I Have a Sword to Ask the Heavens

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Chapter 69: Title

The pond’s depths held unnatural stillness – no splash sounded as they submerged, the water surface remaining smooth as glass. Xia Shi threw an elbow backward, struggling against the arms locking her waist and muffling her face.

"Me." The voice vibrated through spiritual power transmission.

Xia Shi froze mid-struggle.

Suiyin released her grip, rubbing the elbow-shaped ache in her ribs. "Told you not to follow," Xia Shi’s mental voice chided through their pressed-together backs.

"Worried," Suiyin transmitted back, pouting. Her consciousness had still been buzzing when she’d found the empty room and broken barrier. She’d followed without thinking – only to panic when seeing Xia Shi nearly discovered, yanking them both underwater.

Their silent argument halted as two figures approached the pond’s edge – Lu Qingyu and the black-robed woman.

"Nobody here," Lu Qingyu’s voice carried strangely clear through the water. "Stop jumping at shadows."

The woman’s hood tilted upward. "Did you get it?" Her whisper rasped with tension.

“No,” Lu Qingyu sighed faintly. “How odd. I wasn’t anxious, so why are you rushing?”

The woman in black robe sneered, “How carefree you act, hiding openly in this borrowed flesh. Aren’t you afraid she’ll find you?”

Xia Shi frowned. What did this mean? Was this not the real Lu Qingyu? Then where was the true one?

“Her? Xia Wuwei?” The impostor “Lu Qingyu” scoffed. “All twenty-four immortals of the Immortal Capital perished to seal me away. What trouble could a mere Nascent Soul cultivator cause?”

“Why overestimate her constantly?”

“Your words deceive,” countered the black-robed woman. “Yan Ge still lives. Tiansui used half her Divine Bone to suppress countless Blood Demons and demonic cultivators – including you. The other Fairy Lords died from formation backlash. Don’t boast falsely about events from a thousand years past when witnesses remain.”

In short, he’d bragged to the wrong audience.

The impostor’s face darkened. “You resent my criticism of her? Then why treat her so harshly before?”

“Not your concern,” the woman replied icily.

This Demon General loved gossip.

“Hurry and unseal the forbidden area.”

“Understood.”

When the figures vanished, Suiyin moved to surface. Xia Shi caught her arm, shaking her head. They lingered underwater until the black-robed woman suddenly reappeared at the pond’s edge.

After sealing the water surface completely, she departed. Below the ripples, Xia Shi stared upward as their gazes briefly met. Murderous fury surged through her.

Pei Jiu.

Here. Now.

Her fingers trembled on her sword hilt, but reason held her back.

“Passage below,” Suiyin’s voice transmission came. Xia Shi spotted the faint glow in the depths.

Breaking the surface seal risked detection. This hidden path proved timely.

“Go.”

Swimming toward the glow, they found not a tunnel but an aged teleportation formation, its markings faded. Xia Shi hesitated between this uncertain path and breaching Pei Jiu’s seal.

The formation suddenly flared. Suiyin vanished into its light. Gritting her teeth, Xia Shi gripped her companion’s hand and leaped after.

Someone had activated the receiving formation.

They emerged back-to-back in ankle-deep water, blades drawn.

Around them stretched a flooded prison.

The surroundings were dim, with only two candlelights in the corner emitting faint glows.

"Cough, cough—"

A low cough instantly drew both gazes to a shadowy figure. Chains from the walls restrained his hands, while a meteor-iron collar imprisoned his neck. Submerged in rapidly receding water, the man’s ruined legs became visible as the level dropped.

He lifted his head with effort, eyes regaining vitality as he observed the two figures pulled here by his final spiritual power.

"Sanqing Realm…"

He recognized the disciple’s robes of Sanqing Realm on Xia Shi, and the distinctive six-petal flowers adorning their garments.

"Who are you?" Xia Shi inquired.

"Jiang Liu, fifteenth Leader of Realm of Canghai." Though broken and imprisoned, his voice retained authoritative dignity.

"Who trained you?"

"Xia Wuwei of Sanqing Realm."

"Disciple of Elder Wuwei from Sanqing Realm – Suiyin."

Xia Shi glanced sideways at Suiyin.

Suiyin returned the look, silently challenging: Isn’t that accurate?

They’d formally acknowledged master-disciple ties.

"Xia Wuwei? You’re Xia Wuwei?! Hah! Heaven hasn’t abandoned Canghai!" Jiang Liu’s sudden laughter echoed strangely. Never had he imagined his desperate summons would retrieve Xia Wuwei herself.

Xia Shi resheathed her sword. "Explain yourself, Leader."

"Canghai’s calamity is Nine Realms’ doom. Thirteen Ghost Domains seek the Glazed Purification Brush to alter Qinghu Region’s demon suppression array."

"So it’s true…" Xia Shi whispered. Years earlier, she’d explored an abandoned secret realm containing only cryptic writings – rumors of world-destroying artifacts guarded in sect forbidden areas. Finding no treasures, she’d departed hastily.

"Xia Wuwei," Jiang Liu stared intently, "Qinghu’s incident wasn’t your doing. Someone exploited your thunder tribulation to breach the array. You’d prevent their success, yes?"

"You know Ghost Lord’s at Great Ascension realm," Xia Shi countered flatly. "Her six City Lords challenge even veterans. I’m merely Nascent Soul now. My memories remain sealed."

Her controlled tone didn’t fool Suiyin, who detected suppressed fury beneath.

Rising water reached Jiang Liu’s chest. His chuckle dissolved into wet coughing. "Know where they’ll strike after securing the brush?"

Xia Shi’s fists clenched. "Meaning what?"

"Four Hundred Years ago…" Water lapped his throat as he spoke. "Qingyun City and Liujin Pavilion besieged Sanqing Realm, blaming you for collateral deaths. But you were merely a pawn in others’ scheme. Canghai lost elite disciples too, yet my father fortified Si Hai City instead of retaliating. Only as Leader did I understand – two more extraplanar artifacts exist besides the brush."

"Where else? Taiyi Sect? Divine Doctor Valley? Remember Thirteen Ghosts’ massacre there years back?"

So, the next target of the Thirteen Ghost Domains would be either the Sanqing Realm or the Taiyi Sect.

The Taiyi Sect had sword immortal Feng Yi, whose cultivation had reached the Great Ascension. Though the Sanqing Realm possessed Fu Qing, she hadn’t appeared publicly for years and remained in seclusion.

Any observer would choose the Sanqing Realm first.

Xia Shi’s expression darkened. "What do you want me to do?"

As water nearly submerged Jiang Liu’s chin, Xia Shi released her spiritual power. The water prison filled with biting cold, freezing the surface instantly.

Ice crystals formed on Jiang Liu’s hair and eyebrows as he spoke through visible breaths.

"I won’t ask you to fight them to death. Find a girl called Huashang – she’ll lead you to a hidden chamber in Sea Devouring Tower. Use my blood essence to open it. There’s a counterfeit Glazed Purification Brush inside for substitution."

"I still need to see the real one first," Xia Shi retorted coldly.

Replacing treasures under their watchful eyes differed little from life-or-death combat.

"You’ve stayed in Canghai, so you must’ve met Jiang Feng. Didn’t he mention the forbidden area?" Jiang Liu’s voice deepened. "To secure his position as Leader, he’s already surrendered the forbidden area’s contents to that Young Master Yu."

Clearly Jiang Feng didn’t know what truly lay within the forbidden area.

"But Young Master Yu can’t enter himself – likely tainted by demonic energy. Since the forbidden area’s dangerous, Jiang Feng probably wants you two to retrieve the Glazed Purification Brush for him."

"What clever scheming!" Suiyin ground her teeth.

Xia Shi silently noted that both Jiang Feng and this former Leader Jiang Liu played intricate games.

Once she possessed the Glazed Purification Brush, the Thirteen Ghost Domains would fix their gaze upon her instead of assaulting the Sanqing Realm.

Controlling one person proved simpler than confronting an entire sect.

If she refused this substitution, Jiang Feng and the impostor Lu Qingyu would still pursue the brush. The gamble lay in Jiang Liu betting that Xia Wuwei would sacrifice herself for the Sanqing Realm.

His wager proved correct.

"Agreed," Xia Shi answered.

"One final request – after obtaining the brush, deliver it to my elder sister Jiang Yun."

Xia Shi stared incredulously. Whoever held this artifact would attract the Ghost Domains’ attention. Though protected by Jiang Fenghe, Jiang Yun remained an ordinary woman without spiritual power.

Why Jiang Yun instead of Jiang Fenghe? Because Jiang Yun would defend Canghai’s treasures with her life, while Jiang Fenghe might disregard them – yet would protect Jiang Yun at all costs.

Jiang Liu had entangled both sisters in his schemes, indifferent to the brush’s consequences.

"How ruthlessly you lead," Xia Shi murmured, icy gaze lowered.

Jiang Liu chuckled faintly. "For Canghai’s sake, no price matters."

Xia Shi extracted a drop of his blood essence before slipping back to Linfeng Courtyard with Suiyin.

The night’s events weighed heavily. Xia Shi sat massaging her temples.

Soon she composed a voice transmission, sending it through her jade bell to Ye Xiao.

"Senior sister, does peace hold in Sanqing Realm?"

Half an incense time later, the bell chimed.

Xia Shi urgently read the response:

"All remains well. Stay unworried."

Looking at the last two words, Xia Shi gently furrowed her brows.

"Do not miss us…"