Embers of Sword

Chapter 688 Demonic Calamity
Snowflakes were falling heavily.

The old man, draped in a lotus-patterned robe, stood majestically amidst the wind and snow, as imposing as a mountain.

The entire Ice Soul Cave was trembling slightly.

"...Master."

Xie Xuanyi stared blankly at this scene.

He looked at his master, but felt that his master at this moment was somewhat different from the one he remembered.

The pattern on the lotus robe seemed to differ from what I remembered.

Master's hair seems to be even grayer now?
The old man looked at his disciple, nodded slightly, and smiled knowingly.

He didn't say anything more, just uttered this sentence, and then his whole body disappeared with the wind.

The robe turned to pure white ashes in the wind and snow.

Crash.

The overwhelming pressure that enveloped the cave also dissipated along with the wind and snow.

Several miles away, the snow demon dared not get up. It raised its head in extreme fear, cautiously sensing the aura of "Zhao Chunyang".

Just that instant.

All the great demons of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Caves sensed the "fear" deep within their hearts.

They were very certain.

Zhao Chunyang arrived at this place.

But in just a moment, the "supreme" existence within the range of Xuexiao's divine sense vanished without a trace... just like a gust of wind.

No, it's even more ethereal than the wind.

"Is this...an illusion?"

Even the Lord of Forget-Worry Island was somewhat bewildered, not quite understanding what had just happened.

"Dreaming."

Xie Xuanyi remained silent for a long time before saying in a hoarse voice, "Master has been in a state of 'spiritual wandering' all these years."

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island's expression became complicated and strange. He only knew that Zhao Chunyang was in seclusion for many years, but he did not know that the Sword Palace Sect Leader was in a state of spiritual wandering for many years... However, it made sense. Zhao Chunyang should be able to do all the "inconceivable" things in the world, right?
I can't travel in my mind.

But if it's Zhao Chunyang... there's nothing surprising about it.

"Your master... seems to have aged?"

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island frowned.

This statement sounds contradictory, as Zhao Chunyang has lived for two hundred years and is already very old.

But Xie Xuanyi understood the island lord's meaning.

"It's a little strange."

Xie Xuanyi said in a low voice, "A few days ago, when Master was in seclusion, he didn't have so many white hairs at his temples."

With Zhao Chunyang's strength at the half-step Celestial level, changing his appearance was just a trivial matter, something he could do in a moment.

If he is willing.

It can restore this appearance to that of a young man, full of vigor and spirit.

But Zhao Chunyang would never do such a thing—

This physical body, weathered by the passage of time, will remain exactly as it is meant to be.

Zhao Chunyang never used any magic power, vital energy, or supernatural abilities to change this physical body. If his body aged, he would accept aging. However, although he was old, he was not involved in karma, and as a result of the natural aging of this body, he still looked much "younger" than his peers, at least without much signs of haggardness.

The person who just appeared, though only for a brief moment, seemed to have suffered greatly from the ravages of time, with a hint of weariness in their eyes.

“I’ve heard that when a cultivator is in a state of spiritual wandering… their ‘soul’ is not very stable.”

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island murmured, "Could it be that this old fellow's time limit is really approaching?"

At this point, I realized that this was inappropriate.

The island owner quickly shut up.

This is the Great Sui Sword Palace... Based on his experience, if Zhao Chunyang heard him muttering such things behind his back, he might just come out of seclusion and beat him up!
But the Ice Soul Cave remained deathly silent.

This, however, made the island owner feel a slight sense of disappointment.

"no response?"

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island gazed in the direction of Lotus Peak, a vague and incomprehensible ripple stirring in his heart.

If it were twenty years ago...

Zhao Chunyang would probably come out of seclusion without hesitation and punch himself twice, right?
This old guy...

Is it really not going to work out?
……

……

The snow falling from the sky seemed to slow down considerably. After standing still and pondering for a long time, the Lord of Forget-Worry Island finally made a decision.

He spoke solemnly, “Xie Xuanyi, I can try to use ‘Forget Worry,’ but only once. If anything goes wrong during the process, I will stop the spell. I have already told you the price for using ‘Forget Worry’ this time. You have one incense stick’s time to consider it.”

"No need for a stick of incense."

Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Xuanyi calmly said, "Please, Island Master, perform the spell now."

Upon hearing this, the Lord of Forget-Worry Island sighed softly.

He had long expected this to happen. Xie Xuanyi and Zhao Chunyang in their youth were very similar; they truly were a master and disciple pair.

Or perhaps... all the sword cultivators of the Great Eagle Sword Palace are just as stubborn as them?
Once a decision is made, there is no turning back.

Even if it means death, I will not feel the slightest fear.

Wow!

Golden light surged.

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island stretched out his palm and placed it on Xie Xuanyi's shoulder. He then crossed the void once more and returned to the large cocoon where Jiang Miaoyin was in seclusion. The wind and snow surged up again.

"Close your eyes, sit cross-legged, and face each other."

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island transmitted his voice into the Divine Sea.

Xie Xuanyi sat down as instructed. He came to Jiang Miaoyin's side, gazed at her perfect face that had been frozen into an ice sculpture, slowly sat down, and then closed his eyes.

A divine technique entered the heart lake.

Xie Xuanyi muttered to himself.

After closing my eyes, the world became dark.

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island stood between the two, extending his palm and gently placing it on the shoulders of the young man and woman. The Yang God Realm martial artist's face was no longer filled with any playfulness; his expression became more solemn and serious than ever before. He used his body as a bridge, employing the Forget-Worry Technique, attempting to "link" Xie Xuanyi and Jiang Miaoyin together.

Invisible wind and snow swirled outside the cocoon, accompanied by Xie Xuanyi's silent chanting of incantations.

Invisible frost and snow began to assault the divine sea.

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island was extremely careful, sensing the fluctuations in their divine senses.

Once Xie Xuanyi's "divine soul" aura begins to fluctuate...

He will stop the spell immediately!

However, the spell was performed much more smoothly than the Lord of Forget-Worry Island had imagined. It could even be said that there was not a single ripple. He stood between the two of them, and in less than a few breaths, Xie Xuanyi's soul gradually entered a meditative state and returned to complete tranquility... It was hard to believe that a peerless genius at the peak of Yin God, comparable to Yang God, could "enter a dream" so quickly.

The higher the level of mastery in the art of forgetting worries, the harder it is to succeed.

The reason is quite simple... the higher one's realm, the more resolute one's Dao heart becomes.

Such practitioners typically do not "dream" and remain fully conscious at all times.

"Is this the end?"

A moment later, the Lord of Forget-Worry Island slowly released his hand, revealing an incredulous expression.

Xie Xuanyi, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, was breathing in sync with Jiang Miaoyin, and his whole state seemed to have fallen into a special frequency.

A thin layer of snowflakes settled on his shoulders, forming a light frost.

His divine sense swept over it repeatedly.

The Lord of Forget-Worry Island has now confirmed that Xie Xuanyi has most likely completed the "link" of the Divine Sea.

The art of forgetting worries truly transported him to Jiang Miaoyin's "divine sea soul realm".

If Jiang Miaoyin is currently lost in thought, then...

Xie Xuanyi has now also entered this realm of divine travel.

……

……

The Imperial City of Da Chu, the Book Tower.

Thousands of golden threads were laid flat on the roof of the pavilion.

Countless bamboo slips and scrolls were scattered on the ground. The golden light of the [Hun Yuan Yi] cascaded down like a waterfall, all converging on one person... Chen Jingxuan paced alone in the library. He, who was usually very tactful, was somewhat impolite today. The jade table was piled high with the documents sent by the Black Scale Guards.

The scholar in the blue robe looked serious, his brows furrowed, clearly deep in thought about something extremely important.

He was clutching a token tightly in his hand.

It seems like he is waiting for something.

"Sir, you seem rather unhappy these past few days?"

Outside the library, Jiang Qihu stood at a distance. He had glanced at the door through the bamboo curtain earlier, but immediately gave up the idea of ​​knocking.

"Perhaps there are too many trivial matters in the capital..."

Sang Zheng gave a wry smile: "Or is it because Master Tang has been away these past few days? I can't fathom what the master is thinking; he's always like this."

"In the past six months, the troubles left by Renshou Palace have been eliminated one by one."

Jiang Qihu's expression was solemn as he slowly spoke, "Logically speaking, sir, you should rest for a while. Is there any bad news recently?"

"Bad news..."

Sang Zheng pondered for a moment: "In the Southern Frontier, the Paper Doll Sect still has no results from the search. Such a large evil sect disappeared without a trace overnight. The special envoys sent by Renshou Palace also disappeared without a trace... We can't find even the slightest trace. These guys are like they vanished into thin air. No matter how we search, we can't find any trace. I heard that even the [Hun Yuan Yi] can't capture this cause and effect."

In the past six months.

The spies from the library practically turned the entire southern border upside down.

Nothing has been accomplished.

Sang Zheng thought about it for a long time; this must be the worst news he had heard in a while.

Of course, there was other bad news as well. Da Chu was so big that it was bound to have some "trouble". However, the minor troubles and problems were usually handled by the Black Scale Guards. Even if there were more difficult ones, the Fire Lord and Qian San would step in to solve them, so that the Master would not be so anxious.

"The Paper Doll Path..."

Jiang Qihu asked in confusion, "Sir, your anxiety shouldn't be related to the Paper Doll Path. You seemed to have gone to the Sword Palace today; was it because of the Sword Palace?"

"What could possibly happen at the Sword Palace? Today is the day that Master Xie is giving a sermon, even though the young master of the One Blade Sect has come to challenge us."

Sang Zheng asked in bewilderment, "But... the One Blade Sect lost... Little Master Xie defeated a Yang God Blade Cultivator with the Yin God Realm, that's a good thing!"

The news spread throughout Da Chu in less than half a day.

"Could it be... a demon kingdom?"

Jiang Qihu suddenly spoke.

A sudden thought struck him; without warning, this conjecture arose out of the blue.

"The Demon Kingdom?"

Sang Zheng's expression suddenly changed.

He murmured, "I heard that Master Tang set off for the northern border a few days ago..."

As the two were talking.

Inside the library, the jade slip Ruyi Token tightly clutched in Chen Jingxuan's hand trembled slightly.

Upon receiving this message, the scholar in the blue robe felt a slight relief from the tension in his expression.

Chen Jingxuan immersed his divine sense into the Ruyi Token.

The golden light from the library gradually faded and dissipated.

As the clouds and mist billowed out, a tall, majestic, and imposing figure slowly emerged from behind the screen.

The figure was shrouded in thick fog, its face unseen, yet its flowing sleeves and robes could be vaguely seen billowing in the wind, giving it a majestic and solemn appearance. It sat there in the misty, dreamlike realm of the soul.

"Long time no see."

Chen Jingxuan asked softly, "How have you been these past years?"

"Thanks to you... everything is alright."

The man behind the screen slowly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "You seem to have aged considerably."

"That's how those who monitor the heavens are."

Chen Jingxuan smiled indifferently, "Those who try to peek into fate always have to pay a price."

He raised his head and subconsciously looked up at the sky.

That is the location of the [Hun Yuan Yi], but this precious national artifact does not exist in the Ruyi Ling Illusion.

"..."

The tall man also looked up.

"Being promoted to the top ten heroes should be a very exciting thing."

The man said jokingly, "You should be happy. Smile more often... The books say that if you smile more, you can live longer."

"You still have free time to read?"

Chen Jingxuan also joked.

“Not only are there, but there are many. I have read many books… including yours and Master Tang’s.”

The man's voice sounded very calm, but what he was saying was quite rambling.

However, their relaxed conversation was extremely brief.

This teasing and sarcasm only lasted for two or three sentences.

"Bad news."

The man changed the subject, returning to the main point: "The matter you're looking into has already received a clear answer."

"please say."

Chen Jingxuan suppressed his smile and took a deep breath.

"The Eclipse Lord has indeed awakened."

The man said calmly, "Logically speaking, given his injuries, he should remain asleep for at least another five years... This is strange, it doesn't make sense..."

"I heard that Venerable Longmu has made quite a few exchanges with the 'Eclipse Scroll' over the years."

Chen Jingxuan frowned and said.

"not enough."

The man said expressionlessly, "The injuries suffered by the Great Venerable Eclipse are not something that a mere Venerable Dragonwood could heal by running around... Not long ago, I went to the Temple of Eclipse. This guy is already half buried in the ground. To put it nicely, he can recover in three to five years. To put it bluntly, if he doesn't wake up in three to five years, the Great Eclipse Swamp will change hands."

"..."

Chen Jingxuan fell silent.

“Apart from the Eclipse Swamp, the other major forces also seem to have become more ‘active’ recently.”

The man lowered his voice: "In Five-Colored City, there is a Grand Venerable who is said to be nearing the end of his life. He actually took the initiative to show himself, used his supernatural powers to break the 'death rumor' and prove his own strength... This Grand Venerable, like Eclipse, was a being who was injured and dying in the great battle back then. Even if he is still alive, he should not be so 'active' under any circumstances."

He was seriously injured and has not been able to recover properly for many years.

Why did it suddenly get better these past few days?
If it were just one case, it would be fine.

If more than one case occurs.

No one could believe this was a coincidence.

"...Fountain of Immortality."

There was a long pause.

The man spoke in a heavy voice, uttering these three words.

"In the Demon Kingdom, rumors have already begun to spread... Some say that the reason why these great venerables were able to recover from their injuries is because the legendary 'Fountain of Immortality' has reappeared in the world."

"Some people also say that the legendary 'Fountain of Immortality' is located in Da Chu."

(End of this chapter)