Azure Emperor

Golden Ao Island, the Three Immortals Island Daoist Grounds.

"Crack—"

That crisp cracking sound had shattered not only the jade talisman, but also Yun Xiao's heart.

Time seemed to slow to an almost unbearable crawl.

She stared at the pile of powder in her fair palm. It was the jade talisman linked to her eldest brother, Zhao Gongming's life. Now, it had become a heap of lifeless dust.

"Pfft—"

The shock to her spirit stirred her blood and qi. Yun Xiao could no longer suppress it, and she spat out another mouthful of blood, splattering the ground before her in a shocking red stain.

"Big Brother!!!"

Her anguished cry rang through the entire Daoist grounds. What streamed from Yun Xiao's eyes were no longer tears, but two glaring streaks of blood. Her world had crumbled in that moment.

"Big Sister!"

"Big Sister, don't scare us!"

Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao caught Yun Xiao from either side as she swayed unsteadily. Their faces had gone deathly pale. They stared blankly at the pile of powder, their minds empty, unable to process this sudden devastating news.

"N-no... That can't be..." Bi Xiao's lips trembled as she repeated those words again and again, as if doing so could deny the reality before her. "Big Brother was so powerful. He had the twenty-four Sea Calming Divine Beads protecting him. Who could have killed him? This has to be a mistake! It has to be!"

Her words were filled with the frantic self-deception of a mind in denial, but the shattered jade talisman was like the cruelest slap, striking all three sisters across the face.

Compared with Bi Xiao's collapse, Qiong Xiao's reaction was far more intense.

A violent killing intent surged from her, shaking the entire Daoist grounds into chaos.

"Who was it?!"

Qiong Xiao sprang to her feet, fists clenched, her nails digging deep into her palms. Blood trickled between her fingers, but she didn't even notice.

"Who killed my big brother?!" Her voice turned shrill and piercing with rage. "Whoever it was, I'll find them! I'll tear them limb from limb! I'll rip out their soul and burn it in Samadhi True Fire for a hundred thousand years!"

The spiritual energy in the Daoist grounds grew restless at her fury. Flowers and grass withered, and the spiritual springs ran backward.

Of the three sisters, Yun Xiao had always been the calmest and steadiest, hailed as the foremost female immortal of the Interception Sect. Yet now, an unprecedented stillness had come over her.

She neither cried out nor roared.

She simply pushed away her two younger sisters, then slowly straightened up.

Her peerlessly beautiful face, capable of captivating all living beings, was now veiled in a thick layer of frost, without the slightest warmth. Her gaze was hollow, filled with Death Qi, and the hatred within it seemed capable of dragging the entire Primordial Era into an endless winter.

"Big Sister..." Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao felt an inexplicable fear in their hearts as they looked at Yun Xiao like this.

Yun Xiao said nothing. She simply set off, walking steadily, one step at a time, toward the depths of the Daoist grounds.

Each footfall seemed to land on Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao's hearts, so heavy it left them struggling to breathe.

At the end of the grounds stood an ancient stone altar. A magic treasure rested quietly upon it.

The treasure was shaped like a dou, gleaming gold from end to end. Profound Dao patterns were carved across it, and it radiated an ancient aura that seemed to come from the primordial chaos of Hongmeng.

It was the Innate Spiritual Treasure the three sisters had obtained from the Treasure-Splitting Cliff, refined from a mass of primordial chaos formed when heaven and earth first separated. Of all the treasures in the Interception Sect, it was second only to their master's Four Immortal-Slaying Swords formation diagram in its capacity for slaughter—and carried the greatest karmic burden.

The Primordial Golden Dou!

"Big Sister, what... what are you going to do?" Qiong Xiao's voice trembled.

Bi Xiao's eyes widened too. She knew exactly what her big sister intended to do. They understood all too well what it meant to use the Primordial Golden Dou.

Yun Xiao walked up to the stone altar, then reached out with her still-trembling hand to gently caress the cold surface of the Primordial Golden Dou.

"I'm going down the mountain."

Her voice finally rang out, calm and cold, devoid of any emotion a human should have. It was like a slab of dark ice that had never thawed in ten thousand years.

"I'm going to find out who killed my big brother."

She paused, lifted the Primordial Golden Dou from the altar, and held it in her palm. The dou seemed to sense its master's feelings and gave off a low, repeated hum.

Yun Xiao turned to face her two younger sisters. Her eyes, streaked with bloody tears, blazed with a madness that could burn through the nine heavens.

"Then..."

"I'll make his entire lineage join my big brother in death!"

News that the Three Immortals were going down the mountain swept across Golden Ao Island like a gale.

When Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao emerged from the Three Immortals Island Daoist grounds, their killing intent soaring as they prepared to leave Golden Ao Island, the Interception Sect disciples who had rushed over at the news had already packed the square outside Biyou Palace.

"Senior Sisters, where are you going?"

"That's right, Senior Sister Yun Xiao, what happened? Why is your killing intent so intense?"

"What on earth happened?"

Led by Daoist Duobao, Golden Spirit Holy Mother, Wudang Holy Mother, Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, and the other Seven Attendant Immortals, along with thousands of outer sect disciples, had gathered there. Their faces were filled with confusion and worry.

The Three Immortals held a high standing in the Interception Sect and were well-liked by everyone. Yun Xiao in particular was dignified and steady, with profound cultivation, and was admired by all the disciples. But now, the three of them looked as if they were in mourning, their killing intent surging. The sight had truly frightened everyone.

Bi Xiao had always been the most impatient of the three. Looking at the crowd pressing around them, she snapped, "Move aside! Don't block our way!"

"Junior Sister Bi Xiao, mind your manners!" Daoist Duobao frowned, stepped forward, and bowed to the three of them. "Junior Sisters, what happened? Tell us, and we can help you bear the burden. Why are you rushing to go down the mountain?"

Yun Xiao raised her colorless face and looked at the Interception Sect's senior brother. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke. "Senior Brother Duobao, my big brother... Senior Brother Gongming... has fallen."

"What?!"

Yun Xiao's words struck every Interception Sect disciple like a bolt from the blue.

The entire square fell instantly silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe their ears.

"Senior Sister Yun Xiao, what... what did you say? Senior Brother Gongming, he... he..." one disciple stammered, his voice trembling.

"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Senior Brother Gongming only defeated the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Sect of Explanation a few days ago. He was unstoppable! How could he have fallen just like that?"

"That's right! Senior Brother Gongming had the Sea Calming Divine Beads protecting him. Who below the level of a sage could take his life?"

After a brief silence, an uproar erupted.

All the Interception Sect disciples were thrown into a frenzy. They couldn't accept this, and they didn't want to accept it. Zhao Gongming was the pride of the Interception Sect's outer disciples, their war god, and the only pillar of strength and hope the sect—worshipped by the myriad immortals—had in this tribulation!

His death was a devastating blow to the entire Interception Sect's morale!

Daoist Duobao's expression turned grim as he looked at Yun Xiao and asked in a low voice, "Junior Sister Yun Xiao, is this absolutely certain? How did you find out?"

Yun Xiao didn't answer. She simply opened her palm, showing everyone the powder left behind by the jade talisman tied to Zhao Gongming's life.

At the sight of the powder, every voice of doubt fell silent.

Which Interception Sect disciple didn't recognize a life-linked jade talisman? When the talisman turned to ash, it meant the soul had dispersed. That was irrefutable proof.

"Big Brother..."

"Senior Brother Gongming really..."

Grief and fury spread through the crowd like a plague. Many disciples who had been close to Zhao Gongming already had tears in their eyes.

Golden Spirit Holy Mother stepped forward and clasped Yun Xiao's cold hand, asking urgently, "Junior Sister, do you know who did it?"

Yun Xiao shook her head, hatred implacable in her eyes. "I don't. That's why we're going down the mountain—to get to the bottom of it!"