novelraw Chapter 396: Unbridgeable, Truly Unbridgeable
Chapter 396: Unbridgeable, Truly Unbridgeable
“Dead?”
Master Qing Yan explained gravely, “Eighty years ago, the Five Elements Dao Sect was ambushed by three Divine Transformation cultivators. I killed one, severely injured the other two. The one who died… looks exactly like this person here.”
Yu Zhao and Abbot Jie Tan finally understood.
“Exactly the same, or just similar?”
While the world has its share of lookalikes, subtle differences always exist—whether in facial features or bone structure. Yet Master Qing Yan was resolute.
“Exactly the same, as though they were carved from the same mold.”
That battle eighty years ago had left Master Qing Yan with lingering internal injuries, ensuring he would never forget those three individuals. To uncover their identities, the Five Elements Dao Sect investigated the deceased Divine Transformation cultivator, hoping to trace his origins. But they found nothing—not a single clue—and the trail went cold.
Regret flickered in Master Qing Yan’s eyes.
Had he known back then, he would have ensured at least one of them was captured alive.
Yu Zhao stared at the corpse, replaying the events leading to this moment. Gradually, the corpse’s silhouette overlapped with the images of the other two Divine Transformation cultivators. The masked faces, identical physiques, even the techniques they practiced and their smallest movements were eerily identical.A chilling thought surfaced in her mind.
If two identical beings could be created, what was to stop a third, or even a fourth?
What exactly were they?
Why had they ambushed her and Abbot Jie Tan?
Was there something on her they desperately sought?
Her focus drifted until Abbot Jie Tan’s voice broke through her thoughts, muffled yet steady. She snapped back, her gaze landing on the wooden alms bowl in his hands.
A wooden bowl? A spirit core? The extraction of a spiritual vein overnight?
A light breeze brushed past, dispersing the fog in her mind. The fragments began to align, forming a picture disturbingly close to the truth.
Their true target wasn’t her or Abbot Jie Tan. It was the spirit cores they had painstakingly gathered.
These assailants were the same mysterious individuals draining spiritual veins in secret.
“Yu Zhao, have you discovered something?”
Abbot Jie Tan noticed her unsettled expression and asked with concern.
“Abbot, I suspect that news of our collection of spirit cores has leaked. They weren’t targeting us specifically; their aim was the cores.”
In the past, Yu Zhao had reported the theft of spiritual veins to Sect Master Ji Yuan, who had later shared it with Master Qing Yan. Upon hearing this, a frosty murderous intent flashed in Master Qing Yan’s eyes.
Abbot Jie Tan sighed softly, “An innocent man becomes guilty by holding treasure.”
“Other than the two of you, who else knows about the spirit cores?” Master Qing Yan asked, his tone sharp with suspicion.
Yu Zhao and Abbot Jie Tan exchanged glances. The list of those privy to this secret was short, and all were trusted figures in their sects. Could any of them have betrayed the information?
Neither believed it.
And so, silence hung heavy in the air, the atmosphere tense.
Master Qing Yan prepared to press further when Yu Zhao’s injuries, long suppressed, suddenly flared. She let out a muffled groan, blood seeping from the corner of her lips as cold sweat beaded her brow.
“Zhao’er!” Master Qing Yan exclaimed, alarmed.
Abandoning his questions, he stepped forward and grasped her wrist firmly, channeling rich and potent spiritual energy into her body.
Yu Zhao instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but his grip was like iron. Resigned, she ignored the icy touch and focused entirely on absorbing the energy to mend her injuries.
Watching the scene, Abbot Jie Tan couldn’t help but marvel.
Back during the cultivation tournament, Master Qing Yan had made no secret of his disdain for Yu Zhao, his scorn practically written on his face. The other sect masters had joked daily about how to poach her from him. But now, years later, it seemed Master Qing Yan’s prejudice had finally lifted.
Though perhaps, it was a little too late.
Yu Zhao directed the energy to reset her fractured bones, stabilizing them before regulating her chaotic spiritual energy. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
“Thank you, Master Qing Yan.”
Master Qing Yan offered a stiff smile, clearly unaccustomed to such gestures. “There’s no need for thanks between us.”
Yu Zhao responded with a distant smile, seizing the opportunity to slip from his grasp. She moved to stand beside Abbot Jie Tan, the line of separation unmistakable.
The dimming light in Master Qing Yan’s eyes betrayed his feelings.
Zhao’er still had not forgiven him.
“Master Qing Yan, Yu Zhao and I plan to head to the Heavenly Sword Sect. What are your intentions?” Abbot Jie Tan asked.
“You two have already been targeted. The journey is long and fraught with danger. Allow me to accompany you. We can watch each other’s backs,” Master Qing Yan replied immediately.
Abbot Jie Tan thought, As expected.
The ambush site had been chosen with precision—isolated and treacherous, far from both the Green Wood Sect they had left and the Heavenly Sword Sect they were heading to. Sparse in spiritual energy and difficult to traverse, it was the perfect place for a murder to go unnoticed.
But if the area was so desolate, how had Master Qing Yan, stationed at Chaozong Gorge, happened to be nearby?
The only explanation was that he had been tailing them from the start, keeping a deliberate distance to avoid detection. That was why he had arrived just in time to rescue them.
Whatever his reasons for shadowing them, Master Qing Yan now had the chance to join them openly. Naturally, he seized it.
Yu Zhao wanted to refuse, but she understood the stakes. Any delay could introduce more complications, potentially jeopardizing the construction of the ancient formation. She wouldn’t let personal grievances hinder their mission.
Her silence was tacit approval.
Abbot Jie Tan, after brief contemplation, saw the benefits of Master Qing Yan’s presence. His imposing reputation could deter troublemakers and even expedite negotiations with the sects they planned to visit. During their stop at the Green Wood Sect, for instance, Master Wu Sang might have been more decisive if Master Qing Yan had been present.
Having weighed the pros and cons, Abbot Jie Tan agreed.
Before setting out, Master Qing Yan buried the corpse on the spot, marking the location and sending a message back to his sect.
“Zhao’er…”
“Master Qing Yan, please address me as Yu Zhao,” she interrupted, her tone sharp.
Hearing “Zhao’er” sent shivers down her spine. For her own sanity, she made her request bluntly.
Master Qing Yan’s lips moved soundlessly before he softly acquiesced, “As you wish.”
With that, Yu Zhao paid him no further mind. For the remainder of the journey, she focused solely on advancing her understanding of spatial energy.
Master Qing Yan glanced at her repeatedly, hesitant to speak. The tension was palpable, made worse by the chill radiating from him, pricking at Abbot Jie Tan, who was caught in the middle.
Abbot Jie Tan considered offering some Buddhist wisdom to ease Master Qing Yan’s emotions and persuade him to rein in his oppressive aura. But before he could utter a word, a frosty glare from Master Qing Yan silenced him.
Sighing inwardly, Abbot Jie Tan thought, Buddha saves those with affinity. But Master Qing Yan is no kindred spirit.
Unbridgeable, truly unbridgeable.