After speaking, Xu Xian's eyes grew lonely as he sighed with unprompted emotion. "It's a pity he can't come back."
He was dead!
Well, not exactly dead.
It was a sacrifice!
As a former Sword Protector, Li Shuhe naturally understood. When a Sword Bearer ascended to the tribulation transcendence stage, the Sword Protector and Sword Attendant of that generation would fulfill their destiny.
This was the very thing—the fate—that the Li clan had persisted in for millions of years.
They were fortunate. At least, in the depths of her heart, that was what she believed. She didn't explain or ask further, because speaking was truly taxing for her.
She simply said to Xu Xian, "But you have come."
Xu Xian took a deep breath and said with a hint of helplessness, "Yes, I've come, but... is it still in time?"
A grey sky, a desolate land, and an endless horizon without a single glimmer of light. Even if he had come, would it matter? Was there still time?
"It is late," she said.
But that wasn't the answer Xu Xian wanted to hear. He knew it was late; he just wanted to know if there was still time.
In Above the Heavens, was there still a stretch of mountains and rivers, an inch of spirit soil where he could cultivate in peace? Could he reach the Earth Immortal, Celestial Immortal, God Immortal, or Immortal King stage?
Could he pull the divine swords from that tower, one by one?
Could he sweep away the darkness?
He was invincible in the mortal realm, but in Above the Heavens, he was nothing more than a fledgling who had just left the nest.
She seemed to perceive Xu Xian's thoughts. With great patience and even greater effort, she said, "Even at the end of one's tether, there is still a glimmer of life. Desolate land can always meet dew. Winter is long, but spring will arrive. After the night, the dawn will always break. It is the same for you..."
Xu Xian lowered his eyes. So there was still hope...
She continued to speak slowly. "However, to reignite from the ashes, to be reborn from desolation... the path beneath your feet will be difficult. You will have to endure much more."
It was rare for her to say so much in one breath.
Her words were deeply meaningful.
Xu Xian wasn't surprised. He had long since prepared himself mentally; the path after ascending to the heavens was bound to be fraught with difficulties.
He could accept it.
He said, "The way is difficult and long, but with persistence, the goal will be reached."
A flash of admiration crossed Li Shuhe's eyes, and she said softly, "It is excellent that you think this way."
After that brief moment of sentiment, Xu Xian returned to the main topic to resolve the layers of confusion in his heart.
He asked, "Where should I go next?"
Li Shuhe raised her hand, her expression turning solemn as she pointed toward the east. One word at a time, she said, "Go east. Keep going. Cross the Spirit River. Reach the Immortal Land. Cultivate. Live. Grow strong. And then... fight your way back."
In just over twenty words, she defined Xu Xian's future strategy and direction. She didn't just point the way; she set a goal for him.
It was like when the Sword Tower was being built in the mortal realm. All he needed to do was complete the task.
However, Xu Xian also knew that the twists and turns involved were likely beyond what words could describe. It hadn't been easy for her to say it all in one breath, and it would be even harder for Xu Xian to do it.
But that didn't matter. At least he knew where to go and what to do.
Go east.
Cross the Spirit River.
Reach the Immortal Land.
These were two unfamiliar terms, two unfamiliar locations. They weren't in the little book spirit's memory, so Xu Xian couldn't look them up. Lu Yuan might know...
It didn't matter.
Xu Xian thought that place might be the last pure land in Cangming that hadn't been swallowed by darkness—the final territory of light and the last hope for living souls.
Xu Xian didn't need to know exactly what it was. What he had to do was get there; the answer would reveal itself in time.
Xu Xian pondered silently, calculating his next moves...
He hadn't asked a question for a long time!
After waiting for a while, she prompted him, "Any more questions?"
Xu Xian snapped out of it, thought for a moment, and said gently, "I have some, but they aren't very important. Speaking is exhausting for you, so I won't ask."
The Immortal Land?
The Spirit River?
Death Spirits?
Darkness?
Why are you like this?
What obstacles lie ahead?
A person's questions never end, and the mysteries in one's heart can never be fully solved. There was no need to get to the bottom of every single thing and have everything explained clearly.
Xu Xian only needed to know a few points.
Who was this girl?
What should he do?
That was enough.
The light in her eyes flickered, and she stood dazed for a moment. Perhaps it was because, over the long passage of time, she had always been alone as an anomaly, and thus hadn't been cared for by anyone in a very long time.
And today,
Xu Xian had come.
He had said such a thing.
Because he feared she would be tired, he stopped asking.
She was momentarily stunned.
She knew that human curiosity was incredibly strong. Once it was piqued, if things weren't made clear, it would feel like a kitten scratching at one's heart.
But Xu Xian could restrain himself from asking, which spoke volumes about his character.
He had to be someone with immense self-control, and at the same time, he had to be a very, very good person.
To consider her well-being upon their very first meeting...
It was rare!
The tower had chosen him as its master.
Good!
After her brief daze, she told Xu Xian, "I am alright."
Xu Xian gave a carefree smile. "Heh." He took a sip of the strong wine.
She didn't insist. Since Xu Xian didn't ask, she wouldn't force it, but there were some things she had to say even if he didn't ask.
After resting for a while, she looked out at the vast eastern horizon and spoke of her own accord. "Further ahead is Tianjian City. It was once the number one city in the Sword Province. Now, it is the base of the dark creatures. They call it Black Spirit City."
Xu Xian took another sip of wine and whispered to himself, "Black Spirit City?"
Li Shuhe nodded and gave an affirmative sound before continuing. "In the Greedy Realm, after each of the former provinces fell to the darkness, the dark creatures would occupy a major city and establish a Black Spirit City."
"In other words, in each of the 3,000 Great Provinces, there is a Black Spirit City. Inside each Black Spirit City, a Spirit Tower is built, and within the Spirit Tower, life lamps are enshrined. It is very dangerous. There are many powerful fellows there..."
More unfamiliar terms.
Spirit Tower,
Life lamps,
Black Spirit City?
Xu Xian didn't recognize any of them, so he simply asked, "How powerful?"
She replied, "The Great Spirit Lord of the Sword Province has the strength of the peak God Immortal stage."
Xu Xian knit his brows and fell into deep thought. "God Immortal stage... that strong?"
Among the six stages of immortality, the first is the Mortal Immortal stage, the second is the Earth Immortal stage, the third is the Celestial Immortal stage, and only the fourth is the God Immortal stage. Compared to him, that was a gap of three entire realms.
A direct confrontation?
That definitely wouldn't work.
Furthermore,
Since a God Immortal stage existence was there, the number of Earth Immortals and Celestial Immortals would only be even greater.
Could he sneak past?
He turned his gaze toward Li Shuhe.
Li Shuhe looked at him but gave an answer that didn't directly address his question. "Listen to me finish first."
"Alright!" Xu Xian said. As long as she didn't mind the fatigue, he was all ears.
Li Shuhe said, "The dark creatures are different from us, yet also the same. They also have a hierarchy of realms. From low to high, they are: Death Spirits, Grey Spirits, dark spirits, Small Spirit Lords, Great Spirit Lords, and Ancestral Spirits."
"These realms correspond respectively to those below the Immortal Realm, Mortal Immortal, Earth Immortal, Celestial Immortal, God Immortal, and Immortal King."
"Further west from here, by the Boundary Sea, there even exist three First Spirits. Their strength is comparable to the Immortal Emperor stage."
"Death Spirits are the ones that chased you earlier. They are transformed from the myriad beings that were assimilated. Their realm is below the Immortal Realm, and they have no intelligence."
"Grey Spirits are at the Mortal Immortal stage. They have thoughts and are no different from normal living beings."
"Dark spirits are at the Earth Immortal stage. They are stronger and more formidable."
"Small Spirit Lords..."
At this point, she stopped completely, a look of pain coloring her eyes. Even though she had paused several times in the middle of her explanation, she had truly spoken too much.
Xu Xian waited patiently and comforted her softly, "No rush. Take it slow."
These were details that couldn't be explained in just a few words.
Xu Xian listened intently, his heart filled with curiosity. This was a completely new worldview, an entirely different system.
While she rested, he couldn't help but wonder what a Small Spirit Lord was. Was a Small Spirit Lord the culprit driving those Death Spirits to hunt them down?
Otherwise,
Why would their life lamps be enshrined in the Spirit Tower of Black Spirit City?
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