The Mysterious Maiden and the Jade Consort

In the dark night, Jiang Ran stood proudly in flowing azure robes, her wide sleeves fluttering. Threads of crimson, orange, and purple light intertwined and spread across the surface of her body, nearly scorching winding fissures across the pitch-black sky. Qin Ming sprinted swiftly, drawing near to that region. "Someone's watching me from behind!" Suddenly, a spine-chilling sensation washed over him. It felt as if Lunar Yin power were eroding him, as though some colossal entity had locked onto his presence. Qin Ming did not turn around, yet his extraordinary perception mapped out the scene behind him: a woman had risen into the air and was silently gazing in his direction. "Could that really be Chang'e?" Alarm bells rang in his mind. Just being watched by the woman in the night sky was enough to violently churn his spirit field. "Manifesting my shadow, confining me here, treating me as a mere tool... whose doing is this?" Above the collapsing Guanghan Palace, the woman suddenly reached out a pale, fair hand, grabbing forward through the air. "Old Rag!" Though Qin Ming had not looked back, he felt as if an abyss of Lunar Yin were about to swallow him whole. His very soul sank, threatening to drown. At this crucial moment, the rag... did nothing. In the pitch-black night, Guanghan Palace suddenly collapsed completely, disintegrating into dust across the ground. With the Earth Moon's disappearance, it had no reason to exist any longer. For even this grand palace had merely been manifested into being. The slender figure suddenly froze in the night sky. Her outstretched jade hand stopped abruptly, and the light in her beautiful eyes dimmed, draining of all spiritual radiance. As a gust of night wind swept past, she dissolved into ripples of Lunar Yin. She was not a being of flesh and blood, but merely a briefly revived wisp of will that could not remain in the mortal world. Only now did Qin Ming turn his head, finding only desolate silence where she had been. Looking back, he still could not be certain whether the colosseum—which had burned away like a scroll—and those mist gates had been real, or if they had all been an illusion. "Old Rag, did those eight mist gates connect to distant lands? Do those extraordinary alien races exist in reality?" Unfortunately, the rag gave no answer. Qin Ming was helpless; he was merely its temporary owner. He reckoned that in Old Rag's eyes, he was still far from qualified to converse with it—merely another passing traveler along its historical trajectory. "Above a temporary owner, there ought to be the title of 'Lord and Master,' right?" Qin Ming mused. If he ever reached that level, he would make Old Rag pay respects to him every single day! Didn't like to speak? Then he would make it recite ten scriptures a day! ... Jiang Ran's ink-black hair hung loose. Her skin gave off a translucent, jade-like luster, ethereal and otherworldly. Vast waves of colorful mist dyed the night sky, making her look like an ascending immortal. Even the boundless dark forest was edged with layer upon layer of gold, stripping away its oppressive air and turning the fresh, glistening leaves semi-translucent. Qin Ming noticed that she had risen from the ground, floating in midair. Auspicious glow surged here, and luminous fog drifted about. Jiang Ran was contending against her own nine-colored armor, which was a liquefied weapon. Draped over her body, it was as smooth as silk, its hem fluttering in the breeze. Its material was exotic metal. Jiang Ran had discovered a weapon fragment here, but the fusion was not going very smoothly. Flames and blazing multicolored rays surrounded her, nearly scalding distorted fissures into the night sky. One could imagine just how powerful this special weapon was! "Jiang Ran, need any help?" Qin Ming called out. Her brows were like distant misty mountains, and her bright eyes flowed with spirituality. Shaking her head, she said, "My trouble isn't easy to resolve." "What's going on?" Qin Ming asked. "This weapon seems to have been repaired in ancient times. It likely contains remnants of another legacy, so the situation is somewhat complicated." What she had obtained was an incomplete weapon to begin with, yet it housed two weapon spirits. One was relatively docile, while the other was rather disobedient. Having obtained a new fragment today, the conflict between them had intensified. "Two?" Qin Ming was surprised. Such a thing could actually happen? At this moment, Jiang Ran looked sacred and transcendent. The glow dripping from the tips of her hair trailed behind her in multicolored ribbons dozens of yards long, and her flawless face was bathed in immortal light. Though she hesitated, she still told him what she had acquired: half of a heavenly dagger-axe, suspected to be the weapon of the legendary Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, but inlaid with fragments of another weapon. Qin Ming was dazed. She was wearing the liquefied Mysterious Maiden armor? No wonder it was so extraordinary, nearly burning the night sky open. The Mysterious Maiden's special weapon was reasonably friendly toward her, but the other mysterious fragment inlaid upon it was constantly bewitching her to become some sort of Jade Consort. Qin Ming understood at once. No wonder she had mentioned the Mysterious Maiden and the Jade Consort before; a mysterious weapon spirit had been whispering in her ear every day. Jiang Ran said, "The most critical issue is that the control art I know is incomplete—severely lacking." "You can control a special weapon even with an incomplete control art?" Qin Ming was astonished. Without a control art, one could not control legendary weapons like this at all; even the slightest defect would make it impossible. He realized Jiang Ran harbored secrets of her own. "Didn't you ask me what I obtained at Black-White Mountain? It's an ability—Control All Things," Jiang Ran brought up the past, speaking openly this time. Partly, it was because she trusted Qin Ming; partly, it was because her innate spiritual perception was terrifyingly sharp. Right now, her spiritual light shone brightly, giving her an intuitive sense that the youth before her could help her break the deadlock. The so-called Control All Things meant that once she reached a certain level of strength, she would be able to command all external things. Even a weapon as extraordinary as the legendary Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's, despite lacking a complete control art, could still be driven by her. Only now, held back by the other fragment, she felt her strength falling short. Hearing this, Qin Ming could not help but sigh in awe. Such an ability was truly terrifying. At the highest realm, aside from herself, could she even command other living beings? In truth, both a corner of the rag and a strange stone originated from Yujing, possessing immense backgrounds. In the past, an upheaval occurred in Yujing, and a corner of the Jade Temple collapsed, causing both items to be lost to the outside world. "Did you also get something from Black-White Mountain?" Jiang Ran was remarkably sharp and had wanted to ask this for a long time. Qin Ming nodded, but decided it was better to tell her in another place—he had picked up the "leftover scrap" she had casually tossed away. He was afraid that Empress Ran's emotions would be too stirred up to maintain her calm. He said, "Could you come down to the ground? Let me take a look for you. Perhaps I can help you obtain the complete control art." Jiang Ran descended. Immortal light blanketed the ground, and multicolored clouds inundated the woodland. "Child, you have obtained the special weapon of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, an object of supreme sanctity. How can you allow another to approach and touch this treasured raiment? That is outright profanation," one of the two weapon spirits transmitted its voice. Its origins were mysterious, and it wanted Jiang Ran to become the Jade Consort. Jiang Ran ignored it, asking the other weapon spirit to hold it back. The silk-like, nine-colored armor over her body rippled gently in brilliant divine radiance. She allowed Qin Ming to step forward and touch the special armor. In the forest, Qin Ming took a deep breath and began to resonate, bracing himself for intense pain in his head. He indeed felt an impact, but it was far less severe than he had anticipated. First, his own cultivation was vastly superior to what it once had been; second, this special weapon had been shattered, and the emotions lingering upon the broken implement were no longer so ferocious, having been largely worn away with time. Vaguely, he saw that in distant mythological eras, this legendary weapon had been broken once before and repaired with a material of staggering origin. Thus, it seemed to contain fragments of two different weapons. Back then, that repair material must have been thoroughly "purified." However, during an unimaginable war, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's weapon had been destroyed once again, and only in this era did that repair material gradually begin to awaken. It could only be described as terrifying; back then, even the lineage of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden had failed to completely eradicate its original weapon spirit. "Child, how can you place such blind faith in an outsider?" The mysterious weapon spirit did not believe at all that the youth before them could help her obtain the so-called complete control art. Even the original spirit of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's weapon, though relatively friendly toward Jiang Ran, was quite baffled, as even it could only supply an incomplete art. After all, neither of them was a whole weapon spirit; they had lost much of their memory and needed to continually integrate missing fragments of the weapon. Yet Jiang Ran chose to believe in Qin Ming. "How is it?" she asked, seeing that after Qin Ming opened his eyes, he fell silent for a long time and reached out again to touch her nine-colored divine raiment. "Junior, you dare profane the Jade Consort," the untraceable weapon spirit said with an unfriendly tone. In truth, Qin Ming wanted to profane *it*. He tapped lightly against the divine raiment, hoping to stir violent emotions within the weapon spirit and perceive the treasures harbored in its consciousness. Previously, he had only resonated with the emotions clinging to the body of the weapon itself. Unfortunately, such weapon spirits were terrifying. Even if it sounded displeased when transmitting its voice, its inner core remained formidable and unperturbed, making it impossible to detect its thoughts. Qin Ming felt it a pity. If he could resonate with the weapon spirit, it would be no different from excavating an ancient divine hoard! All he could say was that these ancient monsters were simply too difficult to deal with. Qin Ming sighed and withdrew his palm. The spirit of unknown origin spoke: "I knew it. He was just fumbling about, touching hands then shoulders, only to come away empty-handed." Jiang Ran was mentally prepared. While some broken implements retained a complete control art, hers was not so fortunate. Qin Ming spoke up, "I got it. Try it out and see." "What?" Jiang Ran was pleasantly surprised. "Why don't you think twice about what you're saying?" the mysterious weapon spirit said. "Mm, the complete control art!" Jiang Ran grasped it instantly and began commanding the special weapon. The nine-colored divine raiment grew even more dazzling as it started fusing with the newly acquired fragment. Even though the mysterious spirit was uncooperative and dragged its feet, the fusion process progressed smoothly nonetheless. At this moment, the original spirit of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's weapon was dumbfounded. Even it did not know the complete control art—how was this youth more "thoroughly clear" on it than itself? "How do you know it?" It spoke to Qin Ming for the first time, completely astounded. No one should have understood the control art matching its own vessel better than it did. Yet now, an outsider was clearer on it than itself! "The control art was engraved on the divine raiment all along," Qin Ming said. Both weapon spirits fell silent, entirely unconvinced. After a moment, the mysterious spirit murmured, "I seem to recall a rumor..." It racked its brains, but its memories were too damaged, and it could recall nothing more. Afterward, Jiang Ran successfully refined the special weapon and integrated the fragment, filling her with immense joy. "You actually solved such a huge problem for me. Let me think about how to thank you." She was visibly delighted. She decided to give him the Eight Views Divine Radiance Classic. When Qin Ming heard this, his mouth nearly watered. He had coveted this scripture for a long time! Jiang Ran said, "The old fellows in the outer realm made me swear an oath never to impart this art, unless someone made a great contribution to my immortal path." She smiled. "You helped me acquire the control art, granting me immense benefit and smoothing my road ahead. That qualifies as a great contribution to my immortal path, so this won't violate my oath." She was a bit narcissistic, but more than that, she was confident. "Are you sure it's fine?" Qin Ming was worried she might break her oath. "It's fine!" She imparted the technique directly. Qin Ming sat cross-legged at once, comprehending it attentively before sinking into deep stillness. When he opened his eyes, he happened to hear the mysterious spirit trying to persuade Jiang Ran. "Child, with your world-rare natural talent, becoming the new generation's Mysterious Maiden is no problem at all. In fact, you could have a far more glorious future—come and be the Jade Consort of our lineage!" "Jade Consort my foot!" Jiang Ran snapped. She had to listen to this old geezer lobby her every day. Previously, she had been helpless, but now that she commanded the control art and could also Control All Things, she could use the special weapon to keep it in check. Qin Ming spoke up, "What era do you think this is? Still trying to coax someone into being some sort of consort? How long has it been since you returned to that grand sect of yours? Is there even anyone left?" "Do you have any right to speak here?" The spirit of unknown origin assumed a haughty posture. In truth, its heart was as calm as an ancient well; it was merely trying to put the youth in his place. "He does!" Jiang Ran answered flatly with a single word, giving the spirit no face. Qin Ming chuckled. "The world has changed drastically. Are you sure the great faction behind you still exists? Perhaps it crumbled to pieces long ago." The mysterious spirit declared proudly, "It must still stand, immortal throughout eternity!" Qin Ming shook his head and said, "The night mist has blanketed everything. Even Yujing has sealed itself away and fallen dormant. Even the Divine Capital once suffered the terrifying devastation of war, with a corner tumbling down right here. Even inside the Great Thunder Sound Temple, no one sweeps away the fallen bodhi leaves. Is the faction behind you stronger than these? Why don't you go back and check whether it still exists in this world?" The weapon spirit said, "Strong or not, it remains there. None can bring about its fall. You and the mortal masses are mere passersby, while it stands evergreen through the ages. The new generation's Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden is only complete when paired with our lineage's heir. As for you, an ordinary youth of the night mist world, do not look up at things that are far too perfect. The distance between you is simply too vast." "Damn it, you old fossil!" Qin Ming truly could not hold back, wanting nothing more than to spit a mouthful of immortal fluid right in its face. He had merely come to help Jiang Ran, only to be lectured by some old fossil from who knows what era. He sorely wished he could whip out the rag and slap it across this old bastard's face. Jiang Ran spoke up as well, "If you ever dare utter the words 'Jade Consort' again, don't blame me for turning on you. Furthermore, you're being extremely rude to my friend. Keep this up and you can shut your mouth entirely." The spirit of immense background replied, "I am merely speaking the truth. Leaving those two words aside, consider your friend: even if he spent his entire life, he would never reach the front gates of my sect. A youth like him might enjoy a little fame today, but the future is too distant, the path ahead too long; he will never catch up." Jiang Ran's expression darkened. "You don't understand my friend at all. Stop putting on airs, and don't look at the sky from the bottom of a well!" The spirit laughed. "How about this? I will test him casually." Promptly, it recited a passage of scripture. "Can you comprehend this in a short time? This is the lowest-tier technique of my grand faction. Normally, even an outer disciple could grasp it quickly." Qin Ming sneered, "A technique with such severe flaws—you actually have the nerve to bring it up? It burns blood and expends lifespan to briefly boost offensive power, but damages one's foundation." The spirit was taken aback. The scripture was indeed not difficult, but discerning the essence of its principles and recognizing the consequences of using it in an instant—that was astonishing. It would not praise him, however. Instead, it said calmly, "Your comprehension is so-so. Try comprehending this passage then." Qin Ming immediately tried his hand at it and demonstrated it on the spot, saying, "Isn't it just nine-fold stacked power? Utterly ordinary. Hmm, there's room to expand on it—I'd wager there's follow-up scripture that allows several more layers to be stacked." The mysterious spirit grew solemn. That he could grasp it so quickly already proved the youth was extraordinary. Next, it recited several mnemonic chants in succession. In every case, Qin Ming comprehended them on the spot and demonstrated the results immediately—it was practically instantaneous enlightenment. "Nothing special," Qin Ming said, shaking his head. The mysterious spirit made no more grating remarks. This time, it spoke evenly, "In that case, I will display another method. It was a daily exercise used by ancient prodigies to hone their skills. It cannot be considered a profound supreme art, merely a little novelty." Promptly, a hazy lotus flower manifested in the void, constructed entirely from immortal path patterns. It blossomed within the night mist, layer upon layer of petals numbering a full thirty-six, growing increasingly distinct and dazzling. Each petal contained intricate runes. Constructing so many was genuinely quite difficult. The spirit reminded him, "This is not simply manifesting a lotus flower. Look closely: the patterns on every single petal can circulate divine force and heavenly light with intense efficiency." Then, it shut its mouth. For after pondering and attempting it briefly, a lotus flower flowing with hazy, pure luminescence emerged distinctly in Qin Ming's hand. Its thirty-six petals were crystalline and succulent, covered in dense, clear patterns. Furthermore, he did not stop there. Beside the tiered petals, heavenly light spread, and another identical lotus appeared, linked together to form twin lotuses on a single stalk. "Even in ancient times, this would be considered an extraordinary display, worthy of a prodigy," the original spirit of the Mysterious Maiden's weapon commented. "It's not that hard," Qin Ming remarked. Then, a third lotus appeared, bearing a total of one hundred and eight petals covered in arcane patterns, glistening brilliantly and breathing out immortal radiance. Immediately, the mysterious spirit went quiet for a moment. The peerless prodigies in its memories could naturally accomplish this as well, but grasping it so swiftly was exceedingly rare. Qin Ming said, "Why don't you write out your most difficult scripture and let me try practicing it?" The mysterious spirit said, "Drop such sly schemes. In the past, youths who could construct three lotuses were hardly few. Hmm, let me think a moment, then I will test you again." Qin Ming shook his head. "Boring. Why should I keep taking your tests over and over?" Jiang Ran smiled at once. "What Qin Ming means is, you have to offer a wager prize." The spirit replied, "That is not impossible. In the past, an unfathomable power shattered a corner of the Divine Capital, causing it to fall here. Mmh, even now, wisps of wondrous power linger here, which may hold boundless wonders for someone like you who wields heavenly light." Hearing this, Qin Ming immediately perked up! The spirit muttered to itself, "Let me think carefully about how the true geniuses of my great faction comprehended the Dao and tested their comprehension." Qin Ming nodded. "No problem. I suppose this counts as fighting a battle against them across the vast expanse of history!"