Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 40: Chapter 41 The eldest lady’s determination

Wang Zihan glanced outside the Tian Nü Temple. Although the sun had just set, the sky was already growing dark. In the distance, the relentless barking of hunting dogs echoed through the hills—the pursuers were closing in.

Had it not been for the difficulty of traveling at night, the Pang family's soldiers would have already stormed Shahu Ridge. What Wang Zihan didn't know was that after Ma Qianjun let go of his hold, the members of the Tianyi Gang scattered like birds in a storm. Although they sustained fewer casualties than the Pang family, they had grossly underestimated Du Yunlong's strength.

So far, more than a hundred of the Pang family's men had fallen, while the Tianyi Gang lost around thirty. As soon as the word spread that Ma Qianjun had charged into the Tian Nü Temple alone, the remaining soldiers quickly found excuses to retreat. By the time Pang Tianshan realized what had happened, his forces were in disarray, left to rely on a few desperate mercenaries with nothing to lose.

But even these mercenaries only knew the general location of the Tian Nü Temple. They'd been wandering aimlessly for half a day, arriving too late to witness Ma Qianjun's clash with Du Yunlong. Now, they continued circling Shahu Ridge, searching in vain.

The barking grew louder, fiercer. Du Yunlong tried to sit up, but his body was too weak. He collapsed back into Wang Zihan's lap, his voice strained with urgency. "Wang... You need to go. There's still time!"

He hadn't expected things to become this dire. Worse, he could hardly muster any strength to move. "Don't worry about me. You still have a chance if you leave now."

"Call me Zihan!" Wang Zihan gave him an unprecedented gift: "I'll allow you to call me that, but only when the moment is right. I promised you, didn't I? I'll stand by your side until we reach Yuan Province..."

"That's impossible," Du Yunlong protested, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous out there, and I'll only slow you down. You have to go without me. Please, Zihan, you must take care of yourself and leave now."

"I never break a promise to my followers!" Wang Zihan declared with pride. "I said I would take you to Yuan Province, and I will. After that, we can part ways..."

There was a slight sadness in her voice as she continued, "Once we've gone our separate paths, we'll become strangers, each pursuing our own fate."

Then her resolve hardened. "But until that moment comes, I won't abandon you."

"You... you can't carry me in this state..." Du Yunlong realized what she was planning and pleaded, "I'm sorry. Please, just go."

"I'm not leaving!" Wang Zihan snapped, lifting him to his feet. He hadn't expected such strength from her delicate frame. Ignoring the blood that stained his clothes, she supported him to the altar beneath the statue of the Tian Nü Goddess. "Stay here and don't come out," she commanded.

"Zihan, I'm sorry," Du Yunlong whispered, struggling to find his voice. "Please, don't be so kind to me."

"A mistress must show her servants some small mercies," she replied with a sweet smile, as if the advancing enemies didn't exist. "This temple is truly a sacred place. Lend me your Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword."

Her smile was so enchanting that Du Yunlong was momentarily stunned. He had never seen her look so beautiful, so breathtakingly radiant, it almost made him forget to breathe.

That smile, he realized, would be forever etched in his memory, a piece of her he would carry with him for the rest of his life. "Wang Zihan... don't..."

But his sword, along with his long blade, had already been thrown aside during his battle with Ma Qianjun. In the pale moonlight, Wang Zihan swiftly retrieved the Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword from where Du Yunlong had dropped it. "A servant's sword is hardly worthy of my hand," she teased, "but I suppose it will have to do."

Du Yunlong wasn't in the mood for jokes. Lying beneath the statue, he tried to think of something—anything—that could help her. His heart raced as he blurted, "Zihan, your Silk Lightning and Thunder Strike..."

But before he could finish, Wang Zihan silenced him with a firm press of her finger against his lips. "I don't need my servants offering advice," she declared boldly.

Just as that simple touch from her finger had the power to turn Du Yunlong's world upside down, now it calmed his spirit. Her fragrant scent filled the air, and suddenly, all the words he wanted to say vanished from his mind.

This was the real Wang Zihan.

Du Yunlong could only watch in awe, wondering how he could ever repay her kindness.

Before he could act, a rough voice broke the silence outside the temple. "I see Wang Zihan's as commanding as ever, even when reprimanding her followers."

"Pang Tianshan!" Wang Zihan called out, immediately recognizing him. "You dare show your face before me? Are you not afraid of my master's wrath?"

A tall figure stepped into view, a middle-aged man in fine robes exuding the air of a warlord. He was flanked by dozens of seasoned fighters. "Wugou Shinni may be a saintly figure, able to crush us with a flick of her finger, but I doubt she'd trouble herself with someone like me. After all, she's likely preoccupied in Lingjing Mountain."

Wang Zihan's heart sank. As much as she wanted to deny it, Pang Tianshan was right. Her master, Wugou Shinni, was unlikely to intervene for a mere disciple. "So, you truly have no fear of my master?"

"If I did, do you think I would have chased you across sixteen hundred miles?" Pang Tianshan boasted confidently. "Even gods have places where their light doesn't reach. Besides, I have my own ways of staying alive."

Wang Zihan's sharp mind quickly grasped the meaning behind his words. Ignoring the ferocious barking of the dogs behind him, she demanded, "So, this wasn't your plan? Who ordered you to come after me? Who?"

Whoever had the power to command someone like Pang Tianshan, knowing it would mean crossing Wugou Shinni, must be a figure of immense influence—perhaps even a powerful Jindan master.

Pang Tianshan shook his head with a cold smile, ignoring the murderous glint in Wang Zihan's eyes. "Miss Wang, at this point, you're powerless. Why not surrender? I'll guarantee your safety, not a hair on your head will be harmed. After all, the one who sent me is only interested in you."

Wang Zihan tightened her grip on the Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword, a fine weapon that Du Yunlong had modified into a sword within a sword. To Pang Tianshan, the short sword in her hand seemed harmless—he had no idea it was, in fact, the very blade carried by the head of her family.

"Miss Wang," Pang Tianshan continued, "what do you say? Of course, the message was clear: they want you alive, but dead is acceptable too."

Wang Zihan lowered the Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword, casting a glance at the formidable force arrayed before her. The Pang family had gathered an overwhelming number of fighters at Tian Nü Temple—many of them mid-to-late stage Qi Refining cultivators, alongside numerous martial artists at the Yuan Dragon and Bone Refining levels.

Even if Du Yunlong and Fire Qianshu were still in fighting condition, they would be no match for the sheer strength of the Pang family.

And that wasn't even counting Pang Tianshan himself—a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was someone on par with her at full strength, a man who could live for two hundred and forty years, commanding the wind and rain, with the power to dominate mountains and rivers. His overwhelming battle prowess left no room for doubt.

No one knew better than Wang Zihan just how terrifying a Foundation Establishment cultivator could be. Her hand trembled slightly as she gripped the Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword, before finally speaking.

"Pang Tianshan, I have just one request."

Pang Tianshan's expression remained tense. "Speak."

Wang Zihan met his gaze, her voice steady. "I want you to swear an oath on your Dao Heart."

Pang Tianshan's rigid posture relaxed slightly. "I might be willing to consider it. Rest assured, Miss Wang, I will do everything in my power to protect you and negotiate on your behalf with the one who sent me."

In the world of cultivators, the Dao Heart was an elusive but vital concept. No one took it lightly, and swearing an oath on one's Dao Heart was the most solemn vow a cultivator could make. No one would dare risk it frivolously—after all, a cultivator faced countless trials throughout their life, and any crack in the Dao Heart could lead to certain death during those tribulations.

Wang Zihan lowered the Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword and spoke clearly, "My servant may have offended your family, but he is still my servant. If you swear on your Dao Heart to ensure his safety, I will lay down my sword and go with you."

Pang Tianshan shook his head. "Impossible. Du Yunlong has cost my family countless lives. Even if he was only protecting his master, the most I can offer him is a thin coffin."

"I promised him we'd go to Yuan Province together," Wang Zihan said quietly. "And I never break a promise to my servants."

Her voice grew heavier as she uttered the word "part," a touch of sorrow creeping into her tone. Bowing deeply to Pang Tianshan, she pleaded, "I implore you, Master Pang, for his sake."

"No," Pang Tianshan responded firmly, his stance unwavering. "Du Yunlong must die."

At his signal, several of the Pang family's fighters sprang into action. Some rushed toward Wang Zihan, aiming to subdue her, while others darted toward the altar where Du Yunlong lay, determined to finish off the man who had decimated so many of their comrades. The cultivators in the ranks were also ready, prepared for battle.

Wang Zihan acted swiftly, gently pressing the Heavenly Tears Starfall Sword against her palm. "Very well... servant, we'll go to Yuan Province together, and then we'll part ways."

Her voice was sweet, her smile even sweeter. Even the way she held her sword was sweet to the extreme. The Pang family disciples who tried to grab her found themselves clutching at empty air, their hands grasping nothing but shadows.

"Before we part," Wang Zihan's voice dripped with sugary charm, "let me at least treat you to a cup of sweet soy milk..."