Chapter 94#
With Shangguan Liaoliao’s state being as it was, the surrounding immortal cultivators could hear the turmoil in her words and didn’t dare say much.
An Wuxue only gave her a glance.
They were now strangers who had met by chance. Whatever Shangguan Liaoliao decided or wanted to do was of no concern to him, except for its impact on the North Abyss crisis.
He withdrew his gaze and looked toward the center of the tribulation cloud, his heart gradually turning cold—burying Shangguan Ran was something he had done alone, wasn’t it? Not only were those who might have known dead, but from beginning to end, no one had ever known about it!
How on earth did the mastermind know so much!?
To be able to set up the Guan Ye Array and hide the core within the events of the past, to know where he buried Shangguan Ran, and to quietly exhume the remains to refine them into a puppet?
Furthermore, Shangguan Ran’s past life was already tragic; the mastermind didn’t even spare his bones, refining him into a puppet to use against his own homeland.
An Wuxue was more angry than shocked, and for a moment, he was speechless.
Shangguan Liaoliao, unable to see his expression, spoke only to the other cultivators in a cold voice: “What we should be worried about now is likely not some Turbid Immortal. Since it’s a puppet, it means someone injected the myriad turbid energy gathered in North Abyss into it to forcibly trigger an ascension lightning tribulation. A puppet is destined to fail the tribulation; it’s impossible for it to ascend…”
Even less could a Turbid Immortal suddenly descend upon the world.
The experts present could all see this.
An Wuxue, however, grew even more anxious: “But the mastermind has no reason to go to such lengths just to do something as absurd as making a puppet undergo a tribulation.”
The tribulation would inevitably fail. It was just a puppet without a complete soul; where would it get the ability to resist a heavenly tribulation?
“No, no matter how I think about it, something is wrong—”
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the surroundings.
An immortal cultivator who had been at the Tribulation-Transcending stage since the Immortal Calamity watched him, lowering their voice to tell a friend: “That person beside the Immortal Venerable and the City Lord, why do they look so familiar…?”
“I’ve never seen them; they must be from Falling Moon Peak…”
“…”
An Wuxue heard them, but had no heart to care.
He had vaguely thought of something.
The Guan Ye Array was a massive drain even for immortal cultivators. The mortals of the First City were still in deep slumber and wouldn’t wake for some time.
The streets were full of masterless puppets that had lost their spiritual energy supply.
Those puppets… Shangguan Ran had also been made into a puppet to trigger an ascension lightning tribulation…
Puppets…
Puppets!!!
An Wuxue’s pupils shook.
In his urgency, he forgot everything else he needed to be mindful of. He turned and grabbed the hand of the man holding the sword: “Immortal cultivators undergoing a tribulation can bring spiritual objects and dharma tools to assist them. You must have brought some when you ascended…”
Even if he hadn’t, the Chu Han sword would surely have been with him.
“Would the tribulation cloud count dharma tools and spiritual swords belonging to you, like the Chu Han sword, within the scope of the tribulation? Would the tribulation lightning strike the Chu Han sword?”
A thousand years ago, he knew many things, but on the day Xie Zhefeng ascended, he was being besieged by the ten thousand sects and knew nothing.
It had been a long time since An Wuxue had proactively approached him. Xie Zhefeng’s eyes flashed, and his expression softened instantly.
He used his other hand to cover the back of An Wuxue’s hand, comforting him: “I am here, don’t worry…”
They stood close together, discussing the great affairs of the two realms just as they had back then. An Wuxue, feeling the warmth of the man’s palm while his mind was on the tribulation cloud, listened intently as Xie Zhefeng replied: “Naturally, it would. Dharma tools and spiritual swords are my possessions and can assist me in the tribulation. Since they are beneath the tribulation cloud, the heavenly lightning naturally won’t pass them over.”
“Then if all the crude puppet seals on the puppets in the First City can be triggered by the complete puppet seal on Shangguan Ran—would they be considered ‘dharma tools’ accompanying him in the tribulation?”
Xie Zhefeng’s ascension tribulation cloud back then had not covered such a vast area at the start!
The puppet crisis, the Guan Ye trapping array, and the ascension tribulation cloud—only now did they all connect!
The mastermind never intended to confront Xie Zhefeng face-to-face in North Abyss today.
From the beginning, the plan was to spread the puppet technique, filling all of North Abyss with crude puppets, use Shangguan Ran’s body as a natural spiritual treasure to create a Great Demon puppet, tamper with the North Abyss sword array, and set up the Guan Ye Array to collect a massive amount of turbid energy. This energy was then injected into Shangguan Ran to forcibly trigger an impossible ascension lightning tribulation.
All the puppets could be driven by the complete puppet seal on Shangguan Ran, counting as a single entity with him.
—They would all be within the heavenly lightning’s reckoning.
And now, with puppets spread throughout North Abyss and wandering the First City, the entire First City would face the descent of heavenly lightning!!!
An Wuxue murmured: “Madman…”
“The mastermind likely knew long ago that it would be difficult to completely destroy the North Abyss sword array. So they took this long way around, using the power of heavenly lightning to strike the North Abyss Sword, disregarding the lives of this entire city!”
Before he could finish, a thunderous roar came from the tribulation cloud covering the First City. Lightning rolled within it, and looking out, there wasn’t a single quiet spot to be found.
As the only one present who had undergone an ascension lightning tribulation, Xie Zhefeng didn’t need An Wuxue to explain; he could see what was about to happen with a single glance.
His gaze darkened, and his voice took on a rare, clear tone of anger: “The moment the tribulation cloud was triggered, the first layer of heavenly lightning was formed. Another was formed just now when we emerged from the array. There are already two bolts of heavenly lightning within the cloud.”
“Heaven’s will cannot be reversed. Even if I were to reduce Shangguan Ran to ashes right now, the first bolt would not stop.”
He paused before saying, “I cannot strike to block the lightning. I have already ascended. Intercepting the lightning would be equivalent to someone in the Immortal Realm assisting another’s ascension. The tribulation cloud wouldn’t disperse; it would only grow stronger.”
The sky grew darker and darker.
The Turbid Immortal tribulation cloud completely blocked the light of the sun, gradually pulling the North Abyss First City into night during the day.
Shangguan Liaoliao couldn’t see the light, but she could feel the pressure of the tribulation cloud growing heavier.
She vaguely felt that Su Xue knew too much and was quicker to guess the mastermind’s goal than she was. And Xie Zhefeng’s attitude toward Su Xue…
But she didn’t have the time to think about that now.
She said in a deep voice: “You mean, no matter what, at least two bolts of heavenly lightning will fall?”
Xie Zhefeng’s brow was tightly knit.
Seeing Xie Zhefeng’s expression, An Wuxue thought of the most critical point.
“When you underwent the tribulation, how long was it from the rising of the cloud to the descent of the first bolt?”
“Forty-five minutes. The second bolt will follow immediately after the first, without pause.”
Everyone’s expression changed drastically!
Forty-five minutes. A common immortal cultivator on a sword couldn’t even fly out of the First City’s boundaries in that time.
Even if they truly abandoned the North Abyss sword array, the souls of the First City wouldn’t have time to evacuate!
Xie Zhefeng looked up at the tribulation cloud, which was pressing lower by the moment, and said solemnly: “I must go now to destroy the source of ascension and prevent the formation of a third bolt. As for these two bolts that have already formed, a single person’s strength will not be enough to stop them.”
“City Lord Shangguan, the moment the barrier opened, my Falling Moon disciples entered North Abyss to repair the branch sword arrays. You must lead the immortal cultivators, using the North Abyss sword array as a foundation and mobilizing as much power as possible from the branch arrays to form a barrier. It may be possible to intercept the two bolts.”
The mastermind wanted to use heavenly lightning to destroy the sword array, but the array itself was not without defensive power.
Shangguan Liaoliao nodded, said no more, and began to form hand seals to issue orders.
Streaks of spiritual light followed her as they surged into each of the array cores beneath the giant sword that linked to the branch arrays.
Some of these cores were already unharmed, while others remained unresponsive. Clearly, the branch arrays in those cities had not yet been fully repaired and could not assist the primary array.
The other North Abyss immortal cultivators whose cultivation was insufficient dispersed outside the sword array and throughout the city to prevent any complications.
An Wuxue was about to enter the sword array—he was also a Tribulation-Transcending cultivator.
Xie Zhefeng suddenly said to him: “Senior Brother.”
“Time is short. What is it?”
The man suddenly produced a spiritual pouch.
The pouch was locked, but the moment it drew near An Wuxue, he could feel it was filled with the abundant spiritual energy of a Long-Life Immortal.
“When I was in the Twenty-Seventh City, I asked Qiao Ting for some Star Grass that can store spiritual energy.”
An Wuxue was about to turn cold, but Xie Zhefeng said: “I mean nothing else. I know Senior Brother cannot leave the city during a crisis. I’m only worried that in my absence, Senior Brother’s actions will be hindered by the puppet seal.”
“The spiritual energy in this Star Grass is what I’ve stored whenever I found a spare moment lately. it won’t affect my combat strength.”
“There isn’t much Star Grass, but having this should at least slow the flare-up of the cultivation furnace seal.”
Immortal Venerable Chu Han still stood amidst the crowd, his words commanding the two realms.
Yet he had already thought through such a small matter inside and out, presenting it in a way that didn’t make An Wuxue uncomfortable.
In the past, An Wuxue had been the one to consider everything, but this time, he had become the one being thoughtfully considered.
An Wuxue was stunned. Taking advantage of his momentary daze, the man placed the spiritual pouch directly in his hand.
With Xie Zhefeng’s own spiritual pouch already hanging at his waist—one that would be enough to cause a frenzy if released to the two realms—he now held another.
With a surge of spiritual energy, the white-robed figure vanished from beneath the sword array, heading straight for the place where the turbid energy was most concentrated.
An Wuxue: “…”
Having no choice, he tucked the spiritual pouch away, turned, and prepared to enter the sword array.
The primary sword array was now beginning to vibrate slightly, and a muffled thunderclap echoed from the tribulation cloud.
Spiritual energy swirled, and a violent wind arose, causing An Wuxue’s sleeves to rustle loudly.
Someone shouted: “Su Xue!!!”
What now?
An Wuxue stopped again.
The cry was exceptionally urgent. He turned his head, only to see Jiang Qing being knocked toward him by a powerful surge of spiritual energy.
Startled, he spread his divine sense, gathered spiritual energy in his hands, and hurriedly caught Jiang Qing.
The moment he landed, Jiang Qing coughed up blood. His face was deathly pale, and his robes were covered in sword gashes.
He was already at the early stage of the Tribulation-Transcending realm; how could he have been injured to such an extent!?
“Who’s there!?” The surrounding immortal cultivators all drew their swords.
An Wuxue looked in the direction Jiang Qing had been knocked from. He saw a woman in elegant attire holding a chain in one hand, pressing down on Pei Qian. The chain shimmered with turbid energy, tightly binding Pei Qian’s hands.
In her other hand, she held a sword, its blade held against Pei Qian’s throat. She landed outside the sword array, holding Pei Qian hostage.
An Wuxue recognized the woman—he had seen Qu Wenxin during the Immortal Calamity.
Behind Qu Wenxin, Qu Jizhi also pursued with a sword.
His eyes were as black as ink and as deep as a pool, his gaze dark and ethereal, filled with rage.
An Wuxue’s visible cultivation was only at the early Tribulation-Transcending stage. Qu Wenxin didn’t even look at him, merely glancing over the cultivators who had drawn their swords and saying dismissively: “Why are there only juniors outside the sword array? Is Shangguan Liaoliao inside?”
“What happened?” An Wuxue asked with concern.
Jiang Qing was full of apologies: “You asked me to keep an eye on young Immortal Master Qu and Little Pei. We were fine within the array, but at the moment it broke, Qu Wenxin suddenly appeared and seized Little Pei in the confusion. Young Immortal Master Qu and I have been dealing with her until now.”
“We were no match for her to begin with, and with Little Pei in her hands, we didn’t dare strike to kill. We’ve been on the defensive the whole time. She just received a sound transmission from someone and brought Little Pei here.”
Nearby, during the standoff, Qu Jizhi gripped his sword hilt and said through gritted teeth: “Let Pei Qian go! Mother, he’s been away from North Abyss for so long; what use could he be to your plans? You’re just trying to use him to blackmail me. I’ll take his place.”
Qu Wenxin sneered and said to her son: “I’m well aware that you are full of tricks and will do anything to achieve your goals. I can control Pei Qian, but I might not be able to control you.”
An Wuxue: “…”
Pei Qian said miserably: “Family head, those words make me sound quite useless.”
He looked down, his gaze passing the sword blade at his throat to look at the chains on his hands.
“…”
Fine, I am a bit useless—my expertise is in arrays, not fighting. Who knew Qu Wenxin’s cultivation would be so much higher after she started turbid cultivation!
As the time for the lightning tribulation drew closer, the activity within the sword array intensified.
Shangguan Liaoliao seemed to already be trying to mobilize the power of all forty-nine sword arrays. The spiritual energy of the expert cultivators in the city was activating the array patterns, and a rudimentary barrier was forming above the giant sword.
Qu Wenxin hadn’t noticed An Wuxue, but Pei Qian knew his identity and looked toward him.
An Wuxue gripped the hilt of Chun Hua.
His whole body was tense as he watched Qu Wenxin’s every movement, afraid of missing a single moment and causing irrevocable consequences.
He heard Qu Wenxin say to Qu Jizhi: “Once this lightning tribulation successfully descends, the North Abyss sword array will surely be destroyed. I know what Shangguan Liaoliao is doing; she wants to use the North Abyss sword array’s own power and the spiritual energy of the cultivators to form a barrier against the lightning. But this requires the help of the other forty-eight sword arrays.”
“Jizhi, you are cleverer than your mother and see arrays more accurately than I do. You should already be able to see how to sever the connection between the branch arrays and the primary array. I only need you to help me sever one of them, and I will let Pei Qian go.”
Pei Qian immediately said: “Bah! The North Abyss Sword is the Heavenly Pillar of North Abyss. If it’s destroyed, won’t the Immortal Calamity return? And would I, the one who harmed the sword array, even be allowed to live? Don’t bother saving me; I might as well die now!”
He looked at An Wuxue.
These words seemed directed at both Qu Jizhi and An Wuxue.
Qu Jizhi looked up at the dark tribulation clouds, suddenly withdrew his sword stance, and said with a light laugh: “Pei Qian is right. Even if I did that, we might not survive the aftermath. I cannot help you. If you kill him, I will die with him.”
Pei Qian was momentarily speechless, then frowned and said: “Fine then. We’ll just be martyrs together.”
He stuck out his neck and closed his eyes, appearing as if waiting for Qu Wenxin to strike.
Qu Jizhi looked at him and added: “But after Pei Qian and I are dead, I hope Mother will see fit to bury us together for the sake of our bond as mother and son, treating it as if I died for my love for him.”
Pei Qian snapped his eyes open, hurriedly pulled back his neck, and turned to look at An Wuxue: “Forget about dying for love! Su Xue! Save, save, save… save me!!!”