Chapter 296: Chapter 296
The Bottomless Nether Ring and the Dao-Embryo Nascent Soul were almost constantly converting between substance and qi, while at the same time attempting to merge with the Blood-Shadow Demon Body at a deeper, more fundamental level.
In response, with the heart aperture as its core, countless fine blood vessels and meridians, along with bones and internal organs were shifting from illusory to solid, materializing out of nothing. Together, they bound his entire body into a tightly knit, complex, and exquisitely precise network.
This body still looked human, but in subtle ways it was completely different. It could be described as another form of “demonization.”
It was this very body that, without Li Xun even realizing it, helped him break through a long-standing problem in his cultivation. Ever since he began cultivating, his mind had been forced to split its focus between two, sometimes even three, directions at once. Now that awkward limitation was gone, and the path forward in his cultivation had finally become clear.
And yet, Li Xun couldn’t muster even a shred of excitement about it.
Because he knew damn well that while breaking through to the True Person realm might be part of it, the real key… the thing truly behind all this was that Bone-Meridian Heartlink Technique. This enigmatic technique that Zhong Yin had created was, as his cultivation climbed higher, unleashing more and more jaw-dropping effects.
Yin Wanderer was fully aware of every change happening inside Li Xun’s body. Seeing him zone out like that, she spoke up from beside him: “So, what’s your plan from here on out?”
The question jolted Li Xun back to his senses. He frowned and glanced at her, sensing something oddly off about the way she’d phrased it.
“Plans? What plans? No matter what, today I’ve at least managed to cover up the whole identity issue. And since Li Douliang’s already here, the Ming Ji problem should get sorted out. All I have to do is head back to the sect according to the original plan. What else is there to plan?”
“Is that so? You’re really just going back like that?”
Li Xun glanced down at himself and grimaced; it really was an eyesore. After all those back-to-back fights in the Star River, plus the transformations of his Blood-Shadow Demon Body, his Daoist robe was nothing but rags now, barely covering anything. At least he hadn’t lost any of his treasures, and thanks to the special storage in his Nethermyst Puppet, he could just pull out a fresh one and change.
He borrowed a fresh set of robes from Yin Wanderer, quickly changed into them, then caught the subtle shift in her expression and let out a hearty laugh. “I get what you’re hinting at. Things have changed. Inside and outside the Star River it’s probably total chaos right now. If I just stick to the original plan, not only would I get nothing out of it, I might even end up drawing trouble to myself. Am I right?”
Yin Wanderer just smiled, saying nothing.
Li Xun kept checking over his various magical treasures. “It’s just a shame there’s still that Heart Garden hanging over me. To everyone else, Bisu and Yun Xing’s deaths are already suspicious enough as it is. But over at Heart Garden, they’ll think one step further than most. That means there’s a much higher chance they’ll start suspecting me. If I don’t make some kind of move right now, wouldn’t I just be handing them something to grab onto?”
Yin Wanderer knew exactly what he meant by “making a move.” It basically boiled down to distancing himself from suspicion. The best approach would be to slip back into the Star River while everyone still assumed the killer had fled thousands of li away, kick up a bit of trouble, and then “show his face” in person to prove he was there all along.
When that happened, aside from costing the Xingji Sword Sect some face, it would serve as a neat explanation for everyone involved.
The only problem was that this plan was way too risky. With “Spirit Bamboo’s” level of cultivation and no insider like Bisu to help out, sneaking into the Star River under such tight security? Easier said than done. If he got spotted right at the start, it’d probably backfire spectacularly and make things even worse.
“You’re hesitating when you should be decisive,” Yin Wanderer said, shaking her head with a sigh and a smile. “You’re clearly a vicious wolf already. Why bother stealing a dog’s job?”
“That’s an interesting way to put it.” Li Xun wasn’t offended at all by being compared to a wolf or a dog. He simply laughed. “You’ve called me a wolf, and you’ve seen how I slipped out of Li Douliang’s grasp and the others’ as well. If that’s the case, wouldn’t stealing a dog’s job be perfectly safe for me? At worst, I just run off with my tail between my legs. In this whole world, who could even threaten me at this point?”
Yin Wanderer was left speechless.
It was rare to see her so thoroughly talked down, and Li Xun found it indescribably satisfying. To him, it felt even better than pinning her beneath him and going at it a hundred times. Laughing loudly, he turned his body slightly and activated the Bone-Meridian Heartlink Technique. Pure Daoist true breath surged through him, filling every part of his body, until not a trace of demonic aura left about him..
At the side, Yin Wanderer gave a quiet word of praise. Every time she saw the wonders of this technique, she could not help but marvel. Even though she had no liking for Zhong Yin at all, she still had to admit that his methods surpassed anyone else of this era by a shocking margin.
That said, the display reminded her of something else. “If you say there’s no one in this world who can threaten you, that’s a bit too absolute. As far as I know, at the very least, there are two who can be called natural enemies of the Blood-Shadow demon body.”
“Oh? Which two?”
Yin Wanderer gave a half-smile. “The Demon Phoenix and Qing Luan. Their true forms are divine birds from the immortal realm. Just in terms of speed alone, they are no slower than you. And more importantly, they are born to suppress all demonic and evil beings. They are your perfect counter. If you run into them, you can’t beat them, and you can’t escape either. Wouldn’t that be a real problem?”
“They…” Li Xun fell silent. He was no fool; he’d seen enough to know damn well that not a single word Yin Sanren said was bullshit.
What made it deadlier was his relationship with the Demon Phoenix and Qing Luan. The two sides were practically born to clash. Even without Gu Yin tangled up in things, a showdown between them was only a matter of time. And when that day came, if he still had to rely on the Blood-Shadow Demon Body, he’d be the biggest fucking joke in the world.
The confidence that had been swelling so quickly began to ebb. At the same time, a vague understanding dawned on him. He was beginning to see why Yin Wanderer had chosen to say all of this.
Dawn was approaching in the east. After a whole night of pure chaos, the Star River finally seemed to settle down and go quiet. But for the Mingxin Sword Sect cultivators stationed all around its perimeter, peace of mind? That was something they hadn’t felt even once.
An hour ago, after that streak of blood light ripped across the sky, the air all around turned thick and scorching. Enough to choke you. And since then, there was still no word from Qingming or Li Douliang.
The Cloud Tower Moon-Grasping Chariot hovered silently in midair. All its qi circulation completely concealed, not a trace leaking out. Yet through the Water Mirror formed from condensed clouds, every movement within a hundred-li radius was laid bare. Not so much as a blade of grass stirred without being noticed by those aboard the chariot.
Mingde stared listlessly at the flickering scenes in the water mirror, idly sliding his treasured sword in and out of its sheath over and over. Anything to dull the gnawing anxiety eating at him inside.
Among the Seven Swords of Lianxia, he had the hottest temper. He was impulsive, always charging ahead, quick to act when he thought something was unjust. He wasn’t as sharp or piercingly insightful as Ming Ji, but his straightforward, no-nonsense personality was actually pretty similar to Ming Ji’s. That’s probably why, out of all his fellow disciples, he got along best with Ming Ji.
This time, when Ming Ji had been trapped in the Star River, Mingde had been the first to rush in and cause a scene. He had not expected to be battered so badly by the Star River’s restrictive formations, leaving him humiliated and frustrated. For nearly a month now, he had been stewing in pent-up anger.
On normal days, with everything so tense and hectic, he barely noticed it. But now, suddenly stuck with nothing to do, he felt a heavy tightness in his chest. And staring at the exquisitely crafted water mirror only made the fire in his heart flare higher.
“What the hell is that kid Li Xun doing? Normally he has nothing better to do than mess around with all sorts of shady, unorthodox tricks. But when we actually need him, he disappears without a trace. Does he even care about the safety of his elders?”
Ming Song, who had been resting with his eyes closed nearby, opened them. “Fifth Brother, that’s completely unfair,” he said. “No third-generation disciples were sent on this Star River mission. Why are you singling out Xun’er for criticism?”
Mingde had only spoken in a fit of pique to begin with, and now with Ming Song chewing him out, his anger fizzled right out. Still, he could not help muttering under his breath, “I’m not picking on him. It’s just that in the whole sect, he’s the only one who’s actually useful when it comes to restrictions.”
As fellow sect members, who didn’t know Mingde’s temper? Hearing him spout such unreasonable nonsense, the several junior and senior brothers around them all burst out laughing.
Even Ming Song could not quite keep a straight face. In the end, though, he let out a sigh. “This matter was never something brute force could solve. We’ve been drifting around the perimeter for days now, and all we’ve really done is help the sect save a little face. The real key lies with Sect Master Li’s mediation. If he can turn a major conflict into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing at all, without disrupting the purpose of next month’s Water Mirror Assembly, that would be best. Let’s just hope nothing else goes wrong over in the Star River…”
He had not finished speaking when they all felt it at the same time. A sword-light streaked in from beyond the heavens, shooting down into the carriage. Judging by the aura of the blade light, it was a message sent back by Qingming.
Several of them stood up at the same time, all turning to look toward the imperial carriage. Not long after, figures flickered on the cloud platform. Qingxu, the one in charge of maintaining the restriction formations there, flew down in a rush. His face was dark and heavy, like still water.
“Ming Ji is fine now. Old Tian Yuan finally decided to give Sect Master Li some face and agreed to release her.”
“Huh? That’s great news!”
Mingde clapped his hands in delight, only to earn a round of glares from everyone else. Qingxu showed no reaction at all and simply went on, “The Star River has undergone a drastic upheaval. Bisu and Yun Xing are dead, and Old Tian Yuan has decided to withdraw from the Water Mirror Alliance.”
Everyone jolted in shock. Whether it was Bisu or Yun Xing, they were both towering figures in this world. Men whose names carried massive weight, every bit the equal of the Seven Swords of Lianxia. How could masters like that just up and die?
Seeing their expressions, Qingxu let out a quiet sigh and, following the information carried by the flying sword, gave them a rough account of what had happened in the Star River. Not a single person there was an idiot.
Even the hot-headed Mingde could taste the sheer strangeness of the situation. He scratched his head. “The Blood-Shadow demon body… even Blood Wanderer back in the day never managed to refine something that twisted. When did Fourth Senior Sister ever offend a devil like that?”