Chapter 74

Xiao Yishen's body suddenly stiffened. When he looked at Su Xuan's expression, he clearly knew that Su Xuan was a person with no strength at all. However, facing such a fierce battle, from Su Xuan's expression, he seemed to see a calmness that surpassed that of a cultivator. Beneath this calmness, there seemed to be a hint of determination, and a trace of almost imperceptible... fearlessness!

Especially when he saw the dagger in Su Xuan's hand, he recognized it; it belonged to the deceased strong man. Now, as Su Xuan tightly gripped it, it seemed to emit a strange light. That strange light belonged to Su Xuan's struggle against death and the hatred in his heart!

Standing there, Su Xuan witnessed the death of the strong man, the sacrifices these people made to protect him, and their fearless struggle against death.

Therefore, he now appeared very calm, like a still pond, seemingly without any ripples.

But only Su Xuan himself knew that when he saw Emperor Qi, his heart was like a storm. In Su Xuan's current view, Emperor Qi had taken away his only friendship, and had changed his perception of the world, a perception of bloodshed for the sake of interests!

Xiao Yishen did not directly answer Su Xuan's words but looked at Su Xuan's eyes, which seemed to have changed color. On the brink of death, with a hint of curiosity, he asked, "Why... don't you leave?"

Su Xuan's gaze did not leave Xiao Yishen, and his tone remained calm. "Since there is no way out, why should I leave... Tell me, is this person Emperor Qi? Was Bai Shi really killed by him? And, is this all because of me?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yishen's body trembled again. He stared at Su Xuan and fell silent.

Su Xuan's expression finally changed. He smiled bitterly and did not wait for Xiao Yishen to continue answering. Instead, he took a step forward, raised his head, and looked at the sky, seeing Emperor Qi and others now descending to the ground.

"I think... I already know the answer I want..."

As Su Xuan spoke, he took another step forward, leaving deep footprints in the snow. In those footprints, there seemed to be an endless沧桑 (cang桑, meaning沧桑 can be translated as "vicissitudes of life" or "the passage of time"), and it was as if this step released the long-standing questions in his heart. Now, he seemed to have gained enlightenment, or perhaps, a different perspective on death.

Before this, when Bi Lan came to the tavern to find him and told him that Bai Shi had been killed by Emperor Qi, even though he did not want to believe it, it was because he was unwilling to give up the unforgettable memories he and Bai Shi had shared. That was a pure friendship, a hope for the world, and a journey through life. However, all of this seemed to have been destroyed by Emperor Qi.

And just now, when he saw the strong man about to die, the madness in his eyes, the determination in his back, and the despair in his cries, in that despair, he chose bravery. Everything, along with his body and soul, turned into nothingness.

Everyone will die eventually!

Thus, Su Xuan took another step forward. With this step, he no longer dwelled on whether Bai Shi was really dead, because his hesitation had already put Xiao Yishen and others in a dire situation, and had already led to the deaths of several strong men.

Especially when he saw a strong man howling to the sky, he seemed to feel the pain in the strong man's heart. In the Demon Blade Sect, he had seen the strong man with his wife, in sweet moments, and with his son, in joyful times.

But now, all of this had vanished into thin air.

All of this was not entirely due to Emperor Qi, but more so because of himself.

"I don't want to see... more people die because of me!"

Su Xuan took another step forward. With this step, his body approached a broken arm, most of which was already covered by the wind and snow. But the blood could still be faintly seen, though it had frozen into ice, just like the voices of these people, completely sealed by the harsh winter, but still crystal clear.

Su Xuan recognized this hand; it was the hand that had given him the dagger.

A smile appeared on Su Xuan's lips, a very peaceful smile. He slowly squatted down, covered the arm with snow, then took a deep breath and took another step, looking at Emperor Qi, who had now landed on the ground.

"Since your death cannot save them... like the broken blade in my hand, like the shattered soul in my heart, this is a tribulation, a life-and-death tribulation for cultivators... they and I cannot escape this tribulation..."

As Su Xuan took a step, the silent Xiao Yishen slowly spoke. His tone was heavy, and it seemed to carry a sense of enlightenment, making him, like Su Xuan, take a step forward.

"Although I don't know what tribulations cultivators face... when I was at Dongchen Manor, my uncle once said that if a cultivator wants to control a sword, the tribulations the sword has experienced will descend upon the cultivator. If they overcome these tribulations, they can fully harness the sword's power... But if I can help them through this tribulation with my physical body, I think it will be without regret..."

Su Xuan suddenly stopped. He did not turn around but calmly spoke while taking out a brocade pouch from his chest. The pouch was like a storage bag, but it had no red thread wrapped around it.

Then, Su Xuan took out a talisman from the pouch. The talisman looked ordinary, pale yellow, but it had strange characters written on it. These characters emitted a faint aura, causing Xiao Yishen to suddenly pause, his eyes filled with intense shock.

"A Binding Talisman!"

Feeling this aura, Xiao Yishen could not help but exclaim. He recognized this talisman. It was drawn by a powerful cultivator, and the characters on it carried the cultivator's aura and a binding force. This force could trap cultivators weaker than the drawer for a moment!

"This talisman was given to me by my Dongchen master to use in case of danger in the Daochen Mountains... It has the power of my Dongchen uncle, originally intended for Bai Shi to use during his match with Cai Heng, but now, it is no longer needed."

After saying this, Su Xuan scratched his fingertip, and blood immediately dripped from it.

Emperor Qi, seeing this, also trembled slightly. His feet subconsciously retreated, moving him to the middle of the black-robed men.

"After I bind them, the time I buy should allow you to escape to Dongchen Manor... When you get there, I hope you will tell my uncle to bury my body... in this snow."

With that, Su Xuan touched the center of the talisman. As his blood dripped onto the talisman, it suddenly rose into the sky, emitting a powerful aura. In resonance with Su Xuan's consciousness, this aura moved toward the black-robed men.

Xiao Yishen knew very well that if the Binding Talisman's power was activated, the person who activated it could not move at all! And within the range of this binding force, cultivators weaker than the drawer could not penetrate it.

"You... hurry and leave! The talisman given to me by my uncle can only last for half an hour!"

As the power was released, Su Xuan shouted, his voice shaking Xiao Yishen's heart and causing the strong men to look at him in shock before they suddenly took off, flying rapidly toward Dongchen Manor.

As the strong men fled, one of them moved his gaze from Su Xuan's back, grabbed Xiao Yishen, and pulled him into the air before Xiao Yishen could speak.

At the same time, among the black-robed men, their eyes filled with shock as they were suddenly bound by a powerful force, unable to move, as if completely frozen by the cold sky.

"Ha ha... What a pity... What a pity you are not a cultivator who has already formed your own soul!"

At that moment, among the black-robed men, just as they were almost unable to move, a mocking laugh suddenly echoed. This laugh was filled with madness, and in the midst of this madness, a phantom appeared in front of the fleeing strong men.