Editor: Sahloknir
Fifteen minutes ago...
Wen Xiuyang stood at the end of the stone steps and made a gesture of invitation, “Young Master, I apologise, but I will only send you till this point.”
The descendants from the Yuchi family were known to be hardy, and Yuchi Xiao was still alive even after receiving two blows of the sword aura. He was even able to stand up after spurting out a few mouthfuls of blood, and had just lifted his feet in the direction of the east when he suddenly stopped, “Brother Wen.”
“What?”
Yuchi Xiao deliberated for a moment before he said, “Lord Xu is so powerful that any junior disciples of the outer sect are as insignificant as ants in comparison. But since the Lotus Immortal has passed away, no one should become a replacement for the deceased, so I will do my best to stop this in the future. If Brother Wen has the chance, please persuade him, too.”
But Wen Xiuyang sneered, “Persuade?”
He suddenly changed his tone, “—I see that you are heading straight for the Ding Xian Mausoleum, right?”
Yuchi Xiao replied in return, “If not?”
“But if I remember correctly, Sword Sect Master clearly told you to return to the Golden Gate, to stay behind closed doors and protect yourself.”
Yuchi Xiao retorted, “If something had happened to your Sovereign, would you be able to return to the Cang Yang Sect and stay behind closed doors?”
“I would.” Wen Xiuyang raised his brows and stared at him, “Young Master, I don’t know how the Yuchi family disciplines their disciples—this character of yours couldn’t have been developed if you weren’t devotedly raised by the moon and stars. But in the Cang Yang Sect, we disciples will never question the decisions of our Sovereign, not even if the sky is falling down.”
Yuchi Xiao was simply exasperated by him, “You’re really…”
“It’s too late to say anything else, it has been determined sixteen years ago that he can no longer be persuaded.” Wen Xiuyang continued, “If you really want to blame, then blame Xiang Xiaoyuan for getting involved with the Lotus Immortal.”
Yuchi Xiao was speechless and shook his head, “Brother Wen and I don’t seem to be able to agree, so let’s not continue. I will see you again when I visit Cang Yang Sect in future. I will take my leave now!”
He turned and waved his sleeves. Wen Xiuyang raised his voice behind him, “If Young Master still wishes to die, please come back next time!”
Yuchi Xiao could only think about hurrying to the mausoleum and as he was ready to fly on his sword, he still could not hold back and turned his head saying, “ Wen Xiuyang, you are really…”
The next moment he froze.
From the tree which stood behind Wen Xiuyang, a figure silently hung head towards the ground and feet in the sky. With his left hand, he made a gesture of silence to Yuchi Xiao and in his right, he held a brick.
It was Gong Wei.
Wen Xiuyang, “?”
This foremost disciple of the Cang Yang Sect was extremely sharp and was about to turn back in suspicion when Yuchi Xiao blurted out, “Brother Wen!!”
Wen Xiuyang stopped.
The two men looked at each other, and Yuchi Xiao spat out whatever he thought of in an instance, “Brother Wen, you…what do you like to eat?”
“?”
Judging from Wen Xiuyang’s expression, he probably thought his ears were out of order, “What did you say?”
“I…I asked you what you like to eat.” Yuchi Xiao’s face could not even force out an appropriate expression, and he continued, “Look, Brother Wen, you and I have known each other for a long time. We should improve our relationship, since we will meet again and no one will mind excessive courtesy. I will bring you some gifts the next time I visit Cang Yang Sect…”
Wen Xiuyang probably really did have a superior upbringing and was able to refrain from rolling his eyes on the spot. “You’re nuts.” Then, he turned around.
Yuchi Xiao, “No!!!”
Wen Xiuyang, “?!”
The tragedy happened in an instant.
Gong Wei was swinging the brick in circles and preparing to smash it on Wen Xiuyang’s head. The brick made a whistling sound as it spun and could no longer be stopped. In just a split second, it smashed into his face and sent him flying!
Peng! Wen Xiuyang flew out several metres and fell to the ground on his back, blood poured out of his nose and on his face, a clear brick mark surfaced.
Thud! The brick fell straight to the ground from Gong Wei’s hand.
Yuchi Xiao, “…”
Gong Wei, “…”
The atmosphere was as stark as a funeral, as the two stared at each other. Their expressions were blank.
Immediately afterwards, Wen Xiuyang convulsed and bounced back up!
“Hahaha Brother Wen, why don’t you just send me here and let’s meet again for a drink!!” Yuchi Xiao rushed up with a single stride and swung his scabbard. With a bam!, he hit his head. He sent Wen Xiuyang flying again and spitting out blood until finally, he stopped moving.
“…” Yuchi Xiao asked with trepidation, “Is-is-is..is he dead?”
Gong Wei shivered as he approached to check his breath, “No, not dead yet. He is at least at the late Jindan stage, how could he be dead?”
Wen Xiuyang, the foremost indirect disciple of Xu Shuangtze, and the eldest disciple of the Cang Yang Sect, was now lying unconscious on the ground, face-up and limbs spread wide open. A red mark was branded on his handsome, comatose, face.
The two perpetrators looked at each other, then turned their attention to the gold brick lying silently on the ground, and Yuchi Xiao gulped, “Is this, is this some kind of magic weapon?”
Gong Wei said sheepishly, “Ah, I broke it off from Lord Xu’s chambers, hahaha.”
At that moment, he could almost see what was going through Yuchi Xiao’s mind: a random gold brick from his bedchamber contained such profound spiritual power, how powerful must Lord Xu himself be?
Right then, there were voices in the distance. It was a few disciples on their rounds, “What was that noise?” “Didn’t Wen Shixiong say he would be back in a moment?” “It seems that His Lordship is summoning Wen Shixiong over…”
Temtl Wljb’r olgra gfjmalbc kjr ab gec. Xbcu Qfl’r fzqgfrrlbc lcrajcais mtjcufv jcv qbecmfv bc tlw, “Tbecu Vkbgvrwjc, kjla! Kjxf wf klat sbe!!”
Temtl Wljb kjr lc j ogfchlfv rajaf, “Cgf sbe ibbxlcu obg vfjat? P’w ublcu ab atf Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew!”
“Tbe jcv P jgf meialnjalbc qjgacfgr, tbk mbeiv P cba obiibk sbe lc ilof jcv lc vfjat?”
“Who the hell is your cultivation partner?!”
“Why did you come all the way here to see me if you’re not my partner?”
“Who wants to see you! I was just—”
“Hey!” One of the disciples on duty suddenly noticed something, “Is there someone over there?”
The two men were struck by lightning and instantly froze.
The next moment the trees ruffled and swayed, and a disciple appeared, “Ah, Xiang Shidi! What are you…”
Before he finished his sentence, Yuchi Xiao grabbed Gong Wei and rose straight up on his sword, rushing up into the sky like his butt was on fire.
“Ah! Wen Shixiong!” In the background, chaos ensued and from afar came the shouts of the disciples, “Wen Shixiong, wake up, are you all right? “Someone come quickly!” “Help!!”
…
The ruckus and chaos faded behind into nothingness, only then did Yuchi Xiao and Gong Wei loosen their stiff and extended necks in unison. Their faces were full of lingering fear, and they stared at each other, saying together, “What are you doing here?”
“…” Gong Wei said angrily, “If not? Wait for death at the Xuanji Palace? That said, why did you come to the Cang Yang Sect to go crazy?!”
Yuchi Xiao blurted out, “It’s not because…” and then stopped abruptly.
Gong Wei suspiciously asked, “Because—?”
Yuchi Xiao’s face looked very odd, as if he had something to say, yet could not.
A short while later he looked away and asked abruptly, “Has there been anything strange about the way Lord Xu has treated you these past few days?”
Gong Wei said to himself, ‘Young Swordsman, you really understand Lord Xu well. His attitude was not only strange, it was never normal even for a second’, but replied instead with, “It’s fine, why?”
Yuchi Xiao said immediately, “Nothing.”
He then paused and couldn’t help but ask again, “Did Lord Xu ever say that he thought you were a bit like the Lotus Immortal. Or did he take you as…the Lotus Immortal’s …replacement?”
Yuchi Xiao had to say the last word with extreme difficulty, and after finishing, he hurriedly surveyed Gong Wei’s face. It was impossible to tell if Yuchi Xiao was worried that he was not understood or more worried that he was.
“…” Gong Wei was dumbfounded, pointing at himself and asking, “Replacement?”
Yuchi Xiao nodded cautiously.
Gong Wei stared at him incredulously, as if he was looking at a hysterical patient, and finally asked from the bottom of his heart, “Then how could he have managed to keep me alive until now?!”
The entire Immortal Alliance knew of Lord Xu’s glorious killing record, so Gong Wei held back from saying what he really wanted to say, but what he was actually thinking was, “Then how could he have allowed me to remain as a complete corpse?!”
“It is not that, it is just that after coming back from Taoyuan Village, I feel…” Yuchi Xiao paused again, as if he didn’t know how to phrase the sentence. After a long pause, he said “Argh!” then waved his hand saying, “Forget it, it’s probably a good thing that you don’t know.”
Gong Wei said in his heart, ‘If all the junior disciples and descendants think like you, then I am really better off not knowing.’
“But since you’ve sneaked out now, you absolutely cannot return to the Cang Yang Sect.” Yuchi Xiao thought for a moment and said, “I must now rush to the Ding Xian Mausoleum to support the Sword Sect Master. Golden Gate only has some disciples on guard duty right now. So even if I send for someone to bring you back, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop Lord Xu from storming to my door to pursue you—I can only make proper arrangements later. Right now, I think it’s better to find a cave for you to hide in. In any case, until Lord Xu can figure this out for himself, make sure that you stay away from him!”
At this, Gong Wei immediately regained his vigour, “Young Swordsman, don’t worry, be it a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
Yuchi Xiao refused him outrightly, “You are not allowed to follow me! I just told you that Ding Xian Mausoleum is a dangerous place!”
“Aren’t you going to the Ding Xian Mausoleum to look for the Sword Sect Master?”
“Why do you care who I’m looking for?”
“Of course I care!” Gong Weiyi clutched Yuchi Xiao’s hand and said with overflowing emotions, “You and I are cultivation partners, so your uncle is my uncle—no, your uncle is even dearer to me than my own uncle! How can I stand by and watch when our uncle is in danger?”
Yuchi Xiao blushed, “Who’s your uncle! Who’s your cultivation partner!!”
The two of them were bickering and wrestling on Gou Chen, one tried to tear off the other’s face, and one tried to break the teeth of the other. Then suddenly, there was an illumination in front of them, so dazzling that all they could see was a white light. Yuchi Xiao immediately looked back with a start.
Right in front of them was a massive Mahayana Seal, the size of a city wall. Somehow, it was no longer in the same form as earlier, it appeared like four transparent walls of flowing and dazzling golden light. The light was glaringly bright and extremely domineering. It towered between heaven and earth, enveloping tens of thousands of miles of the vast Dai Mountain range.
They had arrived at the Immortal Alliance!
As soon as Gong Wei saw the changed form of the Mahayana Seal, which only appears once in a century, he immediately said, “Change direction quickly! Do not…”
But his words were not as quick as Yuchi Xiao’s speed.
Before the words ‘break through’ could be uttered, Yuchi Xiao took the opportunity to break free from Gong Wei, and before he could hear anything clearly, he kicked Gong Wei off and rode the Gou Chen towards Dai Mountain!
There was a long whoosh, Gong Wei plunged towards the ground in a freefall, his expression was blank as he stared at Yuchi Xiao, who rushed towards that seal formation in the distance.
“…” Then, he raised his hand to cover his eyes miserably, unable to bear the sight of the bloody scene that was destined to follow.
At that moment, someone behind him suddenly arrived like a meteor, reaching out steadily towards Gong Wei, then grabbing him precisely and pulling him onto another immortal sword.
From Gong Wei’s perspective, he could only see the sleeves of a Xuanmen robe fluttering in the wind, then he was held firmly in front. Before a young boy’s concerned and gentle voice came, “Are you alright?”
It was a familiar voice and Gong Wei felt surprised, yet before he had the time to turn back to see who it was, he saw Yuchi Xiao riding on Gou Chen and flying like a red-gold flame towards the Dai Mountain boundary. What happened next was as Gong Wei had expected, it was an earth-shattering—
Boom!!
The Mahayana Seal formation had somehow turned into a solid wall. Yuchi Xiao, who should have gone straight through it, hit his head hard, and was knocked out together with his sword!
“…” Gong Wei and the man on the sword twisted their heads in unison, watching as Yuchi Xiao flew above their heads like a parabola, falling into the distant mountains with a loud crash, and sending countless birds flying off.
It was only after a long time that Gong Wei squeezed out a sentence, “…shouldn’t be dead right?”
The voice of the person behind him was full of uncertainty, “…Perhaps?”
Gong Wei finally had a chance to look back at his rescuer, but was quickly stunned.
He was a very beautiful looking teenager of eighteen and had a calm and collected look. His white shirt and a black outer robe further accentuated his soft demeanour. His long, black hair tied up with a snow-white ribbon.
His attire was extremely simplistic through and through. But at the end of the ribbon on his hair, was an inconspicuous bay leaf, which would draw the attention of anyone within the hundreds of families in Xuanmen—for it was embroidered with gold threads.
The wearer of a sect uniform with gold threads must be the blood relation or direct disciple of one of the three sovereigns.
Gong Wei finally remembered why he had an impression of this man.
…
It was six months before his death, and one day, the disciples’ sibilant chatter spread throughout the entire Correctional Palace, “…Hey! Hey! Have you heard, the Artefact Sect Master actually sent his own brother to the Court of Punishment !” “How big of a mess must he have caused?” “It’s said that he abused his family’s slave, and his methods were so cruel that it caused a lot of criticism…” “Hold on, but isn’t it just over a slave?”
…
“Bai Xian is my servant, naturally I can treat him however I want.”
In the Court of Punishment, a pale looking, handsome young man with hands behind his back stood in full view of the crowd. He looked unconcerned and paced around before saying, ”Although we don’t need the opinions of outsiders, but since even the Court of Punishment has been alerted, there is no harm in a compromise.”
He turned back and smiled, “Bai Xian, they want me to let you go.”
Kneeling with his back against the daylight was a thin silhouette, looking so fragile that a gust of wind might break him as he bowed his head deeply and fearfully.
“Didn’t you say you loved me and swore you’d rather die than leave me?”
At the centre of the crowd, the figure trembled, and everyone could see his despair as he quivered, “Please don’t-don’t drive me away, Second Young Master…”
But the young man towering above him smiled.
His features were beautifully defined, and his smile would have been enough to make countless female cultivators blush in shame. But at this moment, it had an eerie cruelty and hostility to it.
“Is that so?” He said, holding that smile.
“Then carve out your heart and show me.”
…
Gong Wei lowered his gaze and exhaled without a word.
“Are you a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect? This is outrageous, why are you here?” The young man’s accent was soft, so even his rebuke sounded gentle, then he looked towards the distant mountains and forests where grey smoke was curling up, “This place is dangerous and you can’t stay here for long, come with me.”
As he said this, he turned his immortal sword around and was about to descend, when he saw Gong Wei look up at him and asked, “Who are you?”
The young man froze, and only then did he remember that in his haste, he had not introduced himself. Surprisingly, he did not mind at all that the other party, a junior disciple of an outer sect, spoke to him in this way. He politely saluted and apologetically said, “I am a member of the Ju Sect, and my name is Bai Xian.”
—The Artefact Sect.
In the three great sects of the immortal world, the Sword Sect Master undoubtedly ranks first in prowess with his unquestionable strength. This is followed by the highly skilled Golden Boat Medical Sect Master, Mu Duozhu. And then the Artefact Sect Master, Changsun Chengfeng, who is most renowned for his sect’s military strength, engineering skills and artefact craftsmanship.
The Artefact Sect and the Sword Sect are similar in the fact that they each had an unprecedented, brilliant master, who led their families up the ranks, to become one of the six great families in the immortal world.
After that, they accepted disciples, accumulated talents and treasures and raised descendants who were more outstanding than their ancestors. Thus, earning their place as two of the three great sect masters and passing down their distinguished family name from generation to generation.
The Changsun family was worthy of their title, and immediately sent a large number of their men and horses to set up an encampment at the foot of Dai Mountain when they saw the Mahayana Seal appear.
Gong Wei followed Bai Xian on his sword. As they landed, they saw that Yuchi Xiao had already been respectfully invited by disciples of the Changsun family from the forest back to camp. This human fort was really something. He first received two blows of Xu Shuangtze’s sword glare, then crashed into Ying Kai’s platinum Mahayana Seal and yet he was still alive. He rubbed the bruise on his forehead and said weakly, “The Mahayana Seal is just a mark, how could it have expelled me out?”
He spoke to a man with a handsome and kind face, who looked about the same age as Yuchi Changsheng, and wore a black outer robe with trimmings embroidered with golden threads around his shoulders.
He stood with hands tucked into his wide sleeves next to Yuchi Xiao and sighed, “Dearest nephew, I don’t want to nag… But the point of the Mahayana Seal is to announce to the world that this place is the caster’s territory, and that he has taken responsibility for it, no matter what befalls him. So no one is allowed to enter. You already know that the Ding Xian Mausoleum is haunted, and yet you still want to head inside, you really…”
Bai Xian headed towards them and lowered his head, lifting his immortal sword with both hands above his head as a salute, “My Lord.”
This person he saluted was none other than Changsun Chengfeng.
Yuchi Xiao glanced over and saw Gong Wei, then quickly turned his back with his hands covering his face. Unfortunately, it was too late. Gong Wei stared at him blankly for a long time before he finally couldn’t help but cautiously confirm, “Young Swordsman, did you just hit a brick when you landed on your face? The mark on your face is very similar to the one on Wen Xiuyang earlier. Look at the angle of this…” Yuchi Xiao angrily retorted, “It was clearly you who hit Wen Xiuyang with a brick! Don’t frame me!”
“Oh my, I told you to hold on to this sword and use it.” Changsun Chengfeng reached out to support Bai Xian then turned to Gong Wei. Seeing the colour of his sect robes, he said with surprise, “Isn’t this the direct disciple of the Cang Yang Sect Master? How come the two of you are together? Were you eloping? So Young Master Wen has been silenced, has he?”
Before Yuchi Xiao could reply, Gong Wei who was well aware of the character of Changsun Chengfeng in his past life, quickly denied, “I will not deceive Artefact Sect Master, but the two of us are not related in any way, it’s a long story…”
“I understand, I understand, no need to explain.” Changsun Chengfeng spoked with an understanding tone, “Lord Xu and Sword Sect Master have always been at odds, how could they have accepted your relationship? Yet how can the passionate feelings of young people be restrained? So you killed Wen Xiuyang and escaped from the Cang Yang Sect. You had no choice but to come to the most dangerous place in the world. And when you were at your most desperate, you just happened to meet me…like a divine soldier descending from heaven.”
Yuchi Xiao was stunned.
Gong Wei cut to the chase, “No, your lordship! There is no such thing!”
Bai Xian couldn’t help but add, “My Lord, I don’t think the plot is as you mentioned either…”
However, before he could complete his sentence, a disciple hurried from afar and held up a red talisman, “Reporting to the Artefact Sect Master! The Cang Yang Sect Master has sent a message via a transmission spell, saying that the matter is important, please open it immediately!”
Before Gong Wei and Yuchi Xiao had time to react, Changsun Chengfeng had already quickly eased into his role, first taking in a deep breath of cold air for them.
Then, he waved his hand and the talisman burst in mid-air, and the next moment an unassuming voice rang out. It was Sheng Bo, the disciple guarding the palace, who said, “Your Lordship, an outer disciple of the Cang Yang Sect has gone missing, his name is Xiang Xiaoyuan, and he was abducted by Yuchi Xiao of the Golden Gate. If you see him near Dai Mountain, please capture him and return him to the Cang Yang Sect immediately, as for Yuchi Xiao, you may kill him on the spot.”
“…”
“…”
Changsun Chengfeng turned back and stared at the duo with dumbfounded eyes.
Gong Wei changed his expression like a magic trick and immediately bowed sincerely, saying in a heartfelt voice, “Yes, Your Lordship, it is as you have guessed. We can only count on you to keep both our lives!”
Changsun Chengfeng’s heart was immediately brimming with a sense of justice and he said angrily, “How can Xu Shuangtze behave like this, who does he think he is! How can he stop a sincere relationship between young people just because he wants to? Does being a Sovereign give him the right to do whatever he wants?”
Gong Wei was moved and applauded, “Your Lordship is so right!”
“…” Yuchi Xiao said softly, “It’s amazing how fast you can sense the wind direction and steer the boat, Xiang Xiaoyuan.”
Changsun Chengfeng reached out to Bai Xian and said discontentedly, “Bring me a transmission talisman. Tell Xu Shuangtze that there are many things in this world that will not follow his whims, and don’t think that because he has become Sovereign, he can order others around at will! Anyway, he is now imprisoned at the Cang Yang Sect and cannot come to Dai Mountain, just say that these are my words…”
At that moment, Sheng Bo’s voice came out again from the transmission spell, “Also…”
He paused and spoke calmly, “Lord Xu said that if the Artefact Sect Master has any objections, he will personally come to Dai Mountain to meet you within an hour.”
Changsun Chengfeng’s movements froze.
After a moment of dead silence, Changsun Chengfeng rigidly turned back, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face full of sincere compassion.
“My two dear nephews, please listen to my advice. A union without the blessing of the elders is incomplete, and Lord Xu must have his reasons for opposing it. Why don’t you two go back to your own homes, I will personally send Xiang Xiaoyuan back to the Cang Yang Sect…”
Yuchi Xiao blurted out, “My Lord, your sense of justice is disappearing too quickly!”
Changsun Chengfeng immediately defended his diminishing reputation, “I am not afraid of Xu Shuangtze, this is not the same thing as…”
“It is exactly the same thing. Are you that afraid of Lord Xu coming to your door?!”
Changsun Chengfeng replied, “I’m not, I don’t…”
“You also believe deep down that Lord Xu can do whatever he wants right?!”
Changsun Chengfeng’s mouth was already half-opened, he paused before yielding with a “Hai” and continued with a pained voice, “You’re a bunch of young people who don’t know what they’re doing! Who is not afraid of Lord Xu? Have you ever seen another Sovereign in this world who is so heartless as to kill not only the living but also dismember corpses?”
An indescribable silence suddenly enveloped everyone.
There was another long, eerie pause before Gong Wei said, “I can’t even refute this.”
“That’s why,” said Changsun Chengfeng, pointing back and forth at the two of them, “you two should hurry back to the Cang Yang Sect and the Golden Gate, and don’t come near here again. Since Lord Ying has activated the Bronze Wall Formation, it means that the situation inside has escalated and is dangerous. Later on, the Medical Sect Master Mu Duozhu will join me to guard the outer boundaries of Dai Mountain. Understand?”
In the distance, Dai Mountain, which stretched for thousands of miles, was already surrounded by a golden bronze wall, so it was impossible to see what was going on inside. Yuchi Xiao said urgently, “No, I must go in immediately, my uncle is still trapped inside…”
“Absolutely not! The Ding Xian Mausoleum is the burial place of the various great families and sects!” Changsun Chengfeng interrupted him, “Besides, if even Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui can’t handle it, would you two be able to do anything? You have to trust your seniors, what kind of person is the Sword Sect’s Yuchi Rui? He won’t die that easily—”
Boom!!
Suddenly, a loud sound came from Dai Mountain. It sounded as if the earth had been split open, the mountains and forests shook so violently that everyone staggered!
Countless birds were startled and frantically flew off. Changsun Chengfeng stumbled and held on to Bai Xian, shocked to see the Bronze Wall Formation almost burning up and after a long time, he finished his sentence, “…right?”
Yuchi Xiao simply couldn’t listen anymore, he raised Gou Chen and with a flash of red-gold sword glare, he flew up, “Go!”
“Wait!” Changsun Chengfeng came back to his senses and stopped him with one hand, blocking stiffly. “Wait patiently, you absolutely cannot go in!”
Yuchi Xiao was furious, “But why? I know that the Ding Xian Mausoleum is a burial place, but aren’t the living more important than the dead?!”
Changsun Chengfeng calmed down and seemed a little indecisive, but after a moment he sighed, “Fifteen years ago, Ying Kai initiated the suggestion that all the great sects should come together to build the Ding Xian Mausoleum, and they jointly suppressed four golden coffins in the ninth and deepest level.”
“If too many deceased people gather, one of those four lying in those coffins might suddenly awaken due to excessive elation.”
Editor: Sahloknir
Fifteen minutes ago...
Wen Xiuyang stood at the end of the stone steps and made a gesture of invitation, “Young Master, I apologise, but I will only send you till this point.”
The descendants from the Yuchi family were known to be hardy, and Yuchi Xiao was still alive even after receiving two blows of the sword aura. He was even able to stand up after spurting out a few mouthfuls of blood, and had just lifted his feet in the direction of the east when he suddenly stopped, “Brother Wen.”
“What?”
Yuchi Xiao deliberated for a moment before he said, “Lord Xu is so powerful that any junior disciples of the outer sect are as insignificant as ants in comparison. But since the Lotus Immortal has passed away, no one should become a replacement for the deceased, so I will do my best to stop this in the future. If Brother Wen has the chance, please persuade him, too.”
But Wen Xiuyang sneered, “Persuade?”
He suddenly changed his tone, “—I see that you are heading straight for the Ding Xian Mausoleum, right?”
Yuchi Xiao replied in return, “If not?”
“But if I remember correctly, Sword Sect Master clearly told you to return to the Golden Gate, to stay behind closed doors and protect yourself.”
Yuchi Xiao retorted, “If something had happened to your Sovereign, would you be able to return to the Cang Yang Sect and stay behind closed doors?”
“I would.” Wen Xiuyang raised his brows and stared at him, “Young Master, I don’t know how the Yuchi family disciplines their disciples—this character of yours couldn’t have been developed if you weren’t devotedly raised by the moon and stars. But in the Cang Yang Sect, we disciples will never question the decisions of our Sovereign, not even if the sky is falling down.”
Yuchi Xiao was simply exasperated by him, “You’re really…”
“It’s too late to say anything else, it has been determined sixteen years ago that he can no longer be persuaded.” Wen Xiuyang continued, “If you really want to blame, then blame Xiang Xiaoyuan for getting involved with the Lotus Immortal.”
Yuchi Xiao was speechless and shook his head, “Brother Wen and I don’t seem to be able to agree, so let’s not continue. I will see you again when I visit Cang Yang Sect in future. I will take my leave now!”
He turned and waved his sleeves. Wen Xiuyang raised his voice behind him, “If Young Master still wishes to die, please come back next time!”
Yuchi Xiao could only think about hurrying to the mausoleum and as he was ready to fly on his sword, he still could not hold back and turned his head saying, “ Wen Xiuyang, you are really…”
The next moment he froze.
From the tree which stood behind Wen Xiuyang, a figure silently hung head towards the ground and feet in the sky. With his left hand, he made a gesture of silence to Yuchi Xiao and in his right, he held a brick.
It was Gong Wei.
Wen Xiuyang, “?”
This foremost disciple of the Cang Yang Sect was extremely sharp and was about to turn back in suspicion when Yuchi Xiao blurted out, “Brother Wen!!”
Wen Xiuyang stopped.
The two men looked at each other, and Yuchi Xiao spat out whatever he thought of in an instance, “Brother Wen, you…what do you like to eat?”
“?”
Judging from Wen Xiuyang’s expression, he probably thought his ears were out of order, “What did you say?”
“I…I asked you what you like to eat.” Yuchi Xiao’s face could not even force out an appropriate expression, and he continued, “Look, Brother Wen, you and I have known each other for a long time. We should improve our relationship, since we will meet again and no one will mind excessive courtesy. I will bring you some gifts the next time I visit Cang Yang Sect…”
Wen Xiuyang probably really did have a superior upbringing and was able to refrain from rolling his eyes on the spot. “You’re nuts.” Then, he turned around.
Yuchi Xiao, “No!!!”
Wen Xiuyang, “?!”
The tragedy happened in an instant.
Gong Wei was swinging the brick in circles and preparing to smash it on Wen Xiuyang’s head. The brick made a whistling sound as it spun and could no longer be stopped. In just a split second, it smashed into his face and sent him flying!
Peng! Wen Xiuyang flew out several metres and fell to the ground on his back, blood poured out of his nose and on his face, a clear brick mark surfaced.
Thud! The brick fell straight to the ground from Gong Wei’s hand.
Yuchi Xiao, “…”
Gong Wei, “…”
The atmosphere was as stark as a funeral, as the two stared at each other. Their expressions were blank.
Immediately afterwards, Wen Xiuyang convulsed and bounced back up!
“Hahaha Brother Wen, why don’t you just send me here and let’s meet again for a drink!!” Yuchi Xiao rushed up with a single stride and swung his scabbard. With a bam!, he hit his head. He sent Wen Xiuyang flying again and spitting out blood until finally, he stopped moving.
“…” Yuchi Xiao asked with trepidation, “Is-is-is..is he dead?”
Gong Wei shivered as he approached to check his breath, “No, not dead yet. He is at least at the late Jindan stage, how could he be dead?”
Wen Xiuyang, the foremost indirect disciple of Xu Shuangtze, and the eldest disciple of the Cang Yang Sect, was now lying unconscious on the ground, face-up and limbs spread wide open. A red mark was branded on his handsome, comatose, face.
The two perpetrators looked at each other, then turned their attention to the gold brick lying silently on the ground, and Yuchi Xiao gulped, “Is this, is this some kind of magic weapon?”
Gong Wei said sheepishly, “Ah, I broke it off from Lord Xu’s chambers, hahaha.”
At that moment, he could almost see what was going through Yuchi Xiao’s mind: a random gold brick from his bedchamber contained such profound spiritual power, how powerful must Lord Xu himself be?
Right then, there were voices in the distance. It was a few disciples on their rounds, “What was that noise?” “Didn’t Wen Shixiong say he would be back in a moment?” “It seems that His Lordship is summoning Wen Shixiong over…”
Temtl Wljb’r olgra gfjmalbc kjr ab gec. Xbcu Qfl’r fzqgfrrlbc lcrajcais mtjcufv jcv qbecmfv bc tlw, “Tbecu Vkbgvrwjc, kjla! Kjxf wf klat sbe!!”
Temtl Wljb kjr lc j ogfchlfv rajaf, “Cgf sbe ibbxlcu obg vfjat? P’w ublcu ab atf Glcu Wljc Zjerbifew!”
“Tbe jcv P jgf meialnjalbc qjgacfgr, tbk mbeiv P cba obiibk sbe lc ilof jcv lc vfjat?”
“Who the hell is your cultivation partner?!”
“Why did you come all the way here to see me if you’re not my partner?”
“Who wants to see you! I was just—”
“Hey!” One of the disciples on duty suddenly noticed something, “Is there someone over there?”
The two men were struck by lightning and instantly froze.
The next moment the trees ruffled and swayed, and a disciple appeared, “Ah, Xiang Shidi! What are you…”
Before he finished his sentence, Yuchi Xiao grabbed Gong Wei and rose straight up on his sword, rushing up into the sky like his butt was on fire.
“Ah! Wen Shixiong!” In the background, chaos ensued and from afar came the shouts of the disciples, “Wen Shixiong, wake up, are you all right? “Someone come quickly!” “Help!!”
…
The ruckus and chaos faded behind into nothingness, only then did Yuchi Xiao and Gong Wei loosen their stiff and extended necks in unison. Their faces were full of lingering fear, and they stared at each other, saying together, “What are you doing here?”
“…” Gong Wei said angrily, “If not? Wait for death at the Xuanji Palace? That said, why did you come to the Cang Yang Sect to go crazy?!”
Yuchi Xiao blurted out, “It’s not because…” and then stopped abruptly.
Gong Wei suspiciously asked, “Because—?”
Yuchi Xiao’s face looked very odd, as if he had something to say, yet could not.
A short while later he looked away and asked abruptly, “Has there been anything strange about the way Lord Xu has treated you these past few days?”
Gong Wei said to himself, ‘Young Swordsman, you really understand Lord Xu well. His attitude was not only strange, it was never normal even for a second’, but replied instead with, “It’s fine, why?”
Yuchi Xiao said immediately, “Nothing.”
He then paused and couldn’t help but ask again, “Did Lord Xu ever say that he thought you were a bit like the Lotus Immortal. Or did he take you as…the Lotus Immortal’s …replacement?”
Yuchi Xiao had to say the last word with extreme difficulty, and after finishing, he hurriedly surveyed Gong Wei’s face. It was impossible to tell if Yuchi Xiao was worried that he was not understood or more worried that he was.
“…” Gong Wei was dumbfounded, pointing at himself and asking, “Replacement?”
Yuchi Xiao nodded cautiously.
Gong Wei stared at him incredulously, as if he was looking at a hysterical patient, and finally asked from the bottom of his heart, “Then how could he have managed to keep me alive until now?!”
The entire Immortal Alliance knew of Lord Xu’s glorious killing record, so Gong Wei held back from saying what he really wanted to say, but what he was actually thinking was, “Then how could he have allowed me to remain as a complete corpse?!”
“It is not that, it is just that after coming back from Taoyuan Village, I feel…” Yuchi Xiao paused again, as if he didn’t know how to phrase the sentence. After a long pause, he said “Argh!” then waved his hand saying, “Forget it, it’s probably a good thing that you don’t know.”
Gong Wei said in his heart, ‘If all the junior disciples and descendants think like you, then I am really better off not knowing.’
“But since you’ve sneaked out now, you absolutely cannot return to the Cang Yang Sect.” Yuchi Xiao thought for a moment and said, “I must now rush to the Ding Xian Mausoleum to support the Sword Sect Master. Golden Gate only has some disciples on guard duty right now. So even if I send for someone to bring you back, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop Lord Xu from storming to my door to pursue you—I can only make proper arrangements later. Right now, I think it’s better to find a cave for you to hide in. In any case, until Lord Xu can figure this out for himself, make sure that you stay away from him!”
At this, Gong Wei immediately regained his vigour, “Young Swordsman, don’t worry, be it a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
Yuchi Xiao refused him outrightly, “You are not allowed to follow me! I just told you that Ding Xian Mausoleum is a dangerous place!”
“Aren’t you going to the Ding Xian Mausoleum to look for the Sword Sect Master?”
“Why do you care who I’m looking for?”
“Of course I care!” Gong Weiyi clutched Yuchi Xiao’s hand and said with overflowing emotions, “You and I are cultivation partners, so your uncle is my uncle—no, your uncle is even dearer to me than my own uncle! How can I stand by and watch when our uncle is in danger?”
Yuchi Xiao blushed, “Who’s your uncle! Who’s your cultivation partner!!”
The two of them were bickering and wrestling on Gou Chen, one tried to tear off the other’s face, and one tried to break the teeth of the other. Then suddenly, there was an illumination in front of them, so dazzling that all they could see was a white light. Yuchi Xiao immediately looked back with a start.
Right in front of them was a massive Mahayana Seal, the size of a city wall. Somehow, it was no longer in the same form as earlier, it appeared like four transparent walls of flowing and dazzling golden light. The light was glaringly bright and extremely domineering. It towered between heaven and earth, enveloping tens of thousands of miles of the vast Dai Mountain range.
They had arrived at the Immortal Alliance!
As soon as Gong Wei saw the changed form of the Mahayana Seal, which only appears once in a century, he immediately said, “Change direction quickly! Do not…”
But his words were not as quick as Yuchi Xiao’s speed.
Before the words ‘break through’ could be uttered, Yuchi Xiao took the opportunity to break free from Gong Wei, and before he could hear anything clearly, he kicked Gong Wei off and rode the Gou Chen towards Dai Mountain!
There was a long whoosh, Gong Wei plunged towards the ground in a freefall, his expression was blank as he stared at Yuchi Xiao, who rushed towards that seal formation in the distance.
“…” Then, he raised his hand to cover his eyes miserably, unable to bear the sight of the bloody scene that was destined to follow.
At that moment, someone behind him suddenly arrived like a meteor, reaching out steadily towards Gong Wei, then grabbing him precisely and pulling him onto another immortal sword.
From Gong Wei’s perspective, he could only see the sleeves of a Xuanmen robe fluttering in the wind, then he was held firmly in front. Before a young boy’s concerned and gentle voice came, “Are you alright?”
It was a familiar voice and Gong Wei felt surprised, yet before he had the time to turn back to see who it was, he saw Yuchi Xiao riding on Gou Chen and flying like a red-gold flame towards the Dai Mountain boundary. What happened next was as Gong Wei had expected, it was an earth-shattering—
Boom!!
The Mahayana Seal formation had somehow turned into a solid wall. Yuchi Xiao, who should have gone straight through it, hit his head hard, and was knocked out together with his sword!
“…” Gong Wei and the man on the sword twisted their heads in unison, watching as Yuchi Xiao flew above their heads like a parabola, falling into the distant mountains with a loud crash, and sending countless birds flying off.
It was only after a long time that Gong Wei squeezed out a sentence, “…shouldn’t be dead right?”
The voice of the person behind him was full of uncertainty, “…Perhaps?”
Gong Wei finally had a chance to look back at his rescuer, but was quickly stunned.
He was a very beautiful looking teenager of eighteen and had a calm and collected look. His white shirt and a black outer robe further accentuated his soft demeanour. His long, black hair tied up with a snow-white ribbon.
His attire was extremely simplistic through and through. But at the end of the ribbon on his hair, was an inconspicuous bay leaf, which would draw the attention of anyone within the hundreds of families in Xuanmen—for it was embroidered with gold threads.
The wearer of a sect uniform with gold threads must be the blood relation or direct disciple of one of the three sovereigns.
Gong Wei finally remembered why he had an impression of this man.
…
It was six months before his death, and one day, the disciples’ sibilant chatter spread throughout the entire Correctional Palace, “…Hey! Hey! Have you heard, the Artefact Sect Master actually sent his own brother to the Court of Punishment !” “How big of a mess must he have caused?” “It’s said that he abused his family’s slave, and his methods were so cruel that it caused a lot of criticism…” “Hold on, but isn’t it just over a slave?”
…
“Bai Xian is my servant, naturally I can treat him however I want.”
In the Court of Punishment, a pale looking, handsome young man with hands behind his back stood in full view of the crowd. He looked unconcerned and paced around before saying, ”Although we don’t need the opinions of outsiders, but since even the Court of Punishment has been alerted, there is no harm in a compromise.”
He turned back and smiled, “Bai Xian, they want me to let you go.”
Kneeling with his back against the daylight was a thin silhouette, looking so fragile that a gust of wind might break him as he bowed his head deeply and fearfully.
“Didn’t you say you loved me and swore you’d rather die than leave me?”
At the centre of the crowd, the figure trembled, and everyone could see his despair as he quivered, “Please don’t-don’t drive me away, Second Young Master…”
But the young man towering above him smiled.
His features were beautifully defined, and his smile would have been enough to make countless female cultivators blush in shame. But at this moment, it had an eerie cruelty and hostility to it.
“Is that so?” He said, holding that smile.
“Then carve out your heart and show me.”
…
Gong Wei lowered his gaze and exhaled without a word.
“Are you a disciple of the Cang Yang Sect? This is outrageous, why are you here?” The young man’s accent was soft, so even his rebuke sounded gentle, then he looked towards the distant mountains and forests where grey smoke was curling up, “This place is dangerous and you can’t stay here for long, come with me.”
As he said this, he turned his immortal sword around and was about to descend, when he saw Gong Wei look up at him and asked, “Who are you?”
The young man froze, and only then did he remember that in his haste, he had not introduced himself. Surprisingly, he did not mind at all that the other party, a junior disciple of an outer sect, spoke to him in this way. He politely saluted and apologetically said, “I am a member of the Ju Sect, and my name is Bai Xian.”
—The Artefact Sect.
In the three great sects of the immortal world, the Sword Sect Master undoubtedly ranks first in prowess with his unquestionable strength. This is followed by the highly skilled Golden Boat Medical Sect Master, Mu Duozhu. And then the Artefact Sect Master, Changsun Chengfeng, who is most renowned for his sect’s military strength, engineering skills and artefact craftsmanship.
The Artefact Sect and the Sword Sect are similar in the fact that they each had an unprecedented, brilliant master, who led their families up the ranks, to become one of the six great families in the immortal world.
After that, they accepted disciples, accumulated talents and treasures and raised descendants who were more outstanding than their ancestors. Thus, earning their place as two of the three great sect masters and passing down their distinguished family name from generation to generation.
The Changsun family was worthy of their title, and immediately sent a large number of their men and horses to set up an encampment at the foot of Dai Mountain when they saw the Mahayana Seal appear.
Gong Wei followed Bai Xian on his sword. As they landed, they saw that Yuchi Xiao had already been respectfully invited by disciples of the Changsun family from the forest back to camp. This human fort was really something. He first received two blows of Xu Shuangtze’s sword glare, then crashed into Ying Kai’s platinum Mahayana Seal and yet he was still alive. He rubbed the bruise on his forehead and said weakly, “The Mahayana Seal is just a mark, how could it have expelled me out?”
He spoke to a man with a handsome and kind face, who looked about the same age as Yuchi Changsheng, and wore a black outer robe with trimmings embroidered with golden threads around his shoulders.
He stood with hands tucked into his wide sleeves next to Yuchi Xiao and sighed, “Dearest nephew, I don’t want to nag… But the point of the Mahayana Seal is to announce to the world that this place is the caster’s territory, and that he has taken responsibility for it, no matter what befalls him. So no one is allowed to enter. You already know that the Ding Xian Mausoleum is haunted, and yet you still want to head inside, you really…”
Bai Xian headed towards them and lowered his head, lifting his immortal sword with both hands above his head as a salute, “My Lord.”
This person he saluted was none other than Changsun Chengfeng.
Yuchi Xiao glanced over and saw Gong Wei, then quickly turned his back with his hands covering his face. Unfortunately, it was too late. Gong Wei stared at him blankly for a long time before he finally couldn’t help but cautiously confirm, “Young Swordsman, did you just hit a brick when you landed on your face? The mark on your face is very similar to the one on Wen Xiuyang earlier. Look at the angle of this…” Yuchi Xiao angrily retorted, “It was clearly you who hit Wen Xiuyang with a brick! Don’t frame me!”
“Oh my, I told you to hold on to this sword and use it.” Changsun Chengfeng reached out to support Bai Xian then turned to Gong Wei. Seeing the colour of his sect robes, he said with surprise, “Isn’t this the direct disciple of the Cang Yang Sect Master? How come the two of you are together? Were you eloping? So Young Master Wen has been silenced, has he?”
Before Yuchi Xiao could reply, Gong Wei who was well aware of the character of Changsun Chengfeng in his past life, quickly denied, “I will not deceive Artefact Sect Master, but the two of us are not related in any way, it’s a long story…”
“I understand, I understand, no need to explain.” Changsun Chengfeng spoked with an understanding tone, “Lord Xu and Sword Sect Master have always been at odds, how could they have accepted your relationship? Yet how can the passionate feelings of young people be restrained? So you killed Wen Xiuyang and escaped from the Cang Yang Sect. You had no choice but to come to the most dangerous place in the world. And when you were at your most desperate, you just happened to meet me…like a divine soldier descending from heaven.”
Yuchi Xiao was stunned.
Gong Wei cut to the chase, “No, your lordship! There is no such thing!”
Bai Xian couldn’t help but add, “My Lord, I don’t think the plot is as you mentioned either…”
However, before he could complete his sentence, a disciple hurried from afar and held up a red talisman, “Reporting to the Artefact Sect Master! The Cang Yang Sect Master has sent a message via a transmission spell, saying that the matter is important, please open it immediately!”
Before Gong Wei and Yuchi Xiao had time to react, Changsun Chengfeng had already quickly eased into his role, first taking in a deep breath of cold air for them.
Then, he waved his hand and the talisman burst in mid-air, and the next moment an unassuming voice rang out. It was Sheng Bo, the disciple guarding the palace, who said, “Your Lordship, an outer disciple of the Cang Yang Sect has gone missing, his name is Xiang Xiaoyuan, and he was abducted by Yuchi Xiao of the Golden Gate. If you see him near Dai Mountain, please capture him and return him to the Cang Yang Sect immediately, as for Yuchi Xiao, you may kill him on the spot.”
“…”
“…”
Changsun Chengfeng turned back and stared at the duo with dumbfounded eyes.
Gong Wei changed his expression like a magic trick and immediately bowed sincerely, saying in a heartfelt voice, “Yes, Your Lordship, it is as you have guessed. We can only count on you to keep both our lives!”
Changsun Chengfeng’s heart was immediately brimming with a sense of justice and he said angrily, “How can Xu Shuangtze behave like this, who does he think he is! How can he stop a sincere relationship between young people just because he wants to? Does being a Sovereign give him the right to do whatever he wants?”
Gong Wei was moved and applauded, “Your Lordship is so right!”
“…” Yuchi Xiao said softly, “It’s amazing how fast you can sense the wind direction and steer the boat, Xiang Xiaoyuan.”
Changsun Chengfeng reached out to Bai Xian and said discontentedly, “Bring me a transmission talisman. Tell Xu Shuangtze that there are many things in this world that will not follow his whims, and don’t think that because he has become Sovereign, he can order others around at will! Anyway, he is now imprisoned at the Cang Yang Sect and cannot come to Dai Mountain, just say that these are my words…”
At that moment, Sheng Bo’s voice came out again from the transmission spell, “Also…”
He paused and spoke calmly, “Lord Xu said that if the Artefact Sect Master has any objections, he will personally come to Dai Mountain to meet you within an hour.”
Changsun Chengfeng’s movements froze.
After a moment of dead silence, Changsun Chengfeng rigidly turned back, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face full of sincere compassion.
“My two dear nephews, please listen to my advice. A union without the blessing of the elders is incomplete, and Lord Xu must have his reasons for opposing it. Why don’t you two go back to your own homes, I will personally send Xiang Xiaoyuan back to the Cang Yang Sect…”
Yuchi Xiao blurted out, “My Lord, your sense of justice is disappearing too quickly!”
Changsun Chengfeng immediately defended his diminishing reputation, “I am not afraid of Xu Shuangtze, this is not the same thing as…”
“It is exactly the same thing. Are you that afraid of Lord Xu coming to your door?!”
Changsun Chengfeng replied, “I’m not, I don’t…”
“You also believe deep down that Lord Xu can do whatever he wants right?!”
Changsun Chengfeng’s mouth was already half-opened, he paused before yielding with a “Hai” and continued with a pained voice, “You’re a bunch of young people who don’t know what they’re doing! Who is not afraid of Lord Xu? Have you ever seen another Sovereign in this world who is so heartless as to kill not only the living but also dismember corpses?”
An indescribable silence suddenly enveloped everyone.
There was another long, eerie pause before Gong Wei said, “I can’t even refute this.”
“That’s why,” said Changsun Chengfeng, pointing back and forth at the two of them, “you two should hurry back to the Cang Yang Sect and the Golden Gate, and don’t come near here again. Since Lord Ying has activated the Bronze Wall Formation, it means that the situation inside has escalated and is dangerous. Later on, the Medical Sect Master Mu Duozhu will join me to guard the outer boundaries of Dai Mountain. Understand?”
In the distance, Dai Mountain, which stretched for thousands of miles, was already surrounded by a golden bronze wall, so it was impossible to see what was going on inside. Yuchi Xiao said urgently, “No, I must go in immediately, my uncle is still trapped inside…”
“Absolutely not! The Ding Xian Mausoleum is the burial place of the various great families and sects!” Changsun Chengfeng interrupted him, “Besides, if even Ying Kai and Yuchi Rui can’t handle it, would you two be able to do anything? You have to trust your seniors, what kind of person is the Sword Sect’s Yuchi Rui? He won’t die that easily—”
Boom!!
Suddenly, a loud sound came from Dai Mountain. It sounded as if the earth had been split open, the mountains and forests shook so violently that everyone staggered!
Countless birds were startled and frantically flew off. Changsun Chengfeng stumbled and held on to Bai Xian, shocked to see the Bronze Wall Formation almost burning up and after a long time, he finished his sentence, “…right?”
Yuchi Xiao simply couldn’t listen anymore, he raised Gou Chen and with a flash of red-gold sword glare, he flew up, “Go!”
“Wait!” Changsun Chengfeng came back to his senses and stopped him with one hand, blocking stiffly. “Wait patiently, you absolutely cannot go in!”
Yuchi Xiao was furious, “But why? I know that the Ding Xian Mausoleum is a burial place, but aren’t the living more important than the dead?!”
Changsun Chengfeng calmed down and seemed a little indecisive, but after a moment he sighed, “Fifteen years ago, Ying Kai initiated the suggestion that all the great sects should come together to build the Ding Xian Mausoleum, and they jointly suppressed four golden coffins in the ninth and deepest level.”
“If too many deceased people gather, one of those four lying in those coffins might suddenly awaken due to excessive elation.”
