As Tang Xianxiao's voice faded, another gust of wind swept through the mountains.
Withered branches and fallen leaves scattered in the air, and the powerful wind was like a pair of invisible hands, trying to drive the four of them off Little Fairy Mountain.
"Get out!" Tang Xian laughed angrily.
The strong wind made it hard for Xie Shuci to open his eyes. He grabbed the king from the ground, helped Xie An up, and said to the other two, "Let's go!"
"Run!"
Driven by the wind, Xie Shuci and his companions returned to the foot of Little Fairy Mountain. The moment they left, the mountain immediately fell silent.
Before the four could even catch their breath, a vine emerged from the darkness, supporting the ankle of one of the Xu family disciples and quickly pulling him into the mountains.
"Ah!" The disciple screamed in agony. When everyone looked up, his figure had already disappeared into the darkness.
"Oh no!"
"What happened?"
Several Xu family disciples were about to give chase when they saw this, but Sikong Xin, regaining his senses, immediately stopped them.
"Don't waste your energy," Sikong said.
Finally leaving Little Fairy Mountain, Xie Shuci put down the Great King in his arms, released Xie An, and took two heavy breaths while supporting himself on his knees.
Upon hearing this, the disciple looked at Xie Shuci and the others with an unfriendly expression and asked, "What exactly did you do?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You're asking us what we did? I'd like to ask you what you did!"
Tang Xianxiao has already admitted his identity and even declared that he will meet Xu Yi within three days. This person is very likely the male cultivator who killed her back then.
Liu Dazhuang had been extremely frustrated the whole way, so he naturally didn't give the Xu family disciples a friendly look. "Want to save him? Quickly call over your family's Xu Yi. If you don't see Xu Yi within three days, just wait and see how he'll be skinned alive!"
"Xu... Grand Ancestor Xu?" Upon hearing his words, the disciple was astonished. "Who is in the mountains? Why do they want to see the Grand Ancestor?"
Sikong Xin, not wanting to waste words with him, once he confirmed that Xu Yi was indeed the ancestor of the Xu family, said directly, "Take us to the Xu family."
This matter is of great importance and is related to the Xu family's ancestor. I dare not delay and immediately brought Xie Shuci and the other three to the Xu family.
Xu Si had probably received the news long ago, and when the four arrived, he was waiting outside the Immortal Gate.
Upon seeing Xie Shuci and his companions, he immediately stepped forward, his expression solemn, and asked, "Fellow Daoists, have you discovered something in the mountains?"
"Let's go inside and talk," Sikong said.
Xu Si nodded and led the four into the immortal gate.
Since the man's disappearance did not attract much attention, the sect leader entrusted the matter to Xu Si. The other disciples in the sect were not very aware of the situation, so Xu Si took them to his room.
After closing the door, Sikong Xin asked, "Brother Xu, have you found any clues in the immortal sect's records?"
Xu Si shook his head and said, "No, I have checked half of the files and there is no record of the Tang Clan Immortal Sect."
Xie Shuci said, "Just now, Tang Xianxiao kidnapped Xie An."
Upon hearing this, Xu Si looked at Xie An, who was holding the king, and asked, "Is Young Master Xie An alright?"
After emerging from the mountains, Xie An appeared to be deep in thought.
Xie Shuci said, "He's fine. Tang Xianxiao didn't hurt him. But when we arrived in the mountains and found Xie An, she said she had to see Xu Yi within three days, or she would kill all the Xu family disciples. Before we left, she had already captured one of the disciples."
Xu Si was utterly shocked, speechless, and exclaimed, "She...she wants to see the Great Ancestor? She knows the Great Ancestor?"
Xie Shuci didn't speak, but looked at Sikong Xin beside him.
Sikong Xin said, "Brother Xu, do you remember what my elder brother said?"
Xu Si nodded, "I remember."
Sikong Xin continued, "Actually, my brother said more than that. At the time, I couldn't be sure of her identity, so I concealed some details. My brother said that the cultivator who killed Tang Xianxiao in the secret realm back then was surnamed Xu. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the Xu family's great-grandfather—Xu Yi."
When he said this, Sikong Xin still concealed a part of himself, such as Sikong Ye.
It was said that Tang Xianxiao had suffered a qi deviation under the male cultivator's influence, all for the sake of his own ascension. But Xu Si, being a disciple of the Xu family, would probably not want to hear such things.
"What... how could it be the Great Ancestor?!" Xu Si said in disbelief.
Sikong Xin then asked, "May I ask, has the Great Ancestor already ascended to heaven?"
Xu Si's face paled slightly, and upon hearing this, his gaze became even more complicated. He shook his head and said, "I heard from the sect leader that the Great Ancestor did indeed have the opportunity to ascend, but he had unresolved inner conflicts and ultimately failed to ascend."
"So, he's still in the cultivation world?" Sikong Xin asked.
After a cultivator ascends to immortality, they can enter the legendary "Heavenly Court," join the ranks of immortals, and escape the hustle and bustle of the mortal world.
Xu Si replied, "I have never seen this ancestor. There are only rumors that the ancestor left the Xu family hundreds of years ago and has not shown his face since. His fate is unknown."
Xie Shuci frowned. "Xu Si, the death of that Senior Tang is closely related to Xu Yi. If we can't see him, she might really wipe out all the Xu family disciples."
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Si said to the others, "Perhaps the sect leader knows the whereabouts of the Grand Ancestor."
"There's no time to lose, Brother Xu. Please take us to see the sect leader."
"No need, this matter has nothing to do with you all. I thank you all."
Xie Shuci quickly helped him up, "No need for that, we also have things to ask Senior Tang."
"Stop dawdling. If you waste any more time, you'll be collecting your disciples' corpses," Liu Dazhuang scolded.
Xie Shuci glared at him and said, "Shut up."
Xu Si smiled wryly and led the four of them to find the sect leader.
The head of the Xu family was a middle-aged man over fifty. He was slightly surprised to see Xie Shuci and the others, but he didn't say anything.
Inside the hall, Xu Si told the sect leader the whole story. When he heard the name "Tang Xianxiao," the sect leader's expression changed instantly.
"The ghost in the mountains... is it Tang Xianxiao?" Master Xu said in disbelief, "Wasn't she long ago completely destroyed?"
"Sect Leader Xu, do you know Tang Xianxiao?" Xie Shuci asked suspiciously.
According to Xu Si, there are no records of the surname "Tang" in the Immortal Sect. How would the Sect Leader know about Tang Xianxiao?
Master Xu moved his lips, his expression weathered, "I've heard my master mention it before."
Although Master Xu appears to be over fifty, he is actually over a hundred years old. His master was the previous head of the Xu family.
Sikong Xin said, "Senior Tang is not dead. Her soul has left her body, but her body is still alive."
Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Xu found it even more unbelievable, "How could this be? She was clearly already dead at the hands of the Grand Ancestor, which is why the Grand Ancestor..."
Sect Leader Xu clearly knew the inside story. Sikong Xin and Xie Shuci exchanged a glance and asked, "Where is the Grand Ancestor now? If we don't see him within three days, Senior Tang will probably massacre the Xu family."
Sect Leader Xu suddenly fell silent.
Seeing this, Xu Si said, "The Grand Ancestor has not appeared for hundreds of years, and the Sect Leader probably doesn't know his whereabouts either."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dazhuang rolled his eyes and said, "Fine then, you can just wait to die. Let me see if your entire sect of disciples is enough to make Tang Xian laugh for days."
"Dazhuang, don't talk nonsense," Sikong Xin rebuked.
Xie An placed his hand on the king's neck and, amidst the silence of the crowd, suddenly spoke up: "If I'm not mistaken, Xu Yi has never been able to leave the Immortal Sect from beginning to end."
Upon hearing this, Master Xu trembled, his hands on his knees clenching into fists.
Xie Shuci asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"
Sikong Xin and the other man also turned their gazes toward Xie An.
Xie An said unhurriedly, "This disciple just said that Xu Yi once had the opportunity to ascend, but he failed to ascend because his inner knot was not untied. He would do anything to ascend, so how could he be willing to be confused by his inner knot? Presumably, he has been hiding somewhere in the mountains all these years, in seclusion to break his inner knot."
After hearing Xie An's words, Sect Leader Xu's expression became even more unpleasant.
Xu Si asked in confusion, "When did the Great Ancestor ever resort to any means to achieve ascension?"
"Xu Si, you go out first. I have something to say to you all," said Sect Leader Xu, taking a deep breath.
"Sect Leader..." Xu Si's expression became even more confused.
The ancestor was the only cultivator in the Xu family whose cultivation was close to ascension. Every disciple in the sect admired and longed for him. How could it be that outsiders described him as unscrupulous in his efforts to cultivate to such a level?
"Get out!" Sect Leader Xu emphasized.
Xu Si was startled and dared not linger any longer, leaving the main hall with a heart full of doubts.
After Xu Si left, under the gazes of the four, Sect Leader Xu lowered his head dejectedly and sighed, "Master knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly."
Sikong Xin narrowed his eyes slightly, "Does the sect leader know about this?"
Sect Leader Xu gave a wry smile. "I know, but not much. Before I became the head of the family, my master warned me that the Xu family had made a big mistake. The disciples of the sect may not know about this mistake, but the sect leader must remember it every day."
Xie Shuci immediately had a bad feeling.
Sikong Xin then asked, "What's wrong?"
Instead of answering directly, Master Xu asked, "I just asked which school you all studied under?"
Sikong Xin understood that this matter concerned the Xu family's secrets and therefore could not be disclosed to others casually.
Although Sikong Xin was usually carefree, he had a certain air of authority when he was serious. He stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Sect Leader Xu, and said, "I am Sikong Xin. I have been sent down to the realm by the elder of the Siming Pavilion. I am currently investigating the matter of the early closure of the Dragon Fang Secret Realm. Senior Tang came from the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, and we need her help. This is my token. Please take a look, Sect Leader."
Upon hearing Sikong Xin's name, Sect Leader Xu's eyes trembled, and he immediately stood up and helped Sikong Xin up.
Upon seeing Sikong Xin's token, he couldn't hide his excitement, "You're actually a disciple of the Sikong family, one of the four great immortal sects of the Floating Pagoda Realm! And these others..."
Sikong Xin looked at Liu Dazhuang and said, "This is Liu Yunhan, the eldest disciple of the Liu family."
"These two... This is Xie Shuci, a renowned alchemist in Luofang City, and this is his brother, Xie An."
Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Xu nearly collapsed. He looked at Xie Shuci in astonishment, "You are that mysterious alchemist from the Floating Pagoda Realm?"
Xie Shuci nodded: "That is indeed me."
Master Xu looked at him, then at Xie An beside him, and indeed he was exactly as rumored! Moreover, Sikong Xin had even produced the family's token, so even if he found it unbelievable, he had no choice but to believe it.
Headmaster Xu sighed deeply. Since Tang Xianxiao was still alive, there was no need to hide this matter any longer. He said, "The mistake the Xu family made was to exterminate the remaining disciples of the Tang family."
What Tang Xianxiao needs to do now is simply to repay the Xu family for what they did to them back then.
"Back in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, did Xu Yi deliberately cause Tang Xianxiao to suffer a qi deviation?" Xie Shuci asked.
Sect Leader Xu could only smile wryly, "So you knew all along."
"The truth will eventually come out. Although Xu Yi tried to destroy all the evidence back then, there will always be someone who knows the truth."
Xie Shuci couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened back then?"
Sect Leader Xu shook his head and said, "I may not know more than you do, but it was indeed the Grand Ancestor who killed Tang Xianxiao back then."
"Is it true, as Xie An said, that the Great Ancestor has been in seclusion in the mountains for the past few hundred years?" Sikong Xin asked.
"Seclusion? It's more like recuperating from injuries." Sect Leader Xu's expression was complicated. "Even if you hadn't come looking for him, the Grand Ancestor wouldn't have lasted much longer. He was too obsessed with ascension and never thought that a mental block could hinder his path to ascension. But the more he tried to break free from his mental block, the deeper he sank. Hundreds of years ago, he went into a state of demonic possession and fell into a deep sleep of inner demons."
Xie Shuci was taken aback. "What exactly is the knot in his heart?"
"I don't know, perhaps it's related to Tang Xianxiao."
Xie Shuci then asked, "Then why did you say he wouldn't live much longer?"
Sect Leader Xu said, "Our ancestor is trapped in his inner demons and refuses to wake up. He is sinking deeper and deeper into them, and soon he will never wake up again."
"We only have three days. Take us to see him; perhaps we can find a way to wake him up." Sikong
Channel.
After a moment of contemplation, Sect Leader Xu realized that since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to give it a try, even for the sake of the safety of his disciples.
"Alright, come with me."
Perhaps they really can wake up the Great Ancestor.
Tang Xianxiao cultivates the path of slaughter, so his ruthlessness goes without saying, and he is a man of his word. If she doesn't see the Grand Ancestor within three days, she will absolutely not let it go. If she wants to seek justice for the Tang family disciples from hundreds of years ago, the current Xu family is no match for him.
The immortal sect where the Xu family is located has two large peaks and six smaller peaks.
Because the number of disciples has been decreasing over the years, two small peaks have been basically abandoned. So, Master Xu led the four of them to one of the small peaks.
The peak was overgrown with weeds and had little spiritual energy, making it look like an ordinary, barren mountain.
Sect Leader Xu walked to a pile of rocks and used his spiritual power to draw an array. A blinding white light immediately shone from under the rocks. At the same time, a rumbling sound came from the earth. The rocks were lifted up by a stream of spiritual power and moved back and forth in the air, eventually forming a shape like a palace.
As the rubble subsided, an entrance slowly appeared on the ground, below which were winding stone steps leading to an unknown destination.
Sect Leader Xu said, "The Great Ancestor's immortal body is below."
"please."
Xie Shuci had subconsciously walked ahead of Xie An, but after what had just happened, he still felt uneasy, so he took two steps back and fell behind Xie An.
Xie An paused for a moment, but said nothing.
The group entered the entrance one after another, with Xie Shuci walking at the very back.
It was the dead of night, and there were no sounds of living things around. Only the cold wind blowing into the passage made Xie Shuci shrink his neck. His subconscious was acting up, and he had a feeling that something was following him.
Xie Shuci looked at both sides of the stone steps. They were built like the passageway in a celestial tomb. He couldn't help but curse inwardly. Xu Yi must have something wrong with his brain. Who would build a secluded place like a tomb?
A gust of wind blew in from behind, making Xie Shuci feel uneasy. He couldn't help but lean closer to the little blind boy.
Xie An noticed this and paused slightly, his right hand, which had been resting on the king's head, naturally falling to his side.
The dim yellow candlelight on both walls illuminated the stone steps beneath our feet. For some reason, perhaps influenced by the environment, no one spoke, and we walked forward in silence.
Xie Shuci would occasionally glance at the stone steps behind him, but the entrance was no longer visible; at other times he would look up at the group of people in front of him, who all seemed to have made a pact to keep walking forward.
Since everyone involved was a Taoist practitioner, their footsteps were barely audible, making the scene appear particularly eerie in the dim light.
Xie Shuci grew increasingly frightened. He had never wanted to be the last one in the past, always feeling that something behind him would snatch him away without him noticing. He was afraid and cursed himself in his heart.
Xie Shuci, you're not a real man.
But, but... this psychological fear is unavoidable! It's like how some people are afraid of injections. The needle is so small, it doesn't cause much harm, but they're still afraid!
I miss my cell phone! I miss my flashlight!
In the end, Xie Shuci simply closed his eyes and followed the little blind man's steps.
It was at this moment that he suddenly noticed something: the little blind man no longer had any cultivation, but he walked with almost no sound, and even his breathing was very shallow. If Xie Shuci hadn't occasionally touched his sleeve, he would have almost thought there was no one in front of him! Compared to the three cultivators, Sikong Xin and the others, why was Xie An's footsteps even shallower?
Just as Xie Shuci was filled with doubt, a warm hand suddenly grasped his right hand.
Xie Shuci was jolted, his mind going completely blank.
That hand gently grasped his, and a tingling, itchy sensation spread through their skin. Xie Shuci stared blankly down at the spot.
That hand belongs to the little blind man.
Xie Shuci's body stiffened, all fear and doubt vanished, and all he could see was Xie An's hand holding his.
My heart suddenly raced in the quiet passageway.
The sound of a rapid heartbeat echoed in my ears.
For a moment, Xie Shuci was afraid that he would hear her heartbeat.
Xie Shuci was no longer afraid, not afraid at all.
He didn't care why the blind boy's footsteps were fainter than those of a Taoist practitioner.
His mind was a complete mess, utterly incoherent, and he had lost all ability to think.
All his senses were focused on his right hand; he even shamelessly felt that he could feel the traces of blood flowing under Xie An's skin.
Xie Shuci was completely dumbfounded.
This wasn't the first time he had held hands with the little blind boy, but this time, the feeling was completely different from all the previous ones.
In the silent passageway, Xie An held his hand without saying a word; Xie Shuci let him hold his hand, also without saying a word.
Why……
Why are you holding his hand...?
Don't you know that this can easily lead to misunderstandings...?
As everyone followed Sect Leader Xu through a stone gate, he turned to look at them and said, "We've arrived."
Xie Shuci was startled and, before anyone noticed, guiltily pulled his hand out of Xie An's palm.
Inside the door was a stone chamber, from which a faint chill emanated.
The room was dark. Master Xu took out a bright pearl from his pocket and placed it in the groove on the wall, instantly illuminating the stone chamber.
The huge stone chamber was completely empty; as far as the eye could see, there were only walls on all four sides.
At this moment, Manager Xu walked to a corner and pressed some mechanism. The stone slab in the center of the stone chamber split open in two, and a stone platform slowly rose up. On the stone platform, an ice coffin was placed.
The ice coffin was very thick and exuded a chilling aura. Xie Shuci could only vaguely see a person lying inside, and he couldn't even make out what color clothes the person was wearing.
Master Xu sighed, "This is the Great Ancestor."
Xie Shuci followed Liu Dazhuang to the ice coffin. The ice coffin was not covered. Xie Shuci stretched his head out from behind him and looked inside. Inside, there was a pale-faced man.
The man was dressed in a brown robe, his hands clasped in front of him, with a whisk beside him, appearing to be a Taoist priest. His face was deathly pale, his eyebrows were covered in icicles, and his eyes were faintly purple, making him look no different from a dead man.
"Tsk," Liu Dazhuang clicked his tongue, "She's really ugly."
Xie Shuci: "..."
Well, the Taoist's face was by no means ugly; in fact, he had a gentle and refined appearance. While he wasn't as strikingly handsome as Xie An, nor did he possess the gentle and pleasing looks of Chu Guiyi, he was very pleasant to look at. Perhaps his true charm would be even more apparent when he opened his eyes. Otherwise, how could he have managed to seduce the ghost sister into a state of demonic possession?
Xie An and Sikong Xin slowly walked to the ice coffin. Xie Shuci pretended not to see him and continued to study the Taoist's attire.
There's really nothing to study; he's just insecure, extremely insecure.
Perhaps the blind man sensed his fear and reluctantly offered him a hand, but the problem was, Xie Shuci's stubborn mind was always prone to overthinking. He felt that if he saw Xie An's face now, he would definitely start to lose his senses, but was now the right time?
“His spiritual energy is almost depleted,” Sikong Xin said.
Master Xu nodded and said, "Since the Great Ancestor fell into a deep sleep, his golden core has stopped functioning. If he doesn't wake up soon, he will die from exhaustion of spiritual energy."
Sikong Xin stared at the Taoist priest for a few moments, then suddenly chuckled, “These people are really strange. It’s one thing to be ruthless in the pursuit of ascension, but when the opportunity arises, they become trapped by their own inner demons and refuse to come out.”
Liu Dazhuang cursed, "Serves you right!"
Xie Shuci asked in bewilderment, "I don't understand. You said that he deliberately caused others to go astray in order to ascend to immortality. He must be a morally questionable person. How could he be held back by his inner demons?"
"Perhaps, what he thought he could easily control ended up getting out of control," Xie An said.
Manager Xu asked, "Does anyone have any ideas on how to wake up the Great Ancestor?"
Sikong Xin resumed his nonchalant demeanor. He raised his right hand, and a small snake crawled up his wrist before flying to the ground and landing as a girl in purple.
Upon seeing this, Master Xu's eyes widened in surprise.
Zi Xi stood expressionlessly beside Si Kongxin, awaiting his orders.
Sikong Xin said, "If we want to wake him up, we must enter his dream and see what the inner demons that are troubling him are."
Xie Shuci asked curiously, "But how do we get in?"
Sikong Xin looked up at him and said, "Do you still remember how Zixi communicated with you on the mountain back then?"
Xie Shuci nodded. "Her voice suddenly appeared in my mind."
“That’s right, the purple aura can enter another person’s sea of consciousness. Xu Yi, as an ascended cultivator, should have already cultivated his sea of consciousness,” Sikong Xin said.
"Then what do we do?" Xie Shuci asked.
Sikong Xin gestured for Xie Shuci to extend his hand.
Xie Shuci muttered, "What's wrong?"
He opened his hand and laid it flat. Suddenly, a strand of Zi Xi's hair floated into Xie Shuci's palm, wrapped around his hand, and entangled his wrist.
Xie Shuci raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
Sikong Xin also reached out and pinched Zixi's hair between his fingers, saying, "Zixi can use his hair to pull our consciousness into his sea of consciousness together."
"So amazing?" Xie Shuci looked at Zixi in surprise.
Liu Dazhuang also became interested, "How come I didn't know she was so fun? Come on, I'll give it a try too."
Liu Dazhuang roughly pulled up her hair that was hanging down behind her, causing Zixi Girl to brow furrow in pain. Her eyes immediately turned back to vertical pupils, and she flicked her tongue at him.
“Be gentle, she cherishes her hair the most,” Sikong Xin said.
Liu Dazhuang curled his lip dismissively, "It's not like it won't grow anymore."
Sect Leader Xu also raised his right hand, allowing the purple breath to entangle one of his fingers.
At this moment, Xie Shuci looked at Xie An, who was standing to the side.
He leaned back against the ice coffin, seemingly uninterested in their actions.
Xie Shuci asked, "Xie An, you..."
"The king and I are waiting for you."
"Aww..."
But the baby wants to go in too.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci nodded, then waved to him and said, "Then sit further away, be careful not to catch a cold."
Xie An smiled and said, "Mm."
Xie Shuci thought for a moment and then said:
"If you're scared, you can come and hold my hand."
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