jiān ěr xiū shì fān le jǐ gè jīn dǒu ， dàn luò dì yǐ hòu ， yī rán lì zú wèi wěn ， dēng dēng dēng tuì hòu shù bù ， cái zǒng suàn zhàn zhù 。
尖耳修士翻了几个筋斗，但落地以后，依然立足未稳，蹬蹬蹬退后数步，才总算站住。
The sharp-eared cultivator flipped several somersaults, but upon landing, he still found his footing unstable. He stepped back a few steps before finally standing firm.
chī le diǎn xiǎo kuī ， hǎo zài bìng wú dà ài ， zhè jiǎo huá de jiā huo kàn zhuó yǎn qián de jiàn zhù chén yín le qǐ lái 。
吃了点小亏，好在并无大碍，这狡猾的家伙看着眼前的建筑沉吟了起来。
Though he had taken a small loss, it was not significant. As he looked at the buildings in front of him, he pondered aloud.
jìn zhì ， ér qiě shì wú xíng de nà zhǒng ， zhè kě yǒu xiē má fán le 。
禁制，而且是无形的那种，这可有些麻烦了。
"Anprohibition, and an invisible one at that. This is going to be troublesome."
tā qū zhǐ yī dàn ， yī lì huǒ qiú dài zhe wěi yàn ， xiàng zhe qián fāng jī shè chū lái ， jù lí dà mén hái yǒu bàn chǐ ， kōng qì tū rán rú shuǐ bō bān huàng dòng qǐ lái ， yī xià zi jiāng nà lì huǒ qiú fǎn tán 。
他屈指一弹，一粒火球带着尾焰，向着前方激射出来，距离大门还有半尺，空气突然如水波般晃动起来，一下子将那粒火球反弹。
He flicked his fingers, sending a fireball with a trail of flame towards the entrance. Just before reaching the gate, the air suddenly rippled like water, deflecting the fireball back.
tā biǎo qíng yī dòng ， jiē yòu shì le shù zhǒng shén tōng ， wán quán méi yòng ， jiān ěr xiū shì bù yóu de yǒu xiē ào nǎo le qǐ lái ， lüè yī chóu chú ， tā zài chǔ wù dài shàng yī pāi ， jiāng yī jīng zhì yì cháng de yù hé qǔ le chū lái 。
他表情一动，接又试了数种神通，完全没用，尖耳修士不由得有些懊恼了起来，略一踌躇，他在储物袋上一拍，将一精致异常的玉盒取了出来。
His expression changed as he tried several other abilities, but none worked. The sharp-eared cultivator couldn't help feeling frustrated and hesitated for a moment. He then tapped his storage bag and took out an exceptionally fine jade box—precisely the one stolen from Sword Obscuring Palace.
zhèng shì jiàn yōu gōng shī qiè de nà jiàn wù 。
正是剑幽宫失窃的那件物。
Holding the jade box in his hands with great solemnity, he cast a levitation spell. A blue light flashed as the box slowly floated before him.
jiāng yù hé pěng zài zhōng ， tā de biǎo qíng shí fēn zhèng zhòng ， xiān shì dǎ chū yī dào piāo fú shù ， zhǐ jiàn lán guāng kuáng shǎn ， cǐ hé xú xú fú yú tā de shēn qián 。
将玉盒捧在中，他的表情十分郑重，先是打出一道漂浮术，只见蓝光狂闪，此盒徐徐浮于他的身前。
Next, he activated a few spells carefully, and a jade pendant floated up. About the size of a palm, it shimmered with blue light—clearly not an ordinary item.
jiē zhe cǐ rén yī qiā jué ， xiǎo xīn yì de jiāng hé gài dǎ kāi ， yī yù pèi suí zhī piāo fú le qǐ lái 。
接着此人一掐诀，小心翼的将盒盖打开，一玉佩随之漂浮了起来。
The sharp-eared cultivator muttered several incantations. After casting more spells, the pendant suddenly swelled as if inflating in the wind.
yuē bā zhǎng dà xiǎo ， shàng miàn lán máng shǎn shuò ， yī kàn jiù bú shì fán wù 。
约巴掌大小，上面蓝芒闪烁，一看就不是凡物。
"Quick!"
jiān ěr xiū shì kǒu zhōng lián lián yǒu cí 。 yòu yī lián shù dào fǎ jué dǎ chū 。 yù pèi xī shōu yǐ hòu 。 tū rán yíng fēng zhǎng dà le qǐ lái 。
尖耳修士口中连连有词。又一连数道法诀打出。玉佩吸收以后。突然迎风涨大了起来。
He pointed at the pendant, and it spun rapidly before buzzing incessantly. White mist began to emanate from its surface.
“ jí ！”
“疾！”
The mist coalesced and surged forward towards the entrance of the building.
jiān shì chōng qí yì diǎn zhǐ 。 yù pèi dī liū liū yī zhuǎn zhī hòu wēng míng bù zhǐ 。 cóng qí biǎo miàn mí sàn chū wú shù bái sè dì wù qì 。
尖士冲其一点指。玉佩滴溜溜一转之后嗡鸣不止。从其表面弥散出无数白色地雾气。
Something strange happened; the mist passed through theprohibition without any hindrance, easily making its way inside. The gate creaked open on its own.
nà xiē wù qì jù jí zài yì qǐ 。 fān yǒng zhe 。 xiàng zhe qián fāng jiàn zhù dì dà mén yǒng qù 。
那些雾气聚集在一起。翻涌着。向着前方建筑地大门涌去。
It seemed this jade pendant was indeed a token controlling the array here.
qí yì dì shì qíng fā shēng le 。 nà xiē wù qì jū rán méi yǒu shòu dào jìn zhì dì zǔ gé 。 qīng ér yì jǔ dì jiù chuān le guò qù 。 jiē zhe dà mén zhī ya yī shēng zì jǐ dǎ kāi 。
奇异地事情发生了。那些雾气居然没有受到禁制地阻隔。轻而易举地就穿了过去。接着大门吱呀一声自己打开。
Seeing this, the sharp-eared cultivator's face lit up with joy.
jiù xiàng zhè yù pèi běn lái jiù shì kòng zhì cǐ chù zhèn fǎ dì lìng pái 。
就像这玉佩本来就是控制此处阵法地令牌。
"Sure enough, it is an order talisman from Jade Profound Sect," he said to himself as he retrieved the pendant. "I had merely guessed before, but now I have confirmed that Sword Obscuring Palace's efforts were in vain; they only helped me."
jiàn dào cǐ mù ， jiān ěr xiū shì liǎn shàng xiàn chū kuáng xǐ zhī sè 。
见到此幕，尖耳修士脸上现出狂喜之色。
With a self-satisfied murmur, he entered the courtyard.
“ yuán lái zhè guǒ rán shì yù xuán zōng de lìng fú 。” tā zhāo shǒu jiāng yù pèi shōu huí le zhǎng zhōng ：“ yuán xiān wǒ jǐn jǐn shì cāi cè zài zhōng yú zhèng shí ， jiàn yōu gōng zhǔ fèi jìn xīn jī dé dào cǐ bǎo ， zuò mèng yě bú huì xiǎng dào fǎn ér tì wǒ zuò le jià yī 。”
“原来这果然是玉玄宗的令符。”他招手将玉佩收回了掌中：“原先我仅仅是猜测在终于证实，剑幽宫主费尽心机得到此宝，做梦也不会想到反而替我做了嫁衣。”
---
zì yán zì yǔ dí gū le yī jù ， tā yě bù zài dān gē guāng fēi jìn le yǎn qián de yuàn luò 。
自言自语嘀咕了一句，他也不再耽搁光飞进了眼前的院落。
Meanwhile, after exiting the ravine, a path of blue stone steps appeared before them. Clearly, this was part of Jade Profound Sect’s outer gate area.
……
……
The term "outer gate" referred to areas outside the inner sanctum, similar to how some wealthy families had separate inner and outer residences. Major sects often had such divisions as well.
ér lìng yī biān chū le nà shān ào yǐ hòu ， què shì yī pù zhe qīng shí tái jiē de xiǎo lù chū xiàn zài le yǎn lián 。
而另一边出了那山坳以后，却是一铺着青石台阶的小路出现在了眼帘。
The stone steps were long, winding, and seemed endless. Lin Xuan released his divine sense but found nothing amiss, so he continued forward.
xiǎn rán yǐ jīng jìn rù yù xuán zōng de wài mén dì dài 。
显然已经进入玉玄宗的外门地带。
After nearly half an hour,
suǒ wèi wài mén ， shì xiāng duì yú nèi mén ér yán ， jiù rú tóng shì sú de yī xiē fù guì rén jiā ， suǒ jū zhù de dì fāng yě fēn wéi nèi zhái wài zhái xiān zōng pài de qíng kuàng yǔ cǐ xiāng sì ， yī xiē dà de zōng mén yě yǒu nèi wài zhī fēn 。
所谓外门，是相对于内门而言，就如同世俗的一些富贵人家，所居住的地方也分为内宅外宅仙宗派的情况与此相似，一些大的宗门也有内外之分。
Lin Xuan was still walking up the steps, but his expression grew heavy. He wasn't a soft-hearted person; since entering the immortal path, he had faced countless battles and had killed hundreds of cultivators directly.
nà qīng shí tái jiē hěn zhǎng ， wān yán qū zhé ， kàn bú dào jìn tóu zhī chù ， lín xuān jiāng shén shí fàng chū ， bìng méi yǒu fā xiàn shén me bù tuǒ ， yú shì yě jiù xiàng qián zǒu qù le 。
那青石台阶很长，蜿蜒曲折，看不到尽头之处，林轩将神识放出，并没有发现什么不妥，于是也就向前走去了。
However, what he saw on this journey left him shaking his head in dismay. Everywhere were bones!
dà bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu 。
大半个时辰以后。
Similar to the scene on the square earlier.
lín xuān yī jiù zài yán zhe tái jiē xiàng qián zǒu ér biǎo qíng què xiǎn de yǒu xiē chén zhòng ， tā bìng fēi shén me xīn ruǎn zhī rén zì cóng tà rù xiān dào yǐ lái ， gèng shì bù zhī dào jīng lì guò duō shǎo xuè yǔ xīng fēng shì zhí jiē yǔn luò zài qí shǒu zhōng de xiū shì jiù bù xià shù bǎi zhī duō 。
林轩依旧在沿着台阶向前走而表情却显得有些沉重，他并非什么心软之人自从踏入仙道以来，更是不知道经历过多少血雨腥风是直接陨落在其手中的修士就不下数百之多。
The intensity of the battle was enough to make Lin Xuan shudder. As he walked, he noticed many corpses tangled together, their postures suggesting they had used some mutual destruction technique.
rán ér zhè yī lù zǒu lái de jǐng xiàng ， hái shì ràng lín xuān àn àn yáo tóu 。
然而这一路走来的景象，还是让林轩暗暗摇头。
Moreover, the level of cultivators who fell seemed higher as he progressed. Lin Xuan even collected several spirit-preserving treasures; clearly, their owners were at least in the condensation core stage.
dào chù dōu shì shī gǔ ！
到处都是尸骨！
Though it didn't concern him directly, Lin Xuan couldn't help but speculate about what had happened to Jade Profound Sect a million years ago. Unfortunately, there was too little evidence for him to deduce anything conclusively.
jiù tóng xiān qián zài guǎng chǎng shàng kàn jiàn de jǐng xiàng chà bu duō 。
就同先前在广场上看见的景象差不多。
After walking for some time, a stone pavilion came into view. Lin Xuan's expression froze as he stopped in his tracks.
sī shā zhī cǎn liè shì lín xuān ， yě sǒng rán dòng róng ， yī lù xíng lái ， tā shèn zhì kàn jiàn bù shǎo xiū shì de shī gǔ jiū chán zài yì qǐ ， cóng zī shì tuī duàn ， xiǎn rán shì shǐ yòng le mǒu zhǒng tóng guī yú jìn de mì fǎ 。
厮杀之惨烈是林轩，也耸然动容，一路行来，他甚至看见不少修士的尸骨纠缠在一起，从姿势推断，显然是使用了某种同归于尽的秘法。
"Master, what is that?"
ér qiě yuè wǎng qián zǒu ， yǔn luò xiū shì de shuǐ zhǔn yuè gāo ， lín xuān shèn zhì sōu luó le bù shǎo líng xìng wèi shī de fǎ bǎo ， xiǎn rán men de zhǔ rén ， zuì dī yě shì níng dān qī de xiū shì 。
而且越往前走，陨落修士的水准越高，林轩甚至搜罗了不少灵性未失的法宝，显然们的主人，最低也是凝丹期的修士。
Moon’s voice entered his ears. Despite the dead bodies and bones everywhere, she wasn't afraid since she was a spirit body.
suī rán yǔ jǐ wú guān ， dàn lín xuān yě bù yóu de tuī cè ， zài bǎi wàn nián zhī qián de shàng gǔ shí dài ， zhè yù xuán zōng nèi jiū jìng fā shēng le zěn yàng de biàn gù ， kě xī xiàn suǒ tài shǎo ， ràng tā wú cóng tuī cè 。
虽然与己无关，但林轩也不由得推测，在百万年之前的上古时代，这玉玄宗内究竟发生了怎样的变故，可惜线索太少，让他无从推测。
Lin Xuan didn’t reply but flashed past her, arriving at the pavilion.
yòu zǒu le yī huì er ， yí gè shí tíng yìng rù le yǎn lián ， lín xuān biǎo qíng yī jiāng ， tíng xià le jiǎo bù 。
又走了一会儿，一个石亭映入了眼帘，林轩表情一僵，停下了脚步。
Inside, two cultivators with an air of immortals were seated cross-legged. Although they had been dead for a million years, their muscles remained full, and their faces looked almost as if they were alive.
“ shào yé ， nà shì shén me ？”
“少爷，那是什么？”
Moon's eyes widened in disbelief: "How is that possible? After so many years, the corpses haven't decayed."
yuè ér de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， suī rán dào chù dōu shì sǐ rén shī gǔ ， dàn zhè yā tou běn lái jiù shì yīn hún zhī tǐ ， zì rán bú huì hài pà shén me 。
月儿的声音传入耳朵，虽然到处都是死人尸骨，但这丫头本来就是阴魂之体，自然不会害怕什么。
"It’s not unusual," Lin Xuan explained calmly. He walked up to the two deceased cultivators.
lín xuān méi yǒu huí dá ， ér shì shēn xíng yī shǎn ， xià yī kè yǐ jīng lái dào le tíng biān 。
林轩没有回答，而是身形一闪，下一刻已经来到了亭边。
Though dead for many years, their attire and appearance still revealed their non-trivial status. Lin Xuan stared at them in silence before sighing: "Moon, I think Jade Profound Sect was destroyed by internal strife rather than an external enemy."
zhǐ jiàn zài tíng zi lǐ miàn ， liǎng míng xiān fēng dào gǔ de xiū shì pán xī ér zuò ， suī rán yǐ jīng yǔn luò le bǎi wàn nián ， kě què jī ròu bǎo mǎn ， róng yán yǒu ruò shēng qián 。
只见在亭子里面，两名仙风道骨的修士盘膝而坐，虽然已经陨落了百万年，可却肌肉饱满，容颜有若生前。
"Why do you say that?"
yuè ér bù yóu de dèng dà le yǎn ：“ zěn me kě néng ， zhè me duō nián ， shī shēn dōu méi yǒu fǔ huài 。”
月儿不由得瞪大了眼：“怎么可能，这么多年，尸身都没有腐坏。”
"Come take a look."
“ zhè bù xī qí ， jù wǒ suǒ zhī ， yī xiē xiū liàn tè shū gōng fǎ de xiū shì ， kě yǐ qīng yì zuò dào zhè yì diǎn 。” lín xuān dàn dàn jiě shì ， rén què zǒu dào le liǎng míng sǐ zhě de shēn qián 。
“这不稀奇，据我所知，一些修炼特殊功法的修士，可以轻易做到这一点。”林轩淡淡解释，人却走到了两名死者的身前。
Lin Xuan didn't elaborate further. Moon couldn’t see the faces of the two behind her, so she floated to the front.
suī yǐ sǐ qù duō nián ， dàn cóng liǎng rén de yī zhuó dǎ bàn ， yī jiù kě yǐ kàn chū tā men shēn qián de bù fán ， lín xuān zhēng zhēng de wàng le jǐ yǎn ， tū rán tàn le kǒu qì ：“ yuè ér ， wǒ xiǎng zhè yù xuán zōng bìng fēi zāo yù le wài dí ， ér shì fù miè yú nèi luàn 。”
虽已死去多年，但从两人的衣着打扮，依旧可以看出他们身前的不凡，林轩怔怔的望了几眼，突然叹了口气：“月儿，我想这玉玄宗并非遭遇了外敌，而是覆灭于内乱。”
"These... they are twin brothers," Moon blinked, her face showing disbelief.
“ shào yé hé chū cǐ yán ？”
“少爷何出此言？”
Lin Xuan nodded. The two were seated cross-legged but each had a small sword inserted into their bodies—clearly, they had killed each other.
“ guò lái kàn kàn 。”
“过来看看。”
This was bad enough, as Lin Xuan had already seen many tangled corpses on his journey. However, the two had well-preserved physical forms with identical appearances, which made Lin Xuan feel uneasy.
lín xuān méi yǒu duō zuò jiě shì ， yuè ér zài liǎng rén de bèi hòu ， wú fǎ kàn qīng tā men de róng yán ， cǐ kè tīng le shào yé de yán yǔ ， shēn xíng piāo hū ， yǐ zhuǎn dào le miàn qián 。
林轩没有多做解释，月儿在两人的背后，无法看清他们的容颜，此刻听了少爷的言语，身形飘忽，已转到了面前。
Brotherly rivalry!
“ zhè …… liǎng rén shì shēng xiōng dì 。” yuè ér zhǎ le zhǎ měi mù ， qiào liǎn shàng mǎn shì bù néng zhì xìn de biǎo qíng 。
“这……两人是生兄弟。”月儿眨了眨美目，俏脸上满是不能置信的表情。
Although most cultivators were selfish and self-interested, it was rare for twins who were also fellow sect members to kill each other under such circumstances.
xuān diǎn le diǎn tóu ， zhè liǎng rén pán xī ér zuò ， què gè zì jiāng yī bǐng xiǎo jiàn chā rù dào duì fāng de shēn tǐ zhī zhōng ， xiǎn rán shì zì xiāng cán shā ér wáng 。
轩点了点头，这两人盘膝而坐，却各自将一柄小剑插入到对方的身体之中，显然是自相残杀而亡。
Noticing that their attire was similar but slightly different at the cuffs, one wore a vividly detailed cauldron while the other wore a short sword about an inch long. Clearly, they belonged to different factions within the sect.
zhè yě jiù bà le ， bì jìng lín xuān yī lù shàng yǐ jīng kàn jiàn le bù shǎo jiū jié zài yì qǐ de shī gǔ ， kě tā liǎng rén fǎ shēn bǎo cún wán hǎo ， róng yán què yī mú yī yàng ， zhè bù yóu de ràng lín xuān gǎn jué dào yǒu xiē xīn hán 。
这也就罢了，毕竟林轩一路上已经看见了不少纠结在一起的尸骨，可他两人法身保存完好，容颜却一模一样，这不由得让林轩感觉到有些心寒。
This was another reason Lin Xuan concluded that Jade Profound Sect’s destruction was due to internal strife.
shǒu zú xiāng cán ！
手足相残！
Hearing Lin Xuan's explanation, Moon nodded: "Master has a point. I wonder what happened back then."
xiū zhēn zhě suī rán dà dū zì sī zì lì ， dàn jì shì luán shēng xiōng dì ， yòu yǒu tóng mén zhī yì ， zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng hái hù xiāng shī zhǎn là shǒu ， kě shì shí fēn shǎo jiàn 。
修真者虽然大都自私自利，但既是孪生兄弟，又有同门之谊，这种情况还互相施展辣手，可是十分少见。
"Who knows? Besides, it doesn’t concern us. Perhaps it was over power or some treasure," Lin Xuan shrugged and said dismissively.
ér lín xuān hái zhù yì dào ， liǎng rén de yī shì suī rán dà tǐ xiāng tóng ， dàn xiù kǒu chù què lüè yǒu qū bié ， zuǒ shǒu biān zhī rén xiù zhe yī kǒu xǔ xǔ rú shēng de dǐng lú ， lìng yí gè zé xiù zhe cùn xǔ zhǎng de duǎn jiàn 。
而林轩还注意到，两人的衣饰虽然大体相同，但袖口处却略有区别，左手边之人嗅着一口栩栩如生的鼎炉，另一个则嗅着寸许长的短剑。
"Mm, I think the possibility of a treasure is higher," Moon smiled. "After all, cultivators are generally uninterested in fame and fortune. Even if someone coveted the sect leader’s position, they wouldn’t kill so many."
xiǎn rán xiōng dì liǎ suī shì tóng mén ， dàn què shǔ yú bù tóng de pài xì 。
显然兄弟俩虽是同门，但却属于不同的派系。
Lin Xuan heard this and thought: The girl might be right!
The sharp-eared cultivator flipped several somersaults, but upon landing, he still found his footing unstable. He stepped back a few steps before finally standing firm.
Though he had taken a small loss, it was not significant. As he looked at the buildings in front of him, he pondered aloud.
"Anprohibition, and an invisible one at that. This is going to be troublesome."
He flicked his fingers, sending a fireball with a trail of flame towards the entrance. Just before reaching the gate, the air suddenly rippled like water, deflecting the fireball back.
His expression changed as he tried several other abilities, but none worked. The sharp-eared cultivator couldn't help feeling frustrated and hesitated for a moment. He then tapped his storage bag and took out an exceptionally fine jade box—precisely the one stolen from Sword Obscuring Palace.
Holding the jade box in his hands with great solemnity, he cast a levitation spell. A blue light flashed as the box slowly floated before him.
Next, he activated a few spells carefully, and a jade pendant floated up. About the size of a palm, it shimmered with blue light—clearly not an ordinary item.
The sharp-eared cultivator muttered several incantations. After casting more spells, the pendant suddenly swelled as if inflating in the wind.
"Quick!"
He pointed at the pendant, and it spun rapidly before buzzing incessantly. White mist began to emanate from its surface.
The mist coalesced and surged forward towards the entrance of the building.
Something strange happened; the mist passed through theprohibition without any hindrance, easily making its way inside. The gate creaked open on its own.
It seemed this jade pendant was indeed a token controlling the array here.
Seeing this, the sharp-eared cultivator's face lit up with joy.
"Sure enough, it is an order talisman from Jade Profound Sect," he said to himself as he retrieved the pendant. "I had merely guessed before, but now I have confirmed that Sword Obscuring Palace's efforts were in vain; they only helped me."
With a self-satisfied murmur, he entered the courtyard.
---
Meanwhile, after exiting the ravine, a path of blue stone steps appeared before them. Clearly, this was part of Jade Profound Sect’s outer gate area.
The term "outer gate" referred to areas outside the inner sanctum, similar to how some wealthy families had separate inner and outer residences. Major sects often had such divisions as well.
The stone steps were long, winding, and seemed endless. Lin Xuan released his divine sense but found nothing amiss, so he continued forward.
After nearly half an hour,
Lin Xuan was still walking up the steps, but his expression grew heavy. He wasn't a soft-hearted person; since entering the immortal path, he had faced countless battles and had killed hundreds of cultivators directly.
However, what he saw on this journey left him shaking his head in dismay. Everywhere were bones!
Similar to the scene on the square earlier.
The intensity of the battle was enough to make Lin Xuan shudder. As he walked, he noticed many corpses tangled together, their postures suggesting they had used some mutual destruction technique.
Moreover, the level of cultivators who fell seemed higher as he progressed. Lin Xuan even collected several spirit-preserving treasures; clearly, their owners were at least in the condensation core stage.
Though it didn't concern him directly, Lin Xuan couldn't help but speculate about what had happened to Jade Profound Sect a million years ago. Unfortunately, there was too little evidence for him to deduce anything conclusively.
After walking for some time, a stone pavilion came into view. Lin Xuan's expression froze as he stopped in his tracks.
"Master, what is that?"
Moon’s voice entered his ears. Despite the dead bodies and bones everywhere, she wasn't afraid since she was a spirit body.
Lin Xuan didn’t reply but flashed past her, arriving at the pavilion.
Inside, two cultivators with an air of immortals were seated cross-legged. Although they had been dead for a million years, their muscles remained full, and their faces looked almost as if they were alive.
Moon's eyes widened in disbelief: "How is that possible? After so many years, the corpses haven't decayed."
"It’s not unusual," Lin Xuan explained calmly. He walked up to the two deceased cultivators.
Though dead for many years, their attire and appearance still revealed their non-trivial status. Lin Xuan stared at them in silence before sighing: "Moon, I think Jade Profound Sect was destroyed by internal strife rather than an external enemy."
"Why do you say that?"
"Come take a look."
Lin Xuan didn't elaborate further. Moon couldn’t see the faces of the two behind her, so she floated to the front.
"These... they are twin brothers," Moon blinked, her face showing disbelief.
Lin Xuan nodded. The two were seated cross-legged but each had a small sword inserted into their bodies—clearly, they had killed each other.
This was bad enough, as Lin Xuan had already seen many tangled corpses on his journey. However, the two had well-preserved physical forms with identical appearances, which made Lin Xuan feel uneasy.
Brotherly rivalry!
Although most cultivators were selfish and self-interested, it was rare for twins who were also fellow sect members to kill each other under such circumstances.
Noticing that their attire was similar but slightly different at the cuffs, one wore a vividly detailed cauldron while the other wore a short sword about an inch long. Clearly, they belonged to different factions within the sect.
This was another reason Lin Xuan concluded that Jade Profound Sect’s destruction was due to internal strife.
Hearing Lin Xuan's explanation, Moon nodded: "Master has a point. I wonder what happened back then."
"Who knows? Besides, it doesn’t concern us. Perhaps it was over power or some treasure," Lin Xuan shrugged and said dismissively.
"Mm, I think the possibility of a treasure is higher," Moon smiled. "After all, cultivators are generally uninterested in fame and fortune. Even if someone coveted the sect leader’s position, they wouldn’t kill so many."
Lin Xuan heard this and thought: The girl might be right!