“Truly worthy of being a person from the Outer Heaven—still talking like that even now.”
Shang Can’s heart had instinctively steadied with Yun Duan’s arrival, and she was now much calmer than before. She even had the mind to listen carefully to the sounds around her. Turning to Qinglian Jun, she asked, “Everyone’s about to arrive. With this face of yours, are you still talking about how demons and cultivators shouldn’t stand together?”
With Qinglian Jun’s face bearing a striking five-point resemblance to Wan Shao’s, even though Shang Can had never met the former demon lord, she could guess who this was. Not to mention, many of the cultivators visiting the Outer Heaven today were older and more experienced than her, with quite a few likely having seen the former demon lord in person.
But Wan Shao’s mother was definitely dead.
Shang Can didn’t have time to unravel the mystery, but if Qinglian Jun showed herself with this face, the cultivators would likely deal with her changed appearance before they bothered with Shang Can, the one they’d been searching for.
This much, Shang Can had calculated clearly in her mind, but the person before her seemed unfazed, simply staring at her and Yun Duan with deep, heavy eyes. After a long silence, Qinglian Jun finally spoke, “Striking now is earlier than expected, but no matter.”
Shang Can had no idea what she was talking about, but when Qinglian Jun swiftly formed a hand seal, she instinctively summoned her heavenly fire to defend herself. Yet, the spiritual energy that gathered in Qinglian Jun’s hands didn’t target her. Instead, it scattered like the wind, and the distant sound of human voices abruptly stopped, replaced by a chilling wind whistling through the air.
Startled, Shang Can furrowed her brows, then felt the person holding her hand tighten their grip. She turned her head quickly, only to see that Yun Duan wasn’t visibly injured, and her face was fine, though her brows were slightly furrowed with a strange expression.
Seeing Shang Can’s gaze, Yun Duan shook her head lightly and explained, “…My spiritual power suddenly feels sluggish.”
A sinking feeling hit Shang Can as she grasped Yun Duan’s wrist, sending her spiritual energy over to check for any issues while casting a cold glance at Qinglian Jun. The latter watched calmly, seemingly unmoved by everything happening. She said faintly, “It seems Yunzhong Jun is quite cautious—such a faint scent.”
At this, Shang Can’s eyes involuntarily glanced toward the Qinglian Lake nearby. To her surprise, the lotus pond, which had been disturbed during her earlier fight with Qinglian Jun, had silently returned to its previous pristine state. The scenery was as beautiful as ever, and the fragrance of the flowers seemed even stronger than before.
“If we had waited until the day of the Dao Discussion, its effect would have been stronger.” Qinglian Jun sighed lightly, ignoring Shang Can’s darkening expression. “For now, it’s only been smelled for such a short time—at best, it can stop their movements temporarily, but it won’t last long.”
Shang Can understood from this that the cultivators, unguarded against this fragrance, had likely been immobilized by Qinglian Jun. Even someone as prepared as Yun Duan was feeling the effects. Yet, Shang Can felt nothing at all.
Suspicion weighed on her mind. She quietly placed herself between Yun Duan and Qinglian Jun, knowing Yun Duan was trying to regain control of her spiritual energy. To buy time, she asked, “Why not immobilize me in the same way? Could it be that this technique, learned from the demons, doesn’t work on one of their own?”
Her words struck a nerve. Qinglian Jun’s killing intent surged, but Shang Can stood firm, smiling as she continued, “Did I say something wrong? This method of using scent to ensnare people… who is better at it than the flower demons?”
Smiling deliberately, Shang Can gestured toward her own face. “Qinglian Jun, you must be quite skilled with this technique by now.”
Never one to lose a battle of words, Shang Can was pleased to see Qinglian Jun’s demeanor grow colder. Qinglian Jun hesitated briefly before murmuring, “…Strange. You should have already bitten your own tongue off under my control.”
Though the mere thought of that was painful, Shang Can kept her composure, smiling warmly. She silently thanked whatever luck had spared her and continued to think quickly. The scent must have something to do with manipulation, possibly tied to Qinglian Jun’s techniques. But why wasn’t Shang Can affected? And what about this scent made her immune?
As she pondered, the hand holding hers was tugged lightly. Yun Duan shuddered and, with effort, spat out fresh blood.
The faint smell of blood reached Shang Can, and she turned in panic, only to be stopped by Yun Duan’s firm grip. A cold presence came from behind, comforting her, as a calm voice whispered in her ear, “It’s a puppet technique.”
Shang Can stiffened, listening as Yun Duan continued, “When I saved you, I studied it. This technique… although different from the puppet technique I learned, it shares the same roots. It’s been modified. Not only can it manipulate inanimate objects or spirits, but it also plants a seed of control in living beings through the fragrance. Those with lighter symptoms like mine can force it out, but others won’t be able to remove it so easily.”
“The person who devised this must be incredibly skilled in puppet techniques—and likely well-versed in the ways of the flower demons.” Yun Duan’s voice grew softer, more ethereal. “Such a person is probably not this Qinglian Jun before us.”
A flash of realization struck Shang Can, and she looked up sharply at the figure before her, dressed in wide sleeves, with cold, beautiful features, her eyes as black as dead water.
Puppet technique.
As pieces of doubt flooded her mind, Shang Can’s throat felt dry. She licked her lips and muttered, “…No wonder I’m immune.”
Qinglian Jun looked at her in response, and Shang Can met her gaze, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. She didn’t have to tell Qinglian Jun this, and it certainly wouldn’t benefit her to do so. But, for reasons beyond her understanding, she opened her mouth and spoke anyway.
“Of course your puppet technique won’t work on me.” Shang Can shook her head, lifting Yun Duan’s hand to her lips and gently kissing her fingers. “…Because I was already Yun Duan’s puppet long ago.”
Yun Duan frowned slightly, softly protesting, “…Don’t say puppet…”
“I’m just saying, I’ll always listen to you.”
Shang Can tenderly wiped the blood from Yun Duan’s lips, taking a deep breath before turning back to the silent Qinglian Jun.
“Qinglian Jun,” she called softly, her golden-red eyes gleaming with divine judgment. “…Whose puppet are you?”
Without warning, Qinglian Jun attacked.
Shang Can narrowly blocked the incoming wind blade with her sword, glancing at Qinglian Jun’s frost-like expression. Whoever was pulling the strings behind this must be equally irritable.
Not a word more. As soon as Shang Can finished her sentence, Qinglian Jun had struck, and both she and Yun Duan barely managed to react in time. Every one of Qinglian Jun’s moves was vicious, aimed at killing with ruthless precision, as if she wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible. Perhaps it was because the immobilized cultivators were about to break free, and Qinglian Jun needed to act fast.
But she denied Shang Can’s theory with her next words: “I had planned to wait until the Dao Discussion, but today works too. After all, with how well you wield that heavenly fire, anyone with eyes can tell the Scourge has returned. No one would be surprised if the Scourge lost control of her demonic nature and killed most of the cultivators in the Outer Heaven.”
Her voice and expression remained calm, but her words were terrifying. Shang Can’s mind raced, recalling an incident from many years ago, and in shock, she exclaimed, “You can’t mean, like Qin Yi said…”
‘I want Tianwaitian to remain the number one sect in the cultivation world, and for that to happen, you cannot be allowed to stay.’
‘You should feel honored, Shang Can—you are the first.’
Qin Yi’s maniacal voice echoed in her mind, followed by a soft, reverent murmur that overlapped with the lips of the expressionless Qinglian Jun: “All of this is for Tianwaitian.”
This is insane! How does Tianwaitian produce so many lunatics?
Realizing that the madness in the person before her was even greater than Qin Yi’s, Shang Can’s anger flared. She brandished her sword, forcing back the dense wind blades that clung to her like bones, and pulled Yun Duan back with her as she retreated.
“I might do something reckless in a moment,” Shang Can warned, nodding toward Qinglian Jun. “I’ve never tried it before, so I’m not sure if it’ll affect you. You should step back for now, Duan’er.”
Yun Duan raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when Shang Can suddenly leaned in, surprising her with a kiss at the corner of her lips, the soft touch of her tongue grazing lightly.
“Thanks.”
Shang Can’s voice was playful, and Yun Duan, guessing that the kiss was likely to borrow a bit of blood, still blushed, her ears turning red as if she had just been taken advantage of—flustered but amused.
Before Yun Duan could voice her objections, Shang Can had already wrapped her in massive wings of fire, her golden eyes focused on the sky. An ancient, searing energy began to coalesce, crackling to life in the void, slowly forming into a fiery meteor that could obliterate everything.
Her eyes burned, and the abundant spiritual energy gathered at Shang Can’s fingertips. Her inhuman pupils grew cold and distant, like those of a god. She tore through the increasingly heavy wind pressure and decisively brought her hand down towards her target.
The infinite fire meteors streaked toward Qinglian Lake, the blazing golden flames reflected on the water’s surface, turning the pink-white lotus flowers a deep crimson. Qinglian Jun’s spell came to a sudden halt, and she quickly spun around. For the first time, Shang Can thought she saw a hint of panic in that usually calm figure.
If those lotuses are causing the trouble, Shang Can thought, her eyes never leaving the water’s surface, then she might as well burn the entire lake clean, just as she had once done at Wangchuan.
It was hard to describe what happened when the firelight met the water’s surface. After a brief silence, a powerful shockwave followed. Despite being prepared, Shang Can still stepped back a few paces with Yun Duan in her arms. When the aftershock subsided, they were once again enveloped in a deep, eerie silence.
Shang Can’s heart tightened with worry. She wondered if any nearby cultivators had been affected. Suddenly, she felt Yun Duan stiffen, and at the same time, the two swords they had sheathed—Wuyou and Feiwang—rang out in unison before falling silent once more.
Shang Can was alarmed. Following Yun Duan’s gaze, she looked up to see that Qinglian Lake appeared just as it always had, the lotus flowers undisturbed, their petals swaying gently in the wind, encircling the figure at the center of the lake.
Someone was sitting in the middle of Qinglian Lake.
A woman, sitting on an enormous lotus leaf, much like Shang Can had been made to do during her visits to Qinglian Lake to face her heart. But this lotus leaf was far larger than any Shang Can had seen before, and the woman sitting on it was unfamiliar.
It was clear she was a woman—slim, with a tall, elegant figure, even seated. Her long hair cascaded down, some strands resting loosely on the lotus leaf, as if it hadn’t been trimmed in a long time. Her eyes were closed, her brows sharp and imposing, exuding a natural, regal authority that chilled anyone who looked upon her.
Though Shang Can had never seen her before, she instantly knew who she was.
The woman opened her eyes in the next breath, her gaze as cold as starlight, piercing straight through to Shang Can’s core with a frigid intensity.
“Impressive.”
Though her voice was different, the woman’s tone was identical to that of “Qinglian Jun.” She didn’t bother to stand; she simply said in a calm voice, “I never expected to be forced out by the two of you.”
“There were plenty of chances to kill you, like during your heart-questioning trials, or the first time I saw those eyes of yours, Shang Can…” She stared at Shang Can for a long moment before sighing softly. “Now I’ll just have to handle things myself.”
“Put down those swords you’re carrying. You won’t be able to use them against me.” Tianwaitian’s sect leader, Yujiu, lazily raised her head, gesturing at their weapons. “Both swords were forged by me, and I gave them their names. Though the sword spirits may not listen to me anymore, they certainly won’t turn around and bite the one who forged them.”
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