Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2722 Sword City

Suddenly, a flash of sword light appeared amidst the heavy, dark clouds.

The sword light pierced through the dark clouds and appeared above the earth in a flash. A ripple appeared in the void in front of it, and the sword light disappeared without a trace.

There is clearly an illusion array here, with only one mountain in the array. The mountain peak rises abruptly from the ground, steep and precipitous, with cliffs on all sides. It is difficult to see any vegetation with the naked eye, and only occasionally can one see a single plant in a crevice of the rock.

This mountain is like a sword's edge. The sword light fell into the mountain and revealed a person, Qi Yunsheng.

This is Qi Yunsheng's monastery. He lives alone in the mountains, without any disciples or servants.

Qi Yunsheng climbed the steps and walked towards the cave. Looking at the familiar Taoist temple, the frustration in his heart gradually subsided.

His frustration wasn't about returning empty-handed, but rather that he hadn't resisted the temptation of Lei Jun's secret treasure. In truth, even if he had obtained it, it might not have helped his swordsmanship much, as his temperament was ultimately no match for his senior brother.

This effort wasted so much time and effort, yielding no results, and was even targeted by the Heavenly Demon in Lei Jun's cave, nearly resulting in a calamity. It was truly a case of more harm than good.

Thinking of this, Qi Yunsheng thought of that guy who actually tried to cultivate both the Way of Killing and the Way of the Sword, and couldn't help but shake his head.

Gaining nothing was not a bad thing; it made him realize that his character was still lacking, and that he had returned to seclude himself for cultivation, and that the Thunder Lord's secret treasure had nothing to do with him anymore.

With these thoughts in mind, Qi Yunsheng pushed open the stone door. Inside the cave was only a stone bed, desolate and cold—a deliberate choice on his part. To hone his swordsmanship, he had chosen to build his training ground in the Demon Realm, where the cave might be discovered by the Heavenly Demons at any moment.

Qi Yunsheng sat cross-legged on the couch, summoned his natal spirit sword, placed it flat on his lap, and was about to enter meditation when he was suddenly startled awake.

A guest's arrival triggered the protective array around the mountain.

Sensing the presence of the guest, Qi Yunsheng quickly stood up and welcomed her into the dojo, bowing and saying, "Senior Sister Yin."

The newcomer was a woman in palace attire. She was not a stunning beauty, but she carried a sword on her back. Her slender spine was wrapped in a plain white Taoist robe, and her black hair was casually tied into a bun. Her feet were bare and untouched by the dust of the world.

Her face was like snow reflected in an icy lake, and her gaze was like a sharp sword, as if it could cut through all pretense and see through the hidden desires in people's hearts, making people afraid to approach her.

Senior Sister Yin nodded and said softly, "Junior Brother Qi, it's good that you're back."

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Yin."

Qi Yunsheng looked ashamed. He had proposed to compete for the Thunder Lord's Secret Treasure, but Senior Sister Yin had objected. Now it seemed that Senior Sister was right.

Senior Sister Yin didn't say much about the matter, and continued, "Junior Sister Wen and the others are still in seclusion. It seems that something has happened at the Sword Tomb. I have been ordered to go and check. If you are alright, you can come with me."

"Sword Tomb?"

Qi Yunsheng was startled and angrily said, "How dare those demons disturb the peace of our ancestors!"

"It doesn't seem like a Heavenly Demon!"

Senior Sister Yin shook her head slightly, "The Sword Tomb is not so easy to break into. Even you and I can't get very far inside. We still don't know what happened inside. It's a bit strange that the person in charge of guarding the Sword Tomb didn't notice anything. It was a decree passed down by a senior master who was cultivating in Sword City."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yunsheng looked surprised. Without hesitation, he immediately left the cave with Senior Sister Yin and sped towards the Sword Tomb.

……

Inside the mysterious cave.

Qin Sang and Zhu Que were completely unaware of the changes in the outside world. They continued to venture deeper into the area, following the route on the cloud map.

"That damned Celestial Venerable, when choosing a successor, didn't even leave any tests!" Zhuque complained.

Having traveled for so long without seeing a single ghost, and surrounded by a hazy grayness, Suzaku would rather encounter danger than wander aimlessly.

"Aren't the Typhon Giants and the True Radiance Statue outside enough of a test?" Qin Sang retorted.

The Typhon giants guarding the gate were all top-tier experts. If it weren't for so many people forcing their way in together, even Elder Mu might not have been able to get past that barrier with his strength alone. Not to mention the True Radiance Holy Statue; without the bloodline of the True Radiance Holy Clan or the ability to conceal one's eyes, one could only sacrifice lives to get in, otherwise it would be almost impossible to enter alive.

Qin Sang suspected that the Great Celestial Venerable had not chosen a successor at all, but rather wanted a sect or force to accept his legacy.

It's unknown whether the girl in the purple dress possesses some other treasure that could help her overcome these difficulties.

Zhuque continued to complain, while Qin Sang stared at the cloud map, realizing they were almost at the end of their chosen route.

"Still no trace of her?" Qin Sang asked Zhu Que.

Zhuque shook his head, making one wonder if the girl in the purple dress had changed her route midway, causing them to miss each other.

Before long, they finally reached the end. The fog ahead was still thick, and their senses were blocked by some force. No one knew what would happen if they took this step.

Qin Sang was on high alert, while Zhu Que remained carefree.

'Shuh! '

With a flash, Qin Sang and Zhu Que took the final step, and the mist suddenly disappeared from their sight.

The sound of rushing water reached their ears. Qin Sang and Zhu Que appeared above a great river. The turbulent river flowed all the way to the horizon, where a red sun appeared, like the rising sun.

The rosy dawn shone upon the earth, and the river water turned crimson, as if it had been soaked in blood.

Qin Sang looked at both banks of the river and was surprised to find that the scenery there was completely different from the outside. The banks were lush and green, with endless forests and distant mountain shadows.

This was a long-lost sight. Since falling into the Demon Realm, Qin Sang had mostly seen desolate landscapes. There wasn't even a single blade of grass or tree outside the True Radiance Statue; everywhere was bare rock.

What does this vibrant scene signify?

Qin Sang became increasingly wary, but there didn't seem to be any danger around her.

Just then, Suzaku suddenly jumped from his shoulder to his head, her tone unusually grave: "Something's wrong, this isn't..."

He was interrupted halfway through his sentence by a whooshing sound.

Qin Sang suddenly turned her head and saw a golden spot of light appearing in the red sun at the end of the great river.

The light spot was initially tiny and barely perceptible, very far away from them, but in an instant it rapidly magnified and traveled upstream.

Finally, they saw clearly what the light was—it was a chariot. The golden chariot looked incredibly noble, and it was pulled by two divine beasts. These beasts were recorded in the ancient books treasured by the old man surnamed Mu. They were ancient beasts that had long been extinct in the Demon Realm, called Golden Dragon Beasts. Their appearance was somewhat similar to the dragons of the Spirit Realm. They had been subdued by the True Radiance Holy Clan in ancient times and became the mounts of the powerful members of the True Radiance Holy Clan, a symbol of status.

These two golden dragon beasts were enormous and possessed extraordinary divine power. Their bodies were engulfed in golden flames, and upon closer inspection, it became clear that their bodies were transformed from a ball of golden spiritual fire.

They saw the precious carriage, but they couldn't see who was riding in it.

The golden dragon beast pulled the chariot with all its might, and the chariot was moving so fast that it quickly closed the distance between Qin Sang and Zhuque before they could react.

"Quickly calm your mind!"

Zhuque urgently reminded Qin Sang.

At the same time, Qin Sang also noticed something was wrong. He trusted Zhuque and did as he was told without hesitation.

The next moment, two golden dragon beasts pulled the precious chariot and flew over their heads, while an incomparably powerful pressure slammed into their minds.

"Buzz!"

Qin Sang felt as if her mind had been struck by a heavy hammer, and even her Dao foundation had been severely damaged, causing it to waver.

The Vermilion Bird appears unchanged, but the flickering flames in its pupils indicate that its heart is not at peace.

'Shuh! '

The owner of the precious carriage seemed not to see them, and the two golden dragon beasts also ignored them, continuing their journey upstream along the great river.

"And this is...?"

As Qin Sang watched the golden light disappear, he was greatly shocked. Just as he was about to ask Zhuque, he suddenly saw the forests on both sides of the river burst into flames.

The flames were golden, spreading from the red sun upstream along the great river at a speed only slightly slower than that of the chariot.

In the blink of an eye, both banks of the great river turned into a sea of ​​fire. The golden flames were capable of burning everything in time to ashes. The river dried up instantly, and even the void began to distort.

However, the void was not a normal distortion, and soon the great river, the red sun, and the sea of ​​fire dissipated like an illusion.

"They're all illusions, even the chariot is an illusion?"

Qin Sang found it somewhat unbelievable.

The oppressive aura was so real; the pressure emanating from the illusion was terrifying. If someone's mental fortitude was slightly weak, they could easily have their defenses broken down, resulting in serious injury at best, and potentially causing future problems for their cultivation at worst.

It's hard to imagine how powerful the owner of the chariot must be!

Qin Sang grabbed Zhuque from above, only to find Zhuque still staring at the vanished chariot.

"That guy is stronger than me."

Qin Sang was surprised. This was the first time she had heard Zhuque admit that someone was stronger than it, and that Zhuque was not referring to its current form, but to the Heavenly Demon Zhuque in its prime!

The second step of Mahayana Buddhism?

Even a third step?

"Could this be the legendary Great Celestial Venerable?" Qin Sang suddenly felt a little regretful, regretting that she only saw a chariot and could not witness the demeanor of the chariot's owner.

In a flash, the illusion shattered completely, and Qin Sang found herself back on the ground. The ground was very flat, definitely not the land with ravines and trenches from before.

The surroundings were still shrouded in mist, and deep within the mist, some towering shadows could be vaguely seen, like mountain peaks.

Strangely, these mountain shadows are almost identical, and their positions follow a certain pattern, clearly not formed naturally, but placed there by humans.

Those mountain peaks seemed to be guarding something.

Qin Sang and Zhu Que did not act rashly. The previous illusion proved that this place was not as safe as it seemed, and who knows how many dangers were hidden in the fog.

"There is another illusion ahead."

Zhuque immediately noticed the anomaly, then paused and said softly, "Someone is trapped in that illusion."

"who is it?"

Qin Sang was somewhat surprised. Could it be that she had encountered the girl in the purple dress so soon? How could she, who had overcome so many difficulties, be trapped in an illusion?

“It doesn’t seem to be her,” the Vermilion Bird spread its wings and shot out a stream of fire that disappeared into the mist, instantly transforming into a familiar face.

"It's her!" Qin Sang exclaimed in surprise. The one trapped there was Xie Jing.

How did Xie Jing get here?

Also, where is Jiang Jiugao now?

"This woman is injured. She must have been severely damaged by the illusion she experienced earlier, causing her to become trapped in it and unable to escape."

Just as Zhuque was about to drag Xie Jing out for interrogation, Qin Sang stopped him.

Based on what they've found out so far, the mastermind should be the girl in the purple dress. Jiang and Xie aren't Elder Mu, so perhaps they can take this opportunity to subdue them.

After a moment's hesitation, Qin Sang asked Zhuque to help him explore the illusionary realm.

Upon entering the illusion, Qin Sang immediately heard a thunderous roar. All around him was a vast plain, and on the plain was a huge figure, which turned out to be a Typhon giant.

The Typhon giant swung his massive fist, which transformed into a giant hammer, and could easily shatter a mountain with a single punch.

The Typhon giant was battling another unknown ferocious beast. The beast was no match for the Typhon giant and was losing ground, being driven away in terror.

Strangely, an old woman was running alongside the ferocious beast, her breath ragged and her face filled with terror. The Typhon giants were clearly not targeting her, yet she didn't seek refuge, only clinging to the beast and desperately fleeing, as if she had mistaken herself for the beast.

The old woman was Xie Jing.

"Is it Fellow Daoist Xie?"

Following the method taught to him by Zhuque, Qin Sang summoned Xie Jing.

"Who?"

Xie Jing heard Qin Sang's voice, which sounded somewhat confused, as if she had just woken up.

Finally, she recognized the voice. "Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, it's you!"

“It’s me,” Qin Sang said.

"How did you get here?" Xie Jing asked incredulously.

"Why can't I be here?" Qin Sang asked with a playful tone, then sighed, "Fellow Daoist has indeed been hiding a lot from me."

"This……"

Xie Jing was speechless for a moment.

Just then, Xie Jing in the illusion suddenly found herself in grave danger. Before she could say anything, she hurriedly dodged.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Xie is still unable to escape this illusion," Qin Sang said calmly.

"Please, Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, save me!"

Xie Jing cried out for help.

Her situation became increasingly precarious; she could no longer control herself within the illusion and was already deeply trapped in it.

She had regained some consciousness and was able to communicate with Qin Sang clearly, but no matter what she did, she couldn't break free from the illusion. In fact, before Qin Sang appeared, she still retained some consciousness, but she was involuntarily like a mortal being paralyzed by a ghost, the more she struggled, the more she sank into the illusion.

Seeing this, Qin Sang was secretly amazed. He said in a deep voice, "I can forgive and forget the two of you for concealing the truth from me before, but you should have told me the truth by now."

"It wasn't that we intentionally concealed it; we were completely unaware beforehand. After we were separated from our fellow Daoist, she took the initiative to find us..."

Xie Jing said repeatedly.

After hearing Xie Jing's explanation, Qin Sang realized that it was indeed related to the girl in the purple dress.

Before entering the cave, Xie Jing intentionally befriended the girl in the purple dress, hoping to join forces with her to fight against Elder Mu. The girl in the purple dress did not show any unusual behavior. However, after they entered the deep blue sea and were separated by the turbulent currents, the girl in the purple dress stopped hiding and suddenly found Xie Jing and his wife, trying to persuade them to act together.

Along the way, the girl in the purple dress displayed many extraordinary abilities, making them increasingly convinced that she must know the secret of this cave.

The person who took the object behind the True Radiance Statue was Xie Jing. She was guided by the girl in the purple dress to find the silent True Radiance Statue in another place, but she was then trapped in an illusion. Unexpectedly, the girl in the purple dress suddenly appeared and took the object away, leaving her here.

Hearing this, Qin Sang realized why the girl in the purple dress was so determined to bewitch Jiang and Xie. Her accomplice had been captured by Zhuque, and the girl in the purple dress wanted to succeed before Elder Mu and the others discovered the secret of this place. She needed to find new accomplices, and Jiang and Xie became her targets. (End of this chapter)