Xie Liufeng followed Yue Yao’s trail and finally found her location.

The one who captured Yue Yao was a mysterious person wrapped in a black robe.

Xie Liufeng fought a few moves with him, the opponent was no match and took the opportunity to escape with the severely injured Yue Yao.

Since he was already here and had seen the person, Xie Liufeng chased after them.

The black-robed person fled all the way and finally stopped in a remote valley, taking Yue Yao into a cave.

Xie Liufeng stood at the cave entrance and observed for a moment.

The opponent deliberately led him here, unsurprisingly, something should be waiting for him here.

Xie Liufeng thought for a moment, prepared a bit, and then entered.

The inside of the cave was extremely spacious, almost hollowed out half the mountain. Scattered inside were some strange tools that he couldn’t identify their purpose.

The black-robed person did not continue fleeing but stood on a nearby high platform, looking down on Xie Liufeng.

He did something, and suddenly several stone pillars rose around the cave. Golden-red runes flowed on them, with colors like a mixture of gold paint and blood, looking extremely ominous.

Then, the black-robed person formed a complicated spell with his hands and sent spiritual power to the pillars.

The runes on the pillars suddenly moved and formed several golden-red fine lines that extended all the way to Xie Liufeng’s feet.

Xie Liufeng groaned softly and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood without warning.

A hoarse voice, indistinguishable in gender or age, came from under the black robe: “The Sword Respect is powerful, but his weakness is too obvious. I had no intention to fight the Sword Respect, but who knew he had to interfere with things unrelated to himself.”

Xie Liufeng’s heart moved.

Those fine lines… controlled the shackles on his soul.

Xie Liufeng’s face remained expressionless. He calmly watched the black-robed person nearby and said gently: “No choice, too many sneaky rats hide their heads, I want to retire early, but these little pests disturb my peace. How can seeking peace for oneself be unrelated?”

The black-robed person sneered: “The Sword Respect’s backbone is still so stubborn.”

Xie Liufeng squinted.

He carelessly wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth and probed: “Do you know me?”

The other did not respond to the probe: “The Sword Respect jokes. Who doesn’t know the Sword Respect’s name?”

Xie Liufeng chuckled lightly: “You were the one who sent the Xie family people to find me to become my apprentice, right?”

The black-robed person said nothing but suddenly activated the fine lines again.

Xie Liufeng’s face turned pale.

The golden chains shackling his soul moved like living things, tightly strangling his soul, almost tearing it to pieces.

…After a while, Xie Liufeng slowly collapsed, his breathing and heartbeat stopped.

The black-robed person descended from the high platform and looked down at Xie Liufeng’s corpse.

To be honest, he had always admired the Sword Respect and recognized his contributions to this world.

But now… he was still too troublesome and better dead for greater usefulness.

Seeing Xie Liufeng fall, Yue Yao, who was severely injured nearby, suddenly thought of something, struggled to stand up from the ground, and whispered a few words to the man in black.

The man in black was silent for a moment, nodded, and allowed Yue Yao to use the teleportation array to leave.

…

*

Yue Yao recalled the deal she had made with the man in black once more, then glanced at Chu Xinghui.

Chu Xinghui was innocent.

She did not know what would happen after she brought Chu Xinghui to the man in black.

But no matter what, she had no other choice.

Chu Xinghui looked at her, and said proactively: “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Yue Yao looked at him deeply again and nodded: “Let’s go.”

She did not leave directly through the stone door from which Chu Xinghui had entered but took another path, leading Chu Xinghui deeper into the cave.

Chu Xinghui tried to find the snake that had led him in, but he could not find any trace of it along the way.

He temporarily suppressed his doubts and followed Yue Yao forward.

Yue Yao finally stopped before a stone wall deep in the cave. She formed a hand seal, and a hidden mechanism appeared on the wall.

She seemed very nervous, and her hands trembled as she deactivated the mechanism.

Chu Xinghui watched her movements quietly and suddenly said: “You seem quite familiar with the mechanism and formation here, Cultivator Yue.”

Yue Yao’s hands paused, and she replied calmly: “The art of divination shares commonalities with formations and talismans. I had been here once before, so I naturally knew how to deactivate this mechanism.”

Chu Xinghui nodded but did not expose her.

She had used the teleportation array to come here, and her earlier behavior clearly showed she was not familiar with this path.

Yue Yao spent some time and finally opened the mechanism.

The stone wall in front of the two suddenly disappeared.

Yue Yao sighed with relief and continued to lead Chu Xinghui: “The next path requires sword riding, just follow me, Cultivator Chu.”

“Wait a moment,” Chu Xinghui suddenly called her back: “Cultivator Yue, I already agreed to go with you. Shouldn’t you tell me what exactly happened to Xie Liufeng?”

Yue Yao put several healing pills into her mouth to calm her energy and blood. Hearing this, she avoided his gaze for a moment and said: “You will naturally know what happened when we arrive.”

Chu Xinghui did not want to hear her keep being mysterious: “Then let’s ask a different question. Bihai Taohua Island is a thousand miles away. Why did the Saintess come here?”

Yue Yao’s eyes flicked: “I—”

Chu Xinghui understood what she intended as soon as she used “I” and quickly stopped her: “Now that Cultivator Yue specifically came to find me, there’s no need for lies, right?”

Yue Yao was stumped, her expression gloomy, and told the truth: “I found traces of my master here, I came to look for him.”

Maybe she should not have directly said Xie Liufeng was in trouble.

She wasn’t sure if it was her illusion, but since she mentioned Xie Liufeng’s accident, the Heavenly Dao’s child became particularly aggressive.

Chu Xinghui still remembered this matter: “Cultivator Yue said before that a hundred years ago, the Cultivator Baiyun glimpsed the heavenly secret and then left to find the person the secret was destined for.”

Since the topic started, Yue Yao did not intend to keep hiding. She tiredly pinched her brow: “That is not false. However, after traveling for several years, she disappeared.”

“Your injuries are man-made, and they seem to have lasted some time. The attacker injured you but did not kill you, and then you came to find me,” Chu Xinghui looked at her and continued to analyze: “Did they make you bring me there to exchange something—like your master?”

He said coldly: “Let me remind you, Cultivator Yue, since the opponent’s strength far surpasses yours, you should not expect them to keep their promise.”

Yue Yao did not expect him to guess almost everything so quickly, her expression stiffened slightly: “Just as Cultivator Chu is willing to come here for news about Senior Xie, I naturally have reasons I must try.”

Chu Xinghui saw something in her expression and shook his head: “I do not care why you insist I follow you. I only ask one thing—Is Xie Liufeng there too?”

Yue Yao paused for a moment and nodded.

He should be there.

Chu Xinghui did not say anything else and continued to follow her.

*

Three hours later, Yue Yao finally brought Chu Xinghui to the cave where the man in black was.

Chu Xinghui immediately went to look for Xie Liufeng.

There was indeed Xie Liufeng’s aura nearby but no sign of him.

He barely suppressed his panic and observed the man in black not far away.

He could not gauge the other’s cultivation but felt that the other’s strength was extremely powerful.

Yue Yao respectfully bowed to the man in black: “Senior, I have brought the person. My master…”

The man in black interrupted her hint and gave a mysterious compliment: “Well done.”

Upon hearing this, Yue Yao’s expression suddenly froze.

Chu Xinghui keenly noticed this anomaly and frowned.

In the next moment, the man in black suddenly attacked, grabbed Yue Yao, and choked her harshly by the neck.

Yue Yao showed pain but did not have time to speak before losing consciousness.

Chu Xinghui temporarily did not have the energy to care for Yue Yao.

He still had not found Xie Liufeng’s figure.

…

Finally, his gaze stopped on an ice coffin in the corner.

Out of some instinct, Chu Xinghui hurriedly walked over.

The man in black threw Yue Yao’s body aside and watched Chu Xinghui from a distance without speaking or stopping him from approaching the ice coffin.

Chu Xinghui quickly arrived at the ice coffin.

Through the thick coffin lid, he could faintly see a person lying inside but could not clearly see the person’s face.

He hesitated for a long time and finally reached out to push open the coffin lid.

When he saw clearly the face of the person lying inside, Chu Xinghui felt all the blood in his body turn cold.

At this moment, instead of losing control, he calmly examined Xie Liufeng’s entire body.

Breathing… none. Heartbeat… none. Body temperature was so cold under the effect of the ice coffin that it seemed frozen solid… all signs of life had disappeared.

Chu Xinghui checked again and again in vain, still finding no sign that Xie Liufeng was alive.

He could not clearly say what exactly was running through his mind at that moment.

He slowly stood up, tightening his grip on the spirit sword in his hand.

Now he only had one last thought left.

If Xie Liufeng really could no longer wake up…

He would kill the murderer, then die himself.

Just as he moved, he suddenly felt the corner of his clothes tugged lightly.

Chu Xinghui maintained his expression but stiffened all over.

He did not dare to look down, thinking it was just his illusion.

Then his clothes were tugged again.

This time it was much more obvious.

Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Chu Xinghui glanced quietly at the place where the tug came from.

His robe was just in front of the ice coffin, exactly blocking the movement of Xie Liufeng’s right hand.

Xie Liufeng’s “corpse” still lay peacefully in the coffin, showing no signs of life.

 

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