Volume 1, Chapter 15: The Thousand-Faced Madonna

Xu Que halted the White Tiger Sword at Duanmu Yi’s throat.

“Speak. Who severely wounded me in secret and cast me into the Death Abyss?”

“It’s... it’s the Sacred Son.”

Xu Que furrowed his brow. The Sacred Son was the title held by the heir of the Xuantian Holy Land, a position he had held for many years and was not of Xu Que’s generation. His strength had long since reached the peak of Martial King, and he was the very son of the Holy Lord.

Xu Que’s master belonged to the faction of the Holy Lord, so logically they were on the same side within the Xuantian Holy Land.

“A ploy to sow discord?” Xu Que lifted the White Tiger Sword slightly and said.

Duanmu Yi felt the tiger’s claw teasing his throat and panicked.

“I’m not lying. I only learned of this by chance. A few days ago, after training at Death Prison Mountain, I went to relieve myself behind a rocky pit and suddenly saw the Sacred Son and the Holy Mother in a hurry. The Sacred Son was holding a Martial Vein and a small bloodied bone.”

At the mention of the bone, Xu Que couldn’t help but touch a spot on his shoulder blade at the back. Because he had lost an important bone, his entire arm was immobile. Fortunately, Sister Ye Shen from the Celestial Leaf helped him refine it into an invincible divine body; otherwise, even after healing, he would have been disabled.

“That Martial Vein is the Divine Fire Martial Vein of your Xu family, isn’t it? I wouldn’t mistake it—the heat is intense, and the energy eternal. But it wasn’t the Sacred Son who acted; it was the Holy Mother, for the Sacred Son looked worried while the Holy Mother seemed very pleased.”

Xu Que’s face darkened, and the sword slowly withdrew from Duanmu Yi’s neck. Though not 100% certain, it was highly probable that Duanmu Yi spoke the truth to save his life.

“I’ve told you all I know. Spare me.”

“I promise, once I return, I will leave the Holy Land at once and never concern myself with you or Duanmu Xiong’s mess.”

“Xu Que, one more thing. The one targeting you is Duanmu Xiong’s mother. Even our clan leader doesn’t think this is a big deal. But you took Duanmu Xiong’s eyes—you must return them, or the elders will be hard to explain to.”

Splat!

As Duanmu Yi spoke, Xu Que suddenly gouged out his eyes.

“Ah, ah! You promised me!” Duanmu Yi screamed in agony, clutching his blinded sockets.

“Threatening me with the Duanmu clan at death’s door? How dare you.” Xu Que ended his life with a single sword.

Mercy to an enemy is cruelty to oneself.

Xu Que had not provoked him initially, yet Duanmu Yi had organized an assassination to gain merit. Xu Que never uttered a word to spare him.

He placed the two heterochromatic eyes into a special container, then used the Refining Heavenly Gourd to absorb five corpses inside, refining all spiritual stones and pills on them.

Only then did Xu Que return to the floating mountain peak.

Not long after Xu Que’s return, Xu Ziling came running with news.

“Young Master, someone identified Duanmu Yi as the black dragon-headed man. The Law Enforcement Hall is currently dispatching people to search for Duanmu Yi.”

“Hm, I see.”

Xu Que’s heart lifted; this tactic of shifting the blame truly worked.

Zhu Yanran and the other girls had only seen Duanmu Yi, fleeing after being attacked by the Black Dragon Soul. They hadn’t seen Xu Que or the other bodies.

He then asked, “Has my master returned?”

“Not yet,” Xu Ziling shook his head.

Xu Que frowned. That shouldn’t be; it was already late at night.

He was puzzled why the formidable Sacred Son would need his Divine Martial Bone. Though special and powerful, the Sacred Son, gifted beyond measure, should not require it.

...

At that moment, within a palace atop the highest peak of Xuantian Holy Land.

Lin Qingni lay suppressed beneath a golden, four-legged giant cauldron.

A graceful, noble woman stood on the steps and said to Lin Qingni:

“Sister, don’t you understand? For the stability of the Holy Land, sacrificing Xu Que is necessary. Your stubbornness—what will your senior brother do? There’s no other way; difficult matters must be handled by me, your sister-in-law.”

Lin Qingni struggled fiercely but could not break free from the imperial artifact, the God-Burying Cauldron!

This cauldron had no other function—it could neither refine pills nor fend off enemies—but it possessed absolute suppressive power. Even a Martial Emperor below would be silently subdued. It was one of the Holy Land’s greatest treasures.

Angrily trapped in the suppressing beam, Lin Qingni shouted, “Senior Sister! Why treat Xu Que like this? You should know he is my only disciple. He has done no wrong—why sacrifice him?”

The Holy Mother turned and left the hall.

“You can only blame the boy’s ill fate. By tomorrow, it will all be over. Sister, disciples can always be found anew. Out with the old, in with the new.”

“Sister! Holy Mother! Jiang Liyue!!! Come back! You can’t be so shameless and hypocritical!”

Creak—slam.

The great doors closed, silencing Lin Qingni’s furious roars.

Jiang Liyue, the Holy Mother, glanced at Duanmu Ao waiting at the entrance.

Duanmu Ao bowed slightly.

“Thank you, Holy Mother, for upholding justice for the Duanmu family. Just now, Duanmu Yi went to trouble Xu Que, but there’s been no news. He was likely killed by Xu Que again.”

Jiang Liyue sneered.

“Someone so severely injured can’t even be killed? What a disgrace to report. Let old grudges and new grievances wait until tomorrow.”

Duanmu Ao repeatedly agreed, though inwardly he rejoiced.

The Holy Lord and Holy Mother sided with the Duanmu family on this matter. It was only natural. As one of the three great families of the Holy Land, the Duanmu family had made great contributions and involved many people.

Fairness? Justice? What nonsense. This is no child’s play.

After Duanmu Ao left, Jiang Liyue suddenly flew through the air. Passing over a mountain peak, she changed her face—now resembling Lin Qingni exactly, even down to her attire.

“Ahem... ah, ahem,” Jiang Liyue cleared her throat and adjusted her voice.

In a moment, she arrived at a palace floating above a lake.

“Master, you’re back? Will the Holy Lord uphold justice for me?”

“Rest assured, the Holy Lord will deal with this tomorrow and handle it fairly.”

Jiang Liyue, wearing Lin Qingni’s face, soothed her.

“Rest well tonight. Tomorrow there will be good news. With me protecting you, no one dares harm you.”

Hearing this, Xu Que’s heart lifted with relief.

Having his master’s words comforted him.

Jiang Liyue asked again, “Disciple, what is your current cultivation level?”

“Master, Martial Ancestor Seventh Stage.”

“Ah!”

Jiang Liyue was surprised.

Just a few days ago, he had been crippled—his limbs severed, dantian and martial veins destroyed, divine martial bone extracted, cultivation lost, and poisoned by the Cold Fire Doom.

Now he was confidently among the top five disciples of the Holy Land.

“He must have spoken with Lin Qingni about his adventures in the Death Abyss. I must ask again carefully, so I don’t slip.”

She asked, “Do you still have any of the miraculous spiritual medicine you used to heal your clanmate at the medical hut?”

Xu Que, considering his master family, thought he should give her some if asked.

But then he hesitated. This involved the secret of the Refining Heavenly Gourd.

Xu Wuji and the others wouldn’t ask much, assuming it was a rare treasure taken from the clan.

But what if his master grew suspicious?

Or demanded more to aid the Holy Land’s development?

If it all involved the Refining Heavenly Gourd, it would bring endless trouble.

“Sorry, Master. I will offer you something else later,” Xu Que thought. “This really can’t be given out lightly.”

He replied, “That was a mysterious elixir my aunt brought back from the Southern Dynasty. It’s all used up.”

Jiang Liyue sounded disappointed.

“With how much he respects Lin Qingni, he likely isn’t lying. Southern Dynasty... after executing this boy tomorrow, we can go take a look.”

Jiang Liyue then told Xu Que to rest well and left.

She departed the floating mountain peak, resumed her original appearance, and returned to the Holy Land’s main hall.

Just as she landed, a young noble in red approached. It was none other than the Sacred Son of the Holy Land.

“Mother, how is it? Xu Que—has he become suspicious?”

“Everything went smoothly. How is the integration of the Divine Martial Bone?”

“Not bad. After fusing the Divine Martial Bone and Divine Fire Martial Vein, my constitution has improved,” the Sacred Son said with a bright smile. “I already feel the bottleneck loosening. It won’t be long before I break through to Martial Lord.”

Jiang Liyue looked at her son, seeing his regained confidence.

“Very good. One day, my son will become a Martial Emperor.”