Yun Xian and his group had just climbed up the mountain and were about to go down again. They were so busy that their feet left afterimages, but now it was real. They didn't even have time to rest on the mountain for a night.
Of course, Xue Lingxiu also doubted whether Jiange had no guest rooms at all - it would be strange for a sect whose leader slept on the floor behind the main hall to have any preparations. Now that he was going down the mountain, at least he didn't have to squeeze into a large bunk bed.
"There are many mysteries and many puzzling points." Yun Xian seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand. He said, "So, who is the Sword God's second friend?"
Qiao Lingshan said, "Why not ask the almighty Sword God?"
"I'd like to ask," Yun Xian said, puzzled. "But no matter how much I burn incense and chant, she never appears again. Could it be that she's angry about what I did before? That's impossible. She's already ascended, how could she be so petty?"
"..." Xue Lingxiu had just learned about this. "What did you say?"
Yun Xian then recounted her story of how she "had to be me" and how it was "not impossible." Xue Lingxiu held her forehead, not knowing what to say. "Can you please keep your mouth shut?"
Of course not. If Yun Xian could control his mouth, he wouldn't be called Yun Xian anymore.
"It probably has nothing to do with this." Qi Xingye was still wondering what to do with his cassock. He said, "It's definitely because of restrictions that it doesn't appear. If there were no restrictions, wouldn't Heavenly Dao just send down a few thunderbolts to kill Chi You and be done with it? Why would they need us?"
"That's what I mean," Yun Xian complained. "Why didn't you pick the best ones instead of picking on us small fry? Saving the world is such a huge job, at least we should get a few more people to do it."
Qiao Lingshan felt that this was probably not what she truly thought. For Yun Xian, self-deprecation was nearly impossible; she had a very tough skin.
Sure enough, Yun Lang was right. Since the altar in the Eastern Realm was opened, it has been moving at an astonishing speed. There is no pattern to be found, and the cultivators cannot catch up at all. Therefore, there is no point in looking for the altar until it stops completely.
But according to the news from the front line, the overall movement direction of the altar is still towards Jiange, but it is so unpredictable that even if Yun Xian wants to look for it, he doesn't know where to look.
On the way, Yun Xian sighed again. He sighed, "I'm only nineteen," "Why has such a heavy burden been placed upon me?" "If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have been born." His voice twisted into a distorted expression. Just as Xue Lingxiu could barely contain herself, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, crackling the crooked tree beside the road. Lightning flashed and crackled.
Everyone looked up at the sky, which was clear and cloudless.
So where did this thunder come from?
"..." Yun Xian took a look and saw that the crooked tree was to the northeast of the intersection. She said decisively, "Go this way!"
Qiao Lingshan's feet caught up, but her mouth didn't. "What... is going on?! It has time to chop trees, but not Chi You?!"
"Don't force it, Lingshan." The wind whistled as Yun Xian said, "If it could chop it itself, it would have done it long ago. It's because it can't that it has to go through so much trouble to find someone to do it for it!"
Qiao Lingshan was at a loss for words and could only say, "This is too much!"
"Okay, Lingshan, stop talking!" Yun Xian said, "It might not work for Chiyou, but it might work for us, so don't be too arrogant, or you'll get struck by lightning. See how my little self-torture trick works?"
Xue Lingxiu: "Very bad!...Also, the three of you from Jian Ge are helpless against the puppets in the altar. What are we going to do?!"
Yun Xian said as a matter of course: "Otherwise, what are you and Brother Qi doing here?"
Qi Zhiye: “…”
A vein throbbed at Xue Lingxiu's forehead. He truly never wanted to hear the interjection "la" again in his life!
Relying on the front-line intelligence continuously transmitted by Yingluo, the distance between them and the altar was constantly shrinking, but they ran into trouble at the last moment.
Sword Pavilion disciple A had given information about the tower to the west, while Sword Pavilion disciple B had given information about the basin to the east. At this point, they had no choice but to act separately. Yun Xian glanced at him and said, "Brother Xue, is it okay for you to go with Lingshan?"
Now that the Sword Pavilion lineage is unable to deal damage, they can only use the medical cultivator as a fan cultivator. Xue Lingxiu said, "I have no problem."
"Wait." Before leaving, Yun Xian took out the beast ring and said, "There is another Jiangshan here, and he will be with you too."
Qiao Lingshan: “…” Is there something wrong with this quantifier?
Yun Xian transferred the ownership of Pokémon Jiangshan and rushed to the western tower with Su Chi and Qi Zhiye.
Even if we ask for help, the location of the altar is still changing, and it is not easy to gather people. The chance is 50-50, so we can only rely on gambling.
This time, her luck finally turned good——
When the three arrived, the altar with surging spiritual light had finally settled down and was hidden right under the pitch-black tower. The bungalows along the way were swept away by the energy and destroyed immediately.
Fortunately, Jiange had earlier dispersed the nearby residents, so now only property was damaged and no lives were lost.
The monks behind were unable to catch up at all. Only a few passersby saw the overwhelming spiritual light and showed joy on their faces, saying, "Altar! Where is the treasure?!"
Yun Xian's eyes were solemn as he looked at the silent altar and said, "Back off."
"Why retreat?" The passersby asked unhappily, "Why, do you want to monopolize it?"
Yun Xian pulled the man out ten feet with the hilt of his sword: "Yes, I want him all to myself. Get out of the way, back off!"
Qi Zhiye: “…”
Although he often felt suffocated when traveling with Buddhists, he couldn't help but feel guilty when he saw Yun Xian, who was at the other extreme.
The altar was opened, the seal was temporarily broken, and the air seemed to be still for a moment. The next moment, there was no earth-shaking noise, nor any eye-catching vision. It was just like the most peaceful afternoon. The spider puppet with three pairs of human eyes on its back slowly climbed up. The whip needles on its tentacles left small pits in the sand, and dark green venom dripped, emitting bursts of burning breath.
The cultivation level of a spider puppet is not that high, and even the young cultivators in Tianyi Town can deal with it calmly. But once it appears, it will swarm in groups, and the pressure will suddenly increase. Even the cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage dare not say how easy it is to deal with it!
Qi Zhiye asked, "How is it now?"
"Don't move yet." Yun Xian stared at the altar and said, "The enemy is in the dark, and I am in the light. We don't know whether Chi You will make any moves yet."
Qi Zhiye: "...what if it doesn't come?"
"It shouldn't come, right? I'm talking about its true form. If it comes, it'll just send a few trusted confidants." Yun Xian muttered, "The first time its true form went into battle, it was beaten like a dog. If it dares to come again now, it's even more shameless than me."
Qi Zhiye's golden eyes were filled with confusion: "Why do you keep saying it like that every day? And your nickname... being beaten like a dog doesn't mean you're being insulted too?"
After all, he is an ancient demon. The last time the Miaoshou Sect saw him, his demonic energy was indeed extraordinary. Although he was not as flawless as everyone imagined, he was definitely not as weak as Yun Xian said.
"Confucius once said that the way to overcome fear is to face it." Yun Xian said calmly, "I've been saying this day and night, and people's impression of Chi You has gradually become that of a foolish demon who only knows how to pick up leftovers. You see, now it seems that there's no fear of him anymore, right?"
Qi Zhiye vaguely remembered that Confucius probably never said this. Xianzi must have made it up.
Su Chi was next to Yun Xian, but he didn't say anything.
The eldest brother was silent, so something must have happened. Yun Xian reached out to grab his hand, and found that Su Chi's fingertips, which had always been cold, were now burning hot. He was shocked and asked, "Elder brother, what's wrong with you?"
Su Chi: "Nothing."
Forget it. Asking is the same as not asking. It's always the same thing anyway. Earlier, in front of the altar door belonging to Jiange, Su Chi had said that something behind the door seemed to be calling him - his current strangeness was probably related to this.
The spider puppet had probably come out to explore the area. Then, the cave shook, and finally, the familiar thieving puppet emerged. Yun Xian took a quick look and nearly fainted from laughter—Qi Zhiye's cassock was being worn by a mournful puppet, its gold and red colors dazzling.
More and more people gathered around after hearing the noise. When they saw the robe, they couldn't help but whisper to each other:
"Which abbot has such an undisciplined private life that his clothes were stolen?"
"The Buddha said, it cannot be said, it cannot be said!"
"No, it seems... Although Buddhists cannot be with others... but at least humans cannot..."
Qi Zhiye: “?”
Are you all sick, East Realm people?! Seeing a cassock makes you think of a puppet, and seeing a puppet makes you think of breaking your vows. Has the East Realm people's thinking really progressed so much at this point?!
Hearing of a valuable treasure, some monks would naturally rush forward regardless of the danger. This person drew his sword and rushed forward, only to have a spider puppet crawl onto his instep. He shuddered with disgust. "What the hell is this?! A stone spider?! Why does it look like a puppet?!"
"Just cut it down with one sword! My second uncle's child works for the Xingyan Sect, and he's never seen a puppet like this before!!"
"No blood! It's just pure stone with a formation inside! What else can this be but a puppet?"
"Tsk." As more and more people came, the noises became more and more chaotic. Yun Xian said, "Trouble."
The reason why the other three realms' sects immediately blocked the altar upon discovering it was to avoid such a situation. The most unstable factor was the human element. More and more cultivators were rushing in after hearing the news, and with so many people and so many different opinions, Yun Xian would be unable to do anything. Furthermore, where there were people, there were always conflicts, especially with the temptation of precious treasures right before their eyes. A fight might break out before the treasure was even taken.
However, even if Jiange discovered the altar early, the Jiange lineage's inability to attack the puppets meant the entire sect was unable to seal the altar. Logically, if Jiange couldn't do it, then the Qinfang, one of the Seven Old Sects, would have to do it. But Qinfang... that's all, no need to elaborate.
Whatever you fear, it will come to you. These monks from all corners of the world didn't even bother to squeeze each other before they started fighting!
Yun Xian was truly terrified of this kind of situation. She always told people that if they encountered a group fight, they shouldn't even think about trying to intervene; it was best to stay as far away as possible. If they tried to intervene, another would appear. The consequence of trying to intervene would likely be joining the fight—but someone had to intervene, right?
Qi Zhiye said, "Subdue those who are fighting the most fiercely."
"Can you tell which one is the most ferocious?" Yun Xian held Taiping's hand and said, "I think both of them fought sincerely."
Su Chi said, "Let me do it."
Yun Xian: "Why are you here?"
Su Chi: "Just knock them all out."
"..." Yun Xian said: "Big Brother, you should take a good rest first, don't worry about these things."
Just as she gathered her strength and prepared to attack directly, a delicate voice suddenly rang out from not far away: "Why did the fight suddenly break out? Stop it! You really should stop fighting!"
Yun Xian almost let out a breath. She turned her head and saw a woman holding a zither standing high up. Her face was covered with a white veil and she looked anxious. Next to the woman was Feng Ye, who had returned to the zither workshop earlier!
Qinfang really came with his men!
It wasn't that Yun Xian didn't trust her, it was just that he couldn't find a chance to intervene in the fight at Jiange, let alone at Qinfang? Looking at the woman beside Feng Ye, with her curved eyebrows and sparkling eyes, and considering Feng Ye's usual behavior, it seemed unlikely that she would be able to bring herself to do anything ruthless. Yun Xian paused, finally meeting Feng Ye's gaze.
Although she was still wearing a disguise, looking at the sword tassel and her fresh and refined temperament, how could Feng Ye not recognize her?
The woman tried to persuade the fight verbally but failed, so she silently put the zither aside and stroked it with her slender jade fingers.
Feng Ye's expression changed drastically. He shook his head frantically at Yun Xian and mouthed, "Go! Go quickly!"
Yun Xian: “?!”
Before she could react, she heard the strings vibrate high above, and the sound waves instantly transformed into countless sharp blades, with the blades pointing downwards. Without a trace of hesitation, with a whistling sound, they shot towards the chaotic crowd below. The effect was immediate, and screams filled the air:
“Ahhhhhh!! It’s raining knives from the sky!!!”
"Quick! Get out of here if you don't want to die!"
"Who is so wicked?! Didn't they consider the possibility of accidental injury?! No more talking, just run!"
Yun Xian dodged swiftly, the corners of his clothes being cut in two by the rain of knives. Still in shock, he suddenly raised his eyes!
The woman from the zither workshop had her knuckles dangling from the zither. Her hands had just unleashed a spell that indiscriminately targeted the entire audience, but her expression was still one of concern. "Are you all okay? I told you, stop fighting!"
Yun Xian: “…”
Is your way of stopping fights to beat to death anyone who doesn't stop? It's a new method, and it seems to be quite effective now. After all, those who dare not obey will lie on the ground and scream.
Feng Ye didn't seem to be having a good time at the Qinfang recently. He kept glancing at Yun Xian, but he still completed his task well. He said to him in a cold voice, "From now on, this place is taken over by the Qinfang!"
"Bah! Your Qinfang is so powerful now! When there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey becomes king!" Someone said, "You want to take over this place, has Jiange agreed? Don't think you can act recklessly just because Yun Xian is not here!"
"Stop. Don't use me as a bludgeon." Yun Xian walked over, took off his mask, and said, "Jian Ge has agreed. Now this place is under the control of Qin Fang. Go back to where you came from."
When the man saw her true face, his expression froze between two extremes: "I don't accept it!" and "Wow, it's Yun Xian!" He kept changing his expression, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "Why?"
Yun Xian picked up a spider puppet from nowhere and put it on his head.
“Aa ...
"Can we go now?" Yun Xian looked at the large group of young cultivators around him and said, "It's really dangerous in here. If we don't get the treasure later, we will lose our lives first."
The people around were still reluctant to leave, and it was unclear whether they wanted autographs or were reluctant to part with the treasure. Qi Zhiye couldn't drive them all away, so he saw Yun Xianji come up with a plan and said, "If you want the treasure, it won't be easy. Master Xue will pay for everything today!"
Qi Zhiye: “…………”
After using both soft and hard tactics, this group of people finally seemed to be fooled away. Or perhaps, after just contact, they found that those puppets were indeed beyond their ability to deal with. Qi Zhiye frowned and said, "Does Xue Lingxiu know about this?"
"I don't know." Yun Xian waved at Feng Ye.
"I don't know if you still dare to say that?" Qi Zhiye said, "He'll scold you again later."
"What did I say? Did I say anything just now?" Yun Xian said, "Sorry, I don't understand. I got a concussion from Chi You at the Miaoshou Sect before, and I haven't recovered yet, so my memory isn't very good. I didn't say anything just now, did I? Big Brother, did you hear anything?"
Su Chi said, "No."
Qi Zhiye was really impressed by her.
Feng Ye came bounding over, accompanied by the woman from the zither workshop. Yun Xian knew instantly that this woman was probably the "little genius" Feng Ye had mentioned, favored by the workshop owner. To be able to cultivate zither music to this level, and to possess a rare offensive mindset, she was truly a genius. However, the fact that Feng Ye was sent to the Four-Way War instead of her was a sign of a desire to conceal their strength.
The woman came over, bowed to Yun Xian, and said softly, "I've long heard of your name. I'm Qin Ya."
"Hello, hello, I'm Yun Xian." Covered by the veil, Yun Xian couldn't see her expression. She said, "That move you just made was really powerful."
"It's okay." Qin Ya said honestly: "After using that trick, I can't use spiritual energy for the next day."
"..." Yun Xian asked, "Are you really going to tell me this secret?"
"You are from Jiange, why can't you tell me?" Qin Ya asked doubtfully, "Jiange and Qinfang are old friends, am I right, Feng Ye?"
Feng Ye said dryly: "You are not mistaken."
"I heard from the master that these puppets seem to be a bit troublesome for you." Qin Ya smiled and said, "I will take the disciples of the Qinfang to guard outside. You can go in and handle your business. Call me if you need anything."
Yun Xian: "What's the name?"
Qin Ya: "We are sound cultivators. I can hear you even if you scream for help."
Yun Xian wondered why Feng Ye didn't have this ability... It seemed that his talent as a sound cultivator had no room to display except for listening to footsteps and disguising female voices.
Qinfang was waiting outside while Yun Xian and his group walked into the altar.
Even now, the altar has appeared, but she still hasn't been able to detect the presence of the demon cult.
Was her speculation wrong? Did Chi You really go to another realm? That shouldn't be the case. The East Realm is so weak, pitiful, and helpless. Wouldn't anyone who came here first attack the East Realm?
But no matter what, blocking the altar is always a good thing, so as to remain unchanged in the face of ever-changing circumstances.
Feng Ye didn't stay in the Qinfang team properly, and subconsciously followed Yun Xian, still chatting and looking around, "Where are Lingshan and Fellow Daoist Xue?"
"She's on the other side, and she hasn't arrived yet." Yun Xian sighed, "Qin Ya's talent is really high. She's almost catching up with me. It's not easy."
Feng Ye sensed a sense of crisis and hesitantly said, "Her... that's because of her special skills. Actually, her personality... her personality is not easy to get along with. It's not... it's not that she's a bad person, it's just that her personality, um, her personality is..."
"Why are you saying bad things about her behind her back?" Yun Xian said deliberately, "If I were the owner, I would like her too."
Feng Ye: “???”
Seeing Feng Ye was about to bring up some old story about the "Old Yun Family" and the "Golden Bell", Yun Xian suddenly stopped and frowned, saying, "Did you hear any sound?"
Qi Zhiye and Feng Ye both shook their heads.
"I heard it." Su Chi raised his eyes and said, "There seems to be a fire burning in the front."
Yun Xian said solemnly: "Me too."
This was strange. This underground palace was made of stone on all sides, so where did the fire come from?
Finally, Yun Xian figured out where the sound came from.
In front of him was a blank stone wall. It was the decoy that Su Chi had set up on the altar before. The sound of flowing flames actually came from the side hall with five doors!
His mind raced, and Yun Xian reached out to touch Su Chi's fingertips, which were now as hot as flames.
She made up her mind and said, "Big Brother, please remove the seal."
Su Chi said nothing, drew his sword and slashed, and the seal broke. The five doors and the silent coffin still stood in the same place, without any change.
"Isn't this the emblem of the Qinfang?" Feng Ye felt that the coffin was too creepy. He asked, "What are this fan and this drum?!"
Yun Xian: "Don't touch anything."
Feng Ye immediately retracted his hand and didn't touch anything.
Yun Xian stood in this empty space except for them, but her intuition kept surging, telling her to leave, not to go here, and not to approach this door. But her reason told her that if she didn't approach it, the mystery would remain buried until the end, and no answer would be found.
"Still can't hear it?" Yun Xian asked. "Now that we're closer, it's clearer. It's more like the sound of lava than the flow of flames... But this altar is moving, so there can't be a volcano."
Feng Ye and Qi Zhiye still shook their heads solemnly.
Only she and Su Chi could hear it.
"..." Yun Xian took one last look at the tightly closed stone door and said, "Let's leave first—"
Before she finished her words, a violent wind suddenly blew up from the ground! The door of the Qinfang, which had been silent until now, suddenly blew up with a strong wind, and swept the unprepared Feng Ye over. Feng Ye was stunned for a moment, scared out of his wits, and he didn't even know what he was shouting: "Ahhhhhhhhhh help me! No, no, don't come over! It seems like something is pulling me!!"
Yun Xian reached out and followed Feng Ye the moment he was lifted off the ground. The other two grabbed hold of Feng Ye's clothes, but the sudden strong wind was too terrifying. The three of them could only hold on. Feng Ye was in pain from being pulled by Yun Xian and Su Chi, but he could only try to make a good laugh: "Friend Qi, you're about to pull my pants off..."
"Nonsense!" Qi Zhiye said angrily, "One of you is pulling my left foot, and the other is pulling my right foot. If I don't pull your pants, where should I pull you?!"
Feng Ye said: "Then you'd better pull my pants. I don't want anything else to be pulled off...Ah!!!"
The wind behind him lightened, and was replaced by the stone door of Jiange, from which strange sounds had been coming. It silently swept Yun Xian away and was about to be swallowed into the formation in an instant!
Feng Ye didn't care that his pants had fallen off, and immediately tried to pull Yun Xian back: "What's going on?!!"
Qi Zhiye's arms were bulging with veins, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Stop... talking!"
The two winds were simply incomparable. If it weren't for the fact that these doors were clearly inert, Qi Zhiye would have suspected that this was some kind of diversionary tactic. Even if he used all his strength, he couldn't pull Yun Xian back even a little bit.
At the last moment, Su Chi suddenly let go. Before Qi Zhiye could question him, he saw Su Chi and Yun Xian disappear into the stone gate in an instant!
Feng Ye: "Yun Xian!! Senior Brother!!!"
Silence suddenly returned to the room.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Yun Xian woke up to a scene of blood everywhere.
Her head was splitting with pain and her buttocks were about to split into four pieces. She sat on the rough sand that seemed to have been invaded by volcanic lava, looking around in a daze.
Nothing could be seen except a sea of blood red.
Yun Xian vaguely remembered that Su Chi came in with him, but in such a small place, how could another person hide?
She rubbed her forehead and lowered her eyes——
She saw an unfamiliar sword on the ground.
The jade-white sword body is slender and graceful, with flowing light glittering. No matter how you look at it, it is the most beautiful sword Yun Xian has ever seen in his life. It does not look like it is meant to be used, but rather it looks like it should be worshipped.
But why is there a sword here?
"...No way." Yun Xian felt like she might have a problem with her brain. She whispered to the sword lying on the ground, "Is that you? Senior Brother?"
The sword actually shook slightly.
Yun Xian blinked and said again: "Big Brother, if you can hear me, shake it twice."
The sword shook twice.
Yun Xian: “…”
It’s over!! Big Brother has turned into a sword!!!
Although neither of them had spoken openly about the matter, they both understood it. However, there was a huge difference between understanding it and seeing the sword in person... She was feeling complicated right now, and wondered how Su Chi felt.
She didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy for a moment. After all, Su Chi was definitely the strongest in this true form, but...
"Big Brother, I'm going to pick you up. I'll hold your sword's hilt. Is that okay?" Yun Xian coughed twice, reached out and grasped the sword's hilt. Suddenly, an idea struck him: "Big Brother, can I hold this?"
Su Chi Jian: “…………”
The sword swung fiercely and hit Yun Xian's forehead, and Yun Xian fell to the ground.
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