Nightfall

Chen Pipi used all his strength to keep his right hand from trembling and spilling the water out of the bowl. He stared at Tang Xiaotang who looked travel-worn and said, “You came.”

It was more a statement than a question. He did not need to ask as he had heard her refreshing song and seen her in person. Although he did not wish for her to come, she was already here.

“Yup.”

Ignoring the crowd between them, Tang Xiaotang asked Chen Pipi, “Are you coming with me?”

Chen Pipi thought it through and answered, “If you can take me, I will definitely go with you.”

Tang Xiaotang consented and walked toward the white stone altar. Her blood was dripping as she proceeded. People cleared a way and no one dared stop her, not even those divine priests nor the black-robed deacons.

She came to the front of the altar.

Chen Pipi handed her the bowl of water and asked, “You want some water?”

Tang Xiaogang drank the remaining water as if she was enjoying some strong liquor.

Little Yu from South Sea had been standing there watching them as Chen Pipi and Tang Xiaotang’s exchange. She turned pale as she realized the relationship between this woman and her cousin.

This woman had come for her man. She felt outrageous and sad, yet, she did not know what to do.

She felt like she was unwanted right there in front of the altar. Neither Chen Pipi nor Tang Xiaotang had bothered to spare a glance at her, as if she wasn’t there.

She had been a very proud person. Thinking of herself as a real genius at cultivation, she had firmly believed that no one but her cousin who had been engaged to her since childhood would be comparable with her, not even the three Addicts nor the other disciples of the Academy. Therefore, she had tried to proof herself by challenging the Calligraphy Fanatic, and then Ye Hongyu.

Only now did she just realize how naive she used to be. In terms of willpower and mentality she was not even comparable with the girl who had fought all her way up the Peach Mountain, not to mention Ye Hongyu.

Standing in front of the altar, she felt all her former pride being smashed. It was not only because she felt interior in front of the girl with the iron stick, but also because her cousin had taken the bowl of water that girl gave him, and his attitude and tone when talking to the girl made it seem like they had been together for decades.

…

Little Yu’s feeling was not wrong.

Right there in Chen Pipi and Tang Xiaotang’s eyes, there was no room for anyone else. Even the whole world had disappeared. They could only see each other, and merely that half bowl of water.

That was until a thundering sound was heard at the front yard of Peach Mountain.

In the huge sedan with radiating lights, the Hierarch stood up and stared at Tang Xiaotang. His tall figure was leaning like a mountain about to collapse.

“Who are you? What’s your relationship with Lin Wu?”

“I am Tang Xiaotang. It’s always Tang Xiaotang even if you read it from the back.”

Tang Xiaotang gave the bowl back to Chen Pipi, looked at the Hierarch in the sedan and continued, “Yu Lian is my master. I came to the Peach Mountain to get my man back. You cannot stop me.”

Upon hearing these words, the Hierarch laughed heartily and said, “How ridiculous.”

Tang Xiaotang did not think it was funny. She held up her iron stick and stared at the huge sedan.

She was wounded quite seriously when breaking through the three arrays. Her clothes were stained with blood and dust. Yet she spoke with no less pride and assertiveness.

That persistent character of hers was what made her so pleasant and loveable.

Most of the audience were not laughing except for Mo Li, the divine priest and head of Revelation Institute. He was faking his laughter to support the Hierarch. It sounded rather awkward.

No one else was laughing because Tang Xiaotang had shown a very strong fighting spirit and unbelievable improvement through the rounds of fighting. It was more horrifying than funny.

They were shocked and wondered how she could have made several breakthroughs in such a short period of time, or rather in just a few rounds of fierce fighting.

Only Chen Pipi, Ye Hongyu and Ning Que were not surprised by Tang Xiaotang’s power and improvement that she had just shown.

They all knew that Tang Xiaotang had always been working hard to become the most powerful woman in the world. With such an ambitious goal she would do literally anything, and nothing could have surprised them.

Ever since challenged by Ke Haoran, the Devil’s Doctrine had very few descendants left. Tang Xiaotang and her brother were basically the only two remaining. That also meant Tang Xiaotang had become the Saintess of the Devil’s Doctrine.

Whether it was because of her bloodline from the Wilderness or her heritage the from Tang family, Tang Xiaotang was very talented in cultivation. Back then, in the fight at the snow cliffs in Tianqi Mountain, Tang Xiaotang had almost defeated Ye Hongyu when she was only fourteen years old. She would have done better if not for Ye Hongyu’s extremely practical style that only a few people like Ning Que could handle.

Many years had passed. Ye Hongyu was already a great cultivator of the Knowing Destiny State and had become the Great Divine Priest of Judgment sitting on the Seat of Heavenly Black Jade. But Tang Xiaotang still seemed like the Saintess of Devil’s Doctrine years ago.

Although the Devil’s Doctrine did not have clear stages like No Doubts, Seethrough, and Knowing Destiny states, they did have their own levels of cultivation. Yet, it was almost like Tang Xiaotang had stagnated at the Seethrough state for years.

For a girl from the Devil’s Doctrine, she was already strong enough by being at the pinnacle level of the Seethrough State. Yet, compared to people like Ye Hongyu and Ning Que, she was barely making any progress.

Ning Que’s great progress might have been results of his studying at the Academy and serious of unexpected adventures, while Ye Hongyu had reached her current stage because of her persistent pursuit of Taoism and the letter from Liu Bai. Then, what about Tang Xiaotang?

She had also been studying in the Academy for years. Her master was the most mysterious leader of the Devil’s Doctrine, the Twenty-Three-Year Cicada who was no less powerful than Liu Bai in terms of cultivation stage. Why did she then fail to make any progress along these years?

In the Academy, she jumped off the waterfall countless times, moved huge rocks and flattened out countless stone steps with her iron stick. She had never stopped cultivating.

Those were the practices Yu Lian had assigned to her.

In the back mountain of the Academy, Tang Xiaotang practiced like a sadhu, hardening her body and mind to get ready for the optimal opportunity.

Buddhism was all about seeking enlightenment,

But the Devils’ Doctrine was all about fighting.

With her bloodline from the Wilderness and her heritage from Devil’s Doctrine, she could only breakthrough to higher levels through fighting. Yet she had never been given any chance to fight, neither in the battle at Verdant Canyon nor in the Academy. Yu Lian had deliberately kept her from participating in serious fights.

Yu Lian was the leader of Devil’s Doctrine with extraordinary skills and power. Furthermore, she was also a great master, good at cultivating students. She had once tried to take Ning Que as her successor but failed. Therefore, she had spared no effort to train Tang Xiaotang. Naturally, she had her reasons for keeping her away from those battles.

Ye Hongyu was able to reach Knowing Destiny State years ago. But she used her strong willpower to keep herself at the Seethrough State, only to wait for a perfect timing for breakthrough.

Tang Xiaotang was similar to Ye Hongyu in terms of willpower. Yet, compared with Taoism, the Devil’s Doctrine had a disadvantage that they could not control their breakthrough consciously during fighting.

Tang Xiaotang had almost defeated Ye Hongyu years ago. As her master, Yu Lian would definitely want her to outshine Ye Hongyu after all these years. She thus had to choose a perfect timing for her breakthrough. Since Tang Xiaotang had no control over that, Yu Lian had to control it for her.

She had kept her away from fights because she was waiting for the right moment to come.

Today at the Rite to Light in the Peach Mountain, Chen Pipi was about to be burnt to death by Haotian’s divine flame. Tang Xiaotang definitely had to come for him. She had to intrude, fight and breakthrough.

Action was driven by necessity. That was the philosophy that the Academy had always been teaching. Naturally, this was the moment Yu Lian was waiting for. With all the conditions set up for her, Tang Xiaotang explosive growth was only a matter of course.

…

The West-Hill had planned the Rite to Light for the Academy. But, who would have expected that after all the time and efforts they had spent, only second generation rookies from the Academy would turn up?

Although Tang Xiaotang had shown exceptional improvements and power, she was after all a young girl. There were so many powerful figures gathered at the front yard of Peach Mountain and at least ten of them could defeat her. Therefore, when people had calmed down, they felt a bit disappointed.

It was as though one had prepared all his strength to slay a tiger, only to find that his enemy was only an innocent white rabbit. This was just like when the son of a maligned official who, after plotting for several years, attempts to get revenge for his father by assassinating the emperor, only to find out on the night of the assassination that the emperor had passed away, leaving behind only a seven-year-old crown prince in his place.

The Hierarch was the one most disappointed by the turn of events. He had exposed his feelings when he said to the mountains afar with profound loneliness that the Academy was worthless.

“As a mere second-generation disciple, how dare you claim that you are taking this man out of the Peach Mountain?”

The Hierarch sighed, “The person I have been waiting for is Lin Wu. I didn’t expect him to be so timid as to send a young girl like you to your death. The Academy is indeed worthless now.”

Tang Xiaotang confronted his stare and retorted, “Last year at the back mountain of the Academy, my master made you blind, cut off your arm, and crippled your Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow. You would have been dead if she had not shown mercy because of your previous acquaintance. Being a loser, what makes you think you are qualified to challenge her again? You need to defeat me first.”

People burst into an uproar again upon her words.

Though it was already a public secret that the Hierarch had been seriously wounded at the back mountain of the Academy, no one had dared mention it in front of him. Yet, here in the front yard of Peach Mountain, someone had just openly mocked him in front of everyone.

While everyone was expecting the Hierarch to punish Tang Xiaotang, General Lebu of the Golden Tribe stepped out from the crowd. “You are from the Wilderness?”

Tang Xiaotang looked back and said, “Right. And you, barbarian?”

General Lebu answered, “Yes. I’m from the grassland.”

Tang Xiaotang corrected him, “It is not the grassland, but the Wilderness.”

General Lebu answered, “When you were there it was the Wilderness. Now it is called the grassland.”

Tang Xiaotang confronted, “If you want a fight, then let’s fight!”

…