Chapter 15#

An Wuxue was startled.

In an instant, his tensed body completely relaxed.

But only for a brief moment.

His mind was a blank, yet many thoughts surged forth.

Is this how the charm poison is resolved?

What about Xie Zhefeng’s emotionless path?

The four seas and two realms were all waiting for the moment his junior brother ascended to immortality to cleanse the world. If it failed at the last step…

And.

Did his junior brother truly know what they were doing at this very moment?

And…

What he thought later, An Wuxue did not remember.

That day, his thoughts were too many and too complex, as tangled as the intertwined seaweed and coral in the Sea of Hades, with no discernible source.

After the dual cultivation, An Wuxue was the first to wake up.

Before his arrival, Xie Zhefeng had endured the charm poison within the barrier for seven days. After the poison was resolved, Xie Zhefeng’s soul fell into a deep sleep and would not wake for some time.

His junior brother was lying on his side facing him, eyes tightly closed.

He took a look, but for some reason felt exceptionally guilty, quickly withdrew his gaze, and turned his head away.

I seem to have caused trouble.

He thought.

Sigh.

What would his junior brother say to him when he woke up?

Should he confess his joy and confusion?

What should be done about his junior brother’s emotionless path?

Forget it, no matter what happens, he will face it together with Junior Brother Xie.

Right, the Merman’s corpse was still lying at the other end of the barrier.

An Wuxue forced himself to steady his mind, regulated his breathing, cleared the surrounding corpses, and reinforced the barrier enveloping Xie Zhefeng, allowing him to continue recuperating in sleep.

Shangguan Liaoliao was still waiting for him to return and preside over the sword array, so he hurriedly left the heart of the Merman clan’s territory.

In his haste, before he could leave the territory and return to the seawater, he was tripped by a stone.

He looked down—it was actually a fetal stone.

Hadn’t the Tailing clan already perished?

This clan was neither human nor demon nor devil, born as a blank slate. If they developed sentience in a place with dense pure energy, they would become an exceptionally talented cultivator, but if born amidst turbid energy, they would become a demonic cultivator.

During the Immortal Calamity, because of this characteristic, the clan could not fight as one, and internal strife continued until no heritage was left.

How was a fetal stone that hadn’t even begun to cultivate hidden in the heart of the Merman clan’s territory in the deep sea?

An Wuxue leaned over and picked up the snow-white fetal stone.

There was a spot on the fetal stone where a karmic fire mark was faintly appearing—every fetal stone would possess a karmic fire mark after developing sentience.

It was a fetal stone that had only just developed sentience.

But…

The fetal stone was stained with turbid energy. If it continued to cultivate, it could only become a demonic cultivator.

Should he crush this fetal stone to eliminate future trouble?

This was likely the last heritage of the Tailing clan.

Moreover, the turbid energy on the fetal stone was very faint, and there was still a chance for remedy.

So An Wuxue drew the pure energy from the Sea of Hades and, utilizing the deep-sea currents, created a purification array, sealing the fetal stone within it.

When the turbid energy on the fetal stone was washed clean, the seal would naturally break.

After Xie Zhefeng woke up, they would likely mention yesterday…

At that time, he would bring Xie Zhefeng back to the place of the seal and have Xie Zhefeng also help, assisting this fetal stone to escape the seal sooner.

—But he never went back.

After that day, Xie Zhefeng never spoke a single word of it.

His junior brother didn’t need him to worry at all, for he unhesitatingly chose the latter between him and the Dao.

Until Xie Zhefeng’s emotionless path was perfected and he ascended to immortality, neither of them ever mentioned this absurdity.

The events in the depths of the Sea of Hades were a secret known to no one in this world. Since Xie Zhefeng was unwilling to mention it, An Wuxue simply acted as if those past events had never occurred.

The moment he saw Jiang Qing, long-forgotten memories broke through the surface, awakening a corner of his mind he had forgotten.

Fortunately, Jiang Qing had only just developed sentience at the time and didn’t even remember the person who sealed him.

If there were a third person who remembered that memory, then a thousand years later, the world might still know that he, the misguided and cold-blooded former First Seat of Luoyue Peak, had once shamelessly shared an absurdity with his own junior brother.

Fortunately.

Xie Zhefeng had no reaction to Jiang Qing’s appearance.

At that time, this person was still asleep and naturally didn’t know of Jiang Qing’s existence.

After Xie Zhefeng directly explained his purpose to the City Lord of Zhaoshui, he said: “This matter concerns the extermination of the Yunjian Sect. I ask the City Lord to find the cultivators who visited the Yunjian Sect within the past three months.”

The City Lord of Zhaoshui was greatly shocked: “The Yunjian Sect is adjacent to my Zhaoshui City, yet it has been exterminated for several months without a single word reaching us?”

Seeing that Xie Zhefeng’s avatar was in the Great Achievement stage, while Yun Zhou and Yun Yao were only in the small achievement stage, and An Wuxue was a useless person who seemed only able to hold them back, he said with some concern: “The person who could do this is likely a highly cultivated demonic cultivator. Would it be too dangerous for you to go to the Yunjian Sect alone? Do you need me to send some masters to go with you?”

Xie Zhefeng shook his head: “No need. When the City Lord finds the person who knocked on the door, send someone to the inn to notify us.”

Before he had even finished speaking, Xie Zhefeng turned and walked straight out.

An Wuxue stood to the side absentmindedly and was about to follow and leave.

But just as one foot stepped over the threshold, he suddenly paused and turned back.

“City Lord, I have one thing I’m curious about. May I ask a question?”

The City Lord of Zhaoshui seemed very easy to talk to and nodded: “Certainly, feel free to ask, little friend!”

“I come from the mortal world near Zhaoshui City and have heard many stories of City Lord Lou Shuiming during the Immortal Calamity. But looking at your age, you don’t seem to be City Lord Lou…”

The City Lord of Zhaoshui showed a look of sorrow: “The one you mention is my grand-master. Grand-master fell a thousand years ago and did not live to see the end of the Immortal Calamity. After that, his disciple, who was my master, took over as City Lord. Unfortunately, my master failed to break through to the Tribulation stage and passed away over a hundred years ago.”

“I am truly ashamed; Zhaoshui’s heritage was once broken and is far less prosperous than Beiming, and to this day there are no cultivators at the Tribulation stage.”

“Zhaoshui City has been in my hands for three generations now.”

“So that’s how it is.”

He curved his eyes slightly and smiled: “I haven’t been back to Zhaoshui for a long time. Looking at it these past two days, I’ve found Zhaoshui’s pavilions and markets decorated with lanterns, mortals not closing their doors at night, and cultivators drinking and laughing.”

“If City Lord Lou could see this, he would surely be gratified.”

The City Lord of Zhaoshui seemed not to have expected to hear such words from a young junior like An Wuxue and was momentarily stunned.

An Wuxue, however, had already left.

When he walked out of the City Lord’s Manor, he found only Xie Zhefeng standing at the gate.

This man was actually holding Chunhua in his arms.

Since he couldn’t use Chuhan, was he using Chunhua as his own sword?

An Wuxue: “…”

He moved his gaze away; what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over.

“Where are Yun Zhou and Yun Yao?”

“They went back to the inn first.”

“Then you…”

Then why haven’t you left?

If you don’t leave, I will.

The sound of gongs, drums, and suonas approached from near and far.

The float that had been lingering near the city gate last night was approaching.

It was the Tianshui Festival.

Xie Zhefeng was looking at the float.

This person… is waiting for the float?

The cultivator guarding the gate timely voiced An Wuxue’s internal doubt: “This is the Tianshui Festival float. It carries the flowers placed there by every household of Zhaoshui City. The City Lord used a hand seal to preserve them, so these flowers won’t wither for several months, until the Tianshui Festival ends.”

What exactly was the Tianshui Festival?

A thousand years ago, there was no such thing.

The name suggests a memorial service, but looking at the singing and dancing in Zhaoshui City, it seemed more like a celebration.

Seeing that Xie Zhefeng was just looking at the float and saying nothing, he used the tiger’s skin as a banner and asked the guarding cultivator: “I was a mortal before, but my friend here is from Luoyue and hasn’t seen Zhaoshui City’s Tianshui Festival. Could this Fellow Daoist explain it a bit for him?”

The guarding cultivator said readily: “Of course! Even if your friend doesn’t know about the Tianshui Festival, he surely knows about City Lord Lou Shuiming and the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array, right?”

Xie Zhefeng’s ears seemed to twitch.

But the man did not interrupt the cultivator.

“The Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array was set up by that person from your Luoyue Peak… well, don’t mind me saying this, it was that First Seat who set it up. Look, if you look up anywhere in Zhaoshui City, can’t you see that giant sword? That’s one corner of the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array, the Zhaoshui Sword.

“It’s said that on the day the array patterns were laid, some unforeseen change occurred, and the array lacked a great deal of spiritual energy and couldn’t establish its base. That First Seat asked City Lord Lou to sacrifice his sword to fill the spiritual energy gap… For the sake of Zhaoshui, City Lord Lou took his own life before the Zhaoshui Sword, and only then was the foundation of the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array established.”

The float drew closer.

In the center of the float, dancers danced to the music, the fragrance of flowers drifted over, and the petals carried by the wind fell like colorful snowflakes, rolling down.

Xie Zhefeng’s grip on Chunhua’s scabbard seemed to gradually tighten.

“…The ancestors felt the sword array was unlucky. The Tianshui Festival was initially a memorial for City Lord Lou; everyone would place some flowers or offerings near the giant sword.

“But two hundred years ago, a Tribulation stage demonic cultivator suddenly appeared in Zhaoshui City! That demonic cultivator was like a madman, actually invoking a sky-swallowing turbid energy at the gates of the City Lord’s Manor! Zhaoshui City, having gone through the great disaster of the Immortal Calamity, was in a period of transition, and no one could match a Tribulation stage demonic cultivator.

“The Zhaoshui Sword, which had been silent for six or seven hundred years, suddenly burst forth with a chilling sword intent, pinning that demonic cultivator to the ground and resolving Zhaoshui’s crisis without shedding a drop of blood.”

Beside the float, mortal children carrying flowers chased each other, laughing as they ran past, humming songs.

The content of the songs was exactly the same as what the gate-guarding cultivator had said.

Under an accident two hundred years ago, the people of Zhaoshui City only then discovered that the Zhaoshui Sword had actually been silently protecting Zhaoshui City.

The Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array anchored the four directions of heaven and earth; who knows how much turbid energy it had cleansed in secret.

Since then, every ten years, Zhaoshui City would hold a Tianshui Festival lasting for a full three months.

It is to commemorate the dead, and also to repay the protection of the Zhaoshui Sword.

The float passed the City Lord’s Manor and began to slowly distance itself.

Xie Zhefeng finally withdrew his gaze and asked: “You said the demonic cultivator was pinned to the ground by the Zhaoshui Sword and the sword did not directly kill him? How was that demonic cultivator dealt with later?”

“Later, people from your Luoyue Peak came,” the cultivator said. “That demonic cultivator was taken back to Luoyue Peak and suppressed in the Cangu Tower. Two hundred years have passed; he should have already had his soul annihilated in the Cangu Tower.”

Xie Zhefeng asked no further.

“Back to the inn to wait for news.” These words were spoken to An Wuxue.

“Fellow Daoist Xie seems to like watching this float very much. Watching it once last night wasn’t enough, and you’re still watching it today.”

“I also said last night that I have an old friend who never saw these. I want to see more for him.”

An Wuxue sneered: “Fellow Daoist Xie has so many old friends.”

“Not many.”

An Wuxue’s smile paused.

He didn’t speak, but Xie Zhefeng continued to himself as if in a monologue: “They are all the same person.”