Chapter 30: Wind and Snow for Sixteen Years, Rain Stops and Fireworks End

She was clearly not Zhao Xiang'er. Where had Zhao Xiang'er gone?

The woman stood, her body trembling uncontrollably, yet her eyes held the calm resolve of one facing death. “My name is Tang Yu,” she said. “The ‘tang’ as in candy, but without the rice radical, and ‘yu’ as in the rain that weathers storms.”

The Old Fox stared at her, a sudden realization flashing through his mind. The imperial palace's grand formation had been abruptly deactivated earlier. He had initially thought Lu Jiajia was responsible, but then, when he was pinned into the deep pit, he distinctly saw Lu Jiajia emerge from the temple…

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now it seemed someone else had deactivated the imperial formation. That person had been waiting in the hall, replacing Zhao Xiang'er the moment she entered the palace.

That woman was Tang Yu, standing before him.

But why would Zhao Xiang'er do this? He had already swallowed all four keys; where else could she have gone?

Tang Yu waited quietly for death, but it did not come.

Just moments ago, the Old Fox had indeed intended to kill the woman in a fit of rage, but as he was about to strike, he suddenly became distracted.

He saw Zhao Xiang'er!

Of course, Zhao Xiang'er wasn't physically before him. He could see her because all his souls shared a unified consciousness and vision.

His true form, deep in the underground palace, saw Zhao Xiang'er!

A woman in tight black clothing entered the underground palace, dragging an ancient-looking long sword. Its blade scraped the ground, leaving a long line like a trailing strand of hair.

Her exquisite, delicate face was as pale as paper, yet her eyes, clear as black mountains and white rivers, held an undeniable, haughty pride.

This morning, when the Old Fox first met her in the underground palace, he had unleashed his towering Dharma Form, exerting overwhelming pressure with his superior realm. Now, as night fell, his true form trembled uncontrollably upon seeing her again.

“I told you we would meet again soon,” Zhao Xiang'er said, a faint smile playing on her lips, like a petal floating on spring water. Her voice, however, was filled with weariness.

The Old Fox didn't reply. Only now did he understand Zhao Xiang'er's true scheme.

She had been waiting for this very moment. He had painstakingly gathered all four keys, and with no more doubts, he had eagerly released his four soul-strands. In doing so, he had left his true form in the underground palace with only two pathetic remnants.

This was his weakest moment, the weakest he had been in five hundred years!

He also recognized the sword in Zhao Xiang'er's hand.

It was the sword once wielded by the immortal, which should have been enshrined in the Jiazi Hall. Yet, for some unknown reason, it was now in the girl's possession.

At the Xiantian Tower, he had once asked Zhao Xiang'er why she didn't use the immortal sword against him. She had looked displeased, claiming she couldn't control it…

Now it was clear that was a complete lie. This very immortal sword had been secretly moved out of the Jiazi Hall and was now in her hands.

He no longer had the presence of mind to guess her specific plans, for the girl had seriously raised her sword and brought it down on him with a simple, direct strike.

This immortal sword naturally held a suppressive power over him. Even if a child wielded it against him, he would be wary, let alone this girl who seemed more monstrous than he was.

Even his four peak-Purple Court souls wouldn't be able to save him in time.

In the great hall, Tang Yu watched as all the fires within began to flicker wildly. The light from every palace lantern flared up with unimaginable intensity, as if intent on expending all their brilliance in an instant.

Meanwhile, the Old Fox, despite possessing god-like power, was now trembling uncontrollably, as if struck by lightning, his expression one of true terror.

In the underground palace, Zhao Xiang'er had struck her first blow.

The Old Fox's true form darted frantically along the four walls of the furnace, but he was trapped within. How could he possibly escape?

If his true form's soul was extinguished, his four soul-strands would become rootless duckweed. No matter how powerful, they would vanish into dust!

Zhao Xiang'er smiled, pleased.

After her first strike, she followed up with a second. The sword energy crashed against the furnace wall, producing a melodious sound, like the striking of bronze instruments.

A third, a fourth, a fifth strike…

Streams of sword energy burst forth, swift as arrows. Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, or ten thousand ravines converging, each precisely tore through the Old Fox's soul-condensed body.

Zhao Xiang'er struck with increasing relish, as if she held an axe, not a sword, and the Old Fox were an old tree, allowing her to chop relentlessly, severing branches, scattering leaves, and leaving it covered in scars.

Time seemed to rewind a hundred years, to when the Old Fox fled from the Western Kingdom, pursued by the immortal. The immortal had then cast down swords from the clouds, their energy like thunder and rain.

A century had passed since then. The immortal had long departed, and the terrifying woman from the Qianyu Palace was no longer in the imperial court.

Even if Zhao Xiang'er was cunning, she was still young. If he could only escape now, it would be a vast world for him…

Alas, these fervent thoughts were finally pulverized into dust by her successive sword strikes today.

The Old Fox's shadow darted frantically within the furnace, emitting pained wails. His four soul-strands were even more damaged; with his true form nearly shattered from the relentless cutting, the four soul-strands themselves trembled incessantly, on the verge of splintering apart.

Tang Yu no longer hesitated and frantically fled out of the hall.

The Old Fox, as if struck by lightning, was now blank-minded and mentally disoriented. Though he possessed immense power, he was utterly incapable of wielding it. He, too, ran madly towards the hall's exit, disregarding any backlash. All he wanted was to kill more people before his body and soul were utterly destroyed.

The moment Tang Yu stepped out of the hall, a surge of overwhelming power slammed into her back. Her ceremonial robe instantly lost all its spiritual energy, and she was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and falling unconscious.

The Old Fox didn't bother to check if she was alive. He continued to charge forward, intending to rush into the city and burn it with karmic fire.

He hadn't gone far before his steps were forced to halt.

Lu Jiajia, gripping her sword scabbard, stood blocking the way at what should have been the ruined imperial palace wall.

She had originally intended to ride the blue-and-white palanquin back to her sect, but after stepping into it, the thought of the entire city being obliterated after her departure made her turn back.

Deep down, she knew that returning to the sect to report to her master was merely an excuse for her own fear.

Years ago, her sect master, alone with a single sword, had delved into a demonic lair in the wild southern territories, fighting for a day and a night, until the sky was filled with demonic clouds formed from the dissipated spiritual energy of slain demons.

Now, with the sect master wielding the Heavenly River Plate, and the demonic aura reaching the heavens here, he would surely perceive it even without her report.

She had retreated too many times within this imperial city. Now, she refused to retreat again, suddenly feeling an impulse to sacrifice herself for the Way and achieve Sword-Heart Transparency.

Her only regret was that her sword was not in her hand at that moment.

When the Old Demon Fox charged out like a madman, she was momentarily stunned.

Was this… a qi deviation?

Before Lu Jiajia could react, the demon fox was already upon her. The two collided with a crash, sending the woman flying backward. She dug her feet into the ground, desperately trying to maintain her balance, but still slid back nearly a hundred zhang.

This was the immense gap between the Purple Court and Longevity realms.

The demon fox opened a pair of bloodthirsty eyes and glared fiercely at Lu Jiajia, as if asking why she, too, was blocking his path.

He charged forward like a wild fox, countless fists and palms raining down from the heavens and earth. Some were scorching hot like fire, others chillingly cold like ice. The profound daoist techniques, which should have possessed a beauty of balance, now became utterly savage, like divine wrath or heavenly punishment.

Lu Jiajia's figure weaved through the onslaught, clumsily parrying. If not for the blue-and-white palanquin that had healed most of her injuries, she would have collapsed by now.

The Old Fox was truly mad, driven by an unyielding desire to fight to the death. He brutally slammed his fists and claws at her.

Lu Jiajia initially struggled immensely to resist, almost having her arm severed multiple times. But gradually, she noticed his power seemed to be diminishing…

She opened her Sword Eyes and realized the Old Fox's realm was constantly dropping at a visible rate!

It was a cliff-like plummet!

She didn't understand what was happening, why this old demon fox had gone mad for no reason, and was now inexplicably losing power.

In the underground palace, beyond her sight, the wailing grew fainter. The Old Fox's soul had shrunk by dozens of times, and it lay dying in the furnace, no longer able to evade Zhao Xiang'er's sword.

Zhao Xiang'er was equally exhausted, her sword-wielding arm so tired it was almost numb. She had lost count of how many times she had swung her sword, or how many times she had struck.

Just as she raised her sword again, the old demon fox revealed a self-mocking smile.

“Little girl,” he managed to utter, staring weakly at the young woman before him, wanting to say something.

Zhao Xiang'er, without a thought, struck him again with her sword.

The Old Fox groaned piteously but persisted, “If you ever get to meet the Saint, tell him that Old Monarch Redtail has been waiting for him. Though five hundred years have passed without him, I will always believe that the Saint is truly capable of forging a path to heaven for all demons in this world!”

Zhao Xiang'er thrust her sword down again and casually asked, “Who is the Saint?”

The Old Fox's face suddenly contorted in grief. Had his true form still been intact, he would have been weeping old tears by now.

He trembled all over, a tremor of true pain and despair, even more profound than the imminent destruction of his body and soul. He gave a wretched smile. “I don’t remember… I only remember there was a Saint. I remember everything he said to me, but I can’t recall his name or appearance…”

Zhao Xiang'er asked, “Was the Saint… erased?”

“Erased…” the Old Fox sighed softly. “If the laws of heaven and earth had truly erased him, then everyone in the world would forget him. But I still remember, so the Saint is still alive… He has always been alive. Even the laws of heaven and earth cannot kill him!”

Zhao Xiang'er brought her sword down again, saying, “Though I don’t know what the laws of heaven and earth are, if the power within the Hidden Kingdom moved to erase someone, who could escape?”

The Old Fox's soul flickered, gathering and dispersing like a dying bonfire. Listening to the girl's words, he recalled again the events of five hundred years ago, when he was besieged and killed by emissaries from the Hidden Kingdom of Yuanjun. The Great General's golden spear had pierced entirely through his body; the almost irresistible power of that moment made him tremble every time he thought of it.

Yet, the Old Fox's expression remained resolute. His voice, solemn and devout, resonated through the underground palace once more, speaking of something more important and noble than his own life.

“Of course the Saint will not die. He is the most powerful being, spanning heaven and earth. There are many other demons like me in this world. We have been killed, suppressed, reduced to bones, our souls extinguished, yet we still remember and wait for the Saint to return. He has never lied to us, not five hundred years ago, and he won’t in ten thousand years to come…”

Zhao Xiang'er listened calmly, nodding slightly. “If I have the chance, I will convey your regards to him.”

The Old Fox's smile was bleak, indistinguishable between joy and sorrow. “Then remember, my name is Old Monarch Redtail! Don't get it wrong…”

Zhao Xiang'er, however, offered a faint, indifferent smile. “I am an executioner, not your messenger. Your earth-shattering encounters with the Saint are of no concern to me. I am merely here to kill you now. If I truly forget that day, you can only blame yourself for dying today.”

With that, she raised her sword again and unleashed a stream of sword energy.

The Old Fox's true form and soul shattered into pieces.

“Four keys, two immortal swords…” His sudden burst of laughter echoed madly through the entire underground palace. “Little girl, your mother is truly remarkable. So she spared my life all those years ago because she wanted me to be your whetstone. This is truly… a grand design.”

His remaining soul flickered in and out of existence, writhing incessantly. His voice had not yet ceased: “Since that is the case, then before I die, I shall fulfill her wish one last time!”

Zhao Xiang'er paid no heed to his raving.

It was almost time…

Outside the ancient well, the bells of the imperial city chimed once more, distant and resonant.

The entire city seemed consumed by sorrow.

It was a funeral bell.

The gates of heaven or perhaps the underworld seemed to slowly open with the ringing of the bells.

For the last time, she raised her sword and directly threw it into the furnace.

The sword seemed to meet some resistance, pausing for an instant, but only for an instant, before plunging into the flame of the divine soul.

The Old Fox's true form and soul completely shattered, no longer able to coalesce. They transformed into faint streaks of light that slowly ascended within the furnace, then burst and vanished.

The Old Fox on the square suffered the same fate.

The entire city withered.

Zhao Xiang'er looked up, as if admiring a fireworks display.

What a beautiful display of fireworks.

For a long, long time…

In the imperial city, the continuous rain finally ceased.

In the underground palace, the ‘fireworks’ had faded.

(*End of Chapter 30. The plot reaches a significant point here.*)

(*P.S.: Recommending a friend's novel, "I Am a Half-Demon" by Beiliao: 'The path ahead is long and arduous, but as a half-demon, I will embark on a journey to transcend the gods.'*)