Tian Xiezi
A streak of azure light ripped across the sky, accompanied by a Sky-Rending Strike, tearing sound as it swept past the last pine-covered mountain range. The menacing silhouette of the Myriad Evil Cave, like a lurking beast, finally came into Ren Xiaoyao's view. The cave entrance, embedded in the black cliff face, resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, completely shrouded in thick, black, Evil Mist —so thick it seemed one could wring out black water; a handful would leave one's palm sticky and sticky. As it churned, the red and black intertwined evil light solidified, flickering like a venomous snake's tongue within the mist, each pulse accompanied by a piercing shriek. The shriek wasn't a simple roar, but the wailing of countless wronged souls. Upon closer listening, one could discern the cries of children, the lamentations of women, and the sighs of the elderly. It penetrated the ears and burrowed into the depths of the mind. An ordinary cultivator, if present, would likely have already lost their Dao Heart and their spiritual power dissipated due to this eerie sound.
Ren Xiaoyao lightly touched the Black Stone in front of the cave with his toes. The stone's surface was covered with a layer of slippery black moss, and the icy touch instantly traveled through the sole of his shoe. A chilling, evil force surged upwards from the sole of his foot, clinging to his meridians like a bone-deep infection, attempting to penetrate and erode the spiritual energy in his dantian. His eyes narrowed, and his fingertips gently touched the cloud pattern on the hilt of the Carefree Sword. He immediately activated the Carefree Sword Intent —a pale blue spiritual light instantly emanated from his body, transforming into a semi-transparent shield as it flowed. The surface of the shield was adorned with fine cloud patterns, which slowly unfolded with the fluctuations of spiritual energy, firmly blocking the evil force from his body. When the evil force collided with the shield, it only emitted a "sizzling" corrosive sound, like red-hot iron hitting cold water. It didn't even leave a shallow mark; instead, it was burned by the spiritual light of the shield, turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating.
A muffled hum echoed from within the cave. The sound wasn't the crisp crack of an impending shattering of the Evil Crystal, but rather the deliberate manipulation of evil power, causing the entire cave to tremble slightly. Gravel from the cliff face occasionally fell, clattering softly to the ground. Ren Xiaoyao gripped his Carefree Sword tightly; the cloud-like patterns on the blade glowed slowly with the flow of spiritual energy, a pale blue light spreading along the edge and condensing into a cold glint at the tip. He actively drew upon the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to envelop his body, the Spiritual Qi forming Invisible Barrier isolated him from the erosion of the Evil Mist. Then, like a blur of blue light, he stepped into the Evil Mist.
Visibility was less than three feet in the fog, and with each step, one could clearly see the withered bones beneath their feet. The cracking sound was particularly jarring in the silent cave—there were the remains of cultivators, with broken sword blades embedded in their bones, the blades long since corroded and rusted by evil power; there were also the remains of ordinary people, children's small bones mixed among adult skeletons, the knuckles bearing tiny cracks, clearly indicating torture before death. Occasionally, fingertips would touch the stone wall, feeling an icy chill, as if touching millennia-old ice. The stone wall was also covered with sticky black evil liquid, emitting a pungent, fishy smell, which mixed with the putrid odor emanating from the depths of the cave, creating a nauseating stench. Even though Ren Xiaoyao's Dao Heart was steadfast, he couldn't help but frown and circulate his spiritual power to protect his mouth and nose.
Upon reaching the bottom of the cave, the sight before him caused Ren Xiaoyao's pupils to shrink sharply. Even the steady sword intent around him couldn't help but ripple, and the spiritual light on the sword trembled slightly. The bottom of the cave was dozens of feet wide. In the center, a black Evil Crystal about ten feet square floated in mid-air. The surface of the Evil Crystal was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, from which thick black evil power constantly surged. The evil power swirled in the air, forming a vortex, stirring up the surrounding atmosphere like a black tornado. Any Spiritual Qi that came into contact with the evil vortex was instantly swallowed up and turned into part of the evil power.
Beneath the Evil Crystal, a figure in black robes sat cross-legged on a platform piled high with bones. The platform was at least three zhang high, with layers upon layers of bones stacked like a small mountain. There were skulls of cultivators, their eye sockets hollow and facing forward, as well as the skeletons of beasts, with huge animal bones lying among the piles. The hem of the Black Robed Man's robes hung down into the gaps between the bones, blending into the withered skeleton, making it difficult to discern the figure without careful observation. Countless pale gray Soul Threads surrounded him. The Soul Threads were as thin as hair, yet they possessed an extremely strong suction force. One end was deeply embedded in the Evil Crystal, greedily absorbing evil power, while the other end extended like a spider web into the thousands of holes in the cave wall. These holes varied in size, some large enough for a person to pass through, others small enough to fit only a finger. Inside, one could vaguely see pale white life energy rapidly dissipating, and occasionally, a faint cry for help could be heard. But as soon as the sound rang out, it was forcibly sucked away by the Soul Threads, turning into a wisp of green smoke and merging into the Soul Threads, disappearing without a trace.
"Ren Xiaoyao, you've arrived half a day earlier than I expected." The Black Robed Man slowly opened his eyes. There were no pupils in his eyes, only a surging, dark, and evil light. Within the evil light, countless wronged souls seemed to be struggling. He was none other than Tian Xiezi, the master of the Evil Sword Immortal Tian Xiezi. His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, clearly indicating that he had been corrupted by evil power for many years. Every word was wrapped in a chilling aura, sending shivers down one's spine upon hearing it.
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it. Dao Soul energy instantly withdrew from a tiny hole on his left, the end of which was still wrapped with a faint wisp of a child's soul—the soul glowed with a pale white light, its form blurred, yet it was still waving its small hands in vain, as if searching for a family member. Tian Xiezi exerted a slight force with his fingertips, and the Soul Threads suddenly tightened. The wisp of soul let out a barely audible cry, so faint as to be almost inaudible, before turning into specks of gray light, which he absorbed entirely into his palm. He opened his palm, looking at the black spiritual light swirling around it, and a ferocious smile curled at the corner of his mouth, "These souls of countless lives are the 'nourishment' I have nurtured for a thousand years. They can both stabilize the Evil Crystal that is about to shatter and nourish the remnant soul of the Evil Sword Immortal. In three more days, the Evil Sword Immortal will be completely unsealed. At that time, the two of us will join forces, and all the cultivators and common people in this world will become our puppets. No one will be able to stop us!"
Ren Xiaoyao's brows furrowed, and his Carefree Sword Intent surged instantly. A pale blue spiritual light spread outwards like a tide, cleaving a square gap of about ten feet in the surrounding Evil Mist, revealing the ground below littered with withered bones. He raised his hand and swung his sword, his arm moving with a sharp whistling sound. A ten-foot-long blue sword light Evil-Breaking mist, carrying the sharpness to cut through everything, and pierced straight at Tian Xiezi on the high platform. "To harm countless living beings for your own selfish desire for dominance, such evil deeds are intolerable to heaven and earth! Today, I will act on behalf of heaven and slay you, this Demon Head, and restore Taiping to the world!"
The sword light moved with incredible speed, like a streak of azure lightning cutting through the Evil Mist. It cleaved through the evil energy in its path, leaving a clear azure trail in its wake, the air within which still trembled slightly. But just as the sword light was about to touch Tian Xiezi, the skeletons on the platform suddenly rattled, dozens of skeletons rising abruptly from the pile, transforming into grotesque White Bone Puppets. The puppets were enveloped in black evil energy, which flowed through their joints, like lubricant for stiff bones, making their previously clumsy movements incredibly agile. They wielded longswords forged from white bones, the blades glowing with an eerie red light, dried black blood still clinging to their surfaces. Dozens of longswords were simultaneously raised, slashing down at the azure sword light.
A series of crisp clangs rang out, echoing like thunder within the cave, causing rubble to fall from the cliff face. The azure sword light clashed with the white bone longsword, scattering countless Mars. Although the White Bone Puppets was forced back by the impact of the sword light, with even tiny cracks appearing at its joints, it showed no signs of disintegration. Tian Xiezi, seated on the high platform, flicked his fingertips, and a thick stream of dark, evil energy flowed into the puppet's body. The cracks were instantly filled by the evil energy, and the broken joints were reassembled. The puppet's aura only intensified, its eyes glowing with a red, evil light, as it lunged at Ren Xiaoyao once more, its longsword wielding a thick, bloody scent.
Tian Xiezi sat on the high platform and sneered, his voice full of disdain. "With such meager skills, you dare to try and stop me? Ren Xiaoyao, do you think your meager Carefree Sword Intent can withstand my thousand-year-old scheme?" He raised his hand and slammed it hard against the Evil Crystal in front of him. With a loud "bang," the entire cave shook violently. The cracks on the surface of the Evil Crystal suddenly widened, and an evil force far exceeding the previous one gushed out from the cracks, pouring down like a black waterfall. It swirled and condensed in the air, and in a short while, it transformed into a huge Evil Sword.
The sword was ten zhang long, its blade covered with twisted Black Runes that shimmered with a sinister red and black light, as if countless wronged souls were imprisoned within them, struggling and writhing in agony. A hideous face vaguely appeared on the hilt, its eyes bloodshot and bloodshot, with crimson saliva constantly dripping from its mouth. The saliva dripped onto the ground, instantly corroding small holes—the very remnant soul of the Evil Sword Immortal immortal about to break free of its seal.
"Evil Sword Immortal, play with him for a bit, let him know how terrible the consequences of resisting me are." Tian Xiezi's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth. As soon as he finished speaking, the Evil Sword Immortal let out a deafening roar. The roar caused the boulders on the cave ceiling to fall continuously, crashing to the ground with a deafening "boom," and even the ground shook violently, cracking open with tiny fissures. The Evil Sword, carrying the World-Ending Aura, slashed fiercely towards Ren Xiaoyao. Wherever the Evil Sword passed, the air was corroded by the evil power, making a "sizzling" sound and forming black gas streaks. The ground cracked open with bottomless fissures, from which scalding Black Lava gushed out. The magma landed on the surrounding white bones, instantly melting the withered bones into Black Liquid, emitting a pungent, burnt smell that made it difficult to breathe.
Ren Xiaoyao dared not be careless in the slightest. He held the Carefree Sword horizontally in front of him, lightly tapped the ground with his feet, and retreated three feet to avoid the scorching lava. Then, he closed his eyes, his spiritual energy surging wildly around him, his palms facing the sky, actively drawing in the spiritual Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi — the Spiritual Qi of the grass and trees in the distant mountains and forests, the drifting clouds in the air, and even the faint vitality remaining in the soil of the cave, all converged towards him like rivers flowing into the sea, transforming into streams of azure energy that surged into the blade of the Carefree Sword.
The cloud patterns on the sword instantly shone with a dazzling azure light, from which clear Mountain and River Phantoms and rivers slowly emerged—majestic mountains, their peaks piercing the clouds and covered in snow; rushing rivers, their waters surging and churning, creating countless waves; and mist-shrouded forests, their trees lush and vibrant with Vibrant Vitality. This was a sign of the deep fusion of the Carefree Sword Intent and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi; each phantom carried a powerful force of nature, enveloping the entire cave in azure spiritual light.
"Carefree Sword Technique - Mountain and River Slash!" Ren Xiaoyao suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze blazing like torches. He swung his long sword, and a cyan sword light, tens of feet long, shot into the sky, carrying the majestic momentum of surging mountains and rivers. Like a cyan barrier, it collided fiercely with the Evil Sword.
The moment the two forces clashed, the entire Myriad Evil Cave trembled violently. Huge boulders from the cave ceiling rained down, crashing to the ground with deafening roars. Shards of rock flew everywhere, shattering the surrounding openings and dissipating any remaining life force within. The evil power and Spiritual Qi eroded and collided, forming waves of black and blue energy that spread outwards with immense force. Wherever these waves swept, the White Bone Puppets were instantly torn to shreds, leaving not a trace. The hard stone walls were also etched with countless grooves, the remnants of the collision between evil power and Spiritual Qi still lingering within them, occasionally flashing with a glimmer of spiritual light or malevolent radiance.
Ren Xiaoyao felt a tremendous impact travel along the sword, his arm instantly went numb, his tiger's mouth throbbed slightly, and even a trace of blood seeped out. Even more terrifying, a cold, evil force surged upwards along the sword, bypassing the spiritual light shield around his body, attempting to penetrate his meridians and erode his dantian. He hurriedly circulated his internal spiritual energy, condensing a thick spiritual light barrier in his dantian, forcing the evil force back to the sword. But at that moment, Tian Xiezi suddenly leaped down from the high platform, his black robe drawing a black arc in the air. He slowly walked towards Ren Xiaoyao, each step creating a black ripple on the ground, and wherever the ripple passed, the withered bones turned to ashes.
Tian Xiezi's fingertips rapidly condensed evil power, black spiritual light swirling within them, transforming into a three-inch-long black dagger. The dagger's surface gleamed with a poisonous green light, carrying a pungent toxic fumes, and it pierced towards Ren Xiaoyao's dantian—the foundation of a cultivator, the core for storing spiritual power. Once struck, at best, one's cultivation would be completely destroyed, rendering them a cripple; at worst, their soul would be scattered, leaving them with no chance of reincarnation.
"Ren Xiaoyao, do you think you alone can stop me and the Evil Sword Immortal?" Tian Xiezi's voice was full of sarcasm as he quickened his pace. "Your Dao Heart is pure, and your Spiritual Qi is abundant, a hundred times more precious than the souls of ordinary people. If I were to absorb your soul, not only would the Evil Sword Immortal break free of his seal ahead of time, but I could also help myself break through my current realm. You are a 'good sustenance' that I encounter only once in a thousand years!"
The black dagger drew ever closer, its tip radiating evil power that touched Ren Xiaoyao's protective shield. The cloud patterns on the shield's surface began to dim rapidly, as if being devoured by the evil power, and it was about to be completely pierced through. Ren Xiaoyao's situation instantly became critical.
At this critical moment of life and death, Ren Xiaoyao's eyes suddenly lit up, and the insights from the battle at Qingfeng Valley flashed through his mind—back then, he had abandoned direct confrontation and instead channeled the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to condense a sword shadow, which allowed him to kill Mo Chenzi. The true essence of Carefree Sword Intent is to merge with nature, emphasizing going with the flow rather than blindly fighting. Now, facing the combined attack of evil forces and Tian Xiezi, why insist on resisting with spiritual energy?
He suddenly relaxed his mind, no longer deliberately mobilizing his spiritual power to block the evil force. Instead, he guided the Free and Carefree Sword Intent to spread along his meridians, connecting with the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi like a spider web. Even the faint Spiritual Qi mixed in with the Evil Mist, even the trace of life remaining in the bones, even the scorching heat contained in the magma, were all forcibly drawn by him and gathered into a huge torrent of Spiritual Qi energy, surrounding him.
"Carefree Sword Technique - Return All Things to Origin!" Ren Xiaoyao shouted again, his voice carrying the enhancement of spiritual power, echoing within the cave. The azure spiritual light around him suddenly surged, several times stronger than the previous Mountain and River Slash, even dyeing the light in the air azure. Countless tiny azure light threads converged from all directions, wrapping around the Soul Threads of the Evil Sword and Tian Xiezi like a spider web. The light threads carried pure Heaven and Earth Righteous Energy, and wherever they passed, the black evil power was continuously purified, turning into wisps of white mist that merged into the Spiritual Qi.
The twisted runes on the Evil Sword gradually dimmed, the originally ferocious red light slowly faded and finally disappeared completely, and the sword body also began to become transparent; the Soul Threads wrapped around Ren Xiaoyao's limbs also lost the support of evil power and began to become transparent. The aura of the wronged souls in the Soul Threads was soothed by the spiritual light, and they stopped struggling, slowly turning into pale white light spots, drifting out of the cave, as if searching for the path of reincarnation.
Tian Xiezi's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with disbelief. He abruptly stopped, his black short blade halting in mid-air. "Impossible! Evil power is the ultimate evil of heaven and earth. Since High Antiquity times, no one has ever been able to purify it. How did you do it? This is impossible!" He hurriedly circulated all the evil power within his body, trying to break free from the restraints of the light threads. However, those cyan light threads were as strong as iron chains. Not only were they not corroded by the evil power, but they tightened even more, firmly trapping his evil power. The evil power surged within his body, but he could not break free from the confinement of the light threads.
"All things possess a spirit. Evil power is merely distorted Spiritual Qi, not inherently evil." Ren Xiaoyao's voice was firm, his eyes blazing, and the Carefree Sword in his hand trembled slightly, as if echoing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. "As long as one draws upon the Heaven and Earth Righteous Energy and guides it with pure sword intent, one can restore it to normal Spiritual Qi, Nourishing All Things. This is the true essence of the Carefree Sword Intent, and the Dao you will never understand."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly exerted force in his arm, and the Carefree Sword in his hand followed the trajectory of the light thread, thrusting forward sharply—the cyan sword light pierced through the obstruction of the Evil Sword, like a bolt of cyan lightning, avoiding Tian Xiezi's black short blade, and stabbing straight at his chest.
Tian Xiezi's pupils constricted sharply. He hurriedly circulated all the evil power within his body, condensing it into a thick black shield in front of him. The shield's surface was covered with evil patterns, attempting to block the sword light. However, the purified Spiritual Qi was like an indestructible blade, easily piercing through his evil power shield. With a "whoosh," the sword light stabbed fiercely into his heart.
With a "poof," Tian Xiezi spat out a mouthful of black blood. The blood fell to the ground and instantly corroded small holes about half an inch deep, from which black smoke, carrying a deadly poison, rose. The smoke landed on the withered bones, burning them black. He looked down in disbelief at the sword light on his chest. Azure spiritual light was seeping into his body through the wound, constantly purifying his evil power. The evil power around him began to dissipate rapidly, and the Soul Threads surrounding him broke one by one, purified into ash by the azure spiritual light.
"I'm not reconciled..." Tian Xiezi's voice grew weaker and weaker, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness, black blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth, "I raised the Evil Sword Immortal for a thousand years, I planned my hegemony for a thousand years, I should have dominated the world, how could I be defeated by a junior like you... I'm not reconciled!"
Before he could finish speaking, his body began to convulse violently. The evil power spiraled out of control, wreaking havoc within him. His skin turned black and ulcerated at a visible speed, revealing the dark meridians beneath. A faint evil light flickered within the meridians, but it was quickly swallowed by the spiritual light. Moments later, his body lost its support and collapsed towards the pile of bones behind him.
At the same time, the Evil Sword Immortal let out a shrill roar, filled with despair. Deprived of the nourishment of Tian Xiezi's evil power and constantly purified by the Carefree Sword Intent, its blade began to crack incessantly, with a constant "crack" sound, as if it were about to disintegrate at any moment. A moment later, the Evil Sword could no longer hold on and instantly shattered into countless Black Fragments. As soon as these fragments hit the ground, they were completely enveloped by azure spiritual light, finally turning into specks of gray light and dissipating into the air, leaving not a trace of evil power behind.
The Evil Crystal, suspended in the air, lost its evil power and shattered completely with a "crack." The fragments fell like raindrops, making a crisp sound as they hit the ground. The faint evil power remaining in the fragments was slowly purified by the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, eventually turning into harmless specks of light that merged into the soil of the cave, nourishing the tiny new shoots growing on the cliff face.
Ren Xiaoyao drew his Carefree Sword. The black, evil blood that stained the blade was instantly dissipated by a burst of spiritual light, leaving the cloud patterns on the sword still bright and pristine, as if it had never been tainted by evil. He watched Tian Xiezi slowly fall, his heart unmoved—this Demon Head had slaughtered countless lives, treating life as worthless. His death today was well-deserved and deserved no sympathy.
Tian Xiezi collapsed onto the pile of bones, his body quickly consumed by the backlash of evil power, turning into a pool of black pus. The pus emitted a pungent stench, corroding the bones as it fell, leaving only a black Evil Core the size of a pigeon's egg. A faint trace of evil power remained on the Evil Core, flickering with a dim red light, as if it were still struggling. Ren Xiaoyao raised his hand and swung his sword. A flash of cyan sword light appeared, instantly slicing the Evil Core in two. The remaining evil power dissipated completely, leaving no trace.
The Evil Mist inside the cave completely dissipated, and the pervasive stench of decay was replaced by a refreshing Spiritual Qi. Sunlight poured down through the cracks in the cave ceiling, and golden rays drew beams of light in the air, with tiny dust particles floating within them, adding a long-lost warmth to this once desolate place shrouded in evil spirits.
Ren Xiaoyao slowly walked to the cave wall, his gaze falling on the empty holes—the edges of the holes still bore black marks of evil power, like ugly scars, silently telling of the suffering endured by countless lives here. A trace of sorrow flashed in his eyes, and his fingertips gently brushed across the cold stone wall. The azure spiritual light around him surged again, transforming into countless tiny Light Orb that slowly flowed into the holes like fireflies.