Chapter 13

The night grew deeper.

Time seemed to pass unnoticed, and in the small pavilion, Xu Muyang drank cup after cup of wine, gulping it down in large mouthfuls. The alcohol burned in his throat like fire, but he did not use his spiritual energy to digest it. Instead, he let the intoxication spread throughout his body, feeling a slight dizziness. Suddenly, he was seized by a burst of inspiration and recited aloud:

"Recalling the days of youth, when we toured the imperial garden, carriages flowed like water, horses like dragons, and the flowers and moon were in the gentle spring breeze. Dreaming of the distant border, the west wind stirs the green waves, where is the way home?"

This poem "Recalling the Days of Youth" was composed on a whim. Though he was not a famous poet, he came from a noble family and had read many books. He combined the best lines from his predecessors, recalling the past and reflecting on the present, making it quite fitting for the moment.

But just as he spoke these words, a clear voice came from outside the door: "Hand over the Mystic Armament Mirror, and every path will lead you home. Xu Muyang, instead of lamenting under the moon with such a precious treasure, it would be better to return it to its rightful owner and turn back from your misguided path!"

With these words, three people suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

The leader was an old man in purple robes. Though not tall, he exuded a commanding presence that naturally drew everyone's attention to him.

At that moment, he stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Xu Muyang with a stern gaze that made people dare not meet his eyes.

Seeing this man, Xu Muyang immediately said, "So it's the Great Vow Master Wunian himself who has come in person!"

Among the four True Lords of the Heavenly Deity Palace, True Lord Wunian ranked second and was in charge of insight, with a formidable reputation. Because he cultivated the Great Vow Divine Power of the Heavenly Deity Palace, he was also known as the Great Vow Master Wunian.

"Knowing that the Vow Master has come in person, why don't you kneel immediately!" a voice beside him suddenly boomed. It was He Chong, who had previously fought with Xu Muyang on Cuiwei Mountain. He was the one who had spoken about turning back from the misguided path.

However, the old man in purple robes remained calm, saying only, "It's fine."

Xu Muyang's peripheral vision caught sight of another person beside him, a young man in white robes who bore a striking resemblance to him.

Seeing this person, Xu Muyang trembled all over. "Big Brother!"

Although he had suspected that someone from the Xu family might come, Xu Muyang never imagined it would be his elder brother, Xu Ruogu.

At that moment, Xu Ruogu glanced at Xu Muyang, his face expressionless, and said coldly, "Father and Mother miss you very much. Return the Heavenly Deity Palace's belongings and come back with me."

"Father... Mother..." Xu Muyang murmured these words softly, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Are they well?"

"They are not well. For the past half year, they have been suffering because of you. This time, I have come to take you back to see them."

"To see them..." A hint of melancholy appeared in Xu Muyang's eyes. "Can I really see them again?"

"Of course you can." At this moment, the Great Vow Master Wunian finally spoke. "Xu Muyang, you have misunderstood from the beginning. The Heavenly Deity Palace never intended to kill you. No matter what, the Xu family is one of the four great families of Moqiu, and the Heavenly Deity Palace would not harm its own. We only planned to use the Heart Washing Technique on you after the matter was resolved, to erase your memories."

The Heart Washing Technique was a secret art of the immortals that could make the subject lose their memories. However, while powerful, it could not be used selectively. Once used, not only would all memories be erased, but even the divine consciousness would disappear, leaving the subject unable to advance further in cultivation.

Hearing this, Xu Muyang laughed bitterly. "Without my memories, am I still me?"

Without his memories, he would lose all his knowledge of array techniques and even the ability to cast spells. He would be a mere shell of a Heavenly Heart Realm cultivator, unable to use any magic, and might not even be as capable as a Spirit Disciple. More importantly, what made a person who they were was their memories, which gave them their understanding of the world.

Without memories, he would be no different from a newborn infant.

Moreover, the Heart Washing Technique was complex to perform, and his words might not be entirely true, likely just a way to give the Xu family an explanation.

"It's better than death. If you allow me to use the Soul Searching Technique to examine your memories and confirm that you have not leaked any information, and then return our belongings, I swear by the name of a True Lord that I will not kill you. I will only erase your memories and return you to the Xu family. This is the condition we agreed upon with Xu Huaili."

The Soul Searching Technique was a more painful technique than the Heart Washing Technique. Once used, the subject would suffer greatly, with minor cases resulting in damaged divine consciousness and severe cases leading to idiocy.

Using the Soul Searching Technique followed by the Heart Washing Technique was the ultimate torment for a living person, a cruelty unmatched by any other punishment. Yet, the Great Vow Master Wunian spoke of it as if it were a natural and just action.

From his perspective, Xu Muyang had stolen a precious treasure from the Heavenly Deity Palace, and sparing his life was already a great show of mercy and compassion to the Xu family.

Xu Muyang was filled with rage, staring at the Great Vow Master Wunian. "Search my soul, erase my memories, Wunian, you are ruthless. You truly live up to your reputation as the one in charge of insight in the Heavenly Deity Palace, a figure who strikes fear into the hearts of all. But this time, you may not get what you want!"

In his anger, he no longer addressed the Great Vow Master Wunian by his title, calling him by his real name.

He then stood up abruptly, his spiritual energy surging, radiating a powerful fighting spirit, showing no fear even before a Purple Mansion True Lord.

Seeing this, Xu Ruogu was shocked. "Third Brother, what are you doing? Don't be foolish!"

At this moment, his hidden concern finally showed.

The Great Vow Master Wunian's face darkened. "How dare you!"

Without any visible movement, his gaze alone made the air around him seem to solidify, suppressing Xu Muyang's surging spiritual energy, preventing it from escaping his body.

At the same time, He Chong rushed at Xu Muyang, grabbing at him with his right hand and shouting, "Xu Muyang, surrender now!"

Xu Muyang, unable to move, laughed without fear. "A Purple Mansion True Lord, whose thoughts connect heaven and earth, whose will creates divine power. I want to see if your cultivation can stop me!"

As he spoke, his body emitted a surge of spiritual light, creating a shocking aura that even the Great Vow Master Wunian could not suppress.

His face changed slightly. "Not good, he's going to self-destruct his Heavenly Heart!"

The Great Vow Master Wunian had not expected Xu Muyang to be so resolute, preferring to take his own life rather than give him a chance. Shocked, he clapped his hands, sending a wave of overwhelming pressure from all directions, and shouted, "Xu Muyang, don't be impulsive, think of the Xu family..."

Xu Muyang interrupted him. "I am thinking of the Xu family. As long as you don't have the Armament Mirror, you won't dare to harm the Xu family! I have already made arrangements. If I die and the Heavenly Deity Palace attacks the Xu family, the secret of the Armament Mirror will be known to the world. Big Brother, you don't even know what the Armament Mirror is, do you?"

Xu Ruogu was taken aback.

Indeed, he did not know what the Armament Mirror was.

The Xu family only knew that the precious treasure Xu Muyang had stolen from the Heavenly Deity Palace was related to the treasure they had asked him to open, but they never knew what was inside or its value.

While many treasures existed in the world, not all were worth risking one's life for. The Heavenly Deity Palace's pursuit of Xu Muyang could be understood as a sign of the treasure's importance, but it could also be seen as a reaction to his betrayal, making it difficult to gauge.

Now, it seemed that the value of the treasure was far greater than imagined, strong enough to make the Heavenly Deity Palace consider wiping out the Xu family, which surprised even Xu Ruogu.

"What?" The Great Vow Master Wunian was also shocked by Xu Muyang's words, realizing he had another card to play.

His mind was shaken, affecting his divine power, and the spiritual pressure around him diminished.

Seizing this opportunity, Xu Muyang's spiritual light surged, forming a brilliant light that illuminated the entire night sky, like a rising sun.

"Not good!" The Great Vow Master Wunian knew something was wrong, his mind racing. He pushed his hands forward, shouting, "Heavenly Canopy, activate!"

A layer of divine force formed a protective shield around the three of them.

"Third Brother, no!" Xu Ruogu cried out in pain.

Xu Muyang looked at Xu Ruogu, his eyes misting over.

"Farewell, Big Brother. Xu Muyang has no face to repay our parents in this life. I entrust everything to you..."

"No!"

In Xu Ruogu's heart-wrenching cry, Xu Muyang's spiritual energy surged out of his body, erupting from every pore and acupoint, mixed with blood.

The spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave, sweeping away everything in its path, crashing against the Heavenly Canopy and bursting into a blinding light.

The entire courtyard was instantly reduced to ruins, and the force continued to spread, destroying everything in its path.

Fortunately, they were in a remote area, but the entire mountain region was shaken, with countless rays of light shooting into the sky.

If the previous light was like a rising sun, the current light was like the sun illuminating the earth, even bathing the city of Anyang in its glow, causing the entire city to tremble in the storm.

"Who dares to cause trouble in Anyang?" Several figures rushed out of Anyang, looking in the direction of the incident.

The surging spiritual sea and the shock waves made everyone's faces pale.

Such terrifying spiritual pressure and power, what kind of strength was needed to produce it?

"Something big has happened," a cultivator in Anyang said with a dry voice.

—————————————

A white horse galloped on the ancient road of Anyang.

Tang Jie struggled to break free from the spiritual threads binding him, but to no avail.

As he watched the distance from the courtyard grow, his heart grew colder.

"No, no, I have to go back!" Tang Jie shouted.

He desperately circulated the Zangxiang Scripture, absorbing spiritual energy, knowing it was futile but still trying.

The spiritual energy surged within him, causing him great pain, but he did not stop, continuously using the spiritual energy to try to break free.

Suddenly, he felt a thread of spiritual energy merge into his bloodstream and disappear. At the same time, one of the spiritual threads binding him snapped under his struggle.

Tang Jie was surprised, then overjoyed, and continued to channel more spiritual energy. More spiritual energy merged into his bloodstream, making him feel as if his blood was boiling, ready to explode.

This strange sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced, but he continued, feeling his strength surge.

As more spiritual energy merged into his bloodstream, Tang Jie suddenly roared, his arms trembling. With a series of snapping sounds, all the spiritual threads binding him snapped.

With the threads broken, the white horse neighed and fell to the ground, instantly turning into a paper horse.

Tang Jie stumbled and fell heavily to the ground.

But the next moment, he jumped up. Despite the heavy fall, he was unharmed, feeling an overwhelming surge of strength. Looking at the paper horse, he shouted, "No, get up, take me back!"

The paper horse lay motionless in his hand, unaffected by his attempts to infuse it with spiritual energy.

Tang Jie, frustrated, threw the paper horse aside and ran towards the courtyard.

He did not intend to fight the Heavenly Deity Palace, but hoped to help Xu Muyang escape before they arrived.

Even if the Xu family had a life lamp, he and Xu Muyang could still take the Armament Mirror and hide in the Moon Washing Sect. He did not believe the Heavenly Deity Palace would dare to pursue them there!

Difficulties existed, but solutions were always possible; there was no need to give up easily!

However, just as he ran a few steps, he saw a massive explosion in the distance, a blinding light illuminating the sky.

It was the courtyard where he had been.

"No! Big Brother Xu!" Tang Jie cried out in pain.

At that moment, he realized that Xu Muyang was no more.

Staring at the distant smoke, Tang Jie suddenly fell to his knees.

His eyes filled with a fierce killing intent, he shouted to the sky:

"Big Brother Xu, may you rest in peace!"

"Tang Jie makes a great vow today... I swear by my heart demon, as long as I live, I will destroy the Heavenly Deity Palace!"