The moment Zhong Anqi saw Chen Zhou, his mind froze as if witnessing the ultimate embodiment of terror. Before he could even react to Chen Zhou’s instantaneous advancement to the Life and Death Realm, his body was already trapped in an overwhelming pressure.
On his knees, Zhong Anqi slowly raised his head to look at Chen Zhou, his lips trembling without uttering a single word.
Beg for mercy?
Repent?
Apologize?
But hadn’t he also suffered?
He had no choice, had he?
Chen Zhou lowered his gaze slightly. His Star Meridian’s advancement and transformation had healed his wounds; five years of chronic injuries were washed away in an instant. His Body Technique Meridian rapidly repaired the bones that had been repeatedly broken and mended.
He rotated his neck, crouched down to face Zhong Anqi directly. His pitch-black eyes showed neither anger nor hatred, only cold detachment.
Lou Su of Tai Yi attempted to step forward to separate the two and take Zhong Anqi away, but was blocked by Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask. Ming Li glanced at Ye Yiyi, saying nothing, but this glance alone made Ye Yiyi’s heart turn cold.
Chen Zhou asked Zhong Anqi: “Have you ever regretted it?”
Light purple star lines contracted into a circle like fireflies dotting the area around them, forming a chain of stars. Zhong Anqi felt something invading his Heart Meridian and Spiritual Court Meridian. Invisible star lines connected to his Star Meridian, awaiting his answer.
Heart Meridian Advanced Spirit Technique: Self-Restraint.
The Spirit Technique Self-Restraint could sense the Heart Meridian and Spiritual Court Meridian of the trapped person, determining whether their responses and words were true or false. It wasn’t an offensive technique, but was extremely difficult to cultivate and could only be used on one target at a time.
If the answer was false, the trapped person would be pierced by countless star lines and die in a shower of blood, and even the caster couldn’t stop it.
Chen Zhou primarily cultivated the Heart Meridian, just like Qu Zhuyue, and had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Crystal realm in the Heart Meridian. When his spiritual energy was restrained, unlike Qu Zhuyue, who concealed killing intent with gentleness, Chen Zhou revealed an untamed wildness while harboring inner resilience.
Zhong Anqi hadn’t awakened his Heart Meridian, but he knew this was the Self-Restraint technique and understood that if he spoke falsely, he would immediately die in a spray of blood.
For this friend, Chen Zhou gave one last chance.
If Zhong Anqi had ever regretted his decision to step on Chen Zhou to escape the Heavenly Pit as promised to Cui Yuanxi during these years, then Self-Restraint’s killing mechanism wouldn’t be triggered.
Regret?
Zhong Anqi asked himself, his gaze trembling, his expression even somewhat bewildered as he looked at Chen Zhou.
They had become friends because of certain similarities.
Chen Zhou was the senior disciple of Gleaming Light Academy, with the Bei Dou Gleaming Light Academy Master, who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pilgrims, as his master.
Zhong Anqi was the only disciple of the Tai Yi Pilgrim, the senior disciple of Tai Yi.
Both their masters had a pair of children whom they, as senior disciples, protected as they grew up.
But Zhong Anqi and Chen Zhou were fundamentally different.
Under Chen Zhou’s calm, indifferent gaze, Zhong Anqi opened his mouth: “I… have regretted it…”
He could not become someone like Chen Zhou, but perhaps someone as kind and resilient as Chen Zhou would ultimately soften and forgive him?
As soon as his words fell, before the people of Tai Yi could even react, countless bloodstained star lines erupted from Zhong Anqi’s body, tearing him apart.
With his head raised, his eyes still held a hopeful, expectant look toward Chen Zhou, but soon he was covered in blood, his features unrecognizable, and he collapsed to the ground with his unrealistic fantasies.
“Senior Brother!” Ye Yiyi cried out in alarm, wanting to go to him, but was stopped by Zhen Su. Once Self-Restraint was activated, no one could stop it. The blame fell on Zhong Anqi for lying.
The question Chen Zhou posed to Zhong Anqi guaranteed his death.
“Bei Dou not only injured Saint Ye, but also killed Saint Ye’s disciple in front of so many people! Such insolence truly shows no regard for Tai Yi and the rest of us!” said the Vice President of First Line Red, wiping his sweat while expressing indignation.
Ming Li ignored the dead Zhong Anqi and turned to the Tai Yi group, asking Ye Yiyi: “As the master of the western merchant guild, don’t you have anything to say?”
Ye Yiyi stared blankly at Zhong Anqi, who had collapsed with his body riddled with holes from the star lines, her mind unable to process anything else.
“Since Saint Ye isn’t dead, the master of the merchant guild is naturally still Saint Ye,” President Qing Chuan stepped forward and said. “Capture all these slaves, don’t let a single one escape.”
The slaves who had hoped for a full meal were instantly surrounded by the merchant guild’s guards. The slave who had helped carry Ye Fengming out still didn’t understand what was happening and looked toward Ye Yiyi, asking: “We don’t need to walk anymore?”
He didn’t get an answer before being kicked back to join the other slaves.
Ming Li knew the merchant guild people would be difficult to deal with, but didn’t expect the Ye siblings to be so useless.
Someone attempted to capture Gu San and Wen Su, but as they approached, they had their throats cut by flying petals and leaves. Chen Zhou raised his hand, and slender leaves floated and froze in midair.
He said, “I, too, just came out as a slave from inside. Are you suggesting you want to capture me as well?”
President Jin Can smiled: “You aren’t, but the two you just saved are. Bei Dou has interfered with merchant guild affairs multiple times, deepening our grudge. Don’t be hasty.”
“Everyone knows what the Earth Ghosts represent on the continent, yet you collaborated with them in Nan Que. Perhaps your ability to resurrect also came from some deal with the undying Earth Ghosts,” President Qing Chuan looked at Ming Li. “As the continent’s only Pilgrim capable of slaying Earth Ghosts, making deals with them out of greed for immortality is dishonorable.”
Chen Zhou glanced at this person: “It seems those who can work under Ye Yuanqing are all cut from the same cloth.”
Ming Li smiled at President Qing Chuan: “You seem very curious about why I can resurrect. How about this—you die first, then I’ll tell you.”
President Qing Chuan said, “Even if you kill me, the world’s perception of Bei Dou has changed. You are no longer the Pilgrim everyone praised as the strongest.”
Zhen Su also said, “Tonight, you’ve provoked public anger. Saint Ye’s reputation in the west has attracted many cultivators. You can’t leave with your people.”
“Is that so?” Ming Li lowered her gaze, writing a message on a communication talisman. “I’d like to see whether you’ll bury me in the west, or all die by my hand.”
She released the talisman into the air. Someone tried to intercept it but was pinned down by Chen Zhou’s flying leaves. The talisman disappeared into the night sky.
“Before that…” Ming Li beckoned, and far away in Bei Dou, the Divine Wood Bow hummed in response to her summons, instantly appearing across thousands of miles.
The faces of the western cultivators changed. Without anyone giving orders, they tacitly attacked Ming Li together.
Tai Yi, the three major merchant guilds, the merchant guild’s martial academy and guard squad, as well as some individual cultivators—the black shadows flying toward Ming Li were like a curtain blocking the moon above. The massive gathering of star power instantly shattered the Sky Wall protection standing before the Bei Dou group.
Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask each blocked one faction. The suspended, frozen flying leaves cut like sharp blades. Chen Zhou’s Divine Crystal illusion technique expanded its range. Lou Su, who also cultivated the Heart Meridian, countered with flying flowers and leaves, dispelling the illusion.
As pressure and killing intent collided in the sky, Zhou Zixi, in the distance, raised his hand. Black incantation characters danced at his fingertips, and star lines appeared out of thin air like a spider web. Those who flew past without noticing were cut and fell to the ground.
When Ming Li grasped the Divine Wood Bow, withered bones bent and sprouted green vines that extended along the ground, surrounding the entire Heavenly Pit area. She broke the Divine Wood Bow in two and planted the pieces in front of the mountain cave. Transparent bowstrings guided the vines up the entire mountain, devouring all life and binding tightly.
Before the star line spider web was cut apart, Ming Li flicked a vine leaf toward the attacking black shadows, carrying the power of her Divine Weapon to repel them all.
After landing, Zhen Su and others stared in shock at the entire mountain entwined by the Divine Wood Bow.
Ming Li said, “As long as I’m alive, no one will step into the Heavenly Pit again.”
The merchant guild people’s expressions turned extremely ugly at these words.
Tai Yi might still want to go inside to rescue Ye Yuanqing, but everyone had heard Ye Yiyi say that Ye Yuanqing had severed seven of his meridians—even if rescued, he would be crippled. The Bei Dou Pilgrim wasn’t a bodhisattva either. She had come with such force, clearly for revenge. Even if rescued, she wouldn’t let Ye Yuanqing live.
So what the merchant guild people cared about most was the fire crystal jade inside the Heavenly Pit.
People could be rescued, and Ming Li wanted to kill them, but the fire crystal jade had to be obtained.
But Ming Li had sealed the Heavenly Pit with the Divine Wood Bow, cutting off the three major merchant guilds and Tai Yi’s most important source of goods. Tonight’s battle would have to be fought to the death to resolve this.
Ming Li caught the falling vine leaf with her fingertip, the heat from her hand instantly igniting it to ashes. She stepped forward through the dense killing intent that could not stop her.
Because of the battle intent gradually revealing itself in her eyes.
*
The Divine Wood Bow’s movements were always related to Ming Li, and now almost everyone across the continent was paying attention to her whereabouts. Those who had previously lost track of Ming Li now realized she had gone west.
On the peak of Border Mountain, not far from the west, two people looked westward.
Yuan Lu held the reins of a black horse and sighed: “Ye Yuanqing is gone. She’s formidable.”
The white-robed scholar spoke gently: “If you hadn’t sought her out for a duel, making Ye Yuanqing wary and overly cautious, coupled with his fear of Ming Li, his constrained mindset wouldn’t have led to this outcome.”
“The way you put it, it sounds like I’m the one who got our Saint Ye killed?” Yuan Lu turned to look at him with a playful smile.
Shu Sheng shook his head slightly.
“If we’re being honest, both Cui Yaocen and Ye Yuanqing were jealous of her talent. Song Tianjiu and I weren’t jealous, but we were a bit afraid because of her overwhelming strength. As for Xiang An’ge, it’s not that he isn’t afraid, but he has a good relationship with Ming Li, so there’s no need.”
Yuan Lu looked at Shu Sheng curiously: “Among all the Pilgrims, only you neither envy nor fear her.”
Shu Sheng asked: “Why should I fear?”
Yuan Lu: “Are you confident you could defeat her?”
Shu Sheng continued: “Do you think she’s confident she can fight her way back to Bei Dou from half the cultivators in the west?”
Yuan Lu rubbed his chin: “I think she probably doesn’t have that confidence right now. There are too many uncertain factors. For instance, if we released Cui Yaocen, her chance of victory would drop to one-tenth.”
“But she’s still not afraid.” Shu Sheng’s voice was as smooth as jade, devoid of joy or sorrow, yet extremely pleasant to hear, involuntarily calming one’s mind to listen. “There’s no need to fear someone who knows no fear.”
Yuan Lu looked up at the sky as he listened, seemingly rolling his eyes slightly, mumbling: “I feel like you two would make a good match—neither of you fears death.”
“Cultivation is difficult; dying easily would be too wasteful.” Shu Sheng seemed to laugh softly. As he turned, the Mirage Sea array’s star lines appeared in his eyes.
Yuan Lu crushed the array’s anchor point with one step, glancing as Shu Sheng raised his hand to dispel all the Qi Circulation incantations in the array. Yuan Lu was secretly surprised—for some reason, he felt this person had grown stronger again.
With eight meridians already at their peak, what else could be cultivated?
Cui Yaocen, full of resentment, walked out from the void, wielding the Divine Weapon longsword with obvious killing intent. However, she stopped because of Shu Sheng and Yuan Lu, only saying venomously: “Where is Ming Li?”
“In the west. She just killed Ye Yuanqing and is now battling cultivators from Tai Yi and the merchant guilds,” Yuan Lu pointed for her, then added as Cui Yaocen was about to rush westward, “Hey! I advise you not to go. If you go, you might just help her break through to the next realm.”
Cui Yaocen paused, looking back at Yuan Lu as if asking what nonsense he was speaking.
Yuan Lu spread his hands: “I’m serious. If you feel unsatisfied, why not go directly to Bei Dou? After all, that’s where she’s trying to return to.”
Cui Yaocen laughed coldly: “My Nan Que has been reduced to this state by her. Do you think I can be content?”
Yuan Lu shrugged: “You also turned her junior sister into a puppet and attacked the thirty-nine people of Bei Dou, exposing yourself. She’s not content either. If you go now and help Ming Li break through, she could come back and destroy your entire Nan Que.”
Cui Yaocen’s expression grew extremely gloomy as she listened. Yuan Lu continued: “Besides, she’s taken your brother away. She might have brought him back to Bei Dou and turned him into a puppet, too. Aren’t you going to rescue your brother first?”
He was lying, and Shu Sheng didn’t expose him.
Cui Yaocen asked: “Why can she advance so quickly?”
Even before, it took her six years to fully advance one meridian. Now, in less than a year, she’s almost breaking through to the next realm.
“Hard to say. When fighting Pilgrims, her Star Meridian seems able to learn and adapt from the Pilgrim’s Star Meridian. If I’m at the peak, it will find a way to reach the peak too,” Yuan Lu shook his head regretfully. “Why do such good things always happen to her?”
He held up his fingers to count: “I fight her once, and directly send her to the peak of six meridians!”
Cui Yaocen looked at him speechlessly—how dare you even mention that?
After hearing Yuan Lu’s words, Cui Yaocen calmed down slightly. The moment she was trapped in the Mirage Sea, she realized it was her underestimation that led to this. Now she wouldn’t dare relax her vigilance toward Ming Li in the slightest.
Cui Yaocen looked toward Bei Dou, her figure flickering before disappearing from Border Peak.
*
Far away in Wu Fang Kingdom, Xiang An’ge had just removed the medicinal cloth from Qing Ying. The puppet’s cracks had completely disappeared, and as he gazed thoughtfully at her face, gradually regaining its color, a spirit substitute ran in, gesturing wildly and repeatedly handing him cards with intelligence reports.
Xiang An’ge read them and clicked his tongue softly.
Five years ago, no one expected Ming Li would die in the Northern Ghost Wilderness. Xiang An’ge had also thought she could handle it.
After pondering, Xiang An’ge made a decision and told Qing Ying, “I need to go out for a while.”
The person sitting on the bed slowly nodded.
Xiang An’ge added: “You can practice controlling your body by writing at the table. The spirit substitutes will watch over you and prepare everything you need. Just write down what you want, they can understand.”
Qing Ying nodded again.
“If you feel tired, stop. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Only after feeling there was nothing more to instruct did Xiang An’ge turn to leave.
He didn’t go west either, but to Bei Dou.
*
Dong Yeshou, sitting under the eaves in contemplation, saw the Divine Wood Bow depart. Soon after, Ming Li’s communication talisman arrived in his hand.
Looking at the words on the talisman, he gently caressed it, smiling somewhat helplessly.
The children who once sat with him under the eaves in contemplation had all grown up.
Dong Yeshou took out a jade hairpin from his bosom. The white jade was translucent. He pointed at it, breaking the hairpin, and from within floated a black character, which he sent westward.
He put away the broken hairpin and rose to welcome three rare guests approaching Bei Dou.