It was precisely dusk in the mortal realm, with a fiery sunset surging at the horizon. A flash of light streaked through the evening glow, looking upon closer inspection like the tail feather of a phoenix.

It wasn’t him, but the Phoenix-Slaying Blade.

Her heart inexplicably relaxed, and she muttered softly, “Is this because he’s worried about me, or worried about the cultivation power I’m carrying?”

Dragon Xu (Long Xu) was walking lazily, and upon hearing this, she also looked back.

The soul of the Phoenix-Slaying Blade was following them. Although Er’er already possessed half of his lifetime cultivation, it was merely cultivation power. She knew too few spells, and should they encounter any formidable figures along the way, it wasn’t impossible that someone might devour her. Li Ye had indeed been thorough in his considerations.

However…

Long Xu sighed, “This man is truly terrifyingly powerful.”

The great battle had just ended, and his cultivation had decreased by half again, yet he could still command the blade’s soul to travel so far without dissipating. How profound must his cultivation truly be?

Er’er knew what he looked like at his most fearsome, so when Long Xu remarked on this, she had no particular thoughts about it. She merely steadied herself and then looked toward the faintly visible coastline ahead.

…

…

“Your home is almost here,” she said with a smile, pointing. “It’s quite beautiful.”

The Western Sea was vast, stretching endlessly before the eye. As they drew near, even the wind carried the salty taste of seawater. Long Xu raised her eyes to look, her purple pupils calm and unruffled. “Mmm.”

Seeing that she seemed to have no intention of continuing onward, Er’er was somewhat puzzled. “Are you tired?”

“A bit,” Long Xu lowered her gaze and said, “I’ll rest for a while. You should return to the Immortal Sect.”

Her ears twitched slightly, and Er’er keenly perceived that her mood seemed low. Although they had returned to the mortal realm, a layer of death energy still shrouded her body, gloomy and melancholic, far from the carefree demeanor when they first met.

After pondering briefly, Er’er snapped her fingers.

A flame leapt from her fingertips and fell onto the pile of dead branches nearby, quickly forming a bonfire.

The orange-red firelight illuminated Long Xu’s face, instantly making her pale bluish complexion look much better.

Nodding with satisfaction, Er’er conjured two small stools, sat on one herself, and placed the other in front of her companion. “Would you like some roasted corn?”

Long Xu narrowed her eyes. “Roast what?”

“Corn.” Rubbing her hands together, Er’er made a magical gesture to search within a thousand-li radius. After just the time it takes an incense stick to burn, she had two ears of corn still in their husks in her hands.

Smiling as she peeled away the leaves, Er’er said, “Corn brushed with oil and roasted, sprinkled with Western Region spices and finely fragrant chili powder, is truly a mortal delicacy.”

Do immortals also need to eat? Long Xu was full of doubt, and even somewhat disdainful. “You can eat it yourself.”

Er’er nodded and didn’t insist. After gathering everything she needed, she began to roast the corn while humming a little tune.

Two incense sticks of time later.

Long Xu moved away from the tree she had been leaning against and gracefully sat down on the small stool that had been set out for her. She placed both hands on her knees, said nothing, and just looked at the now-roasted corn.

Sniffing hungrily, Er’er generously handed her one of the corn ears brushed with spices, while bringing the other to her mouth, taking a big bite that consumed two rows.

Long Xu ate three rows, and as the soft, savory, and spicy flavor filled her mouth, she narrowed her eyes. “So this kind of thing is edible too.”

Er’er choked slightly. “What do you mean ‘this kind of thing’?”

“Before, I ate fish and shrimp, ate shellfish, ate the living souls from human corpses,” she said, wiping a bit of chili powder from the corner of her mouth with her fingertip. “I never ate this.”

“…” Even eating living souls?

Er’er wrinkled her face, holding the corn with a complicated expression, momentarily unsure whether to continue eating.

“I thought all things tasted the same,” Long Xu said nonchalantly as she took another two bites. “But this is not bad.”

She quickly finished the corn in her hand, then raised her purple pupils to look at Er’er.

Feeling inexplicably softened inside, Er’er handed over her corn as well.

“Thank you.” Taking it, Long Xu continued to eat elegantly, the heavy death energy around her seemingly finally dissipating somewhat.

Tilting her head as she watched her, Er’er suddenly said, “If you don’t want to return to the Western Sea, why not come back with me to the Taihe Immortal Sect?”

The hand holding the corn froze, and Long Xu laughed softly. “There’s no need. The Western Sea is my home; what reason would I have for not wanting to return?”

Is that so? Then she had thought wrong. Er’er nodded and procured more leeks, eggplants, and pork belly, continuing to skewer them for roasting.

Long Xu ate very quickly; no matter how much she roasted, it all disappeared into her stomach in the blink of an eye.

The night deepened, and the sound of waves lapping against the shore became particularly clear, but the sea breeze was filled with the aroma of spices, meat, and vegetables. Er’er was getting sleepy, and after stuffing the last few skewers of meat into Long Xu’s hands, she said, “I’ll sleep for a moment.”

Aside from her cultivation, she was truly no different from a mortal.

Long Xu accepted the meat skewers and nodded silently, then watched as she laboriously conjured an extravagant and exaggerated canopy bed for herself, carefully added screens and brocade quilts, and only then contentedly climbed into the bed.

In such a desolate place, the canopy bed looked strange no matter how one viewed it.

What a delicate young lady.

After methodically finishing the meat skewers, Long Xu wiped her hands clean and silently stood up, taking half a step toward the canopy bed.

A powerful stream of immortal energy surged from behind her, startling her hair on end, and she immediately turned around.

The soul of the Phoenix-Slaying Blade was silently guarding against her, and the fire phoenix entwined around its blade seemed to come alive, narrowing its eyes at her threateningly.

Quite dutiful.

With a light snort, Long Xu reached out her hand toward it, her palm quickly brushing past the golden-red spiritual light emanating from its body. As expected, a long bloody gash appeared, and despite her magical attempt to stop it, her dragon blood continued to gush forth endlessly.

Dragons are noble, especially in sea domains. Monsters within a hundred li could smell dragon blood and quickly surged toward them.

Er’er had just fallen asleep when she unexpectedly sensed danger, and the immortal power not yet fully integrated within her instinctively burst outward.

Boom—

The pitch-black night sky was blasted open into a heavenly hole by the golden-red immortal power, and the monsters that had been surging forward suddenly scattered in all directions, like waves crashing and dispersing.

Long Xu, already possessing divine status, was not affected, but standing in place looking toward the coast, she could see a familiar figure severely wounded by this immortal power, wretchedly sprawled across a reef.

With a slight curl of her lips, Long Xu sighed softly: “Pitiful.”

That person trembled with anger and struggled back into the sea.

Er’er laboriously withdrew her immortal energy and asked in puzzlement, “What happened?”

Walking around the screen, Long Xu pressed her lips together, saying somewhat uncomfortably, “It’s nothing, but the wind is strong here; you wouldn’t sleep soundly anyway. Perhaps it’s better to continue our journey back tonight.”

Wrapped in her small quilt, Er’er yawned, saying in a soft, gentle voice, “I’m too tired to walk.”

“I’ll take you.”

Making a muffled sound, she pouted, “It’s not like I don’t have legs. You all act as if I can’t find my way. It’s fine, I’ll go back by myself after resting for two more hours.”

Forget two hours; she feared Er’er wouldn’t be able to rest even for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn.

Long Xu shook her head and raised her hand to make a magical gesture, intending to summon clouds to send her on her way. However, her spiritual power had long been restricted. After forming gestures for a long time, she finally saw the shadow of the traveling clouds, but by then the sound of the ocean waves had also grown louder.