Piercing cold permeated every inch of his skin. Yun Qingyu snapped his eyes open to find himself submerged in a pool of deep blue water. Countless tiny sword qi floated on the surface, ceaselessly drilling into his body to engage in a fierce battle with the black aura churning within.
"This is... the Sword-Washing Pool?"
He struggled to sit up, only to find his limbs firmly bound by sword qi chains extending from the bottom of the pool. On the stone platform by the pool, Elder Chu was forming hand seals, beads of sweat already beading on his forehead, clearly expending a tremendous amount of energy to maintain the Sword-Washing Pool.
"Don't move." Chu Yao knelt beside the pool, her eye rims red. "The Sword-Washing Pool is purifying the demonic qi inside you. Moving around will cause the sword qi to spin out of control."
Only then did Yun Qingyu notice that the young woman's originally fair palms were covered in fine wounds, with fresh blood dripping continuously into the pool—that was a sword cultivator's most precious natal essence blood!
"You..." His throat tightened. In his past life of a hundred years, no one had ever sacrificed themselves like this for him.
Chu Yao managed a faint smile. "My blood is special; it can neutralize demonic qi. Father said... said it will be over in another hour."
Before her voice faded, the pool water suddenly churned violently! The black aura inside Yun Qingyu seemed like a provoked beast, launching a frenzied counterattack that actually swallowed half of the sword qi!
"Not good!" Elder Chu's expression changed drastically. "The demonic qi is more stubborn than expected! Yao'er, fall back quickly!"
Yet Chu Yao did not hesitate to submerge her entire arm into the pool water. "Not enough... then take some more!"
Fresh blood diffused in the water like mist, and the deep blue pool water gradually took on a pale golden hue. Yun Qingyu felt a warm force pour into his meridians, fusing with the Jiuxiao Sword qi to temporarily suppress the rampage of the black aura.
"You foolish girl!" Elder Chu was both alarmed and furious, yet he had no choice but to throw his all into maintaining the formation. "Do you know that losing this much essence blood will impair your cultivation?"
Chu Yao's face was as pale as paper, yet she stubbornly refused to pull her hand out. "He saved me... this is... repayment..."
A heavy stone seemed to press down on Yun Qingyu's chest. In his past life, gifted as he was, he had cultivated in solitude and had never experienced this kind of affection that guarded another with one's life. The black aura seemed to sense his emotional fluctuations and seized the moment to counterattack once more!
"Ah!" The excruciating pain made him arch his back. Before his eyes surfaced scenes of being betrayed by his closest companions in his past life—Lu Mingxuan's ferocious sneer, Su Wanrou's cold indifference, the chilling feel of a sword piercing his heart... Hatred surged like a tide, and the black aura swelled in tandem!
"Yun Qingyu!" Chu Yao's call pierced through the fog of pain. "Don't let the demonic qi control you! Think of happy things!"
Happy things? Yun Qingyu's mind was hazy. Since his rebirth, besides revenge, what else did he have... Suddenly, Chu Yao's smile when they first met at the Sword Pavilion, her small smiling face when she gifted him the jade slip, the slender figure that had shielded him... These images flowed like a clear spring through his heart.
"Jiuxiao Sword Manual... righteousness nourishes the sword..." He muttered to himself, enduring the sharp pain as he sat cross-legged in the water and began to circulate the sword manual's mental cultivation method.
A marvelous transformation occurred. The pool water infused with Chu Yao's essence blood resonated with the sword qi, forming a golden vortex at his Dantian that slowly devoured and transformed the rampaging black aura!
"This is... Sword Heart Resonance?" Elder Chu stared in shock at the miraculous phenomenon in the pool. "Only destined sword companions can..."
Before he finished speaking, the Sword-Washing Pool suddenly erupted with a pillar of light soaring into the sky! A crisp sound like shattering glass echoed from within Yun Qingyu's body, and the black aura was forcefully compressed down to the size of a rice grain, sealed in the corner of his Dantian. Meanwhile, his cultivation leveraged this opportunity to break through to the Qi Condensation 9th Layer!
"It worked!" Chu Yao smiled weakly, then darkness claimed her vision and she pitched forward.
Yun Qingyu snapped the chains, leaped out of the water, and caught the young woman. The person in his arms felt almost weightless, and the dense network of wounds on her wrists was shocking to behold.
"Why..." His voice was hoarse. "We are complete strangers..."
Chu Yao forced her eyes open. "That day... the look in your eyes on the arena... was identical to my mother's right before she passed away..." Before she could finish, she lost consciousness.
Elder Chu stepped forward quickly to check his daughter's pulse, his expression softening slightly. "Excessive loss of essence blood; she will need to recuperate quietly for over a month." He cast a complex look at Yun Qingyu. "Since you have already suppressed the demonic qi, go back and consolidate your cultivation."
Yun Qingyu gently handed Chu Yao over to her father and bowed solemnly. "This grace must be repaid."
Leaving the Sword-Washing Pool, the sky was already nearing dusk. Yun Qingyu returned to his quarters and found a gold-stamped invitation waiting on the table—in three days, the Xuantian Sect would host the "Sword-Trial Tournament," and all inner sect disciples were required to attend.
"The Sword-Trial Tournament..." Yun Qingyu was deep in thought. In his past life, this assembly had been an ordinary competition, but now that he had altered the trajectory of fate, things likely wouldn't be peaceful.
As he pondered, a rustling sound came from outside the window. Yun Qingyu's gaze turned sharp, and Jiuxiao Sword qi instantly condensed at his fingertips!
"Don't attack!" A lean, diminutive figure tumbled in through the window; it turned out to be a youth dressed as an outer sect disciple. "Senior Brother Yun, I was sent by Elder Chu."
The youth introduced himself as Lin Xiaofan, an errand-running disciple of the Sword Pavilion. He retrieved a jade slip from his bosom. "The Elder said that although the demonic qi is temporarily suppressed, it will inevitably rebound every full moon. This jade slip records methods to alleviate it."
Yun Qingyu took the jade slip and swept his divine sense across it, but the contents left him stunned—every full moon, he needed to press his palms against Chu Yao's to use her special physique to balance the demonic qi!
"This..." For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Lin Xiaofan looked left and right, lowering his voice. "There's one more matter. The Elder investigated the origins of those men in black. They belong to an organization called the 'Tiansha Alliance,' and they are reportedly... searching for the master of the Jiuxiao Sword."
"The master of the Jiuxiao Sword?"
"The person who can fully inherit the Jiuxiao Sword Manual." A hint of awe flashed in Lin Xiaofan's eyes. "Legend says that the day the sword master manifests is the day the Tiansha Demonic Lord resurrects!"
A jolt went through Yun Qingyu's heart. Could his rebirth be related to this ancient secret? Just as he was about to press for details, Lin Xiaofan's expression suddenly shifted drastically. "Someone's coming!" With that, he vaulted back out the window.
Almost simultaneously, a knock sounded at the door. Yun Qingyu opened it to find Lu Mingxuan, whom he hadn't seen in days!
"Junior Brother Yun." Lu Mingxuan's smile was warm and amiable, as if the conflict from days ago had never happened. "I heard you weren't feeling well, so I came specially to pay a visit."
Yun Qingyu grew inwardly vigilant. The Lu Mingxuan before him behaved as usual, but his sword qi acutely detected a trace of extremely faint demonic qi on the other man!
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I am already fully recovered."
Lu Mingxuan let himself into the room and sat down uninvited. "The Sword-Trial Tournament is in three days. Has Junior Brother made any preparations? I hear the rewards this time are generous; the victor will earn the qualification to enter the 'Xuantian Secret Realm'."
The Xuantian Secret Realm? A thought stirred in Yun Qingyu's mind. In his past life, this secret realm opened once every decade and contained countless heavenly treasures. He had once obtained a medicinal herb there that helped him achieve Golden Core Formation.
"Senior Brother is well-informed."
"Just a little bit." Lu Mingxuan's smile deepened. "By the way, I heard Junior Sister Chu damaged her foundation treating your injuries? How... truly touching."
Yun Qingyu's gaze turned abruptly cold. "If Senior Brother has nothing else, please return. I need to cultivate."
Lu Mingxuan stood up to take his leave, turning back suddenly as he reached the door. "Junior Brother Yun and Junior Sister Chu... make a very well-matched pair." The malice in his tone was barely concealed.
After closing the door, Yun Qingyu immediately checked whether the room had been tampered with. Sure enough, he found a hidden shadow-recording talisman tucked into the corner of the table! A cold smile touched his lips, and he deliberately spoke toward the talisman, "Take care on your way out, Senior Brother Lu." At the same time, a flick of his fingertip channeled a trace of sword qi that silently destroyed the talisman's core.
"Tiansha Alliance... Lu Mingxuan..." Yun Qingyu contemplated for a moment, then took out the jade slip Chu Yao had given him and studied it carefully. Aside from the full moon tryst, the very end appended a page written in delicate handwriting:
"The Sword-Trial Tournament may bring changes; watch out for the silver-masked man. — Yao"
The handwriting was weak and scribbled, clearly written when she was barely clinging to consciousness before fainting. Warmth bloomed in Yun Qingyu's chest, followed immediately by alertness: the silver-masked man wasn't dead, and he was likely hiding right inside the sect!
Three days later, the Sword-Trial Plaza was bustling with noise. Disciples from every peak had gathered, and even the core disciples who usually remained in seclusion had made an appearance. The moment Yun Qingyu stepped into the grounds, several gazes locked onto him—some curious, some envious, and others... fraught with murderous intent!
Outwardly unconcerned, he swept his gaze around the plaza and spotted Chu Yao on the viewing platform, her complexion still showing traces of pallor. When the young woman saw him looking, she nodded gently, her eyes brimming with worry.
"Silence!" Sect Master Xuanxiaozisurged into mid-air. "The rules for this Sword-Trial Tournament have changed. All disciples will enter the 'Illusory Sword Formation,' and rankings will be determined by the number of illusion demons slain."
An uproar broke out among the disciples. The Illusory Sword Formation was one of the Xuantian Sect's foundational grand formations, normally opened only to those at the Foundation Establishment stage or above. Because of its extreme danger, disciples had suffered damage to their divine sense within it in the past!
Yun Qingyu narrowed his eyes instead. The Illusory Sword Formation... in his past life, it should have been undergoing maintenance around this time. It wasn't just his own destiny that had changed; the timeline of the entire sect was shifting off course!
One hundred disciples entered the formation in sequence. The moment Yun Qingyu stepped through the formation gates, he felt a dizzying spin, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a blood-red wasteland. In the distance came the roars of illusion demons, and a bizarre purple moon hung in the sky.
"This isn't an ordinary illusion..." The sword qi within him grew restless; demonic qi sharing the same origin as the silver-masked man permeated this place!
"Whoosh!" A black shadow lunged from the ground—it was an illusion demon with a human face and a scorpion tail! Yun Qingyu swung his sword to cut it down, only to find his spiritual energy sluggish—the illusion formation was suppressing his cultivation!
After laboriously slaying three illusion demons, Yun Qingyu was already drenched in sweat. Worse still, the black aura within him began to stir, seemingly drawn by the purple moon. He had no choice but to find a rock cave to take temporary shelter.
"Senior Brother Yun?"
The familiar voice made Yun Qingyu whip around. Chu Yao stood at the cave entrance holding a longsword, her white garments stained with blood.
"Why did you come in?" he asked in shock, "Your injuries haven't healed yet!"
Chu Yao smiled weakly. "I was worried about you... This illusion formation has been tampered with..."
Before her words finished, Yun Qingyu suddenly thrust his sword forward! Chu Yao gasped and lowered her head in shock, only to see the tip of the sword graze past her waist, pinning a sneak-attacking illusion demon to the wall!
"Be more careful." Yun Qingyu withdrew his sword, only to notice that Chu Yao's face had grown even paler. "What's wrong?"
"Your eyes..." Chu Yao pointed at him tremblingly, "Just now... they turned red..."
A jolt went through Yun Qingyu's heart. The demonic qi was affecting him! He had to get out of here as soon as possible. Just as he was about to speak, a heaven-shaking explosion echoed from the distance!
The two rushed out of the cave to see a pillar of pitch-black light rising from the center of the wasteland, with countless illusion demons swarming toward it like a tide. Even more terrifyingly, the disciples participating in the trial were walking toward the beam of light like walking corpses, led by none other than Lu Mingxuan!
"The sacrifice... begins..." Lu Mingxuan's voice turned hoarse and grating, silver markings blossoming across his face.
"He's been possessed!" Chu Yao cried out in alarm. "That's the Tiansha Alliance's 'Spirit-Summoning Art'!"
Yun Qingyu gripped his longsword tightly. "We must stop them!" He was about to charge out when Chu Yao pulled him back.
"Wait!" She retrieved a pair of jade pendants from her bosom. "These are the 'Twin-Heart Pendants' left by my mother. Holding these pendants can resist the interference of demonic sounds."
Yun Qingyu took the pendants, and his mind instantly cleared. The two of them crept closer to the pillar of light, discovering that a massive blood formation had already formed on the ground. Over a dozen disciples lay unconscious within the nodes of the formation, their vital blood being absorbed by the beam!
"He's summoning something..." Yun Qingyu observed the formation patterns, his expression changing drastically a moment later. "Not summoning... it's a beacon! The Tiansha Alliance is searching for the location of the Jiuxiao Sword Casket!"
"What do we do now?" Chu Yao asked anxiously.
Yun Qingyu pondered for a moment. "I have a plan, but it's very dangerous." He lowered his voice to explain the plan, and Chu Yao shook her head resolutely upon hearing it.
"It's too risky! If you are completely controlled by the demonic qi..."
"That's why I need your help." Yun Qingyu looked straight into her eyes. "When my eyes turn completely red, use this to stab my heart." He handed Chu Yao a slender green needle.
"The Demonic-Sealing Needle?" Chu Yao drew a sharp breath. "You'll die!"
"The second tier of the Jiuxiao Sword Manual has a secret technique that can feign death to trick the demonic qi." Yun Qingyu smiled. "Trust me once, alright?"
Chu Yao bit her lip and finally nodded through her tears.
The plan commenced. Yun Qingyu took the initiative to walk toward the blood formation, allowing the demonic qi to erode him. As he drew closer, his eyes grew redder, and the black aura inside him cheered jubilantly. Lu Mingxuan—or rather, the entity possessing Lu Mingxuan—spotted him instantly.
"The Jiuxiao Sword Master!" The silver-marked Lu Mingxuan was ecstatic. "You've arrived just in time!"
Feigning control, Yun Qingyu walked into the center of the blood formation. When the formation patterns flared to their peak, he suddenly launched a violent counterattack, slashing at the core of the formation with the full force of his Jiuxiao Sword qi!
"You!" The silver-marked Lu Mingxuan flew into a rage, demonic qi transforming into a giant palm that came crashing down!
At the critical juncture, Yun Qingyu shattered the Twin-Heart Pendant, and a cyan light enshrouded his entire body, temporarily isolating him from the demonic qi's influence. Seizing the opportunity, he pierced the core of the formation with a single sword strike, and the entire blood formation began to collapse!
"No!" The silver-marked Lu Mingxuan let out an inhuman roar, his body twisting and expanding into a terrifying half-human, half-demonic form. "I'll drag you down with me!"
The terrifying demonic might pressed Yun Qingyu down onto one knee, blood streaming from his seven orifices. Just as the demonic claw was about to descend, a beam of sword light flew in from beyond the skies, cleaving the demonic creature in two!
"Wretch!" Elder Chu arrived riding on his sword, followed by several peak masters. The illusion formation shattered in the aftermath, and everyone returned to the real world.
Chaos reigned across the plaza. Lu Mingxuan and the other disciples lay unconscious, wreathed in residual demonic qi. Sect Master Xuanxiao's expression was grim. "Investigate the sect immediately! The Tiansha Alliance has actually infiltrated to this extent!"
Yun Qingyu forced himself to stay upright until Chu Yao ran over to support him. "It worked..." he smiled weakly, and then darkness claimed him.
Before losing consciousness, he vaguely heard Elder Chu's voice transmitted directly into his mind: "On the night of the full moon, the Sword Pavilion's underground palace... the truth..."