Volume 5: The Former Life of the River's Breath, Chapter 132

The blue karmic fire entwined itself around her. At that moment, she could not move even a finger. She should have copied every trait and spell possessed by Jinli, yet the blue karmic fire had suddenly become piercingly cold—so cold that its temperature had fallen to the freezing point, cold enough to freeze even the intangible.

She stood behind Jinli. Jinli held the long sword aloft in her left hand, while her other arm had already been frozen by the strange karmic fire. The crystalline ice was spreading rapidly, having reached her waist. She could not afford the slightest hesitation. She had to destroy this monster as quickly as possible.

With a cold utterance, the long sword flashed. In that instant, its blade cut across her neck. Beautiful blood welled from the wound, and a crimson bead slid down her snow-white throat. Before long, it had soaked through her inner garment.

The witch behind her had gained nothing either. She could only watch helplessly as the long sword thrust toward her throat, unable to move at all.

They intended to perish together.

The witch’s expression was frantic, her red eyes filled with terror.

The sword Hidden Shadow pierced through the witch’s neck. Yet in the very next instant, a black silhouette quietly emerged from within the absolute ice and transformed into a shadow.

She seemed to have been wounded. The shadow flickered indistinctly across the ground, as though it had suffered grievous harm and could do nothing but flee as quickly as possible.

“Blue Feathers—open!”

As Jinli spoke, the ice cracked sharply. Bloodstained from head to toe, she suddenly unfurled blue phoenix feathers behind her. The divine mark at her brow resembled phoenix plumage, yet seemed somehow different.

A smile curved her lips. Holding the Hidden Shadow Sword, she gazed ahead with crimson eyes brimming with ruthless killing intent.

The black shadow appeared to have nowhere left to retreat.

Jinli swung her hand fiercely, then spread her fingers and seized the shadow. The black hide gradually peeled away, revealing a human form beneath. Dark energy rose from the demonic markings on her brow, then shot straight toward her eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Jinli brought two fingers together. Blue karmic fire appeared at her fingertips. With a single sweep, the flames turned into blades and slashed across the witch’s demonic eyes.

The witch released a miserable, agonized scream and began struggling wildly.

Jinli released her, allowing her to roll across the ground. Then, after forming a seal to suppress her, Jinli spread her blue feathers and flew toward the youth on the roof.

The souls were almost fully refined. But even if A Ran were brought back to life, she would be nothing more than a walking corpse. What purpose would that serve?

Jinli said to the youth, “Stop, A Mo.”

The youth slowly raised his face from among the shadows. The bright, limpid eyes he had once possessed were now dull and lifeless. He continued channeling his spiritual power, relentlessly depleting his cultivation. But it was not enough. How could it ever be enough?

When he saw the girl, a trace of greed flashed through his eyes.

With a gesture, the youth controlled the shadows and directed them toward the girl before him. The shadows turned toward Jinli as though they had smelled fresh blood. His body was already covered in terrifying holes of blood.

“Still refusing to repent.”

She spoke coldly. As her palms came together, pillars of golden light burst from the ground and shot into the heavens.

Sacred radiance surrounded her. Beyond her divine soul, she had already broken through into godhood.

“A Mo, stop. Otherwise, you will regret it.”

But the youth glanced at the cold body of A Ran nearby.

“No. I will not regret it.”

Jinli’s heart ached bitterly. The heavenly thunder had descended, and this was A Mo’s divine punishment. Perhaps, from the very beginning, she had never been able to save him.

The youth raised one hand, palm upward. Resting in his palm was a divine marrow that glowed crimson, mysterious and beautiful. Power stirred within it, as though it were capable of contending with the heavenly punishment itself.

Her expression darkened, and tears slowly filled her eyes.

Why was Tu Shan Yan’s divine marrow here? Why was it in A Mo’s hands?

Did he intend to use the heavenly thunder to force the divine marrow into his own body?

He had gone completely mad!

“What are you trying to do? Did you kill the Imperial Lord Yaoqin?”

She demanded an answer.

A Mo shifted his gaze from the divine marrow to the girl. His expression was utterly indifferent.

“Whether I did or not, you no longer have the chance to find out.”

Perhaps he remembered how that sacred girl before him had once rescued him from those people. That night, he had seen his living elder sister once more.

It was also that night that the thought in his heart became more firmly resolved.

And by coincidence, that person had given him this object.

As long as he possessed the Imperial Lord’s divine marrow, his sister would surely come back to life.

She would. She had to.

That boy!

“You are insane! Even if you sacrifice everything you have, A Ran can never come back to life!”

Those words struck A Mo’s deepest sore point. He flew into a rage.

“She will!”

On the roof, the two confronted each other. Jinli watched as demonic markings slowly crept up A Mo’s neck.

Was he being controlled?

She had to stabilize the youth’s emotions as quickly as possible. If he fell into demonic corruption, then there truly would be no hope.

Softening her tone, she persuaded him, “A Mo, listen to me. I have a way to bring A Ran back to life. I possess the Resurrection Art of the Rebirth Sanctuary. You know of the Rebirth Sanctuary, do you not? You must have been there before.”

“The Rebirth Sanctuary?”

“Yes, the Rebirth Sanctuary. A Ran’s body has remained undecayed for a hundred years. She will surely awaken.”

Those words had some effect on A Mo.

“You... can really bring my sister back to life?”

“Of course. A Ran is my friend too.”

A Mo’s gaze wavered. He did not know whether he should believe her, or what he ought to do.

“Come. Give me the divine marrow, and I will save A Ran. All right?”

The youth was clearly hesitant. The hand holding the divine marrow slowly lowered. But just as Jinli was about to take it, a bolt of lightning suddenly crashed down from the sky.

Upon the dark, oppressive firmament, hundreds of heavenly soldiers and generals stood upon the clouds.

“Rebel! Surrender at once!”

A Mo abruptly withdrew his hand. His expression turned furious, and he roared at Jinli, “You deceived me!”

“I did not.”

She herself did not know why the heavenly soldiers had arrived precisely when the divine punishment descended.

At that moment, lightning suddenly struck down. Radiance wrapped around the youth and suspended him in midair.

The lightning resembled enormous swords of heavenly execution, as though it could shatter and pierce his body at any moment.

Jinli could not approach him at all.

She watched as the youth personally extracted his own essence core, then once more infused it with the divine marrow he was utterly incapable of bearing.

Jinli had once heard Jin Cheng say that, for spirit beasts, the pain of removing their essence core was no less severe than the pain of having their divine marrow stripped away.

Another bolt of heavenly thunder descended. The youth’s crown shattered, and his hair flew loose in disarray.

In that instant, Jinli could no longer see what was happening before her. She heard only the youth’s unbearably wretched cry.

Then everything abruptly vanished.

The surroundings seemed to calm.

The youth fell directly from the sky.

Jinli waved her hand, preventing him from plunging onto the roof tiles.

His breathing was faint. The divine marrow of an Upper God was not something an ordinary person could endure. When a vessel was filled beyond its limit, it overflowed; once balance was lost, everything would end.

His lashes trembled. Slowly, he opened his eyes and gazed at the sky, revealing a wan smile.

“At last, I can go and see my sister.”

He turned his eyes toward Jinli. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he said, “My Lady, I am sorry. I have caused you so much trouble.”

Knowing that his time was short, he revealed the truth once more.

“Imperial Lord Yaoqin should not have died. I was the one who harmed her.”

“...What do you know?”

A Mo murmured those words, and Jinli turned her head to listen.

The night was cold, yet the wind had stopped. Everything around them was terrifyingly silent. Jinli’s hands were cold as ice.

“Upper God, you have worked hard. How should we deal with this rebel?”

Jinli looked at the smile lingering at the corners of A Mo’s lips.

“Bury them together in the Sea of Delusion.”

Her mind went blank.

Then she rose and lifted a hand, transforming her entire gown away. Her expression cold, she said to them, “The people in the town may still be alive. Go and rescue them at once.”

A Mo and the witch had used the power of Tu Shan Yan’s divine marrow to lure the Man-Faced Owls. The witch had corrupted and devoured them, absorbing the spiritual energy within a radius of a hundred miles and even bringing drought upon the land. The daily offerings of water, the nightly feeding... human lifespans had been reduced step by step.

Yet they still had not been satisfied.

Jinli did not know how the witch had bewitched A Mo. Perhaps she had tempted him with the promise of bringing A Ran back from the dead.

She stared indifferently at the Suppression Seal, already shattered across the ground.

Could everything behind this truly be connected to that place?

She raised her eyes. Light and shadow swept upward, carrying her to the Ninth Heaven.

The Ninth Heaven was filled with drifting immortal mist, celestial waterways and pavilions, jade halls alive with music, flowers blooming everywhere, and scenery as magnificent as the clouds.

She advanced step by step toward the liveliest place.

The music of strings and bamboo grew louder and louder.

The Heavenly Empress’s Jade Grove.

Immortals gathered for a feast, surrounded by fine wine and exquisite delicacies.

The violent aura around her drew the attention of a wandering immortal who had already grown tipsy as he passed by.

The wandering immortal crawled out from among the flowers and looked at her with hazy eyes.

“Which immortal are you? You possess beauty capable of overturning a city. In all the Thirty-Three Heavens, I have never seen anyone like you.”

So the immortal from the Southwestern Wastes had not failed to restrain his beloved creature after all. He had simply come here to indulge himself.

Jinli did not even lift her eyes. With a flash, she vanished before him.

The Heavenly Empress sat high above, raising her cup with the Heavenly Sovereign.

All the immortals rejoiced together. The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

So this was how the immortals of Heaven protected the common people?

How utterly laughable.

“My Lady?”

Someone in the crowd spoke. The others turned their heads one after another.

Among all the immortals, there was only one whose beauty surpassed all others beneath Heaven and above the earth: the Lady of Lianchuan, who had always remained aloof from worldly affairs.

“So the Lady has arrived? Forgive us for failing to welcome you.”

The Heavenly Sovereign smiled and hurriedly rose, moving toward Jinli.

The crowd parted to make way for her.

But who could have expected Jinli to advance only a few steps before fixing the Heavenly Sovereign with a cold stare?

“There is no need to come down. There will be an opportunity in the future.”

Her voice was not loud, yet everyone present heard her clearly.

No one, however, understood what she meant.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s smile stiffened. Seeing this, the Heavenly Empress quickly intervened to ease the tension.

“My Lady’s arrival has truly added a touch of sacred radiance to my Jade Grove. Please, take the seat of honor.”

Jinli did not move. Her face was cold, making it impossible for anyone to discern her emotions.

She walked slowly forward, then spread her hand. The Hidden Shadow Sword appeared in her grasp.

The immortals grew alarmed.

The Heavenly Sovereign’s expression shifted.

Jinli stepped onto the jade table and stared at the Heavenly Empress.

“Does the Heavenly Empress know how Imperial Lord Yaoqin perished?”

“My Lady, are you drunk? Imperial Lord Yaoqin descended to the mortal realm to seal demons and monsters. She exhausted her divine power and died after returning.”

A bold and tactless immortal spoke up.

“Heavenly Empress, you say...” Jinli ignored him completely and continued questioning the Heavenly Empress.

“...Yes... Imperial Lord Yaoqin was a god of her domain who saved all living beings. She was one of our—”

Before the Heavenly Empress could finish, Jinli pressed down with her foot. A glazed wine cup shattered beneath it.

“My Lady, you are drunk today. I will have someone escort you back to rest,” said the Heavenly Sovereign.

Jinli glanced at the unease in the Heavenly Empress’s eyes, then looked at the Heavenly Sovereign.

“Yes. I suppose this old woman has indeed had too much to drink. I shall take my leave.”

Without offering a farewell bow, she transformed into a shadow and departed.

The Heavenly Empress’s face filled with terror. She collapsed into her seat as though her soul had left her body.

The Heavenly Sovereign stepped in front of her.

“My Lady is drunk. Everyone, continue.”

But the moment he finished speaking, a tremendous crash rang out.

Someone came stumbling in on hands and knees, their face stricken with panic.

“...The Jade Grove... the Jade Grove has collapsed!”