Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 568 Cold Light Leaves a Lingering Regret Amidst the Desolate Snow, A Single Sword Slashes Across the River, Shattering the Cries of Ghosts (Seeking Donations and Subscriptions!)

Thousands of years ago, in the southern border region of Sichuan, a place where ten thousand ghosts wailed.

A gentle and refined couple, Wan Qinghe and Mu Xuening, both cultivators at the Returning to the Void Realm, are traveling with their only daughter, Wan Shuang'er, who is still in the Nascent Soul Realm, to meet an old friend. When they reach the Ghost Cry Gorge, shrouded in miasma, disaster strikes.

Deep within the earth's veins lurks the demons of the Ghost Cave in southern Sichuan.

The leader, known as "Nine Infants Netherworld Lord" He Zi'an, was a Void Returning Old Demon. Under his command were several vicious Void Returning Realm ghost cultivators and demon cultivators. They used the extremely Yin evil energy naturally gathered in Ghost Cry Gorge and the Yin veins of the earth to set up the "Nine Nether Annihilation Array".

The grand formation was activated, and dark thunder roared like a waterfall, causing all the ghosts to wail. In an instant, the canyon transformed into a scroll depicting the myriad realms of the underworld.

Wan Qing and his wife fought desperately, their magical artifacts shattered, and their Taoist robes stained with blood. Mu Xuening shielded her daughter behind her, and amidst the swirling demonic claws and filthy blood-red light, she used her last bit of magical power to create a final protective aura: "Shuang'er, remember the demons of this place! Go!"

Wan Qinghe risked annihilation, detonating his natal flying sword to tear a small gap in the formation. With his last ounce of strength, he pushed his daughter, who was encased in the spirit wall, out and activated the spirit talisman, allowing her to fly thousands of miles away.

In the end, Wan Shuang'er only saw her mother's gentle eyes, filled with grief and determination, turn to ashes, and her father's figure, bound by several dark dragon-like chains, along with the burning blood light, be completely swallowed into the abyss-like canyon fissure.

The piercing screams, the biting cold, the last breaths of her parents... were imprinted deep within Wan Shuang'er's soul, becoming a nightmare she could never awaken from.

With mediocre talent, she had exhausted all her efforts to advance from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage. Revenge?
Stepping even half a step into Ghost Cry Gorge is a pipe dream. Without a great opportunity, she might never even have the qualifications to face a mere pawn under the Nine-Headed Netherworld Lord in her entire life.

After returning to her sect, as the sect retaliated and investigated, Wan Shuang'er gradually learned what had happened:

It was the sect's policy of developing the wild south of Sichuan that clashed with the local demonic sect, the Ghost Cave of Southern Sichuan. At that time, the Taiqing Sect had not yet found out that the fusion demonic cultivator "Ten Thousand Demons Heavenly Demon" Hong Xuansheng had already taken over the Ghost Cave of Southern Sichuan and subdued hundreds of demonic cultivators, gradually turning this place into a famous forbidden land in the Earthly Immortal Realm.

He Zi'an was merely a pawn under his command; this ambush was a product of the power struggle between the two sides.

The Ghost Cave in southern Sichuan is a gathering place for demons, including many demonic cultivators at the Integration Realm. They also utilize the power of the formation, making it dangerous even for Mahayana cultivators to enter.

That period was the weakest time for the Taiqing Sect. Although the acting sect leader, Xuanzhenzi, used the power of the Demon-Slaying Flying Ship to fight against the invasion of Mahayana demon cultivators, he himself was also severely weakened.

None of the senior members of other sects dared to go to the Ghost Cave in Southern Sichuan.

Despair overwhelmed her like icy water, yet it did not extinguish the burning hatred in Wan Shuang'er's heart.

On one hand, Wan Shuang'er began to cultivate diligently with the help of the sect; on the other hand, she began to use all her efforts, both inside and outside the sect, to befriend those fellow disciples who were exceptionally talented and had boundless potential.

Whether it's offering help in times of need or nurturing silently, what she seeks is not immediate reward, but only the hope that one day, one of them will reach a high enough peak to remember this small token of their friendship and wield their sword against the abyss of evil for her.

What a pity!

Centuries later, a young disciple named Lu Cheng, an ascended cultivator, though not well-known and whose actions were quite controversial, entered her field of vision with his amazing tenacity, ruthless methods, and repeated breakthroughs against the tide.

This might be the only light I can grasp!
With the full support of the sect and a bit of luck, Wan Shuang'er exhausted her potential and finally cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm.

However, there are at least a thousand true disciples in the Taiqing Sect at this level, and the vast majority of them find it difficult to make further progress.

So, just when Lu Cheng was in a seemingly predicament and low point for various reasons, Wan Shuang'er quietly appeared.

She didn't seek high positions or fame, only doing what she could. Sometimes she would offer up spiritual items she had accumulated over the years; other times she would use her connections from her early years to pass on information that was difficult for outsiders to obtain; even when Lu Cheng was embroiled in controversy for secretly practicing demonic arts and acting like a cruel official, she would subtly convey her contributions and hardships to some senior cultivators who were still hesitant about Lu Cheng... Little by little, she subtly influenced him.

Over the course of a thousand years, Wan Shuang'er poured almost all the resources and energy she had accumulated into this Taoist priest, onto this path of gamble and no return.

Finally, finally, he transcended the tribulation and merged with the body, shaking the entire mountain sect!

The Holy Son of Humanity, wielding the Giant Spirit Flying Ship, a Sword Cultivation Master who reversed the Great Ascension stage and transcended the Tribulation to merge with the Body... Although she rationally knew she should continue to wait, the hatred that had burned in her heart for thousands of years was like a maggot clinging to her bone, tormenting her more and more with each passing moment, and had already burned through Wan Shuang'er's bottom line of rationality.

By the time he entered the Cold Light Cave, he had been in seclusion for a thousand years.

Wan Shuang'er believed that dawn had arrived, and that this thousand-year-old wait would finally blossom and bear fruit!
Wan Shuang'er took a deep breath; the icy cold of the cave penetrated her lungs, but it couldn't cool the burning anxiety in her chest.

She raised her pale fingers, her fingertips trembling slightly from tension and cold, and finally managed to gather a faint trace of magic power, forming a talisman, and gently knocked on the heavy stone door that seemed to separate two worlds.

"Senior Brother Lu... Wan Shuang'er has a favor to ask..." Wan Shuang'er's voice was very low, sounding especially weak in the quiet cold mountain cave.

Inside the gate, only the howling wind and the rising furnace fire, along with the increasingly clear and resonant dragon roar and sword cry that resonated with the sword's spirit, could be heard.

That was the sound of the five elements' primordial power clashing with water, fire, and water; that was the deep humming born from the purification and condensation of killing intent to its extreme.

Wan Shuang'er's first question was like an ice crystal thrown into an abyss, failing to stir up even the slightest ripple.

After a moment of deathly silence, her obsession, like a wildly growing vine, tightened around Wan Shuang'er's heart. Her knocking became urgent, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble:
"Senior Brother Lu! Junior Sister Wan Shuang'er requests an audience! The feud at the Ghost Cave in Southern Sichuan... a thousand-year-old blood feud... can only be avenged by Senior Brother! Wan Shuang'er begs Senior Brother for help. I am willing to serve you as a slave, a maid, an ox, a horse, and from now on, I will serve you for all eternity!"

This time, a burst of bright light suddenly erupted from the crack in the door!
Five-colored light shone through the crack in the door, and a sharp sword intent, seemingly capable of piercing through the entire cave, suddenly spread out.

"puff--"

Wan Shuang'er, who was outside the cave, was pierced through by the sword light in an instant. As if struck by a heavy hammer, her face instantly changed from pale to a terrifying golden color!

Her foundation wasn't particularly strong to begin with, so how could she withstand the terrifying magical power unconsciously leaking out during the crucial cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator?

A sweet taste immediately rose in her throat, and a mouthful of stagnant blood gushed out, landing in tiny specks on her white clothes and the cold stone steps, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow, a shocking sight.

The blood's temperature instantly turned into crimson ice crystals the moment it came into contact with the frost.

The stone gate remained unmoved. The being inside, who was diligently refining the sword, had clearly reached the most crucial moment of completion. All his divine sense and mental energy were focused on refining the divine sword. All the cries and resentment from the outside world had become faint echoes.

However, Wan Shuang'er was already blinded by her own obsession, and she couldn't understand it, mistaking it for a rejection.

Come to think of it, Senior Brother Lu has only recently advanced to the Integration Realm, so why would he risk such great danger to venture into the infamous forbidden zone of the Earth Immortal Realm for his own frail appearance?
He thought that his efforts over the past few thousand years would be useful to his senior brother, but he was afraid that this usefulness would not be enough to earn him a sword strike this time.

The last hope was completely extinguished.

The moment the blood from her heart gushed out, the faint light that had been desperately holding on in Wan Shuang'er's eyes was extinguished completely, like a candle flickering in the wind.

th!
Wan Shuang'er wiped the bloodstains from the corner of her mouth, gazing at the tightly closed stone door and the unbearable light within. Her eyes held no hatred or resentment, only a calmness.

"A thousand years of longing have ultimately turned out to be nothing but a mirage... Father, Mother, the hatred between my parents is irreconcilable. I am powerless to wait any longer."

The white-clad female Taoist priest slowly rose, ignoring the throbbing pain in her meridians and internal organs caused by the sword energy.

He glanced one last time at the cold, gleaming stone gate that separated the inside from the outside world, before finally fading into emptiness.

Wan Shuang'er's figure transformed into a pale blue, cold light, silently departing from the summit of Ling Mountain.

She didn't disturb anyone, nor did she leave a single word, disappearing into the vast snowstorm and rolling sea of ​​clouds as solitude as she had come.

In Wan Shuang'er's original deduction, Senior Brother Lu was a typical sword cultivator, who would avenge every grudge and was resolute in his nature. In addition, the target of his sword strike was the notorious Ghost Cave of Southern Sichuan. After her earnest pleas, Senior Brother had secluded himself for a thousand years and his flying sword roared like a dragon, so he had a 60-70% chance of success.

Now it seems that I was just being wishful. Even Senior Brother Lu was unwilling to take such a risk.

Inside the Cold Light Cave.

As the last ray of Daoist light merged into the newly formed flying sword, and as the furnace fire subsided, the warm and jade-like Five Elements Flying Sword shone with a dazzling array of five colors at the bottom of the furnace, while the crimson and sharp Blood Essence Sword remained calm and restrained, revealing a vague embryonic shape.

The invisible sword intent of the "Golden Rainbow Piercing the Sun" fusion realm was deeply imprinted on Lu Cheng's core soul, capable of unleashing the sharpness of the heavens with a single thought. As the world changed, Daoist Lu Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, the misty immortal fog in the cave was swept away by an invisible sword and suddenly became clear!
In the depths of the Taoist's eyes, it seemed as if the light of the universe flowed and the five elements were born and die. In the deeper depths, there was a golden rainbow shadow that was extremely restrained, yet made the void tremble with fear.

A magnificent aura, perfectly harmonious and seamlessly integrated with the primordial energy of heaven and earth, naturally emanated from his body.

However, just as Lu Cheng relaxed slightly and was about to use his divine sense to observe the changes in the outside world, a faint trace of blood energy, yet filled with despair and resentment, pierced his incredibly keen senses!
"This is... Junior Sister Wan Shuang'er?! When did she come here... and why is there still a deathly aura and lingering thoughts in this world?"

The next moment, Lu Cheng's figure appeared at the entrance of the Cold Light Cave.

After a brief moment of sensing, he headed to the Hall of Documents.

Inside the Hall of Affairs, Yun Ling'er was listlessly handling a multitude of miscellaneous tasks and documents, her hand supporting her chin.

"Ugh, I really am the least favored one. Why am I the only one among all my sisters who has to come to the Document Hall to serve? It's so annoying!"

"Ling'er!"

"Husband!? Husband, you've finally come out of seclusion. Ah, the first thing you did after coming out of seclusion was to see Ling'er. Ling'er is indeed the most beloved one."

Yun Ling'er suddenly turned around and saw Lu Cheng. She immediately started chattering away.

"The reason I'm having you do these things is to temper your mind. The path to immortality is long and arduous, and the path of the primordial spirit is just the beginning. Even if you have no intention of cultivating to become an immortal, it's good to take a few more steps forward. It's good to temper your nature and prolong the five stages of decay."

Although cultivators of the primordial spirit have an infinite lifespan when nourished by sufficiently pure spiritual energy, they must undergo a heavenly tribulation or inner demon tribulation every three thousand years. If they can overcome it, they can enjoy another three thousand years; if they cannot, they will suffer the five signs of decay.

The tribulations of the first ten thousand years were relatively easy; as long as the cultivators themselves did not make any major mistakes, they were not difficult to overcome.

"Putting everything else aside, bring out Junior Sister Wan Shuang'er's information. I want to see the files related to her parents."

Although Xuanqing Daozun has now emerged from seclusion and is no longer acting as the sect leader, Lu Cheng still retains the power to access the records.

Yun Ling'er immediately went to do it, searching through the rows of bookshelves and files according to the catalog. In no time, she took out the relevant documents and placed them in front of Lu Cheng.

"The Ghost Cave of Southern Sichuan, Hong Xuansheng!" Soon, Lu Cheng understood the source of that hatred! Such a blood feud between parents was indeed irreconcilable.

Given Wan Shuang'er's talent, it is indeed impossible for her to avenge herself in this lifetime without external help.

"Foolish!" Lu Cheng Daoist scoffed, it was unclear whether he was criticizing Wan Shuang'er's desperate gamble or referring to something else.

Hopefully, it's not too late.

Otherwise, it will be revenge for your family of three.

"Zheng——!"

A clear and melodious sword cry, as if it had been cut down from the heavens, suddenly rang out!

The thick ice and snow surrounding the Hall of Documents, along with the several protective barriers on it, silently turned into the finest ice crystal powder!
Lu Cheng Daoist took a step forward!
No longer a mere streak of light, but moving with his will, the initial mastery of spatial rules by a fused powerhouse allowed his figure to blur and disappear directly amidst the fierce winds and sea of ​​clouds atop Taiqing Peak.

When he reappeared, he was already standing outside the mountain gate archway.

In a few flashes, it traveled millions of miles away.

Ghost Cry Gorge truly lives up to its name.

The mountain gorge stretches for thousands of miles, obscuring the sun.

It is shrouded year-round in a thick, grayish-green, purplish miasma, which is highly poisonous and cannot be approached by anyone without exquisite protective magic.

The earth was a dark purplish-black, and jagged rocks stretched towards the sky like countless twisted ghostly claws.

The air was filled with the stench of decaying corpses, resentful demonic thoughts, and the howls of malevolent spirits—the remnants and chaotic thoughts of beings who had perished here over the centuries, imprisoned by demonic cultivators' spells.

Deep within the gorge, countless earth veins spew forth dark green ghostly flames and filthy, malevolent energy. This is the location of one of the most infamous forbidden areas in the Immortal Realm—the Ghost Cave of Southern Sichuan!
With the advantage of its location and the accumulated Yin energy over countless ages, this place has long been home to a vast and formidable demonic cultivation force.

Hong Xuansheng, the Heavenly Demon of Ten Thousand Industries, is stationed in the core Ghost Cave, under whose command are eight Ghost Kings and Corpse Kings at the Integration Realm (a few more were added after the death of Wan Shuang'er's parents), and countless Ghost Generals and Demon Soldiers.

Taking advantage of the terrain, they set up the "Nine Nether Annihilation Formation," a formation so powerful that even Mahayana cultivators would be wary of it. This formation draws upon the earth's vein energy as its foundation and combines the accumulated death energy and resentment of tens of thousands of years as its source. Once fully activated, the interplay of Yin and Yang would likely cause the collapse of the heavens and the shattering of the earth.
The reason why the Ghost Cave in Southern Sichuan became a notorious forbidden land in the Immortal Realm, a place where filth and evil resided, was partly because the demonic cultivators there possessed profound magic and real skills, but more importantly, it was because of the deadly formation there. Once it was fully unleashed, the surrounding area of ​​millions of miles would be reduced to dust.

Even if a Mahayana cultivator, confident in his ability to protect himself, were to annihilate all the demons in the Ghost Cave of Southern Sichuan, the result would be the shattering of the world within a radius of millions of miles. Whether this was accumulating merit or accumulating karma is hard to say.

Unable to get her wish from Senior Brother Lu, Wan Shuang'er's second plan was to take a Thunder Pearl and sneak into the depths of the Ghost Cave in Southern Sichuan to detonate the great formation.

Even if I am shattered to pieces, it doesn't matter. Without a place to hide, the demons of the Ghost Cave will inevitably be wiped out by most of the righteous cultivators in the world. That way, I can avenge my parents' blood feud.

At this moment, on the relatively open wasteland at the entrance of the canyon.

Wan Shuang'er is already surrounded!
Facing her head-on was a Poisonous Corpse King, several meters tall, covered in hard, black keratin, and dripping with foul-smelling venom!
This corpse puppet possessed immense strength; every swing of its claws unleashed a torrent of poisonous wind and rain, capable of corroding even the spiritual light of magical artifacts. This single corpse puppet had already forced Wan Shuang'er into a truly wretched state.

Behind this corpse puppet, two demonic cultivators, one holding a long banner and the other carrying a black coffin, were watching the battle with great interest.

Whenever Wan Shuang'er turned the tide with her swordsmanship, the two of them would use magic to help the Poisonous Corpse King bring the score back to a draw.

As time went by, Wan Shuang'er's white silk shawl was damaged in many places, and the areas stained with corpse poison emitted hissing blue smoke. This was a sign that the Taoist mystic arts were fiercely fighting against the corpse poison and miasma that had invaded her body.

Blood kept trickling from the corner of Wan Shuang'er's mouth. At this moment, she was wielding two swords and was gradually struggling to defend herself against the raging onslaught of the Ten Thousand Poison Corpse King. Her protective magic treasures had long been shattered, and the sword energy shield formed by the Xuanmen Taoist magic was broken time and time again.

Around the wasteland, shadowy figures, no fewer than ten powerful auras, each with its own magical strength, lurked behind the miasma and jagged rocks.

Those were the demons of the Ghost Cave who had been stationed at various entrances and had come to watch the show after hearing the news! They let out eerie cries, greedily absorbing the essence of blood and the resentful expression on the beautiful female Taoist priest's face.

"Tsk tsk, this young lady has such fair skin and jade-like bones, and her magical power is incredibly pure! She's even more appealing than that couple from a few years ago!"

"Hahahaha, how many years has it been, and yet someone still dares to venture into Ghost Cry Gorge? Old Monster of Ten Thousand Poisons, control your corpse well, don't rush to kill her. Capturing her alive would be worth your thousand-year service guarding the entrance to Ghost Cry Gorge!"

"Huh? Her swordsmanship seems to be the Taiqing Sect's Male and Female Dragon and Tiger Demon-Refining Sword Scripture, but it's not quite right. There's no dragon and tiger, no demon-refining, not even a male. It's all female!"

"Hahahahaha..."

"Hahaha…"

The sounds of demonic laughter reached her ears, making Wan Shuang'er's mind increasingly unstable and her sword techniques more and more chaotic. She herself was well aware that her skills were truly a disgrace to what she had learned.

The Ghost Cave in Southern Sichuan is far from the reach of the emperor! And since the great war against the demons, the Taiqing Sect has also suffered heavy casualties and is too busy to take care of itself! So what if a true disciple in the Nascent Soul Realm is killed?

These demonic cultivators act with impunity. Even if the Taiqing Sect mobilized its entire force to level this Ghost Cave in southern Sichuan, they wouldn't care. They'd simply go to another demonic cave. This is one of the reasons why righteous sects don't target these demonic caves.

As long as there are many demonic cultivators in the world, the demonic dens in this world will never be eradicated.

At the same time, these demonic caves also attract demonic cultivators, causing demons to devour each other, thus preventing endless poisoning. It is much better to pollute a region than to spread it throughout the world.

(End of this chapter)