The Forbidden Path to Immortality

Chapter 291

When he saw Li Xun, the ugly look on his face finally eased up a bit, but voice was still thick with anxiety.

Li Xun snapped back irritably, “How the hell should I know? You ask me, I ask who? What the fuck happened here? The whole sky went nuts just now. The entire Star River looked like a kicked anthill, sword lights flashing everywhere. Good thing I hadn’t made my move yet and hid in time, or I’d have been chopped into mincemeat by now!”

Gone was the polite, courteous manner he’d had when they first met. His tone was aggressive. And oddly enough, that made everything feel more believable to Bisu.

In fact, no matter how hard Bishuku racked his brains, he’d never in a million years connect the infamous “Blood-Shadow Demon Body” arch-fiend to Li Xun. And it didn’t even occur to him to suspect Gu Yin’s side either.

After all, the “Blood-Shadow Demon Body” was considered one of the most elite demonic techniques in the entire Tongxuan Realm. Anyone who cultivated it ended up completely twisted. Mentally unstable, unpredictable, and deeply corrupted. By the time they’ve gone far with it, they’ve made enemies everywhere, angered both heaven and people alike. They’re the kind of monster no normal cultivator would ever rub shoulders with.

With something like this happening, Bisu had no choice but to chalk it up to rotten luck. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment before Li Xun finally asked, a little puzzled. “Everything’s blown up on your side. Why aren’t you over there dealing with it? How did you even have time to come here?”

Bisu forced a series of bitter smiles. Was he supposed to admit he’d rushed over because he was worried something had gone wrong on Li Xun’s end, and that someone might follow the trail right back to him? No matter what, the fact that Li Xun was safe and sound was already the best outcome he could have hoped for.

He shook his head. “The situation’s clear now. Some demon showed up out of nowhere and tried to kill Ming Ji at the Gathering Stars Platform…”

“What?” Li Xun’s eyes went wide. He pressed at once, “Is Ming Ji all right?”

Bisu’s bitter smile deepened. “Ming Ji’s fine, actually. At the time, my junior brother Yun Xing was right there beside her and barely managed to shield her. But I’ve got no clue what the hell got into him; he suddenly undid Ming Ji’s restraints and then tore off like a madman chasing after that demon...

“As for Ming Ji, heh, your martial aunt really lives up to her reputation. Even after the restraints were undone, she didn’t show the slightest intention of slipping away... just because of what happened with Yun Xing. Straightforward and upright, she doesn’t yield an inch to any man.”

Li Xun’s brow knit tightly. “What the hell? So you locked her up again?”

“If only it were that easy. Other than the sect master, I doubt there’s anyone in our sect who could capture her alive. And now things are a mess over at Biyun Mountain. Thanks to the fine work Madam Palace pulled, your sect, with Qingming at the head, has pressed in full force. The sect master has already rushed over to deal with it. With that happening, the situation at Gathering Stars Platform can only stay deadlocked... still, as long as Ming Ji doesn’t try to force her way out, there’s room to maneuver.”

That last bit was purely to put Li Xun’s mind at ease. Trouble was, he had no idea that for Li Xun, the guy actually in the thick of it, those words only pissed him off even more.

Li Xun closed his eyes for a second, then snapped them open again, a bitter laugh echoing only in his head. When you got right down to it, this was pure Ming Ji, classic her, through and through.

At that moment, a memory surfaced. The image of when he’d lunged at her in his Blood-Shadow Demon Body, and what he’d seen. Her sword-qi slashing across the sky... so fierce it could near slice through every illusion and falsehood in its way.

With a sword intent that cut to the heart like that, how could its wielder ever behave the way he had imagined?

Li Xun let out a long, heavy sigh. He’d always known damn well that he and Ming Ji were from completely different worlds. Two people who couldn’t be more opposite. Yet every single time that realization hit him again, it weighed on his chest like a boulder.

After that sigh, Li Xun knew he couldn’t let himself fall apart completely. He pulled himself together and pressed on, asking about the situation. “What about over at Bihua Mountain? Has Madam Palace found out about the mess here?”

“She knows,” Bisu replied, sighing just like him and shaking his head. “She says it’s better not to act at all than to push things too far. As of today, there’s nothing more we can hope for.”

Hearing this, Li Xun finally put it all together. No wonder Bisu’s mood was far steadier than he had expected. Turns out he had already taken a hit from the Palace Attendant. He had vented his anger there before coming to this meeting.

And the “proper timing” the Palace Attendant mentioned probably was not meant for Bisu. A good chunk of it was actually a pointed warning to Li Xun, telling him not to do anything stupid or reckless.

Li Xun didn’t like hearing that one bit. Truth was, he’d already been nursing a quiet urge to kill Bisu. The reason was simple; he sure as hell didn’t want this guy holding his secret over him. Even if Bisu himself was hardly some saint!

But circumstances left him no choice. He’d been the one to mess up the plan first, so whatever bitter consequences came now, he had no choice but to swallow them down in silence. Hell, even with Bisu sitting there looking all gloomy and pissed off, Li Xun still had to force out a couple of comforting words...

What the actual fuck!

Li Xun and Bisu exchanged a look and both forced a wry smile.

Even as he smiled, though, Li Xun’s mind was racing. He was still trying to figure out whether there was some way to take Bisu out by surprise and walk away without being implicated. He carefully concealed his murderous intent, while splitting off just enough attention to listen as Bisu explained the new and supposedly safe escape route he had found for him.

They’d only gotten halfway through the conversation when both of them froze. A sound, so faint it was barely more than a mosquito’s buzz, reached their ears. It was so quiet that for a split second, the two of them almost wrote it off as their imaginations playing tricks.

Just as they instinctively strained to make it out, the sound suddenly swelled, exploding into a clear, ringing peal of laughter that hammered against their eardrums, leaving them buzzing.

Both men’s faces drained of color.

The laughter died down, and then a bold, unrestrained voice rang out right after. “Brother Tian Yuan, an old friend has come to pay a visit. Care to do me a favor and open the door?”

Open the door? Don’t tell me he’s still outside the Star River. That would mean this was... thousand-li voice transmission!

Li Xun had only just begun to piece things together when Bisu beside him sucked in a sharp breath. “Li Douliang!”

So it really was Li Douliang. Successor of Zhong Yin, the foremost grandmaster of the righteous path.

No sooner had Li Douliang’s voice ended than a cold snort rang out above the Star River. “Unwelcome guests at the door. We’re not receiving visitors.”

The power behind that cold snort carried an aura every bit as fierce as Li Douliang’s. It had to be Old Tian Yuan answering back. You could hear the irritation in it, more spite than substance. And just from his tone there was a hint that he was already running out of breath.

This time, Li Xun drew in a sharp breath as well.

Maybe it was that breath that did it. His mind suddenly cleared.

One thing’s for sure: these days the central and western parts of the Tongxuan Realm have been locked down tight as a drum by the major sects. If the east ends up the same way, the Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance is going to get squeezed like never before. That alliance is already a loose pile of sand... when the pressure really hits, how many of them are actually going to stand firm and stick around?

Just as Yun Xing had said, the clash between the two great sword sects, Mingxin and Xingji, was exactly the opening Gu Yin needed.

A figure like Li Douliang traveling north was no secret to Gu Yin. She knew perfectly well that Li Douliang was on excellent terms with Old Tian Yuan, and with his status, he was the ideal mediator. Gu Yin would never allow Li Douliang to wreck such a golden opportunity. That was why she had arranged this whole business with Li Xun and Bisu.

Even so, this move of hers felt more like a casual piece placed on the board. Winning would be nice, but losing would not really hurt her either. It was almost too carefree.

So it was obvious enough. She had to be holding back a real killing move. Something that could break through a three-sided trap and carve out an entirely new path.

Li Xun automatically thought of the Nethermyst Puppet, of Beiqi Mountain, and of Madam Yan.

For the first time, he had the clear feeling that he had his fingers on Gu Yin’s pulse.

With these thoughts churning in his head, he glanced at Bisu again. For once, he’d managed to get a real handle on what Gu Yin was up to. And the last thing he wanted now was to complicate things with any new surprises.

Bisu had no idea that Li Xun was quietly weighing his life in his calculations. He had been startled by the name Li Douliang, and only now snapped out of it. He turned his head. “If Li Douliang has arrived, he’ll definitely be meeting the sect master at Biyun Mountain. I have to go there at once. I won’t be escorting you out, so watch yourself. Be careful to keep track of the changes in the timing…”

Because Li Xun was carrying a critical piece of the plan on his shoulders, Bisu wished he could just dump every detail about getting in and out of the Star River into his head all at once.

To Li Xun, though, it was starting to sound a bit like nagging. He laughed to himself, but on the surface he kept nodding along, accepting the advice to show respect.

Then, without warning, the sound by his ear cut off.

For a moment it didn’t register. He even nodded once more out of habit before it hit him. His eyes snapped up. Bisu was standing there with his mouth slightly open, staring off to one side, his eyes gone rigid.

Li Xun’s whole body went taut. He whipped around. And the sight that met him froze him on the spot as well.

Across the river, a little over thirty feet away on the opposite bank, a broad-shouldered man stood firm. In his grip was a four-foot longsword. And his square-jawed face was expressionless as he looked over coldly.

“Yun… Yun Xing, junior brother!”

Bisu’s face had gone white as fresh snow. After forcing out that one sentence, he choked again, words dying in his throat. At least his slightly pudgy frame was still standing steady, facing Yun Xing across the river. At first glance, he even seemed able to hold his ground.

How had Yun Xing found them?