A Radiant Smile

The commotion within the mirror array grew fainter and fainter, until at last all fell completely silent. The two exchanged a glance, and Shen Jing said, "Senior Brother Yang, I'll release the Soul-Bewildering Mirror now. Whatever you do, don't let him get away." Yang Yuanzang nodded nonchalantly. The Chilong Sword in his hand suddenly let out a vigorous dragon's roar; the chilong cold energy swirling around the blade raised its head to glare angrily at the heavens, roaring like thunder. Taking a deep breath, Shen Jing beckoned gently. The topmost bronze mirror cut through the air and dropped into her palm. She angled it toward the array and called out softly, "Withdraw!" *Whoosh, whoosh...* All the bronze mirrors flew back simultaneously, stacking one on top of the other until they merged into a single entity. Deprived of the mirror array that sustained it, the fog instantly collapsed. The dense mist boiled and exploded, kicking up wild waves like an erupting tide, within which an evil dragon seemed sealed, thrashing to break free. *Whoosh!* A cold wind like knives tore through the barrier of black mist. Bluish-white cold energy whipped up countless icicles, and even more followed, shredding the black mist to pieces. They practically blotted out the sky, carrying momentum fierce enough to rip apart everything in the valley. Shen Jing's face instantly drained of color, and she cried out in alarm, "Senior Brother Yang, strike, quickly!" Yang Yuanzang's gaze narrowed. Stamping hard on the ground, his figure shot into midair. The Chilong Sword in his hand effortlessly shattered the obstructing icicles, while the chill wrapping its blade converged into an even more colossal sword of ice—gleaming with freezing light, aggressive and unstoppable. Just as he was about to slash toward the center of the cold aura, a thought struck him. Through the icicles on the other side of the valley, he caught sight of a figure fleeing toward the exit under cover of the ice, not looking back for a second. Checking his swing, Yang Yuanzang let out a cold sneer. A violent gale abruptly sprang up beneath his feet, causing his speed to surge. His figure vanished in a flash and reappeared directly behind the fleeing silhouette, bringing his sword down without the slightest hesitation. Just as Qin Sang was about to be cleaved in two, a faint smile began to form at the corner of Yang Yuanzang's mouth—only for Shen Jing to shout from behind: "Senior Brother Yang, watch out!" The instant Yang Yuanzang had given chase, a beam of dark light had shot forth from the heart of the freezing mist. Inside that dark light was none other than a petite flying sword! The flying sword's speed was astonishing. By the time Shen Jing spotted it, it was already too late to come to his aid. A jolt of terror gripped Yang Yuanzang's heart. Sensing an incomparably sharp aura from behind, he twisted his torso around abruptly, only to find an ebony flying sword barreling straight for his chest, already inches away. Yang Yuanzang bellowed, veins bulging on his arms as he forcefully wrenched the Chilong Sword back mid-strike and barred it across his chest. In the nick of time, the Chilong Sword barely managed to intercept the ebony sword's trajectory. But because his momentum was already spent, the impact knocked the sword right out of his grip, slamming hard back into Yang Yuanzang before clattering to the ground. With a muffled grunt, Yang Yuanzang felt as if struck by a terrifyingly immense force. His body curled like a shrimp, sent flying like a tattered rag until he crashed heavily against a boulder. Relentless, the ebony sword paused in midair for only a fraction of a second before darting forward in hot pursuit. Deep horror covered Yang Yuanzang's face. In his panic, he had time only to hoist his body several inches higher with the aid of the Void-Traversing Wind. *Swoosh!* Incomparably sharp, the ebony sword drove clean through his belly, blood only oozing from the wound an instant later. Wracked by agony, Yang Yuanzang let out a bone-chilling shriek. Just then, Shen Jing's figure flashed into view before him, and a look of desperate hope rose in his eyes. "Junior Sister, save me..." To his shock, Shen Jing gave Yang Yuanzang a radiant smile, thrusting one hand straight into his belly. Blood sprayed across her body. When she pulled her hand back, her dripping, gory fingers were clutching a wisp of gray smoke. Immediately after, the ebony sword looped back around and pierced through the back of Yang Yuanzang's skull. Filled with horror and disbelief, Yang Yuanzang collapsed forward onto the ground, dead. Shen Jing gestured with her hand, seizing Yang Yuanzang's mustard seed bag. Wind and smoke then rose beneath her feet as she retreated at lightning speed—evidently, she had already refined Yang Yuanzang's Void-Traversing Wind. In an instant, Shen Jing darted dozens of yards away to the valley entrance. She stared warily at the ebony sword while a golden ring flew from her wrist to hover protectively over her head. "Junior Brother Qin, what do you say we stop here?" Shen Jing called out toward the center of the valley. *Whoosh...* The cold wind in the valley gradually dispersed, revealing Qin Sang's figure. He sat cross-legged on the ground, secretly holding two spirit stones in his grip. His face was deathly pale. Staring at Shen Jing, he said in a raspy voice, "Senior Sister Shen truly has formidable methods! I fear Senior Brother Yang died with unclosed eyes." Qin Sang had never imagined Shen Jing could be so ruthless, killing her ally without hesitation and seizing his legacy before Qin Sang could even intervene. Now that Yang Yuanzang's wind-and-smoke magic tool had fallen into her hands, if she set her mind on escaping, it would be difficult to keep her here. Besides, after maneuvering the ebony sword through those strikes, the spiritual power accumulated in his body was almost completely drained, forcing him to switch to two fresh spirit stones. If he pursued her too far, neither his spiritual power nor his spiritual sense could hold out. "I only did it to save my own life—it's nothing compared to how deeply you concealed yourself, Junior Brother Qin! I warned Senior Brother Yang long ago not to take you lightly, but he was far too conceited; he had this calamity coming. Still, I never expected Junior Brother Qin to possess such a powerful flying sword. Could it be a talisman treasure?" Shen Jing stared at the ebony sword, a flicker of lingering dread in her eyes. Qin Sang's eyes flickered. When Martial Uncle Yue was lecturing on cultivation, he had heard fellow disciples mention the term talisman treasure. It was said that a talisman treasure was a type of talisman containing part of a magic treasure's power. It could only be crafted by cultivators at or above the Core Formation stage at the expense of their own natal magic treasures, typically given to their descendants for self-defense. In the hands of a Qi Refinement stage cultivator, its might could slightly exceed that of a top-grade magic tool. Qin Sang had no elders at the Core Formation stage, nor the wealth to buy a talisman treasure, and had never seen what one looked like. Seeing that Shen Jing had mistaken the ebony sword for a talisman treasure, Qin Sang was not about to correct her. He said in a deep voice, "Since Senior Sister Shen wants to turn swords into plowshares, why haven't you left yet?" Shen Jing smiled flirtatiously. "Could Junior Brother Qin have forgotten our earlier agreement?" Qin Sang glanced at Yang Yuanzang's corpse and scoffed, "I have no desire to follow in Senior Brother Yang's footsteps!" Shen Jing's eyes rimmed with red, her tone turning pitiful. "Junior Brother Qin misunderstands me. I've always guarded my chastity like jade, only to be forced by that fellow Yang..." "Enough!" Qin Sang cut her off, saying coldly, "I heard every word you and Senior Brother Yang exchanged from inside the array. There's no need to put on an act before me." "So Junior Brother Qin's winged magic tool truly can resist the soul-confounding effects of the Soul-Bewildering Mirror." The sorrowful look on Shen Jing's face vanished without a trace. Putting on a puzzled air, she said, "Now that each of us knows what the other is capable of, why can't we keep cooperating? I don't have anything on me that could threaten you, so what are you still afraid of, Junior Brother? Between the three of us, our jade plaques add up to nine. We only need to snatch one more to gather ten and locate the entrance to the core area. When the time comes, we just need to ambush one person at the entrance, and you and I can join the Yuanzhao Sect together. Think how much time that would save. Why not go through with it?"