A Thrashing

Above the boundless plains and rolling hills of Jingbei, a colossal shroud of mist blotted out the sky, stretching between heaven and earth. The ominous aura it radiated sent the birds and beasts for hundreds of li fleeing in the opposite direction. In the sky above this eerie fog, a long-haired man clad in snow-white robes stood in silence. After receiving the transmission from the Heavenly Communication Crystal, he had sped along without pause, rushing straight to the location agreed upon with Lou Ji. Yet as he looked down at the bizarre mist engulfing what was supposed to be a county seat, a trace of unease flickered in Feng Jiuxuan's narrow eyes. He did not know what had transpired before his arrival, but judging from the fog below, which nearly shielded against the probe of saint origin, whatever had happened here was definitely not good news. Changtian... A deep worry surfaced in the depths of Feng Jiuxuan's dark eyes. Slowly, he drew his spirit sword, Qingyuan, from his Sumeru ring and held it in his hand. However, the worry in his heart did not impair his rational judgment. Lou Ji. With Lou Ji's cultivation, there was no way she could have died here. And as long as she was alive, she would never abandon such a bizarre phenomenon and leave. He needed to summon her out first to ask about the situation. Taking a deep breath, his snow-white robes fluttering without wind, Feng Jiuxuan was just about to use his Source Qi to broadcast his voice when a graceful silhouette flew out from the deep black mist below. The moment he saw her, Feng Jiuxuan's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. Before she even drew near, he asked with a tinge of urgency: "Lou Ji, where is Changtian right now?" Lou Ji swept forward, halting ten paces away, and answered straightforwardly: "He is still in the black mist below." "..." Hearing this, Feng Jiuxuan let out a long breath, his taut nerves relaxing slightly. But immediately afterward, he noticed something amiss in Lou Ji's expression. It was an expression he had never seen on her face before. Too grave—so grave it was almost grim. His heart sank slightly, and Feng Jiuxuan asked in a heavy voice: "You failed to protect Changtian?" Lou Ji did not deny it. She gave a slight nod. "Yes." "With your cultivation—" "Now is not the time to discuss that." Lou Ji cut off Feng Jiuxuan's reprimand, pointing her slender forefinger toward the black fog below as she spoke briskly: "The black mist below was released by Changtian. Although he is still alive, his body has undergone an aberration." The sheer volume of information packed into those few words gave the newly arrived Feng Jiuxuan a momentary pause. He instinctively wanted to ask what on earth had happened, but immediately grasped the core of the issue. At this point, what had happened here before no longer mattered. What mattered was that Changtian was alive. And whether this so-called aberration that had occurred to him was reversible. However, he was merely a sword cultivator and knew nothing of aberrations or medicinal remedies. After a moment of silence, Feng Jiuxuan tightened his grip slightly on the Qingyuan Sword. "What do you need me to do?" Lou Ji glanced down below. "Subdue Changtian and capture him alive." Feng Jiuxuan's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "Why haven't you done it?" A flicker of helplessness crossed Lou Ji's eyes. "I already tried before you arrived. Because of that aberration, Changtian's strength is now bordering on Semi-Saint. On top of that, his bizarre abilities counter mine; I can't capture him alive without endangering his life." The wind whistled, desolate and chill. For the first time, genuine surprise surfaced in Feng Jiuxuan's eyes. He knew Lou Ji's strength very well. Had it not been for that incident back then damaging her foundation, she would likely have become a Saint by now. And yet she was saying she couldn't capture Changtian alive? Lou Ji paid no mind to the look in Feng Jiuxuan's eyes. Her beautiful gaze remained fixed on the mist below, her voice heavy with gravity: "I made my attempt two days ago. Changtian can now devour flesh and blood. By today, the entire population of the city below has been absorbed by him." Feng Jiuxuan already had a general grasp of the situation, so he did not inquire any further. He merely cast a calm glance at Lou Ji. The tacit understanding formed from years of working together allowed Lou Ji to grasp his meaning instantly. He was about to make his move. Without any hesitation, Lou Ji's shapely figure transformed into a streak of purple light, fleeing directly toward the distant sky. As she sped away, Luo Xiran's voice suddenly rang by Lou Ji's ear: "Chief Lou, aren't you going to share the intelligence regarding Changtian with that Saint?" Hearing this, Lou Ji looked back over her shoulder at the white-robed man standing between heaven and earth, replying softly: "He... probably doesn't need it." The world stretched vast and boundless. The immense black mist crouched upon the earth like a terrifying beast, swallowing all surrounding light. Amidst the absolute silence, *Shiing—* Standing in the void, the white-robed man slowly drew the Qingyuan Sword. The blade chimed faintly, catching the rays of the rising sun to gleam with a sudden, chilling light. Feng Jiuxuan gazed placidly at the vast mass of fog that occupied his entire field of view. There was not the slightest stir of qi dynamic around him; he simply slashed downward with his sword in a sudden motion. The blade cut through the void at a speed invisible to the naked eye, yet seemed not to stir the faintest ripple on the ground. White clouds drifted across the firmament, and the black mist continued to spread outward uninterrupted, just as when he had arrived. Yet this tranquility lasted only an instant. Then, *Buzz—* There was no sword light, no surge of qi dynamics, and certainly no thunderous roar. There was only a faint sword chime. And as this sword chime resonated, the bizarre mist entrenched over the ground scattered like smoke from a peasant cottage's hearth, drifting away on the wind. "..." Luo Xiran fell silent. After a moment of quiet, Luo Xiran's gentle voice carried a hint of hesitation: "Chief Lou, are the Saints of your era all like him?" "..." Lou Ji did not reply immediately, but seeing this scene, the heart that had been suspended in her chest settled back down completely. She smiled: "I don't know, but among the people I know in this world today, there's probably no one who can best Feng Jiuxuan." Under the watchful eyes of the two women, After delivering that strike, Feng Jiuxuan sheathed Qingyuan and slowly descended toward the ground, holding the scabbard. Luo Xiran asked in a low voice: "Is he planning to engage Changtian in hand-to-hand combat?" Lou Ji had already completely regained her lazy ease, speaking softly and leisurely: "Senior Luo might not know, but when Changtian was little, he was very mischievous and always loved causing trouble. Practically all the higher-ups in our Chancellor's Manor have beaten him, but he remained incorrigible—no matter how hard he was thrashed, he never learned his lesson. "The sole exception was probably this maternal uncle of his. Ever since Changtian snuck into Feng Jiuxuan's room to steal a treasure and got thrashed, he never dared go back." Luo Xiran's voice still carried an urgent gravity: "Wait, is the situation now anything like it was back then?" "What's the difference?" Lou Ji countered softly, her smiling gaze fixed on the back of the figure walking slowly toward Xu Yuan as she chuckled lightly: "This should be the second time Feng Jiuxuan has thrashed Changtian. I wonder if it will teach him a lesson this time."