Chapter 67: Regret Part 1

Perhaps the Mist Willow Sword wasn’t handy, or maybe Chen Zhou was truly a genius.

Shen Yanting didn’t gain the upper hand in this battle, but she also didn’t fall behind. The two fought back and forth evenly, and upon closer inspection, Shen Yanting appeared slightly more at ease. The best proof was the varying degrees of scratches already on Chen Zhou’s body, while Shen Yanting had only consumed some of her internal energy and didn’t look disheveled at all.

Bo Xuenong wanted to help, but if she rushed forward rashly, Shen Yanting would surely be distracted.

She stood in place and stared fixedly at Shen Yanting and Chen Zhou. Only then did she understand why the Eight Great Cultivation Paths always said that sword cultivators and body cultivators were the strongest in combat—sword cultivators attacked fiercely with every move lethal, while body cultivators had astonishing destructive power through sheer brute force. Bo Xuenong and the others watched helplessly as the Profound Black Pillar in Chen Zhou’s palm turned to powder, and as the city lord’s mansion was nearly leveled by the two. Their hearts grew heavier and heavier.

Ji Caiyan patted her chest and secretly caught her breath. “Luckily, the city lord’s mansion still had the spirit array set up by the Ji Clan to shield it, or else Divine Moon City would have been thrown into chaos too.”

Speaking of the Ji Clan, Ji Caiyan finally came back to her senses.

Her heart sank slowly. “The city lord’s mansion has been turned into this mess—what about the Ji Clan?”

Ji Caiyan had considerable grievances against that old clan head and some members of the Ji Clan, but there were still her blood relatives there. She couldn’t help but worry about the Ji Clan’s situation.

She cast one last glance toward Shen Yanting and pointed in the direction of the secret passage. “Eldest Senior Sister, the secret passage is over there. The mechanism is a palm-sized Ghost Moon Vine Statue. Shishu Shen shouldn’t lose—you all help out here. I need to go back to the Ji Clan and check the situation.”

Feng Jin stood guard by Ge Qiqin’s lifeless body. She was still grieving Ge Qiqin’s death and only looked up when she heard Ji Caiyan speak. “Second Senior Sister, the situation is unclear right now. It’s better if we stick together.”

“I know.” Ji Caiyan responded hastily. “But I’m anxious.”

Before they arrived, they had planned to confront the Ji Clan’s old clan head and Xu Hongyong. They hadn’t expected to run into Chen Zhou and Ge Qiqin first, let alone for Chen Zhou to possess such strength.

The devastation of the city lord’s mansion and the hundreds of lives lost in the courtyard made Ji Caiyan worry whether the Ji Clan had fallen into a similar state. She could console herself that Chen Zhou and Ge Qiqin didn’t have the ability to do that much damage yet, but the worry in her heart wouldn’t diminish because of it. The appearance of a forbidden technique ensured it was no longer just possible.

Shen Yanting, trapped in the battle, seemed to have heard Ji Caiyan’s words. Her strikes suddenly grew much fiercer.

She gripped the Mist Willow Sword and let out a low sigh.

With a slight turn of her palm, a thin layer of snowflakes suddenly floated from the verdant green longsword.

Ice-blue frost flowers enveloped the blade. When Shen Yanting swung it again, it brought forth vast swaths of chilling light. The dazzling cold light caused thin ice crystals to form wherever the sword qi touched. Bo Xuenong and the others felt a faint chill from far away, let alone Chen Zhou, who was right in the midst of it.

Chen Zhou’s lips turned a dark purple, and all color drained from her face.

Her teeth chattered, and a gray hue like light mist rose on her skin, swallowing the ice blue.

Chen Zhou’s arms tensed as she met Shen Yanting’s sword head-on with her right arm. Her left hand pushed forcefully against her right arm, the taut lines shattering her right sleeve and forcing Shen Yanting back several steps. The Mist Willow Sword in Shen Yanting’s hand rang out from the impact, its blade sliding along Chen Zhou’s skin without cutting it open. Instead, the sword trembled as if it might shatter.

“Cough.” Outside the battle, Feng Yingbo let out a low cough and suddenly clutched her lips as she squatted down.

Not just Feng Jin—Bo Xuenong noticed it too.

Feng Yingbo shared a bond with the Mist Willow Sword and naturally bore the damage it received.

In a rare moment, Bo Xuenong felt concern for someone other than Shen Yanting. She approached Feng Yingbo and bent down gently. “Shishu Feng, are you alright?”

Feng Yingbo looked up. There were no obvious injuries.

Her lips were slightly pale. When she opened her mouth, faint frost and snow drifted out. “I’m cold.”

Feng Yingbo wasn’t one to hold back when something was wrong—she was already holding back by not exaggerating her pain threefold. She certainly wouldn’t call pain “cold.”

That was strange.

Bo Xuenong fed Feng Yingbo a Basic Fire Gathering Pill and looked back toward Shen Yanting and Chen Zhou. The dark gray on Chen Zhou’s body receded, replaced by another pale chill. The frost that Chen Zhou had just shattered was now growing out from her own body. At this moment, she looked like a snowman, with even thin snowflakes on her eyelashes.

Chen Zhou’s speed slowed, her attacks growing sluggish.

Shen Yanting tapped the flat of her sword against Chen Zhou’s chest, sending her staggering back several steps.

Chen Zhou tried to counterattack, but the ice had fully entwined her body. Half of her body had turned into an ice sculpture. Shen Yanting raised her sword and lightly tapped the tip against Chen Zhou’s right palm. The hand that had been indestructible moments ago instantly crumbled to powder.

Chen Zhou stopped moving.

Shen Yanting let out a breath of relief and straightforwardly stored the Mist Willow Sword. She picked up Chen Zhou and walked over.

Chen Zhou gazed at her severed right arm and gave Shen Yanting a deep look. “A Divine Transformation Realm Peak sword cultivator under sixteen hundred years old—He Shuyan can’t compare to you.”

A sword cultivator at Divine Transformation Realm Peak.

No wonder Shen Yanting had the confidence to bring Ji Caiyan home and guarantee her safe return.

Only then did Bo Xuenong and the others realize that the prolonged fight between Shen Yanting and Chen Zhou was because Shen Yanting had held back.

Bo Xuenong wouldn’t ask what she couldn’t figure out, but Chen Zhou had to.

Chen Zhou let her broken arm hang down. Her gaze slid over Ge Qiqin’s corpse and she asked flatly, “Shen Yanting, why did you go easy on me?”

Shen Yanting set her down on the ground, walked forward to help Feng Yingbo up, and returned the Mist Willow Sword to her. “I didn’t go easy on you, senior. It’s just that this sword isn’t mine, and its attributes don’t match me. If I went all out, I’d inevitably damage its owner.”

Feng Yingbo took back the Mist Willow Sword and leaned against Shen Yanting with a shiver. “Senior Sister, I’m not injured. I’m just cold.”

Bo Xuenong lent a hand while Shen Yanting supported Feng Yingbo and now stood on her other side. Hearing Shen Yanting’s words, she pieced it together. Shen Yanting’s lifebound sword was the Fishchill Sword, forged by infusing sword intent from the Cloud Smoke Sect’s Sect-Protecting Divine Artifact, the Silver Frost Sword, under Mo Tingshu’s guidance. Both the Fishchill Sword and Silver Frost Sword shared an origin with extreme ice attributes. She had used those two swords for years, and her true killing moves all revolved around cold. Ordinary spirit swords couldn’t withstand it, and even this compatible Mist Willow Sword wasn’t ideal, so she had lent it to Feng Yingbo. Thus, she rarely used swords.

The last time she used the Suspended Ink Sword, she hadn’t truly unleashed her techniques—perhaps because Pill Cultivator Hua Fangqi didn’t deserve it, or maybe she had sensed something off with the Suspended Ink Sword and held back.

Feng Yingbo was truly freezing badly.

The body squeezed between the two trembled nonstop, her drooping eyes reddened from the chill.

She shrank in on herself, and Shen Yanting felt a bit guilty.

Bo Xuenong naturally saw Shen Yanting’s guilt. She quickly took out a Demon Fox Pelt from her storage ring, wrapped Feng Yingbo up like a dumpling, and handed her to Feng Jin. Feng Yingbo blinked in astonishment. Feng Jin’s small frame barely supported the ‘dumpling’ on her own without a word. Shen Yanting frowned and lent a hand.

Chen Zhou pieced a bit together. “Shen Yanting, where’s your sword?”

Shen Yanting’s gaze dropped slightly. “Having betrayed the sect, the sword given by Sect Master Mo naturally stays in the Cloud Smoke Sect.”

Her voice was utterly calm, betraying no sorrow or joy.

Bo Xuenong silently resolved to work hard at earning points to exchange for an ice-attribute divine sword for Shen Yanting.

Chen Zhou’s reaction was beyond everyone’s expectations. She clutched her throat, which itched and stung from the frost, and a chilling, hoarse laugh spilled from her lips. She suddenly let out a low roar. “He Shuyan will never win against you in this lifetime!”

The frost had entwined too deeply, too viciously.

Chen Zhou spoke too forcefully, and frost-wrapped blood sprayed from her mouth.

Staring at the blood-flecked frost flowers, Chen Zhou didn’t stop laughing. She looked at Shen Yanting and repeated, “He Shuyan will never win against you in this lifetime!”

She stated it like a fact, or perhaps like a curse against He Shuyan.

Chen Zhou clearly loathed this person named He Shuyan immensely.

“Who is He Shuyan?”

After Bo Xuenong asked, she quickly realized that this He Shuyan seemed to be one of the strategy conquest targets.

She had noticed the name last time she checked the Absolute Beauty Ranking.

Because He Shuyan’s rank was very high—fifth on the Absolute Beauty Ranking.

She looked toward Feng Jin, who naturally stated He Shuyan’s identity. “He Shuyan is the Junior Sect Master of the Nirvana Water Sect, the only disciple of Sect Master Tan Ruolian. She’s hailed as the number one genius in the Cultivation World in the past five thousand years, with top-grade dual spiritual roots at Dual Perfect Tier. She reached Qi Condensation Peak in ten days, Foundation Establishment Peak in a hundred days, dual-cultivated sword and body paths, and reached Golden Core Peak within ten years—an undisputed prodigy of the era.”

Bo Xuenong also remembered the name Tan Ruolian, who ranked sixth on the Absolute Beauty Ranking right after He Shuyan.

Master and disciple had names side by side.

Bo Xuenong’s thoughts drifted unconsciously as she subconsciously touched the pouch at her waist, which held the white jade spirit stone engraved with both their names.

“He Shuyan!” Chen Zhou sneered. “What prodigy of the era? She only ever got second on the Heavenly Pride List.”

When Chen Zhou mentioned He Shuyan’s second place, her gaze flicked to Shen Yanting—meaning Shen Yanting had always held first on the Heavenly Pride List over He Shuyan.

Bo Xuenong never skimped on praising Shen Yanting. “Master is still the best.”

Shen Yanting frowned lightly. “The Heavenly Pride List compares combat strength. Dual path cultivation naturally puts her at a disadvantage.”