266 - Elasia Saga

Shui Liuqing was merely a mid-stage cultivator of the virtual transformation phase, someone whom Du Wenxiong, Han Tong, and their group had never really taken seriously. In their eyes, since she wasn't a disciple of Hualing Valley, her status and cultivation weren't noteworthy. To be honest, she wasn't much different from a transparent person to them. However, in this moment, this "transparent person" unexpectedly decided to draw her sword. The cold gleam of the sword water blade caught the light, a development none of them had anticipated. Even Ji Qing Jue, standing nearby, was momentarily stunned, her alluring gaze betraying a hint of deep astonishment. Sensing the hand at her waist, Ji Qing Jue could still feel its warmth through her clothes, as if an electric current was invading her flesh and rushing throughout her body. That moment made her body go rigid. She cast a side glance and saw the half-profile of Shui Liuqing's face. The determined gaze beneath her lashes was resolute and icy as she watched the figures before her. Ji Qing Jue's mind went blank, unable to recall what Shui Liuqing had just said. The open courtyard fell into silence as Shui Liuqing pointed her sword at the approaching Du Wenxiong. Du Wenxiong was the first to recover, seeing the sword's tip mere inches from his throat. He suddenly looked up at Shui Liuqing, a sneer vanished from his lips, "And who might this junior sister be?" His tone was nonchalant, still not taking Shui Liuqing seriously. Across from him, Ji Qing Jue finally gathered her thoughts. She instinctively adjusted her stance and addressed Du Wenxiong, "This is my friend; it doesn't seem to concern you." "How does it not concern us?" A junior disciple from Tianji Pavilion chimed in with a laugh, his gaze shifting to Shui Liuqing, "As a friend of Ji Xianzi, she's naturally a friend of ours." Before anyone could react, Han Tong raised his brow slightly and added, "If Ji Qing Jue wishes to bring along a friend, it shouldn't be an issue." Listening to the exchange among the disciples of Tianji Pavilion, ignoring any possibility of retreat, was truly infuriating. Yet Shui Liuqing's face remained emotionless, her sword poised, as she spoke again with a cool demeanor, "Move aside." She had no desire to prolong the interaction with them, opting instead to lightly grasp Ji Qing Jue's hand in preparation to leave directly. As soon as she spoke, the expressions of those before her quickly darkened, their gazes fixed on Shui Liuqing with a swift flash of murderous intent. Shui Liuqing paid them no mind, sheathed her sword, and swiftly led Ji Qing Jue away from the scene. As they passed Han Tong, no one seemed to notice his fingers behind his back performing a quick movement, sending a concealed tracking aura onto the hem of Shui Liuqing’s robe. The motion was seamless; without the strength of a grand ascension cultivator, one wouldn't detect it. Soon, Han Tong and Du Wenxiong could only watch Shui Liuqing as she left with Ji Qing Jue until they completely disappeared from sight. "Senior Brother Du, are we really just letting them go?" questioned the junior disciple, approaching Du Wenxiong and Han Tong. Neither Han Tong nor Du Wenxiong bothered to explain, simply retrieving their gaze with a cold calmness. Han Tong then stated, "Let's go. I've heard that Fang Yu from the Sword King Sect has just unlocked a treasure trove in the tomb mansion. We don't have time to delay." No matter the situation, they represented the Tianji Pavilion and Hualing Valley, and wouldn't truly escalate the conflict. With so many eyes around, any incident would quickly spread once outside. Ji Qing Jue was now a highly valued disciple of Hualing Valley, so any action against her would have to be done with absolute certainty. As for Shui Liuqing, Han Tong never considered her a threat, dismissing her as nothing more than a clown of little consequence. Though they had no time to deal with her now, given the riches the tomb promised, actions might be different once outside. Swiftly, the disciples of Tianji Pavilion turned and vanished from the courtyard. Meanwhile, Ji Qing Jue, after being led by Shui Liuqing for about a dozen miles, finally regained her senses. She stopped in her tracks, pulling back her hand and turned to face Shui Liuqing with an intense gaze. Shui Liuqing halted as well. "What are you doing, Shui Liuqing?" Ji Qing Jue tried to remain calm, though her grip on her spirit sword's hilt betrayed her. Shui Liuqing seemed taken aback, "What?" Seeing Shui Liuqing's indifferent demeanor, Ji Qing Jue felt her frustration churn once more, but she smiled lightly, "You said we owed each other nothing. We're not that close, and I can handle my own problems without your charity." Her reference implied a future without entanglements. Witnessing Ji Qing Jue's serene smile, Shui Liuqing felt her heart constrict, at a loss for words, each seeming painfully inadequate. Suddenly amused, Ji Qing Jue averted her gaze and left without another word. Shui Liuqing did not manage to reach out in time to stop her. Ji Qing Jue left and soon instinctively glanced back, yet Shui Liuqing showed no sign of pursuit. For reasons unknown, her chest felt even more stifled, an anger bubbling as if seeking an outlet in battle. "Shui Liuqing! Shui Liuqing!" Ji Qing Jue gritted her teeth over the name, feeling she had never despised someone as she did now. Despite her claim of non-interference, now she appeared unaffected, standing before Ji Qing Jue as if it was Ji Qing Jue who was overly sentimental. The grand tomb mansion was vast. Disturbed and directionless, Ji Qing Jue merely wished to distance herself. It wasn't until much later she noticed the ambient stillness around her, located in a relatively isolated part of the tomb. Alone, she felt no fear but knew her time to explore the mansion was limited. Brushing aside her frustration, she resumed her search for opportunity. Not far ahead was a double-tiered pavilion. Composing herself, Ji Qing Jue cautiously proceeded inside. Not long after entering, the air was tinged with the stench of blood, leading Ji Qing Jue to frown—others had already been here. It wasn't surprising. Though the area seemed remote, the tomb had been open for over twenty days. Aside from the hidden places, most corners had likely been explored. Yet having already entered, Ji Qing Jue had no intention of leaving quickly; some opportunities required luck to find. Just as Shui Liuqing had obtained the Dripping Water Sword behind her not long ago. The pavilion was dimly lit as Ji Qing Jue carefully made her way into the courtyard. Looking up, she saw a corpse hanging from the railing, its blood long coagulated, dead for days. This implied significant danger. Dangerous places often held great treasures. With heightened vigilance, Ji Qing Jue leapt promptly onto the pavilion's corridor. The eerie silence persisted, creating an unsettling atmosphere. Evidence of previous visitors was clear, with most rooms picked clean, though Ji Qing Jue did find a storage spirit ring. It contained a substantial amount of resources, making the visit worthwhile. Apart from the corpse hanging outside, several rooms held bodies inside, their deathly grimaces marked by terror and ashen hues, akin to poisoning. After a quick search revealing no other finds, Ji Qing Jue emerged from the second-floor room, pausing on the corridor to peer across. There stood a simple platform, adorned by a lone large bell—nothing else. Something about it caught Ji Qing Jue's curiosity. Unwilling to let her suspicion rest, she swiftly moved, leaping from the corridor to the platform opposite. The bell was ancient, its carvings unfamiliar to her, and seemingly insignificant. Despite her scrutiny yielding no revelations, Ji Qing Jue persisted, channeling her true essence power to deliver a strike upon the bell. It was like a stone sinking into the sea, making not the slightest sound. Surely, this was no ordinary object. Ji Qing Jue felt a surge of excitement as she exerted more energy to sense the bell before her. After a while, she withdrew her hand with a delighted expression, exclaiming in wonder, "This bell is actually a spiritual artifact." Indeed, the bell was a spiritual artifact, but Ji Qing Jue couldn't discern its grade. However, it was clearly not an ordinary one. The bell was quite large, and she would need to refine it to carry it more conveniently. Having decided, she wasted no time. She placed her hand over the bell's surface, preparing to refine it as soon as possible. Hiss— At the same time, a faint rustling came from a column at the top of the pavilion. Ji Qing Jue hadn't allowed herself to be distracted by the spiritual artifact, and her attention remained sharp. Thus, she immediately heard the sound from above. She looked up quickly, seeing a long shadow dart into view. It was a snake nearly five meters long, coiled around a carved wooden pillar, its cold eyes fixed on Ji Qing Jue. Whoosh! In the next instant, the snake lunged at her. Without time to think, Ji Qing Jue reflexively flipped aside, narrowly avoiding it. Yet, another snakehead lunged at her immediately after. Her eyes widened; it was a two-headed snake. She barely had time to react as she swung her sword defensively. Although she didn't deal any substantial damage to the snake, she gained enough time to evade. Without delay, Ji Qing Jue leapt to the top of the bell. Looking down, Ji Qing Jue's gaze filled with astonishment. It wasn't two snakes; it was a single, two-headed snake. Even more bizarrely, the heads were not together but one at each end, with no tail at all. It was her first encounter with such a strange venomous beast. But there was no time to dwell on it. She readied herself with her sword and engaged the two-headed snake again, the silence of the pavilion breaking with the sounds of battle. The two-headed snake was formidable, relentlessly keeping the pressure on Ji Qing Jue, giving her no openings. Rustle, rustle... Simultaneously, a noise arose from the rubble at the back of the pavilion. Two scorpions, each as large as three grown men, crawled into view, their long, menacing tails razor-sharp. Seeing this, Ji Qing Jue’s heart sank, realizing that besides the strange two-headed snake, there were also these fearsome scorpions. In a flash, the image of those terribly slain bodies resurfaced in her mind, making her bite her lip instinctively. Even so, Ji Qing Jue didn’t plan to flee. The bell was an unusual spiritual artifact, worth the risk. Moreover, the three venomous beasts didn't seal her fate. She still had several means to save herself. With this in mind, Ji Qing Jue stopped hesitating. Her entire essence suddenly flared, unleashing a powerful slash at the two-headed snake. As the scorpion tails darted at her, she prepared to intercept them, a figure suddenly appeared, taking the hit for her. Ji Qing Jue paused to see it was a puppet, specifically Shui Liuqing’s life-bound guardian puppet. True to form, in the next moment, Shui Liuqing appeared on the pavilion eaves, grasping the Dripping Water Sword. She leaped down, thrusting the sword straight into a scorpion’s eye. “Shreiek—” The pavilion resounded with the scorpion's cries of pain. Ji Qing Jue was stunned by the sight before her. Shui Liuqing had followed her. Before she could speak, the two-headed snake swept toward her again, and she had to focus on her defense once more. With Shui Liuqing’s arrival, the pavilion became a flurry of motion, sword glimmers puncturing through, accompanied by the sound of breaking rooms. For some reason, despite the ferocity of the beasts’ attacks, their defense was astonishingly tough, impervious to blades and tools. Shui Liuqing furrowed her brow at this sight. Soon, she unleashed all her energy into the Dripping Water Sword. It coursed through with a flow, speeding towards the scorpion. “Splash—” The powerful slash finally pierced through the scorpion, its frantic struggles spilling blood as its tail lashed erratically. Meanwhile, Ji Qing Jue unleashed her own final blow. With considerable effort, she split the two-headed snake in two, but lost her balance and plummeted from the railing. At that precise moment, the scorpion’s stinger, injured by Shui Liuqing, struck towards Ji Qing Jue. She hadn't stabilized and couldn’t avoid it. In a heartbeat, Shui Liuqing instinctively moved, landing in front of Ji Qing Jue to intercept the blow. She could have used the puppet to block it. Yet, in that instant, her body just reacted naturally. “Thud—” Ji Qing Jue watched in horror as the stinger pierced through Shui Liuqing’s abdomen, warm blood spraying around, some even landing on Ji Qing Jue’s face, filling her senses with copper. In that second, time seemed to freeze. In midair, Shui Liuqing drifted down like a kite with a broken string, falling. “Shui Liuqing!” Ji Qing Jue heard herself shout his name. Time resumed. She landed, lightly rebounding up like a dragonfly skimming water, trembling as she caught Shui Liuqing's limp form. The surviving scorpion seemed to ready another attack, but Ji Qing Jue’s eyes turned red with fury. In a flash, she gripped her sword, slicing it. Blood stained the blade, the air around it swirling into a tempest. Her long hair whipped around as madness flickered in her eyes. Her spirit sword glowed crimson. An overwhelming force exploded from her. “Bang! Bang! Bang!” Caught in the bloody storm, the scorpion was shredded apart, its life-force snuffed out. After the light faded, Ji Qing Jue felt the backlash, blood trickling from her lips, but she paid it no mind, lowering her gaze to the wounded Shui Liuqing. “Cough... Ugh…” Shui Liuqing coughed up blood uncontrollably as Ji Qing Jue held her awkwardly, tears rolling down onto Shui Liuqing’s motionless body, feeling fragile enough to shatter with a touch. "S-Shui Liuqing..." she called tenderly. Shui Liuqing looked at her, struggling to speak: "Cough... I-I'm sorry, I... I was wrong… ugh..." She shouldn’t have kept pushing her away. ... As Fu Yan descended the small hill, she passed through a small forest. For some reason, shortly after she and the demonic spirit set foot in the forest, a layer of white fog arose, rendering the vision hazy. "Damn it, this fog is poisonous! Everyone, be careful." Clearly, Fu Yan wasn’t alone; several figures cursed before leaping to escape the dense fog before it spread completely, hopping from branch to branch. The fog rose from below, making their strategy a wise one. As the others swiftly made their escape, Fu Yan wasted no time. She vaulted onto a large tree branch, casting a glance downward, watching the fog’s rapid ascent. Whoosh! In a heartbeat, Fu Yan’s figure darted through the trees’ canopy, with the demonic spirit floating unperturbed behind her. Its immunity to toxins meant it remained unaffected. Nothing could touch it, apart from Fu Yan. Leaping across the branches, Fu Yan found a moment's respite on another large tree, sensing she’d soon leave the forest behind. Just as she caught her breath, a shadow flickered in her peripheral vision. Startled, she glanced aside. It was a bird’s nest, built on a large tree to her right, where the shadow originated. Curiously, the nest housed a square object, looking like a book from afar. Why would there be a book in a bird's nest? Pondering this, Fu Yan's gaze flickered with interest. Despite the poisonous mist rising below, her curiosity prevailed, prompting her quickly to move to the tree where the nest was perched. The bird’s nest contained no venomous creatures, as she had feared, just as she had seen—a book had somehow been brought there. More precisely, it was a manual. Fu Yan was pleasantly surprised. She eagerly retrieved the manual. Though slightly damaged, the words "Seven Foot Sword" were clearly emblazoned on its cover. It was a swordsmanship manual, and by the looks of it, a high-grade one. This was indeed a fortunate find, and with a satisfied smile, Fu Yan stored the manual before continuing her swift escape from the forest. Her exit was relatively smooth, encountering no further threats. After some quick scavenging in the vicinity, Fu Yan acquired a few simple resources and overheard an interesting tidbit— Fang Yu, the male protagonist, had unlocked a hidden treasure trove, sparking envy among onlookers. Many rushed over, hoping to claim a share of the treasure. Fu Yan understood that Fang Yu and his companions likely had treasure map keys, making it natural for them to find a treasure trove. However, she had no intention of joining the commotion. With the protagonist diverting attention, Fu Yan intended to leverage this opportunity to decipher the purpose of her treasure map key. Yet, searching alone proved challenging, so she planned to enlist Shui Liuqing to help. Using the puppet paper to discern Shui Liuqing's location, Fu Yan hastened in that direction.