One Big, One Small
The silver moon hung high, and the chirping of insects accentuated the tranquility of the mountains. The mountaintop was covered with rubble and overgrown with weeds, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.
Wang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, took the Purple Gourd with him, and returned to the Real World.
It was also late at night when he left. He stayed in the Immortal Realm for many days, and when he returned, it was still a moonlit night.
The sounds of insects chirping, the occasional calls of night birds, and the gentle breeze create a tranquil atmosphere.
Wang Xuan experienced a brief sense of unreality, wondering if he had truly left. Was becoming an immortal simply a spiritual journey that transcended time?
This is the Old Earth, the mortal world. He sat cross-legged for several days and then went to the immortal realm? Now that he has returned, it does seem like a dream.
Ancient people encountered immortals and then regained consciousness, but their memories were filled with extremely profound and unforgettable experiences. But were they generally similar? For example, the dream of Nanke.
Fortunately, he was certain this was not a dream. The Purple Gourd was in his hand, warm and lustrous, but all those wisps of chaotic energy had disappeared, Great Universe Error Correction. The invisible suppression was something even a primordial treasure couldn't withstand.
Something's not right. Why isn't there any cheering? Where's the Little Thing? He looked down and saw her fast asleep in the soil, having dug her own little Underground Palace nest, sleeping soundly and sweetly.
She set up a magic array on the mountaintop and then went to sleep peacefully. She had no defenses against Wang Xuan, who was so close by. She added him to her "whitelist" and even automatically ignored his presence, otherwise... it would disturb her sleep!
Wang Xuan really wanted to pinch her little face and pull it up, but he couldn't care less about her now. He quickly opened the Purple Gourd to release the grown-up version of the Sword Immortal.
This action startled the Little Thing, who scrambled to her feet, extremely alert. When she saw Wang Xuan returning with a gourd, she immediately perked up.
"Where am I?" She scrambled up from the ground, blinking her big eyes.
Jiang Qingyao appeared, stepping out of the Innate Strange Item gourd. Dressed in white, she looked ethereal, carrying a celestial sword, standing on the low mountain like a figure from a painting.
This is not a famous mountain, but just an inconspicuous Desolate Mountain. It was here that she underwent Ascension to Immortality and ascended to immortality. Looking down at the weeds and the rubble scattered all over the ground, this was the Taoist Temple where she once lived. After thousands of years, only ruins remain.
Two Sword Immortal, one large and one small, gazed at each other. They were the same person, and in the moonlight, this moment seemed to freeze.
"Why are you bleeding?" the smaller version of the Sword Immortal asked, then looked at Wang Xuan suspiciously.
"She's injured," Wang Xuan said.
"It's just picking someone up, what happened?" The miniature Sword Immortal was very nervous.
"You all wait here, I'm going to gather the Heavenly Medicine!" Wang Xuan said, without wasting any time, his spirit entered the Life Soil and rushed towards the Land of Nothingness.
The Sword Immortal was seriously injured. To protect him and ensure he was not harmed, she stood in the back, enduring the Super Peerless sword intent that was chasing after her all by herself.
Who is that? He once challenged the Ancient Number One Person, a ruthless individual who dared to fight to the death. After cultivating for a long time, he wielded the World-Crossing Sword and became invincible!
Wang Xuan was worried about her. Although the Sword Immortal said there was no major problem, he was afraid that she was hiding her injuries, so he immediately took action, wanting to help her with a heavenly medicine that could bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded.
Recently, whether it's the celestial vine transformed from the Nine Tribulation Heavenly Lotus, the Cactus, or the First Immortal Tea, they are all growing vigorously and full of life.
Wang Xuan picked a Cactus with buds still attached, then plucked two leaves from a vine, and gathered a bunch of tea fruits before quickly returning to the Real World.
Although the journey is long, it takes very little time; he can now travel back and forth extremely quickly.
The scene he saw at that moment stunned him, leaving him momentarily lost in thought.
Two people, one tall and one short, both incredibly beautiful and ethereal in the moonlight, were gazing at each other when they smiled.
"I was so cute when I was little!" Jiang Qingyao said, looking at the Little Thing and praising herself.
"When it comes to beauty, I'm the most beautiful person in the world!" The miniature version of the Sword Immortal was even more narcissistic, staring at her mature self.
Two fairies, one large and one small, were gazing at each other, both praising themselves. The scene was quite amusing, and given their undeniable beauty, the view from the moonlit mountaintop was truly breathtaking.
But the tranquility was quickly broken. Jiang Qingyao couldn't help but reach out her fair "magic hand" and pinch the miniature version of her own face, saying, "It feels so good, so chubby and cute!"
The Little Thing immediately exclaimed, "Jiang Qingyao, who are you pinching!"
"Pinch myself!" the grown-up Sword Immortal said with a smile, touching her tiny self. She couldn't resist pinching her; she was chubby and quite pretty. It would be a shame not to rub her delicate little face.
"Ah, I am you, you are me, how dare you pinch yourself like this!" the Little Thing cried out.
Jiang Qingyao laughed and said, "I like it! It's been a long time since I've seen myself as a child. I was so handsome! No wonder I'm so stunning now. I had a great foundation since I was a child!"
"Of course! Don't you know who grew up? You... stop pinching!" The Little Thing was happy at first, then grinned, still being pinched and squeezed, feeling it was too much, even if it was just her own little face being pulled!
Then, she immediately retaliated, clinging to Jiang Qingyao like a koala and pinching her delicate, fair face.
She retaliated swiftly, not only imitating the face-rubbing technique, but also messing up Jiang Qingyao's long, smooth black hair, teasing and rubbing it.
Wang Xuan was tempted by what he saw, and finally couldn't resist making a move. He pinched the miniature Sword Immortal's face and tried out the long-lost feel of her skin again.
"You... ah!" The Little Thing immediately protested.
Jiang Qingyao turned around and glared at him. Pinching the Little Thing was the same as pinching her!
"I couldn't resist because they looked cute," Wang Xuan explained with an awkward laugh.
Both Little Thing and Jiang Qingyao were united against outsiders. This was a matter between the two of them. Why would they suddenly extend a hand, so unwelcomingly?
Before the miniature Sword Immortal could erupt in anger, Wang Xuan, with a serious and earnest expression, tried to soothe her, saying, "Qingyao is injured and can't move around. Hmm, stop clinging to her and get down. Here, take this, Qingyao. This is a celestial medicine; take it quickly!"
The effect was quite obvious. The Little Thing got off Jiang Qingyao, but she wasn't easily fooled. She jumped up and pinched Wang Xuan's face hard.
As expected, the Sword Immortal's injuries were more serious than she had said. She had initially tried to appease Wang Xuan, but the Ancient Madman's sword intent was too terrifying. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have survived, and their primordial spirit and physical body would have been blown to smithereens, leaving nothing behind.
Fortunately, this is the Real World. After arriving in the Old Earth, even someone as powerful as the madman Shang Yi had his sword intent and other abilities weakened infinitely.
In the immortal realm, he could cleave down stars with a single sword strike, but here, he could probably only split mountains and destroy spaceships.
Of course, Jiang Qingyao's strength was greatly weakened after she returned, even though it was the result of her physical body and spirit being rebuilt in the Immortal Realm returning together.
Without any hesitation, she took the elixir, sat down cross-legged, and began to heal her wounds.
She captured the killing intent within her body and comprehended the terrifying sword light reflecting in her mind, but instead of trying to extinguish it immediately, she studied it and combined it with the first sword manual she had obtained, verifying the two.
Ignoring the fact that it was late at night, Wang Xuan immediately contacted Chen Yongjie and Qing Mu, instructing them to send a message into the depths of space to contact the ancient spaceship and tell Old Zhang and Fang Yuzhu's clone to be cautious and wary of the madman wielding the World-Crossing Sword.
Shang Yi might be a terrifying "black hole" that can devour everything. In order to collect all the treasures, he might kill everyone!
The moonlight was like water, and the mountaintop was quiet. After Wang Xuan finished his phone call, he discovered that the miniature version of the Sword Immortal was still watching him intently.
The Little Thing held a grudge and wanted to pinch his face in return.
"Is it really necessary? I just thought you were cute and pretty, so I considered you one of my own and couldn't help myself... Okay, sorry for offending you." Wang Xuan said, preparing to go into seclusion on the spot to study the number one sword manual in the world and savor the sword light that madman unleashed at the end.
"You have blood at the corner of your mouth." To everyone's surprise, the miniature Sword Immortal didn't mind anymore and wiped the blood from his mouth and nose.
"Thank you for bringing her back to me," she whispered.
"We're family, no need to be so polite. If you really want to thank me, let me give you another massage!" Wang Xuan said with a smile as he sat down. As soon as he said that, the Little Thing punched him on the head.
He was indeed injured, not by the final sword light of the Ancient Madman Shang Yi —those were all blocked by Jiang Qingyao. Rather, it was while studying the sword manual that various terrifying greatswords appeared in his eyes and in his heart, wounding him. Those sword lights, cleaving stars, severing galaxies, and tearing apart the universe, crisscrossed and intertwined in his heart, countless giant swords, annihilating all things!
The Sword Immortal had helped him withstand these things; otherwise, he would have exploded before he could finish reading the entire Sword Scripture.
Wang Xuan sat cross-legged, his mind entering the Earth of Fate, and then he went to the Misty Land to avoid the Little Thing and began to comprehend the first sword scripture of this Mythological Era.
In the Land of Nothingness, he practiced again and again, sorting out the sword light in his heart, and even deducing the True Sword Dao Interpretation.
Only after a long time, when he was exhausted and mentally drained, did he stop. In a flash, the giant sword swept across the sky, slashing at the Red Substance. As he withdrew, the domineering sword intent dissipated.
However, not long after, he began practicing swordsmanship again, as if he were possessed, immersing himself in that flamboyant way of swordsmanship, with scenes of splitting star seas, destroying galaxies, and tearing apart the Great Universe appearing.
"It's time to go back. I've roughly sorted out this sword manual, but it takes time to hone it. It's impossible to master it overnight. Even a madman like myself couldn't have done it that quickly when I first started practicing this sword manual."
Wang Xuan returned to the Real World and opened his eyes.
He noticed that his face looked unnatural, and there was no doubt that the Little Thing had pinched him, which left him speechless.
Silver Moon was still there. Not much time had passed in the Real World when he discovered that the Sword Immortal had opened her Inner Scenery Realm and was meditating on the Dao of Swords while her primordial spirit sat cross-legged there.
Her injury should be fine now. With the help of the medicine, it won't worsen and will improve.
As for the miniature version of the Sword Immortal, she was also pretending to practice swordsmanship, but she would occasionally steal glances at him and see the finger marks on his face, which made her very happy.
That night, Jiang Qingyao repeatedly entered the Inner Scenery Realm to meditate and comprehend the Dharma. The sword intent emanating from her grew stronger and stronger, and the immortal sword she carried rang out with a clear, resonant sound.
She didn't end her seclusion until dawn, when the sky was bright and the sun was rising high. Bathed in the morning glow, she radiated an otherworldly glow, appearing even more serene and transcendent.
"How did it go?" Wang Xuan asked.
Jiang Qingyao smiled, "It's alright. I deliberately left that sword intent behind, and I'm analyzing and reconstructing it for my own use. Once I've figured it out, it can accelerate my understanding of the First Sword Scripture and allow me to embark on my own sword path sooner."
Wang Xuan felt relieved, and then asked, "When will you two Fusion and Unity?"
"Yes, hurry up, I want to grow up!" The miniature Sword Immortal couldn't wait.
The Sword Immortal smiled and gently pinched her little face, saying, "How wonderful it would be to give you a Wu You childhood."
"You're still a child! I'm growing up. You are me, and I am you. When you ridicule me, you're ridiculing yourself!" the Little Thing retorted.
Jiang Qingyao said, "I think it's better to maintain the status quo for now. The Supernatural Finale, Mythical Eternal Silence. There will probably be all sorts of dramatic changes coming up, so we shouldn't act rashly. It's safer for us to separate like this. In fact, we shouldn't even be in the same place. Let's maintain this for a while with two bodies, one big and one small."
The miniature Sword Immortal immediately objected, saying, "You want to go and enjoy yourself in the mortal world while I continue to sleep in this Desolate Mountain?"
"Then I'll stay here and meditate. You can go and wander in the mortal world." Jiang Qingyao wanted to go into seclusion to comprehend sword techniques.
Wang Xuan said, "In the short term, there are no enemies in the Old Earth. Let me take you for a walk and a look. The mortal world has changed a thousand years ago."
"Okay, okay!" the Little Thing agreed with both hands.
Just then, Zhao Qinghan sent a message in the group, asking where Wang Xuan was, how he was doing, and if he wanted to come out for dinner.
This group is called the Beyond the Deep Space Group. It consists of a few people who went to the Immortal Land together, and later Qin Cheng joined them.
Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin haven't left yet. They feel that before the Supernatural Finale, the New Star area is more chaotic and not as safe as the Old Earth. Here, they have acquaintances and experts in charge.
"Old Wang, where are you? You've been missing for days. Don't go disappearing into the depths of space without a word." Qin Cheng called out.
"Okay, see you at the Golden Years Restaurant in Ancheng at noon!" Wang Xuan replied, then turned to the two fairies, one big and one small, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you into the mortal world and introduce you to some new friends."
Not long after, the Sword Immortal Fairy flew on her sword, carrying Wang Xuan and the Little Thing, and arrived outside Ancheng. She did not go in directly to avoid attracting a crowd.
The Little Thing had spent a year in the mortal world and knew about all sorts of dramatic changes. However, Sword Immortal Jiang Qingyao had not experienced them. She looked at the modern metropolis, somewhat lost in thought. Her sect, the Sword Mountain of the past, and so on, were nowhere to be seen anymore.
"What are you thinking about?" Wang Xuan asked.
"I was thinking about the first time I entered a city, and my master bought me candied hawthorns. It was such a sweet memory," Jiang Qingyao murmured. Time passed, and ancient cities were replaced by skyscrapers. Those people are gone forever.
"I miss my master too." The miniature Sword Immortal's eyes reddened. That rainy night, her sect, everyone was killed by that man in black, and they would never see each other again.
"They also have candied hawthorns now, I'll take you to buy some!" Wang Xuan said.
Soon after, two Sword Immortal, one big and one small, each clutched a string of candied hawthorns. Jiang Qingyao was slightly lost in thought, while the Little Thing was already happily munching on them.