Chapter 345: Lake Roadblock

The floral arrangement by the window emitted a subtle fragrance.

Ning Xiaoling curled up and slept, her long fox fur gently brushing Lu Jiajia's face. Lu Jiajia's slightly bent arm half-embraced the soft fox, and the night was warm and cozy.

Lu Jiajia had a strange dream.

She dreamt she swallowed an immortal elixir, after which her body lost its weight, floating lightly with the wind, slowly rising. The moon, once a distant shadow, grew nearer and was no longer out of reach.

In her dream, Lu Jiajia actually touched the moon.

She couldn't describe the feeling.

What she saw was not the beautiful, illusory palace from myths, but a desolate, graveyard-like expanse. As far as the eye could see, there were rough surfaces, elongated rock formations, and distinct impact craters, giving a suffocating sense of silence.

This sensation lasted only an instant.

In a flash, Lu Jiajia found herself immersed in an ocean of moonlight. She subconsciously named it the Moon Sea.

At that moment, the dreaming Lu Jiajia was not fully conscious; she walked through the moonlight by instinct, the light rippling like waves around her knees. After a long while, she looked up in the Moon Sea and saw a figure with a blurred face.

It was also a figure in white robes with dark hair. Her white was like clouds drifting across a starry sky; her black was like pupils condensed within those clouds.

Lu Jiajia didn't know who she was, yet she felt a sense of familiarity.

She slowly approached the figure.

Lu Jiajia looked up. She couldn't discern the other's features, but she could sense a profound beauty. This beauty was unlike Si Ming's; if Si Ming's beauty was an exquisite, flawless elegance, then the beauty of the woman before her was one of profound mystery and depth, hinting at the infinite possibilities of the universe.

“So similar…” Ye Changong suddenly spoke. Her voice was clear and gentle, sounding very young.

Lu Jiajia subconsciously asked, “Similar to what?”

Ye Changong said, “Within your body lies a sword embryo, one of the eighty-one immortal swords that scattered across the human realm when the Ten-Eyed Kingdom collapsed.”

Lu Jiajia nodded slightly, understanding that this was the origin of her sword-spirit-in-one body.

Ye Changong asked, “Do you know who forged the eighty-one swords?”

Lu Jiajia gently shook her head. “I don't.”

Ye Changong slowly recounted a story untold in legends: “The eighty-one swords were all immortal blades. The immortal-suppressing sword of Luoshu Tower is merely a replica of one of those eighty-one swords. At that time, a great cultivator gathered the finest iron from the Nine Provinces, used the sun as a furnace, the stars and moon as charcoal, and a goddess even shed blood from her palm to forge eighty-one immortal swords. These were entrusted to his dearest friend, whose name was Xiang…”

“Back then, there were two suns in the sky: the true, bright sun, and the sun wielded by 'Xiang,' which resembled a star. This star hung high above the Void Sea, circling the entire world. These eighty-one immortal swords were controlled by a spiritual Sea of Consciousness domain. The creators of this Sea of Consciousness domain were 'Xiang' and five great cultivators who had 'passed away' in meditation. Though their physical bodies died, their Seas of Consciousness infinitely expanded, enveloping the entire land, as these five cultivators presided over Southern Province, Middle Earth, Northern Kingdom, Western Kingdom, and the Underworld Pond of the Eastern Sea.”

Lu Jiajia listened in awe to the myth… Enveloping the entire world with a Sea of Consciousness, then connecting to a consciousness far beyond the Void Sea… How could this be possible? What immense mental power would that require?

Ye Changong continued the story: “Once this vast net of the Sea of Consciousness was completed, it could not only control all information across the world but also command the eighty-one immortal swords, causing them to descend like divine punishment upon any location, even as precisely as a thatched cottage in a specific village.”

Lu Jiajia found it even more incredible.

To expend such immense effort to create a false sun, and then use a colossal mental net to envelop the entire world and control eighty-one immortal swords… This was beyond anything even myths dared to describe. Who was the one behind all of this? And who did he intend to kill?

“Then… what happened next?” Lu Jiajia didn't ponder the dream's meaning, merely asking out of instinct.

Ye Changong replied, “Later, Xiang betrayed him.”

Lu Jiajia paused, feeling as though she had heard the terms 'Ten-Eyed Kingdom' and 'Xiang' somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where.

Ye Changong gazed gently at Lu Jiajia's face, the moonlight like her hand softly stroking the woman's cheek, with a tenderness that almost lulled one to sleep.

She continued the story: “Xiang was corrupted by darkness and went mad. The authority condensed within that sun was divided among nine three-legged golden crows, transforming into nine suns arranged around the true sun, like markings on a sundial.”

“These nine suns emitted no light or heat. Rather than suns, they were abysses suspended in the sky, swirling like vortices, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy from the earth. The entire world seemed to suffer a great drought, calamities arose in the Red Prefecture, and disasters brewed in mountains and seas. When there was no other choice, that individual used the last of the refined iron to erect divine pillars at the northernmost and southernmost points of Middle Earth. These pillars sensed each other, forming a string.”

“This was a colossal bow spanning the entirety of Middle Earth.”

“He expended immense power to shoot down eight of the golden crows. Only when the last golden crow queen descended from her divine throne, removed her crown, and bowed in submission was she spared death. However, the immortal swords from the other eight suns scattered across the lands and nations, unable to be recovered. Some were lost in the wilderness, while others were carried by souls and reincarnated alongside them. Those reincarnated individuals gained the ability of sword-spirit integration and resonance with all iron under heaven.”

Lu Jiajia, her head tilted back, listened quietly to the legend in the Moon Sea.

This was the complete story of the sword-spirit integration.

Was this the origin of the sword embryo within her? If the story told by the person before her was true, then in a sense, she was a sword spirit—but not an auxiliary to a sword; rather, its master.

“Senior… who are you?” Lu Jiajia looked at her and asked softly.

Ye Changong nodded, appreciating her politeness. “You may call me the Abbot.”

“The Abbot?” Lu Jiajia looked at her and asked, “Are you a Taoist?”

Ye Changong said, “All fellow travelers under the Great Dao of the Azure Sky may be called Taoists.”

Lu Jiajia asked, “Senior, why did you lead me into this dream and bring me here?”

Ye Changong replied directly, “To bestow upon you a fortuitous encounter.”

Lu Jiajia was slightly startled. “A fortuitous encounter?”

Ye Changong's voluminous white robes and jade belt fluttered in the wind. A full moon slowly rose behind her, filling the entire world. Her flowing garments shimmered with the moonlight, appearing as if they would merge into one.

From within the moon, Ye Changong extended a finger and gently touched Lu Jiajia's brow.

“Senior… what are you doing?” Lu Jiajia did not resist, nor did she have the strength to.

Her intuition told her that this ethereal senior held no ill will. She felt as if she were encased in a cocoon, about to sprout magnificent wings.

Ye Changong said, “This is your Sword Heart.”

“Sword Heart?” Lu Jiajia was slightly taken aback.

Ye Changong explained, “This is not the Sword Heart you commonly understand. At present, your Sword Heart is empty. Once you cultivate it to completion, you will enter a new realm.”

Lu Jiajia, puzzled, asked, “How should I cultivate the Sword Heart?”

Ye Changong replied, “Every night from today onward, I will summon you to an illusion. In this illusion, you will encounter the person you subconsciously long for. At that time, I will use the Sword Heart to inform you of what you need to do, and you simply need to follow.”

It sounded… quite simple.

Lu Jiajia's mind was still somewhat hazy; her vision was overwhelmed by the colossal moon, preventing her from deep thought. She merely nodded unconsciously.

It wasn't until she was about to leave the dream that Lu Jiajia suddenly realized the senior had never answered her earlier question—who was she similar to?

After Lu Jiajia departed, another woman appeared in the Moon Sea.

Si Ming, with her silver hair and dark robes, traversed the Moon Sea and arrived there once more.

Was it another inner demon?… She gazed at the figure in white robes with dark hair, her delicate eyebrows trembling slightly as she grasped the sword at her waist.

Si Ming had practiced her sword for several days, her swordsmanship reaching a higher level, and she felt no fear in her heart.

Her dark robes shimmered with silver light, and moonlight radiated from behind her. Without a word, Si Ming lunged with her sword towards the figure's back.

All her recent insights were infused into her sword.

As Si Ming's sword light ignited, a brilliant white fissure opened in the Moon Sea beneath the sword's central axis. A stunning, full arc of pure white light shone brightly, striking directly at Ye Changong. Ye Changong, unperturbed, simply extended a jade-like finger and pointed it at Si Ming.

Before the sword could strike Ye Changong, her finger had already touched Si Ming's brow.

The sword light dissipated, and Si Ming fell to the ground, kneeling at her feet.

Still like this… Si Ming thought, unwilling to accept defeat. But she wasn't discouraged, for she knew she was far from her peak, and the other was not unconquerable. The day she vanquished her inner demons would surely be the day she ascended to the divine throne!

Si Ming lowered her head, looking at her reflection in the Moon Sea.

At her brow, where she had been touched, a faint, small flower-like pattern was blooming.

“What is this…?” Si Ming found it somewhat familiar.

Ye Changong calmly said, “A slave mark.”

Si Ming shuddered, recoiling her hand as if shocked. How could the other party… inflict this upon her?

Si Ming suddenly understood. The slave mark was also a major inner demon for her, symbolizing Ning Changjiu!

The mysterious woman from seven hundred years ago and Ning Changjiu now were her two greatest inner demons! Only by overcoming them could her Sword Heart truly achieve clarity.

Ye Changong sighed silently; she could clearly perceive Si Ming's thoughts.

Alas, among these people, Lu Jiajia was still the one most to her liking.

The sky over Myriad Demon City was no longer filled with lightning and thunder, but the rain had not stopped.

In a small mountain cave by Seven Absolutes Cliff, the little monkey demon slowly opened its eyes amidst the hazy sound of rain.

It felt as if it had been struck by lightning, torn to shreds, and scorched by fire.

Its entire body ached.

After convulsing for a long time, the little monkey demon slowly propped itself up. It clutched its head, which felt heavy as if filled with lead.

“This is…” The little monkey demon looked around, finally finding a trace of familiarity.

It confirmed this was its home cave.

How… how did I get here?

The little monkey demon looked around and saw wild fruits piled beside it. Beyond the fruits, two young monkeys blinked their large eyes, staring at it.

Seeing they were fine, the little monkey demon sighed in relief. It looked at the fruits and asked, “How did I get back? Hmm… Xiao Ru, Xiao Yi, did you gather these?”

The two young monkeys couldn't speak, chattering like sparrows.

“Annoying brats,” the little monkey demon habitually muttered.

It picked up a wild fruit and said, “Didn't I tell you? Don't leave this cave until you grow up. Outside, there are vicious great demons who will eat you if you're not careful.”

The two young monkeys chirped twice, very well-behaved.

The little monkey demon sighed, patted their heads, and stuffed a wild fruit into its mouth. It took a bite, and the fruit's juice squirted out, filling its mouth and making its teeth ache so much that tears almost welled up.

“Ptui, ptui…” The little monkey demon grimaced, about to spit out the fruit, but then saw the two young monkeys' innocent eyes.

The little monkey was silent for a moment, then said, “The fruits you picked are delicious, hehe. You little ones are growing up, and I'm going to become useless.”

Saying this, it took another bite and chewed heartily.

The sourness of the juice flowed into its empty stomach, making its entire stomach cramp like a tightened leather pouch.

The two young monkeys looked at its smiling face and clapped their hands happily.

The little monkey demon smiled back at them.

It looked at the rain outside the cave, still not understanding how it had returned to the cave on such a rainy night, or how its two little monkeys could possibly have such ability.

Did that guest send it back? Or…

The little monkey demon looked at its arm, revealing a surprised expression once more… Its arm was completely unharmed!

In the past, the little monkey demon often dreamt of being a great demon king. It would fantasize about being merely an ascetic monk in the mortal world, empathizing with human suffering for a grand mission. This way, it could attribute its hardships to fate and even find joy in it.

But it knew these were all false. It was a charlatan in ragged Taoist robes, chased and beaten; a clown performing fire-hoop tricks before a thousand people; an orphan monkey; a jinx. It was anything but a great demon, or if it was, it was one that had accumulated countless debts over millennia, debts that could not be repaid in several lifetimes.

The little monkey demon interrupted its thoughts.

The young monkeys had been lulled to sleep.

It looked at the sour, completely unripe wild fruits and sighed.

It still had to go out and find food itself…

The little monkey demon sealed off the deeper part of the cave with stones, covered it with thatch, then picked up a tattered bamboo conical hat and went out into the rain.

In spring, most fruit trees hadn't even blossomed, let alone ripened. Fortunately, it was experienced enough to tell which were edible and which were not.

In the rain, the monkey demon swung on vines, swaying along until it unexpectedly arrived at Seven Absolutes Cliff.

Only after reaching Seven Absolutes Cliff did it remember that it had failed to complete the task given by the Mist Demon King… Not only had it failed, it had also betrayed him…

A chill ran through the monkey demon's heart. It stood on the rocks of Seven Absolutes Cliff, feeling as if its feet were on pins and needles.

It secretly turned its head, preparing to leave, but then overheard a conversation.

“The White Deer Star Lord is dead, killed by those two outsiders,” the Mist Demon King said.

“I already knew that. By now, few in Myriad Demon City don't, right? Those two outsiders killed our city's demon king, yet they've taken over the mountain and proclaimed themselves overlords. Ha, how ridiculous!”

The voice was sharp, and the monkey demon instantly recognized it—it was the Hundred-Faced Fox!

A few days ago, when it had pretended to be a wild monkey jumping through a fire hoop and was exposed afterward, the Hundred-Faced Fox still held a grudge.

What a small world…

The little monkey demon lamented its bad luck once more.

It stretched out a hand, covering its mouth and nose, making no sound.

The Mist Demon King said, “Such a major event is ultimately the will of the superiors. White Deer was my superior, and your friend…”

“Pah!” The Hundred-Faced Fox interrupted, “Friend? When did that White Deer ever consider me a friend? I wished it dead!”

The Mist Demon King asked, “It's dead, what will you do?”

The Hundred-Faced Fox remained silent. Its temperament was poor, and it had made many enemies in Myriad Demon City. In the past, if not for its reliance on White Deer, its malicious tongue and Purple Court realm demonic power would have long since led to it being torn apart.

“How about… we escape together?” The Hundred-Faced Fox looked up, staring at him, and said, “Never mind whether we'll have a foothold later; this city will fall sooner or later. If we don't escape now…”

The Mist Demon King waved a hand, interrupting, “I still have a mission.”

“A mission?” The Hundred-Faced Fox asked, puzzled. “What nonsense are you talking about? Though you were once glorious, you're now a tiger fallen into a plain. What are you still dreaming about? Your days of dominance are long gone!”

The Mist Demon King toyed with a chess piece in his hand and said, “Grandmaster told me before his death that besides the four holy artifacts of Tianzhu Peak, there is still one item hidden in Myriad Demon City. Obtaining it allows one to be directly crowned a Half-Saint!”

The Hundred-Faced Fox shook its head. “Are you still harboring fantasies about saints?”

The Mist Demon King said, “White Deer is dead and gone. Today's wealth and honor, tomorrow's dust and ashes. When Myriad Demon City falls and the divine realm besieges it, we will truly have nothing left… no corner of the world will hide us.”

The Hundred-Faced Fox sneered, “How could we possibly find a divine artifact? Besides, you don't even know what it is!”

The Mist Demon King said, “Actually, over the years, I've gathered some clues.”

The Hundred-Faced Fox's eyes lit up, and it quickly asked, “What?”

The monkey demon also pricked up its ears to listen intently. Just then, something wet and slimy suddenly wrapped around its body. The monkey demon was startled and, looking closely, saw it was a large crimson python!

The monkey demon couldn't help but shriek.

The Hundred-Faced Fox was startled by the shriek, but the Mist Demon King remained calm. He said indifferently, “Let me see who dares to eavesdrop for so long.”

He had already noticed someone eavesdropping.

The large crimson python instantly coiled around the monkey demon, leaving it no room to struggle.

“So it's you,” the Mist Demon King said, now standing before the monkey demon.

The monkey demon's mouth was constricted by the python, preventing it from making any sound.

The Hundred-Faced Fox arrived upon hearing the noise and was also surprised: “So it's you, you wild creature! You made me lose face earlier, and I was going to spare your life, but you're no good at acting and surprisingly eager to throw your life away!”

The monkey demon mumbled, its eyes wide, knowing it would surely die today.

The Mist Demon King glanced at it and said, “Stop wasting words with it. Just kill it.”

The Hundred-Faced Fox sneered, “Killing it outright, wouldn't that be too easy for it?”

The Mist Demon King said, “Don't waste time. Kill it, then come with me to the cave dwelling. I'll show you something.”

The Hundred-Faced Fox reluctantly agreed. It licked its claws and then slashed at the monkey demon's throat.

There was no further movement.

The Mist Demon King sensed the strange silence behind him, realized something was wrong, and turned around.

He saw the python's body split open, severing into pieces on the ground. Before it, the Hundred-Faced Fox lay motionless, devoid of life.

The Mist Demon King recovered from his shock and chuckled, “Alright, old fox, stop pretending. Who doesn't know you have a hundred faces? Even if your act is lifelike, what's the point of playing such a childish trick on me?”

Still no movement.

The little monkey demon lay stunned in the snake's blood, looking at the Hundred-Faced Fox's corpse, then at its own hands covered in sticky blood. Fear squeezed its heart. It clutched its head and whimpered, “I didn't kill him… I didn't kill him…”

The Mist Demon King narrowed his eyes.

“Still pretending with me?” He was annoyed and slapped a palm towards the monkey demon's crown.

A golden light shone on Seven Absolutes Cliff.

The little monkey demon shivered in the rain.

The Mist Demon King's paw didn't come down.

Within him, the mist could not condense and completely dispersed. His conical hat and straw raincoat fell to the ground, empty.

In the rain, the little monkey demon heard the Mist Demon King's last words.

“Grandmaster… you truly… didn't deceive me.”

Outside Myriad Demon City.

Under the night sky, the vast river surface lay like ice and silver. A woman walked upon the water, causing not a ripple.

She was cloaked in a dress.

Rather than a dress, it was a cloak of swords.

She wore a thin, pink-and-white garment that seemed girlish, but outside it, gleaming silver flying swords rotated, like long dragons or jade belts at her elbows. They danced around her body, not touching her skin at all, yet wrapping her tightly.

As she walked on the river's surface, there was no reflection of her or her swords beneath the water.

This was one of the methods to achieve the realm of selflessness.

Her dark long hair was coiled up, and the hairpin within it was also a sword. The sword passed through her hair without cutting a single strand.

Not only that, her bracelet was a sword, and her finger ring was also a sword.

She was the senior disciple of Sword Pavilion.

She was the second most powerful person in Middle Earth.

Her journey was undertaken at her master's command, to go to Myriad Demon City and, at the appropriate moment, kill someone.

Normally, she could travel ten thousand miles a day.

But on this silver lake, she stopped.

Her master had told her that someone would surely intercept her on this journey. The one who blocked her path would be a true Celestial.

She had been waiting.

She had honed her sword for decades in the abbey, and her sword intent sometimes lasted through the night, as if with a single gesture, she could cleave heaven and earth, devouring a rainbow spanning thirty thousand li.

Yet, despite this, her steps remained cautious. For she knew what terrifying existence her opponent would be.

Above the silver lake, she saw a figure from behind.

It was a woman's figure.

A green skirt fluttered over the lake; the breeze was still, the water unmoving. The already quiet world transformed into dead silence.

The woman looked at the green skirt, thought of the stories her master had told her, and pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Any other person would be fine, but this one… she had not an ounce of certainty. Yet, only this could hone the sword in her heart into an unparalleled divine blade.

The woman in the green skirt calmly turned her head. She wore a Taoist bun, a lotus crown, and held a whisk, exuding an ethereal grace.

The senior disciple of Imperceptible Abbey, Shen Yu.

“Greetings, Senior,” the Sword Pavilion's senior disciple said earnestly, gazing at her. “I didn't expect you to come in person.”

The senior disciple smiled faintly. “You recognize me?”

“My master told me of your identity.” The Sword Pavilion's senior disciple proactively unequipped all her swords and bowed respectfully to her, saying, “This junior greets Lady Nuwa.”