Embers of Sword

Chapter 640 Heavenly Phoenix
The immortal tree, like a sword, pierced through the phoenix's chest.

Blood flowed down the "sword" and pooled into a pool of blood.

Having spent her entire life climbing to the top, Yuan Huang finally saw the scenery she wanted to see... but the price she paid was far more tragic than she had imagined.

now.

In Yuan Huang's mind, Zhao Chunyang's question still echoed.

Is this all she wants?

The phoenix folded its long tail feathers and looked down solemnly at the tiny humans beneath the giant tree.

Yes……

That's all she wanted.

She wants to rule the world.

She wants to be above all living beings.

Now, this can be considered a kind of "wish fulfilled".

"congratulations……"

Yuan Huang maintained her condescending attitude and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Zhao Chunyang, you've won."

After a short silence.

"The results of today are all the causes of yesterday."

Zhao Chunyang said slowly, "What happened back then was my mistake. If I hadn't brought you to Da Chu, none of this tragedy would have happened today."

"Master..."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xuanyi's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't really know anything about his master's past... Apart from being a Zen master, his master was the longest-living cultivator in the world.

So many years of trials and tribulations.

Zhao Chunyang single-handedly supported the Great Sui Sword Palace and weathered the years when its fortunes were at their lowest.

now.

Xie Xuanyi finally understood why his master was willing to remove the "Nine Deaths Forbidden Seal" for Jiang Huang.

It's not just because of myself.

It’s even more because…

He saw the shadow of the Holy Empress in Jiang Huang.

He did not want the tragedy of that year to become a cause and effect, and to be repeated in the Sword Palace.

"Ah."

Yuan Huang was taken aback upon hearing this.

The phoenix perched on the tip of the giant tree sword lowered its eyes and let out a soft laugh: "Zhao Chunyang... you can make a mistake too?"

Zhao Chunyang, the invincible ruler of the world.

There's actually a day when I have to bow my head and apologize?
but……

What is this?
The victor's sympathy, pity, and affirmation of the defeated?
"If admitting wrongdoing can end this karmic entanglement..."

The old man in the lotus robe remained silent for a moment, then said, "I can take another step back."

Yuan Huang smiled.

A mocking and sarcastic glint appeared in his golden, vertical pupils.

"What are your last wishes? I can help you fulfill them."

Zhao Chunyang stood with his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

Yuanhuang...

After all, he was a great cultivator at the tenth level of the Yang God realm.

Looking at the two dynasties.

Apart from herself, Xiaoyaozi, and the Zen Master, almost no one could rival her.

Although this level of powerful demon has been defeated, it is still on its last breath... If it has left itself a backup plan, it can still stir up trouble in the four realms and cause countless problems if it so chooses.

"unnecessary."

The Empress Dowager sneered, "I don't need your apology, nor do I need your concession... However, I do have some regrets..."

There was a thud.

Xie Xuanyi felt a sense of unease rising in his heart.

Zhao Chunyang frowned slightly.

"I wanted to kill you with my own hands."

The Empress said self-deprecatingly, "I've lost to you again... it's because I'm not as skilled."

She knew it.

There is absolutely no chance left to kill Zhao Chunyang.

This battle dealt a severe blow to her Daoist heart.

Gathering the four dragon veins, the immortal tree, boundless fortune, and the dynasty's will...

They had almost every advantage they had, including favorable timing, location, and popular support.

They still failed to achieve their goal in one battle.

The Empress Dowager finally realized the gap between herself and Zhao Chunyang... The two seemed to be separated by only a thin line, but that extremely thin line, when magnified, was an insurmountable chasm.

With Zhao Chunyang's current strength.

Is there truly anyone in the world who can rival him?
Even if Xiaoyaozi emerges from seclusion, even if the Zen Master returns to his peak, these two... would probably still find it difficult to contend with him, right?
That battle with Qin Zu strengthened the Holy Empress's resolve to attack the Great Sui Sword Palace.

After that battle, the Empress was convinced that she was no longer afraid of anyone in the world when it came to one-on-one combat. Even if the great Mo Zhen from sixty years ago were to come back to life, she was confident that she could defeat him!
But looking at it now...

I was completely wrong.

but.

Yuan Huang changed the subject abruptly, laughing happily, "Although I'm going to die, so are you..."

She could tell that Zhao Chunyang wouldn't live much longer.

No matter how magnificent the flowers in the world bloom, they will eventually wither and fade away.

"I also have disciples."

Zhao Chunyang said calmly.

He looked at Xie Xuanyi beside him, his eyes full of admiration.

My own flower is about to wither...

But it's okay.

Spring goes and autumn comes, another year has passed. This grand occasion of the Great Eagle Sword Palace will be even more spectacular than before, and its disciples will be even stronger than themselves, standing higher and going further.

"You do indeed have disciples."

Yuan Huang smiled contentedly and said softly, "So let's continue fighting after we die... Cause and effect are unforgiving; how can we so easily sever the entangled fate that has lasted for hundreds of years?"

The great calamity that struck the capital ten years ago was orchestrated behind the scenes by the Holy Empress.

As a pure-blooded phoenix descendant, she did not kill Jiang Huang directly, but allowed her to escape from Da Chu.

She showed no mercy because of her own kind.

Under the instruction of Renshou Palace.

Jiang Huang has been living a very painful life these past few years...

The purpose was to plant a seed called "hatred" within that wisp of the main soul.

All this hatred.

It all started because of Xie Xuanyi.

The cause and effect of two hundred years ago are being replayed once again today.

"what are you up to?"

Xie Xuanyi's unease grew stronger.

He stared at the majestic phoenix and shouted in a deep voice.

The Empress said with pity, "I heard... that fool, in order to break the 'Nine Deaths Forbidden Seal,' deliberately sealed his main soul and forcibly nurtured a second soul. And he even called you 'brother and sister.'"

Renshou Palace has spies and secret agents all over the world.

This kind of information is not considered confidential.

When the Empress first heard the news, she felt a surge of anger.

But now.

Instead of feeling angry, she felt only joy.

If Xie Xuanyi and Jiang Huang only harbor hatred, then this revenge... would be utterly meaningless.

"That little guy..."

The Empress smiled and asked, "Does she know that you have caused her such harm?"

"..."

Xie Xuanyi had no answer.

Jiang Huang's main soul hated herself, but after the Sword Palace lifted the Nine Deaths Forbidden Seal...

The hatred of these years has become complex and difficult to understand.

If nothing unexpected happens, the two souls will gradually merge.

In truth, Xie Xuanyi had already prepared for the eventual estrangement. The fact that the little fellow had become acquainted with Cijing and gained a true "elder brother" made Xie Xuanyi feel extremely gratified. Humans and demons are different, and if Jiang Huang were to one day have her soul completely merged and leave the Great Sui Sword Palace, Xie Xuanyi would not stand in her way.

"You want Jiang Huang to take revenge on me..."

At this point, Xie Xuanyi had already guessed Yuan Huang's intentions.

"good."

The Empress did not deny anything.

She smiled and said, "I know... she's not in the Sword Palace."

When attacking the Great Sui Sword Palace, Yuan Huang enveloped the entire mountain gate with her divine sense.

If Jiang Huang stayed at Jin'ao Peak.

She would then simply abduct it and keep it by her side, using it as a pawn when necessary.

Unfortunately.

Jiang Huang was taken to a very far place...

But now that the great battle has been lost, it doesn't seem like a bad thing.

"But it doesn't matter anymore..."

The Empress looked at Zhao Chunyang and said softly, "I don't need you to fulfill any of my last wishes. Those unfinished matters... let her do them for me..."

"you……"

Xie Xuanyi's expression turned ugly.

He gazed at the immortal tree not far away.

The phoenix's aura, pierced by the sword tip, had weakened to an extreme degree and could die at any moment.

This is clearly a good thing.

But Xie Xuanyi's unease had reached its peak—

He had already guessed what the Holy Empress was going to do.

Great cultivators of the human race often make rubbings of Dao steles and leave behind scrolls in order to continue their lineage.

And the demon race...

They are quite different from humans.

Demon cultivators rely on "bloodline" to complete their inheritance.

Those exceptionally gifted top-tier demons can often awaken their divine treasures and begin their inheritance once they reach a certain age.

Of course, these two methods are essentially the same.

Human cultivators rely on Dao tablets to complete their enlightenment.

The demon race, on the other hand, relies on demon blood.

The so-called divine inheritance was imprinted in the bloodline long before the great demon was born.

Previously in the Southern Frontier, during the duel with the Palace Master of Qiantian Palace, Senior Brother Xuanming took the initiative to "enlighten" Yazi because of his affinity with Panqiu.

The Yazi Divine Sea possessed a secret inheritance, but due to limited aptitude, it could not grasp the essentials.

With this guidance, you will surely make rapid progress, advancing by leaps and bounds!
And what the Holy Empress is about to do... is actually very similar to what Xuanming was doing...

Through "Phoenix Blood Resonance", the secrets of Jiang Huang's soul are unlocked!
Great cultivators who reach a certain level of cultivation will have their physical bodies returned to the void after death, while their cultivation will be returned to heaven and earth.

Dust to dust, dust to dust.

The world is inherently lacking in vital energy, and a powerful cultivator at the Yangshen Realm often needs to gather the fortune of an entire province.

As the saying goes, "When a whale falls, all things come to life."

In an era where vitality is limited, the so-called mountaintop is only so big.

Only those who came before are gone.

Only those who come later will have the opportunity to climb to this place and see the breathtaking scenery from the summit.

"boom!"

Before Xie Xuanyi could say anything more, or before Zhao Chunyang could make a move, he didn't wait for him to speak further.

The phoenix that lay prostrate at the very top of the Immortal Tree ended its own life. The broken and desolate Great Phoenix Cave Heaven finally burst into bloom, with tens of millions of phoenix flames burning fiercely, along with the creatures of the Southern Frontier that had been devoured over the years, staging a "world-destroying" fire tide in the Lotus Forbidden Land.

Countless people danced amidst the sea of ​​fire.

Zhao Chunyang reached out and pressed down on his disciple's shoulder to prevent him from leaving his body. He then unleashed the River of Sword Source, enveloping the two of them and isolating them from the World-Destroying Sea of ​​Fire.

Yuan Huang wanted to leave "dignifiedly".

Zhao Chunyang did not stop him.

No one... could stop a Yang God at the tenth level from "self-destruction".

The three realms were united, and thus completely destroyed.

The Great Phoenix Cave Heaven vanished in an instant.

The Moon Concealment Realm still exists, but the immortal tree, stripped of its dragon vein, withers rapidly. Without the nourishment of phoenix blood, this grotto-heaven will soon face annihilation.

The illusion receded like the tide.

The Lotus Forbidden Land has been restored to its original state.

Xie Xuanyi stared at the scene before him with a complex expression.

The sacred site of the Daoist scriptures, which had been carefully protected by generations of cultivators on Lotus Peak for thousands of years, was completely destroyed in this battle... The scene that I had seen in the Dao Fruit appeared in reality in such an absurd and ironic way, with the mountain walls shattered and the forbidden area resembling ruins.

but.

Master is still here.

"As long as the person is still here, everything else is still here."

As if guessing his disciple's thoughts, Zhao Chunyang gently patted Xie Xuanyi's shoulder and softly comforted him, "As long as you're here, I'm here. These Daoist scriptures... are not important..."

Is the Daoist Canon unimportant?

Of course it matters.

This is the legacy of Lotus Peak, and even more so, the essence and spirit of the Great Eagle Sword Palace.

But Xie Xuanyi understood his master's meaning, so he nodded silently and said nothing more.

The master and disciple stood there in the forbidden area.

The sea of ​​fire dissipated.

A sliver of sunlight pierced the sky.

The phoenix feathers scattered and still burning in the cracks of the stone wall.

"she……"

Xie Xuanyi remained silent for a long time before saying, "Just like that, you died?"

"died."

Zhao Chunyang calmly said, "His soul and spirit have been completely destroyed, just like Chongkan."

Xie Xuanyi was startled.

He looked towards his master.

Logically speaking, since Master has been in seclusion on Lotus Peak, he should not know what is happening in the outside world.

It seems...

Master already knows everything about the battle that took place in Beihai.

"After Chongkan's death, his vital energy returned to Tianyuan Mountain."

Zhao Chunyang clearly knew more. He slowly said, "Cultivators at this level can retain some dignity if they give up on reincarnation and no longer live a life of ignominy. After all, their natal grotto-heaven and the Great World have already merged. No matter where their accumulated cultivation is scattered, it makes little difference to this world."

The vast majority of spiritual practitioners choose to "return to their roots".

Chongkan returning the vital energy to Tianyuan Mountain is one example.

“After Yuanhuang died… she did not return her ‘life’s cultivation’ to Da Chu.”

Zhao Chunyang gazed in the direction of the illusory image of the Immortal Tree, his eyes flashing, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, she should have sent all her life savings to the north."

"North?"

Xie Xuanyi's expression turned serious.

"...Tianhuang Palace".

Zhao Chunyang paused for a moment: "Back then, when I was chasing after a traitor of the human race, I went deep into the territory of the demon kingdom and had a brief encounter with that 'old guy' there."

The gap above the Lotus Forbidden Land was shattered and widened in this battle.

What was originally a single beam of light has now expanded dozens of times, descending and enveloping the master and disciple.

The old man in the lotus robe said quietly, "Sixty years ago, Yuan Huang was a traitor and an enemy to the Heavenly Phoenix Palace. But now, things are different."

A cold glint appeared in Xie Xuanyi's eyes.

Yuan Huang... is a complete usurper.

Looking back on the history of Da Chu, this is a shameful and unbearable past.

A great demon brought disaster to the country, and the imperial court collapsed.

The Great Wall was abandoned in the north, while evil spirits gathered in the south.

For Yuan Huang, she didn't care at all how filthy and chaotic the Great Chu Dynasty had become. Because as long as she could win this battle against the Great Sui Sword Palace today, she would not hesitate to replicate the "Emperor Qi" of the Great Yue Kingdom and send all the living beings of Great Chu to the "Ascension Platform" to prove herself as a true immortal.

After the defeat.

She had no attachment whatsoever to this Da Chu...

The gift of the tenth level of the Yang God realm is a huge fortune, but what is more worrying than this is that... Yuan Huang gave away more than just this cultivation level.

"The Heavenly Phoenix Palace occupies a vast area, possesses immense strength, and harbors great ambitions."

Zhao Chunyang said in a deep voice, "Back then, they were a major force that secretly fueled the southward war initiated by the Great Venerable Mo Zhen."

……

……

(PS: The new season of Teamfight Tactics is so awesome! I stayed up late yesterday playing in an esports hotel, so this update is a bit late. The next update will be tomorrow at noon.)
(End of this chapter)