Flowers may bloom again, but one never regains lost youth.

Most people in this world are qualified to say this, yet the two who are conversing at this moment have no such qualification.

Xie Xuanyi doesn't believe in reincarnation, nor in the afterlife.

And yet, he has lived a second life thanks to the Undying Spring.

"So the Zen Master gave you this Golden Cicada to use your hand to inform the Buddhist sects... that he might actually have a third life?"

Miao Zhen's mind conceived a bold idea.

A third life?!

Xie Xuanyi was startled by the thought.

But Miao Zhen soon denied himself, chuckling at the absurdity, and rubbing his brow: "The heavenly Dao is constant, and there are rules to life and death. How could someone live on forever? Although the Zen Master has comprehended the Life Dao, he is still a mortal in the end. If the Zen Master could live a third life, why would he hide and hoard it in such a way?"

He himself was a prime example.

After successfully reincarnating and extinguishing his Divine Thought, Miao Zhen chose to revive in an era of prosperous destiny.

The whole process was carefully protected by the Buddhist monks.

If the Zen Master could also live another life, then Fan Yin Temple would spare no expense to protect his "Reincarnated Soul".

The great calamities and hardships of today wouldn't need to be borne by Mi Yun.

"Cicada and Zen share a homophone."

"Throughout his life, the acts of the Zen Master have been inscrutable. He has cultivated countless high monks for Fan Yin Temple, sowing seeds of kind karma for the Buddhist sects."

"I really can't fathom the Zen Master's purpose in giving the cicada..."

Miao Zhen sighed deeply and continued, "The Power of Destiny is one of the most difficult divine powers to comprehend in Buddhism... I, a simple monk, only understand fist and foot, not karma, and fear that I will never comprehend this divine power in my lifetime. Brother Xie, if you want to uncover the truth, you might have to wait until Mi Yun attains Dao, comprehends destiny, and re-enters the River of Destiny to find the answer to this question."

Xie Xuanyi nodded silently in agreement.

The meaning of this Golden Cicada was elusive to him, just as it was to Miao Zhen.

If that was the case,

it would have to be set aside for now.

In his heart, he had a premonition that perhaps one day in the future, he would meet the Zen Master again in the River of Destiny, and then the significance of this Golden Cicada would emerge.

...

...

Miao Zhen, with Mi Yun in tow, left the desert.

Xie Xuanyi stood atop a sand dune, watching the two figures depart.

Because his Divine Soul was damaged, Mi Yun's consciousness had slipped into unconsciousness, and in the end, he never said goodbye.

But this was perhaps for the best.

Xie Xuanyi was not used to farewells.

A silent departure, no need for many words, a thousand words reserved for our next meeting.

Deng Baiyi stood silently beside Xie Zhen.

This silence did not last too long.

"Hey Mr. Xie..."

Chu Guo, with his umbrella sword planted in the ground and his feet stuck in quicksand, had waited for quite some time before he couldn't resist speaking up, "Everyone is gone, shouldn't we also be going?"

The sky blazed bright.

The hot wind struck the face.

The young man wore a pained expression, not because he was impatient to go on waiting, but the sandstorm was so fierce it was difficult to keep his eyes open, and his body, usually light as a feather from running errands and treating patients, might have been blown away by the wind had it not been for the weight of his umbrella sword.

Moreover, the recent events had made Chu Guo extra cautious...

Chen Chong's Iron Cavalry had surrounded Yuan Province on all sides, and although this place seemed desolate at the edge of Yu State, it was not necessarily safe.

"Yes."

Xie Xuanyi calmly replied: "It's time to go."

In his gaze, the figures of the old and young monks disappeared into the endless sandstorm.

Miao Zhen has risen to the Yin God Realm and possesses Divine Steps at his side, making his travel speed very fast.

Though the journey back to Fan Yin Temple from here is long, the ordeal is over, and they should not encounter any more danger now.

As for himself...

After advancing to the Yin God Realm.

Xie Xuanyi's Heart Lake was more tranquil than ever before.

Back in the days when he roamed the world alone with a sword, he was already in the Yin God Realm.

The Li Kingdom was in turmoil, the imperial court deceitful, and the sects fraught with infighting.

But with the Ten Heroes' iron laws held in high regard, rarely would anyone dare to break them. With Yang Gods remaining reclusive, there were very few cultivators that could pose a threat to the present Xie Xuanyi.

This was the reason for the great ease within his Heart Lake.

"I heard there's still a boat at Qu River?"

Chu Guo asked curiously.

"Two hundred li."

Xie Xuanyi nodded, saying, "We don't have much time left, only three days."

After speaking.

He determined the direction with his Divine Thought and then began to walk across the vast desert.

"Wait, wait..."

Chu Guo was somewhat dumbfounded: "Aren't you a Sword Immortal? Why are we traveling on foot?!"

"Let's go first."

Xie Xuanyi looked back at the disheveled youth carrying the sword and spoke indifferently, "Nalan Xuance has set up an Iron Curtain over the skies of the Da Li Dynasty. Using a Flying Sword carelessly could get us caught."

Chu Guo bit his lip: "Three days to cover two hundred li? Can we make it in time?"

"We can make it."

Xie Xuanyi calmly stated, "Follow me, and we will make it."

"Are you telling the truth?"

Chu Guo scratched his head, worriedly saying, "Is Nalan Xuance that powerful? The Da Li Dynasty is very vast after all."

"...Hmm."

Xie Xuanyi somewhat perfunctorily hummed in acknowledgment.

Of course, that was a lie.

The Iron Curtain indeed could, like the Roundness Instrument, lock down an area and meticulously discern Qi signatures.

But after all, the Da Li Dynasty was too large.

Today, the Fire Master made his move, shattering the ambush in Dou State. Nalan Xuance's main attention had not yet shifted away from Dou State, and the information about the defeat of the Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry should still be in transit. By the time he realized that something was amiss and wanted to regain control of the situation, he would have to expend his lifespan and use the Xuanwei Technique... To lock on the general whereabouts of Xie Xuanyi would take at least several days.

By then.

Xie Xuanyi would have long returned to Qu River and boarded the Purple Green Treasure Ship.

There would be ample time to spare.

This was also why Xie Xuanyi was not in a hurry to "Sword Control."

Of course, there was another reason...

Ever since he promised to teach this young man swordsmanship, Xie Xuanyi had taken this matter to heart, knowing that after returning to Chu Country, Chu Guo would be taken away by the Book Tower. Before that, he had to give the young man a lesson.

The sand and dust swept by, Deng Baiyi reached out to adjust her hair, her expression slightly complex.

Deng Baiyi cast a glance towards Xie Zhen instinctively.

Based on her understanding of Xie Zhen.

The excuse of not being able to Sword Control here was most likely a lie.

As expected.

Exchanging a glance, Xie Xuanyi gave a subtle response without making a sound.

Understanding his cue, Deng Baiyi cooperated tacitly and urged in a low voice, "Let's go, hurry up."

The wind swirled with dust; a figure in black and another in white advanced ahead.

Xie Xuanyi did not walk fast.

He silently spread the intent of the Martial Arts Divine Embryo's Tao Realm, enveloping around a five-foot radius of himself, creating a shield from the sands for the woman beside him. Hence, Deng Baiyi's journey was quite comfortable. Her steps were light, strolling through the desert without feeling the scorching heat or the intense sun, occasionally a breeze would whisk past her face, bringing a refreshing delight.

As for Chu Guo, the scene was quite different.

The young man clutched the umbrella sword and moved with tiny steps, staggering and looking quite pitiful.

It's really strange, when holding the umbrella earlier, it did not feel so heavy.

But now walking through the desert, it felt extremely heavy, as if filled with mercury.

If the young man's cultivation realm were a bit higher, having advanced into the Qi-controlling Realm, he would see that behind him, a golden divine fetus spread and hovered, its clothes fluttering loudly. The divine fetus was expressionless, leaned over, and lightly pressed a finger on the handle of the umbrella.

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