The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

The three of them straightened up cautiously, but dared not look directly at the tall figure on the steps.

The Heavenly Demon was clad in dark purple scale armor and wore a metal mask with a hideous ghost face engraved on it, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light.

"Thirty li."

The Heavenly Demon slowly descended the steps, his iron boots making a dull thud on the stone steps.

"Tell me, how did three grown men vanish into thin air during a thirty-mile chase?"

The Ghost of the Rooster, the dungeon's top leader, was trembling like a leaf at this moment.

"Lord Heavenly Ghost, this subordinate truly does not know... The dungeon's restrictions are intact, and Ding Gui has been locked up for ten years, which is impossible..."

"Logically speaking?"

The Heavenly Demon suddenly sprang up and kicked the Rooster Demon several feet away.

"Ten years ago, the Ten Heavenly Stems and Ghosts should have been our guardians! But what happened?"

The ghost crashed into the courtyard wall, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, but dared not wipe it away, and quickly crawled back to kneel down again.

The ugly ghost on the side mustered up his courage to defend himself.

"My lord, you are wise! I was in charge of the outer perimeter security and indeed found nothing unusual. Those three people were like...like ghosts..."

"Ghostly?"

The Heavenly Demon sneered.

"We are the demon race! You tell me someone can play tricks on us?"

Shen Gui suddenly kowtowed heavily.

"My lord! I swear on my very soul that I have never wavered! When the former Holy Maiden was imprisoned, I personally examined her, and there wasn't a trace of ghostly energy within her..."

"enough!"

An old man's angry shout came from the side.

The elder of the Night Demon Clan walked out, leaning on a snake-headed cane, followed by twelve Earthly Branch Demons dressed in black robes.

The elder's face was etched with wrinkles, but his eyes shone with an alarming brightness.

"The remnants of the Ten Heavenly Stems Ghosts are clearly hiding among you!"

The elder clansman slammed his cane heavily on the ground.

"Ten years ago they killed the former saintess, and now they've kidnapped her again. Do you still dare to say there was no collusion?"

In a corner of the courtyard, the current Holy Maiden Xin Gui stood quietly.

She was dressed in a plain white robe, her face veiled with a light gauze, revealing only a pair of calm, watery eyes.

Behind her, several Night Demon elders exchanged worried glances.

"The clan elders are wise!"

The ugly ghost suddenly burst into tears.

"Your subordinate is utterly loyal to the demon clan, how could you possibly associate with those traitors? Ten years ago, during that catastrophe, my own brother died at the hands of the Ten Demons..."

The Shen and You ghosts kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads slamming against the bluestone slab, leaving bloody marks.

The demon stared silently at the three, his expression behind the mask unreadable. He turned to the saintess.

"Xin Gui, what do you think?"

All eyes instantly focused on the white robe.

Xin Gui moved lightly with her lotus-like steps and walked to the center of the courtyard.

She exuded a faint, delicate fragrance, which seemed out of place in her surroundings.

"Chief, clan elder."

Her voice was soft yet clear.

“The three ugly ghosts have followed me for many years. If they really had ulterior motives, I couldn’t have been completely unaware.”

The clan elder snorted coldly.

"Has the Holy Maiden forgotten that the rebellion ten years ago occurred right under the nose of the former Holy Maiden?"

Xin Gui remained calm and unhurried.

"That's precisely why we should be even more cautious. The Holy Land's seal is currently unstable. If we lose our composure due to internal suspicion, wouldn't that play right into the enemy's hands?"

She turned to the Heavenly Demon.

"I suggest that the three be imprisoned in the dungeon and kept under strict guard until the truth is found before taking any further action. The most urgent task is to ensure the safety of the Holy Land and prevent the remnants of the Ten Heavenly Ghosts from taking advantage of any weakness."

The Heavenly Demon and the clan elder exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded.

"As the saintess has said."

He waved to summon his guards.

"Take them away and keep them under strict guard! If they cause any more trouble, you'll be beheaded!"

The three ugly ghosts felt as if they had been granted a pardon and repeatedly kowtowed in gratitude. As the guards dragged them away, the Rooster Ghost turned back and gave the Joyful Ghost a deep look.

After the three were taken away, Tian Gui said in a deep voice.

"Go to the holy land."

Jiang Chuan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, resting, his breathing gradually becoming long and even.

The days of running around had left him exhausted, and now he finally had a chance to rest.

Just as his consciousness was about to sink into darkness, he sensed an unusual fluctuation in his soul sea.

"here we go again?"

Jiang Chuan sighed inwardly, but remained calm.

He hadn't experienced this familiar feeling in a long time.

When I opened my eyes, a cloud of yellow sand rushed towards me. The scorching sun burned my skin, and the sand beneath my feet was scalding hot.

Jiang Chuan squinted. It was an endless desert, with sand dunes undulating like giant waves in the distance, and the sky displaying an eerie dark red hue.

"Sword Domain..."

Jiang Chuan murmured softly, reaching out to brush the strands of hair that had been blown onto his face by the wind.

The last time he was pulled into this space was three years ago when he first obtained his natal sword, Wufeng.

A lazy meow came from behind me.

Jiang Chuan turned around and saw a girl dressed in white sitting on the familiar azure-blue boulder.

She held a pure white civet in her arms, her slender fingers gently combing its soft fur.

A large red leopard lay at her feet, its golden eyes warily fixed on Jiang Chuan.

"Mountain ghost."

Jiang Chuan nodded slightly, his tone respectful.

The girl raised her head, revealing a face so exquisite it seemed otherworldly.

Her eyes were like two obsidian stones, so deep they seemed to swallow light.

Although she had lived for nearly two hundred years, she still looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, with snow-white skin and lips like rouge.

"Did you sleep well?"

The mountain spirit's voice was clear and cold, like a clear mountain spring.

Jiang Chuan smiled bitterly.

"I hadn't even had a chance to fall asleep before you dragged me in here."

Wenli jumped out of the mountain spirit's arms, landed lightly on the sand, circled the river once, and sneezed in disgust, clearly disliking the dusty smell on him.

There's a strange aura about you.

The mountain spirit frowned slightly.

"where are you now?"

"In the western border of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there is the Qianku Mountain sinkhole."

Jiang Chuan replied, casually patting the dust off his clothes.

"What, is there something you need me for?"

The mountain spirit did not answer immediately, but gently stroked the civet cat that had jumped back into her arms.

The red leopard raised its head, its ears perked up warily, as if it had sensed something.

"Thousand Caves Mountain..."

The mountain spirit repeated the name softly.

"That volcanic remnant?"

Jiang Chuan nodded.

"It is said to have been left by a volcanic eruption a thousand years ago. Later, the Demon Sect built its mountain gate here, named Thousand Caves City. However, that was hundreds of years ago, and now only ruins remain."

"The time rules are abnormal..."

The mountain spirit seemed to be deep in thought.

Why did you go there?

"Sect mission".

Jiang Chuan gave a brief reply.

"My second senior brother, Lin Xiao, said that what we're looking for might be here. And..."

He said that time flows differently here than outside; if you stay here for a month, only a few days might pass outside.

The mountain spirit's eyes held a strange light.

"Lin Xiao?"

"That kid with Zhuang Sheng's sword?"

"You remember him?"

Jiang Chuan was somewhat surprised.

The mountain spirit rarely showed any interest in his fellow disciples.

"His sword is interesting."

The mountain spirit avoided giving a direct answer and instead asked a question.

What are you looking for?

Jiang Chuan hesitated for a moment.

"I don't know the specifics either. Master only said that it was a very important matter and told me and my second senior brother to split up and act separately."

The mountain spirit was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I sensed an unusual aura when you fell into the sinkhole."

"What breath?"

"Immortal Sword."

The mountain spirit's voice was soft, yet it struck Jiang Chuan's heart like a heavy hammer.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy?"

Jiang Chuan's pupils contracted slightly.

"You mean... Heavenly Sword?"

The mountain spirit nodded.

“Spiritual weapons are divided into four tiers and twelve grades, namely Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. The Heavenly Sword is also known as the Immortal Sword. It is a spiritual sword that only the legendary terrestrial immortals who have crossed the Heavenly Gate and reached the seventh realm of cultivation can possess.”

Jiang Chuan's heart raced.

"Like Master's Taixu?"

"Tai Xu is only a high-grade Earth-level sword, not a true immortal sword."

The mountain spirit shook its head.

"There are no more than ten true immortal swords in the entire cultivation world."

Jiang Chuan tried to calm himself down.

Are you sure there's a sword in the sinkhole?

"uncertain."

The mountain spirit said frankly.

"But I did sense a faint aura unique to the Immortal Sword. Although it was very faint, I couldn't be wrong."

The red leopard suddenly growled, stood up, and gazed into the distance with its golden eyes.

The mountain spirit gently patted its head, and it finally lay down again.

"Your natal sword, Wufeng, is an Earth-grade sacred sword, which is already considered a top-grade spiritual weapon."

The mountain spirit continued.

"Yu Youwei's Autumn Water and Lin Xiao's Zhuang Sheng are between the upper-grade Xuan-rank and the lower-grade Di-rank, making them renowned swords. But compared to true immortal swords..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was already clear.

Jiang Chuan clenched his fist.

"If there really is a Chinese Paladin... I must find it."

"Don't rush to be happy."

The mountain spirit poured cold water on the situation.

"The Immortal Sword is bound to be protected; it's not so easy to obtain. And..."

She looked at Jiang Chuan meaningfully.

"With your current cultivation level, even if you obtain the immortal sword, it might not be a good thing."

"I know."

Jiang Chuan nodded.

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. But such an opportunity is rare, and I cannot miss it."

Jiang Chuan's fingers gently stroked the blade of the bladeless sword, the cold touch calming him down slightly.

The mountain spirit's words still echoed in his ears—there might be a celestial sword hidden in the sinkhole, but it was entangled in extremely strong evil energy.

"Seven hundred years ago..."

Jiang Chuan muttered to himself, his gaze passing through the gray sky above Qianku Mountain.

"A sword immortal has been here and even fought a fierce battle?"

The red leopard paced uneasily at his feet, its golden pupils reflecting Jiang Chuan's pensive face.

The mountain spirit's figure appeared and disappeared, her slender finger pointing into the depths of the sinkhole.

"Time and space there have been disrupted, Jiang Chuan. This sinkhole is definitely not something that Thousand Caves Mountain can contain."

Jiang Chuan's heart raced; the allure of the Heavenly Sword burned away his reason like flames. As a sword cultivator, who wouldn't yearn to witness the true form of a celestial sword? Especially the legendary Heavenly Sword.

"If I'm in danger, will you save me?"

Jiang Chuan asked, half-jokingly.

The mountain spirit did not answer, but simply waved its hand gently.

The red leopard suddenly let out a low growl, and Jiang Chuan felt a jolt in his soul, and the scene before his eyes faded away.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the simple wooden house in the Ghost Clan's territory.

Jiang Chuan immediately became alert when he heard light footsteps outside—someone was coming.

He silently pressed his hand on the hilt of the sword, his muscles tense.

The Ghost Clan's territory had just quieted down, so who could be visiting now? If it were someone the homeowner knew, his and the old blind man's whereabouts would be exposed.

The door creaked open as Jiang Chuan's sword was already drawn.

The old blind man suddenly spoke.

"It's you?"

Jiang Chuan breathed a sigh of relief, but his vigilance remained.

The newcomer was a woman, dressed in black and almost blending into the shadows.

"It's been so many years, you seem to have gotten worse with age."

The woman's voice was cold and clear, and her gaze paused slightly when it swept over Jiang Chuan.

The old blind man chuckled twice.

"Of the ten Heavenly Stems, only the two of us remain."

"Let bygones be bygones."

The woman spoke calmly, but from an angle where Jiang Chuan couldn't see, she gave the old blind man a wink.

The old blind man understood and changed the subject.

"The Heavenly Demon's ambition will destroy the Night Demon Clan. The Holy Maidens and the Ten Demons have guarded the Holy Land for only one purpose, but the Heavenly Demon wants to monopolize the treasure..."

Will that person really return from the cycle of reincarnation?

The woman suddenly interrupted, her voice extremely low.

Jiang Chuan pricked up his ears, only to see the old blind man's expression harden.

"We've witnessed miracles, this secret..."

He turned in the direction of Jiang Chuan, his cloudy eyes seemingly able to pierce through the darkness.

"Some things shouldn't be heard by a third party."

The woman followed his gaze to where Jiang Chuan was hiding, a cold smile playing on her lips.

"Now that you're awake, why pretend to be asleep?"

Jiang Chuan knew he could no longer hide, so he strode out and entered the main room. The oil lamp on the wooden table flickered, casting an uncertain shadow on the faces of the three men.

"What business is it of mine if you talk like this?"

Jiang Chuan stared directly at the old blind man.

"But what are your intentions in telling me the plan without my consent?"

The old blind man tapped his withered fingers on the table.

"The Holy Maiden says you are trustworthy, so I naturally have no worries about leaks. But you..."

He grinned, revealing uneven, yellow teeth.

"Would you like to go to the holy land and broaden your horizons?"

Jiang Chuan narrowed his eyes.

"What if I say no?"

"Then I cannot spare your life."

The old blind man spoke casually, yet the temperature inside the room plummeted.

"The water from the Mushroom Spring that you drank will poison you within three days."

Jiang Chuan subconsciously reached for the water sac at his waist.

The old blind man had already tossed over a small bottle.

Jiang Chuan took the bottle of antidote that glowed with a faint blue light, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"This antidote can neutralize the Corrosive Incense in your body. Take it within twelve hours, otherwise even a celestial being cannot save you."

Ding Gui's voice was hoarse.

"I saved your life to repay the favor you did for saving me in the dungeon. From now on, we're even."

Jiang Chuan put the antidote into his pocket, a smile playing on his lips.

"Senior Ding has calculated things very clearly. However..."

He changed the subject.

Why did you tell me your plan to seize the sacred treasures?

"Aren't you afraid I'll leak it?"

Ding Gui's withered fingers tapped lightly on the stone wall, producing a dull sound.

“The Holy Maiden says you are trustworthy, so naturally I believe her. Besides…”

He suddenly leaned closer, his rotten smell hitting Jiang Chuan's face.

"I can tell you've got a big secret up your sleeve."

Jiang Chuan's pupils contracted slightly, but he took a half step back without making a sound.

"Oh? Why do you see it?"

“You didn’t sound a bit afraid when facing someone like Shi Chaoyuan.”

Ding Gui smiled sinisterly.

"Ordinary people's legs tremble at the mere mention of Mr. Shi's name. But you... hehe, not only are you not afraid, you even dare to say that you are incompatible with him."

The old blind man beside him suddenly raised his head, his empty eyes "looking" in the direction of Jiangchuan.

Although the old blind man couldn't see, Jiang Chuan could sense the probing in his "gaze." (End of Chapter)