Chapter 80

What does that count for?

Sheng Ningyu had thought about this issue long ago.

To be honest, the occasion is not very appropriate. Even though the Chu family has been destroyed by spiritual power and reduced to ruins, it is still a grand occasion with everyone's eyes fixed on it.

Under everyone's gaze, Xie Qianjing was also looking at Sheng Ningyu.

No.

Xie Qianjing thought that, given Sheng Ningyu's personality, she would only laugh out loud, then turn away indifferently, not even bothering to say a word.

In her heart, there is the great path, the joys and sorrows of all living beings, and the rest of the trivial emotions are distributed almost equally to everyone.

Xie Qianjing knew this from the very beginning.

That's enough.

He should be content that she could say those things, even to the public.

Xie Qianjing stood there, his expression as serene as a snow sculpture, yet he also seemed inexplicably lonely.

He had a clear idea in his mind, but when he actually saw Sheng Ningyu turn around and walk towards the Chu family's son, his feelings were completely different.

What are you still fantasizing about?

You should be content, Xie Qianjing. When you gave up on killing me, you completely lost the chance to be with me forever.

The voice of her inner demons materialized into her tone of voice, twisting and screaming in her ears, a broken and discordant melody.

Xie Qianjing was usually patient, but this time, perhaps because he had just recalled the marriage agreement from a hundred years ago, he watched helplessly as she turned to Chu Jiye again, and the scene from the past seemed to overlap with the present moment.

For a moment, Xie Qianjing was in a daze.

He was no longer the untainted Bodhi Immortal Lord, nor the Demon Lord whom everyone feared and dared not mention. Instead, he remained a prisoner in the bottomless dungeon of the Chu family, his spiritual power drained by the Spirit-Binding Whip and his shoulder blade pierced by the Soul-Devouring Nail.

He could only watch helplessly as she went to someone else.

Sheng Ningyu was taken aback.

She had just lifted her foot, before she could even take a step, when her sleeve was suddenly gripped tightly.

Sheng Ningyu turned her head away, and the eyes of the person next to her were inscrutable.

Since the Demon Lord was exposed to the world during the trial, he had remained indifferent, like a clay figure without any emotions. But at this moment, Sheng Ningyu could sense something different in those two words.

With her lowered eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, Xie Qianjing spoke softly, uttering only two unrelated words before falling silent.

When everyone heard the Demon Lord speak, they were immediately startled, but after waiting for a long time without any follow-up, they were somewhat confused.

Nine layers? What does that mean?

Why did it have to be named after the Sword Master's sword technique?

With just two words, Xie Qianjing said nothing more in front of everyone.

But it was these two words that revealed everything.

Sheng Ningyu blinked slowly: "Don't you want me to come over?"

Xie Qianjing pursed his lips: "Yes."

The cultivators felt even more fear and regretted coming here for the first time.

Everyone knows that the Moonlit Sword Master has a free-spirited personality and dislikes being restrained.

"Okay, then I won't go."

Sheng Ningyu chuckled, and to the astonishment of the cultivators, she actually took a few steps back.

Two words, without any explanation, and yet the Sword Master has made such a concession?!

Feng Xiaosheng took a deep breath, his hand gripping the Hundred Feathers Dark Blue Fan itching to strike. Yan Ruchao gave Xie Qianjing a deep look, and even Yuan Bushu couldn't help but turn his head to look at his wife, disregarding any precepts of gentlemanly conduct: "Was it like this from the beginning?"

Madam Xiang coughed lightly and whispered to her husband, "Mingyue said that his Daoist partner is a fool."

Feng Xiaosheng sneered.

A fool? A fool couldn't be that seductive.

"I am here now simply to have a word with Patriarch Chu."

Sheng Ningyu paused for a moment and gently exhaled.

Before them lay broken walls and ruins, and a group of people were present. Some had fallen to the ground, their appearance even more disheveled under the light and shadow.

This scene reminded Sheng Ningyu of the little boy who used to hide in a corner and watch her practice swordsmanship.

His well-behaved and quiet nature, coupled with his endearing appearance, made Sheng Ningyu think that having another junior brother wouldn't be bad.

She didn't shy away from the strange looks from others; her gaze cut through the crowd and landed on Chu Jiye.

They need to come to an end.

Sheng Ningyu paused, then calmly said, "Now, heroes from all fourteen continents are gathered here. I dare ask you, back then, the Chu family secretly colluded with others to frame the Bodhi Xie Clan, imprisoning righteous cultivators, and to this day shows no remorse. They even intend to repeat the Xie family's case at the Thousand Mountains Trial, to bring Chu Yuandao back to life. Do you admit it?"

Chu Jiye's face was pale, but he didn't hesitate: "I admit it."

Sheng Ningyu: "Back then, there was no love between us; now it seems it was all a misunderstanding. I even asked if we could break off the engagement, but you didn't answer. Now, however, you're acting like you're hopelessly devoted, causing all sorts of annoying trouble..."

Chu Jiye suddenly raised his voice.

He stared blankly at Sheng Ningyu, his already bloodless face turning even paler, as if his blood was flowing into his outer robe.

"The swordsmanship you taught me, the letters you wrote to me when you traveled, your promises to me, the 'character' you obtained for me, the things you specially gave me..."

Chu Jiye recounted incoherently, and upon meeting Sheng Ningyu's emotionless eyes, he could no longer maintain his precarious position as the head of the family.

Chu Jiye's eyes were red, and his gaze was blank and aggrieved: "Sister Mingyue, you can't do this to me."

Sheng Ningyu said indifferently, "Why can't I?"

Chu Jiye was taken aback, his gaze inevitably falling on Xie Qianjing beside him: "But he, she is also a cripple, and you even want him, I..."

What makes you think you can compare to him?

Sheng Ningyu interrupted him without hesitation: "Your spiritual bones are shattered, your spiritual power is completely lost, and you have been framed... Chu Jiye, you have only been here for a day, while I have been like this for a hundred years."

"A hundred years..." Among the crowd, some disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion pondered the word carefully, feeling that something was amiss.

The Sword Master's incident occurred only sixty years ago, so how could it have been a hundred years?

But for some reason, the disciples of Tianji Pavilion had a feeling that the word "hundred years" was quite fitting here.

Those who belong to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion trust their intuition most.

Before the disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion could figure it out, a piercing, almost mournful sound rang out.

Chu Jiye, his eyes filled with sorrow, tried to approach Sheng Ningyu, but Yan Ruchao pinned him to the spot with a single sword strike without hesitation, leaving him almost bloodless.

Even so, he still raised his head and kept his gaze fixed on the woman in front of him.

The once proud and noble head of the Chu family has now fallen into the dust, dressed in rags. In addition, Chu Jiye is still struggling to maintain a youthful appearance, which easily makes people feel sorry for him.

He used all his spiritual power to maintain his appearance, and took a few steps forward on the ground, using both his hands and feet.

"But that shouldn't have been your name in the first place, and our marriage contract was never valid."

Sheng Ningyu turned her head slightly: "Has Patriarch Chu never wondered why I insisted on giving you, a celestial being who despises the mortal world, a mortal name? Why have I kept writing to you and sending you worthless mortal items? Even though you seem so annoyed, I have persisted."

Such blunt words ruthlessly tore away the last shred of dignity that had been maintained.

"None of that matters anymore."

Sheng Ningyu shook her head: "Where is the 'Bright Moon Heart' I once gave you?"

Chu Jiye suddenly flinched, curling up and backing away, looking extremely pitiful: "I don't know... perhaps it's already lost."

Before Sheng Ningyu could even react, Feng Xiaosheng, who hadn't had a chance to fan Chu Jiye earlier, had already tossed the item into Sheng Ningyu's arms.

Is this it?

A crystal-clear, luminous pearl suddenly appeared, meticulously carved, resembling a Bodhi lotus bathed in the essence of heaven and earth.

With just one glance, Sheng Ningyu knew there was no mistake!

How could she not recognize something she had carved herself?

After receiving it, Sheng Ningyu paused for a moment.

Her expression remained normal, but she was inwardly surprised.

No.

Surprisingly, her spirit bones were not among them.

As previously thought, a piece of her spiritual bone must be inside, but now the array of the luminous pearl is completely empty.

But that doesn't matter.

"Aren't you curious why I named this thing this way, and why it's shaped like a Bodhi lotus flower?"

But Sheng Ningyu wouldn't stop.

“Chu Jiye,” Sheng Ningyu said, “from beginning to end, what you have obtained belongs to others.”

Chu Jiye's voice suddenly stopped.

There was no snow inside the palace, yet he inexplicably felt extremely cold.

"Chu Jiye, you actually vaguely know all this, but you've never mentioned a word to me, have you?"

"I just... Sister Mingyue, I just like you too much. Love is so powerful..." Chu Jiyue's face was pale, his voice trembling slightly, "I know you have someone you love, and I know it's not me. But Sister Mingyue, it's because of love itself! It makes people despicable, wanting to possess the one they love..."

Sheng Ningyu looked around and, sure enough, some people looked at her with pity.

In just a few years, they forgot that this former head of the Chu family had once seduced her junior sister, causing quite a stir.

Back then, they weren't as tolerant as they are now.

The world is chaotic, and human nature is like this. Sheng Ningyu was not surprised, nor did she feel any blame.

She simply tugged at Xie Qianjing's sleeve, pulled him a few steps forward, bent down, and looked into Chu Jiye's no longer clear eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately.

His words caused an uproar throughout the room!

"Spiritual bones?! The Ghost Canglou auction is actually real?!"

"Does the Sword Master mean that the item he currently possesses, called 'Bright Moon Heart,' contains her spiritual bones?!"

In an instant, the situation on the field turned one-sided once again.

A spirit bone! This is a spirit bone!

It is the foundation upon which a cultivator relies for survival!

Immediately, the cultivators on the field became wary, and some even blurted out in a moment of impulsiveness, "Sword Master, there's no need to lower yourself to waste words on such a lowly villain. Why not end him with a single sword strike!"

If it were in the past, who would dare to speak so arrogantly to the head of the Chu family?

Even so, Chu Jiye might still be hiding some tricks up his sleeve, and a cautious person would never dare to provoke him easily.

However, Chu Jiye ignored the cultivator and continued to look at Sheng Ningyu, his gaze shifting slightly downwards to her hand that was holding Xie Qianjing's sleeve.

She never let go.

From beginning to end.

Chu Jiye chuckled, then his voice grew louder and louder: "Sister Mingyue, you said that I'm young and will make mistakes, and you should be lenient with me."

Sheng Ningyu remained silent.

The two looked at each other, and neither spoke for a moment.

"Sister Mingyue, you are so powerful, with such strong spiritual energy." Chu Jiye's voice was hoarse. "Back then, in a corner of the academy... you saw me, didn't you?"

He did, after all, possess a fleeting moment of memory that belonged only to him, didn't he?

nature.

Sheng Ningyu replied, "No."

Chu Jiye suddenly smiled.

"In this life, fate has deviated from the course of events. Sister Mingyue, if in the next life we ​​meet even earlier, what will you do..."

Xie Qianjing's fingertips trembled, but he heard the person beside him say decisively, "No."

His sleeve was being held tightly: "In the next life, and the life after that, in every lifetime, I will already have a Daoist partner."

Chu Jiye stared intently at Sheng Ningyu's hand holding Xie Qianjing's sleeve, then suddenly laughed: "Fine, what happened back then was my fault, I admit it."

Chu Jiye turned his head away, refusing to look into Sheng Ningyu's eyes or let her see his face.

“But Sister Ningyu, from beginning to end, I was also tricked. I was not the one who started this marriage, but I was deceived by you.” Chu Jiye lowered his eyes, his voice getting softer and softer. “I thought… I thought at least the marriage contract was real.”

He thought he could at least leave something behind.

Leave behind something unique to her.

That's not wrong.

From this perspective, Chu Jiye is indeed innocent.

However, he was ruthless in other matters, and he never showed any mercy when he joined forces with others to harm her. This reversal of right and wrong made Sheng Ningyu seem so cold-hearted.

Since things had come to this, Sheng Ningyu was too lazy to say anything more: "Then I'll assume you were wrong nine-tenths and I was wrong one-tenth. But you revealed my whereabouts, allowed others to surround me in the ancient Great Array, and tacitly allowed others to dissect my spiritual bones, allowing my spiritual bones to protect your Chu family for many years. I have repaid this debt."

The moment the words were spoken, flames suddenly erupted all around!

Cluster after cluster, rising up like lanterns, connecting the inside and outside, stretching as far as the eye can see!

"Chu Jiye! What kind of schemes are you plotting now!"

"Sword Master! We request that this man be killed!"

With blood still clinging to his eyelashes and seeping from the corner of his eye, Chu Jiye chuckled and said, "This is the Nine Netherworld Fire. Shouldn't you all put out the fire first? If you kill me, the one who started it, I'm afraid the fire will be even more uncontrollable."

Sheng Ningyu and her senior brother exchanged a glance, then said expressionlessly, "Put out the fire first."

At this moment, the words of the Sword Master are worth more than a thousand words.

"Fire!"

"Let's put out the fire before it spreads!"

"Your Majesty, a mysterious fire has suddenly erupted within a hundred miles, stretching straight to the Eastern Sea! Shall we take action?"

In the chaos, all voices were drawn together.

Sheng Ningyu released Xie Qianjing's sleeve: "I'll trouble our Demon Lord to deal with this Nine Netherworld Flame first."

Xie Qianjing kept his head down, but took advantage of Sheng Ningyu's inattention to grab her hand.

Their fingers intertwined, leaving no gap between them.

Sheng Ningyu's emotions finally stirred, her pupils widening in an instant: "You..." she softened her tone, "Could you let go of me first?"

Xie Qianjing turned his head and glanced expressionlessly at Chu Jiye on the ground. "No."

He had assumed that Sheng Ningyu neither wanted nor was willing to appear too close to others.

But she said "forever and ever".

She spoke of lifetimes to come.

Xie Qianjing pondered these four words repeatedly, finding them increasingly strange. A surge of warmth welled up in his heart, but it was neither demonic energy nor murderous intent.

But it's just as scorching and dizzying.

Sheng Ningyu felt her fingers being entangled tighter and tighter, as if she were being embraced by snakes, and couldn't help but say, "...Are you really not afraid of pain?"

Xie Qianjing was taken aback.

Then his eyes widened slightly, as if in disbelief.

"Xie Qianjing, you are very important." Sheng Ningyu lowered her eyes, looked at their clasped hands, and said softly, "So if you are in pain, it is also very important to me."

These almost blunt words exploded in Xie Qianjing's mind, overlapping with his words before the Qianshan Trial that day.

"Xie Qianjing, from beginning to end, I have always loved you."

Sheng Ningyu looked at Xie Qianjing, who was standing there in a daze. He was clearly the "Lord" that everyone was talking about, but in a flash, she felt that he was the same little immortal who had gone to Hehuan City with her in her memory.

Confused and at a loss, as if not understanding their own thoughts and ideas.

However, now, the Great Demon Lord has a red mark resembling cinnabar between his eyebrows, unlike the Little Immortal Lord.

It was the mark of her sword.

Sheng Ningyu's heart softened, and she said, "Xie Qianjing, do you want to kill me again?"

Xie Qianjing's pupils contracted, revealing a rare hint of panic. His figure suddenly vanished, leaving only the words, "I'm going to deal with the Nine Netherworld Flames."

Sheng Ningyu smiled, but then she heard someone chuckling at her feet.

After watching the whole thing, Chu Jiye spoke again, his voice hoarse and barely audible: "I almost fell for your trick again. Sister Mingyue, does this 'Mingyue Heart' truly contain a spiritual bone?"

Sheng Ningyu raised an eyebrow and lazily shrugged, "So what if there is? So what if there isn't?"

The Chu family is a behemoth; if it is allowed to run rampant, it will cause even more trouble.

This is also why Feng Xiaosheng summoned Feng Qingxing.

“I’m not familiar with the Chu family, so I’ll leave them to you,” Sheng Ningyu said succinctly. “I’ll go out and investigate.”

Feng Qingxing's answer was even simpler: "Okay."

Seeing that Sheng Ningyu seemed to turn around and leave, Chu Jiye on the ground actually struggled to get up and wanted to chase after her. However, his body was completely ruined by the forced fire, and he fell to the ground after only a few steps.

Feng Qingxing wanted to stop him, but then he heard Chu Jiye say something.

"I've never given you anything before, but as we part... Sister Mingyue, let me give you a gift."

Sheng Ningyu felt a chill run down her spine: "I don't want your things."

"Take it, you'll definitely like it." Chu Jiye laughed maniacally, his mouth full of blood. "Sister Mingyue, haven't you always wanted to destroy the Bright Moon Pavilion on the sea?"

Sheng Ningyu paused in her steps.

Chu Jiye quickly got up from the ground. His face shifted between old age and youth. When he saw that Sheng Ningyu had actually stopped and turned to look at him, he struggled to raise his sleeve to cover his face.

"Why don't you wait a little longer, keep me company while I wait?" Chu Jiye's voice was ethereal, as if he were about to ascend to heaven. "It's almost time... Soon, this Bright Moon Pavilion on the sea will be destroyed."

Bang!

At the same instant, a formation activated!

The Chu family is most skilled in array formations and talismans!

The already dilapidated main hall exploded completely in the flames, and some with lower cultivation levels were unable to control themselves and vomited blood.

Caught off guard, Sheng Ningyu was enveloped by a gentle force and pushed out of the place.

The flames devoured everything, and all things perished.

How familiar the fire was, how ingenious the formation was, how... how powerful the human heart is.

For a moment, Sheng Ningyu could see nothing at all; it was as if she had returned to the dark, sunless coffin.

Feeling resentful and indignant.

Sheng Ningyu suddenly realized that she herself had once had such emotions.

Humans are not plants or trees; how can they be without feelings?

I hate it so much! I hate it so much!

Suddenly, ghostly figures appeared, a clamor seemed to fill my mind, and something seemed to burst forth from my chest.

A sharp pain shot through the back of her hand, and Sheng Ningyu immediately snapped back to reality. Looking down, she saw it was Da Huang!

“I just went out and happened to see it. I thought it might be looking for you, so I brought it with me.”

Xie Qianjing spoke softly, and Da Huang even cackled twice in response.

Sheng Ningyu rubbed its head: "Thank you, Big Yellow."

She stood up, looking at the raging fire in front of her, which almost illuminated the sky, her expression solemn.

Xie Qianjing: "What did the Chu family member say?"

The flickering firelight illuminated the person before him, making his brow appear as if stained with blood.

The flames were raging, and if they continued to burn like this, it would destroy more than just the Moonlit Pavilion on the sea.

What a Chu Jiye! People say that a dying man's words are good, but he's different. He has to cause trouble again before he dies!

After going through all that trouble to obtain Chu Yuandao's spiritual power, is this all they did?

However, it must be said that Chu Jiye did have some foundation, and with the spiritual power he gained through enduring humiliation, he had indeed set up a deadly trap.

How to solve this? How to salvage this situation?

Where to find a solution? Where to find a way to save us?

Facing the raging flames, Sheng Ningyu slowly exhaled and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Coincidentally, what she likes most is solving deadlocks.

So what if the Netherworld Fire can burn everything to ashes?

This cold light was not as purely still as the "stillness" of the fourth level of the sword, nor as magnificent as the human world seen in the sixth level, nor as overwhelming divine wrath as in the seventh level.

It is nothing but annihilation.

Even mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas dare not utter a sound under this sword.

The sky was silent, the insects and beasts were silent, the sun and moon were silent.

Then how dare the mere Netherworld Flame not be extinguished!

"The Eighth Sword..."

Sheng Ningyu looked at the flames in front of her, which suddenly shrank and almost went out. She turned around excitedly, took a few steps forward, and then suddenly stopped: "Xie Qianjing! I think I've grasped something!"

Even though she is physically exhausted now, having put aside worldly affairs, she has finally grasped the essence of swordsmanship and has hope of breaking through again.

Xie Qianjing looked at her, smiled slightly, and reached out to pull her into his arms: "Jiuzhong'er is the most powerful swordsman I have ever seen in my life."

Sheng Ningyu was so smug she almost grew a tail: "Right? I think so too! Wait, don't hug me, it'll hurt!"

"Don't move." Xie Qianjing pressed her head against the crook of his neck, close to her ear, and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "If you don't let me hold you, it will hurt even more."

No one knows how he felt when he saw Chu Jiye today.

Even knowing it was all a conspiracy, he still wished he could tear it to pieces.

Jealousy flared up from the heart, far more terrifying than the flames of the deepest hell.

It cannot be stopped without killing.

This is the real reason Xie Qianjing left.

"You haven't answered me yet. What did he say?"

Mentioning this, Sheng Ningyu's joy at her breakthrough faded somewhat.

“Xuan Du”.

Sheng Ningyu sighed and said, "I don't know if it's true or not, but Xie Qianjing, I'm afraid I'll have to go to the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City again."

She vaguely remembered that in the City Lord's Mansion of the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City, there was a palace called "Xuandu".

The woman living inside is hers... she is the city lord's wife.

Ning Jiao.

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Author's Note: I'm back...

First, I'll kneel down and kowtow to apologize to everyone. [Crying][Crying][Crying]