LZX Chapter 72.4

The sword energy left behind by the previous sword masters was originally difficult to control and tame, but when Lu Xiaochan’s tear entered the formation, it carried the softest and most precious intent.

The Sword Sea was originally the sword intent of all previous sword masters, ever-increasing but without a place to belong. Yet in Lu Xiaochan’s sword formation, it was embraced with gentleness, as if this boundless power had finally found its home.

Shu Wuxi’s cracking elixir core was gradually healing. Lu Xiaochan flew on his sword to his side and smiled at him.

“I’m afraid of losing you, so I want to protect you even more.”

All worlds retreated, leaving only Lu Xiaochan’s smile.

“Brother Wuxi, I have nothing else to give you, so let the sword intent of the Sword Master Yang Cang from these countless years truly belong to you!”

For the first time, Shu Wuxi showed a surprised expression. In countless years, no one among the countless Yang Cangs had been able to pacify the Wuyi Sword Sea, yet Xiaochan had made it willingly submit!

The Sword Spirit finally showed a panicked expression at that moment. It wanted to create another “Playing with Dust” world to escape into, but unexpectedly, Lu Xiaochan once again formed the Tailing Void Purification Spell.

“Xiaochan! Don’t!”

Shu Wuxi embraced him without hesitation, wrapping him in the Wuyi Sword Sea.

Lu Xiaochan smiled. “This time I don’t need to sacrifice myself! Your obsession in your heart is the karmic fire in my elixir core! Today I’ll return this karmic fire to you!”

Lu Xiaochan unhesitatingly tried to use the Wuhen Sword to split open his own elixir core, but Shu Wuxi immediately blocked it with his Wuxi Sword.

“Xiaochan!”

Lu Xiaochan leaned back into Shu Wuxi’s embrace, closing his eyes with deep affection as he said, “Brother Wuxi, back then Lord Yang Cang tried to retrieve True Lord Lingyuan’s elixir core, but ended up making both of them die with regrets…..We cannot seek eternity, but by giving up what doesn’t belong to us, what remains will be truly flawless under heaven.”

When Lu Xiaochan opened his eyes again, Shu Wuxi saw a perfectly clear and pure world.

The Wuhen Sword pierced into Lu Xiaochan’s inner palace, cutting out his elixir core.

Shu Wuxi lowered his head and held Lu Xiaochan tightly, using the Wuyi Sword Sea to fill Lu Xiaochan’s inner palace.

The Sword Spirit said in disbelief, “This is impossible… this is impossible! The previous True Lord Lingyuan couldn’t let go! Yang Cang couldn’t let go! How could you both give it up!”

The elixir core entered the “Tailing Void Purification Spell,” and the karmic fire suddenly lit up the great spell, striking back at the Sword Spirit!

The Sword Spirit had nowhere to struggle, its spirit form scattered by its own karmic fire.

Though it was a flame that distorted everything, even Lord Lianyue Yuan, who was hovering above the great spell with his sword, was amazed.

“This seems like the chaos purgatory reappearing…”

The Sword Spirit melted like wax, constantly reaching out its hand as if begging Lu Xiaochan to save it.

Shu Wuxi held Lu Xiaochan tightly. In that moment, their gaze seemed to pierce through countless years of time, seeing True Lord Lingyuan and Lord Yang Cang from the end of ancient times.

True Lord Lingyuan pulled Yang Cang with the Immortal-Locking Ribbon, smiling like a child, with no regret or pain in his eyes, only Yang Cang’s figure.

“I don’t seek eternal time, I only wish that when I look at you, you look at me the same way.”

The Sword Spirit looked at the overlapping figures of Shu Wuxi and Lu Xiaochan, said “worldly obsessions and evil thoughts neither increase nor decrease, endless to overcome,” and then vanished into smoke.

Lu Xiaochan’s elixir core fell from the dissipating Tailing Void Purification Spell, clear as crystal, reflecting the endless blue sky.

Shu Wuxi flew up, grabbed it, and returned it to Lu Xiaochan’s inner palace.

At that moment, bright light shone into Lu Xiaochan’s eyes, and he immediately covered them.

Lord Miaochen Yuan and others watched in amazement as the flames dispersed. They had thought all living things would be harmed by the chaotic karmic fire, but found them thriving instead – this was truly living through death.

“Xiaochan! Xiaochan, what’s wrong?” Shu Wuxi touched Lu Xiaochan’s eyes.

“It’s so bright!” Lu Xiaochan blinked. He slightly parted his fingers and through that gap, saw Shu Wuxi.

He immediately removed his hands and threw himself into Shu Wuxi’s embrace, lifting his face in wild joy.

“Brother Wuxi, I can see you! So this is how you look! No, no! You’re even more handsome than a thousand years ago!”

“What’s going on…” Ling Nianwu asked in astonishment.

Kunwu rode over on his spirit beast and sighed, “It’s because the karmic fire in his elixir core was taken away by the Tailing Void Purification Spel.”

Lu Xiaochan looked at Lord Lianyue Yuan and immediately rushed forward to embrace Ye Linshuang in his arms, but Lianyue quickly avoided him.

“Ah! Lord Lianyue, you really do have the face of a fickle heartbreaker!”

Lord Lianyue snorted lightly, “I may be fickle, but you’re the one who leaves feelings everywhere! We’re equally matched!”

As he finished speaking, Ye Linshuang’s leg indeed kicked Lord Lianyue’s face again.

“Ouch — you kicked me again!”

Lu Xiaochan looked toward Ling Nianwu, only now realizing that the youth from a thousand years ago had become an extraordinarily handsome young man.

“Nianwu, I…”

Ling Nianwu smiled faintly. “Can you see my appearance clearly now?”

“Yes, clearly.” Lu Xiaochan knew of Ling Nianwu’s devotion and waiting for him over all these years, but all the deep feelings remained unspoken.

Ling Nianwu looked around at the world now free of shadows, where distant mountains layered upon mountains, plants swayed in the wind, endlessly regenerating in cycles, and only said two words, “How wonderful.”

He turned around and gracefully flew away on his sword.

After years apart, the past Ling Nianwu who had watched Lord Liche’s extinction finally disappeared.

Lu Xiaochan held the elixir core tightly in his arms and said, “What a pity…”

What a pity he couldn’t see Mo Qianqiu.

Shu Wuxi’s hand covered it. “As long as the elixir core remains, we will eventually reconstruct Mo Qianqiu’s original body.”

At this moment, the Qianqiu Sword that was originally in Kunwu’s hand began to shake and suddenly flew away toward the east.

All the living beings around, including Lu Xiaochan’s soul, felt pulled by that sword until it disappeared into the horizon, only then did everyone regain their senses.

“What…what’s happening? Where is the Qianqiu Sword going?” Kunwu rushed to chase after it but was stopped by Lord Miaochen Yuan.

“It’s the Sword-Releasing Stone of Dongxu, it has chosen Mo Qianqiu as the Dongxu Sword Master.”

Kunwu couldn’t come to his senses for a long while, then suddenly burst into laughter. “When it comes to state of mind, none of us can match Mo Qianqiu. This time he achieved the realm of great power through his self-sacrifice…The workings of fate are truly unpredictable!”

“Was Chaos refined?” Lord Miaochen Yuan came before Shu Wuxi and asked.

Now Shu Wuxi not only commanded, but completely possessed the spiritual energy of the Sword Sea from tens of thousands of years, with his elixir sea and sword sea merged. In terms of cultivation, he was truly unmatched in the mortal realm.

“No. It simply cannot gather its spirit form. Forcefully trying to transform it would also be an obsession,” Shu Wuxi said calmly.

Lord Miaochen Yuan finally understood. “So Lu Xiaochan didn’t transform it, but accepted it.”

The hundred schools of sword sects all thought they pursued the realm of “no desire, no evil,” but evil thoughts in the world neither increase nor decrease, neither arise nor perish.

Being open-minded and at ease was the true realm.

“Xiaochan…..the Wuyi Jingtian no longer exists, come back to the Tailing Pavilion,” Kunwu said.

Lu Xiaochan’s face broke into his usual smile. “Who says Wuyi Jingtian no longer exists? Wherever Brother Wuxi and I are, that’s Wuyi Jingtian!”

 

Epilogue:

Lu Xiaochan rested his chin on his hand while riding Lushu. Where the Tailing Zhenyuan used to hang at his waist, there was now a small clay pot.

The pot contained soil, and in the soil was a seed that looked like a night pearl.

This was left behind by the former Thousand Autumn Pavilion Master. Kunwu said that if they could make this seed sprout and grow, it would grow Mo Qianqiu – no, wrong – it would grow a spirit fruit that could reconstruct Mo Qianqiu’s original body.

But as Shu Wuxi accompanied Lu Xiaochan from the Xiyuan Ice Crevice to the wasteland of Dongxu, from the Northern Sea glacier to the Nanli twilight peak, Lu Xiaochan couldn’t find spirit soil that could make the seed sprout.

After wandering like this for hundreds of years, Lu Xiaochan who was initially worried, became indifferent as time passed.

“Aren’t you worried this seed will never sprout?” Shu Wuxi embraced Lu Xiaochan from behind, whispering softly by his ear.

“Hmph! It’s because you’re always tormenting me! If Mo Qianqiu hears it, he’ll either get angry or embarrassed, so he refuses to sprout!”

Lu Xiaochan wanted to massage his waist, but Shu Wuxi was already doing it for him, with quite good strength and technique.

They returned to Lushu Town, where the streets were so familiar. The Wusi Tavern was still open, though the owner was now the great-great-grandson of the former shopkeeper! A hundred years seemed to haven’t changed this town, except that the villagers no longer existed, even the missing brick at that corner seemed unchanged. Shu Wuxi and Lu Xiaochan just wandered aimlessly around town.

A tributary of the Xuyu River passed through the center of town, where people had built a small bridge.

Lu Xiaochan held Shu Wuxi’s hand with one hand while holding candy art in the other, continuously licking it as he walked onto the bridge.

Just as they reached the highest point of the arched bridge, a figure in plain clothes brushed past him, and the candy painting shattered with a “crack.”

Lu Xiaochan let out an “ouch,” feeling his clay pot seemed a bit heavier at his waist.

He looked down and discovered that somehow a thin layer of yellow sand had appeared on top of the soil in the pot, and more importantly, the seed that hadn’t sprouted for over a hundred years had actually sprouted!

“Brother Wuxi, look!” Lu Xiaochan was so excited he could almost fly.

“Mm.” Shu Wuxi responded softly, but seemed to be searching for someone in the crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Xiaochan asked while gently stroking and playing with the small tender sprout.

“It was Supreme Lord Yehua,” Shu Wuxi answered.

“Who?” Lu Xiaochan was confused, feeling like he had missed something important.

 

“The one who made this seed sprout was Supreme Lord Yehua,” Shu Wuxi replied word by word.

 

“What? Supreme Lord Yehua? I’ve never even seen his original body!” Lu Xiaochan turned around and pulled Shu Wuxi to run into the crowd.

 

But when the crowd dispersed, Lu Xiaochan couldn’t see Supreme Lord Yehua’s figure.

 

He licked the other half of the candy painting that hadn’t shattered, then smiled carelessly.

 

“Xiaochan, what are you smiling about?”

 

“I’m laughing at how sneaky Supreme Lord Yehua is! Probably afraid I might fall for him! Hahaha!”