Chapter 9

Yu Xuan remained as steady as a pine. Yu You’an, on the other hand, wanted to come over, but her cultivation was far too low, and she was easily suppressed by Yu Xuan.

She wanted to say a few pretty words on behalf of the “Bone Thief,” but Yu Xuan sealed her mouth with spiritual energy.

“She’s young. She doesn’t understand anything.” Yu Xuan lifted her head and looked at Shang Que, a trace of pleading unconsciously appearing on her face.

She knew of the Bone Thief’s illustrious reputation, but she had never seen the Bone Thief before.

Because the Bone Thief never left anyone alive.

But looking at it now, even if she had seen the Bone Thief before, it would not have helped.

She was an artifact refiner, and her perception of magical artifacts was sharper than other cultivators’.

At first glance, she had noticed the disguise artifact on Shang Que’s face.

That entire face was ordinary and unremarkable, without any memorable point at all. It was the kind of face that would not draw anyone’s attention if thrown into a crowd.

But only if Shang Que did not open her eyes.

Those black eyes were truly a very special existence.

Those eyes were dense and oppressive, like a pool of ink—extremely heavy, extremely thick, as if they could drown a person inside that dark water. No matter who she looked at, it did not seem as though she were looking at a person, looking at a life. It was as if she were looking at a dead thing, even though no one could sense killing intent from her.

Yu Xuan took a deep breath. She knew very well that she was absolutely no match for the Bone Thief. Just as the hand hidden in her sleeve was about to crush a communication artifact, a sudden breeze blew over.

No, that was not wind.

That was the Bone Thief’s spell.

That breeze was not fierce. It was even as gentle as a lover’s hand brushing past. But it still snatched away the communication artifact from Yu Xuan’s sleeve.

“Who were you trying to notify?” Shang Que held the communication artifact before her eyes, her long lashes lowered. She carefully examined the piece of jade, but because the artifact was sealed too well, she could not recognize whose it was.

But that was not important.

Shang Que put the jade into her storage pouch and looked at Yu Xuan, whose face was as pale as paper. Only then did she finally remember her own terrifying reputation.

It seemed to be something like burning, [read the original at bailiantales.com]killing, violating, plundering, and committing every evil imaginable…

Good heavens. She had been wronged to death.

“I don’t have a hobby of killing people.” Shang Que rarely offered an explanation.

But that one sentence could hardly change Yu Xuan’s understanding of her, so Shang Que could only take a few steps forward and sigh helplessly. “I’ve really never seen this kind of pledge of allegiance before.”

“Forget it. Who asked us to be fated?”

But when she took one step forward, Yu Xuan retreated one step back. The distance between them did not close at all. Shang Que simply stopped walking.

She stared fixedly at Yu Xuan with those ink-black eyes, like a large carnivorous beast locking onto its prey.

“I only want the dragon bone.”

“Give me the dragon bone, and I can help you take a look at this child’s illness.”

Yu Xuan looked as if she had heard an unbelievable proposal. She had originally been planning how to drag Shang Que down with her in mutual destruction, but that was undoubtedly the worst possible option.

She did not know why Shang Que had chosen to make a deal instead of taking it by force.

But she had no room to choose in the first place.

The Bone Thief could clearly kill people and seize treasure…

Could all the outside rumors about her be wrong?

Then Yu Xuan suddenly recalled the Bone Thief’s dense, drowning eyes and shuddered.

But at this moment, Yu You’an could no longer be held down. She knew she could not break through Yu Xuan’s control, so she stretched her arm out straight, her body leaning forward to the extreme.

Seeing this, Shang Que gave a light laugh. Her voice was somewhat cold, but Yu You’an did not care. Her eyes were bright, and she was smiling too.

Shang Que did not come too close. She stretched out two fingers and pretentiously felt Yu You’an’s pulse.

In truth, there was no need to check her pulse at all. Shang Que was so familiar with Yu You’an’s illness that she had recognized it at a glance.

Checking the pulse was nothing more than a necessary process for drawing information out.

“It’s an illness brought from the womb, isn’t it?”

She pressed down Yu You’an’s wrist and took a step back to soothe the wary mother beast.

“She also happens to be one hundred and twenty years old…” Shang Que laughed. Her already gloomy voice sounded even more uncanny as she speculated, “When her mother was pregnant with her, did she participate in that encirclement and suppression of the dragon race?”

The moment these words came out, Yu Xuan’s eyes trembled uncontrollably. Even she could not tell whether it was surprise at the approach of hope or wariness toward someone whose position as friend or foe was unknown.

No. The Bone Thief had always wanted dragon bones. They said the Bone Thief wanted to obtain the dragon race’s bloodline, that she obtained dragon bones only to replace her own body with dragon bones.

She could not be an enemy seeking revenge for the dragon race.

“You know how this illness came about?” Yu Xuan was still somewhat wary.

“Of course. I’ve always wanted dragon bones.” Her voice grew drifting, as if she had fallen into memory. “So I am extremely familiar with those few dragons.”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time.” A trace of resentment entered that voice.

“Then do you know the cause of her illness?” Yu Xuan asked again, rare urgency in her tone.

Shang Que’s gaze landed on Yu You’an. She stated the cause of Yu You’an’s illness withou bailiantales.com t holding anything back.

“Her mother secretly ate that poisonous dragon’s inner core during the encirclement.”

Shang Que’s gaze then fell onto Yu Xuan’s face, as if she were trying to infer what her older sister had looked like through this face.

“The poisonous dragon’s inner core naturally carried poison too. Her mother died when the poison flared up. If she is not treated in time, she will also die when the poison flares up.”

Yu Xuan let out a long breath and forcibly suppressed the unease in her heart. She lowered the hand blocking Yu You’an. “I believe you. I’ll give you the dragon bone. Please cure her poison.”

She took off her storage ring. The dragon bone was inside it.

Yu Xuan seemed to still be worried that the Bone Thief would kill for treasure. She did not come closer, merely tossing the storage ring toward Shang Que.

Shang Que had no hobby of killing people indiscriminately. Not to mention, she still wanted to chat with them a little more.

Unfortunately, the moment the ring was tossed up, Shang Que faintly heard the cry of a sword.

She swiftly dodged to the side. Wood-type magic activated, and several slender vines surged out, hooking onto the ring and pulling it toward her hand.

The next moment, sword energy arrived in response, slicing through the deck where Shang Que had just been standing. But it did not pause and did not withdraw its force. It swept forward all the way, slashing toward Yu Xuan on the other side.

As wood splinters flew, layer after layer of Yu Xuan’s defensive robes burst apart, wood chips mingling with shredded fabric. Finally, after the span of one breath, the remaining force of the sword energy was at last exhausted. But by then, the sword energy had already cut open Yu Xuan’s chest, and blood sprayed out.

If she had worn even one less defensive robe, she would have been split in two by the sword energy.

But the current situation clearly did not allow Yu Xuan to feel fortunate.

Because the one who had swung the sword also appeared along with the sword energy.

She faintly knew whose sword energy this was, but also felt it was impossible.

Because she would not do such a thing.

Yet unexpectedly, the Bone Thief suddenly called out the newcomer’s name. Yu Xuan heard her question in disbelief, “Wen Qingyin, you actually used dragon bone to bait me?”

But in the next moment, the Bone Thief questioned her flippantly, “Have I become someone very important in your heart? To think I’m worth you specifically scheming against me.”

In that instant, Yu Xuan’s mind exploded with a boom.

Why was the person who had swung this sword Wen Qingyin?

This number one sword cultivator under heaven—could she possibly fail to control her own sword?

In a panic, Yu Xuan lunged toward Yu You’an, shielding her beneath her body while throwing out one defensive artifact after another.

Only then did she finally have time to look at the newcomer.

Was it Wen Qingyin?

For a moment, she could barely recognize her.

When she first met Wen Qingyin, Wen Qingyin had already risen to fame. She was the universally known number one sword cultivator. Yet she had not carried even the slightest trace of a sword cultivator about her.

She was beautiful like a handful of snow on a mountain peak, crystalline and fragile.

Or like a young lady from a great family, someone who should not have appeared in the cultivation world at all and had been raised in pampered luxury. Her clothing was forever intricate and gorgeous, and her accessories were forever exquisite and numerous.

Yu Xuan had never seen Wen Qingyin like this. Because at this moment, Wen Qingyin truly resembled a swordswoman. She was actually wearing the most common fitted combat attire in the cultivation world. Her long hair was tied high, and she wore no buyao that could obstruct her vision. Her entire person was like a sword with its edge fully exposed.

Her brows and eyes were still cold. She was still like snow, snow on a mountain peak, carrying a chill that did not acknowledge the world, like an Read on BaiLianTales immortal about to attain the Dao and ascend.

That was right.

The Bone Thief was an opponent evenly matched with her. Naturally, she would not wear a body full of burdens.

Listening to Shang Que’s question, Wen Qingyin lifted her eyes slightly and glanced at this unfamiliar face.

“Just in case.”

Just in case?

What “case” could there be?

Wen Qingyin had never done this sort of thing before.

Shang Que felt she still understood Wen Qingyin rather well.

Although she and Wen Qingyin were mortal enemies, Wen Qingyin had always looked down on everyone. Even if Shang Que was the mortal enemy she absolutely had to kill, Wen Qingyin had never truly taken her seriously.

If they met, she would try her best to kill her. If she temporarily bailiantales.com could not kill her, then she would wait for the next battle. After all, Wen Qingyin was a human with extraordinary talent and improved extremely quickly.

She knew that one day, she would be able to kill this mortal enemy, and then wipe out Shang Que’s lair as well.

And so, Wen Qingyin had never done anything unnecessary.

Then why this time?

Unfortunately, in battle, Shang Que had no time to think.

Wen Qingyin’s progress was far too fast, forcing Shang Que to reveal her foundations bit by bit.

Was Shang Que herself a body cultivator?

In truth, even Shang Que was not certain. After all, she was a dragon and could not be directly categorized using human cultivation standards.

But dragons were born body cultivators and spell cultivators.

Only Shang Que was different.

She was only a natural-born spell cultivator.

Because her bloodline had reverted to its ancestral roots, her spiritual roots were extremely powerful, but this also made her constitution extremely weak. Therefore, she had no choice but to start learning body refinement, becoming the only body cultivator among the dragon race who had learned and trained her way into it.

Unfortunately, after becoming a wandering cultivator, she concealed her name and identity, not daring to expose her cultivation methods for fear others would recognize that she was a dragon.

The Five Elements spells were still fine. The dragon race and humans used those in more or less similar ways. But when it came to body techniques, the dragon race had its own system. Shang Que often had to restrain herself when using them.

But in the recent exchanges with Wen Qingyin, she had nearly been forced into using body techniques many times.

Wen Qingyin was truly powerful. Shang Que could not afford to split her focus during a duel.

Both of them had come for the dragon bone, and the dragon bone was currently inside a small storage ring.

Wen Qingyin’s sword energy came extremely quickly, as if not even a single second had passed. Shang Que had only managed to dodge. The vines had not yet fully hooked the ring over.

And so Wen Qingyin’s longsword swung out again, cutting horizontally through the vines and chopping toward a human.

As for which human?

That was not important.

In any case, it was not herself.

It was such a light, airy sword strike.

And also such a swift, beautiful sword strike.

The vines snapped at once, and the ring fell faster. Wen Qingyin leaped up to catch it, only to see Shang Que spring upward as well, stabbing toward Wen Qingyin’s back with the sword that was fairly suited to her hand.

Wen Qingyin turned and swung her sword, knocking away the sword in Shang Que’s hand. But Shang Que used the momentum to seize Wen Qingyin’s right arm. Wen Qingyin’s fingers nimbly turned twice, and the longsword, as if it had a soul of its own, was caught by her left hand. Then she used the sword in her left hand and smoothly slashed upward.

In the span of a few breaths, the two exchanged dozens of moves.

Because they were avoiding damaging the storage ring containing the dragon bone in midair, both of them held back somewhat.

But the moment of change came after the ring landed.

It did not fall to the ground with a clink.

At that instant, the floor became soft, like a swamp. As it swallowed the ring, the room began shaking violently. The walls were dismantled and then reassembled. A formation suddenly ​stolen content​appeared on the ground, and before the two could clearly see what formation it was, thunder roared down in the next instant.

Author’s Note:

Miracle Little Wen. She has appeared four times in total, and every time, she was dressed differently. [vegetable dog] [vegetable dog]