The council at Mingri Xinghai had brought together leaders from all factions, but most of the elders and disciples from various sects were still in their respective sects. Moreover, after yesterday’s discussions, the strategy everyone had decided on was to first investigate the current situation in the Snow Region clearly, then deploy large forces to follow up. So although Jian Chou and the other two had set out, they weren’t heading directly to the Snow Region.

They needed to split up first and return to their respective sects to organize their forces.

Dakini Yang Jin originally belonged to the Snow Region’s old Esoteric School, but in that fierce battle over the Snow Region’s sacred lake twenty years ago, she had completely severed ties with the new Esoteric School and had already joined forces with Western Sea Chanzong. The old Esoteric School’s people were all with Chanzong, so after leaving the star sea, she needed to first visit Western Sea Chanzong, report the results of Mingri Xinghai’s council to Master Xuelang stationed at Chanzong, and bring out some personnel.

Compared to her, Qu Zhengfeng had it much easier.

The council had taken place in the star sea itself. After deciding yesterday during the day on the plan to head to the Snow Region the next day, he had already arranged all his personnel overnight, not avoiding suspicion at all as he directly left the star sea, allowing his home base to be held by forces like Kunwu and Yashan, showing no fear whatsoever.

As for Jian Chou, there wasn’t much to say—she naturally needed to return to Yashan once to discuss with the other elders in the sect, select personnel, and prepare early so they could launch an attack directly from Yashan after exploring the Snow Region’s situation.

So she needed to teleport back to Yashan.

But there was something awkward about this: while Dakini Yang Jin’s destination was different, which was fine, Qu Zhengfeng had already deployed the star sea’s personnel and directly entered the same teleportation array as her, leaving the star sea together.

The return teleportation array Yashan had set up was still that flattened mountain cliff thirty li outside Yashan.

With a flash of light, two figures appeared in the array.

The beautiful and magnificent mountains and waters of Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand replaced Mingri Xinghai’s oppressive overcast sky, suddenly spreading across their vision like an unfolded scroll.

Yashan, thirty li away, stood like a heaven-reaching long sword thrust down from the clouds, deeply penetrating the depths of Nineteen Continents’ earth, connecting with the veins of mountains and rivers, forged into a perfect whole that made one’s spirit shake at first sight.

A tributary of Jiutou River flowed majestically past the mountain’s front.

Countless li of cloud qi, as dawn was ending, were chased by wind past those steep peaks and precipices, past Lanyue Hall and Zhaixing Platform, flowing away.

When day was about to break, stars and moon grew dim.

Jian Chou looked out to see beautiful mountain and river scenery, but her mood was more complex than when she had gazed at Yashan from afar in the past.

Only because at this moment, standing beside her was Qu Zhengfeng.

A former disciple of Yashan.

A traitor who had already betrayed Yashan.

A strong cultivator who had stolen Yashan’s great sword to become Sword Emperor.

She didn’t speak, and Qu Zhengfeng didn’t speak either.

The two stood silently on this mountain cliff.

Jian Chou still remembered that when they had returned from Western Sea’s Dameng Reef years ago, they had also come back to Yashan through this teleportation array. That night, this elegant and refined “Second Junior Brother” had shown her his unknown side, revealing strange hostility toward her.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to ask—back then, our strengths were so different, yet why did you still arrange to fight me at Huanshao Summit?”

Wasn’t he afraid that if word got out, others would mock him for bullying the weak with his strength?

Jian Chou held the Burning Lamp Sword and finally asked this question, though her expression no longer held the shock and awkwardness of those years, but was composed and calm.

Standing in this familiar landscape, feeling the familiar wind blowing through the mist, gazing far at Yashan’s familiar outline that he had traced in his mind countless times, Qu Zhengfeng blinked. After a long time, he finally laughed: “Jade uncarved cannot become a vessel. You were a piece of raw jade worth carving, but Master could never bear to be harsh—he was unreliable, too merciful.”

“Jade uncarved cannot become a vessel…”

After so many years, she finally heard an answer that was reasonably reliable and held no hostility. Jian Chou couldn’t help but repeat it, then shook her head and sighed with a smile.

“Things remain but people have changed. Would you like to return to Yashan with me to have a look?”

Return to Yashan to have a look…

The waters of Jiutou River flowed around the mountain peaks, the only sound in this quiet dawn, but in Qu Zhengfeng’s heart, Jian Chou’s sigh echoed endlessly.

How long had it been since he’d returned to look?

Qu Zhengfeng gazed into the distance, also silent, until the east showed a thread of faint red light, pouring out to illuminate the clouds on the horizon and paint the first golden-red hue between heaven and earth on Yashan’s high Huanshao Summit. Only then did he withdraw his gaze, putting his hands behind his back: “Yashan’s sword is in my hands. This place has only an empty broken mountain left—what’s worth seeing?”

His expression was one of light indifference, his voice carrying a flippant disregard.

Hearing this, Jian Chou immediately frowned.

But Qu Zhengfeng only waved his hand, and with a step, his figure had already flown away through the air: “I’ll wait nearby. You go back to the mountain gate to deploy personnel, then come find me when you’re done.”

In the blink of an eye, his trace had become distant.

The rising morning sun dispersed the mist between mountains and rivers. Jian Chou thought only of Qu Zhengfeng’s words “what’s worth seeing,” standing in place for a long time. Ultimately, she said nothing and first returned to Yashan by sword, arranging with the elders stationed in the sect the personnel for their soon departure to the Snow Region.

As for Qu Zhengfeng, he truly went far away.

Eighty-odd years since parting from Left Three Thousand, arriving again before Yashan, his heart couldn’t calm for a long time. But what he had said was ultimately true.

There’s no turning back once the bow is drawn.

Some paths, once chosen, can never be retraced.

Just like that day in the wine shop when he had pointed out the maze for Jian Chou, word by word—some people in this world might understand many principles and know the world’s truest appearance, yet ultimately cannot escape the love, hate, emotions, and grudges inherent to being human.

Knowing something cannot be done yet doing it anyway—so what?

Everyone has things they want to force in their hearts, and he, Qu Zhengfeng, was no exception.

Leaving that teleportation array, he guessed that Jian Chou would need considerable time to handle matters within the mountain gate, so he didn’t distinguish directions, only flew casually through the air, not caring where he went, just looking down from above at the mountains and rivers spreading below.

He didn’t know how much time had passed before he suddenly stopped.

Not because he encountered anything, but because he saw a familiar place.

The mountain cliff stood lone, high, and precipitous. The straight precipice looked as if it had been cleaved by a single blade, standing directly among the mountains. Withered vines climbed up from below, vaguely resembling their former appearance.

Howling fierce wind swept up from the earth’s depths.

Even from far away in mid-air, Qu Zhengfeng could feel the sharp aura emanating from that wind.

Medicine Gathering Peak.

Black Wind Cave.

Thus certain memories from the past were suddenly triggered. He stood in mid-air watching for a while, then silently descended.

On the precipice and at the bottom of the cliff were traces left by countless cultivators fighting over nearly a hundred years. Though it was still early, there were actually people around Black Wind Cave’s perimeter. Ever since Yashan’s eldest senior sister Jian Chou had become famous in a battle outside Black Wind Cave, many more people had come here. Some had even heard that Black Wind Cave was closely related to the “Human Vessel” body refinement technique and came to try it.

But no one recognized Qu Zhengfeng.

Most were small fry, and Qu Zhengfeng had been in Mingri Xinghai these years, having already become the legendary Sword Emperor. Even if people saw him, they could only guess at his identity without seeing too much depth.

The current Qu Zhengfeng naturally wouldn’t care about these people anymore.

He stood before Black Wind Cave for a while, remembering when he had been stuck at the Nascent Soul realm and decided to practice “Human Vessel” body refinement. Fudao Shanren had looked at him for a long time but ultimately hadn’t stopped him…

At that time, Master had known what he wanted to do, hadn’t he?

Laughing inexplicably, Qu Zhengfeng faced the black wind rushing toward him and walked directly into the cave entrance. Having already achieved mid-stage Void Refining cultivation, walking through this endless black wind no longer caused him pain, nor did he feel any difficulty at all.

The cave walls bore traces left by wind erosion.

Of course, there were also countless inscriptions. Qu Zhengfeng remembered he had also left some.

When he walked to one hundred feet, he saw the characters he had left behind—no grand declarations, just three simple characters: One hundred feet.

But looking around now, the area was densely packed with writing.

Names like Zhou Chengjiang were among them, not particularly noteworthy. Only in a corner were four elegant characters that revealed some fierce boldness within their refinement, making him stop to stare.

“Now I have come!”

What grand airs indeed.

Qu Zhengfeng looked at this calligraphy and felt the momentum was quite something, but the cultivation should still be very weak. Though such bold words were written, they might not have made it many feet further. He smiled and dismissed it, continuing forward.

But unexpectedly, at two hundred feet, he discovered this handwriting again. And by coincidence, it was right below his own inscription from years past.

Seeing this, Qu Zhengfeng narrowed his eyes.

His inscription from years ago read: “Two hundred feet, like walking on level ground, like bathing in spring breeze. Body refinement in Black Wind Cave is quite boring.”

But now, this sentence had been boldly crossed out with a big X below it, followed by just four simple characters: Don’t like your attitude!

“Somewhat interesting.”

When he had entered Black Wind Cave years ago, seeing all these people’s inscriptions, he had just casually carved on the stone wall. How could he have expected later generations to come and comment?

For a moment, he found it marvelous.

But today’s state of mind was different from before. He felt no anger in his heart, instead thinking that human actions were like these inscriptions on the stone wall—carved today, but tomorrow’s merits and faults would be judged by posterity.

Staring at the obviously somewhat provocative “Don’t like your attitude” and that blatant big X for a while, this time Qu Zhengfeng was truly curious, wanting to see how far this person had ultimately gone. So he continued deeper into Black Wind Cave.

At three hundred feet was the Longmen Dragon Scale Dao Seal he had carved without any concealment.

Years ago, he had only reached this point when, thinking of Longmen’s Dragon Scale Dao Seal also being a body refinement technique, he had deconstructed it based on his memory and casually carved it here.

Later, many people’s inscriptions expressed shock at this, but he didn’t see the handwriting that had argued with him earlier at this spot.

This was somewhat unexpected.

Had they not even reached three hundred feet?

Qu Zhengfeng thought for a moment and continued forward.

Four hundred feet.

He had been inspired by earlier inscriptions here and also comprehended wind blades.

His inscription read: “Inspired by Fellow Daoist Left Two, comprehended wind blades, indeed produced one seal, used it slightly, quite marvelous.”

Following it was an unwilling-to-be-outdone line: “Same as right, indeed produced one seal, played with it slightly—nothing more than that.”

Qu Zhengfeng laughed when he saw this.

Then came five hundred feet.

He had deconstructed Longmen’s Dragon Roar Dao Seal here years ago.

But here he couldn’t see the handwriting he wanted to find.

Six hundred feet.

No inscription from him, no inscription from that person.

Seven hundred feet.

Eight hundred feet.

Nine hundred feet.

This middle section had required considerable effort for him to endure years ago. After the initial novelty wore off, he hadn’t continued leaving inscriptions on these stone walls.

Similarly, he hadn’t found those elegant characters.

Only when he continued deeper, reaching the rarely accessible one thousand feet, did Qu Zhengfeng finally see the five characters he had left after completing the “Black Wind Bone Inscription” level.

“Yashan, Qu Zhengfeng!”

Years ago, it was carved in the most desolate place no one could reach, containing tremendous power within tranquility. But now…

He raised his gaze, and the moment he saw these five characters he had left, he also saw four characters that boldly stood parallel to his five, showing no weakness!

In that strange elegance was the unruly wildness of one who lifted heavy things as if they were light!

They read: “Yashan, Jian Chou!”

In this instant, Qu Zhengfeng was momentarily stunned, then felt that complex sense of “of course” and “it should be her.” He raised his palm, his rough fingertips with thin calluses sliding over these characters that penetrated deep into the rock face, that even the black wind couldn’t destroy. Heroic feelings surged in his chest, but afterward, for some reason, he felt an ineffable desolation.

There were still three hundred feet ahead, but he didn’t continue forward.

He just stood before this stone wall, gazing for a long, long time. Only when the raging black wind had chilled his body did he move slightly.

When he raised his hand, his movement hesitated.

As if he were uncertain.

But ultimately it fell. No need for a sword anymore—what issued from his fingertips was sword qi. Every dot and stroke was like iron painting with silver hooks!

When the final stroke fell, all the restless waves in his heart completely calmed.

Qu Zhengfeng laughed once, didn’t look again, and didn’t continue deeper into Black Wind Cave. Turning around, he rode the wind out of the cave.

Sitting quietly on Medicine Gathering Peak, he only watched clouds move and wind flow in the mountains.

At dusk, the Burning Lamp Sword’s dim yellow radiance drew a thin line across the sky. A moon-white figure sped through the gathering twilight and landed beside him.

“Has Your Majesty the Sword Emperor waited long?”

Qu Zhengfeng looked up, glanced at her slightly grave expression, didn’t ask much, only lightly curved his lips and said flatly: “Not too long. Let’s go.”

It was time to head to the Snow Region.