Chapter 87: Reunion

The sudden loss of a tenth of her vital blood had a profound impact on Hansu. Although her condition was somewhat better than Zixuan Shan’s, it was only superficial. The thirty-two consecutive bolts of purple lightning, which appeared to sink into “Ji Yan’s” body, were, in reality, a mere illusion conjured by Hansu within the dreamscape. Even though the golden thunder within her could absorb the purple lightning and strengthen itself, it could not withstand the depletion of thirty-two bolts, enough to drain a Golden Core cultivator entirely.

After all, she was not of the thunder spiritual root. Now, within her body, a fierce tug-of-war was raging—golden thunder desperately digesting the purple lightning, while the purple lightning struggled with equal ferocity to break free. The unruly purple lightning rampaged through her meridians, compounded by the loss of vital blood, rendering Hansu almost incapable of movement.

As the sword intent tore through the air toward her, and the scroll of transformation lost its master’s support, the illusion it maintained was cleaved apart. Everyone found themselves once more in Lord You’s mansion. The sword intent pressed forward, so sharp it seemed it might cleave her in two, and even the surrounding barrier quaked, barely holding together.

In that instant, Hansu’s thoughts raced—would she die here? What had Hua Yin experienced? Had Rong Ling found the answers he sought…?

Just as she managed to muster enough strength to attempt an escape into the Immortal Palace, the barrier was suddenly torn open. Lord You appeared in the hall, accompanied by four or five others.

The three stood frozen, and as the sword talisman threatened to pierce Hansu, the newcomers surged forward. Ji Yan, only at the early Golden Core stage, knew he could not withstand the talisman, so he rushed to try and pull Hansu away. Yet, before he could reach her, Hua Yin sped past, his sleeve sweeping away most of the sword intent. Meanwhile, the Golden Core male cultivator transformed by Rong Ling darted forward and carried Hansu out of harm’s way.

“What are you doing?!” Now that the danger had passed, Ji Yan stepped forward to question Lu Tanxian and her companion.

“She… she tried to kill us!” Zixuan Shan, terrified by the sudden intrusion, was unable to speak, and Lu Tanxian, realizing she could not rely on her, blurted out in panic.

“She tried to kill us and steal our treasures, but failed. We were only defending ourselves.” With the lie gaining momentum, Zixuan Shan grew bold enough to add a few words.

“Oh? I wonder what treasure my friend tried to take from you, miss?” Seeing Hansu on the verge of death, Rong Ling couldn’t help but grasp her hand and probe her wounds with his divine sense.

Hansu could not speak for the moment, and could only weakly shake her head at him.

Rong Ling sensed the changes within her body; the injury was not serious and would heal with rest. But if she hadn’t had that protective golden thunder, what might have happened?

He, always so proud, felt a rare pang of fear and pressed the two for answers.

“I… I… she…” Zixuan Shan came to her senses, saw the cultivators’ strength, and knew there was no room for deceit. In her panic, she could only stammer incoherently.

Lord You, who had brought the others, felt anxious. The rest were unimportant, but Hua Yin was the rising star of the Fuhai Realm, and seeing his protectiveness toward the girl, Lord You knew he needed to provide a satisfactory explanation or risk his own ruin. Yet Zixuan Shan was also the junior of an old friend… This was troublesome.

His gaze fell upon Lu Tanxian, and Lord You suddenly had an idea.

“Miss Zi, both you and this young lady are severely injured, but Miss Lu seems perfectly fine. When we entered, she was the one attacking the young lady with her sword… Perhaps you’re mistaken, and it’s Miss Lu who tried to kill for treasure, while you and the young lady are her victims?”

As he spoke, he locked onto Lu Tanxian, preventing her escape.

“Yes! Yes, that’s right, it was her. She’s the one who hurt us both! She… she stole my necklace!” Zixuan Shan, finding a convenient ladder, had no reason not to descend. The three intimidating men were terrifying, and self-preservation was paramount!

“Then let me apprehend her for you!” Without giving Lu Tanxian a chance to defend herself or Hua Yin to object, Lord You decided to kill Lu Tanxian to settle the matter.

“Well, there truly isn’t a single decent person here… Elder Zi, you kill and then try to pin the blame on me. I, Lu Tanxian, will remember you!” A paper figure drifted down gently, her voice echoing in the hall, yet none present noticed when she left…

No, in fact, someone did notice.

Rong Ling had realized that after they entered, another person had slipped in. This person’s concealment skill was so exceptional that no one else detected them. As Lord You twisted the truth, the mysterious figure used the paper substitute to replace Lu Tanxian, spiriting her away.

He hadn’t stopped it because the scene felt familiar. Though the newcomer concealed their appearance, they gave him a sense of déjà vu. Yet that person was supposed to be…

“What’s going on here?! This person escaped so quietly, no wonder they managed to severely injure two Golden Core cultivators single-handedly!” Lord You, red-faced, blustered in vain.

Hua Yin glanced coldly at Zixuan Shan, then looked to Rong Ling. “How is her injury?”

“A period of rest will suffice.”

“We’ll spare you this time. But if there’s a next…” Hua Yin’s gaze was sharp as a blade, stabbing fiercely at Zixuan Shan and sweeping over Lord You. “We’re leaving now. As for what you mentioned when we arrived…”

“I’ll immediately report the news of the relic to you, sir!” Lord You’s face twisted in pain as he placed a jade talisman in Hua Yin’s hand. “All the details are contained within; you’ll understand once you see it.”

Hua Yin led the way, silent since entering, with Suoyun walking beside him, face dark. Ji Yan walked in the middle, and Rong Ling carried Hansu in the rear.

They traveled until they reached a remote stretch of sea before stopping.

How these people came together was a matter of fate. Ji Yan had originally accompanied Zixuan Shan and Lu Tanxian to Yuluo City to deliver a message from the Zi family patriarch to Lord You. Who would have guessed Zixuan Shan would secretly ask Lord You for soldiers to ambush Hansu? Worse, upon Hansu’s arrival, Zixuan Shan asked Lord You to send Ji Yan away.

Lord You, after several days of acquaintance, grew fond of Ji Yan. Though only at the early Golden Core stage, Ji Yan’s true strength exceeded his cultivation. While of the thunder spiritual root, he had deep insights into water spiritual objects and more.

No matter what topic arose, he offered fresh perspectives. This delighted Lord You, who, having risen from humble origins, only achieved his transformation and current status through chance. Though his position improved, his vision remained limited.

He lacked understanding of many things, yet was too proud to seek answers. Meeting Ji Yan, he felt he’d found the right person.

Ji Yan explained many stories without prompting. Lord You had a longstanding worry—a matter never fulfilled.

This time, when Zixuan Shan asked him to help lure Ji Yan away, he thought of it.

It was a relic dating back tens of thousands of years.

Located deep within the sea, not far from his city, a relic lay buried.

Decades ago, while searching for a spiritual pearl in the depths, he sensed a surge of spiritual power in a certain place, but it quickly faded. He suspected some spiritual treasure or immortal artifact was awakening, so he kept watch, never relaxing.

At last, he discovered the relic.

Unfortunately, the barrier formations surrounding it were too powerful for him to handle.

Yet he was loath to ask others for help.

Since it lay in the deep sea of the Fuhai Realm, it was surely a demon cultivator’s possession. Few demon cultivators understood formations, and those he could not afford to offend; he risked handing over the treasure and possibly courting disaster. So he kept silent.

Meeting Ji Yan, whom he found to be the most learned person he’d ever encountered, he immediately decided to ask for his help. Besides, Ji Yan was a human cultivator and wouldn’t covet demon treasures; only at the Golden Core stage, no matter how powerful, he couldn’t surpass Lord You, who had reached the Nascent Soul stage.

They traveled together, unexpectedly encountering Hua Yin and Suoyun.

Hua Yin, upon meeting him, asked directly if he knew of any nearby relics… Lord You tried to deflect, but Ji Yan answered, “We’re headed there now.” At that point, he couldn’t refuse to lead them.

He grieved over the treasure not yet in hand, helplessly guiding the way, only to meet another stranger.

This man, just a Golden Core cultivator, had unfathomable strength.

Upon seeing Hua Yin, he paused, scrutinized him for a long time, then said, “Hansu seems in danger in Yuluo City; I’m going there now. Would you like to come?”

Thus, the group doubled back. The Golden Core man got along well with Hua Yin and Ji Yan, and they even agreed to explore the relic together. Lord You’s heart ached terribly…

His intuition proved correct—handing over the jade talisman meant surrendering the treasures within the relic. He lost both the treasure and his own standing; heartache, pain in his flesh and liver, everywhere hurt…

The greatest beneficiary was Rong Ling.

He had searched in vain for so long, yet upon arriving to seek Hansu, he made a new discovery.

He found each member of the group—Ji Yan, Hua Yin, Suoyun, Lu Tanxian—strangely familiar. He couldn’t draw definite conclusions from vague feelings, but secretly divined for each of them, only to find an empty hexagram—a blank slate. All of them appeared as blank slates.

Clearly, even if they weren’t as he suspected, they were closely connected to him. Thus, he resolved to stay with them and observe, believing he would eventually uncover the truth.

Yet… why did those two young men seem to harbor unusual intentions toward Hansu? The more he watched, the more he felt their furtive glances—Ji Yan was one thing, for Hansu was clearly cold toward him and he showed little interest. But Hua Yin… even with a formidable woman by his side, he still kept sneaking glances at Hansu. Wasn’t this two-timing?

Most infuriating was that Hansu seemed even more familiar with Hua Yin than with him!

Rong Ling, quietly plotting for a long while to separate the two, suddenly realized… he was paying more and more attention to her, and caring for her deeply.

Author’s Note: The pressure of daily updates is intense, so I can’t guarantee updates at 6:00 PM every evening! Girls, please check back at 8:00 PM! 166 Reading Network