Mysterious Snake
The wind blew over, the numerous flowers swayed together.
Lu XueQi expressionlessly stood among the sea of flowers, silently looking at Ghost Li who was facing her.
Faint delicate fragrance, soundlessly drifted.
Ghost Li lightly shrugged, Xiao Hui [sou] jumped down from his shoulder, looked at its owner with wide eyes and also glanced at Lu XueQi who was opposite, it scratched its head and ran off by itself to a side.
Ghost Li’s gaze landed on the tall and big stone door behind Lu XueQi, suddenly smiled and said, “This is what we are looking for?”
Lu XueQi stood before the door, she did not smile nor speak, only her face was slightly pale, what exactly was she thinking in her heart?
Ghost Li slowly walked up, faintly said, “I want the thing that is inside…”
[Qiang lang!]
Tian Ya Celestial Sword like autumn waters [Translator’s note: like the eyes of a beautiful woman], horizontally between him and her, reflecting both of their images, wavering slightly.
Ghost Li stopped in his steps.
Lu XueQi unhurriedly lifted her head, her face as pale as frost but she looked even more like an unworldly Nine Heavens fairy, extremely delicate and beautiful, even the words that she was saying now also carried a bone-penetrating coldness, “I will not let the Evil Sect get their hands on this rare treasure and harm even more innocent people.”
Ghost Li looked at her, deeply, looked at her.
That girl still looked as cold and beautiful as before, time never left any of its traces on her, just that, what about her heart?
He had changed, deep inside this girl’s heart, had it also changed too?
He suddenly laughed out and then the smile in his eyes slowly turned cold. He smiled and said, “Is it? Then that is unfortunate, I intend to take this unknown rare treasure and kill even more people!”
Lu XueQi’s body trembled, she stared hard at this guy in front of her and did not speak anymore, just that the hand that was holding Tian Ya, tightened.
From far, suddenly a faint sound of roar was heard. That sound came from the haze below them and seemed to be very far away, it sounded like some wild beast.
After a moment, both Ghost Li and Lu XueQi felt a light vibration coming from the sky-towering gigantic tree below their feet.
Ghost Li and Lu XueQi’s expressions changed at the same time, this gigantic tree was huge beyond their imagination and could be compared to an ordinary mountain or even bigger. Not to mention shaking this tree, even the thought of causing it to vibrate was unthinkable.
Both of them were not ordinary figures, there was no way that they would not detect the movement below their feet. Obviously in the haze below, a sudden unforeseen event with an unknown great force shook this tree.
With such thought, both of them with their quick-thinking, assumed this event most likely had something to do with the Celestial Emperor Treasury.
And at this moment, the first ray of sunlight from across the horizon, shone over horizontally and onto the sea of flowers, about three chi before the stone door.
Ghost Li’s figure moved but Lu XueQi’s bright eyes flashed, the Tian Ya Celestial Sword horizontally in front of her chest, went across and blocked in front of that Celestial Emperor Treasury door.
Ghost Li stared, red light seemed to flash in his eyes, he lowered his voice and said, “I do not wish to fight with you, move aside.”
Lu XueQi looked straight into his eyes and had no intention of moving, she indifferently said, “If you kill me, you can go over.”
The red light in Ghost Li’s eyes surged, suddenly a sound of long howl, he flew up. Green light surrounded him, the force swift and fierce.
Lu XueQi’s face was as cold as frost, Tian Ya Sword rose up into the air, she suddenly coldly said, “Since you have joined the Evil Faction, why do you still use the skills from Qing Yun Sect?”
Ghost Li in the mid-air, the Sinister Orb on top of the Soul-Absorbing stick in his hand shone brightly with red light, even his eyes were also bright red, the murderous energy increased exponentially and he shouted, “So what if it’s Qing Yun skills, so what if it’s Evil Sect sorcery, I use it all the same to kill people and take lives, what can you do?”
In the sharp whistle, that sheet of red light mixed with the clear light, struck down from the top.
Anger flashed past Lu XueQi’s eyes, refusing to yield even the slightest, Tian Ya Celestial Sword met the attack in the air, the two world’s supreme rare weapons collided with a crash!
[Bang!]
A loud sound, Ghost Li’s body soared up, Lu XueQi on the tree trunk was also forced back a few steps, her face turned a few shades of pale. But this cool and cold girl, her arched brows frowned and her body rose up with the sword, with Tian Ya Celestial Sword in front of her chest as the center, the resplendent blue light instantly diffused out. She within the sword’s light, was even more incomparably elegant and beautiful.
“Ten years ago that battle, it was me who lost!” She in the mid-air, stared at Ghost Li in front of her, word by word she unhurriedly spoke. At the same time the Tian Ya Celestial Sword urged by her skills, the resplendent blue light became stronger and stronger, as if even the sunlight in the sky was also being forced to recede.
“Ten years later, let me consult you again, you who are the only one currently with Buddhism, Taoism and Evil, the three schools of true ways in your body!”
Ghost Li laughed loudly and said, “Your memory is quite good!”
With no hesitation, the Soul-Absorbing stick suddenly rotated in front of him, waves of clear lights, his left hand continuously drew strange drawings of formulas, immediately a clear dazzling Tai Ji picture appeared in front of him, it was the authentic Qing Yun Sect Tai Ji Xuan Qing Taoism skill.
Lu XueQi saw it and turned colder, a clear whistle, Tian Ya Celestial Sword’s light intensity increased, when her wrists turned, immediately that Tian Ya looked like it had grown ten times bigger, chopped towards Ghost Li.
Ghost Li’s face changed slightly, he himself had spent a considerable effort to train on this Tai Ji Xuan Qing Way, just with this sword’s might from Lu XueQi, he knew that in these ten years, her skills had advanced by leaps and bounds. In that year of Qing Yun Sect younger generation, for sure nobody was able to easily use the sword light to form Tai Ji Xuan Qing Way to such pure state and with such powerful might. It was only once during his youth when he saw his teacher Tian BuYi used it while discipling QiHao and the then Tian BuYi’s attainments at that time on Tai Ji Xuan Qing Way had already reached ‘Shang Qing Realm’.
And right now looking at what Lu XueQi casually cleaved over, the sword tip’s light was like a mountain, the blue light swift and fierce like a knife, its might was like toppling the mountain and overturning the sea. It was not inferior in any aspects as compared to the Tian BuYi at that time, these ten years the speed at which her skills advanced was really inconceivable!
Just that even though her aptitude excelled the rest but Ghost Li with three schools of amazing skills, cultivated hard day and night for these ten years, how would he be just average?
Right now Ghost Li, facing that mountain-like sword tip, raised both arms, the Tai Ji image in front of him suddenly spinned rapidly, its speed increased and shielded in front of him.
[Si!] a sharp sound, like the all-conquering sword tip was forcibly stopped by this Tai Ji image but that blue light became even more stronger, the clear light glimmered and the brilliant light shone between them, it was truly beautiful but everyone knew knew, if one was not careful and was hit by this type of sword tip’s clear light which contained the powerful force of the Taoism true way, it would be either be death or injury.
In the light, Ghost Li breathed out loud. [boom] a muffled sound, Tian Ya Celestial Sword flew back and that Tai Ji image flickered a few times and disappeared into the air.
Ghost Li [Hei] a sound, looked at Lu XueQi, a faint admiration in his eyes but soon covered by the red light, he said, “As expected amazing, using only ten years and you can actually break through and reach the Shang Qing Realm, I’m afraid Qing Ye founder at that time did not have such achievements?”
Lu XueQi hovered in mid air, her clothes fluttered, the moment her hand gestured with the sword formula, Tian Ya Sword immediately stopped, the blue light flourished again and was even more brilliant, at the same time she was secretly shocked. These ten years her skills improved radically, even though her aptitude excelled others but mainly it was because she trained painstakingly hard and almost could be described as unreasonable. As for the reason on why she disregard everything and trained so hard, and even her teacher Shui Yue Master also could not take it and tried to persuade her a few times, the reasons behind was not some outsiders could understand.
The arduous cultivation path and with her exceptional gifted intelligence, finally half a year ago, it allowed her, among the Qing Yun Sect younger generation, to be the first to make a breakthrough and reached the Shang Qing Realm. Ever since a thousand years ago, she was the next fastest person to reach this realm after Qing Ye founder. With her current cultivation level, in Qing Yun Sect other than the various elder sect leaders, most likely she was leading. Even the one who had always been known as the number one among the younger disciples, Xiao YiCai, most likely would also be slightly inferior to her.
But even though it was so, when she was dueling with Ghost Li just now, this ordinary Qing Yun disciple who was known as Zhang Xiao Fan initially, his skills were actually comparable to her. That move to conjure the Tai Ji image was skilful and experienced and it blocked her sword which had Shang Qing Realm power. And in it, the underlying energy was turbulent, waves after waves it gushed over, strong and solid and it seemed like it was from Buddhism but looking at his techniques, it was obviously the hand gestures for Tai Ji Xuan Qing Way formula.
Has this man finally on the cultivation road, walked out a road that no one has walked before?
Both of them looked at each other, their stares gradually turned sharp and brighter but just at this moment, an extremely deafening roar travelled up from the haze with a rumble!
The sound was so fierce and thunderous, with Ghost Li and Lu XueQi’s cultivation, they actually felt slightly dizzy too and almost at the same time, the trunk under their feet suddenly quaked.
Like, the solid big earth suddenly shook violently, almost like an earthquake.
[Zi zi, Zi zi!] a series of shrieks, it was the monkey Xiao Hui who was lying beside that Celestial Emperor Treasury stone door and got a fright from the sudden quake, it cried out while clutching the vines beside the door.
Without waiting for Ghost Li and Lu XueQi to react, the direction from where they had came, four figures suddenly appeared and flying swiftly over. One person was in the front and three were at the back, in a blink of an eye they were already near. Lu XueQi and Ghost Li both looked over and were shocked.
And the four people who were pursuing all the way suddenly discovered there were people before them and were also shocked, they all stopped in spite of themselves.
The four people were all familiar figures. The only person in front was an alluring and charming young lady, it was the Evil Sect HeHuan Sect Jin PingEr and behind her were all Good Faction men, not only Lu XueQi knew them, even Ghost Li also knew them.
Fa Xiang, Zeng ShuShu and the one who suddenly stopped in his tracks in shock, his eyes never once left Ghost Li - Lin JingYu!
The place suddenly turned silent.
Ghost Li looked at them, Fa Xiang and the rest had complicated expressions on their faces, as if happiness, shock, the various expressions one by one flashed over.
Jin PingEr’s eyes swept the scene, with Ghost Li’s power and authority in Ghost King Sect, naturally his origin was well studied by Jin PingEr. Regarding the past entanglements that Ghost Li had with the Good Faction people who were there, more or less she knew a little.
Looking at the situation now, she hesitated slightly, her footsteps were already quietly moving towards Ghost Li and she stood together with him.
Over at the Good Faction side, Fa Xiang and Lu XueQi saw Jin PingEr’s movement, both frowned slightly but they still did not speak.
Breaking the silence was instead Lin JingYu who was standing the furthest away.
In his eyes, he seemed not to have noticed Jin PingEr at all, only the past Zhang Xiao Fan stood in front of him. He slowly walked up a few steps, his lips moved, it seemed like speaking was also difficult for him.
“Are...are you still doing well?”
Ghost Li slowly looked away and did not meet him in the eye, facing Lin JingYu, without knowing why, he suddenly dared not look into his childhood good friend’s eyes.
Lin JingYu saw Ghost Li’s face and seemed more agitated, his voice seemed to turn hoarse, “Xiao Fan, you…”
Ghost Li’s body trembled, he lifted his head in spite of himself and a familiar face met his eyes, in there there was not a single trace of hostility, only emotions and joy.
“JingYu…” his voice rough.
Lin JingYu for the past ten years, trained and cultivated at Qing Yun Hill Founders Ancestral Hall and had numerous times imagined the scenario where he and Zhang Xiao Fan again reunited, he had also countless of times questioned himself, how should he face Zhang Xiao Fan who had joined the Evil?
Is it Evil and Good irreconcilable, to draw swords to determine life and death?
Or try his might to persuade him to come back to the Good Faction?
But today when they finally met, he could not even say a word. The past times, scene by scene quietly came up into his heart, until the very end, it was very obvious what determined it was not Qing Yun Hill, not wielding the sword to fly, not across the world unhindered but two childhood good friends, in that dilapidated grass temple, running about laughing heartily!
Time like sand, had it ever erase the most precious thing in your heart?
The childhood friend, the once brothers, after ten years, was standing in front of him.
Stepping one foot forward, Lin JingYu’s face showed agitations that he had never shown before and even Ghost Li was visibly moved by it, his body wavered slightly.
Or maybe, inside Ghost Li’s heart, he was also as agitated?
Jin PingEr stood beside Ghost Li frowned slightly, naturally she was not interested in the sentiments between these two brothers but looking at the current situation, the Good Faction seemed to have more numbers on their side, if Ghost Li was going to have any problem now, she might be on her own.
She coughed, smiled and said, “Ah! Ghost Li gongzi, didn’t expect that you will reach here earlier than us, I wonder if that rare treasure is already in your hands?”
Once the words were out, Lin JingYu and Ghost Li both were shocked, Fa Xiang and Zeng ShuShu also looked towards Lu XueQi at the same time, Lu XueQi slowly shook her head, they then felt relieved.
A simple question and it could abruptly pulled them back to reality, Ghost Li briefly closed his eyes and when he opened them the next moment, it had an indistinct flash of red light, his eyes also turned sharp. He looked at Lin JingYu deeply and finally turned and did not look at him again, instead he stepped back and stood side by side with Jin PingEr.
Jin PingEr smiled, her eyes lucid like water, her glances wandered about and seemed to be pouring it all onto Ghost Li, she gently said, “Are you still doing fine?”
Ghost Li snorted and said, “You and I temporarily join forces, how about it?”
Jin PingEr immediately said, “Good, after this matter, we will then discuss.”
Ghost Li glanced at her and nodded, only in a short time, these two people had already foresaw that this situation would not be easily to handle and immediately decided to join hands.
Ghost Li indifferently said, “Don’t your HeHuan Sect has many skilled experts? How come only you entered the inner marsh and instead let them gain advantage?”
Jin PingEr glanced at Fa Xiang and the rest, her face actually turned slightly red with embarrassment, looking even more endearing, she softly said, “Our HeHuan Sect is a small branch sect, I’m afraid if I bring more in, those people out there will all suddenly die without reason.”
She smiled and looked at Ghost Li, said, “Instead Ghost King Sect has always been a crouching tiger hidden dragon [Translator’s note: conceal your talents], how come other than a grey fur monkey, there is no one else beside gongzi?”
Ghost Li heard the hidden sarcasm in her words and indifferently said, “We are the same, I bring more in, I’m afraid the forces outside will be swallowed by your HeHuan Sect and Wan Du Clan.”
This time the Evil Sect three big powerful sects came to the West in force, on the surface everyone collaborated to get rid of Chang Shen Hall but on the sly they were all plotting and scheming, catching and guarding against each other. As the three big sects were impeding each other, they did not dare to deploy much of their highly-skilled disciples and this instead let the Good Faction gain advantage.
Zeng ShuShu stood afar, his heart was also feeling agitated. Previously on Qing Yun Hill, he had always been on good terms with Zhang Xiao Fan and could be considered the next good friend with Zhang Xiao Fan other than Lin JingYu. Sadly fate was such and it actually turned into the situation today, he could not help but feel pained in his heart.
He had the intention to speak with Ghost Li, no matter whether it worked or not, he wanted to let this friend come back to Good Faction again. Just that for a moment, his sight landed onto Jin PingEr’s face, suddenly his heart jumped. He felt that the girl was like a peach blossom, extremely alluring, a pair of bright eyes that glimmered like deep waters, that eyes looked back at him and indistinctly it seemed to speak, staring at himself.
He took a few glances, immediately he felt a sound of collision inside his head, as if he was drunk and he only wanted to be drunk inside that girl’s eyes, he could not help but took a step forward.
[Du!]
Suddenly a shout cut off, like the evening drum and morning bell in a monastery, suddenly rang out beside his ear. Fa Xiang’s pale blue monk robe moved and he suddenly appeared in front of him, blocked off Jin PingEr’s gaze and at the same time made a subdue-demon roar at Zeng ShuShu.
Zeng ShuShu got a shock and regained his senses, immediately he felt cold sweat all over his body and kept muttering his thanks to Fa Xiang, he secretly cursed in his heart, “This Evil Faction sorceress is really scary!”
Fa Xiang’s expression was grim, he turned around and stared at Jin PingEr. Jin PingEr had already fought with them before coming up and she knew that although this Fa Xiang Monk appeared young but he already truly had the Tian Yin Temple Buddhism cultivation skills, her bewitching skill had no effect on him. Most likely this person’s self-control was too profound and would not be affected by these external influences, immediately she smiled and did not say anything.
Fa Xiang frowned and looked back at Zhang Xiao Fan, facing Zhang Xiao Fan, his expression was not that calm. His usual placid and benevolence face had an indistinct guilty expression, after hesitating for moment, he quietly said, “Zhang junior brother…”
Ghost Li suddenly coldly interrupted, “I am called Ghost Li and have no other name.”
Fa Xiang held his breath, Zeng ShuShu who was behind could not contain anymore and called out, “Xiao Fan, don’t be like this, all of us still treat you as…”
Fa Xiang suddenly waved his hand and blocked off Zeng ShuShu’s words, at the same time he quietly said, “Zeng junior brother, some words you should not carelessly say it, if your Qing yun seniors know about it, I’m afraid there might be trouble.”
Zeng ShuShu was startled, looked at Ghost Li again but eventually shut his mouth.
Fa Xiang turned over, he looked like he still wanted to say something to Ghost Li but at this moment, the gigantic tree suddenly shook violently again. This time the tremors were very strong and far exceeded the previous one, everyone could see that the tree was shaking in the air, at the same time they could not find their footing and stumbled for a while.
Everyone turned pale at the same time.
Almost at the same time, another earth-shattering roar came from the haze below, like some ferocious beast crying out at the sky, that invisible sound waves actually turned into a violent gale, surged up from below and caused everyone’s clothes to flap around loudly.
And in the roar, a strange [si si] sound accompanied it. A sound like a poisonous snake crawling and also like a rope brushing against something reverberated between Heaven and Earth, it became louder and louder, nearer and nearer.
Jin PingEr suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no it’s that beast, it actually came up!”
Everyone, except Ghost Li and Lu XueQi, turned pale.
Ghost Li abruptly turned his head but saw Jin PingEr’s pale face, he was surprised. Although she was more of an enemy than a friend but he knew Jin PingEr was actually not someone to be underestimated. And while they were working together to exterminate Chang Shen Hall a few days ago, in between chats, she was someone whose thoughts were cautious and meticulous, and her methods ruthless and cruel, she was really not someone easy to deal with.
But right now there and then, even her face seemed to have fear.
In the air, suddenly it had a smell of blood accompanying that gradually louder sounds, like the footsteps of a monster echoing in their hearts, turning thicker and thicker.
“What is this thing…”
Ghost Li was halfway asking when suddenly he stopped, his eyes staring straight ahead. Then subconsciously he looked to the side, there, a white-like-snow attired Lu XueQi, without knowing why, also suddenly looked at him.
The clear sky, the direction from where the gigantic branch tree stretched over, initially it still had quite an amount of thin, floating clouds but suddenly it seemed to have two balls of burning gigantic fire flames.
Dark sea green flames!
In the flames, were two thin and long vertical deep pupils, glimmering with cold light.
The bloody smell in the air, suddenly grew very much stronger and made one felt like vomiting upon smelling it.
Ghost Li, for an unknown reason, his body trembled slightly, after a long while, he watched as it slowly became clearer, that slowly emerging gigantic beast ahead, that unimaginable gigantic beast.
His voice turned hoarse, as if reliving the past, using only the voice that he could hear, he mumbled, “Black Water Mystical Viper, Black Water Mystical Viper…”