Chapter Sixty-Seven: Truly a Pitiful Woman

Su Jian was somewhat perplexed... It was hard for him to understand the baffling actions of the Alliance of Righteous Paths.

Perhaps... these people weren’t actually from the Alliance?

Zhao Qianxue suddenly said, “Little Jian, look at the person ahead to the left—doesn’t she look like Shen Lianxiang, the leader of the Southern Alliance of Righteous Paths?”

Hearing her words, Su Jian’s doubts were laid to rest. He continued his covert observation, though he had no interest in intervening. Everything was unfolding just as he had anticipated. Pei Aoyun’s status was anything but ordinary—the Alliance of Righteous Paths would go to any length to bring her back. But even if they succeeded, what of it? Let them be the ones to suffer the headache.

The group from the Alliance struggled to carry the massive bedrock, moving at a sluggish pace. Su Jian watched them for a while with mild curiosity, but soon found it tedious.

Just as he was about to take Zhao Qianxue away, however, a new commotion erupted among the Alliance’s ranks. Suddenly, they dropped the bedrock and assumed a defensive formation. They looked tense—even Shen Lianxiang had drawn her prized spirit weapon, the Verdant Pike. Shen Lianxiang was famous for her lightning speed with the spear, her mastery unmatched.

Su Jian frowned. It appeared a crisis was approaching—someone even Shen Lianxiang feared. He immediately considered retreating, wanting nothing to do with the impending chaos.

When immortals clash, mortals suffer.

That saying applied perfectly here, and Su Jian had no wish to be caught in the crossfire.

As he was about to lead Zhao Qianxue away for a second time, he suddenly noticed a graceful, ghostly figure descending from the sky—like a wandering spirit.

He had been watching the Alliance carefully all along, precisely to avoid unforeseen events like this.

When he saw the woman’s face—the one the Alliance so clearly dreaded—Su Jian’s heart jolted.

A fake Shen Jingya!?

Judging by the Alliance’s reaction, they were clearly not allies.

Seeing the change in Su Jian’s expression, Zhao Qianxue seemed to understand. “Do you know her?”

Su Jian nodded slightly and explained simply, “She’s our new neighbor.”

Zhao Qianxue realized—so this was the mastermind Su Jian had mentioned before.

Then, Su Jian witnessed the confrontation unfold.

“Shen Jingya” sneered, “So the so-called Alliance of Righteous Paths is nothing but a den of thieves and scoundrels. Time and again, you steal from me. Did you really think I wouldn’t kill you?”

Shen Lianxiang replied with a cold laugh, “Are you even qualified to speak for the demon race?”

“But killing you is enough. This place shall be your burial ground.”

“Shen Jingya” was seething with anger, and a formidable, domineering aura spread through the forest.

Shen Lianxiang’s heart trembled. She was powerful in her own right and could withstand “Shen Jingya’s” oppressive force with ease, but her subordinates were not so fortunate. In an instant, all of them were prostrate on the ground—a few in the Nascent Soul stage could barely raise their heads.

With a slash of her spiritual energy, “Shen Jingya” sent streaks of light across the battlefield. One beam, crackling with thunderous might, shot straight for Shen Lianxiang’s vital point.

Shen Lianxiang’s pupils contracted; she had never felt such pressure.

Su Jian watched with growing interest—such a dog-eat-dog spectacle was rare indeed. He was also secretly relieved—this woman was indeed at the Return to Void stage, at least as strong as Shen Lianxiang, if not stronger.

Had he not been so cautious, the outcome would have been dire.

Suddenly, three options appeared in Su Jian’s mind.

[Option One: Step forward and find a way to capture them all at once.]
[Reward: Ultimate Edition of Infinite Player Summoning Mode.]
[Option Two: Stand up for justice and help one side eliminate the other.]
[Reward: Advanced Edition of Dao Companion Link Mode.]
[Option Three: Watch coldly from the sidelines as they fight.]
[Reward: Your power will be increased.]

Su Jian: “……”

Though the rewards for the first two options were tempting, he knew better than to take such risks. This mangy system was getting less and less satisfactory.

He chose the most boring path—watching coldly from the sidelines.

[Task complete. Your strength has increased.]

Su Jian felt a surge of power. He sensed that with a single punch, he could now cripple a Nascent Soul cultivator. This must be the legendary strength of the physical body, he thought.

Zhao Qianxue noticed that Su Jian seemed visibly stronger in a matter of moments. She was a little dazed, then reached out and pinched his arm.

So it wasn’t just her imagination.

At that moment, Shen Lianxiang was being beaten back relentlessly, barely able to speak coherently.

“Fellow Daoist... this is a misunderstanding... I can prove that the one trapped inside this object... is a member of our Alliance of Righteous Paths.”

“Shen Jingya” hesitated, signaling for Shen Lianxiang to hurry and prove it.

She was genuinely curious about the object herself—she had tried many methods before, but it seemed impervious to all magic, and even her soul sense could not penetrate it.

Shen Lianxiang had gone to such lengths to obtain it—she must know something.

Meanwhile, Su Jian was utterly exasperated. What a clumsy stalling tactic. Why not just finish her off already! He almost felt like jumping in to do it himself.

After all, it was Shen Lianxiang who had repeatedly made things difficult for him and still hadn’t given up hunting him down.

Just then, Shen Lianxiang produced a crystalline pearl, about the size of a fist.

The bead flashed with spiritual light, projecting an image before them.

It showed Pei Aoyun’s current state...

Su Jian could just make out the scene—Pei Aoyun looked haggard and disheveled, her hair matted and face dirty—like a beggar woman.

What a pitiful sight.

But Su Jian felt no sympathy—in fact, he had to suppress a laugh.

At that moment, “Shen Jingya” fell into thought. Judging from the scene in the projection, it did seem to be the inside of the object.

Yet as she pondered, Shen Lianxiang suddenly deflated—her true body had long since fled, leaving only a skin behind.

“Shen Jingya’s” expression darkened. She hadn’t expected such cunning. Still, she had never intended to truly kill Shen Lianxiang; the woman was a crucial part of her plan.

If the Southern Alliance changed leaders, it would only create needless trouble.

“Shen Jingya” let out a cold laugh.

“Shen Lianxiang, then I’ll gladly accept this bit of your skin. And as for the rest of you useless lot—however you stole this object, carry it back the way you brought it.”

Even though the origin of the treasure had become more mysterious, it didn’t change the fact that it was precious.

So what if it really did contain someone from the Alliance of Righteous Paths?

Once the mastermind departed, Su Jian finally led Zhao Qianxue away.

He hadn’t intended to get involved, but then remembered how unfathomably powerful the mastermind was. Even though they were several miles away, any sign of their departure might be noticed by her.