Within the skies above a mountain range leagues away from Hai Shan Valley, a spatial rift formed. As the space distorted and blurred, a giant frost dragon emerged. Four imposing figures could be seen standing atop its huge head, three men and a woman. Each had celestial miens that could conquer worlds and ruin kingdoms, emitting otherworldly divine auras.
“Eldest brother, why did the Holy Sage send all four of us?” Huo Shuang, the only woman and youngest of the group, impatiently asked. “If it’s for overseeing the Conclave of Immortals, one or two people would have sufficed. But to deploy all four guardians, it’s never happened before. It’s quite unusual!”
“I do not presume to know the Holy Sage’s intentions.” Jin Bai, who was referred to as ‘eldest brother’, unemotionally responded.
Huo Shuang was not deterred by Jin Bai’s reserved attitude. Eldest Brother had always been aloof and distant. If she worried each time Jin Bai gave her the cold shoulder, Huo Shuang wouldn’t be able to communicate with him at all.
“But it’s curious don’t you think?” Huo Shuang continued. It’s been a while since she’d been to the Lower Realm. Initially, it was not her time to facilitate the conclave. But since the Holy Sage deemed it to, they had to obey. Still, it’s surprising to send the four of them at the same time as envoys. Perhaps there’s something special about this year’s conclave. “The Holy Sage even tasked you to take out the frost dragon. He never let the beast out for no reason!”
It was, indeed, curious. Jin Bai knew something huge was afoot when he and the other guardians were abruptly summoned to San Yuan Palace. He was prepared for the worst but aside from commanding them to oversee the conclave and take the frost dragon to the Lower Realm, no other explanation was provided. The matter left him perplexed and uneasy. But even if Jin Bai had an inkling as to why the Holy Sage would deploy the four of them, he wouldn’t dare voice it out without ample proof.
The Holy Sage’s mind works in mysterious ways. Trying to guess what the Holy Sage intends is akin to wasting time and effort. The fact is, one would always guess wrongly. But despite the secrecy and abruptness of the task, Jin Bai believes the Holy Sage does not do things without proper cause or reason. So although he had reservations, he kept it to himself and meticulously followed orders.
The other two remained quiet during the brief exchange but they, too, were baffled with the current situation and did not fully understand the Holy Sage’s intention. The four companions had varying thoughts and speculations as to why they were dispatched to perform a seemingly menial task. But none was daring enough to voice out their conjecture. Even Huo Shuang, who was the most impertinent and rash amongst the four, was stuck in silent contemplation.
Their journey towards the Imperial Capital of Wuxing was uneventful, to say the least. Aside from engaging with small talk once in a while most of their time was spent in meditation.
The four were woken from their musings when the frost dragon came to a sudden halt. Although the divine beast was left to Jin Bai’s care, it’s not his personal mount. Jin Bai could command it, to some degree, but he would never be able to fully communicate with the beast unless its soul was bound to his.
Jin Bai tried to issue an order but the frost dragon willfully ignored him. No amount of coercion could make it move. It intentionally refused to budge and listen to his commands. The four were bewildered with the divine beast’s uncanny behavior. If the frost dragon continues to ignore Jin Bai’s commands, they would have to use force to persuade it otherwise.
It was Huo Shuang who noticed what attracted the frost dragon’s attention. “Look!” She exclaimed excitedly as she gestured below, her eyes shining with bright light.
On the ground, Young Master Zhou, Zhou Xue Xian, was leisurely traveling on the back of a rare spiritual beast. She was casually sitting atop the beast’s saddle with a bamboo scroll in one hand and a jug of sweet wine in the other. Young Master Zhou would occasionally tilt the jug to her lips but her whole focus was centered on the words inscribed on the scroll she was reading.
It’s been weeks since Zhou Xue Xian departed from Hai Shan Valley. If there was no rare site to explore or a curious thing to observe in the wilderness, Zhou Xue Xian continued on her way. Most of her time was spent reading and meditating. So far, Young Master Zhou’s journey towards the Imperial Capital has been relaxed and monotonous.
But the peaceful atmosphere surrounding Young Master Zhou was suddenly broken. Without warning, a poisoned arrow flew out of nowhere aimed towards her back. Sensing the incoming danger and without looking back, Zhou Xue Xian flipped off the mount’s back and deftly waved her hands to store the scroll and wine within her storage bracelet.
“Who?!” Zhou Xue Xian called out as she carefully scanned the surrounding area. Three more arrows flew in her direction but Zhou Xue Xian avoided them with ease and lithe movements. Without pause, Zhou Xue Xian took out an elegant white bow and accurately shot three arrows in succession towards the lush leaves of a nearby tree.
Song Ye, who was hiding in the tree, jumped off to avoid the sudden barrage of arrows and snarled, “Zhou Xue Xian!”
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“It’s you?” Zhou Xue Xian frowned. Her head tilted to one side in disappointment.
After leaving Hai Shan Valley, Zhou Xue Xian felt someone was shadowing her movements. At first, she thought that perhaps her old man had sent someone to follow her secretly. But after observing the other’s subtle behavior, she dismissed the idea. The person did not know the secret signal that her old man’s subordinates practice. And the concealment method the person was utilizing was inferior as well.
At first the person was keeping distance, content in merely following her. But as Zhou Xue Xian traveled farther away from Hai Shan Valley, the person got bolder and moved closer. The person clearly did not have good intentions and the issue has been nagging at Zhou Xue Xian. Today she decided to bait the villain to find out who the person was.
In truth, Song Ye was not on the top of her list of suspects. But at the same time, Zhou Xue Xian was not surprised to see him either.
“You shouldn’t have left Hai Shan Valley!” Song Ye sneered. The predatory gleam in eyes as he looked at Zhou Xue Xian was unmasked and unmistakable.
“Oh? And why is that?” Zhou Xue Xian replied calmly. To her, Song Ye was no more than a pathetic man. From the moment she met him, Zhou Xue Xian never regarded Song Ye as anything other than a pompous brat who thought too highly of himself.
“Do you remember the humiliation you had me suffer?” Song Ye glared as images of the unforgotten memory flashed through his mind.
Zhou Xue Xian chuckled as she vaguely remembered the day.
Gossip about Young Master Song’s intentions to marry her was spreading through the valley. Zhou Xue Xian never gave credit to gossip, as most are either half truths or lies. She hadn't personally met Young Master Song and it was absurd to take the word from the streets seriously.
But who would have thought that Young Master Song would personally seek Zhou Xue Xian out. Not to defuse the rumors and to offer an explanation but to actually acknowledge it?
In truth, Zhou Xue Xian wouldn’t have minded the suit if Song Ye had been respectful and sincere. She could have rejected the match gently and privately, to save them both the indignity of a misunderstanding. But that day, Song Ye was clearly seeking his death!
Young Master Song started off by arrogantly trespassing in Zhou Xue Xian’s private room at the teahouse. Song Ye then listed the advantages of being his wife and warned Zhou Xue Xian that she could only be a concubine due to the restrictions of his sect. He showed his magnanimity by vowing to treat her fairly before proceeding to insult her family.
According to Young Master Song, though the Zhou Manor is a prestigious clan known throughout Si Xiang it was now in severe decline. The general, who used to be feared throughout the continent, was old and useless. The lack of new talent from the younger generation in recent years was also harrowing. And the fact that the clan had to resort to allowing a woman to become the sole heir was solid proof that the family was going to be destroyed.
It took all of Zhou Xue Xian’s patience and self-control not to kill Song Ye where he stood. She’d met naysayers before, people who liked to flap their lips without thought and consideration. But Zhou Xue Xian had never met anyone as shameless as Song Ye. Young Master Song who not only humiliated Zhou Xue Xian but degraded her entire family as well!
Zhou Xue Xian personally knew the Master of the Song family and has interacted with the Song family’s elders. Out of respect for them, she decided to spare Song Ye’s miserable life, once. But that does not mean she would not teach him a valuable lesson.
Zhou Xue Xian waited for Young Master Song to finish his tirade before throwing him out the window. Yes, throw! According to the witnesses, Young Master Zhou flashed from her seat, grabbed the front of Song Ye’s robes and hurled him out of the window like a bag of rubbish.
Song Ye hit the ground with a resounding thud. The ground beneath him caved and cracked from the force of the impact. It took Young Master Song a while to understand what happened. Just when he was gathering his thoughts and was rising from the ground, Zhou Xue Xian dropped a brutal kick on his chest to keep him down and proceeded to hammer his face with her fists.
To cultivators, a fight using techniques and skills is an honorable way to battle. But Zhou Xue Xian thrashed Song Ye using brutal strength alone. She did not give him time to manifest his Qi or utilize any technique or skill. Zhou Xue Xian beat Song Ye like a thug and it was done in front of a famous tea house at a time when human traffic was at its peak.
After beating Song Ye black and blue, Zhou Xue Xian threw his unconscious form on a garbage heap and went home like nothing happened. Not long after, news about Young Master Zhou beating up Song Ye within an inch of his life spread like wildfire within Hai Shan Valley.
When Master Song learned of the incident he immediately set off to Zhou Manor, along with the other Song elders, bearing numerous gifts to offer an apology to Zhou Chen and Zhou Xue Xian. Song Ye was inevitably forgotten on the garbage heap and had to crawl back, on his own, to his family’s manor under the piercing gaze of the spectating crowd.
“Young Master Song,” Zhou Xue Xian said in a pacifying tone after a while. “If I remember correctly, you humiliated yourself. I was merely there to help you along.”
Song Ye’s temper flared at the obvious provocation laced in Zhou Xian’s voice. He immediately took out his weapon and lashed out at Xue Xian. The nine-section whip moved like it had eyes and life of its own. Zhou Xue Xian had to utilize her lightness skill in order to successfully evade the atack.
“Do you think I’d let you get away?” Song Ye coldy sneered as he executed a series of hand seals. He then threw five flags and willed them to fly in different directions. Once a flag reached its intended location, it lit up and connected to another flag. The series created a restrictive formation designed to trap even a Transcendence Realm cultivator. And without pause, Song Ye summoned his soul avatar, a giant black jade spider that was fit for defense and confining enemies.
Soul avatars are manifestations of immortal beasts connected to a cultivator’s soul. The stronger the soulforce, the higher the grade of one’s soul avatar would be.
In Si Xiang, experts utilize soul avatars to battle opponents more powerful than themselves or restrict a weaker opponent. Any cultivator could cultivate a martial spirit through inheriting rare bloodlines but only those who could successfully cultivate soulforce could awaken a soul avatar.
Zhou Xue Xian’s face darkened at the sight of the giant black jade spider. At present, Zhou Xue Xian’s cultivation is at the Early Stage of Core Formation while Song Ye was already at the Peak Stage. But despite the disparity of their cultivation realms, Zhou Xue Xian was confident in defeating Song Ye.
But now that Song Ye summoned his soul avatar and trapped her within a restrictive formation, Zhou Xue Xian’s chances of winning were cut in half.