Chapter 634: Autumn Moon Listens

Flames churned underfoot, sweeping across the East Sea, evaporating into wisps of white mist. Guo Hongkang, restless, flew forward with his head down, his gaze constantly sweeping the sea surface.

The woman beside him was still complaining with a frown, but Guo Hongkang didn't hear a word. He had become familiar with her along the way and knew that the best course of action was simply to ignore her.

"I've long heard of Guo Hongyao's reputation... she truly is someone who doesn't listen to reason."

Guo Hongyao's status was, in fact, far more noble than his. Her father was a true descendant of the Purple Mansion lineage, but her mother was a mortal, which made her somewhat unpopular. Fortunately, her brothers doted on her. To be precise, Guo Hongkang's annual cultivation resources were less than her monthly allowance.

"Born to prominence, yet she possesses the temperament of a spoiled daughter."

In Guo Hongkang's view, Guo Hongyao had brought it all upon herself. First, she threw a fit and groundlessly broke off her engagement with Xi Chang of the Pure Dao Sect. Then, when his grandfather achieved divine powers and emerged from seclusion, becoming the young master, everyone looked on coldly, making her a laughingstock.

Later, she managed several islands and ruined the businesses completely. When sent to the Li family to investigate Xu Xiao, she suddenly attacked and held a sword to the young master's throat!

Upon her return to the East Sea, Guo Hongkang heard that True Person Jun Jian had robbed her of her Purple Mansion spirit artifact. The matter escalated, reaching True Person Tianwan, who slapped her and banished her from the island.

"A Purple Mansion immortal descendant, and beautiful... until she opened her mouth, everyone thought she was a fairy. Once she spoke, everyone pitied her. Her family background was something everyone envied, yet she was so foolish. How could such a person exist in this world!"

Guo Hongkang's lineage had long since declined, and he often fantasized about having more resources. Watching her squander everything filled him with a sense of grinding frustration. Now, True Person Jun Jian had even broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, and not even her brothers dared to protect her...

"Where exactly did my brother go..."

Guo Hongyao's words interrupted his thoughts. They went in one ear and out the other, but this one sentence struck a chord with Guo Hongkang, making him frown as well.

Guo Hongkang's strength was not particularly high. To escort a Purple Mansion spiritual item like the Mingfang Heaven Stone back, it naturally wouldn't be just Guo Hongkang and Guo Hongyao. The main person in charge of this mission was the exceptionally strong Guo Hongjian; the two of them were merely accompanying him.

However, for some unknown reason this morning, Guo Hongjian left a talisman, departed the grand formation, and merely instructed them to escort the spiritual item and leave first. He then simply rode the wind away!

Guo Hongkang immediately felt greatly troubled. To make matters worse, he was accompanied by Guo Hongyao, who couldn't be reasoned with. He inexplicably felt a sense of unease:

"Don't follow this madwoman... lest I suffer an undeserved calamity later..."

Guo Hongyao, seeing that he was slow to respond, showed no anger. She merely thought he had been this simple, honest-looking person all along, probably one of those dullards who get used to studying spells. So she became much more tolerant and looked towards the sea.

"Hmm?"

With that glance, she saw a streak of frost and snow approaching from the east. A young man in white, holding a sword and treading on snow, with an exceptional demeanor, immediately captured her attention. Guo Hongyao couldn't help but look twice, then suddenly froze.

"It's him!"

An inexplicable surge of nameless anger flared in her heart. Any previous goodwill instantly vanished. Gritting her teeth, she said coldly:

"So it's you. How fortunate you are to have broken through even in that small family..."

Guo Hongkang was equally drawn by the sword cultivator. The thought, "What a handsome young man," was just at the tip of his tongue, but he saw Guo Hongyao, with a clang, flash her crimson long token. Her face full of fury, she charged towards the man without a word.

"Huh?" Guo Hongkang quickly tried to stop her, asking:

"My Lady, what are you..."

"Move!" Guo Hongyao flicked her red skirt and snapped. Guo Hongkang had no choice but to step back. The young man in white not far away was very perceptive; with just those two sounds, he already looked up, seemingly possessing astonishing eye techniques.

Guo Hongyao had intended to approach silently, but Guo Hongkang's interference made Li Xijun become wary. Her heart full of rage immediately spilled over to Guo Hongkang, and she snapped:

"I'll deal with you later!"

Guo Hongkang couldn't afford to offend her, so he was greatly alarmed and stepped back. From Guo Hongyao's fire token, a surging torrent of Bing Fire erupted. Her pretty face was contorted with fury, and she charged straight towards the frost and snow.

"Friend, what is the meaning of this!" Li Xijun asked with some surprise, his hand forming threads of cold light to defend himself. Guo Hongyao activated her Bing Fire and snarled:

"Li Xijun, you ruined my Chijiao's good fortune back then... I spared your life for Qingchi's sake... and now you dare to wander around the East Sea!"

These words exploded like thunder in Guo Hongkang's ears. He felt suffocated and exclaimed in horror:

"He's from the Wangyue Li family!"

The Wangyue Li family indeed had no Purple Mansion cultivators, but a quick inquiry would reveal that their in-laws were True Person Chuting, who had emerged from the struggles between the Three Sects and Seven Gates. Furthermore, the immortal bow from Bianyan Mountain had just been used to fight to the death for Qingchi, and the head of the Si family personally requested it. This was when their prestige was at its peak... And now, to kill their direct descendant?

Guo Hongyao dared to attack, but he did not, nor did he need to. He followed behind, his face full of bitterness, pleading:

"Oh, My Lady..."

Guo Hongyao completely ignored him. Although the woman was foolish, she was a direct descendant of Chijiao. The Bing Fire in her hand was gray, hazy, and fierce, not something ordinary spells could withstand.

Li Xijun, who cultivated frost and snow arts, was naturally incompatible with fire. His spiritual power and cultivation methods were inferior. His spell, Tujun Kuiguang, was barely at the lower limit of those major sects. The thread-like cold light immediately melted upon encountering the Bing Fire. The gray, hazy Bing Fire rolled back, forcing him to retreat several steps.

"Trifling skill!" Guo Hongyao saw that his cultivation and spiritual power were inferior to hers, and his immortal foundation was restrained by her Bing Fire. She was instantly overjoyed, took a step forward, and let go of the last trace of worry in her heart. She majestically rode the fire forward.

Li Xijun exchanged a few blows with her using spells, then drew his sword to defend himself. A few sword qi strikes had some power, but they were merely enough to part the Bing Fire before dissipating. Guo Hongyao gave no quarter, pushing forward through the sword qi, and sneered:

"So much for a Sword Immortal family!"

Li Xijun, holding his sword steadily, drew it back and retreated, then actually rode the wind and fled backward. Guo Hongkang, who was at a loss, saw Guo Hongyao rise to pursue, and was instantly horrified, shouting:

"My Lady, beware of a trap! The spiritual item... the spiritual item!"

Guo Hongyao impatiently glanced at him, flicked her sleeve, and the ink-black jade box was thrown out by spiritual power, falling into Guo Hongkang's hand. The woman rode her fire forward, leaving only one sentence:

"You hold onto it!"

Guo Hongkang quickly took it, checked it over, and finally let out a breath of relief. His heart full of terror subsided, and he felt a sense of calm.

"Good... it shouldn't be a trap set by Purple Mansion divine powers! Otherwise, how would she have remembered to give me the item... I was afraid if she killed Li Xijun... the Li family would come to hate me..."

Guo Hongyao rode the fire forward, galloping rapidly. Although the young man in white lacked cultivation, his escape light speed was astonishing. Perhaps he had taken some spiritual elixir, as Guo Hongyao couldn't catch up to him for a while.

"Keep running... run!" She felt exhilarated, riding the fire all the way. Li Xijun rode the frost ahead, deep in thought:

"This fellow is indeed not bad; at least this escape light speed is not something an ordinary person can achieve."

Earlier, Li Xijun had traveled straight ahead, and sure enough, he encountered the two. His heart was certain. Now, after riding the frost for dozens of miles, he noticed Guo Hongyao was still hot on his heels, getting closer and closer. He mused:

"This person must have had her mind clouded; she wouldn't be hiding any tricks..."

He slowly reached for Hanlin at his waist. The frost and snow under his feet gradually dispersed, and his speed slowly decreased. He waited for the scorching Bing Fire behind him to draw closer, burning his back with a sharp pain. Li Xijun suddenly turned and drew his sword.

"Clang!"

A streak of snowy white lit up the sea.

The sword was too fast; Hanlin's true form was already indiscernible. Only a bright white streak of frost and snow fanned out from his sword, accompanied by the rustling sound of pine wind, and a flurry of falling snow rushed towards her face.

Guo Hongyao was caught off guard. She only saw a handful of white snow approaching, unable to even discern if it was sword light or spell light. A sharp, icy chill assailed her, and she thought, stunned:

"A talisman?"

The token in Guo Hongyao's hand was no ordinary item. Its protective reaction was faster than her own. The Bing Fire stored within it gushed out. Only then did she realize her entire spiritual power was surging into the token, transforming into a hazy gray wall of fire, shielding her.

But she was only three feet from Li Xijun.

Back then, both Chi Zhiyung and Li Chijing had cultivated Sword Essence, and they still maintained a three-foot distance when facing each other. Purple Mansion cultivators would retreat nine feet upon seeing an Upper Essence master. And Guo Hongyao—she was three feet from a sword cultivator who had cultivated Sword Essence. Hanlin could even reach the hem of her clothes.

This wall of Bing Fire, meant as a fallback, offered no resistance at all. It was severed by Hanlin's true form, instantly splitting into two halves. Her eyes were filled with bright white flying snow, and she felt a chill on her neck.

"Pfft!"

Blood gushed from her neck. Guo Hongyao's pupils instantly dilated. Her beautiful neck was severed by a single sword strike. Red blood sprayed along the sword's edge for a distance, before turning back to seep into her neck.

"Buzz!"

The sword strike came too fast; the treasures on Guo Hongyao's person didn't even have time to react. Her head was severed from her neck, and only then did the protective jade bead on her neck have time to activate its spiritual power and deflect the sword.

The surprise and confusion in Guo Hongyao's eyes had not yet faded. Li Xijun's sword technique turned, and three streaks of snowy light flew from his sword, spreading out and striking towards her body.

Three agile and cunning streaks of snowy light darted out, moving towards Guo Hongyao's Qi Sea, Shengyang, and Juque points. Guo Hongyao's head was still in mid-air, but she managed to react. Her long token moved forward to block.

She gritted her teeth, and the blood from her lips turned into gray fire, moving forward with Guo Hongyao's breath. This gray fire was several times denser than before, its flames surging, as it met the three streaks of light.

But the Threefold Moon Streamlight was inherently agile and cunning. It circled around, evading the gray fire, and with a clang, struck her protective life-saving radiance. For a moment, the sound of ice and snow shattering resonated repeatedly, and the jade bead on her neck flickered erratically.

"Fortunately!"

Ultimately, Guo Hongyao's family background saved her life. The Sword Essence-level Threefold Moon Streamlight was already capable of destroying most spells, but the life-saving treasure provided by Chijiao Island for direct descendants managed to block it, and even had some power left.

And Guo Hongyao finally had a chance to place her head back on her neck. Where her neck met, the frost and snow hissed as they met the white vapor emitted by the Bing Fire. The gray fire flying from her Bing Fire token encircled her neck, holding her head in place.

"Damn it!" Guo Hongyao realized belatedly and felt fortunate that Li Xijun cultivated cold qi. If it had been a metal or earth-element cultivator, she absolutely wouldn't have been able to reattach her head so easily.

Resentment surfaced in her eyes. Guo Hongyao quickly reached for the storage bag at her waist. Suddenly, a question arose in her mind:

"Giving me so much time to react... what is he doing?"

All her spiritual consciousness was occupied using the gray fire to fend off these three sword essences, which seemed to have gained sentience. She could only stare blankly.

Snow flew everywhere over the sea.

The white-clad man in front held his long sword pointing diagonally downwards. The icy, snow-like, slightly slender long sword glowed terrifyingly bright, emitting blinding sword light inch by inch.

Flakes of flying snow were falling from the air, each striking her protective spiritual barrier with a clanging sound, like heavy rain on tiles, tinkling and clanking. The three streaks of light darted in and out like fish in water, amidst the flying snow sword qi filling the sky.

But she no longer had the mental energy to deal with the three streaks of light.

Li Xijun's long sword had already descended. Guo Hongyao's trembling hand clutched a talisman. Her vision was a blank white; she could see nothing but a vast, desolate expanse of snow, fierce and swirling.

Half the spiritual power had been infused into the talisman in her hand. A sword light surged from her Shengyang point, interrupting her spiritual power circulation. The half-activated talisman lay in Guo Hongyao's palm, faintly glowing.

Guo Hongyao felt a cold dread leap in her chest. Around her, there was a sound of shattering. Hanlin's sword tip rested on her brow, the coldness making her tremble, yet her consciousness slowly blurred.

Blood gushed from her mouth and nose, but showed no sign of transforming into Bing Fire. Instead, it trickled down her beautiful cheeks. Li Xijun stood precisely three feet away from her, his white robes fluttering. Guo Hongyao's vision slowly darkened, and she suddenly understood where she had gone wrong.

"I shouldn't have frantically tried to reattach my head; I should have distanced myself first..."

Li Xijun watched as she slowly closed her eyes. He inverted his sword, returned it to its sheath with a crisp click, and lifted the collapsing Guo Hongyao.

"So naive, like a child with no combat experience. Too careless. Was it the Purple Mansion's tactics, or was this person truly this foolish..."

No matter how unpopular Guo Hongyao was, her cultivation method and spell grade were certainly high. Li Xijun, having cultivated Sword Essence, already had a chance to kill her. But to kill her in just a few exchanges, six parts of the credit went to this woman's impulsive recklessness.

The remaining four parts were due to the third stance of the Moon Defiance Sword Canon—Autumn Moon Symphony!

In his early years, Li Xijun had wondered: the Moon Defiance Sword Arc was an opening move, often surprising, and its power was evident even during Qi Condensation. The Threefold Moon Streamlight was agile and pure, able to force enemies into a flurry. But it ultimately lacked a decisive finishing move.

Li Chijing defeated Chi Zhiyung with a single decisive move, which earned him great fame. Li Yuanjiao had always lamented that his descendants could not inherit the sword intent, and never comprehended it until his death. But Li Xijun, breaking through to Sword Essence at a moment of life and death, greatly increased his sword path cultivation. He finally learned this sword, and only then understood the true purpose of the Threefold Moon Streamlight.

These three streaks of light could hinder enemies and were difficult to dissipate, buying time for Autumn Moon Symphony. More importantly, as long as these three streaks of light were by his side, when Autumn Moon Symphony was unleashed in a single strike, these three moon streaks would follow closely, combining into one, targeting the Shengyang, Qi Sea, and Juque points respectively. Their power was extremely terrifying.

Now, with a single strike, this woman's Shengyang, Qi Sea, and Juque points were simultaneously destroyed by him, leading to her death with one sword. Li Xijun was equally astonished by this power, and mused:

"If brother had suddenly taken this sword strike from three feet away, he would likely also be gravely wounded and on the verge of death..."

Li Xijun dared not think further. With Guo Hongyao's three vital points destroyed, she was on the verge of turning into a celestial phenomenon. At that point, the man from Chijiao Island would surely detect it. He quickly used spiritual power to cover her body, and frost and snow crawled over her, trying to buy as much time as possible.

He dared not delay. He swiftly collected her blood, and with one hand pressed on his storage bag, palm facing up, he revealed a golden talisman.

"Transformation Witch Talisman!"