Chapter 20: The Cunning Matriarch’s Scheme

Gu Chang’an held the Frostbright Sword horizontally before her chest, her eyes utterly clear.

“Oblivion… One Strike!”

A beam of sword light, seemingly unadorned yet imbued with the power to sever karma and eclipse the might of heaven and earth, shot skyward.

It surged to meet the colossal Sword of Precepts.

Sword and formation, in this instant, utterly clashed.

“Rumble—!!!”

The earth-shattering roar caused the entire world to pale in comparison.

Shen Zhaoqing, shielded tightly behind Li Wuxia, felt her qi and blood churn from the immense impact.

If this battle continued, the Qingyun Sect might well be torn to pieces by them.

Just as the three factions reached an impasse, and the entire situation teetered on the brink of utter chaos, a voice drifted gently from outside the valley.

It was soft and graceful, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

“Why has an internal affair of the Qingyun Sect escalated to such a degree? Senior Ning, Immortal Gu, might you grant this humble one a small favor?”

The voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Even the violent clash of energies seemed to pause, ever so slightly, soothed by that voice.

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze towards the valley entrance, where a procession of people was slowly making their way into the Myriad Beasts Valley.

Leading them was an elegant woman, adorned in broad, purple-patterned sleeves and a sheer, night-colored shawl draped over her shoulders.

The woman appeared to be no older than thirty, with hair as black as ink and phoenix eyes that curved into a smile.

As she walked, her jade ornaments chimed softly, exuding an air of dignified grace.

Behind her followed over a dozen cultivators, all clad in uniform armor, their auras composed and steady.

They were clearly a well-trained elite force.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Ning Jihe, standing on the high platform, felt her pupils constrict slightly.

“Li Ruan’yan?”

She recognized the woman.

The Qinghe Li family was the largest cultivation aristocratic family in the Qingzhou region, and nominally, an affiliated family of the Qingyun Sect.

The woman before them was none other than Li Ruan’yan, the head matriarch of the Qinghe Li family.

She was a formidable figure, renowned throughout the Qingzhou cultivation world for her intelligence and cunning.

‘Why would she be here? And with so many people?’

Li Ruan’yan seemed oblivious to the wariness in Ning Jihe’s eyes.

She merely offered a radiant smile, then performed an impeccable junior’s salute towards the high platform.

“Ruan’yan greets Senior Ning.”

Her gaze then swept across the arena.

When her eyes landed on Li Wuxia, who was shielded behind Gu Chang’an, a flicker of imperceptible disgust and coldness crossed them.

Yet, the smile on her face only grew more gentle.

“It is a misfortune for my family to have such a rebellious illegitimate daughter, one who dared to secretly cultivate demonic arts and even disrupt the Qingyun Sect’s grand competition.

“This is truly a failing of my Li family.”

Her words were earnest, and her posture exceedingly humble, as if she truly came to cleanse her family’s name.

“Ruan’yan is here precisely to assist your esteemed sect in apprehending this wicked creature, to hand them over to Senior Ning for judgment, and to set things right.”

With that, she gestured to the people behind her.

“Go, apprehend that wicked creature for me.”

“Yes!”

The dozen or so Li family cultivators responded in unison, their spiritual light flickering as they prepared to advance.

Seeing this, Gu Chang’an frowned.

With a swift turn of her sword, she prepared to block their path.

She might remain indifferent to Li Wuxia’s fate, but anyone who dared to touch Shen Zhaoqing would face her wrath.

Li Ruan’yan chuckled softly.

“Immortal Gu, there’s no need to be so tense. We are only here to apprehend Li Wuxia, and we would never harm a single hair on Junior Sister Shen.”

From behind, Shen Zhaoqing frowned at these words.

‘This person is clearly up to no good! All smiles, yet hiding a dagger; overflowing with saccharine deceit!’

She instinctively clutched Li Wuxia’s sleeve.

While this little rabbit had transformed into a tyrannosaurus rex, giving her a bit of indigestion, Li Wuxia had still saved her just moments ago.

‘One cannot be so heartless.’

Li Wuxia felt the tug on her sleeve, and her body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

She turned, not speaking, but instead gently grasped Shen Zhaoqing’s hand with her own.

Li Ruan’yan’s face still held that dignified and appropriate smile.

However, her cunning phoenix eyes, peering through the gaps in the crowd, were fixed intently on Shen Zhaoqing, who stood beside Li Wuxia.

In their depths flickered avarice and calculation, utterly convinced of her success.

‘Qinghe Li family? Assisting the sect?’

‘What a joke.’

‘Her true objective, from beginning to end, had always been singular.’

For the past few days, rumors about Shen Zhaoqing of the Qingyun Sect had been rampant outside.

Although the Qingyun Sect tried to suppress them, the day Demon Venerable Ling Shuangjue was alerted, an overwhelming number of people had witnessed the event.

‘An immortal cultivation cauldron, possessing no offensive or self-preservation abilities, was truly a rarity encountered once in a millennium.’

Li Ruan’yan’s plan was to seize this opportune moment: during the Qingyun Sect’s internal strife, while everyone’s attention was drawn to Li Wuxia, the “rebel.”

She intended to secretly spirit away that legendary “perfect cauldron”…

…without anyone, mortal or ghost, ever knowing.

‘Li Wuxia, she wanted. As for Shen Zhaoqing? She wanted her too!’

****

Ning Jihe’s Pure Precepts Heart-Lock Formation cast an iron-blue light, like a net stretching across the heavens.

Gu Chang’an’s Frost Heaven Sword Domain emanated a frigid, frost-white sword intent, sharp as winter’s bite.

Meanwhile, the blood-red threads swirling around Li Wuxia resembled venomous vines crawling from the depths of hell, eerie and sinister.

“Senior Ning, Immortal Gu,” Li Ruan’yan bowed slightly to the two women facing off.

“This villain is a member of my Li family, and it is only right that my Li family cleanses its own house. We would never dare trouble you two immortals to act further and soil your hands.”

Ning Jihe’s brow furrowed slightly at these words.

Naturally, she didn’t believe Li Ruan’yan’s nonsense.

However, the other party held the moral high ground: Li Wuxia was indeed a member of the Li family.

Even as the domineering head of the Enforcement Hall, Ning Jihe could not completely disregard the prestige of a prominent aristocratic family.

More importantly, Gu Chang’an, that troublesome individual, was willing to turn against her for Shen Zhaoqing.

If she could use the Li family’s intervention to capture Li Wuxia, the demoness, and then isolate Shen Zhaoqing, it would undoubtedly be the best way to resolve the current deadlock.

With this thought, the killing intent emanating from Ning Jihe receded somewhat.

Gu Chang’an, however, remained expressionless, her face like frost, uttering not a single word.

Her sword remained steadfast, protecting both Shen Zhaoqing and Li Wuxia.

‘The Li family?’

‘She didn’t trust them.’

Seeing this, Li Ruan’yan was not annoyed; instead, the smile on her face deepened.

She moved with graceful, lotus-like steps, slowly walking into the center of the arena.

Turning to Li Wuxia, she said, “Wuxia, my child, come back with me quickly. As long as you are willing to abolish these evil arts, I, your madam, will surely plead with the family head to spare your life.”

Li Wuxia’s entire body stiffened even further.

Her grip on Shen Zhaoqing’s hand tightened instinctively.

‘It was this woman!’

‘This very woman had personally cast her into a hell of chilling poison, telling her that her inherent value was merely to become a perfect “item”!’

‘Now, she sought to use these same deceitful words to destroy her only… light.’

“Get out!”

The single word was forced through Li Wuxia’s gritted teeth, carrying a scent of blood.

Finally, a faint crack appeared in the smile on Li Ruan’yan’s face.

But she paid it no mind.

Her objective, after all, had been achieved.

Everyone’s attention had been drawn to her conversation with Li Wuxia.

‘Now!’

The moment she was less than three *zhang* from Shen Zhaoqing, Li Ruan’yan’s right hand, concealed within her wide sleeve, subtly flicked her fingers.

“Buzz!”

A thread-thin, almost transparent, purple light silently shot from her sleeve.

It bypassed everyone, striking directly at Shen Zhaoqing’s back, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

The Purple Luan Silk!

It was a secret treasure of the Joyful Union Sect, crafted from the soul threads of a ninth-rank demonic beast, the Violet Lightning Luan Bird.

Formless and invisible, it specialized in binding the soul.

Once ensnared, no matter how profound one’s cultivation, their soul would be instantly bound, leaving them helpless, like a fish on a chopping block!

This move was insidious, vicious, and swift as lightning!

A cold, triumphant smirk had already appeared in Li Ruan’yan’s eyes.

However—

Just as the Purple Luan Silk was about to touch the hems of Shen Zhaoqing and Li Wuxia’s robes…

…a sudden change occurred!