The powerful fusing and integrative abilities of the Great Way of Immortality Art had completely resolved the energy that had held part of Wu Yu's own yang energy into Wu Yu's ninth spiritual source.

Even his 10th spiritual source had almost formed.

The ninth spiritual source was at the Gate of Life Meridian, on the lower back. It was an important spot on the body which complemented the Sea of Breath Meridian.

The 10th spiritual source was called the Lake of Wind Meridian. It was at the nape of the neck, and was the final spiritual source of the 10 major spiritual sources.

In this cave on Fox Branch Mountain, Wu Yu had successfully condensed qi by accident, thanks to the boon that Sky Fox Forging; Jindan Immortality Art had bestowed upon him. A small portion of the power that would have rocketed the Ninth Spirit to the fourth tier of the Jindan Dao Realm had been transferred to Wu Yu, which had helped him rapidly condense qi!

And now his gaze was flat. The Onyx & Pearl Dao Sword in hand, he had come to stand before the Ninth Spirit. The Ninth Spirit was still unable to control the reckless energy within her body. She had already channeled a majority into her demon essence core, but was still a step short.

And this short distance made her unable to respond.

The two looked at each other, one standing, the other prostrate. The Ninth Spirit's ethereal beauty and warmth and the flashes of pleasure that she had shown him played in Wu Yu's mind. But he had come back from the jaws of death itself, and he knew her true face. He knew her disdain and cruelty as well.

"Keke...."

The Ninth Spirit could not help but laugh. She lifted her head to regard Wu Yu. "Who would have thought that Jiu Er would find ruin at your hands. This is like a comedy. Heaven itself is watching over you. This is unfair, and I will not rest content!"

Wu Yu looked at her. With his mind and will so strong, he was no longer affected by her. He said slowly, "This has nothing to do with heaven. We all have our paths to walk. At the start, you were so much stronger than I was. Toying with me in the palm of your hand was truly unfair. You did not use that chance to kill me at the start. That led to you tasting the fruits of your own evil deeds!"

"I wanted you to have enough pure yang. Would I kill you prematurely and waste a treasure like yourself?" the Ninth Spirit mocked.

Wu Yu said, "I am nothing but a treasure in your eyes, right?"

The Ninth Spirit started, and stayed silent for a while. She changed to human form before Wu Yu's eyes, wearing nary a stitch. Her flawless body and perfect face were displayed before Wu Yu's eyes. She was a pitiful sight, and she gave him her most pitiful and tearful look. "Wu Yu, Jiu Er was wrong. Spare Jiu Er, please. Wu Yu is stronger than Jiu Er now, and Jiu Er will not dare to do it again. From now on, let Jiu Er wait on Wu Yu. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Wu Yu smiled. "Do you think that I don't have the heart to kill you? That's why you're trying to seduce me? Ninth Spirit, on the day that you bit my body, eyes so cruel, I laid a hundred vows to kill you!"

Wu Yu's Onyx & Pearl Dao Sword was on her throat.

"Wu Yu, I don't want to die. My ultimate revenge has yet to be fulfilled. My sister died horribly, and the perpetrator roams free. I want my vengeance!" The Ninth Spirit wailed, twisting to look at the ice sculpture. Her shoulders continued to twitch as tears ran down her face.

This was the true her.

"I beg you. Spare me. Let me live. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm no longer your opponent. I won't dare to fight you again." She saw that Wu Yu had not softened his stance, and she hurried to amend her words. "Or perhaps you could leave me some days. After I take my revenge, I will deliver myself before you to die."

Her beautiful face wept and knelt at his feet. All she wanted was revenge - it seemed like the Ninth Spirit should live on.

But Wu Yu could not go back on his vows.

"If I do not kill you today, my heart of dao will not be straight!"

Wu Yu's blood raged. The many times that she had almost killed him, she had not given Wu Yu the slightest chance to beg for his life.

"Who is your enemy? Given the chance, I will do the deed for you." Wu Yu made his decision.

"You're still going to kill me?" The Ninth Spirit crumbled in an episode of tears.

"Say his identity! Speak his name!" Wu Yu raged.

"...Shushan Immortal Sect, Zhang Futu!"

An unfamiliar place and an unfamiliar name. But Wu Yu remembered both, and that was enough. He might not be able to end the grudge on the Ninth Spirit's behalf. But if he really met the person, and did not like him, he would.

This was the decision he had made. No matter how pitiful the Ninth Spirit was, even to the point that Wu Yu would consent to help her take revenge, he would still kill her! It was not cold-bloodedness, but a matter of doing right by himself.

"Wu Yu, will you kiss Jiu Er one more time?" The Ninth Spirit's eyes were tear-marked as she looked at him with deep emotion.

"Even though Jiu Er wanted to kill you, Jiu Er regarded you as her husband. Jiu Er is in love with you...." All that she said sounded true. But also sounded false.

True or false?

Wu Yu thought that it was no longer important.

He had been entangled with this woman for so long. The Ninth Spirit had been an important lesson in his life. A strange tale of love and revenge.

"Wu Yu...." Jiu Er tottered to her feet and stretched out her hands to clasp his face.

"I beg you."

Her look was pure and direct. There was no more hatred, only a confused jumble of emotions that she herself could not understand.

Wu Yu planted a kiss on her forehead, even as the Onyx & Pearl Dao Sword followed into her body.

"Nnggh...... Remember, Shushan Immortal Sect, Zhang Futu.... Wu Yu, I have no more time in this life, but in the next, I will be your good wife, and I won't make you sad...."

At the end, the Ninth Spirit's voice was as faint as the wind.

"Mm."

Wu Yu had never seen such an impassioning woman. Even though she was a fox demon, her last words and look of love were etched deeply in his memory.

Finally, she fell to the ground, her breath no more. Before she died, she returned to her original form, a small, white fox with nine tails. She lay peacefully in Wu Yu's arms, seemingly asleep.

Looking at her, Wu Yu was swamped by conflicting emotions.

He did not regret killing her. But he also wanted to conclude her mission of revenge.

"Although I only narrowly survived, her presence has made me who I am today."

The deceased Ninth Spirit had become a marvelous presence in Wu Yu's history. Sometimes she was an immortal, pure and passionate. Sometimes she was a devil, wild and hungry for blood.

Wu Yu buried her beside the ice sculpture and erected a tombstone. He hesitated, unsure what to write.

The Ninth Spirit had said that she had regarded Wu Yu as her husband, but who knew if that was really true?

Finally, Wu Yu carved four words on the tombstone: Wu Yu's Jiu Er.

After he finished carving, he stood up, and the cave suddenly shook violently. Behind Wu Yu, the stone exploded in a shower of rocks. Wu Yu turned back to look. A passage in the cave had been busted open. From the start until now, Wu Yu still had no idea that it had been the entrance. It was a little easier to fight one's way in from the outside; otherwise, Wu Yu would still have been trapped here for a while, searching.

The Ninth Spirit was dead, and the cave naturally would not hold Wu Yu.

Following the rock, golden sword qi rushed in. As Wu Yu turned to look, Feng Xueya rushed in, looking gaunt and with a face full of road dust. He looked extremely fatigued, but also ready to kill. As he rushed in, he was completely surrounded by sword qi, and even Wu Yu could feel his intense killing intent.

"Wu Yu!"

"Master."

The two looked deeply into each other's eyes.

Feng Xueya could not believe his. He had spent more than 10 days to pierce the disorienting formation to enter. He had thought Wu Yu would be dead without question, but he had come in to see Wu Yu alive and kicking, and unharmed to boot.

"You're not dead? Then what about the Ninth Spirit?" Feng Xueya quickly reached his side, giving him a once over and watching his surroundings. But Wu Yu seemed to be in peak condition.

"Here." Wu Yu pointed to the tomb under his feet. Feng Xueya looked at the grave and reeled with surprise. He looked at Wu Yu in disbelief, asking blankly, "The Ninth Spirit is dead? You killed her?"

"Mm."

"How did you do it?" Feng Xueya knew the Ninth Spirit's prowess well. The Ninth Spirit had defeated Lan Huayi, and by his reckoning, he himself was not her match.

Wu Yu shook his head. "A miracle. Even I am surprised, but still I live...."

That was enough for Feng Xueya. He deeply knew that the present Wu Yu was not someone he could thoroughly understand. All he wished for was that Wu Yu lived. After all, he had saved the Heavenly Sword Sect.

He had never expected that back then, when he had saved a wretched prince, he would be repaid in such handsome fashion.

For now, Wu Yu lived, and the Ninth Spirit did not. That was the greatest surprise. As for the details, and how Wu Yu had accomplished it, none of that mattered.

"Good, good. You being alive is all that matters. It's over. This affair is finally over...."

Feng Xueya breathed deeply, and his face relaxed. He looked at Wu Yu with a glimmer of pride, and a carefree smile creased his face.

"Master, let's go."

"The Ninth Spirit must have had many treasures. It's a waste to leave them here. Let's search for them."

"Mm."

In truth, all of her things were on her person. The most important was the spiritual immortal treasure Argenti Chain. After the Ninth Spirit had died, the Argenti Chain had reverted back to a silver bracelet in the absence of spiritual power direction. It had fallen to the floor, and Wu Yu picked it up. He sniffed at it. It still held the fragrance of the Ninth Spirit.

"Blood bond spiritual immortal treasure. It needs a drop of blood to support the blood bond spiritual art. When we get back to the Bipo Mountain Range, I'll teach you," Feng Xueya said. He had roughly guessed that a curious connection linked Wu Yu to the Ninth Spirit. Perhaps they had feelings for each other.

After they tidied up, both took to the skies on their swords. They flew above the clouds; the disorienting formation was not as difficult to exit.

Feng Xueya had increased his speed accordingly, and realized that Wu Yu could keep up with ease.

"You're at the ninth tier of the Qi Condensation Realm already?" he could not help asking.

A few years ago, before Wu Yu started cultivating, he had been a first tier Jindan Dao cultivator. And now Wu Yu was catching up to him, but he still had not progressed....

"Yes. The last spiritual source is almost done as well." Wu Yu nodded. Of course, he was a little surprised as well.

Feng Xueya increased his speed, and still Wu Yu could keep up.

He could not help but sigh. "It seems like this humble Heavenly Sword Sect has produced a genius among geniuses in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent!"