NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
Chapter 46: Is That It?
Ji Suying sat cross-legged atop the mountains, her longsword resting on her lap, gaze lost in the sea of clouds below, wearing a frown.
Thoughts whirled in her mind.
“Is this world even the same as before? In my last life, I never encountered Liu Shunyi.”
“But Liu Shunyi’s performance couldn’t possibly have gone unnoticed.”
Suddenly, a realization struck her.
If she hadn’t discovered Liu Shunyi’s special attributes, no one would care about an Outer Disciple like him. He would have remained hidden, unknown to anyone.
But one thing puzzled Ji Suying.
With his talent, during the time when the entire continent fell into chaos, how could he not have appeared?
As they say, “In a collapsing nest, there are no intact eggs.”
No matter how well Liu Shunyi hid, he couldn’t have stayed out of it during such turmoil.
“Could it be that he ascended before the calamity?”
The more Ji Suying contemplated, the more likely it seemed.
Of course, that wasn’t what troubled her the most.
Discovering Liu Shunyi, who had now become her trump card, was a happy surprise.
What bothered her was the upcoming event at the Moon Illusion Palace.
According to her memories from her past life, the top prize should have been the Starry Robe and the Longevity Fruit.
But now it had changed.
The prize had shifted to Nine-段 Sword and Divine Essence Fruit.
Though the latter was a higher tier, it introduced a highly unpredictable variable.
The world had turned strange, no longer resembling her memories.
What made Ji Suying apprehensive was the fact that a rusty sword used to be embedded here.
That sword was a heavenly artifact that had fallen from the Immortal Realm.
Not only was it an exquisite piece, but it also held a legacy of swordsmanship.
While she already possessed that legacy, all that remained now was a hole left by the longsword.
The heavenly sword was gone!
Ji Suying furrowed her brows.
“There are two possibilities. Perhaps my return from the river of time disturbed the temporal paths, causing a shift!”
“And the other possibility!”
An unease crept into Ji Suying’s heart.
In her last life, as a top talent wielding that heavenly artifact, she had nearly overwhelmed her enemies.
If someone from her side, possessing the same memories, had crossed through the river of time to this place, they wouldn’t dare move against that sword.
Ji Suying believed her contributions deserved respect from all.
For that respect, no one would dare take precedence against the sword.
But if it were an enemy?
Then this situation would become troublesome.
Because with the heavenly sword missing, if it had fallen into enemy hands, the future of this realm would spell doom.
Ji Suying felt this matter required thorough investigation.
With that thought, she rose.
Just as she stood up, Shi Changxin’s figure appeared before her.
“Ji Suying, hand over the Blood Puppet Master’s storage bag, and I will spare your life!”
As he spoke, Shi Changxin looked at Ji Suying with contempt.
Ji Suying found Shi Changxin’s arrogance amusing.
“Oh really? What if I refuse?”
Shi Changxin’s Nascent Soul aura surged towards her like a crushing wave.
“Then you’ll die!”
He declared.
But the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.
“What? How is this possible?”
Shi Changxin couldn’t believe it.
Ji Suying stood completely unfazed under his Nascent Soul pressure.
She casually tapped her sword hilt and frowned, “Is that it?”
Without a second thought, Shi Changxin lunged at Ji Suying, throwing a punch aimed at her head.
He was confident in his physical strength.
Even if he couldn’t kill her, he was sure it would take half her life.
But the next second, he was dumbfounded.
Ji Suying simply raised her longsword.
His punch landed squarely on her sword’s hilt.
“Boom~”
A powerful rebound sent Shi Changxin flying backward, crashing against a distant mountain.
Ignoring his injuries, Shi Changxin frantically pumped his blood and fled for his life.
Ji Suying snickered.
“You think you can escape?”
She gripped her sword’s hilt with one hand and suddenly slashed toward Shi Changxin.
A terrifying wave of sword qi surged forward, practically arriving in the blink of an eye.
In an instant, Shi Changxin was split in half!
“Whoa, didn’t die after all!”
Ji Suying hesitated for a moment.
Finally, her other hand pressed down on the sword sheath.
She was ready to draw her sword.
Just then, Qingteng Elder appeared, stepping in front of Ji Suying.
With a smile, Qingteng Elder said, “What brings our dear Suying to such a rage? Tell me, and I shall handle it for you!”
Ji Suying gave Qingteng Elder a deep look and let go of the sword sheath.
“It’s nothing, let’s go back!”
With that, Ji Suying soared into the air.
Qingteng Elder broke out in a cold sweat.
As soon as Ji Suying left, he vanished too.
……
……
In a forest somewhere, a crow was on the lookout, tirelessly searching.
At long last, it found its target.
It swooped down and landed on a large rock, observing a mass of blood twisting and writhing.
Eventually, it reformed into Shi Changxin.
But now, Shi Changxin appeared like a newborn infant, still fresh and vulnerable.
The crow erupted into laughter.
“Weren’t you supposed to be invincible? Hahaha, one sword nearly took out your Nascent Soul!”
Yet Shi Changxin wasn’t disheartened.
“Sure, I got cleaved in half, but I realized I can reshape my foundation!”
The crow’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“What kind of freak is this turning into?”
A moment of silence enveloped them.
Shi Changxin’s body began to grow anew.
But the price of that was the surrounding animals being drained of their blood.
“Alright, I’m back at the Foundation Establishment Peak!”
The crow was utterly stunned.
While it usually took years for a person to reconstruct their body after being slain, returning to their previous level of cultivation would take at least a decade.
But Shi Changxin…
In just half a day, he was already at the Foundation Establishment Peak!
This kid was ridiculously monstrous!
Suddenly, Shi Changxin’s eyes gleamed with greed.
“I see a delicacy on the horizon.”
He sniffed the air, catching a whiff of something delicious.
“Such sweet blood!” he exclaimed, saliva practically dripping.
Following his gaze, the crow spotted a man and a woman, both Qi Refinement Ants.
“Do you really think their blood tastes sweet?” the crow asked uncertainly.
Shi Changxin shook his head.
“The guy’s nothing special, but that girl… Ah, her sweet aroma… I need to devour her!”
With that, Shi Changxin lunged towards the pair.
This time, the crow didn’t flee.
Killing two Qi Refinement Ants was no big deal, no need to run.
———
After a disguise effort, Liu Shunyi and Chen Qiaoli had a clear destination: the Wangchuan Secret Realm.
Everything was going smoothly.
But suddenly, a shiny name appeared in Liu Shunyi’s mind – Shi Changxin.
“What’s this about?”
Liu Shunyi halted in his tracks.
Chen Qiaoli, who had been observing him, immediately noticed the change.
“What’s going on?”
Liu Shunyi frowned.
“Be careful; I have a bad feeling!”
In an instant, Chen Qiaoli brandished her shield, covered in defensive talismans, even decked out in defensive artifacts.