Embers of Sword

Chapter 536 Yuan Tun
Xie Xuanyi stood at the entrance of the sanctuary, feeling the biting wind rushing towards him.

One step further.

These strong winds will then turn into sharp blades.

"Perhaps... that grand stele is not the end of the secret tomb."

Zhou looked at the stele and said softly, "I discovered this when I crossed the river in the secret palace earlier."

The white-clad warrior extended his hand.

In his palm lay a small bone armor.

The four secret chambers each have a bone armor piece responsible for suppressing the great formation.

"Back then, the Great Sage Bai Ze had four disciples, and it is said that each disciple obtained a unique supernatural power."

"If there are four secret halls, then they truly correspond to four disciples."

"Then the 'Taoist stele' enshrined at the end of this sanctuary... might also be related to this thing."

Zhou looked at the stele at the end of the sanctuary with a hint of regret in his eyes.

The great monument is a great creation.

If he hadn't been injured, he might still have had a chance to step inside, try to seize the opportunity, and break through to the Yang God realm.

But now...

He had just failed to advance to the Yang God realm, and the Great Dao had backfired. If he were to step into the Holy Hall again now, he would only suffer a great calamity.

Zhou raised his palm, signaling Xie Xuanyi to take it away.

He kept this bone armor... it's no longer of any use to him.

Anyway, I won't step into the church.

"We have one of these too."

The elders of Qiantian Palace spoke up, explaining that they had also discovered this strange array core in the main hall during their battle with the Six Desires True Monarch.

The elders of Qiantian Palace and the venerable Xu family exchanged a glance and also presented bone armor.

To enter the Holy Hall and seize the Great Dao Stele, one would need at least the cultivation level of the Yin God Realm 15 or higher...

They were willing but unable to do so.

Even if I haven't been injured, I won't try it rashly.

Now, all they want is to leave the secret tomb safely.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the three bone armors in his palm. Now, he had obtained all four bone armors, leaving only the last one. Of the four secret halls, one was occupied by Qian San and Qin Baihuang. He subconsciously looked towards Qian San... while Qian San looked towards where Qin Qianlian was.

The cultivators of Xuanzhui Mountain all shifted their gazes in response.

Qin Qianlian stood amidst the smoke and dust, his thin white robe radiating faint lightning. He carried a heavy, shattered black armor on his back, slowly emerging from the smoke and dust. Qin Baihuang, exhausted from Zhong Sha's self-destruction, had passed out, but was not seriously injured, suffering only minor internal injuries. Furthermore, nourished by the "Rain of Life," Qin Baihuang was now in a coma.

"Uncle Master."

"Uncle Master."

The disciples of Changshengzhai stepped forward one after another, but dared not get too close.

Qin Qianlian slowly approached Xie Xuanyi, and slowly opened his palm.

The fourth bone armor is right there in my palm.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the man in front of her and frowned slightly.

He subconsciously looked at Ye Zu on the red leaf throne.

The old man sat languidly, without making any special movements.

Xie Xuanyi could sense that Qin Qianlian was emanating an unsettling, gloomy aura...

Although the aura was concealed, it could not be hidden from his perfect divine sense.

If Xie Xuanyi could see it, then Ye Zu must also be able to see it.

This gloomy aura... reminded Xie Xuanyi of the "Smoke Demon" he had encountered once in Bei Shou.

I've heard that the Longevity Sect damaged a divine artifact ten years ago, called the Yin-Yang Mirror. It could fuse blood to create a body, and wielding this mirror allowed one to perform the "External Avatar" technique. This avatar technique was a level above evil spells like the Paper Doll technique. If I'm not mistaken, the evil aura emanating from Qin Qianlian right now originates from this.

"Don't worry... I'm not with that guy."

Qin Qianlian could feel Xie Xuanyi's soul-piercing gaze.

He transmitted his voice hoarsely: "From the very beginning, I never thought of vying for the position of family head."

"You don't need to explain these things to me."

Xie Xuanyi remained calm.

He witnessed the entire struggle for the position of head of the Qin family.

Xie Xuanyi understood Qin Baihuang; he wasn't someone who enjoyed vying for power... The reason he brought a group of advisors and retainers to Xuanzhui Mountain was because of Qin Qianlian's provocation. If it weren't for this, Qin Baihuang wouldn't care who inherited the position of family head; hiding underground in the weapon-refining department to forge magical artifacts was what this guy liked to do most.

"I want to confirm something with you..."

Qin Qianlian chuckled softly and continued, "My third brother... did you kill him?"

Xie Xuanyi is Xie Zhen.

Xie Zhen is Xie Xuanyi.

This news was truly unexpected for Qin Qianlian... However, it seemed to be good news. Qin Qianlian didn't know what kind of person "Xie Zhen" was, but he knew Xie Xuanyi.

If Xie Xuanyi kills someone, he never flinches or runs away.

"See for yourself."

Xie Xuanyi silently sent a wisp of divine thought.

The Great Yue Kingdom's first war.

Qin Wanyang was possessed by "Yanxie" and set up the Three Dust Incense Array. Xie Xuanyi revealed the whole story of this battle to Qin Qianlian's divine sea without any concealment... In a sense, he was also a "murderer." But if this debt really had to be settled, it would definitely be Yanxie's doing.

"……I see."

Qin Qianlian finally got the answer she had been searching for.

He remained outwardly calm.

The two communicated telepathically. At this moment, the Yanxie clone hidden in the Yin-Yang Mirror was still trying to persuade Qin Qianlian not to give up on seizing the throne.

“A thousand years ago… Bai Ze, the Great Sage, and the Dao Ancestor were close friends.”

Qin Qianlian suddenly spoke up: "The secret treasures of Tianyuan Mountain in the Daoist sect record that the Great Sage Bai Ze's 'innate divine power' is called [Yuan Tun]. This [Yuan Tun] technique is extremely difficult to cultivate, so it was divided into four and passed on to Bai Ze's four most outstanding disciples... Xuanming, Chixiao, Qingnu, and Suhuan. Before Bai Ze died, he divided the [Yuan Tun] technique into four, and I think the bone armor in these four secret halls corresponds to the [Yuan Tun] recorded in the Daoist treasures."

This statement came out.

Everyone present was deeply moved.

This is extremely important intelligence.

Apart from Qin Qianlian, the prospective head of the Changshengzhai, no one else knew about it.

Even Ye Zu was unaware of this.

This is why Qin Qianlian took the bone armor during the previous battle in the secret palace. Legend has it that the [Yuan Tun] technique is extremely powerful. Information about how the Great Sage Bai Ze used this technique is no longer available, but his chief disciple, Xuanming, once displayed this divine power… swallowing half a great river and several mountains with a single gulp! Although a thousand years have passed, this shocking scene is still recorded in the records of the Great Chu royal family! Judging from his current cultivation level, this chief disciple, Xuanming, has likely reached the ninth level of the Yang God realm.

This is only an incomplete version of the [Primal Devouring] technique!
Everyone present looked at the stele in the sanctuary with expressions of amazement and envy...

Unfortunately.

They had no right to touch the Dao stele.

Even if the Holy Temple didn't have a killing intent restriction, they wouldn't be qualified to cultivate [Primal Devouring]. To cultivate such a divine power would definitely require paying a huge price.

Qin Qianlian said softly, "If I'm not mistaken, there must be a deeper secret hidden at the end of this Great Dao Stele... If you reach the end of the Holy Hall and do not see the [Yuan Tun] divine power in the stele, do not rush to leave. Great Sage Bai Ze will not let his proud skills disappear in the tides of history."

Say it.

Qin Qianlian extended her palm.

Xie Xuanyi reached out to take the fourth bone armor, but just as his fingertips touched it, Qin Qianlian suddenly withdrew his hand and grasped Xie Xuanyi's hand.

"Brother Qianlian?"

Xie Xuanyi spoke calmly.

"I have one more request..."

Qin Qianlian's voice was hoarse: "In the soul banner of True Immortal Baihe, I saw a woman who had not been refined... She should be a survivor of the Bingyou incident. Perhaps there are other survivors hidden in the soul banner. If possible, please bring them out of the Holy Hall safely."

He fought Renzuka for a very long time. Renzuka stubbornly refused to reveal the person hidden in the soul banner—

Now, he is no longer able to go on.

This task can only be entrusted to Xie Xuanyi.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi's heart skipped a beat.

Are there any survivors on the Bingyou ship?
Was it nourishment that Renzuka deliberately received into the soul banner and left for himself to "consume" at a crucial moment?
In any case, this is good news.

Xie Xuanyi said sincerely, "I will do my best."

"……it is good."

Upon receiving this reply, Qin Qianlian released his grip with a sigh of relief. He was never one to easily trust others, but the person making the promise at this moment was Xie Xuanyi, and Xie Xuanyi never broke his word.

……

……

The wind was fierce and swirling like knives.

Xie Xuanyi stood at the entrance of the sanctuary, composing himself.

Having collected all four White Ze Bone Armors, he stretched out his palm and slowly pressed it before the void portal. His sword intent surged forth, and in an instant, a massive gash was cleaved open in the Holy Hall. Xie Xuanyi stepped inside—

Hiss!

As expected.

Countless gusts of wind surged in, instantly shredding Xie Xuanyi's black robes.

The moment Xie Xuanyi stepped into the sanctuary, the sounds from the second level of the secret maze vanished completely, revealing a brand-new, independent grotto-heaven barrier. This place was shrouded in new Dao rules, and within these rules, Xie Xuanyi sensed boundless killing intent—

Hundreds or even thousands of sword intents poured in from above and from all directions.

Xie Xuanyi summoned the Martial Arts Divine Embryo.

The two great paths of birth and death transformed into a perfectly round domain at this moment.

Even so, it was still impossible to resist the sanctuary's fierce "killing intent"—

Xie Xuanyi walked forward.

His body was cut open with gashes by the sword energy.

Blood flowed, forming a long path behind him.

The Way of Life continuously heals wounds.

The Holy Temple's sword energy continuously tore it apart.

As Ye Zu said, the road to the sanctuary may seem short, but it is actually very long. Every step is a test of one's "heart" and "body".

Xie Xuanyi walked slowly, yet quickly.

His pace was very even with each step.

The physical pain... he was already used to it. The agony of his skin being cut by sword energy was nothing compared to this. The pain of forcibly igniting the major acupoints during the cultivation of the Divine Embryo was several times, even ten times, greater.

In a sense.

Every step forward at this moment is an inquiry into the truth, a questioning of one's own heart.

Xie Xuanyi walked slowly and calmly.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally saw the Great Dao Stele. The wind dispersed the mist, and the pure white stele at the end of the Holy Temple looked like a sun.

Beside the road stele.

Xie Xuanyi saw a second path of blood.

The blood and qi splattered along the path exuded an evil aura. Because of the "Realm of Life" and the "Fountain of Immortality," Xie Xuanyi's blood and qi were extremely vigorous, while that person's blood and qi appeared much weaker... Ren Zhong, with his tattered black clothes and graying hair, looked like a withered straw, as if he could be blown over by the wind at any moment.

Renzuka actually walked step by step to the end of the sanctuary.

A few more steps.

He could then touch the stele.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi hadn't expected this guy's willpower to be so strong.

Unfortunately, Renzuka had already reached his limit.

The blood beneath him had dried, indicating that he hadn't moved for a long time. Human strength has its limits, and for Ren Zhong, reaching this point was already the result of overdrawing his life force. In the battle with the Prince of Jiangning, his [Soul Sea] suffered severe damage; otherwise... perhaps he really could have touched that Dao Stele.

"Thank you... Zhen..."

The sound of the wind broke, and Renzuka heard the footsteps of a second person.

He turned around, looking dazed.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Renzuka revealed a pale smile with a complex expression.

It's Xie Zhen...

The person who came was Xie Zhen...

This means that the white ghost is dead.

His master died in a battle with Da Chu.

To him, it didn't really matter who entered the sanctuary. Whoever survived this struggle would ultimately face death and reckoning.

only……

The figure that appeared before him at this moment confirmed the prophecy left by the Paper Doll Path.

"If you've truly made up your mind."

"Perhaps... I can help you."

Several hours ago, the voice of the paper figure in black echoed in my heart.

As they parted, the man in black told Ren Zhong that the greatest enemy he would face upon entering the second level of the Secret Tomb to compete for the Great Dao Stele was neither the White Ghost nor Ye Zu.

It was Xie Zhen.

At that time, Renzuka was still in a state of doubt.

But now... he believes it.

"Renzuka, it's all over. Give up the struggle."

Xie Xuanyi looked at Ren Zhong's withered figure and said calmly, "Your master is dead. Next, it will be your turn... If you release the living people hidden in the soul banner, I can spare your life."

He continued forward step by step.

The fog was dispersed by the sword energy, and the two drew closer and closer.

Ren Zhong was only a few steps away from the Dao Stele... but those last few steps were a true insurmountable barrier.

Xie Xuanyi was very certain.

Renzuka was completely powerless to resist. This guy had neither the Fountain of Immortality nor the Dao of Life, so it was already a miracle that he had reached this point.

"It's indeed over..."

Renzuka stared blankly at the approaching figure in black, his expression dazed and confused.

He glanced at the roadside monument and gave a reluctant smile.

It turns out that the guy from Paper Doll Path was right; relying on his own strength, he really could only go this far.

Just a little bit more...

Just a little bit...

He tried with all his might to touch the Dao Stele; he had burned everything he had.

But it's still a little short.

"...?"

Xie Xuanyi frowned and stopped in his tracks.

A sense of unease suddenly welled up in his heart.

"Thank you, Zhen."

Renzuka slowly suppressed his smile and said, word by word, very seriously, "You're right, it's all over. My master was defeated by you, but I wasn't... This time, I won."

(End of this chapter)