Chapter 544 - 327: Dao Path Severed?

Chapter 544: Chapter 327: Dao Path Severed?

Tang Shengquan looked old and decrepit. Yu Fei hadn’t seen him in several years, and now his face was covered in wrinkles, his skin sagging. Only his eyes held a deep, spiritual light, but Yu Fei could sense his life force was weak.

In terms of strength, although Tang Shengquan was a Grandmaster, Yu Fei felt he wasn’t even as strong as an ordinary Grandmaster anymore.

His life was nearing its end.

’His life is almost over,’ Yu Fei realized.

Tang Shengquan chuckled as he looked at him. "You’ve improved so quickly, little fellow. The younger generation is truly formidable. Seeing your Gang Qi so full of life, and with your spirit and energy so complete, I suspect you’re on the verge of becoming a Grandmaster."

Yu Fei smiled. "I hope you’re right. I still need a little more time to polish my skills."

Tang Shengquan couldn’t help but agree. "Polishing is good! A more solid foundation will let you go further in the future."

As he spoke, Tang Shengquan’s gaze lost focus, as if he had recalled something.

Yu Fei felt a complicated mix of emotions.

Back then in Tianning County, the low-level martial arts instructors and Martial Arts Administration Bureau Warriors had suffered heavy losses resisting the Illuminati’s attack. Mr. Tang had watched it all happen. Though Sima Hong had likely been lurking on the sidelines, still...

He took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions.

"Yu Fei, take a look at this file first. Mr. Tang will elaborate for us in a bit."

Puzzled, Yu Fei took the thick stack of paper documents from Zhuo Feiming. This was indeed quite rare; routine information was usually transmitted via Void Mirror.

Exploration Report: Ruins of Xuyuan

That was the title that greeted him. It looked like something from an archaeological report.

Yu Fei flipped through it quickly. His information processing speed was hundreds of times faster than a normal person’s; he could memorize an entire page with just a glance. In a short while, he finished reading the file, a sense of understanding dawning on him.

Seeing that he had finished, Tang Shengquan’s aged voice rang out, offering a deeper explanation for everyone.

"The Ruins of Xuyuan were discovered thirty years ago. They’re located in the Mysterious Realm. It was originally an accidental discovery by one of my students during an exploration. He detected some strange qi fluctuations..."

As Tang Shengquan continued his story, Yu Fei began to understand the connection between the Ruins of Xuyuan and Sima Hong.

The Mysterious Realm was one of the few borderlands that wasn’t a complete dead zone. Over ninety percent of this realm was a constantly shifting spatial maze. Without knowing a safe route, a single step could leave one a thousand miles off course.

Furthermore, the environment within the Mysterious Realm was in a constant state of flux, making exploration highly dangerous.

This realm produced a large number of wild, high-energy plants with significant scientific value. For this reason, it was placed under the jurisdiction of Yuqing University, which only conducted regular scientific cultivation in a small, secured area.

The matter began with one of Mr. Tang’s Grandmaster students, who accidentally got lost in the spatial maze. He ended up stepping into the outer layer of the Ruins of Xuyuan, where he discovered traces of remnant Sword Qi.

The structure of this place was strange. It didn’t trigger the chain reaction of the spatial maze, and anyone who entered would be automatically sent out after half a month.

Later, after the discovery was reported and multiple explorations were conducted, the outer region of the Ruins of Xuyuan was fully uncovered. It turned out to be a special system that could be activated by Sword Qi, and it functioned much like a legendary Array.

It seemed that the ruins could only be opened by simultaneously activating it with an extremely large amount of sufficiently powerful Sword Qi.

Furthermore, the raw materials for the Cyan Lotus Sword, including the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed, were unique products of this realm.

In addition, traces of unofficial explorers would occasionally appear. After cross-referencing intelligence from several parties, everyone concluded that the Ruins of Xuyuan were likely closely related to Sima Hong. That man must have known something.

The strange thing was, the entrance to the Ruins of Xuyuan had always been under Yuqing’s control. So how did Sima Hong manage to bypass it and get inside?

"After learning of the deaths of Sima Hong and his disciples, I even tried to replicate the initial cultivation of the Calamity Sword, but I failed every single time. The Cyan Lotus Swords and Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seeds that we had saved from back then were also used up..."

"Later, Yue’er told me someone had successfully begun cultivating the Calamity Sword, so I rushed over to see. But I ran right into the Illuminati’s assault on the city... There was also the aura of an unfamiliar Eighth Realm expert. I persuaded Kong Sheng not to act rashly... Looking back now, that person might have been the resurrected Sima Hong!"

As he said this, Tang Shengquan’s expression wavered, showing a trace of lingering fear.

Yu Fei stared at him for a long time. ’It seems the old man no longer remembers the people who were sacrificed back then.’

Ye Shuping, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice. Or perhaps he did, but he wouldn’t blame Tang Shengquan for it.

"Yu Fei, can you release your current Sword Qi? I want to see its power."

Yu Fei silently summoned a stream of aqua-colored Sword Qi. It was basic Sword Qi, with no special properties attached.

A blue Qi Jin rose from Tang Shengquan’s hand, pushing against the Sword Qi until it was completely ground away.

"Mm, not bad. I had originally predicted that your Sword Qi would meet the requirements to activate the ruins after you became a Grandmaster, but it looks like you already meet them now. You’re truly impressive, little fellow!"

"Heh..."

Yu Fei just smiled and said nothing.

’Logically, I shouldn’t hold a grudge against Tang Shengquan. From the very beginning, when I first started cultivating my Sword Intent, it was Mr. Tang who had provided the Enlightenment Tea. If not for him and Kong Sheng acting as a deterrent, I probably would have been killed by one of Sima Hong’s underhanded schemes long ago.’

’The source of my conflict is that Mr. Tang’s decision back then wasn’t the optimal one. He could have easily eliminated the members of the Illuminati before Sima Hong even appeared, but he didn’t.’

’What I find hard to accept is Mr. Tang’s disregard for the lives of ordinary people.’

’This kind of indifference exists in the hearts of many high-level Martial Artists, Ye Shuping included.’

"Then... we’ll head to the Mysterious Realm and investigate the truth of these Ruins of Xuyuan. Perhaps we’ll find clues about Sima Hong there."

"Mr. Tang, we’ll have to trouble you to stay for a few more days while we finalize the details. Then we’ll all set out together."

Tang Shengquan seemed lost in thought and only snapped out of it when Ye Shuping spoke, agreeing with a chuckle.

A thought flashed through Yu Fei’s mind and was gone. The matter was decided.

’So, Ye Shuping hadn’t known about the Ruins of Xuyuan before. Even though he’s the most powerful and knowledgeable person in the martial arts world, privy to the most secrets, he doesn’t know everything.’

After the meeting, Ye Shuping left with Tang Shengquan, leaving only Zhuo Feiming and Yu Fei.

"What’s wrong with Mr. Tang? I remember him being quite robust the last time I saw him."

Zhuo Feiming didn’t answer him directly, instead giving Yu Fei a meaningful look.

"A while ago, Mr. Tang failed in his attempt to break through to the Martial Saint realm. Although he was saved, his life force is now completely spent. He’s forgotten many things, and there isn’t much he can still remember."

Yu Fei asked in surprise, "When did that happen?"

Zhuo Feiming recalled, "It was about three months ago, I think. Mr. Tang didn’t have much time left, so he tried to break through to Martial Saint. After he failed, he suffered a backlash. Now, his memories are constantly fading, starting from his childhood. In three to five years, the old man will probably have forgotten everything."

"Has Su Yue been told?" Yu Fei asked with concern.

"Not yet. Mr. Tang won’t allow it. He plans to finish organizing all his research before he sees his family and tells them everything."

Zhuo Feiming looked at Yu Fei, hesitating as if she wanted to say more.

"What is it, Senior Sister? Just say what’s on your mind."

Zhuo Feiming chose her words carefully. "I saw that you seemed upset with Mr. Tang, but I still want to offer you some advice."

Yu Fei waved his hand. "I’m fine. I know what you mean, Senior Sister."

Zhuo Feiming smiled gently. "Become a Martial Saint as soon as you can. Only strength can bring true freedom. Only then will your voice be heard."

Yu Fei smiled and nodded. ’His Senior Sister is right—it’s the hard truth. In the path of martial arts, the self is paramount, and strength is the only ticket to authority. If I had the power to override everything, I could rewrite many of the rules.’

’But then I thought of the anomaly with the world’s origin energy when I was advancing to Grandmaster, and a shadow fell over my heart.’

’If the current method of advancing to Grandmaster is wrong, then what am I supposed to do?’

’How can one person stand against the accumulated martial wisdom of a previous world’s tens of millions of years?’

’Should I just go with the flow, advancing despite knowing there’s a problem with the world’s origin energy?’

Yu Fei didn’t know. His heart was filled with uncertainty, and this was a problem that the Fate-Reversing Pearl couldn’t solve.