Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 95
Chapter 95: Dilemma
The companion spirit offered no resistance, allowing the spiritual fire fused with Xiang Heng’s soul force to completely devour itself.
Situated in the center of the flames, its slightly translucent skin emitted a faint blue glow, making this cluster of fire look remarkably like a candle flame while it served as the wick inside.
“Yin Changli, may I ask a question? Is your belief that I am the one who stole the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow merely a guess, or did I say something or do something that aroused your suspicion?”
The companion spirit let out a soft laugh.
“For instance, did you discover that while fighting with you, I deliberately hid my strength, feigning to be suppressed by you so I would have no choice but to obey you, smoothly going along with the flow to send Xiang Haikui off to pose as a mirror spirit and steal the array disks?”
Yin Changli shook his head.
“No, it’s because the timing is wrong.”
The companion spirit looked puzzled.
“What timing?”
Yin Changli said, “The reason the Emperor knew Shuluoye was constructing a ‘divine weapon’ was because you tipped him off.”
Its explanation had been that Shuluoye’s nightmare once flowed into the nightmare prison.
It had peeked into it and seen that he made a ‘divine weapon’ which destroyed the entire Celestial Clan.
The companion spirit nodded.
“Correct.”
“Incorrect,” Yin Changli said coldly.
“After you peeked into Shuluoye’s nightmare, you did not tell the Emperor right away—you only spoke of it many years later.”
Hence, when the Emperor went to kill Shuluoye, he failed to discover the whereabouts of the divine weapon on Shuluoye’s person.
That divine weapon, which was not yet finished, had long been handed over to Yin Changli.
And Yin Changli had also long since “broken off” from Shuluoye, having defected from Bian City for many years.
Furthermore, Shuluoye was afraid that his consciousness might be extracted by someone, so after handing over the divine arrow, he erased that portion of his memories.
Since it was erased, he would no longer dream related dreams.
Therefore, Yin Changli was exceptionally certain that within Shuluoye’s nightmare, the companion spirit knew very clearly about the existence of the “Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow.”
It wouldn’t tell the Emperor, because it wished more than anyone that the divine arrow could be forged successfully.
Then it would steal the divine arrow and use it to pierce through the “wall” between the nightmare prison and the real world!
Never in a million years did it expect that Shuluoye would gain a son mid-way through forging the arrow and toss the divine arrow to Yin Changli.
Yin Changli’s personality was rather free and untamed, and his way of doing things was far less focused than Shuluoye’s.
Out of twelve two-hour periods in a day, Shuluoye could bury his head in hard work for eleven, whereas he, at most, would forge for one before running off to do other things.
The companion spirit was overly anxious, so it had no choice but to disguise itself as the Xuantian Mirror Spirit to inform Jing Ran about the divine weapon.
It even exaggerated, claiming the divine weapon was enough to destroy the entire Celestial Clan, forcing Jing Ran to attach great importance to it.
Even while knowing the divine arrow was already in Yin Changli’s hands, it still exposed Shuluoye.
It was done to use Shuluoye’s death to provoke Yin Changli.
“Afterward, the Emperor continuously pressured me and harmed my clansmen…”
Yin Changli paused slightly, the light of his divine soul fire reflecting in his eyes.
“All because you hoped that under such pressure, I would finish forging this divine arrow as quickly as possible.”
Yet the result disappointed it once again.
The moment the divine arrow was finished, it was sent into reincarnation by Yin Changli.
He didn’t give the companion spirit a chance to react at all.
As Yin Changli pieced together the causes and effects, although the companion spirit did not admit to it, its violently heaving chest was enough to prove that it was also extremely enraged.
It probably hadn’t expected that this pair of sworn brothers could cause so much trouble over forging a divine arrow.
Yin Changli continued, “Thinking about it now, when the Emperor previously gave up everything to reincarnate and undergo trials in search of a ray of hope, going to the world where Little Kui was, that was also guided by you in your identity as the mirror spirit, wasn’t it?”
After sending the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow into reincarnation, even Yin Changli didn’t know where it would go.
He had also tried to search for it.
After all, Shuluoye and he had sacrificed too much for this divine arrow, so throwing it to the Heavenly Dao to decide left him somewhat unwilling.
Exhausting all methods without a single clue, he finally gave up.
However, just because Yin Changli was out of options did not mean the companion spirit had no way either.
No one knew how many years this domain of nightmares had existed; disguising itself as the Xuantian Mirror Spirit, the companion spirit had sent off an unknown number of Celestial Clan emperors.
Yin Changli’s age was perhaps just a fraction of its own.
Prying into the countless dreams flowing through the long river of history, its depth of experience had long since become vast beyond measure.
“How… did you manage to do it?” Setting aside grievances, Yin Changli was genuinely curious.
“What secret technique did you use on the Emperor to enable him to reincarnate following in the footsteps of the divine arrow?”
To be precise, it was not following the divine arrow, but following Shuluoye.
The majority of the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow had been forged by Shuluoye, and Yin Changli was only responsible for the finishing touches.
The divine arrow was tainted with too much of Shuluoye’s Inspiration, and the Emperor was his full-blooded brother born of the same mother, sharing the same origin of Inspiration.
The companion spirit must have used some secret technique, through some exquisite calculation, to make the Emperor follow that trajectory of Inspiration when reincarnating, ultimately arriving on Earth.
Earth was so vast, yet he happened to be in the exact same city as Xiang Heng, who was the reincarnation of the divine arrow.
This was not the arrangement of the Heavenly Dao; it was that the companion spirit’s “method of calculation” was accurate enough.
Jing Ran had always thought that his “Heavenly Dao Daddy” had sent him to Xiang Haikui’s side, that this was a ray of hope granted by the Heavenly Dao to the Celestial Clan, and that he had to grasp it tightly.
For this reason, he did not hesitate to turn into enemies with Xiang Haikui.
Who would have thought that it was merely a scam orchestrated by the companion spirit?
The Celestial Emperor, usually so proud, going through a painful journey of reincarnation, was merely serving as a tool for the companion spirit to track down the location of the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow’s reincarnation.
A complete and total tool.
Yin Changli curled his lips in a mocking sneer, but the smile instantly froze on his face.
Whom was he mocking?
Except for the companion spirit, every single one of them had been played for a fool.
—
In the Upper Realm.
Carrying the sword casket on her back, Xiang Haikui stepped out of the imposing gatehouse of the Palace of Heavenly Deities in a grand and unconcerned manner, only then pausing her steps.
The Palace of Heavenly Deities, where the Xuantian Mirror was placed, and the Listening To Heaven Palace where the Shanhai Clan’s array discs were stored, were both located in the Royal Capital, but they were not adjacent to each other, separated by several mountains in between.
Flying over was not far, but the problem was that Xiang Haikui was completely ignorant of Listening To Heaven Palace’s orientation.
“Where do you want to go after leaving the Palace of Heavenly Deities?” Jing Ran walked forward carrying the Xuantian Mirror, stopping beside her while keeping a certain distance.
Ever since Xiang Haikui leaped out of the divine mirror, his scrutiny had not stopped for a single moment.
He couldn’t understand why the mirror spirit, which had never shown itself before, would look exactly like Xiang Haikui.
Xiang Haikui leaned against the gatehouse pillar carved with strange runes, gazing into the distance toward an exquisitely translucent arch bridge set between the mountain peaks.
“To Listening To Heaven Palace.”
Jing Ran tilted his head slightly, staring at her high bridge of nose.
“Oh? What are you going to do at my royal palace?”
Xiang Haikui said bluntly without reservation.
“To take a look at the array discs.”
Jing Ran knitted his brows, his voice tightening.
“The array plates sealing the Shanhai Clan prisoners?”
Xiang Haikui met his gaze.
“Otherwise?”
Among the millions of races, the rival of the Celestial Clan had always been the Shanhai Clan. Even if other races had imprisoned powerhouses, their array discs wouldn’t be kept inside the royal palace, guarded personally by the Emperor.
Jing Ran remained silent.
During their eye contact, “Who on earth is she?” completely outweighed “What is she trying to do?”
Whether she was truly the Xuantian Mirror Spirit was unclear, but she… shouldn’t be Xiang Haikui.
An appearance was easy to disguise, but a person’s gaze was not.
The way she looked at him was wrong; it was somewhat too calm.
For a moment, Jing Ran felt a surge of disappointment.
His attitude gained a touch of deference, yet his eyes grew a few degrees colder.
“It seems Senior Mirror Spirit’s sudden appearance this time is for the sake of those array discs?”
Xiang Haikui once again brought out the rhetoric given by Yin Changli.
“I have a premonition that those array discs might be stolen, so I want to head over in person to sense them.”
Jing Ran hesitated not a bit.
“Impossible.”
Xiang Haikui: “May I ask where Your Imperial Majesty’s confidence comes from?”
Jing Ran: “This Emperor…”
Xiang Haikui didn’t wait for him to finish.
“Wasn’t the great opportunity you won through your previous reincarnation and trial messed up by you?”
Throwing a cold glance toward his chest, she said, “What, did your wound heal only for you to forget the pain?”
His expression darkened abruptly.
After gripping the frame of the Xuantian Mirror tightly with his fingers, Jing Ran said in a deep voice, “Return to the palace!”
Instantly, a chorus of phoenix cries could be heard, accompanied by the rustling of swaying leaves.
Xiang Haikui followed the sound and looked over as dozens of colorful phoenixes flew up from the bottom of the valley.
It wasn’t a team of colorful phoenixes pulling a carriage as one might imagine; the Celestial Emperor’s true vessel was a giant dragon turtle, carrying an octagonal pavilion on its back—Xiang Haikui was no stranger to this kind of dragon turtle, belonging to the Shan-Hai Baxia Clan, a junior clansman of Old Brother Ba Ying.
The colorful phoenixes were merely stepping stones, lining up in an orderly formation between the ground and the pavilion to serve as stairs.
They were all descendants of those who had surrendered after their defeat back then. Having been indoctrinated with the Celestial Clan’s ideology since childhood, they retained almost no concepts of the Shanhai Clan.
Of course, the Shanhai Clan no longer recognized them either, referring to them as Celestial Beasts.
“Please.”
Jing Ran stepped onto the colorful phoenixes, ascending step by step.
Xiang Haikui raised her foot to follow.
Stepping into the pavilion, after both of them were seated, layers of gauze curtains poured down from the top, swaying gently with the wind as the dragon turtle began to move slowly.
It was truly a turtle’s speed; anyone with an impatient temper would probably jump straight down and cross the mountains themselves.
Xiang Haikui had a guilty conscience and was fed up with staying with him, so naturally, she couldn’t sit still.
She opened her mouth toward Jing Ran, who was resting with his eyes closed opposite her, but held herself back.
From senior to Emperor, Jing Ran hadn’t changed much in this regard—he liked quiet over motion, living a daily lifestyle like an old man preserving his health.
Xiang Haikui shifted her gaze outside the pavilion to admire the scenery.
The mountain ranges beneath her feet undulated continuously without end, just like in the mortal realm.
She had heard Yin Changli explain that this world was like a great tree: the Upper Realm was located at the canopy, the mortal realm was the trunk, the Underworld resided at the roots, and those spaces nurturing strange races hung on branches big and small.
In her mind, Xiang Haikui constructed this great tree, and she was currently standing at the highest point.
Her father was at a certain section of the trunk.
Little Bai and Lu Xiqiao should still be “saving” the leaders of those small races right now; the two of them were on the branches.
The Thousand Bones Cave where her master was sealed, was also located on a branch.
As for the nightmare prison where the Boss was located, it should count as a shadow of this great tree, shouldn’t it?
Jing Ran slowly opened his eyes, glanced at her, and then looked at the Xuantian Mirror on the tabletop between them.
“Dugu Ning,” he couldn’t help transmitting his voice to his secret guard.
“Subordinate is here.”
“Who do you see?”
Dugu Ning was dazed for quite a while before regaining his composure, hurriedly replying: “It is… Miss Xiang.”
Ever since Xiang Haikui appeared, every single nerve of Dugu Ning’s had been strung tight.
He had been sent by his family since childhood to stay at the Emperor’s side as a personal guard, mainly serving as a shield to block danger for the Emperor.
The Emperor’s excessive strength had always made him feel that his existence was redundant.
However, after the battle in Bian City, Dugu Ning was terrified of this woman before him who didn’t look very smart.
Not only did she have the capability to heavily injure the Emperor’s body, but she could also make the Emperor lose his composure.
“Who you see is also Xiang Haikui?” Jing Ran couldn’t quite believe it, asking once more.
Dugu Ning didn’t understand the intention behind his inquiry, only saying with certainty:”Yes!”
“Then it seems she isn’t.”
Jing Ran closed his eyes once more.
He thought of a type of demonic creature that had no fixed form; whichever desire was in one’s heart, that was whom one would see.
When a small clan had assassinated him in the past, they had once summoned this kind of demonic creature.
However, it had no effect on Jing Ran; he had no desires, so what entered his eyes was merely a cluster of black energy.
Since that was the case, why would he suspect she was a demonic creature now?
Once this thought arose, he couldn’t help knitting his brows again.
The dragon turtle’s speed seemed to get slower and slower.
Buildings began to enter Xiang Haikui’s view—this was Listening To Heaven Palace.
The power of the entire Celestial Clan was concentrated here, so one could well imagine its grandeur.
However, the overall color tone leaned dark, and the style was rigid and formal, giving people a very oppressive feeling.
Xiang Haikui liked magnificent architectural styles, so taking a few more looks at the royal palace made her feel somewhat suffocated.
Though it did fit Jing Ran beside her, who was dressed in a tailored black robe with cold, sharp features.
Before the dragon turtle had even touched the ground, a crowd of guards dropped to their knees one after another to welcome them respectfully.
After stepping onto the colorful phoenixes to land, Xiang Haikui looked up at the plaque hanging high above the palace gatehouse.
The words “Listening To Heaven Palace” were written neatly, and within the two “口” parts of the character “宫” (T/N: Palace), there was a sword hole in each, both stabbed out by her master.
It wasn’t that the plaque had never been replaced, but even if it had been replaced, it would just get stabbed again, so they simply stopped replacing it.
Through the swirling clouds, Xiang Haikui almost seemed to see her master back in the day, striding over in anger with a head of messy hair, hurling his long sword as if it were a javelin.
Of course, there was also the youth in plain white mourning clothes, kneeling here under the heavy falling snow to express his submission to Jing Ran.
Back when she had inadvertently seen this scene from her pup Boss’s conscious dream, she had felt immense sympathy for him.
Now “inspecting the scene in person,” standing where the Boss had once knelt, placing herself in his shoes made her feelings grow complex.
For the Boss, who bore psychological trauma from this place, Listening To Heaven Palace was probably a location akin to hell.
Yet when she came to steal the array discs, he had easily agreed and even personally sent her off to this hell.
So what exactly was he facing at this very moment?
—
Inside the nightmare prison, the companion spirit was continuously burned by Xiang Heng’s soul fire.
The soul fire burned brighter and brighter, yet not a single trace of abnormality appeared on it.
This was precisely the criterion for judgment.
It proved that the power of the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow was harbored within its body, resonating with Xiang Heng’s soul fire.
Yin Changli: “Still refuse to admit it?”
With matters having reached this point, the companion spirit spoke up, “Your guess is correct. My instigating the Emperor to reincarnate and undergo trials was merely using him to determine the location of the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow’s reincarnation.”
Even though Yin Changli was ninety-nine percent sure, hearing it admit to it with its own mouth still made his heart sink.
With a flick of his sleeve, he withdrew the soul fire.
“After locking onto Xiang Heng, you discovered you could not directly seize the power sealed within his soul, so you manipulated his wife, Shen Yun—accumulating day by day, scheming step by step, slowly breaking through…”
“No,” the companion spirit wagged its finger. “Little Zhulong, it wasn’t that I couldn’t directly seize it; I was simply unable to risk doing so.”
Back then, a strand of divine sense from the companion spirit followed the reincarnated Jing Ran to Earth.
Before finding Xiang Heng, through continuously entering and exiting the dreams of the local people, the companion spirit inadvertently discovered that although the world called Earth appeared sparse in spiritual energy, there were quite a few immortals concealing themselves within the daily lives of ordinary people.
Moreover, these immortal cultivators were managed under a unified alliance named the “Huaxia Special Event Investigation Department,” or “Special Department” for short.
The companion spirit had originally thought that when the divine arrow was reincarnated and took form on Earth, it might generate some unusual phenomena, and perhaps the alliance would have a record of it. Thus, it tried to enter the dream of the alliance leader to search around.
It still remembered the alliance leader was named Qu Song.
Possessing merely an eighth-grade cultivation base, entering his dream was not difficult for it.
Yet who could have thought that the moment it sneaked into Qu Song’s sea of consciousness, it triggered the protective restriction left inside by one of his parents.
Instantly, heaven and earth shattered within the sea of consciousness, nearly scattering this strand of divine sense that it had taken tens of thousands of years to cultivate!
The power of the restriction fully demonstrated the realm of cultivation possessed by one of his parents.
Furthermore, it was a mysterious power transcending the forces of the Five Elements, similar to the likes of the “Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow” and the “Tian Kuang Sword.”
“The Huaxia Alliance is unlike the immortal cultivation organizations you and I know; it is more like a worldly magistrate’s office, doing things methodically and according to regulations in every aspect.”
In short, after finding Xiang Heng, the companion spirit didn’t dare to forcibly seize it at all. Otherwise, if the power of the divine arrow suddenly burst forth into the world, it would definitely be detected by the alliance.
According to the laws of the Huaxia cultivators, they would surely investigate the matter thoroughly and might even cross mountains and worlds to pursue it all the way to the nightmare prison.
There was no “suspect” across the Three Thousand Worlds that they didn’t dare to arrest, no matter how much of a legendary figure the opponent might be.
Of course, it wasn’t that the companion spirit was afraid of them.
It was just that before obtaining freedom and eternal life, it didn’t want to cause extra trouble.
It let out a soft snicker.
“Little Zhulong, using the soul-attracting array, you summoned Xiang Haikui to this world and caused quite a commotion. Most likely, you have already drawn their attention.”
Today was the first time Yin Changli learned that immortal cultivators actually existed in Little Kui’s hometown, including figures that even the companion spirit held in awe.
“You mean, they might tear through space and come here to arrest me?”
The companion spirit said “Yes”.
“Regardless of your reasons, Little Kui is a native-born Huaxia citizen. By abducting a Huaxia citizen without authorization, you have already violated their laws. Naturally, they will search for Little Kui and arrest you.”
Yin Changli’s expression showed a slight shock.
Companion Spirit: “It’s just that the flow of time between our two worlds is different. Since you abducted her, only a few months have passed on Earth; otherwise, they would have come long ago… The Huaxia Alliance has a prison named Tianluo Tower. Once locked inside, even if you possess heavenly abilities, you won’t escape.”
Listening to this, a touch of brightness gradually returned to Yin Changli’s gloomy face.
“That’s wonderful.”
Now it was the companion spirit’s turn to be stunned.
Yin Changli let out a laugh of relief. He had not yet thought of a way to send Little Kui back to Earth; if the people from the Huaxia Alliance truly possessed the ability to come here and take Little Kui back to her homeland, that would be for the best.
Furthermore, if Little Kui knew that after her disappearance, people from her homeland had been doing everything in their power to search for her—even as total strangers, purely out of fellow countryman’s duty—she would surely be happy in her heart, wouldn’t she?
She would.
Having been in the storm for too long, even a single ray of sunlight could easily shine into her heart.
Thinking up to this point, Yin Changli’s mood grew heavy once again as he looked with a cold gaze toward the companion spirit opposite him.
Rage welled up in his chest, like a storm brewing.
“Little Zhulong,” the companion spirit took a small step forward.
“You are clearly exceptionally smart, so why do you always act so foolish on certain matters?”
It was referring to Yin Changli’s intention to selectively release the Shanhai prisoners.
Yin Changli didn’t take its bait.
“From when did you start manipulating Little Kui’s mother, Shen Yun?”
The companion spirit answered with another question.
“You clearly have the strength to become the overlord of the Three Realms, so why must you support Bai Xingxian to become the monarch of the Celestial Clan?”
Yin Changli curled his lips without speaking.
The companion spirit questioned.
“Wanting to settle the war and balance the various races with the smallest sacrifice? Yin Changli, do you consider yourself a god?”
Yin Changli ignored its mockery.
“I am only asking you: when did you start manipulating Shen Yun? Was it after the manipulation that you approached Xiang Heng, or was it after Shen Yun became pregnant?”
The companion spirit knitted its brows.
“Is this important?”
Yin Changli gave it a look that said, “Extremely important.”
It must have taken control of Shen Yun’s physical body before Little Kui was born.
Only in this way could Little Kui absorb a bit of the companion spirit’s demon power in the womb, neutralizing the divine arrow’s power inherited from Xiang Heng.
Thus, after birth, she became an ordinary mortal without any natural talent.
Having accompanied Little Kui for five years, the “mother” in Little Kui’s memories was undoubtedly the companion spirit.
However, whether it seized the body before Shen Yun’s pregnancy or after still made a difference.
Pondering for a moment, the companion spirit understood the “detail” Yin Changli cared about.
It walked to the threshold of the palace hall and raised its eyes toward the sky, where a row of enchanting red moons hung eternally.
Whether touched by memories or weighing how to answer, it fell into a prolonged silence.
—
In front of the gates of Listening To Heaven Palace, Jing Ran noticed she had not kept up.
“Senior Mirror Spirit?”
Xiang Haikui reined in her thoughts and stepped forward to catch up.
When she drew close, Jing Ran turned around first.
“Senior appears to be deeply troubled?”
Xiang Haikui detected skepticism in his tone.
Translated, it meant: as the envoy of the Heavenly Dao, the Xuantian Mirror Spirit must be several million years old, so why would its emotions be so easily revealed?
It shouldn’t have emotions in the first place.
She spat silently in her mind and said, “If you were in my shoes, having watched generation after generation of the Celestial Clan decline over a million years, having to personally step in to clean up the mess despite your old arms and legs, you would be troubled too!”
Sure enough, the tall, imposing frame ahead seemed as if his pressure points had been struck, freezing stiff for a moment.
“This way, please.”
When he took another step forward, he was already over a dozen zhang away.
Xiang Haikui gave chase.
After dozens of teleportations, they arrived at Jing Ran’s sleeping quarters.
The hall was heavily guarded outside, and definitely not just by those visible to the naked eye.
Ever since Xiang Haikui approached, countless divine senses had swept over her like scraping bone.
Inside its casket, Tian Kuang trembled continuously, its danger warnings rising wave after higher wave.
It hadn’t been this “nervous” in a long time.
Dugu He, the number one sword of the Celestial Clan, was not here.
No matter how many or how strong the guards and secret guards were, Tian Kuang shouldn’t have reacted like this.
It seemed what stimulated it were the array discs of the Shanhai Clan.
Those array plates were placed right inside Jing Ran’s sleeping quarters. Every single array plate contained the aura of an imprisoned figure; with thirty-seven grand figures of the Shanhai Clan gathered together, who wouldn’t be frightened?
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xiang Haikui walked into the sleeping quarters.
This was not unfamiliar to her; back in Bian City, she had followed him in and out just like this.
After the palace hall doors closed, six palace maids raised their heads, looking at each other before transmitting their voices to ask Dugu Ning.
For the six of them to be able to personally serve the Emperor, every one of them held some status and background. When the Emperor returned after undergoing his trial, he first went to Bian City and brought back a mortal girl to eat and sleep together with him, favoring her immensely, so portraits had naturally been sent to their hands from the Underworld.
They all knew what Xiang Haikui looked like.
“Brother Dugu, what is going on here? Didn’t you say earlier that this little girl was merely a bargaining chip for the Emperor to deal with Lord Changli?”
“The Emperor was heavily injured—wasn’t that done by her?”
“How come she was brought back to the Upper Realm? Was she really brought up from the Palace of Heavenly Deities? So the Palace of Heavenly Deities actually has a well leading to the mortal realm?”
No, the main point was that apart from the royal family, the Palace of Heavenly Deities had historically forbidden outsiders from entering; even the Empress had no qualification.
“Judging purely by her speech and demeanor, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about her?”
Pretty and charming, a beauty indeed, as they had known since seeing the portrait. But they were all smart people and knew that relying on looks alone could never enter the eyes of those “big figures”; she bound to have extraordinary qualities.
Dugu Ning’s head throbbed from their questions. He didn’t say a word, pretending not to have received them.
He only gave a reminder to Wen Yan, one of the six, since the Wen family was on good terms with his Dugu family: “Whatever you do, do not provoke her.”
Wen Yan took a breath: “Could it be that the Emperor has truly fallen for this lady?”
Dugu Ning did not answer.
Wen Yan knitted her brows, remembering a cousin from her family who had secretly sent a clone down to the lower realm, running off to the mortal world time and again despite being caught multiple times: “They always say mortal women are exceptionally charming; it seems that’s not false…”
Dugu Ning: “Sigh, I haven’t discovered Miss Xiang’s charm, but I only know that when she goes crazy, it truly leaves me… unforgettable for a lifetime.”
Wen Yan was surprised: “Crazy?”
Dugu Ning no longer explained: “In short, behave yourselves and don’t underestimate her.”
Looking down on the mortal race and regarding them as an inferior species was a common flaw of the Celestial Clan from top to bottom.
…
Inside the sleeping quarters, Xiang Haikui clenched her fists nervously.
Jing Ran’s palm had already been placed on the mechanism to open the secret chamber.
There were two secret chambers inside his bedroom in total: one stored the Shanhai Clan’s array discs, and the other was used to collect treasures plundered from various races.
They weren’t necessarily valuable, but much like the Xuantian Mirror to the Celestial Clan, those treasures each held distinct significance.
They were collected purely as trophies of war.
The mechanism for the secret chamber was very simple—just two raised metallic circles on the wall, looking somewhat like fingerprint locks.
“Senior.”
Just as the mechanism was about to light up, Jing Ran suddenly lowered his hand.
Xiang Haikui’s heart skipped a beat.
Jing Ran turned sideways to look at her, the scrutiny and probing in his gaze growing thicker and thicker.
“As you have seen along the way, those capable of entering Listening To Heaven Palace, evading the guards and protective barriers, and arriving at this Emperor’s sleeping quarters currently numbered no more than three people. What’s more, this mechanism will only activate upon sensing my Inspiration.”
Inspiration was unique to the Celestial Clan; close blood relatives were similar, but absolutely never identical.
Xiang Haikui sneered in disdain.
“Then how did Han Qi manage it?”
Previously, Han Qi had lured Dugu He away and snuck into the secret chamber to alter Qi Yin’s sealing array disc.
He had no “Inspiration” to provide to the mechanism, nor could he forge “Inspiration” to deceive it, but he possessed the ability to dismantle the mechanism.
No matter how sensitive or clever the mechanism was, its true form was still a magical artifact, so it couldn’t stump Han Qi.
Upon mentioning this matter, the depths of Jing Ran’s eyes darkened a shade.
“This Emperor can guarantee to Senior that he is now incapable of doing so. This Emperor knows clearly in my heart that as of now, these array discs are most likely to be stolen by him.”
Hearing this made no sense to Xiang Haikui.
“Han Qi should be even less willing than you to see these Shanhai prisoners released, shouldn’t he?”
In Han Qi’s eyes, her master and the rest were all humanless slaughtering machines.
Jing Ran’s expression turned gloomy.
“That was in the past. My elder brother left behind a son who became Yin Changli’s servant. Although he has been raised into a useless fool, he is still of royal blood after all, so there is no guaranteeing Han Qi won’t foster other ideas… Serving this Emperor is no easy task, but manipulating that useless fool is very easy.”
Xiang Haikui knitted her brows.
It seemed that the Boss sending Little Bai to rescue the leaders of those small races and putting him against Han Qi carried a deep, calculated intention.
Seeing her fall into deep thought, Jing Ran asked, “Could Senior be worried about Yin Changli?”
Xiang Haikui shook her head, “I know he is incapable of doing so.”
Back when they surrendered after defeat, Yin Changli had been branded with the mark of Shanhai pariahs by the Celestial Clan.
The effect of the mark was not merely humiliation. Xiang Haikui had heard him explain that the mark was similar to a tracking, positioning, and alarm device.
Only thus could the Celestial Clan rest easy while sending them off to perform hard labor across various realms.
Of course, Yin Changli had long since found a way to wash away the mark, but after all, it had been carved into his body for over a hundred years—coinciding right with his growth period as he transformed from a small snake into a giant serpent. No matter how thoroughly it was washed away, there were always lingering traces of power that had seeped into his marrow.
It was precisely those lingering traces that acted like a hand choking his throat under Jing Ran’s grip. He could sneak into other regions of the Upper Realm, but he could never set foot in the Royal Capital; no matter how he hid, he would inevitably be exposed.
Jing Ran’s hand moved even further away from the mechanism.
“Therefore, your sensing of the Heavenly Dao this time ought to be mistaken.”
Xiang Haikui knew it wouldn’t be that easy; he still doubted her identity. So she once again brought out the countermeasure taught by Yin Changli.
“That divine weapon of world destruction—do you know what it is now?”
Jing Ran’s gaze toward her deepened a bit.
“Could it be that Senior…?”
Xiang Haikui shook her head.
“I do not know.”
Jing Ran knitted his brows in thought.
“A divine weapon capable of destroying my entire clan shouldn’t be used just to steal array discs…”
It was true that the Shanhai prisoners were brave and fierce in battle, but they were not unmanageable either, or else they wouldn’t have been imprisoned back then.
Even with the addition of Yin Changli as their leader today, should the Celestial Clan unfortunately be defeated in war, it would still be impossible to wipe out the entire clan.
Xiang Haikui watched him think, knowing he would definitely rather believe it existed than risk it.
Sure enough, his hand moved back to the mechanism after a moment’s hesitation, his palm gradually releasing a pure golden light.
She held her breath, her heart hanging in her throat once more.
Yet as he called out “Senior,” that golden light vanished!
Dammit, Xiang Haikui ground her back teeth.
“Now what?!”
Jing Ran asked in a deep voice, “When you previously had a premonition about the existence of the ‘divine weapon,’ do you still remember what you wrote upon the Xuantian Mirror?”
Xiang Haikui sneered,”You truly are suspicious enough.”
Unfortunately for him, Yin Changli had already anticipated what he would ask and had questioned the companion spirit in advance.
He had also instructed her that she must not answer without thinking; if her acting was poor, she should look down at the tips of her shoes and count seven numbers in her mind.
Following his instructions, Xiang Haikui raised her head and recited from memory.
“Within your elder brother’s hands, a divine weapon may lie; the ruin of the Celestial Clan, draws ever so nigh.”
The clouds of suspicion in the depths of Jing Ran’s eyes finally dispersed.
The golden light in his palm flared up again, growing brighter and more dazzling. From Xiang Haikui’s perspective, it looked as though he was holding a miniature sun.
Yet after a few fleeting breaths, the “miniature sun” went out once more!
Rage welled up in Xiang Haikui’s heart!
Tapping his fingers rhythmically against the wall, Jing Ran mused aloud.
“No matter how this Emperor searches, I cannot find a logical explanation for why Senior Mirror Spirit appears exactly the same as Xiang Haikui.”
Including her tone when mocking him.
“Could you open the sword casket? This Emperor would like to take a look at the item inside.”
It wasn’t as if even Tian Kuang could be replicated, was it?
That was a sword unique in all the world.
It had pierced his heart, drunk his blood and qi, and reached its peak relying on him.
He ought to be able to tell the difference.
Xiang Haikui’s face turned ash-green, her lips tightly pressed together.
Seeing her demeanor, Jing Ran’s gaze gradually turned profound.
“As you said, the Celestial Clan gets worse with every generation. This Emperor is incompetent, and after being wounded by Tian Kuang, my injuries have not healed to this day. I truly dare not take any risks, so I hope Senior can forgive me…”
Xiang Haikui’s patience was completely exhausted.
She only wanted to snap back in rage, “Is that so! I’m getting on in years, my temper is terrible, and I beat people up viciously, so you’d better forgive me too!”
And then grab the Xuantian Mirror resting on the table and slam it hard onto his forehead with a loud clang!
She dared to, but she couldn’t. Taking that swing would be confessing without a trial.
The array discs were separated by merely a single wall. Whether she could rescue her master early from his cage depended entirely on this moment; she had to stay calm!
As for checking Tian Kuang, the Boss had also accounted for that.
With no way to tamper with Tian Kuang itself, they had to take a risky move.
Xiang Haikui unbuckled her shoulder strap, took the sword casket in her hand, and offered it over.
Jing Ran reached out to take it.
Xiang Haikui asked, “It has been quite some time since you returned from your reincarnation and your cultivation base has fully recovered. Why haven’t you shed this mortal appearance?”
At her sudden words, Jing Ran’s outstretched hand froze in midair.
Xiang Haikui raised her chin slightly.
“Your unhealed injuries don’t affect you regaining your original appearance, do they?”
Jing Ran pressed his hand onto the sword casket once more.
“It is merely a physical appearance, nothing more.”
“Nothing more?” Xiang Haikui unreservedly sized up this face she knew all too well—the face that belonged to “Senior.”
Jing Ran suddenly felt a hot sensation on his face.
Avoiding her gaze, his hand shifted unnaturally along the edge of the sword casket.
Xiang Haikui’s gaze was sharp as a torch.
“The reason you won’t change your appearance might just be the reason I manifested this form. I am even more curious than Your Imperial Majesty, so why not share it?”
His lips twitched slightly.
“It is merely a physical appearance, nothing more; why must Senior be so persistent?”
As if the casket were burning hot, Jing Ran withdrew his hand, covering the mechanism on the wall once again.
Faced with the dazzling golden light, Xiang Haikui had no choice but to avert her eyes, letting out a cold sneer in her heart.
Buzz…
The heavy doors to the secret chamber slowly opened.
The frequency of Tian Kuang’s vibrations had broken all previous records. Had Jing Ran not blocked a portion of it in front of her, the surging, dense demon aura that swept toward her would have almost caused Xiang Haikui to spit blood.
She forced herself to stay steady, calming her wildly beating heart. Re-slinging the sword casket onto her back and holding the Xuantian Mirror in her arms, she silently recited the steps in her mind.
Once inside, she would pretend to sense the forewarnings of the Heavenly Dao and ask Jing Ran to step outside first.
Then, she would stow the array discs into the storage bag given to her by Yin Changli while reciting the spell to activate the Xuantian Mirror. Once the companion spirit or Blood Asura sensed it, they would open the passage connecting to the nightmare prison to take her back.
If Jing Ran’s vigilance was too strong and he insisted on staying, her only choice would be to transform directly into a flood dragon, swallow all the array discs into her stomach, activate the Xuantian Mirror, and return in her dragon form.
The passage between the mirror and the nightmare prison was not so easy to cross.
As long as the companion spirit did not wish to let Jing Ran enter, he would never be able to step inside.
Xiang Haikui actually wanted him to meet the companion spirit; she wanted to see what kind of expression he would make upon realizing that the high-and-mighty Celestial Clan had been spun around in circles by a mere nightmare spirit.
However, the condition under which the companion spirit agreed to send her to steal the array discs was that she must not expose the existence of the nightmare prison.
She had sworn an oath, so she didn’t dare act recklessly.
“Please.” It was quite a while after the doors opened before Jing Ran spoke.
Holding the Xuantian Mirror, Xiang Haikui passed by his side.
“I will go inside to sense it; you guard outside.”
Jing Ran hesitated.
“Alright.”
Xiang Haikui: “Close the doors.”
He touched the mechanism again, and the two massive jade doors slowly moved together.
Xiang Haikui felt a pang of doubt. His agreement had been far too prompt. Could he have discovered something and intended to trap her here?
No matter. With the Xuantian Mirror in hand, he couldn’t trap her, and it played right into her plans anyway.
Xiang Haikui originally intended to turn back and give him a mocking smile, but just happened to catch sight of him closing his eyes, rubbing his brows with two fingers, looking thoroughly flustered and restless.
The upturned corners of Xiang Haikui’s lips quickly dropped.
The Boss said this was a gamble—gambling that Jing Ran still held some affection for her.
With his pride, he would never admit it in his heart, but under persistent questioning, he would bound to lose his composure.
When saying these words, the Boss’s expression had carried a touch of bitterness.
Looking at it now, Jing Ran had indeed lost his composure.
So, toward her… he had affection?
Xiang Haikui was beyond certain that previously, to Jing Ran, she was merely a somewhat liked pet to be kept by his side for amusement while conveniently serving as a tool to be used.
If there truly was any affection, it only came after she had stabbed him.
A woman whose eyes were once filled entirely with him, who had thrown herself forward regardless of life or death to hug his legs, had suddenly turned resolutely earth-shattering.
He was provoked; he was shaken to his core.
Was this affection?
This was sheer cheapness!
Those dramas of prodigal sons turning back and scumbags coming to a sudden realization were what Xiang Haikui used to love watching the most.
When it actually happened to herself, it only felt disgusting.
What’s more, this bastard would never have any real realization, nor would he ever think he was in the wrong.
Everything was nothing more than her, a lowly mortal woman, not knowing what was good for her.
Before the stone doors shut completely, Xiang Haikui turned around in advance.
With her back to him, her eyes ice-cold, she walked toward the depths of the secret chamber against the terrifying demonic power.
Each occupying its own spot, thirty-seven array discs floated in an orderly arrangement above her head.
The array discs looked identical to feng shui compasses in appearance and bore no names, so Xiang Haikui had no idea which was which, let alone picking out which one belonged to Qi Yin.
If all of them could be released, Xiang Haikui could simply destroy every single array disc on the spot.
Unfortunately, out of the thirty-seven grand figures, only nineteen had reached an agreement with Yin Changli.
The content of the agreement was nothing more than that they must be obedient, abandon seeking revenge against the Celestial Clan, constantly restrain themselves, and never resort to force lightly unless a war was necessary.
Resorting to force must not harm the innocent.
Especially the human race.
Yin Changli had long since demarcated the activity zones for the Shanhai Clan, separated from the human race by layers of mountains and seas.
Unless necessary, they were not allowed to step into the territory of the human race at will.
Those who did not agree could not be released.
Not only were they major threats in themselves, but given their “status in the realm,” the many Shanhai clan members already brought under Yin Changli’s control would lose restraint once again.
The entire world would inevitably fall into total chaos.
The storage bracelet could not hold these array discs, so Xiang Haikui set the Xuantian Mirror floating in midair not far away, then pulled out a large-capacity storage bag from her bracelet.
Loosening the drawstrings, the mouth of the bag opened upward, and a cloud of blue-brown smoke flew out from within, continuously expanding toward the space above.
Silently reciting the incantation, Xiang Haikui used her mind power to guide the smoke into enveloping the array discs.
Following that, an immense force of attraction generated inside the storage bag, dragging down the array discs.
Though looking no larger than a washbasin, every single array plate weighed at least several tons.
Dragging them was exceptionally arduous, requiring a considerable amount of time.
Among them, one array disc was particularly heavy, taking several times longer to drag than the others; Xiang Haikui suspected it belonged to her master.
“Hurry up!”
From time to time, Xiang Haikui glanced toward the tightly shut doors of the secret chamber, worried that her actions might be noticed by Jing Ran.
—
Inside the nightmare prison.
The companion spirit said, “When Shen Yun was seven months pregnant, I directly consumed her soul with my divine sense and occupied her physical body.”
“Because I discovered that the fetus in her belly also possessed a tiny bit of the divine arrow’s power. Although it was very little, I couldn’t let it go either, so through the final three months of gestation, I completely absorbed every drop of the divine arrow’s power within the fetus.”
“The reason I am currently in secluded recovery is precisely because that previous trip to the mortal world consumed far too much of my energy.”
Having cultivated until now and sent off several generations of emperors, it had managed to cultivate only this single strand of divine sense that could venture outside.
After listening to its account, Yin Changli showed an intriguing expression from time to time.
It turned back.
“What are you surprised by?”
Yin Changli couldn’t wrap his head around it.
“You could actually have told me that you only approached Xiang Heng after selecting Shen Yun, after which you became pregnant with Little Kui, gestated her for ten months, and raised her for five years…”
Had it been so, the companion spirit would be Little Kui’s true mother in the genuine sense.
That was the answer Yin Changli least wanted to hear.
Yet this explanation of its completely classified itself as Little Kui’s adoptive mother.
Most importantly, it meant a grudge of matricide existed between it and Little Kui.
Thus, Yin Changli was spared so many misgivings.
The companion spirit found it amusing.
“Could it be that I need you to show mercy? Had you possessed the confidence to beat me in my own domain, you wouldn’t have sent Little Kui out.”
Yin Changli admitted generously.
“Yes, I lacked the confidence to protect her fully while dealing with you.”
Inside that room connected to the Xuantian Mirror, the Blood Asura guarding the array was waiting to receive Xiang Haikui while eavesdropping on their conversation, learning many extraordinary, grand “secrets” from it.
Actually, it couldn’t be considered eavesdropping; Yin Changli permitted him to listen, which was why he lowered his guard.
He understood now.
Ever since they had stumbled into this place by mistake, this spirit had already concluded that Heaven was assisting it, having no intention of letting them leave alive.
On its domain, wanting to leave without killing it was truly no easy task.
If Xiang Haikui hadn’t proposed going to steal the array discs, it would have definitely controlled Xiang Haikui and used her to threaten Yin Changli, achieving its goal of inciting the flames of war.
Leaving aside how strong the spirit was, it counted as Xiang Haikui’s adoptive mother; wanting to control her was far too easy, and impossible to guard against.
The Blood Asura suddenly realized that Yin Changli was truly wretched enough—whether human or ghost, everyone wanted to capture Xiang Haikui to coerce him.
Even the Blood Asura himself had done so in the past.
Wasn’t it all because this bastard was far too stubborn and unyielding, making it rare for him to have a weakness?
Thinking about it further, who had Xiang Haikui offended? Whether it was her sweetheart or her adoptive mother, both wanted to use her as a weapon—wasn’t that far too miserable?
Yin Changli was truly a jinxing spirit; anyone who got close to him was bound for bad luck.
The companion spirit, however, quite liked Yin Changli’s honesty and smiled.
“Furthermore, if I had lied to you, would you have shown me mercy? You wouldn’t. Your pressing to the very bottom is merely considering what method to use to kill me—a gentler way or a bit more brutal.”
“Correct.”
Yin Changli was bound to kill it.
He was not a man of deep hostility and was adept at endurance and acting only after careful planning.
Not planning left him with no choice anyway; once cultivators reached their level, when they engaged in battle, fighting for dozens or hundreds of days might not necessarily yield a victor.
Even if victorious, relying on brute force to ensure the opponent was dead through and through was no easy matter—every one of them had nine lives like a cat.
Therefore, Yin Changli had truly never experienced the emotion of “must fight someone to the death today.”
The companion spirit had made him experience it.
Yin Changli bent his waist and bowed deeply to it.
“In short, thank you, Senior, for informing me candidly. This bow is to thank you for the grace of raising Little Kui for those five years.”
The companion spirit was slightly moved.
“Little Kui… she has been a very sensible child since she was small, knowing how to consider others. Little Zhulong, you have great judgment.”
“Mm. Being able to discover this treasure one step ahead of others will be an achievement I take pride in.”
After bowing, Yin Changli straightened his back.
Once his deference faded, his gaze resembled icicles hanging beneath the eaves in the depths of winter—cold and sharp.
“Shuluoye’s grudge, my grudge and my clansmen’s grudge—all of these can wait for now.”
After all, they were already in the past tense.
“But you shouldn’t have wanted Little Kui’s life…”
“The one taking her life isn’t me, but you!” the companion spirit barked.
“It is because you are obstinate that I am forced to sacrifice her!”
The atmosphere turned intensely hostile in an instant.
“Is that so?”
A black scale gradually revealed itself between Yin Changli’s brows as he interrogated sternly, “Even if I were to release all the prisoners and cause total chaos across the world to suit your desires, and Little Kui managed to escape death, could Xiang Heng?”
The companion spirit’s mind shuddered.
He had actually thought of even this point?!
Yin Changli’s gaze was cold as frost.
“When Xiang Heng dies by your hand, how could Little Kui let matters rest with you? With what kind of mindset would she risk her life against you, and would you yield to her?!”
Xiang Heng hadn’t died when he lost the power of the divine arrow, yet he died several years later.
Someone knocked on the door in his sleep; he opened the door, went out, took a fall, and fell to his death.
Afterward, his divine soul separated from his body and came to this world—all orchestrated by the companion spirit.
After stealing the divine arrow back, this spirit discovered that piercing the wall connecting the two worlds was not as simple as it had imagined.
It not only required a war on a larger scale but also a target.
Just like the divine stone used to forge the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow, which originated from the Heavenly Martial Clan of the Three Thousand World—once the divine arrow was shot out, there was a vast probability it would travel toward the Heavenly Martial Clan of the Three Thousand World.
Thus, this small world of theirs would align with the Three Thousand World.
This spirit must have only considered the issue of the target after stealing the divine arrow back.
Using the divine arrow inside the Prison of Nightmares did not mean it could strike wherever it pointed; the divine arrow was highly likely to fly toward Xiang Heng.
If Xiang Heng were still on Earth, the Prison of Nightmares would become connected to Earth, which was not its destination.
Earth belonged to the Three Thousand Great Worlds, and the spirit was not so arrogant and ignorant as to lead its army of nightmare beasts to conquer an unknown Three Thousand World.
Hence, Xiang Heng “transmigrated” to this small world of theirs and even obtained a physical body with decent natural talent, purely waiting to serve as its target!
Shortly after, when the spirit shot an arrow over, laced with the power of nightmares, Xiang Heng wouldn’t be able to endure it and would inevitably die!
Yet the gates to this Prison of Nightmares would ultimately be opened!
Yin Changli vaguely gained some other insights as well.
Xiang Heng’s original line of fate was to become a stepping stone for Xiang Tianqing, dying by Xiang Tianqing’s hand.
Perhaps this was precisely the Heavenly Dao eliminating this hidden danger, preventing this small world of theirs from degenerating into a purgatory.
Yet it was forcefully altered by his and Han Qi’s intervention.
On that line of fate, Little Kui died even earlier than Xiang Heng—did that indicate she, too, possessed the possibility of serving as a “target”?
Setting aside this terrifying possibility for now, if only to prevent Little Kui from facing a situation down the road where her “adoptive mother” killed her “biological father,” Yin Changli likewise had to follow the Heavenly Dao’s example and eliminate this hidden danger in advance.
Reclaim the power of the divine arrow and annihilate it!
“Did that girl know when she left?”
The Blood Asura burst out from the secret chamber.
“You couldn’t have told her directly that the spirit is her adoptive mother, so did you secretly instruct her to stop stealing the array discs and flee directly through the Heavenly Well?”
The Heavenly Well was the passage for traveling between the upper and lower realms.
Yin Changli remained silent.
It’s over,the Blood Asura thought to himself.
Judging by how Xiang Haikui was so eager to steal the array discs, she was likely completely in the dark.
Thinking about it, it made sense; that girl wore her emotions on her sleeve.
If Yin Changli had told her, any change in her expression would surely have been noticed by this spirit, and she wouldn’t have been able to leave.
“Then why haven’t you made your move yet?” The Blood Asura was even more anxious than he was.
Once Xiang Haikui stole the array discs, she would chant the incantation and return from the Xuantian Mirror.
The spirit was the master of this place and the founder of the Xuantian Mirror passage. Even if they already knew it was preparing to crush Xiang Haikui along with the array discs inside the passage, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.
The only way was to kill the spirit before Xiang Haikui returned.
Was that doable?
Difficult.
Since that was the case, why spend so many words talking with it earlier?
Ah, no wonder this spirit had answered every question so cooperatively—it turned out it wanted to stall for time.
The Blood Asura guessed it was definitely wary of Yin Changli as well.
It feared that if a fight broke out and it couldn’t attend to the Xuantian Mirror, he—a dream sword—would successfully retrieve Xiang Haikui and might even drag the Celestial Emperor in along with her.
Once the Emperor found out he had been fooled for so many years, tsk tsk…
As if hearing the voice in his mind, Yin Changli mocked him.
“Do you think after the Emperor finds out, he will join forces with me to kill it? The moment he knows the world-destroying divine weapon doesn’t exist at all, he will only ally with the companion spirit to eliminate me first, then make a deal with the companion spirit.”
The Blood Asura was taken aback.
“No way? As far as I know, isn’t this Emperor’s disposition exceptionally arrogant?”
He consistently held that the Celestial Clan was the most superior race, that all other races had to submit, and that those who refused would be beaten until they submitted.
Knowing he had been fooled for years and even went through a cycle of reincarnation to serve as someone else’s stepping stone—didn’t that equate to trampling on his dignity? Could he truly endure that?
Yin Changli raised an eyebrow.
“Do you think his position as the overlord of the Three Realms was slaughtered out purely through brute force?
Among those grand figures of the Shanhai Clan, how many weren’t imprisoned through his schemes?
When Han Qi scheme against him previously, no matter how rage rushed to his head, he still didn’t break ties with Han Qi, and still dispatched him out to handle matters.
Did he have Han Qi handle racial affairs specifically just because it was inconvenient for the Celestial Clan to descend to the lower realms, and because Han Qi alone could match an army of a hundred thousand?”
After crossing hands with him, Yin Changli had figured it out: he was assimilating Han Qi.
Initially, Han Qi indeed took over racial affairs to fight for the interests of the human race.
Yet the more he did, the more numb he would become.
Gradually, Han Qi would be influenced by the Emperor’s style of doing things, growing more and more like him.
The Emperor could then better control him, thereby controlling those elite human figures who had ascended behind him.
He was not worried about ceding resources to the human race. Though the human race was vast in numbers, their talent was limited after all.
No matter how they developed, those who could climb to the peak would always be merely a small handful of people, incapable of shaking his position.
Yet relying on this slight concession, he could hold the topmost figures of the human race right in the palm of his hand.
The most terrifying part was that Han Qi even felt he had gained from it.
“Then stop the nonsense! Before that girl returns, let’s team up and kill it together!”
The Blood Asura had always fought solo, without even a sect or master, so naturally he didn’t understand these trade-offs of power.
Pointing his sword at the companion spirit, he barked, “A demon spirit daydreaming of total chaos across the world—everyone has the right to execute it!”
The companion spirit let out a loud laugh.
Blood Asura: “What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at your overestimate of your own strength! Both specializing in controlling dreamscapes, as the grandson, you still want to fight the grandfather?”
Yin Changli gave him a disdainful roll of his eyes.
“When even I am not certain of beating it, what kind of hero are you trying to be?”
With that, the black scale between his brows suddenly lit up and flew out.
He raised his right arm slightly, and the black scale fell into his palm, turning into a cluster of black fire that burned fiercely in his palm.
The flames crackled loudly, and a strange current of air rose straight from the ground, blowing his light gray sleeves full with the whistling wind.
Killing intent, like a tidal wave, radiated outward in all directions with him as the center.
Surging wind and scattering clouds—a magnificent momentum.
When the thick killing intent swept over, the Blood Asura couldn’t suppress a shudder, and even the dream sword in his hand trembled slightly.
Over the years, the impression given by Yin Changli—this divine fortune-teller who loved calculating heavenly fate—had always been fixed: if he could run away, he wouldn’t fool people; if he could fool people, he would never make a move; if he had to make a move, he would fool people while making a move.
In short, compared to his profound cultivation, the Blood Asura was even more annoyed by his verbal jabber.
Yet right now, he was releasing his killing intent without reservation.
Decided against attacking the heart, against playing tricks, and regardless of the cost, he was going to fight the companion spirit to the death.
In the time it took for the Blood Asura to shiver, the overwhelming killing intent condensed into one aura sword after another.
Yin Changli formed a seal with a single hand, and millions of sharp swords swished to reverse their direction.
The sword hilts faced toward the palace hall, while the sword tips all pointed outward in unison.
Those nightmare beasts and demonic creatures trying to approach the palace hall were turned into ash in an instant!
The Blood Asura was shocked. He didn’t know the name of this sword array, but it was at least on the level of the city-sealing array of the Jinling.
Even if their Three Sword Venerables joined forces, whether they could hold out for a quarter-hour was uncertain.
Even with this, he said he had no certainty of beating the spirit?
Understood.
The Blood Asura immediately withdrew his sword and retreated behind Yin Changli.
“You deal with the spirit, and I’ll settle those nightmare beasts outside for you. Don’t get distracted.”
Yet it was forcefully altered by his and Han Qi’s intervention.
On that line of fate, Little A-Kui died even earlier than Xiang Heng—did that indicate she, too, possessed the possibility of serving as a “target”?
Setting aside this terrifying possibility for now, if only to prevent Little A-Kui from facing a situation down the road where her “adoptive mother” killed her “biological father,” Yin Changli likewise had to follow the Heavenly Dao’s example and eliminate this hidden danger in advance.
Reclaim the power of the divine arrow, and annihilate it!
“Did that girl know when she left?” The Blood Asura burst out from the secret chamber. “You couldn’t have told her directly that the fiendish spirit is her adoptive mother, so did you secretly instruct her to stop stealing the array plates and flee directly through the Heavenly Well?”
The Heavenly Well was the passage for traveling between the upper and lower realms.
Yin Changli remained silent.
*It’s over,* the Blood Asura thought to himself. Judging by how Xiang Haikui was so eager to steal the array plates, she was likely completely in the dark.
Thinking about it, it made sense; that girl wore her emotions on her sleeve. If Yin Changli had told her, any change in her expression would surely have been noticed by this fiendish spirit, and she wouldn’t have been able to leave.
“Then why haven’t you made your move yet?” The Blood Asura was even more anxious than he was.
Once Xiang Haikui stole the array plates, she would chant the incantation and return from the Xuantian Mirror.
The fiendish spirit was the master of this place and the founder of the Xuantian Mirror passage. Even if they already knew it was preparing to crush Xiang Haikui along with the array plates inside the passage, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.
The only way was to kill the fiendish spirit before Xiang Haikui returned.
Was that doable?
Difficult.
Since that was the case, why spend so many words talking with it earlier?
*Ah,* no wonder this fiendish spirit had answered every question so cooperatively—it turned out it wanted to stall for time.
The Blood Asura guessed it was definitely wary of Yin Changli as well.
It feared that if a fight broke out and it couldn’t attend to the Xuantian Mirror, he—a dream sword—would successfully retrieve Xiang Haikui, and might even drag the Celestial Emperor in along with her.
Once the Emperor found out he had been fooled for so many years, tsk tsk…
As if hearing the voice in his mind, Yin Changli mocked him: “Do you think after the Emperor finds out, he will join forces with me to kill it? The moment he knows the world-destroying divine weapon doesn’t exist at all, he will only ally with the companion spirit to eliminate me first, then make a deal with the companion spirit.”
The Blood Asura was taken aback: “No way? As far as I know, isn’t this Emperor’s disposition exceptionally arrogant?”
He consistently held that the Celestial Clan was the most superior race, that all other races had to submit, and those who refused would be beaten until they submitted.
Knowing he had been fooled for years and even went through a cycle of reincarnation to serve as someone else’s stepping stone—didn’t that equate to trampling on his dignity? Could he truly endure that?
Yin Changli raised an eyebrow: “Do you think his position as the overlord of the Three Realms was slaughtered out purely through brute force?
Among those grand figures of the Shan-Hai Clan, how many weren’t imprisoned through his schemes?
When Han Qi scheme against him previously, no matter how rage rushed to his head, he still didn’t break ties with Han Qi, and still dispatched him out to handle matters.
Did he have Han Qi handle racial affairs specifically just because it was inconvenient for the Celestial Clan to descend to the lower realms, and because Han Qi alone could match an army of a hundred thousand?”
After crossing hands with him, Yin Changli had figured it out: he was assimilating Han Qi.
Initially, Han Qi indeed took over racial affairs to fight for the interests of the human race.
Yet the more he did, the more numb he would become.
Gradually, Han Qi would be influenced by the Emperor’s style of doing things, growing more and more like him.
The Emperor could then better control him, thereby controlling those elite human figures who had ascended behind him.
He was not worried about ceding resources to the human race. Though the human race was vast in numbers, their talent was limited after all.
No matter how they developed, those who could climb to the peak would always be merely a small handful of people, incapable of shaking his position.
Yet relying on this slight concession, he could hold the topmost figures of the human race right in the palm of his hand.
The most terrifying part was that Han Qi even felt he had gained from it.
“Then stop the nonsense! Before that girl returns, let’s team up and kill it together!” The Blood Asura had always fought solo, without even a sect or master, so naturally he didn’t understand these trade-offs of power.
Pointing his sword at the companion spirit, he barked: “A fiendish spirit daydreaming of total chaos across the world—everyone has the right to execute it!”
The companion spirit let out a loud laugh.
Blood Asura: “What are you laughing at?”
“Laughing at your overestimate of your own strength! Both specializing in controlling dreamscapes, as the grandson, you still want to fight the grandfather?” Yin Changli gave him a disdainful roll of his eyes. “When even I am not certain of beating it, what kind of hero are you trying to be?”
With that, the black scale between his brows suddenly lit up and flew out.
He raised his right arm slightly, and the black scale fell into his palm, turning into a cluster of black fire that burned fiercely in his palm.
The flames crackled loudly, and a strange current of air rose straight from the ground, blowing his light gray sleeves full with the whistling wind.
Killing intent, like a tidal wave, radiated outward in all directions with him as the center.
Surging wind and scattering clouds—a magnificent momentum.
When the thick killing intent swept over, the Blood Asura couldn’t suppress a shudder, and even the dream sword in his hand trembled slightly.
Over the years, the impression given by Yin Changli—this divine fortune-teller who loved calculating heavenly fate—had always been fixed: if he could run away, he wouldn’t fool people; if he could fool people, he would never make a move; if he had to make a move, he would fool people while making a move.
In short, compared to his profound cultivation, the Blood Asura was even more annoyed by his verbal jabber.
Yet right now, he was releasing his killing intent without reservation.
Decided against attacking the heart, against playing tricks, and regardless of the cost, he was going to fight the companion spirit to the death.
In the time it took for the Blood Asura to shiver, the overwhelming killing intent condensed into one qi sword after another.
Yin Changli formed a seal with a single hand, and millions of sharp swords swished to reverse their direction.
The sword hilts faced toward the palace hall, while the sword tips all pointed outward in unison.
Those nightmare beasts and demonic creatures trying to approach the palace hall were turned into ash in an instant!
The Blood Asura was shocked. He didn’t know the name of this sword array, but it was at least on the level of the city-sealing array of the Golden Spirit Capital.
Even if their Three Sword Venerables joined forces, whether they could hold out for a quarter-hour was uncertain.
Even with this, he said he had no certainty of beating the fiendish spirit?
Understood. The Blood Asura immediately withdrew his sword and retreated behind Yin Changli: “You deal with the fiendish spirit, and I’ll settle those nightmare beasts outside for you. Don’t get distracted.”
Knowing when to bow your head is essential; the reason he managed to mix his way up to become a Sword Venerable was that he could always understand who the real big boss was at critical moments.
The companion spirit did not know what kind of treasure the black fire in Yin Changli’s hand was, but sensing that the power of this sword array originated from the black fire, it tested.
“Is this all? If so…”
Yin Changli gave a sneer, interrupting it, “What were you thinking? Have you ever seen anyone throw out their grand trump card right at the start of a card game?”
He had learned this phrase from Xiang Haikui.
When he previously suffered amnesia, in order to come down to earth, blend in, and get closer to his beloved Little Kui, he had picked up a lot.
The companion spirit was taken aback; it needed to search its memories for a moment to understand the meaning of this phrase.
It had lived on Earth once, but that was merely a brief span of a few years.
In its long life, it was like a fleeting dream experienced during an afternoon nap.
Granted, this dream was somewhat unique.
Compared with the countless dreams it had had, it possessed a few bright colors and left a rather deep impression.
Whenever it recalled it, a smile would even unconsciously surface on the corners of its lips.
However, that was all there was to it…
“But if you don’t use your full strength, how will you suppress me before Little Kui returns?”
The companion spirit let out a chuckle, and a vine sprouted out from its spine, growing wildly the moment it met the air, climbing all over the entire palace.
A decayed and ruined stench spread through the air, colliding with those qi swords formed from condensed killing intent, continuously emitting sizzling, burning sounds.
Yin Changli’s already pale complexion lost even more color, yet the smile floating on his face carried a touch of cunning.
“Oh? Are you so sure she can get the array discs?”
“With the right time, place, and people, it’s not difficult, is it?”
“It is indeed not difficult, but after she gets the array discs, she won’t be coming back.”
“What do you mean?”
The companion spirit didn’t believe it; it was positive that Xiang Haikui was completely in the dark when she left, her mind filled only with stealing the array discs.
As long as she could steal them, she would definitely return.
Yin Changli’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“That little scatterbrain has a terrible memory; she recited the spell incantation for ‘knocking on the door’ wrong.”
—
Having stowed all thirty-seven array discs into the storage bag, Xiang Haikui was already dripping with sweat.
She tightened the mouth of the bag and held it in her hand.
Then, facing the Xuantian Mirror, she silently recited the incantation.
After reciting a long string of incantations, the Xuantian Mirror showed no reaction whatsoever.
Frowning, she stepped forward, placed her hand on the icy cold surface of the mirror, and repeated it once more, yet there was still no response.
She recited it dozens of times in succession, but it remained the same.
What was going on?
Xiang Haikui was dumbfounded.
She had guessed long ago that something might have gone wrong on Yin Changli’s end, but not much time had passed—had the situation already turned so severe that he and the Blood Asura were too preoccupied to bring her back?
Or was there a problem with the incantation?
The incantation to activate the Xuantian Mirror had been taught to her by the companion spirit.
Right after Xiang Haikui recited it once, Yin Changli had started sending her voice transmissions to instruct her on other matters.
For instance, certain precautions for dealing with Jing Ran.
After finishing, he even asked her to repeat them once and then suddenly brought up the incantation again, asking if she still remembered it.
The incantation was as complex as code; how could she remember it after reciting it just once? Scratching her head, just as she was about to ask the companion spirit again, Yin Changli taught it to her once more.
The incantation was largely similar, but it was definitely not the original version.
Xiang Haikui hadn’t noticed at the time and had recited the incorrect version several times in a row.
It must be it!
Xiang Haikui was shocked—Yin Changli had no intention of letting her return at all?!
Recalling his behavior and speech, Xiang Haikui guessed that initially he hadn’t had this idea but only finalized it after undergoing an internal struggle.
It’s over for real, Xiang Haikui thought as she held the heavy storage bag in her hand. Suddenly losing her balance, she staggered backward.
Tian Kuang inside the sword casket released a gust of sword qi, acting like a powerful palm that pushed heavily against her back.
Once she regained her footing, Xiang Haikui slapped her forehead, forcing herself to calm down and start thinking.
If Jing Ran had followed her in just now, and she had forcibly snatched the array plates, only to discover the incantation was wrong when preparing to escape, what kind of situation would she be in now?
Could he not have thought of this?
If staying in the nightmare was even more terrifying than the present, he could have directly told her the truth—she was level-headed enough and would have left.
At the same time, she wouldn’t have stayed to deal with Jing Ran just to steal the array discs, and would have escaped straight back to the mortal world from the “Well” of the Celestial Realm.
Yet he hadn’t uttered a single word about it, catching her completely off guard.
There were two possibilities: either he was worried her acting skills were insufficient and the companion spirit would spot something amiss, preventing her from leaving;
Or, after learning the truth, she would lose her head, refuse to leave, and thereby get entangled in even greater trouble.
Xiang Haikui didn’t dare to think too deeply about what kind of truth could make her lose her head.
What was certain was that the path Yin Changli chose for her was bound to be the result of his careful deliberation.
It was the path with the greatest chance of survival.
It was the path most advantageous to her.
On this point, Xiang Haikui had never doubted him for a moment.
—
“You…!?” The companion spirit was overcome with rage!
The nightmare power and Yin Changli’s killing sword were still in a deadlock confrontation, acting like pillars that maintained the structure of the palace.
Under the companion spirit’s extreme rage, the nightmare power gained the upper hand over Yin Changli.
The palace shook violently, on the verge of collapsing into powder at any moment.
Suppressed by these two powers, the Blood Asura couldn’t even straighten his back. One was demon aura and the other was spirit qi—neither was an orthodox aura, suppressing him severely.
Propping himself on the ground with his sword, he looked toward Yin Changli.
“That said, the girl’s situation outside won’t be much better than staying here.”
“No, it’s far better.”
Withstanding the companion spirit’s power, Yin Changli’s voice sounded a bit deeper than before.
“The Celestial Emperor won’t kill her for the time being.”
His having affection for her was only a very tiny fraction of the reason—so small it was almost negligible.
When necessary, there is no doubt that the Emperor would strike her down to kill her.
However, given the current situation, there was simply no such necessity.
Little Kui remained Yin Changli’s “weakness,” possessing immense value for the Emperor to exploit.
“Fortunately, Little Kui doesn’t have such strong self-esteem; she knows how to make use of her own value to be exploited. The worst outcome is nothing more than suffering some injuries…”
Yin Changli’s expression was unreadable, then he suddenly looked straight at the companion spirit, “The Emperor can no longer hurt her, but you can.”
The “hurt” here referred not to physical injuries.
“Spirit, I have plenty of time now to fight you. Hand over the divine arrow voluntarily, and I can consider sealing this Prison of Nightmares of yours to let you perish naturally. Otherwise, I will surely scatter you into smoke and dust!”
Once Yin Changli finished speaking, his killing intent surged abruptly, and the black fire in his palm soared instantly!
Within a single breath, it suppressed the nightmare power in reverse!
The sharp swords all around that originally pointed outward turned around with a clanging sound at his command, all pointing together toward the companion spirit!
—
—What should be done now?
Xiang Haikui was suffering from a headache.
Now that the path through the Xuantian Mirror was blocked, if she wanted to leave the Celestial Clan, she could only go through a “Well.”
“Well” was the name of a species of tree.
This type of tree belonged to a branch of the Jianmu Divine Tree and was hollow as a whole. Everything above its roots was in the Celestial Realm, while its roots extended downward, penetrating the barrier between the Celestial Realm and the Human Realm. After entering the inside of the trunk from the tree canopy, one could slide down into the Human Realm just like a slide.
Once, the number of Heavenly Wells was vast, but many years ago, the Celestial Clan sealed the vast majority of them, retaining only a small portion for passage.
Because the presence of the Wells caused the pure spiritual energy of the Celestial Realm to continuously flow downward, something the Celestial Clan would certainly not permit.
The previous generation’s Emperor had even begun operating in reverse, cultivating new tree species in an attempt to channel the foul energy of the Celestial Realm downward.
For this reason, the Shanhai Clan had been resisting continuously, calling the new tree species “Fiend Wells.”
If the Celestial Clan dared to plant them, they dared to tear them down. After tearing them down, Qi Yin even transformed the tree roots into sharp swords and impaled them into the plaque of Listening To Heaven Palace, ultimately sparking a war.
Though the Shanhai Clan was defeated, they killed all the Celestial figures capable of cultivating Fiend Wells, and all the seeds of the Fiend Wells were destroyed as well.
However, it was said that Jing Ran had provided a considerable amount of “funding” again, gathering a group of people to re-cultivate the Fiend Wells.
Leaving that aside for the moment, the Well closest to the Royal Capital was located at Han Qi’s mansion, situated to the east of the Royal Palace. Although it was also in the Royal Capital, it was extremely remote.
Jing Ran’s suspicion toward her had never been completely dispelled; bringing these array plates to the Palace of Heavenly Deities was not difficult for her, but going anywhere else was definitely impossible.
Especially approaching the location of a “Well,” which would be equivalent to an outright confession.
Tian Kuang was extremely annoyed, constantly slamming against the sword casket as if saying: What are you still contemplating? If you can’t fool him away, grab them by force of course! Listen to me, swallow the storage bag right now, transform into a flood dragon, and fly directly toward the Well!
As long as she could enter the Well, whether it was Jing Ran or the Celestial Clan’s number one sword master Dugu He, catching her would be no easy task.
The Celestial Clan’s sealing of numerous “Wells” had brought them a drawback.
People of the Celestial Clan had always breathed exceptionally pure spiritual energy. Much like a person who had been drinking pure water since inside the mother’s womb and was prone to diarrhea upon drinking foul water, it was very difficult for them to endure the turbid qi of the lower realm.
Therefore, people of the Celestial Clan usually descended to the lower realm using avatars and could not stay for too long, being forced to possess a mortal’s physical body.
A figure of Jing Ran’s level certainly didn’t need to do so, but in the turbid mortal realm, his power would likewise be restricted.
Meanwhile, Xiang Haikui, having transformed into a flood dragon, possessed astonishing flying speed.
Once she descended into the mortal world, Jing Ran might not necessarily catch up to her.
However…
Xiang Haikui used her mind power to suppress Tian Kuang: “In your dreams!”
Thirty-seven array discs gathered together, even with their weight reduced by half by the storage bag, could smash a mountain to pieces if thrown out.
Even for someone like her, who was used to handling heavy swords, she needed to wear thousand-jin gloves to lift it.
Once swallowed into her belly, her flying speed would slow down, and her movements would become clumsy.
Though there was a way to make up for the shortcoming in flight…
That still wouldn’t do; no matter how fast her flight was, she might still be captured by Jing Ran right at the start.
That golden long whip made of Zhulong skin and Ying Long bone in Jing Ran’s hands restrained her exceptionally severely, making it impossible to break free at all.
It had been cut by Yin Changli previously, but it was unknown whether he had a second one.
Tian Kuang slammed even harder: Then what do you mean? Everything has already been packed into the bag, could it be that you still want to take them out?!
Xiang Haikui bit her lip.
Though she didn’t know which one it was, her master’s array disc was right in her hands; giving up at the final hurdle was indeed something she couldn’t reconcile with!
Yet what choice did she have even if she was unreconciled?
Tian Kuang: Fight! How do you know if you can succeed without fighting for it?
“Haven’t I fought before? Have you forgotten what happened back in Bian City?” Xiang Haikui reminded Tian Kuang.
“Back then, he had just awakened from his reincarnation, with his heart pierced through and his abdomen mangled. Even when I transformed into a flood dragon, he was still able to restrain me…”
Not to mention that now his cultivation had fully recovered, making him one of the absolute top figures in this world, a ceiling-like existence.
Without the convenient door of the Xuantian Mirror, it was simply impossible to escape with the array plates right under his nose.
Impossible!
Tian Kuang: So what? Qi Yin risked his life to back you up, is this how you repay him? You coward, where did the courage and arrogance you had when fighting him before go?!
Xiang Haikui: “If fighting to the death could accomplish it, I would be willing to try, but the chance is far too slim; there is no need for this! Without the array discs, the Boss can still rely on his own abilities to break the arrays one by one to save them—there is hope after all…”
Tian Kuang roared: That stinky snake doesn’t even know what he has encountered, what if he’s dead!
Xiang Haikui fell silent for a moment.
“Shut your filthy mouth!”
Her thoughts churned, and a surge of hostile energy welled up, coating her eyes in a thin layer of blood-red mist.
This was the biggest drawback of Tian Kuang upon reaching maximum level—with even a slight misstep, she was prone to losing her mind.
However, quarrel as they might, Xiang Haikui was forced to admit that Tian Kuang made sense this time. What if Yin Changli…
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!
She kicked the thought straight out of her mind.
Lately, Yin Changli had been so gentle to her, gradually soothing her many past dissatisfactions with him through tender affection, to the point where he grew more and more pleasing to her eyes—so much so that she almost forgot he was a scheming, sinister old bastard.
When sending her off, there was not a single trace of “parting until death” in his eyes.
Nor was there any “regret”—had he estimated that he might die, he would definitely feel regret, since he hadn’t even won her over yet.
Yet even if he could emerge safe and sound, her master’s array was the most difficult to deal with.
They would need to release at least ten grand figures first to join forces before unsealing the Cave of Ten Thousand Bones, which would take at least one or two hundred years.
Who could guarantee nothing would go wrong during that time? Even Yin Changli himself didn’t dare promise that he could definitely rescue her master.
Previously, she had no choice—she couldn’t come to the Celestial Realm, nor could she get near the Royal Palace.
Now that the array disc were in her hands, to ask her to put them back… Though her mouth said she had no choice but to put them back, her hands refused to obey orders, unwilling to let go of the storage bag.
Besides, if she really put the array plates back today, she would never be able to suppress Tian Kuang again in the future, and her cultivation would likely come to a standstill right here!
Xiang Haikui steeled her heart.
Sensing her determination, Tian Kuang immediately turned its anger into excitement.
Yet she was in no rush to transform; raising her arm, she summoned forth a short arrow.
Back before the Boss went into dormancy, he had given her three arrows that pointed respectively toward three grand figures of the Shanhai Clan.
Xiang Haikui had used two to summon Wu xiang and Ba ying, leaving one unused before the Boss woke up.
Later, when she wanted to return it to him, he didn’t take it back, telling her to keep it by her side for emergencies.
He had also told her that this final arrow pointed toward a grand figure of the Vermilion Bird Clan.
Among all creatures of heaven and earth, birds possessed the fastest flying speed.
The Vermilion Bird was bound to possess flying divine abilities.
Xiang Haikui needed to borrow this flying divine ability to give herself a slightly higher chance of winning.
She manifested a needle and carved characters onto the arrowhead, hoping the Vermilion Bird grand figure could split off a bit more divine sense to come and lend her a hand.
It would certainly cause no small harm to the grand figure, but this array plate was also part of the grand figure’s interest, so there was no reason to refuse.
—”Greetings, Senior Zhuque, your junior Xiang Haikui has a request…”
After carving, she injected spiritual energy into the arrowhead and flicked her hand to send it flying out.
Previously, when releasing the arrowheads, she had specially run to an open, deserted place, but it was actually completely unnecessary.
She had underestimated the Boss’s skill in crafting artifacts; once this arrowhead was released, it would melt into the air. Except for her and the grand figure pointed to by the arrowhead, it was extremely difficult for anyone else to intercept it.
Its penetrating power was equally extraordinary; the walls of the secret chamber were like they were made of water—after being pierced, they merely rippled with a ring of waves and left no trace behind.
Xiang Haikui suspected that these three arrowheads might have been made from the scraps of the “Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow.”
“Senior?” Jing Ran’s voice suddenly echoed from outside.
Xiang Haikui was caught off guard and startled.
He likely caught the fluctuations triggered by the arrowhead, but fortunately, he didn’t intercept it.
“What is it?”
She feared that if she didn’t make a sound, he would open the door directly and step inside.
There was no response from outside again, and Xiang Haikui didn’t press further.
After waiting for quite a while, her ears caught a whoosh sound—the arrowhead had returned.
Xiang Haikui was somewhat disappointed; only the arrowhead returned, and the Vermilion Bird grand figure had not split off divine sense to come over.
Swish! Reaching out by intuition, she grabbed a clump of air, and the arrowhead materialized.
The arrowhead had been split in two, indicating that the Vermilion Bird grand figure had kept half of it.
—”Little Kui, there is a way to lend you the divine ability. I kept half the arrow to lock on your position; I will come to assist after the sun sets ten days from now. Take care.”
Wait ten days?
Xiang Haikui’s eyelids twitched.
Waiting ten days, she might even end up waiting until the Boss arrived.
Did the Vermilion Bird grand figure need ten days to split off more divine sense?
Unlikely; perhaps it was some strange quirk, like divining that today wasn’t an auspicious day—suitable for the Azure Dragon to venture out, but not for the Vermilion Bird.
No joke, this possibility was entirely plausible.
If the Shanhai grand figures understood how to prioritize urgent matters, they wouldn’t have been imprisoned in the first place.
“Senior?” Jing Ran’s voice sounded once more. He had likely caught the aura again, his suspicions growing heavier.
Seeing the half-arrowhead in her hand drain its spiritual energy and turn into starlight, Xiang Haikui began to feel conflicted.
Pretending to be a mirror spirit could only fool Jing Ran temporarily, not for a long time.
Besides, even if she could fool him, Xiang Haikui didn’t want to keep acting with him.
Whether she was capable of facing him and whether she wanted to face him were two completely different matters.
Acting for a few hours was fine, but acting for ten days?
To hell with that.
Xiang Haikui opened the sword casket and threw the storage bag into it, squeezing it in alongside Tian Kuang.
When she transformed later, the storage bag would end up straight inside her belly.
She decided to switch to a different way of staying in the Celestial Realm for ten days.
“Tian Kuang, if we’re going to do this, let’s do something big!”
