Chapter 612: You’re Sealing the Sword?

"So you can stand?"

"Then you should have stood up and spoken earlier! I thought your injuries hadn't healed yet!"

Dao Qiongcang smiled.

After a long silence, seeing the person before him remain silent, he finally stopped smiling and addressed the other's question.

"Death is unthinkable."

"But the one who should have died has already been resurrected."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted downward, glancing at the famous sword Hunt Ghost on his neck without a blink. "Move it."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Hua Changdeng narrowed his eyes, sharpness glinting within, his murderous intent seemingly about to overflow.

Dao Qiongcang sighed helplessly.

"Ba Zun'an has been resurrected."

A faint sound echoed amidst the screens and candlelight. In this place where not even a whisper of wind could be heard, the scene became terrifyingly still.

Hua Changdeng remained silent.

He recalled Hunt Ghost, which vanished with a whoosh, returning to its place under the broken willow where it feigned sleep.

"If you're bored and planning to amuse yourself with such jokes..."

"I'm not amusing myself."

Dao Qiongcang interrupted him, and with a wave of his hand, a light screen appeared before them.

On the screen was the scene of the masked man confronting Gou Wuyue in the Eight Palace Miles.

Below this main image were projections from four small crystal balls, showing the battle in the Eastern Region's Eight Palace Miles, featuring four anxious-looking individuals.

They all seemed to be awaiting a response from headquarters.

Although they didn't speak, it was clear they were full of questions.

"I can't tell, but you've fought him before. Do you know who this person is?" Dao Qiongcang asked, pointing at the masked man.

"Haven't you fought him?" Hua Changdeng countered.

"I have, but heavenly secrets can no longer deduce his existence. The power of the Saint Emperor has shielded his aura, and he has allies!"

"Hmph."

Hua Changdeng scoffed, "Is this what you call the Supreme Dao? You can't even discern if a person is real or fake. How can you claim to control the Dao?"

Dao Qiongcang was stumped.

He didn't retort but asked again, "So, is it him? Ba Zun'an?"

Hua Changdeng's snoring began.

Dao Qiongcang was speechless.

He grew angry.

"Old Ghost Hua! Are you going to say something or not?"

"Is this a time for games?"

"If it's not him, then the Saint Servants are supported by the Saint Emperor."

"But if it is him, then not only are the Saint Servants supported by the Saint Emperor, but their overt leader is also the former Eighth Sword Immortal!"

"Can you imagine the consequences?"

"If he were to rally the forces..."

"You're so noisy!" Hua Changdeng turned over, slightly annoyed, sniffed, and lazily said, "Isn't Gou Wuyue there?"

"Yes! So?"

"So you think someone who can't even break through to the Sword Immortal realm could escape the clutches of the former Seven Sword Immortals?"

Dao Qiongcang was infuriated again, saying angrily:

"Have you shut yourself away for decades until you've become stupid?"

"If he is Ba Zun'an, how could Gou Wuyue possibly attack him?"

"The Voice of Nu Lan is in his hand, and Gou Wuyue's debt to Ba Zun'an hasn't been repaid. How could he possibly make a move!"

Hua Changdeng was thoroughly annoyed.

"Utterly foolish!"

He rolled over and stood up, scolding, "Is the rule of the Holy Divine Palace more important, or his debt to Ba Zun'an? You can't even distinguish that?"

"Since they've met, that's perfect..."

"Didn't you say Gou Wuyue dislikes the Holy Divine Palace?"

"Isn't this an opportunity?"

"Let him do it!"

"If he dares to let him go, then he must be prepared to pay the corresponding price. But if Gou Wuyue doesn't dare to let him go, as long as he slays Ba Zun'an, do you still think there's anything in this world that would make him turn his back and leave?"

Dao Qiongcang was startled by the reprimand, and only after a long pause did he sigh, "So, it really is Ba Zun'an..."

"He was never dead!"

Hua Changdeng closed his eyes and lay down again. "That day, I merely severed two of his fingers and lopped off his head. Without entering the Saint realm, how could I have truly slain him?"

As he spoke, his voice lowered, and his gaze stretched far to the other side of Mount Guizhe.

Even so, such an act brought calamity.

And on Fallen God Peak, an unmarked grave was added because of it.

"But wasn't Ba Zun'an crippled by you?"

Dao Qiongcang pressed, "What about the Martial Arts Ban? Didn't you also issue that?"

Hua Changdeng sighed.

"It was issued..."

"Didn't you see he's only at the Post-Heaven cultivation level now?"

"But in this vast world, not everyone can be truly restricted by a Martial Arts Ban."

"At the very least, for some individuals, one can only strip them of their sword, seal their killing intent, and halt their desire for slaughter... But once these restraints are broken, there will be a backlash."

Silence descended upon the scene once more.

Dao Qiongcang's eyes shifted, unsure of what to decide.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Are you truly not afraid that Gou Wuyue will let him go?"

"Either way, I can't leave here right now." Hua Changdeng lay down on the ground to sleep.

"I can help you."

"How?"

Hua Changdeng scoffed, "Are you going to bring You Tu here? Or perhaps kill him?"

"No."

A mysterious smile appeared on Dao Qiongcang's face. "I can help you shield the heavenly secrets, temporarily unravel this predicament, and then teleport you there. You'll have fifteen minutes of freedom."

"But that would only be fifteen minutes total..."

Hua Changdeng, aware of his own predicament, said, "My mission is no longer to wander aimlessly across the various regions of the continent."

"Mount Guizhe is good. As a natural prison, I can be confined here by that old fellow, You Tu."

"And with Gou Wuyue in the Eastern Region, you don't need to worry needlessly; he knows what's important."

"Moreover..."

He paused, then added, "The power of a Half-Saint involves a great many things. Do you truly believe that if I made a move, Wen Ting would choose to stand by and do nothing?"

Dao Qiongcang was taken aback.

He turned to look towards the distant east, his gaze seemingly piercing through time and space, seeing that East Mountain shrouded in decaying sword intent.

"Indeed..."

He murmured.

At the Sword Burying Tomb, there was still someone who could summon the East Mountain Sword.

Even if there were no major fluctuations in heavenly secrets yet, that fellow was likely just one step away from becoming a Half-Saint.

Perhaps a provocation might even help him advance and step into that realm.

And given Wen Ting's relationship with Ba Zun'an, would he stand by and watch Hua Changdeng harm his old friend again?

"What a pity."

Dao Qiongcang showed a disappointed expression. "No good show to watch."

He turned his head, casting one last glance at Hua Changdeng.

"You truly don't want to go out for a walk?"

"Buzz—"

Before Hua Changdeng could speak, the famous sword Hunt Ghost vibrated with great spiritual energy, seemingly providing an answer.

"Quiet."

Hua Changdeng cast a cold look, and Hunt Ghost immediately returned to stillness.

"I do."

Hua Changdeng emphatically uttered a single word, then hummed, his voice weakening slightly, "But not now."

"Oh."

Dao Qiongcang waved his sleeve, about to retract the light screen and leave.

"Wait."

Hua Changdeng suddenly stopped him.

"What is it?"

Dao Qiongcang looked over, only to see that the person who had been sleeping on the ground had, at some point, widened his eyes and was staring at an inconspicuous figure on the light screen.

"Who is he?" Hua Changdeng asked.

Dao Qiongcang looked closely and only then realized why Hua Changdeng was particularly focused on this young man with a square face and a full beard.

"He has four swords?"

"Who is he?" Hua Changdeng asked again.

"Uh..."

Dao Qiongcang was momentarily at a loss for words. After considering for a moment, he said, "Wen Ming? Xu Xiaoshou? Xiao Shi Tan Ji?"

"I don't know; this person has many names, but..."

"The successor of the Eighth Sword Immortal?" Gou Wuyue, looking at the four swords, paused his speech.

"Xiao Shi Tan Ji... is it?"

Hua Changdeng took a deep look, as if to engrave that figure into his memory, then withdrew his gaze.

Long hair, beard, square face...

Very well.

I, Hua Changdeng, will remember you!

***

Eight Palace Miles.

"Tap-tap-tap!"

The rain here seemed to grow heavier.

This "heaviness" wasn't metaphorical; it was a literal, physical weight.

From the moment the masked man parted the dark clouds to when they gathered again.

All of it happened in less than half an incense stick's time.

And when the rain began to fall again, the raindrops, which should have been cut into powder within Chang Yi's "Light Rhythm" domain, continued to fall, suddenly unafraid of the light.

These raindrops seemed to have lost their surface tension.

Even if they were truly cut by a ray of light during their descent, they would instantly re-coalesce the moment they left the light.

From sky to ground.

The rain's life cycle ended.

Yet upon hitting the ground, each drop heavily smashed out a deep pit.

"Thump-thump-thump..."

The rain intensified inexplicably.

It had transformed into a dull, drum-like sound, and the ground began to become pockmarked.

Each raindrop's impact seemed to echo the heartbeats of dozens of people throughout the dead silent scene.

"Achoo!"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't stop himself from wanting to sneeze. He immediately vanished using his ability to resolve the situation, then adjusted to a comfortable position, hid behind the masked man again, and finally reappeared.

That was close...

In the utterly tense atmosphere, he felt as if he had caught a chill and couldn't even control his urge to sneeze.

Yet such an abrupt sound, which would normally earn him hundreds or thousands of passive points, in this instance...

At this moment, the information bar could only contribute this single message...

"Received attention, passive points, 2."

"Only two people noticed me?"

Xu Xiaoshou secretly felt fortunate; these white-robed, red-robed, and gray-robed figures were truly stunned by that previous sentence.

"My name is Ba Zun'an!"

Even though he had similar suspicions before, upon hearing this sentence with his own ears, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but feel his blood begin to boil.

It was only then that he fully understood why peerless experts like Cen Qiaofu, the Storyteller, and even Elder Sang were willing to follow this man's footsteps.

And only at this moment did he truly comprehend the masked man's words that day by Swan Lake in Tian Sang Spiritual Palace: "Your path has long been walked to ruin."

"Ba Zun'an..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured.

He had never imagined a person's name alone could be so imposing.

He secretly glanced at the others beside him.

He saw that the Storyteller's eyes were full of stars, and even Cen Qiaofu's face was alight with excitement, completely losing his composure.

"You didn't know he was Ba Zun'an?" Xu Xiaoshou whispered via telepathy.

Cen Qiaofu, uncharacteristically, replied instantly.

"We suspected it, but it wasn't confirmed."

He paused, then added, "Confirmed by his own mouth!"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. "So if he says he's Ba Zun'an, you just believe him?"

The stars in the Storyteller's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by sharp daggers, glaring fiercely at Xu Xiaoshou.

A chill ran down Xu Xiaoshou's spine.

"Of course we have to believe it! I believe it too, absolutely and completely!"

The stars reappeared.

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou breathe a sigh of relief.

Damn, is this the deterrent power of a fan?

Truly terrifying!

"Retreat!"

Gou Wuyue, silent for a long time, spoke again.

His first words weren't directed at the so-called "Ba Zun'an," but at his subordinates.

Everyone present, like springs already coiled and ready, instantly darted away, vanishing without a trace.

"Cen Qiaofu."

The masked man also spoke again.

The old woodcutter's unmoving body finally finished its preparations. Without the slightest sound, the small axe in his hand suddenly flew up, utterly unafraid of the light domain with its super-cutting power.

"Boom!"

It expanded in mid-air, unleashing a wave of energy, transforming into a mottled giant axe several feet long.

"Coiling Immortal Axe, Heaven and Earth Revert to Origin!"

The axe slashed down from the sky.

Space and earth showed no movement.

But the "Light Rhythm" domain suddenly transformed into primordial purple energy, absorbed into the body of the Coiling Immortal Axe.

"Shattered?"

Xu Xiaoshou observed this inexplicable situation, not daring to try anything easily.

Chang Yi's domain seemed to have shattered.

Yet, to say the light in heaven and earth had vanished wasn't entirely true; it had merely weakened slightly.

Unable to resist, Xu Xiaoshou twitched a finger, tentatively testing.

However, his moving finger wasn't instantly pulverized into a bloody mist as it had been before, allowing Xu Xiaoshou to let out a small sigh of relief.

"It really shattered."

The domain was truly gone, and Xu Xiaoshou, conversely, felt a sense of regret.

"What a waste! Moving once gave 9999 passive points. I should have moved more just now..."

The feeling of being able to sneeze without using the vanishing art was indeed quite pleasant.

But even though he could move, Xu Xiaoshou dared not make any grand gestures at this moment.

He shifted his position, quietly stepping in front of Cen Qiaofu and the Storyteller, and as he looked at the legendary Ba Zun'an before him, a sense of security grew in his heart.

A triangle has stability.

Now, if anyone wanted to kill him, they would first have to break through these three giants of the Saint Servants.

So this time, he, Xu Xiaoshou, should be able to survive...

No one paid attention to Xu Xiaoshou's minor details; at this moment, he was not the main character present.

Gou Wuyue cleared the white-robed figures, and his gaze returned to the masked man.

"Ba Zun'an?"

He retrieved the famous sword Voice of Nu Lan, sheathing it. Without even raising his eyes, he shook his head and said, "I don't believe you."

The masked man's lips curled. "Is it that you dare not believe, or that you don't want to believe?"

"I don't believe you!"

"You don't believe? Then why did you sheath your famous sword, and why did you clear everyone out?"

"Because..."

Gou Wuyue raised his eyes again, which were filled with fervor. "I want to fight you alone!"

"Heh heh."

"Alone?"

The masked man chuckled aloud. "Are you afraid I'll casually slaughter those people? Don't worry, I don't enjoy killing these days; it's not my cup of tea."

"Moreover..."

The masked man scrutinized Gou Wuyue from head to toe, a hint of mockery appearing in his murky eyes. "You're almost a Half-Saint, yet you still want to bully me, a mere Post-Heaven cultivator?"

"Post-Heaven?"

Gou Wuyue burst into laughter. "Can a Post-Heaven cultivator casually crush a Dao Severing expert? Chang Yi was brought out by me; I know his strength, so..."

He changed his tone. "You... are sealing your sword?!"