Embers of Sword

Chapter 713 Paper and Cicada

"Lord Dao...save me!"

No sooner had Chi Wu's shouts been heard than Xie Xuanyi's Soul Devouring Divine Power landed.

Swish!
The complete soul essence of [Longevity Pool] was compressed and condensed, transforming into a ball of snow-white light, which then swept into Xie Xuanyi's palm!
After counting the interest.

Lu Yuzhen's "true form" has been successfully condensed.

The endless, dark clouds that covered the sky were torn open by a piece of white paper, and countless paper snowflakes fluttered and scattered between heaven and earth.

"Xie Xuanyi, we meet again."

A deep sound echoed in the void.

Although Lu Yuzhen successfully condensed her body, she was surrounded by white paper, which flickered with an uncertain aura.

The body looked very strange.

"Ah……"

Xie Xuanyi swept his divine sense over and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Daoist Master Lu, you seem to have suffered a rather serious injury?"

Lu Yuzhen's aura was not strong at the moment. Although she was still at the Yang God Realm, she seemed even weaker than when they last met.

The white paper snowflakes swirling around him were even stained with a few traces of blood.

"..."

Lu Yuzhen was silent for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice: "I was indeed injured, but these minor injuries are nothing. You should know what I'm about to say, right?"

Say it.

He lowered his head and looked at the soul held in Xie Xuanyi's palm!

Lu Yuzhen was different from ordinary evil cultivators.

Bai Gui, Chi Xian, and their ilk only cared about their own interests and didn't care about the lives of their subordinates. To them, it didn't matter which of their disciples died... Even if they all died, as long as it brought them enough benefits, it was a worthwhile exchange. But Lu Yuzhen retained his "humanity." He himself had long stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, yet he still spent a great deal of effort finding physical bodies for his Immaculate Venerables to fulfill their wishes.

These actions were not intended to make these immaculate venerable ones willingly become anchor points.

With Lu Yuzhen's methods, there are plenty of ways to save time and effort.

"You want to save her?"

Xie Xuanyi chuckled lightly. Just as he had expected, Lu Yu really wanted to save Chi Wu.

It seems that the [Longevity Pool] holds considerable weight in the mind of the man surnamed Lu.

"good."

Lu Yuzhen said calmly, "I do intend to save her."

What if I disagree?

Xie Xuanyi slightly clenched his five fingers, and the woman's soul, curled up in a ball, immediately let out a painful groan.

Under the manipulation of the [Soul Devouring Scroll].

Chi Wu's life or death rests entirely on Xie Xuanyi's decision.

"If you want to kill her, I can't save her."

Lu Yuzhen lowered her eyes and said softly, "But what I'm going to do... you can't stop me either."

"What, you want to kill me?"

Xie Xuanyi smiled calmly: "I know you regard me as a 'Dao Fruit'... My 'Fountain of Immortality' is not yet fully developed, and the two paths of life and death have not yet been united. Even if you have murderous intent, you will not make a move."

"..."

A brief silence descended upon the world.

Lu Yuzhen smiled and said, word by word, "Of course I won't kill you, but I will kill 'Jiang Miaoyin'."

Xie Xuanyi narrowed his eyes and looked to his side.

After extracting the soul of [Chi Wu].

Jiang Miaoyin then fell into a coma, supported by wisps of sword energy. Although Xie Xuanyi protected her with his divine sense, he was not confident in protecting Lu Yuzhen.

"If you let 'Chi Wu' go, I won't lift a finger. Let's pretend we never met this time that we've been destined to meet."

Lu Yuzhen's voice was hoarse: "This is a deal. You should know that I never go back on my word."

transaction.

Another transaction.

Lu Yu was a person who believed in cause and effect to the extreme.

He would indeed comply with any "deal" he proposed, but Xie Xuanyi really didn't want to agree to this deal. The reason was simple: everyone who made a deal with Lu Yuzhen ended up with a bad outcome.

Empress, one of the three great clans of the Southern Frontier, Zhou Zhiren...

These people are all bloody examples.

"Actually, I'm a little curious."

Xie Xuanyi did not agree immediately. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke: "Master Lu has already cultivated to the ninth level of Yang Shen, and can rely on the [Great Dao Brush] to traverse the River of Destiny. With such a profound level of skill, where did all these injuries come from?"

The figure wrapped in white paper on the ceiling stiffened slightly upon hearing this.

"Nine Heavens... perhaps I've underestimated it?"

Xie Xuanyi smiled: "After all, the river of time and space traversed by the [Great Dao Brush] is not continuous. Perhaps your realm has already reached complete perfection, but in that case, isn't it even more interesting? How many people in this world can beat a 'Tenth Level of Yang God' like this?"

Rumble!
On the other side of the white paper barrier, Lu Yuzhen had already lost her patience.

He stretched out his palm, and tens of millions of paper scraps gathered at the top of the sky. The killing intent emanating from these paper scraps easily tore apart the "Domain of Annihilation".

Xie Xuanyi is not yet qualified to fight Lu Yuzhen.

This is demonstrating the methods.

Once these white paper snowflakes fall...

Jiang Miaoyin will soon perish.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi's gaze sharpened.

He sensed the chilling killing intent; it was a blatant threat.

"Ten breaths."

Lu Yuzhen said expressionlessly, "Xie Xuanyi, I'll give you ten breaths to consider. If you insist on killing Chi Wu, then you'll have to exchange Jiang Miaoyin's life for his.

Say it.

The first countdown began in a low, guttural tone.

"……ten!"

Rolling paper snowflakes surged overhead.

Amidst the rumbling sound of paper snow.

Xie Xuanyi did not stop talking.

"To step into the river of destiny, the physical body needs to retreat into the void, while the cultivator's soul is the key to 'divine travel'."

He came to Jiang Miaoyin's side, put his arm around her, and looked up at the sky and said, "These [Immaculate Venerables] cultivated by Daoist Lu are transformed from magical artifacts, and their souls are extremely strong and difficult to damage. But mortal cultivators are different... Jiang Miaoyin's divine sense is only at the Yin God Realm. If this attack is launched, her divine sea will probably be shattered directly, right?"

These few sentences took up most of the time.

"...Three! Two! One!"

Lu Yuzhen stared at the man in black; Xie Xuanyi clearly had no intention of letting him go.

The final three countdowns concluded.

Lu Yuzhen no longer hesitated.

With a flick of his sleeve, countless paper snowflakes transformed into sharp blades, slashing down towards Xie Xuanyi and Jiang Miaoyin.

He knew that Xie Xuanyi, protected by the [Yuan Tun Sacred Realm], possessed a divine soul far surpassing ordinary beings. These paper snowflakes, once sharpened, were all aimed at Jiang Miaoyin—

"Clang clang clang!"

Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath and held Jiang Miaoyin's soft body tightly.

Lu Yuzhen's soul-destroying techniques are so powerful that even a great cultivator at the Yang God Realm would find it difficult to withstand them head-on, but Xie Xuanyi is an exceptional case—

The paper snow touched his physical body, instantly triggering the [Primordial Devouring Holy Realm]'s master protection mechanism!

Countless sharp, teeth-grinding clangs of metal clashing reverberated and exploded continuously within a three-foot radius!

Billions of dazzling white lights burst forth.

However, Xie Xuanyi's expression did not relax in the slightest.

He knew that this [Yuan Tun Sacred Realm] could only protect him. Lu Yuzhen's attacking energy was constantly penetrating Jiang Miaoyin, and with Jiang Miaoyin's soul strength, she probably couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of "Zhi Xue's" soul.

He wanted to save Jiang Miaoyin.

We must also have sufficient means to deal with this "paper snow".

Or……

We need to have ways to deal with Lu Yuzhen!

"and many more……"

Xie Xuanyi suddenly thought of the blue box.

The Zen master's keepsake that Yin Chanzi entrusted to him when they parted ways in the desert of Yuzhou!
"This blue box will be delivered to Benefactor Xie today."

"Master's words are left for Benefactor Xie to consider. When to open the box depends on Benefactor's mood."

As Yin Chanzi's voice swept by.

All the chaotic thoughts were put into order in the lake of my heart.

Lu Yuzhen was seriously injured during her journey across the River of Destiny... There are very few people who can accomplish this.

Based on Xie Xuanyi's true understanding of Lu Yuzhen.

If this guy truly wants to rescue [Chi Wu], he will most likely try to calm himself down and negotiate slowly.

But this time, Lu Yuzhen acted out of character.

obviously.

More important than rescuing Chi Wu, Lu Yuzhen had something else to do...

With these thoughts settled, and all the clues pointing to the Zen Master, Xie Xuanyi no longer hesitated. He directly took out the blue box from the cave between his eyebrows and opened it without hesitation!

"clatter!"

As the blue box was opened, the flurry of paper snowflakes momentarily froze.

A ray of shimmering blue light spread along the seams of the blue box, like a boundless, straight, slender sword, piercing straight into the depths of the North Sea!
Next!

Within a radius of ten miles, countless seawater trembled and roared, and billions of scraps of paper melted away like ice and snow!

Wow!
From the depths of the squeezed and displaced seawater, a high-frequency, vibrating, low rumbling sound resounded—

At this moment, Lu Yuzhen's expression turned extremely ugly!
……

……

Xie Xuanyi lowered his head.

He heard the low murmur of the sea, and then, in the cold, white water, he saw streaks of golden light.

This scene looks familiar.

He seems to have met him before...

No, he had seen him before. It was like this before his last meeting with the Zen master.

The low murmur echoing from the depths of the North Sea was not the sound of water.

It was the sound of cicadas.

Boom.

The surface of the North Sea shattered, and millions of golden cicadas, like carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, broke through the sea and soared towards the heavens. The life of a cicada is extremely short, born in spring and dying in autumn, never even seeing the winter snow... In the long river of destiny, countless seekers of the Dao who desperately cultivate are just like these "cicadas".

Born in the morning and dying in the evening, all for the sake of seeking the Dao and ascending to heaven.

But at this moment, these cicadas saw the winter snow.

The paper snow scattered by Lu Yuzhen was swallowed up by the golden cicadas. The heavy snow falling from the sky, which should have covered the entire North Sea, was now being carried away by the dense swarms of golden cicadas. The sea surface was covered with a golden hue, and Xie Xuanyi, who was kneeling on the sea, was also gilded with a layer of gold.

The paper snow shattered and was melted away by the cicada.

At the horizon, a young figure slowly appeared. He was still shrouded in golden light, and his face was still not visible. However, countless golden cicadas surrounded him, making him look like a saint or Buddha.

Or.

He truly is a "holy Buddha".

After the great calamity of a thousand years.

The highest rank attained at Fanyin Temple is only "Bodhisattva".

But if we were to truly choose a "saint Buddha," then without a doubt, it would be the Zen master.

He lived the longest.

And they made the greatest sacrifices.

"As expected... it's you again."

When Lu Yuzhen saw the golden light appear, a complex mix of emotions flashed across her eyes: anger, helplessness, and a touch of admiration.

A young monk stands on the waters of the North Sea.

Hundreds of millions of golden cicadas gathered, enveloping him, making him appear like a blazing sun.

He simply stood there, silent, yet the aura he exuded was so imposing that it inspired awe.

"Most cicadas in this long river of fate can only live for sixty years."

"These cicadas, born in the morning and dying in the evening, no matter how hard they try, they will never see the end of the Great River of Life, and no matter how many opportunities they have, they will never be able to cross the Dragon Gate..."

Lu Yuzhen gazed at the young monk with pity and sympathy, speaking slowly and deliberately: "But you are different from them. You have already stood before the 'Celestial Being' realm. Just one more step and you can become the 'Cicada' that flies the highest. You can attain immortality and become a true immortal. Yet you want none of that, not even the chance of 'reincarnation.' You abandon everything and insist on wandering in this river of destiny. What is it that you seek?"

silence.

The world fell into a deathly silence once again.

A young monk walked from the end of the North Sea, his steps both slow and fast.

Behind him, countless golden cicadas gathered and condensed into six golden rays that floated in the air, seemingly echoing the six supernatural powers of Buddhism. With each step the monk took, the North Sea would shrink a bit... This seemed to have transcended the scope of Buddhist supernatural powers. Even the "divine foot power" cultivated to its extreme could not do such a thing.

In just a few steps, the monk arrived in front of Xie Xuanyi.

"Poor monk..."

The young monk looked up, smiled, bowed, and replied, "I have no requests."

"absurd."

Lu Yuzhen's mood worsened considerably upon seeing the young monk.

He spoke with extreme anger, a rare occurrence for him: "If you truly have no desires, why do you oppose me at every turn? I have never intended to oppose Buddhism, and I have hardly interfered in matters concerning Dali!"

“My benefactor, this has nothing to do with you.”

Surrounded by golden cicadas, the young monk stood in dazzling golden light. He was not angry, but said softly, "You said earlier that all living beings in the world are like these cicadas. This example is actually very clever. Ordinary people are cicadas, and so are you and me... In this boundless river, living for three hundred years is no different from living for sixty years. Whether we sink into the river or fly away from the water, it is all the same."

"Is it?"

Lu Yuzhen said coldly, "Since you used this as an example, you should know that once it flies to the top of the sky, it can no longer be considered a cicada!"

The Great Dao River will encompass the mortal realm, encompassing those who cultivate Qi, establish their foundation, and attain Yin and Yang spirits...

Even celestial beings and humans.

But it cannot contain a truly perfect "immortal"!
"That's a cicada too."

The Zen master calmly said, "No matter how high you fly, you will still fall down... and you will still die."

"..."

Lu Yuzhen frowned and fell silent.

Of course he wanted to refute it.

But he had to admit that the Zen master was right.

A thousand years ago, when the vital energy had not yet been exhausted and the world had not yet withered, there were many cicadas that flew very high.

Further on, they flew to the zenith...

It's not that it doesn't exist.

But all of these cicadas eventually died.

Submerged in the passage of time, their remains are nowhere to be found.

If judged by the length of life lived.

So in this long river of destiny, ordinary people are cicadas, he is a cicada, the Zen master is a cicada, and those people... are the same.

The living and the dead.

They are all cicadas.

(End of this chapter)