Chapter 250: Reunion of Fellow Disciples!
Fang Lingqing couldn't figure out whether he was alive or dead in his current state. If we say he's alive, he had no body temperature, no heartbeat, and not even control over his own body. If we say he's dead, he still had consciousness, but it felt like his consciousness was trapped in a cage. Every time he regained clarity for a moment, he would immediately be overwhelmed by endless pain.
He faintly heard someone speaking, mentioning Mei Kangping, the demon realm, and the Xiao family. He tried to gather his focus, wanting to gather more information, but the next second, he was engulfed by a mixture of blood and darkness.
The next time he regained his senses, all that was left in front of him was a pile of corpses.
All of them, killed by him.
He didn't want this, the young man couldn't help but cry guiltily. He didn't want to kill anyone.
In that moment of brief respite, Fang Lingqing's mind was filled with many thoughts, thoughts of Bai Shanhu , Qi Feidao , Lu Cixian, and even Qiao Wan , finally settling on the face of Meng Canglang .
He had always admired and envied Senior Meng, envied how Senior Meng, as an ordinary human, worked hard step by step to become the respected senior of Chongde Ancient Garden.
Actually, at first, he was also jealous. He was just an ordinary human, why could he reach such a level? Why did the teachers favor him more? Why?
When Fang Lingqing first entered Chongde Ancient Garden, he appeared dignified and kind, with a bundle of righteousness in his chest, but his thoughts were not always positive.
At that time, Meng Canglang , a youth from a mountain village, had a handsome face but wore shabby clothes, which made Fang Lingqing not think highly of him.
Too rustic.
Clumsy and rigid, stuck in his ways, always studying.
Until one rainy evening, when Meng Canglang hadn't learned the dust-avoidance technique yet, and didn't want his clothes to get wet from the rain, he stood under the eaves to seek shelter from the rain.
While passing by the corridor, he caught a glimpse of a young scholar sitting straight and serious by the window in the guest hall.
The young scholar remained silent, studying until the light of the lanterns dimmed, casting a soft glow on his dignified face and the pages of the book.
Just like Meng Canglang himself, gentle and upright.
On that day, Fang Lingqing suddenly realized that Meng Canglang's efforts were even more commendable than his own natural talents.
From then on, he secretly regarded Meng Canglang as his competitor and looked up to him as a role model in everything he did.
Fang Lingqing couldn't help but wonder how Meng Canglang would handle such a situation. His senior brother, Meng Canglang, would surely fight back with all his might...
"Quick..." The boy clenched his fists when he recognized the two people in front of him as Yu Xingzhi and Wang Ruyi . He broke down like a child and said, "Run quickly."
His consciousness was engulfed by darkness again, but he still lifted his butcher knife towards his former companion.
Yu Xingzhi felt a sudden throb in his forehead!
His eyes shimmered as he stared intently at the boy in front of him.
Fang Lingqing exclaimed, "He still has consciousness!"
In that split second of hesitation, sharp threads of energy shot out from behind the boy, heading towards both of them!
Just then, they suddenly heard the sound of water by their ears. In the next moment, a tall figure appeared unexpectedly. The young man glanced to the side and sternly shouted, "Let's go!"
The waves surged violently.
"With a righteous spirit, swiftly like the wind!"
Meng Canglang appeared, holding a huge sword-like door plank, and stood in front of Fang Lingqing !
Following closely behind Meng Canglang , Qi Feidao gently pulled Wang Ruyi aside and looked gravely towards Fang Lingqing not far away.
Yu Xingzhi was shocked: "You... How did you end up here?!"
Amidst all the busyness, Qi Feidao glanced at him and sighed: "This secret realm is so peculiar, anyone would know to run towards the immortal palace."
*
After calming herself down, Qiao Wan and Meng Guangze looked at each other with determination.
Meng Guangze gently looked at her, without any temper: "Have you decided how to proceed?"
"Yes," Qiao Wan clenched her clothes and whispered: "I want to use Lu Cixian's identity for now."
At first, she had been busy merging her small account with her main account. But before she was captured by the Xiao family, she had immediately separated her small account to prevent both accounts from being compromised at the same time.
Everyone was focused on her main account, and now, Qiao Wan's identity in everyone's eyes was "gone." So, it was undoubtedly the wisest choice to investigate while using Lu Cixian's identity.
"But before that, I have a few questions I want to ask you, senior."
Meng Guangze, a kind man, didn't mind being called "senior" and gently asked, "What would you like to know?"
"Why did Senior Li ask me to fetch the Evil Sword Book? Is the Evil Sword Book related to Buping College?"
Meng Guangze shook his head. "You could say it's related, but you could also say it's not."
"In the past," Meng Guangze looked kindly at her, "I had a good relationship with Zhou Yan. We often practiced sword techniques together. Before heading to the demon realm, I had a revelation about a particular sword technique but couldn't fully understand it. I felt that if this technique could be created, it might have a great impact. However, I didn't have much time left. I went to the demon realm with the intention of sacrificing myself. Before leaving, I couldn't let go of this yet-to-be-born technique, so I wrote down my insights and gave them to Yuqing Spiritual Master."
"I hoped he could create this sword technique for me," Meng Guangze sighed. "I don't know anything after that. Now, it seems that Zhou Yan has achieved it."
No matter how much people criticize Zhou Yan's moral character, he is truly a deserving genius in the art of swordsmanship.
Qiao Wan was shocked and asked, "Is the Evil Sword Book very powerful?"
Meng Guangze patiently explained, as if talking to a naive child, "Yes, it is very powerful. It can defeat demons and eliminate evil spirits. When the sword technique is used, mountains crumble and the world trembles."
At this realization, Qiao Wan felt a sudden uneasiness in her heart.
If even Senior Meng doesn't know this sword technique, then Xiao Huan, who has learned the Evil Sword Book, must be unbeatable now.
Qiao Wan pondered for a moment and asked, "Then... why did Mei Kangping come to find me?"
"Because you are my daughter, the only bloodline I left behind in the mortal realm," Meng Guangze said with a remorseful expression. "In the past, I sacrificed myself to suppress the Emperor's tyranny."
And in order to break the seal, a blood relative is needed as a sacrifice.
Su Buhuo does not have any siblings, only Qiao Wan as the sole remaining bloodline in the mortal world.
Cen Qingyou had warned her back then, and it was all true...
"That... the great formation of heaven and earth? And Fufeng Valley..."
When Meng Guangze mentioned this, he fell silent, hesitating whether to speak or not, and worrying about whether Qiao Wan could handle the truth behind it all.
Glancing at the girl in front of him, Meng Guangze sighed and ultimately chose to be honest.
His daughter was even stronger and more independent than he had imagined.
"Fufeng Valley wasn't intentionally abandoned, it was necessary to do so. The great formation of heaven and earth had to be nourished with human souls, and Fufeng Valley was a suitable choice. Unfortunately, I arrived too late."
Qiao Wan felt a chill down her spine.
So that's how it is? Then what does Boss Yan's persistence over the years mean?
Qiao Wan's throat felt dry, but she realized she couldn't blame anyone.
To sacrifice one person to save millions, or sacrifice hundreds of thousands to save one – this is a question that has no reasonable answer throughout history.
Qiao Wan's heart shook, then she lowered her eyes and regained her composure. She said calmly, "Thank you so much, senior. I understand now."
Meng Guangze noticed Qiao Wan's reaction and felt both relieved and worried. The lines around his eyes creased as he sighed.
"As for the powerful formation in this world, the Cen family is involved. Although I am hiding in your mind, I am not always awake. Your spiritual power was not enough to sustain my consciousness. Most of the time, I sleep in your mind. I know very little about the truth of the Cen family's destruction."
"But I think Mei Kangping may have made some agreement with the demon clan."
"Your friend, the Demon Emperor, probably came to participate in the gathering for this reason as well."
Mrs. Cen's arrival can only be seen as one of the reasons.
A powerful Demon Emperor like him wouldn't come all the way here and neglect the chaos within the demon clan just for the sake of his subordinate's personal matter. Qiao Wan couldn't believe it if someone were to say this.
Once the crisis at the Cen Mansion was resolved, Qiao Wan and Jia Yin parted ways, and she had no idea how Jia Yin handled the turmoil within the demon clan.
Does this secret realm have any connection to Mei Kangping?
Qiao Wan fell silent for a moment.
Meng Guangze encouraged her, saying, "If you have any thoughts, feel free to share."
"The attacks in this secret realm," Qiao Wan hesitated, "seem to be like random reflections through some special medium."
Throughout the journey of being chased by the Xiao family, Qiao Wan had been thinking carefully. Finally, she suddenly realized that these pervasive killings were not without reason.
These sword techniques and martial arts revealed traces of various sects' skills.
She saw the sword intent of Bai Shanhu, Meng Canglang, Xie Xingzhi, and even her own!
This discovery left Qiao Wan in awe.
The attacks in the secret realm seemed more like a Kunshan disciple demonstrating their sword skills in their own territory, and these attacks were randomly reflected onto a disciple from Chongde Ancient Garden in another location, with the help of some special medium.
"Senior, does the demon realm have something like this?" Meng Guangze's expression became serious. "In the demon realm, there is a special stone. It is somewhat similar to the spirit-absorbing walls used by spirit beasts, but also different. This stone absorbs 'attacks,' any kind of attack will be 'captured' by it, and then it will spit them out at the right time. However, due to its scarcity, it cannot distinguish between friend and foe, unable to be controlled. Although the demon realm has tried to use it in battles, they have not been successful and had to give up."
Qiao Wan's thoughts were in disarray.
She realized that she wasn't the only one who noticed the strangeness of these attacks. If other disciples in the secret realm discovered that these attacks actually came from a certain sect, would there be infighting? Would they start killing each other?
Could this be what Mei Kangping wanted?
Qiao Wan suddenly had a thought and felt lucky in her heart.
Right from the beginning, there was almost a fight between Kunshan and the Xiao family because of her.
Then, there was a fight between Xiluo and Jia Yin over Jia Yin's territory.
After that, there was a fight between the Cen family and the Lin family. They sealed off the area and successfully broke through a barrier.
Then, they attacked the Great Hall of Light. Many casualties occurred in the ghost market.
It was as if there was a mischief-maker stirring up trouble everywhere, causing fights between different families. The cultivation world, which was already divided, became even more fragmented. On the other hand, the demon realm was united like an iron barrel.
Just as Qiao Wan thought about this, she was shocked and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
If Mei Kangping was really causing trouble in the secret realm, how could he do it with limited power while being watched by all the sects?
Unless... there was a traitor!
In the midst of confusion, a warm hand suddenly touched Meng Guangze's forehead. He stood up eagerly and pointed his finger, saying, "Little Wan, before this, I want to introduce you to someone."
Following Meng Guangze, they took a few steps forward. The man gently crouched down and helped up something that looked like a "person" on the ground.
The person on the ground struggled to lift a bloody and distorted face.
As their eyes met, it was none other than the dead warrior from the Xiao family!
