In an instant, the sea surged violently, followed by white froth that spread out in all directions. At this moment, Chu Weiyang rested one hand on his sword, lowering his head to gaze at the corpse of the man, much like the once formidable Mo Daozhong, slowly sinking into the deep ocean.
Blood surged from the ground, first dyeing the seawater a deep crimson, then gradually fading in the churning waves, until even Chu Weiyang could no longer see clearly. The middle-aged man seemed to possess a cultivation level similar to Chu Weiyang's, but the heavy sword strike had been executed with such decisiveness that even Chu Weiyang could not explain it further.
What kind of martial arts, what techniques, what origins—he knew nothing of it. Perhaps in this world, another seemingly ordinary life had ended beneath a single sword strike.
In a daze, as he watched the man's increasingly blurred face in the water, Chu Weiyang felt that in the moment of death, there was a certain sense of relief, as if the man had found liberation. Yet, in the world, there existed various great terrors, with life and death being paramount among them.
The remaining survivors seemed to have gone mad for a moment, their wailing throats producing sounds that resembled the grinding of metal and stone, as if they intended to use such piercing sounds to torment and kill Chu Weiyang.
Looking around, all he felt was chaos and ferocity. Thus, after rolling her eyes, Miss Qinghe pretended to perform a grand salute before raising a compass with a Lotus Seal.
As the tides surged, the ship remained steadfast, showing no signs of swaying. The master had left the mountain gate for unknown reasons, and upon her departure, she never returned. When news finally reached him, it was that she had perished under the killing techniques of a Golden Core Grandmaster from the Qianyuan Sword Sect, her soul scattered!
Suddenly! At a certain moment, when the piercing wails abruptly ceased, the last gust of wind, carrying the essence of the Hundred Flowers Killing Qi, surged past.
Uncertain if it was an illusion, at that moment, the light on the法剑 seemed to shine even sharper. Even though today he had overwhelmed the scattered cultivators with his foundation, it had indeed taken considerable effort; at least in Chu Weiyang's eyes, the talismans thrown by Miss Qinghe were all wasted.
In the vast outer sea, beneath the darkened sky, the winds and rains howled and ravaged. Hearing this, Chu Weiyang neither nodded nor shook his head; he finally raised his gaze to Miss Qinghe, and in the depths of his calm eyes, it seemed to reflect another side of her soul.
Her clear voice was melodious, yet no longer pretentious. Suddenly, a dark golden pattern cracked open, and in an instant, dark red blood splattered everywhere!
In the beginning, I had another master. At that time, I was in my teens, innocent and carefree, and my master doted on me greatly. Looking back, that was the most beautiful time in my memories, but one day, everything changed.
After nearly ten breaths of silence had passed. "When we first met, there was something I deceived you about. Initially, Shiyu Ting was merely my uncle, and he became my master only after meeting you in Jing'an Dao City..."
To be honest, from the very beginning, Miss Qinghe was not someone skilled in fighting techniques. This diversion caused the tension to completely dissipate.
Thinking of this, Chu Weiyang gently stroked the spine of his sword. The solitary and stubborn nature within me must have been cultivated during those difficult years; later, it fully integrated into my mind and spirit, leaving no chance for change. Everything today stems from the events of that year.
Chu Weiyang continued to sense the same emotions emerging from the talismans. Miss Qinghe's gaze fell upon the法剑 that was swirling with spiritual light. Just moments ago, her voice had been hoarse due to her agitation.
On the highest level of the ship, in front of the open window, two slender figures draped in gauzy garments lazily leaned against either side of the window. Yet, this was destined to be impossible.
Her hoarse voice rang out again. Chu Weiyang merely nodded in silence.
As the conversation reached its end, Chu Weiyang raised his head, staring into Miss Qinghe's eyes filled with complex emotions. The so-called sect was merely another mundane world; moreover, in an environment like the Hundred Flowers Tower, once the support was lost, I still needed to maintain my identity as a direct disciple, filled with schemes, tricks, and hidden daggers behind smiles...
Looking again, the woman’s face flushed, and the bulging veins seemed to writhe as if something were crawling within. Soon, dark golden patterns, resembling flower pollen, began to spread across her face, following the movement of the crawling creature.
One person had to pretend nothing had happened, while the other could not look away. He was unsure if Miss Qinghe truly hated the Qianyuan Sword Sect as she claimed.
Layers of scripture transformed into mist, pushing away the raging winds and waves surrounding them. At this moment, Chu Weiyang still had the mind to reflect on the details of Miss Qinghe's fighting techniques. Not far away, Miss Qinghe did not spare a glance at the woman's corpse; as she turned, her gaze fell upon Chu Weiyang, unable to shift away.
This was the insight a direct disciple of a major sect should possess.
Then, looking again, the woman stood stiffly in place, the dark golden patterns seemed to have been predetermined, all intertwining and collapsing at that moment. The splattering dark red blood rain carried away the last remnants of the woman's life and essence.
Unexplainably, Miss Qinghe felt a sudden halt in her breath, her entire spirit trembling within. Chu Weiyang sheathed his法剑, and as he cast a法印, he guided the solitary boat towards the shore of Lingfu Island.
As the conversation reached its conclusion, Miss Qinghe's shoulders trembled once more. Along with Chu Weiyang, herself, and Lingfu Island, everything suddenly became vibrant.
Miss Qinghe held the talisman, drawing upon the Hundred Flowers Killing Qi, creating an insurmountable chasm before the woman!
Swish—!
Another gust of wind swept down. Blood continued to spurt as the woman fell backward, tumbling off the bow of the boat, scattering a mass of white froth, and was submerged in the sea.
At this moment, Master Shiyu Ting's master gently extended a hand. Just listening to the joy in that voice, it was as if Chunyu Zhi had just won against Miss Qinghe.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the sea, within the ship of the Hundred Flowers Tower.
For no reason, Miss Qinghe felt her spirit deflate, her entire being relaxing.
It turned out that sometimes, just speaking a word could be such a difficult task.
But Chu Weiyang understood very well that if Miss Qinghe truly used the techniques of the Hundred Flowers Tower, it would be impossible to discern the truth from mere emotional fluctuations.
Qianyuan Sword Sect, Jieyun lineage, Golden Core Grandmaster Qingxi Daoist, Song Qingxi! I remember it clearly; I will never forget it in this lifetime!"
In that exchange, Chu Weiyang's hollow eyes seemed to contain a power that could stir the heart.
There was no underlying panic; at this moment, all the techniques of the Hundred Flowers Tower, the once dazzling verbal skills, were completely forgotten by Miss Qinghe.
Upon hearing this, Miss Qinghe suddenly fell silent for a moment before she spoke again.
She seemed not to be forced to reside beside Chu Weiyang as a servant during a calamity.
As her words fell, Chu Weiyang appeared to be oblivious, as if he had heard nothing, yet within his mind, the sound of Chunyu Zhi's suppressed laughter echoed.
Staring into those hollow, dark eyes that resembled a gloomy cave filled with eerie spirits, Miss Qinghe understood she should say something, but when she opened her mouth, she stammered for a long time, the heartfelt words suddenly stuck in her throat, unable to utter a single word.
Yet since Miss Qinghe displayed a certain emotion of belonging, Chu Weiyang did not mind giving her a sense of shared animosity.
Chu Weiyang did not gaze at Miss Qinghe for too long. When she finally regained her composure and was about to speak again, Chu Weiyang looked past her figure towards the increasingly roaring and oppressive towering waves, and suddenly spoke.
The fierce winds and torrential rains slipped from his jade-like fingertips, but when the woman withdrew her hand, what gently twisted at her fingertips was no longer the vapor of rain and wind, but a spreading crimson hue, which, along with the twisting of her fingers, transformed into strands of Killing Qi.
Only at this moment did her lazy voice finally sound.
ps: Character cards for Chu Weiyang, Ma Sandong, Chunyu Zhi, Shiyu Ting, and Danxia Laomu have been released; you can check them on the homepage.
Xun Chun Xu Zhou
Many books are now hard to find; cherish them while you can.