Chapter 49
That day, the sky suddenly darkened, and a dense, dark cloud of cultivators surged toward the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect. The people of the mortal realm looked up, their eyes wide with astonishment.
The first to notice this anomaly were the disciples guarding the mountain. Soon, the news spread throughout the entire sect. All the elders gathered, and all the disciples were summoned. They watched as the dark, ominous "cloud" drew ever closer, closing in on the mountain gate. It was clear that this was no benevolent force.
The disciples were in a state of restlessness, and the elders urgently ordered everyone to perform their duties and sound the alarm.
They set up formations and erected defensive barriers... preparing for battle.
However, Chu Xianyue was nowhere to be seen at this moment.
I couldn't see him anywhere, nor Xie Wen.
At this critical moment, Shen Lizhi searched everywhere for Xie Wen, but there was no sign of him!
Standing in the center of this chaotic vortex, Yun Yan felt a strong sense of unease. Without the elders calling him, Yun Yan ran to Fei Ying Pavilion to find Chu Xianyue and Xie Wen, only to find two empty shells.
Yun Yan looked at the two flower-shaped marks left on the table. The Flying Flower Technique allowed one to attach their divine sense to flowers and plants without leaving a trace. However, this was also the most dangerous time. Divine sense had no power to resist; if discovered, one would be completely at the mercy of the opponent.
Yun Yan took a deep breath. No way!
Yun Yan was certain that Chu Xianyue would be alright, given how powerful his master was. Relieved, Yun Yan believed that his master was indeed that powerful in his heart.
Yun Yan calmed himself and walked out of Feiying Pavilion. He pondered how to tell the elders. In this situation, he couldn't directly tell the disciples that Chu Xianyue might be in danger. He couldn't let their hearts be thrown into turmoil.
If the sect is relying on Chu Xianyue, the only thing they can do now is to do their best to hold on until Chu Xianyue and Xie Wen return.
Yun Yan told the elders the truth, and their expressions visibly changed. In other words, Chu Xianyue might not be able to return.
In the past, they would never have been afraid of this battle.
However, in recent years, in order to protect the barrier behind the mountain, they have indeed spent a lot of magical artifacts and spiritual power, and the overall level of the sect has weakened. Moreover, this time, the sect's pillar, Chu Xianyue, is gone.
He is still missing, and if his consciousness doesn't return, a cultivator's consciousness is equivalent to an ordinary person's soul. If the soul is gone, wouldn't he become a walking corpse?
Shen Lizhi searched the entire sect but couldn't find Xie Wen. She could only pull Yun Yan aside and ask, "Yun Yan, do you know where A-Wen is? Where did she go?"
Yun Yan looked at Shen Lizhi and sighed deeply, seemingly filled with helplessness. He no longer had his former arrogance and pride, nor did he have the energy to argue or quarrel with Shen Lizhi.
He simply looked up at the distant horizon.
The alarm bells drifted from the mountain gate on the horizon, their deep wailing sweeping across the land, as if striking the hearts of everyone present. The group of blue-robed disciples looked back at the horizon; the people from Kunlun Ruins had already invaded the boundary of the restriction. Soon after, the restriction began to tremble, and the ground of the Sword Sect also began to shake faintly.
The leader of Kunlun Ruins was an elder, known as Daoist Zhenxi, whose real name was Xuanxi. Beside him, a man with a cold and aloof demeanor, looking down upon all living beings, was Pei Xuan.
When Yun Yan and Chi Yufei and the others saw this person standing there, they widened their eyes in shock. Some disciples who had seen Pei Xuan before also recognized him, "What's that kid Pei Xuan doing there!"
"How could it be him!"
As the crowd recovered from their astonishment, a barrage of angry curses erupted, each one pounding on Pei Xuan with a resounding thud: "Traitor! You traitor!"
"You ingrate! Our Sword Sect kindly took you in, and you actually did such a thing?"
Pei Xuan seemed to ignore it, and simply led some disciples to make way for something. A huge, cyan creature flew over leisurely and slowly approached the barrier.
It is a great demon sealed away a hundred years ago, a bluebird with a phoenix head and golden crown, blue feathers and white claws, its tail feathers held high, and its long, fluffy tail trailing in a graceful arc.
It lazily blinked, flapped its wings, and a strong wind swept through the area for miles around. It looked at the tiny people below as if they were ants.
The barrier was violently struck by the bluebird, causing it to shake violently and almost collapse. This barrier of the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect was set up decades ago, but because the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect had been at the height of its power and had always enjoyed smooth sailing, being revered by everyone in the Immortal Capital, it had never encountered such a situation before.
Having enjoyed too much comfort for so long, when faced with real combat, they hadn't yet snapped out of their cozy reverie. As a result, they failed to maintain vigilance at the beginning and fell into a disadvantageous position.
The restrictive barrier that had enveloped the entire Sword Sect was completely broken in less than a quarter of an hour. The barrier shattered and dissipated, and a large number of Kunlun Ruins disciples poured in, mingling chaotically with the Sword Sect disciples and fighting fiercely.
It's likely that the ancient ancestor who created the world a thousand years ago could never have imagined that after he completely separated the underworld from the immortal capital of the human realm, the immortal capital, now free of evil spirits, would once again see mountains of corpses and seas of blood, endless smoke and fire, just like it did a thousand years ago.
The founding patriarch of the Tianyan Sword Sect probably never imagined that the sect would spend so many years guarding the Netherworld Pass, expending so much time and effort, only to find that it was all thankless work.
Everyone comfortably enjoyed the benefits and conveniences brought by the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect's protection of the Netherworld Pass. In the end, they even blamed the Sword Sect, accusing them of being unworthy of their positions, receiving undeserved rewards, and being unworthy of their posts!
Now, the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect has become the center of a bloody storm. Even according to propriety, Kunlun Ruins has openly rebelled, which is intolerable to Heaven. However, knowing this, the other two great immortal leaders will not easily take action.
Judging from this posture, Kunlun Ruins is determined to destroy the Sword Sect this time. Among the immortal capitals, the four major immortal sects stand out, with the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect ranking first and Kunlun Ruins firmly in second place.
If even the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect couldn't defeat Kunlun Ruins, then the Huangqi Palace and Wuxiang Temple were even less likely to succeed. No one wanted to invite trouble by coming to the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect for help; that was impossible.
The four major immortal sects each occupy their own territory and rarely interact with each other, nor do they have any real relationship. They would never allow themselves to suffer such a great loss for the sake of the Sword Sect.
Yun Yan fought fiercely at the forefront, and Chi Yufei was equally matched. As for Shen Lizhi, Yun Yan had her find a place to hide, hoping to survive. Now, Yun Yan didn't know where Shen Lizhi had gone. However, it seemed she hadn't given up searching for Xie Wen.
The enormous bluebird charged ahead, wailing and howling, its wings flapping enough to send several people flying, leaving nothing but razed ground in its wake.
Hiding behind Sikong Ye, Sikong Mingxue whispered with tears in her eyes, "What should we do? Father, will something really happen to our Sword Sect?"
Sikong Ye held Mingxue firmly, keeping a watchful eye on everything around him to prevent her from getting hurt. Sikong Ye said, "Mingxue, don't be afraid. With me here, no one can hurt you."
Sikong Mingxue didn't want to hold the Sword Sect back, and at this moment she began to blame herself for being so useless, unable even to protect herself. Just then, the blood of several disciples splattered onto Sikong Mingxue's face. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she trembled as she said, "Father, Mingxue doesn't want anything to happen to you!"
Sikong Ye smiled kindly: "Mingxue, I'm fine. Your father is here."
Pei Xuan charged forward expressionlessly, his strength far exceeding the facade he had projected within the Sword Sect. He was also far more powerful than Xie Yichun had imagined.
It still came to this.
The two men drew their swords at each other.
Even though Xie Yichun knew she was no match for Pei Xuan, as long as she was a member of the Sword Sect, she would risk her life to protect it! If anyone wanted to get past him, they would have to step over Xie Yichun's corpse!
Now, facing each other, all pretense has been laid bare, and Pei Xuan appears completely calm. Xie Yichun, however, shows no mercy.
No one knows what Pei Xuan's attitude towards Xie Yichun was from beginning to end. Perhaps he only regarded Xie Yichun as an object to be used, or perhaps he had genuine feelings for her during their time together.
However, none of that matters anymore.
Now they are on opposite sides of the enemy; it was impossible for them to stand together peacefully from the very beginning.
Pei Xuan realized that Xie Yichun had long seen through his true colors and knew that he had deliberately approached and used her. Therefore, Xie Yichun had been playing along with his act all along. He, however, remained completely unaware.
So it seems that Xie Wen and Chu Xianyue had already seen through him long ago.
"Ha!" Pei Xuan suddenly laughed as he exchanged blows with Xie Yichun.
Xie Yichun asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Pei Xuan said, "I underestimated you. The reputation of the Sword Sect is well-deserved, and the people of the Sword Sect are indeed not petty people."
Xie Yichun gave a surprised snort, "That's right, at least the people of our Sword Sect are upright and honest, and they won't use underhanded methods."
As they spoke, Xie Yichun's sword clashed with Pei Xuan's. Pei Xuan's domineering sword aura pressed down, and Xie Yichun parried with both hands. Their eyes met, and in Xie Yichun's eyes was an incomparably firm righteousness, a determination to kill Pei Xuan.
Pei Xuan felt as if he had been pricked by a needle, then chuckled softly, a pure laugh devoid of any sarcasm. He said, "I never truly understood you before." He had thought that a gentle woman like Xie Yichun could not possibly remain unmoved and heartbroken by past affections.
Now, Pei Xuan realized he had been wrong. Through her eyes, he saw only killing intent, an intense and unwavering killing intent. There was not a trace of lingering affection from the past.
This is Xie Yichun; she can be gentle as water, or she can pick up her sword and charge to the front to protect her sect.
She had feigned affection for him before, and perhaps there had been genuine feelings involved, but none of that mattered to Xie Yichun anymore. She could accept this false relationship, and she could also let it go with equanimity.
Pei Xuan had never truly seen through Xie Yichun, while Xie Yichun had always seen right through him.
How ridiculous.
He and she had once shared a relationship, and Pei Xuan didn't want to really kill her.
Xie Yichun's seemingly determined-to-fight-to-the-death attitude put Pei Xuan in a difficult position. "I don't want to kill you. Get out of my way."
"But I want to kill you." Xie Yichun's voice was as gentle as ever, yet it made Pei Xuan's heart tremble.
Pei Xuan was helpless; Xie Yichun was no match for him. He had said he wouldn't kill her, and he meant it.
Xie Yichun pressed forward relentlessly, forcing Pei Xuan to dodge and grab more disciples to block her path. These disciples were no match for Xie Yichun; at least she wouldn't die.
Pei Xuan only wanted to stall Xie Yichun.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Sikong Ye led Sikong Mingxue into a secret passage beneath the plaza. From there, they could still see everything outside, and no one outside would notice her. "Mingxue, just stay here and don't move. Father will be back soon."
Sikong Mingxue burst into tears, sobbing, "Father, I don't want anything to happen to you."
Sikong Ye offered a few more words of comfort before rushing off to the front lines again. Sikong Mingxue knew that going out would only be a hindrance. She could only lie in the secret passage, covering her mouth, quietly shedding tears, watching the blood flow like a river in the square, heads flying off one after another.
She suddenly missed Xie Wen and Chu Xianyue terribly. If only they were here!
If only they were here!
The Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect member struggled, barely holding on to his last breath.
Yun Yan and Chi Yufei, covered in blood and grime, dragging their wounded bodies and swords, still held their ground.
Yun Yan shouted, "Don't be afraid! My master and Xie Wen will be back soon. We just need to hold on a little longer."
"Is it true?" "Senior brother, are you telling the truth?"
"Where did Immortal Venerable Qingheng go?" "And Senior Sister too."
Kunlun Xu Xuanxi seemed to have heard a joke and laughed loudly, "Your Immortal Venerable and Senior Sister's divine consciousness has probably turned into a pool of water, turning them into cripples, into walking corpses! They will never come back."
"You're talking nonsense!" Yun Yan roared, and he flew forward to fight the old man.
In the end, the Sword Sect had very few members left, and they had basically conceded defeat. Amidst the ruins and sea of blood, the remaining people watched as Yun Yan charged forward, only to be beaten to the brink of death by the old man Xuanxi, time and time again, and knocked down each time.
When Yun Yan was knocked down for the thirty-fourth time and got back up, Xuan Xi's eyes showed a hint of respect, and he said, "He has backbone. Why not join our Kunlun Ruins?"
Yun Yan spat out a mouthful of blood, his body swaying precariously, yet he still said, "I find it disgusting!"
Heh, Xuanxi had clearly run out of patience. He raised his hand, the sword light swirling in his palm, and unleashed a final blow on Yunyan.
Yun Yan slowly closed his eyes, but what he was thinking was, "Master, I didn't disgrace you."
At that moment! A soft sword pierced through from beyond the flying sky, knocking Xuanxi's sword away.
Everyone looked in the direction from which the flying sword had come, their faces displaying a variety of emotions.
"Everyone! Get ready to close the door and beat the dog!" The woman's resounding voice echoed.
It was Xie Wen, the senior sister. Following behind her was a large group of reinforcements, from Huangqi Palace and other minor sects.
Chu Xianyue, standing beside Xie Wen, was also impossible to ignore. His cold, deep eyes swept over the Sword Sect, now awash in blood.
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