“These five hundred years you’ve been missing, as good as dead. I had thought this day would never come,” Ning Buwei sighed softly.
Ning Fan stared devastatingly at the bloody scene in the water mirror, his lips trembling continuously, “No… no…”
In the water mirror, a person in a dark robe stood with his back turned, raven-like long hair and a snow-blue hair ribbon entangled and lifted by the wind. As the person slightly turned his head, blood splattered on his cheek slid down his chin, and a sinister smile flashed briefly, overlapping with Ning Buwei’s expression by the water mirror, sending chills down one’s spine.
“I would have liked to make you observe for ten to fifteen days, but time is short,” Ning Buwei’s crimson eyes swirled. “Go keep your family company.”
“Ning Chengfeng!” Ning Fan’s heart-wrenching roar echoed through the formation, almost attempting to self-destruct, but countless blood lines pierced through his body’s acupoints, firmly nailing him in the Seven Killings Soul-Devouring Formation.
A sweet and bloody taste surged in Ning Buwei’s throat but was forcibly suppressed. His hand formed spells so quickly they became blurry, and the Suzaku narrow knife that had been used to stabilize the formation suddenly dropped.
The Seven Killings Soul-Devouring Formation, along with hundreds of formations in the tomb, firmly pressed the nearly-mad Ning Fan into the formation’s center. The massive formation’s spiritual power made Ning Fan’s body unable to withstand it. Amid his miserable screams, his entire body was crushed into pieces, and his inner core was ultimately ground into powder.
The blood from the exploding corpse splattered across Ning Buwei’s face.
Ning Buwei’s eyes rolled with crimson. He slowly turned around, raising his eyelids to look at Shen Xi and the others, who wore expressions of shock and terror. He grinned. “Who else wants to come?”
Mingsang lowered his eyes and raised his hand to offer a Buddhist salutation. “Amitabha, Benefactor Ning. The Linglong Bone concerns the safety of the entire seventeen states. We hope you will return it to the Chongzheng Alliance.”
Ning Buwei stood before the ice coffin, with black mist churning and wailing ghosts behind him. He spoke ominously. “Once it’s in my hands, it’s mine. Come if you’re not afraid of death.”
“Amitabha,” Mingsang said slowly. “Benefactor Ning, forgive the intrusion.”
****
Feng Zichang stood at the window of the flying ship, holding Ning Xiu and Cui Yuanbai, watching the battle. He then saw his father transform from a state of ease to slower movements, and suddenly his eyes changed. A scarlet-colored long sword appeared in his hand – the Chiyuan Sword that previously belonged to the Venerable.
Before Feng Zichang could be shocked by his father’s sudden transformation, Chu Jun’s Chiyuan Sword seemed to float lightly but pierced directly through Chu Bai’s heart, immediately flying towards them.
Feng Zichang quickly covered Ning Xiu’s eyes.
“Ah~” Ning Xiu shouted without understanding.
I want to see Mother’s beautiful sword~
Chu Jun’s true form instantly appeared before them, reaching out to catch the flying sword. Two bodies leaped up, firmly protecting the children behind them.
Boom!
A deafening explosion instantly sounded, and the entire flying ship was reduced to dust. Amidst the flying stones and dust, Chu Jun held the Chiyuan Sword, standing protectively in front of the children and bodies, looking expressionlessly at the people nearby.
“You still had a backup plan,” Pei Heguang said with some surprise, raising an eyebrow, then understanding dawned with a smile. “Although the transformation technique is impressive, there are very few cultivators in the seventeen states who can control body doubles, right? Venerable Jinghe.”
Chu Jun looked at him flatly and casually dispelled the transformation technique.
“The Venerable is determined to stay by Chengfeng’s side. Is it because of this child accidentally formed from the Linglong Bone—” Pei Heguang smiled slightly, “Or because you want to use Chengfeng to resolve your final life tribulation?”
Chu Jun’s gaze darkened.
Pei Heguang sighed, “I originally wanted to solve you in advance, but heaven’s will is such. Although our Chengfeng is soft-hearted and easy to deceive, he has a fierce temperament. I only hope the Venerable takes care of himself.”
He then let out a light laugh and disappeared from the spot.
The flying stones gradually settled on the ground.
“Ah~Cold~” Ning Xiu looked at Chu Jun’s back, reaching out his hand.
Mother~Hug~
After a moment, Chu Jun put away the Chiyuan Sword and turned to hold Ning Xiu.
The small, soft bundle obediently nestled in his arms, clear eyes filled with joy, slightly confused by his silence. “Ah?”
What’s wrong Mother?
“Nothing,” Chu Jun comforted, patting his back, hiding all emotions deep in his eyes.
“Venerable, are you alright?” Feng Zichang looked at Chu Jun with some worry.
Chu Jun shook his head, collecting the two bloody bodies.
He could have dodged Pei Heguang’s attack, but Ning Xiu and the others couldn’t have avoided it. In desperation, he could only use the body doubles to block. Though he had withdrawn his primordial spirit in time, these two body doubles were probably ruined.
Chu Jun wasn’t particularly upset. The skeletal structure and flesh remained; it would just be somewhat troublesome to repair.
Cui Yuanbai tugged his sleeve, looking up and asking, “Father, where’s Dad?”
Chu Jun looked toward the swaying mansion in the distance. “Let’s go find him.”
****
Even though Ning Fan was a Hinayana cultivator, if not for the nearly thousand formations already set up in the tomb and the Seven Killings Soul-Devouring Formation’s support, where the timing and geographical advantages were completely in his favor, Ning Buwei would never have been able to kill him across cultivation levels.
However, even after successfully killing Ning Fan, Ning Buwei was severely backlashed from forcibly driving so many grand formations. Facing Mingsang, the top cultivator in the Fusion stage, his chances of victory were not high.
Not to mention the nearly hundred cultivators from the Chongzheng Alliance.
Ning Buwei didn’t particularly like the idea of mutual destruction – probably due to some childhood trauma. Running seemed a good alternative, but he now had no spiritual power left and still needed to bring along Jiang Yizheng and Yang Lingzhu. How to escape became a problem.
When Mingsang’s Buddha seal pressed down, Ning Buwei narrowed his eyes, preparing to forcibly use the Seven Killings Soul-Devouring Formation again. Unexpectedly, a circle of soft spiritual power enveloped him entirely, and a complex and sharp formation blocked the Buddha seal before him.
“Monk, you’ve finally arrived,” Yan Jinzhou’s voice came from all directions, both ethereal and impossible to pinpoint precisely.
Mingsang’s usually impassive expression slightly froze. He looked toward the ice coffin where the woman lay quietly and tightened his grip on his prayer beads.
“Though I don’t know how many years you’ve waited before coming, I guess at least three hundred years and outward, tsk,” Yan Jinzhou’s voice didn’t sound pleased but carried a hint of laughter, as if quite happy. “But I’m glad you came.”
Mingsang slowly withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes.
“Whether it’s for the Linglong Bone, the Suzaku Knife, or something else, I guess it’s most likely because of that damned bone – forcing my disciple to come to my tomb,” Yan Jinzhou said lazily. “Sigh…Though he’s stubborn as a mule and always argued with me, even when I was dying, the kid was quite endearing. Hitting my precious disciple right in front of me isn’t appropriate, is it, monk?”
Ning Buwei twitched his mouth.
Mingsang remained silent.
“Since you’re not speaking, I’ll take that as agreement,” Yan Jinzhou’s voice sounded very cheerful. “On my turf, don’t bully the kids. Go outside and fight however you want.”
“Actually, I had many things I wanted to tell you before dying,” Yan Jinzhou sighed. “But I kept waiting and waiting and couldn’t, so I could only die with regrets – alas, departing from the world? Ascending to immortality? Heh, how strange these phrases sound. Anyway, I died. Completely died.
I originally wanted to have a little monk with you to play with in the future…”
“Ning Buwei,” Yan Jinzhou cleared her throat, sounding slightly embarrassed.
The spiritual power enveloping Ning Buwei suddenly poked his ribs hard, almost making him spit out blood.
“Give it to him,” Yan Jinzhou’s voice suddenly became soft.
Ning Buwei was stunned for a moment. The spiritual power, frustrated beyond measure, slapped his head and whispered, “The pearl! The pink one! Hurry, or I’ll climb out from underground and stand by your bedside forever!”
Ning Buwei’s eyelids jumped. He took out a pink round pearl from his storage ring and threw it to Mingsang, his face dark. “My master specially left this for you.”
Mingsang opened his palm, and the pink pearl rolled twice before settling.
“Cough, find a place with no one around to look,” Yan Jinzhou seemed to want to be shy but failed, her tone sounding more like a threat.
“No matter how many people bully my disciple, monk, take him away quickly, or I’ll cut ties with you!” Yan Jinzhou’s voice paused, suddenly carrying a hint of loss. “Oh, right. I’ve been dead for hundreds of years, so I can’t cut ties with you anyway.”
Mingsang’s hand holding the pearl slightly trembled.
“Go, monk. I’ve just left a small trace of my divine consciousness here. After saying these words, I’ll disappear,” Yan Jinzhou seemed to laugh, or perhaps sigh. “Mingsang, forget about me. Don’t come again. I wish you an early ascension.”
As the words fell, the tomb room became completely silent.
After a long while, Mingsang raised his hand, closed his eyes, and bowed to the woman in the ice coffin.
“And, don’t you dare chant your Buddhist scriptures in my tomb!” Yan Jinzhou’s voice suddenly rang out.
Mingsang opened his eyes and looked at Yan Jinzhou in the ice coffin. After a long time, he turned and left.
With the highest-cultivation Zen Master Mingsang leaving, Shen Xi looked warily at Ning Buwei, then told the people behind her, “Let’s go.”
The crowd departed from the devastated tomb.
Ning Buwei, however, felt the spiritual power surrounding him hadn’t disappeared. Sure enough, after a while, the spiritual power secretly poked his arm. “Disciple, has the monk left?”
“Left,” Ning Buwei subconsciously nodded, then suddenly realized Yan Jinzhou wouldn’t know, and involuntarily pursed his lips.
“Ah, even if you answer, I wouldn’t know,” Yan Jinzhou’s voice sounded somewhat disappointed, then immediately became fierce. “You useless one, being chased to my old base! If I hadn’t foreseen this and left a backup plan, you’d be done for! I’m already dead and still have to worry about you. Must’ve owed your Ning family from a previous life.”
Ning Buwei laughed. “Thank you, Master.”
“Hey, I…” Yan Jinzhou cleared her throat again. “I actually deliberately sent you away before my death. When Mingsang was in the Dark Realm, even if you had eight legs, you couldn’t have caught up to bring him back. I just… didn’t want you to see me die. It would be too heartbreaking – though I think my death would definitely make you sad, and if you’re not sad, I’ll climb out from underground and stand by your bedside.”
“I thought I would just spend my entire life alone as a wandering cultivator, never expecting to take on a disciple. Although I cursed Ning Xingyuan every day, I was actually quite thankful to him – at least someone would collect my corpse if I died and wouldn’t leave me exposed in the wilderness…
I won’t say more, thinking that I should leave some words behind, but saying them out loud feels too sentimental. You’re not even a monk—”
Yan Jinzhou fell silent for a moment, removing the teasing and laughter from her voice. She seriously and solemnly said to Ning Buwei, “Chengfeng, from now on, you’ll be on your own. If you’re capable, ascend and make your master proud. If not, just live well. And if you die, don’t be afraid. I’ll take care of you in the afterlife.”
Ning Buwei lowered his head and chuckled softly. “…How verbose.”
The spiritual power enveloping him seemed reluctant, yet also casually hugged him lightly before slowly dissipating.
The entire tomb chamber finally became completely quiet.
