Demon Sword Immortal

"Junior Sister Zheng?" she called softly, while simultaneously exerting a little force to lift Junior Sister Zheng's body slightly, giving her a different sitting position.

But to her surprise... her hand reaching for 'Zheng Lingying's' shoulder grasped nothing; the head, which she had lifted with her palm, rolled away with a gurgling sound, leaving behind a stench of blood.

"...!!!"

With her eyes wide open, Xu Xi covered her mouth with her empty hand, desperately trying to hold back a scream.

She heard faint noises in the distance, and her heart tightened. She quickly moved back to her original position and lay down, remaining motionless despite the excruciating pain in her back from the rock pressing against it.

The footsteps approached from afar. Xu Xi first closed her eyes to listen, and then smelled a different fragrance as the footsteps passed by her.

This smell... seems to be... Junior Sister Chai's?

She was shocked: Junior Sister Chai was actually alright?

So, is she here to save us?

"boom!"

Just as the thought crossed my mind, a muffled thud came from ahead, followed by a series of coughs. Judging from the voice, it was Liang Wenbo.

"You... Chai Xuan!" Liang Wenbo's voice was filled with surprise. "What are you trying to do? How dare you show such disrespect to your elders?"

"boom!"

"Ugh! Cough cough cough...!!??"

What is Junior Sister Chai doing?

Xu Xi was stunned by the noise she heard.

If she understood correctly, Junior Sister Chai actually kicked Liang Wenbo twice in a row?

In order to escort us, Master Liang faced the terrifying sonic wave head-on, and he was seriously injured as a result.

It's one thing if Chai Xuan doesn't help take care of him, but how dare she treat Master Liang like this!

Anger surged within Xu Xi, and she instinctively wanted to stand up and reprimand the other person.

But she quickly realized something was amiss, forcibly suppressed the impulse, and continued to lie there pretending to be unconscious, while keeping her ears perked up to listen.

“Chai Xuan…”

After a moment, Liang Wenbo seemed to realize that the situation was strange. His voice continued from the other end: "Do you... do you know how to get here?"

"……Yes."

After waiting for several seconds, Chai Xuan finally replied.

"You've been here before, haven't you?!"

"Yes," Chai Xuan replied again, "I did come here."

"Cough cough cough cough!" Liang Wenbo let out another series of violent coughs.

"what……"

"I knew it!"

"You suggested leading us to the cave entrance to hide, so you also blocked the entrance?"

"..."

"You dare not say? Let me calculate... There's no reason for a normal person who has joined the spirit to do such a thing. Did you discover this place before that and want to use others to help you solve the mechanisms here?"

"You even used the Demon Immortal Sect... You also leaked the news that the Jade Phoenix Sword was in Longhua Temple, didn't you?"

"After all, I only told the Daoist Master about this, and you and Liang Qiusheng were there at the time!"

How can this be?

Xu Xi stared wide-eyed, unable to believe that Chai Xuan had orchestrated everything.

"If you dare to appear before me like this, you're absolutely certain you won't let us leave alive..."

Liang Wenbo's voice grew weaker and weaker.

"Can you let me die knowing why...?"

"why?"

"What secrets does this place hold?"

"Also, did you scheme against the Demon Immortal Sect, or are you actually on their side?"

There was a long silence.

Xu Xi's heart was pounding in her chest.

"As expected of Master Liang..."

Chai Xuan finally spoke again.

"It doesn't matter which side I'm on."

“Master Liang can be interpreted as… whichever side can lead me to the top, I, Chai Xuan, will be on that side.”

"Peak?" Liang Wenbo exclaimed in surprise. "What do you mean...? 'Sword Master'?"

"Neither." Chai Xuan's tone turned cold.

"I don't want something so superficial..."

"Many people spend their whole lives pursuing the realm of 'Sword Master,' and indeed only a very few can succeed in pursuing it."

"But these people still cannot achieve immortality! They still cannot comprehend the cycle of reincarnation! They cannot understand the mysteries of the womb! They cannot control their own destiny! They still cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death!"

“That’s not the kind of power I want.” Chai Xuan gasped for breath, swearing each word clearly: “I want to surpass the realm of ‘Sword Master’.”

"……impossible."

Liang Wenbo instinctively retorted.

"What you want is beyond your comprehension."

It's really impossible.

Xu Xi nodded firmly in her heart.

Just kidding... Chai Xuan actually said she wanted to surpass the 'Sword Master' realm?

Does that mean she wants to become an immortal?

That is the realm that countless talented people throughout history have pursued... It is a mysterious realm that transcends immortals, saints, and everything that mortals can comprehend!

To this day, it remains just a legend; no one has been able to achieve it. It's even unclear whether such a realm truly exists.

Has Chai Xuan gone mad?

How could they betray the Benling Sword Path for something so ethereal?

"limit?"

"does not exist?"

"Ah……"

Chai Xuan chuckled, her tone becoming flippant.

"Does Master Liang know about 'Zen Master Daokong'?"

"Of course I know." Liang Wenbo nodded subconsciously at first.

Then he suddenly realized: "Is this the place where 'Zen Master Daokong' was destined to face his tribulation?"

“Not bad!” Chai Xuan sneered.

"The reincarnation of Jin Chanzi...nine lifetimes and nine tribulations..."

"Legend has it that... in each of his lifetimes he has been searching for the way to transcend life and death, and has been pursuing the breakthrough of 'Sword Master' to reach the ultimate 'Immortal Transformation' realm."

"The Cicada's Molting Method".

"Ascension Technique".

"Nine lifetimes and nine tribulations, nine lifetimes and nine laws."

"Although he ultimately failed and could not transcend the cycle of Heaven, there is also a theory that it was not because he was incapable, but because he chose to give up at the final moment of the Nine Tribulations Technique."

"For the sake of all living beings... he chose to interrupt his 'transformation into an immortal' process and refine the ninth sword embryo into a complete form, which is how the 'Zhenyuan Sword' came to suppress the demon kingdom."

"After his death, his body and the sword were taken away by the royal family of Dayu. They also looted all the items he left behind, just to find out the method of 'becoming an immortal' and to retrieve the eight relics left by his previous eight lives, as well as eight other unfinished sword blanks."

"This is just... absurd historical tale!" Liang Wenbo exclaimed, his eyes wide. "A rumor from six hundred years ago! You actually believed it!"

"Master Liang also praised Xuan'er for being clever..." Chai Xuan drew out her words slightly, "Why doesn't Master Liang consider that if Xuan'er wasn't absolutely certain, why would she take such a risk..."

Clang...

A metallic scraping sound came from the darkness, sounding like someone slowly drawing a long sword from their waist.

"You...this sword?"

Liang Wenbo's tone was one of utter shock, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

puff!

The sound of a sword piercing flesh.

"..."

There was no more conversation or response; only a terrifying silence filled the darkness, with a faint hissing sound that could be heard.

Thus, perhaps a year passed, and Chai Xuan's footsteps finally faded away once again.

"Huff... huff...!"

Xu Xi then arched his body, slumped to one side like a drowning person, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Cicada Demon

Rumble…

On the other side of the tunnel, Bai Xiang and his group heard a faint vibration coming from above.

"It must be those stink bugs!" Huang Qian scoffed. "This place doesn't look like a demon kingdom; it looks like it was specially created to breed these insect demons!"

His guess was quite accurate. Bai Xiang glanced back at him, remained silent, and continued leading the way.

They would stop to think about the route at times, and take out their food and water pouches to replenish their energy. They walked and stopped like this until they suddenly saw a golden light shining at the end of the road ahead.

The crowd quickened their pace, and Huang Qian even leaped over Bai Xiang from behind, blocking her way, and shuffled towards her in small steps.

The further they went, the brighter the golden light became. When they reached the end of the tunnel and passed through an irregularly arched stone gate, all they saw was a vast expanse of golden light. After their eyes adjusted to the light, they couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

This place turned out to be a Buddhist temple.

At the end of the road, directly in front, stands a large Buddha statue leaning against the wall. The wall next to the statue is densely covered with various carved scenes and inscriptions, and every engraved line radiates a dazzling golden light.

The light source is a few candles hanging around the perimeter. Upon closer inspection, many sections of the murals have been worn away and the inscriptions are blurred, creating a stark contrast with the golden light surrounding them.

The moment Bai Xiang stepped through the door, she felt a sharp pain between her brows.

She frowned and looked around, but couldn't find anything wrong.

"What are you thinking?" Huang Qian noticed that she had stopped moving and assumed she was unwell. He asked with concern, "Are you tired? Do you need to rest?"

Bai Xiang felt no discomfort, and the stinging pain only lasted for a moment. She waved her hand and shook her head at Huang Qian, saying, "It's nothing, Commandant, don't worry."

Those present were either experienced officers like Huang Qian or in-service personnel like Cao Chuan, and none of them acted rashly.

Huang Qian nodded after confirming that she was truly alright, and then went to discuss the matter with Cao Chuan.

In places like ancient ruins, even the first person to enter might accidentally trigger a mechanism, let alone the fact that the enemy had already been there, so we have to assume that the mechanism is in the enemy's hands.

With everyone else standing still, Cao Chuan first explored the Buddhist hall alone, confirming that there were no gaps or mechanisms and that there was no danger. Only then did he allow the others to sit down and rest, and move around freely to investigate.

"How come there's a Buddhist temple here?" Cao Chuan still found the development strange, "And a Buddhist temple of this size...?"

In Dayu, there are also specific customs and traditions regarding Buddhist worship.

From the size of the temple to the dimensions of the Buddha statue, these elements are all categorized into different levels.

For example, at Yinling Temple, the height of the Buddha statues enshrined inside the temple cannot exceed four meters.

Longhua Temple is of a higher rank than Yinling Temple, but the height of the Buddha statues is not allowed to exceed five meters.