Embers of Sword

Chapter 353: Breaking Through
"cough!"

Blood spilled on the chessboard.

Both the black and white ones were stained with a layer of sad bright red.

"Miss Nalan, are you okay?"

A mellow and gentle voice rang out from across the chessboard. A middle-aged man in a black and gold cloud-patterned robe twisted the chess piece between his fingers, his eyes filled with concern. "How about we just call it a day?"

"I am… fine."

Nalan Qiutong stretched out his hand and wiped the corner of his lips.

She stared at the blood spilled on the chessboard with a gloomy expression, her eyes fixed on the back of her palm.

The string technique was cut off.

The divine mind is shattered.

The final image sent to her sea of consciousness was just a ray of cold light.

Xie Zhen's sword energy is more powerful than his fists and feet!

"The flesh wounds in this world are easy to heal. But if the sea of ​​mind is pierced by the sword energy and the vitality is damaged, then you need to rest and recuperate."

The man in the black-gold robe took out a bottle of pills from his arms, placed it beside the chessboard, and said in a gentle voice: "This is the 'Soul-shaping Pill', a ninth-grade pill. After taking it, it can make up for the damage to the soul... There were actually two of these pills originally, but unfortunately one was taken away by someone."

You can smell the rich fragrance of the elixir even through the medicine bottle.

"Oh?"

Nalan Qiutong's expression changed slightly.

Even though she was a disciple of Xuanwei Island and her master was the Dali National Master, she had never eaten such a rare elixir as the "Soul-Shaping Pill".

“…No merit, no reward.”

Nalan Qiutong looked for a moment and then looked away.

She said calmly: "This pill is too expensive. It's too hot to hold. It only hurts my soul, not my essence. I'll just rest."

"A treasure should be matched with a wonderful person."

The man in the black-gold robe shook his head and insisted, "After all, this injury from the String Technique... in the final analysis, it was caused by me. Miss Nalan, please don't refuse, just accept it."

"..."

Nalan Qiutong wanted to refuse, but at this moment the token on his waist vibrated slightly.

A ray of divine thought was reflected in the lake of heart.

After a moment of silence, she chose to accept the Soul-Shaping Pill.

Seeing this scene, the man smiled with satisfaction.

"My master is very busy and cannot appear in person. I hope Your Highness will forgive me... He just sent a message, asking me to send his regards to you. He also asked me to convey his gratitude to you. Thanks to Your Highness, the business of Dali Fangyuanfang in Jiangnan is booming."

Nalan Qiutong sat upright and said sincerely, "Today I was supposed to play a game of chess with you on behalf of my master... Unfortunately, something unexpected happened, so I'm afraid this game of chess cannot be played."

The words just fell to the ground.

Outside the pavilion where the two were playing chess, the fog dissipated and suddenly a figure appeared.

The man who came was wearing dark green armor, he was tall, with a broad back and strong arms, holding a spear, his eyes were shrouded in a murderous aura, and his whole body exuded a terrifying murderous intent.

"Nalan Qiutong."

The dark green armored man got straight to the point: "...The general invites you to watch a great show at Qixia Mountain. Please follow me."

On status.

Nalan Qiutong is a disciple of the national teacher!

In the territory of Dali, no matter who you meet, you must bow and show respect.

However, the visitor actually called Nalan Qiutong by his name, not even bothering to use a respectful title.

Nalan Qiutong was not annoyed at all. She smiled and said, "Wait a moment, General Du, don't worry..."

"This is 'Du Yunzhong'?"

At this moment, the man in the black-gold cloud robe smiled and praised: "You are worthy of being Chen Chong's right-hand man, a natural-born killer, your reputation is well-deserved."

"..."

Du Yunzhong looked at the man in front of him expressionlessly.

He frowned and his eyes fell on the man's robe. After confirming that the embroidery on it was the cloud pattern of the Chu Kingdom's royal family, Du Yunzhong directly grasped the spear and thrust it out suddenly.

A sting!
The void is shattered!

A hint of murderous aura pierced out from the tip of the spear, with extremely fast speed and great force!
This was a blow from the Yin Shen realm. The murderous energy shattered the space and arrived in front of the man in the black and gold cloud robe in almost an instant.

The expression of the man in the black and gold cloud robe remained unchanged.

The next moment, a snow-white figure suddenly appeared in the mist of the pavilion. It sacrificed itself to block the evil spirit, raised its hands, and forcefully deflected the evil spirit away...

Can stop the Yin spirit.

There is only the Yin God!
This is a Yin God protector hiding near the pavilion!
There was a loud bang.

The evil spirit flew away, but the corner of the pavilion's eaves was broken open.

Although this domineering evil spirit was bounced away, the pressure was still real and burst out. The small pavilion was in a mess, the chessboard exploded, and smoke and dust flew everywhere.

Nalan Qiutong raised his sleeves, covering his mouth and nose while dispelling the smoke and dust, and at the same time coldly scolded: "Didn't I tell you to wait a moment? Why are you still so rude? You really need to change your temper! You hurt my distinguished guest from Liguo, how are you going to explain it to the higher-ups when the time comes!"

"…Distinguished guest?"

Du Yunzhong frowned, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

It was difficult for him to associate the man in front of him with the words "distinguished guest from another country".

"My lord, are you okay?"

The white-robed venerable who blocked the attack spoke quickly. He was shocked by the attack and his blood was boiling, but he still rushed to check on his master's injuries first.

"I'm fine."

The man in the robe sitting in the pavilion turned his head nonchalantly and said with a smile: "Miss Nalan, there is no need to be angry... A so-called tiger general should be like this."

Du Yunzhong's brows furrowed even more tightly.

Because he had recognized the identity of the man in front of him...

There are only a few princes in Da Chu, and each of them has a vivid image.

This guy is one of the only two kings of different surnames left today.

King of Jiangning, Xie Zhisui!
Du Yunzhong was even more confused.

How could the dignified King of Jiangning of Dachu become a distinguished guest of Liguo?

Moreover, in such a "serious" occasion today, Nalan Qiutong actually sat with Xie Zhisui and played chess in a friendly manner?
"It seems that today's game of chess is destined to never come to an end."

Nalan Qiutong said regretfully, "Your Majesty, if you are interested, you can go to Qixia Mountain with me."

"If General Du has no objection, I would naturally be willing."

Xie Zhisui said softly: "Who would still want to play chess after watching such a good show?"

"be opposed to?"

Nalan Qiutong smiled and said, "He won't object... Hey, Mr. Du, tell Chen Chong to arrange a good feng shui location and give this distinguished guest the best seats for the show."

"...?"

Du Yunzhong frowned even more tightly.

Did I hear it right? Nalan Qiutong wants to take Xie Zhisui to Qixia Mountain?

Du Yunzhong took a deep breath, and suddenly he remembered the general's instructions before he left, that no matter what happened, he should always ask first. Thinking about it carefully, he was indeed a bit reckless in his previous stab. According to the prince's instructions, he should have asked before unsheathing the sword.

So he took out the communication order, told the situation of the place by voice, and asked whether he wanted to take the King of Jiangning with him.

After a while.

He got an affirmative answer from Chen Chong.

Damn it!

This King Chu Jiangning is actually the general's guest! "Please follow me, both of you."

Du Yunzhong calmed down, took out the talisman expressionlessly, and lit the teleportation portal in the mist.

……

……

In the Qixia Mountains, the fog was torn apart by sparks.

Du Yunzhong used his spear to pry open a small gap. Outside the gate was a steep cliff, overlooking the entire Qixia Valley.

Nalan Qiutong was the first to step out of the door, and Prince Jiangning followed closely behind with his hands folded in his sleeves.

"Is this today's show?"

Xie Zhisui narrowed his eyes and spoke with a smile.

"Qixia Mountain appears flat, with only a single official road, but it actually has a different world. A few miles into the mountain, the road gradually narrows."

Nalan Qiutong said calmly: "The place where we are standing now is called 'Baopingkou'."

Aquarius mouth?
This is an interesting name. It means only money coming in and no money going out, which is a good sign.

Xie Zhisui looked back and saw that the top of Baopingkou Mountain was covered with extremely thick fog, which was obviously not caused by natural climate. Du Yunzhong stood on the mountain holding a spear. Behind him, there were faint flickering lights and flames... It was obvious that there was an army stationed here, and the so-called "fog" was just a trick created by the formation patterns and talismans.

"I heard that the Cangzi Camp under General Du is composed of carefully selected elite soldiers. In a fight, one can easily defeat a hundred."

King Jiangning said, "It's just that... you two should be aware of what happened in Qujiang, right? There are two reincarnated Yang Gods in the Fanyin Temple delegation. It's not easy to hide it from them."

"Xuanwei Island not only knows the art of controlling the strings, but also the art of setting up formations, which is also first-rate in the world."

Nalan Qiutong said calmly, "The formation at the Aquarius Mouth was set up by our master himself. Not to mention that the two reincarnated Yang Gods are only at the Cave Heaven Realm now... Even if they were promoted to a higher realm, they might not be able to see the ambush on the top of the mountain."

"Of course, at this level, one doesn't necessarily need to rely so much on 'Soul Exploration'."

Nalan Qiutong paused and sneered, "I heard that the 'heart lake sensing' of sword cultivators is very sensitive. Maybe Xie Zhen has already noticed something wrong..."

Venerable Bai Yu, who was following behind King Jiangning, couldn't help but ask, "That's right. What if they sense something's wrong and don't enter the treasure bottle?"

"If there are any among them who really have a sense of the situation and retreat in front of the Aquarius Mouth, they are considered to be very capable."

Nalan Qiutong said expressionlessly, "But even so, what can we do? The Cang Camp, the Yu Camp, and the Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry have already set up ambushes in all directions of Qixia Mountain, waiting for many days, just waiting for the order to come from all directions... Baopingkou seems to be the entrance to the killing game, but the real killing game has been set up as early as the moment they stepped into Qixia Mountain. If they don't enter this game, there are still other killing games, but without the 'natural geographical advantage' of Baopingkou, this ambush will be much more troublesome."

When she said this, a sinister look flashed across her eyes.

Nalan Xuance has a cold personality and ruthless methods. As a favorite disciple, her style of doing things is almost identical to that of her master.

The battle of Qixia Mountain did not originally have so many complicated plans.

After the battle of Qujiang.

When the news reached Li State, the Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry began to mobilize and assemble. Once the Fanyin Temple delegation entered the country, the ambush could begin at any time.

The reason why it turned out like this was because of Chen Chong!

Chen Chong hopes that Nalan Qiutong can use the "string technique" to disguise himself as a hidden agent in the bookstore and meet Xie Zhen.

If Xie Zhen could be persuaded to leave the Fanyin Temple delegation, then this ambush would be much easier.

Nalan Xuance, who has always been decisive in killing, actually agreed to this proposal.

Nalan Qiutong, whose cultivation level and experience were still relatively young, had no choice but to do as she was told… She had never held out hope for this kind of test, and the result was as expected. This early contact not only failed to achieve the desired effect, but instead exposed the ambush hidden deep in Qixia Mountain.

"coming."

Venerable Bai Yu spoke in a deep voice.

On the cliff of Baopingkou, mist was lingering, protecting everyone. Looking down from the top of the mountain, one could clearly see the Fanyin Temple delegation moving in a long line in the distance.

Perhaps it was the previous "contact" that made this delegation wary.

The Mingsha Staff hangs in the sky.

The true words of light condensed one by one, surrounding the delegation, shaking off the flowing light and shattering the fog.

Da da……

The sound of horse hooves echoed in the sky above Baopingkou.

"Buzz!"

Du Yunzhong raised one arm and pinched the Starfire Talisman. Light and fire burned on the top of the mountain, forming a huge portal. With just a thought, the huge portal connected to the exit at the bottom of the Baopingkou cliff could be opened directly!
The cavalry of the Cang Camp, which had been resting here for a long time, began to line up.

Everyone put on their armor and were ready to charge at the command.

At this moment.

"They... stopped?!"

One mile in front of Baopingkou.

When the delegation was about to drive into the long and narrow road, they suddenly stopped slowly.

"..."

There was silence on the top of the mountain.

Du Yunzhong had a cold expression as he stared at the convoy.

Nalan Qiutong frowned and remained silent.

Everyone is waiting.

……

……

"Uncle Master, benefactor... I don't feel well."

The delegation from the Fanyin Temple stopped in front of the entrance to Baopingkou.

In the golden light array, Miyun's face was pale and he looked a little ugly. Miaozhen, Junshan, Xie Xuanyi, and Deng Baiyi surrounded him.

The little monk lay flat in the spacious carriage, surrounded by golden light, and wisps of golden light condensed between his eyebrows.

The green shirt sways without wind.

One could vaguely see a huge golden skeleton covering the little monk's body like a quilt.

"Be patient... This is a good thing. Tanluan Buddha's bones are merging with your soul."

Miaozhen wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve, and a hint of pity flashed in his eyes.

Miyun is just a child.

The suffering he is going through now is all caused by Buddhism.

He is the reincarnation of a congenital being, and the process of the fusion of his soul and spirit is extremely short. When the original owner's consciousness dims, he will merge with the old soul. The whole process is like sleeping. Although there is pain, it will disappear after one night... But Miyun is different. This heart-wrenching pain will continue to accompany him until the Tanluan Buddha Bone is completely tamed by him.

"Um……"

Miyun was very weak and could only let out a muffled groan from his nose.

Xie Xuanyi also couldn't bear it.

He silently passed out a wisp of the Law of Life and even sent out a wisp of water vapor from the Fountain of Immortality, but unfortunately, Miyun's pain did not come from "injury", and the Law of Life and the Fountain of Immortality were of little help to him.

The entire carriage fell into silence.

A muffled groan was heard.

The golden light in the carriage suddenly became violent. Miyun shouted in pain, and the law of cause and effect between his eyebrows condensed uncontrollably again. Dozens of golden lights intertwined... shining through the layers of mist and spreading out into a picture scroll.

"This is?"

Deng Baiyi was stunned for a moment and her pupils contracted.

In the golden painting, a narrow and towering cliff appeared, which was the Baopingkou one mile away.

The top-secret place on the cliff, shrouded in fog, was discovered by the law of cause and effect.

Several figures were directly illuminated by the law of cause and effect.

Nalan Qiutong, Xie Zhisui, and the spear-wielding, armored tiger general Du Yunzhong...

And behind Du Yunzhong, there were the densely packed cavalrymen of the Cang Camp, ready for battle!

(End of this chapter)