The so-called “next life,” the so-called “reincarnation”…

After experiencing that journey through the Extreme Domain, Jian Chou gradually gained some understanding in her heart. Just as the master of that small house had wondered: was there truly a “next life” in this world?

Even if reincarnation existed in the world, its rules would make a person become a blank slate again, losing all memories of the past, even possessing entirely new experiences and temperaments…

In that case, where would Xie Buchen still be Xie Buchen?

The vengeance she pursued, the hatred she pursued, would have no foundation to stand on.

Therefore, the next life was a place she could never pursue, and moreover a place she would never pursue.

…

She gazed at this silver lock in her palm for a long time, from day to night.

Until the cool moon in this realm climbed to the window edge, Jian Chou finally withdrew her gaze. Her spread fingers slowly closed, and the silver lock that had lain in her palm for so long disappeared without a trace, along with the gradually vanishing cold smile and boiling killing intent at her lips.

But she knew very clearly in her heart…

All memories and hatred were actually carved somewhere in old times, never to disappear.

Jian Chou closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again, leaving only peace and calmness in her pupils.

Beneath her feet was a zhang of moonlight.

She looked down briefly, then laughed softly and walked to the window where the moonlight streamed in.

Everything about this inn showed meticulous craftsmanship.

The dwelling was built on the island’s heights. Standing at this window, one could overlook the scenery below—the green trees on the island, the vague outline of the lake shore, the long walkway she had taken when arriving, the heavy mist that wouldn’t disperse over the lake, and also…

A moon.

A frost-white moon.

Because the lake’s mist remained below without rising to the high sky, and there wasn’t a trace of cloud above, it appeared very clear. Even the edge’s outline and the shadows on the moon were crystal clear.

It could be called beautiful.

However…

What moon in the world could compare with Yashan’s moon?

Riding wind, cranes return to the well; practicing martial arts, beasts trapped in the field;

Clouds emerge from Yashan’s path, rivers flow past thousand cultivation tombs.

Platform perilous, hands pluck stars; hall high, people embrace moon;

Test your sword-drawing once, then sheath it atop when done!

“Draw the sword…”

Gazing like this, Jian Chou’s eyes finally showed some warm tenderness. So in the instant when the clear breeze came, she extended her right hand toward the void outside the window!

“Crack!”

The cloudless night sky was instantly split by an astonishingly bright azure streak!

Like brilliant sword light, like a sharpened blade edge, like a swimming dragon flying down from the nine heavens—this was actually a azure lightning bolt!

Thunder message!

She pinched it between two fingers, holding this lightning between her fingertips. Simultaneously, spiritual consciousness rushed from her spiritual platform, and in the blink of an eye, ethereal words like smoke and clouds merged into the lightning.

“To Master Fudao Shanren with respect…”

Her pinched fingers gently released.

This azure lightning regained its freedom, rushing like a mad dragon into the heavy mist, disappearing in an instant.

Night, Yashan.

Thin, cold moonlight spread across the broad Lingzhao Peak.

The Sword-Drawing Platform still stood tall at one end of Lingzhao Peak, supported by the nameless rusted sword, thirty zhang above ground, casting a heavy shadow on the earth. It wasn’t yet the month for cranes to return—Crane Return Well only had shallow ripples left by passing breezes, some disciples’ unread wind, rain, and thunder messages, and in the corner, a lone sleeping…

Fat goose.

“Swoosh, swoosh”—two sounds of breaking air came.

Two faint magical treasure glows, trailing vague light tails, quickly approached and almost simultaneously landed on either side of Lingzhao Peak.

Though still some distance apart, the two people instantly recognized each other and called out greetings.

“Fourth Senior Brother.”

“Little Junior Brother.”

One wore white robes with ancient cloud patterns on the hem, with a peach blossom climbing diagonally from the sleeve opening—truly a graceful appearance.

The other was short in stature with a slightly plump build, lively eyes, and indeed somewhat cute innocence.

These were Fudao Shanren’s fourth disciple Shen Jiu and eighth disciple Jiang He.

The two had gone to different places several days ago to handle matters, but unexpectedly both returned tonight. Both were somewhat surprised.

Little fatty Jiang He walked toward Shen Jiu, blinking in confusion: “Fourth Senior Brother, didn’t you go to Wangjiang Tower and Kunwu? How did you return so quickly?”

Shen Jiu pursed his lips, also taking two steps forward and rolling his eyes: “Going to Wangjiang Tower takes no effort. But at Kunwu, that old monster Hengxu—when he heard our master was in closed-door cultivation and couldn’t go, tsk, his face turned as black as a pot bottom!”

“This…”

Jiang He couldn’t interject.

Recently, another Left Three Thousand Minor Assembly was approaching.

As the current Central Domain’s Enforcement Elder, Hengxu Zhenren naturally had to handle all related matters. Kunwu and Yashan were especially crucial to the assembly.

The executive elders of the top five sects had been gathered at Kunwu’s main peak these past two days to discuss assembly matters.

But unfortunately…

Another pillar of the Nineteen Continents—their master who only knew how to eat chicken legs—very disrespectfully… went into closed-door cultivation.

Jiang He still remembered that before entering closed-door cultivation, this “renowned throughout the Nineteen Continents” Yashan elder sat beside Crane Return Well, looking at the needle-like wind messages, water-drop-like rain messages, and snake-like flickering thunder messages in the well.

His left hand held a greasy chicken leg while his right hand repeatedly petted that fat goose, chattering incessantly.

“What if those brats cultivate faster than me?”

“Watch this mountain man when I come out of closed-door cultivation—I’ll fix you all good!”

“Hmph, if that turtle Hengxu asks where this mountain man went, just say I’m in closed-door cultivation, ignoring worldly affairs. When will I emerge? Heaven knows.”

“Oh right, while this mountain man is in closed-door cultivation, remember to feed my pills properly. This fat goose—I’ve raised it so many years without bearing to eat it…”

“Silly goose, really now.”

“You’ve eaten a dozen spiritual pills—why can’t you become a spirit?”

…

Well, in their master’s eyes and heart, how could a mere Kunwu First Seat Hengxu Zhenren compare to his precious big white goose?

Thinking this, Jiang He looked up at the sky speechlessly and mourned silently for the highly respected Hengxu Zhenren.

However, the topic needed changing.

He coughed and looked once in the direction Shen Jiu had returned from: “Hengxu Zhenren has always been helpless with Master, so no need to worry about it. But when I returned from the Chan Sect, I received a message from Fifth Senior Brother…”

“Old Fifth?”

Shen Jiu was immediately stunned and greatly surprised.

“I thought he died outside! He still remembers to send you a message?!”

“…”

Although Fifth Senior Brother Bai Yin, like Seventh Senior Brother Yu Zhifei, had wandered outside for many years without returning to Yashan for nearly a century, their life tablets were safely placed there without any problems!

How could this lead to assuming they were dead?

Jiang He didn’t even have the energy to roll his eyes. He just glanced at the exaggerating Shen Jiu and twitched his mouth: “Fifth Senior Brother is currently in tomorrow’s Star Sea…”

“Also in tomorrow’s Star Sea?”

Before Jiang He could finish speaking, Shen Jiu suddenly raised his eyebrows in surprise and interrupted.

Jiang He was immediately confused: “Also?”

“Kunwu’s Wang Que is currently in tomorrow’s Star Sea.” Shen Jiu quickly explained. “When I was leaving Kunwu this evening, I saw Wuduan receive a thunder message, so I asked. He said it was a thunder message from his fourth junior brother Wang Que, who was in tomorrow’s Star Sea and would return soon.”

“Ah, really?”

Though Jiang He was still at late-stage Golden Core without advancing, his mind was extremely sharp. In this instant, his mouth opened wide.

Shen Jiu frowned: “What did Junior Brother Bai Yin’s letter say?”

“He said he was there, originally planning to return directly, but recently there’s been news circulating there…” Jiang He paused here, seeming somewhat hesitant, looking up at Shen Jiu. “The Night Sailing Ship apparently captured Zuoliu and is holding him near Raven Crossing.”

“Zuoliu?!”

In this instant, Shen Jiu’s voice rose sharply, almost gasping!

But what followed was a sudden bright light in his eyes!

Zuoliu…

For sixty years, this name had been anything but unfamiliar to them!

During the original Qingfeng Nunnery hidden realm expedition, only Lu Xiangleng and others barely returned safely, while the other three either had accidents or disappeared.

Yashan’s senior sister Jian Chou was one of the two who disappeared.

What exactly happened in the end within Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm—besides those involved, no one knew.

They had also considered asking Kunwu, but their genius disciple’s life or death seemed still in question, apparently in some life-and-death crisis.

So even when their master went to inquire, Kunwu gave “three don’t knows.”

Thus, what happened then became a mystery.

Thus, where the missing people went also became a mystery.

For these sixty years, they had mobilized various forces to search—not only for Jian Chou but also for Zuoliu. Since they couldn’t get useful information from Kunwu, if they could find Zuoliu, perhaps they could learn of Senior Sister Jian Chou’s whereabouts…

Some even suspected this sectless fellow had disappeared to the same place as Senior Sister Jian Chou.

Perhaps…

They had gone to the same place!

Now…

“He actually appeared…”

Shen Jiu’s hand hanging at his side clenched slightly, feeling even his heartbeat accelerate: Zuoliu had appeared, but what about senior sister?

“Did your Fifth Senior Brother say anything else?”

“Only that he’d look for opportunities to investigate the Night Sailing Ship’s situation later. That Zuoliu’s condition doesn’t seem very good.”

Jiang He shook his head.

“Senior Brother Bai Yin’s thunder messages are always brief, and this time involves the Night Sailing Ship, presumably quite complex. He doesn’t know much either.”

Zuoliu might not necessarily know senior sister’s whereabouts, but he was still a hope—one they couldn’t abandon…

After hearing Jiang He’s words, Shen Jiu finally put away his previous carefree attitude, frowning tightly: “This isn’t good news for us. At Kunwu’s side, Wang Que is also in tomorrow’s Star Sea…”

“Senior Brother suspects?”

Jiang He vaguely thought of something.

Shen Jiu neither confirmed nor denied, only looking up at the stone pavilion high on Yashan’s cliff: “Wang Que has a detached temperament and isn’t malicious, but I don’t know him well enough to judge. Since this has happened, we two should first find the sect leader to discuss and plan our response.”

Jiang He naturally had no objections.

He nodded and was about to rise into the air with Shen Jiu to go to the stone pavilion and then to Embrace Moon Hall.

Unexpectedly, just as they were about to take off—

“Boom!”

An explosive sound!

Thousand-zhang lightning actually flashed in this night sky hung with a bright moon, like a startling swan or swimming dragon, racing across the floating clouds drifting in the sky, instantly covering Yashan’s steep solitary peak!

“Crack!”

Lightning coursed as if following the mountain’s momentum downward, illuminating all of Yashan!

Even with Shen Jiu’s current late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, this thunderous arrival made his heart shake. In an instant, he saw lightning like a waterfall pouring down toward Crane Return Well.

“Squawk!”

On the surface of Crane Return Well’s cold spring water, a shrill goose cry immediately rang out, almost breaking its voice.

That big white goose originally curled in the corner with its head buried in its wings while sleeping—how could it have expected such “disaster from heaven”? Scared to the point of losing several feathers, it flapped its two fat wings like escaping for its life, desperately paddling its two thick webbed feet, trying to swim to the well’s shore.

But before it could swim there, gentle silver light flashed across Crane Return Well’s surface.

Seemingly reflected moonlight.

Hundreds and thousands of threads wove together, instantly forming a wide-mouthed bowl-shaped array.

The lightning that nearly submerged the entire Crane Return Well, after entering this “bowl,” instantly turned to nothingness, leaving only a baby finger-thick azure lightning bolt quietly suspended above the water surface.

Jiang He was stunned.

Shen Jiu was also stunned.

The heavy light and shadows dispersed. Yashan, which had been illuminated by lightning moments before, returned to peaceful darkness. Before their eyes remained only this suspended thunder message.

This thunder message…

Faintly emanating a familiar aura!

This was…

Shen Jiu’s gaze could no longer be withdrawn. His heart suddenly beat violently, nearly making him cry out!

For most cultivators of the Nineteen Continents, this was just an ordinary night.

But for Jian Chou…

This night seemed so extraordinary.

Jian Chou stood by the window for a long time, calculating the time for the thunder message’s journey and wondering what reaction her unreliable master would have upon reading the letter.

Perhaps he’d prop up his feet, eat chicken legs, and scold her as “little heartless”?

Thinking this, her smile deepened somewhat.

But she ultimately didn’t stand by the window much longer.

The message she sent had roughly described her whereabouts and safety during this period, plus her current location and encountered events, explaining she needed to handle Zuoliu’s matter and would return to Yashan a few days later.

As for Kunwu and Xie Buchen, she mentioned not a word.

No matter how incompatible Kunwu and Yashan were, they remained two great pillars now.

Master and Hengxu Zhenren seemed not to get along, but hadn’t reached the point of completely falling out. Her grievances with Xie Buchen should currently be left for her to resolve slowly herself.

Having sent the safety message, what needed focused handling was Zuoliu’s matter.

Contemplating this, Jian Chou formed step-by-step plans in her mind. She walked back from the window and sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion before the incense table, gathering her mind and summoning her battle disc.

Brilliant starlight instantly filled the entire dwelling.

Kunxian lines and dao pieces followed heaven and earth’s most ancient laws, arranged on the battle disc, weaving into a profound scroll.

Countless spiritual energies gathered from all directions, flowing into Jian Chou’s slightly luminous forehead.

Her entire being seemed bathed in starlight yet controlling starlight, suddenly having an ethereal feeling of not being in the mortal world…

The only solid reality was that battle disc!

A battle disc sufficient to make most Nineteen Continents cultivators question their lives—

Mid-stage Nascent Soul, three zhang!

Jian Chou closed her eyes, her ten fingers spread, forming cultivation hand seals, yet her lips showed a strange smile…

What appeared in her mind were Fudao Shanren’s three-zhang battle disc at Soul Separation stage, and Qu Zhengfeng’s three-zhang battle disc at Nascent Soul peak.

“Suddenly looking forward to something…”

As for what she anticipated, she didn’t know.

Jian Chou changed her hand seals, and in an instant all distracting thoughts disappeared.

Since leaving the Extreme Domain, she hadn’t seriously cultivated, much less carefully sensed the power hidden within her current Nascent Soul stage. Now with the Night Sailing Ship as a “great enemy,” Jian Chou absolutely wouldn’t allow herself any carelessness.

Thus, the entire night passed in cultivation.

She only ended cultivation at dawn the next day.

On the room’s bookshelf were many books and jade slips about tomorrow’s Star Sea prepared by the inn. Jian Chou naturally read through them calmly and quickly, soon gaining basic understanding of tomorrow’s Star Sea’s “local customs.”

Finally, a jade slip left her forehead.

Jian Chou recalled this jade slip’s contents, contemplating intently for a moment, then planned to follow last night’s plan and go out to find a place to gather information about Zuoliu and the Night Sailing Ship.

But just as she took the jade slip to return it to the bookshelf, the folder beside it suddenly flashed with flowing light.

It was the “Zhilin Sou Daily News” she had taken from the boat yesterday.

The so-called “daily news” was naturally “daily renewal.” It seemed there was new information about tomorrow’s Star Sea to read.

Jian Chou’s thoughts turned, and her nearly withdrawn hand reached for this jade folder, taking it out and reopening it.

Everything looked no different from when she had opened it yesterday.

Except for the text above, which had already changed—

“Thunder News, Star Sea Shocked!”

“Night Sailing Ship privately captured Zuoliu yesterday, may auction at Silver Tower in three days!”