Chapter 379: Face to Face

This was the seventh bead. Wudong's gaze fell on it, not even needing to look at its attached text.

Because here, it was no longer a completely transparent material. Half of the sphere had been removed and replaced with thick iron and copper with complex patterns.

"【Sword-Leading Bead】.

The imitation of the function of 【Pupil Bead】 by 【Knowing the Other】 had always stopped at the first layer. No matter how familiar and detailed the recording of people's behavior was, what it captured were the ripples projected on the surface of the heart and spirit by the sights and sounds. But going inward, those consciousnesses born from the heart and spirit realm itself had never been recorded.

【Pupil Bead】 undoubtedly had this ability.

The 'Ink Dew' mixed in after the entire drawing was engraved was definitely not for recording those sights and sounds. This material would only be disturbed by the thoughts of the heart and spirit.

And Heart Amber similarly possessed such performance.

【Sword Heart Shine】's use of Heart Amber was skillful but not clumsy. By purifying its own characteristics, one could obtain a magic tool that could mirror the heart and spirit. When refining, leave images in it, and it could guide the trend of the heart and spirit of the person who introduced it into the mirror.

'Ink Dew' is hard to find, and this tool does not want to record every subtle thought of the recipient. Casting it with pure iron and copper engraving is enough."

Soul-Taking Bead.

This was what it looked like when it was first born. There were four iterations later, but it didn't become more exquisite, but became more and more simple and crude. By the last one, the engraving patterns left by 【Seeing Body】 and 【Knowing the Other】 had all been removed, completely becoming a magic tool with completely different functions.

Wudong stood still for a moment, finally moved his gaze away. The two continued to go deeper. Meng Li suddenly said: "He is coming back soon."

Wudong turned his head.

"The formation was broken, he knows." Meng Li said, "Two sticks of incense have passed."

"If he doesn't come back, how can we kill him." Wudong turned his head, "You are freer than I thought."

"The cage can't stop the 'General Scripture of Dao Void Name Reality'." Meng Li said indifferently.

"But you have never left this small courtyard."

"Right. Because I want to kill him, there is no better place than this." Meng Li turned his head and glanced at Wudong. The young brown pupils were very cold.

If a person's only desire was revenge, then freedom indeed could no longer move his heart. Only by watching the enemy who destroyed everything about him pass by every day, would the pleasure of hatred and conspiracy burn the soul like a flame... After getting used to this painful emotion, the distance from the enemy would only make one numb and void.

"He did not imprison me." Meng Li repeated indifferently, "He locked my Qi, but he did not use methods targeting the *Classic of Dao Void*."

"But you are not alone after leaving him." Wudong seemed to be used to this kind of fire, his tone still flat and cold, "Come and tell us where he is, we will capture and kill him soon."

"You? You mean, the Immortal Platform and Tianshan?" Meng Li looked at him coldly, disgust suddenly surging onto his face, "Don't say such disgusting words, Inspector He. I am a traitor of the Swallowing Sun Society."

The two stopped their steps. Wudong looked at him.

"I reported it to the Immortal Platform. Your first thing was to dig three feet into the ground of the Hushan Sword Sect, search the classics, and find out what treasures we hid; Tianshan knew about this, and immediately someone came down to say that this was a relic of King Mu that they had been looking for for many years." Meng Li let out a hoarse cold sneer, "A group of hypocritical people sitting together and talking nonsense about Hushan ancient objects, all of them are drooling hyenas under their human skin."

"It's really the best business. Famous sects, Great Tang imperial court... who is more qualified to inherit wealth than you?" As if talking about another sentence made him vomit, Meng Li turned his head, "Let's talk about the current things, Inspector He."

Wudong was silent for a moment, didn't say a word, and continued to step forward. Meng Li pressed his sword and followed behind.

The third hall was the end of this cliff cave.

A blockade appeared at the entrance again. The invisible curtain hung down. Meng Li raised his hand and pressed it, but couldn't penetrate: "I haven't entered here, but on the night I came here from Bowang, he stayed inside for a long time."

Wudong didn't speak. He pressed his hand on the water curtain. After a moment, a wisp of Xuan Qi was introduced into his own body.

【Jade Tiger】 rang out.

Wudong was stunned for a moment, looked at this curtain and said: "It is not a blockade, just a reminder."

"What?"

"Abandon the sword to enter." Wudong drew his long sword, stroked the sword body slowly with his palm, and left a stack of complex patterns on his palm.

Then he abandoned the Jade Tiger at the door and stepped in.

The space inside came into view.

There was no mystery imagined. It was just a neatly built stone room. The smell of stone and soil floated in the air. The space was larger than the previous two combined, simply having a sense of open-mindedness.

It was just empty, with only a knife and a sword placed on two sides far apart, supported by stone-built platforms, like offerings.

The two stepped in slowly. Footsteps echoed in the silent space. Meng Li observed the traces left on the stone wall: "... This is where he practices knives and swords."

"Not just practicing swords." Wudong looked down at the ground, some extremely fresh winding carvings on the surface of the ground and stone walls, "Look, this should be his work that night."

Meng Li frowned and looked at these traces. They almost wrapped the entire stone room: "What is this?"

"Formation patterns."

Yes, formation patterns. Freshly carved, winding throughout the entire stone room, condensing toward the center on both sides, and finally falling on the knife and sword.

It had no signs of activation at all, lying flat here like a dead thing.

"Worm-shaped multi-arcs, this is the formation style of Kongdong." Wudong squatted down to observe carefully, "He moved a formation born in Kongdong here."

Meng Li frowned in confusion.

Wudong stood up and came to the stone-built platform nearby. This was just an ordinary long sword, cast from good steel, with many traces of use. Wudong drew the sword out, looked at it with his eyes, and then slapped his palm on it, sliding slowly across the sword body.

The Xuan Qi patterns flashed and disappeared. 【Jade Tiger】 rang out at the door.

And then Wudong carried the sword to the knife platform, held the knife handle and drew it. But this time the long knife seemed to be cast dead in it, and he couldn't pull this knife out.

Wudong was stunned and lowered his head. The formation patterns were surrounded by a line of small characters—"Two bodies have no evil, true Qi enters the weapon."

Wudong stood still for a moment, and suddenly laughed hoarsely: "It is like this."

"How?"

"This is a 'Bright Formation'." Wudong sheathed his sword, drew the knife in front of him, and slapped his palm on it again, stroking the entire knife body.

"Bright Formation" and "Dark Formation" are just the difference in meaning. "Bright Formation" does not hide its function from the person entering the formation, and even reminds them intentionally. When designing the formation, it often takes the prophecy as the core, and the formation pattern engraving also coincides with the prophecy.

Wudong continued: "After that, I abandon 【Jade Tiger】, and you pull this knife."

"."

"This is a place to invite the king into the urn." Wudong sheathed the knife, said softly, and turned to look at the water curtain hanging at the entrance.

Meng Li didn't answer again. He also pursed his lips tightly. The silence in the closed room was like drilling into his ears.

A clear footstep appeared outside.

Stable, flat, walking toward this last stone room step by step, as if just stepping on the heartbeat.

The person lifted the water curtain.

A black robe, a long sword hanging from his waist, a dark purple and gold complex play mask covering his face, gray-Bai Long hair hanging backward. He stood still, looking at the two people looking back in the room.

"Inspector Wu, dare to come over alone." The light and cold voice floated in the room, and the air suddenly tightened and became heavy.

Shaolong Play Master, Shadow Mask Sima... No matter how you call him, the dangerous figure on the rainy night in Bowang would not change. Now they already knew his name.

Qu Zhu.

His state was visibly bad. It had only been a few days since the heavy injury of fighting one against four, and now he was also just out of a fierce battle. The Xuan Qi around his body was active to the point of being fierce.

"If I didn't come alone, you wouldn't appear, would you?"

Qu Zhu looked at him without speaking, but under the play mask, he seemed to hook a cold smile.

At this moment, a wild wind suddenly rose in the stone room. That was the long sword at his waist whistling out of its scabbard.

A murderous intent more determined than any previous time. The two had not never exchanged moves, but being anxious to kill or leave, he always had more important goals at that time.

Now, the water curtain was completely sealed behind him. In this completely empty space, finally only he was left to face the edge directly.

The sword Qi was like a tilting wave pressing over. Meng Li on the side was knocked away by the airflow in an instant. And in the front, Wudong closed three fingers without expression and said softly: "Come."

Bright light suddenly shone through the entire stone room. The sharp sound of thunder rang out at the door. 【Jade Tiger】 was completely tempered into gold, like a thunder spear piercing thin paper, passing through the water curtain, and piercing through Qu Zhu's body from behind!

However, it was just an afterimage. The moment the thunder sounded, the black robe turned into a black dragon and swept toward the old man. Clearly it was a body that had not recovered from a heavy injury, but the pressure that squeezed the heart fiercely had not diminished in the slightest. Every explosion of 【Yueque】 was an order to judge life and death.

Wudong waved his arm and drew. The vast Xuan Qi condensed into a mirror shape in front of him, but the next moment it was shredded into scattered fragments. Wudong leaned back. When he was about to hit the stone wall, 【Jade Tiger】 finally caught up with the enemy. Qu Zhu turned around and slashed with his sword. The thunder that pulled out dazzling light in the entire stone cave was extinguished. And this scene seemed to be just a passing fragment. The next moment, the vast sword Qi was born out of thin air again. Wudong finally held his own sword at this moment, barely having time to raise his hand to block the sword, was slashed by a sword, and dense bloodstains exploded on his body instantly. He hit the wall behind him heavily.

Wudong should have been able to respond faster, but it was clear that even if the focus of Qu Zhu's previous two exchanges had never been on him, the injuries caused were enough to constitute a bond.

However, he actually still had the leisure to speak.

The hoarse voice sounded even more dumb and terrifying under the injury: "To kill an old man like me, I think there is no need for this 【Lotus Heart Decisive Sword】."

Qu Zhu didn't stop at all after one hit. The strange and cold play mask had already pressed up again, but this time his sword momentum really paused, and he turned his head to stare at the old man.

【Jade Tiger】 was in hand. The dazzling sword that bloomed at the bottom of the lake that day reappeared here instantly. In the collision of the previous round, 【Pulling Silk】 had already been formed. Qu Zhu's long sword suddenly twisted, and the dazzling electric light suddenly burned his neck.

"Bright Light Thunder" · 【Walking Heaven Sea】

This move bloomed on the two swords that were about to clash at the same time. The next moment they should have merged into an invincible sword in the collision, but Qu Zhu after all was not a white face. The cold Xuan Qi was like deep pool heavy water, drowning the electric light on the sword in the first time. But under the thunder, the gold and iron were one, and that 【Walking Heaven Sea】 that was as straight as a white dragon still drowned his arm.

And borrowing

He used the 【Jade Tiger】 silk-pulling technique to complete the imitation of the sword's characteristics in the room and sent his own sword in, but it clearly did not change anything.

Yet he actually still had the spare capacity to speak.

The hoarse voice sounded even more mute and terrifying under the trauma: "To kill an old man like me, I imagine there is no need for this 【Lotus Heart Decisive Sword】."

After Qu Zhu's sword strike succeeded, he did not pause in the slightest; the eerie, cold play-mask had already pressed in again, but at this moment, his sword momentum actually paused, and he tilted his head to stare fixedly at the old man.

【Jade Tiger】 was in hand, and the dazzling sword strike that had bloomed at the bottom of the lake that day instantly returned to this place. In the collision of the previous round, the 【Silk Pulling】 had already been formed; Qu Zhu's long sword suddenly twisted, and the dazzling electric light instantly scorched his neck.

*Bright Light Thunder* · 【Walking the Heavenly Sea】

This move bloomed simultaneously on the two swords about to clash. The next moment, they should have combined in the impact into a sword that could break through anything, but Qu Zhu was, after all, not a white-faced novice. The cold Mystic Qi, like deep pool water, extinguished the electric light on the sword at the first moment, but under the thunder, metal and iron were one; the opponent's 【Walking the Heavenly Sea】, straight as a white dragon, still submerged his arm.

And taking advantage of the gap created by this sword strike, Wu Dong had already leaned down and pressed toward that sword platform.

Yes, *Bright Light Thunder* was still burning, and the old man had already swept away—he had directly abandoned the Jade Tiger he had worked so hard to send in to the enemy.

The 【Lotus Heart Decisive Sword Array】 is often cited by the world as proof that the Kongdong sword path has too heavy a murderous aura.

That is exactly where the 【Hidden Sword Array】 comes from. Unlike it, besides discarding Mystic Qi and limiting those entering the array to the realm of Qi, it imposed absolutely rigid restrictions on the people dueling in the array.

The two must be barefoot and in single garments, holding the swords within the array to duel.

Now seeing this scene, the vast Mystic Qi rigidly submerged the thunder on his arm, and Qu Zhu also cut off the sword duel, leaning forward to pursue, but at this moment, the roaring, collapsing mountain and sea surged from behind.

Just a moment ago, the instant he grasped the hilt of the blade on the platform, the sharp thunder raced along Meng Li's fingertips, destroying that small ring that imprisoned his Qi.

What kind of terrifying power an Eighth Life cultivator who has mastered the three chapters of blade and sword and the transformation of void and reality can erupt with was fully displayed at this moment. Qu Zhu raised his hand, using vast Mystic Qi to once again imprison the young man's body, but this time he turned his head abruptly—the same method had failed to work.

In the few days of being imprisoned, in the grinding of the sword time and time again, there was not a single moment Meng Li was not thinking about how to pierce the sword into the heart of the person before him. Bearing the *General Classic of Dao Void and Bright Reality*, he would only create incredible miracles time and time again.

Qu Zhu had to turn back to face this sword strike; the momentum stopped abruptly, and the blade went from in front of him to behind him, as if completing a jump that appeared and disappeared suddenly. An incomparably ethereal and cold sword strike—*Pine Mist Sword Chant* · 【Pine Born in Mist】.

The instant he captured the strange movement of the person's body, the power on Meng Li's blade began to dissipate, and his whole person immediately disappeared into the air. But the exchange passed in the blink of an eye; the mountain-and-sea-like sword momentum dissipated, Meng Li's figure was nowhere to be seen, and 【Pine Born in Mist】 landed on empty space, yet a huge, vivid stream of blood still drifted in the air.

(End of chapter)