Chao Xian, Zhujiu Yin

No one knows how long it will last.

With the time for the immortals' return unknown, waiting with human lifespans seems to be sustained only by a promise.

For Li Shishi, they were like kites with their strings cut, disappearing into the deep sea of clouds, never to be seen again in the vast sky.

Therefore, life must go on.

She said:

"Let's go."

Jiang Rongyue gazed at the seemingly perpetually dry Cloud Cliff Sea, and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the time two years ago when the two of them often soaked in the hot springs at Cloud Dragon Waterfall.

But as soon as Li Shishi finished speaking, she quickly composed herself in half a breath and calmly replied:

"Yes, Chaoxian still needs you."

The girl grasped Jiang Rongyue's hand in return, glanced at Fuyun Temple, and then headed straight down the mountain.

Building a nascent force under certain rules and principles was far more difficult than the two of them had initially imagined. Two years was such a long time, yet they could only establish a preliminary framework that was on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, under the premise that one can only bind others by leveraging information asymmetry and the chain of interests, and cannot use despicable and immoral means to restrict others, one will undoubtedly be at a great disadvantage in the initial stage of accumulating initial capital.

On another front, although Jiang Rongyue possessed unparalleled talent at the Clear Mirror Realm stage, comparable to S-rank Valkyrie in later generations—almost equivalent to an advanced ultimate nuclear weapon in today's era—she was unwilling to reveal this fact excessively in most cases in order to ensure that the original purpose of the sect's mission was not distorted.

The reason is simple: this organization was established with the initial intention of "pilgrimage to immortals".

However, if Jiang Rongyue continues to display power beyond human comprehension, akin to that of a god, the lavish gift originally prepared for the Immortal Chi Yuan will be imperceptibly altered in its original purity.

Humans are bound to make mistakes, but immortals and gods are the only ones who do not.

Jiang Rongyue, who has been using [foresight], has become almost unpredictable within [Chaoxian]. She must create a flaw that is obvious to everyone on the surface in order to ensure the concept of Immortal Chi Yuan's absolute rule within the organization.

The easiest way to achieve this goal is undoubtedly to start abandoning the use of [predicting the future].

Even if Jiang Rongyue's personal abilities are honed, as long as she gives up using this cheating ability, most of her original foresight and ease will be lost, and the myth will naturally crumble on its own.

But the girl refused to allow herself to fail. The more information she absorbed, the more traces of her own failures she could find.

A detail, a person, a sentence.

A seemingly insignificant decision, a choice that seems almost nonexistent.

Behavior, manner of speaking, date, weather...

Too many unforeseen failures or unnecessary sacrifices will, because of reasons that are difficult to fathom and discover, sow the seeds of the initial cause and lead to the final result.

Jiang Rongyue has fallen into a kind of morbid cycle unknown to anyone. She attempts to accomplish such a grand vision by herself, and not only that, she also hopes that those whose fates she has changed will not be harmed as a result.

The girl yearns to shoulder the responsibility for those she first ignited, using her own strength.

The reason for this persistence is simply to make myself more human, more like [Jiang Rongyue].

She did not want the blue aura in her chest to continue to spread, nor did she want her will to become a heartless blade.

Therefore, the cycle of [predicting the future] has no solution indefinitely.

Without Li Shishi as her guiding light, she would likely have already gone astray and completely Honkai.

Because of the desire to find oneself, one continuously embarks on a path of self-destruction.

This contradictory spiral and distortion, in a sense, perfectly matches the nature of her abilities.

Therefore, Jiang Rongyue chose to use force as her "weakness" and maintained this persona from the very beginning.

This certainly doesn't mean she'll pretend she's never practiced martial arts or has no fighting ability. Once she enters the martial world, her past reputation and experience as the Yue Maiden Sword will inevitably be exposed.

The saying goes, "Hidden in the forest, a true hermit in the city."

Excessive disguise can actually reveal unnecessary flaws.

As long as excessive force is not displayed and others are used as a foil, the goal of creating a weakness can be achieved.

In the past two years, she has never displayed the strength to cut through a mountain of Sea of Mist or a season of heavy snow, not even in front of Li Shishi and Xiao Xuan.

Of course, there are also reasons that are unnecessary.

The fact that her hands were injured when she first took in refugees was also to maintain her "persona".

Otherwise, both [foresight] and the protective shield of the cyclical Heaven and Earth Qi would prevent even such a minor wound from appearing on her body.

Li Shishi, seemingly a bodyguard but actually a remedy, stayed by Jiang Rongyue's side for a long time. During this time, she demonstrated how Jiang Rongyue controlled the Heaven and Earth Qi while she was responsible for drawing her sword, creating a scene of the two working together.

Thus, this former Courtesan's persona was instantly elevated from a second-rate expert to an uncharted realm of unparalleled power.

This would normally be a suspicious and bizarre incident, but because of the words Su Qing'an left behind when she left the Capital City two years ago, and the colorful clouds over the ten thousand miles, almost everyone knows that the Courtesan of Zhen'an Ward once accompanied an immortal to slay demons and monsters.

Coupled with her current domineering power, capable of cleaving through the Clouds with a single stroke, all the unknown and the bizarre are erased by the sense of entitlement brought about by the word "immortal."

The legends and myths of the land of Shenzhou are even more exaggerated and omnipotent than the actual abilities of the Immortal Chi Yuan.

In the eyes of the world, nothing is surprising, no matter how magical, that is related to immortals.

Therefore, although the schemes and manipulations secretly extended by the [Chaoxian] faction remain unexposed, the established perception of Li Shishi and Jiang Rongyue as "one martial and one literary" has been set, and while their fame soared, Jiang Rongyue's initial goal was also successfully achieved.

In order to maintain this image, Li Shishi and Jiang Rongyue almost never separate unless there are special circumstances.

For Jiang Rongyue, who was unwilling to reveal the truth about [predicting the future] but needed to stay with Li Shishi for a long time and use her as a guide, she no longer needed to find other convincing reasons to bind the girl who longed to travel the world alone to her side.

But is losing this opportunity to be honest really a good thing?

The girl gazed at the unchanging mountains and sea in the distance, but her pupils reflected the extinguished sun and the ruins scattered on the ground. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the hand of the person next to her, drawing a look of doubt and worry from Li Shishi, who then asked her questions.

"Rongyue, what's wrong?"

Jiang Rongyue deliberately slowed her pace. Gazing at the exception beyond infinite possibilities, watching the scroll of the "future" vanish completely, and that increasingly clear face flawlessly concealing the turmoil within her heart, she smiled and said:

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that if [Chaoxian] expands further, perhaps in the process, I can accompany you to travel all over the world."

"By then, your initial wish to leave the Capital City will have been fulfilled, won't it?"

Li Shishi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. For some reason, a warm feeling rose in her chest. Her heart pounded fiercely under that person's gaze and words. Her expression remained unchanged, but a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Does our [Chaoxian] sect leader have so much free time? He even has time to accompany me to see the scenery while he's developing his power?"

Jiang Rongyue remained silent for a while. She felt that she owed the other party a lot. With her current strength and experience, it would not be difficult for her to travel the world on her own. However, she was still bound to her side because of her selfishness and could not get rid of her.

Moreover... this Courtesan had once broken free from the shackles of the Capital City, transforming from a caged canary into a bird soaring high, yet now, two years later, she has willingly entered a cage once again, one from which she knows when she will be released.

It is very important for the master to develop [Chaoxian].

But Li Shishi... was never any less despicable than these women.

She said earnestly:

"If it were you, yes."

Hearing the confident reply, the girl couldn't help but turn her head. The faint blush on her snow-white swan-like neck still betrayed her genuine feelings.

She was speechless for a moment.

An unmarried girl would likely not understand the specifics of how such feelings begin to blossom, but someone who grew up in a brothel could clearly understand what these emotions meant.

Over the past two years, Li Shishi has gradually come to realize that something is indeed wrong with her, but she still limits herself to a certain boundary due to worldly rules and natural constraints.

Those once-familiar shared baths and jokes about touching the Stigmata seem to have been sealed away in the past two years, their flow halted.

The girl had the courage to pursue freedom, but suddenly realized that she wasn't as brave as she had imagined.

It was an illusion, an accident, a fleeting, negligible flutter of the heart.

Li Shishi defined it in this way, and with a light touch on the hilt of the sword at her waist, she ended the conversation with a nonchalant response.

There is no such thing as true freedom; it's just... a prison for the mind.

A month and a half later, in a newly built small town not far from Mount Taixu.

A piece of news spread like wildfire among the people, causing a stir and a sense of panic.

Jiang Rongyue sat in a corner of the teahouse, opposite Li Shishi, who was wearing the same bamboo hat. The two of them had learned of the news in advance through the still imperfect intelligence system of [Chaoxian].

They were not surprised at all that public opinion had escalated to this point so quickly.

Aside from the influence of [Chao Xian], a closer look at the specific events and their underlying Karma reveals that such momentum is actually quite reasonable.

Great Demon named Zhujiu Yin suddenly appeared on the battlefield where the two armies were fighting. In an instant, darkness swallowed the light of the setting sun. After devouring thousands of Warhorse and countless soldiers, it even destroyed most of Wanhe City, which was the site of the battle between the two armies.

This demon, whose true form is unknown, has not only caused the deaths of countless people and injured countless others, but also continues to advance in the surrounding areas because no one can defeat it.

Needless to say, upon hearing the news, the Liao army almost immediately shifted its focus and launched opportunistic sieges in other areas.

The Great Song was extremely troubled by this Great Demon had begun to wreak havoc on its territory. Almost immediately, it issued an imperial edict, appealing to martial arts masters to come and help.

This seemingly ridiculous scene is not surprising given the current state of war.

Faced with demons of this level, only top-tier martial artists with extremely profound Qi cultivation can directly confront them.

Even a million-strong army, before developing armor and weapons that counter the Heaven and Earth Qi, would rarely fare well in battle against Great Demon.

The Great Song's High Command naturally recruited many true masters, but after Liao Secret Agents and assassins were discovered in the Capital City, not to mention the military guards serving as protectors in the Imperial Palace, the masters recruited and raised by the powerful and wealthy would not come.

Given the horrifying scenes of the General's Family's residences being burned to the ground in previous years, the casualties among the civilians on the frontier were nothing to worry about.

The core reason why this matter spread so widely and caused such a sensation was not only the inaction of the Great Song, the deaths of wave after wave of Wandering Knights, and the possibility of Great Demon approaching the city at any time, but also... the birthplace of Zhujiu Yin - Wanhe City - is on the edge of the territory radiating from Mount Taixu.

Since ancient times, people have regarded Mount Taixu as the abode of immortals.

Furthermore, within a certain radius of Radiation Range of Mount Taixu, any terrifying and powerful demonic event will be completely eliminated in a short period of time.

Over time, the nearby residents actually developed a clear boundary for the area radiated by Mount Taixu.

However, this boundary line is a different standard from the scope that the immortals told Qin Shi Huang at that time; it is much, much wider.

The reason, of course, lies in the people's fear of demons and their reverence for immortals.

With these two factors combined, people in areas that are even slightly adjacent to Mount Taixu would consider themselves to be within the "Sacred Mountain's" sphere of influence.

Wanhe City falls into this category.

This is one of the reasons why the Great Song and Liao dynasties dared to wage war here.

However, for most ordinary people, Wanhe City, as part of the Mount Taixu territory, has long been under the protection of the Immortal Chi Yuan and has never encountered any serious Demonic Calamity.

However, this place has been nearly annihilated by a Great Demon, yet not a trace of immortals has been found.

No one would believe that the Immortal Chi Yuan does not exist, because her deeds of slaying demons and monsters and her presence have never ceased.

Therefore, with the rise of the [Chaoxian] faction, which claimed to have been established for the sake of the Immortal Chi Yuan, the people's first thought at this time was almost always that they had long enjoyed the immortal's protection with peace of mind, but never thought about what they could do for such an immortal. They only knew how to take and not how to give back.

This sowed the seeds of future trouble, leading to the current situation.

Looking out the window at the people spontaneously marching in the street, shouting and begging for the immortals' mercy, Li Shishi's expression was inscrutable. She said:

"Sister Chi Yuan's reputation is even more impressive than I expected."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rongyue said calmly:

"Shishi, you have lived in the Capital City since you were a child, so you don't feel much difference. But the people near Mount Taixu have heard the Legends of Immortals passed down from generation to generation, and they often see and hear about them. Their inner concepts have been shaped from childhood, so their feelings are very different."

"I have been to many places, and the views on Master are different in different places. It is true that some people regard him as a real god, but some people in distant places have only seen Master in novels. For them, the emperor is more worthy of awe than the ethereal immortal."

She lowered her eyes, gazing at the bustling street scene, and said softly:

"Therefore, the foundation of [the pilgrimage] can only be this soil that has been cultivated from the ground up."

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi murmured:

"Therefore, as long as Zhujiu Yin is killed in the name of [Chaoxian], those who suffered from fear and anxiety during this incident will be forced to live in this shadow to avoid similar events in the future, thus becoming the most loyal supporters of [Chaoxian]."

Jiang Rongyue said:

"After that, without much effort in propaganda, these places can be transformed into external forces of Mount Taixu."

This opportunistic approach allows them to convert a large number of potential followers and believers of the Immortal Chi Yuan into their own power base.

The best and most convenient way to maximize the effect is to let the Great Demon run rampant and have [Chao Xian] continue to fuel the panic, even...

If necessary, prevent the others from killing Zhujiu Yin.

Li Shishi took a deep breath, suppressing the subtle emotions within her, and asked:

"When do you plan to kill that Zhujiu Yin?"

Less than an hour had passed since the two received the news, and the accelerated spread of [Chaoxian] had only just begun. If this method were to be used, it would inevitably create many sacrifices that could not be avoided by instinct.

Even though she knew that everything Zhujiu Yin had done had nothing to do with her, it was still difficult for a young girl to sit idly by and remain calm.

Through these two years of interaction, Li Shishi has come to understand clearly that no demon in the world can withstand a serious sword strike from the person before her.

To Jiang Rongyue, this Great Demon known as Zhujiu Yin was nothing more than a mosquito that she could easily slay.

Even without any moral blackmail, profiting from such matters is no different from profiting from war or exploiting human suffering.

Even if... all [Chasen] did was spread the truth and stand idly by.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Rongyue's lips curled slightly. In her eyes was the desolate and dilapidated state of the city, covered in dust, with piles of corpses nearby.

The whole world bombards us with complex information, telling us that the boundary between truth and falsehood does not exist.

But the girl remained unfazed, seemingly undisturbed by this "illusion," and gave a clear smile, offering an answer that left everyone stunned:

"Let's go now."

[Pilgrimage to the Immortal Realm] is very important.

But she said that Li Shishi was never any less despicable than these people.