Spirit Tower

Home base raided?

What did that mean?

Whether it was Tu Sisi or the sisters Jin Qing and Jin Yu, they were all still immersed in the heat of battle, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Lu Yuan asked with a hint of disbelief, "He did it?"

Xu Xian replied cautiously, "I don't know, but other than him, I really can't think of anyone else."

It couldn't be the woman in the bridal gown; she had been following them the entire time.

Lu Yuan furrowed his brows and muttered to himself, "Those guys were so fierce, yet he didn't step in to kill you. You did dig up his grave and kidnap his subordinates, after all. It doesn't make sense. Could it be that this guy is actually a good person?"

Xu Xian glanced at Lu Yuan. A good person, a bad person...

One couldn't categorize someone based on a single thought or action. It was simply a matter of differing interests and positions.

Regardless of the reason, he believed that if that man had acted, there must be something to gain. It wasn't necessarily to save him.

Furthermore, it wasn't even certain if it was him.

However, the fact that he hadn't stepped in to erase him was the best news Xu Xian could ask for.

He withdrew his gaze and looked behind him. The massive tide of Death Spirits, spurred by the retreat of the hundred immortal-level Grey Spirits, was surging back the way it came.

As everyone speculated on the cause, they couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

The weight in their hearts lifted slightly; they could finally catch their breath.

Xu Xian retracted the rain of swords into the Sword Mound and closed the gate to the void. His Pupil of Insight scanned the surroundings. Without pausing to rest, he said, "Move!"

He left immediately, leaving no room for discussion.

Tu Sisi,

Lu Yuan,

And the surviving demon gods hurriedly followed.

The remaining twenty or so figures looked at each other and involuntarily followed as well.

At this moment, although they didn't understand why the tide of Death Spirits had retreated, they knew they were temporarily out of danger, but they also knew it wasn't over.

At the very least, until they walked out of this desolation, anything could happen. They couldn't afford to be careless.

So many people had died, and they had barely managed to keep their lives. They didn't dare to gamble. Following Xu Xian was undoubtedly the wisest choice for now.

The tide of death had receded, but the flight continued. Xu Xian's pace never faltered, and his speed was not slow at all. He feared that something might change and the departed tide of Death Spirits would return.

He couldn't say how far the road ahead was.

He only knew that as they galloped forward, he would occasionally see that splash of bright red from the bridal gown on distant mountain ranges or the tops of massive boulders, serving as a signpost to guide his direction.

During this time,

The communication between the little book spirit and Xu Xian never ceased. She had many speculations about the entity before them.

Who was she?

Why was she pointing the way?

She used a sword—did she have a connection to the Li family?

Why was she different from those other spirits?

The answers were unknown.

The only thing Shuer could be certain of was that this person was very strong. When Xu Xian heard this, he complained that she was stating the obvious.

Behind him, the group following along finally had the energy to observe their surroundings after escaping the pursuit.

As they talked among themselves, there was much discussion and heavy complaining.

"What kind of hellhole is this?"

The old Taoist Fang Xiaoyao cursed under his breath. "If I had known the Immortal Realm was like this, why would I have spent ten thousand years plotting my ascension? What a waste of effort..."

"What was with those guys just now? They were like beasts, completely mindless..."

"The laws of this world are truly cursed."

"Even our Demon Abyss isn't this dark..."

"Damn it, when will we ever get out of here..."

The grey sky, the desolate land, the undying monsters, and the long road ahead—this information was scrambled within everyone's sea of consciousness.

It made them feel powerless to even complain!

Yet, the culprit who had led them into this was the one who had brought them out, leaving them with no one to blame.

...

Hundreds of thousands of miles away from the direction Xu Xian was heading, there was an even larger city.

It was once the most prosperous place in Jianzhou.

Tianjian City.

Years ago,

This city was hailed as the home of sword immortals, housing over ten million living beings. The city was vast, spanning nearly a thousand miles.

With its towering pavilions, elegant water pavilions, flying carriages, and dragon-like horses, immortals were as common as cattle...

But now, it had fallen and become a capital of darkness. Much like the small city they had encountered when they first arrived, it had become the domain of dark creatures.

There was likewise no water, no grass, no trees, and no flowers here...

Only dried-up deep pools, cracked city walls, collapsed courtyards, scattered rubble, and sparse Death Spirits wandering the streets like the walking dead...

However,

There was light in this city. Compared to the surrounding darkness, this place glowed like a crimson domain.

And the source of that light,

Originated from a towering tower right in the center.

This tower was like a pillar supporting the sky, standing alone and reaching thousands of feet into the clouds. At the very top of the tower hung a blood-colored sphere of light.

Like a bright red blood sun, it illuminated the entire grand city.

This object,

Was called the Spirit Tower.

Inside the towering Spirit Tower was a grand hall, solemn and majestic, cast in dark gold and steeped in the vicissitudes of time.

Within the hall were thirty-six massive bronze lampstands, each as large as a thatched hut.

The thirty-six bronze lampstands were arranged in concentric circles, with eerie flames burning upon them, azure and transparent.

However, just a moment ago, one of these thirty-six blazing bronze lampstands had suddenly gone out.

On the pillar of the extinguished lampstand, a row of peculiar symbols was carved.

Others might not recognize them, but if Xu Xian were here, he certainly would.

It was an ancient script.

It read: [Spirit Lord Lingxi]

After the lamp went out, a dark spirit responsible for guarding the place hurried out of the Spirit Lord Hall, his face panicked and his breath ragged...

In another grand hall within the same tower, an elegant and noble woman lay upon a golden couch. She was draped in light gauze, revealing what should and shouldn't be revealed in a hazy, translucent manner.

Unfortunately,

Though her dark grey skin was as smooth as ink jade, it was because of this that—despite her impressive figure and refined features—she remained a stranger to the word 'beauty.'

Suddenly, a tiger general with the same grey skin walked into the hall. His steps were forceful, and his battle armor clanked with every stride.

Approaching her, the tiger general knelt on one knee and reported in a deep voice, "My lady, a report from the Spirit Lord Hall... Lingxi's life flame has been extinguished."

The woman, who had been sleeping with her eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open and sat up. She asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"

"The life flame of Lingxi, the controller of the hundred thousand miles of territory to the west, has been extinguished," the visitor repeated calmly.

A blood-red mist rose in the woman's eyes, and she exuded a natural authority. She then withdrew the blood-red light, calmed her emotions, composed herself, and asked in a low voice, "Did 'she' do it?"

"I do not know," the tiger general replied, then added, "However, other than her, I cannot think of anyone else in all of Jianzhou who could accomplish such a feat."

A Spirit Lord,

Was equivalent to the Heaven Immortal stage.

Jianzhou was a fallen land of darkness, far from the front lines of the war against the living souls of Cangming. It was impossible for any great power from the immortal lands to penetrate this deep to hunt spirits, was it not?

Furthermore, the second law of the Spirit Code explicitly forbade the Spirit-Devouring Tribe from killing their own kind.

And the first law was that all members of the Spirit-Devouring Tribe must act according to the Spirit Code.

Therefore,

Even if Lingxi's strength was average among the Spirit Lords in the old lands of Jianzhou, it was absolutely impossible for him to have died at the hands of one of their own.

The only one who could have done it was her—that unique anomaly who had been assimilated by the Spirit-Devouring Tribe yet remained free from the constraints of the Spirit Code, just like the First Spirits.

The woman closed her eyes, her grey lips moving as if she were chanting some kind of formula.

The tiger general waited quietly.

After a moment,

The woman opened her eyes, which were shining brightly, and said with certainty, "It was not her."

The tiger general's eyes darkened as he fell into deep thought.

The woman waved her large sleeve and said, "Go, find out the truth."

The tiger general accepted the command.

"As you command!"

He stood up and strode away...