Chapter 106: Nine Feathers Transforming into Sword Slash the Long Night

The walls of the Prefect's Mansion lay shattered, its great gates wide open. Crimson beads of blood rolled down the massive, rock-like muscles protruding from the black ox’s hide, scattering in all directions. Amidst the roar of collapsing stone, Ning Qinshui wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him; he saw a dark shadow descend, then envelop Ning Xiaoling, and both vanished.

The maddened ox, having burst through the Prefect’s Mansion, continued its unstoppable charge into the courtyard.

Ning Qinshui’s heart ached. He no longer cared about the two treacherous disciples or the butcher, a mere brute with raw strength. Clutching his writing brush, he stormed into the house, determined to dismember the insane ox that dared to destroy his door.

Ning Qinshui entered the dim hall. The night was pitch black, and the wall connecting to the courtyard had also been breached. The frenzied black ox galloped across the snowy courtyard, its strange cries more like a wild beast's roar. Just as Ning Qinshui was about to step into the yard, a question suddenly flashed in his mind.

No matter how powerful, that mad ox was still just an ox. How could it have shattered the Prefect’s Mansion, which was almost hidden between the two realms of Yin and Yang?

He glanced at the wall and noticed that many of the cracks were incredibly smooth, like tofu that had been cut, with edges so sleek they seemed almost wet.

In the courtyard, the mad ox had already turned and was charging towards him.

Though he knew that death was now a luxury for him, a moment of alarm still flashed through his heart as the black ox charged.

It was only a moment.

With a flick of his brush, he instantly wrote the character "Qín." This intricate character was one of his most profound in terms of Daoist magic.

As "Qín" was written, a sound like clanging bells resonated within the Prefect's Mansion. The four characters meaning "life, death, grant, seize" simultaneously appeared suspended in the air, like knives, forks, axes, and halberds hanging overhead. The slightest reckless movement would spell dismemberment. Though the black ox was mad, this intense danger forced it to halt abruptly, its horns pressing against the doorframe, its body losing balance and on the verge of toppling.

Ning Qinshui let out a sigh of relief. He was about to command the "Qín" character to bind the defiant mad ox, but his movement suddenly froze.

A dark figure descended from the ox's back.

Ning Qinshui, residing in the Prefect's Mansion, possessed extremely keen senses for danger, yet he failed to detect the figure's presence until it had landed. Then, he felt something obscure his vision, absorbing all light, something even his all-seeing Prefect’s eyes could not penetrate.

A sound rang in his ears, like the flapping of a bird's wings or a cloak swiftly sweeping past. Ning Qinshui felt he should raise his hand to block, so he lifted it, intending to draw a "Shuǐ" character. But as the first stroke began, it was forcibly cut short.

His wrists were severed cleanly, followed by his entire body below the neck. He collapsed like a landslide, his upper body sliding down bit by bit.

As Ning Qinshui realized what was happening, he frantically reached out to grasp his lower body, only to find that his soul could not coalesce.

The scene was both grotesque and terrifying. His spirit had been cut into several pieces, his body parts huddled together. He was still alive, yet he couldn't put himself back together.

This situation was beyond his comprehension. He turned his head, searching for the culprit.

He looked towards the door and saw that, beneath the red moon, Ning Xiaoling, who had vanished, had reappeared. In front of her, a black-clad, maiden-like figure streaked forward, accompanied by a jet-black bird. The bird was like a shadow, almost without thickness, seemingly able to absorb all light, making it indistinguishable from the night and the black ox.

The girl had used this dark, demonic bird to envelop herself earlier, completely concealing her in the darkness.

Now, she revealed herself, charging directly towards the butcher.

The black bird shrieked, scattering into countless particles as the girl sprinted, then instantly coalescing into a black longsword in her hand.

The sword swept through the long street.

The butcher's head rolled to the ground.

Had he seen that strike, his face would have undoubtedly shown praise, devoid of regret, but the sword was too fast, too swift. He only saw a shadow lunging from the darkness, with no time to discern what had happened.

So, his eyes remained wide with astonishment in his severed head, his pupils shrunk to tiny dots within the vast whites.

After slaying the butcher, the girl's figure did not pause. The longsword transformed back into the great bird. She leapt, agilely climbing onto the bird's back, swept through the long street, made a swift turn, and then pulled Ning Xiaoling back onto the bird's back.

The moment the butcher's head hit the ground, Ning Changjiu finally relaxed. From the first day he saw the "Biting Moon Cleaving Cloud" seal in the letter Ning Qinshui had hidden, he had anticipated meeting her in Linhe City.

And in that critical moment, this scene truly unfolded before him, and his tightly strung nerves finally loosened considerably. He was about to say something when the black bird swept before him, and a cool hand gripped him.

Ning Changjiu was pulled up, lifted onto the back of Jiu Yu, the black bird. The red moonlight fell, but its broad wings swallowed all the light, so much so that even Lady Bai could only detect their movement here, unable to see their exact situation.

"Why are you still so weak?"

The beautiful girl with a ponytail tied with a red string looked at him. This was the first thing she said.

Ning Changjiu, along with a belly full of questions, was choked back by this remark.

He said helplessly, "Of course, I can't compare to Your Highness's astonishing talent."

Zhao Xiang'er nodded. "Good that you know."

Ning Changjiu didn't take the bait. He simply said earnestly, "Thank you, Your Highness, for the rescue."

Zhao Xiang'er replied, "You wouldn't have died even if I hadn't saved you. I saved Xiaoling."

The flying bird carried them high above Linhe City. In the distance, the pillars of light stood like five massive fingers, piercing the long night, reaching from earth to sky. Between each pillar, countless faint shadows swayed.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Your Highness, what good plan do you have for the current situation in the city?"

Zhao Xiang'er frowned. "What situation? I haven't been in the city for long."

Ning Xiaoling, still shaken, lay on the bird's back, feeling slightly more at ease listening to their conversation. Hearing Zhao Xiang'er speak like this, she thought, 'Sister Zhao is indeed formidable. She dared to enter the city to save someone without understanding anything, unlike Senior Brother, who dared to stay here without understanding anything. He's really too reckless.'

Ning Changjiu stated concisely, "A great bone demon wants to refine this city into Fengdu. When this red moon is full, this place will be a city of the dead."

Zhao Xiang'er nodded and said, "The Netherworld barrier here isn't stable yet; it can't trap Jiu Yu. If you want to leave, I can send you out first."

Ning Changjiu asked, "What about you?"

Zhao Xiang'er stared at the five colossal pillars of light and said coldly, "Those who seize national land are all enemies of my Great Dao."

Only then did Ning Changjiu recall the shackles within her name's character, "Xiang," and remarked admiringly, "Your Highness is truly a hero."

Zhao Xiang'er reached behind her neck and drew out the umbrella-sword wrapped in black cloth on her back. She glanced at Ning Changjiu and asked, "What is your resolve?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "I wish to accompany Your Highness."

Zhao Xiang'er's expression was unreadable, neither pleased nor disdainful of his decision. An eerie wind brushed past their ears, and the colossal character "奠" (meaning "sacrifice" or "funeral offering"), formed by connected white lanterns below, became increasingly clear in their vision.

Zhao Xiang'er suddenly turned to Ning Xiaoling and asked, "What realm are you in now?"

Ning Xiaoling replied uncertainly, "I've just entered the early Immortal Comprehension realm."

Zhao Xiang'er hummed approvingly. "Not bad."

She then casually asked, "What about your Senior Brother?"

Ning Xiaoling glanced at her Senior Brother, patted her chest confidently, and promised, "Senior Brother should be able to enter the Profound realm within a month."

Zhao Xiang'er paused slightly, then slowly turned her head. The night accentuated the girl's picturesque features, making her seem even more hauntingly beautiful. She said lightly, "Have you been sleeping for the past two months?"

Ning Changjiu was silent for a moment, then replied, "Not entirely."

Zhao Xiang'er asked, "Doesn't Lu Jiajia discipline you?"

Ning Changjiu was still thinking about how to answer when Ning Xiaoling on the side began to expose her Senior Brother's shortcomings: "Of course she does! Master is very strict. Senior Brother has been disciplined with the cane many times."

Hearing this, Zhao Xiang'er's thin lips curved slightly into a faint smile. "I never imagined Daoist Ning had such a hard time? That Miss Lu is truly something, so unmindful of old ties. If I meet her next time, should I intercede for you?"

Ning Changjiu listened to her sarcasm, feigning composure. "My sect's private matters needn't trouble Your Highness."

Ning Xiaoling also chimed in, "Mm, Senior Brother used to tell me, 'No pain, no gain; a strict teacher makes a good student.'"

Zhao Xiang'er's delicate brows tilted slightly. She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiled faintly, and tightened her grip on the umbrella-sword. "Then you'd better endure those canings well. In three years, I'll see how 'tall' you've become."

Ning Changjiu thought that Lu Jiajia was indeed easier to get along with. In front of Zhao Xiang'er, his current cultivation realm was simply insufficient, and saying an extra word only made him feel annoyed.

Ning Xiaoling curiously glanced at her Senior Brother, thinking how strange he was. Why wasn't he upset at all by Sister Xiang'er's teasing?

Of course, she knew that Senior Brother and Sister Xiang'er's engagement hadn't been called off yet, making them nominally unmarried Daoist companions. So, the fact that she could perceive Senior Brother's emotions was something she would deliberately avoid mentioning in front of Zhao Xiang'er.

On the white bone throne, Lady Bai was seething with rage.

She didn't know the identity of the sudden girl who dared to interrupt her ritual, but the indistinct black giant bird beneath the girl instilled a hint of fear alongside her fury.

"Lord of the Underworld commands, all ghosts kneel!" Lady Bai cried out, tapping the skull on the right armrest. The red moon's light intensified. Under the authority of the Underworld Lord, hundreds of skulls rolled down from the throne, assembling like building blocks into three colossal bone giants: one hunched back like a savage holding a stone tool, one with extremely long arms like a great ape, and one tall and slender like a huge matchstick man.

Even with their massive, dozens-of-feet-tall forms, they appeared small before the giant pillars symbolizing divine logic. At their feet, the remaining skulls that hadn't coalesced into giants transformed into countless smaller bone demons.

All three bone demons possessed power nearing the Everlasting Realm. At this moment, City Lord Yama also arrived, joining the bone demons to block the approaching flying bird.

Meanwhile, Lady Bai, seated on her bone throne, strained to channel spiritual energy, meditating and envisioning all aspects of Fengdu. She intended to fully complete this divine realm of Fengdu before those "ants" arrived.

In the night sky, Jiu Yu shrieked twice. Its body seemed to encounter an obstacle, unable to cross the laws of this new Fengdu.

Zhao Xiang'er's expression grew more solemn. She said, "You two kill the small ones; I'll slay the big ones."

Jiu Yu swooped low. Ning Changjiu and Ning Xiaoling leaped from Jiu Yu's back, their longswords flashing like fire, cutting directly through the hordes of bone demons, shattering countless dry bones upon landing.

In the air, Zhao Xiang'er suddenly stood on the bird's back. She abruptly threw the longsword in her hand forward, striking the first bone demon.

The night tore open as the longsword plunged into the first bone demon's sternum, glowing brightly, instantly shattering dozens of bones. Yet, the bone demon seemed oblivious. It leaned forward, holding a massive bone club, and locked onto Zhao Xiang'er's position, bringing it down.

Zhao Xiang'er met it head-on without fear. As the club descended, Zhao Xiang'er dodged, and simultaneously, Jiu Yu transformed into a sword. She plunged the longsword directly into the enormous bone club. Using the bone club as a path, she dragged the sword, the blade piercing and splitting the bones beneath her like a knife cutting through tofu.

Zhao Xiang'er's speed was extraordinary; her black, tight-fitting attire left no afterimage in the night. The bone demon had almost no time to react before the girl reached its shoulder. Beneath the sword, the bone club and its right arm were severed down the middle.

The longsword struck again.

Though the sword formed by Jiu Yu lacked any light, it was incredibly thin, impossibly sharp, so thin that the cuts it made on ghosts took an exceptionally long time to heal.

With a simple, unadorned horizontal sweep, the head of the first great bone demon was severed with a crisp shattering sound.

As the bone demon's body collapsed, Zhao Xiang'er surged with spiritual energy, leaping abruptly. The dozens of feet between the two great demons were instantly closed.

The second bone demon, having witnessed its companion's demise, was wary and did not attack rashly. It merely spun its extremely long arms around its body, the eerie winds forming a torrent of blades, creating an insurmountable field protecting its vital neck in the center.

Zhao Xiang'er, however, completely disregarded that field. Jiu Yu transformed from a sword back into a bird, carrying her sharply upward, intending to fly directly over the bone demon's head. The bone demon, with its extremely long arms, immediately ceased its movements when Zhao Xiang'er attempted to leap over it. It used one hand to guard its neck and the other to unleash a direct punch at Zhao Xiang'er.

At that moment, Jiu Yu enveloped her, and her figure, matching the pitch-black night, became indistinguishable for a moment.

The punch missed.

A breath later, Zhao Xiang'er had appeared behind the bone demon, just as the first bone demon's body finally began to collapse.

Zhao Xiang'er unhooked the umbrella from her back and aimed it at the second bone demon's back. The umbrella-sword, which had been buried inside the first bone demon's body, now responded to its main body's call and violently burst out of the bone. The line connecting the umbrella-sword and the ancient umbrella passed precisely through the second bone demon's neck.

The longsword trailed a narrow white arc across the night sky.

In the center of the white arc, the bone demon's hand bones and neck shattered, and the spiritual essence connecting its limbs began to fade.

The night was dark and windy.

Zhao Xiang'er had slain another demon.