“Your parents weren’t killed by me…” In his frenzy, Ji Congkong could no longer care about anything else. If Qi Muwei killed him today, his soul might be utterly destroyed. What was Qi Muwei now? A Creation Saint. For a Creation Saint to kill him, a mere false Space Saint like Ji Congkong, would she leave any loose ends?
Qi Muwei, who had been about to obliterate Ji Congkong, paused slightly upon hearing this. “You’re saying you killed my parents, but there was someone else pulling the strings behind you?”
“Let me go this once, and I swear I’ll tell you,” Ji Congkong said, calming down a bit. He believed that with his experience, he could handle Qi Muwei.
“No need to say it. I’ve reached the Creation Saint Realm, so I should be able to search your soul…” Qi Muwei frowned slightly, her fingers landing on Ji Congkong’s Purple Mansion.
She wasn’t a ruthless person, but the murderer of her parents was an exception. For revenge, she was willing to become ruthless.
“You can’t search my soul! You’ve just entered the Creation Saint Realm. Searching my soul would damage your Dao foundation…” Ji Congkong panicked.
Qi Muwei said calmly, “I’ll only search a soul this once in my life. After searching your soul and avenging my parents, I can go find the life I want. Otherwise, I’ll never be at peace.”
With that, her Space-Time Dao laws surged into Ji Congkong’s Purple Mansion, ready to stir his sea of consciousness.
Ji Congkong said urgently, “Don’t search my soul! I’ll tell you, just give me a quick death.”
If Qi Muwei didn’t search his soul, he might have a slim chance of survival. But if she did, he was as good as dead. Even if he somehow reincarnated, he would no longer be Ji Congkong, just someone with no memories of his past life.
Qi Muwei slowed her actions but didn’t stop.
However, Ji Congkong saw the slight hesitation in her movements and said at lightning speed, “It’s Shen Qingxuan. Your father’s death was also tied to Shen Qingxuan. He secretly helped me, or I could never have killed your father…”
Shen Qingxuan? Qi Muwei’s movements froze. She had never heard this name and didn’t know who Shen Qingxuan was.
The moment he sensed Qi Muwei’s pause and felt his Dao laws begin to flow again, Ji Congkong stirred his Dao charm and chose to disintegrate his body. If he didn’t do it now, and Qi Muwei later doubted his words, she would still search his soul.
“Who is Shen Qingxuan?” Qi Muwei snapped back to reality, asking urgently.
But Ji Congkong was already disintegrating, and she could no longer get any answers. Qi Muwei let out a cold humph, her Space-Time Dao laws enveloping Ji Congkong, beginning to tear him apart.
Despair filled Ji Congkong’s eyes. Just one more moment—if he had one more moment, he might have survived. But now, facing Qi Muwei’s Dao law onslaught, Ji Congkong could only watch as his countless soul fragments were shredded, his main body’s soul annihilated completely.
Looking at the Ji Congkong she had slain, Qi Muwei let out a soft sigh of relief. Her great vengeance was finally fulfilled. But who was Shen Qingxuan?
Qi Muwei quickly pushed these thoughts aside. She had to find Lan Xiaobu.
…
Creation Market.
Compared to many years ago, this place was far more desolate. But Qi Muwei hadn’t come here to buy anything; she was here to inquire about Lan Xiaobu.
Lan Xiaobu had once told her that if she wanted to find him in the future, she could ask around anywhere, and she’d likely get news. Though he said that, Qi Muwei didn’t just ask anywhere—she came to the Creation Market to investigate.
Walking along the streets of the Creation Market, Qi Muwei could only marvel at the unpredictability of life. Years ago, it was here that she had tried to catch Ji Congkong, only to unexpectedly meet Lan Xiaobu.
Many years later, having killed Ji Congkong to avenge her parents, she returned here, this time specifically to find Lan Xiaobu.
Standing outside the Eternal Life Trade Hall, Qi Muwei lingered for a long time. It was here that she had sold the Radiant Dao Scroll, and it was here that she had found the person she cherished.
“Is that Junior Sister Qi Muwei?” a surprised voice called out.
Qi Muwei turned abruptly and saw an extraordinarily handsome man—almost flawless in his perfection. His sharp nose, sword-like brows, and chiselled features created a striking visage.
The man carried a long sword on his back, his hair tied in a saintly bun. From every angle, he exuded an otherworldly aura, nearly without blemish.
“You are?” Qi Muwei looked at the man with puzzlement. She felt a vague sense of familiarity but was certain she had never met him.
“My master is Shui Shuqing. In a way, I should be your junior brother…” The man said with a warm smile, stepping closer to Qi Muwei and respectfully performing a junior disciple’s salute.
Though he bowed, his eyes held only admiration and care—the kind a junior brother might have for his senior sister. As a man, despite being her junior, he also conveyed a protective affection toward her.
“Are you a disciple my master took later? How is Master doing?” Qi Muwei returned the courtesy, her eyes lighting up with joy.
Shui Shuqing was her master. Though she hadn’t seen him in many years, after her parents’ death, her master had become her only family.
Lan Xiaobu had once suggested that her master might have ulterior motives, but she didn’t take it to heart. During the years she followed her master, though she didn’t learn much about Great Path laws, she gained valuable lessons in how to conduct herself and saw many things she had never encountered before.
She loved Lan Xiaobu, but that didn’t mean she believed everything he said was correct.
“Yes, Master is doing well and is currently choosing a place to achieve the Creation Saint Realm. By the way, Senior Sister, why are you here?” the handsome man asked, his tone gentle and approachable.
Though he was asking Qi Muwei, he was inwardly puzzled. By all accounts, Qi Muwei should have felt an intense desire to draw close to him upon meeting, yet so far, he saw no trace of admiration or eagerness in her eyes.
Could something have gone wrong with the Dao mark? That seemed unlikely. Not even Qi Muwei’s father could have detected the Great Path mark he had left.
“I’m here to find out about a friend, then I’m going to look for him,” Qi Muwei said.
Hearing that Qi Muwei was searching for a friend, the man felt an inexplicable sense of rejection. In his impression, Qi Muwei never befriended strangers, let alone became close enough to actively seek them out.
But he quickly pushed these thoughts aside and said with a bright smile, “Senior Sister, why don’t we head to the Listening Dao Tower to find a place to sit and chat? I came here because a Radiant Dao Scroll appeared, and I wondered if it might be you. I rushed over, and sure enough, I found you. By the way, Senior Sister, the Radiant Dao Scroll auctioned here—wasn’t that the one you sold?”
Qi Muwei smiled, “Yes, that was mine.”
The man was stunned. “But… but…”
He wanted to demand why Qi Muwei dared to sell the Radiant Dao Scroll, but he didn’t want to cause her the slightest discomfort. It suddenly occurred to him why Qi Muwei didn’t feel close to him—could it be because she sold the Radiant Dao Scroll and didn’t cultivate it?
Qi Muwei smiled again and said, “The Radiant Dao Scroll was given to me by Master. I can do whatever I want with it.”
“Senior Sister, let’s go to the Listening Dao Tower to talk. It’s crowded standing here on the street,” the man said with a sunny smile.
Qi Muwei shook her head. “No, I’m going to find out about my friend and then leave right away. By the way, Junior Brother, what’s your name? Let’s exchange communication Dao laws. After I find my friend, I’ll go see Master too.”
Hearing that Qi Muwei didn’t want to go to the Listening Dao Tower with him and was instead focused on finding her friend, the man’s eyes flashed with disappointment and reluctance.
He quickly set those emotions aside and said, “My name is Shen Qingxuan. Just call me Qingxuan.”
“What? You’re Shen Qingxuan?” Qi Muwei exclaimed, almost blurting it out.
“Senior Sister, you’ve heard my name?” Shen Qingxuan was also startled. Aside from a select few, he had never shared his name. How did Qi Muwei know it?
Qi Muwei’s heart turned cold, a flood of questions surging within her. Just as she was about to press further, an abrupt voice interrupted, “Mo Wuji and Lan Xiaobu have been trapped in the City of Eternal Life for a day now. I reckon those two are done for this time.”
Hearing someone nearby mention Lan Xiaobu, saying he was trapped and in mortal danger, Qi Muwei could no longer spare a thought for Shen Qingxuan. She was about to turn and ask for details when another cultivator said, “Three Creation Saints besieging them—how could they escape?”
“Heh, you’re wrong. It’s not three Creation Saints this time, but four. Someone just recently ascended to the Creation Saint Realm. Guess who? It’s the Indestructible Saint. Now, the Indestructible Saint, Eternal Life Saint, Thunder Saint, and Reflective Path Saint are using the Vast Bell to trap the City of Eternal Life. The city is finished. Those living there can only blame their own lack of foresight for daring to stay in a Dao city run by Lan Xiaobu and Mo Wuji. What is that if not courting death?”
