Chapter 264: Linggu Grand Competition Concludes

Three years ago, in the autumn rain of the Zhao Imperial City, Ning Xiaoling was tainted by the demonic seed of Old Master Hongwei and entered the Violet Court realm.

During the Inner Demon Tribulation, Ning Changjiu used a purple-gold divine talisman to connect their minds and entered Ning Xiaoling's Inner Demon Tribulation.

Snow fell on the long street, the inner demon was cut down, the white fox fell into slumber, and the lightning tribulation dissipated.

She briefly touched the Violet Court realm and then returned to normalcy.

However, in the judgment of the Heavenly Dao, she had already stepped into the Violet Court realm.

Each person experiences the Inner Demon Tribulation and the Heavenly Lightning Tribulation only once.

Now, as the soul banner swayed and malevolent spirits gathered, the power of the evil spirits absorbed by Shen Tu nourished her, and she finally broke through her bottleneck again, stepping into a broader, entirely different world.

The gathered evil spirits let out sharp, low wails of sorrow.

They had long lost consciousness, now merely aggregations of spiritual essence, yet they still felt terror when approaching Ning Xiaoling.

Qu Wu listened to the wails of the evil spirits, feeling his scalp tingle. The scales covering his body all flared open, producing a sound like clashing metal.

"I've entered the Violet Court realm..."

Ning Xiaoling's words, like a resentful whisper, lingered in his ears.

He didn't know how Ning Xiaoling had done it, but a strong sense of foreboding had arisen in his heart.

This girl was no ordinary cultivator; she was an executioner bearing countless blades, an envoy from the Underworld who had inherited a portion of the Underworld Lord's authority.

Earlier, he couldn't quickly kill her even when suppressing a major realm; now that Ning Xiaoling had crossed into the Violet Court realm, what was he to do?

The sound of bones cracking echoed again.

Ning Xiaoling raised her fist and smashed it toward his chest.

The white scales that instantly gathered were like a heart-protecting mirror.

Ning Xiaoling's blood-stained fist solidly struck the protective scales. The sound of her fist shattering armor erupted between them, and shockwaves and fist winds spread rapidly in rings. Between them, a flash of white light, and Qu Wu's chest armor shattered completely. His body was thrown straight back, and with a whoosh, Qu Wu's black wings spread wide, tearing through the wind, and the swirling gale stabilized his figure.

He stared at the disheveled, white-gowned girl embedded in the wall, his expression horrified.

Ning Xiaoling watched him silently. She said nothing more, and her aura receded back into her body.

If someone were to suddenly witness this scene, they would think it was a mural depicting the twilight of the gods.

The flower-like girl was impaled through her lower abdomen by a bone sword, nailed to the wall. Blood trickled down the ancient stone wall, filling the grooves of the carvings. A faint, dim yellow light fell upon her. The death aura of the netherworld emanated from her hair. Yet, her clear and beautiful face showed no trace of pain; her eyes were clear, and her soft lips held a smile. These subtle and beautiful expressions were stained with dirty blood. In front of her, countless evil spirits gazed at her with fear and reverence, as if she were their sovereign.

The scene, like a mural, came to life.

After Ning Xiaoling sent Qu Wu flying with a punch, she reached for the sword hilt and slowly withdrew it from her lower abdomen.

The blade cut through flesh again, leaving a trail of blood.

But for cultivators, especially those who had entered the Violet Court realm, no area was considered vital apart from the Qi Sea, the Violet Court itself, the heart, and the throat.

Ning Xiaoling quickly stopped the bleeding.

The slender Shen Tu had a very slight curve, almost a straight blade, so in her hand, it looked more like a ruler.

"Who was that woman you mentioned earlier?" Ning Xiaoling asked.

Qu Wu stared deeply at her and asked, "Are you truly ignorant, or are you pretending with me?"

Ning Xiaoling drew her blade and rose, saying, "Only when one is weak does one need to pretend. My questions now are an interrogation."

"Interrogation?" Qu Wu laughed loudly. "No matter what, you're just a mortal. What right do you have to interrogate me?"

Ning Xiaoling's figure drifted out from the wall. Her hand touched her lower abdomen, and faint blood still clung to her fingertips.

"At least I'm a complete person, while you're just a defective product without a body," Ning Xiaoling said slowly, looking at the feathered serpent's corpse on the ground.

Qu Wu's serpentine eyes narrowed. He tightened his grip on the bone sword in his hand, assessing Ning Xiaoling's strength internally.

Ning Xiaoling had just entered the Violet Court realm, while he was still two levels above her.

But he felt an increasing sense of foreboding.

The power erupting from Ning Xiaoling's small body exceeded his expectations.

The girl's figure vanished from her spot. The next moment, the void collapsed, and a crimson blade light sliced through it, descending towards Qu Wu's head.

Qu Wu blocked as usual, but this time, the block carved a notch into his hard bone sword.

All spirits scattered.

The snow-white fox manifested its Dharma form in the ancient hall.

It was no longer the cub it once was, but a large fox with five swaying tails. Its wagging tails were like flickering white flames, slowly unfurling in the air, and Ning Xiaoling's figure, standing with her blade, was enveloped in the white fox's shadow.

Everyone looked up.

Due to the obscuring mist, they couldn't clearly see Ning Xiaoling's current form, but just glimpsing her through the fog made their hearts feel as if they were being squeezed.

The little girl clutched her heart with one hand, easing the pressure, while staring up intently without blinking.

In the gray mist, the slender blade cleaved out a massive sword light. The previously unfinished decisive battle brilliantly resumed.

A red and a white figure collided.

The moment blade and sword clashed, the entire hall began to shake.

After Ning Xiaoling entered the Violet Court realm, many things she had previously learned but hadn't yet fully grasped now naturally fell into place.

At this moment, she had more than one mind; the blood-red blade Shen Tu was subtly altering her thoughts.

The legacy of the Medicine King from the Medicine King's Hall, which she had received earlier in the day, also naturally became clear and integrated into her spiritual sea as she entered the Violet Court realm.

Her body subtly began to take on the rudimentary form of a medicine cauldron.

Once this medicine cauldron reached its peak, she would be able to, like the Medicine King, use her body as the Medicine King's Hall, truly becoming impervious to all poisons and capable of reversing life and death.

The medicine cauldron circulated, rapidly helping her recover from her injuries.

The tempestuous sounds of blows in the sky grew increasingly fierce.

Although both were in the Violet Court realm, after Ning Xiaoling successfully advanced, the tide of battle completely turned. Her assault on Qu Wu was almost overwhelming.

She wielded the Sword of Calamity's Restraint, and this set of sword techniques displayed a newfound power in her hands.

The sword technique itself wasn't considered particularly powerful, even similar in strength to the Heavenly Edict Sword Scripture.

However, this sword technique was specifically designed to counter these traitors of the Feathered Serpent clan.

The Feathered Serpent clan was constrained by many innate factors, making much of their combat logic unchangeable, and they were completely subdued by this set of sword techniques.

Qu Wu's techniques were suppressed by Ning Xiaoling. Shen Tu, stained with the blood of the feathered serpent, became even brighter; its translucent blade almost seemed to be ablaze.

Scales shattered, blood splattered, and dark feathers slowly drifted down.

The whistling sound of Shen Tu cutting through the wind rang out incessantly.

Ning Xiaoling's figure, weaving through the air, created countless streaks of light.

Qu Wu's injury recovery speed could no longer keep up with Ning Xiaoling's destructive power.

He hovered in the air, his body like a fish scraped against the sharp side of a blade, scales stripped away, flesh mangled.

"Is she dead then? Are you her reincarnation?" Qu Wu also felt the despair Ning Xiaoling had experienced earlier.

Shen Tu was too powerful, and for Ning Xiaoling, whose cultivation was already extraordinary, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

It had been suppressed in the White Serpent Divine Valley for so long, making efforts for hundreds of years. Recently, the seal finally loosened, allowing him to escape. His possession plan originally had no flaws, but then he encountered this young girl who held the divine blade he had coveted for years.

Greed ultimately consumed him.

Ning Xiaoling listened to his question. She brought her blade down on Qu Wu's shoulder, shattering his shoulder plate and sending him crashing to the ground.

Qu Wu struggled to rise from the ground.

Ning Xiaoling, however, seized the bone sword and, like a spear of judgment, brought it down from the air.

This bone sword, originally his own, pierced through flesh, severed his spine, and pinned him back to the ground.

"I am not anyone's reincarnation," Ning Xiaoling said, looking at Qu Wu's twitching serpentine body. She answered his question, "I am Ning Xiaoling. The 'Ling' from 'thousand ages, myriad generations'."

Qu Wu gripped the bone sword piercing his chest, trying to pull it out, but Ning Xiaoling had already descended from the air and stopped beside him.

"Do you have anything unfinished?" Ning Xiaoling asked.

Qu Wu sneered, "You damned girl... at this point, you still want to steal some secrets from my mouth?"

Ning Xiaoling said earnestly, "You ancient deities must all be harboring a belly full of secrets. After holding them in for so many years, don't you want to confide in someone? Wouldn't it be a pity to die like this?"

Qu Wu angrily retorted, "Of course it would be a pity! So let me go!"

Ning Xiaoling thought for a moment and said, "I'm definitely going to kill you. Tell me or don't."

Qu Wu was somewhat astonished. "You want to kill me, yet you still expect me to reveal secrets to you before I die?"

Yet, he truly had many things he wanted to say.

Ning Xiaoling's powerful sword lock had already pressed down on him, and an invisible sword domain unfolded, enveloping them.

Ning Xiaoling, holding her blade, walked up to him, its edge pointed at his throat.

His serpentine face was grim and hideous.

"Last words," Ning Xiaoling said.

Qu Wu's throat made a gurgling sound. After a moment's thought, he slowly said, "It won't hurt to tell you some things... The primeval gods cannot be truly killed. The Underworld Lord can still be resurrected, but after resurrection, the Underworld Lord might very well become someone's puppet."

"Someone? Who?" Ning Xiaoling asked.

Qu Wu said, "Why are you so foolish at a time like this? Of course, it's the one who resurrects it... It's laughable, isn't it? The most powerful being in the world, yet one day it will become a weapon of slaughter in someone else's hands, hahaha..."

Qu Wu's wild laughter stirred up gusts of blood-scented, chilling wind in the ancient hall.

Ning Xiaoling asked, "Who wants to resurrect it? The woman you mentioned?"

"Yes," Qu Wu nodded.

"Who exactly is she?"

"I don't know what role she plays in the Netherworld Spirit Sect now, but her former name was..." Qu Wu's serpentine eyes narrowed as he fell into thought, then slowly spoke, "Mu Lingtong."

"Mu Lingtong?" Ning Xiaoling was slightly puzzled. She had never heard that name before.

Qu Wu said nothing.

Ning Xiaoling frowned and said, "Are your last words finished?"

"Yes..." Qu Wu slowly began, then his pupils suddenly widened. The veins on his thick arms bulged, and all the power he had accumulated earlier surged forth in that instant.

His body completely transformed into a serpent, with only his arms remaining, stabbing like blades toward Ning Xiaoling.

This was Qu Wu's final, desperate counterattack.

The hall shook, and shattered stones rained down.

Even though Ning Xiaoling had anticipated it, she still couldn't evade Qu Wu's sudden attack.

Her body was whipped up by the feathered serpent, and its tail coiled tightly around her, constricting her.

The feathered serpent carried her upward, as if intending to die together.

Ning Xiaoling, however, remained calm.

Pythons kill their prey by constriction, but at this moment, its strength was far from enough to crush Ning Xiaoling's bones, or even alter her breathing rate.

As they ascended, Ning Xiaoling plunged the blood-burning Shen Tu into its extremely long neck. The spine was severed, and the blade, twisting with her arm, cut through the feathered serpent's flesh. Splashing blood parted before her.

The giant serpent's ascent speed slowed considerably.

Ning Xiaoling leaped out of the serpent's body, and the blade once again plunged into its lower jaw.

The feathered serpent was now certainly doomed to die.

Just before dying, Qu Wu let out a final, piercing laugh: "The Underworld Lord and Tiancang, they are not eternal enemies as the legends say. Someone else entirely fought Tiancang in that bloody battle..."

This was the last secret it revealed.

This secret, viewed from higher levels, would be even more astonishing.

But Ning Xiaoling was unmoved; she only vaguely knew that the Underworld Lord and Tiancang were two ancient deities.

And there was another saying in this world.

Those who hear the secrets of the gods will incur divine punishment; the greater the secret, the heavier the punishment.

Qu Wu revealed this secret, and thus faced death.

Its final secret was conveyed to Ning Xiaoling via concentrated sound, ensuring that no one could share the heavenly punishment with her.

Finally, its lingering head was cleanly severed by Ning Xiaoling's blade.

The head flew up from the force of the blow, hitting the ceiling, while the body, drained of power, fell back down and crashed to the ground.

Decapitated.

The feathered serpent was completely dead.

Its body, along with the large, zombie-like corpse from before, dissipated.

Ning Xiaoling stood still, long blade in hand, a sense of melancholy arising in her heart.

Everyone present looked at her.

"Junior Sister Xiaoling..."

They had all witnessed this bloody scene, almost like a chaotic battle of ghosts and gods.

At this moment, they couldn't even tell whether the disheveled girl, covered in human and serpent blood, was human or demon.

Ning Xiaoling swayed. She stood leaning on her blade, circulating the Medicine King's Heart Art to rapidly heal herself.

"It's dead, don't worry," Ning Xiaoling said.

The little girl collapsed to the ground, tears already streaming down her face as she looked at Ning Xiaoling's figure. "Senior Sister Xiaoling is so cool..."

Ning Xiaoling had vaguely heard her shouting to pull out the flag earlier. She praised, "You did well."

The little girl had been worried about being held accountable later for her reckless use of the flag. Now, she finally felt relieved. "My... my name is Yan Yuan. Thank you, Senior Sister, for saving my life!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the three senior brothers beside her also bowed in unison. "Thank you, Senior Sister, for saving our lives."

From this moment on, Ning Xiaoling was their Senior Sister.

Even Ming Lang, after witnessing the Asura-like, blood-drinking scene, was sincerely convinced.

"No need to thank me for such a great kindness!" Ning Xiaoling waved her hand casually.

The four's expressions were slightly odd.

Ming Lang sat cross-legged, looking at the pockmarked ground. "We should tell our Martial Uncles about this as soon as possible."

Ning Xiaoling said, "Yes, but you must promise me to keep my sword techniques a secret. As for why I broke through to the Violet Court realm without undergoing tribulation, I will explain it to the Martial Uncles."

Another senior brother quickly said, "We will keep it a secret for Junior Sister."

Ning Xiaoling nodded.

The hall began to collapse.

Yan Yuan exclaimed in alarm, "Let's hurry and leave! If we don't, we'll be buried with this giant snake."

"You go first," Ning Xiaoling said, while simultaneously circulating spiritual energy to hold up the collapsing hall. Then, she dug out a crumpled cloth bag from the shattered stones in the corner.

She picked up the scattered spiritual treasures, which had temporarily lost their spiritual energy, one by one and put them back into the cloth bag.

These were what she had acquired all day by traversing mountains, crossing seas, and fighting monsters. She treasured them immensely; how could she bear to see them buried in the ashes?

Ning Xiaoling swept through like a whirlwind.

The senior brothers were dumbfounded. More incredible than Ning Xiaoling not needing to undergo tribulation was her ability to unearth so many items in the valley.

The restriction on the Bridge of Helplessness was lifted, the hall was about to collapse, and the crumpled cloth bag was full again.

They had initially wanted to flee, but it was no longer necessary.

Sunlight streamed into the valley.

The Spirit Valley Grand Competition ended, and all the teleportation pouches activated.

When the appointed time arrived, they, along with their spiritual treasures, appeared outside the Spirit Valley.

The ones in charge of the Spirit Valley Grand Competition were the elderly and middle-aged men who had seen them enter earlier.

The elder's name was Zhu Ding, and the middle-aged man's name was Jiang Xian.

With the Spirit Valley Grand Competition concluded, the more than ten cultivators present were all those who had persevered to the end. They would not only receive the spiritual treasures they had gathered but also additional rewards based on their rankings.

Jiang Xian looked at the dozen or so dusty young men and women.

Soon, he noticed the wound on Ming Lang's chest.

The location of that wound...

The Violet Court!

Jiang Xian was shocked speechless, unable to comprehend what in the Spirit Valley could have injured Ming Lang.

The elder, Zhu Ding, also saw his wound. He surmised that something significant had happened in the Spirit Valley and planned to inquire slowly after the rankings were announced.

Neither of them noticed that, apart from Ming Lang and the four disciples by his side, the other disciples looked at Ning Xiaoling with a hint of hostility and resentment.

Ning Xiaoling lowered her head, a little embarrassed.

After all, she had scoured the entire valley, essentially robbing every disciple she encountered.

The method for determining rankings was, of course, simple.

Zhu Ding took a glance.

As they left, Ming Lang was supporting the Soul-Summoning Banner, so he was deemed to be its recipient.

"Ming Lang is the champion," Jiang Xian announced.

This was not unexpected by anyone.

But Ming Lang's expression changed. He looked at the Soul-Summoning Banner and said, "Ming Lang is unworthy of this. This spiritual treasure should have been given to Xiaoling... Senior Sister, but the previous ending was too rushed, and there wasn't time."

"Hmm?" Zhu Ding frowned.

Everyone else's attention, however, was on "Senior Sister Xiaoling."

Ming Lang, as the recognized grand disciple of the Ten Sects among the younger generation, actually called a junior sister "Senior Sister." What was even stranger was that the people next to him didn't find it unusual and even chimed in, "Senior Sister Xiaoling showed us great kindness. Without her, all of us would have perished in that desperate place..."

Zhu Ding looked at Ming Lang's wound and listened to their words, realizing that this matter might be more complex than he had imagined.

Zhu Ding's brow furrowed tightly. "Merits and demerits, rewards and punishments will be discussed later. First, let's follow the rules."

The other disciples still had things to say, but Zhu Ding interrupted them, saying, "Whoever holds the Soul-Summoning Banner is undoubtedly the champion. As for the rest... Hmm? Ning Xiaoling, do you have any objections?"

Ning Xiaoling was seen raising her hand.

She stepped out from the crowd and said, "Martial Uncle, can one Soul-Summoning Banner be worth all the other spiritual treasures combined?"

Zhu Ding shook his head. "Of course not. According to the rules, the top spiritual treasure is roughly equivalent to twenty or so others. But this rule, while set, who could possibly find twenty..."

The elder's words slowly trailed off.

Ning Xiaoling untied the cloth bag from her back.

The cloth bag was so bulging it seemed about to burst.

"This..." Jiang Xian saw a corner of the cloth bag peeking out and felt like he was dreaming.

The cloth bag was full of all sorts of spiritual treasures.

"There wasn't enough time, so I only found this many..." Ning Xiaoling said with some regret.

If it hadn't been for fighting that giant serpent, she could have continued scavenging in the mountains for another half-night.

"Just... these? Just..."

Jiang Xian looked at the pile of spiritual treasures on the ground. He knew that an elder should never lose composure in front of juniors, but he still couldn't control his emotions, shaking his head repeatedly while looking at the treasures and then at his Martial Uncle.

Zhu Ding was equally stunned.

Earlier, he had been lamenting that when he was young, he had found five precious spiritual treasures, which wasn't many, but after hundreds of years, no young person had been able to break his record.

Of course, this was also related to his management of the Spirit Valley Grand Competition, where he had intentionally increased the difficulty.

For a disciple to find even one was something to thank the heavens for.

"These..."

Zhu Ding hadn't expected his old age to be impacted by such a shock.

He stroked his beard, pulled out a practically new booklet, and handed it to Jiang Xian, asking him to help check the specific rules of the Spirit Valley Grand Competition.

The other disciples looked at the pile of spiritual treasures, both astonished and searching for their own share among them.

Ning Xiaoling stood menacingly to the side.

Jiang Xian began to tally and calculate the final score based on the items' grades.

The rule that the top extraordinary treasure could be equivalent to over twenty ordinary ones was casually set by their Martial Uncle for convenience and ease. This rule effectively made it no different from simply awarding first place to whoever found the top spiritual treasure.

Jiang Xian tallied for a while and finally sighed, "First place still goes to Ming Lang. Although these spiritual treasures of yours are very valuable when combined, unfortunately, they are just a little short of the Soul-Summoning Banner. If you could have casually found just one more, you could have created a miracle..."

"All this isn't enough?" Ning Xiaoling also felt surprised.

Jiang Xian handed over the booklet. "If you don't believe me, calculate it yourself."

How could Ning Xiaoling count it all? She frowned and said, "Is it really just one item short?"

"Yes," Jiang Xian nodded.

Ning Xiaoling reached behind her head, pulled her messy long hair forward, and rummaged through it based on memory, pulling out a hairpin.

When she had found this hairpin, she had disliked its low grade and simply stuck it in her hair.

She placed the hairpin on top of the mountain of spiritual treasures.

Like a spire.

Silence fell around them.

Jiang Xian and Zhu Ding exchanged glances.

Hadn't they all agreed that this young girl was just there to make up the numbers and preserve a bit of the Spirit-Controlling Lineage's dignity? How could this be...

The elder kept stroking his beard, and each time he did, a few broken hairs would come off in his hand. By the time Ning Xiaoling pulled out the last hairpin, he had very little beard left.

This child is terrifying... This was the elder's only thought.

Jiang Xian looked at her, thinking that the wooden plaques congratulating Ming Lang on becoming champion had already been made, but now it seemed they would all have to be scrapped and replaced with new ones.

Jiang Xian closed the booklet. He looked around and slowly spoke, announcing, "The champion of this Spirit Valley Grand Competition is..."

Wait... what was this young girl's name again?

"What's your name?" Earlier, she had only emerged from the Secluded Pavilion after twenty breaths, so Jiang Xian hadn't paid much attention to her. Only now did he realize he didn't even know her name.

He had certainly misjudged her...

Ning Xiaoling said earnestly, "My name is Ning Xiaoling, the 'Ling' from 'thousand ages, myriad generations'."

After speaking, she added, "My Senior Brother is Ning Changjiu, the 'Changjiu' from 'long-sighted and long-lived'."