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It would be a love that never betrays, just like a master’s commands to the mechanical soldier. It would be supreme and everlasting.
“—Didn’t you say that you liked me and vowed never to leave me?”
The pale sun was dazzling in the front hall of the Correctional Palace. Already a grown man, Du Kaixun’s figure was now broader. The hostility in his smile could no longer be hidden. He paced around with his hands behind his back in full view of everyone, stopped in front of Bai Xian’s horrified gaze, and laughed, “Then cut out your heart and show it to me.”
Everyone was stunned, and even Chief Gong of the Correctional Palace stood up and hollered, “Du Kaixun!”
“What’s wrong?” Du Kaixun looked down at Bai Xian’s bloodless face, and his smile became more fierce and irritable, “I just told you to cut out your heart, didn’t you hear me?”
“Don’t be like this, I beg you. My heart is my last flesh and blood, I will die if I cut it out, please don’t be like this—”
However, a master’s command was absolute, and the young man could not resist. Bai Xian saw his own hand raise inch by inch, and reached out to his left chest even as it trembled.
The overwhelming despair and disbelief made his ears buzz. In a daze, he heard someone in the hall yell, and Chief Gong strode in and grabbed his hand just as it was about to gouge out his heart. However, this action couldn’t completely stop him. Bai Xian’s hand still struggled and aimed towards his chest cavity!
“There must be an incantation!” Someone understood and added, “This brat dared to use spells and incantations on his servant to force him to dig out his heart!”
“He is too much! How could he be so cruel?” “Chief Gong, this will not do!” “We have to find a way to stop Du Kaixun!” “Hurry up!”
Some cultivators didn’t care anymore as they drew their swords and pointed at Du Kaixun, who had been pinned down by the crowd, “Undo the spell!”
But the man broke into laughter at this. He allowed several cold blades to point at his throat as if this scene further aroused his thirst for blood.
“No, I want to take a look at his heart.” Du Kaixun said with a smile, “It’s useless even if you kill me. Try it.”
The voices of the people around him seemed to have exploded, and the angry accusations and shouts almost overturned the roof. However, Bai Xian couldn’t hear anything. Gong Wei couldn’t stop his movements with brute force, and he didn’t dare to use spiritual power to break his bones or cut them off with a single slash. Gong Wei used so much force that his nails bled. He turned around and cried anxiously, “Come and help me hold down his hand. Hurry up!”
“Chief Gong, I don’t deserve you hurting yourself to help me. It’s useless.”
Bai Xian’s fingertips had dug into the flesh of his chest, and he could only slightly move his lips with the last bit of his strength. At this moment—Thud!
The door burst open, and a familiar figure walked in with a sword. An oppressive aura shook the crowd, causing some to stumble. Some cried hoarsely, “Artefact Sect Master!”
Bai Xian gazed in the direction of the commotion and his pupils suddenly dilated.
The young Changsun Chengfeng’s face was solemn. As soon as he landed on his sword, he sheathed it and got up. Without another word, he swiftly approached and held Bai Xian. Next, a flash of light from his fingertips plunged into the man’s body like a phantom and aimed towards his spine.
Du Kaixun, who was at ease a moment ago, suddenly realised what was going on and violently broke away from the crowd, “Stop!”
Before the word sounded, everyone saw Changsun Chengfeng’s wrist turn, and at the same time, a clear sound came out from the back of Bai Xian’s body—Crack!
Du Kaixun was furious, “No!”
As if a certain forbidden switch was turned off, Bai Xian loosened his grip, and fell backward with warm tears streaming out of his eyes!
Du Kaixun was still roaring in anger but that sound and the clamour from the people around him faded into a distant background.
At this moment, Bai Xian was enveloped in the faint scent of a wood fragrance in the Artefact Sect Master’s arms. His mind fell into a silence, as if he was standing in a vast plain after a heavy snowfall. The entire world drifted further and further away from him, until it was reduced to a small, indistinct point of light.
“You don’t belong to him anymore,” Changsun Chengfeng’s gentle and calm voice entered his ears.
“He is not worthy.”
“You have nothing to do with him anymore.”
Bai Xian opened his eyes.
At the great hall of the Golden Ship’s Sky Pavilion, the polished floor was vast and glossy, which reflected the huge purple light spell formation magnificently. Bai Xian was seated crossed-legged in the middle of a spell formation. Not far from the circle, Changsun Chengfeng immediately approached, frowning and asking, “How is it?”
Mu Duozhu was retrieving the last ray of his spiritual power used for the examination from the back of Bai Xian’s neck. Only until the intense purple light which was condensed into thin threads completely disappeared, did he get up and say, “The soldier silk in Bai Xian’s spiritual veins, bones and joints are all intact and undamaged. It seems that the soldier silk extracted from the bones of the Lotus Immortal has nothing to do with Bai Xian. They appeared to have been refined later on.”
He couldn’t help frowning, and added suspiciously, “If Du Kaixun is really not dead, then this is really weird.”
Changsun Chengfeng looked at Bai Xian with mixed emotions.
“Lord Ying and the others are still waiting for the examination result, so I’ll head out first. “Mu Duozhu saluted politely, saying, “Bai Xian, if we have offended you today, please don’t take it to heart.”
Bai Xian bowed respectfully in response.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After Mu Duozhu left, silence was restored in the hall of the Sky Pavilion. The circular spell formation continued to glow, illuminating the grim expression on the Artefact Sect Master’s face. After a long time, he finally sighed and knelt in front of Bai Xian on one knee. Then, he picked up the severed right hand that fell on his side.
Ktfgf kjr j rlcuif rlix atgfjv ifoa ab gfjaajmt atf ygbxfc kglra, jcv Jtjcurec Jtfcuofcu qfgrbcjiis mbccfmafv la. Ktfgf kjr j ojlca wfmtjclmji milmxlcu rbecv mbwlcu ogbw atf ogjmaegf, jcv bcis j ojlca gfv wjgx gfwjlcfv bc atf vjwjufv rxlc. Ktf rjwf wjgx ugjvejiis vlrjqqfjgfv joafg j rtbga ktlif.
Pcpeglfr ifoa cb agjmfr bc atf regojmfr bo wfmtjclmji rbivlfgr. Cr ibcu jr bcf mibrfv atflg fsfr, vlv cba ibbx, atlcx, bg gfwfwyfg jybea la, la kjr jr lo atf agjulm jcv ugefrbwf qjra tjv cfnfg tjqqfcfv.
“Don’t hurt yourself next time.” Changsun Chengfeng whispered, “I’m not the one who helped you construct this body, so I can’t completely restore the skeletal core.”
Bai Xian looked at him quietly, without saying a word.
Changsun Chengfeng leaned over and picked up the outer robe on the ground. Maintaining his half-kneeling posture, he carefully draped it over Bai Xian with a gentle, but focused expression, as if he was wrapping up a rare treasure. He said, “Don’t be afraid, Bai Xian.”
After a pause, he added, “I won’t let you come to any more harm.”
Bai Xian replied softly, “It’s okay…”
The violet glow, which spread all around was faint but dream-like. Bai Xian’s beautiful face seemed unreal in the radiance. As he gazed deeply at Changsun Chengfeng, it was as if he was staring at a distant and elusive past through him.
“It’s fine. I wanted to do this.”
Bai Xian closed his eyes and listened to the sound of his heart beating in his chest. He gently called out, “…Artefact Sect Master. ”
* * *
“Bai Xian’s soldier silk is intact?” Ying Kai deepened his tone and confirmed it again.
Mu Duozhu cupped his hands and said, “It is. Apart from a heart that is still of flesh and blood, Bai Xian’s bones, joints, spiritual veins, lungs and organs have all been mechanized. All the soldier silk in his body is intact and undamaged.  It seems that the soldier silk planted in the body of the Lotus Immortal was indeed refined by Du Kaixun later on.”
He turned to Xu Shuangze, with a subtle, teasing expression, “Lord Xu, you travelled tens of thousands of miles to the glaciers and couldn’t kill off Du Kaixun? There are times when you slip up, I see…”
Unexpectedly, neither Xu Shuangtze nor Ying Kai made any response.
The golden ship moved forward slowly, and a typhoon roared in the distance. The two great masters stood by the railing. Ying Kai furrowed his thick eyebrows, and slowly said, “You severed his head and pierced his heart with your sword. There should not be a chance for his survival, even if he refined himself into a mechanical soldier. It is impossible.”
After speaking, he paused and asked, “Shuangtze, do you remember the ghost cultivator from Linjiang City?”
Xu Shuangtze asked, “What about it?”
“You threw Du Kaixun’s head down the cliff, and there was no head under that ghostly apparition’s hood. Du Kaixun wanted Gong Zhiyu’s right eye before his death, and after he died, he went for Gong Zhiyu’s bones. In Linjiang City, the ghost cultivator went around killing people associated with the Lotus Immortal in search of one who can provide him a physical container for his rebirth.”
Ying Kai’s brow furrowed even more, “The various connections are really strange, and they can no longer simply be explained by mere coincidence—Do you think it is possible that after Du Kaixun died, he became the ghost cultivator of Linjiang City?”
Mu Duozhu said in surprise, “Ghost cultivator?”
Unexpectedly, Xu Shuangtze was silent for a moment, but shook his head, “Only someone with a high level of cultivation during his lifetime can become a ghost cultivator after death. Although this child had amazing talents, he was not more than twenty years old when he died. It is unlikely that he will become a ghost cultivator. On the contrary…”
He stopped talking abruptly, and Mu Duozhu asked, “What is it?”
Xu Shuangtze said nothing.
Ying Kai was a little helpless, “I understand what you mean. You still insist that the ghost cultivator of Linjiang City is the Lotus Immortal, right?”
This debate occurred once after they left Linjiang City. Xu Shuangtze insisted that the ghost cultivator was related to Gong Wei. For this reason, Ying Kai went to Ding Xian Mausoleum to inspect Gong Wei’s body, which triggered the following catastrophe of awakening corpses.
Judging from the current situation, as Ying Kai said, Du Kaixun’s suspicion was far greater than the Lotus Immortal’s.
Xu Shuangtze was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked, “Ying Kai.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think Gong Zhiyu could have two souls when he was alive? One good and one evil?”
Ying Kai and Mu Duozhu were both stunned, and then laughed at the same time. The Medical Sect Master smiled and shook his head, “Not to mention that this kind of entity would be akin to a person born with two heads. You, me, and Brother Ying personally examined the Lotus Immortal when he was young. If his soul had any anomaly, wouldn’t we have discovered it decades ago? Brother Xu, even if you don’t believe in the two of us, you should believe in yourself, right?”
Xu Shuangtze did not make any response again. His eyes were dark and calm at first glance, but if one looked carefully, they would find that his pupils were dilated, as if he suddenly fell into a long dream.
Ying Kai couldn’t help but added in doubt, “Shuangtze?”
“…”
Xu Shuangtze’s gaze seemed to be staring at an erratic point in mid-air, and after a while, he suddenly whispered, “Sometimes I wonder…have we all fallen into a colossal illusion ever since Gong Zhiyu’s death?”
The two men were stunned. Ying Kai frowned and asked, “Why do you think so?”
Xu Shuangtze was wearing black, fitted inner armor. His handsome and indifferent expression was even colder now. His black eyes were like two deep wells, and his thin lips were tightly shut and silent.
“It should be impossible, Shuangtze.” Ying Kai pondered for a moment, and said slowly “Among the three great illusions in the world, only ‘Mirror Through Yin and Yang’ can construct a brand-new illusionary world, drawing power from the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm artefact. However, it absolutely is not capable of trapping every grandmaster level cultivator such as us. Moreover, it is very simple to distinguish between reality and illusion. Don’t you remember the iron rule? There can be no illusionary techniques within the illusionary world, unless it is casted by the person who constructed it.”
“For example, when you were in the illusionary world of the Thousand Dimension Mirror Realm, only Gong Zhiyu could use illusionary techniques, and all beings within the mirror did not know that they were illusions. Since illusionary techniques can still be cast, it is clear that the world we are in is real. Then again, why do you have such weird ideas?”
Both of them stared at Xu Shuangtze closely. Xu Shuangtze seemed to be ignoring them and suddenly asked, “Then could we be in a dream?”
Ying Kai felt absurd and replied, “What?”
“Could it be that I am in a dream? Everyone around me are beings within my dreamscape?”
Mu Duozhu finally couldn’t listen to him anymore. He rolled up his sleeves and rotated his wrists and politely said, “Brother Xu, if you are really confused, I would like to give you a blow with my Thunderbolt Palm. I believe I can quell your confusion immediately…”
Ying Kai quickly stopped him and asked Xu Shuangtze, “Do you really think so?”
“…”
“In recent years, the frequency with which you go into seclusion within Cang Yang Mountain has increased. Perhaps because your cultivation has stagnated and you are overthinking it. After the matter with the soldier silk matter blows over, why not stay over at the Correctional Palace for a while? Brother Mu and I will help you sort out your spiritual veins, how about that?”
Xu Shuangtze did not answer. After a long while, he lowered his gaze, exhaled, and said, “No need. I must be overthinking.”
Ying Kai and Xu Shuangtze travelled all over the world together when they were young. Ying Kai knew just how stubborn his friend could be once he made a decision. He could only hold back his apprehension for now and reluctantly nod his head and go along with it.
At this time, a disciple lifted the curtain, quickly stepped forward and approached, “Medical Sect Master, there is an update from the Ice Pavilion. Ninety percent of the soldier silk within the remains of the Lotus Immortal has been extracted. It will be fully done within another hour. What are your orders?”
If Du Kaixun really wanted the remains of the Lotus Immortal, and he knew of a secret passage into Ding Xian Mausoleum, then the best alternative was to move his body to the Correctional Palace. Ying Kai will personally guard it. He was about to say something, but at this moment, the bead curtain of the entrance connecting the sky pavilion and the loft lifted. Changsun Chengfeng stepped in, saying, “Everyone, please wait a minute. May I ask if the remains of the Lotus Immortal are sealed within the Ice Pavilion?”
Mu Duozhu replied, “Ah! Does the Artefact Sect Master have an opinion on this?”
The ferocity on Changsun Chengfeng’s body had disappeared, and the easy-going and friendly demeanour returned to his handsome face once again. He put his hands in the sleeves of his robe and said with a smile, “I have an idea. It is dangerous, but it may help us track down where Du Kaixun is currently hiding.”
Ying Kai asked in doubt, “What method?”
* * *
At the Ice Pavilion, there was a major formation used to hide dead bodies.
Gong Wei was standing next to his own remains lying on a block of ice. At this moment, he was at a loss.
His thoughts were tangled and chaotic. He seemed to be on the brink of realising something significant. However, just when he delved deeper and thought about it more carefully, he could not grasp it and was left with a blank.
After an unknown period of time, the biting chill in this ice pavilion gradually jolted Gong Wei back to his senses. He stiffly draped the burial coat back onto the corpse. He was frustrated and stopped looking at it. Then, an inexplicable desire to escape emerged. He spun around and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, just at this time, a few footsteps could be heard outside the door, and Ying Kai’s voice approached from a distance, “—Chengfeng, you said this method is dangerous. What are the risks?”
People were coming!
Gong Wei paused. He couldn’t decide whether to stay or rush out to acknowledge his Shixiong. Within a few short breaths, he heard the footsteps arrive at the gate of the Ice Pavilion. Fortunately, the two disciples on guard duty regained their senses and saluted at once, “This disciple pays respects to Alliance Master and Lord Xu!”
Xu Shuangtze?!
Gong Wei’s hand shook. Without even realizing, he already turned his head and looked around. It just so happens that the pavilion was sparse. There wasn’t even a single screen. Gong Wei noticed a carved window in the far corner. When he rushed over like a hurricane, it was locked!
What do I do? To hide or not to hide?
The disciples outside the door saluted five or six times in a row. This meant that all the great masters in this world had gathered outside. Gong Wei’s mind was in a mess under the pressure. Suddenly, he turned around. His gaze fixed on something.
There was a concealed and narrow gap between the ice bed and the floor. It was no more than half a foot.
With a creak, the door opened, and several pairs of feet shuffled in.
“Although I don’t know how Du Kaixun planted the soldier silk into the Golden Coffin, it is unlikely that he got into the Ding Xian Mausoleum personally.” Changsun Chengfeng walked towards the ice bed and stood still. He glanced at the soldier silk which was being extracted, and said, “That is to say, he can’t manipulate his puppets in close proximity. It is very likely that he planted the soldier silk in advance and laid a set of commands on the Lotus Immortal’s remains.”
“—For example, ‘Come to me’?” Ying Kai frowned.
“That’s my guess. At the same time, he would have indicated a specific location where he hid.” Changsun Chengfeng continued, “So, as long as we figure out what he instructed the Lotus Immortal to do, we can find out what he is plotting and his whereabouts.”
Under the ice bed, ‘Xiang Xiaoyuan’s’ rare yin physique perfectly integrated with the cold Ice pavilion. Gong Wei held his breath and pressed himself against the floor. His eyes were fixed on a pair of white and black silk boots beside him.
They belonged to Xu Shuangtze.
Perhaps it was his imagination, but the Cang Yang Sect Master seemed to stand closest to the ice bed, and even Gong Wei could sense an aura of oppression close at hand.
Ying Kai asked, “How can we know what he instructed Gong…What he instructed this puppet to do?”
“The previous Artefact Sect Masters can infuse part of their primordial spirit into the mechanical soldier’s body. Through the soldier silk, they may perceive the consciousness which the soldiers possessed. If the Lotus Immortal was still alive, this method is simple and easy to perform. I would have taken it upon myself to proceed. However, the danger lies in the fact that the Lotus Immortal has passed on. There is tremendous risk in using the primordial spirit to perceive the dead. This is no different from breaking into the Ghost Wall.”
“Therefore, it is now necessary for a great master of an extremely high cultivation realm and formidable primordial spirit to infuse the soldier silk into the body of the Lotus Immortal with spiritual power. This great master’s primordial spirit is to pave the way for me, so that I can visualise what Du Kaixun imprinted in the consciousness of the Lotus Immortal.”
At this point, Changsun Chengfeng paused, and glanced around at everyone, “I am incompetent and have not yet entered the Mahayana Realm. As such, I dare not cross the boundary of life and death. Which great master here is willing to take the risk of damaging their primordial spirit?”
The slightest damage to one’s primordial spirit, which straddles the yin and yang, is no different from immediate death.
Everyone stared at each other. Mu Duozhu slowly retreated far away with small steps, and replied politely, “How dare I be arrogant in front of these great masters?”
Yuchi Rui had been staring at the corpse on the ice bed with despondence. At this moment, he pulled out some five-spice peanuts from his sleeve, and wanted to gently place a few in the corpse’s hand. He paused after hearing the words, raised his head blankly and blinked twice. Then, he suddenly pointed to Xu Shuangtze, “—Why isn’t he going?”
Everyone had been secretly guarding Xu Shuangtze since they entered the Ice Pavilion, for fear that he might destroy the corpse. However, Xu Shuangtze was unexpectedly silent and made no response.
It wasn’t until Yuchi Rui named him that he finally raised his head and exhaled, saying, “I’ll do it.”
However, Yuchi Rui had always adhered to the principle of opposing Lord Xu—whatever Lord Xu supports, I will object. Whatever Lord Xu opposes, I will support. If Lord Xu wants to do something, I will rush to do it first. If Lord Xu doesn’t want to do something, no one shall force me to do it.  As such, Yuchi Rui immediately changed his mind, “No. I better do it. ”
Changsun Chengfeng, “…”
Mu Duozhu, “…”
Ying Kai sighed, “Changsheng, cultivators in the early Mahayana realm should not rush into danger.”
Then, Yuchi Rui turned to Xu Shuangtze with a defiant stare, saying, “Don’t you have a beloved…a young disciple who was planted with soldier silk? Since every inch of his spiritual vein was damaged, he would need a lot of spiritual energy channelled into him each day.”
Everyone looked at Xu Shuangtze but he didn’t change expression and retorted, “So?”
“If your primordial spirit is damaged, wouldn’t it delay the treatment of this disciple? So it is safest for me to go.” Ying Kai turned to the Artefact Sect Master and said with a gentle tone that no one could reject, “Chengfeng, do what you have to and let my primordial spirit pave the way for you..”
“What?” Yuchi Rui let go and raised his head to protest, “This will not do!”
The four peanuts in his hand rolled along the edge of the ice bed to the side of the corpse’s head. Then, they fell through the small gap between the ice blocks.
Click, click, click.
Gong Wei, who was lying flat at the feet level of the crowd, had no expression on his face. He could only watch as the spiced peanuts fell from the top of his head to the ground in front of him.
“Chengfeng has always been prudent and will minimise the risks. This case is settled.” Then, Ying Kai finally couldn’t help but lowered his voice and chided, “—Changsheng, your snacks have fallen onto the ground again!” ”
Changsun Chengfeng replied, “Although there are risks, there is no alternative. Right now, we can only resort to this dangerous trick.” He couldn’t help but sigh, “For such a vile spawn to hail from my family, I am indeed at fault for negligence. I cannot escape the blame—Hai! If Lord Xu hadn’t failed seventeen years ago and slain Du Kaixun in the far north, this great misfortune would not have happened!”
Under the ice bed, Gong Wei’s eyelids jumped suddenly.
Did Xu Shuangtze kill Du Kaixun seventeen years ago?
The glaciers of Beijiang were tens of thousands of miles away from Cang Yang Mountain. Why would Xu Shuangtze do this?
Just as his thoughts were spinning wildly, Mu Duozhu’s cold voice suddenly came over his head, “Sword Sect Master? What are you doing?”
Gong Wei, who was lying on the ground, and Yuchi Rui, who was standing, froze at the same time.
“It is strictly forbidden to litter on the golden ship. Did you know that the previous time when Liu Xuzhi threw four grape skins on this ship, his disciple Meng Yunfei had to redeem him with four thousand taels of silver?”
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and Ying Kai trembled before saying, “Brother Mu, you are too immoral…Changsheng, hurry and pick them up!”
Yuchi Rui replied dully, “Okay”, only to find that all the peanuts had fallen through the cracks between the ice blocks. Without another word, he stretched out his hand under the ice bed to pick them up.
Gong Wei, “? ”
The air froze in an instant.
Gong Wei, “…”
Yuchi Rui, “…”
One of them laid under the ice bed while the other leaned on the side. The two men met each other’s gaze with blank expressions at once.