Qu Zhengfeng still remembered vividly that not long after returning from the Western Sea, he had heard that the lofty Hengxu True Person of Kunwu had ordered a search of the Western Sea, claiming “a supreme demon of utmost evil is about to emerge in the world.”

However, later on, there were no further traces of this demon.

So this matter was shelved. After he betrayed Yashan and came to Mingri Xinghai, he never heard any related news again.

But he never would have expected…

On this day, on that mysterious night sailing ship, he would encounter this person again – this great demon!

“Cough cough…”

With blood qi surging chaotically throughout his body, Qu Zhengfeng couldn’t help but cough, his steps becoming somewhat unsteady. He supported himself against the nearby door frame before walking forward.

Hong Die hesitated for a moment, ultimately not extending her hand to help him.

An existence like Qu Zhengfeng, given enough time, would certainly match the former Buyu Shangren, and might even surpass him. How could he need anyone’s help?

However…

“You just said, great demon?”

Back then, Hengxu True Person had already made his judgment, claiming this supremely evil great demon was originally a mayfly that gained heaven and earth’s fortune, thus transforming into a demon with the power to destroy heaven and earth.

Calling it a “great demon” was absolutely appropriate.

Facing Hong Die’s confusion, Qu Zhengfeng suddenly felt puzzled: “Indeed a great demon.”

“…”

Hong Die fell silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Qu Zhengfeng as she watched him endure his pain and sit cross-legged beside the table. Her lightly arched eyebrows gradually furrowed.

“But I, whether yesterday or today, have not sensed even the slightest demonic power.”

A pill was swallowed, and its medicinal power immediately dissolved like a clear spring.

The injuries in Qu Zhengfeng’s body were rapidly healing at a speed like melting ice and snow. But Hong Die’s sudden statement made him pause abruptly.

“No demonic power whatsoever?”

“You know, I am an ancient old demon…”

Hong Die’s cultivation time far exceeded most of the old monsters and great powers in the current Nineteen Continents. She was only limited first by her demon body, then by the hidden realm of Qingfeng Nunnery, so her strength could barely match a Void Refining stage cultivator.

But even so, such strength was among the very few in the entire Star Sea.

Not to mention, as a demon cultivator, she had a unique advantage in sensing her own kind.

“Having reached my realm, I can detect any demon cultivator in the vicinity. Unless their cultivation has reached the transformation realm, having shed all their demonic qi and being just one step away from ascending to immortality.”

Hong Die glanced at a piece of wood carving on the window lattice that she had broken off, her voice carrying some gravity.

“But yesterday’s scene, I also witnessed from afar. At the time, I only thought some old devil from the southeastern wilderness had come here and was fighting violently…”

The current mainstream of the Nineteen Continents was entirely cultivators.

Whether it was the Left Three Thousand of the central domain, or the southwestern aristocratic families; whether it was Mingri Xinghai, or the southeastern wilderness; whether it was the northern Buddhist sects, or the Yin-Yang Twin Sects…

All of them were cultivators.

As for demon cultivators?

They had already vanished in one battle after another and in successive purges when ancient cultivator forces rose to power.

So in the current Nineteen Continents, decent demon cultivators were extremely rare, and they often hid in desolate mountains and wild lands, or lived in the vast Western Sea, rarely coming out to walk among others.

To say there was some “celestial demon” hidden here whose cultivation had reached the transformation realm and was about to ascend, Hong Die simply didn’t believe it.

Qu Zhengfeng was also aware of these circumstances. However, he had never thought that Hong Die would not sense even the slightest demonic power!

Yet that young man was clearly…

Great sound has no voice, great form has no shape.

Compared to the ferocious and terrifying “centipede” shape in the great hall, he actually gave people a very comfortable feeling. Even every attack he made carried a sense of returning to simplicity, perfectly natural!

As if he was nature itself, the primordial universe itself.

The patterns crawling over his pale green robe naturally exuded a sense of decay and antiquity, yet at that moment, those eyes held a vitality like new life.

Whether ancient or youthful, it was impossible to distinguish.

Contradictory, yet natural.

In all his cultivation, Qu Zhengfeng had never encountered such a formidable enemy. He even had a strange premonition deep down – even the renowned Hengxu True Person, called the foremost of the central domain’s Left Three Thousand, would probably be slightly inferior when facing this person.

Anyone who saw him would think he was a demon, yet Hong Die said he wasn’t.

Not a demon?

Then what kind of existence could he be?

The shadow of that hideous, eyeless centipede in the great hall flashed through Qu Zhengfeng’s mind, leaving a few faint traces. But when he tried to think more carefully, he found no trace to follow.

He slowly closed his eyes, only saying: “Regardless of who he is, that he knows Jian Chou is certainly true.”

“Knows Jian Chou?”

This greatly surprised Hong Die, and she looked astonished.

But Qu Zhengfeng said nothing more on this matter.

His face was full of solemnity and coldness. He sat cross-legged, gently placed both hands on his knees, then suddenly formed hand seals!

In this instant, an extremely fierce power shot out from his brow’s ancestral aperture. A deep blue ripple starting from his head pressed toward both arms.

“Puff!”

When the deep blue ripple pressed down, a mass of viscous black qi like thick ink seeped out from his seal-forming fingertips!

Hong Die immediately gasped.

This black qi forced out by Qu Zhengfeng was completely unlike ordinary demonic evil qi. It seemed to have life, constantly writhing, trying to burrow back into his body!

Seeing this, Qu Zhengfeng’s eyes turned cold.

With a raised hand, he grasped this mass of black qi in his palm and squeezed hard!

At this moment, Hong Die clearly saw a profound and complex golden talisman flash in his eyes, deep and cold as a winter pond.

Thus, with a “puff” sound, the mass immediately deflated like a punctured bag, rapidly shrinking before turning into a wisp of blue smoke that dissipated.

“This power…”

Hong Die was somewhat alarmed, feeling several degrees colder.

But Qu Zhengfeng knew this power was merely the tip of the iceberg of what he had encountered yesterday. The vast Nineteen Continents – who knew how many unknown powerhouses were still hidden?

“If I break through to Void Refining, I might barely have the strength to fight.”

Void Refining…

Hearing this, Hong Die’s gaze toward him became more complex as she said: “Nascent Soul is already a huge watershed. Advancing to Soul Separation requires facing the ‘Heart-Questioning Dao Tribulation.’ You were trapped at the ‘heart-questioning’ stage for nearly four hundred years. After crossing this barrier, your cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. In just sixty years, you’ve reached the ‘Worldly Engagement’ peak, just half a step away from perfection and advancing to ‘Void Refining.'”

Half a step.

Half-step Void Refining.

In the entire Mingri Xinghai, perhaps some had already guessed that his realm had reached Worldly Engagement.

But there should be no one who could perceive that he was already at the Worldly Engagement peak, just one crucial step away from entering the next realm and joining the ranks of the Nineteen Continents’ true “great powers”!

Unfortunately…

Qu Zhengfeng lowered his eyes to look at his pale palm after forcing out that mass of black qi: “Unfortunately, sometimes half a step is like a chasm.”

The so-called “Worldly Engagement” engages with the “mortal world,” the “secular world,” the “human world.”

The key to this realm was actually very much like the “red dust tribulation” often mentioned in Buddhism – cultivators must truly experience all aspects of the mortal world and gain their own unique enlightenment before they can cultivate to perfection.

Hong Die herself followed the demon path, her cultivation technique naturally differing from cultivators. Combined with her sufficient spiritual nature, she encountered no obstacles at the so-called “Worldly Engagement” barrier.

But for Qu Zhengfeng…

He had once been Yashan’s eldest senior brother, had climbed to the summit of Yiren Platform in his early years, and his cultivation talent was absolutely extraordinary. Yet one “heart-questioning” tribulation had trapped him for four hundred years, and now there was another mental barrier at “Worldly Engagement.”

“The ‘Heart-Questioning’ dao tribulation kept you wandering in suffering for four hundred years, which still had reason and was understandable. But now at this ‘Worldly Engagement’ realm, you still have hesitation in your heart…”

Hong Die had come to Qu Zhengfeng’s side for Buyu Shangren’s great revenge.

She did not wish for him to stop here.

“The seven emotions and six desires need not be extinguished, but must be seen through. Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, love, hate, and separation – you have already understood most of them. Only that last tiny bit remains.”

Where exactly that final bottleneck lay, Qu Zhengfeng himself knew. But hearing Hong Die’s words, he suddenly didn’t want to respond.

“My cultivation, I have my own plans.”

“But Sword Emperor Your Majesty, this matter cannot be left up to you—”

Hong Die actually interrupted him directly. In this instant, the gaze she fixed on him suddenly carried an unprecedented sharpness, as if she had seen through Qu Zhengfeng completely, while also hiding an indescribable sigh.

“You must know, emotions are beyond one’s control.”

“…”

His spread fingers slowly closed, clenching tightly together.

The expression on Qu Zhengfeng’s face at this moment was inscrutable to the extreme, as if thousands upon thousands of emotions swept through, but as he seemingly casually lowered his eyes, all were hidden beneath the heavy shadow under his eyelids.

At this time, Hong Die could only see his motionless profile, like a towering mountain, with a profound sense of power and weight.

Somehow, she no longer wanted to look.

She turned and pushed open the door, finally walking straight out.

In the hall, only Qu Zhengfeng remained, sitting cross-legged with his back to the door, still unmoving as a mountain.

“Elder Sister Jian Chou!”

Just as she stepped into the courtyard where Zuoliu was recovering, a delighted shout rang out directly, reaching Jian Chou’s ears. She turned her head and immediately saw Xiao Jin sitting under the eaves, holding a large watermelon in his arms.

Although over sixty years had passed, Xiao Jin didn’t seem to have grown much taller.

Even his appearance, his seemingly mismatched clothing, and that small braid behind his head hadn’t changed much.

Upon seeing Jian Chou, he almost threw away the watermelon in his arms, bounding over to her like a monkey in just a few steps, his large eyes sparkling brightly.

“Elder Sister, you’ve finally come. Senior Brother Bai Yin went out early to gather information, and Zuoliu is inside recovering. I don’t have even half a person to talk to and relieve my boredom – I’m nearly bored to death!”

“…”

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched involuntarily as yesterday’s scene of Xiao Jin’s incessant chatter defending himself suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Something about getting lost not being his fault, blaming Mingri Xinghai’s terrain for being too complex and the streets too bustling…

Heaven knows even the graceful Bai Yin was so exasperated he kept rolling his eyes!

But on the matter of getting lost, Xiao Jin was truly too eloquent. Bai Yin, unable to withstand his verbal assault, ultimately had to surrender to his linguistic tyranny and reluctantly admit that Xiao Jin’s getting lost was unrelated to Xiao Jin himself.

At that time, Jian Chou was nearby and witnessed the entire process.

Simply… breathtaking.

Now hearing Xiao Jin mention “talking to relieve boredom,” she felt her head growing a size larger, suddenly having the thought “anyway Zuoliu is recovering now and doesn’t really need a visit so might as well just leave”…

Ahem.

This was certainly wrong.

Jian Chou coughed once, gathering back all her scattered thoughts, walking inside while smiling: “I just had something to do, went to find Fairy Hong Die, and only now returned. But you, I just learned that you’re actually the young master of the Jin family among the southwestern aristocratic families. Now that the Silver Tower matter is resolved, aren’t you going back?”

“Having finally come out once, I’m not going back!”

With a “crunch,” Xiao Jin took a bite of the watermelon, juice splashing onto his hide vest without caring in the least, humming as he continued: “In just a few days, it’ll be the Left Three Thousand Minor Assembly again. I still want to see the excitement.”

The Left Three Thousand Minor Assembly…

Jian Chou was stunned for a moment, then hazily remembered: Yes, sixty years had passed in a blink. The minor assembly was held every thirty years – this year was exactly right, wasn’t it?

If she calculated correctly, this year it would be held at Kunwu.

She wondered what Kunwu looked like now after sixty years of separation, and what had become of Yashan?

Jian Chou’s thoughts suddenly drifted far away.

Until she heard a light “creak” in front of her, she came back to herself. It was Xiao Jin directly helping her push open the door ahead, shouting without any reserve: “Zuoliu, Zuoliu, Senior Sister Jian Chou is here!”

Inside the room were tables, chairs, and a bed, but Zuoliu was currently sitting cross-legged on a cushion in front of a table.

A spirit-gathering and heart-clearing array was arranged around him, gathering the surrounding spiritual energy. One could see red lotus phantoms wreathed in karmic fire rising from beneath him, quickly disappearing, then repeating this cycle.

Originally, he was very focused. But cultivation was something that most taboo outside interference.

Almost the moment he heard Xiao Jin’s shout, Zuoliu immediately stopped his cultivation, letting out a pained wail: “What a sin!”

Without thinking, Jian Chou knew this “what a sin” certainly wasn’t referring to herself.

Having been trapped in the Extreme Domain for so long, she hadn’t seen these old acquaintances for ages, nor had she witnessed their back-and-forth banter and comic relief in so long.

Seeing it suddenly, she felt somewhat touched.

Pretending not to see Xiao Jin’s deliberate eye-rolling meant to annoy Zuoliu, Jian Chou approached and asked with a smile: “How is your injury recovery?”

“No, no major problem.”

In front of Jian Chou, Zuoliu somehow became somewhat reserved.

Now he had washed away all the grime and changed into clean dao robes. Yesterday’s bedraggled appearance had vanished, and he now looked quite spirited.

“After taking the pills Senior Brother Bai gave me and meditating all night, I’ve already recovered more than half.”

Yashan’s foundation was profound – calling it truly wealthy was no exaggeration.

Jian Chou had already asked privately yesterday. Bai Yin had indeed brought a million spirit stones, but like her, he never intended to actually pay them. He brought them only as a precaution.

Yashan’s pills were always refined by the Pills Hall, supplied almost exclusively to sect disciples, so their reputation wasn’t widespread.

But if one truly considered their efficacy, they were no less effective than those of Baiyue Valley.

Hearing Zuoliu speak this way, and observing the circulation of spiritual energy around his body, Jian Chou knew there was indeed no major problem, and her heart relaxed considerably.

So she sat down and chatted with Xiao Jin and Zuoliu for a while.

Having not seen each other for so long, they each had their own experiences. Zuoliu’s sounded rather miserable, while Xiao Jin’s… in a certain sense, could also be called “miserable.”

After all, for a youth who yearned for freedom, the aristocratic family’s constraints were simply too binding.

As for Jian Chou herself, she had nothing to share.

Her experiences were completely different from Zuoliu’s and Xiao Jin’s. She had neither intention to boast nor desire to complain, so she only made casual conversation, earning great dissatisfaction from the other two.

But Jian Chou didn’t care about that. Seeing the sky growing dark, she proactively ended the conversation and bid farewell to the two.

Bai Yin had been gone for nearly half a day and still hadn’t returned. He must have discovered some substantial information and couldn’t get away for the moment.

Thinking this, Jian Chou walked leisurely outside while forming a wind message to ask about progress.

But after walking just a short distance, a mirror-like lake ahead suddenly entered her view.

Jiexing Mountain Manor was built on a small mountain beside a tributary of the Lan River. The appearance of this lake was quite unexpected.

She remembered not noticing this lake yesterday.

Perhaps when she arrived yesterday, it was too late and she was preoccupied, so she hadn’t noticed?

At this moment, the sun was setting in the west, and the remaining beautiful light spread across the lake surface like smooth silk.

The lake was several dozen zhang wide – not very large – surrounded by weeping willows on all sides, with scattered lake stones arranged along the shore. The lake water was very clear, allowing one to see the bottom at a glance, obviously not very deep.

However…

Even from a distance, Jian Chou discovered there seemed to be many things in this lake.

The setting sun’s afterglow shone down through the lake surface, but there were some faint glimmers at the lake bottom that reflected upward, passing through the water surface to reach her eyes.

Jian Chou became quite curious and changed direction to walk toward this lake.

When she reached the shore, she was surprised to discover—

This was actually a “Sword Lake”!

Beneath the lake surface several dozen zhang wide, those faintly glowing objects were neither gems nor pearls, but sword after sword, bright as autumn water!

Looking at them, they appeared completely identical, with no discernible differences.

Each sword was properly inserted into the lake bottom, letting the flowing water erode its edge, letting dust and sediment bury its cold light!

Looking across the scene, beneath this modest “Sword Lake” were tens of thousands of long swords!

Jian Chou’s spirit trembled for a moment.

Somehow, she immediately thought of Yashan’s armory she had once visited, those divine weapons and sharp blades buried in millennia of ice and snow…

“Clang…”

A light sound suddenly came from beneath her feet.

Only then did Jian Chou realize she had unknowingly reached the lakeside. In her forward movement, she had carelessly bumped into something with her foot.

Looking down, she saw a small, deep black sword-grinding platform with an ordinary iron sword casually placed on it.

What she had bumped into was this sword.

But this could hardly be called a real sword – at most it was a “sword blank.” The edges on both sides were only half-ground, with the other half rough and dull, clearly not yet sharpened.

Utterly ordinary – something that could be found in any blacksmith shop.

How could such a sword appear in Jiexing Mountain Manor?

Jian Chou gazed down for a long while, pondering for a moment, but couldn’t understand. So she moved and bent down, reaching out to pick up this sword to examine it closely.

But unexpectedly—

The moment her outstretched hand touched the sword body, a dark blue sword light shot out from within the blade!

Jian Chou had no time to react before feeling her fingertip turn cold, then painful.

“Drip.”

Blood immediately fell from her slightly curved ring finger, landing on the deep black sword-grinding platform below!

Her body had been tempered through multiple layers of the “Human Weapon” body refinement technique, yet she was wounded by a sword light from this iron sword – a completely unremarkable one at that?

Her eyebrows, like distant mountains, furrowed tightly.

Jian Chou stared fixedly at this unfinished sword on the grinding platform, momentarily falling into a daze.

When Qu Zhengfeng arrived, he happened to witness this scene.

This female cultivator who had been somewhat bewildered when Master first brought her to Yashan now completely possessed the talent and strength to stand on her own.

Calculating carefully, it had only been about sixty years.

At this moment, the way she gazed at this mundane sword suddenly reminded him of how she had looked at another sword that day when selecting a magic weapon in Yashan’s armory.

That sword, sealed in the glacier, three chi of azure edge, a thread of immortal opportunity—

Yashan’s first sword, Yixiantian.

Qu Zhengfeng slowly walked over: “I thought that after obtaining Ghost Axe, you wouldn’t look at swords anymore.”