After Faking My Death, I Became My Rival’s "White Moonlight" - Chapter 2

Breaking someone’s “Life-and-Death Seclusion” is no different from taking their life.

His spiritual power was too weak. The protective array he managed to form was as fragile as paper before a Golden Core cultivator.

Shi Qing quickly formed a seal with his left hand, the Spirit-Gathering Array, to borrow the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for his own use.

As his left hand funneled spiritual energy into his body, he channeled it continuously into the protective shield held by his right hand. However, there is a limit to how much energy a person can withstand. His current body was already at its breaking point. In the forest, waves of sword qi continued to crash against the protective barrier.

Standing at the center of the array, his eyes flickered with a ghostly, cold light. He had no choice but to gamble on a bluff. His lips, still stained with blood, curled into a grin. As he spoke, his teeth were coated in a bloody mist, making him look like a bloodthirsty specter.

“You want to die? I will grant your wish.” A suffocating killing intent instantly saturated the air.

Birds in the woods took flight in a panic, and the chirping of insects fell into a sudden void of silence. Even the sword light in the forest seemed intimidated by this grim aura and abruptly ceased.

The talisman on the ground made a “ge-ge” sound, as if it were trying to speak.

Shi Qing’s eyes flashed with a cold light. Giving the entity no chance to speak, he pressed his left index finger to his lips and whispered, “Break.”

With a “bang,” the talisman exploded, cutting off the shadow’s unfinished words.

The sun had completely set, and the final trace of orange glow was swallowed by the night.

The trees around Shi Qing had collapsed into a chaotic mess from the sword qi bombardment, allowing large beams of moonlight to penetrate the usually lightless depths of the forest.

A deathly silence fell over the area. There were no insects, no birds; every living thing had gone quiet, terrified of being swept up in the slaughter.

The standoff lasted for an unknown amount of time until the presence in the forest finally retreated. Time, which had seemed frozen, rushed forward once more. The insects resumed their song, and the sound of night birds flapping their wings returned.

He had won the gamble. The raging killing intent around Shi Qing vanished instantly, and his upright body swayed before he collapsed to the ground.

His dantian felt like it was burning from the extreme spiritual depletion. He struggled for breath, his face a terrifying shade of pale.

Thankfully, the person in the woods had been spooked by his bluff. If the fight had continued any longer, this body would not have survived.

If he hadn’t guessed wrong, the shadow was the mastermind, while the person in the forest was hesitant and refused to show their face. They seemed terrified of being recognized, which was highly suspicious. Perhaps they were a fellow disciple of the Qingyun Sect who feared exposure.

The Qingyun Sect has truly fallen. How could they have become such trash? Is Gu Yan not managing things?

He had been gone for thirty years, yet demonic energy reappeared the moment he was reborn, and someone coincidentally attacked the forbidden grounds at the same time. This was far too much of a coincidence.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, his head tilted. He vomited a mouthful of fresh blood and blacked out, falling into a dead faint.

Where the talisman should have been reduced to dust, a single corner remained. A wisp of black energy drifted out, growing stronger as it tried to flee in a panic, as if pursued by a demon from hell. The unconscious Shi Qing’s body sensed it. A brilliant golden light radiated from him, forming golden tendrils that ensnared the fleeing black energy and pulled it into his body. Everything returned to peace.

At the same time, a cold flash appeared in the sky above the Northern Peak of the Qingyun Sect. A transparent barrier emitting a freezing chill manifested. Despite the summer heat, the temperature beneath the barrier plummeted, and snow began to fall in soft flakes.

Sect Leader Bai Ye of the Qingyun Sect opened his eyes from meditation. In the next instant, he transformed into a streak of light, heading toward the barrier on the Northern Peak. Simultaneously, several streaks of light from every peak except the Qingji Peak flew toward the same location.

On the summit of a snow-capped mountain where the ice never melts, exquisite pavilions floated in the air. A winding staircase of nine thousand, nine hundred, and ninety-nine steps led to the highest point, the Sword Pavilion of the Chaowu Gallery.

Xia Chan ascended the stairs holding a communication jade pendant. Upon entering the Sword Pavilion, he saw a figure hidden behind layers of thin gauze curtains, looking ethereal and distant.

Xia Chan spoke respectfully, “Master, the source of the demonic energy has been traced back to the City Lord’s Manor in East Sea City. Zhong Ling attempted to enter the manor to investigate but was blocked by the City Lord’s steward. They claim the City Lord is in a ‘Life-and-Death Seclusion’ and cannot be disturbed. I have come to request your instructions.”

He looked up at the figure hidden behind the curtains.

A pair of long, elegant hands parted the gauze. With wrists as white as frost, Xie Ciyou stood up and walked out. The parted curtains revealed a corner of the Sinan, one of the Chaowu Gallery’s artifacts that could provide warnings from the Heavenly Dao.

Standing tall in his white robes, Xie Ciyou looked down at the warning appearing on the Sinan: A strand of the Demon God’s consciousness has appeared. Execute.

His face, which seemed as unmelting as the surrounding snow, was filled with a chilling frost. “To the City Lord’s Manor.”

Zhong Ling and the disciples of the Chaowu Gallery were in a standoff with the cultivators of the manor.

Suddenly, the pressure of a Peak Soul Transformation stage cultivator descended. A golden barrier encased the manor. While the cultivators inside fought to resist, a sword qi fell from the heavens. The air condensed into frost-covered ice crystals that tore through the sky.

Where the sword light struck, the cultivators collapsed, coughing up blood.

Zhong Ling’s eyes brightened. He looked toward the sky and immediately barked an order.

The disciples of the Chaowu Gallery flew into the air, taking their positions around the manor to form an array.

Xie Ciyou descended along with the piercing sword qi, and his sword, Dinghui, vanished into his sleeve.

“Immortal Lord Ciyou has been in seclusion for thirty years since the dissolution of the Immortal Alliance. Why have you suddenly attacked the East Sea City Lord’s Manor today?”

The speaker was Steward Guan of the manor. Wiping blood from his mouth, he looked at the person before him with trembling fear.

The man before him was like cold, refined jade, radiating a bone-deep chill that looked down upon all living things. His stunningly beautiful face was layered with frost, making it impossible for anyone to look at him directly.

“Have your City Lord answer me,” Zhong Ling said, stepping up behind Xie Ciyou.

Steward Guan recognized Zhong Ling. He was a close attendant to the Alliance Leader during the time of the Immortal Alliance. He was already at the Great Completion stage back then, and his cultivation seemed even higher now. As expected of the Chaowu Gallery; such cultivation would make one an Elder or even a Sect Leader in any of the hundred immortal sects.

Steward Guan did not dare to be defiant. He could only say, “We already explained during your visit a few days ago. The City Lord is in a Life-and-Death Seclusion and cannot be disturbed. We hope the Immortal Lord will not make things difficult. Or perhaps…”

Before he could finish, his voice failed him. The opponent was clearly in no mood for pleasantries. Another flash of golden light appeared, and Steward Guan found himself completely bound.

Wasn’t this the Soul-Binding Array, the unique formation created by Immortal Lord Shuangyu?

Unable to speak and trapped by the array, Steward Guan could only struggle and make muffled sounds.

Xie Ciyou walked right past him into the backyard. Deep within the yard was a protective barrier marking the City Lord’s place of seclusion. Zhong Ling and Xia Chan followed behind him.

Breaking someone’s Life-and-Death Seclusion is undoubtedly an attempt on their life!

But Steward Guan knew that Xie Ciyou didn’t care. Having participated in the Great Immortal-Demon War alongside the City Lord, he had already witnessed the iron-fisted methods of the Immortal Alliance, let alone its founder, Xie Ciyou.

The Chaowu Gallery, the only surviving ancient sect, had always been mysterious. Their motto was: They do not emerge unless the world faces a catastrophe.

Xie Ciyou came from the Chaowu Gallery and acted upon the will of the Heavenly Dao, decisive and ruthless.

Back when the demon race ran rampant and possessions were frequent, the hundred immortal sects were like a heap of loose sand with no leader. No one respected anyone else; they fought their own battles, and some even colluded with demons to steal spiritual veins from other sects. The immortal world was filled with wailing and sorrow.

Finally, the previous Master of the Chaowu Gallery ordered Xie Ciyou to enter the world.

To settle external threats, one must first stabilize the internal. He acted with lightning speed. Upon his emergence, he executed twenty-one sect leaders who had colluded with demons, sending a shockwave through the cultivation world.

The internal strife that had plagued the sects for years was settled by him in just a month. Once the sects submitted, he gathered them to form the Immortal Alliance to purge the demons.

Later, alongside Immortal Lords Shuangyu and Zhanyue, he held a great assembly and launched the war against the Demon Realm. Eventually, they completely sealed the passages, ensuring peace for all living beings. After that, he dissolved the alliance and vanished, returning to the seclusion of the Chaowu Gallery once more.

Steward Guan’s face turned ashen. Thirty years ago, there was still an Immortal Lord Shuangyu who could challenge him. Now that Shuangyu had passed away, no one dared to stop him from attacking the City Lord’s Manor.

The doors to the seclusion chamber were blown open from the inside. Black energy surged out, startling the disciples guarding the door. What kind of Life-and-Death Seclusion would involve demonic energy?

Xie Ciyou raised his hand and opened his palm. A glowing white feather appeared, the Immortal Sect Order.

When the order appeared, the weather changed abruptly. The immortal sects bowed their heads. The cultivators surrounding the courtyard fell to their knees in unison. A newly recruited youth was dragged down to kneel in a panic, trembling under the pressure of a Soul Transformation cultivator. The demonic energy was repelled by the golden light radiating from the white feather in Xie Ciyou’s hand, dissipating into the air.

The so-called Immortal Sect Order was merely a white plume as light as snow. To the naked eye, there was nothing special about it.

“Xie Ciyou! You go too far!”

A raspy roar came from inside the room. A sword light wrapped in black energy surged out, exploding in front of Xie Ciyou with a loud “boom.” Xie Ciyou’s pristine white robes remained untouched. He was perfectly composed as he said coldly, “Dongfang Yuqing has been corrupted by the consciousness of the Demon God. He must be executed.”

Xie Ciyou raised his hand, and the Dinghui sword streaked through the air into the courtyard. A deafening explosion shook the ground, and the entire courtyard was blown to pieces.

The black energy grappled with the Dinghui sword as it surged upward, attempting to flee. However, the white-robed disciples stationed around the manor activated their arrays. The golden barrier became solid, slamming the black shadow back to the ground.

As the Dinghui sword was recalled, the shadow groaned and said hatefully, “One after another, you all ruin my plans!”

Xie Ciyou looked down at the blood-spitting Dongfang Yuqing and asked coldly, “One after another? Who else is there?”

He summoned the Immortal Sect Order again. The white feather emitted a powerful light. The fallen Dongfang Yuqing suddenly began to twitch. The black energy was pulled out of him like it was being drawn by a powerful magnet, struggling as it flew toward the white feather.

The previously unconscious Dongfang Yuqing suddenly opened his eyes, trembling and screaming in agony. Suddenly, all the black energy rushed back into his body.

“Not good! He’s going to self-detonate!” Zhong Ling shouted.

Xie Ciyou did not fear a Soul Transformation stage self-detonation, but to protect everyone in the manor, he formed a seal with his left hand to create a barrier to trap Dongfang Yuqing.

Unexpectedly, the black energy surrounding the body vanished in the next instant. Xie Ciyou’s right hand made a sword-fingers gesture, and “Dongfang Yuqing” was sliced in half. The weightless black shadow dissipated, leaving behind an avatar talisman.

Xie Ciyou picked up the talisman from the ground.

“What happened?” Zhong Ling stepped forward. “Master, the demonic energy has vanished.”

Xie Ciyou closed his eyes and used his divine sense to probe the talisman. He said calmly, “An avatar talisman. The Demon God’s consciousness used the talisman to flee elsewhere.”

However, it seemed there were other avatar talismans resonating with the one in his hand.

Xie Ciyou injected spiritual power again to track the other talismans. He opened his eyes and said plainly, “Follow me.”

Countless streaks of sword light rose from the City Lord’s Manor, heading west toward the Qingyun Sect in the Central Province.

A frost-covered barrier appeared near the Northern Peak of the Qingyun Sect. Xie Ciyou landed to find a scene of total wreckage and five outer disciples of the Qingyun Sect lying on the ground.

He walked quickly to the pile of dust where only a corner of a talisman remained. He summoned the Immortal Sect Order. The feather circled the dust like a headless fly several times, then circled the people in the array. It hovered over the youth lying at the center of the formation for a long time before finally returning to Xie Ciyou’s hand. The golden light faded, and it landed gently in his palm.

The disciples of the Chaowu Gallery landed on their swords behind him.

“Master, there is no scent of demonic energy,” Zhong Ling said after sensing the area for a moment.

Xie Ciyou knelt to inspect the dust. He reached out with his palm facing down, radiating a golden light to gather the particles.

Zhong Ling watched his Master, recognizing this as a “Retrospection Array” meant to restore a talisman that had been turned to dust.

The dust gathered into a ball beneath his palm, shaking violently before scattering back to the ground. It failed to restore.

“It failed? How is that possible?” Zhong Ling was shocked. This was the first time he had seen his Master fail a retrospection.

“It wasn’t a failure; this array simply cannot be retraced,” Xie Ciyou’s eyes darkened. “In my memory, there is only one person capable of such a feat.”

“Who…” Zhong Ling asked instinctively. Seeing his Master’s solemn expression, he immediately suppressed his curiosity.

It had been a long time since he had seen any emotion on his Master’s face. During the Immortal Alliance era thirty years ago, he had seen it often. Back then, his Master was only the direct disciple of the former Master, ordered to stabilize the demon chaos.

After the alliance was established, representatives from various sects often gathered to discuss matters. As a close attendant, Zhong Ling would occasionally catch glimpses of emotional fluctuations on that frost-like face especially every time he encountered Immortal Lord Shuangyu.

As Zhong Ling was thinking, he saw his Master walk toward the person at the center of the array. Xie Ciyou answered slowly:

“Shi Shuangyu.”

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