Chapter 148 There Has Always Been a Sword (Sixteen) "You understand the ancient language of the demon race?"...
In the vast night sea, only the clouds drift and the waves rise and fall; nothing else exists.
A gust of wind blew by, and the Golden Wave Sword Spirit stood on the railing, her crimson dress and shawl fluttering in the wind like a lone pine tree in the wind.
She crossed her arms and looked out at the sea, remaining silent.
The grandmaster glanced sideways, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "You can see that too?"
The sword spirit nodded slightly.
Lin Feiran was even more puzzled. She blinked and subconsciously raised her hand to rub her eyes, but the sword spirit pressed her arm down.
"Seeing is not a good thing. If I could, I would rather you never see it."
On the sea at night, her sigh almost dissipated in the wind.
Upon hearing this, the Grandmaster lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Aside from calling out once every half hour like a hailstone, Lin Feiran's thoughts were almost entirely focused on the sea.
The three of them stood together under the veranda, watching the sunrise from the long night until the first rays of sunlight fell on the sea, at which point the clouds finally began to change.
The purity gathered, gradually forming a hazy gray, which accumulated on the sea surface, casting a huge shadow.
At noon, fine snowflakes fell from beneath the clouds.
Lin Feiran waited no longer, stepped onto the railing, leaped out of the corridor, and with a whistle, the Golden Wave Sword was immediately drawn from its sheath.
A man and his sword circled on the sea for a few breaths, then immediately flew away like layers of clouds.
Only when you get close can you see what a sea of clouds it is, swirling and turning, vast and mighty, yet the center of the eye of the storm is very empty, showing a thin circle. Looking up at it is like peering into a quiet and deep eye!
Lin Feiran suddenly felt dizzy and staggered. She immediately raised her hand to form a hand seal and touched her forehead. After her mind cleared, she flew upwards again.
What I saw became cold and gloomy, everything was gray, and my mood seemed to be affected as well, becoming inexplicably heavy.
Further on, suddenly there was no sound in her ears. The world was completely silent, with only her alone. An endless desolation pressed down on her, making people hesitate to go any further.
Within the snow clouds, there was only emptiness.
Lin Feiran opened her eyes slightly and looked around in surprise. As far as she could see, there was only the midday sun connecting with the white clouds, casting a golden glow on the sea of clouds. The gray clouds from before had disappeared, the snow had vanished, and even the oppressive feeling in her heart had disappeared without a trace.
That mass of gray clouds, resembling a collapsing mountain, seemed to be merely her illusion.
Lin Feiran immediately flew down on his sword. When he was a few feet away from the sky, the same gray clouds and falling snow reappeared, covering the sky like a dark cloud.
Sharp snowflakes grazed the back of my hand, extremely cold.
She looked down, her mind filled with only one utterly absurd guess.
The cold and gloom were real, but the clouds and snow above the sky were nothing but illusions.
Returning to the corridor on his sword, Lin Feiran looked once more at the overturned shadows and asked, "Grandmaster, what you see is not snow and clouds, and even what's floating on the sea isn't frozen ice, is it?"
The Golden Wave Sword Spirit did not speak, only letting out a brief sigh.
The grandmaster glanced at her, his clear eyes holding a rare seriousness: "There is no snow here, nor clouds. But the fact that you can see through nothingness now means that before long, you may also be able to see the true nature of things."
How many people cannot even see through the illusion?
The grandmaster placed his hand on Lin Feiran's right shoulder, his voice soft and seemingly tinged with confusion.
"Sometimes, I also wonder if it was the right choice to entrust the Iron Khitan Book to a child as young as you."
Those who are chosen are destined for hardship, turmoil, and extraordinary achievements, because only such people can 'see' them. But who wouldn't want a fulfilling life?
You're a good child, and sometimes, I feel bad for you.
Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly as he looked down at the iron Khitan book in his hand. The book, cast in stone, was extremely rough, and when he turned the pages, not a single word could be seen.
"There's no need to feel sorry for me; taking it on is my choice. I've said before that if my life is destined to be full of hardships, I will accept it gladly. With a resilient heart, there is no road that is not smooth."
The Grandmaster laughed heartily: "So, I just sometimes think that you are capable of handling this Iron Khitan Book. If I had met you before I passed away, I would have definitely taken you as my first disciple!"
Lin Feiran looked at the sea of clouds, and his originally solemn brows relaxed: "Grandmaster is joking. When I became a disciple of Daohe Palace, I realized that I had some connection with you."
The grandmaster paused, remembering how the Mad Taoist had revealed the reason for Lin Feiran's descent from the mountain back in the Sacred Valley. He couldn't help but feel saddened and didn't know how to speak for a moment.
Just then, Mingyue's voice suddenly came from below, her tone urgent: "Feiran, Xuanzhen is back, but she's badly injured!"
Lin Feiran frowned slightly, immediately shouldered the Golden Ripples Umbrella, and leaped out from the high building. Her grandmaster immediately withdrew into the Dan Shu, and the sword spirit also transformed into a stream of light and followed her. When she landed, she was all alone.
She took a few steps forward, pushed open the door, and saw Xuanzhen sitting at the round table, with Zeyu applying medicine to him. Several bloodstains were visible in his pale yellow robe, and his chestnut ponytail, which had been tied up, was half loose, making him look somewhat disheveled.
"You've arrived?"
He turned his head and saw Lin Feiran. Although he still had a smile on his face, it was not as relaxed as before.
Fortunately, it wasn't a fatal injury. Lin Feiran breathed a slight sigh of relief, took out a few pills from his storage pouch and handed them over, asking, "You were investigating the Secret Sect earlier, did you fight with them?"
Xuanzhen took the pill and swallowed it. Her slightly round eyes looked over, and she shook her head and nodded repeatedly before recounting the whole story.
"At first I waited for you before the banquet, but the fragrance of the flowers was too strong, so I went a little further away to inquire about the secret teachings."
Strangely enough, according to their rumors, about half a month ago, all the secret cult strongholds in the south were set up and hidden, and they never appeared again. All the middle and lower-level believers were sent out and are now unable to return to the cult.
Curiosity got the better of me, so I sneaked out to peek. I saw them dressed in the white robes of a Tantric sect, moving through the streets like lightning, seemingly searching for something. At that moment, I realized they had also joined the Tantric sect, so I simply followed them.
The Greyhound family is renowned for its speed; when they are on patrol, they are like a bolt of lightning that rolls past and disappears in an instant.
Xuan Zhen was truly astonished, and also wanted to investigate the movements of the esoteric sects, so he hurriedly returned to the gate, left a brief message with the two attendants, and immediately set off to investigate.
A group of people, searching for something at breakneck speed, scoured the area all night but found nothing. They then hurriedly sped northwest and arrived at a pavilion where two men were sitting.
One person wore a veil, while another collapsed on a stone bench.
Xuanzhen had good hearing. He only heard his clansmen say, "Even after setting up the array flags, we still couldn't find any trace of the spiritual vein," before the man covered in daggers noticed it.
"You wouldn't believe it, that person's skill level was extremely high. He just casually flicked a dagger and almost pierced my chest. Luckily, his aim was off, and I managed to escape! But those clansmen caught wind of it and came after me. I couldn't shake them off, so I had to fight them and got injured in the process."
Xuanzhen patted her chest in lingering fear.
"But that person looks familiar, I think I've seen him before."
After listening to what Xuanzhen said, Lin Feiran had a vague guess in her mind.
She didn't know why the esoteric sect had hidden its stronghold, but perhaps sending out all its followers was to search for the spiritual vein in her body.
Yes, that's why they entered the pilgrimage valley in the first place. They must have gone back to search for it later and found that the spiritual vein was no longer in the valley, which is why they mobilized their followers to search for it.
As for the two people Xuanzhen mentioned, they should be Chiya and the man who infiltrated the Demon Capital and rescued Chiya.
In a flash, Lin Feiran thought of many things. She carefully examined Xuanzhen's injuries and then confirmed: "The man you saw was the one who caused a ruckus during the Night Tour. However, he had paint on his face at the time, so you didn't recognize him at first."
Only his dagger could have made such a wide-at-the-top, narrow-at-the-bottom cut.
Xuanzhen looked at the wound, her eyes widening: "So it was him! Could it be that the person who infiltrated the prison and rescued him was that other person? They're actually members of the Secret Cult!"
Lin Feiran nodded, but then felt something was off: "I've fought him before, his aim can't be that bad."
She immediately searched his body and, just before Xuanzhen was about to burst out laughing, she found a magic seal on the back of his neck.
Ze Yu, standing to the side, looked at it and his expression changed drastically: "This looks like the tracking mark of the fox clan. It is not easily drawn outside. Could it be that the fox clan has also joined the secret sect?"
Lin Feiran's expression turned grave, and he decisively said, "We can't continue this investigation. We must return to Yaodu immediately!"
Whether for their own safety, to avoid causing trouble for the Merfolk, or for the sake of the vital spiritual vein in the mustard seed bag, they could not stay in the Boundary Sea for long.
Xuanzhen naturally understood. He snatched the elixir from Zeyu's hand, tidied his disheveled hair, and stood up, saying, "Give me the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. We'll go back immediately after that."
Lin Feiran nodded: "You apply the medicine first, I'll wait for you in the outer room."
After saying that, the three of them went out of the house together. Mingyue looked worried: "What you just said was that they will catch up soon? Stay here, we can protect you."
Ze Yu agreed, saying, "Even if they are members of the esoteric sect, we sea people will not be afraid."
Lin Feiran shook his head again: "We know nothing about the current state of the Secret Sect or how many people are involved. You don't need to make enemies over this. Besides, the matter in the south is over, and we don't need to stay here any longer."
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Mingyue stopped trying to persuade her and instead pulled Zeyu along, saying, "Since that's the case, let Zeyu take you back again. We'll be traveling by water anyway, so they won't be able to catch up."
Lin Feiran nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
Just as the three were talking, the sea not far away suddenly trembled, with layers of white foam, many fish swimming belly up on the surface, and several long-tailed merfolk leaped out of the sea and rushed toward them.
Zeyu immediately asked, "What happened underwater?"
The man said urgently, "Young Master, the Spirit Well is covered by something, and we have tried our best but we cannot uncover it. Now the spirit spring is not flowing out. Please go to the sea to help us!"
"How could the Well of Spiritual Essence possibly be..."
Ze Yu paused here, as if remembering something, and immediately turned to look at Lin Feiran with a troubled expression.
Lin Feiran replied, "The affairs of the clan are of utmost importance."
Ze Yu pursed his lips, weighed the options in his mind for a moment, and then said, "It's not close from here to the Demon Capital. It's just that no one in the clan can swim faster than me. Either I can find two of the fastest clansmen to take you away, or you can wait for me for an hour."
Without much hesitation, Lin Feiran immediately asked, "Are they faster, or is flying on a sword faster?"
Ze Yu pondered for a moment: "If it were me, I would definitely be faster than you in flying on your swords. But if it were someone else, and this trip is against the current, then it's hard to say."
"That……"
"Then I will lead the way."
The door to the side room was opened, revealing Xuanzhen's handsome and youthful face.
He smiled, revealing half a canine tooth: "The Greyhound clan has the power to chase clouds and the moon. If my clansmen were to come looking for us, their sword-wielding skills wouldn't be as fast as theirs."
Lin Feiran lowered his eyes and pondered. Right now, a group of people were chasing after them, and Chi Ya was also present. They would fight recklessly. The Merfolk had already helped too much, and it was impossible to involve them.
With outnumbered, she and Xuanzhen had little chance of winning and had to rush back to the Demon Capital immediately. Of the three routes—land, sea, and air—land travel was indeed the fastest.
"Okay." Lin Feiran nodded. "I will do my best to keep up with you."
Xuanzhen had changed into a light yellow outfit, her ponytail hanging down to her shoulders, her sleeves wrapped with silver iron, her boots fitting snugly, and a short horizontal sword about an arm's length tucked into her waistband. Her attire was no different from usual.
He lifted his leg and twisted his waist, securing the short horizontal sword tightly, and laughed.
"Don't be afraid. Besides being fast, I'm not really good at anything. If you have to worry about even this, wouldn't I be too useless? I'll take you back!"
Lin Feiran looked at him and said seriously, "Who says speed is useless? Just like my sword, when it is fast enough, no one can catch it, so even ordinary slashes are invincible."
Xuan Zhen was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "I'm not as sharp as a sword. Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually quite timid."
Lin Feiran shook her head, but now was clearly not the time to talk, so she turned around and said goodbye to Mingyue and Zeyu.
Xuanzhen laughed and said, "I'll come visit you guys again later!"
Then, under Mingyue's reluctant gaze, Xuanzhen grasped Lin Feiran's arm, and like a bolt of lightning that vanished in an instant, the two disappeared without a trace, leaving only an arc of light.
The Thunder Strike Technique used by Xuan Zhen is actually a bloodline secret technique of the Greyhound Clan. Lin Feiran had learned it from him, but she was human after all and did not have the foundation and spiritual support of such a clan. In the end, she only grasped the form but not the spirit.
Now, being carried by Xuanzhen through the thunder, he truly felt what it meant to travel at lightning speed, covering dozens of miles in an instant.
"How is it?" Xuanzhen even managed to ask her, "I've been studying that book on thunder magic you gave me all day long, and it's really been effective!"
Lin Feiran followed him, landing on the stone top one moment and lightly touching the treetop the next. The two were almost instantaneous. If she hadn't reacted quickly, she probably would have been dragged along by Xuanzhen. Right now, she still had to dodge and answer.
"It's good that it's useful. I have a few more books on lightning techniques, I'll give them to you later."
“Alright!” Xuanzhen said, his face showing no sign of gloom even though the two of them were being chased.
While focusing on the magic seal behind his neck, Lin Feiran asked, "You didn't grow up in the clan, so how did you learn this lightning-based technique?"
Xuan Zhen's eyes crinkled into a smile as she said, "Bloodline secret techniques, of course you'll learn them just by running!"
"So simple?" Lin Feiran exclaimed again, "Why don't humans have any secret techniques?"
Xuanzhen turned her head to look, her chestnut ponytail swaying wildly in the wind, but her eyes were very serious: "But there are many wise people among the human race. For example, language. In fact, the demon race also has ancient languages, but today everyone speaks human language because it is more effective in expressing emotions than the ancient language of the demon race."
Humans are quite powerful too.
Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran asked, "Do you understand the ancient language of the demon race?"
Xuanzhen nodded, somewhat regretfully, and said, "When I was homeless and begging before, I would often meet many old people who spoke ancient sayings, but I could only listen, not speak them."
"Do all the demons speak the same ancient language?" Lin Feiran pressed.
Lin Feiran pursed her lips, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I think I've heard an ancient saying before, but I don't know what it means."
Xuanzhen chuckled: "Ask away, Xuanzhen will answer your questions!"
Lin Feiran naturally wanted to ask about the phrase Ru Xian often used to call her. Although he had once said that it was not an ancient word of the demon race, she still couldn't help but confirm it.
She pronounced those three sounds somewhat stiffly, unlike Ru Xian's rhythmic delivery.
"What Mo?" Xuanzhen repeated twice, still completely confused. "I've never heard of this phrase before, but it shouldn't be an ancient term used by the demon race."
"Are you sure?" Lin Feiran was still somewhat unwilling to give up.
Xuanzhen nodded: "The ancient language of the demon race is short and concise, unlike the complicated language of the human race, and it has no such rhyme."
Lin Feiran was even more confused. Ru Xian had also grown up in the demon realm. If she didn't speak the ancient language of the demon race or human language, what other language could she use?
While they were pondering this in their minds, the magic seal on the back of Xuanzhen's neck seemed to dissipate. The two were immediately startled and rushed forward!
The fox clan's tracking seal is extraordinary; not only is it difficult to remove, but the closer one gets, the fainter the mark becomes. Now that it's almost dissipating, it means the person searching is right behind them.
Without even turning around, they could hear the faint sound of electricity crackling in the wind.
"So fast!" Lin Feiran exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course!"
A mocking laugh suddenly came from beside her, and she immediately turned her head to look, only to unexpectedly meet a pair of cold eyes.
"Lord Xuanzhen has never been to the clan and has not received the inheritance, so how could he possibly master this Thunder Movement Technique? He is merely imitating without understanding!"
At the same time, a short horizontal sword slashed past with a clang. The cold blade collided with the horizontal sword, and the two struggled against each other. In the end, the sword narrowly won and pushed the sword back, but the two of them slowed down as a result.
In the blink of an eye, the Greyhound Clan members who were originally behind them rushed in front of them and surrounded the two of them.
Xuanzhen's expression froze slightly, and she had no choice but to stop.
He looked across at the other side, his expression revealing a calmness and indifference he had never seen before.
He twirled the short horizontal sword in his palm, then gripped it firmly and placed it in front of Lin Feiran.
The person opposite him couldn't help but sneer: "Now that you've become an envoy, you really think we can't touch you? Back in the Demon Capital, you had people protecting you, but now in the south, within the territory of the Greyhound Clan, do you think you can defeat anyone?"
Xuanzhen remained silent, her hand still raised.
Lin Feiran glanced at him quietly without stopping him, then looked to the back. On the desolate plain, a person was carrying a battle flag, his daggers clanging, his face unruly.
Red Fang.
Lin Feiran recognized him at a glance.
But she only stared at it for a moment before looking away, then focused all her attention on the earthen-yellow banner.
She remembered what Xuanzhen had just said: this array flag was used to explore the location of spiritual veins.
Lin Feiran calmly withdrew his gaze, slowly drew his Golden Wave Sword, and then the umbrella opened wide, spinning and rising upwards.
Sand and stones flew across the plains, and glints of light flowed between the two sides, ready to erupt at any moment.
...
Within the city of demons, all was still peaceful.
Qiu Tong has spent almost all her time practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard these past few days, sometimes for the entire day. Wei Changzai, on the other hand, only practices for an hour after getting up in the morning before returning to her room to cultivate in seclusion.
I heard that he is about to break through to a higher realm.
The two lived under the same roof, but could only meet for one hour each day when they practiced swordsmanship. Qiu Tong felt a mix of emotions, but she had no time to think about it.
Just a few days ago, her mother and older sister sent her a letter informing her of the plans in the letter.
At that time, she could hardly believe it.
They actually planned to join forces to cripple their father's cultivation and support their eldest sister to ascend the throne of Qingqiu!
Regardless of how rebellious this action was, given the father's level of power, even if everyone worked together, it would be difficult to pull him off his horse.
Qiu Tong felt extremely anxious, firstly because she couldn't contribute, and secondly because she actually wanted to contribute!
Their father was an insurmountable mountain to them, but now they actually wanted to flatten the mountain and make him collapse!
However, his current actions, whether it is recklessly driving his children around and disregarding their lives, or joining the esoteric religion alone and offering the fox clan as a sacrifice, have already disqualified him. It is not inappropriate to remove him from his position by extraordinary means.
Moreover, his identity is a mystery; the purpose is merely to restrain him, not to take his life.
As Qiu Tong wielded her sword, a sense of detachment and calmness welled up within her. In the end, with a single stroke, all the flowers and plants in the courtyard fell to the ground.
She stopped, unable to stop thinking about her past life.
If we control the King, how will we suppress the fox clan's rebellion when it breaks out?
"..."
She looked up at the tightly closed doors and windows; Wei Changzai was in seclusion inside the room.
In his previous life, he successfully broke through to the next realm before the chaos of the fox clan, even entering the third realm, leaping from the Questioning Heart to the Free and Unfettered Realm. Afterwards, he went with her to the fox clan to stop the riot.
If he were to do the same now and advance to the Free and Unfettered Realm, would he still be willing to accompany her?
Just as she was hesitating, a paper fox suddenly flew in from outside the courtyard. Qiu Tong's eyes lit up, and she immediately reached out to catch it, lifting her skirt as she returned to her room.
After setting up a soundproof array, she released the paper fox. The next moment, the letter gradually burned, and the hoarse voice of the older sister came from it.
"Qiu Tong, we have lost. Don't go back to Qingqiu... King Qingping planned this all along. Yesterday, he gathered many tribes and headed towards the Demon Capital. The Demon Capital, Lan City, may be thrown into chaos. Leave the Demon Capital immediately and return to the human realm..."
Qiu Tong paused, staring blankly at the paper fox that was half burned, which still smiled slyly. However, on its back, near the fox's tail, there were a few tiny red spots.
That was Qingyao's blood.
A chill ran silently down her face. Qiu Tong immediately put down the Tai'a sword, her eyes slightly red, and eagerly pulled out the communication jade token from her storage pouch.
Lin Feiran... Lin Feiran...
Author's Note: This volume is almost finished. Happy belated New Year! Sending you love!
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