“It will hurt.”
Mo Xi’s hot breath pressed down close. He stared into his eyes from such a short distance and spoke two words.
“Endure it.”
Just as Mo Xi had said, breaking the Summoning Demon Spell was an exceptionally painful process.
It was as if thousands of thorn-covered vines were being forcibly pulled out from within the other person’s flesh and blood.
At first, Gu Mang stubbornly refused to make a sound.
But when Mo Xi’s incantation reached the middle stage, Gu Mang gradually could no longer endure it.
His tense body slowly weakened beneath Mo Xi.
He began trembling.
Then convulsing.
And finally, large drops of tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, trembling as they flowed into his hair at the temples.
His eyes were red from crying, yet his mouth was still covered by Mo Xi’s hand, preventing him from making any sound.
Soon, sweat soaked through his clothes.
His gaze became unfocused and chaotic, reflecting Mo Xi’s face.
With one blink—
The reflection shattered.
Turning into tears at the corners of his wet, reddened eyes.
Mo Xi almost had to use all his strength to hold him down and prevent him from suddenly exploding into madness.
It hurt.
It truly hurt.
Pain that reached the bones and marrow…
Seeing his trembling eyelashes, Mo Xi suddenly felt a painful sense of reluctance that even frightened himself.
The strength in his hand unconsciously loosened slightly.
In that brief moment of weakness—
Gu Mang suddenly broke free from the hand covering his mouth.
He turned his head away, gasping desperately.
Then, in a chaotic and broken voice, he cried out:
“Ah… ah…”
His voice was hoarse and pitiful.
Unlike his strong and powerful body, when this man cried out, his voice was ultimately as fragile as a spring leaf.
Actually, Gu Mang had cried like this before.
It was just that nobody else knew.
Only Mo Xi had seen it on the bed.
Mo Xi lowered his voice.
“…Bite me.”
Gu Mang could no longer hear him.
He could not hear anything Mo Xi was saying.
Mo Xi took a deep breath, barely suppressing the bitterness and frustration filling his chest.
Then he leaned closer.
At this angle, according to Gu Mang’s habits, he would bite Mo Xi’s shoulder.
Mo Xi knew this.
Gu Mang’s canine teeth were too sharp.
They had broken his skin countless times before.
The scars left behind had never faded even after so many years.
Perhaps they would never disappear for the rest of his life.
Mo Xi thought silently:
The old place.
Go ahead and bite.
Then he ruthlessly continued chanting the spell.
After a brief moment of relief came an even deeper wave of pain.
Gu Mang’s body suddenly jerked and tightened.
A hoarse cry escaped him.
“Ah…”
Between collapse and madness, instinct took over.
He opened his mouth and tightly bit down on Mo Xi’s shoulder.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
He convulsed and trembled uncontrollably in Mo Xi’s embrace.
The farther the spell progressed, the more unbearable the pain became.
By the time the incantation reached its final stage, even biting Mo Xi’s shoulder was more than Gu Mang could endure.
He suddenly released his bite, threw his head back, and gasped for breath.
Sweat streamed down every inch of his face.
His eyes were wet, as deep and storm-tossed as the sea.
“It… hurts…”
At last, he spoke.
Since Mo Xi had returned to Chonghua and they had met again, this was the first time Gu Mang had expressed his own feelings with such uncontrollable emotion.
“It… hurts…”
Mo Xi’s heart clenched.
The heart that had once been pierced, the heart that would never again be what it had been before, pounded violently inside his chest, every beat bringing another stab of pain.
He looked into Gu Mang’s eyes.
Gu Mang had completely fallen apart.
His mind had scattered.
For one uncontrollable moment, Mo Xi wanted to press their foreheads together.
Just like before.
Just like in the days before everything had become irreparable.
He wanted to rub against Gu Mang’s sweat-damp forehead and tell him:
It’s all right.
Once the spell is broken, it’ll be over.
I’m here with you…
I’m staying with you…
But just as his face lowered, only inches away—
Yesterday, and everything that had happened since, came rushing back.
He remembered that Murong Lian and the others were only separated from them by a single stone wall.
If Gu Mang’s Summoning Demon Spell was not removed immediately, everything would only become more impossible to control.
He suddenly forced himself awake from those thoughts.
Turning his face aside, he closed his eyes and continued reciting the spell.
Just a little more…
Only a little more…
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his neck.
Gu Mang had become too exhausted to keep biting Mo Xi’s shoulder.
His lips parted instinctively, searching for something softer.
He bit Mo Xi’s neck.
Or rather—
It wasn’t really a bite anymore.
He had almost no strength left.
He was simply holding it gently between his lips.
Beneath those damp lips, only his sharp canine still managed to inflict a trace of pain.
The rest of his teeth barely brushed against the skin.
“…”
The last wall around Mo Xi’s heart collapsed completely.
He closed his eyes.
Just this once…
Only this once.
He didn’t want to think about whether someone might see them.
He didn’t want to think about what anyone would think if they did.
He didn’t even want to think about everything that had happened between them—
Nor about the ocean of hatred that now separated them.
He raised a hand and cradled the back of Gu Mang’s head, allowing him to continue biting him.
His fingers stroked through Gu Mang’s hair.
In a quiet voice, he soothed him.
“It’s all right… it’s all right…”
“It’s over…”
“It’s all over…”
The pain had passed.
If only the hatred and resentment of these past years could disappear as well.
If only the gulf between them could vanish just as the pain had.
How wonderful that would be.
He continued stroking and comforting the trembling man in his arms.
No one saw it.
Even Mo Xi himself wished not to see it.
With his eyes closed, he gently kissed the crown of Gu Mang’s head.
If only every sorrow in this world could pass.
How wonderful that would be.
Once the spell had been broken, Gu Mang drifted into an exhausted sleep.
Mo Xi stood.
He summoned the Bamboo Warrior and ordered it to watch over Gu Mang carefully.
Then he transformed Ratean into a spirit serpent and left it behind as another guard.
Only then did he walk around the stone wall to help Murong Lian and Yue Chenqing bring the fierce battle to an end.
However, from the look of things, they were already close to finishing.
His help was no longer necessary.
Yue Chenqing’s spiritual power was limited.
Every line of the Sword-Destroying Incantation had to be recited thirty times.
With every repetition, Li Qingqian’s spiritual power weakened another degree.
Now Yue Chenqing had nearly reached the final verse.
And Li Qingqian was becoming less and less of a match for Murong Lian.
“Your blood enters the furnace.
Your bones forge the sword.”
Every spiritual incantation he recited transformed into curling white mist that wound itself around Li Qingqian.
“Within the case lies three feet of water,
once belonging to the one from my dreams.”
Li Qingqian truly was an extraordinary man.
Even after being weakened to this extent, he still fought Murong Lian with a pale face, staggering on his feet.
The longer Murong Lian fought, the more relaxed he became.
Again and again, he knocked Li Qingqian to the ground.
Again and again, he watched him climb back to his feet—
Blood running from the corners of his mouth.
His robes disheveled.
Murong Lian sneered.
“What are you struggling for?”
“The outcome’s already decided.”
“Are you really so shameless that you enjoy me kicking you around?”
Li Qingqian did not answer.
He only laughed wildly.
His lips stretched open as fresh red blood spilled from his mouth.
In his eyes burned a strange persistence and madness.
It was as if he absolutely had to survive for the sake of something.
Until he accomplished that purpose—
He could not disappear.
He could not watch helplessly as the Red Peony Sword was destroyed by Yue Chenqing.
The light in his eyes was not saying:
“My fate is determined by myself, not by heaven.”
Instead, it was saying:
“I cannot defeat heaven, but I must do what I want to do.”
“Even if I lose.”
“Even if I die.”
“Even if my soul is destroyed and I disappear forever, I will never accept my fate.”
I refuse.
He laughed like a madman.
Again, Mu Rong Lian’s silk shoe stepped across his face.
Again, he struggled to rise.
Again, he tried to crawl closer to Yue Chenqing.
“Hahaha… hahaha…”
“…Grandmaster Li.”
Mo Xi’s voice caused the crazed Li Qingqian to suddenly freeze.
His bloodshot eyes turned toward Mo Xi.
He stared fiercely.
There was a strange, dazed expression on his face.
“After the battle at Weeping Maiden Mountain, you disappeared into the mortal world.”
Mo Xi looked at him.
“What happened afterward?”
It had originally been a gamble.
But after asking that question, Mo Xi knew he had struck Li Qingqian’s weakness.
Because Li Qingqian’s eyes narrowed slightly.
And that crazed laughter slowly twisted.
The Red Peony Sword.
The words carved into the wall.
The similar appearances of the kidnapped women.
The ghost brides in the stone cave, each wearing phoenix crowns and wedding robes…
One hatred: a life like drifting duckweed.
Two hatred: beauty is too easily destroyed.
Three hatred: separated from my beloved for all eternity.
Everything seemed connected to some woman they knew nothing about.
Why?
What happened at Weeping Maiden Mountain?
What had caused the sword master who once wore green robes, swung his sword against evil, and upheld justice—
To become a resentful sword spirit.
A malicious ghost.
A completely distorted existence.
Mo Xi stared at him.
“Who refined you into the sword?”
“You came to Chonghua…”
“Who are you looking for?”
Li Qingqian wanted to laugh.
But his throat moved.
Instead, only a hoarse and strange sound came out.
“Who is Grandmaster Li?”
“I’m not!”
“I’m not!!”
“That foolish Li Qingqian died long ago!”
“He should have died!”
“He lived too long.”
“He never understood anything.”
“He cared too much about his reputation and pretended to be righteous.”
“In the end, he harmed others and himself and ended up like this!”
“He brought it upon himself!”
He spat fiercely.
“He deserved it!”
“…”
He roared incoherently.
His expression became twisted.
“Who am I looking for?!”
“I’m looking for those women!”
“Hahaha!”
“I came here for revenge!”
“I came here to kill!”
“I came here to kill people!!”
The more he shouted, the harsher his voice became.
Yet his body had already begun to emit fragments of light.
As long as Yue Chenqing finished the final line—
He would disappear completely with his secrets.
Yue Chenqing chanted:
“Divine weapons are but travelers passing through this world.”
“Why not return to the mortal realm?”
…
The Red Peony Sword suddenly trembled violently.
A faint jade-colored glow appeared from its blade.
Yue Chenqing suddenly opened his eyes.
Mu Rong Lian leaned against a stone pillar.
At this moment, he also sensed something was wrong.
“What’s happening?”
“What’s wrong with this broken sword?”
Yue Chenqing had never encountered such a situation before.
In panic, he hurriedly repeated the final line.
“Divine weapons are but travelers passing through this world.”
“Why not return to the mortal—”
“Ah!!”
The Red Peony Sword suddenly stopped trembling.
Immediately afterward—
The black water that had flowed out of it began returning into the sword at an astonishing speed.
Yue Chenqing’s expression changed.
“Not good!”
“It’s breaking free!!”
Before he could finish speaking—
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted.
Yue Chenqing’s vision went black.
The shockwave threw his body several meters away.
He slammed into the stone wall and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
He hurriedly raised his head.
At the center of the blood formation, the Red Peony Sword floated in the air.
Within rolling black smoke, it released dazzling jade-colored light.
The glow illuminated Yue Chenqing and Mu Rong Lian’s pale faces.
Mu Rong Lian supported himself against the rubble and stood.
He gritted his teeth.
“This is…”
Yue Chenqing cried out:
“The Sword-Destroying Incantation had the opposite effect!”
“The sealing barrier on the sword has broken!”
“Brother Mu Rong, quickly—quickly restrain it!”
Did he even need Yue Chenqing to say it?
Mu Rong Lian had already shot forward.
He attempted to use the Heaven and Earth Sword-Sealing Pouch to capture it again.
But because of Yue Chenqing’s mistake in the final incantation, the Red Peony Sword had already broken through its restraints.
At this moment, both its power and resentment had reached a terrifying level.
A fierce wave of sword qi erupted.
Mu Rong Lian was struck heavily and thrown to the ground.
Then—
The sword flew toward Li Qingqian.
Mu Rong Lian cursed loudly:
“Yue Chenqing!”
“You really are useless!!”
Yue Chenqing looked wronged.
“I told you from the beginning I was useless and couldn’t do it!”
“You forced me!”
Mu Rong Lian nearly exploded with anger.
“What exactly did you get wrong in the final line?!”
“There was nothing wrong!”
Yue Chenqing shouted.
“‘Divine weapons are but travelers passing through this world. Why not return to the mortal realm.’”
“How could I have remembered it incorrectly?”
“There must be…”
“There must be something else I don’t understand!”
“Or maybe the blood formation was wrong from the beginning, I—”
But it no longer mattered.
Li Qingqian reached out and grabbed the flowing Red Peony Sword.
The sword spirit and the sword body had finally reunited.
A burst of brilliant light erupted.
Mo Xi shouted:
“Swallowing Heaven Barrier!”
A golden stream of light surged from his palm.
It instantly transformed into a massive whale that swallowed the heavens.
With a roar, it swept away the falling stones and covered everyone on their side beneath its golden radiance.
Outside the barrier created by the giant whale—
Li Qingqian, reunited with his restored sword, floated in the air.
His entire body exploded with terrifying evil power.
Jade-colored demonic sword energy surrounded him.
It crashed repeatedly against the Swallowing Heaven Barrier.
Each impact released shocking waves of spiritual energy.
Li Qingqian lowered his head and looked at his palm.
The scars on his arm were healing visibly.
He lowered his sleeve.
A nearly sinister smile appeared on his pale face.
After a moment, he turned around.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
His gaze fell upon Yue Chenqing below.
“Little Yue Young Master’s skills are still lacking.”
His expression remained terrible.
The pain of almost having his soul scattered moments ago could not disappear so easily.
But whether he felt comfortable or not was one thing.
His strength had already increased tremendously.
“Thank you for your unintentional assistance.”
Mu Rong Lian watched as the situation continued spiraling out of control.
This matter was closely connected to his own Falling Plum Breath, and he became increasingly furious.
He turned toward Mo Xi and said:
“Are you just going to stand there? Can’t you fight him?”
“You can’t defeat a single sword spirit?”
Mo Xi angrily replied:
“Then you fight him.”
“And you open the defensive barrier?”
“I—”
Mu Rong Lian choked.
Then he immediately said:
“You still have Ratean, don’t you?”
“Have Ratean transform into a serpent and capture him!”
“Ratean is guarding Gu Mang!”
Mu Rong Lian looked as if he had suddenly seized an enormous weakness.
Even in the middle of battle, he did not forget to start an argument.
“Oh?”
“So you really…”
Mo Xi interrupted him almost furiously.
“If Gu Mang loses control again, will you stop him?”
“You—!”
“Brother Mu Rong, it’s useless.”
At this moment, Yue Chenqing finally spoke.
His small face was pale as he explained:
“Once a sword body and sword spirit of this level merge together, they are invincible for the first hundred moves.”
“Only a master weapon refiner can suppress him.”
His eyes nearly filled with tears.
“…I caused this disaster.”
After experiencing such a dangerous situation, Li Qingqian no longer intended to continue fighting them.
He seemed to have decided that he had to escape as quickly as possible and complete the thing he wanted to accomplish.
With a wave of his hand—
A terrifying sword spirit barrier descended.
It separated Mo Xi and the others from himself.
Then, carrying the Red Peony Sword, he prepared to fly out of the cave.
Mu Rong Lian shouted:
“Chase him!”
Yue Chenqing said miserably:
“There’s no point chasing him!”
“I just said it!”
“He’s practically invincible right now!”
“Only the greatest weapon refiner can—”
Before he could finish.
Suddenly—
A dazzling white light shot toward Li Qingqian’s back.
It was the Bamboo Warrior.
The Bamboo Warrior leapt into the air.
It completely ignored Li Qingqian’s barrier.
With a flip, it landed in front of him.
Shing!
Its long blade left its sheath.
The sword was held horizontally in front of Li Qingqian.
This time, the person most shocked was not only Li Qingqian.
Even Yue Chenqing was frozen.
Just moments ago, he had said:
After a sword spirit and sword body merged, it would be invincible for a hundred moves.
The only thing capable of breaking this state would be a weapon-refining master whose strength rivaled his father’s.
Who was a weapon-refining master?
The Bamboo Warrior?
That was absurd.
While Yue Chenqing’s mind became a complete mess—
He suddenly heard a humming sword sound behind him.
Yue Chenqing turned around.
At the entrance of the cave, a man dressed in white came riding the wind.
The man wore a flowing white robe of light fabric.
Silver edges embroidered along his sleeves shimmered faintly.
His long hair was tied beneath a soaring jade crown.
The snow-white silk ribbons hanging from his crown ornaments fluttered together with his sleeves in the wind.
His wide sleeves and flowing ribbons gave him an astonishing immortal aura.
Originally, he possessed an exceptionally refined and handsome appearance.
However, the dignity between his brows was impossible to hide.
Within his eyes was even a faint coldness—
A detached indifference that seemed almost emotionless.
Therefore, his elegance was not a gentle elegance.
It was a bone-chilling coldness.
A sense of distant severity.
The white-robed immortal guided his sword down to the ground.
Expressionless, he raised his beautiful face.
A pair of sharp sword-like brows.
Phoenix eyes filled with authority.
He coldly surveyed the battlefield before him.
His gaze landed on the battered Yue Chenqing.
He gave a cold snort.
Then he lightly waved his sleeve.
The horsetail whisk rested over his arm.
—
He was one of Chonghua’s “Greed, Anger, and Ignorance.”
The “Ignorance.”
The master of the Bamboo Warrior.
Mu Rong Chuyi.