AUOF - 80

The sound of slaughter drew near.

Unlike the chaos in the front hall, the rockery garden was immersed in an almost suffocating silence.

The bell lay abandoned amidst the rubble, untouched. Sang Li, wanting no further contact with Yan Jinglou, picked it up without hesitation, carefully dusting off the dirt before turning away. She ignored him as if he were nothing more than a stone or a weed.

His gaze, however, never left her figure, trailing after her every movement.

Five hundred years ago, what Sang Li had seen as a heaven-sent act of salvation was merely a casual gesture on his part during his leisure. Yan Jinglou had always been cold-hearted and calculating, valuing her identity and using that favor to bind her to him.

To be honest, she had been useful.

Obedient, intelligent, and fiercely loyal to him.

Now, Yan Jinglou couldn’t tell whether her feelings for him stemmed solely from gratitude for saving her life—or if there was some lingering connection from a past life.

And how had he treated her?

He had thrown her into a perilous cliff, leaving her to survive or perish on her own. He had sent her up treacherous mountains to retrieve deadly snow lotuses, indifferent to the burns covering her body. He frequently insulted her, dismissing her with cold indifference.

He could have noticed sooner. He could have changed everything.

But he had missed his chance.

His arrogance had blinded him, leaving him unable to see anything clearly.

A deep sense of helplessness transformed into regret, pressing heavily on his shoulders, his heart, suffocating him into silence.

Seeing Sang Li about to leave, Yan Jinglou couldn’t help but take a step forward. “…Ali.”

When he first found her, seeing the small fox’s adorable appearance, Yan Jinglou had felt a fleeting pang of pity. In his free time, he would call her by this name, teasing her lightly.

But later…

Later, he only referred to her as a pawn.

Sang Li paused briefly before continuing forward.

She approached Ji Hengyu, tugging gently at his sleeve. “Let’s go take a look.” From start to finish, not a single glance was spared for him.

Yan Jinglou’s already pale, handsome face grew even more shadowed, his eyes devoid of light, consumed by despair.

“Mm.” Ji Hengyu followed her steps, taking two strides before glancing back at him with a faint smirk tinged with disdain.

The two walked side by side, their figures growing smaller in the distance.

Even after they disappeared, Yan Jinglou’s eyes remained fixed, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

How could he ignore Ji Hengyu’s taunting glance?

His jaw clenched tightly, overwhelmed by bitterness, jealousy, anger, and resentment. These emotions were tearing him apart.

________________________________________

Sang Li walked a considerable distance before glancing back uneasily. The path behind her was empty; Yan Jinglou hadn’t followed. This brought her some relief.

After much thought, she still couldn’t shake her unease. “Do you think he’ll bother me again in the future?”

Ji Hengyu chuckled dryly, half-joking and half-serious. “Then I’ll kill him to eliminate any future trouble.”

Sang Li immediately stopped, giving Ji Hengyu a thorough once-over.

Though he had acted as if nothing was wrong, Sang Li could sense that since entering the Wuding Sect, Ji Hengyu had grown quieter, likely suffering from internal injuries once again.

“Forget it.” She shook her head. “This place is close to the demon realm, making it easy to be ambushed.”

Ji Hengyu promised, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Sang Li said, “I’m worried something might happen to you.”

Her casual remark instantly caused Ji Hengyu to pause mid-step.

Unaware of this anomaly, Sang Li had already walked a considerable distance ahead.

He flicked his fan, emotions surging within him in an instant.

When Sang Li had disappeared with Yan Jinglou into the Floating World Bell, he had stayed behind, staring at the hovering, chiming bell for a long time. His thoughts drifted like the unclear ringing of the bell.

At that moment, Ji Hengyu realized he was someone easily influenced.

He didn’t have absolute confidence that after Sang Li absorbed all the memories, she would remain completely indifferent to Yan Jinglou. Even a fleeting moment of nostalgia or the slightest trace of pity toward him would mean he had lost.

Thus, the hands Ji Hengyu kept behind his back were gripping a sword.

The moment Sang Li showed any sign of softening, he would immediately strike down Yan Jinglou.

“By the way, do you want to see the memories?” The Floating World Bell had memory-storing capabilities. Once blood was dripped inside, the scrolls would be preserved forever. Sang Li extended the bell toward him. “If you want to see them, take a look.”

“No.” Ji Hengyu shook his head. “I’m not interested in these things.”

Of course.

Ji Hengyu wasn’t one to indulge in gossip.

But Sang Li remained deeply troubled by that wisp of soul. She bit her lower lip, organizing her words to probe Ji Hengyu subtly. However, before she could speak, a deafening roar echoed from ahead.

The protective array of the Ancestral Hall had been broken!

The two hurried forward, greeted by a scene of ruins.

Under Ji Wu’s protection, the leading malevolent force had become unstoppable. Even from a considerable distance, the stench of blood mixed with flying dust, choking everyone’s throats.

“Don’t let him near the Ancestral Hall!”

“Someone! Form an array! Protect the sect leader!!”

“Quickly, stop it! Don’t let this malevolent force get any closer!”

The malevolent entity was drawing nearer to the Ancestral Hall. The disciples were visibly panicked, and the high-ranking elder masters of the inner cabinet hastily formed an array, blocking the way to prevent the entity from advancing further.

The malevolent force was consumed with murderous intent, and even the last shred of rationality awakened by Lin Xiang’er had vanished completely. At this point, it paid no heed to them and charged single-mindedly toward the Ancestral Hall.

Lu Qinghe’s target was none other than the so-called sect leader.

Sang Li gently scratched the big-eyed creature through her sleeve. “Do you have any memory of that sect leader?”

As soon as she spoke, the big-eyed creature began trembling again.

She didn’t press further: “It’s alright, don’t force yourself.”

In the midst of their conversation, no one noticed an elderly man emerging from the Ancestral Hall.

Ji Hengyu narrowed his eyes slightly: “Tianmingzi.”

Following his gaze, Sang Li looked over.

The old man wore a grayish-blue Daoist robe, was slightly short in stature, with a beard trailing to the ground. His deeply wrinkled face didn’t resemble that of a cultivator.

“You know him?”

Ji Hengyu said: “He has been cultivating for three thousand years but has never been able to shed his mortal body and ascend to immortality.” He paused briefly. “The last time I saw him was eight hundred years ago, when he was still quite young.”

To see him in such a state now was truly unexpected.

For cultivators, once they established their foundation, their appearance wouldn’t change significantly. Even aging wouldn’t happen overnight.

Tianmingzi’s current appearance was likely the result of practicing some forbidden technique, which had brought about backlash.

“Lu Qinghe, you’ve finally come.” Tianmingzi sighed and then addressed their direction: “I didn’t expect to see Lord Tianheng and… Lord Demon again.”

Sang Li turned her head in surprise, noticing Yan Jinglou had somehow followed them.

She chose to ignore his presence, leaning closer to Ji Hengyu’s shoulder.

Though it was a casual gesture, it made Tian Heng secretly smile again.

He felt a strong urge to pull her into his arms, but the timing was wrong, the setting inappropriate, and it would be too abrupt.

Ji Hengyu elegantly unfurled his jade-bone fan and began fanning himself. “I remember when you were still a young upstart. In just eight hundred years, look at what you’ve become.”

“Lord Tianheng jests. As for Lord Tianheng, your appearance remains unchanged since we first met.” Tianmingzi clasped his hands in respect, still finding the heart to banter.

As soon as he spoke, the malevolent force could no longer contain its fury. Its roar thundered, causing everyone’s eardrums to ache.

The remaining able-bodied disciples rushed forward to protect Tianmingzi, weapons pointed outward, clearly guarding him.

“I can’t sense his spiritual energy. This person must be practicing some external-world cultivation.”

Yan Jinglou, eager to please, stood beside Sang Li to explain.

Compared to his previous haughty demeanor, Yan Jinglou’s tone now carried a weak air.

Sang Li shot him a sidelong glance: “Did I ask you?” After sharply rebuking him, she moved to the other side of Ji Hengyu, positioning him between them.

Ji Hengyu found this amusing, his voice clear and calm: “This is a matter of the celestial realm; it need not trouble Lord Demon.”

Unable to help himself, Yan Jinglou glanced at Sang Li. “There’s something I want to say to—”

“I’m not talking to you.” Before he could finish, Sang Li harshly cut him off. “Leave, I’m sick of you.”

After speaking, she thought for a moment and leaned out—

“By the way, I worked for you for five hundred years. Give me all my wages and dividends from those years.”

Sang Li wasn’t one to endure grievances silently.

She still remembered how stingy Yan Jinglou had been when she asked him for money before. Since they’d never be connected again, she needed to settle the accounts!

Seeing this, Yan Jinglou’s expression worsened. “Let me speak with you first, and then I’ll give it to you.” His tone sounded almost like pleading. “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

What a pitiful sight.

Sang Li found it unpleasant to look at him and decided to ignore him altogether. Once this matter was resolved, she would collect her dues from Yan Jinglou and immediately return to Guixu. She didn’t believe he could follow her there.

“Lord Tianheng’s sudden visit—is it because of this malevolent force?” Tianmingzi suddenly asked.

Ji Hengyu shook his folding fan. “No, I came to find you.”

Tianmingzi suddenly realized. “No wonder last night’s divination showed signs of calamity.”

Ji Hengyu asked: “Is there a solution?”

Tianmingzi replied: “Seek life in death, and only then can one achieve the realm of transformation.”

He sighed deeply. “Fate, fate—!”

Many people looked bewildered, unsure of Tianmingzi’s meaning.

However, the disciples hadn’t noticed that the sect leader behind them was undergoing a transformation.

“The Bodhi Realm of Infinite Forms and Lives, formless and lifeless—do not look upon my form! Formless and lifeless—do not look upon my form!!”

Tianmingzi raised his arms and shouted. Following a series of unpleasant, sticky squelching sounds—

Sang Li watched as the back of the elderly man on the high platform swelled with large protrusions. These protrusions grew larger and larger until they burst through his clothes, revealing a massive tumor.

The tumor was covered with countless lumps of flesh, each bearing faces! Every face displayed expressions, some crying, some laughing, utterly bizarre.

And this wasn’t the end. He continued to grow, rapidly expanding like a maggot, towering over the buildings in the blink of an eye.

“The Bodhi Realm of Infinite Forms and Lives, follow me into the Bodhi Platform.”

Tianmingzi writhed his fleshy body, swallowing the disciples on the steps below.

Amidst piercing screams, the swallowed disciples fused with his body, their entire cultivation absorbed into Tianmingzi’s stomach. New faces appeared on the tumors covering his body.

Everyone was terrified.

After years of cultivation, they had never witnessed such a horrifying spectacle.

“Ancestor! I am your disciple—!”

“No, no—!”

“Help! Help!”

The disciples abandoned their armor and fled in panic.

Only a few elders who knew the truth weren’t afraid. Instead, they pulled back the fleeing disciples and fed them to Tianmingzi.

The more people he consumed, the more his body expanded.

Sang Li couldn’t help but feel nauseous, suppressing the urge to vomit as she asked: “What’s going on?”

Yan Jinglou: “He’s no longer human.”

Sang Li automatically ignored his annoying voice and tugged at Ji Hengyu’s sleeve again. “Does his transformation have anything to do with the Mirror Demon?”

Seeing this scene, Yan Jinglou, who had intended to continue speaking, closed his mouth in silence.