Inside the Su Nu Immortal Realm, the sky seemed frozen in time. Immortal maidens and Bodhisattvas occasionally soared into the air, their terrifying thoughts sweeping across the area. The disciples dared not breathe loudly. Though there was no chaos, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Gu Xiao-Sang saw Liu Shu-Yu’s back appear in front of the Su Nu Hall. Her smile faded slightly, becoming faint and elusive. She quickly turned around and immediately summoned the Immortal Lady of Shangshui.
At this time, the male disciples were still reeling from the pressure of the Half-Step Dharma Body, their thoughts sluggish. No one noticed anything amiss.
Glancing sideways at the slightly dazed Immortal Lady of Shangshui, Gu Xiao-Sang’s expression hovered between amusement and seriousness. She tightly gripped the small dark bag and took a step forward. Her figure became transparent, as if merging with the void itself, as though returning to her home in the vacuum.
Her figure grew increasingly indistinct, slowly fading into nothingness, “dissolving” into the void. Within the hall, only the true Immortal Lady of Shangshui and the real Guo Xi remained.
Beside Guo Xi’s foot, a dark black hair quietly lay in the crack between the green bricks.
…
In front of the Su Nu Hall, Liu Shu-Yu looked up at the three ancient seal characters on the plaque. She inhaled deeply, gathered her thoughts, pushed off with her feet, and quickly rushed inside.
When Meng Qi, transformed into a dark stone, passed through the gate of the Su Nu Hall, he felt as though he had passed through a veil of gauze, with a sensation similar to moving through thick fog. With a breath, everything returned to normal, and he found himself inside the hall.
In this den of dragons and tigers, facing an extremely terrifying enemy, Meng Qi was not careless at all. He did not extend his mind or spiritual senses outward to sense the situation within the hall.
Everything was relative. If he could sense the outside, he would inevitably leave traces. Just like when someone stares intently at another person, even if the other person does not notice, they can still feel something. Xuan Nu’s perception and spiritual senses were hundreds or even thousands of times sharper than those of ordinary people. Only with caution could one sail safely for ten thousand years!
However, Meng Qi was not completely unaware of the situation inside the hall, because Liu Shu-Yu had voluntarily shared her vision, hearing, and touch.
For Liu Shuyu, her greatest wish was for everything to conclude smoothly. Passing this trial would enable her to become a “true” successor of Xuan Nu, breaking free from the control of the demoness—like a dragon returning to the sea or a tiger leaping into the mountains.
Therefore, she actively cooperated, striving for perfection.
This hall was vast, paved entirely with pale stone tiles. Only four pillars supported the magnificent and wide dome, as if they were the four pillars holding up the sky.
The dome was dark and black, with tiny points of brilliant light flickering and connecting into a sea of light, just like the Milky Way, dreamlike and enchanting.
Directly in front of Liu Shu-Yu, a male disciple knelt. It was the same one who had previously come to comprehend the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King. His face was filled with frustration, disappointment, and unwillingness. Obviously, he had not grasped the Thunder God’s inheritance.
Because it was rare, it was called a rare opportunity!
The male disciple gritted his teeth. Taking advantage of the chaos outside and the fact that no one had asked him to leave, he stepped forward once more, stretched out his hands, and touched the long blade placed on the altar.
This blade was pitch-black in color, ancient in design, and massive in form. It was even longer, wider, and thicker than Meng Qi’s Tian Zhi Shang. It exuded an overwhelming weight. Just lying there, it seemed to compress the void and bend the light, making the surrounding environment darker.
The Absolute Blade of the Thunder King!
At the very first sight of the blade, Meng Qi knew it was the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King, a weapon that ranked among the top ten in the list of divine weapons compiled by the Master of the Six Dao Reincarnation. In ancient times, the Overlord wielded it to dominate the middle ages, overwhelming the world with unmatched might.
This blade represented the legend of a mighty overlord, the harbinger of the decline of the ancient masters. The number of Dharma Bodies it had slain was greater than the number of Patriarchs Meng Qi had ever seen!
However, Meng Qi was not shocked or excited by its illustrious reputation. Instead, a strange sense of familiarity arose from within him, as if this blade were an old friend, something connected to his very blood, even a part of his own body.
“A feeling from the Thunder Scar?” Meng Qi suddenly understood.
No wonder the Su Nu Sect sought a Thunder God successor. No wonder they had captured him. Once this blade was awakened and brought under control, even ancient masters like Gourdo and Chong He would have to yield. Even without a Dharma Body, as long as one was ruthless enough to pay the price of a hundred years of dormancy, it might even be possible to slay a Dharma Body directly, just like the authentic version of the Shanghe Sheji Diagram, which could trap a Dharma Body and, if endured for centuries without use, could even kill the enemy.
Of course, all of this was based on the premise that one could land a strike and ensnare the enemy, just like the authentic Yin-Yang Mirror, which could also be avoided using the Golden Light Method of Earthly Movement.
The male disciple struggled to comprehend the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King, but it remained unresponsive. Liu Shu-Yu stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said:
“Master, since Kuang Dao has infiltrated and to prevent deception, we should suspend the comprehension of the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King. I wonder where we should temporarily place the Immortal Lady of Shangshui and the others?”
The Su Nu Immortal Realm was sealed off, and chaos reigned everywhere. Obviously, the comprehension of the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King could no longer continue. Liu Shu-Yu pretended to be naive and used the excuse of seeking instructions. Taking advantage of the widespread search and the weakened guard at the Su Nu Hall, she finally stepped inside for the first time.
…
Behind the Su Nu Hall, there was an equally ancient pavilion.
It bore no trace of human presence, as if it had been silent and deserted for tens of thousands of years, forgotten by heaven and earth as time passed.
The void rippled, and a figure emerged. Gu Xiao-Sang, in her flowing white robes, descended like an immortal maiden, her face exquisitely beautiful with a faint, enigmatic smile.
Following the footsteps of Xuan Nu’s search, she had passed through places confirmed to be normal, circling around until she finally arrived here. Then, she looked around, gazed upward at the clouds, and silently calculated something.
With a step forward, Gu Xiao-Sang arrived beneath a tall, lush green tree in front of the pavilion. This was the only living thing in this place!
She tilted the small black bag, and once again a figure flew out. Besides the Immortal Lady of Shangshui, there was someone else hidden inside!
It was a little girl of six or seven years old, with a round, chubby face, delicate and adorable, making one want to pinch her cheeks. On her head were twin pigtails, making her look especially cute.
The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, shook her head, and stretched out her hands: “Mom, how long have I been asleep?”
Gu Xiao-Sang hugged the little girl with a beaming smile: “You’ve slept for a very long time. What a lazy little girl! Come on, Mom will braid your pigtails again.”
She flipped the little girl around, undid the twin pigtails, and somehow produced a jade comb in her hand.
The little girl showed a naive and cheerful smile, enjoying her mother’s combing while looking around. Suddenly, she softly exclaimed: “Mom, why does this place feel so familiar? It’s like I’ve been here before. I really, really want to go home!”
“Foolish child, this place has always been our home. You were just too young to remember clearly back then.” Gu Xiao-Sang gently combed the little girl’s black hair, her smile carrying a subtle trace of mockery as she replied.
“Oh, I see!” The little girl cheered, pointing at the sky: “I remember those clouds! And this tree!”
…
Inside the Su Nu Hall, Liu Shu-Yu was seeking instructions from the current Xuan Nu.
“Alright, if we let them continue comprehending the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King, it would seem too abnormal. Arrange for Shangshui and the others to temporarily reside in the Bi Luo Hall.” Xuan Nu’s voice was clear, gentle, and ethereal, like a song that made one want to listen closely.
Meng Qi didn’t feel anything strange at first, but Liu Shu-Yu’s heart suddenly quickened, beyond her control. She stammered slightly: “Master, weren’t you outside?”
Outside? What did that mean?
Meng Qi was first puzzled, then shocked. Liu Shu-Yu meant that the elegant immortal sitting beside the Absolute Blade of the Thunder King was actually the current Xuan Nu’s true body?
Then who was the “Xuan Nu” from earlier? Where did that powerful will come from?
Through Liu Shu-Yu’s eyes, Meng Qi saw the Xuan Nu inside the hall clearly. Her appearance was fresh and refined, her features exquisitely beautiful, seemingly fulfilling everyone’s highest expectations of beauty.
Her demeanor was elegant and untouched by worldly affairs, like a true immortal maiden. Facing her, one found it hard to raise a fighting spirit, unwilling to desecrate such beauty, unable to even draw the sword!
The area around her was also refined and otherworldly, more like an immortal realm than the Su Nu Immortal Realm itself.
It truly seemed to be the current Xuan Nu’s true body!
At this moment, Meng Qi felt his Yuan Shen stiffen.
How could she still be here?
Feeling Liu Shu-Yu’s surprise, Xuan Nu lightly laughed: “The one outside was just one of my manifestations combined with a treasure of our sect, enough to deceive anyone. Su Meng is cunning, skilled at creating diversions and taking advantage of chaos. He must not be underestimated. Facing someone like him, we must remain calm and steady as a mountain. Anyway, he is bound by karma and will definitely come. So I will patiently wait here like a fool waiting for a rabbit, while Mirror Yan will be handed over to Xi Huan.”
“No matter how cunning he is, he won’t escape this trap.”
This patience, this composure… both Meng Qi and Liu Shu-Yu were shaken at the same time, feeling as if dark clouds were gathering overhead, with danger approaching step by step.
One must never underestimate these seasoned experts, whose experiences far exceed the amount of food one has eaten!
Experience truly makes the difference!
As she spoke, Xuan Nu’s powerful will descended upon Liu Shu-Yu. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her disciple, but Liu Shu-Yu’s hasty entry did seem somewhat suspicious. Moreover, Xuan Nu had set for herself a rule that must be followed: anyone entering the Su Nu Hall, except herself, must be inspected. Even Xi Huan the Bodhisattva would be no exception!
To Meng Qi, this ethereal and immortal-like will felt terrifying, and Liu Shu-Yu felt the same, her legs nearly giving way.
At this moment, she had the urge to spill everything and seek redemption!
But she did not know whether her master could withstand the backlash of the contract?
With danger closing in and the bell of death tolling louder and louder, Meng Qi’s mind was tightly wound. It seemed there was no way out; moving meant death, and staying still meant death too. The only option appeared to be surrendering and becoming a puppet of the Su Nu Sect!
Just at this moment, inside the hall where the male disciples were gathered, a strand of hair in the crack between the green bricks began to move without wind. In an instant, it flew toward the Su Nu Hall, transforming into Meng Qi’s form with identical aura, attempting to sneak into the Su Nu Hall from the side.
Flesh has spirit; it was the art of creating a clone!
Meng Qi had not pinned all his hopes on the demoness Gu, nor had he anticipated her to have a backup plan. Instead, he had secretly left behind a single strand of hair as a final diversion to capture Xuan Nu’s attention!
A true expert must always rely firmly on themselves!
The figure quietly infiltrated, seemingly regarding the person inside as merely Xuan Nu’s manifestation.
Suddenly sensing something, Xuan Nu swept her will outward. Meng Qi, transformed into a stone, seized the opportunity to slip in, simultaneously comprehending the Absolute Blade and activating the Wheel of Reincarnation. After all, causality was not related to how much one comprehended!
…
“Mom, why did Liu Sister always secretly say I was the Xuan Nu disciple Liu Luo?” The little girl asked with curiosity and expectation.
Gu Xiao-Sang held her black hair with her left hand and gracefully combed it with her right, smiling sweetly: “Of course you’re not the Xuan Nu disciple Liu Luo.”
Her smile faded, leaving only a faint trace of mockery:
“You are the Nine Heavens Xuan Nu.”
The little girl’s smile immediately froze, the innocence and joy in her eyes quickly fading away!
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