The moonlight was like white silk, its clear radiance flowing like water.
The sword qi gradually dissipated, and the mournful wind died down. As the dust settled, a ten-zhang-wide path stretched straight ahead of Xu Xian, extending deep into the forest until it vanished from sight...
If even the power of a nascent soul was like this...
Then the ninth stage, tribulation transcendence, was beyond imagination. No wonder Li Qingshan, who was at the eighth stage, great ascension, dared to take on the job of diverting the great river.
The blood infants scattered around were covered by churned-up earth and fallen bamboo leaves. In contrast, the circle drawn by the sword at his feet remained sharp and distinct, completely unaffected.
The earth sword, Yue Ning, still hovered above Xu Xian’s head, reflecting a halo of moonlight—gentle and serene.
Standing inside the circle, Xu Xian felt a complete sense of security.
He muttered to himself, "I feel like Tripitaka."
He shook his head and smiled. His mind, which had been tense with anxiety, began to calm down. He sat on the ground, his heavy sword, Wait, resting across his knees as he gazed in the direction where Nangong Ning had disappeared.
It was a vast, hazy expanse of high mountains and deep forests.
Xu Xian couldn't see anything clearly.
However, from time to time, he could hear the sounds of fighting and booming echoes from afar. Occasionally, flashes of light flickered in the dark night.
They were a kaleidoscope of colors.
Whether they were sword light or other techniques, he couldn't tell.
But judging by the sounds and sights, the two were fighting fiercely.
It seemed they were evenly matched.
Although Xu Xian knew Nangong Ning was powerful, he didn't know her exact level. Thus, he still felt a knot of worry for her.
He felt apprehensive.
His face showed his concern.
He was restless.
Nangong Ning was a good kid. When they first met, she seemed cold and aloof, like a thorny rose. You couldn't help but want to get close, yet you feared being pricked.
But after spending time together, you'd realize her thorns didn't actually sting.
Her age and experience made her empathetic, blending intelligence with sensibility. Occasionally, she would even tease others, showing a hint of girlish charm.
Traveling with her provided a great sense of security...
In short, she was warmer than Wen Qingxue and more mature than Lin Qianqian.
Xu Xian quite liked the girl.
So, he didn't want anything to happen to her.
Of course, if something did happen to her, he would likely end up dead here as well.
However, he knew very well that his strength was too weak to help. He might as well stay put and not cause any more trouble.
Wasn't there a saying? A man's greatest virtue is self-awareness.
The sounds in the distance grew further and further away...
The young man's thoughts became increasingly chaotic...
He spoke to Yue Ning above his head, "Are you worried about your master too? It's fine, she's very strong. Stay calm... No, if you leave, what will I do? Just stay here..."
"Sigh... This is on me. I didn't think this through carefully enough. I was too eager for quick results. We shouldn't have split up. I have to be more careful next time; I'm not being steady enough."
"As the Grand-Uncle, I'm responsible. I need to reflect..."
As he murmured to himself, a streak of bloody light shot up in the distance, instantly staining more than half the sky crimson.
The moonlight dimmed. Suddenly, the earth shook and the mountains swayed. An energy wave swept toward him. Wherever it passed, the bamboo forest bent. The fierce wind stripped the bamboo leaves bare, transforming them into blades that surged forward, carrying dust and rocks.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Whoosh—!
Crash—!
The wind roared like it could uproot mountains; the dust poured like a bursting river.
Yue Ning's sword intent surged, and a formation light rose beneath his feet, forming its own realm to protect Xu Xian.
Xu Xian held his breath and focused his mind. Wait, resting on his knees, grew restless.
A moment later.
The wind died down, the dust settled, and the leaves fell. The moonlight flickered back to life, the red glow in the distance vanished, and the booming in his ears ceased.
Xu Xian stared into the dark night, his gaze heavy with caution. Above him, Yue Ning vibrated violently, its sword aura hurried and uneasy.
It seemed to have sensed that its master was in danger; it wanted to go but was forced to stay.
Xu Xian's Adam's apple bobbed as he frowned deeply.
'How did it come to this?'
After the turbid wave passed, the dark night seemed to have stripped away its disguise. Xu Xian glimpsed five flashes of sword light, faint and flickering, deep within the extreme darkness among the mountains.
Through the Pupil of Insight:
He could discern the realms of others, and his divine sense could probe the aura of living beings within a one-li radius.
The little book spirit could move up to three li away from him, sharing its vision with Xu Xian.
However, as the master of the Sword Mound, Xu Xian could sense any sword from the Sword Mound within a hundred-li radius.
The higher the quality of the sword, the stronger the connection and the further the range.
If it were an immortal sword, he could glimpse a trace of its sword aura even from a thousand li away.
At this moment, within Xu Xian's divine sense, there were the auras of seven swords from the Sword Mound.
Excluding Yue Ning above his head and Wait across his knees, there were five swords beyond the distant mountains—right where the red light had surged earlier.
They were less than a hundred li away.
What did that prove?
It proved that besides Nangong Ning, there were at least five other Wendao Sect disciples there.
But... just a moment ago, there had clearly been nothing there.
Xu Xian's brow furrowed deeper and deeper as his mind raced, sorting and summarizing the information...
They had found this place because of a piece of paper stained with an infant's blood, only to encounter a blood infant and an unknown powerhouse.
This was obviously a setup.
The goal was to lure them to Yunxuan Garden.
And now, he had spotted five swords belonging to the Wendao Sect.
'Li Feng, who didn't have a spirit sword...'
'There just happened to be five people in the Yecheng Supervision Hall...'
'The missing disciples, the Hall Master who hasn't returned...'
'It all matches up!'
Things gradually became clear. Xu Xian subconsciously clenched his fists and cursed.
"Damn it!"
'That Li Feng really was suspicious.'
Xu Xian realized they had been tricked. He had noticed something was off about Li Feng earlier. Every disciple of the Wendao Sect possessed a life-bound sword; even if it were hidden in a storage bag, Xu Xian should have been able to vaguely sense it.
Li Feng was the only one who lacked one.
He just hadn't thought much of it at the time, assuming it was a coincidence or that the man had forgotten to bring it.
Thinking back now...
Li Feng might not even be a disciple of the Wendao Sect.
And it wasn't just one disciple who had gone missing from the Supervision Hall—it was all of them. They were the masters of those five sword lights.
By luring them here, Nangong Ning was in grave danger.
Furthermore, Song Qingshu and Ruan Zhong were likely also under the control of the person in the shadows.
And as for himself...
The more he thought, the more terrified he became. His heart pounded.
To encounter such a massive problem on his very first mission—he really was quite unlucky.
Just as he was at a loss for what to do, the Pupil of Insight reacted.
A cold light flickered in his eyes as vision sharing activated. Within his divine sense, someone had appeared out of nowhere behind him, standing atop the bamboo stalks and looking down at him.
Xu Xian's gaze darkened. With a thought, he silently grasped the iron sword from his newbie gift pack. Without any hesitation, he drew the sword, stood up, and threw it...
Swoosh!
The sword flew through the air like a bolt from a crossbow, crossing the distance in an instant.
The person merely tilted her head slightly, and the blade passed nearly flush against her cheek.
A few stray hairs near her ear were ruffled.
She tilted her head further, looking at the young man, and whispered, "You can actually sense me?"
Xu Xian raised his heavy sword with one hand, pointing it directly at the top of the bamboo stalks. "Are you human or a ghost?"
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