Chapter 129

"Master, there is a space that can be entered and exited here." Jiang Yu hadn't yet managed to speak Thus: Xuantang Xingjun's name when Sui Lv Zhenjun already released infant fire.

He looked ready to burn the sword blade at any moment: "What's inside? Did it hurt you?"

"Just Thus: Xuantang Xingjun, but before..." Jiang Yu detailed the events before and after her discovery of the spirit sword space and Xuantang's changes.

With Master present now, she wasn't afraid that the sealed and suppressed Thus: Xuantang Xingjun would hear— a disembodied soul without a fleshly body, she couldn't beat him herself, but Yuanhou's cultivation absolutely could.

So she wasn't afraid Xuantang would hear, and she also made a point: "Spirit sword, as a disciple I must eventually take it to the cave heaven."

How wise Sui Lv Zhenjun is— upon hearing, he immediately knew she had reached some sort of deal with Thus: Xuantang Xingjun.

"Take me in to have a look." After Sui Lv Zhenjun stood before the three-tiered round earthen mound, observed the entire spirit sword space, and then slowly said:

"This is a rare ancient soul-sealing formation; the person who forged this space likely originally intended to add a soul-sealing effect to this sword."

But an accident occurred during the forging, and the sword was ruined.

His divine sense far surpassed Jiang Yu's, able to penetrate the mound and see a dark-colored ring pressed at the very bottom.

Then he sent a voice transmission: "Senior Xuantang, my guess is correct? What can I help you with now?"

"Hmph, you do have some insight, but I don't know if you can pry open the mound." Thus: Xuantang Xingjun was not surprised that the other could find his hiding place.

After long contemplation, he seriously suspected that the divided soul he had reclaimed from the golden register was tempting him to attack the little turtle's soul, which led to his own predicament.

"Damn it, this divided soul must have its consciousness erased, or else it will surely harm me sooner or later."

Sui Lv Zhenjun pondered briefly: "This formation cannot be forcibly pried open by my junior alone."

Even adding two or three helpers would be of little use, and the mound could deform under various violent destruction, endangering the spirit sword's main body and your safety.

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun said coldly: "Then let Jiang Yu use her heart's blood……"

"No, my disciple has only just established her foundation; losing a drop of heart's blood could cause her cultivation to fall back to Qi Refining."

"I am deeply grateful for your guidance, senior, and I will do my utmost to help you escape this formation soon, but the precondition is that my disciple must not be harmed." Sui Lv Zhenjun firmly refused.

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun could only settle for second best: "Lay the Nine Luminaries Return to Dust Formation on the spirit sword."

Upon hearing that, Sui Lv Zhenjun's heart stirred: "The Myriad Swords Sect's Sword Pool is a naturally occurring sword-nurturing soul-gathering divine formation; would it be alright to send the spirit sword there to rest for a year?"

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun immediately refused: "No, what if Jiang Yu forgets to retrieve the sword? I'd be at a great loss."

"Just set up the formation in your valley; I don't mind you placing a few more swords inside for maintenance."

"Senior, you need to wait a few days until we gather star iron, fire crystal sand, tungsten stone, etc., before we can set up this formation." Sui Lv Zhenjun gave Jiang Yu a meaningful glance, and the two master and disciple didn't wait for Xuantang to say more, immediately flashing out with the spirit sword.

Moreover, they separately sealed the spirit sword in a room.

Then Sui Lv Zhenjun bluntly asked: "What did you trade with it?"

Jiang Yu pointed a single finger to the sky: "At that time, as a disciple, I could only bind him with this."

"Then you also trapped yourself? You really are a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, daring to casually swear a heavenly oath."

Do you not realize that while it binds the other party, it also simultaneously restricts you?

What thing requires you to maintain it with this? Xuantang is merely a single divided soul; when it returns to its main body someday, there will always be a way to find a loophole in the oath.

And you are still you!

Today you have also noticed that after his other divided soul merges, he already harbors ill intentions toward you.

"He's been a crafty old fox for thousands of years— can a single oath of yours really bind him?" Sui Lv Zhenjun's speech grew faster and his voice more severe.

Jiang Yu dared not retort, meekly listening to the lecture in a low voice; as a result, she never expected that Master's scolding would last a quarter of an hour.

Without a single pause in between, listening made her head buzz nonstop.

And within the Dragon Pearl space, the two dragon treasures that were checking which parts the old dragon head had tampered with were also left gaping open-mouthed from listening.

"Is Jiang Yu's master scolding her? Did he used to lecture her like this before?" Ao Ze had always lived in the secret valley and was unaware of the actual relationship between Jiang Yu and her master.

Jiang Tu shook his head: "First time, but this is what a true master-disciple relationship should be like."

"Sui Lv Zhenjun originally treated Jiang Yu well, but there was always an intangible distance."

"You scold because you care, but even if you don't like someone you'll still scold, and it's harsher." Ao Ze recalled his mother hearing that, and his father selling him off.

In the end, Sui Lv Zhenjun said: "Although I now wish to take you as my personal disciple, the master-disciple title is already set— just how much do you distrust me?"

Jiang Yu instinctively raised her head and said: "Master, disciple, I have not."

"You know in your heart whether or not; since the spirit sword is to be placed in the secret valley, you may as well stay here and cultivate in seclusion." Before his words even finished, Sui Lv Zhenjun had already used the earth-shrinking technique to walk out of the valley mouth.

Elder Hu, seeing the master-uncle leave from next door, his face turned very grim; he hurried over from the hall and asked, "Jiang Yu, what happened to the master-uncle?"

She needed to understand clearly first, so she could inform her senior brother Lin Quan, lest he return and say something wrong, bringing trouble upon himself.

"I've made some mistakes, Elder; do you know what Master usually likes?"

"I want to find a way to cheer him up and ease his anger." The master-disciple bond is mutual as well; deep down Jiang Yu has always been on guard against her master— how could he not know?

That's probably also why Master doesn't interfere with her too much.

When she learned from Elder Hu that Master's greatest love is ancient books, she swiftly pulled out the original editions she had scavenged from the Dongzhou Continent.

While she and Elder Hu were rummaging through the piles of books, screening them together, the Void Sect again welcomed a wave of visitors.

However, Sui Lv Zhenjun no longer appeared personally; everything was handled by his junior sister Fu Ju instead.

He himself returned to Sui Shou Peak, climbed to the highest ten-thousand-year-old pine, and drank wine while watching the heavens.

At nightfall, Jiang Yu quietly returned to Sui Shou Peak; not finding anyone at Master's residence, she had Jiang Tu and Ao Ze fly around the mountain peaks to search.

Before long, they heard Sui Lv Zhenjun speak: "Jiang Tu, what are you sneaking about for?"

"I am clearly acting openly and aboveboard." Jiang Tu retracted his divine sense and with a whoosh flew to a tree fork to look at him.

Sui Lv Zhenjun gave it not a glance, continuing to drink on his own, and bluntly said: "Would you be willing to serve as the guardian divine beast of my Void Sect?"

"Unwilling." Jiang Tu also said bluntly: "Your Void Sect is too small to keep me, the king."

Sui Lv Zhenjun sighed, but fortunately asked anyway, "Even if you force a melon, it won't be sweet"— "After you assume human form, will you leave Jiang Yu to go to the Yao Race?"

"The Yao Race on the Tianyuan Continent has significant conflicts, with frequent wars between clans."

"Elder, do you think I will stay in Tianyuan? You lot don't even have a Transformation Spirit cultivator here."

The experiences spoken about in Profound Hall, I believe you also have them in your library.

"And the reason you cannot achieve Spirit Transformation is not due to non-human aptitude and comprehension issues, but because there are some problems in your world." Before Jiang Tu's voice had finished, Boom—, the bright moon hung high in the sky, the sun at its zenith, suddenly, three thunderclaps boomed from the flat ground.