Tian Kuang seemed to strongly agree with her words, excitedly trembling in its case.

Yes, make the Emperor kneel and call you father!

“What are you so happy about?” Xiang Haikui couldn’t understand it. The progress bar had long been filled and wouldn’t rise any further.

Although it could still absorb madness, the madness accumulated in the sword was already enough for her to transform hundreds of times.

Tian Kuang didn’t care and trembled even more vigorously.

Xiang Haikui seemed to hear it scoff disdainfully: You think I urge you on every day because I crave that bit of madness to level up?

After experiencing generations of sword masters, have I ever lacked madness?

Besides, after you integrate with the Dao, I’ll separate from you, reset to zero, and wait for the next unfortunate soul. Maximum level means nothing to me.

My sword life as Tian Kuang has only one ultimate goal—to stir up trouble!

Xiang Haikui: …

Initially, Yin Changli thought she was risking everything to go to Jing Ran for the sake of rescuing Qi Yin.

Looking at her expression, he realized he had overthought.

Xiang Haikui continued persuading: “This is a heaven-sent opportunity that we absolutely cannot miss!”

Yin Changli certainly knew it was a good opportunity—he had thought of it even before she suggested it, but immediately rejected it.

“Can you truly face him calmly?” he asked skeptically.

“I can,” Xiang Haikui guaranteed.

Originally, she also thought she couldn’t.

But now she wondered, why not?

Was Jing Ran so important?

Not at all.

How many seemingly insurmountable mountains, once climbed, turn out to be mere mounds behind us?

How many mental knots, once untangled, reveal our foolishness?

“Truly, not only do I not feel like I’m enduring humiliation, I’m quite looking forward to it,” Xiang Haikui emphasized. “I think tricking the Emperor and stealing from right under his nose would bring me more pleasure than running him through with a sword.”

Yin Changli fell silent for a moment. “This is no small matter. Let me think about it.”

Xiang Haikui reminded him, “Don’t think too long.”

“Mm.”

With that, the matter was left hanging.

Until several hours later, when Blood Asura returned after thoroughly searching the palace: “To get back, we truly only have that one path through the upper realm.”

The soul companion seemed to smile slightly.

Yin Changli pointed at Xiang Haikui and asked, “Blood Asura, with your Dream Sword, can you open a passage to send her back?”

He had agreed, and Xiang Haikui immediately perked up.

Blood Asura was slightly startled: “What do you mean, send her to the upper realm?”

Xiang Haikui said, “Yes, I’ll go clear the path for you all!”

“You cannot!” The soul companion guessed what Xiang Haikui intended to do and showed extreme resistance.

While Blood Asura had been searching for an exit, it had remained locked in a standoff with Yin Changli in midair.

Although Yin Changli had withdrawn some force, the spiritual energy tug-of-war between them continued. Its hair, like tentacles, had been constantly whipped around by the spiritual energy waves, but now suddenly all hung down.

“If you do this, the Emperor will suspect the Xuantian Mirror, and I might lose my nourishment,” it said.

Yin Changli replied, “I asked him, not you. I only need to suppress you—who else can you control?”

Xiang Haikui also said, “You losing your nourishment is inevitable.”

Now that they knew the truth, Xiao Bai would certainly never touch the Xuantian Mirror again.

Blood Asura nearly blurted out, “Are you crazy?” as he began to understand what Xiang Haikui wanted to do.

But then he remembered she was the Tian Kuang sword master and thought it made sense.

After careful consideration, Blood Asura said, “We can give it a try.”

Yin Changli shook his head. “Your answer lacks confidence.”

Blood Asura immediately beat his chest. “No problem!”

Yin Changli smiled. “Good.”

Xiang Haikui raised her eyebrows. “Then let’s go.”

“Wait, there’s another path,” the soul companion spoke again. “Although the channel is connected to the Xuantian Mirror, there are fissures between this dream prison and the Nineteen Continents of the neighboring Three Thousand Great Worlds. I’m willing to expend my power to send you out of the dream prison to the neighboring world. With your abilities, Yin Changli, it shouldn’t be difficult to return from there, right?”

Hmm, wasn’t this precisely her original purpose for entering the dream world? Unfortunately, Xiang Haikui now had more important matters at hand.

Yin Changli began, “Little Kui…”

Xiang Haikui promptly interrupted him. “I want to steal my master’s formation disk. Don’t try to dissuade me—it’s pointless.”

“But…”

“Didn’t you say there would always be a way to fulfill my wish of returning to Earth to live out my old age?”

Yin Changli sighed, knowing he couldn’t persuade her. “Very well.”

Xiang Haikui pointed at the peerless master and Amu, looking toward the soul companion. “These two accidentally entered from the neighboring world. Why don’t you send them home?”

The soul companion waved dismissively, seemingly annoyed. “Since you insist on your way, why should I expend my power?”

Yin Changli increased his pressure on it. “Then shall you and I settle the account of Shuluoye?”

The soul companion: “It seems I have no choice but to expend this power.”

…

The soul companion was quite pragmatic, agreeing to first send the two otherworlders away from the Nightmare Prison.

Yin Changli wasn’t afraid of any tricks and directly released his suppression.

It floated alone in midair, beginning to form a formation.

Yin Changli descended to the ground, landing beside Xiang Haikui, repeating his question: “Are you certain?”

“Do you think asking enough times will shake my resolve?” Xiang Haikui had already said it eight hundred times.

“Miss,” Amu finally couldn’t help but ask before parting, “is the sword in your case from our world’s Enter-My-Sword School?”

“Yes.” Xiang Haikui looked back at him, then pointed to Blood Asura. “His Dream Sword is too. They’re just different series. My Tian Kuang belongs to the Twelve Divine Swords. These swords were transmitted from your world a very long time ago…”

“So it’s Tian Kuang.” Amu’s eyes brightened as he looked at the sword case. After hearing her explanation, he showed a sudden understanding. “No wonder four of the Twelve Divine Swords have been missing for many years without a trace.”

Amu quickly said to the peerless master, “Why don’t you ask them if Tian Yan has found a master?”

Xiang Haikui was puzzled. “Hmm?”

The peerless master frowned. “Our flower spirit clan naturally has a fragrance, but after cultivating human form, the fragrance dissipates. But I have a nephew called Peerless Elegance. He’s the child of my sister and a mortal. He was born in human form without any demonic bloodline, but…”

“But he was born with a strange fragrance. Those who smell it typically develop favorable feelings toward him…”

Xiang Haikui listened in surprise. Could this be the legendary irresistible charm?

The peerless master rubbed his brow. “Because he can’t distinguish who genuinely cares for him and who is bewitched by the fragrance, he’s deeply troubled. He’s been searching the world for a way to eliminate the scent and has been missing for many years…”

“When Peerless Brother mentioned this to me, I immediately thought of one of the Twelve Divine Swords, Tian Yan,” Amu continued. “Just as flower spirits emit fragrance that attracts people, Tian Yan is the opposite—its sword intent has a ‘stench’ that repels people, causing its master to be despised by everyone like a street rat.”

Xiang Haikui smacked her forehead. Indeed, none of the Twelve Divine Swords failed to be troublesome.

An irresistible charmer cultivating Tian Yan—the two combined might have a miraculous effect.

“But Tian Yan isn’t here,” Xiang Haikui spread her hands. “Only three of the Twelve Divine Swords were transmitted here back then: Tian Kuang, Tian Bao, and Tianren. All already have a master’s.”

Blood Asura switched the hand holding his sword. “I’ve certainly never seen the Tian Yan sword.”

“Tian Yan isn’t with you?” Amu was somewhat surprised. “But Tian Yan disappeared at the same time as Tian Kuang and the others.”

“It is here,” Yin Changli spoke up.

Xiang Haikui and Blood Asura both looked at him.

After their initial surprise, they were about to ask “where,” but somehow felt that if it was here, it must be in Yin Changli’s possession.

Sure enough, Yin Changli smiled and said, “Coincidentally, I’ve collected the Tian Yan sword.”

Xiang Haikui: …

Blood Asura: …

The two stared woodenly as he raised his arm, first putting on a glove, then turning his palm upward to reveal a pitch-black long sword.

The stench was overwhelming.

Everyone’s facial expressions contorted.

Amu asked, “This is Tian Yan?”

He knew it had a stench, but never imagined it would be so foul!

Xiang Haikui nearly vomited.

The sword looked as if it had been molded from the rotten mud of a sewer, sticky and wet, with black sludge constantly dripping from its blade.

It was indeed one of the Twelve Divine Swords—once Tian Yan appeared, Tian Kuang became unusually agitated.

Blood Asura gagged and pinched his nose. “Wasn’t it always said there were only three divine swords? Why is there a fourth one? And it’s never been seen with a master?”

“Because it’s called Tian Yan,” Yin Changli said regretfully. “Even its companions despise it, so the senior who delivered the swords separated it from the other three, burying it underground to await someone with the right destiny.”

Xiang Haikui caught the words “buried underground,” and her eyes flashed as she asked telepathically, “Did you dig it up while mining?”

Yin Changli replied, “When I was sent to do hard labor by the Heavenly Race.”

That was when he was still very young. Xiang Haikui asked further, “You’ve kept it all this time?”

He hadn’t given it away?

Yin Changli coughed lightly. “I practiced with it myself.”

Xiang Haikui:?

Yin Changli’s smile held a hint of embarrassment. “It’s true. At that time, I only wanted to escape from the Heavenly Race’s grasp. When I dug up the Tian Yan sword, I considered it a turning point, a lifeline I had to grasp.”

Xiang Haikui fell silent.

She understood that feeling—it was the same when she received Tian Kuang.

Fearing she might misunderstand, Yin Changli explained, “The Tian Yan sword has a stench, but the master doesn’t carry the smell. It’s just that the sword intent it emits makes people dislike the master. Besides that, it’s much easier to cultivate than your Tian Kuang.”

“The only drawback is being disliked by people?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder.” Xiang Haikui stole a glance at him.

“No wonder so many people dislike me?” Yin Changli was caught between laughter and tears. “You misunderstand. I long ago reached maximum level and integrated with the Dao, separating from Tian Yan. Being disliked isn’t caused by it.”

During the process of cultivating Tian Yan, Yin Changli discovered that the more people disliked him, the faster the sword grew.

With his clan destroyed and family annihilated, he wanted to grow stronger quickly. Passively being disliked no longer satisfied his needs.

He began to actively cultivate the ability to make people dislike him.

Even after separating from Tian Yan, when he no longer needed to be disliked, years of habit had formed that he couldn’t shake.

So he simply stopped trying to change—it worked well enough.

Xiang Haikui rubbed her chin. So there was a reason why the youth had turned into a despicable man.

Yin Changli handed the sword to the peerless master. “I’ve kept this sword for many years. Now that I’ve met someone with the right destiny, I’ll give it to your nephew.”

The peerless master looked at the sword dripping with black sludge, his temple throbbing, and remained motionless for a long while.

A senior giving a sword was a kind gesture—should he also wear a glove to receive it? That wouldn’t be appropriate.

But this sword… he really couldn’t bring himself to touch it.

Gritting his teeth, he finally accepted it and quickly stored it in his storage bracelet. In an instant, all items in his bracelet were corroded beyond repair.

Compared to a divine sword, they were worthless.

He made a purifying gesture with his hands and bowed. “On behalf of my nephew, I thank the senior.”

“I advise your nephew to think carefully,” Xiang Haikui couldn’t help saying.

…

When the soul companion activated the formation to send them away, Yin Changli asked Blood Asura, “Don’t you want to go with them to the neighboring Great World and broaden your horizons?”

Blood Asura waved his hand. “I don’t even fully understand our world yet—why would I go to another realm? Besides, the world is about to descend into chaos again. As a ‘righteous’ Sword Master, I should contribute something.”

His tone carried a rare sense of steadiness. Xiang Haikui asked, “You know what I’m going to do?”

“Steal the Sea Race’s sealing formation disks?”

“As a human, not only are you not stopping me, but you seem eager to help. Compared to Han Qi, your ideological awareness is lacking,” Xiang Haikui teased.

Blood Asura replied, “It’s impossible to compare with Han Qi, but I’ve spent most of my life in dreams—the dreams of all kinds of races. I’ve also experienced countless nightmares. In those nightmares, I’ve seen Han Qi and the Emperor many times, but I’ve never seen Yin Changli.”

He said this telepathically to Xiang Haikui, not letting Yin Changli hear.

Xiang Haikui raised an eyebrow. “I understand. Senior Blood, we’re kindred spirits.”

“Right? I also feel we hit it off immediately!” Blood Asura suddenly became enthusiastic and continued telepathically, “How about this—why don’t we become sworn siblings?”

“Huh?” Xiang Haikui was caught off guard by this turn. “Senior, with our age difference…”

“Haven’t you heard of friendships that transcend age?” Blood Asura dismissed her concern carelessly, glancing at Yin Changli. “Some people old enough to be my grandfather still want to be your husband.”

Xiang Haikui suddenly understood. “Oh! You don’t want to be my big brother—you want to be Senior Yin’s big brother, right?!”

Blood Asura sheepishly replied, “How could that be?”

Yet in truth, that was exactly his calculation.

Becoming an obstacle on Yin Changli’s path to pursuing his wife seemed hopeless—his power was insufficient. So why not help him succeed in his pursuit and become his brother-in-law?

“Well, what do you think?”

“I don’t think so.”

Xiang Haikui wasn’t falling for it.

…

After the soul companion sent Amu and the peerless master away, it was Xiang Haikui’s turn.

They returned to the secret chamber with the inlaid bronze mirror, and again she entered alone.

Yin Changli had repeatedly emphasized all the precautions to take and had anticipated hundreds of problems she might encounter.

But when Xiang Haikui left the Nightmare Prison and entered the Heavenly Dao Palace through the passage, she still felt it was too easy.

Although Yin Changli’s eyes were full of concern, he had agreed too quickly.

After all, in his view, this was undoubtedly sending her onto a mountain of knives or into a vat of boiling oil.

There was only one situation where he might agree so readily.

Could staying in the Nightmare Prison be even more dangerous than stealing her master’s formation disk from the Emperor?

Xiang Haikui couldn’t figure it out. Did the soul companion still harbor some hidden plot?

But since Yin Changli had agreed to let her steal the formation disk, she only needed to focus on this one task.

…

Inside the Heavenly Dao Palace.

After the Xuantian Mirror lost its light, Jing Ran waited in place for a long time before returning to continue his meditation.

Yet his mind couldn’t calm down as he pondered the deep meaning behind the Xuantian Mirror’s actions.

After an unknown amount of time, the Xuantian Mirror showed unusual activity again.

Jing Ran immediately stood up.

He saw the mirror’s surface gradually enveloped by a layer of light mist, then, as if cut by a sharp sword from the middle, the mirror surface began to tear, shooting a burst of light from beneath.

The light was so bright it made him avert his eyes.

As the light gradually softened, a human figure rapidly materialized on the steps before the Xuantian Mirror stand—it was Xiang Haikui.

She looked exactly like the virtual image that had appeared in the mirror earlier.

The two stood ten zhang apart, motionless and silent like stone statues, the air seemingly frozen between them.

Jing Ran stood with a straight back, his gaze profound.

In contrast, Xiang Haikui, the intruder, stood very casually, her gaze rather unfocused.

Jing Ran tentatively asked, “Mirror Spirit?”

Xiang Haikui leisurely walked toward him. “What else?”

“How could the Xuantian Mirror have a Mirror Spirit?” Confusion was evident in Jing Ran’s eyes. It wasn’t clear if he was asking her or himself. “My royal father never mentioned this.”

“I have always been here. But all things have their ordained timing. I don’t like to interfere too much in worldly affairs, only occasionally offering some guidance,” Xiang Haikui said composedly, clasping her hands behind her back as she came before him. “Besides, your ancestors never disappointed me. Who would have thought that by your generation, the Heavenly Race would face the threat of extinction? I had no choice but to…”

Leaving half the sentence unspoken is the mark of a true master.

That’s what Yin Changli had taught her.

Jing Ran didn’t say whether he believed her or not. His divine sense traced her inch by inch. “Then why do you look exactly like Xiang Haikui?”

Not just the physical form, but even the aura was identical, without any difference.

If he hadn’t seen her emerge from the Xuantian Mirror with his own eyes, he would have judged her to be the real person without doubt.

“You ask me? I want to ask you.”

Xiang Haikui looked up at him, coldly smiling as she extended a finger, the nail tip pointing toward his heart.

This was the spot that her Tian Kuang had once fiercely penetrated.

Just as she came within an inch, Jing Ran stepped half a step back, his black eyes flashing with wariness. “Ask me what?”

Xiang Haikui withdrew her arm and said coldly, “I am a strand of the Heavenly Dao’s consciousness. Originally, I had no physical form. Just now, when I was materializing, I saw you through the mirror and should have taken your form. How did I end up looking like this?”

This response was also taught by Yin Changli, which she had memorized after practicing for a long time.

For questions difficult to answer, throw them back ambiguously, letting Jing Ran make his interpretations.

After all, making up explanations about the “Mirror Spirit” was their specialty.

Jing Ran’s expression showed he was indeed pondering this.

Xiang Haikui didn’t say more and walked past him toward the hall exit.

Jing Ran questioned from behind, “Where are you going? How? Can you leave the divine palace?”

“Spirits” typically couldn’t move too far from their vessels.

Xiang Haikui paused her steps. Yin Changli had prepared an explanation, but she couldn’t recall it at the moment.

“Mirror Spirit?” Jing Ran found her increasingly strange.

“I’ve just sensed that I truly cannot go too far from the Xuantian Mirror.” Xiang Haikui turned around, walked back up the steps, and directly lifted the Xuantian Mirror from its stand with both hands.

Why bother with explanations? Just take it and be done!

Carry it wherever she went, and after stealing the formation disk, she could immediately recite the spell to contact those inside the mirror, making escape even more convenient.

She acted decisively, leaving Jing Ran no time to stop her. His pupils contracted involuntarily. Since the divine palace was built, the Xuantian Mirror had never left its stand.

Before he could react, Xiang Haikui tossed the Xuantian Mirror to him. “Catch.”

Then she strode toward the exit, calling to him as if to a servant: “Follow me.”

Countless palace maids and guards standing outside the Heavenly Dao Palace knelt when the door opened.

Looking at the feet, they discovered it wasn’t the Emperor but a woman.

When they raised their heads, everyone’s expression changed in shock. Only royalty could enter the divine palace—why was an ordinary woman walking out?

The secret guard recognized Xiang Haikui. The bloody scene in that room in Bi’an City was still vivid in his mind. He nearly lost his soul in fright, revealing himself but not daring to enter the divine palace, only kneeling at the entrance and calling, “Emperor?”

After a moment of confusion, just as the guards were about to seize Xiang Haikui, they saw Jing Ran walk out carrying a bronze mirror.

He was unharmed, but his eyes revealed some bewilderment.

Jing Ran shook his head, indicating they shouldn’t make a fuss.

Everyone immediately quieted down; those who should hide did so, those who should kneel knelt.

Xiang Haikui walked ahead with her head high and shoulders back, her lips curling with pleasure.

Why be so cautious?

Does the Heavenly Dao father need to be cautious with anyone?

…

After Xiang Haikui left, the soul companion said listlessly, “The rest of you can keep watch. I’ve overexerted myself and need to continue my seclusion…”

As soon as it left, Yin Changli instructed Blood Asura, “You keep watch.”

He followed the soul companion, staying behind it.

Along a long corridor, both walls were covered with transparent spirit stones.

But due to Xiang Haikui’s previous transformation into a flood dragon and slaughter of many monsters, the surface was now pitted and scarred.

The floor was also covered with holes.

The soul companion walked ahead without stopping. “Are you afraid I’ll run away?”

Yin Changli’s lips curved. “You cannot leave this nightmare world. I’m quite at ease.”

“Oh?” Without facial features, the soul companion’s expression couldn’t be discerned, but its voice carried a hint of mockery. “Then you’re watching me, afraid I might have another channel connecting to the Xuantian Mirror to inform the Emperor?”

“You won’t,” Yin Changli replied without hesitation.

The soul companion’s steps faltered slightly. “How do you know I won’t?”

Yin Changli reached out to touch a depression in the wall left by the flood dragon’s tail. “Because you’re eager for Little Kui to successfully steal back the formation disks and rescue all my clan members.”

The soul companion said, “I have no relationship with your Sea Race…”

Yin Changli interrupted, “Yet I only want to rescue some of them. Those difficult to control, I don’t plan to release, but you want me to.”

Xiang Haikui couldn’t distinguish which formation disk belonged to whom, so she needed to steal them all and bring them to Yin Changli to identify before activation.

“When Little Kui returns through the Xuantian Mirror, you’ll tamper with the passage.” Yin Changli’s tone grew increasingly cold, suffused with desolate killing intent. “You’ll kill Little Kui while destroying all the formation disks.”

The soul companion suddenly laughed. “And then what? I’m hoping for world chaos, more nightmare forces flowing in, causing this place to collapse early? As a soul companion, I would die too.”

After leaving the corridor and entering the great hall, Yin Changli’s figure flashed, suddenly moving from behind to in front of it.

The soul companion was forced to stop.

Yin Changli enunciated clearly, “That’s what you say, but with the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow in your hands, you won’t die.”

The soul companion asked suspiciously, “Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow?”

It was playing dumb. Yin Changli continued, “I believe that when you first connected to the Xuantian Mirror, you only wanted to gain some power. You never intended to incite war because war would be all harm and no benefit to you. But after entering Shuluoye’s dream and discovering the existence of the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow, you developed other thoughts.”

“You wanted to obtain this divine arrow. When large amounts of nightmare forces flow in during times of turmoil, you could use the arrow to penetrate the barrier between the Nightmare Prison and the real world, gradually merging the two. This way, you wouldn’t have to worry about the dream prison collapsing. You would gain immortality, benefiting greatly…”

“Your current severe injury, forcing you into seclusion, is due to stealing the arrow’s power, isn’t it?”

The soul companion shook its head. “Yin Changli, one can accuse anyone of anything if they wish. I’ve never heard of any Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow.”

Yin Changli didn’t argue. He raised his arm, and a small paper crane, faintly glowing with light, landed in his palm. “Do you know what this is?”

It was the primordial spirit energy that Yin Changli had laboriously extracted from Xiang Heng’s primordial spirit.

He had fashioned it into a soul-tracking crane, prepared to track down the “thief” who had stolen the Heavenly Martial Divine Arrow’s power from Xiang Heng.

“Whether you stole it or not, one test will reveal the truth.”

Knowing the dangers were immense, Yin Changli still nodded to let Xiang Haikui go steal the formation disks, partly intending to send her away.

He wanted to first unveil the “thief’s” identity, determine whether it was Xiang Haikui’s mother, Shen Yun, and then consider other matters.

Hopefully it wasn’t.

Hopefully.

Yin Changli’s slightly trembling finger traced a circle before his chest. The spirit crane at his fingertip instantly flapped its wings, transforming into a ball of fire rushing toward the soul companion.