১৪৪ অধ্যায়: হাড়ের চাবি

yun fei sighed in his heart as he looked at yun tianhai’s expectant gaze. this matter had affected him too deeply and for too long. he blamed himself and felt remorse, because he viewed all of this as having originated from him, and he had voluntarily shouldered all the responsibility and guilt.

if it came to hatred, yun tianhai’s hatred was a hundred times more intense than yun fei’s. after all, a single move of his had sent hundreds of disciples to their deaths.

"hatred? this is a blood feud, how could i not hate?" yun fei spoke softly.

"a grudge must be avenged; that is what makes a man of the yun family." yun tianhai was gratified. he had been terrified that yun fei would shrink back. after all, those were the four great sects; without a certain level of strength, seeking revenge was nothing more than a delusion.

"however, before seeking revenge, we must elevate our own strength, otherwise, everything is just empty talk." yun tianhai shook his head and continued, "after all, those are the forces of the four sects. relying solely on the strength of our qingfeng sect is completely insufficient to contend with them. those elite disciples all perished in this valley. thirty years of accumulation is far too short, and revenge can only be postponed."

there was a hint of melancholy in yun tianhai’s words, for he understood that those elite disciples were already dead. to restore the sect to the peak prosperity of thirty years ago without a certain accumulation of time and experience was simply impossible.

although he had hidden away in the trial realm without taking a single step outside, his mind had not rusted, and the problems he considered were quite comprehensive. therefore, despite his intense hatred, he had not acted rashly.

yun fei deeply agreed. however, even if they could not exact revenge on those responsible back then, they could still exact some interest from the disciples who had entered the trial realm. besides, after hearing yun tianram's account, he had already formed this idea.

"by the way, grand uncle, what happened after that great battle?" yun fei changed the subject and asked.

in that battle, he had clearly seen yun tianhai pierce his own chest with a long sword. he wanted to know what had happened at the time to prevent yun tianhai from dying, and furthermore, since he was not dead, why were there still so many skeletal remains left behind in the valley?

although those remains included the corpses of disciples from other sects, there must still have been bones of qingfeng sect disciples among them. why had he not gathered them all?

"don't rush, listen to me slowly. i know what you want to ask!" yun tianhai smiled faintly and began his tale once more.

in that battle, yun tianhai had indeed pierced his chest with his sword and committed suicide. but for some unknown reason, after an unknown amount of time, he had actually regained a sliver of sensation, faintly able to feel the pain coming from his chest.

slowly, he regained consciousness. although he was still heavily injured, he was able to move his feet. even though it was just a shuffle, it was still a sign of life.

he slowly walked toward the cave where he was now, ignoring the wailing ghosts. just like that, he entered the valley, sat cross-legged on the ground to tend to his injuries, and did not fully recover until half a month later.

as for what had happened at the time to bring him back from the dead, he still had not figured it out to this day. he did not know what had occurred, though his guess was that someone had intervened to save him.

yun fei found this explanation hard to believe. after all, the only ones who had entered the trial realm were the six great sects and some managers from the tianqing sect. who would step in to save him? to take a step back, even if someone had saved him, how could the ghosts filling the valley have easily let a living soul walk through?

furthermore, if someone had saved him, why not take yun tianhai directly out of the valley? why leave him in place to recover from his injuries on his own? yun fei guessed that the most likely reason yun tianhai had returned alive from the gates of hell was that the sword had missed his vital organs at the time, merely grazing the heart area and causing a state of suspended animation.

regardless of the factors, yun tianhai had ultimately not perished in the valley. for yun fei, and indeed the entire qingfeng sect, this was a fortunate blessing.

later on, after his injuries had completely healed, yun tianhai went into the valley to gather the remains of his fellow sect members. who would have thought that just as he had gathered a few dozen corpses, a roar of a beast would echo from afar?

the sound was earth-shattering. even though it was over ten miles away, giant boulders on the valley walls were shaken loose. this deeply shocked yun tianhai, and not daring to linger in the valley, he quickly returned to the cave and bolted the stone door shut.

the color of the cave door and the rock face were extremely similar; without careful observation, it was hard to notice that a cave existed here. he truly wondered how xuan yangzi and the others had managed to find this place back then.

hardly had he hidden inside the cave when a tremor akin to an earthquake swept through the valley. piercing, miserable shrieks erupted from the ghosts in the valley, as if they had encountered something terrifying.

yun tianhai held his breath and carefully released his spiritual perception. his face instantly turned exceptionally pale, because the other party's aura was far too powerful, giving him a sense of utter helplessness and leaving him without a shred of a desire to resist.

it was a fierce beast, unimaginably huge in size, to the extent that its entire form could not be seen. watching it devour the ghosts of the valley like a whale swallowing water, his eyes split with rage. there were not only the souls of disciples from the other four sects there, but also the souls of qingfeng sect disciples. this was unbearable for yun tianhai, but the disparity in their strength left him unable to act rashly; he could only roar with frustration in his heart.

through his description, yun fei learned the identity of that beast—the soul-devouring beast.

"that fierce beast did not leave after devouring the souls within the valley; instead, it entrenched itself there. although it was injured, i was no match for it either, and could only hide in the cave, cultivating while waiting for an opportunity to gather those remains. it wasn't until it left that i found the chance to collect those bones, and then you arrived."

saying this, he looked at yun fei, a gratified smile playing on the corners of his mouth as he said, "the moment you stepped into the valley, i discovered you. looking at your respectful attitude, i knew you must be a disciple of the qingfeng sect. if you were a disciple of the other four sects, you would never have had such a devout attitude. because of this, i didn't disturb you. only after you finished gathering the remains did i release a trace of my aura so you would notice."

hearing yun tianhai's account, yun fei finally understood why he had only sensed that faint, elusive aura after finishing the collection of the bones. it turned out that all of this was his doing.

however, yun tianhai's narrative completely dispelled the doubts in yun fei's heart. he felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, bringing a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"grand uncle, the matters here have come to an end. why not leave the trial realm with me?" yun fei asked.

yun tianhai shook his head and sighed, "the remains of my fellow sect members are here, and this is where they are buried. i will stay here to keep them company; only then will they not feel so lonely. moreover, even if i go out, would tianram and my father be able to forgive me? forget it, i am quite well here, i will not go out."

though yun tianhai had been trapped here for thirty years, it had not worn away his sharpness and proud bones. he always felt he was a sinner, and only here could his heart find peace.

"participating in this trial this time, my father specifically instructed me to come here and collect the remains of our predecessors so their souls could return to their homeland. if my father knew grand uncle is still alive, he would only be overjoyed, how could he blame you!" hearing yun tianhai's self-reproachful words, yun fei persuaded him.

when all was said and done, this matter could not really be blamed on yun tianhai; one could only say he had good intentions that led to a bad outcome. if yun fei had been in his shoes back then, he surely would have made a similar choice, though perhaps he wouldn't have committed his entire strength quite like that.

yun tianhai looked at him. there were some things he did not ask about. even though their relationship was deep, he knew those were the secrets of the youth before him, and he could not casually inquire.

"let me think about this!" yun tianhai pondered for a long time before finally letting out a sigh. then, he asked, "are your father and grandfather well? is the qingfeng sect well?"

after recounting the past, more than four hours had passed. his thirty years of monotonous life offered nothing else to tell. although his person was trapped in the trial realm, his heart had always remained tethered to the qingfeng sect and his martial brothers within the sect.

after careful consideration, yun fei decided to tell him the truth of the matter. perhaps only in this way could he persuade yun tianhai to leave the trial realm and depart with him.

seeing yun fei hesitating with words on his lips, yun tianhai had a bad premonition. he spoke directly, "speak your mind; your grand uncle is not as fragile as you think. whether good or bad, tell me everything!"

although he said this, yun fei could read the gravity, worry, and anxiety in his words. he was still deeply concerned about his sect and his brothers.

yun fei nodded, his lips moving as he recounted everything to yun tianhai. although he did not know what had happened to the qingfeng sect thirty years ago, it undoubtedly had an inseparable connection with the other four sects, because he had never once seen the grandfather yun tianhai spoke of.

"what did you say? ever since you could remember, you have never seen my father—your grandfather?"

upon hearing yun fei's narrative, yun tianhai sprang to his feet, entirely losing his previous composure and steadiness. he was furious, flames of rage shooting from his eyes. he had not shown such an expression even when recounting that tragic scene from thirty years ago.

evidently, yun tianhai had thought of a certain possibility: that in order to protect the sect, his father had met with misfortune.

yun fei sat there without a word, watching as yun tianhai vented his fury, his fist pounding against the cave wall with rumbling echoes as shattered stones tumbled down from above.

after a moment, yun tianhai recovered from his agitation. this was the first time in thirty years he had lost control like this. clearly, the current state of the qingfeng sect had dealt him a severe shock.

yun fei did not mock him; he only felt a profound ache in his heart. the qingfeng sect was the painstaking effort of generations of yun family ancestors, yet by their generation, it had fallen to such a state of decline. for him, this was difficult to accept.

"over these years, tianram has truly suffered."

with his black hair disheveled and looking like a man possessed, yun tianhai stood before the rock wall, staring at the fist print upon it, and spoke softly, "take this thing first. when the divine palace appears, i will show up."

obviously, upon learning the current state of the qingfeng sect, he could no longer stay here. no matter what, he could not bear to watch the qingfeng sect decline. moreover, he harbored another thought in his heart: upon going out, he must thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of his father.

as he spoke, an object flew toward yun fei, who reached out and caught it in his palm. opening his hand to look closely, he found an additional key in his grasp. however, this key was carved from bone—a bone key.