Attack

The following day, Shangguan Xue attended the academy as was her custom, and later made her way home after classes, just as she always did.

However, upon entering an alleyway, her spiritual sense was abruptly stirred.

A dark and insidious power, intertwined with malevolent intent, bore down upon her.

‘Someone wants to kill me?’

Shangguan Xue flicked her long sleeve, and imperceptibly, a broken blade materialized in her right hand.

Almost simultaneously, the shadows lurking in the darkness abruptly swelled, and from their depths, a skeletal arm, composed solely of stark white bone, shot forth.

The bone claw, swift as lightning and razor-sharp, was poised to pierce the twelve-year-old girl’s body, yet it hovered eerily in mid-air, brought to an inexplicable halt.

The Yan, who had achieved the Nirvana Realm, and was the owner of that arm, was seized with sudden alarm:

“Spiritual sense? To halt my advance, it must be at least a Nirvana Realm spiritual sense! Withdraw!”

He made a swift and decisive choice, ready to sever this arm, which was ensnared by the spiritual sense, and beat a hasty retreat.

While Yans were marginally stronger than typical humans of the same cultivation realm, and facing a mere Nirvana Realm opponent would likely see him emerge victorious,

He knew that the moment he manifested his aura, the forces of the Sun Palace would descend upon him en masse, mincing him into fodder for ants.

Consequently, he was loath to engage in a protracted battle, nor could he afford to.

Precisely as he moved to snap off his arm, he suddenly noticed that a complete, weighty blade had appeared in Shangguan Xue’s grasp, seemingly from nowhere.

Immediately thereafter, he felt the world itself recoil from him, actively expelling him.

An unseen force forcibly ejected him from the shadows.

Had there been any bystanders, they would have witnessed a gaunt figure with withered skin abruptly materialize in the alley, one of his arms still a skeletal limb.

‘What is happening?’

The Yan was bewildered, but he swiftly realized the girl’s aura was profoundly amiss—it radiated an air of profound detachment, a sense of standing apart from the mundane world.

Only a single cultivation realm in all the world possessed such an essence.

“Damn it! The Creation Realm!” he couldn’t help but curse, his gaze filled with utter terror.

“Speak, who sent you?”

With her peak strength fully restored, Shangguan Xue spoke in a chilling tone, applying a subtle increase in her spiritual energy’s oppressive weight, which pressed the Yan into the very earth.

At the same time, she murmured inwardly: ‘This must be the Nirvana Realm Yan that Dong-jie spoke of… Has he been roaming nearby specifically to kill me?’

Crushed into the earth by the immense pressure, the Yan, desperate to preserve his life, was prepared to make a full confession. He emitted a raspy whisper, like wind rustling through fallen leaves:

“It was… it was the Young Mistress who sent me to kill you…”

Scarcely had the words left his lips when he was consumed by a pale grey inferno, reduced to cinders in an instant.

Even the Martial Saint was powerless to intervene.

“Damn it…” She rubbed her temples, a faint dizziness clouding her mind. “I’m almost at my absolute limit… this vessel cannot sustain its full potency indefinitely.”

While her perception indicated no further enemies nearby, Shangguan Xue, as a precaution, cleaved open space with a single slash and returned home.

“What happened?” Witnessing her return to full strength, Jia Nan charged forward abruptly. “An enemy assault?”

“Mm.” With a nod, Shangguan Xue moved to Jia Nan’s side, and with a mere flick of her wrist, allowed the Hegemon Blade to revert to its fractured form.

Protected by a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox of the paramount Creation Realm, she felt utterly secure.

“Last night, Dong-jie said there was a Nirvana Realm Yan nearby. Today he came to kill me.”

“A mere death wish,” Jia Nan snorted.

Shangguan Xue nodded profoundly in agreement, then continued:

“He said the Young Mistress sent him, but he spontaneously combusted before he could finish.”

“A powerful restriction was placed upon him…” Jia Nan narrowed her eyes. “A method that even you couldn’t stop? Is this Hong Gang’s handiwork?”

“It’s difficult to ascertain,” Shangguan Xue replied, shaking her head. “I don’t believe so.”

“Not him…” Her thoughts raced with lightning speed, and a jolt of alarm coursed through Jia Nan. “Could it truly be an Ancient Devil’s legacy?”

“Perhaps, possibly, conceivably, I simply don’t know,” Shangguan Xue sighed.

Lacking any concrete evidence, Jia Nan knew they could only speculate wildly, so she shifted the conversation:

“Why would she want to kill me?”

“Perhaps she believes I’m interfering with her plans? Or perhaps hindering the Child of Destiny?” Shangguan Xue mused. “If she intends to rely on the Child of Destiny to launch an assault on humanity, she would undoubtedly want him to flourish and grow strong.”

“That’s plausible,” Jia Nan conceded, her gaze turning to one of concern. “Will she continue dispatching Yans to assassinate you? Perhaps I should escort you to and from the academy from now on.”

“No need.” Shangguan Xue waved her hand. “She won’t send any more.”

“…Right,” The Nine-tailed Fox’s own thoughts clicked into place. “To subdue a Nirvana Realm cultivator so completely and silently, even an Earth Penetrating Realm expert would fall short; it would require at least a Heaven Reaching Realm.”

The young Martial Saint let out a wry chuckle:

“Meaning, I have at least one Heaven Reaching Realm protector by my side. If she truly desires my demise, her only recourse would be to dispatch a Creation Realm cultivator.”

Jia Nan, too, couldn’t help but smile.

“To dispatch a Creation Realm expert just to eliminate a Body Tempering Realm cultivator? Moreover, a Creation Realm Yan would undoubtedly draw Dong-jie’s attention.”

“However, I do need something,” Shangguan Xue said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “I’ll make a call to them shortly.”

“What sort of thing?” Jia Nan looked puzzled.

“It’s about communicating with them through mirrors,” Shangguan Xue thought, ‘Oops, I spoke too freely.’ “And having them forge me a summoning artifact.”

“And what exactly is that now…” Jia Nan squinted at her skeptically.

Shangguan Xue placed her hands on her hips and posed in return, “What do you think?”

Jia Nan considered for a moment, then, with a smile, pulled Shangguan Xue into an embrace and delivered a light slap to her backside:

“What do I think? I think you’re just begging for a good smack.”

She applied no real force with the slap, otherwise the young Martial Saint would have been reduced to a pulpy mess. Despite its lightness, a sting still lingered.

Letting out a sigh, Shangguan Xue rubbed her backside:

“It’s simply a device capable of summoning someone in dire circumstances, much like the lamp you once provided me.”

“But it wasn’t exactly an emergency when you last used it, was it?” Jia Nan, ever contrary, insisted on bickering.

Shangguan Xue, knowing Jia Nan was referring to the recent occasion when she had called for help, snapped back irritably:

“I was literally murdered; how is that not an emergency?”

“Fair enough.”

Disinclined to prolong the discussion, Shangguan simply picked up her wooden blade:

“Alright, I’m going to train.”

“Go on, then. I’ll go make dinner.”

That evening, after Shangguan Xue communicated with Shi Ledong, Beigong Qingmei, and Ziyan through a mirror, she watched as the space before her was shredded into fragments, and three distinct items dropped out.

Shi Ledong had sent a bracelet, Beigong Qingmei an anklet, and Ziyan a collar.

Together, the three items seemed to lack only a connecting chain.

‘I’m truly speechless…’ Shangguan sighed, conceding the hardships of life.

“Oh, right,” Shi Ledong added finally. “The Yan you killed is named Gudao. Besides preying on human souls, he also harvested human bones for cultivation. Among the shapeshifting Yans, he was considered one of the most malevolent.”