"Is it your sister, or… yourself?!" Wang Xuan looked at the female sword immortal beside him, feeling quite unsettled as he once again witnessed the beings of the world behind the curtain. This time was different; it seemed to be a "familiar immortal" next to him, identical in appearance to the female sword immortal, even in her clothing.
Behind the grand curtain, the woman had a graceful and elegant figure, wearing a moon-white dress free of dust, carrying a celestial sword. Her hair flowed gracefully, and her exquisite beauty was untouched by worldly affairs. She stepped over the rubble, approaching the Inner Landscape.
The female sword immortal took a step forward and reached out to touch the curtain. The identical hands of the two women pressed against a crystalline barrier, gazing at each other in silence for a long time.
A light sigh echoed in Wang Xuan's ear, clear and sharp, making him instantly alert and tense, his mind racing. Last time, the one who could voice herself in the Inner Landscape was a formidable red-clad demoness with an oil-paper umbrella, who almost broke through the curtain. Now, was the "familiar immortal" beside him also causing a ruckus?
"We are one!" The ethereal and otherworldly female sword immortal spoke, her words concise, revealing the truth: both sides of the curtain were the same person. Her voice was pleasant, sounding relatively young. Despite her ethereal beauty, she shared the same proud demeanor as the female sword immortal beside Wang Xuan, clearly maintaining her composure. Her true nature was likely similar to the one next to her since they were essentially the same person.
"Do you want to come over?" Wang Xuan cautiously asked. The cool female sword immortal, standing on the other side of the curtain, nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at rice. Her otherworldly aura seemed to falter, making her appear somewhat cute and impatient. But then she looked a bit downcast and said softly, "I can't come over."
She lowered her head and gently kicked the rubble and stones beneath her feet, looking dejected. The cool exterior of the proud female sword immortal now revealed a softer side. Wang Xuan suddenly felt she wasn't as fierce, perhaps even… quite adorable?
Clearly, the female sword immortal beside him noticed his change in expression. She immediately patted the curtain and raised her chin as a signal, seemingly reminding her other self to maintain her image!
"She needs to sleep for three years," the sword immortal on the other side said. This startled Wang Xuan; the female sword immortal asking him to return the true bones left after her ascension to that desolate low mountain was actually for her to sleep there?
She added, "Such places should be avoided." This was enough to indicate her good nature, warning him that such places were dangerous and that the Inner Landscape harbored extraordinary secrets.
As her words faded, distant thunder suddenly flashed, tearing through the sky with a rumble. Wang Xuan asked seriously, "Are the immortal beings still in the world? What's the situation? What is your condition, and where is your true self?"
The female sword immortal on the other side raised her head and solemnly, though somewhat laboriously, spoke, "The Old Testament… Locking… the True Words."
With a thunderous sound, the world on the other side of the curtain experienced a violent downpour of thunder, shaking the crystalline barrier separating the two worlds, causing cracks to appear. The female sword immortal looked up, her hair swirling and her dress billowing, her resolute eyes shining with conviction. She drew her sword to the heavens, the dazzling sword light tearing through the thunder, shattering the clouds and obliterating the thunderbolts, as her sword light soared into the sky!
Countless terrifying bolts of lightning rained down, violently crashing toward the female sword immortal. Ultimately, she braced herself against the lightning with her sword, gradually calming the tumultuous world, but she herself drifted away, seemingly burdened and forced to leave the curtain area.
Standing afar, she waved her hand, then shouldered her celestial sword, stepping over the rubble and traversing the vast land, heading into the distance. The sword immortal on the other side had left.
The female sword immortal beside Wang Xuan gazed at the departing figure, remaining motionless until that silhouette vanished. Wang Xuan understood that the female sword immortal had brought him here to help him delve deeper into the complexity and danger of the situation.
Earlier, Wang Xuan had suspected that the ancients had left traps and set up some sort of scheme. Now it seemed even more troublesome than he had imagined, with graver issues at hand. What was "The Old Testament"? He felt that the problems left by the ancients were too tricky, waiting for later generations to trigger them. There might be opportunities, but they were undoubtedly very dangerous, and the situation was quite complex.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
The fact that he could open the Inner Landscape was extremely special even in ancient times, which explained why he was sought after by the female sorceress and the sword immortal. Wang Xuan did not feel elated or honored; on the contrary, he believed time was of the essence, and he had inexplicably fallen into a special and dangerous predicament. He really did not want to get involved in the matters of the ancients, but it seemed he could not avoid it now.
He sensed that the future would be exceedingly terrifying, with various mysteries and chilling issues rushing in, as this was a continuation of some past horrifying events. "None of the immortal beings are simple; those who can reach that level certainly possess their own exceptional qualities, having once gazed down upon a great era."
He speculated that aside from leaving traps and dangerous schemes for later generations to trigger, the ancients might also have been at odds with each other, which would make the future even more terrifying. In an era of super battleships, if changes occurred, it would likely involve various fogs between the ancient and the ancient, ancient and modern, modern and modern, which were extremely dangerous.
"People like Master Wang should have lived brilliantly, but how did it come to this, floating amid traps, fog, and mysterious events?" Wang Xuan lamented. The female sword immortal turned to look at him, suddenly feeling he was quite narcissistic. How could he say such things? She bathed in the pure white light rain and flew gracefully toward the Outer Landscape.
Wang Xuan felt the Inner Landscape fading, as if he was being taken out. During this process, he did not ask the sword immortal about "The Old Testament," because the one who could speak inside the curtain had already warned him about the danger: "The Old Testament locks the True Words."
Wang Xuan awoke; this time the sleep wasn't very long. He soon saw Old Chen walking in with a fishing rod. Didn't he throw it in the reed pond?
"Is this from the old friend?" Wang Xuan asked as he woke up, still not entirely alert.
Old Chen, upon hearing this, tightened his grip on the fishing rod, unable to contain himself, and said, "Master Wang, let's spar!"
Wang Xuan instantly woke up, sensing Old Chen was dangerous, clearly wanting to beat him up! He resolutely refused, saying, "No sparring!"
"Let's spar!" Old Chen insisted, stepping forward.
Wang Xuan, with a serious expression, said, "The sword immortal asked me to tell you to practice hard. She says your strength is too weak. After three years, something very terrifying will likely happen in the world. Old Chen, you need to work hard!"
Old Chen's expression turned grim, clearly not believing him.
Wang Xuan continued, "Old Chen, I advise you to be kind. By the way, hurry and send the holy monk to the New Star. I suspect he's waiting to sleep. If you don't send him soon, you'll definitely get beaten up all night again!"
"Master Wang, are you threatening me with someone else?" Old Chen approached, but his expression changed immediately, yawning widely, as he realized what was about to happen.
Qingmu glanced at Wang Xuan's mouth, had it really worked? Just after he spoke, it came true!
"Let's talk nicely!" Old Chen strained to keep his eyes wide open, not wanting to close them, but ultimately couldn't resist the drowsiness and rolled over onto the bed… peacefully closing his eyes.
Not long after, he woke up, looking at Wang Xuan as if he had seen a ghost, realizing that Little Wang had hit the nail on the head—the old monk urged him to hurry.
Fortunately, this time he wasn't beaten up all night; the old monk was very amiable and even demonstrated the secret Buddhist technique—Bodhisattva Fist.
Old Chen thought about it and decided to treat Master Wang well, having become somewhat fearful of his ghostly constitution. He wouldn't dare send more ancient beings to him.
Previously, he had been blissfully ignorant and rather eager, wanting to summon those who had transcended to learn immortal techniques. Now he had picked up some clues, realizing that these ancient beings were all traps, each with deep thoughts, and provoking them would certainly lead to big trouble in the future.
He now felt a bit sympathetic toward Old Wang, clearly being targeted, which made him uneasy just looking at it.
"What do you think the future holds?" Old Chen asked, probing for information.
Wang Xuan waved his hand, saying, "It's not a big deal. Isn't there still time? Just hurry and cultivate. As long as your strength is strong enough, none of this will matter
. Those world-shaking red-clad demonesses better not come looking for trouble, or I'll make sure they regret it! As for those great demons, if they don't obey, Master Wang guarantees to crush them. Otherwise, I'll directly suppress them and make them pull carts or grind grain!"
Qingmu was speechless; Old Wang was floating up into the stratosphere!
After his bold proclamations, Wang Xuan fell silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on the table, pondering for a long time before sighing, "The situation is too complex; the future is indescribable."
He looked at Old Chen and said, "Help me find information on various records of ancient transcended beings and see if there's any description of ‘The Old Testament: Locking the True Words.'"
Wang Xuan did not hide anything, recounting his recent experiences in the Inner Landscape. Old Chen's expression grew serious; he sensed that the issue was quite severe and needed someone to investigate these matters thoroughly.
Wang Xuan said, "Old Chen, you should book me a ticket. I think it's better to hit the road soon. Also, tell me about the issues surrounding the ancient techniques; I estimate I won't be back for a year or two."
Old Chen was speechless; after all that, Master Wang still wanted to run away? Those bold words were all for nothing!
Finally, he nodded, saying, "The reason I was reluctant to discuss the ancient realms with you was to avoid limiting your path. I believe that the ancient techniques are complex, with many issues. From the pre-Qin sorcerer era to the early Daoist period, the cultivation methods have constantly changed. Furthermore, the Daoist practices transformed during the middle and late periods. I think there are some terrifying matters involved, and some renowned individuals might have run into trouble."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan's expression changed abruptly. "Old Chen, did you notice some issues with the transcended beings after looking into this? Can we find some answers to the traps and dangers set by the ancients from these ancient techniques? Quick, tell me!"