When Song Qianji's "Person-Seeking Spirit Pearl" flashed, his sword light had already been unleashed.
The sword light was incredibly fast—so fast that no one had time to react, only to think a single thought:
What kind of sword is this? If I were the one facing it, I would never be able to dodge this strike.
In that fleeting moment, the female cultivator turned around, her eyes blazing with red light, and with a sweep of her sleeve, she unleashed a crimson glow.
Only when it clashed with the sword light did the others see it clearly—it was a dark red jade pearl.
The sword light was deflected, only slicing off a piece of her sleeve. Her movements were light and eerie, and she used the residual force to rebound, accelerating even faster. In the blink of an eye, she vanished without a trace.
Liaohua exclaimed in shock, "You're not Bai E! Who are you?!"
Miaoyan's heart trembled, and a wave of endless regret washed over her.
Bai E was likely in grave danger. They had spent every day together, yet when a fellow disciple was replaced, they hadn't noticed a thing.
They wore specially crafted veiled hats so that even if someone discovered Miaoyan was an imposter, it wouldn't be easy to identify the real Miaoyan.
This was Wangshu's arrangement and instruction: "The situation is unpredictable. A person of noble status does not sit under a crumbling wall. Once you enter the secret realm, do not easily reveal your identity. If my plan fails, you will be our last hope!"
This strategy of concealment, however, gave the enemy an opportunity to infiltrate the Celestial Sound Sect's ranks.
The dark red spirit pearl struck the cave ceiling and exploded with a deafening roar.
The already precarious ice cave couldn't withstand the blast and seemed on the verge of collapse. Massive chunks of ice rained down like a storm.
"Fall back!" Song Qianji shouted, swinging his sword again to send a heavy block of ice flying toward the sprites at the cave entrance.
Seeing this, the others retreated swiftly to avoid the falling rocks while mimicking his actions.
The ice blocks were quickly covered with the defensive magical artifacts and talismans of various cultivators, forming an ice wall in an instant.
The sprites, blocked by the ice wall, screeched and hissed. Their sharp, long nails scraped rapidly against the ice, producing a piercing sound.
With the exit sealed off, only one path remained.
"Move!" Song Qianji led the way but noticed Ziye Wenshu was missing. Turning back, he saw him guarding the rear, protecting the weaker cultivators, his wounds reopening and bleeding.
The deeper they went, the darker it became. In the pitch-black darkness, the falling ice grew denser, carrying a chilling, sinister aura.
The cultivators scrambled to dodge when suddenly the ice beneath their feet cracked open, revealing an ice-carved corridor that seemed to lead underground.
Song Qianji called out loudly, "If you trust me, follow this path downward. It leads to the Blood River Valley's underground palace."
Though the frenzied sprites and the shaking earth were terrifying, the group had cooperated seamlessly, and no one had been harmed. The rogue cultivators were even in the mood to joke:
"We've come this far. Even if this leads to the eighteen layers of hell, we have no choice but to trust you!"
As they rushed into the corridor, a white figure flashed ahead.
Muxia shouted, "It's that demonic impostor disguised as Bai E again! She got in ahead of us!"
Her reaction was swift. This person had previously hidden among the Celestial Sound Sect's ranks, and her words were meant to distance the sect, clarifying that they were also victims.
The woman referred to as Bai E turned back with a smile and slammed a mechanism on the wall.
A massive ice door covered in runes descended, threatening to seal the corridor shut.
Song Qianji's sword shot out. The slender Shadowless Sword propped up the heavy ice door, allowing everyone to slip inside.
"Running? Still running?" Seeing the figure about to accelerate again, Song Qianji acted generously, unleashing thirty wind talismans at once.
These talismans were his own creation. Individually, they were quite useless, merely producing a gentle breeze that brushed against a cultivator's robes.At this moment, dense talismans fluttered like chaotic butterflies, the hurricane-like currents engulfing that figure as they swiftly flew out of the ice door and toward Song Qianji.
In the darkness, chaotic footsteps and heavy roars pressed closer incessantly.
The sprites had already broken through the ice wall blocking the cave entrance, and the mysterious "evil cultist" seemed on the verge of breaking free from the talismans.
Just as Ziye Wenshu was about to draw his blade, he heard Song Qianji's lighthearted voice transmission: "I can handle this myself, and I already have a foolproof plan. Take everyone and leave quickly—without having to worry about them, I'll actually feel more at ease. Once the secret realm matter is settled, I'll come to Green Cliff to share a drink with you."
Ziye Wenshu replied, "If you're lying, the potatoes you planted will never blossom."
Song Qianji was startled—this was too cruel. Who taught him such a vicious curse? This is practically asking for my life.
But he could only grit his teeth and agree: "Fine!"
Hearing his agreement, Ziye Wenshu said to the Green Cliff disciples, "Follow me."
Song Qianji's Shadowless Sword was bent under pressure, emitting unwilling hums.
Although this sword was a supreme treasure, it was unequivocally a blade for killing. Forcing it to support heaven and earth or save people from peril was truly asking too much of the weapon.
Song Qianji spread his five fingers and drew the sword. The ice door began descending again.
For the first time since his rebirth, he felt he needed a truly suitable Lifebound Sword.
The situation was tense but still within control. Seeing Ziye Wenshu's retreating figure, Song Qianji felt reassured.
But the female cultivator named He Yun suddenly stopped, clutching a corner of his sleeve with reddened eyes staring intently at him:
"Will we meet again?"
As if she wouldn't leave if he said no.
Song Qianji thought that for ordinary cultivators, today's upheaval was indeed perilous. This young woman had just been struck on the back of her head and was inevitably frightened and disoriented.
"If fate allows, we will naturally meet again." He wanted to offer more comfort, but the descending door wouldn't wait. Song Qianji sent a sword energy to sever that section of sleeve.
Simultaneously, he gently tapped He Yun's shoulder with the sword hilt, pushing her through the doorway.
Miaoyan only heard that person's gentle, laughing tone, seemingly comforting. The next instant, a slight pain touched her shoulder as the ice door carved with runes crashed down.
She could no longer see that person's figure, holding only a torn corner of black magic robe in her hand.
Gatherings and separations come hastily, life and death vast and uncertain. Fate is as unpredictable as flowers falling under the moon and clouds.
The corridor was dark and narrow. Miaoyan, despondent and clutching the torn cloth, was flanked by fellow disciples urging her forward. The moment she opened her mouth, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Senior sister!" Muxia exclaimed in alarm, hurriedly taking out an elixir.
"It's just stagnant blood clogging my heart. Vomiting it is actually good." Miaoyan wiped the blood from her lips and straightened her back. When she looked up again, the fragile, pained expression had vanished from her face.
Her gaze swept over her fellow disciples, becoming firm once more: "There's no need to take turns pretending to be me anymore, and you should stop wearing veiled hats too."
Everyone was shocked, unwilling to agree.
Liaohua urgently said, "Aunt Wangshu's careful arrangements were all to protect you, senior sister. What if Jiangyun and He Qingqing win? They'll definitely try to enter the secret realm to hunt you down..."
Miaoyan interrupted: "I'll explain to Master myself. No matter who wins or loses outside, what's meant to come cannot be avoided. Let it come!"
...
Song Qianji let out a long sigh of relief, raised his sword, and turned toward the figure wrapped in wind talismans.Upon arriving at the Ice Cave, he had friends and teammates, was admired by others, smoothly resolved problems along the way, and now effortlessly eliminated his target.
He thought the dust had settled.
He had won this round.
The wind talisman shattered into yellow paper scraps, revealing the figure within.
"Wuxiang, you play the part of a female cultivator quite convincingly," Song Qianji laughed.
"Who said I'm playing? Look closer." The female cultivator removed her veil, revealing a delicate and fair face.
With her dark hair, white robes, and lively expression, she showed no trace of panic.
Song Qianji frowned.
Her tone, movements, demeanor, and aura were unmistakably those of a genuine female cultivator.
She giggled: "I am Wuxiang, naturally capable of being both male and female. Gender, age, height, beauty, and ugliness are all external forms. The more you try to see my 'true form,' the more you become deceived by 'external appearances.' Do you still dare to look?"
Song Qianji continued watching her: "I never knew such a cultivation method existed in this world—it seems I've been ignorant. Is it soul possession, limb regeneration, or some other doppelgänger technique?"
The last time he killed Wuxiang, to prevent regeneration, he had scattered the ashes to the wind.
By the timeline, when that Wuxiang died, this Wuxiang was already in the Ice Cave.
If Song Qianji had left immediately after the kill, he would never have discovered this one.
The female Wuxiang said: "You plant trees. If you break off a branch from a tree and plant it in the soil, when the spring breeze blows next year, a new tree will grow—what's so strange about that?"
Song Qianji: "Trees indeed don’t distinguish between male and female, beauty and ugliness. A broken branch can sprout anew, but trees are far more likable than people. No matter what heaven-defying secret method you’ve used, there must be limitations. Each time you’re killed, your power weakens. Before, you could injure Xian Jianchen; later, even I could kill you. Lacking strength, you resort to schemes. This doppelgänger of yours has been hiding until now. If not for everyone’s reluctance to leave tonight, you would have slipped into the Underground Palace with them."
"Well said. A pity," the female cultivator sighed.
"What’s a pity?"
"It’s a pity you’ve only guessed half right."
Song Qianji met her gaze, his brow twitching.
"If I wanted to enter the Underground Palace, I have many paths to take—why go through such trouble?" she murmured. "Song Qianji, I can still give you another choice."
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