The Path Toward Heaven

Chapter 632: Believing in Oneself

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ping Yongjia asked, “What’s the matter?”

Gu Qing didn’t respond to him, but said to the Drifter, “The Emperor is waiting for you in the royal palace.”

The Drifter blew at the black band on her forehead a few times and rolled her eyes, giving off an indignant glow. “I’m the future Underworld Emperor. But I’ve been summoned back and forth. Where is my dignity?” she complained.

No matter what, she still needed to go there when asked to. As the entrance of the underground tunnel was opened, she walked into it angrily. By the time she came out from it, she found herself in the bedroom of the Manor House of State Duke Lu.

Seeing the seemingly precious ceramic wares on the flowering shelf, the Drifter recalled the rumor she heard from her colleagues many years ago, a curious and expectant glow showing on her face. Feeling tempted, she extended a finger on her right hand behind her back.

As State Duke Lu with white hair walked into the room, he saw the glow on her face and guessed what was on her mind. “Don’t do it! Don’t do it!” he said hastily.

...

...

State Duke Lu brought the Drifter into the royal palace. He did it very discreetly, so the Drifter was not discovered by anyone.

The meeting of the imperial court was not over yet; so the Drifter was brought to the bedchamber of the Royal Dowager first.

Seeing the Drifter, the Royal Dowager Hu got out of the bed abruptly. She hugged the Drifter after wiping away tears, saying concernedly, “How come you’ve only come back after so many years? Look, your face is so white, and your body is so thin. It must be that you haven’t eaten well under there.”

The Drifter had lived in the royal palace for many years after the Battle of Zhaoge City. The Royal Dowager Hu had always wanted a daughter, so she treated the Drifter with a great deal of love. Though the Drifter showed tremendous affection to her, she still couldn’t help remarking when she heard this, “There is no sun under there; of course I’m getting pale.”

The Royal Dowager Hu said in fake anger, “You’re indeed a disciple of Shenmo Peak. You don’t know how to speak properly.”

...

...

Jing Yao came to the palace hall to pick up an important item. When he heard his mother’s complaint, he didn’t have a chance to talk to the Drifter. So he sighed, “Mother, she is nevertheless the future Underworld Emperor. You can’t always treat her like a little child; you should treat her with more respect.”

The Royal Dowager Hu became irate after hearing this, and said, “I’ve given her the Pearl Flower your father gave me. How much more respect must I show her?”

Jing Yao felt helpless, thinking that the two matters were quite different. Then, he thought of the rumor, and said after a moment of hesitation, “I have to tell you something. I hope you won’t feel upset. It’s just that my Master will get married. You should keep your emotion in check, don’t...”

The Royal Dowager Hu cut him off by slamming her hand on the table. “I don’t think you have any idea why I often call him into the palace hall,” she said while staring into his eyes. “I did it for you. You want me to stay away from him. But, we’re always a hundred feet away from each other; I can’t even see his eyes and brows clearly. How should I stay away from him? Do you want me to move to the Chessboard Mountain? Or should I move back to my home, that mountain cave? You tell me!”

Jing Yao didn’t dare say anything more. He knelt down on the ground in front of her, and comforted her with all sorts of nice words. Then he fled the bedchamber as quickly as he could. After Jing Yao left, the Royal Dowager Hu became calm, and her anger vanished completely. In the next moment, she suddenly lifted her hands and covered her face while crying soundlessly.

...

...

In the Jing House, Ping Yongjia commented while looking at the empty courtyard, “Big Brother, when will we plant another tree in there? Is Senior Master Zhao still upset?”

Gu Qing said with a smile, “You changed the topic so awkwardly; it looks like the Young Sister has taken good care of you over the years in the Underworld.”

Ping Yongjia scratched his head embarrassingly, and said, “I think the matter must be very serious since Big Brother called me all the way back. I can’t help but feel a bit nervous.”

“It’s indeed a serious matter; and actually it’s rather risky,” said Gu Qing. “The Old Ones had contributed to the Battle of Zhaoge City, so the imperial court didn’t pursue them that urgently afterwards. But unexpectedly, they have developed unchecked in Zhaoge City, and they even made some fuss lately. Yet, the Old Ones have exposed themselves by doing so. Last autumn, I found a clue and discerned approximately where the Immortal Taiping was. The purpose of my requesting you to come back this time is to ask for your help in capturing him or killing him if possible.”

Feeling astonished, Ping Yongjia sputtered, “Me? Just me? How can I do it?”

Gu Qing said, “Nobody knows who the members of the Old Ones are in the imperial court and the various Cultivation sects. So I can only trust my own people.”

Hearing “own people”, Ping Yongjia no longer felt any fear; but he was still doubtful, saying, “The two of us are no match for him.”

“I have the control of the Great Formation of the royal palace. If the Immortal Taiping were inside Zhaoge City, I could trap him where he was.”

Gu Qing continued while staring at his eyes, “All you need do is summon all of your sword wills and kill him like what you had done one hundred years ago.”

Scratching his head, Ping Yongjia asked, “Did you refer to the Sword Formation of Slaying Fairies?”

“Correct. Your sword wills were used by our Master at that time. You’re the only one in Chaotian who knows how to employ the Sword Formation of Slaying Fairies.”

Gu Qing went on before Ping Yongjia could make a response, “You’ll stay in the royal palace then; all you need to do is to set up the formation in the distance.”

Ping Yongjia said nervously, “The Sword Formation of Slaying Fairies has appeared in my dreams from time to time, but I still don’t have confidence in myself.”

Gu Qing said, “I’ve been studying the three hidden moves of the Inherited Heaven Sword style over the years. We can exchange some ideas.”

...

...

As Gu Qing and Ping Yongjia, the two brothers, were discussing that serious matter, their voices as low as their heads hung, their Master lay on the bed nearby. His eyes were shut, but his appearance was still as beautiful as ever, resembling a lotus flower free of dust.

Jing Jiu had slept for one hundred years. Many people in Chaotian still remembered him, and the disciples of Green Mountain could in no way forget this grandmaster of theirs.

And yet, remembering and missing are two different concepts.

The people in the world were busy with their own lives; how could they keep on missing him?

The people of Shenmo Peak and those heirs of his in other places still missed him, and hoped that he would wake up soon.

These people were facing the most troublesome and dangerous situation in the world right now, which made them miss him more, as they wondered if this sort of trouble would happen if he were around.

However, even if he woke up now, could he solve all the issues?

...

...

Zhao Layue’s gaze fell on the distant icy peak in the north; her sight was obscured by a layer of blood red substance.

She was also pondering this issue; but she came up with a conclusion soon enough.

Why should I depend on you?

Even though you’re Jing Jiu.

Since you didn’t accompany me into the snowland, nor did you accompany me for six years here, I must get out of here all by myself.

The Thoughtless Sword moved without the aid of the wind, cutting off the sleeves and rims of her dress, then wrapping those stripes around her arms and thighs.

She turned into someone ready to fight a cruel combat instead of a lady full of fairy aura.

Zhao Layue closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of the Thoughtless Sword. With a low shout, she pushed against the ice and snow with her feet and leapt to the sky, charging toward those Snowy Ghosts.

Crack!!!

A flash of blood red sword light passed through the blue glacier, then pierced through the blue sky.

Countless crumbs of crystal flew up into the sky; they were colder than the cold weather, scattering as hails, shooting out in all directions like arrows. The crystal crumbs bounced back up after hitting the ground, and were hurled up again by the whistling wind.

A dozen cold and horrific energies dashed toward her like dreadful wild animals. They were harming her body and wearing down her spirit by biting and tearing every part of her body.

The thunderous booms could be heard in front of the glacier.

Zhao Layue kept falling down to the ground and leaping up.

The fresh blood splashed like those ice crumbs in all directions.

More and more wounds appeared on her body, and her face looked increasingly paler. And yet, her hands holding the hilt were still as firm as ever, and the expression in her eyes was still nonchalant.

It gradually grew dimmer, and night fell.

She and those Snowy Ghosts came to the snowland from the glacier; it was unclear if she fled here or she pursued them here.

The personal guards of the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom looked like the horrendous monsters told in the fairytales under the starlight.

These monsters had no sense of tiredness; they hadn’t diminished the strength and frequency of their attacks the entire time.

There were many slits on her white dress, which didn’t fall off because it was tied up by the cloth stripes on her arms and thighs. She looked like a little girl on her way to catching fish in the stream.

The blood was not coming out from her body anymore. It was not because the Snowy Ghosts failed to wound her further, but because the blood in her body was almost drained.

The bloody wounds torn by the sharp claws of the Snowy Ghosts were a light pink color, making anyone seeing them feel heart-wrenched.

There were a great many ruptures on the ground of the snowland in the early morning, resembling the condition on her body.

Many Snowy Ghosts had died, the remains of their corpses seen everywhere. Yet, five Snowy Ghosts were still alive and not badly wounded; they were encircling her.

Zhao Layue breathed heavily; her chest heaved up and down. The torn clothes and similarly torn flesh were all over her body.

The jade like bones could even be seen in some parts of her body.

Even the stars couldn’t bear witnessing such a horrific scene. They merged into the dark of night, and later were replaced by the morning sun.

She was on the verge of dying.

In fact, she had been on the verge of dying the moment she was sneak-attacked by He Wei, the sect master of the Kunlun Sect and fell onto the surface of the glacier.

But, she kept on fighting for another day and night.

The gentle breeze tousled her weed like short hair and blew over her bloody body, creating a pain similar to the punishment of slicing flesh one piece at a time to her body; but her thick eyebrows didn’t quiver even once.

She opened up her left hand slowly, while holding the Thoughtless Sword firmly with her right hand, as if she was holding a fish she had just caught in the stream.

Staring down at the beads of her own sweat dripping to the snowy ground, she didn’t say anything.

She felt tired to the extreme extent. Yet, she didn’t sit down; it was because she was well aware that she wouldn’t be able to stand up once she sat down.

The five Snowy Ghosts stared at her, their crystal like eyes showing some sort of emotion.

The emotion was a rare occurrence for the monsters of the Snowy Kingdom at such a high state; and moreover, the emotion they displayed was a respectful one.

The rules were quite simple in the Snowy Kingdom. The respect was only shown by the beings in the lower state toward those in the higher state.

They were the personal guards of the Queen, so they had only shown respect to Her Majesty over the years.

Showing respect to her didn’t mean that they would leave her alone. They were approaching Zhao Layue; the large shadows cast by their tall figures gathered together, looking like a mountain.

Zhao Layue was good at calculating; so she knew that she would die in the next moment, without any doubt.

As the long night was falling on her, she recalled many things; then she thought of many things. The energy inside her had gradually quieted down.

On the path toward heaven, no practitioner could accept the long night in a mild and composed manner; but it was a good thing to stay calm when the long night arrived.

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