The masked demonic cultivator screeched at the top of her lungs. “How could I possibly let it go?!”
Her younger sister was clearly still so young, possessed a rare single metal Earth spiritual root, and had never committed a single evil deed, she had merely followed her into joining the Wujian Sect.
Yet that day, her sister had blocked a strike for her and died beneath that ink black sword.
“Unable to let it go?” Jiang Xingxuan let out a self-deprecating laugh and sigh. “Forget it. What right do I have to ask you that?”
It had been twenty years, and even after washing the Qingshen Cave in blood, she still hadn’t been able to let it go.
As they spoke, an extraordinarily menacing dark-red demonic sword took shape. With a single hand seal, it shot straight toward her!
Using up the last of her remaining life, the masked demonic cultivator roared: “Die!”
“Death? That would actually be a release.” Jiang Xingxuan spread her five fingers slightly, raised her hand above her brow, and rotated it half a turn in a flash. “However, forgive me, but I cannot fulfill your wish.”
The crimson sword answered her call and returned instantly, its fire light exploding into brilliance!
It was like a thousand-li Torch Dragon floating in the nine heavens, opening its eyes brought day, exhaling brought summer, and opening its furious mouth was enough to burn the cloud-filled sky to ashes!
“Unlike you, the person I have been waiting for has an unextinguished divine soul, and she has already returned to my side.”
Locking eyes from a distance with the person she had waited twenty years for, Jiang Xingxuan smiled as softly and beautifully as a peach blossom, answering in a gentle whisper inaudible to the disciples: “Why don’t I send you to reunite with your younger sister instead?”
The dark-red flying needle rushed forward like a hot knife through butter, standing a mere foot away from the Jindan Daoist Lord’s divine soul abode, yet it could not advance another fraction of an inch.
The boundless ocean had been boiled into nonexistence, and the endless firmament had already collapsed!
All things returned to void, formless and shapeless.
The blood sword laden with evil poison, along with the bodies of the three demonic cultivators, vanished without a trace in that instant of collapsing high heat, leaving not even a grain of ash behind.
It seemed as though they had returned to this realm, yet also as if they had never been born into this world.
Jiang Xingxuan summoned the sword back into her hand, her fingertips lightly tapping the still-warm crimson blade, tracing the characters carved by her lover’s own hand. Only then did she flick her long sleeve, sending the crimson sword back into the sheath held by its creator.
She gave a gentle smile like a graceful spring breeze, looking as if she had just returned from a spring outing rather than having slain five people in a row: “Sixth Stance, Incinerating the Firmament.”
The Nine Stances of Fushuan were not created by her.
Only a favorite of heaven like A-Yue, hovering high like the sun, possessed an unmatched vigor across her whole body,
Holding a candle to illuminate the Ruomu tree, picking at a lantern to reflect the Fusang tree. Raising the sword to burn away dust and filth, smelting light to cleanse the eight realms. Boiling the sea and burning the firmament to sever the web of worldly ties, vast is heaven and earth, long are the years.
The divine trees of sunset and sunrise, Ruomu and Fusang, were merely two branches she casually illuminated, the foulness and darkness of the four seas and eight realms were merely a speck of dust flicked off her sword edge.
After boiling the sea and incinerating the firmament with her own strength, she could be considered to have severed her burdens, settled human affairs, and freed herself from all shackles.
From then on, the sky would be high, the earth wide, the years long, and she could wander freely.
Amid Jiang Xingxuan’s recollections, her divine sense suddenly detected a group of cultivators rushing toward the inside of the Instrument Tomb on the wind.
She sheathed the ink-black sword, gave her sleeve a slight flick, and landed gracefully beside Cong Jinyue. Smiling at Yue Tongxiu, who breathed a sigh of relief, she said, “You did well. The elders have arrived, you may lower the array.”
“Jiang Xingxuan!” Someone arrived immediately and called out her full name in astonishment. “It really is you!”
Her features were sharp and upright, and she was dressed in a golden robe, looking like royalty from the mortal realm with a fair degree of noble pride.
Another person followed closely behind, holding an ink-green cattail fan, her fluttering long robe flowing like supple willow branches: “Hearing that Daoist Lord Wangshu was coming out of seclusion today, Rong Zhen originally intended to pay a visit tomorrow. I didn’t expect a sudden change in the Instrument Tomb tonight, bringing us face-to-face so soon.”
There was another person whose flying speed was slightly slower, wearing plain white clothes and looking a bit awkward in expression, to the point that his hand-clasping gesture was somewhat stiff: “I am Yu Weizhou. Does Daoist Lord Wangshu still remember me?”
“Of course.” Jiang Xingxuan nodded to greet each of them in turn. “Elder Yu, Elder Rong.”
When it came to the golden-robed elder, however, she gave a half-smile and returned the greeting: “Gu Tianque, Elder Gu, long time no see. You still haven’t reached the Late Jindan Great Perfection?”
Gu Tianque seemed to have been poked in a sore spot by these words. Her expression changed in public, and she questioned repeatedly: “You… you’re at Late Jindan Great Perfection?!”
Jiang Xingxuan gave a triumphant light chuckle. Noticing the disciples under Rong Zhen who had arrived a step late due to their shallow cultivation, she stepped aside to clear a path: “All jokes aside, I must trouble Elder Rong to arrange for everyone to be treated on the spot.”
She took Cong Jinyue’s hand and stepped out of the Instrument Tomb, followed by a cat whose tail was puffed up in irritation: “With tonight’s incident, let us step outside the tomb to discuss the details.”
Only then did Gu Tianque recognize that faintly familiar figure. In an instant, her expression became immensely complex, shocked, suspicious, angry, and sorrowful all at once: “You… you!”
Jiang Xingxuan held the hand of the person beside her tightly without stopping her pace, merely glancing at her sideways: “Me?”
Gu Tianque held it in for a long time until her face turned completely red before she barely managed a low growl: “How could you be in cahoots with Yun Zhideng?!”
“Me and Yun Zhideng?”
Hearing that name, Jiang Xingxuan glanced quickly at Cong Jinyue. Seeing her face calm and unruffled, Jiang Xingxuan lowered her eyelashes slightly to conceal the coldness in her eyes, asking back in a warm tone: “Speaking of which, as an elder, where is she at this moment?”
Yu Weizhou followed closely behind, rubbing her hands together hesitantly: “We have already sent a message to Elder Yun. Perhaps she will arrive shortly.”
“The earth-fire at the Longyan Platform burns brightly.” Rong Zhen had already arranged the healing matters and caught up with quick steps, smiling softly and gracefully. “Perhaps, just like when I refine pills, Elder Yun is at a crucial stage of tempering fire and cannot step away for the moment.”
The group had already walked out of the Instrument Tomb. Jiang Xingxuan looked up at the bright moon and stars, ultimately tightening her five fingers, yet her brows smoothed out as if nothing were amiss: “Tonight, a mid-stage Jindan protector and four mid-stage Jindan followers from the Wujian Sect snuck into the Instrument Tomb. I have slain them all on the spot.”
“By yourself? You killed five Golden Core demonic cultivators?” Gu Tianque’s voice raised a pitch as she turned to look at Yu Weizhou. “Did neither the Sect Protecting Array nor the Instrument Tomb’s restrictions sound an alarm?”
Yu Weizhou wiped the cold sweat from her forehead: “I checked just now, and none of the arrays or talismans were damaged.”
“Could it be… could it be…” She pondered for a moment, wringing her hands in confusion. “Has this group of demonic cultivators’ teleportation technique reached such perfection that it’s enough to bypass the great array and restrictions? But if so, they should have made a name for themselves long ago.”
Rong Zhen gently fanned her cattail fan, covering half her face and her expression, merely praising: “When it comes to teleportation techniques, compared to Daoist Lord Wangshu, they are surely insignificant.”
She smiled softly: “Fortunately, Daoist Lord was here tonight, so no younger disciples were lost.”
Jiang Xingxuan had no desire to dwell on why the demonic cultivators had “snuck” into the sect, gently glossing over it: “The disciples in the sect are still young, mostly at the Qi Refining and Foundation Building stages, and most have never encountered members of the Wujian Sect. Going through this ordeal may alert them to cultivate diligently, so it is not entirely a bad thing.”
A trace of hatred flashed in her eyes, but it quickly turned into stern resolve: “It’s just that the Wujian Sect is no longer what it used to be. For them to dare send people to ambush and kill our sect’s disciples is an unpardonable crime.”
“Jiang Xingxuan, do you want to go to war with the Wujian Sect?” Gu Tianque grew excited, summoning a Dharma sword the same color as her robe. Its golden-yellow light rolled like waves of wheat, illuminating her upright features.
After fiddling with it for a moment, however, her excitement died down: “You and I could strike deep into enemy territory alone, but…”
Rong Zhen sent a few wisps of breeze toward her with a smile, gently blowing away her thoughts: “Tianque is an elder after all. Right now, behind you and Daoist Lord are several thousand juniors. If a war really breaks out, you might have your fun, but most of those who suffer will be them.”
“Um… the Wujian Sect Master is an early Nascent Soul Immortal Lord,” Yu Weizhou hesitated, speaking haltingly. “How about… how about we report this to the Sect Master first and see what she decides?”
“Early Nascent Soul?” Jiang Xingxuan’s tone was puzzled, followed by a hint of mockery on her face. Lightly tapping the green pendant beneath her ear, she replied: “Mother is currently in Wuzhou in the southwest, investigating the blood case at Mount Changsheng alongside the leaders of various sects. I will send her a message.”
She had a sense of satisfaction as if everything were within her grasp: “Coincidentally, we can bring the Instrument Tomb matter to the table and invite all the sects to jointly discuss how to crusade against the Wujian Sect.”
Hearing this, Rong Zhen stopped her cattail fan as if reminded of something, her entire posture suddenly becoming so frail she looked unsteady on her feet.
Only when Gu Tianque supported her shoulders did she squeeze out a smile: “Since this matter has been agreed upon, I will head back into the Instrument Tomb first to see if my disciples have prescribed the right medicine.”
“I’ll go too,” Gu Tianque followed closely behind. “I… I’ll go check on the injuries of Yue Tongxiu and the others.”
Seeing the two leave one after another, Yu Weizhou stepped half a pace closer, her smile somewhat shrinking and flattering: “Daoist Lord, my disciple has an upright personality and treats the sect rules as her gold standard, acting entirely out of concern for the sect. Therefore, she did not mean to offend today.”
She pulled out a stack of bright yellow talismans and handed them to Jiang Xingxuan: “These are some commonly used talismans, offered as an apology. I hope Daoist Lord will accept them graciously.”
Jiang Xingxuan pushed the talismans back, smiling warmly: “Elder Yu overthinks it. Sihai has an upright character, which is rare and valuable. It shows you have taught her well.”
“Daoist Lord flatters me.” Yu Weizhou’s hand trembled, temporarily unable to figure out whether those words were genuine praise.
She paused, then stuffed the talisman paper into Cong Jinyue’s arms, determined to give them away. Before the master and disciple could react, she turned and flew off.
Fading, flattering sounds drifted from the sky: “The Daoist Lord’s head disciple possesses extraordinary talent. Consider these my meeting gift for the young friend, ”
Cong Jinyue held the stack of talismans and looked at Jiang Xingxuan: “Master, this…”
“Keep them.” Jiang Xingxuan helped her straighten out the talismans, looking up with a warm expression. “I also know a thing or two about talisman crafting. In the future, I will prepare talismans for A-Yue, alright?”
In truth, it wasn’t just talismans, she wanted to monopolize everything else belonging to the person beside her, unwilling to let even a shadow of anyone else touch her.
Cong Jinyue only picked up on the elder’s care from these words and smiled generously: “If Master doesn’t find it troublesome, then I shall respectfully accept.”
“It’s no trouble.” Jiang Xingxuan’s fingertips brushed across all the talismans, storing them into her spatial ring. “These, I will temporarily keep for you.”
A flash of dark light passed, and the footsteps behind them grew more frequent. Rong Zhen and Gu Tianque walked out of the Instrument Tomb with their disciples.
Rong Zhen gently fanned her cattail fan, walking steadily, a stark contrast to her hasty departure moments ago: “Daoist Lord Wangshu, today there were 1,756 disciples inside the Instrument Tomb. Twenty-one suffered minor injuries due to setting up the array, and all have now fully recovered.”
Jiang Xingxuan nodded: “Thank you for your trouble, Elder Rong.”
“Think nothing of it,” Rong Zhen smiled gracefully. “Since I have left the mountain and now hold the position of elder in the Guiyuan Sect, I naturally ought to do my best for the sect.”
Gu Tianque glanced at her, seemingly worried she might collapse again: “Shall we have the juniors go back for tonight? The Dharma weapons inside the Instrument Tomb are severely damaged, there aren’t enough to go around right now.”
“Inform Yun Zhideng,” Jiang Xingxuan frowned slightly. “Have her produce at least a batch of Dharma swords to distribute to the newly admitted disciples this year.”
“Me again?” Gu Tianque pointed at herself with a single finger behind her back, thoroughly puzzled. “If you ask me, since you really dislike the sight of her, why not just pick a fight with her?”
She looked at the young person the acting Sect Master had been protecting behind her back. Recalling that once graceful and fleeting figure, she couldn’t help feeling heartbroken for her, letting out a cold snort: “Either way, it’s nothing more than dog eats dog!”