Estranged

Xu Jingxian would have never thought that the glorious and infamous Jianxue Clan would turn into a graveyard full of walking corpses one day.

The common people deemed cultivators to be like immortal beings, but cultivators were not fearless. People are naturally very afraid of death and uncertainty, and cultivators simply could endure more than the common people.

Xu Jingxian suddenly felt as if her blood was curdling from frost.

She even thought: what if this Changming who’s covering my mouth is also fake?

Thinking like this, she silently struggled.

Changming let her go. She turned around to look at him and saw him making a “shut up” gesture.

It did not seem like an illusion.

Xu Jingxian recalled the warm feeling that came from his hand and sighed in relief. She followed his line of sight.

The two men in front of the gates still had not moved.

Changming picked up a pebble and hit one of the guardians’ heads with it.

The latter didn’t move at all.

Changming formed a sword seal with his fingers. In a flash, the Sifei Sword appeared in the air, turned into a flash of white light and flew over!

The two men suddenly came to their senses and turned towards the Sifei Sword, starting a fierce battle with it!

As if noticing Xu Jingxian’s doubts, Changming uttered two words: “Spiritual qi.”

Xu Jingxian suddenly realized.

These “people” only responded to spiritual qi. Cultivators were enveloped in it, and the Sifei Sword had spiritual qi as well, but that pebble did not.

Very soon, the two men were defeated by the Sifei Sword.

What was also strange was that although they had made so much noise, no one from Longding Peak came to check out what had happened.

That made Xu Jingxian’s bad feelings root even deeper.

If the clan master isn’t inside…

While she was thinking, Changming moved, coming right near Zhou Keyi’s residence for seclusion.

He waved his hand and released a white puppet that knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, it could even imitate his voice.

“My dear disciple Keyi ah, come and let your teacher see you.”

Xu Jingxian almost choked to death.

No one responded, so the puppet pushed the door.

When the door was slightly opened, a glowing light came from inside.

As soon as the door opened fully, several rays of light suddenly shot at it!

Xu Jingxian reacted extremely quickly. She immediately released the thin silk to block all the white light back, and floated up.

Although her thin silk was not as good as the Donghai Sea muslin, it was a rare spiritual weapon as well. Except for the undefeatable firefly maggots of the Nine Layers of the Abyss, it was impervious to any sword or spear, unmovable by fire and water. But, unexpectedly, the white rays pierced it everywhere, and it could no longer be used.

Xu Jingxian was exasperated and furious. These things fell to the ground and ignited, burning the thick grass that was around.

Changming threw two puppets, ordering them to put out the fire, and went up the stairs himself.

“Hold it!”

Xu Jingxian slowed down for a moment, and the corner of his clothes slipped away from her hand.

She hesitated for a while, but still decided to go in.

Xu Jingxian was actually too suspicious about the Jianxue Clan.

And the answer to this suspicion seemed to be hidden right inside the room.

A gust of wind opened the doors, making the white gauze inside dance and flutter.

A person was sitting on a praying mat in the lotus position.

His eyes were originally closed, but when their movements disturbed the silence, he slowly opened his eyes.

Xu Jingxian was alarmed: “Clan Master, are you alright?!”

Zhou Keyi said coldly: “What could have gone wrong?”

In the face of a great calamity, Xu Jingxian had no time to ponder over his ambiguous intonation: “An accident happened outside, does Clan Master know about it?”

Zhou Keyi: “What accident?”

Xu Jingxian said hurriedly: “I’m afraid that the whole Jianxue Clan is out of control. Everyone, including my maids, were turned into puppets, and I don’t know whether they are still alive…”

“You mean, them?”

Zhou Keyi smiled oddly, and raised his hand, pointing to the right.

Xu Jingxian turned her head, and fear gripped her.

She saw layers of the white gauze that she hadn’t examined before. At this moment, the wind blew, and the white gauze flew to the side, revealing many people standing behind it.

To be precise, those people had silk threads attached to their bodies, and the other end of the threads was tied to the beams; the people were hung by their feet.

She saw many familiar faces. Fang Chen and Man Cao, Danqing Peak’s and Guanhai Peak’s masters who used to find fault with her all the time, and—

And she herself.

The other Xu Jingxian’s hands were hanging down. Her eyes were wide open, and the two of them were silently looking at each other.

Her expression and eyes were tranquil as still water, which made Xu Jingxian’s hairs stand up at once.

Zhou Keyi’s voice reached her ears.

“All in all, a fake is still a fake, it’s worse than you. Since you came here, just go and fill its position.”

She could not control herself or move her eyes away, staring at “herself” as if she was possessed, and actually stepped towards “her”.

Suddenly, her forehead was pierced with cold, penetrating through right to her mind!

She abruptly came to her senses.

Where was this puppet resembling her?

Zhou Keyi’s residence for seclusion was empty, and not even a trace of a ghost could be found.

She was still standing on the threshold stiffly, as if a demon had possessed her.

Xu Jingxian raised her hand to touch her forehead, wiping off some fresh red liquid.

It was Changming’s blood.

If it wasn’t for this blood, she would have been trapped.

“Someone has set a formation in this residence.”

Changming was standing a few steps ahead of her, explaining to her the situation without turning his head back. He was looking around, surveying the residence.

“We don’t see anything now, but that doesn’t mean that there actually is nothing. Don’t walk around as you please.”

“Do you think that this formation was left by the clan master?” Xu Jingxian didn’t even notice the fact that she started using polite speech.

You: a polite form of ‘you’

Changming disagreed: “No way. His talent is unremarkable, he couldn’t have learned such complicated things.”

Xu Jingxian’s mouth twitched. She wanted to say that this so-called unremarkable talent of her clan master was higher than hers.

But these words came from the clan master’s shizun’s mouth, so it seemed that Changming actually saw it this way.

“This formation is brilliant,” Changming said, “I still haven’t found a gap.”

Xu Jingxian: “You said that the Nine Layers of the Abyss is also a colossal formation. Is this one even more complicated than the Nine Layers of the Abyss?”

Changming: “They cannot be compared. One is enormous and chaotic, the other is like a sparrow: though small, it still has its vital organs. What have you encountered since you returned here?”

Small as the sparrow is, it possesses all its internal organs: small but complete

As he was saying that, Xu Jingxian recalled all the horror she had seen on Lingbo Peak.

She saw the whole Lingbo Peak, but only one person, her, was alive.

The Jianxue Clan was a large Demonic sect, and few dared challenge them nowadays.

Even if those hundred-year-old great sects had the ability to deal with the Jianxue Clan, it was impossible for these sects to muster massive forces to destroy them. Except for the clan master Zhou, each of the nine peaks and thirteen valleys of this sect had a master; no matter how powerful the enemy was, it was impossible to wipe out every single person in this sect in just three years, turning this piece into a wasteland of ruins, and making everyone a controlled puppet without a heart or consciousness. If someone actually possessed such power, Xu Jingxian could only suppose they would bear secret calculations and carry out sneak attacks, concealing themselves so well that even spirits wouldn’t notice them.

Could it be that the clan master actually had not survived?

What tremendous forces were behind this?

After she finished describing her adventures, she recalled that Changming was travelling together with Yun Weisi, but today appeared alone. It seemed strange.

“Daoyou Yun, ah, not right, where is dashixiong Yun?”

“He is at Guanhai Peak.”

Changming didn’t bicker with her about this hitting-snake-with-a-stick title she used, and didn’t explain what Yun Weisi was doing on Guanhai Peak either.

Hit a snake with a stick: seize the opportunity to make a suggestion

He slowly moved forward, his steps seemingly random. After some time, he suddenly stopped and abruptly turned to the side.

“Follow me.”

Xu Jingxian shivered. She didn’t dare get distracted again, and carefully watched his steps, treading in his steps without deviations.

Changming gave her one end of a red rope.

“Tie it to your wrist.”

The other end of the rope was tied to Changming’s wrist.

They were tied together to prevent Xu Jingxian from making a mistake, misstepping, falling into the formation and getting lost in it.

After she tied the red rope, she continued following his steps, until the scenery in front of them changed.

They seemed to still be in that silent room, but somewhere else at the same time.

The environment remained the same, and the only things that had changed was probably the white gauze that was stained with blood, and the light that got dimmer and more real.

When this word, “real”, appeared in her mind, Xu Jingxian’s heart skipped a bit. It seemed that she understood something.

The next moment, a sinister voice sounded.

“As expected from Jiufang Changming, you can even see through the triple-layer barrier!”

Triple-layer barrier…

Unexpectedly, this formation had three hidden illusion worlds.

Xu Jingxian understood.

The first layer was the scene she saw when she entered the sect; she thought that she woke up, but in reality it was Changming breaking the first barrier. Right after that, they fell to the second layer, arriving right here—

They were still standing on that threshold.

A human head was lying on a praying mat at the center of the room.

The skin on the head was half-decayed, revealing its white bones, and one of its eyeballs was about to drop out of the eye socket, but it could still spin.

Its mouth was moving inconsistently, so the voice just now should have belonged to it.

Changming’s expression was indifferent, as if he was looking at a regular wildflower in the grass near a road.

“Formations like this are not really sophisticated. When you decide to trap me again, you should spend a little more thought.”

The skull grinned: “The largest clan of all Demonic sects, totally uprooted, leaving not even cinder behind. If this girl who is standing by your side hadn’t followed you, I would have used her skin to make a puppet. Her body is so beautiful, I could have used it for several years. Such a pity!”

Unexpectedly, Changming nodded: “I also think it’s a pity.”

The skull: “Your cultivation level is far worse than it used to be. It’s enough to fool people who don’t know how to use the Art of control, but how can you dare to show these immature skills in front of grand masters? Jiufang Changming, you can’t run amok in the world like you used to. You managed to save your life and escaped from the Yellow Springs, but it was simply struggling on whilst at the death’s door. Why do you still insist on meddling in other people’s business and entering traps?”

Struggling on whilst at death’s door: to delay death.

Changming: “If you hadn’t used me as a chess piece, I wouldn’t have meddled. If I hadn’t managed to return from the Yellow Springs, I am afraid that I’d have already become another unjust soul in a Gathering Souls Pearl. Isn’t that right, Clan Master Jiang Li?”

The skull remained silent for a long time. The top of it that was glowing blue gradually darkened, as if the adhering spiritual powers were scattering.

Xu Jingxian wanted to come closer, but Changming blocked her way.

That skull started talking again.

“However, Zhou Keyi is still alive. If you want to rescue him, I’ll wait for you in the Wanlian Buddhist Temple on the fifteenth of the seventh month. Jiufang Changming, will you dare come?”

When the last word fell, the voice went down, and the skull turned into dust, leaving only a pile of ashes lying on the praying mat.

“Wait!” Xu Jinxian said rashly, “What about the other people of the Jianxue Clan!”

“No need to ask him,” Changming said, “You’ve seen it yourself: they have been turned into puppets, so their souls have certainly left their bodies, refined by them into a Gathering Souls Pearl. You can’t help them anymore.”

Xu Jingxian could not believe it. What kind of sect was the Jianxue Clan? Several great masters from Buddhist and Daoist sects must have worked hard together to completely exterminate it. How could it become like this in the short span of three years?

“Do you still remember how Liu Xiyu died on the back of a mountain in the Qixian Sect?”

After Changming mentioned it, she suddenly recalled it.

Liu Xiyu’s death was very odd.

At that time, she received an order from the clan master to go to the Qixian Sect and demand a cultivation furnace. The furnace they had agreed upon happened to be precisely the first disciple of the Qixian Sect, Liu Xiyu.

But, right on the night before Liu Xiyu’s marriage with the Xiao family’s daughter, he died on the back of the mountain of the Qixain Sect. His soul disappeared, and not a single piece of evidence pointing to the murderer was found.

She thought that that old man Zhang Qin made his favorite disciple feign his death to avoid the plight of becoming a furnace, while Zhang Qin believed that the murderer was either her or Changming. But the Qixian Sect would not dare do anything to her, so that matter was eventually put aside unsettled.

Now, this case seemed to have been a bad omen.

Foreboding the start of everything that happened later.

After leaving the Nine Layers of the Abyss that day, Changming and Yun Weisi headed to the Qixian Sect.

But, when they arrived at the foot of the Qixian Sect mountains, they realised that all the villages that surrounded it were devastated.

Bowls with porridge were still standing on the tops of kitchen ranges, chopsticks were arranged on tables, and even unfinished crafts of bamboo were left in a hurry, as if people had no time to finish what they were doing.

Every household retained the state before its owners had left, but it had been covered with dust a long time ago.

The Qixian Sect was a vassal of the Jianxue Clan, and the Jianxue Clan was not far away. Because of Zhou Keyi’s unholy reputation, cultivators rarely crossed this land. Even if someone came here, they would try to pass the place as quickly as possible.

Changming and Yun Weisi carefully searched through the village, and finally found some bones in the bamboo forest in the mountains.

There were hundreds of people lying in a neat row, all buried in a pit near a river. Their souls had long since dissipated, but there were no souls of the wronged lingering around.

Such deaths were certainly reminiscent of Liu Xiyu and the massacre of Yuru Town.

“Those people were bare-handed, they couldn’t retaliate against cultivators. Why wouldn’t the clan master spare…”

“From the people of your Jianxue Clan, except for Zhou Keyi, masters of the nine peaks and thirteen valleys, it’s likely that no one can be compared to Liu Xiyu. You only need one demon like Zhang Mu to take on a human shell, and a Moonlight on the Blue Ocean to confuse minds, then drive people to distraction and absorb their vital essence, and you will be able to consume the whole Jianxue Clan. Although Zhou Keyi’s cultivation level is high, his techniques have fatal defects, which made his personality even more violent and biased. One leaf can obscure the whole scene. By the time someone notices the weirdness, it’ll already be too late.”

One leaf can obscure the whole scene: …so that even Mount Tai cannot be seen: not seeing the wider picture

They had certainly anticipated this outcome when they chose the Jianxue Clan.

Gathering Souls Pearls required countless souls, but the souls of the common people, as many as they could get, would never compare to cultivators’ souls.

Among all the sects and clans in the world, the Jianxue Clan had the weakest connections between its peaks, and had no rigorous rules like other sects. It was indeed very easy to infiltrate.

Judging by the fact that everything started with Yuru Town, and now came all the way to the Jianxue Clan, they could say that their enemies were already dissatisfied with the souls of commoners now.

They were sure that cultivators’ souls would have a stronger effect, so they made this reckless move.

Xu Jingxian was breathing heavily, at a loss of words.

She had been in charge here for several years. She used to think that although the clan master was difficult to serve, this place was still more comfortable than those Buddhist and Daoist sects. It was also wrong to say that she had no attachment to her subordinates. No one would have expected to return after being away for three years and find the Jianxue Clan annihilated, left in the past; all her efforts had gone to waste as well, and she became a lonely temptress again.

Xu Jingxian suddenly recalled one thing.

“That skull was Jiang Li? Why does he want us to come to the Wanlian Buddhist Temple? Could it be that Buddhist sects are also involved?”

If that was the truth, weren’t their opponents so formidable that they couldn’t be rivalled?

The Wanjian Immortal Clan and the Wanlian Buddhist Temple were definitely one of the largest sects of this era.

Especially the Wanjian Immortal Clan that had become one of the first-rate sects after the battle on the Sacred Mountain Wan, almost gaining more influence than the Celestial Abode Shenxiao, and aiming at first place.

And the Wanlian Buddhist Temple had been standing firm and unyielding for centuries. Together with the Qingyun School, it was called the Double Jade, and was worshipped no less. The Wanlian Buddhist Temple was a lot more low-key than the Qingyun School, and people in Jianghu rarely heard of cultivators coming from this sect. Xu Jingxian held no appreciation towards these bald donkeys, but she didn’t want to confront these troublesome Buddhists as well.

Double Jade: two pieces of jade: two flawless things

Buddhist sects probably had more than a hundred ways to restrain a Demonic clan.

Today was the eighteenth of the sixth month, less than one month till the fifteenth of the seventh month.

“If you are afraid, don’t go there.”

Changming was implying that he was sure to be there.

Xu Jingxian gritted her teeth: “I will go. They ruined my territory, and I have no place to go. The clan master owes me the muslin, so I can’t let him get away with it!”

Now, she didn’t even have that second half of the thin silk. She had a large private collection of treasures back on Lingbo Peak, but nothing could compare to that thin silk.

On one hand, Xu Jingxian was glad that she avoided the calamity by entering the Nine Layers of the Abyss, otherwise her soul would have been summoned, her end miserable; on the other hand, she was grieving deeply for her broken halberds buried in the sand.

Broken halberds buried in the sand: defeat & bankruptcy

Changming wanted to undo the red rope tying his wrist with Xu Jingxian’s, but realized that the knot on his side was so tight it would be troublesome to undo it right now.

The red rope wasn’t an ordinary cotton cord. Even if he cut it with the Sifei Sword, one part would remain on his wrist.

He furrowed and looked at it, as if hesitating whether he should undo it by biting.

At this moment, the Sifei Sword that was hanging in the air, buzzed, as if it was tapped, and then yowled, clear as crystal.

Changming’s heart was pounding as he raised his head abruptly!

Something happened to Yun Hai.

…

On Guanhai Peak.

Among the nine peaks and thirteen valleys of the Jianxue Clan, this place was the furthest from Longding Peak. It was shrouded in mist throughout the year.

Guanhai Peak was also the least crowded.

The peak master, Fang Suihan, didn’t have a hobby of accepting disciples, and didn’t appreciate beauty; he only enjoyed alchemy.

Alchemy: refining pills; hist. dao. concocting pills of immortality, sometimes turning one substance into another, like mercury into silver. It was actually quite popular in certain eras, like the Tang dynasty; several emperors died, consuming hazardous substances or “dual cultivating” to reach immortality

A demonic cultivator obsessed with alchemy. If this leaked out, everyone would be amused.

But that was also the reason why Guanhai Peak remained the last pure land of the Jianxue Clan when the calamity struck.

Fang Suihan noticed that something was wrong when he left his seclusion three days ago.

At first, he wanted to pay a visit to the clan master, and offer him his own newest refined pill that could alleviate the clan master’s obsessions. But Fang Suihan’s disciple told him that the clan master had entered a retreat.

What Fang Suihan had experienced was a lot like what Xu Jingxian went through.

The only difference was that he was detained.

Detained in his alchemy room by eight cultivators standing outside.

These eight people surrounded his alchemy room, holding longswords, and trapping him inside.

No matter how hard he tried to break out, these eight people would form a sword formation, preventing him from getting out. But they didn’t take the initiative to kill him.

Originally, Fang Suihan didn’t understand the reason, but now he finally got it.

Tonight, the Three Stars and the Moon aligned in the sky, which happened rarely, and thunderbolts were flashing ceaselessly. The Sword Eight Trigrams Formation on the earth supported itself, corresponding to the heavenly bodies. The one who was trapped inside this formation would be struck with the lightning bolts and thus refined into a human pill. From that day on, his soul would support the formation endlessly, from one generation to the other, unable to break from the others’ control.

Three Stars and the Moon aligned: there are many options. For example, the three major stars of the Three Stars constellation (btw, this constellation is Shen from the title, Shenshang), or the belt of Orion, or simply Mars, Jupyter and another planet of our solar system, or Antares, or simply anything

A vicious and sinister technique indeed!

Fang Suihan pondered, could it be that someone of the Jianxue Clan found me such an eyesore that they have arranged this deathtrap for me?

Even if it was so, a large conflict inside the sect should have alarmed the clan master quickly.

He still hadn’t thought of the possibility that everyone in the clan fell into the enemy’s hands, and even the clan master was unable even to fend for himself.

Fang Suihan was being tortured by this Eight Trigrams Sword Formation for exactly three days.

Tonight, on the third day, he looked up at the sky and saw the Three Stars and the Moon aligned, and finally figured out the enemy’s plan. Suddenly, he felt weak, and wanted to stop thinking at all.

His legs were already badly mutilated, his cultivation blocked, and he became nothing but a waste.

Although these eight cultivators weren’t on a great master’s level, they backed him into a tight corner by using the formation.

They weren’t in a hurry to kill him. It seemed that they had decided to torture him slowly until his fighting spirit faded away, or even better, if a resentment was born in his heart, then, after he became a formation soul, he would be more effective.

But Fang Suihan saw through their plan. He sneered and toughened his heart. But just when he was going to kill himself, he saw blinding sword rays coming from the east. Unexpectedly, a gap was made in the Eight Trigrams Sword Formation!

A person rushed forwards.

Fang Suihan squinted. He didn’t manage to guess the other party’s identity.

The man was standing with his back turned to Fang Suihan, and laughed, looking at the eight people supporting the formation.

“Jiang Li doesn’t dare show up himself, so he sent you, a group of trash fish, to your death?”

Trash fish: rookie

The eight people said nothing, and attacked him at once.

[Eight Trigrams Seven Stars Motion, Four Deities Big Dipper Technique.]

The land under their feet was lit up by talismans, glowing light-blue, and the light quickly reached the center of the formation. Fang Suihan was standing at the room doors.

At this moment, the Eight Trigrams Formation was finally set in motion!

Fang Suihan felt the blue flames shrouding his body, scorching hot yet chaining him to one place. He wanted to scream, but couldn’t. His cultivation was constantly being absorbed by the talisman on the ground, lighting up the flames and nourishing the eight guardians of the formation.

He suddenly realised that he was never the eight men’s target. Rather, the Eight Trigrams Sword Formation was aimed at the man standing in front of him.

He was the formation soul they wanted to get!

Fang Suihan opened his mouth, but couldn’t make a sound. He was like flesh on a chopping board, unable to put up a resistance.

This man’s cultivation level was high. Fang Suihan estimated it to be higher than Clan Master Zhou’s.

But the more powerful he was, the stronger the formation grew, enveloping them from all directions in layers of blue rays, just like caterpillar’s strands on cocoons.

Just what kind of sword formation is it?

Fang Suihan was watching, aghast, as the blue talisman floating in the air started shining more and more brightly, while the movement of the person in front of him slowed down.

The people guarding the formation also felt that something had gone wrong.

Given the might of this Eight Trigrams Sword Formation, even if this man had a cultivation of a great master, he should have long since been captured with his hands tied.

But not only had this man not given up, he even confronted the formation with his spiritual powers, and the latter even trembled slightly, as if it was unstable.

“My sword…”

One person muttered, looking at vague cracks appearing on the sword in his hands.

A powerful pressure rushed at them, and even the talisman couldn’t be maintained. With a bang, the sword formation burst, and the blue light suddenly exploded!

As if they were submerged into the chaos of the primordial times, their spiritual powers soared to the sky after the explosion, blotting the starlight, and fell to the ground in drops.

The sword formation was completely shattered, and not a single one of the eight supporters escaped the violent death caused by the rebelling formation. Only Fang Suihan was safe and sound.

“I am greatly indebted for Daoyou’s help, may I ask your honorable na…”

Fang Suihan’s voice went silent when he saw the man turning around and coming closer.

His long hair was dancing violently, and blood was dripping from his sword.

The falling blue lights illuminated his face.

The blood-red eyes on his handsome face betrayed his murderous intent.

Fang Suihan’s heart sank. Did he escape the eight Evil Stars only to run into the King of Hell?

He subconsciously shrank back.

“Daoyou, thank you for saving my life. If you want anything, I will—”

Before he could finish his words, the man got very close.

Fang Suihan’s neck was suddenly clutched!

“Yun Hai!”

Fang Suihan heard someone’s voice. The grip on his neck loosened, and the man dropped him, turning towards the person who had just arrived.

Fang Suihan, having barely escaped with his life, started coughing violently.

“Yun Hai.”

Changming looked at his eyes and noticed the abnormality at once.

He’s possessed.

There was still some time before the red line on his arm should have reached his palm, but the Eight Trigrams Formation forced out Yun Hai’s sealed spiritual power, and he started turning into a demon ahead of time because of the talisman rebounding.

Those dark red eyes were slightly flickering, looking at Changming without blinking.

The bloodthirsty eyes seemed to be looking at a stranger, and he was ready to kill Changming any second.

Changming scrutinized him closely. It seemed that the possession was not too deep, so he could still be helped.

“Don’t think about anything now, just concentrate and meditate, I will help you…”

But it seemed that Yun Hai’s interest in him only remained for a moment.

Not waiting for Changming to finish speaking, he reached out to him swiftly!

Fierce killing intentions brought tremendous spiritual power, sweeping over everything!

Tn:

Fun fact: Sacred Mount Wan, Wanjian Sect, Wanxiang Palace, Wanlian Buddhist Temple, and Situ Wanhuo share the same ‘wan’, meaning ten thousand~

Xu Jingxian would have never thought that the glorious and infamous Jianxue Clan would turn into a graveyard full of walking corpses one day.

The common people deemed cultivators to be like immortal beings, but cultivators were not fearless. People are naturally very afraid of death and uncertainty, and cultivators simply could endure more than the common people.

Xu Jingxian suddenly felt as if her blood was curdling from frost.

She even thought: what if this Changming who’s covering my mouth is also fake?

Thinking like this, she silently struggled.

Changming let her go. She turned around to look at him and saw him making a “shut up” gesture.

It did not seem like an illusion.

Xu Jingxian recalled the warm feeling that came from his hand and sighed in relief. She followed his line of sight.

The two men in front of the gates still had not moved.

Changming picked up a pebble and hit one of the guardians’ heads with it.

The latter didn’t move at all.

Changming formed a sword seal with his fingers. In a flash, the Sifei Sword appeared in the air, turned into a flash of white light and flew over!

The two men suddenly came to their senses and turned towards the Sifei Sword, starting a fierce battle with it!

As if noticing Xu Jingxian’s doubts, Changming uttered two words: “Spiritual qi.”

Xu Jingxian suddenly realized.

These “people” only responded to spiritual qi. Cultivators were enveloped in it, and the Sifei Sword had spiritual qi as well, but that pebble did not.

Very soon, the two men were defeated by the Sifei Sword.

What was also strange was that although they had made so much noise, no one from Longding Peak came to check out what had happened.

That made Xu Jingxian’s bad feelings root even deeper.

If the clan master isn’t inside…

While she was thinking, Changming moved, coming right near Zhou Keyi’s residence for seclusion.

He waved his hand and released a white puppet that knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, it could even imitate his voice.

“My dear disciple Keyi ah, come and let your teacher see you.”

Xu Jingxian almost choked to death.

No one responded, so the puppet pushed the door.

When the door was slightly opened, a glowing light came from inside.

As soon as the door opened fully, several rays of light suddenly shot at it!

Xu Jingxian reacted extremely quickly. She immediately released the thin silk to block all the white light back, and floated up.

Although her thin silk was not as good as the Donghai Sea muslin, it was a rare spiritual weapon as well. Except for the undefeatable firefly maggots of the Nine Layers of the Abyss, it was impervious to any sword or spear, unmovable by fire and water. But, unexpectedly, the white rays pierced it everywhere, and it could no longer be used.

Xu Jingxian was exasperated and furious. These things fell to the ground and ignited, burning the thick grass that was around.

Changming threw two puppets, ordering them to put out the fire, and went up the stairs himself.

“Hold it!”

Xu Jingxian slowed down for a moment, and the corner of his clothes slipped away from her hand.

She hesitated for a while, but still decided to go in.

Xu Jingxian was actually too suspicious about the Jianxue Clan.

And the answer to this suspicion seemed to be hidden right inside the room.

A gust of wind opened the doors, making the white gauze inside dance and flutter.

A person was sitting on a praying mat in the lotus position.

His eyes were originally closed, but when their movements disturbed the silence, he slowly opened his eyes.

Xu Jingxian was alarmed: “Clan Master, are you alright?!”

Zhou Keyi said coldly: “What could have gone wrong?”

In the face of a great calamity, Xu Jingxian had no time to ponder over his ambiguous intonation: “An accident happened outside, does Clan Master know about it?”

Zhou Keyi: “What accident?”

Xu Jingxian said hurriedly: “I’m afraid that the whole Jianxue Clan is out of control. Everyone, including my maids, were turned into puppets, and I don’t know whether they are still alive…”

“You mean, them?”

Zhou Keyi smiled oddly, and raised his hand, pointing to the right.

Xu Jingxian turned her head, and fear gripped her.

She saw layers of the white gauze that she hadn’t examined before. At this moment, the wind blew, and the white gauze flew to the side, revealing many people standing behind it.

To be precise, those people had silk threads attached to their bodies, and the other end of the threads was tied to the beams; the people were hung by their feet.

She saw many familiar faces. Fang Chen and Man Cao, Danqing Peak’s and Guanhai Peak’s masters who used to find fault with her all the time, and—

And she herself.

The other Xu Jingxian’s hands were hanging down. Her eyes were wide open, and the two of them were silently looking at each other.

Her expression and eyes were tranquil as still water, which made Xu Jingxian’s hairs stand up at once.

Zhou Keyi’s voice reached her ears.

“All in all, a fake is still a fake, it’s worse than you. Since you came here, just go and fill its position.”

She could not control herself or move her eyes away, staring at “herself” as if she was possessed, and actually stepped towards “her”.

Suddenly, her forehead was pierced with cold, penetrating through right to her mind!

She abruptly came to her senses.

Where was this puppet resembling her?

Zhou Keyi’s residence for seclusion was empty, and not even a trace of a ghost could be found.

She was still standing on the threshold stiffly, as if a demon had possessed her.

Xu Jingxian raised her hand to touch her forehead, wiping off some fresh red liquid.

It was Changming’s blood.

If it wasn’t for this blood, she would have been trapped.

“Someone has set a formation in this residence.”

Changming was standing a few steps ahead of her, explaining to her the situation without turning his head back. He was looking around, surveying the residence.

“We don’t see anything now, but that doesn’t mean that there actually is nothing. Don’t walk around as you please.”

“Do you think that this formation was left by the clan master?” Xu Jingxian didn’t even notice the fact that she started using polite speech.

You: a polite form of ‘you’

Changming disagreed: “No way. His talent is unremarkable, he couldn’t have learned such complicated things.”

Xu Jingxian’s mouth twitched. She wanted to say that this so-called unremarkable talent of her clan master was higher than hers.

But these words came from the clan master’s shizun’s mouth, so it seemed that Changming actually saw it this way.

“This formation is brilliant,” Changming said, “I still haven’t found a gap.”

Xu Jingxian: “You said that the Nine Layers of the Abyss is also a colossal formation. Is this one even more complicated than the Nine Layers of the Abyss?”

Changming: “They cannot be compared. One is enormous and chaotic, the other is like a sparrow: though small, it still has its vital organs. What have you encountered since you returned here?”

Small as the sparrow is, it possesses all its internal organs: small but complete

As he was saying that, Xu Jingxian recalled all the horror she had seen on Lingbo Peak.

She saw the whole Lingbo Peak, but only one person, her, was alive.

The Jianxue Clan was a large Demonic sect, and few dared challenge them nowadays.

Even if those hundred-year-old great sects had the ability to deal with the Jianxue Clan, it was impossible for these sects to muster massive forces to destroy them. Except for the clan master Zhou, each of the nine peaks and thirteen valleys of this sect had a master; no matter how powerful the enemy was, it was impossible to wipe out every single person in this sect in just three years, turning this piece into a wasteland of ruins, and making everyone a controlled puppet without a heart or consciousness. If someone actually possessed such power, Xu Jingxian could only suppose they would bear secret calculations and carry out sneak attacks, concealing themselves so well that even spirits wouldn’t notice them.

Could it be that the clan master actually had not survived?

What tremendous forces were behind this?

After she finished describing her adventures, she recalled that Changming was travelling together with Yun Weisi, but today appeared alone. It seemed strange.

“Daoyou Yun, ah, not right, where is dashixiong Yun?”

“He is at Guanhai Peak.”

Changming didn’t bicker with her about this hitting-snake-with-a-stick title she used, and didn’t explain what Yun Weisi was doing on Guanhai Peak either.

Hit a snake with a stick: seize the opportunity to make a suggestion

He slowly moved forward, his steps seemingly random. After some time, he suddenly stopped and abruptly turned to the side.

“Follow me.”

Xu Jingxian shivered. She didn’t dare get distracted again, and carefully watched his steps, treading in his steps without deviations.

Changming gave her one end of a red rope.

“Tie it to your wrist.”

The other end of the rope was tied to Changming’s wrist.

They were tied together to prevent Xu Jingxian from making a mistake, misstepping, falling into the formation and getting lost in it.

After she tied the red rope, she continued following his steps, until the scenery in front of them changed.

They seemed to still be in that silent room, but somewhere else at the same time.

The environment remained the same, and the only things that had changed was probably the white gauze that was stained with blood, and the light that got dimmer and more real.

When this word, “real”, appeared in her mind, Xu Jingxian’s heart skipped a bit. It seemed that she understood something.

The next moment, a sinister voice sounded.

“As expected from Jiufang Changming, you can even see through the triple-layer barrier!”

Triple-layer barrier…

Unexpectedly, this formation had three hidden illusion worlds.

Xu Jingxian understood.

The first layer was the scene she saw when she entered the sect; she thought that she woke up, but in reality it was Changming breaking the first barrier. Right after that, they fell to the second layer, arriving right here—

They were still standing on that threshold.

A human head was lying on a praying mat at the center of the room.

The skin on the head was half-decayed, revealing its white bones, and one of its eyeballs was about to drop out of the eye socket, but it could still spin.

Its mouth was moving inconsistently, so the voice just now should have belonged to it.

Changming’s expression was indifferent, as if he was looking at a regular wildflower in the grass near a road.

“Formations like this are not really sophisticated. When you decide to trap me again, you should spend a little more thought.”

The skull grinned: “The largest clan of all Demonic sects, totally uprooted, leaving not even cinder behind. If this girl who is standing by your side hadn’t followed you, I would have used her skin to make a puppet. Her body is so beautiful, I could have used it for several years. Such a pity!”

Unexpectedly, Changming nodded: “I also think it’s a pity.”

The skull: “Your cultivation level is far worse than it used to be. It’s enough to fool people who don’t know how to use the Art of control, but how can you dare to show these immature skills in front of grand masters? Jiufang Changming, you can’t run amok in the world like you used to. You managed to save your life and escaped from the Yellow Springs, but it was simply struggling on whilst at the death’s door. Why do you still insist on meddling in other people’s business and entering traps?”

Struggling on whilst at death’s door: to delay death.

Changming: “If you hadn’t used me as a chess piece, I wouldn’t have meddled. If I hadn’t managed to return from the Yellow Springs, I am afraid that I’d have already become another unjust soul in a Gathering Souls Pearl. Isn’t that right, Clan Master Jiang Li?”

The skull remained silent for a long time. The top of it that was glowing blue gradually darkened, as if the adhering spiritual powers were scattering.

Xu Jingxian wanted to come closer, but Changming blocked her way.

That skull started talking again.

“However, Zhou Keyi is still alive. If you want to rescue him, I’ll wait for you in the Wanlian Buddhist Temple on the fifteenth of the seventh month. Jiufang Changming, will you dare come?”

When the last word fell, the voice went down, and the skull turned into dust, leaving only a pile of ashes lying on the praying mat.

“Wait!” Xu Jinxian said rashly, “What about the other people of the Jianxue Clan!”

“No need to ask him,” Changming said, “You’ve seen it yourself: they have been turned into puppets, so their souls have certainly left their bodies, refined by them into a Gathering Souls Pearl. You can’t help them anymore.”

Xu Jingxian could not believe it. What kind of sect was the Jianxue Clan? Several great masters from Buddhist and Daoist sects must have worked hard together to completely exterminate it. How could it become like this in the short span of three years?

“Do you still remember how Liu Xiyu died on the back of a mountain in the Qixian Sect?”

After Changming mentioned it, she suddenly recalled it.

Liu Xiyu’s death was very odd.

At that time, she received an order from the clan master to go to the Qixian Sect and demand a cultivation furnace. The furnace they had agreed upon happened to be precisely the first disciple of the Qixian Sect, Liu Xiyu.

But, right on the night before Liu Xiyu’s marriage with the Xiao family’s daughter, he died on the back of the mountain of the Qixain Sect. His soul disappeared, and not a single piece of evidence pointing to the murderer was found.

She thought that that old man Zhang Qin made his favorite disciple feign his death to avoid the plight of becoming a furnace, while Zhang Qin believed that the murderer was either her or Changming. But the Qixian Sect would not dare do anything to her, so that matter was eventually put aside unsettled.

Now, this case seemed to have been a bad omen.

Foreboding the start of everything that happened later.

After leaving the Nine Layers of the Abyss that day, Changming and Yun Weisi headed to the Qixian Sect.

But, when they arrived at the foot of the Qixian Sect mountains, they realised that all the villages that surrounded it were devastated.

Bowls with porridge were still standing on the tops of kitchen ranges, chopsticks were arranged on tables, and even unfinished crafts of bamboo were left in a hurry, as if people had no time to finish what they were doing.

Every household retained the state before its owners had left, but it had been covered with dust a long time ago.

The Qixian Sect was a vassal of the Jianxue Clan, and the Jianxue Clan was not far away. Because of Zhou Keyi’s unholy reputation, cultivators rarely crossed this land. Even if someone came here, they would try to pass the place as quickly as possible.

Changming and Yun Weisi carefully searched through the village, and finally found some bones in the bamboo forest in the mountains.

There were hundreds of people lying in a neat row, all buried in a pit near a river. Their souls had long since dissipated, but there were no souls of the wronged lingering around.

Such deaths were certainly reminiscent of Liu Xiyu and the massacre of Yuru Town.

“Those people were bare-handed, they couldn’t retaliate against cultivators. Why wouldn’t the clan master spare…”

“From the people of your Jianxue Clan, except for Zhou Keyi, masters of the nine peaks and thirteen valleys, it’s likely that no one can be compared to Liu Xiyu. You only need one demon like Zhang Mu to take on a human shell, and a Moonlight on the Blue Ocean to confuse minds, then drive people to distraction and absorb their vital essence, and you will be able to consume the whole Jianxue Clan. Although Zhou Keyi’s cultivation level is high, his techniques have fatal defects, which made his personality even more violent and biased. One leaf can obscure the whole scene. By the time someone notices the weirdness, it’ll already be too late.”

One leaf can obscure the whole scene: …so that even Mount Tai cannot be seen: not seeing the wider picture

They had certainly anticipated this outcome when they chose the Jianxue Clan.

Gathering Souls Pearls required countless souls, but the souls of the common people, as many as they could get, would never compare to cultivators’ souls.

Among all the sects and clans in the world, the Jianxue Clan had the weakest connections between its peaks, and had no rigorous rules like other sects. It was indeed very easy to infiltrate.

Judging by the fact that everything started with Yuru Town, and now came all the way to the Jianxue Clan, they could say that their enemies were already dissatisfied with the souls of commoners now.

They were sure that cultivators’ souls would have a stronger effect, so they made this reckless move.

Xu Jingxian was breathing heavily, at a loss of words.

She had been in charge here for several years. She used to think that although the clan master was difficult to serve, this place was still more comfortable than those Buddhist and Daoist sects. It was also wrong to say that she had no attachment to her subordinates. No one would have expected to return after being away for three years and find the Jianxue Clan annihilated, left in the past; all her efforts had gone to waste as well, and she became a lonely temptress again.

Xu Jingxian suddenly recalled one thing.

“That skull was Jiang Li? Why does he want us to come to the Wanlian Buddhist Temple? Could it be that Buddhist sects are also involved?”

If that was the truth, weren’t their opponents so formidable that they couldn’t be rivalled?

The Wanjian Immortal Clan and the Wanlian Buddhist Temple were definitely one of the largest sects of this era.

Especially the Wanjian Immortal Clan that had become one of the first-rate sects after the battle on the Sacred Mountain Wan, almost gaining more influence than the Celestial Abode Shenxiao, and aiming at first place.

And the Wanlian Buddhist Temple had been standing firm and unyielding for centuries. Together with the Qingyun School, it was called the Double Jade, and was worshipped no less. The Wanlian Buddhist Temple was a lot more low-key than the Qingyun School, and people in Jianghu rarely heard of cultivators coming from this sect. Xu Jingxian held no appreciation towards these bald donkeys, but she didn’t want to confront these troublesome Buddhists as well.

Double Jade: two pieces of jade: two flawless things

Buddhist sects probably had more than a hundred ways to restrain a Demonic clan.

Today was the eighteenth of the sixth month, less than one month till the fifteenth of the seventh month.

“If you are afraid, don’t go there.”

Changming was implying that he was sure to be there.

Xu Jingxian gritted her teeth: “I will go. They ruined my territory, and I have no place to go. The clan master owes me the muslin, so I can’t let him get away with it!”

Now, she didn’t even have that second half of the thin silk. She had a large private collection of treasures back on Lingbo Peak, but nothing could compare to that thin silk.

On one hand, Xu Jingxian was glad that she avoided the calamity by entering the Nine Layers of the Abyss, otherwise her soul would have been summoned, her end miserable; on the other hand, she was grieving deeply for her broken halberds buried in the sand.

Broken halberds buried in the sand: defeat & bankruptcy

Changming wanted to undo the red rope tying his wrist with Xu Jingxian’s, but realized that the knot on his side was so tight it would be troublesome to undo it right now.

The red rope wasn’t an ordinary cotton cord. Even if he cut it with the Sifei Sword, one part would remain on his wrist.

He furrowed and looked at it, as if hesitating whether he should undo it by biting.

At this moment, the Sifei Sword that was hanging in the air, buzzed, as if it was tapped, and then yowled, clear as crystal.

Changming’s heart was pounding as he raised his head abruptly!

Something happened to Yun Hai.

…

On Guanhai Peak.

Among the nine peaks and thirteen valleys of the Jianxue Clan, this place was the furthest from Longding Peak. It was shrouded in mist throughout the year.

Guanhai Peak was also the least crowded.

The peak master, Fang Suihan, didn’t have a hobby of accepting disciples, and didn’t appreciate beauty; he only enjoyed alchemy.

Alchemy: refining pills; hist. dao. concocting pills of immortality, sometimes turning one substance into another, like mercury into silver. It was actually quite popular in certain eras, like the Tang dynasty; several emperors died, consuming hazardous substances or “dual cultivating” to reach immortality

A demonic cultivator obsessed with alchemy. If this leaked out, everyone would be amused.

But that was also the reason why Guanhai Peak remained the last pure land of the Jianxue Clan when the calamity struck.

Fang Suihan noticed that something was wrong when he left his seclusion three days ago.

At first, he wanted to pay a visit to the clan master, and offer him his own newest refined pill that could alleviate the clan master’s obsessions. But Fang Suihan’s disciple told him that the clan master had entered a retreat.

What Fang Suihan had experienced was a lot like what Xu Jingxian went through.

The only difference was that he was detained.

Detained in his alchemy room by eight cultivators standing outside.

These eight people surrounded his alchemy room, holding longswords, and trapping him inside.

No matter how hard he tried to break out, these eight people would form a sword formation, preventing him from getting out. But they didn’t take the initiative to kill him.

Originally, Fang Suihan didn’t understand the reason, but now he finally got it.

Tonight, the Three Stars and the Moon aligned in the sky, which happened rarely, and thunderbolts were flashing ceaselessly. The Sword Eight Trigrams Formation on the earth supported itself, corresponding to the heavenly bodies. The one who was trapped inside this formation would be struck with the lightning bolts and thus refined into a human pill. From that day on, his soul would support the formation endlessly, from one generation to the other, unable to break from the others’ control.

Three Stars and the Moon aligned: there are many options. For example, the three major stars of the Three Stars constellation (btw, this constellation is Shen from the title, Shenshang), or the belt of Orion, or simply Mars, Jupyter and another planet of our solar system, or Antares, or simply anything

A vicious and sinister technique indeed!

Fang Suihan pondered, could it be that someone of the Jianxue Clan found me such an eyesore that they have arranged this deathtrap for me?

Even if it was so, a large conflict inside the sect should have alarmed the clan master quickly.

He still hadn’t thought of the possibility that everyone in the clan fell into the enemy’s hands, and even the clan master was unable even to fend for himself.

Fang Suihan was being tortured by this Eight Trigrams Sword Formation for exactly three days.

Tonight, on the third day, he looked up at the sky and saw the Three Stars and the Moon aligned, and finally figured out the enemy’s plan. Suddenly, he felt weak, and wanted to stop thinking at all.

His legs were already badly mutilated, his cultivation blocked, and he became nothing but a waste.

Although these eight cultivators weren’t on a great master’s level, they backed him into a tight corner by using the formation.

They weren’t in a hurry to kill him. It seemed that they had decided to torture him slowly until his fighting spirit faded away, or even better, if a resentment was born in his heart, then, after he became a formation soul, he would be more effective.

But Fang Suihan saw through their plan. He sneered and toughened his heart. But just when he was going to kill himself, he saw blinding sword rays coming from the east. Unexpectedly, a gap was made in the Eight Trigrams Sword Formation!

A person rushed forwards.

Fang Suihan squinted. He didn’t manage to guess the other party’s identity.

The man was standing with his back turned to Fang Suihan, and laughed, looking at the eight people supporting the formation.

“Jiang Li doesn’t dare show up himself, so he sent you, a group of trash fish, to your death?”

Trash fish: rookie

The eight people said nothing, and attacked him at once.

[Eight Trigrams Seven Stars Motion, Four Deities Big Dipper Technique.]

The land under their feet was lit up by talismans, glowing light-blue, and the light quickly reached the center of the formation. Fang Suihan was standing at the room doors.

At this moment, the Eight Trigrams Formation was finally set in motion!

Fang Suihan felt the blue flames shrouding his body, scorching hot yet chaining him to one place. He wanted to scream, but couldn’t. His cultivation was constantly being absorbed by the talisman on the ground, lighting up the flames and nourishing the eight guardians of the formation.

He suddenly realised that he was never the eight men’s target. Rather, the Eight Trigrams Sword Formation was aimed at the man standing in front of him.

He was the formation soul they wanted to get!

Fang Suihan opened his mouth, but couldn’t make a sound. He was like flesh on a chopping board, unable to put up a resistance.

This man’s cultivation level was high. Fang Suihan estimated it to be higher than Clan Master Zhou’s.

But the more powerful he was, the stronger the formation grew, enveloping them from all directions in layers of blue rays, just like caterpillar’s strands on cocoons.

Just what kind of sword formation is it?

Fang Suihan was watching, aghast, as the blue talisman floating in the air started shining more and more brightly, while the movement of the person in front of him slowed down.

The people guarding the formation also felt that something had gone wrong.

Given the might of this Eight Trigrams Sword Formation, even if this man had a cultivation of a great master, he should have long since been captured with his hands tied.

But not only had this man not given up, he even confronted the formation with his spiritual powers, and the latter even trembled slightly, as if it was unstable.

“My sword…”

One person muttered, looking at vague cracks appearing on the sword in his hands.

A powerful pressure rushed at them, and even the talisman couldn’t be maintained. With a bang, the sword formation burst, and the blue light suddenly exploded!

As if they were submerged into the chaos of the primordial times, their spiritual powers soared to the sky after the explosion, blotting the starlight, and fell to the ground in drops.

The sword formation was completely shattered, and not a single one of the eight supporters escaped the violent death caused by the rebelling formation. Only Fang Suihan was safe and sound.

“I am greatly indebted for Daoyou’s help, may I ask your honorable na…”

Fang Suihan’s voice went silent when he saw the man turning around and coming closer.

His long hair was dancing violently, and blood was dripping from his sword.

The falling blue lights illuminated his face.

The blood-red eyes on his handsome face betrayed his murderous intent.

Fang Suihan’s heart sank. Did he escape the eight Evil Stars only to run into the King of Hell?

He subconsciously shrank back.

“Daoyou, thank you for saving my life. If you want anything, I will—”

Before he could finish his words, the man got very close.

Fang Suihan’s neck was suddenly clutched!

“Yun Hai!”

Fang Suihan heard someone’s voice. The grip on his neck loosened, and the man dropped him, turning towards the person who had just arrived.

Fang Suihan, having barely escaped with his life, started coughing violently.

“Yun Hai.”

Changming looked at his eyes and noticed the abnormality at once.

He’s possessed.

There was still some time before the red line on his arm should have reached his palm, but the Eight Trigrams Formation forced out Yun Hai’s sealed spiritual power, and he started turning into a demon ahead of time because of the talisman rebounding.

Those dark red eyes were slightly flickering, looking at Changming without blinking.

The bloodthirsty eyes seemed to be looking at a stranger, and he was ready to kill Changming any second.

Changming scrutinized him closely. It seemed that the possession was not too deep, so he could still be helped.

“Don’t think about anything now, just concentrate and meditate, I will help you…”

But it seemed that Yun Hai’s interest in him only remained for a moment.

Not waiting for Changming to finish speaking, he reached out to him swiftly!

Fierce killing intentions brought tremendous spiritual power, sweeping over everything!

Tn:

Fun fact: Sacred Mount Wan, Wanjian Sect, Wanxiang Palace, Wanlian Buddhist Temple, and Situ Wanhuo share the same ‘wan’, meaning ten thousand~