Chapter 629
Mysterious Old Man Catches Spirit Sword Barehand
This hand looked ordinary, even a little thin, but it calmly and steadily held the blade of the purple-gold spirit sword with its five fingers slightly spread, a sword with a sharp edge that could split mountains and shatter rocks!
No matter how the spirit sword hummed and trembled, bursting forth with dazzling light and sharp sword energy, it could not break free from the grip of that old hand! All the sword energy and destructive power vanished without a trace the moment they touched that hand, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.
The next moment, it was as if the owner of the palm had simply stepped out of the void and stood firmly in front of Jiang Xuan, blocking all the terrifying sword light and killing intent.
He was an old man wearing an ordinary gray cloth robe, with gray hair and a slightly hunched posture.
His face was kind, his eyes calm, like an old man basking in the sun in the countryside. Yet, it was he who, with just one hand, effortlessly stopped the purple-robed youth's all-out sword strike!
The purple-robed youth's face turned deathly pale instantly, not from fright, but from the backlash caused by the suppression of his spirit sword.
He groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His gaze toward the old man was filled with shock, anger, and a hint of barely concealed fear.
"You old fool! You dare to stop me?!"
The boy's voice was shrill, filled with anger at being offended.
The old man seemed not to hear the boy's reprimand. He looked down at the purple-gold spirit sword in his hand, which was still struggling and resonating, shook his head slightly, and then casually flicked the flowing light on the sword with the index finger of his other hand.
Ding!
A crisp, clear sound, like glass shattering.
The spirit sword, clearly of extraordinary quality and at least at the top level of the Spirit Sea Realm, instantly became covered with spiderweb-like cracks centered on the point where it was held! Then, to the boy's incredulous gaze, it shattered into dozens of dull fragments, which fell softly from the old man's fingers!
"puff--!"
With his natal spirit sword destroyed, the purple-robed youth was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His body swayed in the air, his face as pale as paper, and his aura instantly weakened by more than half.
"you…!"
The boy's eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at the old man, his whole body trembling, whether from anger or injury, it was hard to tell.
The old man slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at the boy in the air. His gaze was still gentle, but it carried an undeniable indifference.
“Little brat of the Chi family, didn’t you hear what I said? If you dare to make a move again, it won’t be as simple as just breaking a sword.”
His voice remained kind, but his words sent a chill down the spine of the purple-robed youth.
"You have three breaths to leave this place. Otherwise, you won't be going back."
The old man's tone was calm, yet it contained an undeniable murderous intent.
The purple-robed youth gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his eyes filled with humiliation and resentment.
He glared at the old man, then gave Jiang Xuan, who was being shielded by the old man, a fierce look, as if he wanted to etch their faces into his very bones.
"Fine! Fine! You old scoundrel, I, Chi Cangfeng, will remember this humiliation! And you, Jiang Xuan! If we meet again, I will repay you tenfold!"
Having uttered those harsh words, Chi Cangfeng dared not linger any longer. Enduring the backlash from his injuries and the destruction of his spirit sword, he waved his hand to collect the fragments of the spirit sword. His figure transformed into a slightly unsteady purple streak of light, speeding off in the opposite direction from Wuqu City, and soon disappeared into the horizon.
Only when the purple light completely disappeared did the old man slowly turn around and look at Jiang Xuan behind him.
Jiang Xuan quickly tore off his clothes and used them to bandage the deepest wounds on his left arm and shoulder, stopping the bleeding.
His face was pale from blood loss, but his eyes remained calm, showing little of the relief of surviving a close call, but rather a cool, analytical gaze. The brief but intense exchange just now, and the old man's unfathomable strength, had shaken him to his core.
"Young friend, you've been frightened."
The old man looked at Jiang Xuan, a slightly apologetic smile on his face, and his voice returned to its previous gentle tone.
"It was my oversight. I didn't expect that arrogant little brat from the Chi family would actually run out of the city to ambush you. You almost met a terrible end."
Jiang Xuan calmly looked back at the old man and shook his head.
"Senior, you flatter me. It was my cultivation that was lacking. I should thank you for saving me."
He paused for a moment, then asked directly.
"That person just now... was he from the Chi family? His name was Chi Zangfeng?"
The old man nodded, looking in the direction where Chi Cangfeng had left, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
"Indeed. Chi Cangfeng is one of the most outstanding members of the Chi family in this generation. He was born with the 'Purple Cloud Sword Vein', a special bloodline, and his talent is unparalleled among his peers. At only thirteen years old, he has already stepped into the Spirit Sea Realm, and his swordsmanship is astonishing. He is a swordsmanship genius recognized by the Forbidden City as one that appears only once in a century. However, his temperament... is a bit too arrogant and ruthless."
A thirteen-year-old at the Spirit Sea Realm! A sword genius! Jiang Xuan was awestruck. No wonder he was so powerful, his attacks so domineering. The Chi family… truly has a profound foundation.
"Why did he want to kill me? Although I have conflicts with the Chi family, it doesn't seem like... enough to warrant such a genius personally taking action, let alone fighting to the death."
Jiang Xuan voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.
Chi Cangfeng's chilling killing intent was no ordinary grudge.
Upon hearing this, the old man paused for a moment, then slowly uttered two words.
Summer Solstice.
Summer Solstice?
Jiang Xuan was slightly taken aback.
This answer was completely unexpected.
A solar term? A person's name? Or some kind of code?
"Because of... the summer solstice?"
Jiang Xuan pressed for more information, his brows furrowing slightly.
The old man looked at the genuine confusion in Jiang Xuan's eyes and sighed softly.
"The reason for this is a long story, involving some old events from more than ten years ago. This is not the place to talk about it. Once you enter the Forbidden City, you will naturally know everything you need to know."
This is an old story from more than ten years ago.
Jiang Xuan recalled what Chi Lingxiao had said to Chi Cangmei. Indeed, his own existence, or rather his arrival, was connected to some hidden secrets deep within the Forbidden City.
He didn't ask any further questions, and simply nodded.
"I understand. And who is this senior...?"
"The person who was entrusted to come and bring you into the city."
The old man didn't say much, just waved his sleeve.
A gentle yet irresistible force supported Jiang Xuan's body.
"Let's go. We've been delayed for so long, and I'm afraid some people in the city are getting impatient."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man, carrying Jiang Xuan, transformed into a barely noticeable yet incredibly fast gray streak of light, flying towards the more majestic and vast outline of the Forbidden City behind Wuqu City. Enveloped by the old man's power, Jiang Xuan silently released his left hand the moment they ascended, and the slightly warm, black Heaven-Shaking Pearl, already imbued with some spiritual energy, was silently returned to his robes.
He glanced in the direction where Chi Cangfeng had disappeared, a cold glint flashing deep in his eyes.
A hidden edge... today's wounds will surely be repaid in the future.
As for the Heaven-Shaking Pearl… it missed an opportunity to test its power and can only wait until later. The Forbidden City will undoubtedly have no shortage of occasions where it needs to be used.
A gentle force lifted Jiang Xuan, carrying him and the old man towards the renowned megacity that symbolized the empire's supreme power. The wind whistled past their ears, the ground beneath their feet receded rapidly, and the majestic walls of Wuqu City were quickly left behind. But Jiang Xuan's mind was not on the scenery at all.
The brief, almost fatal ambush he had just witnessed, and the old man's words about the "summer solstice," weighed heavily on his heart like two heavy stones.
He had a vague feeling that he had stepped into something more than a simple vortex of revenge; it was a deeper and more complex quagmire.
He remained silent, letting the old man carry him through the air, his mind churning with thoughts. He had received some vague hints about his origins from Old Man Xuejin in Yanxia City.
But the specific details remained shrouded in mystery. At this moment, looking at the unfathomable old man beside him who seemed to know a great deal, Jiang Xuan took a deep breath and decided to ask him for clarification.
"senior."
Jiang Xuan's voice sounded somewhat low in the wind.
"Regarding my background... and the events of the Lin family back then, how much do you... know? If it's convenient, could you tell me?"
The old man glanced at him, his gaze gentle yet tinged with complex pity.
He paused for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, and then slowly opened his mouth. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Jiang Xuan's ears.
"Your father, Lin Wenjing, was the most dazzling genius of his generation in the Lin family of the Forbidden City. He was exceptionally talented, upright, and generous, and had a wide circle of friends. Your mother, Luo Qingxun, had a mysterious background, but was exceptionally strong and had a gentle exterior but a firm interior."
Their marriage was considered a celebrated story at the time.
The old man's voice was filled with reminiscence.
"And you are their only child. The Lin family was once one of the seventy-two powerful families in the Forbidden City. Although it was not one of the top seven powerful families, it was still among the top middle-class families. It had a deep foundation, especially during the time when your grandfather Lin Zhenshan was in charge, the family was quite prosperous."
Jiang Xuan listened quietly, but his heart tightened involuntarily.
These snippets of conversation about his parents were things he had never heard before.
"However, more than ten years ago, a sudden change occurred."
The old man's tone turned heavy.
"The specific cause is still debated. Some say that your parents offended an unknown entity while exploring some ancient secret realm; others say that someone within the Lin family coveted the position of family head and colluded with external enemies; still others say that... it touched upon the fundamental interests of certain forces."
Ultimately, your father, Lin Wenjing, was ambushed and killed while traveling. Your mother, Luo Qingxun, upon learning of the tragic news, took you, still an infant, to the scene of the incident, but they were intercepted by a mysterious powerful figure. After a fierce battle, she disappeared without a trace, her fate unknown.
And you... disappeared around that time; everyone thought you had perished with your parents.
"Subsequently, the Lin family fell into chaos. Your grandfather, Lin Zhenshan, was overcome with grief and indignation, his old wounds flared up, and he soon passed away. The Lin family was already riddled with factions, and with the successive falls of its pillars, it immediately descended into a frenzied power struggle and infighting. And how could those other powerful families in the Forbidden City, who were eyeing the family with covetous eyes, let go of such a golden opportunity?"
The old man sighed.
"In just a few years, the once illustrious Lin family was attacked from both inside and outside the country. Its assets were divided up, its members were scattered, and it was completely removed from the Forbidden City. Now, even the Lin family's ancestral home has changed hands."
The father was murdered, the mother disappeared, the grandfather and all the direct descendants fell, and the family business was devoured by former "allies" and rivals...
Jiang Xuan listened to this cold narration without reacting with the expected excited shouts or bursts of tears.
He remained silent, his face pale from the air currents created by his rapid flight. But his eyes were like a frozen lake, chilling to the bone, with a silent black flame burning deep within them.
A boundless hatred, like icy seawater, silently engulfed him. He hated the murderers who assassinated his father, the mysterious figures who caused his mother's disappearance, the incompetent family members who only cared about fighting for power during the family's crisis, and even more so, the so-called "wealthy families" who took advantage of the chaos and devoured the Lin family!
Sorrow, like a heavy shackle, weighed on his heart.
A once glorious family, not defeated by powerful external enemies, but fallen to internal strife and greed—how ironic, how tragic! He wanted to hate, but suddenly found that his hatred had nowhere to land—who should he hate? Should he hate those fools in the family who had already died in the chaos? Should he hate those gluttons who were now enjoying the Lin family's inheritance? Or should he hate this cold, ruthless, dog-eat-dog world?
Perhaps, they should all be hated.
After a long silence, until the cold hatred and sorrow churned in his chest countless times and gradually settled into something deeper and more resolute, Jiang Xuan finally spoke again, his voice hoarse and calm.
"The Chi family... were one of the main forces that divided up the Lin family back then? Is that why they went to such lengths to prevent me from returning, even sending a genius like Chi Zangfeng to intercept and kill me outside the city?"
"Yes and no."
The old man's answer was somewhat vague.
"The Chi family was indeed one of the few who ate the most during the feast that the Lin family shared back then."
It's true they don't want you to come back. But the deeper reason isn't just because you're Lin Wenjing and Luo Qingxun's son, and the most legally and blood-related heir to the Lin family after Lin Zhenshan's death.
Jiang Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are they afraid I'll come back and take back my family's assets? With my current strength, I'm probably not enough to make them so nervous."
"you're right."
The old man nodded.
"What they fear is not you as you are now. Rather, it's... the people or forces behind you who might want you to come back."
"Those who want me back?"
Jiang Xuan frowned; he had received too much information today, leaving him somewhat overwhelmed.
"Besides... the Obsidian Sanctuary, who else?"
The old man looked at him and slowly uttered four words.
"The Imperial Family".
Jiang Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted, his mind reeling! The Imperial Family? The supreme ruling core of the Purple Sun Empire, the symbol of its power? This… how could this be?
"Why would the royal family pay attention to me? And why would they want me to come back?"
Jiang Xuan found it hard to believe.
What merit or ability does he, an orphan of a fallen family who has been "dead" for many years, have to influence the royal family?
"I am not entirely clear about the specific reasons either."
The old man shook his head slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"This matter is extremely confidential. Even Her Majesty the Queen of the Night and the High Priest of the Observatory are tight-lipped about it, only knowing that there is indeed a force within the royal family that has been watching your life and death, and... hopes that you can return to the Forbidden City alive. (End of Chapter)"