Chapter 109: Qionghua's Past Dream (Part 2)

  "Come back! Let me out——!"

  The youth's voice full of pain and anger echoed through the empty palace, the ripples on the light ball blurred the face filled with resentment in the ice-sealed fantasy. The purple light was shining brightly, illuminating the faces of several people around the jade platform, but no one could see anyone's expression clearly, only a silence flowed through the solidified air.

  "......Big Brother......" Yun Tianhe murmured, his face shrouded in sorrow.

  "This is Xuan Xiao's dream, a memory he has repeatedly recalled over the past nineteen years...". The soft voice of Liu Mengli echoed in everyone's ears. "Nineteen years ago, the Qionghua Sect sought to achieve their goal of elevating the entire sect by using the Twin Swords to seize control of the Ling energy in the Huanmeng Realm. However, after they entered this realm, they only then discovered that the Ling energy obtained through the Twin Swords was merely a tiny part of the vast Ling energy within the Huanmeng Realm... The true source of our tribe's power is actually the purple crystal stones scattered throughout the entire Huanmeng Realm."

  "Ah, could it be that they..." Han Xiang's face changed color, and she covered her mouth in shock.

  Liu Mengli looked at her and sighed, "Just as you thought. At that time, there was no seal at the entrance of the Huan Yun Realm, my clan had never thought of leaving since we discovered this place a thousand years ago, nor did we think anyone would break in... until the Qionghua Sect discovered the existence of the Huan Yun Realm... They broke into the Huan Yun Realm with ease, discovered the secret of the purple crystal stone, and naturally wanted to occupy this place. In that battle, my You Yao clan suffered countless casualties, and many purple crystal stones were taken away..."

  Murong Ziyin's eyebrows were tightly locked, and he said in a low voice: "However, the sect leader has another statement. The elders of the sect also say that in those years, the demon world was rampant and killed the former sect leader, Taiching True Man. Many young heroes of our sect were slaughtered under their claws, including the first disciple of the sect leader..." He spoke to this point, feeling the hand he was holding suddenly tremble slightly, and looked at Shen Bailong in surprise, but did not see any unusual expression on his face, so he turned back to continue speaking. "That's why everyone in the sect has been practicing hard all these years, just to avenge the great revenge and wipe out the past shame..."

  "When will the injustice end?" Liu Mengli shook her head and sighed lightly, with a hint of worry in her eyes. "My clan has been hiding here for thousands of years, never leaving the Phantom Realm. How could we have offended the Qionghua Sect? It's just that an innocent person is being blamed for carrying a jade pendant. I learned from the Qionghua Sect and formed friendships with many of your fellow disciples on the mountain... but now, circumstances are forcing us to fight each other. The Phantom Realm is trapped in a web of double swords, and no one can escape this battle."

  "Heavens, the war nineteen years ago brought about so many disasters, are we going to repeat the same mistakes again?! Han Xiang's face turned pale as she clenched her fists and stamped her foot, "I don't even dare think about it..."

  "It's hard to say what the outcome of this battle will be." Shen Bailian's eyes were fixed on the slowly rotating light ball in mid-air, and her voice was faint as she said, "The Qionghua Sect has been recuperating and rebuilding its strength over the years, with the dual swords supporting each other. The Huanming Boundary is declining day by day, and it's likely to be difficult to escape disaster."

  "But... but I heard Big Brother say that the master of the demon world... said that Meng Li's mother was very powerful, and even the old sect leader of the Qionghua Sect, Tai Qing True Person, couldn't beat her nineteen years ago." Yun Tianhe muttered.

  Liu Mengli revealed a hint of bitter smile: "Actually, the Illusory Realm has... four out of six great generals have fallen in battle, only Gui Xie and Xi Zhong two generals are left, let alone my mother——" Before she could finish speaking, her words were interrupted by a low, pained cry.

  "Ah......" Han Xiangyun felt that in an instant, all her strength had left her body. A chill ran from the soles of her feet and spread throughout her entire body in a flash. She suddenly went limp and fell to the ground, "So...so cold...that feeling again..."

  "Lin Wan!" Yun Tianhe and Liu Mengli exclaimed in unison, the two of them supporting her on either side. Liu Mengli reached out to stroke her forehead while anxiously asking, "Are you okay? Do you want me to use incense..."

  Han Heng's bloodless face squeezed out a faint smile: "Don't worry, lately... it's always been like this, just need to rest for a while..."

  "But why are your hands so cold..." Liu Mengli worriedly covered her hands, hesitated for a moment and then said, "The side hall where I live is just nearby, let's go there to rest for a while." As she spoke, she and Yun Tianhe supported her together towards the door of the hall.

  Murong Ziyin looked at the backs of the three people, wanting to chase after them but hesitated for a moment, turning her head to look at Shen Bailian. He was still standing in place, staring blankly at the purple light ball suspended on the jade platform, seemingly unaware of everything around him.

  "Bai Ling, I'll go take a look at the linen fabric." Murong Ziyin said in a low voice, gently pinching his palm before releasing it.

  Shen Bailian nodded slightly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her gaze never left the light ball: "Mm... go then."

  Murong Ziyin felt a little uneasy, but when she looked up and saw that Han Qing and the others had already left the palace, she couldn't help but hastily follow them.

  Inside the palace, on the high jade steps, only Shen Bailian was left. Just as the temple door was closed by Murong Ziyin, the light ball's surface once again emitted a large amount of purple light, and the flowing light gradually dispersed in circles, revealing a new scene...

  The gentle waves caress the long stretch of yellow sand along the coastline. The last remnants of dusk are falling with the sunset beneath the curved waves at the end of the sea. The dark blue sea merges with the night, and the wind rises, covering up the sound of the waves.

  Suddenly a loud clang, the surging waves were split in two by a beam of light, revealing a snowy figure behind. Only to see a sharp gleam like a sword flashing through the narrow and long cold eyes, and then put away with the sword back into its sheath. The young man gently shook off the sparkling droplets on his clothes, jumped down from the reef, and stepped quietly onto the soft beach.

  Outside the light sphere, Shen Bailian stared at the young man's cold and self-contained face, with a hundred emotions surging in her heart: This is... Xuan Xiao who has not yet joined the Qionghua Sect, no... it's Xun Heng...

  In the dream, the young man walked across the beach, through the forest, his footsteps getting faster and faster, his expression becoming more and more tense. His hand had already grasped the hilt of his sword. In an instant, he had reached the end of the forest, where the dense foliage above him suddenly disappeared, and the moonlight poured down, illuminating everything before him with a bright glow.

  But everything in front of him made him completely stop in his tracks.

  The air was filled with a bloody smell, but what irritated his eyes more than the bloody smell was the blood that had permeated the walls of the palace and dyed everything red. The bodies that lay or sat in the piercing colors were so pale, the armor and weapons were stained with mud and blood, and they had lost the majesty and dignity of the imperial guards.

  "Brother Wang... Brother Wang, hurry and leave!"

  A shrill cry echoed, and the white-clad youth standing in a daze in front of the corpse shuddered all over. He raised his head to see a girl rushing out from the palace gate, followed by only a few guards, who were all covered in blood, with several others limping along, their faces pale as if they had been injured. The girl was dressed in white, and the silver thread embroidery on her clothes was identical to that on the youth's collar and cuffs. Her face was beautiful, with a red mark between her eyebrows, and she looked remarkably similar to the youth, about 70-80% alike. She had tears all over her face and cried out from afar: "Wang brother, those treacherous rebels... they broke into the palace, and Father and Mother were killed by them!"

  As they spoke, a sound of horseshoes approached, and a team of soldiers on horseback chased after the girl from her direction. After all, human feet are not as fast as horseshoes, and those people instantly caught up from behind. The girl and her guards turned back to look, their faces changed greatly, both fearful and resentful.

  The young man in white suddenly lifted his head, and a cold face was instantly filled with a fierce expression. A pair of cold eyes seemed to spew out flames, looking like he couldn't be reasoned with. He rushed towards the girl a few steps and shouted loudly: "A Xiu, come by my side, no one dares to hurt you!"

  Who would have thought that the girl, upon hearing his voice, suddenly revealed a strange smile and shouted: "I am the most noble princess of Penglai Country. Those villains dare not insult the dignity of the royal family. Brother Wang, you quickly leave, Ah Zheng... Ah Zheng will never see the day when you master swordsmanship!" After finishing speaking, she surprisingly turned around with those guards to welcome that team of soldiers and horses.

  The young man in white robes changed color drastically, and his eyes revealed a hint of ten...

  The pain of parting is great, and he cried out: "Ah, Zong!"

  The rebel soldiers had merged with the guards into a single entity, fortunately the palace gates were tightly blocked by those few guards, each of whom was determined to die, and for a time they fought valiantly without equal. In the midst of clashing swords, the leading soldier leapt off his horse, swung his large knife fiercely, and blood splattered everywhere, the girl's white clothes were all stained red, her small head had already been lifted by that person...

  "Xunheng!" Shen Bailian exclaimed in a trembling voice, but the image on the light ball gradually disappeared. It was only then that he came to his senses, realizing that it was just a past event of a youth named Xunheng who had long since passed away. He had already known that Xuanyue was once a prince of the overseas Penglai Kingdom, but due to domestic turmoil, he had to flee abroad and go through all sorts of hardships. Only now, seeing those old events with his own eyes, did he realize that beneath that aloof exterior lay such profound pain...

  In the midst of contemplation, another burst of purple light flickered on the light ball, followed by a burst of laughter.

  "Hey, I said Ice Face, you don't seem to be from the mountain town either. You must also be like me, traveling thousands of miles to come to Kunlun Mountain's Qionghua Sect to seek immortality and learn the Tao. But every day you're either meditating or practicing swordplay, do you really not find it boring at all?"

  On the Sword Dance Platform, a handsome young man was lying under a willow tree, resting. Not far away, another young man sat with his eyes closed, his expression extremely solemn, and he ignored his questions.

  The handsome young man didn't get angry at all, the dog tail grass in his mouth shook up and down as he spoke: "Ice block face, we've been sleeping together for almost a year, how can you still be so unfeeling, not even willing to dispel your junior brother's doubts?"

  The cold-faced young man furrowed his brow, and his closed eyes finally opened, revealing a hint of displeasure. He said in a chilly tone: "Yun Tianqing, how can you and I be compared? I work hard to cultivate my skills, although it's arduous, but I have my own results. If you're just idle and wasting time, what's the fun in that? If you don't want to cultivate, then leave this place, don't disturb my cultivation!"

  Yun Tianqing pouted and muttered, "But you're only a bit earlier than me in entering the door. All you know is to put on airs as my senior brother. You drive me away? Then I'll go find big senior brother to play with!" As he spoke, he was about to get up.

  Xuan Xiao's eyebrows knitted even tighter, and he said in a cold voice: "Elder brother Xuan Zhen helps Master with matters every day, so he is already very busy. If you dare to disturb him, I will not forgive you!"

  "Hey... not allowing me this, not allowing me that, you're too nosy for your own good!" Yun Tianqing jumped up from the grass as soon as he heard it, "And last night, when I came back from Si Fan Valley, you actually used a spirit talisman to block the door, forcing me to sleep outside! If I tell Master about this, he'll definitely not let you off!" As soon as he finished speaking, a strange and eccentric face appeared with an expression of surprise, "Ah, Xuan Zhen Master!"

  Xuan Xiao heard him call "Big Brother Master", his tense face suddenly relaxed, but when he turned back to look, a gust of wind blew past behind him, where was anyone? He immediately knew that he had been fooled by Yun Tianqing again, and angrily turned his head: "Yun...Tian...Qing!"

  Yun Tianqing burst out laughing and fell to the ground, almost unable to breathe: "Haha, haha! Ice Block Face, do you know how ridiculous your expression was just now? It's ridiculously funny! As soon as you heard Eldest Senior Brother's name, you became so excited. Are you, are you harboring some unmentionable feelings for him? Haha, haha!"

  Xuan Xiao's face suddenly turned somewhat strange, and his eyes flashed with a hint of embarrassment, but in an instant it transformed into boundless anger: "Yun Tianqing, if you continue to speak nonsense don't blame me - Xuan Zhen Shixiong!"

  "Hey, picking up people's teeth doesn't mean anything, Ice Block Face." Yun Tianqing saw that he had only said half of what he wanted to say and stopped with a surprised expression on his face. He even stood up from the ground and chuckled as he scratched his nose with the dog tail grass, "Master Xuan Zhen is so busy, where did he find the time to come play with us?"

  But then a warm and gentle voice like spring breeze suddenly came from behind: "What? Cloud junior doesn't want to see me?"

  Yun Tianqing was shocked, turned around and looked back, a person emerged from behind the willow tree, wearing a jade crown and long robe, with warm and refined eyebrows and eyes, as noble as an immortal. It was their senior brother, Xuan Zhen. The young man smiled slightly, meeting the gaze of his two junior brothers, saying: "The master ordered me to come and test you, thinking that you were working hard, but unexpectedly you are hiding here, stealing a half-day's leisure, really enjoying yourselves."

  Yun Tianqing burst out laughing: "Big Brother, we're brothers after all, don't tell Master..."

  He hadn't finished speaking when another cold, hard voice interrupted him: "Senior brother, don't mention this gibbon and me in the same breath. I have a doubt about one part of the fifth layer of the Heart Method, please senior brother teach me..." Xuan Xiao said as he gently grasped the young man's wrist, leading him towards his own disciple's quarters.

  "Hey, Ice Face, you..." Yun Tianqing stared blankly at the two people walking further and further away, muttering to himself, "Does this count as forgetting friendship for beauty?"

  Shen Bailian stared blankly at the dream that was slowly turning into ripples, and he was somewhat at a loss. He hadn't expected that in the nineteen years of being sealed in ice, Xuan Xiao would repeatedly recall such memories, including this one. Those years they spent together, cultivating, learning swordsmanship, and sparring with each other, now seemed so vivid, as beautiful as ever...

  However, another scene emerged on the light ball, a familiar icy forbidden land, among the huge ice pillars, that person was still young and beautiful as before, but there was no longer that calm and self-control in his eyebrows and eyes, only a belly full of anger.

  "Qingyang, Chongguang, Zonglian, let me out!"

  "Su Yao, you stole the position of sect leader from me and imprisoned me in this forbidden place. If one day I leave this place, I will definitely make you pay!"

  "Yun Tianqing, Su Yu... you two actually treat me like this, why... why!"

  The angry rebuke continued to echo in the ice room, but eventually returned to silence. Only the sword inserted on the icicle faintly flashed as if responding. After a long time, the sound of accusation gradually subsided, but what rose again was another voice filled with sorrow and desolation.

  "......Senior brother, Xuan Zhen......Xuan Zhen......"

  Muttering as if whispering, humming like pouring out one's heart, with a thread of perplexity, a thread of sorrow, a thread of nostalgia, repeatedly repeating... ultimately turning into an intractable resentment.

  "...Xuan Zhen, I hate you so much..."

  By the jade platform, Shen Bailian looked up at the person inside the light sphere with a blurry face behind an icy wall, feeling melancholic and wounded. She indeed owed that person a great deal...

  "Xuan Xiao, my junior brother..."