Chapter 1104 – Zixi
It was a silhouette—a supremely beautiful woman, no longer youthful or tender, like a night-blooming cereus in full bloom, like moonlight shining cold and pure. Her beauty was aloof, ethereal, yet exuded an overpowering, soul-stirring allure.
In the eyes of most high-ranking cultivators, beauty was something easily obtained and thus hardly worth mentioning.
There were countless things in the world more valuable than beauty—cultivation, Dao techniques, fame, power, status... all far more captivating than appearances.
But that was only because the world had never seen true beauty.
True beauty—so pure and transcendent it defied reason, shattered defenses, swallowed the soul, and seized the heart.
A single glance was enough to cause one's mind and spirit to collapse completely.
It could even give rise to a sense of shame and inferiority.
In the great hall, many sect masters and elders of profound cultivation looked at one another, shock written in their eyes.
Though their cultivation was high, at that sudden moment, even they couldn't suppress the involuntary thump in their hearts.
The men felt this.
The women, even more so.
It was an instinct—an urge that seemed to come from the very bloodline, something completely irresistible.
Duanmu Qing looked at that figure—fair as snow, graceful like a celestial being, stunning as the clear moon—and felt a deep yearning in her heart. A desire as intoxicating as fine wine filled her blood and marrow, coursing through her veins and spreading through her whole body.
She couldn't help but think: if such a celestial beauty were to spend even one night entangled with her—no, even if she merely kissed her, or just looked at her once—she would gladly die for her in this lifetime.
That overwhelming longing, that overpowering desire, nearly drove Duanmu Qing's Dao heart to the brink of self-immolation.
It wasn't just Duanmu Qing—even Elder Gu Hong, who had already reached the Ascension Realm, showed a rare change in expression.
She, too, could faintly feel a stirring deep within her bloodline.
It seemed that for this celestial girl before her, she would be willing to do anything.
Elder Gu Hong quickly bit the tip of her tongue to steady her mind and forced herself to avert her gaze, not daring to look at that peerlessly beautiful figure again.
At the same time, her heart was filled with shock.
"This is... a bloodline?!"
"How can a bloodline have such terrifying charisma that it could pierce through two major realms and forcibly arouse even my desires as an Ascended cultivator?"
"And that face… is far too astonishing."
Elder Gu Hong, famed matchmaker of the Qianxue Province, had seen all manner of beautiful women—plump, slender, graceful, stunning—but had never encountered beauty so utterly breathtaking.
It was a kind of absolute, oppressive beauty.
One that gave no time to react. A single glance was enough to shatter defenses and crush rational thought.
Especially for women who adored beauty—it was nearly fatal.
Elder Gu Hong stood dazed for a moment before realizing something even more startling:
Only now did she realize that this celestial maiden was wearing a snowy veil. She hadn't even truly seen her face—and yet her heart was already moved beyond control.
Then just how beautiful was she, truly?
Elder Gu Hong wanted to look again, but didn't dare turn her head.
Inside the great hall, after a brief moment of silence, voices gradually returned.
The cultivators present were all of high rank and profound cultivation. Even if they were momentarily distracted, they wouldn't lose composure.
Moreover, the girl's identity could be inferred from the powerful entourage surrounding her.
"From the ancestral dragon lands of Qianzhou, the sixth-rank flourishing clan… the Bai Family."
To be so adored, so unimaginably beautiful, with such a fearsome bloodline and a natural aura of nobility—there was no doubt she was a direct descendant of the Bai family.
In fact, likely the most elite of the direct line.
An extremely strong bloodline, supreme beauty, exceptional talent, and the core lineage of a sixth-rank powerful clan.
To possess even one of these would be extraordinary.
To possess all of them in one person—that was terrifying.
Most sect masters, clan leaders, and elders all composed themselves, keeping their eyes and minds in check, not daring to look again.
Among the crowd, only the Sect-Master of Great Void Sect frowned slightly and sighed.
Then the meeting began. The Ascended cultivators of the Central Dao Court and several censors from the Seven Halls began, in accordance with Dao Court laws and Heavenly Authority Pavilion Pavilion's grading ordinances, to hold Qianxue's sects and clans accountable.
The Dao Court's wording was harsh, and demanded Qianxue's various factions to surrender a significant portion of their interests.
Seven-tenths of the control over the Qianlong spirit mines would be transferred to the Central Dao Court.
Furthermore, sect names in Qianxue could no longer include the characters for "Heaven (天), Dao (道), Qian (乾), Sky (霄), or Firmament (穹)."
Finally, a stern-faced censor from Heavenly Authority Pavilion Pavilion turned toward Shen Linshu and the other three and sharply rebuked:
"You are the so-called prodigies of Qianxue, yet you knowingly broke the law and violated the Dao Court's decrees. Your crimes are unpardonable."
"The Four Great Sects of Qianxue failed to teach their disciples properly, focusing only on cultivation and neglecting their hearts and minds, leading to disaster. They cannot escape blame."
"However..."
He paused, then continued, "Considering that you are young and this is your first offense, there is room for leniency."
"To prevent you four from straying further, you will be sent to the Central Dao Court to reshape your Dao paths, revere Heaven's law, understand the human heart, cleanse yourselves, and become paragons of virtue who uphold the righteous path and serve the world."
"This... is the Dao Court's mercy."
As soon as he finished, the senior figures from Qianxue's sects and clans all frowned.
His words sounded grand and righteous—but the core intent was to extort Qianxue.
Carving out benefits—was "cutting flesh."
Seizing prodigies—was "stealing people."
This was the Dao Court's new "baseline" for Qianxue's factions.
From here, the negotiations would begin. If Qianxue wished to prevent the loss of more "flesh," they would have to hand over the four rare-bloodline prodigies.
If they wanted to protect those prodigies, they'd have to surrender even more resources.
Of course, Qianxue could not accept this.
And so began a long round of high-level wrangling and negotiation.
But Duanmu Qing heard none of it. Every bit of her attention was consumed by that peerlessly beautiful figure, as radiant and fleeting as a new moon or blooming flower.
She didn't care how the Dao Court would punish her—there was no need.
This entire "hearing" had been arranged in advance by her clan's elders, already negotiated with the Dao Court. Today's proceedings were mere formality.
But that ethereal, otherworldly figure—untainted by the mundane, standing alone from the world—was something she could never ignore.
Desire gradually devoured Duanmu Qing's rationality.
She was willing to do anything for her—kneel to her, submit to her, open her heart and offer her soul, even her life.
And a woman like that—her heart must belong to her, and only her.
Just imagining a day in the future—holding her hand, kissing her cheek, hearing her whisper softly…
Duanmu Qing's inner flame blazed even brighter. Her once cold features flushed with an abnormal, feverish crimson.
In this state of a Dao heart ablaze, of obsession and disorientation, of overwhelming joy and agonizing yearning, Duanmu Qing dazedly finished the Dao Court's so-called "hearing."
That figure, surrounded by the Bai family's high-ranking members, stepped with ethereal grace, each step like a lotus blooming beneath her, elegant and dignified, returning to the gilded Nine Heavens palanquin.
As that stunning figure departed, the soul-stirring aura faded as well.
Somehow, everyone in the hall let out a small sigh of relief.
But Duanmu Qing felt as if her heart had been gouged out—aching and empty.
Elder Gu Hong also stared at that departing figure, brow furrowed, an inexplicable dread rising in her heart.
"That girl… is from the Bai family?"
"Could it be that bloodline…?"
"Is the Bai family planning to marry her into…?"
Elder Gu Hong hesitated again and again, deep in thought. After a while, she suddenly noticed something trembling inside her storage pouch—radiating heat.
Startled, she looked down at the red storage pouch embroidered with twin mandarin ducks and lilies. Reaching inside, she slowly took out a broken piece of red string.
The string was frayed—and scorched.
"This is... which red thread?"
Elder Gu Hong frowned and searched her memory for a long time—then finally remembered.
It was the red thread she once tied for Mo Hua!
Back then, she had thought Mo Hua was a good child and wondered if she could tie a red string for him—To divine his fate in love.
Back then, she thought Mo Hua was a good child and wondered if she could match him with someone—calculate his fate in love.
But unexpectedly, when she matched others, at worst the threads simply wouldn't connect.
Yet whenever she tried to tie a red thread for Mo Hua, each one would break.
Eventually, she had to break the rules and use a top-grade "Golden Jade Match" thread—woven with golden silk and inlaid with red jade—to try tying his fate.
At first, there was some reaction. The golden jade thread gave a faint response when it connected to a direct-line daughter of the Gu family.
Then, instantly—backlash.
A scarlet flame of void-born fire ignited and directly incinerated the red thread...
Not only did the red thread burn, but the golden silk strands snapped inch by inch, and the embedded red jade crumbled into dust.
Elder Gu Hong had been shocked. She concluded that Mo Hua's love fate must be tied to immense karmic entanglements—and whoever he would marry in the future was bound to be an extraordinary and terrifying figure.
So she gave up matchmaking for him. But the half-burnt red thread—she still kept it.
Now, that half thread suddenly began to tremble—and burn.
Elder Gu Hong hadn't paid much attention at first, but after a moment of thought, her entire body shivered.
She looked up toward that stunning figure who had already disappeared into the golden imperial chariot above the clouds, her heart full of disbelief and horror.
"Could Mo Hua's love fate… really be tied to her...?"
In that instant, Elder Gu Hong nearly had a heart attack from fright.
How was that possible?!
She did think Mo Hua was an exceptional boy—pure-hearted, talented, ambitious, worthy of any girl in the world—but... but not like this!
That girl from the Bai family—with that bloodline...
Besides, the two of them—one was a disciple of the Great Void Sect with a rogue cultivator background, the other a direct-line daughter of the prestigious sixth-rank Bai clan—they had nothing in common. How could… how could a love thread connect the two?
Elder Gu Hong was dazed and stunned, unable to believe it.
But the red thread in her hand was still trembling gently—burning hot.
...
In the days that followed, the Dao Court and the Qianxue faction continued to gather in the grand hall atop Dao Discussion Mountain to deliberate accountability for the blood sacrifice and the punishment for the Four Geniuses of Qianxue.
But that stunning figure—was like a fleeting bloom. She never appeared again.
...
Back Mountain, Great Void Sect
Inside a grand, solemn, and serene hall.
The current nominal leader of the top sect in Qianxue—Great Void Sect's sect master—was pouring tea for a girl clad in a snow-colored ornate dress, embroidered with faint golden phoenix patterns, her face covered by a mask of frosted jade-glass.
After pouring, the sect master sighed and said,
"It's been a long time… Zixi."
The girl in white—ethereal and pure, so beautiful she seemed unreal, able to capture the soul and shatter the will—was none other than the direct-line daughter of the Bai family, famed as the most beautiful woman in the Bai lineage, and the only daughter of Bai Qingcheng—
Bai Zixi.
Bai Zixi gave a graceful salute and spoke politely, "Uncle."
The Great Void Sect Master nodded slightly, sighing inwardly before asking, "How did the Matriarch allow you to come out?"
Bai Zixi replied calmly, "On the Matriarch's orders, I am visiting an elder. Since I passed through Qianxue Province, I stopped by to see you, Uncle."
Her voice was gentle and soft—crystal-clear like ice and snow, yet carrying a hint of spring's warmth and laziness. Just hearing it tugged at the heartstrings.
The Sect Master felt a growing headache.
This "uncle," of course, wasn't by blood.
In aristocratic clans, the bigger the family, the more sprawling the kinship network became.
But his branch had always been close to the Bai main line, so the title of "uncle" wasn't undeserved.
He had seen Zixi when she was a child.
Back then, she was just a little girl. Her mother was stunningly beautiful, and her unnamed father was likewise a peerless man. Zixi inherited both their beauty—already as a child, she showed signs of being breathtakingly gorgeous.
Let alone the fact that she awakened a bloodline.
That ancient and powerful bloodline, paired with her peerless looks and the natural nobility passed down from both parents, gave her a kind of innate predatory beauty—able to capture hearts in an instant.
Worse yet, this overpowering bloodline affected women even more strongly than men.
She was, essentially, a born "calamity."
From a young age, her mother Bai Qingcheng had instructed her—wherever she went, she had to disguise herself, suppress her aura, and if necessary, wear a veil to hide her appearance.
These precautions were manageable when she was young.
But now, as she had grown and matured, her beauty had blossomed, her immortal aura had become more pronounced—Even through a veil, one could feel the staggering allure.
Most of all, the deep allure from her bloodline had only grown stronger.
She was now… an absolute calamity.
No matter where she went, she would be a walking disaster.
Even the Sect Master felt immense pressure.
Still, since she came to the Great Void Sect, as her "uncle," he naturally had to play host and treat her well.
"The Great Void Sect is still an ancient, time-honored major sect. Though we're only fifth-rank, not quite the same as the Bai family or those sixth-rank clans in Zulong Province, we're still a respected sect."
"What's more, now that the three peaks have united, the disciples are united as well, having won first place in the Dao Debate. In time, we'll flourish once more…"
He spoke with modest pride, then said:
"Since you're here, it's a rare chance. Let me show you around a bit."
Bai Zixi replied, "Thank you, Uncle."
And so, the Sect Master personally led Bai Zixi on a tour of the Great Void Sect.
The last batch of disciples had already left; the new batch hadn't arrived. The mountains were serene.
Along the winding mountain path, only clouds and mist lingered.
The Sect Master, acting as a good "uncle," kept explaining the famous sites and history of the sect.
Bai Zixi remained mostly silent, only nodding occasionally or replying with polite and pleasing words.
The Sect Master sighed inwardly, feeling a little melancholic.
When she was young, this little niece had been cold but diligent in cultivation—yet still had a trace of warmth in her nature, even smiled at times.
Now, every expression and word of hers, aside from her beauty, seemed to carry a faint "veil" of indifference.
Though her manners were flawless, there was a chill of distance in them.
The whole Great Void Sect seemed to her like irrelevant "external objects" or lifeless "things." Nothing left a trace in her heart.
It hadn't always been this way…
Ever since she left the Bai family, drifted alone, and finally found a master—after all she had gone through, even her Longevity Talisman was shattered—when she returned, there was almost no smile left on her face. Her temperament grew colder by the day, until she became like this.
Of course, the shattered Longevity Talisman had been replaced by another elder of the Bai family.
To break one and still be eligible to receive another—across the entire Bai family, she was the only one.
That showed how much the Bai ancestors doted on her, and how highly the clan valued her.
Since then, Zixi had been raised personally by the Grand Matriarch—cultivated with the utmost care, practically isolated from the world.
But at the Grand Matriarch's level, the divide between her and ordinary cultivators was already like a separation of worlds.
Whether one was isolated or not—it hardly mattered.
They walked a bit farther. The Sect Master kept talking, and Zixi listened silently, her expression unreadable.
Until they entered a small library garden near the southern quarters for disciples. There, Zixi noticed a large white dog.
For the first time, a trace of emotion appeared in her voice:
"This is…"
The Great Void Sect Master nodded. "It's the youngest of the white qilin beasts raised at home. There was some evil disturbance in the sect recently, so I brought it here to help suppress it for a while."
At this moment, the little white qilin was lying on the ground, gnawing on a bone with a face full of reluctant melancholy.
Bai Zixi stared at the bone and said faintly, "A white qilin… gnawing on a bone?"
The Sect Master of the Great Void Sect chuckled helplessly. "Mo Hua gave it to him. After it finished gnawing, it couldn't bear to throw it away…"
Bai Zixi trembled. Her body went completely stiff, and she muttered in a daze, "Mo… Hua?"
The Sect Master of the Great Void Sect nodded.
"Mo Hua, the Little Senior Brother from the last generation of our Great Void Sect. He was the top of Qianxue's Formation Path, an extremely kind, extremely intelligent formation master with extraordinary talent. To be honest, the Great Void Sect's current status is largely thanks to…"
As he spoke, the Sect Master suddenly sensed something was off. Bai Zixi's aura had shifted noticeably, as if her emotions had been deeply shaken.
Startled, the Sect Master turned to look at her, only to find Bai Zixi had already retracted all her aura. Her expression and presence returned to normal, showing no visible change.
The Sect Master frowned, then relaxed inwardly.
"It must've been my imagination…"
After all, the name Mo Hua only held significance within the Great Void Sect.
To Bai Zixi, a direct descendant of the prestigious Bai clan and someone raised by the clan matriarch, it shouldn't mean anything…
Moreover, their backgrounds, spiritual roots, aptitudes, bloodlines, and destinies were completely different—there shouldn't have been any intersection at all.
Even their "style" was entirely different.
Zixi was stunningly beautiful, cold and distant, with a kind of unapproachable, ethereal grace.
Mo Hua was warm, easygoing, kind, upright and good-hearted—he could get along with anyone, even treating a rare beast like the white qilin as a "dog" to be fed...
They simply weren't the same kind of people.
It was nearly impossible for them to have any connection.
The Great Void Sect Master continued walking with Zixi along the same path. The scenery around them remained unchanged—mountains, stones, grass, trees, buildings, and pavilions, all as before.
But this time, Zixi walked slowly and observed everything closely.
For some reason, this once unfamiliar landscape of the Great Void Mountain suddenly felt vivid in her eyes… even familiar.
Over these past years, her little junior brother had lived among these mountains, in these pavilions—cultivating, learning spells, drawing formation diagrams, sparring with his fellow disciples—gradually improving his cultivation, little by little, growing up…
Her once cold heart now stirred with warmth and sorrow.
"My… Little Junior Brother…"
Bai Zixi stood there in a daze, lost in thought.
...
The negotiations between Dao Court and Qianxue continued, but after much back and forth, a resolution was finally reached.
The Four Proud Talents of Qianxue would be handed over to Dao Court.
Dao Court would take responsibility for their reformation, hoping to guide them back to righteousness and service to both the Dao Court and all living beings.
And with that, the matter was settled.
...
Ten Thousand Skies City, Duanmu Estate.
Inside a lavishly decorated boudoir bathed in pale violet hues, Duanmu Qing sat before her dressing table, weighed down with concern.
Beside her stood a gentle-looking elder from the Duanmu family, who spoke softly:
"My lady, we'll depart soon. In two months, we'll reach Dao Prefecture. The ancestor has arranged everything. Once you're there, you need not worry about anything else. Just focus on your cultivation. After you've formed your Bloodline Golden Core, then consider the rest…"
Duanmu Qing replied with a soft "Mm." But the moment she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with that breathtaking silhouette—unforgettable, soul-searing, untouched by the dust of the world.
"She…"
"She is mine…"
Duanmu Qing murmured, then the once-dim light in her eyes turned resolute.
Her shattered Dao Heart was being reforged by her own longing.
...
At that moment, tens of thousands of miles away, within a winding stretch of cloud veins.
An old and weathered cloud ferry drifted slowly through the air.
Mo Hua lay sprawled on the deck with a sigh, muttering to himself, "Why am I suffering through this?"
The food was terrible, the sleep worse, and the ferry was unbearably slow.
To pass the time, he'd already used up all his formation paper for drawing diagrams.
And nothing unusual had happened on the journey.
Aside from the long hours of boredom and the howling winds that accompanied the ferry's movement, there wasn't a trace of danger.
"Sometimes karma… is a lie too…"
Mo Hua thought silently.
The next ten days passed in much the same way.
Until the twelfth day, as the ferry neared a branching point in the cloud vein—where it would need to shift course—Mo Hua suddenly felt his heart pounding intensely.
As if something… something he deeply cared about was about to happen.
Mo Hua couldn't understand it.
But the unrest in his heart grew stronger and stronger. Not even meditation could calm it.
He frowned.
Doing a quick divination with his fingers, his heart skipped a beat. A thought surfaced in his mind, and with a serious expression, he stood on the deck, gazing toward the distant cloud veins.
He stared for a long time. But aside from endless clouds, there was nothing.
Even so, Mo Hua remained still.
Until noon, when the sunlight shone brightly.
Suddenly, a dragon-like cloud flute sounded in the distance, mingled with the sound of air being torn apart.
Amid the churning sea of clouds, a gleaming cloud ferry made of white jade burst forth, revealing its form.
This ferry was of extremely high grade and blindingly fast—normally too fast to even be seen clearly.
But since it had reached the turning point in the cloud veins, it had to slow and pause briefly.
At that moment, Mo Hua caught a clear view of the ferry—his pupils trembled violently.
He swept the ferry with his divine sense. His gaze landed on the deck—where a figure stood: a woman, in white, hazy like a dream, half-real, half-illusory.
And that figure… saw Mo Hua too.
In an unexpected moment of shock, their eyes met.
One gaze, deep and clear.
The other, like dreamlike crystal.
In each other's eyes, they saw their own reflection.
One, a face as picturesque as a painting, eyes like stars.
The little junior brother, all grown up.
The other, ethereal and stunning beyond compare.
The little senior sister, all grown up.
Separated by the sea of clouds, they looked at one another—just one glance, just one fleeting exchange.
Amid the vast mysteries of fate, this was their one and only moment of karmic convergence.
Then the clouds churned, the veins split, and the two ferries sailed their separate courses, carrying each of them toward their own destiny.
They drifted apart within the sea of clouds.
Leaving behind, in each other's eyes, a silhouette that could never be forgotten…
(End of Qianxue Arc)
...
(End of this Chapter)