Chapter 52
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A quarter of an hour ago.
Dai Mountain, fading away.
The golden ship hung silently in the air. Looking down from the side of the ship, the Dai Mountain mountain range was shrouded in immortal clouds, fading away like a distant city on the clouds.
With a crisp crack, the meticulously dressed body of Law Flower Immortal floated up from the black ice bed with a gentle movement, gently falling into the prepared golden coffin. Immediately, the layers of coffin boards emitted a slightly orderly vibration, closing tightly one by one, completely sealing his calm and pale countenance inside.
Ying Kai stood by the coffin, sighed sadly, and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll find an excuse to send you to Yanchuntai. I’ll find a way to bring back Gong Zhiyu, otherwise, sooner or later, it will be revealed. Ah, I don’t know how much suffering he has endured lately. I can see he’s gotten thin from hunger…”
Yuchi Rui was cracking walnuts with his teeth and asked suspiciously, “Really?”
However, in Ying Kai’s eyes, ever since Yuchi Rui and Gong Wei left Dai Mountain to grow up dozens of years ago, every time they came back, they both looked thin. One was tired and thin, and the other was hungry and thin. Later, Yuchi Rui and Gong Wei both felt that if they really lost weight at the frequency described by Ying Kai, they would have turned into two skeletons long ago.
Ying Kai became even more melancholy. “Sixteen years ago, Gong Zhiyu made a big mistake, which was my fault for not disciplining him strictly enough. After bringing him back this time, I must give him strict instructions and make him reflect in seclusion. He’s not allowed to come out for at least three to five years! And he’s not allowed to seek revenge on Shuangce!”
Yuchi Rui thought, him not being caught and killed by Xu Shuangce and then built into the wall of the Xuanji Palace would be great, as for revenge?
At this time, there was a knock on the door of the concealed corpse pavilion. Ying Kai, who was about to nag, immediately closed his mouth. Mu Duozhu pushed the door in and said politely, “Is Brother Ying alright? The disciples of Dai Mountain sent someone to invite, saying that the Ding Xian Ling has been cleaned up and is ready for burial.”
Ying Kai hurriedly saluted, and Mu Duozhu looked at him for a long time, asking concernedly, “Brother Ying, why have you lost weight in the past two days?”
“Puu!” Yuchi Rui couldn’t help but laugh, and the walnut almost went down his windpipe.
“…” Ying Kai touched his face helplessly and asked, “Really?”
But Mu Duozhu didn’t laugh. He frowned and said, “Brother Ying, your eyes are dark and swollen these past two days, your spirit is dim, and your vitality is dwindling. It seems that your primordial spirit has been greatly depleted. If there’s any discomfort, you should tell me as soon as possible, so I can prescribe medicine for you to recuperate.”
At this point, Ying Kai suddenly remembered something, but hesitated for a moment before saying, “The day the primordial spirit entered the illusion shown by the soldier puppet of Du Kaixun, at first, I didn’t feel anything, but later, I had restless dreams for two consecutive nights, often waking up startled. I always feel like I dreamed of something very important, but when I wake up, I can’t remember what I dreamed of… these past two days, I have indeed felt weak. It may be because I was too reckless back then.”
It was reckless for him to enter the illusion with his primordial spirit alone, so it was not surprising that there were some aftereffects. Mu Duozhu said, “In that case, Brother Ying, you might as well move first. Let me examine and treat you before you disembark, at least to ease your mind.”
Ying Kai habitually declined, “No need, no need, Brother Mu, you’re too kind. Chengfeng said that in this situation, resting for half a month is enough, so I…”
“Brother Ying, don’t worry about the diagnosis fee.”
Ying Kai thought he had misheard, “What?”
Mu Duozhu said seriously, “You can owe it for now.”
“…”
Ying Kai couldn’t help but laugh or cry. Just as he was about to say something, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the door of the concealed corpse pavilion. Then a disciple in purple rushed in, not even having time to bow one by one, and bowed directly, “There’s an urgent report from the Transmission Formation at Yanchuntai! The evil spirits of Linjiang City suddenly appeared and injured people. Lord Music Saint was confused by the Mirror Art and just killed his direct disciple Meng Yunfei with a sword!”
The three of them changed color at the same time. Mu Duozhu said, “What?!”
Ying Kai suddenly felt his primordial spirit tremble uncontrollably several times, as if an invisible force had clamped down on his soul, pulling it forcefully outward.
This feeling had occurred several times over the past few days, but none were as severe or obvious as now. However, he couldn’t spare a thought for the strangeness at the moment. He forcibly calmed his mind and asked, “Has there been any news from Sect Master Xu and a disciple visiting Yanchuntai?”
The disciple in purple lowered his head and said, “Sect Master Xu is injured in one arm and is currently fighting against Lord Music Saint in Penglai Hall!”
Ying Kai immediately rushed out, giving strict instructions in a stern voice, “Notify the Cangyang Sect, inform the Zhilan Meng family to prepare for the funeral, and Brother Mu, bring people to prepare a coffin and follow me to Yanchuntai. Changsheng will oversee the Dai Mountain Immortal Alliance, notify Dai Mountain to prepare to open the Ding Xian Ling, in case… What’s wrong?”
The rest of them stared at him in astonishment. Mu Duozhu trembled and said, “Brother Ying, you?”
Ying Kai stopped in his tracks, subconsciously touched his nose, his hands covered in fresh red.
Dark red blood flowed from his nostrils, ears, and eyes, dripping onto the ground. Then, a mouthful of heart blood, shining with golden light, suddenly spurted out, and he only managed to stagger before falling down!
“Brother Ying!”
Mu Duozhu and Yuchi Rui rushed forward to support him at the same time, only to see Ying Kai’s eyes tightly closed, his sea of qi raging like a boiling sea. Mu Duozhu reached out to probe, and his expression changed drastically. “It’s bad, his primordial spirit is very unstable…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yuchi Rui suddenly interrupted him.
“Sword Sect Master?”
Yuchi Rui’s expression was cold and stern, his gaze sharp, completely different from his usual demeanor. Mu Duozhu’s heart tightened, and he saw him turn to the huge golden coffin not far behind, slowly placing his hand on the waist sword, Rakshasa Tower.
Mu Duozhu asked in disbelief, “Again…?”
Yuchi Rui silently turned back, blocking everyone behind him, and softly uttered a word, “Leave.”
Mu Duozhu didn’t need him to say it a second time. He quickly helped Ying Kai and the disciple out of the concealed corpse pavilion. Just as they stepped out of the door, there was a sudden dull sound from the golden coffin behind them –
Boom.
Immediately afterward, the entire golden ship shook violently, and everyone sank sharply:
Boom!!
Two loud noises separated by thousands of miles coincided completely at this moment.
On Yanchuntai, the three layers, eight sets, and sixty-five large and small bronze chimes vibrated one after another, sharp and piercing, heavy and mountain-splitting, overlapping in length and density like roaring waves in a storm, overwhelming the Penglai Hall!
Xu Shuangce was in the center of the vortex, waving his hand to set up a formation. At the moment before the sound waves rushed out of the main hall, he firmly locked them in the Penglai Hall. Then, Qingli Sword Light came over, and Liu Xuzhi had already rushed to him. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of swords were released, all of which were dodged by Xu Shuangce like lightning.
“Xu Shuangce… kill… kill…” Xu Shuangce slapped him on the head, “Liu Xuzhi!”
Liu Xuzhi’s head was solidly struck by this blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood, but his eyes, filled with bloodshot veins, still stared straight at the void. “Absolutely… can’t… let him…”
With a clang, Xu Shuangce waved the Qingli Sword aside and grabbed Liu Xuzhi by the collar. ‘What did you see?'”
With every word he uttered, Xu Shuangce’s palm contained a powerful force to dispel evil, but Liu Xuzhi had already been completely controlled by his most feared illusion. Suddenly, he roared and recalled the Qingli Sword, then shook his sleeves violently.
The bronze bell, weighing over a thousand catties, rang out loudly, and the sound waves rushed straight to his primordial spirit. Finally, the Qingli Sword Light brought up an arc of bloodline in front of Xu Shuangce’s chest!
Fortunately, Xu Shuangce’s body technique was fast, but his chest was still cut open by a foot-long gash.
With his right arm still injured and not fully healed, he could only dodge without any real counterattack. At this rate, the Penglai Hall would collapse sooner or later. Xu Shuangce furrowed his eyebrows, and the reflection of the direction where Gong Wei had left just now appeared in his eyes.
He finally made a decision. Before Liu Xuzhi rushed up again, he raised his hand and said in a deep voice, “No Way Out.”
――A dazzling meteor tore through the void, stirring up a towering and majestic aura, and with a crisp sound, it was firmly caught by Xu Shuangce’s hand.
The next moment, spiritual power erupted from the sword handle along the blade, and a raging flame slashed down from the sky. All sixty-five bronze giant bells in the main hall collapsed and exploded, and with a single sword, Liu Xuzhi was thrown dozens of zhang away!
Liu Xuzhi’s body smashed through more than ten stone walls, and half of the main hall collapsed in the intense shaking. The torrential rain of debris instantly buried him underneath.
Xu Shuangce stepped forward with his sword, once again pulling Liu Xuzhi out of the ruins with one hand.
Music Saint was already powerless to resist, but he continued to convulse. His eyes were almost completely blood-red, devoid of any light, and a tiny pinpoint-like pupil appeared within his pupils – a sign that his primordial spirit was deeply controlled by illusion.
“Xu Shuangce… kill… you… kill…”
“What did you see in the end?” Xu Shuangce asked in a low voice.
Liu Xuzhi acted as if he hadn’t heard, repeating those few words over and over again. It was as if he was fighting desperately with someone in the illusion, his face twisted with resentment, rage, and fear.
Finally, Xu Shuangce sighed and said, “Since you won’t say, I’ll have to see for myself.”
He stimulated his spiritual power, causing blood to ooze from his fingertips. He dipped his finger in the fresh blood and drew an extremely complex and obscure symbol on Liu Xuzhi’s sweaty forehead, drawing with swift and sure strokes.
At the moment when the last stroke of the symbol fell, Liu Xuzhi’s whole body suddenly jerked, and his primordial spirit was clamped down by an invisible giant hand; at the same time, Xu Shuangce separated a soul from his body, coldly observing Music Saint for a moment from mid-air, then plunged down!
As if the whole world sank into darkness, after a few breaths, the sight brightened again, and the howling wind brushed up his hair.
Xu Shuangce stood in the center of the illusion, slowly opening his eyes.
In front of him was a high platform paved with white jade, with golden pillars standing tall. The bleak winter wind swept through the distant mountains and forests, and the gloomy sky was tinged with a faint blood-red color. The patriarchs of the six families and eight sects laid scattered on the ground, some with broken heads and blood flowing, others in a state of unknown life or death; within the illusion, Liu Xuzhi laid covered in blood beside him, convulsing with unwillingness, but to no avail.
The white jade floor cracked inch by inch, and every crack was dyed red with blood, like a bloody giant web spread under the sky.
It turned out to be the Ascension Immortal Platform.
――Who did this?
The answer was about to emerge, and at this moment, Xu Shuangce heard familiar footsteps behind him. He slowly turned his stiffened body and saw himself
In the illusion, the cold and ruthless Cangyang Sect Master passed by him without the slightest pause, walking straight ahead. Xu Shuangce’s gaze followed, seeing “himself” walking towards the center of the Ascension Immortal Platform, where surprisingly, another person was standing – Gong Wei!
But that was no longer the Gong Wei familiar to Xu Shuangce. At least in his impression, Gong Wei had never appeared so disheveled, so precarious.
His entire body was already dyed deep red, his crimson robe soaked with blood, the white collar also soaked through. His left arm was broken, his abdomen pierced, and he could only barely stand with a sword in his right hand. It seemed even breathing was difficult for him, yet he stubbornly looked up at the Cangyang Sect Master in the illusion. Even from such a distance, Xu Shuangce could clearly see the despair and pleading in his eyes.
Xu Shuangce’s pupils suddenly contracted.
He saw himself raise his hand and strike without hesitation, stabbing into Gong Wei’s left heart!
Xu Shuangce’s feet had just left the ground when he was firmly bound by an invisible force. This was Liu Xuzhi’s illusion; he couldn’t leave within three feet of the host!
Blood gushed from Gong Wei’s chest, reflecting in Xu Shuangce’s trembling eyes. He saw the youth finally collapse, but still tightly gripping the sword with both hands, tears streaming from his eyes.
Why just cry?
You’ve always wanted to kill me, why not fight back?
Xu Shuangce’s ten fingers dug into his palms, hot blood streaming down, and the last vestige of reason warned him frantically not to look anymore. But in reality, he couldn’t even divert his gaze, watching as the youth said something to his illusory self, his trembling lips forming the words clearly –
“Xu Shuangce, I… I like you…”
“…You can’t treat me like this…”
In that instant, it felt as though it was himself being pierced through the heart by the sword.
Xu Shuangce stood still.
His mind was almost blank, but he couldn’t see the expression of his illusory self from behind. At that moment, he saw someone struggling to stand in the distance – it was the heavily injured Sword Sect Master, Yuchi Rui. With his last strength, he swung his sword, but the Cangyang Sect Master easily blocked it!
With a crisp sound, the divine sword Rakshasa Tower was only able to shatter the armguard, and then Yuchi Rui spewed out a mouthful of blood, kneeling weakly on the ground:
“No… can’t… let him…”
Can’t let him what?!
Xu Shuangce couldn’t hear the rest of the words, because he saw his illusory self in the illusion, unhindered, driving the sword into Gong Wei’s heart –
Everything spun as if falling into an abyss, Xu Shuangce’s consciousness shook violently, and his soul returned to his body.
Bang!
The Penglai Palace was in ruins. As Xu Shuangce let go, the unconscious Liu Xuzhi fell heavily onto the rubble.
“…”
The tremors had ceased, leaving a suffocating silence. Distant voices outside the palace penetrated the night sky, cries, shouts, and the faint sound of running footsteps could be heard.
In a secluded corner, no one noticed the Cangyang Sect Master half-kneeling on the ground, one hand propping up the shattered tiles, his ears filled only with his own hoarse and dreadful gasps.
“I like you”—as if emerging slowly from deep waters, the plea, tainted with blood, echoed once again from the depths of consciousness.
Impossible. You only wanted to kill me.
“But I like you.”
You don’t even know what liking means!
“How could you slaughter me like this, Xu Shuangce?”
With a crisp crack, fingers pressed into the floor tiles simultaneously, Xu Shuangce’s hand pressed firmly against his temple.
He felt like a trapped beast, suddenly a ludicrous thought arose in his mind: Could everything in that illusion have actually happened?
Did he deliberately say he liked me just to witness me being tortured now, just to avenge himself?
Creak—
At that moment, the palace door was suddenly pushed open, and a familiar and light-footed figure stepped over the threshold. “Is anyone there?”
Xu Shuangce’s expression changed drastically in an instant, he turned abruptly.
The heavy palace door was pushed open a crack, under the moonlight, “Xiang Xiaoyuan” was leaping over the broken ground with hands behind his back. The young figure seemed to have an extremely light rhythm to his movements, and after looking around curiously for a moment, he suddenly saw Xu Shuangce, his eyes lit up, “Master!”
The darkness completely concealed Xu Shuangce’s expression at this moment, Gong Wei couldn’t see, happily ran forward, “Master is truly wise and mighty, having turned the tide of events. Your disciple deeply admires you! I was worried about Master, so I came…”
From the shadows came Xu Shuangce’s suppressed voice, icy and chilling, “Stand there.”
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