Embers of Sword

Chapter 585 The Move of Tianyuan
On the outskirts of the imperial city, in a remote and desolate mountain range.

Master Junshan landed on the desolate mountain on his sword. Before his journey to the east, he had received a Ruyi Token from Chen Jingxuan. Half an hour ago, he used the token to contact the "Snow Master" of Fangyuanfang and arranged to meet here.

Not far from the top of the barren mountain, a red pavilion stands shrouded in wind and snow.

"Great Master".

The Snow Lord tucked his hands into his sleeves and respectfully said, "You've arrived."

"I have an urgent matter to attend to."

Junshan looked around and immediately asked in a deep voice, "Where is Chen Jingxuan?"

He had just left the southern border, riding his sword all the way, and hadn't even had time to land.

The events that occurred in the capital were spectacular.

Unfortunately, he had not yet heard of it.

"It's a long story."

The Snow Lord sighed softly and took out a jade slip from his sleeve.

In fact, before today's events, Chen Jingxuan had a vague premonition of unease.

He left some instructions for the Snow Lord in advance.

This jade slip records the dramatic changes that have taken place in the imperial city over the past ten hours—

Master Junshan frowned as he accepted the jade slip.

After the divine thought swept over.

His expression turned extremely ugly.

"The upheaval in Qingyang City... Chen Jingxuan resigned from his position as Imperial Preceptor..."

His voice was bitter, and his tone was full of disbelief.

The reason Junshan rushed to the imperial city as soon as he left the Daoist sect was because in the "Future Dao Realm," he saw a calamity that was about to occur, but also hope amidst the disaster. Several extremely bright rays of light appeared particularly dazzling and precious in the midst of the calamity, and he was quite certain that the ray of hope revealed by the Future Dao Realm was Chen Jingxuan.

He couldn't have imagined it.

I rushed there as fast as I could, but that glimmer of hope had already been extinguished.
Chen Jingxuan's departure doesn't seem to be the worst news yet.

This jade slip contains a very subtle piece of information.

The Imperial Advisor Yan Xin is not in the Carp Pavilion.

Before forcing Chen Jingxuan to leave, Renshou Palace deliberately invited Yan Xin into the palace, and the spies in the library also discovered Qin Zu's figure.

Because Renshou Palace was locked down and a large array was being built recently, the spies were unable to get any closer.

No one knows what the inside of the palace looks like now.

But what if this undercurrent in the imperial city was a conspiracy long prepared by Renshou Palace...?

Compared to Chen Jingxuan.

The safety of Yan Xin and Qin Zu is even more worrying.

"By the way... how's your little emperor doing?"

Master Junshan came to his senses.

"His Majesty is well and at ease in the villa."

The Snow Lord's expression was solemn as she slowly said, "Her Majesty has the blood of the Great Chu Emperor flowing through her veins. She can sense that the great formation within the palace is trembling... The [Moon Hidden Realm] is very likely engaged in a great war, an unprecedented war."

Chu Yin's disguise could not fool the Empress.

But so what?
Her existence was not important to the Holy Empress.

She was too young after all. Although she had royal blood and sat on the throne of the "emperor," she had no power to resist the Empress's decisions.

As long as she remains a quiet puppet and doesn't cause trouble, no matter how intense the upheaval in the capital may be, it won't harm her life.

"Leaving this jade slip is the master's intention."

Snow Lord paused for a moment and said, "He had a premonition about most of what happened today."

"Is it?"

Junshan sighed softly.

This might be the only good news.

If Chen Jingxuan had noticed earlier, he wouldn't have left the capital city without any backup plan.

"I just left southern Xinjiang, it's a terrible place..."

Junshan rubbed his temples, wanting to explain, but found that what had happened in the Southern Frontier was something he couldn't explain in just a few words.

The capital city is in chaos.

But the situation in southern Xinjiang is even more chaotic.

Da Chu's southward journey was betrayed by the combined forces of the three major sects.

One of his main purposes in coming to the capital was to seek help, as Chen Jingxuan had been forced out of the capital by Yan Xie and Yuan Jimu...

Should I go to Yan Xie for help?
"The Great Master needs no explanation."

The Snow Lord said, "The master told me that he had used the [Hun Yuan Yi] to divine the omens of the Southern Frontier in advance..."

"how?"

Junshan's eyes lit up.

"Although it is an ominous sign, it secretly contains great fortune."

The Snow Lord said, "Many people must have died in the Southern Frontier, right?"

"……Yes."

Junshan looked somber.

"The Grand Master came to the capital to seek reinforcements."

Snow Lord lowered his eyes: "If the Great Chu Imperial City provides all its aid, it can save the Southern Frontier from its decline... and reverse the overall situation."

This was indeed what Junshan was thinking.

But after rushing to the capital and reading the jade slip, his resolve began to waver slightly.

He personally detected the aura of the Yin-Yang Mirror clone of "Smoke Evil" in the southern border region.

This clue... connects the Taoist sect, the Paper Doll sect, and ultimately points to Renshou Palace.

If Chongkan, Lu Yuzhen, and the Empress are on the same side, then why would I need to go back to the capital to ask for reinforcements?
Meaningless.

"Great Master, give up this idea."

After a moment of silence, the Snow Lord said, word by word, "The outcome of the Southern Frontier is already decided. How this battle will turn out is no longer up to you and me... The reason I met here today is to advise the Great Master to seize the time and do something more important."

"Something more important?"

Junshan took a deep breath, his eyes showing some confusion.

"Dragon Vein."

As Chen Jingxuan's right-hand man in charge of Fangyuanfang, Xuezhu was a trusted confidant specially dispatched to protect the young emperor Chuyin.

She was on par with the Fire Lord and knew almost all of Chen Jingxuan's plans, most of his arrangements, and most of his secrets.

At that moment, the Snow Lord uttered two words.

With a wave of her sleeve, she painted with wind and snow, and a magnificent landscape of the land suddenly appeared above the barren mountains.

"Beneath the Great Chu Imperial City where we stand right now, there are four intersecting dragon veins—"

"The North Sea Dragon Vein, the Martial Fortune Dragon Vein, the Taoist Dragon Vein, and the Great Sui Dragon Vein."

"The Great Master has just returned from the Daoist sect; he must have already witnessed the scene of the 'Daoist sect'?"

"..."

Master Junshan was somewhat dazed upon hearing this.

He had previously hovered in the air on his sword to examine the interior of the Taoist sect and discovered that the fortune of the Taoist sect's Zhaishan Mountain was dim.

At the time, he just thought it was absurd.

Only after being reminded by the Snow Master did he realize the ominous sign of the dimming fortune of Zhaishan.

"Before he left, the gentleman gave some instructions."

"This upheaval in the imperial city is most likely caused by the dragon vein..."

With a serious expression, Xuezhu said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the Daoist dragon vein's fortune should have already been moved away."

"Grass……"

Master Junshan, his face ashen, gritted his teeth and spat out a single word.

Apply extremely deep force.

"You son of a bitch."

He simply couldn't believe that his senior brother, Chongkan, could do such a thing.

The Empress Dowager is to collect four dragon veins.

The Taoist sect offered to send one!
According to the Jade Decree's intelligence...

It is likely that the "Martial Fortune Dragon Vein" guarded by Qin Zu is the second dragon vein that the Holy Empress has her eye on!

“A year ago, you quelled the rebellion in Qingzhou and brought the dragon vein energy of the North Sea into Da Chu.”

The Snow Lord slowly said, "Judging from the current situation... it won't be long before the Renshou Palace formation is unsealed. At that time, three of the four dragon veins will be obtained. The Holy Empress's last target will definitely be the Da Sui Sword Palace."

“I am very familiar with Zhao Tongtian.”

Junshan quickly replied, "I'll go to the Great Jade Sword Palace to report this right away!"

"..."

Snow Master shook his head.

"Since you foresaw this disaster in advance, how could you be careless... Rest assured, the library has already arranged for someone to take care of the matter of informing us."

She gazed intently into Master Junshan's eyes and said earnestly, "Great Master, you have more important things to do." "More important things?"

Junshan's gaze sharpened.

"You've always wanted to know... Xiaoyaozi's whereabouts, haven't you?"

Xuezhu said sincerely, "Sir, I have divined that the Daoist sect has experienced two major battles and is currently in a vulnerable state. If we can find out the truth, now is the best opportunity."

"You mean, I should return to the Daoist sect?"

Junshan paused for a moment.

"Your trip to the capital has not been in vain. The master advised that you should bring one more person with you."

The Snow Master turned slightly to the side, revealing the red pavilion and the snow behind her. A woman's figure could be vaguely seen in the pavilion.

Because it was covered by wind and snow.

The woman was isolated from the outside world. At that moment, she was engrossed in studying an ancient book of talismans and arrays, completely absorbed in it, until the wind and snow dissipated, at which point she realized something was wrong.

"Little Deng?"

Master Junshan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised to meet him here again.

After their journey to the East, Deng Baiyi and Chu Guo were secretly taken away by the Book Pavilion… Since Tang Fengshu was imprisoned by Chongkan and there was no news of him, Chen Jingxuan naturally wouldn't let Deng Baiyi return to the Daoist sect. So he ordered Qian San to take her back to the Imperial City Villa, where she was personally cared for by the Snow Master. For Deng Baiyi, staying in the Daoist sect and staying in the Imperial City made no difference; it was simply a matter of changing her place of residence.

Since the library had a large number of books on array formations to study, she stayed there and spent her days reading and studying array formations.

The days fly by.

Today, Xuezhui took her away from the capital, saying she wanted to meet an old friend. She kept it a secret beforehand, and Deng Baiyi felt a surge of nervousness. In fact, she only had a few old friends... She asked beforehand, and from the tone of her voice, it seemed that it wasn't Xie Zhen. Her initial nervousness and anticipation dissipated by about 70-80%.

While waiting in the Red Pavilion, I took the opportunity to flip through an ancient book and glance at it, and before I knew it, I had lost track of time.

"Senior Junshan?"

At that moment, the wind and snow suddenly stopped, and Deng Baiyi raised her head, shifting her gaze from the ancient book.

A look of surprise appeared in her eyes.

Since leaving the country last time, she had never seen Master Junshan again... Later, when Deng Baiyi returned to Da Chu, she deliberately inquired about the aftermath of Junshan from Chen Jingxuan. She confirmed that the great master had not been robbed by Chen Chong, but had been safely invited back by the Daoist sect, and only then did she feel relieved.

Although he was a disciple of the Taoist sect, he had almost no acquaintances.

Apart from the fairies of Yuqingzhai.

It was the Great Master Junshan who treated him the best, teaching him swordsmanship and protecting him.

Seeing Senior Junshan at this moment, Deng Baiyi was filled with joy.

Actually, Junshan is the same.

He liked Deng Baiyi, this young man, very much. She was a rough gem, but seeing her now, his emotions were quite complicated.

"The Taoist sect is now in complete chaos."

Junshan sighed and said with a wry smile, "I can't even guarantee my own safety if I go back by myself, let alone bring this little girl Deng along... Your husband is truly prescient, didn't he ever consider the difficulty and significance of bringing her back?"

"The gentleman went to the Taoist sect yesterday."

The Snow Master smiled slightly and took out a second jade slip from his sleeve: "With your cultivation as a Great True Person, you should be able to recognize what this is, right?"

"Ok?"

Junshan took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and his expression immediately became strange.

This jade slip records the path one takes after entering the Daoist sect.

The map of the main sect of Taoism is not a secret.

Before the mountain was closed for ten years, many people were invited to visit the Taoist sect... But the route map recorded on this jade slip is not so simple. A golden thread follows the winding and twisting mountain road of the Taoist sect, eventually pointing to the back mountain and bypassing it.

"Is this... a secret path leading directly to Tianyuan Mountain?"

Junshan couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Did Chen Jingxuan sneak into the Taoist sect's base? How did he figure out that route?"

This secret path is extremely strange and tricky.

Over the years, anyone who wants to enter Tianyuan Mountain must pass through the back mountain and then pass through Zhongmiaozhai.

This is how it was designed when the main sect of Taoism was built!
Seven mountains, clustered together and relying on each other, form a circle, protecting Tianyuan Mountain in the center...

But things are different now.

Due to the great battle between Xuanzhi Zhenren and Chongkan, Qingnang Mountain was emptied, and this battle created a gap in the side of the back mountain.

The great momentum of the seven Zhaishan Mountains relying on each other has now been weakened!
This is why Chen Jingxuan visited the Daoist sect that day, taking his time and even slowing down his pace.

Every action taken by a true master of the art of destiny is inevitably meaningful.

He climbed the mountain with the Candle Taoist.

At the same time, he silently released the Heavenly Mandate Golden Thread, which explored the main sect of the Daoist sect and found this route.

This is... a route for Junshan and Deng Baiyi to enter the mountain.

Xuezhu said sincerely, "With this jade slip, the Great Master should be able to successfully enter Tianyuan Mountain on this trip."

"That's the truth."

Master Junshan looked at Deng Baiyi and said helplessly, "But what's the use of bringing her along?"

"..."

Deng Baiyi was also somewhat bewildered.

and many more.

What is this doing?
Is Master Junshan going to take me to Tianyuan Mountain?

I am just a cultivator who has barely reached the Qi Control Realm. Although I am quite accomplished in the Dao of Array Patterns, my cultivation years are too short. Master Junshan is a reincarnated Yang God. What help can I be by his side?

"Now that we have entered Tianyuan Mountain, we must see Xiaoyaozi."

Xuezhu lowered her eyes and slowly said, "The master said that there is an array pattern in the stone mountain where Xiaoyaozi is in seclusion, which cannot be broken by anyone but a disciple of Tianxiazhai."

"Hell..."

Master Junshan was speechless. Even his own junior brother didn't know the specific details of his senior brother's seclusion.

Chen Jingxuan has even figured out the array patterns in the secluded stone mountain?

"How did that brat surnamed Chen find out about this?"

He instinctively cursed, but then he immediately understood the answer.

Tang Fengshu.

The only person who could know so clearly the details of Xiaoyaozi's seclusion was probably Tang Fengshu, his personal disciple.

In this way, Deng Baiyi's role becomes very clear.

She is a legitimate disciple of Tianxiazhai.

Moreover... Tang Fengshu taught her a lot about array formation techniques.

"It's a really strange feeling."

Master Junshan grasped the jade token and chuckled softly, "I have a feeling that your master is using me as a sword..."

After leaving the southern border, everything he did seemed to be anticipated by Chen Jingxuan.

This conversation, this dialogue.

It made him feel like he had become a pawn... Chen Jingxuan had already found a way out for him.

Junshan lived two lives and comprehended the Dao Realm of the Future.

It is still like this.

How did the other people in the library feel?

Although the feeling was strange, it wasn't offensive. This was because Master Junshan knew that Chen Jingxuan was acting in his best interests, and that even disregarding the bigger picture, he would still do the same.

Junshan's greatest "concern" in this second life is his senior brother Xiaoyaozi.

Now we finally have the opportunity to step into Tianyuan Mountain and find out what's going on.

He was determined to take the risk, no matter what.

"Since Chen Jingxuan has already explored the secret path of Tianyuan Mountain and brought Tang Fengshu with him..."

Junshan suddenly had a thought and asked, "Why doesn't he personally lead a group to investigate the Taoist sect?"

"The gentleman said that his identity is different from yours."

Clearly, Chen Jingxuan had anticipated this question and left an answer for Xue Zhu in advance.

Xuezhu respectfully said, "Although his relationship with Master Tang is extraordinary... he is, after all, an outsider to the Daoist sect. Some matters need to be resolved personally by those within the Daoist sect. As for him and Master Tang, they have more important matters to attend to after leaving the imperial city."

Upon hearing this, Junshan stopped asking questions.

"Truly... heroes of the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river."

The young boy in the Taoist robe couldn't help but sigh.

Although he had not met Chen Jingxuan, Junshan Zhenren felt the power of this young celestial observer in just this brief conversation with Xuezhui.

This is beyond realms; it's about sheer power in combat.

Strategic planning leads to victory from afar.

Perhaps what Chen Jingxuan saw was even more distant than his own future Dao realm.

Master Junshan took a deep breath.

His intuition told him... he should trust Chen Jingxuan.

"Walk--"

He grabbed the jade token, looked at Deng Baiyi, and unleashed his sword energy to envelop her.

A stream of sword energy shot straight up from the top of the small hill.

"Return to the Dao Sect! Go to Tianyuan!"

(End of this chapter)