Confrontation in the Sky

The flying boat artifact silently slipped away from the eerie prison, dissolving into the profound darkness of the night.

Icy starlight spilled across the deck, illuminating the three silent figures and Ye Jinghuang, who lay unconscious, bound by a powerful spell.

Mo Tingbei sat at the bow, the night wind ruffling his somewhat thin robes.

As the flying boat glided over Chaoge’s most bustling streets, Mo Tingbei felt a subtle shift within himself.

His gaze fell upon the swiftly receding outlines of the mortal town below, where the myriad lights coalesced into a shimmering dragon. The very lands he had once poured eight years of his life into now appeared minuscule and impossibly distant in the encroaching darkness.

Behind him, two gazes, palpable as physical presences, bore down. One was tender and fervent, brimming with undisguised admiration, even doting affection; the other, sharp as a blade, burned with an almost obsessive jealousy, pinning itself relentlessly on the right hand that had once clasped Jiang Jinyue’s, and had also gently wiped away the smudged makeup from Ye Jinghuang’s face.

Reflecting on the day, Jiang Jinyue’s declaration of “only for you” and the fleeting madness in her eyes pricked at the tranquil surface of his heart, a place he had long believed to be calm. Adding to his unease, Lin Xiaoxiao’s gaze, potent enough to seemingly scorch through the very deck, made him feel as though sharp thorns were digging into his back.

Mo Tingbei was no naive fledgling; while a century might not be an exceptionally long span for a cultivator, particularly one like him, merely a step away from transcending a heavenly chasm, a hundred years represented barely a fifth of his total life. Translated into mortal terms, it amounted to little more than reaching adulthood. Yet, this hardly implied that his mental maturity remained adolescent.

This maelstrom of emotions, however, too turbulent and distorted, compelled him to instinctively seek escape.

Jiang Jinyue stood a step behind him, seemingly engrossed in the night scenery, but in truth, her every perception was inextricably linked to the figure before her.

Her senior brother’s slightly melancholic silhouette held a fatal allure in her eyes. The demonic thoughts she had just forcefully suppressed had not vanished; instead, they had merely retreated deeper, lurking beneath the abyssal depths of her spiritual sea, poised to strike. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed together, as if she could still feel the delicate touch of his hair.

‘Back to the sect… back to a place where only the two of them existed…’

The thought echoed like a haunting incantation, reverberating repeatedly in her heart.

Her senior brother’s wounds required quiet recuperation, and she, unequivocally, was his finest protector. As for those who dared to stand in their way… a sliver of icy glint flashed in her eyes, too swift for anyone to discern. With the Immortal Alliance’s strictures now lifted, how many in this vast world could truly thwart her desires?

Suddenly, Mo Tingbei felt a tug at his sleeve. Turning his head, he saw it was Lin Xiaoxiao.

She held up a dainty jade porcelain vial, her fingers gesturing continuously.

Mo Tingbei paused for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, before quickly understanding.

Given their years as master and disciple, he swiftly realized that Lin Xiaoxiao intended to offer him the bottle of medicinal pills she held for his injuries.

Taking the jade vial, he spoke softly, “Xiaoxiao, that’s very thoughtful of you.”

He unstopped the vial, extracted a single, fragrant pill, and swallowed it.

A gentle medicinal potency swiftly spread through his meridians, alleviating some of the lingering chill.

Yet, despite Lin Xiaoxiao’s conviction that she had concealed her emotions perfectly, he did not miss the intense possessiveness that, though fiercely suppressed, still burned brightly in her eyes.

‘This child’s obsession… it seems even more profound than it was eight years ago.’

He sighed inwardly. His departure all those years ago, without a word, had been intended to sever their worldly ties, allowing her to overcome her dependence and dedicate herself to cultivation. He had never imagined it would prove counterproductive, instead catalyzing her already profound emotions into an even more warped form.

Jiang Jinyue observed Lin Xiaoxiao’s actions with a cold gaze, a faint, icy curve playing upon her lips.

‘A mere Foundation Establishment junior, daring to play such fawning tricks in front of her?’

Indeed, in her eyes, Lin Xiaoxiao’s gestures were nothing more than the fawning of an ant, utterly devoid of genuine concern.

She didn’t even bother to intervene, yet an invisible pressure, like an icy tide, silently surged and enveloped Lin Xiaoxiao.

Lin Xiaoxiao’s body abruptly stiffened, as though she had been plunged into a cavern of ten thousand zhang of ice, her very blood threatening to freeze within her veins.

It was not a physical assault, but rather an absolute suppression stemming from the fundamental disparity in their life force and the very depths of their souls.

Her face instantly turned ashen, her breathing grew ragged, and fine beads of cold sweat pricked her temples. Clenching her jaw tightly, she dug her fingernails deep into her palms, barely managing to prevent herself from collapsing to her knees in humiliation.

‘The hatred and humiliation in her heart boiled like molten lava: Jiang Jinyue! Just you wait! The indignity I suffer today, I, Lin Xiaoxiao, will repay a hundredfold in the future!’

Though nearly devoid of spiritual energy, Mo Tingbei keenly sensed the sudden, oppressive shift in the atmosphere, alongside Lin Xiaoxiao’s abruptly pallid complexion.

His brows furrowed slightly as he turned his head to look at Jiang Jinyue. She, in turn, casually averted her gaze, her face retaining its usual serene and aloof demeanor, as if the invisible confrontation had never transpired.

“Senior Sister,” Mo Tingbei’s voice held a hint of helplessness, yet it was undeniably laced with a subtle warning, “Xiaoxiao is my disciple.”

Jiang Jinyue nonchalantly withdrew her oppressive aura, her gaze flowing to his face. The glacial chill in her eyes instantly melted into a gentle ripple, like spring water, tinged with a hint of feigned grievance. “It was merely a slight chastisement. Is Senior Brother feeling protective?”

She took a small step closer, completely disregarding Lin Xiaoxiao’s almost fiery glare. Her fingertips brushed imperceptibly against Mo Tingbei’s sleeve, her voice dropping to a whisper audible only to him. “I simply… dislike others getting too close to you.”

At that very instant, a powerful surge of spiritual energy abruptly rippled through the void ahead of their flying boat!

The very fabric of space rippled like disturbed water, as a silver multi-decked ship, vastly larger and more imposing than their own craft, its entire hull shimmering with profound runes, tore through the night sky like a colossal beast, materializing directly in their path.

On the deck of the multi-decked ship, several cultivators stood in solemn formation, all clad in identical robes embroidered with the insignia of the Immortal Alliance.

At their head stood a middle-aged cultivator with a stern, rigid countenance and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. The design of his robes was distinctly different from the others, subtly hinting at an air of exceptional nobility, and a miniature sword, radiating a keen aura, hung from his waist.

Such attire was reserved solely for the Immortal Alliance’s patrol envoys, a rank second only to the revered Golden Core Great Sovereigns.

His gaze, sharp as lightning, instantly locked onto Mo Tingbei and his companions. Upon spotting the bound Ye Jinghuang, his eyes suddenly narrowed, a flicker of intense focus.

“Flying boat ahead, halt immediately!” The middle-aged cultivator’s voice rang out like clashing metal, imbued with an irresistible authority, its rolling waves of sound reverberating through the void. “The Immortal Alliance is enforcing the law, taking custody of the important criminal Ye Jinghuang! Who are you, daring to privately abduct a major criminal of the Immortal Alliance?”

A formidable spiritual pressure, like a tangible mountain, crashed down upon them. The flying boat’s protective barrier instantly groaned under the immense strain, fluctuating violently. Mo Tingbei’s already weakened body lurched abruptly, his face paling even further.

The gentle ripples in Jiang Jinyue’s eyes instantly froze, replaced by an abyssal, profound chill. She took a step forward, subtly positioning Mo Tingbei behind her, and confronted the imposing Immortal Alliance multi-decked ship directly.

Her aura remained outwardly restrained, yet it felt as though ten millennia of profound ice were silently coalescing around her. A pressure, far more profound and perilous than that of her adversaries, slowly began to rise, like a slumbering beast lifting its head, silently bracing against the overwhelming force that surged towards them.

She fixed her gaze upon the leading cultivator, her red lips parting slightly. Her voice, though not loud, cut clearly through the howling wind and the roaring spiritual pressure, imbued with an indifference befitting one looking down upon mere ants.

“Immortal Alliance patrol envoy? Who, exactly, bestowed upon you the audacity to shout so brazenly in the presence of this one?!”

Her gaze swept over Ye Jinghuang, then flickered with concern towards Mo Tingbei, before finally, tinged with a hint of wrath, settling back on the middle-aged cultivator.

A cold, almost cruel smile curved Jiang Jinyue’s lips.

“This woman, my Sanyi Sword Sect claims. You wish to take her?”

She slowly raised a hand, an invisible storm of spiritual energy beginning to coalesce around her fingertips.

“Then you must first contend with me!”

In the night sky, an invisible, chilling web of murderous intent suddenly tautened.