Who can defeat me?

I!

No signature, no specific name.

Speaking of arrogance?

When Jian Chou became arrogant, even she herself was afraid.

She raised an eyebrow, gazing at the deep darkness ahead.

Unlike the scene of howling wind blades in the previous three layers, after thirteen hundred feet, it seemed too quiet.

So quiet that it felt dangerous.

Jian Chou certainly didn’t think Qu Zhengfeng was weak—she could only assume there was something sinister beyond these thirteen hundred feet.

But there was a path ahead. How could she be content to stop here?

Even if it meant death, she had to try first!

She still had strength left—why not try?

Jian Chou’s thoughts settled quickly.

She slowly lifted her foot, while her entire body tensed up. The smooth lines of her body were fully revealed in this moment of tension.

Her gaze was also extraordinarily bright.

Lifting her foot, stepping down.

One step forward!

“Whoosh!”

A sinister wind blew over, right as her foot touched the ground!

Jian Chou had been prepared, but now discovered she couldn’t retreat at the fastest speed!

Her whole body felt cold!

The feeling of this wind had changed!

If the previous winds had all been wind blades—varied and changeable, yet transforming wind into something visible to the naked eye—the wind after thirteen hundred feet had a vague feeling of returning to its source while transcending it.

The wind here had transformed back into nothingness, formless yet tangible.

Most importantly, when this wind blew on her body, that ethereal cold feeling seemed to emerge from the depths of her soul.

As if…

Her incomplete soul would be blown away by this wind, called and guided by something below, to plunge into this slanted-downward Blackwind Cave!

Jian Chou felt her consciousness blur, her mind filled with tearing pain. Her whole body swayed, about to fall forward.

In that instant, countless images seemed to flash through her mind, yet nothing appeared at all.

She…

Didn’t want to die yet!

This sole clear thought made her tongue press against her upper and lower teeth, and without hesitation, she bit down hard!

The taste of blood immediately spread.

Her tongue tip felt a piercing pain!

Clarity returned to her body!

Almost simultaneously, “Buzz!”

A violent tremor shook her brow!

The Soul-Stabilizing Nail that Fudao Shanren had given Jian Chou emerged at this moment, emitting an unprecedented brilliant purple light!

A warm feeling finally enveloped Jian Chou.

The tearing pain in her mind was immediately relieved.

In this instant, taking advantage of the pain from before, she stepped back!

“Tap.”

Her bare, jade-white foot touched the ground.

The sound spread, seeming to ripple outward in waves.

Thus, the ethereal and sinister black wind disappeared, the soul-tearing pain disappeared, and that faint summoning feeling from the depths of the Blackwind Cave also disappeared…

Only ordinary ice blades attacked, and ordinary wind blew.

Jian Chou’s forehead was ice-cold.

Her whole body was like someone who had just been pulled from water, covered in cold sweat.

As if having just experienced a great battle, Jian Chou gasped for breath.

Looking in horror at the void one step away, she completely didn’t understand what had happened in that instant…

“Thirteen hundred feet…”

A harsh voice emerged from deep in her throat.

Completely different from the previous three layers of black wind.

It was more terrifying, more horrifying!

It made one completely unable to summon the will to resist!

At this thirteen-hundred-feet mark, it was like a forbidden thunder pool—once anyone stepped in, they would immediately be destroyed by endless black wind!

From stepping forward to withdrawing her foot took at most one breath!

Yet Jian Chou’s heart held an absolute judgment: not one inch could be advanced, not one step forward!

An impassable chasm!

Now, looking back at that sentence, “Sixteen days, stopping at thirteen hundred feet,” Jian Chou suddenly had a different feeling.

No wonder Qu Zhengfeng, with his Nascent Soul Peak cultivation, didn’t dare go forward…

It probably wasn’t just because of her incomplete soul, right?

If not for that decisive bite of her tongue, if not for the Soul-Stabilizing Nail that suddenly appeared to protect her, she might have truly thrown herself into that endless Blackwind Cave.

Recalling that scene, Jian Chou still felt cold in her heart.

She slowly raised her hand, touching her forehead. Now, the light of the Soul-Stabilizing Nail had disappeared inside, seeming to leave only a faint purple mark.

Jian Chou stood in place for a long time.

Cold air constantly drilled up from beneath her feet, making her whole body seem about to freeze.

However, the wind blades constantly blowing from ahead could no longer cause her any substantial harm.

After a round of body refining, her muscles and bones had strengthened to an entirely new level.

It was time to leave.

Jian Chou had countless doubts in her heart. With her current knowledge, she couldn’t find answers.

Better to keep them all and ask her master later.

Speaking of which…

Master.

A flash of lightning struck Jian Chou’s mind: it seemed she had forgotten a very important question—how much time had passed?

When leaving Yashan, she had agreed with Fudao Shanren that within two years, regardless of whether she completed body refining, she would return to Yashan to participate in the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly.

And now?

Jian Chou had cultivated and advanced all the way. At first, she could roughly estimate the time, but later, during comprehension, every snap of the fingers felt as long as a year, and Jian Chou’s sense of time inevitably became confused.

So…

Heaven knew how much time had passed!

This was bad…

Jian Chou suddenly felt a bit dumbfounded.

Could she still make it in time?

She felt that probably, maybe, perhaps, possibly… quite a lot of time had passed.

Better late than never!

Her body refining was now complete. The black wind had carved seventy percent black patterns on her bones, making them incredibly hard. Every gesture seemed to carry a very pure energy.

The trajectory of the black wind-patterned bones seemed somewhat similar to wind trajectories.

But if Jian Chou had to say exactly how they were similar, it would be extremely difficult.

Besides the black wind-patterned bones, her other greatest gain was those newly learned Dao Seals—

It could be said to be three.

The first: Fingertip Blade Aura;

The second: Searing Wind Entangling Fire;

The third: Ice Blade Frost Sword.

Each corresponded to the three levels after entering the Blackwind Cave.

If she had to continue counting, those two Dao Seals from Dragon Gate should also count.

Though Jian Chou hadn’t learned them, those two Dao Seals had been deeply imprinted in her mind, impossible to erase.

Calculating this way, this journey was already complete.

Even her cultivation had stabilized firmly in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and in this constant cultivation, she had reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection!

Time to go back.

Hopefully, she could still make it.

Jian Chou pulled an intact moon-white robe from her Qiankun Bag, draped it over herself, then summoned Ghost Axe and stepped on it to rush outside.

Coming in was against the wind, constantly worried about being blown away.

Leaving was with the wind.

The wind pushed her, and her speed was faster than her artifact flying, even able to catch up with the wind and wind blades that had started from the Blackwind Cave at the same time as her!

The various inscriptions on the stone walls became blurred after flashing past.

Jian Chou’s figure rapidly flew from the pitch-black Blackwind Cave, swift as lightning!

Countless wind blades crashed into the speeding Ghost Axe, immediately shattering into fragments of smoke.

For a moment, her ears were filled only with crackling sounds, the sound of breaking wind, and…

Gentle whimpering sounds.

This didn’t sound like wind in the Blackwind Cave, but rather like wind in forests, in mountains, on water surfaces, between cloud layers…

Gentle as silk and satin.

Wind like water, flowing through countless crevices in the cave walls, penetrating everywhere. The “whimpering” sounds mixed among all the noise were extremely faint, yet refreshing to the heart.

Whether her state of mind had changed, or because this time she was with the wind, or perhaps…

Because black wind had once carved the most graceful patterns on Jian Chou’s bones, at this moment, as she sped through the Blackwind Cave, she could sense their breathing and trajectories.

On these cave walls, originally, every stone was hard.

Years of black wind blowing had gradually formed unique holes, allowing the black wind to pass through these uniquely patterned holes while maintaining their basic integrity…

The creation of heaven and earth was just this miraculous.

In the wind, the patterns hidden within Jian Chou’s bones seemed to come alive all at once.

They began to flow, somewhat urgently.

Jian Chou could feel their agitation, and couldn’t help but wonder: what were they anxious about?

Originally clueless, she sped past a cave wall!

Those crevices again!

In Jian Chou’s mind, she suddenly recalled the Wind-Swallowing Stones she had picked up from the ground with Qian Que and others!

A small stone, yet like delicate filigree, with countless holes.

Wind passed through it…

Inspiration suddenly appeared.

Jian Chou felt like she had grasped…

For a moment, she forgot about artifact control, even forgot to circulate spiritual qi, relying entirely on the black wind behind her to push her body forward…

Twelve hundred feet, eleven hundred feet, one thousand feet…

Jian Chou flew lower and lower, her bewildered, wide-open eyes reflecting the approaching ground!

The next moment, she would crash!

Little Marten, lying on Jian Chou’s shoulder, was so frightened that it immediately hugged the Dijiang Guyu and shrieked: “Squeak squeak squeak!”

However…

Jian Chou turned a deaf ear.

Her eyes emitted a strange brilliance, and at the moment, she was about to crash into the ground and shatter—

She closed her eyes!

At this moment, she could see nothing.

Only countless strangely structured, ingeniously crafted holes, only that small Wind-Swallowing Stone from before, only the whimpering wind sounds around her!

All the pores and acupoints on her body opened completely in this instant!

The wind from the Blackwind Cave poured into her from all around, like pouring into a huge container, and like pouring into a Wind-Swallowing Stone, flowing out along some strange and mysterious route.

Wind blew from behind, but wasn’t blocked by Jian Chou’s body.

It passed through her body, as if her body had also become part of them!

In that instant, Jian Chou felt herself become light, like a leaf, like a petal of cloud…

Wind wrapped around her body, passed through her body.

And her body was also like wind itself!

Nearly perfect harmony!

Ghost Axe, uncontrolled, automatically shrank from under Jian Chou’s feet into a stream of light and entered her brow, yet she stepped on the wind, light as a feather.

She still had her eyes closed.

Wind supported her, wrapped around her, lifting her again.

Ahead was brilliant light.

That was—

The exit of the Blackwind Cave.

The moon hung in the sky like a round disc, its frosty white light covering the ground.

It also covered the brilliant Five Elements Life-Death Formation in front of the Blackwind Cave.

Layers of forest were dyed deep, another year’s deep autumn.

On the old pear tree in front of the Blackwind Cave, green pears already hung one after another, the small fruits looking extremely sour, perhaps because the season hadn’t arrived, or perhaps because the living environment was too harsh.

At this moment, on the cliff wall, it was densely packed with people.

The entanglement of “Yashan’s Jian Chou’s indiscriminate killing” had already spread throughout the Left Three Thousand of the Central Domain over these two years. Originally not a good thing, but after the Jianzhu Sect and two Yashan disciples blocked the cave entrance, waiting fruitlessly for two years, the bad thing had become a good thing.

How could a late Foundation Establishment female cultivator stay inside the cave for so long?

Two years?

Had she become a pile of bones, or was she trapped inside, unable to come out?

Or perhaps…

She had encountered some fortune inside?

…

Human curiosity was limitless.

Everyone discussed, yet everyone had no answers.

Just as the Jianzhu Sect said they would reopen the Blackwind Cave after seven days, those originally curious, wanting to watch the excitement but not daring to come, all came this time.

They stood uniformly on the cliff wall, staring fixedly at the scene below.

At closer positions, the Jianzhu Sect was on the left, Yashan on the right.

Yan Chensha and Qi Shaofeng both stared intently at the Blackwind Cave entrance.

The expression on Pan Qi’s face was excited to the extreme, all his attention focused on that great formation.

Spirit stones on the ground drew out streams of spiritual qi, forming countless mysterious lines.

The Five Elements Life-Death Formation continuously absorbed spiritual qi from the surroundings.

Once someone came out, they would be unavoidable, immediately crashing into this formation. After triggering, they would be trapped inside.

Then, wouldn’t Yashan’s eldest martial sister be at their mercy?

Looking at the expressions of those two from Yashan, they were like facing a great enemy!

Since coming to the Blackwind Cave, Pan Qi had never felt so satisfied. He could barely contain his laughter.

The entire situation outside the Blackwind Cave was ready to explode.

Just at this tense moment, a strange black wind suddenly swept out from inside the cave!

“Whoosh!”

Though the most active period of the Blackwind Cave had passed, the black wind had inexplicably grown much stronger, immediately causing flying sand and stones outside.

Everyone’s attention was drawn at this moment.

A Jianzhu Sect cultivator standing relatively close to the cave entrance could look straight inside. He vaguely saw a figure rushing out from the Blackwind Cave!

In this instant, his usually articulate speech became tangled!

“Co-co-co-coming out!”

Just as this person’s first syllable emerged, everyone on the entire cliff moved simultaneously!

Pan Qi couldn’t help but cry out in his heart, his face showing joy!

Coming out!

Finally coming out!

“Coming out!”

All of them seemed to hear that wind sound.

A moon-white figure, like a light cloud, floated out from the depths of the Blackwind Cave. Still inside, when they looked, not moving fast, yet in the blink of an eye, this figure had already appeared at the cave entrance!

Frosty white moonlight fell, sprinkling on this figure.

It was loose, moon-white long robes, seemingly casually and loosely draped, with a slender neck above showing bare, snow-white skin that seemed to glow in the night.

Soft, flowing black hair cascaded down, floating in the wind.

A woman had come, a very gentle and beautiful woman.

She was even barefoot.

Her toes pointed down, seeming to stand on tiptoe on the wind, with an ethereal beauty.

They were too far away to see her face.

But no one doubted her identity!

Jian Chou!

Yashan’s Jian Chou!

That Yashan martial grand-aunt who had disappeared for two years!

Seeing this figure, confirming her identity, countless Jianzhu Sect disciples almost cheered, nearly moved to tears!

Two years!

Two full years of waiting!

How many spirit stones had they spent? How many times had they hoped? How many times had they been disappointed?

Every time they were stretched thin, they gritted their teeth and swallowed their blood. Who knew the hardship of these two years sleeping in the open, unable to return to their sect?

But none of that mattered now!

The moment this figure appeared, none of it mattered!

Because they all knew that their spent spirit stones, countless hopes and disappointments, would all be rewarded in the next moment!

The Five Elements Life-Death Formation was right ahead!

On the cliff wall, Yan Chensha’s foot moved, his fingers gripping the xiao flute tightly, then his wrist turned!

Pan Qi also pressed his sword simultaneously, faintly standing with over ten Jianzhu Sect cultivators behind him, forming a pincer formation with Yan Chensha. But his gaze still fell almost crazily on that formation!

The fish was about to swim into the net!

Below the cliff, someone couldn’t bear this sudden shock, or rather surprise, and cried out.

But that moon-white figure approaching ahead showed no pause whatsoever.

As if she hadn’t heard this cry, as if she simply didn’t care.

Her slightly closed eyes curved in a long, narrow arc at the corners; her lips carried an indescribable smile, as if savoring some profound truth; her entire expression was as gentle and cold as the moonlight outside.

Her robes fluttered.

Barefoot like an immortal.

Not a speck of dust.

The brilliant robes finally appeared completely under the brilliant moonlight.

At this moment, the surroundings were silent, without a sound.

The bright moon hung in the sky, and she rode the wind out!

That wind surged wildly from the Blackwind Cave, like venting tides, rushing toward the huge and brilliant formation!

Jian Chou’s figure, carried by this wild wind, followed this gust toward the formation!

Wind swept past!

The person also swept past!

The formation couldn’t lock the wind, nor could it lock Jian Chou!

In that instant, everyone felt that the cold and beautiful female cultivator before them flashed like a startled swan.

“Boom!”

The moon-white figure brought wild wind like a swimming dragon!

Entering the formation!

She went in, she went in!

The Jianzhu Sect members immediately rejoiced madly, about to cheer loudly!

But the next moment, the scene they witnessed was like a mountain wall slapping down from the sky, directly crushing all their wild joy into bloody fragments!

That swimming dragon of wild wind, that figure, after entering the huge formation, encountered no obstruction whatsoever.

No expected brilliant light!

No expected violent attack!

No expected bloodshed!

…

Under everyone’s shocked gazes, that moon-white figure, bringing that wind dragon, just like that…

Just like that flew through!

Pan Qi’s mind buzzed, feeling he could hear nothing. In his eyes, in his mind, was only that image of the figure calmly passing through the formation like a white dragon!

“Passed… passed through?”

How was this possible?

Pan Qi, other Jianzhu Sect disciples, even including Yan Chensha, Qi Shaofeng…

All the cultivators in front of this Blackwind Cave, in this instant, couldn’t help but follow that figure with their gazes, looking up!

The wind dragon escaped the formation, mixed with the wind outside the cliff, immediately soaring high, flying toward the dark blue void above.

A silver disc illuminated her figure, her robes swaying. In the blink of an eye, she had gone far with the wind, disappearing.

Riding the wind under the moon, ethereal with immortal qi—I shall return!