Chapter 666: Do Not Stand By

The area ahead was indeed a mess like a pot of porridge.

In the distance, a few figures could be seen raging in the middle of the street, their movements twisted and no longer human; the surrounding Cloud Cavalry were trying to encircle them.

Golden light and the cold gleam of weapons intertwined, while shouts of battle and screams merged into one.

The burnt smell in the air grew stronger, mixed with a faint whiff of blood.

Qingque frowned.

Her first reaction, of course, was to run away quickly.

What a joke—that's a demon‑shadow being, not a petty thug fighting on the street.

She's just a Diviner who idles, why would she join the commotion?

The Cloud Cavalry have personnel specialized for this kind of situation; charging in herself would be courting death.

Just as she took a step, Qingque's movement suddenly halted.

She wasn't scared.

It was because a voice suddenly surfaced in her mind—no, not a voice, more like a memory, vividly appearing in her thoughts.

The gray‑haired woman stood atop a high mountain; the mountain wind rustled her robe, and sunlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, coating her with a faint golden rim.

The gray‑haired woman turned, her face as calm as a deep pool, lips barely moving, yet each word she spoke was as hard as iron.

Do not stand by and do nothing.

Qingque bit her lower lip.

For the past two days she kept dreaming of the same scene.

A ridiculously tall mountain, its summit roiled with a sea of clouds, the view so vast it made the heart uneasy.

The gray‑haired woman stood there teaching her some chaotic stuff, what was it called—Great Void Sword Qi.

Yes, it was Great Void Sword Qi.

At first Qingque thought she was having a typical fantasy dream of being taken as an apprentice by a martial master, but after dreaming the same woman on the same peak for several days, she felt something was off.

She could now picture the gray‑haired woman's appearance with her eyes closed.

Her ash‑white long hair fell over her shoulders, the lines of her brows and eyes exuded an indescribable chill, and she stood there like a sword still in its scabbard.

Her way of speaking was also interesting—not many words, but each sentence stuck in the mind.

In the dream Qingque was forced to practice those sword moves, exhausted enough to want to curse, yet the gray‑haired woman never even furrowed a brow, watching calmly until Qingque performed the motions correctly.

Qingque gave the gray‑haired woman a title—Marshal.

It wasn't a wild guess.

It was the woman's aura and appearance.

Coupled with the fact that she taught Great Void Sword Qi, a name that sounds intimidating, Qingque could only conclude that Hua Marshal was sending her this dream.

Although she didn't know why Hua Marshal chose this Salted Fish of hers to send the dream, who can be sure about dream matters?

Maybe the Marshal saw her uniquely structured bones and thought she was a good prospect for martial training.

Qingque herself thought the idea was absurd, yet found no other explanation.

Right now, the gray‑haired woman's words were like a fishbone stuck in her mind—unable to swallow or spit out.

Do not stand by and do nothing.

Qingque shifted her weight on the ball of her foot in place.

She was just an ordinary Diviner of the Tai Bu Si; idling was her real job.

She had indeed fought a few bouts before, but those were when she was forced with a knife at her throat—could she just wait for death without a Counterattack?

Winning then was pure luck, plus the bit of Great Void Sword Qi she learned in the dream proved useful.

But now it's different; the Cloud Cavalry are present, with specialists for demon‑shadow beings, so why would a Diviner rush in to meddle?

Isn't that looking for trouble?

Yet the Marshal's words kept echoing in her mind.

The crowd around continued to surge backward; a woman clutching a child ran past her, her face full of terror, the child's cries drowned in the noisy crowd.

Qingque watched the woman's silhouette, her lips moving but no words came out.

She lifted her head, peering through the gaps in the crowd toward the distance.

The demon‑shadow being's rampaging form flickered at the street's end, its twisted limbs casting bizarre shadows in the sun.

A Cloud Cavalry officer was knocked flying, his body slamming into a wall with a dull thud, bricks and stone shards clattering down.

Nearby comrades instantly filled the gap, spears thrust out, light weaving a net in the air, but the demon‑shadow being moved too fast; a single claw tore a hole through.

Qingque's pupils narrowed slightly.

Ha.

Honestly.

A bitter laugh forced its way from her throat, even she felt the laugh was dry and unconvincing.

Qingque raised a hand to scratch the back of her head, fingers threading through hair, touching a slightly warm scalp.

Her heartbeat was noticeably faster than usual, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on her palms, sticky and uncomfortable.

Run or go up?

Qingque lowered her head to look at her own hands.

These hands were white and clean; the knuckles weren't delicate but certainly not rough—a typical scholar's hands.

Yet it was these hands that, in the dream, had gripped a sword, cleaved rock, and practiced Great Void Sword Qi.

When the gray‑haired woman stood atop the mountain watching her practice swordplay, she would occasionally give a slight nod; that subtle gesture always stirred a strange feeling in Qingque— as if she could truly achieve something.

The surrounding shouts continued, and another Cloud Cavalry member fell.

Qingque took a deep breath.

She unconsciously clenched the cuff with her fingers, the fabric wrinkling in her palm, her fingertips turning slightly pale from the pressure.

The demon‑shadow body was still rampaging, the golden talisman's light growing weaker.

Qingque lifted her head, her gaze passing through the panicked crowd, landing at the far end of the chaotic street.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the Giant Tree's branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and those shadows were being devoured bit by bit by the demon‑shadow body's darkness.

Her foot shuffled in place, leaving a faint mark on the bluestone slab road.

The gray‑haired woman's voice kept echoing in her mind, making her agitated.

Don't just stand by.

Qingque loosened her fingers from the cuff one by one, then clenched them again, then loosened them.

So annoying.

Qingque squinted her bright green eyes, looking toward the far end of the street ahead.

Demon‑shadow body.

Three.

She counted them at a glance.

Three Xianzhou soldiers, already unrecognizable as human.

The proliferated Branches sprouted from the gaps in the armor, golden and bright, like fresh shoots broken off the Giant Tree, yet exuding a creepy sensation that made one's scalp tingle.

The limbs were twisted grotesquely, joints bending where they shouldn't, each movement producing a crisp crack‑crack sound, unclear whether it was bone or the proliferated tissue rubbing.

The Cloud Cavalry's defensive line had already been torn open.

The three demon‑shadow bodies moved at absurd speed, golden after‑images dashing across the street, each swipe of their claws flinging the Cloud Cavalry foot soldiers blocking the way far away.

Qingque pulled her hand out of the sleeve and patted her garment.

Then she took the first step.

The crowd behind her receded like a tide, only she alone moved forward.

The jade tablet appeared in her palm at some unknown moment.

Qingque lowered her head, glanced, her fingertips gently stroking the warm, smooth jade surface.

On the tablet's face was engraved a leaping fish, its tail flicking a graceful arc, the fish‑scale pattern clearly discernible under her fingertips.

The wind suddenly rose.