Fireworks in the Clouds

Although it was later discovered that the Zhican Valley massacre was orchestrated by Qin Ran alone, which cleared most of the sects that had intended to cause trouble before the incident, there were still several sects that could not be absolved of guilt.

Specifically, the four sects that had jumped out first!

Whether driven by greed, foolishness, or ambition, as mature sects, they needed to face the consequences of their choices.

The Celestial Sword Sect, a powerful sword cultivation sect, had always aspired to become the premier sword sect in the Land of Immortal Legacy.

Originally, with their strength, they could have been among those sharing the spoils of victory in this campaign to destroy the sect at Zhican Valley.

But now, they had not only lost their right to share in the spoils but were forced to serve as a suicide squad... to atone for their crimes.

They would have to contribute the most effort, sacrifice the most lives, and receive the least compensation.

Yu Qingshan, the top genius of the Celestial Sword Sect, had to take action immediately to break through the formation with his own body.

He led ten Golden Core cultivators into the Thunder Formation space. Amidst the rolling thunder and lightning, he saw a beautiful woman with an imposing and cold demeanor.

She seemed familiar to him.

However, he couldn't immediately recall where he had seen her. And if he had truly encountered such a woman before, he wouldn't have forgotten her.

"Have we met somewhere before?" he called out loudly.

The woman in the lightning forest opened her eyes to look at him, her gaze cold and emotionless.

Those eyes, those heartless eyes...

Yu Qingshan suddenly remembered. That moonless night, those four black-clad figures who had attempted to ambush their Celestial Sword Sect.

"So it was indeed you people from the Dao Sword Sect who were hunting down smaller sects in the Hengduan Mountains," he said.

That night had been dark and windy, and besides finding the battle strange, he only remembered those beautiful, emotionless eyes.

Tian Wenjin neither confirmed nor denied it.

She remained silent and reached for the Thunder Control Sword before her. The sword crackled with electricity, as if answering him.

Yu Qingshan reached out and grasped his natal sword as it appeared in his hand, continuing to ask: "Who was it that fought me that night?"

After that peculiar battle, he had pondered it repeatedly, feeling that something was off about that night's fight - that person's swordsmanship had been too strange.

Hearing his question, though Tian Wenjin remained cold and emotionless, she gave him an odd look.

You've figured it out - perhaps you're not completely foolish after all.

"Let him fight me again..." Yu Qingshan said seriously while looking at Tian Wenjin, "You're too weak, I don't want to bully you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lightning in this space began to move, all flowing toward Tian Wenjin.

A bolt of lightning struck her body; she endured it, absorbed it, and grew stronger.

Gripping the Thunder Control Sword in one hand and making a fist with the other, she endured as bolt after bolt of lightning struck down from above, absorbing them one by one, gradually increasing her strength.

Her aura steadily rose as she slowly became more violent.

"Kill me, and you'll see him," she said.

Yu Qingshan watched as Tian Wenjin absorbed the lightning, raising his sword with blazing sword qi emanating from it, but he didn't attack, waiting quietly instead.

"Senior, aren't you going to attack?"

Someone behind him spoke up with concern, watching as Tian Wenjin's strength continued to grow as she absorbed more lightning.

"No hurry..." Yu Qingshan replied, "She's too weak to make for an interesting fight. We sword cultivators always prefer to challenge the strong rather than bullying the weak. If one doesn't have the courage to face powerful opponents, they don't deserve to be called a sword cultivator."

"But..." someone reminded him, "this is a battlefield."

"Battlefield?" Yu Qingshan shook his head and stated firmly, "It's an arena of interests!"

He looked at the coldly beautiful Tian Wenjin, "Where in this world isn't an arena of interests? The bustling world is all about profit. Yet even in such a world, the path of sword cultivation remains the most beloved. Because from the very beginning, no one wants their every word and action to be about profit, their every thought to be about calculation. At first, who doesn't dream of roaming the world with a sword?

"Sword cultivation represents one's original aspiration.

"I respect every true sword cultivator." The Celestial Sword Sect wouldn't get any benefits anyway, so why not let me enjoy a proper fight?

Though no one agreed with his view, no one spoke up to argue either.

All eleven of them waited in place, waiting for Tian Wenjin to finish absorbing the power of this lightning space.

Tian Wenjin's foundation was somewhat inferior to Li Shiyin's, and since lightning was naturally the most violent type of power and extremely difficult to control, she struggled greatly to absorb this lightning power that exceeded her realm.

As she absorbed it, blue lightning leaked out uncontrollably, crackling around her body.

As she absorbed the lightning bolt by bolt, the lead-colored cloudy space was left with only dark clouds. One by one, Dao Sword Sect members emerged from the clouds.

When she finished absorbing the lightning, a powerful gust of wind suddenly burst out from her center in all directions, wildly blowing her waterfall-like black hair and making her robes flutter noisily.

She held the Thunder Control Sword horizontally, and lightning and wind raged!

She was lightning incarnate! She was divine and demonic!

Though Tian Wenjin's mental state had been overwhelmed by the violent power, she looked at Yu Qingshan with reddened eyes but didn't immediately attack.

Yu Qingshan had given her time to absorb power, so she should show him proper respect as well, even though she could barely control herself.

"Excellent!"

Seeing this, Yu Qingshan laughed loudly, raised his sword, and flew into the sky, charging straight at Tian Wenjin to attack.

His cultivation technique was the "Nine Suns Sky-splitting Sword Art," and as a fire spirit root, he practiced the way of the sword.

Sun, swordplay, dominance, heat, wildness, sharpness!

When he deployed his sword techniques, he was like a blazing sun, every ray of light he emitted was sword qi!

If he was the sun spanning across the sky, then Tian Wenjin was the lightning that could tear apart heaven and earth.

Lightning, sword art! She was incredibly violent, her moves tremendously powerful!

When they clashed, it was like the sun colliding with lightning.

The scene was terrifyingly magnificent, the entire space filled with deafening thunderous sounds, as if one had been thrust into the heart of thunder itself.

The Dao Sword Sect members hurriedly retreated to the ground and looked up to see a ball of blue lightning repeatedly colliding with a ball of golden flames in the sky. They moved with incredible speed, changing positions several times in an instant.

Each collision sent lightning and flames spraying outward.

The blue lightning and red flames falling from the sky suddenly dispersed. What scattered were sword qi, spreading out in all directions. The blue and red sword qi spread like blooming flowers.

Among the rolling dark clouds, the blue and red sword qi scattered like brilliant fireworks.

Thus this battle, amid the tremendous roaring and brilliant colors, became like a fireworks display.

Beautiful, romantic, sharp, and dangerous.

Everyone watching the fireworks had to be careful not to be hurt by the scattered sword qi.

The scattered sword qi didn't disappear when it hit the ground due to the lingering sword intent. Some cultivators curiously went to touch it.

The blue sword qi was sharp and cold, while the red sword qi was sharp and scorching. Touch the blue sword qi, and your spiritual power would freeze; touch the red sword qi, and your physical body would burn.

The thunderous battle sounds made people's heads numb, making them forget the passage of time.

After an unknown period, the roaring suddenly stopped, and the world fell silent, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

"Is it over?"

Cultivators from both sides belatedly considered this question before looking up at the sky.

Above, the dark clouds still rolled, but there was no more lightning.

Under the heavy clouds stood a man and woman facing each other, motionless after their battle.

The man still had red sword qi swirling around him, his aura full and strong, holding a sword wrapped in flames.

The lightning that had been uncontrollably surrounding the woman's body had finally subsided, with only her soul sword still wrapped in blue lightning. Her long hair had fallen back into place, her clothes were battle-worn, and her body bore numerous wounds. Yet somehow, she looked more beautiful now than she had at the start.

"Fellow Daoist, you've lost," Yu Qingshan said with a smile.

His voice was hoarse.

His condition wasn't much better than Tian Wenjin's - his clothes were scorched by lightning, and his face and body were covered in sword wounds and electrical burns.

Tian Wenjin nodded, acknowledging her defeat.

She took out a blue coat from her storage bag and put it on, then retrieved her scabbard and slowly sheathed her Lightning Control Sword.

She slung the sword across her back, descended to the ground, and commanded the Dao Sword Sect cultivators: "Retreat!"

Then she led the way forward, walking into the depths of the rolling dark clouds.

Seeing this, a Golden Core cultivator quickly flew behind Yu Qingshan and asked, "Senior, shouldn't we kill them?"

Yu Qingshan remained silent.

The Golden Core cultivator sensed something was wrong and reached out to push Yu Qingshan. The moment his hand made contact, "Bang!" - he was thrown back by residual lightning.

Only after the lightning was drawn from his body could Yu Qingshan move. He immediately coughed up a large mouthful of blood. Then, the flames on his soul sword disappeared, and cracks began appearing across its surface.

He fell to his knees in mid-air.

More Golden Core cultivators came to support him, finding his face had turned the color of gold leaf.

Yu Qingshan had won, but his victory hadn't come easily - he too was severely injured.

This battle had resulted in mutual destruction.

Tian Wenjin was also gravely wounded.

As she emerged from the formation, she lacked the strength to fly and fell straight to the ground with a heavy "thud."

She walked forward unsteadily with her sword on her back, but after a few steps, she suddenly noticed someone waiting for her ahead.

Who from the Dao Sword Sect would be waiting for her?

Li Shiyin perhaps? Had things concluded on Shiyin's end as well?

She looked up, but instead of Li Shiyin, she saw a man.

A man with a gentle demeanor who smiled warmly.

A man who felt both familiar and strange to her.

Huang Feiyu.

Huang Feiyu had transformed back from his fire form to human form at the Lingnan Immortal Sect and had rushed back to support them after receiving the sect's emergency signal.

Tian Wenjin looked at Huang Feiyu expressionlessly, her face showing no change, her eyes cold, treating him no differently than a stranger.

She continued walking slowly forward, circumventing him as if he were merely an obstacle in her path.

"Wenjin?!" Huang Feiyu called out softly.

"Do you need something, fellow Daoist?" Tian Wenjin asked in return, stopping.

"You're injured," Huang Feiyu stepped forward, taking out some premium medicinal pills he'd obtained at the Lingnan Immortal Sect, offering them to Tian Wenjin from behind. "This is the Void Replenishing Pill, a fifth-grade medicine that can heal injuries."

"Thank you, fellow Daoist," Tian Wenjin acknowledged, but didn't accept it and continued walking.

"Wenjin!" Huang Feiyu called out again.

"Is there something else, fellow Daoist?"

"You..." Huang Feiyu asked, "Do you still hate me?"

"I'm happy to see that you've recovered your original form, gained new opportunities, and achieved profound cultivation with a limitless future ahead," Tian Wenjin replied tonelessly.

She cultivated the Path of Emotionless Sword - she could neither hate nor be happy.

"Then why are you acting like this?" Huang Feiyu said, taking out a jade slip and extending it toward Tian Wenjin, "This is the 'Pure Heart Lightning Control Scripture,' a Nascent Soul realm technique that would suit you perfectly."

Tian Wenjin shook her head and asked, "Why are you doing this? Whether it's fifth-grade pills or Nascent Soul techniques, I have nothing of equal value to exchange. I'm sorry, fellow Daoist."

She continued stumbling forward.

Huang Feiyu watched Tian Wenjin's swaying, injured figure and slowly clenched his jaw.

What was wrong with a cultivator seeking advancement, pursuing resources, and going to better places for better opportunities?

After obtaining resources, he had returned to help his former sect members - wasn't that showing gratitude? Wasn't that righteous?

Why was Tian Wenjin treating him this way?

Did the Dao Sword Sect have fifth-grade pills or Nascent Soul techniques? Did the Land of Immortal Legacy?

Why stake everything on pride? Why let emotions rule? How could one achieve the Great Dao this way?!

"Wenjin!!!" he called out again.

Tian Wenjin ignored him and continued wobbling forward.

After a few steps, Liu Baixuan flew out from within the sect, supported her, and carried her on his sword to the Sword Peak.

Liu Baixuan never once glanced at Huang Feiyu.

The ten Golden Core cultivators emerging from the formation flew past Huang Feiyu overhead, glancing at him without a word.

They all knew him.

In this dark world of cultivation, was there truly only benefit without sentiment, without morality?

Huang Feiyu stood before the Dao Sword Sect's entrance, holding the fifth-grade pill in his left hand and the Nascent Soul technique in his right, unable to understand.