Mount Fox Tilt, the Sect of the Ghost King.
…
The moon over Mount Fox Tilt was a vast and boundless expanse, as if it had not yet washed away the dust of the world.
Ghost Li stood at the foot of the mountain.
Truly, what kind of event could the Azure Ethereal Conclave be considered, even he himself could not clearly define it.
Is it a return?
Has he left the wrong path he once took?
A decade of time, how many old stories have been buried? How many changes have occurred, transforming the sea into mulberry fields.
Was it in his heart, a path he had never truly walked, a reason why he would not sink into despair even under the erosion of the Soul Devourer?
Could it be that everything remained unchanged?
What was he holding onto? What was he giving up?
Was he a demon or an evil outsider, beyond the understanding of others, or merely a pitiable person who had taken the wrong path?
The road lies beneath his feet, but where does it lead?
Even with his status as the deputy leader of the Ghost King Sect, a master of shifting circumstances, at this moment, he felt lost and uncertain.
In his hand, the blue light of the Soul Devourer flickered faintly, unusually emitting a soft aura, silently accompanying him, as if it understood his confusion.
It seemed as if it were ten years ago, beneath the Celestial Sword, his life hanging by a thread. That gentle, cool hand, firmly grasping and then letting go, rushing toward the power to destroy the heavens and earth.
“Nine Hells’ spirits, gods and demons of all heavens, with my flesh and blood, I offer sacrifice.
“Three lifetimes, seven generations, eternally condemned to the underworld, all for the sake of love, though I die, I shall not regret!”
He murmured softly, and finally, a touch of gentleness appeared in his eyes.
The graceful, aqua figure, seemed to stand before him as if it were yesterday!
She must have lain in the cold stone chamber for a long time.
Indeed, it had been a long time since he left Mount Fox Tilt.
Could he see her again today?
As if awakening from a trance, Ghost Li lifted his head, gazing at the place where he had stayed for a decade.
But suddenly, he was stunned.
In his memory, Mount Fox Tilt, as the main stronghold of the Ghost King Sect, while not grandiose, was always well-organized. Yet now, it was in ruins, with broken walls and shattered columns casting fragmented shadows in the night sky.
Moreover, when he arrived here in the past, he would have seen patrolling disciples, but now, the mountain was eerily silent, devoid of any signs of vigilance.
Ghost Li frowned, focusing intently. In the stillness of the moonlit night, there was a faint murmur.
Before he could fully consider it, the Soul Devourer in his hand, especially the topmost Blood-devouring Pearl, with its faint blood threads, began to glow, as if stirred by some force. The entire pearl was enveloped in a crimson light, whispering softly.
For a moment, Ghost Li’s will wavered, as if he saw mountains of bones and rivers of blood.
Sweet, fragrant blood…
But his cultivation was profound, and in an instant, he regained his composure.
Without hesitation, he switched the staff to his left hand and formed a Buddhist dharma seal with his right, pressing it against the blood threads on the Blood-devouring Pearl. He slowly, step by step, infused the Great Brahma Prajna.
A golden light immediately suffused the blood threads, blending quietly without conflict, until the entire pearl, and the fierce red light, dimmed, flowing back into Ghost Li’s body along the staff.
The Way of Ten Thousand Paths!
Perhaps, in the whole world, only he could use such a method to neutralize the blood rage!
Yet, even so, it was no easy task. Ghost Li’s forehead was already damp with sweat.
Since he had mastered the fourth volume of the Heavenly Book, the deep chasms in his cultivation had gradually filled. Although the Soul Devourer still acted up, it could be resisted. He was generally confident in his abilities.
But…
Just now…
His face darkened slightly.
Then, he realized that the torrential blood aura he had thought was emanating from the Soul Devourer continued to surge even after it calmed, not diminishing at all.
The blood aura seemed to come from within the mountain, unending.
Ghost Li stood silently, his expression complex.
He had felt something like this before, as if someone was using a living force to hollow out the mountain and fill it with blood.
Was this related to the four spirit beasts?
What had happened inside Mount Fox Tilt?
As the Soul Devourer’s light flared, and Ghost Li was about to rise, he suddenly froze.
He heard a sigh.
So familiar, like a dream from yesterday!
Instinctively, he turned to look at the source of the sigh.
In the layers of trees, a flash of green seemed to pass by.
On the Wind Return Peak of the Azure Ethereal Vapors, the Wind Return Peak, though not as majestic as the Heaven Reaching Peak, as lofty as the Dragon Head Peak, or as desolate as the Small Bamboo Peak, it was still worthy of being one of the seven peaks. The forest paths here were barely treaded upon, varying in width, seemingly merging with the mountain itself.
The moon was lonely, the stars sparse.
Through the sparse leaves, speckles of light fell on the ground, moving with the wind.
Behind the peak, on a narrow path, Daoist Cang Song and Jin Ping’er were standing before the dense forest.
As they were about to enter, Jin Ping’er suddenly said, “Master, wait a moment.”
Daoist Cang Song, with a sullen face, turned back and said, “What is it?”
Jin Ping’er’s eyes sparkled, and she smiled, “Pinger is slow-witted and has a question for you, Master.”
Her gaze seemed to speak, radiating a bewitching charm in the night.
Daoist Cang Song, seemingly unaffected, replied, “Go ahead, Immortal Jin.”
Jin Ping’er stepped forward, “Earlier, on Dragon Head Peak, I did not follow the ancestral rules, and Master’s expression was not very pleasant, correct?”
Daoist Cang Song gave a cold snort, but did not contradict her.
Jin Ping’er walked into the dense forest, saying, “Dragon Head Peak… Sunset Peak… Dawn Peak… Now, only the Celestial Lock here remains, right?”
Daoist Cang Song nodded, his expression grave, and did not speak.
Jin Ping’er turned around, smiling, “Earlier, on Sunset Peak and Dawn Peak, although there was no one guarding them, making it easier, Master’s expression softened, didn’t it?”
Daoist Cang Song said coldly, “What are you trying to say?”
Jin Ping’er pondered, “I just want to know, with no one around, why has Master’s expression darkened again?”
Daoist Cang Song frowned, not expecting such keen observation from the woman. He said coldly, “If Immortal Jin wants to know, she need only enter the forest.”
The forest was shrouded in mist, the path faintly visible, a harmonious scene.
Jin Ping’er, silent, slowly withdrew her right hand into her sleeve. She turned to Cang Song and stepped into the forest.
The wind in the forest carried a distant sigh.
Jin Ping’er cautiously walked a few steps, but found nothing unusual. She relaxed slightly and turned to smile, “Master, can you tell me now?”
Her smile froze as she turned around to find the place she had been standing, now shrouded in a layer of mist.
A chill ran through her, and she reached out to disperse the fog.
Her hand touched nothing, yet the mist floated there, so real, yet as if it were in her eyes, in her heart.
She retraced her steps, carefully, hoping to return to where she had been.
The exit was in sight.
She took a step, and felt nothing unusual.
Jin Ping’er’s heart eased, but she also felt a twinge of disappointment.
After all, it was just mist!
She turned, confused, “Master?”
Daoist Cang Song remained silent, his expression solemn.
Jin Ping’er, puzzled, looked around.
The scenery of Wind Return Peak, reflected in her eyes, was hazy, as if shrouded in mist.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew, chilling her.
The breeze flowed gently, without stirring a single dust particle.
Then, it swirled back.
Jin Ping’er’s face changed.
The small whirlwind, which had just passed by Daoist Cang Song, had not stirred his robe.
Not at all.
Suddenly, the whirlwind intensified, roaring and howling, threatening to scatter the delicate woman.
Still, no dust was stirred.
The surrounding world remained hazy, undisturbed by the wind.
The wind of old, returning.
This was the Wind Return!
Jin Ping’er, startled, leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the gale.
The gale rushed into the forest, yet the branches and leaves did not move.
Jin Ping’er breathed a sigh of relief, looking back at Daoist Cang Song, who still stood motionless.
The whirlwind returned.
Knowing her life hung in the balance, Jin Ping’er did not hesitate, twisting her waist and facing the gale head-on.
The gale raged, and the pale yellow figure turned into a blur, almost too fast to see.
Her hair flew freely!
As the gale approached, the blur burst into a brilliant purple, like a magnificent sunset.
The Purple Blade was finally unleashed.
The invisible gale, in this unmoving world, met the woman.
There was no sound.
Jin Ping’er was struck, flying backward, landing hard, her blood and qi surging, nearly escaping her body.
But she managed to stand.
The mist dissipated, and the world became clear.
She stood at the edge of the forest, the mist still swirling within.
Everything had been like a dream!
In this world, what is real and what is illusion, how can one tell?
Behind her, Daoist Cang Song’s voice, carrying a hint of approval, reached her.
“Do you understand now, Immortal Jin?”
At the foot of Mount Fox Tilt.
Ghost Li’s figure flew, chasing after the side.
That shadow, that sigh!
Even at the cost of his life, he would hold onto it.
Ten years of hardship, ten years of pain, ten years of sorrow.
For what?
All his unspoken words, turned into the steps of his pursuit.
Even if it was just a dream!
He muttered softly, his steps never faltering.
The forest was not large, and Ghost Li’s figure, entering from one side and exiting from the other, took only moments.
The forest was empty, with leaves rustling.
Had he failed to catch it?
Or was everything, like that illusion in the stone chamber?
But that sigh, so real, still echoed in his ears.
Under the sparse moonlight, this no longer young man’s silhouette looked so bleak.
Was heaven merciful? Why then, did it torment him so?
He sighed deeply, like the pain of an old, white-haired man.
“The truth is, you can see through life and death, but there are things more important than life and death. Instead of asking me, why not think about these more important matters?” The words of Senior Monday Immortal rose in his mind.
“More important matters…”
Under the moonlight, he laughed bitterly, muttering to himself.
“Senior, you were wrong. Even if I could think about them, what power do I have to grasp them?”
His words froze in his throat.
Another sigh, behind him.
Could it be…
His throat choked, and he turned.
Was it heaven’s grace?
He was overcome with emotion, and the person behind him was now in front.
No!
It wasn’t her!
In that moment, his blood ran cold.
The dark figure stood before him.
“You have finally returned?”
She spoke coldly, without emotion.
“Mount Fox Tilt is no longer what it was.”
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