The fierce energy continued to ravage Lin Dan’s body, and with it, the excruciating pain persisted. Every moment, Lin Dan felt as if she were lying on an execution platform, enduring the agony of being cut a thousand times. Her flesh split open, blood flowed freely, and her black hair withered away, but soon, new flesh, blood, and hair grew back, as if she were undergoing a complete rebirth.

But only Lin Dan herself knew that she had not been reborn. Rather, she was experiencing death every moment. Her body had become a battlefield between deathly energy and life energy, the two forces endlessly circulating within her. As long as she remained alive, the knife-like pain would persist.

Clenching the martial arts manual in her hand, Lin Dan let out a cold laugh. No wonder the old sect leader was willing to give the most advanced technique of the Eastern Sacred Sect to an orphan girl, and no wonder He Chongling allowed a lowly puppet to develop feelings for him. This ‘Asura Blade’ was nothing more than a self-destructive technique. If the practitioners could not rid themselves of emotional attachments, they would forever be stuck, but they would also gain incredible vitality, making them perfect tools for the old sect leader and He Chongling to exploit. Even if one were fortunate enough to master the technique, they would still endure the pain of ten thousand cuts daily, making life worse than death.

Pain accompanied their every step, their sleep, even their breathing…… Who could survive such relentless torment? It was likely that in two or three years, the practitioner would take their own life. No wonder this book was so mystical, capable of turning the other Lin Dan into a first-class master in just five years, yet no one else in the sect had practiced it. The old sect leader and He Chongling probably saw her as nothing more than a puppet to be studied. Whether she mastered the technique or not, they could keep her tightly under their control, ensuring she could never cause any waves.

What a cunning plan! Lin Dan’s eyes darkened slightly as she placed the manual into a sandalwood box for safekeeping. The life energy had already protected her nearly shattered heart meridian, but the Gu within her heart could not be removed. If it had been hiding elsewhere, it would have been torn apart by the fierce energy, but it was lodged in her heart, which the life energy firmly protected, allowing it to survive.

In other words, Lin Dan was still He Chongling’s puppet. If he wanted her to live, she would live. If he wanted her to die, she would have to die. However, this level of control no longer threatened Lin Dan. If she couldn’t destroy the Gu in her own heart, then she would just destroy the Mother Gu in He Chongling’s heart. Once the Mother Gu died, the Child Gu would perish as well.

She felt no emotions, so when she thought of killing He Chongling, there wasn’t even a ripple in her heart, let alone a murderous intent, and thus the Child Gu remained completely unresponsive. The Mother Gu in He Chongling was almost entirely unaware of the Child Gu and wouldn’t be affected by its destruction. It was clear that He Chongling never regarded the original owner as a person. How could he let the Child Gu in her body affect him? If the original owner died, so be it. To him, it was nothing more than losing a small insect, hardly a big deal.

Lin Dan avoided the guards and went to a spring in the back mountain, where she washed off the bloodstains on her body. She endured the pain of a thousand cuts every moment, yet her expression remained calm as if all was well. Although she had lost her memory, she had endured thousands of years of suffering. What was this current pain in comparison?

———pr

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

The next day was the wedding day of the sect leader and the saintess, so the sect was filled with lights and colorful decorations, creating a festive atmosphere. To prevent anyone from harming the handsome man after she left, the saintess insisted on bringing the man to the ceremony, and He Chongling allowed her to do so. He had planned it all out. He would let the handsome man witness the marriage between him and the saintess, completely severing any lingering feelings between the two. Once the deed was done, He Chongling could find an opportunity to kill the man later.

A maidservant entered a secluded courtyard and cautiously called out, “Left Protector, the time is near. You should head to the hall.”

Lin Dan finally emerged from her meditation and said slowly, “Find me a black dress.”

“Today is the sect leader’s joyous day. You should wear red.” The maidservant replied and lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Dan.

“Black doesn’t show dirt.” Lin Dan responded with a very indifferent tone. She was going to kill, not to celebrate.

The maidservant didn’t dare argue further and found a black dress for her, helping her put it on. While doing so, the other party tried to comfort Lin Dan, saying, “Left Protector, please don’t blame Young Master Bai. He was just implicated by He Yufei. After attending the wedding banquet, you can take him back to avoid the sect leader’s anger.” Young Master Bai was the man the other Lin Dan had brought back, named Bai Yan, while He Yufei was the newly appointed saintess. He Yufei originally had no name, only an identification number, but after catching He Chongling’s eye, she was given her current name. In the Eastern Sacred Sect, having the surname ‘He’ was an extremely sacred matter, a sign of the sect leader’s favor.

The other Lin Dan had fought and bled for He Chongling for many years but never earned the honor of his surname, while He Yufei only needed to smile or say a few playful words to win everyone’s favor. He Yufei was like the sun and rain, while the other Lin Dan was a worm living in darkness, their fates were vastly different.

But from today on, everything would change. Lin Dan would break the shackles, sever the ties, and ascend to the pinnacle of martial arts for the other Lin Dan because she knew that only the strongest would never be trampled upon.

When Lin Dan arrived, the sect members were all present. They looked at her black robe with expressions that ranged from contempt to understanding, or even sympathy. Everyone knew that the left protector was deeply in love with the sect leader, even though she later took Bai Yan as her male pet, a move widely misunderstood as an attempt to provoke the leader. They thought Lin Dan was clueless and unworthy of attention, and her usual cold and silent demeanor did little to endear her to others. It was no wonder that the leader looked down on her. Even the male pet she kept had been lured away by a maidservant.

“Left Protector, I suggest you go back and change into a different dress quickly. Otherwise, if the sect leader punishes you, you won’t be able to bear it. After all, today is the sect leader’s wedding day, yet you’re dressed like you’re attending a funeral. Aren’t you deliberately courting bad luck?” The right protector quietly advised.

Lin Dan only gave him a cold glance before sitting down and sipping some strong liquor. Her skin appeared extremely pale, her lips blood-red, and her black eyes were filled with frost, making her seem terrifying. The right protector met her gaze and, for some reason, shivered involuntarily, immediately silenced.

Lin Dan put down her cup and lowered her eyes, waiting. Bai Yan sat directly across from her. Normally, she would have stared at him intently, but today she didn’t even spare him a glance, treating him like a stranger. Bai Yan only gave her a brief, indifferent look before turning his gaze to the door, his expression calm.

Ever since being captured by the Eastern Sacred Sect, he had continued to play the qin, admire flowers, and paint with no signs of panic. To him, being kidnapped seemed like nothing more than a change of residence. He held a small wine cup in his hand but didn’t drink. Instead, he absentmindedly twirled it, his long fingers tapping lightly against the cup’s rim, his posture relaxed.

He was always calm and composed, which only made him more mysterious and alluring. People in the hall, both men and women, couldn’t help but glance at him. It seemed that with just a faint, gentle smile, he could inspire countless people to do anything for him.

Some couldn’t resist approaching, intending to offer him a drink, but a single indifferent look from him made them retreat, not daring to be so bold. Even without martial arts skills, and despite his frail body, his natural noble aura was something ordinary people could not hope to touch.

Amidst the laughter and noise, the sound of drums and music came from outside. The bride and groom had arrived. People of the martial arts world were unconstrained by tradition. The two didn’t carry a red rope and there was no bridal sedan or a bridal veil. Instead, they walked side by side. As soon as He Yufei entered the door, she looked at Bai Yan, and seeing him safe, she breathed a sigh of relief.

He Chongling, however, stared directly at Lin Dan, his gaze dark and foreboding. The hall was decorated with red lanterns and everyone was dressed festively, except for Lin Dan, who wore a black robe and had a cold expression. What was she doing? Did she intend to ruin this wedding?

He Yufei also noticed Lin Dan and a quick flash of joy passed through her eyes. She hoped Lin Dan would cause a scene so she could take advantage of the chaos to rescue her master.

Just as the festive atmosphere began to freeze because of Lin Dan, a sect member suddenly ran in and loudly reported, “Master, it’s bad! Qing^[1]Blue City, Tianjian^[2]Heavenly Sword Sect, Jiuchong^[3]Ninefold Mountain, and Yinyang^[4]Yin and Yang Pavilion have all gathered their forces and are attacking the mountain! They say they’re here to eradicate our sacred sect!”

“Those sects were quiet just a few days ago. Why have they suddenly attacked today?” He Chongling’s tone was steady, his demeanor composed, as if he didn’t take those sects seriously at all.

“Answering the Sect Leader, this Subordinate don’t know!” The disciple bowed his head in shame.

“Hmph, let them come. What do I have to fear?” He Chongling tore off his wedding robe and strode towards the mountain gate, only to see another sect member hurriedly rush in, his face full of panic. “Sect Leader, it’s terrible! The attacking forces number in the thousands and there’s even a half-step grandmaster sent by Lianyun^[5]Connected Clouds City leading them, along with over a hundred first-class experts. We fear we may not be able to hold them off!”

At those words, the sect members who had been filled with righteous anger froze in place, a deep fear rising from within them. The so-called righteous sects often came to provoke them at the mountain gate and they had never been afraid. However, such a massive force as today’s was unheard of and unseen before.

There are five levels in the martial arts world— third-class, first-class, super-class, half-step grandmaster, and grandmaster. With each ascension in level, combat power multiplied thousands of times. A first-class master could slaughter tens of thousands of low-level martial artists, while a half-step grandmaster could fend off hundreds of first-class masters. As for a grandmaster, that was a legendary realm, where a true battle could cause mountains to collapse and seas to roar, a true weapon of destruction.

Only five grandmasters had ever emerged on the Eastern Tang Continent, the strongest being the Lord of Lianyun City. He was the latest to enter the grandmaster realm, yet he had challenged and defeated four predecessors in succession, earning the title of Emperor Yun^[6]Cloud. The city he governed was thus named Lianyun City in his honor.

Eastern Sacred Sect’s strongest member was He Chongling, but he was merely a super-class master, still far from reaching the half-step grandmaster level. If it were only the major sects attacking, without Lianyun City’s involvement, he might still stand a chance. But now, with a half-step grandmaster leading the charge and a behemoth like Lianyun City behind them, the Eastern Sacred Sect had little chance of survival.

If they chose to fight today, it was likely that none of the sect members would escape death.