Chapter 371: Southward Awaiting the Sword

Fire floating on water turns into duckweed, and wind condensing in the sky turns into clouds.

Liu Xiwann stood in the grotto-heaven, observing the chaotic anomalies around her, and clearly sensed her Senior Sister’s anger.

Senior Sister Zhou Zhenyue was the second most powerful person in the Sword Pavilion. She was unfathomable, wearing only a single, cicada-wing-thin white garment all year round. Her outer robe was her very swordsmanship essence. She wasn't a sword spirit incarnate, but it was said that when she was born, a famous sword from the bottom of a lake flew a thousand li to recognize her as its master.

Although both Senior Sister and Second Senior Sister were cultivators at the peak of the Fifth Path, even within the same realm, there was a clear hierarchy of superiority.

During sword practice within the temple, Second Senior Sister would occasionally spar with Senior Sister, but she never won. Coupled with the seniority gap, Liu Junzhuo held Zhou Zhenyue in even greater awe and admiration.

As the youngest junior sister in the Sword Pavilion, Liu Xiwann had now also reached the peak of the Violet Court realm, even surpassing several of her senior brothers.

Standing at the doorway, listening to the Senior Sister's scolding, the Second Senior Sister's pleas for mercy, and crisp, raindrop-like sounds coming from inside the residence, her pretty face couldn't help but flush slightly. She wrapped her black velvet cloak more tightly around herself.

After standing for a moment, Senior Sister's voice finally came out: "Junior Sister, come in."

The door opened a crack.

Liu Xiwann cautiously walked in.

The hall was dim, and the atmosphere was somewhat serious.

She saw that Second Senior Sister, usually arrogant, willful, and unruly, was now quietly kneeling on the ground, head bowed, lips slightly pursed, her expression docile and completely unlike her usual demeanor.

Liu Xiwann mustered her courage and glanced at her, noticing many unsightly creases on the hem of her skirt below her cinched waist.

Liu Xiwann felt a thrill of excitement, thinking, "So, Senior Sister, you finally got what you deserved!" Yet, on the surface, she lowered her brows, wearing an exquisitely pitiful expression of sympathy and compassion.

Zhou Zhenyue sat in front, holding a wooden ruler, looked at Liu Xiwann, and asked, "Do you know Ning Changjiu?"

Liu Xiwann was slightly startled and nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Yes, I do."

Zhou Zhenyue then asked, "What was your past relationship with him?"

Liu Xiwann glanced at Second Senior Sister, then braced herself and said, "Just friends I used to know..."

"Friends?" Zhou Zhenyue's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Just friends?"

Meeting her Senior Sister's interrogation, Liu Xiwann forced herself to remain calm and nodded: "Just friends."

Zhou Zhenyue then asked, "If, in the future, your Senior Sister asks you and this friend of yours to face each other with swords, can you... do it?"

Liu Xiwann was slightly startled and blurted out, "What?"

Zhou Zhenyue said, "I'm only asking if you can do it."

Liu Xiwann hesitated, then clenched her fists and said ambiguously, "I've disliked him for a long time!"

Zhou Zhenyue watched her for a moment.

Liu Xiwann's nerves were taut. Slowly, she bent down and knelt beside Second Senior Sister, idly smoothing her short hair, which had no need of styling. She said, "My life was saved by Second Senior Sister, so of course I follow Second Senior Sister. Whatever Second Senior Sister says, Xiwann will do, without a second thought."

Liu Junzhuo, already over three hundred years old, was inherently proud and haughty. To endure such a childish punishment in front of her junior sister was utterly humiliating. Now, seeing her kneel beside her and speak those words, her usually cool demeanor softened slightly. Moved, she wished she could embrace her immediately.

Zhou Zhenyue looked at the two disciples, who were both master-disciple and sisters, and sighed, "Do you know Lu Jiajia?"

"Lu Jiajia..." Liu Xiwann stammered, unsure how to respond.

Zhou Zhenyue said, "The woman who defeated our Seventh Senior Brother earlier—we later found out her name was Lu Jiajia. However, with the subsequent chaos at the Luoshu Pavilion, we didn't investigate further. It's said she's from your hometown, Nanzhou."

A master-disciple relationship, no less... Liu Junzhuo was slightly surprised.

Zhou Zhenyue pondered, then asked, "Besides that?"

Liu Xiwann said, "I've only met her a few times, so our relationship isn't deep. I wouldn't presume to make any judgments."

"Only a few times..." It seems Lu Jiajia is inherently proud and rarely gives personal lessons. Liu Junzhuo confidently felt she understood Lu Jiajia a bit better now.

Zhou Zhenyue didn't press further, merely saying, "Since you were from the same sect as her, you must remember the core cultivation techniques, right? Recite them to me."

"Oh..." Liu Xiwann nodded and recited the inner sect's cultivation mantra, omitting only the ultimate killing sword technique from the second half of the scroll.

Zhou Zhenyue listened, pondered for a moment, and after confirming that the core cultivation techniques were self-consistent, she said, "All right, you may go back."

"And Second Senior Sister..." Liu Xiwann looked pitifully at Zhou Zhenyue, wondering if she could indirectly add more charges against Second Senior Sister.

Liu Junzhuo, assuming her junior sister was pleading for her and didn't want to get involved, said, "Junior Sister, you should go back. I lost my sword and crown, bringing disgrace to the Sword Pavilion. I deserve the punishment, and I have no complaints."

"Oh." Liu Xiwann replied with satisfaction.

After her junior sister left, Zhou Zhenyue looked at Liu Junzhuo and said:

"All right, get up. We need to call in Third and Fourth Junior Brothers later to discuss important matters."

Liu Junzhuo slowly stood up and quietly asked, "What important matters?"

Zhou Zhenyue said, "Master has emerged from seclusion."

Liu Junzhuo, having heard about this, asked in surprise and doubt, "What did Master say?"

Zhou Zhenyue said, "The Heavenly Dao has sent down a divine oracle: the Dao-stealer, exactly like the one from five hundred years ago, has reappeared. We must kill him to prevent a recurrence of the disaster from five hundred years ago."

Liu Junzhuo was slightly startled: "The Dao-stealer? Who is it?"

Zhou Zhenyue said, "Ning Changjiu of the Ancient Spirit Sect."

"What?!" Liu Junzhuo's beautiful eyes widened, and her mind was astonished: "How could it be him? Could there be a mistake?"

Zhou Zhenyue said, "It is a divine oracle."

"But his cultivation level isn't high. Even if we must kill him, why go to such great lengths?" Liu Junzhuo asked, puzzled.

"Because he is accompanied by Sima, the fourth most powerful person in the world," Zhou Zhenyue said.

"Then, Xiwann..." Liu Junzhuo's heart tightened.

Zhou Zhenyue said, "Unless absolutely necessary, don't let Junior Sister know about this. This interception and killing must be clean and swift. The Daoist temple in the sky is already being held back by Baizang, and no one can provide assistance. There will be no better opportunity than this."

Liu Junzhuo stood before her, unsure how to respond.

Although she wasn't familiar with Ning Changjiu, she always felt he wasn't a bad person.

Zhou Zhenyue looked at her face, knowing that her junior sister's mental cultivation was still weak. She said, "If you have doubts, you can go to Master's place and look at the images preserved from five hundred years ago. A sea of blood and mountains of corpses, all life extinguished, utter chaos... We were born into the Sword Pavilion to prevent these things from happening again."

Liu Junzhuo closed her eyes, thinking of the bloody scenes ingrained in her sword-heart since she first began practicing the sword, and her expression became resolute.

"I understand, Senior Sister," she said.

Zhou Zhenyue casually pulled over a chair. Liu Junzhuo smoothed her skirt and slowly settled onto the seat.

Third and Fourth Junior Brothers arrived a moment later.

They were far less powerful than Senior Sister and Second Senior Sister, yet they were still great cultivators at the Middle and Early stages of the Fifth Path respectively, true immortals in the eyes of mortals.

The four most outstanding disciples of the Sword Pavilion, led by Zhou Zhenyue, began to formulate the plan for this assassination.

"Tianhu Mountain, Myriad Prison Gorge, Ruins of the Bone Tower, Solitary Cloud City... These are the four points Master selected for us, the path Ning Changjiu and Sima must take. The Sword Pavilion's informants have already been dispatched. Once they leave Myriad Demon City, their movements will be completely clear."

"What if they don't take this shortest path and choose a longer route instead?"

"They can't take a longer route," Senior Sister said. "From Myriad Demon City to the Ancient Spirit Sect, to the east is the Underworld Sea, impassable. To the west, they would approach the Sword Pavilion, which would be courting death."

As she spoke, she pointed a finger on the tactical map, saying, "To ensure nothing goes wrong, we won't divide our forces. We'll ambush them directly from Tianhu Mountain, pursuing and fighting them, aiming to stop them before Myriad Prison Gorge. Additionally, several sect masters have gathered in Solitary Cloud City. If they miraculously pass through the Ruins of the Bone Tower, the Flying Sword Tower of Solitary Cloud City will then be activated."

Third and Fourth Senior Brothers had no objections.

Although Sima, the Sect Master of the Ancient Spirit Sect, was mysterious, the Heavenly Rankings only rated her as the fourth most powerful in the world. Senior Sister alone could kill her. Such a large deployment of forces seemed more like a way to ensure they died with dignity.

How could there be anyone in the world whom the four Sword Pavilion disciples, acting together, couldn't kill?

Liu Junzhuo, however, raised another question: "Since the Dao-stealer is so important, why doesn't Master act directly to ensure there are no mishaps?"

Zhou Zhenyue replied, "We have studied swordsmanship for a hundred years. After achieving the Dao, opportunities to wield our swords become fewer and fewer... There is no better whetstone in the world than them."

Liu Junzhuo nodded gently.

But having lost two bets in a row, she felt inexplicably flustered... Why did she always feel like she was *their* whetstone, for their entire family?

Of course, having just made a huge mistake, she wouldn't dare utter such disgraceful words about the Sword Pavilion.

The plan was thus settled.

The four disciples, unprecedentedly, left the Sword Pavilion together, heading for Tianhu Mountain.

Tianhu Mountain was where Ning Changjiu and Sima had once made a raft of bamboo and journeyed through raging currents.

They would arrive there in five days.

Myriad Demon City.

The ancient city was still a wreck. As far as the eye could see, the valleys destroyed by the great battle had collapsed, accumulating in the Quicksand River, where they were repeatedly scoured by the current. Trees in the forest were toppled over vast areas, showing widespread traces of fire.

At midnight, Ning Changjiu and Sima quietly walked through the ancient city. The peaks were silent, and no one came to block their path anymore.

They walked side by side, and an hour later, they arrived at the foot of Seven Absolutes Cliff.

Ning Changjiu stood on the east bank of the Quicksand River, looking at the surging, dam-breaking waters, and said, "This is where I picked you up back then. I can't believe we were swept so far by the current. It's a miracle we didn't die... Uh."

Ning Changjiu's body suddenly trembled.

A pair of hands wrapped around him from behind, embracing him. Then, a soft sensation pressed against his back, making him feel as though he had instantly fallen into cotton.

Sima hugged him and whispered in his ear, "Now we're even."

Ning Changjiu took her hand and said, "You think that's enough to repay my kindness?"

Sima asked, "Are you suggesting I should offer myself in marriage?"

"Shouldn't you?" Ning Changjiu countered.

Sima slipped her hand from his grip and smiled faintly, "Then come and catch me. If you do, you can do whatever you wish."

As she spoke, her figure flashed, vanishing from her spot, transforming into a black shadow that soared into the night sky.

Ning Changjiu smiled calmly. His shadow, standing by the Quicksand River, quickly transformed into a streak of faint light.

Above Myriad Demon City, two streaking lights, one dark and one bright, cut across the sky, passing over the city gates and flying south in pursuit.

Although Ning Changjiu's cultivation realm couldn't be judged by ordinary standards, he was ultimately only at the Early stage of the Fifth Path. Compared to Sima, who had now reached the peak of the Fifth Path, there was a vast difference.

The two chased each other all night. Sima, her divine robe fluttering, provocatively appeared and disappeared near him, occasionally letting out enchanting laughter.

Ning Changjiu found her provocations hard to swallow, but even with all his might, he repeatedly failed to catch her. Without the slave mark, the subtlety of his Dao arts was not enough to compensate for the pure difference in their cultivation realms.

As dawn approached.

The two chased each other to a large lake.

Ning Changjiu's figure suddenly froze. He seemed to suffer a relapse of an old injury, clutching his chest, letting out a cry of agony, and falling towards the lake surface.

Sima was slightly startled and immediately stopped, darting towards the direction Ning Changjiu was falling.

Taking advantage of Sima's approach, Ning Changjiu's figure once again transformed into a streak of light and swiftly pounced forward.

He pounced into empty air.

"I knew you were faking it again," Sima said, stopping behind him and smiling sweetly. She had been on guard.

Ning Changjiu sighed and admitted defeat.

After traveling for half the night, both were somewhat tired. They simultaneously descended onto the lake surface. Sima, with her bare jade feet, walked lightly on the waves, her slender, delicate toes creating countless ripples. Her breathtaking reflection shimmered on the water.

Ning Changjiu walked alongside her, his black clothes and her black robe seeming to draw a distinct line, yet at any moment, they also seemed poised to merge like yin-yang fish.

"Why do you look so preoccupied?" Sima asked, looking at his face.

Ning Changjiu looked straight ahead and said, "The journey back won't be peaceful. We absolutely cannot let our guard down."

"The Sword Pavilion, you mean..." Sima said coldly, "Thanks to Master's grace this time, my Dao realm is no longer what it once was. Someone like the Sword Pavilion's Senior Sister is no longer worth my attention. Unless the Sword Saint himself appears, or the entire Sword Pavilion comes out, they won't be able to stop us."

"We've already been through life and death. We must be even more careful and cherish this," Ning Changjiu said slowly. "The Sword Saint, being able to become a vassal of the Heavenly Dao, is certainly no fool. We must prepare for the possibility of him personally drawing his sword."

"Mm." Sima nodded. "Don't worry, this time, I will protect you well."

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly, "Why does that make me sound like a kept man?"

Sima smiled faintly, "What? Are you saying you aren't? From Zhao Xiang'er to Lu Jiajia to me, haven't you been 'eating your way through' one family after another?"

"How dare you speak so ill of your husband? You're truly asking for a beating," Ning Changjiu playfully scolded, his figure flashing away in an instant.

Sima also gracefully rose, her robes unfurling, and skimmed across the lake surface.

Streaks of light flashed across the lake, leaving behind only the woman's series of bell-like laughter.

Behind them, the sun rose.

When Ning Changjiu caught up to Sima again, they were in a forest stream. Sima dangled her fair calves, splashing the stream water, and turned her body to smile at him.

"Why are you so slow? And you think you can be my ideal husband like that?" Sima asked with a crescent-eyed smile, resting her hands on a stone.

Ning Changjiu had never expected that after entering the Fifth Path, his first exhaustion wouldn't be from a life-or-death battle with an enemy, but from chasing his own Xueci.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and, sitting down tiredly beside Sima, leisurely said, "From now on, no matter how fast or slow, I'm afraid Miss Xueci won't be happy."

Sima didn't quite understand. She looked at the clear stream, feeling a little better, and said, "Oh, right, what if Jiajia sees us like this when we get back and throws a tantrum?"

Ning Changjiu was silent for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Jiajia probably won't. It seems she already had an inkling when she sent us off."

Sima couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Does she have so little faith in us?"

Ning Changjiu said helplessly, "Well, we haven't exactly lived up to Jiajia's lack of trust, have we?"

Sima then asked, "What about Zhao Xiang'er? That girl is full of thorns; she's quite fierce."

Ning Changjiu confidently said, "Xiang'er wouldn't dare say anything."

"Why?" Sima asked.

Ning Changjiu thought of Xihe, who clung to him like a small bird in his dreams, and said, "Because Xiang'er has been my wife since ancient times."

Sima let out a sound of surprise and asked, "Did you two have any entanglements in your past lives?"

Ning Changjiu mused, "Yes, we did."

Sima grew curious and couldn't help but ask, "What about Master?"

Ning Changjiu paused slightly, "What Master?"

Sima said, "Your relationship with Master in your previous life."

Although Ning Changjiu suspected that Master was Nüwa, when Sima asked, a moon-white figure still involuntarily appeared in his sea of consciousness. At the moment he parted with Xihe, that figure seemed to be watching him from behind a door.

But the memory was ethereal, and Ning Changjiu seemed to fall into the 'unobservable' again, unable to recall the person's identity.

"I don't know either." Ning Changjiu shook his head. "Master is our benefactor. It's not right to speak ill of her behind her back."

Sima stepped on a stream stone, rose, and walked slowly through the water, nodding. "Anyway, we'll all be fellow practitioners in the future."

Ning Changjiu followed beside her and suddenly said, "I have a plan that will leave both Jiajia and Xiang'er speechless."

Sima, thinking he had some brilliant idea, asked, "Oh, do tell, Young Master Ning?"

Ning Changjiu said seriously, "How about we turn raw rice into cooked rice?"

"Dream on," Sima said with a smirk and a wink. "A goddess is flawless; how could you defile her?"

Ning Changjiu chased after her again.

They frolicked for a while longer, then set off again.

Crossing large lakes and mountains, the journey remained calm and uneventful. Their path home encountered no further setbacks for now.

Chatting as they rode their swords together, they stopped just outside an old city as dusk descended.

"Should we rest?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"No need," Sima replied. "Let's get back sooner to avoid any complications."

Ning Changjiu agreed.

He then added, "However, the road ahead may not be easy."

Sima asked, "Are you afraid the Sword Pavilion has set an ambush?"

Ning Changjiu nodded.

"What if we take a longer route?" Sima suggested. "There are still about a hundred days until the end of the Underworld. Even if we travel around the entire Central Land, we should still make it in time."

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head, saying, "No matter how much we detour, we eventually have to return to the Ancient Spirit Sect. If they are shameless enough, they could even wait for us right outside the Ancient Spirit Sect's gates. In that case, Jiajia and Xiaoling would likely be implicated as well."

"Mm." Sima asked, "Then how should we proceed?"

Ning Changjiu said, "First, we need to anticipate their ambush locations so we aren't caught off guard."

Sima gazed at the evening sky, perplexed. "It's a journey of thousands of mountains and rivers from here. How can we possibly predict where they'll set an ambush? We can't be on high alert every step of the way, can we?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Actually, it's not hard to predict."

"Why?" Sima became even more curious.

"Because of the Sword Pavilion's arrogance," Ning Changjiu said with a faint smile. "You used to lack human nature, so you still don't understand people well enough. All sword cultivators in this world possess an almost arrogant pride. They believe in killing from a thousand miles away with a flying sword, and they believe in peerless battles like those on isolated peaks, vast seas, or atop imperial cities. The Sword Pavilion disciples are the most arrogant among them. If they are to set an ambush, the quality of the location isn't important; what matters is whether the place's reputation and historical significance can match their swords."

After Ning Changjiu finished his long explanation, Sima only remembered the first sentence. Annoyed, she retorted, "You're the one who lacks human nature!"

"..." Ning Changjiu was speechless for a moment.

Sima scoffed coldly, hands clasped behind her back, and said, "So you human sword cultivators are all so fond of empty fame?"

*Aren't you too?* Ning Changjiu thought, but dared not say, silently nodding.

Sima then asked, "You don't even know the Central Land well. How would you know which places are famous sites or ancient ruins?"

"That's even simpler," Ning Changjiu confidently said. "Generally, place names that sound grand and beautiful are famous sites and historical relics, while those that sound perfunctory are clearly insignificant."

Sima's brows furrowed, the annoyance on her immortal face subtly fading. She shook her lips in doubt, saying, "Your explanation sounds very perfunctory."

"How is it perfunctory?" Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "For example, Xueci—a name like that immediately sounds like a peerless beauty."

"..." Sima had no retort. She felt this was a form of emotional blackmail. She said coldly, "I think you should stop cultivating swords and become a traveling quack instead; it would suit you better."

Bickering, the two entered the city, bought a map, and counted the place names that seemed like famous sites or ancient ruins.

"Tianhu Mountain... Myriad Prison Gorge... Ruins of the Bone Tower... Solitary Cloud City..."

"Really? It still feels unreliable..."

Silver Snow Palace.

Baizang sat on a throne cast from silver, her petite frame nestled within it, her dress flowing over her like molten silver.

Below the throne, the Silver Divine Official stood with bowed head. She clutched her chest, coughing softly, her voice an incongruous sound in the hall.

That day, outside Myriad Demon City, the Heavenly Monarch moved ahead, but the Divine Official was blocked by Nüwa. Nüwa and her Second Disciple, who arrived shortly after, hunted the Divine Official together. The Divine Official had originally been fearless, but she hadn't expected the Second Disciple to have hidden her strength, managing to gravely wound her in conjunction with Nüwa.

For Baizang, this was also a humiliating matter.

"To think she could merge the remnant souls of the Five Emperors into one..." Baizang realized she had consistently underestimated that woman.

However, under the grand scheme, these were at best minor concerns and wouldn't affect anything significant.

With Kunlun open, the Moon Kingdom appears...

Although no formal declaration of war had been made, it was time for this divine war to eradicate the remnants to begin.

This was destined to be an extraordinary year.

She had obtained the Divine Heart of Tianzang, an incomparably excellent start.

In another month, her divine year would be over...

During this month, she would uncover these shocking secrets, and for the next twelve years, all subsequent Divine Lords would feast on her leftovers.

She raised her hand and pointed, manifesting a letter that fell into the Divine Official's arms.

The Divine Official took the letter and withdrew.

A moment later, a little girl with pigtails sticking straight up timidly walked into the grand hall.

This was Qiuyue.

She was currently wearing a silver divine robe, which looked very out of place on her tiny body.

Baizang conveyed her thoughts to her telepathically.

Surprise was evident on Qiuyue's face.

"Can you do it?" Baizang asked.

Qiuyue immediately nodded. She knelt and kowtowed, devoutly saying, "Please rest assured, Lord Divine Sovereign, Qiuyue will surely not fail her master's trust!"

Baizang said, "After this matter, I can formally bestow upon you the title of Divine Envoy, making you the successor to the next Divine Official."

"Thank you, Master!" Qiuyue exclaimed delightedly, then awkwardly added, "I have one more request."

Baizang could read her thoughts, but still prompted her to speak for herself.

Qiuyue said, "Once Lord Divine Sovereign has completely taken control of them, can Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia be handed over to me? Qiuyue... wants to kill them personally."

Baizang assented.

Qiuyue laughed happily. She had already climbed the highest branch in the world, fearless, and silently marked them for death in her mind.

For her, there was nothing more pleasurable in this world than patricide and matricide.