Chapter 69#
An Wuxue withdrew his hand and sheathed his sword.
Feeling a slight wetness on his cheek, he reached up to touch it; his fingertips came away stained with a small amount of blood.
It was blood from the phantom “Xie Zhefeng” that had splattered onto his face.
The surroundings had dissolved into a vast, dark void, leaving only him and Pei Qian visible.
Pei Qian took a moment to regulate his breathing, wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, and hurried to An Wuxue’s side. With lingering fear, he said, “The Immortal Venerable is also within the array… just now… he likely sensed what happened through the array…”
“So what? The Guan Ye Array is just a collection of phantoms; it won’t affect anything in reality.”
Pei Qian was left speechless.
An Wuxue ignored the bloodstains on his own person and simply used a spiritual spell to cleanse the grime from the blade of Chun Hua. “As for Xie Zhefeng, even if he knows… as I said before, I did it for the sake of the crisis in North Abyss. He shouldn’t hold it against me.”
Pei Qian: “…”
He hesitated for a moment before saying, “What the Immortal Venerable cares about might not be your attempt to kill him.”
“Hmm?”
Pei Qian went silent.
In truth, those within the array didn’t just share memories; they shared all five senses.
A blade through the heart, words that pierced the soul—the pain in the bones and the ache in the heart… Immortal Venerable Chu Han had likely felt all of it just now.
“He showed no resistance when you struck…”
After a short pause.
“It’s nothing,” Pei Qian swallowed his words.
Looking at An Wuxue’s dazed and distant expression, he still found it difficult to reconcile the person before him with the infamous name of “An Wuxue” that echoed throughout the two realms.
Rumors claimed that the former First Seat of Falling Moon Peak had been a mass murderer whose heavy sins eventually led to his downfall.
According to the elders, An Wuxue had been blessed by the heavens—his master and junior brother were the best of their generation. Only An Wuxue himself had gone astray, squandering a perfect hand of cards.
Among the young cultivators who had just entered the path, some could no longer even say why the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array had been created…
Pei Qian’s gaze darkened, and he said wistfully, “First Seat An.”
An Wuxue gave a bitter smile. “I believe I told you that I am no longer the First Seat of Falling Moon Peak.”
“But I have never heard of a successor being named for the position of First Seat at Falling Moon Peak, nor have I heard that the First Seat was officially removed from the sect’s records.”
“First, there’s no successor. Second, there’s no expulsion. Third—the First Seat is still in the land of the living. Why shouldn’t I call you that?”
An Wuxue opened his mouth to retort, but his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he found he couldn’t come up with a counterargument.
Pei Qian said, “I just feel a bit of regret all of a sudden.”
“Regret for what?”
“Regret that by the time I was born, the Immortal Calamity had already ended. I only ever heard the First Seat’s name from others, leading me to misunderstand for centuries. It was only today that I realized—the First Seat is completely unlike the person in the rumors.”
An Wuxue finally snapped out of the daze from piercing Xie Zhefeng’s heart. Composing himself, he walked toward the Life and Death Gates.
Studying the two entrances, he asked Pei Qian behind him, “I don’t think I’m that different. How am I unlike the rumors?”
“In every way. Take the matters regarding the North Abyss Sword Array, for instance. I grew up in the Qu clan. If one studies arrays and reaches the topic of the North Abyss Sword Array, the First Seat’s name is unavoidable. They always say that although you laid down the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array to protect the two realms, you were actually a cold-blooded and ruthlessly heartless person…”
Pei Qian glanced at An Wuxue’s back and raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t seen a single trace of those qualities in you.”
An Wuxue chuckled softly.
Without turning around, he said, “Then you are mistaken. I believe those words describe me perfectly. There’s nothing to regret; if you had known me a thousand years ago, you might have said the same…”
He might even have been among the crowd trying to kill him.
Pei Qian clicked his tongue. “How can a person have such a misunderstanding of themselves?”
Unwilling to continue this pointless conversation, An Wuxue asked, “When you went to investigate outside the sword array, did you discover anything unusual in the flow of time from two hundred years ago?”
“No. There was no array core in that time period. However, while I was fighting with City Lord Shangguan—or rather, while I was being chased and beaten by her—I discovered that her phantom from two hundred years ago was connected to other parts of the array. The real City Lord Shangguan’s true body should also be within the array.”
“…Rather than saying Shangguan Liaoliao is in the array, it would be more accurate to say…” An Wuxue scanned the surrounding void. “All the cultivators and mortals of the North Abyss First City are within the Guan Ye Array. It’s not that the array surrounds the First City; it’s that the array is the First City.”
“The First Seat is truly a grandmaster of the array path,” Pei Qian said, squinting and nodding with a smile. “This is likely the reason for North Abyss sealing itself off. City Lord Shangguan and the others are wandering within the array, searching for a way to break it to save all the lives in the city. Consequently, they are tied down and unable to attend to the affairs of the other cities.”
“Furthermore, time flows differently in the Guan Ye Array than it does outside. Even though we’ve only passed through two Life Gates, more than half a month has likely passed in the outside world.”
In that case, they needed to regroup with Xie Zhefeng and Shangguan Liaoliao as quickly as possible to find the specific point in time to break the array.
An Wuxue said no more. He chose a gate and led Pei Qian inside.
Meanwhile.
In another part of the time stream.
Xie Zhefeng stood with his sword, Kun Kun perched on his shoulder.
The world around him collapsed, the First City dissolving into illusion. Xie Zhefeng had broken this trial with brute force.
This was the Death Gate Xie Zhefeng had entered.
Earlier, after entering the Death Gate, he had found himself alone with Kun Kun. An Wuxue had fallen into a different gate.
He had been separated from his Senior Brother.
Ever since confirming that Su Xue was his Senior Brother, An Wuxue had been constantly within his sight.
Even during those few days of recovery in the City Lord’s manor, while An Wuxue slept inside the room and he remained outside, he could feel the man’s steady presence.
This was the first time since learning of his identity that he had lost track of his Senior Brother’s whereabouts.
Almost the instant he had entered the array, an inexplicable terror had crashed over him like a tidal wave from the vast ocean, drowning him effortlessly.
Where was Senior Brother?
Was Senior Brother in danger within the array?
Why hadn’t Senior Brother used the Soul Bell to find him?
Would Senior Brother simply leave like this?
Senior Brother…
He stood frozen within the sword array, his mind in a state of flux.
In this fragment of the past, the cultivators guarding the North Abyss Sword Array discovered him.
The cultivators guarding the array hundreds of years ago didn’t recognize his incarnation. One of them asked sternly, “Who dares trespass into the North Abyss Sword Array?”
The man then realized he was facing someone at the peak of the Tribulation-Transcending stage. His expression turned serious, and he didn’t dare attack recklessly. “The sword array is vital to North Abyss. None may enter without City Lord Shangguan’s permission. Withdraw at once!”
Xie Zhefeng said nothing.
The sounds around him failed to reach his ears; his heart was currently consumed by fear.
He was afraid his Senior Brother would leave just like that.
He knew that after everything he had done, An Wuxue could not easily forgive him.
But the fact that his Senior Brother was alive was already a great blessing. In the long years to come, he would do everything in his power to make amends.
He could not lose his Senior Brother again.
If his Senior Brother were to leave…
“The puppet seal on him is controlled by your aura. What are you afraid of?”
A voice identical to Xie Zhefeng’s but slightly deeper echoed quietly in his sea of consciousness.
Before him, the phantom North Abyss cultivator spoke again, “Fellow Daoist? The North Abyss Sword Array is not to be entered without authorization. If you do not leave immediately or if you have ulterior motives, I will have no choice but to summon City Lord Shangguan!”
Xie Zhefeng’s expression was blank.
In his sea of consciousness, the voice spoke persuasively, “Why not just use the puppet seal to control him? Why be so restrained and cautious?”
His sea of consciousness began to tremble. Dark energy, like creeping vines, slowly crawled out from the fissures.
After being suppressed by the soul-splitting method for many days, his inner demons had finally emerged the moment An Wuxue left his side.
“You are the Immortal Venerable; both realms obey your commands. You’re just forcing one person.”
“You can also cooperate with me. What does it matter if you become a demon? You are already a Long-Life Immortal; even as a demon, you would still be the greatest in this world. Let yourself go.”
“Whine!”
The power of the miasma beast entered his sea of consciousness, serving as a reminder.
His thoughts wavered for a moment, but his expression turned cold in the next instant.
“I cannot,” he said.
I cannot do this.
These words were meant for his inner demons, but the cultivator in the Guan Ye phantom thought he was stubbornly refusing to leave. His face changed, and he took out a sound-transmission talisman to alert the experts of the First City.
Immediately, numerous Tribulation-Transcending auras appeared in the vicinity.
The killing intent of the Death Gate was fully manifest!
Xie Zhefeng glanced at the man.
The man was instantly drenched in cold sweat and hurried back.
Xie Zhefeng withdrew his gaze and recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra.
After a moment, his expression steadied.
In the next instant—
Sword energy soared into the heavens!
The entire First City was instantly destroyed!
The Death Gate was broken just like that.
The entrances to the Life and Death Gates appeared before him.
Xie Zhefeng had been delayed by his inner demons for a few moments, during which An Wuxue had already entered the second Life Gate.
Just as Xie Zhefeng was about to step into the next set of gates…
Suddenly.
He came to a dead halt, his pupils shrinking.
The memory of what had transpired between An Wuxue and the phantom “Xie Zhefeng” in the time stream rushed into his sea of consciousness.
The sensation of his chest being pierced by a blade hit him like a mountain!
He heard his Senior Brother say to that fake version of himself, “I have no love or hatred for you. Killing you was only for the sake of the two realms.”
Those words were colder and sharper than even the sword Chun Hua, slicing his heart to pieces.
And—dual cultivation?
Senior Brother mentioned dual cultivation.
When had he ever engaged in dual cultivation with his Senior Brother!?
“What does it matter when it happened? With the puppet seal in place, even if you wanted to do it right now, could he refuse you?”
“Didn’t you hear what Senior Brother said? Do you really think that by letting him take revenge and torture you, you won’t lose him again?”
“He doesn’t care at all!”
“Nothing you do can ever be undone. Better to follow your desires—”
“Shut up!”
In the midst of his suffocating pain and the delusions of the Guan Ye Array, he immediately made a decision. His divine soul emerged, and he once again condensed the newly emerged dark energy onto it.
The dark energy was once more forced into a corner.
Concern showed in Kun Kun’s large, round eyes. “Whine! Whine!!”
It had only been a few days since he had last split his soul!
Xie Zhefeng didn’t even blink.
Even as Kun Kun tried to dissuade him, the light of the Chu Han sword had already fallen, slicing away that small fragment of his divine soul!
In an instant, Xie Zhefeng’s entire body trembled, and his face turned deathly pale.
The pain from his soul mingled with the ache in his chest, making it impossible for him to tell where the suffering began.
Despite his condition, he only paused for a few breaths before reaching out to pull Kun Kun into his arms. His voice was weak. “The memory just entered my sea of consciousness… I’ve felt where he is in the torrent…”
“Let’s go find him.”
As An Wuxue and Pei Qian entered the next segment of the torrent, Pei Qian said with a long face, “Our luck has run out. This looks like a Death Gate.”
“Wait,” An Wuxue said.
“What—” Pei Qian paused as he also noticed the problem.
Although this was a Death Gate, as they looked out from the sword array at the center of the First City, more than half of the boundaries had already collapsed.
An Wuxue swept out with his divine sense and detected the ripples of a spiritual battle nearby.
There were not only immortal cultivators, but even…
“Turbid energy… demon cultivators?”
Pei Qian realized what was happening. “Other cultivators have already entered this area. Did they get into a fight with demon cultivators while trying to break the trial?”
Chun Hua took flight with a sharp clang. An Wuxue stepped onto the blade and headed toward the battle without hesitation.
Pei Qian: “Hey, wait for me!”
The First City was already mostly collapsed, and the site of the battle was close to the sword array. Just as the wind picked up, An Wuxue had already descended.
He recognized the person fighting the demon cultivators and was startled. “Fellow Daoist Jiang?”
He saw Jiang Qing surrounded by two Tribulation-Transcending demon cultivators. The demon cultivators wore masks that blocked divine sense, making their identities impossible to discern.
Jiang Qing was fighting two against one, his robes stained with blood in several places. He had clearly sustained several serious injuries!
Hearing the voice, Jiang Qing turned his head. “Su Xue!?”
A look of joy appeared on his face, the Karmic Fire birthmark near his eye shifting slightly with his smile, as if actual karmic flames were burning.
But in the next moment, his smile vanished, and he said urgently, “Watch out!”
The two demon cultivators seemed to think they had a chance when they saw An Wuxue’s cultivation was only at the early stage of the Tribulation-Transcending realm. One of them lunged at An Wuxue with a sword!
An Wuxue’s eyes turned cold. He let out a fearless, light chuckle and folded his hands to cast a spell. Spiritual energy surged around him as he sent Chun Hua forward.
Chun Hua cut through the air, breaking through the demon cultivator’s defense with lightning speed. The tip of the blade stopped just before the man’s brow, but its sword energy pierced directly into his sea of consciousness.
The mask shattered, and Chun Hua’s sword energy instantly took the demon cultivator’s life!
Pei Qian caught up just in time.
Seeing three Tribulation-Transcending immortal cultivators, the remaining demon cultivator produced an object. Using it, he was able to leave this segment of the torrent without going through a Life or Death Gate, vanishing from their sight.
Since An Wuxue and the others couldn’t leave without a gate and the man had escaped too quickly, they couldn’t stop him.
Within a few breaths, the tide of battle had turned. One demon cultivator was dead and the other had fled, leaving only An Wuxue, Pei Qian, and Jiang Qing. The First City continued its collapse.
“Su Xue, how did you end up in the Guan Ye Array? And—you’re already in the Tribulation-Transcending stage!?”
An Wuxue’s toes touched the ground as he flew to Jiang Qing’s side. “Fellow Daoist Jiang, it’s a long story. As for the demon cultivators, let’s discuss that later. You’re badly injured; heal yourself first.”
He reached into his spiritual pouch and found some spiritual medicine meant for Tribulation-Transcending cultivators.
It seemed to be the high-grade pills Xie Zhefeng had given him a few days ago—the ones the Falling Moon Peak elders had offered to the Immortal Venerable. Their efficacy should be excellent.
He handed them to Jiang Qing and then manipulated his spiritual energy to assist with the healing.
Once the medicine was applied, the sword wounds on Jiang Qing’s body healed rapidly. However, his face remained very pale. While his external injuries were gone, his internal injuries would take time to mend.
Pei Qian called out, “Mr. Jiang.”
An Wuxue was slightly surprised. “Mr. Jiang?”
“Mr. Jiang possesses the Fetal Spirit Body and is skilled in the laws of karma. When I was in the First City, I learned a few things from him because some arrays required divination. Although he isn’t my master, he is someone who taught me the Way. Calling him ‘Mr.’ is only right.”
Jiang Qing seemed a bit helpless. “It was just a bit of divination regarding karma; it can’t really be called teaching the Way.”
Pei Qian said to Jiang Qing, “Your robes are torn. Why don’t you change into a new set?”
“I’m ashamed to say it, but I was chased by those demon cultivators for a long time. My spiritual pouch was either lost in the battle or destroyed by them. I have nothing on me right now, so how can I change my robes?”
An Wuxue looked him over and saw that Jiang Qing was roughly the same height as himself. He took out a fresh set of robes from his spiritual pouch and handed them over.
They were the ones Qin Wei had asked Xuan Fang to give him. Since Xuan Fang had left them at his door and it would be a waste not to take them, he had packed them away. Now, they were perfect for the situation.
“Use mine. These robes were pressed upon me when I left Falling Moon Peak, and I haven’t worn them yet.”
Jiang Qing smiled and, with a wave of his sleeve, changed into them.
He asked An Wuxue, “You’re covered in blood. Why don’t you change as well?”
“No need. My robes aren’t torn, only stained. I don’t know how much more blood I’ll be covered in on this journey; there’s no need to change every moment.”
As he spoke, he intended to take the opportunity before entering the next gate to tell Jiang Qing about the situation in North Abyss.
At that moment, the void around them suddenly trembled, and a crack opened behind An Wuxue.
Xie Zhefeng stepped out of the crack. His face was pale, his expression cold, and his gaze dim.
Seeing An Wuxue, his eyes brightened slightly.
But in the next instant, he saw Jiang Qing in front of An Wuxue, and his gaze turned cold again.
Jiang Qing recognized him. With a slight curl of his eyes, he said, “Fellow Daoist Xie is here as well? I didn’t expect our next meeting after parting at the gates of the Cloud Sword Sect would be under such circumstances.”
Xie Zhefeng simply looked at the robes Jiang Qing was wearing and said in a low voice, “Your robes…”
The fabric was the spiritual cloth exclusive to the weaving peak of Falling Moon Peak, and the style and color were the plain cyan that his Senior Brother often wore.
Jiang Qing nodded with a smile. “Su Xue gave them to me. Why does Fellow Daoist Xie have such an expression? Since both you and Su Xue are from Falling Moon, you are sect mates. Su Xue must have given you robes after a battle many times, right?”
“My spiritual pouch is gone now, and I’ve only taken this one set. I won’t steal from Fellow Daoist Xie. You can rest assured.”