Chapter Seventy-Four: Pitiful Journey Across the Sea of Life and Death

“Heartsword”! Who in the world is unaware of its power? It was the legendary cultivation method of Shang Qingzui, once the foremost Nascent Soul cultivator. Nearly every cultivator with a Metal spiritual root has dreamed, before laying their own foundation, of attaining this supreme divine art.

Hongjian had never heard of anyone in the Talisman Sect who had mastered “Heartsword” at the Nascent Soul stage, so the exclamation from her grandmaster was proof enough that even he had been caught off guard.

Three against two—Grandmaster and Sect Leader Ling Xuzi were truly in grave trouble.

Hongjian dared not think further. Though she had been fortunate enough to build her foundation, she was well aware of her own limitations. Her grandmaster had tossed her out at this perilous moment not so that she would return and throw her life away.

Steadying herself, Hongjian found her bearings and hurried back toward Dan Cliff Sect. On her way here she’d traveled by flying treasure and felt nothing of the distance, but now, the journey seemed endless. She leaped over the waves for as long as her true essence would allow, then swam when her strength failed, pushing herself as hard as she could to return.

There were still the Second Elder and the other Peak Masters at the sect—if she could deliver the news in time, perhaps there was still hope for her grandmaster.

By the time she finally glimpsed the sect’s soaring, cloud-piercing mountains, night had fallen. Normally, the Azure Cloud Festival would be in full swing at this hour, but to Hongjian’s alarm, the distant beach looked as if a wild storm had swept through—there wasn’t a single silhouette in sight, only a few scattered lanterns illuminating the utter chaos.

Exhausted, Hongjian staggered ashore and returned first to Late Tide Peak.

On Snowpile Cliff, her senior brother was absent, as was her master, and even Chen Zaizhi was nowhere to be found. Hongjian grew frantic, dashing out from Snowpile Cliff to search across Late Tide Peak, only to discover that not only her master and senior brother, but all the elders, uncles, and their disciples had vanished; even those previously in secluded cultivation had left their quarters. The entire peak was deserted.

A sense of foreboding swept over Hongjian. At last, in Golden Wave Court behind the peak, she managed to find two Qi Refining disciples tasked with chores.

The two recognized Hongjian and, seeing something amiss in her expression, kindly informed her, “Hey, Little Elder Sister, why are you still here? The Peak Master and all the seniors received orders and went to Huānhua Hall—something’s happened. Even Sect Leader Dai from the Talisman Sect is here.”

Hearing that Dai Mingchi was at Huānhua Hall sent a chill to Hongjian’s heart. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “Are you sure? Everyone went to Huānhua Hall?”

The two, still unaware of the seriousness of the situation, thought for a moment before one replied, “The message said everyone Foundation Establishment and above must attend. The Old Peak Master wasn’t here, so the Peak Master gathered the others and went. Oh, Little Elder Sister, your Uncle Ding from Snowpile Cliff happened to take Uncle Chen out to sea. Only Uncle Yan from Snowpile Cliff went with the others.”

Upon hearing that Ding Chunxue and Chen Zaizhi were still at sea, Hongjian felt a surge of relief. She hurriedly asked, “Why did the gathering break up so early today?”

Listlessly, the two replied, “It was because Sect Leader Dai arrived—the sect ordered everyone to end early.”

Within a few brief exchanges, Hongjian had already made up her mind. She asked the two for a favor.

There was no time for subtlety—she reached into her Qiankun pouch and took out several spirit stones, pressing them into the two’s hands. “My younger brother, Fang Zheng, is a Wood spiritual root Qi Refining apprentice. Please bring him here quietly—just tell him I sent for him. Once he’s here, have him stay at Golden Wave Court until I return. I’ll reward you handsomely.”

Spirit stones were of little use to Hongjian herself, but to these two chore disciples, already neglected by the sect, they were invaluable. In her haste, she had no time to settle Fang Zheng herself and could only make this arrangement.

The two demurred at first, but seeing Hongjian’s insistence, they accepted the spirit stones, thumping their chests and promising to get it done.

Hongjian gave them a strained smile and took her leave.

Dai Mingchi was at Huānhua Hall—what should she do?

Finding Ding Chunxue was now imperative. Though her senior brother was only at early Core Formation, over the past years Hongjian had trained under him and grown to respect and care for him far more deeply than even for her master, Yan Changqing.

She was intimately familiar with Ding Chunxue’s habits and quickly searched the routes he often traveled along the shallows. In less than half an hour, she sensed spiritual fluctuations in the distance.

Approaching through the water, Hongjian soon spotted two familiar figures on the “Brocade Sail Flying Boat” and called out, “Senior Brother!” Her voice trembled with emotion, exhaustion and relief washing over her.

Ding Chunxue was greatly surprised. He had sensed a Foundation Establishment cultivator approaching, but hadn’t expected it to be Hongjian.

Her appearance was haggard, her body weak and spent, and she looked ready to collapse. Ding Chunxue’s heart leapt in alarm. He swiftly brought the boat alongside and helped her aboard. “Junior Sister, why are you here alone? What’s happened?”

Hongjian barely acknowledged the concerned Chen Zaizhi at her side. In a few terse sentences, she relayed the critical events to Ding Chunxue. With her senior brother present, she felt a sense of stability and waited anxiously for his decision.

It was a calamity of unprecedented scale. The two had only been away for a day, and according to Hongjian, Nascent Soul cultivator Jin Donglou had fallen, the Sect Leader and Grandmaster’s fates were uncertain, and the remaining disciples had all fallen into Dai Mingchi’s hands.

Chen Zaizhi found it hard to believe. “Senior Sister, are you sure this is true? Could it all have been an illusion during your Foundation Establishment?”

Hongjian glared at him. This junior brother, who had always been the source of her irritation, dared to doubt her at such a time—she found him even more disagreeable. Yet, she had to admit, if their roles were reversed and Chen Zaizhi was the one bringing the news, she would be equally skeptical.

Thus, she turned an anxious gaze on Ding Chunxue, afraid he too would think she was lying.

Ding Chunxue stared out at the dark sea, silent for a long time. Hongjian pressed, “If you don’t believe me, Senior Brother, let’s hurry back and see for ourselves.”

At last, Ding Chunxue responded, glancing at Hongjian and Chen Zaizhi, his voice rough. “No need. We’ll first try to find the Sect Leader and Grandmaster. You and Grandmaster weren’t part of their plans—perhaps, by some stroke of fortune, the three villains from the Talisman Sect haven’t succeeded yet.”

Hongjian breathed a sigh of relief—only now noticing that Ding Chunxue’s hand trembled as he spoke. Clearly, facing two Nascent Souls and this meticulously laid trap, he, a junior Core Formation disciple, felt immense pressure.

Even so, he didn’t hesitate to turn the “Brocade Sail Flying Boat” toward the deep sea at Hongjian’s direction, flying at top speed. “Stay alert, you two. If anything happens, I’ll abandon the vessel—you’ll have to act accordingly. It’s a shame, Little Junior Sister, you’ve just built your foundation and I haven’t had time to help you choose a martial art to train in.”

This would have been Hongjian’s perfect chance to openly practice “Ten Thousand Streams Returning to One,” but she was far too anxious to care, instead reminding Ding Chunxue, “Senior Brother, Grandmaster has been beset for most of the day. Will Xing Wuyá pursue them?”

If Xing Wuyá arrived, Ling Xuzi and Sun Yougong would likely have no hope of survival.

Ding Chunxue was deeply worried. “I don’t know why Xing Wuyá and the Talisman Sect have suddenly lost all restraint. I can only hope their goals differ—if they’re working at cross purposes, there might still be a chance.”

Hongjian and Chen Zaizhi fell silent. To massacre fellow cultivators so senselessly, and to target a great sect like Dan Cliff—such a thing had not occurred since the demon cultivators were expelled from the cultivation world. If word got out, it would shake the world. Xing Wuyá, even as a Nascent Soul, might not wish to shoulder all the infamy alone. The three Talisman Sect experts skilled in “Heartsword” had clearly been deployed to deal with Sect Leader Ling Xuzi.

Determining direction at sea was extremely difficult. Hongjian, having traveled with her grandmaster in such haste, could only lead Ding Chunxue to within a hundred miles or so of where she remembered the incident took place. “Senior Brother, it’s roughly within a hundred miles of here.”

Ding Chunxue nodded, handed the flying boat to Chen Zaizhi, and swiftly circled the area on his own flying treasure. As expected, he found nothing.

Standing atop his flying treasure, Ding Chunxue formed intricate hand seals, sending pulses of spiritual energy into the water—each wave traveling outward. Though Hongjian had trained with him for years, she had never seen this technique.

Chen Zaizhi explained, “This is ‘Tracing to the Source,’ a spell for Water and Wood dual roots. Not many know it. As long as Grandmaster’s group left any traces in the sea, Senior Brother will find them.”

Hongjian watched Ding Chunxue with bated breath, torn between hoping he’d find nothing and fearing he might discover evidence of her grandmaster’s demise, her heart clenched tight.

Chen Zaizhi, seeing she ignored him and thinking she was still angry, fell silent. He was long accustomed to her attitude.

Half an hour later, Ding Chunxue called, “Come here—there’s a great deal of blood in these waters.”

Both their faces turned pale. For so much blood to linger after so long—whose was it? Was Grandmaster still alive?

Ding Chunxue led the way, moving faster and faster, evidently making further discoveries.

As they drew near, Hongjian’s spiritual sense detected faint flashes beneath the waves—a beast with the power of a late Foundation Establishment stage, a “Square-headed Big-eared Fish,” was thrashing about on the surface, seemingly alarmed. Hongjian felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity emanating from it.

Before she could make sense of it, Ding Chunxue had already subdued the creature and lifted it from the sea. In midair, the fish suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a glowing orb, which grew in the wind, gradually taking human form. As the features became clear, Ding Chunxue cried out in shock, “Grandmaster!”

The figure was white-haired and aged, looking on the verge of death, half-conscious and weak beyond measure—none other than their grandmaster, Sun Yougong.

Both Hongjian and Chen Zaizhi had never witnessed such a bizarre sight and stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Ding Chunxue’s tone was grave: “This is Grandmaster’s Nascent Soul—he’s in a dire state. You two, get the boat moving—let’s get out of here!”

Their venerable grandmaster, at the late Nascent Soul stage, had been forced to flee with his soul, hiding in a fish’s belly awaiting rescue. Ding Chunxue, afraid the enemy was still near, urged the two juniors to flee while he ceaselessly cast spells, trying to awaken their grandmaster.