Chapter 125: The Sword Sect's Divine Realm

"Very well."

Liu Fenglian struggled to push herself up from the ground, her small face deathly pale, a picture of fragile, heart-wrenching beauty. She knew full well that in her severely wounded state, she was no match for Jiang Min. Moreover, since Jiang Min had been capable of forcing back the mastermind behind the scenes, her strength must have improved significantly; Liu dared not underestimate her.

Her willow-leaf brows furrowed, and with an expression of pitiful supplication, she turned her wrist and raised a finger. Thousands of "Villain Tokens" transformed into a torrent, flying out from her universe bag. After she wiped away her spiritual signature from them, they drifted toward Jiang Min.

On the scroll suspended in the sky, Liu Fenglian's name vanished.

Both Yun Qianli and Liu Fenglian were prominent figures on the ranking board. The consecutive disappearance of their names from the top of the list caused a stir among all parties. No one knew what had happened, as no cultivator’s token count had surged, suggesting that whoever had obtained the tokens had merely collected them without refining them.

"Why spare those few people?"

After securing the Villain Tokens, Jiang Min turned her head to look at the cultivators who had been accidentally caught in the crossfire of the grand formation. She had been watching from the shadows and had seen clearly that Liu Fenglian’s original intention had been to let them live.

"They bore no karmic debt of slaughter. Why should I kill them?" Liu Fenglian raised an eyebrow, her tone matter-of-fact.

"Oh? Can you see the karmic obstacles on others?" Jiang Min asked with surprise.

"All Buddhist cultivators can, Sister." Liu Fenglian blinked, her tone sweet and ingratiating.

"What about the others? Did you kill them because they bore the karma of slaughter?"

"That's right," Liu Fenglian said with complete seriousness. "Those who kill wantonly reap the retribution of a short life. Since they are not destined for a short life, I simply shorten it for them."

"So, when you tried to kill me upon our first meeting, was it also because I bore the karma of slaughter?" Jiang Min asked with keen interest.

"Uh..."

At these words, Liu Fenglian’s expression faltered. She shook her head innocently, blaming herself: "Sister, you are different. I’m sorry; I misjudged you when we first met."

Jiang Min knew she was merely putting on a show and was unmoved. Without a ripple in her heart, she said coldly, "As a Buddhist cultivator, aren't you afraid that slaughtering so many beings will stain your karma and ruin your cultivation?"

"Sister, isn't killing those who kill also a form of merit?"

Liu Fenglian let out a sudden, mocking laugh, her voice youthful: "If retribution were effective, why would the loyal and kind die in this world while the wicked remain alive? If they receive no retribution, then naturally, I have nothing to fear."

Hearing her say this, Jiang Min was somewhat surprised by her perspective. However, having asked what she needed to know, there was no reason to stay. She sheathed her sword and turned to leave.

Liu Fenglian watched her retreating figure, her eyes brightening with a clever glint. Knowing full well the answer, she called out loudly, "Are you not going to kill me, Sister?"

Jiang Min did not answer. Without turning her head, she said nonchalantly, "The one who ambushed you was Yun Qianli of the Yun Gang."

***

On the ranking board, only four hundred names remained in the blink of an eye. Most of these were members of factions; solo practitioners were rare, either possessing genuine skill or being adept at hiding, waiting in obscurity for the Villain Trial to end.

As for the names that had disappeared from the list, they had either given up and left the city or were buried within this desolate ruins...

In the center of Villain City, a "city within a city" stood. Thick walls built of pitch-black boulders enclosed the buildings, making it difficult for outsiders to see what lay within.

In the central pavilion, several people sat by the railing, enjoying spiritual wine and delicacies, looking down upon the entirety of Villain City. The person in the center seat was young and handsome, dressed in cyan-white ancient robes. Inadvertently, the seasoned, sharp gaze beneath his eyes leaked out—a posture of oppression that only the elderly possess.

Suddenly, a middle-aged cultivator at the lower seat took out a communication jade talisman. Moments later, he looked pleased and spoke to the young man in the center: "Master, Third Junior Sister has sent word. It is confirmed that in two months, at the designated hour, the cave-heaven node of the Ziyin Sword Sect will open as expected."

The young-faced white-robed cultivator in the center was the famed City Lord of Villain City, Old Man Guishan. He raised his wine cup, his gaze crossing a long distance to observe a gang fight miles away. Hearing the news, he asked, "Have the candidates to be sent into the cave-heaven fragment world been chosen?"

"They have. Lin Kaiyuan and Yao Sheng," the middle-aged cultivator replied.

"Those two..." Old Man Guishan pondered for a moment before continuing, "Very well. Now, we only need to see who the third candidate will be."

The middle-aged cultivator asked further, "Should this opportunity be given to a sword cultivator? That female sword cultivator named Ming Ruoshui has hidden many tokens; she might eventually surpass the Black and White Eagles. Should we..."

Old Man Guishan looked up into the distance, seeing Jiang Min, whose sword light had startled the heavens miles away. He raised an eyebrow and said, "A sword cultivator? That would be even better. They can unlock the ancient sword path inheritance and gain much more."

"Whoever goes in, as long as they help me obtain the Supreme Infant Spiritual Heart, it is fine. If they dare to stir up trouble or harbor improper intentions, simply kill them."

At the end of his sentence, Old Man Guishan’s tone grew heavy. A formless intent to kill seemed to manifest, making those present feel a tremor in their hearts.

***

As time passed, the number of names on the ranking board dwindled. New names would occasionally pop up, clearly people who had been hiding for a long time, planning to fish in troubled waters and enter the top one hundred.

Jiang Min crouched, hiding between layers of eaves, looking up at the scroll floating in the air.

First place: Black Eagle, 8,662.
Second place: White Eagle, 8,661.
Third place: Silver Wolf, 7,346.
Fourth place: Yun Qianli, 6,543.

"This Yun Qianli is quite capable. He has recovered to fourth place, while the fifth-place, Lan Yunxi, has vanished—likely having had her tokens seized by Yun Qianli."

Jiang Min studied the scroll, her thoughts turning. She currently held just over ten thousand Villain Tokens. While it seemed like the highest individual count, the Black and White Eagles, who shared a single heart, could easily combine their tokens, keeping them far ahead and firmly in first place.

If she wanted to secure the top spot and obtain the secret realm's opportunity, she needed at least twenty thousand tokens!

At this moment, she did not yet know what kind of ancient secret realm it was, but any ancient secret realm held immense appeal for her. She was determined to win.

"One should sprout their own wings rather than rely on a ladder of clouds. My master’s assistance is only temporary; the most reliable path is to seize my own opportunities."

"It seems I must go and plunder the tokens of the factions... Hmm? Could it be that the Twin Eagle Alliance and the Silver Wolf Gang have started fighting?"

Jiang Min looked toward the distance.

"Roar!"
"Howl!"

From the east, the faint sounds of beast roars and wolf howls drifted over. It was likely the Black and White Eagles, skilled in beast taming, encountering the Silver Wolf, who was a demon cultivator. With only three hundred people left on the board and the number constantly decreasing, the battle between the strongest faction, the Twin Eagle Alliance, and the runner-up, the Silver Wolf Gang, would likely decide the final outcome.

Jiang Min’s eyes shifted with interest.

"I’ll go watch the show and see if I can pick up some scraps."

She immediately activated her invisibility cloak, concealed her presence, and darted toward the sound of the roars.

The battleground was the Qingshi Valley, a place somewhat familiar to Jiang Min. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the valley had a wide field of vision, while the area outside and between the mountains offered easy cover for ambushes. Two groups were currently locked in a fierce struggle within the valley.

Jiang Min hid behind a pile of jagged rocks, gazing into the valley.

The Black Eagle and White Eagle were each controlling a giant eagle flying in the air. At the bottom of the valley, the demon cultivator Silver Wolf, covered in silver-white fur, was joining forces with his gang members to fight a black-scaled giant python over ten feet long.

This was the first time Jiang Min had seen a demon cultivator. She stared intently at Silver Wolf’s transformation, her expression slightly odd.

"If a demon cultivator casts spells, they transform into the likeness of a demon beast. If I were to cultivate the path of the demon, would I have to turn into a tree?"

***

(Note regarding Liu Fenglian’s source of belief: "The Sutra on the Differences in Karma as Told by the Buddha to the Elder Shoujia" lists ten types of karma that lead to a short life: 1. Killing oneself; 2. Encouraging others to kill; 3. Praising the act of killing; 4. Rejoicing upon seeing killing; 5. Wishing for the destruction of those one hates; 6. Taking joy in the destruction of enemies; 7. Destroying a fetus; 8. Teaching others to destroy; 9. Building temples to gods while slaughtering living beings; 10. Teaching others to fight and harm each other.)

—

I sewed a poem for Senior Sister Ming today; I hope I have the chance to write it down in the future.