Chapter 418: Donghuang, The Finale Begins
Whoosh~~
On the desolate sand plains, the cold wind whipped up sand and dust, forming clumps of earth-yellow sand clouds before the star river, as if draping a veil over the bright moon.
Boom—
A bloody streak of light descended from the sky, smashing onto the sand. It then split into three figures. They all bounced and tumbled on the sand like skipping stones, rolling for dozens of circles before barely coming to a halt.
Gu Mingxin gritted her teeth and pushed herself up, wiping the sand off her face. She looked at He Jiming, who was lying not far away, and Fu Yuanhua, who was kneeling and using a sword as a crutch, panting heavily. Her legs felt strangely weak.
She didn’t recognize the golden-haired cultivator who had suddenly appeared. However, the fact that he could scare the Prison Hall Elder of the Tian Mo Sect into unhesitatingly sacrificing a talisman treasure and then flee with them, expending his true essence, meant his origins were definitely extraordinary.
Although it seemed the golden-haired cultivator hadn’t pursued them, still…
“Hiiiiaahhh—!!”
Crack—
The crisp sound of bones breaking came from He Jiming’s direction.
He Jiming seemed to have dislocated his arm when he landed. He stood up, gritting his teeth, and forced his arm back into place. Then, he summoned his spirit sword and quickly charged towards Gu Mingxin.
“Junior Sister Gu!! You really planned this well!!”
Seeing him charge at her with his sword, Gu Mingxin quickly reacted and summoned her own spirit sword.
Clang—
The spirit swords collided, sparks flying.
He Jiming’s sword flew out of his hand, spinning in the air before landing in the sand beside them. Gu Mingxin’s blood-colored spirit sword was now pressed against his neck.
Gu Mingxin was naturally furious. Ye Anping actually dared to treat her like this!!
She even really wanted to kill this noisy and useless He Jiming with a single sword strike, but Fu Yuanhua was watching. If she really killed He Jiming, she would never be able to clear her name.
Although it seemed she couldn’t clear her name now…
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“Nothing to do with you?!” He Jiming’s eyes widened, his teeth bared as if he had gone mad. “Did you and that Ye Anping plan this together? Did you deliberately lure us there and then hand us over to the golden-haired Sect Master of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect? Is that it?!”
“…”
Seeing that Gu Mingxin dared not draw her sword to kill him, He Jiming glanced at the sword at his throat and took a step forward.
“Junior Sister Gu, oh Junior Sister Gu…”
Gu Mingxin had no choice but to retreat with her sword, or He Jiming would have slit his own throat.
Seeing her show weakness, a strange, smug smile appeared on He Jiming’s face as he continued.
“Don’t you know how good the Sect Master is to you? The matter of the Imperial Sect, the matter of the Northern Region, you returned empty-handed and injured, yet Venerable Master Yu Yan didn’t punish you at all. If any ordinary disciple of the Tian Mo Sect were this useless, they would have been sent to the Prison Hall for a fire bath…”
Hearing this, Gu Mingxin’s brow furrowed. She raised her right hand, her spirit sword, and struck He Jiming’s neck hard with the hilt, forcing him to his knees.
“I said, it has nothing to do with me.”
Swish—
Then, the blood-colored spirit sword was once again inserted into He Jiming’s mouth.
Gu Mingxin’s eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth, threatening, “He Jiming, Elder He managed to reattach your tongue once. I don’t mind undoing it again.”
Saliva dripped from He Jiming’s mouth onto the spirit sword and then flowed out of the corner of his mouth.
He Jiming glared at Gu Mingxin and, with unclear speech, chuckled mockingly. “Heh, try it. Elder Fu is watching. Don’t forget why the Sect Master sent Elder Fu with you…”
It was then that Fu Yuanhua, who was kneeling and panting not far away, flashed between the two and grabbed Gu Mingxin’s wrist, pulling her spirit sword out of He Jiming’s mouth.
Screech—
“Enough!!”
“…”
He Jiming immediately cupped his hands in a salute, fanning the flames. “Elder Fu, the witness and evidence are now complete. Gu Mingxin’s crime of colluding with immortals cannot be denied. I implore you to exercise your duty as a Prison Hall Elder and bring Gu Mingxin to justice. So many people died in the Demon Sect because of her, and even Elder Fu and I were almost handed over to immortal cultivators by her.”
Fu Yuanhua felt a flicker of displeasure upon hearing this.
Seeing that Fu Yuanhua didn’t seem to intend to act, He Jiming thought for a moment and continued to stir the pot. “Elder Fu, Venerable Master Yu Yan appointed you as a Prison Hall Elder for a hundred years, certainly because he values your impartiality. This disciple knows you like Gu Mingxin, but she…”
Upon hearing him bring up the Sect Master, Fu Yuanhua’s eyes widened. “He Jiming, are you telling this venerable one how to do her job?!”
He Jiming immediately flinched, lowering his head and replying, “This disciple dares not!”
“Heh… You think just because your father is a Great Elder, you can be so disrespectful. The other elders of the Tian Mo Sect might indulge you, but I won’t!!”
With that, Fu Yuanhua closed her eyes to calm herself. She glanced at Gu Mingxin, who stood with her spirit sword behind her back, and let out a long sigh. Then, she walked away.
“He Jiming, wait here. Young Mistress Gu, you come with me.”
Despite his unwillingness, He Jiming dared not say anything further. He cupped his hands in a salute, turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.
Gu Mingxin bit her lip slightly and followed Fu Yuanhua to the sand dune. A gust of wind carrying sand and dust blew past, causing her to squint.
She raised her hand to shield her eyes. When she forced them open, she saw the night sky and star river, and a hundred li away, the horizon formed a straight line with the black rock city.
“Whoosh… Young Mistress Gu, how do you explain what just happened?”
“…It has nothing to do with me.”
“Heh…” Fu Yuanhua turned around and looked at Gu Mingxin’s crimson eyes, smiling. “But in my eyes, you are not unrelated. That person seemed to know we were going to Donghuang. The moment he saw me on the street, he recognized my identity. If someone hadn’t tipped him off, could he have known beforehand?”
Gu Mingxin had no way to refute. After a moment’s thought, she found a flimsy excuse she didn’t even believe herself. “Perhaps the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao told him?”
“The Heavenly Scroll of the Dao?”
Fu Yuanhua frowned, then glanced at the Great Wall a hundred li away and chuckled. “Perhaps, as you say. But, Young Mistress Gu… your current situation is not good. I watched you grow up, and I certainly don’t believe you would collude with immortal cultivators. I can’t fathom why you would collude with immortal cultivators, but the other elders of the Tian Mo Sect might not be so understanding.”
She patted Gu Mingxin’s shoulder, gesturing for her to look at He Jiming. “Young Mistress Gu, you’ve always been a loner, focusing on your cultivation, and you don’t like to get involved in sect affairs. Do you know why Great Elder He wanted He Jiming to come to Donghuang with us?”
“…Why?”
“You are Venerable Master Yu Yan’s only direct disciple and the Young Mistress of the Tian Mo Sect. That old man He Buqun despises you intensely. He has always wanted his eldest son to replace you.”
Gu Mingxin frowned and thought for a moment, then glanced at He Jiming. “Could it be…”
“Mm, if he dies in Donghuang, He Buqun will have a million reasons to kill you. That fool is still unaware that his own father is using him as a pawn.”
Gu Mingxin gritted her teeth as she heard this. “I understand…”
“In short, be careful.” Fu Yuanhua poked Gu Mingxin’s forehead and smiled. “But this is the last hint I’ll give you. Given what just happened, I won’t listen to you anymore.”
“Elder Fu…”
“When we return to the Tian Mo Sect, I will write a complete report of our entire journey and submit it to the Sect Master, including everything that person named Ye Anping just said…”
At this point, Fu Yuanhua’s brow furrowed deeply. Standing with her hands behind her back, she said, “Young Mistress Gu, based on that person’s words just now, your crime of colluding with immortal cultivators is confirmed. Your only chance now is to wait for the demon cultivators to attack Donghuang. You personally bring his head to me, and I can give you credit for confessing your crime and repenting upon our return to the Tian Mo Sect. The Sect Master will likely not make things too difficult for you then.”
“Elder Fu, but I really…” Gu Mingxin clenched her fists slightly. After a moment of thought, she said, “I suspect he did that to isolate me…”
“Isolate you?”
“He must be afraid of me, so he…”
“Young Mistress Gu, I said this when we left the Tian Mo Sect.” Fu Yuanhua’s expression became serious. “I will use my own eyes to see.”
Gu Mingxin fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Yes…”
“Think about it yourself. I’ll go talk to that good-for-nothing and tell him to stop bothering you.”
Patting Gu Mingxin’s shoulder, Fu Yuanhua let out a long sigh and walked towards He Jiming, who was kneeling at the bottom of the sand dune, taking him aside to reprimand him.
Gu Mingxin watched the two of them, pursing her lips slightly. She turned to look at the distant Great Wall again and couldn’t help but whisper the name of the one she loved:
“Ye Anping…”
At this moment, Xue E also emerged from her forehead. Having just taken a few punches from Xiao Tian, it was now swollen like a panda. It crossed its arms and blocked Gu Mingxin’s line of sight, its eyes hesitant.
“What?”
“Mingxin… I heard what Fu Yuanhua said just now. I think, perhaps…”
“Perhaps what?”
Xue E pursed its lips and said, “Perhaps after the battle begins, we can sneak away and go to the Southern or Northern Region, find a place where no one knows you, and hide…”
“Hide? Do I look like someone who hides?” Gu Mingxin frowned, quite displeased. “Besides, where can I hide? Wherever I hide, Master will find me…”
“Ah… then, then, then… why don’t you go find Ye Anping and discuss it with him? Ask him to find you a safe place to recuperate. If you’re too embarrassed to say it, I’ll help you talk to him.”
“Xue E.”
“Mingxin… I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Immortal, demon, heavenly dao, Tian Shu Tian Sha destinies, I don’t care about any of it. I’m just afraid of something happening to you…”
Gu Mingxin dismissively rolled her eyes at it and turned away, ignoring it. She then slid down the sand dune.
“Hey! Mingxin, won’t you reconsider what I said…”
Gu Mingxin felt like an annoying fly buzzing in her ear. While Xue E’s suggestion might not be a bad idea, she was still angry!
It wasn’t anger at Ye Anping. She didn’t know what she was thinking. Although Ye Anping had made her suffer so many times, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. Instead, she always felt how formidable Ye Anping was.
At the same cultivation level, the only person in this world who could make her so disheveled was Ye Anping.
Without Ye Anping, that Feng Yu Die would be nothing!!!
Gu Mingxin gritted her teeth. She had no room for failure. This time, she would definitely snatch Ye Anping and make that white-haired girl, whose fate was intertwined with hers, taste the despair she had endured for years.
Suddenly, an eagle’s cry echoed through the night sky.
Ying—!!
Fu Yuanhua, who was reprimanding He Jiming, looked up and saw a black shadow circling. She immediately held up her arm, and the black shadow landed on her sleeve.
Fu Yuanhua took the jade slip from the eagle’s claw, infused it with her spiritual sense, and read it.
“Ghost Ancestor has arrived at the Netherworld Mountain Range. They want us to go there immediately.”
He Jiming and Gu Mingxin said nothing, nodded, and then transformed into three streams of bloody light, soaring into the sky. They turned a corner and headed east, about five hundred li away, towards a valley shrouded in black clouds…
…
—
The night was silent, the bright moon drifting with the clouds.
Thunder—
Purple lightning snakes stretched across the black clouds, casting the shadows of dozens of people in the large main hall onto a massive sand table.
Gui Muqi, wearing a ghostly face mask, sat sideways in the northern direction on a square chair forged from dragon bones. He propped his head with his fist, his eyes glowing with a faint purple light as he surveyed the dozens of Ghost Spirit Sect elders gathered there.
The main hall was silent, save for the occasional rhythmic “dada” sound.
Suddenly, Gui Muqi’s finger, tapping on the armrest of his chair, stopped.
The next moment, the iron door of the hall opened.
Fu Yuanhua and Gu Mingxin, now clad in the sect uniforms of the Tian Mo Sect, strode across the threshold and bowed.
“Fu Yuanhua, Prison Hall Elder of the Tian Mo Sect, and two disciples of the Tian Mo Sect, pay our respects to Ghost Ancestor.”
Gui Muqi’s lips moved slightly, and he responded with a muffled sound, as if speaking from his diaphragm. “Mm…”
He then swept his gaze over Gu Mingxin, lingering for only a moment, before raising his right hand slightly to signal.
A Grand Elder of the Ghost Spirit Sect at the Deity Transformation stage cupped his hands in acknowledgment and stepped forward. “According to the intelligence, the Xing Tian Division is preparing to abandon the city and flee Donghuang. Yesterday, Fu Xuan began assembling almost all the immortal families and cultivators from the three cities of Donghuang, seemingly preparing to divide into four routes and escape from Jianmen Pass, south of the Central Domain.”
At this point, he waved his hand, and the sand table, which previously only depicted hills and terrain, immediately showed four ravines.
The Ghost Spirit Sect members exclaimed in shock upon seeing this.
“Fleeing without a fight? That’s not like the Xing Tian Division…”
“Indeed. Moreover, the Ghost Spirit Sect’s attack on Donghuang this time was a top secret. The Xing Tian Division wouldn’t have known about it so early. The entire Ghost Spirit Sect is mobilized, so was there a leak?”
…
The Ghost Spirit Sect had been hiding its movements, and like usual, sent some low-level disciples to harass the areas around the Donghuang Great Wall. The purpose was to make the Xing Tian Division believe that the demon cultivators were just making a lot of noise with little substance, as usual.
Logically, the Xing Tian Division wouldn’t be sure if the Ghost Spirit Sect was going to attack, so they wouldn’t have chosen to abandon the city and flee so decisively.
As they spoke, they couldn’t help but glance in Gu Mingxin’s direction. Hearing about Gu Mingxin’s affairs, they all suspected her of colluding with immortal cultivators and exposing the Ghost Spirit Sect’s whereabouts to the Xing Tian Division.
Facing the scrutiny of these Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation monsters, Gu Mingxin, despite her fearlessness, felt cold sweat bead on her forehead.
Fortunately, Xue E quickly slipped out and diverted her attention from these old monsters of the Ghost Spirit Sect, relieving her slightly.
“Mingxin, look at me~~ Heehee~”
…
With two “dada” sounds, Gui Muqi, who was sitting on his bone chair, tapped his fingers again, immediately silencing the Ghost Spirit Sect elders present.
The Deity Transformation stage demonic cultivator who had spoken earlier extended his hand and said, “Regardless, the Xing Tian Division’s flight is a good thing. With the three cities of Donghuang now in the hands of the Ghost Spirit Sect, but as all elders know, the Sect Master desires more than just the three cities of Donghuang; he also wants Fu Xuan, the Pavilion Master of the Xing Tian Division. The Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and only the Pavilion Master of the Xing Tian Division likely knows its location.”
At this point, the Deity Transformation stage demonic cultivator gestured to a long ravine on the sand table and said, “According to the Xing Tian Division’s plan, Fu Xuan will lead the cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage from the Xing Tian Division, and head towards Tian’an City along this route. Given that previously, Elder Xu stated that it was difficult for demon cultivators to enter the demon race’s territory, therefore… they must be intercepted before Fu Xuan and the others enter the pass.”
One of the elders asked, “Are there any movements from the demon race?”
“No, it’s business as usual in Tian’an City. Someone tried to instigate us and the demon race last time, but it didn’t seem to succeed. At least the demon soldiers in Tian’an City show no signs of leaving the city.”
Another person also chimed in, “Dividing into four routes, we won’t intercept the other three?”
“Naturally not.” The Deity Transformation stage demonic cultivator shook his head and chuckled. “Fu Xuan seems to be protecting his subordinates. The other three routes are divided by cultivation level: cultivators below Qi Refining Stage in one route, Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators in another, and Core Formation Stage cultivators in a third… The Ghost Spirit Sect will not allow them to return to the Southern Region so peacefully.”
Gu Mingxin originally did not intend to speak, but upon hearing that person’s words, she could not help but ask, “May I ask where this information comes from?”
“…”
At that moment, the main hall fell silent. All the Ghost Spirit Sect elders turned their gaze towards her again.
Fu Yuanhua felt something was amiss and shot her a sidelong glance, as if to say: Don’t speak, your position is unsuitable right now…
But the next moment, Gui Muqi signaled that it was alright, allowing the Deity Transformation stage cultivator to answer her.
“Young Mistress Gu, this information was obtained from a Xing Tian Division cultivator.”
“Could it be false information?”
“Then does Young Mistress Gu know the true information? Please tell us.”
“…”
Gu Mingxin was speechless. It seemed no one present thought so, but she felt that Ye Anping would definitely anticipate this, perhaps by having someone deliberately release false information to delay the demon cultivators’ pursuit.
If it were Ye Anping, he would definitely consider the possibility of leaked information and would have made backup plans.
However, even if this were false information, the Ghost Spirit Sect had no choice.
The gap in strength between the Xing Tian Division and the Ghost Spirit Sect in this Donghuang matter was too great. A piece or two of false information wouldn’t be enough to counterattack.
In other words, under these circumstances, false information was better than no information.
…
…
Gu Mingxin lowered her head, lost in thought. After an unknown amount of time, she was brought back to her senses by Fu Yuanhua patting her shoulder. When she looked up, Gui Muqi was no longer in the hall; he seemed to have already left.
“Elder Fu…”
“Lost in thought? The Ghost Ancestor has given us a task. I will lead people to intercept the group formed by the Core Formation Stage cultivators of the Xing Tian Division. You and He Jiming will follow me.”
“Yes…”
“If we’re lucky enough to encounter that Ye Anping, you know what to do…”
…
