Chapter 472 – Breeding Ghosts Like Gu, Eastern Sea’s Machinations, A Depressed Xie Yu, and Shadows Over the Jade Capital - Part 3

Chapter 472 – Breeding Ghosts Like Gu, Eastern Sea’s Machinations, A Depressed Xie Yu, and Shadows Over the Jade Capital - Part 3

The next day.

Within the Xie Clan’s residence, beneath the thick summer shade of an ancient parasol tree, Xie Yu sat in white robes, chin resting on one hand, her gaze fixed quietly on the direction of a sealed chamber.

After a long while, she let out a deep, weary sigh.

“Miss...” A maid at her side hesitated, words hovering on the tip of her tongue.

Xie Yu looked distracted, her mood clouded and heavy. “Go.”

“But Miss...we all know you—”

“Ahhh!” Xie Yu suddenly let out a sharp, piercing scream. It was hysterical and raw. Then she collapsed over the table, sobbing uncontrollably.

The maid, loyal and flustered, rushed to her side. “Miss, please...don’t cry, please...”

“If you won’t leave, then

I will!!!

” Xie Yu shot to her feet and ran out, tears streaming down her face in two crystalline trails.

“Miss! Miss!” the maid called after her in panic.

But she was only a normal martial artist, and though she’d benefited from the Xie Clan’s resources, enough to reach eighth rank—she was still no match for Xie Yu, a genuine sixth rank.

She couldn’t keep up.

Xie Yu vanished from sight in no time.

Once she’d left the Xie residence, the pale, beautiful woman in white stood gasping for breath like someone who’d nearly drowned. The blazing sun beat down, and the moment the scenery around her changed, the tension in her chest began to ease, just slightly.

But her face, her eyes, still held the weight of a deep and gnawing melancholy.

She didn’t even know whether the man locked in that chamber was still alive, or already dead.

She had chosen

not

to follow her father, her eldest brother, or her big sister to the Jade Capital. She had stayed behind in their ancestral home...waiting for

him

.

The sorrow clawed at her heart again, and she wiped at her eyes in silence.

Why did my life turn out like this? Why?

She was spiraling again, caught in the lonely loops of her own thoughts.

Grief had whittled her down. Her body had grown thin, like the withered petals of autumn. The wind stirred the hem of her snow-white robes, and in that moment, she looked like a tragic painting—fragile, lost, and beautiful in a way that spoke of flowers laid to rest.

Unconsciously, her feet carried her to the main street of Bright Moon Prefecture.

A carriage suddenly sped by, then came to a halt.

The curtain lifted.

Inside, a man and woman peered out.

The woman called out in surprise, “Zhou Yu!!”

Xie Yu turned her head. It was an old acquaintance.

Back when she’d traveled the martial world, she had used the name

Zhou Yu

, and along the way, she’d made a few friends. Of course, none of them had ever known she was actually the third young lady of the prestigious Xie Clan.

“It’s been forever, Zhou Yu!” the woman exclaimed, beaming. Then she gestured eagerly. “Come on, get in!”

Xie Yu climbed into the carriage.

Inside, besides the woman who had called out to her, there were three men and one other woman.

“Zhou Yu,” the woman said brightly, “we’re heading out to do a little treasure hunting. Want to come?”

“Treasure hunting?” Xie Yu asked, intrigued.

The woman was just about to explain when one of the men let out a deliberate cough, cutting her off. He gave Xie Yu a slow once-over before flashing a practiced smile. “Miss Zhou, if you want in, you’ll need to agree to join us first. Only then will we tell you the location.”

Another man laughed and chimed in, “Oh come on, Old Wang, you're just upset the rest of us already paired up and now you're eager to find someone for yourself, huh? But this Zhou Yu really

is

a beauty...”

Before he could finish that sentence, Xie Yu’s voice cut in cold and sharp, “Stop the carriage.”

“Oho, she’s mad!” the man said with a chuckle. “It’s just a joke, no need to take it seriously.”

“Yeah, Zhou Yu, don’t be so sensitive,” the woman added casually, patting her on the shoulder like they were old pals. “Come on, apologize to Wang and Gao, will you? They’re not the type to hold a grudge.”

“Stop. The. Carriage.” Xie Yu repeated, her voice like frost.

The others ignored her and kept laughing among themselves.

So she didn’t wait.

With a swift motion, she leapt out of the carriage and landed smoothly on the street, standing tall under the bright morning sun. Her chest rose and fell with anger, still fuming from the lewd remarks.

Inside the carriage, the man who had mocked her muttered, “Old Wang, she’s just a stuck-up broad. She’ll regret this.”

Another man snorted. “Ma Feng, you really don’t have great taste in friends.”

Ma Feng, who had been the one to call out Zhou Yu, just shook her head. “Forget her. We only trained together once back in the day. It’s not like we’re close. Anyway, finding treasure is what really matters now.”

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. “So...did you confirm the location?”

One of the men nodded and whispered, “Confirmed. It’s the site where the Sacred Fire Palace made their last stand. Hardly anyone knows about it yet. If we move fast, there’s a good chance we’ll strike gold.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Several days later.

The morning sun rose above Ocean Province.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

About forty kilometers west of the former Sacred Fire Palace, deep within a remote mountain gorge, hidden by twisted vines and dead branches, lay a sunken pit.

From afar, it looked like nothing special. But up close, signs of chaos and death emerged. There were bones scattered beneath yellowed earth, toppled wagons, rusted weapons, and bits of metal and jade that still gleamed faintly.

It was clear that many had perished here long ago.

They were the last remnants of the Sacred Fire Palace—disciples who had fled with treasured relics during the sect’s collapse, only to be hunted down and slaughtered by the Lotus Cult before they could escape.

Time had swallowed their screams. Only wreckage remained.

The original site of the Sacred Fire Palace had long since been stripped clean by looters, but this newly uncovered location had become the next hotspot for scavengers and relic hunters.

After all, the sect had been rich, and there was no telling what might still be hidden beneath these forgotten corpses and shattered carts.

So even in the cold, dim pre-dawn hours, scattered figures moved cautiously through the wreckage, turning over rubble and sifting through dirt.

They kept their distance from one another, eyes sharp, hands ready.

They were the earliest arrivals, those who had caught wind of the site before the rumors spread.

Among them...was Ma Feng and her crew.

Time ticked by, breath hanging in the air.

Then suddenly—

From somewhere in the distance, a sharp sound sliced through the silence.

A split second later, a cracking roar shattered the silence.

The ground began to tremble. The wreckage and scattered bones started shifting as if pulled by an invisible force, swirling together into a vortex.

At the center of that vortex, a streak of blazing red light surged upward.

The red glow burst forth like the first light of dawn breaking through the dark—brilliant and violent, like a golden sunbeam piercing night. It exploded into the sky, becoming a thick column of crimson that made the very heavens bleed.

The man beside Ma Feng lit up with excitement. “A treasure’s emerged! Our luck’s unbelievable!”

As he spoke, the other four surged toward the glow without hesitation.

And they weren’t the only ones. More figures from farther out began rushing in from all sides.

But as the red light intensified, waves of fire suddenly pulsed outward in concentric blasts. The fiery tide rolled across the ground. And within it, strange beasts appeared, blazing and howling, as if born from flame itself.

The beasts charged. Smoke billowed.

The firestorm instantly engulfed the closest scavengers. Then, in a blink, it swallowed everyone else in its reach.

The beasts trampled through bodies like they were paper. Flesh tore, bones shattered, and the flames made quick work of what remained, reducing it all to ash.

Screams and cries rang out, then then were snuffed just as fast.

At the center of the inferno stood a figure clad in scarlet armor, their face hidden behind a featureless helm. No one could tell if it was man or woman.

But their eyes...their eyes burned like quiet, patient fire—at once seductive and commanding, refined and dangerous.

This red-armored figure was pulling a black sword from the heart of the crimson light. Slowly. Deliberately.

The sword itself was strange—thick and dull-edged, more like a chimney than a blade. Smoke poured off it in steady streams, coiling around the hilt like it was alive.

This was no ordinary weapon. It was the treasure sword of the Sacred Fire Palace.

Just like the Wither Growth Sword of the Holy Tree Temple amplified the power of the Cycle of Withering and Growth, this blade amplified the Earthfire Roaming Technique—the Sacred Fire Palace’s core legacy.

The red-armored figure tested the weight of the sword, as if measuring the strength still buried within.

After a long silence, they gave a slight nod, apparently satisfied, and slid the sword casually into a sheath at their waist.

Then, without a word, they walked out of the blazing ruin and disappeared into the distance.

Behind them, the fire kept burning.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A month later.

The heat of midsummer scorched the land. The third heat wave of the season had arrived.

Outside the Jade Capital, a red-armored figure was moving fast, racing down the road with urgent purpose.

Clearly powerful, yet strangely grounded. Despite their strength, some invisible force in this land kept them from flying, pressing them close to the earth.

At last, the towering silhouette of the Jade Capital appeared in the distance.

The red-armored figure stepped forward, preparing to enter the city—

When suddenly, a man in yellow robes materialized in their path.

The yellow-robed figure said simply, “The Mountain Hall is stationed at Hidden Dragon Province. Therefore...Apparel Atelier is mine.”

The red-armored figure said nothing, only turned around and headed northeast without complaint.

The yellow-robed man vanished in an instant, but not upward. He melted into the earth itself, his body dissolving like water, becoming part of the land, flowing beneath the surface like a subterranean Immortal.

As he merged, the earth seemed to stir with life.

A ribbon of soil darted toward the Jade Capital, and slipped inside without a sound.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Meanwhile, on the streets of Jade Capital, unease hung thick in the air.

The city buzzed with whispered gossip.

“Another quake...”

“It’s the demons... I’m telling you...”

“Shhh, careful what you say!”

“Careful, my ass! Isn't it that damn Demon Empress bringing divine wrath on us? The great general himself said it—what, we’re not allowed to speak the truth now? I

will

speak! A hen ruling the roost? Heaven punishes such chaos!”