Chapter 63 — The Ghost King

At this moment Little Zhou suddenly said loudly: "Miss Bili, this is the moment of crisis. We fellow adherents came to this Flowing Waves Mountain at the Ghost King Sect's summons, and now this great peril falls upon us—what is to be done?"

At this the crowd chimed in: "He is right! Miss Bili, say something quickly!"

Bili drew a deep breath. At that moment the air outside the cave rang without cease with shrieking blasts, and it seemed the righteous-path adherents had gotten wind of them and were hurrying here from all sides. Her face dark, Bili stepped forward. "Fellow adherents, how the righteous-path people learned of our whereabouts, I myself cannot say. But now I, as the Ghost King's only daughter, am trapped here too, sharing this peril with the rest of you. Can it be that you still have doubts about the Ghost King Sect?"

At these words, most of the crowd fell quiet. Then the tall man standing beside Bili stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Fellow adherents, this is a critical moment before our eyes. Why should we not unite and resist the strong foe together? If we join our strength and cut our way out, we need not necessarily lose to those hypocrites of the righteous path outside!"

The crowd nodded on every side. In truth, at such a moment there was no other way. The cave, vast as it was, was a blind alley with no other exit. Thereupon the Demonic adherents made themselves ready, raised a brave shout, and poured out in a swarm.

Before long, the sounds of magic treasures clashing and of men cursing and roaring rose outside, and in the cave that had been packed so full, only Bili of the Ghost King Sect and that man standing in the shadows whose face could not be seen were left.

Zhang Qingyue rejoiced in his heart, yet at the same time could not help feeling concern for Bili. Though he well knew she was a sorceress of the Demonic sect and no companion for the likes of him, still, having passed through life and death several times together on this journey, he had truly come to feel something different for this somewhat headstrong young woman.

Bili frowned and was about to turn and speak to the man in the shadows, when a glance out of the corner of her eye caught sight of a lone figure still standing in the gathering below, one who had not gone with the others to resist the foe. It was Little Zhou—and she had no idea when he had stayed behind.

This Little Zhou had again and again incited the others against the Ghost King Sect; how could Bili have any liking for him? Her face darkened at once, and she said with a cold laugh: "You do not go to aid our fellow adherents, but stay here—what do you intend?"

Little Zhou's face remained mild, and he showed not the least panic at the righteous path's army pressing upon them. He smiled and said: "I wished to stay and see whether the Ghost King Sect truly advances and retreats together with us, who have neither power nor influence—or whether it simply treats us as cannon fodder."

Bili's face went cold, and she was about to retort, when she suddenly heard the man standing in the shadows behind her say: "You are no disciple of our Holy Sect. What is your true identity?"

Bili was greatly startled, but the man called Little Zhou also gave a shudder. His gaze went toward the shadows, and a wary light shot from his eyes. He said in a deep voice: "Who is this, to talk such nonsense? I am a disciple of the Blood Refining Hall faction of the Holy Sect. Because I spoke out as justice demanded, must you slander me?"

Zhang Qingyue and Tian Lingsu were startled as well, not having expected such a turn of events. But a further doubt had taken root in Zhang Qingyue's mind: the voice of that man whose face could not be seen sounded somehow familiar, though he could not think where he had heard it before.

The man standing in the shadows said mildly: "Eight hundred years ago the Blood Refining Hall faction was indeed the leader of the Holy Sect, unsurpassed in its day, but now it has long since declined. Judging by your cultivation and attainment, Elder Nian is no match for you—how could he have taken you as an ordinary disciple? If he truly had such ability, the Blood Refining Hall would have turned its fortunes long ago."

Little Zhou gave a cold snort. "You have not seen me act, so how do you know the depth of my cultivation?"

The man seemed to smile. "The depth of your cultivation—why need I see you cast a spell? Just now that old Daoist of the green pines forced his voice into the stone with the Taiji Xuanqing Dao, shaking the mountain range. He meant to display his might. One whose cultivation is somewhat lacking would have his heart and spirit shaken and could not keep his footing—even Elder Nian could not avoid it. Yet you were as though nothing had happened. The depth of your cultivation is plain at a glance. What difficulty is there in that?"

Little Zhou's expression changed. He stared at the man in the shadows for a long while. "I did not think the Demonic sect truly hid dragons and crouching tigers. Who exactly are you, sir?"

Bili gave a sharp cry, and flew into the air. "Meet your death!"

Suddenly, in the cave that had been so dark, white light flashed and a faint fragrance drifted on the air. Before Bili, white flowers danced in a swirling, endless storm, like frost, like snow. Yet bright as the white light was, it seemed unable to reach the man's shadow, and the onlookers still could not see his face.

Little Zhou did not dare be careless. He stepped back, reached out and seized the empty air, and with a ceaseless "hiss, hiss, hiss" he actually plucked a bright, dazzling immortal sword out of thin air. Most striking of all, on the blade that shone like autumn water, seven bright stars were carved.

The man in the shadows said suddenly in a low voice: "The Seven Stars Sword!"

In that instant Bili and Little Zhou were already locked in combat. The two of them flew up into the air, flowers darting and swords flashing, and the vast space seemed to shrink greatly beneath their fighting.

Listening from the side, Zhang Qingyue understood that this Little Zhou was most likely also of the righteous path, and he felt some concern for him. Yet as he watched the two duel, his gaze kept drifting again and again to Bili. His heart was truly torn; he only hoped the two would fight to no conclusion and finish quickly, and that Bili would flee as soon as she could.

But at that moment Tian Lingsu, beside him, suddenly whispered: "That Little Zhou—I fear he is most likely a disciple of our Canglan Sect."

Zhang Qingyue was startled. "What? You know him?"

Tian Lingsu shook her head, glanced into the arena, and said softly: "I remember hearing my mother say before that the Seven Stars Sword is a famous divine sword of the Jietian Peak lineage of the eldest sect, and that Uncle-Master Daoyan used it in his day. Later I heard it was passed to—"

Before she could finish, Bili gave a delicate cry from within the arena, and the Heartbreak Flowers scattered in all directions. In an instant the wind howled, and the whole cave was filled with dazzling white blossoms, like a keen wall of light, sweeping forward like a landslide and a overturned sea.

Zhang Qingyue had seen Bili use this spell several times and knew well how formidable it was. His heart was just then full of worry for that Little Zhou.

But unexpectedly, Little Zhou only frowned, retreated a zhang through the air, and with his right hand formed a rapid succession of hand seals, his left hand gripping his right wrist as though weighing a thousand catties, as though tracing wild cursive script. His fingers gave sharp shrieks in the air, and in an instant he had drawn a Taiji diagram there before him out of nothing.

At the sight, Zhang Qingyue and Tian Lingsu had no further doubt: this Little Zhou was indeed a disciple of the Canglan Sect. That spell just now was plainly the Canglan Sect's Taiji Xuanqing Dao!