SWDnovel Chapter 53 April 9th, the day of the underworld
Chapter 53 April 9th, the day of the underworld
It was late at night, around midnight.
The sound of sharpening swords began again.
"Snap... snap... snap..."
Xu Changqing sat cross-legged in the quiet room, his eyeballs moving slightly beneath his eyelids.
He recalled asking Akamiko a question during the day.
"Master, what exactly is this 'Ghost-Sharpening Sword'? Why does it haunt me every night?"
At that moment, Chi Mingzi was dozing off on the stone table. Upon hearing this, he lifted his eyelids, and a cryptic look flashed in his cloudy old eyes.
"Ghost-sharpening sword?" The old Taoist clicked his tongue, then grinned, revealing a few yellowed teeth. "Kid, you'll understand when you go to Xuandu Mountain in the future."
"Xuandu Mountain?" Xu Changqing pressed, "What is the connection between the 'Ghost Grinding Sword' and Xuandu Mountain?"
Chi Mingzi didn't say anything explicitly, but simply waved his hand, closed his eyes again, and muttered, "Why ask so many questions? You'll know when it's your time. Hurry up and forge the sword..."
After saying that, no matter how much Xu Changqing asked, he only began to snore.
At this moment, the sound of sharpening the sword had reached its peak.
If someone with exceptional spiritual perception were present, they would be able to see a blurry figure standing in front of Xu Changqing.
The figure was clad in a Taoist robe, its color as black as the deepest night, yet embroidered on its chest was a ghastly white sun. The edges of the sun were twisted, as if burning, or as if collapsing.
The black robe fluttered without wind, and the figure, with his back to him, crouched in a void, holding a sword in his hand, grinding it again and again on a huge millstone.
The figures were extremely blurry, their outlines appearing and disappearing intermittently, as if separated by a violently rippling surface of water, or like an echo projected from some distant void, the signal extremely unstable.
I could barely make out the action of sharpening the sword; it was mechanical, repetitive, and carried an inhuman stiffness and obsession.
Upon closer inspection, one can see a glint of hunger flashing in the figure's eyes from time to time, as if staring at a large, nearly ripe medicinal plant.
Xu Changqing was unaware of the situation outside, but he suppressed the surging urge to investigate in his heart and kept in mind Chi Mingzi's admonition.
Do not answer, do not follow the sound, do not cover your ears.
I don't know how much time passed, but midnight finally came.
The sound of sharpening swords, which filled the heavens and earth, was abruptly cut off by an invisible hand, coming to an abrupt end.
Xu Changqing slowly opened his eyes. His face was slightly pale, and there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead, but his breathing was even more deep and heavy.
Looking inward at his dantian, the Killing Sword Seed seemed to have shrunk by an almost imperceptible size, yet its light became increasingly solid and pure.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Outside the window, the night was as thick as ink, and the outlines of the distant mountains were blurred.
"Xuandu Mountain..." Xu Changqing repeated the name in a low voice, his eyes thoughtful.
Chi Mingzi's words were vague, but it was clear that the place was closely related to the "Ghost Grinding Sword" and even to the origin of the "Pure Yang Sword Immortal Scripture".
Unfortunately, there are too few clues to make any inferences.
......
The ninth day of the fourth lunar month is said to be the day of the birth of the Lord of the Underworld, and there is a saying that "on this day, it is not advisable to do important things."
People hold sacrifices at this time to pray for everything to go smoothly.
Just after midnight, the light outside the window suddenly became unusual.
Xu Changqing pushed open the door and looked up. He saw that the bright moon, which should have been shining with clear light, had turned pale white, with a layer of pale gray, as if covered with a thin layer of corpse clothes.
The moonlight transformed into a thick, cold light, flowing down silently and enveloping the entire Qingyang Temple.
Almost simultaneously, a faint yet penetrating chill emanated from the direction of Su'e's room in the west wing.
The aura was a pure, ancient Yin energy, as if a corner of the silent underworld had been accidentally lifted, and those extremely Yin wisps seeped into the present world.
Xu Changqing frowned, the blood lotus beneath his feet flashed, and his figure swept towards the west wing like a wisp of smoke.
Su'e's room was tightly closed, but through the cracks and gaps, a pale gray stream of air, visible to the naked eye, slowly seeped out and felt icy to the touch.
The room was completely dark, with no lights on, and the eerie atmosphere grew stronger.
"Su'e?" Xu Changqing pushed open the door and went in.
Inside the room, Su'e sat cross-legged on the couch, her body enveloped in a thick layer of gray-white aura.
Her eyes were closed, her face was so pale it was almost transparent, and a faint light, shaped like a crescent moon, shone from between her brows.
"It is said that the moon has nine phases, and this must be one of them," Xu Changqing guessed to himself.
At this moment, her body was frantically absorbing the extreme Yin energy. Although she was trying her best to suppress it, under the forceful infusion of this power, her original Qi and blood, which were only at the initial stage of the Nourishing Body Realm, were growing stronger and undergoing a qualitative change at an incredible speed, showing faint signs of breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm.
On the ninth day of the fourth lunar month, the Lord of the Underworld was born, and the Yin energy in the world was at its peak. For Su'e, who possessed the talent of Taiyin, this was like a timely rain from heaven, the best time for cultivation. Unfortunately, Su'e did not have the method of refining Qi and could not refine this surging Yin energy.
At that time, she will either have her meridians and soul burst by the yin energy, or she will be completely assimilated, becoming a "Taiyin Child" with only instincts left. Whether her divine intelligence can be preserved is unknown.
"It is said that Taiyin originally had a status, but after the great changes in ancient times, the status was lost and only instinct remained. It would assimilate and erode those in the human world who possessed Taiyin talent, turning them into 'Taiyin Children'," Xu Changqing thought to himself.
Xu Changqing's cultivation was still shallow, and his divine sense could not travel far away from his body, but the situation was critical at the moment, so he had no choice but to take a risk.
He stepped forward, slowly bent down, and gently pressed his forehead against Su'e's cool forehead.
Their skin touched; the girl's skin was as delicate as jade, and the touch was cool due to the yin energy entering her body, causing his heart to flutter slightly. He quickly composed himself, cautiously extending his divine sense to try and enter Su'e's sea of consciousness, to impart the method of refining qi to help her dispel this overwhelming yin energy.
However, as soon as his consciousness entered, Xu Changqing sensed something was wrong.
Su'e's sea of consciousness was empty and desolate; her soul was not even inside her body.
"How could this be?" Xu Changqing was startled and was about to turn away and find another way.
Just then, a faint yet clear voice rang out directly in his consciousness:
"Is that Master?"
It was Su'e's voice, tinged with a hint of bewilderment and dependence.
At the same time, a bright light shone from between Su'e's eyebrows, and Xu Changqing's consciousness was instantly pulled away.
Xu Changqing felt a sudden dizziness, and the scene before his eyes suddenly became blurry and distorted.
Cold, deathly silent, and empty.
This was Xu Changqing's first feeling after regaining consciousness.
What's amazing is that his consciousness has actually solidified and taken shape here, instead of being in an illusory state like in the real world.
He looked down at his "hand," its outline clear and indistinguishable from his own flesh, only it shimmered with a faint glow, making it seem somewhat unreal.
Xu Changqing surveyed the surroundings.
The sky was a gloomy gray, with a huge, eerie moon hanging high, casting a pale, ashen light that gilded everything with a deathly outline. The earth was vast, yet desolate, with exposed dark soil and rocks, interspersed with a few clumps of withered trees, their branches twisted, leafless and budless.
A gray river meanders from the horizon, its surface vast and boundless. The water flows silently, thick as syrup, and occasionally huge shadows slither slowly beneath it, casting unsettling silhouettes.
A light mist floated in the air, and occasionally a few blurry shadows flashed through the mist, neither human nor beast, wandering silently.
Further away, the outline of the majestic city walls appeared faintly, dark and cast like iron. Banners fluttered on the city walls, painted with hideous ghost faces, and hung silently in the windless gloom.