Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao-Chapter 600 - 36: The Five Declines of Heaven and Man
Pale streaks of twilight enveloped the entire Baiyue Ancient Forbidden.
The Baiyue Ancient Forbidden and Baiyue Cold Pond, whether in a perilous Evil Formation or a comfortable setting, were both incredibly beautiful and filled with an ethereal aura of Immortal Energy.
Above the Cold Pond, the anomaly of the Three Wolves Worshiping the Moon gradually converged into a violet qi of heaven and earth, flowing towards the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass submerged in the Cold Pond.
The Immortal Spirit Grass, like an elegant Fairy, bathed under the bright moonlight, shedding the dust of vanity from its form.
"Shedding vanity, one finally attains Tao."
Zhou Yan didn’t know why, but upon witnessing the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass gathering the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon’s Power of Laws, such a reflection unexpectedly emerged in his mind.
It had been a long time since he had felt sentimental, and he was certainly not a person given to melancholy now, but the atmosphere of this environment caused his thoughts to stir, bringing forth an involuntary sentimental reflection.
"Is this the influence of the Supreme Dao, the impact of the environment on the human heart? If my ’Superior Water’ Sword Dao possessed this ability to influence the environment, then what help would that be in combat, not just a little?"
Zhou Yan murmured to himself as his eyes fixed on the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass, momentarily transfixed, his spirit suddenly becoming faint.
"Huh-huh—"
Suddenly, a wind rose above the Cold Pond, chilling Zhou Yan to the bone as it wafted over him.
The bone-chilling cold was like a sword slashing across his body, rendering him unable to resist.
At that moment, perhaps due to his sentiments or complex emotional changes occurring within, Zhou Yan suddenly felt as though he had entered an illusion.
In that illusion, a pair of eyes appeared—eyes that should have been cute and carefree.
The owner of these eyes was a woman who appeared both young and old, her age indistinct, but her gaze was icy cold, with blood diffusing across her vision.
She was crying and laughing at Zhou Yan. Her cries and laughs were so infuriating yet left one powerless to respond.
Zhou Yan simply stared at those bloody eyes, the owner of the eyes’ contours gradually becoming clearer, and he vaguely felt she looked familiar, yet couldn’t recall who she was at the moment.
Then, the owner of those bloody eyes suddenly drew a sword, a golden Fragment carrying the Emperor Sword Intent, thrusting it directly into Zhou Yan’s brow.
"Putsch—"
A tearing pain erupted at his brow, Zhou Yan’s gaze fixated on the eyes’ owner; as she thrust the sword into his brow, her eyes did not reveal any pleasure, only endless sadness and pain...
A terribly frightening feeling rose within Zhou Yan’s heart. He could vaguely ascertain that this person was his daughter, yet couldn’t distinguish whether the owner of the eyes was Yanyan or Sisi.
But regardless of which one she was, she would signify his end.
Zhou Yan felt fear. He suddenly felt very afraid, feeling lonely and helpless.
But the helpless him was still annihilated by that sword strike, blood gushing out like a fountain, quickly engulfing him and leaving only a head and a pair of eyes exposed.
At that moment, his sensing power caught a glimpse of his own eyes, murky, aged, and desiccated.
His ruthless methods against other Cultivators seemed to suddenly turn against him.
Zhou Yan felt terror; he wanted to shout loudly but couldn’t speak, his body unresponsive as if caught in a nightmare, unable to struggle.
The blood was cold, icy to the bone.
The bone-chilling cold distinctly brought him the pressing sensation of a countdown to death.
Zhou Yan’s severely damaged body continued to tremble, trembling incessantly...
He thought he heard someone speaking not far from his ear, the voice ethereal and distant, then slowly the voice came nearer...
Very close, as if someone was already shouting something in his ear.
Zhou Yan suddenly woke up.
His gaze still fixed on the anomaly of the Three Wolves Worshiping the Moon.
The anomaly gradually transformed into a violet qi, flowing towards the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass in the Cold Pond.
Above the Cold Pond, the cold wind gently blew, and everything in the Baiyue Ancient Forbidden seemed unchanged.
The cold wind remained bone-chilling, the coldness penetrating, just as cold as the blood that had flowed from his body in the illusion.
Zhou Yan’s body still trembled uncontrollably.
The Moon Fairy appeared by Zhou Yan’s side at some unknown time, her eyes expressing a complex emotion as she softly spoke, "Zhou Yan, the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass has matured. You should hurry and gather it; if you delay, you’ll miss the optimal moment."
Zhou Yan, still not recovered from that unknown illusion, looked vaguely at the Moon Fairy, seemingly not comprehending the meaning of her words.
He only felt his legs as heavy as mountains, and despite possessing immense strength in his body, he seemed unable to take a step.
"Those eyes... were they Yanyan’s... or Sisi’s?"
Zhou Yan’s emotions surged, gradually becoming clearer.
Zhou Yan turned his head, glancing at the child in Feng Lingqing’s arms.
It was his daughter Sisi.
Her eyes round and large, bright as the moon, sparkling like stars, with the unique innocence and naivety of a child.
But those eyes, suddenly in Zhou Yan’s heart, overlapped with those bloody eyes.
Zhou Yan’s soul shockingly jolted, his body abruptly gaining clarity as the heaviness vanished all at once.
Zhou Yan’s body continued to tremble; his heart was also trembling.
But he said nothing, for that illusion came without warning and ended without conclusion.
It was unclear whether it represented the future, an illusion, the past, or some ominous Ancient Prohibition unfolding an attack on the mind.
Regardless of the result, the process was always unforgettable.
Zhou Yan sighed inexplicably, nodded, sensed the depletion in his body, and without further hesitation, he displayed the Netherworld Sky Bridge Technique and in an instant appeared above Cold Pond Land. Using the Alchemy corresponding to the Caidan Skill, he seized the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass.
There were no difficulties in this process. Despite the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass instinctively resisting, it was, after all, just a Holy Medicine and did not possess the strength of a Saint nor any significant Spiritual Wisdom; therefore, it couldn’t escape given its speed was far inferior to Zhou Yan’s.
Having seized the Baiyue Immortal Spirit Grass, Zhou Yan placed it in the Purple Flame Void and then returned to Moon Immortal’s side.
"Moon Immortal, earlier Qing’er and Sisi were only saved thanks to you. I, Zhou Yan, will remember this kindness in my heart. May I know if there’s anything you need my assistance with?" Zhou Yan asked, his body no longer trembling, his heart no longer quivering, and his voice had calmed somewhat.
"I stayed only because I saw a shadow of an old acquaintance," replied Moon Immortal with a sigh. She stretched out her hand and gently touched Zhou Yan’s face.
Zhou Yan’s heart leaped slightly, and he instinctively wanted to dodge, but realizing he was facing a Saint, and that his last resources—three-tenths of the Soul Killing Divine Stone’s energy, and the energy from his master’s Fist Intent and the Golden Fragment having been depleted—he knew he couldn’t oppose a Saint nor avoid Moon Immortal’s ostensibly casual stroke.
Thus, Zhou Yan did not move away.
Her hand, soft and slightly cool, gently touched Zhou Yan’s face.
In that moment, Zhou Yan suddenly felt that Moon Immortal had become an exceedingly fragile woman.
After touching Zhou Yan’s face lightly, Moon Immortal’s delicate body slightly trembled, and then she suddenly withdrew her hand, her expression complex.
Her eyes revealed a touch of faint sadness, and her gaze became a bit dim.
"Zhou Yan, if one day you remember me, then, I only want to ask one question. You once said you wanted to take me as your servant—was that promise true? In fact, my resistance and curses at that time were just out of a woman’s natural modesty, and not because I truly disliked you."
Moon Immortal’s words stunned Zhou Yan completely.
By Zhou Yan’s side, his disciple Hou Chen’s eyes were filled with admiration, amazed that his master could have a female saint voluntarily wanting to be his servant.
This was truly inconceivable!
Not just Hou Chen, but also Hou Ling and Feng Lingqing had their mouths agape in astonishment.
"...If I recover Lei Yan King’s memories, I will definitely give you an answer,"
Zhou Yan responded with a wry smile, realizing more and more the incredible nature of Lei Yan King—it was beyond belief!
The more he knew, the heavier the burden felt to Zhou Yan.
He recalled a scene on the Netherworld Heavenly Road, where Lei Yan King seemed to have pierced through the void with his own ability, seeing the future Zhou Yan and thus vehemently rebuked him by calling him ’useless’.
At that moment, Zhou Yan was truly shocked.
He was sure that he must be the next life of Lei Yan King, but a huge doubt remained unresolved: from the perspective of Wan Jian Tian and others, Lei Yan King seemed to have been suppressed rather than truly dead.
A person not dead, yet living out the next life!
This outcome was bizarre and extremely terrifying.
Every time Zhou Yan thought of this, he shivered all over.
He suddenly realized this coldness was remarkably similar to that felt in an illusion where he was submerged in his own blood.
...
"Hmm... with this statement from you, I am satisfied. No matter what you look like or how powerful you are, you are always so domineering and strong, and thus very captivating to women."
Moon Immortal laughed, a smile that could topple cities.
That smile turned the surroundings of Baiyue Ancient Forbidden and Cold Pond Land suddenly warm as spring, like a field of blossoming flowers.
"..."
Zhou Yan came back to reality, touched his nose, unsure how to respond.
He knew he was outstanding and attracted women’s attention, but receiving such praise from a gorgeous saint like Moon Immortal still left him somewhat elated.
"I must leave now. Initially, this time... well, it’s not good for you to know these matters now. However, Zhou Yan, your current situation is also not good. I see the signs that your Five Calamities of Heaven and Man are about to arrive; just now the premonition appeared, and this might be your great tribulation. You are yet to reach the Sword Tribulation Realm but seem to have already passed through two tribulations.
If you face another tribulation, regardless of whether you achieve the Sword Tribulation Realm, the Five Calamities of Heaven and Man will inevitably descend, and then your combat power will be greatly weakened..."
Moon Immortal sighed again, before she suddenly continued.
"Hmm? Five Calamities of Heaven and Man?"
Zhou Yan felt a jolt in his heart.
"Yes, and from what I surmise about your situation, I broadly understand Lei Yan King’s intentions, so not only will I not assist you, but I might even have my subordinates challenge you without holding back! If the Five Calamities of Heaven and Man descend upon you, Lei Yan King’s enemies, Divine Fist Li’s enemies, and many from the Sword Burial Ancestor Star would surely wish for your demise."
Moon Immortal nodded slightly, adding another sentence.
Zhou Yan looked at Moon Immortal, somewhat perplexed—hadn’t she just been very affectionate toward him? Why was she now suddenly targeting him as well?
"Lei Yan King has a masochistic streak, if I’m not harsh on you, once you awaken, I fear there won’t be any chance for me. Hence, for my happiness, I must let you suffer temporarily, sorry about that."
Moon Immortal chuckled lightly.
Because of her laughter, her delicate body vibrated lightly, stirring up the space and sending out wafts of tempting fragrance.
Zhou Yan couldn’t help but inhale deeply, to relieve his spirit.
Moon Immortal laughed again joyfully, only to suddenly disappear like a wave of energy, leaving like a cage of gossamer turned into an energy ripple.
