Chapter 39: A Branch of Ebony Hairpin
She took a step forward and arrived at the very edge of Sweet Dew Terrace.
The night pearls and the mortal world lay beneath her feet; the starry sky and fate hung above her head.
She slowly spread her hands, her wide sleeves falling, dancing with the wind.
She stood as if on the edge of an abyss, cautious and deliberate.
She stood as if facing a vast ocean, majestic and grand.
An aura of supreme subtlety and immense power appeared on Sweet Dew Terrace.
Her wide sleeves trembled slightly, and the night wind abruptly changed direction, surging forward against its own course, heading straight for the Sky-Scorching Sword.
Strands of dark hair brushed against her cheeks, drifting forward, slightly disheveled, adding to her beauty.
Her hair bun trembled faintly, and the ebony hairpin tucked within it fell—yet it did not fall, but instead flew into the night sky.
The world knew that the Holy Empress always wore an ebony hairpin in her bun, no matter the time.
Not because the hairpin was beautiful, with its phoenix head carved so lifelike, but because it was no ordinary hairpin.
It was the third-ranked treasure on the Hundred Weapons List: Little Wooden Sword Phoenix!
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A phoenix cry, pure and solemn to the extreme, resounded through the entire capital.
The ebony hairpin shot straight up from Sweet Dew Terrace into the night sky, transforming with the starlight into a graceful, beautiful, yet utterly ferocious black phoenix!
This black phoenix was so enormous that it seemed to blot out all the stars. It extended a single claw, reaching directly for the burning Sky-Scorching Sword!
A terrifying sound echoed endlessly between heaven and earth.
The black phoenix’s right claw seized the fire dragon formed by the Sky-Scorching Sword!
The starlight around the Sky-Scorching Sword, like dragon scales, suddenly dimmed, then shattered into countless fine crackling pieces!
But the Sky-Scorching Sword seemed to have anticipated this, piercing straight through those starlight scales!
Su Li’s sword... had truly been drawn!
A razor-sharp sword intent spread across the entire night sky. The scattered starlight was cut into even finer fragments, falling like snowflakes!
Several black feathers splattered into the air!
Another phoenix cry rang out, this time even more domineering and unmatched!
The black phoenix spread its wings, spanning over ten miles!
The Sky-Scorching Sword stabbed into its black feathers, while its sharp beak struck the sword’s pommel with brutal force!
A streak of flowing light blazed, then countless streaks followed, a riot of colors, magnificent beyond words!
The night sky was illuminated, the world plunged back into daylight. From the imperial palace to the Academy of Heaven’s Way, from the court to the Detached Palace, countless buildings’ protective arrays were triggered by the clash of auras in the high sky, activating on their own. Countless rings of pure light appeared almost simultaneously in the streets and alleys of the capital.
This scene was truly beautiful—so beautiful it was dazzling, impossible to look at directly. In fact, few could even see it.
Ancient auras emanated from the stone pillars around the Detached Palace. In the deepest hall, the Pope gazed quietly at the night sky cut open by the courtyard, watching the burning giant sword and the long-unseen black phoenix, letting out a long, ambiguous sigh.
Even older auras seeped from the forests of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. The ancient divine general in the pavilion at the lower end of the Sacred Path slowly raised his head, the dust of history drifting from his armor. Even he, with his lonely heart and solitary path, was shaken to his core by tonight’s battle.
No one knew how long passed before the flowing lights in the night sky gradually faded.
The thunderous clash of auras in the high sky slowly died away. Snow clouds from all around gathered once more, covering the shattered starlight.
The capital returned to darkness, and the world grew quiet again.
People stood by their windows, amidst ruins, or along the Luo River, rubbing their stinging eyes and looking up at the night sky once more.
There was nothing in the sky—no burning giant sword, no black phoenix. All the strange phenomena had vanished, as if nothing had ever happened.
Those magnificent, splendid scenes seemed like figments of imagination.
Snow began to fall again, drifting slowly in the cold wind.
Chen Changsheng extended his hand and caught a snowflake, only to find that its color was not white, but gray.
Everyone in the capital noticed that the snow falling from the night sky was gray.
Because the sword that had descended upon the capital earlier was nothing more than the ashes of a burned letter.
The Holy Empress looked at the small ebony phoenix hairpin in her right hand, silent, lost in thought.
On Sweet Dew Terrace, the wind brushed away a gray snowflake clinging to the hairpin, revealing its true form.
The crimson phoenix head on the hairpin remained as noble and beautiful as before, but if one looked closely, a faint sword scar could be seen upon it.
The small ebony phoenix hairpin already bore a shallow knife scar; adding a sword scar didn’t make it particularly noticeable.
Only she knew that this meant Su Li had come infinitely close to the person who had left that knife scar on her hairpin long ago.
Tonight’s battle was a draw.
That Su Li’s lingering sword intent could withstand her small ebony phoenix hairpin surprised her.
After a moment, the corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Unwilling to leave, yet forced to go—those trapped by emotion are all mediocrities. No matter how strong your sword path, what of it?”
Suddenly sensing something, she looked toward the southern part of the city, her brow lifting slightly as she said coldly, “Still daring to linger? Truly a reckless fool who doesn’t know when to die!”
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Many were unwilling to leave—like that old Daoist nun.
She had gone to the National Academy to assert her authority and kill, only to be driven back by Su Li’s sword intent, fleeing shamefully under cover of night.
As one of the Eight Winds and Rains, how could she accept this?
So she hadn’t truly left, hiding her aura using the formation of some noble’s mansion in the southern city.
Then, she had witnessed the battle in the night sky—standing in the quiet garden, watching the fading lights, recalling the burning giant sword and the black phoenix, the old Daoist nun’s face turned extremely ugly. Tianhai’s level of cultivation had reached such heights? Had the saints been hiding their true strength all along, a full tier above her? And when had Su Li elevated his realm to this degree?
After watching the battle, she had to admit that she was far behind Tianhai and Su Li—so far that she might never catch up in this lifetime. This realization filled her with frustration, which slowly turned into rage, a rage that demanded killing.
She hadn’t left the capital earlier because she wanted to kill. Su Li’s sword intent had been shattered by the small ebony phoenix hairpin. Who would think that someone of her status, position, and realm would stoop so low as to sneak back to the National Academy to kill again? Who could stop her now?
A venomous killing intent gleamed in her eyes. An infinite, cold blue sea churned like ink within her.
Clutching her nearly bald whisk, her face twisted with murderous intent, she began walking toward the National Academy.
But just as she took a step, a voice rang in her ears: “I’ve always thought fate was utterly unreasonable, and you are the best proof of that. A vile, despicable old crone like you—how did you earn the favor of the stars and enter the sacred realm?”
The voice was cold and commanding.
At the same time, a cold, commanding gaze fell from a great height, landing on the old Daoist nun.
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(The next chapter will be posted at nine in the evening.)