The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 719 - 227: Will you listen to me reveal the secret?
Liu Ji struggled to protect Zhang Biyu, bearing the tremendous pressure of the Snow Maiden’s assault, and at one point was at a disadvantage.
In the Central Plains, Liu Ji had only seen such ferocious momentum from Lin Yu.
As a fellow Sword Venerable, Liu Ji held great respect for Lin Yu.
Although Lin Yu, this rising star, ascended too rapidly, causing many to claim that she just got lucky, Liu Ji did not think so.
The sword does not lie.
He did not deny Lin Yu’s luck, but her talent and understanding, as well as her temperament, were the key reasons she could reach the pinnacle of the Sword Dao.
There were very few people in the world who could command Liu Ji’s respect.
Yet, on the grassland, he encountered another.
Unlike Lin Yu, the Snow Maiden’s ferocity was a weighty one, whereas Lin Yu’s was sharp.
Both gave a different feeling, but either one was very difficult to defend against.
Hu Yuling, who had hurried to the scene to spectate, could not help but whisper in awe, "So strong!"
Her attention was on the Snow Maiden, but without meaning to, she looked at the Grand Shaman, and after a brief sense of her presence, her expression turned very ugly.
However, Hu Yuling did not realize it at that moment.
The Grand Shaman was slack at that time, occasionally landing sneak attacks on the Snow Maiden. Her weapon was also strange, an invisible whip.
At that level of combat, obscured vision was hardly effective; Snow Maiden did not need to make a move, as Fulong could sense the Grand Shaman’s attacks and effortlessly block them.
It seemed like Snow Maiden was in a 1v3 battle, but with the aid of a Divine Artifact, her disadvantage was not that severe.
But Zhang Biyu knew that the Grand Shaman was not fighting with her full strength.
At this time, she could not question the Grand Shaman; infighting would only hasten their defeat.
As the saying goes, a long defense inevitably leads to loss. Liu Ji found himself at a disadvantage, exhausted from fending off the Snow Maiden’s assaults, and finally, an ice cone was shot towards Zhang Biyu.
Zhang Biyu could not withstand this blow from the Snow Maiden; the word "death" was essentially written on her forehead.
The ice cone pierced through Zhang Biyu’s chest and emerged from her back with a bloodied shard, the red color strikingly prominent against her white dress.
However, there were only a few traces of blood around the wound, which soon froze over near the wound.
For a cultivator like Zhang Biyu, such physical injury was not fatal, but the extreme cold carried within the ice cone was what robbed her of her vitality.
Liu Ji’s eyes widened, no longer caring to defend against the Snow Maiden’s assault, and in an instant, he was by Zhang Biyu’s side, swiping the ice cone away, his hand also covered in a layer of white frost.
The Snow Maiden’s ice was terrifyingly dreadful.
He was like this already, how could Zhang Biyu not be...
Liu Ji reached for Zhang Biyu’s hand, which was already cold and even a bit stiff.
The Snow Maiden’s ice, in a very short period of time, had frozen all the blood in Zhang Biyu’s body, a one-hit kill was no exaggeration.
Zhang Biyu didn’t even have time to say her last words, as her breathing also ceased.
"Just like that, she’s dead?"
Hu Yuling found it hard to believe.
Zhang Biyu was the Demon Lord of the Demon Sect, and Dongfang Hongyue was so wary of her, always feeling she was the most unfathomable of the Three Venerables of the Demon Sect.
But now it seemed, could Dongfang Hongyue have been overthinking?
Zhang Biyu indeed was the weakest among them.
Having accomplished a strike, the Snow Maiden’s next target was Liu Ji.
Originally, she intended to deliver a killing blow immediately, but feeling the sadness in Liu Ji’s heart, despite her intent to thrust with her spear, the Snow Maiden ultimately withheld her attack.
Fighting later wouldn’t be a problem; she could give him some time to grieve.
She also felt that accompanied by sadness, Liu Ji’s Sword Intent was undergoing a transformation.
He had become stronger again!
However, the Snow Maiden was not afraid.
The battle moved into a brief lull; the Snow Maiden did not seize the moment to attack, while Liu Ji’s Sword Intent continued to evolve, and it was at this time that the Grand Shaman spoke up, "Snow, do you know who she was to you?"
"I don’t know."
The Snow Maiden’s answer was straightforward; she neither knew nor wanted to know.
"Zhang Biyu, offspring of the Zhang Family, the retainer of the Northern Spear King."
"Oh."
Grand Shaman: "..."
She had thrown out such important news, but the Snow Maiden remained calm; an "Oh" from her made the Grand Shaman’s breath catch in her throat, unable to be uttered.
This also made the Grand Shaman begin to doubt whether the story she was about to tell would cause any disturbance in the Snow Maiden’s heart at all.
It was the second time.
The second time she wanted to tell a story, only to have her mood spoiled.
But this time, the Grand Shaman chose to continue the story.
This was a delay tactic, to buy time for Liu Ji’s transformation.
While she was pondering all this, the Snow Maiden had no intention of acting while Liu Ji was growing stronger; it was fine to listen for the time being.
She’d report back to Lin Yun later; then there would be time for a long conversation again.
"The direct lineage of the Northern Spear King had long been cut off. The current members of the Zhang Family are only from a collateral bloodline; they have been waiting for the return of the King. Wouldn’t you like to know why Zhang Biyu, a descendant of the Zhang Family, would join forces with me to oppose you, the returning King?"
"Why?"
The Snow Maiden asked dutifully this time, but the Grand Shaman didn’t feel much accomplishment.
The Snow Maiden’s tone was too perfunctory, sapping the Grand Shaman’s motivation to reveal the secret.
However, Wu Xin and Hu Yuling, observing in secret, were very interested in this.
Wu Xin had lived a very long time, but there were certain matters she was not particularly clear about.
She was quite interested in the War of the Four Kings because the timeline of her awakening was closely tied to the disappearance of the Four Kings.
It was very possible that she was one of the Demons killed by the Four Kings.
Figuring out the story behind the Four Kings might clarify her own origins.
Unfortunately, she had never found any clues related to the Four Kings, even though she had traveled to the far east, she had never set foot on Azure Dragon Island.
Otherwise, she would have begun her investigation long ago.
Now, the news about the Four Kings was no longer a secret. The things she wanted to investigate seemed to be surfacing soon.
Alas, she had already lost the most precious thing. Investigating and clarifying the truth now seemed meaningless.
"I always feel she has a plot. Why not make our move now?"
Although Hu Yuling also wanted to hear the story, she keenly sensed that the Grand Shaman had been muddying the waters from the start, probably setting up a big scheme. Now, by deliberately digressing, and though the secrets involved were numerous, the more she did so, the more it proved that she was brewing something.
It was just a delay for now.
"What kind of plot could there be? It’s nothing more than trying to shake the Sword Maiden’s dao heart so she can take advantage during a moment of weakness."
Hu Yuling couldn’t help but tilt her head, Wu Xin seemed so confident, as if she knew the Grand Shaman very well.
"What are you looking at me for! If you want to make a move, go ahead, but with your Cultivation Level, once you act, you’ll end up just like Zhang Biyu. If you don’t have the strength to stir up muddy waters, just watch properly."
Hu Yuling felt that Wu Xin was a bit annoyed, perhaps there was indeed some connection with the Grand Shaman?
A grudge?
Thinking of this, Hu Yuling felt it made sense. Wu Xin had experienced many things over the long years and made many enemies.
One could say she had enemies everywhere. Those who had bullied her were not just a hundred, but eighty at least.
Er, this was probably the most pitiful Demon Lord in the world, just thinking about it was embarrassing...
Hu Yuling felt even more strongly that her choice to side with Lin Yun had been correct, although she had been coerced at the time. But following Wu Xin as a leader, was there any future?
Undoubtedly, there was none.
Of course, Wu Xin was not foolish or incompetent, just...
Maybe it was just bad luck.
As the two of them whispered, the situation in the great hall changed again.
The Grand Shaman began to speak of the reasons behind Zhang Biyu’s betrayal.
"You may not believe this, but Zhang Biyu is your birth mother."
At that moment, the Snow Maiden finally reacted.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Liu Ji, who was on the brink of a breakthrough in his Sword Dao, suddenly had Sword Qi surging around him. Although it was quickly suppressed and he continued his breakthrough, the blood leaking from the corner of Liu Ji’s mouth was enough to prove the great shock his heart had sustained.
"In fact, you weren’t born of natural divine conception, but a life nurtured from a mortal womb."
Feeling the Snow Maiden’s shocked emotions, the Grand Shaman was also stirred up, because emotional fluctuation was a good thing!
Moreover, she had already watched the Snow Maiden kill Zhang Biyu, killing her own mother with her own hands. Just by explaining the causes and consequences, the Snow Maiden would inevitably give birth to a Heart Demon and then...
Everything was still within her control for now.
"You’re right, I don’t believe it."
The Snow Maiden calmly looked at the Grand Shaman. Although she was indeed shocked, her heart remained unshaken.
Whether Zhang Biyu was her birth mother or not was irrelevant; none of it was important.
"Even if you don’t believe it, this is the truth. A hundred years ago, your mother, Zhang Biyu, took a risk to steal the Spear King’s legacy, venturing onto Snow Mountain. I had long anticipated this and deliberately let her ascend the mountain, then managed to capture her and infused the essence of the Snow Mountain God into her body.
Zhang Biyu, though a retainer of the Spear King’s family, always considered herself superior. I disguised myself as a Divine Spirit to grace her with favor, but she refused to comply. However, she couldn’t resist me and was forcibly **."
Listening to this, the Snow Maiden didn’t show much emotional fluctuation, but Liu Ji’s Sword Intent shifted from sorrow to anger.
The Grand Shaman continued: "It’s because the process was too humiliating that your mother was full of hatred towards you. However, blood is thicker than water. She had many chances to kill you while you were still in her womb, but she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to do it."
The Grand Shaman reflected on the past, feeling somewhat nostalgic.
Zhang Biyu, frail at the time, meandered through the mountains after being violated so senselessly.
To prevent her from dying, the Grand Shaman secretly arranged for sacrificial animals to die for her, leading her to valuable Spiritual Medicine.
All of this was interpreted by Zhang Biyu as sent by the dishonoring Snow Mountain God, and she would rather die than accept the gifts from nature. That is, until she felt a new life stirring within her.
Cultivators can usually decide whether to bear offspring, but when an external force exceeds their own control, the matter is out of their hands.
This time, Zhang Biyu was not only forced, but was also compelled to conceive a new life.
Zhang Biyu had countless times considered killing the child within her, as it represented her shame.
However, she was unable to bring herself to do it while pregnant, and when the baby was finally born, crying its first breaths, the connection of blood made it impossible for her to follow through...
