Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 54: The Final Question

Amid the downpour that splashed up hazy curtains of mist, Tao Wenshu passed through courtyard after courtyard, searching for Ji Hanyi, Yan Yong, and Ding Songyan, while occasionally lifting her gaze toward the sky.

Once the rain eased a little more and the dark clouds dispersed further, she would be able to use Northern Dipper Wayfinding—a secret art derived from the Celestial Stars Scripture—to lock onto the trail of the Sage-Severing Way demoness she had just fought.

Though she and the people from the prefectural and county offices had yet to receive reinforcements, the orthodox practitioners within Dingjiang Prefecture alone should have been sufficient by their prior estimates. There was herself, Lin Hansheng, Yi Qincang whose arrows from high ground were equivalent to a Grandmaster’s, and Su Chongxiao who was unlikely to cause trouble and could even be enlisted with the right enticement. These were more than enough to handle Zhen Qianfan and whoever the Sage-Severing Way had sent.

Had the Sage-Severing Way sent a Heaven-Man Realm Supreme Master, things would never have developed to this point. Once they confirmed where Yan Yong was being held, he could have raided the Zhen estate that very night, swiftly rescued the target, then created chaos, sacrificed some of his disciples, and fled Dingjiang Prefecture.

Estimates were estimates. What Tao Wenshu hadn’t anticipated were two unforeseen developments this time. The first was that the Small Boat Gang had connections with someone suspected to be a devil of the Capsized Vessel Sect, who happened to infiltrate the Zhen estate at precisely this juncture to exact revenge, creating a large-scale internecine slaughter that killed many who should never have died.

Had that been the only variable, it would have been manageable. When Lin Hansheng and Tao Wenshu had conferred, they’d accounted for contingencies. They felt that with the True Spirit Sect’s Ren Youyang present, should things turn truly dangerous, this newly ranked cultivator of the Useless Divine Art on the Orchid Fresh List could become a major asset. Moreover, the mutual slaughter had directly embroiled Su Chongxiao, who otherwise would have required persuasion to intervene, saving them considerable effort.

What truly caught Tao Wenshu and the others off guard was the second surprise: the ”prisoner” suspected to be the previous sect master of the Sage-Severing Way, Yan Yong, could still manifest the might of the Heaven-Man Realm. By relying on the Divine Art of Heaven and Earth Transmutation, he had forcibly altered the weather over the area, giving Ji Hanyi an exploitable environment that allowed her to temporarily elevate from a perfected Dharma Realm Grandmaster to the quasi-Heaven-Man Realm.

If Yan Yong possessed such ability, why had he remained obediently imprisoned?

This was the development Tao Wenshu had entirely failed to foresee, and it was why she’d been unable to pin down Ji Hanyi and keep her there.

...

At the east city docks, Li Zhi was constantly shifting position, using various warehouses for cover against Yi Qincang’s arrows.

Seeing several squads of patrolling constables and Brightnight Sect disciples rushing over from the city gate to surround him, he suddenly unleashed his divine-speed footwork, trailing afterimages as he swept in a wide semicircle. He then stomped his way off the docks, and charged in the opposite direction—toward the city gate.

Atop the east city watchtower, Yi Qincang saw this and was struck by sudden realization. He urgently ordered the Brightnight Sect disciple beside him, ”Sound the drums! Close all the gates!”

The Brightnight Sect disciple didn’t dare delay. He seized two drumsticks and pounded the great drum atop the watchtower with all his might.

Striking the gong was a warning signal; beating the drum was the order to shut the gates!

Yi Qincang finally understood why Li Zhi had been wreaking havoc at the docks. Beyond drawing some of the official forces away, he was also preventing the east gate from closing, lest the other evildoers be trapped within the city and caught like fish in a barrel.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The drumbeats shook the heavens, reverberating outward. Pedestrians on the main streets first froze, then scrambled to the sides of the road, clearing the way to avoid calamity.

The martial way had flourished for thousands of years. Similar situations occurred from time to time, and the common folk had long grown accustomed to them, knowing how to respond.

As long as it wasn’t soldiers rampaging through the city or Grandmasters and above clashing in battle, everything else was manageable.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The drumbeats quickened. Soldiers, constables, and Brightnight Sect disciples at each gate began dispersing nearby crowds, attempting to close both the barbican gate and the main city gate simultaneously.

Li Zhi trailed afterimages, weaving like a serpent, evading Yi Qincang’s rapid-fire volleys.

Soon he reached the east gate and made straight for two cart horses.

He rolled under the horses’ bellies, then reached up with both hands and seized each horse by a leg.

”Kill!”

His body swollen, now clearly a towering giant, Li Zhi let out an excited roar and hoisted both horses upside-down, swinging them through the air.

This shielded him from Yi Qincang and company’s barrage of arrows. The two horses neighed and went limp.

Then Li Zhi wildly swung these two massive ”weapons,” charging from the gate into the barbican exit.

Everyone who tried to block him was sent flying, as though struck by a rampaging bull.

Sprinting to the barbican entrance, Li Zhi turned and charged back toward the outer wall, preventing the arriving constables, soldiers, and Brightnight Sect disciples from closing the gate.

Just like that, he swung the two dead horses back and forth within the barbican, making it impossible for either the inner or outer gate to close.

Seeing this, Yi Qincang left the east watchtower without hesitation, descending rapidly and making for the barbican arrow tower.

...

In one of the Zhen estate’s courtyards.

Ding Songyan pressed his entire body weight onto the dagger, trying to drive the blade through Yan Changqing’s eye socket, into his brain, and destroy his spirit.

While feeling out the barrier formed by invisible qi, Ding Songyan continued his somewhat effective strategy of attacking the heart.

He snarled through gritted teeth at the dark-eyed, expressionless Yan Changqing, ”When I heard you’d obtained the Chaos remains, my first reaction was envy. But then I got to thinking.

”These Chaos remains can accommodate all your martial arts, and apparently won’t cause your realm to regress. So why did you choose to smuggle them out and hide them somewhere?

”If it were me, I’d have devoured them on the spot! I’d never give them the slightest chance of benefiting someone else!

”Surely the original Celestial Thearch is mightier than your damned Sage-Severing Way’s progenitor?”

In that moment, Ding Songyan felt the invisible barrier beneath the dagger loosen slightly again.

With a somewhat twisted expression, he let out a laugh.

”I hit the mark, didn’t I? Even though you look like you’re showing no reaction.

”You definitely consumed a sufficient portion of the Chaos remains right then and there. And the result was the original Celestial Thearch’s power and uniqueness exceeded your expectations, didn’t it? Even though you ate as conservatively as possible, Chaos still began assimilating you?

”Ha! That’s a guess I only formed after seeing the wretched state of your organs just now!

”This is the real reason you’re so grievously injured, isn’t it?”

Ding Songyan laughed even harder. The dagger in his grip sank a little deeper.

A trace of pain finally showed on Yan Changqing’s face.

Ding Songyan felt the qi he’d been using begin to dissipate. Readying his final reserve of qi, he strained until his eyes bulged and growled, ”Your caution and conservatism meant the amount wasn’t enough to kill you. All these years, you’ve been slowly digesting the Chaos remains. Until recently, having digested enough, you finally recovered a sliver of ability. Am I right?

”You originally planned to stay put, to wait until you’d fully digested the Chaos remains. Or at least until you could do more than merely influence the weather, more than merely use Celestial Heart imprints to control the weak. But Zhen Qianfan couldn’t wait any longer. He deliberately let that copy of the Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas be stolen by the Sage-Severing Way, and you had no choice but to turn his scheme to your advantage, using me to achieve your goal!

”All those instructions and arrangements of yours, and everything you said—it was all misdirection!

”And you didn’t even care whether I succeeded or was discovered. You only needed to seize one crucial moment. When Zhen Qianfan pretended to let you escape, you’d control me into cutting open your belly and extracting the excess Chaos remains!

”Your scheme was that simple. The simpler a scheme, the harder to disrupt or derail it. As long as you could seize that core moment—as long as the excess Chaos remains stopped hindering you and before Zhen Qianfan and the Sage-Severing Way could react—you’d be a full-fledged Supreme Master, afraid of no one!”

Having pressed his psychological attack this far, Ding Songyan felt the invisible barrier give no further ground.

The pained expression remained on Yan Changqing’s face, yet the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.

He seemed to be mocking Ding Songyan.

So what if you’ve figured it out?

How much longer can your qi hold?

Once both reserves are spent, I’ll control you again and have you help me recover my strength!

Seeing this, Ding Songyan quickly switched tactics. Still pressing the dagger downward with all his strength, he said through clenched teeth, ”You noticed just now, didn’t you? What briefly freed me from your Celestial Heart imprint wasn’t only the Brightnight Sect’s sword intent, it was also your dear disciple’s Celestial Heart imprint.

”Care to guess? Can your dear disciple sense changes in her Celestial Heart imprint?

”With her abilities, does she have a chance of briefly shaking off the Brightnight Sect and coming here to pay you a ’visit?’

”I can’t kill you, but surely she can?”

Yan Changqing’s expression shifted slightly, but the invisible barrier merely wavered for a moment.

Ding Songyan’s thoughts raced. A new idea struck him, and he let out a cold laugh.

”I’ve been a fool!

”Why am I wasting all these words? I could simply take a piece of Chaos remains and swallow it on the spot! With the temporary strength of a Grandmaster, would I still be unable to kill you?

”My psychological attacks have been working this whole time, but only barely. That was deliberate on your part, wasn’t it? You were guiding me, keeping me from thinking in that direction?”

Even as he spoke, his left hand was already groping toward Yan Changqing’s stomach—toward the yellow object protruding from within—trying to break off a small piece directly.

Yan Changqing’s expression finally showed an obvious fluctuation. Ding Songyan felt the dagger suddenly punch through most of the remaining invisible barrier, churning into flesh.

Yan Changqing’s face contorted in agony. Ding Songyan’s left hand made contact with the yellow object, feeling both slippery and rough textures simultaneously.

For a moment he couldn’t tear a piece free. He could only keep trying.

The words attacking the heart never ceased from his mouth, returning to the bluffing he was best at.

”You’re so skilled at the art of numerology—why couldn’t you foresee that sheltering under Zhen Qianfan would lead to this?

”Why did Zhen Qianfan suddenly betray you? Would you really have told him what you’d obtained with your own mouth?”

These weren’t merely bluffs—they were doubts Ding Songyan had accumulated all along, questions he still had no answers to. He simply threw them all out at once, letting Yan Changqing dwell on them, letting his mind wander toward the terrifying implications.

Yan Changqing’s intact eye suddenly moved, as though something had occurred to him.

Ding Songyan felt the invisible barrier beneath the dagger rapidly descend into chaos.

That effective? Ding Songyan had no time for further thought. Following the same thread, he growled once more, ”Have you ever considered—why was it you who found the vanished Kunlun and you who entered the Celestial Thearch’s palace?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Ding Songyan saw Yan Changqing’s single eye go wide, and felt the barrier of invisible qi begin to collapse.

A momentary collapse!

It worked!

Ding Songyan didn’t hesitate. He threw his entire body’s strength behind the dagger, pouring every last drop of qi and channeling all the heaven-and-earth force it commanded into the blade.

The steel dagger swiftly pierced through layer after layer of resistance and plunged entirely into Yan Changqing’s eye socket.

Still not trusting it was done, Ding Songyan twisted the dagger several times.

Yan Changqing’s other eye remained wide open, filled with bewilderment and hatred.

His throat made a gurgling sound, as though trying to say something. But in the end his head lolled to the side, all life and breath leaving him completely.