Chapter 81: The Path of the Dao is Nameless
Until a hundred years after the Sword Venerable’s fall—…
This was not good news.
Just as the ancient battlefield was not a good place.
There were no small bridges and flowing water of the south, nor were there the snowy mountains of the north.
What there was, was reddish-brown land, heavy restrictions and barriers, demonic cultivators and criminals hiding here, and countless cunning and ferocious demonic beasts.
Yin Buran lowered her eyelids, her eyes as dark as ink. “Perhaps someone has implanted a suggestion in Yan Lingge and tampered with her memory.”
She took a sip of hot tea and slowly sorted out her thoughts.
“This person first used Yan Lingge to lead you to Brightlight Pavilion to reunite with me. Then he sent the second letter to Chu Xuan, driving us to meet up with her.”
Yin Buran paused for a few breaths, her brow furrowing even deeper. “This person knows us very well. And I’ve always suspected…”
She looked at Ning Ruoque. “Perhaps it wasn’t that the Mirage Sea Realm had lost control, and that’s why you fell into the fox demon’s illusionary realm. But that someone, in order to let you regain your memory, had forcefully made the Mirage Sea Realm operate in overdrive.”
To catch a big fish, one had to use the bait that the big fish loved to eat.
If one wanted to catch the renowned sword cultivator, of course, one had to use the sword that the sword cultivator cherished the most.
Like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, all three of them were astonished, and Chu Xuan even almost choked on a peanut.
She thumped her chest hard, and after finally swallowing it, she blurted out, “How did you deduce that?”
Si Mingyue also helped to pat Chu Xuan’s back and interjected, “Because the core of the Mirage Sea Realm is lost, right? The Kun said that someone had snatched it.”
Including the final escape of the fox demon, it also seemed as if someone was secretly helping it.
Her face was full of worry. “Later, I ordered the people of Heavenly Eon Palace to go and search, and I also did a few divinations, but the core’s whereabouts are still unknown.”
So although Yin Buran’s deduction sounded incredible at first, after calming down and thinking about it carefully, it actually made a lot of sense.
Chu Xuan also couldn’t figure it out. “What on earth is this person trying to do?”
The situation had developed to this point, and more and more people and immortal sects were involved.
The demon race was restless, and the Immortal Alliance was taking this opportunity to clean up its interior. It was no longer something that the four of them could control.
Or perhaps, this was the ultimate goal of the person behind the scenes?
Yin Buran’s eyes darkened, and she said in a low voice, “The bracelet has a hidden mechanism. Could it be that that person deliberately led us to the ancient battlefield?”
Chu Xuan: “And the origin of the bracelet is also very suspicious.”
The Taiyi Sect was one of the four major immortal sects, and its items rarely circulated outside. Only the inner sect had a chance to come into contact with them.
Yin Buran nodded. “No matter what, I will inform my master of this matter and ask her to pay more attention to the Taiyi Sect.”
After saying so much, she was thirsty.
She weighed the hot tea, then touched Ning Ruoque’s cup, and then, without any hesitation, she snatched the latter and took a large gulp.
Ning Ruoque’s face showed hesitation. “Ranran…”
Yin Buran glanced at her. “Are you also protecting your water?”
As if to help Ning Ruoque desensitize, she took another sip after speaking.
“No,” Ning Ruoque was afraid that she would misunderstand and quickly explained, “I was just going to say, why don’t we not go to the ancient battlefield?”
She was not afraid of those conspiracies on her own, but with Yin Buran, she just couldn’t help but worry.
If possible, she wished she could turn Yin Buran small and protect her in her arms.
Yin Buran saw through her concerns at a glance.
She tilted her head. “Are you going to go back now? This kind of hesitation is not like you.”
Ning Ruoque pressed her lips together and did not refute.
In fact, her intuition told her that this trip should be fruitful, and they were already very close to the truth.
But compared to the truth, she wanted to ensure Yin Buran’s safety first.
She was no longer without any ties.
Just then, Si Mingyue reminded her in a soft voice, “I heard that the Sword Pavilion is going to reopen the Sword Discussion Ceremony at the place where you fell, to select a new Sword Venerable. It should be quite lively there now.”
Her pair of purple eyes curved into crescents, and she smiled. “I also did a divination before I set off.”
Chu Xuan was curious. “And the result?”
“Hmm, I forgot…” Si Mingyue, relying on the fact that others could not see the face under her veil, pouted childishly.
However, she quickly comforted, “But we’re just going to take a look. It shouldn’t be a big problem, right?”
“If we really encounter a monster we can’t beat, we’ll run away. Even if the sky falls, Chu Xuan will be there to hold it up.”
Chu Xuan nodded in cooperation. “Yes, yes, yes. Who made me a genius who values friendship and righteousness?”
Hearing the two of them go back and forth, Ning Ruoque suddenly felt a lot more at ease.
She turned her head and happened to see that Yin Buran was also looking at her, her gaze clear, without a trace of doubt or hesitation.
Under the table, a cool hand also reached over.
This time, Yin Buran did not go to grab her sleeve, but gently held Ning Ruoque’s hand.
“What are you afraid of? I told you, I will always follow you. Are you not confident in me, or are you not confident in your own sword?”
After a moment of stunned silence, Ning Ruoque’s heart relaxed, and the last stone also landed.
She held Yin Buran’s hand back, and the corners of her mouth also turned up unconsciously. “Alright, let’s go together.”
*
Ning Ruoque wanted to check the barriers and restrictions of the ancient battlefield.
And by the way, she would go to the place where she had fallen to see if she could find any clues about her life-bound sword.
After leaving Huiya Pass, there were no more towns along the way, and the four of them switched to Chu Xuan’s small flying boat.
It was unknown if it was because the weather was too cold or because of the long journey, but Yin Buran was always listless and had no energy. As soon as she got on the flying boat, she found a soft couch and went to sleep.
Ning Ruoque first went to watch Chu Xuan and Si Mingyue play chess for a while.
The two of them played chess so badly that it was a tragic sight.
At first, they still followed the rules, but later, they just did as they pleased.
Taking back a move was already common. Chu Xuan even used the chess pieces to build small animals, as throwing darts, and competed with Si Mingyue to see who could throw farther.
Ning Ruoque was speechless.
The sect masters of two major immortal sects were actually childish ghosts. Who would believe it if it were told?
She went back to take care of Yin Buran.
In the cabin, with a warm stove and incense, Yin Buran was curled up, sleeping soundly.
However, as soon as Ning Ruoque sat down, she seemed to have sensed it. She fumbled a few times and rested her head on Ning Ruoque’s lap.
Then she lifted the fur blanket, covered her head, and also blocked the fine sunlight.
Ning Ruoque was afraid that she would be stuffy and gently lifted the fur blanket a little.
Then she saw Yin Buran cover her face with her hand and curl up inside even more.
Her soft, silk-like white hair slipped from Ning Ruoque’s lap, and her cheeks were slightly puffed up, looking very soft and poke-able.
Ning Ruoque’s heart instantly softened into a mess.
She thought that Yin Buran was so cute, like a little white cat.
She pulled the fur blanket up a little more to block the sunlight for Yin Buran.
But not long after, she couldn’t help but want to see Yin Buran’s face, so she gently lifted a small crack.
Just like that, she lifted it and covered it, tirelessly. Lifted, covered.
Lifted—
Yin Buran suddenly got up and punched Ning Ruoque’s chin.
Then she threatened coolly, “You try that one more time.”
Realizing that she had gone too far, Ning Ruoque scrambled to wrap Yin Buran up.
“I’m sorry!”
Suddenly, a “crack, crack” sound came from her ear. Ning Ruoque turned her head and found Chu Xuan sitting on the side of the boat, cracking melon seeds.
While cracking, she sighed, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. The renowned Sword Venerable is actually a childish ghost. Who would believe it if it were told?”
Ning Ruoque: “…”
She became obedient now, and Yin Buran was unusually silent.
The flying boat sped through the clouds, and only when the originally bright sky suddenly dimmed a lot.
Si Mingyue also stopped playing with the chess pieces and ran to the side of the boat, almost jumping up. “Ah! I can see it!”
She saw a large light screen hanging down from the sky in the distance, stretching endlessly, with no end in sight.
The mountain range was intermittently spread on the horizon, and the thick black poisonous mist was blocked on the other side of the light screen, dividing the sky in two.
They were too far away, and before Ning Ruoque could react to what this was, she suddenly heard a familiar sword hum.
A biting cold wind howled, like an accompaniment. It was not mournful, but rather clangorous like the collision of metal and stone.
Wherever it passed, the spiritual energy became restless, and the heavens and the earth were completely clean. Both the demonic aura and the turbid aura were cleared away.
And the sound of the sword’s hum came one after another, continuously sweeping across this area, as if it were declaring a fact—
Here, all evil shall not invade!
Until a hundred years after the Sword Venerable’s fall, her remaining sword light still split open the chaotic ancient battlefield, blessing countless future generations.
Chu Xuan and Si Mingyue were chattering on the bow, discussing how this almost miraculous phenomenon had formed.
Ning Ruoque, on the other hand, turned her head and saw Yin Buran.
Yin Buran, who was sitting primly on the couch, without a word.
Her figure and face were hidden in the shadows, and it was not very clear.
She just felt as if there was a transparent wall that separated her from everything outside.
So she could not get out and could only stay in place like an abandoned cat, all alone.
For some reason, Ning Ruoque’s throat was sour and bitter, so bitter that she could not speak.
She took a few steps forward and directly carried the person up.
Yin Buran did not resist, but a trace of bewilderment flashed in her eyes, and she didn’t know where to put her hands.
Ning Ruoque looked at her eagerly and asked in a hoarse voice, “Ranran, can I kiss you?”
Yin Buran’s expression was blank. “I’ve said it before. You don’t have to ask to kiss my face.”
The next second, she suddenly felt a softness on her lips and her eyes widened abruptly.
