Chapter 201
Risking his life to steal the Supreme Demon out of hell, and now going so far as to become an enemy of the entire underworld, just to be reborn as a human?!
Because of the lack of Yin and Yang harmony, Yin cultivation is indeed more rugged than Yang cultivation, but with Jiang Qu Lian's several hundred years of cultivation, how many people on earth can be compared to him? Reincarnating as a human means he has to give up all of his cultivation, power and status in Jiuyou, and turn into a toothless baby, starting from scratch again. Plus, natural talent cannot be chosen at all, and he may have roots that are so poor that he has no immortal fate. This is the worst choice no matter how one looks at it.
"Do you believe him?" Xie Bi An frowned deeply.
"At first, I did not believe it, but that's what he said. Later, knowing that he came to earth so frequently, I guessed that maybe it was for someone."
"For 'someone'?"
Fan Wu She mocked, "You don't believe that a person dares to become an enemy of the Way of Heaven for the sake of another person, do you?"
"..."
"You naturally don't believe it." Fan Wu She turned his face away. The chamber of his heart throbbed with pain, and his voice was cold, "Who has really been in your heart?"
Xie Bi An felt ridiculous, but he could not laugh: "Now that your plan has failed, master did not use the Eastern Emperor Bell up until his death, what else do you want?"
"The Eastern Emperor Bell is not anyone's exclusive magical treasure. Just because Zhong Kui is dead, it doesn't mean that there is no one else who can control the Eastern Emperor Bell."
"Who?"
Fan Wu She did not answer, instead he said, "No one can stop me from getting back the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman."
"What about after getting the Heavenly Secret Talisman?"
Fan Wu She was silent.
"You said you don't want my core, so what exactly do you want to do by keeping me here?"
"You are mine, so naturally you have to be with me." Fan Wu She said without changing his expression.
Xie Bi An's pupils were cold: "Get out."
"This is my bedroom, I won't go out, and you can't go out either."
Xie Bi An's body leaned back defensively, even though there was no one going near him.
Fan Wu She hesitated for a moment and still walked over, but Xie Bi An immediately retreated.
"... Senior brother."
"Don't call me 'senior brother'." Xie Bi An said viciously.
"I'm going to say it no matter what."
"You don't deserve it."
Fan Wu She looked astonished and whispered, "You like me, right? You said it yourself."
"That was just a hoax. The person I like does not exist." Xie Bi An's eyes reddened as he remembered the past two years.
"Does, not, exist." Fan Wu She revealed a miserable smile, "Back then you said Xiao Jiu did not exist, now you say Fan Wu She does not exist. You can always easily erase my existence."
"You are the one who erased them." Xie Bi An lowered his head, desolated to the extreme, "It was you."
Fan Wu She dragged Xie Bi An into his arms.
"Let go of me!" Xie Bi An growled and struggled, but was held in a deadly grip by two iron arms.
"I miss you so much." Fan Wu She drew a breath and said, almost gritting his teeth, "I think about you every day, the same as the previous life, the same as those hundred years. I really hate that I just can't let go of you."
Xie Bi An's eyes stared vacantly at the black and red stone wall.
"If only you hadn't remembered. It would have been better if you hadn't remembered." Fan Wu She murmured and repeated these words. His warm cheek was pressed against Xie Bi An's, feeding his soul with every ounce of warmth he drew from the other's skin.
The two hearts seem to be able to perceive each other through the clothes, through the flesh, and through the ribs, beating repeatedly and continuously. Like a back and forth conversation, telling their feelings silently, which were far more honest than the lips and tongue, but no one dared to open their heart to reveal their shining hearts of this moment.
Fan Wu She let go of Xie Bi An and left with quick steps.
As if his energy had been withdrawn from his body, Xie Bi An staggered and sat down. His eyes were hot. He felt sad, and a sharp pain kept coming from his temple.
One "senior brother" evoked unending memories for him. His heart had already fallen and moved by love. He felt happy and sweet because he thought of that person, and because of the physical touch which made him lose himself in passionate love. All that they experienced between them have left a mark on him from the inside out that could never be erased.
In his previous life, towards Zong Zi Xiao he only had the fear of being forced and the shame of going against virtue, even though his body had been taught* to have no choice but to submit, but there was not a moment when his heart was not resisting. But in this life ... in this life Zong Zi Xiao approached him with a shell that left him defenseless, taking advantage of the knowledge of him and played with his feelings in the palm of his hand. When he offered up his trust and heart without retention, he then realized it was a complete scam.
He was resentful and angry, but he also liked someone he should not have liked at all.
After sitting rigidly in pain and distress for a long time, a flash of light suddenly flashed through Xie Bi An’s mind, and he caught it just in time. He knew why this rocky soil looked familiar, and he knew where he was now --- Fumenghui.
----
Jiang Qu Lian picking Fumenghui as a hiding place was a move that was both dangerous and good. Official Lord Cui had sent countless Yin servants to look for them, but they were only 20 to 30 miles away from Fengdu City, and Fumenghui has crooks mixed together with honest folk, and was known as a lawless place in Jiuzhou continent, where no power would enter casually. To find a person here at this place is simply as difficult as ascending to heaven.
It was hard for Cui Jue to think that Jiang Qu Lian and Fan Wu She would be hiding under his nose.**
Xie Bi An knew that there were many Yin servants patrolling in Fumenghui, but he couldn't sense any of them, so he was obviously sealed in a boundary. Without Wuqiongbi, he couldn't contact the Yin servants.
What about Day Patrol and Night Patrol? Can they find Jiang Qu Lian?
Xie Bi An also tried to escape, but it’s naturally in vain. Comparing this situation to the time in Chidi City now, he didn’t know which is more dangerous.
Fan Wu She, who hadn't shown up for a few days, arrived at the sound of the noise. He glanced at the wreckage in the house: "You can't escape. Don't waste your energy."
"Is this Fumenghui?" Xie Bi An panted and stared at him.
"Yes."
"What are you guys plotting and why do we have to hide here?"
Fan Wu She said expressionlessly, "I injured my chakra in Chidi City and had been recuperating here previously. The more dangerous the place is, the safer it is, and most importantly, this place is close to the Yin Yang Monument."
"What do you want to do? You guys want to go back to the Underworld?"
"Nonsense. If we don't go back to the Underworld, how can we get the Heavenly Secret Talisman?" Fan Wu She slowly approached Xie Bi An, "When the time comes, I need you to guide me."
Xie Bi An clenched his fist, "I won't guide you!"
"You have no choice." Fan Wu She stood in front of Xie Bi An and gently clamped his chin, "When I get the Heavenly Secret Talisman, no one in this world would dare to be my enemy."
Xie Bi An grasped that hand and opened it.
Fan Wu She’s gaze sank. He grabbed Xie Bi An’s shoulders and pressed him against the wall. His powerful thighs squeezed between Xie Bi An’s legs, making him unable to escape anywhere.
There is a hint of panic hidden in Xie Bi An’s eyes that were forced to be calm.
"When I was your junior brother, I still had to cajole you for a kiss, but you would kiss me willingly, and I was willing to play along with you." Fan Wu She slowly brushed his thumb over Xie Bi An’s lower lip. A layer of delicate feathered eyelashes blocking his gloomy gaze, but the chilling breath still leaked out from his mouth, “Just that I don’t feel satisfied enough. I spent so much effort, and only fucked you once. I was even scared of hurting you, scared of frightening you, which wasn’t really enjoyable. If I could be like last time, stripping off your clothes whenever and wherever, fucking you however I want, letting your lower body sucking my baby when you’re eating, sleeping and meeting people, wouldn’t that be delightful?"
Xie Bi An's face instantly went pale. How was his body humiliated and dallied with last time, he had never forgotten any of the scenes. He knew that this person in front of him could do what he said, no matter how crazy and absurd things ...
Fan Wu She lowered his head, and kissed Xie Bi An very tenderly: "Right now, my wisdom is not being eroded by Yin energy. I want you, but I can restrain myself. If you are smart, then don’t provoke me."
Xie Bi An's shoulders slumped senselessly. He knew what the consequences of resisting this person were. He had already learned countless lessons in his previous life. It was the face in front of him that was full of teenage spirit. It was the gentle consideration that he had once received from Fan Wu She that made him ignore the soul wrapped under this skin that belonged to Zong Zi Xiao.
The sudden quietness of Xie Bi An made Fan Wu She frown. He should be satisfied with this tameness, but when he saw the look of Zong Zi Heng from Xie Bi An's face as well, his heart only had endless sadness. All the lust that had risen a moment before had vanished.
A thin layer of pain surfaced on Fan Wu She's face as he whispered, "Don't show this expression. I won't treat you like I did before, as long as you don't anger me."
"What are you going to do, lock me up for life?" Xie Bi An said calmly.
"Wait until I get the Heavenly Secret Talisman and all of Jiuzhou will be in my palm. I won't lock you up, and you won't be able to escape." Fan Wu She smoothed Xie Bi An's black hair, "Whether you resent me or hate me, you can't leave me. We are destined to be entangled for life."
"What if I said I would kill you to avenge my master's death?" Xie Bi An's gaze condensed, "You still dare to keep me around?"
Fan Wu She's hand paused, "Why didn't you find the opportunity to kill me in your previous life?"
Xie Bi An looked at him motionlessly.
"It's that you didn't dare, because you knew that once you failed, you couldn’t bear the consequences." Fan Wu She said with a fake smile, "So the answer is, I dare. Even if I die ten thousand times, I still want to crawl out of hell and keep you by my side."
Xie Bi An silently lowered his eyes, and his eyes were full of deep pain.
Why didn’t he find the opportunity to kill him in the previous life? Of course it’s not because he didn't dare, but because he couldn't do it. If he could be unsympathetic and ready to punish his own family member if justice demands it, just like how the rumors spread in the world, would everything be different today?
Perhaps not, because as Fan Wu She said, he will return from hell.
----
That night, the two of them shared the same bed. Just like before, Fan Wu She did not do anything extra except hugging Xie Bi An, just that the two of them had their own thoughts, and neither could fall asleep.
Xie Bi An knew what Fan Wu She and Jiang Qu Lian were plotting. The ultimate goal is to get the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman, but to get the Heavenly Secret Talisman, there are two very difficult hurdles to overcome. The first is to return to the Underworld safely. The second is to move the Eastern Emperor Bell. Both of these sound like a fantasy story.
Returning to the underworld is not difficult. The difficulty was avoiding the inescapable net laid by Cui Jue, and the East Emperor Bell. After Zhong Kui’s death, who else in this world can control this ancient divine treasure?
Looking back, to liberate the Heavenly Secret Talisman from the suppression of the Eastern Emperor Bell, Jiang Qu Lian's plan was the only viable one. Zhong Kui would never use the Eastern Emperor Bell for the sake of his own life or death, but if it was to save the world, to sacrifice everything, the end would be such an end.
Xie Bi An couldn't think of anything else they could do, but seeing that Fan Wu She didn't have the slightest intention of backing down, he became more worried that Jiang Qu Lian would have unexpected tricks.
On this day, not long after Fan Wu She left, Jiang Qu Lian appeared.
Ever since Xie Bi An was imprisoned here, he had not seen Jiang Qu Lian again, and he did not hide his hatred and killing intent towards the eerie and evil ghost king in red.
Jiang Qu Lian leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. Those red clothes were like blood dripping out of the black and red rocky soil.
There are too many mysterious theories about the cause of Fumenghui. The most widely circulated is that it was the result of the solidification of thousands of Yin soldiers in the Fengdu great battle, but the Yin soldiers are all undead, so how could they solidify into a mountain rock? But the black soil mixed with red, it’s no doubt it's the color of blood. This place is concentrated with Yin energy. Even the Chunyang Sect’s people will feel uncomfortable when they come here.
"What do you want to do?" Xie Bi An said in a cold voice.
"To ask you some questions."
"You think I will answer your questions?"
"If you answer well, I can tell you about Zhong Kui’s situation."
Xie Bi An fiercely clenched his fist, and his gaze grew colder.
"Lan Zhong Ming, the old pavilion master of Xianyue Pavilion, used to be your adopted son, right? Whose bloodline is he really from?"
Xie Bi An was stunned. He thought Jiang Qu Lian would ask about the Eastern Emperor Bell. In fact, he knew very little about the Eastern Emperor Bell, but whatever he knew he could not tell Jiang Qu Lian, but he never expected Jiang Qu Lian to ask a question that seemed unrelated to him.
Why would he ask about Zhong Ming's birth origins?
The expression on Jiang Qu Lian’s face was incomprehensible: "He is not your son, right? You have not conferred a queen or a concubine, and with your character, it is not like you to have any love affair."
"Why do you ask about him? How do you know he's my adopted son?"
"You secretly raised him in the palace back then. Few people knew about this ‘prince’. Later you sent him out of the palace, and gave him your Junlan sword. I investigated for a long time based on some clues, and only then did I roughly understand your relationship with him." Jiang Qu Lian stared straight at Xie Bi An, "Say, whose bloodline does he belong to?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"You don't need to know."
"If you don't tell me, then don't think I'll tell you either."
Jiang Qu Lian raised his eyebrows, "Impermanence, you've been like this since you were a child, looking gentle and well-behaved, yet stubborn as hell. Obviously you’re afraid of me, yet you still pretend you’re not, and you still think you're really an underworld general who can be no match for me? Always so unadaptable to current circumstances."
"I might have been a little afraid of you last time." Xie Bi An looked at Jiang Qu Lian. His eyes were showing a cold aura, "Now I just want to make your soul scatter."
Jiang Qu Lian sneered twice: "You better have that ability. I advise you to answer honestly, otherwise your master, who has just been reincarnated, still a baby in swaddling clothes ..."
Xie Bi An glared up fiercely, "You dare!"
"Answer my question."
Xie Bi An pursed his lips, "Huaying Sect. Ever heard of it?"
"Seems like I've heard of it."
"Huaying Sect was also once a famous sect in the immortal cultivation world. Back then, it was exterminated by the Wuyun Sect. Zhong Ming was the son of Huaying Sect's young master Hua Jun Cheng."
"Why did you adopt his son?"
Xie Bi An’s heart sank as he thought of someone: "I had a ... friendship with Hua Jun Cheng's sister."
"Where is the Huaying Sect located?"
"Jiangnan." Xie Bi An asked, "What do you really want to do? What is your relationship with Zhong Ming?"
Jiang Qu Lian did not answer. He just slightly droops his head in thought, muttering under his breath, "No wonder it is impossible to trace the roots."
"Jiang Qu Lian! You said my master has been reincarnated, is that true or not?"
Jiang Qu Lian raised his eyes to look at Xie Bi An: "Of course it's true. He should have reincarnated in a good family."
Xie Bi An was sad and dejected. He thought that with Zhong Kui's optimistic character, he would not let go of his cultivation. Those who stay in the underworld to cultivate will definitely go to reincarnation, but he still has the delusion that he can see his master one last time.
Jiang Qu Lian got the answer he wanted and turned around to leave, but was stopped by Xie Bi An again.
"What exactly did you want to do when you inquired about the Lan family? What has Zhong Ming's bloodline got to do with you?”
"It has nothing to do with you either."
At this time, a sudden tremor came from inside the stone room. Not violent but unusual. It should be something moving in the mountain.
In Fumenghui, combat fights are common, but Jiang Qu Lian is being chased by the underworld's inescapable net, so he became alerted immediately.
Chapter 202
Jiang Qu Lian left at top speed to check the situation. Xie Bi An wanted to follow him and get out, but was stopped by the boundary.
A second shock soon followed. He felt a strong spiritual pressure; Fumenghui must have been attacked.
Who could it be? Qi Meng Sheng? He immediately denied it. Qi Meng Sheng was so wounded that she could never leave her lair at this time. Cui Jue's Yin servants? It's possible. Most likely Jiang Qu Lian revealed his whereabouts when he rescued him.
There were sounds of fighting outside, but they sounded like they were through a thick barrier. He was probably deep inside Fumenghui’s mountain instead of those skeleton-shaped holes people see.
No matter what was happening outside, this was his time to escape, but he couldn't unlock his chakra for a while. Just when he was at a loss, the door of the stone room was violently pushed open and Fan Wu She rushed in, pulling Xie Bi An by the hand: "Let’s go."
"Who? What's going on?" Xie Bi An left this stone room for the first time. Outside was a narrow rugged passage, which was dim and depressing. This passage is basically only wide enough for one person to walk through. It was certainly not formed naturally. He guessed correctly, this was dug by people later. Fumenghui is originally a black market for illegal trading, so many people have the need to hide or escape from the secret passage.
"Lan Chui Han, he found this place by following Jiang Qu Lian."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Somewhere safe."
"Wait." Xie Bi An used his other hand to clasp Fan Wu She's wrist and violently yanked his body into place. This place was so cramped that Fan Wu She could not make any big moves to restrain Xie Bi An, but he could turn his body back. After he did so, he blocked Xie Bi An between the stone wall and his own body.
The two of them were so close that the tips of their noses lightly touched each other several times, causing them to exchange shallow, restrained breaths --- that is a familiar smell from memory.
In the darkness, Xie Bi An's eyes were unusually bright: "Did you tell Brother Lan?" He simply cannot believe that someone could "tail behind" the Red Ghost King, otherwise it would be unlikely for the thousands of Yin servants to be unable to find him after months of searching.
"Yes." Fan Wu She swallowed quietly. The fragrance of orchids on Xie Bi An's body was very faint and elegant, but in this dense air zone, and at a close distance, he was being so fumigated that his eyes were hot and thirsty.
"Why."
"We are both defensive against each other, so we both left a way of escape. He saved you to blackmail me." Fan Wu She traced Xie Bi An's features with his gaze, finally stopping at his pupils, "He also wants your golden core."
"I know."
"I won't let him touch you." Fan Wu She's hand pressed against the sides of Xie Bi An's cheeks, "Qi Meng Sheng, or anyone else, can't touch you either. Your core will always remain well in your own belly. So no matter what happens, you can't ..." When he spoke until the end, his voice getting hoarser. Even if this person is now right in front of him, he still has that nightmare over and over again, dreaming of his big brother covered in blood while he was breathing his last in his arms.
The look on Xie Bi An's face remained cold. He does not believe these words. He does not believe this person: "Where exactly are you taking me?" Which place is safe?
Fan Wu She did not answer. He grabbed his hand along the way and led him through the mountain passages, which he had obviously traversed countless times, otherwise they would have gotten lost.
You can't tell whether it is day and night inside the stone room. Only a little blood-red light at the end of the passage let him know that it was nighttime in Fumenghui.
When the two of them walked out of the cave, Xie Bi An couldn't wait to breathe in a breath of fresh air, but he smelled the stench of blood. He looked down and realized that they were on the front side of Fumenghui’s mountain, with red lights dotting the ground below, illuminating one skeleton hole after another. At night, it is the time when Fumenghui wakes up. Travelers from all over Jiuzhou entered those holes with various purposes in mind, where money was traded and souls were bought and sold. Almost everyday there will be people disappearing into this sinister ghost city.
Fumenghui naturally has many ghostly legends, such as when the sun sets in the west, hundreds of ghosts walk at night. Of course, this legend is only used to fool the living, because there are Yin servants patrolling in Fumenghui all year round. As long as there are people dying, they will be taken away immediately, so any evil spirits cannot cause trouble. Only people will harm people.
But what is happening in front of them is simply sitting and watching all the horrifying legends of Fumenghui.
A mixed battle of human and ghost was staged here now. Sword light, spiritual talisman and ghosts were dancing in the sky, where one red and one blue silhouette were entangled in the chaos, which was particularly eye-catching.
Upon seeing the familiar people, Xie Bi An's heart felt warm, but he was immediately pulled up onto a sword by Fan Wu She and was about to get out of there.
A few wisps of ghosts lunged towards them like arrows. Fan Wu She took out the soul-hooking chain and repelled them with a single move, but more ghosts soon came after them. It seemed that there were not just a few Jiuyou ghost citizens following the Red Ghost King, and the two were soon forced to land under the impact.
"Bi An." Lan Chui Han saw Xie Bi An, and his expression eased a little, "Are you okay?"
Xie Bi An* (Xiaobai has no dialogue like Zhong Kui in I-forgot-which chapter LOL)
Jiang Qu Lian's face was grim: "Zong Zi Xiao, although you and I are using each other, it's too early for you to get rid of me now."
"You shouldn't use him to blackmail me." Fan Wu She protected Xie Bi An behind him, not only guarding against Jiang Qu Lian, but also Lan Chui Han.
"You said you know where the Shanhe Sheji Map is, yet you are hesitant to take it out." Jiang Qu Lian slowly raised his hand and pointed his sharp ghost claws at Xie Bi An, "The Shanhe Sheji Map is our only hope. Hand it over. If you dare to lie to me, none of you will be able to leave today."
The Shanhe Sheji Map!
Xie Bi An's heart shook with a feeling of enlightenment. He had forgotten such an important thing. Under the power of the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman, not only he but many people would overlook the other magical treasure in the Supreme Demon’s hands --- the Shanhe Sheji Map, which was also one of the four divine treasures of the ancient times.
This treasure is the family heirloom of the Daming Zong Clan, but because no one in the Zong Clan has been able to control this treasure for three generations, the world is not quite sure of its function. After the Supreme Demon appeared, he only used the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman to kill in all directions. Perhaps for hundreds of years, only he has really witnessed the power of the Shanhe Sheji Map --- Zong Zi Xiao used this treasure to destroy the ancestral graves of his mother's family line.
Only the ancient divine treasures can suppress the ancient divine treasures. For the same reason, will the Shanhe Sheji Map be able to move the matchless Eastern Emperor Bell?!
No wonder Fan Wu She looked so confident and still thought he could retrieve the Heavenly Secret Talisman.
Xie Bi An's heart seemed to be hanging upside down. Only a little wave was needed before it would fall to the ground. Zhong Kui's Eastern Emperor Bell, which he was guarding til his death, was maintaining the Fengdu boundary externally and suppressing the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman internally. No matter what, there must not be any slip-ups!
Fan Wu She crossed his sword in front of him, not dodging and looked face to face at Jiang Qu Lian: "When the time is ripe, I will summon the Shanhe Sheji Map. Now I cannot fully control this map as it’s merely increasing the danger."
"You can't control it, but I can. Hand it over." Jiang Qu Lian stretched out a small scarlet tongue and gently licked the blood on the ghost claw, "If you continue to deceive me, I will make you regret it."
"Same goes for you. You've been deceiving me too. Qi Meng Sheng’s ambition is never something you can sway, so your attempt to use her to force Zhong Kui is just a matter of taking advantage. So before that, what was the purpose of you repeatedly coming to earth as Yun Zhong Jun?"
Jiang Qu Lian narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Lan Chui Han frowned and looked deeply at Jiang Qu Lian: "Yun ... Jiang Qu Lian, you have been surrounded by the Yin servants. Now the human and ghost realms cannot tolerate you, what the hell do you still want to do? Don't make the same mistake again and again!”
Jiang Qu Lian slanted his gaze at Lan Chui Han. His gaze was deep and hollow: "What I want to do, you will never understand." He looked around. Countless Yin servants have surrounded Fumenghui. He suddenly let out a gloomy laugh, "Zong Zi Xiao, you summoned them. After using me, you want to cross the river and tear down the bridge*?"
Fan Wu She's eyes were extremely gloomy, "I told you, you shouldn't use him to blackmail me."
"With your current cultivation level, can you retrieve the Heavenly Secret Talisman without me?" Anger distorted Jiang Qu Lian's demonic features, "Why don't I kill him, then you'll have to barge into the Underworld once more."
"Then you shall never think of achieving your goal either."
"Go, die!" Jiang Qu Lian's red clothes were moving without the wind. His black hair was dancing wildly, and his Yin energy was rising up like a tsunami.
"Not good!" Xie Bi An said in a trembling voice, "He wants to open the Ghost Gate."
Chapter 203
Jiang Qu Lian's ghost claws were inserted into the ground, and immediately there was a blood-red light from the soil. The earth cracked open in five directions like a swift thunderbolt, and there were many things faintly breaking out from under the tossed soil. The eerie hissing sound drifted in the night sky, which was spine-chilling.
"Give me the soul-hooking chain!" Xie Bi An shouted at Fan Wu She.
"..."
"Give it to me ah!" Xie Bi An said sternly, "He is going to open the Ghost Gate and summon his ministers. The people of Fengdu City will suffer!"
Fan Wu She gave Bieyanghong to Xie Bi An, and at the same time unsealed his chakra.
Xie Bi An snatched Bieyanghong over, threw out the chain and wrung Jiang Qu Lian's ghost claw. He grabbed the chain with both hands and stepped on it with one foot, pulling that ghost claw up.
Jiang Qu Lian's eyebrows were deeply knitted. A glimpse of muscles can be seen under his red clothes, and he wrestled with Xie Bi An.
"Jiang Qu Lian, do you know what it means to open the Ghost Gate? Do you really want to become an enemy of Jiuyou?" Beads of sweat quickly appeared on Xie Bi An's forehead, and the agitated spiritual pressure caused his hair and clothes to flutter without wind.
Jiang Qu Lian sneered twice: "You don't understand at all. Jiuyou is the ghost citizens’ Jiuyou, not the Underworld’s Jiuyou."
"What are you talking about…?"
"A million years ago, why did the Zhuanxu Sect disconnect the path to heaven and earth? The endless battle between the heavenly gods and the earthly deities is certainly a reason, but more importantly, it’s to get rid of the Heaven bond. As a result, Great Emperor Haotian had to send down the Yin Department to set up the Underworld, and also send down the celestial beings to establish the imperial dynasty. It is said that the humans, ghosts and gods will separate their powers and rule individually. What was the outcome? The human realm and the ghost realm have never escaped the control of the Great Emperor Haotian. The disconnection between heaven and earth cut off the spiritual energy. How many people have exhausted their lifelong efforts yet were unable to achieve positive results from cultivation? And how many people have to be caught in the suffering of reincarnation cannot be freed?” When Jiang Qu Lian spoke till the end, his voice was stern, "The Way of Heaven is just a deception. It is a trick for the celestial beings to control and enslave us!”
Xie Bi An looked at Jiang Qu Lian in a daze, speechless for a moment.
“For what reason…" Jiang Qu Lian’s eyes gradually dyed with red, “For what reason should I be reborn as a hungry ghost? For what reason should I feed on my own mother when I was born? For what reason should I eat so many of my own kind to survive? Is hell scary? Being born in the Hungry Ghost Path is hell all the time! Jiuyou is our Jiuyou, not the Jiuyou of the Underworld, so for what reason can't I be reborn as a human again?!” He struggled fiercely, and the ghost claws were once again deeply embedded in the earth. The five cracks in the ground glowed with blood-red light, and something surged more and more violently under the earth.
Xie Bi An was dragged down to the ground. He retrieved the chain and slashed at Jiang Qu Lian with his chain scythe.
Fan Wu She and Lan Chui Han simultaneously raised their swords and attacked.
A huge Yin energy blasted through the earth and several people were shaken away at the same time.
The Ghost Gate opened and countless ghost citizens crawled out from the ground. Attracted by the scent of people, they emitted greedy and mournful howls.
"Ghosts, ghosts ah-----" The people in Fumenghui were a mess, fleeing in all directions in panic.
Although this place is located in Fengdu, the evilest place in Jiuzhou, people and ghosts respect and don't offend each other is the way for the two realms to get along for millions of years, and the occasional evil spirits that harm people are eradicated by Daoists. If there is a scourge such as a gap in the boundary and other ghosts invading the earth, the Underworld will send its generals out to recapture.
But this time is different. As the king of ghosts, the head of the Underworld General Red Ghost King personally opened the Ghost Gate, releasing a large number of fierce ghosts!
A dark blue shadow flashed to Xie Bi An's side, who was getting up from the ground: "Night Patrol?"
"I have requested Official Lord Cui to send more Yin servants. We must close the Ghost Gate as soon as possible."
The fierce ghosts pounced on the living. Night Patrol gave an order, and a large number of Yin servants surrounded the Ghost Gate. They raised the ghost fork in their hands one by one and drove those ghost citizens back to Jiuyou, but the Ghost Gate opened wider and wider, and more and more ghosts crawled out from the cracks in the ground. And behind them was Fumenghui formed by countless hollow skeleton shapes. This scene was like earth and hell turned upside down.
Jiang Qu Lian laughed for a long time: "You guys want to catch me too?" His face was demonic to the extreme, "You guys are the ones who forced me to open the Ghost Gate."
Xie Bi An used the soul-hooking chain to beat a group of ghost citizens back to Jiuyou. He kept reciting incantations under his breath, and the crack in the ground under his feet was closing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Night Patrol commanded the Yin servants to drive away the ghost citizens, and the cultivators from the Immortal Alliance brought by Lan Chui Han also kept offering demon subjugation talismans. With the combined efforts of all of them, the Ghost Gate torn open by Jiang Qu Lian was closing little by little.
Jiang Qu Lian turned into red mist and pounced on Xie Bi An. Fan Wu She's body was as fast as a remnant of shadow, and he brought his sword to block in front of Xie Bi An's body. Xie Bi An was forced to interrupt his incantation, and the chain sickle of the soul-hooking chain directly took Jiang Qu Lian's head. His other hand drew a powerful demon subjugation talisman, and the three of them tangled up in a fight.
"Zong Zi Xiao, you are extremely stupid! Or do you really like this game of senior brother and junior brother, not even wanting the power of your previous life?"
Jiang Qu Lian's ghost claw viciously grabbed towards Xie Bi An's heart. Xie Bi An threw out his chain and tried to wrap his arms again, while behind him Fan Wu She's Ting Mo stabbed straight up. Jiang Qu Lian once again turned into red mist, and both of them pounced into the air.
"I will take the Heavenly Secret Talisman back myself." Fan Wu She's gaze was gloomy and certain, and with a hand of the Zongxuan sword technique, he viciously and sharply stabbed towards Jiang Qu Lian's vital points.
"You are too weak. You have seven or eight years less cultivation than in your previous life, what gives you the right?!"
"Just because I am Zong Zi Xiao."
Jiang Qu Lian shook the two away with a single blow, and his ghostly claws grabbed the ground again, tearing the Ghost Gate that was closing even wider. He knew that if he was caught, he would sink into hell forever. Having come this far, there was no turning back.
Seeing the ghosts crawling out of the cracks in the ground were already in great quantity, and many were escaping the siege and floating towards the city, if this continues, the people nearby will suffer a disaster.
Xie Bi An has no time to care about Jiang Qu Lian. The soul-hooking chain dragged up a large number of ghosts and forced them back to Jiuyou, while he desperately chanted charms, closing the Ghost Gate.
Night Patrol said sternly: "Red King, if you really stir up the two realms, you will surely provoke the five ghost emperors to revolt!"
Jiang Qu Lian laughed coldly: "Great Emperor Beiyin came down from the sky. The five ghost emperors are the original lords of Jiuyou. Am I the one who should be crushed?"
"Jiang Qu Lian, don’t think of misleading the public with rumors. The human and ghost realms were originally peaceful. You killed my master and broke the balance of the two realms. Now you are opening the Ghost Gate without permission and have caused a great disaster. You will be sent to the infernal hell and will not be able to reincarnate forever!" Xie Bi An’s eyes were red with hatred. Seeing the ghosts crawling out of the Ghost Gate like a flowing river, there was no way to stop them. His heart and lungs felt so bad like they were going to explode. The earth that Zhong Kui wanted to protect even at the cost of his life must not be lost in front of him!
Xie Bi An frantically exported his spiritual energy, repairing the Ghost Gate that was constantly torn apart, not hesitating to empty himself.
Lan Chui Han swept off the ghosts that wanted to pounce on Xie Bi An with his sword: "Bi An, what else can we do to close the Ghost Gate as soon as possible?!”
Xie Bi An shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, "It's already too late."
Fan Wu She yanked Xie Bi An: "This is beyond your ability to handle. Leave it to Official Lord Cui, I'll take you away."
Xie Bi An fiercely shook off Fan Wu She's hand, and his gaze was firm: "I am Zhong Kui's disciple." I am willing to join my master to protect the living beings, and I vow to fight to the death.
The ghosts crawling out of the Ghost Gate were already uncountable. They were breaking through the encirclement and approaching the living people they coveted. All those who dared to block their way were their targets. The ghost citizens crawled into Fumenghui, scurrying in the skeleton holes one by one, forming like black blood flowing out of the seven apertures in the human head*, screaming repeatedly.
When Fan Wu She looked at the determination on Xie Bi An's face that wants to fight to the death, he cannot help but sigh: "Zong Zi Heng, what am I going to do for you ..." For you, perhaps I am willing to do anything.
Fan Wu She rose with his sword.
Jiang Qu Lian looked at Fan Wu She with doubt. He doesn't believe Fan Wu She will abandon Xie Bi An and escape.
Fan Wu She extended his five fingers, and a gradually stronger spiritual pressure surges in the palm of his hand. He looked at Xie Bi An from above and called out, "Big brother."
Xie Bi An tilted his head to look up.
"My success is in you, and my failure is in you." Fan Wu She took a deep breath, "So be it. I accept it." His spiritual pressure exploded, instantly making people feel oppressed. That pair of extremely beautiful and charming hanging fox eyes were looking intently at Fumenghui. He lightly opened his thin lips, and his voice was low and far-reaching, "First ancestor of heaven and earth, a painting opens the sky-----"
The indigo night sky suddenly surges like a gathering storm. The wind swirled around in the vast expanse of open ground and did not stop for a long time. The white moon hanging high was slowly becoming blood red, dyeing through the whole sky, and the blood-colored darkness descended on the earth.
The entirety of Fumenghui began to shake and tremble. Those jagged and hanging skeleton holes, the sinister and coarse black and red earth, and each swaying red candle lantern, all became blurred in this shaking. The mountain that has stood here for many years actually began to loosen, collapse, and deform, as if being rolled into a round shape and flattened by an invisible giant hand.
Xie Bi An stared blankly at the scene before him. He listened to the shouts of panic in his ears, but he could not utter a word. Other people may not know what happened, but he had seen a similar image a hundred years ago; in Mount Zhangyang, in front of his mother Shen Clan's ancestral tomb. Fan Wu She said "a painting opens the sky" and changed everything in front of him with the Shanhe Sheji Map.
Could it be that Fumenghui is ...
Fumenghui is gradually falling apart. The originally strange mountain body, which seems to be forcibly kneaded, was forcibly broken apart and crushed. The mountain body is also peeling off layer by layer. The original rocky soil embedded with countless white bones was falling like rain now.
"Keep." Fan Wu She clutched with his five fingers, and an ancient scroll flew into his palm.
When the flying dust was rising in all directions, Fumenghui collapsed, along with the rocky soil, skeletons and appliances, turning into a ground of fine sand and gravel. Countless people in Fumenghui fell to the ground with this puddle of loose sand. They looked blankly and helplessly at the empty surroundings. In this scene right now, they don't know whether they are in a dream or not.
Life is like a dream painted in haste, all are not awake in the world of mortals*.
Chapter 204
Fumenghui is actually a skeletal pile that was born out of thin air using the Shanhe Sheji Map by the Supreme Demon a hundred years ago just to hide this map in it. Now the magical treasure is kept, so Fumenghui’s strange mountain body, nameless corpses, and countless strange and bizarre stories that happened within a hundred years also dissipated into thin air. Sadly, it was like a big dream.
Ghosts cry at night in the underworld, the floating dreams in paradise become empty.
Who could have imagined that Fumenghui would become a prophecy?
And the Supreme Demon Zong Zi Xiao had actually planned his rebirth and return a hundred years ago at the time of his death.
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She. Everyone looked at Fan Wu She.
He was dressed in black. His pupils were as deep as an abyss, not showing a bit of light. His lips were pursed tightly, his expression was stern and a raging spiritual pressure swirled up like the wind. The ancient divine treasure that can move mountains and overturn the sea was so easily clutched in his hand, as if the heaven and earth can be turned upside down in the palm of his hand.
No one doubted it. This moment is the birth of the Supreme Demon.
Among the sound of fear, everyone is pondering in their hearts. The Red Ghost King and the Supreme Demon, which one is more deadly at the moment?
Jiang Qu Lian looked at the gravel ruins and was shocked. He murmured: "Life is like a dream, life is like a dream ah." There was clearly a trace of sadness in his voice.
Xie Bi An was also unable to return to his senses for a long time. He remembered a lot. He remembered that in his previous life, when he first saw the power of the Shanhe Sheji Map, he was forced to watch Zong Zi Xiao destroy his mother's ancestral tomb, which also completely destroyed the little love that was left between them. He felt stagnation in his breathing, and his heart was followed by a stifling pain.
Fan Wu She’s gaze faintly swept over, and finally landed on Xie Bi An. He unfolded the Shanhe Sheji Map, and the entire mountain emerged clearly on the scroll. As he tapped it with his fingertips, as if the gravel and rocky soil had a spirit, they flowed towards the Ghost Gate which was torn apart by Jiang Qu Lian, eventually turning into quicksand and flushing those ghost citizens back to Jiuyou.
The cultivators and Yin servants chased the ghost citizens that had already come to earth everywhere. With the combined efforts of humans and ghosts, they finally drove most of them back to Jiuyou.
Seeing that the momentum was gone, Jiang Qu Lian's body floated in a ghostly manner, and several blood-red remnant shadows appeared. His cold laughter came from all directions, "Zong Zi Xiao, what you owed me, I will definitely come and get it from you."
Those red shadows were like flowers in a mirror and moon reflected in the lake*. When the wind blew, they were dispersed in the night sky. Jiang Qu Lian disappeared, as if he had never been there.
The five crevices on earth that were torn were finally closed by the Shanhe Sheji Map, and the Ghost Gate was finally closed. The calamity which was supposed to develop originally was resolved unexpectedly because of the reappearance of the Shanhe Sheji Map, but the crisis did not pass. Everyone is looking at Fan Wu She like meeting a great enemy.
Fan Wu She retracted the Shanhe Sheji Map and stared deadly at Xie Bi An. His thin lips chattered several times, wanting to say something, but not a word leaked out.
He knew that this person would not leave with him, forever, because he was always the one who was abandoned. He needs to desperately chase, catch, and bind in order to keep them together, otherwise this person will be like the countless times before, abandoning him far away, without turning back and leaving.
The past life and present life, love and hate are intertwined. Thinking about everything in the past made his heart hurt as if torn apart. He can’t be blamed for being obsessed with power in two lives. Because only absolute power can control this person in his hand.
How pathetic.
Fan Wu She looked deeply at Xie Bi An, wanting to engrave this face in his eyes hard while looking at him, and finally, he flew with his sword and left.
Xie Bi An opened his mouth, yet he only took in a cold and gloomy breath. Exactly like him, not a word was said, only his eyes suddenly became hot.
"Impermanence, stop dazing off. Many ghost citizens have already run to the village and town." Night Patrol suddenly appeared beside Xie Bi An and said with an urge.
"... Right." Xie Bi An lifted up his head. His white jade face covered with a layer of cold moonlight, "All the Yin servants listen to this order. Before dawn, bring all the wandering souls back to Jiuyou."
"Yes."
----
After dealing with all the ghost citizens that escaped from the Ghost Gate, Xie Bi An brought Lan Chui Han back to the Orchid Garden in Fengdu City.
The orchid garden is tended by the Liu Clan’s couple all year round. At this time, summer is in full swing, and the garden is full of blooming flowers competing for their beauty with each other. The scenery is very intoxicating, but unfortunately no one admires it.
The two sat facing each other, looking more grave than the other. They remained silent for a long time. They had a thousand thoughts, yet not knowing where to start.
"After the battle of Chidi City ..." Lan Chui Han was the first to speak up, "Quite a few things happened. We have been trying to find a way to save you."
"'We'. Does it include Li Bu Yu?"
"Mm, this time I also borrowed people from the Immortal Alliance, otherwise even these people could not be gathered. The battle of Chidi City really caused disastrous damage."
The name Li Bu Yu made Xie Bi An's heart stirred. There was still unresolved hatred between the two regarding killing his father and mother in the past life, but right now he had more important things to do and had to return to the Underworld first.
"This time the incident made Li Bu Yu’s prestige and reputation fall greatly. After all, it was Li Bu Yu who issued the heroic order, it is natural to complain about the many deaths and injuries. Plus what Qi Meng Sheng said ..."
"What Qi Meng Sheng said was true. Li Bu Yu did eat Emperor Ning Hua's human core and did suppress Emperor Ning Hua's soul in Diancang Peak." Xie Bi An shook his head and said lightly, "I now suspect that Meng Ke Fei, Li Bu Yu’s nephew, who died at the foot of Mount Shu at the beginning, is probably related to Li Bu Yu as well."
It was because of Meng Ke Fei's death that they went to Mount Shu to investigate the core stealing demonic cultivator, which led to a series of subsequent events. The cycle of karma was interrelated. In the face of this seemingly predetermined fate, man can only feel powerless.
"Very likely, but now the Immortal Alliance is facing a breakup, which is not a good thing." Lan Chui Han sipped his tea, "After all, Qi Meng Sheng is still eyeing covetously outside the Pass."
Other than Qi Meng Sheng, there are also Jiang Qu Lian and Fan Wu She. Each of them is enough to bring a huge calamity to the earth. At this time, even if the Immortal Alliance is wounded, they still have to hold on. And Li Bu Yu, he certainly deserves to die, but he is the only remaining Immortal Lord in the immortal cultivation world. If he dies now, the immortal cultivation world will not be able to withstand the blow.
Xie Bi An said in a deep voice: "Now the situation is chaotic and worrying. I really don't know what will happen in the future."
Lan Chui Han sighed: "I'm afraid that a calamity on earth is inevitable."
The two of them were silent for a while again.
"Bi An, would you like to follow me back to Huayueye?"
"Why?"
"My father said that my grandfather had met Huang Dao Zi before when he was alive, and the two of them had a long talk all night. After that, my grandfather left a last message before he died, and I think ... he knew you would come back."
Xie Bi An froze.
"He did not pass down the Junlan Sword to my father. Perhaps he wanted to leave it to you."
Xie Bi An felt sad. His lips trembled slightly, and his heart turned sour.
Zhong Ming ... Unfortunately, father broke his promise and failed to bring you home in the end.
"There is something I did not tell you. When I gave you the mother plant of Dangshanhe, my father was furious and punished me to kneel in front of my grandfather's coffin for three days." Lan Chui Han smiled, "That Dangshanhe is our family heirloom. Even if Li Bu Yu wanted it, at most he’ll be given a third-generation strain, yet I gave you the second-generation one. I now understand why an orchid is so important. At that time, when I was young and impetuous, I just wanted to show generosity in front of you, and I couldn't ask for it back afterwards, but now it seems that you are clearly lending me a hand to renew your previous relationship with this flower."
Xie Bi An also showed a bitter smile: "It must have been very difficult for Zhong Ming to leave home at such a young age, yet he kept guarding what I gave him."
"Yes, Grandfather was persistent by nature. He would rest in peace in the underworld knowing that you had returned." Lan Chui Han paused, and then puffed a laugh: "Say, what should we do with our positions in the family hierarchy?"
Xie Bi An also felt a bit embarrassed: "How you and I met will be how we get along. The past life and present life are always me. I’ll have to continue addressing you as big brother Lan.”
"Very good, otherwise I don't even know how to address you." Lan Chui Han was feeling a little desolated and said, "Just that, you are completely different from last time." The vicissitudes of Xie Bi An that had gone through thousands of sails were traces of his past life that could not be erased, and they were scars that were difficult to heal in this life.
Xie Bi An let out a bitter laugh.
"Bi An, Jiang Qu Lian and Fan Wu She have both disappeared. Although they have mutual suspicion with each other, their purpose is still the same. They are likely to join forces again. They are one human and one ghost, and we still need to work with the Underworld to chase the two."
"Not necessarily. These two people are extremely suspicious of each other, they cannot work together."
"True ..." Lan Chui Han’s sword brows knitted slightly, and his eyes have hidden pain, "Why on earth does Jiang Qu Lian want to do this?"
"Fan Wu She said he wants to reincarnate as a human."
"What?"
"Jiang Qu Lian was born in the Hungry Ghost Path of the lower three paths. Unless there is great merit, he can't be reborn as a human again, but he wants to be a human." Xie Bi An was also somehow doubtful about this statement.
"'Be a human’..." Lan Chui Han's face changed slightly, and he gently gathered his sleeves to hide his gradually tightening fists.
"Brother Lan." Xie Bi An looked at Lan Chui Han, "Your relationship with Red King, no, Yun Zhong Jun, is probably not as shallow as you said, right?"
When he heard Lan Chui Han say that he was the only one who had seen the true face of Yun Zhong Jun, he felt that something was wrong. If it was just a gentleman's friendship, why would he deliver such trust?
Lan Chui Han lowered his head and said with difficulty, "We ... we had a casual romance."
Xie Bi An looked dumbstruck at Lan Chui Han.
"When I was seventeen, my father used Shen Nong Ding to forge a sword for me. I lived in Chidi City for nearly six months, and that was when I met him. Between men, especially one being a cultivator of the Cangyu Sect, is rather usual, so I just took it as dual cultivation, and in the years since then, we occasionally meet."
"You and, you and the Red King ..." Xie Bi An was so surprised that he stammered a little. He really couldn't imagine Lan Chui Han and Jiang Qu Lian together.
Lan Chui Han implied: "This is not worth making a fuss about. I didn't know he was the Red Ghost King. Plus, we're both men, so no one took it seriously. If I could see his peculiarity, I might have been able to stop him."
Xie Bi An's mind was in a mess.
Chapter 205
Lan Chui Han "the world's number one lord" is known for his flirtatious reputation. The number of his casual romances is probably not very little, and he doesn't avoid men or women. Plus, Cangyu Sect is not like the Central Plains' sects that consider themselves to be noble and virtuous. Dual cultivation is not uncommon, so it seems that Lan Chui Han and Yun Zhong Jun had something going on before, which is not surprising.
But the person wrapped in Yun Zhong Jun's shell is the ghost king in red ah. Xie Bi An can't imagine that Jiang Qu Lian would give himself wholly. From his memory in this life, he was afraid of the Red Ghost King. That is a person even Cui Jue could not figure out, who held great power, has high cultivation, acts ruthlessly and charmingly, and whose influence in the Underworld and the entire Jiuyou is even higher than the five ghost emperors who do not care about politics.
Perhaps, a "casual romance" is enough to explain everything.
Lan Chui Han looks unspeakably odd. Contrary to the usual suave and elegant temperament, he seemed to be mixed with a lot of emotions that were difficult to express.
Xie Bi An also felt awkward: "There's something that I still don't understand even until now. Was Yun Zhong Jun Jiang Qu Lian from the beginning till the end, or was he replaced halfway?"
"At least when I knew him, he was already Jiang Qu Lian."
"Then ever since you guys met, he has not once exposed himself in front of you?"
Lan Chui Han laughed bitterly: "I originally didn't know anything about the things in Cangyu Sect, so I never looked into what he said. Besides, even if he was abnormal, I couldn't have guessed that he was just a puppet ah."
Xie Bi An sighed, "That's true."
"The words he said to me, perhaps ..." Lan Chui Han lowered his eyes, blocking his emotions with his long eyelashes, "None of them are true."
"He lied to everyone." Xie Bi An said, "He has never advanced with you, so why does he have any special attachment to earth? Why is he so obsessed with being reborn as a human?" This point is really puzzling. Unless Jiang Qu Lian is lying, people won't know why Jiang Qu Lian insists on being a human even when they thought hard.
Lan Chui Han slowly shook his head.
"There is nothing true in his mouth so to speak, most likely he just wants to cover up his real motive. This person must have an even greater ambition. Maybe what he wants is the Heavenly Secret Talisman." When Xie Bi An thought of this possibility, his scalp suddenly went numb, "He is originally a ghost king. If he can also control the Heavenly Secret Talisman, even the five ghost emperors may not be able to suppress him."
"That's why Zong Zi Xiao guards against him. In that case, the two are indeed unlikely to ally again." Speaking of Zong Zi Xiao, Lan Chui Han glanced at Xie Bi An, "Bi An, you and he ..."
Xie Bi An unconsciously clenches his fists.
"No wonder his attitude towards you is so unusual. He was reincarnated with the memories of his previous life. He was always the Supreme Demon, and he was just hiding his light under a bushel*. Now that I think about it, it's really chilling."
"I was too stupid. There were many signs and many facts that were alerting me, but I willingly turned a blind eye. In fact, it's not that I didn't have suspicions in my heart, I just didn't want to believe it and I even deceived myself. If I had exposed him earlier, many things would have been different. Perhaps master's fate could have been rewritten." Xie Bi An's voice was as hollow as his eyes, as if piece after piece had been hollowed out within this seemingly complete shell.
"He has memories of two lives and came prepared, so of course he was able to keep everyone in the dark. Bi An, it's definitely not your fault." Lan Chui Han's tone was calm and sincere with a stabilizing power, "Heaven Master's fate was a heavenly path that was difficult to disobey under multiple conspiracies and choices. Jiang Qu Lian's purpose was not to kill Heaven Master and Fan Wu She was not even aware of it. I am not defending them, I just hope you understand that it is not your fault. All of this is not because you did not recognize the Supreme Demon, and Heaven Master is such a person destined to establish life for the people. Bi An, you've suffered enough, stop blaming yourself. Heaven Master wouldn't want to see you making things difficult for yourself."
"Brother Lan, you don't understand." Xie Bi An looked sorrowful, "In my past life and present life, I can't protect the people I want to protect, and I can't even dominate my own destiny. What reincarnation from a celestial being? What imperial destiny? What supreme natural talent? I'm just a failure."
Lan Chui Han eyes Xie Bi An. There was a pain like undercurrents hidden underwater. No matter how calm the surface is, the inside has been stirred up very badly. He felt extremely bad: "Bi An, celestial beings who come down to earth are destined to experience a calamity. If it was not for your sacrifice in your previous life, the immortal cultivation world would have gone up in smoke a hundred years ago. You failed to protect yourself and important people, but you saved the common people."
"Zong Zi Xiao became a demon because of me. It was my duty to stop him. It was what I should have done. Why talk about sacrifice?"
"You could have done nothing, could have continued to be Emperor Zong under the shade of Zong Zi Xiao. No matter how much the world misunderstood you, you can't belittle yourself."
Xie Bi An slowly tensed his jaw: "No matter what, in the past life and in this life, it is my mission to stop him."
"If Heaven Master knew from underground, he would only be proud of you." Lan Chui Han extended his hand, "You are not alone. My Lan family will work with you."
Xie Bi An looked at Lan Chui Han gratefully, and slapped his palm together and shook it tightly with a 'pa' sound.
----
When Xie Bi An returned to the Underworld, it was like a lifetime ago.
The Heaven Master Palace looked the same as before, yet the most important person was missing. Bo Zhu was waiting at the door entrance from afar. When he saw him, he retained his tears and threw himself into his embrace, yet did not utter a sound.
Maybe he's afraid he will be sad, so he dares not cry out.
Xie Bi An touched Bo Zhu's head and said softly, "I've been away for too long this time, and I forgot to bring you a present."
Bo Zhu's shoulders trembled violently and said vaguely, "White Master, it's good that you're back."
Xie Bi An's eyes were hot: "I'm sorry I couldn't bring Master back." When he left the underworld, he vowed to change the fate of his master. Is it true that man can only be utterly defeated in front of destiny?
Bo Zhu hugged Xie Bi An’s waist tightly and whimpered against his chest.
Xie Bi An's heart was flooded with boundless pain.
After returning to the Heaven Master Palace, Xie Bi An did not dare to go to Zhong Kui's bedroom, nor did he dare to go near Fan Wu She's former residence. Although the three of them had stayed in the Heaven Master Palace for a very short period of time since Fan Wu She had joined as Zhong Kui's disciple, every part of this place was full of memories. Now things have come to this, it was still hard for him to convince himself that his master was gone. He resisted with all his will, but the truth would not spare anyone.
He couldn't stay in the Heaven Master Palace any longer, so he took two pots of wine and went to the judge's mansion.
Cui Jue was waiting for him, and he looked deeply at him with a gaze tinged with pain and sorrow.
"Official Lord Cui." Xie Bi An arched his hand.
Cui Jue said softly, "Bi An, it's hard for you."
Xie Bi An pursed his lips, "Official Lord Cui, thank you for sending out Day Patrol and Night Patrol, otherwise the earth would probably have been wrecked."
Cui Jue sighed and said sorrowfully, "I neglected my job. If I had exposed Jiang Qu Lian’s disguise earlier, we would not have come to this."
"Jiang Qu Lian was too deeply hidden. Whether on earth or in the ghost realm, he had deceived everyone."
"This time he disappeared again. I don't know when he will be found." Cui Jue said seriously, "He can freely enter and leave the mortal and ghost realms, and he’s dangerous to the extreme. As a last resort, I'm afraid we have to ask the Ghost Emperor to step in. It's just that ..."
"It's just that Official Lord Cui doesn't really trust the Ghost Emperor either."
Cui Jue nodded: "Jiang Qu Lian can achieve today's position all thanks to Ji Kang's support. The two became distant later, who knows if this is Jiang Qu Lian’s scheme."
"Yes, you can't trust anyone at this time."
"What's more, there's also Fan Wu She." Cui Jue said worriedly, "He has already taken back the Shanhe Sheji Map. When he regains the cultivation of his previous life, he might really be able to move the Eastern Emperor Bell."
Xie Bi An said gloomily, "The mortal and ghost realms are all in danger."
The two were silent for a while.
"The Yin servants I sent out are still searching for the two of them. Since things have come to this, we should do our best to fight this calamity." Cui Jue looked at Xie Bi An with a stoic gaze, "Bi An, don't dwell too much on past wrongs and blames; Heaven Master wants to see you inherit his legacy and take the people’s lives as your own responsibility, so that the noble spirit will live forever.
Xie Bi An's eyes were hot: "Yes." He bit his lip, "Master he ..."
"Do you want to ask why Heaven Master just reincarnated like this?"
Xie Bi An nodded with tears in his eyes.
"Heaven Master said that if he saw you, he was afraid he couldn’t bear to leave." Cui Jue gently pulled open the drawer and took out a letter, "Heaven Master has handed this over to us. He left this letter for you."
Xie Bi An's body shook. He took the letter tremblingly. These thin pages suddenly weighed more than a thousand pounds.
Chapter 206
My disciple Bi An
Seeing my words is like meeting me in person.
When I wrote this letter, you were still imprisoned in Chidi City, but Zi Yu said you still have a long life in this life, and the Lan family is also trying to save you, so I believe you will be able to turn the peril into safety.
I indeed knew your past history from the beginning. Before your reincarnation, there were many people coveting your golden core already in Jiuyou. Unfortunately, you were born into an ordinary farming family, and they had no power to protect you. After I saved you, I originally wanted to send you to Chunyang Sect, but I suddenly had an idea, and brought you back to the Underworld. This master-disciple relationship between you and I must have been destined.
Huang Dao Zi found me when he was still alive. According to the calculations of the Luo Shui Jade Armor, the grudge between you and Zong Zi Xiao is not solved. Zong Zi Xiao's fate is so tyrannical that the Underworld cannot trap him. You and he must restart the karma in this life. Your fate and his are closely related to the human and ghost realms and all people. Only you have the power to rewrite the fate of heaven.
I hope you will not be blinded by the floating clouds. Follow your heart, believe in your own choice, and see the truth in the midst of the chaos.
You don't have to be sad for me. I’ve never cared for fame and fortune in my life. I had obtained the ancient divine treasure, I could travel freely between the two worlds, I have tasted the world's best wine, and I have accepted such a good disciple like you. It is a really great pleasure. I did not live in vain. I originally wanted to wait for you to come back and see you one more time, but I'm afraid I couldn’t bear to leave you. If our fates have not ended, we will see each other in the future.
I know that you have carried too much, and cannot help but be discouraged, but you have been tough since childhood, warm and kind. No matter what happens, you will not resign yourself to fate. I don't believe a word of what was written in the history books about your past life. I believe in my obedient disciple whom I brought up with one hand. Remember, follow your heart, stick to your heart of Dao, and be a sword that cleaves the chaos and evil in the world.
I have two things to entrust to you. First, the weapons, immortal pills, and magical treasures I left are all yours to take. Second, I think there are still some suspicions about Cheng Yan Zhi’s body, but unfortunately, we did not have time to carefully interrogate due to coming and leaving in such a hurry previously. I asked King Qin Guang to settle him temporarily in Yanwang Hall. You must go and find him.
No need to pay tribute to master. When the spring wind turns to rain afterward, it’ll be me having a drink with you.
-- Master Zhong Zheng Nan
------
Three years later
"White Master, White Master." Bo Zhu clutched a small earthen jar* and came in hurriedly. The lid of the earthen jar was clattering during the tremor.
Xie Bi An looked up from the garden, "Sounds like you’re going to shatter the jar, and you’re still running." He raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and the pitch-black mud stained the corners of his forehead, reflecting the porcelain white and clean skin. His stretching eyebrows were extra warm and bright. What upright, handsome and excellent skin.
Bo Zhu covered the lid with one hand, ran to Xie Bi An’s side, squatted and said mysteriously: "White Master, you know what happened to our Laba garlic*?"
"What's wrong?"
"It has grown hair!" Bo Zhu lifted the lid and looked very dejected.
Xie Bi An glanced at it: "Did you do what I taught you?"
"Yeah."
"Did you use cold water?"
"Well ..."
Xie Bi An pinched Bo Zhu's face, rubbing the mud on his hands in the process: "Start over then."
Bo Zhu put down the jar and looked impatiently at the pit Xie Bi An had just dug: "White Master, you just came back from collecting souls and are still a little wounded. You didn’t even take a break and went into the garden as soon as you returned."
"It’s good here." Xie Bi An moved a flower into it and concentrated on covering the soil, "It's peaceful and quiet."
"Which part of the Heaven Master Palace is not quiet? It’s just the two of us ..." Bo Zhu was self-conscious about the slip of his tongue. He immediately bit his lower lip, and his expression also darkened.
Xie Bi An’s eyelids did not move a little, and he smiled faintly: "Peaceful and quiet in the heart."
In the past three years, he hardly ever let himself be unoccupied. He has been training hard, gradually extracting the essence from the three sets of sword techniques he is proficient in. He took the strengths of the three families and integrated them, and is now close to his peak strength in his previous life. He traveled around the world, dutifully fulfilling his duties as a general of the underworld while searching for Fan Wu She and Jiang Qu Lian’s whereabouts. Usually after returning to the Underworld, he would dive into the garden surrounded by hundreds of flowers and fragrances seeping into his nose, which allowed him to temporarily forget the desolation of the Heaven Master Palace.
For three years, this is how he has been living. Just that, even if he fills himself to the brim, he can't avoid the memories that tear him apart in the dead of night. He often recalls Zhong Kui's words; he told him to be a sword that cleaves the chaos and evil in the world, but he is a person who has been cleaved from the center and can never heal forever.
Bo Zhu looked at Xie Bi An's bland expression, sighed, and tugged on his sleeve: "White Master, accompany me to marinate garlic."
"Sure."
The two of them packed up, took two handfuls of flowers they had trimmed, and returned to the Heaven Master Palace.
They didn't expect Cui Jue to be sitting in the main hall, seemingly waiting for some time.
"Official Lord Cui." Bo Zhu's eyes widened, "When did you get here?"
"I've just arrived." Cui Jue looked at the jar in his hand and wrinkled his nose, "What's that in your hand? Why does it smell so bad?"
"Laba garlic. It spoiled during marination." Bo Zhu said thoughtlessly, "I was originally going to give it to you."
Cui Jue raised his eyebrows.
Xie Bi An laughed, "He meant to give it to you if it was ready after marination."
"Yes, yes."
"Bo Zhu, go make some tea."
"Yes."
Cui Jue looked at Xie Bi An. The usual serious and stubborn judge had eyes that were very gentle at this time: "I heard you got injured from soul collecting this time. Did you run into any powerful evil spirits?"
"I was careless, but it was only a minor injury." Xie Bi An said lightly, "This evil spirit has not yet dispersed, and still has consciousness, so he swindled me with words to distract me."
"What words did he use to fool you?"
Xie Bi An was silent for a moment, and seemed to have some difficulty in speaking: "He said he was a general under the command of the Supreme Demon."
"..." Cui Jue wanted to ask "How can you be swayed by these ghost words?" in reply, but when he looked at Xie Bi An's expression, he didn't say it in the end.
But Xie Bi An mocked himself and said, "That's a botched lie. It might as well have said it was one of the Red King's generals."
"I came here today to talk about the Red King." Cui Jue said straightforwardly, "I have news of him."
Xie Bi An's expression was astonished, "You found him? Where is he?"
Cui Jue said gravely, "It's likely that he's allied with Qi Meng Sheng."
"What?!" Xie Bi An's jaw dropped.
Cui Jue nodded, "It could be that the snowy plains of Kunlun are incompatible with Jiang Qu Lian's fire attribute. Over there, he can't completely hide his Yin aura like he can in other places, which is how Day Patrol and Night Patrol found him three years ago."
"He and Qi Meng Sheng ... How could they…”
"They now have common enemies, which is us and that Supreme Demon, who is hiding in the great wide world. It's not really surprising at all that these two are allied."
"You're right." Xie Bi An recalled those conversations he had with Cheng Yan Zhi, "If that's true, they should make a move soon. After all, Qi Meng Sheng also spent three years preparing for the reopening of Shen Nong Ding."
Cui Jue sighed with an exclamation, "These three years of tranquility are nothing but a blindfold."
Everyone was silently making an effort to prepare for the coming landslide and tsunami.
Xie Bi An narrowed his eyes slightly, "Then we can use that chess piece to restrict Qi Meng Sheng. It’s almost time to put it to use."
"Don't inadvertently alert the enemy yet. That chess piece is our key to defeating Qi Meng Sheng. It's not time yet."
"I understand."
"I think it's not far from the time when the Supreme Demon will come out." Cui Jue said in a deep voice, "If Zong Zi Xiao wants to take advantage of the opportunity to barge into the Underworld, then our battle with Jiang Qu Lian is the best time for him to do so."
Xie Bi An's heart gripped for a moment, "Perhaps. But he no longer has the soul-hooking chain and can't cross the Yin Yang Monument unless ..."
"Unless Jiang Qu Lian opens the Ghost Gate again."
"Official Lord Cui, what's our next step?"
Cui Jue looked at Xie Bi An quietly and did not speak.
Xie Bi An doesn’t know what to do.
"You need to make a trip to Mount Shu."
"..."
Xie Bi An lowered his head and was silent.
For three years, Li Bu Yu had sent countless letters to him, wanting to see him, but he had ignored them all.
After the battle of Chidi City, the immortal cultivation world was greatly wounded and the Immortal Alliance was in danger. Although Li Bu Yu was castigated, he is after all the head of the Immortal Alliance. With him around, he can barely be able to balance the forces of the immortal cultivation world in this stormy situation. Now there are many small sects that have changed sides to Qi Meng Sheng. The dignified immortal families still have many scruples, yet also inevitably want to be flexible and take advantage of the situation. If he has any mishap, the Immortal Alliance will definitely fall apart.
So Li Bu Yu can't die now, so Xie Bi An is not meeting him now. If they meet, he cannot reveal the hatred of him killing his father and mother.
But now, Cui Jue actually wants him to go to Mount Shu to see Li Bu Yu?
"You can invite Lord Lan to go with you, but at this time, no one but you can convince Li Bu Yu, and no one but Li Bu Yu can call on the Immortal Alliance to fight against Qi Meng Sheng and Jiang Qu Lian."
Xie Bi An's face was numb. He lowered his head for a long time before he said, "Okay, I'll go."
Chapter 207
It was just the beginning of spring. Although the winter that Xie Bi An disliked most had passed, the spring cold was still unforgiving. He wore a leather jacket. His torso was still quite warm, but his bare hands were a bit numbed, so from the moment he sat down, he held a cup of hot tea and did not let go.
Some diners complained loudly: "Boss, the day is still so cold, and you don’t burn charcoal anymore?"
"Aiyo, sir, it's already the beginning of spring. Look at how good the sun is."
"No matter how good the sun is, it won't shine into the house. If you don't burn charcoal, our hands holding the chopsticks are going to shiver."
"Okay, Okay, Okay, I'll burn some for you…Aiyo, please come inside, immortal lords!"
Xie Bi An turned his head and looked downstairs. A slender and handsome man walked in slowly. A long, blue-lake-colored cloak was draped over his broad shoulders. His sword propped out a sharp arc on that good fabric. His hood hid half of his face, but that narrow jaw and perfectly shaped lips, on the contrary, makes people's imagination roam about his appearance.
If he wasn't carrying a sword, everyone would guess that he was a cultivator from Chunyang Sect. After all, this kind of tall and handsome person usually only comes from Chunyang Sect. And the small town they were in was not far from Luojinwu.
These people guessed half right. Xianyue Pavilion’s young master Lan Chui Han was sent to the Chunyang Sect to cultivate the Chunyang technique because he was weak and sick during childhood, only returning to Jiangnan at the age of 11. The foundation of his body was laid in Chunyang Sect.
Lan Chui Han abruptly went upstairs, entered the private room and closed the door. He took off his hood with a light smile on his face: "Bi An, long time no see."
Xie Bi An said with a smile, "Long time no see."
During the past three years, the two of them occasionally ran into each other, but they only met in a hurry. Xie Bi An could not let himself be unoccupied, and Lan Chui Han was also busy with important matters.
During the battle of Chidi City, Pavilion Master Lan was injured. During seclusion to recuperate from his injuries, Xianyue Pavilion was temporarily managed by Lan Chui Han. Xianyue Pavilion is considered to have the least damage in that great battle, with the addition of Lan Chui Han this outstanding talent foreshadowing the future glory of the Lan family. Now Xianyue Pavilion has leapt to become one of the four major sects in Jiuzhou.
Although, compared to Wuliang Sect, Chunyang Sect and Cangyu Sect, the volume of Xianyue Pavilion is still small. Wuliang Sect's Li Bu Yu is gradually getting old, and his reputation was spoiled because of the rumors of him eating human cores. Chunyang Sect lost their sect leader, and without the sect’s treasure, it suffered the biggest crisis since the opening of the sect several hundred years ago, and Cangyu Sect has been an enemy of the immortal cultivation world. After breaking down, Xianyue Pavilion has become the mainstay of the young and powerful new sects.
In the past three years, Lan Chui Han not only has to take care of his own industry, he still had to mediate between the various sects of the Immortal Alliance, maintaining the precarious alliance, while monitoring every move in Chidi City, and he also had to track down Fan Wu She and Jiang Qu Lian’s whereabouts. In more than a thousand days and nights, from a flirtatious and unrestrained gentleman, he has become much more calm and steady with the demeanor of a great sect’s helmsman.
Xie Bi An poured a cup of hot tea for Lan Chui Han: "Have a cup of tea to warm up first."
Lan Chui Han wondered, "Why did you want to meet here?"
"I want you to accompany me to a place, but I have not thought of it yet."
"Thought about what?"
"I want to think about how to face Li Bu Yu."
"You want to go to Mount Shu?" Lan Chui Han had already learned from Xie Bi An about all the things Li Bu Yu had done in his previous life.
Xie Bi An stared at Lan Chui Han: "Actually, I have something more important to tell you."
"I already knew." Lan Chui Han smiled bitterly, "He is now in Chidi City."
Xie Bi An sighed, "Official Lord Cui asked me to go to Mount Shu for this very reason. Within three years, Qi Meng Sheng has re-prepared all the conditions needed to refine the Absolute Human Emperor, and the Red King allied with her. The purpose is obviously to force out..." That name fought in his throat, it was too hard to say it.
"I am more worried about Fan Wu She who has disappeared as if out of thin air than Jiang Qu Lian and Qi Meng Sheng." Lan Chui Han frowned and said, "This scenario is so similar to a hundred years ago. The history books have recorded that he escaped from Wuji Palace and disappeared for ten years. Now he must be hiding in a place where no one can find him and cultivate diligently in seclusion, and his mastery over the Shanhe Sheji Map will be even stronger."
Xie Bi An's heart had an indescribable feeling of sinking ---- as soon as that person was mentioned.
"At least on the point of forcing him out, we and Jiang Qu Lian are aiming for the same thing. It's just that Qi Meng Sheng wants your core. They will definitely look for an opportunity to strike at you first. In fact, you shouldn't leave the Underworld so easily. It's too dangerous."
Xie Bi An picked up the sword from one side and put it on the table. His long and white fingertips gently stroked the texture of the scabbard and his eyes gradually condensed: "What joy is there in life? What fear is there in death? Plus, I still have this old friend.”
The sword in his hand is the Junlan sword that Xu Zhi Nan gave him a hundred years ago, and then he gave this sword to Zong Zhong Ming, and now after a hundred years, it has returned to his own hands.
Lan Chui Han looked at their Lan family's ancestral heirloom, feeling very dear: "So, going to Mount Shu this time, what are your plans? What do you think Li Bu Yu's repeated requests for you to go to Mount Shu are for?"
Xie Bi An was silent for a moment. He told Lan Chui Han about the evil Li Bu Yu did, but concealed Li Bu Yu's feelings for him. That is not something brilliant after all. Moreover, this person is selfish and cunning, how many words of those phrases can be believed? Li Bu Yu is now nearing the end of his life. Maybe he wants to repent to him. Maybe he is afraid that things will be revealed and cause the destruction of Wuliang Sect, so he wants to plead with him. Maybe he has other purposes, but he does not want to know. Half of his previous life's tragedy is due to Li Bu Yu. If the two face each other, it will be difficult for him to control himself to take out his sword.
Lan Chui Han said again: "So, what did Official Lord Cui ask you to do?"
"Naturally, it is to convince Li Bu Yu to call on the Immortal Alliance to fight against Qi Meng Sheng."
"Even if you can convince Li Bu Yu, now the Immortal Alliance may not listen to him. The most important thing is that too many people died in the battle of Chidi City, even Heaven Master ..." Lan Chui Han said solemnly, "Three years ago we failed to defeat Qi Meng Sheng, and now she is allied with Jiang Qu Lian. Hope is even slimmer."
"No, we still have a chance. After all, Li Bu Yu is the leader of the Immortal Alliance. If even he cannot gather the last strength of the Immortal Alliance, then the immortal cultivation world will be finished. This is an all or nothing battle, a battle of life and death. As long as the Immortal Alliance can unite again, I have a way to crush Qi Meng Sheng again."
"Oh, what ways? Is there anything I don't know?"
"Back then, after I returned to the Underworld, I was in a hurry to get the Junlan Sword, so I went back to Huayueye with you first, and only after I returned to the Underworld again from Huayueye, I followed my master's will and went to find a person, Cheng Yan Zhi's human soul."
"He did not reincarnate?"
"No, master felt that there was still something fishy about him, so he settled him down temporarily and did not reincarnate."
"Then what did you get from him?" Lan Chui Han inexplicably tensed up, realizing that he would hear a very important secret.
Xie Bi An's face, however, gradually became gloomy: "This matter is of great importance. We can't alarm the enemy for the time being. You must not reveal anything ..."
---
The reason why Xie Bi An met up with Lan Chui Han in a small town was to avoid all kinds of spies. Whether it’s from the Immortal Alliance or Qi Meng Sheng, he wanted to go up to Yunding without anyone knowing, otherwise their meeting with Li Bu Yu would definitely cause quite a storm.
After a little disguise, the two of them arrived at Lanxi Town. Lan Chui Han secretly notified Song Chun Gui, who then sent his own junior brother to pick them up.
Since the battle of Chidi City, Li Bu Yu's health was getting weaker and weaker, so the main affairs of the sect were handed over to his elder disciple Wu Si Hai, and Song Chun Gui was asked to manage them. Not knowing whether this decision was made because Li Bu Yu became confused from old age, or he intended to do so. Wu Si Hai as the eldest senior brother has the highest prestige in the Wuliang Sect, but Song Chun Gui is the strongest. The future sect leader position of Wuliang Sect should be elected from these two. In contrast, Li Bu Yu's son is much bleaker. Now that Wu Si Hai and Song Chun Gui's competition has become more and more brazen, people are discussing Li Bu Yu's decision. Some say it's to let them fight it out themselves, and the winner will be the next sect leader, while others say Li Bu Yu is trying to let them fight and lose, so that his son can succeed him.
Xie Bi An thought the second one is more likely, according to his understanding of Li Bu Yu.
Song Chun Gui's junior brother was very respectful to the two, even feeling a little fearful. In fact he did not know who they were. It was clear that Song Chun Gui specially instructed him. Song Chun Gui is an orphan with no one to rely on, who wants to be the sect leader of Wuliang Sect, and cannot do without the support of other forces, so Lan Chui Han, who has a gentleman's friendship and mutual appreciation with him, is very important to him. If not for the fact that everyone in Lanxi Town knows Song Chun Gui and is afraid of attracting attention, he would have come to pick him up personally.
That disciple did not take them up to Yunding, but settled them in a small palace at Diancang Peak. It was dedicated to entertaining guests and Song Chun Gui was already waiting there.
The three of them paid their respects to each other and after a few words of courtesy, they quickly got to the main topic.
"The arrival of Lord Lan and White Immortal is not yet known by master, I wonder what you two are planning to do?"
"I would like to see Alliance Master Li privately. I have important matters to discuss with Alliance Master Li, but don't let anyone know about our meeting." Xie Bi An said.
"Master has been in seclusion for almost all three years. It is possible for me to ask for you to see him, but it is difficult to let you see him alone while avoiding the eyes and ears of others, and ..." Song Chun Gui said with difficulty, "What if Master does not want to see you guys?"
"Alliance Master Li will definitely see me. As long as you tell him I'm here." Xie Bi An said with no expression.
A trace of surprise flashed in Song Chun Gui's eyes. He had read about his master's association with Emperor Kong Hua, as many people did in the history books. It was written in the book that Li Bu Yu had assisted Emperor Kong Hua to sit on the throne of Emperor Zong, and the two were old acquaintances when they were young and had a great relationship.
Song Chun Gui nodded: "Okay, I will ask my master, please rest here for a while. If you have any requests, just talk to the attendant outside the door. My eldest senior brother must have sent someone to keep an eye on you guys when I brought you guys here. If you don't want your identity to be exposed, try not to go out and walk around.
"Many thanks, Zhen Ren."
Chapter 208
Two days later, Song Chun Gui brought them up the mountain. Not knowing if it was a deliberate arrangement by him or authorization from Li Bu Yu, they didn't encounter any disciples from Wuliang Sect on the way. It is known that there were nearly thousands of people living in Yunding.
When they arrived at the quiet courtyard, there were two disciples standing at the main entrance. Song Chun Gui nodded at each of them. Those who could make Song Chun Gui be polite were bound to be Li Bu Yu's personal disciples.
"Both of you, master welcomes you." Song Chun Gui made a "please" gesture.
Xie Bi An said, "I'll go in alone."
Song Chun Gui was slightly stunned, and his gaze drifted to Lan Chui Han, who nodded slightly.
Xie Bi An lifted his feet and walked in, his expression becoming more and more condensed with every step he took. When he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks, raised his hand to hold the hilt of his sword, pushed the door open and walked in.
The house is filled with a dense smell of medicine. Relying on years of experience in raising flowers, Xie Bi An is more sensitive to smells than normal people. He also can distinguish a hundred kinds of flowers just by closing his eyes and depend fully on his sense of smell. This type of bitter and dry herbal smell was so directly perceived that it almost hurt his eyes.
His impression of Li Bu Yu was complicated. In his previous life's memory, he and Li Bu Yu met as a teenager and broke up as a youth, while in this life's memory, the vast majority of the time, Li Bu Yu is a white-haired elder with immortal bones, a virtuous and respected sect leader and leader of the Immortal Alliance. In the middle of a hundred years, what was missing was the process of Li Bu Yu becoming the character he is today. This feeling is like an originally familiar person changed overnight.
Xie Bi An slowly approached. Looking at the old man sitting on the couch, who was thin and bony with gray hair at the temples, he had mixed feelings in his heart. In front of him, the dying Li Bu Yu made him develop a very strong sense of displacement. The man he hated was obviously strong, cunning, cold, insidious, and clever, and he was able to harm countless people in order to achieve his own goals, yet he was able to use the appearance of morality to deceive everyone and rule the immortal cultivation world for a hundred years. The person in front of him is so old, and obviously has not a lot of time to live. Such decaying bones let people feel revenge is meaningless.
Xie Bi An immediately felt that his body had been relieved of its strength, and he could not say what he felt in his heart.
Li Bu Yu did not open his eyes. He slowly called out: "Emperor."
Xie Bi An stood in front of him with a numbed face. This honorific was familiar and unfamiliar, and was full of vicissitudes that spanned a hundred years.
"Emperor is finally willing to see me." Li Bu Yu's voice was a little hoarse, "Yet I didn't expect that I would get to see the emperor again in my lifetime."
"It's a pity that my eyes are not useful anymore and I wasn't able to recognize the emperor at the very beginning."
"When you and I first met, I was only twelve years old, but now I have half a foot in the coffin and am old beyond my years. And Emperor..." Li Bu Yu's dry lips trembled lightly and slowly opened his eyes. His cataract was worse than before. The entire pupil was covered by a thick white film. Those two battles with Qi Meng Sheng had greatly depleted his vital energy and intensified the deterioration of his physical body.
Li Bu Yu tried hard to see Xie Bi An's face clearly, but no matter how much spiritual energy he injected into his pupils, it was difficult to do so. He felt desolated. A sense of sorrow arose, and his eyes were sore and hard to bear: "And the emperor still looks youthful in appearance."
Xie Bi An said calmly: "You only remember my youthful appearance. I died young, all thanks to your 'credit'."
Li Bu Yu's expression was even more bitter than the smell of herbs in this room: "For a hundred years, there is not a single day that I do not spend in regret."
"Li Bu Yu, stop pretending. I don't believe any of your words." Xie Bi An said lightly, "I know you are afraid. The threats that were dead for a hundred years are 'alive' again. You are worried about our revenge, worried about what you have done was made public, worried that behind you, you cannot preserve your Li family's business and Wuliang Sect."
Li Bu Yu sighed, "The emperor is right, I am indeed a villain, but my remorse is also real. Back then ... now at this age, there are some things I can't say, but when I was young, I was extremely infatuated with Emperor. I looked up to you and hated my own mediocrity, so I got obsessed and committed many wrongdoings."
"It's pointless to talk about this now." Xie Bi An turned his head to look out the window at the crescent moon.
"Yeah, it’s meaningless. My sins are beyond forgiveness. I dared not to ask Emperor for forgiveness since long ago, but fortunately the emperor was born again in the world, giving me, a sinner, a chance to slightly redeem myself."
"I recovered the memory of my previous life not to let you have a hypocritical attitude before death and delude yourself into thinking that you will be sentenced to a few years less after going down to the underworld." Xie Bi An looked at Li Bu Yu coldly, "If you were really remorseful, you should have died in front of my mother's grave to apologize for your crimes, instead of swindling with a fake death!"
Li Bu Yu let out a bitter smile: "What the emperor said is right. I really can't refute. With one word from the emperor, my life is at the mercy of the emperor. Although it is a hundred years late, this time it is true."
"You know very well that I won't kill you now." Xie Bi An looked at Li Bu Yu obliquely, "The way you look right now, I will be fighting a one-sided battle."
"There is no need for the emperor to do it."
"Now is the most critical time in the immortal cultivation world in a hundred years. If you die, the Immortal Alliance will most likely fall apart. I believe that the ears of Wuliang Sect have already received news that the Red King and Qi Meng Sheng have joined forces, and with the ... Supreme Demon who has disappeared for three years, a life or death calamity is inevitable in the human and ghost realms. If you really want to slightly redeem your karmic debt, do what you have to do while you still have breath."
"I understand what the emperor means. As the head of Immortal Alliance, I will take responsibility. Just that, nowadays, I don't dare to say whether the immortal families still listen to me or not."
"Let them understand the advantages and disadvantages. It's not about who you're fighting for, but for yourself, for the people and for future generations. Also, let those sects who deludedly want to side with Cangyu Sect for self-preservation know clearly that once Cangyu Sect enters the main Central Plains, it will be the next Wuyun Sect. Their sect leader will be transformed with human cores. Since the subordinates will follow the example of their superior, the immortal cultivation world will be reduced to a hunting ground for all of Cangyu Sect."
Li Bu Yu was silent for a moment: "Emperor, three years ago, gathering the power of the entire immortal cultivation world, even without the Red Ghost King releasing the fire dragon at the end, we may not be able to defeat Qi Meng Sheng. And now, Heaven Master has passed away, and I also have not much time, and I am less capable of using the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant than desirable. Many people are not afraid to fight, but afraid to fight knowing that they cannot win the battle."
"If you don't fight, you will definitely lose. Do you just want to wait for your demise?!"
"I want to fight, but not fight hard." Li Bu Yu stared at Xie Bi An with those foggy white pupils, and there seems to be a trace of light buried in the depths of those eyes, "Emperor, the only one who can defeat them now is the Supreme Demon."
Xie Bi An's body instantly tensed up, and he glared at Li Bu Yu coldly.
"Making them kill each other is the only possibility for us to win."
"You’re probably really confused due to old age." Xie Bi An said in a cold voice, "Relying on a Shanhe Sheji Map alone, it is impossible to fight against Jiang Qu Lian and Qi Meng Sheng. Do we have to give the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman to the Supreme Demon in order to eliminate them? What's the difference between leaving the wolf's den and entering the tiger's den!?"
"The emperor should not underestimate the Shanhe Sheji Map. If the Supreme Demon can recover the cultivation of his previous life, it may not be impossible to fight. If not, we can also fight with them until neither side wins, then we will strike again and have the confidence to win.”
"..." In these three years, Xie Bi An realized that no matter how long it took, as long as he thought of that person, he could not calm his mind, but he did not expose one bit on his face. The older he became, the more the temperament of his previous life became apparent. He said. "This is your wishful thinking. No one knows where the Supreme Demon is now. Moreover, he is also hostile to the Underworld. He must be cultivating in seclusion, preparing to take away the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman."
Li Bu Yu gave a bitter laugh: "When I was young, I had a lot of disagreements with him, especially when he embarrassed me at the Jiaolong Assembly, so I have been keeping it inside my heart for many years, but towards you, he ... I really cannot compare to him. In two lifetimes, he did not hesitate to tear open the Fengdu boundary and did not hesitate to return to earth from hell. So, if it is for you, he will definitely show up."
Xie Bi An clenched the hand in his sleeve robe. His eyes were obscure and difficult to understand.
"I know the emperor does not want to mention him, but the emperor should also understand in your heart, this is the only way. Until they fight to the death, the emperor will be able to capture all of them. I will also fight to my last breath and order the Immortal Alliance to fight with the emperor."
"... Li Bu Yu, whenever you speak righteously, seemingly for me and for the world, you’re actually doing it for your own sake." Xie Bi An stared at Li Bu Yu, "This time, what is your purpose?"
"I am a dying man, and the last thing on my mind is just Wuliang Sect. If the skin does not survive, how will the hair attach itself*? If Jiuzhou falls, Wuliang Sect will not be protected. So this time, the emperor can be rest assured."
Xie Bi An was silent for a moment: "I will discuss it with Official Lord Cui and young pavilion master Lan."
"I will wait for you."
Xie Bi An prepared to leave, but thought of something and whirled around: "You let Wu Si Hai and Song Chun Gui compete for the position of Sect Leader, is it to make room for your son?"
Li Bu Yu did not answer.
"This is your sect's internal affairs, so I won’t look into it. But I warn you, if the internal strife makes Wuliang Sect hurt its vitality, you will lose a great deal by saving a little. You fend for yourself.”
After returning to the courtyard, Xie Bi An briefly explained his conversation with Li Bu Yu to Lan Chui Han. In fact, there are only a few sentences that really were about the business. Both of them can't walk away from the past grudge. They have no choice but to put it aside just for the sake of the common enemy in front of them.
After listening to the story, Lan Chui Han looked at Xie Bi An's pale face and said hesitantly, "What he said is not unreasonable."
"You also think that I should use myself to lure Fan Wu She out?"
"If he comes out, it must be for you." Lan Chui Han muttered, "However, things won't go as smoothly as Li Bu Yu imagined. These three people each have their own agenda, and are also restraining each other, but each of them has been planning for a long time, and probably won’t take action recklessly until they are confident."
For me ...
For me, or for my golden core?
In these two lifetimes, the same muddled account is on the table. In fact, he also understands that that person has a love for him, but this love is repeatedly torn and pulled by hatred and cupidity, and has already been riddled with holes, no longer in its original state. He could not accept that he was tortured, humiliated, hurt and deceived, all because of this "love".
Xie Bi An set aside these chaotic thoughts and said: "I have to go back to discuss this matter with Official Lord Cui. I have never intervened in earthly matters of the underworld. I had no choice but to step in because of Jiang Qu Lian. With the help of the underworld, the situation will be different from three years ago, and there is no need to pin the chances of victory on others."
Lan Chui Han nodded. He saw that Bi An's expression still doesn’t look good and knew that it must be because of "that person". He changed the subject: "Bi An, what do you think of Song Zhen Ren?"
"His character, cultivation, and swordsmanship are all excellent."
"I also think so." Lan Chui Han said, "Before leaving this time, I had a long talk with my father. The Lan family wants to support Song Chun Gui in getting the sect leader position.”
Xie Bi An is not surprised. This change of power between the great sects, in many cases, is not the sect's internal decision. The interests of all parties involved are too many. If there are no restrictions, everyone wants to inherit from their father, but in the interests of all parties, the final election of the person not only has to consider the interests of the sect, but also has to balance the power of various immortal families.
For example, back then he was under the infamous name of killing his father the emperor, yet was still able to sit on the throne of Emperor Zong, was also because of the support of several major sects.
"Was it Song Chun Gui who took the initiative to mention it to you?"
"When we’re drinking wine, it was mentioned obscurely." Lan Chui Han sighed, "He came from a bad background, had no one to rely on, and had a straightforward personality. In fact, he originally did not intend to fight for power and profit. But Wu Si Hai has been secretly ostracizing fellow disciples. If he can't be the sect leader, he and his disciples who are close to him will have a hard time in Wuliang Sect in the future. His cultivation and sword skills are the best of the young generation of Wuliang Sect. Wu Si Hai will certainly not tolerate him, and he may get himself killed."
"Hasn't it occurred to him that at this most turbulent time, Li Bu Yu still deliberately provoked them to fight each other just to let them have internecine strife, so he could support his own son in the end?"
"I said it, but refused to believe it and almost flipped out on me." Lan Chui Han shook his head, "It’s impossible for him not to hear these rumors, and it’s impossible not to have thought about it, but Li Bu Yu did save his life. Recognizing his kindness, he’s subservient to Li Bu Yu. He also wants to assist Li Bu Yu's son, but that is a weak and inept person who is unable to be supported.”
"If Song Chun Gui can inherit the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant, he will be expected to lead the Immortal Alliance to reorganize Wuliang Sect." Xie Bi An nodded, "The immortal cultivation world needs the Immortal Alliance, but it doesn't need Li Bu Yu anymore. How do you plan to help him?"
Lan Chui Han smiled and did not say anything.
Chapter 209
Shortly after Xie Bi An met Li Bu Yu, Wu Si Hai, the eldest senior brother of Wuliang Sect, somehow got the news and wanted to host a banquet for the two of them with the tone of acting as a host of substitute sect leader of Wuliang Sect. He obviously wasn’t very happy with their private association with Song Chun Gui.
Afraid of hurting their feelings, Song Chun Gui had no choice but to come and invite them. Lan Chui Han was willing to go to meet this eldest senior brother, but Xie Bi An was too lazy to go. With his status, regardless of his past life and present life, he does not have to give a disciple a face.
"Brother Lan, you go. I want to go to Lanxi Town for a walk and take a break."
Seeing that Song Chun Gui wanted to say something, Xie Bi An added: "I will hide well and won't cause trouble for Zhen Ren."
Song Chun Gui bowed slightly, "Please make yourself comfortable, White Immortal."
After the two of them left, Xie Bi An went down the mountain alone. Lanxi Town was located at the foot of Diancang Peak with Mount Shu's Wuliang Sect at the back. The town was very prosperous and lively, with the streets full of cultivators in green Daoist robes, and many foreign visitors.
Thinking back, in his previous life and present life, he came here when he first went out on his own for training. The good reputation of Mount Shu spread far and wide, causing countless cultivators to yearn for it. When he came to Mount Shu, he always wanted to bring back some good wine and delicacies or some fresh and interesting gadgets to bring back to his mother, Xiao Jiu, his master and Bo Zhu. After all these experiences, he sometimes forgot what a simple and happy person he used to be.
Xie Bi An found a century-old noodle shop in Lanxi Town, asked for a bowl of the most famous mixed sauce noodles and a few small dishes. He sat in the corner and ate.
This noodle shop’s business is very good. It costs five yuan for a bowl of noodles, yet there are vegetables and meat, and it's very delicious. Ordinary people can afford to eat it. All foreigners who come to Mount Shu want to get a taste of it, so there are often not enough places to sit.
At this time, the waiter led a customer to Xie Bi An's table: "Immortal, we don't have enough seats, can this table be shared?"
"Okay." Xie Bi An continued to eat noodles with his head down. He only saw a man in black sitting across the table through his peripheral vision.
"Sir, what would you like to order?"
The man reached out and pointed to Xie Bi An's noodles.
"Okay, just wait a moment."
Xie Bi An did not pay attention to it and ate by himself. He had never liked talking to strangers, and he felt even more uncomfortable at this moment. He just wanted to finish eating and leave as soon as possible.
Soon after, the waiter put an identical bowl of mixed sauce noodles on the table. The man across the table also began to eat the noodles. His action was unhurried. In such a marketplace noodle shop, this kind of table manners are elegant.
The two just sat opposite each other in silence, each eating their own noodles.
The person across from him put down his chopsticks after a few bites, and suddenly he spoke: "The taste has not changed over the years." This low voice was like the cold wind sweeping through the leafy forest, slightly hoarse, but had an ice-cold manner.
Xie Bi An's whole body shook. The air in his lungs seemed to be quickly drained, and the hand holding the chopsticks also shook.
This voice ...
Xie Bi An stiffly lowered his head and hesitated to raise it, with one hand already pressing on the sword. Until the man across the table threw some silver scraps, got up and left.
Xie Bi An shuddered and put down his chopsticks, slowly straightened his back and raised his head at the same time.
The man had disappeared!
Xie Bi An hesitated for a moment, grabbed his sword and gave chase.
The street was full of stores and pedestrians. Xie Bi An saw a black figure from afar, weaving in and out of the crowd. He desperately pursued it, but it was obvious that man was intentionally leading him, neither disappearing completely nor allowing him to approach.
He looked at that tall back from afar, which he had watched countless times, waiting fearfully for the other side to turn around and cut him with a thousand cuts with malicious eyes and vicious words. Now he clutches his sword as if it was the only barrier in heaven and earth that could protect him.
Even though all he wanted to do was run away from this man, he followed him without hesitation.
That man led Xie Bi An all the way to the outskirts of the city.
That man in black was standing under a large tree on the outskirts of the city with his back to Xie Bi An. Xie Bi An suppressed his panic and took a step forward, but stopped far away, keeping a meaningless distance from him.
The man turned around.
His face was covered with a black mask, revealing only two thin lips and a resolute, perfect jaw, but through the holes in the mask, Xie Bi An clearly saw a pair of familiar, extremely charming hanging fox eyes.
Xie Bi An's heart was torn apart.
It's him!
Fan Wu She leaned his broad shoulders against the tree and raised his hands. His long and slender fingers stuck to the sides of the mask, and slowly took it off, revealing a stunningly handsome face.
He has really grown up. The youthfulness of a teenager has completely faded from the outline, and turned into a stern and outstanding man. That face inherited from the world's first beauty was simply born with a celestial being's appearance, which can be rarely seen a few times on earth.
Xie Bi An gasped and pressed a hand on his sword.
"You haven't finished eating, have you?" Compared to the opposite side's nervousness, Fan Wu She looked calm and collected.
Xie Bi An silently sized up the man he hadn't seen in three years. But in just three years, he had grown taller. He had broadened shoulders, a thick chest, slender and powerful legs, and the lumps of muscles that moved under his sleeves. He had completely transformed into the physique he had when he was the Supreme Demon. The dark, hidden aura of his body is even more alarming.
Xie Bi An envisioned various scenarios where the two of them would meet again, all of them were swords drawn and bows bent*, except one which is laced with smoke and fire. When he thought back to the year he brought Fan Wu She to Mount Shu, the two of them also squeezed in one corner of this noodle shop to eat a bowl of mixed sauce noodles. His little junior brother disliked the crowd and noise, but they still ate happily.
"What do you want to do?" It was only after a long time that Xie Bi An asked this sentence. In fact, he was also wearing a mask on his face; a mask pretending to be calm.
"Long time no see."
"What do you want to do?" Xie Bi An’s hand, which was holding his sword, was making a light sound in his knuckles from the excessive force.
"To see you." Fan Wu She said naturally.
"And then what?"
"What if I say, I just want to see you?"
"You tailed me."
Fan Wu She did not comment.
"Since when?"
Fan Wu She still did not answer. He just looked at him without blinking, wanting to use his eyes to portray him carefully once, inscribing him on the tip of his heart, not allowing to make any fault, not even a hairline.
"We've been looking for you. Only if I kill you before you get the Heavenly Secret Talisman can I put an end to it forever."
Fan Wu She smiled coldly, "Then what are you waiting for? Still taking no action?"
"What do you want to do by appearing in front of me out of the blue? Say it."
"I said I want to see you." Fan Wu She smiled mockingly, "You think I came here to throw away my life?"
"Now that you've seen me, what then?"
Fan Wu She lifted his leg and walked towards him.
Xie Bi An subconsciously wanted to retreat. The fear he had for this man was once deep in his bone marrow. But he controlled his body in time. He couldn't allow himself to show any cowardice.
Fan Wu She stood in front of Xie Bi An, staring at him with obscure eyes: "In these three years, have you ever thought about me?"
Sullenness appeared on Xie Bi An’s face. This person is holding his heart in one hand and asking him if he has thought about him?!
"I miss big brother a lot. After all ..." Fan Wu She took a step closer and looked at Xie Bi An from a high position, "You took one thing from me and didn't return it."
As they got closer, Xie Bi An felt the tallness of this man. The two of them were not much different in size three years ago, but now he is taller and stronger than him, giving him invisible oppression. He clenched his fist: "Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense. Three years ago in Fumenghui, you borrowed the soul-hooking chain from me, and still haven't returned it."
Xie Bi An said angrily, "A soul-hooking chain is an object from the underworld, a soul weapon given to master by the Great Emperor Beiyin. Who are you to claim that it is yours?!"
"Since it was given to me, it's mine." Fan Wu She lowered his head and looked at Xie Bi An with a presumptuous plundering look. He looked at Xie Bi An with a fake smile "Whether I robbed it or swindled it, as long as it came into my hands, it is mine. So is the soul-hooking chain, so are you."
Xie Bi An's face changed: "What big talk!"
"Give me the soul-hooking chain." Fan Wu She's tone was as tyrannical as ever, "Don't force me to take action."
Xie Bi An drew his sword nimbly, "Let’s fight then."
Fan Wu She sneered, "Big brother is still so not susceptible to reason. Have you forgotten that the Shanhe Sheji Map in my hands can turn Lanxi Town into the next Shen Clan's ancestral tomb?"
Xie Bi An’s face is ugly to the extreme. He already guessed that Fan Wu She will use the nearby villages and towns to threaten him, and even if he knew, he has no countermeasure. He had seen the power of the Shanhe Sheji Map twice. He cannot figure out what level of cultivation Fan Wu She has now. Perhaps he’s already not far away from his previous life, otherwise, Fan Wu She would not have come to take the soul-hooking chain. He must have already had the confidence to move the Eastern Emperor Bell with the Shanhe Sheji Map!
"I couldn’t bear to hurt you, but if you don’t listen ... You always know what the consequences of disobedience are."
Resentment filled Xie Bi An's eyes, "You only knew how to threaten me with innocent people."
"Yeah." Fan Wu She sneered, "It's interesting to say. You care about this and that. Anyone can be used to threaten you, but you only don't care about me."
"... between you and me, there's no point in talking."
"Another ‘no point in talking’." Fan Wu She stretched out his hand, "Give me the soul-hooking chain."
Xie Bi An gripped the Junlan sword. His spiritual energy could not stop infusing into the sword, but when he looked at the distant Lanxi town, He said in a cold voice, "If you use the Shanhe Sheji Map, you will reveal your whereabouts. Not to mention that this is the foot of Mount Shu. Ten thousand cultivators of Mount Shu will come out in full strength. What do you think?”
"Before you guys can catch me, Lanxi Town will have been gone." The ancient scroll appeared in Fan Wu She's palm, and the scroll slowly unfolds to the side. Under the tap of Fan Wu She's fingertips, the map of Lanxi Town emerged on the blank scroll. He narrowed his dangerous eyes and stared at Xie Bi An, "What?"
"Stop it!" Xie Bi An growled, "Persisting in evil brings about self-destruction. You will go to hell again sooner or later!"
A hint of scarlet tinged in Fan Wu She's eyes as he let out a fierce laugh, "Then I will make hell disappear henceforth. Hand over the soul-hooking chain, now."
Xie Bi An closed his eyes hopelessly as he summoned the soul-hooking chain and tossed it to Fan Wu She in disappointment.
Fan Wu She grabbed his soul weapon. Although he had never been able to use this chain scythe very well, it was a key to open the Yin Yang Monument. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he gazed at Xie Bi An and said, "After I get the Heavenly Secret Talisman, I will make sure you can never leave me again."
Chapter 210
"Even if you get the soul-hooking chain, you will just throw your life away by barging into Jiuyou alone." Xie Bi An thought to himself that he’ll transfer troops to Yin Yang Monument. Fan Wu She doesn’t have the Heavenly Secret Talisman, would he really dare to come by force?
"Does big brother care about my life or death?" Fan Wu She said with a fake smile on his face. Looking at the defensiveness and hostility on Xie Bi An's face, he can't help but recall the gentle smile on this face over and over again, and all his internal organs seem to be twisted together. The two short years they were senior and junior brothers were really like a beautiful dream woven by him because only he could imagine their mutual love for each other, and in that dream, he got what he had never gotten in his previous life --- the willingness of his big brother. They said beautiful dreams are fragile, and this dream really shattered to pieces in the end. The moment Xie Bi An regained his memory, it was not a dream that woke him up, but a collapse. Any fragment he picked up randomly was engraved with his unresolved and hopeless love across two lives.
For the past three years, everyone thought he was hiding in some deep forest or hidden cave to go into seclusion in order to recover his previous life's cultivation, but in fact he had been following Xie Bi An. He was well aware of Xie Bi An's ability, so he did not dare to be too frequent nor did he dare to get too close. He only restrained his bone-eroding love and fierce desire, and looked at him from afar. He can only endure. He endured a hundred years of hell and endured dozens of years being a human again. He endured people that he could not endure, and he can no longer endure anymore. He was afraid that he would lose his mind, forcefully take him back to his side despite all odds, hide him in some place out of sight, and spend their lives with just the two of them.
But he knew he couldn't. If he hadn't seen Xie Bi An's tender eyes, if he hadn't been kissed and embraced by Xie Bi An's initiative, if there hadn't been that mutual promise of lifelong flesh and blood interaction, if he hadn't gotten the "willingness" that he had been begging for, maybe he could have been as crazy as he was in his previous life, but now ...
But now, how can he get back that "willingness"!?
“Do you care about your life or death? Hell has no doors, yet you insist on barging in.” Xie Bi An said heavily, "You escaped reincarnation to become a human again, and still want to repeat the mistakes of your previous life."
"Why am I repeating the same mistakes, isn’t it because of you?" Fan Wu She slightly showed his teeth, like a beast that was forced into a desperate situation.
"You are doing it for yourself, for your own selfish desires, and will not hesitate to stir up peace in both the human and ghost realms."
Fan Wu She gave a tragic laugh: "So what if it is? Even after a hundred years, you are not allowed to forget. I became like this because of you, so it is only right for you to compensate me with yourself.”
Junlan sword is filled with regal spiritual pressure. Xie Bi An endured the pain in his heart forcefully, and said in a cold voice: "I will no longer be at your mercy."
"It’s not up to you." Fan Wu She had an unusual thought, and he couldn't help but reach out his hand, wanting to touch Xie Bi An's face.
Xie Bi An's heart trembled. As if facing a great enemy, he swung his sword out, forcing Fan Wu She out some feet away.
Fan Wu She’s hand turned into a fist, which was secretly hidden behind him, like a defeated routing army. He glared at Xie Bi An with red eyes: "Jiang Qu Lian has allied with Qi Meng Sheng, you have to ... protect yourself well."
Seeing Fan Wu She turned around to leave, Xie Bi An asked, "Are you trying to enter Jiuyou while we are engaged in battle?"
Fan Wu She inclined his head to look at Xie Bi An: "Next time if you dare to walk around alone again, don't blame me for locking you up."
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She's back as he left on his sword. Even when that figure gradually turned into a point in the sky and finally disappeared, he did not return to his senses for a long time.
The person who hasn't been in his mind for three years stood in front of him again so abruptly and forcefully, saying those heartbreaking words. In fact, he also wished he had never recovered the memory of his previous life. If there was no desolation after the disaster in his previous life, no love-hate relationship between them, and no subsequent tragedies, he would even did not dare to recall his affection and love for Fan Wu She. It was like a betrayal. He had unknowingly fallen in love with a person he should not have fallen in love with in this world. He betrayed himself without even knowing it.
Unfortunately, he can't erase the past, nor can he whitewash a heart that is full of holes.
---
When he returned to Diancang Peak muddleheaded, Xie Bi An saw the Eight Trigrams Platform from afar.
The courtyard Song Chun Gui had arranged for them was very secluded. In fact, it was still far away from the Eight Trigrams Platform, but it was like an immortal platform hovering outside the mountain, so as long as they were not at the back of Diancang Peak, they could see it.
Xie Bi An looked at the Eight Trigrams Platform among the clouds and mist, and couldn't help but remember the first time he and Fan Wu She went up to Yunding. As soon as he stepped on the Eight Trigrams Platform, he fainted because he had awakened the memories of his past life. From that moment on, it had been destined that they would have to detour back to the road ahead and face the wretchedness of the past again.
He remembered the letter left by Huang Dao Zi. Is there really any hope of solving this seemingly insoluble situation in this life?
When he returned to the courtyard, Lan Chui Han had already returned from the banquet.
The pale face and the tight frown on Xie Bi An's face showed that something was wrong, so Lan Chui Han hurriedly asked, "Bi An, what's wrong? You're not in danger, are you?"
"Did the night banquet go well?" Xie Bi An asked indifferently.
"It’s just a sham gesture of politeness." Lan Chui Han hummed coldly, "This Wu Si Hai is indeed very formidable. No wonder he’s the most popular in Wuliang Sect. However, Li Bu Yu letting him take the position of substitute sect leader made him a bit complacent. To be a sect leader, relatives, skills, and prestige are in fact not the most important. The most important is always cultivation. One force can defeat 10 people*. Even if Li Bu Yu does not have a son, I'm afraid it is not his turn for the position of sect leader."
"Yeah."
"But Song Chun Gui's challenges were also not small. He came from a poor background, is an incomplete person*, and his character is not accommodating enough. Other than having the highest cultivation, his qualifications can be said to be the worst of the four disciples of Li Bu Yu. But there are advantages to this. He will need more support from my Lan family." Lan Chui Han talked about himself for a long time. Seeing Xie Bi An’s vacant eyes and unusual look, he stopped and said with a serious face, "Bi An, what is up with you?"
Xie Bi An looked at Lan Chui Han and said calmly, "Big brother Lan, I saw Fan Wu She."
Lan Chui Han was shocked: "What? When? Where?!"
"Right in Lanxi Town. He took the initiative to appear in front of me. I suspect he had followed me for a long time to know that I was alone at that time."
"What did he find you for?"
"He wanted to get back the soul-hooking chain. As a living person, only the soul weapon can open the Yin Yang Monument and enter Jiuyou. He blackmailed me with Lanxi town, and I had no choice but to give it to him."
"So now he can go to the ghost realm!" Lan Chui Han's face was frighteningly gloomy.
Xie Bi An nodded: "I went to the Chenghuang Temple in Lanxi Town and asked the City God to bring a letter to Official Lord Cui to send large troops to guard the Yin Yang Monument."
Lan Chui Han gasped: "Why did he come to get the soul-hooking chain at this time? Could it be that he already has the certainty of retrieving the Heavenly Secret Talisman?"
"Maybe, that's exactly what I'm most worried about. Li Bu Yu wants us to be the oriole behind the praying mantis, but Fan Wu She also wants to enter Jiuyou when the Underworld is at war with Jiang Qu Lian. Now, on the contrary, no one dares to make a rash move."
"I don't believe he suddenly showed up just to get the soul-hooking chain, and in such a place as crowded as Lanxi Town." Lan Chui Han narrowed a pair of outstanding and beautiful eyes, "He is deliberately doing it for the eyes of Chidi City."
"I also thought about this possibility, but he has been hiding for three years, why would he expose himself at this time?"
Lan Chui Han looked at Xie Bi An, and suddenly sighed: "Maybe it's for ..."
"For what?" Xie Bi An frowned and asked.
"For protecting you, I guess."
Xie Bi An was stunned.
His mind reverberated with the words "I want to see you" from Fan Wu She, and his heart palpitated.
"Bi An, the only fatal weakness of the Supreme Demon is you." Lan Chui Han paused, and said with a bit of caution, "To defeat him, or use him against Qi Meng Sheng and Jiang Qu Lian, only you can do it."
Xie Bi An was silent for a long time and said, "Qi Meng Sheng will not leave Chidi City easily, and is even less likely to risk entering the Pass. I cannot go and throw myself into the net either, so I guess Jiang Qu Lian will personally come to get my core as a condition for his exchange with Qi Meng Sheng. That's our time to take them out one by one.”
"Do you have a plan?"
"If Fan Wu She is following me, then I can lure him out and set up a trap to kill Jiang Qu Lian first."
Lan Chui Han's gaze moved as he said hesitantly, "Jiang Qu Lian is originally a ghost, how are you going to ... kill him?"
Xie Bi An's eyes flashed with cold hatred: "I want to escort him back to the underworld and beat him into hell, so that he’ll pay the price for the evil he has done, or scatter his soul, so that he will never enter the cycle of reincarnation and disappear completely from heaven and earth."
Lan Chui Han pursed his lips slightly. His expression was complex and indistinguishable.
"Brother Lan, I'm going back to Fengdu first. After I've met with Official Lord Cui, I'll plan to lure out Jiang Qu Lian. This way, we can also test whether Fan Wu She is following me."
Lan Chui Han got up and went to the front of the window. His back was facing Xie Bi An and he looked at the moon in the sky, softly saying the word "okay".
"What's wrong?" Xie Bi An noticed that Lan Chui Han's mood was a bit unusual.
"... I'm just thinking, Wuliang Sect will probably have a storm soon."
"In any sect, there will be disputes from time to time regarding the change of sect leaders. Just hope that it’ll not affect the overall situation."
Lan Chui Han guessed correctly. Just when they left Wuliang Sect on the way back to Fengdu, the news of the murder of Wuliang Sect’s eldest senior brother Wu Si Hai spread throughout Jiuzhou, and the cause of his death, and his fellow disciple Meng Ke Fei, were the same – core digging.