Chapter 413: Three-Sided Killing Intent, Enemies Everywhere

In the northern land, snow was swept across the layered mountains by the wind. It looked like dry dust stirred up, coalescing into a sandstorm. It also resembled pale pigment spreading along the ridgelines of the mountains, filling the folds and compression zones. It lay silently beneath the murky sky, like the moldy corpse of an ancient beast.

Siming and Ye Changong traveled through many places in the northern land. Baizang followed them, walking elegantly with her tail tucked, as if the Empress never wished to lower her banner.

Ye Changong had changed into a suitable outfit.

The clothes were made of cotton, draped softly against her skin. Yet, despite their high cost, they seemed to turn into coarse burlap when worn by her, contrasting sharply with her complexion.

They walked through the forests of the northern land.

Winter in the northern land arrived overnight. The white trees that still bore half-yellow leaves yesterday were now completely bare, and a deathly silence filled the forest. Only occasionally would travelers pass by on the mountain path, carrying their burdens, completely oblivious to the two people and one cat traveling alongside them.

Ye Changong continued walking forward. Ahead lay a river cliff, and the river below was the Blackwater River, rushing towards Beiming. Although the Blackwater River's water was clear, it had been stained a deep tea color by the surrounding rock walls.

"Cross this Blackwater River, then go over the mountains ahead, and you'll see the Luo River," Ye Changong said. "The Luo River flows from the Central Plains, bypasses the location of the Divine Painting Tower, and eventually also merges into Beiming."

Siming asked, "Is that Third Master Ji Xuan the master of the Divine Painting Tower?"

"Yes," Ye Changong replied. "His previous incarnation was Xuanze."

Siming was slightly startled, never imagining that the Third Master in red held such a prominent background.

Baizang also looked over in surprise.

When Ji Xuan revealed his identity, she was in Duanjie City and had not known. Only now did she realize that Xuanze, one of the Six Primeval Deities and former master of rivers, seas, and lakes, was still alive in the world.

Baizang couldn't help but fall back into thought. Each of the seven disciples of the Unobservable Temple had extraordinary backgrounds. It seemed Ye Changong had carefully considered this when she saved them. So, what roles would each of them play in the Third Nation-Hunt War?

Ye Changong softly said, "Nüwa, the Five Emperors, Xuanze, Zhurong, Cangjie, Baize... these were all the disciples of that generation in the Temple."

"Huh? What about Ning Changjiu? Was he expelled from the sect?" Siming asked, puzzled.

Ye Changong slightly lowered her head, her gaze falling upon the Blackwater River. She spoke softly, but no sound emerged; her words seemed to merge with the murmur of the water.

Siming could sense her slightly wavering emotions. At that moment, a gust of wind swept by, stirring a strand of her phantom-like hair, which gently lifted and then drifted down. That was all.

Siming watched her, her soft red lips curving into a faint smile. "Alright, I understand. Ning Changjiu is a disciple of our generation... I'm the senior sister, he's the second brother, and Lu Jiajia and Zhao Xiang'er are the third and fourth!"

Baizang let out a "meow," thinking, *At a time like this, with the Black Sun about to descend, why are you still thinking about this? If Ye Changong were like you, why would I, the Lord of Deities, have fallen to such a state?*

Ye Changong, however, did not refute.

"Let's go, I'm a bit cold."

The Black River was cold, and Ye Changong felt that she should be feeling it. So she hugged her arms, curling up a little.

Siming asked, "Do you want to cross the river and see the banks of the Luo River? Xiao Li... the Luo River Deity also seems to be an old acquaintance of Master."

Ye Changong gently shook her head. "No."

Siming didn't ask further.

Baizang looked up at the girl who resembled a little girl and meowed a few times in confusion. Translated, it meant: "Chang'e, are you truly not afraid? Have you wasted these two days traveling through the human world just to perceive it? Or, are you actually helpless now?"

Ye Changong looked at Baizang and said, "You're overthinking it... I've never been a wise strategist who schemes against Heaven and humanity. Four thousand years ago, when outer gods invaded, I went to the human world because I felt indignant. Seven hundred years ago, I hated Yuanfu, so I killed Yuanfu."

Baizang meowed, "Chang'e, why are you feigning innocence and purity? If I have no grievances or enmities with you, why did you scheme against me?"

Ye Changong replied, "If a fish jumps into the pot right in front of me, of course, I'm going to put the lid on."

"..." Baizang felt indignant, knowing Ye Changong was calling her foolish, but she didn't know how to retort.

Siming, however, crossed her arms, her clear, icy eyes coldly fixed on Baizang. "How dare you! How do you speak to Master?"

Baizang had a bad feeling, then she was pulled up by Siming, screaming repeatedly.

Ye Changong walked along the rugged cliff path.

Occasionally, waves crashed against the rocks, breaking into fine spray that misted their faces.

Sunlight and shadows shifted angles in the cold northern land, and in the blink of an eye, morning turned into dusk.

Ye Changong observed the waves of the Black River, saw the ice lotuses on the mountainside, wandered and paused in this unfamiliar world, and finally gazed upon the Luo River from afar.

The Luo River's surface stretched boundlessly, and the setting sun plunged into it, dyeing the water red.

Ye Changong gazed at the blood-red river water, vaguely seeing a woman standing there, unwilling to fall until death.

The enchanting yet desolate human world blurred as the setting sun fell.

They bypassed the sparse villages and towns nearby and entered the nearest city.

Upon entering the city, Baizang was forced by Siming to transform into a young woman.

Baizang, clad in a molten silver dress, still wore an expression of pride on her face, which possessed a beauty both cold and majestic. She looked at Siming, biting her lip, and said, "When... when we enter the city later, can you please not lead me with a chain?"

"Is Lord Baizang afraid of making a fool of herself?" Siming said with a cool, clear laugh.

Baizang snapped, "Don't go too far! Where... where did you learn these methods? Could it be that Yi taught you such detailed lessons?"

The woman, clad in a black robe with long flowing hair and a slender figure, stopped.

She looked at the silver-clad young woman, who clearly didn't know her place, and asked, "What did you just say?"

Baizang's heart trembled, and she wanted to give in, but her pride wouldn't allow her to bow her head. "Hmph, I suppose I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?"

Siming suddenly smiled faintly and said, "Alright then, I won't lead you."

Baizang vaguely felt this was not a good sign.

The streets of the northern city were deserted.

Siming stood in the middle, holding Ye Changong's hand with one hand and Baizang's with the other, like a young wife taking her two daughters shopping.

The Dragon Bone of the Death Dungeon around Baizang's neck had turned, disguised as a necklace. The end connected to the chain hung down her back collar, and though the chain was clearly long, it did not reach the ground.

Baizang pursed her lips, her head bowed, her former prestige gone, and uttered not a word.

Siming took them to eat, then found an inn for them to stay.

Ye Changong closed the doors and windows, then pulled over a blanket, wrapping it around herself. She sat in a chair, looked at Baizang, and said, "Tell me about it."

"Ah?" Baizang was slightly startled. "Tell you what?"

Ye Changong said, "About the Dark Lord, about the other God Lords, about me... and everything else you know."

Baizang said, "What I know, you already know. There's nothing extra to tell."

Ye Changong extended her hand.

Baizang thought the punishment of the Dragon Bone of the Death Dungeon was about to be inflicted again. She had just braced herself for excruciating pain when she saw a crescent of moonlight white appear in Ye Changong's palm.

Baizang's pupils constricted slightly, and she blurted out:

"Dust Seal?!"

This was a fragment of the Dust Seal authority, a supreme treasure in her eyes, incomparable to anything else.

Ye Changong closed her hand and said, "Tell me something satisfactory, and I can slowly return them to you."

Baizang's thin lips were pressed together like a blade. She stood not far from Ye Changong, the silver covering her body seeming to boil.

Ye Changong was not in a hurry. She gathered the Dust Seal into her sleeve, leaned back in the wooden chair, and despite being in the body of a young girl, radiated the profound age of shifting mountains and seas.

Siming stood silently to the side, not interjecting, merely pouring tea for Ye Changong.

Baizang took a deep breath, her voice hushed. "Chang'e, actually, these past few days, you've seemed to be traveling the world with us, but in truth... you're fleeing. No, perhaps, you're hiding from something!"

Ye Changong did not answer. She picked up the tea and took a sip, unable to distinguish its quality or flavor, merely moistening her lips.

"What am I hiding from?" Ye Changong asked.

Baizang said, "These days we've traveled through the northern snow land. Although it's desolate here, we haven't seen any evil spirits or ghosts, which is illogical. A divine realm has already opened, hasn't it?"

Siming's expression trembled slightly.

Ye Changong nodded gently. "Yes."

Baizang narrowed her silver-white eyes and said, "The divine realm's primary objective must be to kill you with all its might. And you currently lack the confidence to resist the divine realm's pursuit, which is why you've kept yourself confined to the northern land, calling it 'entering the world,' but in reality, you've used the 'Concealment' of the Unobservable Temple to hide yourself, evading the divine realm's search, right?"

Ye Changong looked at her calmly, offering no reply.

Siming grew even more astonished. She suddenly remembered that they had traveled from sea to lake to river, across mountains and through cities, never staying too long... Was this, which seemed like sightseeing, actually an escape?

Baizang spoke with increasing confidence: "So, you didn't let Siming send a sword message to Ning Changjiu, nor did you go to find Nüwa and the Five Emperors, simply because you were afraid of revealing your location, right?"

Ye Changong said, "You've certainly become much smarter since you're no longer in a high position."

Baizang didn't know whether to be pleased or worried. Her divine position had been taken from her, and reclaiming it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. Following Chang'e was indeed a path, but it was also a dead end.

At this moment, the pursuers were on their way, and her limited power was also constrained by the Dragon Bone. If she didn't side with Chang'e, Chang'e could, with a slight hardening of her heart, instantly strangle her with the chain around her neck.

Baizang stared at her and said, "Chang'e, you've actually been pretending too... Without the Unobservable Temple and the Yuanfu Divine Realm to rely on, you're actually very, very weak now... I don't understand what reason could make you so weak, you who hold three authorities."

Ye Changong listened quietly, not revealing that she had turned back the world twelve years, a power unimaginable even to a God Lord like Baizang.

Ye Changong asked, "Besides these things? You've been by my side for so long, what else have you guessed?"

Baizang gently shook her head. "Nothing else. I just understand even less what the source of your courage is to lead the Third Nation-Hunt War and challenge the Dark Lord. I... see no possibility of winning."

"I don't see it either," Ye Changong said.

Baizang said, "Then why are you doing all this? Is it martyrdom?"

Ye Changong, wrapped in her blanket, her body curled in the chair, offered no reply. Siming again felt that loneliness unique to the moon. Her cherry lips parted slightly, wanting to offer some gentle comfort, but then a clang echoed in her ears.

This was the sound of a window being blown open by the wind, but not their own window. It was the windows of every other household in the city.

On the streets, a cold wind from an unknown source, a powerful gust, blew open window after window with clattering sounds, like falling dominoes. For a moment, fallen leaves swirled amidst dust and raging winds.

"He's here."

Ye Changong raised her head, looking at the tightly closed window, and said.

"Master..." Siming murmured, no time to question, she unhesitatingly conjured her black sword and placed it in front of them.

Baizang's pupils constricted slightly, and she immediately asked, "Who? Is it Tianji or Quanlin?"

No sooner had she spoken.

The clattering sound of windows opening echoed like thunder in their ears.

A cold wind blew across her nape, and Baizang's body twitched. Her delicate silver form shivered, and she turned her head, hearing discordant sounds emanating from the long street.

The Ancient Spirit Sect and the Misty Tower were close to each other.

At this time, the Sword Saint had not yet swum across the millions of miles between Beiming and Nanming. Ning Changjiu, however, saw the outline of the Misty Tower on the evening of the second day, by the sea that resembled molten iron.

Like the Luo Scroll Tower, the Misty Tower was a colossal structure, towering into the clouds and occupying a vast area. It preserved the history from two thousand to one thousand years ago.

Ning Changjiu wasn't particularly interested in this period of history.

There were no major mishaps on their journey to Nanming.

Liu Xiwuan, using "harmonization" as an excuse, kept very close to Ning Changjiu. Lu Jiajia had some reservations about this, but given the circumstances, she didn't say much.

The sound of Nanming's waves echoed in their ears.

This sea, once teeming with ancient dragons, did not change in any way due to his arrival.

Yu Qing held her whisk, watching them from a distance.

After leaving the Ancient Spirit Sect, Ning Changjiu sent a sword message to the Misty Tower in Siming's name, informing them of his intention to visit. Yet, even so, the Misty Tower's Immortal-Suppressing Swords still pointed at them from afar, ready to strike at any moment.

"Do you want to go inside the tower and look?" Lu Jiajia asked.

Like the Luo Scroll Tower, the Misty Tower also had three masters of the Five Paths stationed there. However, for Ning Changjiu now, the other two were nothing to fear, apart from Yu Qing.

While Ning Changjiu was still hesitating, Yu Qing flicked her whisk, and all the Immortal-Suppressing Swords retracted.

The voice of the Daoist nun drifted from afar: "Although I avoid the world, I do not avoid guests. Since you have come from afar, then enter."

Ning Changjiu quietly activated his Eye of Taiyin. After confirming there was no danger, he nodded to Lu Jiajia and Liu Xiwuan, and the three of them entered the tower together.

Yu Qing personally welcomed their arrival.

"Miss Lu, long time no see," Yu Qing said with a faint smile to Lu Jiajia.

Lu Jiajia returned the bow.

Yu Qing looked at Ning Changjiu and said, "This must be Young Master Zhang Jiu, who became famous on the Heavenly Rankings last year, isn't it?"

She knew that Zhang Jiu wasn't actually Zhang Jiu, and she also knew that his identity was certainly extraordinary. Because it was impossible for any disciple to cross from the peak of the Purple Court Realm to near the peak of the Five Paths in just one year.

As for his true origins, even Yu Qing hadn't attempted to inquire.

The higher one's cultivation realm, the more one understood the principle that there's always a higher heaven beyond heaven.

Ning Changjiu nodded and courteously said, "Zhang has met Tower Master Yu."

Yu Qing also bowed in return.

She looked gently at Liu Xiwuan and asked, "Is this a disciple of the Sword Pavilion?"

Liu Xiwuan nodded.

The Heavenly Rankings had already been released, with stern pronouncements, and the fact that Liu Xiwuan was expelled from the Sword Pavilion was now known throughout the world.

Yu Qing did not press further.

Ever since her unsuccessful return from the Ancient Spirit Sect, she had made up her mind to wholeheartedly cultivate in seclusion, absolutely refusing to leave the mountains even if the world became turbulent again. She only wished to find a way to reside permanently at sea and preserve herself.

Although this approach wasn't elegant, was someone who couldn't live for tens of millions of years even worthy of being called an immortal?

She led the three of them on a casual walk through the tower. The Misty Tower was enormous; a full tour would require considerable effort.

"May I ask, Young Master Zhang, what brings you to the tower this time?" Yu Qing asked casually. "Are you interested in the history from one thousand to two thousand years ago?"

Ning Changjiu said, "When I was once trapped within the Luo Scroll, caught in the currents of history, I nearly died. I still have lingering fears. If Tower Master Yu also possesses similar methods, I hope you will show mercy."

Yu Qing smiled faintly. "The Luo Scroll is truly a unique divine artifact in this world. The Misty Tower can only envy it; we have no such fortune."

As she spoke, she suddenly realized something. Just before the Luo Scroll Tower was destroyed, they happened to be trapped within the Luo Scroll... This meant that the destruction of the Luo Scroll Tower might very well have been caused by them.

A chill ran through Yu Qing's heart, and she somewhat regretted letting them in.

She lowered her hand, twisting the wooden handle of her whisk.

Yu Qing led them upstairs.

Inside, the Misty Tower did not appear as a conventional building. Each floor resembled a misty, cloud-shrouded immortal mountain residence, where golden boys and jade girls moved to and fro, and immortal cranes and white deer flew and roamed. They carried divine nectar and jade liquid, and held immortal peaches and fresh flowers, like a series of unfolding scroll paintings.

Liu Xiwuan gazed at these sights with curiosity.

She noticed that her attire clashed with the aesthetic of the place, while Lu Jiajia, in her snowy white sword-robe, and Yu Qing, in her pure blue Daoist robe, both stood gracefully amidst the mist and clouds, appearing like ethereal fairies from another world.

Inside the tower, they rode on cranes, passing through clouds and mist in the blink of an eye, arriving at the top floor of the Misty Tower.

A full millennium of history was preserved here, largely intact.

Ning Changjiu's last incarnation seemed to have died at the beginning of that millennium, and no major events occurred afterward.

Yu Qing said, "This floor is a forbidden area of the Misty Tower. You are esteemed guests, so I've made an exception to bring you here. However, the area ahead is crucial, and you must not proceed further. If you are interested in any specific period, I can personally retrieve the information for you."

"Thank you, Tower Master Yu," Ning Changjiu said with a faint smile.

Within the Misty Tower, Yu Qing's hospitality towards them was very warm and considerate.

Lu Jiajia knew this was Yu Qing's attempt to make amends for her previous transgression of trespassing into the Ancient Spirit Sect.

Ning Changjiu selected a few historical segments and reviewed them.

These historical records contained no mention of major figures at the God Lord level, so they held little significance for him.

As evening approached, Yu Qing even had rooms and quiet chambers specially prepared for them.

Ning Changjiu politely declined.

He merely stated that he had urgent matters to attend to, and so, after gazing at the vast sea from the tower's edge to fulfill his long-held wish, he would depart.

Yu Qing didn't find anything problematic in this.

She also just wanted to send these three uninvited guests away as soon as possible, then close the tower for seclusion and not emerge for a hundred years.

By the sea near the Misty Tower, night winds blew in gusts.

Lu Jiajia and Liu Xiwuan stood beside Ning Changjiu, gazing with him at the dark seawater.

"What exactly are you here for?" Liu Xiwuan couldn't help but ask after Yu Qing temporarily left. "You're not here just to see Tower Master Yu, are you?"

"Would he dare?" Lu Jiajia said coldly.

Liu Xiwuan pouted and said, "Master Lu, what can't this villain do? And don't pretend to be fierce; you've always been soft-hearted from childhood, I've watched you... Mmmph..."

Lu Jiajia covered her mouth.

"Why are you, a sword spirit, just like your master?" Lu Jiajia scolded. "When we're out, don't spoil the reputation of our Heavenly Cavern Peak."

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly. "Isn't the sword spirit's shared body also a sword I forged in my previous life? By saying that, aren't you scolding yourself, Jiajia?"

"You..." Lu Jiajia's fair cheeks puffed slightly, and again unsure how to retort, she said, "Alright, let's not waste any more time. We came to Nanming for a serious matter!"

"Mhm," Ning Changjiu nodded gently, his expression solemn as he looked at the sea.

He believed that nothing in the world was a mere coincidence.

Back in the Ruins of the Bone Tower, he had unintentionally touched that consciousness deep within the ruins... So, it must be a form of guidance.

Ning Changjiu sat down by the sea to meditate.

His Eye of Taiyin opened, instantly covering the seawater with the Misty Tower at its center.

Ning Changjiu could hear the sea's breath, see every fish darting and every algae sinking in the water. The surface waves and the hidden currents below materialized in his mind; they were like elemental markers, no longer obstructing anything.

Ning Changjiu's consciousness sank into the seabed.

The seabed was mostly soft sand, dim and cold.

Ning Changjiu seemed to enter a state of oblivion. Using the Grand Ceremony of Yin-Yang Ascension, he sent his spirit soaring further, thus peering into the secrets buried in the deep sea over a wider area.

He searched along the way but found no results.

Lu Jiajia and Liu Xiwuan waited anxiously nearby.

A moment later, Ning Changjiu let out a soft "咦" in his mind. His spirit stopped at the edge of what his Eye of Taiyin could perceive.

A colossal deep pit lay hidden in the seawater.

The pit was shrouded in darkness, concealing something unknown.

Ning Changjiu's consciousness slowly permeated it.

His heart rate also accelerated.

His Eye of Taiyin penetrated the sand layers like seawater, and he touched something soft. That something also seemed to be a consciousness—just like the consciousness in the Ruins of the Bone Tower, this one was also strongly expressing the same emotion.

Just as he was about to investigate further, the Golden Crow within his Purple Mansion, like a rooster announcing dawn, crowed unexpectedly, letting out a loud, high-pitched cry full of danger.

While Liu Xiwuan and Lu Jiajia were still gazing at Nanming, Ning Changjiu abruptly opened his eyes, forcefully pulling his spirit and gaze back.

The Golden Crow flew out, absorbing the still somewhat dazed Liu Xiwuan and Lu Jiajia into it.

Golden light enveloped their figures, making them vanish from the Misty Tower's sea-viewing platform.

Almost simultaneously, the sea-viewing platform was struck by an immense force, shattering and plunging into the seawater.

A golden spear plunged into the sea, nearly as tall as the Misty Tower itself.

A similar scene unfolded near the Western Kingdom.

After the Yuanfu Divine Realm shattered, the senior sister and second senior brother, as the divine official and heavenly lord of the divine realm, were forced to leave and return to the mortal world.

Unaware of their master's current whereabouts, they chose the safest western region as their landing point, for Xihe was currently stationed in the Three Thousand Worlds of the Western Kingdom.

Without the moon, the power of the senior sister and second senior brother was also greatly diminished.

As night fell, their whereabouts were finally discovered, and the divine realm's strike descended from the sky.

From the divine realm in the vast sky, a golden divine figure emotionlessly overlooked everything.

The Northern Land, Nanming, the Western Kingdom.

He split his power into three parts, striking three distinctly different places.

This would be difficult for other God Lords to achieve, but for him, it was not.

Because he possessed three warhorses.

The finest was the Golden Steed, the middling was the Silver Steed, and the lowest was the Bronze Steed.

At this very moment, the Bronze Steed was in the Northern Land, the Silver Steed in Nanming, and the Golden Steed in the Western Kingdom.

He was God Lord Tianji.