“What’s your name?” The blind old man asked, suppressing his excitement. “What’s your relationship with this little mute?”
Dong Yeyun knelt on the ground, bound by ethereal chains rising from the earth. Hearing the question, he frowned and looked up.
Before Ming Li could answer, the blind old man couldn’t contain his excitement and asked in succession: “What’s your connection to Dong Yeshou?”
“And what about Chang Yu Su?”
“Why are star power attacks ineffective against you? You’re not at the Eight Meridian Completion stage, yet you possess the pressure of someone who is… Are you Chang Yu Su’s daughter? That face… I can’t be wrong. You must have some connection with Chang Yu Su!”
Ming Li listened with slightly furrowed brows, her gaze turning toward Dong Yeyun, who struggled to shake his head at her.
“Answer me now!”
The blind old man held a star thread wrapped around Dong Yeyun’s neck. One light pull and his head would fall to the ground.
The blind old man thought this would put Ming Li under his control, but Ming Li merely smiled, her bright black eyes devoid of any humor.
The onlookers watched tensely. At some point, the ground had become covered with dense star threads that flashed past, layering upon each other as if reaching the sky, yet they only penetrated the blind old man himself.
High-Level Eight Meridian Formation: Xing Tian.
It was the highest-level containment formation, formless and shadowless, with imperceptible boundaries, yet ever-present like a shadow. Only death could allow escape.
Xing Tian combined various attack elements, involving techniques from all eight meridians.
The blind old man was bound by star threads and couldn’t move. His heart shook with disbelief that she could complete such a high-level, large-scale formation so silently. When had she started?
Could she have been laying the formation since her battle with Shu Sheng?
The blind old man couldn’t comprehend Ming Li’s formation-creation speed, as he had never heard of the continent’s youngest pilgrim.
After the initial shock, his heart filled with wild joy and rising battle intent. He unleashed powerful star energy, trying to break free from the bindings, even hoping to provoke Ming Li into fighting him with all her strength.
So the blind old man snapped the star thread in his hand.
Nothing happened.
Ming Li, passing by in a flash, glanced at him with the corner of her eye. The blind old man saw in his mind’s eye the star thread in her hand, realizing he had fallen for her Heart Meridian technique. The same ethereal technique had imperceptibly switched the star thread in his hand, making a fool of him.
When had it happened? The blind old man couldn’t tell. The star thread in his hand shattered into segments that transformed into blades rushing toward him, forcing him to sever his arm to escape the Xing Tian formation’s binding and retreat several steps.
Ming Li crushed the chains binding Dong Yeyun and turned back to look at the blind old man.
Xiang An’ge released Qing Ying, watching as she and Chen Zhou flashed to Dong Yeyun’s side. His gaze fell thoughtfully on Ming Li.
He had once seen Ming Li fight with Cui Yaocen. Cui Yaocen, like Ye Yuanqing, typically used sword techniques, and in terms of swordsmanship, was probably superior to Ye Yuanqing, as Ye Yuanqing’s trump card was his divine miracle ability, “Heart Piercer.”
But Ming Li didn’t limit herself to any particular weapon, nor did she concern herself with specific star meridians.
Although pilgrims had completed all eight meridians, everyone was the same—they usually had only one or two meridians they had mastered to perfection. Pilgrims might have more than ordinary people, but the eight meridians always had relative strengths and weaknesses.
For example, Cui Yaocen primarily cultivated the Thunderous Roar Meridian, Shu Sheng was strongest in the Circulation Qi Meridian, and Yuan Lu in the Body Techniques Meridian. The divine miracle abilities they awakened upon breakthrough were all related to their strongest star meridians.
Although Xiang An’ge’s Yin Meridian was dominant, the divine miracle ability he awakened was the healing technique of the dual Yin-Yang Meridians.
This was a cruel and mocking divine miracle ability for someone who wished all humans dead.
During Ming Li’s confrontation with Cui Yaocen, she fought genuinely, making the watching pilgrims realize something.
Her strength in the eight meridians seemed unlimited. When using your strongest star meridian against her, you would find her star power even more dominant than yours.
Logically, as fellow pilgrims who had all reached the peak of the eight meridian boundaries, their powers should be comparable, yet Ming Li’s strength seemed to transcend the Eight Meridian Completion stage. Pilgrims fighting against her would feel a subtle sense of oppression.
The feeling was like standing before a mountain—even though you had reached the summit, you still couldn’t cross over it.
Xiang An’ge glanced at Shu Sheng. Though he couldn’t see the expression beneath the mask, he was certain Shu Sheng was also watching Ming Li. While he didn’t know the identity of the old pilgrim before them, he was sure Shu Sheng had arranged this.
Although Shu Sheng wanted to see Ming Li break through and make a new choice, he was unwilling to help her break through himself.
Xiang An’ge understood clearly that Shu Sheng didn’t fear Ming Li, nor did he like her.
If Ming Li broke through but still didn’t give Shu Sheng a satisfactory answer, only then would he take action.
Xiang An’ge couldn’t help recalling what Yuan Lu had said earlier—that Shu Sheng seemed stronger than before, at the peak of the Eight Meridian Completion stage, yet still growing stronger.
“There’s no need to fixate on these questions. She is indeed Dong Yeshou’s daughter.”
Shu Sheng spoke up, breaking the deadlock and explaining to the blind old man: “She broke through at sixteen to become Tong Gu Continent’s youngest pilgrim. Five years ago, after a battle with the Wandering Tribe in the Northern Ghost Plains, she disappeared and was presumed dead, only to reappear this year.”
…Who died?
Dong Yeyun, just rising from the ground, had blood from his broken head flowing into his eyes. With blurred vision, he looked toward Ming Li.
“Sixteen years old… Eight Meridian Completion at sixteen…” The blind old man stared at Ming Li, muttering, his remaining hand trembling. “Then what did you see when you broke through? What you saw must have been different from us. And what did your mother tell you? Tell me quickly!”
Ming Li glanced at Shu Sheng, who said: “You should have heard of him, the pilgrim your father challenged when he entered the capital.”
Now, Shu Sheng explained to both sides, telling the blind old man, “She doesn’t remember some information from after her breakthrough. The truth you seek can only be answered if she breaks through again.”
“Besides her immunity to star power attacks, her star meridians also learn and improve to match the level of her opponent’s star meridians.”
At this point, the blind old man understood Shu Sheng’s meaning and showed intense interest in the final statement.
“So that’s it… That’s it!” The blind old man trembled with excitement. “Such a thing is unheard of! You truly are special! What you know must be different from what I know. I spent decades down there observing the heavens with my mind’s eye, but I never heard that voice again. I will make you break through again, and you must tell me, you must tell me what it said!”
With his excited words, the ground suddenly opened into countless black eyes. They conveyed a sense of solemn majesty, with overwhelming star power targeting Ming Li alone.
When the centers of the black eyes transformed into vertical pupils emitting golden light, a piercing sound filled the sky. People standing on the ground rapidly retreated to seek higher ground. Xiang An’ge flashed away with Qing Ying and Dong Yeyun, while Chen Zhou took Zhou Caicai to the palace wall.
Shu Sheng went to take Fang Hui away, his sidelong glance sweeping toward Princess Chang Xi, seeing that she and Qian Li had each retreated.
Although the blind old man’s Circulating Qi Meridian had been crippled, he was still at the Eight Meridian Completion stage. Now with seven meridians fully activated, he burned his essence to concentrate all his power into this single strike, all to force Ming Li to break through and tell him what she had seen.
The black eyes rose from the ground, surrounding Ming Li in layers. All eyes were fixed on her.
Ming Li stood motionless in the eye of the storm, her expression calm as she raised her head to look at these celestial eyes.
*
Many streets in the capital had fallen into chaos tonight, but this area was isolated by a formation that allowed entry but no exit. The boundary line was silently buried in the snow, showing no visible anomaly.
People wearing white masks surrounded a shadow. Snowflakes passed through his silhouette. Even as a shadow, Zhou Zixi didn’t want to be captured so easily.
He flashed from the ground to a higher building. Qiu Lang, carrying a staff blade, stood below, looking up at Zhou Zixi: “You’ve perfected the Ghost Tribe’s shadow technique, but that’s all you’ve got. If we weren’t ordered to capture the shadow rather than scatter it and send it back, do you think you could run around for even a few more rounds?”
Zhou Zixi smiled down at Qiu Lang below: “Running circles around a dog like you? Anytime.”
Qiu Lang smiled too, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He held his staff blade with one hand, resting it on the ground, and glanced at Wu Liangli, who was still setting up a formation: “Are you deliberately stalling for time?”
Wu Liangli was surrounded by star threads, her ten fingers entwined with black cursed runes as she adjusted the formation. Without looking up, she replied: “I don’t have Zixi’s formation-laying speed. I’m a bit rusty after not fighting for so long. If you’re in a hurry, do it yourself.”
Qiu Lang gave an almost imperceptible snort and flashed upward to pursue Zhou Zixi.
The two engaged with fully activated Body Technique Meridians. The staff blade struck repeatedly within an inch of Zhou Zixi, slicing off roof tiles with continuous cracking sounds.
Two more white-masked Ghost Tribe members joined the battle, using their Thunderous Roar and Heavy Eyes Meridians to restrict Zhou Zixi’s movement.
“After staying in North Star for so long, is this all you’re capable of?”
Qiu Lang drove Zhou Zixi back with a slash. His eyes flashed red, and the Eight Demon Eyes sealed Zhou Zixi’s Circulating Qi Meridian. Simultaneously, he activated the Thunderous Roar Meridian’s Final Barrier, depriving Zhou Zixi of the ability to hear star power, making his movements sluggish and unable to anticipate the attacks of the other two white masks.
All spiritual techniques were activated simultaneously. The ability to use multiple techniques from different star meridians at once proved his Spiritual Court and Yang Meridians were extremely powerful.
With the three working together, Zhou Zixi was struck from above and crashed to the ground, creating a deep crater. Just as he tried to retract his shadow, he was denied, unable to connect with his body outside the formation, and fell heavily.
As a shadow, Zhou Zixi had infused himself with both Yin and Yang Meridians, making himself nearly solid so he could touch Ming Li, braid her hair, cook for her—and consequently, he could feel pain.
This impact left his entire form with fracture marks, resembling Qing Ying’s former puppet state.
Zhou Zixi half-sat up against a wall. From the corner of his eye, he saw black runes moving along the star threads binding his hands and feet. He slowly raised his head to look ahead.
Wu Liangli spread her hands toward him: “Sorry.”
This shattered light restraint formation was specifically designed to counter the Ghost Tribe.
Qiu Lang landed and stepped on Zhou Zixi’s shoulder, pressing him back. He drove his staff blade through the back of Zhou Zixi’s hand and leaned in with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile: “How many more circles will you run now?”
Zhou Zixi smiled mockingly: “You’re not worthy.”
“You talk too much.” Qiu Lang pressed down hard on his shoulder, staring at Zhou Zixi, who now couldn’t use star power and had all four limbs bound. He returned the mockery: “I thought you were living so well in North Star that you’d forgotten your own identity, but in the end, didn’t you still seek help from the Ghost Tribe?”
“If it hadn’t been for your senior sister’s arrow back then, catching you wouldn’t have been so easy.”
Zhou Zixi lifted his eyelids slightly to look at him.
Qiu Lang asked softly: “What’s that look for?”
“Did I bring up painful memories? Well, sorry about that. Anyway, you’re just a heartless beast now who knows nothing of feelings, so it probably doesn’t matter if I bring up more of your painful past.”
Zhou Zixi said lazily: “You can only vent your pathetic self in this way.”
Qiu Lang pressed down on his staff blade, cutting off Zhou Zixi’s fingers one by one, watching cracks appear on his face. He smiled: “Let me tell you what true misery is. It’s being abandoned by both humans and the Ghost Tribe, becoming a monster that no one in this world will accept, that everyone calls to kill.”
“When you’re no longer useful, we’ll send you back to North Star and watch you mindlessly slaughter your former sect mates.”
“I hear you like Ming Li. If she breaks through to become a pilgrim, she’ll eventually walk the path of killing the Ghost Tribe. At that time, whether you kill her or she kills you, the most pitiful will still be you.”
Zhou Zixi listened to every word, his face still showing no emotional fluctuation, his gaze at Qiu Lang remaining cold with a hint of mockery.
Qiu Lang found his reaction somewhat boring and put away his staff blade, shouldering it: “Forget it, why am I arguing with a shadow? We’ll talk more when we get back.”
As the other two white-masked Ghost Tribe members approached Zhou Zixi, the street suddenly filled with different star power pressures, making Qiu Lang and the others pause slightly.
As Qiu Lang turned back, his peripheral vision had already caught sight of three figures appearing on the street. One of them stood up and unhurriedly said:
“Hey, you’re trying to take my junior brother away right in front of me. Did you ask for my permission?”
*
The night was gloomy. The formation surrounding the street area had dispersed the night fog, and streetlights cast long shadows on the walls.
Liang Junxia stood on the street wall. Below the wall stood Liu Zhuo and Hong Xiu, who had mistakenly entered the formation.
The two below looked at Zhou Zixi, who was being stepped on by Qiu Lang. They had met Zhou Zixi and Qing Ying before, knowing he was a disciple of North Star since Dong Yeyun had brought him out.
Liu Zhuo and Hong Xiu had once tried to find Zhou Zixi and Qing Ying to ask about Dong Yeyun’s whereabouts, only to learn that Qing Ying had died and Zhou Zixi had disappeared.
Seeing him again now, they hadn’t expected it to be under such circumstances.
Liang Junxia had originally gone to watch Chang Hanhe, but when he arrived, Chang Hanhe was already in the palace. So he waited outside his mansion for him to return. When night fell and there was still no sign of him, Liang Junxia was attracted by the unusual formation that had been deployed on a distant street.
Initially, he had just sent a wind-stealing bird to investigate, only rushing over after capturing a glimpse of Zhou Zixi.
Liu Zhuo and Hong Xiu, meanwhile, had been out investigating matters related to Liang Pingshan when they were coincidentally trapped within the formation. Following the center of the star power collision, they arrived and revealed themselves upon discovering Zhou Zixi.
Qiu Lang looked at these three intruders with obvious hostility and glanced at Wu Liangli: “You didn’t even know there were other people in here?”
Wu Liangli spread her hands: “It doesn’t matter.”
Except for one who had broken in.
Qiu Lang gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, scanning Liang Junxia, then looking at Liu Zhuo and Hong Xiu: “He’s a fellow disciple from North Star. What’s your relationship with him?”
Liu Zhuo unsheathed his sword and said: “Friend.”
“Friend? How novel.” As Qiu Lang spoke, his eyes filled with killing intent. He looked at Liang Junxia, “Whether or not I can take your junior brother—I decide.”