Black smoke poured in, making it hard for them to see each other’s faces. Someone gripped her chin as the rogue cultivator restrained her limbs. Guan Wushan’s enraged expression twisted in the thick smoke.
With his blood parasites destroyed and throat pierced, what escape did he have left? Being caught by either Lingshan or Du Dizhu now meant certain death. And if he fell into He Liansheng’s hands – death would be merciful in comparison.
Xing Shuishui coldly lifted her gaze to look at the nail piercing his throat, showing no fear.
No matter where he took her, the worst outcome would be mutual destruction.
Having died once already, she wasn’t afraid anymore.
Like she said – let’s go to hell together, Guan Wushan.
BOOM BOOM BOOM—
On the other side of the governor’s mansion, black smoke billowed from its source as flames lit up the sky. Evil deeds were exposed in the blaze as countless lost souls found peace in the inferno.
Another crash as a tower collapsed.
Three cultivators and one spirit stood beside an ancient cauldron, each with different expressions.
Du Dizhu cursed: “Are all you Lingshan people deaf? Why did Xue Jiuling send you to help? I’ve said it countless times – throw the separation fires into the center of the cauldron! The center! We barely have any separation fire left, and you’re wasting it by throwing it in the corners! All these small flames gone to waste. Brainless – Lingshan people truly are brainless.”
Li Guanhang held back his anger repeatedly, raising then lowering his fist. This Wuxiang Mountain Lord had thousands of years of cultivation – he could kill them as easily as crushing an ant.
Li Guanyu had fewer reservations, saying coldly: “The fire clusters in the sachet are limited. Spreading them out prevents them from being extinguished all at once.”
Spirits had already gathered by the cauldron, rushing like moths to a flame trying to extinguish the separation fire. They moved quickly – Li Guanhang shot down several with his bow while Li Guanyu was forced to use puppet strings, silver threads spreading densely. There were too many spirits; they were clearly struggling.
Lin Lan hid behind them, terrified of being caught by the spirits: “What kind of separation fire is this – can it really burn away so many blood parasites?”
Du Dizhu kicked him: “Want me to gouge out your eyes and eat them? Your endless chatter – you’re even more annoying than that little peach spirit. Keep talking and I’ll throw you in to burn with them.”
He drew his dragon bone blade, glancing at Li Guanhang with contempt: “You’re not even holding the bow correctly. What has your master been teaching you?”
Li Guanhang broke into a sweat, calling out: “Fine, fine! Du Dizhu, stop just watching and help us!”
These spirits had lost all reason, charging forward mindlessly. Li Guanyu was caught off guard as pale nails raked bloody gashes across her arm. Li Guanhang immediately lost his composure, running to his sister’s side, completely missing the spirit lunging at him.
By the time he noticed, it was too late to draw bow or sword. His pupils contracted as he pushed Li Guanyu away, rolling several times across the ground, bracing for the pain.
But before claws could reach him, ice-cold spirit blood splattered instead.
Li Guanhang looked up suddenly, seeing a man’s silhouette through the bisected spirit corpse. His black robes billowed imposingly, eyes deep and still, dragon bone blade spinning in his hand as he casually dispatched several spirits.
Du Dizhu grinned, snatching the spiritual bow from beside him: “Watch carefully, little Li. I’m only demonstrating once.”
Ten arrows flew simultaneously in different directions. The spirits let out terrible screams, their eyes horrifying, but without pause dozens more arrows followed, precise and deadly. The tide of battle turned instantly.
Li Guanhang jumped up from the ground, staring dumbfounded at Du Dizhu’s bow stance: “But… aren’t you a blade user like Xing Shuishui?”
Du Dizhu made a sound of acknowledgement: “Before becoming Mountain Lord, I was both a prince and ruler. This is just leftover skill.”
This time he released a hundred arrows at once. Even thousands of spirits couldn’t match his shooting speed as they all fell. Li Guanhang watched in amazement for a long while.
For some inexplicable reason, despite being on different paths, he felt very reassured. He didn’t stay idle either, drawing his sword to dispatch the lesser spirits.
As Du Dizhu finished clearing them, he looped the bow around Li Guanhang’s neck like a collar: “How about it? Want to betray your master and join my school instead? Lingshan won’t miss another traitor.”
Li Guanhang flushed red: “Never!”
The separation fire in the cauldron was burning low, black smoke spreading like endless waves. The firelight crawled across Du Dizhu’s face as he gazed toward the cauldron, seeming to see again the desperate eyes of Chongsang’s people on the day their country fell. As the blood parasites burned away, the shadow that had weighed on his heart for tens of thousands of years finally dissipated.
Lin Lan’s eyes filled with tears as he nearly knelt before Du Dizhu. He wailed: “Mother, mother, did you see? These evil things are finally gone! Mother! Mother! Ahhhh Buwen City is saved!!”
Li Guanhang covered his ears at the sound: “Good thing you didn’t become governor. You’re this noisy while half-dead – if you fully recovered, wouldn’t everyone in Buwen City be driven mad by your racket!”
Lin Lan: “What do you know?!”
Du Dizhu sealed his voice point. Lin Lan blinked, looking pleadingly at Li Guanyu. Li Guanhang glared at him fiercely, moving to shield Li Guanyu.
After the great fire, the smell of burning hung in the air. They looked up to see gray, misty, and gloomy surroundings.
As the three continued squabbling, several people arrived on flying swords. Du Dizhu thought they were more people from the governor’s mansion and was about to shoot, taking the bow from Li Guanhang’s neck.
But Li Guanhang quickly called out: “Don’t be rash! That’s not an enemy – it’s my father!”
Li Yu descended from his sword, his pressure spreading out. Seeing his children’s disheveled state, he pulled them behind him protectively while coldly eyeing Du Dizhu, though his words remained polite: “My children are young and unskilled. Thank you for looking after them, Mountain Lord Du.”
Du Dizhu clearly wasn’t one to take the graceful way out: “Their bow stance is completely wrong – that’s definitely unskilled. Family Head Li, take them back and teach them properly. And give their master a good scolding while you’re at it. What nonsense has he been teaching?!”
Master Qiqing arrived right after, his face nearly green with anger: “What would a spirit like you know!”
His robes caught fire again. But it was instantly extinguished. Li Guanyu was startled – Du Dizhu’s spirit fire was among the strongest in the cultivation world. Unless Xing Shuishui appeared, none could match it.
Unless—
She glimpsed a figure in white robes with cloud patterns and wide sleeves, bearing an imposing countenance. He arrived on clear winds, fan in hand, carrying himself like an immortal official descended from heaven.
Li Guanyu started, bowing: “Sect Leader.”
Sui Xu Daoren: “Have you seen He Liansheng?”
Li Guanyu didn’t know how to answer.
Du Dizhu pointed toward the main hall of the governor’s mansion, instantly selling them out: “He’s over there. Better hurry or he’ll escape. Sui Xu, you probably don’t know – actually you old fraud definitely calculated it already – his Taohua sword is broken. Perfect timing to clean house. As for who broke it— well, we both know.”
Li Guanhang turned to glare at him angrily.
Du Dizhu grinned: “What are you looking at? Did you think I was a good person?”
Sui Xu Daoren’s expression remained blank: “Du Dizhu, don’t get too smug. After we deal with them, Wuxiang Mountain is next.”
Du Dizhu replied: “Ready whenever you are. Clean house if you want, but Xue Jiuling can only die by my hand. You’re not to touch her.”
Sui Xu Daoren sneered: “Since when do you make the rules?”
Du Dizhu stared at him brazenly: “Well sorry to disappoint, but I’ve changed my mind! From now on, Wuxiang Mountain protects both Xue Jiuling and He Liansheng!”
Master Qiqing cut in, scoffing: “You’ve been in cahoots all along, why pretend otherwise!”
Li Guanhang said quietly: “Master, Senior Du just saved my sister’s and my life.”
Master Qiqing raged: “Wicked disciple, what are you implying?”
Li Guanhang looked at his father, then his sister, gripping his bow tightly: “Master, you don’t know how dangerous it was just now. This evil cauldron was full of refined blood parasites – if opened, they would have spread across the mortal realm. If Du Dizhu hadn’t helped us burn them, all living beings would have suffered this plague. Most importantly, the separation fire used to burn them came from Xing Shuishui.” He looked up at Master Qiqing: “Master, Xing Shuishui isn’t an evil spirit – she’s good! In Fengdu City she saved many mortals and Lingshan people too. I know many hate and despise her, are prejudiced against her, but I like her – she’s just a pure little flower spirit who loves sweets!”
Master Qiqing: “Li Guanhang! You would betray the way too?”
Li Guanhang broke free of Li Yu’s restraint, walking toward Du Dizhu: “Master, I’m not betraying the way. I just want to save Xing Shuishui – she’s my friend!”
He Liansheng’s Taohua sword was broken – something must have happened.
Li Guanyu also turned around, her tone cool: “Father, your daughter is unfilial. Master, your disciple has failed you. This is my only act of rebellion.”
Just as Master Qiqing was about to act, Du Dizhu blocked him with his dragon bone blade, cursing: “Old fossil, can we deal with the current situation first?! Isn’t protecting the common people from evil Lingshan’s duty? How has it become my responsibility now?! And I even have to bring these two disobedient brats!”
The Sect Leader could still prioritize what mattered most. He coldly swept his gaze across everyone present before leading the Lingshan crowd toward the governor’s mansion’s main hall to join with the other elders.
Yellow talismans flew amid the dust as someone violently blasted open the main hall’s towers. A youth stepped through dancing shadows to find the blood parasite pool. Flickering shadows played on the walls, but the pool had been drained of blood, leaving it empty. Her water-bright eyes were nowhere to be seen. He had arrived too late after all.
Who knew where she had been taken now.
He Liansheng picked up a dropped peace token from the ground, closing it in his palm. It seemed she had left it deliberately. His fingers traced over it as her graceful face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Darkness wrapped around the white-robed youth like a prison, with the non-glowing peace token as the only light source.
He gripped the token in his palm, his spiritual energy fluctuating violently. A strand happened to enter the peace token.
“He Liansheng.”
He thought it was her speaking, but didn’t expect Xing Shuishui had left a message in the peace token. He listened carefully, not missing a single word, then heard—
“If you’ve got the guts, love me in the next life too.”
Just twelve words.
The youth’s brows drew together darkly as he listened again and again. His eyes reddened.
She seemed unfamiliar with this kind of technique. She had left another message before but erased it, leaving traces that He Liansheng easily recovered.
He heard her say: The source of the separation fire is hidden in the sachet.
He heard her say: May you always be first under heaven, may your future always be limitless.
He heard her say: Actually… I actually think… you’re quite brilliant too.
A blood tear fell. Though He Liansheng was cold by nature, this was the first time he tasted the feeling of his heart being torn apart.
His longing surged wildly – he wanted to see her right this moment.
But Shuishui—
You outshine a thousand suns.
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