Chapter 70#
Rest assured?
Xie Zhefeng had grown accustomed to the pain of splitting his soul and the lingering ache of having his heart pierced, yet he found those words particularly grating. The sight of Jiang Qing wearing his Senior Brother’s clothes was even more of an eyesore.
In the past, his Senior Brother had been meticulous in his care; after a battle, he would often provide not just robes, but also medical treatment and words of comfort.
But a thousand-year dream had passed. In the six months since his Senior Brother’s return, even while traveling as Su Xue, when had he ever changed Xie Zhefeng’s clothes for him?
This was all his own doing. Xie Zhefeng was self-aware and held no resentment.
Yet, seeing An Wuxue extend such care to another still made his breathing heavy.
Holding Kun Kun, his expression darkened slightly.
With An Wuxue nearby, he had to suppress the barely controllable hostility within him.
However, An Wuxue’s back was turned to him, so he couldn’t see his expression.
Instead, An Wuxue felt caught between laughter and tears.
“Fellow Daoist Jiang, it’s just a set of robes. There’s no need for such unnecessary worry.”
Especially since the other person was Xie Zhefeng.
“I’ve given Fellow Daoist Xie robes in the past, and he didn’t seem to care much. Why would he mind a common set of robes like those found everywhere on Falling Moon Peak?”
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.
Xie Zhefeng’s expression immediately turned bleak, and the paleness of his face deepened.
He stared fixedly at An Wuxue, his lips moving slightly several times.
But what could he say?
In the end, he remained silent.
Pei Qian looked back and forth between them, inwardly lamenting his situation.
He could tell An Wuxue didn’t want to reveal his identity to the North Abyss cultivators. Fearing Jiang Qing might say something inappropriate if he didn’t know the Immortal Venerable’s identity, he quickly asked, “Mr. Jiang, why exactly did North Abyss end up sealing the city? How did you end up being pursued by demon cultivators here? Where are City Lord Shangguan and the others?”
Jiang Qing shook his head. “Your questions are coming one after another; how am I supposed to answer? Don’t be in such a hurry. I’ve been wandering the Guan Ye Array for a long time; being anxious won’t break it. Why don’t you listen to my explanation first? I also wanted to ask you, what is the situation like outside the array?”
Pei Qian glanced at Xie Zhefeng.
Xie Zhefeng’s gaze remained solely on An Wuxue as he said dismissively, “I only passed through one Death Gate. There’s nothing worth mentioning.”
Pei Qian then briefly summarized the information they had gathered.
While Pei Qian spoke, An Wuxue walked over to the body of the demon cultivator he had killed.
This segment of the time stream had long since been broken by Jiang Qing, and the area was completely collapsing, yet the demon cultivator’s body remained—this was not a phantom of the Guan Ye Array, but an intruder who had entered it.
So, demon cultivators had also entered the array…
The man’s mask had been shattered by his blow, revealing a face frozen in shock.
An Wuxue took the spiritual pouch from the man’s waist, and his half-step ascended divine sense instantly broke through the seal.
Reaching in with his divine sense, he discovered that the pouch was filled with dharma tools used for setting up arrays and divination.
There were countless clans in the North Abyss immortal path. In the field of arrays, the Qu clan was esteemed alongside the Li Huo Sect, the premier array sect. They certainly had the strength to set up the Guan Ye Array.
An Wuxue frowned. He tossed the pouch to Pei Qian. “Take a look. Are these items from the North Abyss Qu clan?”
Pei Qian caught it. His expression shifted instantly, his eyes becoming quite subtle.
He didn’t speak, but his reaction was a silent admission.
Jiang Qing was slightly surprised. “Su Xue confirmed it just like that? I only became certain after dealing with them in the array for a long time.”
Xie Zhefeng said in a deep voice, “The Guan Ye Array is the work of the Qu family? Has a great demon emerged from the Qu family?”
Jiang Qing’s expression also turned solemn. “I have no concrete evidence, only my own suspicions. But seeing young Immortal Master Pei’s reaction, the Qu family likely has something to do with it.”
“Regarding the events in North Abyss, I must start from several months ago. Su Xue and Fellow Daoist Xie remember the extermination of the Cloud Sword Sect, right? At that time, I was waiting in Zhaoshui City for you two to break the Cloud Sword illusion. However, the City Lord suddenly issued an emergency summons, ordering the Tribulation-Transcending cultivators under her command to return immediately. I had to rush back overnight—the reason the City Lord summoned me back was the puppet crisis you mentioned.”
This matched the information An Wuxue and the others had gathered from the Twenty-Seventh City.
That city was also full of puppets.
Jiang Qing continued, “However, before the source of the puppet chaos could be found, a surge of turbid energy suddenly erupted from the primary sword array of the First City!”
“Suddenly?” An Wuxue turned around. “City Lord Shangguan was already at the peak of the Tribulation-Transcending stage and half-step to ascension during the Immortal Calamity. Countless demons have fallen to her sword. She personally oversees the First City; how could a massive surge of turbid energy from the North Abyss Sword Array not alert her?”
“Yes, it didn’t. Not just her—none of us Tribulation-Transcending cultivators in the First City noticed anything. That turbid energy left no trace, appearing as if it had spontaneously emanated from within the primary sword array itself.”
Jiang Qing’s expression grew increasingly worried. “Just as we were about to investigate the sword array, the Guan Ye Array suddenly descended, trapping every living being in the First City. You said Falling Moon Peak received a plea for help from North Abyss—that must have been sent by City Lord Shangguan in the instant before she was pulled into the array, right as she decisively locked down North Abyss.”
—No wonder the plea for help was so brief!
An Wuxue finally understood.
He had been puzzled before.
The North Abyss Sword Array was the most unshakable part of the Four Seas Ten Thousand Swords Array; the forty-nine sword arrays resonated with each other, making it almost impossible for something to go wrong.
Furthermore, North Abyss had been a place of flourishing immortal paths since ancient times, home to countless talented individuals. What kind of scheme could force North Abyss to seal itself?
So that was it.
The mastermind had somehow used turbid energy to contaminate the North Abyss primary sword array and possessed an extraordinary understanding of North Abyss’s affairs. As for the other forty-eight cities, that person had spread the puppet method, inciting the evil within people’s hearts and using individuals like Zhao Duan to tamper with the forty-eight branch sword arrays. Consequently, the other arrays were unable to assist when the primary sword array was attacked.
Subsequently, the mastermind struck the First City, successfully plunging North Abyss into its current state.
It was highly likely that the perpetrator was from the Qu clan, an esteemed family of the First City, or had collaborated with them, which was why Shangguan Liaoliao had been caught off guard.
The Qu family…
Why would such an esteemed family do this?
Xie Zhefeng also realized the reasons behind it in an instant. Frowning, he asked, “Have you seen any cultivators from the Qu family? Since all the inhabitants of the First City have been pulled into the array, haven’t you encountered anyone else?”
“As Little Pei knows, the Guan Ye Array was created several hundred years ago by that genius of the Qu family. He must have told you.”
“Wherever this array is placed, it creates countless illusions based on the past of that location. Those who enter can only wander through these time-stream-like illusions until they find the array’s core. Destroying the core is the only way to break out of the array.”
“Any day or moment from the past could be an illusion. The torrent of time is infinite; how could it be so easy to run into someone? I was pulled into the array and have been wandering between the Life and Death Gates, pursued through several illusions by those two demon cultivators.”
“Our meeting was likely because my battle with those two demon cultivators caused this illusion to be on the verge of breaking, making it easier for others to enter.”
Regarding the Qu family, Pei Qian should have had the most to say.
However, he continued to grip the spiritual pouch of the Qu clan demon cultivator, his expression becoming increasingly solemn as if he were lost in thought.
An Wuxue continued questioning Jiang Qing, “Why were they pursuing you? Do you have a grudge against the Qu family, Fellow Daoist Jiang?”
Jiang Qing turned to An Wuxue, his expression softening slightly as he sighed. “I have no dealings with the Qu family. If anything, I only have an old connection with Little Pei. As for why they were pursuing me, I can’t figure it out either. Perhaps they aren’t just pursuing me, but every high-level immortal cultivator scattered throughout the array.”
After listening to Jiang Qing’s account, An Wuxue fell into thought for a moment, but then he suddenly felt Xie Zhefeng’s gaze on him.
He looked back to see that the man’s face was exceptionally pale, as if he had been seriously injured, yet his clothes were neat and clean, showing no sign of trouble.
Previously, whenever this man was caught looking at him, he would always look away in guilt. Now, however, he was staring straight at him, his dark eyes seemingly filled with countless words he wanted to say but couldn’t.
An Wuxue was startled, his train of thought interrupted.
The surrounding void suddenly began to become unstable.
Pei Qian regained his composure. “The illusion might have been broken for too long; it’s about to dissipate completely.”
They needed to enter the next time period as quickly as possible.
An Wuxue said, “Fellow Daoist Jiang is right. The torrent of time is infinite; wandering through the Life and Death Gates to find the array core is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We’re still completely in the dark about how to break the array. Let’s find City Lord Shangguan first…”
Pei Qian nodded. “That makes sense. So, the question is, how do we find her?”
“That’s a good question,” Jiang Qing said approvingly.
“Thank you for the compliment. Do you have a way, Mr. Jiang?”
“No,” Jiang Qing said with a smile. “If I had a way, why would I compliment you? Why wouldn’t I compliment myself?”
Pei Qian: “…”
An Wuxue, however, said decisively, “There is a way, but we don’t need to look for her. Let’s make her come to us.”
Xie Zhefeng had found them on his own just now, so he immediately understood what An Wuxue meant. “Find an illusion with her in it and kill her.”
Pei Qian: “…”
Oh.
Just now, An Wuxue had killed the Xie Zhefeng in the two-hundred-year-old illusion, which caused the real Xie Zhefeng to feel the heart-piercing pain, letting him know what had happened and allowing him to sense their location!
If the Shangguan Liaoliao of any time period were to die, wouldn’t the real Shangguan Liaoliao know?
At that moment.
The two gates before them began to tremble.
If they didn’t leave soon, the gates would collapse, and they truly would be trapped.
Pei Qian said urgently, “Then we don’t need to worry about which is the Life or Death Gate. Instead, we need to find a time period where City Lord Shangguan might be present, right? I’ve calculated that the one on the right—hey!!!”
He stopped mid-sentence, having been swept into the gate on the right by Xie Zhefeng’s spiritual energy.
Jiang Qing was startled. “Little Pei!”
He also hurriedly followed.
Only An Wuxue and Xie Zhefeng remained.
Just as An Wuxue was about to follow, the surrounding void suddenly stabilized, and the two trembling gates became still.
An Wuxue: “…?”
He noticed Xie Zhefeng standing calmly beside him, holding Kun Kun, looking not at all surprised. Realizing what had happened, he laughed in annoyance. “The Immortal Venerable intentionally manipulated the situation to make it seem like the gates were about to collapse, just to send Pei Qian and Jiang Qing away? I never expected that after sitting at the pinnacle of the two realms for a thousand years, the Immortal Venerable would actually learn such deceptive tricks.”
Xie Zhefeng’s expression suddenly softened.
“I… I have something I want to ask Senior Brother.”
An Wuxue said warily, “I ‘killed’ you just now out of necessity. Surely the Immortal Venerable isn’t planning to settle scores now?”
Pain flickered in Xie Zhefeng’s eyes.
“I only wanted to ask Senior Brother when and how the dual cultivation happened. I have no other thoughts. If Senior Brother wants my life, he can take it at any time. What more must I do so that Senior Brother will no longer be afraid of me?”
An Wuxue blinked, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly. For a moment, his eyes held a look of daze and incomprehension.
He truly didn’t understand.
“If you’ve heard me mention the dual cultivation, why would you still say such things?”
“If there were someone in this world who once whispered ‘A-Xue’ in your ear to coax you into dual cultivation, who once held your hand to prevent you from leaving, yet turned heartless and cold at your moment of greatest helplessness and sorrow, even after you had shown your vulnerability—”
“Would you believe him when he called you ‘A-Xue’ once again?”