Chapter Seventy-Six: The Sparrow Behind

Ge Qian pondered for a moment, then tossed out the Demon Gourd. It expanded with the wind, emitting a faint black radiance that enveloped him completely. With a flicker, he leapt into the valley, where the resentment was even heavier. The Demon Gourd had an urge to devour everything hungrily, but Ge Qian restrained it; he did not wish to alert anything in the valley. If a powerful being inside was provoked, things would become much more complicated.

The Demon Gourd, attuned to Ge Qian’s thoughts, flashed with runes and released a layer of resentment outside the shield, concealing his form. Unless someone had an exceptionally strong divine sense, they would not dare probe in the Valley of Absolute Resentment for fear of being infected and losing their sanity.

Fortunately, Ge Qian could rely on the Demon Gourd to mask his divine sense and survey everything within a twenty-zhang radius. Ordinary cultivators without a special artifact would be unable to see even two zhang ahead in such a place.

Even so, Ge Qian remained exceedingly cautious, creeping forward step by step.

After advancing about a thousand zhang, he finally set foot on the valley floor. Suddenly, a tremor shook the ground beneath him, nearly knocking him off his feet.

He steadied himself, thoughts racing. Had someone already entered the Valley of Absolute Resentment and begun clashing with the beings here? No matter what, the “Soul-Returning Herb” was his for the taking. He would observe first, and perhaps benefit from the conflict between others.

With this in mind, he became even more vigilant, employing his Cloud-Stepping Technique to sneak towards the origin of the tremors.

About two li away, a strikingly beautiful woman with an outstanding figure sat cross-legged. Above her head floated a fiery talisman, casting waves of flame that shielded her. Any resentment that touched the flames was instantly incinerated.

She wielded formation flags with both hands, waving them unceasingly, but her face was pale, lips bloodless, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Not far ahead, a five-colored array flashed, sword energy interweaving within, endlessly slashing at a second-tier Resentful Spirit Beast.

This beast stretched ten zhang long, its form blurred between reality and illusion. Its eyes burned with blue fire, its head was bull-like with a single horn, its body like a crocodile, covered with densely packed runic scales.

Though the five-colored sword energies were formidable, they either bounced off the creature or were entirely absorbed. Clearly, being besieged by these outsiders had enraged the Resentful Spirit Beast. It charged the formation and the ground repeatedly, emitting earth-shaking roars.

Fortunately, the formation was both intricate and sturdy. No matter how the beast raged, it only wavered briefly before restoring itself. However, the woman controlling the formation paled visibly, as if suffering some injury.

A disciple of the Celestial Confucian Sect, cloaked in a mantle radiating three-colored auspicious light and righteous energy, stood nearby. The aura kept all resentment at bay—clearly a remarkable artifact.

He held a rope in his hand, binding the barely conscious Liu Jie, who also had a protective fiery talisman above his head.

Despite his humiliation and powerlessness, Liu Jie glared fiercely, shouting, “Sister, go! Don’t worry about me! Release the Resentful Spirit Beast and kill Sima Tu—I’ll die with this despicable scoundrel if I must!”

Tears welled in the woman’s eyes. “Silence! Our Liu family branch has only you as its last descendant. I promised Mother I would take care of you. You must live well. If I suffer for your sake, it’s not in vain.”

She turned to Sima Tu. “Sima Tu, hurry and harvest the Soul-Returning Herb and take my brother away. You swore you’d set him free if we escaped.”

A look of self-satisfaction covered Sima Tu’s handsome face. He replied softly, “Rest assured, Liu Qian. Once we’re out, I’ll release him immediately. He’s useless to me; if it weren’t for controlling you, I wouldn’t bother with him. I didn’t expect the Spirit Beast to be so fierce. I originally planned to use the ‘Five Element Demon-Trapping Sword Array’ to capture the other elite disciples and seize the ‘Spirit-Fruit King,’ but now I’ll have to find another way. Still, refining the Soul-Returning Pill is like gaining half a life—how could I let this chance slip by?”

Liu Qian nodded, gritting her teeth to endure.

Sima Tu tossed Liu Jie aside and walked over to a massive boulder, where he carefully plucked a grayish herb that pulsed with soul force, placing it into a prepared jade box, sealing it with a talisman, and stowing it in his storage pouch.

His goal achieved, he laughed heartily, grabbed the rope, and turned to go. “Liu Qian, once we’re gone, find your own way to escape. Otherwise, I’ll kill this useless wretch. What a pity, though—a beauty like you, and we never dual cultivated together.”

Liu Qian’s face alternated between red and white with rage and exhaustion. Overwhelmed by pressure and depleted of spiritual power, she spat out a mouthful of blood, yet for her brother’s sake, she endured the agony and continued suppressing the berserk Spirit Beast.

She spat, “Sima Tu, get out! I can’t hold on much longer. Otherwise, we’ll all die here.”

Sima Tu realized the gravity of the situation. He had no desire to die—the proud son of heaven, the Celestial Confucian Sect’s young master. Though his talent was average, with the aid of countless spiritual medicines and Core Formation experts remolding his body, his progress had been swift.

He stopped mocking Liu Qian and dragged Liu Jie away.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred. A ten-zhang-long fire python appeared out of nowhere, lunging straight at Sima Tu.

A sense of mortal danger swept over Sima Tu. He cursed his luck—had he become the cicada caught by the mantis while the oriole waited behind? Still, he didn’t panic. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a white talisman.

The talisman swiftly expanded to five zhang, taking on an octagonal shape. An overwhelming surge of righteous energy shot upward, forming a pillar of light that struck at the fire python.

The attacker was none other than Ge Qian. How could he stand by and watch the Soul-Returning Herb be taken away? He knew every elite disciple possessed formidable methods, so he didn’t hold back—his first move was the Fire Python Talisman.

Ge Qian frowned—the talisman’s power was formidable. He immediately formed a seal, unleashing “Winding Path Returns,” sending another fire python pouncing towards Sima Tu.

The pillar of light shattered most of the fire python, but, strangely, the python split into five fire snakes that attacked once more.

The talisman shifted, and five beams of light struck the fire snakes.

Facing the onslaught, Sima Tu roared, “Courting death! Let me show you the Divine Gale of Righteousness!”

A feather fan appeared in his hands, runes shimmering as it quickly expanded to a zhang in length. With a fierce wave, a pillar of righteous wind—filled with countless wind blades and overwhelming might—hurtled towards the fire python talisman.

Clearly, the attack drained all Sima Tu’s power. The Divine Gale Fan was a supreme spiritual artifact, and he could wield it only because his father, the sect master, had secretly refined it for him. But it consumed tremendous energy—it was his ultimate ace, never used unless desperate.

He was confident this blow would kill his opponent, but the unexpected happened. The fire python darted through the Divine Gale at an uncanny angle and, in a flash, appeared before him.

“No! I cannot die! I am destined to be the sect master of the Celestial Confucian Sect!” His anguished scream was cut short as the fire python engulfed him, reducing him to ashes.

Ge Qian, facing the Divine Gale, smiled faintly. “Well met!” He formed seals, casting “Steal the Beams, Replace the Pillars” and “Winding Path Returns,” both spells in quick succession.

Suddenly, the Divine Gale appeared inside the Five Element Sword-Trapping Array, striking the Spirit Beast with full force.

The Spirit Beast howled to the heavens, its body twisted into a mass of resentment, but even as it writhed, it was on the verge of reconstituting itself.