Chapter Seventy-Six: Visitors from the Northern Prison

In just one day, Hong Jian’s world was turned upside down. Both she and Chen Zaizhi were at a loss, and once their emotions had settled, they looked to Ding Chunxue, hoping their senior brother would make a decision.

The matter was of great consequence, and even Ding Chunxue hesitated. What should they do next?

Their grandmaster had told the three to endure in silence, but who could say whether Dai Mingzong was already leading a massacre at Dan Cliff Sect? After much deliberation, Ding Chunxue felt he ought to return to the sect and assess the situation. However, Chen Zaizhi was carrying the sect’s jade scroll, and nothing could be allowed to happen to him. Their junior sister had appeared with the grandmaster before the experts of the Talisman Sect, so Ding Chunxue said, “I’ll return to the sect first and see what’s happening. You two wait for my news—be extremely careful.”

Hong Jian was uneasy, but she knew she would only be a burden to her senior brother at this moment. She could only say, “Senior brother, you must be careful too.”

Ding Chunxue reassured them, “The villains don’t know we’re involved, so there shouldn’t be any danger. If you’re worried, we can use ‘Flowing Water Resonance’ to stay in touch at all times. But to be safe, Zaizhi, you mustn’t show yourself to anyone yet.”

Ding Chunxue always carried ‘Flowing Water Resonance’ after it was crafted; the other half was in Chen Zaizhi’s hands. With this, Ding Chunxue felt more at ease leaving the two young disciples behind.

After giving detailed instructions, he mounted his flying artifact and departed for the sect.

No sooner had Ding Chunxue left than Chen Zaizhi activated ‘Flowing Water Resonance’ with his true energy. After a while, there was a response from the other side.

Hong Jian, forgetting the awkwardness over the ‘dao companion’ matter earlier, pressed, “How is it? Where has senior brother gone?”

“He’s still heading towards the sect, hasn’t met anyone yet,” Chen Zaizhi replied.

The place where the three had stopped was already far from where Ling Xuzi and Sun Yougong had met their misfortune, so it was only natural that Ding Chunxue hadn’t encountered anyone on the road.

Hong Jian couldn’t hold back. Without caring for propriety, she shifted over and sat beside Chen Zaizhi, waiting to hear news from their senior brother.

After a long while, Chen Zaizhi said nothing—clearly Ding Chunxue hadn’t encountered anything new.

Chen Zaizhi was wholly absorbed in his spellwork. Suddenly, his brows knitted, and Hong Jian’s heart skipped a beat as he said, “No, the distance is too great—I can’t reach him anymore.”

Relieved it was only that, Hong Jian shot Chen Zaizhi a glare and snapped, “Then hurry and catch up!”

The two scrambled to their feet, Chen Zaizhi leading the way as Hong Jian piloted the Brocade Sail Flying Boat. They followed in the direction Ding Chunxue had taken. Ding Chunxue, being a Golden Core, traveled at great speed; the images Chen Zaizhi saw were intermittent. Hong Jian did her utmost, but in truth, even if Chen Zaizhi said nothing, flying directly toward Dan Cliff Sect was the correct course.

When they were still three to five hundred li from the five peaks of Dan Cliff, Chen Zaizhi suddenly said, “Wait—senior brother has been stopped by someone.”

“Who?”

“Don’t know them—not from our sect.”

Hong Jian’s anxiety mounted. She stopped the artifact over the sea and fixed her gaze on Chen Zaizhi. His temperament was slow and steady, but even now he only relayed information as it came, which made Hong Jian grind her teeth in frustration. She wanted nothing more than to snatch the ‘Flowing Water Resonance’ from his hands.

Chen Zaizhi’s eyes seemed lost in the void as he spoke to Hong Jian. “There are two cultivators. One has a fleshy tumor on his chin and looks very fierce. Both speak rudely. They don’t know senior brother and questioned him. Hearing he was returning to the sect as a Dan Cliff cultivator, they quickly let him pass.”

“Who could they be? Perhaps people from the Talisman Sect searching for the grandmaster’s nascent soul?” Hong Jian grew wary and slowly halted the flying boat.

Chen Zaizhi’s expression shifted as he looked at Hong Jian. “Senior brother says both are Golden Core. He tells us not to approach, but to avoid them.”

When he said this, the Brocade Sail Flying Boat had already stopped; his gaze toward Hong Jian was thoughtful, clearly surprised that his junior sister, a few years younger, was so alert.

“Avoiding Golden Core cultivators isn’t easy,” Hong Jian fretted. The spiritual sense of Golden Core cultivators far surpassed hers and Chen Zaizhi’s. Before she even sensed them, they might have already caught her.

“Senior brother has stopped and says we should land, disguise ourselves, and blend in with the cultivators gathering for the Azure Cloud Festival to approach the sect,” Chen Zaizhi relayed.

Hong Jian immediately agreed, “That’s a good plan. Tell senior brother we’re changing course now.” She redirected the flying boat away from Dan Cliff.

Before long, Chen Zaizhi put away ‘Flowing Water Resonance,’ indicating that the distance was now too great for contact with Ding Chunxue.

The journey was long and silent; the two young disciples shared the small boat, each lost in their own thoughts.

After flying over a thousand li, Chen Zaizhi suddenly recalled their grandmaster’s matchmaking intentions before his death, which made him uneasy. He worried that his silence might further annoy his senior sister, so after much hesitation, he remembered the grandmaster had mentioned his aunt and finally found a topic. He began, “Senior sister, I…”

Just then, Hong Jian also remembered something she wanted to ask him. “Chen Zaizhi, earlier…”

Both stopped mid-sentence, locking eyes. Hong Jian frowned, “Say what you want first.”

Chen Zaizhi grew anxious. Both had begun, but Hong Jian addressed him by full name, her tone cold and distant.

He recalled the grandmaster’s words, and some of his years-long confusion began to clear. He spoke meekly, “Senior sister, eight years ago during the Azure Cloud Festival, my aunt returned to the sect. She… that person…” Chen Zaizhi paused, struggling to find the right words. After a moment, perhaps thinking it improper to criticize an elder behind her back, he continued, “At home, my grandfather and uncle always indulged her. Later, after she became a disciple of Dan Cliff, well, senior sister, you know how female cultivators are treated in the sect. My aunt found it very hard to adapt, so her temperament became strange. If she ever hurt you, I apologize on her behalf. I promise it won’t happen again…”

Hong Jian was irritated, not expecting Chen Zaizhi to ramble about such things at a time like this—and ‘again’? Did he think, with the grandmaster’s words, she would truly form a dao companion with him?

Previously, her dislike for Chen Zaizhi was indeed due to the bullying she suffered at the hands of Chen Yingjiang, nearly losing her life. But now, her feelings were mixed and even she couldn’t quite explain them. She had worked hard and established her foundation, but when it mattered most, her beloved grandmaster had chosen Chen Zaizhi without hesitation. Perhaps only Ding Chunxue among all Dan Cliff Sect treated her and Chen Zaizhi as equals.

Thus, she paid no mind to what Chen Zaizhi was saying, brusquely interrupting, “Tell me in detail about those two men’s clothing and appearance.”

Chen Zaizhi fell silent and instead described the two unfamiliar Golden Core cultivators. Unconsciously, he overlooked the fact that Hong Jian was younger than he.

Strangers were hard to identify by sect; their demeanor was arrogant, as if relying on something. Hong Jian grew increasingly suspicious, memorizing their features as described by Chen Zaizhi so she could recognize them at a glance in future.

Landing and disguising themselves to approach Dan Cliff by land went smoothly—it seemed those responsible for security had neglected the land, focusing all their efforts on searching the Endless Sea.

Hong Jian and Chen Zaizhi soon reestablished contact with Ding Chunxue, who by then had returned to the sect and was in the Grand Hall among many fellow disciples.

“Who’s there? Have you seen Dai Mingchi?” Hong Jian pressed.

Chen Zaizhi shook his head and signaled Hong Jian not to worry. “Dai Mingchi isn’t here. Lots of people—Master, Second Elder, Third Elder… Peak Master Mu, Peak Master Ying…”

He observed for a while, then suddenly blanched, his voice trembling, “This is bad. I wondered why the senior uncles from Brocade Peak weren’t here. Peak Master Mu from Fragrant Peak said that this evening, demonic cultivators infiltrated, and all the senior uncles from Brocade Peak were killed.”

Hong Jian’s scalp tingled, her limbs icy.

She opened her mouth and said hoarsely, “What kind of demonic cultivators could so easily slay several Nascent Soul elders?”

The senior uncles from Brocade Peak were disciples of Jin Donglou, focused solely on cultivation and rarely involved in sect affairs, but Jin Donglou had already fallen; it was precisely the time for them to step forward and manage the crisis, yet now they had been slain.

When had such powerful demonic cultivators appeared on this continent? One name sprang to mind—Dai Mingchi! Only he could treat Nascent Soul cultivators as nothing, eliminating them with a wave.

Chen Zaizhi’s expression was grim. He glanced at Hong Jian and added, “Mu Fengshan said two unidentified corpses were found on Brocade Peak—clearly demonic cultivators, their bodies heavily corrupted by demonic energy. I urged senior brother to be cautious, to withdraw if necessary and reassess. This time I referred to Mu Fengshan by name, clearly suspicious of the so-called demonic corpses, and Mu Fengshan’s position seems dubious.”

“What is senior brother planning?” Hong Jian was deeply concerned for Ding Chunxue.

“Senior brother says not to rush—wait and see what happens first.”

Chen Zaizhi paused, then suddenly exclaimed, “Dai Mingchi is here.”

He looked around warily. The two were on a small, barren mountain a hundred li west of Chiron Peak, standing high with a wide view. Chen Zaizhi saw no signs of disturbance, and quietly relayed to Hong Jian, “Dai Mingchi brought several people—no, he and some others are accompanying an old man. He’s introducing him to everyone, saying he’s from ‘Northern Jade.’”

“Northern Jade…” Hong Jian repeated the words, her heart jolting as she met Chen Zaizhi’s gaze. Both realized simultaneously: Northern Prison! The infamous Devil Refining Prison, dreaded by cultivators across the land!

The Devil Refining Prison was in the north of the continent, holding many vicious demonic cultivators. Since cultivation was forbidden there, its wardens were legendary elder Daoists, who, after realizing they could not advance further, severed ties with their families and sects, choosing to spend the rest of their lives in isolation, much like entering monastic life.

But now, an elder from that prison had arrived at Dan Cliff with Dai Mingchi, evidently someone of high status. What could he want?