Chapter Forty-One: An Inexplicable Misunderstanding

Just moments ago, Qin Chuan was lost in the euphoria of victory, completely oblivious to the strange behavior of the Black Scaled Beast. This was the beast’s final counterattack before death—a soul-destroying technique! The Soul Extinguishing Art was a high-level secret skill of Black Wind Cliff, reserved only for direct disciples. In the past, when the Black Scaled Beast secretly consumed spiritual pills, it managed to learn the technique by stealth, though it was unaware that what it had stolen was but a defective version.

This flawed Soul Extinguishing Art left the user immobilized during its casting, and brought with it dire side effects: after its use, the practitioner would either die or be gravely wounded. Its effectiveness was far from ideal, and Black Wind Cliff had long since abandoned its use. The Black Scaled Beast, embracing certain death, unleashed the Soul Extinguishing Art in an attempt to drag Qin Chuan down with it, even calculating Qin Chuan’s final landing spot.

“Ah! Damn it, the pain is unbearable!”

Qin Chuan’s true form, the Cold Iron Sword, hummed noisily, tumbling and leaping until, by misfortune, it plunged into the frigid lake.

With a splash, the icy water engulfed Qin Chuan. The intense pain and the invasion of the cold caused the light of his spiritual core to fade instantly; in that moment, he lost consciousness.

The Cold Iron Sword slowly sank to the lake’s bottom, swept by turbulent currents into a black vortex, its destination unknown.

At the same time, a young man in black, bearing a white bone sword on his back, was hurrying toward Wind Spirit Valley.

His face was pale, and his eyes gleamed with an uncanny light. Even as he ran, his figure was impossible to discern; when he stopped, his position could not be locked onto with any accuracy.

This was Shang Xuan Yue, a disciple of Black Wind Cliff.

“Master, why have you stopped?”

The voice came from the bone sword on Shang Xuan Yue’s back.

Shang Xuan Yue’s face showed astonishment. “How is this possible? I sense the Black Scaled Beast is dead.”

“What? The Black Scaled Beast is dead?”

“In Wind Spirit Valley, he was the mightiest presence! Across the entire Deer Plains, there was no one who could confidently defeat him!”

“How could he have died?”

The white bone sword’s voice was full of shock and confusion.

“We’re almost there. Hurry up. If I find out who did this, I’ll make them pay a heavy price!”

“Yes, we must find the culprit and avenge the Black Scaled Beast!”

Shang Xuan Yue nodded lightly and fell silent, though a fierce gleam flashed in his bizarre eyes.

His main purpose this time was to collect resources, and to bring the Black Scaled Beast back as a matter of course.

Now, with the beast’s death, Shang Xuan Yue felt a vague unease.

“Could it have been Purple Spirit Palace?”

His suspicion was not unfounded; in Deer Plains, only Purple Spirit Palace possessed such power.

Deer Plains served as a buffer zone between Black Wind Cliff and Purple Spirit Palace, and their skirmishes and disputes were commonplace.

However, both sides had kept a low profile in recent years, lending the region an unusual sense of harmony.

Half a day later, Shang Xuan Yue arrived at the heart of Wind Spirit Valley, greeted by scenes of devastation.

“As expected, Wind Spirit Valley has been ransacked!”

“Master, who would dare to target Black Wind Cliff?”

“Hmph, who else but Purple Spirit Palace in Deer Plains?”

Without further deliberation, Shang Xuan Yue was convinced that Purple Spirit Palace was behind the plundering.

After some time, he found the corpse of the Black Scaled Beast by the lakeside.

Due to the violent side effects, the beast’s body was charred black, blown to pieces, as if slain in a single strike.

A trace of sorrow crossed Shang Xuan Yue’s face. “Black Scaled Beast!”

“Master, the one who killed him must not be of low rank!”

“Indeed. To defeat the Black Scaled Beast in one blow—besides those from Purple Spirit Palace, I can think of no other!”

“Master, what now?”

“Let’s check the mine.”

Moments later, Shang Xuan Yue exited the mine, his face cold, his eyes ablaze with fury.

“Well done, Purple Spirit Palace—nothing left behind!”

Just then, the white bone sword spotted a glimmer in the grass. “Master, there seems to be something over there.”

“Let’s have a look!”

Shang Xuan Yue approached the grass and found the Spirit Iron Stone Qin Chuan had discarded, still bearing the distinctive mark of Purple Spirit Palace.

“So it was Purple Spirit Palace after all!”

Shang Xuan Yue spoke with hatred, his grip tightening until the spirit ore crumbled like snow.

“Let’s search the area. Perhaps we’ll catch them by chance—I’ll make sure they pay!”

“Yes, the Black Scaled Beast must be avenged!”

...

In a realm of cold and darkness, the Cold Iron Sword drifted for an unknown length of time, eventually being swept into a pool.

The pool was surrounded by trees and grass, its shimmering waters cool and inviting, beckoning one to leap in for refreshment.

Coincidentally, someone had just arrived, unable to resist the allure of the water, preparing to let loose in its embrace.

“Bai Yuan, keep watch for me. Don’t let anyone come near.”

“Yes, young mistress. Rest assured—anyone who approaches, I’ll kill them!”

A fierce gleam flashed in Bai Yuan’s eyes; he would not allow any person or spirit to witness the goddess bathing.

“Bai Yuan, why not join me for a wash?”

“Ah? No, no, young mistress, don’t joke like that! I’ll stand guard for you!”

Bai Yuan was so startled by the suggestion that he snatched the precious sword from the young mistress and vanished in a flash.

“Who doesn’t know you’re the little demoness of Purple Spirit Palace? I’d be mad to bathe with you!”

“I’d rather not tempt fate with a long life!”

Hiding behind a tree, Bai Yuan muttered to himself.

“Coward!”

A hint of a smile appeared on the enchanting face of the young mistress.

Zihan Yu was the eldest daughter of Purple Spirit Palace, traveling for leisure while seeking quality sword blanks and investigating the mining thieves.

Though she found no evidence of Black Wind Cliff’s involvement in the theft, she refused to let matters rest and so arrived near Wind Spirit Valley.

“Hmph, once I’ve had my fill, I’ll teach Black Wind Cliff a lesson!”

After confirming the area was deserted, Zihan Yu gently shed her clothes, revealing a flawless, snow-white body, and plunged joyfully into the cool, clear water.

“Wow! This water is so cool and clear—so comfortable!”

“Goodness, it seems to have grown again.”

“My sister Chun said that if someone touches it, it’ll grow even more!”

“Ah, what am I thinking? How embarrassing!”

...

At that moment, Qin Chuan’s spiritual core began to glow anew, his consciousness slowly opening its eyes.

“Damn it, that nearly killed me! The Black Scaled Beast was truly formidable!”

“Huh, where am I?”

Qin Chuan looked around and first saw the rippling water; not far away, he spotted something snow-white.

The snow-white figure was exquisitely shaped, with long, slender jade legs moving through the water, a flawless, gracefully arched form, and a cascade of purple hair draped over her shoulders.

Everything about her was perfection.

“Oh my god, it’s a woman?!”

Qin Chuan was so shocked he was speechless. Worse yet, the woman slowly turned to face him.

Her refined and beautiful features were adorned with a gentle smile, her star-like purple eyes nearly capable of stealing one’s soul.

And... other indescribable scenes of beauty.

In that instant, Qin Chuan felt as though he was about to have a nosebleed.

Buzz!

Unable to control his true form, the Cold Iron Sword let out a low, muffled hum—though the sound was muted by the water, it still drew Zihan Yu’s attention.

She stared intently at the grass near the pool’s edge, her voice tinged with alarm. “Who is it?! Who’s there?”

Ding! Detected Level 36 Purple Spirit Fox, demon clan.