Chapter 119: Victory Without Bloodshed

Three days later, outside the northern gate of Yan City, a woman in a white dress led a horse as she entered the city. Her eyes shone like stars, yet a white veil concealed the lower half of her face. She wore the veil not to hide her beauty, but to prevent her breathtaking appearance from causing a stir in this northern city of the Li Kingdom, and to avoid inviting unnecessary trouble upon herself.

Her confidence in her beauty was well-founded, for it had long been recognized by many across the continent. In truth, she was Yu Qiongyin, the Holy Maiden of the Tai Xu Palace, whose visage ranked third on the Immortal Beauty List. Though her surname was not originally “Yu,” her biological father was Wei Li, the ninth-generation leader of Tai Xu Palace, who had since become a Purple-grade protector under Song Ye. However, every Holy Maiden of Tai Xu Palace adopted the name Yu Qiongyin upon succession, and so she inherited it as well.

Every ten years, the Holy Maiden was required to descend the mountain to experience mortal life’s mundane affairs. Yu Qiongyin’s true destination was the Yan Kingdom; Yan City in the Li Kingdom was merely a stopover. Yet, she intended to stay a few days in Yan City, for in recent years, its name had resonated loudly throughout the immortal cultivation world.

First, there was the rumor that the successor of Yu Muqiu, the female sword cultivator from thirty thousand years ago, had appeared within Yan City. This had attracted many idle cultivators from various sects, turning the city into a place of pilgrimage and sightseeing. Then, an even more earth-shaking event occurred—Xuan Yuan Demon Lord had fallen, and the site of his demise was none other than Yan City itself. Legend held that the one who struck down Xuan Yuan was the flute immortal, a mythic figure from three hundred years ago.

Before entering Yan City, Yu Qiongyin had already seen the towering golden statue of the flute immortal outside the northern gate—resplendent and reaching skyward. Soon, an extraordinary spectacle was to unfold in Yan City: the three great sects of the Cloud Kingdom, led by the Immortal Edict Sect, would publicly execute He Yixin, the former favored disciple of Xuan Yuan Demon Lord.

Yu Qiongyin wished to witness this spectacle before continuing her journey to the Yan Kingdom. On her way to Yan City, she had seen many fellow cultivators—some flying on swords, others riding horses, or traveling by wind—headed to the city with the same purpose. These cultivators likely planned to watch the public execution and lend support to their sects.

As cultivators flocked to Yan City, many ordinary citizens began to flee, seeking refuge elsewhere. After all, when immortals clash, it is the mortals who suffer. No one could predict how many demon cultivators might attempt to rescue the condemned at the execution, potentially igniting a grand battle between immortals and demons.

Yu Qiongyin led her horse into Huaiye Street inside the city. At the street corner stood a bearded man selling paintings. Approaching his stall, she saw that all his paintings depicted beautiful women, executed with exquisite skill, lifelike and vivid. He was currently painting but did so slowly and cautiously, hesitating over every stroke.

Only then did Yu Qiongyin realize the bearded man was blind—a rare sight for an artist. She sighed softly before the stall, “The mortal world holds many pitiful souls—so young, yet gifted with such extraordinary talent, and yet blind.”

The bearded man paused his brush, aware she was speaking of him. “After the onset of my eye disease, I often blamed the heavens for their cruelty,” he said. “But looking back now, I realize the heavens were not unkind. They let me see the most beautiful woman in this world before my sight failed completely.”

“Oh?” Yu Qiongyin was momentarily stunned. “Could it be you’ve been to Luo City?”

She assumed the man spoke of her, the Holy Maiden of Tai Xu Palace, as the most beautiful woman in the world.

“I have never been,” the man replied.

Yu Qiongyin furrowed her brow. “Then who is this most beautiful woman you speak of?”

“That would be Li Qingyu, daughter of Prince Xiang,” he said. “Three years ago, I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of her outside the magistrate’s office. Alas, she vanished mysteriously at her own wedding. Three years have passed, and she has likely passed away. Her death is the true tragedy. For the next three thousand years, no other woman will match her unparalleled beauty.”

Yu Qiongyin pursed her lips slightly. The man’s words seemed exaggerated. Could Li Qingyu truly be more beautiful than herself? Still, curiosity stirred within her. “Do you have any paintings of her here?”

The bearded man laughed heartily. “Miss, you flatter me too much. With my humble brush, how dare I attempt to capture such world-stunning beauty?”

So extravagant! Yu Qiongyin shook her head, doubting his words. Perhaps he had never truly seen such beauty himself—just a frog at the bottom of a well.

Leaving the bearded man’s stall, Yu Qiongyin entered an inn. Planning to stay a few days in Yan City, she needed a place to rest.

The room marked with the character “Yu” on the second floor was still vacant, so she took it.

Opposite her, in the room marked “Xuan,” two demon cultivators were staying.

They were Luo Yunshuang and Bai Ruoling, who had arrived in Yan City before their senior sister Qi Xinyue.

Inside the “Xuan” room, Bai Ruoling said, “Senior sister, I have a clever plan to rescue our second sister without shedding blood.”

Luo Yunshuang’s eyes lit up. “What plan?”

Lowering her voice, Bai Ruoling explained, “I will impersonate our master again and negotiate with the Immortal Edict Sect. They won’t dare refuse to release her.”

Luo Yunshuang frowned. “Will that really work? They all know our master has fallen. They won’t be fooled by you.”

Bai Ruoling replied, “Most of them never witnessed our master’s demise and don’t know that the Brahman Soul Flower, which connected our master’s soul, has withered. So, they still harbor doubts about our master’s death. Besides, even the cunning Bone Demon Lord was deceived by me. How could these foolish immortal cultivators resist?”

“When I appear in our master’s form, I’ll terrify them into submission. They’ll release our second sister without a fight.”

Luo Yunshuang nodded slightly. “Your plan might work. But should we wait for senior sister to arrive and get her opinion first?”

“No need. With my plan, we’ll have rescued our second sister before senior sister even arrives in Yan City,” Bai Ruoling said confidently.