Chapter 30
Eastern Domain Border.
Mist hung thickly in the valley, pine trees stood tall and verdant, vines intertwined and hung loosely, while the occasional rustling of insects echoed through the forest.
A group of young cultivators darted through the dense woods, chasing after a fleeing demonic creature.
A fresh rain had just passed, leaving the ground muddy and soft, yet they moved with such lightness that their feet barely touched the earth, leaving no trace behind.
The creature was a dark yellow orb of light, only three or four inches in diameter, lacking limbs but astonishingly swift.
It darted through the trees like a bolt of lightning, skillfully weaving through every gap.
The cultivators behind pursued relentlessly, unleashing spells and sword qi, yet none truly struck the orb, their attacks all falling behind it.
This chase lasted for a quarter of an hour, covering several dozen miles before the creature finally halted.
It hovered in midair, suddenly spinning around to face the pursuers, revealing a mouth on its body aimed directly at them.
At the same moment, several streaks of light shot out from the dim forest—dark yellow orbs identical to the first.
“There are four more of these spirit demons here!” one cultivator shouted in alarm.
Though low-level demons, all of them were Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. Handling one was manageable, but a group posed a greater challenge.
The sword cultivators drew their blades, which shimmered with brilliant light. Two spell cultivators formed hand seals, their hands faintly glowing with golden runes.
One cultivator at the rear hesitated, holding his sword. “Should we call Sister Pei for backup?”
“Wait a moment!” the leader at the front commanded.
He was already locked in combat with one of the flying spirit demons, his long sword manifesting water blades that blocked the demon’s fiery breath, producing thick white mist in the air.
Within the mist, faint purple-red hues flickered.
The young cultivators held their breath.
All of them had reached the Foundation Establishment realm, so holding their breath briefly was no great strain. With their protective spiritual energy intact, they weren’t overly fearful of this degree of malevolent miasma.
“If we call for backup now, all our efforts over these past hours would be in vain,” said the leader. “Let’s try a bit longer; if we can’t hold on, then we’ll ask Sister Pei for help.”
“Sister Li’s right,” another agreed. “Even if those hours were wasted, it doesn’t matter much. The main issue is missing out on Master’s reward. We’re all close to the Core Formation stage—don’t you want those top-grade Spirit Condensing Herbs? One each!”
“Nonsense, who wouldn’t want them? We’re just afraid of dying here with nothing.”
“That probably won’t happen. Sister Pei should be nearby, right?”
“She’s a formidable immortal realm cultivator. With her ability to shrink distances and traverse thousands of miles in a single step, she’s not likely to be standing guard beside us.”
Their conversation faded as they concentrated on the battle.
After more than half an hour of fierce fighting, the battle finally ended. The miasma gradually dissipated, and the group collapsed, all gasping for breath.
“See? I told you we could do it,” one said. “Let’s head to town and wait for Sister Pei.”
Before the words fell, three figures suddenly appeared in the clearing ahead.
Dressed plainly and indistinguishable from ordinary wandering cultivators, their bodies churned with purple-red malevolent miasma.
Demonic cultivators.
The young cultivators’ faces drained of color.
Simply by their manner of appearance, it was evident these demonic cultivators were far more powerful.
One of the demons scrutinized them. “...All from the Tianyuan Sect.”
He spoke as if to his companions.
Without waiting for a response, he raised a hand, summoning a pulling force that dragged the cultivators closer.
The young men felt excruciating pain in their necks, as if their throat bones were crushed, powerless against the force pulling them forward.
Suddenly, a sharp azure sword light flashed through the air.
The sword light, as swift as thunder, swept past them, the wind it carried blowing them backward. A moment later, a sonic boom roared.
They fell heavily to the ground.
The demonic cultivator grunted, her entire right arm severed, blood spraying wildly.
Before she could retaliate, her body convulsed violently and exploded into a mist of blood.
An azure wind blade shot forth, pinning her soul to the earth. The blade then shattered into countless shards of blue light, shredding her golden soul along with it.
One wind blade after another struck continuously, the gusts sharp as steel knives, accompanied by eerie howls.
The remaining two demonic cultivators attacked simultaneously.
One withstood a few blows; the other was shattered instantly, his body destroyed and soul swiftly annihilated.
In an instant, two of the three demons lay dead.
The last one, battered and bleeding, shouted harshly, “Sister Pei is truly skilled, worthy disciple of Lord Chongyun Immortal—”
Before he could finish, a shimmering azure short sword pierced his throat, silencing him instantly.
The sword wielder stepped back, releasing her grip, leaving the sword embedded in the corpse.
Dark silver runes glowed on the blade. As long as the sword remained, the soul inside would be trapped, unable to escape.
“Sister Pei!” the survivors, barely escaped from death, rushed to thank her, though wary of approaching too closely as the demon’s soul lingered.
Pei stood firm, turning to warn them. “Your mission is complete. These few don’t count. Take your medicines—no need for further caution.”
Relieved, the cultivators began taking various pills and powders without hesitation—some healing injuries, others restoring spiritual energy.
They were all registered disciples of Lord Chongyun Immortal, with considerable talent. As the sect leader’s pupils, even if not direct disciples, their treatment was far superior to others.
Soon, a cultivator approached to express gratitude. “Sister Pei, you’re truly formidable. Had you not saved us...”
They looked at her with reverence.
Pei was delicate and elegant, tall and slender, draped in an ink-blue brocade robe. Her hair was adorned with a jade hairpin, and jade beads shimmered by her ears.
One hand hovered midair, sleeves rolled up to reveal several hollow silver bangles inlaid with star-like blue crystals on her wrist.
She nodded slightly. “Brother Wang, no thanks necessary. I only did what was right.”
Pei Xun was one of the sect leader’s direct disciples and a top talent among the younger generation of Lingxiao Peak.
She and her twin brother hailed from a noble family; both were somewhat proud, keeping their distance from others but never mistreating junior disciples.
At times like these, she was utterly reliable.
“Our master said I’m not allowed to intervene unless you call for help or are near death, and even then only against specific targets,” Pei Xun said coolly. “These few clearly aren’t among them.”
She glanced toward the forest, eyes gleaming sharply as she detected another anomaly.
Pei Xun gestured, “Close your eyes and turn around!”
The young cultivators obeyed.
Before a word was finished, a dazzling white light shot over from afar!
They all turned and closed their eyes but still felt the searing heat burning their eyelids, the sting in their eyeballs like needles piercing their minds.
They had no idea what was happening behind them, only hearing a tremendous explosion as spiritual energy turbulence shattered trees, chaos erupting on all sides.
The light soon extinguished.
After a while, someone nervously looked back.
Pei Xun stood with a grim expression, holding two azure short swords, their blades swirling with wind and emitting strange low howls.
“What happened to the demon just now?”
She shook her head. “Dead.”
The group was stunned.
They had thought the demon escaped, which was why she looked displeased.
“Someone came to save him,” Pei Xun whispered. “His companion only used one move and retreated swiftly.”
Though her sword had destroyed his body, his soul had returned to the demon realm.
Normally, she would chase and kill him, but with a group of Foundation Establishment youths present, and given that demons shouldn’t have appeared here in the first place, she wasn’t willing to take risks and let it go with a bad mood.
She instructed them to produce teleportation talismans and watched as they crushed them, summoning white arrays beneath their feet.
The talismans took time to activate, not immediate.
After a wait, one after another, they returned to Tianyuan Mountain.
Pei Xun exhaled and hurried toward another mountain several dozen miles away.
Following the spiritual pressure, she soon found another group of cultivators.
They were from Weiyun Peak, disciples registered under Jade Dust Immortal, over ten in total, ranging from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, locked in a fierce struggle with another group of demons near a valley lake.
Pei Xun glanced briefly before turning toward the mountaintop, where a young man in white watched the scene.
These batches of young cultivators on trials were usually protected by high-level experts of the seventh realm, since traveling in groups often attracted trouble.
“Junior Brother Jiang,” Pei Xun greeted. “Any abnormalities on your side?”
Jiang Wang, as the head disciple’s pupil, was naturally stationed as a guard.
Atop the mountain stood a dilapidated pavilion, where another young man rose respectfully upon seeing her.
Pei Xun nodded slightly. “Junior Sister Liu.”
Jiang Wang stepped forward. “Was Sister Pei fighting them? Were they from the Moon Worship Sect?”
“Three, or rather four, came from your direction,” Pei Xun said, looking at him. “Though not very close, that was the direction. You didn’t sense anything?”
She wasn’t here to scold him or blame him for not helping; after all, he was guarding lower-level disciples. She only wished to determine where those demons came from.
“I sensed their aura only after you had already engaged,” Jiang Wang admitted, bewildered. “No boundary gates nearby. What’s their status now?”
“Three dead, one escaped,” Pei Xun snorted. “If a powerful cultivator brought them into the mortal realm, no gates would be necessary.”
Jiang frowned.
He understood the veiled warning but felt uneasy considering her status.
Liu Yunyao, standing behind, appeared surprised. “Demonic cultivators?”
Pei Xun glanced at her. “Junior Sister Liu, are you on your monthly trial?”
“Yes.”
Liu Yunyao shyly explained, “But I got injured earlier, so I withdrew.”
Pei Xun noticed the wound, knowing she spoke truthfully, yet something felt off about Liu Yunyao’s mood.
Especially when their eyes met; Liu Yunyao’s heartbeat shifted, and her pupils contracted.
Why?
Though she had a poor relationship with her cousin, why would that make Pei kill her outright?
Though Pei wouldn’t mind doing so, Liu Yunyao’s worry was likely about something else.
Pei Xun ran through several thoughts. “Be cautious.”
With that, she left.
Liu Yunyao breathed a secret sigh of relief.
Jiang Wang immediately glanced at her. “Why so nervous?”
Liu Yunyao opened her mouth but only said, “She is Sister Pei’s cousin.”
“So what?”
Jiang didn’t like the Pei siblings either but knew their pride and wouldn’t pick fights with cultivators of the Qi Refining realm.
He found it strange but couldn’t dwell on it.
More spiritual pressures approached from the west.
The mountain range stretched a hundred miles, on the border between the Eastern and Central Domains. Cultivators coming from the west came from the Central Domain.
“They’re disciples of Shangji Sect,” Jiang Wang said, recognizing their attire from a distance. “The top immortal sect in the Central Domain I mentioned.”
“Yes, I remember,” Liu Yunyao nodded. “One of the most prestigious sects in cultivation. Their sect leader, Immortal Cangming, and deputy sect leader, Immortal Jiangxiao, both govern the first immortal city, Tiandu.”
The two brothers were saint realm cultivators, with three quasi-saint realm elders in the sect, all renowned and influential.
Before Immortal Chaohua returned to his mountain, Shangji Sect was unmatched across the cultivation world.
The three thousand sects in Tiandu City all bowed to them, and over half the aristocratic immortal families in the fourteen provinces answered their orders.
Jiang Wang nodded slightly. “The one leading is Xie Changfeng, direct disciple of the Sword Inquiry Peak’s grand elder.”
Before he finished, the group had arrived, and he had no choice but to greet them.
Five in total, their clothes varied in color but shared similar styles, with fabric shimmering faintly and the hems painted with mountains and rivers.
“Immortal Jiang, long time no see,” the leader greeted with a smile.
Tall and handsome, he had gentle, romantic peach blossom eyes and a refined, scholarly demeanor with no trace of frivolity.
He smiled at them, then shifted his clear gaze to another. “I suppose this is Daoist Liu?”
Liu Yunyao suppressed a smile, feigning unfamiliarity. “Greetings, Immortal Xie.”
The fight below ended quickly.
The young cultivators hurriedly flew to the mountaintop on their swords, with less experienced ones dragged along by senior brothers and sisters.
Upon approaching, they recognized the Shangji Sect cultivators and all showed surprise.
“...That’s Xie Changfeng?!”
“The Xie Changfeng of Shangji Sect?”
“Who else? Barely over two hundred years old, already at Profound Immortal realm...”
“He’s about the same age as Brother Jiang but a whole realm higher.”
“He entered the Five Domain Fame Ranking decades ago!”
That list recorded top seventh realm experts under a thousand years old.
“What brings him here?”
Jiang Wang learned from Xie Changfeng that they had come because of the spiritual pressure fluctuations.
The other Shangji disciples were Golden Core realm, brought along by Xie Changfeng for trials.
He had sensed the demonic cultivators but was too slow since he was with junior siblings; by the time he arrived, it was too late.
Jiang guessed similarly and told him Pei Xun had slain all but one escapee.
Weiyun Peak disciples gathered, all senior disciples with high status, creating a lively scene before the pavilion.
Several wanted to speak with Xie Changfeng, crowding around to ask questions.
Liu Yunyao stood aside, unable to approach.
Suddenly, a teasing voice whispered in her ear, “It wasn’t easy to come see you.”
She looked toward Xie Changfeng, who was smiling at her from across the crowd, speaking with a Weiyun disciple.
Others were unaware he was transmitting sound through qi.
Jiang Wang, busy talking to another Shangji disciple, noticed nothing.
Liu Yunyao worriedly asked silently, “Who were those just now? Did Brother Huang come with you?”
“Don’t worry. He’s already gone back,” Xie Changfeng reassured. “Though injured, he’ll recover quickly.”
Pausing, he added, “You care about him?”
Liu Yunyao sighed inwardly. “He’s taken good care of me, even saved me before... Why are they here?”
“They had business in the Central Domain. I just brought them along.”
Liu Yunyao understood.
Xie Changfeng was nearby to visit her.
The Moon Worship Sect demons were all under Xie’s command, two of whom were lower seventh realm cultivators. If they had come through a boundary gate, their bodies would likely be damaged.
So Xie Changfeng used a method to bring them over, but the drawback was their landing spots wouldn’t be far from him.
Hence they coincidentally encountered the Lingxiao Peak cultivators.
“Has Su Zhen returned to Weiyun Peak?”
“No. I was just thinking whether to ask her cousin.”
“Good you didn’t. Pei Xun is tough; if she grew suspicious, you’d be in trouble.”
He pondered and then asked, “Do you think Su Zhen could have gone to the demon realm?”
“How would I know? Why do you ask?”
“If she went to the妖界 (Spirit World), she should have returned by now. As for other realms, she’s not strong enough yet. Though not impossible, you said she’s been to the demon realm several times before, and your master scolded her for it, but she never listens, so he stopped caring?”
“She has indeed been more than once, but I’m not sure where she is now. Even if she’s in the demon realm, it’s so vast—can Xie find her?”
“I can only have them keep an eye out.”
“What if they find her?”
Xie Changfeng suddenly chuckled, his handsome face like spring sunshine.
The others were puzzled.
Liu Yunyao heard him transmit quietly: “Then it will be much easier.”
...
Huanhua State.
Qiongdu Street.
Two people continued their leisurely stroll.
The immortal city was not large, usually sparsely populated; travelers were rare, mostly wandering cultivators passing through.
The markets clustered in the city center, with intersecting long streets and connected shops selling various materials mainly for tailoring, forging, and alchemy.
Even food and tea often derived from spiritual plants, and trinkets were mostly beneficial for cultivation.
At first glance, it resembled a mundane town, but nearly all implements in the shops served cultivators.
Occasionally, strange noises erupted from a shop—a loud bang, a burst of flame, or a collapsed building instantly restored.
Locals paid no mind, as if accustomed.
Since childhood, Su Zhen had played here often, knowing many shop owners and clerks, who greeted her warmly along the way.
“When I was young, I once saw a mortal from Lanxiang City begging a wandering cultivator to bring her here to cure her mother,” Su Zhen said, pointing to an herb shop a few steps away. “She wandered inside and was spotted by my mother...”
Most immortal pills coveted by mortals were forbidden to them.
Without spiritual energy, they could not be refined internally and would harm the body if consumed.
Some medicines, however, were permissible—either to prolong life or heal wounds—but mortals rarely knew their names.
“My mother bought her a dose of Qi Supplement Powder and taught her how to prepare and take it,” Su Zhen recalled. “Later, my mother told me such cases were common—some seeking cures, others immortality or experience. Wealthy ones even bribed to get in, buying random clothes and jewelry. Some robes looked light but weighed a hundred pounds—mortals couldn’t wear them. Returning goods caused disputes, and most shopkeepers refused to serve mortals. As city lord, my mother had to handle these troublesome matters...”
Su Zhen sighed softly. “I suppose senior cultivators have seen much of this.”
“Not really. Tell me more; I’m happy to listen—it broadens my knowledge,” Xiao Yu said promptly.
“When I was mortal, I had no time to play. After cultivation, ninety-nine percent of time was spent training or fighting, the other one percent was spent in seclusion. For a long time, my spirit was on the brink...” Xiao Yu continued without noticing her silence.
Su Zhen gave him a blank look.
He ignored it and added, “But I guess I just muddled through.”
He glanced at her.
Su Zhen didn’t understand and assumed he was rambling.
They passed a bookstore, and she stopped to enter.
The shop was bright and tidy, shelves lined with many immortal cultivation texts, mostly ordinary beginner manuals and some rare obscure spells.
Su Zhen scanned and saw nothing unfamiliar, so she didn’t linger.
She looked to the clerk behind the counter. “Do you have the latest ‘Heavenly Soldier Treasure Guide’?”
The clerk, reclining and reading, sat up. “How many copies?”
“One, please. Thank you.”
In the immortal city, silver and spiritual stones were accepted as payment. Su Zhen took out a small high-grade spirit stone.
The clerk examined it and accepted it.
She tapped a drawer, her fingertips flickering with golden light, unlocking the seal. She withdrew a thick tome and gently placed it on the counter.
The book was about three inches thick, with a hard, smooth jade cover. Its pages were supple and durable, each depicting a different magical treasure.
Some had names, owners, and varying degrees of descriptions about the maker, location, materials, and past owners.
Others were blank, lacking even names.
Pressing on an image, a three-dimensional projection appeared, a scaled-down model of the treasure she carefully examined while rotating the hologram with her hand.
She infused a bit of spiritual energy, causing the projection to enlarge several times, becoming life-sized.
Closing the book, she packed it away. “Is this the latest edition?”
The clerk nodded. “Just arrived not long ago. The dates are printed upfront; you can check.”
The ‘Heavenly Soldier Treasure Guide,’ produced by the Divine Craft Pavilion, records treasures worldwide. Unless content is unchanged, a new edition is compiled annually.
Many treasures pass from master to disciple, or change owners, or are destroyed in battle and reforged, upgrading their rank and attributes.
Xiao Yu glanced over. “Let me guess why you bought this.”
Su Zhen smiled faintly. “Go ahead.”
He pondered. “Your sword won’t be fixed soon, so you’re probably looking for a handy weapon among the first hundred pages?”
Su Zhen smiled. “You’re quite accurate.”
In a previous life, she had abandoned Cold Fragrance and soon had her own destined treasure. Now she planned to acquire that sword early.
Their conversation was no longer discreet.
The clerk’s eyes flicked strangely as he listened, glancing between them.
First hundred pages?
Those contained divine weapons or immortal artifacts, either owned or missing, or located in perilous places.
These two looked ordinary—how dared they speak such bold words?
“Just as I thought,” Xiao Yu said, pulling out a spirit stone and placing it on the counter. “Please get me a copy as well.”
Curious, Su Zhen looked at him. “Let me guess your reason?”
Xiao Yu showed interest.
She pretended to think, then said, “To see if your sword has made the first page?”
The clerk’s expression froze, as if seeing lunatics.
Xiao Yu laughed. “Impossible. This book is made by Divine Craft Pavilion, surely favoring their city lord.”
Su Zhen instinctively flipped to the first two pages of the top-grade divine weapons.
The legendary Holy Sword Worldbreaker was destroyed, so the guide started with divine weapons.
The first was—
Top-grade Divine Weapon, Raging Wave.
The image showed a silver-white long sword, its blade wrapped in flowing azure light, intertwining around the edge like waves surging under a moonlit night.
Just viewing the image, one could almost hear the roaring tide.
Su Zhen always thought it a beautiful sword, just like its owner.
Spiritual weapons had one elemental attribute, immortal artifacts two, while divine weapons could have three.
Though it appeared water-elemental, Raging Wave possessed water, wind, and ice attributes, perfectly matching her master.
Still, this sword was far stronger than Jade Dust Immortal’s Frostflow Sword.
Its wielder was thousands of times more powerful as well.
Su Zhen’s eyes moved down to the line marking the current owner.
—Sword Master: Immortal Cangming, Sect Leader of Shangji Sect, Lord of Tiandu City.
She only matched the water attribute, so she didn’t covet the sword, merely admired its appearance.
She slowly turned the pages.
Top-grade Divine Weapon, Jade Slice.
The second divine sword resembled a blade, its tip slanting to one side, amber-hued and crystal clear, thin as cicada wings.
Below was—
Sword Master: Immortal Jiangxiao, Deputy Sect Leader of Shangji Sect, Lord of Tiandu City.
“Look, these brothers’ Raging Wave and Jade Slice have held the top spots for a thousand years,” Xiao Yu’s voice came from above.
“What kind of ranking is this? Just a record. If you scrutinize the order, many are questionable.”
Su Zhen turned to the third page.
Top-grade Divine Weapon, Heavenly Tremor.
A massive snow-white greatsword, heavy and solid, seemingly smooth but with a peculiar texture like polished bone, its lines sharp and austere.
Golden-purple lightning flickered along the blade, sparking tiny flames.
The bright embers scattered like silver pebbles on a summer night, streaking like meteors trailing flame tails as they danced around the blade and vanished into it.
Still, it was beautiful.
The brilliant lightning and solemn blade formed a stark yet harmonious contrast, giving the imposing weapon a touch of vibrant life.
“This animated projection only works well with divine weapons; immortal artifacts just have some glow,” Xiao Yu glanced over. “How do you like it?”
Su Zhen’s hand moved, her fingertip tracing the sword master’s name above the characters for Immortal Chaohua.
“Beauty aside,” she joked without looking up, “why can’t senior strive to be number one?”
“Hmm,” Xiao Yu pondered, “Fine. If it’ll make you happy, I’ll challenge those two to a duel later.”
They joked as they left.
The clerk behind the counter, unaware of their book contents, had his expression shift several times as he listened.
Now glaring at their retreating backs, he slowly rolled his eyes.
Some cultivators may look normal, but inside, they’re clearly mad.
That was his thought.