Remould the Glory of Sword Art

The Broken Origin Array, under the shroud of nightfall, appeared exceptionally dark and gloomy.

Xie Xuanyi's white robes stood out starkly in the pitch-dark surroundings, as if completely out of place...

The Primordial Energy overflowing from the Green Yuan Pills circled around him, casting brilliant divine radiance.

And Xu You, covered in fresh blood, appeared especially tragic under the glow of the divine light.

"As an official decreed by Da Chu, you need to pass the scrutiny of the nation's treasured 'Primordial Instrument'. Your every action in the city is monitored by the Central Province Imperial City Department... So this is why you chose to make your move outside the city, isn't it?"

Xie Xuanyi took out a piece of white silk from his bosom, wiped his blood-stained, soiled palm, and spoke in a soft voice, "But what I don't understand is, why would the dignified Deputy City Lord of Tai'an City stoop so low? Even after taking five Green Yuan Pills from you, was it necessary for you to set up the Broken Origin Array to take my life?"

"Heh..."

Xu You stared at Xie Xuanyi, unable to suppress a mocking laugh.

"It seems the Green Yuan Pills are indeed very precious to you."

Xie Xuanyi squatted in front of Xu You and calmly said, "But your real purpose isn't just that, is it? Why do you want my life?"

"No reason."

Xu You sneered, "Do I need a reason to kill you?"

Xie Xuanyi smiled slightly, showing no anger.

Xu You's condition was very bad right now, he could only breathe in, not out.

It had been too long since he had really fought seriously.

He just hadn't controlled his strength just now, and the force was a bit too much. A few more blows, and he might have sent the fellow ascending to heaven on the spot.

"Your backer... it's not Da Chu, right?"

Suddenly, Xie Xuanyi came out with this statement.

"From the moment I entered from Fengsui City, I started to suspect. The incident at Lingluo Mountain was flawless, but the signs of human design were too obvious. How could there be so many coincidences in this world? A damsel in distress throws herself into my arms time and time again. Shen Yan also cheated death once. What made her so sure that I had the ability to bring her into the city? And why would she think that the Deng Family were good people?"

Xie Xuanyi sighed softly, "Although I don't know which 'Venerable' of the Demon Country you serve, the plot wasn't meticulous enough. A woman desperate to survive would not trust anyone. Those who believe 'there are many good people in the world' wouldn't survive in Northern County. They would have been buried under Fengsui City long ago."

Xu You's complexion turned exceedingly unsightly.

Silence spoke louder than words at this moment.

"Indeed... After so many years, Demon Country still harbors ambitions toward Northern County and Qing State."

Xie Xuanyi gazed into Xu You's eyes and said softly, "How about we make a deal? I guarantee with Xie Zhen's name that if you report the title of your master, I will spare you. Pretend that tonight's incident never happened."

"You speak the truth?"

Upon hearing this, Xu You fell abruptly silent.

He scrutinized the white-robed youth, his gaze betraying a flicker of hesitation.

Xie Xuanyi smiled and honestly said, "Deal."

"Come a little closer."

After a moment, Xu You, with a hoarse voice, gestured for Xie Xuanyi to draw nearer.

Xie Xuanyi leaned in with a smile.

No sooner said than done.

Xu You drew a slender object from within his robes, stabbing towards Xie Xuanyi!

This was precisely the token Shen Yan had desperately brought to him!

It was a segment of finger bone.

As Xu You infused it with Primordial Energy, the withered black finger bone suddenly turned snow white!

The night of the Broken Origin Array was torn asunder in an instant, a terrifyingly immense power converging within the valley. The finger bone seemed to transform into an exceedingly sharp sword, and where its tip pointed, the void shattered!

"Hiss!"

The searing white Primordial Energy tore the Broken Origin Array apart. This array pattern, once solidified nearly indestructible and almost impossible to break from the inside, was now ripped open by a slender gap. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi poured ceaselessly into the array pattern, and as this piercing tearing noise echoed, the inky black nightfall rained down faint starlight.

And scattered droplets of crimson blood.

Xie Xuanyi expressionlessly turned his head to look at his right shoulder, where the cloth was torn and tattered.

The white robe was stained red with blood, but it was just stained.

The stab was terrifying.

But, unfortunately, it did not find its mark.

Xie Xuanyi's reaction had been quicker than Xu You's, as he had never let down his guard, never believing that this Demon Race spy would so easily divulge the secrets of his master... The moment the finger bone's light flared, he dodged and reacted. However, the speed of the strike was incredibly fast, and at such a close range, Xie Xuanyi's shoulder was grazed, losing a chunk of flesh.

But now... everything came to a true end.

Xie Xuanyi grasped Xu You's wrist.

He clenched his fingers with force.

"Crack!"

Xu You let out a miserable howl, as his wrist was completely broken!

The piece of bone snapped and fell to the ground, turning from snowy white to dull black as it was deprived of Primordial Energy.

"So this is the real source of my unease?"

Xie Xuanyi silently murmured to himself.

He picked up the bone and scrutinized it closely, then after a moment, smiled and said, "This must be what Shen Yan intended to send, right?"

"???"

Xu You's face was pale, not from the pain, but from what Xie Xuanyi said next.

"Shen Yan had a talisman attached to her calf, which appeared to be a 'Thousand Mile Talisman', but in reality, it carried the Primordial Energy fluctuations of other array patterns. To find out the truth, one would need to tear off the talisman..."

Xie Xuanyi said indifferently, "I must have told you, I have some knowledge of talismanic techniques. From the first glance of our meeting, I noticed the oddity of this talisman, but I couldn't very well have Miss Shen strip and lie face down on the bed for an inspection... However, after seeing the eight-hundred-mile ban at the borders of Qing State, I suddenly guessed the use of this talisman."

"The greatest likelihood is that it's being used to 'smuggle forbidden items'."

"Now, the truth has become very clear."

"The Demon Race has an important item that urgently needs to be transported to Qing State — but the presence of the 'Eight Hundred Mile Ban' makes the possibility of Demon Cultivators crossing the border virtually nil, leaving the Demon Country no choice but to send trusted humans carrying forbidden items to secretly cross the border, at least they wouldn't be suspected for their racial identity during peripheral inspections."

"The handover would be done after crossing the border."

"Despite being the Deputy City Lord of Tai'an City, you dare not to meet Shen Yan because the Central Province Imperial City Department's 'Primordial Instrument' is monitoring Tai'an City around the clock. Whether you go out to greet her, or assign subordinates to escort her... it would attract the attention of the 'Primordial Instrument'. That token must be extremely important, right? The one behind you didn't want any mistakes in the escort process, which is why they devised such a method."

Xie Xuanyi spoke in a solemn voice, "No matter how powerful the Primordial Instrument is, it can't watch every mundane person entering and leaving the borders of Qing State. Having Miss Shen deliver the 'goods' is the safest and most covert."

"You, you, you..."

Xu You looked at the young man in white before him, his lips trembling uncontrollably, "Who on earth are you?"

Xie Xuanyi chuckled softly.

He squatted down, saying calmly, "Believe me, you wouldn't want to know."

A hand gently pressed on the top of Xu You's head.

This time was different from before.

This time, Xie Xuanyi's palm moved very lightly, as if a strand of straw had softly landed on Xu You's head.

But this time, the fear Xu You felt inside was greater than any other time he had experienced.

"Soul Search... you want to perform a Soul Search on me?"

Soul Search.

One of the most infamous techniques in the cultivation world, with hardly any comparison.

The difficulty of initiating a Soul Search was high, making it impossible to perform during combat... Even the most evil, dark, and desperate Ghost Cultivators, usually only initiated the Soul Searching Technique on individuals close to "death."

Because it is a technique that immerses one's Divine Soul into the mind of another.

If met with resistance,

The Caster's Divine Thought would shatter, and the entirety of their Soul Sea would collapse. However, if successful, the caster would see the hidden memories deep within the Target's heart.

The higher the realm of Divine Soul, the greater the disparity between the two souls, the higher the success rate of the Soul Search...

But whether successful or not, it would cause tremendous devastation to the Soul Sea of the one whose soul was being searched!

"I'm very sorry, but I never perform Soul Searches on 'people'."

Xie Xuanyi looked down indifferently at the man before him.

He spoke calmly.

"But you've already sided with the Demon Country, haven't you?"

Could someone who sided with the Demon Country still be considered a person?

Xie Xuanyi's palm gently descended.

"...Ahh!!!"

Xu You screamed, pressing his hands against his cheeks with fingers digging in, etching lines of fresh blood.

Veins bulged on his forehead, as if his crown was sucked into a whirlpool.

Primordial Energy surged at his forehead.

One could vaguely make out a frail "Human-shaped Soul Spirit" condensing in the palm of Xie Xuanyi's hand!