Chapter 82 - 76: Shangguan Luoxue: Go Back
According to the Heavenly Dao Laws, if He Shuangying had been killed by a High-tier Cultivator of a different path, his Star Position would have returned to the Sea of Stars.
At that point, countless Cultivators stuck at the Third and Fourth Realms—all practicing as pseudo-Star Officials—would have swarmed to seize this sole opportunity to become legitimate. The competition would have been as fierce as a thousand soldiers trying to cross a single-plank bridge.
But now, he had been killed by Jiang Mu.
And so, the Celestial Dao reached a different verdict.
’A supposedly orthodox Star Official, taken out by your own pseudo-counterpart? That just means you were pathetic and unworthy of the position.’
The position belongs to the worthy.
At this moment, Jiang Mu could clearly feel the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi thrumming, drawing closer to him.
It was as if his consciousness was ascending to an infinite height.
Overlooking the boundless Sea of Stars.
Amidst the glittering galaxy, he could sense a particular star resonating with him from afar, radiating a kinship as intimate as a blood bond.
The Earth Concealing Star had claimed its rightful place.
From this moment on, he was no longer "pseudo."
He was now a true Star Official—ordained by the heavens!
As the empowerment of the Star Position settled within him, a speck of crystalline starlight gradually condensed in Jiang Mu’s Dantian, ultimately forming a Star Pill.
Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged toward him of its own accord, like streams flowing into the ocean.
The empowerment of Star Power he now received was far beyond what the pseudo-Star Power simulated by the Demon Shadow could ever compare to.
——
「Divine Sword Sect. The Sword Tomb.」
The place was perpetually dim, its only light a faint, dark red glow emanating from a massive pool of blood.
Countless ancient swords of all shapes and sizes were thrust into the pool, packed densely together.
Their blades were half-submerged in the bloody water.
From the depths of the pool, one could faintly hear the suppressed roars and sorrowful cries of demonic beasts.
An old man with disheveled hair sat cross-legged by the pool, his aura as still as an ancient well. This was He Qingyang, the surviving ancestor of the Divine Sword Sect.
A true Ninth Realm Sword Cultivator.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a flash of sword light glinting in his pupils before vanishing.
"Audacious!!"
His low shout was like a clap of thunder.
RATTLE—
Ten thousand swords in the blood pool sang in unison. Countless longswords rose of their own accord, hovering in the air with their tips all aimed toward Hu State.
A chilling Sword Qi shot toward the heavens!
Just as the thousands of swords were about to whistle through the air, a woman’s voice, cold as ice, drifted from the direction of Hu State:
"Get back in!"
Just three short words, yet they caused the Sword Qi around He Qingyang to abruptly freeze.
Shangguan Luoxue!
He Qingyang’s expression turned grim, but without a moment’s hesitation, he waved his sleeve. As if obeying a royal command, the hovering swords reversed direction in perfect unison and plunged back into the blood pool.
Against the Twelfth Realm Garrison Envoy, his Ninth Realm Cultivation Level...
...was simply not enough.
Even with her being heavily injured.
A short while later, a slender-faced, middle-aged man of about forty hurried into the Sword Tomb.
He was Yuan Wugen, the current Sect Leader of the Divine Sword Sect and a son-in-law who had married into the He family.
"Father-in-law."
Yuan Wugen asked, alarmed and uncertain, "Just now, that was..."
He Qingyang stated flatly, "Ying’Er is dead. His Star Position has been taken by another."
"What!?"
Yuan Wugen was stunned for a moment. Then his face went pale, his eyes filling with shock that quickly morphed into blazing fury.
"Who?"
"Who killed my son?!"
He roared, the Sword Qi erupting from his body and shredding the nearby rock walls.
He Qingyang’s tone was calm, but tinged with a chilling frost:
"With Shangguan Luoxue around, my divine sense is blocked. I can’t use my Divine Abilities to investigate, nor is it convenient for me to appear in person.
However, the Illusion Array I planted in Ying’Er’s body has been triggered, trapping the killer in place.
This array will last an hour at most. Go quickly and kill that person. Once the Star Position returns to the Sea of Stars, I have my own ways to guide it back to the Divine Sword Sect.
Remember, once that hour is up, the Star Position will be nearly impossible to recover."
With a flick of his sleeve, a jade locating slip landed in Yuan Wugen’s hand.
After all their years of machinations, they had long come to see the orthodox Earth Concealing Star as the Divine Sword Sect’s private property.
They would never allow any outsider to claim it.
"Understood!"
Yuan Wugen clenched his jaw, gripped the jade slip tightly, and strode away.
The cavern returned to a deathly silence.
He Qingyang slowly raised his gaze toward the depths of the blood pool.
A small sword rested quietly there, submerged in the depths. Its blade pulsed with a scarlet glow, radiating a heart-stoppingly malevolent aura.
’Soon... Just a little more.’
The old man muttered to himself,
’If this sword is successfully forged, I’ll have a chance to break through to the next realm.
Once I reach the Tenth Realm, if that Shangguan Luoxue loses her Star Position because of her damaged Dao Foundation, I’ll be perfectly positioned to take her place!
After that, in all of Hu State... who would dare defy me?’
...
Yuan Wugen’s face was ashen and filled with murderous intent as he walked out of the Sword Tomb.
He had three sons, but his youngest, He Shuangying, was his favorite.
He wasn’t as talented as his older brothers, but Yuan Wugen adored him all the same.
The reason was simple: he was Yuan Wugen’s only biological son.
Having married into the family, his wife had already borne two sons with her previous lover.
Even though the boy took his mother’s surname, he was still Yuan Wugen’s own flesh and blood. At least he had established his roots.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have begged his father-in-law so desperately to give the sect’s only orthodox Earth Demon Level Star Position to his son, He Shuangying.
His only complaint was that the boy had some... disturbing hobbies. The Demons the sect raised in secret had often suffered his abuse.
Yuan Wugen had scolded him for it more than once.
He had sent him down the mountain this time to retrieve some medicinal herbs, hoping the experience would temper his character.
But he never imagined his son would end up losing his life.
No matter who the killer was, he would make them suffer death by a thousand cuts!
Of course, the most urgent task now was to reclaim the Star Position.
In his father-in-law’s eyes, the lives of ten grandsons couldn’t compare to a single orthodox Star Official position.
"Brother!"
Just then, a burly, broad-shouldered man strode over.
"A disciple just delivered a message. He said Ying’Er sent men with the cargo to the outskirts of Heitu Village. I was about to take some men to meet them..."
The burly man was Yuan Wugen’s sworn brother.
His name was Cao Renqi.
They had met by chance in the martial world years ago. The two became fast friends, faced life and death together, and eventually swore an oath of brotherhood before a temple, burning incense to seal their pact.
When Yuan Wugen married into the Divine Sword Sect, Cao Renqi followed him.
They had supported each other through all these years.
They were not brothers by birth, but their bond was stronger than blood.
"Ying’Er is dead," Yuan Wugen cut him off.
"What!?"
Cao Renqi looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
Yuan Wugen closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were filled with an icy coldness:
"Father-in-law has trapped the killer with a secret array. I’m taking a few elite disciples and heading there immediately. You stay here and watch over the Demon Nest. We’re at a critical stage; don’t let anything go wrong."
"Yes..."
Cao Renqi was still in a daze. He asked subconsciously, "Should... should we tell your wife?"
Yuan Wugen hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"She’s at a critical point in her cultivation. Let’s not disturb her for now."
With that, he strode away.
Cao Renqi watched his friend’s retreating back. Then, with a thud, he dropped to his knees, slammed his fist into the ground, and cried out in anguish:
"My Lady, our son... he’s gone!"
——
After successfully seizing the Star Position, Jiang Mu planned to carry He Shuangying’s corpse back to the abandoned temple.
But the corpse suddenly began to change.
Innumerable, tiny white specks of light erupted from the corpse’s surface, drifting in all directions like dandelion seeds.
Realizing something was wrong, Jiang Mu hastily retreated.
However, the specks of light spread far faster than he anticipated, covering the entire forest in an instant.
The surrounding scenery began to warp and distort.
Trees shifted, rocks overlapped, and the once-clear path vanished. A hazy, yellow film settled over everything.
Even when Jiang Mu summoned the Demon Shadow and attempted to use Instant Teleportation to escape, he found himself merely going in circles.
"An Illusion Array?"
Jiang Mu frowned and muttered to himself, "Could the Divine Sword Sect have already realized what happened?"
He recalled Ran Qingshan mentioning that the Earth Conceal Star Position had always been held by the Divine Sword Sect, and a shadow fell over his heart.
’Of course. They wouldn’t want anyone else to take it.’
He took the handkerchief Ling Ye had given him from his robes and decisively unfolded it.
’Since I can’t get out, I’ll call for backup!’
WHOOSH—
The handkerchief unfolded.
A translucent, ice-blue butterfly flew out of it.
It vanished in an instant.
’But even if Ling Ye senses it immediately, it will probably take some time to get here from the city.’
’For now, all I can do is wait.’
’So, what should I do now...’
Jiang Mu looked down at the headless corpse at his feet. "Since it’s come to this, I might as well loot the corpse first."
Looting corpses is a good habit to have, after all.