Chapter Forty-Three: Entanglements

Divine Footsteps could be divided into three levels: lower, middle, and upper. At the lowest level, a single step could cross mountains and rivers; at the middle level, a single stride could traverse perilous dangers; at the highest level, one could even step across the bounds of time. Among these three tiers, Zhang Xiao had only cultivated the art to the first layer, far from reaching the next. If he had attained the middle level, he could have broken out of this formation with a single step.

Shang Ziqiu, seeing Zhang Xiao deeply ensnared within the array, laughed and said, “Ha! Zhang, my friend, this is my Dragon-Tiger Trinity Golden Light Array. If you can break free, you’ll be the victor of this contest. But if you fail… well, you’ll have to leave your life behind!”

Earlier, Shang Ziqiu had been pressed into a disadvantage by Zhang Xiao, leaving him both humiliated and angry. He immediately waved the command flag in his hand, and the three banners surrounding Zhang Xiao suddenly shone with the light of bronze mirrors, from which beams of white light shot forth.

Zhang Xiao’s body shifted, narrowly evading the first attack, but the other two mirrors quickly followed with their own beams. Zhang Xiao hastily drew his Yin-Yang Banner from his bone ring, summoning twelve Yin-Yang souls to guard him.

But the white lights from the bronze mirrors tore through the twelve Yin-Yang souls, scattering them to oblivion in no time. Seeing this, Zhang Xiao dodged swiftly through the formation with Divine Footsteps, all the while calculating how to break his enemy’s trap. Glancing at the three array banners, he thought, if he hadn’t given one of his Yin-Yang Banners to Xia Cheng, he could have arranged the Seven-Star Hundred Ghosts Formation to counter this one. But now, with only six banners, that was impossible.

Aside from the Buddha’s Golden Wheel, he had no other spiritual treasures at hand. He did own a White Bone Fan, but that required him to reach the Core Formation stage to refine. While pondering that he must forge a new treasure after this ordeal, he noticed the array was shrinking—the range decreasing. Shang Ziqiu, having witnessed Zhang Xiao’s extraordinary movement, was compressing the space, hoping to leave Zhang Xiao nowhere to dodge.

As beams of golden light closed in, Zhang Xiao could only grit his teeth and rely on his Diamond Invulnerable Body to withstand them. Three rays struck his chest, his dantian, and his left shoulder, causing him only to stagger slightly, unharmed. Fortunately, he had cultivated his Diamond Invulnerable Body to perfection; though not yet consummate, it was more than enough to withstand the formation’s golden light.

Shang Ziqiu was shocked—his golden lights could pierce boulders, yet they had failed to injure his opponent. Clearly, Zhang Xiao’s physical body was far superior, surpassing his own by a wide margin. With this realization, Shang Ziqiu formed new seals to amplify the array’s power. The three bronze mirrors fired golden beams like machine guns, forcing Zhang Xiao to dodge and weave, but he continued to endure the assault with his Diamond Invulnerable Body.

“Hmph! Do you really think your formation can stop me?” Zhang Xiao was not made of clay—he had grown furious at being rendered helpless by Shang Ziqiu’s array. If not for his mastery of the Diamond Body, he would have been defeated already. Since his foe was playing for keeps, Zhang Xiao would show no mercy. He summoned his Armored Corpse, placing it behind him, and charged toward the bronze mirror’s position.

Shang Ziqiu, startled to see Zhang Xiao summon such a corpse, quickly waved his command flag, directing three golden beams at the armored figure. He intended to destroy it first, but the Armored Corpse—said to rival even Core Formation cultivators—was not so easily vanquished. As the golden lights approached, earthen walls erupted from the ground, absorbing their force. The beams pierced the walls, but their strength was spent, and they could not harm the corpse. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Xiao was already beneath the banners, swinging a powerful fist.

With a muffled bang, a white tiger spirit leapt from the flag to block his blow, but Zhang Xiao’s full strength was far beyond what a spirit of mere aura could withstand. The white tiger was shattered at once.

Seeing that his attacks were useless against the armored corpse, Shang Ziqiu desperately directed the mirrors’ golden beams at Zhang Xiao, hoping at least to drive him away from the banner. But the rays were intercepted again and again by layers of earth walls and the armored corpse. The rare beam that struck Zhang Xiao did not faze him in the least.

Emboldened, Zhang Xiao unleashed a whirlwind of punches at the array’s flags. The spirits of the White Tiger and Azure Dragon that emerged were instantly dispersed by the Buddhist tones emanating from his blows.

Shang Ziqiu became more anxious. His killing array was not known for its defense, but its power was considerable—enough that even Core Formation cultivators would be rendered helpless or killed on the spot by its golden beams. Yet, he had never expected to meet a monster like Zhang Xiao: not only was his body peerless, but he could also summon an armored corpse to defend him. Watching his banners begin to tremble on the verge of collapse, Shang Ziqiu felt a pang of bitterness.

With a flick of his command flag, the three array banners quivered and tore themselves from the ground, flying into the air toward his side. Zhang Xiao, suspecting another trick, immediately retreated, but the banners simply floated over to Shang Ziqiu. Gathering the flags, Shang Ziqiu said with a laugh, “Well done, Zhang! I concede—this contest is yours.” He knew that, though Zhang Xiao hadn’t yet broken the formation, it was only a matter of time. Rather than lose a flag, he chose to admit defeat early.

Though Zhang Xiao felt somewhat aggrieved, seeing Shang Ziqiu surrender, he could not press the attack further. Dispelling the Diamond Invulnerable Body, he said, “Forgive me. Since I’ve won, let us settle this matter as I suggested earlier.”

Shang Ziqiu replied with a smile, “Of course. But just now, you mentioned you wanted an explanation. Might I ask what you mean?” Zhang Xiao did not answer at once, but glanced at Gaolu and Li Shan.

Shang Ziqiu smiled again, saying, “Don’t worry, Zhang, Gaolu and Li Shan are both my most trusted confidants.” Zhang Xiao nodded solemnly and asked, “May I be so bold as to ask, though you are a founding disciple of Mount Dragon-Tiger, are there not others in your sect stronger than yourself? Perhaps not founding disciples, but ones outside your authority?”

Shang Ziqiu’s face darkened. “There are. And what of it?”

Zhang Xiao had only suspected as much, but hearing Shang Ziqiu’s response, he became certain there was more to the title of founding disciple than met the eye. “It’s the same in my sect,” he said, and then recounted to Shang Ziqiu everything his master, Daoist Kongling, had told him before the grand competition, as well as how Kongxuan had tried to make him a founding disciple, and his own refusal. Gaolu and Li Shan listened in utter confusion, but to Shang Ziqiu, each word was a thunderclap. Zhang Xiao had not stated his suspicions directly, but considering his own experiences with what Zhang Xiao described, Shang Ziqiu began to realize his position as founding disciple was fraught with hidden dangers.

He was a shrewd man, and with this revelation, he understood how precarious his situation truly was. Cupping his hands in gratitude, he said, “Thank you, Zhang, for your warning. I will not forget this great kindness. As for my brother’s matter, let us wipe the slate clean. If we are rivals in the upcoming Grand Tournament of the Nine Sects, I will be sure to grant you some leeway. I won’t trouble you further today.”

With that, Shang Ziqiu departed with Gaolu and Li Shan. Zhang Xiao had long since grown impatient and made no effort to detain them. He walked over to Lan Fang, gently brushing the stray hair from her forehead and asked, “Was it hard for you during this time?”

Seeing Zhang Xiao risk his life for her, all of Lan Fang’s former grievances melted away. Sometimes, it’s only after loss that one learns to cherish. When Zhang Xiao left, she had come to understand this truth. Now, having found him again, joy filled her heart. Staring deeply into his eyes, she said, “You rascal! You left for a whole year! You said you’d come back after six months. Do you know how long it’s been?”

Her words were full of complaint, but Zhang Xiao could hear the happiness behind them. He gently drew her into his arms and whispered, “Wherever I go from now on, I’ll bring you with me.”

The two of them sat together in the Valley of a Hundred Herbs for half a day. When Lan Fang spoke of what had happened after the world changed, her expression dimmed. She had been separated from her parents at the very start, and had to fight and level up on her own. Though she stumbled often, she managed to meet the requirements to join the outer sect, and had since entered Kunlun.

Although she downplayed her hardships, Zhang Xiao could well imagine how difficult it must have been for a young woman to lose her lover before the world changed and her family after, struggling to survive alone in such chaos. He gently stroked her forehead, guilt growing in his heart. “You’ve done well to reach the Qi Refining stage in the outer sect. From now on, I’ll help you reach the Foundation Establishment stage.”

At these words, Lan Fang’s expression suddenly froze. “Are you leaving again?”

Zhang Xiao hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive. In truth, he didn’t realize it had little to do with intelligence and everything to do with a woman’s intuition. He smiled, “Fang, the Grand Tournament of the Nine Sects is coming up. I’m an outer sect elder, but also an inner disciple—I must participate. But don’t worry, I’ll have at least a year to spend with you. Once the tournament is over, we’ll still be together.”

Her worries were eased. Hugging him tightly, she said, “Alright. But you’d better keep your word.”

As dusk fell, Zhang Xiao carried Lan Fang in his arms as they sped back to the city. Lan Fang needed to report to her branch, and Zhang Xiao’s identity made it inconvenient to visit another sect’s branch openly. They set a time and parted ways.

Returning to his own branch, Zhang Xiao found Xia Cheng and Xia Tan drinking and laughing together. Seeing him, they pulled him in to join them. Having found Lan Fang and not having drunk with Xia Cheng in a long while, Zhang Xiao joined in with gusto. The three drank late into the night, until morning. Xia Cheng and Xia Tan had to be carried to their rooms, while Zhang Xiao, though he drank a great deal, felt no trace of drunkenness—the wine of mortals could no longer intoxicate a cultivator like him.

Lying in bed, his brow lost the smile it had worn before. He’d never been able to break through the fifth layer of the Buddhistic Meditation Sutra because his heart was too entangled. Whether with Fang or his friends like Xia Cheng, he was far from “letting go.” The more he thought, the more restless he became. In the end, he simply closed his eyes and began to cultivate the Supreme Lunar Scripture instead.