As his words fell, Ye Xianyu looked past Yun Zheng to Xu Xian, asking for his opinion, "Little Eleven, what do you think?"
Xu Xian was momentarily stunned, pointing a finger at himself.
"Me?"
Ye Xianyu let out a soft "Mhm..." and tilted her head slightly.
Xu Xian scrunched his nose and said, "Anything is fine with me."
"Hmm?" Ye Xianyu’s long brows knitted slightly.
Xu Xian put on a serious face and gave a thumbs-up. "The Sword Qi Great Wall is good. It sounds domineering!"
Ye Xianyu’s eyes lit up with joy, her gaze seeming to say, 'At least you know what's good for you.'
Yun Zheng laughed heartily. "'Sword Qi lasts forever,' the Sword Qi Great Wall... it does sound quite good. Then let it be as you wish, haha!"
Having received Yun Zheng's approval, the pride in Ye Xianyu's eyes grew even stronger.
Yun Zheng said, "Little Ten."
"Yes?"
Yun Zheng said softly, "Go on and get busy. I have a few words to say to Little Eleven."
Ye Xianyu stole a glance at Xu Xian out of the corner of her eye and nodded in agreement.
"Alright!"
Cupping her hands in a bow, she performed the unique swordsman's etiquette of the Wendao Sword Sect. Ye Xianyu gave a deep, formal bow to Yun Zheng.
"Fifth Senior Brother, Xianyu takes her leave!"
Yun Zheng nodded, his face bright with a warm smile.
Ye Xianyu quietly withdrew and vanished from sight.
On the isolated peak, only Xu Xian and Yun Zheng remained—one old, one young.
Below the mountain, the Wild River surged, and the autumn wind whistled past them.
Yun Zheng’s voice flowed like a gentle stream, breaking the silence between them.
"Little Eleven, there are some things you don't wish to speak of. Ordinarily, as your senior brother, I shouldn't ask. But as things stand, I don't have much time left. I still can't help but want to ask. Just consider it me not wanting to live too ignorantly and only realizing the truth after I'm dead. Of course, if you're unwilling to say, you don't have to..."
Xu Xian pursed his lips and said solemnly, "Senior Brother, ask whatever you wish. I will tell you everything I know."
Yun Zheng was slightly taken aback, then his brows curved into a smile as he asked, "That year, did you actually ascend the Divine Sword Pool?"
"Yes!" Xu Xian replied.
"How many swords were in the pool?"
"Twelve."
Yun Zheng lowered his eyes, lost in thought, and muttered to himself, "Twelve swords... one tower with twelve stories, one sword per story. If I'm not mistaken, for every floor of the Sword Tower you open, you can take one sword. Currently, you can take out two: the first is the Heaven-Burning Sparrow, and the second is the Yellow Spring Burial. Is that correct?"
Xu Xian admitted it frankly.
"Senior Brother is wise!"
"Let me guess further. Your cultivation stage is likely related to this Sword Tower as well?"
Xu Xian nodded. "One floor for each stage, one sword for each stage."
After hearing this, Yun Zheng’s eyes were filled with relief.
"As expected. I should have realized it sooner. Once that endgame of chess was broken, the Sword Mound had finally found its true master."
Xu Xian remained silent, for he was indeed the master of the Sword Mound.
He was only too weak at the moment to fully control it.
He wasn't curious about how Yun Zheng had guessed it either; the connection wasn't hard to deduce.
Two strands of sword intent had once surged from the Sword Mound, and now he had summoned the Sword Tower.
Furthermore, he had happened to pull out two divine swords with the exact same sword intent as those strands.
Forget Yun Zheng; even the Pavilion Elders in the mountains, or even Wen Qingxue, could have seen the clues. It wasn't surprising at all.
Moreover, he didn't feel it was absolutely necessary to hide it. If they knew, they knew; it didn't matter much. He would continue to pull out swords in the future, and letting them know now would save the sect from unnecessary panic later.
"Do you know why I kept you here alone?"
"Does Senior Brother have something to entrust to me?"
Yun Zheng pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Hmm... it's not exactly an entrustment, but there are indeed some things I need to tell you, lest no one knows after I'm gone."
Xu Xian subconsciously sat up a bit straighter, listening intently.
Yun Zheng suddenly asked, "Rumors in the world say that beneath the gates of our Wendao Sword Sect, the Great Dao fortune of the demons, devils, and spirits is sealed. Do you believe this?"
Xu Xian furrowed his brows, thought seriously for a moment, and gave an ambiguous answer.
"I don't know. However, since these rumors are known throughout the world, they probably aren't entirely groundless."
Since Yun Zheng was asking, there must be a hidden story.
Recalling when he became the new master of the Sword Mound, he had glimpsed beneath the Wendao Sword Sect's mountain range. Besides the Demon-Slaying, Fiend-Slaying, and Evil-Devouring swords, there were the glows of five other immortal swords.
Xu Xian was certain that a secret was hidden beneath the Wendao Sword Sect.
Otherwise, he truly didn't believe that the demons of the North Sea, the beasts of the East Desolation, or the devils of the Demon Abyss would repeatedly risk their lives, sacrificing their longevity and cultivation, just to try and cross the Longevity Bridge based on a vague rumor.
Yun Zheng smiled faintly and said with certainty, "It's false!"
"Huh?" Xu Xian was a bit confused.
Yun Zheng asked again, "Let me ask you, why has no one in Fanzhou ascended to immortality for thirty thousand years?"
Xu Xian naturally recalled what Ye Xianyu had told him at the Immortal Ascension Pavilion.
Among the rumors, there were three main theories.
First: the depletion of spiritual qi.
Second: the Great Dao cage.
Third: immortals sealing the Sky Gate.
He also remembered what Xiushe had said in the past.
It had said that in its era, even though becoming an immortal was extremely difficult, it wasn't impossible. Moreover, one could often see immortals descending to the mortal realm to hunt.
It had explicitly mentioned that in the current Fanzhou, the Sky Gate had been sealed. Creatures from the lower realm couldn't become immortals, and immortals couldn't descend.
As for whether the gate was sealed by people from Fanzhou or by immortals from above, it hadn't said.
But now that Yun Zheng asked, a bold guess flashed through Xu Xian's mind.
He swallowed hard and, under Yun Zheng's gaze, spoke in a slightly incredulous tone.
"From what Senior Brother Yun is implying... could it be that what's sealed under the Wendao Sword Sect isn't the fortune of the three races, but the Sky Gate of Fanzhou?"
He paused, his tone growing heavier. "Was the Sky Gate sealed by Master himself?"
Yun Zheng was dazed for a moment, his gaze toward Xu Xian a mix of darkness and light, his aged face filled with complexity.
Xu Xian looked at him expectantly.
He thought, 'Did I actually guess right?'
The so-called 'long journey' didn't exist; it was just a cover story. In reality, Master was still within the sect, as were the four senior brothers, and they were simply sealing the Sky Gate.
Thinking back to what Bai Ze had said, it was likely that not only Yun Zheng knew this, but Bai Ze as well, and perhaps even...
Was this the reason why the Wendao Sword Sect had stood tall for ten thousand years, and why no one dared to strike a fatal blow even when Master didn't show his face? The strongest experts in this world knew the truth.
For instance, the Three Sects. Or the High and Small Priests in the Demon Abyss. Or perhaps those demon immortals in the North Sea?
Yun Zheng took a deep breath to calm his thoughts and asked instead of answering, "Why would you think that?"
Xu Xian shifted his eyes and said directly, "I guessed!"
Yun Zheng was silent for a long time before his gaze moved away from Xu Xian.
The young man followed up tentatively, "Senior Brother, did I guess right?"
Yun Zheng’s gaze fell on Xu Xian again, and he strangely nodded.
"Yes, you're half right!"
The young man was puzzled. "Half?"
"What you guessed is the same as what I thought. But as for the actual truth, I'm not entirely sure either. So, I suppose you're half right," Yun Zheng replied with a sigh.
"Huh?"
Xu Xian was even more bewildered...
Yun Zheng fumbled in his sleeve for a while and finally pulled out an ancient black jade plaque the size of a palm.
He grabbed Xu Xian's hand and, while the boy was still in a daze, forced the jade plaque into his grip, making him hold it tight.
"Keep this."
Xu Xian was completely lost. "And this is?"
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