Chapter 29 (Part 1)

A throbbing pain radiated from her temple. Yu Zhengzheng’s eyelashes fluttered, her head pounding as though from a severe hangover. She uncomfortably opened her eyes.

Before her stretched a misty mountain range, rolling clouds swirling like waves. The sounds of frogs and cicadas filled the air, while nearby, a bamboo forest rustled, and a stream gurgled softly. The idyllic scene was far removed from the clamor of the mortal world.

The sun dipped toward the horizon, peach blossoms cascaded like a dream, and the entire scene seemed like a surreal paradise.

Behind her stood a row of bamboo huts, their courtyard bursting with fruits and vegetables. Birds chirped merrily among the branches, exuding a rustic charm.

This was no longer Sha Yu Valley. It was an entirely unfamiliar place.

Yu Zhengzheng stood frozen for a long moment before stiffly turning her neck to glance at the unconscious group scattered across the ground.

Only Rong Shang and Hengwu Immortal were awake. Rong Shang held an ice shard glinting with cold light against Hengwu Immortal’s neck. A faint red line of blood seeped from the wound it created.

The two locked eyes, silently engaged in a tense standoff.

As they faced off, the others slowly regained consciousness.

Yu Zhengzheng dared not interrupt. She had read martial arts novels before and knew that true masters often exchanged blows through sheer willpower.

It might seem like they were merely staring each other down, but beneath the surface, every move could be a deadly strike.

The newly awakened group, noticing Yu Zhengzheng’s solemn expression and the tension between Rong Shang and Hengwu Immortal, assumed something ominous was afoot in this formation.

They held their breath, careful even about blinking.

After a while, Hengwu Immortal’s fingers trembled slightly, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, hinting at exhaustion.

Rong Shang took two steps back and tossed the ice shard to the ground.

Seeing the two separate, Yu Zhengzheng limped forward eagerly. “Did you win?”

Rong Shang glanced at her. “Win what?”

She forced herself to be patient. “Weren’t you just sparring with your willpower?”

Rong Shang: “No.”

Yu Zhengzheng blinked. “Then what were you doing, standing there motionless?”

Rong Shang: “My legs were numb. I was resting.”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

Rong Shang raised an eyebrow at Hengwu Immortal. “How do you want to die?”

Hengwu Immortal smiled faintly, unfazed. “If I die, none of you will leave.”

He added calmly, “Though you possess immense divine power, you lack knowledge of formations. This array is my creation, and no one has ever left it alive. You will not be an exception.”

Though his words sounded boastful, Rong Shang knew he was merely stating a fact.

Hengwu Immortal’s fame stemmed from a battle long ago. Without deploying a single celestial soldier, he used the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation to trap tens of thousands of demons. Not one survived, and their near annihilation almost wiped out their kind.

Rong Shang, the son of the divine race, was born with immense power, but he had no experience with battle formations.

The Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation was notorious. Those who entered would face nine layers of illusions, and a single mistake would leave them trapped until their life force was completely drained.

After a moment of thought, Rong Shang spoke. “How can I trust you?”

Hengwu Immortal smiled, his tone unhurried. “When has the Ghost King ever feared anyone?”

Indeed, even if Hengwu Immortal were lying, the Ghost King would not fear him.

Rong Shang’s lips curled into a smile. “If you dare deceive me, this will be your fate.”

As he spoke, frost condensed in his palm, and in an instant, Hengwu Immortal’s staff sword was encased in ice, shattering into countless pieces.

Hengwu Immortal: “…”

He trembled as he picked up the fragments of his staff sword. For a moment, everyone thought they saw tears glistening in his eyes.

His hamstring had already been severed, leaving him unable to walk without the staff sword for support. Now that it was destroyed, even walking had become an arduous task.

No one sympathized with Hengwu Immortal. If not for him, they wouldn’t have ended up trapped in this wretched place.

As they prepared to leave, Yu Jiangjiang clutched her stomach and groaned softly. Beads of sweat covered her forehead, and she looked visibly weak.

Xiao Yuqing approached her with concern. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Jiangjiang looked troubled, her expression growing increasingly distressed.

She felt an unusual pressure within her body—a gas building up that she desperately needed to release. This was an unprecedented situation for her.

As someone who practiced fasting, she had no need for regular meals, and her body was free of impurities. Naturally, she had not experienced the release of such gas in over a year.

But now, with this pressure building up in her abdomen and so many people around, she was mortified to let it out. Holding it in, however, turned her face an alarming shade of green.

Yu Zhengzheng observed her discomfort and smirked. “Could it be that you’ve done something so disgraceful the heavens are punishing you?”

Yu Jiangjiang had truly outdone herself, openly plotting her murder. If not for her fortunate fall into the Ghost King’s arms, the Sha Yu Valley would have been her final resting place.

Seeing Yu Zhengzheng ready to settle scores, Yu Jiangjiang turned helplessly to Xiao Yuqing. “It’s all my fault, sister. If I hadn’t lacked skill with the sword, I wouldn’t have failed to hold onto you when evading the demonic cultivators.”

“If my sister blames me, it’s only right. It’s all my fault.”

She persistently took all the blame upon herself. Xiao Yuqing, unaware of what had truly transpired on the sword, felt it was best to prioritize unity in their current predicament.

He gently comforted her, “Miss Yu, don’t overthink it. Earlier, she even risked returning to Shayu Valley while being pursued by demonic cultivators just to look for you. I believe it was an accidental mistake on her part. You two are blood sisters—how could she possibly mean you harm?”

Yu Zhengzheng nearly choked on her frustration at Xiao Yuqing’s words.

Blood sisters?

She and Yu Jiangjiang weren’t born of the same mother.

Their births were only a month apart. When she was born, her despicable father, under the guise of achieving enlightenment through a wife-killing ritual, dragged her weakened mother out of the delivery room and murdered her.

Since childhood, she had endured scorn and ridicule, trampled under the feet of Madam Lu and Yu Jiangjiang. Had it not been for her resilience, Xiao Yuqing wouldn’t even be seeing her alive today.

Her eyes brimmed with suppressed anger as her hand at her side trembled slightly. Her gaze shifted to the sword hanging by Yu Jiangjiang’s waist.

Yu Jiangjiang seemed to sense her attention and threw her a disdainful glance, as if mocking her. A mere useless waste who hadn’t even reached the Qi Refining stage—did she actually dream of revenge?

The Heavenly Silkworm silk robes on her seemed entirely wasted on someone like her.

A faint warm breeze brought the sensation of searing pain from the soles of her feet, snapping Yu Zhengzheng back to reality.

No one would believe her words. And with her current abilities, avenging herself against Yu Jiangjiang, who had already reached the Golden Core stage, was impossible.

Dejection flickered across her face, and she refrained from speaking further.

Rongshang, unhurriedly narrowing his long eyes, observed the expressions of both women.

During his years at Mount Penglai, whenever he visited the inner city, he would often come across a young girl sobbing in some corner.

That was Yu Zhengzheng in her early teens. Long-term hunger had left her short and emaciated.

Every time he saw her, he couldn’t help but wonder when she would succumb to her misery.

Like him, she was tenacious, clinging to life despite everything.

But even after growing up, she hadn’t managed to change her fate.

This was a world of the strong preying on the weak. If she didn’t have the power to trample on others, she could only resign herself to being trampled underfoot.

Rongshang’s lips curved into a faint, icy smile.

Whether she was trampled or ridiculed, it was her business. What did it have to do with him?

Meanwhile, Yu Jiangjiang’s face grew increasingly strained. Unable to take even a step forward, she felt as if she were on the brink of losing control over the polluted air accumulating inside her.

“You all go on ahead,” she forced a smile, pretending to be nonchalant. “I’ll stay and look around; maybe I’ll find something useful.”

Xiao Yuqing nodded slightly. “Be careful.”

Then, he turned to Yu Zhengzheng. “I know some medicine. Your foot injury seems serious—if you don’t mind, I can help you apply some ointment.”

Hearing this, Rongshang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Though this was a mere illusion, the approaching night still required them to rest.

If the two of them—a man and a woman—were alone in a room under the pretense of treating her injuries, the situation would seem far too ambiguous.

Despite his righteous demeanor, Xiao Yuqing appeared to harbor ulterior motives.

And given her nature, someone as simple-minded as Yu Zhengzheng, who judged solely by appearances, would surely agree without a second thought.

Rongshang let out a faint scoff and was about to turn and leave when a calm voice suddenly spoke up, “I do mind.”

Yu Zhengzheng’s expression remained neutral. “I belong to the Ghost King, so naturally, I can’t be alone with Young Master Xiao.”

Her statement wasn’t entirely untrue. They were all vessels for the Ghost King, and since she was a woman, by extension, one could argue she was the Ghost King’s woman.

Her words carried a tinge of defiance. Xiao Yuqing had indeed helped her many times, but that didn’t grant him the right to dictate her life.

Everyone was momentarily stunned. Xiao Yuqing was left speechless, unsure of how to respond.

Rongshang paused mid-step, his slender fingers lightly tracing the cool surface of his jade thumb ring, as though absorbing some newfound warmth.

His woman?

She truly dared to speak.