The Panhua Stick had been split earlier, broken into two pieces. One piece had turned to powder, while the other was gripped in Zanxing’s hand. It had originally been an iron-cast stick with a jet-black shaft engraved with evil-dispelling charms. But now it was different—it looked like a withered, dried branch, having lost all moisture, appearing dull and lifeless compared to the snake staff before her.

Yet from this stick, dry as a tree branch, sprouted a green bud.

This green bud was tiny, delicate, trembling as it stood on the branch tip. Just this small bit suddenly brought new vitality to everything.

Vitality was hope.

The Mirage Woman’s snake staff lunged toward her menacingly. Zanxing gripped the Panhua Stick tightly, as if seeing a girl walking alone in the desert. Everything was about to wither, and travelers in the desert who saw beautiful mirages were seeing hope in desperate situations. The Mirage Woman devoured mirages to make people lose their way—greedy people would be consumed by desire, lost in their endless wants, but more innocent, ordinary people died because of their hope.

If the Mirage Woman wanted to extinguish all hope, then she would make this place bloom with vitality.

Qing E Nian Hua Gun Third Level—Dead Trees Bloom.

In an instant, that pitifully delicate green bud rapidly grew branches and sprouted leaves. It became robust, lush, and continuously blooming with flowing flowers that quickly covered the barren earth. That withered stick seemed to come alive—Zanxing could feel an endless stream of life force pulsing in her hands. She saw on a vast map how the desert suddenly expanded before her eyes. She saw countless souls walking alone in the desert, carrying beautiful visions, lost by wind and sand, wandering in place. Those wandering tracks rapidly shrank, then rapidly expanded in her mind, until they merged with the stick’s momentum.

A sharp shriek rang out. The giant snake crashed into her stick and rebounded violently. The Mirage Woman couldn’t dodge in time and struck the stone wall with a “bang.” The next moment, Meng Ying’s long sword flew from behind, and Mu Cengxiao gripped the Mieshen Saber, slashing down fiercely from above toward the Mirage Woman’s head.

All was silent.

First came deathly stillness, then began the sound of rustling, like water flowing bit by bit. The Mirage Woman’s beautiful face still maintained an expression of terror, but her exquisite, gorgeous robes began gradually turning to black mud and sand, followed by her body, then her eyes, until she completely disappeared.

Nothing was left behind.

“…Turned to dust and smoke,” Zanxing murmured.

Mu Cengxiao’s Mieshen Saber could originally destroy even ghosts and gods. The Mirage Woman’s strength wasn’t formidable—she had merely relied fearlessly on her illusions. Once the illusion broke, in terms of cultivation, she couldn’t compare with the group.

“Uncle Master!” Mendong’s tearful cry came from beside them. Zanxing turned back to see Gu Baiying’s white robes almost completely stained red with blood. He weakly waved his hand, his voice still impatient as he said, “Keep it down. What’s all the fuss about?”

“Your spiritual veins, your spiritual veins…” Mendong was nearly crying with urgency. “How are they injured so severely?”

Meng Ying turned back in surprise. No one in the sect had told her about Gu Baiying’s damaged spiritual veins. Looking at Gu Baiying’s complexion now, the situation was probably worse than imagined.

Just then, Mimi suddenly jumped up from the ground. Zanxing followed its gaze and saw that while the Mirage Woman had disappeared, that gorgeous snake staff hadn’t vanished with her. From its front end, white mist gradually emanated from the embedded gem. Tian Fangfang stepped back two paces and asked in confusion, “This is…”

“Should be souls imprisoned in this place,” Gu Baiying spoke from over there.

“Souls?”

“With the Mirage Woman’s death, all the illusions she wove are shattered. These souls lost in illusions are free.” Gu Baiying wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. “They’re finally liberated.”

“Really?” Tian Fangfang scratched his head. “Then we’ve done something truly meritorious?”

Was it a good thing? Zanxing felt lost. For some souls, whether consciously accepting the cruel truth or being intoxicated by false beauty—which was truly happier—no one could provide an answer.

“Eh?” She heard Mendong’s voice: “This is…”

From the white mist, the figure of a person gradually appeared. Unlike those souls that became points of light, she had a complete form. Initially, because she was shrouded in light mist, her features weren’t clear. As the mist gradually dispersed, her figure became increasingly distinct.

This was a thin woman wearing a jet-black cloak that was very long, hanging to her feet, embroidered with dark silver incantations. She wore thin black gauze over her face, veiling her features and revealing only her eyes. Unlike the Mirage Woman’s eyes that were infinitely alluring and sparkling with charm, these eyes were plain and ordinary, seemingly unremarkable. Looking at them, one could guess the face beneath the veil was equally unremarkable.

Yet when gazed upon by her, one felt seen through from inside to outside, inspiring awe.

“Miss, who are you?” Tian Fangfang asked.

The black-clothed woman didn’t answer his question. She looked at Zanxing, and though it was their first meeting, it was as if she were seeing an old friend. Her voice was calm as she spoke: “We finally meet.”

Zanxing had a sudden realization and blurted out: “You’re the Serpent Witch, the Serpent Witch of Wufan City!”

The woman nodded.

Zanxing understood.

This was the true owner of the snake staff—the witch who had once protected the people of Wufan City but died at the hands of those she protected. After the Serpent Witch was tricked by the Mirage Woman into having her snake staff stolen, the Mirage Woman imprisoned her soul in this spirit artifact, using her spiritual power to cause chaos.

“Have you seen me before?” Zanxing asked hesitantly.

This was her first meeting with the Serpent Witch—why did her expression and words seem like she had been waiting for her for a long time?

“You carry mermaid scales,” the Serpent Witch said plainly. “Years ago, a mermaid made a trade with me and glimpsed this destined meeting between us.”

“You’re the Serpent Witch who made a deal with Yinli?” Zanxing was surprised. Years ago, when Yinli met with the Serpent Witch, she hadn’t yet come to this place—she hadn’t even imagined she would one day come here. Yet the other party said she had long foreseen today’s encounter. What heaven-reaching abilities did this Serpent Witch possess to predict even her, an “accident” outside of “Heaven’s Way”?

Just as she thought this, she heard the Serpent Witch speak: “But there’s one thing I don’t understand—what caused you to become a variable?”

A variable?

Zanxing’s heart jumped. Before she could speak, a cold finger had already touched her forehead. She looked up, meeting the Serpent Witch’s plain eyes directly. For an instant, she seemed to see her past, present, and future in those eyes—as if all of her, her destiny, had become flat sentences in a book, being examined word by word.

That finger left her forehead.

The Serpent Witch withdrew her hand, looking at her with a strange expression, and uttered two words: “Strange.”

She said, “I can’t see anything.”