"Thump --"
The ninth bell rolled over the top of Kunlun, like a blunt knife, cutting slowly into the night sky. In the forbidden area at the back of the Qingyun Sect, the Ice and Fire Lotus Platform whirled with a roar. Chu Xuan sat cross-legged in the center, the mark between his eyebrows was burning horribly, and the gold and blue stripes climbed all the way to the side of his neck like a living vine.
"Here it comes." Ling Qingxue whispered, the Cold Star sword lay across her knees, and a wisp of ice-blue spiritual power at her fingertips grabbed the edge of the lotus platform. "The final stage, the final attack of the heart demon."
Chu Xuan did not reply, he was busy - busy running a marathon in the sea of consciousness. Darkness was boundless, with cracked scorched earth beneath his feet, blood moon hanging high above his head, and a smell of rust in the air like someone had ground a rusty knife into mist.
"It's the same old thing again, the bloody filter." He pursed his lips, rubbed his fingers, condensed his ice and fire power into a flashlight, and shone it forward - as the beam of light passed, darkness receded like a tide, revealing a floor full of broken mirrors that reflected different images: mother hunched over, two dogs tearfully seeing off, Big ox having his leg broken by a bully... Every scene was a moment of his powerlessness.
"TSK, always pick the soft ones." Chu Xuan was stunned, and with a "click" of his foot, he crushed a piece of lens, but the fragments turned into black smoke and suddenly wrapped around his ankle, icy cold, like countless little hands drilling into memory.
Visions come upon me --
At the entrance of the village, Mother, holding a bowl of hot soup, smiled and handed it over: "Xuanzi, it's windy outside. Drink and go."
Chu Xuan reached out his hand, just as his fingertips touched the rim of the bowl, a twisted black face suddenly emerged on the surface of the soup and screamed, "Drink this bowl of soup and you'll stay here forever and never protect them again!"
"Can't protect?" Chu Xuan raised his eyebrows and suddenly grinned, revealing two small tiger teeth. "I cultivate for the day when I can carry the soup with the bowl and it won't be hot to the touch!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his palm burst with ice and fire, and with a "bang" he smashed the soup bowl and his black face to pieces. Before the fragments could land, another cry came from behind -
"Xuanzi, don't go!" What shall we do if you leave?"
Two dogs, Big ox, Uncle Muramasa... One familiar face after another, tear-streaked, reached out to grab his sleeve.
Chu Xuan paused his steps, his chest felt like a heavy hammer, and his breathing was stiff. Darkness seized the opportunity to entangle him, transforming into chains that bound his limbs and dragged him down to the ground. In the depths of the sea of consciousness, the marks of the covenant flashed wildly, but they could not reach him.
"Stay, it's too dangerous outside."
"What's so good about cultivation? Even if you become an immortal, you can't protect anyone!"
"Stay, we'll give you a warm bed, we'll give you a wife, we'll give you..."
"You can't give me --" Chu Xuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes red, but laughed brighter than ice, "hold my head high and stand in front of you!"
Boom --
The ice and fire spirit power explodes, chains shatter inch by inch. He raised his hand, his fingers loose, and his spirit condensed into a long knife, with a line of small characters engraved on the blade --
[Guardian Blade]
"Slash!"
The blade shone like snow, reflecting the resolute face of the young man. The illusion was cut in half, black blood splattered, but in mid-air it turned into a rain of light, trickling back to his heart like a gentle farewell.
Darkness receded, revealing a desolate battlefield. In the distance, a huge iron cage was suspended in mid-air, and within it was a figure - dressed in blood-stained white, with dim eyes, it was Ling Qingxue!
"Here again?" Chu Xuan swung his sword and strode forward, "Duplicate copy, planner deduct salary!"
In front of the cage, the black mist condenses into another "Chu Xuan", dressed in a black robe, with cold eyes and a voice like a venomous snake's letter: "Save her? Do you deserve it? You can't even protect yourself."
"Whether you deserve it or not is not up to you to beep beep." Chu Xuan pointed his sword straight at the other person, "I'll count to three and release the person."
"One."
The black-robed Chu Xuan sneered and drew a black sword from his hand, the tip of which pressed against the throat of the woman in the cage.
"Two."
Ling Qingxue raised her eyes, her voice weak but gentle: "Leave me alone. Go."
"Three!"
The blade light and the black sword cut down at the same time - but there was no blood drop. At the last moment, Chu Xuan threw away his sword, threw himself into the iron cage, blocked the black sword with his back, and at the same time reached out, grabbed the collar of the black-robed Chu Xuan and grinned:
"I've caught you, the core of the demon."
The black-robed Chu Xuan's pupils suddenly constricted as he tried to turn into black smoke and escape, but was sucked tightly by the sudden vortices of ice and fire emerging from the young man's palm.
"I forgot to tell you that my dantian is short of fertilizer recently." Chu Xuan laughed brightly, "You're ugly, but your fertility should be good."
Boom --
The vortex spun wildly, and Chu Xuan in the black robe let out a shrill scream, his body being dragged bit by bit into the center of the vortex. The iron cage shattered, Ling Qingxue's phantom turned into a rain of light, rushing into the young man's heart, and a gentle voice echoed in the sea of consciousness --
"I'm here, always be here."
The dark battlefield crumbled, revealing an ice-blue curtain outside. Chu Xuan's consciousness returned, and he felt a heat in his dantian. On the lotus platform, the golden elixir shone brightly, like a rising sun, shining all over, and the ice-blue pattern at the edge became more distinct.
Boom --
The golden core is completely stable, the purity of the spirit energy soars straight over the peak of ordinary foundation building, straight to the threshold of the Golden Core! Outside, the ice and fire lotus platform bloomed simultaneously, each petal crystal clear, and golden beams of light burst out from the stamens, soaring into the sky --
Above the forbidden area, dark clouds were instantly torn apart. A hundred-foot golden spiritual energy pillar shot straight into the sky, like a huge sword announcing a new life, illuminating half of the Qingyun Mountain Range.
Ling Qingxue looked up, her icy eyes reflecting golden light, and the corners of her lips curved gently: "It's done."
Yet the light had not yet dissipated, and suddenly, from the distant horizon, several obscure divine senses approached, with undisguised greed and astonishment --
"Such purity, not ordinary foundation building..."
"Dao Qi Qi? Interesting."
"Qingyun Sect, I'm afraid something bad is going to happen."
Undercurrents, quietly surging.
In the beam of light, Chu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, which were clear like the night sky after the rain, with stars shining brightly. He rose up, took a step in front of Ling Qingxue, stretched out his fist, and laughed with sharp teeth: "Master, have I passed?"
The woman raised her hand and touched him lightly, her icy eyes smiling: "Full marks."
The young man laughed loudly and turned to look into the night sky. The golden light gradually subsided but left an unextinguished light in his eyes --
"Next stop, Kunlun!"
The golden light column gradually drew in, like a brocade being drawn back, and the last strand of golden thread sank into Chu Xuan's brow. The young man stood in the middle of the lotus pedestal, clenched his fist, and the air was squeezed with a faint crackling sound like roasting beans.
"How does it feel?" "Ling Qingxue asked, her voice as soft as snow falling without a sound.
"Feeling..." Chu Xuan grinned, revealing two small tiger teeth, "could lift the entire main peak and throw a three-pointer at the same time."
"Stop bragging." The woman flicked her ice finger, and a wisp of coldness hit him on the forehead. "Stabilize the state, don't be wild."
The young man rubbed his forehead, laughing so hard that his teeth were not visible: "Then Master will stay with me for a day? The sugar-coated haws in the mortal world are waiting for me."
"Get down to business first." " Ling Qingxue raised her eyes and looked into the night sky. "The golden light pierces the sky, the outside world has seen it, we must clean our tails."
As she spoke, she pointed and the Cold Star sword turned into light and flew out, hanging above the forbidden area. With a slight jolt of the blade, the ice-blue sword curtain fell like a waterfall, enveloping the entire back mountain into a translucent ice egg, instantly cutting off the outside consciousness.
In the distance, several dark consciousness groans --
"What a domineering sword intent!"
"The Ice Fairy of the Qingyun Sect lives up to her reputation."
"Humph, no matter how demonic, it's still just foundation building, entering Kunlun, each depends on their own ability!"
The divine consciousness receded like a tide, and the ice curtain slowly dissipated. Chu Xuan gave the woman a thumbs-up: "Master is mighty. One sword scares off the sixth ones."
"Don't be poor." Ling Qingxue retracted her sword, but turned her head slightly, her ears flushed. "Let's go back to the stone chamber. I have something for you."
...
Inside the stone chamber, ice crystals regrow, and the dome is dotted with starlight. Ling Qingxue raised her hand, and a fist-sized curling stone emerged in the palm of her hand. The body of the curling stone was engraved with the cold star pattern, and the stopper was sealed with a wisp of spiritual energy interwoven with gold and blue.
"The Cold Star jade pot can hold the energy of the Daoist heart." She pulled the plug, and a gentle yet vast wave spread. "I have been in seclusion for three thousand years, and I have accumulated the power of the Daoist heart. Now I send you a wisp to stabilize the golden elixir and prevent the inner demons from taking advantage of it again."
Chu Xuan was stunned and subconsciously waved his hand: "This is too precious --"
"Take it." The woman stuffed the jade pot into his bosom, her voice soft but firm, "You protect me to slay demons, I protect you to reach the summit, fair deal."
The young man pursed his lips, stopped being pretentious, put away the jade pot, and laughed with his teeth shining: "Then I won't be polite. I'll take you to fly later."
"I'll wait." Ling Qingxue, with a slightly curved corner of her mouth, turned towards the stone wall and drew an ice door with her fingertip. "Behind is the Spirit Spring. Go and soak to stabilize the realm. Set off tomorrow morning."
Chu Xuan, holding the jade pot, suddenly shouted, "Master!"
The woman turned her head, her icy eyes shining with starlight. The young man grinned, his voice cheerful: "Sugar-coated haws, promise, not a single string can be missing!"
"... I know." The ice door closed, but did not hide the woman's slightly reddened ear tips.
...
From the spiritual spring, steam rises, and the water surface is interlaced with gold and blue. Chu Xuan took off his undergarment and plunged into it, feeling comfortable and bubbling. The Cold Star jade pot hung above his head, its mouth slightly opened, and a wisp of Daoist power floated out, turning into a shower of stars that fell into his brow.
Boom --
The golden elixir vibrated gently, and the ice blue pattern on its surface became more distinct, like a delicate lace on a lotus seed. The purity of the spiritual energy soared again, far beyond the peak of ordinary foundation building, approaching the threshold of the golden core!
Chu Xuan was soaking himself to his heart's content and was about to stretch his body when suddenly a blurry face appeared on the water surface - shrouded in black mist and with sharp fangs, it was the remnant of the heart demon that he had just crushed!
"Oh, you dare to show yourself?" The young man raised his eyebrows, flipped his palm, and transformed his ice and fire spirit power into a long knife. "It seems that the fertilizer was not enough just now. One more ride!"
The heart demon, the evil thought, let out a shrill howl and lunged at Chu Xuan, but was preempted by the Cold Star Jade Pot - the starlight at the mouth of the pot burst, transformed into an ice-blue little hand, "pop" grasping the evil thought, whoosh into the pot, the lid "thump" closing, and a caring belch.
Chu Xuan: "..."
The jade pot shook as if to say: The taste is just so-so.
The young man laughed and lay on his back on the water, looking at the ice crystal dome. The starlight was reflected in his pupils as if paving a path to Kunlun. He raised his hand and gave a light grasp to the void as if grasping the future --
"Kunlun, here I come."
...
The next morning, the forbidden stone gate opened slowly. Chu Xuan walked out in a fresh and clean outfit, his white clothes fluttering, the mark between his eyebrows reserved, yet unable to hide the starlight in his eyes. Ling Qingxue had been waiting long ago. The Cold star sword was lost behind her, and the icy eyes reflected the young man's figure, shining slightly: "The breath is steady, not bad."
Chu Xuan stretched his body, his knuckles crackling: "Of course, I have been in the bathhouse of the immortal world all night."
The woman chuckled, turned and stepped up in the air: "Let's go, gather at the sect square and set off for Kunlun."
The young man followed closely behind, with a clear voice: "Remember to pack the sugar-coated haws!"
"... Shut up."