Chapter 296: New Sect Leader

The Underworld Hall resembled an isolated island, built of stone in a sea of darkness. On all sides, it was surrounded by an endless abyss.

Ning Xiaoling fell into the abyss.

She held Shentu tightly, or rather, Shentu guided her hand. The rainbow light enveloping her was like an armor of interlocking blades, effortlessly dissolving the remnant souls of feathered serpents that rushed towards her.

Yet, thousands of remnant souls swept past her like a tide, overwhelming her. They were like knives roaring in the spiritual world, carving fragmented wounds into her sea of consciousness.

Ning Xiaoling's consciousness was invaded by darkness, and her figure, like a snowflake caught in a gale, appeared utterly desolate.

Gritting her teeth, Ning Xiaoling desperately thrust out her blade.

At the blade's tip, Mu Lingtong's remnant soul was pierced, emitting a soul-shattering shriek. Her final divine essence slowly dissolved in the red glow of Shentu.

The Fish King clung to the divine pillar of the Underworld Hall, but its body was too small; its outstretched hands couldn't even encompass the pillar. The poems and diary entries before its eyes spun wildly as it was torn from the pillar by the gale and plunged into the abyss.

This was everything Ning Xiaoling and the Fish King believed had happened.

However, in the real hall, the exquisitely beautiful corpse of the Dragon Mother still sat peacefully on the throne, silent as a beauty frozen in ice.

Ning Xiaoling held Shentu, resting it across her lap. She sat on the first step before the throne, her white dress draped quietly over her ankles, revealing a section of pale, delicate calves. Her fragile, fan-like eyelashes were slightly curled and didn't tremble at all, equally still as if frozen in ice.

The Fish King, meanwhile, lay prostrate beneath the divine pillar. The poems inscribed above were still beautiful, their neat or scrawled characters resembling countless eyes.

Where was the abyss behind the divine hall?

It turned out that when the battle, symbolizing death, began, everything they experienced was drawn into the spiritual world. Just like the Luoshu world, what they were currently in was also the sea of consciousness.

When the Underworld Lord was alive, he was undeniably the strongest in spiritual power.

Physical bodies cannot return to the ocean of death; only the spirit can. And the vessel for the spirit is what people call the soul.

Before the Underworld shattered, the spirits of all deceased persons wandered eternally in this star sea.

They were originally meant to be brought back by the Underworld Lord to a star named Pluto, where they would exist eternally.

This was what the Underworld Lord's epic poem referred to as "From then on, darkness would no longer be lonely."

Now, in the fragmented sea of consciousness, Mu Lingtong died on the blade, returning to the spiritual sea. Ning Xiaoling's divine soul also fell into the dark sea known as "purgatory."

Ning Xiaoling's current state was one of "astral projection."

The longer her soul remained projected, the weaker the connection between her spirit-bearing soul and her physical body would become. Once her spirit and body were completely separated, Ning Xiaoling's soul would never be able to return to her body.

In purgatory, disaster descended, turning everything upside down.

Yet, her face remained serene, like a lonely sentinel awaiting someone to awaken her.

Within the Dianhuan Sect, this earth-shattering battle had already pierced through three mountain peaks, even shattering most of the cave entrance of Antlered Deer and White Crane.

The White Crane, battling Siming, fell into a disadvantage when Siming struck with a mountain-sea sword. Thereafter, under Siming's relentless pursuit, he was exhausted from parrying and found no room for counterattack.

With casual waves of her hand, white snow swirled around Siming, and ten thousand swords sparkled. She pursued True Lord White Crane among several large peaks, her figure swirling, more agile than a crane.

The authorities of the Five Paths realms constantly collided, piercing space and rending the void. Their figures moved erratically between reality and illusion, amidst a vast expanse of falling snow, yet not a single flake could land on them.

It was deep winter, with wind and snow covering the mountains. This should have been the optimal time to unleash True Lord White Crane's domain.

But he discovered that his opponent was completely unaffected by his freezing domain, still strolling with casual ease.

How was this possible...

True Lord White Crane couldn't comprehend it. Even if Luo Cangsu himself were to arrive and wield the authority of eternal night, he likely couldn't achieve such a feat.

For those of the Five Paths in Ziting, the greatest reliance, apart from advancements in spiritual power and Dao realm, was authority. And his own authority had been forcefully abolished...

Although his Dao heart was resilient, this sudden and unexpected blow still cast an indelible shadow on his mental state.

"Are you not going to draw your sword?" Siming asked coolly.

Before True Lord White Crane, in the empty wind and snow, Siming's figure suddenly appeared. Her arrival was ethereal and mysterious, devoid of any abruptness, like a plum branch emerging from the snow. She lightly held a sword, bringing a sky full of wind and snow, and crashed down again.

True Lord White Crane flicked his sleeve, and his frozen domain enveloped the surroundings. His figure transformed into an immortal crane, drilling into the void that had opened before him.

Siming gently shook her head.

The time slowed by the freezing was effortlessly reversed by her.

An overwhelming torrent of snow, like roaring mountains and crashing seas, smashed towards a certain point in the void.

True Lord White Crane's figure, which had escaped into the void, was forcibly struck out. Siming's figure was like lightning, yet also like a drifting feather, as her jade-like finger pierced through the snow, pointing directly at the immortal crane's forehead.

True Lord White Crane lost his balance from the impact of the previous sword strike.

The pointing finger was like the onset of night; True Lord White Crane could see nothing. Before his eyes was only the skeletal frame of an immortal crane—and that skeleton was his own!

His gaze seemed to cross the long river of time, witnessing his own death.

The terror of death was heart-wrenching.

He transformed from crane back into human form and pulled the reed flower from his lapel.

The reed flowers were like snow.

Under the cover of the reed-like snow, True Lord White Crane transformed back into a crane. His body voluntarily disassembled, scattering into a genuine heavy snowfall of feathers that merged with the snow of heaven and earth.

His figure vanished without a trace.

This was True Lord White Crane's ultimate escape technique, with a significant cost after each use. But he was confident that even among those of the same realm, he would still be untraceable.

Siming unleashed her divine consciousness but indeed did not find him in the sea of consciousness.

The ultimate abilities of the Five Paths realm were indeed extraordinary.

Too lazy to search inch by inch, she transformed into a streaking light and flickered to the entrance of the Xuanming Mountain cave dwelling.

No matter what means her opponent used, this cave dwelling would be his ultimate escape destination. She simply needed to guard the entrance and wait.

True Lord White Crane remained hidden in the wind and snow, possessing a body he dared not reveal, and a dwelling he could not return to.

Siming looked towards the other battlefield.

Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia joined forces to wield their swords. Their synergy was already high, and they were familiar with each other's sword techniques, so their cooperation was almost seamless. Although True Lord Antlered Deer's "Annihilation" revealed all their weaknesses, they compensated for each other through cooperation, actually forming an impenetrable defense.

Siming watched Lu Jiajia's sword moves and nodded gently.

"Hmm, both her sword techniques and sword intent are perfected. Her talent is indeed good, though of course, that's thanks to my proper guidance."

However, watching their seamless cooperation, Siming always felt an inexplicable displeasure.

Although she had been successively marked with slave tattoos by Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia, the original design of these tattoos was based solely on a master's oppression of their slave—to ensure submission whenever there was resistance or dissent.

This was an oppression that denied equal dignity.

However, Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia's slave tattoos were more about their mistrust of her; they were not for oppression and enslavement, but for caution.

Siming was displeased by this, yet she had to admit that their caution was indeed justified; if not for these slave tattoos, her revenge would truly have begun... A slight smile couldn't help but form on her lips as she imagined bullying Lu Jiajia, that adorable little immortal who loved to put on airs.

As for Ning Changjiu...

Siming's eyes narrowed slightly. She couldn't quite articulate her feelings for him, nor could she explain what kind of person he truly was... well, let's just assume he was human.

In any case, this divine couple, as they appeared to outsiders, were in her eyes her private possessions.

She wanted to subdue them, to make them her exclusive private collection.

This was also why she felt displeased when she saw their seamless coordination.

Of course, if Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia were to discover this wicked thought, she would inevitably be jointly tormented by them again.

"Hmph, so formidable when bullying me, but now they're struggling so much against outsiders... how disgraceful." Siming let out a resentful hmph.

As True Lord White Crane remained hidden, she stood before the cave dwelling and struck a sword towards True Lord Antlered Deer.

True Lord Antlered Deer's mind reeled as he looked towards the source of the sudden killing intent.

Wind and snow transformed into a sword and struck towards him.

The sword pierced into the domain of Annihilation.

The Antlered Deer's pupils suddenly constricted.

"No flaws? How is that possible?" the Antlered Deer exclaimed in disbelief.

Siming coldly snorted, thinking to herself, *A divine official in the world is inherently flawless. Even the slave tattoos, hmm... they follow the beauty of symmetry. How could an antlered deer like you comprehend its depths?*

The Antlered Deer was forced to reach into his right sleeve and pull out a plum blossom with iron-like branches.

This was his natal magic artifact.

Siming stared at the plum blossom and said, "Oh, so you're a sika deer."

Rage flared in the Antlered Deer's eyes.

Siming's remark seemed like a jest, but in reality, it directly revealed the source of his authority.

He was originally a sika deer, but to conform to the authority of Annihilation, he had removed all the plum blossoms from his body.

Incompleteness implied damage.

Only by first harming himself could he then harm others.

This was one of his greatest secrets. *What is this woman's background? Which great nation failed to suppress the demons beneath its capital?*

On the greatsword of wind and snow that Siming thrust forth, countless plum blossoms instantly bloomed.

The red plum blossoms disassembled the sword into snow.

Snowflakes fluttered down.

But at the same time, Ning Changjiu's Asura Dharma Body pressed down like a great mountain. True Lord Antlered Deer, distracted by Siming, was unable to evade and was struck by Asura's golden fist, colliding at high speed with the rock wall.

The moment the Asura Dharma Body made its move, Ning Changjiu had already thrust his sword forth.

The sword shrieked with cold light, its impact point precisely where his figure had crashed.

The sword's momentum was unstoppable.

In front of True Lord Antlered Deer, red plum blossoms bloomed, forming a lush, aerial plum forest that blocked the sword's advance.

Lu Jiajia moved like a sword across the snow, sweeping past Ning Changjiu's side. Beside her snowy robes, her white silhouette fanned out like a peacock displaying its tail, each stream of sword energy exquisitely clear, as if personally forged by heaven and earth.

Sword shadows danced into a circle beside Lu Jiajia's graceful robes.

She stood motionless in the air. Each time the circle was danced, a sword transformed into a streaking light and shot towards True Lord Antlered Deer.

Siming no longer watched from the sidelines.

She flicked her finger, launching a sword that was initially no larger than a needle tip. As it flew, it continuously grew, and by the time it reached the Antlered Deer, it had become a massive, unrefined greatsword.

True Lord Antlered Deer, exhausted from coping, roared angrily into the wind and snow, "Are you just going to watch me die?"

True Lord White Crane still did not appear.

True Lord Antlered Deer realized that his aura had vanished from the Dianhuan Sect, knowing he had abandoned the cave dwelling and fled completely.

True Lord Antlered Deer fell into despair.

He stared at the three of them and asked, "Why exactly are you killing me?"

Siming, who had the most strength left, replied, "Regarding the Luoshu Tower incident, since you were a participant, you should bear the consequences."

"Luoshu Tower..." True Lord Antlered Deer asked, "Where exactly is Luo Cangsu?"

Siming said, "Don't delude yourself. He's already dead; he can't save you. Originally, if you had recounted every detail of your collusion and schemes with Luoshu Tower, I might have considered sparing your life. But now... I have no patience to listen."

True Lord Antlered Deer's expression was greatly shocked. He had no time to judge the truthfulness of Siming's words; this woman, as beautiful as a goddess yet resembling a demon, had appeared before him in an instant.

Countless plum blossoms separated them.

These plum blossoms embodied both life and death, blooming and withering repeatedly between them. Decay and rebirth contradictorily intermingled, forming a mysterious space that nothing could penetrate except the natural cycle of blossoming and fading.

Siming gazed at the plum blossoms, repeatedly blooming and withering. A section of her jade-like finger, shimmering with lustrous clarity, rested upon the swaying red plum blossoms.

Whether it was rebirth or extinction, this process ultimately did not escape the thread of time.

She merged with the red plum blossoms, sensing their birth and death, and then, along with the blossoms, she pierced through this understanding.

"Don't kill me!" True Lord Antlered Deer cried out in horror, looking at the translucent, jade-like finger as if it were an executioner's sword. "I am willing to serve you as my master! I will offer you all of the Dianhuan Sect's three hundred years of accumulated resources, its greatest secrets, and all the hidden truths I know about Tianzang or other deities..."

Siming disdained these offers.

Her jade finger pushed forward.

True Lord Antlered Deer transformed back into a deer.

He collapsed at the edge of the cliff, and blood, like liver