Chapter 757: A Dream Like This

Xue Mu was in no mood to clean up the mess inside and outside the battlefield. Xia Hou Di asked Tian to lead the troops to stay behind to clean up the mess, transfer the wounded to the Medicine King Valley, rebuild the Swordsmith Valley, which had been completely destroyed, and sort out the chaos in the current Natural Gate and the Sea and Sky Pavilion.

Mo Xuexin and Mo Xuexin also went back to see the disaster situation caused by the final tossing of their own place by Xu Jing. Xue Mu left a few people to take care of Xia Wenxuan, and soon returned to Lingzhou with the remaining six people.

He also captured Yuan Zhong, and Xue Mu thought that the monk’s ultimate move might still be useful.

Yuan Zhong was almost kidnapped by Zuo Qingqiu and Yu Yanyan to Lingzhou. He was very confused along the way. He couldn’t understand why Xue Mu didn’t enjoy the joy of victory at all, but instead had a dead wife’s expression on his face, when everyone was so happy after the great victory.

Your women are all alive and kicking, at most a little injured. For martial artists who roll around with their swords, it’s as common as eating and drinking. Didn’t you see that Qian Tian broke his ribs and was still fine? I’m still injured, and Lujiang was also affected…

What really pisses me off is that when I arrived at the Xingyue Sect’s gate, I didn’t feel like a guest of honor. All I got was a grinning Yue Xiaochan, and Xue Mu and Xue Qingqiu disappeared in the middle of the night.

According to Yue Xiaochan, this girl has not been bored with her husband, and she has been pitifully responsible for receiving you, which is already a great favor to you. What else do you want?

Yuan Zhong was at a loss for words.

In fact, Yue Xiaochan was also puzzled. No one, including her, knew what Xue Mu was doing. Was he so happy to have been the savior that he had to solemnly report to the ancestor? His expression didn’t seem like it!

Xue Mu entered the ancestral hall and his first glance was fixed on the portrait hanging on the front wall.

Meng Zhen looked up at the moon, as if it were yesterday.

Xue Mu suddenly felt like crying.

This is a portrait that I painted myself… I painted it last night… but in one night, the painting has turned yellow, covered with the vicissitudes of a thousand years.

A thousand years in a dream.

The girl who was leaning on my shoulder last night, smiling sweetly and pecking her lips and saying “Don’t be greedy,” is now just a cold portrait?

No wonder when I first saw this painting, I felt a distant sense of familiarity. That’s because this painting is infused with my soul…

Xue Qingqiu and Xue Mu looked at each other silently, and they both felt the deep sadness in Xue Mu’s heart.

He disappeared for a day and a night. What happened in the end…

Xue Mu slowly walked forward and placed his hand on the portrait.

This time he was very purposeful, and his soul delved deep into the portrait, finding the mark he had deliberately left behind.

Another spirit was intertwined with his own, having been entangled for a thousand years.

Xue Mu carefully did not touch Meng Huan’s spirit, but only explored the memories of his own mark.

A ripple seemed to appear in front of him, and the scene slowly changed. In the hazy mist, he saw Meng Huan-zhen rushing into a room.

Xue Qingqiu and Yin Ye stood up straight in horror, and they also sensed it at the same time.

“Master!” In the hazy and illusory scene, a young man and woman came forward: ”We saw the Nine Cauldrons of the Dao…”

“Po…” Meng Zhen really spurted out a mouthful of blood and stumbled into the chair.

The young man and woman both turned pale and quickly helped him to his feet.

“It’s nothing,” Meng Zhen said, waving his hand. ”It was a messy fight. Ji Hao and I both suffered injuries. No one benefited from it anyway.”

“The tripods…”

“The nine cauldrons have scattered and are automatically dividing the eight directions. Everyone has also left to heal their wounds and prepare for the battle for the cauldrons.” Meng Zhen really floated a sneer: ”I knew it. After the transformation of the heavens, there will be endless battles.”

The two disciples looked at each other and stopped talking.

Meng Zhen suddenly laughed: “Ji Hao wanted to sneak up on me and take over the nine cauldrons and unify the world while everyone else was injured. But someone was smart and called it out, causing chaos. Now Ji Hao is all upset and really deserves it.”

The apprentice asked, “Who?”

Meng Zhen shook his head slightly, his eyes slowly becoming lost, and whispered, “It’s very likely that we will never see each other again… I know why he is sad, because in his heart, I am already a dead person… maybe… someone who has been dead for a long time.”

The two apprentices stared at him in horror.

“It was just a dream after all…” Meng Zhen sighed softly, then he thought of something and rummaged in his bag.

“This is a notebook of my recent thoughts and a record of new combat techniques. You should keep it and practice it in the future. Hmm… there’s a self-contradiction in it… Haha, forget it, just leave it as it is. What’s the point of changing it? Do you want me to let you practice with anyone you want?”

“Master…”

Meng Zhen slowly opened the portrait and looked at it for a long time before saying, “This painting is my spirit tablet. I have separated my spirit and soul within it. You can use it to understand my way. This is the treasure of our sect. No matter what happens in the future, you must never discard this.”

“Yes.” The apprentice hesitated for a moment and whispered, ”Is separating the soul not a great loss to the master’s life span?”

“Life span is not important anymore. The decisive battle is coming. No matter how Ji Hao and I fight, it will only be a lose-lose situation. Even if the one who wins may not live long, what’s the point of keeping the life span?”

“…”

“The stars in this painting have been moved by my soul. In the future…” Meng Zhen was lost in thought for a while before he said, ”In the future, if someone causes the stars to move, it will be a soul-pulling, a return to the original painting. This person will be the master of the stars and the moon.”

“Xingyue?”

“Yes, our branch will henceforth be called the Star and Moon Sect.”

“Yes.” Both apprentices bowed to accept it, which was not surprising. After all, Meng Hanzhen’s teachings were all about the stars and the moon in the night sky, so the name was logical.

Meng Zhen sighed, “I promised someone that I wouldn’t fight for the cauldron, but I’m going to break my promise. I don’t care about the other cauldrons, but I won’t let Ji Hao get the one engraved with the way of the universe, the one he is most determined to get!”

The two apprentices dared not respond. Today, their master’s intentions were clear. She was determined to die, and was leaving instructions for her funeral.

“Everyone is working together to get rid of the evil, but someone is plotting against their comrades and plotting for their own power. If I win, everything will be fine. If I lose, Ji Hao won’t be able to control the market for a few days, let alone suppress the eight people. From then on, the country will be divided into nine parts, and he will see that he was just happy for nothing.” Meng Zhen said lazily, ”Zheng Wuzi and the others say that I don’t care about the overall situation of the country. Isn’t it ridiculous? Do I have to send my head to them to be cut off? I’m just a wayward woman. Their ambitions are none of my business.

The apprentices all laughed. People said that Meng Zhen really didn’t know how to teach apprentices, and he had taught them a bit of evil. In fact, Meng Zhen himself was a bit evil in his nature, and this was even more exposed at this time.

Meng Zhen said again, “But you may become a thorn in the Ji family’s side, so I’m sorry for that.”

The two apprentices said, “Master, you’re wrong. If you lose, we will avenge you. Even if they don’t treat us as thorns in their eyes, we will still fight them to the end.”

Meng Zhen was quite pleased and smiled: “Very good, it’s not a waste of my heritage.”

She continued to take things out of her bag, and a variety of treasures were placed on the table: “I gave Zheng Wuzi materials to make a sword, and I left some good things that I didn’t use. You keep them… Huh?”

She suddenly paused, holding a white pebble in her hand and staring at it.

“Is this Xuanwu stone?” The apprentice poked his head out and said, ”It is said that its solidity can withstand a hit from the Dao. It is very rare. There are not many in the world.”

“Hmm…” Meng Zhen really rested his chin and pondered, suddenly increasing the pressure on his hand and beginning to transmit energy.

The white stone slowly began to take on a moonlight color, with a faint yellow luster.

“Master, what are you doing?”

“How much can a stone protect? I’ve made some modifications that can trigger an energy reaction and activate a protective shield when attacked with true qi. My power will last at least a thousand years and protect you all.”

The apprentice was a little choked up: “Master…”

“Don’t be so moved. I was just thinking about a man.” Meng Zhen really stopped practicing, and sweat was visible on her forehead. It was clear that this energy transmission and treasure transformation was also quite difficult for her, but she had a sweet smile on her face, gentle eyes, and whispered to herself, ”It turned out to be you.”

“Uh… Master…”

“The internal structure of this stone has changed. From now on, it will no longer be called Xuanwu Stone, but Huizhi Stone.”