What should've been a ten-day journey ended up taking them a full month.
Li Xun and his two companions had gone out of their way to avoid attracting attention. By the time they reached the end of that stretch, they were still over a thousand li away from their destination, Longhuan Mountain.
Over the past couple of days, Ming Li and You Wusheng had been on edge. They were currently passing through Chicheng Mountain, the territory of the prestigious righteous sect of the Tongxuan Realm, the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect.
Li Xun's impression of this sect mostly came from its famed "Royal Sword Technique," said to subdue enemies without fighting. Beyond that, what stood out most was the "Celestial Lord" He Zhiyan, whose story had once inspired him.
That once-mighty expert had been driven to madness by Yin Wanderer's torment. And now, that same Yin Wanderer had been stripped of her own mind by a mere junior cultivator, becoming a puppet. Such is the way of the world: ever-changing and full of irony.
Chicheng Mountain was vast. The sect's influence stretched for tens of thousands of li, and Dragonring Mountain lay just near the edge of that sphere. If anything was going to go sideways on this mission, it was most likely to come from people tied to this sect.
To stay unnoticed, the trio had taken a massive detour, adding nearly twenty thousand li to their journey to bypass most of the sect's domain. Only then did they carefully reenter its borders. Even then, they kept their spiritual presence completely hidden. They didn't dare ride their flying swords; opting instead to travel on foot through the rugged mountains.
The final thousand li weren't any easier than the trek before. Spring was arriving, and with it came a reawakening of the magical beasts. Not only did they need to watch for passing disciples of the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect overhead, but they also had to fend off fierce and unpredictable creatures lurking in the forests below.
After a few days, even the usually pristine Ming Li was covered in stains of dirt, crushed grass, and blood, giving him a strong fishy scent.
"I can't take it anymore. I have to wash up today. This smell is attracting every bug in the forest!" Ming Li grumbled as he waved his hand, sending out a faint sweep of pale green mist. Buzzing mosquitoes and gnats around him instantly dropped like rain. But more kept coming, wave after wave, leaving him scrambling to keep up.
As usual, You Wusheng stayed silent. It was Li Xun who spoke up, "Senior Brother Li's got a point… damn, that one's huge!"
He struck out with an air palm, smashing a weird, flying insect that had darted through the branches. Frowning, he added, "There's way too much humidity here. There's either a swamp or a lake nearby. What do you two think; should we look around?"
You Wusheng's thin body leapt up to the treetop. After a quick scan of the surroundings, he made a hand signal, indicating that the air was more humid to the south.
With Ming Li in the lead, the three of them turned south, cutting through the underbrush as they went.
Fifteen minutes later, all three of them were soaking in a small mountain pool, washing themselves with great enjoyment.
Technically, Kitty was supposed to be on watch duty; but the creature had long disappeared to do whatever it pleased. Oddly enough, that made Ming Li and the other feel even more at ease.
There's something about being three naked men in a hot spring that makes everyone talk more than usual.
Even You Wusheng, normally tight-lipped, joined in the conversation. Before long, their idle chat drifted to the hot topic sweeping the entire Tongxuan Realm—
Everyone was still shaken by the tragedy in Songjing. All eyes were fixed on the mortal realm. Nearly every piece of news Li Xun and the others had picked up along the road pointed toward that incident....and toward Yin Wanderer and Blood Wanderer.
The Tongxuan Realm's reaction had split into two camps. The righteous sects were furious, their anger boiling over. In contrast, the demonic sects, like Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect, were largely quiet.
From what Li Xun had seen, they were just keeping to themselves, seemingly indifferent to what had happened in Songjing.
But now, after talking with Ming Li and Wusheng, he realized it wasn't that simple.
Within the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect, things might have looked calm on the surface, but underneath, they were very much on high alert.
Though they made no public move, the sect's elder, Cang Mingzi, an expert in stealth and infiltration, had already been sent by the sect leader to secretly investigate what happened. And it wasn't just them. Other demonic sects had dispatched their own scouts as well.
The prevailing theory was that Yin Wanderer and Blood Wanderer had been experimenting with a powerful demonic technique. And that something had gone wrong between them.
But no one knew the outcome. Had they both been wounded? Had one overpowered the other? Or had they both gained something from it?
Each possibility carried its own implications for the Tongxuan Realm. At their level, any move those two made could shift the balance of power.
And then there was something else…
"One's food and drink are set by fate. Rootless, groundless, we drift through life. Ten thousand years of pride come to nothing; in a single storm, it all belongs to someone else."
Watching Ming Li recite the verse, swaying with mock solemnity, Li Xun almost laughed. The rhythm was off, the imagery disconnected. It barely made sense. What was that even supposed to be?
You Wusheng noticed Li Xun's expression and offered a quiet explanation: "That's a verse from the Water Mirror Gathering."
Li Xun immediately sobered up.
A verse from the Water Mirror Gathering?
He remembered clearly. When he had first left the sect with his master, it had been to attend that very gathering. The Heavenly Water Mirror was said to reflect the coming year's fate for the Tongxuan Realm. Any verse spoken there carried serious weight.
Still, what did it have to do with the Songjing incident?
Seeing his puzzled look, Ming Li smiled. "Back then, you were still a rogue cultivator, junior brother, so you wouldn't know this. Before the Water Mirror Gathering reveals its verse, there's always a brief 'resonance' period. In that moment, the mirror's surface reflects all things; life, death, and fate. But only for a single breath.
"The host of the gathering, Water Mirror Sage, must grasp that fleeting moment and speak a verse that captures the most significant shift in the world's fate.
"Once spoken, the verse appears on the surface of the Heavenly Mirror in ancient script and remains there for a full year.... until the next gathering.
"If the coming year is peaceful, the text glows gold. If it's minor turmoil, it turns blue. If it's full of bloodshed, it turns black. And if it's a true catastrophe, like a Heaven-Calamity, it turns blood red.
"Take a guess, junior brother. What color do you think it is this year?"
Looking at Ming Li's cheerful expression, Li Xun thought for a moment. "It must be black, right?"
Only black or red were worth guessing at. If it had turned blood red, Ming Li definitely wouldn't be smiling like that. So Li Xun felt fairly confident in his answer.
"Wrong!" Ming Li's bluish-green face lit up with a rare trace of humanity as he grinned. "It was blue!"
Li Xun froze, momentarily stunned, only to hear Ming Li go on: "That's normally the most boring color. But here's the strange part; right on the day of the Songjing incident. Maybe even at the exact moment. The writing on the Heavenly Water Mirror suddenly turned red. Blood red. According to the story, Water Mirror Sage immediately coughed up blood and collapsed. He was unconscious for a whole day before he finally came to."
Li Xun's eyes went wide.
Ming Li clearly had a knack for storytelling. Noticing Li Xun's interest, he leaned in, even more animated. "The whole thing was strange to begin with. Water Mirror Sage actually sent messages to all the sect leaders, asking them to come together and discuss it.
"But before any of them could even get moving, the color suddenly shifted back again! I tell you, the Water Mirror Sect's reputation, polished over ten thousand years, took a major hit."
It was obvious Ming Li took a certain amount of joy in that misfortune.
But that wasn't the real takeaway here.
The real issue was that the incident at Songjing had triggered a reaction powerful enough to override the rules of the Water Mirror; a divine item whose readings had been unshakable for who knows when. That was something no one had the guts to ignore.
So of course, the righteous sects raised a massive uproar. And of course, the demonic sects pretended not to care while tightening their guard in secret. That was all to be expected.
But what about Li Xun; the person at the center of it all, and the one who benefited the most from the whole affair? What was he supposed to think?
He was stunned.
This was the first time he'd heard someone else talking about his "deeds." The first time he'd been painted as the kind of person whose actions shook the world. It was a strange, novel experience… yet it left him with a sense of emptiness and dread, like his feet were no longer touching the ground.
If the Heavenly Water Mirror was really as effective as the legends said… If this wasn't just some accident but there was some will behind it…
What would that even mean?
A vague, half-formed thought stirred in his mind, fuzzy and unclear. But before it could settle, a sudden rush of something heavy filled his chest; followed by a dizzy, floating sensation, like he was drifting upward with nothing to hold onto.
Then reality snapped back into focus. Ming Li's voice came through, sharper than ever: "No sect wants to see a so-called great calamity actually happen. Even lunatics like Blood Wanderer and Yin Wanderer. People no one dares mess with on a normal day. But if it comes to it… the entire realm will dogpile them..."
You Wusheng, standing nearby, twitched his mouth slightly at that. Ming Li realized how embarrassing that sounded and let out a self-mocking laugh.
Li Xun laughed along with them....at himself, mostly, for that wild flash of fantasy just now. Yeah, thinking back to the incident of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix, wasn't that the perfect case in point?
The three of them were still laughing when a sharp screech rang out from deep in the jungle by the pool. Before the sound had even faded, a red blur shot into the sky, looped once overhead, and then vanished in the opposite direction.
Moments later, seven or eight sword flashes soared up in pursuit, but they were clearly slower.
"Trouble!" All three froze, expressions changing. Without a second thought, they burst from the water, grabbed their still-damp clothes, and threw them on as fast as they could.
Good thing Kitty had the smarts to lure the enemy away; if that group had gotten just a little closer, they'd never have had time to react. If it had come to a fight, they probably would've had to run for their lives!
"Damn it; it's the people from the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect!"
From the sword-lights streaking across the sky, Ming Li could tell the attackers' origin. While channeling his qi to dry his clothes, he also sent out one of his tamed ghost spirits to investigate.
His ghost spirits were refined magical items Ming Li had refined from the Necromantic Qi he collected while cultivating the Jade Fire Flowing Crystal Curse technique. Shadowy and intangible, it feared neither fire, water, nor steel. With a spark of intelligence, it was cunning and sinister, capable of draining the life force from the living. It was a formidable weapon.
Ming Li's spiritual sense was linked with the ghost, so whatever it saw, he saw too. It was the perfect scout.
Li Xun and Wu Sheng held their breath, watching him work the spell.
Barely two heartbeats later, a flicker of green light flashed across Ming Li 's face; then all the color drained from it. Before either of the others could react, he coughed up a mouthful of dark blood. "Shit! It's that little wench, Luo Yuji! And she's not alone. She's brought a powerhouse with her! Run!"
All three of them were fast thinkers, and faster movers. How could they not sense the danger? Without hesitation, Li Xun and You Wusheng each grabbed one of Ming Li's arms, and they bolted back.
But their foe was far too strong.
Though the three moved swiftly, they'd barely taken a few steps when a thunderous sword cry split the sky like a dragon roaring from the heavens. It shrieked sharp and clear, and in the blink of an eye, the whole sky was swallowed by it.
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