But would Jiang Han truly go back with her?
Mo Qiushuang recalled the things she had done to Jiang Han in the past, and the more she thought about them, the less confidence she had.
She remembered one time when she was refining pills and was missing a primary ingredient, Immortal Cloud Grass.
Immortal Cloud Grass was not a high-grade spiritual herb, but it looked very similar to ordinary weeds and emitted an extremely faint aura, making it very difficult to find.
After hearing about it, Jiang Han had entered the mountains alone and searched for more than a month. Somehow, he managed to find a Thousand-Year Immortal Cloud Grass. He had gone to her cave residence full of excitement, holding the herb and intending to give it to her.
Yet when Mo Qiushuang saw Jiang Han, she felt no joy. Instead, she only felt disgust.
She thought he was dirty. The spiritual herb he gathered must also be dirty.
So that time, she refused to take his gift, scolded him, and drove him away.
She still remembered Jiang Han’s bewildered expression. He probably did not even know what he had done wrong. He had clearly gathered spiritual medicine for his senior sister out of goodwill, only to be scolded.
Just as she was about to chase Jiang Han away, Lin Xuan happened to come looking for her and saw the Immortal Cloud Grass in Jiang Han’s hand. He immediately said he wanted it.
The moment she heard that, Mo Qiushuang snatched the Immortal Cloud Grass from Jiang Han. In Jiang Han’s delighted gaze, she turned around and handed it to Lin Xuan.
The smile on Jiang Han’s face froze instantly. He stood there blankly, watching Lin Xuan cling to her arm and thank her sweetly.
Neither of them looked at Jiang Han again. He stood there for a long time before finally turning around and leaving in disappointment.
At the time, Mo Qiushuang had not felt that anything was wrong. But now, recalling it, her heart twisted painfully and her entire body felt cold.
How had she been so cruel?
Tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, only to be scattered by the wind. Mo Qiushuang cried uncontrollably.
Jiang Han had clearly gathered that spiritual herb specifically for her. Why had she despised him?
Why had she handed over the herb he worked so hard to obtain to someone else right in front of him?
And from beginning to end, she had not even said a single word of thanks. She had not even bothered to look at him again.
Whenever she remembered the look in Jiang Han’s eyes as he turned away, Mo Qiushuang felt a pain so sharp she could barely breathe.
His eyes had been filled with disappointment and loneliness. In the end, all he had wanted was a word of praise from her.
But why? Why had she been unwilling to give him even a single word of praise?
She had not even offered a perfunctory response. She had simply ignored his efforts and trampled on his sincerity.
There were countless similar incidents. From what Mo Qiushuang could recall alone, there were no fewer than a hundred.
He had only longed for his senior sister’s care. What had he done wrong?
But what had she done…
All his efforts had been met with repeated harm. He had never received even a single encouraging glance or a kind smile.
Mo Qiushuang trembled all over.
It was she who had personally driven away the Jiang Han who liked her the most.
“Ah—!”
She raised her head and screamed toward the sky, tears flowing endlessly.
—————— This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The Purple Firmament Sword Art was indeed worthy of being a 9th rank Heaven-tier technique. It was perfectly suited for lightning-attribute sword cultivators and was thousands of times stronger than the Qi Refining Art.
When he practiced the Qi Refining Art before, Jiang Han could absorb at most sixty percent of the surrounding spiritual energy. The rest was wasted.
But the Purple Firmament Sword Art not only absorbed lightning spiritual power at astonishing speed, it also absorbed all the spiritual energy around him without wasting even a trace.
Its refinement speed was equally terrifying. In the past, it took him three days to refine a single strand of spiritual energy. Now, it only required a few breaths to refine a large mass of it.
After just one day of continuous absorption, the spiritual energy within Jiang Han’s body had already begun to show signs of solidification. Even the Annihilation Divine Lightning within him seemed slightly thicker.
Pressed for time, Jiang Han moved toward the center of the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area after briefly adapting.
The deeper he went, the stronger the lightning became. But the lightning also contained more spiritual energy, and it was purer.
“Crack!”
Jiang Han reached out and grabbed a twisted bolt of lightning.
He was now one hundred steps from the edge. The lightning was visibly thicker, its color deeper, and its violent purple glow made the hairs on his body stand on end.
“Snap!”
The lightning split into countless tiny electric serpents that surged into Jiang Han’s meridians through his pores.
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. Closing his eyes, he examined his body internally. His spiritual energy quickly wrapped around the electric serpents while he circulated the Purple Firmament Sword Art to refine them rapidly.
After about half an hour, he opened his eyes again, excitement flashing within them.
“As expected. The lightning here contains extremely pure lightning spiritual power. This single bolt is equivalent to five bolts at the edge!”
“At this rate, it may not even take two months to advance to the False Core stage!”
“After reaching the False Core stage, I only need to pass one Golden Core lightning tribulation to enter the Golden Core Realm. At that time, even if something unexpected happens in the Spirit Abyss Secret Realm, I can form my core on the spot.”
“Once I successfully form my core, as long as no Nascent Soul Realm cultivator appears, no one in the secret realm will be able to do anything to me.”
With that thought, Jiang Han turned to look outside the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area. There, Du Yucheng sat cross-legged, staring at him without blinking.
Ever since learning he would cultivate in the Thunder Pool Forbidden Area, Du Yucheng had followed him. She did not stand too close, merely sitting at a distance to guard him.
At first, Jiang Han had felt uncomfortable being watched while cultivating. But gradually, he found himself enjoying the feeling.
Since arriving at the Purple Firmament Sword Sect, he had been truly happy.
He no longer had to worry about being startled awake by spiritual beasts’ roars while sleeping.
He no longer had to worry about being forcibly interrupted during cultivation by a Sound-Transmission Jade Slip from his senior sisters.
He no longer had to fear being suddenly scolded while speaking to them, nor did he need to gather spiritual herbs in exchange for cultivation resources.
Everything here was so beautiful, so beautiful that it almost felt unreal.
Yet the lightning before him and his senior sister were so real that he had no choice but to believe it was true.
Du Yucheng noticed him looking over. Startled, she hurriedly lowered her head, her fingers nervously curling into fists.
After a moment, as if remembering she was the senior sister, she cautiously lifted her head and forced a cold expression.
Jiang Han felt that something about his senior sister seemed off, but he could not pinpoint what it was.
He smiled and shook his head, turning his gaze back to the endless lightning.
“No matter what, since you treat me well, I will not disappoint you.”
“In this life, I will help the Purple Firmament Sword Sect become the strongest sect in the cultivation world!”
As for family affection and care, to hell with all of it. I don’t need it anymore!
The two fell silent again. Only the endless roar of thunder echoed around them.
Five more days passed. Du Yucheng suddenly looked into the distance. After a moment, she spoke softly.
“Mo Qiushuang has come to find you again. Will you see her?”
Jiang Han frowned. “No. Please trouble Senior Sister to stop her.”
“Alright.” Du Yucheng nodded and flicked a streak of spiritual light into the air.
“Boom—!”
A massive heavenly lightning bolt tore across the sky. Darkness instantly descended, followed by countless dazzling purple lightning bolts appearing out of thin air, flashing in all directions. In an instant, the entire Purple Firmament Sword Sect was enveloped.
More than fifty figures suddenly appeared in the air, each radiating an aura of at least the Nascent Soul Realm. Many were uncles Jiang Han had seen before.
The group of powerful cultivators hovered in the sky as if facing a great enemy, staring beyond the formation. But after waiting for a long time, nothing happened.
“What happened? Who activated the sect-protecting grand formation?!” someone could not help but shout.
“The sect-protecting grand formation?!” Jiang Han was startled and quickly flew to Du Yucheng’s side. This formation was only activated when a powerful enemy attacked. Had Ji Yuchan come as well?
As he wondered, Lei Qingchuan suddenly appeared. He formed a hand seal and struck the air. The countless lightning bolts roared once more before rapidly dispersing.
Then he shouted at everyone, “It’s nothing. Return to your posts.”
After the experts dispersed, he wailed at Du Yucheng, “My little ancestor, it was only a late Nascent Soul cultivator with a damaged Dao heart. You could have simply driven her away. Why activate the sect-protecting grand formation?”
He clutched his chest dramatically. “Do you know how many top-grade spirit stones that cost? 50,000 top-grade spirit stones! 50,000, just for that brief moment…”
Du Yucheng seemed to realize she had done something wrong. Her cheeks flushed red as she lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers in a guilty manner.
Seeing this, Jiang Han quickly cupped his fists and admitted fault. “Master, please calm your anger. Senior Sister only acted out of urgency to protect me. If punishment is necessary, punish me instead.”
Hearing this, the heartache on Lei Qingchuan’s face vanished instantly. He nodded approvingly. “Good, good. You have responsibility. But this isn’t a major matter. There’s no talk of punishment.”
Jiang Han looked up in surprise. That was 50,000 top-grade spirit stones. In the Heavenly Dominion Sect, he would have been beaten half to death for such a loss.
He had already prepared himself to be punished, yet Master did not blame him and dismissed the matter lightly.
Lei Qingchuan snorted and glared toward the sect gate before turning to Jiang Han.
“Rest assured. With me here, even if Ji Yuchan comes, she won’t be able to do anything.”
“Remember this. The Purple Firmament Sword Sect will always be your backing. If there’s anything inconvenient for you to handle, tell your senior sister. If she can’t handle it, I will.”
“You only need to cultivate in peace. Don’t worry about anything else.”
Warmth filled Jiang Han’s heart. “Thank you, Master. Thank you, Senior Sister. I no longer have any connection with her. Please help block her.”
Lei Qingchuan nodded in satisfaction. “Don’t worry. They can’t enter.” With that, he vanished in an instant.
Du Yucheng blushed, glanced secretly at Jiang Han, and then disappeared in a flash as well.