Remould the Glory of Sword Art

The reason Ci Jing spoils Jiang Huang so much is not just because of her bloodline.

It's also because of the qualities she possesses.

This little one's "innocence" is not an act.

Having endured betrayal and parting, Ci Jing instinctively protected this naive young Phoenix, not wanting Jiang Huang to follow in his footsteps.

That's why he's angry.

He knows very well that the seemingly pure Heavenly Phoenix Palace... is actually filthy inside.

Intrigue and scheming.

That place is a mess, utterly terrible.

"To avoid the Nine Death Forbidden, Jiang Huang divided her Divine Soul."

Xie Xuanyi continued, "We've actually seen a similar case not long ago. The Daoist Great True Man Chong Kan separated his soul and fought against heavenly beings, locking his good thoughts on Tianyuan Mountain... After his evil thoughts took control of the body, this Great True Man's actions became extremely erratic and extreme."

"You mean Jiang Huang might end up the same way?"

Ci Jing's expression became unpleasant.

"I know the main soul, she has always been patient, waiting for this moment."

Xie Xuanyi calmly said, "One day, the main soul will make a move in the Divine Sea, forcibly seizing control of the flesh. The best solution I can think of is to make that day come sooner."

Ci Jing calmed down.

Hearing this, he realized...

This northern trip was not an oversight by Xie Xuanyi, but deliberate.

"Let the main soul seize the body prematurely..."

Ci Jing asked confusedly, "What good does that do?"

"Bright swords are easy to dodge, hidden arrows are hard to defend against."

Xie Xuanyi said, "The main soul has been dormant for a long time, even our Master can't forcefully separate it... This tribulation is meant for Jiang Huang; if the main soul acts early, she can retreat into the shadows. Being taken by the Heavenly Phoenix Palace might be a blessing in disguise."

Ci Jing fell into contemplation.

Xie Xuanyi wasn't wrong.

Though he disliked the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, it had numerous legacies and was freer compared to the back mountain of Golden Turtle Peak.

As the Elder Brother,

He certainly didn't want Jiang Huang to be confined in the forbidden area of the back mountain.

But still...

Ci Jing frowned and asked, "If Jiang Huang's body is taken over by the main soul and her soul retreats into the darkness, what then?"

He knew that although the two soul fragments were symbiotic, when one awakens, the other must slumber, leaving only a wisp of consciousness.

To survive in the Da Sui Sword Palace, the main soul remained in a state of pretend sleep.

Now that the main soul takes over the body, given the strength of Jiang Huang's second soul fragment, it would be almost impossible to regain control of the body.

How could this situation be reversed?

Xie Xuanyi smiled slightly and said, "I gave her something."

"You gave her something?"

Ci Jing stared at the young man before him, pondering for a long while, "… A Flying Sword?"

Though this kid had many treasures, upon consideration, only a Flying Sword could be given away.

Giving away the Undying Spring was meaningless... it would only reveal Xie Xuanyi's identity as the master of the Undying Spring.

"Correct."

Xie Xuanyi raised an eyebrow, showing a rare expression of pride.

"It's really a sword... wait… how is that possible?"

Ci Jing responded reflexively, but quickly realized the inconsistency.

The Heavenly Phoenix Palace would undoubtedly search Jiang Huang's soul.

Any object.

Could not escape the discerning eyes of the Old Palace Master of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace.

No matter how small the Flying Sword given by Xie Xuanyi was, it couldn't escape inspection.

"This sword has already been discovered."

Xie Xuanyi teased, smilingly, "But… the sword is still there, can you guess why?"

Ci Jing scratched his head.

He truly couldn't figure it out.

Swoosh.

Xie Xuanyi waved his sleeve, and a hazy image extended across the distant Golden Turtle Peak back mountain forbidden area—

Because of the great distance.

The image only revealed a very vague outline.

Molten lava, a sea of fire, a throne, an old man.

"That old undying?!"

Ci Jing was startled as he saw the aged figure facing the sea of fire in the image, instinctively clenching his jaw, his entire being prepared for battle.

The Battle of Poison back then.

It was this old fellow who deceived him, causing Lian Venerate to fall into a siege.

"What you are seeing now… is exactly what Jiang Huang is seeing."

Xie Xuanyi paused for a moment, "Or rather, what that 'sword' is seeing."

Ci Jing stared intently at the scene before him.

He watched for a long time, shifting his gaze from the image to Xie Xuanyi.

After confirming repeatedly.

He was sure this young man named Xie was just a Yin God.

"You really are a monster..."

The Vermilion Bird Demon sighed, showing a complex expression, and hoarsely asked, "But how can you have a sword like this?"

A Yin God Realm can deceive a Yang God Tenth Layer Heaven?

How... is that possible?

"The answer is simple."

"This isn't my sword."

Xie Xuanyi anticipated what Ci Jing was thinking, and he found a large stone to slowly sit on.

Memory briefly flashed back.

Back to the snow-covered Great Yue Kingdom.

Qing Li had condensed his Tao power into a hairpin before Ascending.

After that.

Xie Xuanyi carried the hairpin with him.

To deceive a being at the level of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace Master, with Xie Xuanyi's current means, was simply impossible.

No Yin God in this world could do it.

In fact, no Yang God could do it either.

But Qing Li was neither a Yin God nor a Yang God…

She was a transcendent heavenly being beyond the Yang God!

This hairpin was condensed with the pure Tao power of a Heavenly Human Realm by Qing Li.

When Xie Xuanyi gifted the hairpin, he had already embedded a wisp of Lifebound Sword thought, an extremely delicate sword thought, and to prevent Jiang Huang's main soul from detecting anything amiss, he didn't even tell the little one about the special nature of the "hairpin."

By doing this, he was gambling.

Gambling that the current cultivation of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace Master hadn't yet reached the Heavenly Human Realm!

Gambling that the old fellow couldn't penetrate the hairpin with Divine Thought, to discover the Sword Qi he had hidden deep within.

He won the gamble.

"You..."

Ci Jing sat silently opposite Xie Xuanyi, gazing at the young man, unsure of what to say.

After a long silence.

Ci Jing sighed, "Isn't this too risky?"

Xie Xuanyi gambled not merely with his sword thought.

But also with the life and death of that wisp of Jiang Huang's soul.

"It is somewhat risky."

Xie Xuanyi lowered his eyes, slowly saying, "But this hairpin… is a Heavenly Human Realm Divine Artifact, undeniably. Do you think, in the eyes of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, which wisp of Jiang Huang's soul remains is really important?"

Ci Jing was stunned for a moment.

The answer to the question was obvious.

Of course... it wasn't important.

The Heavenly Phoenix Palace only needed one Phoenix Blood Venerable Master; it didn't matter which wisp of Divine Soul in this body survived.

"The Heavenly Phoenix Palace… is a huge 'Cultivation Field'."

Ci Jing murmured, "The strongest throne naturally has to go through the most brutal struggle."

"Indeed."

Xie Xuanyi solemnly said, "Even if the Heavenly Phoenix Palace Master guessed the hairpin was an ornament of the second soul, they still wouldn't say anything. If the main soul dies, then it indicates the second soul is more suitable to become the Heavenly Phoenix Palace's throne master."

With that said.

The back mountain of Golden Turtle Peak fell into a long silence.

"You left a wisp of Sword Qi in the hairpin... is that your backup?"

Ci Jing looked at Xie Xuanyi.

"Yes."

Xie Xuanyi spoke calmly, "I understand, Jiang Huang's 'Soul Tribulation' can only be crossed by herself. But now these two soul strands ultimately stand on opposing sides..."

"This Heavenly Human Realm Divine Artifact is connected to my Heart Lake, and I can sense Jiang Huang's Divine Thought safety at any moment."

"If the main soul harbors mercy and is willing to spare the second soul.

"Then the hairpin will not be triggered."

Ci Jing asked, "What if... the main soul harbors murderous intent?"

A long silence again.

"Then... she can only be allowed to die."

Xie Xuanyi, supporting himself on the large stone, gazed at the flowing clouds at the Heavenly Peak and spoke slowly, word by word, "If this body can only allow one soul to survive, then it must be my sister."

The girl called him brother.

As her brother, he mustn't let her be disappointed, right?