The palace lanterns fluttered, and the magnificent eaves of the Sword King Pavilion reflected the dim sky, making it even more majestic.
The sword marks on the cliff had disappeared. Gu Pinglin landed on the platform smoothly. Looking around, he saw the crane pecking at small fruits on the tree on the cliff not far away. The guests must have gone in.
Gu Pinglin did not follow in, but just stood on the platform with his hands behind his back, overlooking the miasma valley.
The terrain here is high, and the situation below can be seen at a glance. Today, the Sword King Pavilion seems to be busy with something important, and many disciples are running back and forth. The white smoke that drove away the miasma on the top of the mountain gradually extinguished, and the miasma enveloped it again, swallowing up the shadow of the setting sun.
In the dim light, a yellow halo faintly lit up at the foot of the mountain, and this halo just surrounded the entire Sword King Pavilion.
Remembering that Duan Qingming had said before that the bloody miasma was about to appear, Gu Pinglin guessed that this was the preparation made by the Sword King Pavilion for defense, and he felt somewhat expectant.
Not long after, there was a noise from behind the door and the mysterious guest came out.
Gu Pinglin looked at him sideways.
The man paused for a moment, then walked past Gu Pinglin silently and flew down the cliff on a spirit crane.
Gu Pinglin looked at the cliff, thoughtful.
"You've crossed the line." A clear and deep voice sounded.
Gu Pinglin turned around and saw the master of the Sword King Pavilion standing on the steps. The gorgeous palace lanterns reflected his tall figure, and his white clothes exuded even more coldness.
"You said I could come and go from the Sword King Pavilion at will."
"I did."
"Is this the Sword King Pavilion?"
"Yes but… "
"Then I didn't break the rules. Besides, you set up a barrier, and I didn't hear any secrets. How can I say I crossed the line?" Gu Pinglin paused and suddenly smiled, "You don't have to be angry. I just came to see you."
"oh?"
"I have heard of the name of the Bloody Miasma for a long time, and I would like to invite the Pavilion Master to enjoy it with me."
"What a surprise," Duan Qingming walked down the stairs, "Are you sure you're looking for me?"
Gu Pinglin asked back: "Is there another Duan Qingming in the world?"
Duan Qingming looked up at him and said with a half-smile, "There is also Senior Brother Duan."
"Now there is only you," Gu Pinglin avoided the topic and turned sideways to look outside the cliff. "Since my rebirth, everything around me feels strange, like looking at a drunk person with sober eyes. Do you understand this feeling?" He was silent for a while, and said, "Only when I see you, do I feel it's real."
"I shouldn't have existed in the first place, but now that I'm here, you're still you." A familiar yet unfamiliar breath approached.
Gu Pinglin was puzzled: "What are you talking about?"
Duan Qingming walked down the cliff in mid-air: "If you want to enjoy the bloody miasma, then follow me."
Qianlong Snow Valley is connected to the ancient snow mountain. It is covered with snow all year round. There is almost no green to be seen. The extremely cold air rises to the sky, and cranes cannot fly over it. The cold wind blows through the narrow passage, forming a strong airflow, making a whistling sound. The snow and rocks on both sides of the passage are cold and hard, and occasionally a white fox quietly runs by.
A group of people came slowly, about thirty or forty people, three or five senior disciples rode on snow mountain spirit horses, followed by two cars. The first car had no canopy, and on top was a large iron cage, with a woman with disheveled hair tied up with iron chains in the cage. The second car was an ordinary car, and no one knew who was sitting inside.
"Is that woman Yi Xian?" Qi Yanfeng asked timidly on the high cliff.
Shi Ling's tone was not good: "Do you really have to do it? Seizing the skills is not a small matter. Do you think the people chasing us are too few?"
Qi Yanfeng didn't dare to speak.
Shi Ling was silent for a while, then smiled bitterly and said, "Let's rob them. We are in this situation now, so we don't need a Yuxue Sect."
Qi Yanfeng hugged his arm carefully.
In addition to the leader, Yuxue Sect only has one Inner Alchemy Master, but according to the information obtained, that person has not left the mountain gate. Shi Ling looked back at her and said, "Those people on horseback are all in the Outer Alchemy Realm. Yuxue Sect's swordsmanship is not very good, you should be able to handle it, but the person in the car behind them may be a powerful person they invited."
Qi Yanfeng was silent for a moment and said "hmm".
"Looking at the wheel marks, there should be only one person inside," Shi Ling hesitated, took out the curtain and put it on, "I'll hold them back, you take the opportunity to save Yi Xian."
Qi Yanfeng listened with his eyes wide open and nodded.
"Okay, stop wasting time and get to work!" Shi Ling pushed her away and went straight for the prison van.
The sword-shaped hairpin turned into a shining sword. Qi Yanfeng stared at the last car and bit his lip.
The Yuxue Sect did not make any announcement about the capture of the traitor, so they never expected that someone would come to rob them. The terrain of the Qianlong Snow Valley was already somewhat unfavorable, and when Shi Ling showed up, all the disciples were shocked. The two senior disciples on horseback reacted quickly and drew their swords to intercept them at the same time, but they were only at the Outer Dan Realm and were no match for the famous Shi Ling. They were knocked off their horses on the spot, and this was because Shi Ling showed mercy.
Knowing that there might be powerful people in the car behind, Shi Ling did not dare to be careless. He waved his sleeve to knock out several Yuxue disciples who were guarding the prison car. He landed on the prison car and reached out to pull the iron chain. Unexpectedly, the iron chain was made of ordinary iron. Even with his inner alchemy cultivation, he could not tear it apart.
Shi Ling asked in a deep voice: "Where is the key?"
The woman in the cage was Yi Xian, the rebel of Yuxue Sect. She had originally returned to the sect to die, but unexpectedly a savior came from the sky. Although she didn't know who the other person was, who wouldn't want to live? She immediately pointed at the male disciple on horseback.
Shi Ling was about to turn around and arrest the person, but unexpectedly, the young disciple next to the car behind him asked in surprise: "Spring night is short, who is enjoying the day?"
Immediately afterwards, a powerful sword energy exploded, and the walls of the car on all sides shattered!
Recognizing the sword intent, Shi Ling's face changed drastically and he flew away to avoid it.
A short and fat old man stood on the car, with a black oily beard hanging down to his chest. It was Qi Zhen, the patriarch of the Qi family!
It turned out that Yuxue Sect had always been attached to the Qi family, and this time they specially asked the famous Qi Zhen for help. Qi Zhen knew that he had no hope of breakthrough in recent years, and because his grandson's whereabouts were unknown, he had no intention of practicing, so he accepted this request. Fortunately, Shi Ling had been with Qi Yanfeng day and night, and was very familiar with Qi's swordsmanship. He anticipated the enemy's moves and thus avoided the killing move. However, the curtain had been cut off by the sword energy, revealing his face.
In order to hide his identity, Shi Ling did not use any magic from his own sect. However, when he pulled the chain, his internal strength was discovered, which prompted Qi Zhen to take action. He dared not stay any longer and escaped by leaving Yi Xian behind.
What happened to Qi Yanfeng in the past made the Qi family a laughing stock among the aristocratic families. Now that he saw Shi Ding, Qi Zhen wished to tear this man into pieces. He was impulsive by nature, so he didn't care about the request of Yuxuemen and went to chase him without thinking.
The leading disciple of Yuxue Sect knew something was wrong and shouted: "Everyone, come over here and keep an eye on that rebel..."
Before he could finish his words, the narrow valley was already enveloped by sword light.
The night enveloped the miasma valley, and above the hazy miasma, a clear shadow of the moon was reflected. In the Blood Moon Miasma Valley, the sun cannot be seen during the day, but the moon can be seen at night, which is also a great wonder in the cultivation world.
Two figures shuttled through the woods.
"The people in Qianlong Snow Valley should have already taken action." Gu Pinglin suddenly spoke.
Duan Qingming strolled under the dreary moonlight, with all kinds of miasma floating around him, real and illusory: "You instigated my Yun Jianzhu to break the sect rules and go over to help, what else do you want to say now?"
"Isn't it also part of your plan that I encouraged him to go?"
"Have it?"
"The Yuxue Sect's technique is just an excuse. Your goal is to destroy the trust between them."
"Destruction is only possible when there is trust," Duan Qingming said, "helping pathetic people recognize the truth is called salvation. I am just doing a good deed every day without asking for anything in return."
"Humans are not gerbils after all," Gu Pinglin stopped, "Duan Qingming, you know human nature very well, do you want to bet with me again?"
Duan Qingming finally smiled and turned around: "You are more familiar with them than I am, so of course you will make a more accurate judgment. This bet is not fair."
"yes."
"Then do you think I will agree?"
"Yes. You don't care about winning or losing. No matter what the result is, they are under your control. You just enjoy playing with people's hearts and enjoying their reactions when they are played with."
"Are you so sure you'll win?"
"You underestimated the weight of feelings."
"Is this sentence referring to the season, or to your Senior Brother Duan? Do you think he will forgive you because of our past friendship?"
Gu Pinglin stepped past him and walked to the front. After a while, he said, "Yes."
“So confident.”
In Qianlong Snow Valley, Qi Yanfeng tried to snatch people away, while Shi Ling tried to escape to save his life. However, his cultivation was far inferior to Qi Zhen's, and he was injured and caught up not long after.
"Where is she?" Qi Zhen asked sternly.
Shi Ling's face turned pale, but he quickly put away his fear and returned to his usual elegant demeanor. He bowed and saluted him: "Grandson-in-law greets grandfather."
"Shut up, who is your grandfather!" Qi Zhen jumped up in anger.
Sword cultivators are born with advantages in combat, and Huanle Tian's magic is not very strong. Although Shi Ling dodged the fatal sword, a large cloud of blood mist burst out from his right shoulder, and the bamboo flute fell to the ground.
"It's better not to say anything," Qi Zhen said coldly, "I will kill you first, and then deal with that bitch!"
Shi Ling was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed and said nonchalantly: "Save you the trouble of looking for her. Let me tell you the truth. I have already used that silly girl as a furnace. You also know how I act. There is no way anyone who has been used by me will be left alive..."
"You bastard, how dare you!" Qi Zhen was so angry that he was shaking. Without hesitation, he used his killer move "Spiritual Mountain Rain Stops Singing and Dancing", and millions of swords rained down from the sky.
Shi Ling knew he could not escape, and was about to close his eyes and wait for death, but at the critical moment he suddenly heard the sound of a sword, and a huge whirlpool appeared out of nowhere!
The ground shook violently, and a golden phoenix shadow broke out of the ground, with a sword energy rising into the sky.
Compared to Qi Zhen's moves, this sword was no less brilliant and powerful, and it was also more steady and clear. Although his skill was clearly insufficient, he actually blocked a large part of Qi Zhen's sword rain.
“This is…” Qi Zhen was stunned.
In the blink of an eye, the season disappeared.
"Thirteen!" Qi Zhen was suddenly overjoyed. He didn't care about the season at all. He chased after him, shouting, "Is it you? Come back here!"
Over the miasma valley, thick smoke shadows passed by, and the cold moon gradually turned blood red.
On the open space and rocks, Gu Pinglin looked up at the blood moon. The moonlight outlined his handsome face clearly, and his heroic eyes were shining like bright stars.
"It's coming," Duan Qingming said, "The bloody miasma is extremely dangerous."
Gu Pinglin was surprised and looked back at him: "So, you, Duan Qingming, can't cure the bloody miasma either?"
Duan Qingming said “hmm”: “Does it really matter if I, Duan Qingming, can cure the bloody miasma?”
Gu Pinglin was about to say something else when he suddenly felt a darkness above his head. He immediately looked up and saw a large patch of thick fog like a ghost's claw, blowing towards him with a bloody smell!
When I looked around again, Duan Qingming was gone.
Having heard of the bloody miasma for a long time, Gu Pinglin did not dare to be careless. Gu Ying drew his sword and cut the miasma with one sword. Gu Pinglin tried to escape, but after rushing out for more than ten feet, there was still miasma in front of him.
The surroundings were dead silent, with groups of poisonous miasma coming out from the grass and rocks, endlessly, and no one knew where they came from. Strangely, as the miasma filled the sky, the moonlight above was clearer than before, and the color was deep red, as if it was dripping with blood.
The Blood Moon Miasma Valley is very famous. There are countless layers of miasma gathered in the sky. It is absolutely impossible to fly out of it.
I couldn't go up, and at first glance it seemed like there was nowhere to go.
Seeing the miasma gathering again, Gu Pinglin did not change direction, without even a moment's hesitation, and continued to rush forward. Countless purple spots of light flashed around him, and suddenly, thousands of stars turned into thousands of sword energies, flying forward along with the man.
Shooting stars are around me, and starlight is staining my clothes.
The way out suddenly appeared.
In the miasma ahead, there was a cold white. The man stood facing this side with his hands behind his back. The thick miasma stopped about ten feet away from him, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
At the same time as Gu Pinglin entered the miasma-free circle, Gu Ying returned his sword to its sheath and disappeared.
Duan Qingming said: "This behavior is not like you."
"This is me," Gu Pinglin looked down at his feet and snorted, "I'm not familiar with the bloody miasma. To avoid being at a disadvantage, following you is the easiest and safest way."
"Shouldn't you, Gu Pinglin, face the challenge and take the risk to find out the law of the bloody miasma?"
"Why should I, Gu Pinglin, take risks?"
"Don't you want to beat me?"
"I can no longer defeat you now," Gu Pinglin walked to the edge, leisurely admiring the poisonous miasma in the sky, "After all, I am the one chasing you now."
Duan Qingming smiled when he heard this and asked, "What's the name of the sword move?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Golden wind and jade dew."
"Oh? This name..."
"What you see is not all."
"Then when will I have the honor of seeing a complete sword move?"
"It won't be long." Gu Pinglin took out a small porcelain bottle, sucked a wisp of poisonous miasma from outside, and quickly sealed it into the bottle. He performed the extremely dangerous action as easily as flowing water. "You stand on the side of Wanfamen. We will probably become enemies in the end. It is inevitable that there will be an end."
Duan Qingming didn't continue the conversation, and looked at the porcelain bottle in his hand: "You said you have no interest in defeating the bloody miasma?"
"Strong people like challenges," Gu Pinglin put away the porcelain bottle, "I like to challenge things that you cannot overcome even more. I am very happy to see you fail."
"How honest."
"There's no need for me to hide in front of you, Duan Qingming."
Duan Qingming asked with interest: "Really?"
Gu Pinglin said, "At the beginning, I was obsessed with winning and losing, and I had many misunderstandings about you, which led to my being plotted against. Now when I think back on the past, I feel nothing but regret. Maybe I will lose to you again this time, and die, so before that, I should say sorry to you."
Duan Qingming looked at him for a long while, then suddenly chuckled, "How can you be sure that this incident will make you and me enemies?" Without waiting for Gu Pinglin to answer, he continued, "It's meaningless to test me. If you really value your life, you should stay away from the Sword King Pavilion and stop interfering. Just because I can save you once doesn't mean I will still value you the same way."
Gu Pinglin's eyes moved slightly.
"I am also very honest," Duan Qingming said softly, with a cold light flashing in his black eyes, "I am excited to see you fail. Since you can't kill me, you can only let me conquer you."
"A lonely and shady place?" Gu Pinglin suddenly asked.