Chapter 34: Senior Brother Baili, Shall We Defend the City Together?

Outside the town, all was quiet. The croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas had fallen into deep slumber. The thatched-roof mud houses seemed to listen intently to the night breeze, until a few yellow mongrel dogs suddenly snapped awake, barking fiercely at the sky.

A man who appeared to be in his forties, wearing a black hood, walked through the alleyways between the mud houses. His gnarled staff tapped against the ground from time to time, yet it made not a single sound.

Reaching the wooden gate at the village entrance, Zhong Yi stopped. He raised his hand and cast a talisman, enveloping the frail village in a protective barrier.

He looked half-sideways toward the nearby jungle and barked, "Come out. It is a battle that must happen sooner or later."

The bushes rustled, and a woman dressed in moon-white robes strolled out. The moonlight slanted from behind her, casting her brow and eyes into shadow, masking her expression. A white jade scabbard reflected the moonlight, and a matching white tassel dangled from it, looking somewhat aged and yellowed.

The woman looked up, a trace of a bitter smile flickering in her eyes. Her thin lips parted.

"Senior Brother Zhong, it has been a long time. We were once of the same sect; I do not wish to cross blades with you. Do not struggle in vain. Stand aside! It is merely a group of mortals who will die, not the promising seeds of the Immortal Sect. You could simply turn a blind eye and grant me this favor."

The hood billowed in the wind, revealing strands of ink-black hair that fluttered across his chest. Zhong Yi reached up and pulled off his hood. His grip tightened on his staff, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes twitched.

"I am truly curious: what terms did the Demon Race offer to make you betray Canglang Mountain and the Immortal Alliance? Have you forgotten the oath of the Alliance? The oath we once swore!"

The woman frowned slightly, her index finger hooking onto the silver ornament on her scabbard. She looked past Zhong Yi toward the pitch-black thatched houses. As the night wind stirred her hair, she shivered involuntarily.

"Senior Brother, we have lived for over a thousand years; we are no longer the naive youths filled with silly ideals. People climb to higher ground, and water flows to lower places. Having weathered the vicissitudes of life, I am no longer the You Fengying I once was. Absurd notions of duty can no longer bind me. I have my own pursuits."

*Screech—*

Zhong Yi twisted his staff and lifted it. The brownish outer layer shed away, and a faint, sharp sword-light burst from the hilt. The iron sword was caked in rust; the tip vibrated gently, emitting a low hum that sounded like a sigh.

His waist-length hair whipped in the wind. Zhong Yi held the iron sword at a slant, his eyes cold as he stood before the wooden gate.

"Very well! We shall rely on our own abilities! You fulfill your mission, and I shall keep my vow."

"Senior Brother, it has been a thousand years. It is time to let go. Junior Brother Bai will not return. Even for a god, once a soul falls into the cycle of reincarnation, very few can regain their former status while holding onto their original intent. Everyone changes."

"Do not call me Senior Brother! You are not worthy!"

Zhong Yi pushed off with his heels, his body leaping into the air. He swung the iron sword, and spiritual light erupted from the blade, slashing straight at You Fengying’s throat.

You Fengying’s pupils constricted. She raised her sword to parry, and as the blade met the scabbard, a spray of sparks exploded. She flipped her sheathed sword, carving a crescent arc of light. The surging waves of sword qi hemmed Zhong Yi in, narrowing his space to maneuver.

The range of the rusted sword grew smaller and smaller. Zhong Yi was drenched in sweat. A sword mark appeared on his right cheek, and beads of blood welled up, trailing along the contour of his face and rolling off his chin.

Zhong Yi glanced at the large yellow dog behind him. The dog panted, wagging its tail at him as if wanting to follow. When it looked at You Fengying, its eyes filled with killing intent, and it barked fiercely at her. In the past, he and Bai Yunfei had also kept a dog. Every evening, Bai Yunfei would sit on the stone steps next to the yellow dog, waiting for him to return from sword practice.

"I can never go back," Zhong Yi murmured, looking at the yellow dog.

His calloused fingers slid over the blade. Blood flowed across the rusted surface, and the sword-light began to bubble red, emitting a low, porridge-like boiling sound. When he looked again, the red rust had been washed away, leaving the blade bright and dazzling, as if just forged.

Zhong Yi’s robes billowed. He swallowed the blood in his throat, raised his sword, and charged at You Fengying once more.

"Senior Brother, you would have surely defeated me in the past. But I have accepted eight hundred years of worship, and my power has grown immensely, while you have been ignored by all for millennia. You are clearly no match for me, yet you still reserve half of your spiritual energy to protect others. Is it worth it?"

"You are not from the Divine Province; naturally, you do not understand. There is a word called 'duty.' There is no question of worth—only duty! First, I protect the living beings of the Divine Province, and only then do I wait for Junior Brother Bai’s return from reincarnation!"

You Fengying’s eyes flickered. She unleashed a sword strike, and an overwhelming surge of spiritual power crashed toward Zhong Yi, its majestic momentum soaring to the heavens. Zhong Yi was sent flying ten meters away, his heels dragging a three-finger-deep trench in the mud as blood spilled from his lips.

He channeled his spiritual power, using the momentum to collide with a boulder to the side, avoiding the protective barrier and ensuring he did not damage the villagers' homes. The boulder let out a muffled thud and shattered into a thousand cracks. Zhong Yi remained half-embedded in the rubble. He coughed, his fingers twitching, and a dim flicker of spiritual energy darted from his fingertips, reducing the entire rock to dust.

...

Before the Earth Deity Temple.

A golden barrier enveloped Lingxi and her companion. Countless Face-Eraser monsters swarmed the barrier, gnawing at it, but they could not get an inch closer.

The King of the Face-Erasers pulled his mouth into a straight line, gathering the power of all the monsters to strike the golden barrier.

*Boom—*

The barrier exploded. The Face-Eraser monsters, large and small, turned into lumps of flesh. A rain of blood danced in the sky, yet not a single drop touched the two of them.

Lingxi pressed her lips into a thin line, her ears twitching as she listened to the spirit’s report. She was borrowing Luochen’s spiritual power, which allowed her to crush Foundation Establishment cultivators and use some of his unique secret techniques, but the duration was extremely short and came at a personal cost.

However, she had not expected that just as they thought they had killed them all, a new batch of monsters appeared out of thin air. The corpses of the previous Face-Eraser King gathered together, leading the new monsters in a renewed assault.

This could only mean one thing: someone was pulling the strings from behind, and there was a teleportation array or magical artifact nearby. Through her spiritual connection with the plants and animals of the night, she had encountered several wandering souls and learned the general situation regarding Zhong Yi.

Lingxi’s eyelashes fluttered, and she clenched her fists. She did not want to invite trouble, but to accumulate spiritual power, she had no choice but to gamble.

That man had risked his life to save them!

She did not want to die, but she also did not want to owe anyone a favor. The other party was protecting them with his life—a high price indeed. She was unwilling to spend her life being driven by the will of others.

"Have you decided? In your current state, even if I channel some of my recovered divine power into you, you will surely suffer damage. At best, broken bones and tendons; at worst, permanent paralysis with no hope of further cultivation."

Jiang Ziwen’s haughty voice buzzed in her mind, his tone unusually balanced and calm.

Lingxi nodded, tightening her grip. "My deal is with you. With the Earth Deity, it is nothing. I do not want to owe a favor."

In the orchard, Jiang Ziwen’s gaze darkened as he hammered at a wooden board, busy building a house. Hearing Lingxi’s words, his hammer missed the nail. He said in an indifferent tone, "Suit yourself. If you die, at the very worst, we just won't leave. See if I care what happens to the world."

Lingxi tightened her fists. Black mist spread around her, and her eyes, brimming with spiritual essence, were filled with a gloomy aura and a sharp, piercing light. Her stature grew, becoming only slightly shorter than Baili Ze. A suit of shimmering silver armor materialized over her body, and her braids transformed into a high ponytail. She was now the picture of a spirited young general.

"Senior Brother Baili, will you join me in defending Zhuxi City!"

Her cold, resolute voice vibrated within the barrier. Lingxi’s eyes pierced through the forest, looking into the distance.