As the sect master of Biyun Mountain, Mu Feilin had schemed and calculated endlessly. Yet, overnight, he saw his sect washed in blood, and his only daughter's neck cruelly snapped. His heart was filled with profound grief.
Mu Zhizhi could never have anticipated, nor could Mu Feilin, that Mu Ran's so-called mortal husband was actually a Void Insight realm cultivator who had hidden his cultivation and disguised himself as someone with no spiritual roots.
Just one wrong step had brought about today's disaster of utter annihilation.
Amidst the pool of blood, Mu Feilin abruptly raised his head. Those eyes, which had once hidden endless machinations, were now completely swallowed by a bloodthirsty red. The spiritual energy around him surged like a tsunami, causing the remaining rubble of Biyun Mountain to tremble wildly in the air.
Roaring, he shot up from the ground, his palm wind carrying a world-destroying hatred as he struck straight at Cangshu Bai's face. I will make you pay in blood!
Cangshu Bai stood amidst the devastation, his robes untainted by a single drop of blood, his expression as cold as eternal ice.
He neither dodged nor evaded. Condensing a piercing white light at his fingertips, he simply raised his hand and forcefully caught Mu Feilin's hate-filled strike.
A massive boom echoed through the valley, and the shockwave of spiritual energy sent the surrounding corpses flying.
Mu Feilin attacked like a madman, risking his life with every move. His palm techniques no longer possessed the steady discipline of a sect master, leaving only the sheer madness spurred by the pain of losing his daughter.
He hated, he regretted, he wanted to tear the man before him into a thousand pieces. But every strike that landed before Cangshu Bai felt like crashing into an impenetrable fortress of iron and bronze.
Even within the same realm, there was a world of difference between the early and late stages of breakthrough.
Cangshu Bai's figure swayed slightly, advancing and retreating with unhurried grace. You exhausted all your schemes, yet you killed the person you cared about the most.
Cangshu Bai's voice was cold and clear, every word piercing Mu Feilin's heart like an ice awl.
Mu Feilin's eyes widened until they nearly tore, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his moves instantly losing all rhythm.
Cangshu Bai's figure flashed, so fast he was merely a blur. With a flick of his wrist, spiritual energy condensed into a blade that mercilessly slashed across Mu Feilin's neck.
Mu Feilin's movements froze abruptly, the strength draining from his body in an instant. Unable to stand any longer, he staggered backward. In his blurring vision, the last thing reflected was the image of his daughter Mu Zhizhi lying in a pool of blood.
The moment he hit the ground, his head rolled off, becoming indistinguishable from the severed limbs and mangled flesh littering the earth.
Cangshu Bai lowered his eyes to look at the corpse on the ground. Not a single ripple of emotion appeared on his face, leaving only an ice-bound indifference.
A small blue fish flew back to its master's side, the bell in its mouth ringing softly.
Cangshu Bai grasped the bell in his palm. To Zhenyue Mountain City.
Their figures vanished, leaving only the mutilated corpses on the ground.
The wind swept past, carrying the stench of blood. Biyun Mountain was utterly destroyed.
In the dead of night, Mu Shuqing suddenly opened her eyes from her sleep.
She sat up in bed, her breathing slightly hurried. Just moments ago, she had a nightmare. The contents of the dream had already blurred, but that soul-shaking feeling still lingered.
For cultivators, having a nightmare usually carried some sort of omen.
Had something happened at Biyun Mountain?
But she was currently a guest in Zhenyue Mountain City, too far away to be of any help.
Or perhaps it was simply because her wedding was approaching, causing an inner restlessness that triggered a bad dream.
The maid waiting outside heard the movement in the room and asked, Miss Mu, is something the matter?
Mu Shuqing found a random excuse. I would like a glass of water.
The maid pushed the door open, poured a cup of water, and handed it to Mu Shuqing, saying ingratiatingly, The Second Young Master has already conquered Chiyan Peak. He will definitely return very soon.
Mu Shuqing gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.
She had a cold personality and was never enthusiastic about anything. The people in Zhenyue Mountain City merely thought she was unhappy because she had not seen Cangshu Qihua.
In truth, she did not care whether she saw Cangshu Qihua or not.
Mu Shuqing said, You may leave.
The maid exited the room and closed the door behind her.
Mu Shuqing, however, still felt no sleepiness. She simply draped her outer robe over her shoulders, got out of bed, and pushed open the window. Looking at the clouds, mist, and mountain silhouettes outside, she let the cold wind blow against her, which smoothed away much of her unease.
As she stood leaning by the window, a faint, exceedingly sharp aura was suddenly carried over from afar by the night wind.
It was not killing intent, nor was it hostility; it was sword intent.
That sword intent was solitary and piercingly cold, yet it was stuck in a certain place, unable to stretch out. It was like a fine sword being forcefully bent, gloomy and stagnant, full of an inextricable stifling heaviness, faintly transmitting to her heart from an unreachable distance.
Among cultivators, spiritual breaths were interconnected; a single thought could be sensed from ten thousand miles away.
Mu Shuqing's fingertips paused slightly. She immediately understood that somewhere far away, someone's sword heart was hindered, their Dao heart was dusted over, and their sword intent was trapped in a corner, unable to flow freely.
She said nothing, only quietly watching the night wind swirling in the sky. A bamboo leaf was caught by the wind, drifting leisurely to her window.
Moved by a sudden impulse, Mu Shuqing raised her hand, gently caught the fallen leaf, and brought it to her lips.
Her lips parted slightly, and the melodious sound of a leaf flute echoed through the night.
The tone was soft but not weak, clear but not cold. Like a mountain stream flowing over crevices, like the evening breeze winding through tall pines, it bit by bit entwined with that stagnant sword intent far off on the horizon.
The sword intent, originally rigid and tense, was coaxed and guided by this gentle melody, unexpectedly beginning to loosen.
The knot of gloom blocking the heart and sinking into the spiritual veins was gradually cleared by the pure notes of this single leaf, dissolving and stretching out.
Mu Shuqing did not know who wielded the sword in the distance, nor had she done anything more than act on a whim to help them out. As the tune ended, the leaf slipped from her fingertips.
The sword intent brought back by the night wind was no longer stagnant and gloomy, leaving only a clear and luminous purity.
She gently closed the window.
Far away on another mountaintop, the highest peak in Zhenyue Mountain City, it was the closest to the heavens, and the night was therefore even more desolate and cold.
The long sword in Cangshu Linfeng's hand returned to its sheath. He stood at the absolute summit, his white robes outshining the snow. His features were cold and sharp, his lip line thin and straight, and his eyes the color of frigid jade. His entire being exuded an unapproachable indifference, yet he was breathtakingly transcendent.
He looked into the distance and asked, Who resides over there?
His attendant replied, It is Miss Mu, who came from Biyun Mountain.
From Biyun Mountain, Cangshu Qihua's fiancee?
The attendant nodded. Exactly so.
Cangshu Linfeng's cold, pale fingertips slowly traced over the scabbard as he said, How interesting.
The attendant looked up in astonishment.
This Eldest Young Master loved swords to the point of obsession. Every day, apart from practicing his swordsmanship, he did nothing but practice more swordsmanship. This was the very first time he had shown interest in something other than a sword.
Zhenyue Mountain City had always been divided into an Aboveground City and an Underground City.
Above the mountain were the glamorous and radiant cultivators.
Below the ground were the medicine testers, used as mere expendables.
After generations of medicinal modifications, the physical appearance of the medicine testers had become different from ordinary people. A head of blood-red hair was their most common characteristic.
Today, a black-haired girl was thrown into the Underground City.
This is the most precious medicine tester. Only the people from above are allowed to touch her. Watch her closely, do not let her die.
Leaving behind these words, the two disciples dressed in ink-black robes turned and left. At the same time, the only iron door leading to the surface was firmly shut.
