Chapter 324: Wearing and Opening

When Pei Ye saw the black robe pinching the seal to start the array, he truly let out a heavy sigh of relief. In the short few rounds of exchange, the person had already brought the youth an indescribable pressure, completely different from the Son of God or the Immortal Lord.

Powerful monsters and powerful people are two completely different kinds of enemies.

But when he turned his eyes to look for the young girl, he saw a scene that made his heart feel empty.

The most fragile green clothes on the entire battlefield—even if she didn't participate in the battle, Pei Ye worried that she would suddenly be unable to hold on to her state of mind—rushed straight toward the dangerous and powerful black robe with sword in hand.

Just like an innocent kingfisher rushing toward a fierce owl with blood-stained claws.

She neither knew intent-swords, nor did she have Zhanxin Liuli by her side!

Pei Ye felt almost suffocated in his heart for a moment, his pupils shrinking to needles, and he ran toward her uncontrollably, but it was clearly too late.

Burning fire from the dark, dead silence; suddenly exploding with thunder when everything calmed down—this was an overly decisive and abrupt move. Pei Ye clearly saw that the black robe also turned his head in sudden shock.

The old man, who had already been seriously injured and dying, exchanged his life for the final sword strike against the enemy. Pei Ye knew this stance was 【Plucking the Sun and Shining the Feathers】, but it was the first time he had seen it look so brilliant.

Pei Ye felt cold in his heart before such brilliance. He didn't know why things had suddenly reached such a tragic state. Like Li Piaoqing, he actually hadn't prepared for the old man's death.

He had just learned 【Connecting New Corpse】 in these two days, found the ladder to the Flying Feather Immortal, and hadn't had time to share it with the old man who had poured out his essence of Yellow Jade to him.

But this scene happened so abruptly. Pei Ye lunged forward, and the next moment, the old man cut off the black robe's left arm, his life hanging by a thread... a green shadow swept past the blade Qi.

Pei Ye's brain went white with a bang.

This scene was incomparably clear in the vision of the Six-Life. The moist, fine, white, clean hand pulled the old man back with all its might at the last moment, but it didn't have time to withdraw itself.

At that moment, in the mist and rain, the soft green sleeve grew the young girl's orchid-like arm and hand. This frozen picture was firmly branded in the youth's mind.

The next instant, the cruel, sharp white blade shredded it into a mess of gorgeous red and miserable white.

His eyes were bloodshot in an instant. In the silence of the world, something was pierced through with a bang. An indescribable dark tide filled the youth's mind sharply.

The broken fear brewed into a nearly crazy rage. Amidst the black dragon's sudden angry shout, the youth suddenly exploded with a speed that absolutely did not belong to him. The sword light crossed the long sky. The black robe, holding the broken stump of his left shoulder, looked up abruptly.

Under the night sky, behind the youth's flying, messy hair, the golden vertical pupils carried a layer of strange blood-red base.

The moment the two pairs of eyes met, the world stood still instantly.

A pair of the youth's demon eyes, violent and out of control; a pair of the old man's bright pupils, calm and indifferent.

Everything else faded away rapidly. From behind Pei Ye, an endless, boundless dark purple bamboo forest spread out, drowning the black robe in front in an instant.

The night sky fell into a deeper layer of dark gloom. A vague, huge shape sank into it. Further up in the firmament, a long beard spanning the mountains wound its way into the human world.

The scroll of the Immortal Lord's Edict covered the two in an instant.

Heaven and Earth Lock isolated the connection between the Immortal Lord and the Edict; 【Quail Head】 isolated the connection between the Edict and the youth. Pei Ye did not want to open either of these doors.

But the pressure on his state of mind was originally something that would leak in with just a slight loosening of force or a slight gap.

Now, those dark, winding tentacles clinging to the outside pierced through the obstruction of 【Quail Head】 at the moment his state of mind fluctuated.

The youth's state of mind was instantly infected, and the "Purple Bamboo Forest Dragon Immortal Secret Edict" completed its connection with reality.

At this moment, the youth was the Son of God listening to the Edict. His golden pupils were the gateway to the Purple Bamboo Secret Realm. At the first moment of meeting these eyes, the mind of the person in front was swallowed into that world where truth and illusion were intertwined.

Pei Ye was looking at the Playmaster in the fluorescent light with angry eyes and sword in hand in the air; the Son of God was looking down coldly from the high platform at the black robe on the bamboo forest divine path.

At this moment, slicing the heart was slicing the person.

But the next instant, this world covering everything was suddenly pressed as if by a pause button.

Under the purple bamboo forest, a grain of bright brilliance bloomed from the old man's waist.

In this divine, vast, and seemingly subversive dark world, this tiny grain of brilliance was like the heart of heaven cast by clouds and moon. It did not belong to this world; it cleared away everything around it.

The moment it appeared, on the high platform, Pei Ye's bones and muscles shattered instantly.

It was hard to describe such pressure. The entire Immortal World was shaking for it. Above the firmament, the boundless, deep gloom rolled, and the long beard danced wildly on the mountains like a snake or python.

The shattered sky, the splashing divine blood, the collapsing world—everything was fading away rapidly: the purple bamboo forest, white mist, mountains, firmament, along with Pei Ye's red-gold pupils.

In reality, in the autumn rain night curtain, the youth who was sweeping away seemed to hit an invisible wall. After trembling, he flew backward and fell.

The black robe was also hit on the chest as if by a heavy hammer. The wound on his left shoulder that had been locked collapsed again, and blood sprayed from his mouth at the same time.

Pei Ye's face was pale, blood at the corners of his mouth. Before his mind fell into darkness, his golden, fading pupils stared fixedly at the image of the final scene.

This time... he also felt the violent beating of the 【Chi Fire】.

The fluorescent flying stars illuminated the person in the array brighter and clearer than ever before. The edges of all solid objects were reflecting a sacred radiance.

The black robe stood in such light. The left half of his body was bloody like a waterfall, pouring all the way to his shoes. Everything hung down heavily and wetly. The tattered robe on the right half was still being lifted by the surging wind. In a short while, the anger of losing an arm had already dissipated. The strange, colorful play-mask looked at him quietly, and the snow blade was slowly returned to the scabbard.

Straight, deep, calm, sharp—a tragic battle had clearly polished his entire temperament.

Pei Ye still wanted to try hard to do something, but his body felt shattered, his mind was in chaos, and the vivid feeling in his heart was like blood gushing out. Amidst all the collapse, until a trace of bright, familiar white suddenly appeared in his vision, the youth's mind suddenly loosened, and he fell into darkness uncontrollably.

At the edge of the sky, a white line like cloud feathers was pulled out.

Before he could see anything, a clear, light gaze had already descended on the entire scene first, and then immediately fixed on the black robe.

The black robe joined his fingers to form a seal with one hand.

"Golden ropes open the path of enlightenment, treasure rafts cross the river of confusion."

The low chant under the play-mask echoed throughout the scene. Before that sword spanning the long sky arrived, the Heavenly River poured down. All the array patterns carved in the courtyard over several days were exhausted, rolling away everything in the array.

Everything around was quiet, and the mist of "Clouds Locking the Vermilion Tower" slowly dissipated. Blood would not remain. In the autumn night rain sky, it was still a cold, clear transparency.

The surging cloud Qi stopped in this clarity, drifting around like wind-blown feathers. The white-clothed woman stood in the air where the black robe had just disappeared, and the half-drawn sword was gently returned.

She was quiet for a moment, then pointed and drew lightly. Zhanxin Liuli swept lightly, steadily supporting the youth's falling body.

————

Pei Ye couldn't distinguish time, nor could he see where he was. He only felt that in the dark suppression, countless unknown shapes were biting at his mind.

The state of mind that had gradually become clear over the past month seemed to be immersed in the deep sea again. An indescribable stuffiness blocked his heart, pain cut blood holes in his heart like a sharp knife, and then cold, heavy poison flowed into the cuts.

A distant voice came from behind a membrane.

"He has always taken these things very heavily... one injury breaks, one obsession, and there is a gap in the state of mind... No, the Immortal Lord did not enter..."

"There is no way." It was the woman's clear voice. "No external force can be applied. All heart barriers can only be broken through by oneself."

"Hmm." The black dragon's voice.

Pei Ye opened his eyes.

The morning sun shone in through the window; it was a clear morning after the rain. The black cat was squatting beside the pillow, and on the chair by the bed was the white-clothed figure he hadn't seen for only a few days but felt had been a long time. The woman half-blocked the morning sun, looking down at him quietly.

Pei Ye was blank for a while, his body relaxed unconsciously, and his throat was a bit dry and hoarse: "Miss Ming..."

Ming Qitian nodded: "How do you feel?"

Pei Ye was blank again for a while. The bloody memories before the disconnection hit his brain strings violently. He gripped tightly in panic: "What time is it now... Piaoqing..."

"She just left." The black cat said, "Li Weiru needs someone to look after him over there."

"... Oh." Pei Ye let out a sigh of relief, still looking blankly at the window, his lips gradually pursed into a white line.

"After you fainted, the Bright Sword Master came, and that person also left. Nothing else happened." The black cat continued, "You slept for about fourteen hours."

"Oh..." Pei Ye remembered the woman's previous question, "I feel okay... my body and brain are a bit heavy, nothing else."

Ming Qitian nodded: "That's good."

Pei Ye had only received an impact during the last expansion of the divine realm. The woman had already fed him medicinal pills and adjusted his true Qi. What remained now was actually only the matter of the Edict invading his state of mind.

This was the most serious, but also the most difficult to solve.

Pei Ye was quiet for a while and turned to look at the black cat.

"Wu Dong said he is the Playmaster of Shaolong." The black cat said, "The other two, one is the 【Cold Scholar】 of the Sun-Swallowing Society, and one should be that senior brother of Yang Yan. Yang Yan said his name is Meng Li."

"The 【Cold Scholar】 was originally alive, but after Wu Dong looked at him, he committed suicide with his sword." The black cat continued, "Therefore, we know nothing about this Playmaster, only this title."

Pei Ye was silent for a while and said in a low voice: "I will find him."

"Of course." The black cat said softly, "We will definitely find him. In the past two days, the Immortal Platform has basically sorted out the context of the matter. You can go see the more detailed ones."

"Hmm."

"Also." The black cat hesitated slightly, its clear, transparent eyes looking at him, "Li Piaoqing... I still haven't told her about the Edict in your heart-spirit realm."

Pei Ye was blank and speechless. After a long time, he said "Hmm" again lightly.

His throat was a bit hoarse: "Hmm... no need to tell her."

Then he looked at the woman by the bed: "Miss Ming, I've delayed you again... I might not go directly to the Divine Capital... I will give you an answer about the subsequent itinerary in these two days."

Ming Qitian shook her head: "No rush."

Pei Ye got off the bed with his head down and pushed open the door. The fresh coolness of the morning rushed toward his face. In the courtyard, Yang Yan was sitting there. Seeing him come out, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Nothing much." Pei Ye smiled reluctantly.

"What happened?" Yang Yan looked at him with worried brows.

Pei Ye was silent for a while and sat down at the table: "... I saw the person who took your sect's item. I also saw your senior brother; that person took him away."

"..."

"Take out the jade pendant." Pei Ye said in a low voice, "I have learned the second chapter of Collapsing Snow."

Yang Yan took out the porcelain-white pendant. Pei Ye looked at this item carefully again. The patterns and shapes were very ancient. The shape was two arcs facing each other, connected top and bottom, and the core was a deep circle like flowing water.

Pei Ye had once felt it looked like a leaf; now it looked like an eye.

Yang Yan hung it on the tree again. The two, one holding a blade and one holding a sword, launched the second layers of "Swallowing the Sea" and "Collapsing Snow" simultaneously in this small courtyard.

Pei Ye understood in an instant why they were a key. 【Coming and Going】 and 【Whale】 pressed against both sides of the "eye" simultaneously. The burst of the sword crashed into it. It should have knocked the jade pendant away or bounced the swordsman himself away, but at the same time, a void-like suction came from the other side.

One release and one intake, the pupil in the middle was suddenly penetrated by true Qi.

With a "ding" sound, this penetrating true Qi seemed to give it the power to operate. The two withdrew their blades and swords and stood still. This jade pendant floated in the air, the pupil in the middle sank downward, and it actually opened slowly.

Like a clam shell, after opening, it continued to flip backward, revealing the two concave sides.

The flowing jade quality crowded two positions on both sides respectively.

A hard, regular spherical depression, which could perfectly embed a bead the size of a date; a regular hollow square, which seemed to have had something trapped inside.

But now, both places were completely empty.

Yang Yan was stunned.

Pei Ye was somewhat prepared. The black cat came to his shoulder at this time and pointed its claw at the spherical position: "What I felt before was the aura remaining in this position."

Pei Ye was silent for a while and said in a low voice: "Yang Yan, I want to discuss something with you."

Yang Yan was still looking at the jade pendant in a daze. He had tried so hard just to open it, but now nothing was left inside, and he didn't know where to go next.

Pei Ye called out two more times before he turned his head blankly.

"I want to exchange this thing with you." Pei Ye looked at him earnestly.

"... What?" Yang Yan didn't react.

"This jade pendant, and the bead inside."

"... There is nothing inside this jade pendant." Yang Yan was stunned, "The bead is not with me either."

"I know." Pei Ye said, "But they are your things."

"..."

Pei Ye looked at him.

"They are not my things either." Yang Yan smiled somewhat dejectedly, "Thank you, Pei Ye, but Master once said... we are just guards. I didn't get "Collapsing Snow" myself, and I am very grateful that you helped me open the jade pendant... I don't know how to use this pendant either. It looks like it can hide some things, so I'll just give it to you."

"The bead..." Yang Yan looked at it blankly for a while again and said in a low voice, "Actually, I don't want anything, Pei Ye."

"..."

"I just want to kill the enemy, just want to... return to the days I spent with Master and Zhang Shixiong." Yang Yan lowered his head, "I don't know why they are so crazy about these things that I don't know what they are. Anyway, I didn't want them. If you find them one day, just tell me what they are."

Pei Ye was silent for a while, stepped forward to gently embrace him, and patted the youth's back.

He shook his head and said: "I'll exchange with you, using the "Snow Night Flying Goose Sword Stance"."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 325 =====