Chapter 51: Chaotic Formation
“Crack!” Li Qingfeng pressed his palms together, and a massive suction force appeared once more.
Jiang Xiao roared in fury, “Have you lost your mind?! Your meridians are already damaged from the reverse flow, and you’re forcing yourself to circulate energy—you…”
“If it means turning into something like you, neither human nor ghost, a wretched creature…”
“I’d rather die!”
The little fatty’s pores erupted with dark vortices, and the tainted blood from the Blood Refining Formation surged toward him like a hundred rivers converging into the sea.
Li Qingfeng steeled his heart with grim resolve. “The Heaven-Devouring Technique has such a great reputation—if it can’t even absorb this bit of blood mist…”
“Then forget about finding a successor! Just bury me along with it!”
The little fatty’s eyes turned crimson, and blood seeped from his seven orifices.
Jiang Xiao discovered in horror that it was not only the blood mist within the formation, but even the vital blood inside his own body that had begun to boil uncontrollably.
The ancient well exploded with a thunderous boom, and the sky-reaching blood mist was forcibly severed.
“How is this possible?!”
He let out a piercing shriek and raised his black flying sword to defend himself.
But this flying sword relied on the blood mist within the formation for its power. Now, with his mind in disarray, it wavered unsteadily.
Yet Qin Ying’s ice-blue flying sword had already closed in, clashing with him in fierce combat.
Jiang Xiao let out an unwilling roar tinged with panic, “Boy! Without my Blood Refining Ancient Scroll’s power to sustain you, that vital blood will not only fail to enhance your cultivation—it will devour your heart meridians due to being of different origins, and you will explode and die!”
The little fatty ignored him entirely.
Because at that moment, Li Qingfeng’s ears had already been drowned by the tidal roar of surging blood and the howling of the circulating technique.
He could not hear a word Jiang Xiao said.
The sky was blanketed in blood mist, on the verge of merging into Li Qingfeng’s body.
“Hummm—”
A streak of blue spiritual light appeared, severing the blood mist from Li Qingfeng.
“…
Gu Qingqing had awakened at some unknown point.
Her young face was filled with determination, and in her hand she clutched a precious jade that emanated a faint glow.
She had just regained consciousness, and in truth her remaining spiritual energy was nearly depleted. Yet she stubbornly drew spiritual qi from the spirit stones while simultaneously activating the jade to shield Li Qingfeng.
Everyone was fighting with everything they had—for nothing else but a sliver of hope. For survival itself.
Song Yan held nothing back, pouring spiritual energy into the Twin Jades Pearl while condensing sword qi from the Suppressing Formation Sword Vault at his fingertips.
Black and white runes drifted slowly from the Twin Jades Pearl, binding the black flying sword like chains.
The demonic flame along the blade dimmed abruptly, emitting a piercing wail.
The Blood Refining Formation had actually stopped operating!
For Jiang Xiao, it felt as though the wheels of a carriage had been jammed by two pieces of foul, stubborn timber—no matter how the blood-sweat stallion ran, the carriage would never turn again.
“This is impossible!”
He was utterly unwilling to accept it. “What kind of reasoning is this!!!”
Reasoning?
A trick. The ways of heretics and demons!
Song Yan sneered inwardly.
Almost simultaneously with activating the Twin Jades Pearl in his left hand, a strand of sword essence began to gather at the tip of his right finger.
Unlike the first one, which had been simulated from spiritual energy, this sword essence—refined to the utmost degree—flew from his Dao Residence and coiled, condensing at his fingertip.
Now that he possessed a Sword Dao seed and the lotus-shaped sword qi formed by spiritual energy circulation, conducing sword essence, though still enormously costly, no longer required a long period of time.
Qin Ying was no fool. Spiritual energy surged wildly around her body, and frost spiritual qi transformed into a sky full of snow and wind.
Her finger traced a profound rune before her.
Hummm—
Spiritual light exploded from Song Yan’s fingertip. The sword essence shot forth at tremendous speed, piercing and dissolving Jiang Xiao’s already chaotic, hastily formed protective spiritual robe.
Qin Ying’s gaze bore bone-chilling cold. The Frost Heaven Heart Sutra operated at full power, and the rune at her fingertip was finally completed.
In the blink of an eye.
The entire Peach Blossom Wharf had been transformed into an ice cavern.
Without his protective spiritual energy, Jiang Xiao’s body of coagulated tainted blood was swiftly frozen by the extreme cold.
No…
He discovered that at this moment, he could not even open his mouth.
No, no…
I have not yet taken my revenge…
I have not yet ascended to immortality…
I…
Qin Ying said nothing and gave Jiang Xiao no chance to beg for mercy.
She raised her delicate hand and clenched her fist from a distance.
Jiang Xiao’s demonic body was rapidly covered in thicker frost and ice, until in a single instant…
It shattered with a thunderous crash.
Jiang Xiao’s lingering aura twisted and flickered in the sky full of snow.
Finally, it dissipated entirely.
“……”
A small paper figure stained with blood slowly crawled outward, only to be pierced through by Qin Ying’s sword.
Blood-colored light rose from it and drifted away into the sky.
Identical to the fate of the three demonic cultivators killed outside Stone Beam Town.
“……”
Watching Jiang Xiao’s complete annihilation, Song Yan felt a sense of release in his heart.
From techniques, to magical artifacts, to the formation’s core—
What could truly be called a “demonic cultivator” was inherently opportunistic and built on seizing by force. It was never steady or methodical like a proper path. Had one not encountered anything that could counter or restrain such methods, things might have been fine.
For a demonic cultivator as unfortunate as Jiang Xiao to die and have his Dao obliterated, he had no one else to blame.
But…
Was it truly just his misfortune?
Song Yan looked to his side—at Li Qingfeng collapsed on the ground, at Gu Qingqing weakly regulating her breath, and at Qin Ying sitting cross-legged with furrowed brows, slowly circulating energy to expel the corrosive qi—
Among the cultivators under heaven, the multitude of beings, those who obtained opportunities through the strength of their fortune were as numerous as fish crossing a river.
Even an ordinary person like himself could cultivate the ancient sword cultivator’s secret arts. What else was impossible?
Grandfather used to tell him and Xiao He:
“When people are young, they often consider themselves extraordinary.”
“It is only after experiencing some years, after seeing countless heroes in the world, that they gradually come to understand and accept their own ordinariness…”
Cultivators were the same, perhaps.
He had obtained an opportunity and felt that it was unique under all heaven. He believed he would rise to great heights and become invincible.
But in truth,
Beneath the vast sky, who knew how many cultivators possessed opportunities and fortune—even talent, comprehension, and strength of will—that were no less than his own.
The great Dao and the karma of this world were like a vast ocean…
How could an ordinary mortal cultivator, harboring vain hope, presume to fathom its depths?
……
White Manor.
“This time, many thanks to Senior Sister Qin, and to all of you, fellow disciples…”
Bai Zimuo was somewhat thin, carrying an air of scholarly refinement.
Neither Qin Ying nor Song Yan spoke up to respond, but the little fatty was unwilling to let the conversation fall flat.
“Not at all…”
The subsequent handling of Peach Blossom Wharf was entrusted to the Linxi County government office and Bai Zimuo, who served as its enforcer.
“All the villagers were given proper burials.”
“However, one villager named Chen Jiping—his body could not be found. He likely has no remains left…”
“……”
None of them had any impression of the name.
But how these minor matters were ultimately resolved was not within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Abyss Sect.
“That beggar at the village entrance…”
Song Yan suddenly spoke.
Bai Zimuo was briefly startled, as though the only thing his mind could ultimately produce was “madman.”
He then let out a long sigh and explained, “We investigated. He is also a pitiful soul.”
“Back then, after Jiang Xiao was expelled from the sect, his resentment and killing intent ran deep. Later, no one knows where he obtained that demonic cultivator’s inheritance, and he became even more lawless.”
“He offended Jiang Xiao, and his entire family was killed. Jiang Xiao deliberately left him alive…”
“Sigh…”
He let out another long sigh, as though he could not bear to say more.
“But now, at least, his revenge has been avenged.”
“……”
Qin Ying’s voice remained icy and devoid of emotion. “With matters here concluded, let us return to the sect immediately.”
The three of them set down their teacups.
“Yes, Senior Sister.”
“Well… very well.” Bai Zimuo seemed somewhat reluctant to part. “May all of you, fellow disciples, have a splendid path of cultivation. Do not waste your prime years in the mortal world.”
“I’ll see you off.”
Out of courtesy, Bai Zimuo accompanied them out of the city.
Bai Lei, as Bai Zimo’s family servant, naturally accompanied them as well.
“Let us stop here…”
Bai Zimuo and Bai Lei behind him bowed.
“Then I wish all of you a safe journey.”
Bai Lei looked up, only to discover that apart from Qin Ying, who stood with her back turned, the remaining three had not departed. Instead, they had turned around and were staring at him.
Their gazes burned.
Song Yan summoned his flying sword, his finger tracing along its edge. Sword qi radiated cold.
He looked at Bai Lei.
“So that means…”
“This Senior Brother Bai Zimuo of mine—has he been dead for quite some time?”
Bai Lei’s forehead beaded with sweat. “Uh… honored immortals, what… what are you saying?”
“This servant does not understand…”
Li Qingfeng chuckled darkly. “Jiang Xiao is dead. What were you thinking—didn’t you consider running? Playing at hiding in plain sight under our very noses…”
“Did you think we cannot read the characters on the Blood Refining Ancient Scroll?”
Bai Lei’s pupils contracted sharply, and he knew instantly that things had gone wrong.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
…….