"Senior, senior, what's wrong with you, what happened......" Lin Jingyu rushed to Wan Jianyi's side, knelt down, and his hands trembled as he tried to lift him up. However, the place where his hand touched was soft all over, and a chill rose from the bottom of his heart. Lin Jingyu felt like he was in an endless ice cellar. The old man didn't have a single intact bone where his hand touched.

  "Who, who?" Lin Jingyu's voice suddenly became hoarse, his teeth biting deeply into his lip, and blood flowed out instantly, even his eyes burst with anger and despair.

  "Senior, senior..." He called out in a low voice, choking back tears, and finally burst into tears. He had never known that he could still cry, especially in front of this frail and powerless old man. The despair from over a decade ago seemed to envelop him once again.

  Wan Jian looked at the young man with a sense of powerlessness, his heart so broken and desperate that it was impossible to pretend or put on a facade. Perhaps, after all, there were still people who truly cared about him, Wan Jian thought to himself.

  His fingers moved, and then, as if the gods were showing mercy, he actually lifted his palm with a tremble. Lin Jingyu's body shook violently, and he grabbed his hand in a hurry, saying: "Senior, senior, do you have anything to say? Who hurt you like this? I'll definitely avenge you, who is it?"

  Wan Jian's face turned paler and paler, his breathing slowing down, but somehow, his eyes became even brighter. The hand grasped in Lin Jingyu's palm trembled slightly...

  Lin Jingyu was stunned for a moment, looked down, and in the palm of his hand, that old and weak finger, stained with fresh blood, lightly and hastily drew the strokes: "Xiao... Xin..."

  Suddenly, behind Lin Jingyu, a black shadow emerged from the thin fog, and Ghost Mr. stared intently at this side. Lin Jingyu was facing away from Ghost Mr. at this moment, and he was completely focused on watching Wan Jianyi's fingers, without feeling anything, but Wan Jianyi saw it, his gaze intersecting with Ghost Mr.'s line of sight in mid-air silently, as if they had traversed a hundred years.

  That moment of past vicissitudes...

  Wan Jian suddenly smiled, with a bloody smile, at Mr. Gui, then he shook his head.

  Lin Jingyu waited for a long time, but didn't see Wan Jianyi continue writing. He suddenly looked up and saw that Wan Jianyi had his head tilted to one side, and was actually dead. Lin Jingyu's body shook greatly, his hands trembling as he stared at the lifeless face in disbelief. After a while, he let out a loud cry: "Senior..."

  A cry of pain and grief came from him as he flung himself on the old man's body.

  The ghostly gentleman stood silently behind him, gazing at the aged face of Wan Jianyi. After a long while, he quietly retreated and disappeared into the thin fog. From afar, a faint sigh echoed through the wind.

  ********

  The wolf howls at the foot of the mountain, and the sharp and fierce roar is transmitted from afar. On the top of Qingyun Mountain, people's heads are raised, and the crowd gathers on Tongtian Peak. The Daoxuan True Person, Pu Hong Shangren, Yun Yiluan, and others stand in the front row, their faces heavy, their brows furrowed, gazing towards the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

  A faint smell of blood, barely perceptible in the wind, makes one involuntarily think of the countless ferocious and cruel beasts lurking at the foot of the mountain. No one knows what the outcome will be after this disaster.

  Outside the Jade Clear Palace, the square was crowded with people, but it was eerily quiet. Everyone's face was solemn and stern. It was at this silent moment that a long, piercing howl suddenly rose from afar, like the wailing of wolves or the crying of ghosts, sharp and shrill, cutting through the air and approaching from far away.

  The sound echoed from the foot of the mountain, but the sharp whistle pierced through the clouds and arrived in an instant. Everyone's face changed color. The sharp whistling sound lingered and reverberated between the white clouds and the steep peaks, turning several times before slowly subsiding. But just as it was about to fade away, suddenly from the foot of the mountain, all the beasts let out a loud roar together. The countless roars surged up to the sky, gathering into a massive force like a landslide or tsunami, changing the color of the sky and earth, with rumbling sounds approaching.

  The dark clouds dispersed with a loud rumble, and the mountain peaks stopped abruptly. A black mist rose from the foot of the mountain, growing larger and denser, gathering in the sky opposite Tongtian Peak until it blocked out the sunlight. The black cloud drifted slowly over this fairyland-like place.

  It was unclear who shouted first, but the sharp-eyed crowd at the top of the mountain all looked over, and in the depths of the dark clouds, amidst the howling wind, a young man wearing eye-catching silk clothes stood with his hands behind his back, expressionless, indifferently gazing at the people on the mountain.

  What kind of thing is man in the eyes of nature?

  He waved his hand lightly, but his gaze seemed to pierce through the mountain range. At the foot of the mountain, ten thousand beasts roared, a bloody wind blew in waves, and the mournful cries finally came...

  ********

  It was as if he had sensed something, Gui Li's body paused for a moment, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he turned around to gaze in the direction of the front mountain of Tongtian Peak. There, at the horizon, dark clouds were gathering and strong winds were howling. Although it wasn't very far away, the weather was completely different from where he was on the back mountain.

  Warm sunlight, pouring down from the horizon, landed right on his collar.

  Gui Li slowly withdrew his gaze, subconsciously looking towards his shoulder, but he didn't see Xiao Hui. This time entering the Huanyue Cave Mansion, he had deliberately not brought Xiao Hui along, and the danger was self-evident, nor did he have any confidence. Just now in the battle with that mysterious old man, although Mr. Gui lent a hand, Gui Li's heart still had an inexplicable feeling towards that old man - the several thousand years of Qingyun Gate's history were indeed a place where dragons and tigers hid.

  Wasn't I also once a part of this place?

  He indifferently pursed his lips and continued walking forward. The path on both sides was the same as before, with dense forests everywhere, evergreen pines and cypresses, lush grasses and trees, only this mountain path winding its way forward, leading to unknown mysteries.

  Deep in the forest, there is still a faint sound of birds chirping, as if the previous mountain's catastrophe had no impact on this isolated place. Everywhere is filled with peaceful atmosphere, even the air has a refreshing and cool taste.

  The faint tension that had been in his heart from the beginning quickly dissipated in such a quiet environment, so that when he first looked up and saw the four words "Huan Yue Dong Fu", facing the famous boundary of the world, there was not a hint of unusual expression on his face, as if he had seen an ordinary cave.

  But in fact, what was in front of him seemed to be just an ordinary cave.

  A cave entrance, about half a person's height higher than usual, and about seven feet wide, appears on a gentle slope, with green vines and thorns all around it, and even several branches hanging down from the entrance. The mountain wind blows, and the vines are gently swaying. And just below those green vines, on the stone above the cave entrance, four characters were carved:

  Mansion of the Phantom Moon Cave

  Apart from the meaning of these four words themselves, everything around them, including the characters, seems so ordinary. Is this really the foundation of Qingyunmen for two thousand years?

  Is that ancient scroll which nurtured countless talents including Qingyunzi and Qingye Zushi quietly lying here?

  And that one famous sword that shook the world!

  The demon's gaze was fixed quietly on those four words, the characters that had weathered years of wind and frost seeming to silently stare back at him.

  He didn't say a word, nor did he sigh. The next moment, he stepped forward, as if one foot had tread into the past years...

  ********

  It didn't have the mysterious and profound atmosphere I had imagined. What appeared before my eyes was just a simple stone chamber, which could be seen clearly at a glance. A few stones were piled up in the corner of the wall, and there was a faint moss growing in the slightly damp corners of the wall. The only difference from outside was that it was particularly quiet here. As I walked into the cave, everything seemed to suddenly become silent, as if it had been isolated from the outside world.

  The gaze that had been sweeping the surroundings finally came to rest on a stone wall directly opposite the entrance of the cave, where a stone slab with a Tai Chi pattern was inlaid. This was the only thing in the entire cave that could be related to Qingyunmen.

  Qī Lì took a deep breath and walked up, stopping in front of the Tai Chi diagram. The Tai Chi diagram had many stains and signs of damage, clearly an object that had been around for a long time. Qī Lì silently gazed at it, and in his mind, he slowly recalled the words spoken by Ghost Mr. not long ago.

  The next moment, he gently placed his hand on the Tai Chi pattern, and a faint cyan light emanated from between his palms. Gui Li's face was expressionless as he stared at the light in his hand, feeling the familiar aura of the Tai Chi Xuan Qing Dao flowing through his body's meridians, an aura that once belonged to this mountain range!

  It was as if a long dormant person had finally awakened, and the tranquility of the stone chamber was suddenly broken by a faint, distant sound, just like the entire cave sighed softly. Something began to rotate, and then, the Taiji diagram also lit up with a blue light, at the same time, the Taiji pattern started rotating.

  After turning from left to right for exactly one week, a "click" sound suddenly came from the stone wall, and everything stopped. Gui Li withdrew his arm and waited quietly.

  A moment of silence vanished, and a dull rumbling sound echoed through the mountain cave. On the right side of the Tai Chi pattern, a circular crack suddenly appeared on what was originally an intact stone wall. It slowly rotated and split open to reveal a secret entrance. However, at this entrance, a strange grayish-white mist-like substance swirled around, resembling both fog and water ripples, constantly rotating, making it impossible to see clearly inside.

  The ghost looked at the misty water, and Mr. Ghost still didn't deceive him. But within this mysterious mist, who knows what it is?

  He didn't hesitate and seemed to be without a second thought, striding in with big steps.

  The mist swallowed him up, and the figure quickly disappeared. The two stone walls this time returned silently, closing gently, without revealing a single trace.

  ********

  In a daze, in a haze, deep within the vast expanse of the universe, a flash of lightning streaked across, suddenly piercing through the darkness of the long night, transforming into an enormous sword of light descending from the heavens, so dazzling and blinding that one cannot gaze directly at it, striking straight into the depths of the heart.

  Then, in the pitch-black sky, a strange moon rose with an eerie silver glow, hanging high in the distant horizon.

  At that moment, his mind was a complete blank, he had forgotten everything, and only his gaze remained fixed on the back of that white light.

  It seemed like a low, mournful voice, someone was crying softly, but then a familiar voice laughed out loud, and a young voice let out a "wow" before finally bursting into tears.

  He held his breath!

  Unaccountable tension, yet the heartbeat is so rapid, as if there's wind by my ear, but I can't feel my own existence, as if only a pair of eyes are exploring and gazing around, finally seeing...

  That small village, and a dilapidated grass temple behind it.

  "Has she given birth?" a man's voice asked anxiously.

  "It's born! Mother and child are safe, it's a boy!" The midwife's voice was filled with joy, loudly saying: "Congratulations!"

  "Haha, haha……" The honest man chuckled thickly, with some comfort and celebration in his simple emotions. The next moment, he saw the crying boy, the child who was nestled in his parents' arms.

  "What name would be good, Dad?" The mother was a bit weak, but there was still a happy smile on her face.

  His father thought for a moment and said, "We are all illiterate, if I had to say who is the most knowledgeable in our village, it would be Mr. Lin, the teacher from the east end of the village. All the children's names in the village were given by him, weren't they? Why don't we go ask him to give one?"

  The mother nodded, and the father went out. After a while, he came in from outside with a smile on his face, holding a note, saying: "Mr. Lin said that for people like us, the most important thing is to live a peaceful life, be content with our fate, and just live a good life. So he gave me three words, written on this note."

  His mother said with delight: "Oh, a learned man is indeed different. What name did he give our son?"

  His father took the note to his mother's side with rough hands, embracing his mother and the quietly sleeping child with his arms, lowering his voice, as if he had infinite respect and affection for these three words, whispering:

  "Zhang, Xiao, Fan..."

  "Rumble!"

  Suddenly a loud thunder boomed in the sky, and rain started falling from the heavens. His whole body began to tremble violently, and he gasped heavily!

  Outside, the rain is pouring down, the sky is as black as ink, and in the distance, the Qingyun Mountains are towering. Amidst the torrential rain and howling wind that fills the entire sky, Father and Mother are embracing each other, their calm faces filled with smiles, gazing at the child in their arms...

  He wanted to shout loudly but couldn't make a sound, thousands of words swirling in his mind ultimately condensed into two words:

  "Dad, Mom!"

  The rain fell from the sky, all of it seemed to be falling on his face, cold and piercing.

  ********

  The moon at the horizon flickers with a faint glow.

  Bang!

  A stone flew from the sky, as if it had passed through my body, and landed behind me. The sky had cleared up at some point, and a group of children were running around in the village, laughing and playing loudly.

  That seemingly ordinary boy was running desperately ahead, a slightly older boy leading a group of younger kids in pursuit behind him, shouting loudly: "Zhang Xiaofan, if you have the guts, stand still!"

  The kid in front spat and ran while saying: "Do you think I'm an idiot?!" He then ran even faster.

  As they ran, the children gradually approached a dilapidated thatched temple at the eastern end of the village. From the outside, this small thatched temple was in disrepair and had withstood countless storms over the years.

  Zhang Xiaofan rushed in first, and the group of children behind him also ran in. In that dilapidated small grass temple, it seemed as if the voices of the children still echoed out.

  He stared blankly, and suddenly his mind was a complete blank again, as if there was a thread of inexplicable fear that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time, slowly spreading out and filling his entire chest.

  One step, and then another, he quietly approached the thatched hut, approaching that nightmare which seemed to have disappeared long ago.

  A slightly larger boy with a delicate appearance was riding on Zhang Xiaofan's body, with a triumphant look on his face, and smiled: "You've been caught by me, now you have nothing to say, right?"

  Zhang Xiaofan rolled his eyes and said, "No way, no way, you secretly calculated me, how can I calculate?"

  The boy was taken aback and asked in surprise: "When did I secretly calculate you?"

  "Fine, Lin Jingyu, you dare say this door plank wasn't put here by you?"

  "That's impossible!" exclaimed Lin Jingyu loudly.

  Zhang Xiaofan pursed his lips, tilted his head, and put on a resolute expression of refusing to surrender or yield. Lin Jingyu's anger rose from the bottom of his heart, one hand grasped Zhang Xiaofan's neck, and he furiously said: "We agreed that whoever gets caught would admit defeat, do you concede?"

  Zhang Xiaofan didn't care either way.

  Lin Jingyu's face turned bright red, his hands clenched into fists, and he shouted loudly: "Do you admit it or not?"

  Zhang Xiaofan's trachea was choked by him, his breathing gradually became difficult, and his face slowly turned red, but he was young and had a very stubborn temperament, and he didn't make a sound.

  Lin Jingyu's anger grew, his grip tightening, as he repeated: "Do you admit defeat? Do you admit defeat? Do you admit defeat?"

  "Unwilling... unwilling..." The voice suddenly echoed in his mind like a tidal wave, and the heartache of many years surged up to his heart with a loud shout.

  Then, as if it had been expected, yet as if unprepared: that one hand, quietly stretching out from the years, withered and full of wrinkles, so familiar, so intimate, yet at some point, it was so shocking to the soul, carrying boundless hatred!

  The old monk, smiling, still with the kind and gentle smile he had always had, stood before him. In an instant, his entire world went blank, everything else - the village, the children, the disputes - suddenly vanished, leaving only the compassionate and peaceful old monk, smiling at him, like a painting that had never faded in the passing years.

  His whole body trembled, and a surge of inexpressible grief and indignation welled up from the depths of his heart, unable to hold back a long, mournful howl.

  When did the sky turn black again?

  There is wind and rain, quietly falling!