Embers of Sword

Chapter 523 Obstacle
Within the Mingwang Zhenhai Formation, countless golden lights surged!
A monstrous wave swept across the sea, trapping the divine ocean.

Xie Xuanyi rode the waves, dodging and weaving, but his usually invincible martial arts divine embryo was now being suppressed by Zhou, who was a higher realm above him. All around, waves formed from the winds of fists surged forth. The white-robed martial artist was like a war god; even without these great formations, he could still suppress this still-developing golden divine embryo on his own.

This should have been a matter of life and death.

Xie Xuanyi, however, remained calm and composed.

because……

He did not sense the murderous intent that pierced his heart.

Upon entering the Zhenhai Formation, the previously overwhelming killing intent was instead extinguished.

Zhou threw a punch each time.

The Dao intent of the Golden Robe Divine Embryo will be partially eroded.

After comprehending the Great Dao, life and death become a perfect circle, combining offense and defense... Xie Xuanyi is not afraid of a war of attrition. Even without using the "Fountain of Immortality," the injuries inflicted by Zhou can be recovered at an extremely fast speed using only the Dao of Life.

"Zhou didn't really have any murderous intent towards me?"

Xie Xuanyi frowned slightly.

This Mingwang Sea-Suppressing Formation is magnificent in its power. Once it is unleashed, the area within a hundred feet is enveloped by the strange phenomenon of huge waves.

After Zhou made his move.

The Martial Sect disciples no longer showed themselves, and these low-level cultivators became "waves" in the great formation.

The same applies to Hundred Flowers Valley and the Jiang family...

At this point in the battle, Xie Xuanyi could only see one figure, which was Zhou in white!
This arrangement is understandable.

The Path of Annihilation is extremely dangerous; anyone who touches it may lose their life instantly.

Of everyone present, only Ye Zu and Zhou were capable of going head-to-head with someone at the "Destruction Dao Realm" level!
only……

However, another strange thought arose in Xie Xuanyi's mind.

The disciples were dismissed, perhaps to shield them from the secrets of heaven! The waves of this great formation were rising higher and higher, and a complete cage was gradually taking shape. Zhou and Ye Zu were in charge of this great formation... At this moment, all the participants except them had become "chess pieces" and "formation symbols" on the outer edge of the great formation!
really!

The waves of the Zhenhai Formation reached a height of nearly 100 zhang.

Zhou then stopped attacking. The white-clad martial artist stood calmly amidst the waves, retracting his fist and adjusting his breathing.

……

……

"Master!"

"Lord Ye Zu!"

Outside the Zhenhai Formation, Lu Yuan and several young disciples from Baihua Valley stood guard beside the Red Leaf Throne, their voices filled with worry.

The elderly man in the red robe, who had been sitting cross-legged for a long time, slowly stood up.

The once densely packed secret tomb chambers were utterly destroyed, the corridors shattered, and the spot where Xie Zhen stood was leveled by the Sea-Suppressing Array, becoming a desolate ruin. Countless magical artifacts swirled and the tides surged, obscuring even the Yin God Realm cultivators' view of the center of the array. However, Ye Zu was not among those "blinded." His divine sense continued to transmit outwards, and the cultivators from the Martial Sect, Hundred Flowers Valley, and Jiang Family continued to change their formations. The waves churned by the array grew increasingly dense, and all those who entered the array were swept into its depths.

"Don't worry... I'm fine."

Ye Zu gently broke free from the support of the surrounding disciples.

He stepped down from the throne of red leaves and used the long sword on his lap as a walking stick.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yuan exclaimed in shock, "Grandmaster, are we going to enter the battle?"

"..."

Ye Zu looked at the rolling tide in front of him, his expression calm, and gave a soft "hmm".

Lu Yuan quickly made a hand seal and used the Hundred Flowers Valley secret order to send the message to Ye Qinglian in the formation. However, the Sea Suppression Formation had already been set in place, and every person who entered the formation had become part of this "Seawater Dao Domain". Ye Qinglian's figure did not leave the formation. The surrounding tides rolled and the towering waves roared.

Lu Yuan hurriedly stepped forward, blocking the way with gritted teeth, and said, "Lord Ye Zu, you mustn't act rashly... In this battle, with Sect Master Zhou in command and so many Venerable Ones, why would you need to take action?"

Master once gave instructions.

In any case, take good care of Lord Ye Zu.

After the battle at the White Paper Barrier... Ye Zu was seriously injured.

For the people of Da Chu, the most important thing about entering the Bai Ze Secret Mausoleum this time is to "survive".

Although Xie Zhen is a traitor to Da Chu, he does not pose much of a threat... What we should really be wary of are those pseudo-saints from the three major sects!
Apart from Sect Master Zhou, no one can fight against Bai Gui and his half-step Yang God form.

Even Zhou could barely save his life.

Da Chu's only support is Ye Zu.

If Ye Zu is unable to recover his cultivation before then... then the moment he encounters Bai Gui will be the moment when the Great Chu cultivators are destroyed!
"One person... is not enough."

Ye Zu shook his head and spoke in a low voice, his tone revealing an unprecedented firmness.

Lu Yuan looked pale.

She doesn't understand...

With so many powerful formations supporting them, so many Venerables assisting them, and the almost invincible Sect Master Zhou below the Yang God Realm, how could they possibly fail to subdue a mere Xie Zhen?!

"Let me go."

Ye Zu sighed softly, and this time his words contained the secrets of the divine soul.

It was just a very slight wisp of divine thought.

The disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley who were guarding the Red Leaf Throne obediently made way.

The old man gripped the sword hilt with both hands and gently tapped the ground with the tip of the sword. The Mingwang Sea-Suppressing Formation immediately responded, and the towering waves parted before him, transforming into two towering, majestic walls of waves. Ye Zu slowly stepped into the Sea-Suppressing Formation, and the seawater collapsed with a deafening roar, completely submerging the old man's robes.

……

……

Xie Xuanyi stood before countless waves.

He could no longer see anything else... The vast primordial energy gathered into a sea, blotting out the sky and trapping him within it.

Zhou Jingmo stood before this seawater cage.

At this moment, the great formation was completely completed, and the killing intent, hatred, and anger in the eyes of this white-robed warrior gradually faded away, turning into ultimate calm.

Does this scene seem familiar?

An aged voice echoed from the horizon.

Xie Xuanyi was slightly taken aback.

He looked around, and the towering sea shattered and reformed, revealing a figure in a bright red robe. This old man, leaning on his sword, walked extremely slowly. Ye Zu made no attempt to hide his exhaustion. The vast sea seemed to bow respectfully to him, yet with each step, a faint aura of deathly stillness emanated from him.

"Ten years ago, your master, Xie Xuanyi, died in the North Sea in the same way..."

Ye Zu slowly arrived at the center of the great formation.

He looked at the surging tornado of the Yuan Sea and said softly, "I was on the North Sea back then. Although the people who besieged us back then are different from those now... some scenes are quite similar."

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at Ye Zu in silence.

This was the third time the two had looked at each other. Since entering the secret tomb, he had already met Ye Zu twice.

Due to the rules of the secret tomb.

During their first two encounters, the two had no opportunity to speak or exchange divine thoughts; they could only look at each other.

During the soul search on the Bingyou ship, Xie Xuanyi learned about the calamity that the Da Chu treasure ship had suffered, and also about the fact that he had been slandered by "Ancestor Ye"...

Initially, Xie Xuanyi wanted to capture "the black-clad paper doll" to clear his name.

But he later changed his mind.

Because of... that eye contact with Ancestor Ye during the transformation of the void array.

Xie Xuanyi did not sense any murderous intent.

The Yang God looked at him, his eyes like a deep sea, devoid of any other thoughts.

Sword cultivators are extremely sensitive to killing intent. That one exchange of glances was brief, but Xie Xuanyi noticed that the young cultivators of the Jiang family from the Hundred Flowers Valley of the Martial Sect were all staring at him with angry eyes. Only Ye Zu's gaze was different. If Ye Zu had deliberately "wronged" him, his expression wouldn't have been so calm. There was no mockery, no sarcasm, no hostility.

But... there was a tiny bit of relief.

That look in his eyes sparked a strange thought in Xie Xuanyi's mind—

Therefore, after killing the cultivators from the Jiangning Prince's Mansion, Xie Xuanyi hesitated for a moment when facing the "black-clad" man.

As the great formation collapsed, he released the "black-clad" figure.

But it wasn't with the intention of clearing his name—

As long as the man in black is not there, then Xie Zhen will be the only one left in this secret tomb.

Next, he stepped into the Void Thunder Swamp, fought against Wu Zong Zhou, and was trapped by the Sea Suppression Formation. Everything that happened was a natural progression.

These are all inevitable.

"Later, Zhao Chunyang told me that he regretted not showing up in Beihai."

Ye Zuchu stood firm, his voice slightly hoarse: "If Zhao Chunyang had made his move in Beihai back then, even with many people joining the attack, he would have been confident he could have protected Xie Xuanyi..."

Zhou looked at Ye Zu with some surprise.

This story remains unknown to anyone.

Ye Zu and Zhao Chunyang were old friends who had known each other for many years. Perhaps Zhao Chunyang had only said this to Ye Zu.

"The reason he doesn't show up is not because he values ​​his life, but because he sees a more distant future."

Ye Zu spoke softly: "Most people in the world are blinded by a leaf, only seeing the present and not the future... Sometimes, dying is for a better life, and retreating is for a better advance."

"...?"

Zhou frowned upon hearing this.

He only understood half of what he heard, but Xie Xuanyi understood everything.

"week."

Ye Zu said softly, "You may leave now. Everything else shall proceed according to the original plan."

"Please... take care of yourself."

Zhou Shen took a deep breath, nodded, and then slowly backed away.

The Zhenhai Formation has been completed.

Countless waves surrounded Ye Zu and Xie Xuanyi. The red-robed elder, sword in hand, stepped into the array prison. He looked at the young man before him and said with a smile, "Twenty years ago, we met. Do you still remember us?"

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked dazed.

Twenty years ago, he once went to Hundred Flowers Valley to challenge them. At that time, Qingzhou's fortune was declining, and only Ye Qinglian from Hundred Flowers Valley was worthy of being called a leader. However, this young master Ye was defeated after only ten moves with him. The young and arrogant Xie Xuanyi continued to challenge him, and was then taken to the back mountain of the forbidden area by the elders of Hundred Flowers Valley.

He eventually met Ye Zu.

This was the only time the two ever met...

That time, Ye Zu looked at Xie Xuanyi with the same gaze he had shown during their previous eye contact.

Like a deep abyss, like the sea, neither angry nor resentful.

"You recognized me."

Xie Xuanyi's thought was finally settled. He looked at the red-robed old man who was now on the verge of death, and his eyes became complicated: "You know I'm not dead?"

"Zhao Chunyang kept his mouth shut."

Ye Zu shook his head.

He smiled and said, “I have spoken very little with him over the years. He only told me that he regretted not showing up in Beihai. However, the deeper meaning behind those words was something I realized when I was alone… Given his personality, if you had really died like that, how could the world have ten years of peace and stability? I think you are probably still alive, living in this world in some unknown way… Ten years later, a young man who looks like you appeared in the martial arts world, and the Great Sui Sword Palace coincidentally reopened. At that time, I guessed that perhaps Xie Zhen was Xie Xuanyi.”

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the old man in front of him, unsure of what to say.

"Feel sorry."

Ye Zu said softly, "After so many years apart, we meet again in this way. I feel sorry for you, having to bear the infamy again... but this time, the infamy is only temporary."

"Infamy... I don't care."

Xie Xuanyi shook his head and said in a low voice, "But I want to know... what exactly happened to the white paper barrier?"

The voice just fell.

Ye Zu extended a palm and gently pressed it on Xie Xuanyi's forehead.

A vast and powerful divine thought gently poured down.

The battle within the white paper barrier was reflected in Xie Xuanyi's divine sea—

Wu Zhexian made a life-or-death decision with great courage.

However, due to a lack of intelligence and an underestimation of the power of the Fountain of Immortality, this desperate gamble of sacrificing one's life for another ended in failure.

This was an extremely brutal and tragic battle.

Ye Zu used the "Burning Flower Style" several times, and the Great Dao of the three Yang Gods was exhausted. If no further changes occurred in this battle, then perhaps Wu Zhexian would not have died.

Unfortunately……

This is southern Xinjiang.

Lu Yuzhen had a hidden trick up her sleeve.

After the three Yang Gods fought to the point of exhaustion, the Pure White Venerable led a group of pseudo-Saints from the Southern Frontier to descend upon the White Paper Barrier.

"Finally... I used the 'flower-like' technique."

Ye Zu's voice was hoarse: "It's a pity... my final 'flower-like' technique was blocked. I'm powerless to fight any longer and can only flee."

"..."

Xie Xuanyi silently watched the scene of the white paper barrier.

The sword light, in its flower-like pattern, multiplied into two, then three, falling in profusion, only to be cut off by the heavy snow.

"The final sword strike was delivered... and I saw the familiar sword energy."

Ye Zu sighed, "The person who unleashed that sword energy looks exactly like you."

The information obtained by the Da Chu treasure ship is all true.

On the other side of the paper doll path, there was someone dressed in black exactly like himself.

"It is recorded in the ancient Taoist canon."

"Humans have three souls and seven spirits. Among the three souls, one is called 'Taiguang'."

Ye Zu looked at Xie Xuanyi and said seriously, "By nurturing the divine embryo with the fetal light, one can cultivate an identical physical embryo... If I'm not mistaken, ten years ago you fell into the North Sea and Lu Yuzhen cut off your fetal light, casting that identical embryo."

Xie Xuanyi let out a long, stale breath.

No wonder!
No wonder I felt suspicious and unhappy when I saw Lu Yuzhen!
“That person…I have already seen him.”

Xie Xuanyi suddenly had a thought and frowned, saying, "With that person's strength, he shouldn't have been able to withstand your sword strike..."

"The magic of the Paper Doll Path is extremely evil."

After thinking for a moment, Ye Zu said, "Given Lu Yuzhen's personality, he wouldn't easily put the 'Fetal Light' into the secret tomb. Perhaps what you saw was just an avatar. After the real 'Fetal Light' appeared once, it returned to Pure White Mountain."

Xie Xuanyi nodded slightly.

indeed……

That makes sense.

"Time is of the essence... This Sea-Suppressing Formation requires a great deal of divine power, and I cannot maintain it for long."

Ye Zu coughed heavily, his expression solemn: "Now that you understand the cause and effect, let's get down to business."

(End of this chapter)