Ch73 - Scattered Spirit Vanquished Soul

Translator: transcendentwings

Xu Xingzhi entered the palace.

Guangfu-junwasn’t reassured so he put an enchanted shackle on his left hand. The square wooden box was just big enough to hold one of his fists.

The talismans painted on it could inhibit the flow of spiritual energy in the body had been painted on one by one by Xu Xingzhi’s own hand. Xu Xingzhi glanced at it and could only find it a mockery.

Guangfu-junwanted to lock his right hand as well, but gave up after taking a closer look at the condition of that hand.

Fortunately, Xu Xingzhi could still stand on his own, walk by himself, and speak for himself. Other than the pain in his right hand that made him want to remove it completely, everything else was fine.

His appearance and demeanor weren’t much different from before, he even still had the half-broken bell still looped around his wrist. The copper clapper was twisted and the silver shell was shattered, even as the two struck against each other, only an empty sound rang out, like it was echoing the sound of the heart.

When the doors of the palace closed, theblossoming trees and festive lightswithin the palace were as bright as daylight, the flames of the lanterns were even influenced by the chilly spring day gusts outside as they flared with sparks of light.

Xu Xingzhi stood in this bright room and fixed his gaze solely on the “Qingjing-jun” seated at a higher elevation, neither addressing the other asShifunor bowing down to pay his respects.

The person sitting there was currently toying with “Xianbi” with great interest, when he noted that the other merely entered without any further actions, he raised his head to weigh the other with his gaze.

Xu Xingzhi got straight to the point: “Who are you?”

“. . .” A peculiar warm smile spread across “Qingjing-jun”’s face in a clumsy manner, “Don’t you recognize me anymore?”

Xu Xingzhi bluntly stated: “You are notShifu.”

He was dizzy from pain, but his mind was still very clear.

He only needed one glance the moment he entered to register that the person sitting under the lights was not hisShifuand was merely a monster who had borrowed hisShifu’s outer appearance.

Sa Luo was also unwilling to conceal his own identity: “But the one who gave you that hand bell was undoubtedly yourShifuah.”

Xu Xingzhi was silent.

Sa Luo found it intriguing: “Now that you’ve seen through my identity, then call outah, summon yourShishuover, tell him that the one who is sitting here isn’t Fengling’s Qingjing-jun.”

Xu Xingzhi sneered: “You have set up a spiritual barrier around Qingzhu Palace, with a Nascent Soul level power, this place is nothing but an isolated island now, what’s the use for me to scream and shout?”

Not being able to witness Xu Xingzhi struggling like a feral dog at death’s throes, Sa Luo could only sigh regretfully.

Xu Xingzhi seemed indifferent on the surface, yet his left hand was clenched into a tight fist that crackled with sound: “Where is myShifu?”

“YourShifu? He’s watching you from a good placene.” Sa Luo’s fingertips slid ambiguously across the chin of this body, “Have a guess where he is?”

Xu Xingzhi’s lips trembled uncontrollably: “Shifu. . .”

Sa Luo’s fingers dropped to his Dantian, a shallow smile gracing the corner of his lips.

. . . Little Dolt, he doesn’t have an inkling of awareness of how to treat an enemy. He is just acting out of righteousness, why does he have to fight against himne.

In the past year of coexisting together, he had already mapped out the meridians in this body countless times whilst Yue Wuchen knew nothing about his presence. When he confessed to Yue Wuchen that he was the demon lord Sa Luo, whom he had killed many years ago, the other actually couldn’t remember who Sa Luo even was momentarily.

Whenever he recalled that moment, Sa Luo felt as if it was just as amusing as much as it angered him.

He really deserved to be locked up by him for the rest of his life.

Xu Xingzhi’s face blanched.

He already guessed where hisShifuresided.

The body in front of him still had hisShifu’s clear spiritual aura lingering around it. Obviously, this monster wasn’t a creature that transformed into hisShifu’s likeness, so. . . The only possibility was that it had taken over hisShifu’s body.

Few people in the world could possess hisShifu’s body.

But no matter who it was, this person was definitely not someone he could easily deal with.

Xu Xingzhi was pondering how to deal with this situation quickly when he abruptly heard a familiar and weak voice call out: “Xingzhi.”

Without waiting for Xu Xingzhi to react, Qingjing-junwhispered: “Don’t react. Xingzhi, I will transmit my voice directly into your head, just listen.”

Xu Xingzhi pursed his lips and a glimmer of hope rose in his heart: “Shifu, where are you?”

“I’ve separated my Nascent Soul from my body.” Qingjing-jun’s voice was as soft spoken and gentle as ever, “He has not yet noticed any abnormality. I will follow your lead, so wait for an opportunity and deal a killing blow to the body.”

Xu Xingzhi was taken aback: “Shifu, that’s your body. . .”

“LMO’P bMCCj. UfOkw Jj WCfJMCtfgr TMdr ngT rwpP Jj YMtj, Pnw rfpw gOt twgPn Mp PngP Tnwrr OM rMOxwC ngT gOj kMOOwkPfMO bfPn Jw.”

Gd GfOxcnf Zgxdwrj pwrP PngP TMJwPnfOx bgT TPCgOxw, YdP nw kMdrtO’P NdfPw WdP nfT pfOxwC MO fP. yfT JfOt bgT MZwCbnwrJwt Yj gOmfwPj gOt nfT fODdCwt CfxnP ngOt WdrTwt bfPn TngCW vOfpw-rfvw WgfOT, PndT pMC g bnfrw, nw wZwO rMTP Pnw gYfrfPj PM PnfOv krwgCrj.

“Does your hand hurt?” Qingjing-jun’s voice was soft, as if he were comforting his own child, “After we subdue this demon,Shifuwill heal you.”

jU jQJNeIQ BQBJ’d ILaT dQPT df QJZUQiT LgfUd dIT ILJB gTYY LJB MUAd ZUQGsYp LNiTTB QJ IQA ITLid.

Until now, he didn’t know who the man in front of him was, but after several exchanges with him in the arena, Xu Xingzhi knew that when he fought with the other in his peak condition, withShifuputting up a struggle from within, he was only barely superior.

zfm dILd fJT fS IQA ILJBA mLA fUd fS GfPPQAAQfJ LJB dIT fdITi ILJB mLA ATLYTB mQdI AqQiQdULY AILGsYTA LJB GfUYB Jfd PfaT, QJ fiBTi df sQYY IQP, Qd mfUYB fJYp gT diQLYA AdLGsTB UqfJ BQSSQGUYdQTA. WS IT PQAATB dIT SQiAd gYfm, IT mfUYB ILaT Jf ATGfJB GILJGT.

Thinking of this, cold sweat dampened both his palms.

These slight burdens also caused his right hand to ache violently in response and the pain caused some dizziness again.

He frowned fiercely, bit the inside of his mouth sharply and forced himself to maintain mental clarity using the faint taste of blood.

On the other side, Sa Luo carefully observed the changes in Xu Xingzhi’s expression: “Do you know why I asked you to come here?”

Xu Xingzhi’s expression was wooden, as if he didn’t want to engage with the other any more.

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Sa Luo expressed some impatience: “You’re the same as yourShifu,not shedding a tear until the coffin is seen.” He leaned forward slightly, “Let me ask you, did you ever havea good timewith Yue Wuchen?”

Xu Xingzhi’s head snapped up abruptly.

Sa Luo: “Yes or no?”

Realizing that this person was actually concerned about such things, Xu Xingzhi didn’t know what happened, but his temper instantly spiked fiercely, his voice low and hoarse with murderous intent: “Why are you asking me this?”

“You will die without fail.” Sa Luo curled his lips coldly, “But I will decide how you’ll die based on your answer.”

Xu Xingzhi stared straight into his eyes, his lips trembling, spitting out a few quavering words: “. . . So what if I did?”

Sa Luo tilted his head slightly and studied Xu Xingzhi.

After a few moments, he laughed strangely.

With this chortle, Xu Xingzhi’s body flew back diagonally like a sheet of paper, hitting the cabinet, then crashing onto the ground along the shattered remnants.

The candle flames on the branched candlestick flickered from the tremors, then after swaying left and right a few times, it toppled over on Xu Xingzhi, splashing the hot wax and flames of light everywhere, instantly burning several charred holes in his clothing.

With this blow, Xu Xingzhi nearly fainted from the fall, his right hand was pinned underneath his body and it exploded with excruciating pain.

However, he also received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity through this unexpected turn of events.

—The jade pitcher of sake that Qingjing-junusually carried with him happened to be placed on this small table by Sa Luo.

The jade was delicate and brittle, shattering into pieces when it collided with the floor, splashing the wine all over. The warm jade shards were scattered on the ground like pieces of broken tile and the sharpest piece just happened to land beside Xu Xingzhi.

Witnessing Xu Xingzhi’s miserable appearance as he doubled over and moaned, unable to even get back on his feet, Sa Luo felt somewhat soothed in his heart. He stepped barefoot on the ground, over the mess, and slowly approached Xu Xingzhi.

“I’ve finished mulling it over.” Sa Luo’s dark crow blue eyes were filled with naked and undisguised murderous intent, “. . . About how to send you into death’s embrace.”

Xu Xingzhi must pay a price for what he just uttered, a punishment that even he didn’t dare to think about.

Xu Xingzhi placed his ear to the floor, listening intently to Sa Luo’s footsteps as the other closed the distance between them little by little.

Dong.

Dong.

Dong.

Xu Xingzhi’s heart thudded loudly, and there seemed to be the roar of the sea’s tide in his ears as he clenched his left hand that was sealed by the spiritual shackle tighter and tighter.

Closer still. . . even closer.

He glanced at the seam of a bluestone floor tile from the corner of his eye and when Sa Luo’s well-proportioned bare foot crossed that line, Xu Xingzhi shouted in his heart: “Shifu! Now!”

Sa Luo’s steps froze immediately. He distinctly felt an abrupt force in his body, which instantly entangled his Nascent Soul and dragged him backwards.

. . . It was Yue Wuchen?!

But, before he clearly. . .

Sa Luo didn’t have time to ponder it any further, he gritted his teeth and drew “Yuanjun” from his waist, and thrust forth in the direction Xu Xingzhi was in his recollection.

With achisound, he heard the muffled noise of a blade cutting through flesh and blood and also picked up on the sound of something heavy tumbling to the ground.

. . . That was probably Xu Xingzhi’s headba, severed by Yue Wuchen’s personal sword.

Yet, before the satisfied smile could completely bloom across Sa Luo’s face, he made out another distinct noise of flesh being torn open.

The sound was so close that it made him hesitate for a few seconds before he felt the sharp pain in his neck. After a moment of pause, a large amount of blood spurted out like a splash of oil paint, and in an instant, a field of bloody flowers blossomed across the ground.

A figure slowly retreated from in front of him.

Sa Luo lowered his eyes and clearly saw that what was lying on the floor, what had been cut off by “Yuanjun”, was Xu Xingzhi’s already disabled right hand.

And what had been sliced open was Qingjing-jun’s throat.

As his blood vessels surged, Xu Xingzhi lost his sense of pain. He only felt that the sharp piece of jade from the wine pot that he held in his mouth made his gums sore.

He couldn’t see that the spot where his teeth met the jade piece had fractured with fine mottled lines.

Gazing at that familiar face adorned with an expression of disbelief, Xu Xingzhi felt inexplicably panicked. He spit out the fragmented piece that was stained with blood and called out in a trembling voice: “. . .Shifu.”

It’s okay now,Shifu, I have slaughtered him, you and I are both safe now.

However, the palace was only shrouded in silence, and no one answered his call.

“. . .Shifu?”

Blood flowed from Xu Xingzhi’s severed wrist, dripping to the ground like a stream, creating a strange sticky sound.

Yet, Qingjing-junstill didn’t answer him.

Xu Xingzhi stumbled two steps back, casting his gaze around blankly. Neither the blood leaking in his mouth nor the shocking red in his field of view could stop his face from turning pale bit by bit.

Lying on his back on the ground, Sa Luo stared up at the dome of the palace illuminated by the flames and a hideous sneer slowly twisted the corners of his mouth.

He actually was able to make a sound with a throat that was already slit; although the voice was hoarse and unpleasant as if it had been rubbed raw by hot iron sand: “You. . . loathe me this much?”

Sa Luo recalled with clarity that ever since Qingjing-junbroke his own index finger with his own hands and sealed his acupuncture points, his physical body sunk into a coma and dove into his sea of consciousness together with him to put up a fight. Unfortunately, Qingjing-junhad just severely injured his physical body and along with his multitude of mental turmoil, he inevitably made a mistake and allowed him to win by a narrow margin by taking advantage of the situation due to his inner chaos where he was able to successfully imprison the other’s Nascent Soul. He used chains morphed from his own spiritual consciousness to encircle the other’s legs, anchoring him within his sea of consciousness. Then he seized the other’s body in a swaggering manner and ordered Guangfu-junto summon Xu Xingzhi in order to make it easier for him to take his life, then according to Liu Yunhe’s scheme, he would then retrieve the divine artifact, Shijie Book, from his body and return to the demonic sects.

However, he didn’t expect that Yue Wuchen could still struggle his way out of the sea of consciousness.

. . . In exchange, the legs of his Nascent Soul were left behind in the sea of consciousness for eternity.

Even if he climbed out of his sea of consciousness on his elbows like a gecko, Yue Wuchen still returned to this body noiselessly just for the purpose of hindering him and perishing together.

Even Sa Luo didn’t dare imagine that there would be such a madman in this world.

. . . The two of them were really a perfect match made in heaven.

Thinking of this, Sa Luo laughed.

Last time I died, I was all alone.

This time, you are perishing with me. Your soul and my soul will be entangled for eternity, you can’t get rid of me now.

After a long time without hearing a response, Xu Xingzhi’s face was ashen as he called out in a tremulous voice: “Shifu—”

—He finally figured out where the feeling of wrongness came from.

IfShifu’s soul really separated from his physical body, he would have nothing to help anchor him so how could he “cooperate” with him to hold Sa Luo back?

Xu Xingzhi’s throat was blocked, his eyes were red, he paced in the palace like a trapped beast, unwilling to entertain that terrible possibility too deeply, but that conjecture swarmed uncontrollably, overwhelmingly occupying every bit of space in his mind, pressuring him until he could hardly breathe.

After a while, Qingjing-jun, who was lying on the ground, gradually opened his eyes once more.

With onlyone immortal soulleft, the hostility in Qingjing-jun’s eyes dissipated, leaving only the gentleness and purity that Xu Xingzhi was used to seeing: “Xing, Xingzhi. . .”

Even though his throat was cut, the voice that fell into Xu Xingzhi’s ears was still as soft and warm as cotton.

Xu Xingzhi shook uncontrollably and cradled the man on the ground in his arms.

All the blood in his body was about to be drained completely, hence the body was much lighter. Now, lying in Xu Xingzhi’s arms, his weight was only like that of a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old youth.

“. . . Why?” Xu Xingzhi felt as if his heart and soul were being slowly sliced apart with a knife, “Shifu, you told me, that your Nascent Soul. . . You would. . .”

Qingjing-junchuckled in an indistinct manner: “Xingzhi, sorry, I lied to you.”

How could Sa Luo not be on guard against it?

Qingjing-jundidn’t know what methods Sa Luo used, but his soul had already merged with Sa Luo’s soul and he couldn’t extricate himself at all.

However, he couldn’t watch Xingzhi die by Sa Luo’s hands like this, nor could he just sit by and watch the Shijie Book fall into the hands of these evil-minded demonic cultivators.

Xu Xingzhi gasped loudly in pain: “Shifu, wait a moment, I will treat you, I. . .”

He placed his forehead against Qingjing-jun’s, trying to stimulate the dregs of spiritual power in his body that were too thin to concentrate properly, yet that spiritual energy just flowed into Qingjing-jun’s body where it soon poured out from his broken throat at an even faster pace.

Qingjing-jungazed at Xu Xingzhi’s helpless and desperate expression and whispered: “Xingzhi, enough.”

He grabbed Xu Xingzhi’s left wrist and drained the last bit of spiritual energy he had left.

Very quickly, the spiritual shackle unlocked and fell from his wrist.

Qingjing-junquietly intoned: “Xingzhi, do you still remember. . . What I told you during the disciple acceptance ceremony?”

. . . Remember, of course he remembered.

On the day of the disciple acceptance ceremony, Qingjing-junhad an immaculate countenance and a smile in his eyes as he tied the silver bell around his right wrist, the exhortation still rang loudly and clearly in his ears.

“Xingzhi, I hope that you can be a better person than I.”

Qingjing-junslowly praised: “Xingzhi, you’ve always done well. . . . You have carried yourself better than I have.”

Xu Xingzhi shook his head like crazy, yet still couldn’t utter a single word.

Qingjing-junmurmured softly: “Living a life in this world once, I’ve drunk enough wine, and so it’s time to go. I have no regrets in this life, but the only person I have acted dishonorably against and am sorry towards, is you. . .”

Xu Xingzhi knelt dumbly on the ground as he heard the clamor of the door to Qingzhu Palace being rammed open.

. . . That’s right, the person who maintained the spiritual barrier was bereft of power, and the seal over the palace doors no longer existed.

He heard many noises, footsteps, Guangfu-jun’s surprised and furious exclamation, the muffled sound of things being dropped onto the floor again, Guangfu-jun’s tears, and Qingjing-jun’s quiet murmur as fine as dust motes: “Xiyun, my death, has nothing to do with Xingzhi. I was the one who asked him to kill me. . . You need to take good. . . take good care of him, Xingzhi. . . I can’t bear to leave. . . dear child. . .”

The sound of his voice became weaker and weaker and Xu Xingzhi’s mind became more and more muddled.

. . . He can’t understandah.

Why didShifusay such a thing? How hadShifuever let him down?

The matter with the hand bell, in the end, what exactly was itah.

. . .Shifu, stay, don’t leave, Xingzhi still has too many things that he doesn’t understandah.

I’m begging you to take Xingzhi under your wing again, is that okay?

As his consciousness gradually slipped away from him, he heard Guangfu-jun’s roar between clenched teeth as a result of extreme pain: “Drag Xu Xingzhi out of the palace! I will condemn this insane disciple who killed his master and betrayed his morals with a public execution!”

The author has something to say:I am too lazy to look back upon the flowers, partly because of my cultivation and partly because of you.

Author’s Chapter Summary: mad disciple, severed hand, scattered things

The translator has something to say: this was a very heartrending chapter, I felt sorry for everyone (surprisingly even Sa Luo) in this chapter, especially sorry for the now muddied waters between XXZ and QJJ, even if XXZ still believes and looks up to QJJ with all of his heart, the matter of the bell has tainted it and left him with unanswerable questions and unreachable intentions now. The only person I don’t feel sorry for is GFJ, and I just don’t understand why he couldn’t see it since he cared so much for QJJ or was he just so blinded by his prejudices that he has become rooted in his short-sightedness

Also I realized that maybe trying to finish the translation by the end of this year really is too ambitious. . . there are still quite a few chapters left, eheheh, but I promise I will never drop it even if I end up being inconsistent again