Green Mountain

The black sea of clouds churned, and Chen Ji drifted within it for an unknown period before finally falling downward.

The black mist enveloped his body and descended, drawing a long black line across the sky, like a meteor dragging a long tail, plummeting onto the mountain peak.

Nothing here has changed.

The three-legged golden crow remains frozen in the sky, its tail wings showing no sign of tremor; the giant, like Kua Fu chasing the sun, continues to rush toward the battlefield, yet stopped in mid-stride.

This world resembles a vast, lonely amber, trapping everything for ten thousand years.

Chen Ji's gaze shifted, Xuanyuan leaned on the Royal Banner by the cliff's edge, speaking without turning his head, "You haven't visited for so long, I thought you wouldn't come again."

Chen Ji found a boulder to sit on and calmly explained, "I've remembered some things. I recalled the familiar blades of old, and also remembered that you killed me."

He turned his head to look at the battlefield.

Xuanyuan silently waved his robe sleeves, and suddenly the battlefield moved.

Countless ancient birds soared in the sky, trailing long and dazzling tail feathers.

On the ground, human formations advanced continuously, with human cavalry mounted on tall war horses. On the other side of the formation, countless giant beasts seemed to circle something, constantly wailing.

The giant who had previously been frozen at last rushed forward, with footsteps like drums.

The giant arrived outside the circle of giant beasts, eagerly pulling them apart one by one, revealing a quiet figure inside. On that figure were seven hundred and twenty lamps slowly extinguishing, with a palm-sized sword seed piercing the head.

The sword resembled jade, shining with brilliance.

The giant cautiously held the corpse in his hands, sorrowfully raising it above his head, and unleashed a furious roar. The giant then placed the corpse back on the ground and led the beasts and birds in a charge against the human cavalry, eventually being overwhelmed by the human formation.

The world froze again.

Chen Ji had visited here many times and had seen these beasts mourning many times. But this was the first time he realized that the beasts mourned over "himself."

He turned his head to Xuanyuan, "Why are you trapped in this day again?"

This time, it was Xuanyuan's turn to remain silent, until he diverted the topic much later, "Have you recalled everything?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "Not everything, only some scattered fragments. I saw your sword seed shining brightly, piercing my head, and then the world fell into darkness. What happened after this battle?"

Xuanyuan refused to speak.

Chen Ji smiled, "I'm not here to settle scores with you. Let past matters be forgotten; past life's entanglements need not be carried into this life. I said before, we could get to know each other again."

Xuanyuan stabbed the Royal Banner into a crevice, letting the flag flutter loudly in the wind.

He crossed to the boulder opposite Chen Ji and sat cross-legged, "Aren't you curious why I killed you and why a friend turned into a foe?"

Chen Ji looked at the black clouds above, "I was curious before. I could feel hatred and regret at the brink of death, and memories of plum blossoms beneath the sea of Guixu and snow on East Kunlun Mountain. But I can't recall what I experienced there, as if something severed those memories."

"Perhaps I made a mistake, or perhaps you made a mistake, but fifteen thousand years have passed, and none of that matters anymore," Chen Ji looked at Xuanyuan, "Xuanyuan, last life was last life; this life, I have many things to do."

Xuanyuan sighed, "Even the most vengeful person can let go of mortal vengeance; this world has truly changed."

Chen Ji solemnly said, "I came this time with many questions."

Xuanyuan smirked, "Ask away."

Chen Ji earnestly asked, "Does East Kunlun have the Supreme Heartless Jade Plate?"

Xuanyuan shook his head, "No. East Kunlun only has endless snow and majestic mountains, nothing like the Supreme Heartless Jade Plate."

Chen Ji asked again, "Have you ever seen the Three Pure Ancestors?"

Xuanyuan arrogantly replied, "Who dares to claim to be an ancestor in my presence?"

Chen Ji was speechless.

According to Xuanyuan earlier, he was sealed here fifteen thousand years ago; the Three Pure Ancestors, Forty-nine Heavens should have appeared after him.

So how did the Forty-nine Heavens come to be?

How did the Dao Court and Buddhist Sect emerge?

These matters happened after Xuanyuan, even he doesn't know, asking him is futile.

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "What was my relationship with Qing Niao?"

He had asked this question before.

He asked Xuanyuan if he knew Li Qingniao, Xuanyuan replied he only knew Qing Niao, not Li Qingniao. Chen Ji often wondered if they were the same "person."

So, who exactly is Qing Niao? This holds the answer to why he left the Forty-nine Heavens.

Xuanyuan deeply gazed at Chen Ji, "After me, Qing Niao was your best friend."

Chen Ji was stunned.

Friend.

The best of friends?

Then, if Li Qingniao is indeed the Qing Niao spoken of by Xuanyuan, does his helping me leave the Forty-nine Heavens mean he has good intentions?

Chen Ji stood up and pursued further: "Li Qingniao once said to me, 'A fleeting steed in a chink, a fire in the rock, a body in a dream, the Forty-nine Heavens can't hold you, go, go to where you must...' What did he mean by these words?"

Xuanyuan solemnly inquired: "Did he truly say that? I see, so that's how your so-called Forty-nine Heavens came about... Strange, if it is so, shouldn't it be the Fifty Heavens? Why are there only forty-nine?"

Chen Ji was startled at heart.

Fifty Heavens?

Previously, he had discovered a problem: the world he occupied and the Forty-nine Heavens spoken of by his master were not the same; both his master and Prince Jing thought he came from the Forty-nine Heavens, yet among all the Immortals known to the world from the Forty-nine Heavens, he hadn't seen a single one. And those he had seen, no one else had any knowledge of.

At a certain moment, Chen Ji would secretly ponder, did Prince Jing and the master make a mistake, was he not from the Forty-nine Heavens?

The other Forty-nine Heavens are all called things like East Kunlun, West Kunlun, Biyou Palace, Yujing Mountain, Mount Sumeru, which sound very magical. But the place he's in is called Earth, which just sounds out of place.

Now, hearing Xuanyuan's words, he was not from the Forty-nine Heavens, but from the Fiftieth Heaven.

Does Li Qingniao know about this? Or perhaps he didn't tell the truth?

Chen Ji was uncertain.

He looked up at Xuanyuan: "Where does the Fifty Heavens come from?"

Xuanyuan shook his head: "The secrets here are vast, and cannot be spoken of."

Chen Ji further asked: "Will I one day remember it myself?"

"No," Xuanyuan remained silent for a moment: "If one day, you encounter someone with the same fate, perhaps you will understand. If you still don't, you can come to ask me again."

So, the Fifty Heavens only appeared after his death.

Chen Ji, being easy going, sat down again: "One day, it will become clear, but right now, I don't care about what happened in the past, I only care about current matters, I have some things about the sword seed I need to consult you on."

Currently, Wu Yun is trapped within the Forbidden City, even if Brother Pao helps him gather enough ginseng, Wu Yun can't leave the palace to consume it, for him to eat alone is useless.

The Mountain Lord cannot be cultivated for now, so Chen Ji can only focus his energies on the sword seed.

Xuanyuan shook his head: "What should be taught has been taught to you. The Sword Seed Path has only two routes, one is to slowly nurture the sword with stars, the other is to forge the sword using others' Sword Intent as fuel, there are no shortcuts. As for how to wield the sword seed, there's no other way but to practice makes perfect."

Chen Ji seemed thoughtful.

He called forth his two sword seeds from the patterns, hesitantly saying: "Pardon me for asking, I've cultivated two sword seeds, is this situation normal?"

Xuanyuan suddenly rose from the massive stone.

He strode up to Chen Ji, circled around the two suspended sword seeds three times, first looking at the sword seeds, then at Chen Ji: "What kind of heretical path are you cultivating?"

Chen Ji innocently explained: "I merely nurtured the sword with stars as you said, but after the pattern appeared, when I killed another person, instead of the Heavy Sword Intent feeding into the first sword seed, it forged a second sword seed."

Xuanyuan furrowed his brows without a word.

Chen Ji curiously asked: "Have you never seen such a situation before either?"

Xuanyuan regained his composure, glanced at Chen Ji, and contemptuously said in an indifferent tone: "It's not uncommon. Besides, your sword seed is barely at the Black Iron level, still far from the Divine Dao, and you have a long way to go."

As he spoke, he lifted the hem of Chen Ji's garment.

Chen Ji took a step back: "What are you doing?"

Xuanyuan said in a deep voice: "What else can I do, look at your markings!"

Chen Ji unfastened his clothes, revealing his upper body. On him were three tiger-like patterns, one light brown, two black.

Xuanyuan was momentarily stunned: "You've already used it once?"

Chen Ji covered up again: "You know the use of these markings?"

Xuanyuan chuckled scornfully as he leaned against the giant rock: "Having dealt with you for ten thousand years and suffered losses twice over these markings, how would I not know? However, these markings reduce with each use, and now at mere ant-level realm, you've used one, what about the future?"

Xuanyuan's words carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Chen Ji replied irritably: "Worry about yourself first."

Xuanyuan pondered as he looked down: "You will have eight markings, won't you be able to cultivate eight sword seeds? How preposterous!"

Chen Ji earnestly asked: "Did I cultivate incorrectly?"

Xuanyuan glanced at him: "Shut up."

Chen Ji burst into laughter: "Jealous?"

Xuanyuan took a deep breath: "Such pettyness. You have no understanding of nurturing swords' hardships, nurturing a single sword cost me over ten thousand years, and you plan on nurturing eight sword seeds, will it take eighty thousand years? Can you afford to wait?"

Chen Ji gradually restrained his laughter: "Indeed can't afford to wait, this time I've come hoping you can draw the Land of Hidden Swords for me."