Chapter 30: Deciding Fate, Settling Karma

On the very night he accepted the challenge, Fang Wang slipped into the Li residence. With his Silent Nature Technique and Shadowless Step, he moved like a ghost, seeking the whereabouts of the girl in blue.

It didn’t take long for him to locate her quarters. After Baiyi Jinghong had agreed to the duel, Li Honggang had withdrawn the guards from her room, and not a soul patrolled the Li residence.

Standing silently before the window, Fang Wang peered through a crack in the frame. The girl in blue was sitting cross-legged on her bed, her bearing betraying none of the signs of hardship.

He sent her a voice transmission: “Miss Qing, are you all right? Don’t speak—just nod or shake your head.”

At his words, the girl started, but then nodded.

“Have you been poisoned?”

She shook her head.

Fang Wang swept the room with his spiritual sense, confirming there was no danger. He beckoned her to follow.

As she stepped out the door, he swiftly lifted her into his arms and sped away. His movements were so deft that no one in the Li residence noticed. By now, Li Honggang had already begun seclusion, paying no mind to the outside world.

Taking advantage of the night, Fang Wang escorted the girl out of Haixia City, accompanying her for a hundred miles before stopping. “From here, you can return on your own,” he said.

The girl touched down, surprise in her voice. “You’re not coming back? Are you truly going to fight him?”

Earlier that afternoon, Li Honggang had come to inform her that Baiyi Jinghong had accepted the challenge, leaving her uneasy all day. When Fang Wang found her, she thought they would simply flee together—never expecting he would return.

“Only after ensuring your safety can I face Li Honggang without any burden,” Fang Wang replied.

Their escape had been unimpeded—no pursuit from the Li residence. This proved Li Honggang’s integrity. Since that was the case, Fang Wang would honor the duel.

Perhaps it was by Li Honggang’s tacit consent that Fang Wang had been able to rescue her so easily.

“But… Li Honggang is a cultivator of the Spirit Pill stage. Why contend with him?” the girl asked anxiously. She had heard from Fang Hanyu that Fang Wang had joined the Taiyuan Sect at the same time.

Fang Wang smiled. “Since I have accepted the challenge, how can I not fight? Everyone knows Baiyi Jinghong is a disciple of the Taiyuan Sect. I no longer represent myself, but the entire sect.”

If he wished to contest Lu Yuanjun for the position of chief disciple, Fang Wang had to win renown. And what better way to do so than through battle honors?

Others might not know who Baiyi Jinghong was, but Fang Wang was certain that Guang Qiuxian and Yang Yuanzi did.

Moreover…

Fang Wang was confident.

This was no longer a battle of vengeance, but a contest of spirit and reputation.

One day, the name Baiyi Jinghong would be inseparable from Fang Wang. Before that day came, he would make Baiyi Jinghong a figure his fellow disciples aspired to emulate.

At his words, the girl fell silent.

“Miss Qing, you should head home. Your people will be worried,” Fang Wang urged.

She stamped her foot. “Don’t call me Miss Qing! I have a name—Qing Wan’er. From now on, call me Wan’er!”

With that, she spun and darted into the forest, quickly vanishing into the night.

Fang Wang chuckled, thinking nothing of it, and turned back toward Haixia City.

…

Twenty days—neither long nor short—passed while Fang Wang remained in seclusion at the Gu residence, making it awkward for Gu Li to disturb him.

Gradually, more and more cultivators gathered in Haixia City, all drawn by the impending clash between Baiyi Jinghong and Li Honggang.

Baiyi Jinghong’s fame had soared after slaying Li Hongshuang. Li Honggang, a cultivator of the Spirit Pill stage, was a figure of renown among the lower ranks.

Clashes at the Spirit Pill level were rare—how could the young scions of noble houses and itinerant cultivators resist coming to witness the spectacle?

On the eve of the duel, Fang Wang emerged from his room and found Gu Li. The two sat across a table.

“Miss Gu, after tomorrow’s duel, you should return to the Taiyuan Sect. I have matters to attend to and will return a bit later,” Fang Wang said.

He suspected Gu Li had come for his sake; even if it was wishful thinking, he felt obliged to make things clear so she would not wait in vain.

Gu Li frowned. “Is it because of your clansman? Is his injury severe?”

“Yes. He’ll need months to recover.”

“Do you need my help?”

“Thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need. He’s already recuperating, though his location must remain secret.”

Fang Wang’s apology was sincere—his family had yet to reach the Fang Domain, nor had it grown strong; he dared not invite Gu Li there.

Gu Li asked softly, “Then you must win. I will be watching you.”

Fang Wang smiled. “Of course. I have yet to lose.”

By candlelight, with the moon high outside, Gu Li gazed at Fang Wang’s smile, her expression growing dreamy. For reasons she couldn’t name, she found his smile captivating.

Curious about the Supreme Hao Sect, Fang Wang inquired about its history. Gu Li made no secret of what she knew, and they chatted long into the night. Gu Li felt she had grown closer to him.

As the moon set and the sun rose, the first light of dawn swept across Haixia City, stirring it to life.

Today, Baiyi Jinghong would meet Li Honggang in battle!

More and more cultivators crowded toward the southern gate, eager not to miss the spectacle.

Less than half an hour remained before noon, but the area before the southern gate and atop the city walls was already thronged with people. Gu Li was among them, standing on the city wall, her face veiled, beautiful eyes fixed on a figure below.

Li Honggang!

This Spirit Pill cultivator sat cross-legged atop the hilt of his great blade, which stood planted in the earth. Though motionless, an aura of power gathered around him, mounting ever higher.

“What terrifying blade intent!”

“Is that the legendary Sun-Slaying Blade from the Scarlet Sun Sect?”

“After all these years away, Li Honggang’s blade intent has only grown stronger.”

“I wonder if Baiyi Jinghong will truly appear.”

The cultivators whispered excitedly. The air Li Honggang exuded left no doubt of his resolve to fight to the death, heightening anticipation for the coming clash.

A commotion stirred behind Gu Li. She turned to see a burly elder ascend the city wall, attended by a retinue of cultivators. He wore a black robe and a purple crown, his left hand resting at his waist, his right toying with two iron spheres that crackled faintly with electricity.

It was Tang Chengfeng, lord of Haixia City!

At his arrival, many cultivators bowed low, their faces eager and sycophantic.

Gu Li quietly stepped aside, keeping her distance from Tang Chengfeng.

He approached the edge of the wall, gazing down at Li Honggang with a smile. “It seems Li Honggang is determined to fight to the death. I must say, the Li family is worthy of its thousand-year renown.”

A white-robed woman nearby asked curiously, “Father, do you think he can win?”

“That, I cannot say. After all, I have never seen Baiyi Jinghong,” Tang Chengfeng replied, full of curiosity like everyone else.

The Thirty-Two Swords of Jinghong…

The Taiyuan Sect had produced Lu Yuanjun, and now Baiyi Jinghong—a rising force impossible to ignore!

Tang Chengfeng believed this battle would mark a turning point in the world of cultivation, and so he came to witness it himself.

On the city walls and before the gates, speculation ran wild. The name Lu Yuanjun was mentioned repeatedly; many suspected Baiyi Jinghong was none other than Lu Yuanjun himself.

Time ticked by.

Noon arrived in the blink of an eye.

Li Honggang, seated atop his blade, abruptly opened his eyes. On the city wall, Tang Chengfeng narrowed his own. Both gazed toward the horizon.

A piercing sound split the sky. Thousands of cultivators turned toward it; some rode their flying swords into the air for a better view.

From the distant sky, a white streak shot forward, halting midair a hundred yards from the southern gate. All eyes fixed upon it.

The light faded, revealing a figure in flowing white robes, upright and broad-shouldered, slender at the waist, standing on a flying sword. A conical hat shaded his face, his bearing ethereal as a banished immortal.

“Baiyi Jinghong!”

A cry rang out. Most of the cultivators watched the white-robed figure with burning anticipation.

Under the scrutiny of the crowd, Baiyi Jinghong slowly raised his head. Beneath the hat, he wore a fox mask, heightening the air of mystery.

It was Fang Wang.

Fang Wang’s right hand slid slowly to draw the Azure Lord Sword. He stood proudly in midair, looking down at Li Honggang. “Shall we end our karma in battle?”

Li Honggang rose to his feet atop the blade, his cloak billowing wildly. His gaze locked on Fang Wang as he replied coldly, “Let us settle life and death, and end our karma!”