Remould the Glory of Sword Art-Chapter 1266 - 175: Li Lan Wind and Snow (Part 3)
The wind and snow howled.
A flying sword streaked through the sky.
Although it was a flying sword, its body was extremely wide, like a small boat, soaring upward.
"Second Master."
Xuan Jin stood with one foot in front of the other on the blade, raising two fingers to control the sword.
He curiously asked, "Aren’t we heading to Li Lan Mountain? Why did we leave Heavenly Phoenix Palace and go east instead?"
"No rush."
Cheng Er sat at the sword’s tip.
Still in a blue robe, draped with a wide cloak, wearing a snow-white bamboo hat.
But...
Her voice was evidently much weaker now.
Cheng Er hoarsely said, "In this world, the process of most things doesn’t matter, only the result does."
Xuan Jin pondered.
He knew that this journey to Li Lan Mountain was to find a Great Destiny Carrier.
Their name and identity were unknown to Heavenly Phoenix Palace.
Perhaps... Second Master had deduced quite a bit of information. But his master instructed him only to follow Second Master, without considering much.
Wherever Second Master went, he would follow.
"How long have you been cultivating?"
The flying sword darted in the high air, countless snowflakes striking and feeling extremely coarse.
Second Master suddenly opened her mouth, asking an unrelated question.
"Counting from my Transformation and Awakening, I’ve been cultivating for twenty-seven years."
Xuan Jin grinned, showing his snow-white teeth.
"Twenty-seven years..."
Cheng Er chuckled softly upon hearing this.
Whether in Demon Country or among Humans, cultivating for twenty-seven years... is just a young lad.
No wonder.
The first time she saw this Xuan Jin, she felt he was unruly.
Clearly a reincarnation of one of the Nine Venerable...
Yet pure as paper.
"Why does Master laugh?"
Xuan Jin couldn’t help but ask upon hearing her laughter.
"Nothing."
Cheng Er certainly wouldn’t answer this question.
She just shook her head, feeling both amused and absurd.
This Xuan Jin’s past life was one of the sworn brothers with Mo Zhen Venerable, Jinli Great Venerable!
Jinli Great Venerable was renowned for his "killing nature towering to the sky."
Reportedly.
Jinli entered sainthood through Killing Dao, daily consuming demon spirit flesh and blood as elixir, and during the Battle of Poison, he took the lead, slaughtering an entire city of Great Chu, then rampaged through Northern County... leveraging the war, he ascended two realms consecutively.
Just.
In the latter half of the Battle of Poison, Jinli Great Venerable suddenly vanished from sight.
This Great Venerable, faced unanticipated events, suddenly disappeared.
Looking back now.
There’s no disappearance without reason.
This clearly was "rebirth and relearning."
However... Cheng Er harbored doubts about one thing.
Given the combat strength of the Nine Venerable back then, Jinli Great Venerable should have reached the fifth or sixth layer of Yang God, no less powerful than Sun Eater Venerable.
Why, all well and good, would Jinli Great Venerable opt for Soldier Disintegration and Rebuilding?
"Second Master, how about you?"
Suddenly.
A voice interrupted Cheng Er’s thoughts.
"What..."
Cheng Er furrowed her brows, coldly said, "...Me?"
Xuan Jin affirmed with a nod and earnestly asked, "How long has Second Master been cultivating?"
"Why ask that?"
Cheng Er continued with a cold face.
"Because Second Master is very mysterious."
Xuan Jin smiled, honestly saying, "Half a year ago, when Second Master arrived at Heavenly Phoenix Palace, she was personally received by the Great Palace Master, and since then... every day Master went to the courtyard to consult with Second Master. During this time, many rumors spread in Heavenly Phoenix Palace."
"Oh?"
Second Master raised her eyebrow.
"Some say Second Master isn’t a demon."
Xuan Jin said, "Others say Second Master harbors sinister intentions, coming to Heavenly Phoenix Palace for no good reason."
"..."
Cheng Er fell silent upon hearing this.
These folks weren’t entirely wrong.
She was a Treasure Transformation, in a sense, indeed not considered a demon.
As for visiting Heavenly Phoenix Palace...
"And you?"
Cheng Er turned back, gazing at Xuan Jin, calmly said, "Do you think those people are right?"
"I..."
Xuan Jin lowered his gaze, faintly smiled, "Regarding the former statement, they probably weren’t wrong."
Though yet to awaken his Divine Soul from his past life.
Xuan Jin nevertheless possesses an exceedingly powerful Divine Thought talent.
He stared directly into Cheng Er’s eyes.
Looked straight into those eyes.
He seemed to see a vast, deep ocean, with scorching waves rolling within.
Second Master, indeed, is not a demon.
But...
Second Master is not human either.
"About Second Master’s identity, I asked my Master."
Xuan Jin said somewhat regretfully, "Master is unwilling to answer that question. He seems not to want me to have too much contact with Second Master."
Cheng Er snorted with laughter.
She knew the intentions of the Chi Fu Dragon Lord...
Even though she advised and planned for the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, ultimately she comes from the Paperman Sect, a dangerous person not to be trusted.
Xuan Jin bore the life story of the Nine Venerable.
The Heavenly Phoenix Palace deliberately kept it hidden, there must be another secret involved.
If I were willing to spend a great deal of longevity, then the truth of the Jinli Great Venerable’s Soldier Disintegration and Rebuilding would surface.
"Your Master is looking out for you."
Cheng Er said lightly, "However, he miscalculated. Now you are still on the same sword as me."
The wind and snow roared.
The Sword Qi softly sang.
"Of course Master is looking out for me, Master is the person who treats me best in the world!"
Xuan Jin raised his head proudly, "But Second Master is not a bad person either..."
Reaching this conclusion was actually quite simple.
If Second Master were a bad person,
Master wouldn’t have allowed me to accompany him south.
"..."
Cheng Er chuckled silently, not knowing what to say.
"By the way, how should I address Second Master?"
Xuan Jin opened up, chattering on, "The title ’Second Master’ really sounds a bit distant, and it feels like taking advantage of someone. Master here, master there, we’re about the same age, why should I call you Second Master?"
"..."
Cheng Er fell silent once more.
She pinched her brow, feeling quite headachey.
This Xuan Jin, is a little too verbose.
And so he chattered on for dozens of sentences.
Xuan Jin finally realized something was wrong; it seemed the other party was unwilling to converse with him.
He lightly coughed, pretending not to care, and said, "It’s okay, if Second Master doesn’t want to talk, that’s fine. Let’s just say Xuan Jin never asked."
Then, he stopped speaking.
Cheng Er enjoyed the peace and quiet.
So, the flying sword continued to glide through the air.
"..."
Xuan Jin held back for a long time, looking at the slim figure sitting like an old monk, feeling the urge to strike up a conversation again. Yet, considering his earlier bold words, he stubbornly swallowed back his words.
Heaven does not forsake those who persevere.
In the end, Xuan Jin waited for Second Master to break the silence first.
"In twenty-seven years, how many times have you left the Heavenly Phoenix Palace?"
Cheng Er asked, seemingly dozing, suddenly asking a question nonchalantly.
"Nine times."
Xuan Jin answered quickly.
He earnestly said, "Most of the time, I’m in closed-door cultivation within the palace, comprehending the Tao Realm and cultivating Sword Intent. Master hopes I can perfect my Taoist Intent soon, and the Great Palace Master also hopes I can inherit the future Throne."
This is the reason for his somewhat "childish" demeanor.
A Great Demon acting like a child.
Across the vast Demon Country, demons who can cultivate as carefree as Xuan Jin, without worry of kin slaughtering kin, are exceedingly rare.
"A brat indeed."
So Cheng Er shook her head, impatiently commenting.
"???"
Xuan Jin widened his eyes, about to argue back.
"I have cultivated for a hundred years."
Cheng Er said casually, "There’s a reason for calling me Master."
Xuan Jin’s eyes widened even more.
A hundred years?
He looks nothing like it!
The Divine Thought emanating from that lean figure was not at all senile.
He even thought... this Second Master, like himself, hadn’t been cultivating long!
"If you don’t want to call me Second Master..."
Cheng Er lowered her eyes, pondered for a while, and slowly said, "You can call me... Cheng Er."
"Cheng Er... Cheng’er?"
Xuan Jin rubbed his chin, blinking, thought for a long time, and curiously asked, "Is Second Master a woman?"
Cheng Er: "?!"
Though it was unintentional,
it inadvertently revealed the heavenly secret.
The woman sitting at the tip of the flying sword suddenly turned rigid, pretending not to hear, bowed her head and feigned meditation.
...
...
(More to come tomorrow noon.)
