In the dim great hall, it seemed as if blades and swords were spread everywhere. With just the slightest movement of even one step, perhaps nothing would remain of one’s corpse. In such a tense atmosphere, this sigh of lamentation suddenly emerged, only making people feel a chill rising from their very bones, causing them to tremble!

Neither Xiao Jin hidden in the shadows nor the Night Sailing Ship’s hall master standing in the hall recognized this person.

But if Jian Chou were here, she wouldn’t even need to see the other party’s face – just hearing this unique voice, she could easily determine his identity—

The great demon from the former Immortal Path’s Thirteen Islands who had once heard the Dao and transformed into human form, Mayfly Fu Chaosheng!

Sixty years ago, he had appeared at West Sea’s Great Dream Reef, riding a Kunpeng and breaking through the waves. That overwhelming demonic aura had been remotely sensed by Hengxu Zhenren far away in Kunwu, who sent many disciples to investigate.

But by then, he had already crossed the West Sea, heading to the solitary islands of the human world.

When he returned to the Nineteen Continents, his overwhelming demonic aura could already be restrained at will. Even someone as powerful as Hengxu Zhenren couldn’t detect his traces – though at that time, he was right outside Kunwu, on Nine-Head River.

Now, he had actually just returned from the Extreme Domain.

Originally…

He had been preparing to visit old friends, but who could have expected that with a casual opening of his divine sight, he would discover this deeply hidden, familiar aura nearby…

The massive centipede-shaped statue, with its pitch-black body and eyeless head.

That insect-like face followed the turning of its head, aiming directly at himself now standing at the entrance. Though it clearly had no eyes, it gave one the feeling of being watched by ten thousand eyes!

Powerful!

Evil!

Even filled with a kind of violence that seemed ready to ignite at any moment, requiring countless blood sacrifices!

A magnificent aura rolled around the statue’s periphery.

“He” “gazed” at Fu Chaosheng, “looking” at this appearance no different from humans, yet in his mind, the most distant, most ancient memories awakened.

Those sealed wounds and pain!

He finally couldn’t hold back and laughed loudly: “Ancient clan, hahaha, ancient clan – you traitors, do you also deserve to call this lord ancient clan?!”

In his voice was intense hatred and bitter mockery!

After speaking, came a nearly mad roar: “ROAR—”

The violent sound waves nearly lifted the entire great hall’s roof!

“Crack crack snap snap!”

The surface of the massive statue, nearly as tall as the great hall, immediately appeared covered with countless deep red cracks as if shattered by this sound, with countless scale-like stone fragments peeling off from the statue.

Just like an ancient fierce beast awakening from slumber, shaking off the dust covering its entire body!

Dense black qi drilled out from the statue’s cracks, gathering above the great hall into a tangible centipede-shaped phantom, which immediately rolled into a ball like viscous black clouds, wrapping toward Fu Chaosheng!

One massive, one tiny.

This scene was no different from the sky about to collapse with an ant standing beneath!

Xiao Jin, hidden in the shadows, had seen quite a few grand scenes in his daily life, but under this formation, his mind had long lost its defenses. In a moment of inattention, he cried out “Ah!” in alarm!

Fu Chaosheng’s gaze, cold from severity, immediately cast over.

Xiao Jin’s heart immediately went cold, his soul nearly leaving his body, thinking this time he was truly finished. But unexpectedly, the moment the other party saw him, a trace of surprise flashed through his gaze, then he actually smiled, waving his wide slate-blue sleeves!

“Whoosh!”

A great wind immediately rose and swirled!

Xiao Jin only felt his entire being lose control, suddenly carried by this wind until he couldn’t tell east from west!

After a blink, when he opened his eyes again, where were any strange great hall and statue before him?

Cold river wind blew over, and many black large ships sailed on the river surface – it was actually Crow Crossing!

“What… what’s going on?”

Xiao Jin was simply dumbfounded, vigorously rubbing his eyes with his hands, hardly believing what he saw. It was just a sleeve flick raising a wind, so how had he gotten out?

“I haven’t even figured out what’s happening! Who is he…”

Even using his toes to think, he could feel that the situation in that hall was absolutely extraordinary.

Xiao Jin came from the Southwest Aristocratic Family and had caused a commotion at the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly, so he was someone who had seen the world. But he couldn’t find a single person who gave him the feeling that statue did!

Even that man in the slate-blue robe gave him an unfathomable sense.

If that person hadn’t suddenly rolled up his sleeves and blown him away, he might already be dead!

Thinking about it made Xiao Jin somewhat afraid, yet also very puzzled: he didn’t recognize this person at all, so why did the other party seem to be saving him?

“I’ve been in seclusion at home these years and don’t know such powerful people…”

This was bizarre.

Xiao Jin couldn’t figure it out no matter how he thought, standing at Crow Crossing’s ferry dock, nearly scratching his head bald, until a river wind blew and he suddenly shivered.

Because he remembered something more important than what he’d seen in the hall.

“AHHHHH heavens!”

A miserable wail immediately rang out on Lan River’s shore as Xiao Jin painfully held his head and began crying.

“I’m doomed, doomed. I still haven’t found the Silver Tower! What about Zuoliu now, what about the arena matches, ahhhhh…”

He had even proactively contacted that big brother from Yashan, saying he would help fight in the arena and rescue Zuoliu together.

But now…

Looking around in all directions, Xiao Jin only felt that every road before him was like a twisted line, roads intersecting with each other, just like an untangleable mess!

Silver Tower?

Night Sailing Ship?

The road he’d just traveled?

No memory of any of it!

Lost again.

These four words suddenly appeared in his mind, and two streams of desolate tears uncontrollably flowed down…

“Though it’s embarrassing, I’d better ask for directions…”

“Hmm?”

At the Silver Tower, Bai Yin, who had been injured in his earlier battle with the evil monk Shanxing, had already left the Isolated Shore Platform and returned to his elegant chamber. He had just swallowed a healing pill and hadn’t yet had time to carefully observe the battle situation on the Isolated Shore Platform when the communication spirit pearl hidden in his sleeve suddenly moved slightly.

Someone was sending him a message?

Bai Yin was startled. His finger lightly pinched at the void, and that round, lovely spirit pearl appeared between his fingers. A shallow green lustrous light directly emerged from the spirit pearl, drilling into his brow.

The next moment, his mouth corners began twitching violently, with only a feeling of gritting his teeth in hatred yet helplessness: “This kid from the Jin family is even less reliable than Master!”

He was lost again!

And still at Crow Crossing!

Did he think the Silver Tower was over by the Night Sailing Ship? Those were completely two different places!

“Good thing Senior Sister Jian Chou came, or I’d go crazy relying on you to fight in the arena!”

Bai Yin was extremely helpless, couldn’t help muttering to himself, but ultimately held the spirit pearl and carefully communicated with Xiao Jin, pointing out the roads one by one.

Because Xiao Jin’s sense of direction was truly too poor, he felt exhausted just explaining, so for a moment he didn’t pay attention to the Isolated Shore Platform, nor did he notice across from him.

That was an elegant chamber that, despite the bounty posted until now, had never shown a single person nor made any sound.

Fingers left the bamboo curtain, and that gap that had been pried open gradually closed.

Xue Wujiu’s brow was tightly furrowed as he said: “This junior brother Bai Yin of yours seems to have encountered some troublesome matter. This is strange – earlier it was said someone would come to fight in the arena together, but now not half a person has been seen. What kind of person can get lost to this extent?”

“…” No response.

Xue Wujiu instantly felt his sense of existence drop to rock bottom.

Qu Zhengfeng had really become arrogant. Ever since breaking through to the Entry into the World realm, not only did he speak less and less, but he also ignored others, sometimes not even bothering to respond.

Now he’d said all this, and the other party didn’t even grunt.

Increasingly looking down on people!

Xue Wujiu gritted his teeth, feeling somewhat dissatisfied, and turned to express his displeasure: “I say, Sword Emperor Your Majesty, we’ve known each other this long anyway, I’ve asked you all this, can’t you just—”

The complaining words stopped halfway as he suddenly paused in puzzlement.

Because Xue Wujiu suddenly discovered that Qu Zhengfeng, who should have been focused on watching the battle situation in the arena, had his two brows lightly furrowed at this moment, and instead of gazing at the Isolated Shore Platform, he was looking through the hanging bamboo curtain before him toward outside the Silver Tower, at that distant clear sky.

“What are you looking at?”

The earlier doubts about Bai Yin’s helper were immediately thrown aside as Xue Wujiu couldn’t help asking. But looking in the direction Qu Zhengfeng was gazing, there was nothing there.

In that distant direction, the azure sky was spotlessly clear, not even a wisp of cloud could be found, much less any trace of birds. It looked so peaceful, no different from any other patch of sky around them.

But Qu Zhengfeng could feel that extraordinary aura!

Soundless and silent, rising from the ground in that direction, gushing forth, invisibly baring fangs and claws, instantly filling the entire firmament!

In a trance, even a faint roar seemed to ring in his ears!

“That direction…”

Qu Zhengfeng’s pupils slightly contracted, sharp light flashing, only forming several traces of gravity.

Xue Wujiu still didn’t understand what he was looking at, only saying: “That direction, by Lan River, Crow Crossing, the Night Sailing Ship. Has something happened?”

Lan River bank, Crow Crossing, Night Sailing Ship.

Qu Zhengfeng held one hand behind his back, the other in front, pondering this aura that had suddenly shot skyward, also considering the direction this aura corresponded to, finally slowly lowering his eyes, using his finger to lightly tap the window frame.

“Nothing has happened yet…”

Nothing has happened yet?

What did that mean?

Though Xue Wujiu was the Purple-Robed Sword Marquis with considerable strength, his cultivation was still a full major realm below Qu Zhengfeng’s, his perception and spiritual consciousness incomparable, unable to fathom what he had actually seen.

Hearing this answer, he was actually completely confused.

“It’s the Night Sailing Ship side…”

Xue Wujiu only felt things weren’t simple and wanted to ask clearly. But before his words were half-spoken, he saw Qu Zhengfeng suddenly raise an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat surprised, actually withdrawing his gaze and looking toward the arena.

“What now?” Xue Wujiu was somewhat speechless.

Qu Zhengfeng only shook his head: “Watch this battle first.”

This battle?

Xue Wujiu was simply bewildered, simply holding his breath in his chest with an urge to cough up blood: on the Isolated Shore Platform, Jian Chou fighting Liang Tingyu would be just like her previous battle with the evil monk Shanxing, with no difference at all!

What was there to watch?

Still the same Isolated Shore Platform, still those mottled traces covering it.

The earlier battle between Jian Chou and Shanxing, a contest of strength against strength, had left the arena in shambles, with fresh blood traces still undried.

Now, one after another new terrifying scratches fell on the old stone with the swaying of Jian Chou’s leg shadows.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Each one was a sound filled with accumulated power; each one was an aura that made hearts palpitate!

The sixth level of the “Human Artifact” body cultivation method, plus the amazingly powerful Dragon Gate Dragon Scale Dao Seal, not to mention bearing the Heaven-Flipping Seal and wielding the Deer-Cutting Blade!

At this moment, Jian Chou’s entire being could hardly find any flaws!

Compared to when fighting Shanxing, when there was still some unfamiliarity and stiffness, now her every attack and defense had a feeling of flowing freely like moving clouds and flowing water.

The coordination between body cultivation methods and external techniques was perfectly integrated, as if born together.

Back when fighting Lord Qin Guang in the Extreme Domain, she had used a tremendously powerful Heaven-Flipping Seal that nearly penetrated the entire eighteen levels of hell.

Because at that time there was the opportunity left by Immortal Wuzhong, plus resonance with the stone pearl.

Now these chance factors no longer existed. Though Jian Chou herself had learned this new Heaven-Flipping Seal, she temporarily couldn’t reproduce the vast magnificence and glory of that palm exchange with Lord Qin Guang.

But what kind of existence was the Heaven-Flipping Seal?

Back then, Shangren Buyu, relying on this seal, with one person and one palm, could make the entire Tomorrow Star Sea tremble. Even if Jian Chou’s current strength was insufficient, the portion of power she could unleash was enough to make people’s hearts chill with fear!

Not to mention she also had her unique Void-Heaven Body!

The difficulties Shanxing had faced when fighting Jian Chou, Liang Tingyu also completely felt.

Others’ palm techniques could only be initiated with palm strikes, but with this opponent, the situation was completely different. It seemed every part of her body could be used for attack!

Every part was a Heaven-Flipping Seal!

When exchanging palms, when striking with elbows, when using hand chops…

Even when sneak attacking from behind, one would feel that terrifying power coming from the back of her neck!

Combined with that nearly armed-to-the-teeth defense, Jian Chou’s entire being had almost become synonymous with invincibility! A completely inedible hard bone!

Though her natal artifacts, the mandarin duck battle-axes, were in hand, they now seemed like two pieces of scrap iron, only seen flying up and down around Jian Chou like golden butterflies, but unable to find half a chance for invasion!

Liang Tingyu had previously seen Jian Chou’s strength when fighting Shanxing, plus the fearful memory of that terrifying blade in the Night Sailing Ship’s dungeon, so she had long been wary of her.

Now that they were fighting, saying she could act freely was completely impossible.

Liang Tingyu was almost constantly guarding against the hand holding the Deer-Cutting Blade!

Because only she knew the terror of that blade!

But this also led to a very awkward situation.

Liang Tingyu’s own realm was actually one small stage higher than Jian Chou’s, and because she was part of the evil demonic path, her cultivation environment was inevitably harsher than Jian Chou’s from Yashan. Facing the current battle, she should have fought more courageously, but because of that layer of wariness in her heart, she actually fought with hands and feet bound!

Completely unable to let loose!

Anyone with a bit of understanding of Liang Tingyu and some discernment could see something was wrong, but they really weren’t clear on the inside details.

Only Wang Que standing in the elegant chamber upstairs suddenly had some speculation.

At this time, Liang Tingyu had almost been pushed to her limit.

Jian Chou advanced step by step, what could be called steady and methodical, one step one attack, one step one attack. Each step she advanced necessarily forced Liang Tingyu to retreat one step.

The battle had only lasted half a moment, yet Liang Tingyu had been forced by her from the center of the Isolated Shore Platform to the very edge!

Three feet away!

Only three feet difference, almost just one large step back, and she would fall from this cloud-reaching Isolated Shore Platform!

“Whoosh!”

The whistling wind sound, carrying a cold air current, suddenly blew up from below. Liang Tingyu immediately felt the illusion of standing on a cliff edge, where one step back would be a ten-thousand-zhang abyss.

Almost just a flash of thought, her vision blurred.

Jian Chou’s moon-white figure flashed past like lightning, then that originally three-zhang-distant snow-white palm suddenly appeared three feet before her face!

What an imminent feeling was that?

The sharp palm wind blowing on her face was like being scraped by a carving knife!

But in this instant, Liang Tingyu was actually still somewhat confused. Because this palm was an empty palm, not holding the Deer-Cutting Blade, nor carrying the destructive aura of the previous Heaven-Flipping Seal.

So, what was this palm for?

This doubt had just risen in her mind for less than a moment when, in the next instant, this pale hand’s five fingers suddenly pinched toward the center!

“Boom!”

Fingertip touching fingertip, it was actually an unfamiliar hand seal no one had seen before!

A hand seal?!

Liang Tingyu’s heart was startled. Facing this unknown danger, she almost instinctively wanted to retreat another step. But as she started to step, she remembered she was already at the very edge of the Isolated Shore Platform.

Retreating another step would be no different from losing!

No retreat possible!

Everyone knew that a hand seal was merely an initial move.

What was truly triggered by the hand seal would only be a Dao Seal!

Sure enough, once Jian Chou’s fingers touched, a faint golden light swept across the ground, so fast that people couldn’t see its shape clearly.

The next moment, Liang Tingyu heard the sound of wind!

That bone-chillingly cold wind blowing from behind her!

As if Jian Chou’s hand seal had opened some ancient seal, the cool wind that had originally only been swirling below the Isolated Shore Platform actually rose and swirled together in this instant!

From beneath Liang Tingyu’s feet, from behind Liang Tingyu, frantically gathering toward Jian Chou’s hands!

“Rumble!”

Like a dragon returning to the sea!

Countless wind currents roared as they rushed into Jian Chou’s palm, compressed to the extreme, then exploded thunderously!

“Crack!”

A massive ice-blue lotus over three feet across actually bloomed out of nowhere in Jian Chou’s left palm. As natural as if it had grown from this palm!

That was a transparent blue pure enough to make hearts tremble!

Skylight from all directions was refracted by it, reflecting the colors of the firmament. Each unfurling petal was shaped like an ice sword, condensing ghostly cold qi and sword qi!

Wisps of black qi faintly wound between the petals!

A lotus composed of wind blades!

How could Jian Chou forget the bone-scraping cultivation of yesteryear’s Black Wind Cave?

Just now forcing Liang Tingyu to this Isolated Shore Platform’s edge, she happened to feel the breeze flowing beneath it. Taking advantage of this natural opportunity and guiding the situation, she immediately created this terrifying Black Wind Blade Lotus!

The moment this lotus appeared, she gripped her five fingers without hesitation!

Not as if grasping a lotus, but as if holding a sword!

“Bang!”

Only hearing a thunderous explosion on the platform, ten thousand petals burst open in fury, and an ice-blue long sword, like the abrupt and dangerous ice formations on cliff glaciers, bloomed from the lotus heart!

What a thrilling scene was this?

What had been a pleasing wind lotus, in the blink of an eye, bloomed with endless killing intent!

Qu Zhengfeng watching the battle in his elegant chamber immediately showed a trace of long-missed amazement in his eyes, recalling the scenes from yesteryear on Nine-Head River when Jian Chou fought Zhou Chengjiang by night.

But Liang Tingyu in the arena felt only horror!

She had little contact with Jian Chou and had never seen such mysterious methods. Caught off guard, she only saw this sword blooming from the wind blade lotus, its sword tip continuously enlarging before her eyes, about to pierce through her brow!

Her heart trembling uncontrollably, Liang Tingyu almost without hesitation bit down on her tongue tip!

“Puff!”

A mouthful of life essence blood immediately sprayed out, spilling onto the mandarin duck battle-axes before her. A sheet of blood-red radiance immediately spread with it, crawling over the entire blade surface.

Actually condensing into mandarin duck-shaped patterns on each of the two battle-axes.

The moment these two patterns appeared, the two thin mandarin duck battle-axes seemed to be lightly flicked by someone, emitting a series of clear, resonant sounds.

An inexplicably heart-trembling aura instantly dispersed.

At this critical moment that could determine Liang Tingyu’s life or death, the two mandarin duck battle-axes actually clicked together with a “clack,” forming a rotating shield that directly blocked in front of Liang Tingyu!

That ice-blue wind sword naturally crashed into it unavoidably, but surprisingly didn’t cause any damage to these seemingly fragile axes!

“Crack crack crack!”

After a series of tooth-aching shattering sounds, Jian Chou’s wind sword that had seemed about to take Liang Tingyu’s life was ground to pieces by these combined mandarin duck battle-axes!

The change happened too quickly. Many people in the Silver Tower whose surprised shouts hadn’t even had time to retract were already emitting new exclamations from their throats.

Even Jian Chou was somewhat surprised.

She cautiously stopped, looking at the current Liang Tingyu, and thus her eyebrows, which carried several traces of sharpness, couldn’t help but raise slightly.

Several drops of fresh blood still clung to her lips.

Her entire black robe still looked like a stone, like iron, with that kind of coldness and inhuman distance. But on her body, a strange transformation had appeared.

Biting through her tongue tip, that small mouthful of life essence blood seemed to have unlocked some forbidden seal in her body, or perhaps activated some treacherous secret technique.

Liang Tingyu’s originally spirited eyes actually flashed with a moment of deathly gray, extinguishing that bit of spirit!

Immediately, a desolate black qi spread from the bottomless darkness of her eyes toward her entire face. The old scar below the corner of her eye, impacted by this black qi, actually split open again, transforming into a fresh red blood mark!

Countless ancient and difficult mysterious black runes crawled all over Liang Tingyu’s body along with the spreading black qi!

She extended her hand, catching the two mandarin duck battle-axes that had already separated, the mysterious black runes densely covering her palms reflecting with the mandarin duck patterns on the axes that still retained some lingering tenderness, creating a hair-raising sense of danger!

It was as if…

What now stood before Jian Chou was no longer Liang Tingyu, but another kind of existence!

Moreover, this aura actually felt familiar to Jian Chou!

It was from that day in the Night Sailing Ship’s dungeon, the protruding relief on the wall, that “monster” that suddenly broke through the wall, or rather, the existence represented by that sculpture in the mysterious great hall!

So ancient that one couldn’t distinguish whether it was good or evil!

In this instant, a chill quietly rose from the soles of Jian Chou’s feet, spreading through her entire body. She stared at Liang Tingyu, unable to speak a word.

“A youth listening to rain in the song tower…”

Liang Tingyu suddenly slowly recited this line, her voice carrying a strange gentle feeling, but those eyes that turned toward Jian Chou were like a blind person’s, without the slightest radiance. Yet her face still wore a strange, extremely uncomfortable smile.

“Could have killed with one strike, yet dragged it until now. It seems that technique – you actually don’t know it yet?”