Embers of Sword

Chapter 668 Being an Older Brother
Molten lava surged, and the firelight illuminated the old palace master's withered face.

The hairpin should have sunk into the sea of ​​fire, but after a few breaths... it slowly floated up.

The magma in this cave is much hotter than that of Mount Jinli.

Ordinary treasures, once immersed in it, will be destroyed very quickly.

The hairpin was surprisingly unharmed.

"This thing is no ordinary thing..."

The old palace master stared at the hairpin for a long time, then said softly, "I sensed a very ancient aura within this hairpin; it is not a product of this era."

"Oh?"

Jiang Huang raised an eyebrow.

Wow!

The old palace master raised his palm, and the hairpin rose from the sea of ​​fire, slowly approaching Jiang Huang.

"Since it's a treasure, you should accept it."

The old palace master of Tianhuang Palace calmly said, "I know everything about you and Xie Xuanyi."

After the upheaval in Qingzhou, the spy network that the Demon Kingdom had planted within the territory of the Great Chu Dynasty was 90% wiped out by the Book Pavilion, but some remnants still remained.

During this period, Xie Zhen was the most outstanding genius among the human race.

The demon kingdom's spies had already compiled their intelligence, along with information about the individuals involved, into a file and sent it to the Heavenly Phoenix Palace.

"Don't mention him."

Jiang Huang accepted the hairpin, but showed no appreciation.

Upon hearing the name, a hint of disgust flashed in her eyes.

Seeing this reaction, the Palace Master of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace smiled.

The old man spoke gently, offering words of comfort: "You should indeed hate him... If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have been imprisoned in Da Chu for so many years. What do you plan to do with this second wisp of your soul?"

The Heavenly Phoenix Palace has now fully collected information about the relationship between Jiang Huang and Xie Xuanyi.

He knew that Jiang Huang's other wisp of soul had a very good relationship with Xie Xuanyi, and had even become a disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect on the back mountain of the Great Sui Sword Palace, where he had cultivated for some time.

This second wisp of soul is a real problem.

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Huang narrowed her eyes, gazing at the old man not far away.

"I have personally traveled the river of destiny and witnessed the future."

"The Heavenly Phoenix Palace has been waiting for the legendary 'Phoenix Blood Lord'."

The old man sat in the middle of the sea of ​​fire and said casually, "This 'Phoenix Blood Lord' will inherit my mantle, hold the greatest power in the demon kingdom, and one day in the future, he will become the 'ruler' of this world."

"but……"

The conversation turned.

The Palace Master of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace calmly said, "There can only be one such Venerable Lord."

One body and two souls.

Is this one person or two?

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire cave fell silent.

The throne swayed like a small boat.

Jiang Huang remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "...I understand."

The old man's expression remained gentle: "Do you really understand?"

"Give me some time... and I will crush this second soul."

Jiang Huang took a deep breath, then suddenly frowned and said, "By the way, I've recently sensed that there seems to be a secret treasure opening up within my divine sea."

"good."

The old man revealed a look of satisfaction: "This is a gift left to you by Yuanhuang with the power of her bloodline... Only a pure-blooded phoenix descendant can open this secret treasure. In the coming days, I will arrange for them to take you to the cultivation cave of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace. You should rest well and merge your remnant soul. Once the divine treasure has been digested, I will give you another great fortune."

……

……

"What did you say?"

Da Sui Jian Palace, Jin Ao Peak.

In the forbidden area behind the mountain, densely packed stone pillars stood tall. A red-robed demon, who had been sitting cross-legged on a stone pillar, suddenly stood up and leaped down from the top of the pillar.

The veins on his forehead suddenly appeared when he looked in the mirror.

He grabbed Xie Xuanyi's sleeve, his eyes wide with anger, and roared, "You bastard Xie, are you insane... how dare you take Jiang Huang to such a dangerous place!"

The events at Mount Jinli in the North have caused quite a stir.

It won't be long before the news spreads throughout the four regions.

Xie Xuanyi didn't intend to hide anything. After leaving the Northern Border, he set off to return to the Great Sui Sword Palace... The first thing he did was to find Ci Jing and truthfully confess the fact that Jiang Huang had been captured.

The little guy came into this world with no relatives.

He was the first brother he saw when he was born.

Ci Jing is the elder brother who is truly related to him by blood.

Ci Jing's fury was within Xie Xuanyi's expectations.

"Do you know that none of those guys from the Heavenly Phoenix Palace are any good?"

"They have an excellent grasp of Jiang Huang's intelligence—"

"They know about the relationship between Jiang Huang and you, and between Jiang Huang and me!"

Ci Jing questioned him word by word.

Xie Xuanyi listened silently.

He didn't break free, but lowered his eyes and slowly said, "I did it on purpose."

click!
A sonic boom echoed through the void!

In a fit of rage, Ci Jing instinctively exerted force, almost tearing the sleeve in his hand apart...

That's so unreliable, so incredibly unreliable!

After the war.

He stayed at the Great Sui Sword Palace to guard the mountain gate, originally hoping that Xie Xuanyi would bring the little guy back to the Sword Palace. But he never expected that the parting in the North Sea would become a long farewell, or even a permanent one!
"Senior should know that Jiang Huang still has a wisp of her soul hidden inside her body."

After a brief silence, Xie Xuanyi spoke again.

"...Of course I know."

Ci Jing suppressed his anger and spoke impatiently.

He is Jiang Huang's elder brother! The elder brother who guided Jiang Huang in her cultivation!

He knows the little guy's health condition better than anyone else!

"That wisp of divine soul is Jiang Huang's main soul."

Xie Xuanyi said, "That wisp of divine soul... comes from the Demon Kingdom, and has a blood feud with me."

Ci Jing paused for a moment.

He suddenly understood what Xie Xuanyi wanted to say.

Jiang Huang's main soul is actually a major hidden danger. He had sensed the wisp of soul consciousness dormant in the little guy's divine sea when he was guiding his cultivation... This wisp of soul consciousness should not be underestimated. Having grown up through countless life-and-death battles in the demon kingdom, no matter how well it was hidden, it still revealed a warlike and violent aura!

Ci Jing's doting affection for Jiang Huang was not solely due to Jiang Huang's bloodline.

It's also because of Jiang Huang's qualities.

This little guy's "innocence" is not an act.

Having experienced betrayal and separation, Ci Jing subconsciously cherishes this innocent and ignorant young phoenix, as he dislikes Jiang Huang following in his footsteps.

That's why he was angry.

He knew very well that the seemingly pristine Heavenly Phoenix Palace... was actually filthy and disgusting inside.

Intrigue and backstabbing, petty scheming and despicable behavior.

That place was filthy and absolutely terrible.

"In order to avoid the Nine Deaths Forbidden Technique, Jiang Huang separated her soul."

Xie Xuanyi continued, "We actually saw such an example not long ago. After the Daoist Grand Master Chongkan separated his soul, he was torn between heaven and man, and sealed his good thoughts in Tianyuan Mountain... After his evil thoughts took control of his body, this Grand Master's behavior became crazy and extreme."

"You mean, Jiang Huang might also turn into this?"

Ci Jing's expression turned grim.

“I understand the main soul. She has been holding back all this time, waiting for this opportunity.”

Xie Xuanyi calmly said, "Sooner or later, the main soul will make trouble in the sea of ​​consciousness and forcibly seize control of the physical body... and the best way I can think of is to bring that day forward."

Ci Jing calmed down.

Hearing this, he realized...

This trip to the north was not due to Xie Xuanyi's negligence, but rather a deliberate act.

"Prematurely allowing the main soul to seize the body..."

Ci Jing asked, puzzled, "What are the benefits of doing this?"

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

Xie Xuanyi said, "The main soul has been lying dormant, and even Master cannot forcibly separate it... This tribulation is Jiang Huang's tribulation. If the main soul makes a move in advance, she can take the opportunity to go into the shadows. Being taken away by Tianhuang Palace this time may be a good thing."

Ci Jing fell into thought. Xie Xuanyi's words made sense.

Although he didn't like the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, it had a wealth of heritage and was much freer than the back mountain of Golden Turtle Peak.

As the eldest brother.

Of course, he didn't want Jiang Huang to continue living in the forbidden area of ​​the back mountain.

only……

Ci Jing frowned and asked, "Jiang Huang's body was taken over by the main soul, and her soul went into the shadows. And then what?"

He knew that although the two souls were symbiotic, if one awakened, the other would have to fall asleep... at most, only one wisp of consciousness would remain.

In order to save his life in the Great Eagle Sword Palace, the main soul has been in a state of dormancy.

Now that the main soul has taken over the body, with the strength of Jiang Huang's second wisp of soul, it is almost impossible for her to regain control of the body.

How can we turn things around in this situation?

Xie Xuanyi smiled slightly and said, "I gave her something."

"You gave her something?"

Ci Jing stared at the young man before him, pondering for a long time: "...Flying sword?"

This kid certainly has many treasures, but after thinking it over, the only thing I can give him is a flying sword.

Giving away the Fountain of Immortality is meaningless... This thing shows no disdain for the battle of souls and will only expose Xie Xuanyi's identity as the master of the Fountain of Immortality.

"good."

Xie Xuanyi raised his eyebrows, a rare look of smugness on his face.

"It really is a sword... wait... how is this possible?"

Ci Jing responded subconsciously, but quickly realized something was wrong.

The Heavenly Phoenix Palace will definitely conduct a soul search on Jiang Huang.

Any object.

None of them could escape the discerning eyes of the former Palace Master of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace.

No matter how small the flying sword Xie Xuanyi gave her was, it couldn't escape the investigation.

"The sword has been discovered."

Xie Xuanyi kept everyone in suspense, then said with a smile, "But... this sword is still here. Guess why?"

Ci Jing scratched the back of his spoon.

He really couldn't understand it.

Swish.

Xie Xuanyi waved his sleeve, and a blurry scene unfolded across thousands of miles in the forbidden area behind Jin'ao Peak—

Because the distance is too far.

This image only reveals an extremely blurry outline.

Lava, sea of ​​fire, throne, old man.

"That old codger?!"

When Ci Jing saw the old figure sitting alone facing the sea of ​​fire in the scene, he was startled and subconsciously clenched his teeth, entering a fighting state.

The battle of drinking poison back then.

It was this old bastard who deceived himself, causing Venerable Lotus to fall into a desperate situation of encirclement and annihilation.

"The scene you are seeing now... is the scene Jiang Huang is seeing."

Xie Xuanyi paused slightly and said, "Or rather, it's what that 'sword' saw."

Ci Jing stared intently at the scene before him.

He stared at it for a long time before shifting his gaze from the image to Xie Xuanyi.

Confirm again and again.

He was certain that this young man surnamed Xie was merely a spirit.

"You're a fucking monster..."

The Vermilion Bird Demon sighed deeply, a complex expression on its face, and asked in a hoarse voice, "But how did you come to have such a sword?"

Can the Yin God Realm deceive even the tenth level of the Yang God Realm?

How can this be?

"The answer is simple."

"This is not my sword."

Xie Xuanyi guessed what Ci Jing was thinking at that moment. He found a large rock and slowly sat down.

A brief flashback of memory.

They swept back to the Great Moon Kingdom, where snow was falling heavily.

Before the blue carp ascended to immortality, it condensed its Dao power and transformed it into a hairpin.

Thereafter.

Xie Xuanyi then carried the hairpin with him.

With Xie Xuanyi's current abilities, it's absolutely impossible to keep it a secret from a supreme being like the Heavenly Phoenix Palace Master.

No spirit in this world can do that.

In fact, no Yang God could do that.

But the blue carp is neither a yin spirit nor a yang spirit...

She is a celestial being who has transcended the Yang God!
This hairpin was formed from the pure Dao power of the Azure Carp Celestial Realm.

When Xie Xuanyi presented the hairpin, he had already planted a wisp of his natal sword intent. This wisp of sword intent was extremely subtle. In order not to let Jiang Huang's main soul detect anything unusual, he did not even speak to the little guy or take the initiative to mention the special features of this "hairpin".

By doing so, he is gambling.

I swear that the Heavenly Phoenix Palace Master's cultivation level has not yet reached the Celestial Realm!

I'm betting that this old guy won't be able to penetrate this hairpin with his divine sense and discover the sword energy hidden deep within.

He won the bet.

"you……"

Ci Jing sat silently opposite Xie Xuanyi, looking at the young man across from him, unsure of what to say.

There was silence for a long time.

Ci Jing sighed, "Wouldn't doing this be a bit risky?"

Xie Xuanyi was gambling with more than just his own sword intent.

And the fate of Jiang Huang's wisp of soul.

"It is somewhat risky."

Xie Xuanyi lowered his eyes and slowly said, "But this hairpin... is undoubtedly a divine artifact of the Celestial Realm. Do you think it really matters to the Heavenly Phoenix Palace which wisp of Jiang Huang's soul she left behind?"

Ci Jing paused for a moment again.

The answer to this question is obvious.

Of course... it's not important.

The Heavenly Phoenix Palace only needs one Phoenix Blood Lord; it doesn't matter which wisp of soul within this body survives.

"The Heavenly Phoenix Palace... is a huge 'breeding ground for Gu'."

Ci Jing murmured, "The strongest throne must naturally undergo the most brutal struggle."

"good."

Xie Xuanyi said in a deep voice, "Even if the Palace Master of Tianhuang Palace guesses that the hairpin is an accessory of the second wisp of divine soul, she still won't say anything. If the main soul dies, it means that the second wisp of soul is more suitable to become the throne master of Tianhuang Palace."

That concludes my statement.

The back of Jin'ao Peak fell into a long silence.

"You left a wisp of sword energy in your hairpin... Is this your backup plan?"

Ci Jing looked at Xie Xuanyi.

"Yes."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "I know that Jiang Huang's 'soul tribulation' can only be overcome by herself. It's just that these two strands of soul are now ultimately on opposite sides..."

"This divine artifact from the Celestial Realm is connected to my heart lake, and I can sense Jiang Huang's divine sense safety at any time."

"If the main soul is merciful and willing to leave behind this second wisp of soul."

"Then the hairpin will not be activated."

Ci Jing asked, "What if... the main soul harbors murderous intent?"

A long silence followed once more.

"Then... we can only let her die."

Xie Xuanyi braced his hands on the large rock, gazing at the drifting clouds overhead, and slowly said, word by word, "If only one wisp of soul can survive in this body, it must be my sister."

That little girl called him "brother" so many times.

As her older brother, I can't let her down, can I?

(End of this chapter)