The deeper they went, the darker the passageway became. The Sword of the Universe was flying two feet above the ground, like a ghost.
After leaving the nunnery, Qing 'er thought of the word "tomb" for the third time. Feeling a bit cold, she leaned toward Jing Jiu subconsciously and grabbed his collar.
On both sides of the passageway were hard stone walls carved with amulets. Powerful forbidding formations were hidden in the stone walls.
Was this the legendary Sword Jail of Aoyama? Why did Jing Jiu want to come here?
Sensing the coldness coming from the cliff walls, Qing 'er figured out the reason.
There was a cold source at the bottom of the Shangde Peak, which was the coldest place among the peaks of Aoyama. It was the most suitable place for the Snow Girl to cultivate and live.
What she didn't know was that the Sword Jail wouldn't be as tranquil as it was now. The cells on both sides of the passageway would emit a violent, ocean-like aura.
Even a wisp of that violent, dark, and filthy aura could pollute the Dao Tree of an ordinary Cultivation practitioner and destroy their Dao Heart.
Many demons and devils with terrifying Cultivation states were imprisoned in those stone cells. They were all ferocious creatures that could stop a baby from crying at night.
But these prisoners didn't make any noise today. They tried their best to conceal their aura, not daring to let any of it leak out.
The Snow Girl sat in front of the Sword of the Universe.
She covered herself with a quilt. She didn't take a look at the cells on both sides, nor did she release her aura on her own initiative. She even used the Inherited Heaven Sword to suppress her aura. But those prisoners could still sense her existence clearly, and they were filled with fear.
Those demons had already knelt on the floor of the cells, touching their foreheads to the ground outside the stone door. They didn't dare to stand up, as a sign of submission.
The suppression of a higher-level being over a lower-level one was fully demonstrated at this moment.
Jing Jiu looked at the back of the Snow Girl in silence. No one knew what he was thinking.
The Snow Girl suddenly uttered a cry.
Jing Jiu's pupils shrank slightly, but soon returned to normal. He said, "I'll find a suitable opportunity to release your people and send them back to the Snowy Kingdom."
The Snow Girl didn't say anything more.
The Sword of the Universe flew soundlessly. Soon, it arrived at the deepest part of the Sword Jail.
It wasn't the darkest place. there was a faint light coming from the front, illuminating the stone walls and the ground.
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard from one of the cells.
Jing Jiu knew that Martial Uncle Tai Lu was imprisoned in this cell.
The elder with the highest seniority in Aoyama was also shocked by Xue Gie's arrival and wanted to take a look at her.
The deeper they went into the Sword Jail, the drier the air became, and the wider the passageway became. Eventually, it turned into a large hall. The floor was paved with green flagstones, and there were bright lamps hanging all around.
There was a passage on the right side of the hall. The lights on both sides formed two lines, leading to a lonely stone chamber in the depths of the hall.
The Sword of the Universe flew over noiselessly. It didn't meet any obstruction, and there was no aura of any restrictive spell or formation on either side of the tunnel.
The furnishings in that cell were very simple, but very complete. Other than the bed, there was also a table and a variety of utensils, all very exquisite.
Water trickled down from the stone walls like a spring, splashing pearls and jades. The blue sky and white clouds projected by the instrument, as well as the green water of Aoyama, looked even more mystical with the mist.
Qing 'er thought that this was the proper way to treat a guest. Those gloomy and dreadful cells in front of her were nowhere suitable for a person to live in. But … this stone chamber was a bit too simple and crude. She hoped that Her Highness wouldn't have any objection.
"There's a cold source here, which can provide for your needs. You can take a rest here for a while. We'll see how to deal with it later."
After saying this, Jing Jiu left the stone chamber with Qing 'er, walking toward the other end of the tunnel.
His facial expression was natural, and his footsteps were steady. The sound of his boots hitting the ground was neither too loud nor too light.
The door of the stone chamber was closed slowly.
Jing Jiu kept walking forward, silent and calm.
But somehow, a tense and depressing atmosphere spread out, enveloping the entire tunnel.
All of a sudden, the moaning of the Xue Gie was heard from the stone chamber.
Jing Jiu took another step forward, as if he hadn't heard the moaning at all.
This step was the thirteenth step.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of a dozen swords rang out in the quiet tunnel.
Qing 'er's face was pale. She felt extreme fear. She looked back at the stone chamber and saw that thirteen sword lights had appeared in the tunnel and then retreated into the stone walls, leaving behind countless fierce and chilling sword wills, like lingering charm.
Those sword wills were extremely powerful and terrifying, and their states were also extremely high. She shuddered with fear just by looking at them.
The tunnel, which had been normal before, was instantly sealed by the sword formation. It was as if there were a dozen chasms in the middle, and it was impossible to pass through.
"What's going on?"
Qing 'er looked at Jing Jiu in shock. She found that his face was also very pale, and he looked extremely tired. It was as if he had used up a lot of energy, but his expression seemed to be much more relaxed.
This prohibition was called the Freezing of All Things. It was derived from the Locking Autumn in the sword style of Aoyama, but its power and level were many times higher. It was composed of thirteen sword formations, containing innumerable sword wills.
Jing Jiu took thirteen steps after leaving the stone chamber, and thirteen sword lights appeared in the tunnel. He wasn't setting up a formation; he was closing the door.
"I asked you to come to Aoyama to rest for a while. But I can't tell how long it will take."
He didn't turn around. Looking at the hall in front of him that was illuminated by the lights, he said, "Before I find a suitable method, I can only lock you up. This is the only solution."
The stone chamber was quiet for a long time. Then the Xue Gie's moaning came again. It was a bit weak, and it was unclear whether she was angry or sad.
"Before humans can control a powerful force, they can hardly trust it. They would even rather destroy it."
Jing Jiu continued, "You should know this very well. So please agree with me, and please don't be angry."
Having said that, Jing Jiu didn't linger any longer, heading toward the outside.
Seeing Jing Jiu, Qing 'er was stunned speechless, wondering what was going on.
Didn't he invite the Xue Gie to come to Aoyama to be the principal guard? Why did he suddenly lock her up in the Sword Jail?
Did he lie to her in the nunnery? Did he intend to trick her into coming to Aoyama?
Jing Jiu didn't say anything. He kept walking forward. His footsteps were as steady as before. The sound he made when he landed on the ground was the same as before, neither too soft nor too loud.
It was unclear whether Jing Jiu's mood was heavy or light at the moment, or if he wasn't affected at all.
Qing 'er felt even colder; it was not because of the cold source at the bottom of the Sword Jail or the dreadful demons and devils in the cells on the two sides of the tunnel.
She thought Jing Jiu was rather dreadful, so she didn't dare sit on his shoulder anymore. She returned to the Green Sky Mirror stealthily.
Jing Jiu was aware of what was on her mind, but he didn't explain it to her. He walked to the front of Dead Dog.
The sunlight shone down, illuminating the bottom of the well.
Dead Dog and Jing Jiu eyed each other without saying a word; but they could sense the heaviness in each other's hearts.
… …
… …
It was true.
Jing Jiu agreed with Tong Yan's plan. He left the Cold Mountain with the Snow Girl, who was sleeping soundly. He didn't inform Aoyama or White Town. What he said to her in the nunnery while waiting for her to wake up … was all a lie.
This was not a scheme, a trick, a cold-blooded, greedy, or shameless act; it was the only solution.
The Snow Girl was the offspring of the Queen. If she came to the human world uncontrollably, she would bring a catastrophe to the human race.
All the Cultivation sects, including the Guocheng Temple and the deviant sects like the Mysterious Dark Church, would demand her death.
This situation was no different from what had happened in Taiping Zhenren back then.
Leaving the Snow Girl in Aoyama as the Principal Guard? It was impossible, and it would be attacked by the whole world. Even if Aoyama was not afraid of it … why?
For some reason, which had nothing to do with sympathy, Jing Jiu didn't want the Snow Girl to die. As such, he had to find a way to imprison her, and he had to imprison her.
Was there any place in Chaotian that could imprison the Snow Girl?
The Fiend Prison couldn't do it. Even if the Old Dragon was still alive, it couldn't imprison the Snow Girl; it was because she was a living being, and the Old Dragon was already dead.
The Sword Jail in Aoyama was the only place where she could imprison the Snow Girl, and it had to be that particular cell.
Taiping Zhenren had been imprisoned in that cell, and the powerful forbidding formation of sealing all things in ice had been set up in advance.
Jing Jiu could bring Zhao Layue into that cell back then because he was the key to this forbidding formation.
Today, he brought the Snow Girl into that cell and came out again. All he did was close the doors of the cell with the key.
His Cultivation state was far lower than before, so he couldn't set up the Formation of Sealing All Things in ice; but the doors were still the same, and the key was still the same.
Even though the Snow Girl had grown up a bit, she was still not as powerful as Taiping Zhenren back then. Since that cell could imprison Taiping Zhenren for three hundred years, it could also imprison her.
As they left the cell, Jing Jiu behaved calmly, but he was actually extremely nervous.
It was not because he felt guilty or felt sorry for the Snow Girl, but because he was worried that the Snow Girl might discover the problem and rush out of the cell in advance.
These were the most difficult steps in his life.
He had experienced such a nervous moment only three times in his long life.
The first time was six hundred years ago during the civil war in Aoyama. He walked to Mochen Peak with his Big Brother after eating hotpot with his sword.
The second time was three hundred years ago. He walked to his Big Brother with his sword after eating hotpot with Liu Ci and Yuan Qijing.
The third time was today.
…
…
In the passageway, the sword wills had all been hidden in the stone walls, and no formidable intent could be sensed.
Yet, apart from the tiniest things in the world, like the mosquitoes in the Fiend Prison, nothing alive could pass through here.
The Snow Girl sat on the bed in the cell in Silence while wrapped in the quilt, looking a bit pitiful.
All of a sudden, she lifted her head and looked at a spot.
Pah!!!
A tiny ice crystal landed on the ground and broke into pieces. It was unclear what it was.
It was a mosquito in the Fiend Prison.
Jing Jiu had done many things with the help of these invisible mosquitoes, but they were meaningless to her.
In the next moment, something eerie happened.
A thin line suddenly appeared on the Snow Girl's face, extending from the left side to the right side.
It seemed that an invisible pen was drawing on the line.
The line was very red, like blood, and then it split apart slowly.
The Snow Girl grinned, laughing soundlessly.
It seemed that she was quite satisfied with all this.
…
…
I took my niece to the hot spring the night before, and one of my New Year's wishes was fulfilled. When we went to look at the stars in the middle of the night, the leader called out by the lakeside, "Do you want to lie down and watch the stars?" So my niece and I lay down obediently. The starry sky is indeed more attractive, but it is also very cold … After a while, we got up from the cold and returned to the lakeside, and found the leader had a faint smile on his face, looking quite satisfied.
(End of this chapter)
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