Sima Jiao had long known that Shi Qianlv was no simple man. During their previous encounters, he had sensed that Shi Qianlv hadn’t used his full strength.
Perhaps it was because, on those occasions, aside from the Shi family, there were also other Palace Masters and elders present. Shi Qianlv could deal with the Sima clan, but he would naturally be wary of the other palace factions as well, hence he hadn’t revealed his true capabilities.
Moreover, back then, Sima Jiao hadn’t crossed his bottom line. Shi Qianlv still believed there was room for balance, so he hadn’t gone all out.
But now was different. The Shi clan had poured years of effort into this barrier. If Sima Jiao truly went mad and destroyed it, Shi Qianlv would never be able to bear the consequences.
Once he stopped holding back, even Sima Jiao was slightly surprised by his true current cultivation level. Shi Qianlv had hidden himself deeply—his cultivation was likely already at the Great Ascension stage.
Once past Great Ascension, one would face the Heavenly Tribulation and ascend. Whether one succeeded or not, it was nothing but death.
Sima Jiao understood why the usually composed Shi Qianlv was now so visibly enraged—it all came down to immortality. Shi Qianlv knew the secret of ascension and the role of spirit fire. He had also witnessed a living example, so of course he wanted to remain in this world for millennia, just like Sima Jiao.
The dozen or so people Shi Qianlv had brought with him were all direct descendants of the Shi clan, his most trusted confidants. As the two fought, the other Shi family members could only dodge, guarding the barrier while gazing up in awe and terror at the wind-whipped thunderclouds in the sky. This was no longer a battle they could intervene in.
In the end, Sima Jiao proved superior, but even he couldn’t kill Shi Qianlv in one strike. Shi Qianlv was far more tenacious than he had anticipated. Still, Sima Jiao wasn’t in a hurry. He engaged in a drawn-out battle, their clashes occasionally sending shockwaves downward, impacting the barrier.
Sima Jiao seemed intent on using his attacks to simultaneously assault the barrier below, while Shi Qianlv did everything in his power to shift the battlefield to avoid damaging it.
For a time, the two were locked in a stalemate.
……
Liao Tingyan returned to Shi Yuxiang’s Wind Flower City, her mind unsettled. For a cultivator, such unease often foreshadowed events that would affect them personally.
Could something unexpected happen to Sima Jiao on this trip? She hadn’t asked for details earlier, but judging by his expression, she knew the place was no simple matter—there had to be secrets involved. And those who sought secrets were destined to face danger.
Then again, Liao Tingyan reconsidered, with Sima Jiao’s level of cultivation, there was probably no one in this world yet born who could kill him. Even if he got injured, it shouldn’t be anything serious.
With that thought, she relaxed slightly and sat by the jade window carved with flowers and birds, facing the vast flower garden outside. Shi Yuxiang adored flowers and birds, so her palace corridors were nestled amidst blossoms.
Normally at this time, she would lean here, watch the live-streaming mirror, snack on some treats, flip through the Compendium of Spells to find a couple of interesting ones to learn—and if she couldn’t figure them out, she could always ask Sima Jiao for help, since there was nothing he didn’t know. The Little Black Snake would come by then, wagging its tail, rummaging through her snack pile to grab something to feed the birds. The Little Black Snake loved keeping different pets wherever it went, especially feeding them.
Speaking of which, where was the Little Black Snake?After returning, she had been preoccupied with thoughts of Sima Jiao and hadn't noticed Little Black Snake. Though playful, its temperament was truly no different from a dog's—whenever they returned, it would always appear, wagging its tail to greet them.
"Little Black?"
"Snakey?"
Liao Tingyan called out twice, sensing something amiss. The atmosphere around her grew tense, as if something were slowly constricting. To describe it, she felt as though something was sucking the air from the place, trying to create a vacuum.
She stood still, gripping the Beaded Necklace Collar hanging from her chest, thinking, Don't panic, maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Hiss—
The sound of taut strings. This might have been the first time in her life Liao Tingyan reacted so quickly. She leaped backward, catching the glint of crisscrossed strings in the reflected light.
Liao Tingyan froze. "Shit!!!"
The sounds continued relentlessly, not just in front of her but behind and even above. She stood motionless.
Countless threads blocked every possible escape route. If it were Sima Jiao, he could probably tear through these strings like spider silk with a single hand. But Liao Tingyan... well, she figured if she tried, she'd be sliced into pieces—no, wait, with her defense armor, being diced wasn't possible, but she'd likely end up trussed like an egg.
She twisted her head to look at the crowd that had appeared around her—easily over a hundred people, all striking imposing poses as they encircled and scrutinized her.
Great. Not a single one whose cultivation level she could discern—all higher than hers. She felt like a pitiful level-50 player surrounded by a ring of level-90s. Wasn't this just too cruel? Did they really need such a grand setup just to capture her?
"Only her? Sima Jiao isn't here?" she heard someone ask.
"The sect leader said that even if we can't catch Sima Jiao, we must bring back that Liao Tingyan by his side."
"What use is just some woman?"
"Don't underestimate her. If Sima Jiao went to such lengths to conceal her existence and protect her all this way, she must be valuable."
Liao Tingyan: "..." Here it comes! The classic hostage scenario! Next, she'd be tied up and dragged before Sima Jiao, with a blade at her throat to force his surrender! If that was the case, she could relax—once she saw the ancestor, everything would be fine. So she really wasn't panicking at all.
"Let's capture her first," said an elderly man with sharp eyes.
With Sima Jiao absent and facing a Void Refining Stage cultivator who lacked any edge, what reservations did they need to have? Any one of them could easily subdue her.
The threads around Liao Tingyan tightened. She felt the disguise on her appearance being stripped away, revealing her true features, while two crossed strings, brimming with lethal intent, lashed toward her arms.
The one wielding the strings was a Shi Clan female cultivator holding a zither, named Shi Qian Du—Shi Qianlv's younger sister. Her status in the Shi Clan was high, so she naturally knew exactly what Sima Jiao had done.
Putting aside everything else, the massacre at Hundred Phoenix Mountain alone—ruining their Shi Clan's grand plans—was enough to make her gnash her teeth in hatred. Because this generation of Hundred Phoenix Mountain had been under her management, and now Sima Jiao had utterly destroyed it! Rebuilding it would require untold effort and time.Not long ago, she had been dispatched by Shi Qianlv to search everywhere for Sima Jiao's whereabouts. Unfortunately, Sima Jiao was too cautious, leaving no trace behind. She had failed to find him until Yue Chu Hui's death provided Shi Qianlv with some clues, leading her step by step to this place.
Every previous encounter with Sima Jiao had ended in failure, with many lives lost in vain, stirring discontent within the Gengchen Immortal Mansion. After all, those people had no idea what the Shi family was secretly plotting—they only saw them ostensibly protecting Sima Jiao.
This time, Shi Qian Du had come with her team to investigate, targeting not just Sima Jiao but also the woman named Liao Tingyan by his side.
Though Shi Qian Du found it hard to believe that someone like Sima Jiao could actually care for a woman, the evidence forced her to accept it. Sima Jiao had treated this woman exceptionally well, taking her along every time he escaped. He had even deceived Shi Qianlv into believing she was already dead.
And then there was the woman's cultivation level—this junior disciple, who hadn't even been in the sect for three years, had already reached the Void Refining Stage. Such meteoric progress left these cultivators, who had toiled for centuries, both envious and resentful. Even if he didn't adore her, he surely cared for her to some extent.
Before coming here, Shi Qianlv had instructed her to bring Liao Tingyan back at all costs. Holding her hostage would at least make Sima Jiao think twice.
Though Shi Qian Du intended to bring her back alive, the frustration in her heart was hard to suppress. That was why she now wanted to sever one of Liao Tingyan's arms just to vent her anger.
With Sima Jiao absent, wouldn’t it be amusing for him to return and see Liao Tingyan missing an arm? At this moment, Shi Qian Du had no idea that shortly after she left for Wind Flower City, Shi Qianlv had been alerted by disturbances in the Blood River and had confronted Sima Jiao there.
Standing here, Shi Qian Du thought to herself—if she couldn’t deal with Sima Jiao, surely she could handle this insignificant woman.
Her silk threads slashed toward Liao Tingyan's arm, only to stop abruptly a foot away, unable to advance even half an inch further.
Shi Qian Du: "!!!"
Liao Tingyan: "..."
Defense armor—crafted by the ancestors—was just that overpowering.
Refusing to believe it, Shi Qian Du manipulated her silk threads to strike from every angle, only to end up wrapping Liao Tingyan into a cocoon.
Unharmed but immobilized, Liao Tingyan had already resigned herself. Fine, do whatever you want. You can capture me, but you can’t hurt me.
Just as Shi Qian Du was about to make another move, she was stopped by one of the elders from the Yin Palace, an expert in artifact refinement. He examined Liao Tingyan and said, "She's wearing a defense celestial artifact. You won’t break through it. Don’t waste time here—take her back first."
With a dark expression, Shi Qian Du finally lowered her hand and swept her sleeve, dragging Liao Tingyan to her side.
"I’m taking her back to report to my elder brother. As for the rest of you—do you wish to leave now or stay here and wait for Sima Jiao to return so we can capture him in one move?" Shi Qian Du asked.
The question made many inwardly scoff. Capture him in one move? If they could, why had they suffered repeated losses before? If not for the life-and-death stakes forcing every palace to send people, many wouldn’t have come at all.
"Let’s all return together. If Sima Jiao comes back and finds her missing, his temper will surely drive him straight to the Supreme Mystery Main Peak. We should prepare in advance," one person suggested.The remaining people nodded in agreement. "Exactly, we should set up a killing array, using this woman as bait to lure him in."
"This time we've gathered our elite disciples and laid a net of heaven and earth on Tai Xuan Peak. Sima Jiao should still be injured—we're bound to succeed."
"Even if it's our Grandmaster, we can't allow such a wanton killer to keep wreaking havoc in our immortal sect. It's time to make a decisive move."
They solemnly discussed quickly assembling their disciples, preparing to use sheer numbers. Everyone's expression was grave, many showing worry and fear.
Liao Tingyan observed their demeanor through the gaps in the silk threads, feeling strange. Perhaps it was this solemn mood of justice about to triumph over evil, the darkness before dawn—as someone from the villain's camp, she couldn't relate.
Currently a hostage, the others could do nothing about her and mostly ignored her. She remained silent, thinking about what to do.
Truthfully, this was beyond her capabilities. Breaking through such an encirclement and escaping? In this world, probably only Sima Jiao could manage that.
If she didn't escape... the only thing she cared about now was what Sima Jiao had said before leaving—warning her not to stay in the central area of the inner residence. There must be some danger there.
But she was truly helpless. She couldn't even send out a message now. All she could do was pray that her ancestor wouldn't be too angry when he discovered she'd been captured.
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