Chapter 53: Concealing the Heavenly Secrets?
Ling Zhanxue's expression changed abruptly. A streak of azure light shot out from his sleeve, unfurling in midair into a translucent glass parasol that enveloped Chen Chang'an and the other two. As the parasol's ribs rotated, countless runes flowed, forming an indestructible spiritual barrier.
"Go!"
The instant he turned, his white robes stirred without wind, and the longsword at his waist rang as it slid three inches from its sheath. A cold gleam reflected the sharp killing intent between his brows. "Destroying a sect is already a great crime, yet you dare ambush an inspector? Does the Wang clan truly not fear the laws of Great Zhou?"
From the forest's shadows, the gaunt figure of Wang Songzhou stepped forth. At these words, he laughed wildly at the sky. "Fear? Of course I fear!" His laughter suddenly ceased, and a vicious light filled his eyes. "But if Inspector Lord were to fall here and leave no trace, how would the court ever pursue us?"
"Heh." Ling Zhanxue sneered, his sword fully unsheathed. Its clear cry startled flocks of birds across the mountains. "Do you really think the Great Zhou State Preceptor, Xuantian Jun, is but an ornament?"
The sword tip pointed to the heavens. "That one ranks among the top ten on the Earth List. His art of celestial deduction is unmatched in the world, rivaled only by the Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Do you truly believe today's deeds can escape the heavens' notice?"
"Hahaha—" Wang Songzhou suddenly laughed so hard he bent forward, then stepped aside. "Inspector Ling, why not see who this is?"
Beside him, a middle-aged man stepped forward, clad in a star-embroidered robe, holding a bronze compass upon which the twenty-eight constellations revolved of their own accord.
"Inspector Ling, it has been a while."
"Xinghe Venerate?!" Ling Zhanxue's pupils shrank. "As the foremost of the four Star Envoys of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, you collude with these clans?"
His voice grew colder still. "The Heavenly Secret Pavilion has always remained neutral, hence your lofty standing within our dynasty. Do you realize your actions today violate the greatest taboo? If word spreads, neither the Pavilion nor Great Zhou will tolerate you!"
Expressionless, Xinghe Venerate rotated his compass. Seven streams of starlight fell from the heavens, forming the Big Dipper array above. "Do not waste breath seeking to sway me. As Elder Wang has said, once Inspector Ling perishes here, who will ever know?"
He cast a mocking gaze at Chen Chang'an and the other two beneath the glass parasol. "Do you think those three wastes could change anything?"
With a click, the compass locked in place. The entire valley dimmed, as though severed from heaven and earth by an unseen hand. "With this Deceiving-Heavens Astrolabe, not even Xuantian Jun, nor the mightiest of this age, could deduce the cause and effect within!"
"Attack!" Wang Songzhou bellowed. His withered hands suddenly stretched to three zhang, nails turning into black blades slashing straight for Ling Zhanxue's throat.
At nearly the same time, the compass in Xinghe Venerate's hand released a brilliant star-beam, which in midair transformed into chains coiling toward Ling Zhanxue's sword.
His white robes whipped in the wind as his blade, Frost Sky, burst forth with a dazzling cold light, deflecting the starlight.
Without hesitation, he struck at Wang Songzhou. Where the sword pointed, the very air condensed into shards of ice crystals.
When the blade and claws collided, the sound was as metal against metal.
"No wonder they call it Ling clan's Frost Sky Moonlight Sword Art. Yet even as a great clan, you choose to be dogs of the court!"
Wang Songzhou pressed forward, claws exuding thick black miasma.
On the other side, Xinghe Venerate's compass once more unleashed beams of starlight, interweaving with Wang Songzhou's attacks into a storm.
"I, Ling Zhanxue, act only with a clear conscience. To serve the court as a dog is still better than to consort with jackals who treat human life as grass."
Ling Zhanxue moved like lightning, weaving through the storm of attacks, each sword swing drawing a chilling arc of the moon.
"Human life? In my eyes, mortals are but ants. Who would have thought the exalted Inspector Ling, a True Immortal of Longevity, would care for mere mortals? Laughable beyond belief…"
"The ways diverge; we cannot work together!" Ling Zhanxue sneered, though within his heart plummeted. Wang Songzhou and Xinghe Venerate were both veteran Longevity Realm experts. His chances of victory were slim. His only hope was to stake everything in an assault against Xinghe Venerate, to shatter the artifact concealing the heavenly secrets. Then both would be forced to restrain themselves.
Thus his sword intent suddenly shifted. Evading Wang Songzhou, he transformed into a myriad of sword shadows striking at Xinghe Venerate. "Xinghe, your Heavenly Secret Pavilion prides itself as aloof from the world, yet today you side with vermin. Do not blame me for cleansing your gates on behalf of the Pavilion Master!"
"Arrogant!" Xinghe Venerate snorted coldly, his astrolabe whirling at high speed. Seven beams of starlight became chains lashing down.
Each chain was heavy as a mountain, twisting the very space it passed.
Wang Songzhou seized the moment. His withered form swelled, transforming into a ferocious avatar three zhang tall. Jet-black claws tore through the sky, trailing toxic mists that corroded all they touched, grasping for Ling Zhanxue's back. "Inspector Ling, surrender your life!"
"Good, come!"
Though escape was impossible, Ling Zhanxue showed no fear. With a long roar, his sword suddenly blazed with radiant white light.
He neither dodged nor retreated, but charged headlong into the combined killing moves of both foes.
"Frost Sky: Moonfall!"
In that instant, heaven and earth fell silent.
A sword light, bright as the moon, cleaved through the skies and clashed violently against the chains of starlight and the poisonous claws.
"Boom—!!"
A terrifying shockwave swept across the land, snapping ancient trees within a hundred-zhang radius. Xinghe Venerate staggered back three steps with a muffled groan, a crack appearing on his astrolabe. Wang Songzhou screamed as his right claw was severed at the wrist, black blood spurting wildly.
But Ling Zhanxue had also paid a heavy price.
"Puh!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, half his white robe instantly stained red. His left shoulder was pierced by starlight, while his abdomen was corroded into a gaping wound by the poisonous mist. Most fatal of all, a broken fragment of star chain was lodged in his heart meridian, blood dripping steadily along its silver links.
All three were Longevity Realm, but whether Wang Songzhou or Xinghe Venerate, each surpassed him by half a level.
And he was fighting two at once.
"Inspector Lord, it is time for you to depart." Xinghe Venerate wiped blood from the corner of his lips as the astrolabe flared once more.
Clutching his chest, Ling Zhanxue instinctively glanced toward Chen Chang'an and the others, a faint trace of apology flickering in his eyes.
Wang Songzhou seemed to grasp his intent, advancing with a feral grin. "Rest assured, those three will soon join you."
Ling Zhanxue's consciousness was beginning to blur, yet his hand upon the sword remained steady.
Suddenly, he smiled. Bloodied lips curved with final resolve. "Then… let us go together."
Frost Sky trembled violently, countless cracks spreading along its blade—he was about to detonate his life-bound sword.
"No! Retreat at once!" Xinghe Venerate's face changed drastically.
At that critical instant—
A figure clad in azure appeared abruptly behind Ling Zhanxue, pressing gently upon his sword hand. With what seemed a casual touch, the imminent eruption of sword force was instantly quelled.
"Rest a while."
That familiar voice rang at his ear. Ling Zhanxue felt himself fall into a warm embrace, a faint scent of wine brushing his nose. In his fading consciousness, he saw Chen Chang'an's face—once always playful, now filled with a chilling, bone-deep coldness.
"From here… leave it to me."
"You are…"
"Sleep."
A thread of spiritual power entered Ling Zhanxue's body, temporarily suppressing his injuries while gently drawing his consciousness into darkness.
For some reason, Ling Zhanxue felt an unprecedented sense of safety, as though he were a child again, dozing in his father's arms after play.
He drifted into deep slumber, a relaxed smile upon his face.
Chen Chang'an slowly laid him upon the ground.
Then, with a half-smile, he raised his gaze to the two tense figures above.
"Even the strongest of this age cannot deduce the cause and effect here, hm…" His smile deepened with satisfaction. "That is truly perfect."
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