Embers of Sword

Chapter 499 Killing
Xie Xuanyi looked at the bone armor lying in his palm.

A divine thought swept out.

At first glance, these broken bones seemed unremarkable... but Xie Xuanyi, who possessed Bai Ze's finger bone, sensed a familiar aura emanating from these bone armors.

Perhaps this was an item personally left behind by the Great Sage Bai Ze?
This secret tomb has been hidden for a thousand years, and who knows what other restrictions it may contain? It's always good to be cautious.

"Alright...we can go now."

Xie Xuanyi flipped his palm and took the bone armor.

Just as he was about to take a step, he frowned.

"what?"

Master Baihe, standing to the side, gave a soft shout, his expression becoming subtle.

Dark clouds shrouded the main hall.

The group of Yinshan evil cultivators were still confused, but Zhong Sha took a deep sniff and turned to warn in a deep voice, "Take the treasure and prepare the formation, someone is coming!"

This time is different from before—

The void array in Bai Ze's secret tomb has stopped operating.

Now that the secret palaces have each moved to new locations, if they were to meet again, they would not simply brush past each other as they did last time.

"Ha ha……"

Renzuka narrowed his long, narrow eyes and said in a low voice, "This secret tomb looks big, but it's actually quite small. We've already run into several groups of people in less than a quarter of an hour."

The shadowy area extending from the secret palace was illuminated by faint light several miles away.

A group of people is approaching from afar.

A faint, primordial energy emanated from it.

It is clear.

This is the Great Chu cultivator.

The three major sects practice heresy and do not cultivate vital energy.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi silently suppressed a wisp of sword intent.

He released his divine sense, trying to see who the newcomer was.

All the cultivators of the Bingyou era have perished in battle.

The Jiang family, Hundred Flowers Valley, Martial Sect, and Jade Purity Pavilion had just left with Ancestor Ye.

If Xie Xuanyi were to encounter Xu Nianning's "Bingzhou Xu Family" and Qiantian Palace, or Qin Baihuang's Xuanzhui Mountain camp, he would be prepared to draw his sword directly and seize the initiative while Baihe Zhenren was off guard... These Yinshan traitors would have to be killed sooner or later, so if an encounter battle broke out now, there would be no point in pretending.

A faint killing intent was released.

Renzuka's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and he felt uneasy for some reason.

"I said……"

He glanced at the man in black beside him and asked warily, "Is it really necessary to be so excited about just running into a cultivator from the Great Chu Sect?"

Renzuka could clearly sense it.

The man in black gripped the sword's energy in his hand, as if he were about to strike at any moment...

The unease that arises in one's heart stems from this.

This guy is a killer.

The Paper Doll Path created this "monster," could it be that they're preparing to attack me?
"It's not excitement, it's just the intent behind the sword."

Xie Xuanyi flicked his sleeves and calmly said, "When a sword is about to kill, this is the sound it makes."

Conversation room.

His divine sense had already "seen" the identity of the newcomer.

Thus, the murderous intent hidden in his sleeves was no longer concealed and overflowed, but it was not directed at Ren Zhong... instead, it swept towards the dark and gloomy end of the distance.

"Is it?"

Renzuka subconsciously moved a little further away from the murderous bastard beside him and smiled, "It's rare for you to be in such a good mood, so why don't we leave the rest to you?"

Xie Xuanyi looked coldly at Baihe Zhenren.

"What a boring person. Of course, I was just saying..."

Renzuka sighed and put his hands behind his back.

He turned his head slightly, looking at the withered ghosts shrouded in dark clouds behind him, and said softly, "Then, shall we do what we did with the slaughter of the 'Bingyou' ship? Let 'them' go first."

……

……

"Your Highness, please slow down, be careful not to hurt yourself!"

"This secret tomb is too dark... How long can the 'spirit stones' carried by the Prince's Mansion last?"

"More than enough. If we use it sparingly, it can last at least two more days."

The light and fire shone brightly.

The group from the Jiangning Prince's Mansion, numbering about forty or fifty people, formed a long snake and were struggling to move forward through the crevices of the mountain rocks.

Xie Zhisui walked in the middle of the group with a blank expression.

Four Yin God Venerables protected him from the front and back... Due to the assassination scandal in Li Kingdom, the reputation of the Jiangning Prince's Mansion plummeted. Faced with the opportunity to redeem himself through meritorious service offered by Renshou Palace, Xie Zhisui certainly wouldn't miss it. This time, the Jiangning Prince's Mansion mobilized its entire force, but unfortunately, before the battle even began, it showed signs of a dismal defeat. Fuqing Mountain suffered heavy losses tonight. The Jiangning Iron Cavalry stationed at the foot of the mountain was ambushed and killed by the Hehuan Sect, losing more than half of their strength. Xie Zhisui arranged for his iron cavalry to advance towards "Qiding Mountain," demonstrating his determination to punish the evil sect. He, on the other hand, led the cultivators on the mountain to board a treasure ship to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack. If it weren't for the "Mountain Moving Technique," the Fuqing Mountain treasure ship would have left this territory like the Xuanzhui Mountain. Once the situation became clear, the treasure ship would return and make its grand finale appearance.

Unfortunately, all these plans fell through, and were completely swallowed up by Lu Yuzhen's "Earth Abyss Change".

The iron cavalry edict hanging at Xie Zhisui's waist was now dull and rusty. Earlier, when he was traveling through the fog on the treasure ship, he saw the tragic scene of the ground cracking... Because of the attack order that gathered at "Qiding Mountain", the iron cavalry brought by the Prince of Jiangning's Mansion became lambs to the slaughter. It is likely that they were all killed during the opening of the secret tomb and became nourishment for the abyss.

Xie Zhisui didn't seem to care about the death of Tieqi.

His real concern...

This is the Bai Ze Secret Tomb, a place where one can enter but never leave.

He was a king of a different surname from the Great Chu.

As long as he lives, there's a chance to start over. He has the Renshou Palace behind him, and the Daoist sect under Chongkan's command... Now that such an upheaval has occurred in the Southern Frontier, even the "Martial Immortal" has perished. The most urgent matter is for someone to leave the miasma realm and relay the news of the three major sects' rebellion back to the imperial city. If he leaves, the Great Chu Imperial City will not only refrain from punishing him, but will also reward him handsomely!
However... things didn't go as planned.

The treasure ship carrying Prince Jiangning had been drifting on the dark lake for a long time. Finally, after a difficult journey ashore, they were struck by a void tremor before they could even set foot on the shore… After a clap of thunder, the earth shook and the sky turned upside down, and the group found themselves here. It was said that the Bai Ze Secret Tomb held great treasures, but Jiangning's group was truly unlucky; they hadn't even seen the "Secret Palace" and had been rushing on their way.

"and many more……"

"The exit is just ahead!"

Suddenly, someone at the front exclaimed in surprise.

This statement came out.

The people in the Jiangning Prince's Mansion were in an uproar.

The primordial fire surged.

The group quickened their pace, leaving the narrow crevice in the mountain rocks, and sure enough, the space opened up immediately.

the most important is……

The outline of the grand and magnificent "main hall" can be glimpsed not far away.

Is this the treasure hidden in Bai Ze's secret tomb?
only.

Upon seeing the "magnificent" palace, the Prince of Jiangning's expression did not show joy, but rather darkened.

The same applies to those venerable ones.

The dark, gloomy clouds, which the wind could not disperse, lingered above the main hall, and the sound of ghostly wails gradually reached everyone's ears.

obviously.

This main hall has been occupied!

Moreover, judging from this scene, the people who occupied this temple were evil cultivators from Yinshan!

"Everyone...draw your swords! Form ranks!"

Xie Zhi then gave the order in a deep voice.

He was extremely agitated; his luck on this trip to the secret tomb was absolutely terrible.

"Boom!"

Sword energy and primordial fire blazed fiercely.

The light spread out, illuminating the entire ceiling of the secret mausoleum like fireworks.

At that moment, everyone could clearly see the grand hall in the distance.

Dark clouds spread, a hundred ghosts roamed the night, and a huge soul banner was planted heavily in front of the main hall, while countless evil cultivators lined up and entered the mist.

At the very front of the formation, the White Crane Taoist held the Soul Banner in one hand, his feather cloak fluttering in the wind, his expression indifferent, as if he had been waiting for the Jiangning Prince's party to step into this place.

The most unexpected thing is...

Beside the White Crane Taoist stood a figure in black.

The sword energy swirled and roared.

They bloomed into lotus flowers. "Xie Zhen??"

Venerable Bai Yu's eyes widened.

"Thank you so much!!"

Even the Black Obsidian Venerable could not believe it.

Because of personal grudges, they had been trying their best to belittle Xie Zhen during the previous meeting of the Divine Souls...

Later, Ye Zu brought news of Xie Zhen's rebellion, and the Jiangning Prince's Mansion was the first to stand up and denounce Xie Zhen.

But criticism is just criticism.

Seeing Xie Zhen standing side by side with the evil cultivators of Yinshan was truly unbelievable to them.

Ten years ago, Master Xie Zhen, Xie Xuanyi, died at the hands of Master Ren Zhong, Bai Gui. This is an irreconcilable feud. How could these two possibly stand together?
However, seeing is believing.

"So Xie Zhenzhen really betrayed us?!"

A staff member of the Prince's Palace who witnessed the chaos in Beihai ten years ago couldn't help but speak up.

Because of Xie Zhen, the Jiangning Prince's Mansion was at the center of public opinion throughout the year, and was condemned by countless people.

The Prince's Mansion naturally wanted to retaliate.

only.

Xie Zhen's case file was kept so well by the library that this young man's sudden emergence left almost no trace of wrongdoing.

"Ah……"

"Ha ha……"

Seeing this scene, Xie Zhisui felt inexplicably relieved, which had previously made him extremely irritable.

Looking at the distant scene shrouded in dark clouds, he felt as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted from his heart...

Actually, for him...

Whether Xie Zhen betrays them or not is not important.

When the Prince of Jiangning went south this time, he brought four Yin God Venerables with him, precisely to find an opportunity to eliminate this "thorn in his side".

During the chaos of the Northern Hunt, his son died in the chaos.

At the time, considering the overall situation, the Prince of Jiangning chose to exercise restraint.

Because Xie Sheng's "Red Dragon Luck" is related to the reputation of Grand Master Chongkan.

In recent years, the Jiangning Prince's Mansion seemed to be at its zenith, and no one dared to provoke it.

But Xie Zhisui knew very well that the reason he was able to get to this point was simply due to luck and good fortune.

The Sword Palace voluntarily closed its mountain, forcing the Daoist sects into seclusion.

If Grand Master Chongkan wanted to stir up karma, he needed a "legitimate" hand. By chance, Chongkan chose the Prince of Jiangning's Mansion... In fact, almost all of his achievements today are inseparable from the Grand Master's support.

Of course he wanted to avenge his son.

only……

He wanted to preserve the wealth and glory of the royal palace.

But none of that matters now.

If it weren't for tonight's "Changing of the Earth," then King Jiangning originally planned to lead his iron cavalry and a group of Yin God Venerables to surround and kill Xie Zhen during the general attack on Chunbai Mountain, take his head, and personally complete the unfinished business of leaving the country.

now.

Xie Zhen rebelled, and he caught her red-handed.

The extermination is perfectly justified!
"laugh!"

The dark abyss was ignited by an extremely dazzling light, but that light did not come from the four Yin God Venerables, but from the King of Jiangning, who was surrounded by the Venerables in the center.

The man, draped in a black and gold cloud robe, slowly removed the "concealing artifact" hanging on his chest.

The primordial fire burned and boiled.

An invisible pressure slowly spread out.

Bai Yu and Hei Yao, the two Venerables who served him closely, bowed respectfully to welcome the arrival of this immense pressure.

"This is... the fifteenth level of the Yin Spirit Realm?"

"Perhaps...it can go even higher?"

Exclamations of surprise rang out from the other two Yin spirits of the royal palace.

They were shocked, never imagining that the prince, who usually kept a low profile, had actually cultivated to such a level.

Over the years, the Jiangning Prince's Mansion has risen rapidly in rank, with countless advisors and retainers handling all matters, big and small...

Xie Zhisui has rarely appeared in public since.

Therefore, most people's impression of this prince is still based on what happened thirty or forty years ago. At that time, the Xie family was a once powerful and influential family in Jiangning that was gradually declining. Their family fortunes were like the setting sun. Logically speaking, this decline was irreversible. However, the heavens took pity on them and gave rise to Xie Xuanyi.

This once-in-a-millennium genius swordsman rekindled the dying embers of the Xie family.

As a result, Xie received immense favor from the emperor.

Sadly, people often only see the most dazzling brilliance.

these years.

When people talk about the Xie family, they all associate the Xie family's current "glory" with Xie Xuanyi.

But in fact... even without Xie Xuanyi, the Xie family would still usher in a new "golden age".

Xie Zhisui was a shrewd and ambitious patriarch. At a young age, he had cultivated to the Cave Heaven Realm, made many friends, and even maintained close personal ties with the Daoist sect. This patriarch possessed extremely lofty ideals and ambitions; without Xie Xuanyi, he would have had the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities to the world…

But there is no if.

Xie Zhisui's efforts over the years have been completely overshadowed by the brilliance of the "Mysterious Sword Immortal".

Perhaps... this is why the Xie family is not grateful to Xie Xuanyi.

In Xie Zhisui's heart.

If it weren't for Xie Xuanyi, he would have been the sun enjoying the spotlight.

Rumble!
A violent roar sounded from above.

This flame rose above the abyss and burned fiercely.

This blazing primordial sun illuminated the dark abyss, the gloomy secret palace, and the faces of every advisor in the royal court.

The morale of the Prince's Palace was greatly boosted!

"Everyone..."

The Prince of Jiangning spoke in a deep voice, each word ringing with conviction: "Please come with me on this expedition to slay the heads of traitors and drink the blood of evil spirits!"

"kill!"

"kill!!"

The grand formation settled instantly, and streams of light rose into the sky, while screams echoed straight up to the dome of the secret tomb!
In the secret palace, the ghostly howls were faintly drowned out by the shouts of battle.

"This is truly eye-opening... This guy surnamed Xie was actually hiding something so well?"

Master Baihe was somewhat surprised and frowned as he spoke.

The blood-red clouds that had solidified above the main hall, caused by the evil cultivators of Yinshan, were all overwhelmed by the immense pressure.

"Form the 'Ten Thousand Souls Formation'!"

Renzuka's expression turned serious.

Behind him, rolling dark clouds spread like a waterfall, and the Myriad Souls Array was re-formed.

Master Baihe suddenly looked to his side and said with a mocking smile, "I heard that Xie Xuanyi has a deep friendship with the Xie family of Jiangning... When the fight breaks out later, you won't be able to bring yourself to do it, will you?"

"..."

Is this a joke?
Xie Xuanyi found it all ironic.

But on second thought, what Nizuka said actually made a lot of sense...

Having just awakened in Yuzhu Town, he probably never imagined that Jiangning would treat "Xie Xuanyi" this way over the past ten years.

Now that I think about it carefully...

Perhaps what I did for the Xie family back then didn't earn me any gratitude at all.

Perhaps Xie Zhisui felt no sadness at all when he died in battle in Beihai ten years ago; he only felt a sense of pleasure.

"……Ah."

Xie Xuanyi chuckled very softly.

This battle has come at just the right time... Yinshan is facing off against the Jiangning Prince's Mansion. In Xie Xuanyi's mind, both Ren Zhong and the Jiangning Prince are people who must be killed. This encounter has saved a lot of trouble.

"Don't worry."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "I will show no mercy. Those who deserve to die, I will kill them all, leaving none alive."

(End of this chapter)