Volume One: Youths Meet in Humble Times Chapter Nine: The Culprit Behind the Scenes

Lie Yan Kong extended his hand in a sword gesture, sending forth a beam of light that struck the invisible barrier ahead.

“It’s not just an enchantment; there’s also a blocking artifact at work,” he remarked.

Shui Linglong asked, “Can we break through it?”

Lie Yan Kong replied, “I’m afraid it won’t be easy. The barrier and the artifact complement one another, each reinforcing the other’s power.”

As the three pondered their next move, a figure emerged from within the barrier.

Lie Yan Kong fixed his gaze on the newcomer the moment he appeared, wary of any sudden action.

“Why must you involve yourselves in this mess?” the man asked, his expression dark.

Shui Linglong replied with a mocking smile, “The demonic and depraved are naturally condemned by all.”

“Demonic and depraved? We are nothing of the sort,” the man retorted.

Lie Yan Kong sneered, “The Nether Spring Sect certainly isn’t demonic, but when you commit such vile deeds, how are you any different?”

The man, hearing his sect revealed, showed little surprise. “Since you know my sect, you should realize this affair is beyond your control.”

“Oh? So by your words, if we were to turn back now, you’d let us go?” Lie Yan Kong asked.

He nodded. “That could be arranged.”

“You speak as if your word carries any weight,” Lie Yan Kong replied with a derisive glance, his tone thick with sarcasm.

The man remained unfazed. “I know you don’t believe me, and I know you are not ordinary folk. But you must understand, the Nether Spring Sect has been preparing here for a hundred years. There are contingencies you can’t imagine. If you force your hand, are you not afraid you’ll never leave this place?”

“What’s there to fear? You’re the one negotiating with us now—it means we still have a chance. If something happens here, regardless of our fate, you’ll hardly escape punishment either.”

Lie Yan Kong’s words struck a chord, and the man's expression finally shifted. “Very well, let’s not play riddles. If you meddle in this matter, there’s only death ahead. I sent word to my sect the moment you entered the mountain. When our people arrive, you’ll answer for your intrusion. If you leave now, you might still escape, or at least delay your death. That way, I won’t have to risk failing in my duty to protect the array.”

While Lie Yan Kong kept the man occupied, Shui Linglong and Lu Ming searched for weaknesses in the barrier. The moment they found one, they would act without hesitation.

From the outset, they understood their opponent was merely stalling for time. Let them leave? What a joke. At this point, only the dead could keep a secret. Lie Yan Kong’s feigned civility was merely to buy time for Shui Linglong and Lu Ming to break the barrier.

At last, Shui Linglong sent a message to Lie Yan Kong—they had found a weak spot and were ready to try. Lie Yan Kong, hearing this, ceased his conversation and slowly drew his sword.

“A pity I’m not one to be swayed or intimidated, and I’m far too curious. Since I’m about to witness what a drought demon raised with dragon vein water looks like, there’s no way I’m leaving now.”

Poised to strike, Lie Yan Kong called, “Lie Yan Kong of the Sunfire Sect, please enlighten me.”

Seeing their resolve, the man gave up his pretense. He drew a bamboo flute from his back and held it to his lips.

“Pan Jielong of the Nether Spring Sect. Please enlighten me.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the battle began. Pan Jielong was unlike the Nether Spring Sect disciples they’d encountered before—his movements were graceful and effortless. With the flute at his lips, he summoned a horde of wraiths.

A mournful, twisting melody filled the air; at once, Lie Yan Kong and his companions found themselves ensnared in an illusion of ghosts in fluttering white, shadows flickering all around.

Pan Jielong played on, smirking to himself. Did they truly think he hoped they would simply leave? If they were stalling for time to break his array, so too was he, gaining precious moments to set his trap.

Lie Yan Kong and the others had barely moved before the melody drew them into a phantasm, and the wraiths closed in.

Lie Yan Kong and Shui Linglong fought off the ghosts, while Lu Ming shielded Li Yu. Closing his eyes, Lu Ming sensed for the weak point in the illusion. His cultivation in the Way of Divine Light granted him an innate ability to perceive the path out of illusions through his soul.

Before Lie Yan Kong, a monstrous ghost appeared—horned, red-eyed, and fanged. It charged at him, but he stood unfazed, forming a sword with his fingers and intoning, “Fierce heavens, blazing sun, let the golden light shine! By my spirit, let all be revealed! Let no shade escape in ten directions!”

With that, he raised his sword and engaged the specter.

In front of Shui Linglong, a white-clad female ghost materialized, weeping and wailing, malice thick around her. “Your face is lovely—why not give it to me?” the ghost murmured incessantly.

Shui Linglong was unafraid. She snorted, “You’ll have to see if you’re fated to take it.”

She formed a seal with her hands, chanting, “Waters of the four quarters, heed my command; source of water, return to your nature, be reshaped by my spirit!” Instantly, the surrounding moisture coalesced into a dragon of water, which entwined with the ghost in a furious struggle. Perhaps the water dragon, having briefly regained some sentience, recognized its tormentor, and its wrath grew. Before long, the wraith was reduced to ashes with a final, piercing scream.

Shui Linglong’s battle ending, Lie Yan Kong’s soon followed. After several exchanges, his foe was pierced through by his sword. With a cry, the ghost was engulfed in a fierce blaze and reduced to nothing.

While the two were locked in battle, another ghost closed in on Lu Ming, but Li Yu, seeing Lu Ming unmoving, stepped forward protectively, gripping a stick in his hand. Moved by this gesture, Lu Ming’s lips curved into a faint smile. Just as the ghost was about to pounce, it froze, then was split in two by a flash of sword light, vanishing into black smoke.

Thus, the three ghosts were slain within the illusion, with no chance even for reincarnation.

Outside, Pan Jielong sensed the outcome within the phantasm. He had thought, if nothing else, the intruders would be trapped, but before he could savor his supposed victory, the three broke free. A sword light leapt toward him.

Stunned, Pan Jielong could only stare as the sword light struck his crown. In an instant, his soul was shattered, leaving no trace behind.

Pan Jielong’s cultivation was not weak, but he had met three cultivators who were anything but ordinary. Thus, he could only die with regret.

The four reappeared in the clearing, the lifeless corpse at their feet, eyes still wide in death.

The ghosts had been manageable, but only for them; most cultivators would have faced disaster. Lie Yan Kong’s every move was designed to counter wraiths, while Shui Linglong, taking advantage of the water-rich locale, fought without exhaustion.

Lu Ming, drawing on his innate sword embryo, pierced the illusion at the crucial moment, striking with primal sword energy before the enemy could react, ending the battle cleanly.

Lie Yan Kong and Shui Linglong were accustomed to Lu Ming’s prowess—on past missions, it was thanks to him that they escaped illusion arrays. His strikes were always decisive—one sword, one kill; even stronger foes fell to a single flash of sword light. As to how he did it, they could only surmise it was the unique nature of his sword embryo, which only deepened their resolve to remain his allies.

Just as the three prepared to shatter the barrier together, a dense cloud of black smoke rose above it, forming into a blurred, enormous face.

A booming voice spoke, “Sunfire Sect, Great Sword Green Mountain, Divine Water Palace—excellent. I don’t know who you are, but you’ll make fine sacrifices.”

With that, three clouds of black smoke split off and rushed toward the trio.

They braced themselves—the malice emanating from the black smoke far surpassed anything they’d faced before.

Lie Yan Kong swiftly formed seals, chanting as he summoned celestial fire to disperse the smoke. But as soon as the fire appeared, the black smoke swallowed it, then surged forward, binding him in an instant. Shui Linglong summoned even larger water dragons, but they too were devoured, and she was wrapped within the darkness.

Only Lu Ming and Li Yu remained. Lu Ming pulled Li Yu behind him and, sensing the other’s fear, said quietly, “Don’t be afraid. It’ll be all right.” Then the black smoke engulfed them both.

Within the black smoke, each saw a different vision. Lie Yan Kong faced the most terrifying demon of his childhood—a beast his sect had paid dearly to slay. Now, it stood before him once more, not as an illusion, but as a living, breathing monster, brimming with power. He truly did not know what to do; with his current strength, he could neither kill nor escape it. All he could do was desperately strike at the black smoke, knowing that breaking free was his only hope.

Shui Linglong’s ordeal was similar, though her vision was not of a monster, but a prodigy from the Divine Water Palace—a peerless talent who, while still young, had reached the eighth realm and become the Saintess. Shui Linglong had witnessed this rival’s power once before, a memory that had left an indelible shadow on her heart. This person was her model in cultivation, but a model could also be an insurmountable mountain—a heart demon on her path to enlightenment.

Lu Ming, however, saw neither demon nor rival. He saw only a memory from his childhood, before he joined Great Sword Green Mountain. In truth, his early years were not unlike Li Yu’s—abandoned, wandering, until his master discovered his extraordinary talent and brought him to the sect.

But the images from his childhood—the scenes of cannibalism he had witnessed—had haunted him ever since, growing into a heart demon as his cultivation advanced. In those memories, his family, friends, companions—all perished at the hands of others. Homeless and adrift, he witnessed countless disasters, endless suffering. He longed to change it, to save them, but no matter how he tried, he could not prevent their deaths, again and again, before his eyes.