Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

When Li Guanqi transmitted his voice, Meng Jiangchu glanced at him. Back when he mentioned seeing Qin Wushang in the Seventh Territory, Li Guanqi’s expression had already become somewhat strange. Clearly, he had already guessed something.

However, even Meng Jiangchu didn’t know the full extent of what Li Guanqi had done.

Gu Changsheng took a sip of tea and cursed under his breath. “That damned bastard made me curse so much my throat’s gone dry. I ‌still can’t figure out why Zhao Bin’s death would have anything to do with the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect.”

He looked back and forth between Li Guanqi and Meng Jiangchu, genuinely puzzled.

Li Guanqi leaned back against the chair with his eyes closed, sorting through everything in his mind.

From the moment Ye Bingxin appeared, he had felt an instinctive unease, a dissonance about her so faint it was almost negligible. Yet the instant their eyes met, the complicated flicker hidden in her gaze put him on guard.

This was Li Guanqi’s first time entering the Ethereal Immortal Territory. He knew no one here, much less the saintess of a super sect like the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect. But if she was a stranger, why had her eyes held such complicated emotions the very first time she saw him? He had been pondering that question ever since. Was it possible… that the people behind the scenes had made another move?

Was it the one behind Cang Lu, or the one manipulating Lu Wuhen from the shadows? Both operated with extreme secrecy, but Li Guanqi felt the one behind Lu Wuhen was buried deeper. That was why he leaned toward the one behind Cang Lu.

After the incident with Li Shenzhi, Li Guanqi’s vigilance toward that hidden enemy had been at an all-time high.

Then a name surfaced in his mind, unbidden. Song Zhi’ang!Ever since he had expelled Song Zhi’ang from the sect, Li Guanqi had quietly sent people to check on her father from time to time. Yet, the father had never once gone to see Song Zhi’ang.

That alone was suspicious enough, and Li Guanqi had harbored doubts from the very beginning. But killing Zhao Bin? He hadn’t seen that coming.

When Meng Jiangchu had secretly observed Qin Wushang, he had overheard Ye Bingxin mention the Seventh Territory, which meant that she knew something.

Li Guanqi tapped his fingers on the table, his brows furrowed. Sooner or later, he would have to pay the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect a visit and investigate for himself.

If the next Ye Bingxin he met was still today’s Ye Bingxin… things would get interesting. And if Ye Xuan had already discovered something… that would be interesting too.

***

Nine Dragon Immortal Sect.

“Father, do you need something from me?”

Boom!

The moment Ye Bingxin spoke, a terrifying pressure erupted from Ye Xuan. Frigid killing intent surged through the room, and Ye Bingxin felt as though she had plunged into an icy abyss. Her shoulders trembled as an invisible force sealed her in place, rendering her immobile.

Sword qi filled the room, and terrifying sword energy sliced through the surrounding space, carving countless cracks into the void itself.

Ye Xuan stood with his back to her, his voice cold with suppressed killing intent. “Who are you?”

There was no uncertainty in his tone.

Ye Bingxin struggled against the pressure and forcefully steadied her mind, her eyes filled with confusion. “F-Father… what are you talking about? I’m your daughter! I’m Xin’er!”

Boom!

The violent pressure surged even higher.

Ye Xuan turned around, staring at her with icy eyes. “No. You are not my daughter. Who exactly are you? What is your purpose?”

Ye Bingxin suddenly smiled. The grievance and confusion vanished from her face, replaced by calm indifference.

Boom!

Ye Xuan seized her by the throat and lifted her into the air. Pain flashed deep in his eyes, yet his hands did not slow in the slightest. “Boundless Realm, Soul Truth!”

Space twisted violently, and a cyan sacrificial altar appeared. Countless cyan strands bound the woman in midair above it.

Ye Xuan formed a sword seal with the fingers of his left hand and tapped thirty-nine acupoints across Ye Bingxin’s body, sealing both her primordial spirit and dantian.

Ye Xuan’s expression was grave. He formed hand seals with both hands and slammed them onto the altar. “Capture!”

Boom!

Ye Bingxin’s body jerked backward as though struck by a heavy blow, and her translucent primordial soul was dragged out of her body.

Countless strands of cyan light pierced her primordial spirit, and she let out a muffled groan. Immediately afterward, wisps of black qi slowly seeped out of her primordial soul.

A cold light flashed through Ye Xuan’s eyes. He seized the black qi in one hand and roared, “You sneaking rat hiding in the shadows. Let’s see what kind of thing dares lay a hand on my daughter!”

“Boundless Sacrifice. Reverse Trace!” Ye Xuan shouted.

Boom!

Cyan threads burrowed into the black smoke, and Ye Xuan’s divine consciousness surged in after them like a boundless ocean, crossing millions of li in an instant to arrive inside a pitch-black hall.

A figure sat on a throne high above the dark hall, cloaked head to toe in a blood-red robe. The figure seemed somewhat surprised by the intrusion, but showed no panic. Their gazes met, and from beneath the mask, a pair of cold eyes regarded Ye Xuan with utter indifference.

The figure casually raised a hand. A streak of black-red light flashed.

Boom!

Ye Xuan’s spying divine consciousness shattered instantly.

The man curled his lip and murmured, “Just as I expected. This method is still far too easy to detect. Ah… truly troublesome. Top-tier experts like Ye Xuan of the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect are difficult to deal with.”

Splash! Splash!

A naked figure abruptly rose from the black pool in the hall. The black flower mark on her brow slowly faded. Beside her lay the empty shell of a woman who looked exactly like Ye Bingxin.

The leader of the Sha organization stood up slowly and smiled. “Let’s switch to someone else. Ye Bingxin’s self-awareness is too strong. You can’t control her yet.”

As he spoke, he turned back to Song Zhi’ang and said quietly, “The moment Qin Wushang severed your wrist, he was probably already suspicious of you. As long as your strength remains below the Combined Body Realm, there’s no avoiding that sense of dissonance.”

Song Zhi’ang draped a blood-red robe over herself and slowly rose. “Yes. I’ll do as you command.”

A strange laugh echoed through the hall. “Hehehe… When Li Guanqi looked at you, didn’t his gaze feel different?”

A storm of emotions swept through Song Zhi’ang, and her eyes briefly lost focus. It really… did feel different…

But then the voice beneath the mask turned cold. “Use your brain before you act next time. That scheme was so crude it’s embarrassing. You wasted such a fine body for nothing. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to accomplish these things within the Ethereal Immortal Territory?”

Song Zhi’ang trembled violently and dropped to her knees with a thud. “I understand…”