The same location, the same people, yet the situation was different from the dream.
In the Heart Demon dream...
They hadn't known what Xu Xian intended to do.
But now...
They knew exactly what he was doing.
Just like Senior Brother Yun Zheng...
He was doing something from which he might never return, yet something he had no choice but to do.
The atmosphere was inevitably heavy and stifling...
To break the tension, Ye Xianyu joked, "Oh, so you finally remembered us, old man?"
Xu Xian smiled sheepishly.
More than just remembered...
He held them close to his heart.
She nudged Xu Xian's elbow with her shoulder and said with a smile, "Alright, stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us what you need us to do. Just say the word, and we'll all follow your lead."
The other four nodded in silent agreement.
Xu Xian did as Ye Xianyu wished and stopped the suspense. He stood up. "Senior sister, senior brothers, follow me..."
They followed him into Yun Zheng's grotto-dwelling and opened that stone door.
Amidst their confusion and curiosity, they stepped through the door one after another.
They had seen this door before.
But only Jiang Wanyin knew there was a grotto-heaven behind it, and even she didn't know what it looked like.
After stepping through, they followed the spatial tunnel forward. Like Xu Xian before them, the five of them took in the extraordinary scenery.
Their eyes were filled with surprise and awe, marveling at the sights.
"Little Eleven, where are you taking us?"
Xu Xian said gently, "Allow me to keep it a secret for just a bit longer. You'll know when we get there."
Hearing this...
The five of them tactfully stopped asking.
They walked through the tunnel and emerged into the subterranean world beneath Wendao Sword Sect, a world filled with blazing lava.
In that crimson world, the expressions in their eyes shifted constantly. Their divine senses spread out, observing their surroundings.
Finally...
They stood above the sinkhole, watching the red river plummet.
They saw the flame pool.
They saw the chains.
They saw the half-Sky Gate.
They saw the five sets of withered bones.
Their steps faltered, and their voices died away.
As the scene filled their vision, countless theories flashed through their minds.
At this moment, the mysteries that had troubled them for years seemed to have found their definitive answers.
In her shock and horror, Jiang Wanyin asked, knowing the answer, "Where is this?"
Xu Xian told them the truth. "Beneath Wendao Sword Sect."
Lei Yunche asked in a low voice, "Is that the Sky Gate?"
Xu Xian gave a simple "Yes."
The five of them lowered their gazes, their eyes darkening.
Yao Xiqiao muttered softly, "The rumors... were actually true..."
Half of a Sky Gate.
Five platforms.
Entwined with five-colored iron chains.
The power of fortune surged continuously from the depths of the flame pool, flowing along the chains to the five platforms, finally converging into a formation...
Sealing this gate.
They seemed to understand why Little Eleven had to ascend to the Heavens, why he had no other choice. The answer was right before them...
Behind the sealed Sky Gate...
Strands of baleful qi were desperately squeezing out, constantly leaking through, only to be wiped away by the formation's aura.
They could sense...
This formation would not last much longer.
That was why...
Little Eleven was in such a hurry, making such a massive commotion in this mortal realm.
The tribulation from the prophecy...
It did not originate from the mortal realm; it must come from beyond the heavens.
Their gazes moved away from the Sky Gate, followed the chains to the five platforms, and finally converged on the five sets of bones that had long since been desiccated.
A heartbreaking and compassionate realization swept through their hearts.
"They are..."
Lin Fengmian's voice trembled.
Xu Xian bowed his head, confirming their suspicions.
Despite having the answer, the five of them still found it hard to accept.
It was said that their Master had gone on a long journey...
To the world beyond the chaos.
Of course, that was a lie, but they had never imagined that their Master and the four senior brothers and sisters they had never met had been inside Wendao Sword Sect all along.
Moreover...
They had stayed in a place like this.
Burning for ten thousand years.
Ten thousand years.
The mere thought of it brought a sharp pain to their hearts...
Was it shock?
Or admiration?
Was it sorrow?
Or heartbreak?
Xu Xian understood their feelings because he had experienced them himself when he first arrived.
"How could this happen?" Ye Xianyu whispered, her soul seemingly lost.
Xu Xian said, "Because of me."
Their gazes slowly shifted toward him, still filled with confusion and a desperate need for answers...
They thought that now, Little Eleven should finally tell them everything.
The death of their Master...
The reason for the ascension...
The secrets of Fanzhou...
Feeling their gazes, Xu Xian forced a casual, strained smile and changed the subject. "This is your first time here. Let me introduce them to you."
Their eyes flickered.
Finally, they said one word.
"Alright."
Xu Xian pointed to each of the five platforms.
Master Li Taibai.
First Senior Brother Yan Yi.
Second Senior Sister Wu Shuang.
Third Senior Brother Feng San.
Fourth Senior Brother Chen Si.
The five of them bowed to the figures one by one across the distance.
Though they had never met, they had always kept them in their thoughts.
With this bow...
It could be said they had finally met.
Once Xu Xian finished and they had finished their bows...
Xu Xian sat down cross-legged and gestured for the others to do the same.
Amidst their anticipation, he began to recount everything.
"Where should I begin?"
Xu Xian mused, organizing his thoughts and choosing his words. Finally, he looked toward the Sky Gate and, just like Master Li Taibai had once done, began to speak slowly:
"Let's start from the very beginning..."
Xu Xian retold the story his Master had shared, using his own words, though his version was more concise and general.
He told them about the origin of the universe.
About the Cangming Realm above Fanzhou...
He told them that their Master and the four senior brothers had come from beyond the heavens.
Why they had come...
And why they had sealed the Sky Gate.
He mentioned the Spirit-Devouring Tribe...
And spoke of the Twilight Emperor...
The Sword Mound...
The Sword Stele...
The Sword Tower...
And naturally, he told them that he was the Sword Bearer.
He said the tribulation rising in Fanzhou was imminent. He told them he had searched the world and found only this one way to break the deadlock and temporarily ensure Fanzhou's safety.
It was also an indirect way of telling them why he had to ascend, why he had to take those people with him, and why he had established a sword peak.
Because...
He had no choice.
Because...
He had to take the Sword Mound with him.
The five of them listened with rapt attention, their expressions growing increasingly grave. Their eyes were filled with pain as they looked at Xu Xian, their hearts swirling with complex emotions.
With the mysteries solved, they realized that during these past four hundred years, their little junior brother had been carrying such a heavy burden.
It was no wonder...
That they felt he had become a completely different person.
If it were any of them...
They would likely have gone mad.
A pair of fragile shoulders, bearing the life and death of the entire world—even the last hope of the entire Cangming Realm.
The duty was incredibly heavy!
The path was incredibly long!
Having finished his tale, Xu Xian's gaze slowly swept over the five of them. Bloodshot veins quietly surfaced in his eyes, and the corners of his reddened eyes grew moist. He looked calm, yet his voice was inevitably low as he revealed the truth:
"Earlier, Senior Sister asked me how Master and the others ended up like this."
"It was because of me!"
"To help me reach the ninth stage, they severed their own reincarnation and sacrificed their souls."
After a pause, Xu Xian opened his hands and continued:
"As you can see, I accepted it."
"That is why I reached the ninth stage and faced the tribulation."
"And that is why they are all dead..."
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