Chapter 208: Meeting Landuo Again

North of Ganzhou, deep within the Myriad Monsters Mountain Range, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains stretched across the edge of the northern light, rolling on without end.

Eight streaks of escape light wove across the low sky in a frantic chase, their spiritual glows flickering on and off.

Fleeing were three Northern Plains cultivators—two Mid-Golden Core and one Early Golden Core—who had already been driven to a miserable state. Pursuing them were five from the Blood Abyss Sect—two Mid-Golden Core and three Late Golden Core. Blood light swirled around each of them, and soul energy surged with every strike as they unleashed an endless, vicious assault. They kept their formation from a distance, in no rush to draw the net, certain their prey had nowhere left to run.

The three Northern Plains cultivators were forced over a mountain hollow. With their path forward severed and their pursuers closing in behind, the five Blood Abyss Sect cultivators joined forces to cast an array. Blood-colored light converged in midair, forming a massive, dark red spike that shot straight down at them.

Forced to halt their escape lights, the three Northern Plains cultivators simultaneously activated their defensive dharma treasures to meet the blow head-on. The spiritual barrier collided with the blood spike, sending sparks flying. In just a few breaths, spiderweb cracks spread across the shield before it shattered with a heavy boom. The impact sent all three reeling. Coughing up blood, they tumbled clumsily to the ground.

Unhurried, the five Blood Abyss Sect cultivators landed and surrounded them.

The two Mid-Golden Core cultivators from the Northern Plains—a man and a woman—moved as one to shield the Early Golden Core girl behind them.

The female cultivator, Landuo, turned her head to look at the girl behind her. Her lips barely moved as she sent a divine sense transmission.

"Chun'er, you leave first. Huo Shan and I will hold them off. No matter what happens, you must make it back to the Northern Plains and deliver the news of the ambush on the Saintess."

She exchanged a glance with the male cultivator beside her. They both gave a slight nod, silently arriving at the same decision.

The five Blood Abyss Sect cultivators were in no rush to attack, slowly tightening their encirclement instead. One of them licked his lips, flashing an unhurried smile, as if waiting for something.

Then, everything changed.

A soft squelch sounded.

Landuo jolted violently. She looked down at her abdomen. A small golden blade was buried there, blood slowly seeping along the edge to soak through her robes. She slowly turned her head and saw the face of the very person she had just been protecting.

It was the girl she called "Chun'er." The girl she had guarded every step of the way to this place was now standing behind her, hands still locked in the posture of the thrust.

Huo Shan's eyes went wide. He yanked Landuo back over a dozen zhang, shielding her in his arms as he locked his gaze onto Chun'er.

"Jia Chun'er, what are you doing?" His voice was low, suppressing an explosive fury.

Jia Chun'er did not back down.

She stood there, looking as if she had finally stripped away years of accumulated disguises, and sneered.

"Why did I do this? Huo Shan, I've known you far longer than she has. How am I any less than her? But your eyes are only for Landuo. Only her. The Saintess is exactly the same, favoring her in everything! Giving her resources, holding her in high regard, putting everyone's attention on her. What about me? What do I count for?"

Her voice gradually pitched higher.

"As long as she's dead, everything that belonged to her will be mine."

As she spoke, the five Golden Core cultivators of the Blood Abyss Sect slowly closed in. They made no move to strike, watching with great interest as if enjoying a dogfight.

Huo Shan supported Landuo as they stumbled two steps back, but he refused to retreat any further. His gaze swept past Jia Chun'er, landed on the five Blood Abyss Sect cultivators, and finally settled on the lingering shadow of the blood array.

"You leaked our whereabouts. Do you even know what you've done, colluding with these Demonic Path cultivators from the Blood Abyss Sect? The Saintess and Great Grandmaster Gu are in mortal peril right now, all because of your selfishness. Well done, Jia Chun'er. Well done."

The accusation seemingly ignited Jia Chun'er completely. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she fired back.

"So what? I've had enough of standing in her shadow! Why can't I be the one everyone looks at?" she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Landuo, jealousy practically spilling from her eyes.

But her voice was cut short.

A dazzling streak of golden light pierced the sky from afar, so fast that even the sound of the wind failed to catch it. A golden longsword slashed past in utter silence, and in that instant, Jia Chun'er's head was separated from her neck. Her mouth still hung slightly open, as if she had more to say, but no one would ever hear it.

"Who is it?!" the five Blood Abyss Sect Golden Core cultivators shouted almost in unison, but they were already too late.

The golden longsword carved a fluid arc through the air, claiming three more lives in the blink of an eye. The remaining two cultivators turned to flee, only for two more golden swords to shoot out from the flank, accurately piercing right through their dantians. From beginning to end, in the span of merely two or three breaths, all six Golden Core cultivators had perished.

Before Huo Shan and Landuo could even process the shock of the betrayal, they were already staring at six fallen corpses.

Huo Shan helped Landuo find her footing, sweeping a wary gaze across their surroundings. Someone capable of instantly slaying six Golden Core cultivators with such overwhelming force had to be at least a Nascent Soul Stage existence. Could a Nascent Soul Grandmaster of the Northern Plains have coincidentally been passing through? The thought flashed rapidly through both of their minds, but they had no time to dwell on it.

In the distance, a streak of golden light sped over, exploding with a heavy boom right in front of them. A figure emerged from the golden light—standing tall and straight, his black-patterned golden robes fluttering faintly in the wind.

Jiuyou lowered his gaze, sweeping a plain look over the two.

Landuo froze for a moment before hastily bowing in salute.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Senior."

Beside her, Huo Shan quickly followed suit and bowed.

"Rise," Jiuyou said quietly, his gaze landing on the woman. "Landuo, don't you recognize me?"

Landuo blinked in surprise and raised her head, carefully studying his face. The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed, as if she were unearthing a recognizable silhouette from a long-blurred memory deep in her past.

Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, and finally to certainty.

"Are you... Big Brother Qing?" she asked tentatively.

Seeing Jiuyou give a slight nod, Landuo's eyes instantly lit up, as if struck by something warm.

She never imagined that the young man she and Graceful had rescued from the riverbed all those years ago would now be a Nascent Soul cultivator. And she never expected they would reunite like this, over two hundred years later.

"It really is you! Big Brother Qing, you have no idea... After you left back then, the Little Mistress, she..." Landuo trailed off halfway, suddenly realizing that this wasn't the time or place for trivial gossip. She hurriedly held her tongue.

Huo Shan looked between the two of them, then cupped his hands to salute Jiuyou.

"Duo'er, this Senior is...?" he asked carefully.

Landuo briefly explained their history before introducing Huo Shan to Jiuyou.

Jiuyou gave a faint nod in acknowledgment.

Once the greetings were over, Landuo suddenly remembered something. Her expression tightened, and she hurriedly spoke.

"Big Brother Qing, we can't delay any longer. The Saintess and Great Grandmaster Gu are pinned down by the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Blood Abyss Sect. The situation is dire. We must rush back to the Northern Plains Tribal Alliance immediately to report this and request reinforcements..."

Jiuyou didn't reply immediately. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as unruffled and calm as before. Then, he gave a nod.

"Lead the way," he said.