Chapter 21 The Hidden Observer

The Hooked Serpent moved swiftly through the swamp. Gu Pinglin dodged frantically while snatching moments to recover his energy, his appearance increasingly disheveled. Just as he leaped into the air, the serpent lunged, jaws snapping, while its tail erupted from the muck, sweeping toward him mid-air.

Trapped between twin assaults, Gu Pinglin had no escape—until a white figure materialized from the mist. A violet sword sliced toward the tail.

Having learned its lesson earlier, the serpent retracted its tail instantly. The white figure didn't pause; his sword technique shifted. Dozens of sword blossoms targeted the serpent's head. Seizing its moment of distraction, he grabbed Gu Pinglin's wrist and hauled him clear.

Gu Pinglin wasn't surprised.

The Hooked Serpent was a Ferocious Beast, dominant in its swamp domain. If Gu Pinglin died, Duan Qingming wouldn't last long alone. Rescue was inevitable.

Landing on a black boulder, Duan Qingming breathed lightly, his smile effortless. "I never realized your bond with Mysterious Abyss ran so deep. To save others, you'd brave such peril?"

"Qu Lin is Senior Sister Yan's niece," Gu Pinglin replied evenly. "For Senior Sister's sake, I couldn't stand by."

"And if she weren't involved?"

"I'd have left."

"How direct," Duan Qingming's eyes narrowed, a sly gleam in their depths. "But we're devoted fellow disciples. Could you abandon me? I did just save you."

"Didn't you cause this danger?" Gu Pinglin countered coldly. "Should I thank you for using us as shields?"

"Them, perhaps. But I saved them too."

"With pure intentions?" Gu Pinglin chuckled mirthlessly. "Wasn't it you who lured them here?"

"You're overly suspicious," Duan Qingming waved a hand. "Had I meant them harm, they'd be dead already."

"And if they died," Gu Pinglin shot back, "would you have survived this long?"

He saw it clearly: Duan Qingming sensed the swamp's strangeness but sent Qu Lin's team in first as scouts. Facing the Hooked Serpent, this madman felt no fear—only excitement. He used the disciples as expendable shields, testing his sword techniques against the beast. Each time his energy waned, he'd redirect the serpent toward them; each time they neared death, he'd swoop in as their savior. Mysterious Abyss had lost disciples, yet remained grateful.

This was Duan Qingming: a spring breeze of a smile masking a heart of ice, viewing lives as ants.

Gu Pinglin knew his nemesis too well to be deceived by pretty words. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips. "Now I'm your only shield left. Treasure it."

"You always doubt my goodwill," Duan Qingming sighed dramatically. "Very well. Since you insist on thinking so... do try to stay alive."

"No need for the reminder."

As they spoke, both focused on recovering energy. The boulder beneath them trembled. They leaped apart just as the Hooked Serpent erupted, shattering the rock.

Survival outweighed rivalry now. Forced into an uneasy alliance, they fought to stall for time, seeking any chance to escape.

The serpent pursued Gu Pinglin relentlessly.

No human could outpace a Ferocious Beast in its domain. Skimming low over the water, Gu Pinglin fled for miles—but the serpent's tongue lashed mere feet from his back. Its head drew back, coiling to strike—

Suddenly, Gu Pinglin halted. His gaze sharpened like honed steel. In one fluid motion, he pivoted and launched himself skyward, then plunged downward like a diving hawk: "Eagle Strikes Serpent!"

Spirit Heart Sword Art emphasized control and defense, but this move was an exception—bold, decisive, lethal. It had been Gu Pinglin's signature finisher in his past life. He'd hoped to conceal such cards, but survival demanded it.

Inverting mid-air, head down, feet up, he channeled heaven-and-earth energy through his blade. A streak of lightning-bright sword aura tore downward!

The force was majestic—a true eagle snatching its prey; his robes flared like wings against the sky.

Even Duan Qingming, hailed a sword prodigy, stared in stunned silence.

The blade struck true at the serpent's neck—a killing blow, had Gu Pinglin's cultivation been higher. Now, it only gouged a deep wound. Enraged by the pain, the serpent gaped its jaws impossibly wide, lunging to swallow Gu Pinglin whole.

As Gu Pinglin twisted to evade—

A crushing pressure descended from above!

An invisible barrier seemed to lock him in place, panic surging through his veins.

Even the Hooked Serpent hesitated, sensing threat.

Gu Pinglin knew this aura instantly. He looked up.

A white figure pierced the clouds, descending.

In the span of a lightning flash—a single, deceptively simple sword stroke unfolded. Unpredictable. Unavoidable. Violet light, blazing with infused true energy, spread across the sky like a radiant road, cleaving the very space in two!

"Falling Swan's Shadow?" Gu Pinglin breathed, astonished.

This resplendent technique was the embryonic form of the Shadow Reflection Sword Art's second stance—a move he shouldn't have witnessed for another decade. Fate's changes had birthed it early, flawed like Swift Swan's Passage before it.

What else will change? The thought chilled him.

As expected, Duan Qingming's cultivation was insufficient, the stance incomplete. The blow didn't kill—but it struck exactly where Gu Pinglin had wounded the serpent, deepening the gash. The beast thrashed wildly, spraying black muck like a curtain.

Both men retreated, fleeing deeper into the swamp.

"Nascent Origin Sixth Level. Impressive."

"And congratulations on reaching Qi Refining Realm yourself."

Banter aside, neither dared slow. Escape outward was too far; rescue unlikely. Gu Pinglin had a plan. Feigning cooperation, they lured the serpent deeper.

After half an hour, black waves churned behind them. Exhaustion gnawed at their bones. Cornered.

Gu Pinglin's eyes suddenly blazed.

They'd reached the swamp's heart. An inconspicuous oval of dark stone protruded—a rare rest point, worn smooth by predecessors.

Here! Without hesitation, Gu Pinglin mustered his last strength and struck the stone!

Duan Qingming watched, not stopping this seemingly suicidal act. With the serpent closing, even solid ground offered little hope. Gu Pinglin clearly had another purpose.

The full-force blow only cracked the stone.

Yet the pursuing Hooked Serpent halted instantly, coiling back as if sensing imminent danger.

Seeing Gu Pinglin sway, Duan Qingming caught his arm. In the same motion, he flung his own sword. It struck the crack—same angle, same force.

Crack!

The stone shattered.

A deafening roar erupted underground! Mud and water swirled into a sudden vortex as the swamp began collapsing inward. Moments later, a stone platform emerged—square, large enough for dozens.

"Oh?" Duan Qingming's gaze sharpened, studying it but not approaching.

Gu Pinglin stared at him, stunned. "You... you're..."

"Me?" Duan Qingming turned, smiling. "I entered the Minor Heavenly Circuit Realm from the Ninth Extreme Realm of Nascent Origin."

The legendary pinnacle. A complex bitterness flooded Gu Pinglin—admiration, frustration. He mastered it swiftly. Duan Qingming's reserves were threefold an ordinary cultivator's! His earlier "exhaustion" was...

"Duan Qingming!" Gu Pinglin snarled, realization dawning.

"Enough," Duan Qingming released him, gesturing grandly toward the platform. "Your stage is set. I await your performance. After you."

Gu Pinglin longed to run him through. Duan Qingming had held back power. They could have escaped without revealing this place!

Seeing his fury, Duan Qingming chuckled. "I merely wished to see your plan. Why the anger?"

"You're so capable," Gu Pinglin sneered. "Handle it yourself."

Duan Qingming eyed the platform warily. "Even the serpent fears it. Something worse awaits?"

"Afraid?" Gu Pinglin taunted. "Is the mighty Duan Qingming a coward?"

Duan Qingming sighed theatrically. "Very well. How could I refuse my future Sect Leader Junior Brother?" He took two steps, paused, and glanced at the agitated serpent.

"Well?" Gu Pinglin pressed. "Going?"

"On second thought," Duan Qingming turned back, smiling brightly, "I am a coward."

Gu Pinglin burst out laughing.

Infuriating. Yet undeniably compelling.

No more delays. The mechanism was triggered; outsiders couldn't witness this. Gu Pinglin leaped onto the platform. Following fragmented memories, he gripped the stone lotus at its center—fist-sized—and twisted.

Demonic energy exploded skyward!

The Hooked Serpent recoiled, fleeing in terror!

A piercing shriek split the air as a crimson blur shot from the opening beneath the lotus—a fiery bird, barely ten feet long, its wings trailing scorching aura!

The massive serpent plunged into the mud, fleeing. The tiny bird dove like a comet, talons piercing the swamp's surface. It wrenched the serpent out, thrashing like a hurricane, mud flying. Within moments, the beast lay still.

Sated, the bird—a Vermilion Sparrow (Yanque)—ignored the humans. It strutted to the hole, stretched its neck deep inside, wings fluttering, tail feathers twitching.

As the serpent's corpse sank, Gu Pinglin and Duan Qingming flew closer. A bloody hole gaped where its gall bladder had been.

Duan Qingming eyed the bird. "A Vermilion Sparrow?"

"Mn," Gu Pinglin confirmed, swiftly slicing open the serpent's belly. A mid-grade demon core gleamed in his hand.

Rarely seen, the Vermilion Sparrow boasted divine Vermilion Bird lineage—a natural predator of serpents. Trapped for millennia by the Hundred Rivers Ancestor, its first act of freedom was instinctive slaughter. Full and satisfied now, it seemed benign.

"It bears you no ill will," Duan Qingming observed.

"Spiritual beasts recognize sincerity," Gu Pinglin said mildly. "I showed goodwill; it acknowledges a friend."

"Oh?" Duan Qingming stepped toward the bird.

It whipped its head from the hole, hissing fiercely.

"Duan Qingming!" Gu Pinglin snapped. "Seeking death?"

Duan Qingming turned, all innocence. "Merely extending friendship. Shouldn't it reciprocate?"

"I refuse to die here with you. Cease your games."

"You knew about the serpent," Duan Qingming mused, returning to his side. "Tried to stop me coming... Concerned for me, Gu Xiaojiu?"

Gu Pinglin's face hardened. "I lured you here deliberately."

"Is that so?" Duan Qingming's smile didn't waver.

Ignoring him, Gu Pinglin palmed a stone lotus seed into his sleeve. He sat at the platform's edge, meditating to recover energy.

The Vermilion Sparrow finally tugged a speckled egg from the hole. Clutching it, the bird soared into the mist. The platform sank back into the swamp.

Both men rose into the air.

Gu Pinglin gazed at the settling mud, unease coiling in his gut. The mechanism triggered early. Geomancy altered. How far will these ripples spread? The Hidden Creation Cave's opening required other conditions... It should be stable. He forced calm.

Meeting Duan Qingming's watchful gaze, he gave a slight, imperceptible nod.

They turned, seemingly to leave.

A dark figure materialized from the thick mist, blocking their path. A rasping voice cut through the damp air:

"Leaving so soon, lads?"13