Chapter 47 A Dark and Windy Night for the God of Slaughter to End the Saga
The formation of the Star Gazing Tower has been broken. Faint smoke from the furnace lingers around it. The clouds swallow the moonlight. On the rooftop, one person stands holding an umbrella, his red and black attire clearly distinguishable. Another person is dressed in plain white, with a cold expression and nothing else on his person.
Mingying already knew the truth. She suppressed her emotions and looked down at the person sitting quietly on the star-gazing platform. She had never imagined that the person behind the scenes would be the Imperial Advisor.
Just then, Xiao Qingyi looked up at the two uninvited guests in the darkness. Her expression remained unchanged. She nodded calmly to Mingying, then turned her gaze to Xiao Jingze, placing the incense burner on the table as if waiting for something.
Mingying frowned. She sensed something was wrong inside the building; her spiritual energy couldn't penetrate it at all. She turned to the side and asked, "What did you do?"
Xiao Jingze also looked at the person on the star-gazing platform and slowly said, "The object in her hand is the magic artifact I set up earlier. At first glance, it smells like ordinary calming incense. Its effects are slow and do not arouse suspicion. After seven days, it will form a barrier to isolate spiritual energy. And tonight is the perfect time, exactly seven days from now."
He casually placed the incense burner on the Star Gazing Platform, intending to use it to deal with the Immortal Venerable. If the seven-day deadline had passed and the Imperial Preceptor still couldn't draw the Immortal Venerable's consciousness out of Ming Ying, this would be his method.
Although it was a magical artifact made based on spiritual veins, its effect lasted for less than an hour. Once the smoke from the furnace dissipated, the barrier would fail. Xiao Jingze therefore didn't say much, never expecting that he would ultimately deal with someone else. This method isolated the spiritual energy from the outside world; no matter what realm a cultivator was at, they were nothing more than mortals within it.
Xiao Jingze lowered his eyes to meet the gaze of the person below, and asked in a calm tone, "Do you have any questions for her? If not, I will kill her."
Mingying did not answer immediately. The night wind blew the stray hairs on her forehead. Xiao Jingze tossed the gold ring, a faint smile on his lips: "You have people you must kill, and I have people I must kill."
Mingying suddenly asked, "Xiao Jingze, have you ever killed anyone?"
Xiao Jingze twitched the corner of his mouth, his eyes devoid of any extra emotion: "I've killed, I've killed quite a few people. The first lesson for academy disciples entering the world is—don't be afraid to kill."
Mingying gave a faint "hmm": "What if we fail to kill him?"
Xiao Jingze threw out a golden ring, which transformed into a longsword in mid-air. He drew the sword and landed, saying, "Then let's kill again!"
When Mingying first saw Xiao Jingze using a longsword, Xiao Jingze attacked without hesitation, the cold light of the sword tip aimed straight for the Grand Preceptor's throat!
Xiao Qingyi moved at that moment. She did not get up, but gently flicked her wide sleeves and slowly released a stream of spiritual energy into the air.
Xiao Jingze swiftly threw out the golden ring in his left hand as well. The magical artifact, now devoid of spiritual power, only managed to deflect the attack before flying back. The edge of the golden ring grazed his cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.
He landed on the star-gazing platform, raised his hand and wiped away the blood that had seeped out with his fingertips, and smiled slightly: "Oh? There is still some residual spiritual energy from before. As expected of a Mahayana cultivator."
Mingying remained standing on the rooftop, not joining the battle below, but simply watching the two men's actions quietly.
Xiao Qingyi finally stood up, and the long sword hanging on the wall fell into her hand with a long whistle. Xiao Qingyi drew the sword from its sheath with a calm demeanor: "You can't kill me."
Xiao Jingze brandished his sword and sneered, "How will you know if you don't try?"
The two swords clashed, their clanging sounds ringing out endlessly. Xiao Qingyi's swordplay was clean and crisp, like flowing wind cutting through water, seemingly illusory yet real. Xiao Jingze's swordplay was unconventional, his sword techniques changing in an instant, each strike deadly. The Xiao family was renowned for its swordsmanship, yet neither of them used swords often.
The sword flashed like lightning, and Xiao Qingyi repelled it, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Not bad swordsmanship."
Xiao Jingze replied, "It's all thanks to your and my grandfather's excellent teaching."
Confined by the incense burner's protective barrier, their spiritual energy was rendered useless, making this a pure swordsmanship contest. The two swordsmen were evenly matched, with victory or defeat hanging by a thread. Sword light intertwined with the night wind, drawing streaks of light, while incense smoke curled around the incense burner on the table.
Half an hour had passed, and both of them were covered in blood. Xiao Jingze seemed to be losing strength, and his movements became sluggish. Xiao Qingyi's expression remained unchanged, and her sword strike was like a rainbow, aimed straight at Xiao Jingze's left chest! The opponent did not dodge or evade. As soon as the long sword was drawn, blood rained down.
As the smoke from the furnace dissipated, one man fell, while another stood in the center, their fates sealed. Silence reigned within the building. Xiao Jingze suddenly smiled: "The dragon scales on my chest are the most solid things in the world. Even if you were at the peak of the Mahayana stage, you couldn't kill me."
Xiao Jingze lowered his eyes and stood there for a moment, his smile fading slightly. The golden ring transformed into a cauldron and fell into his palm. He slowly squatted down and reached out to close his eyes.
The "Return of All Things to the Void" was a birthday gift given to him by the Imperial Preceptor. Since childhood, he had rarely received genuine kindness from anyone in the Xiao family except his mother. He barely counted Xiao Qingyi and Xiao Wang as one of them. Although he usually put his family first, they had always treated him well. He acted casually, but he was not someone who did not appreciate kindness.
But now he truly has no relatives left. The elder who sent him to the Void of All Things is ultimately buried there.
Mingying stared at Xiao Jingze for a long while, then fell from the rooftop to help him up, channeling her spiritual energy into his wounds. Xiao Jingze was stunned for a moment: "Are you a goddess now?"
Mingying said, "No."
Xiao Jingze snapped out of his daze, looked toward the center of the observatory, and with a flick of his wrist, the golden ring transformed into a world of imminent distance. The Thousand Machines Technique burst forth with golden threads, piecing the two worlds of imminent distance together.
The compasses spun in formation, and neither of them spoke. Mingying said earnestly, "I will come back."
Xiao Jingze smiled and said, "I know."
Mingying glanced back at him one last time before stepping into the formation and opening her eyes in the white light.
——
The Jade Capital, high above the Nine Heavens, is also a burial ground for mortals. The Xuanji Palace floats above a sea of clouds, its ancient, bluish-white jade gleaming with a thousand years of radiance, shrouded in abundant spiritual energy and shrouded in mist. This celestial paradise, longed for by all, is a place where immortals are imprisoned.
Mingying gazed at the jade steps leading to heaven and landed silently in front of the hall.
Twelve cold jade pillars supported the high dome. As the star map turned, Song Xijia sat high on the divine throne, her forehead propped up by her hand. Her feathered robes were like clouds hanging from the sky. She smiled and stretched out her hand to Mingying: "Welcome, newborn little goddess."
Mingying did not answer, nor did she offer any pleasantries. She flipped her palm, and heavenly fire appeared in her palm, surrounded by a brilliant golden color. The white jade reflected the firelight, and the temperature inside the hall rose sharply. With a swift movement, the flames rushed straight towards the throne!
Heavenly fire reflected in Song Xijia's pupils. His smile faded slightly. He stood up and flicked his sleeves. A chilling aura surged from his palm. The two spiritual energies collided, scattering white mist across the sky. Ice crystals slowly grew on the white jade inside the hall.
She opened her arms, threw her head back, and laughed loudly: "Come on! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
No longer bound by the limitations of his physical body, the Celestial Venerable at his peak exuded a formidable aura and overwhelming power. Ice blades pierced the jade beneath Ming Ying's feet; Song Xijia had already erected numerous barriers, intending to trap her here.
Mingying's eyes flickered slightly, and suddenly the heavenly fire scattered in all directions, like starlight, igniting the Xuanji Palace from beneath her feet! On one side, flames surged and heat waves rolled, while on the other side, ice and snow flew and cold air permeated the air.
Spiritual energy moved with divine thought, and the two figures intertwined. Their movements were so fast that only afterimages remained. In the blink of an eye, it seemed like more than a hundred moves had passed. The two struck each other and retreated. Mingying steadied herself and suddenly stopped.
The Xuanji Palace was teetering on the brink of collapse. The cold jade pillars inside the palace crashed down, and the patterns of the array appeared on the ground. Song Xijia looked at the person in the array and his smile widened: "Come on, leave your body here."
Mingying looked up and sneered, "Ridiculous."
She faced the swirling snow and spiritual energy flowed through her palms, drawing out bright red blood. Heavenly fire licked her fingertips, intensifying the flames and sweeping across the divine throne!
Song Xijia's expression hardened. At the same time, Mingying broke out of the formation, golden flames swirling around her. When Song Xijia saw the familiar scene, she quickly took a few steps back and raised her hand to block. However, Mingying was faster and quickly released a burst of spiritual energy with her palms overlapping!
Song Xijia's body trembled violently, and she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. She looked down at the flames burning on her chest, which had burned through her chest, revealing a golden edge.
Song Xijia's eyes were filled with complex and unreadable emotions as she murmured to herself, "So this is what it felt like back then..."
Her expression changed again, and she laughed loudly three times. The immense divine power shook the entire Xuanji Palace violently, and countless starlight points fell from the dome. Xuanji Palace was already overwhelmed and was about to collapse.
Mingying's expression remained unchanged. She quickly stepped forward again and unleashed another powerful attack. Flames pierced through layers of ice, and Song Xijia's smile vanished, replaced by a fierce look: "I'm not reconciled! Even if you kill me, you will eventually be trapped here!"
Mingying acted without the slightest hesitation: "Then I'll kill you first."
Flames engulfed the two figures, and Song Xijia's voice was sharp as a knife: "Was I wrong?!"
Mingying's gaze remained calm: "Then who was wrong in the first place?"
It's not that she can't understand what the Immortal Venerable is thinking; there are many things where right and wrong are indistinguishable. It's just that everyone has to bear the consequences of their actions.
The flames consumed him, and Mingying, gazing at the resentful look in the eyes of the person engulfed in the fire, suddenly asked, "Immortal Venerable, do you have a wish?"
Song Xijia looked directly at her and laughed loudly: "I want to be a superior person! I want to live forever!"
The Xuanji Palace was rapidly collapsing, with jade stones constantly falling from above. Heavenly fire had completely ignited the Xuanji Palace, and wisps of black souls slowly rose from the flames, scattering into golden specks of light. The souls imprisoned here for nine hundred years were finally freed.
The surroundings were empty and silent. Mingying took the only fragment of bone from the burning flames and placed it in the original position of the throne: "Then, your wish has been fulfilled."
Blood dripped from her fingertips. After doing all this, Mingying looked around. The vast sea of clouds flowed beneath her feet. She was the only one standing between heaven and earth. Was it all over?
She raised her hand, grasped that bit of divine power, and smiled gently. What does this matter?
Mingying shook her head and touched her burning forehead. Her steps were unsteady. She had suffered a great loss of spiritual energy and was now physically exhausted.
But Xiao Jingze was still waiting for her at the Star Gazing Tower. There were still many things she needed to do in the mortal realm. Mingying slowly walked back to the position of the white pillar of light, only to find that she could not go back.
She stood there, recalling what the Immortal Venerable had said, then slapped her forehead. How could this be? She had already destroyed the Xuanji Palace; she had to go back.
Mingying composed herself, circled the pillar of light once, wondering how she was going to get back from the sky.
Just as she was studying the formation, she heard a series of unhurried footsteps behind her. Mingying turned around and saw a familiar figure amidst the swirling lights. The newcomer possessed powerful spiritual energy, wore a high jade crown, had radiant white hair, and a calm and composed face.
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Author's Note: I'm so tired of writing this I'm going bald. Fight scenes are really not my strong suit. There are only a few chapters left in the main story, and I'll use some sweet side stories to heal my baldness.
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