Chapter 192 - Xiaoke’s Death

Xu Ying stepped outside the temple gates and looked up. Jackdaws filled the sky, their beating wings carrying them upward until they vanished from sight. Sunlight spilled through the Abyss of Cangwu, bringing an unexpected touch of warmth to the underworld.

Li Xiaoke slowly rose to his feet. His legs still trembling, he came up behind Xu Ying and said hoarsely, “That man is proud and arrogant. If his first strike fails, he won’t persist. But he isn’t the only one backing the Emperor of the Underworld Court. Let’s leave before anything else goes wrong!”

His injuries were already severe, and a night of pushing himself to the limit had so thoroughly drained his cultivation that he could barely keep his wounds in check.

“Are you saying the one who attacked last night was human?” Xu Ying asked, puzzled.

Li Xiaoke hesitated but said nothing.

Xu Ying asked, “So humans control the underworld, not ghost gods? What kind of people could control a place like this?”

Rather than answer his questions, Li Xiaoke said, “Ageless Immortal, this world holds many secrets, and you yourself are one of them. No one has ever unraveled the mystery surrounding you, let alone the others.”

He activated the grotto-heavens behind him. Varying in size, battered and broken, they buckled under the strain until six gave way and burst apart.

Xu Ying watched the grotto heavens, his gaze flickering.

Li Xiaoke had dug these grotto heavens out of Exorcist Immortals and transplanted them directly into his own body. He had not opened them himself. Had he achieved them naturally, he could simply open another whenever one shattered. But transplants were different. Once destroyed, they were gone for good.

Stripped of these grotto heavens, he was merely an Ascension Stage Qi Cultivator.

Two more grotto heavens crumbled behind Li Xiaoke. Even so, he still had over one hundred and thirty left. Though damaged, the mystical power they provided was still enough to place him above all his rivals.

He was already one of the most formidable Qi Cultivators!

Xu Ying let the killing intent in his heart dissipate. Li Xiaoke also quietly dispersed the sword qi flowing around his fingertips.

They silently exchanged knowing smiles, then set off together, riding sword qi toward the Abyss of Cangwu.

The abyss was immense, its depth and boundaries unimaginable. Looking up from below, an endless variety of landscapes stretched across the overhead expanse: clear blue skies here, plunging waterfalls there, flanked elsewhere by wilderness, sweeping rivers, and spewing magma.

Li Xiaoke led Xu Ying into a placid lake and swam upward. Moments later, they broke the surface. Looking skyward, they saw a massive crimson star blotting out half the heavens.

Then the star blinked. Layer upon layer of gaseous rings within it contracted, focusing on them!

That star was an eye!

While Xu Ying stared in shock, Li Xiaoke grabbed him and dove beneath the surface.

“Not here!” said Li Xiaoke, his voice muffled by the water.

Xu Ying followed him down. The two flew out into the Abyss of Cangwu, then into a pool of magma. They had barely emerged when they saw celestial fire raging all around them, like something out of the hells of legend.

“Not here either.”

Li Xiaoke plunged back into the magma. Xu Ying followed, passing through the molten rock to return to the Abyss of Cangwu.

Together, they pressed onward in search of an exit. Each landscape bridging the Abyss of Cangwu led to an entirely different realm.

Xu Ying wondered aloud. “Is the Abyss of Cangwu connected to other worlds?”

Li Xiaoke shook his head. “I don’t know if it’s connected to other worlds or just to other parts of the Yuanshou Realm. The Yuanshou Realm is vast, and many unexplored places remain beyond my reach.”

He hesitated, then said, “After all, the Abyss of Cangwu is a great rift in our world. If that rift tore through other worlds as well...”

Xu Ying shook his head too. “That’s too hard to believe.”

Li Xiaoke nodded.

They swam through another lake, and the sunlight shining down was almost blinding. Xu Ying raised a hand to shield his eyes. It took a little moment for his vision to clear.

He looked around and let out a breath of relief. Eight remarkable peaks encircled the mountain beside them, their slopes steep and beautiful.

They were at Mount Jiuyi.

Xu Ying recalled his time on Mount Jiuyi with Zhou Qiyun, Yuan Weiyang, and the others, and a wave of wistfulness swept over him.

Li Xiaoke said, “Mount Jiuyi isn’t far from Mount Jiulong in Daozhou Prefecture. My eight-facet sword is still there. We might as well retrieve it first.”

Xu Ying’s heart tightened. He had entrusted the eight-facet sword to Xue Ying'an, who was no match for Li Xiaoke. If Li Xiaoke went to Mount Jiulong, Xue Ying'an would die!

Suddenly, Li Xiaoke’s expression shifted drastically. Grabbing Xu Ying, he plunged back into the lake and dove toward the underworld.

A strange sound reached Xu Ying’s ears, like countless beings chanting. Yet something about it felt familiar.

It’s that cultured, easygoing heavenly dragon traveling with Qingbi!

Delight surged through him. Li Xiaoke had used Dazhong to shatter that heavenly dragon’s body. Xu Ying had reconstructed his flesh and corrected the flawed Heavenly Dao runes etched on his hide. And those altered runes were the source of that familiar resonance.

If the heavenly dragon was here, Fairy Qingbi could not be far behind!

In his current condition, Li Xiaoke probably couldn’t withstand even one move from Qingbi!

Xu Ying’s eyes flickered.

The two swam from the lake into the Abyss of Cangwu and entered the underworld. Li Xiaoke sped away with Xu Ying in tow.

Before long, a heavenly dragon descended from the sky, his body lithe yet muscular. It passed through the emerald lake into the Abyss of Cangwu and looked around. “Qingbi, Li Xiaoke’s aura appeared somewhere nearby!”

Qingbi emerged from the lake, the black coffin following behind her.

“Li Xiaoke and the Emperor of the Underworld Court are birds of a feather. He must be seeking refuge with the emperor. Let’s go to the court and see!”

The heavenly dragon was about to carry her toward the Underworld Court when the Heavenly Dao runes on his body lit up. Bewildered, the dragon said, “Look! Look! My Heavenly Dao runes are glowing!”

Insight struck Qingbi, and she understood at once.

“Xu Ying altered those runes. That means he’s nearby! Heavenly dragon, sense his location at once!”

Quick-witted as she was, she went on, “Xu Ying is nearby, and so is Li Xiaoke. That means Xu Ying has fallen into his hands. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have activated your Heavenly Dao runes!”

The heavenly dragon agreed and focused on tracking Xu Ying’s location until it finally caught traces of his aura.

“Follow me!” the dragon said with a laugh, setting off in pursuit along the path Xu Ying and Li Xiaoke had taken. Then a sudden realization struck him.

Xu Ying altered my Heavenly Dao runes, and he can activate them to make them glow. Does that mean he can wield their power, too? If he can do that, can he control me as well? Damn it, I’ve become an artifact!

The heavenly dragon flew into a rage, smoke billowing from his nostrils.

My master finally died, and I barely got a few years of freedom before that bastard tricked me!

Qingbi had no idea why it was throwing a tantrum, and she didn't care.

Li Xiaoke raced to the bank of the Hell River with Xu Ying, but he couldn’t shake Qingbi and the heavenly dragon, no matter what he did. Anxiety gnawed at him.

Xu Ying offered some comforting advice. “Brother Xiaoke, running won’t solve anything. Why not stop, just as you did last night, conserve your strength, and fight them to the death?”

Li Xiaoke gave a muffled snort. After failing to kill him with a single strike, the ruler of the underworld refused to attack again out of pride. Qingbi and that stupid dragon, however, had no such reservations. They would gladly kill him!

Xu Ying clearly meant him no good.

Qingbi and that stupid dragon keep finding me. Is he signaling them behind my back?

Li Xiaoke glanced at Xu Ying. He suspected Xu Ying was behind it, but he had no proof.

“Still, if you think this is enough to corner me, you’ve badly underestimated my capabilities.”

Hauling Xu Ying along, Li Xiaoke followed the Hell River downstream, crossing rugged ridges until they reached a range of graceful peaks. He led Xu Ying through the winding mountains until they arrived at a babbling stream.

With a light sweep of his hand, he drew a line through the air. Light shone from the space ahead, as though he had sliced open a seam in space itself. He pulled the rift apart and led Xu Ying through, then closed it behind them.

Light filled Xu Ying’s vision. This was a Radiant Vestige land of sublimation. Unlike others, no Five Sacred Immortal Mountains stood here, only serene peaks, flowing waters, and a sweeping river. A solitary thatched cottage sat amid the landscape, framed by a crimson sun suspended behind it.

A woman emerged from the cottage. At the sight of Li Xiaoke, she smiled and gave him a gentle nod. “You’re here?”

Xu Ying studied her. She was an Exorcist Immortal who practiced pure exorcism arts, with no trace of qi refinement.

Li Xiaoke grunted in response and brushed past her, skipping greetings entirely. He hurried to the well in front of the cottage and peered into its depths.

Xu Ying kept his gaze on the woman. She smiled at him and nodded in greeting.

This is an Exorcist Immortal’s Radiant Vestige land of sublimation, so she must be its owner.

His eyes flickered, and pity stirred in his heart.

Li Xiaoke found this place so easily. She’s probably his disciple, and he’s probably already devoured her, leaving nothing but her skin behind.

Yet the woman exuded genuine kindness, lacking the sinister edge of other devoured Exorcist Immortals whose empty skins lingered in the world. Gentle and considerate, she invited Xu Ying to sit.

“What kind of tea would you like? I’ll brew some for you.”

Li Xiaoke said without turning around, “Give him a bowl of plain boiled water! Don’t be so nice to him. He’s my prisoner!”

The woman went inside to prepare tea for Xu Ying anyway. A little while later, she returned with a teapot and teacups. As she poured, she smiled. “He doesn’t look like a bad person to me.”

Xu Ying glanced at Li Xiaoke and smiled. “Bad people don’t have it written on their faces.”

“Then are you a bad person?” she asked with a smile.

Xu Ying burst out laughing. “No.”

Li Xiaoke snorted. Rising from the well, he came over to sit beside Xu Ying.

Picking up his teacup, Xu Ying walked to the well and looked down. Its waters reflected the scene outside the land of sublimation. The heavenly dragon carrying Qingbi had followed them to the area. It searched in every direction but found nothing, then soared into the sky and departed.

Xu Ying sipped his tea, disappointed. The land of sublimation had severed his connection to the runes on the heavenly dragon. He turned to find Li Xiaoke speaking softly with the woman.

Suspicion stirred in Xu Ying’s heart. He circled behind her and examined her neck for a slender split in her skin.

He found none.

Noticing his gaze, the woman turned toward him and gave him a warm, infectious smile.

Xu Ying smiled back, but his heart went cold. The moment she turned her head, he had caught sight of a faint line of light extending down from the base of her skull.

She’s dead. Why doesn’t she harbor any resentment? he wondered.

Li Xiaoke settled in, in no hurry to leave. In a rare moment of ease, he relaxed and let his guard down.

His dynamic with the woman seemed less like master and disciple and more like husband and wife. Often lost in each other’s company, they projected an image of quiet affection.

In his spare time, Li Xiaoke sought instruction from Xu Ying.

Xu Ying taught him the Thirteen Techniques of the Heavenly Sword. Li Xiaoke was a genius in the sword Dao, so grasping its principles was easy. The challenge lay in the Heavenly Dao contained within the techniques.

The expert from the Primordial Beginning Realm who had created this supreme technique had perceived the heart of heaven and earth and gained profound insight into the sword Dao, incorporating his understanding of the Heavenly Dao into it.

Xu Ying, well versed in the Heavenly Dao, integrated and refined all thirteen forms, surpassing the original thirteen sword techniques.

Li Xiaoke had studied the techniques for more than ten days but still couldn't master them all. His brow furrowed, and his temper grew increasingly volatile.

One day, while he was practicing his swordsmanship, the woman quietly sought out Xu Ying. She said gently, “I’ve watched you these past few days. You aren’t a bad person. You should leave as soon as possible. I’ll let you out.”

Xu Ying stared at her, surprised.

She smiled. “My husband may have a bad temper, but he isn’t an evil man. He only kidnapped you because he’s too obsessed with studying Dao arts. Please don’t hold it against him.”

She led the way. “This is my Radiant Vestige land of sublimation. I can let you out without alerting him.”

Xu Ying’s mind reeled. He stammered, “Y-You’re Li Xiaoke’s wife? Yo-You...”

A cough from Li Xiaoke cut him short.

The woman opened a narrow gap in the Radiant Vestige land of sublimation, and Xu Ying stepped out. Smiling, she waved to him, then closed the Radiant Vestige land of sublimation and vanished.

Xu Ying was still somewhat stunned.

Li Xiaoke wouldn’t just let me leave. He’ll come after me. I have to get away from here as fast as I can!

Xu Ying hurried away and soon reached the bank of the Hell River. A small boat drifted slowly downstream, where a man in a bamboo hat sat aboard, fishing rod in hand.

The sight puzzled Xu Ying. Are there fish in the Hell River?

Eager to evade Li Xiaoke, he hastened on. When he glanced back, he saw the man in the bamboo hat moor his boat by the bank and go ashore.

Though still bewildered, Xu Ying did not stop, racing downstream along the riverbank.

Before long, a boat came drifting down the river. The same man in the bamboo hat was aboard, but this time he held no fishing rod. Instead, he stood at the bow with his hands clasped behind his back.

As the little boat drew near, the man lifted the brim of his hat slightly and looked at Xu Ying.

Their eyes met. A shock ran through Xu Ying’s heart, followed by recognition. An icy chill welled up from deep within him, spreading through his limbs.

He had seen those eyes before. He had committed that aura to memory!

When he had opened his Jade-Pool Secret Trove, he had seen those eyes and sensed that aura!

Xu Ying stopped. The little boat glided away downstream. The man in the bamboo hat vanished from sight along with it.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Ying turned and retraced his steps.

Much later, he returned to the mountain stream. He steadied himself, took out the battered wooden door, and set it upright beside him.

He pushed the door open and stepped through into the woman’s Radiant Vestige land of sublimation.

Surprise crossed her face when she saw him return. Then she gave him a serene smile.

“Why did you come back? My husband is still practicing his swordsmanship. He’s working so hard.”

Xu Ying looked toward Li Xiaoke. He was practicing in the same spot as before, but a pool of blood had pooled behind him.

A thin cut ran down the back of his head, with a faint light shining through it.

Li Xiaoke turned to look at him, a smile on his face.