Chapter 027: Living Bones Forge Puppets

The Ethereal Sect had once been an obscure and insignificant little cultivation school. At its lowest ebb, the sect counted no more than a handful of disciples. Even now, there were only a dozen or so members within its ranks. Yet, twenty-seven years ago, the Ethereal Sect shocked the world when two of its young cultivators simultaneously passed the Celestial Lord’s trial on the Xuánjī Mountain. Both returned from the mountain bearing honored titles. From that moment on, the Ethereal Sect’s name resounded far and wide. Seekers of the Way flocked to its gates in a never-ending stream, and the names of its two young Celestial Lords were inscribed in countless tomes on cultivation. Their stories were adapted into hundreds of versions by storytellers and spread across the continent.

Nevertheless, the Ethereal Sect seemed accustomed to a life of tranquil seclusion. Even after fame found them, they did not open their doors wide to all comers, turning away most who sought to become disciples. Thus, they retained only a small group of followers, preserving the traditions of a modest sect.

At this moment, the Bone Demon Lord, Nangong Lenyu, also seemed to sense that their pursuers had finally arrived. Unfortunately, his awareness was two seconds slower than Qin Xuanxi’s. This brief delay left him with no time to flee—he could only prepare to face his enemies head-on. Nangong Lenyu shook his head with resignation and muttered to himself, “These pursuers are like a swarm of flies—no matter how I try to shake them, I can’t get rid of them!”

As soon as his words fell, a blaze of iridescent light appeared in the southern sky. Within that light, two figures stood suspended in midair—a man and a woman. The man’s long hair was pure white, and he wore a white robe; the woman’s long hair was black, and she was robed in a pale yellow gown.

Nangong Lenyu’s brow furrowed in unease. He silently cursed his luck. These pursuers were formidable indeed.

Chen Huaiyin, her excitement barely contained, pointed toward the southern sky and exclaimed, “Senior Nongshan, Junior Brother Duanling, I think I’ve seen them in a book!” Without delay, she retrieved a thick tome from her storage space, its title reading “The Annals of Celestial Lords.” Quickly, she found the page introducing the “Twin Sages of the Ethereal Sect,” complete with portraits of the two Celestial Lords.

With a trembling voice, she cried, “Senior Nongshan, Junior Brother Duanling, we’re saved! Those are the two Celestial Lords of the Ethereal Sect—the man is Lord Changhua, Zhu Changqing; the woman is Lord Tianshuang, Gu Yiqing!”

“There’s no mistake. They look almost exactly like the illustrations—exactly the same!”

On the Xuan Ying Continent, whose vastness dwarfed even Hailan Star by twentyfold, it was as rare as witnessing a miracle—or winning the lottery in the mortal world—for an ordinary person to lay eyes upon a Celestial Lord or Demon Lord. The odds were vanishingly small.

For the disciples of their sect, the Moon-Grasping Sect, it had been centuries since anyone of Celestial Lord rank had arisen. Thus, if they wished to behold these legendary figures, it could only be in dreams—or by studying cultivation histories such as “The Annals of Celestial Lords.” And yet, here, in this humble teahouse, Chen Huaiyin and her companions had witnessed not only a Demon Lord but also two Celestial Lords in succession. Should they survive to return to their sect, this day’s encounter would be a tale to boast of for years to come.

Song Ye quickly used his cultivation sense to probe the power of the two Celestial Lords:

[Zhu Changqing: Eighth Level, Imperishable Realm]
[Gu Yiqing: Ninth Level, Imperishable Realm]

Their opponent, the Bone Demon Lord Nangong Lenyu, was at the third level of the Supreme Demon Realm. Within the cultivation hierarchy, the corresponding level for immortals was the Sacred Origin Realm, a full major realm higher than the Imperishable Realm. In terms of raw power, then, Nangong Lenyu outclassed both Zhu Changqing and Gu Yiqing, even had they joined forces—at least, had he been in peak condition.

But that was only if Nangong Lenyu were unscathed. Though he appeared composed, he was in fact gravely wounded. That was why, upon seeing his adversaries were the Ethereal Sect’s twin Celestial Lords, he found himself in a difficult predicament.

“Bone Demon Lord, you have used living bones to craft puppets, slaughtered countless innocents, your crimes beyond reckoning,” Zhu Changqing declared from his lofty perch, reciting Nangong Lenyu’s sins. “Most recently, you cruelly extracted every bone from Lady Wu, wife of Master Guo, and turned her into one of your puppets. Such brutality is monstrous, arousing the wrath of both mortals and immortals. All are justified in seeking your death!”

“But if you surrender and accompany me to beg Master Guo’s pardon, perhaps you will at least die whole!”

Nangong Lenyu threw back his head and laughed. “Hahahaha! So you are the helpers that coward Guo Kui has sent! If Guo Kui were a real man, he’d come seek revenge for his wife himself, rather than sending you to your deaths!”

Zhu Changqing snorted coldly. “For the crime of ripping the bones from a living woman, even if Master Guo had not summoned me, I would still come to rid the world of your evil!”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” Nangong Lenyu laughed again. “I admit it—I am a villain. But I do not kill indiscriminately. It was only that Lady Wu’s bones proved irresistible to me. If I hadn’t made her into a puppet, I’d never have known a moment’s rest. Yet for all that, I killed only her. Her maids, her disciples—I spared every one of them.”

“And yet, that Demon Lord Qin Xuanxi recently massacred more than seven thousand souls of the Sacred Heaven Sect. You, Zhu Changqing, speak so nobly of justice—why don’t you go after Qin Xuanxi and avenge the Sacred Heaven Sect, instead of bullying a humble Bone Demon Lord like me? I say, you, Zhu Changqing, are nothing but a hypocrite who bullies the weak and fears the strong!”

Stung by these words, Zhu Changqing was momentarily speechless. For what Nangong Lenyu said was not wrong. In terms of wickedness, Qin Xuanxi’s deeds were far worse, but her power was unmatched, and her followers all formidable. Even when the venerable Sacred Heaven Sect was annihilated in blood by Qin Xuanxi, the other great sects could only watch in silence. On this continent where might makes right, one’s strength alone defines good and evil.

At that moment, a faint smile played on Qin Xuanxi’s lips as she sat within the teahouse, her thoughts turning inward:

“Nangong Lenyu dares to invoke my name to justify his own crimes? He’s courting death!”

However, Qin Xuanxi had no intention of intervening. No matter the outcome of the clash between the two Celestial Lords and the Bone Demon Lord, she would remain a bystander, observing with folded arms. After all, here and now, she was nothing more than Song Ye’s beautiful and delicate young wife—nothing more.