Chapter 1083: Spiritual Light

Han Wuxian's silhouette fell like a bat in the dark night, landing silently on the snow above the cliff. The Azure Scale Peak disciple whose throat had just been slit by the Shattered Star Blade still held the posture of leaning forward to look down; warm blood beads instantly condensed into ice crystals in the biting cold wind, rolling down his neck.

He reached out and caught the message talisman hanging from the disciple's waist; a flash of dark gold light from his fingertip turned the talisman to powder. From that recent information flow he already knew that the Azure Scale Peak's message talismans were etched with a unique spiritual fluctuation, and once the holder died, the seal would automatically send a warning to the main peak.

"He's more cautious than I thought." Han Wuxian gave a low chuckle, bent down, and stripped the disciple's blue outer robe. The spiritual power granted by the Star Earth Seed let him easily alter his aura; after putting on the blue robe, unless examined closely, he was indistinguishable from other Azure Scale Peak disciples.

From afar came chaotic footsteps, mixed with a few shouts.

"What's wrong with Lao San? I told him to watch the rope interface, but there's been no movement for a while!"

"Who knows if he's slacking off hiding in the snow? After we finish searching this area, we'll see how the Peak Master deals with him!"

Han Wuxian adjusted his collar, deliberately hunched his back, and walked toward the source of the sound while dragging the Shattered Star Blade. He hid the blade inside his wide sleeve, revealing only about an inch of the black tip, which flickered in the snow‑reflected light.

Three Azure Scale Peak disciples were rubbing their hands and stamping their feet around a campfire. Seeing "Lao San" approach, one of them impatiently waved his hand: "What are you standing there for? The Peak Master just sent a message saying that kid definitely isn't dead, so expand the search area, especially the western rocky slope!"

Han Wuxian lowered his head, deliberately making his voice hoarse: "Understood."

The corner of his eye swept over the tokens at their waists—all markings of Outer Gate disciples. According to the information flow, Azure Scale Peak's hierarchy is strict; Outer Gate disciples only know the basics, while true core secrets are held by direct disciples and the Peak Master.

"You guys guard the rope here; I'll go check the rocky slope." Han Wuxian turned to leave, but someone called him back.

"Wait!" The person narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him: "Why are you acting strange today? Your voice changed too?"

Han Wuxian snorted coldly inside, but put on a simple smile on his face: "I just had wind forced into my throat; I'm freezing." As he spoke, he subtly shifted his steps, letting the campfire's shadow cover his face.

At that moment of the person's hesitation, Han Wuxian suddenly moved.

No one saw how he struck; they only heard three almost overlapping thuds. The three Azure Scale Peak disciples who had been rubbing their hands clutched their necks and collapsed in the snow, blood gushing from between their fingers, staining the snow beneath them red. When the Shattered Star Blade returned to his sleeve, not a trace of blood stained its blade, and the flowing star patterns seemed able to devour all impurity.

He reached into the leader disciple's pocket and indeed pulled out a jade slip. The instant his divine sense probed it, Han Wuxian's eyes turned cold.

The jade slip recorded the deployment of this Azure Scale Peak operation; the team was actually led by the Peak Master's senior direct disciple, Zhao Kui.

What concerned him more was a line of small text at the end of the jade slip: "If the target is found, there's no need to bring him back; kill him on the spot and bring back his heart‑pulse blood marrow to report."

"Heart‑pulse blood marrow?" Han Wuxian crushed the jade slip; the Star Earth Seed had long merged with his flesh and blood, and the power flowing through his heart‑pulse was precisely the primal force of stars and earth—what these people wanted was likely the secret of the Star Earth Seed from the very beginning.

The wind and snow grew heavier, covering the bloodstains on the ground. Han Wuxian determined the direction and rushed toward the location of Zhao Kui recorded in the jade slip. The snow beneath his feet made no sound; the lightness granted by the Star Earth Seed let him glide across the snow surface, leaving a faint afterimage.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a wind‑sheltered mountain hollow appeared ahead, where more than ten Azure Scale Peak disciples sat around a campfire keeping warm. The leader was a sturdy bald man with blue scale tattoos on his face—none other than Zhao Kui.

"That waste has been falling off the cliff for half an hour; even if he's not dead, he should have been blown into mincemeat by the gale—why are we freezing here?" a disciple complained.

Zhao Kui slammed his palm onto the ground, sending sparks flying from the campfire: "Shut up! You dare question the Peak Master's orders? That kid managed to endure the Bone‑Eating Azure for so long; he must have a treasure on him. If we can't find his corpse, none of us are going back!"

Han Wuxian hid in the darkness, his fingertips gathering a wisp of stardust. According to the Star Dao Sect's secret art, stardust can attach to a target; as long as they remain within a hundred li, he can sense their exact position.

Just as he was about to act, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hollow; a disciple came tumbling and crawling in: "Senior Brother! New blood traces have been found to the east… it looks… it looks like that kid's!"

Zhao Kui's eyes lit up; he grabbed the wolf‑tooth club from the ground: "Lead the way!"

Han Wuxian watched their retreating backs, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold arc. He didn't follow immediately, but went around to the deep part of the hollow, where a crack covered by snow lay—the very source of the blood trail that disciple had mentioned.

The crack exhaled a faint smell of blood, mixed with a trace of elusive azure. Han Wuxian leaned in to inspect and found that the bloodstains on the snow indeed carried a weak spiritual fluctuation, matching the aura from when he had previously been poisoned.

"Did they leave these traces on purpose?" He frowned, then suddenly understood. These people were trying to lure him out with fake bloodstamps; Zhao Kui probably already suspected something odd nearby and had deliberately set a trap.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a sudden disturbance came from deep within the crack, and a familiar fishy‑sweet scent rushed at him. Han Wuxian's heart tightened; the Shattered Star Blade flashed out, its black blade drawing a cold arc in the snow‑lit air.

Siss—

A hand covered in blue scales reached out from the crack, and the Shattered Star Blade severed it at the wrist. Dark‑gold star patterns flowed along the blade, instantly purifying the azure toxin on the severed hand.

A sharp scream came from the crack, followed by an old man covered head‑to‑toe in blue scales crawling out, azure blood oozing from his severed arm, his face full of hatred: "You little bastard, it really is you!"

Han Wuxian recognized the old man as the Second Elder of Azure Scale Peak, who had previously wounded him severely with a trick during the pursuit; he hadn't expected the elder to be hiding in this crack.

"Old thing, you've got a tough life." Han Wuxian gripped the Shattered Star Blade, the power of the Star Earth Seed surging within him: "Since you've come to your door, don't think you're leaving."

The Second Elder suddenly let out a strange laugh, the azure blood at his severed arm beginning to boil: "Leave? Today is your death day! I've already sent a message to the Peak Master; he'll be here any moment—do you really think your paltry cultivation can stand against the Peak Master's Azure Scale True Form?"

Han Wuxian said nothing, merely holding the Shattered Star Blade across his chest. The flesh tempered by the Star Marrow Origin let him clearly sense that killing intent was already thick in the surrounding wind and snow—the Peak Master of Azure Scale Peak had arrived.

From outside the hollow came a deafening dragon's roar; a phantom of a giant python sheathed in blue scales shot up into the sky, the clouds shattering on its impact and revealing the blue‑robed old man hidden within.

"Remnant of the Star Dao Sect, hidden for ten thousand years, you will finally reveal yourself." The blue‑robed old man's voice boomed like thunder, echoing in the hollow: "Today I will reduce you and your ruined sect to ashes!"