Chapter 1287: Ten Streets Give Birth to a Troublemaker, But the Sky Is Filled with the Scent of Sword Osmanthus

Roar...

Watching his demonic, berserk nemesis depart, Gou Wuyue's eyes flickered, lost in thought. Exhausted, he leaned on his sword for support, but finally gave way and slumped into a cross-legged sitting position. The former glory of Sword Immortal Wuyue was long gone. Gou Wuyue no longer wore flowing blue robes, a white band on his forehead, or exuded an otherworldly aura. His body was wrapped in blood-stained bandages, and wounds, constantly soaked in the Dead Sea, pulsed with subtle pain. These injuries were all inflicted by Saint Servant Wuxiu!

Ancient sword cultivators were fundamentally different from body cultivators; they had high offense but low defense, and lacked good recovery abilities. If their offensive output couldn't perfectly compensate for their defense, they would end up covered in wounds. In the Dead Sea, deprived of spiritual energy, elixirs, and other restorative items, an ancient sword cultivator's physique was essentially no different from a mortal's. While Saint Servant Wuxiu also suffered numerous sword wounds from Gou Wuyue, his injuries often healed themselves after he went berserk. Gou Wuyue was different. During every half-hour combat, the madman would invariably seize an opportunity to leave him wounded. Over time, he had become broken and tattered, like an old man nearing the end of his days, completely devoid of his former heavenly sword immortal appearance.

"Alas..." He thought of his old friend, who, like himself, had been cast into the Forbidden Law Barrier. That friend had faced more and stronger ghost beasts than Saint Servant Wuxiu alone, yet emerged completely unharmed. Gou Wuyue couldn't help but let out a long sigh. The stark contrast was truly lamentable.

Thinking of Bazen An, he was reminded of the battle in the Eight Palaces. Thinking of the Eight Palaces, he was reminded of Bazen An's admonition. That day's "Great Buddha Slash" had severed not only Gou Wuyue's pride but also the creed he had followed for half his life. He raised his eyes and gazed into the distance. The dark, waveless Dead Sea, much like the Eight Palaces had rewritten Gou Wuyue's life trajectory that day, now reshaped his current state of mind.

"Dark clouds deceive the heavenly mulberry, the great river flows west against the current.The cosmic order is gone, power comes from bowing subjects.Birds with broken wings refuse to submit, swords sealed yet bodies not mortal.Bowing in sincere fear? I say the heavens are too low..."

Closing his eyes, Gou Wuyue silently murmured, remaining lost in thought for a long time before letting out another lengthy sigh. The Nulan's Voice in his hand seemed to empathize with its master's current melancholy, emitting a low whine.

"An..."

Even today, reflecting on Bazen An's actions after the Eight Palaces, and recalling his declaration upon reappearing, which also served as an admonition to himself, Gou Wuyue gained a completely new understanding. At the time, he had thought Bazen An hadn't learned from his mistakes and was still lost in past glory. Now, he saw the arrogant youth of old, who had never known defeat.

Times had changed, the cosmic order was inverted, birds had broken wings—it was originally demons wreaking havoc, and the Holy Emperor sealing the heavens. He had believed that the undefeated youth had fallen. But he never imagined that the giant bowed not out of fear, but because the sky was too low; straightening up would hit his head. When he returned from his fall and straightened his back once more, he was still the same "Bazen An, a foot higher than the sky"—unchanged!

"And me?" Gou Wuyue asked himself, shaking his head with a wry smile. Although he was still unwilling to admit it, in Bazen An's eyes, Gou Wuyue had indeed chosen to comply with the new rules under the Holy Emperor's sealing of the Dao, casting aside his pride and assuming the posture of a bowing subject.

"I thought that within the rules, as long as one had no desires, they could still act wantonly and achieve the Great Dao. It turns out that as long as one cannot escape limitations, no matter how desireless or wanton they appear, they are still a caged golden sparrow, with limited freedom. Perhaps, you were right..."

The trials in the Dead Sea had long since made Gou Wuyue shed his pride and constantly reflect on his past actions. He pondered why his younger self could unleash the "Desireless Wanton Sword," yet in old age, he couldn't even draw a single strike, seemingly regressing with age. What was "true desirelessness," and what was "true wantonness"?

"Heh..." Gou Wuyue, his long hair disheveled from neglect, let out a bitter laugh and muttered to himself, shaking his head: "Wentin, Wentin, you suffered setbacks thirty years before me, and awakened thirty years before me!"

Straightening his back, he glanced at his severed arm. The confusion in Gou Wuyue's eyes vanished, and he completely gave up on the Holy Divine Palace. He no longer held any hope. Ancient sword cultivators shouldn't impose restrictions on themselves. Any "desireless wantonness" that submits to rules is merely an excuse. If one puts shackles on oneself, imposes beliefs, and then expects others to slay the gods and Buddhas within their heart, how can they ever break through? Bazen An truly embodied his true nature! Being lawless and unrestrained was the most perfect interpretation of the words "ancient sword cultivator"!

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, Gou Wuyue had to concede that he had lost by more than just a little. If he didn't awaken now, he would never hope to catch up to that man in this lifetime!

Wuxiu had said it very well... Every day, during his half-hour of lucidity, the madman would spend half of it seeking him out for a fight, and the other half imparting his understanding of the Great Dao during combat, asking Gou Wuyue to remember it. Of course, Gou Wuyue wouldn't help Wuxiu remember his understanding of the 'Mysteries of Fire' during each lucid interval, nor would he inform him of his previous attempts when Wuxiu next regained lucidity. But over time... he heard new, mad concepts every time. Gou Wuyue was constantly exposed to this madness, naturally being subtly influenced. What impressed him most was a sentence Wuxiu repeated during every battle. Wuxiu couldn't remember it each time, yet he always spoke it, as if time was a constant loop, and he would always forget and then reiterate his profound insights. Wuxiu couldn't remember. Yet, Gou Wuyue remembered it through the constant repetition.

"The Dead Sea is a shackles for ordinary people, but it cannot trap the thoughts of a genius; one day, they will boil over. The Osmanthus Sacred Mountain is a greenhouse for geniuses, but it is your prison, Gou Wuyue, unable to hold the fragrant osmanthus of a thousand swords!"

—Am I to remain silent here?

The single-armed Gou Wuyue, exhausted after the battle, suddenly gripped the Nulan's Voice, his eyes gleaming with sharp light, and rose to his feet, drawing his sword. He stood proudly, chest out, gazing contemptuously into the distance. In his eyes, there was no longer the Dead Sea's silence, but rather the vast, turbulent, angry ocean of his youth.

"Sang Qiye, you were wrong, it should be... One day, it may be hard to boil over, but it will be filled with the fragrant osmanthus of a thousand swords!"

On this day, the Dead Sea suddenly rumbled with astonishing sacred thunder, startling three thousand drowning souls awake. However, it was just that one sound, with no follow-up. Even when the Osmanthus Sacred Mountain later dispatched people to investigate, they couldn't find the source of the anomaly.

***

The Holy Divine Continent had two very special secret realm cities. Like the "Half-Moon Bay" secret realm in the Southern Region, they possessed their own unique rules, transcending those of the continent. One was the City of Living Futu, represented by "Peaceful Lake." There, the Dao of Heaven was just and harmonious, making it easy for people to enter a state of calm and peace. Thus, the City of Living Futu became a holy land for spiritual refiners with special professions such as alchemists, artificers, and spirit array masters, and it was the headquarters of major associations. Here, not only did spiritual refiners find it easier to comprehend the Dao, but spiritual refiners with special professions also doubled in power; alchemy and artifact crafting virtually received a Heavenly Dao bonus, incomparable to what could be achieved outside.

The opposite, naturally, was the City of Dead Futu. Here, the Dao of Heaven was incredibly chaotic, representing slaughter and bloodshed, with countless bones scattered and millions of floating corpses. Ordinary people here, influenced by the Dao of Heaven and years of accumulated killing intent, easily became extremist and succumbed to madness. Countless unstable individuals who had committed heinous crimes outside, with nowhere to flee, escaped to the City of Dead Futu, seeking refuge. Over time, the City of Dead Futu became even more chaotic. It was like a giant prison cauldron, containing the most harmful blood elixirs, forging one poisonous pill after another. There was an ancient saying: "Creation births extremes, heaven and earth forge a furnace, Peaceful Lake mirrors the chaotic world, life and death are two futu," referring to these two extreme secret realm cities.

When Dao Qiongcang landed on Void Island amidst pouring ink-rain, the City of Dead Futu also erupted in chaos at the same time. Some unstable elements, driven by an invisible hand, completely ignited their accumulated grievances. The entire City of Dead Futu plunged into complete chaos! Enemies fought each other, drawing swords at anyone they met. Even stray dogs, if looked at too long, would bark incessantly, filled with aggressive intent. Not only spiritual refiners, but many special species from the Holy Divine Continent could be found in the City of Dead Futu: aberrants, half-dragon creatures, blight-pill demon cultivators, evil ghost beasts... and so on. The City of Dead Futu was a mixed bag, with everything imaginable. When the great chaos began, this bloody city seemed to splatter with blood rain, entering a state of complete madness.

Those belonging to the Holy Divine Palace initially only watched from outside, daring not enter, as one couldn't stay long in the City of Dead Futu. There was chaos on normal days, but a chaos of this magnitude was rarely seen. It was almost certainly someone within the Crossroad pushing things forward, trying to escape. Seeing this great chaos erupt, the Holy Divine Palace quickly intervened. However, batch after batch of spiritual refiners entered the city, like stones thrown into the sea, creating no ripples. When the storm descended, mortal power, after all, could not defy heaven.

"Kill!""Die! All of you die!""Dogs of the Holy Divine Palace, you're finally here! I've been wanting to taste your blood for a long time, ga ga ga!"

***

Amidst the chaos and slaughter, everyone maintained their last shred of sanity, daring not approach a certain place within the city. That place was called the "Crossroad." In this chaotic place, there was only one rule: "Only those who reach the pinnacle in the City of Dead Futu are qualified to enter the Crossroad and enjoy the treatment of a dark world master." But the Crossroad had its own rules, and not everyone who entered could enjoy such treatment. It just meant that everyone who could enter the Crossroad was at the peak in the City of Dead Futu. However, the Holy Divine Palace had also placed a restriction on the Crossroad: "Those who enter the Crossroad shall never leave for life; violators will be slain by arrows." This arrow, naturally, was the "Arrow of Protection" of Ai Cangsheng, loathed by thousands.

The storm and chaos continued, escalating to a climax. Suddenly, a combatant near the Crossroad coincidentally saw a figure about to step out from outside the East Street gate. It was a tall, burly, bald man, bare-chested and with bulging muscles. His face was sculpted as if with a knife and axe, with sharp, rugged features. His gaze, as if forged in the Nine Nether Hells, was chillingly cold. He merely stepped out to the East Street gate, and everyone in the City of Dead Futu seemed to sense it, turning their heads. The pervasive killing intent was suppressed, and the heavens thundered as if a calamity was descending.

"Shen...""Shen Yi!""Ghost Gate Pass, God of Gods! It's him! Is he trying to break through again, trying to get out again?""Run! As soon as Shen Yi appears, Ai Gou's Wicked Sin Bow's arrow is sure to follow. He can't get out, why does he keep bringing disaster upon us?""Get away from here! Stay away from Shen Yi!"

Countless people fled in disarray, as if avoiding a plague god. The City of Dead Futu could only honor the Crossroad, and the Crossroad could only honor one person. That honored one was Shen Yi, no one else!

The bald man, Shen Yi, merely stood at the main entrance of the Crossroad, not yet stepping out. Heavenly tribulations were drawn, as if to seal a saint's breakthrough. But everyone had seen this scene many times and knew it was impossible to succeed; Ai Cangsheng's arrow would soon follow.

"Buzz!" Sure enough, the air vibrated. A rift tore open in the sky, the secret realm pierced by holy power, and black-red light flickered through. "Whoosh—" In but an instant, a sky-sweeping arrow, carrying the mournful cries of countless spirits, tore through the air and arrived. Shen Yi had not yet taken half a step out of the Crossroad. The arrow from the Wicked Sin Bow descended with a roar, colliding with his boulder-sized fist.

A single punch.

"Boom!" The black-red light of Wicked Sin tore through the sky, but was blasted back, forming a shockwave that instantly shattered the withered decay outside the Crossroad. That had originally been magnificent architecture, but it had long since been reduced to ruins by Shen Yi and Ai Cangsheng's repeated confrontations. At first, people still rebuilt and continued to live there. Later, with one building collapse after another, no one dared to live near the Crossroad anymore. Perhaps one day Shen Yi would try to get out again, and those sleeping there would be blasted to death by the storm.

"Too, too fierce!""Such power from a single punch, how can this be?""Is this a realm achievable by body techniques? Even after seeing it so many times, I still can't believe Shen Yi isn't affected by Ai Gou's Wicked Sin Bow?""Nonsense! That's 'Ghost Gate Pass, God of Gods'! Boss Shen Yi cultivates the Asura Path within the 'Six Paths' body technique profound mysteries, refining Asura power. I've seen him fight, going berserk is just one of his combat states.""'Six Paths'... I wish I could learn it, but unfortunately, the only existing body tempering methods in this world retain only the form, not the spirit. Without Boss Shen Yi's meridian-opening and acupoint-piercing method, one cannot even begin to grasp the profound mysteries of body techniques.""What a pity, this inheritance is hard to find anywhere. Forget the Six Paths, we can't even learn the Nine Palaces, Eight Gates, or Seven Mansions.""I heard the Body Division of the Holy Divine Palace has the inheritance. We could go capture Wang Dachui and force him to reveal the profound mysteries of body techniques.""Wang Dachui? Heh! At best, he only mastered the Nine Palaces and Eight Gates. If he could learn the Six Paths, why would he still only be a division chief?""Ahem, listen to you, it's as if Wang Dachui is weak and you could beat him?""What did you say?!""Heh, I said you're trash. Got the guts to fight me?""Screw your mother! Die!"

Great chaos erupted again.

***

Few noticed that when the fist and arrow met in the East Street, and the chaotic power briefly obscured the Dao of Heaven, outside the West Street of the Crossroad, a graceful figure appeared. When someone noticed the woman, they were still stunned by her beauty and figure. This was a very bold woman! In this city of blood, she didn't even cover her stunningly beautiful face. On an oval face lightly adorned with cosmetics, her eyes sparkled like brewing spring water filled with affection, and her vermilion lips seemed to hold a vibrant shimmer; every frown and smile was captivating. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, highlighting her snow-white, jade-like neck. Her body was only partially covered by a black silk gauze, revealing bare shoulders, ample curves, and a slender waist that could be encircled with one hand, in the center of which was a navel adorned with a ruby. The extremely high slit of her sheer skirt, as the woman moved with graceful lotus steps, revealed her long, jade-like legs, whose skin surpassed frost and snow in fairness. Looking down to her feet, her crystal-clear, jade-like toes sparkled with the enticing sheen of pink nail polish. This soft lamb, step by step, walked over the pounding hearts of the green-eyed wolf pack, breathtakingly beautiful, making it impossible for anyone to look away.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!""Gulp!"

In just a few breaths, heavy breathing and swallowing sounds echoed across a large area of the West Street. Where had these villains of the bloody city ever seen such a human figure? Their eyes were bloodshot, almost out of control.

"Damn! You temptress, how dare you dress like that to seduce me, aren't you afraid of getting burned?""I can't take it anymore! Who is she? Bah! Who she is no longer matters, I'll die if I don't have her!""Barefoot, she's barefoot... Ah, I'm dead.""Ugh ahhh, I can't hold it in!"

A group of starved fanatics uttered vulgar obscenities, completely losing control, and lunged forward. Yet hundreds of people, including Xiantian, Grandmaster, and Sovereign ranks, were present. As they looked forward again, they only smelled an intoxicating fragrance, and their minds became hazy, as if falling into an illusion.

This illusion was too weak! In an instant, they broke free, their eyes red, wanting to push forward. However, behind the enchantress, a phantom figure had appeared at some unknown time. It was a bald man, a full one and a half heads taller than her, incredibly burly. The two together looked like Beauty and the Beast. Only, this beast was very blurry, not a real person at all...

"Phantom?" Everyone was stunned by the blurry-faced bald man, because the killing intent emanating from him was more terrifying than that of the entire city combined.

"Wait!""Isn't that Boss Shen Yi?""My heavens, she has the phantom of 'Ghost Gate Pass, God of Gods'?""She, she is...""Aunt Xiang! She can only be Aunt Xiang!""Isn't Aunt Xiang with Boss Shen Yi at the Crossroad? How did she get out? When did she come out? How could she possibly get out? Ai Gou...""Damn it, this is going to scare me to death!"

In an instant, all the evil desires of the people gathered outside the West Street vanished, and they were covered in chills. After all, those who could escape to the City of Dead Futu were clearly individuals who cherished their lives. Even if Shen Yi was just a phantom, he could shatter them without even moving a finger. This time, who would dare provoke her?

"Hmph!" The woman let out a soft hmph, swept her gaze across West Street, and sneered, "Just now, who said they wanted to have me?"

*Snap*, everyone on West Street prostrated themselves, as if meeting a queen. Dead silent. No one dared to speak again.

"A bunch of trash!" Xiang Yaoyao rolled her eyes to the heavens, shook her head wordlessly, and strode away through the crowd of subdued fanatics.

Yes, she had left the Crossroad. Shen Yi did not accompany her; their beautiful wish to wander the world together after becoming saints could not be realized. Because she had something to do. Aunt Xiang, walking alone through such a chaotic city, wasn't worried about her safety at all. She had only practiced one "Summoning Art" before leaving, and that was enough to roam the world. Aunt Xiang knew Ai Cangsheng must have seen her emerge, but she didn't even put Ai Cangsheng in her eyes. In this world, perhaps there really were people who dared to fight Shen Yi, and probably many of them. But under heaven, anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't dare lay a finger on Xiang Yaoyao. Whether it was Ai Cangsheng, or Dao Qiongcang... fighting Shen Yi, at best, would result in death. Provoking Aunt Xiang, even just touching a single strand of her hair, the Spatial Profound Master Kong Yuhun, whose whereabouts were unknown after the Battle of the Ten Sovereigns, served as a grim precedent.

A fragrant breeze swept through Futu City, and the woman who would bring chaos to the world stepped out onto its streets. The moment she stepped out of the City of Dead Futu, Aunt Xiang ultimately didn't wait for the Wicked Sin Bow's arrow. Her red lips curved into a proud smile. This was her man's deterrent power!

Breathing the clear air of the outside world, Aunt Xiang's beautiful eyes swirled, she delicately pinched her slender jade fingers, and frowned in thought: "Hmm, I can't go find Nuer, I can only go check on her little Ba for her first... Oh, and Xu Xiaoshou! Heh, Saint Servant Shou Ye... this young man's reputation has even reached the Crossroad, truly exaggerated!"