C345 A Fool Came in
"I want that skull."
Qi Hongyi declared her intent without glancing at the white-haired crone or Shen Feiqing; instead, her gaze shifted between Tong Laoqian and the yellow apparition.
The trio was well-acquainted, sharing an unspoken agreement upon their arrival.
Tong Laoqian coveted the floating island refined by Yu Zhu, while the yellow apparition sought a powerful soul. Qi Hongyi, on the other hand, had set her sights on the platinum skull of the Shura from the Dark Realm.
She was unaware of the skull's origins or the significance of the brown eyeball.
At that moment, Yu Yuan, with a single finger, touched the Shura Eye. The once terrifying crimson sword light and the earth-shattering sword's will had been absorbed into the eyeball.
This made Yu Yuan appear as nothing more than a minor cultivator from the Golden Sanctum.
The pure sword's will, raging unseen within the Shura Eye, was imperceptible to others.
"I've already said no, and that's final."
The white-haired crone, leaning on her walking stick, had her hair transform into slender white snakes. Their behavior changed with her mood, hissing and flicking their tongues, ready to strike Qi Hongyi as their next target.
The tall woman in the bright red dress cradling a lute, her lips curling into a coy smile, gently placed her jade-white White Bone fingers on the instrument, plucking a string.
The sound of trickling water emanated from the lute.
The sound waves, like a torrent of swords accompanied by the lute's enchanting melody, subtly infiltrated the slender white snakes.
The demon snake crone's lustrous hair turned ashen under the lute's spell, each strand disintegrating into a puff of smoke.
Her expression darkened as she straightened her stooped frame, gripping her White Bone Crutch, which she yanked from the earth, ready for battle.
Xu Zixi, who had just engaged in combat with her, felt a wave of tranquility wash over her as the crone's anger flared.
With the arrival of Tong Laoqian and his companions, and the crone's cessation of hostilities, Xu Zixi was ready to withdraw, abandoning the agreement to stand in combat with Yu Yuan and Yan Qiling.
She was solely intent on caring for Zhou Cangmin.
However, the old woman, a traitor ousted by Shadow's Keep and whose real body was that of a demon snake, began to clash with Qi Hongyi over the platinum skull of the Shura from the Dark Realm. This prompted her to stay and observe the unfolding events.
Qi Hongyi and Tong Laoqian were unmistakably allies.
Amidst the confrontation between Qi Hongyi and the white-haired crone, what course should Tong Laoqian and Bai Shang take?
Was there a chance for her and Yan Qiling to covertly take action at this juncture?
"Wait a moment!"
Within the jade palace, Tong Laoqian, reclining against the jade railing and swaying his bronze flagon, gestured to Qi Hongyi to temper her haste.
Qi Hongyi, strumming her pipa, glanced at him with an icy demeanor and paused briefly.
Shen Feiqing, draped in purple silk, bowed her head and urged the crone, "Please, patience."
The white-haired crone huffed and addressed Qi Hongyi, "You wretched girl, this isn't over between us!"
"What are you up to, Tong Laoqian?" Qi Hongyi, clearly agitated, spoke with a tone laden with reproach, "You desire the floating island, Golden Fiend craves the soul, and I seek the skull. Wasn't it settled that we each get what we need?"
"The island, the soul, those matter not to me, but the skull you seek is somewhat problematic," Tong Laoqian chuckled dryly before leisurely leaping down from the palace.
He aimed straight for the pit where the platinum skull of Yu Yuan and the Dark Realm Shura lay within the city's ruins.
The copper coins adorning him jangled incessantly as they struck each other.
Shen Feiqing, Yan Qiling, Bai Shang, and the others all showed signs of alarm.
They watched as the copper coins began to levitate out of Tong Laoqian's garments, descending slowly alongside him.
With a resounding "Crack!" the coins had yet to touch the ground when the pit, along with the entire dilapidated city, burst apart.
Boulders shattered and the earth, as firm as iron, was rent asunder.
The white-haired crone, leaning on her White Bone Crutch and continuously infusing the earth with demon energy, suddenly looked alarmed. From beneath her "hair," her eyes fixed on Tong Laoqian, she demanded sharply, "What are you trying to do?"
Tong Laoqian's figure halted abruptly ten meters above Yu Yuan's head.
Hundreds of copper coins, shimmering in gold, yellow, and bronze, floated around him like leaves, each one radiating a powerful aura of national fortune that seemed to enhance the coins themselves.
"Qi Hongyi, your perception remains as keen as ever," he remarked.
After taking another sip of his blood-red wine, Tong Laoqian smacked his lips in appreciation. "That enormous skull down there is certainly not inanimate."
His words caused a stir among those present.
Even before descending, Tong Laoqian had detected a faint soul presence within the Dark Realm Shura's skull.
While he might be unaware of the skull's history, he could sense that it was very much alive.
"A living entity?" inquired the figure known as the Golden Fiend, who was perched atop a giant gourd. His laughter grew as he spoke, "Does it house a soul?"
Tong Laoqian nodded, "That's your specialty."
The Golden Fiend's laughter intensified. "It appears my fortune is quite favorable! Qi girl, the skull is yours, but the soul within it is mine!"
Before Qi Hongyi could respond, the towering yellow figure rapidly contracted.
The billowing yellow robe continued to flutter in the wind above the gourd, even as the Golden Fiend vanished without a trace.
The next moment, a stream of yellow-sand light burst forth within the cavern, streaking directly toward the brown eyeball of the Dark Realm Shura that was still under Yu Yuan's pointed finger.
The Golden Fiend had instantly merged with it.
Yu Yuan, with his Golden Sanctum cultivation, showed no interest in the matter. He couldn't be bothered to probe the three souls or strip away memories.
"My apologies, truly," Tong Laoqian said, bowing in midair to Shen Feiqing and the white-haired crone. "My friend can be a bit rash. I offer my apologies on his behalf. I trust you won't take offense at his impulsiveness."
Shen Feiqing responded coolly, "No harm done."
Bai Shang and the white-haired crone remained unmoved as the Golden Fiend employed a mystique to transform into a yellow sand light and enter the Shura Eye, showing no inclination to intervene.
Moreover, there was a hint of schadenfreude in the air.
After Tong Laoqian offered his apologies, he noticed the odd looks on the faces around him and began to sense that something was off.
He dropped his smile and furrowed his brow, eyeing the massive platinum skull. Stroking his chin, he turned to Qi Hongyi and voiced his concern, "Have we acted too hastily? Why do I get the feeling that the Golden Fiend is about to face some serious misfortune?"
Qi Hongyi, cradling her lute, agreed, "I'm getting the same vibe."
...
Within the brown iris lay a bizarre microcosm.
Countless scarlet sword lights merged into rivers and streams, racing towards a shadowy expanse.
There, in the Dark Realm, the Residual Souls and spiritual wisdom of the Shura were being drawn together by innumerable Ice Shards.
Yu Yuan's stray thought was attuned to the lesson the sword spirit was imparting: the profound, ancient, and expansive truth of the sword spell, urging him to grasp it with crystal clarity.
Out of nowhere, a reckless streak of yellow light blundered in.
As soon as the yellow light entered, it coalesced and morphed into Golden Fiend's spectral phantom.
The moment the phantom materialized, Golden Fiend beheld the myriad scarlet sword lights, resembling broad rivers, unfolding the essence of swordsmanship and unleashing a world-shattering momentum as they surged into the distant gloom.
No sooner had Golden Fiend taken shape than three scarlet sword lights bore down on him.
"Chi!"
The trio of scarlet sword lights skewered Golden Fiend's newly formed phantom, eliciting a pained howl from him as his soul form instantly dissipated.
After the sword lights had passed, they continued their relentless advance into the far-off darkness.
Golden Fiend, his soul shattered, let out a wail as he attempted to coalesce once more.
With the second attempt at forming complete, the phantom appeared diminished. Yet, just as it began to take shape, three more scarlet sword lights pierced through it anew.
Golden Fiend's soul dispersed once again, his cries echoing as he struggled to reform.
Yu Yuan's wandering thought observed the blundering Golden Fiend and mused, 'Could this be a fool who's wandered in?'
