Before Shen Nanyin had even reached the meditation chamber, he received a transmission from his Master.
Jingci Fazong wanted him to come at once—Yu Buran had returned.
The spirit-suppression rite should have lasted three days. Not even two had passed. For his junior brother to return so suddenly meant something had gone wrong.
Shen Nanyin hurried straight to Qingxu Pavilion. It was Jingci Fazong’s place of seclusion, guarded against everyone except Shen Nanyin, who could come and go freely. The moment he stepped inside, he felt the tension in the air.
He swept his gaze over those present. Besides his Master, there were the three junior brothers who had gone with Yu Buran to Heart-Devouring Valley for the rite.
All three had been injured, though their spiritual breath remained steady. Shen Nanyin didn’t see Yu Buran anywhere in the pavilion.
“Eldest Senior Brother.”
The three junior brothers bowed their heads at the sight of him, and immediately reported on Yu Buran’s condition.
“Second Senior Brother was hurt saving us. He’s lying in Bishui Palace, unable to move.”
“Something happened in Heart-Devouring Valley?” Shen Nanyin asked directly.
Fear crossed the three brothers’ faces. Their lips moved, but none dared to recall what had happened.
In the end it was Jingci Fazong who stepped forward to explain everything.
“There’s a problem with the seal on Heart-Devouring Valley. There are signs it was forcibly breached.”
Jingci Fazong frowned. “I observed the heavens last night, divined for the cultivation world, and saw a calamity star descending upon it. The Demon-Suppressing Tower has fallen these past days, and now the seal on Heart-Devouring Valley has been breached—both are connected to that calamity star.”
“The seal on Heart-Devouring Valley was forcibly breached?” Shen Nanyin said at once. “Impossible. I went for the rite just last season and inspected the seal carefully. There was nothing wrong with it.”
Jingci Fazong said slowly, “It must have appeared after you left. Since Heart-Devouring Valley was built, no one from the cultivation world has ever gone inside—we don’t know the details of what lies within. Perhaps someone truly withstood the agony of the heart-devouring rite and preserved enough strength to breach the seal.”
Shen Nanyin’s mind went briefly blank. For some reason, he thought of Cheng Xueyi, whom he had just seen.
The backlash she suffered closely resembled what the rite caused.
But she was, without doubt, a human cultivator—no trace of demonic energy could be found in her meridians. So he had assumed she’d taken some deviant path and been struck by backlash from her cultivation method.
“Nanyin?”
Shen Nanyin snapped back to himself. “I’m here, Master.”
“What were you thinking of?”
He paused. “It’s nothing, Master. I’d like to go to Heart-Devouring Valley again, to confirm the state of the seal.”
Jingci Fazong said, “I had the same thought. This task should never have gone to your junior brother in the first place—if you had gone, he wouldn’t have been hurt so badly. He insisted on proving himself, and now he lies in Bishui Palace, gravely wounded. Elder Su says he still needs one more herb before he can compound the pill to wake him.”
“Whatever herb Junior Brother needs, I’ll fetch it for him on my way back from Heart-Devouring Valley.” — B L A C K L O T U S Reading — Black Lotus Novel
A medicine that even Qiantian Sect didn’t have was naturally rare and precious, but Shen Nanyin spoke so firmly and calmly that everyone believed without question he could obtain it.
“It’s Moon-Mending Grass. Don’t you hold the first-viewing ticket for the Ghost Market’s next opening? Moon-Mending Grass is the centerpiece item of that very opening. Whatever the price, go and win it at auction to heal Buran.”
Moon-Mending Grass could bring the dying back to life and reforge spiritual meridians—a treasure seen once in a thousand years.
That Yu Buran’s injuries required Moon-Mending Grass showed just how dire things were.
Shen Nanyin paused at the words, then nodded in agreement after a few breaths.
He didn’t linger after leaving Qingxu Pavilion, heading straight out of the sect for Heart-Devouring Valley.
Heart-Devouring Valley lay far at the edge of the cultivation world; even at Shen Nanyin’s pace, it would take a full day and night to arrive.
He pushed himself to the limit and reached it that very night.
Qiantian Sect knew bright moons and clear skies, its four seasons distinct.
Heart-Devouring Valley knew only darkness, cold, and endless winter.
Wind and snow drifted ceaselessly in the dim light, and wailing cries rose—whether from within the valley or carried on the wind, none could say.
Shen Nanyin spotted the flaw in the seal at a glance. Demonic energy and resentment poured out in overwhelming waves; anyone whose heart wasn’t firmly set would be seized by that energy the instant they drew near.
Shen Nanyin, of course, had no such worry. He set at once to remaking the seal, forcing the demonic energy back into the breach inch by inch, biting his fingertip to seal it with blood, using a blood array to mend the damaged seal completely.
By the time he finished, it was daytime again, though Heart-Devouring Valley never saw sunlight—the light remained exactly as it had been the night before. His spiritual power was spent; he swayed a little as he walked, weak, though not to the point of falling.
He could now confirm that the breach in the seal had indeed appeared after his rite last season.
Something great and demonic stirred within Heart-Devouring Valley, seeming desperate to break free and do something.
Shen Nanyin never doubted that some great demon could endure the lash of the heart-devouring torment and preserve its cultivation—but he hadn’t believed any of them truly capable of breaking through the array.
That such a thing had nearly happened now forced him to reconsider the seal’s reliability, and to wonder just what could be worth such a risk—exposing that much power just to try to break out.
Shen Nanyin swallowed a spirit-restoring pill, and after a moment’s thought, entered Heart-Devouring Valley alone.
Since its construction, no one had ever truly gone inside to see what lay within.
Shen Nanyin had expected to find demonic energy filling the sky and bones littering the ground. He found neither.
He saw rows of dwellings instead—surrounded by demonic energy, certainly, but ignoring that, it might have passed for an ordinary town.
A blood moon hung in the sky. With every step Shen Nanyin took, endless demonic energy splashed outward.
“True Martial, Bright Flower Daoist Lord…”
Down the empty street came the faint sound of a young man’s laughter.
“You actually dare to walk in?”
“Shen Nanyin, how dare you come in here?”
Shen Nanyin fixed on the source of the voice at once, his life-bound sword already in hand, meeting the demonic energy rushing at him and shattering it into golden light.
A muffled grunt sounded. Shen Nanyin couldn’t see where the young man was, but he didn’t need to in order to know his opponent wasn’t faring well.
“It was you who tried to breach the seal?”
He made the judgment calmly—the demonic energy left on the seal matched this one’s. That it couldn’t withstand his sword-intent was partly because the pain of the rite originated from him, leaving an instinctive fear and submission toward him, and partly because breaching the seal had cost it too much strength.
“No answer? Then I’ll see for myself.” Shen Nanyin said slowly.
He raised his sword, the blade sweeping past his eyes as he activated a technique of clear sight, and every demon hidden around the dwellings became plain to him.
They were guarding something.
There was an unusual fluctuation of spiritual power there—something that could never be discovered without entering Heart-Devouring Valley itself.
“That’s—”
Shen Nanyin moved to get closer and investigate, but the demons in the valley fought with everything they had to keep him away.
A great battle was about to break out.
Qiantian Sect, Taixuan Palace.
Cheng Xueyi arrived for her shift pale-faced, A Qing circling her worriedly, wanting her to go back and rest more.
“In past years you’ve always recovered in three days. Why is it taking so long this time—it’s been seven days now, hasn’t it?”
A Qing touched her face with concern. “Does it still hurt?”
Cheng Xueyi smiled faintly, her pale little face made all the more pitiable by the forced smile.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Go rest, you’ve covered for me so many days, you must be exhausted.”
“But—”
“Really, I’m fine. I know my limits. Go on.”
A Qing hesitated endlessly but couldn’t win out against Cheng Xueyi, and finally left, looking back every few steps.
Once inside Taixuan Palace, Cheng Xueyi went straight to where tasks were assigned, tilting her head up to look at the glowing task tablets, and picked the one closest to where the Ghost Market’s next opening would be held.
“Junior Sister Cheng, that’s a Grade-A task.”
The senior brother handing out tasks kindly pointed out, “Did you grab the wrong one? Hand it here, I’ll put it back—pick again?” B L A C K L O T U S Reading — Black Lotus Novel
Cheng Xueyi shook her head. “I didn’t grab it wrong, Senior Brother. I just want to test how my cultivation has progressed lately, try challenging a Grade-A task.”
The senior brother looked her over carefully. “But you’re only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. Grade-A tasks are meant to be completed alone at the Core Formation level.”
“This task is just gathering spiritual herbs—it’s only graded high because of the dangerous terrain, and the elders wanted to protect disciples’ safety. I’m really short on spirit stones, I truly want to try. Please let me go, Senior Brother.” Cheng Xueyi pressed her lips together slightly, looking pitiful. “If I can’t manage it, I’ll come straight back, I promise?”
Looking into her wide, glistening eyes, the senior brother found he couldn’t refuse.
He’d more or less watched this junior sister grow up—always obedient, always working hard, always accepting whatever came her way without complaint. It was rare for her to insist on anything.
“Then you mustn’t push yourself too hard. Your life matters most, understand?”
“I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother!”
Cheng Xueyi’s eyes curved with her smile as she tucked the task tablet away—now she had a legitimate reason to leave the sect for Water Cloud Expanse.
This year’s Ghost Market was being held at Water Cloud Expanse.
The name sounded lovely, but the place was actually a treacherous natural chasm. Though close to Desireless Heavenly Palace, Yujing Shenzong, and Qiantian Sect, it belonged to none of them—an unclaimed borderland.
The Ghost Market had chosen to open there, and the gathering task Cheng Xueyi had taken was also at the edge of Water Cloud Expanse.
Just as A Qing had said, the backlash she’d suffered this time was unusual. After Shen Nanyin personally treated her, she’d recovered considerably—but then suddenly her mind and spirit grew unstable, her soul unsteady, and the suppressed meridians nearly collapsed. She needed to leave Qiantian Sect quickly.
If the suppression truly failed and exposed her demonic energy, with Jingci Fazong and so many great powers here, she would certainly be finished.
Once outside Qiantian Sect, she’d still need to find a way to mend her soul, regulate her meridians, and try to free up a portion of her spiritual power for use.
Staying in the outer sect forever wasn’t a solution. She needed to enter the inner sect to get closer to the legendary Qiantian Sect treasure, the White Marsh Chart.
Back then, for fear of being discovered, she’d suppressed too much of her power—with her current cultivation, trying to enter the inner sect now was pure fantasy.
Not long ago, Shen Nanyin had treated her injuries and cleared some of the impurities from her spiritual root. When the time came and her root showed changes and her cultivation advanced, she could attribute it all to him—a perfectly convincing excuse.
She’d heard this year’s centerpiece treasure at the Ghost Market was Moon-Mending Grass—exactly what she needed. Since Shen Nanyin had so generously offered to put it on his Ghost Market account, she wouldn’t be polite about it.
She’d use his money to buy a few other treasures, sell them off and convert them to spirit stones, and use those to bid on the Moon-Mending Grass.
Cheng Xueyi had it all planned out perfectly. After her shift, she said goodbye to A Qing, gathered her things, and prepared to head down the mountain.
A roll of drums caught her attention. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, she saw a sky-spanning flying vessel sailing grandly forth, with countless inner sect disciples riding clouds or swords along the horizon, seeing off whoever rode aboard.
Cheng Xueyi recognized that vessel—it belonged to the Saint Son and Saintess of Desireless Heavenly Palace.
Fu Jinghua and Fu Xiaoran, brother and sister, had resolved the matter at the Demon-Suppressing Tower and were heading back to their sect.
What surprised her was that her sharp eyes caught sight of someone on that vessel who had no business being there.
Shen Nanyin stood alone at the prow, the wind lifting his white robes, hazy and dreamlike as woven mist.
Despite the great distance, he sensed her gaze keenly, and looked unerringly toward exactly where Cheng Xueyi stood.
The two of them, separated by ten thousand li, held each other’s gaze for one subtle moment before Cheng Xueyi turned and walked away.
She hadn’t gone far when the vessel—which should have sailed straight past the mountain gate toward Desireless Heavenly Palace—slowed and came to a stop directly above her.
Shen Nanyin looked down from the prow, his gaze holding none of the discomfort of being looked down upon.
He still seemed as gentle and unassuming as ever, never one to consider himself above others, his face even a little pale, much like hers.
He said nothing. It was Fu Jinghua, not far behind him, who smiled and extended a hand toward Cheng Xueyi.
“Junior Sister, are you headed to Water Cloud Expanse? It’s on our way—come along with us.”
Cheng Xueyi was leaving the sect, passing through the mountain gate, her task tablet hanging at her waist to let the guarding disciples and the mountain-protection array allow her through.
As Fu Jinghua passed, she found the girl’s face familiar, recalled some connection to the Eldest Senior Brother, and noticed the task tablet at her waist—so she’d had the vessel draw near and stop, meaning to give her a ride part of the way.
The offer was kindly meant, but Cheng Xueyi had no wish to board.
Her condition was too unstable right now, and this vessel carried not only the Saint Son and Saintess of Desireless Heavenly Palace but, most critically, Shen Nanyin—if anything gave her away, she’d be finished.
She meant, as was only proper, to decline. But before she could speak, Shen Nanyin’s voice came first, hoarse and low: “Come aboard.”
“The mountains are high and the road is long. Your health matters more.”
