Chapter 463

【As you slowly open your eyes, you seem to have fallen into a dreamland.】

【Suddenly encountering a peach blossom forest, with no other trees, the fragrant grass is fresh and beautiful, and the fallen blossoms are scattered.】

【At the end of the peach forest, a clear stream flows gently; tracing it upstream, you suddenly see green mountains like dark eyebrows. Between the mountains are fertile fields and paths, mulberry and bamboo shading the area, and even clearer pools like jade, as if it were a realm outside the world.】

【Everywhere is filled with abundant spiritual energy, even richer than inside Above Bianjing.】

【Have you stumbled into the Peach Blossom Spring?】

【You walk closer and see a pond, bordered by vibrant red peach trees; the water surface ripples gently, reflecting the sunset that fills the sky.】

【You regain your senses and realize that this is the Third Master's life-bound essence, "Lamp-Holding Yellow Millet Dream."】

【Five years of borrowed time? Living in this Peach Blossom Spring?】

【At this moment!】

【The eighth sword intent in your Niwan Palace suddenly stirs, as if wanting to break out.】

【Your mind moves slightly, and a sword shadow manifests from the void.】

【This is the Nine Swords gifted to you by the Second Master when he ascended; you have already mastered the essence of the first seven, becoming fully proficient.】

【Only this eighth sword has remained impossible to defeat.】

【On the grass, the sword-intent figure seems different from before.】

【The originally hazy outline gradually solidifies; once it was like flowers in the fog or the moon in the water, but now you see flowing clouds gathering and dispersing, with clear qi surging.】

【Now, the airflow gathers like white clouds, and a clear figure—a young man in white with an imposing demeanor—steps out from the white cloud currents.】

【Dressed in white, like a pear tree in a courtyard, his hair is tied up high, his black ponytail swaying lightly, a cinnabar dot on his forehead, his eyes clear and moist beneath sword-like brows, showing no arrogance, only a sense of transcendence.】

【Your eyes move slightly; this is the Yang Spirit left behind by the Second Master, manifesting again in this "Peach Blossom Spring."】

【The young man in white is also somewhat surprised, looking at his own hands, "This is... Old Three's Yellow Millet Dream? As expected, life-bound essences are related to the cultivation methods and temperament one practices."】

【"Old Three has always wanted a place outside the world similar to the Peach Blossom Spring, but how could that be possible?"】

【The young man in white lowers his eyes to examine himself, his fingertips brushing his swaying sleeves, "So... I am a body in a dream!"】

【"Am I the Yang Spirit I left in the mortal world?"】

【The young man is stunned for a moment, then laughs lightly: "So that's it. You even calculated this step. No wonder you wanted me to leave the true essence of the Nine Swords in the Xie Family's Grand View Garden back then."】

【He looks up at the sky, the sword qi in his sleeves humming slightly: "Even if I couldn't cut open that Heavenly Gate, you had already prepared a backup plan... Ah Hong, you truly have gone to great lengths."】

【You realize in your heart—it turns out that receiving the Nine Swords in the Grand View Garden was all a preemptive move laid out by Senior Xie Hong.】

【The young man in white turns his gaze toward you, his eyes seeming to have flowing clouds passing through: "Don't misunderstand, I am not his true self. I am merely a wisp of residual memory, supplemented by a complete sword-dao inheritance."】

【He condenses a half-inch sword glow at his fingertips, his tone light, "I don't know your name, but since you can obtain my sword intent, you must not be an ordinary person."】

【"I swore long ago that if I couldn't become the best in cultivation, I would rather let this sword-dao of mine become bones in a tomb."】

【Before he finishes speaking, the young man in white already has a sword condensed from his Primordial Spirit in his hand: "This wisp of residual soul can likely last for three years. Can you comprehend the eighth sword?"】

【The young man turns into flying flowers filling the sky, "Let's see your fortune... 'Watch out!'"】

【You are still chewing on the mystery of the Second Master's words when you suddenly see the white-clad figure turn into sword light and sweep toward you.】

【In an instant—】

【Before the sword tip arrives, eight layers of afterimages bloom in the air, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, like thunder chasing lightning. You don't even have time to use the "Yin Fu Jing" substitute, and your form is disintegrated inch by inch by the sword intent, completely annihilated.】

【Then, you condense your form again not far away.】

【It seems that in this Yellow Millet Dream, you are like a Primordial Spirit; you can regenerate with a single thought, feeling no pain, no exhaustion, and you are immortal.】

【The Second Master stands with his sword, his sleeves fluttering, "This is not the original sword intent, only the moves; in this Yellow Millet Dream, I am close to my state from sixty years ago."】

【He flicks his sword tip, and a peach blossom splits into eighty-six petals.】

【"Try to defeat me!"】

【You are slightly stunned; close to the Second Master from sixty years ago.】

【Sixty years ago, the Second Master had already condensed his life-bound essence, his three-foot sword forcing all cultivators in the world to lower their heads.】

【You recall the scene when the Third Master and Second Master fought, and you understand more and more—the realms of the Ten Great Sects are a world of difference for ordinary cultivators.】

【Like a whisk sweeping away mosquitoes, they can be destroyed with a flick of a finger.】

【The Second Master's sword finger rises again, and the "Wind Singing" move from the Nine Swords true essence suddenly appears.】

【Before the sword light arrives, the sharp sword intent has already crossed space, pressing directly against your brows!】

【You use the "Yin Fu Technique," and your substitute just appears—】

【But you see the three sword intents in the young man's hand suddenly merge into one, turning into a sword light as bright as moonlight—"Ghost-Slaying Sword."】

【Before your mind can even shake, your form is annihilated.】

【When you condense again, you see the Second Master leaning against a peach branch, nonchalantly picking at a petal: "What exactly did I see in you? Could it be... my old eyes are failing?"】

【You look helpless, "Again!"】

【The sword light flashes, and before three rounds, you are defeated by the sword.】

【The young man in white twirls his sword and sneers: "Ignoring the head to protect the tail, a reckless brute."】

【"Again!"】

【This time, barely five moves, and you are defeated by a sword again.】

【"Yo, this time you actually learned to protect your back," the young man flicks the sword blade with his fingertip, "Too bad your front is wide open."】

【"Again!"】

【"Tsk, a peach branch is enough to deal with you."】

【"Again!"】

【The young man yawns: "Mediocre aptitude..."】

【"Again!"】

【"Forget it, I'll let you use one hand... still need to practice."】

【This repeats more than ten times, and the sword condensed from the Primordial Spirit has long been replaced by a withered branch snapped off at random. The young man in white leans under the peach tree, his eyelids half-closed, looking completely uninterested.】

【You take a deep breath, the veins on your temples throbbing—】

【You suddenly miss that silent sword-intent shadow from before. What happened to the Second Master being cold as a sword and sparing words like gold?】

【Time in this Peach Blossom Spring is stagnant, and that setting sun hangs forever on the horizon.】

【You notice that the spiritual energy circulating in the peach forest is several times purer than the outside world; every breath feels like drinking nectar.】

【You carve marks on the peach tree to keep track of the days.】

【Where the sword has passed, ninety sword marks have been left on the trunk, all of equal depth.】

【You are not a foolish person; you naturally understand that with the Second Master's current realm, trying to defeat him is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.】

【Only by practicing, when you reach the Ninth Realm of martial arts and your Primordial Spirit ascends to the Yang Spirit, will you be qualified to hold a sword in front of the Second Master.】

【So after a few attempts, you know when to stop and turn your focus to cultivation.】

【Although your Primordial Spirit is becoming increasingly solid, you still cannot touch the barrier of the Yang Spirit realm.】

【You ask the Second Master, "What is a Yang Spirit?"】

【The young man in white is teasing the fish in the pond with a peach branch; he spends his days playing in this Peach Blossom Spring or watching you practice out of boredom.】

【But this place is also strange, as if it truly exists; the fish in the pond and the peaches on the trees are all real.】

【He raises his eyes lazily upon hearing this: "This residual soul of mine... doesn't have the relevant memories, only a few scattered insights, which is that it's a matter of water flowing to form a channel, the word 'accumulation'."】

【The Second Master draws a circle, "The Yang Spirit is a last resort for this world; you can understand it this way."】

【You frown in confusion: "A last resort? Isn't the Primordial Spirit cultivated to the extreme the Yang Spirit?"】

【The young man in white rarely sheds his lazy expression, and the peach branch at his fingertips suddenly blooms with two or three shades of crimson: "In the Daoist 'Zhong-Lu Chuan Dao Ji,' the Yang Spirit is defined as a 'spirit of pure yang without yin,' a state where the Primordial Spirit is condensed to transcend the physical body after the cultivator has gone through refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, and refining spirit into emptiness."】

【"The martial arts Xuan Dan combined with the Yang Spirit secretly matches the Daoist dual cultivation of nature and life—the Xuan Dan is the foundation of life cultivation, and the Yang Spirit is the completion of nature cultivation; this is achieving the life-bound essence."】

【"In the end, it is still... a helpless move."】

【You seem to understand somewhat; you also feel that there should be a realm after the Ninth Realm of the physical body and Xuan Dan, but there seems to be a restriction.】

【After the Upper Three Realms of martial arts, the true qi in the body begins to change; the lower dantian no longer produces true qi, but true essence to nourish the body.】

【However, this also has a drawback: although the human body is mysterious, it cannot produce true essence endlessly.】

【A well cannot always have water; it is not inexhaustible!】

【Therefore, once a martial artist steps into the Middle Three Realms of martial arts, they encounter a natural chasm; no matter how much you can suppress mountains and rivers with your fists or crack the earth with your feet, you cannot escape the human limit of ninety years of life.】

【To break this shackle, one must turn to the path of the Primordial Spirit, nourishing the body with spirit, to extend life by sixty years.】

【The reason the masters of the academy and those old monsters of the Ten Great Sects can live for more than sixty years is all by relying on this method.】

【"However, this is not the right path; it is like drinking poison to quench thirst." The Second Master sighs slightly: "For three thousand years... no, perhaps even longer, the living beings of this world have been struggling to seek, finally finding a path of cultivation... the method of condensing the life-bound essence."】

【He suddenly laughs lightly, "But it is still like duckweed without roots, ultimately all in vain, unable to seek the word 'longevity'."】

【"Back then, when I was thirty, I had already touched the end of this world; only then did I know that it was because Heaven and Earth were lacking, missing the things that truly nourish the physical body and Primordial Spirit."】

【The Second Master looks at you, "Perhaps, the world outside the heavens after ascension is different!"】

【"Or perhaps, this world will change again!"】

【You ponder slightly after hearing this; ascension?】

【A breeze blows, and the peach trees rustle. On the rough trunk, another ninety sword marks of equal depth have been added.】

【A full one hundred and eighty!】

【You suddenly feel your qi sea surging, as if there are waves in your body.】

【The dantian qi sea, originally like a clear pool, now turns into a vast lake, true essence surging through the meridians like tides—this is the sign of success in the Eighth Realm of martial arts, "Observing the Sea."】

【Being able to observe the sea means having a massive amount of true essence, which can then be condensed into a pill again.】

【As your mind moves, your Primordial Spirit leaps out from the Niwan Palace. The once-illusory spirit body is now as solid as jade, casting a faint shadow in the sunset.】

【A Primordial Spirit with a shadow is the time of completion for the Ziwei Heng Realm.】

【Sure enough, your talent in Primordial Spirit cultivation is higher than in martial arts, always faster than martial arts.】

【"Eh?" The Second Master looks at you from the side with complex eyes, and cannot help but say in a low voice, "This kid's cultivation... is too fast!"】

【The young man in white says nonchalantly, "Cultivation has advanced, something to celebrate; shall we have another match?"】

【You gladly accept the challenge, and golden Buddha light erupts from your body.】

【A three-zhang-tall Buddha dharma image rises from the ground; the new lake of true essence in your dantian surges, making the Buddha dharma image appear more solemn and magnificent than before, a full three zhang tall, like a small building.】

【Suddenly, demonic energy surges, and your right hand grips the void, a long spear wrapped in pitch-black evil energy manifesting.】

【Buddha light and demonic flames intertwine around you, forming a bizarre balance—golden light compassionate, black energy sinister, yet unexpectedly forming a whole.】

【The Second Master claps and laughs, shaking down the peach blossoms from the tree: "Using Buddha as the bone and turning demons into the blade? Quite original."】

【He flicks the peach branch with his fingertip, emitting a clear sword hum: "It seems that when martial arts in the world reach their extreme, they are all from the same source!"】

【"Watch out!"】

Xie Fu.

Xie Yuan leads several experts of the Upper Three Realms of martial arts to sneak into the Xie family.

"Damn it, what happened to the Xie family?"

"It's like it's haunted."

Xie Yuan prepares to go to the Grand View Garden to see how the Old Matriarch is doing.

The Old Matriarch still dotes on him extremely.

Passing through three moon gates, the lake pavilion of the Grand View Garden comes into view.

The lake is covered with white-bellied koi, and the stench of rot mixed with the smell of rain hits his nose.

Suddenly, with a splash, a massive object slowly rises from the lake.

It... it is a mountain of flesh three stories high, shining with a blue-white color like corpse wax, appearing to be a person's stomach.

The head is too small and buried in the stomach.

The legs are too short and also stuffed into the stomach.

More than a dozen corpses are stuck to her bloated belly like birthmarks, including the purple faces of maids and the broken necks of young masters, floating in the lake with the mountain of flesh, making sticky splashing sounds.

Emitting an incomparable stench, Xie Guan vomits directly.

But the sound coming from the meatball is hoarse, blurred, and barely distinguishable.

"Children, where are you?"

Bone-chilling, like fingernails scratching the ground.

Xie Yuan recognizes it; it is the Xie Old Matriarch.

He sighs; these past few days, almost all of the Nine Great Clans in Above Bianjing have been like this, and he doesn't know the reason.

As if demons had entered, they have become fierce corpses.

Fortunately, these monsters seem to be trapped by invisible locks and cannot leave the residence.

The Empress Zhuge family is even more terrifying, with no survivors.

However, some people among the Nine Great Clans have not been affected, all being distant direct descendants.

Xie Yuan, due to his mother's arrangement, was staying at the Zhang family, so he was spared.

Among the Nine Great Clans, distant branches have mostly planned to withdraw from Above Bianjing.

The academy gates are closed, and the Great Qi court has also seen many officials disappear overnight.

What exactly happened? No one knows.

The people of Above Bianjing have closed their doors, the streets are empty, and not a soul is seen.

Today, bad news comes from Above Bianjing again: on the Jiangnan Road, the two pillars of the Li family and their 600,000-strong army were defeated by the Red-Eye Army.

Now, the Red-Eye Army is less than fifty miles from Above Bianjing.

Above Bianjing can no longer be defended.

"Let's go, find Brother Guan."

Xie Yuan withdraws his gaze and no longer looks at the wriggling mountain of flesh in the lake.

Several people walk quickly along the blue stone path, pass through the corridor, and head straight for the West Garden of the Xie family.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, everyone stops abruptly—

"This is... what?" Xie Yuan's pupils dilate.

The small courtyard where Xie Guan lives is covered by a layer of light as thin as a cicada's wing, vague and elusive, like smoke and mist.

That membrane of light completely isolates the entire courtyard from the outside world.

He reaches out to touch it, but his fingertips feel like they are reaching into the void, passing through without any resistance—clearly visible, yet untouchable.

Seeing this, the martial arts experts behind him unleash their true essence, blade qi and sword intent roaring out, but whether it is a sharp slash or a powerful palm strike, it is like a clay ox entering the sea, not even stirring a ripple.

"Strange..." Xie Yuan frowns, walking around the courtyard several times, trying to find a flaw.

But no matter from which angle he looks, the scene inside is hazy, as if covered by a thin veil, making even the outlines difficult to recognize.

After a long while, he finally sighs and shakes his head.

"Forget it, can't get in."

"Brother Guan... you can only pray for your own luck."

Xie Yuan leaves with the others.

When leaving from the southwest gate of the Xie family, a twisted, tall black shadow suddenly blocks the path.

Xie Yuan's face turns pale instantly.

There was the meatball transformed from the Old Matriarch in the Grand View Garden, and another monster lurking in the second courtyard!

It is not a simple meatball, but three intertwined corpses: the one on top is disheveled, and Xie Yuan vaguely recognizes it as Lady Zhao, who has lost her beautiful and refined appearance and is now blue-faced and fanged.

Below hangs a gaunt middle-aged man, with a faceless infant sandwiched in the middle.

The three corpses are twisted and intertwined like mating vipers, emitting a nauseating stench of rot.

Even more terrifying is that this monster moves as fast as a ghost, having been lurking in the side courtyard of the Xie family, and is now following the scent of living people!

The three martial arts experts Xie Yuan brought attack immediately, but are shocked to find: ordinary blades and swords cannot harm it at all, as the corpse body is harder than refined gold.

The corpse fire it spits burns upon contact, and its waving claws can easily tear through protective qi.

The three protect Xie Yuan as he escapes.

"Young Master, run! As long as we get out of the Xie Fu, this kind of monster won't dare to leave the walls."

Amidst screams, the three guards are torn to pieces alive.

Xie Yuan runs for his life, but is caught up at the gate, has a leg torn off, and barely rolls out of the Xie family threshold, arriving on the street.

Lady Zhao squats on the wall, not daring to come out, emitting an unwilling shriek, her scarlet eyes staring fixedly at the dying Xie Yuan on the street.

But there is nothing she can do!

(End of chapter)