Just as they were about to split up, a figure in black robes swooped down from the sky.
“Where is everyone? Gotten so bold you won’t even come greet me anymore—” the black-robed figure cursed down at the Hudaosi team.
But as he spoke, his voice faded.
Something wasn’t right. Weren’t his subordinates supposed to be two Ling Kings and a bunch of Spirit Masters? How did everyone change while he was gone?
Where did these three Ling Emperors, a bunch of Ling Kings, and several sword-wielding weirdos—probably Jian Sect maniacs—come from?
Huh?!
“Walked right into the trap? Attack!”
With a furious shout, the sword cultivator Ling Emperor unleashed his Ling Sword, which shot toward the demonic cultivator like a rainbow.
The demon cultivator didn’t hesitate—he sent out a wave of black mist and turned to flee.
No joke, two sword cultivator Ling Emperors and an unknown Ling Emperor—if he could beat them, he wouldn’t be raising Longxueteng here!
Dammit, bad intel! They said Hudaosi wouldn’t meddle in the northern mountains’ dirty business—liars!
This accident instantly disrupted Hudaosi’s plan, but in every sense, it was a worthwhile disruption.
This Ling Emperor was obviously from the Magic Path. Capturing him was much more valuable than dealing with a few Ling Kings from Hei Long Gang.
So the Hudaosi cultivators drew their swords without hesitation, chasing after the demon cultivator, swearing to bring him down.
……
Meanwhile, Hua Jian’s group hadn’t gotten word of any of this.
Their luck was just bad: right after Linglong spoke to Hudaosi, the Magic Path Ling Emperor appeared and ruined the plan, so their latest news was instantly outdated.
While Hudaosi was chasing the demon Ling Emperor, Hua Jian was still crouched in a dark corner, observing the friction between Hei Long Gang and the other factions.
Based on her observations, within a day at most, the situation around the Flower Sea would become utterly uncontrollable—a dazzling explosion was about to erupt.
“Everyone’s emotions have been driven to the limit. The slightest spark will set everything off. I can see those Hei Long Gang cultivators are barely restraining themselves,” Hua Jian whispered to Linglong.
The big factions’ cultivators were wary of each other, but when dealing with Loose Cultivators, they showed no restraint, often fighting over spirit items.
Even the Loose Cultivators were acting differently; facing the big factions, they weren’t cowed, fighting back fiercely—sometimes even managing to kill one or two big-faction cultivators.
All this bloodshed for spirit items that weren’t even that valuable. Each conflict left dozens dead on these grounds.
“Yes. Once the major factions clash, the death toll will soar,” Linglong agreed. Though most cultivators here were evil and deserved to die, so many dying at once would still cause problems.
Not out of misplaced compassion—just practical worry about the consequences.
Moreover, the environment was off. This mutual slaughter might be the result of some other faction’s plot.
“Do you want to stop all this?”
“Of course!” Linglong nodded emphatically.
Maybe it was coincidence, but just as Linglong finished, a dazzling white beam shot up from the depths of the Flower Sea.
It was like a sun rising on the horizon, followed by waves of spiritual energy surging outwards, causing spirit herbs to sprout everywhere like bamboo after rain.
“This…” Hua Jian stared in shock at the white light—even from this distance, she could feel its terrifying power.
Whatever was in the Flower Sea’s depths was definitely abnormal!
Boom!
As Hua Jian was reeling, the three major factions sprang into action simultaneously.
Ling Kings led, Spirit Masters followed. They charged straight into the Flower Sea’s depths, all aiming for that sky-piercing beam.
At first, there was little conflict between the three sides, but as they delved deeper, clashes broke out.
And once the fighting began, it escalated rapidly into a bloody war.
The white Flower Sea was quickly trampled to nothing. Seeing it destroyed, Hua Jian couldn’t help but feel heartache—such a beautiful place, ruined by these brutes.
As for Linglong, who had just made a bold declaration, she now found herself at a loss for words.
Stop a three-way war? Sure, go try it now—see if you have the ability.
With the big factions at war, the remaining Loose Cultivators could no longer resist their greed.
Hoping to scavenge treasure amid the chaos, they rushed in after the three powers.
In an instant, everywhere Hua Jian looked was consumed by battle. Everyone was crazed, attacking every living thing in sight.
Blood soaked the ground; the pure white Flower Sea was dyed a ghastly red, as if a corner of hell under the setting sun.
“Let’s go find Shiqi!” Hua Jian tugged Linglong urgently. “We can’t stop their mutual slaughter now!”
And there was something she hadn’t said—the massacre was surely being orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.
As for who… it wasn’t hard to guess.
Known facts: Little White Flower was a mysterious Spirit Beast Venerable; all cultivators nearby were acting abnormally; and the final war was in the White Flower Sea.
Put it together, and the answer was obvious—the one orchestrating this mutual slaughter was probably Bai Hua Zun Zhe.
Linglong let Hua Jian pull her along. After one last look at the chaos behind her, she shook her head and followed Hua Jian’s suggestion.
First, they had to find Shiqi—then plan their next move.
Yesterday, Shiqi had been seriously injured, and wary of being influenced again, she stayed obediently in the cave.
When Hua Jian and Linglong returned, Shiqi was still lying on a haystack, hugging her sword… and sleeping?!
Hua Jian immediately sensed something was wrong. Shiqi would never sleep so soundly alone.
This made no sense!
‘No need to worry. It was my doing.’
Okay, now it made sense. Hearing the voice in her mind, Hua Jian’s doubts vanished.
So it was you, senior. You should have said so—I thought someone had attacked Shiqi.
Since she could communicate with the Venerable, could she just ask if this was her handiwork?
Hua Jian took a deep breath, placed her hand on the bracelet, and quietly asked, “Was that your doing just now?”
She was ready for the senior to turn hostile.
But things didn’t go as she expected. The voice in her head readily admitted responsibility.
Bai Hua Zun Zhe even told Hua Jian that if she wanted a share of the spoils, she wouldn’t mind leaving some people for Hua Jian to eat.
This left Hua Jian bewildered—her concern now seemed utterly misplaced.
But thinking carefully, Hua Jian roughly understood the Venerable’s point of view.
Humans and spirit beasts (flowers) were fundamentally different. What seemed criminal to her might mean nothing to another.
Would a Spirit Beast Venerable living in the northern mountains think eating cultivators was wrong?
Of course not—spirit beasts eating humans was only natural.
Bai Hua Zun Zhe was simply taking the most efficient approach. Even if a Ren Zun came, there’d be no reason to stop her.
Hua Jian hadn’t forgotten she was accompanied by Fenghua Venerable. Since Bai Hua Zun Zhe dared do this, she must have already spoken with Fenghua Venerable.
Otherwise, the two would be fighting in the skies right now—not chatting with Hua Jian.
“I… I think I’ll pass.”
‘Good. This isn’t the righteous path anyway.’
Bai Hua Zun Zhe’s words confused Hua Jian. If it wasn’t righteous, why do it?
“Since it’s not right, why are you…”
‘Willfulness.’
“Eh?”
‘It’s my willfulness.’
Was she really going to eat so many people just on a whim? Hua Jian didn’t know what to say.
The other party was too honest. She didn’t seem like a bad person, but her actions were truly troubling.
After a long pause, Hua Jian summoned her courage. “If I wanted to stop you?”
‘I won’t stop you.’
Hua Jian waited, thinking there’d be more, but after that, Bai Hua Zun Zhe said nothing.
Come on, I just said I’d foil your plan—at least react a little!
At least get angry! This makes it so awkward for me!
“You’re not angry?”
‘I promised your elders not to hurt you. If you can stop me, I’ll accept it.’
After a pause, the voice added, “As for anger, I don’t have human emotions.”
At that moment, Hua Jian truly felt the nonhuman nature of this Venerable.
She wasn’t a person. There was no point forcing human logic on her—maybe to her, this was nothing at all.
After convincing herself, Hua Jian stood up and told Linglong and the newly-awakened Shiqi, “I’ve figured out who’s behind all this!”
Shiqi looked dazed, not fully awake from her dream.
Linglong’s gaze lingered on the White Flower Bracelet on Hua Jian’s wrist and immediately guessed what she meant.
She herself had thought of this possibility—Hua Jian was just confirming it.
“And there’s good news: the other side won’t stop us. All we have to do is prevent those people from slaughtering each other.”
Shiqi, still half-asleep, asked, “Why should we stop them?”
She saw no need—wouldn’t it be better if all the bad guys died here? She’d love to see the Gang Wolf Legion wiped out.
Hua Jian scratched her head. “Ask Linglong—I’m just following her lead.”
As for Bai Hua Zun Zhe’s grand plan involving so many lives, Hua Jian honestly didn’t care.
Let them kill each other—they couldn’t hurt her anyway.
But since Linglong’s soft heart wanted to save people, what else could she do? She’d been paid to help, after all.
“Because… if so many die here, something terrifying might happen.” Linglong’s reasoning wasn’t all that convincing.
After all, she had no concrete reason to interfere—this was the northern mountains, and Spirit Beast Venerables weren’t bound by human rules.
A little cannibalism—what was the big deal?
The three exchanged glances. Linglong lowered her head, realizing she was being a bit childish.
Was it right to put her friends at risk over her own feelings? That wasn’t what a Saintess of the Sacred Sect should do.
Just as she was about to give up her idea, a woman in a red maple dress appeared in the cave.
“Venerable?!” Hua Jian stared in shock at the sudden arrival of Fenghua Venerable.
Before she could react, Fenghua Venerable scooped her into a hug and rubbed her head hard.
“Shishu, why…” Linglong stared at Hua Jian struggling helplessly in Fenghua Venerable’s embrace, feeling a weight on her own head.
As for Shiqi… she was stunned.
Who was this person? She seemed terrifying!
After getting her fill of hugs, Fenghua Venerable straightened up and told them that they really did need to stop Bai Hua Zun Zhe.
“Her goal is to use human blood as a sacrifice to refine a human body, but that method is too violent and harmful. Her spirit likely won’t withstand the impact of so many vengeful souls—she’ll descend into madness once it’s done.”
For an ordinary cultivator, going mad could be managed, but for a Spirit Beast Venerable, that was a whole different level.
So the best plan was to nip the threat in the bud—don’t let Bai Hua Zun Zhe succeed.
“She’s obsessed with gaining a human form. I don’t know where this obsession comes from, but it’s probably the key to solving the problem,” Fenghua Venerable continued.
There were two ways to stop Bai Hua Zun Zhe: physical force, or persuading her by attacking her heart.
But the latter would be extremely difficult; she mentioned it only in passing.
“That’s the situation. I’ve promised not to intervene, so the rest is up to you.”
With that, Fenghua Venerable vanished from the cave, just as suddenly as she had appeared.
Shiqi, who hadn’t dared speak until now, finally exhaled and snuck a peek at the cave entrance, confirming that Fenghua Venerable was truly gone before whispering, “Who was that?”
“Her elder—a very powerful senior,” Hua Jian answered vaguely, then turned serious. “Shiqi, if you don’t want to help, it’s okay—this has nothing to do with you.”