At this moment in Yan Zhengming's inner palace, the four inner demons seemed to be suppressed by Cheng Qian's stern instructions, and all floated outside his soul. However, the sword energy circulating in the inner palace did not subside. The invisible soul power of the owner here was trying its best to gather them together. The next moment, the sword energy would break free again and scatter.

Only the soul sitting in the inner palace remained motionless, even if thousands of sharp swords pierced through its body.

The backlash of the sword energy fought with the master of the inner palace for a long time and silently. Yan Zhengming's soul looked calm, as if nothing in the world could alarm him.

A swordsman uses his body as a sharp weapon, doesn't he want to hone it through repeated trials and finally survive?

Even if you have to go through deep trenches, thorns and bad soil.

However, this contest was disturbed by a cough. The person who was choking and coughing seemed to be dying. Just from the sound, one could tell that he was in a mess. In recent days, Cheng Qian had been silent. If it weren't for the faint sword intent lingering around him, Yan Zhengming would have thought he was gone.

Yan Zhengming almost trembled when Cheng Qian spoke suddenly. His mood, which had been calm for many days, suddenly became anxious. The inner demons around him, which had been stagnant and seemed to have become obedient, gradually became disturbed.

Yan Zhengming stood up suddenly, and a sword shadow appeared in the palm of his soul. He first pushed aside the chaotic demonic energy around him, and then engaged in close combat with the increasingly chaotic sword energy without hesitation. When everything was peaceful, the backlash of sword energy would still surge and surge on its own, but now it seemed to be boiling, hysterically rioting.

Yan Zhengming's inner palace was shaken violently, and the cracks injured by the trapped dragon lock began to shake, but he could not suppress the strong desire in his heart - he had to break out of the inner palace no matter what, and wake up to see Cheng Qian. He knew Cheng Qian too well. This person could not be forced, and he never knew what detours were. Once there were any setbacks, he would definitely take an unconventional approach and fight to the death.

However, at this moment, two cold fingers suddenly touched his brows, and a stream of endless cold true energy spread in like a path, instantly freezing the crack where he was trapped by the dragon lock. Cheng Qian's slightly hoarse voice sounded in his ears -

"Concentrate."

Yan Zhengming gritted his teeth and said, "What did you do again?"

Cheng Qian said calmly: "Jian Cheng choked in excitement."

He didn't sound at all as excited as he had just been.

The next moment, as if he was talking too much, the cold spiritual sense swept into Yan Zhengming's inner palace without a word. People like Cheng Qian who like to rush around are not good at healing. Yan Zhengming was afraid that he would get hurt, so he didn't dare to stop him. He also tried his best to restrain the backlash of his sword energy and gather it one by one on himself. It can be said that he experienced what it means to be "cut into pieces" while alive.

Then, a gentle sword intent, which was completely opposite to the cold air, followed Cheng Qian's consciousness and penetrated into Yan Zhengming's inner mansion. In just a moment, the silent sword intent had separated from Cheng Qian's consciousness, and enveloped Yan Zhengming's entire inner mansion. The flying sword energy also released Yan Zhengming's soul, and for a moment it almost turned into a physical entity. Thousands of soul swords flew past, rushing towards the invader with unparalleled disdain.

Yan Zhengming was startled, and then he heard Cheng Qian say calmly, "It's okay, just get out of the way."

Before he finished speaking, a sword intent that was exactly the same as that of the outsider suddenly emerged in Yan Zhengming's inner palace. It was subtle and unpredictable, not as gentle as an ordinary sword... but it was everywhere.

It was the sword of origin that he had glimpsed when he first entered the sect!

Neither fire nor severe cold can extinguish the thin grass and breeze that are born in the wilderness. As long as the first sprout falls from the wind and converts to this place -

The wooden sword evoked every mood in the Fuyao wooden sword. Yan Zhengming instinctively flashed before his eyes every move of the wooden sword. The edgeless wooden sword seemed to contain everything. He stood there in a daze for a moment, but in the blink of an eye he had reviewed the past hundred years.

In a flash, the original sword intent met the wooden sword, and immediately a strong light fell on Yan Zhengming's scarred soul.

At this moment, all the fresh air from Fuyao Villa poured into the small quiet residence in the bamboo forest like a river flowing into the sea. The doors, windows, tables and chairs were shaking constantly, and the withered and yellow bamboo leaves that were shivering in the autumn wind seemed to come alive again.

Tang Zhen was the first to reach the outside of the bamboo forest, followed by Shuikeng and Li Yun. Shuikeng ran too far and almost plunged into the bamboo forest, but Tang Zhen stopped him outside with a flick of his sleeves: "Be careful, girl. You can't go in right now."

It was not until this moment that Shuikeng realized that the long hair that had just floated in front of her body had been cut off in half.

This place seems to be full of infinite vitality, and contains the omnipresent sword edge.

In Yan Zhengming's inner palace, an ordinary wooden sword suddenly penetrated the endless sword energy and went straight into the center of the inner palace. It fell down like a magic needle that stabilizes the sea. A hurricane rolled up, and the chaotic backlash of sword energy had no time to escape. It was all rolled up by the huge gravitational force. Millions of soul swords were recovered one by one by the wooden sword, connected into a line, and fell down all at once with the wooden sword as the base.

The sword light was blazing, and Yan Zhengming's soul and consciousness regained his inner palace in an instant. The turmoil disappeared, but he was still immersed in the boundless sword intent for a long time.

He gathered all the sharp sword energy in his palm, and the infinite hostility in his heart suddenly calmed down. A trace of Cheng Qian's sea tide sword intent mixed into the Fuyao wooden sword.

He seemed to be under the vast ocean, with the abyss bottomless and the waves thousand feet high. Wind and thunder were surging between the fluttering sleeves of his robe, but everything was silent.

So this is what is meant by "sheathing".

The three-foot-tall prison, when you step out and look inside, is actually just a crude prison made on a square.

Of course Cheng Qian sensed his progress, and he immediately withdrew his consciousness. He let out a long breath and felt a little exhausted.

He sat in meditation for eighty-one days, and a layer of frost formed on the corners of his eyes and eyebrows. That was the result of his inner energy running to the extreme. Xiaoqing'anju was warm like spring, but he was the only one who felt extremely cold and had bloodstains on his chest.

It might take some time to recover from the damage done to his soul, but Cheng Qian felt relieved as if a huge rock had fallen from his heart.

He did it willingly.

Cheng Qian turned his head to look at Yan Zhengming and saw that he still hadn't woken up, but the gray aura around him was gone, and the dark red mark of the heart demon between his eyebrows was so faint that it was almost invisible. Only a flash of pure sword light was seen, and then it was hidden in silence. The terrifying sharpness when it was unsheathed was no longer visible.

Cheng Qian had a wild idea. He used the wooden sword as the basis and it actually worked. It was incredible to think about it. Even though he was sure of everything, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly and reveal a smile.

The next moment, the exhaustion from the damaged soul came over him uncontrollably. Cheng Qian quickly stretched out his hands to support himself, at least he did not fall down on the spot. The slight sense of pride he had felt immediately turned into a wry smile.

Li Yun's voice came from outside the door, with a hint of imperceptible anxiety: "Xiao Qian, how are you?"

"It's okay." Cheng Qian took two deep breaths, managed to steady his voice, and responded as if nothing had happened, "Wait, I'll tidy it up."

Hearing that there was nothing unusual in his voice, Li Yun finally felt relieved and had time to chat and laugh with the people around him.

He said to the puddle, "When those two come out, I will quit and go into seclusion. I worry about trivial matters all day long. I have little cultivation and I am almost getting wrinkles."

Tang Zhen stood a little further away. The strange sword intent in the bamboo forest had not yet dissipated. He reached out to catch a lush green bamboo leaf and wiped off the dew on it. His face changed several times and finally settled on a somewhat complicated expression. He said, "Creating something out of nothing, making progress in desperate situations... It's really amazing. You are worthy of being someone who is not afraid of even the heavenly tribulation."

Cheng Qian was far from being as relaxed as he appeared. Not wanting to keep Li Yun and the others waiting for long, he forced himself to stand up and quickly changed out of his disheveled clothes. Then, with some difficulty, he made a hand gesture and pulverized the bloodstained clothes into powder, destroying all traces of the corpse. Then, he suddenly had an idea and lit the incense burner that was placed on the side. He then wiped the cold sweat from his face, took a breath for a while, and opened the door for Li Yun and the others.

After dealing with everyone's inquiries and questions, Cheng Qian finally ran out of energy. He turned around and fell on the small couch beside him. Before his head even touched the pillow, he fell asleep as if in a coma.

As a fellow sword cultivator, You Liang, who was staying in a town thirty miles outside Fuyao Villa, could clearly see that an indescribably powerful sword intent had been lingering in Fuyao Villa for a long time.

With You Liang's cultivation level just entering the realm of Yuanshen, he couldn't tell the depth of Sword God Yu's cultivation. He just felt that power deeply and trembled deeply for it - a trembling full of fighting spirit.

Among the hundred sword cultivators in this world, ninety-nine of them are bellicosus. The higher the opponent's cultivation level and the more powerful their skills are, the stronger their fighting spirit will be. Holding the sharp weapon in their hands, they try to shake the big tree with their bodies of mayflies, and only after surviving nine deaths can they make some progress. Of course, the remaining special one is Yan Zhengming, a rare master in the Sword God Realm. He was not born with a bellicosity. From the day he entered the Dao because of the sword, all his training was almost forced.

You Liang jumped onto the beam of the inn, looking at the hazy cloud of the Sword God Domain from afar, his young eyes full of eagerness, but a light cough came from behind him. You Liang turned around reluctantly and saw Wu Changtian walking up slowly, muffled and said: "Senior Brother."

Wu Changtian glanced in the direction of Fuyao Villa and said nothing.

You Liang sighed, "I really hope to fight with someone like this one day."

Wu Changtian's eyes moved slightly, and after a moment he sighed and said, "Xiao Liang, after the matter of the demon dragon is settled, you will ask to be in seclusion for three hundred years and leave Tianyan."

There are too many secrets in Tianyan. If one wants to escape, one must go into seclusion for three hundred years and after the confidentiality period, one can regain freedom.

You Liang was stunned: "Senior Brother..."

Wu Changtian whispered, "Besides you, there is no other sword cultivator in Tianyan. Sword cultivators have to work very hard to cultivate. They have a strong will and a hundred years of seeking. Tianyan is a complicated place, so it is not suitable for you to cultivate. You have an outstanding talent, so don't waste your time."

You Liang frowned and argued, "It's not that serious. Yan Zhengming is the leader of their Fuyao Sect. He is also entangled in trivial matters all day long, but he still entered the Sword God Realm!"

"You only see how glorious he is in front of others, but you don't see how he suffers behind his back." Wu Changtian shook his head. His junior brother had only been a disciple for more than a hundred years, and he was very determined to learn swords, but he was a little bit unconventional. Wu Changtian turned around and looked at the night sky, where everything was silent, and couldn't help but say a few more words, "Earth dragon became a dragon, although he took the path of evil, he didn't need luck. There are two 'real dragons' in the same river and mountains. What do you think the imperial edict is for?"

You Liang was surprised: "Brother, you...you better be careful with your words."

"There are many sects in the world, but when it comes to foundation, none can compare to our Tianyan sect," Wu Changtian sneered, "Everyone in the world thinks that 'Tianyan' was established by our great ancestor, but they don't know that our Tianyan sect has been passed down for hundreds of generations in the human world. We practice Taoism not for immortality, but to prevent those powerful people who can call the wind and rain and turn beans into soldiers from causing harm to mortals. Dynasties have changed in the human world, but the purpose of our practice has never changed. It just so happened that our great ancestor pushed us to the forefront in the name of Tianyan, and also recruited a large number of unknown casual cultivators. I disagreed at the time, but the sect leader insisted on his own way, saying that it would be easier to get things done with a status. Does he really think that he is not a mortal if he has some Taoism? He also believed in Zhou Hanzheng and other insidious villains. Now... humph, I have become their imperial family's private guard!"

You Liang asked doubtfully, "Brother, since the change of dynasties is not our responsibility, why are we trying so hard to stop the dragon this time?"

"You have read the scriptures like a dog. Haven't you heard of 'the strong winds don't last all morning, and the heavy rains don't last all day'?" Wu Changtian sighed, "From ancient times to now, have you ever heard of any demon sect that has continued? They are indeed powerful, but they are prosperous for a while and then decline quickly. Besides, those demons are obviously self-willed and don't care about the lives of others. They may not want to harm the country - they just want to cause trouble, so we naturally can't let them run rampant."

The sword power in the sky above Fuyao Villa gradually faded, presumably because it was slowly gathered back by the peerless swordsman. Wu Changtian's eyes flickered as he watched, and after a while he whispered, "The demon slayer back then was possessed by the devil, and now the defender of morality is without morality - Tianyan and Fuyao are both in decline, it's really... Never mind, I think their leader will come out of retreat soon, and I'll go pay him a visit then."

Yan Zhengming entered into a state of meditation for a whole day and night, and finally calmed down all the backlash of sword energy. The injuries in his inner palace caused by the trapped dragon lock immediately became insignificant. After his true energy was unobstructed, he recovered as before in just one cycle. He looked inward and felt that even the demons in his heart had faded a lot.

However, once the inner demon has arisen, it is difficult to eliminate. The more you care about it, the more it lingers in your mind and cannot be shaken off. It is better to let nature take its course.

Yan Zhengming finally opened his eyes and rubbed his brows. He felt that as his realm improved, he became more open-minded. He felt that with his own qualifications, he might not become the most powerful swordsman in history, but it seemed good to be the most open-minded.

Instead, it was the sword that Cheng Qian entrusted to his inner palace, a set of Fuyao wood sword techniques. Although the swords of his fellow disciples all came from the same origin, different people naturally had different understandings. Even the same person would have different perspectives after the passage of time.

For Cheng Qian, although he started with the Fuyao wooden sword, he has been more inclined to the Haichao sword style for many years. Fuyao has its own flexibility, and Haichao has its own unpredictability. The two are completely different, but if you explore in depth, you will find that they complement each other. The moment Yan Zhengming sheathed the sword, he caught a glimpse of the sword intent under the waves of the ocean. If it were not for this, he would not have been able to gather his sword energy so quickly.

as well as……

Yan Zhengming felt that this might be his own illusion. He always felt as if the wooden sword contained a part of Cheng Qian. Although it contained the authentic sword spirit of the Fuyao wooden sword, it also had an indescribable, tolerant loneliness. It was neither integrated with the sword energy of the surrounding area that came from the same origin, nor was it out of place. The wooden sword stood upright in his inner palace, like a loyal guard who never left, but also refused to go in.

Yan Zhengming took a deep breath and found that there was a faint soothing aroma in the room. However, the incense had burned out. The person who lit it was careless and did not change it. The doors and windows were open, and only the faint residual fragrance remained in the room. He stretched and stood up, intending to refill the incense. When he stood up, he saw Cheng Qian on the small couch next to him.

Yan Zhengming: “…”

He had just taken a step forward when he immediately took it back, as if he had been frightened by something. He stood there for a long time before he took a cautious step forward like a thief and found that Cheng Qian had fallen asleep.

Presumably, the Fuyao wooden sword was not easy to refine, otherwise Yan Zhengming didn't know what else could make Cheng Qian so tired that he fell asleep with his cultivation level.

Cheng Qian used the Gathering Spirit Jade as his body, and when he fell asleep he was almost like a decoration in the room, without any sound. Yan Zhengming first tiptoed over, took two steps and then straightened up. He felt that as the head of a sect, such behavior, like a rat stealing oil, was really a bit vulgar.

Yan Zhengming deliberately made some small noises and walked in front of Cheng Qian, but the man was not alarmed at all.

He bent down and looked at Cheng Qian's sleeping face. The distance between them was very close. For a moment, he suddenly felt infinite tenderness in his heart and could hardly control the urge to kiss Cheng Qian between his eyebrows.

...But in the end, he restrained himself and stepped back.

Yan Zhengming felt that he couldn't bring himself to do it. He always felt that there was an indescribable innocence on Cheng Qian's face when he was sleeping.

Yan Zhengming smiled bitterly, stretched out his hand and gently tapped Cheng Qian on the head: "It's so ridiculous to say something like 'the blue sky and the yellow spring'. Do you know what it means? You are so outspoken."

...Perhaps in all the three realms, only Sect Leader Yan is so blind that he can see the "innocence" in Cheng Qian's face.