Chapter 412: South Ming

The Godless Moon had vanished.

The only explanation was that one of the divine realms must be open.

Which divine realm could it be? Spring Scales or Heavenly Steed?

The opening of a divine realm was inherently secretive. Apart from the customary opening sequence and timing, only a very small number of people in the world could truly perceive the existence of a divine realm through their supernatural abilities.

The fall of the Yuanfu star occurred precisely at midnight, at the end of September. At that time, everyone's attention was drawn to the black moon and the streaking fire in the sky, and no one paid attention to whether it was Spring Scales or Heavenly Steed that opened at midnight at the end of September. Now that Master was adrift in the mortal world, without the Immeasurable as a reliance, it was likely impossible to know for sure.

Moreover, Master, wandering alone, would surely become the current God Lord's primary target… Could Master handle it?

Ning Changjiu's hands and feet felt slightly cold. Although he knew Master's powers were immense and he needn't worry, he couldn't help but think of the worst possibilities.

He was also glad he had realized this early.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Jiajia asked, walking over to his side.

Ning Changjiu told her what was on his mind. Lu Jiajia's brows furrowed slightly as she recalled everything they had seen and heard on their journey… She had previously felt something was amiss, and now realized it was because the Godless Moon had vanished.

Ning Changjiu said, "According to the original plan, you were to seek out Xueci while I went to the Southern Nether. But now, it seems we absolutely cannot separate, or we risk being defeated one by one."

Lu Jiajia nodded, "Yes, let's not rush. We'll discuss it thoroughly later."

Ning Changjiu looked up at Ning Xiaoling and Shao Xiaoli.

At that moment, Ning Xiaoling was showing Shao Xiaoli around the grand hall, which possessed the beauty of ancient imperial palaces. Shao Xiaoli's expression was calm, but a hint of envy was undeniable in her eyes. She thought, *I'm supposedly the Empress of Broken Realm City, so why is my residence not as good as theirs?*

Ning Changjiu temporarily suppressed his worries and said, "I originally thought they might have some minor clashes, but it seems they're getting along quite well."

"Indeed, the young girls have grown up," Lu Jiajia said slowly, watching them. "A certain villain can now pick his moment."

Ning Changjiu pretended not to understand and said seriously, "What villain? I will protect them well."

Lu Jiajia ignored his glib talk and reached out to twist his ear.

The two chased each other out of the hall.

The Underworld now truly resembled a kingdom. The creatures born within it were no longer the malformed beings of the past. Grayish-white fine grass had grown on the land previously covered in bones, and the dark sea that had enveloped the world was gone. Though the sky remained a hazy chaos, it had also revealed its true form.

Ning Changjiu took Lu Jiajia for a walk through the Underworld.

"The Underworld was originally suspended in the center of the Sea of Reincarnation, controlling the birth and death of souls in the world," Ning Changjiu said as he and Lu Jiajia crossed a mountain peak, looking at the swaying black flowers in the valley. "Now the Sea of Reincarnation has become the Sea of Ruins… It's all just a graveyard for soul-devourers."

Lu Jiajia asked curiously, "What exactly are soul-devourers?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head, "I can't be certain yet, but I suspect many are demon tribes who ascended over thousands of years, and a large portion of them should be the traitors from the Hunter's War five hundred years ago."

"Why are they all demon tribes?" Lu Jiajia asked, puzzled. "What's the mystery behind this?"

Ning Changjiu sat in the valley where the black flowers swayed and smiled, "Jiajia, you don't need to overcomplicate all these strange occurrences… The Heavenly Dao has long been occupied by the Dark Lord. When humans ascend, their physical bodies are destroyed by the Heavenly Dao, and their spiritual energy is consumed by the Dark Lord. However, demons' physiques are naturally several times stronger than humans', becoming more pronounced with higher cultivation levels. Of course, the trade-off is that demon tribes' cultivation speed is far inferior to humans'."

"Therefore, for the Heavenly Dao, which acts like a meat grinder, the bodies of demon tribes are probably tough bones to crack. The Heavenly Dao is unwilling to waste energy on them, so after absorbing most of their spiritual energy, it simply casts their corpses into the Sea of Ruins, leaving them to their own devices."

Ning Changjiu shared his hypothesis.

Lu Jiajia sat beside Ning Changjiu, gently hugging her knees. She looked at him with some surprise and said, "Is it really such a simple reason?"

Ning Changjiu chuckled, "Of course, this is just my arbitrary speculation; it's not set in stone."

Lu Jiajia, however, found it quite reasonable and believed him. She gently stretched her curled legs, her gaze wandering between the black flowers and the mountains. She quietly asked, "If that's the case, then perhaps the Dark Lord's existence is also simple, and the method to defeat the Dark Lord is equally simple?"

Ning Changjiu looked at Lu Jiajia and said, "Of course it's simple… The Dark Lord's method to defeat us is equally simple: overwhelming power trumps all."

Lu Jiajia glanced at him and sighed, "It's a pity the Dark Lord probably isn't a young girl, otherwise I'd have complete confidence in you."

Ning Changjiu looked at the faint, mocking smile at the corner of Lu Jiajia's lips and said, "Jiajia, you must have some misunderstanding about me."

Lu Jiajia said lightly, "Don't argue. Unless you turn yourself into a young girl, I won't believe a word you say."

Ning Changjiu lamented in his heart the lack of trust within these relationships.

He stood up and once again took Lu Jiajia for a casual stroll around the Underworld.

"How's the construction of the mythical logic coming along?" Lu Jiajia asked casually.

"Almost done," Ning Changjiu said. "Only the last divine pillar remains."

Once the last divine pillar was erected, the divine realm could truly be supported.

However, he was not satisfied with his own mythology.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Then, once the divine realm is completed and you preside over it, will you still be able to leave?"

Ning Changjiu said, "When I was still Emperor Jun, I could freely leave the divine realm and go to the mortal world. The concept of being confined to a place didn't exist for the original divine realms. I've always suspected this was a rule specifically set by the Dark Lord. God Lords are too destructive to the world; if they cause disasters, it could hinder the Dark Lord's collection of spiritual energy, so it imposed restraints."

"I see…" Lu Jiajia nodded gently, then suddenly chuckled, "Heh, when I first met you, I probably couldn't have imagined, even if I racked my brain, that you were the reincarnation of Emperor Jun and Yi."

Ning Changjiu mused, "Jiajia, do you feel a sense of shared glory?"

"Not at all," Lu Jiajia said with a faint smile. "Thanks to your two lifetimes of cultivating good fortune, otherwise you wouldn't have met me."

Ning Changjiu also laughed, "That's true."

Lu Jiajia stood on the mountain peak, her white robes like snow. She gazed at the undulating black mountain ranges and suddenly said, "I wonder when we'll see Master again."

Ning Changjiu said, "We'll see her when the moon appears. Then, after we sleep, Master should open her dream realm."

Lu Jiajia thought his words made sense and nodded gently, "Once we're in the dream realm of the Immeasurable, you'll still have to call me Senior Sister."

Ning Changjiu said, "Jiajia, you're getting more and more arrogant. If you displease Master, your title of Senior Sister might just be revoked."

"How is that possible?" Lu Jiajia didn't believe it for a second. "Besides me, who else could be suitable?"

As they talked, they returned to the Underworld's grand hall. Ning Changjiu organized his thoughts, then looked up to see Ning Xiaoling and Shao Xiaoli sitting at a table, seemingly discussing something before signing an agreement of friendly mutual assistance, sharing honor and disgrace.

Seeing Ning Changjiu return, Ning Xiaoling immediately looked up and asked, "Are you leaving again, Senior Brother?"

Ning Changjiu sat down beside them and sighed softly, "Yes, there's just too much happening outside. Staying in the Underworld for half a day is already a luxury."

Ning Xiaoling's pretty face drooped slightly. She said softly, "Hmm, Xiaoling has Di Ting and Jiuyou to talk to in the Underworld Hall, so I won't be lonely. Senior Brother, if you ever need Xiaoling's help with anything, please be sure to say so."

Shao Xiaoli comforted her, "Don't be sad, little sister Xiaoling. I'll take good care of Master for you."

Ning Xiaoling glared at her, puffing out her cheeks, as if she wanted nothing more than to punch her.

Ning Changjiu, however, said, "Xiaoli, you stay here in the Underworld Hall with Xiaoling. The enemies we'll face later will be very formidable, and I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you properly."

Shao Xiaoli's smile froze on her face.

Ning Xiaoling quickly said, "Yes, Senior Brother, go on. I'll take good care of little sister."

Shao Xiaoli immediately said, "Xiaoli will take good care of herself!"

Ning Changjiu was weighing his words, but Ning Xiaoling directly spoke for him: "Little sister Xiaoli, don't you understand what Senior Brother means? He's saying you're too weak and shouldn't be a burden to him."

Shao Xiaoli, of course, knew, but hearing Ning Xiaoling say it like that still made her a little sad.

Ning Xiaoling looked at her pitiful expression, felt that her words had indeed been a bit cruel, and tried to redeem herself. She took Shao Xiaoli's hand, blinked, and said, "Little sister Xiaoli, don't you want to stay with your big sister?"

Shao Xiaoli didn't know how to answer and could only weakly agree, saying, "I'll continue my cultivation even when Master isn't here."

Ning Changjiu nodded, encouraging them to get along well and cultivate diligently until he returned.

Ning Xiaoling and Shao Xiaoli nodded obediently together.

Lu Jiajia looked at the two charming and delicate girls, feeling a softness in her heart. Just as she was about to say something gentle, she saw Jiuyou beside her burst into poetic inspiration, reciting her new work: "Farewell."

"Master and disciple reunite, then part again,With an extra Shao Xiaoli,Xiaoli is clever and beautiful,Her former lover was Great Yi…"

Everyone got goosebumps upon hearing it and hastily blocked their ears with spiritual energy.

But this parting was made a little lighter by it.

Ning Xiaoling, wearing a pear-snow-like dress, controlled the Underworld's wind to blow towards her, stirring her skirt and hair, making herself appear even more mournfully beautiful.

Shao Xiaoli, standing beside her, was clearly not graced by the wind. Though standing shoulder to shoulder with Ning Xiaoling, she seemed to be in a different world; compared to the other's ethereal grace in the breeze, her own static stance appeared much stiffer.

They waved goodbye outside the hall.

Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia left the Underworld, like white clouds pushed back into their own sky by the wind.

Returning to Ancient Spirit Sect, the two rested briefly, intending to visit Misty Pavilion under the pretext of seeing Yu Qing, and use the opportunity to explore the Southern Nether to resolve Ning Changjiu's earlier doubts from the Bone Tower ruins.

If nothing significant happened, they would head north, and when passing Sword Pavilion, they would 'abduct' Liu Xiwang, creating the illusion that she was forced to accompany them. Only with the Silver Sword by his side would Ning Changjiu have the confidence to either fight the Sword Saint or the God Lord, or safely withdraw.

He hoped Xueci would return safely before then.

But so much time had passed, and not a single sword-letter had been sent back…

Ning Changjiu had to console himself that worrying was useless and that he absolutely could not let impulse disrupt the plan, otherwise, he might not be able to save anyone.

Just as Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia were preparing to depart, he opened his Lunar Eye and unexpectedly saw a familiar figure at the edge of his vision.

"What's wrong?" Lu Jiajia asked, seeing him suddenly stop.

Ning Changjiu was silent for a moment, then said, "Someone's here."

"Who?"

"Um… Liu Xiwang."

"What?"

The gates of Ancient Spirit Sect opened, and Ning Changjiu was greatly surprised to see the sword-wielding girl standing outside, dressed in black combat attire, with a leather belt cinching her waist and disheveled short hair.

"Miss Liu… why are you here?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Liu Xiwang lowered her head and slowly said, "Before, I pleaded with you to spare my Senior Sister and promised to be your sword… On Willow Leaf Street, my Senior Sister and I received Master's sword command and had to return. But my promise came first, and leaving without a word would have been wrong, so I found a way to come back."

Ning Changjiu was even more puzzled: "Your Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters have no objection to your departure?"

"I told them," Liu Xiwang said. "I told them I was pretending to defect to you, but was actually working as an undercover agent. I'd lie low beside you and stab you at a crucial moment… Although Sword Pavilion has always upheld integrity, it's an extraordinary time, so everyone understood and let me come to try."

Liu Xiwang paused, then spilled the entire conspiracy like beans from a bamboo tube: "Of course, the reason I'm here as an undercover agent is also fabricated. Anyway, Sword Pavilion's official statement is that I've fallen in love with you and secretly taught you Sword Pavilion's sword techniques. Then, when you fought with Second Senior Sister, she discovered you knew Sword Pavilion's sword techniques, became suspicious, questioned me, and I confessed. Second Senior Sister, out of old affection, didn't punish me severely but expelled me from the sect. The Heavenly Ranks will soon spread this news."

Ning Changjiu listened to her words, hissed, and drew a sharp breath. He asked, "How did you become such a skilled little traitor?"

Liu Xiwang sighed and grumbled, "What could I do? It's all because of your oppression. I had no choice but to be a double agent and compromise. If I had known it would be like this, I should have stayed at Imperial Sword Heavenly Sect back then."

Ning Changjiu patted her shoulder and said, "You've truly gone through a lot of trouble."

Liu Xiwang said with a wronged expression, "Anyway, don't provoke me. Be careful, I might betray you at any moment and stab you to death with my unique secret technique."

Lu Jiajia, listening from the side, felt dizzy and it took her a while to sort out the logic.

Liu Xiwang had already looked up, gazing at the woman she hadn't seen in many years.

Back then, she was the Spirit of the Sword Scripture hidden in Sky Cave Peak, and she often saw Lu Jiajia go to the scripture pavilion to read.

"Greetings, Peak Master Lu… Sect Master Lu," Liu Xiwang said, speaking first.

Lu Jiajia said, "Hello, Miss Liu."

Liu Xiwang looked at her for a moment, then lowered her head and stammered, "Um… Sect Master Lu, I… I've always been your staunch supporter! Ning Changjiu can testify to that."

Back when the Spirit of the Sword Scripture and Blood Feather Lord used to quarrel in their spare time, their arguments were mostly about whether Lu Jiajia or Zhao Xiang'er was greater.

Ning Changjiu had told Lu Jiajia about this.

Lu Jiajia didn't know what to say and replied with a hint of awkwardness, "Um… Well… thank you."

"You're welcome," Liu Xiwang said after a moment's thought, earnestly. "After all, I watched you grow up."

Lu Jiajia was startled, then realized that the Heavenly Oracle Sword Scripture had been hidden in the scripture pavilion for decades, and she herself had loved reading in the scripture pavilion since she was a child. Thinking this way, it was true that this young girl had indeed watched her grow up.

While her words weren't wrong, they sounded… strange.

"Hmm… yes, so many years have passed in an instant," Lu Jiajia said, feigning nostalgia. In truth, she didn't know what she was reminiscing about; the Spirit of the Sword Scripture back then was, at most, a floating specter in the scripture pavilion to her.

"Indeed," Liu Xiwang, however, enthusiastically began reminiscing: "Jiajia was so thin as a child. Back then, wearing your sword robes, you'd often stumble while walking. You were stubborn too; if you fell, you wouldn't let anyone help you up. After picking yourself up, you'd sneak into a corner of the scripture pavilion to secretly wipe away tears. You hadn't even started school then and couldn't read, but you always came to the scripture pavilion, specifically picking books with pictures. Sometimes you'd accidentally pick the wrong book, turning beet red, but because there were many people, you'd be too embarrassed to return it, afraid of being seen. So you'd just flip to a page without illustrations and pretend to read."

"Later, Jiajia grew a bit older and was no longer so thin, but her talent was too high, and she was ostracized by other disciples. One time, you caught a kitten down the mountain and wanted to raise it. You spent a whole day in the scripture pavilion reading books on raising kittens, but when you went back, you found the cat was gone. You asked around and learned it belonged to an elder from another peak, had gotten lost, and was now being returned. After hearing this, Jiajia ran back to the scripture pavilion corner to cry secretly again."

"Stop! Don't say another word!"

Lu Jiajia's ears were burning, and her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. She covered her face with one hand and tried to cover Liu Xiwang's mouth with the other. Whenever Ya Zhu privately mentioned these embarrassing old stories, she would playfully scold her. Now, having them exposed in front of Ning Changjiu, she felt utterly mortified.

Ning Changjiu, however, listened with great interest. He looked at Lu Jiajia and said, "Jiajia was so cute as a child."

Liu Xiwang nodded, "Yes, very cute. I remember so many more things…"

Lu Jiajia took a deep breath. She grabbed Liu Xiwang's wrist, pulled her aside, whispered something into her ear, then pulled a handful of silver coins from her sleeve and pressed them into Liu Xiwang's hand, earnestly giving her some instructions.

Liu Xiwang refused the hush money, saying that they were all from the same peak, so why talk about money?

Lu Jiajia's bribery attempt failed, and she was quite upset, feeling as if someone had leverage over her.

She had originally thought Liu Xiwang was her supporter and would be easy to bully, but to her surprise… she must be a fake supporter.

Ning Changjiu leaned against the gate and laughed. He had never imagined that Jiajia, who had seemed invincible at home after defeating Xueci, would actually be stumped by this girl, Liu Xiwang.

Since Liu Xiwang had come on her own, the trip to Sword Pavilion was now unnecessary, and Ning Changjiu was quite pleased about this.

"By the way, how is your Second Senior Sister?" Ning Changjiu asked.

Liu Xiwang said, "Second Senior Sister… in short, you should be careful. After you left, Second Senior Sister meditated for half a month, merged into the remnant kingdom, and her cultivation realm greatly increased."

Ning Changjiu nodded lightly.

He wasn't particularly concerned about Liu Junzhuo's cultivation realm, as human power was always limited. He was more concerned about her choices.

Lu Jiajia looked at Ning Changjiu and said, "Since Miss Liu is here, should we delay our departure? If she is your Silver Sword, do you two need to harmonize your abilities? Or… have you already harmonized them?"

Ning Changjiu and Liu Xiwang exchanged a glance and shook their heads together.

Ning Changjiu pondered, then said, "Harmonizing our abilities will require an opportune moment. Let's head to Misty Pavilion first; we can discuss the rest on the way."

Lu Jiajia nodded, "That's fine."

Ning Changjiu glanced at Ancient Spirit Sect and asked again, "Do you want to see the others? Xiaoli and the others are still in the sect."

Liu Xiwang shook her head and revealed her own weakness, "No, never mind. I used to have improper thoughts about her. Now if she sees me like this, she'll definitely mock me. I'm not going to invite humiliation."

Ning Changjiu smiled and hummed in acknowledgment.

Outside the gates of Ancient Spirit Sect, Liu Xiwang looked back at the imposing sect. The shapes of ten peaks rose behind the gate, with wooden pavilions and towers draped over them, faintly visible. They basked in the afternoon sun, yet due to the Underworld aura, they always glowed with a faint yellow halo.

For them, this place was more like a way station than a home, yet Lu Jiajia held a special affection for this sect.

She personally pushed the great gate shut and casually brushed the dust off the stone lions in front of it.

From the cliff edge ahead, one could see the outline of Garment Street in the distance, where the ceaseless flow of carriages and horses appeared like tiny trickles in their eyes. They had also spent an unforgettable snowy night there.

It is always when one leaves that one can more clearly feel the vastness of the heavens and the breadth of the earth. As people gradually become immortals, their gaze shifts from admiring mountains to overlooking geomantic veins; the world flattens in their eyes, and thus, the true emotions scattered across this plane become all the more precious.

Ning Changjiu stood with Lu Jiajia at the entrance of Ancient Spirit Sect, gazing out for a while.

Liu Xiwang also followed them, a little awkwardly, tightening the strap of the ancient sword on her back, her heart filled with nervousness.

She didn't know what lay ahead, only that she had truly diverged from Sword Pavilion's path.

She hoped Second Senior Sister wouldn't stand against her in the future…

Outside Ancient Spirit Sect, three sword-rainbows rose from the ground, soaring eastward into the sky.

East of Ancient Spirit Sect, beyond vast, boundless lands, the ethereal Misty Pavilion floated above the sea, brimming with immortal energy. Beneath it, clouds steamed and mists glowed, its foundations unseen, truly resembling an isolated island suspended in mid-air when viewed from afar.

On the isolated island, lotuses bloomed everywhere. Yu Qing sat alone in her Daoist robe, awakening from her meditation, her expression growing increasingly uneasy.

In the sea south of Misty Pavilion, the Sword Saint, without a sword, with his head full of withered white hair, crossed the sea by stepping on a reed. He was not of the demon tribe, and his lost arm could no longer regenerate. His right arm was empty, facing the sea like a tattered, broken flag.

Five hundred years had passed like a shuttle. Once, above the Southern Nether, countless demons had gathered, drinking seawater like wine, indulging in unrestrained revelry. Now, only dead, silent waves remained.

He didn't know if he had truly prepared himself over all these years.

But he understood that his own fate, and that of the world, would soon be upon them.