It took three days for Baili Zhuixing’s mouth to fully heal. Sitting on a barren mountain, he thought back to his defeat with a grim look on his face. But the more he thought about it, the more terrible he felt. He had wasted two Starry Tomes, which made him feel even more terrible. Suddenly, a young lady dressed in white appeared before him. The lady was cold, and one could sense a chill just by standing beside her.
When Baili Zhuixing saw her, he asked, “Ning Wushuang, has Yun Zhenzhen left?”
“She has.”
“How is it?”
“There’s no problem. But she’s looking down on you now because you didn’t manage to take back the Thunderfiend Chains with your cultivation in the Earth Saint stage, not to mention that you even got trashed,” Ning Wushuang said coldly.
“Do you really have to mock me? I tried my best, and I can only say that Li Tianming has some ability,” Baili Zhuixing said with gloomy eyes.
“Yun Zhenzhen said Li Tianming could cultivate in the Infernal Soul Barrier. Moreover, he just stepped into the Heavenly Will stage a few months ago, and he’s already reached the ninth level of Heavenly Will. Can you believe that?” Ning Wushuang asked.
“No way. Yun Zhenzhen must be lying. That person must’ve hidden his strength; he probably didn’t use his best to defeat the three Qin brothers,” said Baili Zhuixing.
“It’s possible to practice battle arts in the Infernal Soul Purgatory, but you can’t increase your cultivation, let alone make rapid progress, as Yun Zhenzhen described. But I have a feeling that he’s indeed making progress in his cultivation. The Infernal Soul Purgatory seems to be ineffective against him.” Ning Wushuang lowered her head.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I was defeated by him, but our plan succeeded,” said Baili Zhuixing.
“Let me have a look at the scale,” said Ning Wushuang.
Baili Zhuixing took out a blue dragon scale and placed it in her hand. As Ning Wushuang fiddled with it, she continued, “His dragon lifebound beast is unique. The shape of this scale is one of a kind. There’s no way you can find such a unique scale in the Ancient Qilin Clan, and we can use it as hard evidence.”
“What about the Thunderfiend Chains?” Baili Zhuixing asked.
“It’s with me,” said Ning Wushuang.
“You got your Thunderfiend Chains by coincidence, and no one knows about it. With this scale and your Thunderfiend Chains, we’ll be able to mess with him,” said Baili Zhuixing.
“Yeah.” Ning Wushuang returned the dragon scale to Baili Zhuixing.
“Have you decided when?” Baili Zhuixing asked.
“Yun Zhenzhen said that her father would be entering the middle layer of the Infernal Soul Barrier in about a month to replace her grandfather. So we can make our move when the father and son are both in the Infernal Soul Purgatory,” said Ning Wushuang.
“Two sky saints. One of them will hold back Bai Zijin while the other kills Li Tianming. It’s more than enough,” Baili Zhuixing sneered.
“Yeah.” Ning Wushuang nodded as her eyes grew colder.
A long while later, Baili Zhuixing said, “Wushuang, why do you not have any confidence in the elders? You think they’ll hand over Li Tianming in six months and let him get away with it?”
“That’s right. I can see through them. They’re too overcautious, and it’s impossible for them to take revenge.” Ning Wushuang lowered her head. She was seated on a scarlet rock, playing with a pebble in her hand.
“Actually, you can learn from me and try provoking him into attacking you. With your strength, it’ll be easy for you to trash him. I don’t think there’s a need for you to take it so far,” said Baili Zhuixing.
“I’m a woman, so do you think it’s appropriate for me to insult his mother?” Ning Wushuang asked.
“Well, I guess that makes sense.”
“Baili Zhuixing, you’re not me. You have no idea how much I hate his father!” Ning Wushuang’s eyes become bloodshot.
“I know. There aren’t many among the younger generation of the clan that can be compared to you. If it weren’t for the lifetime curse, you’d probably be famous by now, and your cultivation would be at least three levels higher. The lifetime curse destroyed you—Li Muyang destroyed you. But you’re not the only one here,” said Baili Zhuixing.
“It’s not the same.” Ning Wushuang gnashed her teeth.
“Is it because of your father?”
“That’s right!” Ning Wushuang’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Back then, my father’s talent could be ranked among the top five in the Divine Capital when he was in his teens. But he was the first to be branded with the lifetime curse after that incident. As time passed, the gap between him and his rivals grew bigger. Everyone that he had once defeated started to surpass, then humiliate him! He fell from being a genius and lived a depressing life, then committed suicide when I was three. I can’t even remember what he looked like anymore!” Ning Wushuang took a deep breath and crushed the pebble in her hand. “I don’t care about the Cyclic Mirror. But no matter what the elders think, I want his son dead!”
“But the elders are trying to force Li Muyang to return. So won’t this ruin their plans?” Baili Zhuixing asked.
“I don’t think so.” Ning Wushuang stood up and continued, “It’s already been more than a month, and Li Muyang still isn’t back. There isn’t any response from him either. Moreover, the elders have already reported Li Tianming’s existence to the Ancient Theocrats, but they don't seem to care about Li Muyang’s son. If this goes on, his son will get away with it, sooner or later. Since that’s the case, I’ll give Li Tianming another month. When Yun Zhenzhen’s father comes, and Li Muyang still hasn’t shown up, I’ll make my move. I’ve already had enough of the Ancient Qilin Clan being so cowardly for the past forty years!”
……
“The seventh level of Heavenly Will!” Tianming’s progress had been smooth over the past ten days. His spiritsources were constantly growing, and Bai Zijin even thought that he was trying to reach the Saint stage.
“It’s not easy to enter the Saint stage. Why don’t you rest for a while?” asked Bai Zijin. This was the first time she had seen such a desperate young man. But she had no idea that Tianming still had the Aeonic Grandbane to deal with.
“No need.” After Tianming made his breakthrough, he immediately went back into cultivation, sprinting towards the eighth level of the Heavenly Will stage. On the other hand, Lan Huang had something new to do—comprehend Oceanos Imperius. That was the key for Tianming to practice the fourth sword of the Shenxiao Sword Art.
This fellow hasn’t reached the ninth-level of Heavenly Will yet? But his beast ki seems to be growing stronger. He’s really amazing, defeating a first-level Earth Saint while he’s in the seventh level of Heavenly Will. Is a pentabane so powerful? The more Bai Zijin looked at Tianming, the more puzzled she was.
……
“Ning Wushuang!” Yun Zhenzhen called out to the white-dressed lady walking in front of her.
“What’s the matter?” Ning Wushuang turned around.
“My father is coming to the Infernal Soul Purgatory today, so why bring me here? There’s wildbeasts up ahead, and I have to return,” Yun Zhenzhen said.
“Alright, you can get going then,” said Ning Wushuang.
“And here I thought you had a way of dealing with Li Tianming,” Yun Zhenzhen said. Now that Tianming was hiding in the black heavenly pattern barrier, the younger generation of the Ancient Qilin Clan could only gnash their teeth with reluctance.
“Actually, I do have a way.” Ning Wushuang raised her head as her cold pupils glowed.
“What is it?”
“Come here and I’ll tell you.”
“Why are you being so mysterious?” Yun Zhenzhen rolled her eyes and walked toward Ning Wushuang. But all of a sudden, a blue chain shot out from Ning Wushuang’s hand and wrapped around Yun Zhenzhen, who was caught unprepared.
“What are you doing!” Yun Zhenzhen was dumbfounded.
“Nothing much.” Ning Wushuang immediately tightened the chain, piercing into Yun Zhenzhen’s body. The part that was wrapped around her neck nearly snapped it.
“The Thunderfien—” Yun Zhenzhen’s eyes were widened as she took her last breath. Even in her death, she was looking at Ning Wushuang with disbelief. She had no idea what was happening.
Ning Wushuang recalled the Thunderfiend Chain, then cleaned the bloodstains from her body. On the other side, Baili Zhuixing caught up and dealt with the Thunderhorn Qilin, who was trying to escape.
“Have you left traces of fire and thunder on the Thunderhorn Qilin?” Ning Wushuang asked.
“It’s already done,” Baili Zhuixing said in a hoarse voice. Looking at the corpse of his fellow clansman, he grew a little nervous and said, “We have no way out now.”
“Don’t think too much about it. Leave the dragon scale in her hand,” said Ning Wushuang.
“Okay.” Baili Zhuixing immediately did as he was instructed.
“Also, take her clothes off and make it look like she was defiled before being killed,” said Ning Wushuang.
“What?” Baili Zhuixing asked with a headache.
“A father will naturally lose his mind if he thinks his daughter was defiled and killed,” said Ning Wushuang.
“Fine. You’re really ruthless.” Baili Zhuixing tore Yun Zhenzhen’s clothes apart, leaving some faint handprints on her body.
“Do you know what I meant by ‘defile’?” Ning Wushuang glared at Baili Zhuixing.
“B-but she’s already dead!” Baili Zhuixing said in a depressed tone.
“I’m not asking you to do it personally. Just make it seem like it,” said Ning Wushuang.
“Alright….” In the end, they didn’t leave until Ning Wushuang was satisfied.
“What’s next?”
“We wait for her corpse to be discovered.”
……
Tianming had already been in the Infernal Soul Purgatory for two months. Not only was his cultivation not being delayed, but he even made faster progress than he had in the Grand-Orient Realm, which came as an unexpected surprise to him. On the seventy-fifth day, he made another breakthrough.
“Eighth-level of Heavenly Will!” Tianming was pleased with his progress. He could clearly sense the transformation in both him and his three lifebound beasts.
“How did your beast ki grow stronger?” Bai Zijin asked in shock.
“I already told you that I’m not in the ninth level of Heavenly Will.”
“But you’re there now, right?”
“Nope, one step away from it.”
“What the….” Bai Zijin held onto her forehead.
“Big Sister Bai, how can you speak vulgarities?”
“Did I? I don’t remember saying it.” Bai Zijin looked at Tianming as though she was looking at a monster. “If it’s possible, I’d really like to dissect you and see what kind of monster is hidden inside your body.”
“Pesh. What a lecherous middle-aged woman.”
“Me? Middle-aged?” Bai Zijin wanted to knock Tianming on the head. What made her depressed was that Tianming hadn’t only made a breakthrough in his cultivation, but he had also started practicing the Shenxiao Sword Art. Moreover, he was already at the fourth move!
“If I remember correctly, the first ancestor only managed to learn the third sword, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then what’re you doing now?”
“Something the ancestor failed to do.”
Bai Zijin held her forehead again. “Your cultivation may be low, but you’ll definitely surprise many people when you go to the Decimo Dao Palace.”
“Yeah, there’s still four months left in my seclusion. By that time, I should be able to extend my lifespan,” said Tianming.
“You’re still a kid, so why do you want to extend your lifespan? You’ll have no issue becoming a sky saint or even an empyrean saint by the time you fully grow up,” said Bai Zijin.
“Big Sister Bai, I’ve already grown up.”
“Where have you grown up?”
Tianming couldn’t find the words to reply.
“Being so irritable and impulsive, you’re clearly still a brat,” Bai Zijin smiled.
Tianming had thought she was talking about his body, but it turned out that she was talking about his mentality, instead.