beiling who founded the ¡®Ghost Master Sect¡¯, whose disciples secretly practised a forbidden art specifically for summoning ghosts and tempering evil spirits, called the ¡®Secret Passage of Yin and Yang Chaos Mantra¡¯. When Ying Kai learnt of this he personally raided the house, and the evil cultivator, in a desperate attempt to destroy the evidence, burned down the entire library of forbidden scriptures with a golden flame. Gong Wei happened to be extremely bored and peeked at all the bamboo scrolls before the fire started, and was able to memorise them in a flash. When he returned to Immortal Alliance, he took out a brush and transcribed all the lost mantras at one go, and they became the evidence to convict the evil Sect Master. But just because Gong Wei was a fast learner, it didn¡¯t mean that ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ was also one. Gong Wei worked hard into the evening, reciting the spell over and over with his heart and soul. In the depths of the night, Xuanji Palace was vast and quiet, with just Xu Shuangtze writing in silence in the candlelight. The sound of Gong Wei¡¯s recitations could be heard coming from the side hall, his voice was sometimes high, sometimes low, other times it was sorrowful and impassioned, as if two hundred frogs were croaking at the top of their voices in a lotus pond. Wen Xiuyang, who was standing behind the pillar, gritted his teeth for a long time and finally couldn¡¯t help himself, ¡°Sovereign, do you want me to go¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± The side profile of Xu Shuangtze looked youthful and upright, like the blade of a sword. Under the light cast by the candle flame, his expression could not be clearly seen, only the faint sound of the wolf¡¯s fur brush rustling with every stroke on the paper could be heard. Wen Xiuyang silently recited the Mind Purifying Mantra thrice, but the distant jabbers of this horrendous, demonic voice kept on burrowing into his ears, so he finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, ¡°Sovereign, why don¡¯t I¡­?¡± Xu Shantze lifted his gaze and with a bone-chilling stare, ¡°What is it?¡± A chill that seemingly came from nowhere suddenly rose in Wen Xiuyang¡¯s heart, blocking the words he was about to say. ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Wen Xiuyang swallowed hard, and in those few seconds he racked his brain and said in a rush, ¡°Just ¡­ just suddenly remembered that Sovereign no longer seems to carry your sword with you.¡± No answer came. ¡°It-it seems that this disciple hasn¡¯t seen No Way Out since returning from Linjiang City and wonders if the Sovereign has consecrated the divine sword in the Tianji Tower, this disciple only thought about that¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Xu Shuangtze interrupted Wen Xiuyang¡¯s increasingly dry explanation. And then he was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°If you can¡¯t listen to this, then leave first.¡± Without another word, Wen Xiuyang bowed and left the deep and empty main hall. The lights in the side halls were shining bright, and from afar came the sounds of Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s emotional and vigorous recitations. That voice of his alone could easily go up against an entire classroom of students. And anyone who heard this would have to endure a toothache to praise the boy for working so hard. Wen Xiuyang walked along the corridor for a while, but somehow his mind kept thinking about one small thing after another, which he had observed over the past few days. And the more he thought about it, the more he thought it was strange. However, he wasn¡¯t able to get a clear grip on his thoughts¡ªjust like seeing the moon¡¯s reflection in the water, or flowers in a fog, something was there, but he could not make clear sense out of it. Unable to help himself, he turned to take another look towards the side hall, and this time his gaze froze. Under the moonlight, the glazed roof tiles reflected a greenish glow, and the stone pillars were neatly lined along the white jade corridor from near to far. At the end of the corridor, outside the side hall, the faint light cast from the window faintly illuminated the silhouette of a man outside the entrance. It was Lord Xu. Facing the tightly shut door of the hall, Xu Shuangtze stood at the bottom of the steps without saying a word. In the moonlight, his back, shoulders and even his jawline seemed to be taut. They looked so tense that it gave off a strange feeling¡­But the upper half of his face was completely hidden in the darkness. At last, the train of his robe moved, and he stepped slowly up the steps, reaching out as if ready to push open the door. ¡ªWith this movement, his eyes, hidden in the shadows, finally fell into Wen Xiuyang¡¯s line of sight. Dear Heavenly Dao! Witnessing his Master, Wen Xiuyang took a half step backwards in horror, the jade pendant at his waist hit the stone pillar, and Xu Shuangtze¡¯s movements suddenly stopped! ¡°¡­¡± The world seemed to freeze, Wen Xiuyang¡¯s pupils constricted and his mind went blank. Every nerve in his body was screaming for him to look away, but the truth was that he couldn¡¯t even turn his eyes away. He could only see Xu Shuangtze turn his head and those dark eyes glancing right back at him. Then, Xu Shuangtze turned and walked back down the steps, his pace unhurried, he turned to leave without a word. It was not until Xu Shuangtze¡¯s figure had completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, that Wen Xiuyang snapped back to his senses and stumbled backwards half a step. Wen Xiuyang stood alone in the courtyard. It was even deeper into the night and the sound of loud recitation continued on in the distance. There was a breeze and Wen Xiuyang suddenly shivered, realising that his thick clothes were already drenched in sweat, and that his jade pendant had fallen into several fragments at his feet. He leaned down to pick up the broken jade pieces, his fingers trembling slightly with disbelief. The look in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes as he reached towards the door of the side hall kept replaying in Wen Xiuyang¡¯s mind. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he knew this was Cang Yang Mountain, he would have thought that the great master of Cang Yang Sect had been possessed by some evil creature. For Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes were that of a caged beast who had been pushed beyond despair and was on the verge of a frenzy. CH 21 Editor: Sahloknir The next morning, a young man with a handsome face, dressed in white and silver armour, stood outside the door of the Xuanji Palace. However, his brows were deeply knitted. When the light hit his face, the seemingly handsome countenance looked slightly haggard. Deep in thought, the young man continuously took half a step forward and then retreated, taking two steps forward before stopping, as if hesitating in making up his mind. The disciple who was guarding the palace stared at this strange scene before finally asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Wen Shixiong?¡± AD Hearing the question, Wen Xiuyang was jolted out of the haze of his thoughts. He let out a long breath and responded through clenched teeth, ¡°Nothing.¡± He then pushed the door open with a stiff face. The morning light shone through the verdant bamboo forest and in through the carved, black jade window onto the two men sitting opposite each other in the hall. Xu Shuangtze was expressionless and upright at all times, his ivory-white robe today had black trimmings and was embroidered with the golden emblem of the Cang Yang Sect. The boy opposite him was about sixteen, his complexion was almost translucent in the morning sun, so that it seemed to glow with light. He was clumsily reciting his book¡ªit was Gong Wei. Wen Xiuyang did not dare to look up, standing still and greeting, ¡°Sovereign, this disciple is here for duty.¡± Xu Shuangtze did not look at him, but gestured with his hand. Gong Wei got up from his futon to salute his shixiong, but as soon as he moved, Xu Shuangtze stopped him, ¡°Continue reciting.¡± Wen Xiuyang lowered his gaze and retreated to the stone pillars in the main hall, only to hear Gong Wei mutter ¡°Aww¡± as he sat back down and continued to recite his book. It was probably because of yesterday¡¯s deep affection and hope from Lord Xu, that had touched the heavens, which resulted in the dull disciple successfully reciting the first volume of the Soul Fixing Spell after a night-long effort. Although there were mistakes made, Lord Xu only had to frown a little, and his disciple would immediately correct himself. After repeating this eighteen times, Gong Wei finally stumbled to the end of the recitation. The last two or three sentences were too tough for him to handle, so he dragged his feet for half an hour before finally finishing it. Xu Shuangtze quietly said, ¡°Although you can recite it, you are still not fluent.¡± Gong Wei only wanted to stall for time and did not want to be sent to Cold Mountain Prison for three to five days, so he immediately said, ¡°This disciple dares not disappoint Shizun¡¯s teachings, I had already memorised it last night, but I was so nervous when I saw Shizun that I couldn¡¯t recall it. I will go back and study hard for two more days, and will definitely be able to recite the entire first scroll fluently. Xu Shuangtze frowned and asked, ¡°Why are you nervous?¡± Gong Wei said solemnly, ¡°This is because the Sovereign¡¯s divine authority is intimidating.¡± ¡°But this Sovereign is your master.¡± Immediately, Gong Wei said, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So as soon as you see me, you should feel close to me, why are you intimidated by my divine might?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze continued, ¡°So it must be because you¡¯re not diligent enough.¡± A faint hint of dissatisfaction was evident in his tone. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei stood frozen for a long time, rendered speechless by Xu Shuangtze¡¯s response. Realising that he had been too quiet, Gong Wei took a sharp breath and quickly responded, ¡°Shizun is wise, I really admire you!¡±. He then quickly bowed his head and sorrowfully continued, ¡°This disciple indeed has another reason for the unpracticed recitation just now!¡± Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Oh, what is it?¡± ¡°This disciple studied hard all night, and was so intent on not disappointing Shizun¡¯s teachings and high expectations that I did not care to eat, and did not even have a good breakfast. Hence I am unable to recite the first volume fluently just now because I am too hungry! I promise I will be fine after lunch, so I seek your understanding, Shizun!¡± The hall was quiet. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze looked fixedly at Gong Wei, his expression unchanging. Gong Wei could even see his own reflection in his eyes and paused before hearing him say. ¡°Very reasonable.¡± Wen Xiuyang, who was previously fearful of making a sound, now felt like his heart was going to stop beating any time. With a single wave of his hand, Xu Shuangtze cast a transmission spell, and then a silver-drawn celadon dish in front of him suddenly glowed with scarlet light, and four round and plump peaches appeared neatly within the bowl! He quietly placed the porcelain dish in front of Gong Wei. Ktf qfjmt¡¯r rxlc kjr jr oijkifrr jr pjvf, jcv atflg ogjugjcmf kjr rb lcnlalcu atja bcf mbeiv afii ja olgra uijcmf atja atfrf kfgf cb bgvlcjgs qfjmtfr. Ktfs mjwf ogbw atf qfjmt ugbnf bearlvf Vbnfgfluc We¡¯r mtjwyfgr ktlmt kfgf lc yibbw atgbeutbea atf sfjg. Ktlr kjr j gfreia bo atf mbgqrf yibbv bo atf Obaer Pwwbgaji atja rffqfv lcab atf qfjmt ugbnf. Obaer Pwwbgaji Xbcu Qfl ujhfv ja atfrf obeg qfjmtfr obg j ibcu alwf jcv kjr rb wbnfv atja tf mbeiv cba ibbx ragjluta ja atfw. Ljio j wlceaf ijafg, tf rjlv, ¡°Vtlhec, atlr vlrmlqif lr rb oeii bo ofjg atja P jw rqffmtifrr¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°There is no need to say more. Eat.¡± Under the oppressive gaze from across the room, Gong Wei picked up a peach with trembling hands and took a bite. As he bit into the sweet flesh of the peach fruit, he felt as though he was biting into his own flesh and blood. ¡ªIf Xu Shuangtze found out about his return from the dead, he would be worse off than being made to eat his own flesh and blood, and there were a million ways for Big Brother Xu to make him regret that he had come back. He finished gnawing on all four peaches and found that the fruits that his blood had nourished were actually tastier. He couldn¡¯t help but feel even more sunken inside as he put down the peach core and said, ¡°Shizun, I¡ª¡± A piece of silver silk wrapped in white sandalwood fragrance, draped on his wet fingers. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Wipe it.¡± Gong Wei held Sovereign Xu¡¯s silk handkerchief as if it were a holy oracle and wiped his hands with difficulty. ¡°Are you full?¡± If he wasn¡¯t full there were thousands of peaches waiting outside, so Gong Wei looked very moved and immediately responded, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you recite properly now?¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± This time, the affection and great expectations of the master moved both the heavens and the disciple. The entire first volume of the Soul Fixing Spell was recited fluently, and although there were several stumbles in the middle, not a single mistake was made¡ªas if the two hundred frogs in the lotus pond last night had reappeared on Earth. When Gong Wei finished reciting the last word, Xu Shuangtze finally said, ¡°This time, it¡¯s not bad.¡± It was very good, but for ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ this was considered a near miracle. Gong Wei remembered that in his previous life, Xu Shuangtze had taught him how to write, and no matter how good he was, all he got was a cold ¡®not bad¡¯, so he thought to himself, ¡°Big Brother Xu is still so stingy in his compliments.¡± He looked at Xu Shuangtze with slightly widened eyes, but saw him pondering in silence, as if he was hesitating about something. In the end, he didn¡¯t say any more but waved his hand and said, ¡°Go and play.¡± A subtle and odd feeling passed through Gong Wei, but he suppressed his emotions, lowered his head, took a few steps backwards, and said respectfully, ¡°Shizun, Shixiong, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Then he turned his head and walked briskly out of the hall. As Gong Wei walked through the magnificent Xuanji Palace, wind came from afar, swirling a few scarlet peach blossom petals past his legs, creating a fairytale illusion. The young man leapt over the threshold with his hands behind his back under Xu Shuangtze¡¯s attentive gaze, before disappearing at the end of the long flight of white jade steps. The great hall was silent for a long time. Wen Xiuyang was staring at the ground beneath his feet, his muscles tense as a bow, when he suddenly heard Xu Shuangtze say indifferently in front of him, ¡°Xiuyang.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I see you have something to say?¡± The wind outside the hall had stopped at some point, and Wen Xiuyang felt as though his throat had been tightly wrapped by invisible iron wires. It was only after a long time that he managed to push out his words in a dry voice, ¡°¡­Replying to the Sovereign, this disciple has nothing to say.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Every second felt like an hour, and in no time, the clothes on Wen Xiuyang¡¯s back were steeped in sweat. Finally, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice could be heard from above his head once again, one word clearly after another. ¡°I will gift you another jade pendant, make sure you are careful not to break it again.¡± A gasping breath finally came out of Wen Xiuyang¡¯s throat, but fortunately it was overshadowed by the ¡®thud!¡¯ of his bent knee. He attempted to muffle the sound as he responded in a trembling voice, ¡°Thank you, Sovereign!¡± ¡ª¨C Plonk! Plonk! Plonk! A stone hit the surface of the water three times, sending waves of perfect ripples through the water. Gong Wei was an honest man, and when Xu Shuangtze told him to go play, he did¡ªif he didn¡¯t, he was not about to go back and carry on reciting that deadly spell either. Xuanji Palace was a terrifying size. In his previous life, he had never had the chance to wander around, hence only today did he realise that the inner halls were a complex network of chambers, pavilions and corridors. All the past masters of the Cang Yang Sect probably rarely travelled into the mortal world, and had nothing to do on top of the mountain, so they probably spent their time thinking about the architectural design of the Palace. Gong Wei strolled and explored the place, and it took him half a day to get to the end of the complex. Beyond that, he discovered a deep mountain valley, he saw a trestle bridge linked towards the vast, uninhabited mountain range. Seeing that the road had come to a natural halt, Gong Wei was about to turn back the way he came, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. In the distance, on the pale blue mountains, there was a building with glazed tiles and silver flying eaves. What a surprise! Gong Wei never knew that there was another place hidden within the deserted mountains so far away from the Cang Yang Sect, and it was facing Xu Shuangtze¡¯s residence and vaguely matching it. His first thought was that it must be the mausoleum of the past masters. The more he thought about it the more his curiosity got the better of him, ¡®I only know what kind of residence Xu Shuangtze has lived in when he was alive, but I have never seen what kind of tomb he will rest in after he dies.¡¯ With that, he swept his gaze around once more to ensure there was no one around, then he sneakily walked up the bridge. His pace was much lighter than the average person¡¯s, and after bouncing around for more than an hour, he saw the huge palace in front of him. The building was set in the middle of a dry forest, with curved eaves on three sides, dragon and phoenix ornaments, and a vast silver-vaulted roof. It looked beautiful under the darkening sky, yet there was an overwhelming sense of oppression and loneliness. The doors of the palace were shut tight, as if no one had been here for a long time, and the surrounding mountains were so quiet that not a single bird cry could be heard. With his hands behind his back, Gong Wei tilted his head to better survey the palace, and a strange feeling came over him. The building did not look like a house of the underworld, but it was so oppressive in its form, as if its builders had wanted to use it to pin down something. Which master had erected the palace here? What did he want to do with it? Gong Wei walked up the stairs and pushed open the doors of the palace. A light breeze swept into the chambers, sending layers of scarlet gauze fluttering into the air, as if there were endless peach blossoms blooming. At the end of the wide tungwood floorboards, which stretched into the distance, there were twelve screen doors made of whalebone, which were open. Gong Wei stood still in front of the screen doors and looked around for a long time, feeling that something seemed out of place, but he could not tell what it might be. He had seen Xu Shuangtze¡¯s bed, which was spacious, hard and flat, just like the owner¡¯s character. But this inner chamber had a high bed and soft pillows, covered by sheer curtains. On a jade case there were brushes on a stand and paper neatly placed. There was also a wide range of interesting objects on the antique shelves¡ªwhich was vastly different from Xu Shuangtze¡¯s usual style. The ivory walls are also framed with a set of twelve ancient paintings, a legendary tale from the Daoist scriptures that all disciples of the Xuanmen heard at the beginning of their education, ¡®The Ghost Prince Welcomes His Bride¡¯. The set of pictures was obviously old, from its faded and yellowed look. Gong Wei¡¯s gaze fixed on the eight paintings and his eyelids twitched. The picture depicted a little red fox blowing a suona, it looked so innocent and vivid that anyone who saw it would find it adorable. But there was an abrupt spattering of something on the bottom corner of the scroll, a streak that had faded to a dull red with the passage of time. It was a mouthful of blood. Gong Wei stood there puzzled, when out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw something else which made him shudder¡ª On the jade case beneath the painting lay a familiar dagger. The blade of the dagger still held onto its faint, blue glow even after years had passed. It was the dagger that he had failed to kill Xu Shuangtze with on the Ascension Platform sixteen years ago! Xu Shuangtze was a Mahayana-level cultivator, hence he was invulnerable to all poison except the ¡®Secret Passage of Yin and Yang Chaos Mantra¡¯ created by the Ghost Master Sect decades ago. This poison creation method began with cultivating the essence of the Yellow Springs Water which would eventually form a Holy Pill of the Underworld. This was the only fatal poison known to seal the fate of any Mahayana realm cultivator. The Ghost Master Sect has long been exterminated, and its evil, forbidden arts have been permanently sealed. Gong Wei was the one who rewrote all the scrolls. Back then, he used this Yellow Spring fatal poison in an attempt to assassinate Xu Shuangtze. Unfortunately his attempt was unsuccessful, and the dagger disappeared afterwards. Gong Wei originally thought it had been permanently sealed by Ying Kai in the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Correctional Palace, but unexpectedly, he saw it again today. Why is this vicious blade here? With a chill running through his heart, Gong Wei took a half step back and looked around, finally realising where the problem with this place lay. ¡ªThe beams, doors, windows and even the bed were carved with inconspicuous patterns. But when you looked closely, they were not ordinary decorations, but forbidden spells. The sheer number of them and the depth of their power was like nothing he has seen before. Once all the forbidden spells are activated, even a Supreme Golden Immortal could be trapped here ¡®til his death. This palace was not a tomb, it was a massive prison! ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± A shout came from outside the window, and Gong Wei turned around in search of that sound ¨C ¡ªsurprisingly, there was someone here! He thought for a moment, but did not say anything, and took two steps towards the corner of the wall. The voice outside the door didn¡¯t hear a response and when it spoke again, it became stern, ¡°The formation at the foot of the mountain has been broken, has someone entered the palace?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is an important place for the Sect, come out now!¡± Gong Wei¡¯s heart was astonished, and before he could move, he saw a sword glare which swiftly pierce through the gap in the window pane, and cut straight at his face with unbelievable speed! Gong Wei darted back, but the sword glare followed him closely with the speed of light, forcing him to move several feet away in a flash. The door to the palace was right behind him, and Gong Wei¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly as he put his two fingers together and held on to the sword glare. The fierce light then dissipated into nothingness. The door to the chambers swung open with a loud bang, and Gong Wei, without a struggle, rolled down the steps in front of the stranger. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Gong Wei had just fallen to the ground on his back when a sword blade was pointed at the tip of his nose. It was a young man with a stern look, dressed in white and silver armour, with a silver crown and neatly tied hair. He was in the same attire as Wen Xiuyang and apparently one of the eight disciples appointed by Xu Shuangtze to guard the palace. He looked slightly younger than Wen Xiuyang by a couple of years, and was very decent looking. Just that his face currently looked slightly greyish, with blue-purple veins protruding from his neck and at the backs of his hands. This was obviously because he had not recovered from exposure to extreme cold. Remembering who he was, Gong Wei faked a blush and said excitedly and affectionately,¡±Brother Chicken!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you recognise me, Brother Chicken?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± This was Wen Xiuyang¡¯s most junior Shidi, known as ¡®Fierce Star¡¯ within the Xuanmen, and who had been pranked by Dean Gong in his previous life¡ªSheng Bo. He had only been released from Cold Mountain Prison yesterday, and was unaware that he was just a chicken being killed for the monkeys to see as an example. He stared at Gong Wei with a blank expression. Suspicious, he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the outer disciple Xiang Xiaoyuan? What are you doing here?¡± When he found out that he was not a miscreant, Sheng Bo¡¯s shining sword tip moved away by half an inch. Gong Wei took advantage of the gap and got up, wiping his face with both hands, he instantly became teary, ¡°Shixiong, I¡¯m lost, I don¡¯t know how I crossed a bridge and came here, it¡¯s so dark inside, I¡¯m so scared, there¡¯s no one there, I didn¡¯t know how to get out¡­¡± Sheng Bo was not easy to fool, ¡°Lost? How can you get lost all the way here?¡± Gong Wei said pitifully, ¡°Shixiong, you must not tell Shizun, I really can¡¯t recite that book. Shizun said that he would check on me again in the evening, and that if I couldn¡¯t recite it, I would be punished by being locked up in Cold Mountain Prison, so I-so I¡­¡± The atmosphere froze for a long time before Sheng Bo said incredulously, ¡°You wanted to hide?¡± Gong Wei hid his face, ¡°Um.¡± The corners of Sheng Bo¡¯s eyebrows twitched violently for a long time before he took a heavy breath, and cursed, ¡°Nonsense! ¡ªTo have the Sovereign personally check on your progress is your blessing, how dare you shirk and hide, and run around the mountain to the Sect¡¯s forbidden grounds! Do you know what kind of place this is?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s movements froze. His hand covering his face moved as he peeked at Sheng Bo through his fingers even more pitifully, and said, ¡°I-I heard that it is the tomb of the previous masters¡­¡± ¡°Who said that? This is a forbidden ground that the Sovereign personally supervised and erected twenty years ago. No one has ever entered it except the Sovereign!¡± Sheng Bo¡¯s tone was extremely fierce, ¡°Everyone has known for twenty years that any trespassers will be killed!¡± CH 22 Editor: Sahloknir ¡ªSo it is really Xu Shuangtze. But what the hell did he build this place for? Does anyone else know that this is not forbidden ground, but a prison? While Gong Wei¡¯s mind was spinning, Sheng Bo thought his Shidi, who was infamous for his idiocy, was scared out of his wits and he frowned angrily, ¡°Get up! You¡¯re trespassing! Follow me back to the Xuanji Palace to see the Sovereign!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei dropped his hand and stared at him dumbfounded, saying a moment later, ¡°Sheng Shixiong, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t counter your sword just now, so I dodged it, and the sword glare broke the painting of the ¡®Ghost Prince Welcoming His Bride¡¯ that the Sovereign hung on the wall.¡± Sheng Bo: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Shixiong¡¯s swordplay is amazing!¡± Gong Wei had a face of admiration and clapped hard, ¡°The wall now has a big crack made by Shixiong!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sheng Bo¡¯s already pale face was now even paler, his pupils quivering for a long time. Finally, he grabbed Gong Wei¡¯s hand, and forced out a trembling smile, ¡°What sword glare? What is this painting of the ¡®Ghost Prince Welcoming His Bride¡¯? You¡¯re confused, you¡¯ve never even entered the hall, how do you know what painting is hanging on the wall?¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± ¡°Any trespassers will be killed, how can Shixiong bear to see you killed by the Sovereign? From now on, you must not tell anyone about this Forbidden Palace, and I will keep it a secret for you as well, do you understand?¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± Sheng Bo grabbed and shook him frantically by the shoulders, ¡°No buts! If you talk, you¡¯ll die! Just pretend that nothing has happened today, do you understand?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s bright eyes blinked a few times, and he finally obediently said ¡°Oh, I understand.¡± Sheng Bo breathed a sigh of relief, and hastily pulled him up, ¡°Hurry up, I¡¯ll lead you down the mountain!¡± Sheng Bo was extremely famous in the Xuanmen, but even the fiercest star was afraid of Xu Shuangtze, so even if he had borrowed the courage of a hundred and twenty guts, he wouldn¡¯t dare to enter into the palace to check out the damaged painting and wall. With fear and trepidation, he could only send Gong Wei across the bridge and back to Xuanji Palace grounds. Before leaving, he took Gong Wei by the ear and warned him time and again, forcing him to swear that he would never tell anyone about what had happened today. Gong Wei rubbed his red ears with resentment and took a long detour to avoid Xu Shuangtze¡¯s main hall, returning to his own quarters in the side hall. He dropped flat on his bed and thought about everything he saw in the Forbidden Palace earlier. The oppressive domed-roof, the heavily locked doors, the thousands of confinement charms carved with every stroke¡­And the unreal hall full of gauze veils, high beds and soft pillows¡­ Countless images swirled in his mind, and finally, that festive painting of a little red fox playing a suona came into focus. And that dried blood splatter on the painting. Not being able to pinpoint what, but Gong Wei felt that there was something vaguely different about Xu Shuangtze this time. Underneath that majestic, distant, condescending face, there seemed to be some kind of violence¡ªhidden like an undercurrent at the bottom of a deep pool. One that was strong enough to tear everything apart. But he didn¡¯t know what it was. Gong Wei was deep in thought, but his body could not support his powerful spirit, and his consciousness gradually blurred. In a trance, he seemed to have walked out of a door, his soul drifting in mid-air. Suddenly he came to a vast platform. Wide, white-jade bricks, without a trace of colour, were beneath his feet. The area was paved as far as the eye could see. In the distance, between the mountains and the rivers, stood a huge jade stele, with the big words inscribed in seal script: Ascension Platform. Ascension Platform? Gong Wei¡¯s pupils instantly constricted, and he turned his head¡­ The next moment there was a sharp pain in his left side as a sword pierced into his chest! ¡°¡­¡± He grabbed the sword in a deathlike grip and trembled, ¡°Xu Shuangtze¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze stood tall, his high, deep brow bones were etched in shadows, it was impossible to see his expression, with only his thin lips visible. ¡°I¡­like you,¡± Gong Wei heard his own gasping voice say, ¡°you-you can¡¯t do this to me¡­¡± ¡ªWhy was the pain and despair all so real? Why were the visions that had already been experienced once under the Mirror Art repeating themselves now? Xbcu Qfl mbeivc¡¯a tfiq yea klvfc tlr fsfr, jcv tf rjk We Vtejcuahf olcjiis ifjc vbkc rilutais, gfnfjilcu atbrf mbiv, qlamt-yijmx qeqlir jcv yibbvrtba fsfr. Lfktlrqfgfv lcab Xbcu Qfl¡¯r fjg, ¡°Tbe vbc¡¯a ilxf wf, Xbcu Qfl. Tbe¡¯gf pera¡­¡± C nlbifca klcv revvfcis gbjgfv qjra, vgbkclcu bea tlr reyrfdefca kbgvr. At the same time, Gong Wei¡¯s eyes gazed past Xu Shuangtze, and the tragic situation unfolding behind him. Dozens of sect masters had fallen to the ground bleeding, turning the entire Ascension Platform into a blood-stained hell. Groans and screams could be heard, but many more had simply fallen onto the cracked ground, or leaning against the bloodied golden pillars, motionless and dead. Not far away, a man leaned against his sword, barely standing up. There was a sharp weapon which had pierced through his abdomen, with blood soaking through the eagle-back brown Sword Sect¡¯s robe. It was the Sword Master Yuchi Rui! Gong Wei, now neck-deep in a nightmare, didn¡¯t have time to notice who had injured his friend. He saw Yuchi Rui gritting his teeth and pulling out his sword with all his might, slashing towards him like a titanic mountain¡­ Clang! Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t even look back, but raised his hand to block the attack. The sword slammed into his arm and was stopped in mid-air! As a loud sound echoed, Yuchi Rui spurted a mouthful of blood, spluttering on Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sleeve. He had exhausted the last ounce of his strength and fell down to his knees, ¡°No¡­don¡¯t¡­¡± Gong Wei gasped, on the verge of death, only to see Yuchi Rui look past Xu Shuangtze at him, saying each word with great despair, ¡°Can¡¯t¡­let him¡­¡± Can¡¯t let him what? What the hell happened on the Ascension Platform?! Gong Wei had a splitting headache and suddenly his eyes fluttered open and he sat up straight on the bed, almost hitting the nose of the person in front of him, ¡°¡ªAh!¡± The dream silently faded away, and the moon was shining brightly outside the window. Peach blossom petals swirled in the night sky, blown by the breeze, and the large luminous pearl at the corner of his bed was glowing. A crisscrossing summoning formation appeared in mid-air, at the centre of which was a person who should not be here at this moment. Gong Wei rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of his splitting headache, ¡°Yuchi Xiao?¡± Yuchi Xiao froze at the corner of his bedside, his handsome face was in fluster, probably because he failed at his attempt to be unnoticed. After a short while, he decided to strike first, ¡°Why are you calling Lord Xu¡¯s name in your dreams?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei asked in return, ¡°Why did you appear in my room in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°What did you just dream about?¡± ¡°You specifically stood at the foot of my bed to spy on me sleeping, right?¡± ¡°I did not!¡± Yuchi Xiao was so annoyed that even his ears turned red, ¡°I just suddenly remembered something and came over to ask you about it, and I happened to see something under your pillow, so I was just curious!¡± Gong Wei looked down and saw the corner of a blue-sealed book pressed under his jade pillow, and he pulled it out and looked at it. ¡®The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love¡¯. On the book cover was a handsome immortal in a white robe with a golden crown and a sword, holding the hands of the handsome and fair young man in front of him. They stared into each other¡¯s eyes with deep affection but also sorrow. An indescribable silence enveloped the entire room. Gong Wei stuffed the book back under the pillow and calmly said, ¡°I brought it back from Linjiang City, just didn¡¯t find the opportunity to toss it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao asked sternly, ¡°You know that if this book was found, you would be cut up by Lord Xu himself and fed to the dogs, right?¡± Gong Wei sneered back, ¡°You know that if you were discovered spying on the disciples of the Cang Yang Sect sleeping in the middle of the night, you would also be cut up and fed to the dogs, right?¡± ¡°I said I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve come to peep at this book!¡± ¡°That¡¯s pure slander!¡± Yuchi Xiao almost lost control of his voice. He then immediately gritted his teeth and lowered his voice to a whisper such that only two of them could hear, ¡°I just remembered something and came over to ask!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Yuchi Xiao looked as if he wanted to wave his hands and leave, but for the burning question, which forced him to remain still instead. After a moment of forbearance, he said stiffly, ¡°You said that last time.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°You said spying on me wasn¡¯t as convenient as spying on Lord Xu.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao reprimanded, ¡°Although you always behave inappropriately like this, and can¡¯t walk away whenever you see a decent looking passerby¡ªbut the outer disciples of the Cang Yang Sect live far away from the Xuanji Hall, so how can you spy with convenience? And you have moved quarters? Why?¡± In the silence of the night, Gong Wei stared long and hard at Young Master Yuchi with a peculiar expression, as if he was meeting him for the first time today, before he slowly said, ¡°Your ardent concern for me is truly impressive, Young Master Yuchi.¡± ¡°I am not concerned! Yunfei said that Lord Xu had a long-standing hatred for Chief Gong and he was afraid that he would show disdain for you as well when you returned to the Cang Yang Sect. You¡¯re a little shit and nobody cares if you die anyway, Yunfei just wants me to check if you are alive every now then then!¡± That was a pure slander, the word ¡®little shit¡¯ would never come out of the lips of a gentleman like Meng Yunfei in his lifetime. Gong Wei dragged an ¡°Aww¡ª¡± sound, smiled and replied, ¡°You worry too much, Young Swordsman. This chief¡­I am so popular with people and have countless admirers and followers. Since I left Lingjiang City, Lord Xu has a good eye for talent and not only did he immediately let me move into Xuanji Palace, he also personally taught me the Cang Yang Sect¡¯s secret arts. He even promised to take me as his disciple¡­ surprised?¡± Now it was Yuchi Xiao¡¯s turn to stare at Gong Wei for a long time with an unfamiliar and unusual gaze, as if he knew him for the first time today. He said after a long time, ¡°Stop joking around and get serious.¡± Gong Wei put one hand on his cheek and winked slyly, ¡°Who¡¯s playing with you? This little mei demon¡¯s life is also a life, and whoever wronged the little mei demon before will pay the price one day.¡± He often spoke so half-heartedly, like a playful child. But for some reason when he heard these words, Yuchi Xiao instinctively felt a slight difference. The change was so subtle and disappeared so quickly that he couldn¡¯t tell if it was an illusion. Gong Wei turned towards him and asked with a smile, ¡°By the way, Young Swordsman¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard you say last time that to activate the summoning formation you must first call out the name of the person being summoned, and then say the relationship between the two¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao froze suddenly. ¡°So what did you just call me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The air seemed to be still, Gong Wei gave a look of mockery, and Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression froze. Halfway through, he stammered, ¡°I-I just, I only¡­¡± Knock! Knock! Suddenly, there were two heavy knocks on the door, which interrupted the latter part of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s sentence, followed by someone unceremoniously pushing the door in. Gong Wei and Yuchi Xiao both turned back and almost immediately, their hearts stopped. A man in loose robes stepped in, the moonlight cast a soft light on his handsome, icy face. It was Xu Shuangtze! ¡°¡ªWhat¡¯s all this noise in the middle of the night?¡± Gong Wei stumbled and slid out of the bed, while Yuchi Xiao hurriedly bowed, ¡°Greetings, Sovereign! This humble junior pays his respects to Lord Xu!¡± The only thing the duo could think of at this moment was: How can you even hear us? Xu Shuangtze stood still, but no one could see his gaze fall on Gong Wei while not giving so much as a glance at Yuchi Xiao on the other side. A moment later, he slowly opened his mouth, but spoke not to Gong Wei. ¡°Young Master Yuchi.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What matter do you have, coming unannounced at this late hour?¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Yuchi Xiao said, ¡°Replying to the Sovereign, this junior is acquainted with your disciple, Xiang Xiaoyuan. Since leaving Linjiang City, we have not heard from each other, therefore¡ª¡± His words stopped abruptly, his pupils reflected Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sudden movements. Xu Shuangtze bent down towards Gong Wei¡¯s waist. Hanging around the young man¡¯s sleeping robes was a blood-red jade pendant. With a tug, Xu Shuangtze pulled the silk ribbon off. ¡°A Qilin pendant,¡± Xu Shuangtze said indifferently. The jade pendant glowed faintly under the moonlight because it was responding to the activation of a summoning formation. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression was not one of joy or anger, and he fondled it carelessly for a moment, before finally looking at Yuchi Xiao. ¡°My disciple is too young and heartless¡ªnot worthy of the Golden Gate¡¯s Sword Sect family.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression changed. Xu Shuangtze continued, ¡°I think we should forget about this engagement.¡± The next moment, Yuchi Xiao blurted out, ¡°How can we just forget about it?¡± A month ago, when Yuchi Xiao went up Cang Yang Mountain, he was resolute in dissolving the engagement and exposing Xiang Xiaoyuan as a half-demon and an ¡®inhuman thing¡¯ in front of the crowd. Now that he had gotten what he wanted, he was not delighted, but instead, a wave of anger surged to his head and he said, ¡°Lord Xu is too impetuous, our union as cultivation partners has already been announce to the Immortal Alliance, even if you wanted us to break it off today, we can¡¯t let you do so lightly¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t?¡± Xu Shuangtze asked in return. Yuchi Xiao was speechless, and looked at Gong Wei with a start. Gong Wei was already kneeling on the ground behind Xu Shuangtze, cold sweat rolling down his face but he didn¡¯t dare to reach out to wipe it. Yuchi Xiao, ¡°?¡± ¡°Go, go back and get help!¡± Gong Wei mouthed, ¡°Get your uncle to help! Hurry!¡± The next moment Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes glanced at Gong Wei who instantly froze up, only to hear him ask indifferently, ¡°What is the opinion of my beloved disciple?¡± Gong Wei said meekly, ¡°This disciple will do as Shizun wishes.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression immediately changed, ¡° Lord Xu please do not jest, when have you accepted any disciples? Even Wen Xiuyang¡ª¡± Without letting him finish his sentence, Xu Shuangtze nodded his head and said, ¡°Very well.¡± He then flicked his thumb on the Qilin pendant. The faint light on the jade pendant suddenly went out, and at the same time the summoning formation in mid-air also dissipated. Before Yuchi Xiao could say anything more, he turned into countless specks of light and disappeared in a swishing wind! Darkness returned to the large hall, and the frozen air pressed heavily overhead, with only the moonlight reflecting the two figures standing and kneeling on the floor. Gong Wei lowered his head even more, but felt a chill on his lower jaw as he was lifted up by Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold, strong hand, while he spoke one word after another, ¡°Lo-tus-Im-mortal.¡± There was a buzz resounding in Gong Wei¡¯s head, and his heart lifted to his throat. ______________________________________________________________________ Sahl: Um¡­ *small voice* Sorry ¡®bout the cliffhanger, guys. *runs away* ¡­ But also ¡®cause Chansie is awesome and agreed to my pleas ¨C you can go straight to the next chapter as a special double release (¡®cause cliffhangers are good, but only when you have the option of instant relief!). Once per week releases will commence again next week. Takeaways from this chapter: Gong Wei and Yuchi Xiao bickering over who is more inappropriate¡­ Xu Shuangtze calmly ending their engagement ¡®on behalf of the rest of the world¡¯. CH 23 Editor: Sahloknir In that silence, Gong Wei¡¯s pupils constricted¡ªonly to see Xu Shuangtze looking back at him fixedly. ¡°When the Lotus Immortal was alive, he was close with the Golden Gate Sword Sect family.¡± ¡°So, the more you resemble him, the higher the chance of being taken over, understand?¡± The blood rushed to his cold limbs, and the muscles in Gong Wei¡¯s tense back finally loosened. And when he spoke again, no one could hear the slightest difference, except for the hoarseness and shame in his voice. ¡°Yes, this disciple understands!¡± Xu Shuangtze nodded, yet he still did not let go. Each of his long, slender fingers contained an unimaginably strong spiritual power, and he was squeezing Gong Wei¡¯s chin lightly. He then suddenly said, ¡°Do you know who the Lotus Immortal hated most during his lifetime?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The corners of Lord Xu¡¯s mouth curled slightly, but the same expression was not reflected in his eyes, ¡°Naturally, it was me.¡± There was probably no one in the world who would not think that Lord Xu and Chief Gong were each other¡¯s greatest hatred. So Gong Wei, who opened his mouth slightly in an attempt to object, did not say a word, and closed it instead. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°I think I told you that most of the descendants of the Yuchi family are unruly and not worthy of friendship.¡± Gong Wei replied sincerely, ¡°Shizun did tell me that.¡± ¡°Then why are you still secretly acquainted with them behind my back?¡± The word ¡®secretly¡¯ used to describe the situation was a strange choice, but Gong Wei said with a shameful expression, ¡°This disciple was not thinking straight, so please punish me, Shizun.¡± But Xu Shuangtze asked in return, ¡°Punish?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s white satin innermost robes draped loosely over his shoulders, revealing his long neck and firm chest. Only a length of silk ribbon hung loosely around his waist, barely maintaining a knot. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes fell on it. In the dimly lit room, Gong Wei was unable to see his expression, and it was only after a long time that he released his grip on Gong Wei¡¯s lower jaw. Without saying a word, he reached out to slowly and carefully straighten up the lapels of his inner clothes for him. Gong Wei¡¯s tone was frightened, ¡°I really know that I am wrong! Shizun, please¡­¡± ¡°I find that no matter how well you make promises in front of me, once you turn your back, you still continue to do things that displease me.¡± Xu Shuangtze then meticulously loosened and re-tied the satin ribbon on Gong Wei¡¯s waist into a tighter knot. He was leaning over, so close to Gong Wei that he could clearly smell the scent of white sandalwood from the side of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s neck. In a tone of indifference, Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°So as your Shizun, I have gone out of my way to deal with you.¡± ¡°Shizun¡ª¡± Before Gong Wei could complete his sentence, Xu Shuangtze stood up and commanded, ¡°Guards!¡± The sound of footsteps came from outside the door of the side hall, and the two disciples on night duty rushed in. They were none other than Wen Xiuyang and Sheng Bo. Gong Wei watched as Xu Shuangtze¡¯s stern gaze swept around and said, ¡°Pack up his things and move them to the main hall.¡± Xuanji Palace¡¯s main hall! That was Xu Shuangtze¡¯s own residence! Gong Wei¡¯s expression changed, and before he could utter any words, he heard Sheng Bo blurt out, ¡°But Sovereign¡­¡± The next thing he knew, Gong Wei was being held down by Wen Xiuyang. This was the eldest disciple, who had been with Xu Shuangtze for the longest of time and ranked first in this generation of Cang Yang Sect¡¯s disciples. He looked tense as he stared down at the ground, ¡°Yes, Sovereign!.¡± In his past life, although Chief Gong was thrilled to sneak into Sovereign Xu¡¯s bedchamber, it was really just for the fun of it. He would never have imagined that one day he would have to live, eat and sleep alongside this man. With a face full of trepidation at his doomed reality, he said, ¡°I implore Shizun to think twice, how dare this disciple interrupt Sovereign¡¯s cultivation? I think it is better to¡ª¡± His words were interrupted once again as Xu Shuangtze turned around and pulled him up from the ground with hands which were firm and strong like iron. But he still spoke gently, ¡°There is no need to be flattered, my beloved disciple. Under my exclusive care, you will no longer be in danger of having your body taken over.¡± ¡°But the greatest wish of this disciple is for Shizun¡¯s peace and happiness, so how dare I impose on your life?¡± ¡°If you were really taken over by the Lotus Immortal, I would not be able to be at peace with myself.¡± Immediately, Gong Wei bowed long and solemnly, ¡°This disciple would rather kill myself than let him have his way!¡± Xu Shuangtze asked coldly in return, ¡°Since my beloved disciple is so filial, how can I bear to see you die?¡± ¡°Sovereign,¡± Wen Xiuyang came up quickly and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve already finished packing.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sharp gaze swept towards Gong Wei and walked out with his arms tucked behind his back, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Po tf kjr wjvf ab ilnf klat tlr ofiibk vlrmlqifr, la kbeiv cba yf jr ylu bo j vfji¡ªjr atf mtjcmfr bo yflcu fzqbrfv kjr ibk, yea la kjr vloofgfca klat We Vtejcuahf. Xbcu Qfl xcfk atja lo tf kfgf ab ilnf jibcurlvf We Vtejcuahf obg wbgf atjc atgff vjsr, tf kbeiv cba yf jyif ab frmjqf ecvfafmafv ecvfg atbrf rtjgq, ecojhfv fsfr. Ccv ys atfc, fnfc j delmx vfjat gluta kbeiv yf j iezegs. He would much rather go to the Eight Prisons of Cang Yang than enter the main hall of Xuanji Palace! As Sheng Bo, who was carrying a stack of items¡ªpillows and mattress taller than himself, walked past, Gong Wei took a deep breath and in a flash made a painful decision. He stuck out his foot, and Sheng Bo tripped and staggered before he fell over with a crash. ¡°¡ªAh!¡± As he did so, Sheng Bo dropped the stack of items he carried in his arms. Among them, a dark blue book spun a short distance before stopping at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s feet. Time seemed to have been forced into a halt as Xu Shuangtze slowly looked down. The large, bold title ¡®The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love¡¯, as well as the cover illustration of Lord Xu and the Lotus Immortal in love, appeared very prominently in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Dead silence. Wen Xiuyang¡¯s expression froze, and Sheng Bo¡¯s eyes, whose gaze had fallen to the book, nearly popped out of their sockets. With a thud, Gong Wei fell to his knees and pleaded, ¡°Shizun, please have mercy! I won¡¯t dare to do this again!¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face showed no emotion, and even if one measured with a ruler, there would not be the slightest shift in his sculpted eyebrows or even his thin, cold lips. He just stared fixedly at the cover of the book at his feet for a long time, before leaning down to pick it up. He held it in his hands and flipped through a few pages. ¡°Shizun¡­¡± ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Gong Wei said sincerely, ¡°I bought it in Linjiang City.¡± ¡°Why did you buy it?¡± ¡°This disciple got carried away for a moment and went astray!¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you throw it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei revealed a look of shame. Xu Shuangtze nodded and said without moving his head further, ¡°It seems like an exciting read, can¡¯t bear to toss it?¡± Sheng Bo finally firmly closed his mouth, which had been constantly trembling from the excessive shock, and desperately made a wink to hint for Gong Wei to kowtow and admit his guilt. But immediately afterwards, Xu Shuangtze raised his hand and beckoned, ¡°Come here.¡± His hand was no different from a soul beckoning flag, and Sheng Bo shut his eyes reflexively at this action. However, the next moment, the expected image of bloodshed and a new corpse on the ground did not materialise. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand softly landed on top of Gong Wei¡¯s head and stroked it, saying in a harmonious voice, ¡°Young children who work too hard on studying may sometimes be tempted by the curiosity of strange gossip.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s intended sentence of ¡°Please don¡¯t send me to the Cold Mountain Prison,¡± was stuck in his throat. ¡°You are slow at memorizing, and this is a good opportunity to practice more.¡± Xu Shuangtze paused and placed ¡®The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love¡¯ in Gong Wei¡¯s hand. ¡°From tomorrow onwards, you should familiarise yourself with this book and memorise one chapter a day and recite it out loud for me to check. Remember to recite it fluently, clearly and emotively as the book intended, do you understand?¡± If it was just a deathly silence earlier, now it had evolved into a terrible, hell-like atmosphere¡ªenough to suffocate everyone present. Their throats felt like they had been blocked by a piece of hot stone. They saw Gong Wei take in a long breath, then exhale deeply and slowly, as he stood still for a moment. The accumulation of his lifelong acting skills were evoked at this moment. Thud. Gong Wei knelt down gratefully and held the book high above his head with both hands. Each his words were heartfelt and sincere, ¡°This disciple is extremely grateful for Shizun¡¯s kindness, and will follow Shizun¡¯s advice.¡± Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, ¡°Go on, beloved disciple.¡± ¡ªXu Shuangtze!!! ¡ª¨C Meanwhile, at the Golden Gate Sect¡­ ¡°It¡¯s almost 3AM, where is the young master going?¡± ¡°Young master!¡± When the voices of the guards came from outside the hall, Yuchi Rui was sitting cross-legged behind a wide table, reading a book. Despite his actual age, the current Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Rui Changsheng, was in his peak form and looked no older than a twenty-year-old lad. In terms of appearance, Yuchi Xiao looked quite similar to him, but the Sword Master himself had a higher brow ridge and a sharper nose, giving off a colder, more untamed and less sociable feel. At the moment, he had taken off his light armour of dark gold and placed it on the edge of the table. He wore his eagle-back brown robe, lined with shining golden trim, and his famous sword, Tower of Rakshasa, was leaning silently beside him, giving off a great sense of oppression. He was holding a book in one hand and reaching out with the other, when the door was thrown open. ¡ªBang! Yuchi Rui snapped the book in his hand shut. Within a ¡®Spirit of the Sword¡¯ manual was a perfectly concealed pamphlet¡ª¡¯Kaiyuan Tabloid New Special Exclusive! : The Walking Fort of the World¡¯s Patriarchal Battle Competition ¨C Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Changsheng!¡¯ ¡ª Expressionless, he looked up, only to see his own nephew, Yuchi Xiao, stride in. ¡°Sword Master,¡± Yuchi Xiao lowered his body and sternly said, ¡° This disciple has some duties to fulfil and must leave now. I am here to bid farewell.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Three question marks appeared neatly on the top of Yuchi Rui¡¯s head, but without saying a word, he withdrew his hand from a plate of melon seeds and led out a calm ¡°Hmph.¡± Yuchi Xiao spun around and walked away. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡± A sudden voice came from behind him as he stepped across the threshold of the Great Hall. Yuchi Xiao turned back and smiled helplessly, ¡°Why do you have to remind me of this every time I¡¯ve gone out since I was little, Uncle?¡± Without raising his head, the Sword Master waved his right hand to gesture that he could go. The heavy door closed again with a loud bang, and Yuchi Rui¡¯s hand stopped at a page before he mumbled in a low voice, ¡°Because people die too easily.¡± ¡ª¨C ¡ªTwenty years ago, at the river which flows outside of the Correctional Palace, where the clear waters wash over mossy rocks, a familiar figure sat on a stone with his legs crossed, fishing. His joyful laughter and voice scattered the tiny fish away, ¡°By the way, Changsheng, I snuck into Cang Yang Mountain last night to look for Xu Shuangtze, and guess what? That guy ended up issuing a decree that both the Lotus Immortal and dogs are not allowed on the mountain. That really pissed me off!¡± The young Sword Master held on to his fishing rod and said calmly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Gong Wei said, ¡°Why is that impossible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like the dog did anything wrong.¡± ¡°Yuchi Changsheng!¡± Yuchi Rui dodged the fishhook on a string which came hurling towards him, and said with a scowl, ¡°A dog like you will be killed by that man someday.¡± ¡°Nonsense, I would still be alive even after he dies, believe it or not I may not lose to him in an actual duel!¡± ¡°You won¡¯t lose. You¡¯ll just be killed.¡± ¡°Yuchi Changsheng!!!¡± ¡ª¨C ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sixteen years ago, at the foot of the Ascension Platform, the lofty Correctional Palace hidden in the boundless sea of clouds, Yuchi Rui finally couldn¡¯t help it as he turned his head to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s your sword?¡± The ceremony was about to begin, and Gong Wei who stood beside him was dressed as grandly as he was. Gong Wei wore a rouge-red robe embroidered with gold maple leaves in and had two small gold coins adorned on his waistband. It could be because his waistband was too tight that day, but his whole body looked perversely tense, his cheeks were as pale as ice, but his eyes were dark, staring straight at the Ascension Platform high above the mountain stream. ¡°Gong Wei?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± Gong Wei seems to have woken up from a daze and suddenly looked away, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Yuchi Rui narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of Gong Wei¡¯s gaze, only to see a figure standing against the wind on the distant platform. It was Xu Shuangtze, who was officiating the Immortal Alliance event. ¡°Didn¡¯t you two recently call a truce?¡± Yuchi Rui asked suspiciously. The question went unanswered for a long time, and when Yuchi Rui turned around, he saw that Gong Wei had one hand clasped rigidly on his sleeve, as if he was hiding something up there. His grip was so forceful that even the tendons on the back of his hand could be seen. A sense of uneasiness came from nowhere, and Yuchi Rui lowered his voice, ¡°Gong Zhiyu!¡± Gong Wei suddenly asked, ¡°Do you believe that some people are born just to accomplish a certain task?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei opened his mouth at Yuchi Rui¡¯s glare, but said nothing, and hastily laughed instead, ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll die?¡± The word ¡®die¡¯ had appeared hundreds and thousands of times when the two of them were trolling and jesting with each other. But this was the only time that Yuchi Rui¡¯s eyelids twitched for no reason at all, ¡°Gong Zhiyu, you¡ª¡± ¡°Just kidding,¡± said Gong Wei cheekily, interrupting Yuchi Rui. A short while later he smiled again, though it looked like he was barely forcing out the expression before taking a deep breath. ¡°¡­just kidding.¡± ¡°It is time¡ª¡± ¡°Esteemed Lotus Immortal, this way please¡ª¡± Yuchi Rui watched as Gong Wei brushed past him, walking towards the magnificent, expansive platform amidst the drifting clouds and lush mountains. His crimson robe fluttered majestically in the wind and his figure gradually disappeared without a trace, just as he had first appeared in this world for no reason many years ago. Everything that followed from this point was a swirling nightmare with details and images blurred and exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness and played out in a myriad of repetitions. All these were finally cut short by a hissing cry, ¡°Reporting to the Sword Sect Master! There has been an incident on the platform!¡± ¡°Chief Gong has passed away!!¡ª¡± The shrill trailing voice was like a heavy hammer which came crashing down, shattering the late winter of the twenty-eighth year of Taiyi. The effects of the incident of the Immortal Alliance years ago could be felt even now, shaking the perception of many young cultivators on their quest for immortality. It was only then that people realised that even if they attain a cultivation level to freely summon the winds and rains, shift the stars up high and glimpse the will of the heavens, they would eventually die. There are no certainties in this world. Life, death and eternal parting are merely moments apart. ¡ª¨C Now, in the grand hall of the Golden Gate was a pin-drop silence. Yuchi Rui stood up and just as he reached towards his ¡®Tower of Rakshasa¡¯ sword, a sudden buzz came in mid-air. A messenger token on the table suddenly flew up, bursting into an interlocking array of lights from a manifestation formation, and a man in a dark-blue robe with a gold hook around his waist stood in the middle. The man held on a greenish-copper sword in sheath which carried three distinct carvings ¡®Ding Shan Hai¡¯. It was Ying Kai. What is it at this hour? Before Yuchi Rui could say anything, he saw Ying Kai using his sword to support his body with a clang and gasped, ¡°The Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm is not damaged.¡± Yuchi Rui¡¯s eyebrows jumped, ¡°What does that mean?¡± Immediately afterwards, he saw Ying Kai hold up an object in his left hand. Half the size of his palm, it was densely engraved with strange inscriptions. It was the bronze lens that Xu Shuangtze had ripped out from the heart of a ghost cultivator back in Lingjiang City! ¡°I went back to the Immortal Alliance and opened up the Forbidden Mirror Palace. None of the illusionary mirrors are broken, meaning that this particular fragment is not from the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui blinked in confusion, then pointed at the fragment in Ying Kai¡¯s hand, ¡°It looks exactly the same.¡± Ying Kai seemed very tired and gasped, ¡°I know. By comparing the inscriptions I even found the specific mirror which this fragment supposedly belongs to, but the mirror is perfectly intact. The only explanation I can only think of is the existence of a replica. But the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm itself is an ancient divine artefact and could never have been re-crafted by anyone¡ª¡± Thud! Thud! Thud!! There was a sudden sound from within the array, getting louder each time, and interrupting Ying Kai¡¯s words. Yuchi Rui wondered, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ying Kai hastily turned his head, but through the formation, Yuchi Rui could not see what was behind his friend, and could only vaguely make out that his surroundings were extremely dark. However, the vibrations from Ying Kai¡¯s end caused the ground around Yuchi Rui to gradually shake. ¡°¡­Xu Shuangtze mentioned that the ghost cultivators in Linjiang City were related to Gong Wei, and I didn¡¯t believe it. I wanted to come down and verify this for myself.¡± Ying Kai swallowed before continuing, ¡°But I¡¯m probably down on my luck for tonight.¡± Yuchi Rui lifted his sword, ¡°Where the hell are you?¡± Thud! Thud!! The ground shook violently as Kai spun around and pressed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, saying, ¡°If there is no news from me within the next twenty-four hours, according to the laws of the Immortal Alliance, the Cang Yang Sect Master will be summoned as the next Alliance Master, with the ¡®Three Sovereigns¡¯ working together to assist him.¡± Yuchi Rui shouted, ¡°Ying Kai!¡± Ying Kai gave a decisive wave before he could hear it, and the manifestation formation dispersed¡ª Together with the formation, Yuchi Rui¡¯s figure turned into millions of sparks, and then quickly disappeared. The darkness of the underground palace returned, and all Ying Kai could hear was his own breathing, accompanied by the thick stench of the corpses around him. Thud! Like a million heavy objects hitting the ground at once, something was close. Thud! Even closer. Thud¡ª The ground shook abruptly and violently, and then returned to a dead silence. ¡°¡­This junior, Ying Chenyuan, has disrupted the rest of the seniors.¡± Ying Kai¡¯s pupils constricted tightly as he said softly, ¡°My apologies.¡± The next moment, Ding Shan Hai unsheathed itself, and the sword glare exploded swiftly, instantly illuminating into sight the countless pairs of dull and glassy eyes all around him¡ª In the darkness, all the pale green faces were close to Ying Kai, all of which were staring straight at him, lining stiffly for as far as the eye could see. They were countless dead bodies that had risen from their coffins. ______________________________________________________________________ Sahl: Look, yes, it¡¯s another cliffhanger, but it¡¯s not as bad as the last one¡­ Takeaways and hilarity from this chapter: Xu Shuangtze moving his wife Gong Wei into his bed. Yuchi Rui reading tabloids under the pretence of studying. The plot thickens with Gong Wei and his attempted assassination of hubby Xu Shuangtze. Ying Kai needs rescuing and I have a new ship ¨C Ying Kai x Yuchi Rui. (To go with my YunFei x Yuchi Xiao and Xu Shuangtze x Gong Wei ships ¨C I now have a navy!) CH 24 Editor: Sahloknir ¡°When the Lotus Immortal was still young, a handsome and magnificent man caught his eye from afar. A person beside him said, ¡°That is the most beautiful man in the world, he is the Cang Yang Sect Master.¡± Suddenly, he saw that this Sovereign seemed to be aware of his stare, and stopped to smile back at him. Seeing this, the Lotus Immortal was shaken to his core and could not help¡ª¡± The hall was silent for a long time, and Xu Shuangtze tapped one of his long fingers on the book and said, ¡°Could not help but what?¡± The morning light shone into the vast hall of the Xuanji Palace. On either side of an intricately made wooden table, the master and disciple pair were seated, their brushes, ink and jade slips neatly arranged in order. If one ignored the expression on Gong Wei¡¯s face, which now looked like his soul had been sucked out of his body, this scene really could be described as ¡®wise teacher and earnest student, learning from each other¡¯. ¡°¡­could not help but¡­¡± Gong Wei paused and said numbly, ¡°blush bashfully.¡± There was silence outside the hall. Xu Shuangtze flipped a page of the book and asked, ¡°And then what?¡± There was a clanging of the table and chairs, and Gong Wei rose to make a long and deep bow, ¡°Shizun, this disciple didn¡¯t memorise the next part.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°This disciple couldn¡¯t bear to see unruly people slander Shizun, and I was so angry that my heart and internal organs could burn!¡± ¡°Oh, really,¡± Xu Shuangtze flipped another page of the book, ¡°but you finished reading it, kept it pressed under your pillow and don¡¯t seem to have any intention of throwing it away.¡± Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Besides, since it¡¯s merely a rumour, there¡¯s no need to take it seriously or be angry.¡± Xu Shuangtze closed the book and gently tossed it in front of Gong Wei, saying, ¡°Take it back and continue to memorise. After lunch you need to recite the first chapter fluently. If you can¡¯t, you will have to recite it aloud a hundred times in front of me. Go on.¡± A short while later there was a creak and the door of the hall opened. Sheng Bo, who stood on the steps, turned around and saw Gong Wei who was now pale and in a trance, step across the threshold slowly. He still had the scandalous book under his arm. ¡°¡­¡± Sheng Bo could not hold back, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Gong Wei shook his head without saying a word, he stopped and stood still on the steps. Gong Wei rested one hand on his forehead and squinted his eyes at the vast sky above him, his long, black hair and scarlet robe tossing in the wind, his facial expression now calm. Sheng Bo knew full well that the man in front of him was a halfwit, but at that moment, he couldn¡¯t help but avert his gaze and chide awkwardly, ¡°You, why are you still standing here? Quickly go and memorise your book!¡± ¡°Look at how lively that bird is.¡± ¡°?¡± Sheng Bo looked over inexplicably, only to see two sparrows perched on the roof of the palace, hopping freely and naively. ¡°Ktfs¡¯ii yf vfjv ys klcafg,¡± Xbcu Qfl rjlv jwljyis. Vtfcu Db, ¡°?¡± ¡°Obbx tbk qgfaas atf oibkfgr jgf lc ogbca bo atja mbegasjgv,¡± Xbcu Qfl jvvfv lc jvwlgjalbc. ¡°¡­,¡± Vtfcu Db obiibkfv tlr ilcf bo rluta, bcis ab rff atf rwjii, rajggs oibkfgr yibbwlcu bc atf wbecajlc qjat lc atf vlrajcmf lc ogbca bo atf qglralcf qjijmf kjii. ¡°They¡¯ll be dead before winter.¡± Gong Wei said in a soft voice. Sheng Bo cried, ¡°Hey, you¡ª¡± ¡°Look how wonderful the clouds are in the sky.¡± A few fluffy white clouds drifted slowly across the distant sky. ¡°When the winds will come¡­¡± ¡°They will be dead!¡± Sheng Bo said angrily, ¡°Are you finished or not! I think you are really going to die if you don¡¯t memorise your book!¡± Gong Wei finally withdrew his gaze, stared straight at Sheng Bo, smiling oddly, he wagged his index finger, ¡°No need to memorise, I already know what¡¯s next. ¡®The Lotus Immortal blushed abashedly, and he fell for the Cang Yang Sect Master at first sight. The two became deeply in love with each other and were blissful like a pair of newlyweds. However, nothing in the world is predictable. After all, the Lotus Immortal is a popular subject of forbidden tales of romance with all the great sect masters. There were various different versions of his scandalous relationships spreading across the famous sects, such as being the infatuation of both the Immortal Alliance Master and the Guqin Sect Master. Finally, one day, Yuchi Changsheng of the Golden Gate Sword Sect also fell for this stunning beauty, so he tried all sorts of tricks and provocations to drive a wedge between the lovebirds. The Cang Yang Sect Master who heard the rumours, vomited three litres of blood in anger¡­''¡± Sheng Bo cried, ¡°Stop! Stop!! Stop talking!!¡± ¡°Lotus Immortal, with sorrowful tears in his eyes, took the hand of Cang Yang Sect Master and said with affection, ¡®Shuangtze, do you really believe that I am that kind of person?¡¯ Xu Shuangtze held back his pain and said, ¡®Zhiyu¡­''¡± ¡°Stop! Stop!!¡± Sheng Bo covered his ears with both hands and screamed miserably, ¡°Xiang Shidi! You are my dearest Shidi! No, I¡¯ll address you as Shixiong alright?!!!¡± Gong Wei continued cruelly, ¡°¡®So the two men locked hands and gazed into each other¡¯s teary eyes, and the Lotus Immortal said, ¡®Shuangtze, just remember that you are the only one in my heart¡­''¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!!¡± The last strand of Sheng Bo¡¯s sanity finally snapped and he lunged at Gong Wei in a frenzy. Gong Wei turned and ran, the next instant Sheng Bo was picked up by the back of his collar. Wen Xiuyang had appeared behind him at some point and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s with all the noise? Is this appropriate?¡± ¡°Shixiong!¡± Sheng Bo was in tears when he saw his saviour, ¡°Shixiong, save me, quick! Get him out of here!¡± Wen Xiuyang said coldly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say this to the Sovereign?¡± Immediately, Sheng Bo shivered and dared not say a word. Wen Xiuyang put him down and looked at Gong Wei again, pondering for a moment without speaking. ¡°Shixiong?¡± Sheng Bo asked while glaring at Gong Wei, ¡°Why are you up here at this hour, aren¡¯t you off duty today?¡± Wen Xiuyang said, ¡°Something happened.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Wen Xiuyang seemed to be deliberating something. His expression was slightly strange, before, after a pause, he said, ¡°You should head back first.¡± Sheng Bo looked puzzled, but Wen Xiuyang sounded authoritative, so he obediently grabbed his sword and left the main hall of Xuanji Palace. But on his way out, he still looked over three times out of curiosity. It was only until he had completely disappeared at the end of the long flight of white jade steps that Wen Xiuyang turned to Gong Wei and glanced up and down at him for a moment. ¡°¡­¡± So Gong Wei could only ask, ¡°What happened, Wen Shixiong?¡± Wen Xiuyang did not answer at first, but only looked at him, and suddenly asked for no apparent reason. ¡°What kind of person do you think the Sovereign is, Xiang Shidi?¡± What a refreshing question! He had always been persuaded by many saying to him that ¡°Sovereign Xu is not the kind of person you think he is¡± ¡ªjust as the words ¡°Chief Gong is not the kind of person you think he is¡± had been told to Xu Shuangtze. But this was the first time that Gong Wei was given the opportunity through a question to voice his thoughts. ¡°The Sovereign is wise and formidable, he is a man of celestial bearing and admired by the entire world!¡° Gong Wei bowed long and solemnly, projecting his voice loudly and clearly. Wen Xiuyang could not help but fall silent, ¡°¡­I am not asking about the opinions of the world, I want to know how you feel.¡± Gong Wei maintained that long bowing posture, ¡°Of course I feel the same way.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°What I said is from my heart, there is not a word of falsehood!¡± Wen Xiuyang didn¡¯t know whether he was stunned by his nonchalant attitude or what, but he said after a long pause, ¡°Get up.¡± Gong Wei straightened up and modestly straightened his cuffs. ¡°¡­strange.¡± Wen Xiuyang seemed a little confused and murmured, ¡°You obviously don¡¯t resemble Lotus Immortal at all, you¡¯re completely different¡­but why?¡± Gong Wei thought in his heart, Do I really not have much resemblance to that Lotus Immortal who was beloved by everyone? But said instead, ¡°What ¡®why¡¯?¡± Wen Xiuyang did not answer. ¡°Wen Shixiong?¡± Wen Xiuyang stood there, although he was looking straight at Gong Wei, it also seemed that he was looking through him into a hazy time of long ago, a time that was far more complicated¡ªlike an unspeakable past. He said softly later, ¡°I used to feel grateful for the outcome of the Ascension Platform sixteen years ago, but in recent years, I¡¯ve come to believe that it could actually be a terrible mistake.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyebrows jumped. ¡°It might have been better if that incident did not happen.¡± ¡ªWhat did he mean? Gong Wei didn¡¯t have time to think about it, only to see that Wen Xiuyang had already walked passed him and stepped up a flight of white jade steps until he reached the closed door of the main hall, before he bent down and paid a long obeisance, saying in a deep voice. ¡°Reporting to the Sovereign!¡± The next moment Gong Wei finally understood the reason why Wen Xiuyang had asked him to stay. ¡°Yuchi Xiao of the Golden Gate has arrived, seeking the audience of the Sovereign, please give your instructions!¡± After a moment of silence, the door swung wide open. Xu Shuangtze stepped across the high threshold with the wind in his face. He gestured to Gong Wei, who was unable to see the slightest emotion in his expression, with a wave. Gong Wei¡¯s emotions at this moment were indescribable, almost like when he was preparing to ascend to the Ascension Platform. He took a deep breath and walked down the white jade steps, calling out emotionally, ¡°Shizun¡­¡± Suddenly, his shoulder sank. Xu Shuangtze pressed one hand on Gong Wei¡¯s shoulder, it felt like the pressure of a thousand pounds, but also like a light and unhurried touch. Then, he pulled Gong Wei close and pressed him against his side. The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, and then Xu Shuangtze turned to Wen Xiuyang, his voice also unhurried, ¡°What is the matter?¡± Wen Xiuyang bowed his head, oblivious to the scene, ¡°He said that he came to offer a gift.¡± ______________________________________________________________________ Sahl¡¯s mini theatre: Xu Shuangtze: I do not feel in the least threatened by this junior. *Drags Gong Wei into ¡®lover-like¡¯ embrace* Gong Wei: I feel very threatened by Shizun! *Tries to escape* Yuchi Xiao: I wish I could hug Yunfei like that¡­ *Daydreams* CH 25 Editor: Sahloknir ¡°I heard that Lord Xu has accepted a disciple, it is great news that the Cang Yang Sect has gained a successor, so I have come to offer congratulations and have prepared a few gifts.¡± Yuchi Xiao put down his tea and waved his hand. The four disciples from the Golden Gate Sect immediately bowed and came forward, with the first disciple presenting a purple sandalwood gift box. ¡°¡­¡± In the front hall of the Cang Yang Sect, several spiritual masters looked at each other, and after a short while, the usually peaceful Jing Xu Spiritual Master finally coughed and said politely, ¡°I¡¯m afraid there is some misunderstanding, Young Master Yuchi. Our Sovereign Xu has never accepted any disciples. For the Sovereign to accept a disciple is to also appoint the next successor for the Sect. This is an important event that must be made known to the world, so how could this information not be announced? I think you should take this gift back¡­¡± ¡°I was told by Lord Xu himself.¡± Jing Xu became silent. Yuchi Xiao reached out to open the sandalwood box and said unhurriedly, ¡°If the Spiritual Master could present this gift to Xuanji Palace, wouldn¡¯t you be able to clarify this?¡± In the box lay a vermillion waistband embroidered with golden thread. The waistband was only two feet wide when folded, with clouds and cranes intricately embroidered with golden threads. There were only a handful of people in the entire Immortal Alliance who dared to embroider golden threads on their robes, and everyone¡¯s first reaction was to think that it belonged to one of the daughters or daughter-in-laws of the Golden Gate. One of the spiritual masters present spoke with a changed expression, ¡°What exactly is Young Master Yuchi¡¯s intention? To present this used ladies¡¯ accessory from your family as a celebratory gift? This is simply a¡­¡± Before the word ¡®joke¡¯ could be uttered, he was stopped by Jing Xu. Jing Xu¡¯s face was very solemn, but somehow he managed to restrain himself, ¡°In that case, I invite Young Master to take a seat for a moment.¡± The man was stunned, ¡°Jing Xu?¡± But Yuchi Xiao completely ignored the crowd¡¯s reaction and smiled, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be troubling you, Spiritual Master.¡± It was fortunate that the person visiting was the Young Master of the Golden Gate Sect, and the direct lineage of the three clans could not be offended. If it had been any of the masters of the six families and eight sects, they would have been sent down the mountain without mercy at this moment. Surprisingly, Jing Xu did not take long to return. It had only been a short while when he flew in on his sword from the direction of the Xuanji Palace and placed the luxurious box back on the table and with a polite bow, ¡°Young Master, the Sovereign has returned the gift.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s eyelids lifted. ¡°The Sovereign said that used clothes and accessories were abundant back then, and it is not surprising that some had been left behind from time to time in various places.¡± Jing Xu raised his hand as a gesture of farewell, ¡°Please go back.¡± What does this mean? Several of the spiritual masters present were not as experienced as Jing Xu, so they were all confused at the moment. However, they saw that Yuchi Xiao didn¡¯t move, and didn¡¯t even seem to be surprised, with only a response of, ¡°Oh?¡±. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve prepared more than just this gift. As mentioned, there were many old clothes and accessories back then, so how about this one?¡± Another disciple of the Golden Gate came forward with a gift box in his hand, only this time the box was smaller, and when it opened with a click, there were two small golden coins inside! Yuchi Xiao was also very polite, ¡°I would like to trouble the Spiritual Master again, if even this old item is no longer needed, then I will take it back with me and destroy it.¡± ¡ªThe two small gold coins were tied by a crimson silk ribbon, they were very delicate and resembled a waist pendant, but judging from the look in Jing Xu¡¯s eyes, they were no different from two death-summoning talismans soaked in poison. Jing Xu¡¯s face was already gloomy, after all, he was an elder, so he had to behave appropriately well-mannered, and could not do anything more than grunt before picking up the box and leaving. This time, everyone waited twice as long as before, but while Yuchi Xiao was calm and relaxed, sipping his tea, the senior cultivators in the hall could not help but feel a slight sinking in their hearts. As the atmosphere froze, someone finally came from the direction of the Xuanji Palace, but this time there was another figure beside Jing Xu. The crowd of disciples outside the hall stirred, and some low cries rang out, ¡°¡ªAh, Wen Shixiong?¡± It was none other than Wen Xiuyang! The disciples guarding the Xuanji Palace had a very high status within the Cang Yang Sect, and several spiritual masters rose to greet him. However, Wen Xiuyang couldn¡¯t be bothered to return the greetings. As soon as he landed, he took a big step forward and thump, he put the box on the table in front of Yuchi Xiao, ¡°Young Master.¡± Yuchi Xiao with fist in palm greeted, ¡°Brother Wen.¡± Wen Xiuyang said coldly, ¡°The Sovereign said that these two coins were a gift from him back then, but there is nothing special about them, they are just regular gold-minted coins. There are still many identical gold coins in the treasury of the Cang Yang Sect, so if the Young Master wants to destroy these two coins, he can just take them back and destroy them.¡± There was silence in the hall, as all the other spiritual masters, except Jing Xu, stared nervously back and forth at the two of them. Yuchi Xiao nodded thoughtfully, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Did Lord Xu really make such a statement?¡± Wen Xiuyang asked in return, ¡°What else would he say?¡± ¡°Nothing, I was just curious.¡± Yuchi Xiao paused and laughed, ¡°If it was really such an insignificant item, how come you are the one who ended up delivering it back personally?¡± Wen Xiuyang said angrily, ¡°You!¡± Wen Xiuyang restrained himself and shut his eyes and exhaled before leaning in closer, each word cold and seeming to come out from between his clenched teeth, ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly what happened last night, but I can roughly guess. Young Master Yuchi, Xiang Xiaoyuan is a disciple of my Cang Yang Sect in life and in death. So I advise you not to take things further. If you continue your provocations with that Immortal¡¯s belongings, I cannot guarantee that you will be able to¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Brother Wen.¡± Yuchi Xiao interrupted him with a smile and said, ¡°I have a last congratulatory gift, it belonged to Lady Xu.¡± Qlat j kjnf bo tlr tjcv lc atf jlg, tf jmalnjafv j rqfii ab agjcrwla lafwr jcv obiibkfv ys j oijrt bo ktlaf iluta, j atlgv lvfcalmji qegqif rjcvjikbbv ybz jqqfjgfv bc atf ajyif! ¡°¡­¡± Qfc Wlesjcu rajgfv ja tlw, jcv olcjiis rjlv joafg j ibcu alwf, ¡°Tbe¡¯nf yffc gfjvlcu abb wjcs ybbxr, tjnfc¡¯a sbe, Dgbatfg Temtl. Cgf sbe gfofgglcu ab atf ¡®Ojvs We¡¯ lc sbeg vgfjw?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that Goodbye My Lover is a well-known book. But I probably only truly understood your Sovereign¡¯s state of mind over the years after I broke out of the Illusionary Realm in Linjiang City, and I really admire him.¡± Yuchi Xiao leaned back into his chair and made a gesture of invitation, ¡°Brother Wen, you only need to present it to Lord Xu and we will see if what I have spoken is true or is not¡­please.¡± From the expression on Wen Xiuyang¡¯s face, he was tempted to forcefully send the guest off, but he took few breaths and reluctantly held back, ¡°Please wait then!¡± He did not wait for Yuchi Xiao to respond, picked up the purple sandalwood box and flew on his sword. It only took him mere moments to fly past the dense peaks of the Cang Yang Sect and land in the peach forest. According to the Sect¡¯s rules, no one was to travel by sword upon entry into the boundaries of the Peach Forest. With Wen Xiuyang¡¯s level of cultivation, he was fast even on foot and quickly arrived at the entrance of the Xuanji Palace to present the gift box, ¡°Sovereign, Yuchi Xiao has presented a final congratulatory gift, claiming it to be a memento belonging to Lady Xu!¡± Gong Wei¡¯s mouthful of tea instantly choked in his windpipe. The master and disciple were sitting opposite each other in the palace, but since Wen Xiuyang came with and returned two gold coins, Xu Shuangtze had not spoken a single word. From Gong Wei¡¯s perspective, all he could see was Xu Shuangtze¡¯s motionless lips and lower jaw. They appeared so cold that one would not dare to look into his eyes. ¡ªWhat memento could be left behind by someone who never existed in the first place? Gong Wei grew up in Dai Mountain. But each year, he would travel to the Golden Gate Sect and stay there for an entire season to avoid the harsh winter. It was not unusual for him to leave his robes, waistbands and other belongings lying around the premises. This was just as Yuchi Changsheng was sent to be taught by Ying Kai as a child and the Correctional Palace on Dai Mountain still had various belongings of the little Sword Sect Master too. The appearance of the gold coins was understandable. Gong Wei roughly knew how he was buried after his death, and that Ying Kai and others were not able to find his sword Bai Tai Shou no matter what, so they kept Gong Wei¡¯s belongings with them in the hope of finding clues to the sword¡¯s whereabouts in the future. But what could Lady Xu leave behind? ¡°What do you think is Yuchi Xiao¡¯s purpose for visiting today?¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly asked. Gong Wei said with a timid face, ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know.¡± This was not all an act, he really did not know. Last night, he mouthed, ¡°Find your uncle for help!¡± to Yuchi Xiao but did not expect him to understand him. Today, not only did Yuchi Changsheng not appear, what came in his stead was a crazy Yuchi Xiao. The world knows that the Lotus Immortal is the deadly rival of the Cang Yang Sect Master and it was taboo to even mention his name, let alone allow the presence of his belongings in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes. This nephew of the Yuchi family had come here today to test the boundaries like a madman. Even with Gong Wei¡¯s barren imagination, he could only suspect that Yuchi Xiao had woken up this morning to find out that he was terminally ill and had come here to put his life on the line to blackmail Xu Shuangtze for some funeral expenses. ¡°Young Master Yuchi must have gone off the rails last night with his cultivation and got up this morning mentally deranged.¡± Gong Wei cautiously bowed his head and said, ¡°Shizun, why don¡¯t I go and persuade him and quickly send the man down the mountain¡­¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t I have done what he wanted?¡± Gong Wei froze and wondered, What does Xu Shuangtze mean? Don¡¯t tell me he thought that Yuchi Xiao is risking his life just to see me? Xu Shuangtze said in a cold voice, ¡°Bring it up!¡± Only then did Wen Xiuyang quickly enter the hall and bow to present the exquisite and luxurious sandalwood box, glancing at Gong Wei in an unclear manner. It seemed to be a mixture of condescending scrutiny, subtle unspeakable pity and a hint of disgust. But Gong Wei didn¡¯t have the heart to think about it. All he saw was Xu Shuangtze reaching out to open the gift box, and the next moment the veins on the back of his hand rose up. Gong Wei¡¯s eyelids twitched wildly¡ª It was the gold ring that they were both very familiar with. An hour later, in the front hall of the Cang Yang Sect, a meteor-like white light cut through the mountains and landed steadily. The disciples bowed in unison, ¡°Wen Shixiong!¡± With his sword in hand, Wen Xiuyang walked up quickly and said, ¡°What do you want?¡± Putting down his cup of tea calmly, Yuchi Xiao looked up and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the golden ring?¡± The eyes of the spiritual masters turned to Wen Xiuyang¡¯s hand, only then did they realise that this time, unlike the previous two times, the gift box was not there! Wen Xiuyang repeated, his tone changed, ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± But Yuchi Xiao asked another question in response, ¡°Didn¡¯t Lady Xu never exist in the Cang Yang Sect in the first place?¡± ¡°¡ªYuchi Xiao!¡± Wen Xiuyang¡¯s cry was stern, causing Jing Xu and the others to stand up in shock and disbelief at the same time. But a few breaths later Wen Xiuyang forced himself to hold it in again. Although he did not know what that golden ring meant, the chilling look in the eyes of the Sovereign at Xuanji Palace was still vivid in his mind. He forcibly banished that image from his mind, then gritted his teeth, lowering his voice, ¡°What exactly is your purpose for coming here today?!¡± Yuchi Xiao leaned slightly closer and said softly, ¡°I just want Lord Xu to remember that those who are dead, are dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was silence around them, and Yuchi Xiao raised his eyebrows saying, ¡°Brother Wen is worthy of being the disciple who has followed Lord Xu for the longest time, seeing that you are not surprised at all. You¡¯ve been aware of this for so many years, haven¡¯t you?¡± Wen Xiuyang straightened up and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m only surprised that you¡¯re so obsessed with digging your own grave.¡± ¡°You think too much.¡± Yuchi Xiao said without mercy, then leaned back in his chair and looked around at the varying expressions of the people around them. ¡°Since Lord Xu has accepted my congratulatory gift, then please grant me another request. I once left a jade pendant in your Sect, a blood jade qilin that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family, but it was taken away by Lord Xu last night. A family heirloom is not to be lost, so could I request you all to please return it?¡± The crowd was astonished, after all the fuss he had made, he was only asking for this? Jing Xu sighed with relief, ¡°That jade pendant was an engagement token given to your cultivation partner. Now that the engagement has been annulled, the token should rightfully be returned. I will¡­¡± But Yuchi Xiao interrupted him, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry, I haven¡¯t finished my sentence. How the blood jade qilin was given in the first place, now I want it returned in the same manner, do you understand?¡± Doubt overtook Jing Xu. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Immediately, Wen Xiuyang said, ¡°Yuchi Xiao, I advise you for the last time not to seek death!¡± However, Yuchi Xiao ignored him, the corners of his mouth lifted and a cold smile appeared, ¡°Since that token was given to Xiang Xiaoyuan, a disciple of your Sect, I must now have Xiang Xiaoyuan return it to me in person. I do not have any other intentions. He fought alongside me at Lingjiang City and I want to see for myself that he is still safe and has not met with any misfortune after returning to the Cang Yang Sect. Have I made myself clear enough?¡± What could happen to him in the Cang Yang Sect? Jing Xu hesitantly said, ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan is naturally safe and sound, but he is now fortunate enough to be personally taught by the Sovereign, so he certainly cannot be summoned on a whim just to meet you, therefore¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao mocked, ¡°Taught?¡± ¡°Young Master Yuchi!¡± Wen Xiuyang originally did not want to mention this, but now he was obviously angry, ¡°You were the one who personally came to Cang Yang Sect in the first place, saying with conviction that you were determined to withdraw from the engagement and now what are you trying to do?!¡± Yuchi Xiao remained trenchant, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything, I just want to make sure that my friend is safe!¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°Lord Xu is known as the most formidable man in the world, powerful beyond description, but he cannot disregard basic human decency and do whatever he wants. Does Brother Wen think I¡¯m wrong to say so?¡± Wen Xiuyang gritted his teeth and stared at him, finally saying, ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan will never come out to see you!¡± Yuchi Xiao replied, ¡°Then please ask Lord Xu to return the relic of Lady Xu now.¡± ¡°What will you do with it?¡± Yuchi Xiao articulated each word, ¡°Destroy it at the foot of Cang Yang Mountain!¡± At the same time at Xuanji Palace, Xu Shuangtze rose haughtily, striding out of the hall and waved his hand, summoning No Way Out which came flying from the distant sky towards him in an instant. ¡°Shi-Shi-Shi-Shizun!¡± Gong Wei couldn¡¯t care less about the sudden onset of the pain that came with the approaching of No Way Out, and hastily crawled after him, ¡°Calm down, Shizun!¡± In the next instant, Xu Shuangtze unsheathed his sword. In the distance, Yuchi Xiao who was in the front hall suddenly turned around, and a sword glare that pierced through the sky was reflected in his eyes, destroying everything in its path and shooting straight at him! The sky was enveloped in a bright, white light, and everything fell silent. It was only a few breaths later that a loud bang could be heard belatedly and sent everyone flying! The sword spirit of Gou Chen was activated just a few inches before the overwhelming sword glare reached Yuchi Xiao, but it still managed to blast him away by a few feet. Gou Chen, having deflected the immense force, trembled with a precarious sound. In the distance, the spiritual masters flew on their swords and cried out in pain yet they were inaudible amidst the strong vibrations in the air. Xu Shuangtze did not give anyone time to plead for mercy¡ª A second and even mightier and terrifying sword glare came piercing through from above almost instantaneously. There was hardly any immortal sword in the world that could stop its phenomenal power. Yuchi Xiao¡¯s mind went blank and he was blasted away. Shooting like a cannonball through a storm of debris, leaving behind a trail of destruction, like parting a sea in the forest of trees. Finally, he was slammed into the cliff, the immense force cracked the rocks behind him. With the crack, the mountain peaks crumbled and were reduced to pieces, the earth shook violently and dust blotted out the sky for a hundred miles. In front of the Xuanji Palace, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face showed no expression as he raised his sword for the third time. But just then there was a ¡®thud¡¯ behind him. This was the first time that Gong Wei witnessed the full power of No Way Out after his death and he could no longer hold in the ripping chest pains. He fell to the ground on one knee, with cold sweat dripping down his body and using his last ounce of strength to keep his composure, he said, ¡°Shi-Shizun, please don¡¯t be angry¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze fell on the top of Gong Wei¡¯s head and was unable to see his expression. ¡°Shizun¡¯s might is overwhelming, if No Way Out is swung again, I¡¯m afraid that people would be hurt¡ª¡± He was immediately interrupted by Xu Shuangtze¡¯s words, ¡°Stay here.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s sentence came to an abrupt halt, only to see Xu Shuangtze had risen into the air. It was too late to stop him, and in a flash he disappeared and left behind a violently shaking world. ¡ªAt a distance, in the front hall, several spiritual masters blurted out, ¡°Your Lordship!¡± ¡°Sovereign!¡± Yuchi Xiao crawled out of the shattered cliff debris, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Before he had time to wipe it off, he looked up and saw Xu Shuangtze arrive in a gust of wind, his robe sleeves were fluttering, and he stopped high in mid-air, ¡°My good nephew.¡± There was no change in his tone, but No Way Out¡¯s dazzling, yet cold sword glare was reflected in the frightened eyes of everyone present. ¡°Remember in your next life that what was given away, cannot be asked back.¡± No one could even react in time to hold Xu Shuangtze back. He was here in person and the blade of No Way Out which had tasted the blood of countless victims, went straight for the throat of Yuchi Xiao¡ª At this moment, a bright golden sword glare descended from the sky like a majestic dragon. Someone blurted out, ¡°Tower of Rakshasa?!¡± The Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Changsheng, swung his sword from thousands of miles away, and the force pierced across the sixteen cities of the province, stunning the heavens and blocking Xu Shuangtze¡¯s blow! ¡°Yuchi Rui,¡± Xu Shuangtze narrowed his eyes slightly. The Tower of Rakshasa tore through the heavens, but by now the sword glare had run its course, and with a single burst of power from No Way Out, it suddenly scattered into a million specks of red-gold light. In the midst of this glorious spectacle, No Way Out was raised once again and came at Yuchi Xiao! This time, even if the Sword Sect Master had the powers of heaven, he could not stop this blow. But before No Way Out could cut down on him, a massive pillar of light suddenly erupted in the distance, instantly penetrating the heavens and illuminating everyone¡¯s frightened faces. Xu Shuangze stopped his movement, and for the first time, a look akin to surprise appeared in his eyes as he said softly, ¡°¡­Ying Kai?¡± Then, a protective barrier emerged in the direction of the distant Dai Mountain, like a four-sided city wall rushing straight into the sky. Immediately afterwards, a large character burned so fiercely that it appeared with a platinum glow under the dome, and it was clearly the character, ¡®Ying¡¯. Ying Kai had suddenly cast the Seal of Mahayana, sealing the entire premises of the Immortal Alliance! ¡°That, that¡¯s Dai Mountain?¡± ¡°Lord Ying himself has cast the Seal?!¡± ¡°What is happening at the Immortal Alliance?!¡± ¡­ Panic, like a starburst, was spreading rapidly within the Cang Yang Sect, stopping even Xu Shuangtze in his tracks. Ying Kai was the anchor of the Immortal Alliance, he would never easily cast the Seal of Mahayana. At least when he and Xu Shuangtze travelled together when they were young, it was only Xu Shuangtze who would cast the barrier to seal off the city whenever there was danger. Ying Kai was always mindful that the appearance of the Alliance Master¡¯s Ying Kai was the anchor of the Immortal Alliance, he would never easily cast the Seal of Mahayana in the sky would cause widespread fear and anxiety throughout the world. What had forced Ying Kai to seal off Dai Mountain, the most pivotal heart of the Immortal Alliance, and to do so in front of the whole world? ¡°Sovereign!¡± In the distance, a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect sped up on his sword, he was clad in a white and silver armour and was none other than Sheng Bo, who was guarding the palace. ¡°Reporting to Sovereign! An emissary from the Dai Mountain Immortal Alliance has arrived! He urgently requests an audience!¡± Xu Shuangtze did not reply, but reached out his hand and beckoned. In a short time, two azure-robed cultivators came on their swords. They were the disciples of the Correctional Palace, but now they had a look of fatigue and bowed long and hard, ¡°This is an urgent matter, please return to the Xuanji Palace at once, Cang Yang Sect Master!¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyebrows tightened slightly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Reporting to Lord Xu, last night there was an incident at the Immortal Alliance. The Alliance Master was trapped, and the Sword Sect Master has failed to rescue him!¡± ¡°Once anything happens to the Alliance Master, the Cang Yang Master must take over his responsibilities. Please follow the laws of the Immortal Alliance and guard Cang Yang Sect. You must not be placed in any danger, so please return to Xuanji Palace at once!!¡± Yuchi Xiao said, ¡°Uncle?!¡± Xu Shuangtze turned his head, and the burning platinum gold seal under the protective dome in the sky was reflected in his eyes, ¡°Where is Ying Kai trapped?¡± A cultivator raised his head and the knot in his throat could be seen sliding down violently before he shuddered and said hoarsely, ¡°¡­.Ding Xian Mausoleum.¡± ¡ªDing Xian Mausoleum housed the tombs of all sects and great families of the Immortal Alliance. Unfortunately, the souls of the deceased masters were in chaos and Ying Kai was trapped in with them. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl Xu Shuangtze¡­your attitude towards ex-fianc¨¦¡¯s is a little excessive¡­ CH 26 Editor: Sahloknir The atmosphere was almost frozen, before Xu Shuangtze broke it and said, ¡°I see.¡± Then he turned and took a step towards Yuchi Xiao. ¡°Lord Xu?¡± The messenger of the Immortal Alliance did not know what was going on, and thought he was leaving, so said anxiously, ¡°According to the laws of the Immortal Alliance, in order to prevent the Alliance from being left without a leader, between the Alliance Master and the Cang Yang Sect Master, one of the two sovereigns must remain out of danger. Your Lordship must not leave Cang Yang Mountain!¡± AD Xu Shuangtze walked towards Yuchi Xiao, saying, ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Sovereign¡­¡± The messenger¡¯s voice choked as he watched, dumbfounded, as Xu Shuangtze drew his sword again and pointed it swiftly at Yuchi Xiao¡¯s throat with murderous intent! This time there would be no one to stop Xu Shuangtze as No Way Out¡¯s sword aura immobilized the younger man. For a moment Yuchi Xiao even had the illusion that he had already been struck through the throat with that blade. ¡ªAm I already dead? But just then he felt the cold, sharp tip of the sword slowly move to the side of his face, tapping him twice. A thin stream of blood trickled out and ran along the sword¡¯s groove. ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao opened his eyes as he shivered from the stinging pain and met Xu Shuangtze¡¯s mocking gaze from above. Jing Xu trembled, saying, ¡°Sov-Sovereign¡­¡± At that moment, a transmission token suddenly flew out of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s sleeve of its own accord and exploded into a manifestation formation with a loud bang. Red and gold rays crisscrossed the sky, and the Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi Changsheng appeared in the middle of that formation, wielding his divine sword Tower of Rakshasa and steadily locking the blade of No Way Out! ¡°Xu Shuangtze.¡± He said coldly. The crowd reacted a step too late, and hurriedly bowed, ¡°Paying our respects to the Sword Sect Master!¡± Yuchi Xiao was so weak that it was as if his whole body had been drenched in cold sweat, and he blurted out, ¡°Uncle! How are you?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze looked at Yuchi Changsheng, moving his gaze up and down. No one could tell what he was thinking about from his cold facial expression. After a short while, amidst the many tense looks around him, he withdrew No Way Out. The breath that was stuck in everyone¡¯s throat was finally relieved. Yuchi Changsheng tilted his head towards his nephew, ¡°Return to the Golden Gate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trapped in the Ding Xian Mausoleum too?!¡± The Sword Sect Master intensified his tone, ¡°Return to the Golden Gate at once!¡± But Yuchi Xiao stood up with support from Gou Chen, ¡°I will now go to¡­¡± Just then, a loud gust of wind could be heard, and the Sword Sect Master spun around. The almost spent spiritual power of the spell formation fluctuated violently and weakened further because of his sudden action. Suddenly, Yuchi Xiao¡¯s eyes widened in dismay. The Sword Sect Master¡¯s golden armour was cracked in numerous places, his neck, chest and abdomen bore injuries. His left arm had a foot-long gaping wound, and the sleeve of his robe was soaked with fresh blood! He spoke again, articulating each word now, ¡°Return to the Golden Gate, protect yourself, and don¡¯t come to the mausoleum.¡± Immediately afterwards, the spell ended and countless specks of light dispersed in the wind, disappearing in mid-air. Xu Shuangtze turned around and sheathed his sword. Not looking at Yuchi Xiao anymore, he said, ¡°Wen Xiuyang.¡± Wen Xiuyang immediately lowered his body, ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Send him down the mountain.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Xu Shuangtze did not even turn his head to glance at the younger man. With his hands behind his back, he walked in mid-air towards the direction of Xuanji Palace, the hem of his robe lifting in the wind. Soon, his figure disappeared into the mountains. ¡ª The cracked cliffs and smoke moved further away and faded into the background. The endless gusts of wind greeted Xu Shuangtze. He did not fly on his sword, instead, he took strides in mid-air towards the mountain peaks. The masses of clouds gathered and dispersed beneath him, and in the distance, within the silence of the untouched mountains, valleys and forests, there was a great palace, with a spectacular silhouette of glazed tiles and clean silver eaves. Ding dang! That golden ring formed by three twisted spirals, knocked into the scabbard of No Way Out with Xu Shuangtze¡¯s every movement, giving off a crisp reverberation. Ding dang¡ª It was as if he heard the melodic clattering of the wind chimes which once hung along the corridors, swaying gently like a veil in the wind. One late spring day in the Correctional Palace, a slim, young figure suddenly emerged from the top of the wall, head-first, and stole a glance at Xu Shuangtze from above. The boy thought he was very stealthy. ¡°¡­Lord Xu, don¡¯t be offended, that¡¯s the young master our alliance master brought back half a month ago. He seems to be mentally incompetent and can¡¯t speak¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze stood still and extended his hand towards the boy. The figure shrank back with a swish, revealing only two wary eyes. But Xu Shuangtze did not move, maintaining his posture and extended palm, he continued to stare at the boy. A short while later, the pair of eyes blinked, the right pupil turning crimson red, but when he blinked again, it turned back. These eyes reflected doubt and hesitation. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze withdrew his hand back into his sleeve. With this action, the figure behind the wall couldn¡¯t help but inch out to get a closer look, and saw the Cang Yang Sect Master had brought out two small, gold coins from his robes. He threaded them with a silk thread, and casually shook them, giving off a tinkling sound. The boy¡¯s eyes widened for a moment. Ding dang! Ding dang! Daylight peek through the veil of the corridor, the rays hit the little gold coins, making them shine and sparkle. This, accompanied by the crisp jingle, caused the boy¡¯s eyes to follow the movement of the coins in curiosity. Ding dang¡ª The winds swept by and the jingle still rang in his ears, as Xu Shuangtze saw a blur in front of his eyes. And at this moment, there was suddenly nothing in his hands. The young boy turned his back and slipped away like a scarlet cloud. In just an instant, he was already several feet away, his thin, white fingers still clutching the two gold coins held together by a silk thread. The boy clutched them tightly, as if he was afraid of losing them. With the sound of his rapid footsteps and jingle of the coins, his figure disappeared at the end of the long, winding corridor. Only the wind brushed past and accompanied the man, who remained behind for a long time. ¡°Sov-Sovereign, please don¡¯t take offence! The young master is not in his right mind, he is young and ignorant, it was never his intention¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly let out a laugh, and the disciple of the Correctional Palace froze, thinking that he had heard wrong. ¡°He runs fast,¡± he said. The disciple of the Correctional Palace could not tell if the Cang Yang Sect Master was pleased or angry as he muttered these words. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He commented, ¡°Those who run fast, live long.¡± ¡ª Perhaps it was a coincidence, but in those years, the number of occasions that Lord Xu had to attend in person at the Immortal Alliance suddenly increased significantly. The young boy who had been brought back by Lord Ying had grown up day by day¡ªalthough ¡®growing up¡¯ was a false concept for him, as all those years had not made a mark or left a single trace on Gong Wei. He was just beginning to learn about people, or rather, learn to be more human. Xu Shuangtze taught him to recite the Daoist scriptures to enlighten him and personally taught him to write. At the end of spring in the Correctional Palace, the fallen peach blossom petals were carried by the wind and drifted in great numbers across the window pane. Xu Shuangtze sat in front of the table, holding Gong Wei¡¯s hand to copy ¡®The Spirit of the Sword¡¯ manual. Although Gong Wei was still sitting in an acceptable posture, the tip of his brush was always crooked, and he could not straighten it no matter how hard he tried. After he wrote a few words, he would turn back and touch the scabbard of No Way Out, asking, ¡°What words are these?¡± He seldom spoke, probably because he knew in his heart that he hadn¡¯t learnt to speak properly, and his accent was always wrong. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°No Way Out.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°No way out even for ghosts and gods.¡± Gong Wei didn¡¯t understand at all, but nodded thoughtfully, and then asked, ¡°Why do you all have swords?¡± Xu Shuangtze was still holding onto his right hand and his eyes fell on the writing paper, ¡°Who else has one?¡± Gong Wei said, ¡°Shixiong¡­¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°Yuchi Changsheng.¡± Yuchi Rui was about the same age as him, and when they first met a few years ago, they got into a fight and Yuchi Rui had beaten Gong Wei to tears. Still sniffing and crying, Gong Wei lashed out and kicked Yuchi Rui from the pavilion down the cliff. When Ying Kai hurried out to look for them, he saw Yuchi Rui hanging from a tree branch at the edge of the cliff in a daze. Xu Shuangtze said indifferently, ¡°You will have one too when you grow up.¡± Gong Wei asked, ¡°How can I have one?¡± There were only two ways to obtain an immortal sword in the Xuanmen: the first was through inheritance of the relic, and the second was through the help of a master in refining one. In Gong Wei¡¯s case, it would be logical for Ying Kai to help him refine a weapon with compatible attributes and spiritual power¡ªbut he would inevitably have to wait for a long time. This was because a cultivator was not allowed to have his own immortal sword until he had formed his golden core. No one had ever explained the concept of cultivating a golden core to Gong Wei. After all, he couldn¡¯t even speak properly, let alone reach a foundational cultivation level. So Xu Shuangtze only said, ¡°You will naturally have one when you grow up.¡± Gong Wei didn¡¯t understand, but nodded thoughtfully once again. After a short while, as if he had suddenly made a decision, Gong Wei tilted his head and looked up at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s chin, ¡°Xu Bai.¡± Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°You¡¯re talking a lot today.¡± Gong Wei maintained that position, looking at him keenly, and said solemnly, ¡°You are the only one I like.¡± The tip of the brush suddenly stopped, hanging in mid-air. The room was so quiet that a pin drop could be clearly heard, and outside the window the treetops swayed gently in the breeze, which came in waves. It was only after a long time that Xu Shuangtze broke the silence and reprimanded in a low voice, ¡°¡­nonsense.¡± Gong Wei was reluctant to back down and wanted to argue. But at this moment, the sound of footsteps came from outside the window, followed by a figure leaping up and tapping on the window pane. It was Yuchi Rui, ¡°Gong Wei! Come and help! I¡¯ve caught all of Ying Kai¡¯s fish and he¡¯s going to beat me up!¡± Gong Wei, ¡°?!¡± What could be more important in the world than rescuing your best buddy from getting beaten up? Like a wind swishing past, in a mere instant, there was an empty spot beside Xu Shuangtze¡¯s body. Gong Wei leapt out of the window without even looking back, and the two teenagers excitedly jostled each other, disappearing in the direction of the Correctional Palace. ¡°¡­¡± Silence slowly returned to the room. The cicadas were chirping loudly on the tree branches, their sounds gradually fading away with the wind. Xu Shuangtze did not move, nor did he have a specific expression, and only after a long time did he slowly put down his brush. Still sitting there, the depths of his pupils reflecting the dust floating silently in the air. ¡°Nonsense, that¡¯s all.¡± He said, word-by-word through his teeth. At that time, they all thought that it would take many more years for Gong Wei to build his foundation and then cultivate his golden core. Even if he could not end up reaching the Dhyana realm, he would at least be able to wield a decent immortal sword. No one expected that just a few years later, Bai Taishou would come out of nowhere. And when no one was expecting, Gong Wei would then fight a battle that would make his name known throughout the world. In his life, Gong Wei had gotten further than anyone could have imagined, and at the same time, lived a much shorter life than anyone could have imagined. But that was much later. ¡ª We Vtejcuahf, klat tjcvr yftlcv tlr yjmx, kjixfv vbkc ogbw atf mibevr jcv vfrmfcvfv bcab atf rboa ugbecv lc ogbca bo j ugfja qjijmf. Ktf rlinfg, njeiafv mflilcu kjr klvf jcv wjrrlnf jcv liiewlcjafv ys j rlcuif gjs bo qjif iluta ogbw atf rxlfr. Ktf reggbecvlcur kfgf fzagfwfis delfa. Cybnf atf vbbg ab atf qjijmf kjr j teuf, rlinfg qijdef fcugjnfv klat j rlcuif mtjgjmafg, ktlmt jqqfjgfv ilnfis, ilxf vgjubc jcv qtbfclz vjcmlcu. Ktf mtjgjmafg kjr kglaafc lc atf rfmgfa lcmjcajalbc yfibculcu ab atf Jjcu Tjcu Vfma, klat lcaglmjaf ragbxfr atja kfgf vloolmeia obg jcs bearlvfgr ab vfmlqtfg¡ª ¡®Forbidden¡¯. Cang Yang Sect¡¯s Forbidden Palace, trespassers would be killed, without exception. Xu Shuangtze looked up at the door plaque and locked eyes on the character for a long time. Everyone knew that the Chief of the Discipline Department was once the Cang Yang Sect Master¡¯s object of utmost hatred. It was twenty years ago, in the depths of night, when Xu Shuangtze had just woken up from the illusionary world created by the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm. He flew on his sword from Xuanji Palace and headed straight towards the Dai Mountain Immortal Alliance and smashed the door of the Punishment Court with an earth-shattering sound. Before the shivering Chief Gong could pack his bag and escape, he was grabbed by Xu Shuangtze at the back of his collar and dragged out. Although everything that happened afterwards has become increasingly convoluted and blurred, there is just one detail from that night that is unmistakable and vivid. That was because half of the disciples of the Correctional Palace bore witness and heard Lord Xu¡¯s angry cries, ¡°You dared to kill my wife, you will pay for it with your life today! Gong Wei¡ª!¡± Gong Wei ran for his life, but Xu Shuangtze was in hot pursuit, coming so close that he almost slashed his feet off several times. The entirety of Dai Mountain was alerted, and even Ying Kai woke up in the middle of the night and came chasing after him in his night robes, ¡°Stop it, Shuangtze! That¡¯s not your real wife, it¡¯s just an illusion!¡± ¡°Shixiong, help! Shixiong, help!!!¡± ¡°I know you are extremely prejudiced against Gong Zhiyu, but he did his best to enter the illusionary world this time, he was only helping you to break your barrier, Shuangtze!!¡± ¡°Help! Help, help, help!¡± ¡°Shuangtze, stop it! Someone, anyone, hold back Lord Xu¡ª¡± The turning point happened in the same instant. Gong Wei¡¯s head slammed into the corner of the wall, he was cornered and desperately held his head in an attempt to block off an expected blow. But the blade of No Way Out suddenly stopped right in front of his arm. ¡ªUnder the blade was a shimmering sparkle¡­As Gong Wei lifted his arms to his face, his long sleeves slipped back, revealing an unmistakably familiar gold ring on his elbow. Which was ever so prominent in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s field of vision. ¡°¡­¡± Crack! The tip No Way Out was struck deep into the floor tiles, and Xu Shuangtze staggered backwards. ¡°¡ªI¡¯ve been wearing it for as long as I can remember, and have forgotten where it came from.¡± The hoarse voice of General Bai in the illusionary world still rang in his ears, with a longing and devotion that only his own heart knew, saying, ¡°I want you to have it as a token of gratitude for saving my life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, I have never seen your face or heard your voice, but when I first met you, it felt like I already knew you in my past life.¡± It felt as if I had been waiting for you for a long time and liked you for a long time¡­¡± ¡°Ah Tao, do you also feel that we have met before in a past life?¡± ¡°When we meet again, may we become husband and wife.¡± ¡­ When we meet again, may we become husband and wife The words he spoke in the illusionary world rang in his ears. And every scene and every sentence was a razor-sharp claw, cruelly ripping and revealing a simple truth beneath all these years self-deception¡ª No matter how powerful the mirror art was, how could he have fallen in love with someone he had never seen or spoken to before? It turned out that from the very beginning, it had nothing to do with that demonic right eye or any inhuman tricks. The past lives, the d¨¦j¨¤ vu, the joy of the reunion and the unbearable longing, all had an answer at this moment. ¡°Is Chief Gong all right?!¡± ¡°Quick, help him up and pull Lord Xu to his feet!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay now¡­¡± The cries, bustle and chaos in the background faded into buzzing white noise. Xu Shuangtze stared straight at Gong Wei, who was being flanked by a group of people, and hiding behind a stone pillar and looking over. His gaze reflected both fear and confusion. ¡°Shuangtze ah, Shuangtze, how could you be so impulsive and so ungrateful?¡± Ying Kai was so furious that he could not stop talking, and kept reprimanding him on the side. ¡°I know you¡¯ve always been prejudiced against Zhiyu, saying that he¡¯s a demon, that he¡¯s inhuman, and that one day he¡¯ll bring great misfortune to the world¡­ but he¡¯s been working hard all these years, and no one but you thinks he¡¯s demonic in any way! This time, he only entered the illusionary world to help you break the killing barrier! You¡¯ve always held a grudge against him, but it¡¯s better to settle this one than to bear another. I will never allow you to make another move against Gong Zhiyu!¡­¡± ¡°Ying Kai.¡± Xu Shuangtze said hoarsely. ¡°How can you try to cut down Gong Zhiyu, who you watched grow up, just because of a ¡®wife¡¯ that didn¡¯t even exist ? You¡¯re simply¡­what¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± Ying Kai looked at Xu Shuangtze in horror. He saw that his face had turned deathly-pale and he was in a daze, as if he was deaf to the naggy reprimands¡ªand was only staring straight at Gong Wei in the distance. ¡°If only I hadn¡¯t gone to that peach forest with you that year,¡± he murmured. ¡°If only I¡¯d never met that heartless thing.¡± Then, Ying Kai¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted as he watched as Xu Shuangtze covered his mouth tightly with one hand and violently coughed out a mouthful of blood! ¡°Shuang-Shuangtze!¡± ¡­ That was the end of the unforgettable and chaotic night. With everyone comforting the terrified and crying Gong Wei, not one person noticed that Xu Shuangtze had left without saying goodbye. As if his soul had been expelled from his body, he hovered high above, with cold, glazed eyes he returned to the peak of Cang Yang Mountain like a walking corpse. That mouthful of blood had already solidified into a hideous splatter in his palm. ¡°Sovereign!¡± ¡°His Lordship has returned!¡± ¡°Sovereign, that is¡­what has happened to you?!¡± Xu Shuangtze stood still like a lost soul. He looked as cold and calm as ever, but his eyes revealed an unmistakable sombreness. ¡°There shall be a Forbidden Palace here,¡± he whispered all of a sudden. Wen Xiuyang, who stood closest to him, froze. ¡°Sovereign, what did you say?¡± ¡°¡­Build a Forbidden Palace here.¡± Xu Shuangtze finally let out a breath which was heavy with the scent of rust. He stood up straight and said, ¡°After it has been built, I will personally inscribe the secret spells. From now on, no one will be allowed to come near it, and those who disobey this order will be killed without mercy.¡± Everyone present was confused, but no one dared to ask questions, so they bowed, ¡°Understood!¡± The Forbidden Palace of the Cang Yang Sect was erected twenty years ago, in the depths of the mountain, where people could rarely catch a glimpse of it, and the materials used for its construction were extremely yin in nature. Each tile, each wall, was densely packed with secret spells of formidable spiritual powers and each was personally inscribed by Xu Shuangtze himself. Everyone was aware that the Cang Yang Sect Master and the Chief of the Department of Discipline had a bad relationship back then. Yet, no one knew that from that day onwards, Gong Wei had become Xu Shuangtze¡¯s worst nightmare. And this was the place where he was going to imprison and hide away his nightmare. ¡ªForbidden. Xu Shuangtze finally withdrew his gaze, and lifted his feet to walk forward, his shoes made faint shuffling sounds as he stepped on the thick layers of fallen leaves scattered on the ground. With a creak, he pushed open the decorated door and stepped into the grand palace. The twelve whalebone screen doors were spread out, the majestic carved beams and fluffy, high pillows, and the scarlet cloud-like veil swayed despite the stillness of the air. He took off the gold ring from his wrist and gently placed it by the bed. Then, footsteps came from outside the hall, cautiously stopping beside the window and not approaching any closer. The disciple who was on guard duty was here, ¡°Greetings, Sovereign!¡± Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Where is Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± The disciple, probably a little surprised, froze for a moment before saying, ¡°He should still be in Xuanji Palace.¡± ¡°Bring him to me.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Xu Shuangtze let out a deep breath and looked around at the familiar furnishings. Specks of dust hovering in the air could be seen as the gloomy daylight peeked in. The antique bookshelf cast a vertical shadow on the floor, and several stacks of novels and illustrated books were stacked on the green jade table. On the wall, there was a set of paintings depicting the story of ¡®The Ghost Prince Welcomes His Bride¡¯. Twenty years¡¯ worth of age had yellowed the paper scroll, but the brushwork was lively and amusing. The same illustration was a common sight in Xuanmen families, and they were used to coax and entertain young children. His eyes fell on the eighth picture¡ªof a little red fox playing the suona, and he did not move away from it for a long time, as if he had fallen into some distant and comforting memories. ¡°Reporting back to Your Lordship¡ª!¡± At that moment, the disciple returned on his sword and walked quickly to the window, saying urgently, ¡°As summoned by Your Lordship, in order to bring Shidi here, I have searched everywhere but he was nowhere to be found. I just heard from the mountain guards saying that Shidi has left the mountain together with the Young Master Yuchi on a sword!!¡± The corners of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sharp eyebrows slowly pressed together. CH 27 Editor: Sahloknir Fifteen minutes ago... Wen Xiuyang stood at the end of the stone steps and made a gesture of invitation, ¡°Young Master, I apologise, but I will only send you till this point.¡± The descendants from the Yuchi family were known to be hardy, and Yuchi Xiao was still alive even after receiving two blows of the sword aura. He was even able to stand up after spurting out a few mouthfuls of blood, and had just lifted his feet in the direction of the east when he suddenly stopped, ¡°Brother Wen.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yuchi Xiao deliberated for a moment before he said, ¡°Lord Xu is so powerful that any junior disciples of the outer sect are as insignificant as ants in comparison. But since the Lotus Immortal has passed away, no one should become a replacement for the deceased, so I will do my best to stop this in the future. If Brother Wen has the chance, please persuade him, too.¡± But Wen Xiuyang sneered, ¡°Persuade?¡± He suddenly changed his tone, ¡°¡ªI see that you are heading straight for the Ding Xian Mausoleum, right?¡± Yuchi Xiao replied in return, ¡°If not?¡± ¡°But if I remember correctly, Sword Sect Master clearly told you to return to the Golden Gate, to stay behind closed doors and protect yourself.¡± Yuchi Xiao retorted, ¡°If something had happened to your Sovereign, would you be able to return to the Cang Yang Sect and stay behind closed doors?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Wen Xiuyang raised his brows and stared at him, ¡°Young Master, I don¡¯t know how the Yuchi family disciplines their disciples¡ªthis character of yours couldn¡¯t have been developed if you weren¡¯t devotedly raised by the moon and stars. But in the Cang Yang Sect, we disciples will never question the decisions of our Sovereign, not even if the sky is falling down.¡± Yuchi Xiao was simply exasperated by him, ¡°You¡¯re really¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late to say anything else, it has been determined sixteen years ago that he can no longer be persuaded.¡± Wen Xiuyang continued, ¡°If you really want to blame, then blame Xiang Xiaoyuan for getting involved with the Lotus Immortal.¡± Yuchi Xiao was speechless and shook his head, ¡°Brother Wen and I don¡¯t seem to be able to agree, so let¡¯s not continue. I will see you again when I visit Cang Yang Sect in future. I will take my leave now!¡± He turned and waved his sleeves. Wen Xiuyang raised his voice behind him, ¡°If Young Master still wishes to die, please come back next time!¡± Yuchi Xiao could only think about hurrying to the mausoleum and as he was ready to fly on his sword, he still could not hold back and turned his head saying, ¡° Wen Xiuyang, you are really¡­¡± The next moment he froze. From the tree which stood behind Wen Xiuyang, a figure silently hung head towards the ground and feet in the sky. With his left hand, he made a gesture of silence to Yuchi Xiao and in his right, he held a brick. It was Gong Wei. Wen Xiuyang, ¡°?¡± This foremost disciple of the Cang Yang Sect was extremely sharp and was about to turn back in suspicion when Yuchi Xiao blurted out, ¡°Brother Wen!!¡± Wen Xiuyang stopped. The two men looked at each other, and Yuchi Xiao spat out whatever he thought of in an instance, ¡°Brother Wen, you¡­what do you like to eat?¡± ¡°?¡± Judging from Wen Xiuyang¡¯s expression, he probably thought his ears were out of order, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡­I asked you what you like to eat.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s face could not even force out an appropriate expression, and he continued, ¡°Look, Brother Wen, you and I have known each other for a long time. We should improve our relationship, since we will meet again and no one will mind excessive courtesy. I will bring you some gifts the next time I visit Cang Yang Sect¡­¡± Wen Xiuyang probably really did have a superior upbringing and was able to refrain from rolling his eyes on the spot. ¡°You¡¯re nuts.¡± Then, he turned around. Yuchi Xiao, ¡°No!!!¡± Wen Xiuyang, ¡°?!¡± The tragedy happened in an instant. Gong Wei was swinging the brick in circles and preparing to smash it on Wen Xiuyang¡¯s head. The brick made a whistling sound as it spun and could no longer be stopped. In just a split second, it smashed into his face and sent him flying! Peng! Wen Xiuyang flew out several metres and fell to the ground on his back, blood poured out of his nose and on his face, a clear brick mark surfaced. Thud! The brick fell straight to the ground from Gong Wei¡¯s hand. Yuchi Xiao, ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± The atmosphere was as stark as a funeral, as the two stared at each other. Their expressions were blank. Immediately afterwards, Wen Xiuyang convulsed and bounced back up! ¡°Hahaha Brother Wen, why don¡¯t you just send me here and let¡¯s meet again for a drink!!¡± Yuchi Xiao rushed up with a single stride and swung his scabbard. With a bam!, he hit his head. He sent Wen Xiuyang flying again and spitting out blood until finally, he stopped moving. ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao asked with trepidation, ¡°Is-is-is..is he dead?¡± Gong Wei shivered as he approached to check his breath, ¡°No, not dead yet. He is at least at the late Jindan stage, how could he be dead?¡± Wen Xiuyang, the foremost indirect disciple of Xu Shuangtze, and the eldest disciple of the Cang Yang Sect, was now lying unconscious on the ground, face-up and limbs spread wide open. A red mark was branded on his handsome, comatose, face. The two perpetrators looked at each other, then turned their attention to the gold brick lying silently on the ground, and Yuchi Xiao gulped, ¡°Is this, is this some kind of magic weapon?¡± Gong Wei said sheepishly, ¡°Ah, I broke it off from Lord Xu¡¯s chambers, hahaha.¡± At that moment, he could almost see what was going through Yuchi Xiao¡¯s mind: a random gold brick from his bedchamber contained such profound spiritual power, how powerful must Lord Xu himself be? Right then, there were voices in the distance. It was a few disciples on their rounds, ¡°What was that noise?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Wen Shixiong say he would be back in a moment?¡± ¡°It seems that His Lordship is summoning Wen Shixiong over¡­¡± Temtl Wljb¡¯r olgra gfjmalbc kjr ab gec. Xbcu Qfl¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc lcrajcais mtjcufv jcv qbecmfv bc tlw, ¡°Tbecu Vkbgvrwjc, kjla! Kjxf wf klat sbe!!¡± Temtl Wljb kjr lc j ogfchlfv rajaf, ¡°Cgf sbe ibbxlcu obg vfjat? P¡¯w ublcu ab atf Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew!¡± ¡°Tbe jcv P jgf meialnjalbc qjgacfgr, tbk mbeiv P cba obiibk sbe lc ilof jcv lc vfjat?¡± ¡°Who the hell is your cultivation partner?!¡± ¡°Why did you come all the way here to see me if you¡¯re not my partner?¡± ¡°Who wants to see you! I was just¡ª¡± ¡°Hey!¡± One of the disciples on duty suddenly noticed something, ¡°Is there someone over there?¡± The two men were struck by lightning and instantly froze. The next moment the trees ruffled and swayed, and a disciple appeared, ¡°Ah, Xiang Shidi! What are you¡­¡± Before he finished his sentence, Yuchi Xiao grabbed Gong Wei and rose straight up on his sword, rushing up into the sky like his butt was on fire. ¡°Ah! Wen Shixiong!¡± In the background, chaos ensued and from afar came the shouts of the disciples, ¡°Wen Shixiong, wake up, are you all right? ¡°Someone come quickly!¡± ¡°Help!!¡± ¡­ The ruckus and chaos faded behind into nothingness, only then did Yuchi Xiao and Gong Wei loosen their stiff and extended necks in unison. Their faces were full of lingering fear, and they stared at each other, saying together, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei said angrily, ¡°If not? Wait for death at the Xuanji Palace? That said, why did you come to the Cang Yang Sect to go crazy?!¡± Yuchi Xiao blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s not because¡­¡± and then stopped abruptly. Gong Wei suspiciously asked, ¡°Because¡ª?¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s face looked very odd, as if he had something to say, yet could not. A short while later he looked away and asked abruptly, ¡°Has there been anything strange about the way Lord Xu has treated you these past few days?¡± Gong Wei said to himself, ¡®Young Swordsman, you really understand Lord Xu well. His attitude was not only strange, it was never normal even for a second¡¯, but replied instead with, ¡°It¡¯s fine, why?¡± Yuchi Xiao said immediately, ¡°Nothing.¡± He then paused and couldn¡¯t help but ask again, ¡°Did Lord Xu ever say that he thought you were a bit like the Lotus Immortal. Or did he take you as¡­the Lotus Immortal¡¯s ¡­replacement?¡± Yuchi Xiao had to say the last word with extreme difficulty, and after finishing, he hurriedly surveyed Gong Wei¡¯s face. It was impossible to tell if Yuchi Xiao was worried that he was not understood or more worried that he was. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei was dumbfounded, pointing at himself and asking, ¡°Replacement?¡± Yuchi Xiao nodded cautiously. Gong Wei stared at him incredulously, as if he was looking at a hysterical patient, and finally asked from the bottom of his heart, ¡°Then how could he have managed to keep me alive until now?!¡± The entire Immortal Alliance knew of Lord Xu¡¯s glorious killing record, so Gong Wei held back from saying what he really wanted to say, but what he was actually thinking was, ¡°Then how could he have allowed me to remain as a complete corpse?!¡± ¡°It is not that, it is just that after coming back from Taoyuan Village, I feel¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao paused again, as if he didn¡¯t know how to phrase the sentence. After a long pause, he said ¡°Argh!¡± then waved his hand saying, ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s probably a good thing that you don¡¯t know.¡± Gong Wei said in his heart, ¡®If all the junior disciples and descendants think like you, then I am really better off not knowing.¡¯ ¡°But since you¡¯ve sneaked out now, you absolutely cannot return to the Cang Yang Sect.¡± Yuchi Xiao thought for a moment and said, ¡°I must now rush to the Ding Xian Mausoleum to support the Sword Sect Master. Golden Gate only has some disciples on guard duty right now. So even if I send for someone to bring you back, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to stop Lord Xu from storming to my door to pursue you¡ªI can only make proper arrangements later. Right now, I think it¡¯s better to find a cave for you to hide in. In any case, until Lord Xu can figure this out for himself, make sure that you stay away from him!¡± At this, Gong Wei immediately regained his vigour, ¡°Young Swordsman, don¡¯t worry, be it a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go.¡± Yuchi Xiao refused him outrightly, ¡°You are not allowed to follow me! I just told you that Ding Xian Mausoleum is a dangerous place!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the Ding Xian Mausoleum to look for the Sword Sect Master?¡± ¡°Why do you care who I¡¯m looking for?¡± ¡°Of course I care!¡± Gong Weiyi clutched Yuchi Xiao¡¯s hand and said with overflowing emotions, ¡°You and I are cultivation partners, so your uncle is my uncle¡ªno, your uncle is even dearer to me than my own uncle! How can I stand by and watch when our uncle is in danger?¡± Yuchi Xiao blushed, ¡°Who¡¯s your uncle! Who¡¯s your cultivation partner!!¡± The two of them were bickering and wrestling on Gou Chen, one tried to tear off the other¡¯s face, and one tried to break the teeth of the other. Then suddenly, there was an illumination in front of them, so dazzling that all they could see was a white light. Yuchi Xiao immediately looked back with a start. Right in front of them was a massive Mahayana Seal, the size of a city wall. Somehow, it was no longer in the same form as earlier, it appeared like four transparent walls of flowing and dazzling golden light. The light was glaringly bright and extremely domineering. It towered between heaven and earth, enveloping tens of thousands of miles of the vast Dai Mountain range. They had arrived at the Immortal Alliance! As soon as Gong Wei saw the changed form of the Mahayana Seal, which only appears once in a century, he immediately said, ¡°Change direction quickly! Do not¡­¡± But his words were not as quick as Yuchi Xiao¡¯s speed. Before the words ¡®break through¡¯ could be uttered, Yuchi Xiao took the opportunity to break free from Gong Wei, and before he could hear anything clearly, he kicked Gong Wei off and rode the Gou Chen towards Dai Mountain! There was a long whoosh, Gong Wei plunged towards the ground in a freefall, his expression was blank as he stared at Yuchi Xiao, who rushed towards that seal formation in the distance. ¡°¡­¡± Then, he raised his hand to cover his eyes miserably, unable to bear the sight of the bloody scene that was destined to follow. At that moment, someone behind him suddenly arrived like a meteor, reaching out steadily towards Gong Wei, then grabbing him precisely and pulling him onto another immortal sword. From Gong Wei¡¯s perspective, he could only see the sleeves of a Xuanmen robe fluttering in the wind, then he was held firmly in front. Before a young boy¡¯s concerned and gentle voice came, ¡°Are you alright?¡± It was a familiar voice and Gong Wei felt surprised, yet before he had the time to turn back to see who it was, he saw Yuchi Xiao riding on Gou Chen and flying like a red-gold flame towards the Dai Mountain boundary. What happened next was as Gong Wei had expected, it was an earth-shattering¡ª Boom!! The Mahayana Seal formation had somehow turned into a solid wall. Yuchi Xiao, who should have gone straight through it, hit his head hard, and was knocked out together with his sword! ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei and the man on the sword twisted their heads in unison, watching as Yuchi Xiao flew above their heads like a parabola, falling into the distant mountains with a loud crash, and sending countless birds flying off. It was only after a long time that Gong Wei squeezed out a sentence, ¡°¡­shouldn¡¯t be dead right?¡± The voice of the person behind him was full of uncertainty, ¡°¡­Perhaps?¡± Gong Wei finally had a chance to look back at his rescuer, but was quickly stunned. He was a very beautiful looking teenager of eighteen and had a calm and collected look. His white shirt and a black outer robe further accentuated his soft demeanour. His long, black hair tied up with a snow-white ribbon. His attire was extremely simplistic through and through. But at the end of the ribbon on his hair, was an inconspicuous bay leaf, which would draw the attention of anyone within the hundreds of families in Xuanmen¡ªfor it was embroidered with gold threads. The wearer of a sect uniform with gold threads must be the blood relation or direct disciple of one of the three sovereigns. Gong Wei finally remembered why he had an impression of this man. ¡­ It was six months before his death, and one day, the disciples¡¯ sibilant chatter spread throughout the entire Correctional Palace, ¡°¡­Hey! Hey! Have you heard, the Artefact Sect Master actually sent his own brother to the Court of Punishment !¡± ¡°How big of a mess must he have caused?¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that he abused his family¡¯s slave, and his methods were so cruel that it caused a lot of criticism¡­¡± ¡°Hold on, but isn¡¯t it just over a slave?¡± ¡­ ¡°Bai Xian is my servant, naturally I can treat him however I want.¡± In the Court of Punishment, a pale looking, handsome young man with hands behind his back stood in full view of the crowd. He looked unconcerned and paced around before saying, ¡±Although we don¡¯t need the opinions of outsiders, but since even the Court of Punishment has been alerted, there is no harm in a compromise.¡± He turned back and smiled, ¡°Bai Xian, they want me to let you go.¡± Kneeling with his back against the daylight was a thin silhouette, looking so fragile that a gust of wind might break him as he bowed his head deeply and fearfully. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you loved me and swore you¡¯d rather die than leave me?¡± At the centre of the crowd, the figure trembled, and everyone could see his despair as he quivered, ¡°Please don¡¯t-don¡¯t drive me away, Second Young Master¡­¡± But the young man towering above him smiled. His features were beautifully defined, and his smile would have been enough to make countless female cultivators blush in shame. But at this moment, it had an eerie cruelty and hostility to it. ¡°Is that so?¡± He said, holding that smile. ¡°Then carve out your heart and show me.¡± ¡­ Gong Wei lowered his gaze and exhaled without a word. ¡°Are you a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect? This is outrageous, why are you here?¡± The young man¡¯s accent was soft, so even his rebuke sounded gentle, then he looked towards the distant mountains and forests where grey smoke was curling up, ¡°This place is dangerous and you can¡¯t stay here for long, come with me.¡± As he said this, he turned his immortal sword around and was about to descend, when he saw Gong Wei look up at him and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± The young man froze, and only then did he remember that in his haste, he had not introduced himself. Surprisingly, he did not mind at all that the other party, a junior disciple of an outer sect, spoke to him in this way. He politely saluted and apologetically said, ¡°I am a member of the Ju Sect, and my name is Bai Xian.¡± ¡ªThe Artefact Sect. In the three great sects of the immortal world, the Sword Sect Master undoubtedly ranks first in prowess with his unquestionable strength. This is followed by the highly skilled Golden Boat Medical Sect Master, Mu Duozhu. And then the Artefact Sect Master, Changsun Chengfeng, who is most renowned for his sect¡¯s military strength, engineering skills and artefact craftsmanship. The Artefact Sect and the Sword Sect are similar in the fact that they each had an unprecedented, brilliant master, who led their families up the ranks, to become one of the six great families in the immortal world. After that, they accepted disciples, accumulated talents and treasures and raised descendants who were more outstanding than their ancestors. Thus, earning their place as two of the three great sect masters and passing down their distinguished family name from generation to generation. The Changsun family was worthy of their title, and immediately sent a large number of their men and horses to set up an encampment at the foot of Dai Mountain when they saw the Mahayana Seal appear. Gong Wei followed Bai Xian on his sword. As they landed, they saw that Yuchi Xiao had already been respectfully invited by disciples of the Changsun family from the forest back to camp. This human fort was really something. He first received two blows of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sword glare, then crashed into Ying Kai¡¯s platinum Mahayana Seal and yet he was still alive. He rubbed the bruise on his forehead and said weakly, ¡°The Mahayana Seal is just a mark, how could it have expelled me out?¡± He spoke to a man with a handsome and kind face, who looked about the same age as Yuchi Changsheng, and wore a black outer robe with trimmings embroidered with golden threads around his shoulders. He stood with hands tucked into his wide sleeves next to Yuchi Xiao and sighed, ¡°Dearest nephew, I don¡¯t want to nag¡­ But the point of the Mahayana Seal is to announce to the world that this place is the caster¡¯s territory, and that he has taken responsibility for it, no matter what befalls him. So no one is allowed to enter. You already know that the Ding Xian Mausoleum is haunted, and yet you still want to head inside, you really¡­¡± Bai Xian headed towards them and lowered his head, lifting his immortal sword with both hands above his head as a salute, ¡°My Lord.¡± This person he saluted was none other than Changsun Chengfeng. Yuchi Xiao glanced over and saw Gong Wei, then quickly turned his back with his hands covering his face. Unfortunately, it was too late. Gong Wei stared at him blankly for a long time before he finally couldn¡¯t help but cautiously confirm, ¡°Young Swordsman, did you just hit a brick when you landed on your face? The mark on your face is very similar to the one on Wen Xiuyang earlier. Look at the angle of this¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao angrily retorted, ¡°It was clearly you who hit Wen Xiuyang with a brick! Don¡¯t frame me!¡± ¡°Oh my, I told you to hold on to this sword and use it.¡± Changsun Chengfeng reached out to support Bai Xian then turned to Gong Wei. Seeing the colour of his sect robes, he said with surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the direct disciple of the Cang Yang Sect Master? How come the two of you are together? Were you eloping? So Young Master Wen has been silenced, has he?¡± Before Yuchi Xiao could reply, Gong Wei who was well aware of the character of Changsun Chengfeng in his past life, quickly denied, ¡°I will not deceive Artefact Sect Master, but the two of us are not related in any way, it¡¯s a long story¡­¡± ¡°I understand, I understand, no need to explain.¡± Changsun Chengfeng spoked with an understanding tone, ¡°Lord Xu and Sword Sect Master have always been at odds, how could they have accepted your relationship? Yet how can the passionate feelings of young people be restrained? So you killed Wen Xiuyang and escaped from the Cang Yang Sect. You had no choice but to come to the most dangerous place in the world. And when you were at your most desperate, you just happened to meet me¡­like a divine soldier descending from heaven.¡± Yuchi Xiao was stunned. Gong Wei cut to the chase, ¡°No, your lordship! There is no such thing!¡± Bai Xian couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°My Lord, I don¡¯t think the plot is as you mentioned either¡­¡± However, before he could complete his sentence, a disciple hurried from afar and held up a red talisman, ¡°Reporting to the Artefact Sect Master! The Cang Yang Sect Master has sent a message via a transmission spell, saying that the matter is important, please open it immediately!¡± Before Gong Wei and Yuchi Xiao had time to react, Changsun Chengfeng had already quickly eased into his role, first taking in a deep breath of cold air for them. Then, he waved his hand and the talisman burst in mid-air, and the next moment an unassuming voice rang out. It was Sheng Bo, the disciple guarding the palace, who said, ¡°Your Lordship, an outer disciple of the Cang Yang Sect has gone missing, his name is Xiang Xiaoyuan, and he was abducted by Yuchi Xiao of the Golden Gate. If you see him near Dai Mountain, please capture him and return him to the Cang Yang Sect immediately, as for Yuchi Xiao, you may kill him on the spot.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng turned back and stared at the duo with dumbfounded eyes. Gong Wei changed his expression like a magic trick and immediately bowed sincerely, saying in a heartfelt voice, ¡°Yes, Your Lordship, it is as you have guessed. We can only count on you to keep both our lives!¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s heart was immediately brimming with a sense of justice and he said angrily, ¡°How can Xu Shuangtze behave like this, who does he think he is! How can he stop a sincere relationship between young people just because he wants to? Does being a Sovereign give him the right to do whatever he wants?¡± Gong Wei was moved and applauded, ¡°Your Lordship is so right!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao said softly, ¡°It¡¯s amazing how fast you can sense the wind direction and steer the boat, Xiang Xiaoyuan.¡± Changsun Chengfeng reached out to Bai Xian and said discontentedly, ¡°Bring me a transmission talisman. Tell Xu Shuangtze that there are many things in this world that will not follow his whims, and don¡¯t think that because he has become Sovereign, he can order others around at will! Anyway, he is now imprisoned at the Cang Yang Sect and cannot come to Dai Mountain, just say that these are my words¡­¡± At that moment, Sheng Bo¡¯s voice came out again from the transmission spell, ¡°Also¡­¡± He paused and spoke calmly, ¡°Lord Xu said that if the Artefact Sect Master has any objections, he will personally come to Dai Mountain to meet you within an hour.¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s movements froze. After a moment of dead silence, Changsun Chengfeng rigidly turned back, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face full of sincere compassion. ¡°My two dear nephews, please listen to my advice. A union without the blessing of the elders is incomplete, and Lord Xu must have his reasons for opposing it. Why don¡¯t you two go back to your own homes, I will personally send Xiang Xiaoyuan back to the Cang Yang Sect¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao blurted out, ¡°My Lord, your sense of justice is disappearing too quickly!¡± Changsun Chengfeng immediately defended his diminishing reputation, ¡°I am not afraid of Xu Shuangtze, this is not the same thing as¡­¡± ¡°It is exactly the same thing. Are you that afraid of Lord Xu coming to your door?!¡± Changsun Chengfeng replied, ¡°I¡¯m not, I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°You also believe deep down that Lord Xu can do whatever he wants right?!¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s mouth was already half-opened, he paused before yielding with a ¡°Hai¡± and continued with a pained voice, ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of young people who don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing! Who is not afraid of Lord Xu? Have you ever seen another Sovereign in this world who is so heartless as to kill not only the living but also dismember corpses?¡± An indescribable silence suddenly enveloped everyone. There was another long, eerie pause before Gong Wei said, ¡°I can¡¯t even refute this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± said Changsun Chengfeng, pointing back and forth at the two of them, ¡°you two should hurry back to the Cang Yang Sect and the Golden Gate, and don¡¯t come near here again. Since Lord Ying has activated the Bronze Wall Formation, it means that the situation inside has escalated and is dangerous. Later on, the Medical Sect Master Mu Duozhu will join me to guard the outer boundaries of Dai Mountain. Understand?¡± In the distance, Dai Mountain, which stretched for thousands of miles, was already surrounded by a golden bronze wall, so it was impossible to see what was going on inside. Yuchi Xiao said urgently, ¡°No, I must go in immediately, my uncle is still trapped inside¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely not! The Ding Xian Mausoleum is the burial place of the various great families and sects!¡± Changsun Chengfeng interrupted him, ¡°Besides, if even Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui can¡¯t handle it, would you two be able to do anything? You have to trust your seniors, what kind of person is the Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi Rui? He won¡¯t die that easily¡ª¡± Boom!! Suddenly, a loud sound came from Dai Mountain. It sounded as if the earth had been split open, the mountains and forests shook so violently that everyone staggered! Countless birds were startled and frantically flew off. Changsun Chengfeng stumbled and held on to Bai Xian, shocked to see the Bronze Wall Formation almost burning up and after a long time, he finished his sentence, ¡°¡­right?¡± Yuchi Xiao simply couldn¡¯t listen anymore, he raised Gou Chen and with a flash of red-gold sword glare, he flew up, ¡°Go!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Changsun Chengfeng came back to his senses and stopped him with one hand, blocking stiffly. ¡°Wait patiently, you absolutely cannot go in!¡± Yuchi Xiao was furious, ¡°But why? I know that the Ding Xian Mausoleum is a burial place, but aren¡¯t the living more important than the dead?!¡± Changsun Chengfeng calmed down and seemed a little indecisive, but after a moment he sighed, ¡°Fifteen years ago, Ying Kai initiated the suggestion that all the great sects should come together to build the Ding Xian Mausoleum, and they jointly suppressed four golden coffins in the ninth and deepest level.¡± ¡°If too many deceased people gather, one of those four lying in those coffins might suddenly awaken due to excessive elation.¡± CH 28 Editor: Sahloknir Meanwhile, at the ninth level of the Underground Palace of the Ding Xian Mausoleum¡­ A loud tremor sounded on the outside, and the thousand-tonne stone door finally closed, stopping the dense mass of corpses in the passage behind the door. There was a loud ¡®clang!¡¯ as Yuchi Rui plunged his sword into the bronze floor, barely able to steady his body. Amidst the violent tremors he exhaled a bloodied breath from sheer exhaustion. ¡°What did you just say?¡± He finally had the chance to ask, ¡°There are four coffins on this level?¡± Ying Kai slid down the large stone door and sat on the ground, his robes soaked in blood from the fight, ripped and torn by the corpses. He was in a terrible state. He could not speak, and only after a while did he cough up a few mouthfuls of blood, then fumbled to light up a torch. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Yuchi Rui was about to stop him, but Ying Kai waved his hand wearily, indicating that it was fine. ¡°Such a small flame will not alarm them. They¡¯ll disperse if they can¡¯t sense a living soul, and then we¡¯ll find our way out.¡± The tremors subsided and the small space in the passage was illuminated by the flame. Behind them was a black iron gate blocking the path of the corpses, and in front of them was a more magnificent and solid-looking golden gate, quietly standing in the darkness. Ying Kai stared at the huge door for a long time, holding the dazzling and cold Ding Shan Hai sword in one hand, he laughed bitterly, ¡°Do you know why I initiated and led all the sects to build the Ding Xian Mausoleum together, Changsheng?¡± Yuchi Rui didn¡¯t even think about it, ¡°To raise the prestige of the Xuanmen, to allow the world to pay their respects.¡± But Ying Kai shook his head, ¡°No, the reason lies behind that.¡± Yuchi Rui followed his gaze and his eyes reflected the massive golden door and the dim light behind it. ¡°There are countless immortal cultivators in this world. Those who can build their foundation are already very few, those who can cultivate their core are more fortunate, and those who can cross the Dhyana realm and join the ranks of Sovereigns are few and far between. Even if they do become one, almost no one has ever been able to receive their heavenly tribulation and ascend.¡± ¡°So no matter how many years they live, those who do not ascend will eventually die like mortals.¡± ¡°¡ªThe problem is that some of these seniors aren¡¯t really dead.¡± Ying Kai paused and said, ¡°They are somewhere between the living and the dead.¡± Yuchi Rui already got his answer and looked towards the huge stone door where the screams of the group of corpses was faintly coming from, ¡°Corpses can come back to life?¡± ¡°The exact description should be ¡®corpses can be startled back to life¡¯.¡± Ying Kai said, ¡°When Shuangtze and I were teenagers, we often travelled together and found that some great families had such encounters¡ªwhen the descendants went down to the tombs to pay respects, the breath of the living immediately caused the corpses to break out of their coffins, rise up, and tear their blood relatives to death. But because only Sovereign-level cultivators would be awakened, this secret was able to be kept within the very top echelons of a very few lineages¡­until sixteen years ago.¡± ¡°The year of the¡­Ascension Platform?¡± Yuchi Rui asked with a frown. Ying Kai said, ¡°That¡¯s right. After the first snowfall in the late winter of that year, a giant, abandoned mirror coffin was found deep in Dai Mountain.¡± Yuchi Rui¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°That mirror coffin was about ten feet tall and weighed more than a thousand pounds, and all six sides of its frame were embedded with broken mirror fragments, making it completely impossible to peer inside. No one knows where it came from, it just appeared deep within the woods, where people rarely go. On the lid, there were the carvings of the coffin¡¯s owner¡¯s name and an ancient sealing talisman inscribed in blood. The inscription had worn away, so much that only half the character ¡®Qu¡¯ could be vaguely discerned.¡± Yuchi Rui queried, ¡°Qu?¡± Ying Kai said, ¡°Yes, but there is no one with the surname Qu among the great families of the Xuanmen. While I was secretly tracing the origins of the mirror coffin, the situation took a turn.¡± ¡°What?¡± The light of the flame from the torch was cast on Ying Kai¡¯s handsome face, his expression was somewhat dull. ¡°On the seventh day after the mirror coffin appeared in the world, a Spiritual Master from the Immortal Alliance¡¯s Correctional Palace passed away, and when he was about to be buried, he was awakened and left more than ten people bitten, killed or injured in his trail. Another half month later, a young disciple from the Changsun family died and the corpse was awakened late at night within the first seven days of his death, and was taken down by Changsun Chengfeng himself.¡± ¡°Since then, whenever someone from any of the hundreds of Xuanmen families dies, the corpse will inevitably awaken, regardless of age, and without exception, there will be heavy casualties.¡± The tomb passage was quiet for a long time. Yuchi Rui¡¯s eyes were empty, as if he was seriously contemplating something, and after a moment he said firmly, ¡°Not in my family.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai said feebly, ¡°Changsheng, that¡¯s because no one in your family died back then, alright.¡± Yuchi Rui nodded, then proudly repeated, ¡°None from my family.¡± Ying Kai held his forehead with one hand, taking a long breath and wisely deciding not to argue with him. ¡°Pc rtbga, atf qijuef bo jkjxfclcu mbgqrfr lc fjmt ojwlis tjr gfjmtfv j qblca ktfgf P jibcf mjc tjgvis mbnfg la eq. Po remt j rmjcvji kfgf ab ufa bea, cba bcis kbeiv atfgf yf qjclm jcv mtjbr klatlc atf Wejcwfc, yea qfbqif kbeiv jirb lcfnlajyis nlfk meialnjabgr jr vlrjrafgr jcv yfjrar jcv atf qegrela bo lwwbgajilas jr j vfwbclm jcv fnli qjat.¡± ¡°Therefore, after a secret discussion with Changsun Chengfeng of the Artefacts Sect, I proposed that all the families and sects move all the remains of their ancestors to Dai Mountain, construct the Ding Xian Mausoleum and then impose severe laws to strictly prohibit living people from entering the tomb. If someone must enter, only one person, or at most two, could do so to avoid the risk of awakening masses of corpses.¡± ¡°On the ninth level, in the deepest part of the tomb, I crafted this heavy door of pure gold and delivered four coffins myself.¡± ¡°The mirror coffin is inside?¡± Yuchi Rui asked immediately. ¡°Yes, the first one is the mirror coffin which is evil to the core.¡± Ying Kai slowly said, ¡°Poured with melted bronze and sealed with gold, I personally paid respects and sent it inside the chamber, never to see the light of day again, and the plague of awakening corpses in each family came to an abrupt end.¡± Yuchi Rui nodded thoughtfully and asked, ¡°What about the other three?¡± Ying Kai asked rhetorically, ¡°Have you ever heard the story of the ¡®Ghost Prince Welcoming His Bride¡® when you were a child?¡± Of course he had. The story of the ¡®Ghost Prince Welcoming His Bride¡¯ was one of the enlightenment stories for children in the Daoist scriptures. Its popularity was probably similar to that of the ¡®Three Character Classic¡¯ and the ¡®Hundred Family Names¡¯ which children read. According to legend, in ancient times, the Ghost Wall held great power. The Ghost King was disrespectful to the gods and went so rampant performing evil deeds, that one of the gods of the Eastern Heaven was angered and sent down a heavenly calamity that destroyed the Ghost King¡¯s soul. In order to avenge his death, the Ghost Prince wreaked havoc on earth with his powers, causing bloodshed, scorching the land for miles, and alarming the gods. The same god from the Eastern Heavens was a merciful one and pitied the sufferings of the mortals. So he extended his helping hand once more. The war between gods, humans and ghosts was tilted and the Ghost Prince sought a compromise with the Gods. At this time, a sovereign was killed on the battlefield and ascended into immortality, a woman whose beauty was said to be a perfect match for the Ghost Prince. So the Prince sent a huge bride price, and a bridal entourage of a hundred beasts and monsters from the Underworld to the Blue Heavens, banging gongs and drums to welcome this bride. Legend has it that the two were in love and lived in harmony ever after. From then on, the Ghost Prince lived forever in the depths of the Underworld, and no one ever saw him again. Of course, this is just an absurd story, the so-called ¡®Ghost Prince¡¯ might have referred to a certain ghost judge, and the Xuanmen never had any records of any ¡®God from the Eastern Heavens¡¯, let alone heard of the Ghost Wall¡¯s ceremony of banging gongs and drums to welcome the Ghost Princess. Yuchi Rui asked suspiciously, ¡°So what?¡± ¡°There is a bronze coffin in the secret room of the Correctional Palace, which has been secretly hidden from generation to generation by the sect masters. No one knows what is inside, but there is a legend that it is the bones left behind by the Ghost Princess when she left her physical body and ascended into immortality.¡± Ying Kai slowly said, ¡°To be cautious, I did the same by sealing it with molten gold and buried it here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The feeling of absurdity of a childhood bedtime story intersecting with reality came over Yuchi Rui, who halfway said with a shocked face, ¡°It can¡¯t be right ?¡± Ying Kai laughed silently. ¡°What about the third one?¡± Yuchi Rui couldn¡¯t help but ask again. At this point, even if Ying Kai said that the third one was the mythical Ghost Prince, he would not be surprised. Who knew that as soon as the question was asked, he only saw the remaining trace of Ying Kai¡¯s smile fade away, and only after a long time did he raise his bloodshot eyes and say calmly, ¡°It belongs to Gong Zhiyu.¡± In an instant, all of Yuchi Rui¡¯s words were stuck in his throat. ¡°How could you put Gong Wei there!¡± He suddenly stood up with a swish and almost lost his voice, ¡°There¡¯s no way Gong Wei would¡ª¡± ¡°He would.¡± Ying Kai¡¯s tone was tired but smooth, ¡°Being a Sovereign, dying with a grudge, and not decaying after death, he has already met all the conditions for an awakening corpse. The world recognises Gong Zhiyu as the number one in mirror art, and that evil mirror coffin happened to appear in the same year after his death, even I dare not guarantee that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with him, do you understand?¡± ¡°I concealed the existence of the Mirror Coffin because I was afraid that the hundred schools of the Xuanmen would think that Gong Zhiyu was haunted by evil spirits and that his reputation would be affected. After the Ding Xian Mausoleum was completed, I buried his bones in a golden coffin instead, when his corpse was still undecayed, his wounds still oozed blood, and his face was as vivid as ever.¡± Ying Kai looked towards the huge door deep in the ground and said softly, ¡°Changsheng, if there is one person in this world who would definitely awaken, then nine times out of ten that person would be Gong Zhiyu. I only wonder why he did not awaken for so many years.¡± Yuchi Rui fell silent and said abruptly after a long time, ¡°He was very lively in his lifetime.¡± Ying Kai said, ¡°I know.¡± Not only did Gong Wei like to watch the hustle and bustle when he was alive, he also liked to create it. What would he think of such a lively and active person eventually buried alone, in the deepest, darkest part of the earth, suppressed and sealed away, without ever seeing the light of day? Would he be disappointed? Or resentful? ¡°Only a very few people in the entire Immortal Alliance, including myself, Xu Shuangtze and Changsun Chengfeng, knew about Gong Zhiyu being buried in the deepest part of the Ding Xian Mausoleum. After sending these three most dangerous coffins in, I had planned to seal the huge door shut and never let any living person set foot behind this door again¡­¡± Ying Kai took a deep breath before saying, ¡°Who knew that a fourth coffin would be added at this time. ¡° Yuchi Rui frowned and asked, ¡°Whose?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai moved his eyes away, the leaping fire reflected in them, and said in a low voice. ¡°Xu Shuangtze.¡± Yuchi Rui was dumbfounded for a while and thought that he had heard wrong, ¡°Who?!¡± ¡°Sixteen years ago on the Ascension Platform, before Gong Wei died, he apologised to Xu Shuangtze. He said, ¡°You will never be able to ascend, your cultivation in this life will end here.¡± Ying Kai looked steadily at the endless darkness behind the candle flame and said softly, ¡°In the years that followed, I was immersed in self-blame, guilt, remorse and pain. And I did not have the heart to think carefully about the meaning behind those words¡­until late one night, in the great hall of the Correctional Palace, Xu Shuangtze suddenly brought an empty coffin.¡± *** ¡°¡­I have been cultivating alone lately, but I have made no progress and feel weary. Sometimes, when I dream in the night, I remember the words left by Gong Zhiyu on the Ascension Platform that year, as if everything was fated to happen¡­¡± A crescent moon shone in front of the main hall, illuminating the courtyard as clear as stagnant water. The hands of Ying Kai were trembling slightly, but Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression and voice held an uncaring indifference, as if he was recounting the unrelated matters of others. ¡°I will not be able to ascend in this lifetime, and one day I will die and enter the Underworld. At that time, my heart will not be willing and my obsession will not be dispersed. So once my corpse awakens, I will surely cause suffering for a hundred years. Therefore, you should send this empty coffin to the ninth level of the Ding Xian Mausoleum first. When the time comes I will enter and seal the mausoleum doors on my own accord and lay myself to rest. Perhaps that day is not too far away¡­¡± Ying Kai¡¯s throat seemed to be clogged with something sour, and it took a long time before he said in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s actually all my fault. If I had realized earlier that the friction between you two was irreconcilable, if I had noticed earlier the unhappiness and killing intent in Zhiyu¡¯s heart, if I had been able to understand him and stop him earlier¡­¡± Surprisingly, Xu Shuangtze smiled, albeit very briefly, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Your greatest obstacle is to self-impose too much responsibility.¡± He suddenly asked, ¡°Do you still remember that year when I said that I regretted having entered that peach forest with you, and that it would have been better if I had never met Gong Zhiyu in my lifetime?¡± Ying Kai looked at him, unable to utter a single word. Of course he remembered, he still remembered the mouthful of warm blood that spurted out of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s lungs. ¡°I don¡¯t regret it now.¡± Xu Shuangtze said softly, ¡°I believe that this is my fate.¡± To be born as arch-enemies and buried together in death. Ying Kai let out a long breath. ¡°When the tomb door finally closed, there were four coffins buried inside. In the decade or so since then, despite the occasional living person entering the mausoleum to pay their respects, the thousands of coffins in the Ding Xian Mausoleum have never undergone any strange changes, and there have never been any more scandals of awakening corpses from among the Xuanmen.¡± The shrill howls of the corpses outside the huge iron gate were already far away, trailing behind their heavy footsteps as they faded into the depths of the ancient and silent tomb. Inside the narrow tomb passage, only a single flame, the size of a bean, burned and flickered with Ying Kai¡¯s sigh, casting a faint and trembling projection on the surrounding walls. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until last night that I discovered that the havoc caused by the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm fragment is a replica, and I really couldn¡¯t explain it all¡­except to open the door to the tomb to see for myself.¡± Yuchi Rui was silent for a long time before asking, ¡°You want to see if this has anything to do with Gong Wei?¡± ¡°The person most proficient in illusion in the whole world is Gong Zhiyu, and the person most familiar with the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm is also Gong Zhiyu. I must come and see for myself if his soul is still resting in peace.¡± Ying Kai¡¯s voice was harsh and he took a deep breath to suppress it, ¡°If it is really related to him, at least I can personally deal with it¡­when the next fragment appears.¡± No one expected that Gong Wei was still lying nicely in the Ding Xian Masoleum, but it was the thousands of coffins that hadn¡¯t moved for so many years that had awakened in unison. ¡ª ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± Yuchi Rui looked towards the stone door and his ears twitched keenly, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Both of them were great masters of cultivation, who were ranked at the top of the world, and despite the heavy damage from the all-night battle, they had recovered a bit of energy after this rest. Ying Kai used his Ding Shan Hai sword to support himself and was about to turn around and walk out when he hesitated, ¡°Are you injured?¡± Yuchi Rui, ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± ¡°Then why are you panting so hard?¡± Yuchi Rui, ¡°I am not.¡± Both of them suddenly froze at the same time. The sound came from the pitch darkness, one was clearer than the other, one heavier than the other, as if they were right beside their ears. Ying Kai looked over at Yuchi Rui, both of them seeing their own pale faces reflected in each other¡¯s eyes, and then slowly turned to the huge golden tomb door behind them at the same time. Tremors rose from the soles of their feet, but it wasn¡¯t from fear, it was because¡ªthe ground was actually shaking. The tremors grew louder and more violent, the dust and debris rained down the tomb passages on the left and right, and then the solid stone wall beside the huge door suddenly burst with a clear, crisp, ¡®ka cha!¡¯ As if hearing a silent alarm in the void, Ying Kai¡¯s face suddenly changed and he only had time to fly and push Yuchi Rui away, ¡°Changsheng, get out of the way¡ª¡± Before the words left his mouth, the golden tomb door burst open, and a thousand-pound door slammed into Ying Kai, sending him flying in the air. The next thing he knew, his whole body flew out and smashed into the tomb passage, with golden pieces of rubble falling down on him like hail! Yuchi Rui, ¡°Ying Kai!¡± But a huge tremor drowned out his roar. Ying Kai was crushed under a thousand-tonne door and instantly spurted out a mouthful of blood, a hot stream of blood quickly filling his ears. It took several seconds before he felt something loosen within his spiritual sense amidst the violent tremors. It was the Mahayana Seal. The protective spell formation that had enveloped a thousand miles of Dai Mountain dissipated at this moment. ¨C The curtain of light shattered into millions of pieces, converging into a torrent that rushed up to the clouds, and then even the last trace of light vanished without a trace. All those gathered at the bottom of the mountain raised their heads in unison, Yuchi Xiao froze in his tracks, Changsun Chengyang¡¯s mouth was half open, unable to speak, shock spreading through the crowd like a million poisonous snakes. The corpse¡¯s aura over Dai Mountain was so thick that the sky became dark and gloomy, reflecting in the shocked eyes of Gong Wei. In the next moment, the corpse aura, so thick that it was like a substance, spread out in an explosive manner, sweeping in with the swiftness of lightning! The cultivators at the bottom of the hill could not even dodge before they were enveloped in darkness one after another, followed by shouts and shrieks that were swallowed up by the thick ink-like fog. Changsun Chengfeng tugged at Bai Xian, who was at his side, while turning his head and shouting to the others, ¡°Don¡¯t move! Don¡¯t run around!¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s first reaction was to reach for Gong Wei, but then he felt the slender, cold hand slip the moment he touched it and disappeared without a trace. ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± Yuchi Xiao cried in dismay, frantically reaching out and around but only felt the slippery, fishy, wet corpse air. ¡°Where did you go? Come back!¡± In the darkness ahead, Gong Wei stood quietly at the top of the cliff, looking up at the direction of the Ding Xian Mausoleum in the distance, his face pale and grave. With a wave of his sleeve, he flew towards the mountain stream. ¨C ¡°Cough cough cough¡­¡± Deep inside the tomb, Yuchi Rui stabbed his sword into the ground as hard as he could to steady his body and said hoarsely in the violently shaking tomb passage, ¡°Ying Kai? How are you, Ying¡ª¡± His voice suddenly stopped. The sound of metal scraping came from the depths of darkness, as if something dangerous was slowly sliding away, and then ended abruptly with a sharp screech. Yuchi Rui¡¯s pupils shook as he had realised what it was¡ª The lid of a coffin. ¡°¡­go back.¡± He muttered incredulously, ¡°Go back to that world, you are obviously¡­¡± But alas, it was too late. The tomb passage was in ruins, and the yin candles on the remnants of the wall on either side suddenly lit themselves up one after the other, reflecting the huge chamber of the ninth floor of the underground palace. On the bronze floor in front of them was a circular spell formation, several feet in diameter and intricately carved, with four large, heavy gold coffins placed in a ring, one of which had its lid wide open. A cold and green glow lit up, and a stiff back sat up and slowly turned his face. Yuchi Rui¡¯s ears were filled with his own uncontrollable sharp gasps, and he subconsciously stepped backwards, finally calling out that name with difficulty,¡±¡­Gong Wei.¡± CH 29 Yuchi Rui panted rapidly and moved backward before finally calling out that name with great difficulty, ¡°¡­Gong Wei¡­¡± The Tower of Rakhasa led out a clang as it left its sheath, the hands which tightly held onto the sword hilt were trembling. His voice had a trace of grief and desperation which he himself did not realize, ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer, Gong Wei¡­don¡¯t come any closer anymore.¡± Before he completed the sentence, Yuchi Rui saw the corpse crawl out of the coffin. Because of its stiff movements with a thump, it fell onto one knee, then slowly stood up. The pale green, expressionless face stared straight at Yuchi Rui. The Lotus Immortal never liked to wear headgear since he was a child, and his black hair was always casually tied, exuding an air of uninhibitedness and ease. Even if he just stayed still and did nothing, his lively aura and radiance seemed to be constantly flowing around him, jumping in the air like light notes. When he was willing to be close to someone, he was like a sweet dream that wrapped around that person¡¯s entire world in a quick and lively manner. But now he was completely still. His eyes were tightly shut, his face was a deathly white, and an invisible heaviness and rigidity radiated from every strand of his hair. Yuchi Rui tried not to make any noise, slowly stepping backwards, when suddenly there was a slight, ¡®crack!¡¯ A piece of gravel cracked beneath his heel. As if an invisible string in the void had suddenly snapped, the corpse immediately looked up, staring at Yuchi Rui. Then suddenly disappeared the next moment. Any other regular person would not be able to react, but Yuchi Rui had fought with him too many times, and his pupils instantly constricted as he pulled out his sword and spun around. With a crisp ¡®clang¡¯, the corpse of Lotus Immortal descended like a ghostly shadow and deflected the blade with a wave of his hand, and grabbed Yuchi Rui¡¯s throat. Yuchi Rui called out angrily, ¡°Gong Wei!¡± He tilted his head to avoid Gong Wei¡¯s reach, but the corpse¡¯s five fingers grazed his lower jaw before almost slicing through the solid bronze wall like a knife cutting through tofu in an instant. Yuchi Rui moved to receive the battle, the divine sword Tower of Rakshasa struck, and the bricks of the bronze wall fell like hailstones, but the ghastly white face remained in its place. He was unable to even lengthen the slightest distance between them! There was another loud clang and Yuchi Rui, with electrifying speed, grabbed him by the back of his neck and flung him towards the open coffin. But there was nothing in his grasp and when he spun around again, he saw a white burial gown hanging from above. The corpse¡¯s feet now stepped on the tile at top of the tomb passage. In an instant, he came face to face with him. Yuchi Rui felt dread and flew backward, crying out, ¡°Sword out, release technique¡ª¡± The spirit of his sword suddenly awoke, and a whistle resounded. A red-gold halo erupted in all directions, instantly cloaking him in layers of battle armor, blocking off the claws that came for his heart in the nick of time! The corpse moved with a start and half of its arm was instantly burnt to a crisp. A corpse has no sense of pain or fear, and would only attack the living like a madman no matter what damage it received. Yet for some reason, after this blow, the corpse gave up on further attacks and slid past Yuchi Rui towards the tomb passage exit. He must not be let out! In his desperation, Yuchi Rui had no other choice but to slash his sword at the back of the corpse¡¯s neck, and as his head was about to be separated, the Lotus Immortal suddenly turned around, the side of his face shining so brightly with the light from the blade. ¡ªThat face was so familiar, looking as if he had only parted them yesterday. Yuchi Rui¡¯s sword gave a sudden jolt, and a shudder ran up from his fingertips to the top of his head. In the next moment, there was a bolt of pain and a crisp ¡®ka cha!¡¯. At the same time, his wrist bone was sliced clean off by the palm of the Lotus Immortal, and the Tower of Rakshasa fell to the ground! His cry of pain was interrupted before it could be uttered, as the bloodied palm of the corpse clamped down on his throat. ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui couldn¡¯t make a sound and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the face of the corpse, which was inches away from his. The countless years of his youth all flashed before his eyes like scattered fragments of light, but soon faded into darkness, and even the endless row of yin candles could no longer be seen. ¡°¡­Gong¡­Wei¡­¡± His throat bones cackled and his intact left hand clutched the wrist of the corpse, but to no avail. All of a sudden, there was-¡ªka! Ktf mbgqrf¡¯r tfjv tecu tfiqifrris ab bcf rlvf, tlr mbiijgybcf tjv ecfzqfmafvis yffc ygbxfc ogbw yftlcv. Temtl Eel ygbxf ogff ja atlr wbwfca jcv ogfrt jlg uertfv lc atgbeut tlr kbecvfv agjmtfj, mjerlcu tlw ab mbeut nlbifcais ecali tf mbeivc¡¯a rff j atlcu yea tf yjgfis wjvf bea atja atf qfgrbc ktb mjwf ab tlr gfrmef kjr Tlcu Bjl! ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­¡± Ying Kai¡¯s body was soaked in blood, his teeth were so tightly clenched that even his gasps were erratic. He turned his head and shut his eyes tightly, and with another rapid click! click! he broke both the corpse¡¯s arms cleanly into two. Then, he let go with a shudder. The corpse fell to the ground with a thud, like a puppet with broken strings. The tomb passage was now deathly silent, with only two rows of candles crackling and burning. After a long time, Ying Kai finally exhaled a bloodied breath and said with a trembling tone, ¡°Seal the coffin, we¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui, unable to speak, nodded his head. The stone door had long ago been smashed to the ground by Ying Kai, and in the distance another trailing set of footsteps rang out in quick succession. It was the awakened corpses wandering the depths of the tomb gathering again. Ying Kai picked up the body of Lotus Immortal, holding the back of his head, which was unnaturally crooked because of the broken neck bone, and looked down for a moment, murmuring in a small voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Zhiyu¡­it¡¯s Shixiong who has let you down. You sleep well, okay?¡± The corpse was lifeless. Ying Kai¡¯s internal organs felt like they were being burned by a red-hot iron, so hot that his body spasmed and trembled. He took a deep breath, stood up with the corpse in his arms and hobbled towards the golden coffin ahead. Yuchi Rui did not have the courage to follow, nor even the strength to stand up, half-kneeling, he picked up Tower of Rashasa and suddenly heard behind him¡ª Puuuuch. His whole body shook, he couldn¡¯t believe his ears, and stiffened inch by inch as he turned his head back, only to see Ying Kai¡¯s back stopped in front of the coffin, a bloody palm piercing through his abdomen from under his back ribs. It was the broken hand of the Lotus Immortal. Immediately afterward, the corpse rolled from his arms onto the ground, standing up with its neck and arms still bent, but with the click, clack and several crunching sounds, it miraculously recovered as before and twisted its head to re-adjust its posture. ¡°¡­Ying Kai?¡± Yuchi Rui asked in a daze Ying Kai spurted out a large mouthful of blood, unable to support himself any longer, and fell abruptly to his knees! ¡°Ying Kai!¡± Yuchi Rui roared out in anger, got up and rushed forward, however this time the Lotus Immortal moved even faster. Perhaps tired of the battling, right before the Tower of Rakshasa cut down, his right pupil flashed blood-red, reflecting Yuchi Rui¡¯s constricted pupil right in the middle of it¡­ Wind, footsteps, sound, light¡­everything in the world suddenly froze in an instant. The illusion was like a giant net of the abyss, gently and cruelly enveloping everything in sight. ¡­¡­ In the boundless stillness, Yuchi Rui could only hear his own heart pounding inside his chest, but that sound also became slower and fainter until it was drowned out by the clamor that came at him. ¡°I heard that Sword Sect Master died a violent death overnight, his sea of Qi was emptied out and his spiritual power was completely depleted¡­¡± ¡°How could this happen?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a curse, it¡¯s a curse brought on by using the sword as a testimony to cultivate Daoism!¡± ¡­ ¡°It¡¯s all because of you!¡± He heard his mother¡¯s hysterical cries from the hearth and even with so many people, they couldn¡¯t pull her back, ¡°Why did you have to have such an extraordinary talent? It¡¯s all because of you that your father is dead! It was all you!!!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± he told himself over and over, ¡°it wasn¡¯t me.¡± The young Yuchi Rui crouched against the wall in the corner of the hearth, clutching his head and shaking all over. A devilishly faint voice was always picking the right moment to sound out from the bottom of his heart¡ªAre you sure it isn¡¯t you? If you hadn¡¯t been born, or if you hadn¡¯t been born gifted, could the curse that caused your father¡¯s tragic death have been avoided? As time shifted, the grass and trees passed through winter and spring, and the fire set by the previous Sword Sect Master¡¯s wife when she followed him in death was extinguished in everyone¡¯s memory. It was many years later when the Yuchi family once again welcomed the cries of a newborn, and once again the disciples of the Golden Gate donned mourning garbs and hung up white streamers. ¡°Who would have thought that two generations of descendants would cause their fathers¡¯ death, what a sin!¡± There were people outside the hearth sighing, ¡°The previous Sword Sect Master lasted at least a few years back then, but this one sucked his own father dry right after he was born, what a sin!¡± ¡°The previous Sword Sect Master cultivated with the skewed intention of seeking ascension, and the subsequent generation of children and grandchildren are all connected to their own father¡¯s spiritual lineage. The greater the talent, the sooner the father¡¯s spiritual power will be depleted¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that the better the son the sooner the old man will die, how can you take shortcuts in cultivation!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡­¡± Yuchi Rui stood in front of the coffin, gazing at the pale, calm face of his older brother in the coffin. ¡ªThis face was in all honesty, a bit unfamiliar, after all, he had been sent to the Dai Mountain Correctional Palace after his parents died back then, and hadn¡¯t been back to this home much in all these years. ¡°Your Lordship.¡± The escort carefully swaddled a bundle and whispered, ¡°This is the Young Master.¡± The cries drew his attention, and Yuchi Rui slowly turned his head back, only to see the baby, who had just been born a few days ago, yelling out every inch of his voice under the faint candlelight of the hearth, his little face flushed red. He was not quite able to make out the deep eye sockets, high nose and other facial features found in the men of the Yuchi family. ¡°¡­good.¡± Yuchi Rui suddenly said in reply. ¡°He was born with the heavenly spirit root just like I was. No wonder he is the same as me.¡± The escort did not dare to think about the meaning behind the words ¡°just like me¡±, his knees went weak and he knelt down, not daring to say another word. But Yuchi Rui did not say anything more. He bent down to pick up the baby, but his movements were unfamiliar and awkward, and after several attempts he could only carry the baby swaddle in one hand, like a bundle, and stood in front of the coffin in a daze, whispering, ¡°You are not to blame.¡± ¡°Waa¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± The baby returned with an even louder wail. ¡°You didn¡¯t choose to be born,¡± Yuchi Rui murmured, as if he hadn¡¯t heard, ¡°How can you be blamed for displacing them when they brought you into the world without your permission?¡± A muffled thunderclap sounded, and outside the hearse, the rain poured and countless white streamers swayed like long snakes in the wind. ¡°¡ªIs that really what you think?¡± That devilishly seductive, malicious voice suddenly emerged, ¡°Are you really so blameless for causing the death of your loved ones at birth?¡° The cries of the baby in his arms grew thin. The malicious voice trailed off like countless ghostly shadows gloating in his ears as it whispered, ¡°You¡¯ve earned your position as a Sword Sect Master by killing your relatives, haven¡¯t you?¡° ¡°If only you had been born mediocre, all this wouldn¡¯t have happened. You have been secretly rejoicing haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°How do you have the cheek to still be alive?¡± ¡­ With a thud, Yuchi Rui knelt onto the ground and forcefully cupped his ears, each word hissed through his bloodied tongue tip and teeth, ¡°Shut up, you are just an illusion, shut the hell up¡ª¡± The ghostly shadows burst into laughter, ¡°Only an illusion can let you hear the most truthful voice in your heart!¡° ¡°Pierce your eardrums then!¡° ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hear anymore if you¡¯re dead. Why aren¡¯t you dead yet?¡° ¡­ ¡°Shut up! Shut the fuck up!!!¡ª¡± The masses of ghostly shadows and ghoulish figures were millions of nightmarish claws ripping into his primordial spirit, sinking him deeper into the deadliest quagmire of the illusion. Yuchi Rui was struggling to stay afloat in a boundless sea of flames. Despite his extreme agony, he could not awaken from it. In his trance, he saw a familiar face gazing down at him. It was the Lotus Immortal. Then, the ghastly white corpse closed its eyes and turned away, disappearing into the depths of the tomb passage. The cold wind wailed as it rolled in closer and closer. It was the group of awakened corpses that was wandering and had now gathered again, appearing in twos and threes around the coffin chamber, gradually gathering into a ring of corpses. They were all former masters of great families and sects before they were dressed in burial robes of different patterns, their decaying eye sockets unable to close, staring straight at the only two living persons from all sides. ¡°¡­Ying Kai,¡± Yuchi Rui panted fiercely, the ripping sensation of the intertwining illusion and reality made him unsteady on his feet, shuddering as he gripped the Tower of Rakshasa, ¡°Are you still awake?¡± Not far behind him, Ying Kai collapsed in front of the coffin, soundless. Yuchi Rui shut his bloodshot eyes, and opened them abruptly a moment later. A regular cultivator would have died of the insanity and gone off the rails by now. He could barely maintain his consciousness by biting his tongue. Clang! The Tower of Rakshasa was unsheathed, and he said word by word between his clenched teeth, ¡°Bring it on.¡± As if stimulated by the scent of the living, the corpses, one after the other, let out a shrill cry, dragging their rigid strides and advancing at the same time! ¡ªJust as their swords were being drawn, a tune could be heard from the end of the tomb passage. It came so unexpectedly, like a fresh breeze blowing through the thick corpse air. Yuchi Rui¡¯s first thought was that he had misheard it, but then a figure actually appeared in the tunnel, young and slim, with hands behind his back, looking curiously to the right and left¡ªlike a young boy humming a tune just after school. Was it a hallucination? There could only be such an unpleasant tune in a hallucination right? In fact, the tune itself was very familiar to Yuchi Rui, but the man was so tone-deaf that not a single note was in tune from the beginning to the end. And the terrible thing was that he was persistent and serious¡ªthe harder he tried, the more out of tune he became. Yuchi Rui¡¯s primordial spirit was already severely injured. When he heard this heartbreaking song, which sounded like a little fox hanging itself, the breath which he had been struggling to sustain was instantly aggravated into an elevated blood pressure that rushed into his skull as he fell to his knees and spurted out a mouthful of blood! Immediately afterwards, the rapidly approaching corpses stopped and stood in place one after another, as if they had suddenly entered a sleepwalking state. What had happened? Yuchi Rui¡¯s state of mind was now insufficient to support any form of deep thinking, and he could only see the dense sea of corpses rapidly retreating into the distance all of a sudden. Within mere moments, they cleared away like a tidal wave! Gong Wei rushed forward and finally stopped his outstandingly horrific tune and held Yuchi Rui in his arms, he was agitated with tears brimming in his eyes, ¡°Who hurt you like this? Where is my Shixiong? Shixiong! Shixiong, what¡¯s wrong with you!¡± Gong Wei rolled and crawled over to check on Ying Kai, but suddenly felt a tightening sensation around his arm as he was clutched by Yuchi Rui. His eyes were bloodshot and teary, rendering his vision blurred but was driven by strong instincts to force out a few words, ¡°Too¡­too unpleasant to hear ¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei said coldly, ¡°Yuchi Rui, I haven¡¯t seen you in sixteen years, don¡¯t force me to slap you in the face as soon as we meet.¡± Yuchi Rui couldn¡¯t tell if it was another illusion in front of him as he stumbled and fell to the ground. The illusion cast by Gong Wei¡¯s corpse was so powerful that it would have killed a cultivator with a fully developed golden core. Yet, Yuchi Rui dug his nails deep into the muscles of his palm causing fresh blood to flow down his fingers before he lost his last shred of consciousness, ¡°Quick, get help¡­¡± ¡°Gong¡­Lotus Immortal¡­¡± Gong Wei was now busy dragging Ying Kai out of the rubble, panting, ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s me. Can you express your joy at the long-awaited reunion later?¡± Yuchi Rui choked out another mouthful of blood and intermittently added the second half of his sentence, ¡°Lotus Immortal¡­corpse awakened¡­and escaped¡­ ¡° Gong Wei simply thought he heard wrong, his movements abruptly paused and took a long while to turn back in disbelief. In the distant golden spell formation, four huge dark golden coffins were arranged in a ring, the third one was wide open and empty. ¡°¡­¡± said Gong Wei in disbelief, ¡°That awakened corpse was mine?¡± Even with the soul reincarnated the corpse can still rise and even cast an illusion to trap Yuchi Rui and then escape from Ying Kai, what kind of sense was that? Gong Wei slowly turned his gaze to the miserable Shixiong and his best friend on the ground, and finally a tinge of belated guilt rose up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He rubbed his hands together sheepishly and said in embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯ll get myself back there and press myself into the coffin, don¡¯t worry.¡± CH 30 Editor: Sahloknir At the heart of Xuanmen, lies the Correctional Palace of the Dai Mountain Immortal Alliance. Yet at this moment, this place has now been transformed into hell. The first batch of cultivators who rushed up the mountain was mostly from the Correctional Palace. They were so desperate to lend a helping hand that they were thrown off guard by the deadly toxic miasma before they even reached the Ding Xian Mausoleum. Fortunately, Changsun Chengfeng of the Artefact Sect arrived in time, instructing his disciples to carry the poisoned victims down the mountain for emergency treatment. With a wave of his hand, a wind rose and swept and cleared up the thick, jet-black corpse miasma in an instant. With that, everyone¡¯s field of vision became clearer. However, it was just a minor improvement from complete darkness to the ability to see outlines if it were more than ten paces away. Behind them, the disciples made way and saluted, ¡°Bai, Shixiong!¡± Changsun Chengfeng turned around, only to see Bai Xian quickly stepped forward, bending down and saluting, ¡°Your Lordship¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng reached out and helped him up, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Bai Xian kept his bow, saying cautiously and respectfully, ¡°Reporting to the Artefact Sect Master, the Ding Xian Mausoleum is up ahead, please allow me to head in first to investigate.¡± Bai Xian did not set up any protective barriers, yet was able to move around freely in the corpse miasma. Changsun Chengfeng pondered for a moment, but before he could think of a reason to object, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something in the bushes just a few paces away, and quickly stepped forward to take a look. It was a small scrap of clothing, hooked on a sharp dead branch. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan.¡± Changsun Chengfeng said in shock, ¡°Beloved nephew Xiang is not with you?¡± Yuchi Xiao frowned as he looked into the dark, dense miasma in the distance and said in a gruff voice, ¡°He¡¯s gone ahead of us into the Ding Xian Mausoleum.¡± Changsun Chengfeng thought he had heard wrong, ¡°Why did he go there for? That¡¯s right, he was just a junior disciple of the outer sect. Why did he head into the most dangerous place¡ªDing Xian Mausoleum? A strange feeling emerged in Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart, as if the fog was hiding a secret that was beyond his reach. He suddenly remembered the first time he met Xiang Xiaoyuan, that dull little mei demon was standing in the front hall of the Cang Yang Sect. He was just dumbly listening to his fierce request to withdraw from the engagement, and then suddenly falling over backward and fainting. Shortly after this incident, the two of them, who were destined to never meet again in this lifetime, traveled to Linjiang City together and fought side by side against the ghost cultivator. He had experienced so much that it was impossible to relate the Xiang Xiaoyuan with whom he could easily share waves of laughter and curses and the one who had fainted. There was a sense of disconnection somewhere. He felt that when they were in Lingjiang City, a piece of his memory was lost, and along with that, was a missing link to explain all these things rationally. But what, exactly, was he missing? ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone over there!¡± Suddenly the surrounding disciples shouted, and when Changsun Chengfeng looked up, he saw several shadowy figures appearing not far away. All of them were wearing spacious and tattered white robes, their footsteps hobbling and dragging until they came to a halt about ten paces away. Immediately afterward, an even stronger stench of corpses wafted in the wind. ¡°Is it the Mausoleum Keeper?¡± ¡°The Mausoleum Keeper is still alive?¡± As the disciples were whispering among themselves in speculation, an anxious one went towards the figures asking, ¡°Brother, is the Correctional Palace alright? How are Lord Ying and Sword Sect Master doing? You guys¡­ah!!!¡± Changsun Chengfeng and Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression changed abruptly and in unison, ¡°Come back!¡± With a wave of his sleeves, Changsun Chengfeng extended his arm, which was fully encased in a mechanical weapon. An appendage-like fixture shot out to retrieve the screaming disciple and at the same time, the blade, which spun like turbines, forced back the dense corpse fog, revealing the appearances of the shadowy figures¡ª It was clear now that they had rotting faces, cloudy eyes and were all dressed in burial robes. They were the wandering awakened corpses! ¡°Get back! Stay together!¡± Changsun Chengfeng cursed, ¡°The corpses within the Mausoleum have been awakened. Do not barge in!¡± At that moment, a wind swept by his side, catching his attention, ¡°Young Master Yuchi?!¡± With a slash of his sword, Yuchi Xiao swept away the awakened corpses and the red-golden ring of sword glare dispersed more than ten feet of black fog. The renewed visibility revealed the sheer number of corpses hidden in the distance, and shocked the crowd who saw their hideous faces all focused on them. Changsun Chengfeng roared, ¡°Come back! It¡¯s too dangerous ahead, you can¡¯t go alone¡ª¡± Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Yuchi Xiao, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this place to you!¡± The last word from his sentence trailing off into the distance. Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression turned grim and he headed straight for the Ding Xian Mausoleum on his sword! Meanwhile, in the underground palace¡­ Gong Wei dragged the unconscious Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui, like two large gunny sacks, around the corner and panted heavily. Ktf ibcu rabcf rajlgmjrf rqlgjifv eqkjgvr, jcv akb gbkr bo slc mjcvifr fwlaafv jc ffglf ugffc uibk, mjralcu ibcu rtjvbkr bo utjrais oluegfr jtfjv lc atf qjrrjuf. Xbcu Qfl¡¯r ybvs, ktlmt tjv cba sfa meialnjafv j ubivfc mbgf, tjv ilaaif rqlglaeji fcfgus, jcv kjr jiwbra fztjerafv ja atlr qblca. Lf mbeiv bcis tew j ofk wbgf ilcfr bo atja ragjcuf aecf. The figures slowly retreated, but probably because there was insufficient magical power to force them back, they still hovered around maliciously. ¡°Go.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s face changed and he said sternly in a weird and obscure tone that no one could understand, ¡°Capture the Lotus Immortal for me and I will reward you with his golden core, go now!¡± Fortunately, the many spiritually powerful masters who lay in Ding Xian Mausoleum had almost been put to rest by Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui in the earlier fierce battles, and the remaining were ordinary awakened corpses which were less tricky to deal with. The corpses shrugged before they slowly retreated and disappeared into the depths of the dense fog. ¡°¡­.Ying Kai¡­¡±, Yuchi Rui said dazedly as he was dragged along the ground by the back of his collar, ¡°I seem still to be trapped under an illusion¡­¡± Ying Kai was unconscious and could not give him an answer. This was not because of the severity of his injuries, but because of the profound technique he was using¡ªwhen seriously injured, he entered a state of ¡®maintaining the elements and guarding them as one¡¯, temporarily withdrawing his five senses from the outside world and using the primordial spirit to quickly repair his injured spiritual veins. There were only a few great masters in the world who could reach this state, and among them, Ying Kai has the most profound and exquisite training in this area, making it difficult to kill him with even the most severe injuries. Therefore, even Xu Shuangtze said that from the very beginning, when Ying Kai started to build his foundation, he had already laid his foundation as a destined grandmaster. When it came to the endless and uninterrupted operation of spiritual energy, no one in the world could compare to it. ¡°Serves you right, I told you not to look people in the eye.¡± Gong Wei chided as he dragged them both forward with great effort, not even looking back, ¡°What did you see in the illusion?¡± Yuchi Rui was sprawled out like a starfish as he was dragged up the bronze stairs. In a breathless and fearful voice, he said, ¡°I-I think I heard Gong Zhiyu singing¡­¡± Gong Wei was silent for a moment and said gently, ¡°Changsheng, I¡¯m giving you one last chance to live, cherish it.¡± Yuchi Rui immediately fell into silence. There were only the ruffling sounds of clothes dragging against the steps before he murmured, ¡°¡­I saw my father.¡± In an illusion, one tends to see one¡¯s most fearful memories and Gong Wei said in dismay, ¡°What? How is it not the incident whereby Xu Shuangtze hung and beat you up severely back then because you didn¡¯t finish your homework?¡± They passed the yin candles with flames which swayed gently, casting shadows of strange shapes that seemed to come alive on the huge stone wall. Yuchi Rui did not say a word, his primordial spirit was still trapped in a painful illusion, and he hoarsely said, ¡°Did I really kill my father, Ying Kai?¡± Gong Wei said with a big grin, ¡°Why, what are you thinking? I told you there is no shortcut to ascension, you should just eat, drink and live your life to the fullest.¡± The man¡¯s eyes were tightly closed and he looked pained, and it was not certain whether he had listened or not. After a while he seemed to remember something and struggled slightly, as if trying his best to break out of the deep illusion. ¡°¡­Lotus Immortal¡­¡± Gong Wei can only placate him, ¡°Yes, yes, the Lotus Immortal awakened and ran away. We are going to capture him now.¡± But Yuchi Rui turned a deaf ear and asked under his breath, ¡°Ying Kai, why do you think Gong Wei¡­wanted to kill Xu Shuangtze?¡± Gong Wei dragged the both of them up the last bronze step and finally straightened up, wiping off his beads of sweat. ¡°Because it had to be done,¡± he whispered with a sigh. By this time they had reached the end of the stairs, a long passage awaited them around the corner. Gong Wei took a deep and long breath and was about to drag them both forward when his steps suddenly stopped. A tall figure appeared in the middle of the tomb passage, wearing an eagle-back brown robe and red and gold armour. The man had a stern and blood-thirsty aura. Underneath his wide sleeve were two shrivelled black hands and he was slowly turning towards them. The green candle flames illuminated a decaying face under the helmet. Gong Wei took a step back in silence before he said in a trembling voice,¡±¡­You really are a jinx, Changsheng.¡± ¡ªIt was Yuchi Rui¡¯s father, the previous Sword Sect Master! Crack! The corpse turned around and the sound of his amour clashed against the walls. Gong Wei¡¯s cold sweat dripped down and he turned around and dragged Yuchi Rui up, pulling back his hair to reveal his face, ¡°Esteemed Sword Sect Master, please wait, we have no intentions to disturb your slumber. Look, this is your son¡­¡± Crack! The heavy armour of the corpse dragged against the ground this time and he took another step forward. ¡°We¡¯ll leave right now, if you let us pass, we promise to disappear before an incense stick burns out. You see this is the legendary Lord Ying, a mighty man who is both righteous and-and trustworthy¡­..¡± Crack! Crack! Crack! The corpse took big strides with his sword raised, and Gong Wei swiftly shoved Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui behind him. At the same time, with the last of his spiritual power, he shrilly chanted an incantation. At that moment, a hand reached out from behind him, and cupped his mouth to muffle his broken tune. The corpse then slashed down with his sword. Clang! The other man had already drawn his sword and solidly deflected it. It was Yuchi Xiao! Gong Wei has encountered his saviour. After all, it is most appropriate for the descendants of Golden Gate to take care of their own ancestors. Yuchi Xiao leaped forward like a meteor, and with a strike, the sword held by the corpse flung out, and crashed into the wall of the tomb passage before hitting the ground. When the corpse was about to turn around to retrieve it, Yuchi Xiao struck a blow on the back of its neck with both speed and force. ¡ªKa cha! The red-gold armour could not withstand the force of this blow and shattered together with the corpse¡¯s neck! The corpse¡¯s head lolled to one side in an unnatural position, then fell to the ground with a loud rumble and finally stopped moving. ¡°¡­¡± After a few moments of complete silence in the tomb passage, Gong Wei clapped his hands and sincerely exclaimed, ¡°Young Swordsman, you are awesome! Well done!¡± Yuchi Xiao said callously, ¡°When my grandfather passed away, his acupoints were already damaged and did not have much spiritual energy left. Anyone who is willing would be able to subdue him.¡± He put Gou Chen away and came forward to check both his uncle and Lord Ying, and was relieved to see that neither of them had fatal wounds. What happened down there?¡± Gong Wei could sense that the other party¡¯s attitude was a little odd. But with his current experience and understanding of world affairs and human psychology, he could not pinpoint what was off, and after thinking about it, he blurted out, ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of place this is, well, I got lost wandering around and was very scared, and as soon as I came in, I saw Lord Ying and Sword Sect Master collapsed at the door¡­ ¡° Yuchi Xiao suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him, carried Ying Kai and supported Yuchi Rui, ¡°This is a dangerous place, talk as you go.¡± With that, he walked forward with great strides. He was tall and had long legs, and his every stride covered more ground than Gong Wei. Gong Wei hurriedly followed him at a trot, cleverly keeping mum about the four golden coffins he had just seen and the fact that the ¡®Lotus Immortal¡¯ had awakened and escaped. He asked submissively, ¡°How did you find us? Where is the Artefact Sect Master? Where the hell is this place?¡± Yuchi Xiao said, ¡°This is the Ding Xian Mausoleum.¡± ¡°Those people outside¡­why are there corpses running about?¡± Yuchi Xiao kept his pace and said, ¡°It¡¯s called a ¡®startled corpse¡¯, referring to the fact that when a cultivation master dies and is startled awake by the breath of the living. This is a rare occurrence and it is also my first time encountering it.¡± Gong Wei let out an ¡°Oh¡­¡± in enlightenment. ¡°There are thousands of cultivators buried in the Ding Xian Mausoleum alone. When I entered the Mausoleum just now, I saw that many of the awakened masters had already been subdued in the tomb passage. I also saw the marks left behind by the immortal sword Ding Shan Hai.¡± Yuchi Xiao continued, ¡°I figured that Lord Ying must have awakened masses of corpses when he entered the Mausoleum and could only use his sword to retaliate. The Sword Sect Master quickly came to his rescue and they ended up being trapped together.¡± Gong Wei patted his chest and said sincerely, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is! That¡¯s really scary!¡± Yuchi Xiao didn¡¯t answer, dragging the two men towards the end of the tomb passage. Gong Wei ran after him, feeling more and more puzzled, as if he had never seen this side of the great Young Master Yuchi before. But his understanding of the human psyche was limited, and he had little ability to perceive the various subtle emotional changes of people, and could only understand them by instinct, so after some thought, he asked, ¡°Are Lord Ying and Sword Sect Master all right?¡± Yuchi Xiao said briefly, ¡°They¡¯ll be fine.¡± He continued walking and kept his eyes forward, not distracted for a moment. Gong Wei attempted to keep up with his performance, ¡°What did the two seniors encounter to have been injured so badly. Perhaps there are even more awakened corpses lurking¡­¡± ¡°Lotus Immortal, I guess,¡± interrupted Yuchi Xiao suddenly. ¡°Ah?¡± Gong Wei was slightly stunned, only to hear Yuchi Xiao calmly say, ¡°With the skills of Lord Ying and the Sword Sect Master, there is no one in the entire history of Xuanmen who could possibly take the both of them down in a single battle. The only other possibility is that the awakened corpse is a friend who they could not bear to retaliate against. The only person who meets the criteria is the Lotus Immortal.¡± Gong Wei was stunned for a moment and wondered, ¡°Couldn¡¯t bear to retaliate?¡± Yuchi Xiao replied, ¡°What else?¡± ¡°But he has already become a corpse.¡± Yuchi Xiao finally glanced at him briefly and strangely, ¡°It is precisely because it is the remains of someone close to them that they cannot bear to fight and subdue him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei thought, You guys are really ridiculous. When a person dies, there is nothing left of him and his remains are merely a stack of flesh. How could there be people who treat a corpse as if it were a living being, and corpses who hold on to their emotions until they awaken? But when he thought about it, he recalled the first time Xu Shuangtze reprimanded him in public. He was still very young then. It seemed that he was brought along to a funeral and was so bored that he went to play with the corpse lying in the coffin. At that time, even Ying Kai was furious and dragged him all the way out of the funeral hall, and Xu Shuangtze even questioned him what the hell he was¡ªperhaps mortals were all the same and had unnaturally strong feelings of love and hatred towards the deceased. Even Xu Shuangtze was no different. As he pondered, he heard Yuchi Xiao say flatly, ¡°You¡¯ve come all this way without bumping into the Lotus Immortal. You must be lucky.¡± Gong Wei shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just wandered around¡­¡± He stopped speaking, finally realising what was strange about Yuchi Xiao¡¯s attitude¡ª Since they¡¯ve met, he hadn¡¯t even asked how Gong Wei found his way to the Mausoleum! Had he sensed something amiss? When Gong Wei looked up, he saw that Yuchi Xiao was still walking in front of him, and he could not see anything different from where he was. Gong Wei¡¯s eyes blinked and his right pupil glowed red, then blinked again and turned back to its normal black color. He tested his hypothesis, ¡°Young Swordsman?¡± Yuchi Xiao replied, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you turn around?¡± Yuchi Xiao remained oblivious, but his voice was still steady, ¡°What for?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes blinked again, and this time his right pupil turned a crystal clear crimson shade, and he smiled wryly, ¡°If you don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯ll have to go over and take a look at you.¡± Yuchi Xiao suddenly stopped. But before Gong Wei had time to make his move, there was a sudden, chaotic rumble of footsteps ahead of them, followed by a group of cultivators led by Changsun Chengfeng of the Artefact Sect rushing towards them. Gong Wei¡¯s right pupil instantly reverted to black, only to see Changsun Chengfeng had come striding in, his face, which had always been very easy-going, was unprecedentedly serious, and he took the unconscious Ying Kai from Yuchi Xiao. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened down there?¡± He also gestured for his disciples to pick up Yuchi Rui and said with a frown, ¡°Is the Sword Sect Master still under an illusion?¡± Yuchi Xiao replied, ¡°Your Lordship, I¡¯m afraid that Lotus Immortal has awakened.¡± Changsun Chengfeng paused abruptly. But after that brief respite, he immediately regained his composure and ordered his disciples in a low voice, ¡°Escort the Alliance Master and the Sword Sect Master out of the Mausoleum. The Medical Sect Master has sent his disciples to provide support, and they have already arrived outside the Ding Xian Mausoleum.¡± The two disciples quickly received the order and left, while Changsun Chengfeng turned to Yuchi Xiao and said softly, ¡°Beloved nephew, to be frank, the ¡®startled corpses¡¯ is a scandal of Xuanmen that few people know about. Once the corpses in the Underground Palace escape, they will probably harm countless lives, so it is not too late¡­¡± He had meant to ask the Yuchi Xiao to assist him in subduing the remaining awakened corpses, but the sharp Yuchi Xiao interrupted him without hesitation, ¡°I understand what the Artefact Sect Master means. It is just that the previous Sword Sect Master was also awakened, so please wait until I have collected and buried my grandfather before returning to assist you.¡± Changsun Chengfeng did not even have time to persuade him as he saw Yuchi Xiao turn around and beckon to Gong Wei, ¡°Come here, what are you doing?¡± Gong Wei was silently cowering in the corner to reduce his presence, and when he heard those words, he froze. In full view of everyone, Yuchi Xiao raised his eyebrows, his face was a little stern, ¡°You are my future cultivation partner, must I invite you to collect and bury our grandfather¡¯s bones with me? ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei was speechless and waved his hand in the midst of the many weird looks given to him, and said with a smile, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Changsun Chengfeng was even more speechless than Gong Wei at this moment. The deceased should be respected and it was not appropriate for him to object to their next course of action. He could only advise, ¡°The two of you, be safe and return quickly.¡± Gong Wei covered his face with one hand, pretending not to see the different expressions of the other disciples, and followed Yuchi Xiao back down the tomb passage. They took a substantial amount of time walking before they met up with the Artefact Sect Master. However, the journey back in was much easier and faster. Within fifteen minutes, they were back on the bronze steps going down the next level of the Underground Palace. Just another turn of the corner would bring them to the spot where they left the corpse of the previous Sword Sect Master. Yuchi Xiao suddenly stopped in his tracks, gestured and whispered, ¡°Listen.¡± What was going on? Gong Wei subconsciously turned his ear in the direction he was pointing, but did not hear anything different, and turned back blankly, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± His movements suddenly froze. Gou Chen was now at his throat, the slightest movement would spill his blood. Yuchi Xiao¡¯s voice sounded coldly behind him, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°When we encountered the Sword Sect Master¡¯s awakened corpse just now, you sang an incantation and suddenly stopped when you saw me arrive¡ªI¡¯ve heard those words before, it¡¯s one of the supreme forbidden arts specifically used to communicate with the dead, the Secret Yin Yang Chaos Technique incantation.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the timid, lowly disciple.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s tight voice came from overhead and asked, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± CH 31 Editor: Sahloknir ¡ªThe Secret Yin Yang Chaos Technique Most secret Daoist scrolls are old, but this particular one only came into existence a few decades ago. It was originally created by the Ghost Taming Sect in Beiling as one of the many forbidden arts which the Sect developed. Later, the Sect Master burned all such scrolls in a bid to cover up the evidence. However, no one expected that Gong Wei, who was still young and extremely bored at the time, had already read and memorised the whole cart of bamboo scrolls. When he returned, he even penned down the tens of thousands of words based on his memory. As a result, the entire Ghost Taming Sect was condemned and imprisoned, and this secret technique was compiled into a book and put away by Ying Kai. This was a top-tiered forbidden art, known to only a few families in the Immortal Alliance. The Lotus Immortal was very active growing up. He could almost tear the Correctional Palace apart into chaos and the Sword Sect as well. But when he sat down and concentrated he could also study an entire sutra in earnest. During his lifetime, he deciphered many ancient and lost Daoist scriptures. Occasionally, he would share some of what he had learned with Yuchi Rui for fun, but never took on any disciples. When he died on the Ascension Platform sixteen years ago, the Hundred Schools of the Xuanmen lost a living dictionary, and many of the secret scriptures were lost, including the soundtrack of this book, ¡°The Great Mantra of the Secret Yin Yang Chaos Technique¡±. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei blinked and said, ¡°You must have heard wrong.¡± He was about to turn around when he felt there was a sudden stab in his throat, a hooked sword blade against his larynx, forcing him not to move a muscle against the potentially fatal move. ¡°Xiang-Xiao-Yuan.¡± Yuchi Xiao said behind him, softly, word by word, ¡°Do you want to explain clearly here, or do you want me to escort you back to the Cang Yang Sect and explain in front of Lord Xu?¡± Xu Shuangtze. As soon as Gong Wei heard these three words, a chill shot up his spine, and the lingering devious tone in his voice was gone, ¡°You really misheard me, what is the Secret Technique? I really just barged in by mistake because I got lost¡­¡± ¡°Has the Lotus Immortal really awakened?¡± ¡°What?¡± Yuchi Xiao lowered his head and whispered fiercely in his ear, ¡°Is it true that Lord Ying and the Sword Sect Master were so badly injured because of the awakened corpses, or is it because they encountered you, a seemingly harmless disciple who is actually well-versed in forbidden arts?¡± From Yuchi Xiao¡¯s angle, he could only see half of Gong Wei¡¯s face. He appeared to be panicking, yet also naive and frail. He hastily opened his mouth, seeming about to retort, but no words came out. ¡°¡­¡± After a moment of silence, Gong Wei sighed helplessly and softened his expression. ¡°Never mind, even I can¡¯t think of an excuse.¡± He said feebly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what you want to hear, and I¡¯ll say it.¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression changed subtly in response and he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, ¡°Where did you learn this forbidden art?¡± Gong Wei replied, ¡°I peeked at a manual back when I was at Cang Yang Sect. Whatever, you wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway.¡± ¡°Lbk jgf sbe mbccfmafv ab atf lcmlvfca bo atf jkjxfclcu mbgqrfr ja Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew?¡± Xbcu Qfl rjlv rieuulrtis, ¡°Gb sbe atlcx la mjc tjnf jcsatlcu ab vb klat wf? Po sbe atlcx rb atfc, bxjs.¡± ¡°Tbe¡­¡± Temtl Wljb alutafcfv tlr uglq ecali atf nflcr kfgf qgbagevlcu bc atf yjmx bo tlr tjcv. Tfa, tf rjk atlr sbecu wjc rwlif jr tf uijcmfv yjmx ja tlw afjrlcuis jcv lccbmfcais ja atf rjwf alwf, ¡°Tbecu Vkbgvrwjc, lo P kfgf sbe, P kbeivc¡¯a jrx la ilxf atja.¡± ¡°I would first dislocate the limbs and joints of ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ and drag him in front of a crowd, preferably in the presence of Changsun Chengfeng¡ªwho specialises in mechanical weapons and has developed a wide range of novel and savage torture devices under the Artefact Sect. Then invite Xu Shuangtze, who hates any form of illusionary arts, to preside over the interrogation. With Lord Xu present, even the toughest man would be so severely tortured that he stands no chance of keeping any secrets.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do it like you did, purposely luring everyone away before putting your sword to the suspect¡¯s neck, and even being careful not to hurt him. I would not question him in a gentle and roundabout manner such as ¡®where did you learn the forbidden arts¡¯ or ¡®did the awakened corpses have anything to do with you¡¯ because that¡¯s just too weak.¡± Gong Wei smiled and turned his head, and because of this movement, the skin of his neck was finally slit by the sharp immortal sword, and blood instantly gushed. Yuchi Xiao watched this in surprise. Gong Wei laughed, ¡°I would ask directly, are you still the same Cang Yang Sect outer disciple Xiang Xiaoyuan? Or¡ª¡± Yuchi Xiao lost his voice all of a sudden and cried, ¡°What are you doing!¡± He tried to let go of his sword, but Gong Wei clutched it at his throat and tugged it to prevent Yuchi Xiao from pulling it away. He then chuckled softly yet cruelly, ¡°Or has your soul been taken over and transformed to the legendary Chief of the Disciplinary Court, Gong Zhiyu?¡± Clang! The hilt of the sword slammed into a tombstone as Yuchi Xiao finally broke free of Gong Wei¡¯s bloodied hand, interrupting him in a stern voice, ¡°I said, shut up!¡± ¡°You are too weak, Young Master Yuchi.¡± Gong Wei looked at him from the bottom up, his eyes expressing pity, ¡°You don¡¯t even dare to cut one off my hand or stab me, so what had you hoped to hear from me?¡± A faint scarlet glow swirled and emerged from the depths of his right pupil, but Yuchi Xiao didn¡¯t notice. The wound on the young man¡¯s neck appeared like the edge of a shattered, white porcelain fragment. A drop of blood could be clearly seen snaking down until it sank into his deep collarbone. Yuchi Xiao didn¡¯t know where his wretchedness and anger had come from. He felt his temples throbbing as he bellowed breathlessly, ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t dare to? I just don¡¯t¡ªI¡ª¡± The candles on either side of the bronze wall flickered, and suddenly he caught a glimpse of a figure as it flashed past at the end of the tomb passage. Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart thumped violently and his cries came to a screeching halt. At this moment, it was his instincts that were developed over his many encounters with life and death situations that saved him. Instead of looking straight at the figure, he reflexively swung his sword and peered at the reflection of the man in his blade. The thin figure stood there quietly, in a white burial robe and was only slightly taller than Xiang Xiaoyuan. Although it was expressionless, its slightly tilted head gave off a naive and innocent demeanor. ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s hand shook, and he tried not to make a sound as he tilted his blade a little more, this time, its eyes were clearly reflected¡ª The right pupil appeared red as blood. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gong Wei had already noticed the abnormality and asked softly. The knot in Yuchi Xiao¡¯s throat slid up and down violently, ¡°Leave, now.¡± Gong Wei, ¡°?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound, don¡¯t turn around, don¡¯t look directly into its eyes.¡± Yuchi Xiao covered Gong Wei¡¯s eyes with his hands and he said hoarsely, ¡°I can¡¯t stop it for long, you go back up there and look for the Artefact Sect Master immediately. Go now!¡± Yet for some reason, Gong Wei did not move. ¡°¡ªis it the Lotus Immortal?¡± The tense atmosphere already gave away the answer. If the soul of the Lotus Immortal had reincarnated, the corpse shouldn¡¯t have been awakened, and Yuchi Xiao had naturally gotten an answer to his own question earlier. But now it was too late to say anything, and he continued to stare at the reflection without a blink, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it gone?¡± Gong Wei asked, ¡°Are his eyes red?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Gong Wei aggravated his tone and repeated, ¡°Are his eyes red?¡± Yuchi Xiao responded, ¡°Yes, so?!¡± Everyone in the world knew that the Lotus Immortal could cast illusionary arts using his right eye. The fact that he could activate his powers meant that his golden core was still intact. With that, even if he were a dried-up skeleton, he would be a formidable opponent. Gong Wei said with a sigh, ¡°Alright.¡± He raised his fingers to brush away Yuchi Xiao¡¯s hand and turned back to smile at him, ¡°Lord Ying and the Sword Sect Master couldn¡¯t bear to fight against this corpse, but I can.¡± Behind him, Yuchi Xiao was stunned, but it was already too late to stop him. The sword in his hands was already gone. Gong Wei held Gou Chen in his hand and used his overwhelming spiritual power to force out the sword aura which burst like red-gold light, shining on his beautiful and cold face. In the next moment, he leaped forward and slashed his sword head-on at the Lotus Immortal! ¡ªClang! The bronze wall cracked open and the sword glare shot wildly in all directions. Yuchi Xiao was watching an unimaginable scene as every move of ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ appeared like torrents of golden light. Even the Lotus Immortal could not receive his blows directly and retracted his steps until the end of the tomb passage. Then, Gou Chen sent a blow towards the bronze steps behind him which exploded in an instant. The bronze fragments and broken iron pieces rained down like hail, causing Yuchi Xiao to stumble. The corpse fell into the next level of the underground palace right away, while Gong Wei with his murderous intent flew down behind and clamped the corpse¡¯s pale face with his fingers, laughing, ¡°Strange¡­¡± Everyone knew that the Cang Yang Sect Master dismembered the Lotus Immortal¡¯s corpse to quell his hatred. Given the ruthlessness of Xu Shuangtze, it would be fortunate for Gong Wei to even be able to roughly piece his body back together. It was unexpected to see his corpse so dexterous and complete. What did Xu Shuangtze dismember then? Before he had time to ponder, the drop came to an end and he had landed with a thud. At this moment, the corpse raised its hands and Gong Wei dodged to avoid it, only to see a cold light flashed in the darkness. It was a sword. The corpse clutched the hilt of the sword firmly and swung down. The two swords collided with each other with an earth-shattering bang, and the entire stretch of tomb passage shook violently! The prowess of the sword was so overwhelming that Yuchi Xiao leapt in the midst of the violent shockwaves and shuddered, ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan!¡± Spiritual energy swirled wildly, like millions of sharp blades, and smoke and debris obscured everyone¡¯s vision. Anyone with a slightly weaker cultivation level would never survive this, and might even be cut to pieces by the hurricane of sword glares. A strange fear emerged from the bottom of Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart. He forgot everything in an instant and rushed forward. As the debris settled, he saw that Gong Wei was holding onto Gou Chen and deflected the terrifying moves by the Lotus Immortal. The bronze wall surrounding them was shattered to pieces. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. ¡°¡­Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± ¡ªThe next thing he saw was ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ staring at the corpse of the Lotus Immortal, and his lips curled into a sneer. This boy was indeed renowned for his unparalleled beauty. But it was only at this moment that this same beauty emerged as an intimidating force. ¡°What are you?¡± He asked softly to the corpse. Before he finished, he snapped two fingers of his right hand together and sank them into the right eye socket of the Lotus Immortal with a speed of light. Blood sprayed in all directions and the corpse, which should have been devoid of all senses, bent down vigorously. But Gong Wei didn¡¯t show the slightest mercy, his fingers forcefully crushed the crimson red eyeball and flung it away with his hand! Blood and flesh splattered on the wall as he did so, leaving a red arc. The corpse seemed to be rapidly drained of its spiritual energy as it crumpled to its knees. The sword that it had summoned out of nowhere fell to the ground with a clang. Immediately afterward, without even a moment of hesitation, Gong Wei swung Gou Chen and sliced off the head of the Lotus Immortal, sending it flying. Thud! The head spun and rolled on the ground, and the headless corpse shook twice before falling heavily at Gong Wei¡¯s feet with a muffled thud. CH 32 Editor: Sahloknir ¡°¡­¡± Everything was at a standstill except for the waft of dust from the corpse, which slowly settled back onto the ground at Gong Wei¡¯s feet. ¡°Phew.¡± He heaved a sigh of relief and casually flung the blood from the groove of Gou Chen to the side. ¡°That was pretty tough.¡± Then, he turned to Yuchi Xiao and asked with a smile, ¡°Were you frightened?¡± He spoke in his usual tone and manner, blunt and with a friendly intimacy. But the head of the Lotus Immortal had not rolled far from him. The drops of blood that had splattered from the severed neck now trickled slowly down the young man¡¯s cheeks. They were bright red and blinding, accentuating the maniacal look of his already unearthly complexion, it was as if his flesh was coldly glowing. A chill went down Yuchi Xiao¡¯s spine as he looked at him. He didn¡¯t answer, and Gong Wei didn¡¯t mind it either, as he stared at the corpse at his feet, ¡°This awakened corpse doesn¡¯t seem right, and he even knew how to summon someone else¡¯s sword to defend himself. I thought they would only bite and attack the living?¡± ¡°¡­Xiang Xiaoyuan,¡± Yuchi Xiao called out hoarsely, forcing himself to look as coolly and as nonchalant as possible as he took a step closer, ¡°Return Gou Chen to me.¡± There was a strange allure surrounding Gong Wei, much like the fear of the unknown, which was frightful, but almost impossible to look away. He was like a sweet, dream-like illusion that drew people close and made them fall deeper. Yet, there was no telling when the dream would suddenly morph and reveal its hideous and true nature¡ªturning into the most sinister nightmare. Yuchi Xiao drew a deep, silent breath as if he was afraid of waking something up, and his voice softened, ¡°Give me Gou Chen back, don¡¯t play with it.¡± ¡°Nope, you¡¯ll cut me with it.¡± Gong Wei said as he crouched and slowly retreated, ¡°Be careful, this awakened corpse doesn¡¯t seem right. If you have nothing better to do, go ahead and gouge the left eye out of that head for me.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± This time, Yuchi Xiao¡¯s voice did not reflect his suppressed trepidation, making Gong Wei change his mind, ¡°Forget it, you¡¯d better stand by the side and don¡¯t come over. Give me a while, I¡¯ll deal with you when I¡¯m done with this corpse.¡± He was still grinning as he spoke. Yuchi Xiao could not even fully comprehend what he meant by ¡®deal with you¡¯. But the level of his shock and dismay reached its peak at the very next scene¡ªGong Wei lifted the headless corpse with his left hand and touched its spine, as if he had suddenly found something, he exclaimed ¡°Huh?¡± in surprise. Using his four right fingers, he traced along the spine twice and a harsh flash of light appeared at his fingertips, seemingly in preparation to retrieve something from underneath the flesh. ¡°What are you doing?¡± This scene had exceeded the psychological limits of any human, and Yuchi Xiao stepped forward and pressed down Gong Wei¡¯s arm, saying in a trembling voice, ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan! What the hell are you¡ª¡± Gong Wei looked up at him, but from behind his shoulders, he saw the severed head of the Lotus Immortal turned upside down, staring at them with his lifeless left eye. Gong Wei suddenly paled and pushed Yuchi Xiao out of the way, ¡°Watch out!¡± Several thin, almost imperceptible transparent threads flew out from the head¡¯s severed neck, piercing sharply through where Yuchi Xiao stood earlier and grazed Gong Wei¡¯s shoulder, back and the side of his neck, sending blood splashing everywhere. There was no telling what the threads were made of, but at this moment, Gong Wei felt his knees go weak. Yuchi Xiao instinctively pushed him behind himself right as a round object flew over his shoulder¡ªthe severed head. Ka cha! The crunching sound of bone could be heard as the threads tugged and grafted the head back onto the body with seamless precision. The corpse now stood up and grabbed Gong Wei from the hands of Yuchi Xiao, using the thin transparent threads from its fingertips that had somehow attached to the wound on the side of his neck! ¡°Ah!¡± Gong Wei had no time to break free, and his screams ended abruptly right as he felt all his spiritual veins twitch, followed by an unstoppable spasm that ran through his whole body. Yuchi Xiao had never seen the little mei demon like this before, and to him, that scream was amplified like a sharp blade stabbing his eardrums. Immediately, his expression changed dramatically as he hollered, ¡°Let go of him!¡± The corpse of the Lotus Immortal was extremely nimble, and darted away like a bolt of lightning. It dodged Gou Chen several times and continued its escape as if it was familiar with the layout of the Mausoleum, and the intricate network of the underground palace. Yuchi Xiao was in such hot pursuit that he could not signal to Gong Wei each time he struck at the corpse and collapsed the bronze walls along the way! Ktf Fcvfgugbecv Ujijmf rtbbx klat atf ibev mgjrtlcu cblrfr jcv vgfk atf jaafcalbc bo batfg meialnjabgr qgfrfca. Vbbc, atf rbecvr bo mijrtlcu rkbgvr mjwf cfjgfg yfobgf rbwfbcf fzmijlwfv, ¡°Qtja¡¯r ublcu bc?¡± ¡°Pa¡¯r Tbecu Zjrafg Temtl!¡± C meialnjabg gfmbuclrfv atf rajgailcu mbgqrf ja olgra uijcmf jcv lwwfvljafis eaafgfv lc tbggbg, ¡°Ob-Obaer Pwwbgaji?!¡± With a wave of his sleeves, the corpse flew straight up the bronze steps. But Yuchi Xiao¡¯s explosive speed was even faster, in a flash, Gou Chen was swung close to its face, ¡°Give back¡ª¡± This was such a crucial scene that it was as though their movements were frozen in time, as Yuchi Xiao reached for Gong Wei, who was in the corpse¡¯s embrace, his fingertips barely brushing his fair neck. Yet, in a split second, a few imperceptible threads shot out from the corpse¡¯s fingers and coiled around Gong Wei¡¯s throat! Yuchi Xiao was taken aback, but before he could retract his hand, a figure came from behind on a sword and grabbed him by the arm. It was Changsun Chengfeng who cried, ¡°You mustn¡¯t face it head on, that¡¯s Puppet Silk!¡± Yuchi Xiao landed abruptly and stopped in his tracks, ¡°What?!¡± At that moment, footsteps came from the far end of the bronze steps. Bai Xian had arrived with other cultivators of the Artefact Sect, blocking the way of the Lotus Immortal. The corpse tightened its hold on Gong Wei and suddenly stopped as it noticed that it had been surrounded. The fight with the other awakened corpses had clearly taken a toll on Changsun Chengfeng, for at this moment, he was in a slightly wretched state but maintained his steady temperament, saying, ¡°What happened to you? What happened to Xiang Xiaoyuan? Where did the Puppet Silk come from?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s temples throbbed and he hissed, ¡°He-he helped me get out of the way, and was¡­¡± In that pivotal moment, Gong Wei risked his life to push him out of the way to avoid the deadly silk threads. While Yuchi Xiao failed to react in time himself, allowing that corpse to easily snatch the wounded Gong Wei from his arms. Yuchi Xiao felt his internal organs tighten and churn, while every breath he drew had a stench of blood. The bizarre scene of the awakened corpse summoning a sword and putting up a fierce but skillful battle all replayed before him. ¡°¡­It¡¯s Puppet Silk.¡± He gritted his teeth and stated, ¡°This corpse of the Lotus Immortal is being controlled by someone.¡± Changsun Chengfeng almost lost his voice, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Lord Ying and the Sword Sect Master thought that the Lotus Immortal was just an awakened corpse, so they couldn¡¯t bear to subdue him. In actual fact, the corpse had already been planted with Puppet Silk before it crawled out of the coffin.¡± ¡°Lord Ying¡¯s wound was a penetration from the front of his abdomen because he didn¡¯t expect an awakened corpse to have the mental capacity to sneak up on him at all. Normally, awakened corpses move stiffly and have no instincts other than to attack the living. Yet, the Lotus Immortal had a clear purpose and has been charging outwards and was even aware that taking a hostage will give it an advantage.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be subduing the awakened corpses, we should be stopping the one who is remotely controlling them.¡± The knot in Yuchi Xiao¡¯s throat slid up and down, his voice trailed off unsteadily, ¡°His real purpose is to lead the corpse of the Lotus Immortal away from the Ding Xian Mausoleum¡­¡± ¡°Young Master Yuchi!¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s usual easy-going expression had sunk completely, looking a little stern, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about? The body was on the ninth level of the Ding Xian Mausoleum! What are you implying?¡± Yes, the ninth level of the Ding Xian Mausoleum, with coffins sealed with liquid gold and an entire gate cast out of pure gold. There were only a few people in the world worthy to enter, so who could have planted the Puppet Silk? Among the few great masters who have access, who could be the mastermind? Yuchi Xiao was furious, ¡°I saw with my own eyes that is was Puppet Silk which grafted the severed head and body of the Lotus Immortal together. The same silk threads were attached to Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s body! What should we do now? I don¡¯t care if it has got anything to do with the ninth level or not, I have to get Xiang Xiaoyuan back right now!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s face was grim, ¡°You said that Nephew Xiang was planted with Puppet Silk as well?¡± Sensing this unusual tone, Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart tensed up, ¡° Yes, why? What will happen to him?¡± Changsun Chengfeng turned back and saw Gong Wei gasping painfully in the vise of the corpse. He could not tell if Gong Wei was still conscious except that he was twitching in agony. ¡°¡­he will die.¡± Changsun Chengfeng uttered with great difficulty. Gong Wei¡¯s vision was blurred due to the pain, and every inch of his body felt like it was viciously scraped by sharp blades. That was actually the sensation of Puppet Silk at work. The corpse¡¯s hand was clamped onto his throat¡ªit was a very eerie feeling because it had once been his own hand, even the curvature and strength of the joints were familiar to him, only now it was acting on his own life. Every breath he took was a struggle and he barely gathered his strength to finally ask, ¡°¡­Is that you?¡± The corpse did not respond, and rightfully so. It was a corpse after all. Gong Wei¡¯s spiritual energy was fiercely resisting the Puppet Silk that kept extending inside his body. He gritted his teeth and turned his head back a little, the slightest movement required all of his strength, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at the corpse¡¯s face. The corpse¡¯s eyes were extremely icy. Looking at them was as if he was staring at a shadow from before¡ªthe ghostly shadow that had once descended upon Linjiang City, headless and faceless, wrapped in grey fog and wielding his Bai Tai Shou. ¡°Is that you?¡± He asked for the second time. The corpse finally moved, lowering its head to meet his gaze. Immediately afterward, a smile slowly emerged on its face, controlled by the Puppet Silk. There was a clamour around him, the crowd of cultivators inching nearer with swords raised, but none dared to come forward. Yuchi Xiao seemed to be losing his temper and roaring at someone, but Gong Wei didn¡¯t pay attention, he just stared at the ghostly shadow through his own corpse and suddenly gasped and laughed,¡±¡­You¡¯re holding my Bai Tai Shou¡­¡± ¡°Not very handy, is it?¡± Before his opponent could respond, Gong Wei suddenly turned and lashed out with swift precision, directly at the corpse¡¯s spine! No one expected him to garner such explosive power in his situation, and as the crowd exclaimed in horror, Gong Wei¡¯s fingertips had already reached the corpse¡¯s vertebrae! In that split second, Yuchi Xiao flew in like an arrow. But before the tip of Gou Chen arrived, the mastermind reacted. The corpse raised its hand and tightened the steel-like threads which instantly sliced into Gong Wei¡¯s neck. Blood spurted out and Gong Wei went limp, falling onto his knees. The corpse then grabbed onto Gong Wei¡¯s neck with one hand and the other was preparing to strike down on him. This familiar movement caused Yuchi Xiao to break into a shout, ¡°Hold your sword tight!¡± ¡ªThere was no use at all in saying this; the battle prowess of this puppet of the Lotus Immortal was a fraction of when he was alive, yet it was by no means less of a match for any ordinary cultivator. A few mid-level cultivators who were nearest to them could not resist at all. Their immortal swords flew out of their grip right away. Next, the corpse swung its sleeves, and a gust of wind whirled more than a dozen immortal swords in unison, smashing the solid bronze roof of the tomb passage! Chunks of wall fell and the ground shook violently, forcing the crowd to stumble backward. Both Yuchi Xiao and Changsun Chengfeng gave chase, as the corpse, with Gong Wei in tow, disappeared in an instant into the upper levels of the Underground Palace. Changsun Chengfeng was alarmed, ¡°Stop him, it¡¯s escaping the Mausoleum!¡± ¡­ The gigantic Underground Palace was crumbling and shook the entire mountain with it. Not far from the Ding Xian Mausoleum, the disciples of the Medical Sect looked up and were stunned. ¡°Alliance Master?¡± ¡°Lord Ying, don¡¯t move!¡± The unconscious Ying Kai suddenly opened his eyes, his face still pale due to his blood loss, and with a raised hand, he politely stopped the Medical Sect disciples who were scrambling to help him up. Firmly gritting his teeth, he rose and meditated for a moment. A pale titanium glow flowed through the gash at his abdomen, and the damaged muscles and skin gradually healed. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s the technique of ¡®maintaining the elements and guarding them as one¡¯!¡± Murmurs with awe and envy sounded from the crowd, ¡°This is indeed the great Lord Ying, his damaged spiritual veins recovered so quickly!¡± ¡°Worthy of being our Martial Sovereign!¡­¡± In the midst of the whispers, there was suddenly another huge tremor that rocked the mountain and trembled the ground underneath their feet! Countless cracks stretched along the earth as if a huge spider web was formeding under the canopy of the sky, and at the centre of the web converged at the lofty Ding Xian Mausoleum. Everyone retreated several steps back in fear, except for Ying Kai, whose eyes suddenly widened and a light flickered in his pupils as he summoned, ¡°Ding Shan Hai.¡± A bronze sword that was originally stabbed into the ground, broke through the skies like a dazzling shooting star and slipped into the Ying Kai¡¯s palm with a resounding clang. At the same time, tremors from the depths of the earth finally broke through, and the great Ding Xian Mausoleum collapsed with a roar, right in front of the crowd. ¡°What, what¡¯s coming out?¡± ¡°Lo-Lotus Immortal!¡± A figure dressed in snow-white burial robes leaped out, its face was stiff and pale, its right eye grossly damaged¡ªit was the corpse of the Lotus Immortal! Then figures on swords whizzed out from the building. They were Changsun Chengfeng and Yuchi Xiao on their swords. The Artefact Sect Master was looking dismal and with a wave of his sleeves, numerous talismans appeared, like golden light rays, which shot out like blades. With a snap of his fingers, he activated a spell and the talismans burst in mid-air as they transformed into several human-like figures. Boom! Boom! In the blink of an eye, these figures surrounded the Lotus Immortal. The figures summoned from the talismans were in golden armour, they had no facial features, and were swift and sharp, but anyone could recognise them at a glance¡ªThis was the renowned secret art of the Artefact Sect; The legendary mechanical soldiers, who can take on a hundred men at a time. Changsun Chengfeng landed on the ground and withdrew his sword, he activated his mechanical weapon arm once again and sternly stopped Ying Kai, who was about to step forward, ¡°Alliance Master, don¡¯t move! The awakened corpse is being controlled by Puppet Silk, it has a hostage!¡± Puppet Silk? Ying Kai¡¯s reaction was exactly the same as Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s, ¡°What did you say?!¡± Then he couldn¡¯t utter another word, because when the corpse landed, its burial robes no longer fluttered in the wind, and all of a sudden everyone saw the young man it was holding tightly in its grip¡­ Gong Wei¡¯s head hung down, with blood streaking down his neck, the deadly Puppet Silk only needed to be tightened by half an inch to sever it completely from his body. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­even move!¡± Ying Kai¡¯s voice was harsh and sharp. The cultivators behind him, who had drawn their swords and stepped forward, were all stopped. Then, he gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°That¡¯s Cang Yang Sect¡¯s disciple, he is not to be harmed!¡± Someone trembled and asked, ¡°Wha-what can we do now?¡± The corpse of the Lotus Immortal had been made into a puppet that did not have any fear toward pain nor death. In contrast, its hostage was a living and seriously injured young man. The awakened corpse must not leave Dai Mountain, for once it was exposed to the mortal world, there would be no end to the troubles it would cause. What else could they do now? The corpse miasma had not completely dissipated, appearing like a gloomy black cauldron under the sky. Raising its arm once again, an immortal sword was snatched from the grip of another cultivator. The sword flew into its palm and it took a step forward, then another. This was a scene worse than any nightmare, as all the cultivators kept backing up as it advanced. Some were in such extreme panic that their swords slipped out of their trembling hands with a clang. ¡°¡­Who the hell are you?¡± Ying Kai stared at the Lotus Immortal and asked in a trembling voice, ¡°What the hell do you want? Where do you want to take Gong Zhiyu to?¡± The corpse ignored him and walked towards the cliff until the crowd could no longer retreat. Then, they saw it suddenly turn and smile at Ying Kai. The Lotus Immortal had been a very cheerful and amiable person in his lifetime, and everyone was very familiar with his smiling expression¡ªit was nothing like the one he had now, with his eyebrows raised, his smile carried an indescribable chill, filled with a sinister aura. That was not Gong Zhiyu¡¯s expression, it clearly belonged to the mastermind hiding deviously somewhere and manipulating the puppet silk. Ying Kai clenched his teeth in reaction. After revealing the smile, the corpse moved again, this time, it stepped onto the sword and rose into the sky. At the same time, it clamped down on ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯ and reached its cold, sharp fingers towards his closed right eye. It wanted to gouge out the young man¡¯s right eye on the spot! Ying Kai was furious, knowing that he could no longer hesitate and rushed towards the corpse with his sword like a bolt of lightning, ¡°Stop it!¡± ¡ªJust then. At that very moment, another even more majestic stream of fire descended from the sky. It was a beam of pure, explosive spiritual energy. The puppet silk which tightened around Gong Wei¡¯s neck was burned to dust by the overwhelming power of this visitor! A cry of shock sounded from the crowd, ¡°Xu¡­¡± As soon as the puppet silk was severed, Gong Wei lost any form of support and fell from a great height. The pain he was in was so intense that he was in a trance, and in the gust of wind he saw the sleeves of a white-gold robe fluttering before him. Then, he crashed like a falling bird into the arms of the person, and the fresh scent of white sandalwood hit him. ¡°Lord Xu!¡± Xu Shuangtze stopped in the air, his face as cold as ice, and without a word, he held Gong Wei steadily in his arms. Using his strong hands, he pressed tightly on the side of Gong Wei¡¯s neck to stop the bleeding. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s vision was still a blur. His lips moved but held back the words ¡®Xu Bai¡¯ and called out softly instead, ¡°Shizun¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze replied, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here.¡± CH 33 ¡°Xu Shuangtze!¡± Ying Kai approached on his sword, looking at the young disciple in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s arms with a tense expression, ¡°How is he?¡± Xu Shuangtze should not have come to Dai Mountain, but in this situation, no one cared about that anymore. The Ding Xian Mausoleum¡¯s hall which was above ground had half collapsed, and the corpse miasma was like a vast, black fog shrouding the ground up to the sky. Hordes of awakened corpses wandered out and gathered from all sides of the wilderness, dragging their feet and hobbling closer to the cultivators. Not far away, the corpse of the Lotus Immortal was in mid-air, surrounded by three men¡ªChangsun Chengfeng, Bai Xian and Yuchi Xiao¡ªbut it seemed that the trio could not hold him back for long. Yuchi Xiao had to keep a close eye on the Lotus Immortal, but could not help worrying about the situation on the other side. At this moment, his expression showed an indescribable anxiety. Xu Shuangtze released the hand that was pressing against Gong Wei¡¯s wound. The hideous gash had stopped bleeding, but was still split open, which appeared horrifying. ¡°He is fine.¡± He spoke calmly and finally looked away from Gong Wei¡¯s pale face and glanced at Ying Kai. For reasons unknown, he also looked towards Yuchi Rui in the distance who was urgently being treated by the Medical Sect¡¯s disciples. ¡°Can¡¯t let the awakened corpses escape.¡± He abruptly said before another pause and then he urged, ¡°Leave this to me, you go after the puppet master.¡± Ying Kai wandered the world together with him in their youth, he knew full well that once Xu Shuangtze lended a hand, there was no situation he could not resolve. Nodding, he said, ¡°Okay!¡± Just as he was about to leave on his sword, he made an unexpected discovery, ¡°¡ªWhere is No Way Out? Didn¡¯t you bring it?¡± Xu Shuangtze replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡± ¡°Then how¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze made no response and waved at the nearest medical disciple to beckon him over. The young disciple stepped forward immediately as he panicked before bowing politely. Then, he saw Lord Xu grab his sword, which was hanging from his waist. The disciples of Mu Duozhu¡¯s Golden Boat Medical Sect specialise in medicine. Their swordsmanship was mediocre, so this sword was also extremely unremarkable. Yet, as Xu Shuangtze grasped the hilt of the sword, his overwhelming spiritual power channeled into the blade. In an instant, the sword glare burst out in a cold light, which startled the young discipline so much that he retreated by a few steps. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± There was no room for hesitation and Ying Kai gritted his teeth, ¡°Chengfeng, come here. Stay and assist Lord Xu, and remember not to let go of any awakened corpses.¡± Then, he turned to Xu Shuangtze, ¡°Stay alert!¡± Immediately after, he raced on his sword towards the distance. The corpse of the Lotus Immortal, which was being controlled by a puppet master, flew out of Dai Mountain in an instant with both Ying Kai and Yuchi Xiao in hot pursuit. Back on the ground, figures could be seen swaying in the surrounding black fog. They were the awakened corpses, who were stumbling about and slowly approaching the crowd. The deceased great masters had already been subdued and laid down to rest in the Ding Xian Mausoleum. However, there were still many cultivators¡¯ corpses, which they had not had time to deal with. They burst out the instant the barrier formation broke. At this point, they came so near that their tattered burial robes and rotten faces could be clearly seen. The young medical disciple whose knees went weak from Xu Shuangtze¡¯s imposing aura held back his trembling and cried, ¡°Lord-Lord Xu, please leave the patient to me. I¡¯ll do my best to treat¡­¡± But Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t seem to hear him. He stood with the sword in his right hand, and the overbearing pressure emanating from the sword made the air blaze with heat, and with his left hand, he took Gong Wei into his arms again, and spoke without even turning his head, ¡°Stay back.¡± Ktf wfvlmji vlrmlqif rtlnfgfv jcv abbx tjio j rafq yjmx. Ktfc, jc jgm bo iluta rtbcf lc ogbca bo tlw. Pa kjr We Vtejcuahf ktb tjv cbk gjlrfv tlr rkbgv jcv rkecu la¡ª Ktf glcu bo rkbgv uijgf rkfqa lc jii vlgfmalbcr ilxf j tegglmjcf, jcv atf jkjxfcfv mbgqrfr lc atf ogbca gbk kfgf glqqfv jcv abgc jqjga eqbc mbcajma. Zbgf jkjxfcfv mbgqrfr gbjgfv jcv rqglcafv bnfg jr atfs kfgf agluufgfv ys atf ygfjat bo atf ilnlcu. Ktf meialnjabgr qgfrfca mbeiv cba fnfc gfjma yfobgf atf mbgqrfr kfgf vfnjrajafv lcab mbecaifrr qlfmfr, ktlmt kfgf ijecmtfv lcab atf jlg ys atf gjulcu rkbgv! It was simply an utter and unilateral massacre. Xu Shuangtze steadily moved towards the mass of corpses and left a trail of countless remains with every step. When he took his seventh step, the last sword glare destroyed every single corpse, shattering their frames into mere bone fragments, which crumbled all over the ground. Xu Shuangtze turned around and raised his right hand, blocking Gong Wei in his sleeves as blood and bone rained from the sky. The surrounding wilderness transformed into a horrifying scene from Hell and everyone fell silent. The chilly wind whipped past the corpses and a disciple suddenly shivered and said, ¡°These, these are all our seniors¡­¡± Indeed, these corpses belonged to seniors from esteemed major families, and if Ying Kai were here, he would never dare to deal with them so viciously and swiftly. Xu Shuangtze glanced coldly at that disciple. Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s heart tightened but before he had time to chide the disciple, he saw that Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sword glare had reached the door of the Mausoleum. He moved so fast that even Changsun Chengfeng had no time to summon the mechanical soldiers to aid him. The crowd of disciples felt their hearts stop and the cold glow of the sword¡¯s blade reflected in their pupils¡ª But at the next moment, that powerful sword arc swept up across everyone¡¯s heads, dispersing the dense, black fog, that had spanned a radius of several meters, with pure spiritual power. Thud! Several disciples felt a weakness in their knees and knelt onto the ground in a cold sweat. They could only get up after a long time. Xu Shuangtze casually threw the sword to the young medical cultivator and did not look back at the crowd. He pressed his thumb between Gong Wei¡¯s eyebrows and commanded in a low voice, ¡°Release.¡± There was a compelling force carried in this voice as Gong Wei¡¯s body convulsed, unlocking his sea of consciousness. A ray of spiritual power immediately poured from Xu Shuangtze¡¯s fingertips into his body, flowing to his consciousness and into his limbs, tightly latching onto the Puppet Silk, which constantly extended into the spiritual veins. Even if the Medical Sect Master came in person, he might not have steadier hands than Xu Shuangtze, nor carry out the treatment with higher precision. Gong Wei¡¯s upper body stiffened uncontrollably, but Xu Shuangtze pinned him down firmly using his left hand and he could no longer struggle. With his right hand, a gleaming puppet thread seemed to be attached to Xu Shuangtze¡¯s fingertips using spiritual power. With this, the threads were gradually extracted from Gong Wei¡¯s body. It became longer and thinner as it spun out, but did not break off despite its length of several meters. A medical disciple was surprised and exclaimed, ¡°How, how can he survive¡­¡± When puppet silk enters a living human body, it consumes a large amount of the host¡¯s flesh and blood through the spiritual veins. With time, it grows longer and extends deeper within the body. Most cultivators cannot survive an encounter with the puppet silk. Yet, this low-level disciple from the Cang Yang Sect actually did. One can only imagine the intensity of the pain he must have endured. ¡°Ahem!¡± Changsun Chengfeng frowned and gestured to others not to spew nonsense, and said embarrassedly, ¡°Young Master Xiang is worthy to be Lord Xu¡¯s beloved disciple. He is really fortunate.¡± Everyone¡¯s first reaction when they heard this was, Cang Yang Sect Master has personally accepted a disciple? How had no one heard of such major news? Under the curious gaze of everyone, Xu Shuangtze neither confirmed nor denied. He only said to Gong Wei, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± It could have been Gong Wei¡¯s illusion, but these two spoken words were gentle and deep, bringing him an indescribable warmth. Gong Wei opened his eyes to get a clearer view, but his gaze was blurred. Even though he was inches away, he could only make out the profile of Xu Shuangtze. Xu Bai is still very good-looking, he suddenly thought in a daze. Many years ago at the Correctional Palace, when he was being taught via the brush strokes on how to write, he recalled how the cicadas chirped out the window. Then he also raised his head to look up at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s calm face. At that time, he was still very young and sat cross-legged on a cushion in front of Xu Shuangtze. He always leaned back into his arms. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robes always carried a faint fragrance of winter¡¯s pine. He liked it so much that sometimes, he would deliberately turn his head just to smell it. Xu Shuangtze would always straighten back his head and say, ¡°Write properly.¡± His voice was also gentle and deep, which warmed up Gong Wei¡¯s ears. It was just that, this warmth didn¡¯t stay with him for long. When Gong Wei grew up in a blink of an eye, it would seem that he became someone Xu Shuangtze disliked. Later on, when he recalled Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice, those that first came to his mind were the cold, harsh and unrelenting reprimands. A trace of grievance appeared in Gong Wei¡¯s groggy consciousness, his lips opened weakly, but only made a few faint breathing sounds. Xu Shuangtze noticed this and with his finger still twirling the shiny puppet silk, he gently pressed his own head against Gong Wei¡¯s cold sweaty forehead, comforting him, ¡°Almost done.¡± At that moment, he raised his hand with force to completely extract the last trace of puppet silk from between Gong Wei¡¯s brows. The thread snapped at the end. ¡°Ah!¡± Gong Wei screamed hoarsely and sharply. The shocking pain made him writhe violently but he was clasped in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s powerful grip. At the same time, the puppet silk exploded into a bright light and prepared to dig back into Gong Wei¡¯s spiritual veins after sensing his blood. Xu Shuangtze glared fiercely at it and a pure gold flame suddenly burst from his fingertips and fired in its direction! The entire puppet silk thread was scorched by the golden fire and finally dropped to the ground weakly amid the crackling sound, losing every last bit of its spiritual power. The nervous medical disciples crowding around heaved a sigh of relief. But not everyone was at ease and a cultivator asked suspiciously, ¡°Huh, what¡¯s going on?¡± The flames gradually dissipated, however, the torched puppet silk did not crumble into ash, but remained on the ground. The entire length of the thread turned a horrific blood-red and gave off a glowing eeriness, much like a venomous snake against the ash-grey surroundings. The crimson lustre reflected in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s eyes and his expression finally changed. At this point, blood oozed out of Gong Wei¡¯s nasal cavity and then suddenly he threw up a big mouthful of blood! ¡°Changsun Chengfeng¡ª¡ª!¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly stood up. A few steps away, Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s expression was blank, and he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Xu Shuangtze raised his hand in the air, blue veins could be clearly seen throbbing under the white skin. The Artefact Sect Master staggered, then flew over uncontrollably at once and was grabbed at his collar by Xu Shuangtze. He was actually yanked here from a distance! Xu Shuangtze articulated each word, ¡°This is no ordinary puppet silk, it¡¯s the soldier silk. ¡ªThe venom was ten-million-fold more potent than regular puppet silk. This was a legendary lethal weapon passed down to every foremost disciple of the Changsun family, the Dual Elemental Divine Soldier Silk! Changsun Chengfeng was forced to look at the bloodied thread in front of him at close range. If one were sharp enough, they could see that his pupils were trembling profusely at this moment. ¡°Artefact Sect Master,¡± Xu Shuangtze said in a cold voice harbouring a clear killing intent, ¡°I want an explanation.¡± ¡°Cough¡ª¡± Another mouthful of warm blood spurted out of Gong Wei¡¯s lips and the frail body of the little mei demon finally succumbed to the damage, went limp and closed his eyes. The people around panicked and exclaimed endlessly. The Artefact Sect Master seemed to be yelling something madly, but Gong Wei could not hear a thing. He could only feel Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand pressing between his eyebrows, and a stream of spiritual power as vast as the raging seas continuously being channeled into his body, desperately maintaining any trace of his heartbeat. ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡± Xu Shuangtze leaned close to his ear and whispered. In the midst of the chaos, his voice remained stable and strong. With each word, his breath gently ruffled Gong Wei¡¯s hair. In a daze, Gong Wei seemed to have felt the touch of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold lips on his skin. Did you just give me a kiss? He thought. Xu Shuangtze continued, ¡°Sleep.¡± The last word he spoke took away Gong Wei¡¯s consciousness. Everything around him was spinning fast and moving away from him. His primordial soul seemed to have lost all gravity and fell into an abyss, with a distant dazzling ray of light at the end¡ª Immediately afterward, the winds from a time long ago blew gently across. Sunlight pierced through treetops, shining mottled rays through the elaborately carved windows of the Correctional Palace. A youth leaned on the window sill and curiously reached out his hand to catch a falling peach blossom petal. He was about to put it in his mouth, but it was swept away by another figure on the other side of the table. The other party frowned and said, ¡°How can you eat that?¡± Gong Wei was naturally good-tempered and was not annoyed by this. He grinned back at Xu Shuangtze. At this time, he hadn¡¯t learned to speak in full. He raised his head and said vaguely, ¡°Kiss¡­Kiss.¡± Xu Shuangtze lifted his chin slightly, ¡°What?¡± Gong Wei stared at his thin and beautiful lips, and resolutely repeated the new word that he had just picked up, ¡°Kiss¡­want kiss.¡± Sahl: So, I hope those who didn¡¯t like our Xu Shuangtze now feel a little more amenable toward him¡­ Also, don¡¯t forget that we have our ¡®Bad Shixiong¡¯ and some other great works, including an original novel, on our site, go check them out while we wait to see what happens to Gong Wei next week! Chansie: Next couple of chapters will dive deeper into Gong Wei and Xu Shuangtze¡¯s past relationship. Perhaps this could shed some light on why he behaves the way he does¡­ Stay tuned! CH 34 ¡°Kiss,¡± Gong Wei earnestly tried his best to pronounce the word clearly. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression was slightly grim at this moment. He never displayed changes to his feelings outwardly. With Gong Wei¡¯s present intellect, he could not perceive his emotions at all. Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Who did you learn this from?¡± Gong Wei stared at him blankly, unable to comprehend his question. There is no way to trace the origin of where he picked up the word, because Gong Wei was too quick at parroting others. If anything new appeared within his line of sight, it might be randomly imprinted in his memory. Then, he would suddenly repeat these words or sentences one fine day, with such confidence that it would startle everyone. Xu Shuangtze calmly softened his tone, ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± Without hesitation, Gong Wei nodded. ¡°Why do you want a kiss?¡± Gong Wei chuckled and leaned closer to Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face. He was a little short at that time. Before his lips touched Xu Shuangtze¡¯s, he was pushed by two fingers on his forehead. ¡°No kissing. Continue writing.¡± The brush was shoved back into Gong Wei¡¯s hand. However, he still refused to continue copying the Spirit of the Sword manual. He struggled to turn his head around, asking, ¡°But why?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not answer. ¡°Why¡­why not¡­no kisses?¡± At this time, it was rare for Gong Wei to form a whole sentence. He clearly was relentless in pursuit of an answer. But Xu Shuangtze was indifferent. From Gong Wei¡¯s angle, he could only see the lower half of his face. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s defined jawline was hidden in the shadows, and his warm breath ruffled the hair on the top of Gong Wei¡¯s head when he spoke. He said, ¡°Because you have to wait until you grow up.¡± Gong Wei certainly couldn¡¯t grow up in one day, so he was upset. That day when Xu Shuangtze was about to leave and return to Cang Yang Sect, Ying Kai, who had been busy for an entire day with his work, came out to send him off. Gong Wei raced over from the end of the corridor and pounced in front of Xu Shuangtze. With a ¡®muack¡¯, he forcibly smooched Ying Kai¡¯s cheek. ¡°¡­¡± Lord Ying was astounded, and his reaction was the exact same as Xu Shuangtze¡¯s, asking, ¡°Who did you learn this from?!¡± Gong Wei turned his head and grinned at Xu Shuangtze. Unlike what he had expected, Xu Shuangtze did not react. He just stood there quietly, staring at Gong Wei. Then, he averted his gaze, turned, and left. Gong Wei was stunned, and a trace of fear suddenly arose from within. Before he could figure out what he should do, Gong Wei chased after him in a panic. He grabbed onto Xu Shuangtze¡¯s arm, preventing him from leaving. Then, he tiptoed in an attempt to kiss him, but Xu Shuangtze relentlessly pushed him away, saying, ¡°Let go.¡± Gong Wei panicked even more. Still grasping onto his sleeve, he leaned closer, causing Xu Shuangtze to scold, ¡°Let go!¡± Ying Kai stood in the distance, confused, and had no inkling of what was happening. Gong Wei staggered and almost stumbled onto the ground. He has never been so severely reprimanded by anyone before. Gong Wei¡¯s entire being was shrouded in an unprecedented fear. However, no matter what he did, it seemed that he could not stop Xu Shuangtze from leaving. In the chaos, he grabbed Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robes. His weight forced the man to lean slightly, looking right at him. With a blink, Gong Wei¡¯s right pupil turned blood red at once! Xu Shuangtze¡¯s pupils constricted in response. Everything in the world became still at this moment. Gong Wei hurriedly inched his lips forward on tiptoe. Right when their lips met, a more oppressive and terrifying spiritual power burst out of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s primordial spirit, snapping him out of the illusion. After coming out, the torrential impact forced Gong Wei back by a few steps! With a plop, Gong Wei backed against the railing, and was helped up by Ying Kai who dashed forwards, and cried in surprise, ¡°What happened?¡± Xu Shuangtze sternly berated, ¡°How dare you use such inhuman tricks against me?¡± Ying Kai¡¯s expression changed at this and he spun around to look at Gong Wei, who shrank back. His right eye had changed back to normal as he apologised, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Gong Wei!¡± The spiritual power in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice shook the air. Gong Wei crept over to grab his belt, but was once again shoved aside! Ying Kai quickly separated the two of them and demanded to know, ¡°What did you do!¡± Ktf jawbrqtfgf kjr afcrf jcv We Vtejcuahf rtea tlr fsfr jcv rabbv atfgf obg j ofk ygfjatr yfobgf fztjilcu vffqis. Lf bqfcfv tlr fsfr jcv rajafv klat lcvloofgfcmf, ¡°P¡¯w ifjnlcu cbk.¡± Ying Kai wanted to reprimand his Shidi, but Gong Wei burst into tears right away. Ying Kai then wanted to persuade his friend, but Xu Shuangtze had already summoned No Way Out. Stepping onto his sword, he soon disappeared into the skies without even looking back. ¡­ Xbcu Qfl vlv cba wjcjuf ab xlrr We Vtejcuahf lc atf fcv. Dfmjerf tf kjr ajeuta j ifrrbc joafg atja vjs, Tlcu Bjl mbeiv cfnfg oluegf bea kts Xbcu Qfl kjcafv rb vfrqfgjafis ab xlrr We Vtejcuahf. Mfjglcu atja tf kbeiv xlrr qfbqif ja gjcvbw, tf ajeuta tlw j ifrrbc jcv rafgcis lcragemafv atja batfg atjc fjalcu jcv rqfjxlcu, tf rtbeiv cba vb jcsatlcu firf klat tlr wbeat. Gong Wei felt indignant, but there was nothing he could do. He didn¡¯t know why Xu Shuangtze was maddened. He could only draw a simple conclusion from his reaction, that is, before a person grows up, the act of ¡®kissing¡¯ is strictly forbidden. One could only do such a thing as a grown-up. ¡ªBut what if Xu Shuangtze dies when I grow up, what should I do if I can¡¯t kiss him? Gong Wei wanted someone to clear up his pressing doubt, but it was a long sentence. At that time, it was way beyond his ability to express it, so he had to give up. Yet, no one noticed that Gong Wei seemed to begin growing a little faster since that fateful day. When he was first brought back to the Immortal Alliance, he could not even stand on his feet. After observing Ying Kai for a few days, he learned to walk, stand and sit upright. After that, following the passing of the old Sword Sect Master, he was sent to the Correctional Palace for training along with the young Yuchi Rui. The two hit it off right away and they quickly began to race wildly across the entire mountain, tussle at the slightest disagreement, and jointly wreak havoc out of boredom. Before Yuchi Rui¡¯s arrival, Xu Shuangtze personally taught Gong Wei for half a year but failed to get him to complete copying the Spirit of the Sword manual. One day, after Yuchi Rui¡¯s arrival, Gong Wei came to realize that his buddy could memorize the entire Spirit of the Sword manual. This came as a surprise to him! Soon after, without anyone knowing why, Gong Wei could do the same. This youth with a mysterious past, seemed to have been curiously observing the world around him. He used everyone he encountered as a measure, and constantly adjusted and calibrated his behaviour and performance to match theirs. At this rate, he may soon reach his perception of being all ¡®grown-up¡¯. But he did not expect that reality would increasingly contradict his beliefs with the passing of time. He would never be able to catch up with concealing the cracks which constantly formed. It all began with the eclosion of the old Artefact Sect Master. . Eclosion was a polite term to describe an etiquette of the Immortal Alliance. It was just a better way of saying that a cultivator had passed away after failing to ascend. The old Artefact Sect Master was the eldest grandson in one of six major families of the Immortal Alliance. He left behind two sons in his death. The eldest son being Changsun Chengfeng. In his will, he decreed that his funeral should be modest and only delegates from the Correctional Palace, Cang Yang Sect, Golden Gate and a few other major sects were invited to offer condolences. Ying Kai was highly stringent when it came to matters of etiquette. He thought that Gong Wei seemed to have matured a lot recently and no longer behaved like an ignorant child. With that, he decided to bring him along to pay respects at the Changsun¡¯s. He instructed Gong Wei to be quiet and most importantly, not to play his suona. Ying Kai even got him to learn a few phrases to express condolences before he was at ease. Ying Kai did not expect an oversight despite his thorough preparations. After paying respects at the funeral hall, the bereaved family invited all distinguished guests to the front hall for tea. In that time, Gong Wei slipped away. Within a short while, the Artefact Sect¡¯s disciples hurriedly entered to report, crying and complaining, ¡°We ask the Alliance Master to preside over this injustice! Young Master Gong is blaspheming the legacy of the deceased Artefact Sect Master! Ying Kai was so astounded that he dropped the lid of his teacup instantly. Xu Shuangtze got up, frowned, and strode out of the front hall. Ying Kai swiftly followed. Even before the crowd stepped into the mourning hall, they saw that the heavy coffin lid had been opened from a distance. Gong Wei sat alone on the ground, the body of the old Artefact Sect Master was seated opposite him and a chessboard was placed between them. Gong Wei was bored and was currently using his spiritual power to play a round of chess with the body. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression abruptly dimmed and Ying Kai rushed forward and dragged Gong Wei out of the funeral hall, reprimanding, ¡°How can you be so rude! Stand still!¡± Gong Wei was taken aback and looked at them in confusion. Ying Kai scolded, ¡°This is a funeral, and such matters of life and death shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. The family and friends of the deceased are mourning, but you treated this occasion in jest. Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei gaped a few times and was at a loss for words. So, he turned towards Xu Shuangtze for help. Xu Shuangtze said coldly, ¡°Go, stand in the corner.¡± Then, he gestured towards Changsun Chengfeng whose face was full of mixed emotions, asking, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this aside.¡± Ying Kai was still fuming, but he had to pause the lecture to apologize and clean up the mess. However, as soon as the two turned around, they heard a choppy but clear voice from the youth behind them, ¡°¡ªLife can be joyful and death can also be celebrated. Life and death are natural cycles. One dies and will get reincarnated back into the world. All beings are immortals this way, so why should we grieve?¡± The two spun around at the same time, Ying Kai asked in astonishment, ¡°What did you say?¡± Gong Wei continued, ¡°It is inevitable for mortals to die. Like a mayfly, like how the day turns to night or even how there¡¯s heaven and earth. It is both trivial and natural. How is it worth mentioning? How is it worth mourning?¡± Although the pronunciation was awkward and the sentence was clearly choppy, Gong Wei had never strung so many words together before. Ying Kai was stunned, ¡°What the hell are you talking about Gong Zhiyu? You and I are all mortals on this earth, how can you say this?¡± Ying Kai was never this harsh and Gong Wei shrank back instinctively, but still couldn¡¯t help protesting, ¡°I¡­¡± Ying Kai rebuked, ¡°Stand still and keep quiet!¡± ¡°¡­Outrageous!¡± ¡°Why does the Shidi of Lord Ying act like this?¡± ¡°Ill-mannered, disrespectful!¡±¡­ There were more and more whispers of accusations going around, and it grew increasingly out of hand. Gong Wei shuddered from the hostility that came from all directions and turned his gaze towards Xu Shuangtze for the last time. However, the other party¡¯s expression was like a bucket of cold water pouring down on him. Xu Shuangtze looked down at Gong Wei, narrowing his eyes imperceptibly as if he was secretly scrutinising something. Gong Wei could feel his jaws trembling, and he suddenly stammered, ¡°Life and death are predestined. There is time for glory and a time for it to pass. This is the natural path in Daoism. If the death of mortals warrants endless weeping, then why is no one sad for the coming of spring and the passing of winter, or feel sorrow and joy for the blooming and withering of flowers and leaves?¡± Gong Wei raised his voice, ¡°What then, is the difference between the two?¡± The whispers buzzed even more loudly, and there was a shock reflected in everyone¡¯s eyes as if they had just seen a monster. Ying Kai furiously pulled Gong Wei over, ¡°You come with me!¡± Gong Wei struggled desperately, ¡°I don¡¯t want to, I¡¯m right! I¡¯m¡­¡± At this moment, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold voice sounded from above his head, ¡°Are you really a human?¡± Gong Wei stiffened and looked up timidly. The strange looks of everyone else blurred into the background. Only Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold pupils bore into him as if he was facing something alien, ¡°¡ªWhere did such an inhuman idea come from?¡± ¡°What the hell are you, Gong Zhiyu?¡± That was the first time Xu Shuangtze vocalised this particular thought. Although Gong Wei was very used to this sentence much later, it viciously pierced through his heart upon hearing it for the first time. His heart flinched at once. Looking back, this moment was perhaps the beginning of all the cracks in their relationship. Gong Wei had forgotten how he left the Changsun¡¯s that day. He only remembered that after returning to the Correctional Palace, he was locked up in the side palace for self-reflection. Gong Wei was full of panic and horror but gradually fell asleep with a despondent indignance. When he woke up from hunger, it was late and the palace was shrouded in darkness. There was only a dim candle on the table illuminating the quiet face of Xu Shuangtze. He was sitting upright and reading a book with a silver porcelain plate containing a heap of food at the side. ¡°Awake?¡± As if nothing had happened earlier, he closed the book and beckoned, ¡°Eat.¡± It turned out to be a dish of chicken pastry rolls. After all, Gong Wei¡¯s intellect was that of a child¡¯s. He widened his eyes and sat up, carefully surveying the snack and then back at Xu Shuangtze. When he was still hesitating whether to reach for it, Xu Shuangtze had already picked up a pastry roll with his finger and sent it to his lips, indicating that he could tuck in. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei doubtfully took a bite of the pastry from his hand, and the familiar fragrance and scrumptiousness filled his mouth. Xu Shuangtze often wore ivory-colored robes embroidered with gold patterns and a black fitted inner armor which made his shoulders and back appear especially upright. The warm orange candle glow neutralized the sharp details of his facial features. He looked handsome and virtuous, especially from the side. The line from the bridge of his nose to his lips and jaw were as defined as a sculpture¡¯s. Gong Wei sat cross-legged on the mat, watching him while eating with his hands, unable to avert his gaze. The night breeze howled outside the hall, but the small space enveloped by a single candle was intimate and warm. The last trace of displeasure from the day was unconsciously forgotten. Gong Wei¡¯s instinct to be closer to Xu Shuangtze took over and he inched towards him uncontrollably. Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°Do you want more?¡± Gong Wei shook his head. Xu Shuangtze took out a Digestive Pill, and Gong Wei lowered his head again to lap it directly from his palm. Gong Wei¡¯s skin had a subtle translucence, but it couldn¡¯t be seen clearly under the dim candlelight. There was a natural innocence and a carefully curbed curiosity that emanated from his features. As long as the demonic right pupil didn¡¯t appear, the youth wasn¡¯t much different from other young disciples within the Immortal Sects. Xu Shuangtze observed him quietly, a trace of inexpressible emotion surged within his eyes. He whispered after a long while, ¡°Don¡¯t take my words during the day to heart.¡± Gong Wei looked up blankly. ¡°I won¡¯t say that about you again.¡± The two looked at each other at close range. Gong Wei blinked and leaned in affectionately. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s throat slipped up and down, his fingers curled in slightly to form a fist as if he wanted to restrain something. But at that moment, the peculiar aura of the youth had already hit him in the face. As if he had been bewitched, he reached out and gently brushed his fingertips across the corner of Gong Wei¡¯s lips. At this moment, the palace gate was pushed open with a creak, and Ying Kai poked his head in, asking in a low voice, ¡°Is he awake?¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s arm stiffened slightly. If one observed carefully, Lord Xu¡¯s expression was clearly atypical at this point. However, the shift was too swift and subtle. In the next moment, he leaned back and sat upright, lowered his gaze, and took a sip of tea. Without knowing what happened, Gong Wei tilted his head and gazed over Xu Shuangtze¡¯s shoulder, looking at the entrance, ¡°Shixiong!¡± Ying Kai coughed and pushed the door in. He was carrying a plate of snacks in his hand. He walked closer and asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Then, he hurriedly hid the porcelain plate behind himself, saying, ¡°Then you are not allowed to eat more. You¡¯ll have to abstain from food in the future. Don¡¯t tell me you intend to eat Digestive Pills for the rest of your life¡­¡± Gong Wei grinned and yelled, ¡°Shixiong!¡± Sitting on the other side of the mat, Ying Kai stiffened his face and asked, ¡°Do you know where you were wrong?¡± Gong Wei would not hesitate to spew all sorts of flattery when he got scared and would unabashedly sweet-talk when he was happy. He immediately answered, ¡°I know I was in the wrong!¡± Ying Kai grilled, ¡°Where were you wrong?¡± Gong Wei cried, ¡°As a fellow human being, I should follow the crowd. If everyone is crying, I should cry too. And I shouldn¡¯t have played chess with the old Artefact Sect Master.¡± Ying Kai did not know if he should laugh or cry at this, ¡°That¡¯s not it. Not only did you not cry, but you were defending your erroneous actions with preposterous arguments. You are simply¡­¡± Gong Wei immediately promised, ¡°I will cry next time.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai asked, ¡°What if you can¡¯t cry?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pretend to cry!¡± This suggestion was logically flawless and reasonable¡ªNo one knew it better than Ying Kai about the true sentiments of younger disciples and descendants who came to pay respects at funerals of major families. Many were forced by etiquette to help each other cast spells and pretend to weep. How else could there be such emotive tears falling for the deceased, whom they had never met in their entire lives? Ying Kai was at his wit¡¯s end. He could only end his lecture at this point, ¡°Don¡¯t commit the same mistake again.¡± Gong Wei nodded in all seriousness, ¡°En!¡± Xu Shuangtze asked suddenly, ¡°Do you still want to eat?¡± He had asked this question once earlier on. But Gong Wei¡¯s attention was immediately drawn back to him as he shook his head in response. Then, Gong Wei beamed at him. The harmonious atmosphere around the mat made him relaxed, and the candlelight reflected in his glistening eyes. Xu Shuangtze asked in a low voice, ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes were filled with a look of contentment, and he whispered, ¡°Xu Bai.¡± Ying Kai reached out his hand, about to smack Gong Wei, chiding, ¡°Is this how you should address Lord Xu?¡± However, Gong Wei tilted his head in avoidance. He continued looking up at Xu Shuangtze and flatteringly declared, ¡°I promise to really cry on the day you die.¡± Xu Shuangtze suddenly froze. The air around them came to a standstill at once, and Ying Kai gaped several times before forcing out, ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± Half of Gong Wei¡¯s face was illuminated by candlelight, while the other half was hidden in the shadows. He happily leaned closer to Xu Shuangtze, and articulated, ¡°When you die, I will really cry.¡± CH 35 After a brief silence, Ying Kai suddenly reacted and scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Lord Xu is one who will ascend. Why would he die?¡± Although no one had successfully risen to immortality for a millennium, Ying Kai was by no means boasting. Xu Shuangtze was the first cultivator in the world to break through the Mahayana Realm. He was also recognized as the most outstanding grandmaster, whose cultivation came closest to the ¡®Divine Realm¡¯ over the years. This was even slightly higher than Ying Kai. If even Xu Shuangtze couldn¡¯t ascend, then Ying Kai certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to. No cultivator in this world could. How could anyone think Xu Shuangtze would die? Gong Wei¡¯s gaze turned from Ying Kai back to Xu Shuangtze. No one noticed that his gaze changed, as if his consciousness was staring into a chaotic, fragmentary vision. ¡­He will die. An inherent, precise, and intense awareness emerged once again from the bottom of his heart. He has to die. Otherwise, what is the point of my existence? Gong Wei was wearing loose, white sleeping robes, and his expression remained unchanged. The candlelight only illuminated one half of his face, while the other was entirely hidden in the shadows. Suddenly, Xu Shuangtze felt an odd apprehension, as if the youth in front of him did not belong to this world. Perhaps he was just a phantom cast before them from a distant place. Like a mirage, he existed but also did not exist at the same time. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze watched him closely, his voice slightly quivering, ¡°Gong Zhiyu.¡± Gong Wei did not respond. ¡°What are you listening to, Gong Zhiyu?¡± Gong Wei was jolted back to his senses. He didn¡¯t seem to realize that he appeared to have been listening attentively. He looked up at Xu Shuangtze and was confused for a moment. Then, he suddenly affirmed, ¡°You would.¡± Xu Shuangtze peered into his eyes, ¡°Would what?¡± ¡°Shuangtze.¡± Ying Kai stood up, frightened, and tugged at him, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Shuangtze, Gong Wei is sleepy and confused. He didn¡¯t mean that¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze remained as he was and repeated, ¡°I would what?¡± Gong Wei laughed and said, ¡°You would die.¡± At this instance, it was as if an invisible boulder plunged into deep waters and a silent waterfall cascaded from the sky. Both Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze lost their voices and movement at the same time. All that remained was a slight crackling sound in the hall. ¡°¡­¡± The surroundings fell into a terrible silence. Suddenly, Ying Kai found a reason like he had discovered a light at the end of the tunnel. He pressed Gong Wei¡¯s shoulder with one hand and asked anxiously, ¡°Then what about me? I will die too, right?¡± Perhaps Gong Wei could not react for some reason, but he looked back at him blankly for a long time before nodding, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How about Changsheng?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Changsun Chengfeng you saw earlier today¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After that, Gong Wei paused before adding, ¡°Everyone will die.¡± Tlcu Bjl rffwfv ab tjnf iloafv j wjrrlnf ybeivfg ogbw tlr tfjga, jcv tf kjr gfilfnfv, ¡°Pa¡¯r bxjs, tf pera vbfrc¡¯a ecvfgrajcv. Ktlr wbgclcu¡¯r nlrla ab atf oecfgji tjii kjr tlr olgra fzqbregf ab atf mbcmfqa bo ilof jcv vfjat. Xbcu Qfl vbfrc¡¯a xcbk jybea Crmfcrlbc flatfg jcv yfilfnfr atja fnfgsbcf klii..¡± ¡°How about you?¡± Xu Shuangtze interrupted Ying Kai and directed the question at Gong Wei. ¡°Will you die, Gong Zhiyu?¡± Ying Kai halted at once. Gong Wei stared straight at Xu Shuangtze. There was no movement in his pupils, nor did he respond. It took a long while before he spoke clearly, ¡°You have to die first.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze stood up slowly and a particular expression formed on his face for the first time. Gong Wei sensed the slight peculiarity and widened his eyes suspiciously to observe. The hall was terribly quiet for a moment before Ying Kai said with difficulty, ¡°You must be too tired.¡± Ying Kai didn¡¯t know why his voice trembled. With one hand, he grabbed Xu Shuangtze¡¯s arm and pulled him out, saying, ¡°Gong Zhiyu, go back to sleep. You are not allowed to step out.¡± Gong Wei sat in the same place, watching in astonishment as Ying Kai forcibly dragged Xu Shuangtze out of the side hall and closed the door behind them with a loud bang, the dust in the air shook, and then it became quiet again. It was a long time before Ying Kai¡¯s jittery voice came from a distance outside the hall, ¡°You can¡¯t treat him as a normal person. He is still developing his mental awareness. After all, he is still a child. This is how children speak. They say anything that comes to mind¡­¡± The voice became softer as it got further away until it was about to trail off at the end of the corridor. Finally, Xu Shuangtze interrupted him solemnly, ¡°Have you really never doubted, Ying Kai? Not even a little?¡± Silence returned on the outside, and the answer from Ying Kai could no longer be heard. Gong Wei gathered his awareness, tilted his head, and stared at the quiet atmosphere in the hall. A trace of scarlet light flickered in his right pupil as if he was carefully capturing and pondering over what had happened earlier. He frowned, ¡°¡­is this ¡®Fear¡¯?¡± He seemed to understand. When facing death, the human heart would not feel joy but would grieve. Everyone is full of hostility towards the person or thing that brought death. That word cannot be mentioned before it comes. As long as the term is mentioned, it will evoke fear, repulsion, or even resentment. These were not emotions that Gong Wei liked to ¡®see¡¯. ¡®Well¡¯, he thought with relief, ¡®Since Xu Bai doesn¡¯t like it, then I shall not mention it next time.¡¯ After leaving the Correctional Palace late that night, Xu Shuangtze did not visit the Immortal Alliance for a long time. Ever since he spoke at the Changsun¡¯s, Gong Wei finally advanced to the next stage¡ªhe became increasingly fluent in his ability to speak, and his pronunciation became more precise. At the same time, he enjoyed talking more. In just a few months, Gong Wei transformed from an autistic boy to a hardcore chatterbox. One day, when he and Yuchi Rui were quibbling, Gong Wei even made his friend speechless with his words. Because of that, Yuchi Rui beat him up again. Gong Wei could only run away grumbling in bewilderment. He then decided to report this to Lord Xu if he visited the next time. Other than this complaint, Gong Wei also prepared a lot of things to tell Xu Shuangtze secretly. However, even before Xu Shuangtze¡¯s visit, he encountered a significant incident. Someone wanted to assassinate him. In the eighteenth year of Taiyi, Ying Kai was due to pay respects to Heaven and Earth on the Ascension Platform during the early spring. Gong Wei, as his Shidi, had to add support from the side. Halfway through the ceremony, twelve assassins broke out, drew their swords simultaneously in mid-air, and rushed towards Ying Kai! The Ascension Platform was divided into Yin and Yang halves. Every year, Ying Kai ascended to pay respects to Heaven and Earth, while Xu Shuangtze descended to the Underground Palace to pay respects to the Ghosts and Gods. Carrying swords and weapons was not customary at the ceremony. No one thought that an assassination could be carried out at this grand event. At that moment, everyone¡¯s first reaction was shock, and the twelve blades immediately arrived before Ying Kai¡¯s eyes. Just before the blades struck, Ying Kai drove his palms towards them. A torrent of spiritual power that could easily overturn mountains and seas rushed out like a golden dragon. The intracranial golden cores within the twelve assassins were instantly crushed! As the assassins were blasted out and collapsed to the ground, the Medical Sect Master Mu Duozhu, Artefact Sect Master Changsun Chengfeng, and others got up at the same time in the distance. But before they could fly over, the twelve assassins actually detonated automatically one after another. With the assassins¡¯ flesh and blood as a sacrifice, a massive demonic formation was activated at the center of the Ascension Platform. Everyone halted in their movements, except for Yuchi Rui, who reacted slightly slower and banged his head against the formation. With that, his whole body burst into blue flames. Mu Duozhu raced forwards and slapped a talisman on Yuchi Rui¡¯s forehead as he was trembling in agony. Mu Duozhu sternly hollered, ¡°It¡¯s the ghost cultivator¡¯s technique of Death-for-Life Formation. Go fetch Lord Xu! Quick!¡± A death in exchange for a life. Yin and yang are secretly connected. Suddenly, Ying Kai thought of something, and felt an ominous presence. When he turned around, he saw that a thirteenth assassin had broken out of a void and drew his sword, aiming behind him¡ª The fundamental goal of this assassination was not Ying Kai, but Gong Wei! Everything happened in a flash. Ying Kai couldn¡¯t process and instinctively flew back and grabbed the blade with his bare hands, crying, ¡°Zhiyu, run!¡± Blood gushed out from Ying Kai¡¯s palm and was clearly reflected in Gong Wei¡¯s pupils, which were just inches away. Ying Kai thought the boy was stunned and stretched out his hand to nudge him. However, he was astonished to find that his body had gone numb, and his spiritual veins were now blocked. This was not good. The blade was smeared with a fatal poison. Mahayana-level cultivators were invulnerable to all poison except the ¡®Secret Passage of Yin and Yang Chaos Mantra¡¯ created decades ago by the Ghost Master Sect. This poison creation method began with cultivating the essence of the Yellow Springs Water, which would eventually form a Holy Pill of the Underworld. This was the only fatal poison known to seal the fate of any Mahayana Realm cultivator. Because of Gong Wei¡¯s photographic memory, the entire Ghost Master Sect was convicted and imprisoned. Only a few evil cultivators escaped. Ying Kai now understood the main agenda of this vendetta. He kicked the assassin in the chest and harshly yelled, ¡°Gong Wei! What are you waiting for!¡± However, no response came from behind him. Immediately afterward, Ying Kai felt that his sleeve was being tugged at and saw Gong Wei clutching his bloodied hand. His curious eyes widened little by little as if he had seen something of interest. It took a moment before he muttered in wonder, ¡°¡­Is this blood?¡± Ying Kai¡¯s brain exploded and suddenly realized a single, critical point: This was the first time that Gong Wei had seen blood. He lived in the Correctional Palace year-round and interacted with him, Xu Shuangtze, and Yuchi Rui. Gong Wei had never seen anyone suffer or even get injured himself. How could he have come into contact with blood? An icy premonition suddenly welled from Ying Kai¡¯s heart. He felt something extremely terrifying was about to happen right before him. It was a nightmare descending from nothingness. A bloodthirsty and crushing shadow that had silently settled on top of everyone¡¯s head. But that had nothing to do with the assassination before him. This perilous presence came from the youth behind him. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t like me,¡± Gong Wei turned to stare at the assassin. His voice was both soft and suspicious. Then he closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then sprung them open and affirmed, ¡°No, you hate me.¡± ¡°¡­Gong Wei,¡± Ying Kai urged in his shaky voice, ¡°Gong Wei, come back.¡± But the youth had already let go of his hand and approached the assassin step by step. He was deep in thought and added, ¡°You want me to die.¡± The thirteenth assassin took a blow in the heart from Ying Kai. He spurted a mouthful of blood and got up from the ground with incredible difficulty. With his diminishing strength, a disguising spell faded, and his true identity was revealed. It was the Ghost Master Sect Leader who had escaped not too long ago. He made countless deals with evil spirits. As a result, his entire body was embedded with terrible curses from the Ghost Wall. He was already turning into a demon as he gazed spitefully at Gong Wei, ¡°It was you who peeked at the Secret Passage of the Yin and Yang Chaos Mantra. It was you who destroyed my life¡¯s work¡­ Die! Why won¡¯t you die?!¡± ¡ªWhy won¡¯t you die. Gong Wei¡¯s pupils were dilated, and he looked at the twelve gruesome corpses in the distance and the towering magical formation that enveloped the Ascension Platform in darkness. ¡ªWhy won¡¯t you die? The flames on Yuchi Rui¡¯s body had finally been extinguished, and the Medical Sect disciples were hurriedly yelling as he curled up in pain. Gong Wei was gasping for breath. He saw the deep-seated resentment in the other party¡¯s heart and that raging desire to kill consumed him. An array of negative emotions surged and enveloped him from all directions, suffocating Gong Wei for a moment. Shortly after, a fiery burning sensation seared from his right pupil all the way to his limbs. How uncomfortable, he thought. The exact same murderous intent climbed from the bottom of his heart, like a venomous flame rushing towards his temples. It¡¯s really uncomfortable. ¡°¡­I want to devour your flesh and drink your blood. I want to skin you alive,¡± the evil cultivator clenched his teeth and got up. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and a treacherous sword glare was set ablaze. He roared viciously, ¡°I want you to die¡ª¡± Before he could finish his sentence, like a menacing evil spirit, he had swung his sword. However, the blade froze. The trembling tip was only a few centimeters away from Gong Wei¡¯s blood-red right pupil. Yet, he could no longer move it by an inch. The youth¡¯s pupil reflected the man¡¯s expression, which was horrified. ¡°All of you have swords,¡± Gong Wei murmured softly, reaching out to touch the evil cultivator¡¯s blade. ¡ªXu Bai had a sword, Ying Shixiong had a sword, and his buddy Yuchi Rui had a sword. Everyone at the bottom of the Ascension Platform was bearing an Immortal Sword. Even the assassin who wanted to kill him had one. The youth finally realised how he was different from the others. He swiftly declared, ¡°Then I must have one.¡± Gong Wei raised his right hand. The winds and clouds gathered towards his palm at once, and a crimson star flickered in the distant sky. Immediately afterward, the star burst into light specks of blood-red, and thousands of megajoules of thunder and lightning struck down, shattering the ghost cultivator¡¯s formation. The Ascension Platform shook violently, causing everyone to hurriedly retreat on their swords amid the chaos of rocks falling like torrential rain. Ying Kai grabbed a sword from a dead assassin and stuck it into the ground to stabilize himself. In the deafening turmoil, he roared, ¡°Gong Wei! In a hurricane of spiritual power which cascaded like a waterfall, the youth took hold of the void like a hilt, inch by inch he drew out a Divine Sword from the pure energy, with Heavens and Earth as its sheath. This sword belonged to him. Everyone present saw what was carved onto the sword hilt, three characters glowing in a crimson red¡ª Bai Taishou. Gong Wei gripped the sword in both hands in the next instant and mercilessly drove it through the evil cultivator¡¯s skull! At the last moment before death, the evil cultivator saw his own expression of utter disbelief in the youth¡¯s blood-red pupil. He had imagined and replayed countless times how he was to piece his sword through the youth¡¯s head and sever it from his body. He had never expected that the other party would use the exact same method to kill him. The sword blade penetrated through the centre of the man¡¯s eyebrows and stuck out from the back of his head. With a muffled thud, the severed head flew out several feet in the sky, and then, Gong Wei pinned the corpse heavily to the ground. Kneeling on one knee, Gong Wei held his sword in one hand and slowly straightened up. However, the remnants of that hatred and desire to kill still clamoured within his heart, and refused to calm down. Not enough, I must consume and skin him! Devour his flesh and drink his blood. Cries of exclamation sounded out from a distance as Gong Wei kept his composure. He pierced his right hand into the evil cultivator¡¯s chest to rip out a warm, bloodied heart and held it in front of his eyes. At the foot of the Ascension Platform, Xu Shuangtze, who was hurrying over, stopped abruptly. He saw Gong Wei looking straight at him with a naive and casual grin. Then, the youth raised the dead man¡¯s heart with blood still trickling down his fingers and opened his mouth to drink it. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl: Say what you will about Xu Bai, he doesn¡¯t go around casually ¡®vampiring¡¯. Also: Ewwww. Gross, Gong Wei ¨C at least use a cup or bowl or something¡­ CH 36 ¡°You were too scary that day,¡± Yuchi Rui said, gripping his fishing rod intently and monitoring the buoy in floated on the water. In the pond outside the Correctional Palace, Gong Wei took off his shoes and was sitting barefoot and cross-legged on a moss-covered rock. He was also holding a fishing rod with one hand while the other was propping his cheek. Gong Wei lazily replied, ¡°I was avenging you and Shixiong. Do you know my good intentions now?¡± ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have drunk his blood.¡± Yuchi Rui was displeased, ¡°That is too disgusting! What were you thinking?¡± What was I thinking? Gong Wei paused as if he didn¡¯t know the answer. After a long while, he rolled his eyes and replied affectionately, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking too much, just thinking this might deter any other opponents present. Anyway, no one is allowed to hurt Shixiong!¡± Yuchi Rui was so astounded that he almost dropped his fishing rod, ¡°You actually have a conscience?¡± Gong Wei grinned cheekily and cupped his own cheeks. At that moment, a huge carriage raced across the sky. Four giant eagles were tied to the reins and as they moved, a lingering platinum glow trailed behind the carriage as it rushed towards the direction of the Correctional Palace in the distance. Gong Wei immediately jumped up, exclaiming, ¡°Ah, the Blood River Chariot!¡± Xu Bai is here! He waded towards the banks and hurried to the shore. Then, he hastily slipped into his shoes. Yuchi Rui couldn¡¯t stop him and had to watch as the giant fish that was about to be baited swished away in terror. He was devastated and yelled, ¡°Bastard! Where are you going?!¡± ¡°Xu Bai hasn¡¯t seen my new sword yet!¡± ¡°Xu Bai will kill you one day! ¡°Yuchi Rui turned his head and hollered. By then, he could only see wafts of dust on the shore as Gong Wei had already slipped off in excitement. Gong Wei raised his sword and raced across the corridor like a gust of wind. The disciples of the Correctional Palace passing by in the distance all stopped, casting respectful but fearful gazes as they watched with mixed emotions as he whizzed past. Gong Wei didn¡¯t notice the subtle changes in the attitudes of others then, nor did he care for it. He rushed to the study, deliberately slowing down to steady his breath right outside, before softly pushing the door open to give Xu Shuangtze a surprise. However, he didn¡¯t expect the sound of a teacup heavily striking the table as Xu Shuangtze said coldly, ¡°I disagree.¡± What are they talking about? Gong Wei paused as he pushed slightly and peered through the crack in the door. Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze were facing each other. For some reason, there was tension in the air. Ying Kai answered unhappily, ¡°What¡¯s there to disagree over?¡± ¡°On the surface, the assassination was the Ghost Taming Sect¡¯s revenge on Gong Wei, but you and I know better. Why did they select that particular day of the ceremony, when Gong Wei accompanied me? How did the assassins sneak into the heavily-guarded Immortal Alliance?¡± ¡°Why was there not a single clue even after a thorough investigation? The Yellow Springs fatal poison and the Yin and Yang Chaos Mantra both belong to the Ghost Taming Sect. But what about the Death-for-Life formation brought about by the sacrifice of those twelve assassins? Do you recall what their bodies looked like after that? Why did they go to all that trouble?¡± ¡°Because this incident is inextricably linked to the major families!¡± Ying Kai articulated every word, ¡°All the great masters are trying their best to support their own. They bestowed their descendants and direct disciples with treasures gathered from heaven and earth as well as their lifelong cultivation techniques. This is how the major families nurture grandmasters and protect their own family name.¡± ¡°The Artefact Sect Master has been inherited by three generations of the Changsun family. The Sword Sect Master has also remained in the Golden Gate for two generations. Moreover, these are the righteous and more decent families and sects.¡± ¡°What about the others then? Ruthless competition for resources and other selfish acts are prevalent. Even those minor families have to be subservient to the bigger ones. Otherwise, there will be no future for them! The Immortal Alliance shook the interests of these major families and sects. Naturally, there would be collective hatred from them. Even if they did not directly participate in this assassination, they must have welcomed it! If this persists, where does fairness stand to exist?¡± Xu Shuangtze answered calmly, ¡°For mortals of this world, it is normal for the elders to protect the interests of their children and grandchildren. This is merely human nature. There is no good nor evil to it, so just let it be. Why did you have to go against it?¡± Ying Kai was speechless at this response and paused before adding, ¡°Do you disapprove of me setting up the Department of Discipline, or are you disagreeing with the appointment of Gong Wei as the Chief? ¡± Shixiong, wants me to be the Chief? Gong Wei widened his eyes at the novelty. ¡°¡­¡± We Vtejcuahf ofii rlifca, yea Xbcu Qfl kjr ecjyif ab rff tlr fzqgfrrlbc ogbw tlr jcuif. Coafg j ktlif, tf mbcalcefv, ¡°Ktlr mtliv wera cba yf qijmfv lc atf qgfrfcmf bo batfgr.¡± Tlcu Bjl ogbkcfv jcv rjlv, ¡°Qtja vb sbe wfjc? P klii qfgrbcjiis bnfgrff atf Gfqjgawfca bo Glrmlqilcf jcv atf jqqblcawfca bo Xbcu Qfl lr pera lc cjwf. P pera kjca tlw ab tbiv atlr qbrlalbc remt atja tf mjc ifjgc jcv yf fzqbrfv ab njglber kbgx joojlgr klat wf. Lf wjs jirb lcafgjma klat vlrmlqifr bo atf rjwf juf, jcv qfgtjqr yfoglfcv j ofk bo atfw, ktlmt lr yfcfolmlji obg tlr wfcaji ugbkat¡­¡± ¡°He shouldn¡¯t grow anymore. ¡°Xu Shuangtze interrupted Ying Kai suddenly. After a pause, he said again, ¡°Don¡¯t let Gong Wei interact with anyone again.¡± Judging from his expression, Ying Kai seemed to feel that there was a problem with his hearing, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not answer. ¡°Gong Wei has a greater potential than you see right now. As long as he is guided well, his future cultivation may not be inferior to you and me. Do you want to lock him up for the rest of his life?¡± The last sentence was obviously a rhetorical question, but Xu Shuangtze made no response. He only stared straight at him. Gong Wei held his breath. He still couldn¡¯t see Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face, but he knew that Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression must reveal something, because Ying Kai¡¯s eyes became gradually shocked, and it took a long while before he whispered in disbelief, ¡°¡­Xu Bai, are you crazy?¡± Ying Kai was a very courteous person and rarely addressed anyone of the same rank by name. Xu Shuangtze turned a deaf ear, ¡°Don¡¯t you think his talent is horrifying?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai uttered with difficulty, ¡°Xu Bai, you caused a nine-day thunder tribulation that had not been seen in a century when you formed your core. When my Ding Shan Hai sword was first unsheathed, the mountains and the seas reverberated, and no one said we were horrifying.¡± ¡°Do you really think you can guide him well?¡± ¡°Of course I can. Gong Wei is innocent and pure in nature, he is just¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze sneered rhetorically for the third time, ¡°Do you really think he is innocent and pure?¡± Gong Wei seemed to have fallen into an absurd and frightening illusion. He didn¡¯t understand what was happening before him, but an instinctive pain suddenly climbed from the bottom of his heart and pierced his throat. Please stop, Gong Wei¡¯s breathing was rapid. Please stop talking, Xu Bai. ¡°Gong Zhiyu can never be a human being.¡± Xu Shuangtze stated with his back to the door, and without any emotion in his voice, ¡°I know what you think. Even if demons and evil spirits take a human form, they cannot cultivate three souls and seven spirits. Only when they have the seventh soul, can they be considered a human. If it is not a human being, then it can only be a being superior to you and me. In abstract terms, it is a being closer to the existence of ¡®Heavenly Dao¡¯ (Way of the Heaven) itself. ¡°And you think Gong Zhiyu might be such an existence.¡± Xu Shuangtze said. Ying Kai stood silently and neither affirmed nor denied the statement. ¡°Ying Kai, you believe that Heavenly Dao is born of goodness. But I think it is born of a primordial and pure chaos. Heavenly Dao may not necessarily treat immortal cultivators like us in good faith. Gong Zhiyu treats people well now because the people he comes into contact with at the moment treat him well. If you want to maintain this status quo, you have to seal off his spiritual veins and keep him in a forbidden place. Other than you, me and Yuchi Rui, no one is allowed to come near him. In the future, when Yuchi Ru grows up, he too has to be isolated from him.¡± ¡°If you cannot do this, Ying Kai. ¡°Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°Mark my words, Gong Zhiyu is as sweet as a dream now, and in the same measure, will be as terrible as a nightmare in the future. One day you will regret it.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s pupils constricted at once because of a sharp pain. As Xu Shuangtze moved, he finally saw his side profile. That handsome face had never been so cold and merciless as it was now. It was as if he was not just talking about a mere stranger, but some kind of wicked, ominous, and vile heresy that should be wiped off even from one¡¯s feet. Negative emotions poured in from all directions like a tidal wave. The last few traces of Gong Wei¡¯s desire to be closer to Xu Shuangtze made him want to control himself, but his nature prevailed. The exact same hostility rose from his heart as if the poisonous flames seared his internal organs, and even his bones and marrow were hissing with an agonizing pain. Stop talking, Gong Wei thought in his confusion. I¡¯m really in pain, please don¡¯t talk about this anymore¡ª Ying Kai was irritated, he seemed to be hurriedly criticizing something, his tone was stern and full of anger. Xu Shuangtze did not waver and the dispute became louder and more intense. Finally, Ying Kai slammed the paperweight on the table, ¡°Xu Shuangtze! I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s possessed!¡± ¡°What we picked up from the Peach Forest of Cang Yang Mountain that year was not a human at all, it was a heresy of the Heavenly Dao.¡± Xu Shuangtze spoke clearly and sharply, ¡°We took this heresy back, and one day it will bring destruction to everyone in this world!¡± With a click, the door was pushed open. The two turned their heads at the same time, Gong Wei stood outside the door, staring directly at Xu Shuangtze. Ying Kai lost his voice, ¡°Gong Wei¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression became strange at once. He seemed to force himself to look away slightly, but then he stopped again. He raised his head, took a breath, and stood there calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t you like me, Xu Bai? ¡°Gong Wei asked gently. Xu Shuangtze did not answer. Ying Kai could only utter two words from his tightened throat, ¡°Gong Wei¡­¡± Gong Wei asked stubbornly, ¡°Will you keep hating me?¡± No one noticed Xu Shuangtze¡¯s shoulders and arms tensed up as he secretly dug his fingertips into his palms and a trace of warm sweat slowly seeped along his palm lines. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after a long silence, he shut his lips tightly and walked out without another word. Ying Kai cried anxiously, ¡°Xu¡­¡± Even before that sentence ended, Xu Shuangtze felt a grip on his arm. It was Gong Wei who caught him at that moment. The youth raised his head and looked directly at him. ¡ª¡ªKill him, the innate consciousness in the depths of his soul sounded clearly once again. ¡°¡­Gong Wei,¡± Xu Shuangtze said hoarsely, ¡°I said before never to use these inhuman tricks on me. A trace of scarlet had appeared in the youth¡¯s right pupil, blooming like a fairy flower from another world. Xu Shuangtze tugged his hand away gently, ¡°Gong Wei!¡± Xu Bai must die. Xu Bai must be the first to die. No one can leave. Xu Bai has to die first. Gong Wei closed his eyes and sprang them open abruptly. At this moment, his right pupil was dyed with an intense and pure blood red! Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression changed slightly and he attempted to dodge, but it was too late. Bai Taishou was shockingly unsheathed and following an immense oppressive aura which poured out, spiritual power swept like an arc in all directions. The floor instantly burst into thousands of fragments, and the doors and windows shattered into dust! ¡ª¡ªQiang! The violent crash of metal on stone was deafening. Xu Shuangtze held on to the hilt of No Way Out firmly. The sword scabbard was the only thing that blocked that murderous blow and a terrible screech sounded as the metals scraped against each other. The blade of Bai Taishou coldly reflected Gong Wei¡¯s eyes at close range, and a faint flicker flashed within them. He stared at Xu Shuangtze so intensely with widened eyes, as if he could hold back that something in his eye sockets. But he failed. Tears streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto the blade which was still enveloped with a murderous aura. Each drop splattered into numerous glistening sparkles of moisture. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze released the hilt of his sword, reached out his hand to wipe off the tear stains on Gong Wei¡¯s cheek, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Want to kill me?¡± The palm of his hand could easily hold onto half of the young man¡¯s face, and their breaths mingled seamlessly. He leaned towards Gong Wei¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°You won¡¯t have such an opportunity again.¡± At this moment, Qiang! With a bright sound, Ying Kai drew his sword and sternly hollered, ¡°Shuangtze!¡± Xu Shuangtze straightened up, and retracted his sword. Without another word, he brushed past Gong Wei¡¯s shoulder and walked out. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, Gong Wei spun around and swung his sword. The sword glare cut through the void and Xu Shuangtze waved his arm to deflect, only to have the sleeves of his robe ripped apart! Blood splattered out from his palm, staining the ground in a dotted arc. But Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t look back. He stepped steadily over the threshold and left. The huge commotion had already alarmed most of the Correctional Palace. The guards rushed towards the sounds but did not dare to approach. They hid from a distance under the white jade platform in front of the palace. Xu Shuangtze turned a blind eye to them. With hands behind his back, he paced across the corridor alone. The wind swept from the edge of the sky and end of the earth, and the torn sleeves of his robes fluttered behind him. It was at this exact same place just a few years ago, where the sunlight streamed through the veil towards the end of spring¡­ It was when that thin and young figure suddenly emerged from the top of the wall, peering at the two small gold coins that swung from his hand. He had such bright and wide eyes that were brimming with curiosity. Ding dang, ding dang. Xu Shuangtze did not stop. He could still vividly see that youth leaping down, and whizzing past him as he snatched away those small gold coins from his hand within an instant. The youth grasped them so tightly in his palm, like a treasure¡ªas if he was afraid that he would lose them by accident. Then, like a stream of clouds, he disappeared at the end of the corridor. The wind wafted and brushed past his ears. Ding dang, ding dang. Xu Shuangtze had clearly mastered the Emotionless Path and his heart should have been unwavering and strong. Yet, out of nowhere, there was throbbing pain from within, like layer upon layer of fine silk enveloping that heart which was supposed to be ice cold like steel. It must be the enchantment from that strange eye, he thought. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s fingers dug deeper into the bloodied wound on his palm, and he raised his head, gazing towards the rolling mountains. The man thought that if he continued without turning back, he would then be able to walk out of that beautiful sweet dream, leaving behind that indulgent time which was gentle like a stream, at the end of spring of that year. The eighteenth year of Taiyi passed with an enduring wind sweeping over the overlapping palace eaves. The skies were covered with peach blossom petals that fell like snow. The Cang Yang Sect Master, with his sword behind his back, descended the long magnificent steps of Dai Mountain alone. The ding dang sound in the void he was determined to leave behind grew further and further with his every step. Each stride took him closer towards the distant future, filled with red candles and celebratory banquets as well as the fateful bloodshed that was yet to come. CH 37 ¡°The Soldier Silk will strangle and ruin one¡¯s spiritual veins. Almost all the spiritual veins in his body are nearly shattered¡­¡± ¡°What will the Medical Sect Master do now? ¡°Pour the Resurrection Elixir into his mouth, don¡¯t stop!¡± ¡°How is his pulse?¡± Has the pulse started to recover?¡± ¡­ One after another, the voices seemed to be close yet also very far away, before they gradually disappeared into the depths of Gong Wei¡¯s chaotic consciousness. Gong Wei tried his best to open his eyes, and he seemed to be helpless. He couldn¡¯t stand on his feet and was only able to curl up in the depths of the misty peach forest, trembling. At this moment, his right pupil glowed brightly¡ªas red as blood. Next, he saw the man named Ying Kai squatting before him, reaching out his hand patiently to stroke his hair. In the next second, he turned his gaze and saw another handsome young man looking indifferent. He was standing a distance away with a sword in his hand as he scrutinised Gong Wei. For reasons unknown, the moment he laid eyes on that man, Gong Wei sensed a piercing pain rising from his chest. A great sorrow intertwined with joy engulfed every inch of his consciousness like a torrent Immediately afterward, there was a clear deep echo that surfaced in his mind¡ª¡ª That is Xu Shuangtze. I have to kill Xu Shuangtze. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, how long have you been hiding in this peach forest? Do you want to leave?¡± ¡°He is watching us. He is learning how to be a human being.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice sounded good, and he looked so handsome, Gong Wei thought amidst the intermittent pain in his chest. I like him so much, can I stay by his side and not leave? ¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll bring him to the Medical Sect and have Brother Mu examine him.¡± After the two argued, Ying Kai finally made a decision. He smiled and stretched out his hand to Gong Wei, asking in a kind voice, ¡°Shall I bring you out of here?¡± That dream ended abruptly. Gong Wei opened his eyes wide and saw Ying Kai¡¯s palm in front of him. In his daze, he could recall how things would develop next. Gong Wei looked at Xu Shuangtze, who was standing nonchalantly, before he timidly turned towards Ying Kai. Then, he was led out from Cang Yang Mountain to the Correctional Palace in the Immortal Alliance. In the decades that followed, he was entangled in feuds, experienced life and death and up until a sword pierced his heart on the Ascension Platform, Gong Wei never managed to return to that same peach forest. If this time, he were to choose a different path right from the start, would the ending be different? An instinctive and raging impulse suddenly rose from the depths of his heart. That pain in his chest filled the young Gong Wei with an unprecedented courage. He forced himself to glance at that towering and aloof man as he opened his arms wide, ¡°Want¡­Want hug¡­¡± He was too young and hadn¡¯t learned how to speak like regular people. He only remembered that the first feeling he felt when he came into this world was sadness, but he didn¡¯t know why. He could only stutter in a choked voice, repeating a few words in vain, ¡°Want hug¡­¡± The dreamscape morphed once more. In the next moment, Gong Wei was falling from the sky like a baby bird, but before fear could strike, he was embraced by someone with a scent of white sandalwood. Someone held on to him tightly, protected him fervently, and gave him a tender kiss on his temple. ¡°You won¡¯t die,¡± the man said in a low voice. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine after a nap.¡± ¡­ ¡°I can only repair the spiritual veins to this state for the time being. How he recovers after this is up to fate.¡± A young man in his twenties had a faint and eerie purple light coalescing at his fingertips. He then retracted his hand from between Gong Wei¡¯s eyebrows. The man had a gentle and handsome face and bore a celestial aura. He wore a pale green gauze robe and a platinum dagger hung at his waist instead of a typical jade pendant. The shape of the blade was curved and thin, much like a willow leaf. As long as this person shut his mouth, he had the appearance and demeanour of a refined gentleman. Unfortunately, his true and unlikeable nature was revealed once he spoke, ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, this man is too fortunate to be treated by me, the esteemed Medical Sect Master. Otherwise, after encountering the most venomous and ruthless Soldier Silk of the Artefact Sect Master, this inhuman creature would have been tsk tsk tsk¡­¡± This man was none other than Mu Duozhu, the Golden Boat Medical Sect Master. Gong Wei was curled up sideways on his bed. His eyes closed and his face was pale with a turbulent expression. He held onto Xu Shuangtze¡¯s arm tightly with both hands and Xu Shuangtze stood still, allowing him to do so as he wished even while he asked, ¡°Why is he like this? Mu Duozhu sternly responded, ¡°Even in his coma, he is so respectful to his master¡­ We Vtejcuahf, ¡°¡­¡± Ktf akb rajgfv ja fjmt batfg obg j ibcu ktlif. We Vtejcuahf¡¯r mbiv jcv geatifrr yijmx fsfr uijgfv ja Ze Gebhte ecali atja Zfvlmji Vfma Zjrafg mbeiv cb ibcufg fcvegf. Lf tegglfvis fzqijlcfv, ¡°Qfii, atf qjalfca lr lc j rajaf ktfgf tlr rqlglaeji nflc tjr yffc fwqalfv. Lf klii rqbcajcfberis yf vgjkc ab atf wbra qbkfgoei qfbqif bg atlcur jgbecv tlw, pera ilxf qfbqif offilcu tecugs jcv mbiv jgf vgjkc ab kjgw obbv. Ktfgf lr j rlwqif rbiealbc ab atlr. Ycf pera cffvr ab lcoerf j ijguf jwbeca bo rqlglaeji qbkfg lcab atf qjalfca¡¯r rfj bo Hl. Dea atlr wfatbv lr ralii mbcrlvfgfv ribk. Ciafgcjalnfis, atfgf lr j ojrafg kjs¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze interrupted, ¡°What method? Mu Duozhu blinked, suddenly took a big step back, and solemnly answered, ¡°Dual cultivation.¡± The room fell into a frightful silence and Xu Shuangtze stared at him blankly, not even turning to avert his gaze. Mu Duozhu quickly stepped outside the door with his upper body in the room, smiling he added, ¡°Lord Xu, please do not be offended. I¡¯m only joking. Oh yes, I heard from my disciples about your attack outside of the Dingxian Mausoleum. They said that you did not hesitate to crush the corpses of our seniors on the spot to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Simply worthy of being the top master of our time! I find Lord Xu¡¯s attitude towards your beloved disciple a stark contrast. You seem very¡ªwell, how do I put it? Exceedingly compassionate, loving, and protective¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s right thumb moved just ever so slightly in the shadow. With that, Mu Duozhu dashed out of the room in an instant and shut the door behind him with a loud bang. After a few breaths, the door creaked open once again. The Medical Sect Master warily poked half of his head in and hastily instructed, ¡°Remember to pay the consultation fee!¡± Then, without waiting for an answer, he closed the door and walked away. Silence returned to the room. Xu Shuangtze stood for a while before gazing back at the bed. Gong Wei frowned unconsciously in his sleep, as if he was experiencing a lot of unspeakable grievances and uneasiness at that moment. He hugged Xu Shuangtze¡¯s left arm tightly as if it were his life-saving straw and rubbed his cheek against him. His satin-like black hair cascaded onto the bed and the sleeves of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robe. ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze finally moved and sat down on the side of the bed. With this action, his left arm moved from completely straight to slightly curled. Gong Wei immediately hugged him tighter. The emptiness of spiritual veins could be fatal to a cultivator. A survival instinct now caused Gong Wei to press his upper body and bury his cheeks in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s arm and elbow respectively. When the man looked down, he could see the youth¡¯s long and soft eyelashes. Because the youth grabbed him too tightly, the man¡¯s impressive white gold robes were now crumpled. With each breath, his arm heated up silently and soon it felt like hot, fine needles constantly prickling his nerves. However, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face did not show the slightest change. He lowered his eyes and looked at Gong Wei¡¯s face in close proximity. It took him a long while before he lifted his right hand, sending a stream of spiritual power from his index finger to between Gong Wei¡¯s eyebrows. His fingertip touched the youth¡¯s skin and he retracted. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei muttered something vague and beyond comprehension. The fleeting presence of this spiritual energy made him even more agitated. He seemed to be trapped in a chaotic and discomforting dream. He struggled to get out of it in vain. He wanted to wake up, but couldn¡¯t snap out of that trance. He subconsciously grabbed the sleeves before him with both hands and tried to raise his head. The youth came so close that even his breath was incredibly audible. Xu Shuangtze lowered his head, the shadows cast by the bed curtains were so convoluted that it was impossible to make out his expression. He seemed to be patiently waiting for something to happen. Then, when he raised his index finger slightly, Gong Wei leaned his face closer¡­with every movement of the man¡¯s finger, Gong Wei attempted to be in skin contact. This repeated several times before Xu Shuangtze gradually leaned back. The bed, now bearing the weight of two people, creaked gently. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± A trace of spiritual power was injected into Gong Wei¡¯s sea of Qi intermittently, but that was far from enough. It was as if Gong Wei had landed on a sea of fluffy and warm clouds. Even his long-drawn-out complaints became soft moans,¡°¡­Um¡­¡± As if finally realising his dissatisfaction, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s two fingertips tapped tenderly on his forehead again, and a turbulent stream of pure spiritual power gushed into his body. All of Gong Wei¡¯s spiritual veins relaxed at once and he lifted his head unconsciously, like receiving precious dewdrops after a long drought. The tip of his nose was now almost in contact with Xu Shuangtze¡¯s chin. Yet at this moment, Xu Shuangtze gently lifted his finger once more. Gong Wei was completely anxious. At the instance their breaths mingled, Xu Shuangtze had now raised his arm until the back of his palm pressed against his own lips. Gong Wei grabbed his lapels and hurried up. His soft, cold lips finally planted on Xu Shuangtze¡¯s palm. It was like a tender and flattering kiss. Knock knock knock. On the corridor outside, Yuchi Xiao knocked on the door a few times and waited for a few breaths before hollering, ¡°Medical Sect Master, your presence is required for a discussion!¡± There was no response from behind the door. The treatment had been going on for several hours, were they not done yet? Yuchi Xiao¡¯s heart sank, and he couldn¡¯t help but rap on the door more anxiously, ¡®Knock, knock, knock!¡¯ After a few more times, he said, ¡°Medical Sect Master, is treatment going well?¡± I¡ª¡± An unhurried voice came from the room, ¡°Come in.¡± That was Lord Xu! Yuchi Xiao¡¯s expression changed as he pushed the door open at once. The room facing him was wide and elegant, dimly lit by the candlelight. The bed curtain was draped and the air carried the scent of both medicine and eroticism. A powerful hand lifted the curtain, a man came down from the bed. It was Xu Shuangtze. ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Xiao seemed to lose his ability to speak at this. Then he abruptly peered through the silk bed curtain which draped over the bed on all sides. He could vaguely see Gong Wei curled up on his side, wrapped in a familiar white and gold robe. That was clearly the outer robe of Lord Xu! Xu Shuangtze was now donned in his black, fitted inner armour. He straightened his lapels and asked plainly,¡±What¡¯s the matter? If it were any other junior, they would have been terrified by now. Yuchi Xiao gaped before he heard his own raspy voice, ¡°Lord Xu, you and your disciple are all alone in the room and not fully clothed. That is not appropriate, is it? Xu Shuangtze paused for a while, turned his head and glanced at him. His eyes seemingly mocking him. He asked, ¡°Oh, is this not appropriate?¡± A chill flashed from his spine to the top of his head like a bolt of lightning, and Yuchi Xiao¡¯s gaze dimmed. Fortunately, Xu Shuangtze did not continue. He let down the bed curtain without haste. And as if the earlier conversation did not happen, he asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± The Medical Sect Master did not allow outsiders to approach when he was administering aid. Yuchi Xiao only dared to come after he intentionally stopped and replaced a disciple who was on his way over to pass a message. He originally wanted to inquire about Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s recovery, but he now knew that it was not necessary. Almost forcing himself to bow, he spoke, ¡°The Artefact Sect Master has already boarded the ship, and Lord Ying has invited all the Sect Masters to head over to discuss the matter regarding the Soldier Silk.¡± In a nutshell, it was time to settle scores with the Artefact Sect Master. Xu Shuangtze was noncommittal, ¡°Lead the way.¡± The two of them walked out of the room and paced along the long and wide corridor. Some medical disciples who passed by them on either side all quickened their pace and bowed their heads in salute. At the end of the corridor, there was a white jade spiral staircase leading upwards. Yuchi Xiao stepped aside and made an invitational gesture, ¡°Lord Xu, this way please.¡± Xu Shuangtze flicked his robe and stepped forward steadily. Legend had it that Lord Xu and Lord Ying were born in the same year. The two would be nearly a hundred years old at present. However, this was impossible to tell from mere appearance. Xu Shuangtze still looked in his prime, with sharp and beautiful features. The absence of his outer robe further accentuated his tall and slim figure. Especially from the back, one could vaguely make out the smooth contours of his firm back muscles under the fitted attire as he walked. He didn¡¯t bring No Way Out. But the lack of a sword did not reduce any inch of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s terrifying aura and composure. ¡°Yuchi Xiao,¡± he uttered without looking back. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Xu Shuangtze asked casually, ¡°How did Xiang Xiaoyuan encounter the Soldier Silk?¡± At that moment, many scenes flashed across Yuchi Xiao¡¯s mind¡ªthe right pupil which was dug out and crushed into a bloody mess before him, and the severed head which was tossed aside, leaving a gruesome trail even in mid-air. And the blood which splattered from the severed neck onto the youth¡¯s face as well as how it trickled down that snow-white cheek¡­ Each finally froze. Then, he saw that youth¡¯s thin and fair chin lifted by the blade of Gou Chen. But the youth didn¡¯t care. Blood was still dripping from his palms and running through the sword¡¯s groove, and his alluring eyes glanced back with undisguised deviousness. ¡°What answer do you want me to give?¡± The youth asked with a grin. ¡°You are too weak, Young Master Yuchi. You don¡¯t even dare to sever one of my hands or stab me twice¨Cso what answer is it that you wish to hear?¡± ¡­ Yuchi Xiao lowered his gaze and gulped silently. ¡°The junior encountered the awakened corpse of the Lotus Immortal and could not subdue it. He failed to protect Young Master Xiang, and prevent the attack on him. This junior is ashamed and awaits punishment from Lord Xu.¡± ¡°Oh, is it so? ¡°Xu Shuangtze voice was flat, ¡°Just that?¡± Yuchi Xiao responded calmly, ¡°Just that.¡± At this time, the two of them went one after the other, following the circling white jade steps to the end, and in front of them was an indoor corridor with carved beams and painted buildings. When Xu Shuangtze reached the last step, he suddenly turned around and said, ¡°Beloved nephew.¡± Yuchi Xiao froze in reaction, ¡°Lord Xu, please speak.¡± In the distance, some medical disciples were passing by, and when they saw the two men standing on the staircase, one in front of the other, one taller than the other, they all remained with their heads lowered, keeping a good distance and not daring to approach. Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°After my disciple returned from Linjiang City, his left shoulder was already gravely injured. He mentioned that it was inflicted by a ghost cultivator after you failed to subdue it. This time, he followed you to the Ding Xian Mausoleum and got planted with Soldier Silk. His spiritual veins were shattered and this injury is more serious than before. He once again became collateral damage due to your inability to suppress the opponent. Yuchi Xiao couldn¡¯t utter a word. Xu Shuangtze slowly added, ¡°Beloved nephew still needs to study and practice harder.¡± He was monotonous, as if calmly stating an irrefutable fact. However, Yuchi Xiao seemed to have been dealt a heavy blow head-on. His ears buzzed, and it took him a long time before he gritted his teeth and answered ¡°¡­This junior is grateful for Lord Xu¡¯s teachings.¡± A figure flashed past in the distance, and it was Mu Duozhu who was walking towards them from the end of the corridor. Seeing this, he cried out strangely, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t answer. He took out something from his sleeve, and it was an item as red as flames. It was the Qilin pendant that he confiscated from Gong Wei previously! ¡°Once shattered, this pendant can take the place of its bearer in death. It is too precious for my disciple.¡± He handed the jade pendant to Yuchi Xiao, and said, ¡°Beloved nephew, take it back.¡± Mu Duozhu didn¡¯t know what was going on. He only saw the Golden Gate¡¯s young master¡¯s terrible expression, yet that young man did not utter a word. He could only take the jade pendant and hold it in his hand as he took a step backward. It looked as if the young man was about to withdraw and turn back. But for some reason, he paused and took a deep breath. ¡°Lord Xu.¡± He raised his eyes and met Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze, asking in a very clear voice, ¡°This junior and Xiang Xiaoyuan went through life and death together and forged a deep friendship. I am deeply concerned about having to see him injured and bedridden. May this junior visit him?¡± Only direct descendants of such top families could display such courage and confidence. Xu Shuangtze stared down at him. This expression could have been admiration for the young man or perhaps just mockery. After a long while, he answered, ¡°Go.¡± Yuchi Xiao bowed politely, turned back, and walked down. His figure soon disappeared at the end of the spiral white jade steps. Mu Duozhu was full of doubts. Just as he was about to ask something, he heard Xu Shuangtze whisper, ¡°Those who do not learn from the wrongdoings of others, shall shed tears when they see their own coffin.¡± Mu Duozhu was surprised, ¡°What?¡± Xu Shuangtze made no response, turned around, and walked towards a closed door at the end of the corridor. As he approached, the carved bronze door swung open. A fresh breeze swept from the ends of the blue sky and in the distance, there were rolling mountains with several villages and cities appearing like numerous sandboxes. Xu Shuangtze stepped onto the white jade pavilion and looked out from the balustrade at the end of the high platform. Beneath it was a magnificent, huge and solid deck. He was on a massive golden ship sailing high in the sky! The seats were already set up in the pavilion. There were two red sandalwood armchairs at the highest point, one of which was occupied by Ying Kai, who was clutching his forehead with one hand. He appeared weary and was silent. Diagonally under Ying Kai¡¯s left-hand corner was the Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Rui. He too appeared fatigued due to the aftereffects of the illusionary art. He was holding the divine sword Tower of Rakshasa in his right hand, while his left hand pulled out some five-spice peanuts from his pocket and tossed them into his mouth. Xu Shuangtze walked to the other red sandalwood armchair and sat down. Mu Duozhu also lifted his robe before sitting. Everyone turned their eyes to the chair in the middle and stared at Changsun Chengfeng in unison. ¡°¡­¡± The Artefact Sect Master was at a loss for words and leaned back heavily on the back of his chair. He let out a long exhalation before crying out sincerely, ¡°Everyone, I really had nothing to do with this!¡± CH 38 ¡°Everyone, I really have nothing to do with this matter!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai lowered the hand which was touching his brows, and he appeared even more fatigued than before, ¡°Chengfeng, the strength of three generations of Artefact Sect Masters come mainly from the unparalleled forces of the mechanical soldiers. You know this, am I right?¡± Changsun Chengfeng added, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You also know that in this world. you are the only person who can control these mechanical soldiers because only the eldest descendant of the lineage have the dual primordial spirit to forge the Soldier Silk. You know this too, right?¡± Changsun Chengfeng answered with utmost sincerity, ¡°I know this too well.¡± Ying Kai pointed to the side. On a table between him and Xu Shuangtze, there was a huge thousand-year-old ice brick placed on a steel plate, with curls of cold air hovering above it. The plate was covered with frost, and a section of bloodied thread, thinner than silk was sealed within the block of ice. Even so, it glowed with a gloomy red light. That was the soldier silk extracted from the bones of the Lotus Immortal. Ying Kai asked, ¡°What else do you wish to say?¡± Mechanical soldiers are invulnerable to fire and water, not susceptible to all varieties of poison nor damaged even by regular immortal swords. Although they stood several feet tall, each was as agile as a monkey. When deployed in groups to form battle formations or standing up against opponents in singular units, these mechanical soldiers were frightful entities to any party. The materials and blueprint to manufacture these mechanical soldiers had always been secretly passed down from generation to generation by the eldest descendant of the Changsun family. There was only one crucial artefact required to control these soldiers¡ªsoldier silk. Ordinary puppet silk was already insidious and rare, but in comparison to soldier silk, it is like comparing an ordinary golden core cultivator to Ying Kai or Xu Shuangtze. It was in a class of its own. In this world, countless alchemy cultivators dreamed of forging just a short piece of soldier silk, but their efforts were all in vain. After all, refining soldier silk requires one condition, the yin and yang dual primordial spirit. Just like a person can¡¯t grow two heads, even great masters like Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze cannot cultivate two primordial spirits out of thin air. However, descendants of the Changsun family were born with this talent. During the refining process, the Artefact Sect Master must retain his Yang primordial spirit while injecting the Yin primordial spirit into every inch of the soldier silk. Therefore, every unit of mechanical soldiers were connected to the Artefact Sect Master¡¯s primordial spirit, allowing him to seamlessly control them, and for the soldiers to spontaneously protect their master without manipulation. Wherever the Artefact Sect Master went, the soldiers will follow. If the Artefact Sect Master died, the soldiers would also perish. If the Artefact Sect Master wished to control puppets through soldier silk, he did not have to exhaust much spiritual energy. He only needed to will it. There was no doubt that it was Soldier Silk which was extracted from ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s¡¯ spiritual veins by Xu Shuangtze. Apart from Changsun Chengfeng, who else could control this vicious and powerful weapon? The four great masters were facing the Artefact Sect Master from four different directions. Even Yuchi Rui, who was snacking on peanuts, raised his eyelids and stared at him coldly. ¡°¡­¡± Jtjcurec Jtfcuofcu rja raloois obg j ktlif. Lf olcjiis rlutfv, jcv rjlv, ¡°P jcv atf Obaer Pwwbgaji tjnf cb qjra ugevufr cbg fcwlas klat fjmt batfg. Pc ojma, kf yjgfis lcafgjmafv. Ktfgf lr gfjiis cb gfjrbc obg wf ab fzqfcv foobga ab lcreia tlr lwwbgaji ybvs.¡± Lf qjerfv, jcv atfc mbcalcefv klat vloolmeias, ¡°Dea¡­lo kf lcrlra bc gfjmtlcu j mbcmierlbc, P vb tjnf j rerqfma.¡± Yuchi Rui asked immediately, ¡°Who?¡± Chang Sun Chengfeng did not answer right away, but got up and bowed respectfully to Ying Kai. ¡°Lord Ying, the soldier silk is indeed unique to our Changsun family. This is an irrefutable fact. But this is not a trivial matter. Please grant me seven days to catch the real culprit. In seven days, I will personally return to the Correctional Palace at Dai Mountain and receive any punishment. I swear not to escape. Is this permissible?¡± There was clearly an implication in his words which suggested a determination to resolve the case. Ying Kai frowned and added, ¡°Who do you suspect?¡± Changsun Chengfeng maintained his bow and answered with an unwavering attitude, ¡°I will provide a reasonable resolution in seven days.¡± ¡°¡­¡± In the entire Immortal Alliance, other than the deceased Lotus Immortal, only Xu Shuangtze, Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui were Mahayana-level cultivators. Mu Duozhu had a wealth of experience and the prestige of his Golden Boat was high. His words carried more weight than Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s. Changsun Chengfeng was mild-mannered and gregarious. He often mingled with juniors. This gave people the impression that he was weak and overly-friendly, but in reality this kind of weakness was limited to these four people in the hall. After all, he was the head of one of the three major sects, and the eldest descendant of the Changsun family. Any one of these positions and status was second to none in terms of prominence and could not be easily offended. The several masters in the hall glanced at each other. Ying Kai frowned and pondered for a moment. He knew that it was not possible for Changsun Chengfeng to escape. With that, his attitude softened, ¡°In that case¡­¡± At this time, only Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice came from his side, ¡°You used to have a brother.¡± The Artefact Sect Master had a younger brother? Everyone did not react in time. Only Mu Duozhu blurted out, ¡°Is it the one from the folk tales?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The last time I went to Yanchun Theatre, I ran into a performance troupe which was telling a folk tale of a man who killed his brother and forcibly seized his sister-in-law.¡± Mu Duozhu quickly held up the tea cup and blocked half of his face. His voice became softer when he saw the shocked expression of Changsun Chengfeng, ¡°The plot is twisted, but it was heartfelt, and quite¡­tear-jerking.¡± There was a dead silence in the hall, and even Yuchi Rui had forgotten to bite down on the peanut which he brought to his lips. Then, he looked up and down Changsun Chengfeng with amazement, as if the man had utterly transformed overnight. ¡°¡­¡± The Artefact Sect Master gaped before affirming, ¡°I did have a brother, but the folklore is pure nonsense!¡± Ying Kai. ¡°Ahem!¡± Ying Kai cleared his throat several times, took a sip from his teacup, and said, ¡°Brother Mu may not be aware that the second son of the Changsun family was not killed by the Artefact Sect Master. He committed a serious crime and was exiled to the frozen lands of the Beijiang tundras nearly seventeen years ago. There has been no news of him since then.¡± In that extremely cold place, which was void of life, there had never been a record of a cultivator coming out of that land alive since ancient times. Therefore, sending someone into exile there was equivalent to a death sentence. Just that it was slightly better than execution. Mu Duozhu was surprised, ¡°What did he do? ¡± Changsun Chengfeng had almost retracted himself from the situation but Xu Shuangtze¡¯s words dragged him right back. He was reluctant to air his family¡¯s dirty laundry in front of everyone. After a long while of silence and amidst the people¡¯s gaze, he sighed, ¡°This brother followed his birth mother¡¯s surname and was known as Du Kaixun.¡± ¡°Du Kaixun was much younger than me. As my mother died when he was young and my father was not strict in disciplining, he became extremely cold-blooded and twisted since he was a child. He once abused Bai¡­abused a disciple in our family.¡± ¡°The method he used was extremely cruel, he even cast a spell to force that disciple to cut out his heart in front of everyone. He almost succeeded. Later, he was sent to the Disciplinary Court. Originally, we thought that he would learn from his mistakes, but after two months, he revealed his true self.¡± ¡°Du Kaixun secretly read the forbidden book of ¡®The Yin and Yang Chaos Mantra¡¯ and picked up how to concoct the Yellow Spring poison. He laced the tea of the Lotus Immortal with poison and he wanted¡­he wanted to gouge out the Lotus Immortal¡¯s right eye.¡± Since this incident happened nearly seventeen years ago, it should have been shortly before Gong Wei died on the Ascension Platform. Yuchi Rui asked immediately, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡± Changsun Chengfeng said, ¡°I am ashamed, but this matter was top secret back then. Because of-of a major family¡¯s involvement, the Lotus Immortal was magnanimous and did not make this matter public. He only reported it to Lord Ying.¡± He paused, and his tone became cold when he spoke again, ¡°Actually, in my opinion, this wicked beast might as well be dead. Lord Ying also agreed to leave him to my disposal at that time. But the Lotus Immortal was still too merciful in the end. Seeing that the beast was not even 20 years of age, he sentenced him to exile in the frozen lands of Beijiang for the rest of his life. He was not allowed to return to the Immortal World.¡± ¡°Where is he now? ¡°Yuchi Rui asked. Changsun Chengfeng replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. The extreme cold lands of the Beijaing tundra was a realm that even you and I may not dare to set foot into easily. Since ancient times, I have never heard of anyone who can come back alive. I always believed that he was dead, and have never tried to find him in the past seventeen years.¡± Ying Kai pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are you so sure that this incident is related to Du Kaixun?¡± Changsun Chengfeng appeared to be struggling for words. After a while, he gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°Du Kaixun¡­ is a rare talent.¡± ¡°My father was nearly forty years old when he learned how to use dual primordial spirits to refine soldier silk. I inherited the teachings when I was twenty-six years old.¡± ¡°However, Du Kaixun was only eighteen years old when he first produced soldier silk. He even created an exceedingly powerful and perfect mechanical solder. He trampled and torched the life¡¯s work of the previous two generations of Artefact Sect Masters and nearly angered several of the eldest members of the family to death.¡± The dirty laundry of major families tended to be covered up as tightly as possible. Hence, everyone present heard of these things for the first time today, and the room was strangely quiet. ¡°After this incident, I had to forbid Du Kaixun from forging any mechanical soldiers, and at the same time, I personally sealed his dual primordial spirit, preventing him from refining any solder silk. I wanted to wait for him to grow older and change his ways before considering releasing the seal. However, in the next year, he committed a series of appalling crimes such as abusing a disciple and poisoning the Lotus Immortal. This person is psychopathic and hopeless. It is regretful that the Lotus Immortal spared his life out of benevolence that year.¡± Changsun Chengfeng lowered his body again. He had a very gentle and handsome face and always carried a smile, but now he was terribly serious. ¡°The incident at the Ding Xian Mausoleum and the soldier silk must have something to do with Du Kaixun. No matter how this person escaped from the frozen lands to cause chaos, I will catch him personally this time, and hand him over to Dai Mountain for Lord Ying to impose punishment.¡± The room fell silent for a long while. Ying Kai was fixated on Changsun Chengfeng, and hesitated for a long time before slowly saying, ¡°Chengfeng, the great masters are all gathered here at the Sky Pavillion today. If you will swear in front of all of us that you will capture Du Kaixun within seven days and escort him to us personally¡­¡± At this time, only a slight ¡®ding¡¯ sound was heard as Xu Shuangtze put down his tea cup. Finally he spoke his second sentence since he entered, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, he is dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Even Ying Kai was stunned, and Changsun Chengfeng asked at once, ¡°What did you say?¡± There was no emotion reflected in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s dark eyes, and his tone was calm as if he was stating an insignificant fact, ¡°Seventeen years ago, I heard about how he poisoned and attempted to cut out the eye of the Lotus Immortal. I pursued him over thousands of miles to that frozen land and personally put an end to him.¡± ¡°His body was separated from his head, and my blade went through his heart. He is dead through and through.¡± _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl ~ Xu Bai: Anyone tries to hurt my wifey. They die. Everyone else: ¡­ CH 39 The hall suddenly fell into dead silence. It took a long while before Changsun Chengfeng, who was staring at Xu Shuangtze in disbelief, asked, ¡°¡­what did you say?¡± ¡°You chased him from Cang Yang Mountain to Beijiang?¡± Ying Kai turned his body to face Xu Shuangtze. Xu Shuangtze answered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You killed Du Kaixun?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± From Cang Yang Mountain to Beijiang was not just thousands of miles apart. The actual distance was at least tens of thousands of miles. Everyone was dumbfounded as they looked at Xu Shuangtze. They couldn¡¯t imagine that he had pursued that man over such great distances seventeen years ago. Furthermore, in that freezing bitter cold, he struck a blade through the man¡¯s heart and severed his head. How deep and intense was his murderous intent? Ying Kai was shocked, ¡°Why?¡± Changsun Chengfeng gaped, before he trembled and asked, ¡°¡­Did you not remember that he is a member of the Changsun family?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not answer Ying Kai, but leaned forward slightly to face the Artefact Sect Master. His face has not changed the slightest, even with the passing of hundreds of years. When he cast his gaze from an elevated angle. he gave off an icy cold edge. ¡°So?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng didn¡¯t say a word. Mu Duozhu coughed as he picked up his teacup, and tried to change the topic as he asked, ¡°So after Du Kaixun¡¯s death, the Artefact Sect Master is the sole person who can manipulate soldier silk in this world, right? ¡± Things went around in a circle and returned to the starting point. Changsun Chengfeng was easy-going, did not put on airs and often mingled with juniors. He was a man with a good reputation among the sects and families. To say that he was the mastermind was an accusation which no one could believe. Even Ying Kai was well aware that this ¡®public trial¡¯ would not get any conclusion. However, there was no alternative explanation for the current situation other than it being sinister. Ying Kai frowned and said, ¡°Chengfeng, the passages inside the Underground Palace of Ding Xian Mausoleum are complicated, especially the ninth underground level at the deepest point. There are only a handful of people in the world who have gone into that golden tomb chamber. You are both the architect for the Underground Palace as well as one among these few¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng also never expected that his own brother had long been dead. He was truly at a loss for words and had no way to explain himself, ¡°Dearest friends and allies, do you really think I am such a madman?¡± No one spoke and they looked away at once. ¡°¡­¡± Judging from his expression, Changsun Chengfeng probably inwardly cursed each family and sect. Then, he reluctantly changed the conversation trajectory, ¡°The Lotus Immortal has passed on for sixteen years, and Ding Xian Mausoleum has been completed and sealed for the past fifteen years. Why would I have waited until now if I did want to do it? Furthermore, what am I supposed to do with his body? You must know how dangerous the bones of the Immortal Masters are¡­¡± ¡°Blood-red pupil.¡± Xu Shuangtze interrupted. Ever since the start of the trial, whenever Lord Xu spoke, he would turn the tide with just a few words. As a result, everyone subconsciously jolted at the sound of his voice. Changsun Chengfeng exclaimed, ¡°What?!¡± ¡°When the Lotus Immortal died, his golden core was intact, and his spiritual power was retained. That monstrous red eye should still be usable. Even if the eye¡¯s spiritual powers were damaged after the Lotus Immortal¡¯s death, that right eye is still a peerless weapon and could be used to create the perfect mechanical soldier.¡± We Vtejcuahf qjerfv jcv jvvfv, ¡°Ktja kjr ktja sbeg ygbatfg abiv wf yfobgf tf vlfv.¡± Jtjcurec Jtfcuofcu¡¯r mtfra gbrf jcv ofii, jcv tf rajgfv ja tlw klat jc lcvfrmglyjyif fzqgfrrlbc. Tlcu Bjl ifjcfv bnfg, ibkfglcu tlr nblmf jcv jrxfv, ¡°Rba bcis vlv sbe xlii tlw, yea sbe jirb lcafggbujafv tlw?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Did his brother say anything else before he died?¡± Xu Shuangtze still did not answer, leaning back on the armchair, the winds gusting in from the distance outside the window roared, sweeping across his unwavering face. Just like the biting cold wind on the glacier seventeen years ago, the voice of Du Kaixun as he was about to die sounded similarly choppy, ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­ hate that Gong Zhiyu? The world speaks of the dignified Cang Yang Sect Master who looks down on Chief Gong. Do they know¡­know that you came all this way to the frozen lands for him¡­know what is hidden behind your facade?¡± The second son of the Changsun family was only nineteen years old at the time. His features were handsome and sharp like his brother, but he was born both sinister and mad, like a beast trapped in a cage, full of hostility, always waiting to pounce. His bloodthirsty nature could not be suppressed. Xu Shuangtze stood condescendingly in front of him, holding No Way Out in one hand. Blood trickled along the blade and dripped onto the snow. ¡°You are a monster, Xu Shuangtze.¡± The young man clutched his bloodied wound, leaned forward and gasped viciously in the snow, ¡°Your true desire is trapped under that skin. You can never get rid of it, you can never dream of getting rid of it¡­¡± The wind and snow hid Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression in the shadows. After a long time, he raised his right hand and with a splatter of blood into the sky, a human head flew from down the cliff. ¡­ Everyone in the hall looked different, and Yuchi Rui was no longer munching his peanuts, he leaned forward and asked the Artefact Sect Master in all seriousness, ¡°You are behind it, right?¡± Changsun Chengfeng responded helplessly, ¡°Can you stop messing around now?¡± Ying Kai raised his chin to the plate of ice beside him, and said, ¡°You must find a way to prove your innocence, Chengfeng. Either you prove that you cannot manipulate this piece of soldier silk extracted from the bones of the Lotus Immortal, or you show that the soldier silk is related to your brother¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng cried in amazement, ¡°Brother Ying, aren¡¯t you making it difficult for me? I can only prove that I have the ability to manipulate my own soldier silk, but how can I prove that I can¡¯t control another person¡¯s soldier¡¯s silk? How about I call it and see if it responds?¡± Ying Kai said indifferently, ¡°Then I can only invite you back to the Correctional Palace at Dai Mountain. Stay there for a while until Lord Xu and I find out the truth, and return you your innocence.¡± Changsun Chengfeng couldn¡¯t believe his ears, and immediately pointed to Xu Shuangtze, asking Ying Kai in disbelief, ¡°He wants to return my innocence? Why do I feel that he just wants to pin the blame on me?¡± Mu Duozhu looked at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s unresponsive face and couldn¡¯t help coughing, ¡°Dear friends, fighting is strictly forbidden on the Golden Ship. Later, if Lord Xu draws his sword against the Artefact Sect Master, please be sure to stop him.¡± ¡­ ¡°Report!¡± Just as the Masters were in discussion, a medical disciple wearing a light purple gauze robe arrived at the door. First, he paid respects to Ying Kai, Mu Duozhu and Xu Shuangtze, and then to Yuchi Rui and Changsun Chengfeng. He bowed his head and reported, ¡°Disciple Bai Xian from the Changsun family is flying on his sword Bu Qi outside the boat. He seeks an audience with Lord Ying and Lord Xu!¡± ¡°What? ¡°Unexpectedly, when he heard this, Changsun Chengfeng suddenly turned his head, ¡°Don¡¯t let him come up!¡± He sounded so stern that everyone looked at him in amazement, and Mu Duozhu hesitated before adding, ¡°Artefact Sect Master, he is not here to see you¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng said flatly, ¡°I am his cultivation partner, why can¡¯t I stop him? Bai Xian has nothing to do with this matter, so why drag him in?¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s flat voice came again, ¡°You are not his cultivation partner yet.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mu Duozhu glanced at the Artefact Sect Master and couldn¡¯t help but put in a word seeing his expression, ¡°Immortal friends, fighting is strictly prohibited on the Golden Boat. Later, if the Artefact Sect Master draws his sword against Lord Xu, please stop him. ¡± ¡°And Bai Xian is not irrelevant to this matter. He is your brother¡¯s servant, which was why he was sent together with him to the Disciplinary Court.¡± Xu Shuangtze paused and couldn¡¯t be bothered with the Artefact Sect Master¡¯s increasingly anxious expression, and said, ¡°He is the closest person to your brother during his lifetime.¡± There was silence all around. Ying Kai took a deep breath, leaned forward to Mu Duozhu, and instructed in a low voice, ¡°Invite Bai Xian in.¡± The medical disciple immediately did that. After a while, the tall gate was pushed open. A slender figure with a calm expression and soft eyebrows walked in steadily. He was dressed in the Changsun family¡¯s ink black robes with a white satin lining. The man¡¯s long black hair was bound by a piece of white ribbon and positioned to the side of his neck. His attire was in colours of black and white with the exception of the lining of his hair ribbon that had an embroidery of a small golden laurel leaf. It was Bai Xian. Ying Kai was not one who enjoyed being paid respects to. Before Bai Xian saluted, he waved his hand and gestured for it to be exempted, and said at once, ¡°Bai Xian, you are here at the right time. Let me say something first. Seventeen years ago, Lord Xu killed Du Kaixun in the glaciers of Beijiang. I already know and acknowledge this. Do you have anything else to say to me?¡± Bai Xian seemed startled. But he only paused momentarily before he whispered, ¡°Ah¡± and added, ¡°Is that so?¡± Everyone thought the young man had nothing more to say. Yet, no one guessed that in the next moment Bai Xian turned to Xu Shuangtze and gave a deep bow before saying, ¡°Second Young Master has done a lot of evil deeds, so many that it is impossible to list them. Lord Xu pursued the man to the glaciers tens of thousands of miles away and beheaded him with your sword. That was a noble act of justice and this junior is grateful.¡± He bowed deeply and then continued with a changed tone, ¡°But I am afraid Du Kaixun is not dead.¡± Xu Shuangtze squinted his eyes slightly, ¡°¡ªOh?¡± Ying Kai couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to glance at Xu Shuangtze, then turned to Bai Xian and asked, ¡°Do you have any evidence?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Bai Xian took a deep breath and straightened up, in full view of all the great masters in the hall, ¡°Here.¡± His voice was not high-pitched, but he had an inexplicable crispness similar to hitting gold and breaking jade. At that moment, Changsun Chengfeng seemed to have suddenly realised something, he got up and yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± Before he completed his sentence, Bai Xian moved his fingertips and a cold light of a dagger flashed, slicing off his right hand! It was a lightning-fast and decisive movement. Mu Duozhu, who was the closest to him, didn¡¯t even have time to react. His right hand was severed and fell onto the ground with a thud. The scene froze and there was no sound. Everyone stared at his wrist simultaneously and saw that there was no trace of blood coming out from that wrist. There was only a white glow, and a glowing thread connected from the surface of the wound to the pale lifeless hand at his foot. It was soldier silk! Changsun Chengfeng closed his eyes, stopped speaking, and slowly sat back in the armchair. ¡°This junior is a mechanical soldier. My master¡¯s name is Du Kaixun, not the current Artefact Sect Master.¡± Although the pain was not as severe as would have been to ordinary people, the damage was serious enough to make Bai Xian¡¯s face pale. He gritted his teeth tightly, and pointed his other finger at the ice block on the table¡ªthe dark red soldier silk that was frozen suddenly began to move and writhe, as if suddenly being injected with life. The block of ice began to crack inch by inch, making a crisp sound heard by everyone present. ¡°The soldier silk that was used to make me, and the soldier silk from the Dingxian Mausoleum, are created by the same master, so they can echo each other.¡± Bai Xian tried his best to stand up straight and gasped between words, ¡°This is proof that Du Kaixun is still alive in this world.¡± ¡­ Lying on the bed, Gong Wei slowly opened his eyes. The sharp pain due to the shattering of his spiritual vein had now become a dull ache. An unfamiliar spiritual power circulated within his limbs and body, calming his damaged primordial spirit. However, he could not recall what had happened. Did someone save me? Gong Wei sat up dizzily, feeling that something was off with his body. He lowered his head and looked intently. The familiar silk-woven, gold-inlaid black outer robe instantly came into view. ¡°!¡± Gong Wei¡¯s first reaction was, I stripped off Xu Shuangtze¡¯s clothes? Then am I still alive? He was awake in an instant, and he quickly touched up and down to make sure that he had his hands and feet, and then the last memory before he fell into a coma slowly recovered from the depths of his mind. The excruciating pain of the soldier silk snaking through his entire body¡¯s spiritual veins, the shock and anger of having his former corpse made into a puppet, the fear, and trance of being held hostage¡­Until a familiar torrent of spiritual energy descended from the sky in the nick of time, melting the deadly soldier silk into flying ash, and the weightlessness of his rapid descent came to an abrupt end when he entered that embrace. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± he felt Xu Shuangtze¡¯s hand pressing tightly on the side of his bleeding neck, his voice calm and powerful. He said, ¡°Sleep, you¡¯ll be fine when you wake up.¡± ¡­ What happened next? Gong Wei involuntarily touched his lower lip. He felt as if he had forgotten some important details. Trembling and subtle ripples emerged within his heart again, but no matter how hard he tried, Gong Wei couldn¡¯t remember the origins of this oddity. The severe injuries and exhaustion, like a tug of war, made his brain hurt. He seemed to have gone through many dreams, but when he woke up he couldn¡¯t remember anything except sadness. Gong Wei pursed the corners of his lips at a loss, as if this could allow him to escape the strange feeling which lingered on his lips. After a long while, he sluggishly lifted the curtain of his bed and looked around. Gong Wed frozen for a moment for he recognised what this place was¡ªthe Golden Ship. The current Medical Sect Master Mu Duozhu had particular medical skills and behaviour. Of them, the most famous one, was that he had a huge golden and wooden ship that soared in the sky, travelling all over the world. When Gong Wei had just been picked up by Ying Kai from the Peach Forest and brought to the Immortal Alliance, the Golden Ship passed by Dai Mountain. Ying Kai took him onboard the ship and asked the Medical Sect Master to examine his body. Ying Kai wanted to know if Gong Wei was born with mental incapacity, or if his soul had been damaged. Mu Duozhu had never seen such a miraculous case as Gong Wei. He personally inserted an acupuncture needle into his head, which caused Gong Wei to cry and left him with a deep psychological trauma ever since. Later, midsummer of a certain year, Gong Wei dragged Xu Shuangtze out to play with him in the Xuan Bing Pond of the Correctional Palace. Ignorant of the fact that sudden fluctuations in temperature can be detrimental to health. The temptation of cooling down the summer heat in the icy pond meant Gong Wei developed a fever in the middle of the night. Xu Shuangtze had to carry him in one hand to look for the Medical Sect Master. As a result, the dazed Gong Wei was scared out of his wits when he saw the golden ship. When his kicking and stomping was to no avail, he cried out and bit Xu Shuangtze hard on the neck. Gong Wei tended to remember beatings inflicted on him but not food he just ate, and places he feared left a deep impression within him. Even before the ship was within the proximity of more than ten miles or eight villages, Gong Wei could detect the unique smell of medicine that came from it when downwind. If the soldier silk had entered his spiritual vein, he would have been seriously injured. Xu Shuangtze must have sent him up here. So was Xu Shuangtze also on this golden boat now? How about Yuchi Rui, who was hit with an illusionary art, and the injured Ying Kai? Were his remains also stored in the morgue on this golden ship? Gong Wei thought of the thing which was hidden within the bones of his remains, and his heart trembled. The giant ship cruised forward steadily, and the furnishings within the quarters did not move at all. Only the carved jade curtains swayed slightly in the wind that crept in from the window lattices. The corridor outside the room was very quiet, and no one could be heard. Gong Wei took a deep breath, finally got out of bed. He stepped gently and barefooted on the paulownia floor, opened the door, and looked out. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sahl ~ Mu Duozhu: No swords on the Golden Boat! Please stop All The Swords! XD CH 40 At the same time, the pavilion in the sky¡­ Xu Shuangtze seemed to sense something. He closed his eyes and probed for a moment, then opened his eyes and looked out the door. Everyone was frozen by Bai Xian¡¯s move of severing his hand. Only Mu Duozhu, who was sitting one level below Xu Shuangtze¡¯s, glanced from the corner of his eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xu Shuangtze made no response. But after a moment, he withdrew his gaze. At this time, Ying Kai looked at Bai Xian in surprise, and finally said with difficulty, ¡°¡­You are not a human?¡± Mechanical soldiers were made with soldier silk as their connective tissues and gold as their skeletal structure. These were encased by a body forged from steel, linked at the joints with screws and brass wedges. A mechanical soldier¡¯s face didn¡¯t need or have facial features and was therefore just a flat piece of polished bronze. With a spiritual nucleus capable of detecting the five elements of yin and yang, all of a soldier¡¯s actions were controlled by the Artefact Sect Master. In other words, it was a gold and steel golem whose combat power had been increased a thousand-fold. Bai Xian clearly possessed intelligence, and from the exterior, he was also of real flesh and blood. How could he be a man-made entity? ¡°Yes.¡± Bai Xian said calmly, ¡°Under my skin, everything is mechanical, and I am indeed not a living person.¡± No wonder that when Du Kaixun was eighteen years old, he blasphemed the life-long learning of the previous two generations of Artefact Sect Masters. The mere presence of a mechanical soldier like Bai Xian did not need to compete in battle to turn the entire Changsun family upside down. The ability of Du Kaixun to craft such mechanical soldiers transcended time and was simply amazing! Mu Duozhu said in amazement, ¡°Chengfeng, how exactly did your brother¡­¡± The Artefact Sect Master sat straight in his armchair. He was born with a casual and laid back temperament and did not seem to take anything seriously. Even when confronted with the interrogation by the great masters just now, he maintained his composure. However, that was completely gone now. The light of the day could not reach his profoundly contoured side profile, it only cast shadows from the bridge of his nose and the corners of his lips and the faintest glint of cold light appeared in the corners of his eyes. He lifted his head slightly, and spat out two words coldly, ¡°Evil techniques.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone didn¡¯t know what to say for a while, and Ying Kai hesitated for a while. ¡°So you sent Du Kaixun to the penal institution seventeen years ago, not because he bullied the disciple of the eldest grandson, but because he abused him¡ª -a soldier made by himself? ¡± Changsun Chengfeng added coldly, ¡°Bai Xian is no different from a living person to me.¡± ¡ªIt made no difference to him. The fact that the nameless cultivation partner of the renowned Artefact Sect Master, the head of one of the most prestigious families, turned out to be a mechanical soldier, was more than just a joke. It was bound to become a scandal that was to shake up the world. ¡°Are you really a mechanical soldier?¡± Only Xu Shuangtze asked. Bai Hao humbly replied, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But a soldier has no heart.¡± Bai Xian answered, ¡°Yes, mechanical soldiers don¡¯t need internal organs, indeed I¡­¡± After speaking, Xu Shuangtze stood up from his seat and disappeared from his position at once. Ktf ktbif gbbw kjr rajgaifv, jcv lc atf cfza wbwfca, atf Jjcu Tjcu Vfma Zjrafg gfjqqfjgfv lc ogbca bo Djl Wljc. Ktf olnf olcufgr bo tlr ifoa tjcv, ktlmt fwjcjafv jc lms fcfgus rajyyfv abkjgvr atf sbecu wjc¡¯r mtfra klatbea wfgms, ¡°Ktfc rfnfcaffc sfjgr jub, ktfc Ge Bjlzec wjvf sbe mea sbeg tfjga bea lc ogbca bo atf mbega, ktja kjr la atja sbe mea bea?¡± Bai Xian¡¯s pupils constricted, but it was too late for him to step back. The pressure which came from the impending doom of having his heart cut out, swept across. But just at that moment the Artefact Sect Master stood up at once¡ªqiang! Bu Qi was half unsheathed and he abruptly blocked the hand that was stretched towards Bai Xian¡¯s chest. Changsun Chengfeng stopped in front of Xu Shuangtze within an instant! Ying Kai abruptly got up and hollered, ¡°Shuangtze!¡± Yuchi Rui and Mu Duozhu also stood up at the same time, and the atmosphere became tense. ¡°¡­¡± The remaining hint of gentleness on Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s face disappeared. The cold glint of Bu Qi¡®s blade clearly reflected the ferocity within the depths of his pupils, like the razor sharp edges of rock appearing only after the tide had ebbed. Changsun Chengfeng articulated each word softly, ¡°Lord Xu, everyone has a bottom line.¡± Xu Shuangtze stared at him, narrowing his eyes slightly. ¡°¡­This junior did not intend to deliberately deceive anyone and seek Lord Xu¡¯s forgiveness¡­¡± Bai Xian¡¯s hoarse voice sounded during the stalemate, and he took a half step back from Changsun Chengfeng, bowed down and said with difficulty, ¡°This junior has a heart in his chest. This junior was not born like this. The second young master refined me from a living person.¡± *** Squeak¡ª The door was pushed open, and Yuchi Xiao paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and crossing the threshold. The bed curtains draped in layers and swayed like the glistening surface of still water, blocking one¡¯s sight of the bed. Yuchi Xiao stood still and summoned the courage to say softly, ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan.¡± There was no response from inside. He must still be asleep, he thought. The warm Qilin blood jade pendant was tightly pressed within his palm to the point where his finger bones were aching. Yuchi Xiao remembered the first time he saw the little Mei demon. The young man stood dully and hid behind the screens in the front hall of the Cang Yang Sect. With his bright eyes, the young man secretly spied at him with a timid and ignorant look within his pupils. Those same eyes were reflected on the cold and biting blade of Gou Chen again, the corners of his brows and the tips of his eyes were smiling wryly. The young man appeared unconcerned that a blade was held at his throat and that it was bleeding from a nick. The contrast between his blood and his fair skin was startling. This appearance was truly incomparable, to the point that it dazzled him. ¡ªAre you really just a Mei demon? The mere thought of it caused a numbness, bitterness and sweetness to emerge from the bottom of his heart, putting Yuchi Xiao in a slight trance. ¡°Yes, he must be.¡± He told himself in his heart. ¡°He must be a Mei demon from the legends.¡± Yuchi Xiao closed his eyes and forced them open after a short while. He took a silk ribbon from his sleeves and carefully passed it through the blood jade pendant. He didn¡¯t need to measure it to know what length would be just right for it to dangle from the youth¡¯s waist. He fastened a knot before holding it tightly once again, as if gaining courage from the tingling and aching sensation from his grip. Then, he finally reached out, his fingertips shaking imperceptibly as he lifted the bed curtain with force¡ª His movements stopped suddenly. There was only the outer robe of the Cang Yang Sect Master on the bed, the sheets were messy and there was no one in sight. ¡°¡­Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± Yuchi Xiao looked around, bewildered, and turned back suspiciously. ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan?¡± *** At the same moment, Gong Wei poked his head around the corner at the end of the corridor. This golden ship was huge, even its pavilions on board were fully furnished. A small loft was built on the deck near the stern, with an entrance connected to the cabin. This place was called the Ice Pavilion, which was a morgue to store dead bodies. At the entrance of that pavilion stood two disciples from the Medical Sect. They were standing straight like spears and looking directly ahead. Gong Wei shook his head secretly and stretched out his hand. Pop! He snapped his fingers. The two disciples didn¡¯t even have time to react, and instantly their eyes turned dull and their entire bodies stiffened, staring straight ahead at nothing. The medical disciples standing guard made no big difference to Gong Wei. He happily walked out of the corner of the corridor, and the two immobilised medical disciples seemingly turned a blind eye, allowing him to push open the gate of the Ice Pavilion and slip in leisurely. The four walls and the floor of the morgue were lined with thousand-year-old ice blocks. Gong Wei had been here before when he sent in the corpses of demonic creatures to the ship. At that time, he had abundant spiritual energy circulating in his strong body and did not feel the cold at all. But now he shivered as soon as he entered. A glowing pale-violet spell formation enveloped the ground floor of the pavilion¡¯s rotunda, and where the light converged in the middle of the formation, hundreds of ice blocks were used to form an ice bed. A familiar figure lay quietly on the ice bed. He was naked except for a snow-white outer coat draped over him. A thread of blood-red light could be seen cutting across the middle of his collarbone, gurgling as if it were alive. The thread was connected to another ice block on a mist-shrouded steel plate. That was the extracted soldier silk. When ordinary people see their corpses from their previous life, they would definitely feel emotional and be more or less melancholic. Although Gong Wei couldn¡¯t understand where his melancholy came from, in order to behave like his peers, he still symbolically closed his eyes and stood in respectful silence for a moment. Then, he opened his eyes. Excited, he was about to turn the corpse over and extract his vertebrae, but then he stopped cautiously. There were two purple-golden threads infused with spiritual power extending from both sides of the ice bed, tightly binding the corpse¡¯s wrists, but it was extremely difficult to detect it under the burial clothes. As long as the corpse was moved, the silk thread would move along with it, directly warning Mu Duozhu¡¯s primordial spirit. Gong Wei didn¡¯t expect Mu Duozhu to resort to this trick. He was stunned for a while. For a long time, he could not figure out how to untie the purple-golden thread without alarming Mu Duozhu. So, he withdrew his hand in frustration. Is this a bad day for me again? So I cannot extract that thing from the spine? He took half a step back but was unwilling to leave right away. The radiant glow of the ice coffin illuminated the body and made the already transparent skin completely transparent, as if it were a human form carved out of a block of ice. The broken neck had been stitched up by the transparent purple-golden thread by the Medical Sect Master. If one didn¡¯t look too closely, the head and neck seemed to have never been separated before. Gong Wei looked up and down at the calm face of the corpse, and a hint of curiosity suddenly emerged in his heart. It was said that Xu Shuangtze dismembered his corpse in Cang Yang Mountain, and the peach blossoms which were nourished by his blood bloomed throughout all seasons. When Lord Ying personally went to retrieve the body for burial, the Sword Sect¡¯s Yuchi Rui and others who were waiting at the foot of the mountain all witnessed the damage to his body. Subsequently, word spread across the lands that Xu Shuangtze vented his rage by dismembering the Lotus Immortal¡¯s remains as an act of victory. It was just that no one had dared openly mention it to his face for many years. Therefore, according to Gong Wei¡¯s imagination, even if he hadn¡¯t been dismembered, his corpse should have been ruined beyond recognition. However, during the short encounter at the Ding Xian Mausoleum, he found his corpse¡¯s face was intact and there was no visible trauma on his body. So what exactly did Xu Shuangtze dismember? Gong Wei had always been a man who did not care much about life and death, let alone be interested in the afterlife. But for some reason, once this doubt had emerged, it lingered and afflicted him with an inexplicable discomfort. Why was he having a hard time with this unexpected move by his arch-enemy? He didn¡¯t know either. Gong Wei held his breath and looked back. There was no movement outside, and the two medical disciples guarding the door did not notice the slightest abnormality. He turned his head to face the corpse again, gulped, and finally reached out carefully to lift the corner of the burial coat. ¡ªThe corpse was stark naked and he could see every inch of the body at a glance. The wound left by No Way Out on his chest had turned to a pale green and it was clean to the point of cruelty. Only the edges were flushed with a shade of ash grey and both flesh and blood had been solidified. In addition, the torso was intact, without any trace of being slashed. ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei put down the corner of the burial coat and felt suspicious. After standing still for a while, suddenly there was another excited buzzing within his heart, Did he cut off my hands and feet, and they were sewn back by Mu Duozhu before I was buried? The more he thought about it, the more he believed in that possibility. Gong Wei couldn¡¯t help but lift the burial coat again to check his hands and legs. Unexpectedly, there were no traces of lacerations and stitches on several larger joints. Then, he suddenly stopped when he looked over at the corpse¡¯s arms. The body was really damaged, and there were horrible pliers marks left on the left and right elbows, each facing opposite directions. On his right arm was a clear and distinct palm mark, the elbow bone was slightly bent, as if it had been dislocated by an internal force during a struggle. Even when the joint was later popped back in place, the strong force of the assailant still left a slight bend in the bone. The bones of the left arm were as good as new, with no sign of damage, and only five fingerprints seemed to have sunk deep into the flesh, leaving behind long scratches apparently from a forceful yanking. Gong Wei¡¯s eyes were fixated on the scratches, his pupils gradually dilated, and the noisy sounds back in the Linjiang City tavern rang in his ears. The old storyteller was reciting something downstairs, and Yuchi Xiao secretly lowered his voice, ¡°¡­After the death of the Lotus Immortal, Lord Ying came from Dai Mountain on his sword, and rushed to the Xuanji Palace and fought Lord Xu in mid-air. Only then did he manage to snatch back the remains of Chief Gong from Lord Xu¡¯s hands. But the body was already damaged¡­¡± ¡°Lord Xu was actually defeated? ¡± ¡°Defeated! Remember not to speak of this indiscriminately back at Cang Yang Sect!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze lost to Ying Kai, and sixteen years soon flew past. The five scratches on the corpse¡¯s arms, however, remain sharp and gruesome, arcing from deep to shallow until they trailed off and disappeared as if someone had finally let go of another in a hopeless struggle. CH 41.1 Edited by Sahloknir ¡°Oh dear, who knew that the beast would suddenly jump out of the cage. If it wasn¡¯t for the kid who pushed the second young master away¡­¡± ¡°His hands and feet are broken, lungs are crushed, and the right half of the body is completely ruined. How terrible!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how long he can survive with the immortal medicine?¡± ¡°How pitiful, he had such good looks¡­¡± Blood-stained bandages were piled beside a bed, bits and pieces of blood and flesh stained the blankets, emitting an indescribable stench. The young Bai Xian lay on the bed, and the right side of his body seemed to be oddly caved in as if he had no abdomen on that side. His right arm and leg were also bent into a shocking angle. ¡°No matter what the elixir you need, as long as it can sustain your life, I will make sure you have it. Thank you for saving my brother¡¯s life. If you have any wishes, please let me know¡­¡± The young Artefact Sect Master stood by the bed and spoke, but Bai Xian was not listening. There were still tears in the youth¡¯s eyes due to the pain. He widened his eyes innocently, and shifted his gaze to the young man standing behind the Artefact Sect Master. Pa kjr atf rfmbcv sbecu wjrafg bo atf Jtjcurec ojwlis, Ge Bjlzec. Lf kjr pera akb sfjgr bivfg atjc Djl Wljc, yea jqqfjgfv wemt ajiifg jcv ragbcufg lc mbwqjglrbc. Ktfgf kjr cb tlca bo atf wjc¡¯r lccjaf wjvcfrr jcv mgefias lc tlr tjcvrbwf ojmlji ofjaegfr. Llr ygluta jcv fcfgufalm vfwfjcbeg gfoifmafv ogbw tlr ygbkr jcv vffq ojmlji mbcabegr kfgf nfgs qbqeijg klat ulgir. Snfgsbcf atbeuta atja tf tjv ugfja qbafcalji ab yfmbwf j yfjealoei ufcaifwjc lc atf oeaegf¡­ Probably because he met Bai Xian¡¯s timid gaze, the man suddenly smiled. The Artefact Sect Master said, ¡°I sent someone to find out. They told me that you entered our family during the great famine three years ago. Your parents and relatives are no longer around. Do you have any other wishes? I will fulfil them no matter what it takes¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Bai Xian whispered. He bowed his head under the gaze of the Artefact Sect Master. He tried his best to salute but his young, broken body was unable to do so. ¡°It-it was the second young master who gave me food then, otherwise I¡­I would have starved to death.¡± He spoke with difficulty and did not dare to continue. Bai Xian could only repeat his response stubbornly after a long while, ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± From the moment he stepped into the Changsun family, his life was no longer his own. It didn¡¯t matter if his bones were shattered to dust or his flesh crushed into pieces by a monster. Changsun Chengfeng fell into a silence. After a long while, he raised his hand and gently touched the youth¡¯s soft, black hair, and said in a low voice, ¡°Have a good rest.¡± The door opened and closed. The room full of the stench of blood and medicine slowly quietened down. Bai Xian was on the bed alone, staring at the bed curtains blankly with his big round eyes. Squeak¡ª Suddenly, the door was pushed open again. A strip of light extended from the crack into the room. Du Kaixun left and returned. Bai Xian watched as he got into the room, walked around the bed with his hands behind his back, then stopped and smiled, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to my brother.¡± ¡°Second Young Master¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t survive.¡± Du Kaixun interrupted him mercilessly. Perhaps the youth already knew this in his heart. As such, Bai Xian didn¡¯t react too strongly, just that his eyes gradually dimmed, and his pale and tender lips were pressed together for a while. Du Kaixun found a chair, sat down and observed him condescendingly. It seemed that through the mangled, wretched exterior, he found something more interesting within and suddenly asked, ¡°Do you wish to survive?¡± Bai Xian looked up blankly. ¡°Are you willing to go to any lengths for me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The remaining light in Bai Xian¡¯s eyes slowly lit up once more. Du Kaixun¡¯s smile deepened. He leaned over to Bai Xian¡¯s ear, as if two playmates were sharing a secret. With excitement and a tremble in his voice, Du Kaixun articulated each word,¡°When I have condensed soldier silk, I will refine you into a mechanical soldier.¡± ¡°This way, you won¡¯t hurt or die. You will always be by my side, and stay loyal to me.¡± ¡°You will like me forever and never change.¡± CH 41.2 It would be a love that never betrays, just like a master¡¯s commands to the mechanical soldier. It would be supreme and everlasting. ¡°¡ªDidn¡¯t you say that you liked me and vowed never to leave me?¡± The pale sun was dazzling in the front hall of the Correctional Palace. Already a grown man, Du Kaixun¡¯s figure was now broader. The hostility in his smile could no longer be hidden. He paced around with his hands behind his back in full view of everyone, stopped in front of Bai Xian¡¯s horrified gaze, and laughed, ¡°Then cut out your heart and show it to me.¡± Everyone was stunned, and even Chief Gong of the Correctional Palace stood up and hollered, ¡°Du Kaixun!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Du Kaixun looked down at Bai Xian¡¯s bloodless face, and his smile became more fierce and irritable, ¡°I just told you to cut out your heart, didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, I beg you. My heart is my last flesh and blood, I will die if I cut it out, please don¡¯t be like this¡ª¡± However, a master¡¯s command was absolute, and the young man could not resist. Bai Xian saw his own hand raise inch by inch, and reached out to his left chest even as it trembled. The overwhelming despair and disbelief made his ears buzz. In a daze, he heard someone in the hall yell, and Chief Gong strode in and grabbed his hand just as it was about to gouge out his heart. However, this action couldn¡¯t completely stop him. Bai Xian¡¯s hand still struggled and aimed towards his chest cavity! ¡°There must be an incantation!¡± Someone understood and added, ¡°This brat dared to use spells and incantations on his servant to force him to dig out his heart!¡± ¡°He is too much! How could he be so cruel?¡± ¡°Chief Gong, this will not do!¡± ¡°We have to find a way to stop Du Kaixun!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± Some cultivators didn¡¯t care anymore as they drew their swords and pointed at Du Kaixun, who had been pinned down by the crowd, ¡°Undo the spell!¡± But the man broke into laughter at this. He allowed several cold blades to point at his throat as if this scene further aroused his thirst for blood. ¡°No, I want to take a look at his heart.¡± Du Kaixun said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you kill me. Try it.¡± The voices of the people around him seemed to have exploded, and the angry accusations and shouts almost overturned the roof. However, Bai Xian couldn¡¯t hear anything. Gong Wei couldn¡¯t stop his movements with brute force, and he didn¡¯t dare to use spiritual power to break his bones or cut them off with a single slash. Gong Wei used so much force that his nails bled. He turned around and cried anxiously, ¡°Come and help me hold down his hand. Hurry up!¡± ¡°Chief Gong, I don¡¯t deserve you hurting yourself to help me. It¡¯s useless.¡± Bai Xian¡¯s fingertips had dug into the flesh of his chest, and he could only slightly move his lips with the last bit of his strength. At this moment¡ªThud! The door burst open, and a familiar figure walked in with a sword. An oppressive aura shook the crowd, causing some to stumble. Some cried hoarsely, ¡°Artefact Sect Master!¡± Bai Xian gazed in the direction of the commotion and his pupils suddenly dilated. The young Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s face was solemn. As soon as he landed on his sword, he sheathed it and got up. Without another word, he swiftly approached and held Bai Xian. Next, a flash of light from his fingertips plunged into the man¡¯s body like a phantom and aimed towards his spine. Du Kaixun, who was at ease a moment ago, suddenly realised what was going on and violently broke away from the crowd, ¡°Stop!¡± Before the word sounded, everyone saw Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s wrist turn, and at the same time, a clear sound came out from the back of Bai Xian¡¯s body¡ªCrack! Du Kaixun was furious, ¡°No!¡± As if a certain forbidden switch was turned off, Bai Xian loosened his grip, and fell backward with warm tears streaming out of his eyes! Du Kaixun was still roaring in anger but that sound and the clamour from the people around him faded into a distant background. At this moment, Bai Xian was enveloped in the faint scent of a wood fragrance in the Artefact Sect Master¡¯s arms. His mind fell into a silence, as if he was standing in a vast plain after a heavy snowfall. The entire world drifted further and further away from him, until it was reduced to a small, indistinct point of light. ¡°You don¡¯t belong to him anymore,¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s gentle and calm voice entered his ears. ¡°He is not worthy.¡± ¡°You have nothing to do with him anymore.¡± Bai Xian opened his eyes. At the great hall of the Golden Ship¡¯s Sky Pavilion, the polished floor was vast and glossy, which reflected the huge purple light spell formation magnificently. Bai Xian was seated crossed-legged in the middle of a spell formation. Not far from the circle, Changsun Chengfeng immediately approached, frowning and asking, ¡°How is it?¡± Mu Duozhu was retrieving the last ray of his spiritual power used for the examination from the back of Bai Xian¡¯s neck. Only until the intense purple light which was condensed into thin threads completely disappeared, did he get up and say, ¡°The soldier silk in Bai Xian¡¯s spiritual veins, bones and joints are all intact and undamaged. It seems that the soldier silk extracted from the bones of the Lotus Immortal has nothing to do with Bai Xian. They appeared to have been refined later on.¡± He couldn¡¯t help frowning, and added suspiciously, ¡°If Du Kaixun is really not dead, then this is really weird.¡± Changsun Chengfeng looked at Bai Xian with mixed emotions. ¡°Lord Ying and the others are still waiting for the examination result, so I¡¯ll head out first. ¡°Mu Duozhu saluted politely, saying, ¡°Bai Xian, if we have offended you today, please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Bai Xian bowed respectfully in response. After Mu Duozhu left, silence was restored in the hall of the Sky Pavilion. The circular spell formation continued to glow, illuminating the grim expression on the Artefact Sect Master¡¯s face. After a long time, he finally sighed and knelt in front of Bai Xian on one knee. Then, he picked up the severed right hand that fell on his side. Ktfgf kjr j rlcuif rlix atgfjv ifoa ab gfjaajmt atf ygbxfc kglra, jcv Jtjcurec Jtfcuofcu qfgrbcjiis mbccfmafv la. Ktfgf kjr j ojlca wfmtjclmji milmxlcu rbecv mbwlcu ogbw atf ogjmaegf, jcv bcis j ojlca gfv wjgx gfwjlcfv bc atf vjwjufv rxlc. Ktf rjwf wjgx ugjvejiis vlrjqqfjgfv joafg j rtbga ktlif. Pcpeglfr ifoa cb agjmfr bc atf regojmfr bo wfmtjclmji rbivlfgr. Cr ibcu jr bcf mibrfv atflg fsfr, vlv cba ibbx, atlcx, bg gfwfwyfg jybea la, la kjr jr lo atf agjulm jcv ugefrbwf qjra tjv cfnfg tjqqfcfv. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself next time.¡± Changsun Chengfeng whispered, ¡°I¡¯m not the one who helped you construct this body, so I can¡¯t completely restore the skeletal core.¡± Bai Xian looked at him quietly, without saying a word. Changsun Chengfeng leaned over and picked up the outer robe on the ground. Maintaining his half-kneeling posture, he carefully draped it over Bai Xian with a gentle, but focused expression, as if he was wrapping up a rare treasure. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Bai Xian.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°I won¡¯t let you come to any more harm.¡± Bai Xian replied softly, ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± The violet glow, which spread all around was faint but dream-like. Bai Xian¡¯s beautiful face seemed unreal in the radiance. As he gazed deeply at Changsun Chengfeng, it was as if he was staring at a distant and elusive past through him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I wanted to do this.¡± Bai Xian closed his eyes and listened to the sound of his heart beating in his chest. He gently called out, ¡°¡­Artefact Sect Master. ¡± * * * ¡°Bai Xian¡¯s soldier silk is intact?¡± Ying Kai deepened his tone and confirmed it again. Mu Duozhu cupped his hands and said, ¡°It is. Apart from a heart that is still of flesh and blood, Bai Xian¡¯s bones, joints, spiritual veins, lungs and organs have all been mechanized. All the soldier silk in his body is intact and undamaged. It seems that the soldier silk planted in the body of the Lotus Immortal was indeed refined by Du Kaixun later on.¡± He turned to Xu Shuangze, with a subtle, teasing expression, ¡°Lord Xu, you travelled tens of thousands of miles to the glaciers and couldn¡¯t kill off Du Kaixun? There are times when you slip up, I see¡­¡± Unexpectedly, neither Xu Shuangtze nor Ying Kai made any response. The golden ship moved forward slowly, and a typhoon roared in the distance. The two great masters stood by the railing. Ying Kai furrowed his thick eyebrows, and slowly said, ¡°You severed his head and pierced his heart with your sword. There should not be a chance for his survival, even if he refined himself into a mechanical soldier. It is impossible.¡± After speaking, he paused and asked, ¡°Shuangtze, do you remember the ghost cultivator from Linjiang City?¡± Xu Shuangtze asked, ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°You threw Du Kaixun¡¯s head down the cliff, and there was no head under that ghostly apparition¡¯s hood. Du Kaixun wanted Gong Zhiyu¡¯s right eye before his death, and after he died, he went for Gong Zhiyu¡¯s bones. In Linjiang City, the ghost cultivator went around killing people associated with the Lotus Immortal in search of one who can provide him a physical container for his rebirth.¡± Ying Kai¡¯s brow furrowed even more, ¡°The various connections are really strange, and they can no longer simply be explained by mere coincidence¡ªDo you think it is possible that after Du Kaixun died, he became the ghost cultivator of Linjiang City?¡± Mu Duozhu said in surprise, ¡°Ghost cultivator?¡± Unexpectedly, Xu Shuangtze was silent for a moment, but shook his head, ¡°Only someone with a high level of cultivation during his lifetime can become a ghost cultivator after death. Although this child had amazing talents, he was not more than twenty years old when he died. It is unlikely that he will become a ghost cultivator. On the contrary¡­¡± He stopped talking abruptly, and Mu Duozhu asked, ¡°What is it?¡± Xu Shuangtze said nothing. Ying Kai was a little helpless, ¡°I understand what you mean. You still insist that the ghost cultivator of Linjiang City is the Lotus Immortal, right?¡± This debate occurred once after they left Linjiang City. Xu Shuangtze insisted that the ghost cultivator was related to Gong Wei. For this reason, Ying Kai went to Ding Xian Mausoleum to inspect Gong Wei¡¯s body, which triggered the following catastrophe of awakening corpses. Judging from the current situation, as Ying Kai said, Du Kaixun¡¯s suspicion was far greater than the Lotus Immortal¡¯s. Xu Shuangtze was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked, ¡°Ying Kai.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you think Gong Zhiyu could have two souls when he was alive? One good and one evil?¡± Ying Kai and Mu Duozhu were both stunned, and then laughed at the same time. The Medical Sect Master smiled and shook his head, ¡°Not to mention that this kind of entity would be akin to a person born with two heads. You, me, and Brother Ying personally examined the Lotus Immortal when he was young. If his soul had any anomaly, wouldn¡¯t we have discovered it decades ago? Brother Xu, even if you don¡¯t believe in the two of us, you should believe in yourself, right?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not make any response again. His eyes were dark and calm at first glance, but if one looked carefully, they would find that his pupils were dilated, as if he suddenly fell into a long dream. Ying Kai couldn¡¯t help but added in doubt, ¡°Shuangtze?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze seemed to be staring at an erratic point in mid-air, and after a while, he suddenly whispered, ¡°Sometimes I wonder¡­have we all fallen into a colossal illusion ever since Gong Zhiyu¡¯s death?¡± The two men were stunned. Ying Kai frowned and asked, ¡°Why do you think so?¡± Xu Shuangtze was wearing black, fitted inner armor. His handsome and indifferent expression was even colder now. His black eyes were like two deep wells, and his thin lips were tightly shut and silent. ¡°It should be impossible, Shuangtze.¡± Ying Kai pondered for a moment, and said slowly ¡°Among the three great illusions in the world, only ¡®Mirror Through Yin and Yang¡¯ can construct a brand-new illusionary world, drawing power from the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm artefact. However, it absolutely is not capable of trapping every grandmaster level cultivator such as us. Moreover, it is very simple to distinguish between reality and illusion. Don¡¯t you remember the iron rule? There can be no illusionary techniques within the illusionary world, unless it is casted by the person who constructed it.¡± ¡°For example, when you were in the illusionary world of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, only Gong Zhiyu could use illusionary techniques, and all beings within the mirror did not know that they were illusions. Since illusionary techniques can still be cast, it is clear that the world we are in is real. Then again, why do you have such weird ideas?¡± Both of them stared at Xu Shuangtze closely. Xu Shuangtze seemed to be ignoring them and suddenly asked, ¡°Then could we be in a dream?¡± Ying Kai felt absurd and replied, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Could it be that I am in a dream? Everyone around me are beings within my dreamscape?¡± Mu Duozhu finally couldn¡¯t listen to him anymore. He rolled up his sleeves and rotated his wrists and politely said, ¡°Brother Xu, if you are really confused, I would like to give you a blow with my Thunderbolt Palm. I believe I can quell your confusion immediately¡­¡± Ying Kai quickly stopped him and asked Xu Shuangtze, ¡°Do you really think so?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°In recent years, the frequency with which you go into seclusion within Cang Yang Mountain has increased. Perhaps because your cultivation has stagnated and you are overthinking it. After the matter with the soldier silk matter blows over, why not stay over at the Correctional Palace for a while? Brother Mu and I will help you sort out your spiritual veins, how about that?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not answer. After a long while, he lowered his gaze, exhaled, and said, ¡°No need. I must be overthinking.¡± Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze travelled all over the world together when they were young. Ying Kai knew just how stubborn his friend could be once he made a decision. He could only hold back his apprehension for now and reluctantly nod his head and go along with it. At this time, a disciple lifted the curtain, quickly stepped forward and approached, ¡°Medical Sect Master, there is an update from the Ice Pavilion. Ninety percent of the soldier silk within the remains of the Lotus Immortal has been extracted. It will be fully done within another hour. What are your orders?¡± If Du Kaixun really wanted the remains of the Lotus Immortal, and he knew of a secret passage into Ding Xian Mausoleum, then the best alternative was to move his body to the Correctional Palace. Ying Kai will personally guard it. He was about to say something, but at this moment, the bead curtain of the entrance connecting the sky pavilion and the loft lifted. Changsun Chengfeng stepped in, saying, ¡°Everyone, please wait a minute. May I ask if the remains of the Lotus Immortal are sealed within the Ice Pavilion?¡± Mu Duozhu replied, ¡°Ah! Does the Artefact Sect Master have an opinion on this?¡± The ferocity on Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s body had disappeared, and the easy-going and friendly demeanour returned to his handsome face once again. He put his hands in the sleeves of his robe and said with a smile, ¡°I have an idea. It is dangerous, but it may help us track down where Du Kaixun is currently hiding.¡± Ying Kai asked in doubt, ¡°What method?¡± * * * At the Ice Pavilion, there was a major formation used to hide dead bodies. Gong Wei was standing next to his own remains lying on a block of ice. At this moment, he was at a loss. His thoughts were tangled and chaotic. He seemed to be on the brink of realising something significant. However, just when he delved deeper and thought about it more carefully, he could not grasp it and was left with a blank. After an unknown period of time, the biting chill in this ice pavilion gradually jolted Gong Wei back to his senses. He stiffly draped the burial coat back onto the corpse. He was frustrated and stopped looking at it. Then, an inexplicable desire to escape emerged. He spun around and was about to leave. Unexpectedly, just at this time, a few footsteps could be heard outside the door, and Ying Kai¡¯s voice approached from a distance, ¡°¡ªChengfeng, you said this method is dangerous. What are the risks?¡± People were coming! Gong Wei paused. He couldn¡¯t decide whether to stay or rush out to acknowledge his Shixiong. Within a few short breaths, he heard the footsteps arrive at the gate of the Ice Pavilion. Fortunately, the two disciples on guard duty regained their senses and saluted at once, ¡°This disciple pays respects to Alliance Master and Lord Xu!¡± Xu Shuangtze?! Gong Wei¡¯s hand shook. Without even realizing, he already turned his head and looked around. It just so happens that the pavilion was sparse. There wasn¡¯t even a single screen. Gong Wei noticed a carved window in the far corner. When he rushed over like a hurricane, it was locked! What do I do? To hide or not to hide? The disciples outside the door saluted five or six times in a row. This meant that all the great masters in this world had gathered outside. Gong Wei¡¯s mind was in a mess under the pressure. Suddenly, he turned around. His gaze fixed on something. There was a concealed and narrow gap between the ice bed and the floor. It was no more than half a foot. With a creak, the door opened, and several pairs of feet shuffled in. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how Du Kaixun planted the soldier silk into the Golden Coffin, it is unlikely that he got into the Ding Xian Mausoleum personally.¡± Changsun Chengfeng walked towards the ice bed and stood still. He glanced at the soldier silk which was being extracted, and said, ¡°That is to say, he can¡¯t manipulate his puppets in close proximity. It is very likely that he planted the soldier silk in advance and laid a set of commands on the Lotus Immortal¡¯s remains.¡± ¡°¡ªFor example, ¡®Come to me¡¯?¡± Ying Kai frowned. ¡°That¡¯s my guess. At the same time, he would have indicated a specific location where he hid.¡± Changsun Chengfeng continued, ¡°So, as long as we figure out what he instructed the Lotus Immortal to do, we can find out what he is plotting and his whereabouts.¡± Under the ice bed, ¡®Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s¡¯ rare yin physique perfectly integrated with the cold Ice pavilion. Gong Wei held his breath and pressed himself against the floor. His eyes were fixed on a pair of white and black silk boots beside him. They belonged to Xu Shuangtze. Perhaps it was his imagination, but the Cang Yang Sect Master seemed to stand closest to the ice bed, and even Gong Wei could sense an aura of oppression close at hand. Ying Kai asked, ¡°How can we know what he instructed Gong¡­What he instructed this puppet to do?¡± ¡°The previous Artefact Sect Masters can infuse part of their primordial spirit into the mechanical soldier¡¯s body. Through the soldier silk, they may perceive the consciousness which the soldiers possessed. If the Lotus Immortal was still alive, this method is simple and easy to perform. I would have taken it upon myself to proceed. However, the danger lies in the fact that the Lotus Immortal has passed on. There is tremendous risk in using the primordial spirit to perceive the dead. This is no different from breaking into the Ghost Wall.¡± ¡°Therefore, it is now necessary for a great master of an extremely high cultivation realm and formidable primordial spirit to infuse the soldier silk into the body of the Lotus Immortal with spiritual power. This great master¡¯s primordial spirit is to pave the way for me, so that I can visualise what Du Kaixun imprinted in the consciousness of the Lotus Immortal.¡± At this point, Changsun Chengfeng paused, and glanced around at everyone, ¡°I am incompetent and have not yet entered the Mahayana Realm. As such, I dare not cross the boundary of life and death. Which great master here is willing to take the risk of damaging their primordial spirit?¡± The slightest damage to one¡¯s primordial spirit, which straddles the yin and yang, is no different from immediate death. Everyone stared at each other. Mu Duozhu slowly retreated far away with small steps, and replied politely, ¡°How dare I be arrogant in front of these great masters?¡± Yuchi Rui had been staring at the corpse on the ice bed with despondence. At this moment, he pulled out some five-spice peanuts from his sleeve, and wanted to gently place a few in the corpse¡¯s hand. He paused after hearing the words, raised his head blankly and blinked twice. Then, he suddenly pointed to Xu Shuangtze, ¡°¡ªWhy isn¡¯t he going?¡± Everyone had been secretly guarding Xu Shuangtze since they entered the Ice Pavilion, for fear that he might destroy the corpse. However, Xu Shuangtze was unexpectedly silent and made no response. It wasn¡¯t until Yuchi Rui named him that he finally raised his head and exhaled, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± However, Yuchi Rui had always adhered to the principle of opposing Lord Xu¡ªwhatever Lord Xu supports, I will object. Whatever Lord Xu opposes, I will support. If Lord Xu wants to do something, I will rush to do it first. If Lord Xu doesn¡¯t want to do something, no one shall force me to do it. As such, Yuchi Rui immediately changed his mind, ¡°No. I better do it. ¡± Changsun Chengfeng, ¡°¡­¡± Mu Duozhu, ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai sighed, ¡°Changsheng, cultivators in the early Mahayana realm should not rush into danger.¡± Then, Yuchi Rui turned to Xu Shuangtze with a defiant stare, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a beloved¡­a young disciple who was planted with soldier silk? Since every inch of his spiritual vein was damaged, he would need a lot of spiritual energy channelled into him each day.¡± Everyone looked at Xu Shuangtze but he didn¡¯t change expression and retorted, ¡°So?¡± ¡°If your primordial spirit is damaged, wouldn¡¯t it delay the treatment of this disciple? So it is safest for me to go.¡± Ying Kai turned to the Artefact Sect Master and said with a gentle tone that no one could reject, ¡°Chengfeng, do what you have to and let my primordial spirit pave the way for you..¡± ¡°What?¡± Yuchi Rui let go and raised his head to protest, ¡°This will not do!¡± The four peanuts in his hand rolled along the edge of the ice bed to the side of the corpse¡¯s head. Then, they fell through the small gap between the ice blocks. Click, click, click. Gong Wei, who was lying flat at the feet level of the crowd, had no expression on his face. He could only watch as the spiced peanuts fell from the top of his head to the ground in front of him. ¡°Chengfeng has always been prudent and will minimise the risks. This case is settled.¡± Then, Ying Kai finally couldn¡¯t help but lowered his voice and chided, ¡°¡ªChangsheng, your snacks have fallen onto the ground again!¡± ¡± Changsun Chengfeng replied, ¡°Although there are risks, there is no alternative. Right now, we can only resort to this dangerous trick.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°For such a vile spawn to hail from my family, I am indeed at fault for negligence. I cannot escape the blame¡ªHai! If Lord Xu hadn¡¯t failed seventeen years ago and slain Du Kaixun in the far north, this great misfortune would not have happened!¡± Under the ice bed, Gong Wei¡¯s eyelids jumped suddenly. Did Xu Shuangtze kill Du Kaixun seventeen years ago? The glaciers of Beijiang were tens of thousands of miles away from Cang Yang Mountain. Why would Xu Shuangtze do this? Just as his thoughts were spinning wildly, Mu Duozhu¡¯s cold voice suddenly came over his head, ¡°Sword Sect Master? What are you doing?¡± Gong Wei, who was lying on the ground, and Yuchi Rui, who was standing, froze at the same time. ¡°It is strictly forbidden to litter on the golden ship. Did you know that the previous time when Liu Xuzhi threw four grape skins on this ship, his disciple Meng Yunfei had to redeem him with four thousand taels of silver?¡± The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and Ying Kai trembled before saying, ¡°Brother Mu, you are too immoral¡­Changsheng, hurry and pick them up!¡± Yuchi Rui replied dully, ¡°Okay¡±, only to find that all the peanuts had fallen through the cracks between the ice blocks. Without another word, he stretched out his hand under the ice bed to pick them up. Gong Wei, ¡°? ¡± The air froze in an instant. Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui, ¡°¡­¡± One of them laid under the ice bed while the other leaned on the side. The two men met each other¡¯s gaze with blank expressions at once. CH 42 ¡°In this case, please be careful, Alliance Master. I am about to begin.¡± Changsun Chengfeng took the lead and stood before the ice bed and said, ¡°Please circle around the Lotus Immortal. Do not stay too far from me¡­Sword Sect Master? Haven¡¯t you finished picking them up?¡± Yuchi Rui was lying on the ground, ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei was covered in a cold sweat once again, but his mind was completely blank, his mouth couldn¡¯t make a sound. Subconsciously, he pointed to his right eye to make a desperate expression. However, it looked as if he had cramped up. Yuchi Rui, ¡°?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Gong Wei kept mouthing at him, ¡°It¡¯s me! Gong Zhiyu!¡± ¡°Changsheng?¡± Ying Kai followed Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s guidance and placed his hand an inch above the eyebrows of the Lotus Immortal¡¯s corpse, and asked, ¡°Do you need help?¡± ¡ªIt¡¯s over. Gong Wei¡¯s eyes dimmed as he could only watch as Mu Duozhu took half a step back. It seemed that he was about to bend down at any moment, ¡°Are you okay Sword Sect Master? Are your peanuts¡­¡± At that moment, Yuchi Rui reached and pulled out a few peanuts, and then got out of Gong Wei¡¯s horrified line of sight. He stood up to meet everyone¡¯s gaze, and spread his hands blankly, ¡°Done. You may count.¡± Mu Duozhu, ¡°¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s exasperated voice came from above Gong Wei, ¡°Well then, please gather in a circle as I said, and make a formation with me as the centre. Lord Ying, when I perform the technique, please send your primordial spirit into the body of the Lotus Immortal. Be sure to follow my instructions¡­¡± Did Yuchi Rui discover the truth? Did he recognize me? Gong Wei was lying under the body, feeling both excited and nervous, but he dared not say a word. Even within his cramped environment, he tried his best to look around and saw that everyone was concentrating. Xu Shuangtze seemed to be standing closer to the body than everyone else. Perhaps it was just Gong Wei¡¯s illusion. ¡ªDid the soldier silk really have something to do with Du Kaixun, who was exiled seventeen years ago? Xu Shuangtze even pursued the man to the glaciers of the far north to kill him? And he even slipped up? Countless thoughts flooded Gong Wei¡¯s mind. Before he had time to figure it out, he heard Changsun Chengfeng slam out a talisman, ¡°The shape of consciousness take my lead, allow the primordial spirit to pass¡ªBegin!¡± Everyone present felt that they were being tugged forward at the same time. This was because the primordial spirit had entered the Spirit Transference Formation. Under the bed and at the centre of the formation, Gong Wei knew that he could not escape. As such, he could only close his eyes and grit his teeth. The next moment his consciousness was completely dark! * * * It might have been countless years, or perhaps just a single moment which had passed before he slowly opened his eyes. Violent shocks and roars rushed towards him from all directions. This was a piece of consciousness that Du Kaixun forcibly embedded into the puppet through soldier silk. But unexpectedly, this segment of consciousness did not reveal his own hiding place as everyone expected and it was not even any familiar territory of the Central Plains. This was a plain burning due to war. The earth was cracked and torn apart, and the sky was covered by gunpowder and smoke. The unfamiliar capital in the distance was shrouded in raging flames. The city walls had collapsed, there were bodies and horse carcasses lying on the ground, and the burning bricks fell like torrential rain, crushing the people who were fleeing in fear. Several great masters stood high in the clouds. Strong gusts of wind sent their robe sleeves fluttering violently. Ying Kai saw this hellish horror as soon as he opened his eyes, and subconsciously drew his sword, ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Changsun Chengfeng stopped him, ¡°Brother Ying, do not be anxious. This is a fragment of consciousness belonging to Du Kaixun. You and I are just bystanders. Look there if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± With a wave of his hand, a piece of debris which was in flames flew from afar and passed through his palm like a phantom, and flew away in a flash. ¡°We are only spirit entities here and cannot change what has happened in this world, nor can we save the people who have died here.¡± At this, Changsun Chengfeng frowned and uttered the doubts in everyone¡¯s hearts, ¡°But¡­what is this place? I can¡¯t recognize it at all. What exactly did Du Kaixun want to control the Lotus Immortal to do?¡± At the same time, Gong Wei who was cautiously hiding behind a hill in the distance, saw Yuchi Rui in mid-air repeatedly turning his head, searching around, as if to find him. However, smoke and flames enveloped the land and he could not see Gong Wei waving frantically to him. ¡°Sword Sect Master?¡± Mu Duozhu asked strangely, ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Yuchi Rui quickly turned his head and answered with an indifferent expression, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Mu Duozhu, ¡°¡­¡± The Medical Sect Master looked back curiously, and saw nothing except for the burning villages and cracked hills on the plain. Just when he was still puzzled, a loud sound came from the capital before them. Boom! Boom! The ground shook violently, and footsteps were getting closer. Immediately afterward, a huge, black, humanoid figure stood above and towered over the city. It stretched out its hand and swung heavily. A hurricane was generated out of thin air at once and swept away the gunpowder and smoke. Ying Kai was surprised, ¡°What is that?¡± ¡ªAfter the smoke cleared, the shadow finally revealed its face. It turned out to be a mechanical soldier! No one in the world had seen such a massive and terrifying mechanical soldier before. It stood at more than a hundred feet tall, and it was the epitome of standing with a head in the sky and feet on the ground. The soldier had stainless steel armour and held two long swords, blazing with golden fire, in both hands. From afar, it looked like a moving hill. The soldier¡¯s facial features were complete, but its eyebrows were rigid. It had huge eyes, like two suns looking down at the crowd fleeing under its feet like ants. It was cold and majestic, like a god. ¡°Lfiq! ¡°Leggs, gec!¡± ¡°Zbatfg, wbatfg!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ktf wfmtjclmji rbivlfg gjlrfv lar offa tlut jcv rabwqfv bc atfw gfifcaifrris. Qlat pera bcf wbnf, tecvgfvr bo qfbqif kfgf mgertfv lcab qevvifr bo oifrt jcv yibbv. ¡°¡­Jtfcuofcu?¡± Tlcu Bjl agfwyifv. Snfc Jtjcurec Jtfcuofcu¡¯r abcf tjv mtjcufv, ¡°Ktlr lr ectfjgv bo! P rkfjg P tjnf cfnfg rffc atlr fnfg!¡± Mu Duozhu blurted out, ¡°Is it going to kill all these people?!¡± As if to answer his question, the mechanical soldier raised both hands and swung out his swords. The golden flames on the blades immediately engulfed most of the city in a sea of fire. Houses exploded and debris were flung into the sky! The impact caused even high-altitude clouds to scatter, and the strong gust of wind made several great masters take several steps back. Changsun Chengfeng managed to stabilise himself, and said in shock, ¡°What year is this? I have never seen or read about it in my family history! Brother Ying, how about you?¡± Not only within the Changsun family history but there were also no such records of this terrifying disaster within the entire Immortal Alliance. Ying Kai held the hilt of the sword until his muscles and bones were protruding, and frowned, ¡°I have never encountered this incident in any records. What the hell¡­¡± At this time, Xu Shuangtze spoke, ¡°Someone is coming.¡± Everyone looked in the direction of the noise, but only saw the mechanical soldier swinging his terrifying long swords again in full force. Two fire dragons roared and charged toward the crowd, about to combust these countless people into charred bones¡ª¡ª At this very moment, a platinum sword glare rose from the crowd with a vicious force and sliced the fire dragon into half in mid-air! The impact of this blow was enough to shake the entire plain. Even the Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Rui¡¯s expression changed slightly as he asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± The sword glare rushed into the sky, and the golden fire dispersed at once. At the top of the last tower in the distance, a long silhouette appeared amidst the billowing smoke. It was facing the giant mechanical soldier without fear, as his sleeves fluttered in the wind. The person was still very young, and his side profile was very beautiful and elegant, but at this moment, because he was stained in blood from forehead to his cheeks, it added a hint of brutality and majesty to his appearance. The ribbon which held up his hair, and his belt were all embroidered with golden threads, and his white robe was stained with blood. His injuries were very serious, but the man stood with his back straight. The long sword held in his right palm glowed in bright flames, the shape of the blade was very familiar. It had two ancient seal characters engraved near the hilt¡ª Changsun Chengfeng cried in surprise, ¡°Bu Qi!¡± Everyone couldn¡¯t help but look at the exact same sword in Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s hand. Mu Duozhu pointed to the figure, ¡°Could it be¡­a certain generation¡¯s Artefact Sect Master?¡± s soon as he spoke, everyone realised one thing¡ªthe Artefact Sect Master title had been passed down in the Changsun family for the previous three generations, but this young grandmaster was clearly not an ancestor of the Changsun family. This fragment of consciousness that Du Kaixun planted into the Lotus Immortal, how many years ago did it occur, and where did it come from? Facing an old opponent, who could never be killed, the mechanical soldier was completely enraged. Its two round eyes suddenly blazed more vigorously, and it rushed straight up. The soldier¡¯s massive body moved so fast that it was a chilling sight. Then, it swung its blade at the head of that grandmaster! However, the young Artefact Sect Master was faster. As if the serious injuries did not affect his speed at all, the man flew back to the plains outside of the city in the blink of an eye. The young man probably wanted to use himself as bait to buy time for the people to flee. As expected, the mechanical soldier deserted the city and pursued him instantly. Two long knives slashed frantically, and the rolling golden flames erupted like thousands of volcanoes. This hellish, doomsday-like scene was enough to make anyone frightened, but the young grandmaster was unrelenting. He drew up thousands of moves in an instant, piercing the skies with pure energy, and even tearing through high-altitude clouds! Changsun Chengfeng was so frightened, he murmured, ¡°I think I¡¯ve humiliated my sword, Bu Qi. To think that it went through such glorious days¡­¡± Ying Kai was also fixated on the battlefield, and not able to look away, ¡°Chengfeng, you don¡¯t have to be ashamed, this predecessor is already in the very late Mahayana stage.¡± ¡°Extremely late stage?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid he might not lose to¡ªno¡­ ¡± Ying Kai said after a pause, ¡°He might be Shuangtze¡¯s equal.¡± Several people couldn¡¯t help but look at Xu Shuangtze, but the Cang Yang Sect Master only frowned slightly, and uttered two words softly, ¡°A pity.¡± Changsun Chengfeng, ¡°What pity?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Neither Ying Kai nor Xu Shuangtze said another word. At this time, the two swords split the sky and cut downwards. The young master gritted his teeth and blocked the blow with his blade. The earth-shattering blows rushed in all directions, and the ground under his feet cracked at once! ¡°Do you know why he didn¡¯t summon Bu Qi¡¯s sword spirit?¡± Ying Kai sighed and said, ¡°That¡¯s because his injury was too grave, and his golden core had been destroyed long ago.¡± The destruction of one¡¯s golden core was the most horrifying nightmare to any cultivator. The same goes for a grandmaster. A Mahayana Stage Golden core was strong and unparalleled in the world. As long as the bearer was alive, the golden core would be intact. Even if the bearer were to die, the golden core may not necessarily be destroyed. What terrible blow did this grandmaster endure to have his golden core shattered? What kind of amazing perseverance did he possess to continue fighting despite having his golden core destroyed. This man was holding his last breath as he stood up against the gigantic mechanical soldier. Everyone was stunned for a while, and Ying Kai frowned suddenly, ¡°It¡¯s bad.¡± The two swords of the mechanical soldier were blocked in mid-air, the fury in its giant eyes had raged to the point of no return. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and took a deep breath, facing the sky. The dark clouds within a hundred miles were sucked into its belly at once. Then, it lowered its head and spewed out a burst of golden fire that engulfed the sky and the sun! At that moment, it was as if the hell-gates were opened and Yellow Springs itself poured out. The fire dragons descended upon the earth from the skies. The magnificence was indescribable. There was nowhere for the grandmaster to hide, and he was instantly lifted off his feet by the explosive impact and slammed into a hill dozens of miles away. Next, the cliff collapsed with a crash! Ten thousand tonnes of boulders poured down and completely buried the man in an instant. The shock shook all four directions, and mountains and forests fell one after another, like building blocks. The mechanical soldier fiercely raised its sword, faced the sky, and gave out an overwhelming roar, ¡°Living beings are insignificant like dogs, mechanical soldiers will kill them all! ¡± ¡°Living beings are insignificant like dogs, mechanical soldiers will kill them all!¡ª¡± No one could stop it at this time. The mechanical soldier slowly turned around, facing the capital city at the end of the plain, and drew another breath. Hundreds of staggered sharp teeth could be seen as it opened its wide mouth. The millions of people in the city realised at the same time that the end was near and fell to their knees in despair as they watched the horrific golden flames flicker once more from the giant¡¯s throat. Mu Duozhu lost his voice, ¡°This is bad, it¡¯s over for this city!¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± Ying Kai¡¯s tone was slightly hoarse. One could not tell if it was due to shock or admiration, ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Following his line of sight, behind the mechanical soldier, there was a sudden movement of the collapsed mountain cliff in the distance. The boulders broke apart one after another. The young grandmaster was lying on the bottom of the pit and covered in blood. His hands and feet were broken, and the bones all over his body were already shattered. However, those beautiful eyes were still open, looking at the flowing clouds and the sky. His pale face was serene. Immediately afterward, he lifted his left hand that hadn¡¯t been broken, and a blood-red thread flicked up, stretched and elongated into mid-air, before it instantly submerged back into his body. Then, it was as if an invisible force was levitating his body flat on its back. Click! Click! There were several sounds which came from the crunching of bones as his broken spine was snapped back together. His twisted arms and legs straightened, his torso and limbs were restored to their original state. The young man stood up limply like a smashed mannequin that had been forcibly repaired, followed by a resounding, ¡®crack!¡¯ With a sound, his broken neck was also snapped back to its original position. Bu Qi transformed into a meteor and flew over from a distance. With a snap, it was held firmly in his right palm. The man raised his head and his spiritual power surged from the soles of his feet, engulfing his entire body for the last time. His pupils started straight at the gigantic mechanical soldier. ¡°Soldier¡­soldier silk¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng trembled. ¡°He-he made himself the last mechanical soldier puppet¡­¡± In the late stage of the Mahayana realm was the highest peak that cultivators in the world could reach. Once a cultivator reached this state, the tribulation of heaven may descend at any time. As long as one overcame the tribulation of lightning, he could immediately ascend and become immortal. There had been no one in the world for a decade, none in tens of thousands of people. Only a man chosen by the heavens could reach this state. At this level, one was a single step away from becoming a god. However, the young master burned through his golden core, shattered all his bones, and wiped his centuries of cultivation into the ashes. With that, he severed his destiny of becoming any immortal or god. In the end, the man did not even bother to leave behind an intact body. He had transformed and reduced himself to become a combative puppet. ¡ªLiving beings are insignificant like dogs, mechanical soldiers will kill them all! The end has come, what else could he have done? A strong light shrouded the entire world, and the destructive and blazing golden dragon was finally spewed out from the giant¡¯s mouth, roaring toward the earth! It was impossible to describe this apocalyptical grandeur. The golden flame left behind mountains and forests devastated in its trail. All collapsed and turned into dust; the plains stretching thousands of miles have been reduced to nothing, the water in long rivers of thousands of miles drew back, and the eyes of countless people simultaneously reflected the approaching fire dragon. Time froze at this moment. Then, an even more dazzling and eye-catching figure turned into a light arrow from a distance. He swung a sword heavily, and a light curtain descended and enveloped everything. The fire dragon slammed into the sword glare, and turned into a torrent of energy rushing into the sky! ¡°Ar-artefact Sect Master¡­¡± It was not known who started this trembling sound. However, it rapidly spread all over. Countless people knelt to the ground, tears streaming down their face, and they kowtowed in unison ¡°Great Master!¡± ¡°Great Master!¡± ¡°Artefact Sect Master!!¡± The roar of the giant shook the wilderness, ¡°Artefact Sect Master¡ª¡± The grandmaster stood in mid-air with swords in both hands. He blocked the devastating impact in all entirety in front of him. Blood gurgled down his body like a spring. Even when his bones, held together by the soldier silk, were about to be shattered into dust, the man did not back down in the slightest. He held the blow with a straightened back and his blood stained eyes were a horrifying sight. ¡°¡­Living beings are insignificant like dogs,¡± the man uttered each word. The man was viciously tough, but his voice was strangely soft, and every word carried an overwhelming power, ¡°Living beings are insignificant like dogs, the Great Dao will come to an end.¡± ¡°But the way of the mortals will endure. ¡± Mortals will endure. The giant mechanical soldier had never been so completely agitated before. Suddenly, it let out a piercing roar with a sound wave that shook the city and the villages. It launched its golden flames for the third time and cut down with its a pair of long swords at the same time! ¡ªThis unprecedented majestic power was like the fury of nine gods, enough to completely shred any existence in the world. The heavens and the earth were bathed in a harsh white light, and everyone lost their vision at once. Therefore, no one could see clearly right before his final moment, the grandmaster turned his head and glanced at the vast lands and the thousands of people behind him. Then, endless golden light exploded from his body. That was a power beyond the realm of mortals and what was known to be ¡®god-like¡¯. Space, time, and the entire world seemed to have been reversed. The torrent of water rushing to the city wall hung in mid-air and returning back to the rivers, falling boulders right above people¡¯s heads flew back to the mountains. The raging fire dragon rebounded into the mechanical soldier¡¯s mouth and its two terrifying long swords melted into nothing. The mechanical soldier roared in frustration, but no one could hear it at this moment. In the same splendour as when the gods first created the world, the soldier was finally pierced with a sword. The millions of mechanical parts on its limbs burst into the sky. Only its mountain-like torso collapsed from a high altitude, smashing through the plains, splitting a rift that was hundreds of metres long and causing a violent earthquake. ¡ªIt had a blade stuck between its brows made of steel plate. The grandmaster did not release the hilt in the end. Like a stunning meteor, he self-detonated his primordial spirit, along with his three souls and seven spirits. At the cost of the disintegration of his being, never to enter the reincarnation cycle in all eternity, the man chose to die with this world-annihilating giant. Both were buried together into the depths of the earth! ¡°¡­¡± No one knew how much time passed, but the thick smoke gradually dissipated, and the high-altitude clouds finally flowed again. No one spoke, no one moved. After a moment of complete silence, Changsun Chengfeng finally exhaled a long breath and said hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯m speechless¡­¡± Ying Kai slightly turned his head to Xu Shuangtze and asked, ¡°Can you do this?¡± Xu Shuangtze shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t. ¡± Ying Kai sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have the abilities or even the fortitude to do this. ¡± He looked at the huge crater that had completely changed at his feet, cast his gaze towards the steep rift in the distance, and said, ¡°I do not know which dynasty and generation of Artefact Sect Master had such an unattainable cultivation level. If even he can¡¯t ascend, I am afraid that no one is qualified to ascend throughout the ages. It¡¯s a pity that such a high-level predecessor didn¡¯t survive in the end¡­¡± Ying Kai¡¯s voice stopped abruptly. He and Xu Shuangtze looked up at the sky at the same time, and their expressions suddenly changed. Changsun Chengfeng was surprised, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He got his answer shortly after. ¡ªBlack clouds cascaded and rushed in from all directions. In the distance, lightning flashed faintly. The clouds gradually twisted without wind. A heavenly tribulation was about to be triggered. That grandmaster was indeed qualified to ascend. So after his death, the Nine Heavens Tribulation descended! Changsun Chengfeng said in shock, ¡°Perhaps he isn¡¯t completely dead? How can this be? This¡­¡± Ying Kai widened his eyes abruptly, ¡°That¡¯s not good. The last of his spirit hasn¡¯t dispersed.¡± Before he finished his words, Ying Kai darted out like a bolt of lightning. But no matter how fast he moved, he couldn¡¯t catch up with the Heavenly Tribulation. Even before they arrived at the rift valley, they saw a huge thunderstorm brewing in the sky. Then, the first tribulation plunged into the abyss like a poisonous dragon. It was so fierce and violent that the whole basin exploded like oil in a frying pan! ¡°How can this be?¡± Even Ying Kai was forced to cover his face with a hand, and almost lost his voice, ¡°How can such a great master usher in this-this¡ª¡± Xu Shuangtze looked up at the sky, his pupils constricting slightly, ¡°Evil Tribulation.¡± The grandmaster only had one last trace of a spirit in existence. Yet, what descended from heaven was an unprecedented vile and evil tribulation. Even if this grandmaster were alive, it was impossible for him to ascend smoothly. Clearly, this tribulation was out to destroy his spirit, such that he may never return for all eternity and have his corpse whipped into dust! Ying Kai drew his sword in anger, but to no avail. In this world of consciousness, they were just spirit bodies. The lot of them could neither be hurt by the thunder tribulation nor have the power to change a thing. They could only watch as a second thunder tribulation fell from the air as if it was wrapped in an infinite hatred and rage. This bolt was thrown like a whip at the shattered body lying in the bottom of the abyss¡ª This time, not only would the last fragment of the spirit be completely shredded, the head and the limbs of the corpse would be in tatters. But just before the tragedy happened, a ray of scarlet light flashed in the centre of the whirl of clouds. Then, it drew closer and became clearer to everyone. Ying Kai was stunned, ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± It turned out to be a dazzling and crystal-clear double-sided mirror. It hovered over the abyss in an instant, and when the second thunder tribulation arrived, it encountered this indestructible patron object. In an instant, gorgeous waterfalls burst out in all directions and cascaded into the abyss below. ¡°What happened?¡± Mu Duozhu shielded his eyes from the blinding light and asked in a loud voice, ¡°Did something descend for heaven to protect him? What is it?¡± Legend has it that if the person who was crossing the tribulation had excessive merits, celestial beings would cast protection upon him. However, it was only a legend, and there had never been any historical records of this encounter since ancient times. Moreover, if the heavens believed that this grandmaster was worthy of ascension, why did they send down such a terrible calamity? What was it that tore through the clouds to safeguard that grandmaster? Xu Shuangtze¡¯s expression suddenly changed. It was only for a moment, so brief that it almost felt like an illusion. Xu Shuangtze saw a figure flash past in the mirror but he couldn¡¯t catch any glimpse of his appearance at all. Just from senses alone, it felt like it was a youth in a crimson robe. He drew a sword from the ground and faced the evil Nine Thunder tribulation without an ounce of fear. The majestic sword glare rushed into the sky from the mirror, and the second thunder tribulation was smashed to pieces. The same magnificent sword glare continued to rise and tore through thousands of calamities that were to follow! ¡ªAt this point on the battlefield, it was finally beyond the scope of human beings, and was a true duel between ¡®Heaven¡¯ and ¡®Heaven¡¯. CH 43 This blow transcended the mortal realm. It was a genuine confrontation between ¡®Heaven¡¯ and ¡®Heaven¡¯. The beam of lightning stretched from the abyss into the sky. It then shattered from the bottom to the top, before completely bursting into countless dazzling branches which densely reached into the wilderness. The clouds which blanketed the sky were cleared in an instant, and as they dispersed, glorious light from the vault of heaven was faintly revealed through the gaps. This was the legendary heavenly realm. For centuries, there had been no detailed record of ascension, and no one had ever seen a true immortal. Even Xu Shuangtze couldn¡¯t help staring. As he peered through the ever-changing clouds, he felt something in his heart, and the tip of his eyebrows twitched. ¡ªThe heavenly realm described in the scriptures was a pure, peaceful, nihilistic and blissful dimension¡­But at this moment, he could detect a faint aura of conquest and warfare leaking through the rolling clouds. Were the gods of the heavenly realm in conflict? But why? The fissure closed instantly, and thick, black clouds quickly shrouded the sky again, cutting off Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sight. Immediately afterwards, the third lightning tribulation struck down at a more alarming speed, and directly hit the double-sided mirror. However, the youth in the mirror did not show any sign of weakness. With another swing, he sent an even more brilliant sword glare back. The glare enveloped all the light in the sky and sent thunder scattering across the lands! Some masters could no longer bear to be in the eye of the storm and were forced to retreat further into the wilderness. The lightning tribulation was increasingly vicious, each one being fiercer than the next. But the youth in the mirror also launched more powerful attacks to deflect each time. Every strike was more formidable than the previous one. After eighty-one extremely evil tribulations, the abyss had been swallowed up in the waters of the inverted rivers and seas, and the plains were transformed into swamps. When the very last and most destructive tribulation collided ruthlessly with the breath-taking sword glare, a resonance between heaven and earth was triggered. Everyone¡¯s ears were temporarily deafened, and all they could see was white light. No one knew how long it lasted. Time passed so slowly¡ªas if several years had passed before the earth-shattering resonance at their feet gradually calmed down. Everyone finally recovered their five senses. Mu Duozhu kneaded his temples in pain and said hoarsely, ¡°What was that?¡± Then, they saw the clouds fully disperse and light was shining across the land. The unprecedented mighty lightning tribulation had finally passed, but the dazzling double-sided mirror still hovered over the abyss. Although there were fine cracks all over its surface, the mirror was not broken, and it slowly rotated as it emitted thousands of layers of gentle and gorgeous crimson light. The same light drifted in all directions, like a thin veil. That was the manifestation of a powerful protective formation. The last trace of spirit belonging to the grandmaster slowly ascended from the abyss under the protection of the formation. The other three souls and six spirits that had dispersed earlier between the heavens and the earth were also miraculously gathered together by the formation. The bright rays of light gathered and condensed into the physical form of the primordial spirit which had the appearance of the grandmaster. He lay flat in mid-air and opened his eyes in confusion, and looked at the double-sided mirror in front of him. In the next moment, a scarlet shadow flashed in the mirror and the youth with blurred facial features stretched out his hand to the grandmaster in a friendly and unreserved manner. When the mirror almost shattered just now, Xu Shuangtze felt an inexplicable and uncontrollable anxiety. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from rushing forward to check it out. It wasn¡¯t until the figure reappeared intact in the mirror again that his anxious mood was relieved. His heart, which had risen to his throat, fell back in place. Immediately afterwards, a piercing anger rose in his mind. That feeling came swiftly and without reason. Initially, Xu Shuangtze regarded it as a passing illusion, then he discovered that the involuntary and intense anger was neither directed at himself nor at the mirror¡ªit turned out to be directed at the grandmaster who resurrected! Why did he feel this way? It was a passing feeling, too fast for him to distinguish it from reality. In the next moment, the grandmaster¡¯s primordial spirit stepped into the mirror. Then a golden light shone and the heavenly gate opened. The double-sided mirror carried the primordial spirit, who had succeeded in crossing the tribulation, and soared towards the legendary heavenly realm. A grandmaster whose golden core was completely destroyed, self-detonated his primordial spirit and had his souls and spirits scattered miraculously survived eighty-one evil calamities. In the last moment, he left his physical body behind and ascended to immortality. This was an unprecedented event. Xu Shuangtze looked up, and watched as the mirror rose higher and higher, until it was about to reach the door filled with divine light that led to the heavenly realm. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed from the other side of the door. Then, a figure in a black robe with silver embroidery rushed out, wielding a divine sword! From his point of view, the face of the visitor in black could not be seen at all. However, Xu Shuangtze felt his heart race and an intense and indescribable sense of familiarity occupied every inch of his consciousness. In an instant, there was only one thought in his mind, I know him. Who is he? Why does he look so familiar? No one noticed Xu Shuangtze¡¯s frozen expression as that mysterious scene high in the sky was reflected in his constricted pupils. The black figure broke out with a divine oppression and his divine sword had a cyclone of heaven and earth twisted around the blade as it pierced into that mirror with rage. Lf kjcafv ab glq jqjga atf qglwbgvlji rqlgla bo atja cfkis jrmfcvfv ugjcvwjrafg! Ca atja wbwfca, j tegglmjcf rkfqa jmgbrr atf ijcvr ogbw atf tbglhbc, atf mlas mbiijqrfv, atf klivfgcfrr kjr bnfgaegcfv jcv atf kbgiv aegcfv eqrlvf vbkc ilxf j uljca qba. Snfgsatlcu jgbecv atfw kjr lcrajcais rkfqa jkjs ys atf lcnlrlyif abggfcalji obgmf. ¡ªThe consciousness supporting the vision had finally come to an end. Everyone was sucked into the void at the same time, and with a thunderous bang!, the earth shattered into dust, submerging everything from top to bottom! Xu Shuangtze opened his eyes abruptly. He was back in the Golden Ship¡¯s ice pavilion. In front of him was an unmoving corpse on the ice bed. Ying Kai, Changsun Chengfeng and others woke up one after another, staggering backward due to the gravity of the impact sustained by their five senses. All primordial spirits were drawn back to reality. Yuchi Rui felt the world was spinning, and held onto his forehead in agony, ¡°Why are we back?¡± Changsun Chengfeng held the ice bed with one hand to stabilise his stance, his condition was not much better than Yuchi Rui¡¯s, ¡°The consciousness that Du Kaixun implanted in the soldier silk ends there.¡± Ying Kai kneaded his forehead and sighed, ¡°Fortunately, that predecessor had his primordial spirit restored and ascended smoothly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze turned his head slowly and asked, ¡°Ascended smoothly?¡± Only those who were familiar with him could detect that his tone implied something was amiss. Ying Kai raised his head and asked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s cold face was frozen at this moment. He stared straight at him and said hoarsely after a long while, ¡°Did you not see the person who came out of the heavenly realm at the last moment?¡± Ying Kai was stunned. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t that senior¡¯s soul ascend directly to the Heavenly Gates?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze looked around and glanced at everyone¡¯s confused expression before repeating, ¡°Did you guys see?¡± Mu Duozhu, Yuchi Rui, and Changsun Chengfeng didn¡¯t know how to answer him, and Ying Kai questioned, ¡°Did you see something, Shuangtze? I only saw that magic weapon carrying the senior and soaring away. He should have successfully overcome the tribulations, right?¡± ¡°What about the person in the mirror?¡± Ying Kai asked in amazement, ¡°There was someone in the mirror?¡± No one saw the figure in the mirror who blocked off the heavenly tribulation with his sword and no one noticed the last celestial being in a black robe with silver outer armour, charging towards the mirror with his blade. Xu Shuangtze closed his eyes and his face turned ashen. ¡°Are you okay, Shuangtze,¡± Ying Kai became worried and added, ¡°Did you see something?¡± Why am I the only one to see it? Where did the familiarity and resentment he felt deep within his primordial spirit of identical intensity come from? The Cang Yang Sect Master¡¯s usual detached and unchanging expression masked all the turbulent thoughts in his mind. After a while, he opened his eyes and answered flatly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I may have been wrong.¡± ¡°Was the scene we just saw real?¡± Mu Duozhu rubbed his temples with one hand, frowned and said, ¡°And where did Du Kaixun get this scene? I have read the Immortal Alliance historical records many times over. How come I have never seen it before?¡± Mu Duozhu was slightly older than Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze. If he had never heard of this, then everyone else would be even more clueless. Ying Kai answered, ¡°In fact, for centuries, no predecessors in the hundreds of families practicing cultivation were bestowed with a heavenly tribulation. Those who successfully ascended only exist in the Dao classics, myths and legends. Sixteen years ago on the Ascension Platform¡­¡± When Ying Kai said this, he said suddenly looked away, and continued, ¡°According to the rules of the Immortal Alliance, the Alliance Master should ascend the high platform to pay respects to heaven and the earth, while the Cang Yang Sect Master descends to the Underground Palace to pay respects to the ghosts and gods.¡± ¡°However, Shuangtze and I temporarily changed positions because I wanted to take this opportunity to go to the Underground Palace and seek an audience with the ghosts and gods in person. I wanted to find out why all the predecessors had been unable to usher in the Heavenly Tribulations for so many years. Has the road to immortal ascension been blocked?¡± It was true that since ancient times, the Alliance Master was the one to pay respects on the Ascension Platform. It was the first time that Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze swapped roles sixteen years ago. But what he never expected was that before he had time to seek an audience with the gods, there was a shocking turn of events. The Lotus Immortal had attempted and failed to assassinate Lord Xu and was killed by No Way Out as a consequence. Ying Kai was shocked and the ceremony was interrupted. When he rushed out of the Underground Palace and arrived at the Ascension Platform, he saw only the white jade platform stained in blood. Xu Shuangtze was holding Gong Wei¡¯s corpse and had returned to the Cang Yang Sect on his sword. The gap of sixteen years was insufficient to completely dispel Ying Kai¡¯s knot regarding Gong Wei¡¯s death. He did not want to mention the past, but said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t obtain an answer as to why for a hundred years, no one could ascend. But today, I witnessed a predecessor of the Artefact Sect Master ascending with my own eyes. This is too strange. Furthermore, the destructive giant mechanical soldier is beyond my understanding and totally unheard of. This really worries me very much¡­¡± This apprehension was understandable. Although the frenzied mechanical soldier had been buried deep in the ground¡ªit could be repaired. Or perhaps, another one could reappear. If that happened, then wouldn¡¯t grandmasters like Ying Kai, Xu Shuangtze and Yuchi Rui have to line up to sacrifice themselves? Changsun Chengfeng said, ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Ying Kai asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Changsun Chengfeng returned to his regular manner, tucking his hands in his sleeves and said, ¡°The consciousness that was implanted into mechanical soldiers does not necessarily have to be the master¡¯s own memory. It may well be a fantasy.¡± ¡°My wretched younger brother was only nineteen when he died, and it is absolutely impossible for him to witness that scene from anywhere. Even if he did become a ghost cultivator after death, it is still not very likely. So what everyone just saw, could have been an illusion created by Du Kaixun. How may we verify its authenticity? I, for one, have never seen such a capital city on the Central Plains as the one we saw earlier.¡± Ying Kai nodded intently, then turned to ask, ¡°How about Brother Mu?¡± ¡°The Golden Ship travels all year round, and I have never seen it before.¡± Mu Duozhu hesitated, and said with difficulty, ¡°But¡­that apocalyptic scene and that immortal ascension was really too real, and it doesn¡¯t seem like an illusion crafted by¡­¡± The discussion hit a stalemate for a while. Ying Kai couldn¡¯t help but glance at Yuchi Rui, only to see the man staring intently at the soles of his feet. It was as if he had taken a keen interest in the marbled floor under the ice bed, and turned a deaf ear to everything around. Then, Ying Kai glanced at Xu Shuangtze again. That man carried an indifferent expression and had his eyes shut. Ying Kai couldn¡¯t tell if he was listening at all. Ying Kai became tired and sighed, ¡°In this case, I have a way to verify the authenticity of it.¡± Changsun Chengfeng immediately responded, ¡°What way? ¡± Ying Kai answered, ¡°Find out the exact location of that scene.¡± At this, Xu Shuangtze raised his eyelids and glanced over. The remaining few were still puzzled, and Changsun Chengfeng asked, ¡°How do we find this place?¡± Ying Kai did not answer him directly, ¡°I need an open space. Follow me.¡± He turned and walked towards the exit of the Ice Pavilion. Despite the confusion, everyone quickly shuffled behind him. Only Yuchi Rui sheepishly remained by the ice bed. Ying Kai looked back when he crossed the threshold and asked in surprise, ¡°Yuchi Rui? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xu Shuangtze also stopped and turned around. Yuchi Rui, ¡°¡­¡± Everyone glanced at each other. Then, Xu Shuangtze cast his calm gaze towards the bottom of the ice bed. ¡°Ahh!¡± Suddenly Yuchi Rui squatted down, blocking Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sight, and grumbled as he seemed to search for something on the ground blankly, ¡°I¡¯ve dropped something!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai covered his face with a hand, and Mu Duozhu said with difficulty, ¡°Peanuts again?¡± Yuchi Rui stood composed and did not answer. Mu Duozhu turned his head and couldn¡¯t bear to look at the scene again, ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, quickly pick them up and come out, Sword Sect Master.¡± Yuchi Rui calmly replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Xu Shuangtze retracted his gaze and without another word, he followed everyone and stepped across the threshold. The door of the ice pavilion closed with a bang, and the huge space was quiet again. The air seemed to freeze for a few breaths. Then, Yuchi Rui quickly turned back. He swooped in swiftly like a bird of prey, reached out into the bottom of the ice bed, and held Gong Wei like lightning, ¡°Who are you? ¡± When the group emerged from the illusion world of the implanted consciousness, everyone¡¯s primordial spirit was greatly shaken. Gong Wei, who was without a golden core, suffered the most. He was in a semi-comatose state and only just woke up. He laid on the ground weakly and answered, ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Yuchi Rui narrowed his eyes suspiciously, ¡°I remember someone dragged me and Ying Kai out of Ding Xian Mausoleum. Was that you?¡± When he mentioned this, Gong Wei was full of bitterness, ¡°Is there anyone else?¡± Yuchi Rui squeezed his hand even tighter, ¡°You are clearly a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect. What is the purpose of you being here? What agenda are you hiding?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei maintained his position with his arm tightly gripped. He struggled to crawl out from under the ice bed, then turned over and grabbed Yuchi Rui¡¯s lapels and cried angrily, ¡°It has only been sixteen years and you can¡¯t recognize me?¡± Yuchi Rui felt a vague sense of a familiar and impending danger, but he could not stop it in time. The next moment, Gong Wei closed his eyes and sang a small tune with all his heart. That voice was like a little fox prying open Yuchi Rui¡¯s skull, the shriek was painfully piercing. The first sentence was from the Yin Yang Chaos Mantra. ¡°!¡± The blood in Yuchi Rui¡¯s body rushed to the top of his head, and his eyeballs felt like they were cracking. He covered his ears and crawled back three feet, ¡°Gong Wei?¡± Sahl: FINALLY! Omg, it took long enough! CH 44 At the end of the golden ship¡¯s deck, the sky extended up high, the rolling clouds reaching vast and high. In the distance, thousands of mountains appeared tiny. The cities and villages slowly receded further back than the eye could see as the ship cruised ahead. The horizon stretching a thousand miles was reflected in Ying Kai¡¯s deep eyes. He lifted his palm up flatly, his dark blue sleeves fluttered in the wind as he summoned, ¡°Ten Thousand Celestials, come to me! ¡± The other great masters were all standing on the deck near the bow right now. At Ying Kai¡¯s voice, an inconspicuous golden light appeared on the distant horizon. Immediately afterwards, countless spots of light rose from all corners of the land and condensed into meteors, piercing the sky from all directions and converging towards the golden ship! Changsun Chengfeng took a half step back, ¡°This is¡­Ten Thousand Celestials¡ªDing Shan Hai?¡± ¡°Brother Ying made an oath when he became the Alliance Master that he would use his own primordial spirit to support those who lack it and to quell the turmoil caused by evil. As such, most of his spiritual power was scattered across the world and singlehandedly fulfilling his promise to bring peace and stability across mountains and seas.¡± Mu Duozhu looked up and thousands of dazzling meteors were reflected in his eyes. He sighed, ¡°What we see now is the real Ying Chenyuan.¡± All of a sudden, the world was lit up in a magnificent glow, and the tens of million fragments of primordial spirit finally returned to Ying Kai. The man was shrouded in invisible billowing flames and a powerful force rushed into the sky. Boom¡ª The bow of the ship sank suddenly, the keel made a loud noise, and everyone was forced to stagger forward! Xu Shuangtze retreated a few steps backwards as spiritual energy rose from the ground in the surroundings. The keel groaned again, and the slanted hull was forcibly pressed down inch by inch. Many disciples on the deck couldn¡¯t help staggering back and forth. The sounds of them marvelling and yelling swept the cabin. This behemoth sailing in the sky was actually being pressed down by more than ten feet! Ying Kai closed his eyes and said nothing, his hair and sleeves fluttering gracefully in the air. The primordial spirit which returned to him from the entire land materialised into a map in the depths of Ying Kai¡¯s consciousness. Mountains, rivers, forests and canyons were moulded out as the map slowly rotated with every detail vividly visible. The plains that were eroded into basins, that city which was drowned by the rivers and the rifts in the ground where that world-annihilating mechanical soldier was buried¡­ Ying Kai meticulously compared these features with the lands under the guardianship of his primordial spirit. Something corresponded and Ying Kai opened his eyes after the time of half an incense. The divine light at the bottom of his pupils shone brightly as he raised his hand. The unimaginably powerful primordial spirit once again condensed into a meteor. As grand as its entrance, it shot out with magnificence into the vast mountains and rivers under Ying Kai¡¯s feet and disappeared at the end of the horizon. Ying Kai turned around to everyone, his robe sleeves falling and lying still. The spiritual pressure that just burst into a ball of flame, forcing everyone to shield their eyes, had dissipated. Ying Kai reverted back into a man dressed in plain robes with a calm expression. His bronze Ding Shan Hai sword hung on his belt by an inconspicuous gold hook. The gentle Lord Ying had returned. ¡°Found it,¡± he declared with a smile in his eyes. * * * ¡°Hurry up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one! Come here quickly!¡± ¡°This room! ¡± The door was forced open as Gong Wei and Yuchi Rui pushed and squeezed in in unison. They were fearful that just one step later, they would be caught by a random medical disciple passing by. Yuchi Rui stuck his head out and stole a quick glance, making sure that no one was in the corridor before shutting the door with a bang. The two of them heaved a sigh of relief at the same time. Gong Wei slumped on the chair and spoke in exhaustion, ¡°In summary, that was it. As soon as I woke up, I found myself on the golden ship. The rest is as you know it.¡± Standing by the door, Yuchi Rui turned around, his brows tightened and expression heavy. He pointed at Gong Wei, ¡°¡ªXiang Xiaoyuan?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mei Demon?¡± Xbcu Qfl mbggfmafv, ¡°Ljio vfwbc.¡± ¡°We Vtejcuahf¡¯r yfibnfv vlrmlqif?¡± Xbcu Qfl revvfcis rajwwfgfv, ¡°Tbe¡­ktja vlv sbe rjs?¡± Temtl Eel wjvf j vfjvqjc ojmf, ¡°We Vtejcuahf qfgrbcjiis fzagjmafv atf rbivlfg rlix bea bo sbe lc Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew. Ktf fcalgf Pwwbgaji Ciiljcmf xcbkr jybea atlr.¡± ¡°Lf-tf kjr pera agslcu ab rjnf ws ilof! Wljcu Wljbsejc lr j vlrmlqif bo tlr Jjcu Tjcu Vfma! Ktja lr tlr glutaoei veas!¡± ¡°Xu Shuangtze said that he wanted to save time, and shattered all the awakened corpses that escaped the Ding Xian Mausoleum. In the past few days, more than a dozen aggrieved sects have been lining up outside the Correctional Palace, holding up their ancestral tablets and asking for an explanation. ¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Xu Shuangtze always cruel? When had he changed? You forgot that you were strung up by him when you were a kid¡­¡± ¡°He was willing to give Mu Duozhu ten thousand taels of silver for you.¡± Yuchi Rui answered calmly, ¡°The deal has been made and agreement signed.¡± ¡°Hang on¡­what?¡± Gong Wei finally squeezed this out with difficulty, ¡°Ten thousand taels?¡± Yuchi Rui nodded in all seriousness. The two looked at each other, and after a deadly silence, Yuchi Rui concluded his statement, ¡°You even dare to pretend to be his beloved disciple. He will definitely slaughter you.¡± Gong Wei opened and closed his mouth several times without uttering a word. His head was buzzing and he finally said in a trembling voice, ¡°Give me a handful of melon seeds.¡± Yuchi Rui rummaged through his pockets. There were only some peanuts left, but Gong Wei just grabbed a handful. The two sat on the opposite side of the round table and peeled one after another, eating in silence. After a long while Gong Wei calmed down and said, ¡°Even if I don¡¯t pretend to be his beloved¡ªhis disciple, once he knows that I¡¯m alive, there is an eighty percent chance that he won¡¯t let me off either.¡± Yuchi Rui muttered, ¡°The crime of impersonating his beloved disciple is going to warrant a heavier sentence.¡± Gong Wei protested, ¡°Can you not mention beloved¡­Can you not mention that word? The most pressing matter now is to figure out who impersonated me in Linjiang City and wreaked havoc. Also, who planted soldier silk to manipulate my corpse. What is their objective?¡± Yuchi Rui rubbed a peanut between two fingers and the shell fell off. When he repeated the same motion, the red skin of the peanuts was peeled. He was obviously a skilled peanut de-sheller, ¡°It¡¯s either Du Kaixun or Changsun Chengfeng.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not mention Changsun Chengfeng for now. It¡¯s possible that Du Kaixun is the culprit. But why did he kill those twenty-eight people with heavy yin lives in Linjiang City? There shouldn¡¯t be a reason to.¡± Yuchi Rui returned the question with his clear, stable, and calm gaze. He meant that he didn¡¯t know either. It¡¯s not surprising to have no idea. Even if Ying Kai or even Xu Shuangtze joined in the discussion, the results might be the same. Gong Wei sighed and put the situation aside for the time being, ¡°One more thing, can you discuss with Shixiong, and find a way to help me retrieve Xiang Xiaoyuan¡¯s soul? I have kept his body very well¡­ Alright, not very well but at least it can still be used. Maybe there is still a chance to put the real Xiang Xiaoyuan back?¡± Yuchi Rui answered blankly, ¡°Then what about you?¡± ¡®Of course I should be heading to wherever I¡¯m supposed to be going.¡¯ Gong Wei thought to himself. But he didn¡¯t say this and only replied, ¡°I¡¯m already dead. I can¡¯t be taking possession of another body and not returning it. If all else fails, ask Ying Kai for a soul container and put me in it.¡± Yuchi Rui was happily sending peanuts to his mouth but abruptly halted. He was imagining stuffing Gong Wei¡¯s soul into a small jar and hanging it around his neck. The man gave a terrible expression and spoke with difficulty after some time, ¡°But no one can cross the Ghost Wall of late.¡± Gong Wei was surprised, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Xu Shuangtze told Ying Kai that there are strange occurrences at the Ghost Wall. Ying Kai went down personally to check it out, and found the bronze door tightly shut, without a single ghost in sight. After returning from Linjiang City, the both of them headed down together once more, but they didn¡¯t smash the door with No Way Out this time. ¡± To break through the Ghost Wall is to defy the heavens. Even beings like the grandmasters with such great powers must count their blessings if they were to succeed once or twice out of ten tries. Xu Shuangtze and Ying Kai were the only ones who held the record of splitting open the Ghost Wall unharmed. Now that even those two were prevented from crossing the boundary of life and death, it is certain that no one else could. ¡°Ying Kai said that there might be something wrong with the Book of Life and Death. In order to cover it up, the Ghost Wall forcibly prevented people from entering to investigate. When the Ding Xian mausoleum matter is settled, he would go down once more to investigate with Xu Shuangtze.¡± Yuchi Rui shook his head and added, ¡°A soul will return to the mortal realm after seven days before crossing the Naihe Bridge. It has been so long, I¡¯m afraid he has been reincarnated.¡± Gong Wei was stunned for a moment. Then, he thought of the instigator for this situation and got annoyed all at once, ¡°It¡¯s all your nephew¡¯s fault! He¡­¡± At this time, the door was knocked upon twice, and Yuchi Xiao¡¯s voice came, ¡°Uncle, are you there? ¡± The term ¡®uncle¡¯ was no different from addressing the Sword Sect Master as Lord Buddha. It hit his most sensitive nerve at once. Yuchi Rui bounced off his chair, quickly tidied up the peanut shells on the table, and skilfully took out The Spirit of the Sword manual and opened it on the table. Next, he shoved all the peanuts peeled by Gong Wei into his mouth and tugged him behind a screen, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Lord Ying has sent people to look for you, saying that there is something important to discuss!¡± Yuchi Rui, ¡°Alright, hold on!¡± Gong Wei grabbed Yuchi Rui, gritted his teeth and whispered such that only the two of them could hear, ¡°I am engaged to your nephew.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°His mother made an agreement with the Cang Yang Sect Master. They even matched our four pillars and eight characters and exchanged engagement tokens. That brat looked down on Xiang Xiaoyuan as a Mei Demon and humiliated him in front of everyone before withdrawing from the marriage. Xiang Xiaoyuan was so enraged that he went off the rails right after. And look at me,¡± Gong Wei pointed to a spot on his neck caused by Gou Chen and covered with a medicated bandage. ¡°This was also his masterpiece. If I hadn¡¯t escaped quickly, I might have had to die again!¡± Yuch Rui was shocked, ¡°How can this be?¡± ¡°Yeah, so what if he is the Young Master of the Golden Gate. How can he despise a little Mei Demon in this way?¡± Gong Wei said angrily, ¡°By the way, he scolded me once, calling me an ¡®inhuman being¡¯. Do you remember the last person who called me this same thing?¡± Yuchi Rui replied without hesitation, ¡°Xu Shuangtze.¡± The man was astounded by what he just said. The Young Master of the Golden Gate was supposed to be dignified. Yet, this boy chose not to behave like a proper gentleman and picked up undesirable traits. He dared to behave the same way as the Cang Yang Sect Master. This will not do! The mention of this enemy sparked a flame in the Sword Sect Master¡¯s heart at once. The two glanced at each other, and Yuchi Rui gave a solemn nod before he turned around and straightened his robes. Then, he coughed to clear his throat, and strode forward to open the door. Yuchi Xiao stood outside the door. He bowed his head and raised his hands in a salute, ¡°Sword Sect Master¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡± Yuchi Xiao was stunned, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± This Young Master of the Golden Gate was already very tall, but the Sword Sect Master was an inch taller when they both stood up straight. Perhaps his height had something to do with him being hung upside down as punishment regularly when he was young. His eye sockets and brow bones were deeper and sharper, so when he stiffened his face, Yuchi Rui appeared more severe and oppressive. He said, ¡°I heard that you sought permission from the Cang Yang Sect Master to break off an engagement.¡± Yuchi Xiao suddenly froze. ¡°Heaven and earth are made up of many living beings. Humans, trees, flowers, grass, each will have their time to bloom and wither, as well as experience happiness and sorrows. Everything has its life and also eventual death. Nature is the way of Dao. Mei Demons are part of the universe. So how are they different from you and me? ¡± Yuchi Xiao¡¯s whole body remained frozen and it took a long time for him to gulp with difficulty, seemingly to swallow his regrets ¡°It was my mistake¡­¡± Yuchi Rui added sternly, ¡°You arrogantly broke off the engagement in public. You caused the Mei Demon to go off rails. This behaviour is unbecoming!¡± Gong Wei, who stood behind the screen, cupped his hands in silence and thought, ¡®Well said!¡¯ ¡°You committed the mistake, yet instead of repenting, you called the innocent Mei Demon an inhuman thing. You have put the decade-old pristine reputation of Golden Gate to shame! You are simply¡ª¡± Yuchi Rui continued to search for words to berate him, but suddenly saw his nephew bow deeply, and he interrupted him hoarsely, ¡°I have come to regret my arrogance from before, but I am aware that it is too late. Uncle is right to criticise me. ¡± All the Sword Sect Masters from before tend to use actions before words when it came to punishment. Yet, he never expected this prestige to emanate during one of the rare times he reprimanded others with just words. Yuchi Rui continued happily, ¡°So do you know your mistakes?¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°What do you plan to do?¡± Yuchi Xiao maintained his posture of a deep bow, and said one word at a time, ¡°I merely broke off the engagement verbally that day. This was not publicly announced to the Immortal Alliance. This nephew is willing to fulfil the marriage contract and cultivate with Xiang Xiaoyuan as my partner. From now on, I will never speak such evil words, nor will I despise or regard his identity as an inhuman being. Everything I speak of today comes from my heart and soul. May the heavens and earth bear witness!¡± Yuchi Rui was gratified at once and turned towards Gong Wei triumphantly while raising his eyebrows. He answered, ¡°It¡¯s good to know that you are repentant. If that¡¯s the case, you may choose an auspicious day and hour¡­¡± His voice stopped abruptly. Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui, ¡°¡­¡± The two stared at each other from the gap between the screens, each with a thunderstruck expression on their faces. ¡°No way!¡± Yuchi Rui suddenly responded angrily, ¡°You can¡¯t fulfil the marriage contract with Xiang Xiaoyuan!¡± Yuchi Xiao thought that he had heard wrong, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan¡­he¡­¡± The Sword Sect Master was at a loss for words. Yuchi Xiao urged sincerely, ¡°Sword Sect Master doesn¡¯t have to worry about the differences between our family backgrounds. Although Xiang Xiaoyuan is only an outer disciple of the Cang Yang Sect, he possesses good looks, a kind heart, and extraordinary wisdom. And there is one thing that I have not reported to the Sword Sect Master, if Xiang Xiaoyuan hadn¡¯t disregarded his own life and pushed this nephew away in time, I would be the one implanted with soldier silk at this moment. Every time this nephew recalls this, he has mixed feelings, and is deeply ashamed and regretful.¡± At this point, Yuchi Xiao took a deep breath, seemingly having a thousand words at the tip of his tongue, but didn¡¯t know how to articulate them. He gritted his teeth and added, ¡°In any case, Sword Sect Master, please rest assured. This nephew is aware of his mistakes, and he will no longer despise any Mei Demons in the future. Please give me your blessing!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui uttered with difficulty, ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Yuchi Xiao looked up in amazement, ¡°But why?¡± Uncle and nephew faced each other, and the poor Sword Sect Master¡¯s brain was blank at that moment. He opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly and finally stammered, ¡°Because he is¡­he is a Mei Demon.¡± CH 45 ¡°From the time I took over as the alliance master, I distributed most of my primordial spirit to the barren and desolate areas of the Immortal Alliance. This is to supplement areas with weaker spiritual energy and maintain the balance of yin and yang, so as to prevent attacks by demons and ghosts. Therefore, unless there are grave matters, I dare not easily gather my primordial spirit. Earlier, I merely hurriedly drew a comparison and came up with some possible locations¡­Changsheng? You¡¯re here. ¡± In the lobby of the Sky Pavilion, Ying Kai stopped speaking when he saw a medical disciple respectfully pull apart the beaded curtains. The Sword Sect Master and his nephew entered one after another. For some reason, the two of them had a strange expression, as if they just had an argument. Ying Kai said, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The handsome face of Golden Gate¡¯s Young Master was glum. Although Yuchi Rui tended to be expressionless, those who were familiar with him could detect a subtle guilty conscience from the corners of his eyebrows. He answered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Xu Shuangtze cast a glance at Yuchi Xiao¡¯s face before he shut his eyes and muttered. He seemed to be perceiving something within the depths of the primordial spirit. Then, he opened his eyes and averted his gaze without a word. Ying Kai was puzzled and presumed that Yuchi Rui, the head of Golden Gate had just disciplined his nephew. He changed the subject at once and said, ¡°Changsheng, you came at the right time. I was just sharing that there are three possible locations where the war between the mechanical soldier and the immortal we saw in the illusion took place. They are Tianmen Pass, Mohe Mountain and Sha Hai Rift. Shuangtze proposes to investigate each one in person, but these three places are too far away from each other. Why don¡¯t we split up to search separately? Once we find the mechanical giant buried in the centre of the earth, we might be able to follow the trail to find Du Kaixun.¡± After all, this matter was intrinsically linked to ascension, and the great masters were naturally in a rush to investigate. Xu Shuangtze was also as anxious as the rest. Perhaps he was upset that he wasn¡¯t able to get rid of Du Kaixun back then, or maybe it was the scene in the illusion which aroused his interest. Either way, this reaction was uncharacteristic of him. For many years, Yuchi Rui insisted on contradicting Lord Xu¡¯s decisions. Just as he was about to protest on reflex, he thought about the suggestion and found no reason to oppose. Some intended words got stuck in his throat and he could only utter, ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Mu Duozhu used his soft tone, which always gave an illusion that everything he said was polite, ¡°I dare not let the Lotus Immortal¡¯s body be kept on the golden ship for too long. Brother Ying, it is best you quickly bring him back to the Correctional Palace and bury him. Moreover, the restoration of Ding Xian Mausoleum may be prone to changes. This matter should not be delayed. You should not be partaking in the investigations.¡± Ying Kai, ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Mohe Mountain is just south of the Golden Ship¡¯s route, so I shall head there. The Sha Hai Rift is northwest of Julu City which Artefact Sect Master will be passing through. It is also more convenient for him to dispatch disciples. What do you think of this arrangement?¡± Mu Duozhu cast his gaze upon Changsun Chengfeng, and the Artefact Sect Master nodded in agreement, ¡°Since this matter has inextricable links with the previous generation¡¯s Artefact Sect Master, I am more than willing to depart for the Sha Hai Rift. ¡± Ying Kai had been occupied with the various matters of the Immortal Alliance since he took over as the master. The energy and enthusiasm of when he travelled across the world in his youth were long gone. What was left was the crushing weight from the countless official duties of the Correctional Palace. Originally, Ying Kai wanted to take this rare opportunity to head out of Dai Mountain in person. However, Mu Duozhu dashed his hopes with a single sentence, so he sighed and added dejectedly, ¡°This way, only Tianmen Pass is left. This place is the furthest away and most arduous to reach, for flying swords cannot be used. Fortunately, it is close to the Spring Banquet Terrace of the Guqin Master. I will send a request to him¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Xu Shuangtze interrupted. Before Ying Kai could say anything, Mu Duozhu euphemistically continued, ¡°Brother Xu, your beloved¡­ Your disciple has not recovered from his injuries. He needs you to infuse a large amount of spiritual energy into him every day. If you go, I¡¯m afraid you can only leave him on the golden ship for me to look after. The daily medical fee¡­¡± As soon as the word ¡®medical fee¡¯ was dished out, everyone panicked. Sounds of people coughing came from around the long table. Xu Shuangtze calmly responded, ¡°He will come with me.¡± The profiteer with the family name Mu demonstrated his last bit of conscience, and advised solemnly, ¡°Brother Xu, absolutely not! The patient was severely injured and remains unconscious. He cannot withstand the thousands of miles of bumps and bruises, otherwise¡ª¡± Yuchi Rui slapped the table and added, ¡°That¡¯s right! Absolutely not!¡± Mu Duozhu, ¡°Puu!¡± Mu Duozhu had never received such enthusiastic support in his life and almost choked on his tea. Everyone looked at the Sword Sect Master in unison. Then, Ying Kai asked in amazement, ¡°Changsheng?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yuchi Rui gulped amid everyone¡¯s astonished gaze, and calmly said, ¡°I want to take Xiaoyuan back to the Golden Gate.¡± Yuchi Xiao thought he had misheard the words, ¡°Uncle?¡± Ying Kai also believed he heard wrong, ¡°Changsheng, although Xiang Xiaoyuan can¡¯t get off the ship, he is a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect after all. How can he return to Golden Gate with you?¡± We Vtejcuahf rja bc bcf rlvf. Lf gfnfjifv j wbmxlcu fzqgfrrlbc, jcv ribkis gfqfjafv, ¡°Wljcu Wljbsejc lr j vlrmlqif bo ws Jjcu Tjcu Vfma. Qts rtbeiv tf gfaegc ab atf Xbivfc Xjaf klat sbe?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ktf qbbg Vkbgv Vfma Zjrafg ktb kjr cba ubbv klat kbgvr kjr bcmf jujlc rtgbevfv lc tfiqifrrcfrr. Fcvfg atf rajgfr bo fnfgsbcf qgfrfca, tlr ygjlc kjr yijcx, jcv la abbx j ibcu alwf obg tlw ab obgmlyis rdeffhf bea rbwf kbgvr, ¡°Dfmjerf tf¡­tf tjr j wjggljuf mbcagjma klat ws cfqtfk, atfs beuta ab tfjv tbwf ab mbwqifaf atf mfgfwbcs.¡± Surrounded by silence for a long time, Yuchi Xiao finally asked with a trembling voice that rose from the bottom of his heart, ¡°Uncle?!¡± Ying Kai was also caught off guard, ¡°Shuangtze, is this true?¡± Xu Shuangtze retracted that gaze which revealed a subtle amusement and casually answered, ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡± Yuchi Rui was flustered, ¡°Xu Shuangtze, you¡ª¡± ¡°Half a month before the incident in Linjiang City, the young master of Golden Gate came to Cang Yang Sect to return the engagement scroll with their birth characters. This is the first time he proposed to break the engagement. On the eve of the Ding Xian Mausoleum incident, my disciple handed over the Qilin pendant to me, with the intention of returning it to the Golden Gate. This is the second attempt to withdraw from the engagement.¡± Xu Shuangtze picked up his teacup and added, ¡°For the disciples of major families to become cultivation partners, they must first obtain the permission of their master, then report it to the Correctional Palace of the Immortal Alliance. Today, in the presence of Lord Ying, I will officially declare the annulment of this contract. This shall be the third attempt to end this engagement. From now on my beloved disciple, Xiang Xiaoyuan, will no longer have anything to do with the Golden Gate. Now that I have spoken, I will not retract my words. May all the masters present bear witness.¡± After that, he swung the cup. Half a cup of tea was splashed on the paulownia floor and the scene was reflected in everyone¡¯s eyes. Xu Shuangtze stood up and declared in a condescending tone, ¡°I have to send a letter to Wen Xiuyang to arrange some matters. I will take my leave now and return later.¡± Before anyone could react, Xu Shuangtze walked straight to the door. He appeared to have some urgent business and without waiting for the medical sect disciples, he lifted the curtain and disappeared outside the corridor. Ying Kai was puzzled and turned his head back, ¡°Changsheng, you guys¡­¡± Before he could finish his words, Yuchi Rui stepped forward, grabbed his wrist, and interrupted, ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What? ¡± Yuchi Rui completely ignored the other two who stared at him like he was a monster. He emphasised with a deepened tone and added solemnly, ¡°Let them leave quickly. I have something to tell you in private.¡± Mu Duozhu, ¡°¡­¡± Changsun Chengfeng, ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai repeated in bewilderment, ¡°Huh?¡± * * * Xu Shuangtze swiftly crossed the veranda and turned the corner. His figure disappeared into the void. In the next instant, he appeared on the floor where the patient ward was located. He stopped and stood on the bare white jade steps. In a tone that was neither light nor heavy¡ª ¡°Cough.¡± It¡¯s Xu Shuangtze! Gong Wei¡¯s primordial spirit quivered and he suddenly opened his eyes. Even the hair on the back of his neck stood up. According to the plan made earlier, he would hide in the Sword Sect Master¡¯s room to wait for Changsheng to bring Shixiong over to rescue him. However, after waiting for half a day, not only did Changsheng not lead the great Buddha, Ying Kai, over, but Xu Bai came back first instead. What happened in the sky pavilion? Are Ying Kai and the rest back there? What should I do now? In desperation, Gong Wei took a risk and used an eavesdropping technique. A vague voice sounded from the sky pavilion. It was the Artefact Sect Master who said unhurriedly, ¡°¡­In this case, Bai Xian and I will take our leave to Shahai Rift. If you discover anything, please contact me with a transmission talisman¡­¡± Why is everyone still in discussion? Why was Xu Shuangtze the first to head back! At the moment, it is too late to flee maniacally. Xu Shuangtze was blocking off the only passage to the sky pavilion on this floor. The man was now walking down the steps unhurriedly. There were no words to describe what Gong Wei felt now. He sprung up, pushed the door open and tiptoed so lightly it was like feathers in the wind. In the blink of an eye, he expertly passed through several intricate networks of corridors. At the same instance as when Xu Shuangtze appeared at the end of the corridor, Gong Wei had already rushed back to the room he woke up in. He barged in, undressed his robes and removed his shoes. Then, he hopped onto the bed, grabbing the outer robe placed on the bed and wrapped it around his entire head. The faint scent of white sandalwood on the robes of the Cang Yang Sect Master instantly wafted into his nose. With a click, Xu Shuangtze pushed the door in and walked into the room. Gong Wei¡¯s whole body was shrunk within the black-rimmed white sect master¡¯s robe. He couldn¡¯t see what was happening and only felt that Xu Shuangtze had stepped up to the bedside and now stood still. Thump, thump. Gong Wei could only hear his heartbeat, seemingly racing in his throat. He felt that it might leap out if he were to open his mouth now. Every moment was suddenly prolonged. Perhaps people tend to overthink and entertain wild thoughts when they are nervous. In the suffocating blankness, countless distracting thoughts that hadn¡¯t been processed before abruptly popped up in Gong Wei¡¯s mind in succession. Why did Xu Bai want to kill Du Kaixun? Why didn¡¯t Xu Bai dismember my corpse? Why was Xu Bai so good to a low-level disciple who is a Mei demon? Was it just because he didn¡¯t want to see Xiang Xiaoyuan die? If he knew that I am not Xiang Xiaoyuan, would he¡­would he still want to kill me? No one could see anything under the robe, but Gong Wei¡¯s fingers had gripped one corner of the coat so tightly that the knuckles turned white. The sharp and tragic scratches on the arm of his corpse appeared vividly once more. A thought that was buried in the deepest part of his consciousness, one which he believed that if he ignored it, all would be well, finally forced its way out uncontrollably¡ª Xu Shuangtze did not cut up my flesh and drain my blood. Then, why has the sea of peach trees in front of Xuanji Palace remained in full bloom for the past sixteen years? Suddenly, Gong Wei¡¯s body stiffened as he felt a familiar touch covering his temples through the robe. The hand slid down his cheeks in a movement so gentle that one could not refuse. The surroundings were terribly quiet, and he heard Xu Shuangtze leaning over to his ears. The man whispered tenderly through the layer of clothing, ¡°My beloved disciple.¡± ¡°This master has already broken off the engagement with the Golden Gate for you. From now on, you don¡¯t have to worry about any outsiders coming to pester you again.¡± Gong Wei¡¯s breathing stopped, and even his closed eyelids were tightened. But in the next moment, he relaxed. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice seemed to contain a certain magical power. As his last word fell, an unstoppable drowsiness overwhelmed Gong Wei at once. With the last trace of his consciousness, Gong Wei felt as if his body was lifted into the air. He was pressed against another in a strong embrace and brought outside the door. Other than this, he didn¡¯t know anything else. * * * An hour ago on the deck¡­ Ying Kai frowned and asked, ¡°Bai Xian, why do you have to pay such gestures of deep respect to the Lotus Immortal?¡± Outside the Ice Pavilion, at the end of the deck where the corpses were kept, Bai Xian bowed his head deeply until his forehead reached the ground. He was kowtowing in the direction of the Lotus Immortal¡¯s frozen body. After getting up, he went down on the ground again in reverence, until he completed the grand kowtow of three kneeling and nine prostrations. Only then, he stood up and exhaled. ¡°Seventeen years ago, at the Correctional Palace, Chief Gong did all he could to stop me from cutting out my heart. His fingers were wounded in the process. After that, I had always wanted to visit and thank him. However, it was not meant to be and he and I were separated by life and death.¡± He lowered his head and said, ¡°I have been regretful and resentful in my heart for this, but I finally got what I wanted.¡± Since the start, Yuchi Changsheng had been following Ying Kai every step of the way. He constantly wanted to say something, then hesitated and seemed suffocated. Yet throughout, everyone ignored him. Ying Kai urged, ¡°It¡¯s just a formality really. Bai Xian, you do not need to take it to heart.¡± ¡°In this life, only the Artefact Sect Master and the Lotus Immortal ever shed blood to save me, this insignificant being. I will never forget their kindness in my lifetime.¡± Bai Xian paused, and whispered softly, ¡°But the kind are not always rewarded.¡± This was tantamount to blaming the Cang Yang Sect Master. Everyone had a strange expression for a moment. Then, Changsun Chengfeng¡¯s eyes flickered before coughing and saluting, ¡°In this case, I shall bring Bai Xian along to the Sha Hai Rift. If there are any new discoveries, please send me a transmission talisman.¡± Ying Kai felt a little regretful when watching them leave as he returned the salute to Changsun Chengfeng and Bai Xian. When the Artefact Sect Master and Bai Xian left the deck on their swords, Yuchi Changsheng who was beside Ying Kai immediately grabbed his sleeve. He ignored the stunned gaze of a group of medical disciples in the distance. Yuchi Rui directly pushed open the door of the ice pavilion, shoved Ying Kai in and slammed the door shut with his backhand. Judging from this action, Yuchi Rui was on the brink of being stifled to insanity, ¡°I have to bring Xiang Xiaoyuan¡­¡± Ying Kai sternly reprimanded, ¡°Changsheng! Everyone has tolerated and given in to you several times today! You were so disrespectful to the Medical Sect Master and the Artefact Sect Mast earlier, how could you¡ª¡± Yuchi Changsheng blurted, ¡°It¡¯s Gong Wei! He¡¯s back!¡± Before the sentence ended, Ying Kai¡¯s face changed drastically. Ding Shan Hai was unsheathed instantly and he glanced back at the corpse on the ice bed in the middle of the rotunda. The body did not move, and the surroundings were silent. ¡°He is Xiang Xiaoyuan!¡± At this time, Yuchi Changsheng finally had time to continue with the second half of his sentence. ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai turned his head back inch by inch, with an astounded expression, as if he was wondering if he was dreaming right now, ¡°What did you say?¡± Yuchi Changsheng explained, ¡°Xiang Xiaoyuan went off rails with his cultivation and his body ended up being occupied by Gong Wei. It has been more than a month since he woke up and Xu Shuangtze still doesn¡¯t know! You can¡¯t let him go to Tianmen Pass!¡± The Sword Sect Master gave a highly concise summary of the events like shooting the words out of a cannon. Every word that blasted from his lips rendered Ying Kai dizzy. After a long while, Ying Kai finally squeezed out the question from the bottom of his heart, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± Yuchi Changsheng was shocked, ¡°It¡¯s obviously you who¡­¡± Ying Kai didn¡¯t wait for him to finish. He pushed the door open and rushed out, beckoning to a disciple of the medical school, ¡°Go and summon Lord Xu, just say that I have a sudden and urgent matter to discuss with him, have him hurry over¡ª¡± ¡°Brother Ying?¡± At this moment, Mu Duozhu happened to walk over, and asked suspiciously, ¡°Are you all looking for Brother Xu? He just sent me a transmission talisman, saying that he and his beloved¡­ his disciple has already alighted the Golden Ship and embarked on the journey to Tianmen Pass. Do you have an urgent matter with him?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sahl: ¡®Guess who¡¯s back? Back again. Gong Wei¡¯s back. Tell a friend.¡¯ Five points for anyone who knows the rapper I¡¯m referencing. Also Yuchi Rui and Ying Kai ¨C Best Friends Ever (even if they are a bit slow to get going in helping Gong Wei). Who thinks Xu Bai already knows? Also, check out Chansie¡¯s amazing art of our Gong Wei and Xu Bai. Chansie: I totally feel for Ying Kai in this chapter. His hopes of travelling freely were dashed at once T.T Anyway, Sahl and I wish to thank you for your support in the past year~ I did two random pieces of fanart depicting my impressions of Gong Wei and Xu Shuangtze. I am really just a hobbyist and having fun with my new ipad~ Hope you like them CH 46 It¡¯s too late, Gong Wei. You are going to be late. Despite being in a daze, Gong Wei¡¯s consciousness seemed to be scorched by flames. He moved uncomfortably in his groggy state, and then, this voice was forcibly suppressed by a stronger consciousness in the depths of his mind. A distant and familiar voice sounded from within his soul. It became increasingly urgent and loud, until the echo resounded everywhere¡ª Kill Xu Bai! Soon it will be too late¡ª ¡°What¡¯s going to be too late? ¡± Yuchi Rui asked strangely. Outside a guest pavilion at the Golden Gate, where a maple tree with red leaves provided shade, there was a gurgling sound of water boiling. Tea was being brewed on a small stove and exuded a refreshing fragrance. Gong Wei suddenly regained his senses, and answered softly, ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were just saying that it¡¯s going to be too late to do something.¡± Gong Wei didn¡¯t seem to react, and he appeared stunned for a moment before asking, ¡°Did I say that?¡± ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± Yuchi Rui frowned and glanced at him for a while, then said, ¡°Why are you talking to yourself? Ying Kai also mentioned that you have been distracted. Have you gone off the rails?¡± Gong Wei laughed lazily, ¡°Even if you did, I could never do so!¡± He stood up and stretched before saying with a smile, ¡°I have something on at the Correctional Palace tonight. I¡¯ll make a move! I¡¯ll come to play again when your pot of black peach blossom tea blooms! ¡± Yuchi Rui answered him concisely and sternly, ¡°Begone!¡± Gong Wei chuckled and left. No time to delay. Not knowing when it started, there seemed to be an hourglass with sand constantly flowing in the void. The sound of falling, fine sand particles echoed in his ears, but Gong Wei didn¡¯t know how much sand was left or what would happen when the time came to an end. The invisible pressure was accumulating every minute and every second. He waited for an answer, but he couldn¡¯t tell whether he wanted the destined time to come sooner, or that he hoped this moment would stand still, never to move forward. In the middle of this early winter night, light from a white moon was cast into the tall windows, along with a wind which gently pushed the gauze veils into the hall. Gong Wei suddenly opened his eyes on the bed as if he just sensed something. He jumped out of the bed, opened the carved window, and went outside. Barefooted, he stepped into the bamboo forest, making no sound. He didn¡¯t know how far he had walked before he stopped. From where he stood, he saw the beast heads carvings of the palace in the distance. On the corner of the eaves stood a tall, and slender figure. Under the moonlight, he appeared cold and distant and was surveying the area from this height. The snow from the far north had not yet dissipated from the sleeves of his robe, and the wind carried the faint, yet lingering scent of blood on No Way Out. Gong Wei laughed, raised his head and asked, ¡°Are you here to play with me, Xu Bai?¡± The figure made no response. ¡°Did you just kill someone?¡± The boy¡¯s face looked so innocent. The moonlight, which was reflected on his soft, white satin bedclothes, appeared bleak and dull in comparison to his piercingly translucent skin. Xu Shuangtze finally spoke, and said softly, ¡°Gong Wei.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No one in the world has ascended in the past millennium. In two months when the prayer ceremony will take place on the Ascension Platform, Ying Kai has prepared to request the gods to reopen the gate of heaven. ¡± Xbcu Qfl¡¯r fzqgfrrlbc mtjcufv rilutais. Coafg j ktlif, tf jrxfv, ¡°We Djl, jgf sbe ublcu ab jrmfcv?¡± Pc atf kbgiv bo meialnjalbc lc qegrela bo lwwbgajilas, atf Jjcu Tjcu Vfma Zjrafg gflucfv reqgfwf. Po atf gbjv ab jrmfcrlbc mbeiv gfjiis yf bqfcfv, We Vtejcuahf kbeiv mfgajlcis yf atf olgra bcf ab yf jyif ab yfmbwf jc lwwbgaji. Pa kbeiv yf tlw jcv cb bcf firf. But Xu Shuangtze did not answer him. At this time, the dissent between the Cang Yang Sect Master and the Chief of the Correctional Palace was already deep. The whole world knew of them as mortal enemies that could not coexist. No one could have imagined that the duo could face each other at close distance, under the moonlight in the middle of the night, and have a peaceful conversation with no hint of offence. No one knew that on the sleeves of Xu Shuangtze¡¯s robe, there was still frost from the glaciers tens of thousands of miles away, mixed with the blood of Du Kaixun¡¯s severed head. ¡°If one day,¡± Xu Shuangtze uttered suddenly, and then very abruptly he paused, then continued, ¡°If one day, I am gone¡­¡± Gong Wei looked at him without blinking, as if waiting for his question. The way in which Gong Wei gazed at the man, anyone would believe that he was paying full attention to his words in wholehearted devotion. He was born this way, like a ball of light, like a bout of the sweetest dreams, capable of casually enveloping and drawing one into an endless and alluring illusion. But an illusion could only be an illusion. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s words stopped there. After a long time he suddenly said, ¡°Forget it.¡± He turned around to leave, but at this moment Gong Wei¡¯s clear voice came from the ground behind him, ¡°I will cry.¡± Xu Shuangtze stopped and looked back. The young man stood on a tiptoe. He smiled as he cupped his hands around his mouth and raised his head, affirming, ¡°I will cry for real!¡± Unexpectedly, Xu Shuangtze gazed back at him for a long time. He did not utter any harsh words, nor raise his blade at the young man. At this moment, the sharp contours of his nose concealed the moonlight from behind. His pupils trembled ever so slightly, but no one could catch his expression. After a long while, the corners of his thin lips were raised into a sneer and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a dream.¡± Then, without sparing Gong Wei any opportunity to speak, the man vanished into the vast sky, gone within an instant. Gong Wei¡¯s smile gradually faded, and his tiptoeing feet lowered to the ground. A blood-red light swirled at the bottom of his pupils like a whirlpool. It was from that moment that he finally understood the path his fate extended upon from beneath his feet. It would lead him towards the Ascension Platform two months later. That same voice residing within the depths of his primordial spirit would resound over and over ¡ªKill Xu Bai. That is the only reason you descended into this world. Kill Xu Bai. The invisible hourglass which stood in the void abruptly rotated. The sand rushed into the funnel, racing towards the end of time. Kill Xu Bai, before that irreversible end occurs¡ª Gong Wei¡¯s eyes sprang open. The emptiness of the spiritual veins rendered him faint and groggy at the same time. The instant he woke, he was unaware of where he was. He subconsciously sat up and found that he was on a high bed, and then, he felt there was another person lying at his side. Gong Wei spun his head to look. It was Xu Shuangtze! Moonlight spilled into the Xuanji Palace from the tall windows. In the night sky, peach petals drifted, and the layers of veiled curtains curled up slightly in the wind. Xu Shuangtze was dressed in a black fitted inner robe and laid still near the edge of the bed. Judging from his calm side profile and deep, steady breathing, he should have fallen asleep with his slender and fair hands folded in front of his chest. ¡°¡­¡± Aren¡¯t I on the golden ship? Why am I back at Cang Yang Sect¡¯s Xuanji Palace? Why is Xu Shuangtze lying here? Gong Wei¡¯s mind alternated between a state of clarity and a daze. Then, his eyes fell on the other party¡¯s throat¡­and as if bewitched, the killing intent that had not yet dissipated from that dream rose from his heart again. The voice was so clear that it seemed to have been spoke right into his ears¡ª Kill him. You failed sixteen years ago. Now, you must kill him as soon as possible¡ª Gong Wei stretched out his hand like a demonic claw, hovering in the air above that defenceless neck area, his fingertips trembling slightly. ¡°¡­Sixteen years ago, Lord Xu travelled tens of thousands of miles to the far North just to kill Du Kaixun, who wanted to poison the Lotus Immortal¡­¡± ¡°Everyone knows that Lotus Immortal was dismembered after his death, and his blood seeped into the grounds of the peach blossom forest. Otherwise, what was sustaining the peach blossoms in front of Xuanji Palace which never withers?¡± ¡°Xu Shuangtze personally extracted the soldier silk from you in front of Ding Xian Mausoleum. All of the Immortal Alliance knows of this!¡­¡± An unprecedented and subversive idea suddenly appeared, and occupied almost all of Gong Wei¡¯s mind at the moment of inception. He thought to himself. ¡°If I don¡¯t kill Xu Shuangtze, what will happen?¡± Xu Shuangtze did not die sixteen years ago, but the destined ending of carnage did not arrive as a consequence. If I continue down the path of my destiny to the last second, what kind of fate will be ushered in? No one saw the scattered spots of scarlet light in Gong Wei¡¯s eyes gather into one. In this quiet and clandestine night, every moment was endlessly long. After an unknown period of time, he retracted his sharp fingertips. But at this moment, as if he was pierced by a cold needle, Gong Wei realised the abnormalities of his surroundings. The bed he was on was not the same as in the Cang Yang Sect¡¯s Xuanji Palace. This was an illusion! Gong Wei¡¯s mind whirled swiftly like electricity, and the hand that he was retracting backward gripped the edge of the quilt. Then, he smoothly tucked it at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s chest as if nothing had happened. And at the same moment when he was tucked under the covers, Xu Shuangtze opened his eyes and looked straight into Gong Wei¡¯s with a calm gaze. ¡ªAt the moment when the two looked at each other, a sea of peach blossoms outside the window was swept away by the howling wind. The layers of veiled curtains were rolled up and faded into nothingness. The illusion around them washed out like a tide, finally revealing reality. They were not in the Cang Yang Sect¡¯s Xuanji Palace, but in a large room at an inn. Through the lattice window, the blue-grey light of the dawn sky emerged. Xu Shuangtze sat up and said coolly, ¡°Beloved disciple, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Greetings to Shizun!¡± Gong Wei got on his knees and knelt on the bed. He bowed with a serious expression, ¡°This disciple noticed Shizun¡¯s thin clothing and was afraid that Shizun might catch a cold in the night. Therefore, this disciple brazenly tucked the quilt for Shizun. Please forgive me!¡± One side of the bed was pushed against the wall and concealed the back of Gong Wei¡¯s bedclothes that had long been soaked in cold sweat. It seemed that a few long hours had passed, but in reality it was merely a few breaths. Gong Wei finally felt a hand lifting up his cold chin. Xu Shuangtze¡¯s dimmed eyes seemed to carry a hint of a smile, ¡°Oh really?¡± Being forced to raise his head, Gong Wei replied sincerely, ¡°The disciple is guilty for waking up Shizun.¡± This scene was simply too strange. The soft light of the early morning created an ambiguous, intimate ambience surrounding the wide bed. Gong Wei was kneeling with his back against the wall, dressed only in his bedclothes. Xu Shuangtze was laying on the outer edge of the bed, facing inwards, towards Gong Wei. Perhaps it was because he did not have his outer robe on, from Gong Wei¡¯s perspective, Xu Shuangtze had broad shoulders and a slender waist. His fitted inner robes outlined the perfect structure of his upper body and it faintly exuded an unspeakable sense of oppression. Gong Wei lowered his eyelashes hastily. ¡°My beloved disciple came into contact with soldier silk and had every inch of his spiritual veins broken. You need to be infused with a large amount of spiritual energy into the sea of Qi every day to be healed.¡± Xu Shuangtze leaned forward slightly and whispered softly in Gong Wei¡¯s ear, ¡°My beloved disciple should not fool around so much and get more rest¡­understand?¡± Gong Wei replied hoarsely, ¡°The disciple understands.¡± Xu Shuangtze smiled slightly, turned around and got off the bed. There were inns all over the Immortal Alliance just for cultivators. Although this room they were in looked more elegant and spacious, there were no exceptional differences from the rooms of regular inns. The robes of Cang Yang Sect Master were hung on a rack by the window. Xu Shuangtze casually stepped forward and put on his outer robe, only to hear Gong Wei behind him tremblingly asked, ¡°Shizun, where are you¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze cut him off, ¡°We¡¯re heading to Tianmen Pass.¡± Gong Wei obviously missed this piece of information from the Golden Ship, ¡°Huh?¡± Tianmen Pass was the most remote and difficult place to reach among the three possible locations predicted by Ying Kai. It was close to the northern glacier and its climate was treacherous and unpredictable. Located further down than Yan Chun Tai, the surrounding spiritual energies were thin, and the journey could no longer be continued by sword flight. According to Gong Wei¡¯s understanding of Xu Shuangtze, the man would not even be bothered to look for a Golden Immortal buried within the earth, let alone a world-annihilating soldier. Moreover, this journey had to be undertaken on foot. Just as he was wondering if Ying Kai had used the Alliance Master¡¯s seal to compel Xu Shuangtze to submit, Xu Shuangtze spoke, ¡°As to who planted the soldier silk in your body, there have been some preliminary clues. It may be the younger brother of the Artefact Sect Master, Du Kaixun.¡± Although Gong Wei already gotten Yuchi Rui¡¯s recount of the interrogation in the Sky Pavilion, he made sure to react in astonishment, ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Artefact Sect Master used the primordial spirit of Ying Kai to pave the way, and materialised the memory which the mastermind imbued in the Lotus Immortal. It was a world-destroying mechanical giant slaughtering the people in a city.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know which previous generation of Artefact Sect Master he was, but he self-destructed his own primordial spirit on the battlefield with the goal of perishing together with that mechanical soldier.¡± ¡°Because of his self-sacrifice and the merits of salvation, the Artefact Sect Master ushered in a heavenly tribulation. But just before the thunder and lightning disintegrated his souls, a mirror suddenly descended from the heavens and shielded him. That mirror helped him obstruct the vile nine-fold evil tribulation.¡± Standing in front of the window, Xu Shuangtze explained and turned his head to look at Gong Wei steadily. In that illusion, Gong Wei was afraid of being discovered so he hid far away. However, he still vaguely saw that mirror that blocked the lightning tribulation. Gong Wei could only respond blankly, ¡°Huh?¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s next words were almost like a hallucination as the man locked his gaze on Gong Wei¡¯s face. It was as if he was determined to capture every expression in detail¡ªand as if he was peering into Gong Wei¡¯s thoughts. ¡°But just as the mirror was carrying the primordial spirit of that grandmaster and soared to the heavens, a man in black suddenly appeared. He was wielding a divine sword and was in a rage as he attempted to piece through the mirror and tear up the spirit of the grandmaster.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze asked slowly, uttering word by word, ¡°What does my beloved disciple think of this?¡± Gong Wei thought to himself, ¡°What can I think of it? That heavenly being in black robes abruptly descended from the heavenly gate, but the illusion came to an end just before that man stabbed the mirror. How the hell would I know if that unlucky Artefact Sect Master successfully ascended or not?¡± ¡ªXu Shuangtze watched him closely, but did not see the slightest surprise on the youth¡¯s face. His expression changed slightly. ¡°The disciple is stupid,¡± Gong Wei pondered, then decided to bite the bullet and said, ¡°Then¡­why did that Heavenly Entity stop the Artefact Sect Master from ascending?¡± Xu Shuangtze seemed to want to be certain, and deepened his tone, ¡°Do you have any thoughts on that being?¡± Gong Wei was a little intimidated by his line of questioning and involuntarily uttered, ¡°Ah¡±, and added, ¡°The disciple is lowly and dare not arbitrarily speak of the heavenly beings of the upper realm. Shizun, please forgive me!¡± The room was terribly quiet. For some reason there was no sound coming from the man towering over Gong Wei¡¯s head for a long time. Gong Wei was still sitting on the bed and boldly looked up. He saw Xu Shuangtze¡¯s back facing the inn¡¯s window and could not decipher his expression in the backlight. ¡°¡­That¡¯s fair.¡± Then, after a long pause, he finally broke the silence and uttered every word in an unusual stillness, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what the others think, but when I saw the Heavenly Being appear in that illusion, my heart was very worried and uneasy.¡± Did Lord Xu just say that he was worried and uneasy? Gong Wei didn¡¯t know whether it was ridiculous or funny. Hugging the quilt, he inched towards the corner of the bed and cautiously answered, ¡°Since it¡¯s an illusion, Shizun doesn¡¯t have to worry. Maybe the scene was made up and never happened in all of history!¡± Surprisingly, Xu Shuangtze said, ¡°No, it should have happened in reality.¡± The tone was too firm, and Gong Wei did not react in time as he asked, ¡°Why do you say so?¡± ¡°To have defeated mighty fighters on the battlefield and ascend to immortality right after. There was indeed such a person mentioned in the legends. It¡¯s just that with the passing of countless years, the truth became rumours, where the details passed down were deviated and distorted.¡± Xu Shuangtze paused and added, ¡°This character came up in the first chapter of the Daoist enlightenment story, ¡®The Ghost Prince Welcomes His Bride¡¯.¡± CH 47 Wasn¡¯t the bride of the Ghost Prince a woman? This was Gong Wei¡¯s first reaction. Then, he pondered once more and did not think he was mistaken. Then again, if Lady Xu was not a woman, then of course the Ghost Prince¡¯s bride may not have necessarily been a female either. Whatever it was, no one would know for sure the realities these legends came from. Both Xu Shuangtze and the Ghost Prince had rumours of their wedding circulating in the world. Gong Wei thought that Xu Shuangtze was fortunate to have his relentless help to overcome the killing obstacles. The Ghost Prince, on the other hand, may not have had such luck. Moreover, it was well-known that Daoist stories tended to intersect with the truth. This left Gong Wei feeling absurd. He sat on the bed and hugged the quilt tightly as he pondered for a long time. He suddenly caught on, and hurriedly said, ¡°So did Shizun see a female Artefact Sect Master then?¡± Xu Shuangtze glanced at him indifferently, as if he did not care to answer. Gong Wei added, ¡°This disciple is dull. This disciple still doesn¡¯t understand why Shizun is worried. Could it be that the heavenly being looked terrifying?¡± Xu Shuangtze finally responded, ¡°I didn¡¯t see the entity¡¯s facial features clearly. In all probability, mortals need a certain level of cultivation to distinctly perceive the appearance of a heavenly being. I only recalled one thing, which the mechanical giant mentioned in the illusion, ¡®Living beings are insignificant like dogs, the Great Dao will come to an end.¡¯ Xu Shuangtze had fallen silent as if he did not know how to continue on with the explanation. Gong Wei heard those words back then as well. After all, the mechanical soldier roared with anger at the time, so much so that the earth shook with it, ¡°So Shizun thinks that¡­¡± After a long while, the man drew a breath and slowly uttered, ¡°Is it possible that the mechanical giant itself was sent down by a certain heavenly being to destroy the world? Gong Wei thought to himself that this guess was too ridiculous. Does this ¡®certain heavenly being¡¯s¡¯ objective have to be to end all living beings on earth? ¡°If it is as you speculated, then this evil tribulation which that grandmaster ushered in seems plausible. Because it was not originally intended to let him overcome and ascend. It was a divine punishment to shatter his corpse such that he will cease to exist. The spiritual being residing in the mirror deflected all of the nine-thunder tribulation and carried the primordial spirit of the grandmaster into the sky. This also violated the will of the gods, so he appeared in a rage and cast the divine punishment¡±. If one paid close attention, one would notice Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice was a little unstable when saying this, even with a hint of hoarseness in the end. He continued, ¡°If my guess is true, then this heavenly being is an evil god. Everyone knew that Lord Xu was a man of very few words, and Gong Wei had never seen him say so many things in one sitting. However, the more he listened, the more confused he became. Yet, Gong Wei did not dare to pursue the line of questioning till the end. He could only say, ¡°But-but Shizun, the Ghost Prince¡¯s bride ascended smoothly in the stories. Xu Shuangtze affirmed, ¡°Yes, ascended.¡± ¡°Then, did the grandmaster who Shizun saw fail to ascend?¡± Dawn broke in from outside the window and a ray of light was cast into the dim room with a vaguely amorous ambience. Xu Shuangtze stood in front of the window lattice. Half of his body was hidden in the shadows but his facial features were charmingly lit. There was an unspeakable gloom partially obscured in his eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± his voice was soft. He seemed to be answering Gong Wei but also talking to himself. ¡°¡ªThis grandmaster offended an evil god. So, after he failed to ascend, where did he go? Has he been relegated to being a mortal?¡± The lower half of Gong Wei¡¯s face was hidden behind the quilt, only his pair of eyes were exposed, staring at Xu Shuangtze carefully. Under the calm and restrained expression of the Cang Yang Sect Master, there seemed to be a trace of rampaging anger that made him a little nervous. But Gong Wei had no idea where this strange mood stemmed from. ¡°¡­Did Shizun share this speculation with Lord Ying?¡± He asked warily in a low voice. Unexpectedly, Xu Shuangtze glanced at him and said faintly, ¡°No. Regardless, as long as we find the mastermind, we can get our answer. You are the only one I told.¡± Gong Wei, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The irritability that emanated from Xu Shuangtze became less intense. This was probably because the man had temporarily shelved his thoughts. He turned his head and opened the inn window and said, ¡°So if there is a third person in this world who knows about this, then it must have been you who shared it¡ª¡± The morning wind gently brought his unhurried last two words into Gong Wei¡¯s ears, ¡°My beloved disciple.¡± This was a perfectly normal form of address, but Gong Wei was nestled in the corner of the wide bed in just his bedclothes, his cheeks grew inexplicably hot until he touched his own ears unnaturally. We Vtejcuahf aegcfv jgbecv, rffwlcuis rwlilcu yea cba gfjiis, ¡°Xfa eq, ws yfibnfv vlrmlqif. Kbvjs, kf jgf tfjvlcu ab Vqglcu Djcdefa Kfggjmf ktfgf atf Xedlc Zjrafg gfrlvfr. Gbc¡¯a sbe tjnf j ubbv oglfcv atfgf?¡± * * * Ktf Pwwbgaji Ciiljcmf tjv rfa eq lccr lc njglber qijmfr fzmierlnfis obg lwwbgaji meialnjabgr ab gfra jcv gfmeqfgjaf. Ktfs vlv cba jmmfqa gfueijg mbqqfg mblcr jcv rlinfg yliir. Ktf bcis kjs ab obba atf ylii kjr ab mtjguf atflg rajs ab atflg rfma¡¯r jmmbeca bg erf ubiv jr qjswfca. Qtfc atfs mjwf vbkc ab mtfmx bea, Xbcu Qfl kjr qgfqjgfv ab klacfrr j rfcrjalbcji gfjmalbc ogbw atf uefrar. Lf mjgfoeiis tlv mbwqifafis yftlcv We Vtejcuahf. Unexpectedly, when the two of them passed through the lobby, the cultivators came and went as usual. They were not the least surprised, as if they completely did not recognise the esteemed Cang Yang Sect Master. Xu Shuangtze calmly explained, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shizun has already cast a disguise. When others see me, all they will notice is an ordinary cultivator from the Cang Yang Sect.¡± Gong Wei was full of admiration and saluted, ¡°Shizun is wise!¡± Then he suddenly reacted, an ordinary cultivator from the Cang Yang Sect? ¡°¡­Shizun, what about me?¡± Xu Shuangtze glanced at him lightly from the corner of his eyes, a fleeting trace of mockery flashed past. Then, he casually stepped forward to settle the bill. Gong Wei froze and touched his face subconsciously. What did he turn me into? But it was useless to worry. Unless he found a mercury mirror and cast a spell to undo the disguise, he would not see what he looked like in the eyes of others. He couldn¡¯t just grab a passer-by and ask, ¡°Hey, what do I look like?¡± Gong Wei had to hold back his faint, ominous hunch and instead surveyed the surroundings. Because most of the cultivators abstained from eating, the inns set up by the Immortal Alliance rarely provided food. Even if they did, they only provided it to young disciples who just built their cultivation foundation. The inns mostly served simple staples such as hot porridge and steamed buns. The inn¡¯s kitchen counter was open, and a bamboo steamer with buns was being removed from a steaming drawer. The chef picked up a bun and tore it in half. Gong Wei¡¯s gaze was fixed when he saw a huge chicken and mushroom meatball appear as the bun was parted. The fragrance wafted in the wind, Gong Wei gulped and sadness suddenly arose in his heart. Although eating was not a necessity for him, it was one of the greatest joys of his life. Not to mention those few meals of boiled vegetables in the Cang Yang Sect, the last decent meal Gong Wei had was more than a month ago. It was the drunken chicken that Meng Yunfei had brought him to feast on. At that time, he and the others were in Linjiang City¡­ At this moment, the chef suddenly looked out. Seeing Xu Shuangtze¡¯s back facing him, he beckoned to Gong Wei in a sneaky manner. ¡°?¡± Gong Wei was puzzled, so he leaned forward. The plump cook wrapped the steam bun in paper and stuffed it into his face. An expression of kindness was almost overflowing as he said, ¡°Hurry and eat this while that sir isn¡¯t looking. Hurry!¡± Gong Wei was shocked, ¡°But-but I have no money?¡± ¡°Why do I need your money for? Take! Take it!¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t take things for free¡­¡± ¡°Hurry up, you poor thing.¡± The cook couldn¡¯t help but whisper and urged, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I will help you watch out for that sir. Hurry up and eat!¡± Gong Wei was caught off guard by being gagged with the big, juicy bun. In a panic, he glanced back at Xu Shuangtze and swallowed it at once. The sweetness of the delectable food and the cook¡¯s generous love engulfed him right away. After that the steamed bun was consumed so swiftly as if fighting a war. The cook stretched half of his body out from the counter window to block Xu Shuangtze¡¯s view of Gong Wei. At the same time, he hastily took out another opened steamed bun and pried it open with a pair of chopsticks. He whispered, ¡°This is also stuffed with chicken meat. Quick, just eat the stuffing! The chicken and mushroom meatball filled Gong Wei¡¯s mouth, and at the same time, his mind was filled with a sudden question, ¡°How did you know that I like buns with chicken stuffing?¡± Not far away, Xu Shuangtze took half a step back, and the innkeeper spoke with a smile on his face, ¡°Have a good day, Sir. Please visit us again next time, Sir!¡± The cook urged, ¡°Quickly, he¡¯s going to look here!¡± Gulp! Gong Wei swallowed down his food once more forcefully, and hurriedly wiped his mouth while exhorting, ¡°I will bring you the money next time!¡± The chef was full of brilliance and waved goodbye reluctantly. Gong Wei quickly cast a cleansing spell on his mouth and fingers. The moment Xu Shuangtze turned around, Gong Wei already dashed back to the entrance of the inn, with his hands placed behind his back and his head tilted up. Innocent, without a trace of irregularity at all. ¡°¡­¡± Their eyes met, and a cold breeze passed them by. Xu Shuangtze peered into Gong Wei¡¯s eyes. For some reason, Gong Wei felt that although that man had an expression that tended to alienate others, there was always a hint of a grin in his eyes. He flicked his sleeves, raised a foot to cross the threshold, and said lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, my beloved disciple.¡± Xu Shuangtze had long legs and took big strides, Gong Wei ran and followed closely behind him, secretly turning back and waving his hand at the plump cook in gratitude. The Guqin Master, Liu Xuzhi, resided at the Spring Banquet Terrace, and it happened to be situated along the only way to Tianmen Pass. It was only more than a hundred miles away from Sui City, where they were at the moment. Gong Wei originally thought that with Xu Shuangtze¡¯s character, he would never make a stop in the middle of the journey. It would merely take him forty-five minutes to reach Spring Banquet Terrace by sword flight¡­So who knew that Xu Shuangtze had no intention of summoning No Way Out at all. He casually strolled around the city empty-handed, not wielding any sword. Sui City was located at the borders, so it was not as prosperous as Linjiang City, but it was still rather lively as soon as the morning market was set up at dawn. Gong Wei was bearing grave injuries at present, and his spiritual power had been suppressed to the utmost extent. He couldn¡¯t keep up with Xu Shuangtze¡¯s pace and stumbled to follow. The people passing them by in the city all glanced at him with a smile which made Gong Wei suspicious. He kept wondering what Xu Shuangtze had turned him into. Right then, a food vendor on the side of the road who sold early, used a large spatula to scoop up a piping hot chicken carcass from the pot, and hollered, ¡°Liu¡¯s chicken noodles! Value-for-money, delicious chicken legs! Come take a look! Come!¡± Gong Wei couldn¡¯t help looking over. He was noticed by the observant food vendor who caught his potential business opportunity, ¡°Does this sir want to try it? If it¡¯s not tasty, you don¡¯t have to pay!¡± Gong Wei thought sadly that even if it was delicious, he had no money. Xu Shuangtze was not the kind who would give his disciples pocket money at all! Unexpectedly, at this moment, the man who was peddling saw that Gong Wei was about to leave. He abruptly changed his words, beckoning enthusiastically, ¡°Don¡¯t go, don¡¯t go! I will be giving away a bowl of chicken legs free just for today. First come first served! Don¡¯t miss this opportunity!¡± Gong Wei was so astounded by this fabulous offer that he almost fell. Xu Shuangtze, in front of him, suddenly stopped, turned his head, and asked coolly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gong Wei didn¡¯t dare to mention the word chicken and hurriedly rushed over. His eyes drooped, and answered, ¡°Shizun, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Xu Shuangtze looked down at him for a moment, then suddenly stretched out his right hand. Gong Wei didn¡¯t dare to act rashly, and froze on the spot for a while, before hearing Xu Shuangtze¡¯s advice, ¡°Hold.¡± Hold¡­ Gong Wei amusedly pinched Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sleeve with two fingers, and answered with a smile ¡°Shizun is really considerate of this disciple, and this disciple is greatly flattered¡­¡± Before he could say anything, Xu Shuangtze took Gong Wei¡¯s left hand and moved it closer to his own wrist. A shimmering light gold character suddenly emerged on the inner side of Gong Wei¡¯s snow-white wrist. It was the character ¡®Xu¡¯. ¡°Since you are already walking slowly, don¡¯t look around. With this mark, no matter where you are, I will know.¡± Gong Wei gritted his teeth. How dare you place a mark on me! Then, he confessed his wrongdoings honestly and sincerely, ¡°The disciple knows that I am in the wrong.¡± Xu Shuangtze added in a matter of fact tone, ¡°Otherwise if you get abducted, wouldn¡¯t it delay the trip?¡± ¡°Shizun is right to berate this disciple. This disciple will definitely¡­abduct? Huh?¡± Gong Wei lived two lives and this was the first time he heard this word used on him. Combined with the cook¡¯s overly loving expression earlier, a terrible hunch suddenly appeared in his mind, ¡°¡­Shizun, did you disguise me as a little maid?¡± Xu Shuangtze glanced at him condescendingly and stepped forward without answering. Am I really a little maid? Xu Shuangtze shouldn¡¯t make fun of others so much, right? Gong Wei hurriedly followed up with the overwhelming doubts in his heart stifling him. Fortunately, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s slowed down his pace this time so that Gong Wei did not have to trot in order to catch up. After about the time to burn a stick of incense, the man unexpectedly stopped. Gong Wei looked up and saw that there was a tavern in front of him. ¡°Welcome, Sir! This way, please!¡± The waiter rushed out with fervour. With a sly look, he led Xu Shuangtze to a private room upstairs, and asked eagerly, ¡°What would you like to eat? How about drinks?¡± Xu Shuangtze lifted his robe and sat down, saying casually, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to ingest food? ¡ªAs expected of Lord Xu, the beautiful term ¡®eating¡¯ was referred to as ¡®ingesting food¡¯ when coming from his lips. Gong Wei¡¯s poor heart, which had been repeatedly frightened in the past few moments, moved up to his throat again. He recalled that Xu Shuangtze had a part to play among those who forced him into food abstinence in his previous life. It was unfathomable for this man to offer him a meal out of kindness. Did he see through my identity? Is he trying to entrap me? Following this train of thought, Gong Wei didn¡¯t dare to utter a word about drunken chicken, roasted chicken, saliva chicken, mushroom chicken buns. These words all lead to death. He gritted his teeth and firmly answered, ¡°This disciple dare not. A disciple should abstain from eating to seek the great Dao. How can he succumb to the temptations of food?¡± Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t even lift his eyelashes, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Shizun is in a very good mood today and I will buy everything you wish to eat.¡± Gong Wei gave a respectful bow, then stated, ¡°In that case, this disciple asks Shizun to bestow a bowl of water-boiled vegetables!¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s movements stopped. After a momentary pause, he asked, ¡°Why so?¡± Gong Wei looked back at the man solemnly, ¡°The disciple has been out for a long time and misses the food bestowed by Shizun on Cang Yang Mountain. I only wish to eat boiled vegetables in plain water to remember Shizun¡¯s grace. Shizun is the wisest!¡± The air in the elegant private room seemed to freeze at once. Gong Wei maintained his reverent gesture of bowing his head, and it took a long time to hear Xu Shuangtze¡¯s soft words, ¡°But I recalled that when you were in Linjiang City, you were unreserved and took the initiative to ask Meng Yunfei of the Sect to treat you to a meal of drunken chicken. You two were engaged in a jovial conversation.¡± Why did Xu Shuangtze have to remember the cursed drunken chicken after so long? Gong Wei raised his voice, ¡°This disciple was overly lax and violated the precept. I promised not to do it again!¡± The temperature in the private room seemed to dip at once, only to hear Xu Shuangtze repeat the words, ¡°¡ªOverly lax.¡± His eyes seemed to have a thin layer of ice forming over them, and he slowly uttered after a long pause, ¡°As expected, my beloved disciple can only be cheerful and relaxed when he is around the disciple with the surname Meng. No wonder you had a great appetite and were chattier than usual.¡± Since you are reluctant to see me enjoy eating drunken chicken, then I shall¡­ ¡°Shizun¡­¡±, Gong Wei urged with an even more repentant expression. ¡°Bring him vegetables boiled in plain water.¡± Xu Shuangtze instructed coldly. The waiter hurriedly ran off as if the soles of his feet were greased. Not long after the dish was served, and it turned out to be a huge bowl of green vegetable soup, much like the one he had on Cang Yang Mountain. There wasn¡¯t even a drop of oil on the surface of the soup. So pristine, that it was good enough to be a mirror as it reflected the despondency in Gong Wei¡¯s eyes. Just like that, he had to pretend to be grateful to Sect Master Xu, ¡°This disciple will remember Shizun¡¯s great kindness!¡± Xu Shuangtze, who was still ¡®in a very good mood¡¯ earlier, did not bother to reply to him. As soon as the door of the room was closed, only the two men were left sitting opposite each other. Gong Wei didn¡¯t even dare to lift his head. He ate the vegetables one strand after another, as if a mute was eating Chinese goldthread¡ªhe could not utter the bitterness he was feeling. Just then, a jade transmission tally lit up on Xu Shuangtze¡¯s waist and spontaneously flew into the air. A thousand-mile manifestation array spread open and at the centre of the lights was Ying Kai. ¡°Great! Shuangtze, you are finally willing to receive my manifestation transmission! I have been trying to contact you since last night, but I couldn¡¯t reach you no matter what¡ª¡± Ying Kai¡¯s keen voice stopped abruptly when he saw Gong Wei. Gong Wei, ¡°¡­¡± Ying Kai, ¡°¡­¡± In an instant, it was as if the thunder of the skies shook the ground, and Gong Wei felt so wronged that he almost rushed up right then and shouted, ¡°Shixiong! Can you see the miserable situation I am in of being oppressed until I am unable to eat? Hurry and rescue me!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± At this time, Xu Shuangtze who was seated on the other side of the round table calmly answered, ¡°This place is remote, and the spiritual energy in the atmosphere is thin. Perhaps that¡¯s why the manifestation formation did not come through smoothly.¡± Ying Kai could only look helplessly at his Shidi, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in sixteen years. Although the man did all he could to hide, anyone who knew him could see the words ¡®displeased but forcing out a broad smile¡¯ etched on his face as he replied, ¡°¡­Shuangtze, is this the young disciple you brought along? Haha! Why does he look like this?¡± CH 48 There was only one thought in Gong Wei¡¯s mind right now. So what did he turn me into? At this time, Xu Shuangtze lightly put down his teacup and spoke, ¡°My young disciple is ignorant, which makes me displeased. Do you have any other matters to discuss, Ying Kai? ¡ªI¡¯m not in a good mood right now, and I don¡¯t wish to chat. If you have any important matters, speak quickly.¡± Ying Kai was not an eloquent person. The script that he memorised eight or nine times in advance was immediately held back. Amidst the tension, he did not have time to organise his words, ¡°No¡­It¡¯s nothing, just that Mu Duozhu has helped your little disciple formulate a medicine that can quickly replenish spiritual power. I want to deliver it to you myself¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s sitting posture did not move an inch as he uttered, ¡°My little disciple is too insignificant to trouble your esteemed self. I will board the golden ship personally after this matter has ended.¡± His motionless stance made Ying Kai even more guilty, ¡°That will not do, a life is at stake, or I will have Changsheng send it over to you¡­¡± ¡°The dignified Sword Sect Master must be busy with his official affairs. I cannot accept this favour.¡± ¡°But the physical condition of your little disciple¡­¡± ¡°I infuse a lot of spiritual energy every day to replenish his vitality. He has recovered speedily, and even his appetite has grown a lot.¡± Xu Shuangtze turned his head and said lightly, ¡°See?¡± Ying Kai had just wanted to retort asking how it could be possible for the boy¡¯s condition to improve quickly. His sight fell on a bowl full of boiled vegetables in plain water placed before Gong Wei. The deep bowl was so huge that it could bury half of Ying Kai¡¯s head in it. Gong Wei slowly raised his hand to cover his face under Ying Kai¡¯s shocked gaze. ¡°My little disciple is very grateful for your concern. After completing this task and returning to the Immortal Alliance, I will send him to the Correctional Palace by himself to pay respects and to thank you.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s voice changed, ¡°Brother Ying, is there anything else?¡± ¡®Send him to the Correctional Palace to pay respects¡¯ this sentence rescued Ying Kai from the brink of losing his mind at once. He moved his gaze away from the bowl of green vegetables with difficulty, and the words ¡®displeased but forcing out a broad smile¡¯ were no longer enough to describe the expression of Lord Ying. ¡°Then¡­then, there are no other matters for the time being. In that case, Shuangtze, you must go and return quickly. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the Correctional Palace, okay?¡± Xu Shuangtze replied contentedly, ¡°Of course.¡± Ying Kai¡¯s worrisome nature dictated that he couldn¡¯t help but nag, but he was afraid that showering too much concern would arouse Xu Shuangtze¡¯s suspicion. After a few rounds of struggling to get a word in before leaving and wanting but not daring to steal a second look at his little Shidi, Ying Kai eventually and sorrowfully withdrew the manifestation formation. The light faded in the private room of the tavern. Xu Shuangtze leaned into his armchair, slowly sipping tea without talking. The expression on his face was neither pleased nor annoyed. The more he acted like this, the more insecure Gong Wei¡¯s heart became, and he dared not say another word. He could only press on with his pretence, straighten his neck to swallow the vegetables. But those green vegetables were what he hated the most. The more he forced it down his throat, the more tasteless it became and the harder it got to swallow. At this moment, he suddenly pined for the thoughtful and chatty Meng Yunfei who treated him to that dish of drunken chicken. Gong Wei¡¯s entire being was engulfed in a grievance and gloom at this. Just as his soul was about to fly towards the Spring Banquet Terrace, he heard Xu Shuangtze put down the celadon cup again. He said coldly, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t eat it.¡± Gong Wei was jolted to his senses and didn¡¯t even have time to put down his chopsticks, ¡°The disciple dares not! This bowl of green vegetables is a gift from Shizun. How can this disciple not¡­¡± Before he finished his words, Xu Shuangtze flicked his sleeve, and the sound of a gust of wind rushed in. In front of Gong Wei, the bowl of vegetable soup disappeared without a trace so that even the bottom of the bowl was sparkly clean. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Spring Banquet Terrace.¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face seemed like it was covered in a layer of frost, and he slapped a piece of gold, the size of his thumb and bearing the emblem of the Cang Yang Sect on the table. Then, he turned around and strode out. I¡¯m obviously trying my best to eat those green vegetables, so why is Xu Shuangtze pissed off again? Gong Wei felt both wronged and puzzled, but he didn¡¯t dare to ask even if someone had loaned him more courage. He could only hurry out. Xu Shuangtze had disappeared at the end of the long street in a blink of an eye. Gong Wei lacked spiritual power and moved at a much slower pace. While chasing behind the man, Gong Wei tried to detect Lord Xu¡¯s unique white sandalwood scent amidst the crowd. In his haste, he missed a step and almost stumbled into a pool of water under the stairs and blurted out, ¡°Aiya!¡± The ¡°ya¡± hasn¡¯t even been completely uttered yet, but time had suddenly stopped. Ktf tjkxlcu nfcvbgr¡¯ wbeatr kfgf bqfc, atf rmeggslcu ragjs vbur raemx bea raloo abcuefr, jcv fnfc lo j cffvif kjr vgbqqfv bc atf ragffa cbk, la kbeiv yf jevlyif. Cii atf qfvfragljcr¡¯ wbnfwfcar kfgf ogbhfc. Xbcu Qfl¡¯r abfr tecu lc atf jlg jybnf atf qevvif bo rajucjca kjafg. C ajii jcv eqgluta oluegf klat oibklcu gbyfr jcv klvf riffnfr qjrrfv atgbeut atf mgbkv, yfjglcu jc lcvloofgfca fzqgfrrlbc. Lf jqqgbjmtfv rafjvlis jcv ugjyyfv Xbcu Qfl ys atf kglra klatbea rjslcu j kbgv. ¡ªThe flow suddenly resumed in the next moment, and the loud voices, lively chatter and roaring laughter arose from all sides. Gong Wei stepped on the stairs with the help of the man¡¯s support and stood firm. No one noticed what happened earlier. A dog was still wagging its tail as it scampered across the street. ¡°Shizun¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze¡¯s thin lips pressed together tightly, and he said nothing. His long eyelashes, which were sharp like blades, blocked the expression in his gaze. The inability to discern the man¡¯s mood made Gong Wei very frightened. His wrists were tightly clenched to the point he felt some pain, but he didn¡¯t dare to struggle. He hesitated and spoke in a low voice, ¡°I will follow only Shizun closely this time. I will never look elsewhere again.¡± It may be Gong Wei¡¯s illusion, but Xu Shuangtze¡¯s breathing seemed to stop right after hearing these words, and then he raised his eyes to look at him, ¡°Really?¡± Gong Wei nodded quickly, ¡°En.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xu Shuangtze had a murky and deep stare as if he could peer right through into Gong Wei¡¯s heart. It felt like a long while, but was merely an instance in reality before Xu Shuangtze swiftly looked away and snickered. He replied, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± What¡¯s there not to believe? Gong Wei was confused, but Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t give him any time to reply. He just grabbed Gong Wei¡¯s wrist again and took a small step towards the busy city¡ªit was as if a hundred miles of land were shrunk to square inches, and within an instant, the busy streets and row upon row of houses retreated. Gong Wei¡¯s vision was blurred, and when Xu Shuangtze¡¯s foot landed once more, they had already arrived on a slope outside the city gate. Shrinking Earth to an Inch! The powerful inertia caused by the spell thrust Gong Wei forward, and in the next moment, a distinct white sandalwood scent rushed toward his face. Xu Shuangtze seemed to have expected this stumble, and as soon as he took that step, he turned and stretched out his hand, holding Gong Wei in his embrace. ¡°Shizun, forgive me, I¡ª¡± Xu Shuangtze turned around and said casually, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He held onto Gong Wei¡¯s hand and walked along the gravel road outside the city gate. Gong Wei was oblivious and also didn¡¯t dare to break free. The wrist that was being grasped felt stuffy and uncomfortable. He felt in a daze. The strange feeling of holding hands and walking side by side with Xu Shuangtze like this was possibly the most incredible thing in his life. What¡¯s even more unbelievable was that Xu Shuangtze no longer intended to use spells at all. The dignified, most formidable man in the world was strolling along the suburban road in this manner, like any other mortal. He took step after step towards the pale green mountains a hundred miles away. Walking for a mile straight, Gong Wei finally couldn¡¯t help but cough cowardly, ¡°¡­Shizun?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Why is Shizun going on foot along this earthly road? Why not use sword flight?¡± Xu Shuangtze calmly answered, ¡°Of all the spells in the world, reversing time consumes the most spiritual energy, followed by shrinking the earth into an inch, probably because both go against nature.¡± Gong Wei hurriedly replied with a respectful, ¡°Oh¡±. ¡°After the Spring Banquet Terrace, the way forward is filled with the unknown. It is better to conserve spiritual power in case of unexpected events.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gong Wei thought to himself. But you still haven¡¯t explained why you aren¡¯t using sword flight. He couldn¡¯t help but peek at Xu Shuangtze¡¯s waist from the corner of his eyes. Underneath the man¡¯s outer robe was black inner armour and a black satin girdle which was empty, without a sword. Thinking back, it seemed that Gong Wei hadn¡¯t seen No Way Out for some time. Did Xu Shuangtze forget to bring it along? Gong Wei¡¯s heart was tortured by curiosity in every possible way. He wanted to ask Shizun, why aren¡¯t you wielding a sword? But he was afraid to remind Xu Shuangtze, causing him to summon No Way Out as soon as he raised his hand. After thinking about it all the way, he peeked from the corner of his eye again. Unexpectedly, he happened to meet Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze and instantly saw his reflection in the pair of dark eyes. Gong Wei¡¯s heart was raised to his throat, and he immediately looked down. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Xu Shuangtze asked slowly. Gong Wei focused on staring at the gravel road under his feet as he humbly lowered his head, answering, ¡°Looking¡­Looking at Shizun¡¯s brilliance and wisdom, like a jade tree facing the wind. Shizun is like a celestial being descending onto the earth¡­¡± The footsteps on Gong Wei¡¯s side suddenly stopped. Gong Wei immediately shut his mouth and stood still. He had a feeling that the line of sight that was staring at him for a long time moved away, and Xu Shuangtze¡¯s low voice in the breeze brushed across his ears, seemingly in a gentle tone, ¡°Look over there.¡± Gong Wei lifted his head in bewilderment and followed Xu Shuangtze¡¯s gaze towards the sky, only to see two small black dots passing along the skyline of the vast green land on the outskirts of the city. When he fixed his eyes on them, he realised that they were two larks chasing each other, one pursuing the other, then the other turning around and flying side by side affectionately before disappearing high in the distant sky. ¡°See that?¡± It was just a pair of lovebirds. Gong Wei uttered with uncertainty, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Xu Shuangtze exhaled almost silently, but he didn¡¯t explain anything, only asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡± Gong Wei shook his head quickly. Xu Shuangtze didn¡¯t say much more as he led him to continue the way forward. * * * Although Gong Wei claimed that he was not tired, his pace got increasingly slower after a few miles, so Xu Shuangtze let him rest in a pavilion on the side of the road for an hour. After walking and resting several times, Gong Wei¡¯s feet became more and more sore, and he couldn¡¯t help but lean on Xu Shuangtze, who had been holding onto him. Perhaps Lord Xu finally got frustrated with dilly-dallying. He mercifully cast the Shrinking Earth to an Inch spell once more and brought the tired-looking Gong Wei to the foot of the mountain. High above, surrounded by golden clouds and enveloped in divine light, stood a large and magnificent building on the mountain¡¯s summit, where exotic birds hovered and chirped. This Spring Banquet Terrace was where the Music Sage and Guqin Master, Liu Xuzhi, lived all year round. It was likely that Ying Kai had already notified Liu Xuzhi of their imminent arrival, for, at this moment, the disciples under the Music Sage had already lined up along the winding path of long stone steps from the summit to halfway up the mountain. They were there to receive their guests. At the end of the line, a handsome, elegant and familiar figure, wearing a silver-grey robe, with hair neatly fastened with a crown and wielding a sword, was pacing back and forth on the wide stone step. He obviously had been waiting for a long time. Gong Wei recognised this brother from a distance at once. It was Meng Yunfei, who he hadn¡¯t seen since they parted at Linjiang City. Xu Shuangtze stopped and mentioned coldly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that your friend?¡± Gong Wei was not stupid at all. Although he didn¡¯t know how Meng Yunfei had offended Lord Xu, the displeasure in Xu Shuangtze¡¯s words could be detected even by a deaf person. Gong Wei hastily attempted to neutralise the situation by denying, ¡°This disciple grew up in Cang Yang Sect, and only the sect is full of my friends. I met Young Master Meng in Linjiang City and have never seen him again. Clarifying this with Shizun!¡± Xu Shuangtze answered, ¡°He is waiting for you.¡± Gong Wei firmly added, ¡°He must be waiting for Shizun!¡± Xu Shuangtze looked at him non-committally and suddenly stretched out his hand to strike a spell sign. The people¡¯s conversations on the mountainside a hundred metres away immediately rang clearly in their ears. One disciple laughed and said, ¡°Meng Shixiong has been waiting here for the whole morning, so why hasn¡¯t his buddy from the Cang Yang Sect arrived yet? Why didn¡¯t he send a transmission talisman?¡± Another disciple giggled and joked, ¡°Meng Shixiong has instructed the attendants to prepare a table full of snacks. He even had them re-prepare them thrice while waiting. A pity for that brood of chickens in the kitchen!¡± ¡°If Meng Shixiong continues to pace, the bricks on the steps will be worn off by three inches!¡± Meng Yunfei finally couldn¡¯t help himself, but he was such a gentleman, so much so that he wouldn¡¯t even raise his voice when angered, ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense. This is being hospitable to our guests. What do you know!¡± ¡°Meng Shixiong is blushing!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha ha¡­¡± The brood of chickens in the kitchen. ¡°Shizun!¡± Gong Wei¡¯s eyes went dim, and he immediately leaned forward and sighed, putting up an expression of genuine distress, ¡°The disciple was confused and broke the rules, but I didn¡¯t want to leave the impression to outsiders that I am gluttonous. This disciple promises not to¡ª¡± Before he could finish speaking, Xu Shuangtze suddenly stretched out his hand to hold him up brusquely. Gong Wei could see Xu Shuangtze¡¯s jawline tightening and becoming more defined than usual from this angle. For reasons unknown, Gong Wei felt that this Sect Master Xu had been unhappy at each mention of the Spring Banquet Terrace throughout the journey. This kind of repulsiveness was especially apparent when the man noticed Meng Yunfei, to the extent that it could be described as ¡®depressed¡¯. But on the contrary, not only did he not explain why he was upset, but he held his head high, looking a little lonely. He spat out three words, ¡°Hold on tight.¡± Immediately, Gong Wei¡¯s left wrist was released, and his left hand was grabbed. Xu Shuangtze wrapped his right hand around Gong Wei¡¯s shoulder and suddenly jumped up! ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°Xu, Lord Xu?!¡± ¡°Lord Xu is here!¡± The Music Sect disciples at the halfway point up the mountain all exclaimed and raised their heads in amazement as Xu Shuangtze flew up with Gong Wei, sleeves fluttering, travelling hundreds of feet in a heartbeat, and stepped right on the top of the mountain! The wind howled, and the clouds dispersed. Gong Wei only had time to catch a glimpse of Meng Yunfei¡¯s surprised expression in the middle of the journey. He was lifted through the clouds in the next moment, landing at the top of the forty-nine long sapphire steps and arriving at the Spring Banquet Terrace. Gong Wei was caught off guard as he steadied himself and felt Xu Shuangtze¡¯s right hand on his shoulder loosen. But next moment, the five cold fingers grabbed his left wrist, forcing him to stand alongside the man at the door to the Music Sage¡¯s grand palace. The ornate door of the palace was tightly shut, and through the opening slit, a vivid storytelling voice came, ¡°The Lotus Immortal with blushing cheeks fell in love with the Cang Yang Sect Master at first sight and pledged his love when they met the next time. However, life has its unpredictable moments and the envious days of the pair of lovebirds did not last long. They who risked the world¡¯s objections encountered the intervention of the Sword Sect Master from the Golden Gate¡­¡± Gong Wei¡¯s only thought at this moment was to break free from Xu Shuangtze¡¯s grip, turn around and jump off the Spring Banquet Terrace. At this time, a gentle and elegant voice interrupted the storyteller, sighing and saying, ¡°The Underworld: A Story of Undying Love has such detailed descriptions, no matter how many times one hears it, each experience is refreshing. It is no wonder why this is a popular piece among folk stories. A pity¡ª¡± The storyteller quickly asked, ¡°Lord Liu, why is it a pity?¡± The Music Sage Liu Xuzhi sighed again, harder than before, ¡°Today, Lord Xu is coming to Spring Banquet Terrace as a guest. Looking at the time, he should have reached the foot of the mountain. Let¡¯s change the piece!¡± Gong Wei hid his face behind his hands and was rendered speechless, only to hear that Liu Xuzhi suddenly became interested again, ¡°By the way, what is the latest masterpiece published on the Kaiyuan Tabloid News last month?¡± Storyteller responded, ¡°Oh yes, there is a piece about the death-defying love between Young Master Si and his disciple, and the other is the sequel to Lord Ying¡¯s Secret Affairs, which talks about Lord Ying in his youth travelling the world with Lord Xu. A secret love affair blossomed between them, and they pledged their love to each other till death¡­¡± ¡°Ay, I am a respected teacher myself, and I know that the stories of romance between a teacher and his disciple are all nonsense.¡± Liu Xuzhi thought for a while and added, ¡°Let¡¯s go with Lord Ying¡¯s Secret Affairs, which should be more credible.¡± As soon as he said that, Xu Shuangtze¡¯s face sank and, with a sudden wave of his sleeves¡ªBoom! Two heavy palace doors flew off their hinges with a whistling sound and violently smashed against the palace wall, creating two huge pits upon impact! As the dust and smoke billowed forth, a figure bounced up from a reclining chair like a lightning bolt, leaping half a dozen feet high, then grabbed the stunned storyteller and rushed into the inner hall like a stray arrow. He was so fast that he didn¡¯t even have time to put on his shoes. Xu Shuangtze clamped Gong Wei¡¯s hand and stepped into the messy main palace, slowly uttering, ¡°Liu, Xu, Zhi!¡±