The saying goes, "A man's guilt lies in his possession of a treasure." The demon realm possessed the Amethyst, a crystal imbued with immense spiritual energy, but it lacked the strength to protect it. It was only natural that Qionghua Sect would covet it.
The demon realm's existence had remained hidden for so long due to its remote location and its cyclical movement through the sky, rarely coming into contact with humans. Without this geographical advantage, it was likely that more than just Qionghua Sect would have set their sights on it.
Perhaps even the Shu Mountain Sect would have stepped forward, with the righteous justification of preventing such a treasure from falling into the hands of demons. It had to be said that Qionghua Sect's Dao Yin was truly remarkable. Despite these challenges, he had managed to uncover the demon realm's secrets. The demon realm passed over Qionghua Sect once every nineteen years. It was likely that Dao Yin had spent his free time calculating and observing its movements.
"Let's go. It's time to have a proper talk with Xuanxiao."
After Daniel, Murong Ziying, and the others left, Elders Qingyang and Chongguang also disappeared from Qingfengjian. Moments later, they arrived at the Sword Forest.
"Yuanyi pays his respects to the Elders." Yuanyi and the other Qionghua disciples guarding the entrance to the forbidden area immediately bowed upon seeing the two Elders.
"Is Suyao inside? We need to see her."
"Please forgive me, Elders. The Sect Leader has given orders that no one is to disturb her during her seclusion." Although Yuanyi was puzzled by the Elders' visit, he still stood in their way.
"Suyao, Xuanxiao, we have urgent matters to discuss with you." Seeing Yuanyi's troubled expression, Elder Chongguang didn't press him. Instead, he sent a message directly into the forbidden area.
"Huh? Why are they here?" Inside the forbidden area, Suyao, who had been meditating with the Wangshu Sword, stood up in surprise upon hearing Elder Chongguang's message.
Seeing that Xuanxiao showed no reaction, she quickly walked outside.
After leaving Qionghua Sect, Daniel, Yun Tianhe, and the others immediately flew on their swords toward the northwest. Even with their speed, it took them a considerable amount of time to reach the edge of Mount Buzhou.
"So this is Mount Buzhou." Han Lingsha was astonished as she gazed at the endless barren land before her.
The name Mount Buzhou was well-known to anyone familiar with legends, but few had ever set foot here. Not only was it inaccessible to ordinary people, but even sword immortals would avoid it unless absolutely necessary.
Mount Buzhou was a truly desolate place. As far as the eye could see, there was no trace of greenery. The landscape was dominated by deep blues and purples, dark grays, and a bleak, snowy white.
But what truly stunned Daniel and the others was the sight of a massive black dragon sprawled across the land when they looked down from the sky. Even from their high vantage point, they couldn't see the entire dragon.
In reality, the black dragon wasn't a living creature but a dragon-shaped mountain range in the northwest wilderness. Legend had it that this mountain range was formed when the Candle Dragon once lay upon the land of the northwest wilderness.
Whether this legend was true or not, no one knew. Some even said that the dragon-shaped mountain range was the Candle Dragon itself, but again, no one could confirm it.
Beyond the dragon-shaped mountain range, at the edge of their vision, stood a towering stone pillar that reached into the clouds, its peak invisible. This was the Coiling Dragon Pillar. It was said that in ancient times, the Coiling Dragon Pillar was a direct path to the Heavenly Realm. Countless people had come to the northwest wilderness to endure its harsh cold, tempering their bodies and bones, before attempting to climb the Coiling Dragon Pillar to reach the heavens.
The real northwest wilderness and Mount Buzhou were completely different from the depictions in legends. Here, the cold was perpetual, and snow fell year-round. Even sword immortals couldn't sustain flight in the high altitudes for long.
"It's so cold. Let's go down." Han Lingsha was the first to succumb to the freezing temperatures in the sky. She immediately descended to the ground, followed closely by Yun Tianhe and the others.
"It seems the Candle Dragon here is indeed different from the one in the legends." As Daniel surveyed the surroundings, he muttered to himself.
What was the Candle Dragon of legend? It was said that when it opened its eyes, the world was bathed in light—daytime. When it closed its eyes, darkness fell—nighttime. The Candle Dragon of this world clearly couldn't achieve such feats, though this was just Daniel's speculation.
"Legend has it that this place is guarded by the divine beast, the Candle Dragon, which illuminates the entire northwest wilderness. Our goal here is to find a way into the ghost realm. It's best not to provoke it."
Murong Ziying, who had been silent throughout the journey, finally spoke up after they landed. He briefly explained the situation at Mount Buzhou and warned the group not to antagonize the Candle Dragon.
"Don't worry, Ziying. We're not here to cause trouble. Besides, a divine beast that's lived for thousands of years—even if we wanted to fight it, we wouldn't stand a chance."
Han Lingsha paused, then looked at Murong Ziying with curiosity. "But Ziying, is the Candle Dragon really here? Has anyone seen it?"
This was a legendary dragon. Despite having encountered immortal beasts and immortals during their journey, Han Lingsha was still deeply curious about the dragon.
"It's an ancient legend. I'm not sure." Murong Ziying fell silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"So no one has seen it." Han Lingsha seemed a bit disappointed.
"Regardless of whether anyone has seen it, our goal here is to find the Shadow Branch. It's best not to complicate things."
"Understood. But Ziying, this place is so vast. How are we supposed to find the entrance to the ghost realm?"
The mountain range of Mount Buzhou was enormous. Finding the entrance to the ghost realm, which was completely unknown, would be difficult even if they could fly freely. And flying here was no easy task.
"Let's head to the Coiling Dragon Pillar first." After a moment of thought, Murong Ziying suggested.
Murong Ziying had some knowledge of the northwest wilderness. He had been here more than once, though he hadn't ventured deep into Mount Buzhou. His understanding was based on his grandfather Zong Lian's notes on sword forging and maintenance.
Murong Ziying's lineage was that of Qionghua Sect's swordsmiths. In the past, they had come to Mount Buzhou in search of materials for forging swords.
"Alright." Han Lingsha immediately agreed.
"Tianhe, don't worry. After we find Mengli, we'll definitely stop Xuanxiao and the others. Then you can have a proper talk with Xuanxiao." Seeing Yun Tianhe's silence throughout the journey, Han Lingsha walked over to him and gently comforted him.
Normally, Yun Tianhe would have been lively and talkative during the journey. But the sudden influx of information had left him unusually quiet.
"Let's go."
With that, the four of them flew close to the ground toward the Coiling Dragon Pillar. While the high altitudes were too cold for Han Lingsha to sustain flight, staying close to the ground alleviated that issue.
Although flying close to the ground wasn't as fast as flying in the sky, it was still much quicker than walking. Moreover, if they encountered any obstacles, such as ravines, they could simply fly over them.
"There are so many skeletons here." As they moved forward, the group soon noticed numerous scattered bones. Following the trail of bones, they continued until they reached a valley filled with even more skeletons.
"Wait, look over there. There's a sword stuck in that corpse." Deep in the valley, leaning against the mountain wall, was a skeleton with a peculiar purple-black sword embedded in it. This sword was the only intact weapon in the valley.
"The Demon Sword, Long Kui." As soon as Daniel saw the sword's design, he knew what it was.
"Ah!" Out of curiosity, Han Lingsha reached out to pull the sword from the skeleton. But the moment her hand touched the hilt, she let out a startled cry.
"Lingsha, are you okay?" Hearing Han Lingsha's cry, Yun Tianhe rushed over, his face filled with concern.
"I'm fine, but there's something terrifying about this sword. The moment I touched it, I heard the wails of countless vengeful spirits." Although Han Lingsha tried to appear unaffected, her trembling voice betrayed her fear.
"Step back." Murong Ziying walked over and carefully examined the Demon Sword.
"Unexpectedly, this is an unfinished sword." After observing the Demon Sword, Murong Ziying spoke with surprise.
For Murong Ziying, few things could pique his curiosity, but the Demon Sword was one of them.
"An unfinished sword? Ziying, what do you mean?" Han Lingsha asked, confused.
For someone unfamiliar with sword forging, such terminology was naturally incomprehensible.
"It means the sword was only half-forged, and the process was abandoned. However, for some reason, this sword has a natural, heaven-sent quality, and it carries an extremely heavy aura of malice." As Murong Ziying spoke, he reached out to grasp the hilt of the Demon Sword.
But just as his hand approached the hilt, the Demon Sword trembled slightly, and a white light emerged from it.
"Don't come any closer to the Demon Sword. Xiao Kui doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore." A soft female voice came from the white light.
"A spirit emerging from the sword? How magical." The appearance of the white light caught Yun Tianhe's attention.
"Ziying, what's going on?" Han Lingsha asked curiously.
"Leave quickly. This sword is cursed. You mustn't approach it." The white light continued.
"Your ghostly energy doesn't fully merge with this sword, so you're not an evil spirit. However, the sword's malice is too strong. I need to take it away and find a way to purify it." As Murong Ziying spoke, he tried to pull the Demon Sword from the skeleton.
"No! The Demon Sword is too powerful. It will kill you." The white light floated in front of Murong Ziying's hand, blocking his attempt.
"Many people have tried to possess the Demon Sword, but they all died. This man fought for it for a long time and finally obtained it, but then more people came to kill him. He fled here and kept swinging the sword to fend off monsters. Suddenly, the sword emitted a red light and stabbed into his chest. Xiao Kui didn't know what happened. Xiao Kui didn't mean to." The white light, Xiao Kui, seemed on the verge of tears.
"Can't you control the sword?" Han Lingsha asked.
"Xiao Kui is just a ghost attached to the sword. She can't fully control it."
"How did you end up inside the sword?" Murong Ziying asked directly.
"Because my brother died, but the sword wasn't finished. The enemies had already attacked. My brother went to fight and never returned, so Xiao Kui jumped into the forging furnace."
"Ah, sacrificing oneself to forge a sword." Han Lingsha covered her mouth in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing.
"I see. In the art of sword forging, using a living person as a sacrifice is the most malevolent method. This sword, infused with your blood, gained extraordinary power. If I'm not mistaken, once the sword was completed, it would have instantly turned the surrounding area into a wasteland, drinking the blood of thousands." Murong Ziying sighed deeply.
As a swordsmith, this was the last thing he wanted to see.
"Xiao Kui didn't know. Xiao Kui has been inside the Demon Sword for a long, long time. There are many vengeful spirits inside, and they're terrifying." The white light bobbed up and down as if trembling in fear.
"Why did your brother want to forge such a malevolent sword?" Murong Ziying continued.
"My brother was the crown prince of the Kingdom of Jiang. He was good at everything. But when the enemies attacked and surrounded us, my brother wanted to save the kingdom. He found a scroll that recorded the method of forging the Demon Sword. After reading it, he decided to forge the sword to break the siege."
"The Kingdom of Jiang? Wasn't that a state during the Spring and Autumn period? How long have you been inside this sword?" Han Lingsha exclaimed in shock. By current reckoning, Xiao Kui had been inside the Demon Sword for nearly a thousand years.
"Xiao Kui doesn't know. Xiao Kui only knows she must find her brother, her brother's reincarnation. Xiao Kui doesn't want to be reincarnated."
"Don't worry, you'll definitely find your brother. I can guarantee that." After hearing Xiao Kui's story, Daniel couldn't help but speak up. If he knew who Jing Tian's reincarnation was, he would have taken Xiao Kui to find Fei Peng's current incarnation right away.
"So the Book of Life and Death and the ghost realm aren't as terrifying as they seem. It seems that Lady Jiang's wish might actually come true someday."
"Really? Xiao Kui can really find her brother?" Xiao Kui's voice was filled with hope.
"Of course." Daniel nodded firmly.
"But after reincarnation, isn't he a different person? Even if you do meet your brother, will you still recognize him?" Han Lingsha seemed to be thinking of something, her voice tinged with melancholy.
"Definitely. Even if his appearance and personality change, as long as it's my brother, Xiao Kui will recognize him at a glance." Xiao Kui's voice was resolute.
"If you stay here, you'll never meet your brother's reincarnation. Why don't we take the Demon Sword with us and help you find your brother?" After a moment of silence, Han Lingsha suggested.
"No, you're good people. Xiao Kui doesn't want to hurt you."
"Don't worry. I can temporarily suppress the Demon Sword's malevolent energy. I believe that by traveling the world, we'll eventually find a way to purify it. As Lingsha said, if you stay here, you'll never see your brother." As he spoke, Murong Ziying's gaze drifted, as if recalling something.
"You're really not afraid of the Demon Sword?" Xiao Kui asked with surprise.
"Don't worry. Ziying is skilled in sword forging. If he says it's safe, it will be."
"Thank you. You're a good person."
"Return to the sword. I'll store it in my sword case."
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