129: Born from the nine mountains, die as the soul of mountains and seas!

Shen Nian lowered his eyes and deeply gazed at the skeleton in front of him. His eyes fell on the top of its skull, where a sharp, round hole was visible, as if pierced by something sharp.

After countless years, the lingering chilling aura on it still made Shen Nian frown.

This should have been the blow that led to Zhou Xuan's death.

Was it a demon?

But why are there no Yao Beast corpses here?

Just as Shen Nian was pondering.

Suddenly!

Creak, creak!

Crackling.

The sound of bones and joints echoed. The place was already quiet, and with this eerie sound, it made people shiver even more.

Especially when that skeleton actually stood up!

This caused Shen Nian to show a hint of vigilance, and the Great Sun Undying Sword Intent had already condensed within his body.

"Holy crap!"

"Stop digging, buddy, it's a zombie!"

Murong Chen, behind Shen Nian, was startled by this scene and repeatedly retreated, his face pale.

Not far away, Wang Damu was excitedly digging a large hole with a shovel, completely unfazed by fatigue.

But upon hearing Murong Chen's cry of alarm, Wang Damu immediately froze, turned to look, and his body stiffened abruptly.

"???" Wang Damu looked utterly bewildered. To be honest, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Xiao Qinger, at the very back of the group, also froze in place. A hint of fear appeared in her pupils, and her body couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"Your Majesty, there's a ghost...!" Xiao Qinger transmitted with a trembling voice. It wasn't strange; it was normal for a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl to be afraid of ghosts.

"There are no ghosts. This is merely this person's obsession from when he was alive. His Divine Soul has long been erased by time," the Female Yan Emperor calmly explained, her expression a bit strange.

You're still afraid of ghosts?

Then why aren't you afraid of me, this Emperor?

She currently only had a remnant soul, and if described by mortals, she would also be considered a type of ghost.

The reason the Female Yan Emperor was so certain was that she could clearly feel that what emanated from the bones was a kind of obsession, completely devoid of the ability to think.

After so many years, let alone a Void Returning Realm Cultivator, even the Divine Thought of a Dao Integration Realm Cultivator would have vanished into thin air.

Even though ancient Cultivators were much stronger than the Human Race of today, they still couldn't withstand the power of time.

After speaking, she also swept her gaze with a hint of curiosity, a trace of surprise in her golden eyes.

"What exactly caused this person to have such a deep obsession, able to persist until now!"

However, the next second.

The skeleton's actions immediately stunned the Female Yan Emperor, leaving her mind blank.

Pfft!

The yellow-robed skeleton suddenly knelt on one knee, head bowed. Only Shen Nian heard its voice, which was intermittent, as if it was about to dissipate.

"Ninth Mountain Named Disciple Zhou Xuan failed to subdue the demon, and his dao palace was shattered. Thankfully, this Disciple protected three thousand people who are still alive..."

"Before his death, Zhou Xuan humbly requests that Your Excellency not remove this Disciple's Named Disciple status, if possible?"

"This Disciple is incompetent and unworthy of entering the Ninth Mountain, having disappointed Your Excellency..."

"Zhou Xuan understands that from today onwards, I am merely a Loose Cultivator..."

Before Shen Nian's eyes, unlike the others, it was as if this place had returned to ancient times. This was actually an elegantly furnished room, and kneeling on one knee before him was not a skeleton, but a handsome middle-aged man with a pale face. Blood continuously flowed from the top of his head, causing his right eye to be tightly shut, making him look terrifyingly close to death. His life force was also disappearing at an extremely rapid pace.

"Ninth Mountain..." Shen Nian couldn't help but frown slightly after hearing these three words again. It was the Ninth Mountain again, which reminded Shen Nian that his own Sect was also the Ninth Mountain.

However, the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Demon Sealing Sect were not on the same level at all... If there was a connection between the two, the Heavenly Sword Sect would not be as weak as it is today.

Shen Nian stood quietly in place, but after waiting for a moment, no one spoke. The scene before him still hadn't dispersed, and seeing the other party's gaze, filled with longing and fervor, fixed on him, Shen Nian was startled.

Is he talking to me?

Across the ages, conversing with me...?

Shen Nian's eyes narrowed slightly, and he softly said, "Zhou Xuan?"

"This Disciple is here!" The middle-aged man's face had originally been one of near despair, his eyes hollow, but upon hearing this voice, he immediately showed an agitated expression, looked up at Shen Nian, and respectfully replied.

"This..." Shen Nian was somewhat shaken. Even he couldn't remain calm. Conversing with an ancient Cultivator across the ages—even his Old Ancestor would probably be stunned.

But what made Shen Nian even more puzzled was, why him?

He glanced around at Murong Chen and Wang Damu, who both looked bewildered, and realized that they couldn't hear or see anything at all.

Is it because I am the Chief of the Ninth Mountain of the Heavenly Sword Sect?

But the two aren't even from the same Sect!

After much thought, Shen Nian asked, "Why are you like this? What happened? Where are the others from the Demon Sealing Sect?"

But facing Shen Nian's questions, Zhou Xuan seemed not to hear them, merely looking up with that longing expression.

Shen Nian fell silent. It seemed this was merely Zhou Xuan's obsession, no longer possessing the ability to think or answer.

Nevermind.

Regarding the Demon Sealing Sect, I'll search carefully after returning to the Shen Family. Even if I knew these things now, I couldn't do anything about them for the time being. It's still necessary to accelerate the improvement of my Realm.

After all, my destiny is intertwined with the Yao Race. If I don't exterminate them, it will be difficult to achieve longevity.

Immediately after, Shen Nian glanced at Zhou Xuan, roughly understanding why his obsession had remained until now. It seemed that he had failed to complete the Demon Sealing Sect's mission back then and had his Named Disciple status revoked, which he had never been able to let go of.

This thought was so profound that it refused to dissipate even tens of thousands of years after his death, clearly still waiting for that sliver of opportunity.

This made Shen Nian feel a hint of admiration, and at the same time, he showed a rare trace of pity—it was the first time he had displayed such an expression.

The other party was willing to risk his life to kill demons and protect the Human Race. Both his Heart-Nature and character were worthy of being a Disciple of the Ninth Mountain.

"My Ninth Mountain Chief isn't from the Demon Sealing Sect. I don't know if my words will be effective," Shen Nian mused inwardly.

I'll try. Since I've received so many things from you, consider this me helping you once.

Thinking this, Shen Nian spoke with a serious expression, calling out, "Zhou Xuan."

"This Disciple is here!" Zhou Xuan's body trembled, and he looked up at Shen Nian.

"From today onwards, you are Zhou Xuan, a Disciple of my Ninth Mountain, no longer a Named Disciple. Are you willing?"

After Shen Nian's voice rang out, Zhou Xuan's eyes immediately reddened, and his entire body trembled. A somewhat stiff smile appeared, and then he heavily bowed his head.

"Zhou Xuan is willing!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for your grace!"

"Living as a Ninth Mountain Cultivator, dying as a Mountain and Sea Soul..."

"Zhou Xuan has no regrets..."

After his choked voice faded, the scene before him vanished, and the skeleton in front of Shen Nian gradually turned into ashes and dispersed, leaving only a stone bead that flew into Shen Nian's hand.

"I initially forged my dao palace and rendered meritorious service in sealing the Crimson Demon. The Ninth Mountain bestowed upon me a Heavenly Dao Foundation Stone. This item can serve as the Foundation for a dao palace..."

"Inside the stone door behind me lies my life's accumulation..."

"Finally..."

"Many thanks, Your Excellency..."