Chapter 33: The Sudden Appearance of Hei Lian (Part 1)

  As soon as the sky darkened, Ruyuan's Danqing Sword Hero Xu Canghai came to visit. As soon as he entered the cave, Danqing Sword Hero Xu Canghai burst out laughing: "Ziyang brother, this time I'm here specifically to offer congratulations! Lu Yun defeated Tianjian Institute's third strongest expert Leng Jiaohao, which was beyond everyone's expectations, it's truly exhilarating. Finally, we've suppressed the prestige of Tianjian Institute."

  Ziyang Zhenren happily welcomed him and smiled: "You're overpraising, please sit down quickly. How come you're free again now and thought of coming to see us? This time, how are the other several courts doing? You should be clearer than us, speak up."

  Dan Qing Jian Xia Xu Cang Hai glanced at everyone, saw that Xuan Yu was not there and didn't mind, lightly smiled and said: "This time I came mainly to congratulate Lu Yun on his complete victory, and also brought greetings from my disciple Li Ming. As for the situation of the six institutes this time, your Yi Yuan is the most impressive. This time only you had three people enter the top twelve, while Feng Huang Book Institute only had Cang Yue entering alone, temporarily falling behind. The other four institutes each have two people, maintaining balance."

  Lu Yun asked on the side: "Master Xu, I don't know what kind of people the other four institutes have entered the top twelve with? Can you tell us, so we can also prepare ourselves mentally?"

  Dan Qing Jian Xia Xu Cang Hai sank into thought for a moment, then opened his mouth and said: "Our Confucian Garden is Bi Tian and Du Li, the Taoist Garden is Wu Wang and Yun Hua, and the Bodhi Academy is Ben Yi and Jie Chan. As for that Tianjian Institute, it's Jian Wuchen and Zhan Yu. Tomorrow, this final battle will be the most crucial one, whoever wins in that battle can enter the top six, so tomorrow's battle will also be the most perilous. In order to compete for the top six, every disciple will go all out, no one will take it easy."

  Lu Yun, Zhang Ao Xue and Li Hong Fei exchanged a glance, none of them said anything, all feeling a bit heavy-hearted. Zi Yang Zhen Ren looked at Lu Yun and softly said: "This time's competition, no matter what the outcome is, we've already done our best. As long as we have no regrets in our hearts and before heaven and earth, that's enough. As for the final result, let it be whatever it may be." Afterwards, everyone chatted for a while, then Dan Qing Jian Xia Xu Cang Hai pulled Zi Yang along and left.

  Under the moonlight, a slender figure stretched from the entrance of the cave into the darkness. The delicate silhouette stood still at the entrance. Lu Yun gazed at her back, that captivating posture, perhaps only the vastness of the night sky could rival it. Walking quietly to her side, Lu Yun spoke softly: "Tonight's moonlight is beautiful, just like last night, truly worth cherishing. Would you like to go out for a walk? We can take a look at the Yellow River and that mysterious sound, see if it's still there?"

  She gazed at him, nodded slightly, and her figure fluttered away like a fairy. Lu Yun turned his head back to glance at the cave entrance, and his body also floated away with the wind. At the entrance of the cave, a tall figure appeared, standing still and quietly watching the two figures disappear into the night. A soft sigh was heard, and it wasn't until much later that he turned around and left. Just as he departed, another figure emerged at the entrance of the cave, gazing at the slightly worn-out figure with a hint of sadness, and sighed: "In this lifetime, you might not be able to catch up with Lu Yun. Because you're too aloof, and Ao Xue is also quite cold, you two are destined to be apart." After speaking, he looked up at the sky, a faint smile on his face, hazy yet beautiful under the moonlight.

  Lu Yun quickened his pace, walking shoulder to shoulder with Ao Xue. In the night wind, that enchanting and mysterious fragrance deeply attracted Lu Yun's nerves, causing him to focus all his thoughts on that captivating body. Suddenly, Ao Xue turned her head and looked at him, lightly saying: "Tomorrow's competition, do you think any of us three can enter the top six?"

  Lu Yun looked at that misty beautiful eyes, softly said: "Tomorrow's things, who can say clearly. Anyway, I believe among the three of us, at least one person can enter the top six. Tonight the moonlight is like water, let's talk about something else, okay?"

  Zhang Aoxue's expression remained calm as he gazed up at the bright moon in the sky, his voice soft as he said, "The days of a cultivator are quiet and dull. What is there to say? Perhaps, when one gains power and longevity, they also lose many joys that ordinary people should have."

  Lu Yun heard this and said softly, "If that's the case, then what's the point of longevity? Is living just for survival or is it for happiness? As long as one is happy, why worry too much about longevity? Cultivators are also human, and humans have emotions and desires. If a person loses those emotions and desires, can they still be considered human? Perhaps if you put it nicely, you could say they're an immortal, but if not, what would you call them? We're still young, at the stage of making choices. Once we make the wrong choice, there's no turning back this lifetime, is there?"

  Zhang Aoxue heard this and did not speak, but quietly gazed at the bright moon. After a quiet moment, Zhang Aoxue walked slowly away, heading in the direction of the Yellow River. In the air, her faint voice lingered: "If that's so, then what is your cultivation for?"

  Lu Yun gazed at her back, the moonlight casting a silver glow on her captivating figure, as if she were a celestial maiden from the Moon Palace descending into the mortal world. Thinking of her words, Lu Yun quietly followed her and said: "I came only to fulfill a wish. Cultivating the truth is just a means for me to complete that wish. As long as I'm alive, I won't yield to anyone. To be happy, to be blissful, one must walk the path of cultivating the truth. Everyone cultivates with a purpose, it's just a matter of how high or low their goals are set. And I, I only seek happiness in this life, and being free to do as I please is enough."

  No sound, no answer, everything just quietly disappeared into the night sky.

  Suddenly, Zhang Aosnow's expression changed, and the divine sword Purple Shadow on his body suddenly flew out automatically. The sword tip pointed directly to the west, which was the Yellow River. Aosnow looked at Lu Yun with a glance, and said in a low voice: "Something must have happened at the Yellow River, otherwise my divine sword wouldn't have flown out automatically. Let's go take a look."

  Lu Yun gazed westward and said in a low voice, "Remember when we were in the Netherworld Forest, this divine sword had an extremely powerful destructive force against ghosts and monsters. Now that it has suddenly emerged from its scabbard, is it warning us that such creatures have also appeared there? Recently, various parts of the world have been plagued by the appearance of ghosts and monsters; could even the Taixuan Mountain be immune? Let's go take a look and we'll understand. Come on." As soon as he finished speaking, the Red Sword flashed with red light, taking Lu Yun away in an instant.

  Two people directly rose to the high altitude of twenty zhang above the ground and rapidly shot towards the direction of the Yellow River. From a distance, it was seen that on the banks of the Yellow River, a five-colored light flowed, and an extremely powerful aura instantly spread out in all directions. At the same time, another silver-yellow light reflected the moonlight, flashing with beautiful and dazzling rays, also emitting a powerful aura.

  Zhang Aoxue's expression changed slightly, and the Purple Shadow Sword seemed to be infected, as a purple glow suddenly shot up into the sky. The Purple Shadow Sword burst out with a dazzling purple light, instantly spreading in all directions, filling the air with a purple glow. Lu Yun was shocked by what he saw, and a clear pattern suddenly appeared in his mind. He looked at Aoxue and said, "That's the light of the Xiao Yue Sword and the Tian Ling Sword. I didn't expect that the three legendary divine swords would gather on Tai Xuan Mountain. Let's go quickly, there's a monster appearing over there." As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them suddenly increased their power, their bodies like shooting stars, disappearing from the original location in an instant and reappearing by the Yellow River.

  In a flash of light, Lu Yun and Zhang Aosnow landed on the rocky cliff by the Yellow River. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that there were already two people here at this time. One was Jian Wucheng from the Tianjian Academy, and the other was Cangyue from the Fenghuang Academy. Jian Wucheng's head was topped with a five-colored divine sword that rotated continuously, and he was gazing intently at the surface of the Yellow River. On the other side, Cangyue's head was adorned with a silver-yellow longsword that spun ceaselessly, emitting a moonlight-like glow that enveloped her entire being in mid-air. The mysterious yet beautiful figure seemed like an elf in the night sky, appearing ethereal and untainted by worldly thoughts.

  Aoshuang gazed at Cangyue, a strange light flickering in his eyes. The divine sword Ziyin's light flashed on top of his head, and Aoshuang himself rose into the air, forming a triangle with Cangyue Sword Wuchen, silently staring at the surface of the Yellow River. Beside them, Luyun looked at the three people floating in mid-air, a hint of an unusual smile flashing in his eyes, his body slightly moving to the edge of the stone cliff, carefully gazing at the water's surface.

  Under the moonlight, three different lights stood quietly by the Yellow River, with one man and two women gazing at the river's movement. Lu Yun had already roughly made out a glimpse of their appearance, and saw that on the Yellow River, a faint black aura was spreading, which was very difficult to detect. The rolling eastward flowing torrent, accompanied by thunderous roars, was constantly howling. Countless water flowers formed on the surface of the water, creating beautiful waves. However, all these normal things seemed somewhat different at this moment. It could be seen that those waves kept increasing non-stop, slowly forming nine gigantic waves on the river's surface, just like nine whirlpools, which were very beautiful yet full of mystery.

  Jian Wuchen glanced at Cang Yue and Zhang Aoxue, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Turning back to look out over the Yellow River, Jian Wuchen said, "Be careful, this demon is about to appear. It dares to show itself under our three divine swords, clearly it has an extraordinary cultivation level, otherwise it wouldn't dare to appear so easily. Everyone be cautious, beware of any sinister plots or tricks from this demon, tonight we must definitely eliminate it completely. To defend the dignity of our Orthodox Cultivation Realm." Cang Yue and Aoxue didn't say a word, only silently gazing at the water's surface, making Jian Wuchen feel somewhat awkward for a moment.

  Suddenly, the water surface underwent a strange change. Nine huge waves appeared in the center, and a black smoke suddenly rose, instantly transforming into nine black lotus flowers, swirling on the water's surface, emitting a seductive glow. Soon, the nine lotus flowers slowly dispersed, releasing nine strands of black demonic energy. In the center of the nine lotus flowers, a black lotus platform formed, slowly rotating. As time passed, the platform spun faster and faster, gradually becoming a black light pillar that shot straight up to the sky. At the same moment the light pillar rose, a powerful demonic energy spread across the entire Taixuan Mountain like raging waves.

  At this moment, Jian Wucheng let out a loud roar, and the divine sword Tianling, accompanied by a five-colored glow, formed a gigantic sword pillar dozens of feet long in mid-air, instantly striking down at that black light column. Meanwhile, Cangyue's divine sword slashed horizontally at those nine lotus flowers. A dazzling silver-yellow light, like a streak of lightning, struck the nine lotus flowers in an instant. Proud Snow saw this and didn't want to fall behind either; the purple shadow divine sword's glow surged forth, transforming into a purple dragon that coiled through the air, firmly locking onto that demonic energy's aura.