The moment Tao Wenshu drew her sword, the area around the watchtower dimmed, as though all light had converged upon the blade.
The sect master of the Xiaoming Sect tapped her toes, leaped from the watchtower, and glided through the air toward Zhen Manor as if riding the wind.
The sleeves of her black robes fluttered as she flew faster and lower. In the blink of an eye, she turned into a streak of gloom, dropping straight into the small building shaken to ruin by the gale.
Within the gloom, a shooting star flared to life, streaking across the sky and illuminating the area as it surged toward Ji Hanyi's crown with tremendous momentum.
This was Tao Wenshu's sword light.
"Flying Star Piercing Dawn!"
The strike plunged down from above like an immortal descending from the heavens. Though Ji Hanyi's expression remained unchanged, the anomalies previously concealed by the Heaven-Earth Shifting Divine Art were laid bare.
Her ears transformed into rounded, tawny tiger ears; sharp spikes shot from her palms, resembling the claws of a tiger; brownish canine hair sprouted across the backs of her hands; two sharp fangs protruded from her mouth; and behind her trailed a tiger's tail roughly ten feet long.
The striped yellow-and-black tail whipped taut with a violent crack into midair, striking the flank of the "flying star."
Amid the ringing clash, Yan Changqing, collapsed in the ruins of the building, opened his eyes.
He had been tossed about wildly by the raging vortex earlier, yet aside from his tattered robes, he bore not a single scratch.
At this moment, his pitch-black eyes grew even deeper, as if taking in the night sky Tao Wenshu had brought forth, yet leaving the stars unplucked.
In an instant, the entire Zhen Manor, along with Beishui Street, plunged into an eerie gloom. A bright, sunny summer afternoon turned abruptly into a scene of storm clouds pressing down on a besieged city, with many places so dark one could hardly see one's own hand.
The Heaven-Earth Shifting Divine Art!
"Carry me on your back!
"Direct the qi to the soles of your feet!"
Yan Changqing's raspy, aged voice echoed in Ding Songyan's sea of consciousness.
Ding Songyan had no time to think, nor the ability to ponder it. He instinctively obeyed Yan Changqing's words, channeling the remaining pale-gray "seed" into his feet.
With a single bound, he sprang from the underground cell straight into the ruined building above, hoisted Yan Changqing onto his back, and, taking advantage of the pitch-black darkness while Ji Hanyi was locked in fierce combat with Tao Wenshu, picked a random direction and bounded away in tremendous leaps.
He possessed only the qi, having learned no movement techniques.
As they fled, Yan Changqing infused fresh qi into his sea of consciousness, forming another pale-gray "seed." Out of the corner of his eye, Ding Songyan caught a glimpse of Mr. Yu lying dead among the flowers and shrubs.
A look of overt shock and disbelief was frozen on Mr. Yu's face.
Ding Songyan had no leeway for lamentation; taking another great leap, he fled the vicinity of the small building.
***
Qi Xiaoxiang wove through different courtyards, setting fire to several buildings.
Along the way, she encountered Su Qingli fleeing with Ren Youyang and her maidservant, but she did not bar their path or launch an ambush.
Only one sentence, which Ji Hanyi had specifically impressed upon her, echoed in Qi Xiaoxiang's mind:
"Do not provoke Ren Youyang."
Before long, the sky suddenly turned pitch-black, as though a torrential downpour were imminent. Qi Xiaoxiang froze for a moment and murmured to herself, "Heaven-Man Realm... The old sect master?"
With that realization, Qi Xiaoxiang immediately tore away her jacket and horse-face skirt, revealing the plain greenish-gray cloth dress hidden underneath.
She then disheveled her hair bun to make herself look like a panicked, scurrying chore-woman, stepped out of the courtyard, blended into the crowd, and ran toward the exit of Zhen Manor amidst the raging fires.
***
Before the qi dissipated, Ding Songyan leaped over a waist-high wall and landed in a fairly large courtyard.
Just then, a figure dashed out from the side, throwing a punch toward Ding Songyan with eyes brimming with clear ferocity.
The man wore a conical bamboo hat, and the bare skin of his body was marked with tortoiseshell patterns. In his left hand, he held Zhen Quanwang's mangled head, drops of blood steadily dripping to the ground.
Faced with this sudden and blisteringly fast punch, Ding Songyan could not react in time, let alone execute any blocking motion.
The qi did not elevate his cultivation realm, nor did it improve his vision, reflexes, judgment, or combat instincts.
Earlier, it was only because he had initiated the strike against Ji Hanyi that he managed to clash palms once; had the order been reversed and Ji Hanyi struck first, he wouldn't even have been able to raise a hand.
At this crucial moment, Ding Songyan had only enough time to drop the pale-gray "seed" and merge it into his sea of consciousness.
When anchored in the soul, it protected the body!
Bang!
The punch struck Ding Songyan's chest, only to be blocked by a layer of invisible qi, separated by a dim void.
Ding Songyan felt no pain, yet flew backward uncontrollably, crashing into a wooden window. Amid the snapping splinter of wood, he tumbled into the building attached to the courtyard.
Thud. The moment he hit the floor, before he could roll over and leap to his feet, he noticed the man outside muttering words like "slaughter the Zhen family" and "leave no one alive" as he charged toward a side wing, seemingly heading in the wrong direction.
Uh... Ding Songyan scrambled to his feet. By the faint light filtering through the window, he saw Lady Xiaoqing leaning against a wooden pillar with clenched fists, and Ren Youyang crouching in a corner with his tall cap askew and robes in disarray.
Su Qingli's face was pale, her lively eyes glowing dimly, reflecting a chaotically arranged house with multiple wing rooms. Her little maidservant stood guard beside her.
"The Great Void illusory realm," Yan Changqing's raspy, aged voice said from behind Ding Songyan's back. "Pity her cultivation is too shallow to maintain it for long. That grandmaster gripped by murderous frenzy outside will break free soon enough."
As the elder spoke, he injected fresh qi, replenishing Ding Songyan's pale-gray "seed."
Beads of sweat had already gathered on Su Qingli's forehead, giving her a piteous look, while Ren Youyang, his dog ears twitching, cheered her on from nearby:
"Hold on! Hold on!"
Crash!
The grandmaster outside smashed through the wall and tossed Zhen Quanwang's head to the ground.
He whirled around, his eyes brimming with vicious malice fixing onto the room where Ding Songyan and the others were hiding.
Threads of blood seeped simultaneously from Xiaoqing's eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
Her body went limp all at once, and the dim Great Void illusory realm in her eyes vanished.
Ding Songyan's heart sank instantly. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and said rapidly, "I'll strike him once. Lady Xiaoqing, lure him out toward the courtyard. We'll seize the chance to relocate our hiding spot. We aren't his only targets, so he shouldn't pursue us relentlessly."
Ding Songyan could tell by now: Brother Youyang was utterly useless, leaving only himself and Lady Xiaoqing to act.
Was the Useless Divine Art truly of no use whatsoever?
Su Qingli looked at Ding Songyan in surprise. "You?"
Ding Songyan, who had to hold Yan Changqing up to keep him from sliding down, half-turned his head, using the motion to point toward the old man behind him. "I have help!"
With that, he carried Yan Changqing toward the shattered window.
Su Qingli's gaze flickered before she gritted her teeth. "All right."
Ding Songyan managed to free one hand, preparing to shift the pale-gray "seed" into it, when a figure appeared before him.
It was Ren Youyang, straightening his tall cap and feathered robe as he stepped forward. Watching Ma Hanjiang of the Xiaochuan Gang grow increasingly certain of their location, Ren Youyang forced a smile and said, "Worthy brother, leave this to me. Allow me to show you my true strength."
Do you really have any? Besides, the man outside is a Dharma Realm grandmaster, while you're ranked dead last on the Orchid Newcomer Ranks, evaluated at the Ruhua grade! Ding Songyan looked toward Lady Xiaoqing.
Su Qingli quietly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
"Then I shall trouble Brother Youyang," Ding Songyan said, hastily taking several steps back.
Placing one hand on the shattered window frame, Ren Youyang leaped out heavily.
Then, with the bearing of an expert, he walked step by step toward Ma Hanjiang of the Xiaochuan Gang, whose mind was consumed by vicious malice and devoid of reason.
Meanwhile, Yan Changqing on Ding Songyan's back looked toward Su Qingli and said with deep emotion, "Little maiden of the Su family, pass my greetings to your aunt."
"You are?" Su Qingli examined the limbless Yan Changqing with curiosity.
"Yan Yong of the Juesheng Dao," Yan Changqing said with a smile.
"Uh..." Su Qingli's pretty eyes widened. "The previous sect master of the Juesheng Dao? You used the alias Yan Changqing to trick Ding Erlang?"
Wait, why are you two chatting? Aren't you worried at all about Brother Youyang facing a Dharma Realm grandmaster? What if he loses? Even with this qi, I probably can't outrun him! Ding Songyan was dumbfounded.
Yan Changqing chuckled heartily. "I did tell Ding Erlang many falsehoods, but the name Yan Changqing is real. Yan Yong was the pseudonym I used while roaming the jianghu."
Only then did Su Qingli let out an "oh." "I haven't seen my aunt in over a year either. She often wanders the mortal world in search of the Lingtai."
Yan Changqing started slightly. "She has reached that stage?"
The former sect master of the Juesheng Dao wore a shifting expression as he looked down at himself.
After a breath, he smiled bitterly. "Alas, white hair sprouts in vain..."
Listening to the conversation between Yan Changqing and Su Qingli, Ding Songyan watched nervously as Ren Youyang strode toward the Dharma Realm grandmaster blinded by vicious malice.
Ren Youyang clasped his hands behind his back. Facing Ma Hanjiang, who glared back at him poised to strike, he offered a smile that looked uglier than weeping and said, "Come at me. Just don't hit the face."
With bloodshot eyes, Ma Hanjiang lunged forward in an arrow-like stride, drew back his shoulder, and planted a vicious punch squarely into Ren Youyang's left cheek.
With a sickening crunch, Ren Youyang was sent flying sideways. His cheek caved in completely, brain matter splattered out, and his dog ears went entirely limp.
Thud!
Ren Youyang crashed to the ground, dead on the spot, his death gruesome beyond bearing.
"..." Ding Songyan stood thoroughly stunned.
Right beside his ear, Su Qingli's sweet, soft voice sounded: "That's how the Useless Divine Art is. It's completely useless—good for neither this nor that."
Then what are we supposed to do? Just as the thought flashed through Ding Songyan's mind, a howling wind whipped up outside, accompanied by a wave of eerie chill that spread instantly.
Ma Hanjiang, having killed Ren Youyang with one punch, was about to storm into the room for a bloody slaughter, when his body froze in place.
An invisible force seemed to restrain him, rendering him momentarily unable to move.
A howling, ghostly wind swirled into a vortex, encircling Ren Youyang's corpse and slowly lifting it aloft.
Ren Youyang's corpse stirred. The caved-in side of his face gradually pushed back out, and the shattered bones pieced themselves back together.
A glow weaving eerie green and golden hues quickly washed over him as he straightened up bit by bit.
The "resurrected" Ren Youyang stroked his cheek and said coldly to Ma Hanjiang, "I told you not to hit the face."
Ding Songyan was dumbstruck. Lady Xiaoqing, on the other hand, praised with keen delight, "Impressive, isn't it? That's what the Useless Divine Art is all about:
"Useless in life, divine in death!"
Chapter 52