In the south of Qianyang Mountain, a strong wind blew, and black clouds gathered from all directions, like a rolling black dragon, pressing down on Lingxin Sect with its fangs and claws. The sky above Lingxin Sect was pitch black, with thunder and lightning, as if the end of the world had come. Snake-shaped lightning struck the mountain ridge from time to time, warning the monk inside who dared to defy the will of heaven and take his life.
In Xuanming Sect, four people stood on the observatory, looking up at the sky. One of them was tall and slender, holding a purple-gold handle whisk, about forty years old, with straight eyebrows and black beard, and bright eyes. It was the sect leader Zhan Renjie.
Beside him, the head of Wenshi Academy, Wei Ziyang, said, "It's Lingxin Sect."
Lingbao Academy Director Zhuoran could not help but say, "Only two years have passed, and Lingxin Sect has another person who has achieved Dan."
"It's just an external alchemy. We have at least dozens of external alchemy disciples in Xuanming Sect," said Yun He, the head of Zhengyang Academy, with a smile, "Besides, they also had one two years ago, and it was still the same..."
Wei Ziyang sighed, "It's a pity, he is Senior Sister Cheng's nephew, and I heard he has first-rate talent."
Yun He hummed, "Who can you blame for going into the wrong sect? If you had joined my Xuanming Sect, you wouldn't have ended up like that."
Zhan Renjie just stroked his beard and said nothing.
The thunderstorm lasted for three days, and finally stopped. The dark clouds quickly dissipated, revealing a clear sky. The cave where Gu Pinglin was in seclusion was in a mess, with rubble and scorched earth within a radius of dozens of feet, which showed how severe the cultivator's pill tribulation was.
Yue Songting, Chen Qian and others gathered outside the cave entrance, nervously waiting for what was happening inside.
Bu Shuihan was impatient: "Junior Brother Gu wouldn't..."
"Nonsense!" Chen Qian shouted at him.
Chang Jinxin whispered: "The ban has been lifted. It's been almost an hour. Why haven't you come out yet?"
"The external pill has just been made, I'm afraid it's just collecting the pill and consolidating the essence, why rush!" Chen Qian snorted. It's dangerous for a cultivator to go through the pill tribulation. Thinking of what happened to Duan Qingming the year before last, Chen Qian couldn't help but glance at Yue Songting sadly. This one must not have another accident.
At this moment, the heavy stone door suddenly made a friction sound and opened from the inside.
A young man with disheveled hair and ragged clothes walked out of the cave. Because he entered the Qi Refining Realm early, he looked only about sixteen or seventeen years old. Because he had just passed the pill tribulation, his handsome face was a little pale and still had a trace of fatigue, but his big eyes were like autumn water, with a dark and condensed spirit, and he was full of vigor and vitality. Looking at his slightly wrinkled eyebrows and tightly pursed lips, he looked much more calm than before.
"Junior Brother Gu!"
"Senior Brother Gu is fine!"
…
“Junior Brother Gu!” Bu Shuihan rushed forward and grabbed his shoulders, “That’s great, that’s great…” He said “that’s great” several times in a row, and then laughed happily.
Everyone smiled and came forward to congratulate.
This was the first time in two years that Yue Songting showed a look of relief. He stroked his beard and said good things repeatedly. The Lingxin Sect finally produced a great external alchemy master.
Feeling the long-lost warmth, Gu Pinglin smiled, nodded to Bu Shuihan, pushed him aside, walked straight to Yue Songting, brushed his clothes and knelt down: "My disciple is incompetent. It took me fifteen years to succeed in body forging. I am sorry to have worried Master."
Yue Songting bent down to help him, and was so excited that he couldn't speak.
In Lingxin Sect, Gu Pinglin's room was very tidy, and disciples had already helped clean it.
Her long hair was tied up with a purple gold crown and let fall into a ponytail behind her. Her full forehead was half covered by a thick, side-swept black bangs, which prevented her overly heroic eyes from appearing too serious and intimidating.
Gu Pinglin looked at himself in the mirror and sighed.
When a cultivator forms an external elixir, it is a sign of successful physical training. The body becomes stronger, the growth rate slows down ten times, and the life span increases by a thousand years. Unfortunately, he overestimated his own ability. Even with the Good Fortune Art and good skills in hand, it still took him five more years to break through the third stage of Qi Refining, form an external elixir, and enter the Qi Transformation Realm.
Gu Pinglin stood up from the bronze mirror, turned around, took out a brand new dark purple robe and put it on.
This was Gu Pinglin's favorite color in his previous life. The calm and self-disciplined color tightly covered the young man's youthful spirit, making him look like a bright and restrained purple pearl.
The door was pushed open.
"Junior Brother Gu." Bu Shuihan strode in. He was still wearing the dark blue arrow-sleeved outfit. His handsome face had not changed much, and his arrogance had been slightly restrained. After all, he had matured a little. Unfortunately, his temper was still hard to change.
When he saw Gu Pinglin, he was stunned and shouted, "You look like this, you outshine me!"
He always spoke directly. Gu Pinglin found it funny and tied a black belt around his waist: "When will you form the outer pill, Senior Brother?"
"Just recently," Bu Shuihan sat down at the table, feeling rather dejected, "I never thought that I entered the sect a few years earlier than you, but now I am the last one left. It is time for me to retreat and stay quiet so that I can concentrate."
Gu Pinglin straightened his sleeves and asked casually, "Where's Duan Qingming?"
Bu Shuihan was slightly stunned, but he did not show his usual displeasure. He was silent for a while before he slowly said, "Junior Brother Duan... failed to survive the tribulation."
"What?" Gu Pinglin's hands trembled.
Two years have passed since the thunderstorm, and green weeds have grown on the scorched earth around. The tender grass leaves sway gently in the wind.
The stone door was tightly closed, with patches of dark green old moss growing on it, which was the trace left by fifteen years of time. There was no movement inside the door, and only the story of the former genius remained outside the door.
He did not come out after the pill tribulation two years ago.
The anti-interference restriction on the door had long been broken. If the person inside was still alive and discovered the movement outside, it would be impossible for him not to react.
I never expected that the result would be like this. Perhaps because I believed too much in his ability, the worst possibility in Gu Pinglin's mind was that he would fail to survive the tribulation. With the stone lotus seeds in hand, it would not be a problem to repair his physique. Who knew that he would not be able to survive.
Looking at the heavy stone door, Gu Pinglin still couldn't believe it.
Is that cold-blooded evildoer really dead? Did he die from a mere pill tribulation? He died before he could become the real Duan Qingming and bring disaster to the entire cultivation world
Gu Pinglin slowly raised his hand and then put it down.
What will you see after breaking through this stone door? It is unimaginable that a corrupted corpse is wrapped in that clean white clothing. Duan Qingming should always be the elegant Duan Qingming who would change his clothes if they were stained by even a drop of dirt.
Maybe... I harmed him
If I hadn't provoked him in advance, he wouldn't have followed me to the Lingxin Sect. If he had learned the Xuanming Sect's martial arts, this kind of accident would definitely not have happened.
Although his biggest enemy died, Gu Pinglin did not feel any joy at all, but rather a little confused.
This feeling is loneliness. In their previous lives, they had fought for most of their lives, and they were as hostile as fire and water, fighting to the death. However, this relationship was more of a bond between rivals.
I wonder if he will feel the same loneliness after I die
Gu Pinglin thought of those eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling, and were deep and unfathomable.
He was originally a lonely person.
How could he be sad about his opponent's death? Gu Pinglin shook his head in self-mockery. Perhaps it was because they had become brothers in this life and had spent more time together, so they had some feelings for each other. They could be considered both enemies and friends.
Not far away, a group of disciples followed spontaneously, all standing with their eyes lowered, looking sad. After all, Duan Qingming has always had a good relationship with people.
Gu Pinglin looked sideways and sneered.
Even if you have never cared about the Lingxin Sect, there are so many people who feel sad for you. You should be content, even if they are only feeling sad for a disguised you.
Of course, that monster would never feel ashamed and would probably just laugh and say it was funny.
Gu Pinglin is not a person who clings to the past - things have come to this point, and there is no point in being melancholy. After his rebirth, he still has the important task of the Lingxin Sect, his master and fellow disciples, and a long way to go. However, he is left with an obsession in his heart that will never be resolved.
"See you again if we are lucky, Duan Qingming."
A seemingly random palm hit the stone door neither lightly nor heavily, and the implicit force penetrated the stone wall, making a rumbling sound.
It is a respect to the opponent and also a farewell.
――"See you in ten years, Gu Xiaojiu."
I'm here, you broke your promise.
All I can say is: take care in your next life.
Gu Pinglin turned around decisively and told everyone: "Go back."
The disciples nodded and followed him to leave. But after taking a few steps, Gu Pinglin realized something was wrong and turned around abruptly: "Huh?"
The loud noise was deafening, stone chips flew everywhere, and the entire stone gate collapsed! It was like a sleeping monster was awakened, the ground was shaking, and everyone was stunned.
A sword light floated out from the cave, light and fast, almost beyond the limit.
It's not a sword light, it's a human shadow!
The white clothes were still as white as snow. The man stood on a big rock with a long sword in his hand, his long hair reaching his knees, motionless, like a madman.
He was able to control his movements at such a fast speed, which shows how skilled he was.
"It's Senior Brother Duan!" a disciple shouted.
Gu Pinglin subconsciously took a step forward and then stopped.
After a long time, he finally raised his head slowly, his long hair swung aside, revealing half of his handsome face. His nose seemed to be straighter, with a hard and ruthless line, but it was diluted by the shallow curve of his thin lips.
"Brother Duan!"
"Senior Brother Duan is still alive!"
…
The disciples were ecstatic and rushed forward to surround him. They were so casual and relaxed, which they didn't have towards Gu Pinglin. They didn't know why, but they admired Gu Pinglin more, supported him, and cared about him, but never made excessive jokes in front of him, probably because Gu Pinglin was the master's direct disciple and he was too serious.
They were different when they were with Duan Qingming. They talked and laughed together.
Gu Pinglin, on the other hand, stood there in a daze, looking at the man from a distance.
After not seeing him for more than ten years, his figure has become as tall as in his previous life. Even with disheveled hair, he still looks handsome and elegant. He is calm and unrestrained. Surrounded by many disciples, he stands out from the crowd.
He also looked at Gu Pinglin.
Compared to his appearance at the Qi Refining Stage, his face was only slightly more mature. His narrow eyes became even narrower, and it was hard to see the cunning inside. The red shadow at the end of his eyes faded, and his demonic aura also faded a lot. His gentle eyes, apart from sending sincerity and friendliness, did not contain any other emotions, and even the last bit of sharpness had completely faded.
Just when Gu Pinglin thought he was going to call out "Gu Xiaojiu", he smiled slightly and called out affectionately, "Junior Brother Gu."
In an instant, the person in front of me completely overlapped with the person in my memory.
This is Duan Qingming, the real Duan Qingming.
So Gu Pinglin nodded and said calmly, "Sixth Master Duan."