Chapter 41

When the bearer of the Horizon Talisman arrived from afar, Su Wuxue happened to be "passing by" the gates of Frost Sea.

Feigning a leisurely stroll, he slowly approached the counterfeit soul-bell he had swapped in some time ago.

Having been switched for so long, the soul-bell still hung there quietly, and not a single soul had discovered anything amiss.

Even Xie Zhefeng seemed completely unaware of it.

He had originally replaced the soul-bell because he did not know that the cauldron seal was completely inescapable, and he had been eager to flee the place. However, since Xie Zhefeng had issued a mountain-sealing decree, he had no choice but to borrow the aura of Xie Zhefeng lingering on the soul-bell to activate the grand mountain-defending array if he wanted to leave.

Yet later, an incident occurred at Cloud Sword Sect, and by a twist of fate he took a trip to Zhaoshui City. Now, upon his return, he was once again scheduled to accompany Xie Zhefeng to the Northern Nether.

Because of the existence of the cauldron seal, he was suddenly in much less of a hurry to leave.

Still... after all this time, Xie Zhefeng actually hadn't noticed?

As long as someone came to Frost Sea to pay a visit and failed to make the bell ring, wouldn't this fake soul-bell be exposed?

He felt somewhat perplexed.

Yet remaining unexposed was ultimately a good thing. He stared at the fake soul-bell, thinking of swapping the real one back.

However, although the mountain-sealing decree had long since been lifted, Xie Zhefeng's inner demons had only grown increasingly severe, and the disciples guarding the perimeter of Frost Sea had increased rather than decreased.

The moment he arrived, just as he was wondering whether he could quietly switch the soul-bell back, a disciple appeared and bowed in salute. "Does Young Master Su have any instructions for us?"

In the eyes of the Frost Sea disciples, his ostensible identity was that of the Immortal of Exiled Cold's cauldron, so they naturally treated him with a measure of courtesy.

He turned toward the voice and recognized the female disciple who had guided and settled him in on his very first day at Frost Sea.

His gaze shifted slightly, and he purposely said, "I was just walking about aimlessly and happened to see this soul-bell, which suddenly made me rather curious—it seems that ever since I started living atop Frost Sea, this soul-bell has been hanging right here. I only know that ordinary cultivators hang soul-bells to await guests, but for someone of the Immortal's status, does he truly keep one hanging perpetually?"

The female disciple smiled. "Among those who come and go from Frost Sea, Young Master Su is hardly the first to harbor this question."

"Oh?"

"Perhaps the Immortal has simply grown accustomed to hanging this soul-bell; virtually no one ever rings it anyway. I was puzzled by it when I first arrived, but the senior brothers and sisters always use sound-transmission talismans when seeking the Immortal, so I simply followed suit. Perhaps everyone is simply too afraid to disturb the Immortal's divine soul with trivial matters, and since there hasn't been a single major affair requiring the soul-bell to be rung all these years, it has simply remained hanging where it is."

So that was how it was.

Since no one rang it, it seemed no trouble would arise for the time being.

He would just wait for an opportunity later and secretly swap it back.

"Eh?" The female disciple asked, slightly startled. "Young Master Su has already reached the Great Completion Realm?"

Su Wuxue had not concealed the fluctuations of his spiritual energy, nor was he surprised by her reaction. He casually replied, "Ah, some time ago when I accompanied the Immortal to Zhaoshui City, I encountered a fortuitous opportunity left by our predecessors."

The female disciple's expression paused. "Zhaoshui City..."

She sighed. "Come to think of it, I only ran into Young Master Su today and haven't had the chance to offer you my apologies."

"You took care of me on my very first day here, Senior Sister; I should be the one thanking you. Why would you need to apologize to me?"

His demeanor was amiable, his voice light and airy.

The female disciple resumed her smile. "That night, I told you not to bring up the former chief seat of the sect because I was merely guessing based on the attitude of the sect's seniors. It was only when you mentioned the events at Zhaoshui that I realized I must have been mistaken before..."

As she spoke, she glanced in the direction of the sword-grinding stone on Falling Moon Peak, sorrow clouding her face. "Millennia of past events cannot be easily explained; no one knows how much falsehood is mingled with the idle gossip... Since that chief seat was neither unworthy of Zhaoshui nor unworthy of Falling Moon, why, the seniors in the sect never speaking of him is not because they disliked him, but because of regret. To think I actually believed he had disgraced the sect's honor and nearly misled you—not only must I apologize to you, but I must also apologize to that chief seat—what a pity..."

Moved by her kindness in guiding him that night, Su Wuxue had initially wanted to chat with her, but at these words, his lips pressed into a thin, tight line, utterly unable to respond.

As if talking to herself, the female disciple continued, "Whenever I pass by the sword-grinding stone, I often see the sword marks he left behind. Every sword mark on that stone has an owner, all belonging to the soaring prodigies of the sect, except for his..."

"Ah, how did he ultimately go astray, bring ruin to the Blazing Fire Sect, and descend from cultivation into demonic taint?"

In the end, Su Wuxue could only say, "Those are merely past events upon which the coffin has been sealed. Perhaps he himself would no longer care to discuss them; Senior Sister need not trouble herself over it."

The female disciple parted her lips as if wanting to say something further.

At that moment, a sudden surge of spiritual energy carried a crisp breeze, and a large group of cultivators appeared abruptly before Frost Sea, descending on their flying swords.

Every newcomer had a Falling Moon Peak disciple token hanging at their waist; the lowest among them was in the Great Completion Realm, and leading them all was even a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm.

This cultivator looked as though his lifespan was nearing its end; while he barely managed to squeeze into the ranks of experts, he could hardly be considered a true prodigy.

Su Wuxue did not recognize the face of this Tribulation-stage cultivator, figuring he must have advanced to the Tribulation Realm only after his own demise.

In the hand of the Tribulation Transcendence cultivator was a Horizon Talisman.

He narrowed his eyes, a frown forming.

Every sect possessed its own unique methods for casting spells and inscribing talismans, each technique distinct from the others. He was exceedingly familiar with the inscription method of this Horizon Talisman, recognizing at a glance that it was the handiwork of Shangguan Liaoliao.

A sound-transmission talisman from the Northern Nether, coupled with such a massive formation of Falling Moon Peak disciples...

He could not help but fixate on the transmission talisman in deep thought, but the Tribulation-stage cultivator strode forward without a care. Seeing him standing leisurely in front of the Immortal's dwelling—neither wearing the garb of a Falling Moon disciple nor bearing a disciple token, clearly an outsider—the man simply pushed him aside with a sweep of spiritual energy and said to the female disciple, "How utterly lacking in etiquette, standing idly before the Immortal's dwelling and chatting with idlers? I have urgent business to request an audience with the Immortal; go announce me."

The female disciple wore an expression of suppressed anger. She endured it for a moment before silently tossing out a sound-transmission spell to report to Xie Zhefeng.

While she dared not speak, Su Wuxue let out a cold laugh. "Lacking etiquette? What is etiquette? Is it etiquette for someone putting on the airs of a Tribulation-stage cultivator to look down their nose at people, or is it etiquette to overstep one's bounds and meddle in matters the Immortal himself doesn't bother with?"

The disciple was startled, never expecting that while Su Wuxue had been so gentle and soft-spoken just moments ago, his words could turn this sharp.

The newcomer instantly flew into a rage. "I heard that the Immortal keeps a cauldron on Frost Sea—that would be you, wouldn't it? You're not even a disciple of Falling Moon Peak, yet you dare run your sharp tongue at me?"

Su Wuxue's gaze paused.

Assuming he had struck a raw nerve, the man tilted his chin up slightly and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

The next instant, however, Su Wuxue chuckled.

Unbothered, he remarked, "I indeed am not a disciple of Falling Moon, but at least I'm better off than someone who clearly resides in the number one sect of the cultivation world, once possessed a shred of talent to enter the Tribulation Realm, only to lose their original mindset to arrogance and conceit, getting permanently stuck in the mid-stage of Tribulation without making an inch of progress!"

The man froze.

The cultivators surrounding him realized the implications and lowered their heads one by one.

He snapped back to his senses. "Are you insulting me? How do you know—"

"What business brings you here?"

The man's cold voice rang out.

In the blink of an eye, Xie Zhefeng stood before them all, his expression resembling a pool of stagnant water, devoid of the slightest ripple.

The female disciple lowered her head in a bow, while Su Wuxue's expression stiffened as he averted his gaze.

The Tribulation-stage cultivator hurriedly reined in his anger and respectfully presented the Horizon Talisman in his hands. "Immortal, this is a sound-transmission drifting from the Northern Nether. Recently it should be Elder Qin's turn to stand watch over the sect, but since Elder Qin apparently had confidential matters taking him out over two months ago, I am temporarily standing in for him. When I opened this received transmission talisman, City Lord Shangguan stated that this talisman is wrapped in an extra layer of sound transmission that requires the Immortal to personally unlock..."

Xie Zhefeng did not move; he merely turned his head to glance at Su Wuxue.

Su Wuxue remained still, lowering his gaze to avoid the look.

With a flick of spiritual energy in Xie Zhefeng's hand, the transmission talisman was instantly drawn into his grasp.

As he set about unlocking the talisman, none of the others dared to make a sound, leaving the four quarters dead silent.

Only then did Su Wuxue secretly raise his eyes, catching sight of Xie Zhefeng's brows drawing tighter and tighter together.

Such a solemn sound-transmission talisman, coupled with Xie Zhefeng's expression...

Had something gone wrong on Shangguan Liaoliao's end?

The last time he saw her, she had mentioned feeling restless of late. Now, she had suddenly sent such a solemn transmission to Xie Zhefeng without coming in person.

—Could something have happened in the Northern Nether?!

The moment the thought arose, Xie Zhefeng spoke in a deep voice, "The Northern Nether Sword has been eroded by turbid Qi, a great demon has appeared within the city, the turbid Qi of the Nether Sea is churning, and all forty-nine cities of the Northern Nether are now sealed."

A mere sentence, yet the meaning contained within it was enough to shake the current landscape of both realms.

The Tribulation-stage cultivator instantly turned as pale as a sheet, and everyone present dropped to their knees. Even the female disciple beside Su Wuxue fell to the ground with a dull thud, not daring to utter a sound.

Su Wuxue did not move an inch.

His eyes widened abruptly, his breathing catching.

The Northern Nether Sword eroded by turbid Qi?!

All forty-nine cities sealed!???

A scenario of this scale was rare even during the Immortal Calamity a millennium ago.

The Northern Nether boasted countless experts, and Shangguan Liaoliao was even at the threshold of Ascension. How could they suddenly plunge into such a predicament during an era of peace across the four seas?

He recalled how, when the incident at Zhaoshui occurred, the Lord of Zhaoshui City had mentioned that Jiang Qing had to rush back immediately due to an emergency in the Northern Nether...

Could there have been forewarnings months ago?

"The sealing of the Northern Nether cities should have occurred only within the past two days," Xie Zhefeng said. "The Nether Sea is vast; this matter cannot be kept under wraps for long. You are to issue orders to all peaks to attend to their respective duties, fabricate an excuse to temporarily conceal the true reason for the Northern Nether's sealing, and stabilize the situation across the myriad sects and two realms."

The crowd hastily answered, "Understood."

"I shall head into the Northern Nether first to investigate, departing tomorrow. Once inside the city, if necessary, I will issue commands via the Horizon Talisman. Disciples at the Great Completion Realm and above, peak masters, and elders are to remain on standby."

"Understood."

"Withdraw. I need someone to manage affairs while I am away from the sect. Have Xuan Fang come see me."

The crowd hurried away, and even the female disciple who had been chatting with Su Wuxue retreated respectfully with her head bowed.

Just as the reporting Tribulation-stage cultivator was about to mount his sword and leave, Xie Zhefeng abruptly spoke: "Everything Su Xue said just now is true. You are volatile and arrogant, leading to unseemly speech and conduct—hardly befitting of a Tribulation expert. Go willingly accept seven days of punishment in the Canggu Pagoda to temper your state of mind. Falling Moon Peak has no need for Tribulation experts with unstable mental states."

Entering the Canggu Pagoda for seven days, even if not on the top floor, would strip off a layer of skin even if one survived.

The man's entire body went limp; he opened his mouth to plead for mercy, but with a wave of Xie Zhefeng's sleeve, he swept Su Wuxue away along with himself.

As Su Wuxue was still pondering what on earth had happened to Northern Nether City and the Northern Nether Sword, the world suddenly spun before his eyes, and when he steadied himself again, he was already back in the courtyard of his residence.

Yun Wan was still practicing the sword in the courtyard and was so startled by their sudden appearance that he nearly dropped his blade from his grip.

"Immortal, Young Mas—"

Without a moment's pause, Xie Zhefeng pulled Su Wuxue straight into the house, leaving behind only the loud slam of a closing door.

Inside the room.

Su Wuxue abruptly shook off Xie Zhefeng's hand and demanded sharply, "What is the Immortal's meaning this time?"

Xie Zhefeng did not speak.

The man first lowered his gaze to look at the hand that had just shaken him off, his fingertips curling and trembling slightly, before raising his eyes to look at him once more.

It was as if he were filled with anticipation, yet also consumed by fear.

As if he were drowning in sorrow, yet simultaneously overflowing with joy.

Those eyes were as dark as the dead of night, yet seemed to contain frosty starlight. For a moment, Su Wuxue found himself completely unable to fathom what Xie Zhefeng was thinking.