Chapter 265: The Saintess and the Assassin

Chapter 265: The Saintess and the Assassin

The backyard of Jade Viewing Tower was enveloped by a Rune Barrier, isolating it from the outside world.

Yu Ningsheng and Meng Ying, one clad in white robes and the other in black, hovered in midair. Both were Peerless Demonesses, yet their auras were entirely different.

"Whoosh!"

Flames erupted from the Dragon Scale Black Sword, streaking like a meteor crashing toward Yu Ningsheng. Meng Ying's body was shrouded in the blaze, her Golden Mask gleaming dazzlingly within the flames.

Yu Ningsheng stood suspended like an eternal Ice Lotus Fairy, unmoving. She extended a slender jade hand, releasing a mist of Azure Freezing Energy.

"Hiss—"

The Blazing Flame pierced through the icy mist, while the mist suppressed the flame's power. By the time the Dragon Scale Black Sword reached Yu Ningsheng's palm, the flames on the blade had completely vanished.

"Crackle—"

Ice encased the sword, forming a frozen sculpture that rapidly spread toward Meng Ying's arm.

The Ice-Fire Twin Wings on Meng Ying's back dissipated, transforming into intertwined streams of ice and fire that surged along her arm, shattering the freezing energy.

The Dragon Scale Black Sword's edge reignited with blazing light.

Yu Ningsheng drifted backward gracefully.

Meng Ying activated the "Disintegration Phantom Shadow" technique, vanishing from the void.

"Swish!"

A sword gleam appeared behind Yu Ningsheng, slashing toward her neck and severing a lock of her hair.

Yu Ningsheng, too, possessed peerless movement techniques. Her speed was like a flash of white light as she evaded Meng Ying's lethal strike.

One was the Demon Sect Saintess, the other the top Gold Medal Assassin of Dark Emperor City—both Heaven's Proud Daughters, peerless in cultivation, unrivaled among their generation.

High above, two elegant figures—one black, one white—clashed. In the blink of an eye, dozens of afterimages flickered through the void, leaving onlookers dizzy and unable to discern their true forms.

Ning Xiaochuan, however, appeared completely at ease. He sat back in his chair, studying the techniques and methods of Meng Ying and Yu Ningsheng, contemplating strategies to counter them. If they ever became enemies in the future, this knowledge might prove useful.

"Those who do not plan for the future will find trouble at their doorstep."

He had to remain vigilant toward everyone. Friends today might not remain so tomorrow.

"Daddy, who is Mommy fighting?" Xiao Ling'er passed through the Heaven and Earth Barrier, entering the space with wide, starry eyes blinking curiously.

Barefoot and with long hair cascading down, she wobbled over to Ning Xiaochuan and hugged his leg.

Ning Xiaochuan couldn't help but marvel—both Xiao Ling'er and Little Red were truly extraordinary, able to ignore barrier restrictions. Just what were the origins of these two little ones?

"Xiao Ling'er, are you hungry?" Ning Xiaochuan picked her up and placed her on his lap, retrieving a stalk of profound medicine from the Heaven and Earth Bag to offer her.

Xiao Ling'er's eyes widened even further at the sight of the medicine. She snatched it and popped it into her mouth, chewing with loud "munch-munch" sounds.

"Daddy, can you tell Mommy to stop fighting?" Xiao Ling'er asked.

"Of course, you can. But you'll have to be the one to call her. She listens to you the most." Ning Xiaochuan gently stroked Xiao Ling'er's forehead when suddenly, an electric current surged from her forehead into his meridians, reaching his heart.

Ning Xiaochuan's entire body burned as if every drop of his blood had fused with an electric current.

A single drop of blood dripped from his fingertip, hovering in the air before transforming into three massive divine tigers, their roars shaking the heavens.

One drop of blood, three tigers.

A surge of joy and shock ran through Ning Xiaochuan as he stared at his palm, then back at Xiao Ling'er's forehead.

Unexpectedly, his blood had advanced yet another level.

It seemed Xiao Ling'er truly harbored secrets within her.

"Daddy, why is there electricity in your arm? It shocked my forehead and hurt." Xiao Ling'er pursed her lips, staring curiously at Ning Xiaochuan's hand.

"Daddy wants to know the reason too. Xiao Ling'er, lie still. Let me check what's inside you."

Xiao Ling'er obediently nestled in Ning Xiaochuan's arms, closing her eyes.

His hand pressed gently against her forehead as he focused his essence, energy, and spirit into his heart, channeling his consciousness to probe the space between her brows.

A breathtaking scene unfolded in Ning Xiaochuan's mind—within Xiao Ling'er's forehead floated a purple star.

This was no illusion but a real celestial body, its surface covered in lush greenery, veiled in mist. Mountains, rivers, and seas stretched across it, alongside palaces suspended in the void and castles floating upon the waters, forming a magnificent and vast world.

The purple star rotated slowly within her mind.

Who could have sealed an entire star into something the size of a glass bead?

Ning Xiaochuan was utterly stunned. Just as he attempted to send his consciousness into the purple star, a burst of holy light erupted from within, forcibly expelling his awareness back into his own body.

Xiao Ling'er trembled slightly as her body became enveloped in sacred light, with droplets of light rain swirling around her before seeping into her skin.

Boom!

Above, Yu Ningsheng summoned a bronze divine lamp, letting a drop of blood fall into it.

The lamp ignited on its own, emitting a cyan glow.

Meng Ying, despite her elusive movements, found no refuge under the illumination of the Eight Phases Divine Lamp.

Within the light, eight phantom figures of Martial Artists—beast-headed and human-bodied—materialized, unleashing the Eight Phases Divine Fist and striking Meng Ying with devastating force. Blood spilled from her lips as she suffered severe injuries.

"The Demon Sect Saintess lives up to her reputation. But just wait—tomorrow, the Imperial Army will surround Jade Viewing Tower. Heh."

Meng Ying landed on the rooftop, then leaped into the air, her Ice-Fire Twin Wings unfurling as she soared beyond the Heaven and Earth Barrier, vanishing into the night.

Yu Ningsheng, holding the Eight Phases Divine Lamp, transformed into a streak of white light and gave chase.

"She still escaped..."

Before long, Yu Ningsheng returned, gliding on frost, her expression troubled as she touched down. "Now both our identities will be exposed."

Ning Xiaochuan said, "She won’t reveal my identity unless absolutely necessary."

"Because she still wants to be the Manor Lord’s wife of Ghost Manor," Yu Ningsheng replied.

Ning Xiaochuan did not refute.

Yu Ningsheng exuded a faint, refreshing fragrance as she approached and asked with concern, "What’s wrong with Xiao Ling’er?"

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head gently.

The holy light around Xiao Ling’er gradually receded before vanishing completely.

"Hmm, she seems to have grown a little taller," Ning Xiaochuan remarked.

If Xiao Ling’er had previously appeared to be two years old, she now looked closer to three.

Could her growth be related to the purple star embedded in her forehead?

Xiao Ling’er slowly opened her eyes, sat up in Ning Xiaochuan’s arms, and blinked her large eyes before saying, "Daddy, Xiao Ling’er is hungry again."

"How can you be even more of a glutton than Little Red?" Ning Xiaochuan chuckled softly, patting her head.

This Small Mystic Beast was truly adorable.

"Does Little Red eat a lot?"

Ning Xiaochuan nodded. "I’ll take you to meet her soon. I’m sure you two will get along well."

The Heaven and Earth Barrier in the backyard of Jade Viewing Tower slowly dissipated, leaving behind a scene of devastation—sword marks littered the ground, broken walls and rubble scattered everywhere.

Meng Ying had already fled. She might not expose Ning Xiaochuan’s identity, but she would undoubtedly do everything in her power to target Yu Ningsheng. News of Yu Ningsheng being the Demon Sect Saintess would soon spread throughout the Imperial City. If she remained at Jade Viewing Tower, she would be in grave danger.

"Come with me to Ghost Manor," Ning Xiaochuan said.

Standing amidst the wreckage, Yu Ningsheng gazed at the full moon in the sky, her aura ethereal and dreamlike. "Do you think that once my identity is exposed, I’ll have no place left in the Imperial City and will need your help?"

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "The Demon Sect surely has more than just this one stronghold in the Imperial City, but none are as secure as Ghost Manor. Besides, I’m not just inviting you as a guest—I also hope to enlist your help in eliminating a major threat."

"And if I refuse?" Yu Ningsheng stared into his eyes.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Then I’ll take my leave. Farewell, Saintess. I’ll repay the debt I owe you tonight another time."

Ning Xiaochuan needed to return to Ghost Manor immediately to deal with the threat before Tianchenzi could react.

Truthfully, even without Yu Ningsheng’s aid, Ning Xiaochuan was seventy percent confident he could handle Tianchenzi. Inviting her to Ghost Manor was also his way of repaying her kindness.

"Daddy, don’t go, okay?" Xiao Ling’er ran over and clung to Ning Xiaochuan’s leg, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Ning Xiaochuan gently stroked her cheek and smiled. "Be good, Xiao Ling’er. Daddy will come back to see you. Saintess, I’ll have to trouble you to keep looking after her."

With that, Ning Xiaochuan and Situ Fengwu left Jade Viewing Tower and headed out of the Imperial City.

Xiao Ling’er wept, her face streaked with tears, as she hugged Yu Ningsheng pitifully. "Mommy, why won’t you go with Daddy?"

Yu Ningsheng held her hand, her gaze distant. "I can’t go to Ghost Manor. If I do, the Demon Sect’s experts will surely follow, and then your daddy will be in danger."

Yu Ningsheng was the Demon Sect Saintess, the highest authority of the Demon Sect in the Imperial City.

Her every move could not escape the notice of the Demon Sect's powerful figures.

With the Six Leaders of the Demon Sect soon arriving in the Imperial City, she did not want to expose Ning Xiaochuan's identity because of herself. Thus, even if she longed to go to Ghost Manor, she had to restrain herself.

"How can Daddy not be in danger then?" Xiao Ling'er pouted but stopped crying.

"Unless... that major Demon Sect fiend dies."

Yu Ningsheng took Xiao Ling'er's hand and left Jade Viewing Tower, vanishing into the hazy night.