Yuan Chen bent down to pick up this kasaya and hung it off his arm. The bright red kasaya flew on his arm and flapped out loud.
“Shishu.” The monks who heard something had happened hurried over. They saw Shishu standing on the stairs, his monk robes bloodied, and his kasaya hanging loosely from his arm as though it would be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Hearing their shouts, Yuan Chen looked silently at them, and said to the most powerful monk, “Stay here to protect.”
Yes.” The monk put his palms together and sat down in the western position.
Suddenly, the wind rose and blew away Yuan Chen’s kasaya. It flew over the courtyard walls and disappeared in the black night.
“Shishu, I will find it for you.”
“No need.” Yuan Chen slowly put his palms together. He looked at the ordeal clouds in the sky and repeated, “No need.”
The monk looked dazedly at Yuan Cheng. A moment later, he nodded. “Yes, yes.”
Yuan Chen did not speak. He turned and walked into the darkness, his slightly plump figure consumed into the night. The monk looked at his back and wanted to give chase. But seeing the rolling ordeal clouds in the sky, he sat down cross-legged and protected the cultivator in ordeal surpassing.
As a monk, he had a benevolent heart. He could not pretend that nothing had happened when he saw someone in difficulty.
The ordeal clouds increased and the sky seemed to fall down.
Huan Zhong opened his eyes. He could not sit peacefully. His heart was restless. Qiu Shuang stood at the side and silently observed his every action. Seeing him reveal panic on his usually calm face, Qiu Shuang showed a smile. The disciples of Splendid Cloud Sect did not need a perfect partner, but a partner of a Splendid Cloud Sect disciple who was perfect but had no love was not a good candidate either.
When the first ordeal lightning landed on her body, Kong Hou looked in puzzlement at the sky. Were lightning ordeals so gentle? This was gentler than the soldier puppets that beat her in the illusion tower.
But when lightning continued to fall, Kong Hou understood this was not gentle but diplomacy before violence. She used her sword to block some bolts of lightning. She touched her messy hair. Ordeal lightning was usually nine bolts. Why had she been struck more than ten times?
She looked up at the dragon-like lightning. Kong Hou inhaled sharply. This was going to kill her. She didn’t dare to block with Water Frost any longer. Kong Hou threw the Phoenix Head hairpin. Phoenix Head flew into the sky and turned into a beautiful rainbow phoenix that raised its head to cry. It welcomed the lightning.
“Phoenix…” Radiance Sect’s members watched the phoenix who collided with the ordeal lightning in the air. They were dazed and almost didn’t believe their eyes. No matter in the mortal world or cultivation world, dragons and phoenixes had special meaning. The lifebond talismans of most cultivators, even if they were intelligent, were mostly energy forms or invisible. There were not many talismans that could take visible form.
First there was Spirit Master Zhong Xi, now this was… who?
The disciples of Splendid Cloud Sect sat in rows under the eaves. Looking at the flying phoenix and bright light of the lightning, they were silent.
“I feel… this lightning ordeal is slightly familiar,” Ling Hui whispered. “Wu Chuan Shixiong, how do you feel?”
Wu Chuan stared at the fading phoenix shadow. “Kong Hou has not yet reached full Mind Activation Stage.” How could she be in an ordeal?
Ling Hui was silent again. This did not frequently occur to other people. But she would not be surprised if it was Kong Hou Shimei.
The two peak masters thought more. A lightning ordeal of eighteen bolts. This was not an ordinary lightning ordeal to increase cultivation. Elder Qiu Shuang had not returned. They didn’t know what occurred in the prison. Had the lord of the evil cultivators appeared?
“Wait a while; I will go see.” Qing Yuan was worried about Qiu Shuang and Kong Hou. He said to Pei Huai, “Pei Shidi, you… be careful.”
The disturbance several hours ago caused the disciples with weak cultivation to faint. When the cultivation of an evil cultivator had reached such a level, he could not avoid being worried no matter how unconstrained he was.
Pei Huai nodded. “Be careful as well.”
The other disciples of Splendid Cloud Sect guessed that the matter was serious from the expressions of the two peak masters. They had no interest in watching the spectacle. Wu Chuan looked at his juniors and sighed. “Follow me.”
The disciples all nodded obediently and jumped off the roof behind Wu Chuan.
Qing Yuan flew over and encountered Grandmaster Yuan Chen halfway. He flew down. “Grandmaster Yuan Chen, how is it in the prison?”
“Transcendent Qing Yuan, do not worry. The demon lord Jiu Su has been seriously wounded and fled. He will not dare harass the cultivation world in the short term.” Yuan Chen looked at Qing Yuan for a few moments before he seemed to recognize who it was. He put his palms together. “Miss Kong Hou is advancing her cultivation.”
“Thank you, Grandmaster, for telling me.” Qing Yuan felt that Yuan Chen was not quite right. He took a few more looks and found that the monk’s robe was bloodied and his sleeve torn, as though he had experienced a hard battle.
“Are Grandmaster’s wounds all right?” Qing Yuan took out a bottle of pills to hold in front of Grandmaster Yuan Chen. “Grandmaster, eat two pills and rest.”
“Thank you, Transcendent Qing Yuan; this monk is fine.” Yuan Chen did not take the pills. He turned and left. The buddhist beads in front of his chest rang softly.
Qing Yuan frowned. What was going on with this grandmaster of Quiet Peace Temple?
After the last bolt of lightning struck down, Kong Hou felt numb all over. Her organs were shattered, and a golden core had formed in her spirit platform. Soon, this golden pill was shattered by the flooding spirit energy and turned into pieces.
Kong Hou felt pain in every part of her body. Her meridians and bones had been twisted and broken. Spirit energy continued to flood into her body as though it wanted to fill every part of her body.
In the past, she would not have been able to bear this kind of pain. But after she was thrown through the star mansion door by Spirit Master Hong Yan and experienced all those tests, Kong Hou found that she was faster, and even her ability to endure pain increased.
The golden core pieces were crushed even finer into powder. Kong Hou lay down on the ground. Great, even her core was now in pieces.
But the golden core once again gathered after being changed into powder. It slowly turned into a curled-up human figure. Kong Hou’s consciousness was similar to this person-shaped inner core. She saw the figure open its eyes. This pair of eyes… were her eyes.
She abruptly opened her eyes. A drop of rain fell on her face. She touched her face. This was… spirit rain? She had successfully advanced?
She looked up into the sky. She could see the path of each drop of rain, and even knew where it would land. The entire world was now clearer. Using her consciousness, she could even know how many living beings were imprisoned in Radiance Sect’s prison.
Kong Hou patted her tattered clothing and used several cleaning spells on herself. She changed into a clean dress from her storage ring. She walked into the corner and saw the blackened fox yao Hong Mian. She found the fox was too dirty and poked her with a stick. The fox’s tail trembled. She didn’t dare flee.
“You are still alive…” Kong Hou threw away the stick and clapped. “Your fiance abandoned you and fled alone.”
The unresponsive fox yao suddenly turned and snarled viciously at her.
“You were ugly to start with. When you do not have fur and do this, you are even uglier.” Kong Hou used a special cage to imprison the fox. She stood and walked to the doorway of the courtyard. She met Huan Zhong’s gaze.
Huan Zhong’s eyes trembled slightly. He stood up and held her hand. He did not mention her improved cultivation. “It is good you are fine.”
“Kong Hou reached Mind Manifestation?” Qing Yuan, who hurried over, sighed in relief when he saw Kong Hou was unharmed. When he detected the thick spirit energy on Kong Hou, he said in shock, “What happened?”
Qiu Shuang shook her head and looked at the Quiet Peace Temple disciple who was helping stand guard. “We will talk when we return.”
Qing Yuan nodded. Even Kong Hou’s Mind Manifestation could not cause a good mood in Qiu Shuang Shishu. It appeared something major had happened.
Hong Mian stayed in the cage quietly, as though she was just an ordinary fox. She looked at the cultivators at the doorway, and her gaze dimmed.
As the fiancee of the lord and the first beauty of the evil cultivator world, Hong Mian had never expected she would be abandoned. Lord had left so decisively, without any hesitation or struggle. He hadn’t even glanced at her.
The past affection disappeared. She finally understood why Lord liked to call her name, and said her mouth was the smallest and most adorable. Because Hong Mian and Hong Yan were close in their tone, and she had a mouth similar to Spirit Master Hong Yan’s.
He never liked her. He liked her name and her mouth.
But how deep was Lord’s love? When he fled, he could use the woman he loved as a weapon. He said he loved her, but in the moment of life and death, he loved himself the most.
So the people in the evil cultivator world never easily believed in love. They talked about love and emotion, but those were poisoned sweets. If people believed, they were fools.
She swished her tail and buried her head.
##
Because of the death of Sect Master Hong Yan of Moon Star Sect, the conference did not continue. The news that Kong Hou reached Mind Manifestation was temporarily concealed. To conceal the news, Splendid Cloud Sect even spread news that something went wrong with Kong Hou’s cultivation and she needed a temporary seclusion.
The person who had advanced that night was a disciple of Radiance Sect.
Three days later, the other sect master of Moon Star Sect, Wang Su, came to Radiance Sect.
He had learned of Hong Yan’s death. He showed no sadness or joy on his face, but he wore plain white, and his hair was tied up with a simple silver coronet. There were two young sect masters following behind him. They appeared like another Wang Su and Hong Yan. They were cold and lifeless in their presence.
Most of the guests of Radiance Sect had left. Only Splendid Cloud Sect, Nine Phoenix Sect, Clear Dawn Sect and Quiet Peace Temple disciples still remained. They all came when receiving Wang Su.
Seeing the members of Moon Star Sect dressed in white, the cultivators bowed silently to Wang Su.
“Path Friend, our condolences.” Jin Yue felt slight guilt. He had no face to see Wang Su after Spirit Master Hong Yan died in Radiance Sect.
“Death is the beginning of life. Sect Master Jin, do not worry. I understand.” Wang Su bowed back to the group. “This one has come to take Shimei home.”
“Please.” Jin Yue turned sideways and welcomed Wang Su into the main hall.
“Where is she?” Wang Su did not move. He looked at Jin Yue and said, “This one wants to meet her.”
Jin Yue knew the “her” in Wang Su’s words was not Spirit Master Hong Yan.
Translator Ramblings: Poor Hong Mian. She needs her own story of getting revenge.
_______________