Chapter 40: A Battle to the Death!

As soon as Zhang Zixuan entered the tea stall, she immediately noticed a little girl of about three years old sitting there—a child she had never seen before. So, as soon as she took her seat, she asked, “Where did this child come from?”

“She’s my sister,” Song Ye replied, setting a teacup before her and filling it to the brim. “I’ll go get your sesame cakes from inside now.”

Song Ye then went to the kitchen in the back courtyard and returned with three sesame cakes: two for Zhang Zixuan and one for Song Yan, who sat obediently nearby. The cake was larger than Song Yan’s face; she held it in both hands, and had to open her mouth as wide as she possibly could to take a bite.

Looking at the adorable little girl, Zhang Zixuan asked Song Ye again, “Boss, why have I never seen your sister before?”

Song Ye replied, “I used to worry she’d run around outside, so I never brought her out to the stall.”

“Oh!” Zhang Zixuan nodded, believing him completely.

“By the way, did your Xuanching Sect hold that Five Sects Martial Tournament about half a month ago?” Song Ye asked.

Zhang Zixuan nodded, “Yes, it’s long finished.”

“Did you participate?” Song Ye inquired.

Zhang Zixuan shook her head, “I only joined Xuanching Palace a year ago. My cultivation and seniority are far from sufficient—I couldn’t participate.”

“So, who won first place in this year’s Five Sects Martial Tournament?” Song Ye asked curiously.

Zhang Zixuan spoke as she ate her cake, “The champion was Shulei, a ninth-generation young disciple from the Divine Wind Sect. She was truly amazing, stunning everyone. Even my master praised her endlessly, saying the Divine Wind Sect had truly found a treasure in her.”

Shulei from Divine Wind Sect? Song Ye had never met this person and wasn’t particularly interested, but since even Master Su admired her, she must be exceptional.

Song Ye continued, “What about the three disciples representing the Moon-Seizing Sect? What ranks did they achieve?”

Zhang Zixuan, who had a good memory, replied, “I remember the three disciples representing Moon-Seizing Sect were called Duan Ling, Zhou Nongshan, and Chen Huaiyin. Are you asking about these three?”

Song Ye nodded, “Yes!”

Zhang Zixuan said, “They were all eliminated in the very first match. Their results were rather dismal. But their female master seemed quite nice. She didn’t scold them, instead laughing heartily while holding a bottle of wine.”

So Duan Ling and his companions had been eliminated without winning a single match. No wonder they hadn’t come to the tea stall to see him after leaving Xuanching Palace—most likely too embarrassed by their defeat.

“By the way, Zixuan, I’ve never asked you—did your family in Cheng County manage to leave safely? Where are they now? Are they well?” Song Ye asked with concern.

Zhang Zixuan replied, “When the news of Dangcheng’s fall reached us, my family moved to the capital, Luocheng. I just received their letter two days ago. They’re all well in Luocheng.”

“And they told me not to worry, saying the Yan Kingdom’s army could never reach Luocheng.”

“Where has the Yan Kingdom’s army reached now?” Song Ye asked curiously.

“The Yan army has already taken Wengcheng. Their next target is Xuancheng. If Xuancheng falls too, there will be no barrier north of Luocheng, and the Yan army could sweep straight through to the capital,” Zhang Zixuan explained.

Song Ye remarked, “That being the case, even the capital Luocheng is in a precarious position. Why did your family say in their letter that the Yan army couldn’t reach Luocheng?”

Zhang Zixuan replied, “Because the Li Kingdom has stationed heavy troops in Xuancheng, intending to fight the Yan army to the bitter end there, to prevent the war from spreading to the capital. Moreover, the commander of the Li Kingdom’s army this time is none other than the Princess, Li Xiuling!”

“That’s why the people of Luocheng have such confidence in the outcome of this war.”

Song Ye asked curiously, “Is Li Xiuling such a formidable figure?”

Zhang Zixuan shook her head, “It’s more than just formidable—she’s a legend!”

“She’s been hailed as the greatest genius in the immortal cultivation world since ancient times.”

“At thirteen, she attained Tongxuan.”

“At fourteen, she reached the Void Spirit realm.”

“Then, at seventeen, she advanced directly to the Sky-Breaking realm, becoming the youngest practitioner at that level at the time.”

Back then, almost everyone believed she would become the youngest Immortal Lord in history.

As Zhang Zixuan spoke of Li Xiuling, her eyes were filled with admiration.

Perhaps Li Xiuling’s achievements in cultivation alone do not fully reveal her greatness; one needs a comparison. Take Duan Ling, for example: he’s seventeen this year and considers himself outstanding among his peers. Yet his cultivation is only at the fifth stage of the Bone-Tempering realm. Li Xiuling, on the other hand, had already reached the Tongxuan realm at thirteen, and at seventeen, was a Sky-Breaking practitioner.

Even Duan Ling’s master, that wine-loving immortal, Gu, has remained at the Void Spirit realm to this day.

“If Senior Li Xiuling hadn’t accidentally killed the demon pet of Changsun Ni, the Dark Nether Demon Lord, and thus offended him—resulting in her being imprisoned in the Nine Nether Dungeon for seven years—she might well have become the youngest Immortal Lord in the cultivation world by now!” Zhang Zixuan spoke with deep regret.

Changsun Ni, the Dark Nether Demon Lord? Song Ye recognized the name—he ranked third on the Demon Path power list, just above Qin Xuanxi, who was fourth.

“This Demon Lord Changsun Ni imprisoned the most promising young immortal woman in your cultivation world. Didn’t any of your Immortal Lords dare to stand up and demand her release?” Song Ye asked, puzzled.

Zhang Zixuan explained, “Li Xiuling did kill the demon lord’s pet first, so she was at fault. Moreover, Changsun Ni holds great power in the Demon Path. If anyone angered him, it could trigger the sixth Immortal-Demon War. That’s why the Immortal Lords chose to ignore the matter—it was a helpless, pragmatic solution.”

“It’s like when the brutal Xuanyuan Demon Lord slaughtered the entire Holy Heaven Sect a few months ago; almost no immortal sect dared to stand up and call for vengeance against her. Both Xuanyuan and Dark Nether Demon Lords are highly ranked in the Demon Path, with countless followers. Provoking them could easily lead to another large-scale Immortal-Demon War.”

“So, regarding Xuanyuan’s massacre of the Holy Heaven Sect, our immortal sects simply treat it as a personal vendetta, unrelated to the Immortal-Demon conflict.”

Finishing her explanation, Zhang Zixuan sighed deeply. She seemed especially disappointed by the repeated capitulation of immortal sect elders to the evil lords of the Demon Path.

Having only been a disciple for a year, Zhang Zixuan’s voice was small, her cultivation shallow, and she had no power to change such a situation.