People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 408, Xu Qing's Path, The Past of Xiaoyaozi

"Is it an illusion or a movement technique?"

Feiyan watched the scene unfolding on the stage, her eyes filled with contemplation.

Qi Lunzi, Chisongzi, Liuzhi Heixia, Tian Guang and the others also frowned slightly, their eyes flashing with doubt. They had clearly seen Xiaoyaozi injure Xu Qing just now, but after landing, Xu Qing seemed to be unharmed.

Even if Xiaoyaozi's sword didn't actually injure Xu Qing's flesh, the slashed neckline was definitely intact.

"A residual image from a movement technique? But Xu Qing and Xiaoyaozi fought for so long before, it doesn't make sense if it's a movement technique. An illusion?"

As soon as Tian Guang finished speaking, Six-Fingered Black Knight and Nameless, who were sitting next to him, shook their heads. They were certain that this was not an illusion.

From the moment the Covenant between Heaven and Man began, they were completely focused on the situation on the field. If Xu Qing were to use illusion magic, it might be possible to pull Xiaoyaozi in, but it would be impossible to pull everyone present into the illusion, especially since those present were at the pinnacle of the Heaven and Man realm, such as Beimingzi and Wuming.

"In the end what happened!?"

The crowd below the stage couldn't help but whisper among themselves, but in the end, they didn't get a reliable result.

On the stage.

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Qing caused the seagulls that had been flying all over the sky to disappear instantly, turning into countless white feathers that fell to the ground like rain, wetting the Guanmiao Platform.

Xu Qing looked up at the unexpected Xiaoyaozi, his eyes calm and indifferent, as if a high god in a temple was looking down on his believers.

For a Celestial Master with a flawed mindset to dare to directly enter his Taiji Diagram is indeed commendable.

Don't you know that his Tai Chi diagram and Yin principle are specifically designed for the mind?
Just now, Xiaoyaozi's sword almost cut him, but because of Xiaoyaozi's wavering mind, the wound became Schrödinger's wound. As long as Xiaoyaozi could not be resolute, he would not be injured.

Of course, this trick is only effective against people like Xiaoyaozi and Gao Jianli nowadays. If you encounter someone with a firm Daoist heart, it will be useless.

"In that case, it's my turn next."

As soon as Xu Qing finished speaking, before Xiaoyaozi could react, he launched the first attack. Cheng Ying immediately used the Banana Deer Following Shadow technique from the Eight Swords of Noble Void.

In an instant, the wind acupoints on Xu Qing's legs opened, and his figure suddenly charged towards Xiaoyaozi.

Xu Qing's figure was reflected on the wet ground. A dazzling sword light flashed before Xiaoyaozi's eyes. Just as he was about to raise his hand to block, a glint of light flashed before his eyes.

As the sunlight shone down from behind the clouds, Xu Qing's reflection in the water seemed to come alive in Xiaoyaozi's eyes, charging towards him from all directions.

The black and white Tai Chi diagram started operating again. Unlike before, a black domain instantly rose from the ground, and Xu Qing's powerful true energy enveloped the entire Guanmiao Platform.

The Taoist ancestral temple, where heaven and earth lose their color.

The colors on Xu Qing and Xiaoyaozi's robes gradually faded, and the feathers floating in mid-air came to a standstill.

“In that case, I will respond with the Human Sect’s Rejuvenation of All Things.”

Xiaoyaozi released the white rainbow in his hand, and golden true energy suspended the white rainbow in front of him, covering his entire body with golden true energy, returning the color that had been taken away.

Upon seeing Cheng Ying charging towards him, Xiaoyaozi immediately parried with his sword, the powerful force forcing Cheng Ying to retreat continuously.

A glint of light flashed in Xu Qing's eyes as he looked at Xiaoyaozi through the interlocking Cheng Ying and Bai Hong, and spoke.

"I'm very curious, what exactly is your Dao? And why did you join the Human Sect?"

Upon hearing this, a large number of images flashed before Xiaoyaozi's eyes. He looked somewhat dazed, and a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes. The power of the white rainbow involuntarily weakened.

But the next moment, Xiaoyaozi suddenly woke up, his arm veins bulging, and Bai Hong blocked Cheng Ying's approaching figure.

Although Banana Deer Following Shadow could trap enemies in an illusion, Xiaoyaozi's strength was not to be underestimated, and Xu Qing did not expect to be able to break his Dao Heart in one move.

After regaining consciousness, Xiaoyaozi's white sword instantly became swift and fierce, with exquisite sword moves constantly counterattacking Xu Qing.

"Compared to my own path, I am more curious about what my junior brother has comprehended. The Heavenly Sect secludes itself from the world and cultivates the path of ruthlessness, but my junior brother goes against the grain and stirs up the world."

"It is neither the way of the Heavenly Sect, nor the root of my Taoist philosophy of following nature, tranquility and non-action."

Xiaoyaozi's attack with the white rainbow in his hand became increasingly fierce, his eyes sharp and glowing red.

He knew that Xu Qing wanted to pull him into an illusion and defeat him in terms of Dao realm. His incomplete Dao was no match for Xu Qing, so his only chance of winning was to be stubborn to the end and use his obsession to cover up his Dao.

His only obsession now is to defeat Xu Qing and win the Snowfall for the Human Sect.

"There are things to do, and things not to do. The Way has no beginning or end, things have life and death, but it does not rely on its own completion. It is sometimes empty and sometimes full, and it does not occupy a position in its form. The heavens extend fifty times, and one of them is removed."

"This is the first thing I seek: to find a glimmer of hope for all living beings in this already predetermined world."

Xu Qing swung Cheng Ying to block the continuous attacks of Bai Hong, then lowered his body to dodge the attack aimed at his neck before abruptly sheathing his sword.

Xu Qing gripped Cheng Ying in the backhand and slashed at Xiaoyaozi's waist, a flash of light appearing on the invisible blade.

As the sword's edge flashed across his face, Xiaoyaozi's eyes glazed over again. A look of pain crossed his face, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. Having understood that Xu Qing's swordsmanship could lure people into illusions, Xiaoyaozi was naturally prepared. The blood from his mouth gradually transformed into golden butterflies, and his figure faded, the golden butterflies beginning to flutter and dance.

“Junior brother, you’re not the only one who knows illusion magic,” Xiaoyaozi said in a deep voice.

"Illusions are ultimately just illusions; people must always face reality!"

Seeing that Xiaoyaozi was about to use the Dream Butterfly Escape technique to escape, Xu Qing was not panicked at all. The black true energy around him gradually subsided, while the white true energy surged.

The rotating black and white tai chi diagram suddenly stopped, and the black array eye under Xiaoyaozi's feet turned white. The butterfly formed by his true energy seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand, and no matter how he flapped his wings, he could not fly away.

Suddenly, Xiaoyaozi felt an unprecedented pressure pressing down on him, and the golden butterflies exploded, turning into countless golden streams of light that fell down.

"how come!?"

Xiaoyaozi's pupils dilated again, his eyes filled with astonishment. His Dream Butterfly Escape had been forcibly interrupted.

Before Xiaoyaozi could recover from his surprise, Xu Qing raised the Chengying Sword again, its tip drawing an arc in the air. The triple dream was complete, and Xiaoyaozi's astonished gaze gradually faded as he fell into the illusion of the banana deer following the shadow.

Xiaoyaozi suddenly opened his eyes and looked around. The scene around him had changed from the Guanmiao Terrace to a village. The luxurious courtyard was littered with corpses, and the artificial hills, windows and courtyard walls were stained with blood.

The Qin soldiers, clad in black armor, were examining the corpses on the ground one by one.

Seeing this familiar scene, Xiaoyaozi's eyes showed astonishment. The next moment, he gripped his sword tightly, and his eyes gradually became fierce.

"Brother!"

Xiaoyaozi roared and slashed at the Qin soldiers in front of him with his long sword.

However, the scene around them changed again in the next moment. The luxurious courtyard turned into an execution ground, and in the center of the execution ground knelt more than a dozen people of all ages, with executioners raising their long axes high.

Seeing this, Xiaoyaozi's eyes turned bloodshot. He raised his long sword and charged toward the execution platform. However, just as he was about to reach the platform, the executioner's axe fell, and more than a dozen heads flew up and fell, spraying blood onto Xiaoyaozi's face.

"no no."

As Xiaoyaozi watched this scene, the white rainbow in his hand fell, and he stood there blankly, his face full of pain.

Just as Xiaoyaozi was engulfed in endless pain, Xu Qing's voice rang in his ears once again.

"What is your Dao? And why did you enter the Human Sect?"

If he were under thirty, he would have confidently told Xu Qing that he would become the world's number one hero.

However, after experiencing the loss of his family at the age of thirty, he fell into a state of confusion.

To this day, he still cannot forget what happened to his family when he was thirty years old. His family had served in the Qin army and were awarded titles for their military merits, becoming local powerful figures in Beidi County.

With the support of his family, he was able to practice martial arts and earned the reputation of being the number one hero in Guanzhong.

His family was a family of military merit and nobility, so his descendants were bound to serve in the Qin army. He should have been the one to join the Qin army, but because he had no interest in the army, his elder brother's eldest son joined the Qin army in his place.

However, when he was thirty years old, his eldest brother's eldest son became a commander of a thousand men in the Qin army due to the family's influence. During the war, he deserted out of fear, which led to the defeat of the army.

The King of Qin was furious and ordered the extermination of the entire clan as a warning to others.

Upon hearing the news, Xiaoyaozi, who was out living as a chivalrous knight, rushed home. But by the time he arrived, it was too late. All that remained were the corpses of his family members scattered everywhere and a suicide note.

Seeing the corpses of his family members, Xiaoyaozi broke down. He wanted to hate the Qin state that had killed his entire family, but he couldn't.

Because he was a member of a noble family with military merits in the Qin army, he could not hate the Qin state for upholding justice. Because of his nephew's escape, hundreds of Qin soldiers lost their lives and hundreds of families lost their pillars of support.

The retribution for this sin is something they deserve to bear.

The hatred stemming from the annihilation of his family made it impossible for him to forgive the Qin state. Ultimately, he hated himself, hated himself for becoming a chivalrous knight.

If he hadn't been a chivalrous hero, he would have been the one in the army, not his cowardly nephew.

After burying his family, Xiaoyaozi wanted to end his own life and go to the underworld with them, but his elder brother's will told him to live on and continue the family line, so he had no choice but to live on.

In his endless suffering, Xiaoyaozi came to Mount Taiyi, both to protect himself and to join the Taoist school, hoping to escape his pain through cultivation.

After three years in the Human Sect, his strength had greatly improved, but cultivation did not make him forget his pain; instead, it brought him more confusion.

He longed for the harmonious world brought about by the Taoist principle of tranquility and non-action, while the Humanist school advocated engagement with the world. When advancing, they would improve society through practical actions and persuade the monarch to govern by non-action; when retreating, they would delve into the mundane world to refine their hearts and seek transcendence.

Influenced by the Daoist philosophy, he thought more than once that if the Qin state were governed by Daoism, with a monarch who ruled with minimal intervention and lenient laws, perhaps only his nephew would be severely punished, while his family members would not be punished to the death.

His ideals of chivalry and the preconceived notions instilled in him by his family's military achievements and noble lineage made it impossible for him to accept this self-deceptive idea.

The guilt he felt day and night, and the inner conflict he faced, prevented him from forgiving himself, resulting in a flaw in his mind and a deficiency in his path.

(End of this chapter)