Since Chu Xinghui had already woken up, Xie Liufeng organized the items from their trip. The two of them planned to send a message to their sect before returning.

However, before they could send the message, Chu Xinghui’s communication talisman lit up.

It was Ming Xiao.

When they had left the sect last time, Ming Xiao was still recuperating due to a string of misfortunes. Chu Xinghui hadn’t been in contact with this friend for a long time.

He activated the communication talisman.

But instead of speaking, Ming Xiao on the other end sighed dejectedly and tossed the talisman aside before walking away.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He could hear the footsteps of the talisman fading away and was left completely confused.

Was this some kind of joke?

Not understanding what was going on, he cautiously chose to continue listening.

On the other side, Fang Yan was walking past a pavilion and saw Ming Xiao running out. He asked: “Junior Ming, what are you doing?”

Ming Xiao sounded downcast: “I found a communication talisman to contact Chu Xinghui. I sent him a message… but I guess it’s just a random attempt. He probably still won’t receive it.”

Fang Yan couldn’t help but sigh as well, offering comfort: “Good people are bound to be protected by the heavens. As long as they haven’t found their bodies, there’s still hope. Master and Chu Xinghui… they will definitely return safely.”

Chu Xinghui, listening to their conversation, felt something was terribly off. It was as though he and Xie Liufeng were already dead.

He couldn’t help but speak up: “What’s going on?”

Upon hearing Chu Xinghui’s voice, Ming Xiao hesitated and looked around, uncertain: “Senior Brother, am I hearing things? It seems like I heard Chu Xinghui’s voice.”

Fang Yan froze for a moment: “…I think I heard it too.”

Ming Xiao looked at him anxiously: “Can auditory hallucinations be shared?”

Fang Yan’s gaze fell on the communication talisman he had discarded earlier: “Junior Ming, what I mean is… it seems like the talisman is responding.”

Ming Xiao quickly turned to look at the talisman and was overjoyed. He immediately said: “Chu Xinghui, are you still alive?”

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment and, not knowing the answer to the question, cautiously guessed: “No, maybe I’m already dead?”

Ming Xiao’s tone sank again: “I knew it… If you need anything over there, I can send it to you. It’s not that I’m specifically sending things for you, it’s just that I happen to have a little extra money recently. I can help you out.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He felt that Ming Xiao was beyond help.

Fang Yan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He pulled Ming Xiao, who was lost in his sorrow, aside and gently explained: “Junior Ming, generally speaking… the dead can’t speak.”

Ming Xiao was stunned and finally came to his senses: “Oh, right! You’re really still alive!”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He thought Ming Xiao’s words sounded a bit off.

Xie Liufeng, who had been listening for a while, barely suppressed his smile and leaned in to ask: “What happened?”

Ming Xiao, looking at the communication talisman, tried to use his brain: “Well, you were dead, but now you’re alive… wait, no, you weren’t dead at all…”

Receiving the news that his friends had come back to life had left him somewhat excited, but his brain hadn’t caught up, and he was mumbling incoherently.

Seeing that Ming Xiao couldn’t speak properly, Fang Yan pulled him aside, took the communication talisman, and explained the basic situation: “A year ago, after you entered Changyang Mountain, not long after, your soul lamps went out. We searched the mountain for you many times but never found any trace of you, so we thought… you were…”

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng exchanged glances and immediately noticed the most significant problem in Fang Yan’s words: “A year ago?”

Xie Liufeng opened the window.

It was already spring, and the view outside was full of vitality.

When they had arrived at Changyang Mountain, it was still winter. After Chu Xinghui’s breakthrough, it had taken a while. Though he could sense that the flow of time in the illusion was different from the real world, he hadn’t expected a whole year to pass.

And… that illusion had even blocked the soul lamp’s detection.

Aside from people like Xie Liufeng, who often failed to report their soul condition to the soul lamp according to regulations, leading to its failure, as long as a person remained in this world, the soul lamp would typically not have any problems detecting their life and death.

If Xie Liufeng hadn’t directly dismantled the illusion, had they stayed a few more days in it, even if they had successfully left, many things would have been too late.

Fang Yan froze for a moment, then realized something: “So, where did you two go this past year?”

Xie Liufeng explained what had happened to them.

After digesting their experiences, Fang Yan didn’t focus too much on the complicated details. He sighed and said: “At least, it’s good that you didn’t run into any trouble.”

He was relieved for a moment but then thought of something else. He cautiously asked: “You… are still yourselves, right?”

Chu Xinghui didn’t understand why he would ask such a question but nodded: “Of course.”

Fang Yan, still not entirely at ease, asked them a few questions that only they would know the answers to.

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng sensed that something unusual had happened, so they cooperated and answered one by one.

After confirming their identities, Fang Yan finally relaxed his tone. He kept reminding them: “Master, Brother Chu, make sure to bring the weapon spirit back. Be careful on your way back and try not to come into contact with any unfamiliar people… things aren’t looking good right now.”

Xie Liufeng asked: “What exactly happened?”

Fang Yan fell silent for a moment before answering: “Since the incident a year ago, each sect and faction has been much stricter in monitoring matters related to the upper realms and the Book of Fate. In the last two or three months, they discovered two ‘gods’ that just descended and attached themselves to dead cultivators… There have already been casualties. Now everyone’s on edge, no one knows if there are more of them.”

This was a very bad omen.

The flaws in the Heavenly Ladder were likely more serious than ever.

Time was running out for this world.

Chu Xinghui thought of someone else and continued asking: “What about Yue Yao?”

Before, when Chu Xinghui was about to break through, Xie Liufeng had feared that the process would take too long and Yue Yao wouldn’t be able to find them. So, he had sent the sacred artifact back to the sect and asked Fang Yan to keep an eye on it.

At least with Fang Yan around, they could make the right judgment about when the artifact should be given.

It was fortunate, though, that this trip had brought some unexpected complications.

Fang Yan sighed again: “Not good. After the issue with the Book of Fate was exposed, Yue Yao recalled all of her disciples, announced that the island was sealed, and promised to resolve the issue of the Book of Fate stealing fortune as soon as possible. Then she came to the Beiyue Sword Sect, took the sacred artifact you sent back, and also took Qin Suyun’s body with her.”

“But the disciples on Bihai Taohua Island were too deeply entangled with the Book of Fate. I heard she tried many methods, but none of them worked. With these recent problems… it seems like she won’t make any progress soon. A lot of people can’t wait anymore and are thinking of taking action against Bihai Taohua Island.”

The bitter fruits of Bihai Taohua Island’s generations of actions had finally come back to haunt everyone in the sect.

Fang Yan thought for a moment and reminded them: “Because of the issues with the Heavenly Ladder, people’s hearts are unsettled. Some have even changed their stance and begun agreeing with the prediction of Cultivator Baiyun, to sever the Heavenly Ladder first. So even though Brother Chi soul lamp went out before, many are still trying to find you, or rather… trying to find the Heavenly Dao’s child.”

He hesitated for a moment: “If what Cultivator Fu Guan said about the ‘exile land’ is true… then even more people might agree to let you, Senior Brother Chu, sever the Heavenly Ladder. You need to be prepared. Or…”

He briefly considered keeping the so-called “Exile Land” news to himself.

This information had come from a liar—a fraud whose words were unverified.

After all, the prophecy didn’t just state that Chu Xinghui would sever the Heavenly Ladder, but that he would also die because of it.

For most people, the fate of this world would always be much more important than the life of one person. But for their close friends and family, the fate of this world was important, and Chu Xinghui’s life was important too.

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment and said: “Master, it seems we don’t need to hide the news about the ‘Exile Land’ anymore.”

This was crucial information that could help more people judge the situation.

He didn’t accept an unclear sacrifice, but if it truly required him to do so, he would go through with it.

Knowing why and how to sacrifice was key to determining whether or not to make the sacrifice and how to preserve one’s life while still achieving the goal.

Xie Liufeng tightened his grip on Chu Xinghui’s hand and spoke: “We’ll head back immediately.”

The group ended their communication for the time being.

As soon as Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng returned to the sect, Yue Yao’s message came through.

Chu Xinghui accepted the communication.

Yue Yao’s voice sounded a little weary. She got straight to the point, skipping the usual riddles: “Did you two happen to find something on your journey that you’re unsure how to handle?”

Chu Xinghui didn’t hide anything and replied: “It’s the weapon spirit of Fu Guan from your Bihai Taohua Island, or rather, the Weapon Spirit of the Book of Fate.”

Yue Yao was silent for a moment, then seemed to exhale with relief, muttering to herself: “You really found it… That’s good, that’s good…”

She rarely showed such a clear expression of relief: “When I heard about the extinguishing of your soul lamps, I cast an omen for Bihai Taohua Island. The reading showed that if you two could come back alive, there would still be hope for the island. I was really worried that if you both had died or hadn’t returned in time, Bihai Taohua Island would have perished.”

Her words seemed like a high-stakes gamble, and both Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng didn’t know how to respond.

Yue Yao quickly extended an invitation: “Come to Bihai Taohua Island. I need what you’ve got, and I can also help you solve his life.”

Chu Xinghui and Xie Liufeng exchanged a glance, not agreeing immediately.

Yue Yao seemed truly anxious and quickly sweetened the deal: “It won’t be for nothing. If you have any other requests, feel free to ask. As long as Bihai Taohua Island can provide it, it’s yours.”

Chu Xinghui finally found a chance to interrupt her offer: “…He knows quite a bit.”

He wasn’t particularly interested in the rewards from Bihai Taohua Island, his main concern was whether the information the Weapon Spirit of the Book of Fate knew could help in the currently chaotic situation.

Yue Yao pondered for a moment before promising: “Since this senior came from Bihai Taohua Island, I might have a way to search his soul and retrieve his memories. I’m sure there will be things in there that you two will find useful.”

Chu Xinghui found this strange: “Since your sect has soul-searching techniques, why didn’t I see you use them before?”

Though soul-searching wasn’t exactly a proper method, for someone like Cultivator Baiyun and that old man Zheng… there wasn’t really any need to worry about morality.

Yue Yao explained: “I didn’t have the soul-searching technique before. I only developed it in the past year while researching the Book of Fate. It does take a toll on the practitioner, though. It’s a pity… My good master and grandmaster have voluntarily discarded their souls, so they can’t make use of this technique anymore.”

Chu Xinghui turned to discuss with Xie Liufeng.

Then he responded to Yue Yao: “Alright, we’ll come. But before that, we’ll need to stay in the sect for a while.”

They had just returned to the sect after being ‘dead’ for an entire year and had a lot of matters to sort out.

Yue Yao calculated the days and nodded: “The earliest I can take action is the twenty-sixth of next month. You two can come to Bihai Taohua Island a few days before that.”

She paused for a moment, then added: “When you come, please remember to bring Qin Suyun and Xie Huai with you.”

 

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