The Forbidden Path to Immortality-Chapter 246

At first, Li Xun barely noticed. But as the bird cries grew sharper and more frantic, something hit him deep in the chest.

It felt as if the emotions of heaven and earth had merged with his own. The shift was so sudden, so powerful, that it moved faster than thought, setting the true breath through his body surging wildly.

Li Xun faltered for a heartbeat before diving down again. In that brief pause, Nether One had already torn through space and vanished into the jungle’s endless shadows.

Up ahead, the outline of the secluded courtyard was beginning to show through the trees. But he began to slow down. Every tree, every bush, every stone, and every shadow they cast, seemed to come alive before his eyes, shifting and flowing restlessly.

Of course, Li Xun hadn’t forgotten that hidden among the seemingly natural trees and grass was a powerful formation that protected the secluded courtyard from any intruders.

And now... that barrier was in ruins!

Without a second thought, Li Xun unleashed a warning sword toward the sect. A streak of blue light shot skyward, unimpeded, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

With that done, Li Xun caught, out of the corner of his eye, Nether One moving through the shadows ahead.

The incredibly powerful You Yi was about thirty feet away from Li Xun. That distance was enough for him to unleash his full strength and cause maximum damage. But it came with less safety…

Li Xun shook his head and let Nether One move a little closer.

That was the trouble with losing Yin Wanderer, even if only for a while.

Originally, Nether One handled offense while Yin Wanderer focused on defense. The two together were unstoppable. But lately, everything had gone wrong: first, the Heaven's Nether Yin Pearl was destroyed, and then Yin Wanderer began to change in strange ways. The methods that once let Li Xun roam this realm without fear no longer carried the same power they once did.

Even without the constant threat of the burning yin fire, it was time to adapt, to change his approach…

These thoughts flashed through his mind, only to be quickly pushed aside as he noticed some unexpected traces.

The restriction was definitely broken, but the path of whoever did it had only grazed the edges of the courtyard. There was no sign he had actually entered. And yet, within that vast courtyard, there was nothing left but death.

One, two… seven, eight...

Through the Soul-Detecting technique unique to the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect, Li Xun didn’t need to see with his own eyes. He already knew that all eight disciples left behind in the courtyard were dead.

But… why?

Li Xun didn’t slow, skimming past the outer walls of the courtyard along the intruder’s path. Just as he was about to vanish into the thick jungle, he suddenly twisted and dashed backward, covering several hundred feet in a flash.

The shadow cast by the courtyard wall seemed startled too. It shivered ever so slightly.

“Come out.”

Standing by the outer wall, Li Xun looked up at the sky. His words were few, but carried a sharp edge that left no room for argument. All that answered him were a few shrill chirps from the sparrow. And then silence.

Li Xun didn’t mind. He gave a small smile and ran a hand over the mottled bricks of the outer wall.

“You did a decent job,” he said calmly. “First, you made it look like you broke through the restriction head-on; that’s your decoy. Then you doubled back halfway, leaping into this courtyard to set up a second, hidden layer of the trap. And all the while, you risked staying in the shadows to avoid anyone chasing you, while shifting the blame to Jiang Dong and causing the deaths of the eight disciples in this place.”

“When the pursuers finally figured it out, they must’ve thought you’d gone back along your old route. And off they went chasing in the wrong direction. Lost you completely… clever move!”

The night around him stayed utterly still, not a sound to be heard. Yet Li Xun remained calm, composed. His fingers brushed slowly along the wall’s surface. Strangely, they came away clean. He lifted them to his nose and sniffed, his brow creasing.

“Oh? There’s still a trace of fragrance here. Don’t tell me… ha, that makes things even more interesting! Don’t you agree?”

The word “agree” had barely left his lips before Li Xun shot forward, hugging the wall as he dove straight into a stretch of deep shadow several yards away. The darkness rippled the instant he moved, twisting unnaturally.

“Excellent escape technique!” Li Xun said with genuine admiration.

Li Xun knew the fugitive's cultivation wasn’t particularly high. He was just skilled at running for his life. But seeing the technique firsthand, he realized he’d still underestimated him.

The escape technique was astonishing. It was so subtle. It pushed for the highest possible speed with almost no energy wasted, and even cloaked the user’s presence in shadow. At a glance, it was even more elegant than the sect’s own Shadow-Devour Technique. Unfortunately, the man had overlooked one small thing.

Li Xun stopped where the fugitive had been hiding, taking his time to study the surroundings and gauge how the concealment worked.

Just then, from behind him, came a muffled grunt. Someone stumbled backward out of the darkness, staggering a dozen steps before collapsing hard onto the ground... right at Li Xun’s feet.

It was Nether One who had made the move.

Pop. Something slipped from the figure’s hand and hit the dirt. Li Xun crouched. A jade-green folding fan, delicate and beautifully crafted.

Li Xun’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes swept over the disheveled, embarrassed face before him, and he had to swallow hard to choke back the words that almost escaped his throat: It’s you.

The hesitation was misread. And the person on the ground went from bright red to ghostly pale in an instant.

Li Xun couldn’t help but chuckled. He reached out, brushing a hand over her messy hair. “With a face that pretty,” he said. “why bother pretending to be a man?”

The wooden pin holding her hair silently crumbled to dust. Her dark hair tumbled free like a waterfall. Her slightly youthful, fresh-faced features seemed to glow with charm.

Li Xun actually swallowed this time. His fingers reached out almost on their own, lifting a strand of hair, letting its smoothness slip through his fingertips.

Seeing the girl before him, frozen and holding her breath, Li Xun felt a flicker stir in his chest. Mostly, it was a wicked, mischievous sort of pleasure.

Yan Shuiyue, looks like it’s finally your turn today, huh?

The woman before him was none other than Yan Shuiyue. The disciple of the Water Mirror Sect he’d met years ago in Nightless City.

Over the past few decades, Li Xun had seen her a handful of times under his identity as Spirit Bamboo. Mostly at the Water Mirror gatherings. They’d only exchanged a few brief words each time, but even so, he counted himself as one of the few friends this young woman had.

What struck Li Xun as odd was this: Yan Shuiyue was said to be a once-in-centuries prodigy of the Water Mirror Sect, yet after only a few decades of cultivation, her strength shouldn’t have been anywhere near enough to travel alone... let alone get herself caught up in trouble this big…

These thoughts circled in his mind, but his face betrayed nothing. He lightly hooked a finger under her smooth chin. “So, which sect are you from? What’s your name? And why are you trying to frame my sect? Speak!”

The tone of the last word wasn’t harsh, if anything, it was almost gentle. But Yan Shuiyue was already so frightened that she could barely mumble a word, her gaze darting back and forth between Li Xun’s face and the fan lying on the ground, every flicker of her eyes betraying what she was thinking.

Li Xun chuckled wryly. He reached down, picked up the fan, and flicked it open with a sharp snap. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The fan was made of pure white silk. It was plain and simple. No paintings, no patterns, just a few bold characters scrawled across it. On one side: “Heaven’s secrets are endless. Half known, half unknown.” On the other: “Idle words, believe them or don’t, watch and see.”

Considering who she was, the absurdity of those phrases was almost laughable.

But Li Xun didn’t laugh. Suddenly, something clicked.

This girl had always been clever, mischievous, and fearless since she was young... how could she possibly…

Li Xun’s hand moved on instinct. He flung the fan away.

By now the sky had darkened even more. With that throw, the fan traced a streak of bluish light through the air. In the blink of an eye, that pale blue flared and deepened into a rich purple.

Fog leapt up from the damp jungle. Then a flash of fire ignited. Purple and unnatural, it screamed trouble. Had Li Xun not thrown the fan away in time, who knew what kind of mess he’d be in right now.

The fire burned fast and died just as quickly. As Li Xun’s gaze followed the last flickers of the flames, a sharp whistle sounded by his ear.

He turned just in time to see Yan Shuiyue, who had looked so pitiful a moment ago, spring to her feet like a startled deer and dart off into the depths of the forest.

The flames blazed, then died just as fast. While Li Xun’s eyes followed the fire in the distance, a whistle cut through his ears. Yan Shuiyue, who’d just looked so pitiful, sprang up like an over-caffeinated fawn and shot into the depths of the jungle.

Naive girl.. Li Xun felt his pride bruise a little, and he was half annoyed, half amused. But Yan Shuiyue’s cultivation was far too weak. Bringing her back would be no more than a flick of the wrist… Wait a minute!

Yan Shuiyue suddenly split into three, each one darting off in a different direction.

Li Xun recognized it at once. This was the Water Mirror Sect’s signature technique, the “Mirror Split.” It resembled the illusion-duplication techniques common in the Tongxuan Realm, but its precision and realism were on a completely different level.

…What a pain.

If he’d wanted to hurt her, he had at least seven or eight ways to do it. But he was merely curious, and there was no reason to go nasty. By the time he hesitated, Yan Shuiyue had already slipped into the thick woods and disappeared.

…Never mind.

Li Xun stared into the jungle for a long moment, then clapped his hands and decided to let it go.

Sure, he was curious what kind of trouble Yan Shuiyue had gotten herself into. But judging by how she looked, she seemed capable enough. And even if she wasn’t… it wasn’t his problem, was it?

He cast one last glance toward the dark jungle, then strolled into the courtyard and pushed the door open.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyelid twitched.

Eight disciples lay dead in the front yard. From the looks of it, they must have come to investigate a noise… and one by one, the killer had cut them down.

There’s only one killer, he thought to himself. Not much sign of a struggle. Looks like they weren’t even on the same level. The attacker was ruthless, and…

Li Xun nudged a fallen disciple’s corpse with the toe, crouched down, and studied the wound carefully. He nodded. And also a bit impatient. The strikes are powerful, but lack precision. Not the work of a true master.

The disciple had been hit square in the chest; his organs had been carbonized by the sheer force of the true breath. His sternum was shattered into fragments, and the residual shock had torn through the meridians in his limbs. It was a brutal, heavy-handed technique, but offered little else in the way of clues.

Li Xun’s gaze fell on another corpse, and a sudden sensation prickled through him. That strange feeling, the one that had once attuned him to the pulse of heaven and earth, flared again. Instantly, he knew that two formidable cultivators were rushing this way, fast.

…What a pain.

He let out another pointless sigh, then sidestepped into the shadows. Compared to Yan Shuiyue, his concealment was far more effortless.

He had barely vanished when two cultivators dropped from the sky. Narrowing his eyes, Li Xun suppressed his presence to the bare minimum, though his instincts had already confirmed it. The man in the purple robe was the killer. The lingering resentment of eight dead men still clung to him like a dark cloud.

Tch. If I’d known the murderer was coming back, I wouldn’t have bothered investigating, Li Xun grumbled to himself. But his eyes were suddenly drawn to the woman beside him.

A familiar face!