Chapter 419: Yun Tianhe Was Born of His Mother

Fengdu.

This place is the entrance to the Ghost Realm.

“At midnight, the entrance to the Ghost Realm will open here.”

Gu Qing explained: “But if you enter through this place, your souls may pass, but your bodies must remain outside.”

A bit too ghostly for humans, but perfect for Long Kui.

She had no physical form and could enter the Ghost Realm at will.

Jing Tian and Xue Jian hesitated upon hearing this restriction, but Xuan Xiao accepted it calmly, sitting silently outside the gates of Fengdu City—he had already become an immortal and could shrug off such limitations.

Gu Qing smiled at Xuan Xiao and said: “Want me to teach you a few curses?”

After all, when facing Yun Tianqing, Xuan Xiao had nothing but curses to say.

“No need!”

Xuan Xiao, sensing Gu Qing wanted to watch him suffer, said coldly: “What Yun Tianqing seeks is merely peace of mind—if I curse him, I’ll only grant him what he wants.”

Gu Qing was disappointed upon hearing this.

Just after midnight.

The Ghost Realm entrance opened naturally; Long Kui stepped forward first, entering the Ghost Realm, her body instantly shifting into its red state, shouting out to the ghosts within, who immediately bowed their heads in reverence.

“Even the Ghost Realm respects strength.”

Red Kui chuckled: “And a ghost’s strength is obvious at a glance—they see me, they bow.”

With Long Kui’s raw power clearing the way, their journey through the Ghost Realm went smoothly; lesser ghosts bowed at their feet, allowing Long Kui to quickly map out the Ghost Realm’s layout.

Currently, the Ghost Realm is torn by a struggle between two kings: the King of Hell and the Fire Demon King. Of the two, the Fire Demon King is no match for the King of Hell—but he has acquired a rare treasure that has drastically raised the temperature of the Lava Hell, leaving the King of Hell powerless to stop him.

“The Fire Spirit Pearl!”

Zi Xuan immediately said.

“But the Lava Hell is so hot—we can’t even get close.”

Xue Jian felt the heat radiating from the Lava Hell, watching the lesser ghosts there fleeing in agony, and had no desire to enter.

“Don’t forget—we have the Water Spirit Pearl.”

Zi Xuan said.

To obtain the Fire Spirit Pearl, you must rely on the power of the Water Spirit Pearl; now that Gu Qing had obtained the Water Spirit Pearl, the Fire Spirit Pearl was no longer within Shu Mountain’s reach.

“You go get the Fire Spirit Pearl.”

During his time in Fengdu, Xuan Xiao learned Gu Qing had connected with the Nine Heavens Immortal Lady and made an agreement with Shu Mountain to allow Qionghua Sect to reincarnate under its shell.

Qionghua had been destroyed because of Xuan Xiao; he was glad to see it given a chance to be reborn.

“I’m going to the Wheel Mirror Platform to find Yun Tianqing.”

Xuan Xiao stated his plan.

“Want me to teach you a few curses?”

Gu Qing asked with a smile.

“That’s a reward for Yun Tianqing!”

In his time with Gu Qing, Xuan Xiao had picked up some phrases; after bidding Gu Qing farewell, he walked toward the Wheel Mirror Platform. Though Xihe Sword was not at his side, years of cultivation through the earth’s veins, prolonged exposure to Xihe Sword, and the practice of the Ice Condensation Technique had already brought him into perfect harmony of water and fire—he carried an aura of menace as he walked through the underworld.

Along the way, Xuan Xiao reached the Wheel Mirror Platform. Over centuries, Yun Tianqing’s soul had grown weak; upon seeing Xuan Xiao, he beamed with joy and said: “Master Xuan Xiao, you’ve finally come.”

Yun Tianqing had waited here for many years.

“You want me to forgive you, just to ease your conscience?”

Xuan Xiao asked coldly.

Yun Tianqing shook his head rapidly: “I only want to tell you the truth.”

“Truth?”

Xuan Xiao sneered—he had lived among mortals for centuries; what could he still not know?

“Tianhe might be your son!”

Yun said.

“Impossible!”

Xuan Xiao flatly denied it, his eyes flashing with agitation: “Su Yu was pure and virtuous back then—we admired flowers together, but never crossed a single line…”

“I never touched Su Yu!”

Yun said.

“….”

“….”

Xuan Xiao and Yun Tianqing locked eyes—and suddenly, they felt a strange kinship.

Lava Hell.

Gu Qing walked slowly through the Lava Hell with Zi Xuan, Long Kui, Jing Tian, Xue Jian, and the Five Poison Beast Hua Ying. Jing Tian, Xue Jian, Zi Xuan, and Long Kui all carried Water Spirit energy; yet Gu Qing walked through the Lava Hell as if it were ordinary ground.

“Jing Tian, set aside your sword skills for now—master the immortal arts first.”

“Xue Jian, that’s not how you strike.”

Along the way, many ghosts appeared; Gu Qing did not attack them himself but left them to Jing Tian and Xue Jian for practice. The two novices, encountering these Lava Hell creatures, dodged and scrambled helplessly—but with Gu Qing’s guidance, they managed to exchange a few blows.

Gu Qing deliberately let them “gain experience,” so he wasn’t in a hurry to claim the Fire Spirit Pearl.

Mostly because Gu Qing was distracted, watching the drama unfolding with Xuan Xiao.

As they strolled leisurely, they eventually reached the Fire Demon King’s palace.

The Fire Demon King was no beauty, but a rough, burly man, entirely crimson, muscular and strong; upon seeing Zi Xuan, Long Kui, and Xue Jian, he was stunned: “How can there be such beauties! I’ll take you all as my concubines!”

“Go on.”

Gu Qing shoved Jing Tian forward, forcing him to stand at the front: “You get the Fire Spirit Pearl, and we’ll leave.”

The Fire Demon King looked at Jing Tian’s thin arms and legs, shook his head; since Gu Qing mentioned the Fire Spirit Pearl, he knew these people had come for him—he formed his hand into a hammer and slammed it down toward Jing Tian’s head.

“Snow Dance, Ice Seal!”

Xuan Xiao’s body radiated freezing cold; with a sweep of his hand, ice bloomed like lotus petals across his form, then condensed into layered ice crystals that crashed down upon the Fire Demon King.

The Fire Demon King, caught off guard by the spell, had no time to resist—the ice struck his head; fire met ice and instantly erupted in scalding steam. As the Fire Demon King screamed in pain, he saw rows of sword qi before Xuan Xiao—each blade forged of ice, over a zhang long—rising into the air. Before he could dodge, the ice blades pierced him through.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The sword qi struck without end.

Though the Fire Demon King had thick skin and tough flesh, he could not withstand it—he reached out and hurled the Fire Spirit Pearl away: “Take it! You want it? Fine! I’ve got a pile at home anyway. Take the palace too—I’ve been using it as a latrine…”

The Fire Demon King fled in haste. Xuan Xiao examined the Fire Spirit Pearl, then tossed it to Gu Qing.

“How did you get here?”

Gu Qing feigned surprise: “Already finished catching up with Yun Tianqing?”

Earlier, Gu Qing’s spiritual sense had caught a massive revelation: Yun Tianqing had trailed Su Yu away from the sect, gained nothing, and ended up raising someone else’s child—Gu Qing had been holding back laughter the whole time.

“Finished.”

Xuan Xiao said coolly: “Gu Qing, you once said it might be possible to return to the past, correct?”

Gu Qing’s expression darkened; he paused, then said: “Didn’t you say Xuan Xiao, having come this far, had never regretted anything?” Those who feel no regret have no need to return to the past.

Xuan Xiao snorted: “I trained relentlessly for the Twin Swords, pushing forward even when progress stalled; when my meridians twisted, I bit my tongue and endured; after losing Wangshu Sword, I suffered the torment of inner fire, frozen by ice—all were my choices, and I never regretted them. But I do wish to return—to see the battle between Qionghua and the Phantom Moon Realm from another perspective!”

Back then, Xuan Xiao believed Yun Tianqing had taken Su Yu away—but now he knew there was more to it, and perhaps it involved Yun Tianhe’s true father.

For all these years, even Yun Tianqing only knew that Yun Tianhe was born of his mother.

His father remained a mystery.

Yun Tianqing had spent centuries at the Wheel Mirror Platform, speaking with souls passing through reincarnation, yet never found anyone who admitted to being the father.

“Ah, this…”

Gu Qing looked troubled; only after Xuan Xiao begged repeatedly did he reluctantly agree.

Though it seemed like he was collecting merit, Gu Qing had his own calculations.

“There are two ways to return to the past.”

Gu Qing said: “One is the Soul-Returning Immortal Dream—but even if you return, you cannot change a single thing. The second is to go to the Nine Springs of Shennong and use the power of the Mist Soul Spring to reverse time.”

The Nine Springs of Shennong are: Mirror of the Soul, Chilling Marrow, Scorching Sea, Purity, Mist Soul, Spring Nourishment, Flame Wave, Poison Miasma, and Dragon Pool. Scorching Sea holds endless water and life force; Purity can foresee the future; Chilling Marrow can peer into life and death—the Book of Life and Death in the Underworld is merely an extension of Chilling Marrow; Mist Soul can manipulate time, even reverse it; Mirror of the Soul is used by the Divine Realm for judgment; Flame Wave is used by the Demon Realm to forge weapons; Spring Nourishment transforms turbid qi into pure qi.

The Dragon Pool spring is not only the final resting place of all worldly memories, but also allows one to exchange lives—this spring’s power is the core of the Immortal Sword: The Legend of the Six.

“We must pass through the guardian of Chilling Marrow in the Underworld, then reach the guardian of Mist Soul…”

Xuan Xiao said.

Shennong once built the Nine Springs, connecting the Three Realms; though scattered, the springs are linked—travelers can move from one spring to another.

“I’ll take you to the guardian of Chilling Marrow.”

Gu Qing said.

Jing Tian, Xue Jian, Long Kui, and Zi Xuan exchanged glances; they cared little for the old secrets, but the chance to travel through time stirred their own regrets.

Each of Shennong’s Nine Springs has a guardian; to use a spring’s power, you must gain the guardian’s consent.

Chilling Marrow lies near the Ghost Realm, where a giant lotus tree grows—each lotus blossom on it represents a life; when it blooms, the person lives; when it withers, they die. If a blossom falls into the water but does not sink, it means the soul clings to the mortal world, drifting farther and farther away in the spring.

The guardian of Chilling Marrow is Wang Chen, the Fate Lord—a goddess with six arms. As Gu Qing approached Chilling Marrow, she immediately stepped forward to block him.

“Wang Chen, Fate Lord!”

Gu Qing stepped forward, pressing his palm against hers; the power within him surged but remained contained. After a brief touch, Wang Chen’s demeanor softened instantly, looking at Gu Qing with new interest.

“The Nine Springs of Shennong connect the Divine, Mortal, and Demon Realms—yet I have never encountered someone who stands outside the Three Realms and beyond the Five Elements.”

Wang Chen stepped back gracefully, allowing Gu Qing’s party to gather before the Chilling Marrow spring.

Xuán Xiāo reached out, seeking to locate Sù Yù, while Jǐng Tiān reached out, contemplating his parents.

Zǐ Xuān crouched before the spring, gazing curiously at Gu Qing and asked, “Where do you think my Nüwa lineage will go?”

“To the tip of my heart.”

Gu Qing replied offhandedly.

Zǐ Xuān snorted and turned her face away.

“Why can’t the Spring Keeper sense the person?”

Xuán Xiāo asked Wàng Chén Sīmìng.

Wàng Chén Sīmìng, watching the lotus on Hán Suǐ bloom, wither, fall, and sink, said calmly: “The demonic lineage, upon death, returns to stillness; after many years, they are reborn in the Demon Realm. The divine lineage, born with infinite lifespan, cannot be sensed either. Beyond that, if a person enters either the Divine or Demon Realm, their fate lies too far from the mortal world to be sensed.”

The Divine and Demon Realms?

Xuán Xiāo chuckled, suddenly finding Qióng Huá and Sù Yù harder to understand.

Gu Qing bowed to Wàng Chén Sīmìng and said, “We wish to borrow this spring to reach Wù Hún.”

In the world of Xianjian Qixia Zhuan VI, the Kunpeng Zhu Yu had bound the Wù Hún Spring, giving rise to later factions like Héng Dào Zhòng and Qǐ Hún Shèng Zōng; now, the Kunpeng had not yet stirred, and the Wù Hún Spring remained untouched. After informing Wàng Chén Sīmìng, he pointed at the spring, and a faint, distant water path appeared, leading straight toward the Wù Hún Spring.

Gu Qing led the group, following the spring, and arrived smoothly at the Wù Hún Spring.

The Wù Hún Spring Keeper was a mortal, merely serving as keeper, yet he held unique thoughts on time.

“You wish to return to the past and witness the battle between Qióng Huá Sect and Huàn Míng Realm?”

The Wù Hún Spring Keeper looked at Xuán Xiāo, then at Zǐ Xuān, and asked, “Why not use the Soul-Returning Dream?”

“We are too many.”

Gu Qing said simply.

“Too many won’t work!”

The Wù Hún Spring Keeper sensed something amiss, but circumstances left him no choice—Gu Qing’s fists were too powerful. After hearing the time they wished to visit, he said: “The past you seek is long gone, its karmic threads already fixed. Human intervention can no longer alter it. Once there, observe only. Do not dare to defy Heaven’s will, or you will invite catastrophic backlash.”

Having issued all warnings, the Wù Hún Spring Keeper manipulated time and sent Gu Qing and Xuán Xiāo back hundreds of years.

Kunlun Mountain, Qióng Huá Sect.

Xuán Xiāo, surrounded by malevolent energy, felt a pang upon seeing Qióng Huá of old. He had trained here, sworn to fulfill the three generations’ wish and elevate the entire sect to transcendence—yet in the end, Qióng Huá’s lineage sank to the bottom of the Eastern Sea, and its mountain gate was shattered by Yún Tiān Hé’s arrow.

This scene of mist and light would never be seen again.

Following the Wù Hún Spring Keeper’s instructions, Xuán Xiāo veiled his face.

“I don’t need to hide my face.”

Gu Qing said calmly: “In this time, I haven’t been born yet. As long as I don’t interfere, nothing will go wrong.”

The Wù Hún Spring Keeper had already said this: even if problems arose, they were buried in time, leaving no trace on the future centuries later.

“I’ve come back this time only to catch an adulterer!”

Xuán Xiāo said coldly: “After confronting Yún Tiān Qīng, I came to believe everything in Qióng Huá stemmed from Sù Yù’s lover—he ruined Qióng Huá’s grand plan, drove my heartfire into demonic corruption, and over a decade later, let his son infiltrate Qióng Huá...”

This man was worse than Yún Tiān Qīng!

Hearing this, Gu Qing felt a pang of guilt. The difference between this Xianjian world and the original lay in whether Gu Qing had crossed over. Now, such a massive disruption had appeared in the Xianjian IV timeline—he instinctively blamed himself. So when Xuán Xiāo asked about time travel, Gu Qing hesitated repeatedly—but still, he had to come himself to see.

(End of Chapter)