Chapter 169

Ling Xiao drove the sword light, pushing speed to the utmost; the Ice Soul Cold Light Shield emitted a soft, steady white light, firmly protecting Shi Ran within. Luo Changfeng and Xiao Muyu followed closely, their faces grim, not daring to delay in the slightest. They all knew the Cultivation World Alliance's inspectors were no pushovers, especially concerning the taboo of the Silent Extinction Abyss—once caught, the consequences were unimaginable.

However, the speed of a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator was far beyond what a Nascent Soul cultivator could match. Even if Ling Xiao exerted himself to the limit, even burning his lifebound vital energy to drive the sword light, those several formidable auras behind still closed in at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Master, they're catching up!" Luo Changfeng swept his divine sense behind him, his face changing. That vast pressure, like an abyss, made even his Nascent Soul tremble.

Ling Xiao's eyes hardened; he abruptly changed direction, no longer heading straight for the Profound Heaven Sect, but veering toward a more desolate expanse riddled with space rifts—the "Turbulent Flow Gobi." The environment here was harsh, spiritual qi chaotic, perhaps enough to slightly hinder the pursuers' divine sense lock and speed.

"Enter the Gobi, watch for space rifts!" Ling Xiao shouted low; his sword light darted like a fish, nimbly weaving between those faint, black fissures that emitted a destructive aura.

Behind them, the Spirit Transformation Inspector raised an eyebrow: "Trying to shake off pursuit with the Turbulent Flow Gobi? Clever, but futile." The needle of his compass still pointed firmly toward Ling Xiao and company; no matter how chaotic the airflow inside the Gobi, it could not interfere with its lock on the unique aura intertwining "Silent Extinction" and "Abyss."

In the chase, they soon plunged deep into the heart of the Turbulent Flow Gobi. Here the space rifts grew denser, occasional void storms sweeping through, extremely perilous. Ling Xiao's trio had to devote much of their attention to dodging danger, slowing their speed once more.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp golden finger wind tore through the air, aiming straight for Ling Xiao's back! It was the Late Nascent Soul Inspector making a move, trying to halt them.

Luo Changfeng shouted angrily, backhanding a sword strike; the ice-blue sword gang collided with the golden finger wind, erupting in violent energy fluctuations that twisted several tiny space rifts nearby.

"Profound Heaven Sect's Ling Xiao, True Person, please halt! The Cultivation World Alliance Inspector is here—please cooperate with the investigation!" the Late Nascent Soul cultivator boomed, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Ling Xiao didn't answer; his sword light instead grew swifter by a third.

"Obstinate and insensate!" the Spirit Transformation Inspector snorted coldly, finally acting himself. He used no treasure, merely thrusting a palm forward from afar.

In an instant, a massive hand condensed from pure spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, its palm lines clear, imbued with the power of heavenly law—as if a firmament were collapsing, it bore down on Ling Xiao's trio. Even before the palm wind arrived, the terrifying pressure made Luo Changfeng and Xiao Muyu's blood surge, barely able to stay aloft.

The might of Spirit Transformation—so extreme!

Ling Xiao's pupils contracted; he knew he couldn't meet it head-on. Gritting his teeth, he spat a mouthful of essence blood onto his lifebound flying sword; the blade blazed with clear light, and a chill instantly filled heaven and earth.

"Ice Seal Myriad Miles, Sword Splits the Heavens!"

He unleashed his bottom‑box divine ability; the sword light turned into an icy ribbon that tore heaven and earth, surging upward to meet that massive spiritual hand head‑on.

"Boom——!!!"

A heaven‑shaking, earth‑rumbling roar exploded in the Turbulent Flow Gobi; the violent energy shockwave spread in a ring, temporarily smoothing the space rifts within dozens of li! The ground of the Gobi below was literally shaved down three feet.

Ling Xiao's body shuddered violently, his face paling as a trace of blood trickled from his mouth. Though he barely blocked the palm with secret arts and strong sword intent, the vast gulf between Spirit Transformation and Nascent Soul inflicted an internal injury instantly.

And in that very instant of the clash, two more Nascent Soul Inspectors swooped in from the flanks, joining the Late Nascent Soul cultivator to form a encirclement, trapping Ling Xiao's trio in the center.

"Ling Xiao, True Person, why make a last‑ditch stand?" the Spirit Transformation Inspector walked forward, stepping on void, his gaze calm yet absolutely oppressive: "Hand over what's in your shield, cooperate with the Alliance investigation; if it's found unrelated to the Abyss, we'll let you go."

The "thing" he referred to was obviously Shi Ran, protected by the Ice Soul Cold Light Shield.

Ling Xiao wiped the blood from his mouth, sword in hand, eyes icy as a blade: "Inspector, this is my personal disciple, gravely injured while quelling the Silent Extinction Flame riot in Burning Heaven Valley; her inner power is chaotic, certainly not an Abyss spy! You would seize her based on mere deduction and a hint of aura—isn't that too arbitrary?"

"Quelling the Silent Extinction Flame?" the Inspector's eyes flickered with surprise, then gave way to deeper scrutiny: "The Silent Extinction Flame riot in Burning Heaven Valley is known to the Alliance, but I know it's a millennia‑old problem there—how could a mere Nascent Soul junior quell it? Moreover, the Abyss aura on her is genuine, the traces of the Silent Extinction Dao are unusually strong… Ling Xiao, True Person, don't let master‑disciple affection blind you; this girl is very likely to have become a vessel for the Silent Extinction Abyss's descent into the world."

"Nonsense!" Xiao Muyu's face flushed red with anger: "My junior sister risked near‑death to save Burning Heaven Valley—how dare you slander her!"

"Whether it's slander, a test will tell." The Inspector said no more, raising his hand to grab the Ice Soul Cold Light Shield. That hand seemed slow, yet appeared to contain spatial law, ignoring distance to manifest directly above the shield.

Ling Xiao's eyes nearly burst; he was about to go all‑out when a sudden change occurred!

Shi Ran, who had lain quietly unconscious within the Ice Soul Cold Light Shield, seemed to sense the external threat and that targeting powerful aura; her brow furrowed slightly, and the fragile balance circulation within her suddenly accelerated!

"Hum——"

An indescribable wave spread from within her. The Ice Soul Cold Light Shield shuddered violently, its surface now etched with fine lines of dark gold and pallid white intertwining!

The moment the Inspector's descending hand touched those lines, it felt as if scorched by invisible flame—his fingertips shot with annihilation‑like pain! His face twitched; he jerked his hand back, seeing the spiritual light at his fingertips dimmed a shade, as if some force had forcibly erased it.

"What?!" His eyes finally showed shock. This icy shield could actually erode his Spirit Transformation spiritual essence?

At the same time, the red silk cord on Shi Ran's left wrist blazed with an eerie red light; the Abyss voice, dormant a moment in her sea of consciousness, rang out again, tinged with anger and urging:

"Defilement……Silent Extinction……must be punished……"

Shi Ran's tightly shut eyelashes quivered violently, as if on the verge of waking yet also enduring great pain. Beneath her right eyelid flickered a pallid flame; her left eye was a deep darkness, as if linked to a bottomless Abyss.

Unconsciously she lifted her hand toward the Inspector, her fingertip gathering once more that pallid light poised between existence and nothingness—though far weaker than when she slew Chixuan, that pure Silent Extinction Dao aura made the Inspector feel a pang of palpitation!

"As I thought!" the Inspector's eyes turned utterly cold: "This girl has preliminarily grasped Silent Extinction power and is deeply entwined with the Abyss—she cannot be spared!"

He held nothing back; his aura erupted fully, the terrifying pressure of Spirit Transformation solidifying, freezing this very space! Luo Changfeng and Xiao Muyu grunted, barely able to move; Ling Xiao felt as if mired in a swamp, his actions becoming exceedingly difficult.

A more substantial hand of spiritual energy, entwined with law‑runic symbols, coalesced again—this time its target was Shi Ran inside the Ice Soul Cold Light Shield! It swore to erase her together with that perilous balance.

"Ran'er!" Ling Xiao roared, his Nascent Soul burning within, ready to unleash a forbidden technique at any cost!

At this critical moment——

"Hmph! What grand airs! When did it become the Alliance Inspector's prerogative to strike down my Profound Heaven Sect's disciple without trial?!"

A clear, cold voice laden with majesty rang out, as if from beyond the nine heavens, instantly shattering the Spirit Transformation pressure's seal!

Immediately after, a brilliant sword light spanned the horizon, like a Milky Way pouring down, arriving instantly from the distant firmament! Within that light lay the supreme sword intent of severing karma and destroying myriad laws; it struck with perfect precision upon the law‑rune‑wreathed spiritual hand.

"Splinter!"

Without a heaven‑shaking explosion, the spiritual hand, like cloth sliced by a sharp blade, split cleanly down the middle, then dissipated into the purest spiritual qi.

As the sword light faded, a woman in moon‑white Daoist robes appeared before Ling Xiao's group—her features exquisitely beautiful, her eyes icy as ten‑thousand‑year frost, holding an ancient longsword. Her sword intent was stern, her aura deep as the sea, in no way inferior to that Spirit Transformation Inspector.

"Mu… Martial Uncle Mu!" Xiao Muyu exclaimed in delighted surprise.

The comer was none other than Profound Heaven Sect's other Spirit Transformation powerhouse, Enforcer of Law, famed throughout the cultivation world for decisive slaughter and sword dao that pierces the heavens—Mu Cangming!

The Spirit Transformation Inspector gazed at the easily shattered spiritual hand, his face darkening: "Mu Cangming! Are you obstructing the Alliance's law enforcement?"

Mu Cangming's phoenix eyes flashed with killing intent, sword tip pointed at him, he said coldly: "Law enforcement? Zhang Ziling, your so‑called enforcement means striking down my Profound Heaven Sect's meritorious true disciple? Who gave you that authority? The half‑baked divinations of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, or your own 'better to kill by mistake' creed, Inspector Zhang?"

Having been called by name, Zhang Ziling (the Spirit Transformation Inspector) looked grim: "This girl bears pure demonic energy, stirring the Silent Extinction Dao, her ties to the Silent Extinction Abyss are not shallow! This is a matter endangering the very survival of the cultivation world—how could we ignore it for one person? Mu Cangming, are you sheltering an Abyss vessel out of personal spite?"

"Bullshit!" Mu Cangming spat, unsparing: "How my Profound Heaven Sect's disciples truly are is none of an outsider's business! You claim she's an Abyss vessel—where's your proof? Just that broken compass of yours? I even say you, Zhang Ziling, have been possessed by an extraterritorial heavenly demon—shouldn't you be executed on the spot as well?"

"You… twisting words!" Zhang Ziling fumed, his beard twitching.

"Whether it's twisting words, the Profound Heaven Sect will settle it internally!" Mu Cangming stood firm: "This girl is my sect's disciple; even if truly suspect, she should be examined by us and reported to the Alliance for a decision! What right does a mere Inspector like you have to overstep and carry out extermination? Zhang Ziling, if you dare act again today, you'll be declaring war on my Profound Heaven Sect—let's see if you can bear the consequences!"

As Mu Cangming's words fell, his ancient longsword let out a clear, ringing note; its icy sword intent shot skyward, completely repelling Zhang Ziling's pressure and firmly shielding Ling Xiao and company behind him.

Zhang Ziling's face shifted uncertainly. Profound Heaven Sect, like a top‑tier cultivation power, was mighty; Mu Cangming was notorious for being tough and unyielding. If they truly fought to the death here, win or lose aside, even victory would surely spark a fierce clash between the two great forces—a burden he could indeed not bear.

He glanced at Shi Ran, protected behind Mu Cangming, her ice-soul cold-light shield still unstable, then looked at the compass in his hand, its needle firmly pointing at her; finally he took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger.

"Good! Mu Cangming, today I will give Profound Heaven Sect some face!" he said in a deep voice, "But this matter, I will definitely report it truthfully to the Alliance high-level! This woman is of great importance; I hope you, Profound Heaven Sect, will take care of yourselves, do not bring disaster upon yourselves! If this causes a great calamity, your Profound Heaven Sect will be the sinners of the world!"

After uttering a harsh remark, Zhang Ziling flicked his sleeve, taking with him three dissatisfied subordinates, and turned into a stream of light, resentfully departing.

Only after their aura had completely vanished did Mu Cangming's sharp sword intent gradually ease. She turned her head, looking at the pale-faced Ling Xiao and the still-shaken Luo Changfeng and Xiao Muyu, and finally her gaze fell on Shi Ran within the Ice Soul Cold Light Cover, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Lord Wanshan, are you alright?" she said, her tone softening, and handed Ling Xiao a pill.

Ling Xiao took the pill and swallowed it, shook his head, and urgently said, "It's fine, thank you, Junior Sister Mu, for coming in time. Ran'er she……"

"I know the situation." Mu Cangming interrupted him, carefully probing Shi Ran's condition with her divine sense, her face growing grave: "Demonic qi, Annihilation Origin, Power of Nirvana…… they have achieved such a strange balance, unheard of! Moreover, the trouble is that the Alliance has set its sights on her, and the Annihilation Demon Abyss will likely not let this go."

She sighed and said, "Lord Wanshan, I think we should first return to the Heavenly Mystery Sect and then talk. The Sect Leader and several Supreme Elders have already left seclusion and are waiting for us. This matter is no longer something we can handle alone."

With Mu Cangming, this Sword Immortal, escorting them, the journey proceeded without incident. After several days, the party smoothly returned to the Heavenly Mystery Sect.

Inside the hall of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, the atmosphere was solemn. The Sect Leader, as well as two other Supreme Elders who had been in seclusion for years in the Void Transformation Stage, were all present. Luo Changfeng gave a detailed report of everything that had happened in Blazing Heaven Valley, including Shi Ran stabilizing the Annihilation Flame and slaying Chi Xuan, as well as being pursued by the Alliance's Inspector along the way and Mu Cangming lifting the siege.

After hearing the report, the hall fell into a prolonged silence.

After a long while, the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Mystery Sect slowly opened his voice, his tone carrying a hint of weariness and resolve: "Shi Ran's merits, whether in Blazing Heaven Valley or in the cultivation world, are indispensable. The hidden danger within her is also the responsibility of our Seven Sects; there is no shirking of duty."

He looked toward an elder with white hair and beard, a kind face, a Supreme Elder, and said, "Martial Uncle Yunyin, what do you think……"