Within the Azure Mountains
Perched atop the mountain peak, the Cloud-Tipped Heavenly Palace, like a fairyland, had once amazed generations.
Its master, the Liu clan, had also been a renowned ancient noble family.
Now, the people were gone, the gates desolate, and the once bustling activity had all turned to silence.
And the one who stubbornly waited had dwindled from thousands to just one.
Ying Wu, following Jin Yu Lan’s instructions, arrived alone at the Azure Mountains. Standing before the Liu clan mansion, he felt a touch of unreality.
In his daze, he recalled some past events and spoke to himself.
"When Master Liu Xian was alive, I had visited this place with friends.
Back then, guests were few, but there was still much joy.
Now, Master Liu Xian is gone, the gates are desolate. I suppose only Liu Shi Nian is left to keep watch here."
Sighing thus, he slowly walked towards the main gate. He thought that Liu Shi Nian had witnessed his uncle's death firsthand.
Given his temperament, it would be difficult for him to remain calm. He ought to be cautious when visiting now.
Liu Shi Nian, when angered, would strike without regard for age or gender.
Although he had only heard this from others, he still felt a measure of fear.
With a mix of anticipation and unease, he pushed open the grand doors of the Cloud-Tipped Heavenly Palace.
A "whoosh" sound reached his ears, and a sharp sword flew straight towards him, stopping in mid-air a few centimeters from his astonished eyes.
He swallowed, carefully retreated a few steps, and then shouted.
"Great Hero Liu! Great Hero Liu! I am here on orders to find you."
Seeing that the visitor meant no harm, the sword flew back.
Trembling, he took out a handkerchief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and cautiously walked inside.
From afar, he saw a large, lush willow tree in the courtyard.
He recognized this willow tree. Legend had it that it was planted by an ancient ancestor of the Liu clan.
Unexpectedly, after enduring the years, only it still stood tall and upright.
He sighed again, but couldn't help but secretly wonder if that was the true form of the Liu clan.
Thinking this, he looked closer and saw a newly built earthen mound beneath the willow tree, surrounded by stones.
He cautiously approached, bent down slightly, and saw a wooden tombstone in front of the mound.
Several large characters were clearly written on the wooden board.
"Tomb of my Master, Master Liu Xian"
Seeing the grave, he felt a sense of calm. He slowly crouched down and gazed at the tombstone, saying.
"Lord Liu, I have met you a few times. Perhaps you do not remember me.
However, I remember you. I recall that in February of that year, the pear blossoms had just bloomed.
You hosted a gathering for your friends from the martial world, and I was fortunate enough to join my friends in enjoying the festivities here.
At that time, you were full of vigor and spoke with extraordinary eloquence. I greatly admired you.
I had intended to visit you again if the opportunity arose, but I never imagined that I would only learn of your death.
Alas, seeing you now fulfills a wish. May you have peace and freedom from illness in your next life."
After saying this, he sighed again, filled with regret.
He then remembered to look for Liu Shi Nian. He slowly stood up, cautiously peeking around the courtyard, looking everywhere but finding no one.
At that moment, a sharp voice came from behind.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
Startled by the voice, he took a small step back. Turning around, he saw Liu Shi Nian standing at the main gate.
His heart filled with both excitement and fear. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he finally spoke.
"Oh, it's Great Hero Liu! Great Hero Liu, I am here on orders to find you."
"On whose orders?"
"Naturally, on the orders of the City Lord of Nanhai City."
"What do you want with me?"
"You may not be aware of the current situation. I'll tell you from a distance."
Saying this, he ran far away and shouted.
"The Ten Thousand Ghost King has been resurrected!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Shi Nian was greatly shocked. He flashed away and in an instant, grabbed Ying Wu by the neck, demanding angrily.
"Didn't the Ten Thousand Ghost King die already? How can he be resurrected?"
Ying Wu struggled, broke free from Liu Shi Nian's grasp, gasped for breath, and retreated to the side, saying in a low voice.
"What you killed before was merely a wisp of the Ten Thousand Ghost King's soul.
His two souls and seven spirits have already been reborn through other bodies.
Now, the Four City Lords and various righteous individuals are pursuing him, but they have all failed. That is why they thought of Great Hero Liu.
If Great Hero Liu kills the Ten Thousand Ghost King, you will not only receive a reward of ten thousand taels of gold and be promoted to a higher official position, but you will also be able to avenge your enemy."
"Are you telling the truth?"
Liu Shi Nian looked at him with some suspicion.
"It is absolutely true. The Ten Thousand Ghost King is now near the Vast Ocean.
Lord Sifanghai had a confrontation with her just a few days ago, but she still managed to escape."
Liu Shi Nian remained somewhat skeptical. He did not know this person, and his request to him now might be a trap.
So, he refused.
"I have retired to the mountains and forests, and I no longer concern myself with worldly affairs. Therefore, I ask you to return."
With that, he turned and went back into the house.
Ying Wu hurriedly followed, shamelessly standing at the doorway, and said to him.
"I know that after Lord Liu passed away, you were disheartened. I shouldn't be telling you about this matter now."
Although Liu Shi Nian had his suspicions, he pretended to be indifferent and listened to his words.
He wanted to hear what capabilities this person outside the door possessed to invite him.
Seeing no movement from within, Ying Wu smiled faintly, guessing that he was listening but had not received a satisfactory reason.
He slowly turned, looking at the vast courtyard, no longer in a hurry to ask him to come, but instead began to talk about the past.
"I remember when I first came here, you were not yet born. Later, I came again, and you were just a baby who couldn't walk.
At that time, the area around this mansion was filled with all sorts of flowering trees, such as peach trees, pear trees, and cherry trees, countless of them.
And, whenever the flowers bloomed, Lord Liu would write invitations and distribute them to people from the martial world, inviting them to visit this Heavenly Palace.
So, that's how I came here."
Hearing him speak of his uncle's past, Liu Shi Nian couldn't help but become interested and asked.
"You knew my master?"
"Yes, I can say I knew him better than you."
"Oh, you knew him better than I do? Tell me, how well did you know him."
"Hahaha, him. Speaking of him, Lord Liu, there are endless stories to tell.
In his youth, he was already the renowned Liu clan swordsman. With the Liu clan swordplay, his ultimate skill was unmatched.
Later, he also created his unique ultimate skill, the Liu clan Flower Blade Rain. The so-called Liu clan Flower Blade Rain is when the sword emerges like a blade and retracts like rain.
Many people wanted to learn this sword technique, but he never passed it on. I presume he didn't pass it on to you either."
Liu Shi Nian was instantly startled, surprised that he knew even this.
"You have some skill. Master indeed did not pass it on to me."
"I guess he didn't pass on this sword technique to you, it must be because..."
"Because of what?"
Liu Shi Nian eagerly pressed.
Ying Wu did not reveal it immediately but said.
"Lord Liu's martial arts were profound. If he were alive today, he would be a master of martial arts.
Then, you too would surely be able to ask him personally about the secret of the Liu clan Flower Blade Rain.
It is a pity that the Ten Thousand Ghost King, in his cruelty, sent such a good person to the underworld.
As a result, everyone who speaks of it today is filled with grief and indignation.
Lord Liu was most benevolent in his life. All his knowledge was for saving the world and helping the people.
If I had the ability, I would also inherit his will, eliminate evil for the people, and save the world."
Liu Shi Nian was touched by his words, thinking that even now, there were people who understood his master so well.
He also thought.
"My master was indeed kind and benevolent throughout his life. He taught me to prioritize benevolence and to be guided by it. He was proud to have me as his disciple."
Liu Shi Nian sighed slightly, slowly opened the door, and walked out.
His gaze, once heavy, now held a certain sharpness.
However, he had always wondered why his master had not passed on the Liu clan Flower Blade Rain to him.
So, he asked Ying Wu.
"Do you know why Master didn't pass on the Liu clan Flower Blade Rain to me?"
"Yes, I think it's because your experience is not yet sufficient."
"Experience? Not enough?"
"Precisely. Legend has it that the Liu clan Flower Blade Rain is extremely fierce, with each move taking a life.
And when Lord Liu created it, he only intended to use it against villains. If one's intentions are not pure, how can they use this sword technique?
Therefore, you still have much to learn. I believe that when you gain some insight, the Liu clan Flower Blade Rain will naturally return to your hands."
"But..."
Liu Shi Nian had too many questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to get them all cleared up at once.
However, Ying Wu interrupted him, saying.
"I know you have many questions. Regarding these questions, I think you should ask the Ten Thousand Ghost King. He will give you the answers. Farewell."
With that, he turned and left.
"Ask the Ten Thousand Ghost King? Why ask him..."
Liu Shi Nian was full of doubt. His long-dormant heart had been stirred by these words.
What that person said did have some logic, but he was puzzled as to why he should ask the Ten Thousand Ghost King.
With these doubts, Liu Shi Nian spent a whole night thinking carefully at home.
He closed his eyes slightly, and it was already the next morning. He walked out of his room, looked at the vast red sun outside, and a smile appeared on his face.
He suddenly remembered Ying Wu's words, "The Ten Thousand Ghost King will give you the answers."
Could it be that all the answers lay with the Ten Thousand Ghost King?
In the end, he decided to leave the mountain and confront the Ten Thousand Ghost King.
Since the last battle with Sifanghai, I had escaped and hidden in the mountains.
Now, with searching voices rising all around, it was no longer safe, so I had to hide in a cave and sit cross-legged.
I calmed my mind, closed my eyes, and sought the Ten Thousand Ghost King.
"Ten Thousand Ghost King, where should we go now?"
The Ten Thousand Ghost King still gave no response. I opened my eyes slightly, full of confusion.
"Since coming out of that White Bone Cave, you haven't said a word. Are you afraid I will blame you?"
He still gave no response.
I could only sigh slightly, not knowing his thoughts.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew from outside the cave. I hurriedly got up to look and saw that the strong wind was accompanied by wisps of white mist.
The strong wind came close and blew down to the ground, stirring up the dead leaves and revealing several large characters.
"Wanxue Mountain"
I looked closely and indeed it was a good place. I slapped my forehead and exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes, how did I not think of that."
I also thought that Wanxue Spider was once a subordinate of the Ten Thousand Ghost King. Going to find him would be perfect.
I figured that Wanxue Mountain was extremely cold, not a place for ordinary people to stay. It was undoubtedly the safest place.
And now, everyone thought I was at the Vast Ocean, but in reality, I had gone to Wanxue Mountain.
Thinking of this, I hurried to get up, left the cave, stole a horse from a search party, and rushed all the way to Wanxue Mountain.
Within two days, Liu Shi Nian had galloped to the Vast Ocean.
As soon as he entered the forest, he smelled a powerful demonic aura. Then, he encountered a search party.
He saw them searching everywhere. Liu Shi Nian dismounted and grabbed someone to ask.
"What are you looking for?"
The young general replied.
"We, we are looking for the Ten Thousand Ghost King."
As Ying Wu had said, the Ten Thousand Ghost King had indeed appeared and come to the Vast Ocean.
Liu Shi Nian smiled faintly and asked him again.
"Are there any traces of the Ten Thousand Ghost King?"
The young general shook his head, but then suddenly remembered something and said.
"Oh, right, one of our horses is missing."
"A horse?"
Liu Shi Nian thought for a moment and felt something was amiss.
"Has the horse been found?"
"Not yet. We don't know who took it, and we've already sent people to look for it."
"Oh, where was the horse tied up before?"
"Just ahead."
"Take me to see it."
"Okay."
The young general led Liu Shi Nian to the front, to where the horses were tied. And there, several good horses were still tied up.
Liu Shi Nian was somewhat confused and asked him.
"Why are there still horses here?"
Seeing him inquire so carefully, the young general guessed that he was sent by the City Lord and told him the truth.
"Oh, it's like this. After the horse went missing, we still tied horses here, hoping that the thief would come back."
"Oh, I see. Thank you, young man. You can go about your business. I'll take another look."
"Okay."
After the person left, Liu Shi Nian began to observe carefully.
He found that the footprints on the ground were messy. He then looked at the outer perimeter and found that many hoof prints were heading in one direction.
However, there was one set of hoof prints that went into the woods.
He suddenly became excited. If someone were to steal a horse, it would certainly not be ordinary people; it must be the Ten Thousand Ghost King.
But, the Ten Thousand Ghost King was powerful and had immense strength. How could he stoop to stealing horses and running away?
He couldn't understand any of this, but he still followed, wanting to see where the hoof prints led.
After observing for a long time, he quickly reached a conclusion.
Even though I had been meticulous before leaving, and even though the Ten Thousand Ghost King had concealed his demonic aura.
Liu Shi Nian still discerned the clues from the direction of the hoof prints.
Looking at the direction the hoof prints had gone, he guessed that it was the direction of Wanxue Mountain.
Legend had it that Wanxue Spider was once a subordinate of the Ten Thousand Ghost King, named Xian Ling'er. It was a place of ice and snow, rarely visited by anyone.
No one would think of that place so quickly, so he must have gone to Wanxue Mountain.
Thinking of this, he became extremely excited. He quickly mounted his horse and rushed towards Wanxue Mountain.
Meanwhile.
I, on the run, galloped at full speed and finally arrived at Wanxue Mountain after a day and a night.
I then sneaked into the village at the foot of the mountain, stole a set of clothes to ward off the cold, and then ascended the mountain.