Chapter 81 — Nine

"What?" The Three Wonders Fairy, standing nearby, cried out involuntarily. Daoist Cangyan glanced at her, and his heart suddenly lurched. This beautiful woman had skin like frosted snow; during the battle she had shown a face devoid of expression and struck with ruthless ferocity, yet now, looking at her, he suddenly perceived beneath that icy mask threads of seductive charm that hooked at the soul, and for a moment he was struck dumb.

"Ahem!"

The Poison God coughed twice nearby, and Daoist Cangyan—after all, a man of many years in the Dao—startled awake, realizing that this Three Wonders Fairy, as sect master of the Enchanting Soul Sect, truly possessed arts of bewitchment, and wrought them without a trace, far beyond the reach of ordinary beauties.

At once he dared not look at her more, and said only, "Though I have never before seen the Shixian Sword Formation deployed, the Canglan Sect's records do describe it: in the days when Patriarch Qingye was at his height, when he contended with the Demon Sect... hmm, with the Holy Sect, he unleashed the Shixian Sword Formation. Beyond the immense seven-colored master sword spanning the heavens, the other six colored qi-swords arrayed themselves in order according to the positions of the six peaks, and its scope was so vast that it encircled all seven great peaks of the Canglan range; and the power of the falling sword-rain was such that we today could not even begin to withstand it!"

The Nether King was silent a moment, then let out a long breath and sighed, "This Patriarch Qingye of yours was truly extraordinary!"

The Poison God frowned. "You mean to say the Shixian Sword Formation is so powerful that we may never break it in our lifetime?"

The Nether King shook his head, yet a faint smile spread across his face. "I think otherwise."

The Poison God and the others all looked at him. "Oh? Brother Nether King, have you some insight?"

The Nether King said coolly, "Judging by today's battle: first, though Daoyan can wield the ancient sword Shixian and drive the Shixian Sword Formation, he clearly does so with difficulty, and the formation's power is greatly diminished. Second, a formation of such power must consume enormous essence and spiritual force—how could it be ordinary? I wager Daoyan's old wounds have surely reopened by now; even if he does not die, he has lost half his life!"

"Quite right!" This endorsement did not come from the Poison God and the others, but from Yuyangzi, who had walked back and, hearing these words, could not restrain himself.

The Poison God's old eyes turned to the Nether King, and his expression suddenly changed. "Brother Nether King, surely you do not mean to..."

The Nether King said decisively, "Indeed—I mean to return to Qingyun! At this very moment the Canglan Sect is weaker than it has been in the thousand years since Qingye. If we do not seize this chance to rid ourselves of our great nemesis, when shall we? And the Canglan Sect will never expect that we, having just fought our way out of a death trap, would dare strike back—caught off guard, they will surely be utterly routed!"

The Demon Sect folk around them were all struck dumb, their faces changing; even an old survivor like the Poison God, who had seen countless turns of the world, was shaken by the Nether King's words.

The Nether King looked around and declared with fervor, "Today is the perfect hour to wash away our Holy Sect's century-old humiliation! Let all of you swear a solemn oath with me before the Holy Mother and the Radiant King—why not fight with all our strength today?"

The Demon Sect folk exchanged glances. These were hardly timid or cowardly people, but mere moments ago they had just escaped with their lives on Canglan Mountain, and now in the blink of an eye they were to charge back up—such boldness on the Nether King's part, or rather such utter disregard for life and death, was truly hard to accept.

For a long while, not a single voice answered.

The Nether King's face gradually darkened, and at last he shook his head with a sigh. "A golden opportunity, and you... ah!" With that he heaved a long sigh, and his whole face seemed to show nothing but dejection as he slowly walked back to where his own Nether King Sect disciples stood.

Qinglong, Yousi, and the others came forward to meet him. Qinglong was about to say something, but the Nether King gave a faint bitter smile and said in a low voice, "Not worth planning with, not worth planning with!"

Then he sighed and said, "Enough. We will speak of it another day; today ends here. We return to the mountain... hmm, where is Bili?"

At these words both Qinglong and Yousi started. Yousi's face was veiled in black gauze, so her expression could not be seen, but her voice betrayed deep shock: "At the Yuheng Hall, while we were fighting the Canglan Sect, Bili told the two of us she was going to look for you. Could it be..."

The Nether King's face changed drastically. "I have not seen her since we came up the mountain."

Qinglong cried out, "Is she still on Canglan Mountain?"

In an instant beads of sweat appeared on the Nether King's brow, and then he said resolutely, "Yao'er is my own flesh and blood; I cannot abandon her. I am going back up Canglan Mountain."

Qinglong said urgently, "Sect Master, absolutely not—this, this, this is truly..."

The Nether King's eyes flashed; a thousand thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, and he suddenly turned and addressed the Poison God and the assembled Demon Sect host in a loud voice: "All of you, my mind is made up! To wash away our Holy Sect's century-old humiliation, the Nether King Sect would sooner be shattered to pieces than fail the Holy Mother and the Radiant King. At this moment the Canglan Sect is dead and wounded, and that old thief Daoyan lies near death—he cannot possibly unleash the Shixian Sword Formation again. The Nether King Sect will charge back up the mountain now! If we succeed, it is by the Holy Mother and Radiant King's protection; if we are overwhelmed, then let us die atop Canglan Mountain—and when we bow before the Holy Mother and Radiant King in the underworld hereafter, we shall have no cause for shame!"

With that, the Nether King did not look at the others again; he was first to leap up, and sure enough made for Canglan Mountain. Qinglong and Yousi exchanged a glance and immediately followed close behind, and then the Nether King Sect's disciples, without further word, followed one after another, leaving only the Poison God and the great Demon Sect host standing dumbstruck, rooted to the spot like wooden chickens.

After a good while, the Poison God and the others came to their senses, but before they could speak, they heard a growing clamor and commotion rising among the Demon Sect disciples behind them. The Poison God and the rest groaned inwardly and turned to look, and saw that on the faces of most of the Demon Sect followers there was now an angry, agitated look.

Atop Jietian Peak on Canglan Mountain, a heavy atmosphere now hung over everything; the crowd had gathered around Daoist Daoyan, murmuring words of comfort.

Lin Jinghong and Zhang Qingyue stood to one side, tidying Uncle Wang Er's clothes and brushing the dust from him. Uncle Wang Er seemed to have some vague recollection of the two of them; he stood stock-still and let them fuss over him, while his eyes remained fixed on the water qilin outside, and he chuckled foolishly.

Zhang Qingyue looked at him, and a pang struck his heart; he could not help but recall old matters of years past, and gave a long sigh. Lin Jinghong heard it and was moved in kind, feeling it as if it were his own; he reached out and patted Zhang Qingyue on the shoulder.

The two exchanged a glance and saw the sorrow in each other's eyes; for a moment neither spoke.