Chapter 74: Severing Ties of Sentiment and Righteousness (Part 1)

  The cold night was clear and the mountain wind whistled through the grass. The Cloud Volume Platform still looked like it did when I left that day, with dense clouds covering the sky, without sunlight, and the vault of heaven was as black as ink. In the darkness, there was only a purple light at the edge of the cloud, flickering on and off, shining with unclear rays. From this purple light, a bright column rose high into the clouds, like a lighthouse illuminating the night sky.

  Xuanzhen's sword followed the light pillar and descended in a spiral motion, his face calm as water. Looking down at the shadowy mountains below, the peaks seemed to be undulating on his heart. Nineteen years ago, he had come here to pay homage to his master and learn his skills; all his memories of the Taoist arts were formed here. Now, this place had become a forbidden land for him, and even if he came, it could only be at midnight when no one was around.

  However, with a rough glance, he had some understanding of the situation at the end of Qionghua's strong crossbow. Juan Yun Tai was an important place for the Double Sword Web to bind the demon world, but now there is not even half a person on the lawn, it can be seen that even the disciples with some skills have followed the elder into the demon world, and those left behind are probably not enough to guard this place. But isn't the demon world also at an impasse? Thinking of Xian You avoiding entering Li Huang Gong after fighting with his master, four of the six great guardians had gone, and Xuan Zhen let out a long sigh.

  Near the ground, the spring water sword tip slightly sank, carrying him slowly down. In the rustling of red clothes, Xuan Zhen was like a piece of fiery red maple leaf, lightly floating down.

  As soon as he stepped onto the lawn with bare feet, he felt a chill under his feet, which was caused by the dew on the grass leaves wetting his soles and ankles. Xuān Zhèn sheathed his sword and lifted the hem of his long robe slightly with his hand, then slowly walked towards the lotus platform surrounded by a bundle of bright light.

  The closer he got, the more hesitant his footsteps became. However, the Cloud Volume Platform was only a small area of tens of meters in diameter, and before long, he arrived in front of it. The sword pillar shone brightly like a torch, reflecting the night sky as well as his dark and uncertain gaze. Xuán Zhèn looked up at it for a while, his hand involuntarily clenched into a fist in his sleeve, and finally gritted his teeth and leaped up onto it.

  However, at a glance, it was a daze. It turned out that on the lotus platform, there were only two swords, one blue and one red, standing upright in the center of the platform, with their tips pointing to the sky, still ringing clearly, but the two people who should have been guarding the swords had gone somewhere unknown.

  Xuan Zhen snapped back to his senses, and his heart couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Although he had agreed to meet with Yun Tianqing, he had no idea how to advise him, and now that he couldn't find anyone, there was nothing to be done about it, which was also convenient.

  Standing still on the lotus platform for a moment, Xuan Zhen's gaze involuntarily fell on the two swords in the center of the light pillar. The unity of man and sword, the harmony of yin and yang, the plan of Dao Yin's true person back then had become a reality now, but what was condensed within it was the heart and blood of three generations and the lives of countless disciples, including one who held the position of leader, yet the path to immortality was achieved in such a way that harmed oneself and innocent others, but little did he know what a superior being would think if they were still alive.

  After a long time of thinking, Xuan Zhen's gaze at Xihe and Wangshu changed. After careful consideration, the war between Qionghua and Huanmu would not have stopped if it weren't for these two swords that bound the demon world and made it impossible to leave. If these two swords had not been forged in the first place, his master would not have ordered him to go down the mountain to find someone with extremely strong yin and yang energy, Su Yu and Xuan Xiao would not have been involved in this matter, the demon world would not have been bound, and there would not be so many sad things now... In the end, was it all because of these two swords?

  Actually, Xuan Zhen had always understood in his heart that objects are inanimate and cannot control human affairs. However, he was in a dilemma, not wanting to blame the already deceased Master, the respected elder, and close fellow disciples, nor could he fault the innocent Huan Ming Jie Meng Zu who suffered this calamity. In such a case, he could only vent his anger on these two swords that had been forged into sword pillars.

  He gazed at Xihe and Wangshu, following the sword light to the end of the sword pillar, thinking in his heart: If he broke through the sword pillar, even if he gained freedom from the Fantasy Realm, with the current state of the Demon Realm, it would not be possible to stay for long. And once the Qionghua Sect lost its trace in the Fantasy Realm, revenge would be impossible... As he thought, his gaze gradually deepened, and when he turned back to the sword, it was even more unpredictable. A pair of hands in his sleeves couldn't help but lightly grasp the hand seal, waiting for a single order, the Spring Water on his back would unsheathe and strike towards the two swords.

  Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from behind, followed by a man's low and cold voice saying: "Who is here?"

  That voice was full of vigilance, but when it entered Xuān Zhèn's ears, his whole body stiffened. In an instant, the cold air had arrived at his back with a strong gust of wind, and he hastily turned around to face forward, raising his eyes to meet the narrow, cold gaze in front of him.

  Jade crown long hair, blue robe white shirt, sword light outlines the cold and hard profile of that person, wrapped in the wide sleeves that float gently in the wind, as if a layer of ice had condensed on it. But this man, who is as cold as an iceberg all over his body, is actually the host of the Yang Sword Xī Hé's power, the creation is indeed wonderful.

  It's been only a few days since they last met, but now it feels like an eternity has passed. Xuan Zhen looked at the tall figure in front of him, his eyes eventually falling on the other person's face. The expression was still as cold and distant as a far-off mountain covered in snow, but there were hints of sadness and sorrow between his eyebrows, perhaps because he had suddenly seen an old friend, or maybe because he thought this old friend had long since passed away. Those narrow phoenix eyes, usually calm and collected, were slightly wider than usual, looking more like those of a young man of his age should.

  His gaze swept across the vermilion mark between his eyebrows, and he couldn't help but pause for a moment. In his memory, the mark on his younger brother's forehead was only a crimson streak like blood, and even Taichu True Man had praised it as a rare natural phenomenon, proving that this younger brother was no ordinary person. But now, the vermilion mark that was already extraordinary seemed to have burst into bloom like a red lotus, opening out into three petal-like red marks that looked like they were branded onto his icy skin.

  "You... have you felt unwell recently when using Xihe?" Xuan Zhen couldn't help but blurt out.

  Xuan Xiao was taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but his face remained expressionless. The excitement he had shown earlier when seeing Xuan Zhen gradually dissipated, yet his gaze still lingered on Xuan Zhen without leaving. After a while, he slowly said: "… Never."

  Xuan Zhen had been with him for many years, how could he not hear his insincere words? Moreover, he had seen the yin and yang double swords earlier than Xuan Xiao, and had also heard from Zong Lian about some of the disadvantages of human-sword co-cultivation. Xi He and Wang Shu were both created by Zong Lian himself, and no one in the Qionghua Sect knew more about the power of these two swords than he did. Xuan Zhen had also personally seen the two swords' unruly attitude when they were sealed in the forbidden land, so he deeply believed in what the Chengtian Elder said.

  At this point, he remembered what Zong Lian had said before and frowned: "You don't have to hide it, the Xihe sword is indeed a condensation of Yangyin's power. If you practice together with it without any influence, it would be even more strange. Master Zong also told me that Wangshu belongs to water and Xihe belongs to fire. These two swords are themselves extreme yin and yang objects. Practicing with Su Yu and you, who have such strong yin and yang energies, the impact of yin and yang energy on you two should be even stronger. Although practicing like this can quickly improve your skills, if there is a slight mistake, there will be a risk of walking into madness. Tell me honestly, have you recently felt that your internal organs are often hot, and when controlling the sword, it's hard to control?"

  As soon as this was said, Xuan Xiao still looked like a mountain, but the corners of his tightly pursed mouth stiffened involuntarily.

  Xuan Zhen watched with a more determined heart, thinking that the person in front of him would end up in such a situation, and had a great deal to do with himself, Qionghua Sect, and the so-called thousand-year-old vow. After feeling anxious, he also felt a few points of guilt. Looking at Xuan Xiao's gaze was also much softer than before. After a moment, he calmed down and smiled slowly: "Forget it, I know you've always been very determined, saying this is just to remind you to be more careful when cultivating. After all, there was no one in the sect who had cultivated with this method before you and Su Yu, and now Master...". He paused involuntarily at this point.

  It seemed that he also remembered the tragic death of Taiqing Zhenren, and Xuan Xiao's icy aura, which had gradually relaxed, suddenly surged again. A hint of killing intent appeared in his narrow and cold eyes, as if it was difficult to suppress, and seeped out thread by thread.

  After a long time, his icy voice finally echoed on the lotus platform: "That day, I, Xuan Xiao, made a heavy oath on this platform to sweep away the demon world and avenge my master and...!" As he spoke, he looked at Xuan Zhen, and a warm feeling gradually rose in his eyes. "Now that I see my senior brother return unscathed, I... Xuan Xiao is very delighted."

  Xuan Zhen was taken aback, and suddenly his heart felt a bit more bitter. His younger brother, who had always been as gentle as jade, had a stubborn personality but was extremely enthusiastic towards those close to him. It seemed that after he himself fell into the Fantasy Realm, he heard rumors of his own death in the Demon Realm from others, and then witnessed their master's death on this Cloud Platform. This must have been why he was filled with uncontrollable anger, and perhaps it was because of this that the evil fire entered his body...

  The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt. Xuan Zhen looked at the cold and handsome face in front of him, only to feel a surge of emotions rising up, wanting to pour out all his difficulties and suffering over the past few days. But this thought flashed by in an instant, and he moved his lips, ultimately turning the conversation around: "Su Yu, why isn't she here? You two aren't supposed to be able to wield the twin swords together, so why is only you left here now?"

  Xuan Xiao turned his head to look at the two swords in the sword pillar, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light. He spoke in a low voice, "Su Yu... She has always been deep in thought, and her skills are slightly insufficient. These past few days, when manipulating the Wanshu, she seemed somewhat unable to keep up. Now that the sword pillar is complete, the demon realm cannot escape for the time being. Therefore, I will take turns guarding here with her, so that we can both calm our minds."

  Xuan Zhen nodded, his original intention was not on Su Yu's body, but he casually asked and then turned to say: "Xuan Xiao, I... you see me, don't you have any doubts?" When saying this sentence, he couldn't help but feel anxious in his heart, and his expression also showed some complexity.

  But Xuan Xiao still stared at the red sword in the sword pillar that belonged to him, not noticing his face: "As long as Shixiong can return safely, Xuan Xiao doesn't have any reason to suspect Shixiong."

  Xuan Xu's eyes drooped, casting a glance at the ground, and he spoke in a low voice again: "What if... I am not 'returning'?"

  The author has something to say: Thank you to Huawu, Suimianxiechang, Fuchengxiuke, Lulu, CJ's Xizi, Beini1127, Shimeng (your surprise review made me jump, thank you so much, but actually just leaving a message is enough to make me happy, no need to go back and work so hard, Hug), Cheng, Chengzi, Yunhaipiao, Sanmangde Feiluojige, Feiyangde Ye, Yishuihan, Xue's comments~

  P.S. I've caught a cold recently, headache and stuffy nose, then there's the party course exam, attending party meetings to listen to the spirit of the 18th National Congress... so painful ┭┮﹏┭┮

  PPS. Updates will continue tomorrow, sorry for the recent irregular updates m(＿＿)m