In this battle, the king finally agreed.
However, apart from the two of them, no one else in the entire Nineteen Continents could witness this battle. As a result, in the endless years that followed, many monks who had long admired the names of Great Venerable Jianchou and Great Venerable Hermit Sword felt very regretful about this.
All everyone knew was that two major events occurred on this seemingly ordinary day in late autumn.
The first thing was that Qu Zhengfeng, the new Sword Emperor of Tomorrow's Star Sea, took a step into the Return to Void realm and officially became one of the few dozen great powers in the entire Nineteen Continents;
The second thing was the name on the West Sea Square that had once again ascended to the top of the Fourth Heaven Monument after sixty years.
See sorrow.
For the entire day, the cultivators from the Nineteen Continents were almost all immersed in the shock brought about by Qu Zhengfeng's advancement into the realm of returning to the void and becoming a great power, and were unable to extricate themselves.
After all, it has been a long, long time since a powerful person appeared in the Nineteen Continents.
The last great being who entered the Return to Void realm was more than 600 years ago, when Master Hengxu made a breakthrough...
Everyone knows that the higher one advances in cultivation, the more difficult it is to break through.
The lifespan of most powerful monks can be counted in thousands of years, but sometimes they are not talented enough or the opportunity has not come, so they may die of old age before they reach enlightenment.
Considering that Qu Zhengfeng has only been practicing for more than seven hundred years but less than eight hundred years, he is already a rare genius.
In addition, he now has the title of Sword Emperor, and he destroyed the entire Night Ship a few days ago. Who could not pay attention to him
Monks with less qualifications often couldn't help shaking their heads and sighing when they mentioned him.
But in the evening, when the sun was about to set, this sigh of inferiority was replaced by a completely new kind of horror!
On the vast West Sea, thirteen islands are strung together in a line, one end connected to an isolated island on earth, and the other end connected to the land of the Nineteen Continents.
The Wen Dao Monument, which suddenly had the word "Chao" added to it sixty years ago, still stands in the sea.
The tides rise and fall, and the waves crash, leaving traces of sea erosion on its edges.
In the square, monks were still coming and going as usual.
But compared to normal times, there were obviously many more monks walking these days. From their clothes and accessories, it can be seen that they came from different sects and had very different looks, but most of them were going to the same place.
Zhongyu, Zuo Sanqian, Kunwu.
Because in a few days, it will be the new session of Zuo Sanqian Club.
As the mainstays of Yashan and Kunwu, naturally there are many new talents that make people shine. The top five sects such as Longmen and Baiyue Valley have also accepted several quite outstanding disciples in recent years.
Although no matter how you calculate it, it seems difficult to compare with the small meeting sixty years ago, there is still an endless stream of people coming to join in the fun.
As a professional joiner who had escaped from home with great difficulty, Xiao Jin did not travel with Bai Yin and Zuo Liu. He separated from them halfway and instead went to see the most prosperous west coast first.
Sometimes he looked around the territory of Wangjiang Tower, and sometimes he wandered around the territory of Wanghai Tower.
It can be said that whatever excitement was going on everywhere was mixed up with him.
Calculating the time, the meeting won’t be long.
After thinking it over for a while, Xiao Jin finally walked out of the streets of the bustling town on the coast, holding the half-eaten watermelon, and returned to the square.
A large teleportation array sometimes shines and sometimes goes out in the afterglow, with a moving brilliance.
The nine-layered monuments, one higher than the other, stood in the square as usual. Above the three characters "Qu Zhengfeng" on the sixth-layered monument, the two characters "Zheng Yao" were added.
As the head of Yashan, Zheng Yao's cultivation has always been outstanding.
It’s just that because there is a man named Fudao Shanren who always makes the entire cultivation world speechless with anger, few people pay attention to his cultivation.
Xiao Jin noticed the change as soon as he glanced over. He was not very surprised and only muttered, "A pervert is indeed a pervert. No wonder our ancestors said that this person should not be provoked. If he continues to practice like this, won't he be able to ascend to heaven in another one or two hundred years?"
It’s really scary to think about it.
Fortunately, a few unreliable old guys in his family praised him for his strong talent in cultivation. However, when he met Zuo Sanqian, he realized that the so-called "strong talent" was just that, and it was not so strong that no one in the world could match it.
However, at least it is better than ordinary people, so it can be tolerated.
Xiao Jin was calculating bit by bit in his mind, but he did not stop and walked towards one of the teleportation arrays leading to Kunwu Jiutoujiangwan.
But before he could get there, a scream from not far ahead attracted all his attention!
"The Heavenly Monument has changed, look!"
The celestial monument has changed
At this moment, the first thought that flashed through Xiao Jin's mind was not which level of the monument had changed, nor who had climbed up to the monument, but rather -
When did the Tianbei brand name become so worthless? Why did it change again?!
But when he looked carefully at the Heavenly Monument that everyone was looking at...
“Bang!”
The half melon that he had been holding tightly in his arms was not held firmly for a moment, and it fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
Xiao Jin's still young face was filled with the emotion of "You must be kidding me", his eyes were wide open, and his mouth was so wide open that a basket of eggs could be stuffed in it!
"Senior Sister Jianchou, do you have to be so violent..."
I just want to kneel down before this Nine-Layered Heaven Monument!
Xiao Jin looked at the changes on the Fourth Heaven Monument, and then thought of his years of cultivation and the comments of his elders at home. For a moment, he felt that life was meaningless.
The path of cultivation is really not suitable for him!
In fact, it’s easier to just squat and watch the show quietly.
As a young man with outstanding talent from a southwestern family, Xiao Jin was still like this. It goes without saying that the other cultivators with ordinary talents felt even worse after seeing the changes on the monument.
First there was Qu Zhengfeng, and everyone could comfort themselves, after all, Qu Zhengfeng had been trapped in the Nascent Soul stage for four hundred years.
Now that he has reached the state of Return to the Void, it seems fast, but in fact it is the result of the hard work of practicing for the past four hundred years.
But now…
The two characters "Wang Que" that were originally engraved on the fourth heaven monument dimmed after a flash and soon disappeared.
Another name that once appeared on this monument was covered by the afterglow of the setting sun.
The first one on the fourth heaven monument is Jianchou!
Sixty years ago, when she first broke through the Nascent Soul stage, her name had already appeared on the Heavenly Monument. But it was just a fleeting moment, like a flash in the pan.
From then on, an unsolved mystery was left for the entire 19 continents.
Sixty years later, she returned mysteriously, rescued Zuo Liu in the Baiyin Tower, fought against the evil monk Shan Xing, and killed Liang Tingyu, the chief priest of Yehang Ship, becoming extremely famous.
At this moment, he even climbed back to the first place on the fourth level monument!
After a lapse of sixty years, he reached the summit of the Heavenly Monument twice.
In the entire Zuo Sanqian, the entire Central Region, and even the entire Nineteen Continents, who else can be better than him? !
The king has been practicing Taoism for more than five hundred years, so how long has he been experiencing sorrow
Just over sixty years!
At this moment, countless people stopped in the sunset shadow spread across Xihai Square, looking up at this simple name, fascinated...
In the bright moon and starry sea, in front of Jiexing Villa, the Great Sima of Tongguan Post who came to visit the Sword Emperor, Chen Yao, pinched the communication spirit bead in his hand, with a smile on his lips and a bit more solemnity in his eyes;
In Jiexing Villa, Hongdie leaning against the window looked confused;
In the deep valley behind the White Moon Valley, Lu Xiangleng, a medicine girl who was testing medicine, was slightly startled. After a long time, she finally lowered her head and curled her lips. There was a rare warmth in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
On the thousand-foot terrace of Wuyi Sect, flowers were in full bloom. The Flowery Young Master looked at the latest changes in the Nine Heavens Monument in "Zhilin Sou Rixin" and finally couldn't help but muttered in disappointment, "He's not dead yet", and then threw the green peony he had just picked on the ground with a dull look;
In the Lanyue Hall of Yashan, the slightly plump head of the sect, Zheng Yao, suddenly became overjoyed and laughed loudly. The laughter was so loud that it went straight out of the hall and spread throughout the entire Lingzhaoding...
Above the Kunwu peaks, the atmosphere was solemn.
Over the past few decades, with the help of various rare treasures and the favor of the elders in the sect, Gu Qingmei finally broke through to the Nascent Soul stage some time ago.
It can be said that at her age and at her level, there are only a few female cultivators in the entire Central Region.
During this period of time, she almost had a feeling of being superior to everyone else.
But at this moment, the two words "Jianchou" that appeared on the fourth heaven monument were so clear and dazzling, so piercing!
"Didn't they say that he had a narrow escape and that it was impossible for him to appear again? How could it be, how could it be..."
What a strong sense of unwillingness this is
Sixty years ago, she thought she was the pride of the new generation of Kunwu. Even if she was not as good as Senior Brother Xie, she was no worse than others.
But in the Shahong small world, in the Zuo Sanqian small meeting...
The female cultivator from Yashan named Jianchou defeated her so easily, and finally defeated all the heroes, and took away the stage that should have belonged to Senior Brother Xie!
Qu Zhengfeng made malicious plans first, and Jianchou took the stage later. He was truly insidious and despicable!
After the battle at Qingfeng Temple's hidden world, she learned, because of Gu Pingsheng, that Jianchou had activated a human platform at a critical moment, and most likely fell to the extreme realm.
It was such a dangerous place, and she was almost exhausted, so there was no doubt that she would die!
In this case, apart from Gu Qingmei, who else can compete for the title of the number one female cultivator of the new generation
But who would have thought, who would have thought!
Not only did she not die, she actually came back and reached the top of the fourth level monument - the original number one in the Nascent Soul stage was Senior Brother Wang Que!
Because Wang Que was a quiet person who devoted himself to mountains and rivers, Gu Qingmei had no chance to communicate with him. But according to the teachers and several senior brothers in the sect, Senior Brother Wang Que's talent was the best in Kunwu, even surpassing Senior Brother Yuehe.
It can be said that before Xie Buchen joined the sect, he was already the undisputed number one genius in Kunwu!
But this kind of Wang is Senior Brother...
He was pushed off the Heavenly Monument by Jianchou? !
A feeling of injustice rolled in his chest, suppressed and hot, making Gu Qingmei feel suffocated.
She gritted her teeth, raised her hand and pushed the door open.
"Bang!"
The two wooden doors slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
But she didn't care at all and just walked out, following the bluestone paved path straight to the back mountain.
It was late autumn and the whole mountain was bleak.
A mountain rain last night added a bit of coolness. A layer of yellow leaves, blown down by the wind and rain last night, fell to the ground and covered the ground. Only a few leaves were left on the desolate branches, still hanging sporadically.
The waterfall hanging upside down from the cliff was also much smaller.
The black rocks stand out prominently on the mountain wall.
The waterfall rushing down is still turbulent due to the steep mountain, and the splashing water is as white as pearls, flashing a cold light in the slowly approaching darkness.
Opposite the waterfall is the wooden house.
It has been more than sixty years, and except for a lot of old traces left by wind and rain, the eaves, corners, doors and windows, everything is almost the same as when it was first built.
When Gu Qingmei arrived, the door was not closed, but just ajar.
The small brass lock, which had already grown some rust, hung on the left side of the door.
Senior Brother Xie has just come out of seclusion these few days. I heard that he was called to Yihe Hall by the head master for a talk yesterday, and he did not come out until dawn the next day.
Gu Qingmei naturally didn't know what the head master was up to, but it had nothing to do with her.
Originally, her heart was filled with anger, but when she stood in front of the door, her face showed a bit of shyness and uneasiness of a young girl.
After calming down for a moment, she took a deep breath, took small steps up the stairs, and gently pushed the door open.
“Squeak.”
"Xie Senior Brother, are you there?"
It was so late and there was no light in the house.
Only one side of the window was half open, and the cool breeze from the forest blew in from outside, ruffling the books spread out on the table, drying up the remaining ink in the inkstone, and bringing in a few dead leaves hanging from the treetops in the forest.
A few pieces fell on the table and the inkstone, and a few fell into the man's hair and shoulders.
The dark blue robe turned into a deep dark green in the darkness.
He was still calm and composed, even after the changes in the hidden world, he was no different from before. Now he was standing facing the wall, and on the wall was the ordinary sword hanging.
The dim light coming in from the window only shone on the side of his face, making that handsome outline even clearer; the face hidden in the shadow on the other side could not be seen clearly.
"It's this sword again..."
Gu Qingmei felt annoyed that Xie Buchen didn't pay any attention to her. She bit her lip, but still walked over, took a look at the sword on the wall, and muttered with some dissatisfaction.
"Isn't it just an ordinary sword? It's just a little sharper. What's so good about it?"
Xie Buchen lowered his eyelids slightly, but did not look back. He just said calmly, "Junior Sister Gu, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, this."
Gu Qingmei suddenly remembered why she came here, and she clenched her hands that were hanging by her side, her eyes revealing a hint of vicious dissatisfaction and resentment.
“Brother Xie, don’t you know? That damned female cultivator from Yashan not only survived, but also broke through to the Nascent Soul stage. Now she has even surpassed Brother Wang Que and is ranked first on the Fourth Heavenly Monument! Brother Xie, you—”
"I see."
The voice was calm and peaceful, as if it had known all this for a long time and was not at all surprised, and it seemed as if it did not take the matter to heart at all.
His voice sounded like it had been soaked in the cold rain, so it was slightly cool and chilly.
Just four simple words.
I see.
At this moment, Gu Qingmei suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
Almost everyone with eyes in Kunwu could see what she meant. But the man standing in front of her seemed to have no feelings at all and never expressed anything.
Xie Buchen never refuses.
But his silent indifference and coldness kept her even further away, making her feel an invisible barrier between the two of them.
It was as if this was a heartless person who could not be approached at all, with a heart of stone that could not be opened.
She was clearly doing this for his own good, which was why she couldn't wait to tell him the news about the woman in Yashan, but his reaction was so cold.
Gu Qingmei thought about it and snorted coldly.
But even so, Xie Buchen did not look back, his eyes were still on the dusty sword.
Look at the sword, look at the sword, look at the sword. All I do all day long is look at the sword!
After all, she is the daughter of a great Kunwu elder. Could it be that she is not even as good as a broken sword? !
All of a sudden, all kinds of grievances surged into Gu Qing's heart. He was so angry that his eyebrows and eyes turned red. He was so angry that he slammed the door and walked out!
"I don't want to see you again!"
The footsteps quickly faded away and became silent.
Xie Buchen didn't even move his eyebrows, standing there like the most exquisite and ingenious statue, letting the cool breeze outside the window cool half of his body.
But that heart...
The cold fingertips slowly rose and pressed lightly on the chest as if unconsciously. I could clearly feel the heart inside, still beating.
Warm blood flows from here to the whole body.
He lowered his hands again and spread them out in front of his eyes. On the middle finger of his right hand, there was a deep purple-gold mark that extended from the fingertip downwards and gradually faded to the palm.
The blood on your fingertips is the blood in your heart.
This deep scar was left by Jianchou's blow that caused billions of stars to fall in the battle at the top of the Buddha in Qingfeng Temple. Even if the three souls were reunited and the body was rebuilt, it could not be erased.
A beloved and also an enemy.
Xie Buchen's other hand's fingers followed the starting point of the purple-gold scar, inch by inch, minute by minute, slowly moving until it landed on the palm of his hand.
Seems gentle and affectionate.
But in his clear eyes, there was an almost annihilated calmness and indifference.
The long night has come quietly.
A frosty moon hung on the edge of the cliff, rising slowly as time passed. The cold moonlight shone on the vast mountains at the edge of the sea of tomorrow's stars, creating a silent tranquility.
On a smooth cliff, Wang sat cross-legged on a rock in front, holding a small wine jar in his hand. He looked at the moon and finally let out a long sigh.
"Before you fought me, your name was not recorded on the Fourth Heaven Monument, which proves that your cultivation is not as good as mine. What a pity..."
“What a pity.”
Jianchou stood behind him, his face still a little pale, but his cheeks were slightly red. He shook the wine jar in his hand, and from the sound, he knew that only half of the wine was left in the jar.
"It's just that I have always believed that wisdom and strategy, even in this world of cultivation, are a form of strength."
This is true.
Just thinking back on this tough battle that lasted almost the entire day, Wang still felt somewhat unwilling to give up. He tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, choking and coughing.
"You won the battle and gained fame and fortune. But I lost the battle and it ruined my mood."
Hermit's Sword, Hermit's Sword.
One cannot cultivate without a peaceful and indifferent mind. Once one has the desire to win, how can one be a true "hermit"? In the battle that ended half an hour ago, Jianchou had ignited his full fighting spirit.
Even though he was very reluctant, the king had to admit it.
He didn't want to lose this battle at all.
If his heart was originally a calm lake, now it is like a sea about to be stormed, with raging waves, thunder and lightning, which has nothing to do with the words "calm and indifferent".
Jianchou knew it of course, but after all, it was not him who was in a bad mood.
She just walked to Wang Que, feeling the cold wind blowing from the cliff mountain, raised her head and took a sip of wine, and laughed heartily with the smell of alcohol.
"Without destruction, there is no construction. Destruction precedes construction. The fact that this battle has ruined your state of mind can only prove that Daoist Wang Que's cultivation is not deep enough. Or... Are there really so-called 'hermits' among the cultivators in this world?"
"… "
The liquor goes down your throat, mellow and hot.
The smell of alcohol was still strong between Wang Que's lips and tongue, but when he heard Jianchou's words, his eyes suddenly became clear and he turned around to look at Jianchou.
Jianchou shrugged and said, "All cultivators in the world, when they start practicing, either seek the power to move mountains and fill the sea, or seek immortality. Hermits are indifferent, they don't seek power, they don't seek enlightenment, they just follow their nature, why would they practice Taoism or learn swordsmanship?"
But the king did not answer.
He was also one of the smartest people in the world. He understood some things without Jianchou even saying them clearly. Even at the moment of defeat today, many things had quietly come to his mind.
The Hermit Sword is his name and also his way.
but…
As Jianchou asked, are there really true "hermits" in these 19 continents where many monks gather
"I have always longed for such days, picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains; the mountain air is beautiful at dusk, and the birds fly back and forth..."
As Wang read it, he shook his head, sighed, and took another big sip of wine.
"This battle really shouldn't have been won. It shouldn't have been won."
"Hahaha… "
Jianchou couldn't help laughing out loud as he listened to his half-true, half-false regret.
"It's too late to regret. I have already won this battle. But, fellow Daoist Wang, please tell me how is your Junior Brother Xie, whose fate tablet is said to have been broken, doing now?"
She was really particularly "concerned" about Junior Brother Xie.
Wang was thinking about it, and was willing to admit defeat, so he answered directly: "Although Junior Brother Xie's life card was broken, he got a chance in the hidden world, and Master is protecting him with all his strength. Not to mention that he was seriously injured and dying, even if his soul left his body, as long as it has not dissipated, it can be reunited, but his cultivation has disappeared. Master used the Great Evolution Divine Art, which took more than 30 years to save him. In these few days, Junior Brother Xie should be able to form a pill again."
"Not dead..."
Do you want to form the elixir again
It seems that Xie Buchen's cultivation has been cleared and he has to start all over again.
This answer is not surprising at all.
After all, if Xie Buchen died, how could so many unpredictable and chaotic rumors arise in the Nineteen Continents
Jianchou laughed sarcastically: "Master Hengxu is a great power, but for this one disciple, he has exhausted his mind and spent more than 30 years. Is your Kunwu such a humane place?"
“…Xie Junior Brother is different from others.”
However, Wang shook his head and did not say a word about Jianchou's word "humane", but there was a sense of difficulty in his words.
Jianchou just felt that his words were familiar. He only vaguely remembered that when he first met Wu Duan, he had heard Wu Duan say something similar.
This made her curious.
"no the same?"
"Although such peerless geniuses are rare, in the vast Nineteen Continents, one or two will appear every once in a while. Moreover, not all geniuses can achieve success smoothly, and there are also many who die halfway. The reason why Junior Brother Xie is different has little to do with his unattainable talent."
Wang was fourth under the tutelage of Zhenren Hengxu, and was definitely ranked high in Kunwu. He was also qualified to know some things.
For example, the one related to Kunwu and Xie Buchen.
"More than sixty years ago, my master borrowed the Zhoutian Star Array to peek into the secrets of the heavens."
"As the secret of heaven shows, Kunwu will experience a catastrophe in a hundred years, or even be in danger of being destroyed. In the whole world, only Junior Brother Xie can stop this catastrophe, turn the tide, and save Kunwu from danger."
"So he went to an isolated island in the mortal world, accepted Brother Xie as his disciple and cultivated him carefully. Compared with the Kunwu catastrophe, a mere thirty years is nothing."
These things are Kunwu’s biggest, deepest and most inhumane secrets.
But Wang had already made a bet with Jianchou and could not hide anything related to Xie Buchen, so every word he spoke was very frank.
When Jianchou heard this, he felt it was unbelievable.
As the top sect in the Central Region, would Kunwu encounter a catastrophe a hundred years later
The reason why Master Hengxu accepted Xie Buchen as his disciple was actually because of a secret...
Wasn’t it more than sixty years ago when everything began
Jianchou slowly lowered his eyes, but his eyes were filled with coldness. He only smiled slowly with his lips curved: "So, the great catastrophe that you Kunwu people are talking about will only last about thirty years?"
"A hundred years should be an imaginary number, but if the secret is true, it should not be far off."
As the Wang spoke, he drank the last gulp of the liquor in the jar, then stood up, turned to Jianchou and asked with a smile.
"That's all, the wine is finished. I should go back to Kunwu. I wonder where Daoist Jianchou is going?"
"Me? I'm going back to Yashan too. It's just right for me to go with Daoist friend Wang Que. If you don't mind, we can drink and discuss Dao along the way."
Jianchou was holding the jar of wine, standing on the high cliff, looking towards the continuous mountains of Zuo Sanqian in the Central Region in the distance.
"not to mention… "
"After all, I have lived and died with Fellow Daoist Xie in the Hidden Realm, and have gone through the same tribulations together. Now that he has escaped death and formed a pill again, how can I not show my gratitude and give him a 'surprise'?"