Chapter Three: Battle in the Palace Hall

The group followed Yu Qingshu along the long, narrow passage.

Under the dim lighting, Yu Heishi, walking briskly, said to Qin Ying, "Palace Master Qin, I truly apologize for what happened to Sister Su Xin. I had already replaced the executioner with one of my own men, thinking that would be enough to save the girl. Who could have foreseen that Song Xiang would insist on doing it himself?"

Qin Ying continued to walk quickly without looking back, merely waving a hand. "Explaining this to me is useless; it wasn't my legs that were broken. Furthermore, why should I trust you?"

"Palace Master Yu is one of our own," Zhuo Hua’s voice drifted from ahead, sounding ethereal and distant.

"Master Yuan, forgive my dullness, but I, Lin Bo, cannot understand," Jiao Mujiao replied, full of suspicion.

Zhuo Hua chuckled lightly and said, "I don't know whether to call it luck or misfortune. Before we went to the Dragon Palace, I secretly visited Palace Master Yu of the White Tiger Palace one night. I asked him to monitor Dou Muxie in secret and, if necessary, to perform tasks detrimental to the Cloud Palace to help us flush out the mastermind behind the scenes. I never expected that after I left for the Dragon Palace, that incident would occur. Fortunately, although the Cloud Palace was held captive by Song Xiang and Dou Muxie, the defense of the Twelve Guards and the Cloud Heaven Stele remained under the control of Kui Mulang."

Lin Bo said indignantly, "This matter is of such great importance; why did you not reveal a hint of it to me and Palace Master Qin beforehand? We could have at least been mentally prepared."

Zhuo Hua replied, "Firstly, since you and Qin Ying became Palace Masters, Dou Muxie has not opposed you in words, but he has been deeply resistant in his heart. For years, he has been courting the Yu clan, attempting to bind the Sun clan and the Yu clan together to solidify his alliance with Yu Heishi within the Cloud Palace. Thus, Palace Master Yu was the primary candidate. Secondly, if you and Qin Ying had known in advance, how could you have played your parts in this grand performance so convincingly? Wouldn't your tempers have led you to fight them to the death in a fit of rage? If that had truly happened, it would have been a catastrophe for the Cloud Top Palace!"

Hearing this, Qin Ying pursed her lips and said, "I would not be as reckless as Lin Bo!"

Just as Lin Bo was about to retort, Zhuo Hua commanded in a low voice, "Quiet. We have found him."

The group looked in the direction of Zhuo Hua’s finger and saw a figure flickering in the doorway of a stone chamber in the corner of the great hall.

"What is he doing there?" Lin Bo asked.

"Naturally, he is trying to break into the armory to steal treasures! What else?" Yu Qingshu answered dismissively.

The tone was so sharp that Lin Bo instinctively wanted to snap back, but upon realizing it was Yu Qingshu, he swallowed his words.

Qin Ying saw this and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Lin Bo glared at her fiercely, but she ignored him, rolled her eyes, and followed Zhuo Hua and the others as they rushed forward.

As it happened, after killing a squad of guards, Song Xiang had dashed into the Hall of Seven Sages and Seven Virtues and hurriedly locked the Dragon-Severing Stone behind him. He had heard from Dou Muxie that this hall contained a secret vault where all the divine-tier artifacts and magic weapons of the Cloud Palace were stored.

Initially, he intended to pass through the hall and reach the main entrance to recite the clearance incantation and escape. However, as he neared the door, the frustration grew within him, lamenting that he had gained nothing while losing all the members of the Python clan.

This sense of unwillingness made him stop and return to the hall. He searched the walls carefully and concluded that this stone chamber was the most suspicious, identifying it as the Xuanhuang Armory.

When Zhuo Hua and the others arrived, Song Xiang was desperately striking the stone door with his frost energy, attempting to shatter it with his freezing, poisonous power.

"Don't waste your energy," Yu Qingshu said, standing leisurely behind Song Xiang, her left arm crossed over her chest while her right hand tossed the Flowing Cloud dagger up and down.

Deep in concentration, Song Xiang was startled by the sudden voice. He turned in a panic to see a beautiful woman in her early thirties. Though her plain Taoist robe was loose, it could not hide her graceful and well-proportioned figure.

"Little lady, are you lost? How did you end up here? Why not come home with me? I happen to be lacking a beautiful concubine!" The shock on Song Xiang’s face vanished, replaced by the lewdness of a common street thug.

"Who would have thought that the renowned, invincible Python Lord of the Demon clan would be such a creature? It is truly astonishing," Yu Qingshu said with a mocking smile.

To Song Xiang, this smile did not look like mockery, but rather an alluring charm that made his heart itch.

"What are you saying, little lady! With such a fine appearance, why bother with cultivation? It would be much better to share the joys of the world with me! In the past, when I, Song Xiang, dominated the Void, I had countless women. I promise I won't disappoint you."

Having said this, Song Xiang suddenly reached out to grab Yu Qingshu’s shoulders.

Yu Qingshu did not care about his past reputation; her face remained fixed in that same contemptuous, faint smile. She tapped her toes against the stone floor, and her entire body vaulted backward into the air.

Song Xiang had lunged too quickly and, not expecting to miss, lost his balance and stumbled forward. Even with his high cultivation, it took him two steps to steady himself.

"Oh ho! I didn't realize you were so agile. I do enjoy girls who have practiced their skills." With that, he unleashed another series of fierce attacks.

"Are we really not going up to help?" Lin Bo asked, concerned.

"Don't you see that Senior Yu is just toying with that old thief?" Qin Ying watched the soaring Yu Qingshu with eyes full of admiration. "Her movements are so graceful!" she praised sincerely.

Song Xiang attacked relentlessly, while Yu Qingshu dodged with ease. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Song Xiang grew impatient and irritable. The wound on his shoulder prevented him from using his full strength, while the Taoist nun before him remained calm and composed, showing no signs of panic, which filled him with a crushing sense of defeat.

Song Xiang suddenly let out a loud roar, and two dark columns of ice shot straight toward Yu Qingshu’s vitals, the rapid projectiles whistling through the air.

Only then did Yu Qingshu draw her Flowing Cloud dagger. A flash of cold light swept by, and in the span of a breath, the ice columns, thick as a man's arm, were reduced to shattered fragments that fell to the ground.

Surprise flickered in Song Xiang’s eyes, but as a seasoned warrior, he immediately pushed his palms forward, sending a gust of cold air filled with icy shards roaring toward her.

Yu Qingshu’s mocking smile remained unchanged. She channeled her internal energy, threw her Flowing Cloud dagger at Song Xiang, and began to draw circles in the air with her palms. Her hands moved faster and faster, until they were nothing more than a blur.

Just as Song Xiang’s frost hurricane reached her, it collided with the equally powerful gale of Celestial energy she had sent forth. The two hurricanes crashed together, emitting an eerie, screeching howl. Before long, the frost hurricane created by Song Xiang was pushed back by Yu Qingshu’s energy.

The Flowing Cloud dagger she had thrown had already caused Song Xiang great trouble. It seemed completely unaffected by his poisonous, freezing winds, instead cutting through them as if sailing on waves.

Song Xiang had no choice but to withdraw his palm power to deal with the small black dagger. However, every blast of energy he sent was nimbly dodged by the blade. Meanwhile, the dagger struck him only in his most vulnerable spots. After a dozen exchanges, Song Xiang found himself gradually losing ground.

Just as he was reaching his limit, a massive surge of air rushed toward him, and the Flowing Cloud dagger followed the momentum, diving straight at him. The elderly Python Lord, with his wrinkled skin and white hair, panicked. He instinctively channeled his energy to block the hurricane, ignoring the small, deadly dagger hidden in the heart of the storm.

With a soft *squelch*, the storm dissipated.

Song Xiang knelt on one knee, his left arm hanging limp, his right hand bracing him against the stone floor. The wound on his left shoulder had widened, bleeding profusely, and a massive gash had appeared under his arm, also streaming with blood.

The Flowing Cloud dagger drew an elegant circle in the air before obediently returning to the sheath in Yu Qingshu’s hand.

"Who are you? Why interfere in this mess?" Song Xiang gasped, struggling to lift his head to question her.

"You run wild in my sanctuary and bully my juniors—how could I tolerate you?" The faint, lingering smile never left Yu Qingshu’s face.

"You are…?" Song Xiang remained confused.

"You are not worthy of knowing my aunt’s name," Zhuo Hua and the others emerged from the shadows, bowing to Yu Qingshu before speaking to Song Xiang.

"Tell me! Otherwise, I shall die with my eyes wide open!" Song Xiang roared.

"What does your death have to do with me?" Yu Qingshu tucked the dagger into her sleeve and turned to leave. After a few steps, she returned, took out a delicate jade key, and tossed it to Zhuo Hua.

"This is the key to the Dragon-Severing Stone. Keep it safe." With that, she vanished into the shadows.

"Aunt, will you not stay for a few more days?" Zhuo Hua called out.

"Once in the world of pure cultivation, one leaves behind the affairs of the mortal realm."

"Then how can I find you?"

"Should the Cloud Palace face danger, I will appear."

"Aunt, wait—this Qinghe Sword..."

There was no further reply.

"She just left like that?" Lin Bo, Qin Ying, and Yu Heishi looked on in disbelief.

Zhuo Hua nodded.

"How did she get out?" Yu Heishi asked vigilantly.

"Aunt has her own clearance incantation," Zhuo Hua said with a bitter smile.

"You shameless lot, seeing an old man bleeding here and not one of you comes to check on me?" Song Xiang, lying on the ground, shouted at the top of his lungs.

His cry amused the group, who gathered around, looking down at the sprawled, disheveled Song Xiang with mocking smiles.