After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 47

The white-clad figure in her mind halted its movements as the sun slowly rose from the dark horizon.

 

Jiang Mianhao slowly opened her eyes, only to be met with darkness once again.

 

The soaring bird that had blocked her path earlier now lay dead at her feet, its true form revealed—a terrifying sight, stiff and black as ebony.

 

She glanced at the dark blood staining her sword and let out a long sigh of relief.

 

Only then did a shiver run through her.

 

The other bird-like creatures that had tried to close in were now held back by fear of her swordsmanship.

 

Amid the stunned flock, a black soaring bird suddenly flapped its wings, turned around, and fled into the distance.

 

Without a second thought, Jiang Mianhao gave chase but her path was immediately blocked by another wave of soaring birds.

 

Enraged, she swung her sword and shouted, “Move aside if you value your lives!”

The blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, and the wilderness echoed with the girl’s furious cry.

 

The bird-like creatures who had been preparing to advance froze in place, stunned. By the time they regained their senses, the girl had already dashed far away.

 

“Are we just going to let her go like that?” one of the creatures turned and asked. “Will the boss kill us?”

 

“Do you think she’ll survive if she keeps charging forward?” another replied. “She uses the same techniques as the Divine Maiden. Her inner strength is not to be underestimated.”

 

The black soaring bird flew at an incredible speed, and Jiang Mianhao gritted her teeth as she sprinted desperately after it.

 

The sky had completely darkened, and the prolonged chase had drained her last reserves of strength.

 

Beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down her temples, falling to the ground before she could even wipe them away.

 

The thick, metallic scent of blood filled the air, and a familiar, chilling glint suddenly appeared before her.

 

Jiang Mianhao no longer had the strength to pursue the soaring bird. She halted and stared at the scene ahead.

Countless soaring birds had formed a massive black circle with their bodies, and within that circle, the cold gleam of ice blades flickered.

 

Although Jiang Mianhao was still far from the formation, she could already feel an intense, bone-chilling cold.

 

Yet these creatures seemed utterly unaware—falling in waves, only to be replaced by others charging forward relentlessly.

 

Unlike the birds that had blocked her path earlier, these ones were driven by a fierce killing intent, as if determined to throw their lives away without hesitation.

 

Jiang Mianhao watched as the soaring birds plummeted, their rigid bodies pierced by countless ice blades.

 

Ice blades!

 

Inside the circle was Lu Jiu!

 

Gripping her sword tightly, Jiang Mianhao rushed toward the glowing formation without a second thought.

 

Her presence went unnoticed by the bird-like creatures. Every one of them had a single purpose: to dive toward the blazing circle.

 

Ye Qingge’s strength was completely spent, and her vision had already begun to blur.

 

The inner energy she had forcibly unleashed was now rebounding upon her in a terrifying surge, as if her entire body were being scorched by flames.

 

Yet the soaring birds showed no sign of relenting.

 

Wu Li held the unconscious red-haired woman in her arms, coldly watching the fading light ahead.

 

Her injured wings flapped weakly as she uttered a death curse:

 

“Hear my command, Soaring Bird Tribe.

Whoever brings me the head of the Divine Maiden shall become the next ruler of the Heavenly Realm.”

 

With the curse cast, more and more soaring birds flocked from the Crow Python Sea toward Mount Hua.

 

Watching the cold glint of light nearly swallowed by the swarm, Wu Li smirked before turning away and flying into the distance.

 

Ye Qingge gazed at the endless tide of soaring birds, her strength completely spent.

The bird-like creatures before her were a motley crew—the old, the weak, the sick, and the young had all emerged from their nests.

 

Some didn’t even need to be struck down by the ice blades; they fell dead the moment they drew near.

 

The endless stream of birds and beasts was rapidly depleting Ye Qingge’s inner energy.

 

Her spiritual power had been pushed to the brink of backlash, and the darkness clouding her vision lingered longer with each passing moment.

 

Just as she prepared to summon her true form, a clear, melodious voice rang out from behind the dense flock of birds.

 

“Green Wine!”

 

Jiang Mianhao had already taken her stance beneath the dark avian circle. As she shouted, she swung her sword forward.

 

The girl’s blade stood in stark contrast to the overwhelmingly powerful ice blades.

 

Striking the cursed soaring birds was no different from tossing a single pebble into a vast ocean.

 

Before the birds slain by her sword could even fall, new ones had already taken their place.

 

“Mianhao!”

 

Ling Lan, who had rushed over in haste, gripped her sword tightly.

 

At her feet lay the soaring bird she had just slain, its dark blood still dripping from her blade.

 

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Ling Lan steadied her breathing. “Have you found Green Wine?”

 

Jiang Mianhao shook her head. She flicked her wrist, casting the corpse of the soaring bird from her sword.

 

“When I arrived, Green Wine was trapped inside this sphere of light but now, the light has faded.”

 

As she spoke, her sword never stilled. Beneath her feet lay the bodies of birds and fallen sword cultivators.

 

Yet Jiang Mianhao paid them no mind, stepping forward one pace at a time toward the dark sphere of light ahead.

 

“Mianhao! What are you doing!”

Ling Lan watched as the girl before her summoned her true form. A green spiritual aura flickering in the long night.

 

The soaring birds noticed the glimmer of light, and some turned, diving straight toward Jiang Mianhao.

 

“Mianhao~!”

 

Overwhelmed with panic, Ling Lan charged forward, sword in hand.

 

But the distance between her and Jiang Mianhao was vast, and her speed was no match for the soaring birds.

 

Just as the first bird was about to strike Jiang Mianhao’s spiritual aura,

a rift suddenly tore through the endless night.

 

The lightning and thunder ceased in that instant.

 

A gentle beam of moonlight poured down.

 

Jiang Mianhao had already raised her sword, poised to strike. When the soaring bird before her froze midair.

 

The once frenzied flock abruptly halted their movements and plummeted straight to the ground.

 

Jiang Mianhao was stunned. She lifted her head and gazed at the sky.

 

The moon, which appeared only once in a thousand years, had emerged at this very moment.

 

Its cool light fell upon the corpse-strewn Mount Hua, wrapping around and severing the blades that had wrought slaughter in the darkness.

 

The boundless moonlight surged forth from the distant horizon, like an immense, tranquil wave.

 

To her astonishment, Jiang Mianhao realized that all the birds before her had collapsed without warning. Crashing to the ground and dissolving into wisps of black smoke.

 

The once-maddened black soaring birds vanished into nothingness in an instant.

 

Jiang Mianhao remained frozen, her sword still raised high, utterly transfixed by the scene before her.

 

As the birds lying atop the corpses began to dissipate…

 

The bodies of those who had suffered agonizing deaths began to reassemble. The river of blood that had flooded the summit of Mount Hua reversed its flow.

Ling Lan stared in disbelief as dismembered corpses miraculously reformed, piecing themselves back together and returning to life.

 

The temples that had been burned to the ground were also restored, rising anew as if time itself had turned back.

 

All of it stemmed from the sudden appearance of the moon.

 

“Mianhao,” Ling Lan murmured dazedly, “can you feel it? That immense surge of spiritual energy?”

 

The corpse at her feet stirred and slowly sat upright.

 

Jiang Mianhao’s heart pounded. She tightened her grip on her sword, watching the reanimated corpse warily.

 

More and more people began to awaken, and suddenly, a loud infant’s cry pierced through the crowd.

 

“It’s the moon! It’s the Goddess!” someone shouted. A rustling came from the grass as a woman burst forth, clutching an infant in her arms, the source of the cry.

 

This cry stirred the once-calm grass and more and more sounds emerged.

 

More and more women and children rushed out.

Their clothes were tattered, their hair disheveled, and tear stains marked every face.

 

The smaller infants wailed incessantly in their mothers’ arms, while the older children imitated their mothers, prostrating themselves and kowtowing.

 

The awakened sword cultivators looked at their wives and daughters, the events of moments ago flashing through their minds like a film.

 

The wounds on their bodies and the despair of being slaughtered had miraculously vanished beneath the moonlight.

 

Mount Hua, which had been massacred overnight, was restored to its former glory under the same silvery light.

 

Ling Lan came to her senses and murmured softly, “Dispersing spiritual power to save all beings, it wasn’t just to give form to plants and spirits.”

 

The sword cultivators looked at their unscathed wives and children, at their restored comrades.

 

Those who had survived the catastrophe couldn’t help but embrace the people beside them and even the steadfast sword cultivators couldn’t hold back their tears.

 

Jiang Mianhao numbly lowered the sword in her hand, carefully stepping around the weeping, embracing figures.

 

“Lu Jiu!” she cried. Everyone had come back to life. The moonlight had washed away all sins.

 

But what about her Lu Jiu?

 

Jiang Mianhao had no time to share in the emotions of those around her. She searched under the moonlight.

 

Searching for the one faith that had brought her up this mountain.

 

The vanished birds and beasts had left nothing behind, everything cleansed away by the moonlight.

 

“Lu Jiu!” Jiang Mianhao raised her voice, calling out amidst the chaotic cries. “Lu Jiu!”

 

Joy and sorrow do not intertwine.

 

Jiang Mianhao’s heart suddenly stopped aching. The suffocating pain that had lingered in her chest moments ago had dissipated.

 

Yet as the unbearable pain faded, unease began to grow. The closer she had been before, the stronger that discomfort had become.

 

“Divine Maiden, you have saved all beings. Please, save my Lu Jiu,” Jiang Mianhao silently prayed in her heart.

 

She carefully avoided the crowd, anxiously searching.

 

Though the place was crowded with people, to Jiang Mianhao it felt utterly empty.

 

“Lu Jiu!” Ling Lan also began to search, her gaze turning toward the grass where the women had hidden earlier, praying that Lu Jiu had landed safely there.

 

Jiang Mianhao spun around in panic, nearly colliding with the sect’s entrance.

 

But there was nothing, no trace of that familiar figure.

 

Her already taut nerves stretched even tighter as a wave of unease washed over her.

 

Standing at the sect’s entrance, she froze. Something made her turn around.

 

The tall bronze statue no longer bore the bloodstains and corpses from before. Under the moonlight, Jiang Mianhao could see it clearly.

 

The statue was two-faced: one side depicted the sect leader, while the other portrayed the Divine Maiden, the very figure to whom everyone was now weeping in gratitude.

The Divine Maiden, with downcast eyes, appeared solemn and sacred under the moonlight and at her feet lay a figure.

 

Unlike the weeping, embracing crowd, this figure lay still and lifeless.

 

Before Jiang Mianhao even realized which leg she had moved first, the sharp blade in her hand clattered to the ground.

 

She sprinted toward the Divine Maiden’s statue.

 

That lifeless figure was none other than Lu Jiu, the one she had been desperately searching for.

 

The moon at the edge of the sky was quietly fading, and Jiang Mianhao’s heart tightened once again. She hated that she had only two legs. She hated that she couldn’t move any faster.

 

As the moonlight waned and the sky dimmed, Jiang Mianhao pleaded incessantly in her heart:

 

Goddess, with your boundless grace… please, I beg you, protect my Lu Jiu.