The enormous star disc shrouded the entire courtyard. The starlight cast down carried a strange power, separating the people in this courtyard from the outside world.

“This is the inherited treasure of Yuexing Sect, the Heaven-Peering Star Disc.” Huan Zong sensed something wrong with Hongyan. Not caring what Qiushuang Zhenren would think of him, he reached out to hold Kong Hou’s hand. “When Heaven-Peering emerges, heaven and earth transform.”

Daring to take the name “Heaven-Peering” itself represented its extraordinariness.

“Hongyan.” Seeing that Hongyan had actually activated the Heaven-Peering Star Disc, the compassion and kindness on Yuanchen’s face transformed into shock: “Don’t!”

However, Hongyan ignored him. She cut open her palm, and fresh blood merged with the enormous star disc in the air. The fate disc as beautiful as a starry sky turned blood red. This wasn’t a starry sky—it was a sea of blood.

Kong Hou frowned. The star disc’s sudden change made her feel very uneasy.

“What is… Hongyan Zhenren doing?” When she spoke, Kong Hou discovered that speaking was extremely difficult. Her body seemed to be restrained by something, making every movement very difficult. She struggled to turn her head to look at her grand-master uncle and Huan Zong. Their expressions were normal, as if they weren’t affected by this star disc at all.

“She used her heart’s blood to activate the star disc that carries the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao, imprisoning the Evil Cultivator Venerable here.” Huan Zong looked down at her. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll make sure you walk out of here safely.”

Kong Hou silently shook her head: “I’m not afraid.”

She finally understood why Hongyan Zhenren had those kinds of eyes. She had seen through everything in the world, feared neither life, death, nor suffering, and needed no emotions.

“Didn’t you love me so much you wanted to kill my junior martial sister? Why don’t you come die with me?” Hongyan laughed aloud. Her red robes flew about, and her smile looked utterly mad.

“You’ve gone insane!” Jiu Su, who went by the alias Chi Si in public, darkened his expression. He tried to approach Hongyan, but unexpectedly, the star disc seemed conscious—red mist blocked his footsteps. He looked down at his feet. This wasn’t mist at all, but clearly countless insubstantial hands tightly gripping his feet.

“She cultivated a forbidden technique.” Looking at the courtyard shrouded in red mist, Huan Zong didn’t put away his Longyin Sword. His entire being entered a state of high alert. “Cultivating this kind of forbidden technique requires casting aside the seven emotions and six desires. She must nourish the star disc with her heart’s blood daily to make it serve her.”

Kong Hou frowned. This kind of technique didn’t sound like methods used by prestigious orthodox sects. As the female sect leader of Yuexing Sect, how could Hongyan practice this kind of cultivation method?

“I met you when I was eighteen, at my most naive and ignorant age.” Her black hair instantly turned snow white. Hongyan didn’t care at all as she touched her silvery white hair, recounting the past without any emotion. “My junior martial sister and martial uncle died under unclear circumstances, so I chose to return to the sect and become Yuexing Sect’s next young sect leader. Perhaps if you hadn’t killed them, I would have left with you.”

Jiu Su looked at the white-haired woman before him. Hearing her say lightly “I would have left with you,” his expression changed slightly.

“Back then I didn’t leave with you. How about coming with me today?” The smile on Hongyan’s face became even more crazed. She turned her head to look at Kong Hou standing nearby. This young girl was just like she had been back then. Wandering in circles for love, she ultimately still lived in the lonely and cold Moon Palace. What she thought was salvation—choosing to save the world’s people—only abandoned her.

“Hongyan, put away the star disc, and I can spare these people’s lives.” The emotion on Jiu Su’s face lasted only a moment. The folding fan in his hand transformed into a sword carrying death energy and malevolent qi. “The opportunity for ascension in the cultivation world lies with Zhongxi, doesn’t it? You want to perish together with me—isn’t it just to protect him?”

Hongyan only smiled without speaking. She turned her head to look at Yuanchen: “Great Master, you wish to save the world’s people. Now the cultivators’ hope for ascension needs you to save it. How can you sit by and do nothing?”

“Amitabha.” Yuanchen recited a Buddhist prayer. He removed the kasaya from his body, revealing the blue monk’s robe underneath, and slowly walked to Hongyan’s side. His steps were elegant—his stout body couldn’t conceal his former handsomeness.

There was an array position at the north of the star disc. That was the star disc’s only flaw. Hongyan knew this, and Yuanchen also knew. He looked quietly at Hongyan: “This poor monk has saved countless people, yet never attained Buddhist enlightenment.” Today he removed his kasaya to save one person for himself.

Hongyan’s gaze met his. Her black and white eyes were startlingly beautiful, but Yuanchen wasn’t in them.

Yuanchen lowered his eyes, walked seven steps toward the north position, pressed his palms together, slowly recited a Buddhist prayer, and sat down cross-legged.

The instant Yuanchen sat down, the star disc suddenly trembled. The star constellation trajectories on the star disc lit up. Wild winds arose and thunder rumbled continuously.

Kong Hou felt that everything around her had been torn apart. She looked down at her empty hands. Huan Zong was gone. Her grand-master uncle and Sect Master Jinyue were also gone. Beneath her feet wasn’t earth but deep blue water. Above her head was an endless starry sky.

“Unless the star disc is broken, you’ll never get out.” In the red mist, Hongyan wearing a red dress appeared. Her hair had become even whiter—white to the point of transparency. Kong Hou had thought Hongyan Zhenren didn’t like her very much, but right now, Hongyan Zhenren standing not far from her seemed to have shed all madness and persistence. The way she looked at her was as calm as water.

“The seven stars form the Dipper. All of us are star constellations, but you alone are the exception.” Hongyan raised her pale white hand, pointing at the Big Dipper in the starry sky. “The Heavenly Dao doesn’t permit cultivators to ascend, yet it left us a thread of hope.”

“I don’t understand.” Kong Hou looked at Hongyan. “Why am I the exception?”

Hongyan, Chi Si, Huan Zong, Sect Master Jinyue, her grand-master uncle, Hong Mian, and Master Yuanchen—there were indeed exactly seven people. Was her arrival an accident?

Hongyan revealed a smile. When she smiled, she was very beautiful, like spring rain descending, carrying gentleness and sweetness. Completely different from her previous madness—like two different people.

“Because you yourself are the exception in the cultivation world.” Hongyan’s complexion was pale, but the way she looked at Kong Hou was luminous. “Romantic love is something external. Are you willing to comprehend this?”

Kong Hou shook her head: “Zhenren, I’m different from you.” She had already guessed that there had been emotional entanglements between Hongyan Zhenren, Chi Si, and Master Yuanchen, but all things in the world were ever-changing. Many matters—only after experiencing them oneself could one know whether they were sweet or bitter.

“If casting off emotions and severing love could let you ascend to become an immortal, would you still persist?” Hongyan looked at the young woman before her. Her eyes were clear, her smile was innocent. She didn’t carry the vicissitudes of time or the grief of life’s partings and death’s separations.

This kind of young girl was too beautiful—so beautiful that Hongyan couldn’t help recalling the past.

“Zhenren, romantic love isn’t a weakness in cultivation.” Kong Hou sensed that Hongyan’s emotions were slightly off again, but at this moment, she still chose to refuse. “This junior cultivates the Dao of Following One’s Heart. If I love, then I love. If I’m happy, then I’m happy. I don’t want to give that up.”

Hongyan looked at her quietly for a long time: “I understand.”

Kong Hou breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this Hongyan Zhenren wasn’t someone who couldn’t be reasoned with after all.

As soon as this thought surfaced in her mind, she saw Hongyan Zhenren suddenly spread open both arms, summoning all the stars in the sky together to form an enormous starlight gate. Hongyan reached out to grab her and pushed her into the gate with one palm.

The powerful force behind the star gate caused Kong Hou to continuously fall downward. She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a single sound.

She didn’t know if the wind behind the star gate was too strong, or if she was having an illusion from fear, but she saw Hongyan Zhenren standing at the gate entrance, performing a grand bow toward her.

Silver-white hair and scarlet robes tangled together, like light, like blood. Kong Hou’s chest tightened, and she fainted.

Hongyan watched Kong Hou disappear at the gate entrance. She covered her chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Hearing footsteps behind her, she waved her hand to withdraw the star gate and turned to look at the newcomer.

“Zhenren, may I ask where you sent Kong Hou?” Huan Zong had once given Kong Hou a bracelet with a strand of his divine consciousness on it, but at this moment he discovered that this strand of divine consciousness had disappeared.

Hongyan glanced at him and laughed softly while covering the corner of her mouth: “Does Zhongxi Zhenren know that our Yuexing Sect has a secret technique—borrowing the power of the stars to create a small world? While you’re speaking with me, perhaps a year has already passed in that small world.”

“Why did you do this?” Huan Zong raised the Longyin Sword in his hand. The dragon on the sword body had almost condensed into solid form. He harbored killing intent.

With Hongyan’s cultivation level, she naturally could sense Huan Zong’s killing intent. She laughed softly: “As expected of a sword cultivator—your conduct differs from Buddhist cultivators.”

“I’m not a Buddha. I don’t save thousands of people. What I want is only one person.” Powerful sword intent burst forth. Huan Zong’s expression was cold. “Open the gate. I’m going to find her.”

“Zhongxi Zhenren jests. If the Star Constellation Gate were so easy to open, why would our Yuexing Sect need to be so careful every time when deducing the Heavenly Dao?” Hongyan suddenly laughed loudly. “What romantic love? What undying devotion? What good are these useless things? Better to make great progress in cultivation and ascend to become an immortal.”

Judging from Hongyan’s words that Kong Hou wasn’t in danger, Huan Zong’s expression improved considerably: “You prepared to send your disciple before me—it wasn’t to help me avoid a destined calamity at all, was it?”

“You’re wrong. I cultivated her originally to help you avoid the great calamity in your fate.” Hongyan shook her head. “It’s just that I later discovered there was no need at all.”

Zhongxi looked at her.

Hongyan laughed madly and disappeared before Huan Zong.

Huan Zong looked at the empty surroundings. He didn’t pursue Hongyan, but instead sat down cross-legged, attempting to contact Kong Hou’s divine consciousness.

Kong Hou felt that Hongyan Zhenren truly might not favor things like romantic love. Ever since she woke up, she had become one pitiful woman after another. Poisoned to death, schemed against, divorced, treated coldly. These men either had power, or had handsome appearances, or had schemes to seize control of the world. But no matter what they were like, they all discarded the women beside them like trash.

After being pushed off a carriage yet again, Kong Hou climbed up from the ground, looked at the iron hooves pursuing from behind, and sighed: “These men really are worthless.”

This sentence seemed to be the key to unlocking the illusion. Kong Hou no longer transformed into pitiful women betrayed by men. She stood before a pagoda. In front of the pagoda, there was no one—only two rows of strange-looking beasts crouching there. Kong Hou had seen these exotic beasts in books before. They were all divine beasts that had disappeared long ago.

Everywhere around was pitch black. There was only one path leading to the pagoda. She had no other choice.

Pushing open the first level’s door of the pagoda, she saw two characters carved on the wall: Shaking Light.

Although Kong Hou wasn’t skilled at astrology and divination, she knew that Shaking Light was Breaking Army.

This level of the tower looked very ordinary, but as soon as Kong Hou stepped in, she fell into a strange array. In the array were bronze killing figures, handsome men, and various cultivation secret techniques and pills.

Arrays under heaven varied, and the methods to break them also differed. To successfully break the arrays, Kong Hou was nearly exhausted like a dog. She couldn’t even care about what dress to wear or what hairstyle to arrange.

Just getting out of one array, she fell into another. Kong Hou finally understood why Yuexing Sect disciples were so obedient. If she encountered a master like Hongyan Zhenren, she would also become obediently well-behaved. This kind of torturous method truly killed without shedding blood.

Not knowing how many arrays she broke or how much time passed, Kong Hou groggily climbed out from an array and heard the sound of a door opening.

She raised her head to look at the door connecting the first and second levels being opened. Her heart held not a trace of happiness but despair as she lay down on the stairs.

As a Yunhua Sect disciple, how could she persist without eating or drinking while cultivating? She didn’t want to abandon the sect’s virtues. However, this tower couldn’t indulge her like the sect elders. She had only just laid on the ground to check her mirror and nibbled two spirit fruits when a gust of wind swept her like a ball into the second floor.

Covering her aching head from the collision, Kong Hou stood up groggily, took out her mirror to check her face, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Good—she hadn’t ruined her face from the fall.

Stuffing the mirror into her storage ring, Kong Hou said to the empty surroundings: “Next time you throw me, can we be a bit gentler and not hit my face?”

The silent tower gave no response.

“Hiss.” Kong Hou rubbed the bruise on her head and looked at the two characters on the wall: Jade Scale.

Jade Scale was called the Military Arts Star among the seven star constellations. As soon as Kong Hou thought of this, she saw the surrounding scenery change. Before her stood a row of generals wearing golden armor. These people held different weapons, and their cultivation levels were far above Kong Hou’s.

Before she could react, one general attacked her. She hastily used the Shuishuang Sword to block. The powerful force made her continuously retreat several steps—she nearly knelt down directly. At this moment, she deeply regretted that, relying on being a music cultivator, she hadn’t properly studied sword techniques. In this kind of single-person close combat, music cultivators were simply extremely fragile. She feared that her phoenix-headed konghou would just be taken out, and before she had time to play it, she’d be hammered to death by the opponent’s spiked club.

Seeing the spiked club about to pound over again, Kong Hou hastily dodged. Her mind flashed to a certain sword move from Huan Zong’s Heaven and Earth Sword Technique. She barely dodged again, touched the ground with her toes, flew behind the spiked club general, and stabbed with her sword.

The Shuishuang Sword unexpectedly couldn’t pierce through the opponent’s golden armor.

Bang!

The spiked club struck Kong Hou. She rolled several times on the ground, formed a hand seal, and the Shuishuang Sword blazed with brilliant light. It flew through the air to the spiked club general’s eyes. The flashy sword technique affected the general’s movements.

“I dare swear on Old Ji Ancestor’s eighteen generations that this general definitely didn’t understand romance when he was alive.” Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kong Hou removed her phoenix hairpin, quickly plucked the strings, and countless rays of golden light bound the spiked club general in a light prison. She had learned this move from her grand-master uncle Qiushuang, originally only planning to use it to confine small animals and such. She hadn’t expected to use it for this.

From this, one could see that learning was endless—even the smallest knowledge had great uses.

“Damn!” Having just dealt with the spiked club general, a general wielding a nine-section whip suddenly moved, lashing toward Kong Hou with one strike. If not for Kong Hou’s timely reaction, she would have been solidly struck by the whip.

Fighting against a whip, neither the phoenix-headed konghou nor the Shuishuang Sword had any advantage. No matter how clever Kong Hou was, she still took several hits.

All martial arts under heaven—only speed is unbreakable. To avoid the nine-section whip’s attacks, her flying speed became faster and faster. She could even spare moments to use techniques to create trouble for the nine-section whip general. After fighting this nine-section whip general for a day and a night, she used spirit techniques to conjure a bow and arrow. An arrow carrying spiritual energy pierced through the opponent’s heart, and the opponent finally stopped.

Growing up this much, Kong Hou had never taken so many beatings. Fortunately, these generals seemed to have no intention of taking her life. Each attack avoided vital spots. When she finally defeated everyone inside…

Barely alive, she supported herself against the wall to stand, stuffed two essence-restoring pills in her mouth, and Kong Hou discovered the wall surface was somewhat uneven. She turned to look. The wall was carved with the life stories of these generals.

They dedicated their lives to defending the common people. Some returned home in glory when old, some died on the battlefield, and some died miserably due to the emperor’s suspicion. But every single person listed here was a famous general who defended the nation and protected homes. The general puppets in this level of the tower were also created by replicating the abilities of these famous generals.

Kong Hou changed into complete, clean clothes, stepped back several paces, and bowed to the name list carved on the stone wall. She also performed a grand bow to these puppets. Although these general puppets showed no mercy in beating her, the heroic spirits who protected the nation and people deserved respect no matter where they were.

After Kong Hou finished her bow, these puppets seemed to possess life and actually returned her bow. Horse hooves sounded, wild wind rushed over. Kong Hou couldn’t help closing her eyes. When she opened them again, where were there any puppet people? Before her was the door at the boundary between the second and third levels.

Pushing open the door carved with stars, Kong Hou saw the characters on the wall.

Jade Scale.

Jade Scale, the Incorruptible Purity Star.

Kong Hou thought she would have to take another beating, but there was nothing at all in this level of the tower. She sat here for a long time, got angry, complained about Hongyan, missed Huan Zong and her fellow Yunhua Sect disciples. When the door opened, her heart was already as still as water.

Legend said the Incorruptible Purity Star was quick-tempered and easily angered, with a personality both righteous and evil, extremely difficult to control. Was she confined here for so long to temper her disposition?

Understanding this point, Kong Hou’s heart became as still as water. She only wanted to drag Huan Zong to beat up Hongyan Zhenren once she got out.

The next level up was Celestial Authority, the Literary Arts Star.

The Literary Arts Star had a great reputation in the mortal realm. Scholars worshipped it, literati worshipped it, and common people also loved using Literary Arts Star to praise cultured officials.

Kong Hou didn’t get beaten on this level, nor did she face an empty room, but she had to copy books. Here were accumulated thousands of years’ worth of books—not only cultivation techniques and Daoist arts, but even story books.

Even the best story books became tiresome eventually. She felt that in the future, as soon as she heard the three words “Literary Arts Star,” she would probably tremble with fear.

But no matter which level, none sought Kong Hou’s life. When she finally passed through every level and walked out from the Celestial Pivot level, the tower disappeared. Beneath her feet was the orbital path of the seven star constellations. On the high platform before her sat a red wooden box.

The wooden box was carved very exquisitely. Its entire body seemed to be written with the words “quickly open me.”

But not only did Kong Hou not go take it, she instead retreated several steps.

Her master and senior martial brothers had told her that things of unknown origin filled with allure couldn’t be taken.

She retreated one step, and the high platform moved one step toward her. Kong Hou continued retreating, the high platform continued moving. Although there were no outsiders here, Kong Hou still felt the atmosphere seemed somewhat awkward.

“Why won’t you take it?” Hongyan suddenly appeared, watching Kong Hou continuously retreat. “Do you know what’s inside?”

“What is it?” Although Kong Hou didn’t dare take this strange box, the deep-rooted curiosity of Yunhua Sect disciples still made her ask.

“The space behind the Star Constellation Gate was created by successive generations of my Yuexing Sect’s sect leaders using spiritual power. My ancestral master long ago calculated that the cultivation world would face a crisis where no one could ascend, so she left this behind.” Hongyan lowered her eyelids, her tone carrying emotion and traces of sadness. “The significance of our Yuexing Sect’s existence is to be the guide for the cultivation world. Now the cultivation world has had no one ascend for a thousand years. If no one ascends again, our Lingyou Realm will be abandoned by the Heavenly Dao and will never again have the opportunity to ascend.”

She looked at Kong Hou with a sorrowful expression: “When each of us is born, we have our own destiny and responsibilities. No one can be an exception.”

Kong Hou bit her lower lip: “Can’t we resist?”

“Yes.” Hongyan lowered her eyelids. “As long as you can give up everything. Your relatives, your friends, your fellow sect members…”

“What is Zhenren’s destiny?” Kong Hou asked.

“To guide the cultivation world’s path and find Lingyou Realm’s opportunity.” Hongyan’s figure became blurred. “I once refused to accept it, resented it, resisted it.”

But now she had still become Yuexing Sect’s female sect leader. Kong Hou knew she had ultimately chosen the destiny and responsibility that belonged to her.

“Open it.” Hongyan looked at Kong Hou and revealed a smile. “This is the only thing our Yuexing Sect can do for Lingyou Realm.”

Kong Hou noticed Hongyan’s figure becoming blurred—the consciousness belonging to Hongyan was fading. She raised her head to look at the stars, not knowing how much longer this Heaven-Peering Star Disc could last.

She lowered her head to look at the box floating before her and slowly opened it.

Inside were seven masses of silver light. Kong Hou was stunned for a moment. The phoenix hairpin in her hair suddenly emitted a phoenix cry, transformed into an insubstantial phoenix silhouette, raised its head, and swallowed all these light masses whole.

She was finished. She hadn’t known her life-bound weapon was so gluttonous. How should she explain this to Hongyan Zhenren?

Feeling guilty, she turned her head to look at Hongyan: “I’m sorry…”

“So it really is you.” Hongyan smiled—smiling very heartily. Her figure was now only a remnant shadow. “It really is you…”

“Zhenren?” Watching Hongyan Zhenren disappear with a smile, Kong Hou removed the phoenix hairpin from her hair. The brilliant light on it was even stronger, even carrying traces of immortal energy.

Suddenly her entire body sank. When she opened her eyes again, beneath her feet was still the bottomless water. Huan Zong was sitting cross-legged less than ten steps away from her.

Before she could speak, Huan Zong had already opened his eyes first.

“Kong Hou.” Huan Zong flashed before Kong Hou, gripping her hand. “How are you?”

Kong Hou stared blankly at Huan Zong. She didn’t know how much time had passed outside, but she felt as if she hadn’t seen him for over ten years. That longing finally landed on solid ground when he grasped her hand.

Her entire person threw herself into Huan Zong’s embrace: “Huan Zong, I was tormented so miserably.”

Never mind anything else—first act spoiled with respect.

The moment Kong Hou threw herself into Huan Zong’s arms, all the illusions disappeared. Huan Zong held Kong Hou, and his gaze met Qiushuang Zhenren’s. The night wind gently blew.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh.

Huan Zong held Kong Hou and retreated one step. The Longyin Sword in his hand also obediently withdrew.

Qiushuang silently turned her head away, pretending she hadn’t seen anything.

Being old, her eyesight wasn’t good.

**Author’s Note:** Kong Hou: You ask about my impressions? Either getting beaten or on the road to getting beaten.