Chapter 52 - Is It Funny That the Reincarnated Senior Sister Is Also Being Pursued?

In Xie Cai's residence, Lian Xingjian leaned against the railing, beside him lay the unconscious Xie Cai. He silently observed the distant battle. The Buddhist light illuminated the night sky above Taixu Mountain Villa as if it were daytime. As the focal point and eye of the Yin Fiend Resurrection Array, he was naturally aware of what was happening over there and knew that the array was being activated by the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch to deal with Bai Lian. At this moment, if he were to die, the array would collapse on its own, and the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch would also suffer backlash. Although the array wasn't fully formed yet to the extent of being able to kill its master, as he had claimed, it would still cause a temporary upheaval in the opponent's spiritual energy. In the battles of cultivators, losing combat ability even for a short time is enough to decide everything. But now was not the right time. At some point, Xie Cai awoke from his unconscious state. Upon waking and seeing Lian Xingjian beside him, he assumed the assassin who disrupted his plans had been subdued by Lian Xingjian, and his expression immediately turned arrogant. "You useless... I trusted you so much, and yet you didn't even notice a little mouse sneaking in!" "If not for the slight value you have, I'd kill you right now!" "Truly a waste of space!" Finished with his tirade, he suddenly recalled something, and a lecherous light appeared in his eyes as he continued, "Where's that little mouse, huh?" "Before I blacked out, I caught a glimpse—it was a girl. What a figure she had!" "Hurry and bring her to me, lest I—" His words were abruptly cut off, as he incredulously lowered his head to find a sharp sword piercing through his neck. "You... how could..." Lian Xingjian looked at him with an expressionless face, and calmly said, "Someone like you, who relies on exploiting others for cultivation, dares to speak disrespectfully of Bai Daoyou?" Xie Cai's mouth moved, but he could not breathe, and with wide eyes, he slowly fell to the ground. Lian Xingjian had slain the enemy who had enslaved him for so many years, yet he felt no relief. His gaze returned to the distant horizon where the white lotus bloomed, his expression complex. Such a graceful woman, a gentleman's desire. At the first sight of Bai Lian, he was captivated by the young woman's presence. If he were still the revered senior disciple of the Tianxu Divine Sect, perhaps he would have pursued her earnestly. But alas... His expression darkened, and he slowly closed his eyes. ... On Bai Lian's side, even empowered by the array, the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch was still beaten back repeatedly. Though he hailed from the esoteric sect, he was merely a low-ranking disciple; otherwise, he wouldn't be facing the end of his lifespan without breaking through to greater heights. Compared to Bai Lian, a direct disciple of her sect, he was nothing more than dirt beneath her feet. Therefore, his inner envy grew stronger, reaching a peak after Bai Lian slashed his shoulder with a sword. "So, the young miss has such skill." "Even though the array granted by the superior might not be fully mature, it's enough to test it on you!" He sneered, the Buddhist light behind him intensified, faintly revealing blood-red patterns. "Black Lotus, be careful!" Jiang Miao called out from behind upon witnessing this, unable to hold back her warning. Yet, when faced with the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch's rising power, Bai Lian did not appear threatened; instead, she looked in another direction. "White Daoyou, after my death, please deliver my true spirit to my master. It was a fortune to meet you in this life, but regrettably, we will never discuss the Dao." "I am leaving, take care." Almost simultaneously, the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch, whose aura had reached its peak, spat out a mouthful of blood, his previously surging cultivation diminishing like a deflating balloon. "Impossible...this can't be, why is this happening?" "Why am I suffering backlash from the array?!" His face showed panic, and he frantically pressed on his body as if trying to stop the leaks. However, the backlash brought about by Lian Xingjian's sacrifice was unstoppable. His spiritual energy continued to leak, and his cultivation regressed, eventually falling below his original state. Bai Lian, naturally, would not waste such an opportunity. With a gesture, the spiritual swords surrounding her blazed brightly, flying towards the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch. The patriarch, feeling a chill down his spine, attempted to flee. But at this moment, he couldn't summon even a trace of spiritual power, rendering him incapable of dodging Bai Lian's flying sword. With a soft sound, the sword pierced his dantian, scattering all his spiritual energy and reducing him to someone even less than an ordinary person. Subsequently, he aged rapidly; once a youthful visage of twenty, his face wrinkled, and his formerly erect body stooped, shrinking into a frail old man barely reaching one and a half meters. He stared at his bark-like hands in disbelief, verging on collapse. "No... no... my skin... my youth..." "You witch... I'll kill you!" Bai Lian, uninterested in his bluster, stepped on him, pressing him into the ground. "Black Lotus sister, you're amazing!" Jiang Miao exclaimed as she ran over, curiously inspecting the fainted Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch beneath Bai Lian's foot. "How did you make him suffer from backlash?" "It wasn't me." Bai Lian shook her head and controlled the small sword to lift the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch. As the mastermind behind the missing maiden case, he still had some use for the moment. Afterward, she led Jiang Miao to Xie Cai's residence. As they landed, they saw Lian Xingjian sitting in meditation. "Huh? Someone from the Tianxu Divine Sect?" Jiang Miao blinked, instinctively hiding behind Bai Lian. "B-Black Lotus sister, you're not going to hand me over to the Tianxu Divine Sect, are you?" "I-I'm a good citizen, I've never killed anyone!" "Would I be standing so close to you if that were the case?" Bai Lian said with a helpless smile, "Don't worry, I know you're a good person.” "He's the one responsible for the patriarch suffering backlash." "Oh, that makes sense. The Tianxu Divine Sect is quite adept with arrays." Jiang Miao sheepishly scratched her head, peeking out from behind Bai Lian to look at Lian Xingjian, then frowned slightly. "But... he seems... dead?" "Yes, many years ago, he was enslaved by the cultists of Taixu Mountain Villa after an accident and was used as the core of the array. Before completely losing his consciousness, he made himself the array's eye." "By dying, he caused the array to collapse on its own," Bai Lian explained. Upon hearing this, Jiang Miao finally understood why the Taixu Mountain Villa Patriarch suffered backlash. She tugged on Bai Lian's sleeve and sighed softly. "The Tianxu Divine Sect has so many great individuals, yet there are too many honest ones." Bai Lian did not oppose this; her gaze towards Lian Xingjian held a hint of sadness. In this chaotic world of cultivation, death is constant, but the death of a good person always brings sorrow. She crouched down, gently touching Lian Xingjian's forehead with her finger. White flames emerged from his brow, engulfing his body. Soon, his body turned to ash, drifting into the night sky, leaving behind only a white flame. This was Lian Xingjian's true spirit fire, without consciousness or wisdom, merely his final mark left in the world. Within the true spirit was preserved his insights into cultivation over the years and his guilt towards his sect.