Chapter 207 - Mount Shu Sword Sect

As he entered the Homeward Pavilion for the second time, a wave of unease washed over Xu Ying.

The Homeward Pavilion held a mystical power that let one see their hometown and loved ones when they turned back. During his first visit, Xu Ying had seen his parents and his younger self.

As Xu Ying stepped into the pavilion once more, a thick green fog surged forward and blinded him.

He walked forward. Suddenly, fiery light flashed through the fog. Xu Ying stopped in his tracks and realized roaring flames had suddenly encircled him.

Jin Buyi, Dazhong, and Yuanqi were all gone.

Xu Ying expected this, as he had lost Yanqi the last time he was here. They only saw each other again when the illusion faded.

In the fire, wood crackled and popped. Sparks kept exploding as houses collapsed and structural beams fell! Scanning the area, he saw corpses scattered across the flames, catching fire and charring black.

A deafening clamor rang in his ears. It resembled a maddening chorus of chanting crowds and divine murmurs that no mere mortal could endure.

Through the sea of fire, he caught glimpses of towering, unbelievably majestic yet terrifying shadows spanning heaven and earth.

He realized that his line of sight was unusually low. He looked down and found the small, delicate hands of a child.

Xu Ying looked up in surprise, a jolt running through his heart. “Is this something that happened when I was young? Is this the great fire of Xujiaping Village?”

Yet this differed from the fire in his memory: back then, flames had consumed his view and houses had collapsed, but no towering demon gods had loomed outside.

Even the village layout clashed with what he remembered.

“My memory of Xujiaping Village is also fake. They’re all fake...”

Xu Ying watched flames consume his clothes and scorch his skin black, hearing his own high-pitched screams.

Just then, someone charged through the sea of fire. It was a young couple. The woman picked Xu Ying up and rushed outside, while the man fought fiercely behind them, blocking those twisted, majestic figures.

Blazing flames engulfed every escape route, blinding Xu Ying to everything else. The fire extended far beyond Xujiaping Village, consuming the entire world.

Carrying him, the young couple fought their way toward the distance.

Xu Ying kept trying to get a clear look at their faces. However, whenever his gaze fell on them, a dense fog blurred his memory like tear-filled eyes.

He couldn’t remember their faces. In his memory, a mysterious power constantly wiped their faces away.

“Xu Ying, Xu Ying. Remember your name. Never forget it,” said the woman holding him gently. Cupping his face, she smiled encouragingly, even though tears welled up in her eyes.

“Run forward! Run quickly, don’t stop for even a moment!”

Xu Ying bolted ahead, wailing as he ran. The flames parted to both sides, clearing a path that extended forward endlessly.

He could vaguely make out the massive figure within the flames engaging the couple in a fierce battle. The majestic demon god swung a weapon massive enough to blot out the sky.

He ran forward with all his might. The persistent call of “Xu Ying, Xu Ying” burned like a brand into his deepest memories. It was indelible, only gradually entombed.

He ran forward, never stopping.

Finally, the sea of fire before his eyes vanished.

He burst out of the flames and looked back. The sea of fire had disappeared. The towering, majestic figures also vanished. The ordeal felt like a fleeting dream.

Xu Ying looked down at his hands. They had grown bigger, wider, and stronger. He was no longer that helpless child running through the sea of fire. He had grown up.

“This is the Homeward Pavilion, where one can see their hometown.”

Xu Ying looked back once more, but the Homeward Pavilion didn’t show him his hometown again as he'd hoped.

He could only see the vast green fog filling the mountains and rivers. He had just sprinted an immeasurable distance through the fire. Now, his surroundings were unfamiliar. He had no sense of where he was within the pavilion.

Xu Ying thought, Perhaps what I saw at the Homeward Pavilion isn’t the past, but the hometown from my memory. This Homeward Pavilion likely isn’t as miraculous as we think, and it only helps us unlock our deepest memories. My parents, my past, they’re actually all hidden within my memories.

His gaze burned with fervor. Endless bowls of Meng Po Soup had entombed lifetimes of his memories. After finding Meng Po and unlocking all these memories, he would remember his childhood and his parents!

He would recall his origins!

Xu Ying called out, “Master Jin, Master Zhong!”

His voice reverberated across the boundless expanse of the Homeward Pavilion. Echoes rang out from the mountains. “Master Jiiiin!”

“Master Zhooong!”

“Hee, hee, hee!”

The mountain echoes mocked his voice with an eerie laugh. Xu Ying’s heart sank. He had lost Jin Buyi and the others.

Though he could not identify the mimicking entities, he recalled a legend surrounding Homeward Pavilion. Some experts, at the end of their lifespans, would choose to enter the Homeward Pavilion to hide themselves between the mortal realm and the underworld to preserve their lives.

Xu Ying had encountered these people during his previous visit. They could no longer be called human. They used all kinds of strange secret techniques to fuse themselves with plants in hopes of extending their lives.

The last time, Xu Ying took the path of survival and didn’t face any danger. This time, however, he was clearly not on the safe path!

Something in the valley followed his voice, repeating his words. “Master Jin! Master Zhong!”

Xu Ying looked in that direction and saw a blood mist rushing toward him with a rustling sound.

A tall, gaunt figure loomed faintly inside the blood mist. From a distance, it appeared to have no skin, just a skinless, lanky frame topped with a grotesquely elongated head.

That tall, skinny figure within the blood mist stopped in its tracks and called out, “Master Jin! Master Zhong!”

Then, it turned its head to listen carefully, seemingly trying to discern Xu Ying’s position.

He’s a Qi Cultivator who’s evading death! Xu Ying’s heart skipped a beat. This Qi Cultivator had likely possessed immense power in life, yet some unknown force had degraded him into this monstrosity.

The Homeward Pavilion sits between life and death, in the gap between Yin and Yang. The primordial qi of heaven and earth here is extremely strange and could affect the people hiding in here!

Xu Ying immediately realized there must be other reasons at play. Otherwise, why would this Qi Cultivator’s thoughts become twisted?

Just then, another voice rang out. It came from a mass of flesh crawling on the ground. It had dozens of faces and over a hundred legs. Those faces smiled and called out one after another, “Master Jin! Master Zhong!”

The lanky figure within the blood mist immediately lunged toward the mass of flesh upon hearing their voices.

Not willing to be outdone, the mass of flesh counterattacked instantly.

Xu Ying quietly retreated. Those who hid in Homeward Pavilion to escape death have all suffered hideous mutations. Clearly, relying on this method to survive carries a huge hidden danger!

A terrifying shock wave swept over from behind, like a clash between two peerless experts. Xu Ying’s heart leaped up to his throat. It was those two monsters from before fighting each other!

The Homeward Pavilion is more dangerous than I expected! I’m already a Golden Core expert in the Second Gate-Knocking Stage, and my Golden Core is flawless, clear, and boundless. Yet, I can barely assure my own survival among these mutated monsters!

Xu Ying scanned his surroundings, trying his best to find a familiar mountain range. Master Zhong and Master Qi have Master Jin and Master Cao by their sides. They will be fine. But if I’m not careful, I won't be fine! For now, my only choice is to find the Bridge of Oblivion first and meet them there!

The first time he had entered the Homeward Pavilion, he had relied on directions from his parents to find the way out. This time, he could only rely on himself.

Dread weighed heavier on his heart with every step.

No familiar peaks met his eyes.

Even more bizarrely, as he kept walking forward, the green fog would appear right behind him whenever he turned around. No matter how far or how fast he walked, the green fog kept pace, obscuring the mountains and rivers behind him and making it impossible to retrace his steps!

Homeward Pavilion permitted no backward steps. Every forward step destroyed the road behind him!

The pavilion straddles the boundary of two realms. Exactly how vast is this place?

Cold sweat formed on Xu Ying’s forehead. The Homeward Pavilion was likely as long as the boundary between the mortal realm and the underworld!

If he didn’t know the direction and kept walking along that boundary, he would never reach the end!

Even more terrifying was that the pavilion held many demonic creatures transformed from humans. They retained their combat prowess from their lifetimes and constantly tracked him.

Xu Ying only carried the twenty-four Mountain River Bright Moon Pearls with him. He brought no other artifacts. During critical moments, he could only rely on them to deal with his foes.

Suddenly, he saw a flash of light in the distance. His heart stirred slightly. Sword light!

He perked up and immediately rushed toward the source of the light.

Before long, Xu Ying reached the source of the glow. He found himself in a canyon surrounded by mountains on all sides. The cliff walls were covered in shattered flying swords driven into the mountains!

Someone had encountered a formidable foe here, fought a fierce battle, and shattered many flying swords. Xu Ying examined the fragments of the flying swords. His heart stirred slightly. This sword technique resembles the one used to kill all those ghosts back at the wine tavern. Did that Qi Cultivator lose his way as well?

He hurried forward, following the trail of the shattered flying swords. Suddenly, he heard a female voice. “Uncle-Master Cangyang, have you forgotten? Back when the great upheaval of heaven and earth took place, you volunteered to sacrifice yourself to take our sect's venerables into Homeward Pavilion to preserve our legacy for the future!”

Xu Ying followed the voice and saw a young girl in water-green robes standing in midair. Behind her, a bright moon cast a radiant glow. Countless flying swords hovered around her.

Below her was a white-haired elder. His sleek, bald crown reflected the moonlight like polished mirror-glass.

The elder’s lower half, however, was a three-legged toad[1]. His skin was covered in fleshy bumps. He had a ferocious expression, staring at the young girl in the air.

“Three thousand years later, I have come to find you, to revive the Mount Shu Sword Sect! Where are the venerable masters of the sword sect?”

The young girl suddenly sensed something and turned toward Xu Ying.

Xu Ying stepped forward cautiously and smiled. “Miss, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I have lost my way. Would you be so kind as to point me toward the Bridge of Oblivion?”

Just as the young woman was about to speak, the toad elder’s white hair flew wildly and swelled violently against the wind. Countless streaks of white light whistled through the air, stabbing toward Xu Ying!

Astonishment crossed Xu Ying's face. The strands of white hair had turned into countless exquisite sword moves, piercing at him!

He had seen such fierce and overwhelming sword intent once. It was when Li Xiaoke faced the master of jackdaws in the dilapidated temple at the underworld’s desolate mountain.

When that underworld titan had struck, Li Xiaoke rediscovered his heart for the sword Dao and cleaved through endless ashes with his supreme sword Dao to stand tall between heaven and earth! His fierce intent back then matched this toad elder’s attack!

The young girl hurriedly cried out, “Get out of the way!”

Her figure flashed, appearing before Xu Ying, a bright moon hovering in the air behind her. Countless sword qi flew out to block the toad elder’s white hair.

She despaired inside. I can’t stop it...

The toad elder was Mount Shu Sword Sect’s Venerable Cangyang. Three thousand years ago, during the Great Han Dynasty, the Mount Shu Sword Sect had already noticed that heaven and earth were changing. To preserve their lineage, Cangyang volunteered to lead the sect’s venerables into Homeward Pavilion.

The young girl had come to invite Cangyang and the others to emerge from their seclusion and restore the sword sect.

However, she never expected Cangyang and the others to have been corrupted by the Homeward Pavilion’s bizarre power and lose their minds. He didn’t even recognize her and tried to kill her the moment they met!

She could have protected herself, but to save this lost youth, she drove herself into a desperate situation! I haven’t had the chance to restore the sword sect...

Just as she thought of this, numerous bright moons appeared in the sky. Twenty-four moons pressed down from above, along with the mountains, rivers, and lakes within, crushing down heavily on the half-bald Venerable Cangyang!

Venerable Cangyang let out a muffled groan as blood gushed out from his seven orifices. The toad beneath him croaked as they were pinned to the ground, unable to move at all.

The young girl was shocked and confused. Looking back, she saw the youth smiling at her expectantly. “Miss, how do I get to the Bridge of Oblivion?”

1. A creature in Chinese mythology and folklore often called the Money Toad, associated with wealth, alchemy, and the moon. It is a popular feng shui charm for prosperity. ☜