Embers of Sword

Chapter 659 Ashes of Departure
The carriage passed through Yuzhu Town without lingering.

The destination of this journey is Jiang Huang's "starting point".

Ashes depart from the mountain.

Nearly two years later, the ancient volcano became more active. The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain, and Xie Xuanyi led Jiang Huang to the top of the mountain. The two of them, one big and one small, left two sets of footprints.

"Is this where I was born?"

Jiang Huang tilted her head slightly.

Having returned to her "hometown" as she wished, the little girl's expression became much more serious. She carefully looked at the snow-covered mountains and sensed the faint familiar aura emanating from the mountaintop.

This is indeed the place where I was born.

She sensed the aura of the Phoenix Fire here.

"The scenery here is quite nice."

Jiang Huang stopped halfway up the mountain and looked back. Snowflakes were flying everywhere, turning the world into a silvery white expanse.

"The scenery is not only beautiful."

Xie Xuanyi said softly, "The spiritual energy here is also very abundant."

The vitality of Beijun has been depleted.

But Jinli Mountain is an exception.

Jiang Huang's ability to escape the imperial city back then was not an accident.

The Empress deliberately released Jiang Huang amidst the chaos, and it's likely that her escape to Jinli Mountain was arranged by the Imperial City Guard, as Jinli Mountain possesses abundant spiritual energy.

The higher you go, the more vital energy gathers.

This is of course a good thing.

but……

Places with a high concentration of vital energy tend to attract more practitioners.

It's like scattering bait in a lake, which will attract many fish.

Xie Xuanyi sighed softly, raised his head, and looked towards the mountaintop where snow was falling heavily. It was shrouded in mist, and someone had set up a large formation there.

Deep within the misty haze, a tall figure draped in a long robe could be vaguely seen slowly emerging.

"Who dares to disturb my master's peaceful cultivation?"

A figure in a long robe stood in the wind and snow.

They were hundreds of feet apart.

He looked down from his vantage point, his voice piercing the wind and snow like the beating of a drum.

“…Wrong way?”

Jiang Huang was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously gripped Xie Xuanyi's sleeve tightly.

"Don't worry, you didn't go to the wrong place... It's just that some people were lucky enough to come to a place they shouldn't have come to and meet people they shouldn't have met."

Xie Xuanyi smiled and lowered his voice to comfort her.

His divine sense had already traversed the great formation and thoroughly investigated it.

Within the great formation that enveloped the summit of Mount Jinli, soul-summoning banners and soul-locking flags were scattered everywhere.

Fate is truly interesting.

I saw these things the last time I set foot on Mount Jinli, and now that I'm here again, the scene is exactly the same, so I looked at it again.

Who else but the heretical cultivators of Yinshan could use these magical artifacts?

The main sect of Yinshan has been wiped out by himself.

However, those "evil sect disciples" who were expelled in earlier years have wandered around and are difficult to eradicate. These abandoned evil cultivators have now become the hope for the resurgence of Yinshan. After the main sect was destroyed, they took over its lineage.

"Aren't you leaving yet?!"

Standing atop the mountain, the figure in the long robe, looking down from above, frowned, his voice revealing impatience.

He glanced back at what was behind him.

Fortunately, Master was still in seclusion and did not notice anything amiss.

If you disturb someone's peace and quiet, you'll suffer the consequences.

next moment.

The evil cultivator turned around, his pupils suddenly contracting. In the blink of an eye, the young man in black who had been halfway up the mountain was now standing in front of him.

The distance between the two is only a few feet.

"!!!"

An indescribable fear welled up in the evil cultivator's heart. He wanted to shout, but found that he could not make a sound or transmit his divine thoughts.

The young man in black, with his hands behind his back, walked through the formation with ease, as if he were entering his own backyard.

The talismans and array lights were useless.

The scariest thing is...

The master sat within the great formation, immersed in a state of seclusion.

The two soul-locking flags and soul-summoning banners made not a single unusual sound.

"I ask, you answer."

Xie Xuanyi arrived at the summit of Jinli Mountain, calmly watching the ashes flying out of the mountain pass, his back to the tall, evil cultivator: "Don't even think about calling for help... He can't hear you, and even if he could, he couldn't save you." *Crack*

The suffocating feeling in my heart suddenly dissipated.

"Uh……"

The tall, evil cultivator was pale, and at this moment he was finally able to squeeze out a few words.

"When did you arrive?"

Xie Xuanyi asked softly.

"One month...one month ago..."

The tall, evil cultivator was on the verge of tears.

Xie Xuanyi knew that this statement was true.

These banners had just been planted in the ground. The evil cultivators had indeed only been there a short time. They happened to discover Jinli Mountain and began to set up an array to absorb the Phoenix Fire.

"From Yinshan?"

Xie Xuanyi continued speaking.

Yinshan?

The tall, wicked cultivator reacted quickly, first feigning ignorance, then forcing a fawning smile: "My lord, where in this world is there any Yin Mountain left... Weren't they all killed off..."

"We are just low-level, unaffiliated cultivators from the mountains!"

Xie Xuanyi smiled; that statement was false.

It aligns with my consistent understanding of Yinshan cultivators.

If I'm not mistaken... this guy is probably going to ambush me.

next moment.

Sure enough, a loud explosion was heard in the wind!

boom!
Xie Xuanyi remained calm and composed.

He remained in the same position, looking down from the crater, but shifted slightly to the side.

The tall, monstrous cultivator, who had suddenly launched an attack, drew his blade and charged forward. But then, a flash appeared before his eyes, and the figure who had always kept his back to him, as if preordained, suddenly parted to create space—

He sprinted forward, trying to stop, but it was too late.

Snap.

Xie Xuanyi gently reached out his palm and patted him on the back.

So he rushed out.

Falling like a bird.

Then it falls again.

It eventually plunged into the lava in the mountain pass, splashing out hundreds of sparks.

Xie Xuanyi watched this scene with a completely calm expression.

"presumptuous!"

A furious roar suddenly rang out—

Cultivators from Yinshan often sign soul contracts.

After the tall, evil cultivator fell into the lava, the figure sitting in the center of the formation sensed the shattering of the soul contract and suddenly opened his eyes.

He stood up in extreme anger, and the two spirit banners rose from the ground.

This figure possesses the cultivation level of the Cave Heaven Realm, which, placed within Yin Mountain, would be considered quite formidable, qualifying him to be accepted as a disciple by the Three Saints.

Perhaps, this was one of the disciples once under the command of the Three Saints.

"You ignorant brat! Do you even know who I am!"

Seeing that the newcomer was so young, the figure could not suppress his anger and immediately spoke in a deep voice, about to introduce himself.

"..."

Hearing this, Xie Xuanyi frowned.

to him.

It doesn't matter who this figure is, who their name is, or whose subordinate they are.

He didn't want to hear it, nor did he want to know.

It's enough to just confirm that it's from Yinshan.

Xie Xuanyi then waved his hand to interrupt him.

The interruption here does not refer to a verbal interruption.

It is a true interruption.

"Chucky!"

Countless sword energies burst forth from the void, piercing through the Soul-Locking Flag, the Soul-Summoning Banner, the heavy snow, and even the figure's skin, bones, and mind.

Just for a moment.

This "noble" evil cultivator at the Cave Heaven Realm was riddled with holes by the sword energy of annihilation.

(End of this chapter)