Chapter 11: Those with Different Paths Cannot Make Plans Together Section 13: Immortal Intent

Chapter 11: Different Paths Lead to Different Plans
Section 13: Immortal Intent

A moment later, a woman’s voice came from outside the door, "Reporting to the Palace Master."

"Understood."

Bai Ling replied in a cold, indifferent tone.

The State of Chu was about to launch a military campaign against the State of Yan. Martial arts experts, including herself, would set out for Yan first. Some were tasked with assassinating Yan officials and generals, while others were to pretend to assist the Yan state while secretly gathering intelligence.

Chu Gaoge had placed Bai Ling in charge of these martial practitioners. This decision had greatly incensed veteran experts like Blue Ghost, and even Bai Ling could not fathom why Chu Gaoge had made such a choice. In terms of cultivation, Bai Ling was confident she surpassed the others, but in terms of reputation and seniority, she lagged far behind.

The carriage moved slowly. As they approached the gates of the Chu capital, the crowd in the street suddenly became restless.

"Look at the sky!"

The commotion spread rapidly. Bai Ling pulled back the carriage window and was stunned when she looked up at the high heavens.

In the sky, a flaming meteorite, trailing a long tail, whistled as it plummeted toward the earth.

Before it even neared the ground, the guards on the Chu capital walls had already begun to flee. Nearby citizens scrambled away, and the elderly and children were hurriedly led out of their homes.

With a thunderous boom, the giant rock smashed into the Chu city walls. Clouds of dust billowed and spread, soon obscuring the sky for ten miles around.

Caught in the middle of such a sudden event, Bai Ling had no choice but to delay her journey.

The entire Chu capital was in an uproar, with people debating the event fervently. Everyone knew that a meteor had fallen from the heavens, and it bore an inscription: "The Divine Soul awakens, the Soul Messenger appears. Believe in the Divine Soul and gain freedom; defy the Divine Soul and heaven shall punish you."

In an instant, the city was filled with turmoil.

Those who had long suffered in poverty and sought the power of the Divine Soul openly walked the streets, kneeling and crying out, "The power of the Divine Soul’s will has awakened! The power of the Divine Soul’s will has awakened! You fallen ones who remain obsessed and unrepentant will surely face heavenly punishment!"

Meanwhile, the King of Zheng, having received the news, summoned Qiu Ye of the Flying Immortal Sect.

"Not long ago, a meteor fell in the Zheng capital, inscribed with the words: 'The Divine Soul awakens, the Soul Messenger appears. Believe in the Divine Soul and gain freedom; defy the Divine Soul and heaven shall punish you.' I have pondered this deeply, and I believe there is only one person who can provide an answer."

Before the King of Zheng could finish, Qiu Ye said, "Lady Li."

"Indeed. It just so happens that I heard she has returned to the Zheng capital. I hope you will pay her a visit."

Few people knew of Lady Li’s true nature, and Zheng Linran did not know her secrets. As she refused to see court officials, the King of Zheng had no choice but to rely on Qiu Ye. The latter, having long wished to see her, accepted the order and departed immediately.

Lady Li had originally come from an official’s family, but after her parents passed away, she focused solely on business. She held shares in the great banks and inns of the Seven Powers, as well as several antique dealerships. Her wealth was enough to rival a nation. Consequently, Lady Li was exceptionally well-informed, and her whereabouts were so secretive that she was nearly impossible to track.

Lady Li’s former residence was in the Zheng capital, and it was only when she returned there that any trace of her could be found.

When Qiu Ye arrived and the butler announced her, she was invited inside.

Qiu Ye was taken directly to the study, where she found Lady Li organizing documents. Seeing her, Lady Li smiled slightly. "The King of Zheng sent you, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Meteors have fallen in Zheng, Han, Chu, Chen, Qi, Yan, Wei, and Zhou. The King of Zheng believes that if this is man-made, I am the only person in the world capable of such a feat."

"That is exactly what the King of Zheng thinks." Qiu Ye dared not show any disrespect to Lady Li, not even daring to speak a single superfluous word.

"This matter has nothing to do with me."

"Then, it is not a human act?"

"Since the King of Zheng sent you, I assume he must have consulted the will of heaven, which is why he believes this to be man-made. However, this truly has nothing to do with me." After saying this, Lady Li took several sheets of paper from a cabinet and handed them to Qiu Ye. "I know that you, girl, came here seeking something else. It just so happens that what you sought was found in a treasure cache unearthed not long ago. I had just finished copying it when you arrived."

Qiu Ye was overjoyed and carefully took the pages, her eyes shimmering with excitement as she looked at them.

"Many thanks, Lady Li!" Qiu Ye tucked them away carefully and handed over a letter before taking her leave. "I dare not disturb you any further, Lady Li. This is information regarding the White Cloud Mountain treasure that the King of Zheng discovered by chance. Knowing you had returned, he insisted that I present it to you personally."

"Thank the King for his generosity on my behalf." Lady Li accepted and stowed the letter away. She added, "Girl, one of the pages I gave you must be burned after you read it. I do this out of consideration for the Flying Immortal Sect. Your master was always concerned for you, raising you as if you were her own daughter. She often asked me to find a way to help you. Now that I have come across this by chance, it can finally fulfill your master's lingering regret."

Qiu Ye hurriedly replied, "Rest assured, Lady Li. Once I have read it, I will act as if I have never seen it. When my master was alive, she often instructed me that your words were her words. I would never dare to disobey in the slightest."

"Go now. I shall be leaving the Zheng capital later, so I will not invite you to dine today."

"Qiu Ye takes her leave."

After leaving Lady Li’s estate, Qiu Ye took out the pages and scanned them hastily.

"Marrow Cleansing Classic... Master..."

Lady Li’s estate was in a quiet area outside the city. Overcome by the memory of Zheng Feixian’s kindness, Qiu Ye could not stop the tears from flowing. Not caring if anyone saw her, she leaned against a tree and sobbed bitterly. It was a long time before she calmed her emotions. Relying on her memory, she memorized the secret manual in a few moments, then clapped her palms together, crushing the copy into powder.

She understood in her heart that Lady Li had obtained the treasures of the Divine Soul Sect but did not wish for it to be known. Yet, the risks of practicing the Marrow Cleansing Classic were clearly stated at the end of the manual, making the decision difficult.

'Master, if your spirit is in heaven, you will surely protect me. You intended for me to ascend to a higher level; can it be that I, Qiu Ye, lack the courage to take this risk?'

With that thought, Qiu Ye immediately made up her mind to begin her training.

As the wind rose, she walked alone along the mountain path, her red robes fluttering and dancing.

In the fierce gale, her black cloak snapped and whipped, held straight up by the force of the air currents.

...

Bu Jingxian kept his eyes closed, waiting for the relief that would come when he struck the earth.

His altitude dropped rapidly, descending, descending.

Beneath his black cloak, two masses of black light suddenly emerged. In an instant, they blossomed into a pair of enormous black wings.

His downward momentum slowed abruptly.

Bu Jingxian suddenly felt himself suspended in mid-air. When he slowly opened his eyes, he was only thirty yards from the mountain cliff below. At this moment, his heart surged. As the influence of Lady Li’s mind-bewitching technique dissipated, he slowly turned his head to see the black, feathered wings of light stretching out behind him.

He tried to manipulate the light wings; with a flap, his altitude soared by several yards. He tried again, and flew even higher.

He moved left and right in the air, finally looking up at the sky and flying straight upward.

Before long, he was soaring through the clouds. Overjoyed, he glided and drifted at high speed, weaving through the mist. He spotted a large eagle flapping its wings below. He chased after it, and in a moment, he caught up. Seeing the eagle flap its wings in a panic to escape him, he could not help but let out a soft laugh.

'The power of the Divine Soul’s will is real. This is the proof. I have stepped across the threshold of the power of the Divine Soul’s will!'

In his excitement, he could not help but point his finger toward the heavens.

"The philosophy of the Divine Soul shall surely be realized by my hand, Bu Jingxian! You invaders hiding behind the heavens will one day be defeated by my Divine Soul clan, and the freedom you stole shall return to the hands of the Divine Soul clan!"

Bu Jingxian dove toward the ground, landing on the mountain where Lady Li lived. Because his momentum was too fast, his legs were left numb upon impact.

'It seems it will take some time to learn how to manipulate and adapt to these wings properly.'

He searched everywhere but could not find Lady Li. He only discovered a letter left on a stone table. Looking at the ink on the seal, it was not left in a hurry; it seemed she had been well-prepared. When he tore it open, he found it was Lady Li’s instructions on how to retract and hide the wings. It was not difficult, and he succeeded on his first try. However, even after the wings were retracted, he could still feel a surging power in his back, as if it wanted to burst out at any moment.

'Since there is a will of heaven in the darkness, I shall open the path forward in the name of that will.'

Bu Jingxian immediately flew among the mountains, selecting suitable cliffs. He used his power to crack the rock faces and moved massive boulders to open spaces. Then, he used the Seven-Star Dragon Abyss sword to carve the words into them:

'The Divine Soul awakens,
The Soul Messenger appears.
Believe in the Divine Soul and gain freedom;
Defy the Divine Soul and heaven shall punish you.'

Bu Jingxian covered one side of the giant stones with flammable material and dragged them into the sky.

The wings of light consumed his physical stamina, and carrying heavy objects doubled that consumption. If not for the Soul Art and the astonishing recovery speed granted by his innate ability, he could never have supported the weight of such a giant stone, eight yards in diameter, which drained a hundred units of stamina in an instant.

Over three days, he dropped the giant stones outside the capitals of the Seven Powers and the Northern Yin City of the Zhou State.

Finally, he returned to Divine Soul Mountain to wait for Zhao Ji’s return.

Zhao Ji’s journey back to Northern Yin City went smoothly, without any accidents. Upon her return, she brought news of the fallen meteorites, saying that everyone was talking about it. People believed it was the will of heaven, a manifestation of the Divine Soul Immortal.

"I, too, dreamt of the Divine Soul Immortal not long ago. It seems the Divine Soul Immortal is truly going to save the world. I only wonder who this Soul Messenger might be."

Zhao Ji hurriedly said, "It should be you, my Lord."

"I am not the only Soul Messenger. Up to this moment, I have not received clear instructions from the Divine Soul Immortal, so I dare not presume to lead the world in preserving the Divine Soul. But I believe that whoever possesses the miraculous power bestowed by the Divine Soul Immortal is the one who must rightfully shoulder this responsibility."

"Zhao Ji believes that this person must be you, my Lord." Although the Sunset Clan called Bu Jingxian the Divine Soul Immortal, they had never seen his immortal power. His indestructible body was enough to win the trust of the Sunset Clan, but it was not enough for others, as Ka'er and Shaoyuan possessed similar abilities.

While the Sunset Clan called him the Soul Messenger, outside the clan, although some believed, more remained skeptical.

After learning the Divine Soul Art, Zhao Ji gradually became less trusting. She knew that once the Divine Soul Art was practiced to a high level, ordinary enemy soldiers could cause no harm. Naturally, she harbored doubts about the claims of the Divine Soul Immortal until she heard stories of the falling stars along the way, which led her to believe that perhaps such an entity truly existed. At this moment, she could not help but think that the Northern Lord must be that Soul Messenger.

Bu Jingxian was well aware of this situation, but he was in no rush to claim the title of Soul Messenger. Displaying the strange power of the Divine Soul’s will now would be no different than letting those with ulterior motives guess his scheme. Let the world debate and stir. At the right moment, he would reveal the power of the Divine Soul and produce the token of the Divine Soul Sect Master.

That, naturally, would convince many more.