Chapter Seven: The Lord of Shadows

Golden threads and silver drapes, ancient incense curling from a censer.

Behind the beautiful woman stood three or five attendants—some holding fans, some fragrant sachets, others clutching mirrors. All of them were strikingly handsome young men, dressed in splendid robes and jade belts, their bearing refined and graceful, with an aura faintly tinged with the energy of the Dao.

Inside the azure palace, music swelled in grand harmony, drifting gently through the air—a scene that ought to reflect perfect accord. Yet, the woman's words had cast an awkward pall over the gathering.

All the musicians playing zithers and flutes were trembling, wishing they could cover their ears and pretend never to have heard what had been said.

Among the three accompanying elders, reactions varied. Yan Feichen smiled; Gu Jun wore a sullen expression, clearly displeased; Master Yuanji was visibly uneasy, darting glances at everyone with a round, anxious face, his eyes spinning with mixed emotions.

"Wretched woman! Damn you! Damn you to the utmost! You tried to steal my vital essence years ago, disrupt my Daoist heart, and now you bring up old grievances again—do you think I cannot kill you?"

The head of the Xuanzhen Sect furrowed his brows, suppressing the rage on his face, his heart seething.

"Aunt, spare us your idle talk! Why have you left Shangyu and come to my domain? What is it you truly want?"

He let out a mocking laugh:

"I hear that though you are favored by an elder of the Demonic Yuzhao Sect, she will only accept you as a disciple if you subdue three malevolent Yin demons on your own. All these years, you've stirred up trouble in mortal lands, sowing who knows how much evil, and were even hunted for three thousand miles by Jun Yao of the Jade Celestial Sect. If not for the protection of our clan elders, you’d have long since been destroyed by his thunder magic!"

This time, the beautiful woman's face turned grim.

The head of Xuanzhen looked her up and down with interest, smiling as he asked:

"Still, it seems you managed to cultivate a malevolent Yin demon yourself, didn't you? But before you could subdue it, it escaped, isn't that so? What a pity. Truly, what a pity!"

"Jian, there’s no need for such theatrics," the woman replied coldly. "If misfortune is the contest, who can compare to you? Once the noble scion of the Ai family, a great Daoist of the Jade Celestial Sect, and now reduced to this—unable even to reside in a blessed land, forced to dwell on this desolate mountain."

"If only you’d advanced to true transmission back then—"

"Enough!" The sect master exploded in fury, his eyes flashing with a sharp, divine light. In a single motion, he soared into the air and slashed down at the woman.

The divine brilliance, swift as lightning, reached the woman in a blink. Yet she remained unruffled; her attendants raised a bronze mirror, aiming it at the sky, and instantly caught and held the two blazing rays.

"Jian Ai, do you think your so-called 'Refined Eye Sword' could harm me? Even without a treasure, it can’t break my Dao body." The woman shook her head in disdain.

"And this is?"

Upon the Jade Crane couch, Jian Ai—who had been seething with anger—now calmed.

"Where did you acquire that Kui Gang Mirror? I've not returned to Shangyu in years, and the clan elders have become so generous as to grant you a treasure suitable for a Golden Core master?"

"I'm not the mirror's original owner, only borrowing it for now."

"Oh?"

"Jian, I didn’t come here just to quarrel with you. If we keep flinging barbs, we’ll only ruin whatever kinship remains." The woman clapped lightly, her tone playful.

Jian Ai snorted, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes before vanishing.

"You've likely heard a certain rumor from the clan during your time on Little Gan Mountain?"

"A rumor? From Shangyu?" Jian Ai mused. "You must mean the girl whose birth was heralded by a red glow over the city, bathed in water carried by a bluebird?"

"Exactly. Don't underestimate her, Jian," the woman replied. "She was marked by the heavens, and now even the Chiming Sect—one of the eight great Daoist sects—has taken notice. The reclusive Master Zhuojing, after a century in seclusion, is coming down the mountain to take her as a direct disciple—"

"Enough, Aunt! I can already guess your purpose. I thought it was something important!"

He waved his hand, brusquely cutting her off.

"For cultivation, you're at least a second-stage practitioner of the Profound Mystery realm; as kin, you are her elder. Why trouble yourself so much over a mere child?"

"If you wish to debase yourself, that's your affair. I do not care to join you."

He pointed out toward the clouds beyond the palace, clearly dismissing her.

"We have nothing more to say. Please, go."

"I can leave, but what about you, Jian? I recall after your troubles, you desperately wished to return to the Jade Celestial Sect, even seeking the clan leader’s intercession."

The woman did not move, still smiling.

"If you help me this time, and all goes well, with this merit—and a good word from me before our niece—you might get your wish."

Jian Ai said nothing.

"You only know our niece is extraordinary, but not the extent of her gifts." Seeing his silence, the woman rose gracefully and continued,

"She trained in our clan’s inner arts, cultivating the Purple Clarity True Qi—ranked among the nine supreme grades. Upon becoming Master Zhuojing’s disciple, she received further teachings. In ten years, she has established her foundation, opened the Purple Palace, entered the Profound Mystery realm… Now, she is close to gathering the Five Essences, about to step into the second stage."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty-four."

This provoked an immediate uproar.

"A twenty-four-year-old at the second stage of the Profound Mystery realm? That’s a rare treasure indeed! Damn! Missing this would be a punishment from the heavens!"

Master Yuanji’s heart burned with excitement; he could not help but rub his hands together. Across from him, Yan Feichen sneered at this display.

The elders showed varying reactions, and the musicians were frozen in terror, unable to speak.

On the Jade Crane platform, Jian Ai remained aloof, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly:

"Even so, how can you guarantee she can get me back into the Jade Celestial Sect? With only a second-stage Profound Mystic and an elder from another sect?"

"A hermit has his own ways, Jian. Rest assured; when have I ever deceived you?" The woman batted her eyes coquettishly.

"Fine…" Jian Ai’s expression shifted uncertainly. After a long pause, he sighed.

"Our niece—what is it you require of me?"

"Find someone."

"Who?"

"Yin Prince."

"Yin Prince?"

...

...

Within the Realm of True Law.

Chen Heng’s decapitated corpse quickly vanished along with the pool of blood, and in the blink of an eye, a new body appeared where he had fallen.

"Cough… cough, cough…"

Reborn, he coughed several times, a sickly flush coloring his cheeks.

Though death within the realm would not harm his true body, dying a hundred times a day was its own torment.

"I’ve grasped ninety-nine percent—only the final step remains…"

With his fingers poised like a brush, Chen Heng began to draw aimless lines on the ground, frowning.

"Where, exactly, have I gone wrong with this last step?"