Embers of Sword

Chapter 586 Xie Xuanyi!
Amidst the chaos in the imperial city.

A wisp of fire fell into the gate of the Great Jade Palace.

This streak of fire arrived with incredible speed, like a falling meteorite, but the Great Sui Mountain Gate did not raise any large array barrier to block it. A wisp of divine thought swept out from the back of Golden Turtle Peak, and the Heavenly Law Master personally sent a message to allow it to pass. True Hidden Peak dared not obstruct it in the slightest, so this streak of light fell into the mountain gate without any difficulty.

The firelight cascaded down the ground like a waterfall, revealing a slender man draped in a long, bright red robe.

next moment.

The surrounding scenery changed, and the flowing fire scattered by the waterfall was enveloped by sword energy.

The Fire Lord was thus invited to a small pavilion on the back mountain of Jin'ao Peak.

"Thank you for the audience, Attorney General."

Amidst the swirling mist that soothed the intense flames, the Fire Lord bowed respectfully to Zhao Tongtian, who was draped in a long robe not far away.

Although the Fire Lord spends most of his time on missions in Dali.

But after all, he had followed Chen Jingxuan since he was young.

Within the Great Chu territory, there are still people who know his true identity—

Zhao Tongtian was one of them.

"I've already heard about what happened in the capital."

Zhao Tongtian stood in the pavilion, gazing at the sword-qi forest not far away, and asked expressionlessly, "How is the young Grand Preceptor?"

The Master was shrouded in mist, obscuring his expression, but he exuded a chilling aura.

He seemed to be in a very bad mood at the moment.

Zhao Tongtian and Yan Xin had been good friends for a long time.

Over the years, he had been accumulating the scattered fortune of Jin'ao Peak... After Venerable Lian died on the Northern battlefield, he left behind a faint possibility of reincarnation. To see through this "possibility," he needed to use the [Hun Yuan Yi]. Every year, Zhao Tongtian sent a fortune box to the library, but he never tried to peel back the final layer of causal illusion.

Every year, he struggles with the thought of whether or not to use the golden box of fortune he has accumulated over the years to activate the [Hun Yuan Yi] and confirm the remaining fortune of [Lotus Venerable].

Every year, this thought is suppressed.

Some truths are better left unseen.

Once you see it... there's no room for negotiation.

The question he wanted to address...

Dead, alive.

There is only one answer.

However, this upheaval in the capital made Zhao Tongtian realize an even more serious matter.

He was a lucky man; the answer to the question about "Lotus Venerable" was already written on the paper, waiting for him to uncover it.

There aren't many sheets of paper in this world that contain the answers.

Chen Jingxuan left the capital, and Yan Xin disappeared...

Before the wave of anger caused by Renshou Palace could even begin, his treasured "paper" of decades was torn to shreds.

If things develop in the worst-case scenario...

It is very likely that the "luck" he has accumulated over the years will be swallowed up, and the truth about Venerable Lotus will be nowhere to be found.

"Young Imperial Advisor..."

The Fire Lord gave a wry smile and said helplessly, "Sir is no longer worthy of this title. He has been demoted and left the capital, and it will probably be a long time before he is gone."

"That doesn't look good."

Zhao Tongtian seemed to be deep in thought. He glanced at the man in red robes and said, "But the fact that he sent you to the Sword Palace means that he hasn't gotten to that bad a state yet."

The True Hidden Peak disciples, led by Si Qi of the Great Eagle Sword Palace, are responsible for gathering intelligence across the four realms.

The moment the upheaval in Qingyang City broke out.

The messages then poured into the Sword Palace.

Although Zhao Tongtian was in seclusion in Jin'ao, he had all the information about what was happening outside.

The battle between Chen Jingxuan and Yan Xie erupted extremely quickly and ended even faster... On the surface, Chen Jingxuan was defeated and left. The Book Tower, Fangyuanfang, and the position of Imperial Preceptor were all handed over to others, but Zhao Tongtian knew very well that the "positions and titles" a person held were not important.

The title of "Master of the Book Pavilion," "Master of Fangyuanfang," and "Future Imperial Advisor" are all empty titles.

Just like Zhao Tongtian.

What would be the consequences if I resigned from my position as the master of Jin'ao Peak?

Even if he resigns from his position as head of the Sword Palace, what difference will it make?

Since Chen Jingxuan can command the "Fire Master," it means this young man still possesses many important "trump cards." The Book Tower, Fangyuanfang, those lost items... will be retrieved sooner or later.

Zhao Tongtian has a keen eye for people.

The undercurrents in the imperial city were surging and seemingly concluded with Chen Jingxuan's dismal exit, as if everything had been declared over.

But Zhao Tongtian knew deep down...

This "peerless duo" who was on par with Xie Xuanyi was by no means someone who would readily admit defeat.

Yan Xin once told Zhao Tongtian that Chen Jingxuan was a "world-shaking talent" who appeared only once in a thousand years. After studying under his master for just over ten years, Yan Xin felt exhausted. Although he was the Grand Preceptor of the Chu State, he had nothing left to teach Chen Jingxuan... This was the reason why he handed over the entire library to Chen Jingxuan.

Chen Jingxuan, this disciple, had actually surpassed his master Yan Xin long ago.

Junior Imperial Advisor, Imperial Advisor...

It's just a title, just fleeting.

"The master sent me to the Great Eagle Sword Palace, saying that I must deliver this order to the Chief Lawyer."

The Fire Lord respectfully took out a jade token.

Although Chen Jingxuan resigned from his position as the master of the library, the two top-tier Yin deities, the Fire Lord and the Snow Lord, still obeyed only his commands. This jade token was engraved by Chen Jingxuan with his divine sense on his way out of the city, and it recorded some divination symbols he left behind using the [Hun Yuan Yi].

"……Um?"

Zhao Tongtian raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

He accepted the jade token.

With just a glance, Zhao Tongtian's already gloomy face was clouded with even more darkness.

"Renshou Palace wants to collect the Great Ear of Dragon Vein?!"

The Great Chu Dynasty had a total of four dragon veins.

The Imperial City occupies two of them. The Daoist sect and the Sword Palace each occupy one.

In previous years, the fortunes of the region were exhausted. Apart from the "Martial Vein Fortune" guarded by Qin Zu, which was still relatively good, the Imperial City, the Daoist Sect, and the Sword Palace were all in dire straits. The consequence of the decline in fortunes was that, over a full sixty years, only one successor of the Martial Vein, "Martial Immortal," successfully advanced to the Yang God realm.

The dragon vein's energy and fortune are the foundation upon which the Great Sui Sword Palace was founded!

How can we just hand over something like this?

Although Zhenyin Peak had gathered a lot of information, it was really difficult to draw the conclusion of "Dragon Vein" when all the information was put together.

This news is both absurd and terrifying.

"..."

Zhao Tongtian gripped the jade token, his expression becoming subtle for a moment.

He gazed meaningfully at the Fire Lord.

Chen Jingxuan's arrangement was quite meaningful...

The news that Renshou Palace is plotting to seize the dragon vein is extremely important!
If it were someone else reporting this, not only would they have to wait to meet Zhao Tongtian, but they would even have to wait to enter the main gate of the Sword Palace!
Only with the presence of the Fire Lord could this situation have arisen.

In terms of strength, the Fire Lord is a peak Yin God Realm cultivator, a top-tier being below the Yang God Realm, and capable of reaching the "Peak" Realm at any time! In a one-on-one duel, even if all the Yin God Realm cultivators from the Great Chu and Great Li dynasties were to be screened, they could at most only manage a 50/50 chance against him. Even Tang Fengshu, the number one Daoist sect leader, wouldn't dare say he could defeat him.

This top enforcer of Fangyuanfang and even the bookstore rarely shows his face.

The fact that the Fire Lord personally delivered the jade token proves the importance of Chen Jingxuan's message.

"The young man surnamed Chen is usually pragmatic and steady in his work."

Zhao Tongtian pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "While the veracity of this news cannot be confirmed... I am 50% certain of its authenticity."

"only--"

The conversation turned.

Zhao Tongtian said expressionlessly, "The fortune of the Great Sui Sword Palace has been suppressed by the main peak for a thousand years. It is not something that crazy woman can take away as she pleases."

Upon receiving this reply, the Fire Lord couldn't help but sigh softly.

He knew it would be like this.

Chen Jingxuan had given instructions beforehand. Although this Tongtian Zhanglu was loyal and upright, he was quite arrogant. The Da Sui Sword Palace did have the right to be arrogant. However, with the great calamity approaching, there was no room for the slightest negligence or slackness.

"You have already exchanged spiritual messages with Mr. Yan Xin, haven't you?"

The Fire Lord spoke cautiously.

"..."

Zhao Tongtian frowned. "Mr. Yan Xin was recently invited to the palace."

The Fire Lord said sincerely, "If I'm not mistaken, Qin Zu was also invited into the palace along with him."

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Tongtian's expression turned serious.

"The Holy Empress wants to gather all four dragon veins. The Great Eagle Sword Palace is only one of them."

The Fire Lord said, word by word, "According to your calculations, the Great Sui Sword Palace is likely the last dragon vein... With the North Sea, the Daoist sect, and the martial vein all gathered, the Renshou Palace will soon take action against the Great Sui side."

"Use your methods..."

Zhao Tongtian stood in the pavilion and sneered.

He spoke slowly, "My Great Sui Sword Palace is established here; we can neither hide nor will we hide. I'd like to see what tricks Renshou Palace can pull."

In this world, the higher a person's position and the more powerful they are, the more they seek legitimacy when doing great things.

Just like the "Demon Extermination" that is currently in full swing.

In name, it was the holy lands that were exterminating evil spirits.

But in reality... this was just a pretext.

The Great Sui Sword Palace is the most powerful and authentic holy land for sword cultivators in the Great Chu Dynasty.

What excuse will the royal family use to launch their attack?

Fire Lord respectfully followed Chen Jingxuan's instructions and handed over the second jade token.

Zhao Tongtian accepted the jade token.

This jade token contains only three characters.

These three words left Zhao Tongtian speechless for a moment.

"Xie Xuanyi."

This jade token bears the name of a person who died ten years ago.

But this... is precisely the biggest weakness of the Great Eagle Sword Palace. It is not difficult to launch a legitimate attack on the Great Eagle Sword Palace. The Holy Empress had already laid the groundwork ten years ago. The sensational "regicide case" of that year seemed to have come to an end, but in fact, it still left a trace, which could be brought up again at any time.

Only a very few people knew about this. Zhao Tongtian knew he couldn't hide it, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Actually think about it carefully.

That's not considered fast.

Xiao Xie has already cultivated to the Yin Spirit level... perhaps this trip to the Southern Frontier will allow him to recover to his peak state from back then. The final act that was severed ten years ago is now being reconnected.

This jade token can be delivered to me.

This indicates that the regicide case in the Hidden Moon Cave will inevitably resurface.

"..."

Zhao Tongtian opened his mouth, then hesitated, looking at the Fire Lord, unsure whether the Fire Lord had seen the jade token or how much the Fire Lord knew about "Xie Xuanyi." He wanted to continue the conversation in a different way, but soon the sound of bells and drums rang out outside Jin'ao Peak, signaling the arrival of the Enforcer disciples.

Zhao Tongtian frowned.

He intended to refuse to see them, but the sound of the bells and drums grew more urgent and showed no sign of stopping.

Zhao Tongtian released the restriction with his divine sense.

A young disciple rode his sword into the forest of sword energy and stumbled his way to the pavilion.

"Zhang Lu...Master Zhang Lu!"

The disciple looked nervous and could barely speak.

"Why are you so panicked?"

Zhao Tongtian said in a deep voice, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful! Even if the sky falls, my senior brother and I will still hold it up... Calm down first!"

Although it was a stern rebuke.

But he subconsciously flicked his sleeve and presented a cup of warm tea to his disciple.

"Lord Master."

The disciple dared not refuse the tea, swallowing it whole, and then quickly said, "Something has happened in the Southern Frontier—"

The words "Southern Xinjiang" are like a pebble dropped into a lake.

Zhao Tongtian narrowed his eyes.

"The three major sects rebelled, colluding with the Paper Man Sect in a night raid... The seven Zhanjiao Mountains of Da Chu suffered heavy losses!"

"The immortal warrior Wu Zetian has died in battle!"

"Ye Zu is seriously injured!"

"More than half of the cultivators who went south to suppress the evil sect have been killed or wounded!"

Each message was like a boulder crashing heavily onto Zhao Tongtian's heart lake.

The entire Great Chu Holy Land mobilized to attack the Southern Frontier, but the campaign ended in failure.

What an absurd thing to do!!!

The previously composed Zhao Tongtian could no longer contain himself: "Where are my Sword Palace disciples?"

For this expedition to the south to vanquish demons, Renshou Palace specially prepared a list, specifying that the "young people" on the list must participate. Perhaps it was because Da Sui Sword Palace had just opened its doors to disciples, or perhaps Renshou Palace wanted to target a certain person surnamed Xie. As a result, very few Sword Palace disciples participated in this expedition, and among them, only two were worth Zhao Tongtian's concern.

Xie Zhen. Xu Nianning.

"Junior Sister Xu Nianning is doing well."

The disciple quickly replied, "True Hidden Peak has received the message from the Xu family of Bingzhou via the Lotus Token... Although the battle in the Southern Frontier was extremely costly, Ancestor Ye and Zhou have already led the participants away and returned to the Hundred Flowers Valley Cave Heaven to rest. Ancestor Ye closed the cave heaven to recuperate due to serious injuries, and it was only recently reopened. News of this tragic battle in the Southern Frontier happened a day ago."

"it is good……"

Before anyone could answer, Zhao Tongtian asked urgently, "Where's Xie Zhen? How is he? Is he injured?"

"Thanks……"

The disciple looked at the Master with a complicated expression, as if trying to discern something.

"how?"

Zhao Tongtian wiped his cheek, a strange premonition rising in his heart.

"Xie Zhen... is still alive."

The disciple said in a strange voice, "However, he is still in the Southern Frontier."

Zhao Tongtian was taken aback.

What is he doing staying in southern Xinjiang?

Worry was clearly visible in Zhao Tongtian's eyes. He hurriedly asked, "Didn't you say that everyone left with Ye Zuzhou? Could something have happened to Xie Zhen?"

"Lord Master."

The disciple cautiously looked at the Fire Lord; he did not recognize this mysterious person.

The disciple gave a wry smile: "It's all over the place now, I don't know if I should say it or not."

"...?"

Zhao Tongtian and the Fire Lord exchanged a glance.

Zhao Tongtian said irritably, "Since it's all over the place, what's wrong with talking about it?"

"……Yes."

The disciple lowered his head and said excitedly, "Although the Great Chu suffered heavy losses in this campaign against the demons... the three major sects have been wiped out."

Zhao Tongtian was stunned.

The Fire Lord was also stunned.

"Due to the betrayal of the three major sects, Ye Zu was seriously injured and Da Chu suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, with the help of Leader Zhou, the survivors from the various holy lands were able to leave the southern border safely."

"But the reason this battle was turned around is all thanks to one person."

"Xie Zhen alone stayed in the southern border region, fought across thousands of miles, and wiped out all the evil spirits of the three major sects..."

"White Ghost, Crimson Immortal, Azure Owl, White Taoist, Ink Taoist, Joyful Zen Master, Unity Zen Master..."

"The seven false saints have all perished and their cultivation has vanished!"

As the disciple spoke, his eyes grew increasingly intense, and his body trembled more and more: "Xie Zhen! He is Xie Xuanyi!"

……

……

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(End of this chapter)