Supreme Sword Sect.
"Lu Ye of the Grand Dao Sect requests an audience with Sect Master Wuyue!"
Lu Ye appeared at the foot of the Supreme Sword Sectâs mountain and cupped his hands as he spoke.
He looked calm and bright, his smile radiantâanyone who saw him would be compelled to praise his remarkable presence.
The name Lu Ye had already spread throughout the entire Wildlands.
Lu Ye of the Grand Dao Sectânaturally, no one could impersonate him. When the disciples of the Supreme Sword Sect heard the name, they saluted back with proper decorum.
"Senior, please wait a moment. We will report this immediately."
"Much obliged."
Not long afterâ
A group of people flew down from the mountaintop.
Some among them eyed Lu Ye warily. Could he be here to seek revenge?
After all, those four had been injured quite severely.
"Daoist Friend Lu Ye, for you to grace our Supreme Sword Sectâthis truly brings honor upon our humble sect. Please, come inside to the Supreme Hall for a proper welcome!"
"Sect Master Wuyue, you flatter me. I still have matters to attend to, so I wonât be entering the sect today. I came this time to return the Supreme Sword Sectâs Sword Mountain. As for the matter of a Grand Dao Sect disciple backstabbing an allyâit is indeed the fault of our sectâs lax discipline. On behalf of the Grand Dao Sect, I offer my sincerest apologies. I hope this wonât damage the thousand-year friendship between our two sects."
"Not at all, not at all. Every sect has its share of unruly disciples. Weâve witnessed the Grand Dao Sectâs conduct with our own eyes and hold it in high regard. No matter what, this wonât affect the bond between our sects."
Though those were the words on the surface, if the Sword Mountain really hadnât been returned, the Supreme Sword Sect would undoubtedly have held a grudge deep down.
Back when Lu Ye was besieged by multiple Tribulation Realm cultivators, the Supreme Sword Sect had still come to lend aid.
In the past life, the Supreme Sword Sect and the Grand Dao Sect were also extremely closeâan alliance of lips and teeth, bound by mutual survival.
Lu Ye himself was a sword cultivator and had a favorable impression of the Supreme Sword Sect.
With a wave of his sleeveâ
The illusory Sword Mountain hovered in the space between heaven and earth.
"My apologiesâthe original body of Sword Mountain has already been destroyed. Fortunately, the sword Dao remains. To express my remorse, Iâve left behind a single Supreme Sword Intent on the Sword Mountain. It should be of some use to the Supreme Sword Sect."
The powerhouses of the Supreme Sword Sect all stared at the peak of the Sword Mountain where that Sword Intent stoodâand all of them shuddered simultaneously, a fervent light lighting up their eyes.
This Sword Intent!
This Sword Intent!
It was terrifyingâso vast, so transcendent, it felt like it shouldnât exist in this world at all. And yet it was perfectly compatible with the Supreme Sword Sectâs sword techniques and philosophies.
Just this one Sword Intent, embedded on top of Sword Mountain, would bring the Supreme Sword Sect endless benefit.
To put it plainlyâthis Sword Intent might be more important to them than the entire Sword Mountain itself.
"Sect Master Wuyue, are you satisfied?" Lu Ye asked with a smile.
"Satisfied, satisfiedâmore than satisfied. This Sword Intent is almost too precious!"
"As ~NĐŸvĐ”lđght~ long as youâre satisfied. Since the Sword Mountain has been returned, Iâll take my leaveâthere are other matters I must attend to."
"Do you need any assistance from the Supreme Sword Sect?"
Lu Ye had offered a Sword Intent of this caliberâthe sincerity was overwhelming. Li Wuyue felt the sect had to reciprocate with equal respect.
"No need. Itâs a small matterâIâll take care of it shortly."
"Alright then. When you have time, you must visit our Supreme Sword Sect again. Our library of sword techniques will be completely open to you. Who knows? You might even push through to new levels of sword comprehension."
"Of courseânext time I have a free moment, Iâll definitely come by."
Lu Ye took his leave.
His next stopâwas the Eternal Teachings Sect.
Since they wanted to target him, he would go stand right in front of them and let them try.
Moreover, Lu Ye remembered: the Tongtian Spiral Shell within the Eternal Teachings Sect should be able to contact the Upper Realm.
He also needed to give Jiang Die a heads-upâ
Tell her to wash her neck and waitâheâd be ascending soon.
Grand Dao Sect.
In a courtyard, five women sat.
Sun Ruowei continuously released healing skills, doing her best to aid Bai Qiulanâs recoveryâbut the results were negligible.
Bai Qiulan was still locked in a frozen state, and judging from the expression on her face, she was in immense pain.
Her aura was so faint it seemed she could die at any moment.
Yue Honglingâs injuries had recovered. When she saw this, she could no longer hold back.
"Let me do it. Iâll use the Scripture of Ultimate Yin for Virgin Maidens to treat Master!"
Yue Hongling said.
"Noâyou mustnât. That woman most likely had ulterior motives. That technique she gave you is probably extremely vicious," Chu Ling said. Her severed arms had just begun to regenerate, her face still deathly pale.
"I know sheâs viciousâbut weâre out of options. Master has ended up like this, and Senior Brother isnât doing anything. I can only try this method. And from what I understand about the technique, it should be entirely beneficial to Master. I canât just sit here and watch her suffer like this."
"If something really goes wrong, itâll be too late for regrets."
Yue Hongling insisted on using the Scripture of Ultimate Yin for Virgin Maidens. No one else had a better ideaâso they could only nod in helpless agreement.
Yue Hongling sat cross-legged on the bed, helping Bai Qiulan sit up. Her hands formed seals as her true essence began to circulate in accordance with the scriptureâs verses.
A strange energy radiated from Yue Honglingâs body.
She pressed both palms against Bai Qiulanâs back.
A pulling force flowed from her hands.
In that instant, an extreme chill invaded Yue Honglingâs body. She felt as though countless icy blades were carving her flesh open from the inside.
While unconscious, Bai Qiulan had felt herself submerged in a glacial river of agony. The endless, bone-deep cold had made her soul tremble in pain.
She was an Emperor.
She had an unshakable Dao Heart. She could endure suffering.
But thisâthis hurt.
It hurt too much!
This pain was fiercer than anything in her past life. Even the torment of Chaotic Yin Poison erupting then was nothing compared to this.
And now, there were worms gnawing at her origin, as if trying to devour her soul.
Why was it so unbearably painful?
This suffering... it was ten times, noâhundreds of times worse than the pain from when the Chaotic Yin Poison erupted in her previous life.
Suddenly, within that endless glacial river, she sensed a rift.
Almost on instinct, she channeled the icy waters toward that rift.
A portion of her body emerged from the riverâand in the part no longer submerged, an unimaginable warmth appeared.
So warm.
So comforting.
It was just like back when Lu Ye had used his blazing heat to warm her.
Back then, Lu Ye had been like a red-hot copper pillarâfor others, it mightâve been a torture device, but to Bai Qiulan, it was the sun.
And now, this crack had appeared.
She wanted to pour the entire frozen river into it. She didnât want even a drop of coldness anymore.
Yue Honglingâs eyes turned bloodshot. A thick layer of frost rapidly spread across her body.
Her very soul was being flayed alive by this cold.
She let out a blood-curdling scream.
Master, pleaseâstop pouring it into me. Iâm going to die. I really am going to die.
Master, please wake up.
Wake up!