Nine Desolate Records

The sword of simplicity hummed softly in its sheath.

Lu Li stood at the bend in the mountain path, moonlight filtering through the trees and casting dappled shadows at his feet. The seven people opposite him had spread out in a fan shape, with the leader, Gu Nian, turning his finger bone prayer beads. With each turn, the eerie light on the beads brightened a little.

"The cult leader has ordered that we capture him alive." Gu Nian's voice was like sandpaper rubbing. "But if the vessel resists too violently, we may cripple its limbs or gouge out its eyes."

Six people behind him stepped forward simultaneously.

Instead of charging in a straight line, they moved with some kind of strange footwork. Three went left, three went right, their steps perfectly synchronized, even the sound of falling leaves audible when they landed. The six figures intertwined in the air, instantly forming a large, dark green net, with dozens of bone spike phantoms condensing at the mesh, emitting a "whoosh" sound as they cut through the air.

Bone Hunting Array - Spirit Binding Net.

Lu Li's left eye shimmered with a dark golden light.

In his vision, this net was woven from three types of energy lines: the outermost layer was the trajectory of the six people's true energy flow, the middle layer was the sinister curse power attached to the bone spurs, and the innermost layer was the foul energy drawn from the earth's veins. At the intersection of the three layers of energy lines, there were seven obvious "nodes," which were precisely the positions of the six people and the core of the formation.

To break through the formation, simply sever the nodes.

But Lu Li did not move.

Instead, he closed his eyes. In his perception, the Bone Hunting Array was operating faster and faster; the net was shrinking, and the phantom of bone spikes was already three feet in front of him. The air became viscous, carrying a pungent, rotten smell.

"Give up the fight?" A cultist on the left grinned maliciously, his bone hook already raised.

Just as the bone hook was about to touch the hem of Lu Li's clothes.

Lu Li moved.

It's not dodging, it's not blocking, it's moving forward.

With each step, the rocks beneath his feet cracked silently. This seemingly simple step was precisely placed on the "gap" in the movement of the Bone Hunting Formation lines, a mere fraction of a breath's time when the six people exchanged their true energy.

The sword of simplicity remains unsheathed.

Lu Li gripped the sword hilt with his right hand and drew a semicircle in front of him with his left hand, fingers pointing together.

The first move of the "Stop the War" sword technique: "Soothing".

There was no sword light, no internal energy. But the air within three feet of him suddenly "froze." The flying bone spike phantoms crashed into this area, their speed drastically reduced, and the eerie light on their surfaces flickered like a candle in the wind before finally dissipating into ashes.

"What?!" exclaimed the cultist on the right.

Bone Nian's pupils constricted sharply: "Sword Intent Domain? No, this is..."

Lu Li didn't give him time to think.

Take the second step.

This step landed on the second node of the Bone Hunting Formation. At the same time, his left hand gesture changed, his five fingers plucking five times in the air like plucking strings.

The second form of the "Stop the War" sword technique: Guiding.

The five invisible finger-like winds didn't attack anyone, but instead struck the five points where the energy lines of the Bone Hunting Formation intersected. Like five pebbles thrown into a torrent, the originally tight formation instantly became chaotic. The true energy of the three on the left flank suddenly surged uncontrollably to the right, while the curse power of the three on the right flank flowed back in the opposite direction!

"Stabilize the formation!" Gu Nian shouted sharply, his prayer beads spinning rapidly in his hand.

But it was too late.

Lu Li took his third step.

With this step, he directly stepped into the core of the Bone Hunting Formation, right in the middle of the six people. The Sword of Shield was finally drawn.

He held the sword horizontally and slowly moved it in front of him.

The third form of the "Stop the War" sword technique: Transformation.

Simultaneously, the cracks on the Shouzhuo Sword glowed with silver light. This silver light wasn't evenly distributed; instead, it traced a strange star map along the cracks. The instant the star map took shape, the chaotic true energy, incantation power, and foul energy within the Hunting Bone Array surged towards the sword like rivers flowing into the sea!

"He's absorbing the power of the formation!" A cultist retreated in horror.

But it can't be refunded.

The star map on the Shouzhuo Sword had begun to spin, frantically devouring all the energy around it. The six people felt their internal energy leaking out like a burst dam, and even their muscles and bones began to feel weak.

Gu Nian's expression finally changed drastically.

He bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the rosary beads. The beads instantly blazed with crimson light, and all eighteen finger bones shattered, transforming into eighteen blood-red skeletal phantoms that shrieked as they lunged at Lu Li!

This is the "Soul-Devouring Blood Skull," which uses its own life essence as a catalyst to specifically attack the soul. Once bitten by the skull, the soul will feel as if it is being gnawed by thousands of ants, experiencing unbearable pain.

Lu Li looked up.

The dark gold in his left eye settled like lava at this moment.

Instead of dodging, he pushed the Shouzhuo Sword forward. The swirling star map on the sword suddenly expanded, transforming into a silver light shield three feet in diameter.

Eighteen blood skulls crashed into the light shield.

The blood skulls seemed to have crashed into a bottomless swamp, their speed decreasing and their form fading. Even more bizarrely, the crimson color on their surfaces was being "stripped away" by the light shield, turning into thin streams of crimson gold that flowed along the star pattern on the light shield toward the sword hilt, and finally disappeared into Lu Li's right hand holding the sword.

The transformation is still ongoing.

This time, however, it wasn't just energy that was being transformed, but also resentment.

The Bone Recollection rosary was crafted from the finger bones of eighteen cultivators from their previous lives, each segment sealing away the remnants of the original owner's soul and resentment. At this moment, these resentments were forcibly stripped away and purified by the Shouzhuo Sword, transforming into the purest spiritual energy to nourish Lu Li himself.

"Ugh—!"

Bone Nian screamed in agony, blood oozing from all seven orifices. The prayer beads, connected to his very being, were now destroyed, the backlash directly impacting his soul. He staggered backward, his eyes filled with horror: "You...you can actually transform resentment?! This is impossible!"

"Retreat!" Gu Nian roared, disregarding the capture order, and turned to flee.

The other six, whose true energy had already been mostly drained, were relieved upon hearing this and scattered in all directions.

Lu Li did not give chase.

He stood still, slowly sheathing his sword. The silver light on the blade gradually faded.

At his current pace, he could cover the thirty-mile mountain road in half an hour.

The abandoned post station sat at a mountain pass between two mountains, its crumbling walls overgrown with weeds. The stable had long since collapsed, but the stone well in the courtyard remained. Under the moonlight, a line of small characters was carved on the edge of the well platform, mostly covered by moss.

Lu Li brushed away the moss.

The handwriting reads: "In the ninth month of the year Guimao, the clouds broke through the sky and reached this place. The horse died, drank well water for three days, and then continued its journey."

The clouds broke through the sky again.

This predecessor from thirty years ago seems to have left his mark on every path he is about to embark on.

Lu Li drew half a bucket of water from the well. The water was clear, with the unique sweetness of a mountain spring. He drank a few mouthfuls and then filled his water bag. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly caught a strange sound.

It wasn't the sound of the wind, nor the chirping of insects.

It was... the sound of horses' hooves.

The sound of many horses' hooves came simultaneously from both ends of the mountain road, rapidly approaching.

Lu Li slipped into the remaining half of the mud house in the post station and peered out through a crack in the wall.

On the eastern mountain path, torches blazed like dragons. About twenty riders galloped towards them, all dressed in black, close-fitting attire, with standard-issue long swords at their waists. They were the Demon-Slaying Guards. The leader was a fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man.

On the western mountain path, there were more than ten riders dressed in gray. These men carried no torches, and their horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth, making no sound as they moved. The leader was a one-eyed old man who carried a pipe in his hand, the tip of which was crimson, like a will-o'-the-wisp in the night.

The two groups of people arrived at the post station almost at the same time and reined in their horses in front of the gate.

"Old ghost Mo, your Zhuoyuan Sect has overstepped its bounds," Zhao Wujiu said coldly. "The area around Sword Tomb is under the jurisdiction of the Demon Suppression Guard."

"Oh, Lord Zhao Wujiu, you have quite the airs of an official." Old Mo took a drag of his cigarette, exhaling a hazy cloud of smoke. "This is the middle of nowhere, what's this talk of jurisdiction? Besides, aren't you Demon Slayers also hunting down the traitor Lu Li from the academy? What a coincidence, we're looking for him too."

Zhao Wujiu's eyes sharpened: "This man is a serious criminal of our Demon Suppression Guard. He should be escorted back to headquarters for interrogation by our guard. If the Turbid Abyss Sect dares to interfere, it will be making an enemy of the imperial court."

"The imperial court?" Old Mo sneered. "Lord Zhao, let's not beat around the bush. When your Mr. Xun Wenruo cooperated with our leader, he didn't mention anything about the imperial court. What, now you want to monopolize the 'vessel'?"

Behind the wall, Lu Li's heart sank.

Did Xun Wenruo collaborate with the leader of the Zhuoyuan Sect?

Even Tingxuelou had never mentioned this information.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became tense.

Zhao Wujiu placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and more than twenty demon-hunting guards behind him simultaneously drew their swords. The gray-clad men behind Mo Laogui also brandished their weapons, mostly unusual short weapons.

The two sides faced off, a tense atmosphere thick with hostility.

But neither of them made the first move.

Clearly, neither Zhao Wujiu nor Mo Laogui wanted to fight to the death here; their real target was Lu Li.

"How about this," Old Mo suddenly laughed, "we'll each rely on our own abilities. Whoever finds Lu Li first gets him. What do you say?"

Zhao Wujiu was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Alright."

"Great!" Old Mo waved his hand. "Spread out and search! Search every inch of the area within a ten-mile radius of the post station!"

The men in gray scattered into the forest.

Zhao Wujiu also ordered: "Three people per team, search in a fan shape. Once a target is spotted, fire a signal flare. No one may engage in solo combat."

The Demon-Slaying Guards quickly dispersed.

In the blink of an eye, only Zhao Wujiu, Mo Laogui, and Lu Li, who was hiding behind the wall, remained in the courtyard.

"Lord Zhao, aren't you going to search the place yourself?" Old Ghost Mo asked with a half-smile.

"Didn't Elder Mo also not go?" Zhao Wujiu said indifferently.

The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with unspoken meaning.

They all knew that Lu Li's ability to emerge alive from the Sword Tomb and wipe out the Bone Spirit Squad meant his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary True Talisman Realm cultivator. The dispersed search was merely a pretext; the real killing move…

Mo Laogui suddenly moved.

Instead of lunging at the earthen house where Lu Li was hiding, he smashed a pipe into the ground!

"boom--!"

Where the pipe head struck, the ground suddenly cracked open. It wasn't an ordinary crack; thick gray smoke billowed from it, and as if alive, it instantly filled the entire courtyard, flowing through the cracks in the walls, doors, and windows into the earthen house!

"Gray smoke and miasma!" Zhao Wujiu's expression changed slightly. He quickly retreated several steps, and a bronze mirror flew out from his sleeve. Where the mirror's light shone, the gray smoke dissipated slightly, but it quickly surged back up.

This smoke not only obscures vision, but also contains potent poison and a mind-altering effect. Inhaling even a single puff will cause stagnation of vital energy and a state of mental confusion.

Inside the earthen house, Lu Li held his breath.

But the gray smoke could seep into his skin through his pores! He felt a chill spreading through his limbs and bones, and wherever it passed, his meridians felt frozen.

We can't be trapped here.

Lu Li drew his Shouzhuo sword, and the blade gleamed silver once more. Under the silver light, the gray smoke that had seeped into his body was forcibly expelled, condensing into a thin layer of gray frost on his skin, which then fell down in a soft rustling motion.

He looked at the wall.

The earthen wall had become extremely fragile due to years of neglect. Outside the wall, Zhao Wujiu and Mo Laogui's lines of authority blocked the doors and windows to the left and right. But overhead…

Lu Li looked up.

The roof had long since collapsed, exposing the rotten rafters. Through the gaps in the rafters, the night sky could be seen.

That's it.

With a light touch of his toes, his body soared into the sky like a crane, crashing into the roof!

"Trying to leave?" Old Mo sneered, pointing his pipe to the sky.

From within the swirling gray smoke, dozens of chains formed from condensed gray smoke suddenly shot out, chasing straight after Lu Li!

At the same time, Zhao Wujiu also moved. He spun the bronze mirror in his hand, and the mirror light transformed into three golden chains, flanking from the other side!

Everything was blocked off, from top to bottom and left to right.

Lu Li was suspended in mid-air, with nowhere to gain leverage.

But this was the moment he had been waiting for.

The sword of simplicity slashed downwards.

It's not about cutting the chains, but about cutting the "momentum" beneath your feet.

The sword struck at the point where the gray smoke and the golden chains of energy intersected.

Two completely different forces clashed fiercely at the node, erupting with a dull roar. Gray smoke and golden light annihilated each other, briefly tearing open a vacuum area.

Lu Li flashed through the area like a fish, landing steadily on the wall of the post station.

"Well done." Old Mo narrowed his one eye. "It seems Gu Nian's death was not unjust."

Zhao Wujiu stared at the Shouzhuo sword in Lu Li's hand: "This sword... is Xuanji's sword? He actually gave this sword to you?"

Lu Li did not answer, his gaze sweeping over the mountains and forests outside the courtyard.

The scattered demon-hunting guards and gray-clad men, hearing the commotion, were rapidly returning to reinforce. Torchlights were gathering from all directions, forming a complete encirclement.

We cannot linger in battle.

He turned to leave.

"Can you leave?" Old Mo shouted sharply, swinging his pipe again.

This time, the gray smoke no longer billowed, but condensed into a gigantic gray hand, slamming down like a blot out the sky! In the palm of the hand, a distorted human face appeared, its mouth open in a roar that pierced the very soul.

Zhao Wujiu also made his move at the same time. The bronze mirror hovered in the air, its surface reflecting Lu Li's image. Immediately afterward, the "Lu Li" in the mirror stepped out, transforming into an identical clone of himself, wielding a sword and charging forward!

Mirror Image Clone Technique.

This is Zhao Wujiu's signature technique. His clone possesses 70% of the original's strength and is in perfect harmony with the original's mind.

Ahead stood a giant palm of gray smoke, behind him a mirror-like clone.

Lu Li is in a hopeless situation.

He took a deep breath.

It's time to try the triple unification of the sword intent of Ceasefire.

Shouzhuo slowly raised his sword.

The silver light from the cracks in the sword blade began to merge with the crimson gold light from the sword imprint in the palm.

Smoothing, guiding, and transforming. The three sword intents operate simultaneously, but no longer in sequence; instead, they blend together seamlessly, forming a unified whole.

He looked at the giant, gray, smoke-filled hand that was slamming down on him.

In the "Seeing Heaven and Earth" perspective, this hand is pieced together from three hundred and sixty fragments of vengeful spirits, each fragment howling and struggling. These are the beings that Old Ghost Mo has killed over the years, forcibly refined into the miasma, never to be reincarnated.

"Poor thing," Lu Li said softly.

Shouzhuo Sword gently touched out.

The moment the sword tip touched the giant hand, time seemed to stand still.

The distorted human face in the giant palm suddenly froze. The madness and resentment in its eyes receded like a tide, replaced by a trace of bewilderment and a trace of relief.

Immediately afterwards, the entire giant hand began to disintegrate.

It wasn't shattered, but rather "dissipated on its own." Under the soothing influence of the Shouzhuo Sword's sword intent, the three hundred and sixty fragments of vengeful spirits finally broke free from the shackles of soul refinement. They transformed into specks of firefly light, rising into the night sky like a reversed Milky Way.

"No—!" Old Ghost Mo's eyes were bloodshot with rage. These vengeful spirits were the result of his life's work, and now they had been purified in one fell swoop!

He lunged forward, his pipe aimed straight at Lu Li's heart.

But Lu Li's sword had already turned.

He turned to the mirror image behind him.

This time, he neither soothed nor guided.

Only transformation.

The tip of the Shouzhuo Sword and the tip of the Mirror Image Clone Sword collided precisely.

"bite--"

A clear, melodious sword cry, like the roar of a dragon.

The mirror image remained frozen in place. Its body began to turn transparent, and countless fine golden runes appeared on its surface—the restrictions that Zhao Wujiu had inscribed on the bronze mirror. At this moment, these restrictions were being forcibly "analyzed" and "reconstructed" by the sword intent of the Shouzhuo Sword.

Three breaths later.

The mirror image completely dissipated.

But in the instant it dissipated, it transformed into a golden stream of light, shot back, and disappeared into the bronze mirror in Zhao Wujiu's hand!

Zhao Wujiu was struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering back seven steps, each step leaving a deep crater in the ground. The bronze mirror in his hand cracked with a "crack," three fine lines appearing on its surface, and its light dimmed abruptly.

"You...you can actually turn against the Mirror Spirit?!" Zhao Wujiu exclaimed in horror.

Lu Li sheathed his sword and stood on the wall.

The night wind rustled his clothes.

"Make way," he said, uttering only two words.

Mo Laogui and Zhao Wujiu exchanged a glance, both seeing fear in each other's eyes.

This young man is far more terrifying than the intelligence reports described.

But if we retreat now, we won't be able to explain ourselves when we go back.

"Let's go together!" Old Mo gritted his teeth, lit his pipe again, this time the butt of the cigarette was as red as a branding iron, clearly he was serious.

Zhao Wujiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Although the bronze mirror was damaged, it was not yet ruined. He bit his fingertip and quickly wrote a talisman on the mirror surface with his blood. The mirror shone again, even more dazzling than before.

The two attacked simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right!

Lu Li sighed.

He didn't intend to kill anyone.

The sword of simplicity was fully drawn.

This time, the star map on the sword no longer rotated, but instead "burned." Silver starlight and crimson flames mingled and flowed across the sword's surface, like lava, like a galaxy.

He took a step forward.

Just one step.

The sword moved with him, transforming into a stream of light interwoven with crimson, gold, and silver.

As the light flowed past, space seemed to be sliced ​​open with a smooth crack. On either side of the crack, gray smoke dissipated, and the mirrored light shattered.

Old Mo's pipe broke.

It wasn't severed, but rather the internal structure of the pole was "flattened" by a single sword strike, causing the structure to collapse on its own.

Zhao Wujiu's bronze mirror shattered.

It wasn't shattered, but rather the restriction within the mirror was "transformed" by a single sword strike, causing a backlash that the mirror couldn't withstand.

Both of them coughed up blood and flew backward, crashing into half of the remaining wall of the post station.

Lu Li sheathed his sword, not even glancing at the two men, and leaped off the wall, disappearing into the forest.

Only after his figure completely disappeared did Old Ghost Mo struggle to his feet, his single eye filled with resentment: "If this brat isn't eliminated, he will surely become a great scourge..."

Zhao Wujiu stared at the completely destroyed bronze mirror fragments in his hand, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly said, "Xuanji... has passed on all his life's knowledge to him."

"So what?" Old Ghost Mo sneered. "No matter how strong he is, he's still just one person. Once he leaves the Shu Mountain territory, there are three more checkpoints ahead. The sect leader has laid a trap; he won't be able to escape!"

Zhao Wujiu remained silent.

He recalled the last sentence of the secret order Xun Wenruo had given him before his departure:

"If something cannot be done, let it go."

What Xun Wenruo wanted was perhaps more than just a "container".

Lu Li was walking quickly through the mountains and forests.

The battle just now, though seemingly easy, was actually extremely taxing. The combination of three sword intents placed a far greater burden on his mind than he had imagined. At this moment, he only felt a faint pain in his sea of ​​consciousness.

You must adjust your breathing as soon as possible.

He found a secluded cave, set up a simple warning array at the entrance, and sat down cross-legged.

Consciousness sank into the body.

The scene of the three rivers converging remained the same, but the crimson-gold river was noticeably more turbulent. The dark blue-green current was suppressed even deeper, its surge almost invisible. More than ten silver-white light spots had increased, arranged like stars in the sea of ​​consciousness.

He guided these newly formed sparks of will to sink into the sword seal.

The sword imprint became increasingly solid.

After meditating for about an hour, Lu Li opened his eyes.

The sky was already turning white.

He unfolded the parchment Xuanji had given him.

The road ahead is destined to be filled with bloodshed and turmoil.

Lu Li put away the map and gripped the Shouzhuo Sword tightly.

The sword felt warm to the touch, as if it were responding to his determination.

Outside the cave, the morning light gradually brightened.

A new day, a new deadly trap.