Chapter 163

Fortune's Collision

Regardless of what intentions the various factions held when entering the marsh, now that the guests from Great Yu had invaded, the fact that the Donghua Sword Envoy, who had gone missing in the Absolute Dead Zone, could reunite with her fellow sect members was undoubtedly excellent news for the Langhuan cultivators. Xu Shaowei immediately escorted Mo Shenai to reunite with the two sisters, Ruan Rong and Ruan Ci, while Qu Qu Tan Yue remained in the center of the Great Marsh to preside over the overall situation.

When everyone met, they first had Mo Shenai identify the Qi on Ruan Rong. Mo Shenai observed for a long while and said, "It seems there is no aura of the Great Yu Zhou Tian on her."

She possessed the Divine Eye; no one from the Great Yu Zhou Tian could deceive her, no matter what. Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then calmly exchanged pleasantries. Xu Shaowei was very curious about the Golden Core cultivator who had saved Ruan Rong. Frowning, she said, "I fear that person has also been lurking in the Absolute Dead Zone for some time. I don't know what they were plotting in secret, but they still understood the bigger picture. Even if they broke some rules, being able to save you is enough to make up for their faults."

She did not care much about this person's identity or cultivation base, as at least six of the ten people Ruan Rong had seen had escaped, which showed that their cultivation was not earth-shattering. She only said, "They certainly have a knack for healing; they must be a disciple of some prosperous sect. Now that the Cold Rain Marsh is a tightly woven net, as long as they are still within the Zhou Tian, we will know their identity sooner or later."

Ruan Ci was also full of curiosity about this person and even joked that Ruan Rong's luck was excellent. Xu Shaowei also particularly admired Ruan Rong's fortune, saying, "That is true, but I am just surprised by the outcome for Zhong Shiliu. This child is famous for his strong luck, yet Junior Sister Rong was able to suppress his fortune and return safely. It shows just how powerful that object's fortune is; every time it appears, it inevitably entangles the fate of a generation, and even Zhong Shiliu has become firewood beneath the cauldron."

Hearing her words, Ruan Ci felt there was more to them. She also knew that Xu Shaowei was a junior sister whom Xie Yan was very fond of, and she likely knew more about the inside story of the Sword Seed than others. Hearing this, she hurriedly asked for guidance. Xu Shaowei smiled and said, "This is no secret; you will naturally know in the future. Any object of fortune, every time it appears and changes hands, will stir up a storm of blood and attract the outstanding cultivators of that generation to gather by its side. Each gains their own destiny, and each suffers their own losses. Among them, the strong prevail; if one is a move behind, one must pay a heavy price. For example, in our generation, Senior Sister Xie was already the most outstanding figure in the Langhuan Zhou Tian within ten thousand years. After obtaining the Donghua Sword, her fortune became even greater, tyrannical and peerless, suppressing the cultivators of her same generation until they could barely breathe."

"This suppression was not intentional on her part, but it was as if it were destiny. The more gifted a cultivator, the stronger the pressure of fortune they feel. Even among fellow disciples, many were implicated and had their paths of Dao obstructed. For example, several of my senior brothers were all the best of their time, but over the past few thousand years, they were successively drawn into disputes because of Senior Sister Xie and met with untimely deaths. As for the present, there is Zhong Shiliu. Originally, he had prospects for the Grotto-Heaven realm, but after meeting Junior Sister Rong, a powerful figure of his generation has now fallen into the void outside the realm, his life or death unknown. You must know that once we cultivators leave our native Great Heaven, it is extremely difficult for our cultivation to progress. Even if he is lucky enough not to die, it will be very hard for him to take another step forward on the path of Dao."

Ruan Rong listened, lost in thought. Ruan Ci bit her lip and said, "Could it be... could it be that the friends and family around the Sword Envoy will all meet with misfortune one after another? In that case, isn't the Sword Envoy destined to be alone, and all those who walk with her will wither away one by one?"

Xu Shaowei smiled and said, "Junior Sister Ci, you are usually bold; have these few words of mine scared you?"

Although she said this, she did not seem to be suspicious because of it. Ruan Rong's return from the terrifying Absolute Dead Zone, and being found by Ruan Ci through such a coincidence—this astonishing fortune seemed to have completely convinced Xu Shaowei, making her no longer doubt Ruan Rong's identity as the Sword Envoy. At this moment, she comforted Ruan Ci, saying, "I am just saying that such a possibility exists. It also depends on each person's fortune, opportunities, temperament, and aspirations. For example, you..."

She paused, a trace of wariness flashing across her face, and changed her words, "For example, me. In the past, I was also very close to Senior Sister Xie, but I was not drawn into the vortex of fortune. This matter also depends on what the cultivator themselves seeks. For example, that Zhong Shiliu, the moment he appeared, he wanted to take the Sword Envoy away. His determination was so firm, and he only valued the spiritual object. How much did he really know about Junior Sister Rong? Such causality is the easiest to stir into the struggle of fortune, which is different from you, who are only focused on supporting your sister's wings."

She was single-mindedly supporting Xie Yan, and even though Xie Yan had already rebelled and left the sect, her stance remained clear. It was entirely because she had the Pure Yang Old Ancestor Xu behind her that she was not punished by the sect. It was indeed true; Xie Yan did not know how many people she had killed, and how many had died because of her. Even the Shangqing disciples who followed her in rebelling did not seem to have a good outcome. Yet, Xu Shaowei had safely cultivated to the perfection of the Nine Cauldrons Divine Elixir, and she was only one step away from forming a Nascent Soul. It was just unknown how she planned to trade for that breath of Yang Qi from Tai Shi Yi. Ruan Ci had a guess about this: Xu Shaowei wanted to discover the true body of the Sword Envoy precisely to exchange Yang Qi with Tai Shi Yi and use it to form her Nascent Soul.

She already understood Xu Shaowei's meaning, but she was still a bit curious, so she asked, "Senior Sister is like this, but what about my Master? How did my Master avoid this collision of fortune and achieve the Grotto-Heaven realm?"

Xu Shaowei waved her hand and smiled without answering. Instead, Mo Shenai said, "Fellow Daoist Ruan, if I tell you the answer, can you return my Qiankun Bag to me?"

When Ruan Ci had come to the Cold Rain Flower Field earlier, she had forgotten to return the Qiankun Bag to Mo Shenai. She did not expect her to be so resentful. Reminded by her, Ruan Ci couldn't help but smile and said, "Alright, if you explain it more carefully, then I will officially let you go."

She had originally captured Mo Shenai just to trade her for Ruan Rong from Zhong Shiliu. Now that Ruan Rong had returned safely, there was no need to keep this girl trapped; it was just a favor she was doing along the way. Mo Shenai made a face at Ruan Ci and lowered her voice, saying, "Actually, I heard this from my father by chance. Originally, the Grotto-Heaven position that the lineage of Great Elder True Person Chu of your Shangqing Sect was going to support undoubtedly belonged to Xie Yan. If it weren't for Xie Yan rebelling against the sect, there would have been no opportunity for True Person Zixu to rise. Therefore, the words that Senior Predecessor Xu didn't dare to say just now, Fellow Daoist Ruan, you should also be clear about. If one is decisive enough, then even if one cannot avoid the collision of fortune, one can find one's own path within it. If Xie Yan never returns, then the final winner of her generation will be True Person Zixu."

Xu Shaowei smiled brightly, neither saying yes nor no, seemingly unconcerned by Mo Shenai's speculation about her intentions. Ruan Ci glanced at Xu Shaowei and smiled slightly, thinking to herself, "It seems Senior Sister Xu is very afraid of my Master and doesn't dare to discuss her affairs recklessly."

Naturally, she would not criticize True Person Wang in front of outsiders. She just said, "So that's how outsiders view the True Person," then changed the subject and asked, "Is Senior Sister Xu going to escort us out first, or how is it arranged?"

Previously, everyone had searched everywhere, fearing there might be something left undone, but that was only because they didn't know how many people from the Great Yu Zhou Tian had infiltrated. With the news Ruan Rong brought back, they were much more relaxed. At least there was a number here, so they wouldn't be blindly unaware of when it would end. Xu Shaowei said, "Now is not the time. Since the number is known, there is no need to be lenient with the five people we have been watching. Someone will go to capture them later. Once the aftermath of the battle spreads and our movements are masked, we will set off again. Your husband will also send out a swarm of insects to protect us. If there is any unusual movement, he can arrive immediately."

Without the worry of disturbing the Cold Rain Flowers, these Golden Core cultivators began to act freely. The Cold Rain Marsh was but a tiny place. It was just a pity that Fa Tuzhu had been seriously injured and was unconscious; otherwise, with his confusion supernatural ability, the guests from Great Yu would never have been able to approach the Sword Envoy. The Golden Cores' arrangements were very proper, and the three of them—Rong, Ci, and Ai—naturally bowed their heads and obeyed. Xu Shaowei immediately sent a message out and smiled, "Yue Niang is also coming here. This time our luck is not bad; after all, we retreated unscathed and even obtained the Cold Rain Flower King. It seems destiny is indeed with our Shangqing."

Mo Shenai's eyes darted around, and she giggled without saying a word, looking very clever and cute. Ruan Ci said, "I wish I could drill into your heart and hear what you are thinking right now."

The two exchanged a look. Ruan Ci suddenly pulled down her eyelids and popped her eyeballs out, scaring Mo Shenai into taking a step back. Only then did she burst into loud laughter. Mo Shenai pouted, "Are you trying to fight with me?"

She was eager to try, and it seemed there were countless faces brewing. Even Xu Shaowei couldn't help but show a helpless expression. Just as she was about to speak, her expression suddenly changed. She saw that a pale white space rift had suddenly appeared in front of her and the three girls. The rift was like a large snake, constantly wriggling and growing in the air, and it was unknown how much space was being generated. Although Xu Shaowei and the three girls were only inches apart, it felt as if they were separated by heavy mountains. And from all directions around the three girls, silver-white snakes darted out. In an instant, the water surface where the Cold Rain Marsh and the Dao rhyme barrier intersected was divided into several marshlands. The three girls were trapped in this field of residual flowers, appearing isolated and helpless, and in the next moment, they were about to be abducted by the Great Yu cultivators still lurking in the dark.

'Ding'————

A melodious chime sounded from the stillness. In this place where boundaries merged, it seemed to penetrate the three realms, turning this place into a peaceful Pure Land where heavenly beings scattered flowers and tranquility reigned. The suddenly born space rift was immediately suppressed and unable to move. However, the barrier of heavy mountains remained. If Xu Shaowei dared to fly across it, she would still be in danger of being swallowed by the space rift in one gulp. Xu Shaowei was not panicked; she just smiled slightly and said, "It has indeed come."

She extended a finger and tapped the surface of the chime again, but it made no sound. Ruan Rong simultaneously held out a small bell and raised it high to welcome it. She saw the small bell shaking silently, and circles of five-colored light poured down. Xu Shaowei's figure gradually faded, and in the next moment, she appeared leisurely within the light circles cast by the small bell, standing with the three girls again, and said, "Be careful."

The three Foundation Establishment girls all understood and each sacrificed their protective magic tools to avoid being affected by the changes in the struggle within the momentum field. Seeing this, Xu Shaowei did not hesitate further. The precious sword at her waist was unsheathed with a clang, and she tapped four times in the air, seemingly locking onto some change in the momentum field. Under the cover, Ruan Ci could not sense it carefully. Xu Shaowei's performance at this moment was much faster than when she was fighting Zhong Shiliu outside the marsh. Only then did Ruan Ci realize that she hadn't used her full strength at all at that time.

The cultivator who controlled the space magic treasure finally slowly revealed their figure after she locked the momentum field. They did not have a strange appearance like the white-haired youth; looking at them, they were no different from the people of the Langhuan Zhou Tian. It was just that their speech was a bit slow and awkward. They said slowly, "Hearing my chime, the wind and waves rise; this chime must be refined to calm the wind and waves. Are you... people of the Shangqing Sect?"

Xu Shaowei raised her eyebrows and smiled, "We are indeed Shangqing disciples. From the meeting thirty thousand years ago until now, our mountain gate is safe and sound, and more prosperous than before. These two treasures still guard the border, but are the several sects that invaded our Langhuan Zhou Tian last time still in existence?"

The cultivator slowly shook their head, sorrow shooting from their eyes, and silver light shot from under their feet. Seeing that another space rift was being nurtured, Xu Shaowei flicked her finger, and the chime sounded again. She smiled and said, "If you don't have any trump cards, you might as well surrender and save me some effort."

They fought on the water, and the waves spread very far. Thinking about it, all the remaining Cold Rain Flowers must have withered one after another. Ruan Ci was in this place and could feel the power of the great array in the distance rushing over violently, rolling over everyone like a tide. However, for the Langhuan cultivators, the spiritual power washed over them and immediately returned without any harm, but the Great Yu cultivator had to release spiritual power to resist the power of the great array. Under Xu Shaowei's offensive, they were even more at a disadvantage.

Being able to travel through the void to get here, they were by no means a simple character. But unfortunately, Xu Shaowei was at the perfection of the Nine Cauldrons Divine Elixir, and her cultivation had faintly exceeded the upper limit of a Golden Core cultivator. With the help of the great array, 'Wind and Waves Calm' perfectly restrained the space magic treasure in this person's hand. Cultivator battles were just like this; a difference of a hair's breadth led to a loss of a thousand miles. This person soon fell into a disadvantage, but they did not immediately lose. They were still relying on the space magic treasure to constantly maneuver with Xu Shaowei. They no longer created space rifts, but they could travel back and forth in the space oscillation just now. Xu Shaowei found it difficult to find their roots for a while.

The two Zhou Tians were pitted against each other, and both were fighting to the death. Words had very little effect, and neither of them wasted words, just fighting in the stillness. The waves in the momentum field were ten thousand feet high. If Ruan Ci didn't have the 'Yang Pan Ring' to protect her, she would almost not have been able to survive. However, after less than half an hour, an earth-shattering fluctuation came from the deep water area in the southeast, and a familiar aura faintly spread. Ruan Ci secretly thought, "This is... Young Master Chong? It seems they have also intercepted a Great Yu guest who wanted to come and provide support."

At this point, the three girls also understood that Xu Shaowei's previous arrangement was just one direction in the plan. Escorting them along the way to the great array was also to concentrate all the goals plotted by the Great Yu Zhou Tian people together, inducing everyone to make a move. Whether it was the Donghua Sword or the Divine Eye Girl, as long as one could be captured, it would not be a wasted trip for the Great Yu Zhou Tian. Otherwise, what was the point of staying here? It was nothing more than being slowly found and killed by the cultivators who would enter the marsh later. Therefore, this cultivator with the space magic treasure came to lead the way first, but they did not expect that the Langhuan cultivators were precisely trying to besiege the point and strike the reinforcements, intercepting and killing the people who came to support one by one.

Following Young Master Chong, more than a dozen streams of magic power erupted simultaneously, and there was an even more overwhelming stream of magic power, seemingly mixed with buzzing insect sounds, rushing towards this place. In the water surface that was originally transparent and empty, an uncountable number of water bears suddenly appeared, pouncing on the Great Yu cultivator, seemingly gnawing on their protective magic power. Xu Shaowei also seemed to have received some signal, laughed loudly, and the golden bell in her hand rang. Her figure was a blur, and she suddenly turned into nine people, and even the small chime in her hand appeared in nine seats. With a light flick of her jade fingers, the nine 'Wind and Waves Calm' chimes rang out simultaneously, actually rising and falling, connecting into sentences, like a small tune in a long score.

This tune was extremely ancient, seemingly faintly containing the principles of the Great Dao, and there was a response from the laws, smoothing out all the movements in this place. Whether it was the three girls—Rong, Ci, and Ai—or the Great Yu cultivator, they were all frozen on the spot, unable to even turn their thoughts. Xu Shaowei reached out a finger, and the long sword at her waist flew out, cutting the person's body in half at the waist. Even the Golden Core in the momentum field was split into two under the sword.

Once the Golden Core was destroyed, the Dao foundation immediately wavered and peeled off. The inner landscape world above the cultivator's head leaked out, and it looked like it was about to scatter and drift away. Xu Shaowei flicked the small chime again, and a wave of sound surged out, wrapping the cultivator within it. All changes were calmed down, as if even time had been temporarily soothed by 'Wind and Waves Calm'.

When she first appeared outside the Cold Rain Marsh, she was suppressing Zhong Shiliu with force, but it was only until this moment of capturing and killing the Great Yu cultivator that she truly used all her means. Not to mention anything else, just this supernatural ability to turn into nine people was jaw-dropping. The power that Ruan Rong could stimulate by borrowing spiritual jade to drive magic treasures was simply a world of difference compared to this moment. Thinking again that Qi Yueying couldn't even stimulate 'Wind and Waves Calm', one knew just how supernatural Xu Shaowei was. If she were to break into the Nascent Soul realm, with her accumulation, one really didn't know what level of achievement she would reach in the future.

This woman finally trapped and killed the great enemy, and a trace of fatigue flashed across her face. For some reason, she did not immediately withdraw the secret technique. All nine faces turned around, looking at Ruan Rong and pondering without a word. The expressions on their faces were all different, which felt quite eerie.

It was unknown how much time had passed before she sighed softly. The nine people returned to one, and with a flick of her finger, she freed the three girls from the stillness, saying faintly, "With this child eliminated, the space magic treasure falls into my hands, and they will never be able to escape again. The Great Yu Zhou Tian has lost another move to our Langhuan this time."

Although she said this, Xu Shaowei did not show a happy face. Instead, her beautiful eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if there were infinite worries in her heart.

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Updated. Sorry for the wait, everyone. The side quest might end tomorrow, or it might take another day for this side quest to officially conclude.

After it ends, I'll take a week off!

I'm giving out red packets for this chapter! I'm going to eat now!

. Thanks to the little angels who cast overlord votes or irrigated nutrient solution for me between 2020-11-21 09:31:27 and 2020-11-22 12:10:15~

Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines: Wu Mingya (3); Yu Yu Wan Yao, Banmu Fangtang, Tengjingshushu, Yeserumo, Sunnyhldtk (1 each);

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Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!