After Changing Her Fate, the Vicious Female Villain and the Protagonist Got an HE! - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Master

In the current situation, only an Innate Spiritual Treasure could break the stalemate.

Wen Shurong circulated her spiritual power, her fingertips plucking the strings consecutively, and a melodious tune instantly sounded.

Simultaneously, the music of the Cang Lan Flute joined in.

The zither and flute played in harmony. The invisible melodies converged, and the resulting aura quickly overwhelmed the surrounding seals.

In an instant, the Talisman Array composed of multiple Illusion-Truth Shadowless Talismans was successfully breached.

The illusion shattered with a crash, revealing the true surroundings.

At this moment, Wen Shurong and Qin Niyun were on a pavilion in the center of a lotus pond.

Outside the pavilion, a fifth-tier Killing Array was deployed, and an Anti-Flight Restriction covered the space above.

If they wanted to leave, they had to dismantle the Killing Array.

The moment the Illusion-Truth Shadowless Talisman Array was broken, the Killing Array was instantly activated.

Being confined to the pavilion meant danger at every step.

The slightest misstep could lead to instant decapitation.

Wen Shurong held the Shan Hai Zither, and Qin Niyun held the Cang Lan Flute. Standing side by side, both had already sensed the extreme danger they were in.

The power of the Killing Array was extraordinary and did not permit testing. They absolutely could not act rashly unless they had a high degree of confidence.

Therefore, this time, they did not move recklessly.

Perhaps sensing the severity of the situation, the Zither Spirit and Flute Spirit appeared from the side.

As the spirits of treasures, their existence spanned ages, and their knowledge was naturally uncommon.

A fifth-tier Killing Array was sufficient to deal with Soul Transformation cultivators, but it didn’t stump the two spirits. They quickly formed hand seals, and two complex spell seals rapidly condensed in mid-air.

In the next moment, the spell seals violently crashed onto the core of the Killing Array.

Accompanied by a loud bang, a massive tide of spiritual power instantly burst forth.

The pavilion was affected and rapidly collapsed, and the Anti-Flight Restriction that had enveloped the area dissipated.

At the same time, Wen Shurong and Qin Niyun tapped their toes on the ground, flying into the air.

To prevent an ambush outside the array, the two played their instruments in harmony again, forming an extremely solid defensive barrier of light around themselves.

A moment later, the sound of sharp blades slicing through the air came from the front.

A sky full of poisoned arrows locked onto the two, the whooshing sounds continuous. As they approached, they were all blocked by the defense and rebounded.

Originally confined to the pavilion and enveloped by the Killing Array, Wen Shurong couldn’t sense the outside situation. Now flying into the air, everything was clearly visible.

Outside the lotus pond, there was a circle upon circle of silver-armored cultivators holding bows and arrows.

Evidently, those poisoned arrows just now were launched by them.

Realizing this, Wen Shurong quickly transmitted a message to her Senior Sister. The melody they played suddenly changed, turning from defense to offense.

The zither and flute played in harmony, the melody was melodious, yet it concealed endless murderous intent.

In a flash, all enemies within a radius of ten li fell into an illusion. Simultaneously, their spiritual power stagnated, and their combat strength was unable to exert even half of its original capacity.

On the other side, after the Zither Spirit and Flute Spirit jointly broke the Killing Array, they each turned into a streak of light and flew into the lotus pond.

In their sensing, an enemy utilizing a secret technique to conceal their figure was hiding at the bottom of the pond.

If this foe was not immediately ferreted out, the two masters were very likely to be ambushed by them.

Above the lotus pond, as the zither and flute continued their harmony, the enemies gradually fell into mutual slaughter.

A dense, bloody scent rapidly spread.

At the same time, the enemy lurking at the bottom of the pond was successfully dealt with by the Zither Spirit and Flute Spirit.

A crisis was resolved invisibly.

The commotion of the fight in the City Lord’s Mansion was considerable, attracting the attention of many cultivators.

For a time, the spiritual consciousnesses probing from all directions were innumerable, including the five Soul Transformation cultivators that Luo Hua had specifically dispatched to find the Demon Suppression Pagoda.

Seeing their own sect disciples, the five were first surprised. Then, recalling their identities, they immediately understood the reason and rushed to the City Lord’s Mansion.

At that moment, Wen Shurong and Qin Niyun had temporarily stopped playing. Noticing several powerful streaks of light approaching, they once again focused their vigilance.

When they realized the approaching cultivators were their sect Uncles and Aunts, their tense minds relaxed slightly.

Under the five’s questioning, Wen Shurong detailed the sequence of events.

As of now, the Futian Ancient City City Lord’s Mansion showed a very obvious hostility toward them.

The five Soul Transformation cultivators were not petty people like Qingzhu Peak’s Wu Yuan; they genuinely cared for their sect’s younger generation. Upon learning the entire process, they immediately rushed into the City Lord’s seclusion area, intending to seize the perpetrator and demand accountability.

However…

Something completely unexpected happened to everyone.

The City Lord of Futian Ancient City had already died in seclusion in his secret chamber. When the five Soul Transformation cultivators of the Lingxiao Sect broke in, they only saw a skeleton.

The jade plaque hanging on its waist confirmed the person’s identity.

Wen Shurong and Qin Niyun followed them into the area. Seeing the scene, they were momentarily silent.

If the City Lord had already perished, then whose orders were the City Lord’s Mansion cultivators who attacked them following?

The Young City Lord? Or the mastermind who had been targeting them all along?

Wen Shurong leaned more toward the latter possibility.

But… did the Young City Lord know about it?

When she and her Senior Sister entered the city, this person had just left the city, their destination unknown. Could this be a coincidence?

The five Soul Transformation cultivators of the Lingxiao Sect currently looked solemn, discussing related matters in low voices.

“The news of the Futian Ancient City City Lord’s demise must be immediately reported to the Sect Leader. Furthermore, the anomalies within the City Lord’s Mansion must also be reported without omission. I have a bad feeling. I hope it’s not too late.”

“This City Lord’s skeleton is black, which suggests an unnatural death. If I recall correctly, he should have had almost five hundred years of lifespan remaining.”

“That is correct. It’s beyond doubt that he was murdered!”

Among the five, a late-stage Soul Transformation female cultivator with a Daoist bun took out a Ten-Thousand-Mile Sound Transmission Talisman. Circulating her spiritual power, she instantly activated it.

After whispering a few sentences, the talisman transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the horizon.

Having completed this, she spoke slowly: “I have informed the Sect Leader of the news. I presume a reply will arrive soon.”

Before long, another streak of light flew in from afar.

The female cultivator reached out to catch it and injected spiritual power.

In the next moment, Luo Hua’s voice emanated from within.

“I have asked Elder Jiu Xuan to set off for Futian Ancient City. During this time, you must pay extra attention to the demon race’s movements and prevent them from seizing the opportunity to attack the city.”

After the transmission ended, the five Soul Transformation cultivators immediately took action.

Futian Ancient City spans a radius of six hundred li. Its area is vast. Strengthening the defensive deployment was not something that could be achieved in a short time.

Considering that Wen Shurong and Qin Niyun were only at the Core Formation Stage, the five did not give extra instructions but allowed them to act on their own.

After leaving the secret chamber, Wen Shurong and her Senior Sister briefly consulted and decided to go to the shrine first to verify what was in their hearts.

Due to the previous commotion and the lateness of the hour, the crowds queuing outside the shrine were much smaller.

The two only waited for less than half an yìzhǎn before successfully entering the shrine.

Wen Shurong immediately spotted the jade carved statue belonging to her Master. It was lifelike, almost like a real person.

She suppressed the sorrow that surged in her heart and slowly walked forward.

It was also at this moment that an extremely familiar voice, one she hadn’t heard for a long time, sounded in her ear, calling her name, “Shurong.”

The moment she heard the voice, Wen Shurong quickly looked up, glancing around.

However, all she saw were unfamiliar faces.

Some of the worshipers offering incense were startled by her action. A kind-faced woman cautiously asked: “Miss, what are you looking for?”

“N-nothing… perhaps I heard things.”

Beside her, Qin Niyun noticed her Junior Sister’s distraction. After a moment of hesitation, she quietly grasped her right hand, offering silent comfort.

Wen Shurong’s previously chaotic emotions gradually settled down.

As night deepened, the people in the shrine slowly left, until only she and her Senior Sister remained.

“When I first entered the shrine, I heard Master’s voice.”

Based on her Junior Sister’s previous reaction, Qin Niyun had somewhat guessed this and was not surprised now.

Just as she was about to say something, an abrupt change occurred in the next instant.

A layer of orange light suddenly glowed on Yue Lan’s jade carved statue. Immediately after, a beautiful figure quickly condensed from in front of the statue.

Seeing this, Wen Shurong’s tears uncontrollably streamed out. She cried out, “Master,” and immediately rushed toward the woman, her eyes full of filial reverence.

Yue Lan hugged her, feigning a scold: “You’re such a big girl now, still crying like this. What are people going to think?”

Wen Shurong wiped her tears haphazardly: “Your disciple is happy. I never thought I would really see Master again.”

Yue Lan’s eyes revealed a look of recollection. She released the girl in her arms and gently explained: “Actually, when I sacrificed myself to form the array back then, my soul never dispersed; it was just too weak to materialize in front of people.”

Wen Shurong’s eyes still had tears hanging in them as she slowly looked up: “Master, did you know when I came to Futian Ancient City back then?”

Yue Lan nodded, with a trace of self-reproach: “Of course I knew. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell you my situation then, which made you sad for a long time.”

Wen Shurong shook her head repeatedly: “Everything in the past is over. Master, please don’t dwell on it. To see Master again now and know you are well is the fortune of this life.”

Qin Niyun watched the warm interaction between the Master and disciple, and for some reason, she felt a little lost.

She simply turned her gaze away and began to introspect.

Her Junior Sister had found Martial Aunt Yue Lan and resolved the knot hidden deep in her heart. She should be happy, but why was she feeling this way now?

Before coming to the shrine, she truly hoped that Martial Aunt Yue Lan would embark on the Divine Path with the help of incense power, and she sincerely wished well for both her Junior Sister and Martial Aunt.

So, why now did she feel this way? Could it be that she was unwilling to see her Junior Sister be too close to her Martial Aunt?

Qin Niyun had never fallen for anyone else. In matters of affection, while she wasn’t completely oblivious, she was certainly not very perceptive.

In the past, she only felt she had some fondness for her Junior Sister. Now, it seemed she might have already fallen in love.

If not, why would she feel a surge of jealousy?

After realizing her own feelings, Qin Niyun was unusually flustered.

She couldn’t be sure of her Junior Sister’s feelings for her. Should she find an opportunity to ask?

But… if her Junior Sister didn’t feel the same way and started to deliberately distance herself after knowing, what should she do?

For a moment, Qin Niyun was distracted and found it difficult to make a decision.

Yue Lan seemed to sense something. She fixed her gaze on her and softly called her name.

As expected, she received no response.

Seeing this, Wen Shurong slowly walked to the side of the white-robed girl, reaching out to gently tug on her Senior Sister’s sleeve.

Qin Niyun instantly snapped back to attention, feeling slightly awkward: “Junior Sister, what is it?”

Wen Shurong was a little curious: “This is the first time I’ve seen Senior Sister spacing out. Is Senior Sister thinking about something important?”

Qin Niyun hadn’t decided whether to ask her Junior Sister yet. Hearing this, she had to find an excuse and vaguely said: “I was thinking about the incident at the City Lord’s Mansion and speculating on the enemy’s goal.”

As her words fell, Yue Lan timely spoke: “I have some understanding of the situation at the City Lord’s Mansion. This matter started half a year ago…”

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