Feng Zhirun's sword intent soared to the heavens, like a god among men, revealing his full might.
With every move, he flowed like a ceaseless river, infusing his emotions into his swordsmanship.
Or rather, he integrated his Twelve Aspects of Sentient Beings into his swordsmanship.
Years ago, after suffering successive blows, Feng Zhirun's mental state had deteriorated significantly, leading him to embrace Buddhism in hopes of self-redemption through its teachings.
Yet, unexpectedly, Buddhism failed to redeem him. Instead, he harnessed its principles, channeling his emotions into his sword techniques, ultimately comprehending the Twelve Aspects.
Each of the Twelve Aspects possessed boundless power, truly a great divine ability of Buddhism.
However, this still did not bring peace to Feng Zhirun's heart.
He abandoned Buddhism and turned to Taoism, where he realized a profound truth.
If the problem cannot be solved, then solve the one who poses the problem.
For Feng Zhirun, the cause of his "inner demon" was none other than the Tidal Association, which had annihilated his entire clan.
Thus, wielding a single sword, he swept across the land, striking fear into the realms of man, ghost, and god, and shattering the Tidal Association into disarray.
However, the Tidal Association, being an organization with ancient heritage, did not die easily even after such devastation; but this is a story for another time.
Yet, the rampant slaughter finally calmed Feng Zhirun's heart.
His swordsmanship also returned to its unadorned state, reaching the realm of ultimate simplicity. Drawing his sword, sheathing it, much like his painting in the past, a stroke, then another, without fixed patterns or dazzling displays.
Simple, moving with the heart.
Feng Zhirun's demeanor also underwent a transformation. The arrogance of looking down upon humanity, the detachment from the world, the indifference to life—all vanished. What remained was an ordinary, almost elderly presence, so subtle that one might overlook him if not paying close attention.
He had thoroughly become an "ordinary" old man.
Seeing mountains as himself, seeing water as himself, seeing all living beings as himself, he grew ever more powerful.
Liu Nanfeng followed, as if experiencing Feng Zhirun's entire life, yet upon reflection, he had experienced nothing at all.
These were merely illusions created by Feng Zhirun's empathy, a false perception projected onto him. In reality, apart from his peerless skills, everything was void, everything was an illusion.
However, Liu Nanfeng still gained little comprehension. The core reason was that Feng Zhirun's supreme skills demanded a high level of mental cultivation. Many things could only be understood through personal experience; otherwise, all talk was in vain.
Conversely, Su Jinxiu, who accompanied them, gained much more, her strength rapidly advancing. For a time, she even forgot her task of awakening Liu Nanfeng.
It was only when she heard the anxious cries of her sister, Su Huamei, that she awoke.
It was fortunate it was Su Huamei; otherwise, it would have been impossible for anyone else to contact her at this moment.
"Husband, husband..." Su Jinxiu reached out to grasp Liu Nanfeng's arm, but it was to no avail.
At this moment, Liu Nanfeng was immersed in Feng Zhirun's sword intent, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.
Meanwhile, Su Huamei outside grew even more anxious, as Liu Nanfeng's last vestige of spirit and energy grew weaker.
At this point, Su Jinxiu, who had entered Liu Nanfeng's consciousness, also noticed this without Su Huamei needing to say anything. As Liu Nanfeng's contemplation deepened, his form became fainter, as if he could be scattered by the wind at any moment.
As for Feng Zhirun, he had long since sunk into the sea of Liu Nanfeng's memories and vanished.
"Husband, Nanfeng..."
Su Jinxiu appeared utterly panicked. But no matter how she called out, Liu Nanfeng remained unresponsive.
This made her even more regretful and self-reproachful.
Because when she first entered, Liu Nanfeng had still responded to her calls. If she had persisted, she might have succeeded in waking him.
But she had unexpectedly also become captivated by Feng Zhirun's heaven-shattering swordsmanship.
Finally, with no other recourse, Su Jinxiu activated her soul, attempting to collide with Liu Nanfeng. This method was extremely dangerous, with the outcome being either Liu Nanfeng absorbing her or she absorbing Liu Nanfeng.
However, it was clear that she could not absorb Liu Nanfeng, so she decided to sacrifice herself, to give herself up.
"Husband..."
Everything that had happened with Liu Nanfeng flashed through her mind.
From acquaintance to understanding, from understanding to longing, and finally to entering the hall of marriage.
Her memories surfaced from her soul. Just as she was about to dissipate into this world, she suddenly noticed a detail.
It was the very reason she had been able to find Liu Nanfeng, the clue that revealed he was Feng Zhirun reincarnated.
As her thoughts stirred, a finger bone, smooth and jade-like, appeared in this world, emitting a gentle radiance.
Su Jinxiu was overjoyed. The appearance of this finger bone here was truly unexpected and made her feel its extraordinary nature even more.
At this moment, Liu Nanfeng, who had been deeply engrossed in thought, seemed to sense something and finally looked up.
"Husband..." Su Jinxiu cried out joyfully.
"Huh? Wife, when did you get here?" Liu Nanfeng asked in surprise.
"I've been here for a long time," Su Jinxiu replied, a hint of grievance in her voice.
After all, this was Liu Nanfeng's sea of consciousness, and everything that transpired was faithfully recorded by it. Thus, in a moment, he understood everything that had happened.
Seeing that Su Jinxiu had been willing to sacrifice herself to be absorbed by him in order to awaken him, his heart was filled with an inexpressible warmth.
Because they were within Liu Nanfeng's consciousness, Su Jinxiu immediately felt his emotions as well.
"Husband..."
Su Jinxiu's eyes glistened with emotion as she called out his name.
"Let's go, we'll talk outside first," Liu Nanfeng said, stepping forward to take her hand.
The holy relic finger bone that had been floating in mid-air then retracted into Su Jinxiu's body.
Liu Nanfeng couldn't help but cast a few more curious glances. He felt that while bathed in the radiance of the holy relic finger bone, his soul seemed to have grown considerably stronger.
However, this was not the place to talk. With a thought from Liu Nanfeng, he awakened in reality.
Though his body was sore and weak, and his eyelids felt as heavy as mountains, he forced himself to open his eyes, just in time to meet Su Huamei's face, which was close before him.
Seeing Liu Nanfeng awaken, Su Huamei's face lit up with joy.
But before she could speak, Liu Nanfeng asked laboriously, "Where is your sister?"
Su Huamei pouted in dissatisfaction at his question.
At that moment, Su Jinxiu, who had been sitting beside them, also sat up and gently stroked his cheek, saying, "I'm here."
Liu Nanfeng now lacked the strength even to turn his head. Seeing the joy in Su Jinxiu's eyes, he remained silent, for he had no more strength for words.
"Quickly, get the ginseng from the cabinet," Su Jinxiu said anxiously.
"Oh," Su Huamei replied, disappearing in a flurry.
Su Jinxiu shook her head helplessly.
Soon, Su Huamei reappeared, holding the few precious ginseng roots that Su Jinxiu had treasured.
Su Jinxiu took one and with a light flick of her fingernail, the entire ginseng turned into fine particles. She gently pried open Liu Nanfeng's mouth and placed some into it.
Then, she used her mouth to transfer a trace of spiritual energy, helping him to swallow.
As the ginseng entered his stomach, Liu Nanfeng's complexion visibly recovered at an astonishing rate.
The Su sisters finally breathed a sigh of relief.