AVL Chapter 21

Ying Zhuo’s breathing stopped at that one look, his blood almost boiling.

 

Yes.

 

This look, this aura…

 

This was the renowned Young Immortal Lord Xi Jue of the Thirteen States.

 

No one had ever known what the twelfth Xiangwen was or its purpose, but Xi Jue could fight Sheng Jiao—who bore Tianyan pearls and was favored by Heaven’s will—to a draw with just himself and his sword.

 

The day after Ying Zhuo was “gently and patiently guided” by Xi Jue, the elder responsible for teaching Lixiang Zhai had urgent business and specifically asked his most prized disciple to substitute for a class.

 

Xi Jue wore bright red clothes, holding a vine whip as he slowly emerged from the gentle sunlight, so beautiful and gorgeous he was soul-stirring.

 

He was probably sickly from childhood, much shorter than ordinary peers his age.

 

He thought that coming before those Lixiang Zhai brats who were one or two years younger might help him regain some dignity, but looking around, each one was taller than him.

 

Xi Jue’s beautiful eyebrows immediately drooped. He glared at those rapidly growing teenagers, flicked his vine whip with a wrist movement, and didn’t waste half a word.

 

“Come fight!”

 

Though the Lixiang Zhai youths had heard of Xi Jue’s reputation, they’d never witnessed it and thought people were just flattering the Xi family with exaggerated praise.

 

Seeing how short he was, with a face like a pretty little girl, they didn’t say anything, but their eyes were full of mockery and ridicule.

 

Xi Jue noticed those gazes falling on his head and almost bristled with anger. His grip on the vine whip tightened, his eyes darkening.

 

“Fight.”

 

The Lixiang Zhai youths obediently went up to fight.

 

Moments later, they were all lying on the ground groaning, unable to even crawl up.

 

That was the first time Ying Zhuo saw his classmates, who usually bullied him so badly he couldn’t lift his head, beaten into such a wretched and miserable state.

 

—Of course, that included himself.

 

After beating the entire Lixiang Zhai into chaos, making those taller than him only able to lie on the ground looking up at him, the short Xi Jue finally felt better.

 

He cleanly retracted his vine whip and was about to leave with a flick of his sleeve when his gaze suddenly fell on Ying Zhuo, who was half-lying in the corner.

 

Everyone in Lixiang Zhai looked at Xi Jue with hatred and fear, but only Ying Zhuo’s eyes were full of admiration…

 

And burning adoration that Xi Jue couldn’t see at the time.

 

Xi Jue tapped his palm twice with the whip, suddenly walked over, and leaned down with interest, looking directly into Ying Zhuo’s eyes—he still carried a faint osmanthus fragrance, and when he suddenly approached, Ying Zhuo instinctively held his breath.

 

“I remember you.”

 

Xi Jue smiled with curved lips, his young face flamboyant and gorgeous, seeming more dazzling than sunlight. “You’re called…”

 

“Ying Zhuo.”

 

Purple spiritual patterns spread throughout his body. Xi Jianlan’s eyes were cold and full of sinister murderous intent. That mass of “Abandoned Immortal Bone” was absorbed without waste into his riddled meridians.

 

The entire painted boat shook continuously under Xi Jianlan’s spiritual power, making eerie “creaking” sounds as if it could collapse at any moment.

 

“Senior Brother…”

 

Ying Zhuo’s gaze was burning yet pathological as he slowly straightened and mobilized his Xiangwen spiritual power.

 

“Weaving Under Eaves” suddenly transformed into countless snow-white spider silks. With a crisp “ding,” they scattered in all directions, instantly turning the entire painted boat into a spider’s den covered with webs.

 

The painted boat’s priceless exquisite furnishings were destroyed completely in an instant.

 

The blood-stained spider silk that Xi Jianlan had forcibly extracted earlier bounced after hitting the ground, wrapped in purple spiritual power and struggling and twisting frantically like a living thing.

 

Xi Jianlan casually dropped his hand, and the spider silk suddenly transformed into a black vine whip.

 

He gripped the whip handle with his five fingers, and with a “snap,” it struck his palm and was held tightly.

 

The black cat was almost roaring: “Xi Jianlan, are you insane?! You have no blood relation to Qin Banban—why ruin yourself for her?! You’re impressive now, but once ‘Abandoned Immortal Bone’ backlashes, your life won’t be saved!”

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t even look at it. Expressionlessly, he flicked his wrist, and the several-zhang black vine whip coiled around his body like a swimming dragon. Purple patterns crackled, reflecting deep purple in his cold, emotionless eyes.

 

The intertwined snow-white spider silks and the menacing black vine whip wove together in the vast painted boat, creating a scene both eerie and stunning.

 

“Is Senior Brother angry?” Ying Zhuo’s eyes were full of madness. He didn’t understand where Xi Jianlan’s anger came from, only feeling inexplicable excitement. “About what? Do you hate me for wanting to turn you into a puppet, or is it for ‘Third Watch Snow’?”

 

Xi Jianlan’s face, which naturally carried three parts of a smile even without expression, was now rarely cold as frost. His eyes, which could bewitch and charm when smiling, were now like eternal frost on cold mountain peaks, looking at Ying Zhuo as if viewing a dead object.

 

“You shouldn’t have extracted her Xiangwen.” He said coldly.

 

When he spoke the word “extracted,” the scar on his neck seemed to throb with pain.

 

Ying Zhuo had never seen Xi Jianlan like this—or rather, no one had ever seen Xi Jianlan in such a chilling state. He was like someone whose reverse scale had been touched, suppressing overwhelming killing intent, his whole body trembling.

 

Ying Zhuo smiled and said: “In these Thirteen States, awakening Xiangwen without family protection is like carrying jade in a marketplace. I extracted her Xiangwen but didn’t take her life, and I even gave spirit stones. It was a willing transaction—why is Senior Brother angry?”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the black vine whip shot forward like a swimming dragon, roaring as it broke through the blocking snow-white spider silks and thundered toward Ying Zhuo’s face.

 

“Bang—”

 

Sensing the merciless spiritual power on the vine whip, Ying Zhuo’s expression darkened. He suddenly raised his hand and released countless spider silks from his severed right arm, forcibly blocking the vine whip.

 

“Senior Brother, you really want to kill me?”

 

Just for a little girl, he could use “Abandoned Immortal Bone” regardless of consequences, even wanting his life.

 

Yet when Ying Zhuo had openly said he wanted to turn him into a puppet, it hadn’t made him angry at all.

 

Xi Jianlan seemed tired of talking with him. The vine whip struck fiercely, carrying purple lightning as it split through the blocking “Weaving Under Eaves.”

 

Though Xi Jianlan showed him no mercy at all, Ying Zhuo didn’t get angry—he even smiled.

 

“This is right.” Ying Zhuo thought.

 

The Senior Brother he had admired for years and couldn’t obtain should be this unrestrained and ruthless—such a person was worth turning into a puppet.

 

In the vast painted boat, snow-white spider silks, black vine whips, and heavy falling snow intertwined chaotically. Xi Jianlan leaped lightly onto the twisting vine whip, light as a swallow, instantly rushing to Ying Zhuo’s face.

 

They exchanged several moves in three breaths.

 

He hadn’t used spiritual power for too many years, so his movements were somewhat rusty when he suddenly fought.

 

Ying Zhuo saw through this point. His spider silks suddenly exploded all over his body like an intimate embrace, wrapping the airborne Xi Jianlan tightly with several “hissing” sounds.

 

Xi Jianlan instantly became a cocoon wrapped in white silk.

 

Ying Zhuo smiled.

 

Six years ago, though Xi Jue had extremely high talent, he was ultimately only at the Spirit Transformation realm. Not to mention these years of complete cultivation loss without any progress.

 

Even using “Abandoned Immortal Bone,” he ultimately couldn’t exceed this body’s limits and couldn’t even enter the Void Return realm.

 

Ying Zhuo methodically walked to the tightly bound cocoon, his five fingers moving casually as if playing a zither, controlling the spider silks to gradually probe into Xi Jianlan’s meridians.

 

But just as his five fingers moved, they seemed to freeze.

 

Ying Zhuo frowned slightly.

 

In an instant, before he could react, the vine whip lying on the ground “came alive” again. With a “snap” and the sound of cutting through air, it unexpectedly wrapped around Ying Zhuo’s neck.

 

Ying Zhuo was stunned.

 

The cocoon wrapped in layers suddenly burst with purple spiritual power from within, exploding straight out like the collapse of heaven and earth, even causing ripples in the void.

 

The snow-white spider silk shattered into cotton fluff, mixing with the heavy snow and floating in mid-air.

 

Xi Jianlan stood in the spider silk and snow wearing crimson robes, gripping the vine whip. His purple pupils, turned that color from absorbing too much “Abandoned Immortal Bone,” were sinisterly bewitching.

 

Killing intent and cultivation rose together in overlapping waves.

 

Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation realm…

 

Ying Zhuo’s pupils contracted.

 

The aura on Xi Jianlan actually reached directly into the Void Return realm, even faintly carrying the breath of touching the Great Ascension realm barrier.

 

Even with “Abandoned Immortal Bone,” his cultivation shouldn’t exceed his meridian limits.

 

Could it be…

 

“Ying Qiao’er.” Xi Jianlan seemed to sigh, yet also seemed confused, saying gently: “Heaven above, why do you view living people as cold wood?”

 

Ying Zhuo was about to speak.

 

Xi Jianlan clenched his five fingers, and the vine whip tightened viciously around his neck like a living thing.

 

“Shh.”

 

Xi Jianlan extended his slender finger to his lips, his manner elegant and noble as he said softly: “Senior Brother doesn’t want to listen.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, the vine whip became like a sharp blade, suddenly tightening.

 

Only the crisp sound of wood breaking could be heard. Ying Zhuo’s vision spun and inverted, with “thud thud” sounds reaching his ears.

 

Only when his vision became tilted and upward-looking did he belatedly realize…

 

—Xi Jianlan had actually used the vine whip to sever his head.

 

Having lain on the soft chair for a while earlier, Xi Jianlan was now barefoot, his bright red robes trailing on the ground as he stepped through the spider silk and snow, slowly approaching. He crouched down slightly and caressed Ying Zhuo’s face with cool fingertips.

 

“Wood…” Xi Jianlan tilted his head expressionlessly, saying gently: “Where is your true body? I’ll go kill you.”

 

Even while saying “go kill you,” his tone remained gentle like murmuring sweet words.

 

Not only was Ying Zhuo’s right hand made of wood, but his entire body was crafted to imitate human bone and blood. His neck was cleanly severed, and red tree sap even oozed from the neat, smooth cut, resembling blood.

 

With Ying Zhuo’s head separated from his body, the spiritual power maintaining that fake heart was constantly dissipating.

 

He couldn’t move at all, yet laughed madly.

 

“Senior Brother, hahaha Senior Brother…” Ying Zhuo’s eyes were full of tears as he stared obsessively at Xi Jianlan’s face. “Did you know I was a wooden puppet before you acted, or after?”

 

Xi Jianlan said gently: “Silly child, naturally before I acted.”

 

Ying Zhuo looked at his cold, emotionless eyes and suddenly felt chilled to the bone.

 

This was the first time—and the only time—he finally saw through whether his lying Senior Brother was telling the truth or not.

 

Ying Zhuo laughed even louder, yet tears streamed down.

 

“Boom—”

 

The painted boat seemed to enter deep waters. Earth-shaking thunder suddenly struck, white lightning splitting from outside and pouring into the painted boat like piled snow.

 

Xi Jianlan’s gaze went vacant for a moment.

 

The black cat jumped out again, a soul-stabilizing spell on its claws as it slapped Xi Jianlan’s face hard.

 

“Soul Stabilization!”

 

Xi Jianlan’s face was slapped to one side, instantly showing a red cat paw print on his pale cheek.

 

But his scattered pupils also focused.

 

“Abandoned Immortal Bone” was still continuously supplying him with spiritual power. Xi Jianlan instantly sensed the familiar spiritual power outside.

 

Sheng Jiao had really come.

 

Xi Jianlan bit his lower lip hard, drawing blood from his pale lips. The pain kept him conscious.

 

“Quick, leave—” The black cat had no time to scold Xi Jianlan. “Sheng Jiao definitely came for Xi Qingfeng’s Xiangwen painting. Let him investigate! You escape first!”

 

Xi Jianlan’s eyes were cold as he extended his five fingers and moved them slightly.

 

He was judging his current cultivation level, whether he could stake everything to keep Sheng Jiao’s life here.

 

Just then, Ying Zhuo, who had been quietly shedding tears, suddenly said: “Senior Brother, the other Xi family Xiangwen paintings are in the painted boat’s pavilion.”

 

Xi Jianlan’s train of thought was interrupted as he looked down at him.

 

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother.” Ying Zhuo called him several more times obsessively, murmuring: “I’m in Central State—if you want to know who the real culprit behind the Xi family massacre was, come find me.”

 

Xi Jianlan looked at him for a long time before finally smiling: “Alright.”

 

He casually traced Ying Zhuo’s still-warm face with his fingertip, lips curving: “…As long as Sheng Jiao dies.”

 

“I will kill him.” Ying Zhuo’s tear-filled eyes were tinged with renewed heat and madness. “I will kill him for Senior Brother.”

 

Though he was the one threatening Xi Jianlan to come to Central State, in the end it was Xi Jianlan making conditions.

 

After getting this promise, Xi Jianlan stood up with waning interest. Without paying further attention to Ying Zhuo’s desperate assurances, he opened his palm to catch a handful of cool snowflakes.

 

“Third Watch Snow,” fused with the painted boat—he didn’t know how to separate it.

 

Xi Jianlan touched the cat paw print on his face, sensing the painted boat’s restrictions could hold for a while longer, and headed toward the painted boat pavilion Ying Zhuo had mentioned.

 

Indeed, as the black cat said, the entire painted boat carried the aura of “Third Watch Snow.”

 

The black cat jumped onto his shoulder, extremely nervous and fearful of the approaching Sheng Jiao: “What are you doing now?!”

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t answer.

 

Reaching the painted boat’s pavilion, he saw eerie paintings covering all the wooden walls.

 

Xi Jianlan walked over, his fingers gently caressing those slightly writhing Xiangwen paintings that seemed to still have life. His purple eyes dimmed, lost in thought.

 

The black cat was extremely anxious: “Are we leaving or not? The Xiezhi Sect people are about to break in!”

 

Xiezhi Sect’s Sheng Jiao was indeed about to break in.

 

The Tianyan pearls brought heavenly thunder to shatter the painted boat’s layers of “turtle shells” one by one. Only when he vaguely heard voices from inside the painted boat did Sheng Jiao expressionlessly silence the deafening thunder.

 

Silent thunder struck down one after another, finally completely shattering all restrictions.

 

Sheng Jiao didn’t pause for even a moment, quickly entering the painted boat.

 

With just a quick glance, he frowned.

 

The entire painted boat showed traces of combat, with snowflakes and spider silk scattered everywhere in chaos. In the center lay a body with head separated.

 

Looking closely, it was actually Ying Zhuo.

 

Sheng Jiao’s expression darkened.

 

Had Xi Jue recovered his spiritual power?

 

Seeing Sheng Jiao come up, Ying Zhuo, with almost half his face soaked in tears, suddenly said hatefully: “Sheng Jiao!”

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly.

 

Even with his spirit’s head severed by Xi Jianlan, Ying Zhuo still harbored evil intentions, his obsession with Xi Jianlan only growing stronger. Upon seeing Sheng Jiao, he remembered Xi Jianlan’s words about “playing around, physical pleasure,” and his tear-filled eyes nearly went mad with jealousy.

 

Thinking that Xi Jianlan had once been intimate with this person, Ying Zhuo wished he could rush from Central State right now and grind him to dust.

 

Sheng Jiao looked at him with disgust. Before he could say anything unpleasant, he directly summoned heavenly thunder.

 

A silent thunder fell, directly pulverizing Ying Zhuo’s wooden body completely.

 

That spirit was also crushed, causing the main body far away in Central State to suffer severe injuries and vomit blood continuously.

 

There seemed to be sounds coming from the top of the painted boat.

 

Sheng Jiao quickly moved forward. Midway, thinking of something, he again put on the “tough guy’s” disguise, even suddenly flinging his hand to throw the Tianyan pearls that had been wrapped around his wrist straight out of the painted boat.

 

—The spiritual energy aura unique to Sheng Jiao was completely concealed.

 

Only then did Sheng Jiao enter the top of the painted boat.

 

Xi Jianlan hadn’t escaped. He was currently standing with his back to him in front of a pile of Xiangwen paintings, head slightly raised. His disheveled black hair and crimson clothes intertwined, trailing on the ground and coiling in several circles.

 

Hearing footsteps, Xi Jianlan’s expression didn’t change as he turned his head to look with indifference.

 

With just one glance, he was stunned.

 

Wasn’t the person coming Sheng Jiao? How was it that Xiezhi Sect tough guy?

 

Xi Jianlan calmly met the “tough guy’s” gaze. The spiritual power of “Abandoned Immortal Bone” in his body was still abundant, allowing him to imperceptibly sense this person’s spiritual power.

 

Indeed… it didn’t seem like Sheng Jiao.

 

And there was no aura of Tianyan pearls either.

 

Sheng Jiao and his Tianyan pearls were never separated. Even if using illusion, he would probably just hide the pearls, not eliminate all trace of their aura.

 

Xi Jianlan stared at Sheng Jiao for a while, then suddenly smiled. His crimson lips seemed painted with fresh blood as he said softly: “Sir, what a small world—we meet again.”

 

When he called “sir,” it was again that lazy tone that was constantly seductive, as if the expressionless, murderous him from earlier was just an illusion.

 

Sheng Jiao looked him over, frowning: “‘Abandoned Immortal Bone’?”

 

Xi Jianlan smiled with curved eyes: “Sir also knows of such a good thing as ‘Abandoned Immortal Bone’?”

 

Sheng Jiao’s gaze fell on Xi Jianlan’s hand hanging at his side.

 

That blood-stained hand was trembling slightly.

 

Looking carefully, one could see that not just his hand, but Xi Jianlan’s entire body had begun to tremble finely, as if finally reaching his limit. Blood also began to seep from the corner of his mouth.

 

Sheng Jiao’s hollow pupils contracted for an instant.

 

He was about to step forward to grab him when he saw Xi Jianlan seem unable to hold on any longer. Caught off guard, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his form like a butterfly with broken wings as he staggered and fell.

 

Sheng Jiao held his breath, his form like a flash of lightning as he instantly reached Xi Jianlan and caught him.

 

Xi Jianlan’s frail form leaned against his chest, seemingly in severe pain as his whole body curled into a small ball.

 

He desperately covered his mouth with both hands, as if thinking this could stop the bleeding, but hideous blood traces continued to overflow through his fingers. That gorgeous face instantly turned deathly pale, even faintly showing signs of death.

 

“Cough cough!”

 

Sheng Jiao felt his thin, cold body leaning against him, continuously vomiting blood. He seemed to freeze completely.

 

Seeing the expressionless “tough guy” sir in front of him reach out as if showing great mercy to channel spiritual power into him, Xi Jianlan weakly shook his head with his dying breath, tremblingly forcing down Sheng Jiao’s hand that was grasping his wrist.

 

“Sir…” Xi Jianlan spoke intermittently, his gaze vacant and beginning to scatter. “Has Sheng Jiao come? I… want to see him.”

 

Sheng Jiao was stunned.

 

Xi Jianlan looked at him in confusion, his beautiful pupils like a well about to dry up. Two lines of burning tears suddenly slid down from the corners of his eyes.

 

“Sheng Jiao.” Xi Jianlan spoke with a crying tone he himself hadn’t noticed, murmuring like a plea: “I don’t blame him…”

 

Sheng Jiao’s hand trembled.

 

Probably having used too much “Abandoned Immortal Bone,” Xi Jianlan’s consciousness was almost shattered. For a moment, he almost forgot where he was, staring at Sheng Jiao in a daze and slowly raising his hand to try to embrace him.

 

“Sheng Jiao…”

 

But he was too weak, without any strength. His hand fell as soon as he raised it, hitting the ground heavily.

 

Xi Jianlan seemed to have a moment of lucidity as he opened his lips, apparently wanting to say something.

 

Sheng Jiao leaned down to listen.

 

Xi Jianlan gathered a bit more strength, bit by bit managing to barely hook his neck, leaning close to his ear to murmur: “I…”

 

His voice was as weak as a mosquito’s buzz, as if using all his strength in his final moments to speak one or two words.

 

Sheng Jiao remained expressionless, allowing him to cling to his shoulder and bring his burning breath close.

 

Where Sheng Jiao couldn’t see, Xi Jianlan’s beautiful eyes suddenly flashed with cold ruthlessness. The hand against Sheng Jiao’s neck silently manifested a mass of purple spiritual power.

 

“Abandoned Immortal Bone” filled his meridians everywhere, striking like an unstoppable force from his palm toward the neck of the person in front of him.

 

“Sizzle—”

 

Xi Jianlan used his full strength in this strike. Even if this person had overwhelming spiritual power, he shouldn’t expect to survive.

 

Regardless of whether this person was Sheng Jiao or not, he had to get rid of him first before he could escape.

 

Xi Jianlan’s face, which had been pretending to be dying, was now full of coldness. The spiritual power and purple light in his eyes flashed suddenly, cold light bursting forth.

 

Just as he was about to succeed, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist filled with spiritual power without warning, twisting slightly and making Xi Jianlan hiss in pain.

 

Xi Jianlan looked up in shock.

 

Sheng Jiao coldly gripped his hand, forcibly pulling him out of his embrace.

 

“Still want to kill me?”

 

Xi Jianlan: “…”

 

Seen through again?!

 

Xi Jianlan was about to be completely driven to collapse by this “tough guy.”

 

How did all his tricks seem to have nowhere to hide in this person’s eyes?!

 

Was this person human or ghost?!

 

With his disguise and lies completely exposed, Xi Jianlan didn’t know what embarrassment meant. He simply went all out, striking with the spiritual power in his palm without blinking.

 

Even if he couldn’t kill him, injuring him would be pure profit!

 

Sheng Jiao hadn’t expected Xi Jianlan to still dare attack at this point. In just a moment of distraction, purple spiritual power was already rushing toward his face.

 

“Bang!”

 

Sheng Jiao was half a beat slow in blocking that merciless, vicious spiritual power, but Xi Jianlan was too ruthless, striking with the intent to kill him. The spiritual power directly burst forth, landing on Sheng Jiao’s face.

 

Two “sizzling” sounds.

 

The purple spiritual power was like water hitting hot oil.

 

Sheng Jiao’s face suddenly rippled with boiling, jumping water waves, like flames burning white paper. The thin illusion was forcibly broken, gradually shedding its disguise.

 

Xi Jianlan was secretly thinking about how to escape after injuring this person, his gaze wandering as he looked around. Suddenly hearing strange sounds, he turned his head curiously and was stunned.

 

Xi Jianlan was most skilled at illusions and disguise techniques, so he naturally understood the reaction when illusions were broken.

 

The disguise scattered with those water ripples, revealing the true face beneath the false skin.

 

The features were coldly handsome, like howling cold wind from snowy peaks, grimly fierce and awe-inspiring.

 

—It was Sheng Jiao.

 

Xi Jianlan was completely stunned.

 

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