In the secret chamber of the Sword Pavilion, candlelight flickered.
Yun Qingyu placed the lotus seed of the World-Cleansing White Lotus in the center of a jade plate. Elder Chu formed hand seals with both hands, channeling a ray of spiritual light into the lotus seed. The seed immediately floated into the air, radiating a soft white light.
"The residual will of Palace Master Hanyue is indeed contained within the lotus seed." Elder Chu looked at his daughter with a complex expression. "Yao'er, your mother..."
Chu Yao bit her lower lip, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Father, Mother sacrificed herself to protect the seal, didn't she?"
Elder Chu let out a long sigh, took an ice-crystal token from his tunic, and placed it on the table. The front of the token was engraved with the characters "Hanyue," while the back bore nine intersecting sword marks.
"Your mother gave this to me before she passed away. She was originally the Saintess of Hanyue Palace, and she descended the mountain to investigate the seal of the Tiansha Demonic Venerable." Elder Chu gently stroked the token with his finger. "Back then, when we discovered that the Jiuxiao Cold Moon Hall beneath the Xuantian Sect was awakening, we split up—she went to the secret realm to retrieve the World-Cleansing White Lotus to stabilize the seal, while I stayed behind in the sect to investigate the traitor."
Yun Qingyu stared fixedly at the sword marks on the back of the token. "The mark of the Jiuxiao Sword Sovereign?"
"Precisely." Elder Chu nodded. "The Jiuxiao Cold Moon Hall was built jointly by the Sword Sovereign and the Palace Master, requiring the bloodlines of both families to open it. True Lord Hanchi imprisoned Yao'er's mother for ten years simply to obtain the Hanyue bloodline."
Chu Yao's body trembled slightly. "So Mother was..."
"She did it to protect you." A flash of pain crossed Elder Chu's eyes. "You were only seven years old then, and your bloodline had not yet awakened. True Lord Hanchi tried every possible means to no avail, and in the end, your mother destroyed her own heart meridian..."
Silence filled the room. Yun Qingyu looked at Chu Yao's frail shoulders, and he raised his hand to gently stroke them, only to hesitate and pull back just as he was about to touch her. Unexpectedly, Chu Yao suddenly turned around and buried her face in his chest, her tears instantly soaking the fabric of his robe.
"I should have guessed it long ago..." she said, her voice muffled. "Such a gentle person as Mother... how could she ever abandon me..."
Yun Qingyu froze for a fraction of a second before gently wrapping his arms around her. In his past hundred years of cultivation, he had never been so close to anyone, and at that moment, his chest felt both warm and achy.
Elder Chu tactfully withdrew from the secret chamber, transmitting his voice just before leaving: "The lotus seed must be nurtured with the blood of both of you for three days before it can reach its maximum potency."
As soon as the chamber door closed, Chu Yao stepped back with a blushing face. "I'm sorry, I lost control..."
"It's nothing." Yun Qingyu handed her a brocade handkerchief. "Let's attend to the matter at hand."
Following Elder Chu's instructions, the two of them each dropped their blood onto the lotus seed. Strangely, when the two droplets of blood merged, the lotus seed suddenly burst into nine-colored radiances, projecting a miniature map into midair—it was precisely the underground structure of the Xuantian Sect! A winding red line led straight from the Sword Washing Pool to the bronze palace deep underground.
"This is the location of the Jiuxiao Cold Moon Hall." Yun Qingyu memorized the route carefully. "It's deeper than we imagined."
Chu Yao suddenly let out a soft "ah." "There's a blinking light dot at the end of the red line."
Yun Qingyu concentrated his gaze and indeed discovered a barely perceptible dual-colored gold and blue light dot at the palace gates. When he tried to touch it with his divine sense, the voice of Palace Master Hanyue suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Minds in unison, bloodlines connected, only then shall the heavenly gates open."
"Did you hear that?" Chu Yao asked in surprise, evidently having received the transmission as well.
Yun Qingyu nodded. "It seems that opening the palace gates requires not only our bloodline, but also... a certain spiritual resonance."
As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them felt somewhat awkward. The tips of Chu Yao's ears turned red, and she pretended to study the map intently. "Three days from now is the moonless night, when the earth's spiritual energy is at its weakest. It's the best time to enter."
After putting away the lotus seed, Chu Yao suggested going to the back mountain of the Sword Pavilion to pay respects to Lin Xiaofan. Before the newly piled grave, she gently stroked the gravestone and placed a freshly plucked wild lotus upon it.
"Little brother Xiaofan... if there is an afterlife, I hope we can truly be called brother and sister."
Yun Qingyu silently lit three sticks of incense. In his past life, he had been entirely alone, never having experienced the ties of family affection. Now, looking at Chu Yao's sorrowful profile, an unprecedented protective urge welled up within his heart.
"I will protect her well," he promised the deceased in his heart.
On the return trip, as they passed the Sword Washing Pool, Chu Yao suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Elder Brother Yun, could you teach me sword techniques?"
"Hm?"
"The *Hanyue Sword Canon* left to me by my mother contains a dual-cultivation sword technique that requires two people to practice together." Chu Yao produced a jade slip. "I was thinking... it might come in handy three days from now."
Yun Qingyu took the jade slip, swept his divine sense over it, and understood it instantly. This technique, "Moon Illuminating Jiuxiao," was indeed exquisite; it required one person to wield vigorous and upright sword Qi like the blazing sun, and the other to channel shadowy and gentle Sword Will like pouring moonlight. With yin and yang blending together, its power would be doubled.
"Alright, let's start now."
For the next three days, the two of them were practically inseparable. By day they practiced the sword, and by night they nurtured the lotus seed. Yun Qingyu discovered that Chu Yao possessed an exceptionally high comprehension of the Dao of the sword, especially when she executed her Hanyue Sword Will—her graceful, startling-swan movements always made it impossible for him to look away.
Even more wondrously, whenever their swords joined in harmony, he could faintly perceive Chu Yao's emotional fluctuations—her sword tip trembled slightly when she was nervous, and her breathing was soft and steady when she was focused. This experience of near-telepathic communion was something he had never known in his entire past century of life.
On the evening of the third day, their sword practice concluded. Drenched in fragrant sweat, Chu Yao sat on a bluestone to rest. The setting sun cast a golden rim around her, and a few stray strands of hair clung to the side of her neck, rising and falling gently with her breath.
"Are you tired?" Yun Qingyu handed her a water skin.
Chu Yao shook her head and suddenly asked, "Elder Brother Yun, in your past life... did you have a dao companion?"
Yun Qingyu's hand jerked, and the water skin almost dropped to the ground. "Why ask this all of a sudden?"
"I'm just curious." Chu Yao lowered her head and fiddled with the hem of her garment. "Someone as brilliantly talented as you should..."
"No." Yun Qingyu cut her off. "In my past life, I was utterly devoted to cultivation, until..." Until he was betrayed by the person he loved most.
Chu Yao keenly sensed the emotional shift in him and said softly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."
After a moment of silence, Yun Qingyu suddenly spoke, "What about you? Is there someone you fancy?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. The question was far too abrupt, and furthermore...
"There is." Chu Yao's reply made his heart tighten. "I just don't know what he thinks."
Yun Qingyu's Adam's apple bobbed, and just as he was wondering how to respond, Chu Yao had already stood up. "We should go retrieve the lotus seed. We have to set out at the hour of Zi."
At the hour of midnight, the moon hid and the stars sank.
Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao quietly arrived at the Sword Washing Pool. According to the map, a secret passage at the bottom of the pool led straight underground. The two of them swallowed water-repelling pills and plunged into the ice-cold pool water.
The underwater world was secluded and mystical. Relying on the faint glow emitted by the lotus seed, they quickly found a cave entrance concealed by aquatic plants. Swimming about a hundred zhang into the cave, the water route suddenly turned upward, and when they finally broke the surface, they found themselves in an ancient tunnel.
The four walls of the tunnel were carved with runes, some of which had already dimmed and lost their luster. Chu Yao gently touched a sword-shaped rune. "These are the traces of the Jiuxiao Sword Art."
The deeper they went, the more stifling the air became. Fragments of stone occasionally fell from the ceiling, indicating that the passage was gradually collapsing. Halfway through, a strange, crisp clacking sound suddenly echoed ahead!
"Be careful!" Yun Qingyu pulled Chu Yao toward him in a flash. The next second, a dozen bronze puppets burst through the walls, their eyes glowing with red light!
"Gate-guarding puppets!" Chu Yao recognized their origins. "We need the clearance token!"
In a flash of divine inspiration, Yun Qingyu circulated his Jiuxiao Sword Qi, slashing nine sword marks into the air—the exact pattern from the back of the token. The puppets instantly ceased their movements, dropped to one knee, and cleared a path.
After passing through the puppet formation, the path began to descend sharply. The temperature rose continuously, as if they were approaching the earth's core. Finally, at the end of the tunnel appeared a huge bronze door—the left side was carved with a picture of Jiuxiao piercing the clouds, and the right side with a snowy Hanyue scene, marking it precisely as the entrance to the Jiuxiao Cold Moon Hall!
Standing before the giant door, the two of them felt a sudden sense of their own insignificance. Yun Qingyu tried to push it, but the door didn't budge an inch.
"We need to infuse the power of both our bloodlines simultaneously." Chu Yao pressed her hand against the Hanyue pattern. "Are you ready?"
Yun Qingyu nodded and pressed his palm against the Jiuxiao pattern. The two of them circulated their bloodline power at the same time, and the patterns on the door lit up one after another. When the light spread to the crack in the door, a cold, mechanical voice rang out:
"Bloodline verification... passed. Resonance of hearts... commencing."
Suddenly, two beams of golden light shot out from the crack in the door, piercing directly into the space between their eyebrows! Yun Qingyu felt his vision go dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a space full of swirling white mist.
"An illusion trial?" He scanned his surroundings vigilantly.
The white mist gradually condensed into the shape of Chu Yao, though she appeared as a young girl of fourteen or fifteen, practicing the flute in the back courtyard of the Sword Pavilion. Young Chu Yao played earnestly, yet she constantly missed notes, her eye rims growing red with frustration.
"This is... Chu Yao's memory?"
The scene shifted. Now it was young Chu Yao hiding under the covers and crying, tightly clutching a broken jade pendant in her hand: "Mother... Yao'er misses you so much..."
Scene after scene of memories flashed past like a revolving lantern. Yun Qingyu saw Chu Yao's curiosity when she first heard his name, saw her tightly clenched little hands as she watched him fight in the arena ring, saw her secretly staying up late to sew the robes he had torn apart by sword Qi...
The final scene was from the side of the Sword Washing Pool two days ago, where Chu Yao talked to her own reflection in the water: "You big fool Yun Qingyu, when will you ever understand my feelings..."
The illusion shattered with a crash, and Yun Qingyu returned to reality. Turning his head, he saw Chu Yao glaring at him with a face as red as a tomato—evidently she had also seen fragments of his memories.
"Well... the door is open." Chu Yao hastily pointed toward the slowly opening palace doors, the roots of her ears burning red as blood.
Yun Qingyu felt equally awkward, giving a dry cough. "Let's go in."
Behind the bronze doors lay a magnificent underground palace. Twelve coiling-dragon pillars supported the dome, and the floor featured a massive yin-yang fish pattern. Suspended in the center of the palace was a crystal coffin, which was completely empty.
"Isn't the Demonic Venerable's physical body here?" Chu Yao asked, puzzled.
Yun Qingyu walked closer to the crystal coffin and found a line of small characters engraved on the bottom: "The physical body turns to dust, the primordial spirit is suppressed beneath the Jiuxiao Cold Moon Wheel."
"The Jiuxiao Cold Moon Wheel?" Chu Yao looked around the hall. "Could it be..."
She pointed toward the dome. Yun Qingyu looked up and only then realized that the dome was not solid, but rather a gigantic, slowly rotating wheel! One half of the wheel was shaped like a sword, and the other like a crescent moon, serving precisely as the symbol of both families' inheritances.
"The Demonic Venerable's primordial spirit is suppressed right up there." Yun Qingyu came to a sudden realization. "True Lord Hanchi wasn't looking for the physical body at all—he was after the primordial spirit!"
Just as the two of them were observing the wheel, the sound of applause suddenly echoed from the palace entrance.
True Lord Hanchi stepped through the icy mist at a leisurely pace, followed by a dozen or so figures in black robes. Even more terrifyingly, he was dragging someone in his hand—it was none other than a heavily wounded and dying Elder Chu!
"Father!" Chu Yao cried out in alarm, about to charge forward.
Yun Qingyu hurriedly pulled her back. "Don't act rashly!"
True Lord Hanchi gave a sinister smile. "What a touching reunion. Old Ghost Chu, your daughter and the son-in-law you picked out have both arrived."
Elder Chu raised his head with great difficulty. "Yao'er... run... he wants to use you both for a blood sacrifice..."
"Shut your mouth!" True Lord Hanchi kicked Elder Chu hard in the abdomen. "I've lurked in the Xuantian Sect for thirty years just waiting for this day! Today, the Jiuxiao Cold Moon Wheel must be opened!"
He motioned for his subordinates to bind Elder Chu to a pillar, then turned back to Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao. "Hand over the lotus seeds, and I can grant you a swift death."
Yun Qingyu sneered. "Do you think we'd believe that?"
"Then we're left with no choice." True Lord Hanchi suddenly formed a hand seal, and Elder Chu instantly let out a painful roar! An ice crystal materialized over his chest, slowly piercing into his heart.
"Stop!" Tears streamed down Chu Yao's face.
"With every passing moment, the Ice-Soul Heart-Devouring Nail sinks in a fraction further." True Lord Hanchi laughed grimly. "You have two choices: either cooperate obediently, or watch him die in agony!"
The veins bulged on the hand with which Yun Qingyu gripped his sword. In his past life, he loathed being threatened above all else, but at this moment...
"We agree," Chu Yao suddenly said. "But you must release my father first!"
True Lord Hanchi narrowed his eyes. "Little girl, do you think you're in a position to bargain?" He intensified his hand seals, causing Elder Chu to scream even louder.
"I'll give them to you!" Chu Yao pulled out the lotus seed. "Stop!"
True Lord Hanchi took the lotus seed with satisfaction, yet he still did not stop the torture. "There is one final step remaining—I need living sacrifices." His gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them. "Which of you will volunteer to be sacrificed?"
"Me!" Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao spoke in unison.
True Lord Hanchi burst into loud laughter. "Such deep affection! Then..." He suddenly pointed at Chu Yao. "Little girl, come over here! Don't try any tricks, or your father dies immediately!"
Yun Qingyu stepped in front of Chu Yao. "Dream on!"
"Elder Brother Yun..." Chu Yao gently pushed him aside, tears in her eyes yet a smile on her lips. "Do you remember the lotus seeds? The ones we nurtured..."
Yun Qingyu's heart jolted—the lotus seeds contained the blood of both of them; perhaps...
He gave an imperceptible nod and released his grip. Chu Yao walked slowly toward True Lord Hanchi, and when she was three steps away, she suddenly crushed a jade talisman concealed within her sleeve!
"Boom!"
Dazzling white light erupted, and the entire palace shook violently! Taking advantage of the chaos, Yun Qingyu flew forward to rescue Elder Chu while unleashing his full-strength Jiuxiao Sword Qi toward True Lord Hanchi!
"Courting death!" True Lord Hanchi roared, his Nascent Soul stage coercion bursting forth! Even suppressed within the secret realm, it was far beyond what Yun Qingyu could match.
At this critical juncture, Chu Yao blew into her jade flute. The Hanyue Sword Will and Jiuxiao Sword Qi intertwined in midair, forming a golden-blue net that temporarily trapped True Lord Hanchi!
How could Yun Qingyu abandon her? He settled Elder Chu in a safe spot and turned to rejoin the battle. Working in seamless coordination, the two of them drove the "Moon Illuminating Jiuxiao" sword style to its absolute limit, fighting True Lord Hanchi to a standstill!
"Ants!" True Lord Hanchi flew into a rage, suddenly crushing the lotus seed! The lotus seed powder turned into a streak of light that shot toward the dome's wheel, causing it to spin at an accelerated rate!
"Too late!" True Lord Hanchi laughed wildly. "The Jiuxiao Cold Moon Wheel is activated, and Lord Demonic Venerable is about to return!"
The entire palace began to collapse, a fissure splitting open in the very center of the wheel as ink-black demonic Qi poured down like a waterfall! Bathing in the demonic Qi, True Lord Hanchi's body expanded continuously until he finally transformed into a hundred-zhang-long ice dragon!
"Now, offer up your lives!"
The icy dragon swept its massive tail, sending both Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao flying to crash heavily against the palace pillars. Chu Yao spewed a mouthful of blood, staining the jade pendant at her chest red.
"Chu Yao!" Yun Qingyu crawled toward her, struggling against his injuries.
"It's no use..." True Lord Hanchi looked down upon them from on high. "Lord Demonic Venerable requires a vessel, and you two... oh?"
His eyes suddenly widened—after Chu Yao's blood seeped into the jade pendant, it actually fused with the blood Yun Qingyu had shed, transforming into a pillar of golden-blue light that shot straight into the wheel!
The wheel abruptly ceased its rotation, and a gentle yet majestic female voice rang out:
"Minds in unison, bloodlines connected, Jiuxiao and Cold Moon, the seal forever secure!"
The phantom of Palace Master Hanyue appeared once more. With a gentle wave of her hand, the wheel began to spin in reverse! The cascading demonic Qi was sucked back in, leaving True Lord Hanchi to emit a cry of desperate defiance:
"No! This is impossible!"
Seizing the opportunity, Yun Qingyu poured every last drop of his sword Qi into his longsword and hurled it toward the ice dragon's brow! At the same time, Chu Yao blew her jade flute, the Hanyue Sword Will arriving ahead of its time to clear the path for the Jiuxiao Sword Qi.
"Shhh!"
The longsword pierced straight through the ice dragon's head, and True Lord Hanchi let out one final shriek as his body shattered inch by inch! At the same instant, the wheel closed completely, sealing all the demonic Qi away once more.
Silence descended.
Dragging his battered body, Yun Qingyu crawled to Chu Yao's side and pulled her into his arms. "Hold on... we won..."
Chu Yao smiled weakly. "Yes... we did..." She suddenly coughed violently, fresh blood spilling from the corners of her lips.
"Chu Yao!" Panic gripped Yun Qingyu as he realized her injuries were far more severe than he had imagined.
"Don't cry..." Chu Yao raised a hand to gently stroke his cheek. "Do you remember... what you saw in the illusion..."
Yun Qingyu gripped her hand tightly. "I remember, I remember it all."
"Then... what is your answer?" Chu Yao's gaze began to scatter.
Yun Qingyu leaned down and whispered beside her ear, "My heart is as your heart..."
Chu Yao closed her eyes in contentment, but her hand suddenly went limp and dropped!
"No!" Yun Qingyu let out a grief-stricken cry to the heavens as the sword Qi and demonic Qi within his body went completely berserk! Just as he was on the verge of losing control, the phantom of Palace Master Hanyue drifted gracefully before him.
"There is still a way to save her." She gently touched the space between Chu Yao's eyebrows. "But it will require a price from you."
"I am willing to pay any price!" Yun Qingyu answered without the slightest hesitation.
Palace Master Hanyue looked at him deeply. "Give half of your lifespan to her. From this moment on, you will live and die together; if one suffers loss, both shall be harmed."
Yun Qingyu smiled. "That suits me just fine."
Palace Master Hanyue nodded and began to chant her arts. Amidst the intertwining of golden and blue radiances, Yun Qingyu felt his vitality steadily drain away, while Chu Yao's complexion gradually grew rosy once more...
As Chu Yao's eyelashes fluttered and she prepared to awaken, the phantom of Palace Master Hanyue also began to dissipate. In her final moments, she gazed upon her daughter with boundless maternal affection:
"Live well... my child..."