Nameless District Arc Chapter 67: It No Longer Matters

After leaving Mandarin Duck Peak, Zhou Xuanhong made his way to the inner disciples’ residential area, seeking news of Li Li. He wanted to see if this inner sect sword genius was still pursuing Qiao Yixue—after all, Zhou Xuanhong had quite an appreciation for that man’s body.

Judging from Li Li’s facial expressions and the emotions in his eyes, as well as the attitude of that renowned late Golden Core expert from Songshan Sword Pavilion, Zhou was almost certain that Li Li was indeed cultivating the Emotionless Sword Path.

Zhou Xuanhong sincerely hoped Li Li would master the Emotionless Sword Path. If, one day, he had a chance to seize Li Li’s corpse and refine it into a puppet, it would be a formidable asset. Of course, this was just a possibility—Li Li was highly valued by Songshan Sword Pavilion, and should war truly break out, their powerful elders would surely protect him.

“Isn’t this Junior Zhou? What a coincidence! What brings you here?” A female disciple greeted Zhou Xuanhong warmly as she approached.

He recognized her at once—she was one of the three who had come to recruit disciples in Luoshui City, and if memory served, her name was Hua Yuanyuan. She was quite easy to identify, not least because of her ample chest.

Zhou Xuanhong cupped his hands in greeting. “It’s been a while, Senior Hua. Congratulations on advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. I’m here looking for Senior Brother Li Li, but it seems he’s not around.”

Hua Yuanyuan covered her mouth and laughed. “Indeed, it has been a while. Other than seeing your dazzling performance on the arena half a year ago, I haven’t seen you at all. If you’re looking for him, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. Elder Li has now broken through to the Golden Core stage. He’s a nominal elder at the Hall of Appointments and now resides at Jade Sword Peak. You’ll have to address him as ‘Elder’!”

Zhou Xuanhong nodded. He had heard from Kong Xiaori about Li Li’s advancement after leaving seclusion, though not about the details of his position.

“In that case, I’ll go to Jade Sword Peak and have a look.”

Hua Yuanyuan shook her head again. “When I returned from a mission recently, I saw Elder Li and Senior Sister Qiao Yixue leaving the sect together. They’re probably both away for a while.”

“So it seems I’ve come at the wrong time. Never mind, it’s nothing urgent anyway. Senior Hua, I’ll take my leave.”

Hua Yuanyuan smiled faintly. “Junior Zhou, have you heard the news about your wife?”

Zhou Xuanhong was momentarily stunned. “Xiaona? What happened?”

Hua Yuanyuan sighed, her eyes filled with envy. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. While I was out on a mission, I heard the top true disciple of the Extreme Yin Corpse Sect had reached peak Foundation Establishment and is now training in the Nameless Region, seeking to break through to the Golden Core stage.”

Zhou Xuanhong laughed. “As expected of my wife! In less than a year, she’s advanced from mid-Foundation Establishment to the very peak. But she’s so beautiful—won’t that be dangerous for her, traveling alone?”

Hua Yuanyuan chuckled. “She’s certainly not alone. There are powerful experts secretly protecting her. But I’ve also heard that she still hasn’t healed the scar on her face. Do you think she’ll come to visit you at Xingyan Sect?”

Zhou Xuanhong’s smile faded. He spoke calmly: “Whether she comes or not doesn’t matter much.”

With that, Zhou Xuanhong bid farewell and flew off toward Sect Leader Peak.

Some say when one person attains enlightenment, even their livestock ascends to heaven. But Zhou Xuanhong would never be mere livestock; he would rely on his own strength to catch up to Xiaona’s footsteps.

Moreover, he still did not know if Xiaona had been possessed. If she had, he would be in danger. If not, her desire to take him away would alert Xu Yuqi, who might then seize her body ahead of time. Either possibility was not what he wished to see.

Emotions are complex things, but the human heart is even more so. Wanting or not wanting is meaningless—he already knew the answer deep within.

Returning to Sect Leader Peak, Zhou Xuanhong began his third extended seclusion. The first time, he spent a little over a month to become a first-rank array master; the second time, he spent six months comprehending the Grand Evolution Art and the Finger of World’s End. Now, his goal in this third retreat was clear: to further his mastery of arrays.

…

On Taiping Peak, where the Grand Elder resided, Liu Xiang stood atop the beam of the main hall, overlooking the entire Xingyan Sect. His once-straight back was now bowed with age and burden.

“First my disciple, then my Liu clan, and now even my own flesh and blood. Such cunning, such ruthless calculation! This all started even before the World Pearl was awakened—no, it began when Xuan Qizi led people to hunt down the Old Black Ghost Daoist.

The one behind all this wants to drive Xu Wuyan and me into mutual destruction, to plunge Xingyan Sect into utter ruin. But why wait until now? If he hadn’t interfered before, the conflict would have erupted sooner; I would never have allowed Xuan Qizi to safely break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Clearly, the enemy needed time to build strength, to ensure maximum gain from the coming war.

So, to delay the conflict, he sacrificed the sect’s backbone and wiped out my Liu clan. Isn’t he afraid I’ll abandon the struggle and focus solely on revenge?

No—he knows I won’t give up decades of planning and renounce my bid for control of Xingyan Sect. He’s confident he can remain hidden, and that I alone cannot find him, especially with someone as strong as the Old Black Ghost Daoist on his side. If I want revenge, I must seize power from Xu Wuyan and use the whole sect’s strength to investigate. What a deep, vicious ploy!

So Wang Li is dead—serves him right. Did he think I didn’t know he was colluding with the Corpse Sect? I planned to have him help the Corpse Sect eliminate all the Xingyan disciples sent there, wrench Xu Wuyan’s heart, and then perform a heroic act of sacrificing kin for justice to win over the sect. But he was utterly useless—his death is no loss!

I should have sensed the danger sooner and protected my clan. Now my state of mind is broken, and advancement will be hard.

Xu Wuyan must be delighted to see me like this. If she uses this chance to repair her mind and ascend to Nascent Soul, my plans will be utterly ruined!”

After a long silence, Liu Xiang looked up at the sky. His back straightened once more, and his eyes blazed with boundless hatred.

“You destroyed my clan and shattered my Dao heart. Whoever you are, prepare to face my final madness—I will give up everything, just to kill you with my own hands!”

…

Tens of millions of kilometers from Xingyan Sect, two graceful figures wandered through a forest of demon beasts, strolling as if through their own backyard.

The woman on the left, though her figure was flawless and her bearing ethereal, had her face marred by hideous scars, ruining her beauty.

The woman on the right, lively and charming, was slightly less striking in figure and demeanor, but her phoenix-like eyes were captivating, her skin fair as jade. A veil hid her face, yet it was obvious she was a great beauty, and the veil only added an air of mystery.

The veiled woman asked, “Sister Xiaona, where shall we go for fun?”

The scarred woman pointed casually. “The goal of this trip is to break through to the Golden Core. My breakthrough is imminent, and with your talent as a corpse-born spirit, you too can reach the threshold soon. Fun isn’t the purpose—our aim is to achieve a breakthrough amid life and death.”

These two were none other than the first and second true disciples of the Extreme Yin Corpse Sect—Xiaona and Bai Youxuan.

Bai Youxuan pouted. “With your talent, breaking through the Golden Core should be easy. Why bother coming out here?”

Xiaona shook her head. “A breakthrough gained without challenge lacks insight into heaven and earth, lacks understanding of the laws. You may not feel it now, but when your cultivation is higher, you’ll realize how important it is to build a solid foundation.”

Bai Youxuan blinked. “You sound like you know a lot, as if you’ve been through it yourself.”

Xiaona glanced at her, catching the hidden meaning in her words, but said nothing more.

After a while, the restless Bai Youxuan spoke again. “Why don’t we go to Xingyan Sect? I want to see that clever friend of mine again. How about you—will you go? He is your husband, after all!”

Xiaona frowned. “Don’t bring that up again. There’s nothing between him and me. If you want to go, go by yourself.”

Bai Youxuan grinned mischievously. “You’re getting worked up—your emotions are all over the place. Looks like he’s important to you after all. Seems the jade slip he gave was right: when someone cares, you can tell from their little gestures, expressions, and glances.”

Xiaona shot her a cold look, stepped onto her flying sword, and changed direction without another word, clearly unwilling to spend another moment with her companion.

“Tch, what’s she so proud about? I really feel bad for Fellow Daoist Zhou, having such a cold-blooded wife. But maybe she really has been possessed—if so, I’ve offended an old ancestor of the Extreme Yin Corpse Sect! Whatever, we’re all disciples now—who’s afraid of whom? If I were Zhou, what would I do in this situation?”

After a moment, Bai Youxuan scratched her head. “Can’t figure it out, so I’ll just have fun!”

Once Xiaona and Bai Youxuan had left, two figures appeared in the sky, flying purely by physical strength.

One of them sighed. “Just a few words and they fell out. Now I’m curious about this Zhou Xuanhong of Xingyan Sect.”

The other shrugged. “Don’t be curious—let them be. Our job is to protect those two. Let’s move.” With that, he took one step forward, traversing space and vanishing.

…

In the ancestral lands of the Xu family, atop the Supreme Peak of Xingyan Sect.

Xuan Qizi knelt before a portrait. From within the painting, a figure emerged: Xu Yuqi.

Xu Yuqi stood with his hands behind his back. “I can feel that the Divine Imprint of Evolution has been fully absorbed by him. All that remains is for him to reach the Golden Core, and I can seize his body at once.”

Xuan Qizi looked troubled. “Ancestor, I fear something may happen before he breaks through. Liu Xiang has been gravely wounded, and I worry he might do something reckless. I also heard that Xiaona has gone out to train and might come to our sect to take Zhou Xuanhong to the Extreme Yin Corpse Sect.”

Xu Yuqi waved a hand. “Don’t bother me with such trifles. You’re the sect master—deal with it yourself. If you can’t handle a mere elder and a little girl, then your thousand years of life have been wasted.”

“Yes, Ancestor.”