Snow-laden green mountains stood, brightly lit from the southern sky.
At night, the shimmering, water-like moonlight spilled across the pristine white snow, as the green mountains stood silently.
The boundary between the human realm and the demon realm split the landscape. To the right, deeper into the human realm, the wind and snow grew fiercer. To the left, towards the demon realm, lay a dim and abyssal expanse where not a single snowflake fell. The night there was even denser than in the human realm, with snow melting mid-air before reaching the ground near the demon realm.
Swords sang with a sharp clang, their intent chilling.
A stunning sword cultivator in crimson robes swung her blade sharply across the snow, decisively eliminating the remaining demons. The leading demon didn’t even get a chance to utter a single threat.
Li Jin’an casually performed a sword flourish, sheathing her Blazing Radiance Sword. Alone, she leisurely stepped onto demon territory, showing not a hint of discomfort. She even audaciously considered slowing her pace, just to see if more demons would come seeking death.
A few Void Refinement or even Integration stage cultivators would do. Otherwise, what was the point of her coming out if the results were negligible? Wouldn’t she just become a laughingstock?
It was well known that the Sword Sect wouldn’t let her take on any missions. Eight out of ten tasks never reached her, and another would be eagerly snatched by other elders. The excuse was always that if a Sword Venerable casually intervened, wouldn’t the cultivation world look down on the Sword Sect? Outsiders might even think these sword fanatics were exceptionally kind to their fellow disciples.
In truth, they simply believed that letting Jijin Sword Sovereign loose would lead to far more severe consequences. One trip out, and she’d bring back a long bill; how could the Sword Sect’s impoverished sword cultivators, with barely any money in their pockets, possibly afford to pay for it?
Li Jin’an even ostentatiously released her spiritual energy, casually swinging her sword a few times. Instantly, the dim sky was illuminated, with sparks flying everywhere like the folk art of striking molten iron, creating golden fireworks and a dazzling river of stars.
That magnificent and exquisite face, set against her scarlet robes and the showering sparks, appeared even more delicately textured and perfectly proportioned.
However, this spectacular display failed to draw the audience Li Jin’an desired. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, seeing that no demons were truly coming to their deaths, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
The demon race has truly been disappointing these past years. Even with an attack at their doorstep, they could still hold back and endure, refusing to come out and fight.
The newly appointed Demon Lord was useless too, a total coward. Was there any better way to establish prestige than repelling a human Sword Venerable? There was none!
With such a timid and shrinking demeanor, how could he command respect among the inherently tyrannical and rebellious demon race? Without prestige, how could he sit firmly on the Demon Lord’s throne!
Li Jin’an actually felt anxious for the Demon Lord. But then again, she was just too powerful; it was understandable that the demons couldn’t restrain their awe and reverence for her.
She waited and waited, but still no demons came. Angrily, she flew away on her sword, leaving behind a ground littered with demon corpses.
A quarter of an hour later, two low-level demons with horns covering their heads cautiously peered around and approached the battlefield. They carefully walked over, and after confirming no one was around, immediately pounced on the corpse of the Void Refinement demon general, opening their mouths full of fangs, ready to bite down.
Not even a second passed before a chillingly sharp, scorching wave of sword light swept forth. The two common low-level demons instantly turned to ash and smoke, and even the demon general’s corpse on the ground melted away, leaving not a trace.
It was a feint.
Li Jin’an’s figure suddenly appeared mid-air. She let out a short laugh, seemingly speaking to herself: “The demon race is truly the most disgusting race in Lancang.”
Given the chance, they would unscrupulously kill fellow demons stronger than themselves, treating their corpses as the best resources to devour and refine to enhance their bloodline. Such behavior was intolerable in the world.
Killing two small fry wasn’t a loss. She didn’t feel it was wrong for a Sword Venerable of her stature to condescend to kill mere Qi Condensation stage demon minor monsters. Most importantly, infuriating demons didn’t cost her a life. The new Demon Lord had barely ascended before being attacked by a human Sword Venerable at his doorstep, given a huge display of dominance, yet showed no reaction. That was more than just cowardly.
As soon as her words fell, she vanished. This time, she was truly gone.
Not long after she left, several figures appeared on the original battlefield. A black-robed man with an evil charm looked at the flattened land before him, still permeated with Li Jin’an’s sword intent, and said hatefully: “Humans bully demons too much, Father! Tomorrow, your son will lead the army to slaughter the human cities!”
“Do you think she’s truly gone?”
The black-robed man looked at his father, the Demon Lord, with confusion. His gaze lowered as he respectfully asked: “Are you saying Jijin Sword Sovereign will be stationed and waiting in the cities bordering the demon and human realms, just like before?”
“‘Jijin Sword Sovereign has an impatient temperament, but that doesn’t mean she’s stupid, understand?’ The Demon Lord sneered, seemingly recalling something. ‘Soon. You must trust your sister’s ability to manipulate hearts. If she succeeds, the human cultivators will no longer be a united front.'”
The black-robed man bowed his head and respectfully assented, but inwardly, he was filled with disdain. ‘What sister?’ he thought. ‘Just a mongrel born of a succubus, with a nearly nonexistent bloodline. If not for her decent looks, she wouldn’t even have the right to appear in the Demon Palace.’
Father even gratuitously gave her so many resources, claiming it was compensation for her many years of aimless drifting. But everyone in the Demon Palace knew that the ‘exaggeration’ in those words was enough to flood the forty-eight cities of the demon realm.
If she failed to complete the mission…
Before he could think any further, he heard the Demon Lord let out a laugh and say: “Fools are everywhere. Previously, I held them back from coming to their deaths. I estimate many demon commanders and generals resent me, and the three great Demon Monarchs will also think I’m indecisive and cowardly.”
The black-robed man flattered his father with an even more humble tone than before: “Father, you worry too much. They are all merely your defeated subordinates; how dare they be so treasonous? If that were truly the case, your son would immediately go to their doors and make them know who is the master of the demon realm today!”
The Demon Lord laughed again, as if amused by the black-robed man, then quickly turned cold. “What’s the point of bothering with such fools? Just send them to their deaths.”
The term ‘cunning old schemer’ certainly held true. As if in response to the Demon Lord’s words, an hour later, a vast army of demon soldiers set off from a territory governed by a certain Demon Monarch, marching towards the human realm’s frontline city.
And then they ran into a well-fed, leisurely Li Jin’an. It just so happened she hadn’t fought to her heart’s content earlier, so she treated the mortal cultivators of the First Line Sky to a free, dazzling night of fiery splendor!
The east wind at night unfurled a thousand trees of flowers, scattering down stars like rain.
The cultivators defending the city of First Line Sky didn’t even have time to act before the demon army outside the city had already fallen into disarray, retreating in panic.
The City Lord hadn’t even gotten close enough to the Sword Venerable to greet her and curry favor before she teleported away. Infuriated, he cursed at the useless defending cultivators on the city wall: “Are you so lacking in discernment? With a great enemy before us, did the Sword Venerable really have to act personally? Usually, you’re clamoring for this and that from me, but when it’s truly time to perform, why aren’t you howling and charging forward!”
That was Jijin Sword Sovereign! If she was pleased, if she so much as said a single word in the Sword Sect, they would send more elders and disciples to guard, and the defense line would be much easier.
The body cultivator next to him chuckled: “City Lord, I think you’re too confident in yourself. Is the Sword Venerable so easily pleased? It’s more likely she’d be enraged by your clumsy way of chatting. And then, if she decided to act, she’d hammer you into the city wall, and we wouldn’t even be able to pry you out.”
Resistance was out of the question; that was Jijin Sword Sovereign, a sword cultivator among sword cultivators. There was simply no thought of resisting her.
“…”
With affairs here concluded, Li Jin’an was eager to return and beat up her disciples.
While she was eating and drinking in First Line Sky, she received a paper crane from her master, which had traveled thousands of miles just to deliver one piece of news: her three disciples had yet again lost to Xie Huaixue’s disciples, for the umpteenth time!
This had happened during the day, and the paper crane had arduously crossed mountains and rivers, finally reaching Li Jin’an’s hand around 1AM, clearly showing how determined her master was to mock her.
Three against two, a complete defeat.
A huge disgrace!
This time, they only lasted for a quarter of an hour, not even a full hour. Outsiders might even think the Grand Dao Sect had paid spiritual stones to the Sword Venerable’s disciples to throw the match.
Useless bunch.
Anger made her excited, invigorating her spirit. The urge to beat up her disciples spurred Li Jin’an to rush along at full speed. While the sky was still dimly lit, as dawn broke in the east, she returned to Ringing Jade Domain.
The sleepy guard disciple at the sect gates, just as he dozed off, felt a gust of strong wind brush past. He turned to look, and could only see a distinct red blur against the black and white of the sky and land.
Sword Sect disciples and elders all wore gray robes; there was only one who wore crimson.
The guard disciple thought of how one person from Jijin Peak had looked carefree during the day, and how two had skipped back, seemingly not taking the defeat to heart at all, even generously sharing delicacies from the foot of Dao Sect mountain with him. He couldn’t help but mourn for them.
After all this time, has Jijin Sword Sovereign still not accepted the cruel truth that she and her disciples cannot defeat Qingxiao Immortal Venerable and her disciples?
The Sword Sect and the Sword Venerable’s disciples had all gracefully accepted this fact. Even he, within just a few years of joining, had gone from initial shock to complete composure.
This might be why the Sword Venerable is the Sword Venerable, and he is just an outer disciple.
Never admitting defeat, always striving upwards.
However, he had also heard another widely circulated rumor in private…
Back at the sect, Li Jin’an’s anger had subsided considerably. She would even nod in response to the greetings of the disciples who rose early for morning lessons and sword practice on the road, completely pretending not to notice the undisguised terror on their faces.
Many Sword Sect disciples, still dewy from the morning, instinctively looked up at the sun that had just risen in the sky.
“It definitely rose from the east, so why has the Sword Sect’s sky changed? The Sword Venerable didn’t go crazy with anger, did she?!”
She was still angry, though.
Looking at these young and fresh Sword Sect disciples, Li Jin’an recalled her own time as a disciple. A thousand years had passed in a blink; the ten thousand sword swings she once thought she’d never complete were now a thing of the past.
Every time her disciples greeted her, Li Jin’an appeared indifferent on the surface, nodding with composure. But inwardly, she was already overjoyed, mixed with a hint of disbelief. This is the Sword Venerable?
So, the one who used to cause trouble and seek out quarrels everywhere could later be respectfully called a Sword Venerable.
She still felt like that little disciple who carried a sword, daily sought out trouble with Xie Huaixue at the Dao Sect, and made her master clean up after her.
Hundreds of years ago, when she burst out laughing at the Peak Opening Ceremony, her master gave her a death stare. It proved that whether she was a disciple or a Sword Venerable, her initial resolve to defeat Xie Huaixue had never wavered. Her master, Chixin Sword Lord, not only had to clean up her messes but also had to help manage her grand-disciples.
Unfortunately, Xie Huaixue’s master had fallen early; otherwise, Chixin Sword Lord could have also welcomed her destined rival.
Her heart softening was only a momentary thing. The next instant, Li Jin’an narrowed her eyes.
Because at the foot of Jijin Peak, she saw them: her three disciples, who had been waiting for a long time, who only held her back, and could never bring her glory.
“Your disciples greet Master, may Master be well.”
Nice chapter