If one could listen calmly to what Zhang Sheng said, one could still discern the wisdom in it. Xiaoyu's Dao heart was in turmoil at the moment, so he could not grasp it, but the fellows lurking all around understood clearly.
Xiaoyu walked the path of a traditional sword cultivator, cultivating only a single sword until it became refined and powerful to the utmost—cleaving all things, shattering every defense, moving mountains, filling seas, all-powerful.
Upon this Dao path arose a colossal entity like the Sword Palace, producing countless peerless sword cultivators throughout the generations, with no small number ascending to immortality.
Zhang Sheng, on the other hand, walked the Path of the Multitude: drawing extensively upon the sword intents of the world, winning by sheer quantity, vanquishing one sword with ten thousand. This Dao path was markedly more difficult, but its advantage was that theoretically it had no upper limit whatsoever, perfectly matching the requirements for a heart of invincibility.
In this clash, Xiaoyu truly could not claim he had been wronged in his defeat. Even the spectating crowd quietly placed Zhang Sheng back onto their lists of formidable adversaries, even though she was still merely in the Dao Foundation realm.
Downcast and dispirited, Xiaoyu returned to his residence. He sat quietly for a while, yet could not calm his mind no matter how he tried, and could not resist summoning Star Lord Shaoyang once more. At this moment, even the Star Lord's radiance had dimmed considerably, turning a murky crimson—shifting from a rising morning sun into the twilight of a setting sun.
The Star Lord Shaoyang standing before Xiaoyu now was in truth a projection of a fully commissioned celestial official in the heavens, naturally endowed with spirituality. Yet in a certain sense, the connection between the projection and the actual commissioned celestial official above was not deeply profound.
Though the connection was not deep, Star Lord Shaoyang essentially mirrored the temperament of that celestial official, being both irritable and proud. Having lost just like that, he was naturally in no good mood.
Right at this moment, the courtyard gate was knocked on again. Xiaoyu swept his divine sense across it and discovered that Ji Liuli was standing outside. His heart gave a sudden jolt, instinctively sensing trouble.
Without waiting for Xiaoyu to open the door, Ji Liuli pushed it open and walked right in, instantly shattering his hopes of pretending no one was home.
Seeing Xiaoyu, Ji Liuli's eyes sparkled. "Long time no see! It's rare that you've cultivated a Star Lord dharma idol. Come on, follow me to the arena and let me have a proper look!"
"Didn't you already see it?"
"I only looked at it. But you and Wei Yuan didn't actually fight, so I didn't get to see how the Star Lord battles."
Ji Liuli lied without batting an eye or missing a beat. Xiaoyu desperately wanted to call her out on the spot and say she had been hiding right beside the dueling platform back then.
However, Eldest Senior Sister was not Zhang Sheng. Her temperament was thoroughly wicked; if he exposed her, all manner of retaliations would surely follow.
As always, Xiaoyu chose endurance and went with Ji Liuli to the dueling platform once more. This time, there were still many divine senses lurking about in the exact same spot, showing utter disregard for Xiaoyu's detection capabilities.
Xiaoyu found it unbearable and cast his gaze toward that secluded corner, but it was futile. After the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning arrived in Qingming, not only did their cultivation advance, but their thick-skinned shamelessness advanced along with it.
Once the duel officially began, Ji Liuli became uncharacteristically solemn. A hazy, glazed radiance shimmered around her body. Pointing to her forehead, she said to Star Lord Shaoyang, "Come on, hit me right here!"
Hidden in the dark, Feng Tingyu was instantly displeased: "Why did she steal my line?!"
The cultivators hastily held Feng Tingyu down. Under their soothing murmurs, Feng Tingyu also decided there was no need to lower herself to Ji Liuli's level.
Xiaoyu was stunned, uncertain whether Ji Liuli was joking or what. But Ji Liuli was clearly not joking. She repeated, "Chop right here. Use your strength."
Resigned, Xiaoyu mustered thirty percent of his strength and swung a sword at Ji Liuli's head. The result: not a single strand of hair was severed, nor was the skin broken in the slightest.
Xiaoyu was startled. Having not seen her for so long, how had Eldest Senior Sister's dharma physique become so terrifying?
This time he mustered seventy percent of his strength and slashed down. A resounding gong rang out like a great bell. Ji Liuli's body flared with blazing light, deflecting the Immortal Sword Great Sun right back. Half a strand of hair fluttered down from her head, yet not even her surface skin was grazed.
"Use your strength! Didn't you eat?!"
Now Star Lord Shaoyang was enraged. Without waiting for Xiaoyu to direct him, he gripped the sword in both hands as a blazing, resplendent sun rose behind his head. Channeling the majesty of heaven and earth into a single strike, he brought the sword crashing down violently upon Ji Liuli's head!
The blow sent Ji Liuli flying backward, smashing into the dueling platform. Feeling a warm wetness on her forehead, she wiped it with her hand. It came away not only drenched in blood, but clutching a handful of hair!
Star Lord Shaoyang gave a heavy harrumph and slowly withdrew his sword, exuding an exceptionally calm and dashing aura.
Yet before he could look cool for even a fleeting moment, a Dark-Yellow Exquisite Pagoda suddenly plummeted from the heavens, slamming fiercely into the center of the dueling platform!
Star Lord Shaoyang vanished on the spot.
Xiaoyu's face turned instantly pale as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he barely managed to keep himself standing.
Ji Liuli crawled out of the crater. Conjuring a glazed mirror in her hand, she examined her forehead. A two-inch gash had split open, exposing the skull beneath, which resembled immortal jade and colored glaze. Most fatal of all, a small patch of scalp had been shaved off atop her head, leaving a noticeable gap amidst her lush dark locks.
The cut hadn't angered Ji Liuli, but losing hair instantly drove her mad, prompting her to crush and extinguish Star Lord Shaoyang right then and there.
Seeing Xiaoyu's haggard face, Ji Liuli felt a twinge of guilt. "Sorry about that. Lost control of my temper for a second."
Xiaoyu waved a hand weakly. "It's fine. I understand."
He wasn't merely being polite. If someone had shaved off his hair, he would have gone crazy too.
This battle ended very quickly: Ji Liuli suffered slight flesh wounds while Xiaoyu was severely injured, settling the outcome.
The result was well within everyone's expectations, but it had ended too quickly. Many hadn't had time to record how Ji Liuli looked after losing her hair, so the cultivators were all asking one another who had captured it and begging them to share the recording right away.
When Xiaoyu returned to his residence once more, Bao Yun came calling.
Xiaoyu rolled his eyes at her and snapped, "If you want to spar too, wait until I've healed! I thought we had at least some childhood friendship between us, but who knew... Hmph!"
Bao Yun gave a gentle chuckle, placing a medicine box on the table and sliding it over. "I only came to deliver some medicine to you. Oh, and I actually wanted to see Star Lord Shaoyang too—just look, that's all. As for sparring, that can wait until your injuries heal."
This request was hard for Xiaoyu to refuse, so Star Lord Shaoyang appeared and sat silently by the table.
Bao Yun opened the medicine box, revealing a golden treasure pill inside. "Keep it by your side and inhale its medicinal essence daily until it is exhausted after seven days. This pill greatly replenishes the divine soul. Your soul was injured quite heavily in that last fight; taking this will prevent hidden damages."
Xiaoyu recognized this as an heirloom treasure pill of the Bao family. Deeply moved, he accepted it. "In that case, I will take it."
Xiaoyu and Bao Yun had known each other since childhood, sharing an extraordinary bond that required little polite pretense, so he accepted the pill. Star Lord Shaoyang's expression softened as well; since arriving in Qingming, he had finally met someone normal.
Just then, another person suddenly appeared beside the table. Her attire was of dark silver and deep blue, neither brocade nor satin, resembling the deep waters of a chilling pool rippling faintly under moonlight. Her features were strikingly exquisite—skin of snow and spirit of jade. A pair of phoenix eyes remained half-open, their corners slightly upturned; her pupils were bottomless abysses, impassive, showing neither sorrow nor joy. Her thin lips were slightly pursed, faint yet touched with rouge. Flowing black hair was gathered behind her head, with two stray locks resting casually against her temples, even their tips tinged with a breath of frost.
In poise and bearing, she was not inferior to Star Lord Shaoyang in the least. Her Dao power was exceedingly pure, just like the Star Lord's, untainted by a speck of impurity.
Star Lord Shaoyang blurted out, "Star Lord Taiyin? Why are you here too?"
Taiyin possessed an aloof and icy demeanor. She responded coldly, "If you can descend to the mortal world, why can't I?"
Star Lord Shaoyang said, "But she isn't even a sword cultivator?"
"Who said only sword cultivators can summon a Star Lord to descend? What, do you look down on us?"
Star Lord Shaoyang replied, "Of course that's not what I meant. But for your past three descents, didn't you always seek out sword cultivators? Oh, it seems a blossoming tree formed from your descending immortal power remains in the mortal realm. Did you come for it?"
"A flowering tree? Why don't I recall? Tell me more."
Suspecting nothing, Star Lord Shaoyang said, "Are you testing me? It's hardly a secret; the entire Astral Palace knows. That blossoming tree should be some sort of osmanthus tree, but all word of it vanished right after it descended. Before I came down, you even asked me to help search for it—how could you have forgotten it all? ...Wait, you are not Star Lord Taiyin!!"
The scenery before Xiaoyu's eyes shifted. Everything burst and faded away like bubbles. The medicine box still rested before him, unopened.
Bao Yun sat smiling across from him, neither lifting her hand nor offering any explanation.
Xiaoyu suddenly realized. "I've already fallen under a spell?"
"Just a modest trick. But the medicine is real." Bao Yun reached out and opened the box; nestled within was indeed a perfectly round, golden pill.
Xiaoyu looked toward Star Lord Shaoyang, whose expression was naturally quite sour. That Star Lord Taiyin just now had clearly been an illusion, yet he hadn't noticed in the slightest. Had this been a life-and-death struggle, he wouldn't even have known how he died.
Xiaoyu was utterly shocked. During the Dao Foundation realm, he had never heard of Bao Yun having any talent for illusions. How had her abilities in this area become so terrifying after reaching the Dharma Idol realm, that even Star Lord Shaoyang fell for it?
Bao Yun smiled. "The medicine has been delivered, so I should take my leave. The wind is fierce at night; remember to shut your doors and windows tight when you sleep."
Xiaoyu found this baffling and had no idea what Bao Yun meant. When he pressed her, she refused to utter another word and walked straight out.
After Bao Yun left, Xiaoyu sat quietly for a moment. He suddenly sighed, thoroughly demoralized. Having lost even the mood to meditate, he flopped onto the bed, wanting nothing more than for this nightmarish day to hurry and end.
He had only intended to indulge in a bit of sluggish brooding, but sudden darkness fell, and Xiaoyu fell fast asleep, dead to the world.
The next moment, Xiaoyu woke with a start and sat up at once. Only then did he realize that outside the window, the moon hung high at its zenith—it was already midnight!
What happened? He racked his brain to remember, but could recall nothing. It was then that Xiaoyu noticed someone sitting by the window. Looking closer, it was actually Star Lord Shaoyang.
Xiaoyu instinctively felt something was wrong. How could he have fallen unconscious so abruptly? Forget having reached the Dharma Idol realm—even since Body Casting, such a thing had never occurred.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Xiaoyu asked.
Star Lord Shaoyang's voice was calm, yet laced with a tinge of exhaustion, as though he had no attachments left in this world. "She came. Then you were knocked out."
"She? Who is she?"
"I don't know who she is either. Couldn't see her. I tried reasoning with her, but she had too many mouths. I couldn't win the argument."
Chapter 818