“You traveled thousands of miles from Northern Sea to Nanli Jingtian to seek a master. At that time, when Supreme Master Zhu Hua asked which of us you wanted to follow – me or Miaochen – you chose Miaochen. Was it because you admired her and wanted to spend time with her?” Lord Lianyue Yuan asked.
Ye Linshuang looked at him, just as he had gazed at the Northern Lights countless nights before, waiting for the one who could guide those lights into formation to appear again.
With a faint smile, Ye Linshuang asked in return, “Martial Uncle, do you remember visiting Northern Sea over a thousand years ago?”
“I do.”
“Who did you meet there? Do you remember?” Ye Linshuang asked again.
“Demon Lord Wang Cha. He brought evil spirits from the Demon Capital to hunt down the ancient spirit beast Lie’s clan. They wanted to use Lie’s blood and bones to refine demon pills.”
“Yes, you guided the Northern Lights into formation and defeated Wang Cha. Your bearing was bright and clear, like the unreachable snowy peaks of Northern Sea.”
Lord Lianyue Yuan paused. “You… you saw me back then?”
“Because my original form was the spirit beast Lie. I was only a three-hundred-year-old cub then. To attain human form… I shed my hide and reshaped my bones and flesh, enduring pain for a hundred years… until I finally had a human body.”
Lord Lianyue Yuan looked at Ye Linshuang, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He vaguely remembered seeing a young Lie beast that day, with large bright eyes that gazed at him for a long time.
Spirit beasts with profound cultivation could transform into human form.
Like the ancient spirit beast Chang Yan – it was said its human form was incomparably beautiful.
But Ye Linshuang… he didn’t have millions of years of cultivation, so he couldn’t naturally transform into human form. He could only forcefully break his tendons and bones to reshape his original body into human form.
Tears fell from Lord Lianyue Yuan’s eyes, his heart aching beyond measure.
Ye Linshuang had gone against heaven’s will, and having a human body meant he had to pay a price every moment – the pain of crushed bones tormented him day and night.
“Linshuang…”
“I finally fulfilled my wish to see you, only to learn you were about to break through to the great power boundary. My original form was Lie, the coldest spirit beast in the world…”
Ye Linshuang lowered his eyes and raised his hand. A frost flower gently fell into his palm.
Lord Lianyue Yuan’s brows furrowed. He grabbed Ye Linshuang’s hand and pulled him forcefully into his embrace. “So you thought your extreme cold spiritual energy would hinder my cultivation progress if you stayed near me for long? Miaochen practices the Dusk Sword and can borrow the warmth of sun and moon, so she’s not afraid of Northern Sea’s extreme cold – is that why you became her disciple?”
Ye Linshuang remained silent.
Lord Lianyue Yuan sighed and whispered near his ear, “Want to know what I’m thinking of doing right now?”
“Martial Uncle…”
“I want to seduce you.”
Lord Lianyue Yuan’s kiss fell, leaving Ye Linshuang stunned. Then he felt Lord Lianyue Yuan gently touch the back of his head, and he lost consciousness, falling down.
“Lianyue means the moon’s reflection in water. How can a reflection compare to the bright moon itself? After all, the power I borrow is merely an illusion. Only you are real.”
A spirit beast came flying, and Lord Lianyue Yuan placed Ye Linshuang on its back.
“Take him away from here, as quickly as possible.”
The spirit beast lowered its head and nuzzled Lord Lianyue Yuan’s cheek, then reluctantly flew away.
“If I survive, I hope you’ll always keep me in your heart. But if I’m destined to… I hope you’ll never remember me.”
The Northern Lights I guided that day were no different from countless nights before, so you need not look up anymore.
****
Mo Qianqiu and Lu Xiaochan flew upward together for ten thousand miles, yet Chongluan Palace remained seemingly close but eternally distant.
“We’re being blocked by Chongluan Palace’s void,” Lu Xiaochan stopped and observed the evil formation ten thousand miles below with his wisdom eyes. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
When Mo Qianqiu saw him stop, he looked down too and was shocked.
They had only traveled for a moment, but evil energy had already risen from the Hopeless land like a raging furnace, threatening to burn up to Chongluan Palace at any moment.
“It seems we’ll be refined by this evil formation first…” Mo Qianqiu frowned.
“Don’t worry about me… just go…” the weakened Haofu said.
“Not worry about you? How can we not? Without you, who will clear Mo Qianqiu’s name? Your Xiyuan sect will say he’s colluding with the Demon Capital again!”
Lu Xiaochan looked up, closed his eyes and used his “Spirit Discernment” technique. In that instant, he sensed Shu Wuxi’s spiritual energy.
“Brother Wuxi has come to save us!”
At that moment, heaven and earth reversed, voids overlapped, and between the cracks, Shu Wuxi’s figure appeared.
Lu Xiaochan was overjoyed. He flew forward on his sword, reached out his arms, and grabbed Shu Wuxi, rushing into his embrace.
The Wuhen Sword automatically returned to its scabbard.
Shu Wuxi lowered his head and held Lu Xiaochan tightly.
“I almost lost you.”
His wrist tightened – it was the Immortal-Locking Ribbon. At that moment, Shu Wuxi’s breathing and heartbeat reconnected with Lu Xiaochan’s.
This recovery of what was lost filled Lu Xiaochan with complex emotions.
Before, he had disliked any form of restraint, but now nothing made him feel more secure and joyful than this.
“Brother Wuxi! My sword has gained its edge! I’ve had my awakening!” Lu Xiaochan clutched Shu Wuxi’s clothes and said.
But Shu Wuxi lowered his head and held his hand.
The cuts on Lu Xiaochan’s fingers from the spiritual energy hadn’t healed yet – the deepest one showed bone and flesh.
“Does it hurt?” he asked softly, with a hint of guilt.
“It doesn’t! Quick, look at my sword!”
Lu Xiaochan turned the scabbard upside down, and the Wuhen Sword slid out, gleaming like water, seeming to have an edge but without sharpness.
“Mm.” Shu Wuxi nodded and lightly tapped the Wuhen Sword. “Good sword.”
Mo Qianqiu had already gone far ahead with Haofu.
“If you two want to pour out your hearts to each other, at least wait until we break this evil formation! Better to be live lovebirds than dead ones!”
Lu Xiaochan immediately pulled Shu Wuxi along as they flew up on the sword.
The Wuhen Sword was a supreme sword – in the blink of an eye, they caught up with Mo Qianqiu.
“Where to!” Mo Qianqiu asked Haofu.
“To the main hall… to strike the Evil-Dispelling Bell…” Haofu answered.
The Evil-Dispelling Bell was a warning bell. If it rang, it would alert the world that evil beings from the Demon Capital were about to invade the mortal realm.
Mo Qianqiu and Lu Xiaochan rushed into Chongluan Palace, and Xiyuan disciples immediately surrounded them.
“Who dares to fly swords recklessly in Chongluan Palace’s sacred grounds——”
Mo Qianqiu snorted coldly. “Don’t you even recognize your own Xiyuan Sword Master?”
He held up Haofu by the collar and raised an eyebrow.
But since Haofu had been in closed cultivation for over a thousand years, his disciples truly didn’t recognize him.
“How dare you! Mo Qianqiu, you dare impersonate our Xiyuan Sword Master!”
“Mo Qianqiu, you demon—-Our Martial Uncle Faning’s disappearance must be connected to you!”
With that, these disciples drew their swords together. More than ten sword formations instantly attacked, pressing straight toward Mo Qianqiu!
Lu Xiaochan watched this and became furious. He was about to draw his sword but remembered Mo Qianqiu was different now, so he shouted, “Qianqiu—teach these disrespectful disciples a lesson for Haofu!”
Mo Qianqiu pulled Haofu behind him and smiled. “Then I’ll borrow Xiyuan Sword Master’s soul power!”
The current Haofu was extremely weak, and the Qianqiu sword easily borrowed his soul power.
A powerful formation directly sent them flying, and several swords scattered everywhere.
“No time to play with you!”
Mo Qianqiu pulled Haofu along as they ran toward the Evil-Dispelling Bell.
Lu Xiaochan followed on his sword.
But while he was riding the sword, he deliberately had Shu Wuxi stand in front, while he stood behind, holding his waist.
“Xiaochan, what’s wrong?” Shu Wuxi lowered his head and held Lu Xiaochan’s hand.
Lu Xiaochan turned his face sideways, his ear pressed against Shu Wuxi’s back.
“Nothing… I just missed you.”
This was the Brother Wuxi who could breathe, who could speak to him, who cared about Lu Xiaochan’s emotions.
The wind whistled past his ears, and his arms tightened.
“Brother Wuxi, after the Xiyuan matter is settled, I’ll go with you…”
Lu Xiaochan had only said half his words when Mo Qianqiu’s sword formation struck toward the Evil-Dispelling Bell.
The Evil-Dispelling Bell was forged ten thousand years ago by Supreme Lord Yehua using celestial iron, mixed with the blood of the Sifang spirit beast. It was Xiyuan’s most powerful magical artifact.
The Evil-Dispelling Bell was enshrined at the top of Chongluan Palace’s main hall. It wasn’t large and looked quite modest, without any decorations, like an old bell that hadn’t been maintained for years.
It was precisely because it was so ordinary that Lu Xiaochan hadn’t noticed it earlier during the banquet.
If ordinary people touched it, it wouldn’t ring. Only when the Xiyuan Sword Master struck it with a sword formation would it resonate with Chongluan Palace and shake all directions.
The current Haofu naturally didn’t have the strength to strike the bell, so Mo Qianqiu directly used his soul power to form a sword formation to strike it.
When the bell suddenly rang, Chongluan Palace felt like it was lifted to the ninth heaven and then dropped back down.
It wasn’t a deafening bell sound, but huge spiritual patterns spread in all directions, entering everyone’s elixir sea.
Mo Qianqiu was closest to the Evil-Dispelling Bell and was thrown down by its spiritual waves!
Lu Xiaochan closed his eyes. Shu Wuxi reached out his hand and pushed out his spiritual energy to block the bell’s spiritual waves.
The bell continued to ring, and the entire Chongluan Palace was submerged in huge spiritual tides. These tides suddenly rushed downward, temporarily suppressing the evil energy that had been climbing up Chongluan Palace.
At that moment, Lu Xiaochan felt his heart and soul being cleansed, becoming clear from his ears to his heart.
Shu Wuxi turned his face and asked, “Xiaochan, what were you saying just now?”
Lu Xiaochan paused. I wanted to say that after the Xiyuan turmoil passes, I’ll go with you to Wuyi Jingtian.
“I just wanted to tell you that I remember everything from before.”
Shu Wuxi’s gaze dimmed, but his grip on Lu Xiaochan’s hand tightened.
“Is that so…”
Lu Xiaochan suddenly kissed his back and giggled. “You don’t need to worry anymore, my past self liked you very much too!”
Shu Wuxi paused, and after a long while asked. “Really?”
“Truer than true gold! But you have to give me soul-condensed azure birds in the future too!”
“What do you want my soul-condensed azure birds for?” Shu Wuxi asked again.
“Ah…” Lu Xiaochan sighed helplessly.
He would have to teach him how to handle their relationship slowly!
The bell sound echoed through Chongluan Palace and spread in all directions through the palace’s vibrations. The palace disciples were on high alert, and the sect leaders from various schools rushed to the main hall.
Shu Wuxi used the Nine-Turning Universe treasure box to open Chongluan Palace’s void, and in no time, the sect leaders gathered in the main hall.
“What exactly happened!”
“Why did the Evil-Dispelling Bell ring! Have the evil beings from the Demon Capital emerged?”
