Outside Kunlun, the wind and snow cut the surface, like countless blunt knives grinding iron.
The boat hovered on the mountainside, and the icicles outside the shield crackled around, making one's ears numb.
Chu Xuan shrank his neck and pulled his cloak cap down, revealing only his eyes. "This wind is more fierce than my aunt's feather duster."
Su Mei 'er leaned against the mast, purple fire around her fingers, and incidentally handed him a ball of warm water behind her. "Don't be scared, you are the key. If you freeze the lock, who can we cry to?"
Ling Qingxue, dressed as white as snow, has not even lifted the brim of her hat. The ice law automatically opens a half-foot barrier, and the wind and snow disperse when they meet her, like a subject seeing a king.
She raised her hand and pointed to the foot of the mountain - where two snow-capped mountains were facing each other, with a secluded valley in between, the entrance of the valley blocked by thick fog, and in the fog occasionally flashed faint golden beams like the blinks of a giant beast.
"The entrance to Kunlun, the test of the Dao heart." Her voice was soft but overpowering the wind's roar. "We can't get through, not even touch the secret gate."
Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes, his primordial spirit body slightly warm - the natural perception of the unknown spirit energy made him clearly perceive: Deep in the thick fog, there was an ancient will quietly examining every living being that approached.
"The content of the trial? He asked.
"Ask your heart." " Ling Qingxue replied concisely, "within one stick of incense, walk through the foggy path without being trapped by illusions, and you pass."
She paused and added, "The content of the illusion is related to the defect of the Daoist mind. The more you fear something, the more you will come."
Chu Xuan made a "TSK" sound, "then wouldn't I have to watch a bunch of aunts chasing after me with feather dusters?"
Su Mei 'er laughed and bent over, "Then you must run faster, don't let auntie spank your bottom."
...
After a stick of incense, the exploration team lined up at the entrance of the valley.
The thick fog, like a living thing, sensed the crowd and automatically parted a path wide enough for two people to walk side by side, deep and dark, not knowing where it led.
Beside the fog stood a broken stone tablet, which read: "He who asks questions first asks his heart."
Lin Hao swallowed hard. "Boss, why do I feel the fog waving at me?"
Chu Xuan patted him on the back of the head. "You wave in?" Get out of it! Remember, even if the illusion is real, it is false. Fear the egg!"
Ali raised her hand, her little face serious, "I'm afraid of ghosts. If a ghost catches me, can I hit it with a spoon?"
Chu Xuan laughed his eyes crooked, "Knock! After knocking, pour it hot soup. Ghosts are afraid of the cold."
Ling Qingxue raised his hand to stop the laughter, "enter one by one, do not crowd, if one incense stick has not come out, it is considered a failure, wait for rescue on the spot."
She turned her eyes to Chu Xuan, "You go first."
"All right!" The young man, with a quick response, stepped into the fog, his back as if he were going to the market.
Just as he reached the edge of the fog, he suddenly turned back and raised an eyebrow at Ling Qingxue. "If I'm really chased out by auntie, remember to pass me candy to calm me down."
Ling Qingxue's snowy eyes curved slightly, but she hummed softly, "If you really catch up with me, I'll pass you a feather duster to save your aunt some effort."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the tense atmosphere dissipated by more than half at once.
Chu Xuan laughed and stepped into the fog. His figure was instantly swallowed by the thick fog, as if eaten by the mouth of a giant beast.
...
In the fog, the world fell silent in an instant.
The sounds of wind and snow, human voices, and heartbeats all vanished, leaving only a dark path, straight ahead.
Chu Xuan took a step, the soles of his shoes touching the void, making a "tap-tap" echo, like walking on a huge drum.
After ten steps, the scene changed abruptly --
In the village of the mundane world, smoke rose from the chimneys. Auntie stood at the door, carrying a feather duster in her hand, smiling kindly, "Little Xuanzi, you've grown taller again. Come, let Auntie have a look."
Chu Xuan paused his steps and curled the corners of his mouth. "Sure enough," he said.
He went on, but his aunt suddenly changed her face and raised her duster high. "You brat, how dare you not go home in cultivation? Look, I won't hit you!"
Phew --
The duster descended with a whistling sound, and Chu Xuan did not dodge or dodge, allowing the duster to pass through his body - just an illusion, not touching a single hair of him.
Auntie's figure shattered in an instant, like smoke blown away by the wind.
The path went on and the view ahead changed again --
In the grand hall of the Qingyun Sect, Meng Cang sat on a high position and sneered repeatedly, "Chu Xuan, you collude with the demonic dao, the evidence is conclusive, you still kneel down and die!"
The elders around shouted in unison, and countless accusations came like arrows.
Chu Xuan scratched his ears and spoke lazily: "Elder Meng, have you memorized the lines? Try something new next time."
He continued walking forward, and the illusion shattered once again.
The third step, the scene changed again --
Black fog fills the sky, and the gluttonous beast opens its mouth to swallow, its fangs like knives, and the pungent smell of the wind.
Chu Xuan stopped, his palm turned, the mark of the Dao contract shone, and his voice was soft but firm: "If our ancestors seal you once, I can seal you a second time. What's there to be afraid of!"
He raised his hand and tapped it lightly --
"Break!"
The chaos at the fingertips vaporized into ripples that spread instantly, and the gluttonous illusion, as if struck by a heavy hammer, crumbled with a loud crash!
At the end of the dark path, suddenly a beam of light shone, and in the light emerged an ancient picture --
On the top of the snow-capped mountain, a man in a green robe and a woman in a white robe stand side by side, their palms facing each other, their paths shining together, with a sword slash, a thousand miles of ice are frozen, and the Taotie is firmly nailed to the den of ten thousand demons!
The scene flashed, but like a soldering iron, it was engraved on Chu Xuan's heart.
He took a deep breath and gave a thumbs-up to the picture. "Senior, watch - this sword, I'll finish for you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the beam turned into a light gate, and Chu Xuan stepped in, vanishing in an instant.
In the next moment, he was standing at the end of the fog path, with a huge stone gate in front of him and a plaque on it that read "Kunlun Secret Realm".
Under his feet, a stick of incense just burned out, and the ashes scattered with the wind.
...
Outside the fog, the crowd saw the thick fog churning, and Chu Xuan's figure appeared in an instant, his clothes spotless, his hair untangled, as if he had just taken a walk.
"Over?" Lin Hao's eyes widened.
"Over." " Chu Xuan shrugged his shoulders, grinning with sharp teeth, "The illusion is too fake. I'm too embarrassed to cooperate."
A crowd of people, less than a stick of incense, pass easily, this is still human?
Ling Qingxue's snowy eyes curved slightly, but she snorted, "Don't be complacent. There's more to come."
She raised her hand and pointed to the fog, saying, "Who's next?"
The disciples looked at each other, and finally someone gritted his teeth and stepped into the fog.
For a moment, the fog was filled with visions. Some wept, some laughed, some spun around in place. After a stick of incense, only half of them came out, all pale, as if their souls had been drained.
Ling Qingxue looked at Su Meier, "You take the logistics team and look after the losers."
Su Mei 'er raised her eyebrows. "Me? Logistics? Well, looking after the kids is a side job too."
She stepped up, her purple flame flashing, and easily crossed the foggy path as if she were strolling through her own backyard.
Finally, it was Ali's turn - the little girl took a deep breath, grabbed the spoon and strode into the fog.
After a stick of incense, she came out with a flushed face, but with excitement in her eyes, "I saw a ghost. I struck the spoon and the ghost dispersed!"
Chu Xuan laughed and rubbed her head. "All right, from now on, ghosts will take a detour of you."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the tension was swept away.
...
At the end of the fog path, the stone gate stands tall.
Chu Xuan raised his hand, pressed his palm against the stone door, the mark of the Dao deed lit up, the stone door opened with a roar, and a vast, ancient air rushed towards him.
Inside the door, the snow-capped mountains are majestic, and the pavilions are like jade, which is the secret realm of Kunlun.
Chu Xuan turned around and grinned at everyone, "Brothers, welcome to the battlefield of our ancestors!"
The sun broke through the clouds, and the golden light shone upon the tall figure of the young man, as if he were dressed in a battle robe, with a sharp and unstoppable force.
The stone gate burst open with a crash, and the vast snow wind, carrying the crushed ice, came crashing in like countless tiny blades, stinging the face.
Chu Xuan, however, grinned, pulled his cloak back and strode in, "Welcome to our ancestors' ski resort!"
Behind him, disciples who had passed the trial filed in one after another, some coughed from the cold wind, some looked up at the majestic snow-capped mountains and were so astonished that they couldn't stop smiling.
Ling Qingxue walked at the front, her snowy eyes reflecting the distant palaces, and her voice was as soft as snow: "Here... This is the main battlefield where our ancestors have sealed the Taotie."
With a flick of her fingertip, the purple fire turned into a thin curtain to shield Ali from the ice chips facing her, teasing lazily: "The home advantage is just too obvious? Ice is simply on a high note here."
Before the words were finished, a golden light shot up from the distant peak of the snow-capped mountains, turning into a huge shadow --
The man in the green robe stood with a sword on his back; A woman in white, her palms shining with words.
Both of them raised their hands at the same time, and with a single sword strike, they froze a thousand miles, firmly fixing a dark shadow that blocked out the sky and the sun beneath the snow-capped mountains!
The shadow lasted only a few breaths, but like a heavy hammer, it struck the hearts of the people.
The disciples were in an uproar --
"That is... First-generation covenant holder?"
"Seal the Taotie with one sword? ! True or false!"
"Why is my knee going weak on its own?"
Chu Xuan looked in the direction where the shadow had dissipated, his palm clenched involuntarily, the concentric jade pendant burning slightly inside his robe as if responding to the call of his ancestors.
He took a deep breath. His voice was not high, but it was loud enough for everyone around him to hear
"See? Those are our predecessors and our future.
This sword, I'll take it, you -- dare to follow?"
After a brief silence, the disciples roared in unison: "Follow!"
The sound shook the snow-capped mountains three times, and the snow fell with a rustling sound as if the ancestors were responding to the young man's bold words.
...
At the foot of the mountain, an ice staircase winds up, its surface worn smooth by the years, and every step is slippery.
Lin Hao stumbled and nearly fell into a rolling gourd, but fortunately Chu Xuan grabbed him on the back collar. "Old Lin, walk with eyes, don't kowtow to your ancestors."
"Big brother, my legs are weak. The power of our ancestors is terrifying." Lin Hao grinned, laughing more unsightly than crying.
"I'm scared of an egg." Chu Xuan patted him on the shoulder, and a wisp of chaotic qi crept in from his palm, stabilizing the trembling sea of qi. "Stand up straight. We represent the face of the Qingyun Sect now."
Ahead, at the end of the ice steps, an ancient archway stands, with a plaque that reads: The Seeker, ask again.
Below the archway stood more than ten figures, all dressed in grey robes but with dark gold "earth" embroidered on the cuffs - the Heavenly Way Pavilion!
The leader, with a face as white as paper and carrying a black banner with blood crows rolling on it, grinned at Chu Xuan and said in a hoarse voice, "Little deputy leader, see you again."
Chu Xuan raised his eyebrows, "Oh, defeated, face healed?"
The man with the scar - the one who should have died in the Blood Raven Valley, now stands intact, the scar on his chest still, but with a blackish red sheen, as if forcibly sewn by evil energy.
He licked his lips, revealing his interlaced yellow and black teeth. "As long as the blood crows don't die out, I won't die. Are you surprised?"
"What a surprise!" Chu Xuan sneered, the palm turned, the Cold Moon sword was drawn, the tip of the sword pointed to the other side, "Just kill again, no big deal."
The scarred man sneered, and with a sudden wave of the black banner, a swarm of blood crows came crashing down on the earth!
"Blood Raven, Ten Thousand Feathers Devouring the Heart!"
Chu Xuan stepped with his feet, his body moved in mid-air, the Cold Moon Sword was raised high, the ice blue dragon pattern on the sword body shone, and he slashed down --
"Cold Star, Dragon's Roar!"
The ice dragon roars, colliding with a swarm of blood crows, alternating between hot and cold, instantly exploding, scattering ice chips and blood feathers, like a storm of ice and fire.
At the same time, Ling Qingxue's snow sleeves fluttered, the ice system law condensed, and the voice was faint: "Ice Domain · Frost Descent."
Click --
With her at the center, the frost spread instantly, freezing all the remaining blood crows, like a tree of ice sculpture wind chimes hanging.
Su Mei 'er raised her hand, the purple fire turned into a huge palm, "pop" to shatter the ice sculpture, the blood raven turned into black mist and vanished without a trace.
She said lazily, "The villain's resurrection routine is so cliched that it hurts your teeth."
The scarred man took the opportunity to step back, Black banner trembled, his figure disappeared into the snow mist, and the sound came from afar --
"Little one, see the core of the secret realm, the Great array of the Covenant is ready, waiting for you to die!"
The sound dissipated, and the snow returned to silence, leaving only the ground covered with ice chips, proving that the battle just now was not an illusion.
...
At the end of the ice steps, behind the archway, a longer snow path winds its way up, along the ice wall, marked by the years with mottled sword marks, each one revealing astonishing sword intent.
Chu Xuan raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching a sword mark. His innate spirit body slightly warmed up, as if resonating with the sword intent.
A picture flashed through his mind --
On the top of the snow-capped mountain, the man in the green robe cuts down with a sword, freezing thousands of miles. The woman's palm of the sword shines, and she stands side by side with him. The light of the sword points, and the shadow wail, and finally is sealed under the cave of ten Thousand demons.
The image flashed, but it was like a soldering iron, burning on Chu Xuan's heart.
He took a deep breath, raised his eyes to the end of the ski slope, his voice low but firm --
"Ancestor, watch -- this sword, I'll do it for you!"
He stepped up onto the slope, his back as sharp as a sword.
Behind him, the disciples responded in unison, their footsteps in unison, like war drums beating on the top of the snow-capped mountain.
The sun broke through the clouds, and the golden light shone on the winding snow path, as if paving a golden road for everyone, leading to the secret realm, to the future.