Watching the Mountain

When Xu Ran saw the Vermilion Bird above the sea of clouds, the first thing that came to mind was how he had once described his disciple, Xiyue: the Array Dao Vermilion Bird.

But that was merely a thought born from the pride he felt for Little Xiyue. He had never truly imagined that one day, Little Xiyue would become a Vermilion Bird.

He had no idea what was going on with the Vermilion Bird that had suddenly appeared before the world.

But the moment he saw the Vermilion Bird appear, a faint sense of unease stirred within him.

Even though it was a creature from mythology, he found it deeply familiar, almost dear to him.

This only made him more uneasy.

He couldn’t tell how large the Vermilion Bird above the horizon was. Even though it was clearly within the confines of this world, he felt as if it enveloped the entire heavens and earth, carrying this realm with it as it soared through the nine heavens.

It was as if the entire world was now bathed in the sacred, benevolent, and hopeful crimson light radiating from the Vermilion Bird.

No one could see the Vermilion Bird’s entire form. Xu Ran believed that not even someone whose strength reached the Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarch Realm would be able to.

The Vermilion Bird gave a single, gentle flap of its wings, and the entire world shook violently. It felt like being in a small boat on the vast ocean, struck by a cresting wave and on the verge of being swallowed by the sea at any moment.

While he was lost in a daze, he felt the Vermilion Bird’s gaze fall upon him from a distance. It was only a single glance, but Xu Ran’s heart leaped in his chest, and the unease within him intensified.

His face deathly pale, he turned his head to the equally stunned Little Witch, Ye Qingxue, and asked, "Elder Qingxue, do you know what’s going on? Why has a Vermilion Bird appeared? Aren’t they just creatures of myth and legend?"

Ye Qingxue stared blankly at the Vermilion Bird in the sky, sighing with fascination in her eyes, "So beautiful."

When she heard Xu Ran’s words, she snapped back to her senses and gently shook her head. "I only know a few things about Senior Brother Ye Shan—things my master told me. As for anything else, I’m not sure."

Hearing this, Xu Ran turned back, disappointed.

While the two were speaking, the Vermilion Bird high in the firmament began to move. It spread its wings, tilted its head back, and let out a cry so clear and majestic the world itself seemed to brighten. After circling once in the sky, it swooped violently toward the ground.

There was no earth-shattering commotion. The entire world suddenly seemed to freeze, falling into an eerie silence.

In that instant, all sound in the world vanished.

And as the Vermilion Bird had spread its wings, they acted like two ancient scrolls, bit by bit gathering up the crimson that had previously dyed the world.

When the last trace of red vanished from the world, "HUMMM!"

The ring of a sword echoed across the heavens.

Instantly, all color vanished from sight, leaving only shades of gray.

Then, Xu Ran found he couldn’t move.

His mind and consciousness were intact, but he had simply lost control of his body.

It was because his entire body was now immersed in a powerful Sword Intent.

He even saw that the trees, which had been swaying in the wind, had now frozen, as if they, like him, dared not move.

The stream before him, the waterfalls, the mountains and rivers, the wind, and the sunlight—all had fallen still.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t move, but that they dared not.

Just then, however, Xu Ran suddenly heard Ye Qingxue shout to Ye Shu beside her:

"Ye Shu, open your eyes wide! Watch everything that happens next, and watch it clearly. You must watch clearly! It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. But you have to remember it. No matter how painful it gets, you must remember."

The moment she finished speaking, Xu Ran saw Ye Qingxue lose consciousness out of the corner of his eye.

But her body didn’t collapse.

Because it dared not.

*

*

*

’In Xu Ran’s experience, Ye Shan’s everyday behavior was nothing like that of a Sword Cultivator.’

’Most people imagined Sword Cultivators to be cold, solitary, or arrogant—in short, a group of very distinctive individuals.’

’But Ye Shan was different. He was a prodigy of the Sword Dao and certainly had an air of arrogance, but his pride was directed only at himself, never at others.’

’The impression he usually gave was more like that of a frivolous young master—a bit of a loudmouth, someone tactless and flippant.’

’He acted that way with everyone. Upon first meeting him, no one would believe he was the peerless Sword Cultivator who made all other prodigies of his generation pale in comparison.’

Like the youth in a green robe now standing upon the firmament, Ye Shan’s appearance had reverted to the youthful form he had when he and Xu Ran first met.

He stood quietly on the horizon, lacking the typical solitude, arrogance, or coldness of a Sword Cultivator. He simply looked like the sort of uncommonly gifted young prodigy one might encounter anywhere.

Xu Ran even found himself thinking, ’Most people, upon seeing him for the first time, would probably be unable to associate him with the Sword Intent that now permeates the entire world.’

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Ye Shan, standing high on the firmament, began to speak.

What he said still sounded nothing like a Sword Cultivator.

"About a hundred years ago, I conceived of a form of Swordsmanship. But just as I was about to execute it, it was reclaimed by this very world."

"This world felt my Swordsmanship was too magnificent. It decided that if such a technique were to be executed, it must be one that already existed within the Heaven and Earth Dao, not one conceived by a mere human Cultivator."

"Simply put, this world and I are fighting over ownership of the Swordsmanship."

"I know you can’t possibly understand, nor would you be willing to believe me. After all, what you can imagine as ’excellent’ is only so-so. My excellence has long since surpassed your imagination."

"I have never accepted it. How could the mere world itself possibly limit me?"

"I know that in this world, there are many ’friends’ from the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race. You have spent countless eons plotting and lurking here. Now that my state is Heart Melt Heaven and Earth, no trace of you in this world can hide from my sight."

"However, I have no interest whatsoever in your so-called grand plans or schemes."

"My only interest is in killing you and using you to test my sword."

"Now, open your eyes wide and see clearly what a form of Swordsmanship that makes even Heaven and Earth jealous looks like."

When he finished speaking, he gave a light wave of his hand, and a longsword materialized in his grasp.

He held the longsword horizontally before him and spoke softly:

"Remember this. My name is Ye Shan. The sword’s name is Ye Shan. This sword *is* Ye Shan!"

"With this sword, I send all of you ’friends’ from the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race to the heavens!"

As his voice faded, he gently swung the longsword in his hand.

"HUMMM!"

The instant Ye Shan swung his sword, Xu Ran’s vision vanished completely, leaving only the endless ringing of a blade in his ears.

It was the first time Xu Ran had ever experienced such a sensation. He could see nothing, yet an image persisted in his mind’s eye: a single sword that, upon closer inspection, multiplied into countless blades.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. When everything returned to calm, his vision gradually recovered, but Ye Shan’s figure was long gone from the firmament above.

"Senior Brother is lying," came Ye Qingxue’s voice. "He told our master that the world had allowed him to use it once, but he was the one who backed down."

Xu Ran was taken aback for a moment, but he was more concerned about the Vermilion Bird... or rather, what had become of his own disciple, Little Xiyue.