“How many more days will she need to comprehend?”

Standing on the bank of the Lan River, Hong Die’s red dress swayed constantly in the wind blowing from the river, but her eyes held a hint of amusement, as if she was quite moved by the sight.

Qu Zhengfeng stood beside her, also gazing distantly at the figure that had been standing for three days in the Drinking Snow Pavilion in the middle of the river.

This was already the morning of the fourth day.

“Opportunities for sudden enlightenment are not easily obtained. Sometimes they last but a moment, passing in an instant; sometimes they span hundreds or thousands of years, never emerging even unto death. You ask me, but I don’t know either.”

His one sword demonstration and few words had merely been intended to help Jian Chou “establish her heart.”

But who could have imagined her comprehension would be so high?

Opportunities for “sudden enlightenment” were often what cultivators sought but could not obtain. Some people could gain from one enlightenment what would take others three to five years, or even three to fifty years of cultivation.

And now, Jian Chou had been enlightened for three days. Her gains should be considerable.

“When I first saw her talent, I thought it ordinary. But later I learned that her heart was the key to such rapid progress in her cultivation. Do you think…”

Hong Die spoke slowly, preparing to ask Qu Zhengfeng for his thoughts.

But just then, the figure that had stood motionless for so long in the stone pavilion in the middle of the river actually moved!

Hong Die was immediately stunned, then her face showed delight as she smiled, “It seems she has already comprehended.”

Indeed, she had already comprehended.

The countless blade lights and sword shadows in her mind finally slowly dispersed. Jian Chou opened her eyes to see the Lan River flowing endlessly before her, never ceasing.

In the thin morning mist, mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers drifting from somewhere unknown, there was an elegant quality that refreshed the heart and mind.

She felt countless warm currents like hot springs gathering within her limbs and bones, flowing from the meridians that shouldn’t exist in her toward the ancestral aperture at her brow.

That was actually extremely pure spiritual power!

At the same time, deep in her spiritual platform, the soul power that had been hidden for so long surged forth!

An impulse that was completely uncontrollable!

A magnificent intention that arose naturally from the bottom of her heart!

As if even if mountains collapsed and seas dried up before her eyes, nothing could hinder her will in the slightest!

Without the heart to kill, do not draw the sword!

Without the heart to die, do not draw the sword!

Without the heart of absolute self, do not draw the sword!

What is called sword-drawing—the “intent” of sword-drawing is more important than the act of drawing itself.

Once one comprehends the true meaning of these two words “sword-drawing,” among the myriad weapons under heaven, which one is not sword-drawing?!

At this moment, the spiritual power and soul power in her body had quietly merged, gradually generating a chaotic qi. Behold, under this vast sky, within the Drinking Snow Pavilion, a brilliant blade light capable of shocking the world rose steeply!

“Rumble!”

A thunderous roar that shook heaven and earth!

The broad river surface before her, struck by this single blade, raised waves ten thousand zhang high. Where the blade qi pointed, all waters retreated!

The river water on both sides rolled back to either side, actually carving out a broad heavenly path over fifty zhang wide in the riverbed!

True “drawing the blade to cut water”!

A Drinking Snow Pavilion, compared to the broad river surface, was nothing worth mentioning; Jian Chou standing in the pavilion, compared to these myriad waves, was even smaller than a grain of millet, and throwing her into the river might not even create a few ripples.

Yet such a tiny existence, with one blade stroke, caused the Lan River to cease flowing!

Hong Die, seeing this magnificently heroic scene from afar, couldn’t help but gasp, her eyes bursting with infinite brilliant light.

After a full quarter hour, the river that had been split by Jian Chou’s blade slowly returned to normal.

Only then did Hong Die take a step, rising gracefully from the riverbank and quickly landing in the pavilion.

At this moment the wind over the river was strong, lifting Jian Chou’s robes with a hunting elegance.

Despite standing here without sleep or rest for three days, she looked spirited and energetic, with no trace of fatigue visible in her brows and eyes.

When Hong Die arrived, she saw Jian Chou looking down thoughtfully at the Deer-Cutting Blade in her hand.

“Three days of sudden enlightenment—it seems your gains should be considerable.”

She walked to Jian Chou’s side and laughed, seeming to be in good spirits as well.

Only then did Jian Chou return from her contemplation. Looking up to see it was Hong Die, she was momentarily surprised, then smiled and said, “Previously I was confined by my mental state, always unable to comprehend one technique thoroughly. Now I can finally see clearly. The gains are… considerable, I suppose.”

The technique Jian Chou had comprehended in the dungeon of the night sailing ship before, she called “Drawing the Blade.”

Now, thanks to Qu Zhengfeng’s sword-drawing “instruction,” not only had her “Drawing the Blade” finally been completed, but her cultivation had also made solid progress in these three days, barely entering the category of late Nascent Soul stage.

Hong Die could naturally see such changes.

She said, “Your junior brother Bai Yin was originally prepared to leave three days ago, but because you were in enlightenment and he was worried, he watched here for two more days. It wasn’t until some news came from your sect that seemed urgent that he left with Zuoliu and that boy carrying the watermelon. Now, what are your plans?”

“Me?”

Jian Chou couldn’t help but turn around to look toward Jiexing Mountain Manor on the shore. Her gaze paused as she spotted a tall figure on the riverbank.

Qu Zhengfeng stood by the river with his hands clasped behind his back.

When Jian Chou turned her head, he naturally saw her too, but showed no intention of coming over. He merely looked indifferently for a moment, said not a word, then turned directly and walked toward Jiexing Mountain Manor built on the mountain.

Step by step, before long, his figure gradually grew distant.

Jian Chou was silent for a moment, then after a long while replied to Hong Die, “I too must return to Yashan, but before that, I want to find a fellow Daoist from Kunwu to spar with. After returning to Yashan, I should also make a trip to the Hidden Realm to fulfill my agreement with a senior.”

“…The Hidden Realm?”

Hong Die had also seen Qu Zhengfeng’s departure and sighed inwardly, but showed nothing on her face. However, hearing the latter part of Jian Chou’s words, she suddenly raised her eyes to look at her.

Hong Die was a demon.

Her eyes naturally carried that innate bewitching quality, as if wrapped in wisps of smoke and clouds, making them impossible to see through or penetrate.

At this moment, Jian Chou felt there was a strange emotion in her eyes: “Is there something wrong?”

“No.” Hong Die shook her head, then lowered it with a sigh, “The Hidden Realm—you actually don’t need to go there anymore.”

“Don’t need to go?”

Jian Chou was somewhat surprised, almost immediately thinking that after spending sixty years in the crevice, it was probably already too late.

But Hong Die still shook her head, as if seeing what she was thinking: “It’s not too late, but rather…”

But rather what?

Stopping halfway through her words was really not like the style of an old demon like Hong Die who had cultivated for over a thousand years.

Jian Chou became suspicious.

But Hong Die waved her hand and looked into the distance: “Why you don’t need to go, you’ll know when you go.”

Go and you’ll know why you don’t need to go.

This sentence was quite interesting. And Hong Die’s hesitant, unclear words really created heavy doubts in Jian Chou’s heart. But since she wouldn’t speak plainly, Jian Chou wouldn’t ask more questions.

In any case, the Hidden Realm was a place she absolutely had to visit.

Thinking this, Jian Chou didn’t ponder much deeper, only raised her hand and bowed to Hong Die, saying, “This enlightenment has delayed me long. Jian Chou will now depart and bid farewell to Fairy Hong Die.”

“I hope there will be opportunity to meet again in the future.”

Hong Die also nodded, then stood in this Drinking Snow Pavilion watching Jian Chou transform directly into a ethereal shadow, heading straight west.

Soon, that figure became a blurred shadow.

In a trance, showing no trace of attachment, nor myriad entanglements.

Just floating and swaying, carefree and unrestrained.

On the mountain path not far from Jiexing Mountain Manor, Qu Zhengfeng’s footsteps had already stopped. He turned sideways to watch that gradually departing figure, silent and wordless.

“Letting her go, I’m afraid you won’t have such a good opportunity again in this lifetime.”

A voice tinged with slight coldness suddenly sounded beside him. Qu Zhengfeng didn’t need to turn around to know it was Hong Die who had come up.

Her words weren’t very clear, but he understood her meaning.

However…

“I am unwilling.”

Unwilling.

These two simple words clearly carried a strange willfulness and wantonness. Hong Die thought that these two words coming from anyone’s mouth wouldn’t be surprising, but at this moment, it was precisely Qu Zhengfeng!

“You’re mad! Besides her, where else in these Nineteen Continents could you find a second person who could truly make you ‘enter the world’?!”

“Who told you I haven’t entered the world?”

Qu Zhengfeng’s voice was very light, as if blown by the wind it would scatter into this dense and lush mountain forest, disappearing in an instant.

He took one last look at the western direction where Jian Chou had disappeared, then lifted his foot and continued toward the mountain top.

Hong Die stood in place, watching his retreating figure, her ears echoing with his seemingly ambiguous words from just now, suddenly feeling endless horror in her heart!

“You—”

“Buzz…”

Before she could finish speaking, between the mountains and waters, a mysterious and unfathomable aura descended from the nine heavens above, enveloping a radius of a hundred li!

On the eastern horizon, the red sun was just bursting forth, barely illuminating half the sky, but not bright enough, so between heaven and earth, it was still the dim remnants of dawn.

But at this moment, ten thousand zhang of flowing light like the Milky Way from nine heavens poured down!

With a “rumble,” thunder shook the four directions!

Thus the ten thousand zhang of flowing light scattered in all directions, instantly refracting into vague seven-colored phantom light, shining on the previously dark and gloomy clouds in the sky, transforming them in the blink of an eye into endless auspicious clouds…

What kind of tremendous power was this?

Sensing heaven and earth, making all things bow in submission!

How many years ago, Hong Die had also seen such a scene.

She just hadn’t expected to see it again at this time, this place, under these circumstances!

But Qu Zhengfeng clearly…

Incomprehensible.

Utterly incomprehensible.

From Entering the World to Void Refining meant thoroughly understanding the seven emotions and six desires, transforming them into that one word “void,” no longer allowing these things to affect the cultivator, thus becoming closer to the Heavenly Dao, in harmony with nature.

Qu Zhengfeng had indeed reached the peak of Entering the World, just half a step away from breakthrough.

But this final bit was also the most difficult bit!

Clearly in yesterday’s conversation, he was still trapped and unable to emerge, hesitant and undecided.

Now, how had he suddenly broken through?

Looking at Qu Zhengfeng ahead, enveloped in flowing light and having stopped in his tracks, Hong Die felt as if something was stuck in her throat, her voice carrying barely detectable dryness and trembling.

“What did you comprehend?”

What did he comprehend?

Qu Zhengfeng raised his head to look at the vault of heaven covered by myriad auspicious clouds, but in his mind floated the image of those eyes when he drew his sword for Jian Chou three days ago…

With one hand behind his back, his figure remained upright.

But at this moment, he slowly closed his eyes, as if wanting to completely bury certain thoughts in his heart, only replying to Hong Die: “Letting go.”

—Letting go.

Hong Die stood in place, unable to see Qu Zhengfeng’s expression, only able to see him lift his foot again and ascend step by step. The mountain wind lifted his robes, and the light pouring down from the sky illuminated the golden cloud and thunder patterns embroidered on them, sparkling brilliantly…

At this moment, Jiexing Mountain Manor had become the focus of the entire Nineteen Continents.

Northern Region’s Chan Sect, atop the hundred-zhang tall pagoda.

A monk holding a chan staff and one hundred and eight prayer beads gazed distantly toward the southeast. The wind was fierce at this height, blowing his extremely distinctive snow-white kasaya, yet not moving his figure even half an inch.

At this time, he only chanted a Buddhist name: “Amitabha…”

Snow Region’s Esoteric Sect, on the ten-thousand-li ice-sealed snowfield.

A huge deep blue lake, like a crystal-clear piece of glazed glass, or like a brilliant gemstone embedded in the ice and snow-covered plateau.

A pair of eyes the same color as the lake water slowly opened at the bottom of the lake, the flowing lake water condensing into her vaguely graceful form.

“What is love in this mortal world…”

Yashan’s Embracing Moon Hall underground, upon the altar’s high platform.

That huge Heaven-Encompassing Mirror seemed to sense the changes between heaven and earth and suddenly brightened. Thus, the dusty skeleton sitting cross-legged upon it slowly came to life.

Rich flesh and blood reappeared on his body.

A pair of aged eyes looked toward somewhere in the void, then came a long sigh.

…

Just like when the night sailing ship had its incident, at this moment, all the great cultivators capable of sensing this heavenly and earthly anomaly had learned of Qu Zhengfeng’s breakthrough.

In cultivator cultivation, Entering the World was the sixth level, while Void Refining was the seventh level.

The former could be called “Old Monster,” but the latter, whoever saw them, had to address them as “Great Master.” It could be said that in the entire Nineteen Continents, cultivators who could be called Great Masters were very few!

Less than sixty years, jumping three realms in succession!

From Nascent Soul to Soul Separation, from Soul Separation to Entering the World, then from Entering the World to Void Refining…

Qu Zhengfeng’s speed was fast enough to make everyone’s hearts race with fear!

Even Hengxu, who was now a giant of one region, couldn’t help but fall silent.

Kunwu’s various peaks, located in the Left Three Thousand, at this time the morning sun had not yet risen, still in the time when remnant night was about to end but had not yet ended. In the One Crane Hall, the candle flames held by the bronze immortal crane lamps were about to burn out, making the light and shadows even dimmer.

True Master Hengxu stood at the entrance of this great hall, gazing toward Mingri Xinghai.

That patch of seven-colored rosy clouds in the true east broke through the darkness before dawn, illuminating all directions, yet cast even deeper shadows in his heart.

He stood for a long time, until those rosy clouds disappeared, never moving a step.

From the rear hall came very light footsteps.

Each step seemed to conform to some rhythm, falling on one’s ears with a very comfortable feeling. But in that clear voice was hidden a barely detectable coldness: “Master.”

Hengxu did not turn around.

He only slowly closed his eyes, his voice extremely calm: “This child has long harbored evil intentions. Today taking one step to Void Refining, he will surely become a great calamity in the future.”

The person standing behind him had his shadow cast by the swaying candlelight onto the pitch-black cold ground, appearing extraordinarily tall and extraordinarily indifferent.

Hearing Hengxu’s words, he didn’t respond, only slowly moved his hands behind his back.

Thus, the shadow of the foot-long rectangular object in his hand on the ground also moved, hiding within the shadow cast by his figure.

…

At this time, Jian Chou had just entered Broken Immortal City, standing outside the Tiandi Retrograde Inn.

A figure in a gray-blue long robe stood quietly under the old willow tree in front of the shop. Gone were the lotus leaves and lotus pods he had held when boating on the lake before, replaced by a long sword with a gray-green scabbard.

It was none other than the person Jian Chou had come to find on this trip—the Hermit Sword, Wang Que, currently first of the Fourth Heavenly Tablet.

“Fellow Daoist Jian Chou, we meet again.”

It was Wang Que who greeted first, still carrying his air of detachment.

Jian Chou smiled and walked forward: “When we met by chance on the lake that day, I thought of competing with Fellow Daoist Wang Que. Coming here now, fortunately you’re still here. I wonder, would you be willing to test our skills?”

“Testing our skills is fine, but—why should I agree?”

Wang Que also smiled, but posed what seemed like a thorny question.

Jian Chou immediately raised an eyebrow.

She had been delayed three days due to her enlightenment and hadn’t come to find Wang Que in time, but today when she came, Wang Que was standing precisely under this old willow tree. No matter how one looked at it, it didn’t seem like he just happened to be here.

Fighting was fighting—what reason was needed?

But since Wang Que wanted a reason, then giving him one, what harm was there?

The smile in her eyes deepened somewhat, taking on more dark and unclear meaning.

Jian Chou reached out into the void and grasped, and the Human Emperor Sword that had fallen into her hands after the Hidden Realm of Qingfeng Nunnery appeared before Wang Que, instantly making his pupils contract with an unprecedented sense of danger!

The Human Emperor Sword!

Wasn’t this his junior brother Xie’s sword?

How had it fallen into Jian Chou’s hands!

In his mind, countless rumors he had heard in the past and various inside information obtained when contacting Kunwu recently all flashed by rapidly.

Wang Que gripped the Hermit Sword in his hand tightly but said nothing, only looking at Jian Chou.

Jian Chou didn’t keep him in suspense either, only spoke cheerfully: “If you can win, this Human Emperor Sword will be taken back to Kunwu by you, returning to its rightful owner; if I win, you must tell me truthfully about Xie Buchen’s current situation—Fellow Daoist Wang Que, do you dare make this wager?”