Chapter 56

In the distance, the mournful howls of wolves could be heard, occasionally interspersed with the sorrowful cries of the Cloud-Treading Steeds.

Zhao Yanran, who was running swiftly on the ice, immediately lifted the corners of her lips, a hint of satisfaction from successful revenge appearing in her eyes.

Suddenly changing direction, she ran up a nearby hill. Looking back in the direction she had come from, she saw the Cloud-Treading Chariot racing eastward, competing with countless marsh wolves.

With a giggle that made her branches tremble like a flower, Zhao Yanran then furrowed her brows.

The wound on her chest and abdomen was even more painful, and the toxins in her body had yet to be suppressed.

Reaching up to her neck, she found her hands covered in blood. What should have been a minor scratch, hindered by a strange force, had not stopped bleeding at all.

"Indeed, it is the雏形 of Sword Intent! At thirteen, already able to connect with the Dao of the Sword—"

Murmuring to herself, Zhao Yanran closed her eyes, recalling the sword that seemed to come from the depths of hell. Her whole body immediately convulsed in pain.

Unlike before, in Zhao Yanran's eyes, the half-demon youth was not at all interesting, but rather somewhat despicable.

She was still afraid, and under the pressure of that supreme sword technique, she no longer had the confidence to use him as her炉鼎元胎.

Her mind already had a crack. There was actually someone in this world she was not confident in defeating.

Checking her bag again, she found that the medicine inside was almost gone.

Zhao Yanran sighed softly, about to turn and leave. The next moment, however, she paused, her heart stirred. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a mirror about a foot wide.

She directly embedded a fourth-stage beast crystal in the back of the mirror. When the mirror surface flashed with a layer of blue spiritual light, Zhao Yanran used the blood from her neck as ink to write on the mirror.

The handwriting was messy and chaotic, lacking the elegance and grace of a girl. Instead, it was sharp and contained a fierce and domineering aura.

The words she wrote were in the same style.

"Hey! Old hag, does your Taiyuan Sect still need people? Do you want another direct disciple?"

As soon as the words were written, the blood turned into points of spiritual light and dispersed. After a moment, the mirror responded, and several lines of text appeared on the mirror surface.

At the top was a simple line drawing of a beautiful and lovely woman, looking furious.

"You crazy old hag! If you dare call me an old hag again, I'll eat you!"

The words disappeared after a moment, and another line of text appeared.

"Our Taiyuan Sect is short of people, you know that. But a direct disciple? You're being so kind? The Seven Spirits Sect doesn't want someone qualified to be a direct disciple of our Taiyuan Sect, and you want to give them to us? Is the sun rising from the west today? Suspicious—"

The beautiful woman's drawing changed, showing a face full of doubt.

Zhao Yanran 'tsk'ed, still using blood as ink, and began writing on the mirror.

"If it weren't for the fact that this guy is a male, and the Seven Spirits Sect only accepts females, do you think I would tell you?"

"Originally a male—"

The beautiful woman's expression clearly became colder: "Tell me more? If I'm in a good mood, I'll consider it. But you, crazy old hag, always bring trouble when you come to me. You're more likely to cause problems than solve them! With your judgment, the person you recommend probably isn't much better. The Taihao Yuanling Sword of our Taiyuan Sect isn't something just anyone can learn!"

The corners of Zhao Yanran's lips twitched, and she barely resisted the urge to smash the bronze mirror in her hand.

After a moment, she laughed softly, her eyes gleaming with a fierce light.

"What about the person who broke the Lingyun Sect's Bright Sword Platform and the Lesser Luo Heaven Sword Array? What do you think, old hag?"

"Lesser Luo Heaven Sword Array? Hmm, that's not bad, but it's only well-known in the Eastern Lin Yun Continent. The Ten Sacred Lands, the Nineteen Spirit Palaces. Any direct disciple of these sects, each occupying a spiritual land, could easily break it, but they just don't bother. Such talent can barely enter our sect—"

"If this person is only thirteen years old and used only 343 breaths?"

The mirror surface was silent for a moment, but Zhao Yanran seemed unsatisfied and continued writing: "If this person could also replicate the Twelve Divine Stele Talismans in just two hours?"

This time, it took a long while for the bronze mirror to respond: "Are you joking? Is there such a person in the Eastern Lin Yun Continent? Crazy old hag, are you sure?"

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but it was said by Lingyun Longruo himself!"

"Unbelievable! If there really is such a person, the Lingyun Sect would likely take them back to the mountain. How could we have a chance to intervene?"

"Being a half-demon with a dual-meridian body. It's said there's another hidden danger in their body, preventing them from breaking through the Body Wheel!"

The beautiful woman's drawing immediately showed a 'I knew it' expression. Even the words on the mirror seemed to be smug.

"—I knew it! Since they have a dual-meridian body and can't break through the Body Wheel, what use is it for them to join our Taiyuan Sect?"

Zhao Yanran laughed coldly, waiting for the words to disappear before writing again.

"Thirteen years old, sword path connected with the Dao! With the body of a martial artist, they glimpsed the profound mysteries of Sword Intent. I restrained my innate true qi and fought with them. On the seventy-sixth sword, I was injured by their sword, and the wound was hard to heal. After that, my fighting spirit was completely extinguished, and I felt no hope of victory!"

The blood words, though still fierce and domineering, somehow carried a sense of indescribable loss and despondency.

The bronze mirror was silent again. But this time, no words appeared, only a cold and solemn voice, transmitted through the mirror.

"Who is this person? Where are they now? Are they in the east of the Eastern Lin Yun Continent? Thirteen years old, sword path connected with the Dao? Are you trying to deceive me?"

Zhao Yanran didn't intend to continue writing, directly putting the mirror away. Her feet froze again, and she slid down the hill.

Then a voice, sounding furious, said: "Crazy old hag, are you going to tell me or not? Do you believe I'll go to the Seven Spirits Sect now and accuse you of disrespecting your elders?"

Zhao Yanran's face remained unchanged, but her eyes showed a hint of mockery.

"Accuse me if you want. Since someone said they would consider it, they can decide when they're ready. Anyway, our Cangsheng Dao needs to find successors, and it's not just your Taiyuan Sect!"

The voice immediately faltered, then turned flattering and fawning.

"Good Yanran, it's your uncle's fault! How about this, I'll give you five Fire Essence Pills? You can't use them now, but they'll be perfect for breaking through to the Return to Yang realm. Or how about the unnamed sword of our sect?"

The corners of Zhao Yanran's lips lifted slightly, and her previous gloom disappeared.

"Add twenty Fetus Refinement Pills and twenty Snow Soul Pills, or no deal!"

"Zhao Yanran, are you crazy!"

The voice rose by eight octaves, and the bronze mirror in her bag shook violently. Zhao Yanran, however, ignored it, her figure suddenly accelerating as she slid away.

Almost at the same time, in a pavilion tens of thousands of miles away, a woman in her early twenties stood up, looking somewhat dazed.

On the mirror in front of her, the words Zhao Yanran had written still appeared.

"Thirteen years old, sword path connected with the Dao! With the body of a martial artist, they glimpsed the profound mysteries of Sword Intent. I restrained my innate true qi and fought with them. On the seventy-sixth sword, I was injured by their sword, and the wound was hard to heal. After that, my fighting spirit was completely extinguished, and I felt no hope of victory—"

The clear and beautiful woman's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.

"Is there really such a prodigy in this world? Could this be heaven's blessing for our Taiyuan Sect?"