Chapter 162: Shadow – Spirit Summoning, Red Fire Green Phoenix

“What kind of person is the Lord of the Shifang Nether Soil?”

It was the first time Lian Mu had heard someone else mention Xuan Che. Thinking about it, she realized she had never really asked about his reputation outside.

But if he was the head of the demon race, his name probably wasn’t a pleasant one.

Bai Li Que was silent for a moment before saying, “The Lord of the Shifang Nether Soil was suppressed long ago by a coalition of the Immortal Sects. No one knows where he is now—probably dead. As for the demon race, what else could they be? He was the strongest sword cultivator among them, and his hands are surely stained with the blood of countless innocents.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Just as she thought.

“The Shifang Nether Soil came into being because of him. Back then, demonic beasts ran rampant across the world. When he emerged, he subdued the four most vicious demonic beasts and made them his personal guardians. Later, relying on his own strength, he herded all the demonic beasts into the rift between the four regions, keeping them under his sole control,” Xu Xianxing added. “They say he was still gathering his strength when the Immortal Sects wiped him out in one fell swoop. Good thing too—if he’d managed to command the demonic beasts, the world would’ve been plunged into chaos.”

Lian Mu raised her eyebrows. “That powerful?”

Xu Xianxing replied, “Setting aside his identity, he was indeed formidable—but also incredibly arrogant. He lived in the same era as Master Feng Tianche. When Master Feng passed away, he even caused a stir at the Returning Immortal Sect. He was eventually wounded by three strikes from Venerable Elder Mei and forced back into the Shifang Nether Soil.”

“Venerable Elder Mei is from Master Feng’s time too?” Ji Mingyue exclaimed in surprise. “Three sword strikes to drive back the Lord of the Shifang Nether Soil… no wonder she’s known as the number one sword cultivator of the Crimson Sky Sect.”

“There was no Crimson Sky Sect back then,” Xu Xianxing said. “But that battle made Venerable Elder Mei famous across the land. She became one of the most renowned sword cultivators of her time.”

Lian Mu frowned slightly. “…”

Xuan Che’s background was far too complicated. Keeping him around might not be safe.

She’d need to find a chance to send him away.

With that thought, Lian Mu casually packed up some food and stood up. “I’ve got something to take care of. I’m heading back.”

Wen Yun said, “There’s nothing going on tonight. Why leave so early? The Endless Sea glows with waterfire at night. In a little while, the entire beach will light up—it’s one of Yinghui Island’s signature sights. Won’t you stay and watch with us?”

“Next time,” Lian Mu replied. “Yinghui Island isn’t going anywhere.”

Since she insisted on leaving, the others didn’t push her. They wanted to see the waterfire, so they stayed on the beach.

Lian Mu went to the Crimson Sky Sect to get the housing registry. After learning her assigned location, she took a roundabout path back.

Her residence was in one of the pavilions over the sea—no bridges, so she’d have to fly there.

She released her broom and was just about to take off when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure in red standing by the shore. The silhouette looked familiar.

She looked again and recognized Mei Chengyu—the one she had recently fought.

Mei Chengyu seemed to sense her gaze and turned around, looking slightly surprised. “Heading back to rest?”

Lian Mu nodded. “Mm.”

Half of Mei Chengyu’s face was flushed—clearly, she’d been drinking. From the first time Lian Mu had met her, it seemed she was always drunk, never sober.

“Your friends are still over there. Why are you going back alone?” Mei Chengyu asked. She was alone too, standing quietly in the night, her presence tinged with a hint of loneliness.

“Just tired.”

Lian Mu glanced out toward the sea. At that moment, the waterfire began to surface, rolling in with the waves and leaving trails of glowing blue light scattered across the sand.

“You think a little lie like that can fool me?” Mei Chengyu saw through her instantly but didn’t press the issue. Instead, she said, “It’s a blessing to have friends by your side. Nights like this don’t come often—it’d be a shame to miss it.”

“There’ll be other chances,” Lian Mu replied. “Aren’t you alone too, Venerable Elder?”

Mei Chengyu gave a faint smile. “There may be beautiful nights every year, but people aren’t always around to see them. You and I are different—I don’t have a choice.”

Lian Mu noticed she was holding a small bouquet of flowers—the same little blue blossoms she’d seen before, their color identical to the glowing waterfire.

She opened her mouth, about to find an excuse to slip away, when Mei Chengyu suddenly asked, “Have you met him?”

Her gaze fell on the alchemy furnace at Lian Mu’s waist, clearly hinting at something.

Lian Mu’s expression didn’t change. “Venerable Elder, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mei Chengyu walked over and patted her on the shoulder. “You’re a dual cultivator of sword and alchemy? What’s your alchemy master’s name?”

“Venerable Elder, my master’s surname is Yi,” Lian Mu replied, unwilling to reveal anything about Feng Tianche.

She hadn’t even told Murong Yi about this—let alone an outer sect Venerable Elder.

For now, she could only borrow Venerable Elder Yi’s name.

“Yi Zifei?” Mei Chengyu said. “So it’s him… That junior’s not bad. Learn well under him. A dual cultivator of sword and alchemy—you’re the first I’ve seen. With that alchemy furnace, you’re already starting ahead of most.”

Feigning ignorance, Lian Mu asked, “Venerable Elder Mei, does this alchemy furnace have a story?”

Mei Chengyu smiled, then reached out to ruffle her hair, but didn’t answer the question. “Go rest. The day after tomorrow, we enter the Illusion Realm. Use these next two days to prepare. You’re ranked ninth on the sword cultivator list now—I’ve heard of you. If you perform well in the next two rounds, you might just break into the top four and challenge the chief disciples.”

Lian Mu: “…”

So Venerable Elder Mei had been watching her this closely?

Lian Mu couldn’t shake the strange feeling she got from Mei Chengyu’s attitude. She mounted her broom and flew off without looking back.

Unseen by her, high above in the sky, another figure descended—clad in white, standing atop a long sword, face utterly expressionless.

“You’re trying to pull the same trick again, aren’t you? Turning her into your new shadow?”

Mei Chengyu watched the receding figure, her hair tousled by the wind, half her face obscured. Maybe it was the alcohol, but her voice carried a chill. “What does this have to do with the Azure Profound Sect?”

“It has nothing to do with the Azure Profound Sect,” Shang Liu stood tall in the darkness, his expression indifferent. “The disciples of the Returning Immortal Sect are none of my concern, but I’ve already been burned once. I won’t stand by and watch a child get fooled by a madwoman like you.”

Mei Chengyu said coldly, “Shang Liu, I owe you nothing. I never intended to deceive you back then. You were the one with impure thoughts, twisting my words on purpose.”

“Fine, let’s say I was the one with impure thoughts,” Shang Liu replied. “But if I tell the people of the Returning Immortal Sect that you’ve been eyeing Lian Mu, what do you think they’ll do? They’ve already lost too many prodigies. Now that they finally have someone with a rare triple Spiritual Root, you targeting her is like stepping on the Returning Immortal Sect’s tail.”

“Don’t tell me you’re not planning to take her back to the Crimson Sky Sect,” Shang Liu sneered. “No, wait. I should say the Penglai Sect. After all, in your eyes, only the Penglai Sect is worthy of bearing the title of the Eastern Gate of the Azure Dragon. The Crimson Sky Sect is just another shadow.”

“……”

“Mei Chengyu, stop drowning yourself in the past. The Penglai Sect is gone. The people you still mourn—they’re all dead.”

“Shut up.”

A crimson longsword tore through the air, grazing Shang Liu’s cheek and leaving a thin line of blood.

Shang Liu froze, eyes dropping. Then, with a flick of his fingers, the sword veered off in another direction.

“If you insist on this path, I’ll tell the Returning Immortal Sect everything tomorrow.”

Mei Chengyu withdrew her sword and turned her head away, her face swallowed by the night.

After a long silence, she murmured, “Shang Liu, even you don’t understand me anymore. You were the only one who ever did.”

“That’s because now I’m just Shang Liu—not the person you once thought I was.”

“And she’s just Lian Mu—not someone from the Penglai Sect.”

…

…

Haiyun Residence, Building Thirteen.

Lian Mu had once again been assigned to a remote room, with no neighbors on either side—perfect for her to do things her own way.

The Crimson Sky Sect’s lodgings were far more lavish than those of other sects, like a celestial palace floating on the sea. A luminous pearl in the center lit up the entire room like daylight. The entrance was draped with strings of pearls, the walls adorned with agate and jade, and even the bed was nestled inside a giant seashell.

Green Bean poked its head out and clicked its pincers. Lian Mu caught its intent immediately and pinned it down. “No chewing the furniture this time.”

Last time, it had gnawed every piece of furniture in her Azure Profound Sect quarters to bits, and she’d had to pay for it out of pocket.

Lian Mu pulled out a luminous stone and tapped the top. In the next instant, the ground beneath her feet was swallowed by black mist.

In the blink of an eye, she was inside the space within the luminous stone. Looking up, she saw a dark figure dozing beside a patch of green.

She glanced at the spiritual plants in the soil—they’d already begun to sprout, each one growing nicely.

“Get up. I brought you food.” Lian Mu set the packed meal down beside him.

Xuan Che’s lashes fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes, gaze falling on the food box.

“You actually remembered this time,” he said, lifting the lid. His eyes flickered slightly at the sight of the contents. “I just mentioned it in passing, and you really went to Azure Dragon East?”

Lian Mu rolled her eyes. “…You know I’m competing in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition. Don’t tell me you didn’t know one of the rounds is in Azure Dragon East?”

“Nope,” Xuan Che said flatly, already digging in.

Lian Mu pulled a handful of seeds from her spatial pouch. “I collected some new seeds today. Help me plant them.”

Xuan Che nudged a patch of empty soil with his toe. “Leave them there.”

Maybe he’d been cooped up in here too long and gone a bit stir-crazy. At first, he’d refused to let her plant spiritual herbs here. Now he was tending them himself.

This whole patch of green had been his doing lately.

“Xuan Che, I heard something about you outside… Your Moonlight Sword—did you steal it?” Lian Mu asked cautiously.

Xuan Che paused, then answered without hesitation, “What else? You think the Immortal Sects would just hand it to me?”

Lian Mu: “……”

Well, at least he was honest.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Xuan Che said between bites. “If you want to hand the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda over to the Immortal Sects, go ahead. I stopped caring a long time ago about whose hands I end up in.”

Lian Mu understood his indifference. “Because no one can kill you anymore. At best, they can just trap you in the pagoda.”

He was the leader of the demon race. Of course, killing him would’ve been ideal. But the fact that the Immortal Sects hadn’t done so back then and had chosen to imprison him instead made it clear—they couldn’t.

For the first time, Xuan Che smiled at her. “To think those useless fools from the Immortal Sects could kill This Venerable One? That’s like ants trying to shake a tree.”

There he went again, showing off. Lian Mu was used to it by now.

“The day after tomorrow, I’m entering the Illusion Realm. I won’t be able to bring you food, so take care of my spiritual plants. When I’m out, I’ll treat you to a feast,” she said.

Xuan Che glanced at the seeds she’d set down and raised an eyebrow. “Penglai’s Yinghui Flower? Your Illusion Realm trial is on Penglai Island?”

Lian Mu: “You’ve been there?”

“There’s no place in this world This Venerable One hasn’t set foot in.”

Lian Mu: “……”

Here we go again.

“Since you’ve gone through all that trouble to please me, This Venerable One will begrudgingly teach you a couple of moves—so you don’t end up getting devoured, bones and all, when you set foot on that godforsaken place called Penglai Island.” Xuan Che set down the food box and raised his hand, summoning the Moonlight Sword.

Lian Mu said, “I have my own sword techniques. I don’t need you to teach me.”

Everyone else might say her moves were chaotic, but she knew each strike by heart—every one of them was a proper sword technique she’d learned in her past life.

“I know. But your style is meant for fighting people,” Xuan Che replied. “This Venerable One will show you a few techniques specifically for dealing with beasts. Open your eyes, kid.”

Lian Mu blinked. “?”

Sword techniques for people and beasts were different?

Just as she was puzzling over that, Xuan Che raised his sword and slashed through the air—not at her, but seemingly at nothing. Yet the blade tore open a rift in midair. Moments later, a guttural roar echoed from within, and a pair of massive claws reached out.

“You’ve slain quite a few demonic beasts here before. Today, let me introduce you to This Venerable One’s Right Guardian.”

He pulled out a talisman from who-knows-where. It ignited without fire, glowing with crimson runes.

“Summoning spirit—Red Fire Green Phoenix.”