A gentle breeze blew across the lake surface.

The setting sun in the west was like a fire burned to exhaustion, scattering its remaining sparks on the thick and thin clouds at the horizon, weaving like brocade and dyeing the sky with countless magnificent colors.

However, the eastern sky had already darkened, as if someone had painted it with a thick layer of dense ink.

The sun was about to set, the moon about to rise.

At this moment, the entire Jiexing Mountain Manor was silent in this magnificent twilight. Only scattered bird songs and insect chirping could be heard in the wind, along with the soft rustling sound of the breeze brushing through leaves.

Jian Chou listened to these sounds and remained silent for a long time without speaking.

Qu Zhengfeng slowly bent down and properly placed the iron sword in his hand back on the grinding platform: “What about you? Gone for sixty years, and in the blink of an eye you’ve already reached Nascent Soul cultivation. Does Fudao Shanren know?”

This distant address of “Fudao Shanren”…

Hearing it, Jian Chou suddenly felt an indescribable discomfort. Not because she disliked Qu Zhengfeng as a person, but because he shouldn’t address Master this way.

“Master is still in closed-door cultivation and doesn’t know yet.”

“Then I’m afraid when he finds out, he’ll be worried sick.”

Walking past the grinding platform, Qu Zhengfeng stood beside the sword lake, gazing at this expanse of water. His eyes were deeply dark, but no one could read what was buried within.

“Below Soul Separation, few can match you; if you encounter Heart-Questioning, certain death awaits. If I were you, I would cherish my life…”

Others cultivated diligently for immortality and eternal life.

But Jian Chou’s cultivation, even every advancement in realm, was tantamount to “seeking death.” The higher her cultivation, the closer she was to the “Heart-Questioning Dao Tribulation,” the closer to “death and dao dissolution.”

Without Qu Zhengfeng stating it explicitly, she knew what these two words “cherish life” referred to.

However, in that time and place, where were there so many choices?

In a place like the Extreme Domain, a moment’s carelessness could cost one’s life. She had risked her life, entered the cauldron competition, descended to the eighteenth level of hell, and under the eyes of tens of millions of ghost cultivators in the entire Extreme Domain, she had forcibly crossed the Shitian Fortune Array from under the hands of the Eight Yama Kings of the Eight Palaces, returning to the Nineteen Continents…

In such circumstances, if her strength had been even slightly lacking, she might not have made it back.

Compared to “Soul Separation” and “Heart-Questioning” which still had some time before she could touch their thresholds, she naturally prioritized the immediate concerns. Moreover, unless she was truly a mediocre and incompetent person, this “Soul Separation” realm would arrive sooner or later.

Everything was merely a matter of time.

However, it would have been better if Qu Zhengfeng hadn’t mentioned it. Once he did, it reminded Jian Chou of Fudao Shanren.

He had once said he would go to the Extreme Domain in the easternmost part of the Nineteen Continents to find a method to repair her soul. But considering her experiences when she descended to the Extreme Domain, though soul repair methods existed, encountering the opportunity in that old mansion in the City of Wrongful Deaths and effortlessly obtaining a bottle of Reincarnation Pool water wouldn’t be so easy again.

Unless one forcibly stole from under the noses of the Eight Yama Kings.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh: “Anyway, I’m only in mid-Nascent Soul now, still far from Soul Separation. Besides, isn’t it said that the ‘Heart-Questioning Dao Tribulation’ doesn’t necessarily descend immediately upon breakthrough? Some people only encounter it at Soul Separation Great Perfection. Today’s wine for today’s intoxication, tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow. Now isn’t the time to worry yet.”

These words were quite open-minded, naturally carrying a carefree spirit of “using earth as a mat and sky as a blanket.”

However, falling into Qu Zhengfeng’s ears, they had an inexplicably jarring quality, and the dark emotions in his eyes gradually took on several sharp edges.

“But you’re not some common mortal or unknown nobody now—you’re Yashan’s eldest senior sister.”

What a familiar-sounding sentence?

In almost an instant, Jian Chou’s memory was brought back to the top of Yashan’s Huanqiao Peak by this sentence. This person before her, with eyes full of disapproval and scrutiny, had told her she wasn’t worthy of the title “Yashan’s eldest senior sister.”

At that time, she had actually been somewhat puzzled.

Yashan had many disciples, and those with exceptional talent were not uncommon.

It could be said that even though Jian Chou was currently the most outstanding, it didn’t mean even more outstanding people wouldn’t emerge in the future. And such a vast Yashan wouldn’t lose its position as a central domain giant just because it lacked her alone.

But Qu Zhengfeng seemed to harbor deep resentment about this.

Many scenes suddenly flashed through her mind—all details from past interactions with Qu Zhengfeng—but ultimately, there was no particularly clear answer.

Only her intuition suddenly touched upon a certain thought in her heart.

“I am indeed Yashan’s eldest senior sister now, but you were once Yashan’s eldest senior brother. Your Majesty the Sword Emperor, what exactly are you preparing for?”

The moment Jian Chou’s words fell, the setting sun in the west happened to completely sink below the horizon.

Thus, the entire world plunged into sudden darkness.

Only some scattered points of light were distributed in the distance. But looking up, one could only see overwhelming gloom, unable to find a single star.

Qu Zhengfeng looked up, his gaze seeming to want to pierce through the heavy obstruction of this thick cloud cover and reach directly to the vast galaxy it concealed, but he immediately discovered it was futile.

Mingri Xinghai—a place where one could never see the star sea.

He turned around to look at Jian Chou and suddenly laughed.

But this laughter made people feel very cold, as if mixed with unmelting ice and snow that froze to the heart, also faintly carrying a trace of bloody…

Killing intent!

Even from behind him, beneath that mirror-smooth lake surface, came long and faint sounds of sword humming, as if the next moment, those thousand long swords standing deep in the lake bottom would fly out from the lake to take her life!

This was a dangerous feeling of being targeted by ten thousand swords!

It was also a suffocating feeling of being enveloped by a powerful enemy’s qi!

But just a moment later, this feeling melted away like ice and snow, as if it had never appeared, disappearing completely.

Before Jian Chou’s eyes—

Qu Zhengfeng was still the same Qu Zhengfeng, looking at her as before; the sword lake was still the same sword lake, with not even half a ripple visible on the calm surface.

But Jian Chou wouldn’t think that feeling just now was an illusion.

Her right hand was concealed in her sleeve. The moment she felt that trace of killing intent, she had already formed a hand seal and hadn’t relaxed until now.

“It seems Your Majesty the Sword Emperor suddenly wants to eliminate me quickly.”

“Correct.”

Qu Zhengfeng actually didn’t deny it, but his gaze fell on her fair, slender neck—he had indeed harbored killing intent. However, where this killing intent arose from, even he himself didn’t quite understand.

Perhaps it was for Yashan, perhaps it was…

For something else.

If he had truly acted just now, this female cultivator before him would probably already be separated from her head.

He wasn’t unaware of the seal Jian Chou was forming in her hand, but the chasm of two major realms couldn’t be filled by so-called “battle talent.”

After all, he had been cultivating for more than ten jiazi.

“Take care of yourself.”

At this moment, Qu Zhengfeng was already too lazy to waste more words with Jian Chou. With a sweep of his wide sleeves, he directly strode past Jian Chou, clearly intending to leave.

Jian Chou only felt that though his identity had changed, this inexplicably puzzling and unpredictable temperament and conduct remained unchanged.

Yashan, Yashan…

Opening his mouth was Yashan, closing his mouth was also Yashan.

The person had indeed betrayed, but what about his heart?

Jian Chou gazed at his retreating figure, feeling that if not for the golden embroidered patterns on his black robe, his entire person would probably have already merged with the night.

After thinking for a moment, she still spoke.

“When I explored the hidden realm of Qingfeng Nunnery, I met a friend inside who asked me to pass along a message to you.”

Qu Zhengfeng’s steps stopped.

Jian Chou then continued lightly: “Lijun said to ask you not to forget the agreement between you two.”

Agreement…

The scenes of exploring Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm together with Kunwu’s new generation prodigy Xie Buchen appeared before his eyes scene by scene, naturally including Lijun from the lotus pond beneath the red lotuses.

Qu Zhengfeng closed his eyes and slowly nodded: “I understand.”

Just such a simple “I understand.”

Heaven knows Jian Chou was actually quite curious—what kind of agreement was it? One should know that after Qu Zhengfeng first explored Qingfeng Nunnery’s hidden realm and returned to the Nineteen Continents, he betrayed Yashan and directly stole Yashan’s giant sword to slaughter the Jianzhu Sect.

Everyone spread word that the “Nine Bends River Diagram” was seized by him at this time.

Could there be any connection between these events?

Jian Chou wanted to ask but knew Qu Zhengfeng definitely wouldn’t answer, so she just sighed and changed to another question: “Please forgive my presumptuous inquiry, but what was the situation with the night sailing ship yesterday?”

Yesterday’s commotion was so great that it spread throughout Mingri Xinghai.

Unfortunately, its power was too terrifying for ordinary people to even approach that place. Jian Chou knew there were suspicious activities in the underground prison, so she was particularly concerned about what happened there.

However, when these words fell into Qu Zhengfeng’s ears, they suddenly took on an unusual flavor.

The night sailing ship, the great hall, the underground prison, that existence with terrifying power.

And also…

That mayfly great demon.

A place where every gesture could destroy heaven and earth.

He still remembered that at the last crucial moment, the other party suddenly withdrew their hand, as if recognizing him, then said a very abrupt sentence—

“So it’s you. I have something to entrust, hoping you could pass it along…”

Surname Fu, given name Chaosheng.

Qu Zhengfeng had actually never forgotten the words the other party wanted him to convey, nor had he forgotten this matter—he simply didn’t want to convey them.

He remained silent for a long while, only responding to Jian Chou with: “I don’t know.”

After speaking, he didn’t stay for another moment, directly ascending the nearby corridor and quickly disappearing completely among the overlapping buildings.

Jian Chou had only asked a question, thinking that even though they were now like strangers, regarding such highly valuable information for discussion, Qu Zhengfeng should have said something.

But who would have thought he would be so perfunctory!

Don’t know?

How could he not know?

He was the only person in this Star Sea who had entered the night sailing ship’s lair and seen what happened there.

“How truly strange and odd…”

Had she offended him too severely? Jian Chou couldn’t help but wonder.

Calculating the time, no matter how many matters Bai Yin had, he should return by now.

She shook her head. Though she found this matter puzzling, she didn’t take it too much to heart. After all, this was no small matter—Yashan should also have noticed, and it wouldn’t be too late to discuss it after returning.

Thinking this, she turned her steps to walk toward her own courtyard.

Ahead, beside the small path was a white wall. In the darkness, one could vaguely see the shadows of lush flowers and trees. Faintly, a scent of osmanthus wafted over—it was a rather aged, tall osmanthus tree growing beside the wall.

Smelling the fragrance, Jian Chou was about to trace its source when laughter suddenly came from diagonally above her head.

“I guessed that this eldest senior brother of my old friend, with his unfathomable thoughts, probably wouldn’t be very willing to pass along my message. Looking at it now, I indeed guessed correctly. This trip was worth making.”

This voice?

Jian Chou’s heart jumped in alarm. For a moment, she only felt she had misheard. Half astonished and half suspicious, she looked up and immediately saw that pale azure figure on the wall more than a zhang high.

Pale skin color that was particularly striking in this starless and moonless night of Mingri Xinghai.

The azure-green old robe was covered with ancient and clumsy patterns, as if covered with dust, yet gave people an indescribable sense of profundity.

The person sat cross-legged on the wall top with a somewhat lazy air, but his body was half-concealed by the osmanthus tree with its flourishing branches ahead.

At this moment, he was extending one hand to pluck a small branch of osmanthus before him, examining it closely. His other hand’s slender fingers held a small dried fish from who knows where.

Black and quite shriveled, only two cun long, with rolled-back white eyes.

It looked like a smoked salted fish.

In this instant, seeing his appearance and posture, Jian Chou couldn’t utter a single word: She remembered that when she left the Extreme Domain, he was still remaining there, seemingly having something more to investigate. But now…

For Jian Chou, the sixty years drifting in the chaotic currents were actually like a dream.

So she wasn’t sensitive to the passage of time, to the point that seeing this person, she felt somewhat dazed.

But Fu Chaosheng laughed, his pair of eyes filled with thick mist seemingly wanting to embrace all the stars in the sky, only speaking calmly and quietly: “Hidden for sixty years, from the Extreme Domain to the Nineteen Continents, searching everywhere with cosmic eyes, yet unable to find traces of my old friend. Now seeing you well, my heart…”

The last two words, however, somehow suddenly couldn’t be spoken.