An Fei could easily converse with the heavenly dragon, but to the eyes of Xu Lingxin, Chang Jungyoon, and the remaining cultivators of the Haunted Buddhist Sect, Xilong was an intangible existence that could neither be noticed nor interacted with. As such, they observed nothing but a mortal girl bumbling to herself, and a black sphere hovering around her head.
And since the Shadow Blighting Pearl that they had arduously fought for, even risking their lives to certain points in their journey, was taken by an ordinary mortal girl while they were trapped in a deadlock…
“Hand the Shadow Blighting Pearl, and we’ll spare your life!”
Even if they had to break several laws that the monstrosity that was the Violet Jade Pavilion had established over the entire empire, it was fine as long as they secured the Shadow Blighting Pearl in their hands!
Eight cultivators howled in their hearts as they rushed towards the exasperated young girl, their weapons gleaming with a silvery light as their meagre reserves of spiritual essence displayed their final resolve.
Under the terrified gazes of the civilians, both the Morning Star Temple’s Xu Lingxin and the Haunted Buddhist Sect’s Chang Jungyoon expended the remainder of their spiritual essence in triggering their signature martial arts techniques.
The <Purification> of the Morning Star Temple cast forth a blinding white light that erupted from the temple maiden’s feet, exposing and consecrating the slightest of misaligned sentiment within the nearby people. In response, the <Depravity> of the Haunted Buddhist Sect forced a torrent of malicious thoughts to drown the hearts of those present, and the tsunami of viscous black shadows shivered in delight as it hounded after Chang Jungyoon’s soles.
Though the remaining six cultivators of the Haunted Buddhist Sect were not as talented and proficient as their leader and thus were unable to cast their sect’s signature martial arts technique, their endowed physiques and capabilities were not to be underestimated.
Poised before her was a frontal assault that far exceeded the capabilities of a mortal, and many expected for An Fei to disintegrate in a matter of seconds.
“Ah!”
The young girl failed to disappoint as she instantly broke into a dash in the opposite direction, leaping into the large, winding streets of the city.
Streams of unintelligible curses of a different language broke from her lips, and the heavenly dragon couldn’t help but blink as its dignity was stripped apart phrase by phrase.
Of course, it didn’t forget to never release the insignificant object clenched in its claws, for that would be a shame, an utter shame…
“Trying to run away!?”
Xu Lingxin and Chang Jungyoon blushed with shame and humiliation upon noticing the receding figure of the young girl, and couldn’t help but bitterly shout in their hearts. The shrine maiden stared in the direction that An Fei had taken, and exhaled after a moment of thought.
“Chang Jungyoon, it seems that you’ll definitely win this round,” she scoffed with pursed lips.
“A six-man advantage, whereas I can only stall you alone given our respective attainments in cultivation. An impossible task it is, indeed!”
“But of course,” Chang Jungyoon gestured with a grievous smile.
“Lady Xu has gained significant advantages compared to that of our Haunted Buddhist Sect, potentially enough to offset the deficit of a single Shadow Blighting Pearl. Perhaps, when Lady Xu returns to the Morning Star Temple, your punishment will be much less severe than that of ours.”
Xu Lingxin trembled in anger at the openly bared mockery within Chang Jungyoon’s voice, but deigned not to reply. Leaning her body against the cold brick wall of a nearby resident’s building, the temple maiden proceeded to recover her spiritual essence as quickly as possible.
She couldn’t triumph over the Haunted Buddhist Sect in her current circumstance as she were alone compared to their six-man group, but should she recover to her peak earlier than Chang Jungyoon…
“Hmph, just you wait! Once I obtain the Shadow Blighting Pearl, I’ll make sure the change a few features on that beauty of yours, particularly that cold countenance! As for you, mortal girl!”
Chang Jungyoon fiercely muttered to himself upon witnessing Xu Lingxin’s display of indifference, and sat cross-legged on the ground while forcing down multi-colored pills down his throat.
At the same time, his hands twitched while concealed in his long sleeves, dispatching an indistinct message through the shadows…
–
“Leader signaled for us to claim the Shadow Blighting Pearl while keeping the mortal girl alive. He says that there’s a possibility that she might be a spy from the Morning Star Temple…”
“A mortal spy employed by the Morning Star Temple?” another frowned in doubt.
“Then why did their maiden attack without mercy? Should that attack hit my, my spine might have shattered from the extent of purification emitting from it!”
“Enough. Focus on the objective for now – why is this mortal girl so hard to chase down?”
The six cultivators of the Haunted Buddhist Sect hemmed and hawed as they scoured through the streets of the city, their vigilant gaze piercing through the illusions of the civilians. Utilizing the clay tile rooftops as platforms, they traversed through the Grace Street with ease.
“We can still perceive the distinct aura of the Shadow Blighting Pearl, meaning that it has yet to leave the street,” one of the elderly cultivators mused with a flick of his wrist.
“But why would it even be attracted to a mortal in the first place?”
The question remained unanswered, even as the prime target of their search, An Fei, hid in the building directly underneath their feet.
Moreover, the indistinct annoyance at being able to strongly discern the aura of a spiritual object, without being able to realize its general location, was capable of throwing off even the most reasonable judgement…
“…so why did you do that?”
An Fei blearily glared at the shadowy sphere that was happily swimming through the air. Though she was still unable to see the heavenly dragon through her naked eyes, the presence of the Shadow Blighting Pearl was able to deliver an approximate position.
“You were the one who demanded that I take things easy and not provoke trouble, since that would restrain the… the so-called negative impulses that were throwing my state of mind off balance,” the young girl continued to advance with each statement, the cowl of aggression evident in her words.
“And yet, here you are – causing unnecessary trouble that I could have easily avoided after berating me for inciting trouble! What are you planning, exactly?”
“I spotted a chance for recovery! The probability for failure and its risks were minimal compared to the gain, so it was deemed appropriate!”
Xilong’s voice was gentle and refined, as though An Fei’s annoyance was nonexistent. The heavenly dragon waved the Shadow Blighting Pearl as it swung close around the young girl, placating her by resting one of its whiskers onto her head.
An Fei felt a streak of warmth coarse through her body, and before she could think about what had happened, the heavenly dragon’s voice echoed in her ears once more.
“Given your circumstances, the optimal route of recovery is to understand what exactly it means to be human. After which, you can construct an artificial soul based on your understanding, stabilizing your existence in this mortal world,” Xilong sighed in emotion.
“Remember – your existence in this Shattered Star Continent may be maintained by the Sanctuary, but that process requires an exorbitant amount of time! Without the protection of a container that is the soul, your psyche will be gradually eroded into a few strands of spiritual intent.”
“To understand the point of human existence, you must experience and become familiar with all aspects of human life. So far, you have attained significant understanding of one aspect – that of their depravity and sin, the utter darkness that lies behind all intelligent beings,” Xilong consoled, and the pearl swiveled in the air.
“Now you must experience the other – that of companionship, familial and romantic love, and compassion. My acts of snatching this broken-down pearl was done because there existed a potential friendship you could forge after removing the troublesome obstacles.”
The darkened room remained in silence for a brief moments, until the young girl’s voice broke through the momentary state of rigid peace. An Fei rubbed at the cool hilts of the twin butterfly swords, her expression completely unimpressed by Xilong’s explanation.
“Forge a potential friendship? With who – the sinister-looking man or the temple maiden?” she muttered with a grim smile.
“Both tried to kill me just minutes before, and you’re telling me that there exists a potential friendship?”
“Whoever you decide, will become the target of your friendship. Moreover, which of them truly held a murderous intention towards you when they attacked?”
Xilong responded with a brief chuckle, and its expression magnified upon watching An Fei puff her cheeks in annoyance.
Just as it began to deliberate what type of prank it was to throw at the useless Shadow Blighting Pearl, the wooden door was slammed open, and a man adorned in black robes stomped in whilst swinging his sword.
“How annoying, can’t even let a young girl g-“
“Hand over the Shadow Blighting Pearl!”
