Chapter 631 – Lian Hua

　　The red liquid dripped down Yan Tianhen’s cheeks.

　　Rong Zhishui froze on the spot.

　　Cang Rong’s mood had always been very stable. Although his voice had always sounded monotonous and plain, he’d always treated Rong Zhisui gently. However, the current Cang Rong looked like he had seen an enemy. He seemed like he couldn’t wait to drink Yan Tianhen’s blood and eat his flesh.

　　Rong Zhisui’s eyes watered, as if sand had entered them, and they felt very sour. He looked at Yan Tianhen, who cut quite a sorry figure and couldn’t fight back at all, and couldn’t help recalling the young man who stood out for him despite public criticism. When he thought of this, Rong Zhisui’s heart seemed to be squeezed by a hand.

　　“Ancestor, why do you treat him like this?” Rong Zhishui looked at Cang Rong and asked.

　　Cang Rong tied Rong Zhishui with vines, picked him up, and threw him onto the back of the bird with thick feathers. “No reason. I just don’t find him pleasing to the eye. You don’t have to come back after you leave the Tomb of Youshan. Tell the descendants of the Rong clan that they no longer have to keep watch over the Tomb of Youshan and Jianmu, which had already wilted. Starting from today, the mission of the Rong clan is over.”

　　Without waiting for Rong Zhishui to understand the deeper meaning, the wild bird fluttered its wings and flew into the air like it was running for life.

　　Yan Tianhen heard Cang Rong say, “Do you also want to know why I treat you like this? But I absolutely won’t tell you now. You might as well find the answer yourself. Before that, I will never kill you myself. But don’t blame me either if you can’t endure and die.”

　　After that, Cang Rong grabbed Yan Tianhen’s collar and moved him away like the wind. Ah Bai and Hu Po galloped behind, and flew up to bite Yan Tianhen’s pant legs, one on his left and one right. They were almost blown to the ground by the strong gusts.

　　Cang Rong saw this and was too lazy to respond. These two spirit tigers were loyal and protected their master, but who knew whether they would still do so in the future. Their ears flapped nonstop in the wind that blew their eardrums.

　　After a while, the wind stopped. Yan Tianhen was thrown to the ground by Cang Rong. After a while, he climbed and looked up, and he saw a towering city standing in front of him.

　　Tens of thousands of miles of the city walls stood like a long dragon on the ridge. The hard gate made of unknown materials was full of armed and powerful guards.

　　Looking up, the two big words “Youshan Capital” were deeply carved in the city wall. This was the writing of the ancient times.

　　Yan Tianhen was bewildered. He suddenly had two fluffy little things in his arms. Yan Tianhen looked down and it turned out to be Ah Bai and Hu Po. Yan Tianhen watched these two little fluffy balls whose cultivation had fallen to the stage of infancy. He was very sad and said with guilt, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have let you guys make a contract with me. I hurt you.”

　　Ah Bai stuck out his tongue and licked Yan Tianhen’s face several times. He accidentally touched the wound on Yan Tianhen’s eyelid, which made him gasp in pain. Ah Bai’s purple eyes suddenly moistened, and he cried out, burrowing his head desperately into Yan Tianhen’s arms. Hu Po licked Ah Bai’s fur, and an angry and sad rumble sounded from his throat.

　　Yan Tianhen picked up the two tiger cubs, looked at the Youshan Capital, and said, “This city doesn’t look like an illusion, but a real existence. How about we enter the city?”

　　Ah Bai pawed Yan Tianhen’s shoulder and nodded his head. Arriving at the gate of the city, the soldiers guarding the city looked at Yan Tianhen alertly and asked, “Where are you refugees from?”

　　Yan Tianhen couldn’t help laughing bitterly. When he looked at his body, it was covered with dirt and mud everywhere, his face covered in blood. He really seemed like a refugee who escaped all the way from other places.

　　Yan Tianhen said, “Big Brother, when I went out, I met some evil people. I was robbed, and I was even chased by them. I finally lost those evil people after much difficulty. Can you be kind enough to let me into the city?”

　　The soldier looked suspiciously at Yan Tianhen, and another soldier who looked like a leader next to him said, “Let him in.”

　　“Thanks to big brother!” Yan Tianhen raised the corner of his lips with difficulty and barely managed a smile, but it aggravated the wound. He couldn’t help but gasp in pain and hurriedly bowed his head and started walking inside.

　　Just a few steps away, Yan Tianhen heard the sound of the gate closing behind him with a bang. Yan Tianhen suddenly looked back and saw the soldier who let him in. He drew his sword and raised it at him. “Capture him!”

　　Yan Tianhen, “!!!”

　　Laozi really wants to curse today.

　　…………

　　“How do you feel today?” The man casually dressed in a simple style robe came to a corridor under the Jianmu tree, looking at the beauty who was sitting cross-legged while suspended in the air, closing his eyes and making hand seals.

　　Lin Xuanzhi slowly opened his eyes and landed on the ground from above. “Better than yesterday.”

　　The man smiled. “Do you want to meet Cang Rong?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi asked, “Cang Rong? I thought you said before that he had died.”

　　The dark green eyes were a bit dim, and Lian Hua said faintly, “Although he died, traces of his existence are still left. Cang Rong is the head of the Rong clan and the first Spirit Emperor. Even if he dies, he will always guard that Jianmu tree.”

　　Lian Hua smiled lightly and fiddled with his pale golden hair, looking very elegant. “Of course it’s not worth it ah. Cang Rong, this person, only has Jianmu in his heart. Even if he kept on insisting that he wanted to stay with me, didn’t he still leave me and accompany Jianmu to die together without a second thought as soon as Jianmu died?”

　　He was young in appearance, but his voice was hoarse because he had not spoken for too long. He had experienced the vicissitudes of thousands of years in his eyes.

　　He was not Cang Rong, but merely a pitiful person who guarded the Tomb of Youshan in Cang Rong’s place — a poor soul who could neither live nor die.

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “You were not such a person before. I just fell asleep for a while, and when I woke up, your temperament had changed.”

　　Lian Hua sighed and said, “You have slept for too long, and the vicissitudes of life have changed so many times. Forget it, let’s not talk about the past. I’ll take you to see him. He has always been good friends with you and regarded you as his confidant. If he knew that you’re going to see him, he would’ve been very happy.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “Okay.”

　　This was a palace, and it could be said that it was just a mansion with a really large area. The location of the Jianmu tree was in the deepest part of this mansion.

　　After turning many corners, Lin Xuanzhi even walked through several forests. Surrounded by clear water, the sky was empty and quiet. Lin Xuanzhi saw a tree shrouded in a transparent crystal pillar from a distance. The Jianmu tree was covered with a scorched black color, and its branches and leaves were all withered. The tree that originally connected to the heavens was now broken in half, and scattered dead branches fell around it and piled up into hills. From the foot of Lin Xuanzhi to the trunk of Jianmu tree, the pile was high, just like a tree grave.

　　On the trunk of the Jianmu tree, there was a man with a human body and a snake’s tail coiled around it. At first sight, one knew that he was not an ordinary man. Although his arm was the size of Lin Xuanzhi’s, it matched the size of Jianmu. His silver tail tightly wrapped around the withered tree trunk. His body blocked in front of the Jianmu tree, forming a protective gesture. His eyes were quietly closed, and his hands were frozen in a hand seal, one hand on top and one on the bottom. His expression was solemn. If one looked closely, they would be able to see that the hand seal was a forbidden spell used to gather spiritual Qi.

　　The man’s upper body line was distinct, and his long silver hair fell down from the front of his body, meandering all over the ground. This was a fascinating picture.

　　Lian Hua looked at the man’s face and said faintly, “At that time, I was preparing to hold a Dao companion ceremony with him. I waited for him to appear on the stage to become his Dao companion. After waiting for a long time, he finally showed up. However, he suddenly told me that he was going to find Xi He and that he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to marry me. That was the last time I saw him alive. When I found him again, he was like this.”

　　Even though tens of thousands of years had passed, Lin Xuanzhi still remembered what happened at that time. He said, “Before Xi He made the decision to cut off his roots, I was the only one he told. I intended to take care of everything after he delayed the blood cypress and cut off his own roots. Xi He was afraid that if Cang Rong found out about his plan, he would throw away everything else in his life and protect him until the end. Unexpectedly, in the end, Cang Rong still found out.”

　　“Originally, he shouldn’t have known.” Lian Hua’s eyes gradually became cold. “I later asked the Daoist child under him and learned that just before the wedding ceremony began, a wisp of Youshan Lingyu’s soul found him and told him that Xi He intended to sacrifice his own life and take Lingyu down with him.”

　　Lian Hua had been thinking more than once — If Youshan Lingyu didn’t tell Cang Rong the news of Jianmu’s fall, then perhaps I wouldn’t have lost everything and wouldn’t have had to spend thousands of years alone in this Youshan Capital.

　　He hated Youshan Lingyu with a vengeance.

　　“Youshan Lingyu,” Lin Xuanzhi said the familiar name in a soft voice, and his eyes looked at the blood cypress tree, which seemed to be bleeding from its entire body, with a lot of coagulated blood sap around it.

　　The name of the blood cypress demon was Youshan Lingyu.

　　This was one of the most troublesome and frightening demons in the Great Immortal-Demon War. He was so strong that even Sword Venerable Chang Sheng, who was known as “the best in the world” at that time, could barely manage a draw with him. If it wasn’t for Xi He using half of his cultivation to trap Youshan Lingyu firmly in Puluo Mountain, a region with the densest concentration of spiritual Qi, not even Lin Xuanzhi knew whether he could actually kill Youshan Lingyu.

　　But he didn’t expect that even when Youshan Lingyu was being sealed, he could still think about sending out a wisp of soul to mess with Cang Rong. This was really… extremely petty.

　　However, Youshan Lingyu had always been this malicious, or else he would never have said, “I am happy to see you all unhappy.”

　　“Youshan Lingyu should be glad that he has died completely.” Lian Hua showed a cold smile, stroking the crystal shield across the air. “Demons can’t reincarnate, and if he dies, he will die forever. However, the blood cypress tree he left behind is a good thing. The spiritual Qi contained in it has been powering the entire sealed Youshan Capital. If it wasn’t for the blood cypress tree, I’m afraid I would’ve already become a living corpse, just like those people in the capital now.”

　　The blood cypress sap was the essence of the blood cypress tree. In addition, later generations often said that not only could it get rid of blood rust, but it could also be refined into pills or magic treasures. The blood cypress tree had lived for countless years. Although it was a demon, it was also raised by the purest spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. Even after so many years, the remaining spiritual Qi of the blood cypress tree was still providing nutrients for this Youshan Capital.

　　Lin Xuanzhi looked at the blood cypress tree. “I want to take some blood cypress sap.”

　　Lian Hua asked, “What will you do with this thing?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi replied, “I came here to find the blood cypress sap to give to Ah Hen so that he can remove the blood rust from his companion sword.”

　　Lian Hua secretly raised one side of his lips. “The Sword Venerable, who used to always be cold-hearted and unmoved by material things, has tasted love now. These words really don’t seem like something you would say.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi used the back of his hand, then cut a strip in the bark of the blood cypress tree, and bright red blood flowed down out of the cut. He raised his hand gently and the precious blood cypress sap flew into his hand.

　　Lin Xuanzhi took out a bottle and placed the blood cypress sap in it.

　　“If I had known that he was your Dao companion, I would have brought him here with you.”

　　“I’m already very grateful that you could send them out safely.” Lin Xuanzhi smiled faintly. “The next step is to find a way to break the curse of this Youshan Capital.”

　　Lian Hua said, “For every hundred years that pass here, only one year will pass on the outside. You can devote yourself to cultivation. When you return to the position of a Sword Venerable, this curse trapping the capital will naturally break by itself.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “That’s exactly my intention.”

　　When he woke up some time ago, he had already remembered the past. His original name was Chang Sheng, and he was once the most powerful Sword Venerable.

　　Lian Hua asked curiously, “What kind of person is that Dao companion of yours?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes were much gentler when Yan Tianhen was mentioned. “He is a kind and simple person.”

　　“For you, is he more important or is the sword important?” Lian Hua asked again.

　　In fact, this question was not easy to answer. For a sword cultivator, whose soul was the sword, the sword was more important than a Dao companion, and even their own life.

　　However, Lin Xuanzhi thought a little and gave an answer from the bottom of his heart. “He is the heart and soul of my sword.”

　　In the process of cultivation, every sword cultivator would encounter such an eternal problem: For what reason do they cultivate the sword?

　　Some would seek immortality, some would seek higher and stronger fighting capacity, some would seek to eliminate demons and defend the righteous path, and some would want to protect the common people.

　　In the past, Sword Venerable Chang Sheng took the world as his duty. His swordsmanship, his heart, his sword bone, and his sword soul were all for the world. In the end, he also proved that there was no mistake in his choice of swordsmanship by sacrificing himself.

　　The current Lin Xuanzhi had taken back the one soul and one spirit on Hidden Sword Peak, which carried all his memories as the Sword Venerable. His final attack, which contained all of his power, triggered his memories and caused them to return all at once. Yet besides the chaotic period when he initially regained those memories, Lin Xuanzhi very clearly understood that he was simply Lin Xuanzhi. He was no longer the Chang Sheng Sword Venerable who had no desires and only had the common people in his heart. He was more like a human with seven emotions and six desires.

　　After he confirmed this, his heart was like a dead tree meeting spring — his intense emotions returned, and his white hair turned into black like ink again.

　　He felt that he loved Yan Tianhen even more now.

　　He seemed to have found his reason for holding a sword.

　　It was not as great as that former goal, which was grand enough to swallow the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers. His present wish was very small. He held a sword in order to protect his loved one. This is his sword soul in this lifetime.

　　He could be said to be ruthless and selfish, but he once died for the world. He had already paid off the debt he owed to the Nine Lands a long time ago.

　　Lian Hua took in the gentle color in Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes.

　　He clenched his fist slowly, and a complex expression flashed through his eyes, but he quickly hid it. “Don’t you want this world anymore?” Lian Hua asked softly.

　　“Of course.” Lin Xuanzhi looked up and said, “He will be the ruler of this world, so I must protect it for him.”

　　Lian Hua was stunned and paused for a moment before saying, “Yan Tianhen is the son of a demon. Chang Sheng, have you forgotten the blood feud between us and the demons?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said lightly, “How can I forget something carved in my bones and engraved in my heart? However, although Ah Hen has the blood of demons, he also has half of the human blood. What’s more, he has nothing to do with our real enemies. I will not be angry with him just because he has half demon blood, and the world will also not be so narrow-minded. Lian Hua, not only me, but also Cang Rong once believed that even among humans, there are evil humans, and even among demons, there are good demons. Racial differences have never been the standard to distinguish between good and evil.”

　　After a moment of silence, Lian Hua gently nodded and said, “You are right, I was mistaken.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi looked at the Jianmu tree and said, “In this world, there is Jianmu first, and then there are Wood Keepers. If the Jianmu tree becomes revitalized and gains a new life, the Wood Keeper will finally wake up. Lian Hua, after I resolve the Youshan Capital’s dilemma, I will find a way for you and Cang Rong to come back to life.”

　　Lian Hua suddenly opened his eyes wide and his eyes trembled. “Is there really a way for him to come back to life in this world?”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said, “The ancient forbidden books are all hidden in the sea of surging waves. I believe that the Dao of Heaven is benevolent and will always leave a chance of survival.”

　　For Lin Xuanzhi, he didn’t have much time to reminisce about the past, because that was completely meaningless, but it was always a great blessing to reunite with his old friends. Lin Xuanzhi did not hide his joy.

　　Lian Hua took a deep breath, his eyes looking sad and happy.

　　“The place with the strongest spiritual Qi is not in this palace, but in the Spirit Sect.” Lian Hua pointed in a direction, which had a high mountain peak that looked like it could reach the stars. Visible to the naked eye, the spiritual Qi seemed to be able to condense into physical form.

　　“Although Jianmu destroyed his own roots, he has a few roots that are still intact. Their location is in Spirit Sect,” Lian Hua explained.

　　Lin Xuanzhi looked at Spirit Sect, whose spiritual Qi could condense into clouds and rain, and said, “Tomorrow, I will visit the Sect Master of Spirit Sect.”

　　Lian Hua smiled. “Spirit Sect’s Sect Master is not an easy-talking person.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi said lightly, “Then I’ll give it a try.”

　　After Lin Xuanzhi left, Lian Hua stood there for a long time.

　　Youshan Capital did have day and night. Besides how the time here was almost 100 times faster than that of outside and how the people here could only live in this capital city, neither living nor dead, there was no major difference with the outside world.

　　The blood red moon hung in the sky.

　　Lian Hua gazed at the man with a snake tail, who was guarding the withered Jianmu tree, and said tiredly, “Can everything done by the previous life be written off after reincarnation?”

　　With his eyes closed, Cang Rong naturally couldn’t give him the answer.

　　“When I saw him at first sight, I knew that he was Youshan Lingyu. He’s just as annoying as he was back then.”

　　“I was surprised that he and Chang Sheng actually became a couple. When I discovered this, I thought that the world had gone crazy, or that the Dao of Heaven was playing a big joke on us.”

　　“They are mortal enemies, with a feud as deep as a sea of blood ah!”

　　“But Chang Sheng genuinely loves him now.”

　　“But I still hate him.”

　　Lian Hua’s eyes were deep and his voice was low and hoarse, just like crying: “He ruined my life. Cang Rong, If I had known that it would end like this, I would have preferred that the one he killed back then was me.”

　　Sometimes, the living were far more miserable than the dead. Because the dead wouldn’t be able to know anything.

　　Lian Hua’s eyes became colder and colder. He finally took a deep look at the man who had already become a statue and whispered, “I actually don’t want you to wake up.”

　　With that, he left and never looked back, his figure looking lonely and determined. Some decisions, once made, would never retract.

　　……

　　“The Tomb of Youshan has been completely sealed off.” Rong Zhishui looked at these two guests who’d rushed over from the Royal Heavenly Capital to Dark Cloud City as soon as they received the news and said apologetically, “Even I can’t enter the Tomb of Youshan now.”

　　You Ming was pale, and his body was almost unsteady. He and Yan Zhonghua had already tried to enter the Tomb of Youshan. However, it was originally a place with a big black hole overlooking in the air, but now it was completely enveloped by a transparent shield, which was covered with dark green vines. These vines firmly sealed the Tomb of Youshan. Even if several Grandmaster Stage cultivators launched attacks at the same time, the barrier still couldn’t be moved at all.

　　You Ming clutched Yan Zhonghua’s sleeve wildly and said in a daze, “Don’t tell me that Ah Hen won’t be able to leave? The Tomb of Youshan is full of dangers everywhere, and even Lin Xuanzhi can’t get away completely intact. How can Ah Hen be so stupid?”

　　By contrast, Yan Zhonghua was much calmer. “On the bright side, maybe he has a better circumstance?”

　　You Ming at Yan Zhonghua for a long time and didn’t say anything.

　　Yan Zhonghua said faintly, “He must take responsibility for his own decisions. Since he chose to stay in the Tomb of Youshan and look for Lin Xuanzhi, he had already prepared for the worst. Even death would be his own choice.”

　　You Ming grabbed his palm and said, “What you said is too–”

　　“What I said is naturally true.” Yan Zhonghua gently took You Ming’s ice cold hand, pried apart the fingers he had clenched into a fist, and put a soft handkerchief in his hand. “Your elder martial brother, Esteemed Lan Yue, has already divined that Ah Hen would encounter this tribulation. I thought that he would be able to escape this tribulation if he was in Myriad Dao Academy under the watch of the teachers and its rules and regulations, but my plans could not compare to the Dao of Heaven’s plans.”

　　Yan Zhonghua said, “Although I am worried about Ah Hen, there are other matters that we should consider now.”

　　You Ming seemed to be soothed a lot and asked, “What matters?”

　　Yan Zhonghua said, “Our son stole away the light of Daoism. Many disciples of Myriad Dao Academy know that Ah Hen and Lin Huarong left together. Now that Ah Hen is missing and that Huarong Sword Immortal has also fallen into the Tomb of Youshan, the orthodox Daoists are bound to come to trouble us once they receive the news.”

　　You Ming frowned. “The orthodox Dao and Myriad Dao Academy are not of the same family. Huarong Sword Immortal is a sitting elder of Myriad Dao Academy. What authority does the orthodox Dao have to cut in like this?”

　　Yan Zhonghua said, “Don’t forget that Huarong Sword Immortal is guaranteed by your elder martial brother, who sent him to Myriad Dao Academy. And Esteemed Lan Yue and the Fuyao Sect he leads are indeed part of the secular orthodox Dao. Even if the person he vouched for is in Myriad Dao Academy, his name will still be included among the ranks of the orthodox Dao. Once you enter the secular world, you can never leave it in your lifetime.”