Situation

Spells and flying swords crisscrossed, splashing dazzling fireworks in the air; talismans activated and clashed with magical artifacts, leaving discarded charms fluttering everywhere; body cultivators withstood sword cultivators’ blade energy with their bare flesh, each punch landing with brutal force.

The clashing of blades, explosions of spells, battle cries, screams, and the tearing of limbs—these sounds intertwined endlessly, soaring into the heavens and splitting the sky apart.

Some died, their corpses plummeting to the ground; others bled, their blood spraying upward, splattering onto Qiu Huahui’s robes.

She stood high above the battlefield, gripping her sword, her face expressionless as she coldly observed the bloody slaughter below.

As the leader of the Hengduan Mountain Alliance, she had been the first to charge into battle—yet also the first to withdraw.

After all, she was the Valley Master of Zhican Valley and the Alliance Leader of the Hengduan Mountain Alliance. How could she truly dirty her hands with such lowly affairs?

Her role was to inspire morale—that was the duty of a leader. Not to act like a reckless brute or butcher.

Her task was complete. Now, she only needed to quietly watch the carnage unfold, await the outcome, and then exercise her authority—rewarding the deserving and punishing the guilty, tallying the spoils of war.

This was the allure of power—no less intoxicating than cultivation, beauty, or immortality.

As Qiu Huahui admired the slaughter beneath her feet, a streak of sword light suddenly shot toward her from afar.

She turned her head coldly, frowning at the sight of the approaching figure.

She recognized him—one of her trusted confidants, a Nascent Soul elder left behind to guard Zhican Valley’s stronghold.

Yet here he was, rushing toward her in panic, his robes stained with blood, clearly having fought a desperate battle.

When the elder drew near, she demanded sharply, “What has you so flustered?”

A bad premonition gripped her, and she pressed further, her voice icy, “Has something happened to the Valley?!”

She found it hard to believe Zhican Valley could be in danger. Even with most of its forces deployed to attack the Dao Sword Sect, the Valley still retained formidable strength, surpassing that of ordinary sects.

First, Zhican Valley’s remaining forces were still formidable. Second, its reputation alone deterred any foolhardy sect from daring to attack.

Even the Boundless Sword Sect would think twice before making a move. After all, the forces she left behind were specifically meant to guard against them.

“Valley Master!!!” To her shock, the Nascent Soul elder collapsed to his knees before her, wailing, “Zhican Valley… is gone!!”

Qiu Huahui’s heart plummeted. She seized the elder’s shoulder and barked, “What happened in the Valley?!”

The elder raised his tear-streaked face, his voice choked with grief. “Valley Master! Two nights ago, an overwhelmingly powerful force breached our mountain-protecting formation and invaded. They had countless Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators—we couldn’t hold them off.

“They burned, slaughtered, and plundered—stealing pills, spirit soil, medicinal herbs, cultivation manuals, scriptures… They killed ordinary disciples and servants alike. Only alchemists were spared, their cultivation sealed before being taken away. Every other cultivator was slaughtered. They set fire to Zhican Valley…”

As the words sank in, Qiu Huahui’s vitality seemed to drain away. Her face turned deathly pale, her features aging decades in an instant, transforming her into a haggard, wrinkled crone.

Her legs gave way, and she staggered back several steps, swaying unsteadily as if she might collapse at any moment.

Staring blankly at the elder, she muttered numbly, “The Boundless Sword Sect?”

“No! It was another hidden faction—one specializing in kidnapping alchemists.” The elder gritted his teeth. “Only as I fled did I see Jian Wuming leading Boundless Sword Sect disciples into the Valley… It was another force!”

Qiu Huahui’s mind went blank. She stood frozen for a long moment before slowly regaining her senses.

She turned back to the battlefield below, her eyes gradually sharpening, then hardening with ruthless resolve.

Why had Zhican Valley dared to launch this war without hesitation?

Because no matter how devastating the casualties, they were all from other sects—Zhican Valley’s foundation remained untouched.

Victory or defeat, the Valley always had a path of retreat.

But now, regardless of the war’s outcome, Zhican Valley was gone. Their home, their sanctuary, had been stolen from them.

The only remaining option was to seize the Dao Sword Sect’s legacy—that might barely count as a way forward.

There was no retreat left.

Qiu Huahui’s mana surged violently as she summoned her treasures. She snarled at the Nascent Soul elder, “Follow me—KILL!!!”

And with that, she plunged back into the battlefield.

Before a kaleidoscopic poison formation, Sun Yicheng thrust his sword straight through Qin Ran’s heart—piercing his dantian. Even if Qin Ran survived, his cultivation would be crippled.

Yet Qin Ran didn’t die. He didn’t even seem to care.

Twisting his body—now nearly severed by the sword—he turned back to face Sun Yicheng with a calm, almost amused expression. The festering sores on his skin, his unnatural pallor, and the stench of decay all vanished in an instant, revealing a clean, youthful face.

He gave Sun Yicheng a friendly warning: “Zhican Valley is most certainly gone.”

Sun Yicheng frowned at Qin Ran’s bizarre transformation. Something about him felt… off.

But he quickly dismissed the thought—Qin Ran’s words demanded more attention. Smirking, he retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting? Zhican Valley’s defenses are impenetrable. Nothing could have happened there. Meanwhile, the Dao Sword Sect is on the brink of annihilation.”

Though cunning and capable, Sun Yicheng’s perspective was limited—many things escaped his notice.

Qin Ran chuckled. “Elder Sun, have you heard of the ‘Yuan Organization’?”

“The ‘Yuan Organization’? Hah…” Sun Yicheng scoffed dismissively. “I know of a small auction house in Linxian City that goes by that name. They’re unscrupulous—ambushing buyers, trafficking alchemists, artifact forgers, and formation masters.

“But this is the cultivation world. And given how insignificant they are, I’ve never paid them much mind. Why? Are you suggesting they attacked Zhican Valley?”

The idea was so absurd he burst into laughter.

Qin Ran ignored his amusement, shaking his head solemnly. “No. The Yuan Organization is an immensely powerful syndicate specializing in human trafficking. Their strength far exceeds your imagination.”

He fixed Sun Yicheng with a serious gaze. “Do you realize this war isn’t just between the Dao Sword Sect and the Hengduan Mountain Alliance? In truth, five factions are secretly vying for dominance—the Dao Sword Sect, the Hengduan Mountain Alliance, the Boundless Sword Sect, the Yuan Organization, and Xuanqin.

“Did you truly believe you breached the Dao Sword Sect’s defenses so easily? It’s only because I’ve been wary of Xuanqin, the Yuan Organization, and the Boundless Sword Sect all along.”

Five factions?

Sun Yicheng only knew of three—Xuanqin and the Yuan Organization. He was aware of their existence but had never paid them much attention. Hearing Qin Ran's words, he was half-convinced and half-skeptical, assuming it was just an attempt to deceive him.

As for the word "easily," he had something to say about that.

Did "easily" mean the Hengduan Mountain Alliance had sacrificed most of their strength just to breach the Dao Sword Sect’s defenses?

Were those three death-trap-like barriers supposed to be called "easy"?

Did Qin Ran have some misunderstanding about the meaning of "easily"?

"Easily? Don’t let your tongue get carried away by the wind!" he sneered. "Spouting nonsense—who do you take me for? Still trying to trick me?!"

Seeing Sun Yicheng’s disbelief, Qin Ran patiently explained:

"The Dao Sword Sect has four peaks… no, three peaks. Each peak has at least three Nascent Soul cultivators and forty Golden Core cultivators. But think back—how many of them actually fought in the earlier battles?"

This information was within Sun Yicheng’s comprehension.

The Dao Sword Sect had no more than fifteen Nascent Soul cultivators and fewer than two hundred Golden Core cultivators—this was intelligence they had already possessed.

He carefully recalled and calculated:

During the Divine Ghost Eight Trigrams Formation stage, the Dao Sword Sect deployed eighty-eight Golden Core cultivators while hiding over a hundred more, with not a single Nascent Soul cultivator taking action.

During the Mountain Protection Formation stage, they revealed their trump card—the Black Flood Dragon—alongside four Nascent Soul-level combatants, including the Darkmoon Spirit Tiger and Liu Baiyun, while concealing over a dozen Nascent Souls and another hundred Golden Core cultivators.

As for the Mountain-River Sword Screen stage, it was practically a one-man show by Lu Junxing, while the rest of their forces remained hidden.

After this analysis, it was clear the Dao Sword Sect hadn’t fought at full strength.

Why hadn’t he noticed this before? Probably because the casualties had clouded his judgment.

Midway through his calculations, he realized something else—the Dao Sword Sect had fought defensively at every stage, suffering minimal losses among their cultivators.

Thus, after three battles, the sect’s overall strength remained largely intact.

The more he thought about it, the darker his expression grew.

"Beyond the cultivators…" Qin Ran continued, kindly elaborating for Sun Yicheng, "the Dao Sword Sect still has many trump cards they haven’t used—like the Dao Sect, or the Dao Sword Sect’s fifth peak…

"Now think again—was your advance really as easy as it seemed?"

The Dao Sword Sect’s Dao Sect; the Dao Sword Sect having five peaks but only four active lineages. Sun Yicheng knew these facts, confirming that Qin Ran wasn’t lying to him.

His heart sank. He stared at Qin Ran, panic and confusion flickering in his eyes.

"And do you know what surprised me the most? Two things that left me uncertain whether to rejoice or despair."

Qin Ran chuckled wryly. "The Yuan Organization’s target wasn’t the Dao Sword Sect—it was Zhican Valley. Think back—what does the Yuan Organization do? They assassinate clients and kidnap alchemists.

"If they were just some small-time group, they’d never dare set their sights on Zhican Valley. But… I can tell you with absolute certainty that their strength is immense—far beyond what you can imagine.

"Now consider—a Zhican Valley left defenseless, guarded only by alchemists, must look like a delicious piece of meat to the Yuan Organization.

"This only just occurred to me, thanks to your reminder."

Sun Yicheng’s face turned ashen as he stared at Qin Ran. He had a sinking feeling that Qin Ran wasn’t lying.

Zhican Valley was truly in danger… they had been backstabbed.

"You mentioned two things earlier," Qin Ran continued, amused yet exasperated. "The other is that Xuanqin isn’t our enemy either. In fact, they’re our complete allies…"

Mid-sentence, he suddenly stopped and turned his gaze beyond the Dao Sword Sect’s borders, as if seeing something through the dazzling poison barrier.

Changing his tone, he said, "No more humiliating you for my own amusement. An old friend has arrived. I need to meet him—there are things I must ask him in person.

"Elder Sun, I’ll take my leave!"

With that, he turned and walked toward the barrier.

"Stop!" Sun Yicheng roared.

He had finally realized that no matter the truth, no matter how events unfolded, one thing remained unchangeable—

Qin Ran had to die!

Mobilizing his spiritual energy, he lunged at Qin Ran.

"Stop?"

Qin Ran actually halted, standing still as Sun Yicheng attacked.

Sun Yicheng’s sword pierced Qin Ran’s body once more, running straight through his heart.

Qin Ran offered no resistance, smiling as he asked, "Do you know how Feng Feiyan died?"

"Feng Feiyan?" Sun Yicheng vaguely recalled her—Jian Yuanjie’s loyal cauldron, who had tried to poison Qin Ran…

But before he could dwell on it, Qin Ran’s face—inches from his own—suddenly exploded!

Qin Ran’s soul flew out from the mist, retreating toward Dan Peak while shaking his head. "I was going to spare you, but you just had to throw yourself at death."

In the dim, poison-filled alchemy chamber of Dan Peak, a dark little loli who had been leaning against a furnace had set aside a thick book and was now sprawled on the floor, scribbling calculations. Her chubby little hands, plump with baby fat, wobbled as she wrote furiously.

"The poison isn’t the hard part—it’s the Nascent Soul-level spells…"

The paper beneath her was crammed with notes on spirit herbs, poisonous plants, and elixirs—detailed, systematic, and densely packed with tiny characters.

Muttering to herself, she mused, "Qin Ran already created a suppressant… the poison is being held back… What if we add something to the suppressant to force the poison out of the body?"

She started fresh on another sheet but soon realized the poison clung stubbornly to flesh—ordinary methods couldn’t expel it.

"…The best way is for the cultivator to purge it from within, letting the body reject it…" She shifted gears. "…And for self-purification, spiritual energy is key… but this poison is immune to spiritual energy… If only they had souls like Qin Ran…"

"Wait…" Another idea struck her. "This poison’s strength lies in its immunity to spiritual energy. If we could nullify that, or make spiritual energy able to interact with it, it’d be a joke…

"What if we had a drug that bonds with both the poison and spiritual energy?"

Abandoning her notes, she grabbed a hefty tome and began flipping through it.

Not long after, a witch-like cackle echoed through the dark chamber: "Ahahaha… I’ve got it!"

Soon after, a dark little loli who looked like a witch emerged from the research building and found Zhang Junyi by Sword Washing Lake.

She tossed him two porcelain bottles as if discarding trash, her tone casual:

"These pills can neutralize the poison mist."

"Eh?" Zhang Junyi blinked, then asked in disbelief, "Really?"

Long Qiqi stood with her hands clasped behind her back, turning away to give Zhang Junyi a slender silhouette as she spoke with disdain, "Such petty poison mist dares to show off before this venerable one?"

Zhang Junyi watched Long Qiqi's disheveled figure and finally believed that the pill in his hand was indeed an antidote—though he didn’t buy her grandiose claims.

"This pill isn’t for consumption. Those already poisoned will have to wait for me to deliberate further, but it can neutralize the poison mist outside, preventing others from being afflicted," Long Qiqi explained smugly. "Dissolve this pill in water, then find two water-attribute cultivators to cast a spell and disperse the medicated water over the mist. That will dispel it."

Zhang Junyi didn’t fully grasp her solution, but he was awestruck. To counter a deathly poison concocted by a Nascent Soul cultivator—his master was truly divine.

He bowed respectfully. "Understood, Master!"

Then he hurried off to find less injured disciples to assist.

Once Zhang Junyi was out of sight, Long Qiqi’s soot-streaked face finally broke into a triumphant grin. Putting on airs in front of her disciple felt incredibly satisfying.

"Let’s see if you dare disrespect me now!"

Humming cheerfully, she skipped along the riverbank back to her research building to continue refining and testing the antidote.

At the rear of Dao Sword Sect’s Master Peak, before the stone gate of the Dao Sect, He Daoguang lunged forward before Gu Yueming could react, smashing his head against the gate.

The gate was nothing more than a moss-covered stone door, yet it was indestructible. The impact shattered He Daoguang’s skull, and a miniature Nascent Soul flew out from his consciousness.

A Nascent Soul was the materialized form of one’s soul. Before reaching the Divine Transformation stage, forcibly leaving the body and exposing it to sunlight risked dissipation—being assimilated by heaven and earth.

... Spiritual energy naturally flows from areas of high concentration to low.

He Daoguang’s act was deliberate suicide.

Gu Yueming watched as the luminous Nascent Soul hovered in the air.

He could have saved him—a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t die so easily—and He Daoguang could have saved himself. But there was no reason to intervene, and He Daoguang had no will to live.

Thus, his fate was sealed.

Gu Yueming sighed. "Was this necessary?"

"What choice did I have?" the Nascent Soul retorted.

Ironically, He Daoguang’s cultivation method was orthodox and harmonious, and the light radiating from his Nascent Soul was sacred, embodying the mortal world’s idealized vision of celestial aura.

The floating Nascent Soul sneered, "Should I have fought you, let you capture me, so you could bask in glory while I endured humiliation and torment before death?"

He Daoguang had undoubtedly betrayed the sect. He had leaked the foundational array diagrams of the mountain-protecting formation to Zhican Valley and exposed the hidden dragon within the formation.

As for the rest—the initial poisoning incident was likely his doing as well.

Crime after crime. His death was the only way to answer to the Dao Sword Sect.

"You always spoke of pursuing cultivation and immortality, yet everything you did was for power," Gu Yueming said, puzzled. He Daoguang’s words, demeanor, and even his cultivation method didn’t align with a man obsessed with authority.

"Immortality?" He Daoguang laughed coldly. "My path ended long ago. I had no hope of breaking through the Nascent Soul stage. Immortality? With what means?!"

The radiant Nascent Soul glared mockingly at Gu Yueming. "Unlike you, an exalted Divine Transformation elder, with the luxury of toying with us through a mere avatar. ‘Shared hardships and unity’? How could mere mortals like us ever measure up?

"Nascent Soul was my limit, while Divine Transformation is just your starting point. Hahaha..."

Watching the hysterical laughter, Gu Yueming fell silent before asking one last time, "You once vowed to strive for Dao Sword Sect’s prosperity—was that true or false?"

The Nascent Soul only laughed wildly, as though Gu Yueming were the traitor.

Amid the mad laughter, the Nascent Soul gradually dispersed under the sunlight, its sacred glow merging with the brilliance of day. A surge of pure, gentle spiritual energy erupted from the rear of Master Peak, flooding the entire Dao Sword Sect.

Above, the battle had reached its peak.

Dao Sword Sect had twelve Nascent Soul cultivators, supplemented by Huang Feiyu and prodigies like Qi Yuan, who had yet to engage. Bolstered by the Geniuses Ranking, they held their own against the Hengduan Mountain Alliance’s Nascent Souls.

The Alliance’s remaining Nascent Souls were either from minor sects or artificially cultivated by Zhican Valley’s pills, making them inferior in combat. Despite their numerical advantage, the two sides were deadlocked.

Meanwhile, injured prodigies like Li Shiyin, Chasing the Wind, and Tian Wenjin avoided the Nascent Soul battlefield, joining Dao Sword Sect’s ordinary Golden Core disciples against the Alliance’s Golden Core forces.

Here, Li Shiyin’s recently mastered "Myriad Swords Return to Origin" proved invaluable.

Sword energy shot out from her like flying blades. While dueling a Golden Core opponent, her sword energy harassed and wounded others, striking at critical moments to save allies or finish off enemies.

Her impact was immense, and soon, enemy cultivators targeted her—only for Dao Sword Sect disciples to rally around her.

Chasing the Wind and Tian Wenjin became her de facto bodyguards.

Li Shiyin gradually became the focal point of the Golden Core battlefield, her precise control over her sword energy allowing her to dictate the flow of battle.

Then, the Zhican Valley master finally joined the fray, hurling countless magical treasures into the fight, tipping the scales against Dao Sword Sect.

But soon after, an explosion erupted near the poison formation. A Nascent Soul cultivator perished in the blast, and Li Shiyin spotted her master’s primordial spirit fleeing the scene.

Not long after, cultivators from Dan Peak emerged, summoning rain to dispel the lingering poison mist. Li Shiyin knew Long Qiqi’s research had succeeded.

With the mist gone, the vines ensnaring Master Peak withered, freeing Yao Qingke, who intercepted Qiu Huahui, easing the sect’s pressure.

Then, the serene energy from He Daoguang’s dissipation spread. Li Shiyin sensed it and glanced at Yao Qingke, Song Ze, Yan Tianxing, and other Qi Peak disciples.

Their expressions were complex.

He Daoguang had been Qi Peak’s leader—yet he was a traitor. Their hearts were heavy, their position awkward.

As this surge of power spread, Sect Master Gu Yueming also rose from the Master Peak and joined the battle.

To Li Shiyin's surprise, the sect master's combat prowess was astonishingly strong—he could hold his own against two Nascent Soul cultivators at once. With this, the Dao Sword Sect's battlefront stabilized.

The fierce clash continued for a while longer until suddenly, the poisonous formation overhead dissipated. Li Shiyin knew this was her master's doing.

The moment the formation vanished, unfamiliar Golden Core cultivators charged into the fray. At first, Li Shiyin assumed they were reinforcements from Zhican Valley, but she soon realized they had come to aid the Dao Sword Sect.

There were over fifty of these Golden Core cultivators, and though their individual strength was unremarkable, they were more than enough to tip the scales.

With this, the Dao Sword Sect gained the upper hand.

Having dismantled the poisonous formation, Qin Ran stepped out from the Dao Sword Sect's mountain gate. As he passed through the town at the foot of the mountain, now littered with corpses, he spotted a familiar figure standing at the end of the bloodied street...