Chapter 88: A Mixture of Joy and Sorrow
The cultivators on the ground from various sects saw the skies above Hanhai once again covered in dust. Winds whipped up clouds of sand, and the moonlight dimmed. They immediately knew that the master of the Tianhu Realm had departed.
The secret realm was nearing its conclusion. One of the two Saints of the era had left. Only the cloud ship of Mingyue Lake still hovered in the sky.
The dark teal cloud ship resembled a giant eye, emitting a solemn light, coldly gazing down upon the desert below.
At the beginning of the secret realm’s opening, the leading elders of each sect had visited friends, discussed the Dao, drank tea, or played cards—leisurely and carefree. Now, the atmosphere had completely changed. Everyone was busy attending to their own disciples, tending to the injured, or supervising the Grand Competition’s score tallies. Fatigue and seriousness marked each face.
Among them, Ziyan Peak Master was the most anxious. Day after day passed, and Meng Xueli still had not appeared. She and her inner disciples searched around the secret realm’s exit, occasionally spotting members of Tai Heng Zhenren’s faction and several elders from the Zhou family. Though mutual disdain existed, neither side acted aggressively, instead deliberately keeping distance.
Everyone understood that this was not a suitable moment for direct confrontation or open conflict.
The other major sects watched from afar, indifferent to the “Han Shan Incident,” helping neither side. Southern minor sects and families affiliated with Mingyue Lake even seemed opportunistically eager, some secretly delighted.
In this delicate atmosphere, Yuan Ziye sometimes thought that perhaps no news was the best news. At least it proved Meng Xueli had not fallen into Tai Heng’s hands. Seeing Jianwei Zhenren still alive, and Elder Meng safe, things had not turned too badly; Heaven had not forsaken Han Shan.
Though anxious inside, Ziyan Peak Master maintained a calm exterior, which reassured her following disciples.
When they saw Cui Jing and several Han Shan junior disciples appear, they could not help their delight.
Yuan Ziye exclaimed, astonished: “Junior Disciple Cui, you’ve broken through?”
Cui Jing bowed and acknowledged it.
This was rare, good news—like rain after a long drought. Spirits lifted, everyone congratulated him warmly.
Ziyan Peak Master knew Cui Jing was reserved, and to get details, she asked herself:
“What happened in the secret realm? Did you see Elder Meng?”
Cui Jing nodded. “Reporting to the Peak Master, Elder Meng and Junior Disciple Xiao were at the rear.”
Ziyan Peak Master frowned. “Which Junior Disciple Xiao? Not Xiao Tingyun, surely?”
Cui Jing replied calmly, “Thanks to their guidance, my breakthrough went smoothly, and the other juniors also gained from it.”
Several Han Shan disciples who had just emerged from the secret realm confirmed:
“Elder Meng guided us out!”
“We had good fortune and gained a lot, thanks to Elder Meng and Junior Disciple Xiao. They should be coming out soon.”
Hearing their tales of late-stage adventures, Han Shan disciples who had left earlier could not help but feel envious.
Finally, Ziyan Peak Master said, “But Xiao Tingyun didn’t have a Passage Jade Token.”
Everyone exchanged glances, suddenly realizing that at the final gathering in Han Shan’s main hall, when competing disciples boarded the cloud ship, they had seen no sign of Xiao Tingyun. Could he have entered the secret realm on his own? Han Shan and Hanhai were far apart—how had he arrived?
How could he guide disciples whose cultivation slightly surpassed his own, and who had been practicing far longer? Was this the special innate talent of an innate sword spirit body, unattainable by ordinary cultivators?
One mystery after another arose in their minds.
Cui Jing raised his gaze toward the sky, looking at the cloud ship over Mingyue Lake. “Someone broke the rules during this Grand Competition. We nearly didn’t make it back.”
Ziyan Peak Master’s expression changed slightly. “Explain carefully!”
Meanwhile, disciples from other sects, whom Meng Xueli had sent away, gradually returned. Some had directly broken through to a higher realm; others had gained cultivation within their current realm. It was obvious these blessings had come from rare encounters and opportunities in the secret realm, inspiring envy.
Before their senior brothers or leading elders could ask about their experiences, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled.
The cultivators’ first instinct was that they were under attack. The next moment, they realized it was the entire Hanhai desert shaking, as if an invisible giant had stomped down with tremendous force.
“The earth is moving?!”
“How could Hanhai move? Never happened before.”
The last rays of sunset were vanishing at the horizon. Darkness descended upon the desert. Fierce winds swept through, and weaker cultivators could barely open their eyes.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth changed violently. A deeply ominous premonition, coupled with an absurd suspicion, flashed through everyone’s mind.
Ziyan Peak Master shouted, “It’s not an earthquake! Move quickly!”
Almost simultaneously, countless beams of light streaked across the skies above Hanhai—flying swords, magical implements, body-light techniques—all showcasing the cultivators’ abilities.
Flying devices from various sects raced into the sky, dashing toward the edges of Hanhai.
“Boom—”
A tremendous explosion erupted in the center of the Hanhai, and a violent gale swept across the entire desert.
Disciples whose true essence was insufficient to protect their bodies were left with ringing ears and dizzy heads.
It was as if some enormous entity had been obliterated. The bolder among them looked back and saw that in the midst of the wild wind, the turbulent currents from the explosion had formed a vortex, sweeping up the sea of sand toward the heavens.
The secret realm had collapsed—or rather, exploded—in a way that produced no fire.
A spatial fragment that had been stable could not withstand the simultaneous pull of two immense forces and fractured violently, scattering into tiny points of light, like stars in the sky or fireflies on a summer night.
Under the dark night sky, among the swirling yellow sand, a breathtaking and brilliant spectacle appeared.
Witnessing this sudden catastrophe, gasping for breath after surviving it, all the cultivators were momentarily speechless.
Suddenly, someone shouted hoarsely, “Elder Meng and Junior Brother Xiao haven’t come out yet!”
…
Ever since Yu Qishu learned from the three jiao mouths that Ji Xiao was actually Xiao Tingyun, his mental state had been off.
On top of that, the jiao core inside him burned like a giant fireball, continuously providing energy. His cultivation advanced faster, his swordsmanship became smoother, his strength in tugging rat fur increased, and even cutting peach blossoms carried more force.
When the third jiao saw that Yu Qishu’s injuries had healed and wanted its jiao core back, the second jiao persuaded him: “Third Brother, calculate the time. Ji Xiao should be back soon. Wait another two days. Let Ji Xiao see with his own eyes the effort we’ve put in—that’s the most worthwhile way.”
The eldest jiao added, “When Ji Xiao returns and sees our sincere repentance, and how we protected his junior brother in the critical moment…”
The third jiao wiped away tears and told Yu Qishu, “Don’t give it back to me yet, or all our efforts will be wasted!”
Yu Qishu didn’t understand why, nor did he have time to think. All his attention was consumed by the fact that “the Sword Sovereign is still alive.”
Keeping a life-altering secret with a living person was no easy task.
Yu Qishu’s excitement and joy had no one to share it with, which frustrated him. He could only lie by the pond, chatting with the three jiao and watching the “koi” blow water bubbles.
His eyes sparkled. “Brother Jiao, I’m a junior disciple of the Sword Sovereign now!”
The eldest jiao thought him childish and didn’t bother to respond. “Oh, impressive.”
“The Sword Sovereign isn’t dead! I’m still the first to know!”
The second jiao responded perfunctorily, “Hmm, impressive, impressive.”
Yu Qishu continued dreamily, “I know ‘Xiao Tingyun’ well, but what kind of person was Ji Xiao in the past?”
The three jiao’ bodies ached slightly. They didn’t want to talk to him any further. “He was a ruthless one,”
But Yu Qishu kept chattering on.
The eldest jiao said exasperatedly, “…Brother, please stop. Can I just call you Big Brother?”
Yu Qishu, still excited, replied, “Don’t hold back!”
Suddenly, the small pond trembled slightly, and ripples appeared on the water’s surface. At the bottom, the three jiao thrashed their tails, stirring waves that overturned the water.
Third jiao: “What’s going on?!”
Eldest jiao: “The vibrations of the abyssal teleportation array, Ji Xiao is back!”
Second jiao: “Wait, Ji Xiao is carrying someone. Oh, that’s his Dao companion, and inside the Dao companion’s arms is a mirage beast… um, maybe we shouldn’t tell Ji Xiao.”
Unlike their fear of Ji Xiao, for which they had to show deference, Meng Xueli had spent three years feeding and talking to them, and the three jiao felt closer to him, like a child they had watched grow up. Moreover, if Ji Xiao’s Dao companion hadn’t demanded the koi and set up the Feng Shui array, perhaps “Endless Sky Sword” would have cut them down with a single strike—there’d be no hope of them ever transforming into dragons. So when Meng Xueli wanted to hide the mirage beast, they allowed him to for a while.
The second jiao lowered his voice. “There’s a smell of blood. Ji Xiao seems injured.”
The eldest jiao flicked the second jiao with his tail. “Second Brother, come with me to check on things.”
The second jiao grinned slyly. “Heh heh, you want to see if we can eat him while he’s hurt, right? If we swallow Ji Xiao whole, maybe we’ll transform into dragons right away…”
At that moment, “Endless Sky” trembled slightly in the mud, sending ripples across the water.
The eldest jiao hurriedly said, “I’m not! I won’t do that!”
The first time Ji Xiao had proposed uniting with Meng Xueli as a Dao companion, it was at the Sword Tomb amid thunder and lightning, and Meng Xueli had thought he was about to die.
This time, proposing to be true Dao companions, it was in the sea under Changchun Peak. After speaking, Ji Xiao coughed up blood and fell unconscious. Meng Xueli thought Ji Xiao was about to die.
Tears streamed down his face as joy and sorrow mingled. He clutched his unconscious Dao companion and floated upward.
Then, Meng Xueli witnessed an astonishing and speechless scene: in the vast sea, three massive golden jiao swam toward him, their bodies glittering.
So these were the “koi” Ji Xiao had brought back.
How many other “demons” had Ji Xiao actually raised?
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
