# 1054
Chapter 1055: The Forger of the Star Blade
Why did she say that?
Lin Qiye gazed into Si Xiaonan's eyes, as if he had realized something. "Xiaonan……"
Before he could finish, Si Xiaonan's figure flashed and darted past him. A murmur drifted into his ear as she swept by.
"Let me go."
Lin Qiye's body trembled.
Before he could react, Si Xiaonan's palm pressed against his shoulder. A flash of black light burst from her palm.
Lin Qiye felt the world spin around him as he was hurled backward, crashing through a wall of the Alchemy Hall and embedding deep into the earth.
Si Xiaonan seized the opportunity to dart out. Her figure flickered, splitting into three illusory shadows that rushed toward different directions.
Coughing, Lin Qiye rose from the crater. His eyes swept across the four Si Xiaonan figures heading in different directions. Frowning, he reached for the Ame-no-Murakumo and drew it from its scabbard.
He didn't need to know which was Si Xiaonan's true body. As long as he activated the Mortal Divine Realm, the miracle would guide the Ame-no-Murakumo to strike her true form. Against the blade that could cut anything, Si Xiaonan could never escape.
But just as he raised the Ame-no-Murakumo, Si Xiaonan's earlier words flashed through his mind, and his hand halted mid-air.
After a long pause, he sighed and lowered the blade.
He chose to trust Si Xiaonan.
He didn't know what had happened, but if Si Xiaonan had mentioned the green spider lily, she was trying to send him a signal…
Si Xiaonan was still the Si Xiaonan of Cangnan City Squad 136.
Lin Qiye stood at the shattered entrance of the Alchemy Hall, looking up at the sky.
…
Above the Jade Pool.
The Queen Mother of the West's gilded purple-trimmed divine robe fluttered gently in the wind. She held the Kunlun Mirror, gazing down indifferently at Loki, who was covered in wounds across the mountain range.
Then, as if sensing something, she turned toward the direction where Si Xiaonan had fled.
Her brow furrowed immediately.
Seeing that Si Xiaonan had succeeded, Loki's lips curved into a smile. Coughing up several mouthfuls of crimson blood, strange black light flickered around his body once more.
The next moment, both Loki and the Queen Mother of the West struck simultaneously, their targets being Si Xiaonan in the distance.
The Queen Mother of the West extended her jade-white palm and grasped at Si Xiaonan through the air. Mighty divine might swept forth.
Si Xiaonan felt the surrounding spiritual energy churning violently. Palm prints condensed from the void, forming a blue-green celestial dome that blocked out the sunlight.
Si Xiaonan looked up to see an endless palm slowly curling inward. Her figure beneath this giant hand seemed as insignificant as an ant, as if she were about to be crushed to death at any moment.
Just then, she felt the world spin. When she came to her senses, she had escaped the palm's grasp. She was dangling mid-air by her collar, held by Loki's single hand.
Loki's gaze swept over the two alchemy cauldrons in Si Xiaonan's hands. His pale lips curved upward slightly, and approval flickered in his eyes.
"Well done. Bring them back to Asgard."
Loki's voice was weak beyond compare. He wove a strand of "deception" from his palm, wrapping it directly around Si Xiaonan. The next instant, her figure vanished from Kunlun Ruins.
Seeing this, the Queen Mother of the West's icy expression remained unmoved. She gazed down at Loki and said calmly:
"Do you truly believe you can leave the territory of Great Xia?"
Loki placed one hand behind his back, strands of black light gathering at his fingertips. He coldly laughed:
"You're merely a clone projected by a divine artifact. You can't leave this place, can you?
I admit, I am no match for you. But if I want to leave, not many in this world can stop me.
If your true self were here, perhaps I wouldn't stand a chance. But now… what gives you the right to stop me?"
As the words fell, Loki's narrow eyes narrowed further. A flash of black light passed, and his figure vanished from Kunlun Ruins.
The Queen Mother of the West stood calmly in the air, showing no intention of stopping him. Only after Loki had completely departed from Kunlun Ruins did she casually glance at the spot where he had stood, turn, and step forward. The next moment, she appeared above the Alchemy Hall.
Lin Qiye stood before the shattered Alchemy Hall. Seeing the Queen Mother of the West descending through the air, he raised both hands and bowed respectfully:
"Mortal Lin Qiye pays respects to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother of the West gave a slight nod. Her gaze fell upon the several fallen attendants inside the hall, and she sighed softly.
"Forget it. You've all had it hard."
She raised her fingertip slightly, and the five fallen attendants began to glow with varied divine light, transforming into smooth jade beads that flew into the Queen Mother of the West's palm, spinning round and round.
Meanwhile, from the distant fairy palace, a green jade bead also flew rapidly over. After spinning together with the other five beads for a moment, they intertwined into a six-colored bracelet, settling gently on the Queen Mother of the West's wrist.
Seeing this, Lin Qiye spoke in astonishment:
"They weren't human?"
"Souls born from treasures, nothing more." The Queen Mother of the West gently rubbed the dimmed jade beads in her hand. "The Jade Pool has been abandoned for a hundred years. Even the Gods of Great Xia have entered the cycle of reincarnation. Where would fairy palace attendants come from?
For the past hundred years, these six pearl souls have kept this one company."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye was stunned. "A hundred years? Your Majesty didn't enter the cycle of reincarnation a hundred years ago?"
The Queen Mother of the West extended her hand and pointed toward the fairy palace at the center of the Jade Pool. "My true self entered the cycle of reincarnation, of course. Only this clone, leveraging the time-cutting power of the Kunlun Mirror, has been secluding itself here."
"Over these hundred years, Your Majesty has only had the pearl souls for company. Haven't you been bored?"
The Queen Mother of the West shook her head slightly, smiling as she spoke: "On ordinary days, I forge blades and cast swords. When bored, I summon the shadow of the Peach Banquet and drink and debate the Dao with the immortals. Living alone like this for a hundred years hasn't been entirely without interest."
So the Kunlun Mirror's time-cutting ability could also be used to pass the time… Lin Qiye couldn't help but murmur in admiration.
"Your Majesty also forges blades and casts swords?"
"Naturally." The Queen Mother of the West extended her hand and pointed at the cloak behind Lin Qiye, smiling faintly. "The blades of your Night Watch were personally forged by me."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye froze on the spot.
After a long moment, he came back to his senses. His mouth hung open involuntarily, his eyes filled with shock:
"The Star Blade was forged by Your Majesty? You knew about the Night Watch long ago?"
In Lin Qiye's understanding, the Queen Mother of the West, who had lived in seclusion within Kunlun Ruins, and the Night Watch should have been two separate worlds. He never imagined that the standard-issue Straight Blade in the Night Watch had been personally forged by the Queen Mother of the West from mythology…
It was like in modern society, someone suddenly telling you that the brand clothing you wear was actually founded by Chang'e flying down from the moon. It was that absurd.