Chapter 4: The Visitor's Sinister Intent

As the distance closed between them, the young woman sensed that all four possessed late-stage Golden Core cultivation. Her curiosity was further piqued—such boldness! Four cultivators at the Golden Core stage represented more than half the strength of a major sect. Even the number one ranked sect among the top ten in the cultivation world, the Ethereal Nine Heavens Sect, boasted only thirty-six cultivators above the early Golden Core stage; the sect ranked tenth had just seven Golden Core cultivators.

Feeling the formidable aura of these four—stronger than any enemy she’d encountered before—the girl was also left wondering about their origins. The laws of the mortal realm prevented most high-level cultivators from the same sect from appearing together. For four Golden Core cultivators to suddenly arrive here was utterly incredible.

Of course, fear was an emotion foreign to a girl of nine hundred years. What she felt was excitement.

This young woman was none other than the Peony Fairy, whom the four from the Hundred Poisons Sect had spoken of. She had taken the Elixir of Eternal Youth upon reaching the first level of Qi Refinement at the age of eighteen, and thus her appearance had remained unchanged—forever that of a young maiden.

Though her secluded cultivation had been interrupted, the Peony Fairy saw this as yet another opportunity for tempering herself. In the cultivation world, devoting oneself solely to closed-door cultivation without practical experience was a grave mistake. She mused that these four would serve as the whetstone for her imminent breakthrough to the mid-stage Nascent Soul.

But did these four truly not fear perishing by her hand tonight? After nine centuries of cultivation, worry was always something she left to her opponents.

Suspended in mid-air outside the cave, she waited. About a minute later, the four from the Hundred Poisons Sect appeared, streaking through the air several hundred meters from the spring waterfall, the sharp whistle of their passage slicing through the atmosphere. They halted some dozens of meters before her, standing in a line. The sect master and Elder Jin took a step forward in the air.

Her beautiful eyes swept over them, but their identities remained hidden from her. With a gentle tilt of her lips, she asked, “And who might you be?”

Though she could sense their intentions were hostile, the Peony Fairy still wished to ascertain their backgrounds. She prided herself on never killing nameless nobodies.

Elder Jin spoke up. “You truly live up to your reputation, Peony Fairy—beauty that could topple kingdoms! No wonder you stand at the head of the five great elders of Myriad Blossoms Valley. I have long heard that countless male cultivators in the world bow at your feet. I, too, have admired you for a long time. However, there is something I wish to ask you to consider.”

“Speak!” The Peony Fairy fixed Elder Jin with a deep look, her voice cold.

Seeing her reply, Elder Jin continued, “This is our sect master, known as the Immortal of the Nine Netherworlds. Our master has long been captivated by your fame. Both your Myriad Blossoms Valley and our Hundred Poisons Sect are among the top ten sects. Here in the mortal realm, amidst the season of blossoming, let me play the matchmaker under the moon.”

He paused, glancing at the Peony Fairy. Though the four had come prepared, their opponent was now a Nascent Soul cultivator with a formidable reputation—should she suddenly attack, they needed to be ready to respond. Yet, seeing her merely watch them with interest, Elder Jin, for a moment, felt as though his cultivation and very thoughts had been laid bare before her—his form exposed, his intentions transparent. An inexplicable unease crept into his heart. He shook his head slightly and forced himself to remain calm.

“Our sect master is devoted to you. Though now at the late Golden Core stage, it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through to Nascent Soul. A union with our master would not tarnish the reputation of Myriad Blossoms Valley. Furthermore, should our sects join by marriage, both would flourish. What do you think of this match?”

The Peony Fairy merely smiled. At that smile, the flowers surrounding the spring and waterfall burst into fuller bloom, and for an instant, the four from the Hundred Poisons Sect were transfixed—their hearts dazed by her breathtaking beauty, their faces slack and foolish.

The Immortal of the Nine Netherworlds was the first to recover, his mind steadying. With a thought, he released a dark aura that enveloped the other three, helping them regain their composure. Once they’d returned to their senses, he gave a cold, raspy snort. “The rumors pale before reality. Peony Fairy, your cultivation truly is profound. With just a smile you made fools of us four.”

“Indeed,” the Peony Fairy said softly, her voice laced with suppressed fury. “I searched high and low for you, and here you are—all the scoundrels of the Hundred Poisons Sect, even your leader gracing us in person. Very good. Very good. Very good!”

She did not answer Elder Jin’s proposal, but repeated her words three times, each “very good” charged with anger. As her voice fell, her face blazed with wrath, white light erupted from her body, and the spiritual energy behind her surged with such force that the very air around them seemed to tremble and press inward.

She pressed her thumb against a jet-black ring on her middle finger, and in a flash, a three-foot sword appeared in her hand, its blade wreathed in shimmering spiritual energy. This sword was a mid-grade spiritual weapon.

She glared at the four, her beautiful eyes wide with rage, and declared in a clear, commanding voice, “Tonight, I will avenge all the female cultivators you have violated, and the ninety-six disciples of Myriad Blossoms Valley you have slaughtered over the past thousand years!”

Elder Jin, only now fully recovered with the Immortal’s aid, hadn’t expected the Peony Fairy to be so hot-tempered. Her cultivation was even deeper than rumors suggested; her power so great that a single smile had made fools of all four. He replied seriously, his tone grave, “It seems you do not approve of my proposal. Will you not reconsider? If you have any conditions, name them. Our Hundred Poisons Sect, with its thousand members, will do everything possible to meet your demands!”

“Negotiate, my foot! My only condition is the utter annihilation of your entire Hundred Poisons Sect—body and soul!”

The Peony Fairy was now thoroughly enraged, unable to contain her curse. The thought that the scum of the cultivation world stood before her, and that they dared set their sights on her, was infuriating. In the two centuries since she’d advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, no one had ever dared be so insolent. Their offense to her, whether for public or private reasons, sealed their fate—tonight, she would eradicate them all.

Nor could she be blamed for wishing to destroy them utterly—their countless atrocities were an outrage to both mortals and immortals, marked for death by all righteous cultivators.

She fixed her gaze on the four, and with a flick of her wrist, hurled the three-foot sword before her.