Chapter 62 Part 1

The white figure landed. It had a dragon’s body, a tiger’s head, crimson hair, and wore a pair of horns. Its features were imposing and stern.

As Ah He was scrutinized by it, a sudden and inexplicable terror surged within her, making her wish she could kowtow before this foreign Great Demon. After a “Meow,” she used her paws to clutch her small bundle, retreating step by step backward, all her fur standing on end, trembling uncontrollably.

“My apologies.” The Great Demon, who was none other than Bai Ze, shook her head and spoke in human tongue, her tone surprisingly gentle. After awakening, she had painstakingly located a Mountains and Seas Rift to slip out, only to be violently slammed into by the injured Jiuying on her return. At that time, Jiuying had pushed her power over water and fire to the extreme. Caught off guard, Bai Ze suffered internal injuries from the collision. For the moment, she had no mind for Jiuying’s affairs and simply wanted to find a safe place to heal her wounds.

Ah He did not relax her vigilance because of Bai Ze’s gentle words. For spirits and monsters like her, the fear of Great Demons was etched into their bloodline, the vast gap an insurmountable chasm! She puffed up her fur until her back pressed against the wall and began contemplating contacting Xuanzhen Dao Court.

“Excuse me, is there an organization of Transcendents here? Could you guide me to them?” Bai Ze asked again, politely. As a follower of Emperor Xuanyuan, she instinctively felt kinship with humanity. As a near-omniscient being, the moment she set foot in the Mortal Realm, she knew of the Dao Court’s existence. After thinking for a moment, Bai Ze introduced herself, “I am Bai Ze.”

Ah He: “?” Although she had learned much about human society after her intelligence awakened, she still fell into the “illiterate” category concerning ghosts, monsters, and demons. Hearing “Bai Ze,” she had no idea what those two words represented. She simply bared her teeth, forcing out a series of hissing sounds, hoping to drive away this Great Demon who lacked much ferocious aura.

Bai Ze ultimately gave up on trying to communicate with Ah He.

In the Mortal Realm, she faintly sensed a familiar sword aura, akin to the mighty winds of several thousand years ago. She glanced at this little demon born in the Mortal Realm. Bai Ze muttered to herself, then, with extreme reluctance, split off a wisp of spiritual power, setting it to auto-navigate!

After Bai Ze transformed into a snowy blur and vanished, Ah He finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. She turned her head to look at the deep, quiet little alley. The person within it whom she’d remember fondly was no longer in this world. The old lady had passed away peacefully, looking as if she had glimpsed the person she’d yearned for decades. Ah He sighed. After hesitating a moment, she shouldered her bundle and journeyed afar, heading for an unfamiliar place.

–

At this moment, Jiang Yiguang was completely unaware that Ah He had set out.

While recuperating at home, she also kept an eye on news from Xuanzhen Dao Court.

Fu Juan would send her a concise summary; her messages were brief. Meanwhile, Zhao Sujie’s messages started from “Opening Heaven and Cleaving Earth,” in a sense supplementing what Fu Juan’s reports lacked. However, most were about spirits and monsters in the Mortal Realm after the Spiritual Energy Revival, rarely anything related to the Mountains and Seas.

Mountains and Seas, Azure Hill, the Nine Cauldrons… and the Hundun Fragments…

In the evening, Jiang Yiguang was nestled on the sofa, sorting out her thoughts, when her phone suddenly vibrated. She fished it out and glanced at it: a voice message from Zhao Sujie. She lazily brushed her bangs aside and tapped lightly with her finger. Zhao Sujie’s familiar voice rang out in the room.

“That particular Mountains and Seas Rift has a lead now. The Dao Court is currently preparing materials to seal the entire thing. However, Alchemist also said this is just a temporary measure. The Mountains and Seas Realm was originally part of Shenzhou, forcibly suppressed by King Yu. With the revival of spiritual energy, it will inevitably overlap with the mortal mountains and rivers one day. Oh, right, when they seal the Mountains and Seas Rift, are you coming?”

The rift had been found? Didn’t anyone from the Dao Court feel curious? But even if they did, traversing a Mountains and Seas Rift wasn’t easy; entering would likely mean near-certain death. Jiang Yiguang pondered for a moment and replied: “I’ll see.” Setting up an altar and building a seal wasn’t her forte.

Zhao Sujie: “Okay.” She didn’t persuade further, knowing Jiang Yiguang’s resolute attitude toward things she didn’t want to do, just as resolute as her refusal to join Xuanzhen Dao Court.

The phone fell silent.

Jiang Yiguang tossed it aside, disinterested.

Suddenly, a very rhythmic “knock-knock” came from the door.

Bo Qi, still in deep slumber, abruptly woke, his expression vigilant, as if facing a formidable foe. He let out a low “hiss,” stood up, and paced restlessly in place. Jiang Yiguang initially thought it was Fu Juan, but seeing Bo Qi’s reaction, her heart instantly tightened, and she became alert too. Her right hand grasped the Dao Solitude Sword. As she raised her eyes, divine light flickered within them. Only after confirming that the interwoven energies within the house were perfectly intact did she step toward the door, one step at a time.

–

A fierce wind howled. Flames and frigid water coexisted, trailing a blue-red streak across the land of the Mountains and Seas before instantly shooting toward Kunlun Mountain.

Having underestimated the Mortal Realm’s Dao Court’s “Mystic Weapons,” Jiuying had suffered a major setback. Upon returning to the Mountains and Seas, she had also collided with that bastard Bai Ze, adding injury to injury. Had it not been for her aura as a Great Demon still intimidating the Demonic Beasts of the Mountains and Seas, she probably would have been torn apart and devoured by packs of beasts already! Cursing “damn it,” she stumbled past the Heavenly Gate and ascended Mount Kunlun.

“You’re injured. Was it a Mountains and Seas Rift?” A detached voice sounded, followed by the steady clip-clop of footsteps. A young man in a purple robe strode over. His gaze was cold and stern, his bearing imposing. It was Taowu, one of the Four Evils. Although after Emperor Zhuanxu’s death he had transformed into a ferocious beast, he usually appeared in the guise of the Son of Emperor Zhuanxu, noble and indescribable.

“Your Highness.” Jiuying prostrated at Taowu’s feet, her tone thick with profound shame. “The Mortal Realm has weapons that can pierce spiritual armor. This subordinate was momentarily careless and…”

“After all, that is the Mortal Realm, a group that wishes to break away from the gods and walk their own path.” A playful smile curled at Taowu’s lips. He looked down at Jiuying’s miserable state, his brows suddenly furrowing. “There’s another presence on you. You encountered—”

“Bai Ze.” Jiuying’s voice coincided with Taowu’s words. She lifted her head, meeting Taowu’s gaze, and sighed heavily, “Bai Ze has awakened. She went to the Mortal Realm.”

“What a nuisance. She and King Yu are practically great enemies of ours.” Taowu sighed mournfully. Bai Ze knew the names of all ghosts and demon beasts in the world, and composed the “Baize Diagram” from that knowledge. King Yu, on the other hand, engraved the Mountains and Seas Jade Records, filled with the dark histories of the gods and demons of the High Antiquity Era… or, as that fellow Taotie put it, a Mountains and Seas Culinary Guide. But regardless, once a “true name” was known, the intimidation brought by their spiritual power diminished greatly. “Jiuying, go and rest well.”

“Your Highness, what about the affairs of the Mortal Realm—”

Taowu waved his hand dismissively, saying indifferently, “Ignore it for now. Take this opportunity to quickly refine Kunlun’s spirituality for your own use.” A playful smile tugged at his lips. “The Queen Mother of the West is absent. Kaiming and Luwu are absent too. This is a golden opportunity, once in a thousand years. Using Western Kunlun’s spirituality as a blade, won’t the Mountains and Seas then be ours to conquer? Let alone the Mortal Realm?”

Jiuying shuddered upon hearing this. The Queen Mother of the West, the “Overseer of Heavenly Punishment and the Five Destructions,” representing “the Five Punishments of Calamity,” was not merely the graceful and noble Divine Maiden depicted in Mortal Realm murals. That was merely her semblance; “Execution” was her essence. Even though the later Queen Mother of the West had become tranquil and serene, uttering her name still evoked “fear” as the primary reaction among the Demonic Beasts of the Mountains and Seas. “The Gods of Kunlun are slumbering, but could they…” Jiuying didn’t dare say the word “awaken.”

Taowu grasped her meaning and laughed heartily: “No need to worry. They won’t awaken.”

Jiuying’s eyes widened immensely. Her heart pounded as if about to leap from her chest. The pain from her injuries all over seemed to vanish in the surge of emotion. Taowu calmly glanced at Jiuying and sighed with a touch of melancholy, “The Return to the Void Abyss…” He reached out and patted Jiuying’s shoulder, the movement of his sleeve stirring a light breeze.

–

Wind rose, and the sword sang.

Sword energy, like a flowing gale, struck toward the indistinct white figure outside the door. The grand, overt sword momentum already contained the beginnings of Sword Intent, producing a series of clear, resonant hums amidst the whistling wind.

The white figure evaded, dodging the sword’s edge, transforming into a white-haired, androgynously beautiful person. “Indeed, it’s Xuanyuan’s sword technique?” Bai Ze frowned, abruptly turning to look at Jiang Yiguang, then shook her head to deny her own words. “No, it should be the Mystic Maiden Sword. Hm… there’s also the aura of a Hundun Fragment?”

Jiang Yiguang held her sword, sensing no malice from the white figure. The Jiang family’s Talisman Grand Array hadn’t been triggered. She pressed down on her sword, studying the “person” before her for a long moment, unable to distinguish gender. Finally, she asked, “Who might you be?”

“B-B-Bai Ze!” Bo Qi had somehow crept near the door. He stammered out words, full of astonishment.

Bai Ze tucked her long hair behind her ear and smiled slightly: “I am indeed Bai Ze.”

Jiang Yiguang: “…” What had she done to deserve an Auspicious Beast personally showing up at her door?

“Then Bai—” Jiang Yiguang stumbled over the form of address again.

Bai Ze saw through her thoughts at a glance. She blinked and said, “Bai Ze is innately divine, originally without form, but I prefer a female body. In any case, just call me Bai Ze.” Peering through the gap in the door into the house, Bai Ze asked courteously, “May I come in?”

Jiang Yiguang was silent for a moment, then silently stepped aside to let Bai Ze enter.

Once inside, Bai Ze merely glanced at Bo Qi before sitting down on the sofa. Looking at Jiang Yiguang, she spoke gently, “It is like this: I wish to recover from my injuries here. In return, I can answer some of your questions. For instance, about the Mystic Maiden Sword, about the Hundun Fragments, about the Return to the Void Abyss…”

Jiang Yiguang rubbed her temples. She still felt somewhat dazed. Hesitating between “Dao Court” and “Fu Juan,” she opted to send Fu Juan a message.

【Bai Ze, at my place.】

She almost typed “come quickly.”

And indeed, Fu Juan arrived with astonishing speed.

When the knock came, Jiang Yiguang had been imagining various Demonic Beasts from the Mountains and Seas, completely unprepared to meet Fu Juan’s deep, dark eyes. Wind clung to Fu Juan’s side, her fluctuating spiritual energy not yet calmed. Jiang Yiguang inwardly guessed Fu Juan had mastered either the “Earth-Traversing Golden Light” or the “Five Elements Great Escape” divine ability. After a few breaths, she moved her lips but only managed to say, “You’re here.”

Fu Juan nodded, calmly replying, “Mm, I’m here.”

Bai Ze, sitting in the living room, seemed to sense something. She turned her head, her gaze sharpening slightly.