I'll Scatter Your Ashes, You Know

Come Here?

I'd heard of "Sword Come," but what was "Come Here" supposed to mean?

And what were you lifting your foot for?

What did "Come Here" have to do with lifting your foot?

The seven members of the Black Lotus Sect clutched their wounds, looking utterly bewildered. They couldn't make sense of Lu Ya's logic.

Ning Zhongzi furrowed her willow brows.

"Don't tell me you're planning to—"

Liu Xuanye calmed her inner energy and slowly opened her picturesque eyes. She raised her head to gaze in the direction Yunzhongzi had fled, starlight reflected in her serene swordlike eyes.

It was as if she were measuring heaven and earth. The sky's shadow retreated before her, and the stars dimmed.

Three hundred miles away.

Golden light clung to Yunzhongzi as he burned the spiritual power of his Immortal Platform. Trailing sparks and lightning, he raced through the night sky.

He was already planning a perfect ten-year revenge scheme!

He thought that although this young man was strong, he'd only caught him off guard. Once he'd made every possible preparation—ninety-nine traps and three hundred backup plans—revenge would be no problem.

The Bamboo Spring Sect wouldn't get away.

Liu Xuanye wouldn't get away.

Liu Xuanye's mortal Dao companion—no, that old Immortal Venerable scoundrel pretending to be a mortal—wouldn't get away!

Today's humiliation—in ten years, no, a hundred years from now, I, Yunzhongzi, will repay it tenfold!

As he thought this, he couldn't help but fly even faster.

Suddenly—

A terrifying force came chasing from behind. In an instant, it seized control of every muscle, bone, tendon, and organ in his body, even his Immortal Platform.

It dragged him backward through the air!

No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free!

What kind of hellish power was this?

And so, Yunzhongzi was dragged backward by an irresistible, terrifying force, flying toward the Bamboo Spring Sect at a speed many times faster than before.

On a nearby Floating Mountain, an occasional Immortal Commoner watched the golden light turn back in the sky and murmured:

"Which Immortal Sect Master forgot to bring his spatial ring when he left home?"

Yunzhongzi's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. He pulled out a Field-Exploding Pill and shouted three times:

"Infinite Immortal Release!"

"Immortal Platform Shell Shedding!"

"Three-Part Dismemberment!"

He unleashed every trick he had, but in the very next instant—

Lu Ya had his head pinned beneath his foot.

To the people on Sword Terrace, it had taken only a few short breaths for Lu Ya to snatch Yunzhongzi through the air and pin him beneath his foot.

In an instant, he'd stomped a half-step Immortal Sect Master who'd been hundreds of miles away into the ground...

Only by witnessing it with their own eyes could they understand the shock of such a miracle unfolding before them.

Brilliant golden light illuminated the entire mountaintop.

At the center of the light, no one could make out Lu Ya's face. They could only see a tall figure.

Just how much strength was this guy hiding?

Why couldn't they sense the slightest spiritual pressure?

Lu Ya had once been a cautious man like Yunzhongzi. He'd also spent day and night grinding away at cultivation, eating instant noodles to save on food money so he could spend more on the game. That was how he'd earned the first all-classes-maxed title in history.

But now he was invincible. He no longer needed to keep working hard or play it safe.

He didn't need to flaunt his power, nor did he need to hide it on purpose.

At that moment, he found Yunzhongzi's golden light too dazzling and his immortal form too enormous. So he pressed down with his toe, as if snuffing out the ember on a cigarette, and extinguished Yunzhongzi's Immortal Release mode.

Only then did he get a clear look at Yunzhongzi's true form.

He wore a gray martial robe and stood nearly two meters tall, with a powerful build and a large, sturdy head.

He looked skilled in physical combat, and his half-step Immortal Sect Master cultivation was no joke. He seemed like a tough nut to crack...

So how had he become such a coward?

"Your Golden Body mode's pretty neat."

Yunzhongzi was furious and terrified. Just how terrifying a strength had this young man been hiding?

He turned his head and sighed. After roaming the martial world for thousands of years, this was the first time he'd been forced to cower beneath someone's foot. All his furious words condensed into one sentence—

"Not... not bad."

You're pretty calm about this.

Lu Ya asked again:

"Your friend said you had quite a few valuable treasures on you, so I brought you back for a chat."

My friend...

Yunzhongzi cursed inwardly, but his voice came out unexpectedly calm.

"The few things I have on me are hardly worth anything to an expert like you, senior."

"Oh. Then let's kill you."

"Please wait, senior—"

In Yunzhongzi's eyes, Lu Ya might have possessed tremendous cultivation, but he was clearly only in his early twenties. His temperament was childish, and he did whatever he pleased. His cultivation might have come from a fortuitous encounter, or perhaps he possessed a rare treasure.

As long as Yunzhongzi stayed calm under pressure, balancing kindness and authority, and using both threats and enticements, he could surely keep this young man in check!

So he said slowly:

"My master is Yun Zhonghe, the former head of the White Lotus Sect. He has the treasures senior is looking for."

"If senior lets me go this once, that old man will be eternally grateful and reward you with a precious treasure."

"On the other hand, if senior kills me today, you'll make an enemy of a Nine-Star Immortal Venerable."

Make an enemy of a Nine-Star Immortal Venerable?

Kill the young one, and the old one comes after you?

Wouldn't that be like harvesting one crop of chives after another?

Lu Ya suddenly became interested.

"So if I kill you, he'll definitely come for revenge?"

"That's right."

"Excellent!"

"My master has boundless powers. He'll surely avenge—"

Before Yunzhongzi could finish, Lu Ya brought his foot down.

With a squelch, Lu Ya stomped Yunzhongzi to pulp like a cockroach.

With a look of shock, confusion, and despair on his face, Yunzhongzi turned to dust in an instant and vanished without a trace.

Even his ashes were scattered...

In the game Ancient Immortal Court, to comply with the government's call and avoid graphic violence, killing people never drew blood. When a person or Beast Immortal was killed, they immediately turned to ashes and vanished. Only spirit beasts kept their bodies, which people could eat.

This made players take a fresh look at the traditional label "old-school player."

It was the same in this world. Immortals often lived for tens of millions of years, and their physical bodies had long since become empty husks, as insubstantial as drifting willow fluff. They survived mostly on the spiritual power of their Immortal Platforms. When a person died, their spirit was extinguished, and they turned straight to ash.

Lu Ya raised a hand and seized Yunzhongzi's spatial ring out of the swirling ashes. He didn't even look at it before slipping it straight into his waistband.

Sword Terrace fell silent.

Only then did Ning Zhongzi react. She swept her sleeve and gathered Yunzhongzi's scattered ashes into an urn.

Lu Ya looked a little surprised.

"What are you doing?"

Ning Zhongzi replied:

"Taking this to the Immortal Court to claim the bounty."

"..."

The seven members of the Black Lotus Sect felt a chill run down their backs. They hurriedly removed every valuable thing they had—spatial rings, immortal swords, protective jade pendants—and lined them up neatly in front of themselves.

With a sweep of her clear sleeve, Ning Zhongzi gathered them all up. She also collected the spatial rings and other belongings left behind by the four people who had died earlier.

Only then did she ask Lu Ya:

"What should we do with these people?"

"You fought them. You decide."

As soon as Lu Ya finished speaking, seven streaks of green light, shaped like sword shadows, descended from the sky and turned all seven of them to ash in an instant.

Liu Xuanye had killed them without the slightest hesitation. She said only, with cool indifference:

"If we let them go, then anyone will dare come pick a fight with the Bamboo Spring Sect in the future."

After leaving those words behind, Liu Xuanye used her strength to kill again. Her wounds worsened, and her strength gave out. She grew dizzy and suddenly collapsed.

Space warped in an instant.

Ning Zhongzi rushed over, only to come up empty-handed once again. Liu Xuanye was no longer in front of her.

She turned around.

Lu Ya had caught Liu Xuanye in his arms, carrying her bridal-style.

Ning Zhongzi's eyes reddened.

She'd never expected that in her lifetime, she'd actually see the sect master collapse into a man's arms like an ordinary woman...

At the same time,

An invisible giant sword, carrying a sorrow as ancient as the primordial wilderness, plunged down from the crown of Lu Ya's head and pierced his brain.

It didn't hurt at all.

Small potatoes.

But Liu Xuanye, in his arms, had snapped tendons, and every one of her internal organs had been pierced.

Her face was pale, her lips bloodless, and blood slowly soaked through the blue gauze over her chest, as if she'd put on a beautiful red dress.

Lu Ya thought that Liu Xuanye's body had already reached its limit, yet she'd disregarded her injuries and slain her enemies for the sake of her sect's dignity. She had the spirit of a true hero.

At that moment, Liu Xuanye lay in Lu Ya's arms, so breathtakingly beautiful it took his breath away, and so cold she took his breath away. Yet her body was unexpectedly soft...

In the end, she was a woman after all!

Lu Ya had secretly intervened back when he controlled the Lotus Pattern Sword, slightly suppressing the power inside her Immortal Platform. That was how she'd been able to fight to her heart's content.

After this battle, he realized that Liu Xuanye and the Restriction inside her were one by nature, their souls bound together. Their fusion was so close it was extremely rare. Perhaps Liu Xuanye was merely an accessory body, and the Restriction was the true being.

Lu Ya's medical skills were maxed out, but even the cleverest housewife couldn't cook without rice. Removing the Restriction with his bare hands would inevitably damage her soul. He'd need medicinal ingredients, which would be a hassle and not worth the trouble.

Unless he used one of his sealed skills. But the time wasn't right yet!

As for Liu Xuanye's bodily injuries, an immortal could recover from physical wounds quite easily as long as their Immortal Platform remained stable. With Ning Zhongzi there, Lu Ya didn't need to step in.

A single Immortal Master had endured a devastating injury from the Restriction after using max-level Insight, watched the protective formation burst out of the mountain, then forced herself to attack and kill enemies while on the brink of collapse...

And somehow, she was still alive!

Holding the beauty in his arms, Lu Ya suddenly found himself believing in fate a little.

This woman's background was definitely not simple.

But to Lu Ya, Liu Xuanye's hidden past and her Husband-Killing Restriction were secondary concerns. As long as she didn't get in the way of his lazing about, she was a good wife.

At that moment,

The two girls by the bamboo grove woke up.

When they saw the sect master lying in Lu Ya's arms, covered in blood, they burst into tears.

"Sect master!"

"Sect master, sob, sob..."

"Sect master, don't die!"

"..."

Ning Zhongzi hurriedly scolded them:

"What nonsense are you shouting? The sect master won't die that easily. She'll be fine after a nap."

"Really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"The sect master's still alive!"

"That's wonderful!"

Muyu Feifei breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. All eleven members of the Black Lotus Sect had vanished, leaving behind only a pitch-black Immortal Boat, gleaming faintly beneath the starlight.

"Why are all the bad guys dead?"

"We didn't even get to fight them!"

"Who chased the bad guys away?"

They took a closer look. The sect master was covered in blood and unconscious. Their master was no good at fighting and now looked pale, her chest heaving; she was near her limit too. Only Lu Ya looked perfectly fine...

They immediately took their guesses for facts.

"No need to say it. It was definitely Lu Ya!"

"He's even more powerful than we are!"

"Who brought the sect master her Dao companion?"

"Who brought the Bamboo Spring Sect its savior?"

"Who changed the history of the Bamboo Spring Sect?"

"It was Xiu—"

Before Muyu could finish, Feifei clapped a hand over her mouth.

"That's right. It was me!"

Lu Ya's eye twitched.

When the little skit ended, the two girls leaped up and ran off to play aboard the Immortal Boat.

Ning Zhongzi shook her head and let out a long breath.

She checked Liu Xuanye's pulse again and found her Immortal Platform steady. Even after the mountain-protecting formation had pierced her body, the restraints within her Immortal Platform hadn't loosened in the slightest. If anything, they were even more stable than before...

This was something she had struggled for a thousand years to accomplish, without success!

She was beginning to doubt her own knowledge of pharmacology.

Although she hadn't seen Lu Ya cast a spell, she knew it was his doing.

"How did you manage that?"

Lu Ya didn't know how to explain it either.

Should he say he'd pressed down with his hand?

So he put on a profound air and said:

"Perhaps this is simply fate."

A hint of warmth flashed through her clear, delicate eyes. Ning Zhongzi bent her graceful immortal form and bowed deeply to Lu Ya with an immortal salute.

The immortal salute was the highest courtesy in the Immortal Realm, usually reserved for those one held in the utmost respect.

"If you hadn't generously stepped in tonight, the Bamboo Spring Sect would no longer exist. The sect master has been proud and aloof since childhood, and would never offer thanks lightly, but she means you no disrespect. I thank you on her behalf."

"Senior?"

Lu Ya glanced at Ning Zhongzi, his expression calm.

He couldn't help thinking of the Fairy Cake she'd prepared for Muyu Feifei, her dazzling array of self-invented black medicines, and her superb breastfeeding skills. He remembered, too, how she'd known she couldn't save Liu Xuanye, yet had still impulsively stepped forward to take the sword for her...

Of the four women in the Bamboo Spring Sect, Muyu Feifei was mischievous, but the two older women were rather interesting.

With that in mind, Lu Ya only smiled lazily and said:

"You're making me sound old, Junior Sister."