The Vastness of Heaven and Earth
Northern Sea black iron circled through the air, gradually wrapping Qi Xianqing in its embrace.
Yan Jue turned her wrist, and layers of faint frost covered the black iron, helping lower Qi Xianqing’s body temperature.
Yan Jue could now control the Northern Sea black iron with ease; she could make it take whatever shape she wanted.
-
No one knew how long passed before the fluctuations of spiritual energy on Qi Xianqing’s side slowly subsided.
Qi Xianqing let out a deep breath and opened her eyes. At the same time, Yan Jue went limp, falling flat on her back as she stared blankly up at the rock wall overhead.
She would never guard Qi Xianqing again.
Never.
First of all, guarding Qi Xianqing was torture for the soul.
Enveloped by red lotus karmic fire, Qi Xianqing’s breathing was heavy and unsteady; before long, Yan Jue’s face had gone hot, her mind had scattered, and she had to use all her strength just to stay steady. But that still wasn’t the worst of it. The aura of the Immortal Spirit Physique was an enormous temptation to demons and monsters; it was sweet, alluring, impossible to ignore.
Yan Jue lay on the ground and slowly swallowed. Even her legs had gone weak; her ears felt weak too.
She was drenched in sweat. Her fair cheeks were flushed red, her eyes blank and unfocused, and she looked as though she had just been fished out of water.
Qi Xianqing really was a devil.
She had actually thought to use red lotus karmic fire as the material for a breakthrough.
Yan Jue couldn’t help complaining inwardly. Red lotus karmic fire was one of the ancient ten divine fires, and its power was immense.
It ate away at the body from the outside and invaded the soul from within.
If one used red lotus karmic fire to aid a breakthrough and succeeded, the spiritual sea would be reinforced by spiritual fire; within the same realm, one would be invincible.
But if it failed…
Once the spiritual fire corroded the soul, one’s cultivation would plummet. Those with poor talent might spend their entire lives unable to recover the lost power.
Qi Xianqing was ruthless.
…
Qi Xianqing exhaled deeply, stood up, and walked slowly over until she was in front of Yan Jue.
She crouched down, lowered her head, and looked at Yan Jue for a long moment before sliding both hands under Yan Jue’s armpits and hauling her upright.
Because of Yan Jue, this breakthrough had gone much more smoothly than usual for Qi Xianqing.
Her entire spiritual sea was filled with spiritual fire, as though a swelling mass of spiritual energy were floating in her dantian, so full it was about to overflow.
The effect was better than any previous time.
Yan Jue was caught completely off guard and hoisted upright by Qi Xianqing: “…”
Qi Xianqing frowned slightly. “Junior Sister, are you all right?”
Her tone was a little awkward, faintly different from her usual coldness.
Yan Jue no longer had the energy to pay attention to Qi Xianqing’s oddness. The moment Qi Xianqing approached, she sensed a different aura from her; the pressure Qi Xianqing had always given her had grown even stronger.
It was like the might of heaven after a phoenix’s rebirth.
Yan Jue slumped in Qi Xianqing’s arms for a moment, then immediately pushed her away. “You’re now…”
Qi Xianqing pressed her lips together; her face was no longer as weak as before. “Mid-Fusion Realm. Many thanks to Junior Sister for guarding the Dharma.”
Yan Jue nodded, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said carelessly, “It was nothing. Just a small matter.”
The cave was a complete mess.
The huge alchemy furnace lay toppled on the ground, and the herbs inside had been scattered everywhere.
The floor was also split apart; through the cracks in the rock, one could faintly see hot magma billowing with thick smoke.
The ground was covered with the corpses of tiny spiders.
The two of them left Drunken Breeze and ran into Xue Shuangxing.
Xue Shuangxing had already returned to her true form; she was a slender, delicate woman. Wearing a veiled bamboo hat and an ice-hued ruqun with a jade-colored crossed collar, she rode atop the tiger mastiff, the reins clenched tightly in her hand.
The tiger mastiff’s belly was bulging; it was obvious that it was packed full of children.
The Beast Taming Pavilion and the Five Dragons Sect did not usually interact much.
But the younger generation greatly admired the outstanding disciples among them, so Xue Shuangxing held a naturally respectful attitude toward Qi Xianqing.
When Xue Shuangxing’s gaze fell on Yan Jue, surprise flashed in her eyes.
However, when she saw Qi Xianqing, she slightly inclined her head. “Lord Meng Heng.”
Qi Xianqing gave a slight nod.
Just as the few of them were about to leave the cave abode, Yan Jue suddenly said, “Wait a moment.”
The two of them stopped and turned back to look at her.
Yan Jue flashed past them and went straight into the Pharmacy.
She rushed back into the Pharmacy and stared at the rows upon rows of medicine cabinets in front of her until her eyes nearly popped out. She reached out to pull one open, only to find it wouldn’t budge at all.
“… ”
“There’s a restriction on it,” Qi Xianqing’s voice came from behind her, carrying a warm breath of air as she stood very close.
Yan Jue jumped in fright and hurriedly dodged aside. Turning around, she looked at her expressionlessly for a long moment before asking, “May I ask if Senior Sister has a way to break it?”
Seeing how avoidant she was, Qi Xianqing’s lips pressed together slightly. She stepped forward and raised her arm.
She held two copper coins in her hand. With a flick of her fingertips, the coins shot out and struck the southeast corners of the medicine chest. Instantly, the cabinets lit up with a faint blue glow, and a weak ripple of spiritual power stirred in the air.
Qi Xianqing said softly, “It’s broken.”
Yan Jue didn’t notice the barely perceptible change in Qi Xianqing’s mood. She hurried forward and pulled open the leftmost drawer.
Written on the drawer in forceful, deeply carved brushstrokes were several large words: Cold Smoke Grass.
This demon cultivator was utterly heinous; taking a bit of his stuff didn’t burden Yan Jue in the slightest.
Yan Jue had dual water and earth spiritual roots.
If she wanted to mutate them into ice spiritual roots, she needed the aid of precious heavenly treasures.
Cold Smoke Grass had an extremely frigid attribute, so it was worth trying. Yan Jue took one stalk.
Of course, there was a chance of failure in spiritual root mutation, so Yan Jue selected several other materials as well.
“White Ancient Crystal.”
“Soul-Nourishing Wood.”
“Ice Spirit Fruit.”
“Yin Condensing Grass.”
As for the rest of those seemingly very valuable immortal herbs…
She took a few of those too.
After all, she was badly short of money right now.
Once she finished, Yan Jue turned around and asked Qi Xianqing and Xue Shuangxing, “Do you need anything?”
Qi Xianqing shook her head.
She had already used the most precious item in this cave, red lotus karmic fire, as the material for her breakthrough. The other immortal herbs were not needed for the time being.
As for the heavenly treasures in this cave, if nothing unexpected happened, they would all have to be reported when they returned to the mountain.
Every sect had its own channels for heavenly treasures and resources.
For example, if a disciple found a precious heavenly treasure while out in the world, but for one reason or another it had not yet matured, or perhaps they did not need it, they could report that information to Cloudfall Pavilion.
Other disciples who needed the material could then use that information to go gather it.
Xue Shuangxing closed her eyes. “The Beast Taming Pavilion does not loot corpses.”
Every sect had its own rules.
Among the Six Great Immortal Sects, many were extremely lofty and did not allow disciples traveling down the mountain to loot corpses.
Yan Jue could understand that. Although it wasn’t very nice, it was exactly what she needed.
Yan Jue then opened another drawer and suddenly saw something, pausing slightly.
It was actually the Spirit-Transforming Pearl.
On the way here that day, the little Daoist boy had used the Spirit-Transforming Pearl against the mountain wraith.
The pearl was pale purple all over, and in the dim light it gave off a faint luster. Yan Jue only looked at it once before instinctively closing her eyes.
As a fox demon, she had a natural fear of this kind of pearl full of righteous energy.
Such a righteous, solemn pearl was actually quite suitable for Qi Xianqing.
Yan Jue turned around and handed the Spirit-Transforming Pearl to Qi Xianqing. “This seems pretty useful. Do you want to keep it?”
Qi Xianqing stared at the pearl for a long while, apparently truly feeling that it would help her slay demons and exorcise evil. Then she gave a slight nod and put it into her Qiankun bag.
After Yan Jue finished scavenging the useful medicinal herbs, she suddenly remembered something and went back to Drunken Breeze.
That big spider had already fallen into the red lotus karmic fire and been utterly doomed, which made Yan Jue feel a little regretful.
But there were still many sticky spider webs on the ground.
Yan Jue vaguely felt that these might be useful, so she crouched down, gathered them up, and stuffed them all onto the miscellaneous shelf inside her Qiankun bag.
Qi Xianqing watched her back and moved her lips. “The Five Dragons Sect doesn’t lack resources.”
Yan Jue hung her Qiankun bag back at her waist and sighed. “If you want cultivation resources, the sect will provide them. But I’m an outer sect disciple; I don’t have them.”
Qi Xianqing’s eyes moved slightly. “Do you want to enter the inner sect?”
Yan Jue’s movements froze. “…”
Qi Xianqing: “When we return to the mountain this time, I can recommend you to the sect.”
In the dim light, the girl’s eyes were clear as water.
For a moment, Yan Jue didn’t know what to say.
She had actually been a little glad she was an outer sect disciple before, because outer sect disciples had little connection to the Five Dragons Sect and could run away easily.
If she entered the inner sect, that would be a different story.
Yan Jue: “I don’t want to.”
Qi Xianqing: “Why not?”
Yan Jue was really speechless. Sometimes she felt that Qi Xianqing truly liked getting to the bottom of everything. With a sigh, she put on a deliberately melancholy air and said, “The inner sect has too much homework, and the lessons are too hard. How could it possibly be as comfortable as staying in the outer sect?”
Qi Xianqing: “…”
Fortunately, Qi Xianqing did not continue the topic.
After Yan Jue finished looting everything, she slowly walked out of the cave.
Because she had just helped Qi Xianqing guard the Dharma, Yan Jue was soaked through from head to toe; her white inner robe was drenched, and there were still beads of sweat on her cheeks, as though she had just been fished out of water.
Compared with Qi Xianqing, Yan Jue felt a little unbalanced again. Why was it that after just breaking through a realm, Qi Xianqing still looked so ethereal and full of life, like an immortal maiden?
“… ”
Seeing the long-lost sunlight, Yan Jue’s narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and she suddenly felt a very pleasant sense of refreshment.
But when the cool wind blew, she felt a little cold again.
Qi Xianqing looked at her for a moment. “The nearest place from here is Fengxian Town. We’ll go there in a few days; you should go back to Xiaoxing Village first and change your clothes.”
Yan Jue: “Okay.”
Qi Xianqing then said to Xue Shuangxing, “Thank you.”
Xue Shuangxing clasped her hands toward Qi Xianqing. “It’s nothing.”
With a leap, she mounted the tiger mastiff, and very quickly disappeared without a trace.
-
Ever since returning to Xiaoxing Village from Suyang Immortal Mansion, Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing had not had a moment’s rest.
For the time being, they stayed at Fang Sheng’s house, and then the villagers, having heard of it, crowded around Fang Sheng’s front door until it was completely blocked.
“… ”
Qi Xianqing knew very well the principle of keeping a low profile when out in the world, and repeatedly had Fang Sheng pass along her words: “It is not something for outsiders to know.”
Later, the number of visitors finally became less overwhelming.
Yan Jue sat in her room and slowly sorted through the recent events.
First was the first matter.
Yan Jue removed the Northern Sea black iron from around her neck, closed her eyes, and silently recited the Spirit-Linking Formula.
In her palm, the chunk of Northern Sea black iron slowly lit with a faint glow and gradually lengthened.
It became a sword.
Yan Jue stared at the sword in her hand, her pupils slightly shrinking.
The hilt of the sword was ivory-white. Its texture felt warm and smooth like jade, while the blade gave off a faint golden light, just like the Northern Sea black iron itself.
Yan Jue tried swinging the “black iron sword” in her hand.
A faint sound like bells chiming rang through the air.
The golden blade actually merged with the air the instant it was swung; when it came to a stop, it slowly reappeared in the air again.
Yan Jue also tried turning the Northern Sea black iron into a big staff, a long saber, and other things.
The black iron transformed into all sorts of shapes in her hands.
Joy rose in Yan Jue’s heart. It seemed she had indeed fully mastered the Spirit-Linking Formula now!
Second matter.
Yan Jue then closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, a very faint thread of gold lit in her eyes.
Yan Jue’s Divine Sense sank abruptly, and her back instinctively tensed.
Something slowly emerged from above her head, and Yan Jue then saw in the bronze mirror before her a pair of… terrifying, ferocious red fox heads.
The red fox’s teeth were sharp, and its eyes shone with golden light.
“… ” It was a little scary.
It seemed the original body’s red fox bloodline was even more outstanding than she had imagined.
It looked like if she ever fought in the future, she would have one more means of self-defense than others.
Just as Yan Jue was experimenting with her recent gains, someone suddenly knocked on her room door.
Yan Jue opened the door, and what greeted her eyes was little Jia Ni’s pink, delicate face.
After a few days of rest, the girl no longer looked as thin and sickly as she had in the cave.
She had put on a white shirt, and her little face had some color in it now too.
Yan Jue smiled in relief. “How have you been resting?”
Jia Ni: “I’ve been resting very well.”
She looked up at Yan Jue and bit her lip before asking, “Is Big Sister leaving?”
Yan Jue went over to the table and sat down; the girl followed like a little tail and sat down beside her as well.
Yan Jue: “We’re leaving Xiaoxing Village tomorrow.”
Jia Ni: “Big Sister, I don’t want to part with you.”
Yan Jue: “I don’t want to part with you either.”
Jia Ni stared at Yan Jue, slowly blushing. Then she reached into her bag and carefully took something out.
Yan Jue paused.
It was a broken piece of purple jade.
Jia Ni held the fragment out to her. “Before I came to Xiaoxing Village, my mother had me keep this by my side. It’s my favorite thing; I’m giving it to Big Sister.”
The little girl probably didn’t know that a complete piece of jade could be very valuable, but a broken piece might not be.
Still, seeing that it was the child’s most treasured possession, Yan Jue was deeply moved. She took the purple jade from her and said with a smile, “Thank you.”
-
Fengxian Town was the last town in the Southwest Region.
Although the Southwest Region was vast, there were not many towns—only Qingye Town, Nanxing Town, and Fengxian Town.
The main settlements were still the villages.
Originally, flying on a sword would have been faster, but when Qi Xianqing asked expressionlessly whether Yan Jue would be willing to stand on Zhuying with her, Yan Jue refused with righteous conviction.
Yan Jue said speechlessly, “If the two of us ride a sword together, does that even sound proper?”
“Zhuying really likes you.” Sitting in the chair, Qi Xianqing slowly wiped the immortal sword Zhuying, her eyelids lowered. “Besides, when I used to go down the mountain with junior sisters, I often carried people on my sword.”
Perhaps to prove Qi Xianqing’s words, the immortal sword Zhuying happily trembled in her arms.
Yan Jue: “… So you also went down the mountain with other junior sisters.”
For some reason, a faint, uncomfortable feeling suddenly rose in her heart and vanished just as quickly.
Qi Xianqing: “I often did in the Foundation Establishment Realm; after reaching the fourth Fusion Realm, I rarely did.”
Yan Jue let out a breath. “Oh.”
Qi Xianqing looked at her and slightly curved her eyes.
Yan Jue had just bathed and was now refreshed and clean, her black hair tied high as she sat upright in the chair and asked, “When do we leave?”
Qi Xianqing: “There’s an important matter I need to handle first.”
She took out a glazed bottle from her robes.
The bottle shimmered with a faint golden light, and a talisman sealing ghosts was pasted across its center.
Yan Jue immediately recognized it. It was the reward given by Heavenly Master Su Yang in the cave that day.
Inside the bottle was a beheaded vengeful ghost; the one that had previously made Xiaoxing Village suffer unbearably was this very ghost.
Qi Xianqing: “We’ll exorcise it first.”
Yan Jue: “How do we exorcise it?”
Qi Xianqing took out the Spirit-Transforming Pearl and placed it on the table.
After a night of recuperation, she had already brought the Spirit-Transforming Pearl under her own control.
Qi Xianqing closed her eyes and silently recited a mental formula; the Spirit-Transforming Pearl then lit with a weak glow.
At the same time, the lid of the glazed bottle was blasted open with force, and that headless female ghost drifted out in confusion, slowly turning her empty neck around.
Soft light fell on the ghost’s body. She suddenly seemed to realize something, and her whole body began convulsing wildly as faint wisps of green smoke rose from her.
The smoke thickened and thickened.
In about the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the beheaded vengeful ghost dispersed, and the Spirit-Transforming Pearl’s light also faded away.
What gentle light…
Yan Jue stared at the pearl, and the corner of her lips twitched slightly.
Was this really the same Spirit-Transforming Pearl the Daoist boy had used that day?
Qi Xianqing put away the Spirit-Transforming Pearl, stood up with Zhuying in hand, and said, “Let’s go.”
-
Qi Xianqing and Yan Jue rode out of Luoyun Mountain in a donkey cart, rocking and swaying along for a long stretch of mountain road.
Afternoon, the hour of Wei.
Yan Jue was dozing in the donkey cart when she suddenly heard the sound of hooves ahead.
A group of men on horseback came toward them, with many large boxes being hauled behind them. They were probably a merchant caravan.
The leader of the caravan saw someone ahead and quickly reined in his horse. Bowing, he asked, “Young lady, how long until we’ll see a village if we keep going?”
Yan Jue pointed the way. “Follow this road for another hour; once you get past the slope, you’ll be there.”
The caravan leader: “Many thanks.”
Yan Jue smiled and asked, “Where are you headed?”
The caravan replied, “Jiangnan. Goods sell well in Jiangnan.”
At the mention of Jiangnan, Yan Jue couldn’t help feeling a little wistful.
The world was vast. The Southwest Region where the Five Dragons Mountain stood was only the tip of the iceberg; this world still had countless places she had never explored.
She wondered where she would go in the future.
After saying farewell to the caravan, Qi Xianqing and Yan Jue continued on in the donkey cart.
Although the original plan was to return to the mountain, collect an identity token, and then run away, once they reached Fengxian Town, Yan Jue still intended to familiarize herself with the surrounding area.
After all, this stretch between Fengxian Town and Luoyun Mountain was a route she would have to pass if she was going to escape…
Yan Jue could not help thinking about whether she could really run away at all.
If, under the control of this Heavenly Dao, she was destined to be nothing more than one of the male lead’s opportunities, then she…
At first, Yan Jue had been full of energy, ready and eager to prepare her escape. But now that the plan was getting closer and closer, she actually felt uncertain.
Just as Yan Jue was calculating the matter of escape, she suddenly heard Qi Xianqing ask, “Last time Junior Sister said your home was in the north. I wonder what the customs and people there are like…”
Qi Xianqing was once again giving her a difficult question, so Yan Jue had no choice but to start making things up. “The girls in the north are all especially warm and enthusiastic.”
Qi Xianqing pressed her lips together. “What kinds of amusements are there over there?”
Yan Jue: “Our side is very poor. People play things like touhu and the like; it definitely isn’t as fun as the Central Plains.”
“All of us northern women are very helpful, and we treat defending justice and helping others as the guiding principle of life!”
For some reason.
Ever since she and Qi Xianqing left the cave abode, she felt that Qi Xianqing was strange, as if she were searching for topics to talk about with her.
A bit obedient, somehow.
After hearing Yan Jue’s words, Qi Xianqing said in a low voice, “No wonder.”
Northern women were helpful.
No wonder she was willing to guard the Dharma for me, Qi Xianqing thought. A strange feeling of loss suddenly welled up in her heart.
Normally, only dual-cultivation Dao companions would guard the Dharma for their partners.
She had thought Yan Jue…!