Chapter 210: Meeting Graceful Again

"Damn it!"

Ying Tong roared. A drop of blood essence burst from his brow, unfurling in the wind to form a scarlet shield before him. The golden thread struck the shield and paused for only an instant before piercing straight through, scattering crimson fragments like shattered ice. Hurled back by the residual force, Ying Tong tumbled dozens of yards before managing to steady himself, a trickle of blood already seeping from the corner of his mouth.

When he looked up at Jiuyou, a flicker of genuine dread finally surfaced in his eyes.

Late Nascent Soul Stage Pinnacle!

When had Ganzhou produced a figure like this?

Moreover, the Sword Qi was unimaginably sharp, backed by an overwhelming Sword Intent. This was clearly a formidable sword cultivator whose strength far exceeded anyone in the same realm.

Before he could think further, golden longswords silently materialized behind Jiuyou, their tips pointing outward in a spinning wheel of blades. Dozens of Ember Moon Swords aimed at Ying Tong simultaneously. The Sword Qi remained gathered without releasing, yet hairline cuts scored the air, shaving away even the surrounding spiritual light.

Ying Tong's expression changed drastically. Without the slightest hesitation, he flipped his palm to reveal a blood-red cicada. Expanding rapidly upon contact with the air, it grew to half a zhang in size, a fissure splitting down its back.

Ying Tong shrank into a thread of blood and darted inside. The Blood Cicada beat its wings, transforming into a streak of scarlet light that shot off into the distance, even faster than the Blood Soul Evasion. In the blink of an eye, it vanished beyond the horizon.

Seeing him flee, the other four Blood Abyss Sect Nascent Soul cultivators resorted to their own life-saving methods and scattered in every direction. Bursts of multicolored escape light exploded into the sky as they fled like a bird frightened by the twang of a bow.

Jiuyou did not pursue Ying Tong. With a single thought, fifty Ember Moon Swords shot forward at once, dividing in midair to intercept two of the fleeing figures—one at the Nascent Soul Early Stage and the other at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage. The sword light flashed past without a hint of resistance. Before either could even scream, they were eradicated by the brilliance, their Nascent Souls swallowed whole by the Nether Capital Gate following close behind.

The remaining two had already fled far into the distance. Jiuyou did not give chase, recalling his swords and standing calmly in place.

The battlefield fell abruptly silent.

Graceful still clutched the small cauldron, her gaze resting on Jiuyou for a moment as if she had not fully registered what just transpired.

The Great Grandmaster surnamed Gu also lowered the heavy gold-and-bronze hammers in his hands and looked at Jiuyou, his eyes full of scrutiny.

A situation of nine deaths and one life had been resolved in mere breaths. Of the five Blood Abyss Sect cultivators, two were dead and three had fled, all while the man who intervened had not so much as taken a single step.

Graceful's gaze shifted from Jiuyou to Landuo beside him, then drifted back, as if she were quietly reevaluating the situation. She did not know who this man was, but since Landuo was traveling with him, he was at least no enemy.

Wind blew across the mountain ridge, sweeping away the lingering spiritual light and the stench of blood from the battlefield.

The Great Grandmaster surnamed Gu stowed his dual hammers, his gaze still resting on Jiuyou as if waiting for an explanation.

But Jiuyou did not look at him, nor was he in any rush to speak.

"Lady Saintess," Landuo called out, a smile touching her face. She glanced toward Graceful, then looked back at Jiuyou. After receiving a faint nod of approval, she flew over to Graceful.

"Landuo, you're injured." Graceful had felt a surge of joy upon seeing her alive, but her expression darkened the moment she noticed the wound on Landuo's abdomen. She did not question her immediately. The injury did not look like the work of the unfamiliar cultivator before them; otherwise, Landuo would not be alive, let alone escorted back so easily. Graceful was discerning enough to know there had to be more to the story.

Nearby, the cultivator surnamed Gu swallowed several medicinal pills, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in salute to Jiuyou. "I am Gu Daobian. May I ask for your honored name, fellow Daoist? We owe you our lives for your righteous intervention today; otherwise, our ominous prospects would have outnumbered our auspicious ones. Should the chance arise in the future, I will certainly pay a visit to express my gratitude."

Jiuyou gave him a faint glance and offered a slight nod, his tone indifferent. "I am Qing You."

On the other side, Graceful had finished listening to Landuo's account. Upon hearing of Jia Chun'er's betrayal, a faint trace of sorrow crossed her face, though she quickly suppressed it, as if she had already harbored such a suspicion in her heart.

But when Landuo mentioned Jiuyou's identity, Graceful visibly trembled, as if gently shaken by the name. She confirmed it with Landuo several times. Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the gaze she raised toward Jiuyou carried an inexplicable emotion.

After a long moment of digesting this news, she took a few steps forward, one hand pressed lightly to her chest. Her lips parted, as if she did not know where to begin. Only after a long while did a soft murmur finally slip from her throat. "Is it really you... Big Brother Qing You?"

Jiuyou glanced at her and nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "It's me."

Looking at that face—both familiar and somewhat foreign—Graceful felt as though a beam of light spanning many years had shone straight into her eyes. The words churned repeatedly in her chest, yet all she could squeeze out was, "It really is you..."

She seemed startled by her own lack of composure. Her ears suddenly flushed red, and her hands clenched and loosened behind her back, her fingers twisting together unconsciously.

Gu Daobian stood to the side, his gaze sweeping between Jiuyou and Graceful. Though he did not know their past history, he could guess the general outline.

A layer of caution entered his gaze as he looked at Jiuyou. A sword cultivator at the Peak Nascent Soul Stage was a supreme powerhouse capable of overturning the balance of power in any region. Having past ties with their Saintess meant this connection could foster closeness, but it could also prove fatal. For now, he could not fathom the man's true purpose here.

Jiuyou naturally noticed his caution, yet he paid it no mind. His purpose on this trip was simple—it lay neither in this place nor in these people.

He had indeed owed Graceful a favor back then, but he had long since repaid it. Saving her today counted as another favor, but the exchange of favors in the cultivation world was never weighed by repayment; it was calculated by utility.

He recalled that when he first entered the Northern Plains years ago, he had pried a piece of information from the mouth of a Blood Abyss Sect Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator.

The Supreme Great Elder of the Blood Abyss Sect had not stayed at the Headquarters. Instead, he had hidden himself beneath the border battlefield between the Northern Plains and Ganzhou. Using the entire battlefield as a cauldron and myriad fallen souls as kindling, the old monster had laid down a Soul Gathering Grand Array. Year after year, he harvested the souls of fallen warriors to nourish the Nether Soul Spirit Mushrooms. As for how many stalks he had nurtured or how ancient they were, that Nascent Soul cultivator had not known for certain.

But that did not matter. Jiuyou's true objective on this trip had always been those Spirit Velvets.

...

After a brief conversation, Jiuyou learned more details about the Northern Plains border battlefield from Graceful and Gu Daobian.

Not long after he left all those years ago, Graceful's father had been conscripted into the army. Her elder brother had died in battle soon after, and before long, her father had marched onto the battlefield as well. In the end, only two corpses were returned, and their souls had already been drawn out. The matter had caused quite a stir in the Northern Plains at the time.

Later, people went to investigate, but most never returned alive. The few who did spoke not a single word about it, uncovering nothing at all. As time passed, it became an unresolved mystery that no one looked into too deeply.

Some said malevolent spirits from the Land of the Extreme North were causing havoc. Others claimed that too many had died on the battlefield, and their unwilling souls lingered there. Many spoke and opinions scattered, yet not a single explanation held water.

Graceful spoke of these matters in a very soft tone, as if she had repeated the tale countless times. Every word had been worn smooth, yet it still cut like a blade. Gu Daobian remained silent without chiming in, and Landuo kept her head lowered without a word.

Jiuyou listened quietly, nodding from time to time like a proper listener.

In a fluid motion, he swept the storage pouches of the two dead Blood Abyss Sect Nascent Soul cultivators into his sleeve. His expression remained indifferent, but his divine sense had already slipped quietly from his body, extending soundlessly into the earth beneath his feet.