Chapter 76: Plucking the Fragrance Part 1

The old woman’s words sounded familiar, as if she were an old acquaintance of Sun Qi. It made sense; someone capable of performing the Bright Moon Spring would naturally know Sun Qi.

Feng Yun’ai lightly patted Sang Chencao’s arm, signaling for the other woman to release her. Her body felt somewhat chilled, likely because of the sword wound to her shoulder, but the cold hadn’t reached her bones. She wondered if it was because she had drunk the medicine Sang Chencao had brewed herself. The flesh and blood of a Medicinal Human possessed miraculous effects, and such miracles shouldn’t be fleeting.

A moment later, Feng Yun’ai stood tall and asked, “What sort of coward are you? Who taught you the Bright Moon Spring?”

In the Great Hall, the old woman seemed to hear a joke. She burst into loud laughter that broke into a shrill screech, eventually losing her breath and turning into a fit of violent coughing.

It wasn’t laughter at all.

Sang Chencao lightly squeezed Feng Yun’ai’s palm and teased, “Laugh all you want. You can laugh now, but you won’t be laughing later.”

The old woman’s laughter stopped abruptly.

The two walked slowly toward the Great Hall. Feng Yun’ai squinted, her vision still blurred, so Sang Chencao described the scene for her.

“Every beam and pillar in this hall is carved with flame totems,” Sang Chencao said leisurely. “This sect chose the wrong name. It shouldn’t be called the Guiyuan Sect; it should be the Flame Sect. It’s no wonder Lin Yaoyao chose to burn herself to death even when seeking an end. She didn’t want any other fate.”

“What do you mean?” Feng Yun’ai shifted her gaze slightly, scanning the surroundings for hidden gunpowder. She truly feared fire now. If the entirety of Snow-Top Peak were to suddenly explode and collapse, the scene would be even more terrifying than what had happened at the Sword Trial Stage. She was like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring; even the slightest rustle of wind could disturb her.

“You should ask her,” Sang Chencao said, pointing toward the hall.

Inside the Great Hall, the old woman’s coughing subsided. She gave a cold laugh. “It seems you two also know the Bright Moon Spring. Otherwise, how could you have ascended my Snow-Top Peak? Those two, Wen and Feng, didn’t use the Moonlight Sect’s name to take disciples, but it seems they didn’t miss a single lesson. I never thought the Moonlight Sect could actually survive until today!”

The old woman ground her teeth. Just speaking those words seemed to draw blood into her mouth; her speech was saturated with hatred for the Moonlight Sect. It turned out that the bone-deep resentment carved into the high gate’s plaque was directed at the Moonlight Sect.

Feng Yun’ai said coldly, “I am not a descendant of the Moonlight Sect. I am merely the successor of Feng Rong’s Lonely Heart Sword Technique.”

Sang Chencao gave a light scoff, secretly swirling the tip of her sword with an air of indifference. “The Moonlight Sect? I don’t know what it’s capable of. Our Xiuxiu is brilliant. If the Moonlight Sect wanted to take her in, they’d have to burn incense and kowtow three times first.”

Upon hearing this, the old woman grew even more incensed. However, she was heavily injured. Even though she had used those dozen-plus people as shields, the sword qi from the Lonely Heart Sword had still damaged her internal organs.

Indignant and incredulous, the old woman coughed so violently the hall seemed to shake. Her voice was hoarse. “What is the Moonlight Sect capable of? What is the Moonlight Sect capable of?!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the blood-stained red threads on the ground suddenly surged upward, their undulating posture making them look like flying nematodes.

It was the Nightmare Threads!

Feng Yun’ai moved to dodge, but she had already reached her limit. Her entire body felt incredibly heavy, and even the hand wielding her sword felt dull and sluggish.

Seeing this, Sang Chencao slashed apart the Nightmare Threads, only to be hit squarely by the air currents whipped up by the Sorrowful Wind Fan. She couldn’t help but stagger back, a sharp pain piercing her lungs.

Feng Yun’ai chose to focus her mind and remain still. Her body was sluggish, but her sword intent should not be. Holding her breath and concentrating, she split her consciousness to become one with her sword. In this moment, she was Lonely Heart, and Lonely Heart was her.

A towering coldness erupted from her meridians, causing the mountain ridges to tremble and the wind and snow to retreat.

With a slight buzzing in her ears, she easily captured the location of the Nightmare Threads. Her sword swept out—seemingly slow and heavy, but in reality, it left a hundred afterimages.

Frost climbed up the Nightmare Threads. In a flash of light, the hundred threads suddenly turned to ice, freezing toward the hands of the person controlling them inside the hall!

With several crisp snaps, the Nightmare Threads shattered into a ground full of sparkling crystals. Wails echoed from the hall as chaotic winds lashed out wildly, turning everything within a hundred miles into a mess. Not a single blade of grass remained in the Guiyuan Sect.

The gale rose because of the Sorrowful Wind Fan, sounding like a mournful wail. Likely, the name “Sorrowful Wind” was derived from this.

With the sound of shattering porcelain, a gust of black wind swirled out from the hall. A closer look revealed it was a dense swarm of insects—all of them Sickle-toothed Winged Mole-crickets. It seemed these crickets had been trapped in vats and were only now being released.

Exhausting her strength, Feng Yun’ai’s ears rang incessantly. Struck by the rapid wind, she drifted away like a kite with a broken string.

Sang Chencao whirled out sword qi to block the attack, rushing forward to catch Feng Yun’ai. She struck out with a palm of crimson flames, neutralizing the oncoming wind. Then, she bit down on her bug whistle and blew it with a cold smirk.

Who could have guessed that the Sect Leader of the Guiyuan Sect would also know how to control insects? Another whistle note rose in accompaniment.