C618 In This World

"How did Loong Jie manage to provoke that woman?"

Startled by the river of sword light, Lord Dusk Raven took a distant look and wondered, "There's no connection between Dragon Lake and the Sword Sect, is there?"

After pondering for a moment, Xu Zixi spoke up, "That girl, Chen Qingyan, brought a servant named Loong Tianxiao with her when she left the Serpent Spine Mountains. Loong Tianxiao, a dragon-human hybrid, was once imprisoned in the Moonfall Sanctuary. He escaped and ventured deep into the Serpent Spine Mountains."

Her words carried a deeper meaning as she cast a significant glance at Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan, fixated on the river of sword light drawn forth by the Stardust Blade, seemed lost in the memories of his past life, oblivious to the exchange between the two.

"Yu Yuan? Yu Yuan!"

It took several calls from Xu Zixi before he showed signs of awareness, as if snapping out of a trance.

"What else did you encounter in the depths of the marsh?" Lord Dusk Raven asked, his expression darkening, "Zhan Tianxiang, Zhao Yafu, and three youngsters from Shadow's Keep entered the marsh after you. The leader is one of our own. Did you see him?"

"Zhan Tianxiang and Zhao Yafu were rescued by Green Willow; the other three didn't make it," Yu Yuan replied.

"Green Willow!"

Both Lord Dusk Raven and Xu Zixi exclaimed in shock.

Just then, clear, meandering streams began to emerge from the depths of the marsh.

Godsblight Marsh was home to numerous rivers. Green Willow, adept in water magic, had used his innate abilities to conjure seven rivers, their waters surging powerfully as they burst forth.

Green Willow's slender serpentine form, now reduced to a fraction of its size, slipped away, concealed within each river.

Upon Green Willow's emergence, the resplendent golden elephant atop the mountain let out a thunderous roar.

With a boom, the golden mountain shifted across the void, moving to suppress the rivers.

"Master!"

Zhan Tianxiang surfaced from one of the rivers, calling out loudly.

The giant elephant atop Gold Mountain reeled in surprise at Zhan Tianxiang's cry.

Then, it saw Zhao Yafu emerge swiftly from another river.

Zhan Tianxiang was his apprentice, and Zhao Yafu was the chosen one of the Moonfang Tiger. These two rising stars of Shadow's Keep, amidst the flowing streams, ensured that the Golden Elephant God dared not make any hasty moves.

He watched helplessly as a crystal-clear river plunged underground and swiftly vanished from sight.

With the divine powers and demon soul of the Golden Elephant God, he could detect Green Willow's transformation as the river submerged into the earth, splitting into 16 more elusive and delicate phantoms.

Yet, the colossal elephant could do nothing but watch Green Willow escape, growing more distant by the moment.

Elsewhere.

The Stardust Blade, unleashed by Loong Jie, shattered the hovering sedan he was escaping in. The sword light trapped Loong Yang, the Amethyst Dragon, and Lee Yuchan.

The Stardust Blade itself morphed into a frost-laden silver river, ensnaring Loong Jie.

Whoosh!

A sword light, redolent of decay, abruptly manifested from the realm where Ji Ningshuang resided.

Ji Ningshuang, materialized from strands of sword light, arrived just as the Withered Sword emerged, softly calling out, "Senior Sister."

"You don't need to see me off," she said.

With those words, Chen Qingyan burst forth from a bright white sword light, bound by the relentless will of the sword, and was handed over to Ji Ningshuang.

"Chase me, and that girl will die."

Xi Quan, now one with the sword, transformed into a beam of sword light and sped toward the Songbird Empire.

A towering red figure in the sky huffed, poised to strike.

Ji Ningshuang's Solar Spirit Body urgently called out, "Brother Tang, please hold back!"

The Stardust Blade drew a swath of sword light between Xi Quan and the red figure, cleaving the heavens in two. Tang Zheng of the Sunlit Order, if he pursued Xi Quan, would inevitably encounter the sword light river.

"I know you're protective, but Xi Quan is a renegade of the Sword Sect!" Tang Zheng bellowed.

"My disciple must not come to harm," Ji Ningshuang replied.

As they spoke, Xi Quan's Withered Sword had already traversed thousands of miles, slipping away from the Godsblight Marsh and the sanctuary they guarded.

After Green Willow and Xi Quan had made their retreats, Zhongli Dapan emerged, laughing eerily as he stepped out into the world overseen by an Ebon Star cultivator.

In stark contrast to the towering, hundred-zhang figure of the Ebon Star cultivator, who held a mirror with effortless grace, Zhongli Dapan appeared minuscule, like a mosquito by comparison.

With a wide grin, he greeted the Ebon Star cultivator with a respectful fist-and-palm salute. "It's been a while. By my reckoning, it's about time I was released from Sword Prison. Perhaps a few years ahead of schedule, but that's inconsequential now that the Sword Prison no longer exists."

The Ebon Star cultivator's form seemed slightly ethereal, almost like a fleeting reflection in the mirror he held, adding an air of mystery to his presence.

After a moment's contemplation, he gave a slight nod. "Indeed, there was a time restriction on your imprisonment in Sword Prison, and you're merely three years shy of release. However, your disciple, Shen Feiqing, recently aided a Shura from the Dark Realm in the Forgotten Ruins. We..."

"My absence from the Everlands surely means that her actions cannot be attributed to me, correct?" Zhongli Dapan argued his point.

The Ebon Star cultivator paused, taken aback.

"I'm returning to the Forgeroses." With these words, Zhongli Dapan cast a longing glance towards Yu Yuan's location, miles away, and with a tinge of regret, he turned to leave.

He had hoped to take Yu Yuan as his disciple and impart the teachings of the "Ancient Echoes of the Void," but he recognized that the timing was not opportune, leaving him with a sense of loss.

As he departed, Ji Ningshuang, the cultivators from both the Ebon Star and the Sunlit Order, as well as representatives from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, made no move to intercept him.

Zhongli Dapan's situation was unique; unlike Loong Jie, Green Willow, and Xi Quan, his confinement in Sword Prison was subject to a specific duration, and the time had indeed come for his release.

With Zhongli Dapan's return to the Forgeroses, he was poised to claim the position of Sect Master. The assembled figures had been privy to a covert directive prior to their arrival, granting Zhongli Dapan permission to rejoin the Forgeroses.

"They just left like that?"

Yu Yuan muttered, his eyebrows twitching as he turned to Dusk Raven and Xu Zixi. "By the way, Lin Zhuyun from Winter's Bite and the Abyssal Leviathan are right now in the Marsh!"

Dusk Raven grimaced. "Of course, we're aware."

"You knew?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

"What good does it do to know?" Xu Zixi sighed in resignation. "That's the Godsblight Marsh. Without the Untamed God's permission, no cultivator beyond the Spirit Walk realm or seventh-level archdemon dares to venture deep."

She glanced at the Golden Elephant God, the three Upper Sects, and the ever-shifting devil cloud from the Devil Palace.

The Golden Elephant God, along with four other Unbound cultivators, could only wait outside.

The Untamed God, a tenth-level Dark Deity, would have its combat power amplified in the depths of the marsh.

Whoosh!

A white ribbon, imbued with Ji Ningshuang's sword's will, shot out from her domain, heading straight for Yu Yuan.

In moments, the ribbon spanned a thousand miles to reach Yu Yuan.

It was merely a ribbon, yet Ji Ningshuang's voice emanated from it, "Yu Yuan, please come up to see me."

Dusk Raven and Xu Zixi exchanged glances.

Above Gold Mountain, the Golden Elephant God, now in human form, had just fished Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang out of two streams. The towering Golden Elephant God seemed to have heard the Stardust Blade's message and nodded to Dusk Raven and Xu Zixi, "No worries."

He then looked down at Zhan Tianxiang and Zhao Yafu at the summit of Gold Mountain, "There's no need for concern."

"It should be alright; go ahead," Xu Zixi encouraged.

Yu Yuan stared at the white ribbon, feeling a sense of otherworldliness wash over him. His mind was adrift, and his steps faltered as he awkwardly boarded the ribbon.

Familiar scenes, scents, and faces...

However, he had transformed into someone else.

...