The Heavens Hall.

The various sect masters and elders who had been deliberating earlier had all departed, leaving only Hengxu Laoguai standing high above and Xie Buchen, whom he had commanded to remain.

The Star Formation of the Heavens quietly rotated behind him, yet could no longer divine any celestial secrets.

Hengxu Laoguai’s gaze fell upon Xie Buchen below, seeming to look at him yet also seeming to see something else through him.

He remained silent for quite a while.

The entire Heavens Hall was vast, empty, and quiet.

Not until the wind from high above suddenly filled the great hall, producing a wailing sound that concealed several sharp notes, did his gaze flicker slightly.

“Do you know why this journey to the snow region must have you go?”

Xie Buchen was someone who could maintain his composure.

Earlier when Hengxu Laoguai remained silent, he hadn’t disturbed him. Now that he was being asked for his thoughts on the matter, his expression remained largely unchanged as he replied: “Your considerations, Master, are beyond this disciple’s understanding. But I suppose it has some connection to this disciple and is not a bad thing.”

Hengxu Laoguai chuckled once.

He slowly descended the steps, step by step, drawing closer to Xie Buchen before stopping again.

“Your guess is not wrong. However, it’s not merely ‘some connection’—it’s far more than that.”

Xie Buchen raised his eyes, watching Hengxu Laoguai, but didn’t respond.

“You should know that you are the one spoken of by celestial secrets who can resolve Kunwu’s catastrophe.”

“So after Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm, though you nearly fell into complete soul destruction, I used the strange treasure left by Lijun to reconstitute your soul.”

“However, after this ordeal, your cultivation that far exceeded ordinary people was reduced to nothing.”

When he spoke these words, Hengxu Laoguai’s voice was heavy, seeming shrouded in an inescapable gloom.

“With your talent and comprehension, transforming Golden Core to Nascent Soul is but a snap of the fingers.”

“But to advance further and achieve Soul Separation requires passing through the Heart Questioning Dao Tribulation. How many cultivators in the world either dare not attempt breakthrough or perish utterly in the dao tribulation.”

“I fear that if she hasn’t died, you cannot pass this tribulation.”

She hasn’t died, this tribulation cannot be passed.

Finally, some change appeared in Xie Buchen’s refined features. Between his brows and eyes, beyond coldness and indifference, suddenly appeared several traces of inscrutability…

But he still didn’t speak.

How he had entered the dao—he was clear about this, and Hengxu Laoguai was also clear in his heart.

After all, he was Kunwu’s head seat and currently the foremost person in Jiushijiu Zhou’s public view. When exactly Hengxu Laoguai discovered that “Yashan’s Jian Chou” was the wife he had once killed, Jian Chou, was completely unimportant. Perhaps it was the moment Jian Chou set foot in Jiushijiu Zhou, perhaps when her great name spread…

What mattered was what it meant for him that she hadn’t died.

Those who don’t die all become demons.

Heart demons.

Growing and spreading in the depths of his heart, crawling across his heart’s plain, covering every inch of flesh and blood, every fragment of soul…

Her not dying meant his emotions and love ultimately couldn’t be severed, meant he still had this one weakness.

Xie Buchen closed his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, those eyes that had flickered with shifting light and shadow returned to normal.

As if touched by cold mountain rain.

“So Master sends me to the snow region for the Nine Doubts Cauldron?”

Truly brilliant and extraordinary, understanding at the slightest hint.

Even though he had already experienced this when guiding his cultivation before, at this moment Hengxu couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

Too intelligent, even approaching demonic cunning.

“Indeed. Since you can speak those three words ‘Nine Doubts Cauldron,’ you must understand this object.”

“In ancient times, when the eternal long night first dawned and hundred clans rose together, alien beasts and demon gods fought with cultivators while the immortal realm had not yet formed. This cauldron was originally a piece of white jade that emerged from our Jiushijiu Zhou’s snow region, later happened to be seen by the White Crane Great Emperor, the strongest among cultivators at that time, who refined it into a cauldron called ‘Nine Doubts.'”

“Within it contains all things, capable of swallowing heaven and earth’s qi. Even if heavenly punishment descends, it can contain it.”

In ancient times, when group cultivation was brilliant and each achieved their own dao, ultimately gathering the power of ten thousand immortals to carve out a separate realm among the universe’s countless billions of stars. It was called—

Upper Void Immortal Realm!

And the White Crane Great Emperor was the strongest among those ten thousand immortals. In fact, he also ended that entire glorious ancient era.

In other words, the Nine Doubts Cauldron was truly an Immortal Cauldron!

Though Hengxu Laoguai had cultivated for a long time, he had only touched the tail end of ancient times.

He had only some hearsay about that era’s glory.

Only those who became famous at the transition between ancient and modern times, like Bají Daozun and Luye Laozu, truly experienced that era’s magnificent style.

But regarding the Nine Doubts Cauldron, he was very clear: “After the Upper Void Immortal Realm was established, all immortals migrated to the immortal realm, from then hiding their traces from the mortal lower realm. But the Nine Doubts Cauldron was returned to the snow region by the White Crane Great Emperor, becoming one with its mountains, rivers, and snowy plains.”

Xie Buchen’s brows immediately furrowed slightly.

Generally speaking, one could only wield magical artifacts according to one’s cultivation level. Since the Nine Doubts Cauldron was an immortal cauldron, it shouldn’t be usable by cultivators who hadn’t yet achieved dao.

Moreover, Hengxu Laoguai had said this cauldron had become one with the snow region—how could it be obtained?

As if seeing his concerns and questions, Hengxu Laoguai only said: “Yashan has Yashan’s foundations, and Kunwu has Kunwu’s secrets. For the Nine Doubts Cauldron, I have my own method to activate it.”

With a flip of his hand, a rust-covered iron slip appeared between his fingers.

Dense golden marks floated on its surface, like ants that seemed to constantly sway when stared at for long, moving faster and faster, giving one a dizzy sensation.

Hengxu handed it to Xie Buchen: “After you reach the snow region, be careful in all things. Regarding the deaths of our Kunwu elders and disciples, and the snow region’s esoteric sect’s strange movements and conspiracies—investigate if you can, but if the situation is too dire and you cannot investigate, that’s fine too. Most important is still this cauldron. If you obtain this cauldron, the Heart Questioning Dao Tribulation will be nothing to worry about.”

“…This disciple obeys.”

Xie Buchen took the iron slip. When his fingertip touched that rust-covered surface, a line of floating golden text slowly flowed into his mind like a trickling stream.

But its speed wasn’t fast, unlike the jade slips cultivators commonly used for recording, which could instantly transmit all information recorded on them.

It was more like a circular river.

Standing within it, one could only see the flowing text at a time, unable to immediately glimpse the whole picture. One had to stand in the river and wait for this circular stream to complete a full turn before understanding.

Xie Buchen had never encountered such mysteries before, but Hengxu Laoguai was already completely familiar with them.

He showed a slight smile and said: “The sooner you go to the snow region, the better, otherwise changes will certainly arise. If you have no urgent matters, depart within the next day or two.”

“Yes.”

Xie Buchen agreed and bowed to bid farewell to Hengxu Laoguai, leaving the Heavens Hall first.

Only Hengxu Laoguai remained standing on the steps.

Watching Xie Buchen’s figure growing more distant on the Sea of Clouds Plaza outside the hall, the slight smile on his face gradually disappeared.

An expressionless face became unclear and murky in the shadows of the Heavens Hall.

Xie Buchen left Kunwu that evening.

His temperament was cold and aloof. Ever since killing his wife to seek dao and joining Kunwu, he rarely conversed with others and had no intention of getting to know too many people.

Jiushijiu Zhou was different from the mortal isolated island after all.

On the mortal isolated island, water could carry a boat but also overturn it. One person’s strength was ultimately like a grain of millet, easily swallowed by the vast sea.

But in Jiushijiu Zhou, heroes were everywhere and the strong were revered. One person’s strength could whip mountains and chase seas, swallow and exhale sun and moon, achieving true superiority over “ten thousand people.”

Therefore, getting to know too many people wasn’t very useful to him. His schemes and abilities were sufficient to ensure he had people available when needed.

This was enough.

So when he left, he didn’t let anyone know, nor did he need anyone to see him off.

The night was cold with heavy dew.

The waterfall rushing down from the back mountain cliff that his wooden house faced had diminished considerably, and the pool below had become shallow, exposing several black stones at the bottom that had been worn smooth by countless years of erosion.

At this moment, Xie Buchen stood beneath a wall inside the house. In his ears was the faint sound of the waterfall’s descent from outside, while before his eyes was that ordinary sword hanging high on the wall.

Sheathed, it showed no trace of cold light in this desolate night.

The direction and angle it hung were exactly the same as when it had hung in the thatched cottage in Ancient Banyan Village.

The difference was…

After he stepped onto the immortal path, this sword gained a name—he called it Seven Parts Soul.

Previously when he went out, whether for cultivation or traveling, he had never taken it along.

This sword had always hung here.

Even when fellow disciples came, or even elders visited, they would only see it as an unremarkable ordinary sword, thinking it was a memento he kept related to the mortal isolated island.

But actually…

It wasn’t merely that.

During the day, Hengxu Laoguai’s words spoken while standing on the Heavens Hall steps echoed in his ears again…

Nine Doubts Cauldron.

Clearly, no matter how one looked at it, this was something beneficial for him, even though Hengxu didn’t know he actually didn’t need this object. But everything his eyes observed told him this matter wasn’t so simple.

A great sect like Kunwu had extremely widespread influence and complex internal structures.

How could a cultivator like Hengxu Laoguai, who had steadily controlled Kunwu for over six hundred years, be a simple character?

Xie Buchen’s gaze darkened several degrees.

He finally reached out and, for the first time, took down this ordinary sword that had hung on the wall for so long, gently brushing the dust from its sheath.

But he didn’t draw the sword to look at it. His palm flashed with golden light, and the sword disappeared.

If a great cultivator were present, they could easily see that this sword wasn’t stored in his qiankun bag but had gone elsewhere.

Such as Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm.

In the entire room, only a single bean-sized dim yellow flame remained.

The Human Emperor Sword, recently returned to its rightful owner, leaned quietly beside the lamp.

Xie Buchen walked over and gently blew out the lamp. Only in the darkness did he take the Human Emperor Sword and walk calmly out the door, then turned back to close it.

The small copper lock hanging on the door looked somewhat worn.

At that instant, it overlapped with the copper-rusted lock that suddenly surfaced in his memory.

His jade-like slender fingers stiffened momentarily.

Moon-like light fell behind him, obliquely illuminating the copper lock in his palm, so faint reflected light entered his eyes.

But Xie Buchen ultimately let go.

He had never regretted the choices he made in the past.

He hadn’t regretted them then.

He would regret them even less in the future.

He slowly released his grip, letting the lock strike the wooden door with a soft sound, then didn’t look back even once.

Autumn’s cold wind brought withered leaves from the mountains, spreading a layer before the wooden house.

Xie Buchen walked down the steps and gradually disappeared into the deep, dark tree shadows along the small path cut through the back mountain forest.

The snow region’s esoteric sect was at the far east of the Northern Domain.

Originally a place of harsh climate where few people ventured, supposedly only some hermit ascetics would live there.

Therefore, no one would think to build teleportation arrays in such a place.

In the eleven cycles before, shortly after the Yin-Yang Realm war, Buddhism migrated north and split. The snow region was occupied by the esoteric sect among the two sects of Chan and Esoteric, becoming an isolated land cut off from the world.

External teleportation arrays were sufficient for ordinary cultivators to travel throughout Jiushijiu Zhou.

But this did not include the snow region.

For cultivators from other parts of Jiushijiu Zhou, this was still virgin territory.

Currently, no known teleportation arrays led to the snow region.

Even the elders and disciples sent by various sects to secretly gather information in the snow region in recent years had relied on their own power to travel by artifact or aerial flight.

Not to mention that now the snow region’s sky was covered by a strange barrier, making even teleportation arrays likely unusable.

But Xie Buchen didn’t head directly from Kunwu to the snow region either.

He first used teleportation arrays to go from Kunwu to Mingri Xinghai at the eastern edge of the Central Domain, then transferred from Broken Immortal City’s teleportation array to Vast Sea City at Xinghai’s northernmost point.

Only then did he leave the city and head north.

This route choice undoubtedly saved most of the travel time.

After all, Kunwu was in the Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand—going directly to the snow region would be an extremely long journey. Departing from Mingri Xinghai’s northernmost city would make the journey shortest.

Because the vast Mingri Xinghai connected north to the mysterious snow region.

Within half a day, all basin scenery had disappeared.

Before Xie Buchen’s eyes were only increasingly high and treacherous mountain ranges. Occasionally when his spiritual sense swept across, he could detect some spirit monsters and demon beasts living in the vast forests.

Traces of cultivators had almost completely vanished.

Except for one special tea house.

Xie Buchen saw it at noon the next day as he flew through the mountains.

Built on the peak of the highest mountain in that range, covered with simple thatch, several bamboo curtains hanging down, a dark blue banner with the character “Tea” flying high, constantly billowing in the fierce mountain wind.

He couldn’t help but feel moved, retracting his circulating spiritual qi and landing before this peak tea house.

Looking inside, there were actually quite a few people.

All cultivators—he could see old and young among them, dressed in various styles, most likely from Mingri Xinghai. But there were also several conspicuous ones with shaved heads wearing distinctive red monk robes—they were monks.

This place could be said to be at the border between the Central and Northern Domains, with this tea house between Mingri Xinghai and the snow region.

Monks appearing here in such attire couldn’t possibly be from the Chan sect.

People all said Mingri Xinghai gathered all three teachings and nine schools, always chaotic and disorderly.

Since these monks came from the snow region, they must be going to Mingri Xinghai. Looking at the tea guests here with their varying temperaments and diverse appearances, this saying proved true.

“Guest, are you heading to the snow region?”

A young man dressed as a shop assistant inside the tea house, carrying a large teapot, had just refilled tea for a monk inside. Turning to see Xie Buchen, he immediately greeted warmly.

“The situation in the snow region has been unusual these days. You should come in for some tea and think it over.”

This kind of tea house was like border towns in Great Xia, with many different types of people coming and going, so they were often places for message transmission and exchange.

Xie Buchen naturally knew about troubles in the snow region.

But seeing those several esoteric sect monks sitting together in the tea house, he didn’t refuse. After saying “Thank you,” he entered.

At that instant, everyone sitting in the tea house turned to look at him.

But after discovering he only had late Golden Core cultivation, quite a few turned back, obviously not taking him seriously. Some felt his appearance was too good and his bearing extraordinary, so they observed him longer.

Among them, a fat man with a face full of scars and a large gold ring on his ear stared for a particularly long time. Only after Xie Buchen entered the tea house and chose a table near the outside, sitting with his back to them, did he withdraw his gaze.

“Your tea.”

The assistant was quite efficient. Just as he sat down, the man came running over with the teapot, set a rough pottery bowl on the table, and filled it with tea.

The tea house built on the mountain peak was very crude; the tables and stools inside were all old and simple, even shaky; as for this tea bowl…

Xie Buchen casually placed the Human Emperor Sword he held in his right hand on the table.

The tea bowl before him—without touching it, just looking at it in the light, one could see the uneven surface.

As for the tea water inside, the tea was thin and the water murky, without a trace of tea fragrance.

How could this look drinkable?

This thought had just passed through his mind, and before he could decide whether to drink or not, another voice came from outside the tea house.

“Assistant, a bowl of tea!”

It was a woman’s voice—not exactly clear but not hoarse either, yet with a peaceful quality that felt like spring breeze brushing one’s face.

Hearing this voice, everyone in the tea house couldn’t help but look up.

Xie Buchen heard this voice and even his eyelids jumped. A familiar feeling rose from his limbs and bones, from the depths of his soul, making him follow the others in looking up.

A slender, elegant, and upright figure had already stepped into the tea house from outside.

Delicate features were set in her fair face. Though her appearance tended toward gentle and soft, the indifferent frost and snow dotting those bright eyes added several traces of untouchable, cold beauty.

She saw Xie Buchen and seemed surprised, raising an eyebrow, then walked toward him.

“Clack.”

A sound.

That sword with its faint ancient, meditative quality—the Burning Lamp Sword—was placed neither lightly nor heavily beside the cold, imposing Human Emperor Sword.

Jian Chou neatly lifted the hem of her robe, the moon-white fabric flowing in a beautiful arc. As if seeing a dear old friend, she directly sat down to Xie Buchen’s right, her lips curved in a kind and brilliant smile.

“Where in life do we not meet? Fellow Daoist Xie, what fate this is!”