Chapter 75

The black fire burned coldly and silently.

Liuyu stared in astonishment at the massive puppet soldier blocking her path. When she was brushed by the black fire surrounding it, she indeed felt a chill, like melting snow and ice.

She spread her palm, and the black fire that lightly brushed her fingertips did not release any Qi flow. After a while, a faint Qi began to flow through her.

It felt like… calmness.

When she touched the black fire, the surging life energy in her body immediately slowed, as though she had taken a sedative and fallen into a state of sedation. But this black fire was clearly far more terrifying than any sedative—

Liuyu could feel that not only the Qi in her body, but even the flow of her blood, had almost come to a standstill in that moment of calm.

Qi flow halted.

Blood stopped flowing.

This was just from a light brush of her fingers. What if she were fully enveloped by this black fire?

Liuyu’s gaze reflected the flames fluttering in the wind.

The strange fire on this puppet was similar to Mo Lin’s infinite ghost fire, but it seemed to have even more destructive power.

…This is too dangerous. Where did the Zhongli family find such a terrifying thing?

She had never heard a word of it in her past life.

“Are you asking for my help, only to have your Zhongli family’s puppet soldiers join forces with Yinshan Liuyu to encircle and attack me today?”

Mo Lin, standing below, cast a cold, damp gaze at Zhongli He, his eyes burning with icy anger and a desire for destruction.

“Zhongli family, is this your plot with the Jiufang family?”

Seeking help—?

Did the Zhongli and Jiufang families really seek help from the demon ghost Mo Lin?

Had they secretly allied with each other?

Bai Gongying and the other aristocratic families looked on with confusion.

The young lady of the Zhongli family had commanded them to sever ties with the Jimo family, yet here she was, employing members of the Jimo family.

Now, this demon ghost Mo Lin was saying that he came here today as part of a plan between the Zhongli and Jiufang families?

…This is absurd!

These two families treated the aristocratic families like subordinates, without regard for their interests. But when it came to their own benefit, they easily broke the restrictions and rules that held others back.

Earlier, even when Ji Mo Gui offered her the Luo Hou Immortal Fruit, which could heal her grandfather, she had refused!

Bai Gongying wanted to question her but was silenced by Shangguan Zhou, who covered her mouth.

“Ancestor, why do you want to stick your neck out?”

He whispered, “Didn’t you see that no one here dares to speak?”

Even if the Zhongli and Jiufang families secretly communicated with the demon ghost, so what?

The so-called Northern Expedition to the Nine Underworlds and the pacification of the chaotic world were just slogans to deceive the common people. Yinshan had already shown signs of decline. Even if these two families were secretly colluding with the demon ghosts, these aristocratic families would just talk privately about it—who would dare to truly question them?

“Zhongli Elder.”

At this moment, Shentu Xiang suddenly spoke.

“What does the demon ghost Mo Lin mean by this? Did you secretly reach an agreement with him to help today?”

Shentu Shiying stared in surprise at his father, who suddenly questioned the Zhongli family.

Wasn’t his father usually submissive to the Zhongli family?

Under Shentu Xiang’s gaze, Zhongli He began to sweat on his forehead.

The head of the Shentu family was truly sharp.

Zhongli He and the elders of the Zhongli family were all well aware of the secret dealings between Jiufang Qian and the demon ghost Mo Lin.

Once the Nine Underworld demon ghosts broke free from the barrier of the Ghost Wall, they would inevitably invade the Great Zhao’s territories. The Shentu family, as the guardians of the Ghost Wall, would be the first to face the war if it came.

Shentu Xiang was not afraid to confront the demon ghosts.

But he could not accept that his allies were using his family as fodder to feed monsters.

Zhongli He finally spoke, but it wasn’t an explanation to Shentu Xiang—it was directed at the even more dangerous Mo Lin.

“The Zhongli Clan and Jiufang Clan have no such intention. This Tianjia Thirty-One has inexplicably gone out of control today, and its actions are beyond our control… Zhong Wuyong! Haven’t you found him yet?”

“Still… not yet. He and the head of the Jimo Clan seem to be fighting somewhere, and we’ve sent everyone to search for them.”

“Truly incapable of doing anything right, only making things worse!”

Zhongli He still tried to calm things down, but the shadow in the sky suddenly charged toward the demon Mo Lin—

Even Nan Gongyao, who was beside him, instinctively wanted to intervene, joining forces with Mo Lin to resist this creature wrapped in strange fire. However, before he could take action, he was repelled by the ghostly energy that Mo Lin had used in his strike.

The black mysterious fire, burning steadily but carrying a terrifying pressure, collided fiercely with the vast and turbulent ghostly fire!

The golden-robed figure in the sky, adorned with jade hairpins, remained unmoved.

In that moment, Liuyu’s mind began to calculate how she should handle the situation after revealing her position.

Neither the Yinshan Clan nor Mo Lin could be chosen over the other.

But what surprised Liuyu was that the two fires, in their intense collision, showed no signs of extinguishing one side. Instead, they grew more violent.

Why?

Liuyu looked at her slightly trembling fingers.

Was it that Mo Lin was unaffected by this mysterious fire’s calming force?

Then there could only be one possibility.

— This mysterious fire was related to the demon and the evil spirits from beyond the heavens.

At this moment, Mo Lin was thinking the same thing.

The refined and perfected boundless ghostly fire almost exploded from his hand, distorting the air around him in this flame capable of burning heaven and earth. Yet, it was suppressed from above by the storm-like black mysterious fire that wrapped around him.

The air was split into two halves, fire and water.

One half boiling, the other calm.

These seemingly opposing forces gave the surrounding noble families the same impression.

— Destruction.

This world would either be consumed by the boundless ghostly fire or quietly perish under the strange calming force.

Realizing this, everyone felt an unprecedented fear creeping over them.

But fortunately—

Neither the surging boundless ghostly fire nor the overpowering black mysterious fire seemed to have a clear advantage over the other.

Thus, these two powerful mysterious fires were locked in a prolonged stalemate.

“I’m going to kill Yin Zishi.”

Liuyu suddenly spoke, catching Nan Gongyao off guard, as he had not expected this.

“What?”

“Uncle stays here to assist Mo Lin,” Liuyu’s gaze darkened as she looked toward Mo Lin, “The plan is interconnected. If this link is broken, everything will be in vain.”

Nan Gongyao stared at her in confusion, then glanced toward Mo Lin.

Was she really going?

Was she not going to save him?

Liuyu didn’t look back as she left.

For the Yinshan Clan, she could not save Mo Lin as Liuyu of the Yinshan Clan. To save him, she had to follow the original plan and quickly resume her identity as Jimo Gui.

She had to act fast.

As Liuyu moved toward the inner courtyard of the Shentu Clan, Mo Lin, who was being suppressed by the giant puppet, seemed to want to pursue and stop her.

But the black mysterious fire above pressed down even further.

It was as if it was warning him.

Mo Lin withdrew his gaze, his eyes piercing through the flames to meet the deep, abyss-like eyes of the puppet.

At times, he thought this thing was so stupid, devoid of any intelligence. But at certain moments of combat, it seemed to act on some kind of instinct, incredibly sharp and unpredictable.

Instinct.

Was it the instinct to protect Liuyu?

The moment this thought appeared, Mo Lin would rather the puppet had simply lost control and gone mad.

For the sake of the plan, he had to be an enemy to Liuyu.

But this massive metal block, could it instinctively guard her?

What kind of junk was this?

“Liuyu from the Yinshan Clan has gone to kill Yin Zishi!”

Yue Niang, seeing that almost no one had noticed Liuyu’s departure, immediately shouted to Zhongli He.

“Aren’t you trying to protect that person? Send the puppets after her!”

Zhongli’s people finally snapped out of their daze in the midst of the raging mysterious fire. Zhongli He immediately threw out his puppet controlling staff, forming a seal with his hands and shouting:

“Chase!”

“Intercept!”

Apart from the giant puppet, the rest of the puppets responded, some heading to chase Liuyu, while others quickly lined up to block Nan Gongyao, who had feigned chasing after Liuyu.

Zhongli He was shocked to find that these puppets were indeed much stronger than before, able to hinder Nan Gongyao’s steps.

Yue Niang collapsed weakly onto the ground.

The plan was out of control, but not completely. At least the puppets she had modified were still functioning correctly. Thank heavens.

“—You want to save her?”

Mo Lin sensed the subtle movement of the puppet and the ghostly fire in his palm seemed to ignite within his chest.

“How dare you! You think you’re worthy to save her?”

Taking advantage of the giant puppet’s momentary distraction, the boundless ghostly fire roared past, and Mo Lin, using the momentum, kicked the puppet to the ground, turning a courtyard into ruins in the blink of an eye.

But the people watching the puppet saw that, as if Mo Lin had kicked it awake, the puppet’s first reaction after getting up wasn’t to fight back. Instead, it immediately ran without hesitation.

It seemed to be chasing after the direction in which Liuyu had disappeared.

Nan Gongyao, who was hindered by other puppets, looked back and saw Mo Lin land another punch, nearly smashing the giant puppet into the ground.

If this were a living person, they would have been turned to pulp by now.

But the puppet’s body, protected by its mysterious fire, had clearly absorbed some of the force. Even its golden armor only showed slight wear.

Although it still had energy left, it didn’t attack Mo Lin. Instead, it hurried toward the direction Liuyu had gone.

Seeing this, Nan Gongyao, surrounded by other puppets, couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of emotion.

What exactly was this thing?

Why was it so fixated on Liuyu?

If it weren’t for the fact that this thing was created by the Zhongli family, he really wanted to ask if there was a way to tame this puppet general. It has the ability to rival Mo Lin, and yet remains so loyal. If it could stay by Liu Yu’s side, it would be reassuring.

However, Mo Lin’s feelings were entirely opposite to those of Nangong Yao.

…Kill it.

He had to kill it.

When he saw the puppet generals chasing after Liu Yu, all the blood in his body screamed to rush and protect her. But Mo Lin knew his mission; he could not go after her and ruin Liu Yu’s plan.

But this stupid, oversized creature could blatantly do what he could not at this moment.

Like a protective dog, it rushed eagerly towards her.

Why did it have the right to do so?

How dare it get ahead of him?

Even if Liu Yu needed a protective dog by her side, it should be him—no one else, especially not this inexplicable thing.

On the other side, Liu Yu finally found the whereabouts of Yin Zishi.

When Yin Zishi heard the servant’s report that Mo Lin and Zhongli’s forces were not in an advantageous position, he immediately decided to escape from the Shentu mansion and hide in a safe place until Yin Shan Liu Yu and Nangong Yao left.

“Hurry! Why are you still dragging your feet? Quickly pack the jade seal and the market signs from that side! Don’t leave anything behind! Also, pack the account books—”

“Is this it?”

The young girl hanging upside down by the window had fingers as smooth and white as jade. The lacquer box in her hands contained a mustard seed bag filled with confidential documents from the Yinshan family market.

Among these was the secret operation of the Yinshan family’s market.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Yin Zishi’s back.

“Yin Zishi, Uncle Yin, why the hurry? Who are you trying to escape from?”

The girl, dressed in golden clothing and with a jade hairpin, leapt through the window and landed beside Yin Zishi. The cultivator guarding him couldn’t last three moves under her hands.

Fear of death arose in Yin Zishi’s heart, and he spoke recklessly.

“Liu Yu, this is not my fault! It’s your mother’s fault! I always said, how could an outsider take control of the Yinshan family? If your mother hadn’t been so stubborn, favoring outsiders and sidelining those of us who have served the Yinshan family for generations, I would never have done this!”

“I’ve been loyal to the Yinshan family, heaven can testify to this! My grandfather was a sworn brother to your grandfather, and he died in battle for your grandfather! Without my grandfather, how would the Yinshan family have today’s glory? What right does Nangong Jing have—”

A blood drop fell from the jade sword that severed Yin Zishi’s arm, plopping onto the ground.

Liu Yu stepped closer, ignoring his twisted, painful screams.

“It seems like you’ve got something wrong.”

Liu Yu looked at the traitor who had handed over her family’s market to the enemy after the fall of the Yinshan family in the past life. She spoke softly:

“After my father married my mother, our family was separated from the main branch. If it weren’t for my mother supporting our family, the main house wouldn’t have taken us back, and you servants of the family would’ve long been destroyed with the corrupt Yinshan family.”

These events of the Yinshan family were only a hundred years ago.

The elders who witnessed this past were still alive. How could they now turn things upside down?

“It’s you who will perish!!”

The pain from his severed arm caused Yin Zishi to writhe on the ground, but he still shouted curses.

“No family will trust an outsider while weakening their own kin. Nangong Jing is seeking her own destruction! If I don’t find another way, am I supposed to die along with your sinking ship—”

His voice was too loud, and Liu Yu had to cut off another of his legs to silence him.

But Yin Zishi’s words made Liu Yu vaguely realize something.

It wasn’t just the external enemies.

The Yinshan family’s internal problems had already been brewing.

And these were irreconcilable problems.

In the past, Liu Yu, as a noble lady, never concerned herself with family matters. But now that she was leading a family, she understood how difficult it was to control such a large and complex entity.

In aristocratic families, there was always a lack of capable heirs.

Most of the family’s descendants were useless, while talented people often appeared among commoners. Aristocratic families coveted these talents but were hindered by the rules prohibiting intermarriage with commoners. No matter how strong these talents were, they could never rise to power.

Nangong Jing had broken this rule, hiring talents based on merit. As long as someone had the ability, they could rise to high positions, regardless of their background.

This had shaken the interests of too many people.

While Yin Shan Ze was still alive, he could suppress the pressure within the family and keep the hearts of the people stable.

But after Yin Shan Ze and she both died at the Cliff Mountain, the Yinshan family lost its leaders. The saplings had not yet grown to support the family, and the collapse of the great house was only a matter of time.

So, in the end, in the previous life, the Yinshan family’s vassals scattered, but the Tan Ning branch remained unusually loyal. Even the Jiufang family wanted to recruit them.

They were repaying Nangong Jing’s kindness.

“You’re right.”

Liu Yu slowly crouched down in front of Yin Zishi.

“The Yinshan family’s ship can no longer sail on the divine land of today.”

A cold and clear gleam flickered on the jade sword, reflecting in Yin Zishi’s terrified trembling eyes.

“Therefore, the decayed will sink, and the pillars that rise will be reborn.”