Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

That aura of calamity was more than a hundred times stronger than that tainted by the Ghost-Faced Owl in Shattered Star Valley.

After the three flowers rotated once, a wisp of gray-black mist seeped out from the center of the flower and merged into the human figure.

The humanoid aura then grew stronger.

The scene then changes.

The humanoid figure suddenly opened its eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

The whites of his eyes were covered with blood vessels, which were an eerie black color, resembling countless tiny cracks.

Deep within his pupils, a ruined city was reflected, littered with corpses and rivers of blood.

There was also a solitary figure, his sword severed and his life ended.

"Mayouko..."

Human-shaped whispers, harsh and venomous.

"You destroyed my Ten Thousand Souls Banner, severed my path, and forced me to cower in this mountain for eight years..."

Eight years!

Eight years!

Fang then painstakingly scraped away, thread by thread, the remnants of that golden, sky-splitting sword intent from his primordial spirit!

"Now that I have achieved the initial stage of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, my injuries have been fully healed, and my cultivation is even stronger than before!"

"Your city deserves to be slaughtered."

"Your old friends should be killed."

"Your broken sword should be melted down and forged into a wine cup for this seat!"

The humanoid figure rose up.

The black mist surged violently, transforming into a dark black Taoist robe that draped over his body.

He raised his hand and made a grabbing motion in the air.

A jet-black spear flew from the depths of the cave and landed in his palm.

The gun shuddered, and a mournful shriek echoed through the air, as if thousands of wronged souls were wailing within it.

[Deduction Ended]

The image in the cardiac mirror faded away.

Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, his expression solemn.

Sun Wukong noticed his unusual expression and his golden eyes flashed:

"Senior brother, have you figured out what went wrong?"

Li Yan did not answer, but instead used his divine sense to transmit all the results of his deductions to Sun Wukong.

"That damned calamity energy again?" Sun Wukong scratched his ear, a murderous intent flashing in his golden eyes.

"This old demon killed Senior Brother Zhao, and now that he's healed, he wants to massacre the city?"

Do you think my iron rod is just a fire poker?!

"Junior brother, don't be anxious."

Li Yan pressed down on his arm and said in a deep voice:

"That Black Wind Demon is now in the early stages of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, and his body is shrouded in calamity energy, so his combat power is not to be feared."

Let alone the Three Flowers, even a great cultivator who has reached the Five Qi Convergence, Junior Brother, you are now a half-step Golden Immortal. One blow from your staff would break his bones and tendons.

But that's not the problem.

"What makes it difficult?" Sun Wukong scratched his ear.

"The difficulty lies in the aura of calamity emanating from him."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, his eyes swirling with the Daoist essence of the Star Earth:

"For the past eight years, he has been working day and night to remove the lingering poison of Senior Brother Zhao's sword intent."

But that sword intent was no longer poison.

It was a seed of calamity planted in his heart.

Eight years of hatred have nurtured this seed of calamity, which has now taken root and sprouted, intertwining with his own destiny, making them inseparable.

If we were to storm his door directly, he would know he was no match for us and would surely flee for his life.

Even if you could kill him, it would only be killing a shell of a body.

"When the calamity energy loses its host, it will either spread and wreak havoc in one area, or it will seek another place to reside."

At that time, the surrounding area will be filled with restless spirits and a deathly atmosphere that will last for a hundred miles.

Sun Wukong's golden eyes narrowed: "Senior brother, are you saying that we should let that old demon leave the gate himself?"

"Exactly."

Li Yan nodded slightly.

"Senior Brother Zhao's sword intent has been dormant in his primordial spirit for eight years, waiting for you or me to deliver the blow."

They were waiting for the calamity to overflow, waiting for him to walk to the tip of the sword himself.

The gates of robbery should not be forcibly broken open by external force, but rather allowed to open on their own.

The tone deepened:

"Moreover, the last sword strike from Senior Brother Zhao before his death left more than just a wound."

There's more to say.

Those words should be heard by that old demon himself.

Sun Wukong remained silent for a moment, then slowed down his ear-scratching motion.

He gazed at the sword god statue in the simulation, a hint of something indescribable in his golden eyes:

"What Senior Brother Zhao said... 'A righteous heart makes for a righteous sword, and an evil heart makes for an evil sword'?"

Li Yan nodded.

The monkey scratched its cheek, surprisingly refraining from yelling for an immediate attack.

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Senior Brother. I, Old Sun, am not in a hurry. I've waited eight years already, what's one or two hours?"

The two had made their decision and set off immediately.

"First, head to Qing Shi Mansion."

Firstly, to investigate the details of the Black Wind Demon's massacre of the city back then, so as to know oneself and one's enemy.

Secondly, junior brother, you also heard what that old demon said.

Eight years ago, Senior Brother Zhao risked his life to protect this city. If it were to fall into disaster today, how could we stand idly by?

"The three..."

Li Yan paused slightly, his eyes opening and closing, faintly reflecting the shadows of mountains and rivers.

"This place is the only way to go east from Black Wind Ridge, and it is also the largest human settlement within a hundred miles."

Since that old demon has declared he will massacre the city, he will surely come in person.

Rather than venturing into the tiger's den, it's better to wait patiently, utilizing the terrain's energy to set up an ambush.

Sun Wukong's golden eyes lit up:

"Senior brother, are you planning to set up an ambush here, waiting for that old demon to come to us?"

Li Yan nodded slightly:

"If we split up, you can engage in direct confrontation, while I, your foolish brother, will use the earth's veins to conceal myself."

Cut off their retreat.

Then, an array was used to seal off the void, leaving it with no way to ascend to heaven or descend to earth.

"This is the perfect solution."

Sun Wukong nodded repeatedly, scratching his ear with delight:

"Brother, that's a great idea! I, Old Sun, love head-on combat, while you, Brother, scheme from the shadows—it complements me perfectly!"

Li Yan chuckled, but acquiesced.

Those who follow the righteous path are not good at head-on confrontations.

But when it comes to ambushing, setting up formations to trap the enemy, and cutting off their retreat, he is confident that he is no less skilled than other cultivators of the same realm.

The two had made their decision and set off immediately.

Li Yan first activated the first level of the "Zhou Tian Xing Yi Bu" technique, drawing upon the power of his natal star, Tian Shu.

A flash of starlight beneath his feet, and he had already floated more than thirty feet away, without a sound or trace.

Sun Wukong then concealed his divine aura and followed using only ordinary cloud-riding techniques.

Although he did not use his Somersault Cloud at full power, his mist-riding technique still covered a hundred feet in an instant.

The two of them sped through the mountains and forests, one after the other, and in no time at all, they had already approached the outer perimeter of the Qing Shi Mansion.

Five miles from the mansion, Li Yan stopped.

As the trees thin out ahead, fields and paths come into view, with farmers working in twos and threes.

With a thought, the bones and muscles throughout the body twitched slightly.

His face transformed from that of a composed young man in his mid-twenties to that of a lean middle-aged man in his forties.

His features were calm, his aura restrained, with only a hint of starlight flickering deep within his eyes.

The grey sable on its shoulder cautiously surveyed its surroundings, its fur slightly dulled, and it also concealed its presence.

The jade mouse in my arms poked its little head out and looked around curiously.

Li Yan pressed it, and the little guy immediately shrank back, only showing the tips of its two ears.

Sun Wukong winked:

"Senior brother, your transformation... is it a metamorphosis? I almost didn't recognize you!"

He followed suit, and in a flash, he transformed into a kind-looking man with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

He was dressed in coarse cloth and had a simple, honest face, but the occasional glint of shrewdness in his eyes revealed a hint of extraordinary talent.

The two exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and walked side by side toward the Qing Shi Mansion.

Just entered the customs area.

Li Yan paused in his steps.

Within the eye, the mirror of the heart reflects.

The current situation is vastly different from what he had predicted.

At this moment, the main road inside the mansion was widened by two times and paved with bricks and stones.

The houses on both sides are much more orderly, and the eaves tiles are decorated with simple yet dignified patterns.

Even more striking is the central area of ​​the government building, which should have been a gathering square.

At this moment, a three-zhang (approximately 10 meters) stone platform stands.

On the platform, a sixteen-foot-tall statue of a swordsman stands majestically, facing south with its back to the north.

It looks like it was carved from a single block of stone.

The swordsman was tall and slender, with handsome features and a hint of his former arrogance.

However, that arrogance has now transformed into composure.

He lightly pressed the scabbard with his left hand, gripped the hilt with his right, and drew the sword three-tenths of an inch out.

The sword tip points diagonally to the ground, its sharpness concealed, exuding a dignified aura of protecting all living beings.

The base of the stone statue is engraved with four large characters: 【真阳镇魔】.

To the left of the four characters, there is another line of smaller characters, densely packed, which is the whole story of the massacre of the city back then.

Li Yan stood silently before the statue.

Sun Wukong also suppressed his playful expression.

The two remained silent for a long time.

The sable poked its head out from Li Yan's shoulder, its amber eyes gazing at the stone statue, and let out a soft whimper.

Just then.

Li Yan's heart suddenly jolted.

Somewhere in the mansion, a familiar aura intruded into my senses without warning.

Its aura was sharp as if newly sharpened, yet it contained the unique vitality of green wood.

Zhou Ming.

Li Yan turned his head.

My gaze passed over the bustling crowd and landed on a newly built woodworking shop to the east.

The shop door was half-closed.

A new plaque hangs above the door, with neat and upright characters.

【Zhou's Sword Workshop】

Inside the shop, a young man dressed in coarse cloth shorts was fiddling with a piece of wood.

His left sleeve was empty, and his right hand held a carving knife, making one stroke at a time with focused and calm concentration.

Where is even a trace of the former sharpness of a true disciple of Fangcun Mountain in his eyes?

He was clearly just an ordinary carpenter from the mortal world.

Li Yan composed himself, exchanged a glance with Sun Wukong, and the two slowly walked towards the woodworking shop.

The shop door had no door knocker, so Li Yan knocked three times lightly.

"Please come in," came a calm and gentle voice from inside.

Li Yan pushed open the door and entered.

The shop is small and easy to see at a glance.

Several wooden swords, some long and some short, hung on the west wall. The swords were plain, without even the simplest cloud patterns carved on them.

The east wall has a row of wooden shelves, holding wooden bowls, wooden boxes, and children's toys, all everyday items.

Zhou Ming raised his head.

That face was indeed Zhou Ming's.

Eight years have passed, and he is much more composed than he was back then.

The anxiety and resentment that once lingered between his brows have now turned into still water.

Only his eyes remained the same as before.

He glanced at Li Yan.

He glanced at Sun Wukong again.

Then, he gave a warm smile, as if to an ordinary customer:

"Gentlemen, would you like to see swords, or some everyday items?"

The next chapter is even more exciting: Chapter 43, "The Calamity Qi Gathers in Three Flowers, and an Old Friend is Hidden in the Wooden Shop" (revised). We look forward to your visit.