The Path Toward Heaven

Chapter 601: The Thunderous Name of Kou Qingtong

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was deathly quiet in heaven and earth.

“I’m his woman.” What?

What kind of woman?

A girlfriend?

A lover?

The wife?

And who was he?

Countless gazes fell on Jing Jiu.

There was a rumor in the Cultivation circle that Lian Sanyue took a secret fancy to the Immortal Jing Yang. Yet, this sort of thing was hard to substantiate; people could only guess as to what sort of affairs transpired based on stories like Lian Sanyue going to Qingrong Peak and threatening everybody there, or Nan Wang claiming to loathe the Immortal Jing Yang while crying all night.

No one dared talk about this affair when the Immortal Jing Yang had been alive.

The Immortal Jing Yang had left and Lian Sanyue had disappeared; still, nobody dared talk about this affair even though the Green Mountain Sect and the Water-Moon Nunnery mostly remained the same.

However, the person who had been involved in this affair made such a statement many years later in the square of the royal palace and under the gazes of tens of thousands of people.

Many people felt bewildered, which was a sort of bewilderment because of witnessing the history; and they also felt helpless and powerless.

The people liked very much to know what would be the answer from another person in this affair.

According to the temperament of the Immortal Jing Yang, it was impossible for him to admit to this affair since he hadn’t accepted Lian Sanyue’s affection back then.

Those like State Duke Lu who were more realistic in dealing with the affairs wondered nervously if Senior Master Lian Sanyue would side with Green Mountain against the Center Sect if Jing Jiu denied the affair.

And those like Ping Yongjia who desired romantic affairs thought anxiously that his Master would be a terrible person if he denied it.

Finally, those like the Drifter who liked watching the unfolding of interesting events thought curiously that it would be more interesting if Senior Master Zhao were present.

...

...

After a long while.

Jing Jiu uttered “hmm”.

It had suddenly become cheerful in heaven and earth.

State Duke Lu said in his mind, “What a wicked man.”

Ping Yongjia shouted “Great!” in his mind. Then it occurred to him that his Master had only uttered a faint “hmm” and that though it was his habit, would the woman find it too imprudent and cold-hearted?

Hovering amid the roof beams at the deep end of the palace hall, the Drifter watched the scene in the square in secret, uttering “tsk” incessantly.

Jing Jiu had never said such a thing, not even something close to it, so it sounded a bit awkward even though he had merely uttered a faint “hmm”.

Did he say it because he needed Lian Sanyue to help Green Mountain? Of course not.

Did he do it because he had owed her too much in the former life? That was not the case either.

Back when they were at the West Ocean, Jing Jiu took a great risk to have saved her. He then used her natural worm silk to stitch up his bones, inner organs, muscles and skins. Later they both recuperated in Dayuan City and traveled the world for several years. After that, he went to Cloud-Dream Mountain to participate in the Dao Competition and win the Fairy Book of Longevity. After he had tempered the spiritual awareness in the fairy book left behind by Bai Ren at risk of losing his own life, he instilled all of the fairy energy into her body...As such, he had fully repaid her no matter how much he owed her before.

What he didn’t expect was that it was not so easy to resolve an affair simply by repaying debts.

They had spent spring, summer, autumn and winter in the Three-Thousand Nunnery.

One lifetime is one lifetime.

It was he who gave her this life.

Those silk threads were still in his body.

Of course she was his woman.

Lian Sanyue took out a peach flower from inside her sleeve and inserted it into the hair on her temple.

Jing Jiu recognized that it was the peach flower he put beside her last time when he went to the Waster-Moon Nunnery and found her still in sound sleep. He felt relaxed at last, and the corners of his mouth curled up; he was smiling.

If Lian Sanyue’s smile looked like a flower in the Abyss, his smile had made all the flowers in heaven and earth bloom vigorously.

Lian Sanyue didn’t like seeing his smile, so she turned her head around and looked at the distant Yintian Gate, saying, “I don’t like you, so don’t talk to me again today.”

Afterwards, she turned to the Immortal Tan and said, “If you are unconvinced, you can find helpers as well. The righteous cause will have more supporters, so you have nothing to worry about.”

Well, she was none other than Lian Sanyue; if the others thought what she did was wrong, she would start fighting and killing without further argument.

It had nothing to do with whom she belonged to.

...

...

The cloud and fog above the Yintian Gate were as thick as before.

No one could see the face of the Immortal Bai or knew what mood she was in; but they had heard her saying, “Mister Qingtong, looks like we need you to strike now.”

The dozen cloud boats had all retreated outside Zhaoge City. One of the cloud boats was farther away than the others, looking rather lonely and distant.

Fewer disciples of the Center Sect were on that cloud boat. All they did was ensuring the operation of the cloud boat, but they couldn’t launch any effective attack on Zhaoge City.

The disciples of the Center Sect on the boat seemed very nervous as they kept turning their heads to look at the end of the boat.

A person sat in the shadow at the end of the boat, his head and body covered with a cotton cloth; it was unclear if he was afraid of the sunlight or averse to it.

When the person heard the voice of the Immortal Bai coming from the top of the cloud boat, he took off the cotton cloth from his head, exposing his true face.

The person wore a green cloth, his face pale and hair messy; he probably hadn’t washed his hair for a great many years. He had two deep sunken eye-sockets, giving off a very eerie feel to the onlookers.

He was Kou Qingtong, whom Tong Yan had mentioned before, an old weirdo hiding at the back of Cloud-Dream Mountain for many years.

Taking a look at the morning sun in the east, Kou Qingtong said with a disgusted expression, “If you want me to strike, you have to give me the Fairy Book first.”

His voice sounded very hoarse and dry, like rocks grinding against each other, as if he hadn’t drunk water in a thousand years.

“If you die at the hands of that woman, the Fairy Book is useless to you.”

The voice of the Immortal Bai broke out over the cloud boat.

“Do you think there is anyone in this world who can vanquish me?” Kou Qingtong asked with narrowed eyes.

The Immortal Bai returned, “That woman is the one who is most capable of killing people in this world.”

Kou Qingtong said while letting out an eerie laugh, “The people of the Center Sect are getting worse one generation after the next; you’re much worse than your grandmother. I didn’t expect you to use such a despicable method to incite me. What I don’t understand is how you can cultivate to your current state considering your terrible temperament; have you achieved it by taking magic pills?”

“You were regarded as the demon who was most capable of killing people back when you were at the Bloody Demon Church, but I’m not trying to incite you, because she happens to be the same sort. As for my Cultivation state, I am what I am regardless of whether I’ve achieved it by taking pills or inheriting from my ancestors; either way, you won’t dare attack me without thinking twice. Which means, this chance here is your only option if you wish to obtain the Fairy Book.”

The voice of the Immortal Bai was as calm as before.

Kou Qingtong stood up in a strange manner, heading toward the bow of the cloud boat.

The disciples of the Center Sect stepped aside as quickly as they could; they didn’t even look his way.

After coming to the head of the boat, Kou Qingtong asked while looking at the distance, “Is that little girl really so formidable?”

“As far as slaughter is concerned, she is the most formidable one in the world,” the Immortal Bai replied.

Countless bloody lines suddenly appeared in Kou Qingtong’s eyes, indicating a growing brutal intent. “Sounds interesting,” he said. “I’ll kill her then.”

No sooner had he said this than his figure disappeared without a trace.

A dozen patches of thick fog were visible in front of the cloud boat, and there was a hole in each patch of the fog that extended toward the royal palace in Zhaoge City.

...

...

The rays of morning sunlight filled the sky over Zhaoge City, looking beautiful. The lotus sedan in the southeast had blocked many people’s vision.

Just like in the proverb “It’ll rain after morning sunlight and clear next day after twilight”, it looked like a rainfall would occur that day; but the early morning had a clear sky, and no sign of raining was on the horizon.

It was then that fierce roars of thunder suddenly broke out in the clear sky.

Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!!

Those residents still hiding in Zhaoge City covered their ears in agony, and those soldiers of the divine army on the city walls displayed a painful expression.

A dozen divine crossbows placed on the highest spots of the city walls were activated automatically and aimed at a spot in the sky; the bows then moved with the target, but they were bent out of shape by the powerful energy bearing down from the thunder.

Looking at the swaying loquat tree amid the violent wind in the courtyard, Yin San remarked with raised eyebrows, “I can’t believe this evil person is still alive!”

The Green Girl had seldom seen him in such a grave mood; and he had the grave expression twice that day. She couldn’t help but feel astonished.

The things and people that could make the Immortal Taiping feel alarmed were extremely rare.

Yin San took out the bone flute and began to calculate while gazing at the round holes on it. “The southeastern city wall,” he claimed a few moments later.

The Green Girl felt even more curious, thinking that he claimed to watch the show earlier. “What are you going to do there?” she demanded.

Yin San glided to the outside of the courtyard holding the bone flute in his hand while folding his hands behind his back, saying, “I’m going there to kill someone.”

The expression on the Green Girl’s face changed. She was aware that he had seldom killed people with his own hands even though he had caused a great deal of turmoil in the world that contributed to a great many deaths of populace.

Yin San knew what she was thinking, so he said with a faint smile, “This person is worth killing with my own hands.”

...

...

When Yin San was calculating, dozens of loud roars of thunder broke out in the sky over Zhaoge City.

Along with the thunder, someone had come from the outside of Zhaoge City, arriving in the square of the royal palace after breaking through the sky and creating countless patches of thick fog.

His green cloth was flapping like a flag in the violent wind, and so was his messy hair.

Everybody was thinking in shock who this person was and why he was so powerful. And he didn’t appear a tad weaker when standing by the Immortal Tan.

Jing Jiu knew this person must be Kou Qingtong who had lived at the back of Cloud-Dream Mountain; so he took a few steps forward.

Lian Sanyue arched her eyebrows a few times, thinking that it was indeed interesting today and she had woken up just in time, because she could sense a familiar energy from that person.

This sort of energy was barely found on normal people, and one couldn’t even sense it on someone like the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect. Such energy could only be found on those who had killed countless people with their own hands and in the end didn’t treat the others or themselves as human beings.

Kou Qingtong sensed the same energy on her body; he let out a smile while looking at her, his eyes full of brutality.

Before the Immortal Tan could say anything, Kou Qingtong had already flown toward the opposite side.

He had covered one mile in an instant. And Kou Qingtong was thrusting his fist while on his way to the front of Lian Sanyue.

He had employed nothing, not a magic treasure, not a flying sword, not a command board and not a magic method; all he used was his fist.

In fact, he had thrust his fist as soon as his feet left the ground.

The fist gave off a loud and thunderous boom as it broke through the air, creating countless flames, and the wailing of ghosts and the cries of resentful souls could be vaguely heard.

The flames traveling with the fist had black and red, the two distinct colors, drawing a visible line in the square of the royal palace as Kou Qingtong glided forward.

It looked like an extraterrestrial and heavenly demon attached to a shooting star!

Lian Sanyue found that this person was more powerful than she had expected and that he was probably the strongest opponent she had encountered in her life.

This fist was as powerful as the sword wielded by the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean.

She felt a bit regretful, but it was too late.

The fist had already come before her face; all she could do was clos her palm in an effort to block it.

A louder boom echoed in the royal palace, which was even more terrifying than all the other thunders added together.

The strong wind blew in the royal palace, hitting the palace walls after passing the space of several miles. As a result, the red surface layer on the walls fell off with rustling sound and the formation suffered many damages.

Lian Sanyue was nowhere to be found.

There was a hole on the ground where she had stood, which was immensely deep and seemed to be bottomless.