An Honest Person

The Northern Dipper Seven Stars Steps lacked its corresponding sword incantations, leaving Zhou Wuji feeling somewhat helpless. That he had been able to cultivate it to mastery was solely due to his Tianji Sword. Investing a higher-grade destiny pattern would be useless as well. The secret arts he had swiftly advanced through the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment had all been complete manuals that he had fully grasped. For a method like the Dark Yin Samsara Scripture, although the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment could grant its blessing, the resulting effect was exceedingly poor. Evidently, even the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment had its limits. It certainly could not deduce an esoteric art out of thin air. On the verge of passing away, his master had also solemnly told him that the Arctic Book of Heavenly Punishment was merely an implement, not the Dharma, and still less the Great Dao. Zhou Wuji had initially considered Zhihe a generous, honest man, but now it seemed the old fellow was quite crafty after all. True, he had imparted the footwork, but it came bound by numerous restrictions. Thinking about it from the other side, had that not been the case, how could Zhihe have so easily passed on the Northern Dipper Seven Stars Steps? For now, the technique could only be regarded as the standalone Tianji Steps. Even so, it was an extraordinarily potent movement technique and footwork, and of immense use to him. Once he obtained higher-grade primordial profound spirit, he would directly elevate the Tianji Steps and not worry about other arts for the time being. Reflecting on this, Zhou Wuji felt he had still gotten the better end of the deal. After all, he had obtained the Northern Dipper Seven Stars Steps for nothing. Taking advantage of his free time, Zhou Wuji informed Martial Uncle Yiping and quietly departed for Old Dragon Island. Earthly fiend qi had spread across the entire island. Seen from a distance, a faint red mist drifted over it. Anyone with a shred of common sense could see the unnatural, eerie nature of that crimson haze. Without needing to be told, not a soul dared approach Old Dragon Island any longer. Zhou Wuji had to spend five taels of silver just to find a fisherman willing to take him across. Even then, the fisherman had only agreed because he recognized Zhou Wuji as a Daoist from the Lower Court. Having eradicated the blood sacrifice and the Five Dragons Gang, the Lower Court's reputation in Yunyang had soared. The ordinary fishermen regarded the Lower Court's Daoists as their saviors. In terms of public esteem, the Lower Court was now second to none in Yunyang. When its Daoists ventured out, they were treated with immense reverence, and people would often drop straight to their knees to kowtow before them. Zhou Wuji found this quite moving. The common folk were simple and rustic, and their standards of good and evil were just as straightforward. The Lower Court had not actually done all that much; by and large, it was his own doing. Of course, there was no need to proclaim such things to ordinary people. Though dense, the earthly fiend qi on Old Dragon Island was swiftly assimilated by the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, preventing it from spreading beyond the island. Yet the fiend qi saturated every corner of the island, particularly its several mountains. Under such circumstances, diverting river water to quench the malevolence was out of the question. The best solution would be to destroy Old Dragon Island entirely and sink it to the bottom of the water. But that was beyond mortal power. Stepping onto Old Dragon Island, Zhou Wuji cast the Golden Light Incantation over himself. The Body Cleansing Divine Incantation and Pure Heart Divine Incantation were geared more toward dispelling wicked auras and filth, whereas the Golden Light Incantation focused on protection. Of course, if one cultivated the Golden Light Divine Incantation to Abbot Zhiyuan's level, one could do whatever one pleased. Shrouded in faint golden light, Zhou Wuji ventured deeper into Old Dragon Island. Lacking a better option, he resorted to the clumsy method of dividing the island into numerous sectors, sweeping through them one by one using the Big Dipper as his eyes. The heart of the island naturally lay in those several mountains, where the complex terrain of caves and tunnels offered ideal hiding places. Only on these mountains could Chen Dalu have rushed over so swiftly to corner him inside a cave. Zhou Wuji dared not be careless. With no one else on Old Dragon Island, it was a prime setting for foul deeds. Each time he activated his Big Dipper vision, he maintained it only for a brief spell, breaking off once half his true qi was depleted. Then he would sit quietly to recover his breath, without resorting to the Rejuvenation Technique. After all, the Rejuvenation Technique had its limits; excessive use would drain his own vitality. He was in no hurry. By methodically sweeping one patch after another, he was bound to find what he sought within three to five days at most. The earthly fiend qi on Old Dragon Island was ferocious. Relying on his profound true qi reserves and the Purple Qi Pills he had brought, Zhou Wuji held out well enough in the short term. However, his daily cultivation progress ground to a halt, as the drain here was simply too great. Yet in such an inhospitable environment, Zhou Wuji learned to breathe and absorb spiritual qi with greater precision. After several days, though he had not found what he was looking for, his true qi underwent a measure of tempering and became considerably more solid. On the night of the fifth day, as Zhou Wuji resonated with the Northern Dipper constellation to inspect the foot of a mountain, a sudden wave of unease gripped him. He knew something was wrong, yet could not pinpoint what. He instantly disengaged from the constellation resonance and swallowed a second-revolution Purple Qi Pill. The pure spiritual qi into which the pill dissolved circulated through his body, swiftly restoring his true qi. Though confident, Zhou Wuji was never arrogant. Formidable experts abounded in this world. He was merely at Rank Six. Even with various augmentations pushing his combat prowess to Rank Five, that was close to his absolute limit. Let alone encountering a Rank Three True Person, he could not withstand even a Rank Four demonic cultivator. Moreover, the heavy earthly fiend qi on Old Dragon Island placed him at a severe disadvantage in battle. Having spent days observing the peaks with the Big Dipper as his eyes, he was thoroughly familiar with the terrain. Since something was amiss, his best move was to hide in a mountain crevice. No matter how extraordinary the enemy's abilities, tracking him down would not be easy. Just as Zhou Wuji moved to turn and leave, he suddenly caught scent of a chilling, gloomy aura—identical to the one he had sensed in Wu Family Village. A cold jolt ran through his heart. Had Xue Ying really tracked him down? The question was, how could Xue Ying have found him? Even if the fisherman had informed on him, the man could never have reached Xue Ying with such precision. What was more, the fisherman had no idea who he was. The same held for the Lower Court; no one there knew his whereabouts. With his current cultivation, had anyone planted an esoteric marker on him, he would certainly have noticed. Thoughts raced through Zhou Wuji's mind, yet he could find no flaw or oversight on his part. Still, if he did not identify the issue within himself, hiding would do no good; the enemy would track him down regardless. The red mist swirled and parted as a black silhouette swept through the air. With the person already before his eyes, retreat was out of the question. Zhou Wuji rested his hand on his sword hilt and silently appraised the woman. She appeared to be in middle age, with plain, unremarkable features. Her hair was bound in a Daoist topknot, and she wore a black Daoist robe with a longsword at her waist, looking very much like a Daoist priestess. Yet her robe bore none of the insignia of the Seven Daoist Sects; she clearly did not belong to the Daoist faith. Her black robe was as deep and dark as the night, concealing her body so completely that she looked like nothing more than a floating head and sword gliding toward him. The longsword at her waist, housed in a black scabbard, had a slender profile. Even sheathed, it exuded a biting chill, marking it as a fine dharma sword. More formidable still was that black robe, which masked virtually all of her aura. Only at a very close distance had Zhou Wuji sensed that something was wrong. "You have quite a bit of nerve!" The middle-aged woman looked Zhou Wuji up and down, a cold sneer tugging at the corner of her lips. Zhou Wuji cupped his hands. "This humble Daoist is Zhou Wuji of Yunlong Lower Court. How should I address you, fellow cultivator?" "No harm in telling you. I am Xue Ying of the Heavenly Ghost Sect." The woman spoke in a detached tone, laced with an overbearing, condescending pride. "Ghost Sword Xue Ying. You are quite renowned; I have heard of you." Realizing she was alone, Zhou Wuji felt a wave of relief. As a Rank Five demonic cultivator, Xue Ying would drop a full rank against Daoist cultivators, putting her on par with Rank Six. With the experience gained from dealing with Cui Wancheng and his recent breakthroughs in swordsmanship, he could not claim absolute certainty, but handling her should pose no great issue. Seeing Zhou Wuji remain so calm, even utterly composed, Xue Ying could not help but frown slightly. What backing did this brat have? Her main fear had been that Zhou Wuji was serving as bait. She had watched the Lower Court for several days, seen Daoist Yiding and the others return, and sensed Zhihe's aura from afar. Beyond doubt, there were no Lower Court experts on Old Dragon Island. Only a handful of people in Yunyang City posed any threat to her, and neither Zhai Jun nor Xinjue would act as Zhou Wuji's bodyguards, much less watch over him for so long. On this desolate island, Zhou Wuji had nowhere to run. Though disgusted by his posturing, Xue Ying was in no hurry to strike. She asked, "Was it your Lower Court that killed Xue Gui?" Rather than answering, Zhou Wuji countered curiously, "How did you find me?" Certain that she had Zhou Wuji firmly in her grasp, Xue Ying felt a touch of playful amusement. Zhou Wuji was the renowned sword prodigy of the Lower Court. Abbot Zhihe took him along wherever he went, which spoke volumes about how highly he was valued. Now that such a prodigy had fallen into her hands, she intended to savor his demise at leisure. "Finding you was simple. The sword on your person carries yang aura; it was always going to be easy to track." Realization dawned on Zhou Wuji. The White Rainbow Sword had given him away—that made sense. Holding the White Rainbow Sword allowed him to achieve near-perfect resonance, giving him mastery over its every subtle nuance, but he could hardly keep his hand on the hilt day and night. The sword's scabbard restrained its aura, and the pure yang power within would not actively leak without being channeled. For Xue Ying to detect the White Rainbow Sword's presence, she had to possess a very specialized observation technique. Reflecting further, he knew he could condense the Heart Mirror and look through the Big Dipper's eyes. As a Rank Five demonic cultivator, it was hardly strange for Xue Ying to wield supernatural talents of her own. He smiled and praised, "You are an honest person, fellow cultivator." For reasons unknown, the words "honest person" struck Xue Ying's ears as exceedingly grating, landing like a profound insult. Her expression darkened, her eyes flashing with a menacing green light as hundreds upon thousands of dark-crimson runes surfaced across her black dharma robe. Those dark-red runes drifted like fireflies, swiftly spreading across an area dozens of yards wide. Flickering specks of dark crimson gathered the pervasive fiend qi from all directions, coalescing into a barrier of a dharma domain. Zhou Wuji felt the pressure immediately. In the realm of divine spirit sense in particular, the imposing force Xue Ying gathered was as chilling as a blade, threatening to pierce right through his mind. His Heart Mirror reflected her form and aura. He saw the acupoints of her five viscera glowing with spiritual light, proof that she had opened them and condensed the Five Viscera Temple. No wonder her divine spirit sense was so unyielding and potent. Even more formidable was the black robe she wore. Whatever grade of magic implement it might be, it could expand into a dharma domain that blanketed the surrounding space, blinding his perception and even cloaking her from his Heart Mirror. This Xue Ying was far more dangerous than Cui Wancheng, despite both being Rank Five! His earlier reluctance to strike had stemmed from his inability to gauge her true depth. Only now, with Xue Ying provoked into baring her aura, could he witness her genuine strength. Facing such a powerful foe heaped immense pressure upon Zhou Wuji. Yet having weathered countless battles, his resolve had long been tempered into steely resilience. At the onset of grave danger, he grew all the calmer. Zhou Wuji rested his hand on the sword hilt. Without deliberately driving his true qi, he established a harmonious resonance between his sword heart and the White Rainbow Sword, slipping instantly into a state of unity between man and blade. Though the Rank Three dharma sword remained sheathed, the circulation of sword qi banished the surrounding fiend qi and true qi, naturally forging a miniature sword domain spanning three feet. With a flick of his left sleeve, Zhou Wuji cast the Big Dipper Heavenly Astral Divine Incantation upon himself. He refrained from using the divine incantation imbued within his Star Gold Daoist Robe; that incantation could be triggered instantaneously, and he would not waste it so early. Xue Ying had expected to handle Zhou Wuji with ease. Seeing his sword qi form its own domain, a glint of surprise flashed through the emerald light in her eyes. "There is actually something to your swordsmanship after all." Even so, she gave it little weight. With the Ten Directions Spirit-Severing Book in her possession, she could hold her own even against Zhihe, Xinjue, or Zhai Jun, let alone a mere Rank Six sword cultivator. Zhou Wuji gave a poised, mocking smile. "Are you afraid?" Though shrewd and calculating, Xue Ying was infuriated to be so openly scorned by a junior. "Courting death!" With a low hiss, Xue Ying flicked her long sleeves, sending two ghost phantoms hurtling straight toward Zhou Wuji.