Yun Xian didn't have time to run, so he could only sigh, take three steps back, and return to the people in Jiange.
"Not really?" Yun Xian sent a voice message to Ying Luo, suspiciously saying, "I feel like my acting isn't perfect, but at least I can fool people."
Yingluo said, "If you don't open your mouth, you've already won half the battle."
Yun Xian: “…” You really don’t give me face.
Fortunately, Yingluo saw through it immediately, but she knew that Yun Xian must have a reason for concealing his identity, so she didn't rush to point out his identity. Instead, she asked, "Elder of the Aoqiong Sect, is there anything else you can do for me?"
"Nothing." Yun Xian coughed twice and said, "It just suddenly occurred to me that there's something I haven't reminded you of yet."
Although it is still unknown why this puppet is immune to the sword energy of Jiange, if the disciples of Jiange are unaware of this, they may suffer losses in the future.
Yun Xian spoke for a while, then noticed everyone behind Ying Luo craning their necks to look at him, their concentration utterly focused. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he said, "By the way, let me ask you a question. Did you hear the legend of Ai Xi Niang when you were children?"
Unexpectedly, most people nodded.
But even within the same Eastern Realm, the details of the legend differed depending on the location. The legend of Tianyi Town claimed Aixi Niang died unjustly, transforming into a ghost and wandering the streets. The specific injustice was never mentioned, likely just a background story. But according to the people of Jiange, she wasn't wronged, but simply born with a different mindset, profoundly retarded, yet thanks to her parents' protection, she lived until the age of eighteen.
After she turned eighteen, her parents died of illness. She was left without anyone to take care of her and was afraid of bright lights. That's why she appeared on the streets every night. Her expressions of sadness and joy looked so abrupt and terrifying because she was immature and couldn't control her expressions.
Yun Xian stroked his chin and thought, "So that's how it is?"
These two legends seem quite different, but they actually lead to the same conclusion. They're just different ways of scaring children. One is "there are ghosts outside at night that will catch you," while the other is "there are mentally ill people who will catch you at night." The second one sounds more believable, but if it's really that common, then I don't know how to explain this exquisite ancient puppet.
"Ah!! What the hell is this?!"
"Go away! Don't touch me!"
Just as he was speaking, the naughty puppets came again. However, it was broad daylight now, so they didn't look as scary as they had last night. They even looked a bit ugly and cute. Yun Xian struck with his sword, and sure enough, it had no effect on the puppets.
Xue Lingxiu and Qi Zhiye, who had been waiting nearby, sighed secretly and could only show up to help drive away these puppets.
A few more unfamiliar faces arrived. Seeing that these people, though not particularly beautiful, exuded a leisurely and elegant aura, the disciples of Jiange were extremely curious. However, despite having only recently come down the mountain, they were not so reckless. They only dared to speculate silently in their hearts, and no one asked any questions out loud.
"Ao..." Yingluo didn't know what to call him, so Yun Xian took the opportunity to say, "Just call me Elder Ao."
"Elder Ao," Ying Luo said, "Do you know what's going on with this puppet? Why is our sword energy so useless against it?"
"That's what I was investigating." Yun Xian said mysteriously, "Although this thing is inanimate, it's quite agile. Next time you see it, be very careful. You don't have anything valuable on you, do you? It glows."
Ying Luo: "Why bother asking such a question?"
"..." Yun Xian sighed, "Being poor also has its advantages."
A clever little ghost in the back exclaimed in surprise, "Elder Ao's sword energy just now was useless against this puppet! What a coincidence!"
"Of course." Someone else said proudly, "All the sword manuals in the world come from the same family. How normal!"
“…”
One cannot stay in a poisonous place for long, so Qiao Lingshan marked the location for the time being. Yingluo led the disciples of the Sword Pavilion to slowly evacuate the place. Yun Xian did not follow them, but moved to another place and waited with his hands behind his back in a mysterious manner.
After a while, Yingluo arranged the team and hurried over.
After not seeing her for a long time, her face seemed to have matured a bit. The girl who usually chased after Yun Xian to clean up his messes every day was now able to stand on her own and lead the new generation of disciples down the mountain to adventure. However, Yun Xian felt that Yingluo's calm temperament and meticulous work made her a natural fit for the role of leader.
Yingluo raised her eyes and saw Qiao Lingshan standing next to Yun Xian. The corners of her lips twitched, and she felt quite uncomfortable.
The Sixth Elder's daughter used to always draw her sword and duel with Yun Xian before leaving the Sword Pavilion, but now it seems like their relationship is reconciled? I wonder how Yun Xian managed it.
"Yingluo." Yun Xian looked at her and didn't get straight to the point. Instead, he introduced everyone present to her. "This is Qiao Lingshan, you already know her. This is Xue Lingxiu, the young master of the Miaoshou Sect. This is Qi Zhiye, a monk. And this one, you seemed to have mentioned him before I left the mountain, but I haven't met him. This is the eldest senior brother."
Everyone nodded politely to her. When Yingluo heard the last sentence, she suddenly looked up at Su Chi: "Is this the senior brother?!"
Sure enough, she had just seen that this man had an ordinary appearance, but now looking at him again, she felt that even his mask was imbued with a handsomeness.
Su Chi said, "It's me."
"It really is Senior Brother!" Ying Luo said to Yun Xian excitedly, "It's alive and moving!"
Yun Xian: "How can I let you watch it if it doesn't move?"
Su Chi: “…”
He is not a crab, why describe him like that?
After the introductions, Yun Xian said, "I've met Tang Yu before. Oh, I clearly heard her voice just now, but why didn't I see her?"
"She's injured," Yingluo said. "She wasn't beaten by those idiots, she just twisted her ankle accidentally. I'll have someone take her down the mountain to take care of her."
"..." How could I be so careless? I heard her screaming so miserably, and I thought something was wrong. Never mind, as long as she's okay, Yun Xian asked, "Yingluo, I want to ask you something. Think carefully before you answer me."
Seeing her serious expression, Yingluo also became serious: "What's the matter?"
"What unusual incident occurred at Jian Ge?" Yun Xian said with a gloomy look, "Our sect is not very prosperous to begin with. Even if we don't intend to retreat from the world, there's no need for you to bring so many people down here."
Such a large group of people must not only be led by Yingluo. Yun Xian did not see her more calm fellow disciple here. In the Four-way War, she, Qiao Lingshan, and Zhong Changyao competed on the same stage with two other people, whose qualifications were even higher than Yingluo's.
She always felt that Yun Lang was sending away all the younger generation of disciples.
This feeling made her feel a little strange. Although she had already learned that the story was copied by Tiandao according to Zhong Changyao's story, she could at least know that, at least in Zhong Changyao's story, Jiange did have that tragic ending. However, now, apart from Zhong Changyao, no one knew the cause and effect of the extermination.
What's more, where is Zhong Changyao making his fortune now?
"...I also think something's fishy." Yingluo pursed her lips and glanced at Xue Qi and the others behind Yun Xian, who hadn't made any move to leave. Though it was only a fleeting glance, the two quickly noticed and didn't fret. Xue Lingxiu smiled softly at her and, together with Qi Zhiye, avoided the conversation.
"It's like this, Elder Jiang Xingyao... seems to have disappeared." Ying Luo said solemnly, "Why do I say 'seem'? It's because the matter has not yet been concluded. As you know, Elder Jiang is only affiliated with the Sword Pavilion. He is a member of the Xingyan Sect and practices astrological divination and array manipulation, so it is normal for him to disappear for a period of time. However, even if he is away, he will always respond to messages sent by the Sword Pavilion. But since three months ago, all messages sent by the Sword Pavilion to him have fallen on deaf ears."
Jiang Xingyao is Su Chi's friend. When Su Chi heard this, his handsome brows slowly frowned.
"Of course, it's also possible that he entered some secret or dangerous place and couldn't receive any information for a while. At least when I left, the soul lamp was still burning." Yingluo finished speaking, and then said, "There is another piece of news, about Zhong Changyao."
"About Zhong Changyao?" Zhong Changyao hadn't returned to the Eastern Realm for a long time. Yun Xian asked, "What's the matter?"
Ying Luo's lips moved slightly, and her voice was clear as she spoke, "His family at the foot of the mountain has all been... destroyed."
Qiao Lingshan was surprised: "What?!"
Yun Xian was also shocked by this news. How could this be? Zhong Changyao's family might be small, but in the storybooks, with Zhong Changyao's success, they benefited greatly and became one of the most powerful families in the Eastern Realm. Now, without any benefit, their entire family is annihilated?! How is this any different from wiping out an entire clan?
"Can you find out who did it?"
"I can't find any. There's no trace, not even a sign of a struggle. It's like... just sleeping."
Anyone with this ability must be at least at the Spiritual Severing stage or above. Yun Xian frowned slightly, going over the information he had received so far in his head before slowly saying, "I understand. Thank you."
"Why are you saying thank you?" Ying Luo asked, "But you, what are you going to do now? Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Just protect yourself."
Yun Xian didn't say anything more. Firstly, time didn't allow it, and secondly, revealing too much now would only cause unnecessary anxiety. Now Chi You had just been seriously injured by everyone in Miaoshou Sect. With his cautious nature, he probably wouldn't come out to make trouble recently.
"Let's go back and lead the team." Yun Xian said to Ying Luo thoughtfully, "See you at the altar then."
Various messages are mixed together, seemingly unrelated, yet connected in every way, making it difficult to cut off and sort out.
Yun Xian walked on the street for a long time and finally decided to stop.
Seeing that her expression was not right, everyone thought she was deep in thought and did not speak rashly. When they saw her stop, they all looked up and asked with their eyes: "?"
Yun Xian snapped his fingers and made a crisp sound: "Little genius, it's time for reasoning!"
Everyone: “…”
Don't act like you're so smart!
Well, to be honest, although Yun Xian says every day that intelligence is not her forte and sometimes she is indeed very stupid, but most of the time, she is still relatively reliable, and can even be praised as a smart guy occasionally. It can only be said that she is repeatedly crossing between the two extremes, making it difficult to understand.
"You go first." Xue Lingxiu said gently, "It just so happens that I have something to add."
"Let me be clear upfront: I'm still completely confused as to what's inside this altar," Yun Xian said confidently. "I'm just speculating that the altar's owner is the unrecorded founder of the Xingyan Sect—or perhaps, to put it another way, maybe not the founder, but the strongest. The Sword God and this person are either friends or relatives, and I'm leaning towards the former. In short, their relationship is so close they're practically like brothers."
The sword manual of Jiange is the closest to the one passed down by the Sword God. It can make the sword left by the Sword God completely ineffective against puppets. What kind of trust can be achieved?
Qiao Lingshan's clever little brain moved, and she thought of a third possibility: "Why can't it be a Taoist couple relationship?"
"Good question!" Yun Xian gave her an encouraging look and said, "Guess why Ai Xi Niang is called Niang instead of Ai Xi Lang?"
"..." Why did it feel like changing just one word turned it from weird to funny? Qiao Lingshan said silently, "It doesn't say that two female cultivators can't be Taoist couples... That's all, it's okay, just ignore what I said!"
This is not a good rumor to spread. The Sword God might be squatting in the sky watching right now.
"The Xingyan Sect is a sect in the Northern Realm, and the altar appeared in the Eastern Realm. What connection does the legend of Aixi Niang have to her?" Qi Zhiye frowned and said, "If the connection is only based on a few puppets, the relationship is a bit weak."
"Good question!" Yun Xian said, "The good thing is that I don't know the answers to the previous questions either."
Qi Zhiye: “?”
Yun Xian: "It's just speculation. Speculation, why be so rigorous? Let your imagination fly freely."
"This also matches what I discovered last time." Xue Lingxiu said at the right time: "Yun Xian, take out your copy of 'Ancient Times...'"
Yun Xian glanced at him and said, "Read it out."
"..." Xue Lingxiu closed her eyes and said, "The love, hate and vengeance of the ancient times... Hurry up, stop it."
His fair fingers flipped to the page, and after the words "Medical God" in the column for "Sword God's Friend," he said, "The color here is very slightly different from the color of the page. It's like someone tampered with it and erased something."
Several people leaned over to his finger. Yun Xian asked, "Lingshan, did you see that?"
"No." Qiao Lingshan asked, "Fellow Daoist Qi, did you see that?"
Qi Zhiye said, "How is this different?"
Just when Xue Lingxiu was about to lose her temper, the taciturn Su Chi finally opened his mouth and brushed his fingertips across, "Here."
Finally, fuzzy traces slowly appeared on the yellowed and weathered paper.
It turned out that Yun Xian really misunderstood the Sword God. Not only did she have a good friend, she even had two.
"It seems that I must go to this altar." Yun Xian closed the book and sighed, "Who was the wicked person who said that the altar was full of treasures? The ones who were invited here are all novice cultivators. I'm afraid that not only is there no treasure, but it will also bring about fatal disasters."
It's easy to imagine how terrifying power this was to allow the Xingyan Sect to briefly rule the Four Realms. As for why it appeared in the Eastern Realm instead of the Northern Realm... that remains to be discussed.
Qi Zhiye asked, "Should I call Master over?"
The parents of monks of this age group are particularly devoted to the Mingguang Lecture Hall, including the practice of identifying demons, which Master Mingguang has diligently promoted. The simple and wonderful method of accumulating merit by chanting "Immeasurable Compassion" in the morning and "Amitabha" in the evening is particularly popular in the four realms. If Master Mingguang were to say that this place is full of terrifying giant monsters, perhaps he could persuade a few to return.
Before Yun Xian could answer, Su Chi murmured, "Perhaps, we can go in and take a look now."
Everyone was shocked: "What?!"
How come this person always makes shocking statements but quietly accomplishes great things?!
"The formation on the puppet should have the same origin as the seal on the altar." Su Chi said calmly, "I was just thinking, if my guess is true, then there's no reason why the altar wouldn't allow the descendants of the Sword God to enter. The sword energy can't harm it, but if we reverse the sword energy, we might be able to open a crack in the formation, allowing someone to enter temporarily."
"Reversal?" This was truly an ingenious way to commit suicide. Yun Xian was stunned and said, "Then your meridians..."
Su Chi gently curled the corners of his lips towards her.
Yun Xian understood. What meridians? No, it's your iron block.
"It might be dangerous inside the altar." Seeing that no one objected, Su Chi lowered his eyes and stood up, avoiding Yun Xian's gaze for the third time. He said calmly, "Rest for a day, I'll go alone tomorrow."
Yun Xian didn't respond. He waited for a long time for an answer. Probably thinking that Yun Xian agreed, he turned around and left.
Qiao Lingshan watched from the side, silently thinking, "Senior Brother Su, you are indeed still too young to understand Yun Xian's sinister nature." Her silence and the "OK" she said had completely different meanings!
…
Sure enough, the next day, as soon as Su Chi pushed the door open, he saw Yun Xian standing outside, neatly dressed, carrying Taiping on his back, and said nonchalantly, "Let's go."
It feels like we are going on a spring outing.
"..." Su Chi paused and said, "Didn't we agree yesterday that I would go alone?"
Yun Xian: "When did you say that? I don't remember it."
Su Chi: "I clearly said it."
"Maybe I accidentally fell asleep at that time." Yun Xian said confidently: "It doesn't count if I didn't hear it."
Su Chi said helplessly: "It's too dangerous."
"Danger? I, Yun Xian, have roamed the Three Realms and have never had an opponent. Why would I be afraid of danger?" Yun Xian spouted off a bunch of nonsense before finally getting to the point. "Even if you don't take me with you, I'll still follow you, swinging from your sword. I won't be the one to be embarrassed then."
Su Chi: “…………”
Qiao Lingshan, who was still sleeping next door, was almost awakened by the eldest brother's sigh.
Su Chi couldn't persuade her, so he didn't let her hang on the sword. The two of them flew forward together on the sword.
The poisonous forest from yesterday was still full of lush green, a thick emerald green, and exuded a strong scent of trees. This time, no team accidentally broke in. The surroundings were dead silent, with only the hissing sounds of poisonous insects, snakes and beasts, which sounded very ominous.
Su Chi led the way, Yun Xian brought up the rear. He extended two slender, flexible fingers, sword energy swirling and flashing from his fingertips, emitting a chilling sound as he reached straight for the misty lower realms. With a flash of sword light, and amidst a violent clash of forces, the situation was instantly reversed, the unbreakable seal suddenly ripped open by a tiny gap. Su Chi leaped forward, his robes and jet-black hair fluttering wildly, looking like a god!
Yun Xian also jumped down with a scream.
The wind was like a frosty knife piercing his face, so cold that he could hardly open his eyes. The sky was spinning, the sun and the moon were dim, and he didn't know how long he had been falling, or maybe it was just a moment. Yun Xian keenly heard the sound of the ground, and immediately changed direction nimbly, and his toes touched the ground steadily.
When she opened her eyes again, she blinked at Su Chi for not being able to take the person's hand.
"Big Brother," Yun Xian said proudly, "This move of mine is called Waist and Horse Integration. Isn't it very stable?"
Su Chi silently withdrew his hand: "...Yeah. Very stable."
The surroundings were indecipherable. Contrary to Yun Xian's imagination, this place was more like a semi-natural rock cave than a mausoleum excavated by craftsmen. Stones of bizarre shapes and materials were everywhere. She broke off a small piece, crushed it, and mused, "The sad and happy puppets above are made of stone mined here. Apparently, this is indeed the place."
They came to the wrong place, and it seemed that they were still far away from the main hall. The two were now in a long and narrow corridor, moving forward in the direction of the wind.
The place was really low, and Yun Xiansheng, who was tall, would easily hit his head even if he jumped up, let alone Su Chi. He had to lower his head slightly to move forward, looking a little aggrieved.
Not only was the space low, but it was also very narrow. If the two weren't careful, their arms would be pressed against each other at any moment. But even in such a narrow space, Su Chi was still very cautious. He didn't touch Yun Xian, and if he did, he would quickly move away.
Although the occasion wasn't right, Yun Xian still felt a little sad. It seemed like Senior Brother had recently discovered that she had such illicit thoughts about him... Well, that was true. Senior Brother was such a pure person, how could he tolerate this? That's why he had to avoid him. She was also a little puzzled. With so much time on her hands lately, who would have the time to think about this or that? Why was he hiding now?
Despite the inappropriate occasion, Su Chi's expression remained somewhat gloomy. He truly shouldn't have come here alone with his junior sister, especially now... when he realized he had harbored ulterior motives. He had reflected on this for a long time. Taking advantage of his mentor's trust was truly inhumane. If his junior sister knew, she would undoubtedly no longer trust him as she once did... He was unusually lost as to what to do next.
The two of them walked forward in silence until they could go no further and reached their destination.
Finally, the view in front of him suddenly opened up and the light became much brighter - it was a huge stone archway, growing naturally together with the surrounding stone walls, tightly closed, and on it, the dim ancient formations glowed, layer upon layer, densely packed.
This should be the real entrance to the altar.
Years of wind and sand erosion have made this place look dusty and dull. A few fluorescent beads that have long lost their luster are embedded in the stone wall. This door has no handle, no lock, only a formation.
Yun Xian looked up at the two huge stone doors, and suddenly a random idea popped up in his mind.
...This place is obviously more like a prison than an altar.
A private prison where "someone" is imprisoned.
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