The twelfth lunar month arrived, Qianyang Mountain was white, Lingxin Sect was slightly lower, and snow fell on New Year's Eve. Monks usually don't celebrate festivals on earth, because their life span is much longer than that of ordinary people, and they have experienced too many festivals in their lives. Moreover, they often stay in seclusion for ten years, which is like celebrating a festival today and another festival tomorrow, which is too boring. Therefore, on New Year's Eve, Lingxin Sect was still quiet.
The thick snow covered the dead leaves and black mud underfoot, as well as the smell of decay. Together with the cold green under the white snow above, it blocked the light of the sky, and the surrounding scenery seemed gloomy and cold.
There was no white-robed swordsman holding an umbrella and walking down the stairs calmly. The bamboo ladder had long been rotten, revealing many gaps, and it seemed that it would fall apart with a light step. The platform was covered with white snow, and several railings were broken. Reflecting the flawless snow, it looked even more dilapidated. There were heavy spider webs hanging from the eaves, and the windowsills were covered with dust. The whole small building exuded a gloomy and cold atmosphere, as if it had become the residence of ghosts, foxes, and monsters.
Gu Pinglin raised his hand but ultimately did not push the door.
—"The world without you is too lonely."
The checkpoints are loosened, the cultivation level is improved, and a glimmer of light reappears on the dark road.
— “What will you do if I am not here one day?”
Will I look forward to your return
What is my obsession
Gu Pinglin looked at the door in front of him, slowly put down his hands and put them behind his back.
If it was really him, he would not have deliberately denied his identity. Because in a sense, the information he revealed was almost all true, misleading people with the truth and enjoying the fun of playing with people's hearts. That was Duan Qingming.
Could this be another game of his
In any case, the Pavilion Master is not a quiet person. Sooner or later, we will meet. It won't be too long... What exactly does he want to do? Recently, there has been no major event related to the Sword King Pavilion in the cultivation world. As they claimed to the outside world, they do business in an orderly manner, and the business they take on does not seem to be anything special.
Gu Pinglin withdrew his thoughts and turned to look downstairs.
Bu Shuihan was wearing a blue robe, holding the Hu Yin sword, standing in the snow.
The youthful spirit could not withstand the erosion of time. Perhaps due to the changes he had experienced, he was now much calmer than in his previous life. His enthusiasm and impulse had disappeared, and his originally determined eyes were now filled with hesitation.
"Senior Brother Bu." Gu Pinglin walked downstairs without any movement.
Bu Shuihan nodded, and looked up at the small building again: "I just went to look for you, but couldn't find you anywhere, so I thought of coming here to take a look."
"Brother, do you have something to talk to me about?" Gu Pinglin stopped beside him, turned around, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Bu Shuihan pondered for a moment and said, "I heard from Wan Lai that you were asking about the news of the Sword King Pavilion?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Not bad."
Bu Shuihan looked at him from the side, and hesitated for a few words before saying after a long while: "Let's let go of the past."
Gu Pinglin looked at him.
Bu Shuihan said: "That Pavilion Master's swordsmanship is very strong, but it can't be him. I have seen his corpse."
"It has nothing to do with this matter," Gu Pinglin said, "It's very strange that the Sword King Pavilion suddenly appeared. The origin of the Pavilion Master is unknown, and he has dealings with the Wanfa Sect. He once sent people to Baitou Mountain to intercept me."
Bu Shuihan was surprised: "Aren't they doing business?" He thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "Wanfa Sect? That's a big sect in the Demon Realm, why would they target us?"
"It's probably an old grudge. I suspect they have other intentions," Gu Pinglin turned sideways to face him, "Brother, you are looking for me for more than just this, right?"
Bu Shuihan hesitated and said: "Nothing, it's just your cultivation..."
Gu Pinglin said: "Everyone should accept their fate, Senior Brother, don't worry."
Bu Shuihan raised his hand and patted his shoulder: "After so many years, I have figured it out. You can't be blamed for what happened to Junior Brother Duan. I was too impulsive at the time."
"I have never blamed myself or regretted what happened in the past," Gu Pinglin said decisively, "Brother, you don't have to bear a grudge."
Bu Shuihan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "That's good, I also know that you won't hold it against me, I just feel that I have treated you unfairly, and I am worried that you will develop a demon in your heart because of this. In this case, what is going on with your cultivation?"
"Maybe I don't have enough understanding," Gu Pinglin said, "calm down and meditate, let nature take its course, maybe there will be a turn for the better."
"Lingxin Sect is what it is today, thanks to you," Bu Shuihan looked at the surrounding scenery and sighed, "We brothers haven't talked like this for many years."
"How about going back and having a few drinks?"
"Of course."
Bu Shuihan finally laughed out loud, put his arm around his shoulders and walked away.
Gu Pinglin lowered his eyes and followed him back. Hearing the rustling sound of the snow under his feet, he felt more uneasy.
After the first month of the lunar year, the weather gradually warmed up. Gu Pinglin entrusted the affairs of the sect to Gan Li, and left Qianyang Mountain with Wan Lai, heading straight for the Yuluo Mountain Range. Baitou Mountain was still covered with snow. Nanzhu and his wife had returned to Penglai Island in the East China Sea, not in the palace. The Penglai disciples who stayed behind were probably just ordered to investigate the news, and did not come to stop the two.
Inside the Danxia Cave, the gigantic Tai Chi-shaped seal was still suspended above the Spirit Eye, unchanged from the last time it was seen.
Having escaped the seclusion, Wan Lai was in a good mood. He unfolded his folding fan, moved close to his spiritual eye and fanned it. After confirming that there was no leakage of spiritual energy, he stood up and said with a smile: "It is indeed sealed tightly. Master, you have come to see it before. There is nothing wrong, right?"
Gu Pinglin shook his head: "Go and see the little spiritual eye."
There are many small spiritual eyes in the Yuluo Mountains, all of which have been occupied by sects and families. The Lingxin Sect has become more and more famous in recent years, and these sects and families will more or less give face to Gu Pinglin. The master and disciple tried one by one and found nothing unusual. Half a month later, the two came to Busheng Mountain.
Busheng Mountain is far away from the main peak, Baitou Mountain, and is located on the outermost edge of the Yuluo Mountain Range. Although there is a small spiritual eye in the mountain, the soil here is peculiar, and no grass grows. The resources are extremely scarce. The larger sects and families do not look down on it, but the smaller sects and independent cultivators like it. This place has changed hands several times, and it is said that it was occupied by a small sect called Xinjian Sect five years ago.
The Xinjian Sect was indeed shabby. It didn't even have a mountain gate. It was just a large stone house located on a barren mountain. In front of the steps stood a sword-shaped stone about two or three feet high. The tip of the sword was in the ground, and the hilt was broken. Two gatekeeper disciples were sitting on the stone steps.
Wan Lai wanted to step forward: "I'll go ask."
Gu Pinglin suddenly reached out to stop him and whispered, "Go back."
Wan Lai was always alert. He calmly took out his folding fan and said in a dandy tone, "The scenery of Busheng Mountain is really not that good. It's all rocks. Let's go somewhere else to visit."
The two disciples withdrew their gaze upon hearing this.
After walking a long way, Wan Lai asked, "Master just stopped me. Is there something strange about the Heart Sword Sect?"
Gu Pinglin looked back at the stone house: "Those two people are not disciples of the Heart Sword Sect." He gestured to Wan Lai to look: "The stone sword in front of the door is in tatters, how could the Sword Sect just sit there and watch? And those two people were on guard when they saw us. The gesture of the man on the left is not to prepare to make a sword gesture."
"It looks like a summoning magic weapon," Wan Lai recalled, "Yes, the disciple of the Sword Sect is not a sword cultivator, which is indeed suspicious. What is the master going to do?"
I'm afraid there's something wrong with Bu Sheng Shan's spiritual eyes. Gu Pinglin thought about it and was about to speak when he suddenly saw a cultivator running towards him.
Wan Lai recognized the person: "He is from Guangling School."
The cultivator from Guangling Sect seemed injured, his face pale. He probably didn't want to waste his mana on the Water Purification Technique, leaving bloodstains on his outer robe. When he saw Gu Pinglin and the others, he stopped and bowed: "May I ask..."
Before he could finish, Gu Pinglin asked, "Is there something wrong with Guangling Sect?"
Hundreds of miles of bamboo sea, flowing water and small bridges, the ancient sound of the zither, the thousand-year-old Guangling Jianmen, all present a pure and elegant scenery.
However, at this moment, the bamboo sea was filled with murderous aura, the soul flags were waving, and ghosts were crying. The Guangling Sect's defensive formation had been activated, and thousands of giant sword shadows surrounded the bamboo sea. Elder Tang Jian was in charge of the formation, and eight inner alchemy masters sat in the air, with the harp on their knees, each guarding one side, and playing the seven notes of elegant music in turn. Tang Jian, who was in charge of the formation, coordinated in the intervals, and it sounded like an elegant piece of music with a slow rhythm. The sound waves collided, and the sword shadows around responded to the sound, and the sword energy was crisscrossed to resist the attack of the demon cultivators.
This formation was none other than the Guangling Sect's famous Fuxi String Dance Bagua Formation. A sect protection formation is usually not activated unless it is absolutely necessary. This time, the Demon Realm's co-leader, Master Weifeng, sent seven magic cultivators, known as the Demon Beidou, who were Master Weifeng's confidants. Three of them had reached the Dan realm, and their strength was far beyond what the Guangling Sect could match. Mountain Master Zhou Qiu had no choice but to use the defense formation to delay time and wait for rescue.
Busheng Mountain is not far from Guangling Sect. It only took Gu Pinglin six days to get there. Seeing that Guangling Sect was besieged, he found the weakest corner of the Demon Realm and killed two demon cultivators unexpectedly. Zhou Qiu came out upon hearing the news and welcomed him into the mountain gate.
Zhou Qiu was delighted: "My disciple Nie Yu was reminded by Master Gu, but I didn't expect... Alas, I am ashamed that Master Gu came here this time, but..."
Gu Pinglin said: "I was passing by Baitou Mountain and met your disciples, so I came here specially to help."
Zhou Qiu was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "The current situation is not good, I'm afraid it will implicate you."
After all, this matter has nothing to do with Lingxin Sect. After Gu Pinglin reminded Nie Yu, he focused his attention on Jianwang Pavilion. He did not expect that the Demon Realm would take action at this time. No wonder Zhou Qiu was disappointed. Zhou Qiu originally thought that he had foreseen this and must have come specially to help. Who knew it was just a coincidence and he was the only one who came.
The two entered the Qin Tower, where more than a dozen people had gathered. In addition to several senior disciples such as Nie Yu, there were also three inner alchemy masters, all of whom came from other sects to rescue.
Nie Yu was overjoyed when he saw Gu Pinglin and came forward to pay his respects.
Gu Pinglin exchanged a few polite words with everyone and looked around: "Why can't I see Elder Li?"
Everyone was silent, with a look of sorrow on their faces. Nie Yu was silent for a moment, then said, "When the Demon Realm attacked the mountain gate, we were caught off guard. We had no choice but to activate the Fuxi formation to fight against them. In order to hold them back... Elder Li had already died."
Li Nian Gu, the most powerful of Guangling Sect, was killed in the battle. Gu Pinglin was also stunned when he heard this, and sighed for a long time: "I didn't expect that Elder Li had passed away after the discussion at Yunya."
Nie Yu's eyes were red: "Master Gu had already reminded me, it's my fault..."
"Don't blame him," Zhou Qiu said to Gu Pinglin, "Nie Yu had advised me before, but I didn't believe him, which led to the Guangling Sect suffering this disaster. Fortunately, he kept several elders and Taoist supervisors in the sect, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."
Nie Yu hurriedly said, "It's none of Master's business."
"This is not the time to talk about this," Gu Pinglin interrupted the two of them. "As far as I know, although the Fuxi String Dance Bagua Formation is extremely powerful, it consumes a lot of energy and is difficult to sustain."
Nie Yu said: "I have consulted several elders about the formation. I can go up and replace them so that they can take turns to rest and recover."
He could not disobey his master, but he made preparations in secret.
Zhou Qiu was silent for a long time, patted his shoulder, and shook his head: "This formation is not something that can be learned in a few days. If the coordination is not good, something serious will happen. I will replace you then. If you can't hold on, you will lead the rest of the people to break out with Master Gu and the others. Tell your sisters not to come back."
Nie Yu gritted his teeth: "I..."
Gu Pinglin asked: "What's the situation?"
"Three elders are seriously injured and unconscious, and two friends from Danmen are also injured," Nie Yu said, "When the situation was not good, Master asked the two sisters to lead the disciples to break out and seek help."
The people who were seeking help were sent out, but the strongest Zixiao Palace nearby no longer existed. The Dan Sect did have people, but they were good at refining pills and not good at fighting. Besides, there were several second-rate sects that were far from being able to compete with the Demon Realm. Zhou Qiu asked his daughter and the young disciples to leave, not only to seek help, but also to protect them. The low-level disciples would not be able to help if they stayed, so if they were sent away, at least the Guangling Sect's inheritance could be preserved in case of any misfortune.
The closest major sects are Beiqi clan, Feijian Palace and Guiling Sect. Considering the distance, it would take them at least six or seven days to arrive, so they might not be able to make it in time.
Zhou Qiu was disappointed and bowed to everyone: "The Guangling Sect will remember your kindness. I don't know how long the Fuxi Formation can last. Now that things have come to this, you will be implicated if you stay. I will never dare to endanger the lives of my friends again..."
Gu Pinglin raised his hand to stop him: "Things may not be hopeless."
Nie Yu asked hurriedly: "Does Sect Leader Gu have any ideas?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Wait."
Everyone looked even worse. They were happy to come and help, but if they knew they couldn't win, no one wanted to stay and die in vain.
A Danmen cultivator said politely, "Of course we can wait, but I'm afraid the people outside can't hold out for too long, right?"
At this moment, a disciple of Guangling Sect walked in quickly, with a panicked look on his face: "Mountain Master, for some reason, the stream water suddenly turned purple."
Stream water? Zhou Qiu was puzzled.
The Dan Sect cultivator said: "Could it be the Demon Realm..."
Gu Pinglin smiled: "Guangling Sect has nothing to worry about."