Embers of Sword

Chapter 175: On Lotus Peak, the Sword Qi Rings (End of Volume)

"Is this the end?"

A moment later, Zhao Chunyang returned to the pavilion. The tea on the stone table was still warm and emitted a faint mist.

Tongtian Zhanglu spoke with a complicated expression, somewhat incredulous.

"It's not that troublesome."

Zhao Chunyang smiled and said, "You are just too soft-hearted."

The current chief lawyer of Dasui Sword Palace is famous for his "decisiveness in killing" throughout the Dachu Dynasty.

All over the world.

Only Zhao Chunyang would give such an evaluation.

"..."

For the first time ever, the Chief Lawyer did not refute but drank the tea in silence.

"Miaoyin went to the Thirty-three Cave Heavens."

Zhao Chunyang said, "Yuping Peak needs someone to guard it... I think Qi Lie is a good guy, so I'll give this responsibility to him. Do you have any objections?"

Tongtian Zhanglu was stunned for a moment, and said angrily: "Such a big thing, why didn't you inform me? Qi Lie will take over the position of Zhanglu in the future."

"Isn't this a greeting?"

Zhao Chunyang smiled and said, "I know you think highly of this kid, but you just said that Qi Lie will take over the position of 'Head of Law' in the future... Right now he still needs a lot of training. In terms of cultivation and realm, he is far from meeting the requirements to succeed the 'Head of Law'."

Once these words were spoken, Tongtian could not refute them.

"If I stay at Yuping Peak, I can use the sword energy on the mountain to cleanse my sword heart, and I can also face the 'Sword Washing Pool' day and night."

Zhao Chunyang said: "Perhaps in three to five years, Qi Lie will be able to reach the state of 'examination of the heart'. By then, he can leave Yuping Peak at any time. Even if he takes over Jin'ao Peak, no one will have any objection."

The lawyer fell silent.

After thinking for a moment.

He frowned and asked, "Jiang Miaoyin has been in seclusion at Yuping Peak for ten years. Is she able to 'examine her conscience' so soon? Is she so talented?"

In the Yin God realm, there are many restrictions if one wants to achieve Yang God.

One of the levels is called "Questioning the Conscience".

Cultivation is also the cultivation of the mind.

Only when one has a clear conscience can one expose one's soul under the sun, endure the scorching heat, and condense the "purest divine thought."

Countless heroes and heroes have fallen at this stage.

How easy is it to have a clear conscience?
"Who among those who can enter the Sword Palace is not a child of destiny?"

Zhao Chunyang chuckled and said, "Since she has made up her mind to go to the Thirty-three Caves to 'examine her conscience'... then let her go. Why bother about success or failure?"

"Brother, you are too indulgent to your disciple."

The Chief Lawyer was somewhat helpless and said anxiously, "Examining one's heart is not such a trivial matter. Once one fails in 'Examining one's heart', one may never reach the next realm in life... Even a genius like Tang Fengshu would not try 'Examining one's heart' so rashly."

Zhao Chunyang just shook his head and did not respond to his junior brother's question.

"No, that's not right..."

Tongtian reacted quickly.

He stared at his senior brother with some suspicion. He had felt something was strange since the sword energy competition began.

The great demon Suzaku, which had been dormant for many years, suddenly started to make a fuss "overturning mountains and seas" when the Sword Palace was opened, leaving him no time to take care of the affairs outside the mountain.

Then came the visit of the Lord of Forget-Sorrow Island, and a series of trivial matters.

The chief lawyer was extremely happy that his senior brother had come out of seclusion.

But now thinking back...

All this seems too coincidental.

His senior brother asked him to seal off his spiritual consciousness and not care about what was happening outside. He of course did as he was told. Later, he hooked out the Green Falcon envoy and the exiled martial immortal from the imperial city. These were all within the "scope of knowledge" of the Chief Lawyer... But now he felt that there must be something that his senior brother was hiding from him.

Jiang Miaoyin suddenly went to the Thirty-three Caves to "question her conscience".

This matter is very suspicious.

"..."

The pavilion is shrouded in clouds and mist.

The two brothers looked at each other in silence. The lawyer didn't say anything more, but just stared at his brother.

For so many years.

The two brothers depend on each other for life and death.

He knew that his senior brother would not lie to him...

"Ok."

Zhao Chunyang sighed softly and said calmly, "Xie Xuanyi is not dead."

The next moment, the layers of clouds and mist covering the pavilion were torn apart by the boiling sword energy!

"What did you say?!"

Tongtian Zhanglu raised his sword-like eyebrows and took a breath.

The clouds and mist that had originally completely buried the pavilion were now completely cleared away, and the environment that was originally shrouded in clouds and mist was now full of clarity.

"Xie Zhen is Xie Xuanyi."

Zhao Chunyang smiled and said, "Actually, if I don't tell you, you will have to guess for a long time... After all, you have always been a 'stupid person'."

Tongtian Zhanglu stared at his senior brother in a daze.

Everything that was previously inexplicable can now be explained.

Xie Xuanyi.

So...all this is because of Xie Xuanyi.

He opened his mouth.

In the end, I couldn't say anything.

Sixty years ago, Venerable Lian died in a battlefield in the northern border, and Xuanshui Dongtian became ownerless. Zhang Lu had a very deep friendship with Venerable Lian... According to Venerable Lian's instructions, he wanted to carefully select and find a suitable owner for Xuanshui Dongtian, but later Xie Xuanyi appeared. This talented and brilliant young man carried countless hopes of the Sword Palace.

Can be biased.

This is the kind of person that Zhang Lu dislikes the most.

He is too sharp and doesn't know how to hide his shortcomings.

Other than that... there are no rules and no etiquette.

"I know you don't want Xie Xuanyi to inherit this 'Xuanshui Dongtian'."

"I also know that you don't really 'hate' Xuan Yi, you just hope that he can learn to hide his edge."

Zhao Chunyang lowered his eyebrows and said, "Twenty years ago, when he was going to participate in the sword competition, you advised him to stay in the Sword Palace and not seek empty fame. In the end, Xuanyi did not listen to this advice and insisted on asking for swords. In the end, he won the title of 'King of Swords' as he wished. That day, the world was spreading the name of my Dasui Sword Palace. Although you did not show your joy on the surface, you drank several pots of wine for the first time in your life."

The Chief Lawyer fell silent for a long time, and then he said in a hoarse voice: "Too much limelight is not a good thing... Junior Sister, this is how she died."

Venerable Lian died in the northern battlefield.

In the great battle sixty years ago, the Great Master Mo Zhi led the top fighting force of the Demon Nation and tried his best to attack the northern frontier.

The Da Chu Dynasty put almost everything into the battle against the Demon Kingdom.

At first, the battle was fought back and forth, but after the Lord of the Sword Palace Xuanshui Cave Heaven, "Lotus Venerable", joined the battlefield, the balance of victory began to tilt. With the top combat power almost the same, Lotus Venerable was almost invincible. He killed ten venerables of the Monster Kingdom in succession and pierced through the entire battle line in the northwest corner of the Northern Great Wall... It was because of his amazing performance that the great venerables of the Monster Kingdom made up their minds to snipe him to death, no matter how painful and heavy the price was.

finally

The Lotus Master, who carried the Xuanshui Cave Heaven with him, fell on the battlefield in the northern border, and the luck of the Sword Palace collapsed as a result.

The lesson this battle brought to the Sword Palace was truly too painful.

The scars left on Zhang Lu will never heal.

"Xie Zhen... is stronger than Xie Xuanyi."

Zhang Lu took a deep breath, a complex self-deprecating expression on his face.

He didn't ask.

What happened in these ten years.

This is no longer important...

When the Lord of Wangyou Island came to visit, he said that he had changed a lot.

Yes.

Zhang Lu knew that he was an extremely stubborn person. Over the years, he had adhered to the rules, observed the precepts, and practiced swordsmanship meticulously... But the things that happened in the past appeared in his heart all the time. The death of Junior Sister Lian and the fall of Xie Xuanyi made him start to think, is the "way of hiding the edge" that he followed really correct?
Should the deaths of Lian Zunzun and Xie Xuanyi really be blamed on their failure to hide their strengths?
"Xuan Yi asked me to tell you this news."

Zhao Chunyang sighed softly. He saw the complex emotions of his junior brother and said gently, "This kid is more thoughtful than you think. Because of 'Lotus Venerable', he never rang the bell for himself after he took over Xuanshui Dongtian... Xuanyi has done a lot for the Sword Palace over the years, and he has always wanted to get your recognition."

Unfortunately.

Both of them are stubborn people.

The Chief Discipline Officer used the Sword Palace rules to suppress Xie Xuanyi.

Xie Xuanyi ignored the rules and did what he wanted.

The two people were competing openly and secretly, and Zhao Chunyang was "suffering" in the middle and could only constantly mediate.

"I……"

The attorney general hesitated to speak.

He was silent for a long time, and finally said in a stiff tone: "According to the rules, if he takes over Xuanshui Dongtian, he can attain enlightenment at any time... Why bother to consider me? Could it be that I will violate the rules and take back his Xuanshui Dongtian?"

Tough talk.

Still tough-talking.

Zhao Chunyang had nothing to say and could only shake his head.

The two of them remained in a stalemate in the pavilion. Zhao Chunyang neither spoke nor left.

For a long time.

Zhang Lu finally couldn't help but said, "I heard that Junior Sister left a trace of divine consciousness in the cave. Is it true or false?"

"Ah……"

Zhao Chunyang sneered and laughed: "Sure enough, you still care."

A whole sixty years.

For a whole sixty years, the Xuanshui Cave Heaven has never been open to the public. The Chief Law Officer hopes more than anyone else that this cave heaven can welcome a new owner.

The masters of Xuanshui Cave Heaven in all dynasties would leave a trace of divine thoughts in the cave heaven.

It is inheritance.

There will naturally be a "handover". If a new master is born, then... this also means that the Chief Law Officer will have a chance to meet the divine consciousness of "Lotus Venerable" again.

"…I'm just curious."

Zhang Lu gritted his teeth and said helplessly: "When is Xie Xuanyi going to refine Xuanshui Dongtian?"

"Maybe I have to wait a year, two years, or even ten years."

Zhao Chunyang said calmly: "Perhaps... if you are willing to give in and lower your head, he will step into Xuanshui Cave Heaven today."

Zhao Tongtian was stunned.

He gnashed his teeth and looked at his senior brother: "How do you surrender?"

"Simple."

Zhao Chunyang narrowed his eyes and smiled softly: "Promise me that you will take good care of him during my retreat... Don't do it like you did ten years ago."

Tongtian Zhanglu didn't know what to say for a moment.

"In this world, the future belongs to the young after all."

Zhao Chunyang said with emotion: "You give the position of Chief Lawyer to Qi Lie, and I give the position of Chief Teacher to Xuan Yi. This is fair."

“…That’s fair.”

The lawyer sighed deeply and said softly, "I promise you, I will take good care of him."

……

……

Jiang Huang was sleeping in a daze. When she opened her eyes, she saw someone had added another layer of bedding to her.

Outside the house, the snow was flying heavily, making a whistling sound.

There was firewood burning in the house, and it was warm.

The man was wearing a thin black coat. He said nothing. He covered himself with a blanket and then left.

Xie Xuanyi walked alone in the snow.

There was heavy snow all over the sky, with occasional flashes of sword light passing by.

He walked in his familiar "hometown". Every blade of grass, every flower and leaf in the Sword Palace were the same as he remembered. The cranes of Zhenyin Peak were whistling in the sky. This time there were no crowds of tourists, only countless snowflakes whistling past.

Xie Xuanyi walked in the Sword Palace for a long time, a full half day, and finally returned to Lotus Peak.

In the cracks of frozen rocks.

Xie Xuanyi saw an extremely small blade of grass that was frozen pale.

On the day of Great Cold, all things are extinguished.

But there is still grass and trees growing.

Seeing a blade of grass in the crevice of a rock means there are tens of millions of blades of grass hidden in the mountains.

Next year, when the ice and snow melt, wild flowers will bloom all over the mountains and fill the Sword Palace.

……

……

Xie Xuanyi walked in the Sword Palace for a long time.

Many people watched it for a long time.

Qi Lie sat on the top of Jin'ao Peak. Today, he was driven out of the back mountain by his master, so he sat here, alone, silently looking at the snow scene.

I saw a black figure walking in the snow at the foot of the mountain.

Qi Lie was a little dazed for a moment.

Do not know why.

He always regarded Xie Zhen as his deceased senior brother Xuanyi.

From a distance, they really look alike.
-
The eldest senior brother Zhou Zhiren stood in front of the gate of Xiaochong Mountain. He was wearing a gray robe and holding a broom, sweeping the snow dust alone, which would never be swept away. The wind and snow were too heavy in the past few days, and the servants of Xiaochong Mountain were all resting in the mansion, waiting to come back to work after the snow stopped...but he was the only one who did not rest.

The eldest brother stood on the other side of the rolling snowstorm.

From a distance, he saw the lonely figure of the young man in black.

The eldest brother stopped cleaning. He wanted to wave and call the boy over... but then he stopped again.

So when Xie Xuanyi passed by Xiaochong Mountain.

The two of them stopped, remained silent, and missed each other, separated by layers of wind and snow.
-
At the place where the wind and snow were the most violent at the top of the sky, someone was lying on the back of a crane, shaking a half-pot of fine wine, holding up a magic barrier, looking at the silver-white vastness in all directions... Si Qi was the first person to see Xie Zhen's figure.

In a daze, he mistook him for Senior Brother Xuanyi.

It’s a pity that half a pot of wine was too much for him.

Si Qi patted the crane, intending to let it carry him down.

But in the end he spoke a lot of confusing things, and no one knew what he said. The crane swayed, let out a tragic and heroic whistle, and carried him towards a higher place in the sky.
-
The top of Lotus Peak.

A violent noise erupted in the heavy snow.

Two figures are asking for swords.

Duan Zhao, carrying a heavy sword on his back, kept rushing towards Xu Nian Ning. After practicing with Xie Zhen for some time... the little guy got a lot of tips, but practicing sword was not easy. Xie Zhen told him that it would be best not to come to the mansion in the next few days. It would be best to find an equally matched opponent to compete with.

This "equally matched" opponent naturally fell on Xu Nianning.

Xu Nianning was more than happy to have Duan Zhao come to him and ask for a fight.

The two have fought several times.

Duan Zhao did not win a single game.

Because Xie Xuanyi told him that if he wanted to practice swordsmanship, he had to throw away the boxing manual. In this competition, only swords were allowed, not fists.

Relying on the Golden Body Realm, Duan Zhao was almost invincible, but Xu Nianning's swordsmanship was much higher than Duan Zhao's. When the two fought, it was like an old man playing with a naughty boy, and the little guy was often beaten so hard that he was disoriented and dizzy.

This time is no exception.

Thirty rounds.

Duan Zhao was poked in four or five acupuncture points and flew backwards, grimacing, unable to stand up.

Xu Nianning put away his sword and stood.

The two had agreed beforehand that the sword-chasing would end when one of them could not stand up.

Duan Zhao pondered over the reasons for his failure in this sword-asking contest, and thought about how to turn the situation around next time.

Xu Nianning came before his master.

Huang Su, dressed in a loose black robe, sat on the Fu Liuyun flying sword, holding his chin and looking at the thin figure in black at the foot of the mountain, lost in thought.

Xu Nianning followed his master's gaze and blinked.

She whispered, "Xie Zhen, Little Mountain Master, are you finally going to realize the truth yourself?"

This statement came out.

Duan Zhao, who was originally "making swords behind closed doors", immediately became energetic, crawled to the two of them, and cast a curious look towards the bottom of the mountain.

"……yes."

Huang Su came back to his senses, smiled softly, and said, "He is quite patient."

The entire Sword Palace knows about it.

Lotus Peak received two rare flowers.

One is Xu Nianning, who had a sudden enlightenment in Xuanshui Cave for ten days and broke through two realms!

The other one was even more outrageous... After twenty days of enlightenment, he gained nothing! !

An "alternative existence" like Duan Zhao is unprecedented even in the thousand-year history of the Sword Palace.

Now everyone is curious.

If Xie Zhen, the new master of Xuanshui Cave Heaven, attains enlightenment himself, what will he realize?
……

……

Xie Xuanyi stood at the foot of Lotus Peak and pondered for a long time.

hum!
The lotus jade token in his arms trembled slightly.

It was the head teacher who penetrated the jade order with his divine consciousness.

So...the conversation between the headmaster and the law director in the forbidden area of Jin'ao Peak was sent to Xie Xuanyi's sea of consciousness word for word.

Under the icy and snowy Lotus Peak.

There seems to be a faint warmth brewing in the lake of my heart.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi smiled and shook his head, then put the Lotus Jade Order away. He stretched out his hand and gently touched the void in front of the mountain gate. A door of sparks was lit, and the square door was reflected in the shadows of the wind and snow. After wandering for a whole day, he finally stopped hesitating and chose to step into the Xuanshui Cave Heaven.

This time.

I am the only one in this cave.

Xie Xuanyi walked in the Lotus River very slowly. He was not in a hurry to finish the journey.

Every step you take.

A ray of sword intent will bloom and blossom in the Lotus River.

Water droplets shot up into the sky like fireworks, bursting at the highest point, freezing, and solidifying, as if time had stopped... Xie Xuanyi just walked along the way, and the long river behind him blossomed like a lotus, blooming and splendid. Finally, he reached the end of the Lotus River, passed through the dense forest of sword energy, and came to the vast and endless blue sea.

Xie Xuanyi stood in front of the sea of lotus flowers.

He doesn't move forward.

The sea comes over.

Countless lotuses flew towards the new master of Xuanshui Cave, waiting to be chosen by this master.

Xie Xuanyi chose the largest one and stood on the lotus.
-
"Boom!"

This day.

Dasui Sword Palace, the mountains are covered with snow.

On the Lotus Peak, a long sound of sword energy was heard.

Xie Zhen, the new master of Xuanshui Cave.

Ring the bell just for your own sword energy.

……

……

(Volume 2, end.)
(End of this chapter)