Revenge

"This younger brother of mine is family after all, far more well-behaved than those fellows in the sect." Situ Chen rode the wind out onto the open water, gazing at the sea where red and jade green shimmered together. He harbored no suspicion whatsoever. Situ Mo had grown up with him from childhood, always displaying that cautious, docile demeanor—something Situ Chen had long grown used to. Soaring upon the wind, he first headed south toward the renowned Qunyi Straits. The Qunyi Straits were a long chain of archipelagos encircled by islands large and small. Riding the reddish-black fiery gale forward, he set his bearings, intending to tour the straits from north to south. Yet just as a large island came into view before him, Situ Chen's heart gave a sudden, violent thump. His breath hitched, and suspicion flared within him. "Rise!" He hurriedly retrieved a red crystal shield from his storage bag. Before he could even think things through, sharp pain shot through his chest and abdomen. Channeling his dharmic power and pinching an incantation gesture, dense reddish-black smoke and flames billowed from his body. *Bang!* Situ Chen let out a muffled grunt. The red crystal shield that had just barely blocked in front of him clanged loudly and went flying askew, deflected over ten zhang away. Wincing in pain, he pulled back his spell-casting hands, only to find a bead of vivid red blood slowly welling up from the middle of his index finger. Looking down at his chest, a spot of crimson was seeping out. His inner armor gleamed, slowly dissolving the metallic qi it had just absorbed. 'What was that?!' Situ Chen was the young master of the Tangjin Sect, after all, and possessed remarkable strength. Caught off guard though he was, he had still vaguely glimpsed a flash of golden light. With a grave expression, he crossed his hands, forming a sealing incantation gesture. The reddish-black flames upon his body surged out at once, swiftly spreading across the sky over this stretch of sea, blotting out the sun and blocking spiritual senses. His expression remained relatively composed: 'Nine times out of ten, this person is using refined piercing darts, or some belly-borne blade or sword... First, I must keep him from seeing me...' Hailing from the Tangjin Sect, he had some understanding of these traditions. Acting decisively, he used the smoke to conceal himself, then drew a sheet of spiritual veil from his storage bag and draped it over his back, causing his figure to vanish completely. Having done all this, Situ Chen regulated his breath slightly, but for some inexplicable reason, his heart began pounding wildly again. He gasped in horror, "How is this possible! How can he still see me?!" Yet all his doubts could only be swallowed back down. He summoned the crystal shield once more to defend himself, an empty feeling in his chest, his brow knit tight as he formed another hand seal. *Clang!* Though prepared this time, he felt the impact was even stronger than before. A sweet, metallic tang rose in his throat, and his eyes went wide as he finally saw through the golden light, realizing with a shock, "An arrow!" There were few archers in the State of Yue to count on one's fingers. Without even thinking, he cried in terror, "It's that lackey of Yuansu, Li Xuanfeng!" Though he had never fought the man, those two arrows had already demonstrated his terrifying might, and he knew full well the man was capable of far more than just a shot or two. He cursed, "What enmity or grudge do I have with him?! Why does he want to kill me?!" Situ Chen's cheeks tingled faintly with numbness. Knowing the other was gathering strength to strike again, he fled northward upon the wind while secretly crushing a jade pendant from within his sleeve. 'Fortunately, I was prudent enough to leave a paired pendant behind on the island. When Sixteenth Brother notices, he will surely rush to my aid. He has a deep, bitter feud with this man. If we two brothers join forces, it will be the perfect chance to eliminate this fiend!' He surged forward on the wind, yet every inch of his body seemed to ache. Shaken, he grasped the twin blades at his back, drawing them and crossing them before his chest in defense. Situ Chen felt utterly aggrieved. He possessed formidable blade techniques that might not be inferior to his attacker's, yet he could not even catch a glimpse of the man's shadow. All his spells and bladecraft were completely wasted, leaving him able only to defend passively. Just as the thought crossed his mind, five streaks of golden light shot in from the distance, following one another head-to-tail. A cold sweat broke out across his back. Situ Chen was never skilled in defense to begin with. In his fluster, he actually pulled out talismans, raising several beams of white light. *Buzz, buzz, buzz...* A loud drone rang in his ears as four of the arrow-lights detonated beside him, dispersing into a powdery golden mist. Not only did it sweep away his fiery smoke, but it also clung to his dharmic power like maggots on rotting bone, making his body feel instantly heavy. The final streak of arrow-light shattered his protective shields to pieces. Situ Chen hurriedly raised his blades, the red glow of their edges crossing as he slashed toward the incoming arrow. To his shock, this arrow-light was an inch shorter than the previous ones, yet far more agile and mercurial. Weaving deftly in midair, it darted between his hands with lightning speed. Situ Chen shuddered in utter terror; a bloody hole had already been punched through his palm. "This arrow..." Dazed, he cast all thought of resistance aside, realizing this person was simply not someone he could withstand. Burying his head, he took to the wind and fled northward. Yet weighed down by that metallic astral qi, his speed was considerably slower than before. Streak after streak of golden light arrived in succession. Situ Chen fended them off miserably with talismans, but this Li Xuanfeng was exceedingly cunning, blending feints with real strikes, battering him until he coughed up blood. After a pursuit that lasted a full day and night, Situ Chen was covered in wounds and on the verge of exhaustion. 'Situ Mo still hasn't arrived!' Whether it was because Situ Mo was a master of deceit or Situ Chen was simply incapable of discerning truth from falsehood, even now he harbored no suspicion toward his sixteenth brother. Instead, he gritted his teeth and thought, 'It seems... Yuansu's people must have surrounded Sixteenth Brother. Fleeing blindly toward Jindou Island might not do me any good either...' Yet at this point, he had nowhere else to turn. Remaining on the sea meant being worn down to death by Li Xuanfeng. His sole hope lay in Jindou Island. After agonizing deliberation, he retrieved a deep-golden talisman from his storage bag. Bestowed upon the main lineage, this was no ordinary Foundation Establishment talisman, but an ancient talisman—his ultimate life-saving trump card. The Zhenren of the Situ family had been missing for many years, and their fine treasures had long been exhausted; as a young master who had attained his rank only later, the only life-preserving item he possessed was this very talisman. Intoning the spell, he activated the talisman. A translucent light barrier slowly emerged. Situ Chen breathed a huge sigh of relief, keeping his head down and riding the wind northward, no longer worrying about the arrows. Sure enough, the next six or seven arrows struck, but could only cause ripples across the barrier of light. Situ Chen let out a long breath and flew forward with a dark, sullen face. He did not bother with bitter threats of vengeance, but the venomous look on his face spoke volumes. Gripping his twin blades, he pressed forward, treading upon grayish-red smoke. After flying for a while, it seemed Li Xuanfeng was growing anxious, for arrow after arrow pursued him, battering the spiritual shield into constant waves. Fleeing northward, Situ Chen carefully calculated the distance and felt a wave of relief. "At this rate, it can at least hold until Jindou Island..." Night had gradually deepened. As he flew onward, he suddenly caught sight of a man in golden armor standing directly ahead. The man appeared fifty or sixty years of age, with brows like sabers, sunken eyes with grayish-black irises, and white hair fluttering in the wind. Though his face bore scarcely any expression, the sight of him sent a chill through one's marrow. "Li Xuanfeng—!" Rather than terrified, Situ Chen was consumed by hatred. He spat out the name fiercely and raised his twin blades, only to see the old man take a stride forward and slam a palm right into the shield before him. "What?" Situ Chen froze. A tremendous force crashed through, sending him and his barrier hurtling backward and downward, plunging into the water like a heavy falling stone. In that momentary daze, he had already sunk beneath the sea. Looking up, five streaks of golden light were descending like meteors, rapidly expanding in his vision. Carrying immense momentum, the five streaks of golden light struck the exact same point on the barrier one after another. The ancient talisman could bear no more, letting out brittle cracks like shattering glass. *Boom!* Pain flared across Situ Chen's chest as the great shield shattered into pieces. A fist-sized hole opened between his chest and abdomen, and the agony brought sharp clarity back to his mind. 'He fired these five arrows long ago, just waiting for me to run into them!' But it was far too late. Golden radiance flashed repeatedly in the sky. He had no room whatsoever to display his blade techniques. Blood dissipated in the depths, spreading like thick red ash through the water. Struggling to steady his breath, he saw a flash of golden light appear before him. It was Li Xuanfeng, staring straight at him with a terrifying countenance. Fearing death in the end, Situ Chen pleaded, "I bear no grudge against you, Fellow Daoist. Why do this?" Li Xuanfeng gave him no respite, slapping a palm over his dantian to cripple his cultivation. Only then did he seize him, flying all the way to a nearby islet and silently tying him to a tree. Situ Chen was bewildered. He watched as Li Xuanfeng took a short blade from his storage bag, lifted his garments, and slowly carved off a slice of flesh from his chest. Situ Chen screamed. Droplets of blood welled from the wound, but no matter how he shrieked or questioned, Li Xuanfeng's grim expression never wavered. Bit by bit, he stripped his chest bare, scraping the stark white bones until they creaked, leaving only the frantically thumping heart exposed. Only then did he speak: "Still haven't figured it out? Situ Mo wanted you dead as well. If not for fear that delaying would invite unforeseen complications, I wouldn't have let you die so easily." Situ Chen's eyes bulged wide. But Li Xuanfeng moved swiftly, flensing his arms and legs down to the bone before severing his head with a single stroke. It rolled several times across the ground with a dull rattle. Li Xuanfeng stood quietly on the islet. The submarine volcano rumbled in bursts, triggered by the man's immortal foundation, spewing forth subterranean flames. He tidied up the items on the ground, wiped the blood from his hands, and whispered, "Xu San, I have avenged you. My bladecraft surpasses that of mortals; his agony was only greater, not less." He narrowed his eyes, yet he seemed to have gained little release from this act; rather, it heightened his unease. With a gentle hook of his left hand, a tattered piece of armor floated up. Tied to the armor was a swaying storage bag made of black and red fabric, emitting a faint glow. Beside him, a golden profound arrow leaped continuously, full of spirituality as it darted back and forth through the air. Li Xuanfeng had forged three more profound arrows, bringing the total to eight. This one was a size smaller than the other seven, having once been tempered by Combined Fire and Halting Warfare; densely patterned, it was extraordinarily nimble. Li Xuanfeng took the storage bag as a matter of course. From his robes, he retrieved the jade talisman given by Yuansu and tied the storage bag to it to prevent anyone from divining its whereabouts. Breathing faintly, he took flight toward the north. ... Mount Qingdu. A blazing sun hung high in the sky. In today's contest of methods, the Xiuyue Sect seemed to have gained the upper hand, the blinding sunlight bathing the mountain in golden glare. Li Yuexiang looked up, quietly gazing at the scorching sun overhead. Her face was pale, and her lips were pressed tightly together. Her mother had been in secluded cultivation for a long time, and the light of the jade pendant Li Yuexiang wore on her person had been dimming day by day. She watched it happen, powerless to intervene. Success or failure in Foundation Establishment often hinged on a single lapse; rarely did someone's aura weaken day after day like this. With the Li family's foundation growing deeper, Li Yuexiang naturally understood the reason. "Mother cultivates 'Clear Dusk Rain,' a Dao Foundation of the Lushui lineage. The original celestial phenomena were perfectly suited for her breakthrough, but a streak of Hong Fire from the Xiuyue Sect swept over, clashing directly with it. I fear it disrupted her spiritual inspiration." Had the scorching sun simply persisted, it might have been manageable, but the two sects were locked in a tug-of-war, alternating between rain and sun. Even Li Xijun on Mount Yuting was affected, his jade pendant flickering bright and dim. Xiao Guiluan had it even worse, her aura declining by the day. Li Yuexiang could only watch as the light of the jade pendant grew dimmer with each passing day. Sitting on her knees before the cave abode's entrance, she felt utterly helpless. Until today, when the Xiuyue Sect gained the upper hand and the scorching sun baked the land for seven shichen—at last, the jade pendant crumbled into powder. Her mutton-fat-jade-like hands cupped the shattered pendant in her palms. Faintly lost, she knelt numbly on the bluestone ground, watching the blazing sun recede from the sky as azure wind and rain began to fall. "Mother..." Li Yuexiang did not even know what expression to make, nor how her mother's death was to be accounted for. Silently rising, she felt along the stone door before her and pushed it gently open. *Click, creak...* Wisps of azure mist drifted out through the seam of the door, causing Li Yuexiang's heart to sink completely. The phenomenon was plain to see; judging by this sign, it had not begun just a day or two ago. Her mother's physical body had long since started to dissolve. "Mother..." Li Yuexiang stepped silently into the cave abode. Upon the jade bed in the center lay only a few emerald spirit stones, cold as ice, emitting wisps of pale azure misty water. With great effort, she formed an incantation gesture to seal the spirit stones. On the jade bed remained only an empty black robe. She vaguely remembered that her mother had not liked black, but her father did. Li Yuexiang was calmer than she had imagined. She put away the storage bag resting on the table; there was little else. Xiao Guiluan had failed her breakthrough rather than passing away peacefully at the end of a Foundation Establishment lifespan, so the spiritual items left behind were pitifully few. Looking around the clean, desolate cave abode, she finally spotted a wooden talisman two fingers wide lying on the floor, strung with jade beads on a red cord. It seemed to have slipped from her mother's body. Li Yuexiang bent down and picked it up. It was indeed an ordinary wooden talisman, a palm long and two fingers wide. On the side facing her were four characters inscribed in sharp, sweeping calligraphy: "Fortunate to meet you at last." Li Yuexiang gently turned it over. The script on the reverse was delicate and graceful, deeply moving—clearly written in her mother Xiao Guiluan's hand, tender and endearing. It bore four characters as well: "Long have I awaited you." Aside from that, it was merely ordinary wood, more like something casually penned in a moment of marital affection, treasured by Xiao Guiluan and kept at her side ever since. Li Yuexiang tucked it away close to her chest, took out a jade box to store the emerald spirit stones, and walked out of the cave abode alone. Outside, the blazing sun remained dazzling, beating down on the trees until wisps of green smoke rose into the air.