novelraw Chapter 478: Even Killing the Donkey After the Grind Isn’t as Fast as You
Chapter 478: Even Killing the Donkey After the Grind Isn’t as Fast as You
Su Qing Wan’s smile did not fade: she said, “You misunderstand. I merely tested you. If Fellow Daoist could not even withstand that, there would be no need for talk.”
A thought clicked into place. Du Wu Xiang’s eyes cooled: he said, “You want to cooperate.”
She dipped her chin, approval glinting in her eyes: she said, “As expected, you are quick. Are you interested in Qingxu Sect’s Lu Jiu Yuan?”
At once he understood why she sought him. He had not been long in the Bifang Realm, but the Valley Master of Burning Heaven Valley had been generous with useful rumors. Heavenly Sound Pavilion and Qingxu Sect were water and fire; their disciples brawled on sight. In recent years, though, Qingxu Sect had produced Lu Jiu Yuan, and Heavenly Sound Pavilion’s people had gone out far less often. If Su Qing Wan met Lu Jiu Yuan inside the Four Quarters Realm, she would be the first to be settled. No wonder she was in a hurry to find an ally.
The corner of Du Wu Xiang’s mouth tugged. She feared Lu Jiu Yuan. He feared Yu Zhao. Their goals were not the same, but they could indeed work together.
“Cooperation is fine,” he said at last, voice still cool, “but I have a condition.”
Su Qing Wan’s eyes brightened with curiosity: she said, “Name it.”
“I help you deal with Lu Jiu Yuan. You help me remove Yu Zhao.”
“Yu Zhao? Who is she?” she asked, surprised.
“She is the helper Lingyin Sect invited. Like me, she walks the path of Illusion Arts,” he said, and offered nothing more.That alone told Su Qing Wan that this unseen Yu Zhao stood above Du Wu Xiang in strength. She did not press. After a brief thought, she nodded: she said, “If Fellow Daoist will aid me, I will do my utmost in return. May our cooperation be fruitful.”
Du Wu Xiang answered with a chill little sound. Their paths merged and they moved as one.
On the far side of the Four Quarters Realm, several hours later, Yu Zhao finally unraveled its mystery. The smothering fog did not merely cover the eyes; it was a special sign. At intervals, the fog slowly drew inward. To be precise, it was not the fog shrinking, but the realm itself contracting. Which meant the scattered disciples would be gradually driven together. No wonder the Master of Seeking Dao Sect and the other sect masters had set the rule as survival wins with no addendum; they were sure the participants would clash head-on at the end and decide the victor.
With that, Yu Zhao abandoned the notion of combing the realm for others. They would meet sooner or later. Better to settle everything then. At ease, she sat and began to study the differences among the four intents she had split.
Each intent could condense into an avatar inside the Four Quarters Realm, yet the avatars themselves differed greatly. The avatars of the Ruthless Dao and the Illusion Arts were the strongest; they could display power equal to Yu Zhao’s real-world strength, even a touch higher. By comparison, the avatars of the Path of Reincarnation and of Formation Arts were weaker.
She opened her palm to reveal four orbs of light. Their hues, deeper or paler, marked the differences among the intents. After a moment’s thought, she plucked up the orb of the Ruthless Dao and swallowed it.
At once, a cold beyond cold spread through her, as if to freeze her very soul. An unseen force tugged her awareness down into a blank world. It was emptier and cleaner than the Four Quarters Realm. There were no emotions here, no temperature, only absolute clarity and reason. In that place, her spirit tightened like drawn steel and melded with the nature of the Ruthless Dao. When she opened her eyes again—she did not know how long had passed—an icy glimmer flashed, and her phantom body began to take on the feeling of solidity. She nodded, satisfied. With intent fused to will, the power she could bring forth had leapt in kind; the change was one of quality, not degree.
“Next is Illusion,” she murmured, reaching for the other orb, the one hazy as mist.
Her fingers brushed it, and the light seemed to wake, twining up around her fingertip. A gentle, ethereal force poured through her. She closed her eyes and let it move. This time, she was not pulled into blankness but stood in a shifting sea of mirage. Scenes flowed and reformed—mysterious, lovely starry skies; ferocious, snarling beasts; flashes of her own memories. They were lifelike, yet all was smoke. In that illusory realm she stood quiet as her spirit braided itself with the power of illusion. When she opened her eyes again, the sharp edge in them had softened; a faint veil seemed to lie over her gaze. She lifted a hand and the thin mist beside her gathered and shaped itself into a bird-beast lifting its wings to fly. Look closely, and it was identical to the Divine Mountain’s Bifang. If one listened with care, one could hear that high, piercing cry.
Yu Zhao smiled faintly and let her gaze fall to the two lights that remained.
Outside, the onlookers were struck dumb. They had thought four intent-avatars was the limit, but Yu Zhao could actually reabsorb them and merge them back into one. They had questioned her when she sat down without moving; she had answered with action, slapping every face in the crowd by proving herself right.
Ancestor Sui Bian was no longer smiling. Yu Zhao shone too brightly, too flawlessly. He feared he could not see her safely clear, especially when this was only his second avatar and his cultivation here was no higher than Void Refinement. He said, earnest in a rare way and even a little pitiful, “Qun Fang, Xiu Yu, you must help me.”
The two seniors understood at once. Without the slightest hesitation, they agreed. Senior Qun Fang said, “Yu Zhao is the one our Lingyin Sect invited. I will see her safe.” Senior Xiu Yu said, “Sui Bian, your junior is my junior. I will protect her.”
“And me,” said Old Black Daoist, hair in wild disarray as he shouldered in.
Ancestor Sui Bian pushed him aside with a grimace: he said, “Out of the way. This has nothing to do with you.”
Old Black Daoist sputtered in fury: he said, “Two days ago you begged me to protect you. And now you turn your face and deny me. Even killing the donkey after the grind isn’t as fast as you.”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve to talk. When I asked you to protect me, you hid faster than any donkey. Better to rely on myself than on you,” Ancestor Sui Bian said.