A Good Name

After the waiter left, Bai Qianshuang was still pondering the information he had provided—while across from her, Ye Chuan took a sip of hot tea.

"What was that waiter talking about earlier? Something about searching for something?"

Bai Qianshuang shook her head lightly, as she wasn’t sure either what the Qingyun Sect was looking for. "I don’t know… but it’s probably related to the Jade Void Sect."

That area was where the ruins of the Jade Void Sect stood. Even though the sect had been annihilated, there was no telling if something still remained.

Legacy was one possibility, or perhaps some hidden secrets yet unknown.

Though Bai Qianshuang had grown up in the Jade Void Sect, there were many things within the sect she wasn’t fully aware of.

The Biluochun tea in the cup still steamed as Ye Chuan fed her the last piece of pastry, wiping his lips before saying,

"Enough guessing. Why don’t we just go and see for ourselves?"

"With the Qingyun Sect making such a fuss, we can scout them out and maybe even find the Jade Void Sect’s legacy along the way."

Bai Qianshuang looked up. "We’re leaving now?"

"The sooner, the better. Less chance for complications." Ye Chuan grinned, grabbing the coarse cloth coat draped over the chair and slipping it on.

"Let’s go."

The two stepped out of the teahouse, their auras instantly blending into the surroundings—so seamlessly that even passing cultivators failed to notice anything amiss.

After gathering information and leaving Luoxia City, Ye Chuan and Bai Qianshuang took to their swords, flying side by side. With Ye Chuan’s chaotic energy devouring traces of their presence, there was no need to worry about exposure.

Yet Ye Chuan seemed to notice something, his gaze lingering on Bai Qianshuang beside him.

The young woman’s eyes were downcast, her fists clenched unconsciously.

"Qianshuang, are you alright?"

"I—I’m fine." Bai Qianshuang snapped out of her thoughts at his voice.

Ye Chuan looked away, silently observing the distant scenery. "I’m here with you."

Bai Qianshuang paused for a moment before murmuring softly,

"Yes… I’m glad you’re here, Ye Chuan…"

……

In the distance, the jagged outline of snow-capped mountains came into view—the Frostmoon Range.

The sprawling peaks rose and fell like a slumbering silver dragon, stretching across the western horizon of the Donghua Divine Continent.

At the foot of the mountains lay a vast snowfield, dotted sparsely with hardy conifers. Where the snowfield met the slopes, strange boulders lay scattered, their shadows gleaming with an eerie blue light.

Halfway up the main peak of the Frostmoon Range stood the ruins of the Jade Void Sect—the remnants of its grand halls barely visible through the thick snow.

Now, only broken walls and pillars remained, buried under layers of ice and snow, a faint echo of its former glory.

The stone steps leading to the sect’s entrance had long been swallowed by the snow, leaving only the marks of wind and frost.

"That… was my home." Bai Qianshuang’s voice trembled slightly as she stared at the ruined palace on the mountainside, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her spirit sword.

It was where she had grown up, where her master had taught her, where her senior sisters had laughed together. Now, only silence and rubble remained.

Without the Jade Void Sect’s protective formations, snow had begun to fall on Frostmoon Peak.

Season after season, the snow piled up, yet it could never bury Bai Qianshuang’s memories. Seeing the ruined halls, she felt a sharp pang in her chest.

Sensing her distress, Ye Chuan gently patted her shoulder. "The Jade Void Sect will rise again."

At the same time, his divine sense swept across the mountain’s aura.

Ye Chuan’s gaze shifted to the base of the mountain—where clusters of green tents sprawled across the snowy forest like a swarm of venomous insects, starkly out of place in the wintry landscape.

Qingyun Sect disciples stood guard at intervals, while others patrolled the skies on spirit beasts, their cries echoing across the desolate snowfield, shattering the mountain’s tranquility.

The entry routes were marked with the Qingyun Sect’s green banners, flapping sharply in the cold wind.

A few high-ranking cultivators sat on stone benches near the checkpoints, sipping tea, while a dozen or so disciples held detection compasses in their hands. The needles spun faintly under the sunlight, as if searching for something.

"Tsk, what could they be looking for that requires so many people?" Ye Chuan couldn’t help but sound surprised.

"Could they be searching for us?" Bai Qianshuang’s voice tensed.

"Understandable. After losing several Spirit Transformation elders, they’d be fools not to be cautious. Even if it’s not us, they’d still be on guard." Ye Chuan said.

Spirit Transformation cultivators were considered elite forces even in major sects. Losing several at once would sting—badly.

Ye Chuan’s lips curled slightly, though his eyes remained cold. "Not that it matters. I could wipe them all out myself."

"I… want to fight too." Bai Qianshuang whispered. "I want to take revenge with my own hands."

"..." Ye Chuan glanced at her before nodding. "Fine."

Without another word, he led Bai Qianshuang into the woods flanking the checkpoint.

"I’ll strike first. You clean up the rest." Ye Chuan said.

Bai Qianshuang nodded, her figure flickering like a ghost as she circled behind the checkpoint.

The lanky Spirit Transformation cultivator from the Qingyun Sect had just taken a sip of tea when a chill crept up his neck. He turned—only for an ice spike to shoot straight toward his face!

He reacted swiftly, raising his sword to block, but the spike was faster. With a wet thud, it pierced his shoulder, the freezing energy instantly sealing his meridians.

"Who’s there?!" A burly cultivator nearby slammed the table and stood, about to release a warning flare—when a shadow flashed before him.

Ye Chuan had already teleported in front of him. With a single slash of his spirit sword, the man’s head tumbled to the ground before he could even resist.

"Thud!"

The headless corpse collapsed without a sound.

The surrounding disciples finally snapped to attention, drawing their swords. "Enemy attack! We’re under attack!"

"We’re all fellow cultivators here—no need for hostility." Ye Chuan smirked, summoning a soul banner.

"Come, friends. Step into my Emperor’s Banner for a chat… or a game of cards."

A crimson domain instantly enveloped the area for miles, followed by countless spectral chains materializing from thin air. One by one, they impaled the Qingyun Sect disciples, wrenching their souls free and dragging them into the banner.

Bai Qianshuang had intended to join the fight, but within moments, Ye Chuan had already slaughtered every last disciple.

Staring at the soul banner in Ye Chuan’s hand, Bai Qianshuang could feel the dense spiritual energy radiating from it.

His terrifying power was even greater than she had imagined.

"That’s an incredible artifact," Bai Qianshuang remarked, sheathing her own spirit sword.

"Impressive, right? It’s called the Emperor’s Banner." Ye Chuan grinned.

Bai Qianshuang studied it briefly. "Fitting name."