“Get down.”

Long Xu acted as if she hadn’t heard, arranging her skirt and looking leisurely at the distant clouds: “If we go back now, we can still set up a formation to send him off.”

“I told you to get down.”

“Let’s go.”

With darkness filling his eyes, Xin Wu swept his sleeve violently, trying to knock her off, but Long Xu seemed to have anticipated this and whipped out her dragon scale whip, firmly entangling the traveling cloud beneath her feet.

Xin Wu attacked, his chaotic spiritual power pouring toward her like a collapsing mountain. Long Xu countered with her whip, but just as the sharp dragon scale whip was about to strike him, the dragon scales on his neck forcefully blocked it.

The shock numbed her hand, and Long Xu’s eyes widened slightly.

The scale necklace was burning hot. Xin Wu irritably tried to tear it off but couldn’t. Without looking at Long Xu again, he turned, formed a hand seal, and disappeared from the spot.

There were still people around who hadn’t dispersed, watching her predicament with schadenfreude.

…

…

“Where do you think you’re going?” A Zhenjun of the Dui clan came forward. “Dui Feng has already returned to heaven and earth, and you should go back to your Western Sea.”

The immortal bond was broken; she had no reason to stay in Xiaxin Palace. Even though Dui Feng’s death had nothing to do with her, the Western Sea would pay a price for this matter. If she returned, she naturally wouldn’t have a good outcome either.

Shrugging indifferently, Long Xu flew down from the traveling cloud, following the Zhenjun out with complete nonchalance.

“Won’t you be sad?” The Zhenjun looked back while leading the way. “After several hundred years.”

“What should I be sad about?” She laughed lightly, her eyes long and narrow, both charming and alluring. “Even at his death, he never asked for my help.”

As immortal companions, they should have been of one heart. When one was in trouble, the other should sense it immediately and come to help.

But Dui Feng, from the time she married him, had never opened his heart to her. Even though they were together day and night, in his eyes, she was just a sacrifice sent by the dragon clan to the Nine Heavens.

Long Xu lacked nothing—not a beautiful face, not substantial cultivation—but ironically, the emotion that immortals cared least about, love, was what she desired most.

Like the candy figurines she couldn’t have as a child, she had yearned for hundreds of years, seeking only someone to truly see her.

So that glance of pity from Xin Wu became her ridiculous obsession.

Walking to the barrier of the Dui clan’s immortal sect, Long Xu paused, but didn’t look back. She only took a light breath, then slowly raised her foot, stepping down from the Nine Heavens.

A streak of light crossed the horizon, falling back to the mortal realm.

Below the trajectory traced by the light, Er’er was pulling Li Ye along, continuing toward the Qian clan.

“How did you suddenly come here?”

Li Ye couldn’t be bothered to answer her, merely snorting as his fingertips brushed over the scratches on the Phoenix-Slaying Blade.

Following his gaze, Er’er felt somewhat guilty: “It, it’s not of very good quality.”

The Phoenix-Slaying Blade shook angrily.

Who was of poor quality? It was an ancient divine weapon forged from Li Ye’s innate divine fire, and only in her hands would it become covered in scars!

Drawing a wisp of flame to smooth out the scratches, Li Ye pressed down on the Phoenix-Slaying Blade, saying irritably: “Still can’t form a protective barrier?”

As an immortal, she should have spiritual energy protecting her body, preventing physical injuries. But look at her—she went to deliver a soul fragment and returned with red marks here and broken skin there, an eyesore.

Er’er was bewildered for a moment, then her eyes suddenly brightened: “Oh right, with my current spiritual power, I can create a protective barrier!”

With that, she extended her hand to try.

However, although the spiritual energy in her body was sufficient, it was in complete disarray. Using a single type of immortal technique still left surplus energy, but for a protective barrier without a specific elemental affiliation, the different types of spiritual energy collided, not only preventing her from executing the technique but causing her to tremble in pain.

“Ouch—” Er’er withdrew her hand, looking at her palm in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” She waved her hand and looked at Li Ye. “I can’t do it.”

Li Ye snorted in amusement: “Your meridians are not connected, and you haven’t learned to merge the various immortal techniques.”

Suddenly understanding, Er’er immediately quickened her pace.

It was just a matter of the seven meridians and eight vessels—she would go back to cultivate after delivering Qian Tian’s soul fragment. Once her divine skills were perfected, why worry about a protective barrier?

Qian Tian’s soul fragment was nourished well in the Phoenix-Slaying Blade. The people of the Qian clan initially didn’t believe it—after all, it was too difficult to imagine Li Ye doing such a good deed.

Er’er tried to pacify the impatient boss while patiently explaining to them. In the end, she had to take out the Phoenix-Slaying Blade to let them confirm that Qian Tian’s soul fragment was intact before they brought out an ancient divine artifact to receive the soul.

As the soul fire brightened within the divine artifact, the elders of the Qian clan looked somewhat embarrassed. They glanced hesitantly at Li Ye, wanting to speak but feeling restrained, stuttering without anyone daring to step forward.

Li Ye naturally didn’t care for their thanks. As soon as the Phoenix-Slaying Blade was retracted, he turned and walked out without looking back.

“Hey, wait for me!” Er’er called out, then turned back to nod at Qian Tian’s little disciple.

The young disciple stood behind the crowd, fidgeting anxiously without immediately stepping forward.

Waving dismissively, Er’er turned away and chased after the boss.

“Why are you walking so fast?” She caught up with Li Ye, smiling. “If we stayed a bit longer, someone might have come to give you a thank-you gift.”

“I don’t care.” With an expressionless face, he stepped onto the traveling cloud, picking her up and placing her beside him, saying indifferently: “The Qian clan doesn’t have any treasures anyway. Besides, if not for your pestering, I wouldn’t have made this trip.”

Looking steadily at him, Er’er curved her eyes: “If I hadn’t persuaded you, would you have fed Qian Tian’s soul to the blade?”

Li Ye didn’t answer, his gaze clear and cold, appearing completely uninterested in the topic.

Pouting slightly, she lowered her head in disappointment.

“Wait… wait!”

Someone was calling from far behind.

Li Ye’s ears twitched slightly. He heard it but didn’t turn around. The person beside him, lost in thought, only noticed someone was chasing them after quite a while, and quickly tugged at his hand: “Whoa—”

Li Ye:?

The traveling cloud slowed down, and Qian Tian’s little disciple caught up, panting heavily.

“Something wrong?” Li Ye frowned, instinctively keeping a distance of one zhang from the stranger.

The little disciple seemed at a loss, scratching his head for a long time, his face turning red: “That, that thing.”

“Which thing?”

“This thing.” Quickly placing an immortal fruit on their traveling cloud, the little disciple bowed to Li Ye, then, without another word, turned and ran.

The plump, juicy immortal fruit, nourished by the Qian clan’s immortal energy, looked extremely sweet and fragrant. Er’er picked it up, examined it, and smilingly held it before Li Ye’s eyes: “It’s for you.”

“What does it have to do with me?” Li Ye didn’t even look at it. “You eat it.”

Shaking her head, Er’er raised her hand higher: “It’s a thank-you gift for you.”

Finally glancing at the fruit from the corner of his eye, Li Ye sneered, his entire expression full of mockery: “I don’t even care about rare treasures, why would I want this fruit?”