The Righteous Body’s Power

The cultivator, whose actions had been so swift moments before, now found his movements utterly obstructed.

His every motion was frozen at the precise moment he was poised to strike Lin Xingjian, leaving him in an uncanny, fixed posture, much like a marionette suddenly immobilized.

“Damn you, Zhang Jingya, what madness possesses you?!”

His features twisted into a grotesque snarl, for a single utterance from this woman had transformed him into nothing more than an unmoving, withered husk.

His face was a canvas of seething rage and bitter resentment, his eyes, dilated like bronze bells, fixed a venomous stare upon the source of the voice.

Lin Xingjian’s brow arched in surprise, the voice striking him as both strangely alien and unsettlingly familiar.

A cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, as an ominous premonition surged from his very tailbone, racing straight to his brain.

This wasn’t born of fear of being drawn into the other man’s dispute; rather, it stemmed from his profound understanding that the woman named Zhang Jingya would undoubtedly usher in far greater complications for him.

Indeed, his worst fears had materialized.

Zhang Jingya’s sudden appearance immediately brought to Lin Xingjian’s mind the ‘Murphy’s Law’ he had known in his previous life.

“Liu Jinyao, you have long been accustomed to throwing your weight around within the Dao Gate Sect. Though I have consistently chosen to overlook your antics, your conduct today is truly beyond the pale.”

Zhang Jingya’s voice, clear and melodious, resonated through the air.

“Are disciples from the lower sects somehow not considered disciples?”

“Ultimately, did you not also ascend from a lower sect? Why, then, do you feel compelled to discriminate against others and draw such stark divisions?”

Her words, honed and sharp, struck Liu Jinyao’s very core like a volley of daggers.

No sooner had Zhang Jingya uttered these pronouncements than numerous cultivators, who had long harbored discontent towards Liu Jinyao, began nodding in silent agreement.

In their daily lives, they had always bristled at Liu Jinyao’s rampant arrogance and tyrannical manner, yet they had been too intimidated to voice their anger.

Now, witnessing someone finally step forward to openly rebuke him, they secretly applauded in their hearts.

In that moment, Liu Jinyao was overcome with mortification, his face flushing a deep, ripe tomato-red. He glared with profound animosity at the woman before him, his heart a cauldron of resentment.

“Hmph!”

Liu Jinyao let out a disdainful snort.

“Release me at once! My master has entrusted me with crucial matters, and if I am delayed, you will be utterly unable to bear the repercussions.”

Liu Jinyao shrewdly avoided any mention of his recent predicament, instead pivoting to invoke his master’s name to Zhang Jingya, hoping to intimidate her and provide himself with a dignified retreat.

Zhang Jingya understood this was merely Liu Jinyao’s attempt to save face and extricate himself from the situation, so she chose not to press the issue.

The woman’s vermillion lips parted ever so slightly, and a single word drifted from them.

“Move.”

In that very instant, Liu Jinyao’s body was liberated. The invisible force that had held him captive vanished, allowing him to move once more.

He shot Zhang Jingya a frigid glance, his eyes still brimming with resentment and unyielding indignation, before turning abruptly and departing in haste.

Lin Xingjian had already resolved to make a swift escape, yet the vast, open expanse around him, devoid of other cultivators, offered no immediate cover.

It was the height of day, and the sun’s rays beat down upon the earth without obstruction, rendering it incredibly difficult for him to employ his ‘Dark Concealment’ escape art.

“Hold on, Junior Brother.”

Zhang Jingya slowly turned her head, her gaze settling on Lin Xingjian’s retreating back.

Lin Xingjian’s entire body stiffened, a shiver running through him, as the woman’s voice unexpectedly halted his escape, leaving him rooted to the spot.

“Ah, well… Senior Sister, I am immensely grateful for your timely assistance. However, this Junior Brother has pressing matters to attend to and must report immediately. I humbly ask for your understanding and must, regrettably, take my leave.”

Lin Xingjian’s heart pounded with a desperate urgency, yearning to escape her presence as swiftly as possible. Yet, Zhang Jingya appeared determined to see her benevolent act to its full conclusion.

With light, graceful lotus steps, her slender figure drifted slowly to Lin Xingjian’s side.

A delicate, fresh, and ethereal fragrance wafted from her, enveloping those who caught a whiff in a sensation as soothing as a spring breeze.

“It is no trouble at all; I shall accompany you there myself.”

“You hail from a lower sect, and the cold glares and discrimination you face are not your fault. With my escort, you will undoubtedly suffer less harassment from the likes of Liu Jinyao.”

Lin Xingjian surreptitiously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then slowly turned his gaze towards the woman’s countenance.

It was a face of refined elegance and serene tranquility, utterly unchanged from his memories.

Her brows were like distant, painted mountains, her eyes clear and luminous, her nose exquisitely sculpted, and her lips a natural, vibrant vermillion, needing no enhancement.

Her aura was otherworldly, like a secluded orchid blooming in a hidden mountain valley.

Every subtle frown and gentle smile exuded a captivating grace, embodying the quintessential elegance of a noble young lady.

Lin Xingjian yearned to refuse Zhang Jingya, yet as his gaze swept across the surrounding cultivators, he felt their collective gazes keenly upon him.

To refuse Zhang Jingya at this juncture would undoubtedly brand him a public enemy of the entire Dao Gate Sect.

But…

Zhang Jingya… this simply wouldn’t do!

At this moment, Lin Xingjian felt as though he was ensnared in an invisible net woven from celestial silkworm threads, the surrounding gazes piercing him with an almost tangible sharpness.

“In that case, I truly impose upon Senior Sister. May I be so bold as to inquire about Senior Sister’s esteemed name?”

Lin Xingjian offered a slight bow, his face instantly transforming into a mask of perfectly measured, humble deference.

His tone was imbued with a fervent warmth, as if they were long-lost comrades, meeting for the first time yet instantly forging a profound connection.

“Junior Brother is too polite,” Zhang Jingya responded softly. “My name is Zhang Jingya, and I hail from the Confucian Sect.”

Her voice, a gentle murmur, flowed like a clear mountain spring cascading over smooth, white stones.

Confucian cultivators.

They were a group far more complex than their outward appearance suggested, a lineage of cultivators often profoundly underestimated by the myriad mortals.

Upon his initial entry into the sect, Lin Xingjian, much like the majority, had held a similar misconception.

He had presumed Confucian cultivators to be nothing more than frail scholars, prone to eloquent rhetoric and refined literary pursuits, but lacking true martial prowess.

In a cultivation world where might dictated respect and martial strength defined standing, he had believed they were utterly incapable of stirring any significant waves.

Yet, having personally witnessed Zhang Jingya unleash her divine ability, merely by imbuing a single character with her Noble Spirit, she had effortlessly rendered the utterly arrogant Liu Jinyao completely motionless.

Indeed, as the lore suggested, for an ordinary Confucian cultivator to achieve the realm where their spoken words could manifest as law was a feat as arduous as ascending to the very heavens.

Such an extraordinary ability demanded not only unparalleled innate talent but also a cultivation base that had transcended into the Nascent Soul realm.

Zhang Jingya, however, was born with a unique and exceptionally rare physique.

This physique was comparable to the Enlightened Sword Heart of the Sword Dao Sect and the Five-Poison Saint Body of the Gu Sect, arguably even surpassing them in potency.

This was the Righteous Body.

An Innate Saint Body intrinsically linked to Awe-Inspiring Righteousness.

It was a singular, divine gift from the heavens, utterly without peer.

Legend recounted that at the very moment Zhang Jingya was born into the world, extraordinary phenomena erupted across the heavens and earth.

Above the azure firmament, vibrant clouds swirled, and countless ancient scriptures shimmered into and out of existence, radiating with dazzling brilliance and iridescent light.

The birds and beasts in the vicinity, as if compelled by an unseen, mysterious force, began to cry out in unison.

Their collective cries astonishingly resembled the chanting of ancient poems and verses passed down through millennia, their rhythms melodious, their lingering echoes spiraling and reverberating endlessly between the heavens and the earth.

Any individual endowed with this sacred body would possess Awe-Inspiring Righteousness from the very instant of their birth.

This energy, inherently upright and unyielding, manifested with an undeniable sharpness, capable of eradicating all malevolent entities in the mortal realm.

Along their arduous cultivation journey, they could effortlessly resonate with the purest, most benevolent intentions of heaven and earth, allowing them to merge seamlessly with the very fabric of existence.

Breathing as one with the cosmos, sharing its destiny.

During cultivation, they could, moreover, rapidly gather the Power of Righteousness pervading heaven and earth, condensing it into their own unique divine abilities.

On the battlefield, when confronting cultivators of the Demonic Path.

This Awe-Inspiring Righteousness, akin to a devastating bolt of divine lightning, could deliver a fatal blow, exposing their true forms and leaving them utterly without refuge.

Concurrently, they would also be blessed by the nourishing power of merit from heaven and earth, enabling their cultivation to steadily advance and their realm to grow increasingly profound.

The very reason Zhang Jingya was capable of instantaneously manifesting Noble Spirit moments ago was solely due to her embodiment of the Righteous Body.

For ordinary individuals to wield Noble Spirit, they would need to painstakingly nurture and laboriously invoke it through their own efforts.

Zhang Jingya, however, was uniquely blessed, enjoying the distinct favor of heaven and earth, allowing her to command the ubiquitous Awe-Inspiring Righteousness throughout the cosmos with effortless ease.

Every gesture, every movement she made, exuded an otherworldly grace, making her an unattainable paragon on the path of Confucianism.