Amidst the absolute chaos, Wei Qingming remained suspended in the air, her eyes closed, indifferent to everything around her. Managing such a massive redirection of energy was a strain even with the aid of the Wujing Sect’s high-level arrays and Dharma treasures; for one at the Cloud-Swallowing Stage, it was pushing the limits of possibility. She had to maintain absolute focus, for a single moment of negligence would cause the entire situation to spiral out of control, enough to level the ten eastern wards of the capital.
The martial techniques of a demonic cultivator were indeed overbearing. This dark fist strike arrived first despite being launched later, proving swifter even than Master Xun’s fluttering, paper-thin golden spells. In the blink of an eye, it was upon her. The wind from the punch howled, whipping Wei Qingming’s robes into a frenzy. Just as my heart leaped into my throat in terror, an ill-timed thought actually popped into my head: *She’s being good today, remembering to wear a thick fur cloak...*
The punch was intercepted by Ye Jun, who had flashed in front of Wei Qingming. Simultaneously, Wei Qingming finally opened her eyes. She swung her blade back in a strike as swift as wind and thunder, catching Master Xun’s spell directly on the thin edge of her blade.
The two stood back-to-back, enveloped in two piercing radiances—one black and one gold. Curiously, eerie and sinister black markings began to glow upon Ye Jun’s body, crawling from his arms to his neck and even across his face. They looked like the strange decorative tattoos of some foreign tribe, yet also resembled ancient script.
I recalled the floral embroidery I had seen on his wrist during our only other meeting. I wondered if that embroidery was the true form of these markings, or merely a cover...
“Demonic markings! A man of the official courts bears demonic markings!” The demonic cultivator threw his head back and laughed, utterly delighted. “Excellent! I shall skin you alive and take them for my own use!”
“Wei Nine!” Ye Jun actually had the presence of mind to turn and joke. “Master Feng forbade me from showing my face. If he scolds me, I’ll say it was your idea.”
“Recovering the Demonic Lute is your mission,” Wei Qingming replied expressionlessly. “I am merely assisting you.”
The two exchanged a smile. Ye Jun brushed aside the wind from the fist strike and let out a whistle. “My demonic markings are quite the handful!” Demonic energy overflowed from him as his stature suddenly grew several inches taller. Meanwhile, Wei Qingming held her blade, stabbing it into the center of that gold-leaf spell. Her other hand reached into the tiny crack opened by the blade’s edge, and with raw, empty-handed strength, she tore the spell in half!
Golden light shattered, dissipating like smoke.
She casually wiped the residual magic from the Still Water Blade and said coldly, “You did not intend to kill me, only to cast a binding curse. For that, I suppose I should thank you.”
Master Xun looked at her. He seemed to have no intention of answering at first, but after a long silence, he finally spoke: “You could choose to come with me. You do not have to throw your life away.”
The corner of Wei Qingming’s mouth quirked upward. “I must respectfully decline.”
As she spoke, she reached up to undo the ties at her neck, pulling off the cumbersome fur cloak and tossing it aside before swinging her blade to attack.
With both sides locked in combat, I didn't have time to process that bizarre conversation. I patted the shoulder of Lu Lingfeng, who was staring at the demonic markings on Ye Jun’s body without so much as a blink. I said solemnly, “Are you curious about what’s drawn on him?”
Lu Lingfeng nodded. I continued, “If he dies, you won’t be able to ask. Go help him defeat that old codger, and I’ll have my paramour ask him everything for you!”
Lu Lingfeng thought for a moment and added, “I don’t want it explained. I want it drawn clearly.”
“Fine, leave it to m—leave it to my paramour!”
Riding her little dragon, Lu Lingfeng summoned her broken wooden bucket and the Yin-wood. She released Little Guai, the ghost general equivalent to the Canxia Stage, and Big Fatty the water ghost. One person and three ghosts charged aggressively toward the demonic cultivator. I, meanwhile, turned and flew toward her.
Before entering the illusion array, the sky had been dusk, but not yet entirely dark. It was a clear day; I imagined that outside this battlefield, one could see the sunset—orange-red like flowing gold and molten fire—settling peacefully and slowly beneath the horizon, just like any other ordinary winter day for thousands of years. Only now did I notice the sky was pitch black, yet because of the glow from the demonic sun, everything in sight was washed in a strange, discordant green.
Wei Qingming’s Still Water Blade clashed with her opponent’s edge, producing the sound of hard steel meeting hard steel. Sparks of golden light flashed incessantly, blooming like clusters of fireworks in the dark night.
Having calmed down, I realized that although Master Wei often seemed to take great risks, she was never truly unprepared. For her and Ye Jun to dare challenge those of a higher rank, they must have used some method to temporarily boost their combat power. Ye Jun’s demonic markings likely served this purpose, and Wei Qingming must have taken a similar elixir. However, temporary methods never lasted. Within fifteen minutes, victory or defeat would be decided.
I made up my mind, concealed my form, and drifted to the periphery of their fight.
The closer I got, the more dense and deafening the clanging of weapons became, making my ears ache and my body go numb. Though her strength and speed were greatly enhanced by the elixir, she still could not bridge the gap between major cultivation realms. This fight should have been won through trickery rather than brute force, yet Wei Qingming acted against her usual nature. Every strike was direct and unyielding; she swung her blade almost like a mace, her momentum fierce and violent in a way I had never seen before. Master Xun, as if valuing his status too much to strike back, merely parried with his weapon, keeping his other hand behind his back. He didn't even seem to deign to trade proper blows with her.
Only from up close did I realize that the sword he held was not even out of its sheath.
The two exchanged nearly a hundred rapid blows. Wei Qingming was knocked back dozens of yards by the heavy, blunt wind of Master Xun’s sword, but she didn't stop for a moment. Using the momentum to spin atop a high roof, her next move followed immediately. The Still Water Blade, usually dark and muted, finally emitted that light I knew so well—bright as day. She swung out a magnificent pale-gold blade-qi, like a crescent golden moon shining in the night sky.
Between those of the same rank, blade-qi infused with one's innate elemental attribute cannot be met with weapons alone; it must be countered with magic. This was common knowledge in the world of cultivation. This spell, originating from an immortal tool and boosted by temporary enhancements to near the Canxia Stage, was no small matter. Even Master Xun was forced to step aside to dodge. Wei Qingming had predicted this perfectly; a second blade-qi arrived almost on the heels of the first, slamming directly into the crossguard of the greatsword Master Xun held before his chest. With a crisp, clean *ding*, that heavy greatsword was actually pushed half an inch out of its scabbard by the force of the qi!
Though it was only half an inch, it had truly forced Master Xun to reveal his blade’s edge.
Master Xun remained unmoved, shaking his head. He only said, “It is still too early for you.” Then, he pressed down with a finger, pushing the sword back into place.
Being looked down upon with such a lofty, superior attitude would provoke even someone as deep and still as Wei Qingming. She replied coldly, “Then, forgive this junior’s rudeness.” She summoned a string of Canxia-grade explosive talismans and thunder talismans, hurling them with a flick of her hand. Her figure blurred, and she was close again, striking directly at Master Xun’s heart and throat.
Had she truly been provoked into a rage by Master Xun’s contempt? No... she would never adopt such a reckless, draining style of fighting without reason. I focused my mind and observed for a while, discovering that Wei Qingming was attacking forcefully with every move, completely ignoring her own defense. Master Xun was even more absurd; not only was he purely defensive, but on the rare occasions he couldn't dodge and had to counter with his scabbard, he was incredibly restrained, as if he were terrified of harming her in the slightest...
I was so shocked I nearly pointed at the middle-aged man and shouted. Could he be some old acquaintance of Master Wei’s?
Wei Qingming was certainly more aware of her opponent’s extremely abnormal avoidance than I was. She was completely exploiting it, leaving herself riddled with openings. She should have used this chance to stall Master Xun while waiting for Ye Jun and Lu Lingfeng to defeat the demonic cultivator so they could surround him together and force out the location of the Demonic Lute. Instead, she employed an unbelievable strategy: every single attack was intended to force Master Xun to draw his sword!
Before I could think this through, the battle shifted in an instant. Wei Qingming struck down with another powerful blow. Her momentum was nearly spent when Master Xun raised his sword to flick her away. This time, the force he used was more than a hundred times stronger than before. Wei Qingming was tossed back by the overwhelming power; her next move was a fraction of a second too slow, leaving her left side wide open. Master Xun struck out suddenly, intending to capture her!
I didn't have time to think. I pushed my movement technique to its limit and rushed forward. By the time I regained my senses, I was already holding Xiaolian, using the "Falling Rain, Parting Flowers" technique to stab at the center of his palm...
The principle of "Falling Rain, Parting Flowers" is to go with the flow and borrow the opponent's momentum. His grab was heavy with the force of ten thousand catties; with Xiaolian being a divine weapon, if he met it directly with a palm of the Canxia Stage, he would inevitably be pierced by his own strength. To my surprise, Master Xun managed to change his move in mid-air. His wrist tilted slightly, and with two fingers, he pinched the tip of Xiaolian and tossed it aside. I had no time to pull back; even though he only touched the tip of my sword for a fraction of an inch, the force sent me flying back violently.
At that moment, Wei Qingming had also leaped back several feet to avoid being caught. Master Xun’s toss happened to throw me right into her arms. He had thrown me so hard my head was spinning and I barely knew which way was up; when I finally stopped, I found myself nestled in her embrace.
From a distance, Wei Qingming’s moves looked fierce and her aura magnificent. Someone who didn't know better might think this was truly a fight between equals. Only up close did I realize she was struggling immensely. Her breathing was incredibly heavy, and her entire body was numb from overexertion and from withstanding the counter-shocks of a Canxia Master. She braced herself behind me, retreating dozens more feet to bleed off the momentum of Master Xun’s throw before finally stopping. Between her gasps for air, she couldn't even speak.
My heart ached with worry. I whispered, “Let’s not fight anymore. Let’s run...”
She shook her head almost imperceptibly and forced three words through her teeth: “Fifteen more minutes.” As she spoke, she struggled to pull an object from her robes and pressed it into my hand. I looked down; it was a peculiar jade talisman. An ethereal blue light was gradually rising from the bottom, and more than half of it was already glowing.
My attention was caught by the talisman for a moment, then I felt a warmth on my cheek and neck. She had cast a healing spell on me. Only then did I remember I had scratched my skin back in the illusion array. When I looked up again, she had steadied her breathing. She gave me a small smile, then turned her cold gaze back to Master Xun.
She certainly had a plan. I should trust her.
At that thought, I smiled too. “This old man is so hesitant and indecisive. Let’s blow him up!”
