"Hurry, think of a way to bring her back!"
Tan Songyong didn't know of any better plan, so he immediately sent two people to invite that female cultivator who might belong to the Jian family.
The Tan Song siblings understood how serious this was, especially with what they'd done earlier. After asking for her whereabouts, they rushed toward the outskirts.
Tan Songyu spoke with worry, "Big Sis, what if Fairy Lu really is from the Jian family?"
"Isn't that still uncertain?"
A cold glint flashed in Tan Songjia's eyes. If it was confirmed, there was no way things would end well for them.
In the Immortal Realm, the dignity of great clans couldn't be challenged. Worse, they'd even tried to brand her with their family's mark. If she really was from the Jian family and returned to them, the first thing she'd do would be to wipe out the entire Tan Song clan.
"She didn't reveal her identity before, maybe because of the people around her. And that jade slip didn't come from Jun Qingfeng, it came from that female cultivator. That means only she belongs to the Jian family. Since we've already offended her, if we can't resolve it…"
Tan Songjia was calm, but her methods were ruthless. Her solution was a permanent one.
"But what if she has a protective talisman? And that immortal plant of hers isn't weak. Last time, we almost got trapped."
Tan Songyu wasn't stupid. Charging in against someone they couldn't handle would be suicide.
"Her cultivation hasn't reached Dixian yet. We still have a chance. Focus on attacking her companions. With so many people, she won't be able to protect everyone. When the moment comes, we strike."
"I understand."
The two sped up, finally reaching Greenfield Lake just before Jian Dan's group left. Tan Songyu immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow straight at Jian Jun.
That shot was meant to probe, so he hadn't infused too much power. Even so, Wu Siyuan, who raised his sword to block, was injured. If Jian Dan hadn't yanked him back at the last second with her thread, he might've been done for.
Jian Dan glanced at the two standing opposite her, her eyes gleaming with disdain. Before, she'd held back, but since they were already leaving, she wasn't about to let them get away so easily.
"Seniors, you all go ahead into the passage. I'll follow right after."
She stood at the lake's edge and spoke to Jian Jun and Jian Mao.
"Junior Sister, are you confident?" Jian Jun asked.
She looked calm on the surface, but her fury was boiling. The Tan Song family really were like a lingering curse.
"You leaving will make it easier for me to act."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Tan Song siblings reached the lakeside. Earlier, the arrow had been fired from a distance, partly as a test, partly to delay them. Now, with their targets about to escape, they attacked without restraint.
A Dixian's strike had immense force. The spatial whirlpool within Greenfield Lake immediately trembled, nearly collapsing before finally stabilizing.
"Go!"
Jian Jun and the others understood that if they stayed, they'd become the main targets and drag her down. Jian Mao acted decisively, dragging Jian Jun straight into the whirlpool, followed closely by Jian Xu and Jian Chun. Within two breaths, only Jian Dan remained standing firmly at the water's edge.
The Tan Song siblings knew this grudge couldn't be resolved. With one look, they split roles. Tan Songjia lunged at Jian Dan, while Tan Songyu drew another arrow, aiming to destroy the passage.
Jian Dan had been waiting for this. With her companions from Lingyun Continent already inside, she no longer had any reason to hold back. With a flick of her wrist, the willow branch in her hand twisted, snaring the arrow meant for the vortex.
She gave it another flick, sending the arrow spinning back toward Tan Songjia. At the same time, she transmitted her voice to Liu Chuan.
"These two can't be allowed to live."
"They dug their own graves," Liu Chuan replied coldly. He broke free from her hand and lunged straight at Tan Songyu.
Tan Songyu didn't expect such a fast counter. The moment Liu Chuan's threads wrapped around him, his face paled. He hurriedly stowed his bow and drew his sword, but the shadow of his past fear crippled his strikes. Within moments, he was bound tight.
"Big Sis, save me!"
The next instant, Liu Chuan's strike pierced Tan Songyu's sea of consciousness and dantian. His Yuányīng tried to flee, but Liu Chuan's threads coiled around it and shredded it to dust.
"You dare!"
Tan Songjia's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected them to be so ruthless, leaving no chance of survival. She forgot it was their family who'd struck first. From the start, Jian Dan's group had tried to avoid conflict, but because of their schemes, they'd brought destruction upon themselves.
By now, the lake's water level was dropping, the vortex shrinking by the second. The passage in its center was already half its size, moments away from closing.
Jian Dan noticed, and so did Tan Songjia. Bloodshot eyes blazing, she attacked like a madwoman. Waves of sword light rained down, tearing the lakeside to shreds.
Jian Dan recalled Liu Chuan, then used the force of Tan Songjia's attacks to hurl herself into the lake toward the passage.
Tan Songjia couldn't let her escape. She flung out a thunder bomb the size of an egg, determined to keep her behind.
Jian Dan narrowed her eyes and shouted, "Mó Yuè Zhǎn!"
Mó Yuè Zhǎn responded instantly. A sweep of black light sliced through the air before returning to her dantian.
A heartbeat later, a deafening boom erupted. The entire Greenfield Lake exploded upward, waves towering a hundred meters into the sky, visible from miles away.
When the braver cultivators finally rushed over, the lake had already calmed. On the shore lay the corpse of a female cultivator, her eyes wide open, her face frozen in disbelief.
===
So here's the thing… I'm kinda bored of translating right now. Especially when it comes to novels by Feng Ling. No hard feelings toward them—their writing's great, seriously—it's just me being plain bored, I guess.
True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress and Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite are the two main ones hitting me the hardest. For True Heir of Chaos, today's probably the last day my draft can hold on. It's a shame, but even after I tried switching projects to refresh myself, it didn't help much. I'll still try to translate again and rebuild my draft, but I can't promise there'll be a new upload tomorrow.
As for Stealing Luck, the draft can probably carry me through till the end of November. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm feeling bored with Feng Ling's novels when they're objectively really good. It's weird, because none of my other ongoing projects give me this kind of burnout—even though those have similar lengths and have been running just as long.
If I really force myself, I can sit down and crank out a hundred chapters in one go (I've done it before). But right now? The mood just isn't there. It's such a shame, especially since Stealing Luck has finally started to unravel Yunxi's past in the latest chapters—and the novel's still serializing!
I feel guilty about pausing or going on hiatus, I really do, but at the moment I'm just too lazy to pick them back up. I mean, if we're being real, I don't have any reason to keep translating other than to share these stories with you guys. (Please take this as a very obvious hint, wink wink. ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ)
But seriously—what do you expect from a self-fan translation? (lol) The main reason I translate and share these novels is because they fascinate me, and I want more people to discover how amazing they are. So if I get bored or lose motivation, I think it's fair for me to pause or take a short break, right? Of course, if you really want to see updates, I wouldn't say no to a little $ motivation boost. That kind of energy definitely helps, haha.
Anyway, don't worry, I'm not abandoning these projects. I already "abandoned" one before, and honestly, that was humiliating enough for me. I don't want to repeat that mistake. I'll come back, I promise—maybe after a few new projects to clear my head? I'm not sure yet, but I will.
Thanks for understanding, and sorry for the sudden slowdown. (´;ω;`)