There is no blue cloud under the blue sky (8)
Loufu Crystal Pavilion
Surrounded by hard black stones and lying on a crystal floor full of cracks, Zhu Ming closed his eyes tightly.
She had been sitting in meditation for so long that her lower body had almost lost all feeling.
"As long as you hand over that thing, everything will be fine." Lou Ze sat on the stool and looked down at her condescendingly.
Zhu Ming said nothing, sweat kept coming out of his forehead.
She had felt something was amiss since the first day she arrived at the Lou Mansion. Lou Ze's letter had said the gap in Cangyun City's barrier was already large and would crumble if she waited any longer. But as she walked through the mansion, she couldn't sense a trace of the netherworld or spirit beings.
Sure enough, the day after she arrived, Lou Ze tricked her into coming here under the pretext of repairing the barrier, and she never got out again.
These crystal pavilions are made of a special stone called black crystal. This stone, originating from the lower realm, can absorb the spiritual energy emanating from cultivators. This stone is scattered throughout the lower realm, and its annoying properties have prevented the cultivation community from conducting large-scale exploration of the lower realm.
How could the Lou family, the family that has guarded the barrier of Cangyun City for generations, have such a thing?
Zhu Ming understood what they wanted to do almost instantly.
"That's evil magic. Elder Lou is a wise man and shouldn't be deceived by evil people." She said calmly.
Zhu Ming is extremely talented and has been the center of attention since she was born. She has made a smooth journey from a young genius to the most powerful swordsman praised by everyone.
Lou Ze looked at her resentfully, revealing a strange smile: "You are a genius. There is nothing impossible for you. Naturally, you cannot understand the thoughts of us ordinary people."
Hearing this, Zhu Ming frowned, "That's not what I meant. The Lou family curse can be resolved with the right methods. Evil spells will eventually backfire on you. Elder Lou, I'm trying to persuade you to turn back from your wrong path."
"Returning from one's mistakes? Witchcraft?" Lou Ze laughed loudly and looked at her with a twisted look: "If it can break the curse, then it's not witchcraft."
"I can't explain it to you clearly." Zhu Ming slowly moved his hand down and placed it on the sword at his waist.
"On this floating island, anyone who could trap me is already dead." She looked at him coldly and slowly drew out the Mountain-Falling Sword.
Everyone says that a sword immortal can destroy heaven and earth with one sword.
Zhu Ming has absolute confidence in his own strength. Even if he is surrounded by black crystals, as long as his sword energy is strong enough, he can cut through anything.
As soon as Zhuishan was unsheathed, the powerful sword energy shattered the surrounding black crystals. Amidst the ruins, Lou Ze looked calm and even clapped his hands in a good mood.
"As expected of Zhu Ming, I spent so much time and effort making this cage for you, and you just broke it like that."
He showed no sign of panic at his conspiracy being shattered, which made Zhu Ming alert.
"There is indeed no one stronger than you on this floating island, but under the floating island..." Lou Ze snapped his fingers and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
Then, the surrounding space and time suddenly moved inexplicably, the air trembling and shaking. A fantastic fragrance spread with the waves.
Zhu Ming felt like he was thrown into the deep sea. His ears were filled with waves and he could not sense any breath at all.
The feeling of powerlessness gradually spread throughout her body. She knew that there was something wrong with the fragrance, so she sat down decisively and began to regulate her breathing. At the same time, her consciousness was forcibly pulled into an unfamiliar space.
A man covered in black cloth had his back to her. At first glance, she recognized him as Wei Zhegu.
He turned around, the black cloth covering most of his face, leaving only a pair of dark eyes exposed.
Wei Zhegu said nothing, just looked at her indifferently.
Zhu Ming's expressionless face cracked for a moment, and after a brief shock, she calmed down again.
The two people looked at each other, one lifeless, the other emotionless.
"Are you here for revenge?" Zhu Ming asked.
The man's cold voice sounded: "Yes and no."
"I thought you were dead." Zhu Ming said with his hands behind his back, with something hidden in his words.
The man was as stiff as a statue, his words coming out one by one: "I'm not looking for you to reminisce about the past."
Zhu Ming shook his head and said calmly, "Senior brother still likes to misunderstand me as always."
"Why would I reminisce with my enemy?" Before she could finish her words, she suddenly attacked the man. The Mountain-Falling Sword was her natal sword, shaped by her convictions. Whenever she summoned it, it would appear in her hand.
The man was slow to act and had not expected her to do this at all. He just stood there waiting for the sword to stab him.
The imagined scene of the man being pierced by the sword did not happen. Instead, her sword was gently clamped by the man.
"What did you do?" Zhu Ming looked up suddenly, and the contempt in his expression disappeared completely.
"This is the space I created. All the laws are created by me. You can't hurt me." Wei Zhegu flicked his fingertips lightly, and the Falling Mountain Sword was forced to retract.
Zhu Ming was attacked back, took a few steps back, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Blood splattered in the air, and the tiny red stains were imprinted on Wei Zhegu's numb eyes, bringing out a thick dark color.
"Junior sister, I won't kill you." He raised his head and took off the black cloth covering his face, revealing his handsome, youthful face.
Years have passed, and he hasn't changed at all.
Those dark eyes were suddenly filled with tenderness, like a young boy who was just beginning to fall in love.
"I said I would never kill you." He leaned close to Zhu Ming's ear, his voice hoarse.
Zhu Ming closed his eyes and said with a mocking smile: "I should have killed you back then."
"Everything I went through back then, everything I went through over the years... you must experience it all before you die." His tone suddenly changed, and he grabbed Zhu Ming's neck fiercely.
Zhu Ming still had that cold look on his face. Even though he was having difficulty breathing, he still stiffened his neck and refused to give in.
Wei Zhegu chuckled and relaxed his grip on her. "From a sword immortal admired by all to a disgraced and disgraced bastard, worse than a dog, hated by everyone, it took me three months. I wonder how much longer you can hold on."
"Zhu Ming, I'm looking forward to the day when you fall from grace."
"I'll wait."
The man's voice and ferocious expression kept echoing in front of her eyes. The pain of being pulled out spread from the soles of her feet to her heart. Her vision went dark and bright. Zhu Ming felt a pain in her throat and opened her eyes to spit out a mouthful of black blood.
The meridians were blocked, and the Falling Mountain Sword lost its sensitivity to its master and fell to the ground with a bang.
"Elder Zhu is a smart man. He should know that you can't fight against the entire Lou family by yourself. It's better for you to hand over the things. I will return them after completing the ceremony." Lou Ze said slowly.
Zhu Ming lowered his head dejectedly and remained silent.
What Lou Ze wanted was the key to the Floating Island formation. Zhu Ming, a sword immortal, had inherited this key from a senior and had carefully kept it for many years. She had spent years cultivating in Yiziyuan, using it to discover numerous problems with the formation and promptly modify them, thus avoiding numerous issues.
The current barrier can only be opened with a key. Lou Ze's goal is probably not just to use the disciples of the aristocratic family to dispel the curse.
Zhu Ming swallowed the blood foam in his mouth and said coldly, "If you stop now, there is still room for recovery."
Hearing this, Lou Ze sneered: "Hand it over, otherwise..."
He waved his right hand, and a light screen appeared in the air, on which was shown Li Zhaoyue sealed in an ice coffin.
"Is your trick to use your juniors as bargaining chips to threaten me?" Zhu Ming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand and stared at him from bottom to top.
"Your apprentice's life, and the key. You choose," he said.
Thinking about it now, there were signs of this happening long ago. From the inexplicable disturbances in Cangyun City's barrier, the appearance of spirits in various places, to the disappearance of disciples, there were traces of everything. It was a pity that she noticed it too late and was unable to stop their conspiracy in time.
She pursed her lips and moved her sword-holding hand.
"Has anyone ever told you that?" The Falling Mountain Sword pierced Zhu Ming's left palm, sending blood gushing out. Suddenly, a strong golden light emanated from the silver blade. Her hands were covered in blood, and she held the sword with disdain as she looked at Lou Ze.
The overwhelming pressure from the Mountain Falling Sword caused everything around it to tremble. At the same time, a barrier slowly emerged above the mansion, sealing off all the fleeing spirits.
The sky above the Crystal Pavilion was filled with a swarm of spirits, who were eventually sucked away by a vortex that suddenly appeared in the sky.
"The best way to solve a problem," Zhu Ming thrust his sword at Lou Ze, who dodged hastily, "is to kill the person who raised the problem!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Falling Mountain Sword suddenly turned and pierced Lou Ze's arm.
At the same time, Zhu Ming felt a tingling sensation in her right arm, and she suddenly spat out blood. A pair of hands attacked her with incredible swiftness, but she dodged to the right, avoiding the attack.
Wei Zhegu looked at her indifferently.
*
After emerging from the underground palace, the longevity lock around Li Zhaoyue's neck suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light. The longevity lock was a means of communication between her and her master, and it would not emit such a dazzling light for no apparent reason unless its creator was in danger.
At the same time, a huge black pattern was forming on the high tower on the east side of the mansion, and the ground began to shake, as if something terrible was about to crawl out from deep underground.
"The ceremony has begun." Lou Daoyan said suddenly.
"What ceremony?" Li Zhaoyue asked.
"You just listened to what the red-dressed girl said in the hall. The Lou family has a curse that all disciples with Lou family bloodline will not live past the age of thirty. At the same time, after reaching adulthood, the curse will slowly drain the Lou family's talent for cultivation. In five years at most, a genius will be completely reduced to a cripple."
"And my father, Lou Ze, is twenty-nine this year."
"So you plan to sacrifice everyone's lives to lift the Lou family curse?" Xu Xing interrupted.
A heavy sadness appeared on Loudaoyan's gloomy face.
"How could it be so simple?" he seemed to mutter to himself.
"How could the resentment of so many generations be digested by just a few dozen disciples?"
This didn't sound right, and Li Zhaoyue had a vague sense of foreboding. At this moment, the pale yellow barrier that had been covering the sky for many years suddenly shattered.
The barrier of the floating island was dissolving at an extremely fast speed.
"Only the lives of everyone on the floating island can eliminate all this!" Lou Daoyan's eyes were already somewhat suspiciously fanatical, but his voice was too soft to be heard.
At this moment, Li Zhaoyue was only concerned about Zhu Ming's safety. She could sense Zhu Ming's breath through the power of the longevity lock, and it was in that direction.
She held the longevity lock in her hand and ran in panic towards the place where the black formation was.
Xu Xing held her back.
"Elder Zhu Ming is very powerful and can fight even if he gets into trouble. If you go, you may become a weapon that the enemy can use to threaten Elder Zhu."
The boy's gaze was calm, even capable of rational analysis in this situation. Lou Daoyan couldn't help but glance at him again.
Normally, even if a young man is mature and experienced, it is impossible for him to remain so calm when he sees the barrier of the floating island dissolve.
This behavior is like he...
Lou Daoyan stared at Xu Xing.
It was like he had known this was going to happen.
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