Luohe, who had been kicked behind Zhi You by Jiu Hui, quickly curled up into a ball and hid behind Zhi You without moving.
His lackeys, seeing this, also pretended not to exist as they silently shuffled behind Luohe.
The sword’s edge was as cold as ice. The demon princess’s guards, who had been hiding in the shadows, poured out and blocked the way in front of Yin Ji and Sha Luojia.
Bu Ting swept away the demon guards blocking his path with a single sword strike, then looked at Yin Ji with an impassive expression. “I gave the order long ago. Traitors to the Jiutian Sect are to be killed without mercy.”
As the words faded, the two soared into the sky, their battle shaking the heavens and earth, sword energies surging through the air.
Jiu Hui straightened her cloak that had been ruffled by the sword energy and turned her gaze to Sha Luojia standing in the corner. The demon princess was very beautiful, especially those moving big eyes, even she couldn’t help but take a few more glances.
Sha Luojia looked up at the sky, her expression tense, as if all her attention was on Yin Ji, her eyes and heart filled with him.
Jiu Hui looked at her thoughtfully, then suddenly chuckled softly and used a sound transmission technique to tell Zhi You, “I didn’t expect this princess to truly not care about Yin Ji.”
Zhi You looked at Jiu Hui in surprise.
“Not only does she not care about Yin Ji, she might have even lured him here tonight.” Jiu Hui continued via voice transmission, “Bu Ting came to the small city with serious injuries less than a day ago, and the Demon Princess brought Yin Ji here. I wonder if she wants to test Yin Ji or use him to kill Bu Ting?”
As long as she brought her lover to kill the demon clan’s greatest enemy, Bu Ting, she would become the most prestigious princess of the demon clan.
Everyone in the world knew that the Jiutian Sect had issued an order to kill Yin Ji. At this time, the Demon Princess was not helping Yin Ji fight against Bu Ting, but was hiding in a corner with a worried expression on her face, which was very interesting.
She saw that peacock bullying the baby iron-eating beast and knew she had to step in and help. Did Sha Luojia not know that Yin Ji was no match for Bu Ting?
“Alas.” Jiu Hui glanced at Luohe, the Third Prince of the Demon Clan, at Zhi You’s feet. “Don’t let him die.”
The demon queen’s biological son was worth a lot of money!
Seeing that Yin Ji was struggling, Sha Luojia’s face turned even more worried. She shouted, “Yin Ji, be careful!”
“No, I must save you.” She frantically pulled out a token from her sleeve, and while wiping away her tears, she planned to use the token to summon the warriors of the Demon Clan.
“Princess, you recklessly interfered in Yin Ji’s business. Aren’t you afraid that he’ll hate you?” A hand suddenly reached out and snatched the demon clan’s token.
Sha Luojia was greatly frightened. She took several steps backward and looked at Jiu Hui with vigilance.
Who exactly was this female cultivator? How had she managed to approach her without her noticing even a hint of her presence?
“Even though Yin Ji was expelled from the sect for your sake, he grew up in the Jiutian Sect since he was a child and has deep feelings for the sect.” Jiu Hui played with the demon clan’s token and said with a half-smile, “If you truly love him, you shouldn’t have made decisions for him on your own.”
“Even if he hates me, it doesn’t matter. I can’t just stand by and watch him die.” Sha Luojia gritted her teeth and sacrificed her magic weapon to seize the token from Jiu Hui’s hand.
“Could it be that the princess has never heard that if you love someone, you must respect them?” Jiu Hui dodged out of the way, shaking the token. “So this is what the token of the royal family of the demon race looks like. Why don’t you be generous, princess, and lend it to me to play with for a few days?”
Sha Luojia’s face grew increasingly ugly, and a sinister look flashed in her eyes. “Give me back the token!”
“We women shouldn’t be as stingy as some old men.” Jiu Hui tucked the token into her sleeve. “What’s wrong with letting me play with it for a few days?”
Seeing Jiu Hui put away the token, Sha Luojia took off a copper mirror from her waist and threw it at Jiu Hui’s head.
“Be careful, that’s my father’s Spirit-Locking Mirror!” Luohe, who was pretending to be dead at Zhi You’s feet, turned pale when he saw the mirror. “Anyone who is illuminated by it will be unable to use their spiritual power within three breaths!”
Three breaths were short, but they were enough time for Sha Luojia to take Jiu Hui’s life.
“Ding!”carpreads.pages.dev
Two swords flew in the air and knocked the Spirit-Locking Mirror aside.
The Cosmos Sword circled in the air and returned to Bu Ting’s hand. The other sword transformed back into a leaf and spiraled to the ground.
Jiu Hui turned her head to look at Zhi You, who had taken action, and smiled at him.
“What a nice mirror.” Jiu Hui beckoned the Spirit-Locking Mirror into her hand. “Princess, you are so generous. Not only did you give me the demon clan’s token, but you also gave me the Spirit-Locking Mirror. Thank you for your gift.”
Sha Luojia was heartbroken when she saw Jiu Hui take the mirror, and gritted her teeth and stabbed her with the demonic sword. But every move and style was avoided by Jiu Hui, who seemed to see through all her moves, teasing her and playing with her.
She no longer held back her magic power, and she fought fiercely with Jiu Hui.
Jiu Hui pulled out a willow leaf knife* and blocked Sha Luojia’s full-force attack. When fighting a girl, one should not use a butcher’s knife. That would be impolite.
TN: something like this
When Nan Feng and his junior brothers arrived, they saw Yin Ji fighting their master in the air, the demon princess whose face had turned ashen from Jiu Hui’s teasing, and finally his gaze fell on the Third Prince and the others who had huddled together. “Zhi You, what’s going on?”
Zhi You glanced at Luohe. “Jiu Hui’s captive.”
Before Nan Feng could say anything, he heard Zhi You add, “No one is allowed to touch him.”
Nan Feng and the Jiutian Sect disciples felt quite complicated after hearing this. Why would they do anything to these stinky male demons?
In the air, Bu Ting cleaved Yin Ji with a sword and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Yin Ji, why are you here today?”
Yin Ji saw Bu Ting suddenly cough up blood, and his eyes flickered. He glanced at Sha Luojia, who had been struck by Jiu Hui’s palm below, and quickly flew down to catch Sha Luojia, who had been sent flying by Jiu Hui.
“Princess!” Yin Ji’s face was full of regret. “I shouldn’t have agreed to come out with you tonight. Who told you that there’s no sect protection here? He wanted to harm you!”
He put one arm around the waist of the demon princess, and held a sword in the other hand, looking at the crowd with vigilance: “You bribed the demon underlings just to lure us here?”
Sha Luojia lowered her head and leaned on Yin Ji’s shoulder. No one could see her expression.
“Traitor Yin Ji!” The Jiutian Sect disciple accused, “For this demon woman, you will become the enemy of the entire cultivation world?!”
“Wasn’t it you who lured us here?” Yin Ji forced back several Jiutian Sect disciples with a sword, and sneered, “I taught you some of your sword techniques. Do you really think you can hurt me with that little skill?”
Jiu Hui raised an eyebrow. Yin Ji seemed to have said nothing, but in fact, he had said everything.
It was only after hearing Sha Luojia’s words that he came to this city.
He didn’t know that Bu Ting was injured, nor did he know that Bu Ting was here, so he deliberately used the word “lure”.
With Bu Ting’s cultivation, if he wanted to kill Yin Ji, Yin Ji would not be able to stand here intact.
Jiu Hui glanced at Bu Ting, who was floating in the air and hadn’t come down, and retreated to Zhi You’s side.
“Little friend Jiu Hui, we of the Jiutian Sect will handle the rest of this matter ourselves.” Nan Feng had suddenly stiffened for a moment just now, likely having received a voice transmission from Bu Ting.
“Uh-huh, you guys can handle this yourselves. We’ll just watch from the side.” Jiu Hui nodded and took out two fruits from her storage ring, giving one to Zhi You. “You go take care of it. Don’t worry about us.”
Nan Feng looked at her with a complicated expression. A smart person should have found an excuse to leave by now.
Jiu Hui took a bite of the fruit and said, “Why are you standing in front of me? Go and solve your problems.”
Nan Feng couldn’t bear it anymore: “Can you and Zhi You go a little further away?”
“No, I can’t.” Jiu Hui shook her head.
“Why?”
“Yin Ji’s betrayal of your sect is your sect’s private affair, but his collusion with the demon princess and his attempt to enter the small city is not just a matter for your Jiutian Sect.” Jiu Hui pointed to the city in the distance: “This is the place where I grew up.”
If Yin Ji and Sha Luojia were to harm the city’s people, she would no longer care what the two were planning.
Nan Feng was stunned. He looked up at his master in the air, turned around silently, and walked towards Yin Ji. He stopped talking to Jiu Hui.
Sure enough, after Nan Feng arrived, the two sides exchanged a few words before they started fighting.
Although Nan Feng had embarrassed himself in front of Jiu Hui several times, as the Eldest Senior Brother of the Jiutian Sect, his natural talent was indeed outstanding. Although his cultivation was inferior to Yin Ji’s, with his superb swordsmanship, he forced Yin Ji, who was protecting the demon clan princess, to retreat again and again.
Just as Yin Ji revealed an opening, Nan Feng was about to press his advantage when his master’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind through a sound transmission technique.
“Nan Feng, don’t hurt him.”
Nan Feng was slightly stunned. Sha Luojia, who was lying in Yin Ji’s arms, raised her head and seized the opportunity to stab Nan Feng with her sword.
“Eldest Senior Brother!” The Jiutian Sect disciple’s expression changed.
“Let’s go!” Sha Luojia exhausted her magic power and opened a tiny gap leading to the demon clan.
A spirit arrow tore through the night sky, piercing through both Yin Ji and Sha Luojia once more.
The archer was Jiu Hui.
“You injured my friend and think you can just leave?” After skewering the two people together, Jiu Hui gave the Third Prince a look and sent him a voice transmission, “If you don’t scram now, are you waiting for the Jiutian Sect to take you away?”
She then flashed behind Nan Feng and supported him as he struggled to stand. “Did you see it clearly? This is the Mandarin Duck Harmony Arrow I was talking about. Do they look like a good match?”
Nan Feng remained silent.
Jiu Hui stuffed two pills into his mouth. “Don’t worry, this demon princess used up most of her magic power fighting me, her sword won’t kill you.”
Meanwhile, the Third Prince led his men to sneak behind Zhi You and quietly opened a crack in the demon realm, through which they crawled to escape.
Zhi You, who was standing in front of the group, didn’t turn around once, as if he really didn’t know that they had secretly escaped.
Bu Ting slowly descended from the sky. He turned his head to glance at Zhi You, then turned and walked to Nan Feng’s side. “Nan Feng, is your injury serious?”
Nan Feng shook his head in silence.
“Since both the Immortal Venerable and Nan Feng are safe and sound, I’ll take my leave.” Jiu Hui released Nan Feng and turned to leave.
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui,” Bu Ting called out to Jiu Hui. “I wonder if after you’ve finished examining the demon clan’s token, you would be willing to lend it to me for a few days so that I may examine it myself.”
Jiu Hui turned her head with a smile, looking at him without saying a word.
“Young friend, it was not easy for you to seize the token from the demons. Here are two million spirit stones.” Bu Ting handed the brocade pouch containing the spirit stones to Jiu Hui. “Please accept them with my gratitude.”
“Immortal Venerable, you are too kind. It is our duty to eliminate demons and protect the Dao.” Jiu Hui took the spirit stones and put them in her sleeve. “Junior will take her leave.”
Seeing that she didn’t mention the token, a Jiutian Sect disciple couldn’t help but say, “You…”
“Young friend, travel safely.” Bu Ting clasped his hands behind his back. “Nan Feng and I will stay in the city for the next few days, awaiting your good news.”
Jiu Hui raised an eyebrow.
Did this mean that he wouldn’t leave unless she take out the token?
With a chuckle, Jiu Hui cupped her hands in greeting and pulled Zhi You away.
“Sect Master Immortal Venerable, are you just going to let her walk away with the demon clan’s token?” The disciple watched Jiu Hui’s back, feeling anxious. “Should I go and snatch the token back?”
“Sword cultivators should avoid being impatient and irritable.” Bu Ting’s expression was indifferent. “After you go back, cultivate your mind.”
“Yes.” The disciple who had spoken instantly fell silent.
Bu Ting watched Jiu Hui’s distant figure and clutched his chest, saying, “What’s more, you’re not her match.”
Using spiritual energy as a bow and spiritual power as an arrow, he shot through Yin Ji and the demon princess with one arrow. This was not something a cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm could do.
He took out a copper mirror from his storage ring and shone it at the backs of Jiu Hui and Zhi You.
In the mirror, their backs were clearly reflected. The young lady was holding the young man’s sleeve, and the scarf behind her was flying in the air.
Whether it was a yao or a demon, they could not escape detection in this mirror. Only humans could clearly see their forms reflected in it.
“Huh?” Jiu Hui turned her head in confusion and saw the mirror in Bu Ting’s hand.
The moon emerged from the clouds, and its light fell on the mirror, reflecting a silvery glow.
The girl in the mirror looked puzzled, as if she didn’t understand why someone would look in a mirror at night. However, she didn’t seem to care about the other person’s strange hobby. She just glanced back and left happily with the gentleman beside her.
“This old fart, he actually used a mirror to look at me in the middle of the night.” Jiu Hui sat on the flying boat and patted the brocade bag containing two million spirit stones: “For the sake of the spirit stones, I forgive him.”
“That mirror is called the Truth-Seeking Mirror, an item left behind by the founding patriarch of the Jiutian Sect. This mirror can see through the true nature of all living beings, be they yao or demon.” Zhi You glanced at the Moonlit Mirror at Jiu Hui’s waist. “It looks very similar to the Moonlit Mirror.”
“Master’s Moonlit Mirror, could it be made from the leftover materials of the Truth-Seeking Mirror?” Jiu Hui touched the Moonlit Mirror at her waist. She felt that with the style of the ancestors of Wangshu Pavilion, they could do such a thing.
“He suspects you.” Zhi You didn’t care about the Moonlit Mirror. His robe rustled in the night wind, and his eyes were fixed on Jiu Hui. “Bu Ting is a man of strategy and forbearance, biased and indifferent. He never shows mercy to anyone.”
“If anyone unexpected shows up around him, he’ll probably suspect them.” Jiu Hui lay lazily on the flying boat’s railing, looking at Nushen Mountain under the moonlight. “Who cares about him?”
“Tonight, he used the Cosmos Sword to block Sha Luojia’s Spirit-Locking Mirror for you. I’m worried that you might have mistaken him for a trustworthy elder.” Zhi You leaned over the railing and looked up at Jiu Hui. “I’m afraid you’ll be sad.”
“Why would I be sad because of a stranger?” Jiu Hui lowered her head and poked Zhi You’s forehead with her finger. “One meets many people in life, but most are just passersby. Only those close to me can hurt me.”
The flying boat passed through Nushen Mountain and landed on the ground. The two of them switched from the flying boat to flying swords. Zhi You controlled the flying sword and approached Jiu Hui. “Little Senior Sister, am I an important person to you?”
“Why would you ask that?” Jiu Hui looked at Zhi You in surprise.
Zhi You’s eyes dimmed slightly.
“If you weren’t an important person, why would I have brought you back to Shanghuang Village?” Jiu Hui sighed as she saw Zhi You staring at her with burning eyes. “Yes, you are an important person to me.”
Zhi You laughed.
His smile was like the first melting of spring snow, a clean and clear stream flowing, and a glance at it made one feel refreshed.
“You are also the most important person to me.” Zhi You said with red eyes, “No one is more important than my Little Senior Sister.”
Jiu Hui felt a little sad after hearing this.
Although, she didn’t seem to say “most” just now?
But seeing Zhi You’s happy appearance, she didn’t say anything to refute him.
Just…
Let him be happy.
-—–
Outside the small city, Bu Ting looked up for the first time to seriously look at the stone carving on the city gate.
Jiu Hui was not lying. The name on the city gate had indeed weathered and peeled, making the characters unrecognizable.
He looked up at the city gate plaque, trying to find something on it.
Without formations, runes, or a protective city formation, this was a city that had been forgotten by the sect for a long time.
Nan Feng was silently supported by a junior brother. He looked at his master’s back, feeling his master’s strangeness for the first time.
Why did Master want him to release Yin Ji?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he didn’t know how to ask.
After entering the city, the stall owners had already packed up and gone home, leaving the empty streets desolate. Occasionally, the sound of a baby crying could be heard from a nearby house, but it quickly subsided.
Nan Feng took a lantern from his storage ring and held it in his hand. His disciple supported him and said in confusion, “Senior Brother, we can see even without a lantern.”
“But people returning home at night will be scared if they see us without even a lantern,” Nan Feng explained. “Carrying an extra lantern isn’t a hassle.”
This was also a lesson he had learned in Taolin City.
Bu Ting looked back at him. After everyone returned to the inn, Bu Ting said, “Nan Feng, come with me. Everyone else, go back to your rooms and rest.”
“Master.” Nan Feng followed Bu Ting into the house and bowed to him.
“You’re injured. Sit down and talk.” Bu Ting sat down in the main seat and said calmly, “I know what you’re thinking. Yin Ji did receive my order to infiltrate the demons.”
“Then he and the demon clan’s princess…”
“Naturally, it’s also fake.” Bu Ting spoke indifferently, “He’s the youngest and most outstanding Elder of the Jiutian Sect, how could he indulge in romantic relationships?”
“Everything is fake, so is it true… or fake that he attacked Taolin City with the demon princess?” Nan Feng felt his throat was extremely dry, and it was difficult to say a few short sentences: “Or did he want to sacrifice the lives of the people of Taolin City to gain the trust of the demon clan?”
Bu Ting retorted, “Taolin City is protected by a sect, so he was stopped by Wangshu Pavilion as soon as he made a move. Is it better for him to pick a city like ours?”
“We shouldn’t have taken the lives of ordinary people to gain the trust of the demons.” Nan Feng clutched his wound, looking at Bu Ting in disbelief. “Master, those are human lives!”
Bu Ting kept silent for a long time, coughed a few times, and then his face turned pale. “Only the Jiutian Sect and the Wenxing School knew that I was seriously injured and came to this small city to seek medical treatment. The demons were able to find me so quickly, so I suspect that someone in the Wenxing School or the Jiutian Sect is colluding with the demons.”
“Who on earth injured Master so badly?” Nan Feng poured Bu Ting a cup of hot tea. “Please take care of yourself, Master.”
Bu Ting took the teacup and said calmly, “Nan Feng, the first day of the first lunar month next year is an auspicious day. You will take over as the Sect Master of the Jiutian Sect.”
“Master?!” Nan Feng looked at Bu Ting in horror and knelt before him. “Why are you saying this, Master?”
“I offended Immortal Lord Fuguang and failed my master’s mission. I’m no longer fit to be the sect master of Jiutian Sect.” Bu Ting looked at Nan Feng. “Jiutian Sect needs a sect master who has made no mistakes and has connections with various sects. You are the most suitable candidate.”
“The one who injured you… was Immortal Lord Fuguang?” Nan Feng knelt before Bu Ting. “Master, in all of Jiutian Sect, there is no one but you who can be the sect master.”
“All the disciples in the sect respect you very much. As for those Elders, I will suppress them for you.” Bu Ting looked out the window. “The news that Lord Fuguang injured me will be known sooner or later. Nan Feng, for the sake of the entire Jiutian Sect, you must inherit the position of Sect Master of the Jiutian Sect.”
Only when his own personally trained disciple became the next sect master would he be able to rest assured.
Nan Feng walked out of his master’s room in a daze. His mind was filled with the smiling faces of the people of Taolin City, the years of his master’s upbringing and teachings, and the Fuguang Mountain that had been covered in snow all year round.
From a young age, he knew that Immortal Lord Fuguang lived permanently on Fuguang Mountain to maintain the operation of the Ten Great Cauldrons, and all living beings in the world benefited from the Immortal Lord’s grace.
How could Master provoke the Immortal Lord into hurting him?
How did things get to this point?
After the prophecy of the world’s great catastrophe reemerged, everything seemed to change. Master was seriously injured and couldn’t recover, Sect Uncle Yin Ji was trapped by the demons, and the Grand Elder suddenly went into seclusion…
He recalled the mirror his master had taken out that night. If that mirror could see through everything, then when his uncle Yin Ji was holding his Body Integration ceremony, and the demon soul possessed the Wanhuo Sect disciple Zhu Yan and approached Luo Kui of Changshou Palace with the intention of killing her, did his master not know about it or did he just let things play out?
If Jiu Hui hadn’t discovered Zhu Yan’s abnormality in time, would Luo Kui have died silently at the hands of the demons?
Given the Changshou Palace Master’s personality, she would definitely hate the Demon Clan…
Nan Feng shook his head, burying this terrifying guess deep in his heart. Although Master had a mirror, he couldn’t take it out and use it all the time. It must have been an accident.
It must have been an accident.
He had always thought that his master greatly admired Jiu Hui, which was why he had given her the steamed fish he had made himself and repaired her silk scarf magic weapon. It was not until tonight, when his master used the Truth-Seeking Mirror on Jiu Hui, that he realized that his master had been suspicious of Jiu Hui’s identity all along.
Thinking of Jiu Hui’s clear figure in the mirror, Nan Feng felt guilty towards her, and was even ashamed to face her.
But the next night, he saw Jiu Hui outside his window.
“You step back.” Jiu Hui climbed through the window into Nan Feng’s room, followed closely by Zhi You.
The two of them occupied the only two chairs in the room, so Nan Feng could only sit on a stool. “How did you two climb in through the window?”
“I can’t be bothered to talk to your fellow disciples. It’s easier to climb through the window.” Jiu Hui placed a brocade pouch in Nan Feng’s hand. “I’m staying here for the New Year. This is a reply letter and some items from Shiyi’s family. When you go back, remember to pass these on to Shiyi.”
“You lied to him when you said it was on your way?” Nan Feng took the brocade pouch and carefully put it away in his storage ring.
“Whether or not it’s convenient is a small matter compared to a family reunion.”
Jiu Hui handed the items to Nan Feng and prepared to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Nan Feng called out to them. “Do you have any plans for the first day of the first lunar month next year?”
“The first day of the first lunar month is still three months away. How would I know what’s going to happen then?” Jiu Hui glanced at Nan Feng cautiously. “Do you have something on that day?”
Nan Feng looked absent-minded and dejected as he said, “That day, the sect will hold a ceremony to pass on the position of sect master to me. If you can come…”
“Wait, inherit the Sect Master’s position?!” Jiu Hui thought she had misheard something: “Is that old… Immortal Venerable Bu so badly injured that he wants you to take over as Sect Master?”
Zhi You lifted his eyelids and continued to remain silent.
“No, Master, his injury was inflicted by Lord Fuguang.” Nan Feng smiled bitterly. “I don’t know how things got to this point.”
Jiu Hui turned her head to look at Zhi You. The moonlight fell on Zhi You’s body, covering him with a layer of bright white clothing. “The person who injured Immortal Venerable Bu was Immortal Lord Fuguang?”
She was silent for a moment. “On the first day of the first lunar month, we will come. How can we not attend our friend’s inheritance ceremony?”
Nan Feng covered his face and said softly after a long while, “Thank you.”
His master suspected Jiu Hui’s identity, but Jiu Hui still treated him as a friend. Countless feelings of guilt nearly drowned him.
After leaving Nan Feng’s room, Jiu Hui looked at Zhi You in a daze for a long time before saying, “Zhi You, I’ll take you home.”
-—–
The moon had set, but the sun had yet to rise, and the entire Fuguang Mountain was still shrouded in darkness.
A beam of light shot through the snow and wind, landing on the mountain. The puppets guarding the palace turned their heads in unison. The empty mountain peak was devoid of any living creatures, and their empty eyes slowly retracted.
A series of shallow footprints slowly appeared in the snow, gradually moving forward until they finally stopped in front of the palace’s gate.
The footprints stopped and did not go forward. The doors were tightly shut.
Inside the palace, Fuguang opened his eyes and walked barefoot to the palace gate step by step. He looked at the pitch-black doors and took out the illuminating pearl from his sleeve, illuminating the darkness in front of the doors.
The neatly arranged puppets turned around in unison, their faces expressionless as they stared at Fuguang, who had suddenly awakened, and slowly approached him.
Shadows of countless puppets gradually emerged on the palace gate, but only the figure of Fuguang holding a pearl in the middle remained motionless from beginning to end.