Fengyunlu

Fairy Ji Yao's mind was a tangled mess, a mess. She pondered over and over, but couldn't grasp the crux of the matter. She knew the mysterious figure's plan was inextricably linked to the poor family, and also to the mysterious Tongtian Scroll. The combination of these two things naturally led to the Purple Mysterious Scripture, which had once caused such a stir between good and evil.

The Purple Mysterious Scripture's influence is immense, encompassing nearly the entire Xuanmen world. Its ultimate goal lies in unlocking the profoundest secrets of heaven and earth. It seeks to unravel the long-standing mysteries of the Xuanmen: Why are immortals and gods no longer visible? Why can't demons and ghosts wreak havoc on the mortal world? Why was the universe so prosperous in ancient times, yet now seems to be in its final years? It seeks to explore the past, understand the changes that have taken place since, and whether it will be possible to reopen the universe in the future. Can Xuanmen truly penetrate the secrets of the heavens?

All of these questions have become mysteries that those in the esoteric sect cannot unravel. It seems someone deliberately concealed the events of the Great Dao dispute, rendering the relevant records and legends unrecoverable. The secret realms of the world, all the places of life and death, seem to have left no clues. All that can be found are based on conjecture and the inferences of later generations.

Because of this, the Purple Mysterious Scripture encompasses all the texts and essentials of both good and evil. The Dao Lord Divine Tree, at the time, also aspired to gather this knowledge, hoping to use it as a foundation to deduce its true meaning and uncover some clues. However, fate seemed unfair to him. Perhaps someone was plotting against him, and he failed to gain a deep understanding, only deducing vague clues. He was severely injured in the Cangyun Sect and ultimately perished in the Canghai Giant Tree.

The portion of the Purple Mysterious Scripture that remained in the world, including the Nine Sons' Technique of Immortal Nobility, was enough to spark strife and conflict among the empire if it were fully disclosed. Fairy Ji Yao couldn't imagine the consequences; she feared the entire Xuan Sect, and indeed the entire world, would be plunged into endless conflict, until the world was plunged into chaos.

This outcome clearly didn't align with the mysterious figure's plan, so he meticulously orchestrated a conflict between good and evil, ensuring it wouldn't destabilize either side. From this perspective, the biggest beneficiary seemed to be...

Fairy Ji Yao was stunned at this thought. She didn't dare to think any further, her mind brimming with disbelief at this conjecture. However, no matter how she reasoned, the results always pointed in this direction. She was forced to reevaluate her thoughts. Once this idea took root in her mind, she couldn't shake off the doubt. Finally, her eyes became indifferent, as if accepting the result. From this, she also understood why her uncle Mo Wenjian had chosen to join a humble family after everything he had experienced. She looked up, as if she had a deeper understanding.

"It seems you've thought of something." Mo Wenjian's voice was calm and indifferent, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. But he quickly shook his head.

"I was the same as you at the beginning, and even did some things that I regretted. But as I learned more and more, I began to feel some doubts." Mo Wenjian said, gently put away the Changli Sword in his hand, turned his gaze to Luo Hongchen, and then looked at the Ling sisters beside him.

Fairy Ji Yao was full of confusion, and her eyes were filled with inquiry, hoping that Mo Wenjian could give her an answer.

Mo Wenjian spoke again, his gaze fixed on the crimson sword. "Have you ever considered that everything you suspect might be a deliberate clue left by the schemer? Such tactics are absolutely beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even at my current level, even if the entire Poor Clan paved the way for me, I still couldn't do it."

Having said that, he turned his gaze to Luo Hongchen again: "You and he have the deepest friendship. He might have had the opportunity to take that step three hundred years ago, but he never tried it in these three hundred years. Is it because he was unsure, or is it for some kind of deterrence?"

Luo Hongchen blinked, his mind clear as a mirror. The great figure Mo Wenjian had mentioned was already a legend in the Xuan Sect three hundred years ago, the Cangyun Emperor Bai Qianyi, known as the supreme master. Bai Qianyi's martial arts were absurdly advanced, and no one in the Xuan Sect could match him, and even estimates of his strength were only approximate. Trying to test Bai Qianyi's strength, both Luo Hongchen and Mo Wenjian seemed somewhat outmatched. Even Feng Wanlin, Luo Hongchen's most proud disciple who had died in a calamity three years prior, whose martial arts might have surpassed his, was still no match for his father-in-law.

Although Luo Hongchen was once hailed as the one with the greatest hope of uncovering the mysteries of the universe, his kung fu far surpassed those of both good and evil masters, and even when he and his wife teamed up, they were able to battle the ancient demon Nine Netherworld Emperor to a close victory. But in Luo Hongchen's opinion, he still couldn't compare to Bai Qianyi. After all, Bai Qianyi's unparalleled kung fu had remained unchallenged for centuries.

When Bai Qianyi rose to prominence within the Xuan Sect, his only true contemporary rivals, friends and foes alike, remained, aside from the Qingli Palace's headmaster, Emperor Changsheng, and the Imperial Garden's old Grand Tutor, Yin Taixu. All the others were gone, but during those who lived, Bai Qianyi was already the Xuan Sect's pre-eminent master, untouchable. Even at the height of the Han Sect's power, the entire Immortal Demon Island, including those imprisoned, could not stop Bai Qianyi's free comings and goings. He even reclaimed nearly all the lost texts of the righteous path. Who else could dare claim to be capable of such feats?

No one in the Xuan Sect dared to attempt it. Luo Hongchen questioned himself: even with his current skills, even if he could travel back in time, even the Spring and Autumn Emperor wouldn't be able to come and go as freely as Bai Qianyi. Remember, that was hundreds of years ago. Bai Qianyi hadn't made a move in years. Even when Feng Wanlin was trapped on the Immortal Demon Island, Bai Qianyi simply showed up and demanded his release, without even a moment's hesitation. The entire Poor Sect simply let him go, even letting Feng Wanlin leave in the Bitter Kiln. That sacred realm was more important to the Poor Sect than life itself. The reason Feng Wanlin could come and go so freely was ultimately because Bai Qianyi posed such a threat that the Poor Sect didn't dare offend him, lest they be left with no way out.

After all, even Ah Yan, the mysterious master who guarded the Bitter Kiln and was ranked among the Five Elders of the Poor Sect, the old woman who could kill the Emperor with a single sneak attack, leaving even the Great Buddha unable to rescue her, warned Xu Yi and the others not to attack after Bai Qianyi arrived at the Immortal Demon Island, and even directly opened the Bitter Kiln, allowing Feng Wanlin to escape. This shows just how powerful Bai Qianyi's deterrent power is.

"You mean, the reason why Old Man Bai doesn't leave is because someone makes him feel afraid?" Although Luo Hongchen looked unconvinced, his guess had already pointed to the meaning of Mo Wenjian's words.

Perhaps he had been mistaken. Luo Hongchen had assumed that Bai Qianyi, the elder brother of a different generation, had reached the pinnacle of martial arts and had refused to attempt further advancement, to explore the legendary immortals, gods, ghosts, and demons. Perhaps because the higher the martial arts, the more one could perceive the mysteries of heaven and earth, he believed that in the last years of the Dharma, the opportunity to reach the Great Dao within the Xuanmen sect would be lost, and thus, the path of the immortals and gods in ancient legends would be lost.

However, the secrets revealed today by Mo Wenjian made Luo Hongchen realize that beyond the known Xuanmen, there was actually such a person hidden. He had been a Great Emperor for hundreds of years, and it could be said that there was almost nothing he didn't know. However, regarding the existence of this person, or the existence of a certain force, Luo Hongchen had never heard of it before, and it was also the first time that he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

From this perspective, the mysterious figure behind all this, or perhaps in his conjecture, a mysterious force, could not accomplish this alone. This force might not only be planning Mo Wenjian's plan, but could also control the entire Xuanmen and even the entire world, which could not be achieved by relying on mere gossip.

With that in mind, Mo Wenjian's entire life had been a trap. How could his reputation as a Spring and Autumn figure escape their calculations? Thinking this way, everything in the past made sense. Who had manipulated the Changli Sword? How had the Hongzhuang Sword been repeatedly tricked? This included events from even further back, as well as those from more recent times. Why was the Myriad Demon Abyss destroyed? How did the Han Clan rise to power? What were the origins of the prisoner? How did Xu Yi take over control? Where did he come from, and for whom? Three years ago, when he schemed to break the Demon Slayer Formation at Fengsha Fort, was it for Jiuyou, or for the formation diagram and Tongtian Scroll?

Then again, we've witnessed all the shenanigans unfolding on Thunder Mountain firsthand. Even powerful figures like Mo Wenjian and the Demon King have come to help. If they were simply out to rescue Jiuyou, how could that kid Moqiu possibly have penetrated the mysterious formation within the Thunder Pool? Even Luo Hongchen couldn't handle it, let alone Lei Xiong, the ancestor of the Thunderbolt Hall, who couldn't get in and ultimately perished nearby. This method, this plan, the calculations behind it are truly jaw-dropping and unbelievable.

It seems Mo Wenjian's joining the Poor Clan is no simple matter; he himself might not even understand his true purpose. Consider the Jianyin Clan's overnight destruction. What caused it? What happened then? Mo Wenjian hasn't mentioned a single word. Luo Hongchen understands the bitterness in his eyes, but this matter is too serious to discuss just yet. Furthermore, the secrets within are so profound that even Mo Wenjian himself might not be fully aware of them, unable to uncover the truth.

Luo Hongchen understood this principle, and Fairy Ji Yao also understood it. The two looked at each other, but no one asked about it. Luo Hongchen mentioned Bai Qianyi, and Mo Wenjian just shook his head.

"I just said that with his strength, I'm afraid the people he really needs to be wary of are others. Otherwise, how could the matter of the Purple Profound Scripture be erased in an instant after being exposed twice? And how could he just give up on such an important chess piece that the person in prison back then?" Mo Wenjian said lightly, his eyes moving back and forth between Luo Hongchen and Fairy Ji Yao.

After hearing this, the two couldn't help but recall their past. Luo Hongchen was the first to react and said directly, "No wonder that even though the prisoner was seriously injured at the time, it should have been easy for the poor family to save him. But as soon as we returned to the Immortal Demon Island, news came that he had died from his injuries. I was relieved at first, but now it seems that someone must have tampered with it."

Fairy Ji Yao also became suspicious after hearing this and asked, "After Bai Ximo rescued me, the Liangyi Sect was destroyed. When you mentioned my mother just now, I thought you found my mother, and then lured Bai Ximo there to protect Long'er and me, and then destroyed the Liangyi Sect. Now it seems that the Liangyi Sect may have been destroyed when you arrived."

"That's right." Mo Wenjian nodded and continued, "But it's not entirely true. When I found your mother, she had already been murdered, and your father wasn't around. And when I first found Zhu Chunhua, your mother had already left him a long time ago. Logically, as a registered disciple, she should have always been by his side, but rumors say that Zhu Chunhua left the sect after his death, so the timing doesn't match. There must be something else going on. That's why I've been looking for your father, but I didn't expect that after all these years, I haven't even found a trace of him."

Fairy Ji Yao felt a pang of distress when she heard about her parents. Hearing that her father wasn't around at the time, she was relieved at first, then doubtful. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "My father wasn't there then, so is his cultivation still there? Is he still alive?"

"It's hard to say. He may be dead or imprisoned somewhere, or your mother's murder may have been related to him. Anyway, I couldn't find him at the time, so I turned to look for you two sisters. Fortunately, there is always a way out, and I found you at Liangyi Gate. But I was helpless at the time and couldn't use my cultivation at will, so I lured Bai Ximo over. He has a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, and he happened to be nearby. Seeing this situation, he would definitely take action. He took you two sisters away first, and I was about to show up, but I didn't expect someone to act before me." Mo Wenjian said, his eyes seemed to be recalling who that person was.

After a moment, he continued, "The man was shrouded in black mist. I couldn't see his face, and my divine sense couldn't detect him. I didn't want to alert him, so I observed him in secret. Then he went on a killing spree, wiping out everyone in the Liangyi Sect in a blink of an eye. Even the pursuers behind you couldn't escape. Later, he looted the Liangyi Sect and even glanced at where I was hiding. I realized that he knew I was there the whole time."

"What happened next? He discovered you. What did he do?" Fairy Ji Yao asked anxiously, her heart in her throat. Mo Wenjian frowned and said slowly, "He simply glanced at me and then turned and left, without any attempt to attack. But I could sense his unfathomable strength, far beyond my reach. I didn't dare act rashly and could only watch him leave." Luo Hongchen stroked his chin, pondering, "So, it seems this mysterious individual is part of the hidden power. He slaughtered the Liangyi Sect, yet seemed to know of your existence but spared you. Perhaps he's hoping to elicit more clues through you." Fairy Ji Yao's eyes grew firm. "No matter who's behind this, I must uncover the truth and avenge my parents." Mo Wenjian nodded. "Let's investigate together, but this force is deeply hidden, so we must proceed with caution." As they spoke, a strange wave suddenly arose, as if something major was about to happen. They grew alert, their gazes turning in the direction of the wave. A new crisis seemed to be quietly approaching...