Chapter 91 The Cruel Truth (Part 1)
In the deep darkness of night, the branches rustled. Occasionally, the howl of wolves and the low moans of wild beasts echoed through the endless forest.
Two people dressed in black robes swept through the tangled, tall, withered branches and landed one after the other.
The snow seemed to have stopped, but drops of water lingered on the leaves. Lin Chengye was momentarily dazed, as if it had started raining again. She raised her hand to wipe the water from her eyelashes and whispered.
"It's much more desolate here than I imagined."
Wei Jingchen exhaled a puff of white mist and rubbed her frozen hands. Her internal energy was simply not enough for such a rapid ascent, leaping across rooftops. Lin Chengye had even transferred some of his internal energy to her midway through, leaving her no time to spare even a fraction of it for warmth.
There was not a single light on the street, nor a soul in sight. It was supposed to be the day the dragon raises its head, yet there was no sign of any lively sacrificial activities left behind, as if the place had been frozen in time, leaving rows of houses to crumble in the wind and rain.
Lin Chengye and Wei Jingchen continued forward, crunching through the thin snow beneath their feet. They didn't actually know where Qingluan Medicine Valley was, but they seemed to sense something, and together they walked towards the towering Linjun Mountain before them.
Despite its grand name, it appears silent and lifeless from afar, almost like a lonely grave, more eerie than the night itself.
"That's strange. Where is that Divine Doctor Bian? I thought she would have been waiting here long ago."
They walked until they reached the foot of the mountain, where a long stone staircase appeared before them, rising straight into the clouds. Wei Jingchen frowned and asked.
"Is this the entrance to the Azure Phoenix Valley?"
"……I have no idea."
Lin Chengye, who had been silent for a long time, squatted down and reached out to sweep away the thin layer of snow. The stone steps below were covered with deep and shallow engravings. These were not caused by people walking on them for many years. The engravings were sharp, varied in shape and depth, and must have been left by the blind swords and blades in the chaos of battle.
Lin Chengye didn't use any martial arts techniques; he simply used his inner strength to shake the snow off the stone steps. Wei Jingchen's eyes widened instantly. Under the bright moonlight, she saw that the stone steps leading to the mountaintop were broken and shattered, with weapon marks flowing like a river from the top to her feet. Through this, Wei Jingchen seemed to glimpse the fierce battle that had taken place when Qingluan Medicine Valley was destroyed.
Lin Chengye's gaze was deep, and she gently pursed her lips. She waited for a while, but there was still silence. Suddenly, Lin Chengye grabbed the front of her clothes, and for some reason, a strong palpitation had passed through her heart just now, and she whispered.
“I also possess the inner strength of spring breeze and gentle rain within me, which I didn’t conceal just now. If Bian Yi were here, she would definitely be able to sense it. But… Bian Yi should not be here.”
But where could Bian Yi go? She had no relatives or friends in Lai Kingdom, and Qin Ruoliu was always watching her, so where did she go?
"Never mind then, someone this big probably got bored and went somewhere else."
Wei Jingchen stepped onto the stone steps first, and Lin Chengye, though flustered, followed. The two, one after the other, were quickly swallowed up by the vast expanse of Mount Linjun.
Lin Chengye didn't know what she was looking for. Her gaze swept over every place, but the sect had long since turned to ashes. Flames had almost destroyed everything, and new vegetation had already grown back. The mountain showed no trace of what it had been twenty years ago. Wei Jingchen was even more clueless and could only follow her blankly.
“…Midas turns stone into gold.”
Lin Chengye suddenly gripped the Yin-Yang Twin Spring Swords at her waist. Instantly, the swords emitted a series of humming sounds, and the fiery and powerful Pure Yang technique of "Turning Stone into Gold" instantly replaced her usual gentler "Spring Breeze and Rain" technique.
When Wei Jingchen saw Lin Chengye release all of his sixth level of internal energy for the first time, she realized that his strength had increased to such a level. It was completely different from Wei Jingrui and hers, who were able to improve their strength with the help of elixirs from time to time. His strength was extremely solid and powerful, and for a moment she was so suppressed that she could hardly breathe.
"Come closer to me."
Seeing Wei Jingchen's pale face, Lin Chengye reached out to her and pulled her to his side without saying a word.
She doesn't have the energy to take care of Wei Jingchen right now, and the difference in their cultivation levels is too great now, so he might accidentally hurt her.
"Why are you releasing your internal energy like that? Won't you be easily discovered?" Wei Jingchen said in a low voice.
"Turning stone into gold and ironware will resonate to some extent. I just realized that this could be used for exploration."
After all, fire cannot burn away all ironware; there will always be traces to follow.
"There must be countless weapons buried underground, how will you find a useful one..."
Wei Jingchen almost wanted to yell at her for wasting her inner strength. He already thought it was too extravagant to see her use her inner strength to dry her hair.
"So the most important thing for you right now is to stay quiet."
Lin Chengye held up one finger. She truly had no intention of arguing; her unease hadn't lessened in the slightest. She had thought that if Bian Yi were here, a simple meeting would be enough to ease her anxiety, but now it felt like a ghost was knocking on her coffin, and she was crying out to heaven in vain, growing increasingly uneasy.
"put……"
Wei Jingchen was so angry that he turned his head to curse, but when he saw that Lin Chengye's angular profile was devoid of any smile, he secretly swallowed the word "insolence" and silently moved closer to Lin Chengye.
The whistling wind cutting through the cracks in the rocks, the cries of birds, and the clatter of dry branches against the snow all echoed in Lin Chengye's ears.
In fact, Wei Jingchen was right. Lin Chengye's pupils were almost unfocused, his five senses were stretched to their limits, the sounds in the world were so chaotic, and even more difficult to distinguish were the countless broken blades buried in the ground, densely packed, like graves, proof that a tragedy had once taken place here.
Driven by instinct, Lin Chengye climbed the stone steps one by one, heading towards the higher peak. The higher she went, the more broken blades appeared. The cold wind blew through Lin Chengye's hair, seemingly seeping into every bone of her body.
This is not Linjun Mountain at all; it is clearly the burial ground of the entire Qingluan Medicine Valley.
Suddenly, Lin Chengye's body stiffened.
"Ouch..."
She stopped so suddenly that Wei Jingchen was caught off guard and crashed solidly into Lin Chengye's protruding shoulder blade.
"You do it..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chengye had already drawn his sword and slashed a gust of wind to the left, cutting down the withered branches blocking their path, and dragged Wei Jingchen towards the pathless hillside.
After running for about a mile, Lin Chengye stopped, put Wei Jingchen down, pointed to the spot where she was standing, and said succinctly.
"dig."
Lin Chengye ignored whether Wei Jingchen made a move or not, and drew his two Yin-Yang Twin Spring Swords, wielding them left and right.
"snort."
Wei Jingchen snorted coldly and drew her sword from her waist. But the moment she plunged it into the ground, she couldn't help but say something.
"It's really a waste to use my Lan Chen Sword for something like this."
"Then what wouldn't be a waste? Kill someone?" Lin Chengye didn't even look up, his two swords constantly digging into the dirt, getting all filthy, but he didn't care.
"If I could, I would prefer these two swords to carry my luggage instead of drawing blood."
As Lin Chengye plunged the sword deep into the ground once more, a loud, teeth-grinding scraping sound suddenly rang out. It seemed he had struck something.
"That's it."
Lin Chengye sheathed his sword, then squatted down and dug out the thing buried underground with his bare hands, digging through the cold, frozen soil.
Wei Jingchen then realized that the thing looked very strange and was definitely not a broken blade.
It was an iron nail at least as thick as a human arm, probably made of the finest black iron, and it still looked brand new even now.
Lin Chengye pulled hard, and the gleaming silver nail was pulled out by the roots. With a clattering sound, a thick iron chain, fused together with the nail and molten iron, was also pulled out. It looked very peculiar. The iron chain, which was buried deep in the ground, was not completely pulled out and continued to extend towards the northeast and northwest.
Lin Chengye's pupils contracted sharply, and his expression became extremely complex. His hand, gripping the iron nail, even trembled slightly.
She had seen such a design in the secret scrolls of the Hundred-Faced Tower of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect.
“…What is this?” Wei Jingchen asked.
"The Ninth Yellow Springs Formation. It is... one of the secret techniques of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect."
It is also the last of the nine-layered formations, buried underground, making it extremely difficult to detect; it is the killing formation among killing formations.
The complete formation is square, with four iron nails as thick as an arm stuck at the four corners, and then connected by iron chains, which are connected to the array eye in the very center of the formation.
Within the iron chains are hidden millions of black iron wires. Once the array's core is activated, the fine wires will unleash a constantly changing, all-encompassing net of death, severing everything in their path.
Lin Chengye suddenly stood up.
"If I'm not mistaken, the key point of the formation is five miles due north."
To the due north was the stone staircase they were following that led upwards. Lin Chengye dared not breathe, but an extremely absurd guess gradually formed in her mind. However, at that moment, she dared not continue to think about it.
After walking about five miles, Lin Chengye's feet touched the ground just as she reached the top of Linjun Mountain. In front of her was a huge rock.
The words "Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley" were engraved on the rock, along with...
"Saving the world comes first, gold and silver are secondary. Beggars share the same bed with kings and nobles. I bear the responsibility for the people's weeping, and I am happy for their laughter. The medicine bag in my hand is only for healing the wounded and sick. The path of the martial world is treacherous, and life and death are in the hands of fate. If I betray my sect, may heaven and earth punish me..."
Wei Jingchen read it out slowly, then couldn't help but sigh softly.
"...It's very well written."
Lin Chengye was in a state of confusion. She took a deep breath, whispered an apology, and suddenly struck out with her palm, knocking the stone tablet to the ground.
"what you do……"
Wei Jingchen was startled by the wind generated by the sudden collapse of the boulder. The next moment, she stared in astonishment at the crater that had formed on the spot, revealing a piece of black iron almost as large as the stone tablet. The iron chains binding it extended in all directions, like a net, ensnaring the entire Qingluan Medicine Valley.
"This is the core of the formation."
Lin Chengye stared at the gleaming black iron, her blood almost freezing. She heard her own voice echoing in the air, as stiff as a rusty hinge.
"Mechanism arrays are different from other martial arts; they can't be set up in an instant. Instead, they require a long period of time, being created little by little and then set up step by step..."
If they weren't deeply trusted disciples of the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley, how could they have laid out such a killing formation day after day, year after year, right under Chen Shudong's nose, and under the nose of the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley Master who was once so powerful?
She couldn't make a sound, and she knew that perfectly well.
"You mean..."
This question seemed easy to answer to her. Wei Jingchen didn't understand why he suddenly fell silent, so she took over the conversation and said...
"Is there a traitor within this sect?"
Wei Jingchen clicked his tongue.
"Human hearts are truly unpredictable. What deep-seated hatred could drive someone to scheme against their own sect like this?"
Why did Qin Ruoliu know the method to become a half-immortal? Why was Chen Shudong so powerful? Why did Qingluan Medicine Valley, once the number one sect in the martial arts world, collapse so easily overnight?
Lin Chengye's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly, his nails digging deep into the soft flesh of his palms. She had never heard Wei Yun'e's mother, who had followed him for many years, mention that he had been to Southern Qi, let alone possess any mechanical skills.
...It's likely that Bian Yi and Wei Yun'e weren't the only ones left that night.
There must be another person, just like her, who appears to have died in front of the world, even deceiving Bian Yi, yet still lives in this world, only with a different name and identity.
Changed name? Changed identity?
Suddenly, Lin Chengye's mind went blank. She suddenly remembered something extremely small, a strange thing that had always existed in her memory. She slowly turned her head and stared intently at Wei Jingchen.
Actually, if you're not facing the sunlight, the amber and black colors aren't that distinct.
Wei Jingchen felt her scalp tingle under Lin Chengye's gaze. His eyes were extremely offensive, as if he were scrutinizing a criminal or an enemy. She even felt a chill run down her spine.
"do what?"
"Your eyes, the eyes of all people with the surname Wei... are they all this color?"
Before Wei Jingchen could respond, Lin Chengye spoke again, but she could no longer even see Wei Jingchen's appearance clearly. Her memory was pulled back to when she first met "Wei Yunmo" at Yongfo Temple, and saw a pair of dark, lifeless eyes peeking out from the gap in the golden gauze.
"Have you ever noticed what color Wei Yunmo's... no, I mean the current Princess's eyes are?"
Author's Note: I've finally gotten this far! The secret is almost revealed, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. [Yuanbao]
Thank you for the nutrient solution, babies!
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