“Then of course, you need to make a move against Yun Xuechang — she is far too young and far too dazzling. It is truly an eyesore for those of us living in the gutters.”
The figure in black opposite Ji Ling slowly lowered her hood, revealing a beautiful yet somber face.
Dark green hair fell over her shoulders, and her skin was as white as snow.
A pair of golden slit pupils were exceptionally intimidating, and her long bangs covered half her face, adding a touch of eeriness.
“How am I supposed to make a move against her? This is beyond my capabilities.”
Ji Ling’s brow furrowed slightly.
“You are well aware that she only recently stepped into the Spirit Transformation Realm. Even if I am at the late stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, I might not be able to take her down quickly. Moreover, she is now stationed at the Xiaoyao Sword Sect year-round. No matter how much I dislike her, I have no way to strike within the sect.”
“But doesn’t she have a daughter and a beautiful Dao Companion?”
The woman with dark green hair asked in return, her golden slit pupils shimmering with an eerie light.
“And I heard… that rabbit you raised is quite close to her daughter lately? A few days ago, it even went to Yun Xuechang’s Peak Master ceremony to offer congratulations on your behalf?”
As she spoke, her gaze locked onto Ji Ling, refusing to let even the slightest change in expression escape her notice.
“Hmph, it is nothing more than children playing around,” Ji Ling scoffed. “Those two children are close, and that day the rabbit ran off on its own to join the excitement. Someone saw it, and rumors spread that I ordered it to offer congratulations. It is nothing more than gossip.”
The woman opposite her scrutinized her for a moment. Seemingly believing this explanation, she let out a cold snort.
“Fine, I am too lazy to argue with you. I only mentioned this to tell you the method to get rid of her.”
“A method? Qingluo, I do not understand what you are talking about.”
Ji Ling repeated, a look of confusion appearing on her face.
“Since your little rabbit is on good terms with Yun Xuechang’s daughter, why not start with her?” The woman named Qingluo had a ruthless look in her eyes.
“Make her swallow a pill containing hidden Soul-Devouring Powder. When she reunites with Yun Xuechang and her daughter, use your Spiritual Power to secretly detonate it. This should not be difficult for you, right?”
She paused and added in an enticing tone, “Soul-Devouring Powder is fatal even to a Sword Cultivator in the Spirit Transformation Realm if they have not yet condensed their Sword Intent. As for you, you can simply pretend to know nothing, acting as if your little rabbit was drugged by some external Evil Cultivators. You can even play the part of a grieving person to consolidate your position… killing two birds with one stone, is it not perfect?”
“…”
Ji Ling remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking under the other woman’s scrutiny. “What about Sixteen?”
“Sixteen? You mean your rabbit?”
Qingluo burst into laughter, her voice turning from clear to hoarse.
“Hahaha! Do not make me laugh! You know perfectly well that after that ordinary test-subject rabbit of yours accidentally swallowed the Eight-Turn Soul-Returning Pill, it became impossible to extract, and the medicinal effects cannot be reversed! Are you still delusional enough to keep that rabbit, hoping to get the medicine back?”
“Or could it be… you actually developed feelings for that rabbit and are raising it as a daughter?”
She abruptly stopped laughing and stared fixedly at Ji Ling like a predator watching its prey.
“Ha.”
Ji Ling let out a long sigh.
“Rongrong was right… I knew I would truly be unable to stop myself from wanting to kill you tonight, Qingluo.”
“What did you say?!”
Qingluo slammed her hand onto the stone table and stood up abruptly, staring at Ji Ling with a mixture of shock and rage.
“I said, I am going to kill you.”
Ji Ling’s tone was as calm as still water.
At the same time, a milky white Sword Pill flew out of her mouth. The Sword Pill was surrounded by a faint medicinal fragrance and accompanied by the sound of breaking air.
It moved so fast that it was almost impossible to track with Divine Sense as it pierced straight toward Qingluo’s face!
Xiaoyao Sword Arts, First Form: Shadowless!
“Ji Ling! How dare you — !”
Qingluo jerked her head to the side to dodge. Droplets of greenish-blue blood instantly leaked from the corner of her left eye, dripping onto the ground with a corrosive hissing sound.
“Roar — !”
She let out a roar of pain and anger. Her body suddenly twisted and expanded, causing the small, dilapidated temple to shatter and collapse instantly.
Covered in dark green scales that resembled black jade, she glinted with a cold, metallic luster under the moonlight, transforming into a Giant Serpent!
The Giant Serpent’s golden slit pupils, which were as large as doors, stared deathly at Ji Ling in mid-air.
A terrifying wound at its left eye was still emitting wisps of black gas — the gas appeared highly toxic, yet it stopped the bleeding in an instant.
A human-like expression of rage appeared on its face as it hissed.
“Ji Ling! With just your Sword Pill refined from medicinal poisons, you think you’re worthy of killing me?!”
“Little Lingling might have trouble dealing with a venomous, poison-resistant longworm like you… but what if the rest of us joined in?”
A charming and sweet voice rang out leisurely.
In an instant, countless brownish-orange sword lights emerged from the void like flowers in full bloom.
They converged into a sword formation and pierced toward the Giant Serpent’s injured eye with brilliant splendor.
Xiaoyao Sword Arts, First Form: Ephemeral Splendor!
“Yue Jue!!”
The Giant Serpent was struck by the sword light, its head snapping to the side as it let out a shrill roar.
The scales around the wound shattered, and blood sprayed out.
But it was not over yet.
Almost as the sword light fell, several figures appeared one after another.
A bald, burly man holding a giant sword; a woman in water-blue robes holding a slender curved sword like a dancer; an elegant scholar wielding twin swords — and a cold young woman with white hair and white clothes, holding a long sword.
The five people suspended themselves in the four directions, completely sealing off the Giant Serpent’s path of retreat.
“Yue Jue, Zhou Zhenyue, Luo Qingyi, Wen Zhixing… and…”
“Yun Xuechang!”
“Hahahaha! Good! To deal with me alone, you actually deployed every Peak Master of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect! You certainly think highly of me!”
Qingluo’s shocked and suspicious gaze swept over the crowd, and she laughed out of extreme rage.
‘Damn it! When did Ji Ling set this trap? I should have known she was unreliable!’
Her mind raced, and she hissed again, “Do you really trust this traitor to the Righteous Path? She is the same Ji Ling who conspired with me to deal with Yun Xuechang!”
She flicked her tongue, staring specifically at Yun Xuechang. “I am telling you — she is the culprit who caused Jiang Changge’s death back then! Without her information, we would never have been able to ambush him!”
Her tongue flicked again, turning toward Ji Ling. “Ji Ling! Stop pretending! You are just like me, driven by love turned to hatred, wanting that fickle man Jiang Changge to die without a grave! Decades ago, we were two of a kind! What kind of good person are you trying to be now?!”
While she secretly accumulated Spiritual Power, she shouted sternly, “Don’t think you can escape just by turning on me! The Righteous Path never tolerates those involved with Evil Cultivators — if I cannot escape, don’t even think about escaping either!”
“Alright, alright, stop trying to sow discord. Aren’t you tired of it?”
Yue Jue picked at her ear with boredom. With a flick of her finger, countless brownish-orange sword lights gathered behind her again, forming a massive flower of sword light with an overbearing aura.
“Our Little Lingling has been an undercover agent planted by the Righteous Path from the very beginning. She is much cleaner than a venomous woman like you. If Little Rongrong hadn’t mentioned some prophecy, and if we hadn’t been worried that she would be in danger if she stayed undercover any longer — fearing she might be silenced by a stupid worm like you — you would still be kept in the dark.”
“And now — “
A sharp light flashed in her lazy, charming eyes.
“You should just hurry up and die!”