Chapter 1318: Rao Kawaii Safe Journey, No Send-Off

"Run!"

"Run as far as you can, no turning back!"

"I have to survive, I must live on—for Xingyue Ge'er, and for myself!"

In the dark fragments of spacetime, a faint and intermittent song of utter despair echoed as it sped through the void.

It shattered space storms, crossed the disordered realms, broke through unknown territories, and used the qi of Shengshen Continent as a guiding beacon to escape successfully.

Rao Yaoyao caught a glimmer of hope in her desperation.

Knowing she could never return, she clung to it tightly.

If she failed to escape Xu Xiaoshou's pursuit this time, the self-sacrifice of Xingyue Ge'er would be in vain.

She, Rao Yaoyao, would have no face to confront her past or accept a future reborn.

The final song of Xingyue Ge'er was incredibly powerful, combined with Rao Yaoyao's mastery of sword techniques, allowing them to quickly traverse the darkness.

But as dawn broke and light appeared, the familiar Yunlun Mountains and the aura of Shengshen Continent's rules came into view.

Rao Yaoyao felt a brief moment of confusion.

"Have I made it out?"

She found it hard to believe that she had escaped so quickly.

Though ancient sword cultivators were renowned for their high combat power and sharp prowess, breaking through the Void Island seal as a Ban Sheng and returning to Shengshen Continent was no easy feat, yet not entirely impossible.

Still, this was too fast!

After all, this wasn't her actively dissolving into the heavens; it was Xingyue Ge'er's self-sacrifice, so there was no reason for it to happen this quickly.

Moreover, Rao Yaoyao had previously probed Void Island and confirmed it was impossible to enter or exit.

Now, this situation felt like someone had opened a convenient gate for her.

That explained why she hadn't gotten lost in the spacetime fragments and had landed precisely in the familiar Yunlun Mountains.

An inside helper?

"Who is it?"

Rao Yaoyao's sixth sense told her something was off, but she had no time to think it through.

The moment she emerged from the spacetime fragments, the last wisp of her remnant soul sensed an immense threat.

It was as if something was chasing her, about to catch up.

"It's Xu Xiaoshou!"

Rao Yaoyao's heart was a mix of emotions; she knew without thinking that it was Xu Xiaoshou refusing to let her go.

She mustered her final bit of strength, using a wisp of sacred thought to activate the power of Xingyue Ge'er's final song and broadcast her presence.

"Woo—"

The mournful sound of sword weeping instantly spread across the entire Yunlun Mountains.

A Ban Sheng!

In an instant, all the spirit refiners in Yunlun Mountains sensed it and looked up.

Sword cultivators, ancient sword cultivators, spirit refiners whose weapons were swords... all spiritual swords trembled lowly at the same time, sharing in the sorrow of Xingyue Ge'er's self-sacrifice.

This sorrow was transmitted through the swords to their owners, then spread throughout Yunlun Mountains.

Before long, even Dongtian Wang City echoed with sword cries.

"What happened?"

"Another Ban Sheng has arrived? This time, it's a sword cultivator?"

"No, judging by the commotion, it must be an ancient sword cultivator. I boldly guess it's related to Sky City."

—Seal of the Sacred Dao Foundation, Burial Ground of the Saints!

Countless people recalled something, gripping their swords tightly and looking toward the direction of Ginyin Cliff in Yunlun Mountains.

That was the center of the storm, where a faint echo lingered, mournful yet without a sword's form.

"Xingyue Ge'er!" In front of the Lingjing main position, Old Yu, who had given up on forcefully breaking through Void Island's walls and chosen to spend his remaining time with his great-granddaughter, suddenly stood up.

"Grandpa Yu?"

Yu Zhiwen followed suit, puzzled.

"You're still young; you've only seen Rao Yaoyao use Xuan Cang, but you don't know her previous sword was Xingyue Ge'er. That should be the sound of that spiritual sword..." Old Yu paused, glancing around. "Has the girl Rao come out?"

He didn't find Rao Yaoyao.

Or rather, in Old Yu's subjective view, he was looking for a specific, complete person.

After the power of Xingyue Ge'er's self-sacrifice fully dissipated, all that remained of Rao Yaoyao was a faint regret.

—That last breath, which should have been completely annihilated under the destruction of body and soul, had been salvaged!

"Rao Jianxian has returned?"

Yu Zhiwen never doubted Grandpa Yu's words.

She moved upon hearing this, pulling out a shimmering, star-spangled Xiao Tianji disk. It was very thin and light; her fingers danced gracefully, forming seals and imprinting them into it.

The "Gui Lan" guidance pointed directly beneath her feet.

"Yunlun Mountains..."

"She really is in Yunlun Mountains; she's back!"

A hint of joy leaped in Yu Zhiwen's brows. Rao Yaoyao's return was wonderful; she could finally hand over the authority.

Who knew how much pressure she had endured after the Shengdi's passage?

Even with Grandpa Yu's arrival, he had tasks and couldn't delay actions just to protect her alone.

This situation was clearly beyond what a junior like her could handle; it needed someone like the Red-Clad Enforcer to take charge.

Thus, although Yu Zhiwen didn't know why Rao Yaoyao had returned, she could guess that the chaos from the Shengdi's passage had likely been suppressed by the people of Shengshen Hall on Void Island.

With the vanguard's return, the main forces would follow.

Peace would come.

Everyone would be safe, with no losses—that was Yu Zhiwen's simplest yet most extravagant wish.

"But..."

Yu Zhiwen's long eyelashes trembled suddenly, a subtle worry flashing in her Star Pupils.

With Rao Yaoyao at peace, did that mean the Shengnu side was not?

What about that guy...

"Rao Yaoyao, come see me at once!"

As she pondered, Old Yu beside her shouted loudly.

His sacred sound echoed in all directions, strong and clear, reaching the ears of all trial participants in Yunlun Mountains.

"Rao Yaoyao?"

"It's Rao Jianxian! Rao Jianxian has truly returned!"

"The war in Sky City is over? Weren't there four Ban Sheng who passed through earlier? Has Rao Xianzi resolved it so quickly?"

"Impressive, worthy of the First Sword Maiden, one of the Seven Jianxian!"

"You're wrong; from that sword cry just now, Rao Jianxian must have made a breakthrough. Maybe we should call her Rao Jian Sheng now!"

Amid the crowd's anticipation and eager gazes, everyone waited for Rao Yaoyao to make a dazzling appearance and put a perfect end to the Sky City disaster.

But she didn't.

Rao Yaoyao remained silent, not responding to Old Yu's call. After sealing as a saint, she seemed unusually low-key.

Then, right after that mournful sword cry, the sky suddenly cracked, and sword intent shot out wildly from the rift.

"Another sword?"

"Another Jian Sheng?"

"Isn't that impossible? Who could it be? Did Sky City produce a second Jian Sheng? Let me count... "

"No, that's not right. The Seven Jianxian are mostly missing; besides Rao Xianzi, who else went to Sky City?"

"The Eighth Jian Sheng?"

With a booming explosion, the sky over tens of thousands of li around Yunlun Mountains shattered like a mirror.

Sword intent crisscrossed everywhere, outlining a grand and majestic sword diagram—ancient, profound, and powerful.

Clearly, this momentum surpassed the previous one!

"This sword diagram..."

At this moment, the trial participants in Yunlun Mountains felt something was amiss.

It looked like a desperate fugitive with a powerful enemy in pursuit.

But on second thought, that was ridiculous!

Rao Yaoyao, one of the Seven Jianxian and now a sealed saint, as the "fugitive"?

What a joke!

"Sword Dao Mystique Array Diagram..."

On Pixiu Mountain, Su Qianqian, holding a fierce black broadsword, stared blankly at the sky, her face full of shock.

"Little junior sister, are you seeing this wrong? This clearly..." Gu Qing San was equally stunned, trailing off as he swallowed hard.

"Third senior brother, but if it's not, what could it be?"

"I didn't say it's not..." Gu Qing San shuddered. "This is clearly..."

The conversation between these two ancient sword cultivators spread quickly, soon known to everyone in the Xu Gang on Pixiu Mountain.

Even Jiang Xian, who had tried to leave the Wang City trial but was caught and locked in a cage by the Xu Gang, learned it was the power of mystique.

But so what about mystique power?

You ants have never seen a true Ban Sheng in action!

Trapped in humiliation, Jiang Xian thought to himself that if his clan's Ban Sheng, Jiang Buyi, acted, he could flip clouds with one palm and rain with another, crushing such a so-called Sword Dao Mystique Array Diagram with a single finger.

"Sword Dao Mystique, second realm... Oh no!"

Unlike the ignorant Jiang, Old Yu had seen a Sword Dao Mystique Array Diagram before.

The mystique power of ancient sword cultivators was very different from that of spirit refiners.

If it appeared as an array diagram, it must be the second realm of a certain sword technique.

From this, it seemed someone was indeed pursuing Rao Yaoyao.

But...

How was that possible?

Who would dare?

Before the waves in his heart could fully subside, a voice devoid of joy or sorrow drifted down from the nine heavens along with the unfolding mystique array diagram:

"The sword technique is named Xin..."

"The Dao of Xin has no gods, no Buddhas, no laws, no heavens!"

Xin Sword Technique?

Old Yu's pupils dilated. He turned and wrapped Yu Zhiwen in sacred power, sending her away first.

"You leave the battlefield!"

"Grandpa Yu—"

Yu Zhiwen panicked, reaching out to resist, but couldn't counter that sacred power.

She still had things to say.

This voice sounded lofty and god-like to everyone, but to her, it was incredibly familiar—clearly Xu Xiaoshou's, with that unmistakable essence hidden beneath a cold facade.

Xu Xiaoshou was pursuing Rao Yaoyao?

There must be some strangeness to this; she needed to be there, perhaps she could...

"Buzz!"

As the Sword Dao Mystique Array Diagram in the nine heavens brightened, Yu Zhiwen had already been teleported to the edge of Yunlun Mountains.

She gritted her teeth, and starlight from her celestial mechanism surged. She stepped out, the starlight trailing behind as she re-entered the battlefield.

Falling petals danced, and the scent of plum blossoms arrived.

The moment she entered, beneath the sword diagram outside Void Island, a faint, invisible remnant soul was forced out amid the fluttering red plum blossoms.

Rao Yaoyao could no longer hide!

Under the gaze of thousands, she felt a mix of shame and anger, not daring to make a sound.

Yet Xu Xiaoshou didn't give her the slightest chance; he had chased her out and still intended to strike her down.

How could he?

How could he have reached the second realm of Xin Sword Technique?

In that moment of utmost shame and rage, Rao Yaoyao had no choice but to shout with all her might under the watchful eyes:

"Fish Old, save me!"

She had to shout.

If she didn't, Xingyue Ge'er's sacrifice would be wasted.

If she didn't, her life would truly end. With her life on the line, Rao Yaoyao swallowed her pride through tears.

Perhaps this setback would forge a stronger version of herself...

This cry, as Rao Yaoyao had hoped, truly stirred up an uproar across Yunlun Mountains.

"What?"

"Rao Yaoyao is crying for help?"

"My heavens, she's not returning in triumph but fleeing in defeat, being chased out?"

"That's impossible! She's one of the Seven Jianxian; how strong must her pursuer be..."

"Xin Sword Technique? I remember the second realm of Xin Sword Technique is mastered by Ji Ren; is this Mr. Ji? But his voice isn't this young!"

"So familiar! Such a familiar voice..."

Everyone who had witnessed the Wang City night battle suddenly felt the voice's familiarity.

In a flash, an unreliable figure leaped into their minds.

But how could that absurd figure compare to this cold, god-like voice?

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Shut up! You're blaspheming! Though I think so too..."

"It's him, right?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Little beast brother..."

On Pixiu Mountain, the excited crowd was abruptly silenced by Su Qianqian's dazed murmur.

Xu Xiaoshou?!

It really was him?!

At that moment, those who knew of the connection between this new successor of Zangjian Tomb and Shengnu Xu Xiaoshou all widened their eyes in shock.

"Ah? Xu Xiaoshou?" Xu Xiaojii stared at the sword diagram in the sky, dumbfounded.

Beside him, Mu Xiao Gong in a red skirt covered her mouth with a light laugh, though surprise filled her eyes. "Little brother, it seems it's really him..."

As the half-formed Sword Dao Mystique Array Diagram emerged from space, all onlookers felt their spirits sway, as if falling into a vast, murky spiritual realm where nothing existed, all still in chaos.

"Fish Old! Fish Old!"

Rao Yaoyao panicked completely.

She felt locked in place; if she still had her sword and body, she could withstand it with Shan Hai Relying.

But her soul had shattered under the Illusion Extinction Finger, and her body had been obliterated by Shengdi's power.

As a mere wisp of regret, she could only await death, unable to do anything!

From the black spatial rift, atop the half Sword Dao Mystique Array Diagram, a illusory figure entwined with demonic energy and pitch-black arrogance emerged.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes half-closed, holding Zang Ku inverted, his fingertip brushing the sword blade, causing it to convulse. Blossoms of plum flowers bloomed and faded on it.

The sword intent climbed inch by inch—higher than a person, higher than Yunlun, higher than the heavens!

Yu Zhiwen looked up, her Star Pupils trembling, her heart following suit.

Xu Xiaoshou...

But before she could speak, the next second, she too felt herself sinking into that spiritual realm, with a gentle, ethereal sacred sound in her ears:

"Mix Dao Severing Nine Swords, I Honor Xin Technique..."

"Illusory Spirit Realm of Wishes, all delusions are servants..."

"Sink into the body's suffering,雜思雜念 cannot be weeded out..."

As the sacred sound ended, a boom resounded.

In the void, almost instantly breaking free—and the first to contest the binding—was Old Yu!

He looked shocked, as if seeing a ghost, unable to believe such a young person could unleash such a desolate sword.

Fortunately, since it was aimed at Rao Yaoyao, he only suffered the aftershocks and managed to break free in an instant.

If it had targeted him, he might not have had time to resist unprepared!

"Youth, how dare you?"

Old Yu waved his hand; his first action wasn't to help Rao Yaoyao escape but to pull his precious great-granddaughter out of the sea of suffering.

Then, he transformed into a massive Kun Peng, its wings shaking the heavens as it lunged toward the dark figure in the sky.

Xu Xiaoshou was completely bloodthirsty, his aura at its peak; how could he fear such a Kun Peng?

He didn't move his sword; he just opened his eyes.

"Boom!"

Old Yu felt a heavy blow to his spirit; what he saw was no longer a young man.

It was a violent giant stepping on a Demonic Emperor Black Dragon, with seven blood trees on its back, white flames around its body, a green prison above its head, and two charred arms!

"What kind of existence is this?"

Old Yu was briefly dazed.

But this immature image was all show and no substance; without Shengdi's power, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't suppress him.

Old Yu sneered and prepared to advance.

Just then, he saw a ancient book unfold in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, its pages rustling.

Images gathered on the ancient book, quickly forming a proud white-robed swordsman with four swords at his waist, who shouted:

"I am Ba Zun An; any who wish to test swords shall have death but no life!"

With just that line, Xu Xiaoshou's hollow Xin Sword Technique image was instantly filled with endless power, as if a Shengdi had descended.

With a boom, Old Yu's Kun Peng form staggered in the sky, nearly falling.

In that moment of hesitation, when he regained his senses, it was too late.

Rao Yaoyao's dao heart was strong, and she too recovered from this immature sword, but all that remained was her piercing cry echoing through Yunlun Mountains:

"No!"

At the same time, Xu Xiaoshou recited the final line, and Zang Ku turned into a beam of light.

"One thought distinguishes gods and Buddhas, one thought is prajna without..."

This sword slashed through the void, cleaving the heavenly river!

Today, Xu Xiaoshou pursued to this point; gods would be slain if they blocked, Buddhas if they stood in the way!

Whoosh.

The sound was silent, turning into ripples.

The Void Falling Petal Realm lingered, but that wisp of regret vanished with the ethereal sacred sound, leaving only a crystalline Ban Sheng position crystal.

No further power fluctuations.

No dazzling death.

Yet, in that moment, everyone in Yunlun Mountains felt a shared sorrow.

With a buzz, after its climax, Zang Ku released a sword light, using the name of slaying a saint to complete its advancement and rise to a fourth-grade spiritual sword; its future was promising.

Xu Xiaoshou sheathed his sword and momentum, looked up, took a deep breath, and finally sighed:

"Rao is cute, safe journey, no need to see you off."