From the “Junior Brother Qu” that was about to slip out, to the completely normal-sounding “Sword Emperor Qu Zhengfeng” that sounded like any stranger from the Nineteen Regions, his tone seemed without any abnormality, easily overlooked.

But in fact, whether Jian Chou or Fudao Shanren, both had noticed.

It’s just that no one said anything more about it.

Fudao Shanren directly took the thunder message, crushing it between his fingers. With a touch of his mind, the content of this thunder message was already clear to him.

Thus, his brow actually furrowed slightly.

Jian Chou felt puzzled.

After Qu Zhengfeng slaughtered most of the Jianzhu Sect, “stole” Yashan’s giant sword, and went to Mingri Star Sea, he could be considered an enemy of Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand. After all, he had entered the demonic path, and what he had done was truly excessive.

Master Hengxu was Kunwu’s righteous path leader—what matter would still require Qu Zhengfeng to “agree” to?

“Master?”

She observed Fudao Shanren’s expression and tentatively asked.

Only then did Fudao Shanren turn his face, directly handing that wisp of thunder message to Jian Chou, indicating for her to look while speaking: “It concerns the Extreme Domain. Mingri Star Sea is closest to the Extreme Domain, bordering the Snow Domain to the north where it can restrain the Esoteric Sect; facing the Extreme Domain to the east where it can resist Yama Hall. That old monster Hengxu thinks thoroughly—how could he give up this place? Even during the last Yin-Yang Realm War, Star Sea was a strategic location for our Nineteen Regions.”

The last time?

Not saying “Yin-Yang Realm War,” not saying “the Yin-Yang Realm War from eleven jiazi ago,” but specifically saying “last time”…

The implication hidden in these words was enough to make one gasp.

Because only when there’s “this time” can there be “last time.”

Jian Chou understood Fudao Shanren’s words and took the thunder message to read. The content had two parts.

The first part was Master Hengxu saying he had sent a letter three days ago and finally received Qu Zhengfeng’s reply, agreeing to let them dispatch large numbers of cultivators into Star Sea and willing to cooperate in this struggle concerning the life and death of Nineteen Regions cultivators.

The second part attached Qu Zhengfeng’s reply.

Just one word: “Acceptable.”

After reading, especially seeing this lone word “Acceptable,” the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Should this be called the wheel of fortune turning?

The formerly high and mighty Kunwu’s First Seat, Master Hengxu.

A letter sent three days ago, delayed until today for a reply, and just one word: “Acceptable.”

Too simple.

And really not putting people in his eyes at all.

Clearly he simply didn’t want to give Master Hengxu face, only agreeing for the sake of the bigger picture. Just this one word “Acceptable” already positioned his attitude sky-high!

What did Master Hengxu want to convey by writing all these details to her master?

This thought flashed through Jian Chou’s mind. She handed the thunder message back to Zheng Yao with both hands, then asked puzzled: “Are we going to Mingri Star Sea?”

“Not just us—even the entire Nineteen Regions’ backbone and core will go.”

Fudao Shanren scratched his messy hair, seeming to still be thinking about something, his expression not particularly good.

“You weren’t here these twenty years, so you don’t know. If not for you and Chanzong and the old Esoteric Sect’s night raid on the Snow Domain Sacred Hall last time, disrupting their plans and destroying certain formations in the Sacred Hall, both sides might have been fighting for who knows how many years already.”

“Yes, this battle is inevitable.” Zheng Yao also nodded in agreement. “After Eldest Senior Sister’s disappearance, the Nineteen Regions side, led by Yashan and Kunwu sects, has already begun deployment and sent many people to investigate the Eastern Extreme Sea borders. As the saying goes, prepare for rain before clouds gather—if we wait for it to come before making arrangements, it’ll be too late.”

“Are we starting war immediately?”

Hearing this and thinking of Master Hengxu’s letter about dispatching people to Star Sea, Jian Chou knew how severe the situation was.

“Not immediately, but the Extreme Domain side has shown considerable movement. Although our Central Domain has already discussed much with various parties, that old monster says we need to investigate further.”

Fudao Shanren was clearly very familiar with Master Hengxu’s plans.

“Half a month later, notify all parties, gather the elite, assemble at Star Sea, then combine everyone’s strength to investigate and decide on plans.”

Though Yashan and Kunwu were strong, they were just sects after all.

Strictly speaking, sects with only one person and great sects like Yashan and Kunwu had no essential difference—sects were equal to each other.

So they didn’t have the qualification to command everyone to fight the Extreme Domain with a single order.

Everything had to be discussed slowly while sitting together.

This would inevitably involve a series of entanglements and complications. After all, there might be grudges between large and small sects—like the hidden enmity between Kunwu and Yashan, the bitter hatred from Wangjiang Tower and Wanghai Tower’s split, the opposition and resentment between Yin Sect and Yang Sect…

Not to mention the more complex relationships among individual cultivators.

Mingri Star Sea half a month later?

United against a common enemy should exist, but…

The undercurrents beneath the surface would inevitably be substantial too.

It could be said this would definitely be a grand event, but since it arose from accumulated grievances with the Extreme Domain, it carried a grim oppression.

“Hopefully everyone can set aside past grudges then.”

Though knowing it wasn’t very likely.

Fudao Shanren immediately laughed, that sound like humming from his nose: “With Kunwu there, what can we hope for? Probably being able to accomplish things at all is enough.”

Zheng Yao touched his nose, not daring to respond.

The old case between Yashan and Kunwu was Fudao Shanren’s pain and the entire Yashan’s pain. Jian Chou hadn’t understood before, but last time when seeing the ancestor underground, she had learned the whole story.

She understood all too well why her master spoke thus.

All three fell silent.

Fudao Shanren actually felt quite stifled. Turning his head to see Fu Chaosheng still standing there, for some reason he found it somewhat irritating.

“Has this mountain man not seen outsiders at our Yashan for too long? Why do I always find him unpleasant to look at?”

Zheng Yao was about to break into cold sweat, only giving Jian Chou a subtle glance.

Obviously, the existence of Fu Chaosheng, this temporary guest staying at Yashan, wasn’t a secret in all of Yashan. It’s just that everyone was more or less curious about his background and relationship with Jian Chou.

Jian Chou also received that glance, feeling helpless.

“Master harbors doubts, which I truly don’t understand. However, this friend of mine once offered to help when the Nineteen Regions and Extreme Domain go to war. His original intent bears no malice.”

She explained for Fu Chaosheng.

“I’ll ask about the situation later and report to Master.”

“Is that so? That works too.” Though still somewhat reluctant, Fudao Shanren didn’t say more, only: “You’ve been out twenty years, and who knows how many years passed in the Sumeru Mustard Seed. You should go rest later. Also, that boy Zuoliu just came out of seclusion—when you have time, go give him some guidance.”

Zuoliu?

Jian Chou was startled, remembering this junior brother she had picked up from Mingri Star Sea. After a moment of embarrassment, she hadn’t expected he was only now coming out of seclusion, and was somewhat curious about his cultivation level.

Immediately, she directly agreed: “…Yes.”

“Then this mountain man will go to the Assembly Hall to discuss details of this matter. You hurry and ask your friend.” Fudao Shanren waved his hand, indicating for Jian Chou to leave.

Jian Chou was about to bow and leave, but when about to go, she thought of another matter.

Her heart felt somewhat dim.

Looking at Fudao Shanren’s expression, she finally took out that deep green bead, spreading it in her palm. After much hesitation, her voice low and somewhat broken: “This is… Junior Brother Yu and the other junior brothers…”

“…”

In that instant, both Fudao Shanren and Sect Leader Zheng Yao seemed frozen in place, their gazes fixed on this bead.

Faintly, their eyes reddened.

Jian Chou didn’t dare look at them, not even bearing to look at that bead, only lowering her eyes: “When your disciple arrived, apart from Kunwu cultivators at the incident site, there were no Yashan disciples. Later at the Snow Domain Sacred Hall, I met this friend of mine—he helped collect their remains first. Your disciple was twenty years late bringing them home.”

The sun shone warmly.

Yashan’s solitary high peak stood among the clouds, with misty floating clouds carrying thin fog drifting past them. Yashan’s disciples moved about the paths and around Guihe Well.

Every scene was like an ink painting scroll, every face so vivid.

But those who had already gone, their young faces could never again appear in this scroll of strange mountains and beautiful waters.

Today, Yashan’s Thousand Cultivator Cemetery would add fourteen new graves.

No one spoke.

Fudao Shanren only stood before her, looking at this small deep green bead, not moving at all, as if completely unaware he should reach out to take it.

Zheng Yao beside them blinked hard before taking the bead.

At this moment, he managed a strained smile, his voice carrying a vague, barely audible yet intensely thick sob.

“Thank you for your hard work, Eldest Senior Sister.”

Jian Chou couldn’t say a word either.

Having borrowed the Universe’s Twin Eyes to see the situation then, how could the grief and hatred in her heart be any less than theirs?

But there was no need for words anymore. Every returning sword in the armory, every new grave added to the river beach, was pain visible to everyone at Yashan.

She bowed, stepped back twice, and walked away.

Sometimes, grieving people needed quiet.

And she couldn’t bear, much less wanted to see any more heart-wrenching scenes.

Fu Chaosheng was still waiting there.

Seeing her approach with a poor expression, plus having seen from afar her handing that bead to Zheng Yao, he knew her current mood.

So Fu Chaosheng didn’t speak either, only following Jian Chou for a while.

She didn’t return to her room, nor did she visit any Yashan fellow disciples. She only went up Yashan’s cliff path, passed the Star-Plucking Platform, turned to the rope bridge before Yashan, and walked step by step to the middle of the rope bridge.

The tributaries of Nine-Head River flowed turbulently beneath her feet.

Spring water was crystal blue, green mountains lush. New green wild grass grew on the river beach, swaying in the warm wind that passed through thousands of grave mounds.

Standing thus for a long time, she slowly recovered.

Then turning her head to look at Fu Chaosheng who had followed her all the way, she finally curved her lips in a faint smile and asked: “After parting at the Snow Domain, unexpectedly another twenty years have passed. Reuniting at Yashan after returning is even more remarkable. Please forgive Jian Chou’s presumption—how did Fellow Daoist Fu come to Yashan?”

Fellow Daoist Fu?

This form of address…

For some reason, Fu Chaosheng felt unaccustomed to it—very strange, yet also very novel. He played with the little bone jade in his palm twice before looking up at Jian Chou: “Half was for the Mitian Mirror.”

“Only half?”

Jian Chou had previously guessed it was related to the Mitian Mirror, but hadn’t expected this was only half his purpose, so she became somewhat puzzled.

“What about the other half?”

Fu Chaosheng frowned slightly, placing the little bone jade back on her shoulder while looking at her strangely, as if puzzled why she would ask such a question.

“Naturally to find my old friend you. Don’t you humans all visit friends at their homes like this?”

“…”

Jian Chou’s mouth twitched, momentarily speechless.