Chapter 29

An Wuxue dared to take action against Xie Zhefeng, even locking him in the room while his spiritual power was sealed, because he knew that Xie Zhefeng’s inner demon had taken hold, and he would likely have no memory of this upon waking.

At that time, he could simply brush it off, claiming that the injuries on Xie Zhefeng’s body were self-inflicted in an attempt to suppress the inner demon. Even if Xie Zhefeng were to grow suspicious, there were already countless doubts surrounding him; one more wouldn’t make a difference. After all, he had already been tested by Xie Zhefeng time and time again.

Xie Zhefeng had been searching for a way to resurrect the dead but had failed. He was the only Immortal of Longevity in the two realms; if even he could not succeed, there was no hope for others. Therefore, the fact that he had been resurrected a thousand years later in the body of Su Xue—a person who looked exactly like him—without any apparent assistance was something Xie Zhefeng deemed impossible. Ironically, this meant Xie Zhefeng was the least likely to stumble upon an answer that lay right before his eyes.

But Qin Wei was different.

When it came to the matter of Su Xue, Qin Wei, being an outsider, was far more prone to suspicion.

An Wuxue hurriedly called out to him, "Elder Qin!"

Qin Wei paused his steps. He turned his head and looked at An Wuxue with a probing gaze. "We only met today. How do you know I am an Elder, and not some Peak Master or disciple?"

As the premier sect of the cultivation world, Luoyue did not have a Sect Leader because every generation produced a Sword Sovereign, and the master of Luoyue was the lord of the two realms. Among their peers, the most outstanding were designated as First Seats, while others governed the various peaks of Luoyue and were addressed as Peak Masters. Those with greater seniority who had reached the Tribulation Transcendence stage would no longer serve as Peak Masters, but remained at Luoyue as Elders to oversee the sect.

By the time he had fallen, Qin Wei was already the Peak Master of the Sili Peak. Being addressed as an Elder now was perfectly normal.

An Wuxue replied, "When I traveled to Frost Sea, I made inquiries about the matters of Luoyue Peak, and that is how I came to know of Elder Qin."

Qin Wei raised an eyebrow. "You are quite forthright. And what did you hear?"

"I heard that I possess the face of someone Elder Qin dislikes," An Wuxue sighed. "My sincere apologies."

"You—" Qin Wei was momentarily choked for words. He looked at An Wuxue again, his expression shifting slightly, though the flash of irritation was quickly suppressed.

He said, "Your temperament is actually quite like his. He used to love talking back to me like that..."

An Wuxue chuckled softly.

Qin Wei composed himself and shifted the topic. "Is Xie Chuhan in the room?"

"Does Elder Qin have business with the Immortal Venerable?" An Wuxue gave a soft 'ah,' then continued, "Unfortunately, the Immortal Venerable has just sealed his divine sense and is in deep meditation. That is why I came out—he said he is injured and needs to recuperate, and must not be disturbed."

A complex look washed over Qin Wei’s face. An Wuxue knew he was thinking of Xie Zhefeng’s inner demon. His mind raced: Qin Wei clearly knew of the existence of Xie Zhefeng’s inner demon, and likely understood its origin, when it first appeared, and how severe it had become. The inner demon was mostly because of him, a point he didn’t need to ask about, but he was indeed worried about the extent of the corruption. For an Immortal-realm cultivator to harbor an inner demon—if anything went slightly wrong, it could spell disaster for both realms.

Feigning deep concern for Xie Zhefeng, he said, "But I saw the Immortal Venerable today as he fought the Mirror Demon and the Cloud Boat; he was perfectly at ease, and the turbid energy of the demons could not even get close to him. How could he suddenly be injured?"

"You are quite concerned."

"Elder Qin, you jest. I am the Immortal Venerable’s cultivation vessel; it would be strange if I were not concerned."

Qin Wei said, "His injury had already healed, but it has recently relapsed."

Relapsed? Xie Zhefeng had actually suffered from an inner demon twice?

As he pondered this, Qin Wei added, "This has nothing to do with you, so you had best stop prying. I know Xie Chuhan’s temper. Although I deliberately provoked him about keeping you, I know very well that he would never harm you. He likely kept you only out of affection for the departed, wishing to give you a place to stay."

"With that face, you should focus on your cultivation and stop asking about things you shouldn't. Who knows, perhaps one day you might even become a Peak Master at Luoyue..."

He paused, then continued, "Do not end up like him, treading a path of no return."

A path of no return. What a fitting path.

"Elder Qin... you worry too much," he said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "I have no grand ambitions. I have no interest in being a Peak Master; I only wish to find a quiet corner and live an idle life."

Qin Wei snorted coldly. "A cultivation vessel is indeed just a cultivation vessel. How could I have thought for a moment that you were like him in any way other than your face... Xie Chuhan is in the next room, correct?"

He was still determined to find Xie Zhefeng.

An Wuxue’s expression froze. He avoided the question, saying, "The Immortal Venerable sealed his five senses and divine consciousness while healing. Unless one directly awakens his soul, or he chooses to wake himself, no one can rouse him. If Elder Qin has urgent business, you could return to Luoyue Peak to summon the Immortal Venerable’s true body."

Qin Wei mused for a moment. An Wuxue’s fabrications were based on how Xie Zhefeng appeared when he sealed his senses; Qin Wei had likely witnessed this before and had no reason to doubt it. The one in Zhaoshui City was merely an avatar whose death would not greatly affect the true body. If the avatar could not be awakened, finding the true body was an option. It was just that the journey between Luoyue and Zhaoshui consumed too much time.

Qin Wei clearly did not want to waste that time and stood there, hesitating.

An Wuxue then feigned a sudden realization. "Ah," he said, "I have a 'Heaven’s End' talisman given to me by the Immortal Venerable that can transmit sound directly to his soul. If Elder Qin doesn't mind, you could tell me."

Qin Wei muttered, "Why didn't he give me a talisman like that?"

An Wuxue: "..."

"It is not something that cannot be spoken of," Qin Wei said. "I originally intended to take Song Buwang to clear the turbid energy at the Cloud Sword Sect, but after cleaning up the demon corpses, we searched the entire ruins and found almost no turbid energy."

An Wuxue’s heart tightened, his languid expression vanishing instantly. With so many cultivators dead at the Cloud Sword Sect and so many demons present, the turbid energy should have been enough to affect the entire Zhaoshui City. That was why, once the Cloud Sword illusion was broken, Xie Zhefeng had ordered Qin Wei and Song Buwang to handle the aftermath. How could there be so little?

Qin Wei voiced his own thoughts: "...The turbid energy cannot simply disappear for no reason. In a massacre of this scale, the sheer resentment alone would be enough to drive people to demonic madness. How could it have vanished without a trace?"

"I found no clues within the Cloud Sword Sect. The perpetrators were utterly destroyed, and those demons were hacked to pieces by our good Immortal Venerable. I could only perform soul-searches on a few spirits that were relatively intact, discovering they had been frequenting Zhaoshui City for the past two months... but the demons' souls were incomplete, and some lacked even basic sentience. I could not figure out what they were doing, only..."

An Wuxue blurted out, "Those turbid energies were likely all sent to Zhaoshui City!?"

Qin Wei looked surprised. "You are not as dull as you seem." He frowned deeply. "But I cannot fathom it. If someone were plotting to bring chaos to Zhaoshui City and used these demons to smuggle the energy in, Zhaoshui is currently peaceful and quiet. Where is the energy now?"

An Wuxue’s thoughts raced, a dangerous suspicion rising in his mind. Could it be...

Qin Wei’s words drew closer to his deepest fear: "Even if that energy were hidden within Zhaoshui, what does the culprit intend? Are they trying to emulate the method of the North Sea Immortal Lord, channeling turbid energy into the city to turn all the cultivators and mortals into demons?"

He rubbed his chin and shook his head. "But that wouldn't achieve much. Even though there is a lot of energy, under the protection of the Zhaoshui Sword Array, it wouldn't be enough to shake the city's foundation unless there was even more..."

"Where would there be more? That is impossible, is it not?"

An Wuxue’s hands unconsciously gripped his sleeves.

No. It was possible!

It was right here in Zhaoshui City. Combined with the turbid energy from the Cloud Sword Sect and the hidden reserve within Zhaoshui, it would be just enough to shake the Zhaoshui Sword Array!

"...Why am I telling you this?" Qin Wei slapped his forehead. "You are not him; how could you possibly react to this? I really am... Hey, Su Xue?"

"...Hm?" An Wuxue was distracted.

"Take out that talisman! After Xie Chuhan broke the Cloud Sword illusion, the last remnants of the turbid energy were secretly moved away while you were dealing with the Cloud Boat. All that energy is now hidden within Zhaoshui City. This matter brooks no delay—"

Qin Wei paused, looking displeased. "Why are you ignoring me? Are you playing with me? Forget it, I will go wake him myself..."

An Wuxue stood there, stunned. He forgot to stop Qin Wei as he brushed past him.

"I fear it is already too late..." he murmured.

If the culprit was waiting for this final portion of energy, then whatever they planned to do would surely happen today. With Xie Zhefeng’s inner demon, even if the 'Heaven’s End' talisman could wake him, there was no guarantee he would be able to fight and resolve the crisis immediately.

Qin Wei did not know about the turbid energy that had been hidden in Zhaoshui City for thousands of years. While he knew something was amiss, he could not imagine the severity of the situation. Only An Wuxue, the former First Seat of Luoyue Peak who had personally laid down the sword array, understood the hidden mechanism beneath it. It was a vow he had kept until this day, a secret known to no one else alive.

If he were to speak it aloud...

He bit his lower lip, gazing vacantly at the mortals and cultivators moving through the inn’s lobby below the high balcony. A few days ago, he and Xie Zhefeng had entered the city under the stars. The flower carts had drifted by, the ethereal voices of mortal singers had wafted through the air, and lanterns had glowed like a galaxy of prosperity. The next morning, the steam had risen from street vendors' baskets, and a little girl holding a candied haw had bumped into him...

"An Wuxue" had been dead for a thousand years. The world had thrived with or without him. He had just told Qin Wei that he had no grand ambitions and only wanted to live an idle life. Yet, he recalled the words of Lou Shui-ming before his death in front of the Great Zhaoshui Sword: "First Seat, I do not wish to see any more piles of bleached bones."

He tasted blood. He snapped back to reality, realizing he had bitten through his lip.

In the brief moment, Qin Wei had reached the door to Xie Zhefeng’s room and was about to break the barrier. An Wuxue turned abruptly, rushed over, and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"You—"

"Qin Wei," he called out.

Qin Wei paused.

At that very moment, from far away—seemingly from the very heart of Zhaoshui City—a thunderous roar erupted. Screams of terror rose from the mortals in all directions.

A cultivator shouted, "What is happening?"

"It is the Zhaoshui Sword! The Zhaoshui Sword is trembling!!"

Qin Wei looked at him, his eyes wide with shock, confusion, and bewilderment.

"Trust me one more time," An Wuxue said urgently. "Qin Wei, I beg you, trust me one more time. You must go beneath the Zhaoshui Sword now. The turbid energy from the Cloud Sword Sect’s massacre is enough to shake the sword, because beneath the Zhaoshui Sword lies a Great Demon of the peak Tribulation Transcendence stage!"