Chapter 81: Slaying Four Golden Bodies Alone

Anticipating the Imperial Consort's arrival, the eastern courtyard of the Baosu Marquis Residence had been swept and polished until it looked brand new.

Lin Longyue had taken a shortcut, arriving early to stand at the foot of the steps before the eastern courtyard's main hall.

The clatter of hooves drifted from the distance, starting as a few faint, scattered beats before swiftly swelling into a torrential downpour.

The vanguard cavalry and the honor guard reached the estate gates. Behind them, a jade carriage draped with an ornate canopy slowly rolled into the residence.

The jade carriage drew to a smooth halt before the main hall's steps. County Princess Yunhe lifted the curtain from within, and Imperial Consort Chun slowly stepped out.

Today, she wore a moon-white gown, her hair swept up into an elegant chignon secured by a tasseled hairpin. A thumb-sized pearl crowned the pin, and its tassels—woven from the finest gold thread—dangled beside her temples, swaying gently with every step.

Standing at the foot of the steps, she tipped her head back slightly to glance at the newly hung plaque beneath the eaves of the eastern courtyard's main hall. A faint smile touched her lips.

Lin Longyue was already kneeling on the ground, and behind her, a dense, dark crowd had also dropped to their knees.

"Your subject, Lin Longyue, respectfully welcomes Her Highness the Imperial Consort."

Imperial Consort Chun stepped forward and reached out, offering a gentle, symbolic gesture to help her up.

"Longyue," Imperial Consort Chun said, her tone warm. "My visit disrupts the marquis's peaceful cultivation, so the Emperor specifically decreed that he need not leave seclusion—I will have to trouble you during this stay."

Lin Longyue lowered her eyes. "Your Highness is too kind; I am unworthy of such praise."

Imperial Consort Chun offered a faint smile and said no more.

That night, Imperial Consort Chun took up residence in the heated pavilion behind the eastern courtyard's main hall.

Outside the Baosu Marquis Residence, however, the scene was entirely different. Eager to catch a glimpse of the favored Imperial Consort, throngs of commoners had gathered along the long street. Even though armored soldiers and bailiffs barred them from getting close, they lingered in the distance, watching and waiting.

Chen Lingxi stood in the midst of this clamor.

Thorough Awakening hasn't ended yet. I can afford to probe a bit more.

He gazed at the soldiers' encampment in the distant square, and at the Baosu Marquis Residence behind it, its silhouette cast in sharp relief by the glowing lanterns. His eyes remained perfectly calm.

He simply waited outside the estate.

He waited until Liu Que emerged from the residence to purchase supplies.

Chen Lingxi trailed Liu Que in secret, only revealing himself once they were a good distance from the estate.

"Chen Lingxi?" Liu Que asked, his eyes filled with suspicion. "You're back?"

Chen Lingxi had been absent from the estate for several days, a fact Liu Que had naturally noticed. His current questioning suggested that Lin Longyue had already issued him certain instructions.

Chen Lingxi offered Liu Que a polite bow and handed over a letter. "The person the young miss ordered me to serve asked me to deliver this. Since I happened to run into you, Steward, I won't return to the estate; I'll just leave the letter with you."

Liu Que accepted the letter. Given Lin Longyue's prior instructions, he suspected nothing. He nodded and said, "The estate is heavily guarded right now, with strict inspections for anyone coming and going. It would indeed be troublesome for you to return.

I will deliver this letter for you."

Liu Que departed, and Chen Lingxi quietly slipped out of the city.

The next day, before the sky had fully lightened, Yuanjiang Prefecture was already bustling with activity.

Imperial Consort Chun's carriage was leaving the city so she could view the snow in the surrounding mountains.

Lin Longyue had slept extremely poorly the previous night.

That sudden letter had left her anxious and restless, keeping her awake all night.

"Tomorrow at the Shen hour, along the Yuanjiang riverbank, at the Salt Shoal."

Should I go, or not?

Lin Longyue frowned in deep thought.

A few breaths later, she suddenly began to cough, followed by several heavy gasps.

I am at Silver Bone Great Completion, yet I am this weak.

Lin Longyue took a deep breath. While the Imperial Consort is out of the city, I will go meet him.

Her frown returned. If I leave the estate alone, disaster might strike.

Weighing her options, she thought, I'll bring the estate's guest ministers with me. If the opportunity presents itself, perhaps I can—

Her mind made up, Lin Longyue hesitated no further. She immediately selected several guest ministers and rode out of the estate on horseback, forgoing a formal carriage.

By the Yuanjiang, the winter waters had receded, exposing large swaths of grayish-white riverbank. It was this pale stretch that gave the Salt Shoal its name.

Lin Longyue reined in her horse and dismounted.

The bitter northern wind swept off the river, tearing a few strands of long hair loose from her bindings. They plastered against her pale cheeks, highlighting an utter exhaustion that no amount of cosmetic powder could conceal.

She walked beneath an old locust tree and glanced around. The riverbank was completely deserted.

She took a deep breath, just about to speak.

Right then, she suddenly sensed something.

A gaze.

It came from far behind her—plain and tranquil, yet bearing an oppressive weight that made the qi and blood in her body tremble involuntarily.

She whipped around and saw him.

The ghost-faced figure, his posture tall and straight with a long saber at his waist, stood on a jutting river rock barely a dozen paces away.

His back was as straight as a pine, and his aura as deep and still as an abyss. The freezing gales sweeping the river, the patches of lingering snow, the desolate chill permeating the world—all of it seemed to serve as a mere backdrop for him.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the hem of his robes fluttering lightly in the wind. His pitch-black eyes crossed the short distance to lock onto Lin Longyue's face, as calm and bottomless as ancient wells.

Lin Longyue's heart gave a violent lurch.

"Senior," she said, bowing deeply. "Longyue greets you."

Chen Lingxi offered a slight nod.

Lin Longyue straightened up. She remained silent for a few breaths, seemingly weighing her words, before she lifted her head. "I have already met Imperial Consort Chun. The Imperial Consort is generous and rewarded me with several pills."

As she spoke, she reached into her robes and produced a wooden box.

She opened the wooden box, revealing several pills arranged neatly inside.

The moment the lid opened, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.

By any ordinary standard, these were undeniably rare and precious pills.

"The Imperial Consort said these pills would help consolidate my foundation and nourish my vitality, allowing me to reach Silver Bone Consummation sooner," Lin Longyue said softly.

Chen Lingxi cast only a cursory glance at the pills in the wooden box before looking away.

He lifted his gaze, looking past Lin Longyue toward the forested hills behind her.

The depths of the pine woods were dark and indistinct. Only a few faint, pulsing motes of spiritual light could be seen flashing amidst the trees, flickering in and out of view like will-o'-the-wisps.

A faint smile touched Chen Lingxi's lips.

It was a subtle smile, yet it sent a chill straight through Lin Longyue's heart. "Since you came all the way out here by yourself, it is only fitting that you brought a few guards."

Then, lifting his head to look in the direction of the pine woods, he raised his voice.

"Since you are already here, why not show yourselves?"

Hearing this, Lin Longyue's expression changed drastically. "Senior—"

Chen Lingxi merely kept his eyes on the distant woods.

After a few moments of hesitation, she finally gave a slight nod. Immediately, a figure strolled out from the pines.

The man was tall and slender, dressed in the plain white robes of a scholar. His face was stunningly handsome, his features as exquisite as if they were carved.

A sword hung at his waist, its scabbard a flawless silver-white. He walked with unhurried grace, a faint golden light swirling around his body.

It was the Yin'an Courtyard's guest minister, Zhao Qinglou.

Behind Zhao Qinglou, two more figures walked out of the pine woods.

Both were also guest ministers of the Yin'an Courtyard. One was a short, stout middle-aged man, and the other was an old man as thin and gangly as a bamboo pole.

Three Golden Bodies!

Lin Longyue's face turned pale. Cupping her hands, she said, "Senior, I left the estate alone. They are merely here to protect me—"

Chen Lingxi smiled abruptly. "I did come here because I wanted to invite you for a stroll in the mountains, and—"

He suddenly glanced up at the sky, where two bright, mirror-like moons hung high.

"And I also wanted to see my own means."

Lin Longyue's breath hitched.

As he spoke, Chen Lingxi suddenly raised his right hand. Pressing his index and middle fingers together like a sword, he lightly flicked them toward the Yuanjiang!

A streak of purple light bloomed from his fingertips.

Immediately after, the Yuanjiang exploded!

The explosion was extremely violent.

A ten-foot pillar of water was blasted up from the surface, churning with river mud, waterweeds, and shards of ice—and laced with a faint, extremely thin ribbon of blood.

The blood diffused through the spray, dyeing the pillar of water a pale red.

"Why didn't the one in the river show himself?" Chen Lingxi asked after his strike.

Before the pine woods, the pupils of all three Golden Body guest ministers contracted simultaneously.

Zhao Qinglou was the fastest to react.

His right hand had already snapped to the hilt of his sword. The golden light around his body abruptly surged, and the Purple-Gold Wheel rose behind his back.

But Chen Lingxi's movements were faster.

He merely flicked his sleeve. The sleeve robe snapped sharply in the wind, and a feathered arrow flew out from within.

The spiritual arrow tore through the air!

The arrow was too fast—so fast that ordinary eyesight could only perceive a hazy cyan afterimage flashing across the sky.

Where the arrow passed, the air was ripped apart, leaving a white scar visible to the naked eye.

The short, stout Golden Body guest minister bore the brunt of the strike.

His hands were still tucked in his sleeves, seemingly yet to process what was happening before the spiritual arrow was already in front of his face.

His pupils rapidly contracted. The protective aura of his Golden Body flared brilliantly, encasing him from head to toe in a heavy dome of golden light, while his golden broth-like qi and blood surged through his meridians like mercury.

But a cyan glow flashed on the tip of the spiritual arrow.

That layer of Golden Body aura, which could shatter ordinary blades with its rebound, was like a thin sheet of paper before this cyan glow. It was soundlessly pierced through.

The arrowhead sank into his brow and burst out the back of his head, carrying a fine mist of blood into the air as his body crashed to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, a Golden Body was dead!

The remaining two were greatly alarmed. The tall, thin guest minister let out a sharp cry and struck out with both fists, golden light violently surging around his knuckles as his fist aura tore through the air with a deep hum. Then, slamming his snake-headed wooden staff into the earth, the elder launched himself into the air, charging straight for Chen Lingxi!

And at that exact moment, Zhao Qinglou's longsword left its sheath.

He thrust with a single strike. His sword momentum was fierce and its qi biting; the air within several dozen feet was churned into a frantic roil by the blow, sweeping up dead grass and loose snow to dance wildly in the air.

His figure moving like lightning, he followed the path of his blade and closed in on Chen Lingxi.

Yet Chen Lingxi merely extended a single finger, seemingly at random.

The index finger of his right hand.

On that finger, a hazy cyan edge first flared out—as thin as a strand of silk, yet incomparably sharp!

Cyan Edge Method!

Immediately after, a streak of purple light seeped from his fingertip. It was as fine as an ox hair, yet far more solid and lethal than the cyan edge.

Purple True Precious Qi!

The cyan glow and purple light intertwined around his fingertip, acting just like two tiny spiritual snakes—one cyan and one purple—spitting a frosty, deadly gleam.

Then, he used his finger to meet Zhao Qinglou's longsword!

Clang.

An incredibly crisp and distant clash of metal exploded across the riverbank.

Zhao Qinglou felt an irresistible, overwhelming force blast back through the tip of his sword, as though an invisible mountain had just slammed head-on into him.

He was thrown backward like a kite with a snapped string, his eyes wide with horror.

He was a figure of Golden Body Great Completion, protected by an indestructible Purple-Gold Wheel. The Lingxiao Sword in his grasp was forged from extraterrestrial meteoric iron and had been nourished with his qi and blood for over a decade. It sliced through iron like mud and possessed peerless sharpness.

Yet this person merely used a single finger—

Just who was this person?

Zhao Qinglou had no time to think.

Because Chen Lingxi had already closed in and drawn his saber!

The instant the Gold-Slaughtering Precious Saber left its sheath, the world suddenly flared bright.

The long saber hummed, overflowing with the brilliant radiance of thunder as it cleaved the air.

At the same moment, the gangly Golden Body elder entered within twenty feet of him.

The elder clawed toward Chen Lingxi, his entire hand shifting into a pale gold.

Gold-Transforming Force.

But Chen Lingxi did not even spare him a glance.

Chen Lingxi's saber was already scything toward Zhao Qinglou, his body closing to within thirty feet of him.

Murderous intent flashed in the Golden Body elder's eyes. Pushing the Gold-Transforming Force to its absolute limit, he slammed his pale gold palm toward the center of Chen Lingxi's back like a pair of red-hot iron tongs.

Right at that moment.

The spiritual arrow had silently doubled back at some unknown point.

With his entire focus locked on Chen Lingxi, the Golden Body elder completely failed to notice the arrow stealthily approaching from behind him.

His Gold-Transforming Force was less than three feet from the center of Chen Lingxi's back, and a smug, triumphant smile broke across his lips.

Then, the smile froze on his face.

The spiritual arrow sank into the back of his skull.

Blood poured from the finger-thick hole right between his eyebrows, blooming into a dark red stain across his graying hair and beard.

Another one dead.

Meanwhile, Chen Lingxi's long saber had already fallen toward Zhao Qinglou.

On the blade, three distinct colors flared at once—thunder, cyan glow, and purple qi. The three twisted and coiled around each other, condensing along the metal into a nearly tangible, tricolored saber edge.

A single sweep slashed down.

Zhao Qinglou's pupils contracted.

He threw his sword up to block. The purple-gold light on the blade flared to its absolute limit, while the Purple-Gold Wheel behind him spun frantically, churning the surrounding air until it wailed.

He had poured every last ounce of his strength into the defense, not daring to hold anything back.

Saber and sword collided.

Crack.

The longsword snapped.

The saber's momentum did not stop.

The edge continued forward. It cleaved through his golden protective aura, cut through his skin and muscle, and severed his ribs, slicing diagonally from his right shoulder all the way down to his left ribs.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Zhao Qinglou died.

At this point, all four Golden Bodies had been completely slain.

And all of this had happened in the span of just a few breaths.

Silence returned to the riverbank.

Lin Longyue stood frozen in place.

Chen Lingxi sheathed his saber without a single wasted word. He walked up, raised his right hand, and lightly pressed the back of Lin Longyue's neck.

Lin Longyue felt a sudden numbness at her nape before her vision abruptly pitched to black.

Chen Lingxi looked at Lin Longyue, a faint smile touching his lips. "Now, let's see just what exactly this primordial core essence is."