Female Immortal

The force of ten thousand jun had still taken its toll. Yu Ci could no longer suppress the injuries to his internal organs, and a mouthful of blood surged up his throat. Yet he gritted his teeth and forcibly swallowed the blood back down. All the strength in his body roared and burned in the instant old and new forces alternated, merging into the unique pulse of his Primordial Spirit before transforming into a dazzling blade of flame.

At that moment, a force also fed back from the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, instantly melding into the all-embracing pulse of his Primordial Spirit. Yu Ci felt as though his palm were burning as well. What he gripped now was no longer a wooden hilt, but a spear wholly forged from blazing fire!

The firelight tore through the void with a piercing shriek. Then came another clang. Yu Ci's mind jolted; he knew he had still struck wide, missing the ghost beast's eye—the weakest point he had intended to hit.

"...Then what did I hit?"

As doubt rose in him, his hand suddenly emptied again. The feel of the Nine Yang Talisman Sword vanished from his palm, as if it had evaporated into thin air beneath the abrupt heat.

At the same time, every sound around him vanished. The suddenly silent space seemed filled with the ghost beast's disbelief, so intense it was almost ludicrous.

The next instant, muffled thunder exploded beside Yu Ci's ear.

At last, he knew who the culprit behind last night's disturbance in Sky Rift had been!

With a buzzing roar, Yu Ci faced that howl at point-blank range, as though a ten-thousand-jin hammer had smashed into his skull. In that instant, he even thought his brains were about to splatter out. His body was hurled backward, unable to bear the impact, until he crashed into the rock wall at the end of the slope and finally stopped.

Even in such circumstances, Yu Ci forced his eyes open. Through his blurred vision, he saw that after blasting him away with its roar, the ghost beast lowered its body slightly and took a stance to exert force, as though it intended to charge him again.

Yu Ci had no wish to end up like Hu Ke. He spat out the blood foam pooled in his mouth, braced himself against the cliff face, and struggled to stand. But he was bare-handed now and wounded besides. What could he possibly do against this monster from ghost prison and Yellow Springs?

Right, that kid Ye Tu... He hadn't already been trampled to death by the ghost beast, had he?

The thought had barely formed when the ghost beast leaped without any warning. Its speed still exceeded the limit of Yu Ci's eyesight, but the next instant, it was as though it had been viciously lashed by a whip. Its whole body convulsed and shifted backward. Halfway through that movement, its enormous body sprang again, turning directly into a thin wisp of smoke that merged with the pervading mist.

Yu Ci stared in astonishment.

At that moment, the sky above abruptly brightened. Yu Ci sharply turned his head, and his vision blurred again. He saw only the clouds and mist within the gorge split from high above, opening a long, narrow seam. A faint glimmer then swept through it, somehow arriving after yet striking first, shooting in like lightning at the very instant the ghost beast plunged into the mist. Only then did Yu Ci hear a faint, distant cry, as though it had come from beyond the heavens.

A shrill scream immediately rang out from within the clouds. Then the clouds churned and the mist parted, and the ghost beast's body sprang out before diving back in. In that brief instant, Yu Ci saw blood spurting from all five features and seven apertures of its head, twisting it into a hideous visage. Then it vanished from sight once more.

Yu Ci finally understood. Someone had attacked the ghost beast, and that person had to be a formidable figure.

Naturally, he was curious about the newcomer's identity, but that was not the priority. The moment he recovered a little, he ignored everything else and rushed over to check on Ye Tu. The result made him breathe a sigh of relief. The youth's breathing was still strong, and his internal organs remained stable. Only his upper left arm, left shoulder blade, collarbone, and two ribs had been broken by the ghost beast's blow—all external injuries that could be healed.

From the look of it, the youth had most likely fainted from the pain.

Yu Ci took several deep breaths, steadying his hands, which trembled from exhaustion, and prepared to set the youth's bones. The moment his fingers touched the clothing, his entire body stiffened. A faint, dark fragrance had entered his nostrils, flowing through his seven apertures and lingering without dispersing.

A beat later, someone spoke gently beside his ear. "May I tend to my disciple's injuries?"

Her disciple?

Yu Ci steadied his mind and turned to look. The first thing he saw was the hem of a pale yellow silk gown. A jade pendant hung down from above, weighing the skirt's edge in place, while tassels of black silk swayed in the wind. They seemed to be the source of the drifting fragrance.

Following those tassels upward, Yu Ci's gaze unconsciously shifted along the naturally narrowing curve. He saw a pale satin sash lightly cinched around her waist, over which hung a layer of mist-like gauze. Elegant, intricate patterns had been woven into it with exquisite skill, though he could not make them out clearly for the moment.

Yu Ci did not dare stare too long. What lay farther above passed through his vision in fleeting glimpses, until his eyes met a pair as clear as the waters of a tranquil lake.

To be honest, his earlier feelings had been somewhat strange. But the moment he met those bright eyes, every inexplicable thought vanished. For within those clear eyes, the occasional ripples were like the cold gleam of Sword Qi flowing along a treasured blade—seemingly brilliant and captivating, yet containing a power that made one's heart tremble.

This female cultivator had just called Ye Tu her disciple. Then she was Ye Tu's master?

Yu Ci realized that during their time together, apart from the seemingly gifted A Chi, Ye Tu had never mentioned anything regarding his sect. This female master was someone Yu Ci had only learned of now.

He did not doubt the truth of her words. In fact, with the strength she had just displayed, if she truly wished to harm the two of them, all she needed was a single sweep of her sword. There was no need to waste any thought on it.

Yu Ci rose and turned around, immediately standing taller than the newcomer. Yet he lowered his head slightly, raised his hands to his forehead, and bowed to express his gratitude. "I shall repay the grace of saving my life another day. I am the wandering cultivator Yu Ci. May I ask this fellow Daoist's honored name?"

Calling her "fellow Daoist" was actually somewhat presumptuous, but the female cultivator did not mind. She merely replied:

"Ye Bin of the Eastern Sea."

With Yu Ci's meager knowledge of cultivation, there was naturally no way for him to know what renown this female cultivator before him possessed in the cultivation world. He merely repeated her name twice in his heart. Just as he was considering what to say next, she thanked him first:

"My disciple was headstrong. She deceived her elders and left home to wander afar, only to suffer this calamity. Though I followed her trail here, I still arrived a step too late. Had fellow Daoist not risked his life to protect her, the consequences would have been unthinkable. Ye Bin offers her thanks!"

The female cultivator's tone remained gentle. She was neither distant because of their difference in status nor cold because of their difference in cultivation. She made no mention of saving Yu Ci's life, and instead thanked him for caring for Ye Tu. She appeared to be a very approachable person.

Yet Yu Ci felt that such an attitude, like her limpid eyes, was by no means as mild and gentle as it appeared on the surface.

So this was a legendary master.

Yu Ci knew it was absurd to expect to gain from this female cultivator an impression similar to the one she gave of her disciple, so he did not dwell on it. He changed his manner of speaking and addressed her as he would a stranger. "I am ashamed. My abilities were insufficient..."

"Fellow Daoist is too modest. How could one call it insufficient ability when, with a Spirit Communion cultivation, you severed the Heart-Pulling Horn of the Rakshasa Ghost King's favored pet?"

"The Rakshasa Ghost King? The Heart-Pulling Horn?"

Yu Ci was initially confused, but then he saw a broken horn lying amid the wreckage on the ground. It was only five cun long and pale blue in color, looking like half of one of the ghost beast's three horns. So that strike which had burned up the Nine Yang Talisman Sword had produced such a result. No wonder that hulking creature had gone mad with rage. But what was this Rakshasa Ghost King?

Ye Bin did not explain. She walked to the unconscious Ye Tu and crouched to examine him.

Yu Ci hurriedly made room for her, but looking down from above, he also saw the female cultivator's smooth white neck and back muscles. Her jade-like skin shone with dazzling radiance through the thin gauze. It was a scene beautiful enough to intoxicate, but Yu Ci quickly looked away, unwilling to offend the beauty before him through such foolish behavior.

Still, it had to be said that ever since his birth, he had never seen a beauty like Ye Bin. Even the Crimson Yin Female Immortal, who had possessed astonishing beauty in those days, had lost much of her charm through her viciousness and bloodlust.

Ye Bin quickly finished her examination and said softly, "There is no serious harm. But Sky Rift is no place to linger. My coming down here today may well provoke the displeasure of many people... Let us leave."

Before Yu Ci could respond, he felt a faint chill pass over his body. Then he became as light as though weightless. The scenery before his eyes shifted from clear to blurred, accompanied by a slight dizziness. When all sensation faded, warm sunlight shone upon him again. Raising his head, he saw the long-lost sun.

In the span of a blink, he had arrived above Sky Rift, crossing twenty li and three thousand zhang in one stroke. Only then did the whistling explosion of air sound out, sending waves through the sea of clouds as it rose and fell like the tides. Before he even had time to marvel at such astonishing divine ability, a new sight seized his attention.

Before him, the female cultivator stood slender and graceful in her gown and gauze shawl, her back to the billowing sea of mist. Her pale yellow dress reflected the direct sunlight, color haloing her entire body and radiance blooming from her jade cheeks, making her seem almost celestial. Yu Ci feared he would never forget this sight for the rest of his life.

A female immortal—this woman before him was a true female immortal!

He lowered his eyelids, using the skill of a qualified swindler to conceal the thoughts that had become somewhat impolite, then asked, "Fairy Ye, has that ghost beast been executed?"

Under the sunlight, Ye Bin's smile became even more enchanting. Yet some power held it in check, keeping it from becoming too dazzling and lending it a reserved, profound beauty. She shook her head, and the sole golden hairpin in her dark coiffure swayed as well.

"How could it be so easy? This beast was originally the pet of the Rakshasa Ghost King, known as the foremost master of illusion within Blood Prison Ghost Manor. It was later abandoned and settled here. The rest would be one thing, but it spent years beside the Rakshasa Ghost King, steeped in the Ghost King's divine arts. The illusion power it acquired can bewilder the soul. If it deliberately exerts that power, even an Earth Immortal master might be bewitched through a moment's carelessness... If the ghost beast truly wishes to flee, I cannot stop it."

This was the longest speech the female cultivator had made since appearing. Yu Ci had certainly broadened his horizons, yet he could not shake the feeling that there was some indescribable implication behind her words. As he pondered it, his expression abruptly changed. Just as he was about to speak, the female cultivator suddenly pressed her lips together in a smile and shouted:

"Hit!"

With a muffled "Moo!", Yu Ci's mind went blank, and he nearly got blown away again by the thunderous sound. He steadied himself without taking a single step back, then opened his eyes to look. At the cliff's edge, the sea of clouds burned and churned into more than a dozen enormous bubbles, from which a heavy stench of blood seeped out.