Holding the Sword to Carry Away Senior Sister (Transmigration) - Chapter 34

Although she was excited, Fu Yan knew that a treasure of this level was usually not easily refined. Qiu Lang had spent a year or two without truly refining it, only managing to figure out simple techniques to control the illusion array.

However, whether it would succeed or not, she had to try.

Settling her emotions, Fu Yan followed Qiu Lang’s final memories to the exit of the illusion array. Without hesitation, her figure flashed, and in the next second, she vanished from the thick white fog.

When she reappeared, she was back at the village entrance.

Since the cultivators in the village had been forcibly sucked into the illusion, the village was very quiet, leaving only those dazed and mindless villagers. Looking at the scene before her, Fu Yan felt a wave of melancholy. Had they not encountered Chun Hua and Qiu Lang, the people here might have lived happily.

Shaking her head helplessly, she didn’t dwell on it. In this world, the lives of mortals were like grass, and she was powerless to change that.

According to Qiu Lang’s memory, Fu Yan quickly reached Chun Hua’s house. On the table sat a jade-white seal, its patterns carved so lifelike they seemed ready to move. Otherwise, it looked perfectly normal. Had she not searched Qiu Lang’s memories, she likely wouldn’t have seen its hidden depth.

Stepping forward, she picked up the jade seal. On the bottom were carved four powerful characters: “Xu You Jade Seal.”

After examining it closely, she placed her hand over it and sent out a sliver of her divine sense. The seal already contained a trace of a soul mark left by Qiu Lang. Even though he hadn’t fully refined it, this mark allowed for simple control.

Pausing slightly, she knew that a magic treasure with a soul mark cannot be refined by an outsider. Her divine sense quickly surrounded Qiu Lang’s mark. Since his soul was already nearly extinguished, she easily erased it. The Xu You Jade Seal returned to its state as an unowned treasure.

In the next second, Fu Yan directed her divine sense deep into the seal, and her spiritual power surged. The jade-white seal began to flicker with a milky-white light as she attempted to refine it.

Half a stick of incense passed in a flash. Fu Yan, clutching the seal, was drenched in sweat. As the light on the seal dimmed, her closed eyes snapped open.

“Phew!” She let go of the seal and took a deep breath, muttering to herself, “A treasure of this grade really isn’t easily refined. I’ll likely need to reach the Hedo Stage before I have any hope of fully claiming it.”

Nevertheless, she wasn’t too disappointed. At her current Middle Opening Light stage, she was indeed a bit lacking.

While she couldn’t fully refine it, she could follow Qiu Lang’s example and leave her own soul mark inside. This would allow her to drive the illusion array—a vital life-saving measure in critical moments. As for other hidden uses, those would have to wait until she reached the Hedo Stage.

After leaving her mark, she intended to check on the others in the illusion but found she couldn’t see everyone. It seemed full refinement was required to monitor every corner of the array.

Stowing the Xu You Jade Seal, she left the room and returned to the village entrance. With a flick of her mind, the world around her spun.

In the next moment, the once-empty village entrance was suddenly filled with figures. The people forcibly pulled out of the illusion were still dazed, but they quickly steadied themselves and looked around. Fu Yan swayed as well, acting as if she had just been pulled back like everyone else. A few people glanced her way, but no one suspected a thing.

“What’s going on? What happened?” someone asked blankly.

“I don’t know. We were all sucked into a weird illusion, but then we were suddenly released,” Zhong Shen of the Zilan Sect muttered.

Qian Xun stepped forward. “Need you ask? It must be because our Eldest Senior Brother defeated the demon, so we were rescued.”

The two ordinary disciples from the Fengling Sect remained silent, looking embarrassed and confused.

Seeing Bai Yueli reappear, Fu Yan sighed in relief. She walked over and asked, “Senior Sister, are you alright?”

Bai Yueli shook her head, but her brow remained furrowed. Fu Yan didn’t press further.

Just then, two figures appeared on the main road. Bizarrely, they were in a mid-combat stance, as if they had been transported out while fighting. It was the “Green Bamboo Young Master” Wang Qingyang and the male lead, Fang Yu.

Wang Qingyang stared at Fang Yu with a face full of malice, his sword gripped tightly. The tension between them was palpable.

“What happened?”

“Why do they look like they’re about to kill each other? And where’s the demon?”

Han Shangzhi seemed to guess something; he gave his cousin Han Shangde a strange look but said nothing.

“Hand it over, and I can let this go,” Wang Qingyang broke the silence, his voice cold and precise. He was clearly furious.

Fang Yu replied with total indifference, “I found it myself.”

Fu Yan understood instantly. Fang Yu must have reached the site of Lie Yan’s self-detonation first and claimed the damaged Demon Core, only to be caught by Wang Qingyang. Now, they were on the verge of a fight over a broken core.

Fu Yan felt an urge to laugh. The perfectly intact core of Qiu Lang—and the Xu You Jade Seal—were currently on her person, and no one would ever know. It seemed that no matter how the plot shifted, Wang Qingyang was destined to clash with the protagonist.

“Young Master Wang, please calm down. Let’s speak reasonably; is there a misunderstanding?” Han Shangzhi stepped in. He knew they were fighting over the core, but his priority was the shipment of Liu Ore. He couldn’t afford an internal feud.

“Hmph!”

Wang Qingyang eventually backed down. With so many eyes on him, he couldn’t do much. He swallowed his rage, but everyone knew a deep grudge had been formed. He wouldn’t let this go.

The group tidied up and set off toward Chaoyang City. Han Shangzhi left a guard behind to notify the nearby town about the villagers; whether they regained their sanity would depend on their own luck.

The convoy soon left the village behind and reached the outskirts of the Shadow Forest.

The Shadow Forest was the largest forest in the Northern Region, filled with danger and magical beasts. Legend had it that the deepest parts held Level 5 beasts comparable to Void-Transforming Stage experts. Naturally, it was also full of opportunities, making it a favorite training ground for sect disciples and rogue cultivators. Those below the Hedo Stage didn’t dare venture deep, sticking to the outer rim.

Han Shangzhi understood this well; their route only skirted the boundary between the outer and inner sections.

Fu Yan looked around the forest. Towering trees blocked the sky, and it was eerily quiet except for the sound of the carriages and the occasional bird.

“Even though we aren’t going deep, the outskirts are still dangerous. Don’t relax,” Bai Yueli instructed.

“Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I’m at 120% alertness!” Fu Yan replied.

They traveled for a long time. As they moved deeper, the light grew increasingly dim, whether because the sun had set or because the foliage was too thick. Being cultivators, they adapted quickly to the darkness and stayed alert, encountering no danger for several hours.

As Fu Yan was thinking about her new jade seal, she heard two guards whispering.

“I thought the Shadow Forest was full of beasts. Why haven’t I seen even a Level 1 beast yet?” a new guard asked.

The other replied, “Isn’t it better this way? Last time you weren’t here; we accidentally provoked a Level 3 beast. It was a disaster—if it weren’t for Young Master Han, we’d all be dead.”

Fu Yan’s eyes narrowed. She hadn’t thought much of it, but their words made her realize something. The Shadow Forest was too vast for it to be this empty. It was as if something was intentionally keeping the beasts away.

Before she could speak, Han Shangde looked at Han Shangzhi. “Don’t you think it’s too quiet? Our journey has been a bit too smooth.”

Han Shangzhi frowned; he had realized it too.

Just as the group slowed down, Fu Yan sensed a powerful killing intent. In the next heartbeat, figures leaped out from the trees on both sides.

These people used some sort of secret technique to hide their appearances. Fu Yan was shocked to see ten experts at the Late Opening Light stage appear at once. They immediately lunged for the ten carriages of Liu Ore.

“Not good! They’re here for the goods!” Han Shangde shouted.

The sect disciples drew their swords. The forest erupted in a chaotic clash of True Essence and blades.

Fu Yan engaged a Late Opening Light cultivator. This was her first time fighting someone at this level, so she held nothing back, immediately unleashing the Illusionless Sword Second Form: Phantom Form!

Her blade whirled, turning the air into sharp edges. Her opponent, who was headed for a carriage, was forced back. He roared as his True Essence surged, raising a scimitar to meet her strike.

Pressure exploded between them. Fu Yan poured more True Essence into her broken sword, and the opponent actually began to falter. She quickly disengaged and used Wind-Shadow Steps to appear behind him, slashing down without mercy. The man wasn’t as fast as her and was forced into a clumsy block.

Pfft!

The man spat blood. Fu Yan was confused; how could a Late-stage cultivator be this weak?

After a few more exchanges, she realized the truth: he wasn’t weak, but his cultivation technique and saber style were. He was likely using a low-tier Human-grade technique. Even with a higher cultivation stage, he couldn’t gain an advantage over her superior techniques.

“They are rogue cultivators,” Bai Yueli’s voice drifted over. She was standing on a carriage behind Fu Yan, having seen her confusion.

Fu Yan understood. Rogue cultivators had no sects or families to rely on; they had to scavenge for resources. To them, stealing from others was the only way to progress. In this world of the strong and the weak, such reality was cruel.

She felt no pity; in this world, extra compassion was a liability. She refocused on the fight.

Despite their inferior techniques, rogue cultivators lived on the edge and had immense combat experience. Killing them was still difficult. Even with experts like Wang Qingyang, Fang Yu, and Bai Yueli present, only three of the ten attackers had been killed so far.

Just as the fighting continued, a scream of agony erupted from the Luanjin Fort guards protected at the rear.

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!”

The scream was so wretched it made everyone’s heart tremble. The sudden tragedy froze the scene.

“What’s happening?” Han Shangde flashed to the rear and crouched beside a guard rolling on the ground in pain.

The other guards looked helpless. “We don’t know! He suddenly fell and started screaming!”

The dying man struggled to speak: “Something… bite… bit…”

Before he could finish, he stopped breathing. As Han Shangde moved to check the cause of death, he saw the corpse rapidly begin to rot, dissolving into a pool of bloody liquid in seconds.

The sight made everyone’s skin crawl. The air suddenly went cold and silent.