A Maiden Named Li Xiao, Born Rebellious

Daoji Heaven, Hushan Pavilion. Within Ganquan Palace, strains of immortal music drifted in continuous waves, tinkling pleasantly against the ear. Dao Master Lin's face was as still as deep water, devoid of expression, yet his gaze held a subtle complexity as he stroked the beard on his chin, lost in hesitant thought. "Is Master still pondering whether to rescue the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death?" Lu Yiren asked from his side. Dao Master Lin nodded gently. He was exceedingly fond of this disciple. Though he had previously expelled Lu Yiren from Hushan Pavilion to send him to undergo tribulations, Lu Yiren often returned to attend upon him with diligent devotion, pleasing him greatly. "The Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death is an orthodox member of our other shore's sacred race, after all—of noble bloodline, not like those alien branches. He is certain to become a Dao Master. If I intervene to save him now and forge good karma, then even if I come into conflict with the other Dao Masters in the future, I would at least have a helping hand." Dao Master Lin voiced his inner hesitation: "However, the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death carries far too much ferocity. This time, he slaughtered countless lives. Granted, most were from the New Sacred Clan, and their deaths matter little, but calamitous destiny clings to him nonetheless. If I save him, I fear it will entangle me as well..." He sighed and continued, "Even a Dao Master is not omnipotent. Disciple, what do you think?" Lu Yiren replied, "Your disciple believes that calamitous destiny is truly elusive and baffling, the Immortal Slaying Sword of Biyou Palace is truly sharp, and as for the Nirvanic Extinction Tribulation, it is something your disciple dare not even fathom." Dao Master Lin glanced at him and smiled. "Slick as an eel. Ah, well. To invite trouble upon myself just to save one Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death simply isn't worth it. Let him be. But as for this Xu Ying..." He frowned slightly, his gaze dark and distant as he looked across the void, observing the battle beyond the mortal world's heavens. "A genius of the Three Realms... If he cannot be used by me, he must be destroyed early. We cannot allow him to keep making such trouble." He did not speak aloud, thinking silently, *Still, he does have his uses. He travels about reviving the Dao Masters of old, saving us a great deal of trouble...* He did not present this choice to Lu Yiren, for he already knew Lu Yiren's attitude. *I wonder what stances Brother Daoist Hua and Fellow Daoist Luo take?* he mused inwardly. *** Li Xiao steered the Lingxing Gate, fleeing outward with all her might to escape the expanse enveloped by the Great Dao of Life and Death. When she finally halted and looked back, she saw that the Great Dao of Life and Death had ceased expanding. Li Xiao stared blankly. The Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death had not hesitated to destroy all life on the other shore in his bid to break through to Lord of Great Dao and kill Xu Ying—why had he stopped so abruptly? *Could it be... the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death lost?* She found it hard to believe. Rather than the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death falling in defeat, she would sooner have believed that Xu Ying had already perished at his hands. Just as she prepared to return and investigate, a voice spoke: "Li Xiao. The Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death is dead, slain by Xu Ying." Li Xiao started. Turning her head, she saw immeasurable starlight swirling within the Lingxing Gate. A tall, elderly figure strode out of the light—none other than Hua Shengsheng, Dao Master Hua! Li Xiao hurriedly bowed and prostrated herself. "Disciple pays respects to the Eldest Master!" Her heart thumped wildly. Stepping out of the starlight was an incarnation of Dao Master Hua. This Lingxing Gate was Dao Master Hua's treasure, and to this day no one had ever refined it. That had been true for Xu Ying, true for Dao Master Xuanhong, and the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death had never had the chance. *In other words, when the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death killed Senior Martial Sisters Li Xue and Li Jie, Master saw every bit of it.* Beads of sweat broke out across her forehead. *And my supposed affections for Xu Ying... I fear he saw through all of that too!* Dao Master Hua's starlight incarnation said placidly, "Rise. You have worked hard this time." Li Xiao forcibly drew the cold sweat back into her pores and rose with utmost deference. Dao Master Hua said, "Along this journey, I have watched everything you have done. You have done very well. Your senior martial brothers and sisters possessed fragile fates and perished amidst the calamitous destiny, but your fate is unyielding, and your future accomplishments will know no bounds. I want you to follow Xu Ying and continue pretending to be smitten with him." Li Xiao's heart trembled. "Disciple does not understand." Dao Master Hua chuckled. "Follow him, bring along the Lingxing Gate, and help him eliminate dangers. A lone man and woman spending time in constant company will inevitably develop feelings over time. By staying at his side, your safety will not be an issue. Once this master has finished using him, I shall invoke the Lingxing Gate to execute him." Li Xiao bowed her head and complied. Dao Master Hua walked back toward the Lingxing Gate. "You may go assist him now." His figure vanished into the starlight, slowly submerging until it dissolved into the radiance of the sea of stars. Li Xiao raised her head, thoughts swirling indecipherably in her mind. Suddenly spinning around, she retrieved the Lingxing Gate and tore through the void. Before long, she located Xu Ying. There, following behind Xu Ying, was the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death—dull, wooden, matching his steps at heel. Li Xiao asked curiously, "He is still alive?" "Dead," Xu Ying replied evenly. "Nothing remains but an empty husk; his Great Dao of Life and Death has been completely dissolved by me. I kept his shell because I need to find nearby forbidden zones and use it to awaken the Dao Masters there." Li Xiao was utterly stunned. He truly had slain a Grand Dao Lord? A great boulder finally lifted from Xu Ying's heart. Though the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death was not overwhelmingly formidable in absolute terms, he was the natural bane of the people of the Three Realms. His Great Dao of Life and Death could directly cause the new Dao patterns of the Three Realms to collapse, shattering the Great Daos of the Three Realms. Within the Three Realms, aside from Xu Ying, Xuhuang, and Dao Master Tongtian, practically no one could have matched him! Had the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death lived, the new Dao patterns that the Three Realms took such pride in would never have made the slightest ripple on the other shore! "I know of a forbidden zone nearby called Panming Valley. It's exceptionally eerie inside, strewn everywhere with severed dao fragments!" Li Xiao smiled. "If you want to rebel, you might as well take a trip to Panming Valley. You might find something there." Xu Ying produced a geographic map and located Panming Valley. Sure enough, it was not too far from here. He smiled. "Very well! Let us pay a visit to Panming Valley." Recalling Dao Master Hua's instructions, Li Xiao hesitated inwardly: *Should I tell him that the more Dao Masters he revives, the closer he draws to death? But if I tell him, I will die...* As they traveled together, Li Xiao was weighed down with worry. Suddenly she saw a swath of darkness below—the devastation left behind when the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death mobilized the life-and-death dao force of heaven and earth. "Xu Ying, you are a person of the Three Realms. If you become a Dao Master, how will you treat the other shore in the future?" Having said that, Li Xiao suddenly laughed. "Don't even think of deceiving me. I know Taiyi's tradition—your lineage has always been bent on rebelling." Xu Ying gave her a deep look and said, "I am loyal and devoted to the other shore. All of my accomplishments were achieved after arriving here. Why would I rebel?" Li Xiao huffed and ignored him. Surprised and not knowing why she had taken offense, Xu Ying chuckled and said, "On the other hand, my master Taiyi has rebelled and caused havoc, running off with that old devil Tian Chengzi. He will surely bring ruin wherever he goes. I swore an oath to Dao Master Luo that when I encounter him, I will place justice above kinship and strike him down. I feel that day is fast approaching." Li Xiao had intended to give him the cold shoulder, but her curiosity was piqued. "Would you truly deal a lethal blow to Taiyi? Mind you, Grand Dao Lord Taiyi is nothing like the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death. The Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death might not even survive a single exchange in Taiyi's hands!" Xu Ying said solemnly, "The traitor Taiyi and I cannot exist beneath the same sky! A battle between him and me is inevitable!" Inwardly, he thought, *Taiyi has waited for me to become the next Haoyi and assist his breakthrough to Dao Master for a very long time. In the past, I lacked the ability, but now I have the confidence to contest him!* A battle against Taiyi was something Xu Ying had also long anticipated! Taiyi hoped that experiencing Xu Ying's dao methods would grant him fresh enlightenment to become a Dao Master, while Xu Ying equally anticipated that Taiyi could offer him further inspiration! The two arrived at Panming Valley. Xu Ying looked into the gorge; indeed, it was treacherous. Broken daos howled through the valley like black gales. As different dao fragments continually recombined, they formed all manner of fiend gods and demon kings, hideous and terrifying, bloodthirsty to the core! Yet those fiend gods and demon kings were also exceptionally bizarre. With a swipe of their sharp claws, they would rip open space-time and slip away, vanishing without a trace. Within the space-time rifts they tore open, scenes of another universe were revealed, where numerous cultivators were locked in brutal, bloody slaughter with fiend gods and demon kings. "The Dao Master suppressed here is extraordinary!" Seeing this, Xu Ying was visibly moved. He turned to Li Xiao and said, "This person's Great Dao was shattered, yet his dao fragments can assemble into various fiend gods and demons, passing through fragments of his cave abyss into other universes to plunder living beings and offer them up in sacrifice to him! Even if I hadn't come to revive him, in a few tens of thousands of years, he probably could have achieved self-resurrection!" Li Xiao asked, "Can you tell what Great Dao he cultivated in life?" Xu Ying observed for a moment and said, "The Demonic Dao. This Dao Master is formidable; resurrecting him will not require sacrificing the entire Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death." Li Xiao mused, "If he is a Dao Master of the Demonic Dao, then he should be Bright King Lingyan. I heard my master mention that he attained the Dao through the Demonic Dao." Xu Ying inspected the surroundings. With a thought, the shattered daos within the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death's body surged forth with a whistle, pouring into the valley. Bright King Lingyan was already capable of combining his dao fragments into fiend gods and demon kings to traverse the void, infiltrate other universes, and hunt cultivators to blood-sacrifice them to himself. Thus, Xu Ying had no need to arrange a blood-sacrifice array to revive him. He could do it on his own. All Xu Ying needed to do was supply him with sufficient dao fragments. The principle behind blood-sacrifice resurrection made reviving the Great Dao the foremost priority. The dao structure of the other shore was a principle-pattern structure, where principle patterns consisted of branching striations. If subdivided continuously to the most microscopic level, any Great Dao, regardless of its kind, was constructed from the most fundamental principle patterns. Although a Dao Master's dao is structureless, once their Great Dao is shattered by another, it cannot recover directly. Therefore, one must use the dao fragments of an Immortal to awaken their Great Dao, reconnecting the severed strands. Once the Great Dao revived, the Dao Master's resurrection naturally became possible. Furthermore, an Immortal's body of the dao would transform into vital qi and blood to nourish the Dao Master's fatal wounds, serving as sustenance to mend the damage. With the blood sacrifice completed, resurrection could take place. Having sacrificed a small portion of the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death, Xu Ying immediately called out, "Miss Li, let's go—" The two sped away. Before long, the demonic qi within Panming Valley abruptly expanded outward, growing thicker and spanning a wider and wider expanse. The Demonic Dao of heaven and earth resonated with it, turning into streaks of black light that surged into the valley! Within Panming Valley, a sinewy fiend god stepped upon karmic fire, his eyes flashing like lightning as he swept his gaze across the surroundings, searching for his savior. Finding no one, he roared toward the heavens and tore through the void, departing. A few days later, Xu Ying emerged from the void with Li Xiao, and the two headed together toward Fish Leap Abyss. "Fish Leap Abyss is also a forbidden zone; it may very well suppress a Dao Master. It is a stretch of sea shrouded in dense mist year-round, murky and dim," Li Xiao said. "Someone once heard a woman singing from within. The song was mournful and plaintive, though the lyrics were indistinct. It didn't sound like the Dao language of the other shore. Some suspect it is a tongue from before the Dao Ash Era." Xu Ying's heart stirred. "A language from before the Dao Ash Era? Then it is certainly a Dao Master. The Dao language of the other shore is in truth the language of Tianjing. Before the Dao Ash Era, the other shore was likely an age ruled by gods." Li Xiao smiled. "I've heard that cultivators of that era were ancient gods—born powerful, wielding boundless might, though they hadn't mastered profound dao methods. We people of the other shore are actually descendants of the primordial ancient gods." Pride colored her words. The two arrived at Yuanfei Sea and followed the map to search for Fish Leap Abyss. Half a year passed before they knew it. Dao Master Hua's words about feelings developing over time were not wrong at all. Over their months together, Xu Ying had unconsciously developed some fondness for this woman, even while secretly remaining vigilant, reminding himself that she belonged to the sacred race of the other shore and harbored sinister motives by staying near him. Though Li Xiao was ruthless, she treated him exceptionally well, catering to his moods and skillfully dressing in varied attire that was pleasing to the eye. After spending so much time together, it was hard for Xu Ying to feel any revulsion toward her. *I cannot let Li Xiao keep following me,* Xu Ying resolved. *I have no need for any friendship from the sacred race of the other shore!* Ahead lay the edge of Yuanfei Sea. Where the waters flowed to this point, they formed a fathomless abyss. Fish swam within the abyss, leaping upward in an attempt to breach its depths, which was why it was called Fish Leap Abyss. A heavy mist hung over the abyss. As the two entered the mist, they indeed heard a woman's singing—plaintive and sorrowful, laden with melancholy. The mist was chillingly cold. Upon the slightest contact, both felt as though their own Great Daos were about to freeze over. Xu Ying ventured deep into the mist and laid out a blood-sacrifice formation, offering up the remainder of the Grand Dao Lord of Life and Death as a sacrifice to the sovereign of this forbidden zone. As Li Xiao waited anxiously outside, Xu Ying rushed back out, sweeping her up with him as they rocketed out of Fish Leap Abyss. Behind them, the mist abruptly coalesced into flowing ribbons, sweeping toward them! Xu Ying pulled Li Xiao and vanished into the void. Those ribbons burrowed into the void in pursuit, but Xu Ying's mastery of the Void Dao was exceedingly profound; he swiftly threw off the ribbons and made good their escape. The ribbons retracted. A moment later, the mist completely dispersed, condensing into fluttering garments as white as snow and mist, draped over a maiden with skin pure and pale. The maiden froze the waters beneath her tread as she stepped onto the sea's surface, turning the entirety of Yuanfei Sea to ice. "Strange. That youth saved my life, so why did he run?" The white-clad woman murmured in mild bemusement, "Ah, well. I shall repay his kindness in the future." *** Emerging from the void with Li Xiao, Xu Ying exhaled repeatedly, "Close, that was close! We were nearly caught." Li Xiao looked around and realized they had escaped to the vicinity of the Chaos Sea ferry crossing. Barely a thousand li ahead lay the ferry port, with vessels coming and going. "Xu Ying, how will your Three Realms treat the other shore in the future?" she suddenly asked, almost as if possessed by an impulse. Xu Ying said, "Naturally, acknowledge the other shore as our foster father and submit to it." Li Xiao scolded with a pout, "I'm serious! How do you intend to deal with the other shore?" Xu Ying looked deeply at her. After a moment, he said, "That depends on how the other shore treats the Three Realms. The other shore dispatched vessels to bring calamity; three emerald rocks nearly drove the Three Realms to extinction, killing untold multitudes. The Earth Immortal Realm where I lived was smashed to pieces." With a calm expression, he continued, "To the Three Realms, the evils committed by the other shore are too numerous to record. But the other shore is powerful. If it does not invade us, we will never invade the other shore. But if the other shore invades, then we have no choice but to exhaust every means to carry the flames of war to the other shore." Li Xiao walked beside him, hesitating again and again. Suddenly making up her mind, she smiled and said, "Xu Ying, if you owed me a favor, could you remember my kindness in the future and spare the other shore from total annihilation?" Xu Ying froze for a moment. Suddenly, Li Xiao summoned an emerald rock multi-decked vessel and leaped aboard. Raising an index finger to her lips, she smiled and made a shushing gesture toward him. Xu Ying still did not understand what she meant. The woman of the other shore traced the character "井" in the air with her finger. Then, driving the emerald rock multi-decked vessel, she sped straight toward the Chaos Sea. Xu Ying gave chase with swift steps, only to watch the multi-decked vessel barrel straight past the Chaos Sea ferry crossing and plunge into the waters. The crossing's garrison generals were alerted; taking to the air one after another, they swung chains toward the vessel, shouting incessantly! *The Lingxing Gate! The "井" character she drew was the Lingxing Gate!* Xu Ying suddenly realized. *Dao Master Hua wants to kill me! But what is Li Xiao doing...?* He channeled the Great Dao of Karma. The ferry generals' minds grew dizzy for a moment; forgetting why they were giving chase, they hauled back their chains. Xu Ying stood upon the ferry crossing, watching the vessel reach the fringes of the Chaos Sea. "Hey—" Li Xiao waved to him from afar, her divine consciousness transforming into sound as she laughed. "Fellow Daoist Xu, farewell forever! I saved your life, so remember to repay me!" Just as Xu Ying was about to speak, he saw the woman sail into the Chaos Sea. The multi-decked vessel was submerged in the primordial qi of chaos, vanishing without a trace. Xu Ying stood stunned, lingering at the ferry crossing for a long time. *** Within the Chaos Sea, Li Xiao steered the vessel, braving the waves. Only when she reached a calmer current did she bring out the Lingxing Gate, laughing. "With this treasure in hand, where in the Chaos Sea can I not go? Why stay on the other shore and serve an old monster like Dao Master Hua? What a pity, though..." Thinking of Xu Ying, her expression grew somber. Giving up a blooming romance—even if it meant gaining the Lingxing Gate—could not bring joy to her heart. Just then, Dao Master Hua's chilling voice rang out from within the Lingxing Gate: "Li Xiao, what audacious insolence! Do you truly believe that by entering the Chaos Sea, I cannot find you? You are mis—" Li Xiao's expression changed abruptly. Grabbing the Lingxing Gate with one hand, she submerged it into the Chaos Sea, while her other hand swiftly raised a divine axe, her eyes fixed on the waters. The moment Dao Master Hua's starlight incarnation poked its head out, her axe came down squarely on his crown, instantly shattering him into dispersing starlight power. Li Xiao let out a sigh of relief. Leaving the Lingxing Gate submerged for the Chaos Sea to scour, she laughed, "Forsaking a romance to claim the Lingxing Gate isn't a bad trade after all! The Chaos Sea is boundless—where couldn't a woman like me carve out a place to live?"