As the door was being opened, a crunching sound from an old wooden door could be heard.
Thankfully, it was daytime. Otherwise, there would have been a ghastly feeling to it.
After opening the door, Chen Xiaolian felt a gust of cold wind greeting him and his entire body inexorably shuddered.
A flame the size of a bean flickered within the room.
The flickering flame was unable to fully illuminate the large room.
However, Chen Xiaolian was able to immediately notice a figure seated at the end of the room to the left of the door. The figure was facing the wall and had its back against Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian made up his mind somewhat.
It would appear that he got it right.
He did not enter the wrong place.
After he walked into the room, the door behind Chen Xiaolian silently closed up.
When Chen Xiaolian heard the sound of the door closing up, his heart gave a pound and he turned around as he attempted to stop the door from closing. However, when he turned around he immediately found that the distance between him and the door, which should had been very small, had suddenly turned huge!
In that one instant, a distance of less than half a metre had transformed into an unreachable gulf!
He could only watch as the door quickly grew smaller, like a speck on the horizon.
It was a very strange feeling!
And thus, the door closed up.
“It’s useless.”
Chen Xiaolian heard Skyblade speaking up, “Did you think an immortal’s residence could be casually accessed? It is difficult to enter, but it is even harder to exit. You cannot stop the door from closing. Additionally, once it is closed, it will be very difficult to open it.”
Chen Xiaolian frowned. Then, he turned around to look at Skyblade’s figure, the one at the corner of the room.
Due to the distance between them and the terrible illumination within the room, he was unable to properly see Skyblade.
Thus, Chen Xiaolian took a few steps forward and said, “No matter what, I had made my way here. Now we can discuss things properly, can’t we? I mean to say that we should be forthright here. I want to get out and you also don’t want to remain trapped here, right?”
Pausing, Chen Xiaolian deliberately let out a laugh. “By the way, I should tell you about what is happening outside. Your Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild seems to be in trouble, a very big trouble.”
Skyblade simply sneered.
“You think I’m trying to scare you?” Chen Xiaolian shook his head. “How do you think I ended up here? I met your son, mm, that Fatty.”
“My son?” Skyblade’s voice suddenly turned emotional. “He… how is he?”
“Very well, he’s strong and also very smart… mm, the type of smart that is very good at setting people up,” said Chen Xiaolian bluntly.
Chen Xiaolian was now standing no more than five steps away from Skyblade’s back.
He carefully regarded the boss of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild.
How should it be described? Judging from his back, he did not appear as robust as what Chen Xiaolian had imagined. The width of his shoulder also appeared thin.
He wore a large piece of clothing on his body, but his body seemed nearly empty.
He was very thin, very, very thin.
That was the first impression that Chen Xiaolian got after looking at Skyblade’s back.
He did not rashly try to get closer – Hell knows what this old fellow would do to him. Considering how good his son was at setting others up, Chen Xiaolian felt that he should remain vigilant toward Skyblade.
He summoned back his Four-eyed War Cats but the Sword in the Stone remained in his hand.
“Why are you staying so far away from me?” asked Skyblade.
Chen Xiaolian revealed a wry smile and said, “Because I had been set up by your son before. I fear this might be a genetic trait.”
Hearing that, Skyblade laughed out loudly. “Very good. If you could say that, then it means he’s living quite a good life.”
Chen Xiaolian was silent for a few seconds. “All right, let’s cut the nonsense. Now that I am here, tell me how do we get out.”
Skyblade was silent for a moment. Then, he said, “Do you see this wall?”
“I see it.”
Chen Xiaolian who was standing behind Skyblade looked at the wall laid out before him.
The wall was white and spotless.
“Can you see anything?”
“I can’t see anything. It’s just a wall.” Chen Xiaolian shook his head.
Skyblade sighed and said, “Look carefully. Use all your heart to look.”
Chen Xiaolian suddenly let out a minor laugh. “Please, we are not filming a xianxia movie or some talented youngster falling down a cliff to meet an old gramps story. So please cut it with the enlightenment crap, will you?”
“You think I am joking here?” Skyblade sneered. “After entering this room, I observed it for who knows how long before I could glimpse the contents on the wall. Although it was just a portion, it had given me a bit of power. It is this power that allows me to converse with you even though you were outside just now.”
“In other words, after working hard for so long, you can only transmit your voice outside?” Chen Xiaolian’s heart sank.
Skyblade fell into a state of silence.
After a while, Skyblade whispered, “This was how it went …
“When I first entered this room, I knew that I had taken the right path.
“This is the place that I was looking for.
“However, I ended up getting trapped here.
“I stared at the wall for a long time before finally catching a glimpse of what I wanted to see.
“Many wonders are concealed within this wall. The more I see, the more enlightened I become. While I cannot tell what kind of rules are in place…
“I can tell you that this is the hidden residence of an immortal…”
“Please, you are an Awakened. To talk of immortals when you are an Awakened, are you sure you are not joking?”
“What do you think an immortal is?” Skyblade spoke up with a ridiculing tone.
Chen Xiaolian was startled. “An ancient… … … Awakened?”
“At least you are not too stupid.” Skyblade grunted coldly.
“I think you are not qualified to say I am stupid.” Chen Xiaolian was unable to stop himself from poking at Skyblade. “Back then, how long did it take you to find this room? And how long did it take me to find this room?”
Skyblade fell silent.
After releasing a sigh, Skyblade quickly continued.
“This place contains the secrets left by some immortal, some wondrous powers. I had always been hoping to gain these powers. These powers might be able to change some things.”
“Such as?”
“This question is not within the scope of my answers,” replied Skyblade with a sneer.
However , Chen Xiaolian showed disdain in secret. Trying to be all mysterious. You think I don’t know?
Chen Xiaolian had already considered it before.
The immortal that Skyblade was trying to find was most likely that Mr San.
The painting was proof of this.
Mr San was a member of the earliest generation of Irregularities.
They were the ones who founded Zero City.
Perhaps, when Skyblade was inside Zero City, he had, through some fortuitous encounter, acquired something left by Mr San. After that…
Change some things?
What can it change?
Change Zero City?
Change this game?
Change your own destiny?
Chen Xiaolian knew all too well that he was more informed than Skyblade.
Skyblade was probably hoping to find traces or relics left by Mr San.
But Chen Xiaolian had personally met Mr San.
Even a powerful character like Mr San who had created Zero City could not escape the clutches of the game. Thus, the hopes that Skyblade was holding onto would likely end up as water being carried using a basket.
Having thought of that, Chen Xiaolian sighed.
“Look at the wall carefully. I am unable to use words to tell you about it and you can only comprehend it yourself. This power that cannot be conveyed through words can be acquired through the wall. The things you can comprehend will depend on how much you can see.
“Only when you have seen and comprehend it could you work together with me and find a chance to get out.
“Otherwise, it would be useless.”
Look at the wall?
Chen Xiaolian frowned and finally took a step forward as he made his way to the wall.
This time, he moved past Skyblade and went to stand before him.
Skyblade was wearing a cloak over his head and both his hands were interspersed within his sleeves, a rather odd sitting posture.
Chen Xiaolian gave him a glance and found that Skyblade’s face was hidden within the shadow of the cloak.
Chen Xiaolian then shook his head and went to observe the wall.
Now that there was no more than one metre between him and the wall, a detailed look revealed that the wall was snow white and smooth.
Then, he noticed something about it.
The wall was too white and too smooth!
If this were an ordinary wall, then considering the distance between him and the wall, even a very smooth wall would reveal some faint marks.
However, from what Chen Xiaolian could see, this white wall showed no such marks!
“This… this wall is… jade?”
Chen Xiaolian finally revealed a look of surprise. “What a big slab of jade!”
Skyblade’s sneer could be heard from the back as he said, “Keep looking. Maybe you can glean something from this jade wall.” Although he had sneered, Chen Xiaolian could hear the hints of hope in Skyblade’s tone.
Chen Xiaolian narrowed his eyes. With the Sword in the Stone in his hand, he took another half a step toward the wall.
Suddenly, Chen Xiaolian’s face changed!
For a moment, he had seemingly caught sight of something flashing through the jade wall!
Although it was only for a moment, Chen Xiaolian was certain he did not make a mistake!
He took a deep breath and got into a different position before carefully observing the wall.
Something strange faintly appeared on the wall.
In the beginning, it was only some strange looking shadow.
The shadow was moving – there was a rhythm to the shadow’s movement.
Chen Xiaolian subconsciously moved closer and saw that the shadow was becoming clearer.
When he was finally able to determine the identity of the shadow on the jade wall, he became shocked!
For an instant, he wondered if he had been mistaken!
He held on tightly to the Sword in the Stone’s hilt!
With this godlike weapon in hand, he was certain that he had not fallen prey to some mental type of attack!
What he saw was real!
…
Chen Xiaolian’s Sword in the Stone was without a doubt a godlike equipment.
In addition to the Sword in the Stone’s complementary skills, it also held other values for Chen Xiaolian.
Such as the two ‘gifts’ from Mr San.
One of that ‘gift’ was something that Mr San had given him, a high-grade Sword Skill.
The second ‘gift’ was Xian Yin’s… soul! [1]
Because of that, Chen Xiaolian felt that he had encountered a ghost!
…
He could faintly see a woman dancing on the wall.
No, it would be more accurate to say she was sword dancing!
And this woman’s face…
It’s Xian Yin!
…
When Chen Xiaolian recognized Xian Yin’s face, his heard throbbed fiercely and he subconsciously took several steps backward.
As he retreated, Chen Xiaolian felt his feet stumbling upon something. He turned back to take a look as he blurted out, “Sorry, I… mm?”
His feet had stumbled onto Skyblade’s knee.
That light impact however, caused Skyblade’s body that was sitting cross-legged to tilt and fall to the floor!
The cloak covering his body partially fell off, revealing what was hidden beneath it.
When Chen Xiaolian saw what was beneath it, he nearly screamed out!
…
The body that had fallen on the floor… no, it would be more accurate to say that it was a… shell? Skeleton?
The head exposed after the cloak had fallen… can that still be considered the face of a normal human?
All the flesh and blood on it had disappeared, leaving the slightly glistening… skull!
It was as though the skull was not made of bones, but rather had become jade!
Still, there can be no doubt about it. This skull contained no life!
After getting over his initial shock. Chen Xiaolian then became dumbfounded!
It was at that moment however that Skyblade’s dissatisfied voice rang out, “What the Hell are you screaming for? What did you see? Is there something on the wall?”
Chen Xiaolian stared at the skull, the unmoving skull lying on the floor. He clenched his teeth and said, “You… are you talking to me?”
“What nonsense!” Skyblade became furious. “Did you really see something on the wall?”
“… I saw a bit of something,” replied Chen Xiaolian in an ambiguous manner.
“Where? Where is it?”
“It’s… on the wall.”
Skyblade’s voice became excited. “You really saw it? Hurry, hurry and point me to it!”
“Point you to it?” Chen Xiaolian was flabbergasted. “How?”
Skyblade appeared impatient and he quickly said. “Prop me up! I can’t move. There is some force in here restricting me, making it so I cannot move. You must carry me up from the floor.”
His voice then took on a heavy tone. “Not only can I not move, even my eyes cannot see anything. I can only sense the atmosphere here… kid! Stop dawdling around! Hurry up and prop me up. Then, tell me the position of that thing you saw on the wall so I can feel it! Hurry!”
Chen Xiaolian hesitated for a bit. Then, he bit the bullet and crouched down to pick up the skull.
However, as Chen Xiaolian was picking up the skull, Skyblade’s voice came out again. This time, it was even more impatient. “What are you dilly-dallying for? Hurry up and prop me up! I won’t harm you!”
“Prop you up?” Chen Xiaolian was surprised and he turned to look at the skull in his hands. “I…”
“Hurry, do not dawdle! The things on the jade wall appear and disappear intermittently! We cannot miss this opportunity!”
“But I…”
“But what?”
Chen Xiaolian braced himself. “Am I not already propping you up?”
“What nonsense! I am obviously still on the floor! Hurry, hurry!”
Chen Xiaolian was shocked. “You… are on the floor?”
He quickly turned around and checked… thankfully, after carefully checking the room once, Chen Xiaolian was able to find something else.
In the centre of the room was a lampstand. The light from the lamp was very weak and the flame was as small as a bean.
Beneath the lampstand was something else.
A blade.
…
Due to the dark state of the area beneath the lampstand, Chen Xiaolian had not noticed the blade when he entered the room. It was only after he had circled around the room carefully that he was able to find it.
A ridiculous thought popped up inside his mind. He let go of the skull in his hands and slowly walked toward the blade beneath the lampstand.
He then bent over, reached down and gripped onto the hilt of the blade and pulled it up.
It was very heavy!
Chen Xiaolian was able to recognize the blade. This blade was similar in appearance to the one he had seen in Skyblade’s study. Only, this blade was bigger in size.
“Yes, yes! Prop me up.” Skyblade sounded relieved.
There was a tangled feeling in Chen Xiaolian’s heart as he regarded the blade in his hand.
“What are you just standing there for? Bring me to the wall!” Skyblade said furiously. “I will not harm you! At present, I can’t move even a single finger! I simply have no ability to harm you! What else are you afraid of?”
Chen Xiaolian let out a bitter smile as he continued regarding the blade in his hand. “You… what do you want me to do?”
“… … …” It would appear that Skyblade was angry. “Bring me to the wall. Then, hold my hand and lead it toward the wall so I can feel it.”
Hold, hold…
Hold your hand?
Chen Xiaolian cast an incredulous look at the blade in his hand.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
Skyblade… he probably doesn’t know that he had become a genuine blade, no?