A lone Cloud Boat was launched across the vast plains; at the break of dawn, it departed from the far north...
After bathing and changing his clothes, Xu Xian sat cross-legged atop the Cloud Boat.
He activated the Art of Delusion, concealing his aura.
To the eyes of the world, he appeared unscathed, as if they were looking upon a celestial being.
“He really didn't die!”
“How is he not dead?”
“I can't see through him...”
They tried to discern if he had reached the Immortal Realm, but to no avail.
They could only watch him leave.
Once the people of the Wendao Sword Sect were far away,
The various experts appeared one after another. They visited the abyss and the new marshlands, scrutinizing every detail, unwilling to overlook a single thing.
Had he become an immortal?
Not necessarily.
The Sky Gate hadn't opened, and he hadn't ascended.
But he was alive, and thus fear and trepidation would now be constant companions to this world.
No one dared to gamble.
But no one wanted to sit and wait for death either.
The North Sea was like this,
The Central Plains were like this,
The East Desolation was like this,
Even the Demon Abyss was eager to move...
They were all trying to probe Xu Xian's situation.
A demon from the East Desolation remarked, “But he's still alive.”
Bai Ze replied, “But he hasn't ascended, has he?”
...
Jin Yu asked, “Are we really doing this?”
Jin Qing said, “You know him; he's a very good actor...”
The seeds of doubt had been sown; all that remained was verification.
...
In the days following the heavenly punishment in the far north, the world seemed normal.
The far north was too distant, and commoners knew nothing of it.
But the experts of the Central Plains, the North Sea, the East Desolation, and the Demon Abyss were appearing frequently in the mortal realm.
The start of the conflict began with probes from various races and sects, which then spiraled out of control.
As for Xu Xian, the catalyst of it all, he stayed deep within the Ancestral Peak after returning to the sect and never showed his face again.
The entire world, after five hundred years of silence, was restless once more.
The first signs of the butterfly effect were beginning to show.
The Wendao Sword Sect seemed normal on the surface, but the saints were plotting in secret.
Simply because they knew the truth.
Xu Xian had failed his tribulation, and his realm was falling.
Moreover, it continued to drop as time passed.
From the peak of the saint stage, he fell to the seventh stage, then the sixth.
In just a month, he had fallen past the nascent soul stage.
They tried every method at their disposal, yet they still could not stop it.
Until now, they had to accept the reality.
Reversing the regression was impossible.
They knew very well that they could hide this news for a while, but they couldn't hide it forever. Those old foxes outside would never remain quiet.
They would rack their brains to uncover the truth, whether through schemes or by sacrificing their lifespans for divination.
Eventually, they would find out. And those whose lifespans were nearing their end would surely do something and stir up trouble.
The situation from five hundred years ago was very likely to repeat itself.
And this time, the situation would be even more violent.
They would not let such an opportunity pass.
Nor would they hold back any longer.
Because this would be their last chance and, quite likely, the final battle of their lives.
Now that Xu Xian's realm had regressed, the task of protecting the sect and stabilizing the situation could only rely on them.
Inside the Ancestral Peak, within Yun Zheng's former cave dwelling,
Xu Xian sat cross-legged, circulating his qi. His face was as pale as snow, and his lips were purple and bloodless. His expression was full of worry, and his breathing was weak.
That day, the final strike of the heavenly punishment had fallen with supreme and unyielding power. Xu Xian had used every method, but in the end, it was to no avail.
Fortunately, at the final moment, that Celestial Sword Intent had triggered again at the threshold of life and death.
Although the sword's might didn't cleave the lightning strike, it saved his life.
However, even so, his heart meridians were damaged, his dantian was ruined, and his qi manors were all shattered by the blast.
If not for the acquired sword body's powerful self-healing ability, he would likely have entered the cycle of reincarnation by now.
Xu Xian survived, but the heavy damage from the heavenly punishment caused his realm to fall.
Today, it had even fallen past the early nascent soul stage, returning to the core formation stage.
The good news was that the regression had stopped.
The bad news was that after five hundred years of effort, he was back at the starting point.
His feelings were more than just complicated.
The former Leader of the Sword Dao and the foremost person in Fanzhou was now a wretched core formation cultivator.
Fortunately, the Sword Tower was still there, its five floors intact. The five sword spirits could still maintain the Sky Gate trapping formation.
The mortal realm would not collapse instantly.
Furthermore, the Twilight Emperor had destroyed his own physical body and been hit by the heavenly punishment, so he had also lost the ability to be provocative.
Like Xu Xian, he was currently a cripple in the short term. At this point in time, he could not threaten Fanzhou.
Fanzhou still had time...
However, Xu Xian didn't know if the people of the world outside would give him that time.
The youth, whose realm had finally stopped regressing, slowly opened his eyes and murmured, “Must I really cultivate all over again?”
“Is this fate?”
Years ago, after reaching the core formation stage, he had used the method of forging the Sword Tower to break through from the third stage to the ninth in thirty years, challenging the world with his sword.
Today, through his own actions, he had failed the immortal lightning tribulation and regressed back to the core formation stage.
Was this the cycle of fate or a mere coincidence?
Xu Xian only knew that if he wanted to raise his realm, he first had to repair his damaged heart meridians and refine the leftover heavenly punishment lightning restrictions in his body.
Secondly, he had to keep his feet on the ground and re-cultivate step by step starting from the core formation stage.
And this time, there were no more shortcuts.
The little book spirit was also severely weakened. Its tiny body was translucent and unstable, as if it might flicker out of existence at any moment.
Looking at its sickly master, it said apologetically, “Master, it's all my fault. I gave you such a terrible idea and ruined you...”
Xu Xian forced a smile and comforted it, “It's not your fault. At least the result was good. The Twilight Emperor was also defeated, and his remnant soul is imprisoned in the Sword Mound. We can say we've saved Fanzhou...”
“But... you've ended up like this,” the little book spirit said with self-blame.
Xu Xian laughed. “If my cultivation is gone, I can re-cultivate. Don't worry, with the [Nameless Sword Scripture], it won't take long. I will definitely return to the tribulation transcendence stage before Fanzhou's fortune runs out. There's still time...”
The little book spirit hung its head and said nothing more.
Without the Twilight Emperor causing trouble, it was true that Fanzhou's fortune could last for another few hundred years.
However, the little book spirit knew very well that those old geezers in the world outside wouldn't wait another few hundred years.
And once they returned in force and repeated the events of five hundred years ago, the Wendao Sword Sect would not be able to stop them without Xu Xian.
But what else could they do? Things had already reached this point, and there was no going back.
They could only pray for a new variable to emerge.
Xu Xian organized his thoughts and adjusted his state, beginning his re-cultivation.
As long as he was alive, he could not give up. He didn't even have the right to give up.
It had been five hundred years, and he carried the expectations of too many people.
Was it bitter? Was it tiring? Then it was right. This was bitter cultivation!
...
Before the dust could gather in the cave, another year had passed outside.
Fanzhou became even more turbulent, and the probes from various forces grew more frequent.
The Northern Borders once again became the center of this storm's vortex.
A storm was brewing, and the winds of change were blowing through the mortal realm.
At the Divine Sword Pool, Grandpa Tortoise was severely weakened, and his remnant soul had yet to wake up.
However, the Twilight Emperor had awakened. He was actually able to ignore the Sword Mound's obstruction and send remnants of his thoughts outside.
Without the suppression of the cage, the rules of the Divine Sword Pool were not enough to restrict him.
The regressed Xu Xian was likewise unable to do so.
He appeared before Xu Xian, standing with the air of a victor, and said arrogantly:
“Back to core formation, then nascent soul... is it of any use?”
“Tsk, tsk. You really are pathetic...”
Xu Xian was not surprised. He remained as calm as an ancient well and said, “You're not doing much better yourself.”
The Twilight Emperor didn't argue and only said to himself:
“But it's still not pathetic enough. You will become even more pathetic; I can't wait to see it.”
Xu Xian turned a deaf ear and ignored him.
The Twilight Emperor dissipated into countless wisps of black mist and vanished into the void.
His voice still echoed in Xu Xian's ears.
“Just wait.”
“You will soon experience what absolute despair feels like.”
“You will pay the heaviest price for your actions...”
“You will watch yourself lose everything!”
Cold light surged in Xu Xian's eyes, and his gaze darkened to the color of ash. His fists clenched tighter and tighter.
An ominous feeling filled his sea of consciousness, followed by a sense of helplessness that spread through his entire body.
He asked himself silently in his heart:
“Did I really lose?”
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