Chapter 325: Spirit Light Scatters, Divine Traces Appear

Strange to say, ever since the chaos at Youyuan Hall that day, the Wen Wang Eight Trigrams had been restless, emitting a buzzing sound from time to time as if trying to tell her something, yet no matter how Banxia calculated and deduced, she could never make heads or tails of it.

Could it be that her divination skills were not up to par?

Banxia pondered this question for a long time, eventually reaching a conclusion—it was simply that her own training was insufficient.

Strictly speaking, divination was something Banxia should not have been able to perform, and even the Talisman Arts were beyond what her mere Body Tempering cultivation could manifest, but who could blame her when her Daoist fortune was heaven-sent? It just so happened that the Wen Wang Eight Trigrams and the Ruyi Judge Brush recognized her as their master, and through trial and error, she had come to wield these two Daoist arts with ease.

It is true that the method of deduction is related to one's cultivation level, but are there not exceptions to every rule? Take Wen Wang Ji Chang, for instance; he synthesized the Three Changes, deduced Yin and Yang, obtained the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred eighty-four lines, composed the hexagram judgments and line judgments, and finally completed the "Zhou Yi." Wen Wang debated Yin and Yang, yet who could say his cultivation was profound?

As for Banxia, although she lacked a solid foundation and her cultivation could hardly be considered to have entered the gate, Donghui Zhenren saw that she was a person of excellent fortune and thus took a different path, not limiting her to ordinary cultivation methods, but teaching her geomancy, instructing her in evolution, and supplementing it with the Five Elements, which gave Banxia her current abilities.

Come to think of it, this was actually borrowed from Lingxiang's teaching methods.

When it was first heard that Lingxiang was teaching three disciples but not starting with the conventional Martial Dao, the Elders were truly worried, but seeing the remarkable results of Long Qi and the others, they let it be.

Lingxiang did not play by the rules because she herself was not proficient in Martial Dao. In Lingxiang's own words, exposing one's own shortcomings is no different from baring one's body in the marketplace; it only invites ridicule. As the Ninth Elder, her burden was heavy, and she could not afford to lose face.

However, the Elders were naturally unaware of Lingxiang's little schemes, but Elder Donghui took them to heart.

The sage once discussed learning using Ran Qiu and Zhong You, noting that one must adapt to the individual, measure their strength, and follow their aptitude to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Elder Donghui believed that since Banxia had an extraordinary memory and a fondness for Talisman Arts, and her Spirit Treasures happened to be the Judge's Pen and the Eight Trigrams Plate, it would be better to follow her inclinations; this would not only avoid the disadvantage of her late start but also cultivate her Spirit Root. As for her lack of Body Movement, he figured she could slowly make up for it in the future.

Returning to the matter, the Wen Wang Eight Trigrams kept making strange noises, yet Banxia could not divine the reason; she wanted to ask Donghui Zhenren for advice, but she could not even find a shadow of her master.

Helpless, Banxia had to set the matter aside, thinking she would ask when her master came out of seclusion. But unexpectedly, before the spirit-dividing ceremony had even ended, disaster descended upon Yuanqing.

Seeing the demonic creatures running and howling all around, Banxia finally realized that the Eight Trigrams Plate must have been trying to warn her, which was why it had been so abnormal.

Lingxiang often said that when things are abnormal, there must be demons, yet she herself had been so paralyzed and careless; if she had told Lingxiang sooner, there might have been some response.

Banxia could not help but blame herself. Donghui Zhenren had clearly taught her that divination and calculation were meant to seek good fortune and avoid disaster, and that all kinds of hexagrams must be examined with fine detail to grasp their true meaning. Yet she had forgotten such an important matter; how could she not be remorseful?

The sudden army of demonic creatures caught the disciples on the martial arts field completely off guard. Although the demonic creatures were fierce and menacing, fortunately, Huiyan remained calm in the face of danger, sternly directing the disciples present to resist the enemy, managing to barely cope.

But even so, a large number of demonic creatures kept pouring out of the clouds, and even with the cultivation of these disciples, they were struggling; furthermore, heavenly fire fell from the sky for no reason, making the already disadvantageous situation even worse.

Fortunately, Liu Xia did not know what kind of witchcraft he had performed, but it blocked the heavenly fire while also isolating the invasion of the demonic creatures in the clouds, which allowed the disciples of the two sects present to catch their breath.

But who could have imagined that just as the situation was easing, Huiwu would appear out of nowhere.

According to Liu Xia, he had severely wounded Huiwu during the battle at Ding'anju, but he looked perfectly intact, missing neither arms nor legs; how could he look like someone who had been severely wounded?

However, that one arm was strange indeed, appearing somewhat different from before; it looked as if it were covered in armor, layered like fish scales, and one could not tell what kind of metal it was, only that it looked black, cold, and terrifying.

Huiyan—his face ferocious, his feet transformed into a pair of eagle-like sharp claws—dived toward Liu Xia, howling something, but Liu Xia's witchcraft was so strange that not a single sound could be heard beneath the tree.

Seeing that Huiyan was about to succeed, his expression crazed, Liu Xia had no reaction at all, as if he had not noticed the impending danger.

Seeing this, Banxia hurriedly rushed forward to block him; Lianqiao reached out to stop her, but only managed to touch the corner of Banxia's clothes.

Although Lianqiao did not know the newcomer was Huiwu, seeing his fierce and terrifying appearance and his sharp killing intent, which was very different from the previous demonic monsters, he was certainly not someone easy to deal with; with Banxia's meager cultivation, how could she possibly be his opponent?

According to Lianqiao's understanding of Banxia, this little girl cherished her life dearly; whenever she encountered anything, she would wish to hide in a crack in the ground, so how could she possibly put herself in danger?

In truth, Banxia did not know what had come over her; she only saw Liu Xia in danger and unable to escape, so she subconsciously rushed up, and by the time she reacted, she was already confronting Huiwu.

But as Lianqiao had expected, how could Banxia possibly defeat the demonized Huiwu?

Although Banxia practiced the Dao of Talismans and Mysterious Arts, her cultivation was only at the Body Tempering stage; if one were to speak of it, she could not even be considered to have entered the Daoist Sect. Huiwu had been at the Foundation Establishment stage before he was demonized, and after entering the demonic path, he was even more formidable; for Banxia to rush up so recklessly was no different from throwing an egg against a rock or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Sure enough, although Banxia's Talisman Array temporarily blocked Huiwu, it only lasted for an instant before cracks appeared. Seeing that the Talisman Array was about to collapse, Banxia did not retreat at all, stubbornly blocking the way in front of Liu Xia.

Seeing that the Talisman Array was about to be torn apart, Liu Xia was extremely anxious, but he could not spare himself at that moment; those cracks seemed to be tearing at Liu Xia's heart, causing him to lose his composure for a moment.

Just then, Banxia's Talisman Array shattered abruptly, and as the ink splattered, Huiwu's pair of sharp claws pierced into Banxia's chest.

"Banxia! Banxia!"

Liu Xia's eyes were about to split; those sharp claws piercing through Banxia's chest seemed to be tearing at his own heart, causing a sharp, suffocating pain. Liu Xia felt a lump in his throat, and his mouth was instantly filled with a fishy sweetness.

After coming out of Liuyunxuan, Chengxin Zhenren walked forward on his own, completely ignoring the four young people behind him. Lingxiang had an indifferent expression, letting Chengxin Zhenren be angry while she continued to go her own way, strolling leisurely. However, compared to Lingxiang's calmness, Banxia seemed a bit uneasy, always feeling that she would be caught in the crossfire.

Liu Xia understood his master quite well; not to mention that he had never seen Chengxin Zhenren angry, even if he were truly angry, he would not vent his anger on unrelated people. He comforted Banxia while pulling her to browse the stalls on both sides of the street.

After all, she was still a little girl; before long, Banxia was attracted by the various strange trinkets on the stalls, having long since thrown the matter of Chengxin Zhenren's anger to the back of her mind.

Liu Xia also spared no effort; whenever Banxia found something interesting, he would buy it directly for her to play with, or if it were street snacks, as long as Banxia took a glance, it would not be long before Liu Xia had it in her hands.

At first, Banxia felt embarrassed, but after taking so much, she took it for granted, sighing in her heart: as expected of someone from an official family, their spending is just different; it's so good to be rich!

Liu Xia teased Banxia in this way, completely forgetting about Lingxiang and Long Qi in front; when Banxia came to her senses, she realized the four of them had become separated, and after a long search, she finally found the two of them sitting on the bridge, nibbling on each other.

Seeing this, Banxia could not help but secretly gasp.

Could this be the "mutual affection" that Lianqiao had told her about? That was truly interesting! Interesting!

Just as Banxia was watching with interest, Liu Xia beside her cleared his throat with a feigned serious expression, and Lingxiang immediately pushed away Long Qi, who was stuck to her face.

Hiss!

Banxia gasped again, looking at Liu Xia with resentment, blaming him for ruining the mood. However, Liu Xia did not give Banxia a chance to speak, pulling her away.

"What are you doing! I... I haven't seen enough yet!"

Liu Xia already felt a bit embarrassed; hearing Banxia's complaint, his ears immediately turned red. He snatched the sugar figurine from Banxia's hand and stuffed it into her mouth, pulling her along while whispering about not looking at things that are improper.

You keep your propriety, what does it have to do with me?

But Banxia could not speak, and Liu Xia's strength was great, so she could only let him pull her away.

The entire Xiangcheng was filled with bright lanterns, reflecting on Banxia's dissatisfied face, adding a touch of worldly atmosphere.

Banxia was from the countryside, and her appearance could only be described as decent, but not particularly good-looking; moreover, her skin was not fair, so she could not really be considered a beauty. But for some reason, after experiencing the Xuanwu Array at the Long Family Tomb, Liu Xia felt that Banxia was becoming more and more beautiful.

This must be what her sister often called "falling in love at first sight, and falling deeper upon the second look"!

Although Banxia's appearance was not outstanding, Liu Xia just liked her, and with the bright lights today, which made Banxia's eyes shine brightly, it added a different kind of charm.

Liu Xia could not help but recall what Xin Yi had said to Long Qi when they were at Zhuyuan: "If you like someone, then just say it directly; why hide it and add unnecessary trouble?"

Liu Xia felt this made a lot of sense and pulled Banxia to the riverside. Banxia was complaining about Liu Xia while trying to keep up with his pace, but she did not expect him to stop suddenly, and she bumped into him face-first. This bump was no small matter; not only was her face in pain, but the sugar figurine also stuck to Liu Xia's clothes.

Hiss~!

Banxia gasped again and frowned.

It wasn't that the bump hurt all that much, but she hadn't even licked that sugar figurine a few times yet, and now it was ruined like this; it was truly a waste of a good thing!

Banxia reached out her hand, hesitating over whether to pluck that string of sugar figurines off, but she didn't guard against Liu Xia suddenly turning around. Seeing the sugar figurine get flung into the river in an instant, the pain in Banxia's heart was immense, and she regretted not being more decisive just a moment ago.

However, regret was of no use now!

Liu Xia did not understand why Banxia had such a heartbroken expression, but upon second thought, could it be that she was still blaming him for pulling her away? He suddenly thought of the matter between Lingxiang and Long Qi just now, and his face instantly flushed a deep red.

"You... um..."

Liu Xia only lowered his head and stammered, not daring to look at Banxia, like a child who had done something wrong. When Banxia saw him like this, she was first baffled, but once she thought of the sugar figurine that had fallen into the water just now, she understood.

Could it be that this fellow felt guilty in his heart? It was only a sugar figurine, after all; there was really no need for this.

"Uh..." Banxia hesitated for a moment, "It's not a big deal, you really don't have to be so coy."

Actually, it wasn't a small matter either...

Hearing these words, Liu Xia was stunned at first; he did not understand what Banxia was talking about, but when he raised his eyes and saw those eyes of Banxia's, he sank into them once more.

Those eyes were clear and distinct, and at a single glance, they were full of clarity.

Liu Xia could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva, then mustered his strength and asked, "Do you have a man you like?"

Banxia was still immersed in the grief of that string of sugar figurines falling into the water, and for a moment she didn't react, only blurting out: "There isn't, there isn't..."

Hearing these words, Liu Xia was filled with joy, and he hurriedly said loudly, "Then... then may I have the honor of gaining your affection?"

Hiss!

Banxia took another long breath; she only reacted this time, but her head was roaring, and after a long while she still hadn't said a word. She stared wide-eyed at Liu Xia for a long time before she finally blurted out a single word:

"Eh!?"

Banxia didn't feel much pain, but after a moment of darkness, her consciousness became somewhat dazed, as if she had fallen into the clouds and mist.

Could this be what is called the final moments? It wasn't actually all that painful!

Thinking this, Banxia only felt that she would like to have a beautiful sleep, so she closed her eyes lightly, sinking into that tranquility.

Seeing Banxia close her eyes, the breath in Liu Xia's chest finally failed to hold, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly fainting; it was thanks to Huiyan pouring Spirit Qi into his back that his energy channels were stabilized.

Just as Liu Xia was in agony, Banxia's arm and waist suddenly flashed, and strands of Spirit Qi shot out like silk threads, scattering in all directions.

Those strands of Spirit Qi came strangely; Huiwu was caught off guard and was struck, disappearing into a blinding glare.

The emission of Spirit Qi continued for a long time before it finally ceased. At this moment, Banxia was like a puppet with cut strings, swaying as if she were about to fall, but fortunately, Lianqiao arrived in time and caught her in his arms.

"Banxia! Banxia!"

Lianqiao called out continuously, but Banxia had no reaction at all, her eyes closed as if she were asleep. The body that had just been pierced by Huiwu no longer had any wounds, only her clothes at her chest were stained with blood, confirming everything that had just happened.

Those silk-like strands of Spirit Qi did not disappear after a dazzling burst, yet they were not very clear, only vaguely emitting a faint spiritual light.

This... what is this?

Lianqiao followed the source of the silk threads and saw that it was the Eight Trigrams Plate at Banxia's waist, and there was also a silk thread connecting that Eight Trigrams Plate to Banxia's arm.

Lianqiao hurriedly rolled up Banxia's sleeve, only to see a strange incantation on her arm.