The moment that sinister, chilling blood-red light entered her body, Wei Yunshu sensed it resonating with the blood threads, subtly suppressing her own consciousness. If the blood threads had truly infiltrated her physical body, that suppression would likely have been even more potent. Unfortunately, she was merely a manifestation of a spirit fragment, possessing no flesh and blood for the blood threads to feed upon. She calmly faced the evil cultivator, circulating her immortal sect cultivation technique, and immediately forced that wisp of malevolent energy out of her body. The red mark on her brow gradually faded and disappeared.
She walked slowly forward, sweeping her whisk horizontally. A powerful surge of energy, like a vast ocean tide, crashed down. Unlike Xie Zhichao, she did not need to get close to the evil cultivator. With a wave of her hand, countless rays of light transformed into continuous, sharp gusts of spiritual energy, piercing directly at the evil cultivator!
The evil cultivator’s face turned ashen with shock. He hadn’t expected the Blood Spirit Token to be ineffective. This person before him also appeared to be a Golden Core cultivator; how could she break free from the control of the blood threads? But there was no time to ponder this. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he began to consider methods of escape. His cultivation was not as profound as his junior sister’s; his previous victories were all due to her assistance. Now, facing a true disciple of the immortal sects alone, he quickly revealed his flaws.
Xie Zhichao spotted the evil cultivator’s opening and intensified her offensive. With a resounding explosion, countless cold lights scattered in all directions. Amidst the surging torrent, stones shattered and trees broke. A wisp of starlight above the evil cultivator’s head vanished, and fresh blood flowed down his forehead. His eyes widened, and he grunted out two strange sounds. As he raised his right hand, a saber light followed, and in the next moment, a grayish-white head flew high, landing on the ground.
“These evil cultivators are truly troublesome,” Xie Zhichao sheathed her saber, casting a disgusted glance at the evil cultivator’s corpse. With a flick of her finger, a spiritual fire landed on the body, burning away all traces of his existence. In her opinion, the major sects should unite and march into the Northern Continent’s Corridor of Sins, eradicating all these wicked fellows. “Daoist Friend Bo, are you alright?” she turned to Wei Yunshu, asking with concern. She had an eighty percent certainty that her saber energy tempering the body would expel any foreign substances, but Daoist Friend Bo… as a rogue cultivator, could she possess such profound methods?
Wei Yunshu smiled and said, “I’m fine.” She didn’t want to mention her own matters. Her current state appeared no different from any ordinary cultivator. If she didn’t bring it up, others wouldn’t notice anything unusual.
Xie Zhichao scrutinized Wei Yunshu carefully. Seeing that she was indeed unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, Xie Zhichao’s expression became troubled. “I wonder how many evil cultivators have infiltrated Funeral Heaven Pass.” This place was adjacent to the Corridor of Sins. Although it was considered Cloud City’s territory, if it were to fall, it would not just be Cloud City’s problem.
Inside Funeral Heaven Pass.
Cross streets ran through the entire pass. The market and city streets were extremely quiet under the night sky. Looking down from a height, the lamplight from every household seemed to cluster together like bloody radiance, burning so fiercely as if it would engulf the entire city.
In a small courtyard on Southeast Street, the smoke from burning pine wood curled within the room, gradually masking the faint smell of blood. Sitting by the stove was a young girl in a white dress. Her eyes were deep and sharp, as dark as a pool of ink. Only when the malevolent aura in the room dissipated did she leisurely pick up a long-extinguished lantern and say softly, “Dead? How unfortunate.” A strange smile curved her lips. She tossed the lantern into the brazier, watching it gradually be consumed by the firelight. In her dark eyes, a flicker of emotion finally appeared. After the gloom receded, she seemed to have “come alive,” displaying a trace of agility and liveliness.
A knocking sound echoed.
The girl said with a smile, “Enter.”
With a creak, the maid pushed open the door and tiptoed in, never daring to raise her head to look at the girl.
“Miss, that person will arrive at Funeral Heaven Pass tomorrow.”
“So soon?” The girl giggled. She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and a fierce glint suddenly flashed in her eyes. Before the maid could utter her second sentence, a red flash flickered, and several blood threads pierced through her body. Within a few breaths, they had absorbed her flesh and blood. With a thud, the shriveled corpse fell to the ground. A satisfied smile appeared on the girl’s face. She licked her lips, flicked her sleeve, and stepped over the corpse.
The next morning, disciples from Cloud City arrived. The bodies of those killed by evil cultivators were all laid out in the central square of the pass. Besides those already cremated, there were nearly a hundred more. The onlookers were few, mostly relatives of the deceased. Low sobs and curses intermingled, creating a particularly noisy and chaotic scene. The girl also mingled in the crowd. She quietly sat before the maid’s corpse, shedding silent tears. She was already beautiful, and with these tears, she looked like a pear blossom battered by the rain, evoking infinite pity. The crowd silently shifted to the side, allowing the Cloud City disciples to approach her first.
At this moment.
Wei Yunshu and Xie Zhichao also entered the city along with the relocated civilians.
“Daoist Friend Bo, the Cloud Sect disciples said that the Consort will arrive in the city today!” Xie Zhichao looked as if she were enjoying a spectacle. She glanced at Wei Yunshu, who was walking unhurriedly on the road. She was even considering offering her a hand.
Wei Yunshu slowly inquired, “Do you wish to see her?”
Xie Zhichao nodded. “To be honest, yes.” After a pause, she smiled. “That person is also famous in our Immortal Realm as a great beauty, known as the ‘Luoshui Divine Maiden.’ However, she has always lived reclusively, and few have had the chance to meet her. Although portraits are circulated, as you know, things on paper are easily distorted.”
Wei Yunshu lowered her eyes and softly said, “She is indeed a beauty.” Her bone structure was as exquisite as a mountain snow, her spirit as pure as ice in a jade pot. Luo Lingfeng possessed a gentle, flowing tenderness, like water. But she had forgotten that water, when overturned, could also be merciless. She had spent fifty years with Luo Lingfeng but didn’t understand her at all. Like the rest of the world, she was foolish, deceived by appearances.
Just as she always thought Luo Lingfeng cultivated through zither melodies, it wasn’t until that day that she learned her fundamental technique was “The Movement of True Water,” cultivating the “Grand Pure Yuan Dao Abyssal True Water.” Yuan means origin, the beginning; Dao means the Supreme True One’s Dao—this was one of the most marvelous scriptures in the Immortal Realm, yet Luo Lingfeng had mastered it without anyone noticing.
“Then let’s go see her quickly,” Xie Zhichao said excitedly. Seeing Wei Yunshu’s half-smiling gaze, she coughed lightly and added, “Cloud City has begun to deal with the evil cultivator matter, and we shouldn’t miss out.”
As they were speaking, a clear and resonant phoenix cry echoed. Seven-colored light rained down, causing almost everyone to look up at the sky. Under the rosy clouds, the mist shifted unpredictably, finally manifesting the shapes of several phoenixes. And behind the phoenixes, various auspicious clouds and mythical beasts galloped forth, a thousand transformations, solemn and magnificent. Not to mention mortals, even Xie Zhichao was stunned. She said nothing as a golden carriage, pulled by two pure white, single-horned exotic beasts, descended from the sky. Flower petals fell like rain, and a rich fragrance wafted, lingering for a long time.
Suddenly, the carriage curtain was lifted by a gentle breeze, revealing a side profile as radiant as the moon.
Wei Yunshu looked into the carriage. Spotting a wisp of white hair, her heart stirred, but her expression remained perfectly calm. However, as a fair hand pushed aside the pearl curtain, she turned away subtly, avoiding that gaze emanating from the carriage. Fortunately, that probing sensation quickly disappeared. Only after the golden carriage had departed did Wei Yunshu turn back.
“Daoist Friend Bo, what’s wrong?” Unlike Wei Yunshu’s evasion, Xie Zhichao had watched with great interest. She patted her newfound confidante’s shoulder and casually asked.
Wei Yunshu said, “I saw white hair, and I was a bit surprised. We cultivators have methods to maintain our appearance; even if our black hair turns white, we can restore it to normal.”
Xie Zhichao shrugged. “Perhaps it’s a heart demon. Rumor has it that after the Cloud Sovereign’s demise, the Consort’s hair turned white overnight.”
Wei Yunshu let out a light laugh, her expression unreadable.
Inside the golden carriage.
Luo Lingfeng propped herself up. Her gaze was cold and deep, like unmelting ancient ice. She had just detected a familiar aura, but by the time she tried to trace it, there was no trace of it left.
“Wei Yunshu, Wei Yunshu—” Luo Lingfeng repeated the name in her mind again and again, her eyes growing redder, like a ball of blazing fire. This fire mingled with the icy coldness within her, brewing a strange temperament, like someone walking on the edge of an abyss, one wrong step and they would be shattered.
The memories of that day always surfaced, unable to be forgotten even by drinking the “drunk awake dream death wine”(a metaphorical drink for forgetting sorrow). At that time, they had all underestimated Wei Yunshu’s cultivation. If she had fought with the intention of a decisive battle, the outcome might not have been decided. But at the crucial final moment, Wei Yunshu directly dispersed her true qi, allowing the Abyssal True Water to strike her.
She leaped into the Abyssal Vortex.
She said, “Stop hating.”
But how could she not hate?! She had been tormented by her heart demon for so many years, driven forward by hatred. Without hate, where would her life find meaning? Wei Yunshu was compassionate and charitable to everyone, showing kindness to all. But why couldn’t she save herself? How could she seek death?! How could she leave behind such an everlasting shadow?
The golden carriage landed in the square.
Under the heavy pressure, the exotic beasts pulling the carriage scraped their forehooves on the ground, emitting uneasy low whines.
A moment later, a disciple from Cloud Sect approached the golden carriage with small steps and respectfully reported, “Consort, we have found the person who resembles the Cloud Sovereign!”
A very unlikeable FML yikes 😬