In addition to the people from Huanletian outside, there seemed to be people from the Demon Realm's Ghost Controlling Gate. Gu Pinglin did not want to be discovered, so he followed the instructions and walked a few steps inside. He stopped after turning the corner, turned around, and observed the situation outside.
He didn't leave, and Duan Qingming didn't ask. He just withdrew his hand, took out a clean robe from his Qiankun bag, and threw it on Gu Pinglin.
Neither team noticed that there was a dangerous sword barrier here, and they unexpectedly took advantage and walked right in. Gu Pinglin felt mixed emotions, and turned around to see Duan Qingming had taken off his bloodstained outer robe and inner garment, and was lowering his head to apply medicine to the serious sword wound on his chest. Gu Pinglin stopped thinking, turned the robe in his arms and held it in his arms, and took the initiative to step forward: "I have medicine here, I'll take care of the wound on your back."
Duan Qingming seemed a little surprised. He glanced at him, then said "hmm" and turned his back: "In that case, thank you very much." For convenience, he deliberately lifted his long hair like a waterfall of ink to his shoulders.
Gu Pinglin looked at the firm back and sighed secretly.
How could this monster be so favored by the heavens? He possessed a talent and a heart that countless monks could not even dream of, and even his appearance was so outstanding.
Duan Qingming didn't turn around, but he seemed to have seen his reaction, and said with a smile: "I'm flattered that you admire this frail body."
Gu Pinglin did not respond to the teasing. Seeing that he had already applied the medicine to the wound on his chest, he took out the medicine box, opened it, picked out some ointment and applied it to the wound.
Duan Qingming immediately said, "Huangquan mud?"
"I also added a flesh-growing ointment," Gu Pinglin remained calm as he continued to apply the medicine slowly, "The efficacy of the medicine is definitely no worse than your bottle. You are so powerful and fearless that you dared to break through the ancestor's sword intent barrier. I think you will not take this little pain seriously."
"You really hold a grudge."
"It is impolite not to return the favor."
Duan Qingming really endured the pain, and only turned around after the medicine was applied, took the medicine box from him, and looked at it carefully: "This amount... The revenge is cruel enough, when did you prepare it?"
"The day after I tested the medicine for you," Gu Pinglin threw the white robe to him, "I thought, maybe you will need it someday, so I might as well prepare it for you."
"Thank you for your concern, Junior Brother."
"I'm giving you all the rest. Aren't you touched?"
"I am very touched," Duan Qingming narrowed his eyes and looked at him. He pressed his finger and gently closed the lid of the medicine box, then put the medicine box into his sleeve. "I am so grateful that tears are about to flow."
That's true. The amount of the skin-growing cream added is extremely high. It's not uncommon for ordinary people to scream and cry. He was so nonchalant and joking, which was bearable. Gu Pinglin looked at him with his hands behind his back: "Cry if you want to. I won't laugh at you."
Duan Qingming was just lowering his head to adjust his robes. He looked up at what he said and said with a smile, "Is it for your kindness?"
Gu Pinglin pursed his lips.
On the path of Taoism, daring to take risks is not a bad thing, but he is too bold and reckless. Breaking through the sword intent barrier by force is tantamount to fighting for his life. Once he fails, no matter how talented he is, it will be useless. He does this not because he is reckless and ignorant, but simply because he doesn't care. So I want to teach him a lesson on behalf of my master. This person is extremely smart, how could he not guess my intention.
Duan Qingming sorted out his clothes and flicked his fingers, and the old clothes on the ground turned into ashes immediately: "I just didn't expect the consequences to be so serious."
Gu Pinglin said "Oh": "I don't know, when have you ever considered the consequences?" People's hearts are fickle, and this person is keen on controlling people's hearts, which is adventurous. This also determines his style of doing things. He is more likely to act according to the circumstances and opportunities, and pursue unexpected excitement. He rarely acts with complete confidence, which is different from his pursuit of thoroughness and perfection.
"Oh, you can't say that," Duan Qingming really didn't care, "I was 70% sure that I could get out of this unscathed."
Gu Pinglin said calmly, "It was almost like that. I could have escaped with my body intact."
"Such a spoiling remark... You always show me no mercy," Duan Qingming laughed. "Okay, I will remember the lesson and never dare to take risks again."
"You think too much. Without you, the cultivation world is peaceful and so am I." Gu Pinglin stopped here and turned to look outside.
Sure enough, the people from Huanletian came back again, and those from Yuguimen were probably unwilling to give up and were still thinking about the stone wall.
Facing many forks in the road, Empress Huanxi looked worried and stopped to discuss with Shiling. Qi Yanfeng stood in the middle crying, half covering her face with her sleeves, looking this way and that way with her tearful eyes, which was very lovable. The two male disciples who were responsible for "looking after" her couldn't help but comfort her. More than a dozen disciples were looking around. Several times, someone stood at the fork on Gu Pinglin's side and looked around, but they didn't dare to come in rashly.
After discussing for half an hour, Shi Ling still couldn't make up his mind: "This place is strange, I dare not make a conclusion for the time being."
"Once the news gets out, someone will come soon. We can't waste time," Empress Huanxi sighed, "Forget it, just choose a path. It depends on chance."
Huanletian's Taoism is special, which makes it far inferior to other magic sects in terms of strength. They can only seek shelter from others. No wonder she is anxious. Huanletian is really in need of top-level skills and swordsmanship, and it lacks masters.
There was no better way at the moment, so Shi Ling nodded in agreement. Turning around, he saw Qi Yanfeng quietly walking towards a fork in the road, so he reached out to pull her back, hugged her in his arms, and tapped her face gently with the bamboo flute in his hand: "Beauty, be obedient."
"No... I saw that..." Qi Yanfeng was shaking with fear, covering his face and struggling, "Let me go!"
Lady Huanxi signaled Shi Ding to let go, and personally pulled her over, saying gently, "Don't be afraid, little girl. I'm here. What did you see?"
Qi Yanfeng bit his lip.
The Happy Lady winked at her left and right, and several disciples immediately went to the fork in the road to check. After a while, they reported back, "Lady, we didn't find anything."
Shi Ling said: "I think she just wants to escape, why not give her to me..."
"No way!" Qi Yanfeng interrupted him in fear and pointed at the ground, "There's a map over there!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Huanxi led everyone over and saw several very shallow marks on the ground, which looked like they were formed naturally.
The senior disciple who had investigated earlier disagreed: "It's just a stone pattern, nothing strange."
"It's man-made." After all, Empress Huanxi had good eyesight. She waved her hand to stop her, stared at her for a moment, and said to Qi Yanfeng, "It should be a sword diagram. Do you recognize it?"
Qi Yanfeng hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Gu Pinglin nodded slightly in the fork in the road not far away. Huanle Tian and the others would enter the cave sooner or later, so she deliberately left half of the sword map at the intersection, which happened to be the one she had asked Duan Qingming for advice. Huanle Tian was not a sword cultivator, so he didn't pay attention to it. Qi Yanfeng had a very good memory, and even though it was half incomplete, he still recognized it.
Lady Huanxi smiled and said, "Is this picture left by your cousin?"
Qi Yanfeng did not answer, but lowered his eyes and sobbed.
Everyone understood from her expression, and Shi Ling asked, "Madam, are you going this way?"
The reason was simple. Gu Pinglin and his men were walking in front, so any traps would have been broken. Everyone followed behind, so there wouldn't be much danger. Besides, although Gu Pinglin and his men were a bit weird, it was a fact that their cultivation was not high, so it was easier to control them.
Empress Huanxi was not stupid either and made a decision immediately.
Seeing Huanletian and the others walking into that fork in the road, including the male disciple wearing a veil, Gu Pinglin withdrew his gaze with satisfaction - most sword practitioners knew the sword map, and if he dared to leave the sword map, he would not be afraid of being discovered. This woman was able to understand his meaning and successfully led everyone to that road. She was indeed smart.
"What's over there?" Duan Qingming asked.
Gu Pinglin said: "It's nothing, just a trap that can trap two hundred people." If Qi Yanfeng was smart enough, it would not be difficult for him to escape after being trapped.
"Trapping formation," Duan Qingming paused, "Junior brother is really kind."
This time, Gu Pinglin showed mercy not only for Qi Yanfeng. He did not explain: "This kind of ridicule is beneath your status as Duan Qingming. Let's go."
The two wasted a lot of time here. When they reached the stone wall, the people from the Ghost Control Gate were gone. It seemed that they had not gained anything. Like Empress Huanxi, they were worried that there were too many people behind them and they were afraid of missing the opportunity, so they chose another road.
"Since there are stairs, how can there be no road?" Duan Qingming walked up the stone steps and stopped in front of the stone wall.
"The road has to wait for people to find it," Gu Pinglin stopped beside him, "Why don't we make a bet on who can find the road first?"
"You want to gamble again," Duan Qingming turned his head, "Do you really want to beat me?"
Gu Pinglin shook his head: "Forget about gambling."
"Junior brother wants to bet, how dare I not accept it? I'm just afraid that I will lose too miserably and make you laugh at me." Duan Qingming raised his head slightly and responded while his eyes quickly scanned the entire stone wall.
He pretended to be weak, but he was ruthless in his calculations. Gu Pinglin was used to seeing him like this, so he ignored it, took a few steps back, and also fell into deep thought.
It’s related to the sword, but there’s no hint. What kind of successor is the ancestor waiting for
While Gu Pinglin was pondering the intention of the cave owner, Duan Qingming didn't seem to be very interested in the matter. He just walked around casually and knocked on the stone wall twice. He had no intention of continuing his search and turned around to stare at Gu Pinglin with interest.
Gu Pinglin couldn't help but said, "If you don't want to gamble, then you don't have to gamble."
"No, I have been thinking of a solution very seriously," Duan Qingming raised his eyebrows and said, "Maybe I can start with the Sword Intent Pass."
"Look at me, am I also trying to find a solution?"
"Of course, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle."
Gu Pinglin was too lazy to pay attention to him. He walked to the stone wall and fell into deep thought again.
Before they knew it, another half hour had passed and the two still hadn't figured out a clue.
"Someone is coming," Duan Qingming said, "You haven't expected it yet?"
“Aren’t you the same?” Gu Pinglin understood that his swordsmanship was completely incompatible with that of his ancestor, and their personalities were different, so this level was even more difficult for him.
"Yes, we are both equally matched, so there is no need to laugh at each other," Duan Qingming said, "But have you ever thought about this, if this level is related to the previous Sword Intent Level, will the destruction of the Sword Intent Level affect this place?"
Gu Pinglin was actually worried about this, and he said, "This proves that you never stop causing trouble."
"You are wronging me again," Duan Qingming said, "I have always been obedient and dare not disobey your orders."
Gu Pinglin said: "Let's leave first."
There is a lot more noise outside. I guess those people have passed the Sword Intent Gate and will be here soon.
Duan Qingming looked back at the stone wall and sighed, "The Sword Intent Level only needs to be accepted. Comparatively, this level is more troublesome."
Accept? Accept!
Gu Pinglin had just walked down one stone step when he suddenly stopped and turned back: "Wait!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Ying Sword appeared out of thin air. However, before he could make a move, a flash of white light flashed before his eyes, and several sword marks instantly appeared on the originally blank stone wall.
The sword marks were scattered all over the place with no regular pattern.
Gu Pinglin's breath was choked.
"The sword barrier can't stop me, but I don't mind trying the same method again." Duan Qingming raised his finger lightly as if nothing had happened and recalled the Mingfeng Sword.
Gu Pinglin clenched the hilt of the sword in his hand.
Duan Qingming looked at the shallow sword marks on the stone wall and frowned, "Alas, as expected, the stone material of this cave is special, and the same method doesn't seem to work."
"No," Gu Pinglin put away the Gu Ying Sword and said calmly, "It is useful."
As soon as he finished speaking, the stone wall in front of him melted.
It was indeed melting. The entire stone wall seemed to soften instantly, melting faster than ice in the heat. In just a few breaths, all the stone juice flowed into the ground along a shallow groove, leaving almost no trace.
A dark passage was revealed in front of him, and fires were lit up on the walls of the passage, one after another, extending deeper into the depths. The flames were not big enough and the distance between them was a bit far. They looked far less bright than outside and a bit eerie.
The voices were getting closer and closer. Without saying anything more, the two men flashed into the passage at the same time.