Down the mountain, then up the mountain.
Silence, wordless.
On the way back, Xu Xian spent the entire time pondering countermeasures and solutions. Although based on the current situation, Yao Xiaoxiao still had time—even with the assistance of that yin qi, breaking through to the great ascension stage and drawing down heavenly lightning would take a century even for someone of her extraordinary talent, or at the very least, several decades.
But one should always prepare for a rainy day, lest they find themselves completely in the dark when the time comes.
Fumbling blindly.
In fact, long before Xiaoxiao woke up, Xu Xian had discussed this deeply with Little Book and Lu Yuan, and they had found a potential solution.
Lu Yuan's was the most direct.
That was to have Yao Xiaoxiao cultivate Three Inches of Time. By using this divine ability to augment her Taiyin Immortal Body, she could thoroughly refine the yin qi. The Taiyin tribe could control yin and yang and command yin qi precisely because of this manual.
However, they only had the first half. The second half was nowhere to be found, so he couldn't give a guarantee.
Furthermore, whether she could successfully master even the first half remained to be seen; it depended on Yao Xiaoxiao's own fortune.
Xu Xian also had a method.
That was to use the Sword Tower to forcibly suppress the yin qi. Although he had used it to intimidate the other party before, it wasn't without feasibility.
According to Little Book, the Sword Tower connected to the Sword Mound and the Heaven Beyond the Sword's Divine Sword Pool, which could lock down the Twelve Divine Swords.
Suppressing a mere wisp of yin qi was theoretically possible.
The prerequisite was that Xu Xian's Sword Tower had to be opened to at least the fifth floor before he could attempt to bring living consciousness into the Sword Mound without restriction.
If he could manifest five divine swords simultaneously...
By setting up the Five Divine Sword Formation, he could forcibly strip that yin qi from Yao Xiaoxiao's body and drag it into the Divine Sword Pool, pinning it there just like a sealed divine sword.
This method had the highest feasibility.
The prerequisite was that Xu Xian had to stay one step ahead of Yao Xiaoxiao, raising three more floors of the Sword Tower to enter the tribulation transcendence stage.
Regarding this...
Xu Xian still had confidence.
What he feared was that the yin qi would not play by the rules and act prematurely, attempting a desperate struggle for mutual destruction with Xiaoxiao.
To be safe.
Little Book had one more method. During a previous chat with Li Qinghan, the four Great Dao Divine Weapons of Fanzhou were mentioned.
The Ten Thousand Demon Banner, the Hunyuan Cauldron, the Yin-Yang Mirror, and the Spirit-Sealing Seal.
The Ten Thousand Demon Banner could command all demons under heaven.
The Hunyuan Cauldron could control the fortune of the human race.
The Yin-Yang Mirror could peer into the past, present, and future, knowing previous and current lives.
The Spirit-Sealing Seal could seal all spirits, devour souls, suppress souls, and control souls...
If he could find the Spirit-Sealing Seal, he could use its power to seal and suppress that consciousness of yin qi within Xiaoxiao's body.
These so-called Great Dao Divine Weapons were born alongside the heaven and earth of Fanzhou.
In Little Book's words, if these four items left Fanzhou and went elsewhere, they would be inferior to ordinary divine artifacts and only slightly stronger than immortal weapons.
Yet in Fanzhou, they were far beyond what any divine artifact could compare to.
They were born of Fanzhou, and to some extent, could ignore the restrictions of the local laws of heaven and earth, as well as the so-called weapon grades.
They were uniquely endowed and favored by the Heavenly Dao.
Even yin qi from a higher plane could be suppressed by them.
To put it simply.
Even a Child of Fortune was merely a direct son of Fanzhou's Heavenly Dao. But these four treasures were the Heavenly Dao's own brothers; they had appeared together with the consciousness of this world.
Their status could be said to be equal.
In fact...
Within the rules they controlled, they could even hold a slight advantage.
Hence their name: Great Dao Divine Weapons.
Of course.
While the four divine weapons were powerful, if an ordinary person wanted to drive or use them, they would have to pay an immense price.
Take the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, for example.
Once this banner appeared, it could suppress all demon beasts in the world.
The price was a shortened lifespan.
Simply understood, using it meant seizing the providence of heaven and earth, so you had to trade your life for it.
The other Great Dao Divine Weapons were essentially the same.
Therefore.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, their owners would not easily use them.
Ninth Senior Brother's situation was an exception. The Longevity Body was too heaven-defying. But even so, every time he used the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, Ninth Senior Brother must have suffered other damages besides the depletion of essence blood.
Otherwise, why would a dignified saint appear so decayed and in his twilight years?
Xu Xian knew that the Ten Thousand Demon Banner was at the Wendao Sect and the Hunyuan Cauldron was at Shanhai Academy. The whereabouts of the Yin-Yang Mirror were unknown, and the Spirit-Sealing Seal he sought...
Legend had it that it was in the Demon Abyss.
As for whether it was in the hands of the demon race or scattered elsewhere, he did not know.
Xu Xian planned to visit Ancestral Peak to find Seventh Senior Brother and ask him about it.
Regarding the Demon Abyss, Seventh Senior Brother should know something. After all, throughout history, he was the only human who had fought his way into the heart of the Demon Abyss, all the way to the edge of the Nether Pool.
If he could find the Spirit-Sealing Seal, that would be for the best.
If not, he really would have to find a way to obtain Shadow Soul Stones and build the next three floors of the Sword Tower.
...
Wendao Ancestral Peak.
Mists swirled, and the forests were deep and dense. Occasionally, small deer could be seen wading through shallow streams, and flocks of birds played in the woods.
Ancestral Peak was, in fact, the back mountain of the Wendao Sect's back mountain.
Hidden deep in the clouds, because everyone knew the patriarchs lived there, the disciples of the sect would deliberately avoid it and take detours.
Was it true that only the Pavilion Elders of the Sword Pavilion could enter Ancestral Peak?
Actually, that was a rumor.
Ancestral Peak was no different from any other place. Sect disciples were free to come and go, and there had never been an explicit regulation stating that only Pavilion Elders could enter.
It was simply a spontaneous behavior by the disciples.
They feared that a sudden visit would disturb the patriarchs' quiet cultivation in the mountains.
Over time, it became an unwritten rule within the Wendao Sect, much like how one bows when meeting an elder.
It relied entirely on moral constraints.
Because of this, Ancestral Peak became the most mysterious place among the Seven Peaks of the Wendao Sect.
A grotto-heaven among grotto-heavens.
This was Xu Xian's first time here. Passing through the clouds, he looked down.
To be honest, Ancestral Peak was just like that—there really wasn't much difference. The same mountains, the same water.
Compared to other places, there was nothing particularly rare about it.
If one had to point out a difference...
It was the sparse human presence.
Looking around, not a single man-made building could be seen. Instead, there were some caves on the mountains, their entrances protected by divine sense restrictions.
Ancestral Peak had no immortal abodes.
Only these caves.
So living on Ancestral Peak was fine even without a salary, because there was no rent to pay.
As Xu Xian passed by, he saw a waterfall hanging upside down from the mountains, splashing into thousands of white blossoms. There was a deep pool like a lake, and by the shore stood a thatched hut.
A faint wisp of cooking smoke rose into the sky.
There was a bamboo raft in the lake, and on the raft was a person wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat on this sunny day.
A jar of wine,
A fish basket,
A bamboo pole,
An old man,
Sitting there, leisurely and content.
At first glance, it evoked a sense of: A few thatched cottages, peaceful in movement, peaceful in rest. Sailing a small boat when the sky clears after rain, fish on one side, wine on the other.
Xu Xian did not disturb him. Seeing that his realm was tribulation transcendence, he naturally knew who this person was.
There were only a few people in the Wendao Sect at the tribulation transcendence stage, and there was only one he hadn't met yet.
One of the three Guest Elders: Yuren.
It wasn't that he looked like an old fisherman; his name was actually Yuren.
It was quite interesting—three Guest Elders, three old men.
Ruan Hao.
Qiaofu.
Yuren.
Only his own master had a normal-sounding name. As for the other two, those who didn't know better would think these were their nicknames.
Qiaofu, the tomb guardian in the mountains.
Yuren, the old man on the boat.
Xu Xian couldn't help but murmur, "Quite leisurely..."
Rate on N.U.
