C962 I Won't Let You down

In the Serpent Spine Mountains, nestled within the Gloomhollow, a light green tiger-ear grass flourished in front of a cave, its leaves adorned with crystal-clear dewdrops. Hidden within one of these dewdrops was the Stardust Blade, Ji Ningshuang, now reduced to a miniature form. She had retracted her formidable sword's will, concealed her presence, and chosen this secluded spot in the vast mountains to collect her thoughts.

"Yu Yuan, Hong Qi..." Ningshuang whispered softly, her head bowed within the confines of the dewdrop.

To the outside world, she was the epitome of pride and aloofness, but in solitude, she appeared fragile and despondent, lost in memories that stretched back three centuries, unable to find her way back to the present.

She was piecing together the identities of Yu Yuan and Hong Qi, reflecting on the tales her disciple, Chen Qingyan, had shared about events that transpired in Gloomhollow. Yu Yuan had rescued Qingyan on numerous occasions and had even crafted a sword from the frost wyrm for her. That sword, by rights, belonged to Ningshuang, and she had felt justified when Qingyan accepted it.

Her thoughts drifted to Qingyan's budding affection for Yu Yuan, and to her own actions in the Marsh, where she had lashed out at Yu Yuan in a fit of pique, unaware of his true identity.

"He must have found my reaction ludicrous. How could he not know who I am, even if I was unaware of his identity? He must have realized that any hint of his true self would have stopped me in my tracks!" she mused.

"Was he deliberately provoking me, as he used to, or was it simply to tease me? Was he not afraid that I might strike him down in my ignorance?"

Ripples of emotion stirred in Ningshuang's Heart Lake, her lips occasionally curling into a smile, then tightening in frustration.

Now that she knew Yu Yuan in the forbidden area was Hong Qi from her past life, she could no longer regard him as an adversary. Her disciple's affections, his complicated ties with Yuan Lianyao and Liu Ying—how had he, once a timid soul in matters of the heart, transformed so drastically in this life?

Ji Ningshuang seethed with silent resentment.

Then, abruptly, a figure that sent tremors through her soul materialized in Gloomhollow. At the sight of this figure, Ningshuang was initially shocked, then overcome with a sense of bewilderment.

Su Yan was a member of the Abyssal Dawn. Lacking the qualifications to join the assault on Moonfall Sanctuary, she was left by Jiang Xingwen in the Serpent Spine Mountains to wait as the battle unfolded.

Unable to return to the Silvermoon Empire or her family, Su Yan took refuge in the relative safety of the Serpent Spine Mountains until the conflict concluded. It was there she remembered Gloomhollow, a place once visited by Yu Yuan and where Yu Zhu had made a name for herself.

With a pop, a dewdrop burst, releasing a concealed sword's will. Before her eyes materialized an exceedingly beautiful woman. The sword's will behind the woman formed a chilly Star River, with stars glittering like icy diamonds.

Su Yan's Celestial Plume Raiment unfurled automatically, shining with resplendent light. She gazed at the woman before her, taking a closer look, and gasped in astonishment, "You, who are you?"

Why did this woman bear such a striking resemblance to herself? Su Yan's heart was flooded with tumultuous waves of shock.

Ji Ningshuang was equally perplexed as she observed the Celestial Plume Raiment on Su Yan. Detecting an extraordinary scent, her eyebrows arched, "The Peacock Queen's Celestial Feather!"

A thread of spirit transformed into a beam of sword light and swiftly merged with the Celestial Plume Raiment adorning Su Yan. Amidst the dazzling feathers, she discerned the residual vitality of the Peacock Queen, bearing the imprint of her vibrant youth.

As Su Yan donned the Celestial Plume Raiment, her appearance began to subtly transform, influenced by the Peacock Queen's vitality. "Where did this garment come from?" she inquired gently.

"It was acquired by an elder of my Su family from the Artifact Sect on the Sundering Isles," Su Yan replied, not withholding any information. "The elder has passed away, but he mentioned that the Celestial Plume Raiment was an unfinished piece. He mentioned that someone had provided the magic item, commissioning a forger from the Artifact Sect to craft a divine robe for a woman he cherished deeply."

"However, the individual failed to deliver the remaining magic items and subsequently perished."

"The forger from the Artifact Sect was unable to acquire the necessary magic items. His intention to craft the garment went unfulfilled. Consequently, the Celestial Plume Raiment was sold off by the Artifact Sect at a fraction of its value, and my Su family's elder ancestor purchased it for a modest sum."

"As for myself, it wasn't until I attained the Subtlety Realm that I was able to decipher the magic diagram concealing the outer layer of the Celestial Plume Raiment, thus revealing its true form."

"..."

For reasons unknown, Su Yan felt compelled to disclose every detail about the Celestial Plume Raiment to the woman before her, who bore a striking resemblance to herself. She did so with complete candor.

Ji Ningshuang remained silent throughout Su Yan's explanation, listening intently without interruption.

Once Su Yan had finished, Ji Ningshuang had pieced together the story.

"So, the Celestial Plume he obtained from the Peacock Queen was intended for the creation of a Divine Garment for me. Its completion was thwarted by his untimely disappearance. He infused the Celestial Plume with his memories and likeness of me, which ultimately altered this young woman's appearance."

"He did not fail me."

Ji Ningshuang inhaled deeply and gave Su Yan an affirming nod, saying, "Cherish this garment. What's your name, and who do you study under at the Abyssal Dawn?"

The Celestial Plume Raiment and the aura it emitted had already clued Ji Ningshuang into Su Yan's sect affiliation.

"I am a disciple of Jiang Xingwen from the Abyssal Dawn," Su Yan responded with poise.

"Jiang Xingwen?" Ji Ningshuang's lips curled into a wry smile as she shook her head, a peculiar look on her face. After a moment's thought, she added, "I am Ji Ningshuang from the Sword Sect. Should you face any difficulties that your master cannot resolve, seek me out at the Sword Sect."

With those parting words, she vanished without a trace.

"Ji Ningshuang, the Grand Sword Immortal Ji Ningshuang!"

Su Yan stood in awe, staring at the spot where Ji Ningshuang had disappeared, finally realizing the identity of the Sword Sect's formidable figure she had been conversing with.

...

Within the forbidden area.

Warriors from various Otherkin tribes, afflicted by the Soul Plague, gradually came to their senses after the Frost Queen intervened. Yet, the ground was still littered with dozens of lifeless bodies.

Sansom from the evilkind and Mia from the Shadowkin, both leaders with ninth-level bloodlines, appeared exhausted and their gazes dimmed, haunted by the harrowing experience. The Blighttoxin unleashed by the Dark Herald was insidiously potent, capable of corrupting the very essence of one's soul.

In a short span, many of their kin had perished. Had it not been for the chilling might of the Frozen Hellscape specifically countering it, the unchecked spread of the Soul Plague would have been catastrophic.

The sound of battle continued unabated. Lord Dusk Raven, the two archdemons from Shadow's Keep, and the Dark Herald from the Devil Palace were locked in a fierce struggle, their bodies battered and drenched in gore.

After a moment of silence, the Dark Herald bowed her head with a soft sigh. The Blighttoxin she had covertly disseminated was now being drawn back into her by a secret technique. She had no control over whom the Blighttoxin would strike, but she could release and retrieve it at will—either affecting everyone indiscriminately or retracting it entirely into herself.

Invisible to the naked eye and undetectable even to the soul, the myriad toxic particles swiftly returned to her body. Lord Dusk Raven, along with the two cultivators from the Devil Palace and the archdemon from Shadow's Keep, regained their clarity of mind.

"You take her on," Yu Yuan instructed, nodding slightly towards the Frost Queen hovering in the sky. He then cast a contemplative glance at Dusk Raven and, after a brief pause, added, "Leave that raven alive. I have another use for him."

His words effectively sealed the fate of the other archdemon and the intruders from the Devil Palace.

In that instant, Tang Zheng's Divine Visage, radiant as a Flame Deity, shattered into fragments, transforming into streaks of fiery light that scattered in every direction. The Lord from the Sunlit Order, a cultivator of the Unbound realm, seemed to have met his end.

The Grey Wolf King, now prone and unable to rise, howled in agony as the Blighttoxin receded from his body. Suffering grave injuries, another assault would likely spell his demise within the forbidden area.

"Yu Yuan, let me in!"

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