Chapter 48:Journey in the Mountains and Rivers (II)

After receiving a positive response from Sui Ning, several peak masters left first.

Ah Yan was a little worried and hesitated, holding onto Sui Ning’s hand and saying, “Sui Ning, entering the sea of consciousness is very dangerous.”

Sui Ning was stunned, and Ah Yan continued, “In the sea of consciousness, the owner of the sea of consciousness is like a god. You must not be discovered. If you are, the beast will find it too easy to kill you.”

But Sui Ning was just a nascent soul cultivator, let alone having the ability to enter the beast’s sea of consciousness. Even if she did enter, it would be easy to give herself away and be detected by the beast.

Ancient demon beasts were not easy to deal with.

Xie Changzhou walked slowly to Sui Ning’s side with a gentle expression in his eyes. “Ningning, don’t worry, I will accompany you.”

Sui Ning smiled lightly and nodded, “Okay.”

No matter how difficult it was, Xie Changzhou would be with her.

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“Okay,” he responded softly, unable to look at her and feeling unsure. He lightly clasped her hand, and his smile deepened. 

Ah Yan looked shocked and glanced between Sui Ning and her own master. “Master, you and Sui Ning…” 

Xie Changzhou nodded without changing his expression. 

Ah Yan’s bright, black eyes widened, and his round, tender face was filled with surprise and disbelief. In a childish voice,he asked, “You and Sui Ning?” 

Xie Changzhou kept his response brief: “Yes.” 

Sui Ning was a little unhappy and embraced Xie Changzhou’s arm, looking down at Ah Yan. “What’s that expression on your face? Are you sad that your master is with me?” 

“Or,” Sui Ning paused, her face showing some threat, “do you think I’m not worthy of your master?” 

Ah Yan was left speechless, and his fair face turned red. “Sui Ning, I’m not talking to you!” he exclaimed and ran out, completely ignoring Sui Ning’s calls behind him. 

It was a long time before he quietly stopped outside Mingjing Hall. The tall hall stood quietly on the main peak of the Limitless Sword Sect, with a circular drum beside the door. It was imposing and magnificent. 

But Ah Yan only felt like it was a cage, trapping Xie Changzhou for so many years. 

While Grand Master Ban Xu was still alive, Xie Changzhou was a little more relaxed. But since the Grand Master’s death, he had become Jianzun, and every time someone knocked on the drum outside Mingjing Hall, Xie Changzhou would lead them out to eliminate evil spirits. 

Those people always liked to praise how powerful and worldly Xie Changzhou was, but in reality, they only respected his cultivation level.

For many years, Xie Changzhou lived alone at the Wenjian peak. With Sui Ning’s personality, she brought a lot of joy to Xie Changzhou’s life.

Now they are together…

Ah Yan felt happy. His master now had someone who truly loved him.

Ah Yan’s nose tingled, his throat felt choked, and his eyes turned slightly red.

He turned around and went towards the Wenjian peak.

Inside the main hall, Sui Ning shook her head helplessly, looking up at Xie Changzhou next to her and saying, “Your Ah Yan seems quite surprised. I hope it’s not because he thinks I’m not good enough for Jianzun.”

She looked mischievous, her eyes bright and clear. Xie Changzhou was moved by her emotions, and his heart softened.

“No, it’s me who is honored to be with Ningning.”

Sui Ning smiled, reaching out to motion for him to bow his head.

Xie Changzhou was a bit confused, but he bent down slightly. A sweet fragrance wafted over, and a soft touch landed on his cheek.

Sui Ning’s gentle voice poured into his ear: “I’m not honored; I’m willing.”

Xie Changzhou’s heart beat faster and faster, and he tightly held the hand that was intertwined with his, his voice hot and hoarse: “Okay.”

Their eyes met, and suddenly they both burst out laughing.

On the Wenjian peak, the suspended moon rises high.

Ah Yan held Sui Ning’s hand, looking pitiful. ‘Sui Ning, can’t you take me with you?’

He looked at Sui Ning with his dark eyes, and Sui Ning softened inside.

‘No, you can’t,’ came a clear voice.

Xie Changzhou said softly, ‘No, Ah Yan.’

Ah Yan looked aggrieved and looked at him eagerly, wanting to struggle again, but Xie Changzhou shook his head.

‘Ah Yan, the Beast Sea of Consciousness is very dangerous, and the fewer people who go, the better. Xie Changzhou reached out and lightly rubbed his head, looking down at him with lowered eyes and saying, Wait for us to come back on Wenjian Peak.’

Sui Ning also squatted down and looked at him: ‘Ah Yan, I promise you that we will come back as soon as possible, don’t worry.’

Ah Yan hesitated for a moment and nodded gently after a long time, his childish voice tinged with some grievances: ‘Okay, then you must come back early.’

He didn’t want to stay alone on Wenjian Peak.

Sui Ning lightly laughed and hugged him into her arms, whispering in his ear, ‘We will, for sure.’

When they set off, it was already the eleventh hour, and they arrived at the Jing Chan Sect when night had fallen heavily.

From afar, they saw the main hall of the Jing Chan Sect surrounded by a familiar demonic aura, which set off the demonic energy that had not completely dissipated in Xie Changzhou’s dantian, and his expression suddenly turned cold. He used his technique to forcefully suppress the demonic energy inside his body.

Sui Ning keenly noticed his abnormality and furrowed her eyebrows: ‘What’s wrong?’

Xie Changzhou shook his head and held her hand tightly. “It’s nothing.”

Her heart sank, and Xie Changzhou’s appearance seemed to be hiding something from her.

Inside the main hall, demonic energy was rampant, and incense was burning around the hall. Over a dozen monks were sitting cross-legged in a circle, chanting the ear-whispering Buddhist scriptures with their eyes closed. One hand was raised in front of them, while the other hand rotated the Buddha beads hanging on their wrists.

Amidst the obscure and incomprehensible Buddhist scriptures, there were also intermittent animal roars, which sounded mournful and piercing, as if enduring great torture.

As each Buddhist scripture was recited, the golden light on the monks’ bodies became more and more obvious, all converging onto the person lying on the sandalwood bed in the middle of their circle.

When Sui Ning looked over, her pupils shrank, and her expression suddenly froze.

The person lying on the sandalwood bed had thick eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and closed eyes. His pale and handsome face was covered with fine and twisted black lines, and he wore a kasaya embroidered with sutras.

The monks recited the Buddhist scriptures lightly, and the sutras on his kasaya lit up with golden light. As the golden light became more and more intense, the person’s struggling movements gradually decreased, and the roaring animal cries also became weaker and weaker.

Until the person on the sandalwood bed completely calmed down and the animal roars disappeared.

The monks stopped chanting and slowly opened their eyes, their expressions gentle but pale and weak.

Tang Tang, who was full of tears, rushed forward and kept crying: “Huai’an…”

Master Dingyuan greeted them and bowed to both of them, “Jianzun, Miss Sui Ning.”

The previous group of monks stepped down, and another group of over a dozen monks came to sit in their previous positions as if they were on duty.

Xie Changzhou furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “Have the beasts been frequently restless?”

Master Dingyuan’s old face was full of sorrow. After a long sigh, he said, “These past two days have been particularly turbulent. Sometimes I have to suppress it every half an hour.”

“Jianzun, the disciples of our Jing Chan Sect are almost unable to suppress it, so we have come to ask for your help. Please help us, Jianzun.”

Xie Changzhou’s face was cold, his thin lips tightly pursed, and his sharp jawline was tense and clear.

“Master Dingyuan, there’s no need to worry. It’s my responsibility to eradicate the evil spirits.”

Sui Ning’s gaze fell on Mo Huai’an. He was wrapped in a robe, so it was impossible to tell how seriously injured he was, but the scar on his face that was caused by Xie Changzhou’s sword energy had indeed disappeared.

However, it was impossible for the disciples of the Jing Chan Sect to heal him, and Mo Huai’an himself had long lost his sanity. The beast had also suffered serious injuries, so how could he have the energy to heal?

Master Dingyuan looked at Sui Ning with sharp and solemn eyes, unlike his previous gentleness, which made Sui Ning frown involuntarily.

“Master?”

Xie Changzhou stood in front of Sui Ning with his eyebrows pressed down, and a cold light flickered in his warm eyes.

Master Dingyuan withdrew his gaze and looked at Xie Changzhou. The warmth and compassion on his face disappeared completely.

His eyebrows and eyes were solemn, and his voice was low and heavy. “Jianzun, you know that if Sui Ning’s matter is leaked, it will cause a great uproar.”

Even the ancient demon beasts who had been practicing for tens of thousands of years could be restrained, let alone these ordinary demons.

At that time, how crazy would the demon world be, and how would the major sects react?

It was obvious.

Of course, Xie Changzhou understood.

He clenched Sui Ning’s hand, his expression calm, his voice cold, and he was already wrapped in frost and snow. “Not many people know about this now. I hope everyone will keep it confidential.”

“If the demons find out, I will kill one for every one that comes.”

“If there’s any movement in the sects, I’ll clear them out.”

He paused, the pupils of his glassy eyes flickered with a cold light, and he spoke word by word.

“Whoever intends to cause internal chaos shall be punished.”

Master Dingyuan was stunned, his expression incredulous: “Jianzun, you want to take action against the alliance of our sects?”

Xie Changzhou shook his head and said slowly, “If they have designs on Ningning, it would be the same as the methods used by the demonic tribes. If they attack their own fellow cultivators, they cannot be considered allies.”

“Then we should purge our sect and execute them.”

Master Dingyuan frowned tightly. “Jianzun, Miss Sui Ning is capable of restraining the demon clan and should be…”

“Master Dingyuan.” Xie Changzhou interrupted him and said slowly, “I am enough.”

Both his master and himself were trapped by the position of Jianzun, and he did not want his loved ones to suffer the same fate one day.

Xie Changzhou whispered, “Ningning is naturally free-spirited and cannot bear such a heavy burden. I am enough.”

Sui Ning was stunned, her throat inexplicably dry and rolling. Her hand that was holding Xie Changzhou’s hand became numb, and her heart was also numb.

She held Xie Changzhou’s hand in return and walked out from behind him, looking directly at Master Dingyuan.

“Master Dingyuan, I am willing to contribute to resisting the demon clan.”

“Sui Ning.” Xie Changzhou frowned.

Sui Ning shook her head at him, soothing his gaze, and tightened her grip on his hand.

Master Dingyuan smiled warmly and said, “Miss Sui Ning, you have great compassion.”

Sui Ning gave a sly smile, and her expression was playful: “But I don’t want to sacrifice for them.”

Master Dingyuan and Xie Changzhou were both stunned.

She met their gaze calmly, with a faint smile on her lips.

“The salvation of all beings requires tens of thousands of people to work together; not just whoever has the most ability should sacrifice themselves.”

“I can stand up and work together with them, but if the sect wants to use me to research something, to make me charge into battle and sacrifice myself for them…”

Her eyes glinted with a cold light.

“I refuse.”

Master Dingyuan murmured, ‘Miss Sui Ning…’

Sui Ning turned to look at Xie Changzhou, who gazed back at her with gentle and warm eyes.

She laughed lightly, and when she looked back at Master Dingyuan, her gaze was firm and calm.

“Master Dingyuan, I have not received any favors from the sect; only Jianzun has shown me kindness. I can work with you all to resist the demons for his sake.”

“But I am not willing to sacrifice myself for those I don’t even know; I am more selfish and value my life.”

Sui Ning chuckled, her eyes and eyebrows curving, her lips forming a smile: “If someone intends to harm me, I won’t just sit and wait for death.”

Master Dingyuan was stunned, looking at the two people in front of him.

The two stood side by side, holding hands, calm and composed.

“What Miss Sui Ning said is true,” whispered Master Dingyuan.

Sui Ning’s personality was quite different from the others he had met before; even Jianzun… had changed a lot.

Jianzun of the past would never have agreed with her current words. He would have said that sacrificing oneself for the world was inevitable.

But now… things have changed.

Master Dingyuan’s face darkened slightly, his expression becoming heavier.

“Little Ning, Jianzun!”

A familiar cry rang out.

Tang Tang’s face was bright with tears, her phoenix eyes red and swollen, and her long lashes dripping with glistening tears, as if she had been crying for a long time.

Sui Ning frowned and quickly went to her side.

Tang Tang rushed over, her eyes filled with supplication: “Ningning, please save Huai’an. He can’t hold on much longer.”

Sui Ning looked at Mo Huai’an on the ground, the devil patterns on his face wriggling like worms under his skin, gradually extending to the areas covered by his monk’s robe.

A light scent of pine drifted over. Xie Changzhou walked up to him, and his warm and pure spiritual energy entered Mo Huai’an’s body.

Soon, he withdrew his hand and said in a cold voice, “The beast is devouring Mo Huai’an’s consciousness.”

Large tears rolled down Tang Tang’s face as she spoke in a hoarse, tearful voice, “Jianzun, please save him.”

Xie Changzhou shook his head and said slowly, “We have to enter the beast’s consciousness sea to kill it. We can only enter when the beast becomes restless again and take advantage of its spiritual fluctuations.”

“When the beast becomes restless again, Ningning and I will enter its consciousness sea.”

Tang Tang looked at Mo Huai’an lying on the wooden bed, his handsome face covered with devil patterns, looking ferocious and terrifying, completely different from the young man in her memory who wore fresh clothes and rode spirited horses.

But she still thought he was handsome. Mo Huai’an was the most handsome person in the world to her.

“Tang Tang, since we can’t enter the beast’s consciousness sea for now, why don’t we talk about the matter in Yong’an City?” Sui Ning paused and continued, “The matter in Yong’an City ended hastily, and many mysteries have yet to be solved. We still don’t know who instructed You Changqing to release the beast.”

“As for you.” She looked at Tang Tang with a calm gaze, and a hint of darkness crossed her eyes. “Do you know Mo Huai’an?”

Tang Tang’s jade-white fingertips trembled slightly, and she pursed her lips slightly. “Yes.”

She looked up at the three of them and repeated, “Yes, we do know each other. Five hundred years ago—no, seven hundred years ago—we met.”

The others remained silent, waiting quietly for her to continue.

Tang Tang’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she remained silent for a while before speaking softly.

“That’s something from my past life; it’s too strange; I don’t know if you believe it or not.”

She looked anxiously at the three people in front of her but didn’t see any surprise on their faces. Sui Ning smiled kindly at her, indicating that she should continue.

Tang Tang’s heart warmed, and she continued, “I was the daughter of the Yougu family, Youzhaozhao, 700 years ago. You Ruoming and Wanwan were my parents, and Moling’s youngest master, Mo Huai’an… was my lover.”

She looked at Mo Huai’an beside her, her face full of tenderness.

“Huai’an and I grew up together, accompanied each other for over 200 years, and we were supposed to get married. However, Jiqiu, the young master of the Changming Sword Sect, failed to win my love and even attempted to do something improper to me, but was killed by Huai’an in anger.”

“These things are known to Jianzun and Ningning. What you experienced in the void was something that really happened 500 years ago, except for one thing–“

Tang Tang paused, tears already filling her eyes.

“He sealed the beast inside his own body, using himself as the array to imprison the beast and also imprisoning himself.”

Sui Ning furrowed her brows. “Did Mo Huai’an exchange bloodlines with you?”

But even if he had exchanged bloodlines, the Saintess’s bloodline could only seal the beast for several decades. How could Mo Huai’an have such great ability to seal the beast inside his own body and even suppress it for 500 years?

Tang Tang shook her head. “No, he didn’t exchange bloodlines.”

“At first, I also thought he had changed his bloodline, but it wasn’t until I died that I realized it wasn’t blood that he changed.

She laughed out loud, but tears silently slid down her face as she trembled and reached out to touch Mo Huai’an’s face.

Her voice was choked and hoarse: “Huai’an’s mother is the most pure-blooded saint of the bloodline.”

Xie Changzhou’s gentle eyebrows and eyes suddenly turned cold, and his clear voice was rare with a hint of surprise: “Mo Huai’an’s mother is a witch?”

Tang Tang was startled: “Does Jianzun know?”

Sui Ning looked at him and said, “What is a witch?”

Xie Changzhou’s eyebrows furrowed, his gaze falling on Mo Huai’an, his eyes dark and obscure.

He spoke slowly: “I just read it in a book. Legend has it that when Yanheng fell, the power of bloodline was scattered among the two great families of Yougu and Moling, but there was still one family -“

“The witch clan.”

He looked up at Tang Tang and said, “Only the women of the witch clan have the power of bloodline, called the witch women. The power of bloodline on their bodies far surpasses that of the saint women of the two great families.”

Xie Changzhou paused, his eyebrows slightly wrinkled. “But the witch clan only exists in legends. No one has ever seen them.”

Sui Ning suddenly realized: “So Mo Huai’an’s mother was a witch woman with strong bloodline power, and Mo Huai’an inherited her bloodline power.”

So Mo Huai’an was more suitable to seal the beast than You Zhaozhao back then.

Tang Tang lightly stroked Mo Huai’an’s face, nodding gently, “Yes.”

“Huai’an’s mother was the last member of the witch clan. She had been hiding her bloodline and using secret techniques to conceal Huai’an’s bloodline until the battle with Ji Qiu, when his bloodline awakened at the brink of death and he killed Ji Qiu.”

Her tears flowed down as her voice trembled uncontrollably: “The saintess bloodline has chosen me, and Huai’an took the place of me to seal the beast in the end.”

“After Huai’an fell into the void, I also died at the hands of Jibai, the master of the Changming Sword Sect, after finding out everything. That jade pendant…”

Tang Tang picked up the jade pendant on her waist and smiled: “I already knew that the Changming Sword Sect would not let me go. This pendant contains my memories and a strand of my soul, and I entrusted it to my dear friend, Qingyuan Taoist, who was also a friend of Huai’an.”

“Jade is a high-grade artifact weapon. Qingyuan Taoist used it to find my family and handed it to my mother when I was born.”

Therefore, after experiencing the void incident, Tang Tang’s soul in the jade pendant returned, along with the memories of her past life.

This was too absurd.

Tang Tang smiled softly and wiped away her tears: “The situation was too absurd, and I was just struggling to survive at the time. Who would have thought that the jade could really find me with that strand of my soul.”

She gently stroked the jade on her waist and murmured in a tender voice, “No wonder I was weak since childhood, and my mother sent me to practice because I lacked a strand of my soul.”

The three people remained silent, and the quiet hall only heard Tang Tang’s faint sobbing.

After a long time, Sui Ning spoke softly: “Mo Huai’an sealed the beast into his own body and locked himself in the void. When the beast became restless, he couldn’t kill himself, so he had to use someone else’s hand to do it. That’s why he designed to pull us into the void.”

“More accurately, he originally intended to pull only you in, and Jianzun and I were accidentally pulled in.”

Sui Ning looked directly at Tang Tang, who was sobbing softly: “But when the beast became restless, he fell into a deep sleep after pulling us in, so we were forced to go through all those past experiences until he woke up.”

That was why Mo Huai’an seemed to have a split personality at that time, suddenly shouting and yelling at Tang Tang.

He wanted to provoke Tang Tang and make her kill him.

As Sui Ning spoke up to this point, her tone suddenly shifted, “So How did Mo Huai’an create the void and maintain it for hundreds of years without breaking? His cultivation level couldn’t possibly be that high.”

Tang Tang was startled, as if just realizing this fact, and stammered, unable to explain clearly.

Xie Changzhou, who had been quiet all this time, stepped forward slowly, his calm gaze falling on Mo Huai’an. He spoke in a soft voice, “It’s because of the Beast.”

“The Beasts were ancient divine beasts who controlled the power of time and space hundreds of thousands of years ago. Their bloodline’s power has been passed down, and in this generation, the Beast became a demon, an ancient demonic beast.”

“The Beast was suppressed by Mo Huai’an within his own body, and they became one. Mo Huai’an used the power of the Beast to create the void.”

“So, the Beast’s sea of consciousness is different from that of ordinary people.”

Xie Changzhou’s expression turned cold, his brows furrowed, and a trace of chill flashed in his eyes. His voice lowered suddenly.

“The Beast’s sea of consciousness is a real separate space, not just memories.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the patterns on Mo Huai’an surged suddenly, and a demonic aura enveloped him. The golden light of the kasaya covering him flashed brightly, trying to suppress him with all its might.

The change was too rapid; not even half an hour had passed, and both Tang Tang and Master Dingyuan were stunned.

Xie Changzhou coldly shouted, “Quickly set up the formation!”

The monks regained their senses and quickly recited their Buddhist scriptures. With each chant, Mo Huai’an’s expression became even more twisted and ferocious.

Tang Tang was scared and cried out, “Huai’an!”

Master Dingyuan quickly stepped forward to take her away, and whispered to Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou, “Jianzun, Miss Suining, I’m counting on you!”

Sui Ning had not yet recovered, and at that moment, Mo Huai’an’s closed eyes suddenly opened, his pupils turning a deep red as if blood might drip from them.

She was pulled into a warm embrace, and a clear voice sounded in her ear.

“Sui Ning, don’t be afraid.”

A powerful force swept over her, and Sui Ning felt as though her soul was being torn apart. But a warm spiritual energy flowed through her meridians, dissolving the intense pain that was piercing her heart.