Chapter 107: With This Sword, I Shall Slay the Heavens!

"How I handle things is none of your concern. Should I hand over the position of Young Mistress to you, Elder Liang?"

The bald, burly woman opened her mouth but, meeting Yun Suxin's icy gaze, ultimately swallowed her words and lowered her head.

"I wouldn't dare. It's up to you, Young Mistress."

"Hmph, know your place," Yun Suxin rolled her eyes.

This Elder Liang, though appearing male, was actually a woman. Originally a rogue cultivator, she later joined Lingxi Valley. Her title was Elder, but it was merely nominal. To put it bluntly, she was just a dog raised by Lingxi Valley.

There were a few similar elders in Lingxi Valley, though most were in seclusion.

Perhaps because her mother hadn't appeared for a long time, Elder Liang had become arrogant, thinking she had the right to speak for the Young Mistress.

How dare she?!

The Sword Pavilion wasn't some great evil.

Their previous robbery of Lingxi Valley disciples had caused little loss, a mere drop in the bucket for the wealthy Lingxi Valley. This time, she'd give them a lesson and send them back where they came from.

If they dared to repeat their actions, she'd deal with them severely.

With this in mind, Yun Suxin made her decision.

She gracefully descended from the inn's roof, walking slowly and deliberately towards the restrained Yue Qianchi. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, "Yue Qianchi, the senior disciple of the Sword Pavilion. I heard you've come to buy spiritual herbs?"

"Yes," Yue Qianchi retorted, her neck stiff. "Isn't Lingxi Valley open to all righteous cultivators for purchasing herbs?"

"Indeed," Yun Suxin didn't deny it, but she sneered, "But I never said Lingxi Valley welcomes guests who crash into our protective illusion array."

Yue Qianchi opened her mouth but found no words.

After all, the flying boat had indeed crashed into their illusion array.

She averted her gaze, her face reddening, and after a long pause, muttered, "It was an accident. We were cultivating and didn't know where the flying boat was heading…"

"No need for excuses. I'll give you one more chance today," Yun Suxin summoned a golden lotus and tossed it into the air. The lotus expanded as it rose higher. "I'll drag you into the second layer of the illusion array. If you can break it, you're free to enter the valley and buy herbs. If you can't break it within three days, return to your Sword Pavilion, and the flying boat will be our compensation~"

As her words fell, the golden lotus in the sky exploded.

A faint golden light enveloped everything around them.

A strange fragrance filled the air, and Yue Qianchi and Li Qingran felt the world spin.

When they regained their senses, they found themselves in a deep, secluded valley.

The flying boat was gone, as were the burly woman and the Young Mistress of Lingxi Valley.

"Damn it, we've been dragged into an illusion!" Yue Qianchi slapped her thigh, her expression grim.

"Senior Sister, since it's an illusion, there must be a way to break out," Li Qingran took Yue Qianchi's hand, remaining optimistic. "Let's not panic. If we carefully look for the illusion's flaws, we'll surely succeed."

"It's not that simple," Yue Qianchi shook her head.

"Lingxi Valley's illusion array has three layers. The first layer is a maze, designed to block mortals and demonic beasts from entering the valley and trampling the spiritual fields. That's what our flying boat destroyed.

The second layer is the illusion array, filled with shadows and mirages, making it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood. It's said to even trap Nascent Soul cultivators for a time, let alone us.

Then there's the third layer, the killing array. Yun Suxin probably didn't activate it, or our heads would already be flying by now."

Hearing this, Li Qingran's face also showed a trace of worry.

Her Senior Sister wouldn't joke about such matters.

If Lingxi Valley's illusion array was so formidable, the chances of breaking out were indeed slim.

But even so, they had to try.

For her Master, and for herself, how could she give up so easily?

Li Qingran clenched her fists and stood up.

She wanted her Master to live well, to live a long life.

She wanted to meet her Master again, not just in projections.

She wanted to touch him, to feel his warmth.

She absolutely had to gather all the spiritual herbs needed for the Hundred Herbs Antidote Pill.

Seeing Li Qingran's determined expression as she walked step by step into the depths of the valley, Yue Qianchi also stood up and followed. "Let's go, let's go. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Though she said this, she wasn't optimistic.

If Lingxi Valley's protective array was known as one of the wonders of the Cangyun Realm, it was far more than just a maze.

…

"Young Mistress, if they really break the array, are you just going to let them go?"

Elder Liang stared at the spirit crystals in the flying boat's core, swallowing hard.

Those were spirit crystals! Any one of them could sustain her cultivation for at least two months.

If only she could get her hands on them…

She looked at Yun Suxin with eager eyes.

But Yun Suxin was only gazing at the two figures stumbling through the illusion, her narrow eyes slightly narrowed. "I keep my word. If they can truly break this heart-demon illusion array, what's the harm in letting them buy herbs?"

How difficult was it to break the array?

This illusion array embodied her mother's lifelong knowledge.

Entering it not only disoriented one but also compressed spiritual sense to the extreme. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual sense would be limited to a few hundred meters. But these weren't the array's most terrifying aspects.

Its true danger lay in its ability to evoke the deepest fears of those who entered.

Even she, the Young Mistress who spent every day in Lingxi Valley, would get lost in it.

Two disciples of the Sword Pavilion?

How could they possibly succeed?

…

[Your virtual girlfriend 'Li Qingran' has entered the second layer of Lingxi Valley's illusion array. Her deepest fears will be evoked…]

[Your teammate 'Yue Qianchi' has entered the second layer of Lingxi Valley's illusion array. Her deepest fears will be evoked…]

[Voice transmission function has been disabled. Recharge 88¥ to forcibly activate it!]

Two pop-up messages appeared on the phone.

Chen Huaian, basking in the dawn's faint light, turned over in his sleep, muttering "Qingran, my dear," and continued to sleep.

…

The valley was deep, and the further they walked, the colder it became.

Li Qingran thought they would reach a dead end, but there was no end in sight.

"Li Qingran, Li Qingran!" A voice called out.

Li Qingran looked up, following the direction of the voice, and saw a figure gradually materializing.

"Li Qingran, you disrespect your elders, betray your sect, what is your crime?!"

Ah, a green-robed, sanctimonious old man—Daoist Qingxuan.

"I am not guilty," she didn't even glance at Daoist Qingxuan, brushing past him.

"Li Qingran, didn't you say you'd always follow behind the Senior Brother? What are you doing now?!"

Another figure appeared. Li Qingran glanced at Lu Changtian and simply sneered.

"Li Qingran, why did you injure the Junior Sister?"

"Li Qingran, after all the pills I gave you, return them!"

"Li Qingran! You traitor!"

"Li Qingran…"

More and more people blocked Li Qingran's path.

They mocked, they cursed, they roared.

But she paid them no mind, walking forward with unwavering determination.

Her eyes were fixed on a beam of moonlight, within which stood a figure in white robes and silver hair, hands behind his back, a sword at his waist.

That was her Master.

The unparalleled swordsman who danced under the moonlight—Chen Huaian.

Countless figures appeared, countless figures vanished.

She walked forward, unyielding, without pause.

Until two blood-stained boots appeared before her.

The kind worn by soldiers on the battlefield.

"Ran'er, have you been well? Have you been bullied at the sect? Sigh… don't seek revenge for your parents… we just want you to be happy, to live well…"

Li Qingran's steps faltered, her lips pressed together as she looked at the elderly couple with graying hair, supporting each other. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Father… Mother…"

"Qingran, unfilial…"

Mortals were but pawns to cultivators.

Wars between nations were merely games of power between sects.

Cultivators laughed as they moved their pieces on the board, while soldiers died on the battlefield, their bodies wrapped in horsehide.

When a cultivator raged, smashing their wine cup, drought would plague the land, and the people would suffer.

Hah, a so-called nation was but a toy, destroyed in a few words.

Now, she was merely a grasshopper that had jumped off the chessboard, easily crushed underfoot.

She was cautious, she was careful. She only hoped to one day become a bird, so she wouldn't be so easily crushed.

But before stepping onto the path of cultivation, there was still naive hope.

After stepping onto the path, she knew true despair.

Above cultivators were inner disciples, above them were personal disciples, then elders, sect leaders, and sects. Above sects were holy lands, beyond them was the Abyss, and above the Abyss was ascension. Each step was a chasm, and between those chasms lay countless corpses and rivers of blood.

The heavens were vast, and she was but an ant!

But…

She looked at the figure standing with his hands behind his back.

With her Master by her side, even if the path ahead was filled with mountains of blades and seas of fire, she still had the courage to climb. Her parents' vengeance could eventually be avenged.

The light and shadows shifted, the wind howled, and snow filled the sky.

"Li Qingran, my time is running out. I couldn't wait for your antidote pill…"

"I don't blame you. I only blame the heavens for being merciless, the demonic beasts for being vicious."

"Master, I'm so reluctant to part…"

The figure in white robes lay in a pool of blood, surrounded by countless demonic beasts feasting, flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Amid the horrifying sound of chewing, the light in his eyes gradually faded, and his breath fell silent.

Li Qingran looked at the figure in the blood pool, her chest tightening as if pierced by a sharp blade.

"No, Master, no…"

"Get away! Get away! You can't eat my Master!"

"Ahhh! Get away! I'll kill you! Kill—!"

Her eyes red, she grabbed her sword and stumbled forward.

She fell to the ground, then scrambled forward on her hands and knees.

But no matter what she did, she couldn't reach him.

She could only watch as the demonic beasts devoured him.

Watch as his soul dissipated into the heavens and earth.

She knelt there, staring blankly.

The demonic beasts gradually left, and the shattered body lay before her.

Finally, she could touch him.

But the hands that had once transmitted energy and healed her were now icy cold.

"Master…"

"Master, look at Qingran. Qingran has come to save you…"

She frantically, yet carefully, rubbed his hand, pressing it against her warm cheek, as if that could bring back its warmth.

But it remained cold, colder than her heart.

She rubbed for a long time, until her body was covered in blood.

There was no way to warm it anymore.

So many words she wanted to say.

So many words left unsaid.

So many words that could never be spoken.

Her entire life had been a snowfall.

Her Master had held up an umbrella for her, beneath which were sunrises, starlight, the sea, and the beauty of the world.

"But in the end…"

"You take even my last refuge away."

She no longer had a Master.

Never again…

The wind cut like knives, the snow fell like needles.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… Father, Mother… I'm sorry, Master, I…"

"I'm too weak. I'm useless…"

"It's all because I'm too weak… Hahaha! So, Father and Mother died, Master died, everyone who loved me died! Only by becoming stronger… only by being… strong enough!"

Amid her wild laughter, hot tears fell.

Shattering the snow, making the sword tremble.

Li Qingran looked up at the sky.

Her cold gaze seemed to pierce the dark heavens, reaching higher. Her fingers gripping the hilt of the Su Xian Sword turned pale.

She slowly stood up.

A surge of killing intent rose to the heavens!

…

Above Lingxi Valley, dark clouds churned, and thunder dragons flashed.

In the pavilion, Yun Suxin, who had been drinking tea, suddenly paled, her heart trembling as she looked at the divine wrath brewing in the thunderclouds.

"Who dares to challenge the heavens with such anger?"

"If you want to fight the heavens, fine, just don't drag Lingxi Valley into it…"

Yun Suxin didn't dare stay in the pavilion, quickly retreating to her room to avoid being struck by lightning.

In the illusion array.

Li Qingran drew her sword, pointing it at the sky.

"I, Li Qingran, shall with this sword, slay the…"

Just as the final word was about to leave her lips.

A majestic voice exploded in her mind.

[Awaken!!!]

Boom—!

Like the tolling of ten thousand bells!

Li Qingran's mind went blank, and her eyes regained clarity.

…

…