The former site of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Broken Sword Peak.
Jian Huaishuang, dressed in paper robes, arrived through the falling snow.
The paper people who had been waiting for him for a long time immediately gathered around, chirping with excitement.
"Boss, Boss, you’re finally here!"
"Heh heh, we sent those wolf runts running with their tails between their legs."
"Don’t you worry, Boss. We didn’t let you down, and we didn’t let the Lord down either. We held the Heavenly Sword Sect—not a single brick is missing!"
The paper people were still their usual lighthearted and heartless selves.
Yet, during the brutal battle against the umbilical cord, it was these seemingly fragile slips of paper that had built a wall to block the Buddhist light.
Jian Huaishuang looked at the messy ruins of the Heavenly Sword Sect and nodded slightly, a rare trace of gentleness appearing in his expression.
"Well done."
He did not linger, following the lingering trace of sword intent in his memory to the highest point of Broken Sword Peak.
That was where the umbilical cord of Ksitigarbha of Great Vows had been severed, and where the sorrowful sword intent was most concentrated.
At the summit, the cold wind howled.
Jian Huaishuang saw countless disciples who maintained their wolf forms but wore the tattered robes of the Heavenly Sword Sect. They were gathered in a circle, silently bowing toward an empty space as if seeing someone off.
Leading them was an old wolf whose aura was ancient and eyes were filled with tears.
He was an elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Seeing Jian Huaishuang’s arrival, the elder led the wolves to step aside, their eyes filled with awe.
Back when Jian Huaishuang had challenged the entire sect alone and defeated everyone, this elder had been among the losers.
"Fellow Daoist Jian," the old wolf spoke in a low, raspy human voice. "You have returned."
Jian Huaishuang nodded, his gaze falling on the center of the clearing where two fading auras remained.
"Jiang Ziang told me," Jian Huaishuang said in a deep voice. "Bai Ling and Li Zhaoye—did they pass away here?"
The old wolf nodded sorrowfully. "Yes. To sever the umbilical cord, Bai Ling sacrificed herself. That boy, Zhaoye... he followed her."
Jian Huaishuang fell silent.
He did not know Bai Ling and had never met her.
But he was a sword cultivator, and for those on the path of the sword, meeting someone in person wasn't always necessary to know them.
Through sword intent, one could know another's heart.
The sword intent lingering here was resolute and tragic, yet it carried a hint of carefree liberation.
"Magnificent sword intent." Jian Huaishuang lightly stroked the giant sword on his back, a sense of mutual admiration welling in his eyes.
"Though we never met, we were kindred spirits."
"As fellow souls struggling in this turbid world, her strike was even more lucid than mine."
Jian Huaishuang looked at the old elder. "I wish to meditate here to comprehend this residual sword qi and polish my sword heart. Would that be acceptable?"
The old elder was stunned, then gave a bitter smile and cupped his hands.
"You must be joking, Daoist. My Heavenly Sword Sect is now... well, let us not speak of it. If you do not despise this polluted place, please do as you wish."
He looked at Jian Huaishuang, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
"Moreover... if you can gain some enlightenment from this sword intent, it could be considered a continuation of my sect’s legacy."
Sword cultivators were never ones for trifles, and he admired the depth of Jian Huaishuang’s cultivation. As fellow members of immortal sects, even if Jian Huaishuang wasn't a disciple of his sect, he hoped the man could go further on the path of the sword.
Jian Huaishuang said nothing more, merely giving a slight bow to the empty air.
Then, he sat down cross-legged.
'The Lord bestowed upon me the authority to 【Command Enslaved Ghosts】. Today, I shall use this power to see these fellow Daoists off.'
With a wave of his hand, paper snow filled the sky.
Upon Broken Sword Peak, the paper snow fell like goose feathers.
Each flake rushed toward the corpses of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples lying in pools of blood.
Using paper as the vessel, he recalled their residual souls.
Their flesh and blood were quickly drained by the paper, which then landed and transformed into paper people.
"What’s happening?"
"I... Am I not dead? Why do I feel so light?"
Immediately after, a group of laughing paper people from the Corpse Soul Sect jumped out and hoisted them up without a word.
"Hahaha! Fellow Daoists of the Heavenly Sword Sect, congratulations, congratulations!"
"From now on, we’re all paper people. The wind can’t knock us down, fire can’t burn us, and you can even be folded up and carried around. It’s incredibly convenient!"
"Come, come, the wind on Broken Sword Peak is just right. Let’s drift with the breeze together!"
The once-deadly silent peak instantly became lively.
The old paper people from the Corpse Soul Sect were already well-versed in this, putting their arms around the shoulders of the confused newcomers to give them some 'psychological counseling.'
"Don’t look so miserable."
"Following the Bone God and our Boss is a grand fortune!"
"No need to eat, no need to sleep, no fear of death, and no pain. You just have to be a happy idiot every day."
The transformed wolf disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect watched this scene with their mouths hanging open in shock.
Seeing their former comrades who had died in battle now standing up as paper people, hopping around and marvelling as they poked at each other's paper limbs, was beyond surreal.
"Sniff... Senior Brother, is that you?"
"It’s really me. I actually didn’t die completely."
"Incredible! What kind of sword art is this? It can actually reconstruct a body?"
Amidst the cheer, Jian Huaishuang’s brow furrowed slightly.
He closed his eyes, sensing the feedback from the paper snow.
The residual souls of nearly all the fallen disciples had been found and given new bodies.
However...
He could not find the two most important souls.
Bai Ling and Li Zhaoye.
This wasn't right.
Jian Huaishuang opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.
Unless a special death caused the soul to dissipate entirely, an ordinary soul could not vanish so completely in such a short time.
Unless... they had been drawn away by something specific.
Jian Huaishuang patiently searched again. Aside from a slightly abrupt trace of vegetation vitality, he found nothing.
His Lie Sword Domain intensified as he prepared to expand the search range of the paper snow further, even intending to perform a forced soul-searching with his sword intent.
Just then, a small paper person with exquisitely painted ink eyeliner tugged at his sleeve.
It was Qingque.
She had just woken up in her paper body and hadn't yet adjusted to the weightless sensation. Several Heavenly Sword Sect disciples had gathered around her, telling her about the choice Senior Sister Bai Ling had made after she died.
She had also found nothing during her own search just now.
At this moment, the freshly painted ink on her face was smeared by tears, making her look like a calico cat.
"My Lord... there is no need."
Qingque’s voice carried a sob, yet it held a sense of relief.
"Senior Sister... I think I know where she went."
Qingque forced a smile. "She was the proudest person in the world."
"Whether it was becoming a monster or becoming a paper person, she wouldn’t have wanted either."
"She lived a life that was far, far too exhausting..."
"Since we can't find her, it means she has truly found liberation."
Qingque looked up at the sky, as if seeing that vibrant, star-like woman again.
"I believe she must have gone to find her shattered sword heart."
"And that Li Zhaoye... although I never liked the look of him, with him there, she shouldn't be lonely."
"Let her go, My Lord. Stop searching."
Everyone fell silent.
Indeed, why be so persistent?
Everyone had their own path and their own final destination.
Jian Huaishuang looked into Qingque’s sincere eyes for a long time. Finally, he gave a soft sigh and dispersed the sword technique in his hand.
"Very well."
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