Mount Shu Sword Sect

This was the second time Xu Ying had entered the Wangxiang Platform, and he could not help feeling a bit apprehensive. The Wangxiang Platform possessed a miraculous power: one only had to turn back to gaze upon their hometown and kin. When he first came here, he had seen his parents and his childhood self. As Xu Ying walked onto the Wangxiang Platform once more, azure mist surged forward, obscuring his vision. He walked ahead. Suddenly, firelight flickered within the mist. Halting his steps, he found himself standing amid a raging fire without realizing when it had happened. Jin Buyi, the bronze bell, and Yuan Qi were nowhere to be found. Xu Ying was already accustomed to this. The last time he entered the Wangxiang Platform, he had lost track of Yuan Qi, and they had only seen each other again once the illusion faded. The crackle and pop of burning timber sounded from the blaze. Flames burst continuously as houses collapsed and roof beams crashed down! Xu Ying looked out to see corpses strewn haphazardly across the fire, ignited and slowly charred black. A deafening tumult rang in his ears—like the chanting of sentient beings, like the whispers of heavenly gods, maddening and unbearable, a noise never meant for mortal ears! Beyond the sea of fire, he faintly saw towering shadows standing between heaven and earth, ferocious, colossal, and beyond belief. He noticed that his line of sight was somewhat low. Looking down, he saw a pair of tender, child's hands. *This was from my childhood.* Xu Ying raised his head in shock, his mind trembling. *This is the fire of Xujiaping.* This great blaze differed from the fire of Xujiaping in his memory. In his recollection, the flames had filled his entire view as houses collapsed, with none of the towering, imposing gods and demons standing outside the inferno! Moreover, the Xujiaping of his memories looked nothing like the Xujiaping before his eyes! "The memory of Xujiaping is also false... it is false too..." Xu Ying saw his clothes catch fire and his skin scorch in the heat, and he heard his own wailing. Just then, figures rushed forward through the sea of fire—a young couple. The woman swept him into her embrace and bolted outward, while the man fought desperately behind them, holding back those twisted, towering silhouettes. In Xu Ying's eyes, there was only fire. No matter where they ran, blazing infernos billowed everywhere. It was not merely Xujiaping on fire; it seemed as if the entire world had been set ablaze! The young couple fought their way into the distance with him. Xu Ying tried desperately to see their faces clearly, but whenever his gaze fell upon them, his memory blurred and mist surged in, like a haze of tears clouding his sight. He could not remember their faces; a mysterious power in his memory kept wiping them away. "Xu Ying, Xu Ying. Remember your family name, and never forget your given name." The woman holding him spoke in a gentle voice. Cupping his face, she offered an encouraging smile even as tears welled in her eyes. "Run forward! Run fast, and do not stop for a single moment!" Xu Ying bolted ahead, crying loudly as he ran. The flames parted to both sides, carving a road that stretched forward and on into the distance. In the blaze, he faintly saw gigantic silhouettes locked in combat with the couple, watching an unimaginably towering titan swing a weapon massive enough to blot out the sky. He ran ahead with all his might. The repeated exhortation of "Xu Ying, Xu Ying" became branded deep within his memory, indelible, destined only to be slowly sealed away. He ran forward, never stopping for an instant. Finally, the sea of fire vanished before his eyes. He burst out of the flames and looked back. The sea of fire was gone, and the towering titans had disappeared without a trace, as if the ordeal had merely been a dream. Xu Ying looked down at his hands—they were grown, broad, and strong. He was no longer that helpless child fleeing through the inferno; he had grown up. *This is the Wangxiang Platform, where one can see their home.* Xu Ying looked back once more, but the Wangxiang Platform did not grant his wish. He did not see his home again. All he could see was vast azure mist permeating the mountains and rivers. He had run through the fire just now for an unknown distance, and the surroundings were completely unfamiliar. He had no idea where he was on the Wangxiang Platform. *Perhaps what I saw on the Wangxiang Platform was not the past, but the home preserved in my memory,* Xu Ying thought to himself. *Perhaps the Wangxiang Platform is not truly that miraculous; it simply helps us unlock the depths of our memories. My parents, my past—they have all been hidden in my memory all along.* An ardent look filled his eyes. Bowl after bowl of Meng Po soup had buried his memories from life after life in dust. If he found Granny Meng and unraveled those memories, he could recall his childhood, his parents, and his true origin. Xu Ying called out loudly, "Lord Jin! Lord Bell!" His voice echoed across the boundless Wangxiang Platform, sending ripples through the mountains. "Lord Jin—" "Lord Bell—" "Hee, hee, hee..." The echoes in the mountains mimicked his voice, then burst into eerie laughter. Xu Ying's heart sank. He had gotten separated from Jin Buyi and the others. He did not know what was mimicking his words, but there was a legend about the Wangxiang Platform: some formidable experts, on the verge of death, would choose to flee into the platform and conceal themselves in the seam between the Yin and Yang realms, using this method to preserve their lives. The last time Xu Ying came to the Wangxiang Platform, he had encountered such people. They could no longer be called human. Relying on all manner of bizarre secret arts, they assimilated into plants to achieve symbiosis, hoping to prolong their lives. However, the path Xu Ying had walked that time was a path of life, free of danger. This time, he was clearly not on a path of life. Something in the valley tracked his voice, repeatedly mimicking his words: "Lord Jin! Lord Bell!" Xu Ying looked toward the sound and saw a cloud of blood mist billowing toward him with a rustling noise. Within the blood mist stood a tall, gaunt figure. Seen from afar, it appeared to lack skin entirely, unnaturally tall and thin, its head stretched into a disproportionately slender shape. "Lord Jin! Lord Bell!" The tall, gaunt figure in the blood mist halted and spoke. It then cocked its head, seemingly listening to determine Xu Ying's location. *He is a Qi Refiner fleeing death!* Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat. This Qi Refiner must have been exceptionally powerful in life, yet had somehow turned into this grotesque form, no longer recognizable as human! *The Wangxiang Platform sits between life and death, in the seam between Yin and Yang. The worldly yuan qi here must be extraordinarily bizarre, affecting anyone who hides here!* Xu Ying soon realized there had to be other reasons as well; otherwise, why would this Qi Refiner's very mind be twisted? Just then, another sound approached. A lump of flesh and blood crawled along the ground, bearing dozens of faces and well over a hundred legs. Those faces wore grins as they called out in succession, "Lord Jin! Lord Bell!" Hearing the sound, the tall, gaunt figure in the blood mist immediately lunged at the lump of flesh. Not to be outdone, the lump of flesh struck back at once. Seeing this, Xu Ying retreated quietly, thinking, *Those who exhausted their lifespan and hid in the Wangxiang Platform in ancient times probably all underwent bizarre mutations. Clearly, surviving by this method carries immense perils!* A terrifying shockwave erupted from behind, like two peerless masters clashing. Xu Ying's heart jolted—it was those two monsters locked in combat! *The Wangxiang Platform is far more dangerous than I anticipated! I am already a Golden Core expert of the second Pass-Breaching stage, with a Golden Core that is unblemished, luminous, and boundless. Yet in a place crawling with mutated powerhouses, I have at best enough strength to protect myself!* Xu Ying surveyed his surroundings, searching hard for any familiar mountain ranges, and thought, *Lord Bell and Seventh Master have Lord Jin and Lord Grass with them, so nothing should go wrong on their side. But if I'm careless, I will definitely run into trouble! The only plan for now is to find the Nai River Bridge first and rendezvous with them on the bridge!* When he had first entered the Wangxiang Platform, he had relied on the direction indicated by his parents to find his way out. This time, he could rely only on himself. His heart sank further and further. He saw not a single familiar mountain range. Even more peculiar was that as he walked forward, whenever he looked back, the azure mist hovered right behind him. No matter how far or fast he ran, the azure mist caught up with him, blotting out all the mountains and rivers in his wake and preventing him from retracing his steps! In other words, there was no turning back on the Wangxiang Platform—once a step was taken, retreat was impossible! *The Wangxiang Platform lies at the intersection of the Yin and Yang realms. Just how vast is this place?* Cold sweat broke out on Xu Ying's forehead. However long the boundary between the Netherworld and the mortal world was, the Wangxiang Platform was likely just as vast! If he lost his bearings and walked along the boundary forever, he might never reach the end! Worse still, many fiends transformed from humans roamed the Wangxiang Platform, retaining their combat prowess from life and constantly tracking him. Xu Ying carried only the Twenty-Four Mountain-River Bright Moon Pearls and no other treasures; in a crisis, he could rely solely on them to fend off enemies. Suddenly, Xu Ying saw a flash of bright light in the distance. His heart stirred. *Sword light!* Reinvigorated, he hurried toward where the light had appeared. Before long, Xu Ying arrived at the source of the glow. It was a canyon surrounded by mountains, the cliff faces studded everywhere with broken flying swords driven haphazardly into the rock. *Someone encountered a formidable enemy and fought a fierce battle here, having many flying swords shattered.* Xu Ying examined the sword fragments and thought, *This swordsmanship resembles the one used to slay those ghosts at the tavern. Could that Qi Refiner have gotten lost as well?* He hurried forward along the trail of broken swords. Suddenly, a woman's voice drifted over: "Martial Uncle Cangyang, don't you remember? Back when the heaven and earth underwent a great upheaval, you voluntarily sacrificed yourself, leading a cohort of Sword Sect venerables into the Wangxiang Platform to preserve your strength for the future." Xu Ying followed the sound and saw a young woman dressed in water-green robes standing in midair. Behind her hung a bright moon shedding brilliant illumination, while countless flying swords hovered around her in the air. Below her was a white-haired old man whose crown was so bald and shiny that it reflected light like a mirror. Yet the old man's lower body was that of a three-legged toad covered in fleshy nodules. With a ferocious visage, he glared up at the young woman in the air. "Three thousand years later, I have come to find you and revive the Mount Shu Sword Sect! Where are the venerables of the Sword Sect?" The young woman suddenly sensed something and looked toward Xu Ying. Xu Ying stepped out cautiously and smiled. "Miss, I didn't mean to intrude. I've lost my way—could you please point me in the right direction? How do I get to the Nai River Bridge?" Just as the young woman was about to answer, the toad elder's white hair whipped wildly, surging outward against the wind. Countless beams of white light whistled through the air, stabbing toward Xu Ying! Xu Ying's face shifted in alarm. Every single strand of white hair had transformed into an exquisite, peerless sword technique, thrusting straight at him! He had witnessed sword intent this fierce and surging only once before: when Li Xiaoke, facing the assault of the Master of Winter Crows—that giant of the Netherworld—in the ruined temple of the Netherworld's desolate mountains, had regained his sword heart and split the boundless ash between heaven and earth with supreme sword dao! On that occasion, Li Xiaoke's sword intent had been just as fierce and surging as this toad elder's! Seeing this, the young woman shouted urgently, "Dodge!" Her figure flashed, appearing before Xu Ying. With the bright moon hanging behind her, countless sword qi flew out to meet the toad elder's white hair head-on! *I can't stop it...* Despair gripped her heart. This toad elder was Venerable Cangyang of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. Three thousand years ago, during the Han dynasty, the Mount Shu Sword Sect had detected the upheaval in heaven and earth. To preserve the sect's living strength, Cangyang had led numerous venerables into the Wangxiang Platform of their own accord. The young woman had come this time precisely to invite Cangyang and the others to emerge from seclusion and revive the Sword Sect. She never imagined that Cangyang would have already fallen prey to the bizarre power of the Wangxiang Platform, losing his sanity to the point where he did not even recognize her and attacked on sight! She could have protected herself, but to save this lost youth, she had backed herself into a corner! *I haven't even had the chance to revive the Sword Sect...* Just as the thought crossed her mind, bright moons suddenly rose across the sky. Twenty-four radiant moons bore down from above, bearing within them towering mountain ranges, grand rivers, and vast lakes, all crushing heavily upon the white-haired, bald-crowned Venerable Cangyang! Venerable Cangyang let out a muffled groan as blood spurted from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The toad beneath him let out a croak under the immense weight, and both man and toad were flattened against the ground, unable to budge. Startled and bewildered, the young woman looked back, only to see the youth's expectant smile: "Miss, which way to the Nai River Bridge?"