The Ring That Shook the Region

Nangong Wan’s crimson moon was clearly struggling to catch up. The black-and-white rainbow arced in a long curve, vanishing against the hall’s ceiling in an instant to strike with savage force.

A muffled thud rang out. The red light faltered but did not punch through—only a few stone chips fluttered down.

The cold-faced woman froze for a beat, unsure what had happened, when the ceiling flashed. Swarms of tri-colored flying insects poured out from above, then, with a single humming note, converged in midair to form a massive three-colored shield.

Alarm flickered through her. Without a second thought, she shook her wrist, and a silver-patterned talisman materialized between her fingers.

Nangong Wan, watching from below, knew exactly what her senior师姐 was planning. Her jade features hardened. Without bothering with the Reincarnation Divine Light, she reached to her waist, produced a small crimson flag, and hurled it at the ground without hesitation.

A sharp sizzle—the flag dissolved into a wisp of red smoke that burrowed swiftly into the stone.

The cold-faced woman, meanwhile, waved her hand and activated the talisman. A dense yellow glow enveloped her, and she shot upward like a falling star.

A tearing sound—the yellow light pierced the three-colored shield as if it were paper, diving straight for the ceiling beyond.

But almost at the same moment, Nangong Wan’s incantation rang out. She activated the hidden restrictions of the cave residence.

The entire hall flashed red. A brilliant red barrier surfaced across the walls, the ceiling, and the blue stone floor.

The red light seemed tailor-made to counter the yellow radiance the cold-faced woman had become. The instant she struck the barrier, she could not slip through. Instead, yellow and red light interwove, clinging together like magnetic force. A flood of crimson surged upward, enveloping the yellow glow completely.

Nangong Wan’s senior sister’s heart raced with alarm. But she was experienced. After a moment of thought, she recognized the restriction.

Still within her yellow cocoon, her expression turned grave. She flicked her finger, and a bone-chilling white sword-light shot out, spinning once outside. The red barrier shattered into scattered flecks.

Delight surged through her. A flash of yellow—she broke free from the crimson, darting straight into the ceiling.

But just as her body was halfway through, a violet light flickered before her eyes. Something dropped over her, trapping her utterly. With a sharp tug, she was yanked back out of the ceiling.

A light, tinkling laugh echoed. A white silhouette flickered—a charming young woman in white robes emerged from the ceiling.

In one hand, this woman held a crystalline purple thread. Its other end was connected to the cold-faced woman.

It was then that the Masked Moon Sect’s Great Elder realized what had fallen over her: a net, glowing with a faint purple light—solid one moment, intangible the next.

Rage and shock warred within her. Without thinking, she flicked all ten fingers. Over a dozen black-and-white sword-light projectiles shot out. Still uneasy, she opened her mouth and spat a ball of oily green fire. Both attacks struck the purple net in quick succession.

A soft purple light blazed. Neither the sword-light nor the green flame could damage the net. It remained entirely unharmed.

For the first time, panic flickered across the cold-faced woman’s features. She was about to grit her teeth and use some life-draining secret technique to escape when the white-robed woman chuckled softly, pulled the purple thread, and parted her lips to utter a single word: “Contract!”

The previously loose net drew tight, squeezing down. The woman inside was completely immobilized, unable to move a single inch.

Her face flushed scarlet. Since forming her Nascent Soul, she had known only the deference of other cultivators. Never had she suffered such humiliation—especially now, as a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

In shame and fury, a cold light flickered in her eyes. Her spiritual aura suddenly flared, swelling to twice its normal intensity. A faint, bloody glint swirled in her gaze.

Seeing this, Silvermoon’s smile vanished. She knew something was very wrong. She was about to activate the “Jade Yang True Fire” contained within the Purple Cheng Net when Nangong Wan’s voice cut through urgently.

“Don’t harm her. Leave her to me.”

With those words, a fiery red moon leaped up from below, enveloping the cold-faced woman completely.

The red moon began to spin rapidly, sending out wave after wave of crimson halos. Light and shadow swirled, filling the entire hall with a dance of illusory moonlight.

Han Li, watching from below, stared at the spinning moon for only a moment. His mind reeled, dizzy and disoriented. Alarm shot through him.

No wonder the cold-faced woman had been so wary of Nangong Wan’s so-called “Reincarnation Divine Light.” It was indeed fearsome.

The red moon spun for a full quarter of an hour before finally coming to a halt, Nangong Wan’s face pale from the strain.

With a wave of her hand, the red moon dissolved into scattered points of light with a soft bang.

Her senior sister’s figure reappeared, floating in midair.

She was still tightly bound by the Purple Cheng Net, but her formidable spiritual energy had calmed. Her head lolled to one side, unconscious, a strange smile frozen on her face.

“Is this…?” Han Li was taken aback.

“Anyone trapped by my Reincarnation Divine Light cannot escape, even through Nascent Soul projection. The light carries a powerful mind-confusing effect. My senior sister’s consciousness has been temporarily lost to the light. This way, I can spare her life.” Nangong Wan, her face regaining a trace of color, smiled faintly.

“No wonder your sister was so wary of this technique. Still, if you only wanted to keep her alive, you could have used a more decisive method and killed her outright. Why go through all this trouble?” Han Li rubbed his nose, his tone a little helpless.

“Killing my senior sister—this Great Elder—won’t do. Since I plan to leave with you, the Masked Moon Sect will already suffer a major loss of power. If you kill her as well, the sect will be torn apart. The former Great Elder of the Masked Moon Sect once showed me considerable kindness. I won’t sacrifice myself for the sect, but I won’t let it face outright annihilation either.” Nangong Wan sighed softly, forcing a faint smile.

“Hmph. Yet your sister, when she laid the restrictions on you, showed you no mercy,” Han Li said with a wry chuckle.

“It doesn’t matter. Sparing her life counts as repaying my debt to the sect. After I leave with you, I won’t have to carry that weight on my conscience. Still… that fight was far too dangerous. I had no idea she possessed a demonic weapon like the ‘Blood Demon Sword.’ It nearly cost you dearly. If I had known, I would have…” Nangong Wan’s bright eyes flickered, her face full of apology.

But Han Li had already guessed what she meant. He waved it off with a smile.

“It’s nothing. The Blood Demon Sword couldn’t do much to me. Hurry—take the control token and get us down the mountain.”

Nangong Wan nodded this time, offering no objection.

Silvermoon, beside them, obediently shook her hand. The Purple Cheng Net loosened, spilling the cold-faced woman to the floor.

Nangong Wan stepped forward without ceremony. Her jade fingers tapped rapidly, placing several layers of restrictions on the unconscious woman. Then she reached down and retrieved a jade-green storage pouch, turning it upside down.

A flash of colored light, and a heap of items spilled out.

Curious, Han Li moved closer.

The command token for the Heart-Sealing Technique was easy to find. Nangong Wan flipped through the pile, spotted it, and picked it up with evident joy.

Han Li’s gaze swept over the pile. Suddenly, he reached out, and one item flew straight into his hand—a small, delicate finger-ring, matte-black without a hint of luster.

Frowning, Han Li held it up, turning it over several times.

“Why are you picking that up? It looks like just an ordinary magical tool,” Nangong Wan remarked in surprise.

Han Li chuckled softly. He slapped his storage pouch, and a jade box appeared in his hand. A flash of green light—the lid opened. Inside lay another finger-ring, identical in every way.

“Oh?” Nangong Wan’s expression shifted to curiosity.

Han Li set the two rings side by side. A quick comparison confirmed they were exactly the same.

After a moment’s thought, he placed both rings back into the jade box without ceremony, then stowed it away in his storage pouch.

Nangong Wan gave a graceful smile and said nothing. Instead, after a moment’s consideration, she ignored the heap of treasures and walked over to the motionless cold-faced woman.

Her hand glowed red. She bent slightly, pressing her jade palm against the woman’s forehead. Then she closed her eyes, silent.

Han Li watched, apparently understanding what she was doing. A faint smile hung on his face as he stood without a word.

A moment later, Nangong Wan’s beautiful eyes snapped open. She lifted her hand, revealing a small blood-red sword in her palm—the “Blood Demon Sword.”

“This demonic weapon is far too dangerous. It’s a threat to both of us. Better to take it. I won’t use it, but I saw earlier that your golden lightning could counter it. Keep it with you, just in case.” Nangong Wan gave the small sword a single glance, then shook her head and tossed it to Han Li.