Chapter 24 Tianyan Secret Realm Soul Bell

Do you like me?

Fu Yusheng, who was about to say something, suddenly fell silent, as if someone had grabbed his lifeline.

Only the red tassel on the side of his mask, swaying violently, betrayed his inner turmoil.

He suddenly felt a dense, itchy sensation rising in his heart, which she had once pierced.

He wanted to agree; he liked her, and that wasn't something he needed to hide.

But when he thought of the days and nights he had spent with her, seven years of their lives, all he received was the cold edge of a sword. And this man, who had lived in anonymity by her side for only half a month, what right did he have to earn her complete trust?

Moreover, he wanted to tell her this affection as Fu Yusheng, not like now, where even his name couldn't be uttered by her.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke with a seemingly amused tone, "I think I've made it quite obvious."

Instead of responding directly or refuting, they can only convey their emotions in this way.

Fu Yunyao was not at all surprised to receive such an answer.

"You really do resemble someone."

He once said he would always, always be with me.

The boy's phantom appeared once more, sitting beside her, very close, his red robes almost overlapping hers, yet leaving behind only emptiness.

"The days spent with him in Yaotai Realm weren't too difficult. If it weren't for..."

The phantom rested its chin on its hand, its gaze fixed entirely on her.

"I told myself, if he is still alive and appears before me again, I will definitely..."

I killed him with my own hands.

Fu Yusheng felt his surging blood instantly return to calm.

He leaned back, his tongue pressed against his teeth, almost wanting to facepalm, yet finding it all quite amusing.

It was just a test, why did you almost lose your temper and even get jealous of yourself?

...

On the Heavenly Evolution Spirit Vein, a figure appeared in the secret realm that had not yet completely dissipated.

In the dilapidated village, the woman in blue stood quietly before the shattered golden statue of a god, gazing at the white bones among the fragments.

A gentle breeze brushed against the hem of her dress. She looked away and spoke softly.

"You've arrived."

At the village entrance, the man was wearing blue clothes, the pattern on the hem of which was exactly the same as that on Mu Shu's clothes.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you."

"It's just an illusion, why be so attached to it?"

He didn't answer her question, but continued speaking.

"For so many years, I've been regretting why I didn't discover back then that you had developed a demon in your heart. If only I had known..."

"What is fate? Why bother?"

"What destiny? All of this is merely the control of the Heavenly Dao! We cultivators are nothing more than a means for Him to deal with the demon race!"

Demonic energy and spiritual energy are inherently intertwined. Once the demon race was sealed away, the world lost its demonic energy, and spiritual energy also became scarce. That's why no one has been able to ascend to the Great Dao for the past five hundred years!

In order to eliminate demons from the world, He will annihilate anyone who develops inner demons in the name of heavenly tribulation. Don't you know all this?

The cultivation journey of a cultivator is long, and who can guarantee that they will never develop inner demons? Does developing inner demons mean death?

Could it be...?

"You deserve to die..."

Mu Shu sighed.

"Xiao Jiu, the fact that the former seventh Sword Master Rangchen and many other powerful figures chose to sacrifice themselves to seal the Demon Realm is enough to demonstrate the ferocity of the Demon Race. We cannot guarantee whether cultivators who develop inner demons can maintain their bottom line."

You've also read the records in ancient books. Demonic cultivators are bloodthirsty by nature, and their cultivation is entirely built up from the blood on their hands. The more blood on their hands, the faster their cultivation increases.

With such a shortcut available, and tempted by inner demons, can anyone truly resist the pull of their conscience and avoid falling into evil ways?

He countered, "But those cultivators who merely developed inner demons and perished under the rules of Heaven, how innocent they were! Are the people of the cultivation world so incompetent that they cannot eradicate the demonic cultivators who have fallen into the demonic path?"

"Then how innocent were the cultivators and mortals who perished at the hands of demonic cultivators along the way?"

He lowered his head, and the young man, who was half a head taller than Mu Shu, looked at her with the air of a subordinate. He said.

“I can ignore everyone else, but not you. I care about you.”

How could you perish because of these absurd rules of Heaven?

His words showed absolutely no respect for the Heavenly Dao. Mu Shu frowned, "Do you know how threatening it would be if He discovered your absurdity?"

His eyes curved into a smile, adding a touch of submissiveness and ingratiation to his already delicate features.

"But you're here, so He won't notice, right?"

The sword intent of "Eight Thousand Springs" enveloped this secret realm, isolating it from the world, so that even the Heavenly Dao could not see through it.

Mu Shu spoke up again, urging, "Mu Jiuqing, please stop."

He was still smiling, his fingertips lightly touching her face, only to feel a void.

“You are about to vanish,” he stated.

"This was originally a fragment of my soul. Since the inheritance in this secret realm has been taken away, there is no need for this secret realm to exist."

"Hmm." He responded, taking out a copper bell wrapped with red thread from his Qiankun bag.

"I'll take you back."

Mu Shu's gaze sharpened. "The Soul-Locking Bell?!"

Her dissipating soul slowly fell into the copper bell in his hand until it completely disappeared.

Mu Jiuqing reached out and tied the Soul-Locking Bell to his wrist. He gently stroked the bronze bell with his fingertips, his expression full of longing.

"How could you possibly disappear? I will definitely save you."

my dear……

Master.

...

Within the forbidden area of ​​Yaotai Realm, nameless spirit tablets glowed with faint red light.

Fu Yunyao sat leaning against the altar, holding a spirit tablet in her hand, slowly carving it in the dim and eerie red light of the restriction.

As wood shavings fell, she wiped them with her fingertips, revealing the carved characters in her hand.

Su Rutang.

The dust-restricting barrier on the side of her face surged continuously, as if seeping into her flesh and blood, connecting with the barrier on her neck.

She placed the jade pendant containing the demon god's soul on the altar, where it radiated a soft, warm light.

The restraints wrapped around her neck suddenly tightened, causing Fu Yunyao's hand, which was carving the spirit tablet, to veer off course. The sharp carving knife pierced her fingertip, leaving a bloody mark on the half-carved spirit tablet.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, and the memorial tablet and carving knife fell to the ground together.

Bloodstains were left on her neck due to the restraints, the bright red blood intertwined with the dark red restraints.

Pitiful.

Horrible.

She coughed softly, her breathing weak, and the corners of her eyes were red from the pain.

Damp hair clung to the sides of her face, making her look as disheveled as a water monster. Yet, her fragile and breathtakingly beautiful face, bathed in the dim red light of the room, was even more captivating.

The Dust Sword was placed on the sword rack on the altar. The patterns on the sword blade surged, and its piercingly cold spiritual energy seemed gentle at this moment.

The spiritual energy landed in front of Fu Yunyao, transforming into the figure of a young man.

He knelt down in front of her, his fingertips brushing against the side of her face, leaving only a cold sensation.

Those light-colored eyes gazed at her intently and seriously.

Fu Yunyao's eyes trembled slightly.

"Fuyu Sheng..."

"Yes, I'm here."

He responded, his eyes sparkling.

"Liao Liao, I will always be with you."

Yeah?

The phantom vanished again, leaving behind a carpet of frost.

...

The jade pendant did indeed suppress some of the restrictions on Fu Yunyao's body, shortening the duration of the restrictions' activation.

The intricate patterns retreated back to her neck, disappearing under the white veil along with the streaks of blood.

When Fu Yunyao left the forbidden area, several of the originally nameless spirit tablets had been engraved with names, gleaming with a soft light amidst the restrictions surrounding the room.

Inside the Elders' Hall, several elders looked at the person in the main seat, their hearts pounding once more.

The Third Elder asked somewhat cautiously.

"Young Master, is the effect of the restriction as dangerous as usual this time?"

Fu Yunyao raised her eyes, looking somewhat tired and weaker than usual, which explained why the elders were worried.

She touched the black jade pendant at her waist and replied with a smile, "It's much better than before."

As for why he looks weaker than usual...

Fu Yunyao sighed inwardly. Ever since she discovered that the owners of the nameless spirit tablets in the forbidden area were the sacrifices of the legendary Rang Chen Sword, she would try to carve their names on the spirit tablets every time she returned to the forbidden area due to the effect of the restriction, but unfortunately she always failed.

This time, however, she concentrated the sword intent of "Wanlichun" onto the carving knife, and actually left a mark on the spirit tablet.

So this is how much effort it takes to carve a name.

She thought of the begonia jade pendant that had shattered in Qiushui Town and felt a pang of regret.

Actually, she quite liked that jade pendant.

Hearing her answer, the elders felt a sense of relief.

The Fourth Elder and the First Elder exchanged a glance and said, "These past few days, Cheng Minxi of the Tianyan Sect has been waiting overseas. Da Yue apparently came to find you."

What is he doing here?

The Fourth Elder also shook his head, "He was waiting quietly outside the barrier. It was the disciples patrolling the barrier who discovered him and came back to inform us."

Fu Yunyao responded softly, not bothering to find out why he was outside Yaotai, and instead asked about something else.

“You often say that Sword Master Chen is important in the cultivation world, but Fu Yusheng often traveled around when he was young. How did you determine whether his situation was safe?”

The Grand Elder was caught off guard by her sudden question and didn't react for a moment.

“Every disciple of the Yaotai Realm offers a soul lamp in the Yaochi. If the soul lamp goes out, it means that the disciple has died. The young master did not offer a soul lamp because…” We never expected that you could break through the forbidden area’s array barrier.

Fu Yunyao's eyes flickered slightly.

"Back then, did you ever go to see his soul lamp?"

This time, the four elders were stunned. When the news of Fu Yusheng's death in the South China Sea came, it coincided with the return of the Dust Sword to its birthplace, which made the elders realize that Fu Yusheng had indeed passed away. They had never been to Yaochi.

In recent years, Yaotai Realm has been secluded from the world, and no new disciples have joined. There is no need to offer new soul lamps, and they have not paid attention to the situation of Yaochi for so many years.

The Fourth Elder asked hesitantly, "You suspect... he's still alive? How is that possible? If he were still alive, how could Chen Jian..."

Fu Yunyao smiled and gently reminded him.

"You've forgotten, I am a mortal."

Therefore, the Dust Sword was never my destined sword from beginning to end.

Although it acknowledges me and is willing to remain in my hands, I cannot form a contract with it.

The elders were shaken, and the second elder looked at the person in the main seat with a furrowed brow.

If he were alive, then let Chen Jian…

He sighed and gestured to Fu Yunyao.

"Young Master, please come with us."

Yaochi is located at the southernmost corner of Yaotai Realm. It is shrouded in thick fog all year round, and the barrier formations are intricate. Even the elders and disciples of Yaotai Realm voluntarily avoid this place, making it another forbidden area of ​​Yaotai Realm.

"This is it."

The Second Elder spoke.

Within the Jade Pool, the spiritual energy was so dense that it formed a thin mist, enveloping the soul lamps floating on the water. The flames of those soul lamps were sometimes bright, sometimes dim, sometimes lively, sometimes calm, but without exception, they all emitted a stable glow.

The soul lamps were scattered all around the pool, floating and swaying, but they always circled the soul lamp in the very center.

The soul lamp at the very center was magnificent and eye-catching, its eerie blue flame flickering as if it might go out at any moment, yet it was brighter than the flames of the other soul lamps.

The four elders were stunned and stood there.

“That is… the Sword Master’s Soul Lamp…”

The soul lamp drifted away from the water and landed in front of Fu Yunyao, causing the wind to blow her clothes.

The tassels of bells hanging from the soul lamp swayed gently, and the soul flames leaped, warmly inviting her to reach out.

Fu Yunyao obediently reached out, and the soul lamp happily fell into her palm.

The Third Elder seemed to remember something and quickly spoke up.

"Young Master, wait a moment!"

As he finished speaking, the soul lamp transformed into a bell in Fu Yunyao's palm. Within the bronze bell, soul fire leaped, gradually condensing into a spiritual pill.

Fu Yunyao looked at the Third Elder in confusion.

The Third Elder was speechless.

The Grand Elder continued, “This soul lamp contains a drop of the Sword Master’s soul blood. The state of the soul fire indicates that the Sword Master is probably not in good condition. If we find him and have him take back this drop of soul blood, it might be able to heal him to some extent.”

His gaze fell on the copper bell in Fu Yunyao's palm, and he said with some helplessness, "Since that's what he wants, young master, please accept this elixir formed from that soul blood. If you are in a life-or-death situation, taking it will save your life."

Fu Yunyao lowered her eyes, gazing at the delicate bronze bell in her hand, her expression somewhat dazed.

Fuyu was born...

-----------------------

Author's note: Liao Liao: Do ​​you like me?

Yu Yu: (Analyzing a bunch of things, feeling jealous of herself, and finally answering cautiously): I thought I had made it very obvious.

It turns out he was just testing him, hahaha.