Chapter 26

"Nonsense!" Daoist Wenqin cried out in exasperation. "I knew you were a wretched demon who wouldn't accept your death, intent on bewitching everyone!"

"Sect Master Lin!" Xie Changan didn't even glance at him, her voice cold as she challenged Lin Mengdu. "I require an explanation. Why is my master trapped here?"

Lin Mengdu remained silent.

Lord Biyang sighed. "This is a long story. Furthermore, this person may not be your master. The Demon Lord is adept at manifesting thousands of forms and probing the depths of the human heart; naturally, he can assume your master's appearance."

"Changan," the man inside the barrier said softly, "the friend you buried with your own hands before I brought you back to Chishuang Mountain—her name was Zheng Luniang."

Such a past could not possibly be known to anyone other than Xie Changan and Zhu Xuanguang himself.

"Then make it short."

Xie Changan’s voice was cold enough to freeze solid. She did not acknowledge the other man’s words, nor did she look at anyone present, yet everyone felt her murderous intent. If the Liutian Sword had sentient awareness, its energy would have locked onto every person in the room.

"What exactly is going on?"

Lord Biyang explained that when Fuguang Mountain was in chaos, demon cultivators disguised as members of various sects were slaughtering everyone in sight. They could barely distinguish friend from foe, and many disciples died in the mayhem. Just as they were at their wits' end, Zhu Xuanguang suddenly descended from the sky and killed many more.

"Zhe Er and Yu Chunshan were both killed by him," Lin Mengdu stated. "As for the disappearance of Cao Sui, he cannot escape responsibility for that either."

"I had lost my senses at the time; I believe I only killed Zhe Er," Zhu Xuanguang said, looking at him. "Yu Chunshan was killed by you. The Demon Lord is inside you now, Lin Mengdu."

The crowd turned pale.

Lin Mengdu sneered.

Zhu Xuanguang’s expression remained calm. "Only those with inner demons allow the demon to take advantage of them. I know what my inner demon is. Do you know what yours is?"

Lin Mengdu was unmoved. "Is there any need to listen to such demonic babble? While he is weak, if we combine our strength, we can still execute him. If Daoist Xie still cares for the greater good and her fellow disciples, she should not stand in our way."

"I am going into the barrier," Xie Changan said. "To speak with him."

"Absolutely not!" Daoist Wenqin refused flatly. "If there is even a crack in this barrier, we won't be able to contain him!"

Xie Changan’s expression was indifferent. "I can leave my sword outside to reinforce the barrier. I will go in alone. That should put your minds at ease."

Without waiting for a response, she formed a seal with her left hand. The Liutian Sword streaked into the sky, slicing a gap open for her. Xie Changan stepped forward, brushed past Lin Mengdu, and vanished into the barrier.

The Liutian Sword immediately split into countless beams of light, forming a net that tightly enveloped the exterior of the barrier to mend the rift.

The movements were so swift that others had no time to intervene. Xie Changan was already inside the barrier, in close proximity to Zhu Xuanguang.

"Is she insane?" Daoist Wenqin exclaimed.

Xie Changan waved her hand, casting a sound-dampening spell around them, ensuring not a single word of their conversation would escape.

The man sat on the ground, one knee raised, looking up at her with a weary, lethargic expression.

Xie Changan paused for a moment. She had many questions, but time was short; those outside would not have much patience. A thousand words could only be distilled into a brief exchange.

"The Zhu Sanlang in the dilapidated temple—was that you?"

"It was me, and yet it was not. At the time, the lingering demonic energy was eroding me, and I could only split off a wisp of my spirit to entangle with the demon. That incarnation has already been slain by you."

Zhu Xuanguang’s voice was hoarse. He seemed to be suffering from severe internal injuries, his words labored and slow.

"Your disappearance before your tribulation—was that also related to the demon?"

"Yes."

Xie Changan actually managed to hold back, asking no further questions.

"I will take you out of here first, and we can talk later."

Zhu Xuanguang finally showed a hint of surprise. "Do you know what you are saying?"

Xie Changan spoke rapidly: "Just now, while using the Liutian Sword to reinforce the barrier, I used it as a medium to secretly apply some dragon scale powder to all of you."

Zhu Xuanguang replied, "The Demon Lord is no ordinary demonic entity; he cannot be identified by dragon scale powder."

Xie Changan continued, "But with the wisp of soul you left in the temple, I modified it slightly on the way here. The improved powder only reacts to one person."

Zhu Xuanguang guessed, "Lin Mengdu?"

Xie Changan confirmed, "So you were right. He is the true Demon Lord."

Zhu Xuanguang chuckled. "My disciple is quite clever."

But now, the Demon Lord was hidden among the crowd outside, standing alongside the other grandmaster-level cultivators, watching them with predatory eyes.

"However, they will not believe it. I fear they will think you are trying to exonerate me. You cannot take me away," Zhu Xuanguang said calmly. "Xie Changan, I am severely injured and my time is short; I have no strength left to fight. There is no need to sacrifice yourself for me."

Xie Changan looked at him. "You left back then, leaving behind so many mysteries."

Zhu Xuanguang said, "There will always be many unanswerable questions in this world. Although the Demon Lord is not in me right now, I have too much demonic energy remaining in my body; the damage is irreversible. Go. Beware of Lin Mengdu. Do not confront him directly. Return to the sect and deliberate on this with Shen Xi later."

"You talk too much."

Xie Changan interrupted him, no longer even calling him "Master."

"Save it for when we are on the run!"

As she spoke, she turned to face the crowd, reaching out into the void as if grabbing something, and another sword appeared in her hand.

Daoist Wenqin, sharp-eyed, immediately shouted, "The Zhaohuang Sword! She has the Zhaohuang Sword! She intends to help Zhu Xuanguang escape! Stop her!"

Before the words had faded, the earth shook and the mountains crumbled!

To stand against four and a half masters at the Sword Immortal stage with only one's own strength—even for Xie Changan, this was a reckless and impossible feat.

But she had no choice.

With the Zhaohuang Sword borrowed from Shen Xi in hand, the sword energy, fueled by ten parts of Sword Immortal-level spiritual power, shattered the sky like breaking glass. Accompanied by a deafening roar, the rock-solid barrier was torn open by a rift!

That very rift was the one she had opened with her Liutian Sword when she entered.

Daoist Wenqin gritted his teeth, thinking that Xie Changan had clearly planned this long ago.

But it would not be easy for Xie Changan and Zhu Xuanguang to leave. As she made her move, Lin Mengdu and the others struck as well.

Every weapon and artifact converged the moment they broke the barrier. The already fragile, crumbling seal shattered instantly. The collision of spiritual power and sword energy was so violent that it altered the heavens; black clouds rolled overhead, raindrops pelted down, and the entire mountain threatened to collapse in the gale!

"Catch!"

The Liutian Sword, left outside, flew back to its master’s hand. Xie Changan threw it to Zhu Xuanguang, while she used the Zhaohuang Sword to clear a path, surprisingly holding back the onslaught from the others.

Seeing the figure struggling before him, Zhu Xuanguang let out a deep sigh. His wrists turned with the speed of his prime, and he unleashed a sword wind against Lin Mengdu with all his might.

When the cold light of the sword reached Lin Mengdu, it turned into wisps of white mist. Lin Mengdu sneered and went to swat it away, only to discover that black-purple veins—as thick and distinct as leaf veins—were rapidly spreading across the back of the hand that had touched the mist.

Lin Mengdu’s expression shifted. He instinctively channeled his power to resist, but doing so only caused his eyes to turn blood-red and predatory. His usual stoic, indifferent mask twisted into a狰狞 (ferocious) scowl, and the black-purple veins took the opportunity to crawl up to his neck.

"Sect Master Lin?!" Lord Biyang, glancing over, was shocked.

This state was clearly not due to injury or a cultivation deviation; it was more like...

"I told you the Demon Lord was inside Lin Mengdu! Do you still not believe me!"

Xie Changan shouted. Taking advantage of the moment everyone was staring at Lin Mengdu, she grabbed Zhu Xuanguang and fled.

"Stop!"

Daoist Wenqin had been watching them closely. Seeing them attempt to escape, he unleashed a golden chain from his sleeve without hesitation, aiming for the back of Zhu Xuanguang’s neck. It moved like lightning; even if Xie Changan turned instantly, she would not have had time to block it.

At that moment, a flash of light streaked past and severed the chain.

"Go quickly!"

It was the voice of Cao Sui, who was supposed to be missing.

Xie Changan was astonished, but she had no time to look back and exchange pleasantries. She immediately carried Zhu Xuanguang away.

They traversed mountains and seas, riding the wind on their swords.

The Sword Immortal stage was not invincible, and Xie Changan was not at its peak. She had been wounded by the Demon Lord’s lingering soul in the temple and had rushed to the mountain without rest. Facing five opponents, her spiritual energy was exhausted. She was pushing herself to the limit, now at the end of her tether.

Zhu Xuanguang felt the hand supporting him trembling slightly and noticed the beads of sweat on her temples.

"You won't be able to make it back to Chishuang Mountain like this. Just take me back."

"Who said I was going back to Chishuang Mountain?"

Xie Changan could no longer hold on. Seeing that they had temporarily left the search radius of Fuguang Mountain, she found a hilltop and set him down.

Zhu Xuanguang spat out a mouthful of blood as soon as he landed. His complexion was even worse than hers; had Xie Changan not been quick to support him, he would have collapsed to the ground.

After a moment of recovery, he saw that Xie Changan did not continue, and he was somewhat surprised.

"In the past, whenever you had doubts, you would find every way to get an answer. It has been so many years; you have changed a lot."

"If I asked, would you answer?"

Xie Changan’s voice was icy, colder than the moon hanging above them.

"After you disappeared, the sect elders passed away one after another. Chishuang Mountain needed someone to hold it together. I often went into seclusion to cultivate; I have grown accustomed to being silent for long periods."

Zhu Xuanguang was silent for a long time. "What about Fang Qinglan?"

Xie Changan replied, "Dead. It is said that while traveling to find you, she was besieged by three demon cultivators of the Compound Realm. I was in seclusion at the time, and by the time I heard the news, it was too late."

Zhu Xuanguang asked, "Is Shen Xi the sect leader now?"

Xie Changan hummed in acknowledgment.

Far from Fuguang Mountain, the evening breeze was gentle, and the crape myrtle blossoms swayed.

But the master and disciple, reunited after so long, sat opposite each other, having reached the point where they had nothing left to say.

When they were apart, she had countless times wanted to find Zhu Xuanguang, to ask him where he had gone all these years, why there was no news, why he hadn't left a single clue, and why he had abandoned Chishuang Mountain without a thought. She had feared he might have died silently in some unknown place, his path ended, with no one to claim his body.

But now, she felt that asking or not asking no longer mattered.

What could be worse than their current predicament? She, Xie Changan, was likely already a wanted fugitive of the entire cultivation world. The master and disciple were on the verge of a long, desperate escape.

"Where are you taking me?" Zhu Xuanguang asked.

"To the ends of the North Sea," Xie Changan said.

Zhu Xuanguang knew her intent the moment he heard it.

"Spirit Reed Grass?"

"Yes. Your soul is unstable; the Spirit Reed Grass can mend it." Xie Changan looked at him and added, "Do not think about running away secretly. I have already burned bridges with them. If you leave again, I will truly be left to face the world alone."

Zhu Xuanguang advised in a gentle tone, "So, it is not too late to send me back now. I have been eroded by the Demon Lord, and my spirit is incomplete. It only appears as if I have recovered; in reality, there are remnants inside. The Demon Lord might return to control my body at any moment, and you will be in danger. The Spirit Reed Grass cannot solve this."