During the nineteen years he was sealed in ice, Xuan Xiao had pondered many things. For example, why Su Yu had betrayed him back then. Xuan Xiao wasn't without feelings for Su Yu. He had once asked Yun Tianhe to pick Phoenix Flowers, which showed that he did have some affection for her.
However, Xuan Xiao wasn't like Yun Tianqing or Yun Tianhe, who prioritized emotions above all else. In his heart, ascending to immortality was his top priority. During his nineteen years of being sealed, Xuan Xiao had thought that if even Su Yu could betray him, why not control both the Yihe Sword and the Wangshu Sword himself? That way, no one could betray him.
In terms of familiarity with the Wangshu Sword, no one in Qiong Hua Sect knew it better than Xuan Xiao. After all, he had practiced with Su Yu back then. This was also why Xuan Xiao didn't need Han Lingsha to wield the Wangshu Sword to bind the Illusory Realm.
As for Su Yao, she was merely a figurehead. Since Xuan Xiao wanted the entire Qiong Hua Sect to ascend, not just himself, he naturally needed Su Yao, the sect leader, to cooperate.
"Brother, have you been lying to me all this time? About the Three Cold Artifacts and Lingsha's situation?" Despite already knowing the truth, Yun Tianhe still looked at Xuan Xiao with a glimmer of hope.
"It's not exactly a lie. At first, I just wanted to meet Su Yu's child. I didn't expect you to go to such lengths to free me and even find the Three Cold Artifacts for me," Xuan Xiao's voice was filled with nostalgia.
"That wasn't much effort," Daniel Davis muttered to himself upon hearing Xuan Xiao's words. If anyone else had gone looking for the Three Cold Artifacts, it would have been an arduous task, including for elders like Qingyang and Chongguang, who might not have found them before the demon realm descended.
But for Yun Tianhe, the protagonist, it was as simple as going out for a stroll and returning with all three artifacts.
"As for Han Lingsha, Tianhe, don't worry. Since you call me brother, I naturally won't disregard her. Although using the Wangshu Sword now will drain her vitality, once Qiong Hua Sect ascends to immortality, the loss of a little vitality will be insignificant," Xuan Xiao said, glaring fiercely at Su Yao behind him.
Indeed, this was Xuan Xiao's original plan. Under normal circumstances, no one would refuse the offer of immortality, especially since Han Lingsha had been searching for a way to achieve eternal life. With some negotiation, Han Lingsha would surely agree, and Murong Ziying would be even more willing.
"Not a bad idea. If Xuan Xiao had proposed this plan before everything happened, Lingsha might have agreed. It's actually thanks to this sect leader that we were saved and avoided being buried with Qiong Hua Sect."
Daniel Davis suddenly stood up. What hadn't happened could be said to be anything. For example, if Xuan Xiao had proposed his plan earlier, Han Lingsha would have agreed. However, unless Liu Mengli hadn't regained her memories of the demon realm, once she did, Yun Tianhe and Han Lingsha would definitely change their attitudes.
It must be said that Qiong Hua Sect's ascension plan was like fate. Even if the process differed, the final outcome wouldn't change much.
Daniel Davis's appearance had only altered some parts of the process. Changing Xuan Xiao's mind through persuasion was impossible. The only way was to kill him, but with Yun Tianhe and Murong Ziying around, that was difficult to achieve.
"Is this the fate of Sword and Fairy? How terrifying."
As he spoke, Daniel Davis suddenly felt a chill in his heart, an inexplicable sense of terror. He realized that the destruction of Qiong Hua Sect seemed inevitable. Even if he killed Xuan Xiao and took the Yihe Sword and Wangshu Sword, Qiong Hua Sect might not survive like Shu Mountain Sect.
Without the swords, they could forge new ones. Suitable wielders could be found. As long as Qiong Hua Sect didn't abandon their dream of ascending to immortality, they would continue to strive for it. The only difference would be that Qiong Hua Sect might last a few hundred years longer.
Would Qiong Hua Sect give up their ascension plan? Clearly not. In this world of cultivation, ascending to immortality is the ultimate dream of cultivators. If there's a shortcut, why would they give it up?
When Dao Yin Zhenren discovered the spiritual energy of the Illusory Realm and came up with the idea of the entire sect ascending, there were surely those who didn't believe it. But so what? In a world where achieving immortality is normally difficult, as long as there's a glimmer of hope, these people would never give up.
Not just Qiong Hua Sect, even Shu Mountain Sect, which always claims not to seek immortality, would react the same way. If Shu Mountain Sect truly didn't seek immortality, there would be no Evil Sword Immortal.
In such a situation, the only way to make Qiong Hua Sect abandon their ascension plan would be to destroy the sect. The result would be the same; the only difference would be whether the Heavenly Realm or someone else destroyed it.
Of course, this alone wasn't enough to make Daniel Davis feel this chilling terror. What truly made him feel this way was the realization that even if Yun Tianhe hadn't left Qingluan Peak, Han Lingsha hadn't gone to Stone Sink Cave, and they hadn't joined Qiong Hua Sect, the final outcome might not have changed.
Because even without Yun Tianhe searching for the Three Cold Artifacts, when the Illusory Realm reappeared and aligned with Qiong Hua Sect, Xuan Xiao would definitely break free from his seal. Without him, Qiong Hua Sect might not have been able to deal with the Illusory Realm.
Once Xuan Xiao broke free and fought the demon realm, he would likely go looking for the Wangshu Sword. And given Qingyang and Chongguang's personalities, they would definitely tell Xuan Xiao where the Wangshu Sword was.
For Qingyang and Chongguang, Qiong Hua Sect was undoubtedly their top priority. So even if they saw Han Lingsha's problem, they would at most compensate her and not reveal the truth.
With the Wangshu Sword in hand, Xuan Xiao would surely find a way to awaken it by finding someone with a Yin Body. The world is vast, and Han Lingsha isn't the only one with a Yin Body. As Murong Ziying said in the original story, even if Han Lingsha committed suicide and stopped Qiong Hua Sect's ascension this time, what about the next time?
This was the true source of Daniel Davis's terror—because everything was predestined. The only difference was when it would happen. And for immortals and gods, a few hundred years were nothing.
As for the development of the mortal world, in a world with a Heavenly Realm, it would be impossible to develop a modern technological society or create technological items unless the immortals completely refrained from interfering with the mortal world.
From this, it's clear that Baiyue's failure was also part of fate. In a world of immortals and cultivation, researching science—especially something as simple as electricity or firearms—might not attract the Heavenly Realm's attention. But if it were nuclear bombs, airplanes, or satellites, the immortals would definitely intervene.
"This is even more unsolvable than dealing with Thanos in the Marvel world." Daniel Davis, who had originally planned to test Xuan Xiao's strength in a fight, suddenly lost interest after realizing all this.
In Marvel, there was at least one chance of success out of millions of possible futures when dealing with the universe's population control officer. But in Sword and Fairy IV, Daniel Davis found that there was no way to break the cycle.
Of course, strictly speaking, there was no way to break the cycle. If one had enough strength to defeat Nuwa and Fuxi, the Heavenly Emperor, then change would be possible. But the problem was that such strength wasn't available at this stage.
Dealing with Thanos, even if they failed and he snapped his fingers, there was still a chance to reverse the future by snapping their own fingers. But there was no such opportunity when dealing with Fuxi.
After understanding all this, Daniel Davis naturally felt somewhat disheartened. These were things only someone with extensive knowledge of this world, like Daniel Davis, could think of. No matter how clever Xuan Xiao was, he would never consider these possibilities.
"What do you mean by this?" Su Yao, upon hearing Daniel Davis's words, immediately stepped forward. As the leader of Qiong Hua Sect, having her decisions mocked was something she couldn't tolerate. If Xuan Xiao mocked her, that was one thing—after all, Xuan Xiao was stronger than her and was the key to Qiong Hua Sect's ascension.
"Can't you understand? Our great sect leader, we're not Qiong Hua Sect disciples. When Qiong Hua Sect is destroyed, we won't need to be punished," Daniel Davis said coldly.
"So you're the one who told Qingyang and Chongguang that the Heavenly Realm would stop Qiong Hua Sect's ascension," Xuan Xiao immediately turned his attention to Daniel Davis. Before Daniel Davis brought up this idea, no one in Qiong Hua Sect had considered this possibility.
"Exactly. That so-called 20th-generation sect leader, Dao Yin, was truly delusional to come up with such a method for ascension. He really wanted to eat peaches," Daniel Davis's last sentence left Xuan Xiao completely baffled, but Daniel Davis had no intention of explaining.
"Why do you think the Heavenly Realm would stop Qiong Hua Sect's ascension?"
"Hmph, believe it or not, it's up to you. I'm just reminding you out of respect for my time as a Qiong Hua Sect disciple. And the truth is, I believe you already know it. So if you truly care about Tianhe, don't drag him into this ascension. It's not helping him; it's harming him," Daniel Davis said, stepping back. Since he didn't want to fight Xuan Xiao, there was no need to take the lead. It was better to use this time to consider what to do next.
"Hmph, even the Heavenly Realm can't stop Qiong Hua Sect's ascension," Xuan Xiao said, exuding an overwhelming aura.
"Good thought, but it's like a rookie wanting to take down an emperor—wishful thinking." Every rookie, upon entering the New World, is full of ambition, dreaming of defeating Whitebeard Edward and Kaido the Beast. But once they actually enter the New World, most end up under the emperors' command.
With Xuan Xiao's current strength, the average Heavenly Realm general might not be his match. But the problem is, the Heavenly Realm has many more powerful immortals and gods.
"Brother, I went to the Ghost Realm and saw Father. He said he misses you and has always wanted to apologize. And Mother, she..." Yun Tianhe looked at Xuan Xiao and briefly recounted his encounter with Yun Tianqing in the Ghost Realm. When he mentioned that Su Yu had already reincarnated, Xuan Xiao's expression finally changed.
"Yun Tianqing is waiting for me? He'll have to wait for thousands of years. Once I ascend, he won't have the chance to see me," Xuan Xiao paused, then took out a water-blue orb.
"Tianhe, since you still call me brother, I, as your brother, will naturally help you. This is the Water Spirit Orb you've always wanted. With it, you can save the people of Crescent Village," Xuan Xiao said, and the Water Spirit Orb flew toward Yun Tianhe, hovering in front of him.
After a moment of silence, Yun Tianhe took the Water Spirit Orb. No matter what, the people of Crescent Village still needed to be saved.
"Xuan Xiao, how dare you! Do you even see me as the sect leader? You're giving away the sect's treasure without my permission!" Su Yao exploded upon seeing Yun Tianhe take the Water Spirit Orb. As the leader of Qiong Hua Sect, having the treasure taken without her consent was a blatant disregard for her authority.
"Sect Leader, Su Yao, look at what Qiong Hua Sect has become under your leadership. You're mediocre in talent and jealous of the capable. Look at how few disciples in Qiong Hua Sect can stand on their own now.
Murong Ziying's talent is so high; he should have long since become a sect elder. But you feared his influence would surpass yours, so you suppressed his promotion, letting useless people occupy the positions of elders. Look at Qiong Hua Sect now—who still sees you as the sect leader?" Xuan Xiao's cold gaze swept over the Qiong Hua Sect disciples present. Those who met his eyes all lowered their heads, not daring to speak up for Su Yao.
Xuanji, at the very back, wanted to say something, but Huaishuo immediately stopped her. While Daniel Davis and the others were in the Ghost Realm, there had been some turmoil in Qiong Hua Sect. Although Xuan Xiao hadn't seized power, it had significantly damaged Su Yao's authority.
After all, they weren't fools. Su Yao's usual behavior was something the disciples of Qiong Hua Sect couldn't be unaware of. Even Yun Tianhe could see it, let alone the others.
To be fair, Huaishuo actually wanted to defend Su Yao a little. Strictly speaking, Su Yao wasn't that bad. But for Xuanji's safety, Huaishuo could only remain silent.
"Since you want to protect these demons, I'll give you face and spare them for now. After all, they're not my main target," Xuan Xiao said, then turned and left, leading the Qiong Hua Sect disciples away.
Originally, he had wanted to fight Chan You, who had killed Taiqing Zhenren, as Xuan Xiao considered Taiqing Zhenren to be extremely powerful. But Chan You had disappointed him, hiding behind a barrier and giving Xuan Xiao no desire to fight. However, this also allowed Liu Mengli and the others to hold out until Daniel Davis, Yun Tianhe, and the others arrived.
"Sect Leader." After most of the disciples left with Xuan Xiao, Huaishuo and Xuanji approached Su Yao and spoke softly.
But all they got was a cold snort from Su Yao before she turned and followed Xuan Xiao.
At that moment, Yun Tianhe's eyes flickered as he stared at the Wangshu Sword in Su Yao's hand. In the next moment, he rushed toward Su Yao, intending to seize the Wangshu Sword.
Su Yao, sensing Yun Tianhe's move, immediately swung the Wangshu Sword to meet Yun Tianhe's Tianhe Sword. Just as the two swords were about to clash, Xuan Xiao, who had already walked away, instantly appeared between them, blocking both swords with his hands.
Then, with a burst of spiritual energy, Xuan Xiao sent Yun Tianhe flying. Although Xuan Xiao didn't respect Su Yao and didn't give her any face, they were still allies. Naturally, he wouldn't let Yun Tianhe attack her.
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