Embers of Sword

Chapter 524 Exorcising Evil
Within the Zhenhai Formation, turbid waves surged.

Although this grand formation was set up by Martial Sect disciples using array flags, the true mastermind behind it was... Ancestor Ye.

Ye Zu used his divine sense to create this great formation.

There is only one purpose—

This conversation is guaranteed to be absolutely confidential.

"You... you're seriously injured?"

Xie Xuanyi's expression was solemn.

The red-robed old man standing in front of him looked like a candle in the wind, about to collapse. The battle with the white paper barrier had exhausted too much of his energy and strength... It was already quite remarkable that he could stand with his sword.

"In the battle against the White Paper Barrier, my foundation of the Great Dao was severely damaged. Such a Dao injury is almost irreparable. As a result, I will be stuck at my current realm for the rest of my life..."

Ye Zu coughed twice, forcing a smile: "But this is nothing. Compared to cultivation, survival is more important. As you can see, I only have a breath left. Whether I can survive is another matter. How can I have time to think about advancement?"

In his previous life, Xie Xuanyi was only one step away from becoming a Yang God through cultivation.

he knows.

What practitioners cultivate is nothing more than a grotto-heaven and a physical body.

Even if one reaches the summit and becomes a Yang God, one is not omnipotent...

The battle of the white paper barrier.

Martial Immortal fought with his life on the line, while on the other side, Ye Zu also paid a heavy price to hold off the "Pure White Saint." The Burning Flower Style is the most powerful move in the Hundred Flowers Valley over the past thousand years. In a sense, it is the "Life-Burning Technique" passed down from the Hundred Flowers Valley.

Wu Zhexian burned his blood and qi, while Ye Zu burned his primordial energy.

"If I could fight Lu Yuzhen to the death, I wouldn't mind dying in the White Paper Barrier... It's just a pity that the outcome of that battle was already decided..."

Ye Zu smiled forlornly and said, "When the pseudo-saints of the three major sects appeared, I was already unable to deliver a second sword strike. The only thing to be thankful for is that Lu Yuzhen's condition is not much better than mine. After the battle at the White Paper Barrier, he and I were both almost completely burned out. I, this burning candle, escaped into the Great Chu camp and sank into the abyss with the treasure ship. He should have retreated back to Pure White Mountain to seize the time to recuperate."

"In a sense... he and I are the same, both racing against time."

Ye Zu sighed softly.

After he entered the abyss, he found Zhou.

Under Zhou Hudao's guidance, Ye Zu consumed all the rare and precious materials in the first level of the secret tomb.

The purpose was to restore their strength.

Unfortunately, the treasures in this first level of the secret tomb cannot heal Dao injuries at all; they can only slightly restore some of one's Qi and blood.

It is not meaningful.

"The three sect leaders have already entered the secret tomb..."

Ye Zu lowered his eyes and slowly said, "It won't be long before those pseudo-saints like Bai Gui arrive. This secret tomb may contain the 'Great Dao Inscription' that evil cultivators dream of... These people are willing to pay any price to advance to the Yang God realm. From the moment I left the white paper barrier, I have been thinking about how to protect the cultivators like Da Chu..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the frail old man in red robes before him and suddenly understood something.

Ye Zu is Da Chu's last hope.

The people of Da Chu knew that Ye Zu was in bad shape, but probably no one knew that Ye Zu's condition was this bad.

The Zhenhai Formation is in a cage.

The old man in red suffered a relapse of his Daoist injury, his vital energy and blood were depleted, and he looked like a withered straw...

Such a frail old man is hardly a cultivator at the peak of the Yang God Realm.

It would be extremely difficult for them to even stand up once they left the great formation.

"I... have one last sword strike left."

Ye Zu looked at Xie Xuanyi and said hoarsely, "This sword might not be able to kill someone like Lu Yuzhen. But killing a pseudo-saint like Bai Gui... is no problem."

really.

At that moment, Xie Xuanyi understood Ye Zu's plan.

In Ye Zu's eyes, the ones who could truly threaten Da Chu were not the first batch of Yin Gods who had reached the peak of their cultivation, but rather the pseudo-saints who were half-step Yang Gods: Bai Gui, Mo Daoren, and Huanxi Chanzhu!

The White Crane Immortal and the Six Desires True Lord are indeed troublesome.

But Zhou and Qian San could easily handle cultivators of this level!

Ye Zu's last remaining sword strike...

We must leave this to these false saints!

The heretical cultivators of the Southern Frontier are inherently suspicious, and these pseudo-saints are especially valuing their lives. Even though they appear united on the surface after entering the secret tomb, they are actually scheming against each other. They know the saying "even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse," and even if they have a 90% chance of winning against Ancestor Ye, they will not easily make a move.

Once these false saints who entered the tomb separate, or cease their confrontation.

Then Ye Zu's last remaining sword strike... appeared "dull and lusterless".

Killing one white man won't change the overall situation.

As long as one of the false saints in southern Xinjiang survives...

Then all the Great Chu cultivators in the Bai Ze Secret Mausoleum will die!
"Xiao Xie, I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this situation..."

Ye Zu lowered his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "The evil cultivators of the Southern Frontier are suspicious by nature and love to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight. If the Great Chu is united, Bai Gui and the others will definitely watch from afar. If they find out my 'secrets,' then everyone in the Great Chu will die here."

Actually, Ye Zu was only halfway through his sentence.

Xie Xuanyi then understood his meaning.

"Since Lu Yuzhen has summoned the 'Taiguang' clone in an attempt to incite internal strife within the Great Chu... then so be it..."

Ye Zu smiled awkwardly: "Now all the holy lands of Da Chu believe that you are the murderer who betrayed Wu Zhexian... Only this old man and Zhou know that this is just a play."

The killing intent within the Mingwang Zhenhai Formation, the anger of these Martial Sect disciples, and the resentment of the Hundred Flowers Valley were all real.

Because... this play was originally intended for evil cultivators.

Only heretical practitioners believe this.

Only with Ye Zu's final sword strike could he achieve his full potential.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the old man in red with a complicated expression.

"Actually, I didn't want to tell you these things."

Ye Zu lowered his eyes and said with a self-deprecating smile, "With the Zhenhai Formation complete, I originally intended to use the momentum of 'suppression and killing' to force you to draw your sword. However, I discovered... that you have already guessed this plan."

good……

Xie Xuanyi did indeed discover something strange; after the Zhenhai Formation was completed, Zhou's killing intent inexplicably subsided considerably.

"So that's why they stopped me from killing the Six Desires True Monarch..."

Xie Xuanyi sighed softly.

"It was intentional."

Ye Zu said, "The pseudo-saints of the three major sects should also be buried... If the Six Desires True Monarch can return alive to inform others, then the credibility of the news of the internal strife in the Great Chu will increase by three points."

After killing the false saint.

The Six Desires True Lord can be eliminated by Zhou Yi alone.

While talking.

He tore open his robe.

Ye Zu gestured lightly in front of his chest and said sincerely, "Next, you only need to stab here once, and the Zhenhai Formation will collapse on its own. Only when Bai Gui and the others see with their own eyes that I am 'seriously injured and on the verge of death' will they dare to harbor any murderous intent."

"senior?"

Xie Xuanyi was stunned.

He shook his head and said sincerely, "This sword... I cannot draw it!"

Ye Zu is now like a candle that has burned out.

He had exhausted all his strength, and this final sword strike, which he had saved up until now, would, even if it could kill the White Demon and his group of false saints, would also deplete all of his remaining life force...

At this critical juncture, he withstood another sword strike from the "Destruction Realm"...

Even if the evil cultivators are truly exterminated.

Even Ye Zu will be utterly destroyed!

"Judging by the time, Bai Gui and the others should be entering the secret tomb by now..."

Ye Zu shook his head and said gently, "Don't worry about me, think of Da Chu for the sake of the whole country... I have lived for hundreds of years and have seen all the sights. This time, the young Yang God died from burning blood on our journey south. How can I live on alone?"

"..." Xie Xuanyi fell silent.

He looked at the old man before him, whose will to die had completely vanished, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He could tell that Ye Zu no longer cared about his own life.

Perhaps this is why he was the only one in Hundred Flowers Valley to have mastered the "Burning Flower Style".

The Zhenhai Formation fell into a brief silence.

"Perhaps... things aren't so bad."

Xie Xuanyi regained his composure.

He activated his divine embryo, slowly extended a hand, and unleashed the Dao of Life.

A wisp of pure white energy entered the red-robed old man's brow.

"...?"

Ye Zu was taken aback.

He gazed at the golden divine embryo, his expression filled with a touch of emotion.

In all his centuries of travel, the only person he had ever met who had attained the "Way of Life" was the Zen master at Fanyin Temple.

The two paths of birth and death are arguably the most difficult to cultivate.

Even the Path of Destruction can be mastered by exceptionally talented and monstrous geniuses—

For example, Loretta, the Lotus Venerable, was the first incarnation of Xie Xuanyi.

The way of life truly involves only one person.

now……

He saw a second person, and that person was a Dao Realm expert who had achieved both birth and death.

Is this why Zhao Chunyang did not appear in Beihai back then?
Brother Chunyang, you have such foresight...

Did you even see through Xiao Xie's second life?
"Tsk tsk tsk."

The pure white vitality flowed into the red-robed old man's brow, landed in his Purple Mansion, landed in his Heart Lake, and landed above the Sword Qi Cave Heaven. Instantly, it was frozen into ice crystals and shattered into fragments.

Xie Xuanyi, who had just reached the Dao of Life realm, turned three shades paler.

He frowned as he looked at Ye Zu.

The realm of life...

It's impossible for it to fall into the location of Ye Zu's Dao injury!
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation!
This wound was not caused in a single battle.

Over the long years, Ye Zu used the "Burning Flower Style" more than once. In the battle of drinking poison, he fought desperately on the northern battlefield and had already overdrawn his strength once. He barely escaped with his life. Sixty years have passed, and Ye Zu appears to have recovered on the surface, but in reality, his chronic illness has not been cured. His inner world is still full of broken Dao wounds, just waiting for an opportunity to cause a collapse from the inside out.

The battle within the white paper barrier was the final trigger!
Ye Zu overdrawn his vital energy, causing his old injuries to erupt completely.

This kind of Dao injury has transcended the scope of healing that the "Dao of Life" can provide.

"Xiao Xie, it's already quite remarkable that you've comprehended the 'Way of Life'..."

Seeing this, Ye Zu smiled with relief, but a faint regret involuntarily surfaced in his eyes: "It's a pity that this is only the 'Dao Realm,' not the 'Great Dao.' If it were a Zen Master, perhaps he could truly create a miracle."

The Dao realm of the Yin God Realm is ultimately incomparable to the Great Dao.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi didn't know what to say.

He was hesitating whether to take out the "Fountain of Immortality" and use it.

Ye Zu spoke again: "There's no need to try anymore. Can't you tell that I don't want to live anymore?"

This time, it was Xie Xuanyi's turn to be stunned.

"Didn't you just see the battle with the white paper barrier?"

Ye Zu shook his head and laughed, "That guy surnamed Lu has so many 'Fountain of Immortality' on him. If I wanted to heal my Dao injuries... I could just ask him for the Fountain of Immortality, wouldn't that be enough? I'm tired of living! I originally wanted to fight your master again... but unfortunately, I don't have that chance. If you go back alive, remember to take care of my disciples and grand-disciples in Hundred Flowers Valley!"

Say it.

He tore open his clothes, and a surging wave crashed down!

A low shout rang out from within the Zhenhai Formation.

"Come!"

Xie Xuanyi was forced to look Ye Zu in the eye.

His expression was complex. Looking at the calm and composed old man in red, a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, he could only send out a wisp of sword energy.

Hiss!

The sword energy burst forth, instantly piercing Ye Zu's skin and bones!

This sword pierced through Ye Zu's thin, withered body, sending him flying.

boom!
The Zhenhai Formation was shattered.

The turbid waves rolled.

Zhou appeared "at just the right time," coming up behind Ye Zu, extending his arm to support him.

"..."

The white-clad warrior gazed at the black-clad figure who had drawn his sword with a complex expression, his eyes filled with guilt and remorse. But the next moment, as the waves crashed down, the guilt in the white-clad warrior's eyes vanished, leaving only "anger and gloom."

"Ye Zu is injured!"

"Xie Zhen has concealed his true strength!"

The turbid waves of the Zhenhai Formation shattered, and more than one person witnessed this scene.

The jet-black sword energy tore through the waves.

Zhou deliberately loosened the great formation's restraints, allowing more people to witness this scene.

A horrified cry drowned out the waves.

"kill!!"

"kill!!!"

The disciples of the Martial Sect pressed forward one after another.

Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath and began to counterattack. His golden-robed divine embryo launched a fierce attack on the Zhenhai Formation, and countless golden fist imprints struck the waves. The Zhenhai Formation, which had been able to maintain its "suppressive momentum" before, was now being forced to retreat step by step.

Zhou carried Ye Zu back to the place where the red leaf throne was.

He stepped into the Zhenhai Formation once again.

boom!
After the white-clad warrior returned to the battle formation, the situation reversed again, with the main formation pressing forward and showing signs of resuming its suppression.

Two divine embryos collided.

Golden light and white radiance clashed, divine light burst forth, and Zhou and Xie Zhen's figures were almost intertwined—

Zhou did not shirk responsibility.

Although the Six Desires True Lord escaped, his whereabouts are unknown.

Since you've chosen to act, you have to act from beginning to end!

"Southwest of the secret mausoleum, there is a long road."

However, halfway through the battle, Zhou suddenly transmitted his voice.

The second level of the Bai Ze Secret Mausoleum contains countless stone chambers, forming a natural maze. The Martial Sect disciples had already explored many of the paths.

Zhou pointed out a way to leave.

Say it.

Under the full force of the divine embryo's attack, the Sea-Suppressing Formation was smashed open, creating a crack!
"……it is good!"

Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath.

He thrust out his sword, the Dao of Annihilation tearing apart Zhou Quan's intent. This wisp of sword energy was incomparably sharp, directly following the cracks in the Zhenhai Formation, tearing a passage through the entire formation!

Dressed in black, he forcefully broke through the Sea-Suppressing Formation and left!

Rumble!
The Ming King's Sea-Suppressing Formation thus shattered and collapsed.

Zhou stood there, watching the figure in black leave, without saying a word.

He silently touched the blood on his cheek, sensing the naturally formed Dao of Annihilation on it, lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)