CH 137

Proofread by Snake

The shadow had enveloped Chi Bijiang and wanted to escape. But a light-blue flash of light appeared suddenly. It brimmed so brightly with the sword glow that it seemed to block out the sky, and formed a dazzling, impregnable protective screen that captured the shadow inside.

The shadow sneered slyly, and swiftly divided into two parts, which then transformed into three human-shaped figures. Each shadow was holding one Chi Bijiang in their arms. They then lowered their heads to the faces of these three Chi Bijiangs, before slowly flowing inside of them through their eyes, ears and noses. It was as if the shadows were melting in order to enter the bodies of these women.

Nightmare demons had spirits, but did not possess physical bodies, so they were adept at entering one’s spiritual consciousness by changing their shapes. The clan of fox spirits had already been killed, but the nightmare demon had been nowhere to be seen—it turned out that it had been hiding here all along in waiting!

Jiang Li was terrified.

In a flash, the three shadows broke through the barrier and rushed in three different directions. He only had a split second to choose which one to follow.

Jiang Li dashed towards the middle one!

The shadow was completely crushed to pieces under the pressure of the Guyue Sword.

At the same time, the left shadow was also shattered by Changming, and only the right one broke through the window, flew out with Chi Bijiang, and was about to flee!

A person was standing in the courtyard still, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

That was Yun Weisi.

He had nothing in his hands—he had neither spiritual swords, nor sharp weapons. His sleeves were fluttering in the wind as he stood there motionless.

Of course, the nightmare demon did not pay any attention to him and just rushed forward!

Yun Weisi raised his hand and pointed with his index finger.

He pointed to the heavens, to the ever-changing bridge of stars that was the Milky Way that hung over the skies like a silver ribbon, and soon a ring surrounded his opponent.

No matter how the nightmare demon tried to break free, it could not leave the place at all—it was as if it had been sealed completely with no way out.

The moment Jiang Li rushed outside, ready to snatch Chi Bijiang from the shadow, he saw Yun Weisi’s expression change as he suddenly stretched his hand in the direction of something behind Jiang Li—

Behind him, several streams of black qi had condensed into a silhouette of a person that suddenly leapt up into the air and was about to lunge at Jiang Li.

It came very close to doing that, and Jiang Li’s life had been in danger before the other man had stopped it. Yun Weisi frowned. The nightmare demon was simply implausibly weak.

As if to confirm his suspicions, the body of Chi Bijiang that fell into Jiang Li’s arms turned limp and she did not show any signs of coming to her senses, but the nightmare demon laughed eerily and retreated without trying to fight back.

“Daoyou Chi!”

Jiang Li put his hand on the top of her head and realized that her spiritual consciousness was empty while all her souls were absent. This body was just an empty vessel.

“Daoyou Chi’s souls have been taken away!”

Jiang Li did not actually need to voice this as Yun Weisi and Changming had already captured the two other nightmare demons.

The Changming Sword flew out of its owner’s hands and flashed as brightly as the stars, trapping the nightmare demons under a dome.

“Hand them over, and I’ll spare you!”

The Milky Way Formation had been set very proficiently, and all twenty eight constellations looked extremely natural. Every star corresponded to a supporting point of the formation, and if one wanted to break free from it, they would have to destroy the entire boundless Milky Way.

The twenty eight constellations: “28 lunar mansions”, traditional Chinese system of constellations

The nightmare demon was trapped in the Milky Way Formation, but it did not move and did not seem frightened. The black mass of qi flowed freely, vaguely forming the figure of a very familiar person.

“Did you think that you already had victory firmly in your pocket?”

The voice was deep and hoarse, and sounded as if spoken by a snake. It somehow resembled the sound that a thick liquid made when stirred with a stick, which disgusted people with its stickiness.

That was the real voice of a nightmare demon. They were evil spirits that dwelled in the darkness and resented the sunlight even more so than fox spirits. That was why they could only take over control of the mind and steal the souls of a person in their dreams.

“Jiufang Changming, Yun Weisi, Jiang Li, Yao Wangnian. Good.”

He pronounced their names one after another slowly and in a low voice that did not sound appropriate for a nightmare demon that had been completely trapped.

When his name was uttered, Yun Weisi felt something strange, as if an invisible hand had grabbed him, and his spiritual soul wanted to escape.

He trembled slightly and calmed his mind. In the corner of his eye, Yun Weisi saw Jiang Li reveal a strange expression. He quickly released a bit of his spiritual powers and tapped Jiang Li on his shoulder.

After being hit with spiritual power, Jiang Li quickly came back to his senses and realized that he had almost fallen into a trap.

Despite being “the least promising” master of the Wanjian Immortal Clan, and despite Jiang Li having little ambition and only preferring to rise above the clouds like a wild geese, he was still one of the best disciples of a very famous teacher. How was it possible for an illustrious master of cultivation to almost be deceived by a mere nightmare demon? The only possible answer was that this demon was not a common evil spirit.

To rise above the clouds like a wild geese: free and unrestrained

“Wouldn’t a dignified grandmaster feel that residing in the body of a nightmare demon is below them?” Jiufang Changming said coldly.

Before he finished speaking, his sword burst with light as bright as a rainbow and slashed towards the nightmare demon.

The nightmare demon laughed. The black qi suddenly surged, filling everything around it, and broke through the entire Milky Way Formation in a flash. Amidst the loud explosion, Jiang Li grabbed Chi Bijiang’s body tightly and dodged to the side. He turned his back to the demon to protect her, and was hit by the strong blast. Even though he was protected by spiritual powers, he felt as if his skin had been split apart, and his blood gushed out.

“If you want her spiritual soul, take it yourself. I’m waiting for you in the Zhengrong Mountain Villa—don’t disappoint me!”

After the body of the nightmare demon exploded, a familiar voice rang out. Jiang Li was shocked and could not help shouting.

“Shizun!”

It seemed that the man did not hear him at all or perhaps did not understand. As soon as Jiang Li shouted the title, the presence of the other man was gone, and they could no longer sense him.

The heavens, the earth, the emperor, the parents and the teachers.

The heavens, the earth, the emperor, the parents and the teachers: 5 objects of worship in Confucian tradition

For a cultivator, their teachers meant even more than their biological parents.

A good master would help their disciple to progress further on the path of cultivation and offer protection in the decisive moment, saving their life from mortal dangers.

Jiang Li had always thought that he was a lucky person. His talent was pretty good, and he had been accepted into such a big sect as the Wanjian Immortal Clan when he was very young. He never made any unfortunate mistakes on his path and wasted no time on taking wrong steps. Luomei had always treated him well—he was even like a father to Jiang Li. He never had to wait for a good opportunity and was taught everything honestly. It seemed that in this life, Jiang Li was truly blessed with luck.

Although there were always disciples that rebelled against their masters, in grand sects like the Wanjian Immortal Clan, cultivators paid a lot of attention to respecting their elders’ views. If it was not for what had happened to his dashixiong, Yao Wangnian, in Jiang Li’s eyes, Immortal Luomei would have always been as lofty and venerable as a tall mountain, a role model unstained by any dirt. Even after what happened to Yao Wangnian, and even though Jiang Li held some vague suspicions, he trusted his shizhun unconditionally, so he decided not to investigate the case in detail up until Yao Wangnian had appeared in person and revealed the grand scheme that had been brewing behind Jiang Li’s back.

Now, Luomei was like a crumbling mountain. Parts of it had broken off and started rolling down the top of the mountain.

“He wants you to come to the Zhengrong Mountain Villa. It can’t be that you’re afraid, can it?”

At some point, Yao Wangnian had appeared, bringing with him the gloomy aura of dense ghost qi. He had been mostly covered by shadows, and only the edge of his long robe was not shadowed by the eaves above him.

His tone was mocking, but even he himself did not notice the trace of fear concealed in his voice.

For the two of them, Luomei was like an insurmountable peak. Right now, Luomei was just executing a minor task using a nightmare demon, yet he managed to take Chi Bijiang’s souls away before they could do anything to stop him.

In order to defeat Luomei, Yao Wangnian had been diligently cultivating day and night, and had eventually turned into the most prominent ghost cultivator of his times. Despite that, having now only seen the man that had once been his shizun in passing, Yao Wangnian suddenly realized that he was still very lacking compared to Luomei, even though they did not exchange blows. This difference was most likely fatal for him—Yao Wangnian could not defeat Luomei, and probably could not even use his ghost cultivation.

But he had been waiting for this opportunity for too long.

Ten years might have been nothing to speak of for a common cultivator, but for Yao Wangnian, every day had been torture.

Luomei said that he was waiting for them in the Zhengrong Mountain Villa.

Those words were a declaration of war.

Everyone had laid their cards on the table, and their identities were no longer a secret. Yao Wangnian had no routes for retreat.

“I am afraid, but I’ll go anyway,” Jiang Li said weakly.

He did not have the unconditional support of the Wanjian Immortal Clan and had no ambitions to ascend. Luomei had passed the position of the clan master to Jiang Li, so the latter ruled over the sect honestly. But he was burdened by this great responsibility, and that was why he had decided to go out to travel incognito. In Hongluo, he could cast aside his true identity for the first time, and he was able to relax and lived freely in the town. And Immortal Luomei had destroyed this pleasant peace completely.

Chi Bijiang’s kidnapping was a warning to him.

Luomei was warning Jiang Li against sticking his nose into other people’s business lest he wanted Chi Bijiang’s life to end here.

However, this was precisely why Jiang Li was even more determined to go and save Chi Bijiang.

His convictions did not allow him to see an innocent person dragged into trouble.

With such a soft heart, he was really not sect master material.

Jiang Li silently laughed at himself.

“We should discuss our plans on what we should do upon arriving at the Zhengrong Mountain Villa.”

The Qianlin Assembly was the grandest gathering for cultivators where they could all exchange pointers, as well as a chance for the younger generation to make a name for themselves.

New cultivators that possessed outstanding innate talent all wanted to gain instant popularity beneath the gaze of so many eyes, and eventually reach the level of fame of their predecessors.

Of course, no-name rogue cultivators also wanted to seize this opportunity to glorify themselves.

Famous sects seemed to coexist harmoniously, but in truth they were always fighting with each other. And their level of cultivation decided who was ahead of whom.

It was natural for humans to pursue fame and fortune. This did not just apply to the nobles and the common people, even the cultivators that stayed away from worldly matters were no exception.

There were many smaller competitions in the world of cultivation, but the Qianlin Assembly was the most large-scale as well as the one that drew the most notice.

Normally, during a time like this, the master of the Wanjian Immortal Clan would not be absent. Even if the clan master did not appear themself, an elder of the sect would definitely bring several disciples to broaden their horizons. However, since Luomei had told them that he was awaiting them at the Zhengrong Mountain Villa, it did not matter whether the trap set there was obvious to the eye or hidden—they were sure to enter a violent storm upon arriving, regardless.

Yao Wangnian said coldly: “What’s there to discuss? The participants are not obliged to possess any special qualifications, even rogue cultivators can join in. We can just enter the assembly after introducing ourselves as rogue cultivators and find a chance to kill him.”

Jiang Li shook his head. His dashixiong had suffered too much. His temperament was now restless, but he never ceased being impulsive. He had probably forgotten what kind of person their shizun was.

“Shixiong, do you remember that time when a rebellion happened in our sect? We were around ten years old. A shishu provoked our shizun and said that the clan master position should belong to him, and that our shizun did not take it using the right means. Back then, our shizun persuaded him gently. We admired him for his demeanor of a true master. You even said that from that day on, our shizun would be your role model.”

Yao Wangnian answered coldly: “I was young and stupid, and knew nothing of his true nature.”

Jiang Li: “That’s not what I’m trying to say. Shizun did not kill him, and only ordered people to hold him captive in the Pond of Blood behind the mountain so that he would ponder over his mistakes and reflect upon himself. I slipped away and went to the back of the mountain one day, where I accidentally entered the forbidden zone and met that shishu. He had suffered so much that he had completely wasted away—he no longer even had his spiritual soul. He only repeated the same words over and over again. He said: This is my mistake, I’m not the clan master—you are! Kill me, kill me!”

The Pond of Blood: Bud. a place for sinners in hell

Yao Wangnian trembled slightly and raised his eyes to look at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li did not stop here and continued: “I didn’t think much of it back then, only that the shishu was pitiful. Yet now, when I look back, why would anyone torture an already defeated person if it wasn’t for the clan master’s orders? That place was forbidden, and no one except for the clan master and several elders could enter it. I liked to explore and only noticed a breach in the formation around it by accident, but who among those several people who were allowed to enter that place would wish to make shishu suffer so much?”

Yao Wangnian did not have the patience: “What are you trying to say?”

Jiang Li: “I want to say that shizun is a cunning and secretive person who holds grudges. You should know this better than I do. Since he decided to meet at the Zhengrong Mountain Villa, surely he won’t give us a chance to kill him sneakily. Even if we two attack him together, we won’t pose a threat. And even if daoyou Jiufang and daoyou Yun join us, would victory be guaranteed for us? As far as I am concerned, shizun will definitely set traps all around the place and wait for us to come ourselves.”

Yao Wangnian: “What else?”

Jiang Li: “Our enemy is hidden, but we’re in the open, so from the beginning, we’re at a disadvantage. We should split up. One party should hinder shuzun’s formations, and the other should act according to circumstances.”

“Since the enemy is hidden while we’re in the open, we should drag our opponent from the darkness into the light,” Jiufang Changming, who always remained silent, spoke out leisurely.

The Changming Sword was hovering above his head as if it found it painful to part from its owner. Changming raised his hand, and the sword swiftly turned into a colorful ray of light that fell on Changming’s palm.

Compared to his past self, Changming seemed to have been reborn. His expression looked more profound, and his manners resembled those of an immortal even more. Even Yun Weisi who stood next to him seemed more elegant, as if illuminated by Changming’s brilliance.

Jiang Li felt that Changming’s cultivation had progressed by a great extent, but he could not tell his level.

Jiufang Changming: “We will prove to the world that he had colluded with demons only if we defeat him in front of everyone and force him to use demonic qi. Only then will he lose all standing and reputation, while we will have earned everyone’s trust and Yao Wangnian’s reputation will be restored.”

Yao Wangnian’s expression changed.

For him, the word “restored” sounded strange and distant.

It was not that he did not care about this, but he had truly lost too much, so much so that he felt that restoring his reputation was not the most important thing.

But was it possible?

Jiang Li frowned deeply and said with a bitter smile: “To be honest, my shixiong and I will not necessarily be able to defeat shizun even if we work together. Moreover, he’s thoroughly prepared, has the support of the entire Wanjian Immortal Clan, all kinds of spiritual tools and weapons, and can set all kinds of formations. I’m afraid that even if we four act together, we won’t…”

Yun Weisi interrupted him: “How can you know that if you haven’t tried?”

Yao Wangnian rushed in to tell him too: “Are you afraid?”

Jiang Li looked at Jiufang Changming.

The latter smiled and nodded slightly. His sleeves fluttered even though there was no wind, as if they were hiding his storm-like will to fight.

In this moment of hesitation, Jiang Li seemed to have heard a clanging metallic sound of a howling sword. A golden dragon rose to the skies behind his back, dashing upwards with a roar.

“Then, let’s go!”