Chapter 901: A Single Maid

Ten minutes ago, north of the Deadwood Grove.

Inside a hidden cave, a group of people were resting and recuperating.

He Qi sat deep within the cave, left hand gripping a slender black obsidian knife, right index and middle fingers repeatedly tracing the textured blade.

Again and again.

She made no effort to hide her fondness for the Nightstill Blade.

"Burn Dog." For no apparent reason, He Qi suddenly muttered two words.

Beside her, Yin Tianlong gazed at his sect leader with a distant look.

Watching her gently caress someone else's Tang blade, whispering that person's name.

The term "Burn Dog" sounded like an insult.

Yet spoken softly by He Qi, it carried not a trace of malice.

Indeed, "Burn Dog" originated from The Celestial Prodigies, a colloquial nickname used by the people of Daya for Lu Ran, devoid of serious hostility.

Back in the mortal realm, He Qi had paid close attention to Lu Ran, so she knew his many aliases.

Burn Dog, Burn Phantom, Burn General, Burn Emperor, Burn God.

Her favorite was still Burn Dog.

"Damn dog!"

Once more, He Qi's fingers brushed the blade of the Nightstill.

When they parted, he promised to return the Divine Weapon Core—Nine-Ring Golden Chan Staff—in a few days. How long has it been?

She'd waited a full week atop Wu Jifeng!

Not a single trace of him.

Could something have happened to him?

Yet the Nightstill Blade remained silent—its master must be unharmed.

He Qi wanted to urge him, but remembered Lu Ran's earlier warning—Nightstill prefers stillness!

Do not communicate with the blade spirit unless absolutely necessary. Do not disturb it.

Besides, they'd only been apart for a few days!

To seek him out now would make her seem emotionally unstable, lacking composure.

"Burn Dog." He Qi muttered softly, gritting her teeth in frustration.

Don't you dare be doing this on purpose!

Or next time we meet, I'll smash your skull with a Chan staff.

Yin Tianlong: "."

He had also noticed that since Lu Ran's departure, He Qi had not been happy.

When Lu Ran was around, she always tried to outdo him in everything.

Every time she succeeded, she felt satisfied, smiling brightly.

But now…

All members of the Great Wind Hall were her subordinates, bowing respectfully.

Their status and strength were no match for He Qi's—they were clearly not worthy opponents.

Her obsessive, competitive heart found no satisfaction among them.

"Boom!!"

As Yin Tianlong quietly observed He Qi, he suddenly heard faint explosions.

He Qi immediately looked toward the cave entrance.

Before she could speak, two men in monk robes appeared at the entrance; one shouted: "Leader, followers of Lie Tian have been spotted to the east!"

"Oh?" He Qi rose to her feet.

"I just saw a massive flame warhammer descend from the sky—that must be Lie Tian's technique: Divine Hammer of Lie Tian."

"Let's go see!" He Qi stepped forward at once.

The two monk-robed men exchanged glances, hesitating: "Leader, we—"

"Go!" He Qi strode forward, voice commanding, "Ancient and Golden, lead the way!"

These two elder Wu Seng believers, one surnamed Gu, the other Jin, were both senior elders of the Great Wind Hall.

Whenever He Qi undertook missions, Ancient and Golden always accompanied her, guarding her flank.

Now that He Qi had made up her mind, they could say nothing more—they split left and right, advancing into the eastern woods.

He Qi held the Nightstill Blade, advancing in the center.

Yin Tianlong, accompanied by the Zhu brothers, brought up the rear.

The six moved eastward, explosions echoing intermittently.

The power of the Lie Tian followers was truly formidable!

"Hurry up," He Qi ordered, quickening her pace as she dashed through the forest.

Just as the group neared a small hill, they suddenly heard a woman cursing!

The curses were foul.

Her voice carried sharply through the air.

"You bastards! You really think I'm easy to bully, huh?"

"I've told you all a hundred times—I'm not like other Lie Tian followers! Not the same! Are you all deaf?!"

"You're all like rabid dogs—did I throw your kids down a well? Huh? Just shut the hell up!"

At the front of the Great Wind Hall team, Ancient and Golden exchanged glances.

What beautiful Daya speech~

He Qi was stunned too!

Is this… a newcomer?

The woman's tone was furious, yet also deeply wounded—as if she didn't understand the rules of Shengling Mountain?

He Qi's eyes gleamed as she hurried up the hill.

If she was a newcomer, she must have heard of Daya's Second Celestial Prodigy!

But that's wrong. No.

He Qi's gaze dimmed again—even if she was new, she was still a Lie Tian follower.

Such a volatile madwoman—who could possibly control her?

He Qi's thoughts raced, but her movements were swift—she climbed the hilltop, hiding behind a tree, peering down into the forest below.

Far off, the dense forest was in ruins—trees toppled, flames burning.

There were also astonishingly large craters, shaped unmistakably like hammer impacts.

He Qi narrowed her eyes and spotted a tall, slender figure beside a broken tree.

The woman wore a tattered white robe, hair disheveled, looking utterly disheveled.

She cursed as she retreated, limping badly—clearly injured.

"Get out! Get away!!"

The curses came again; the woman hefted her black obsidian hammer and swung it wildly around her.

"Bang! Bang!"

"Boom!"

Lie Tian Divine Art: Shattered Sky!

Illusory hammer shadows blazed fiercely, shattering surrounding trees—the fire was beginning to spiral out of control.

Yet no enemies could be seen on the battlefield.

She seemed like a paranoid lunatic, fighting imaginary foes.

He Qi frowned slightly—Lie Tian followers were indeed mentally unstable, but not to the point of battling air.

Therefore, her enemies must be hidden.

Wu Ya followers?

Could such weak divine disciples really dare to ambush a Lie Tian follower?

So the hunters must be…

Third-Class Divine: Wolf of Greed's followers?

The Wolf of Greed sect also had concealment techniques—each one a master of stealth!

"Ooo~~~"

"Ooo~~~" Sudden wolf howls confirmed He Qi's suspicion.

From the ruined battlefield, wolf shadows suddenly burst forth.

Appearing out of nowhere—utterly unexpected!

Wolf of Greed Divine Art: Wolf Shadow Array!

"Die! Get lost!!"

The woman in the tattered white robe cursed furiously.

Dragging her injured leg, she leapt backward on one foot, trying to break the encirclement, while slamming her stone hammer hard into the ground.

"Boom!"

The earth shook; waves of fire surged upward.

Divine Law of Lie Tian: Thousand Flames of the Burning Earth!

Fierce waves of fire instantly swallowed the gray wolf shadows, each appearing as ethereal forms.

Yet several more gray wolf shadows attacked from both sides of the woman.

"You're forcing me to unleash Liehuo Tiankui, aren't you!? You all want to die!? You all want to die?!" The white-robed woman leaped backward again, her eyes blazing with fury as she swung her battle hammer with brutal force.

On the small hill, the two old men, Gu and Jin, exchanged another glance.

This follower of Lie Tian seems… unusual?

Raging, shouting curses—these are normal.

But this young woman still seems to retain a sliver of reason?

She's clearly threatening her opponents—yet even as she's been driven into desperate retreat, she hasn't truly activated the Divine Law: Liehuo Tiankui.

Disciples of Lie Tian are slaves ruled by emotion—how could they possess such composure?

"Hum!" Suddenly, He Qifeng's Jingye Dao trembled violently.

He Qifeng's face twisted in shock as he looked down at the divine weapon.

Does Jingye Dao find the battlefield too noisy?

The Lie Tian female disciple had been relentlessly blasting her way forward, driven back in disarray—and she was now drawing closer to the small hill, entering the divine weapon's sensing range.

"Jingye?" He Qifeng suddenly gripped the hilt tightly.

The eternally silent divine weapon, Jingye Dao, was about to fly out?

"Let go!" The blade spirit's voice echoed exactly like Lu Ran's—but far colder.

He Qifeng froze, instinctively releasing his grip.

After all these days, this was the first time she had heard the blade spirit's voice.

"Swoosh~"

Jingye Dao shot forward, piercing straight toward the white-robed woman!

"Jing—" He Qifeng stepped out from behind the tree, one hand reaching forward, his face utterly stunned.

"You ** want to die! All of you, die!!"

"Wuuu~~~"

The woman's furious curses were drowned out by terrifying wolf howls.

Hopping back on a wounded leg, she swung her hammer wildly in all directions.

What should she do?

Should she really activate the Divine Law: Liehuo Tiankui?

Si Xianxian clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached, her rage surging uncontrollably.

These damn creatures were all Jiang Jing! What kind of hellish place is this? Where did so many Jiang Jing experts come from?

Since entering here, she'd encountered two groups—none weak, none capable of rational speech!

She was furious! Absolutely furious!

Might as well die—let's all perish together!

You insist on killing me, do you? Then none of you will live!

"Wu!"

"Wuuu!!" Suddenly, multiple wolf howls erupted from behind and to the side, accompanied by terrifying energy.

Si Xianxian's heart tightened; she spun around and swung her hammer in a wide arc.

In a daze, she saw not only the gray wolf shadows lunging from behind—but also a streak of black speeding through the air.

"Puff~"

"Puff!" Shattering sounds followed one after another.

Si Xianxian's beautiful eyes widened in shock!

A Tang-style broadsword made of black obsidian?

Could it be—could it be Jingye Dao?

Whether it was or wasn't, the black obsidian blade was rapidly piercing and shattering the wolf shadows.

In barely a few seconds, the black obsidian blade reversed course and flew back, its hilt thrust into Si Xianxian's hand.

Immediately, a familiar voice echoed in her mind: "Maid."

Si Xianxian:!!!

Enraged as she was, hearing that familiar voice made her spirit momentarily daze.

She had never thought this term could feel so tender.

So warm.

It was Lu Ran's voice!

More precisely—the voice of Jingye Dao's spirit.

At that moment, hunted, fleeing in desperation, on the brink of annihilation, she suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

"Lu Ran! Lu Ran, Lu Ran!"

Si Xianxian whispered his name over and over, clutching the hilt tightly, like a lost, wounded child who had finally grasped a familiar hand.

A wave of inexplicable sorrow surged in her chest.

Her eyes welled up with unbidden tears.

Si Xianxian quickly wiped her damp eyes with the back of her hand, scanning frantically, voice trembling: "Where are you, Lu Ran? Lu Ran?"

(End of Chapter)