Chapter 286: Qiu Yue's Final Plan

Qiu Yue sat on Tianzang's corpse, her small body trembling. She rubbed her eyes, and her soft, childish cries echoed gently.

The bubbling of magma and the gurgling of murky water fell silent amidst the little girl's sobs, which filled the enormous space, sounding like a mournful wail for a recently departed mother.

Ning Changjiu didn't listen to her cries. He stood rooted to the spot, guarding the speck of golden light within his Purple Mansion, his divine consciousness unmoving.

Qiu Yue cried for a while, then, seeing that Ning Changjiu was ignoring her, she stopped.

"Father is truly cold-hearted," Qiu Yue said, wiping away her tears with displeasure.

"What exactly do you want?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Qiu Yue slowly raised her head, then her small head jerked. She hooked her middle fingers into the corners of her mouth, pulled them wide, widened her eyes, and made a grotesque face with a "wah-yah-yah" sound.

This seemed like mere child's play, but at that moment, thousands of crows instantly flew across Ning Changjiu's golden pupils. These crows all bore masks of pain and despair, identical to the human-dragon monsters outside.

Qiu Yue's figure instantly swelled several times its size, resembling a corpulent, spectral Buddha sitting cross-legged.

Ning Changjiu took a slight step back, his brow furrowing intensely. It felt as if countless black blades were scything through his sea of consciousness, instantly wiping his mind blank.

Ning Changjiu's lips, sharp as a blade, pressed together. He let out a muffled groan, the golden light in his pupils coalesced, and he sharply pressed a finger to his glabella. Within his sea of consciousness, the golden light exploded, sweeping away the crows.

A trickle of fresh blood seeped from his fingertip, sliding down his glabella.

Qiu Yue's previous demonic appearance seemed like an illusion; she reverted to a little girl, whimpering and wailing as she made another ghost face.

Seeing that she hadn't scared Ning Changjiu, Qiu Yue lost interest.

"Hmph, I thought Father had a firm mental will, but it turns out the Golden Crow is just too powerful," Qiu Yue praised. "As expected of the bird I've set my sights on. I'll make sure to raise it well when the time comes."

Ning Changjiu stared at her and asked, "You want to seize my body?"

Qiu Yue tilted her head up and said, "Is it strange for a girl to seize a boy's body? Father is handsome, and his body is perfect as a vessel. Plus, he hides so many secrets that interest me... I went through all this trouble to follow you because I desire Father's body."

As she spoke, she stuck out her small tongue and licked her lips, but then she looked a little troubled. "This Asura looks so fierce... When I saw him use the Asura to slay the ancient ape sword demon, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I never expected his spiritual power to be so strong, like a hedgehog, leaving no place to bite."

"Fortunately, this Asura is also incomplete. If he were whole, I might have fallen today, after all, I'm just a few-hundred-year-old book spirit cub."

Ning Changjiu quietly activated his authority over time, healing his sea of consciousness which had almost been pierced. He calmly asked, "As the book spirit of the Luoshu, why were you on the ship?"

Qiu Yue noticed him secretly healing but remained indifferent.

"Since Father is so curious, I'll tell you. Hmm... I'm also waiting for someone anyway," Qiu Yue said, putting her hands on her hips and recalling seriously. "This story starts with Myriad Demon City's deluded fantasies."

"The Luoshu Pavilion planned to revive Tianzang. Somehow, this news leaked, and Myriad Demon City found out. So, Myriad Demon City sneakily decided to act as thieves. They must have prepared a demon-god formation, intending to seize Tianzang's power and transfer it directly into a vessel they had prepared, catching him off guard after he was killed in the Luoshu Pavilion."

"I must say, the vessel they chose was indeed good. After looking around, I settled on this one," Qiu Yue said, rubbing her arms and legs with a sigh. "This little girl was a very good person in life, kind and sensible. She cared for stray animals and even gave her younger brother her favorite food... But what good did it do? She was still offered as a sacrifice by her parents and killed by the villains of Myriad Demon City."

Qiu Yue continued, "Of course, Myriad Demon City was unlucky; they happened to run into me, someone who enjoys upholding justice. Their plan was foiled by me! Ah, Myriad Demon City is truly pitiful. They had an agreement with the Sword Saint: no swords could enter the city, but no great demons could leave it either. So they could only send out small fry to take risks, and I just happened to kill all those small fry along the way!"

"Then, the shipwreck happened! That was the conspiracy of the Tianhuan Sect. Their plan was very simple: to kill people on the ship and blow the matter up, giving the Tianhuan Sect a reason to intervene in the Sea Kingdom and ensure the capture and killing of the Dragon Mother was foolproof. Of course, Father and Mother descended like divine soldiers, driving off the kelp dragon and thwarting the Tianhuan Sect's plot."

"The way Father wielded his sword immediately captivated me, especially that familiar aura in your body... it was like roast chicken," Qiu Yue said with an enchanting smile. "It was my first time running away from home, and I was a bit nervous, wanting to find someone to protect me. So I chose you two!"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Running away from home? The Luoshu Master didn't notice you leave?"

Qiu Yue replied, "Luo Cangsu is indeed responsible for guarding the Luoshu! But... Father, would you notice if your son went missing?"

Ning Changjiu frowned, puzzled.

Qiu Yue shook her head. "Of course not, because Father doesn't have a son, so he wouldn't even think about such a thing. It's the same for Luo Cangsu; he doesn't know I exist, so as long as I'm careful when I leave, he won't know."

Qiu Yue paused, then said with utmost sincerity, "Actually, Father, you had many chances to kill me."

Ning Changjiu did not respond.

Qiu Yue said, "When I was looking at the flowers, you lightly touched the back of my neck with your finger. I was really scared then; I was afraid you would actually strike... Of course, simply killing this body wouldn't work. You'd have to use divine fire to burn my soul for days and nights, but the one who would suffer wouldn't be me, but the little girl who originally owned this body. She hasn't truly died, you see."

Ning Changjiu's brows furrowed even tighter. The wound on his glabella had already healed, and the golden light in his pupils condensed, like the tip of a spear filled with killing intent.

Qiu Yue admired his expression and said, "I knew that with Father and Mother's personalities, you definitely wouldn't have the heart to do it."

Ning Changjiu asked, "So you've been following me just to lead me into the Luoshu?"

Qiu Yue admitted frankly, "Yes, you are the best vessel I've chosen. As long as we're in the Luoshu Pavilion, once your spiritual consciousness is erased, then you, your little golden bird, your Daoist magic, your cultivation insights, and... your beautiful mother, will all become mine! Originally, if you had deviated from the path, I would have had to work hard to lure you here. Thanks to Mr. Chu!"

"However, there were also things I didn't expect," Qiu Yue sighed. "I truly didn't anticipate this woman, Mu Lingtong, suddenly appearing. Although I don't know her, she doesn't seem like a useless person like Luo Cangsu. I'm not confident I can defeat her. If I can't..."

Qiu Yue's gaze was profound, as if she were contemplating some wicked idea, before she finally sighed helplessly, "Then I'll just have to accept their offer of amnesty."

Ning Changjiu didn't understand the implication of "amnesty" and didn't press for details.

Because after Qiu Yue finished speaking, she seemed to have told all her stories. She then composed herself and slowly stood up.

She looked to the other side and said, "Mother is at the entrance. It's almost time. Hmm... she's also accompanied by a woman who's a bit annoyingly beautiful, but that woman has a fatal weakness, and I'm not afraid of her at all."

As Qiu Yue stood up, a slender knife appeared in her hand.

"This knife is called Yu Lei," Qiu Yue introduced. "It was left by my biological father for my biological mother and has been sealed within this book. It's a replica, though; the original was shattered beyond recognition in the divine war that year."

Her words were leisurely, and so were her steps.

Ning Changjiu also raised his essence, spirit, and qi to their peak.

He had no confidence in this battle, so he made no rash moves, waiting for Qiu Yue's next action.

Qiu Yue held the knife in one hand and slightly lifted her skirt with the other. Like a maiden lingering among flowers, she lightly leaped up and swung her knife towards Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu brushed away the invading netherworld energy.

Behind him, the feigning Asura suddenly opened its eyes. The Asura god-image was like dry grass instantly set ablaze; as Ning Changjiu willed it, its figure swelled several times over. Ning Changjiu's white robe was enveloped in layers of golden shadows, and his crimson-gold pupils glowed like burning suns.

The moment the golden light flared, Qiu Yue's figure was suddenly silhouetted against it.

A peculiar glint flashed in her eyes.

But this was, after all, her world. Although she was merely a cub and didn't yet possess the ability to truly control this realm, she could certainly dominate a small space.

She imagined an abyss opening beneath Ning Changjiu's feet, a sword suddenly appearing before him, and a giant dragon leaping out of the murky water below, roaring and opening its maw to bite Ning Changjiu.

All these fantastical imaginings instantly became reality.

These scenes, along with her blade, crashed into Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu remained unmoved. He fixed his gaze on Qiu Yue's figure and, with full concentration, swung his sword to strike.

Simultaneously, the enormous Asura shadow erupted with a resounding roar. Like an enraged Vajra, it wildly punched at the imagined scenes, safeguarding Ning Changjiu's sword strike.

Blade met blade, erupting in a violent clang.

Qiu Yue was actually knocked back in their first exchange.

She used her blade to brush away the golden light that blew against her face, then stared at Ning Changjiu, annoyed. "What a fierce Asura."

Lu Jiajia and Siming arrived outside the earth's core.

Siming looked at the ground, bent down, and touched the cracks with her finger. "These are traces of authority being used!"

Lu Jiajia looked at the large expanse of shattered mountains and said, "This must be at least the power of a Fifth-Path peak, right?"

Siming asserted, "This is Collapse."

Tianzang's authority: "Collapse."

Tianzang, the Master of Metal and Stone, controlled all mineral and earth veins. With a mere thought, she could unleash disasters of collapsing earth and widespread destruction. Fortunately, Tianzang was already near death, and the collapse seemed to be an unconscious act during her demise. Yet, even so, the power of that authority still ravaged this entire area of mountains and land.

Siming said, "Tianzang is one of the Six Primordial Gods, on par with the Master of the Divine Kingdom. The Luoshu shouldn't contain it."

Lu Jiajia said, "Could it be that the creation of the Luoshu is related to Tianzang?"

Siming said, "It's possible. If so, the Luoshu might also be hidden inside... Let's go in and see. If we can find Tianzang's true form, that would indicate the Luoshu is indeed connected to it."

Lu Jiajia quietly followed beside her.

The outline of the mountain path became visible. Mushroom-like formations resembling small white bone umbrellas were everywhere. They had been destroyed many times but grew back vigorously and quickly.

At the entrance to the cave, a swarm of monsters poured out.

They had just been reborn, trampling over each other as they rushed towards the light.

Siming raised an eyebrow slightly.

Her finger swept before her, intending to conjure a void sword to slay these grotesque monsters.

But as the monsters surged out, vibrations started again beneath their feet.

The surrounding precarious mountain peaks completely crashed down.

The colossal roar shook the heavens, its power terrifying. The human-faced, dragon-bodied monsters had just touched the light when they were crushed beneath the giant peaks.

Lu Jiajia witnessed a disaster. Although she knew the Luoshu Pavilion was all an illusion, she couldn't help but feel a slight tremor of emotion.

Siming glanced indifferently, her icy eyes cold and unconcerned.

"Let's go," Siming said.

The two entered the cave together.

An unreal premonition arose in Lu Jiajia's heart: "Down there... my husband is down there!"

Siming scoffed, "Are you crazy with longing for a man?"

Lu Jiajia said seriously, "If we could think of the Luoshu, my husband should be able to as well... He's as smart as Sister Xueci."

Siming said blandly, "If he came first, doesn't that mean I'm not as intelligent as him?"

"Ah?" Lu Jiajia looked at Xueci with a puzzled expression, thinking, *Sister, why are your priorities always so strange?* But she was intimidated by Siming and could only say, "It must be that my husband was closer; after all, I was slowing you down on the journey, Sister."

Siming nodded gently, very pleased with the sister she had taught, and ruffled her hair.

*Sigh*, she's quite obedient now, but I wonder if she'll immediately betray me once she sees her husband. Siming thought with a hint of distrust... *I'll test her again then. If she doesn't pass, I'll deal with both her and Ning Changjiu.*

Lu Jiajia lowered her head slightly and cast a long, lingering glance at Siming's back. Remembering the disciplinary lessons Siming had occasionally given her these past few days, she felt an urge to seek revenge once her divine power was perfected. However, being kind-hearted, she immediately suppressed the thought, reminding herself, *Sister is my great benefactor; how could I have such rebellious thoughts?*

Siming and Lu Jiajia entered the cave, following the only path forward.

The rock here was many times harder than outside, so even multiple collapses had only created large cracks, without truly shaking the foundations.

"We must never underestimate them," Siming said, walking to the edge of the cliff and looking down. She instructed, "Although we might not truly die in this world, we could become imbeciles. You're already quite foolish, so make sure to protect yourself."

"Mm... I understand," Lu Jiajia replied. Though unconvinced in her heart, she was powerless to argue and could only agree.

When she began cultivating Dao as a child, her master praised her as exceptionally gifted and intelligent. Later, as her cultivation soared, she transitioned from disciple to master, her sword heart clear and her Dao heart wise, seen as a fairy by others. That was until she met Ning Changjiu and Zhao Xiang'er in the imperial city... and now Sister Xueci. In their presence, she felt severely suppressed.

*Is this what it means to bully the weak and fear the strong...?*

*From this perspective, Sister Xueci and Ning Changjiu are the truly compatible pair.*

*And Sister Xueci is so beautiful too.*

*Ning Changjiu wouldn't be tempted by her beauty, would he...?*

Lu Jiajia grew increasingly uneasy.

Her wild thoughts were immediately interrupted by ghostly wails echoing from below the cliff.

Understanding her current situation, she immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts.

Although Sister Xueci was strong, this was, after all, a dangerous secret realm, and no overconfidence was permissible. Furthermore, she still had faith in her own husband... He wouldn't just fall for any beautiful woman, would he?

Siming stood at the cliff's edge, forming a Daoist hand seal, illuminating the path below.

After a brief perception, she said, "He's down there."

With that, she unleashed her authority over time, enveloping them both, and advanced into the unknown darkness.

They descended for a long time. Outside the domain of the authority, countless vengeful spirits seemed to wail. Though dense, these spirits could not possibly break through a Fifth-Path realm's defenses.

Earlier, when Li He and Ning Changjiu fell, Li He had deliberately refrained from protecting him, wanting to test if Ning Changjiu possessed other hidden abilities.

After a long, straight descent, they finally stopped on a step.

"There are traces of someone having been here," Siming immediately judged, her toe barely touching the ground.

Lu Jiajia bent down, touching the ashes on the ground with her finger. "This is the aura of the Golden Crow!"

"Golden Crow?" Siming feigned ignorance.

Lu Jiajia said, "It's my husband's innate spirit."

Siming nodded. "Then two people have been here."

"Two people?"

"Yes, there's also a sword mark here; the sword intent is quite remarkable."

"Remarkable" in Siming's words naturally meant at least Fifth-Path realm.

Lu Jiajia asked worriedly, "Did they fight their way here?"

Siming said, "Unlikely. They probably traveled together."

As she spoke, Siming smiled faintly, teasing, "But don't worry, this sword intent is fierce and powerful, secretly harboring the potential to slay dragons. It should be a man, not some female sword immortal."

Lu Jiajia pursed her lips, her voice faint. "I'm not concerned about that..."

Siming smiled lightly. She used her sword to clear a path, leading Lu Jiajia deeper inside.

The deeper they went, the graver her expression became.

She looked at the path beneath her feet and realized something was wrong.

"Divine body?" Siming narrowed her eyes.

Lu Jiajia followed her forward until they reached the end of the path.

She grew increasingly nervous.

It was too quiet here... like walking into a graveyard.

Siming also entered that space and saw the divine murals on the walls. These were extremely precious depictions, but Lu Jiajia had no mind to appreciate them. From beyond the wall, the faint but clear hum of blades and swords could be heard, like snapping matches with one's fingers.

Within the core of the Luoshu, in this realm churned by molten magma and murky water, the rampant golden light resembled a boiling pool of thunder.

They had been entangled in combat for a long time but had yet to determine a victor.

Ning Changjiu's Asura body proved more troublesome than she had imagined.

No, it hadn't exceeded her imagination.

Because imagination had no limits.

Human strength eventually reached its limit, but she would not; the entire power of the Luoshu was feeding her. It was the final masterpiece of Tianzang and the Underworld Monarch, containing immense power capable of forging a divine tower that stood proudly in the Central Land, and enough for her to kill Ning Changjiu and his companion Asura.

Qiu Yue kept wielding her knife, moving with fierce momentum.

Ning Changjiu's sword techniques were a step above in their subtlety. He broke through Qiu Yue's chaotic slashes, his sword qi rolling in layer after layer, wave after wave, disrupting Qiu Yue's defensive stance. Behind him, the demon-god like Asura also unfolded its Vajra Indestructible form. The ethereal sword intent and the majestic power of the Asura, contradictory yet vividly, pieced together.

Ning Changjiu pressed closer with agile footwork, switching from a single-handed grip to a two-handed grip on his sword, intending to defeat his opponent in one swift blow.

Qiu Yue's defense was inadequate; she took a sword strike and was violently sent flying into the scalding golden water.

"There once was a little girl, she was thrown into the water by a bad uncle, and she... dr-drowned..." Qiu Yue stretched out her words, her voice mournful, as her figure, flailing wildly, sank into the water.

A brief silence.

"And then she turned into a vengeful ghost to claim her revenge!"

The voice came from behind.

Qiu Yue reappeared completely unharmed, making a ghost face.

As Ning Changjiu turned his head, a flock of crows swept past his eyes.

The Asura grew three heads and six arms, simultaneously blasting backwards.

Qiu Yue's figure was blasted away, smashing into the wall.

"The little girl's soul was also shattered by the bad person; she's very sad," Qiu Yue said, closing her eyes.

The wall transformed into a coffin, which opened and received her.

"The little girl died, and her world turned dark with her," Qiu Yue said sorrowfully.

The surroundings became pitch black.

Ning Changjiu made no rash moves; the Golden Crow appeared and devoured the darkness.

Qiu Yue looked at the Golden Crow and sighed, "It's a pity there's only a sun, no moon."

The moment the golden light illuminated, the surrounding scenery changed.

They were standing on a vast ocean, with turbulent waves.

Qiu Yue stood on the crest of a wave, summoning wind and rain.

Then the scene changed again: the sea became fire, the wave crests became blades, and Qiu Yue stood on the tip of a blade, whimpering and crying out, as if she might fall to her death at any moment.

The great fire then transformed into a starry sky.

Qiu Yue stood in the center, head held high, her expression cold, like the lord of the stars.

These were all reasonable imaginings of the little girl.

Ning Changjiu watched her perform her tricks, wondering what she truly intended.

What good was even the richest imagination? How could these fantasies break through the Asura's defenses? Moreover, what Qiu Yue miscalculated was that the Asura could also feed on spiritual power. With one gaining and the other losing, it was hard to say who would win or lose in the end.

Unless...

Not good! He suddenly realized something was amiss and abruptly turned, looking back towards where he had come from.

She was performing tricks to obscure and confuse him.

Qiu Yue giggled, looking in the same direction, and said, "Too late... they're already here!"

Qiu Yue said excitedly, "Father, are you perhaps bothered that I'm short and small? I'm about to become a curvaceous big sister, you know."

Where her gaze fell, the door had opened.

Two blurred figures appeared in his sight.

One woman, dressed in white like snow, was certainly Lu Jiajia. The other... seemed somewhat familiar.

Ning Changjiu didn't have time to see clearly and urgently called out, "Jiajia, quick, leave!"

His voice was blocked.

Qiu Yue had imagined a vacuum between him and them.

Qiu Yue's target was not Lu Jiajia either.

She knew she couldn't break through the Asura body, so she wasn't bothering to pry open that tortoise shell.

Because she had long ago found a more suitable vessel.

This vessel was a pleasant surprise for her.

Her previous skirmish with Ning Changjiu had been an inconclusive minor conflict.

All the methods she had originally prepared to deal with Ning Changjiu, kept hidden until now, she unleashed in one go towards the woman beside Lu Jiajia.

The moment Siming stepped through the door, an overwhelming mental assault crashed down on her.

Brilliant five-colored light exploded in her pupils.

She unhesitatingly pushed her authority over time to its limit.

This was, after all, Qiu Yue's home ground.

Qiu Yue blasted a crack in the domain of her authority.

Siming struggled to mend the crack.

She didn't realize that a thin needle had appeared on the side of her thigh.

That was Qiu Yue's imagination.

The needle pricked into the slave mark.

Siming gasped softly, her knees slightly bent, thighs tensed, her body taut and trembling.

Qiu Yue laughed gleefully and lunged to embrace Siming.

*To possess another spirit in the mental world... I'm truly amazing.*

Once she had completely fused with this big sister, she could seize Siming's authority, Siming's realm, and everything Siming possessed.

Then, as soon as she unlocked the Luoshu, she could completely take over her body.

Although this body had the flaw of slave marks, its realm was high enough and its authority strong enough that no one else would ever have a chance to touch it.

*Who could defeat me?*

Qiu Yue infiltrated Siming's consciousness.

She smiled, like a girl eager to grow up.