Only after Ji Hanyi’s figure vanished into the dim, torrential rain did Ding Songyan finally snap back to his senses:
*Did that demoness just leave?*
*Did she let me go?*
*Is she setting a trap for me?*
*No, that doesn't make sense. If she wanted to kill me, it would be no different than killing a goose. She wouldn't need to go out of her way to spare me just to set a trap...*
*Is she interested in the secret of my resurrection?* That doesn't seem likely. I was practically begging to reveal it just now, but she had no interest in listening; she just left. And it clearly wasn't because the official masters were closing in...
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Ding Songyan suddenly remembered something.
Last night, Ding Qingyan—that is, Ji Hanyi—had made him swear an oath, and one of the conditions was that "he would not die."
"In the end, the one who decided whether I lived or died was her all along..." A rather absurd thought occurred to Ding Songyan. "If I hadn't taken that oath last night, or if I had been perfunctory about it, would I have really died just now?"
Once this thought took root, he immediately recalled the rest of the oath:
"I will not abandon my little sister, and I will take her with me wherever I go..."
The corners of Ding Songyan’s mouth twitched involuntarily:
*So, when I only mentioned 'little sister' without giving her full name, was that the demoness working her influence in the shadows?*
*Hiss, I hope that demoness doesn't haunt me like a ghost from now on...*
…………
Large, bean-sized raindrops continued to fall, but the sky seemed to have brightened slightly.
Ji Hanyi walked through the curtain of water as if she carried an invisible straw cape and hat; not a single trace of moisture touched her hair or clothing.
Suddenly, she stopped, dressed in her scallion-white, front-buttoned short shirt, and turned to look across the still-dim lotus pond.
She chuckled and said:
"I believe I’ve done you a favor, haven't I?
"Now, it’s your turn to help me escape Dingjiang Prefecture."
The other side of the lotus pond remained silent, though the darkness there seemed to ripple.
…………
On the arrow tower of the city’s eastern barbican.
Yi Qincang watched as Li Zhi charged over again, swinging two dead horses to drive away the constables, soldiers, and Xiaoming Sect disciples attempting to close the barbican gate.
The County Lieutenant of Linjiang County drew two white-feathered arrows once more, firing them in rapid succession.
The second arrow was faster than the first; it quickly caught up, striking the tail of the leading arrow and causing it to accelerate suddenly, emitting a piercing whistle as it ignited with sparks of crimson flame.
"Two Stars Chasing the Moon."
As the trailing arrow fell to the ground, the leading one tore through the air inside the barbican, striking one of the dead horses Li Zhi was wielding with ferocious force.
With a strange *bang*, the arrow pierced through the horse's body, blasting out a sizable bloody hole.
Its momentum undiminished, it continued forward, burying itself into Li Zhi’s left flank and passing through from front to back.
Li Zhi let out a roar, but he did not stop. He ignored the arrow lodged in his body as blood began to seep out, continuing to swing the dead horses regardless, forcibly driving away everyone who dared to approach the gate and pushing them back a considerable distance.
He turned back, facing the barrage of arrows raining down from above and ahead, and sprinted toward the city gate in his "Spirit-Walking" state.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
With Yi Qincang’s first successful hit, Li Zhi’s "weapon" had developed a slight opening, no longer swinging with impenetrable density. This allowed one of the arrows to bypass the heavy obstacles and strike his shoulder.
Li Zhi endured the pain, summoning his ferocity, and continued to swing the two dead horses, charging back and forth. Including his previous efforts, he had done this more than seven times.
Finally, as he reached the barbican gate once more, two figures suddenly darted out from the crowd in the street outside: Qi Xiaoxiang, disguised as a coarse old woman, and Qiu Chen, dressed as a farmer.
Both possessed excellent movement techniques; in the blink of an eye, they slipped past Li Zhi like loaches and bolted toward the city gate.
Outside the city gate, a group of soldiers had regrouped, all preparing to draw their heavy bows to volley-fire at the three.
Qiu Chen, no longer "protected" by the massive weapon, maintained his high-speed sprint, his right hand suddenly clenching.
A *humming* sound erupted. From the cracks in the wall bricks, the weeds on both sides, and the dirt and stones, swarms of things flew out.
Among them were mosquitoes, flies, moths, bees, and all manner of insects. They quickly enveloped the group of soldiers, either slamming into their eyes, crawling into their ears, stinging their mouths, or burrowing into their nostrils, forcing the soldiers into a pathetic, flailing retreat, unable to pay any more attention to their bows and crossbows.
Seizing this opportunity, Qiu Chen and Qi Xiaoxiang each chose a side, dashed out of the gate, and ran toward the horses scattered nearby. Li Zhi’s face broke into a smile; swinging the dead horses, he prepared to follow with his Spirit-Walking speed.
Seeing this, Yi Qincang’s face turned ashen. He made a split-second decision, leaping down from the arrow tower and into the barbican.
He stood there, took out three white-feathered arrows, nocked them onto the bowstring simultaneously, and pulled the string to its limit.
Yi Qincang, along with the surrounding air, seemed to freeze, as if brewing something.
Sensing the anomaly, Li Zhi turned his body and threw the two dead horses directly at Yi Qincang.
Having done this, he turned and sprinted wildly toward the city gate.
Yi Qincang did not dodge. He stood straight, the golden-red sun reflected in his eyes.
Without a sound, the three arrows ignited with golden flames, shooting out like afterimages.
*Bang!*
Yi Qincang was knocked to the ground by the two falling dead horses, his head bloodied and suffering significant injury.
This did not affect the three arrows. They passed through the gaps and bloody holes of the dead horses, streaking like lightning—one to the left, one in the center, and one to the right—toward Qiu Chen, Li Zhi, and Qi Xiaoxiang.
Li Zhi had just reached the city gate when his body suddenly stiffened.
An arrowhead emerged from his chest, dripping with golden flames.
It silently tore through flesh and destroyed his internal organs.
The other two arrows also caught up to Qiu Chen and Qi Xiaoxiang, who were galloping on horseback, with terrifying speed. Both of these fake spouses felt an intense premonition of danger.
Experienced in the martial world, they didn't hesitate to abandon their mounts, rolling off their saddles simultaneously.
*Boom! Boom!*
The two horses were struck by the golden-flamed arrows and exploded on the spot, flesh and blood flying everywhere, leaving no corpse behind.
"Sun-Piercing Arrow!"
After rolling several times, Qiu Chen and Qi Xiaoxiang immediately lunged toward the nearby woods.
While still in mid-air, Qi Xiaoxiang felt a sudden tremor in her heart and forcibly twisted her body, looking back at the city gate.
She saw Li Zhi standing at the gate like an iron tower. The giant’s leopard-like eyes were wide as copper bells, and the wound on his chest was continuously expanding.
The corners of Li Zhi’s bearded mouth pulled back, and he whispered with a smile:
"Mother."
*Thud!* He pitched forward onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The great bandit of the New Yu had met his end today.
…………
Inside an empty room in the Zhen Mansion.
Ding Songyan, having regained his composure, took advantage of the fact that the Yin Eye effect was still active. He quickly transferred the "seed" of Clear Mist into his right hand, intending to retrieve that small clump of the Remains of Chaos from the Netherworld and consume it on the spot, lest any further complications arise.
This was also a precaution against the demoness having ulterior motives and turning against him in the future.
Just now, Ding Songyan had tried to think in a positive direction, but he felt that given the style and methods Ji Hanyi had displayed, a malicious reason was more likely. Thus, he was willing to risk eating the Remains of Chaos; otherwise, even if he could successfully join a major sect, he wouldn't reach the Dharma Realm for another eight or ten years—what would he have to resist the demoness then?
In the process of killing Yan Changqing, he had actually confirmed that this stuff was indeed edible; it was just a matter of the dosage:
At the time, what had truly broken Yan Changqing’s defenses and brought his state of mind to the brink of collapse wasn't the final few questions, but the fact that Ding Songyan had overcome his misdirection and realized he could consume a bit of the Remains of Chaos on the spot to gain temporary Grandmaster-level strength.
Once Ding Songyan revealed this intention, the invisible barrier Yan Changqing had woven with his "Qi" was instantly pierced through, and the dagger had then churned the flesh near his ancestral aperture.
This showed that Yan Changqing knew clearly that the Remains of Chaos could be eaten, that it could allow an ordinary person to ascend to the heavens in a single step and become a Dharma Realm Grandmaster. He had eaten it himself and suffered deeply for it; no one understood this better than he did.
With this realization, Ding Songyan’s subsequent questions were just a matter of following the momentum. Even if they were useless, he still had one "Qi" left, enough to help his left hand scrape off a bit of the Remains of Chaos and send it into his mouth. Even if digestion took time and effort, Yan Changqing—who couldn't move his hands or feet and couldn't run—would be helpless against him. Relying solely on his not-yet-fully-recovered Heavenly Heart Mark, it was highly unlikely he could affect Ding Songyan, whose soul and spirit were already being transformed by the power of Chaos.
*Hoo...* Ding Songyan reached his hand toward the mysterious black stone pillar.
Ever since he transmigrated, he had lived a life controlled by others, unable to act on his own. He didn't want to fall into such a state again, didn't want to wait helplessly for death, and for that, he was willing to gamble!
If one is always too cautious to act, then one can accomplish nothing—especially in matters of such importance!
Just then, a figure wearing a simple iron crown and a black robe embroidered with stars rushed in from outside the courtyard.
Seeing Ding Songyan, Tao Wenshu let out a sigh of relief and asked with rapid speech:
"Where is the demoness?"
Her gaze fell upon the corpse of Yan Changqing on the rattan bed.
"She left more than ten breaths ago." Ding Songyan was forced to stop his attempt to touch the black stone pillar, unable to help but grumble inwardly:
*You look like Lady Zheng’s mother, why did you have to arrive at such an inconvenient time?*
*If you had come earlier, I wouldn't have had to live in fear in front of the demoness. If you had come later, I would have already eaten the Remains of Chaos and secured my future. Why did you have to come at this neither-early-nor-late moment!*
*Forget it, let’s just call it a case of good things coming after much difficulty...*
Ding Songyan had just moved the Clear Mist "seed" back into his Sea of Consciousness when he saw Tao Wenshu step before him, pointing her deep black sword scabbard toward his brow.
"I will help you remove the Heavenly Heart Mark first." A mature, gentle voice entered Ding Songyan’s ears.
Having had the experience, Ding Songyan was just about to let his guard down when he suddenly shuddered.
*No, no! If Master Yan’s "Qi" is removed, how will I get back the Remains of Chaos?*
*Although touching the Netherworld is my own unique ability and it’s not impossible to find another way to trigger it later, the longer I drag it out, the more variables there will be. What if some passing wild ghost happens to eat it?*
*For example...*
Ding Songyan cast his gaze toward the confused remnant soul of Yan Changqing still lingering beside the corpse.
He did not fully let his guard down, hurriedly sinking the Clear Mist "seed" into the golden, shimmering Sea of Consciousness and hiding it with all his might.
As the deep black sword scabbard touched his brow, his Sea of Consciousness seemed to ignite with a candle flame, radiating a warm, yellowish light in all directions.
This illuminated the depths, leaving no place for the shadows belonging to Ji Hanyi or the traces left by Yan Changqing to hide, gradually dissolving them in the candlelight.
However, the Clear Mist "seed" that Ding Songyan had deliberately hidden deep within the illusory ocean was not revealed.
When the yellowish light faded, Ding Songyan quietly let out a sigh of relief:
*It seems the Candle-Illuminating Sword Intent truly requires the target to let their guard down to be fully effective...*
*I wonder if there is a way to force an illumination, like the Absolute Saint Path’s Heavenly Heart Mark...*
Tao Wenshu withdrew her sword scabbard and pointed at Yan Changqing’s corpse:
"Did the demoness kill him?"
"The junior killed him." Ding Songyan recounted the events in detail, focusing on the key points, only omitting the fact that he had cut off a small piece of the Remains of Chaos for himself. "Thanks to Lady Zheng’s sword intent, the junior was able to temporarily break free from Yan Changqing’s control. Later, the demoness’s Heavenly Heart Mark became entangled with him. Unfortunately, the demoness sensed this, and she arrived just as the junior had killed Yan Changqing."
Hearing that Ding Songyan had even mentioned "questioning Yan Changqing about his entry into the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace," Tao Wenshu nodded slightly:
"The demoness seems to have vanished into thin air."
She then cast her gaze toward the mottled dagger not far in front of Ding Songyan:
"Did it cut that thing suspected to be the Remains of Chaos?"
"Yes, it was the dagger Yan Changqing made the junior bring." Ding Songyan did not say that it was he, not the demoness, who had cut the Remains of Chaos.
Tao Wenshu looked at Ding Songyan again, deliberated for a moment, and said solemnly:
"Are you willing to take me as your master?"
*Ah? So direct? Shouldn't you clear my suspicions first?* The scene Ding Songyan had dreamed of had arrived, but it caught him off guard.
He immediately had a moment of realization.
Regardless of whether he had obtained information from Yan Changqing about the location of Kunlun or the burial site of the Heavenly Emperor’s secret treasures, taking him into her sect was currently one of Tao Wenshu’s best options:
If he had gained nothing, the Xiaoming Sect would simply have one more disciple, which they could easily afford to support; if he had gained something, his future achievements would be limitless, and the Xiaoming Sect would prosper along with him. Even if something else happened, it would still be "meat staying in the pot." Furthermore, in this process, if he needed helpers to explore the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace, he would certainly prioritize his own sect members.
And by offering to take him as a disciple without first questioning whether he had gained anything, she showed sincerity that was even more moving.
Thinking of how the Ganyue Shop was ruled by foreigners, Ding Songyan, his thoughts surging, finally bowed deeply:
"This disciple is willing."
"We will hold the formal ceremony once we return to the sect." Tao Wenshu stopped Ding Songyan from performing the full kowtow and thought for a moment before saying, "Do you have any idea why the demoness would let you go?"
This question was asked in the tone of a master, completely different from before.
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