Chapter 8
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Chapter 8: Qing Luan Refuses to Be the Scapegoat
Shall we take the righteous path, wielding a long spear, facing obstacles with courage, and slaughtering our way through the darkness in a flurry of bloodshed?
Or shall we resort to crooked paths, even though we know the road ahead is narrow, full of thorns, and painfully squeeze through just to reach our destination faster?
It is an arduous decision for the eldest princess to make.
Generally, people tend to have contradictions.
She was determined, yet not entirely resistant.
The eldest princess had a great ambition to rebuild Heluo Country through her own efforts and talents and to pave the way for her own happiness.
However, the difficulty of this road far exceeds her imagination.
It is rugged and winding, sometimes scorching like fire, sometimes cold like ice.
The eldest princess cautiously went in, she fought, she charged, she flanked, she strategically retreated, but no matter how much she struggled, she was unable to break through the tall walls and gates built on the road. In the end, she only ended up with a broken head and flowing blood after each attempt.
Despite feeling disheartened, she didn’t collapse.
She attempted to seek assistance.
Many hands make light work!
One person is not enough, with a few more people, we can always overcome obstacles, can’t we?
However, Xingluo Fortress was of little use.
Just like a man with kidney deficiency, the lumbar spine can’t straighten up.
During the hesitation, a beautiful lady who was as cool as a snow lotus suddenly entered her world.
Thus, everything began to become different!
At first, she thought it was a temporary partnership where both sides could benefit and then walk away.
Soon, the eldest princess realized that she had underestimated Bai Lian.
That woman was too adept at seizing every opportunity!
Moreover, she possessed a lethal charm, one that made it impossible to resist pressing her down tightly on the ground, rubbing one’s body against hers.
When the eldest princess realized this, Bai Lian had already swallowed one of her feet, trapping her like sinking in mud and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t free herself.
This is very detestable.
She is the Emperor of Heluo Country, and she should have had a large harem.
For example, she should have appointed Bai Lian as her empress and made her Martial Sisters her concubines.
Now, the Empress has turned against her and without a second thought, she has suppressed her. Unfortunately, her strength is far inferior to that of the Empress.
Actually…
It’s quite enjoyable to lie down and enjoy the fruits of others’ labor.
But that’s only true when the other person has no deeper malice.
The eldest princess was very sure that she didn’t have what Bai Lian wanted, so she wasn’t afraid.
However, the Lord of Reincarnation, who has lived for countless years, is willing to lower himself and collaborate with Xu Pan. She doesn’t believe that there is no deeper plan behind this.
She is aware of Xu Pan’s self-confidence.
He believes he can surpass his ancestors and restore the East Divine Land to its former glory.
However, the disparity between his abilities and insights is evident.
The eldest princess finds it hard to believe that Xu Pan could surpass the Lord of Reincarnation.
If Xu Pan dies, will this fire spread to Heluo Country?
She remains silent.
Her heart is in turmoil, unsure if she is worried about Xu Pan or Heluo Country.
Failing to find a way, the eldest princess instinctively cast her gaze upon Bai Lian.
What does Bai Lian think?
Of course, it is to quickly find the Lord of Reincarnation and Xu Pan.
Both these groups are her enemies, how could she allow them to continue growing?
At this stage, the protagonist’s aura was no longer effective.
She hoped that the fourth Martial Sister could embody the spirit of the protagonist, and knock Xu Pan and the others down.
But here comes the problem.
[Where should we go to find the Lord of Reincarnation?]
Bai Lian stared at Bu Qingxiao.
She and the Lord of Reincarnation were mortal enemies, and the Lord of Reincarnation was Bu Qingxiao’s father.
As she thought about it, it seemed that Bu Qingxiao had also become her enemy.
Should she just knock her out with a stick?
Recently, Bai Lian’s strength has increased significantly, and her self-confidence has skyrocketed.
Bu Qingxiao quickly spoke up, "I have no ill intent towards White Emperor Bai Lian, in fact, I am here to collect my father’s corpse."
"???"
Bai Lian was taken aback.
Is this how you show your filial piety to your father?
Bai Lian didn’t believe it, but she didn’t show it on her face.
Bu Qingxiao said, "White Emperor Bai Lian, I know you don’t believe it. During the process of searching for my father, I wasn’t empty-handed. I always thought he didn’t die, which was the motivation behind my search for him. But later I realized that he did die, just not completely."
She spoke and took out a bead from the space between her chest.
The bead was mostly white, but with floating oil-like colors inside, resembling a murky eyeball.
There was a faint sign of life within the eerie atmosphere.
Bai Lian asked, "A piece of a shattered soul?"
Bu Qingxiao nodded and said, "This is the fragment of the soul that I extracted from the Card of Reincarnation. It has already been contaminated."
"…"
Bai Lian nodded with a serious expression on her face.
She couldn’t understand at all what Bu Qingxiao was saying!
After some thought, Bai Lian decided to temporarily skip this matter and ask her master later when she found the opportunity… or maybe she should ask Yan Yue first.
If her master found out that she had sneaked out again, she would definitely be very angry!
"Whether there is malice or not doesn’t matter, what matters is how to find Xu Pan and your father," Bai Lian said.
Bu Qingxiao nodded secretly.
White Emperor Bai Lian is truly admirable for her broad-mindedness!
Malice?
Indeed.
In front of the ultimate strength, this thing is a joke.
And White Emperor Bai Lian is precisely such a powerful person!
If she ever had even the slightest idea of trying to stand up, she would immediately be pushed back.
Bu Qingxiao has a calm state of mind, without any distracting thoughts, as she realizes this.
The eldest princess wears a pained expression at this moment.
As it concerns Xu Pan, she dare not dispatch people to search openly, knowing that there are still many members of the Taixuan Taoist Sect hidden in the shadows.
However, searching with only her, Bai Lian, and Bu Qingxiao would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.
Facing the expectant gaze, Bu Qingxiao stood up.
"I need a breath."
"Your father’s breath?"
"Exactly."
A new task suddenly emerged before Bai Lian’s eyes.
[Task 1: Refuse to cooperate with Bu Qingxiao (Reward: the best-grade Spirit Tool – Endless Longevity)]
[Task 2: State you need to consider for another day (Reward: Heavenly Prisoner Fire)]
[Task 3: Promise Bu Qingxiao (Reward: Enlightenment Stone)]
At the moment of seeing the rewards for the three tasks, Bai Lian was dumbfounded.
Even among the best Spirit Tools, the Endless Longevity is still considered one of the finest.
The Heavenly Prisoner Fire is a divine flame that Alchemy Masters and Medicine Pill Masters dream of obtaining.
As for the Enlightenment Stone, it’s not an ordinary object either. It can assist cultivators in understanding the laws of the world and broaden their horizons. Its value may even surpass that of Endless Longevity.
This means that no matter what she chooses, the risks she will have to bear are almost the same.
"Does this mean I have no choice left? No matter how hard I struggle, the outcome is already predetermined."
Outrageous.
Bai Lian clenched her fist slightly.
It’s not that she didn’t try hard enough, she had already borrowed the power of the fourth Martial Sister and the Original Dragon, yet she still couldn’t completely slay the Lord of Reincarnation.
After all, that person was once the Heavenly Lord who transcended the Immortal World.
Even though his strength was inferior to that of her master, he still towered over her like a giant.
If she were to try to swallow him whole, she feared she would burst herself.
Upon closer inspection, this cannot be considered a complete calamity, as her strength has significantly increased.
Furthermore, her Soul Imprint is in the hands of her master.
If she were to truly fall into the Death Realm, she could easily summon her master.
The potential threat of Yue Wuyang has been eliminated, and the risk of summoning her master should now be minimal.
The only concern is that if outsiders discover the master’s "hidden strength", the long dormant Taixuan Taoist Sect may cause trouble again.
In any case, let’s first choose Task 3.
"Alright."
Bai Lian calmly extended her right hand, and no one could discern what she was truly thinking.
The departure of Innocent Heart seemed to have no impact on her.
Bu Qingxiao also reached out her hand.
She drew a purple aura from the void and then infused it into the cloudy bead.
The room was very quiet.
After a few moments, a burst of blue flame suddenly shot out from the bead, resembling a candle flame.
"Before the flame extinguishes, we can follow its guidance to search for my father," Bu Qingxiao said.
"But what if the flame goes out?" the eldest princess interjected suddenly.
Bu Qingxiao’s mouth slightly agape.
After a long while, she spoke:
"Then all we can do is wait for them to come out on their own, but by then…"
She suddenly shook her head.
The contaminated soul fragment indicated that her father was no longer sane.
Until her father willingly appears, with her current abilities, she is afraid she cannot have an equal conversation with him.
What can be done?
Perhaps all she can do is choose to ascend to the Immortal World and seek another way.
Bu Qingxiao didn’t count on Bai Lian.
Bai Lian was merely a reincarnated Immortal Emperor.
No matter how formidable an Immortal Emperor might be, she could not bridge the gap between her and the Heavenly Lord. Even if she was faced with a Heavenly Lord who only mastered two ways of the Great Tao.
This is not a comparison between 1+1 and 1.
This is a competition between the innumerable combinations of 1 and 1.
How to break it?
It cannot be broken!
The laws of the universe are constant.
Immortal Emperor cannot defeat Heavenly Lord, that is "constant"!
It’s time to set off.
On this stormy night, Bai Lian took out the bird wrapped around her waist.
Shoo-
Under the light, green feathers flew around.
After a glimmer of green light faded, a huge blue bird suddenly appeared on the top of the attic.
Bai Lian lifted her skirt slightly, parted her legs, and rode on Qing Luan’s neck.
In a moment, a warm feeling spread throughout her body from the point of contact.
She said to the startled eldest princess and Bu Qingxiao, "Don’t just stand there, hurry up, time waits for no one."
"Yes."
Bu Qingxiao nodded busily.
She had been only two feet away from Bai Lian just now, but she had not noticed Qing Luan’s presence at all.
Being able to control such a divine beast, it is clear that the depth of Bai Lian’s ability is not easily measurable!
Bu Qingxiao silently praised as she looked at her slender fingers.
She took a step forward at the same time as the eldest princess.
Just then, a wing even more gorgeous than that of a peacock’s blocked their way.
"?"
Bai Lian also froze.
Qing Luan’s eyes flicked upward slightly, and she spoke in an unfriendly tone, "Although you all know Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian, but…I refuse!"
Can the women who are greedy for Martial Sister Bai Lian’s body get on my back?
Hilarious!
I will never let this happen!
Qing Luan decided to eradicate this possibility from the source.
Yu Ying, who had transformed into a sword, slightly raised herself and expressed a highly approving attitude towards Qing Luan’s behavior.
"Martial Sister Qing Luan…"
Bai Lian was about to say a few words of advice when Qing Luan interrupted her.
"Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian, I am Qing Luan."
If you want to ride, I can only allow you to ride on my back.
Okay.
Bai Lian had no intention of forcing Qing Luan, but before she jumped down, Qing Luan said:
"But I am not someone who is unreasonable, so…"
She took out a basket made of special material and hung it on her ankle.
"You all just sit here!"
"…"
The chest of the eldest princess trembled, like a water balloon.
Well.
One day, I will ride on your back, and together with Elder Martial Sister Bai Lian, we will do great things and let you watch!
Hmm.
The firstborn princess felt that she was too "malevolent".
However, she just likes it this way!
"Time and tide wait for no man."
Having finished speaking, the eldest princess took the lead by stepping into the basket first.
Without any worldly desires, Bu Qingxiao followed suit without hesitation.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Qing Luan gently flapped her wings and soared into the sky.
She was so fast that no one in Tianyi City noticed her passing by.
Above the winds, Qing Luan followed the direction of the flame which led her all the way.
The smoothness of this journey exceeded Bai Lian’s expectations by far.
They set off at around ten o’clock and arrived at their destination in just half an hour, just a little before eleven o’clock.
Here it is.
The mountains were lofty and the clouds were howling.
Here.
The sea waves were rolling and surging.
Here.
The stars were shining brightly.
This place is unlike any other in the East Divine Land.
"Xingluo Fortress?"
As Bai Lian gazed at the huge shipyard that seemed to appear and disappear amidst the stellar array, even her calm, serene face could not help but be moved.
Is the Lord of Reincarnation hidden here?
The Lord of Reincarnation has a close relationship with Xu Pan, but according to the narration of the eldest princess, Xu Pan should feel extremely resentful towards Xingluo Fortress.
So…
Was it camouflage?
Or is a huge storm brewing here?
The eldest princess’s expression was complex, "Shall we go in directly, or investigate first before going in?"
She really didn’t want to come to Xingluo Fortress again, even though she had practiced here before.
Not to mention the conflict between Xingluo Fortress and Heluo Country, but at the time when she needed the most support, the senior leader of Xingluo Fortress who had been working with her withdrew coldly.
That was her most bewildering moment.
She felt that she was only alive for the sake of being alive.
Bu Qingxiao said, "Now many sects are having troubles, and who knows if Xingluo Fortress is still receiving visitors."
When she left Thousand Sword City, she heard that several sects had decided to close their doors in an attempt to avoid the Heaven and Earth Disaster.
Their worries didn’t last too long.
At the moment when time flowed to midnight, the huge purple light array that suddenly lit up from the surrounding floating mountains completely enveloped Xingluo Fortress.
Then came the endless falling of purple skyfire.
The earth shook and the mountains trembled.
The sea was boiling.
It seemed like a scene from the end of the world.
Bai Lian saw a vast green curtain, as wide as a high wall, appear in the sky to the east.
At that moment she understood–
The war has begun!
"Alas, some people need to shed blood to fully understand reality!"
In nothingness.
Xu Pan dressed in black took a step forward.
He gazed at the deep blue pillars standing in the dock, which were the source of the divine flame igniting the Gate of All Living Beings!
