191: Chapter 60: Falcon and Phoenix 191: Chapter 60: Falcon and Phoenix “Interesting…
was it a mistake in addressing?”
The smoke and dust in the courtyard slowly dispersed.
A tall man stood in front of the mansion’s stone steps, and he reached to touch his own cheek, whispering with a low laugh, “I thought my ‘Disguise Technique’ had been uncovered.”
“Heh.”
Xie Xuanyi smiled slightly, noncommittal.
Of course, he did not tell the whole truth.
From the moment he stepped into the courtyard, he realized that the young girl sitting on the wooden chair was not Jiang Huang.
Apart from the word “brother” revealing a flaw.
There was also a most crucial issue.
That was the Undying Spring—
The half drop of Undying Spring given by Xie Xuanyi could always resonate with the Heart Lake.
It was a mark no disguise could replace.
“You’re quite bold.”
Xie Xuanyi narrowed his eyes, “Now the entire Da Sui Sword Palace is thoroughly investigating last night’s assassination attempt.
Golden Turtle Peak has completely sealed the mountain gate… In such circumstances, you still dare to sneak into my mansion?”
“I didn’t want this either…”
The tall man sighed.
With his hands behind his back, he said lightly, “But the stricter the investigation, the safer your place becomes.”
With a hiss.
The sound of a flame igniting echoed in the courtyard.
Suddenly a burst of brilliant green fire blazed in the man’s pupils, then the fire rapidly spread, erupting from the skin all over his body.
Xie Xuanyi watched the “man of fire” expressionlessly.
He directly revealed the other’s trump card, “Innate Separation Fire Saint Body.”
Cultivators often differ in talents.
Besides that, there are also differences in physique.
Some people are naturally close to the Sword Dao, like Xie Xuanyi in his previous life who was inherently a “Sword Dao Leader.”
Others resonate with different Dao.
The Innate Separation Fire Saint Body is extremely compatible with the “fire” element of the five elements.
Once a Fire Saint Body cultivates to the Cave Heaven Realm and employs fire-related magic, its power would be several, or even tens of times greater than that of other cultivators!
This kind of physique is usually one in ten thousand.
“Worthy of being Xie Xuanyi’s disciple.”
The Qing Sun envoy no longer disguised himself, and he smiled as he praised, “Just from reading the Qingzhou case files, one would underestimate you.
Last night’s Primordial Fire Explosion didn’t kill you, and that made me realize… you are much stronger than anyone imagined.”
Xie Xuanyi looked up at the courtyard’s sky.
The moon tonight was particularly clear.
Yet not much light fell in front of the courtyard.
The talismans he had placed hadn’t moved at all… but someone had reinforced them with another layer.
“Don’t bother thinking about leaving, I added another layer of array patterns,”
Qing Sun envoy said calmly, “From the moment you stepped into the mansion, there was no way back.”
Since the opponent had laid his cards on the table.
Xie Xuanyi felt no need to rush.
“Are you that confident?”
He walked to the stone table and leisurely sat down, “What if I never planned to leave?”
With a crack.
Invisible Sword Intent burst forth; a branch from the banyan tree above the stone table suddenly snapped off and fell in front of Xie Xuanyi.
The meaning of this move was very clear.
By now, the entire Dachu Dynasty must already know…
Xie Zhen defeated the Prince Jiangning’s Red Dragon Dharma Image with a single wooden branch.
This fallen branch.
Was, indeed, a sword!
“Never thought of leaving?”
Qing Sun envoy also sat down, sitting directly on the ground, not minding the dust on the stone steps, and started speaking with a laugh, “If you are not running, it means you want to pierce through the array patterns and send out Sword Thought to the outside world.”
The meaning of that fallen dry branch could not be clearer.
He certainly understood Xie Zhen’s intent.
Though this array pattern was strong… puncturing a corner should not be difficult.
As long as he pierced a corner, sending out a wisp of Divine Thought.
Then Golden Turtle Peak would quickly notice.
“I must admit, such a figure as Sword Palace’s Law Enforcement needs only a wisp of Sword Qi to kill me,”
Qing Sun envoy spoke earnestly, “But the moment you strike with your sword, I can also make a move.”
Xie Xuanyi narrowed his eyes, “You think you can kill faster than I can?
Do you believe you can kill me in an instant?”
“Correct.”
Qing Sun envoy smiled and said, “I know you have already forged a Golden Body… Perhaps I can’t kill you in one move, but what if I attack this young girl instead?”
He lifted his palm.
The door to the guest room was blown open by the wind.
Jiang Huang, her complexion pale with fright and face streaked with tears, was tightly bound by the golden treasure rope and sat collapsed on the floor.
“Wuu wuu…”
She cast a despairing and helpless look towards Xie Xuanyi.
“You traveled thousands of miles to Sword Palace, enrolled at Lotus Peak, and still did not forget to bring this young girl with you, so she must be very important to you,”
As Qing Sun envoy spoke, he observed Xie Zhen’s facial expression.
He was somewhat disappointed.
Xie Zhen showed little change in expression.
“Dharma” concealed Xie Xuanyi’s face.
But the silent courtyard indicated his stance, the dry branch that fell on the stone table, up to this moment, had not yet been picked up by Xie Zhen… Qing Sun envoy was very satisfied with the current situation.
He spoke softly, “It seems I was not mistaken, she is indeed very important to you.”
A light breeze blew, leaving the courtyard quiet.
Enveloped by two layers of array patterns.
The atmosphere on the scene became exceptionally heavy.
“It’s pointless to talk more… what do you want to do?”
Xie Zhen took a deep breath and said sternly, “I know you came here this time, not to kill me.”
If the other party was here to kill him.
He would not have waited until now—
This fellow’s strength was certainly not of the Cave Heaven Realm, just last night’s mechanical armor alone was enough to kill a Cave Heaven.
This was likely an Innate Separation Fire Saint Body of Great Success.
His strength among the Yin Gods was not to be underestimated!
This was also why Xie Xuanyi had not heedlessly drawn his sword…
Once he drew his sword,
that fellow would make his move.
Whether or not the Sword Qi could pierce through the array patterns was still unknown.
But to make a move against Jiang Huang, this fellow really only needed a moment.
“Xie Zhen, you are a smart man,”
Qing Sun’s envoy said warmly, “Indeed, last night I came to kill you…
but tonight is quite the opposite; if possible, I hope we can spend tonight peacefully without any conflict arising.
I don’t wish to see you die here.”
Xie Xuanyi just sneered and did not speak.
“Seventeen years old, Golden Body Realm, crushing Prince Jiangning with a single sword strike…”
Qing Sun’s envoy said indifferently, “Congratulations, today you gained ‘Xuanshui Cave Heaven’ and it won’t be long before you will become the new master of Lotus Peak, and certainly the future leader of the Sword Palace’s sword tassel holders.
This truly is a fate many would envy.
Twenty years ago, someone else was just like you; however, that person eventually died a most miserable death.”
“Are you referring to Xie Xuanyi?”
Xie Zhen replied somewhat self-deprecatingly.
“Yes, I am indeed talking about Xie Xuanyi,”
Qing Sun’s envoy said calmly, “Since you are Xie Xuanyi’s disciple, you should know how mortifying his escape in Northern County was.”
“…”
Xie Xuanyi fell into silence.
Indeed.
He knew better than anyone the appearance of his scar-covered self during the escape in Northern County…
“Do you know why Xie Xuanyi died?”
In the courtyard, a cold and stern interrogation rang out.
Before there could be any response,
“A sword, only when held in one’s own hand, is truly a sword,”
Qing Sun’s envoy said meaningfully, “The reason Xie Xuanyi died…
was because he became an uncontrollable sword, a sword that cannot be controlled should be broken early.”
“Are you from the Imperial City?”
Xie Xuanyi raised his head.
He stared into the fiery eyes of the tall man before him; in fact, he had vaguely guessed the man’s identity when they met last night.
But at this moment, there was no more suspense.
“My identity is not important,”
Qing Sun’s envoy said earnestly, “What is important…
is that you now need to make a choice.”
He gently shook his sleeve, and numerous flames flitted across the courtyard, lifting up a faded parchment with a flicker of flame.
“This is a ‘soul contract.’
Qing Sun’s envoy stared at the youth, his tone mild yet carrying an undeniable authority, “If you are willing to sign this ‘soul contract’, then you can live today…
to be precise, you can not only live, but live well, and turn out very differently from your master.”
Xie Xuanyi didn’t need to look to know roughly what was written in this soul contract.
How to make a sword submit to oneself?
Either break it or bend it.
He calmly looked at the tall man and said, “What if I don’t sign?”
“Not sign?”
Qing Sun’s envoy said firmly, “If you don’t sign, you probably won’t see tomorrow’s sunrise.”
“Don’t rush, you can think it over,”
he said slowly, “as long as you nod, then all troubles will vanish like smoke…”
Having said that,
Qing Sun’s envoy no longer spoke, silently waiting for Xie Zhen to make a decision.
To him…
he naturally hoped Xie Zhen would sign the soul contract; once the contract was settled, the so-called assassination case would naturally be written off, with no further follow-up.
The courtyard fell into prolonged silence.
Qing Sun’s envoy was patient, but it must be said…
this youth’s long deliberation was even longer than he had anticipated.
Was it because the content of the soul contract was too troubling?
After a long time,
The parchment gently trembled; the youth placed it on the stone table, a gesture that also implied…
he had finished thinking.
“If you agree, some of the content on the soul contract can be modified,”
Qing Sun’s envoy spoke calmly.
“I’m really sorry,”
Xie Xuanyi extended a finger, gently stroking the ancient parchment scroll.
He raised his head, his expression coldly indifferent, “I am tough-headed and can’t learn to bow down.”
“…?”
Qing Sun’s envoy’s pupils slightly contracted, a very ominous premonition rising in his Heart Lake.
Rustle!
Xie Xuanyi’s hand seized a withered branch.
At that moment, Qing Sun’s envoy reacted with utmost speed, extending his palm as fierce flames burst forth, countless greenish flames burning towards a dimly seen little girl in the corner…
This action was essentially meant as “intimidation”, but he never expected that Xie Zhen’s sword move would not cease for even a moment.
Qing Sun’s envoy’s killing intent erupted, no longer holding back.
Rolling green fires submerged the darkness, the crying, barely alive little girl instantly engulfed by the flames.
And the next moment.
Qing Sun’s envoy’s sense of foreboding reached its peak.
He abruptly turned around.
The little girl, who seemed to have lost consciousness and fallen into a deep sleep, suddenly “awoke.”
A pair of eyes blazing with brilliant golden light, drawing from the roaring inferno, were now wide open.
Jiang Huang burst forth with all her strength, unleashing a sharp, piercing cry.
“Whizz whizz whizz—”
The greenish sea of flames, in an instant, turned crimson red, flying backwards towards one person.
The extremely vigorous force made Qing Sun’s envoy’s expression contort, lose balance, and the entire person was flung backward.
“Is this…
Phoenix Fire?”
At that moment, his mind went blank.
This Innate Separation Fire Saint Body, looking at the crimson flames filling his sight, was completely shocked and bewildered.
He could not understand.
Why the legendary Phoenix Fire, capable of incinerating nothingness, would appear here, right in front of him?
…
…
(PS: 1.
Today I’ve organized the outline, which took quite a long time; thanks for waiting.
2.
Again requesting for monthly passes, there will be three updates tomorrow.)