Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Mysterious Lady

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Mysterious Woman
Chapter Ten: The Sword Dances in the Mountain, Violet Lightning Startles the Demons, Fiery Clouds Obscure the Ancient Crossing of Taihang as Strangers Compete for Wonders (Part Seven)

Qing Shi nodded slightly and said, “For now, this may be our only path. Let’s give it a try!”
A look of gravity appeared on Ding Yubin’s face as he gripped his single saber, ready to strike at any moment. The group readied their weapons, focusing their minds and holding their breath. At Qing Shi’s resounding shout, everyone hurled their weapons forward simultaneously. Sword energy surged and fierce force shot skyward. In a flash, they reached the second barrier. Sure enough, as their vision flickered, dozens of silver bolts of lightning suddenly shot from behind to the left, crackling through the air with overwhelming power. The sheer might of it left everyone inwardly astonished.

Ding Yubin’s eyes brightened and he shouted, “Brothers, strike together at the left-rear!” With that, a beam of azure light shot out before him. Qing Shi shouted, “Hasten!” as a jade ruler in his hand emitted a milky radiance.

A thunderous explosion resounded, shaking the heavens. The weapons in their hands struck by lightning sent a violent tremor through their spirits. Ouyang Tai and Li Yulin’s faces went pale as they collapsed to the ground. Even Qing Shi and Ding Yubin felt unspeakable discomfort, their faces drastically changing. After a moment, the lightning gradually waned, and the scene before their eyes blurred again, revealing a sweep of sandy ground, at the center of which stood a stone stele.

Delight flickered across Ding Yubin’s face. “Brothers, this is it! This is the stone stele! It seems we have broken through the second barrier!” The group looked carefully. The stele stood about ten or twelve meters tall, mottled and weathered, with faint carvings upon it, though from a distance they were hard to make out.

Ye Hua was filled with wonder and asked, “Is this the stele? It looks perfectly ordinary!”
Ding Yubin nodded and smiled. “Indeed. According to the villagers’ descriptions, it matches exactly! This is my first time seeing it, too. I wonder what mysteries it holds.”

Just as they were about to approach, a sudden gale roared behind them. Whirling winds howled furiously. The group spun around to see billows of immortal mist rolling and dozens of tornadoes raging within, scattering the colored clouds. Then came a few clear, bell-like laughs: “This formation is truly laughable! I didn’t expect it to be so easily broken! If I’d known, we wouldn’t have worked so hard!”

As the mist slowly dispersed, a group of young women appeared—the very ones from the flying ship before—smiling as they gazed at Ye Hua and his companions. In the distance, Qing Kai and Xie Liang’s faces had turned grim. The maids had set up a counter-formation, and before the two realized, the clouds and mists had been dispelled in the blink of an eye.

Before Ye Hua and the others could act, the dozens of wind pillars had not ceased but instead merged into two colossal columns, rushing straight toward the stele. Ding Yubin and Qing Shi’s faces changed, for the force behind those wind pillars was immense. Even if they intervened, they knew they could not stop them; yet they were unwilling to see their prize snatched away. They were just about to shout in anger when—

A sword light suddenly flashed, silver as lightning, cleaving one of the wind pillars. The sound of a dragon’s long cry rang out. The sword light, like a living thing, coiled and danced along the pillar, twisting it, then with a flash of cold light and a tremendous boom, the pillar was shattered, the wild winds tearing at their robes.

The silver light turned toward the second wind pillar, but was a moment too late. That pillar wrapped around the stone stele. As the group cried out in alarm, the stele suddenly radiated multicolored light and a formless suction force spread out. The wind pillar, as if water being drawn by a jade vessel, was irresistibly absorbed into the stele, while the silver light, seeing its effort wasted, shot back to its owner.

The group was thunderstruck! All that had transpired was over in a flash, and they had not even grasped what had happened before the two great wind pillars had vanished. Regaining their senses, they turned to see Ye Hua standing quietly behind them, a short sword in his hand.

They had thought Ye Hua’s blow was casual, but in truth, it had gathered all his inner energy, unleashing the power of the Azure Pool Cold Essence Dragon fused within his sword. To strike again with such force would be beyond his strength.

Qing Kai and Qing Shi were first shocked, then their faces bloomed into smiles, their eyes shining with delight. Xie Liang and Ding Yubin’s expressions turned calm, but their hearts trembled: “How could one at the Seven Treasures Realm do this? Has he already broken through to the Three Truths Realm? That’s impossible—no word of such progress, yet this strike is beyond belief!”

The women’s faces, however, darkened in severity. The chief maid scolded, “How dare you! You dare break our formation!” She glanced at the woman in the center and bowed, calling softly, “Miss.” The woman, her face serene, said, “So our formation has been broken. Then let us test him in a match.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the chief maid replied, “Yes, Miss!” She stepped forward from the crowd and approached Ye Hua. “Since you have broken our formation,” she said, “it seems there is enmity between us. Will you all face me together, or shall we duel one-on-one?”

Qing Kai and Xie Liang exchanged worried glances. “They outnumber us, and who knows their true cultivation? If we fight, our side may be defeated in moments. Would that not be utter folly?”

Ye Hua regarded the maid and smiled. “Miss, why must we fight now? The stele’s barriers are formidable; perhaps neither of us can breach them yet. Wouldn’t it be premature to clash?”

The maid frowned, annoyance flashing in her eyes. “Enough talk—draw your weapon!” With a wave of her hand, a golden phoenix-shaped hairpin appeared in her grasp. She flicked her wrist, and a piercing phoenix cry rang out. In the blink of an eye, a multicolored phoenix materialized, its feathers resplendent, diving at Ye Hua.

Even before the phoenix reached him, its searing heat was unbearable. Ye Hua was startled, darted aside, and traced a circle in the air with his Crimson Crow Dagger. The circle rapidly expanded, then flashed with lightning, entrapping the phoenix within. The phoenix’s flight was halted, and it circled within the ring. It was Ye Hua’s first time using this “Circle of Confinement” technique, and seeing the phoenix trapped, he prepared to unleash another spell.

Yet the maid formed a seal and pointed at the phoenix. Suddenly, flames erupted from its body, a tongue of fire shooting out and engulfing the surroundings in a fiery blaze. With a single wheeling motion, the phoenix broke free, its talons flashing toward Ye Hua.

Golden light burst from Ye Hua, his hands turning the color of bronze, as if cast from metal. In a flash, he caught the phoenix’s claws, unmoved by the burning flames. The phoenix shrieked in pain, trying to break free, but Ye Hua’s grip only tightened, golden light sparkling as a series of sharp cracks sounded. The flames about the phoenix swiftly dissipated, a red light flashed, and as all looked again, Ye Hua was holding a bright golden phoenix hairpin.

The maid’s face changed drastically and she was about to attack again when a gentle voice called, “Stop. You are no match for him. Though you are both at the Sixfold Seven Treasures Realm, his cultivation far surpasses yours.” The central woman spoke calmly.

The maid protested, “Miss—”
“That’s enough. His inner strength and techniques both exceed yours. Do not continue. If I am not mistaken, you are disciples of the Northern Terrace, Wutai lineage. May I ask which branch you belong to?” The woman approached, her gaze falling on Ye Hua with a gentle smile.

Ye Hua hesitated, glancing at Qing Kai, who stepped forward and said clearly, “We are disciples of Bishan Monastery, Ye Dou Peak, North Terrace. May we know which sect you represent, miss?”

“I have long heard that Bishan Monastery of Ye Dou Peak, North Terrace, is famed for cultivating the Doctrine of Suffering, the most arduous and difficult path. This little brother’s technique just now—was it not of that doctrine? I understand there are twelve links of dependent origination, and four great karmas. Is that correct?” The woman mused for a moment, then changed the subject.

Ye Hua was taken aback. “Yes, that is so,” he replied, though inwardly he thought, “The Circle of Confinement I just used is not actually from the Doctrine of Suffering. That final grasp is the thirty-second form of the Sutra of Great Illumination, the fourth variation of ‘Chasing Stars, Catching the Moon.’ Still, it is a branch of the Doctrine of Suffering.”