"They didn't come back?" Chen Weichen asked.

Xie Lang shook his head: "The two of them weren't with you? When you fell into Guixu, Lord Lanshan set up a barrier, and no one could enter or leave Guixu. Lord Canlong knew you were going to the Demon Realm, so we came to wait by the Heavenly River."

Chen Weichen furrowed his brows: "We encountered a senior below Guixu, and entrusted Ah Hui to her, asking her to bring them back to the mortal world."

Xie Lang wanted to ask something more, but Chen Weichen walked up the stone steps one by one, saying: "Perhaps that senior just didn't come find you. Although she's not a good person, she can be trusted."

Hearing this, Xie Lang felt slightly more at ease.

However, the furrowed brows on Chen Weichen's face never relaxed.

In the far north, even deep autumn surpasses the harsh winters of the mortal realm. It was just dusk at this time, with vast yellow clouds pressing down on the mountains to the west. The howling cold wind carried snow, and the white mountains were especially eye-catching. Past the steep mountain path were the nine hundred long steps of Mount Liuxue, leading straight to the peak of the clouds.

The Sword Pavilion was built along the mountain, opening up countless vast platforms for the disciples inside to practice martial arts and swordsmanship.

In an instant, only the sound of sword blades breaking the wind could be heard. On the platform, more than a dozen disciples in white were practicing sword techniques.

Chen Weichen passed by from the side, and the disciples kept their eyes straight ahead, still concentrating on practicing their swords, their expressions extremely serious.

He handed his sword to Lu Hongyan, but still felt uneasy. He went to find the current head of the Sword Pavilion, Senior Brother Zheng, and watched him preside over the formation.

The place to open the formation was the Sword Tomb, located in an icy valley.

As soon as one stepped into the valley, one could feel the boundless imposing aura overwhelming the mind. The sword energy was dazzling, even more chilling than the cold wind. As the snow mist gradually dispersed, dozens of long swords were inserted obliquely in the valley, each with a different sword shape, sword energy, and sword stance.

The Sword Pavilion had a rule: do not dwell in comfort, do not think of ease, even if you die, still stand amidst the wind and frost.

Senior Brother Zheng led the disciples in a silent bow, and for a moment the atmosphere was solemn.

It is difficult to transform one's body into a sword, and it is even more difficult to return from sword form to human form.

Back then, during the great changes of the Heavenly River, the Demon Realm sent out troops. More than half of the Sword Pavilion's profound seniors were lost, so now there are mostly young faces, their cultivation not yet perfected.

Senior Brother Zheng was the main formation holder, which was very exhausting. Even in such cold weather, sweat still seeped from his forehead.

Lu Hongyan heard footsteps and looked towards Chen Weichen's direction. At that time, a large patch of snow mist swept by, blurring his features. She only saw his black robe sleeves moving slightly as he stood amidst the icy snow.

She was slightly stunned for a moment, as if the scene before her eyes overlapped with the figure of another person, awakening a scene from her memories. Even after the wind stopped and the snow settled, she remained in a daze for a long time.

Just then, she saw Chen Weichen turn his head to the other side of the valley. Following his gaze, she looked past the thick mist and snow peaks to another platform between the mountains. Verdant pines were covered in frost and snow, their branches slightly drooping. Below were stone tables and chairs.

She had stayed in the Sword Pavilion for a short period when she was young, and knew that Ye Jiuya often practiced his sword here.

After a moment, her head ached unbearably, and many fragmented images flew out of her mind, probably the scenes she had been trying hard to recall in the Jinxiu Ghost City, leaving her at a loss.

After four days and three nights, the secret technique was finally completed.

However, the person was still asleep, breathing evenly, but never waking up.

Senior Brother Zheng was also at a loss and worried. He said that there were too few precedents for this secret technique, and he buried himself in the library to search for records.

Chen Weichen carried the person back to the room and placed him on the bed.

He involuntarily stretched out his hand, wanting to touch Ye Jiuya's hair.

Usually when joking around and teasing beauties, he wouldn't even blush. But now, his heart suddenly pounded like a drum, uncontrollably.

Laughing at himself, he still didn't touch it in the end and withdrew his hand. He had been rushing around for days, and the incompatible energies within his body tormented him every moment. After arriving at the Sword Pavilion, he hadn't had a good rest. At this time, fatigue surged up, and he just sat by the table next to the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

When Ye Jiuya woke up, the first thing he saw was Chen Weichen sleeping by the bed, with faint dark circles under his eyes, looking exhausted. Turning his eyes again, he saw a very eye-catching jade bottle placed by his pillow. The substance inside had a deep color, alternating between prosperity and decline.

Placing it here was meant for him to see as soon as he woke up.

He recalled this person's gentle yet slightly melancholic gaze as he watched him transform into a sword at the foot of the Demon Emperor's Palace, and once again realized that he truly owed this person too much.

He got up and put on his clothes. His body was still a bit stiff, but walking was no problem. Thinking that Chen Weichen was still a mortal body and couldn't withstand the cold of the snowy mountains, he carried him horizontally and placed him on the bed. As soon as he touched him, he discovered that this person's cultivation had suddenly deepened, and the energies within his body were fierce.

So he took Chen Weichen's right hand and used his own cultivation to smooth out the energies. Only then did this person's constantly furrowed brows finally relax. Those eyes that were usually romantic and charming, with a flowing spirit, were quietly closed. His sleeping face was calm, with a hint of fragile obedience. Not knowing what startled him in his dreams, his eyelashes trembled slightly.

With this slight movement, his mind and spirit were slightly stirred.

That feeling was very unfamiliar, leaving him a bit dazed.

Just as he was about to put down Chen Weichen's right hand, he heard footsteps outside the door. It was the voice of his senior brother: "I found the records in the library. There's no need to worry. Just wait a while, and when it aligns with the laws and fate of heaven, it will naturally--"

The words stopped abruptly. Seeing that the person lying on the bed had changed, and his junior brother was still holding that person's wrist, the scene was ambiguous. This senior brother surnamed Zheng had his tongue tied, not knowing what to say.

Ye Jiuya put down his hand and turned his head to give him a slight nod: "Senior Brother."

Seeing him awake, Senior Brother was naturally happy. After inquiring about the situation and exhorting some important matters related to the secret technique, he glanced at the bed again before leaving, seeming to have something to say but stopping himself.

Ye Jiuya asked him: "What is it?"

"Junior Brother, I have something to say," he said solemnly. "You went down the mountain and met such a person, naturally I have no objections. It's just that your cultivation has not yet recovered, and the Heartless Dao is thus not as solid as before. These few days, you must guard your heart. In my opinion, you need to go into closed-door cultivation for a hundred days without seeing anyone to ensure complete safety."

"I know my limits," Ye Jiuya said to him. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Senior Brother Zheng nodded: "Of course I trust you."

In the mountains, there are no days or months. In the blink of an eye, the winter solstice passed, and the minor and major cold spells rushed by. Soon it would be the beginning of spring.

These days, the few of them were all staying in Sword Pavilion, not having descended the mountain - it was truly impossible to descend, as Chen Weichen possessed the pure orthodox inheritances of both the immortal and demon cultivators, constantly in conflict, his life truly hanging by a thread. Fortunately, Sword Pavilion had a mystical hot spring pool that helped regulate his qi. He learned the Daoist art of meditation from Xie Lang, and also went to the library pavilion to grab a pile of books, spending his days soaking in the pool and cultivating.

Ye Jiuya went into seclusion at the mountain peak. When he emerged, his realm was stable, and Chen Weichen's condition had also improved slightly. It only flared up severely at midnight and noon each day, with no major issues the rest of the time.

For cultivators, going into seclusion for a decade without knowing the passage of months or days was common. There was even the monk in Jinxiu City who meditated in seclusion for a hundred years - the fact that the two of them emerged from seclusion so quickly was truly the result of deliberately accelerating their progress.

"Chi Juntian," Chen Weichen gazed at the distant mountains, "She is not one to care about mortal affairs. Since she took Ah Hui away and hasn't returned, I don't know what will happen. I can't wait until the opening of the Platform of Life and Creation a year from now to see her again."

Ye Jiuya asked, "Do you know where she resides?"

Chen Weichen shook his head, "If she wants to hide her whereabouts, no one can find her."

After pondering for a moment, he added, "There might be one person—she seems to be an old acquaintance of an old cripple."

Ye Jiuya asked, "Go to Yue City?"

Chen Weichen let out an "Mm" sound, "In any case, we're still missing one thing from the mortal world for opening the Platform of Life and Creation. A trip to the mortal world is necessary."

Time was pressing. After discussing and settling on a plan, they immediately descended the mountain.

As they walked down the nine hundred long steps, they saw Senior Brother Zheng leading a group of disciples hurriedly flying up. Seeing Ye Jiuya, he said, "Junior Brother, quickly come with me."

Senior Brother Zheng brought Ye Jiuya to the side of the Heavenly River. The Heavenly River, frozen over for a winter, showed signs of thawing, truly embodying the saying "The wind rises with remnant snow, the river flows with broken ice." On the vast river surface, large chunks of broken ice collided, the sound reverberating.

"Here," Senior Brother Zheng stepped across the water ripples and pointed to a spot within the barrier, "It clearly had no activity all along, but when patrolling today, it was discovered that the barrier's qi flow was unusual, as if it had been broken through."

Ye Jiuya placed his hand on the barrier to inspect it, his voice turning solemn, "It was broken through."

Senior Brother Zheng furrowed his brows fiercely, "The barrier is patrolled every three days. If demon beasts crossed over, it must have been while you were in seclusion. But even without you, my Sword Pavilion disciples are here day and night, never slacking off, and the immortal sect formations were not triggered. How could the barrier have been broken through?"

Ye Jiuya said, "It was a true expert from the demon realm."

Senior Brother Zheng turned pale, "Then what should we do?"

Ye Jiuya's expression remained unchanged, his voice calm, "Request the Sword Pavilion elders to emerge from the mountain and guard the Heavenly River. Send word to the sects of the Fourteen Continents to strictly defend, especially paying attention to any unusual activity in the mortal world."

After a crisp chorus of "Orders received," Senior Brother Zheng gave out assignments, and the white-robed disciples began heading out in an orderly manner to deliver the commands.

Chen Weichen pondered for a while, feeling that aside from that person in the Demon Emperor Palace, no one else came to mind who could sneak across the Heavenly River barrier quietly and without a trace while Ye Jiuya was in seclusion. He silently thought, "That plague-bringing Xing Qiu."