mingjing let out a breath, afraid Shuanghua would make a move against Xueji. She knew Xueji had paid a huge price to save her. If Shuanghua really made a move against Xueji, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Xueji spat several mouthfuls of blood, asking mingjing for golden needles. Xueji then inserted the golden needles into her dantian acupoints again. Her movements were skilled, as if she had done this countless times.
Xueji revealed: "I have a meridian injured by the Blood Sea Demonic Art, must use golden needles inserted into dantian acupoints to gradually repair it. In a few more years, it will be healed. These years, I've been repairing this injury, almost complete."
mingjing said sadly: "It's all my fault, causing Sister Xueji's recovery speed to definitely be delayed again. If not for saving me, Sister Xueji wouldn't have been injured."
Xueji said indifferently: "Hehehehe... just one year, it's been over ten years, who cares about one or two more years. I've waited these ten-plus years, waiting another year is nothing."
Xueji's eyes became distant, falling into a trance. Her thoughts seemed to return to the past, to the moment she was injured by the Blood Sea Demonic Art. That was a tragic battle—she had won, but also paid a huge price.
mingjing picked up the protective talisman, standing quietly and gazing at Xueji. She knew Xueji had paid too much for her. She didn't know how to repay this kindness.
Xueji seemed to suddenly sober up: "Hehehehe... let's go, take all the Spirit Stones and items from his Lingbao Pavilion. Then go to Youming Sect. There's what you need there."
mingjing worried about Xueji's injury: "Sister Xueji, your injury..."
Xueji said indifferently: "Enough. Don't worry about me. My injury, I know myself."
mingjing looked back deeply toward the Ghostly Abyss. She knew Yuyi might already be dead. But in her heart, there was still a thread of hope.
"He still drew his sword against me in the end. But he still doesn't understand, actually letting me have the right to claim his Lingbao Pavilion's items." mingjing said, her eyes flashing with complexity.
Xueji laughed: "Hehehehe... mingjing, it's you who doesn't understand, he understood long ago, but he was wild. Hehehehe... wild? He'd rather jump off a cliff than kill you. That's his wildness, and also his love. He knew you would betray him, but he still chose to believe you. That's his love."
Below the Ghostly Abyss, Yuyi was struck by Xueji's palm, thinking he would surely die. He felt the intense pain in his chest, knowing he was seriously injured. But after spitting several mouthfuls of blood, he surprisingly didn't die. Yuyi was astonished: Xueji deliberately didn't kill him.
The Ghostly Abyss was pitch dark, only faint light filtering through cracks above. Strange lumingescent moss grew on the cliff walls, emitting eerie blue light, illumingating this hidden world. The air was thick with dampness, mixed with the scent of earth and rock. In the distance came the roar of flowing water, echoing in the Ghostly Abyss, forming a strange resonance. Occasionally, rubble fell from the cliff walls, making crisp sounds that seemed especially harsh in the silence. This was a world isolated from everything—no sunlight, no wind, only eternal darkness and silence.
Yuyi saw the bottom of the Ghostly Abyss was a river. The river was turbulent, the water roaring. The river water was crystal clear, the riverbed covered with pebbles that shimmered in the faint light. On both banks grew some strange plans with broad leaves, showing deep green, appearing especially striking in the darkness. He tried to circulate his technique to protect his body, discovering his vital meridians were unharmed, but all other meridians were severed. He couldn't circulate his technique, didn't even have the strength of a normal person.
Yuyi realized: Xueji left him unable to live or die, needing six or seven years to naturally repair. This was a cruel punishment, but also an opportunity. If he could find a new path in these six or seven years, perhaps he could break through.
Yuyi fell into the water, violent impacts causing pain throughout his body. He was washed by the current to a place with excellent scenery. Here, all four sides were cliff walls, with only one river passing through. Sunlight spilled through cracks in the cliffs, illumingating this hidden world. Vines and moss grew on the cliff walls, forming green waterfalls. The ground was covered with fine sand, soft and comfortable to step on. The air was thick with the fragrance of flowers and grass, giving a sense of tranquility.
Yuyi struggled to climb ashore, unable to condense his spiritual power. He tried self-cultivation, fortunately it didn't affect artistic conception self-cultivation. Although he couldn't circulate his technique, his mental state was still there, his sword intent was still there. He could continue cultivating the sword path. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began recalling that one sword strike from his battle with Yanxue. Every detail of that strike, every angle of each swing, every circulation of spiritual power, all clearly surfaced in his mind. He repeatedly deduced, trying to find the essence of that strike.
Yuyi discovered a cliff twenty meters away that he could jump onto. He stepped toward the cave. The cave wasn't deep but very spacious, the walls covered with ancient runes. These runes seemed to tell an ancient story. Stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, water droplets falling from them, making crisp sounds. On the ground were stalagmites of various shapes, like small mountains.
Yuyi saw a tombstone: 'Tomb of Golden Snake Gentleman Xia Xueyi'. The tombstone was ancient, covered with traces of time.
Tombstone text: "Arriving at this place means having fate, obtain my true transmission, domingate the cultivation world."
Yuyi dug the soil before the tomb, discovering the first long box. Yuyi became suspicious: Golden Snake Gentleman was extremely intelligent, how would he leave such words? This was clearly a trap prepared for enemies. He continued digging, discovering a second long box. After confirming nothing else, Yuyi opened the second long box.
Inside the long box was a golden-gleaming long sword in its sheath. Yuyi drew it—the blade was as if covered with a layer of frost, the edge flashing with cold light. This sword emitted powerful sword intent, as if alive. Yuyi felt the coldness transmitted from the sword body, knowing this was a peerless divine weapon. At this time Yuyi's spiritual power couldn't operate, unable to truly experience this sword's full power, but he could feel the terrifying power contained in the sword body.
Inside the long box was a booklet, describing Golden Snake Gentleman's brief life story and insights on techniques. Yuyi opened the booklet, seeing Golden Snake Gentleman's life. His life was full of legends and tragedies, but also full of glory and brilliance. From an obscure youth to a peerless expert domingating the cultivation world, Golden Snake Gentleman's every step was full of blood and tears.
Inside the long box was also a slender golden snake-shaped sharp awl: Golden Snake Awl. This awl was exquisitely crafted, like a golden snake coiled, emitting eerie cold light.
The first box would spray poisonous mist when opened, specifically for dealing with enemies. Yuyi was fortunate he didn't open the first box, otherwise he would have died from poison by now.
Yuyi said to the tombstone: "I won't bow to you, but I've always admired you. Since I was fortunate enough to learn your technique, after I get out, when I have time I'll go to Wen Family Fortress for a massacre, help you vent your hatred."
His voice echoed in the cave, as if conversing with Golden Snake Gentleman. Although Golden Snake Gentleman had been dead for many years, his spirit, his sword intent, remained here forever.
Yuyi felt Golden Snake Gentleman's spirit was no less than Xiao Feng's, his arrogance no less than Yang Guo's, his devotion no less than Duan Yu's, his encounters no less than Zhang Lie's, his intelligence no less than Huang Rong's. He was a legend, a legend that could never be forgotten.
Yuyi thought of Shaying, thought of mingjing, his heart couldn't help but ache. He knew Shaying had betrayed him, mingjing had also betrayed him. But he didn't hate them at all, couldn't hate them. He only hated himself, hated himself for being too naive, for trusting others too much. But this naivety was also his nature, he couldn't change it.
Yuyi had never tried wilderness survival. He surveyed the surroundings, worried that relying only on catching fish from the river would cause problems. Although the scenery here was beautiful, it was also a place isolated from the world. He needed to learn to survive.
Yuyi used the Dream Sword to stab a not-small fish, feeling sorrow in his heart: his strike speed had fallen to this extent. Once, his sword was fast as lightning, now even stabbing a fish was so difficult. Yuyi used the Dream Sword to chop branches, taking several hours to cut through. His strength was already less than an ordinary person. But he didn't give up, he continued chopping, continued working hard. Yuyi made a grilling rack, gutting the fish, stuffing some green grass inside. He grilled the fish, his mind thinking of a series of things. Why did Xueji make him unable to live or die? Why not directly kill him when he had no protective talisman? mingjing... do I truly understand her heart, or am I being self-indulgent?
Yuyi didn't hate mingjing at all, couldn't hate her. He knew mingjing had her difficulties. He also knew mingjing truly loved him. It's just that their paths were destined not to intersect.
Yuyi recalled the moment mingjing leaped from the cliff: her waist pouch not at her waist, that was the place specially for holding protective talismans. The beauty calm as still water under the sunset's afterglow, long hair fluttering in the wind, clothes dyed with sunset colors. In that moment, she was so beautiful, and so resolute. Yuyi knew mingjing truly loved him, but her love was too complex, too heavy.
Yuyi closed his eyes, sinking into self-cultivation. He decided to treat this as seclusion for pure cultivation. Yuyi didn't want to seek help: let me, Yuyi, seek help from whom? Shaying whom I hate? Or them from the Nitian Alliance? He already had no face to see them.
"A cripple, what good is being saved? This is the cultivation world—for a cripple, the friends from the original Nitian Alliance are no longer friends. Friendship, sometimes also needs conditions." Yuyi said to himself.
At the bottom of the Ghostly Abyss, the river murmured. Yuyi's figure was lonely but determined. He knew the road ahead was full of thorns, but he was already prepared. The Golden Snake Divine Sword was beside him, cold light flashing. This was his opportunity, and also his hope. He believed that as long as he persisted, one day he would stand up again.
Yuyi began self-cultivation, repeatedly recalling that one sword strike from his battle with Yanxue. That was a perfect strike, but he still needed to be stronger. He needed to find the essence of that strike, needed to find the key to breakthrough. He closed his eyes, his mind constantly replaying every detail of that strike, every angle of each swing, every circulation of spiritual power. He believed that as long as he persisted, one day he would find the essence of that strike. He began trying to practice that strike with the Golden Snake Divine Sword—although he couldn't circulate his technique, he could deepen his understanding of that strike through practicing the sword moves. Each swing gave him new insight into that strike.
Time passed in the Ghostly Abyss, Yuyi's figure sitting like a sculpture. In his heart was only the sword path, only pursuit. He knew this was his only opportunity. If he gave up here, he would truly be finished.
The sound of the river, the silence of the cave, the cold light of the Golden Snake Divine Sword—all became the background for Yuyi's self-cultivation. He didn't need others' help, he only needed himself. He believed that as long as he persisted, one day he would stand up again, becoming even stronger.
In Yuyi's heart, there was no longer resentment, no longer pain. Only pursuit of the sword path, desire for perfection. He knew this was his path, and also his fate.
This was Yuyi's choice, and also his path. Below the Ghostly Abyss, Yuyi's figure was lonely but determined. His path had only just begun. He would here rediscover himself, rediscover the sword path.