Chapter 468
Yan Wushuang sighed deeply in the courtyard. Although Tongming Mountain had collapsed, rebuilding a courtyard in the Transformation stage was merely a matter of moments. This courtyard was hastily constructed by Xie Qingxue, its white walls and green tiles still pristine and untouched by dust.
The colors reminded him of her face—pale yet tinged with green.
"Why am I so easily scared by my senior sister?" He swung his legs back and forth in the courtyard, muttering to himself. But when he recalled the fierce look on his senior sister's face as she brandished her sword, he reassured himself, "It's only natural to be scared, right?"
As he walked, he glanced toward the direction of the Jiushan Realm but dared not move too much.
It was clear that his senior sister was genuinely angry this time. The way she stormed out, her fury seemed to stem from something beyond just the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method"...
If he followed her, he might only add fuel to the fire. With that thought, he felt even more helpless and could only gaze outside the courtyard.
"I just hope Zheng Fa can handle it..."
...
Xie Qingxue's figure soon appeared at the courtyard entrance, and Yan Wushuang looked at his senior sister in confusion.
Her complexion was even greener and paler than his!
"Senior sister?"
"…"
Xie Qingxue ignored him.
Yan Wushuang's worry deepened. In just a few short hours, he had imagined countless scenarios, but his senior sister's expression was far beyond anything he could comprehend.
Had she suffered some grievance in the Jiushan Realm?
What had Zheng Fa done to her?
"Senior sister?"
He raised his voice a bit.
Only then did Xie Qingxue seem to hear him. She slowly lifted her head, and as if recalling something, her gaze fixed on Yan Wushuang, and she asked a question that caught him completely off guard: "Why didn’t you stop me?"
"…"
Yan Wushuang glanced at his own small arms and legs, then his eyes fell on the Qingping Sword at his senior sister's waist. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.
"Because you’re afraid of dying."
Yan Wushuang quickly nodded.
"Then if you had thrown yourself onto the Qingping Sword, I wouldn’t have gone to find Zheng Fa, would I?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Wushuang felt his Golden Elixir tremble, his voice quivering, "Senior sister, what are you saying?"
But Xie Qingxue seemed unwilling to answer him. She turned her head to look toward the Jiushan Realm, letting out a long sigh filled with regret and frustration.
Seeing this, Yan Wushuang's heart skipped a beat. He sensed that his senior sister's journey had likely encountered a significant setback.
"Senior sister, if Zheng Fa did something…," he paused, "it’s probably a misunderstanding. That 'Jiushan Golden Elixir Method'…"
Swish!
A blade of sword energy flew past the edge of Yan Wushuang's jaw, severing a strand of his hair and leaving him frozen in place.
"S-Senior sister?"
Xie Qingxue stared at him, her expression serious and dark. She said, "Why can’t you control that mouth of yours?"
Yan Wushuang dared not speak, only listening as his senior sister continued, "If you keep speaking carelessly like this, mentioning the 'Jiushan Golden Elixir Method,' the Qingping Sword, and all sorts of nonsense, what will happen if you expose the secrets of the Jiushan Realm?"
He blinked, feeling that something about her words was off.
Xie Qingxue added, "If you can’t keep secrets in front of me, you’ll surely slip up in front of others."
"If you continue like this in the Tianhe Sect, and if trouble arises, how will Zheng Fa handle it?"
The more Yan Wushuang listened, the stranger his expression became, and he finally couldn’t help but speak up.
"Senior sister… you’re a member of the Tianhe Sect, my senior sister, not Zheng Fa’s senior sister…"
"…"
"Why are you so worried about him?"
Xie Qingxue's face darkened, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "If you dare to leak even a hint of the Jiushan Realm's secrets in the future…"
She gave a cold smile, and Yan Wushuang felt a chill run down his spine. When he turned around, the house he had just built had turned to ashes, not even leaving a brick behind.
...
Yan Wushuang confirmed that his senior sister was indeed acting strangely.
In the Jiushan Realm, he watched as Xie Qingxue and Zheng Fa passionately discussed the follow-up to the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method."
It was evident that his senior sister was even more invested than Zheng Fa.
After watching for a moment, he suddenly thought of a question—if his senior sister was involved, what did he need to do?
With that thought, when he looked at his senior sister's face again, it seemed inexplicably irritating.
However, Xie Qingxue completely ignored her junior brother and continued discussing a question with Zheng Fa—
Did the Qingping Sword resonate with all cultivators who had mastered the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method," or just with those like Zheng Fa, who were attempting it for the first time?
This question was of great interest to Zheng Fa as well:
For him, it would be best if only he could resonate with the Qingping Sword—just because anyone could use it didn’t mean everyone could.
For Xie Qingxue, it was the same.
Having a sword spirit was already quite tragic.
Sharing a sword spirit? That would be better off being killed by the elders of Tianhe in a grand fashion.
After several attempts, they discovered that both scenarios were true.
On one hand, the Qingping Sword seemed to have been waiting for the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method" to appear, resonating more strongly with those who were attempting it for the first time.
On the other hand, every experiment with the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method" would cause the Qingping Sword to tremble, though not as intensely as before.
Previously, when dealing with the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor, it was Xie Qingxue who wanted to strike, and the combined intent of Zheng Fa, the Qingping Sword, and Xie Qingxue created the greatest power.
Zheng Fa and Xie Qingxue formed a terrifying balance… no, a tacit understanding:
Xie Qingxue needed Zheng Fa to keep her secrets.
Zheng Fa was also quite taken with the Qingping Sword—
As Xie Qingxue had said, even without considering the troubles from the Tianhe Sect, the threats from the Thunder Sound Temple and the Great Freedom Demon Ancestor were not to be ignored for the Jiushan Realm.
Yet others thought Zheng Fa would choose to ally with one of the five sects of Xuanwei, while he still harbored thoughts of independence:
Independence required strength.
The arrival of Xie Qingxue and the Qingping Sword… how could that not be considered the strength of the Jiushan Realm?
Moreover, for Zheng Fa, if anyone claimed that the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method" was not original… Xie Qingxue would surely kill him!
...
The benefits of Xie Qingxue's involvement in the Jiushan Realm were evident—just as Yan Wushuang had thought, her understanding of the "Nine Transformations Golden Elixir Method" was beyond what he could compare.
"The lineage of the Guardian Ancestor may be the Tianhe Sect's most in-depth research on the 'Nine Transformations Golden Elixir Method,'" Xie Qingxue said, her hand flicking the Qingping Sword, causing the four-finger-wide blade to condense into an almost invisible green thread, disappearing from sight.
Zheng Fa expanded his spiritual sense but could not detect the sword's trace.
After a moment, he heard Yan Wushuang's trembling voice, "S-Senior sister…"
Zheng Fa turned to see Yan Wushuang's hair in disarray, his star crown cracked neatly at the center.
Yan Wushuang's gaze was fixed on the Qingping Sword in Xie Qingxue's hand, clearly aware that she was responsible for the act.
This strike had occurred right before their eyes, yet none of them had seen how Xie Qingxue had severed Yan Wushuang's star crown.
It was worth noting that although Zheng Fa was still far from the Transformation stage, he was considered a master in the Jiushan Realm, with perception sharper than that of many in the Transformation stage. To evade his notice meant that this sword could likely evade the vast majority of those in the Transformation stage.
It was truly formless and invisible!
Zheng Fa shook his head inwardly. Yan Wushuang, this guy… really needed a reminder about his big mouth.
For Zheng Fa, Yan Wushuang's loose lips weren't a major issue, but for Xie Qingxue, it had significant consequences.
Thus, for the past few days, Xie Qingxue had been looking for opportunities to deal with him...
Zheng Fa set aside this matter, astonished, "You can refine a sword into threads?"
Even Yan Wushuang stopped trembling, staring wide-eyed at Xie Qingxue, who nodded, "This is what the Guardian Ancestor comprehended from the Qingping Sword."
"So… the disciples of the Tianhe Ancestor have never passed down the 'Nine Transformations Golden Elixir Method'?"
Zheng Fa suddenly realized a crucial point.
If it were someone else, they might fear that practicing the "Nine Transformations Golden Elixir Method" would resurrect the Tianhe Ancestor.
But his third disciple, Shouzhong, was certainly not of that mindset; he was eager to resurrect his own master!
"It should be so," Xie Qingxue said meaningfully, looking at Zheng Fa. "Otherwise, why do you think this method is so special?"
Zheng Fa understood that she was subtly alluding to the matter of the mountain stone.
He dismissed it, "Xie Xianzi, you said that the 'Jiushan Golden Elixir Method' has no relation to the 'Nine Transformations Golden Elixir Method'!"
Xie Qingxue pursed her lips, gazing at Zheng Fa's fearless face, her eyes then shifting to Yan Wushuang, as if contemplating when to give this junior brother another lesson.
With Xie Qingxue's assistance, especially with the emergence of the sword-refining technique, Zheng Fa's research on the "Jiushan Golden Elixir Method" entered a new phase.
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