The young man’s robes were rarely disheveled. His neck slightly tilted back, exposing his throat and Adam’s apple as he silently watched her.

He no longer had a youthful appearance—broad shoulders, narrow waist, firm muscles. Even pressed beneath her with his life in her hands, he didn’t give off half a sense of being in an inferior position.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart beat terrifyingly fast. She feared this feeling. This sense of losing composure was too familiar—it made her panic as if returning to her youth.

She dared not speak, only quietly watching the young man beneath her.

Pei Zichen gazed at her composedly, one hand supporting himself, one hand holding the dagger. Though neither servile nor overbearing, he carried some innate sense of oppression, bearing some resemblance to that Demon Lord in the book.

Jiang Zhaoxue suppressed her emotions, maintaining her composure, only asking: “Are you forcing me?”

“I’m not forcing You.”

Pei Zichen’s tone was exceptionally steady, having long thought it through: “This disciple is not a shameless person. I’ve long known I deserve to die. It’s just that if You’re willing, I can walk through a thousand difficulties and ten thousand dangers. But if You’re unwilling, everything I’ve done…”

He fell silent for a moment, then said seriously: “Should be atoned for with death.”

Jiang Zhaoxue dared not respond. She suppressed her somewhat intense breathing, silently in stalemate.

Pei Zichen stirred up turbulent waves in a spring river, yet he himself was exceptionally calm.

Since the age of seventeen, he had never had such a peaceful moment.

He didn’t struggle, didn’t suffer. Whichever path—both were ones he was willing to take. He left it entirely to Jiang Zhaoxue to choose.

He quietly awaited his judgment. After a long while, he saw Jiang Zhaoxue take the dagger.

Pei Zichen raised his eyes to look at her, waiting for her to act.

Jiang Zhaoxue dared not look directly, as if nothing had happened. Suppressing her panic, she put away the dagger, feigned composure, stood up, and said: “Let’s go out first. We’ll talk after going out.”

“Does Master’s Wife want to wait until the life-bound contract is broken before killing me?”

Seeing her reaction, Pei Zichen’s tone was flat.

Hearing him refuse to let go, Jiang Zhaoxue’s blood surged. She bit her teeth and said with anger: “Yes! Once your death has nothing to do with me anymore, I’ll dismember you!”

These words made Pei Zichen’s eyelashes tremble.

He knew Jiang Zhaoxue was speaking in anger, but he also knew that having pushed to this extent without a response, Jiang Zhaoxue planned to flee once again.

“Is it because of pity?” He unwillingly asked, pursuing Jiang Zhaoxue with his question: “You can’t accept me, yet you pity me, so…”

Before he could finish, he felt Jiang Zhaoxue crouch down and grab his hand.

Pei Zichen froze, then saw Jiang Zhaoxue lower her eyes to look at his crushed finger bones.

Pei Zichen’s heart became slightly chaotic. He suddenly felt awkward and hurriedly tried to withdraw his hand, but was firmly held by Jiang Zhaoxue.

The strength wasn’t great, yet he couldn’t break free. Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at him, frowning: “Shen Yuqing did this?”

Pei Zichen dared not speak. He always feared she would see his bad aspects. Only feeling embarrassed, he turned his eyes away and said softly: “Injured hands don’t look good. Don’t look.”

“You even have this kind of burden?” Jiang Zhaoxue was amused by his words. She condensed dharmic light in her palm and began repairing Pei Zichen’s fingers.

The dharmic light fused the shattered bones beneath his skin. The pain gradually dissipated, but his heart felt even more uncomfortable.

She wouldn’t respond to him, yet she insisted on treating him well.

He wanted to say something but feared making Jiang Zhaoxue uncomfortable, so he could only press his lips together without speaking.

Jiang Zhaoxue sensed his displeasure and glanced at him. Seeing his dejected expression, she felt somewhat awkward. After quickly healing his fingers, she stood up and said: “Rest and heal first.”

Pei Zichen sat on the ground without making a sound. Jiang Zhaoxue, with her back to him, hesitated for a moment before carefully saying: “Your techniques…”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen finally reacted to what he had just exposed—

His heart instantly tightened. He clenched his fists, momentarily panicking, not knowing how to explain. Just as he was hesitating, he heard Jiang Zhaoxue say softly: “Cover it up.”

Pei Zichen froze, raising his head in disbelief.

Jiang Zhaoxue also felt this matter was too awkward, but she had to remind him. She could only say softly with her back to him: “Shen Yuqing’s divine soul was injured by the Lingxu Fan. He can’t see clearly. Right now, he should be healing first. You need to quickly deal with the aura on your body. When he finishes healing and opens the water mirror, you won’t be able to explain clearly.”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue threw a bell over, somewhat awkwardly: “This is the Nine-Revolution Immortal Life Bell. It can convert all techniques into immortal methods. Keep it.”

“Master’s Wife…”

Pei Zichen looked at the bell that fell before him, momentarily unable to react: “I… what I cultivate is…”

“I know what you cultivate.”

Jiang Zhaoxue lowered her eyes to look at the yellow earth on the ground and said softly: “But in cultivation, what’s important isn’t the technique—it’s the human heart. As long as you’re wholeheartedly good and guard your dao heart, whether it’s Jiuyou Realm techniques or True Immortal Realm, there’s no difference.”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue flipped her hand and dropped the Mountain River Bell on him, waving her hand: “Time is limited. Meditate first. Don’t let anyone discover it.”

Pei Zichen looked at Jiang Zhaoxue in shocked uncertainty, staring blankly.

Emotions surged in his heart. Yuan Luo was particularly delighted and quickly said: “Master, look! The mistress dotes on you! I told you long ago—even if you pierce the heavens, she won’t mind!”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Pei Zichen was somewhat irritated. Lingxu was quite composed, reminding: “Master, You should meditate first. As for the Lady’s side, let her think.”

Pei Zichen understood that the urgent matter wasn’t these private feelings. No matter what, he had to send Jiang Zhaoxue out first.

He stopped overthinking, sat cross-legged, and began using the Nine-Revolution Immortal Life Bell to quickly clear the techniques from his body.

Jiang Zhaoxue walked all the way to the riverside and sat down. Feeling Pei Zichen’s spiritual power circulating, she finally felt relieved.

Earlier, she’d been too rushed all the way, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted. Suddenly relaxing, she stared blankly at the flowing water without speaking.

Below, the river water rushed rapidly, surging and flooding with yellow sand. A’Nan sighed and couldn’t help but say: “Look at you. This matter of Jiuyou Realm techniques—you could have just pretended not to know. But you had to give him the Nine-Revolution Immortal Life Bell. After giving it to him, if something happens and he’s discovered, you’ll still be guilty of harboring him.”

“I’m responsible.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s tone was flat, carrying some fatigue.

Back then, she was the one who lured him into cultivating Jiuyou Realm techniques. At that time, she thought: let him grow quickly, quickly obtain the divine artifact, nourish the Tianji Lingyu well, so she could quickly activate the Spirit-Locking Array, retrieve the Tianji Lingyu, abolish the Mutual Heart Contract, and make a clean break with Shen Yuqing.

But later, at the Taotie Feast, watching him turn demonic, she finally felt compassion.

Pei Zichen didn’t belong to the Jiuyou Realm. He was born with a saint’s heart and followed the gentleman’s way. If he walked the True Immortal Realm path, he could steadily ascend.

So after returning from the Taotie Feast, she’d thought about stopping, but unexpectedly, in the end, he still chose this path.

“That was also his own choice.” A’Nan comforted her. “He wanted to cultivate Jiuyou Realm techniques himself. What does it have to do with you?”

“Doesn’t it?”

Jiang Zhaoxue asked back. A’Nan was momentarily speechless.

Both the person and bird knew clearly that Pei Zichen decided to cultivate Jiuyou Realm techniques to save her.

Formally beginning to cultivate Jiuyou Realm techniques… thinking about it now, it was probably also for him.

Having walked to this day, how could she still say it had nothing to do with her?

She quietly watched the river water, thought for a long while, sighed, then raised her hand and cast a light net into the river water before closing her eyes to meditate.

As she meditated, the river water actually began flowing backward. A’Nan exclaimed “Eh?” in surprise and couldn’t help but say: “What are you doing?”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t respond. After a long while, Jiang Zhaoxue felt the Jiuyou Realm technique aura behind her dissipate.

She opened her eyes, raised her hand to retrieve the net, and saw a white magnolia flower jade pendant hanging in it.

A’Nan’s eyes instantly widened: “You…”

“If you don’t speak, no one will take you for a mute.”

Jiang Zhaoxue stuffed the jade pendant with water vapor into her sleeve, first blocking A’Nan’s mouth.

A’Nan snorted disdainfully but didn’t provoke Jiang Zhaoxue further.

Jiang Zhaoxue stood up and turned around to see Pei Zichen had finished meditating. He had changed his clothes and returned to his usual proper appearance, standing not far away. Though his expression’s depths couldn’t be discerned, one could vaguely sense his restraint.

He seemed to have many questions, but Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t give him the opportunity. She only looked him up and down. After confirming he was fine, noticing he had nothing at his waist, she understood: “Your sword broke?”

Pei Zichen pressed his lips together, about to explain, when Jiang Zhaoxue threw him a sword: “I used this for decoration in my youth. Use it temporarily.”

Pei Zichen froze, gripping the gem-covered sword in his hand, his fingers almost reluctant to exert force.

Jiang Zhaoxue turned and stepped forward, moving ahead: “Let’s go. Now that the Mizhen Illusion Array is locked, I don’t know if Shen Yuqing’s brain can get us out.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen knew Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t want to dwell on earlier matters.

He raised his eyes to look at Jiang Zhaoxue’s back. After hesitating for a long time—the first effort brought courage, the second waned—he momentarily lost his courage. He only turned to glance at the endlessly flowing river beside him, suppressed those complicated thoughts in his heart, and followed Jiang Zhaoxue.

The two walked one ahead of the other. Pei Zichen watched Jiang Zhaoxue calculate directions and asked somewhat curiously: “What is this Mizhen Illusion Array that Master’s Wife mentioned earlier?”

“The Mizhen Illusion Array is a formation that lures out the greatest desires in people’s hearts, made from Xuanyang Stones and living people’s souls. It’s very difficult to see through.”

Jiang Zhaoxue explained the situation to Pei Zichen while calculating the route.

These illusion formations were drawn with runes into formations on the outside, but these formations would become concrete paths within the illusion.

Breaking the formation from outside meant finding the runes to break it.

Breaking the formation from within the illusion meant finding the core positions representing the formation-breaking runes, walking the paths that should be walked according to the formation-breaking runes’ requirements, and doing what should be done.

Earlier, she was only one stroke away from completing the formation-breaking runes. Now, finding the last position to break the formation and using actions within the illusion to complete the last stroke of the formation-breaking rune could also break the formation.

After all, she couldn’t rely too much on Shen Yuqing. People still had to depend on themselves.

“When we transitioned through the space-time rift, we fell into Song Wulan’s trap. He used living people plus Xuanyang Stones and Wangchuan Water to create a Mizhen Illusion Array, trapping us in the illusion. He didn’t have the ability to kill us, so he continuously escalated everyone’s conflicts in the illusion, hoping we would kill each other. I first guessed that Mu Jinyue was the Pure Yin Body, then later guessed this might be an illusion, so I went along with his plan, preparing the Yin-Yang Yiyi Lantern in advance to ensure I could act at any time, while also placing a substitution talisman on Mu Jinyue. Sure enough, when you and Shen Yuqing left and Mu Jinyue tried to kill me, Song Wulan wanted to fish in troubled waters and capture Mu Jinyue. But because of the substitution talisman, he caught the wrong person. After pulling me outside the Mizhen Illusion Array, I immediately used the Yin-Yang Yiyi Lantern to open a formation and killed one of his avatars.”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue turned to glance at him with disappointment: “I didn’t expect you and Shen Yuqing to fight.”

These words made Pei Zichen freeze. He said in a low voice: “This disciple was wrong.”

“Forget it.” Jiang Zhaoxue sighed, thinking of those things both had seen in the Wangchuan River, also feeling somewhat guilty. “Can’t entirely blame you two.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen looked at the back walking ahead, hesitating for a long time before saying softly: “When Master Ancestor once wanted to take Master’s Wife’s spiritual root for Mu Jinyue, did Master’s Wife know?”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue froze. Earlier in the water mirror, she had seen Gujun speak with Shen Yuqing, but the water mirror couldn’t hear specific sounds. She immediately turned around: “What did you say? Gujun wanted my spiritual root?”

Seeing this, Pei Zichen knew Jiang Zhaoxue was unaware and said seriously: “Just now in the river water, this disciple seemed to see Master’s memories, but this disciple also cannot confirm if it’s true. This disciple only saw that when Junior Sister was afflicted with the Soul-Extinguishing Poison, Master Ancestor told Master that if Junior Sister couldn’t be saved, Master should take Your spiritual root. Master didn’t object.”

Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue frowned. Pei Zichen studied her and reminded: “Lady, Lingjian Immortal Pavilion is a den of wolves. Even if You have no connection with this disciple, You cannot stay. You are Penglai’s Lady. They could presumptuously plan to take Your spiritual root for an ordinary disciple. Who knows what they’ll do in the future.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Zhaoxue nodded, thinking: “I know.”

Seeing Jiang Zhaoxue’s calm expression, Pei Zichen frowned slightly, wanting to say more but fearing his words would be annoying.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhaoxue quietly thought. She had originally thought taking the spiritual root was Shen Yuqing’s own idea. She hadn’t expected Gujun’s involvement. Did Gujun also care so much about Mu Jinyue?

What was Mu Jinyue’s background really? A Pure Yin Body… was it worth all this?

Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t figure it out. After walking a few steps, she suddenly felt some power connect with the Mizhen Illusion Array.

With her current disguised aura being Song Wulan’s, the Mizhen Illusion Array mistook her for its master. She could sense any changes to the Mizhen Illusion Array.

After carefully discerning for a moment, Jiang Zhaoxue discovered it was Shen Yuqing and reminded Pei Zichen: “Your master opened the water mirror.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen immediately became alert, then saw a direction above brighten.

After discerning for a moment and detecting it was Shen Yuqing’s spiritual power, Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but smile: “Oh, he does have a brain after all.”

The formation-breaking runes had to be drawn by her while disguised as Song Wulan. Now that she had to complete the last stroke within the formation, she first had to find where the position representing the last stroke was located in the illusion to proceed along the last stroke.

Shen Yuqing’s spiritual power couldn’t draw runes but could use spiritual power to point out where the last stroke’s endpoint was.

Jiang Zhaoxue happily moved forward. Beside her, Pei Zichen glanced at her indifferently without speaking.

With Shen Yuqing’s guidance from outside, Jiang Zhaoxue quickly found the path represented by the runes. She continued forward. Before long, she reached a wall. Jiang Zhaoxue looked at it, then took a step back. Before she could speak, Pei Zichen had already stepped forward and split it with one sword strike!

This startled Jiang Zhaoxue. She quickly ducked behind Pei Zichen. Pei Zichen turned back in confusion, thinking for a moment he’d misunderstood, and couldn’t help but say: “Master’s Wife…”

“You act without saying anything.” Jiang Zhaoxue was somewhat disdainful. “What if stones fly over?”

“I opened a barrier.”

During their exchange, they slowly felt something was wrong. Jiang Zhaoxue sensed several people’s auras ahead. They raised their eyes and, after the dust and smoke, saw a huge room with one person sitting on each of three sides.

Ming, Pei Shulan, and Mu Jinyue were all sitting inside.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but be delighted: “Oh, everyone’s here? Having a meeting?”

Hearing this, everyone became tense.

Pei Shulan held a knife, her eyes full of panic, curled in the corner. Ming watched Jiang Zhaoxue and Pei Zichen alertly. Mu Jinyue covered the wound Jiang Zhaoxue had stabbed, curled in the darkness like an injured hyena, staring at them from the shadows.

“I thought only I, the formation breaker, would be here. I didn’t expect everyone. That’s good then.” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled, hands tucked in her sleeves, calmly entering. Pei Zichen followed behind. The two walked to the wall with no one. Pei Zichen took out a meditation cushion. Jiang Zhaoxue elegantly sat down, smiled as she swept over everyone, quite pleased: “I’m currently low on spiritual power. I need to wait half a shichen before I can break the formation. We have time to chat properly now.”

Hearing this, all three were extremely nervous. Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment, turned her head, and started by greeting Ming: “Young Master Ming, long time no see?”

Ming looked at her coldly, one hand gripping a knife, eyes full of vigilance.

He seemed injured, one hand always pressing his abdomen. Jiang Zhaoxue’s gaze swept quickly over his abdomen. Her expression became somewhat colder as she said slowly: “Strange. Pei Zichen didn’t hurt you. Since you’re a spy Song Wulan planted beside us, would Song Wulan let you get injured? You weren’t punished by Song Wulan for tipping us off, were you?”

“It has nothing to do with you.” Ming spoke coldly. Jiang Zhaoxue knew she’d guessed correctly.

But she was still puzzled: “You’ve already betrayed Song Wulan. Why didn’t Song Wulan kill you?”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Ming turned his head away, exceptionally stubborn.

Jiang Zhaoxue was momentarily speechless. She knew Ming likely had no major issues here. She gestured at Pei Zichen with her chin and instructed: “Go help him treat that wound.”

Pei Zichen stood up, walked before Ming, and began healing him. Having probed Ming’s situation, Jiang Zhaoxue turned to look at Pei Shulan. After thinking for a moment, she said slowly: “Madam Pei, I respect you as Li Xiuji’s mother and for helping us greatly. I don’t want to use force on You. Please tell me yourself clearly—what exactly are you doing?”

Pei Shulan gripped her knife, pressing her lips together without speaking, only staring deadly at Jiang Zhaoxue.

Seeing Pei Shulan not responding, after thinking for a moment, Jiang Zhaoxue said slowly: “If You don’t speak… there are your children’s souls in this illusion, right?”

Hearing this, Pei Shulan’s pupils contracted slightly. Ming looked over coldly. Jiang Zhaoxue sat cross-legged, smiled easily: “Forgot to tell You one thing. This illusion is now under my control. With a move of my finger, I can transfer your two children’s souls here. You should know that although the Mizhen Illusion Array is an illusion, if a person’s soul dies inside, they’re truly dead.”

“Then let them die!”

Pei Shulan seemed stimulated by this word and spoke out agitatedly: “They’re going to die anyway. Then let you kill them! Don’t you immortal cultivators commit sins by staining your hands with mortal blood? Don’t you speak of karmic retribution? Just let heaven punish you and give you a bad death!”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue frowned slightly. She stared at the agitated Pei Shulan. After a long while, she slowly reacted: “You resent me?”

Hearing the word “resent,” Pei Shulan’s gaze trembled. Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t understand: “Why would you resent me?”

“Why?” Hearing this, Pei Shulan couldn’t help but laugh. “You deceived me. You ruined my entire life. Shouldn’t I resent you?!”

“I ruined you?” Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue asked puzzled: “You and I haven’t spent much time together—only met twice. How did I ruin you?”

“Because you deceived me! And after deceiving me, you refused to save me! Back then, you were the one who said Xiuji’s fate was good…” As soon as Pei Shulan opened her mouth, Ming froze.

Jiang Zhaoxue stared blankly at Pei Shulan, watching tears fall from the woman before her.

Mentioning this name seemed to bring endless suffering: “At that time, he was still small. Not long after he was born—such a tiny child. Though I gave birth to him and held him, I… I didn’t love him that much. If someone had asked me to give him up then, I wouldn’t have suffered so much. But it was you—”

Her tone was full of despair: “It was you who gave me hope. When everyone said his fate was bad, you insisted on telling Guizhen and me that it was alright, that he could be raised. But he clearly had a solitary malevolent fate—everyone around him couldn’t survive! I listened to you. Guizhen and I persisted, kept persisting. I watched him grow day by day. With each additional day, I loved him one part more. With each additional part of love, the pain of letting go became one part greater.”

Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue slowly understood. She was momentarily at a loss, watching Pei Shulan sit on the ground, raise her hand to clutch her chest, and wail: “I don’t understand. I don’t understand why—why when his fate was bad, you insisted on saying it was good. Why when you knew his fate was bad, you refused to help him? Every year, every day, I kept thinking—is there anyone who can change his fate, anyone who can help him? If my child were still alive, is there anyone who could let him live better, let him no longer have a solitary malevolent fate, so I could bring him back home.”

“So,” Jiang Zhaoxue feigned composure, “you agreed to Song Wulan’s plan to harm me?”

Hearing this, Pei Shulan closed her eyes.

She seemed to pause for a long while before calming down, saying with difficulty: “At first, I didn’t intend to harm you.”

“Then you…”

“Five years ago, when I joined the Blissful Eternal Life Sect, I only wanted to change Xiuji’s fate.” She spoke, recalling those years. “This was a new sect that supposedly could fulfill people’s wishes. At that time, I believed in any god or buddha—I just wanted to find an opportunity for Xiuji. After joining the sect, I indeed saw many miraculous things—fools suddenly becoming clever, terminal illnesses miraculously cured. So I gained much hope. But I soon discovered this sect was an evil cult. Believers didn’t work, only sought death. Within a few years, fields lay barren, disasters came one after another. The court finally made up its mind and sent the Tianji Academy to subdue the Blissful Eternal Life Sect.”

This surprised Jiang Zhaoxue somewhat. She hadn’t expected such a development.

But if the Tianji Academy was sent, then Ye Tianjiao…

“But the Tianji Academy was no match. The elders nearly all died in battle. Finally, only a disciple named Ye Tianjiao, at the last moment, used a teleportation array to escape with the Tianji Academy disciples. There’s been no news since. Sect Leader Song Wulan led believers to march on the capital. Chief Minister Ye Wenzhi went alone to find the Sect Leader and promised to elevate the Blissful Eternal Life Sect to a state religion, help them cultivate the Sacred Pool, and simultaneously promised to provide two million people for sacrifice.”

Hearing “two million people,” Jiang Zhaoxue’s pupils contracted sharply. She couldn’t help but say: “Where would he find so many people?”

“Great Xia has tens of millions of citizens. What are two million?” Pei Shulan sneered coldly. “Other border nations must all tribute people for sacrifice—at minimum tens of thousands, at maximum hundreds of thousands. Two million—Chief Minister Ye tried his best.”

“Was there no resistance?” Jiang Zhaoxue asked urgently. “So many common people…”

“At first, we didn’t know.” Pei Shulan interrupted her, saying calmly: “Each year, Song Wulan would deliver a batch of ‘sacred water’ to Ye Wenzhi for him to give to chosen people to drink. Those who drank the sacred water would begin suffering endless torment—first skin rotting, then flesh melting, finally intestines perforating and stomach rupturing in unbearable agony. Supposedly, only those who died this way had sufficiently deep resentment to become nourishment for that thing in the Sacred Pool.”

“And our Li family…” Pei Shulan laughed in despair. “Was chosen as a sacrifice. But at first, we didn’t know. We only attended a banquet as imperial merchants. Not long after returning, Guizhen fell ill. He was sick for a full year. That year nearly drove me mad. He wailed every day. I watched him rot bit by bit. When he died, I even felt somewhat relieved… he was finally gone.”

As Pei Shulan spoke, tears fell. Then she said fearfully: “But the day after he died… Nianji… Nianji fell ill… After that, Sixiu… Then I also discovered spots like those on Guizhen’s body growing on my hand. What could I do? What could I do? I knew what suffering that was, but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want my children to die. I’d already lost Xiuji. I couldn’t give up those two children again! So I started begging. I begged everyone. Finally, I begged my way back to the Blissful Eternal Life Sect—”

Pei Shulan recalled that afternoon when she saw Song Wulan. She knelt before the Blissful Eternal Life Great Emperor, desperately kowtowing, and then saw the divine statue above open its eyes.

“He told me everything,” Pei Shulan’s expression was pained. “He said this was the calamity our world must face. Whether Xiuji or I, these millions of people—all were destined by fate, written in the Book of Fate. We were destined to die. But I didn’t want to die… So he gave me a second option.”

“What option?” Jiang Zhaoxue asked, though she already had the answer.

Pei Shulan smiled, her eyes carrying despair: “He said he needed our lives to obtain enough power for the God-Slaying Sword to emerge. So as long as there was enough power, whether it was you or us made no difference. This place connects to the Sacred Pool. As long as you could die inside, we could be saved.”

“You’re mere mortals,” listening, Pei Zichen frowned. “Since you dared plot against us, why not tell us and join forces to bring down Song Wulan? He’s the real culprit.”

Hearing this, Pei Shulan’s eyes showed mockery: “Did I not ask?”

Pei Zichen froze, but Jiang Zhaoxue understood clearly.

She had asked.

When Pei Shulan first joined this team, she had asked her—could she save everyone, could she save Li Xiuji?

How had she answered Pei Shulan then?

“You said this was heavenly fate, this was history, this was destiny.” Pei Shulan reminded Jiang Zhaoxue, her tone carrying mad laughter, her eyes full of resentment. “I said—didn’t you know all this? You’ve known all along. Millions of people with this calamity in their fate, but you don’t care. Our lives in your eyes are just tools to obtain the God-Slaying Sword. You convince yourselves our deaths are decreed by heavenly fate. But who wrote the Book of Fate? What is destiny?! You simply know that if we don’t die, the God-Slaying Sword can’t emerge, you can’t get what you want, so you stand by and watch us die!”

With that, Pei Shulan couldn’t help but rush forward, bending down to stare at Jiang Zhaoxue: “Do you truly have no solution? Can you truly not save us? Without even trying to save us, you say it’s heavenly fate. But if fate cannot be changed, why don’t you let him die!”

Pei Shulan raised her hand to point at Pei Zichen. Jiang Zhaoxue’s face paled slightly. Seeing her waver, Pei Shulan continued pressing: “When you came to Taizhou back then, wasn’t it to seek medical treatment for him, find ways to restore his meridians? Wasn’t he also someone destined by heavenly fate to die? Why can he be changed but not Xiuji, not us? Bah! All excuses!”

“She doesn’t owe you.” Pei Zichen spoke coldly. “Her saving you is grace; not saving is principle. If you must resent someone, resent Song Wulan. There’s no reason to resent her.”

“But isn’t she an immortal master?” Pei Shulan roared angrily. “She watches so many people die without batting an eye, single-mindedly pursuing her God-Slaying Sword. What Dao does she cultivate? What immortal does she become?”

“But saving you would disturb cause and effect. What about future people?”

“Present people can’t even be cared for—you speak of what future!”

Pei Shulan’s words were sharp. She stared at Pei Zichen: “I don’t understand what your future is. But I know I’m a living, breathing person. If I don’t change my fate, don’t seek my survival, neither I nor my children will have a way to live!”

Pei Zichen couldn’t speak. Looking at the woman before him, in an instant, a strange familiar feeling surged up, preventing him from saying any harsh words.

Pei Shulan turned her eyes to look at the woman sitting cross-legged on the ground, lowering her eyes to look at the earth. She said hoarsely: “Immortal Jiang, I know you’re not the worst one in this matter. But You must also understand one thing—a person desperately trying to live is also a kind of heavenly fate!”

The instant the sound fell, Pei Shulan suddenly pulled out her hairpin and stabbed toward Jiang Zhaoxue!

Pei Zichen’s expression instantly turned cold. He raised his sword forward to block, stopping Pei Shulan. In that instant, arrows rained down swiftly from the surroundings. Thousands of people holding weapons clumsily charged into the room!

These people were all mortals. Their movements appeared to Jiang Zhaoxue and Pei Zichen like elderly people staggering, yet this was already their utmost effort.

Jiang Zhaoxue looked at these people desperately charging at her—among them were even children only a few years old. She closed her eyes in despair. The instant the arrows touched before her, what she recalled was, surprisingly, that night many years ago with Pei Zichen in the mountain cave.

That night, Pei Zichen, defeated by fate, didn’t even dare let her approach. But what had she said then?

She said—

“Pei Zichen, I am a fate master. My life and death aren’t governed by heaven. And your life and death, from the moment you summoned me—”

“Are governed by me.”

She was a fate master—a fate master who could control destiny.

Why should she retreat?

Why should she listen to Shen Yuqing’s words, not save the millions of living people before her eyes, but instead think about what might happen hundreds or thousands of years in the future?

Seeking survival is a kind of heavenly fate. Saving those before one’s eyes is also a kind of heavenly fate.

“Save me!”

Four-year-old Li Xiuji’s wailing cries, twelve-year-old Li Xiuji’s silent muteness, seventeen-year-old Pei Zichen’s summons from the cliff, this moment’s arrows raining from those common people—

All the arrows suddenly stopped the instant they touched her. A soundless force fixed everyone in place.

Everyone couldn’t move, watching the woman sitting not far away with legs crossed and eyes closed, like a deity. She slowly opened her eyes amidst the surrounding arrows. A pair of eyes carrying compassion and Heavenly Dao’s transparency looked at everyone, speaking calmly: “I will save you.”

“Master’s Wife!”

Mu Jinyue cried out in shock, then saw Jiang Zhaoxue calmly look at Pei Shulan ahead, filled with shocked uncertainty. The dharmic sound echoed throughout the entire illusion: “Seek me, and I will save you.”

Pei Shulan dared not respond. Everyone felt the power controlling them dissipate. Everyone looked at the person before them with shocked uncertainty.

The person before them wore white robes, fingers forming dharmic seals before her body, her form like Guanyin.

Mu Jinyue vaguely reacted to something and quickly said: “Master’s Wife, we still need to obtain the God-Slaying Sword. You cannot be so willful. If you change history, we won’t be able to obtain the God-Slaying Sword!”

Jiang Zhaoxue said nothing, only looking at Pei Shulan before her.

Seeing her unmoved, Mu Jinyue covered her wound and staggered forward. Pei Zichen stopped her with one grab. Mu Jinyue could only urgently say: “Master’s Wife! Listen to me. Even for your own sake, to let yourself survive, you cannot give up!”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t respond, only quietly watching everyone.

In the silence, a young man stood up from the corner.

He was particularly conspicuous in everyone’s eyes. They saw him with a completely destroyed face, calmly yet firmly walk before Jiang Zhaoxue, sweep aside his robe, and calmly kneel down.

His entire body bowed prostrate before Jiang Zhaoxue, devout in appearance, just like seventeen-year-old Pei Zichen.

“I beg You.” Ming suppressed the trembling in his voice, speaking hoarsely: “I beg You, save me.”

The instant Ming spoke, everyone looked at each other. After a moment, a large man cursed: “What can we do?! What else can we do?! We can’t kill them. Do we still have a choice?!”

No, these mortals were born to drift with the tide. Wherever there was a road, they desperately walked it.

After this voice, everyone gritted their teeth. One after another, people knelt down. Voices of pleading came. Jiang Zhaoxue lowered her eyes to look at the young man before her. She couldn’t help but turn her gaze to Pei Zichen beside her.

She didn’t know what she was looking at. Only in that moment did she feel a low hum of destiny guiding her to raise her head and look at the young man beside her.

Pei Zichen looked over in confusion, hearing the voices of pleading all around.

They seemed to sit in a Daoist temple shrine, listening to believers’ murmurs.

Jiang Zhaoxue felt the power brought by their faith gradually filling her entire body. She lowered her eyes, humbly bowed her head: “Penglai Zhenwu Yuanjun, grants wishes.”

The instant the sound fell, magnificent light shot up to the sky. The earth shook and heaven trembled. Strands of karmic threads invisible to the naked eye fell from Jiang Zhaoxue onto these people.

From that moment on, their destinies would connect with her fortune. This was her promise to them.

Mu Jinyue watched all this in terror, as if unable to accept it. Just as she was about to turn and say something more, space suddenly shattered. She and all the others screamed as they fell together.

Pei Zichen looked at each person bearing karmic threads, following those threads back, seeing that woman at the center.

She forever bloomed in brilliance, in the crowd, dazzling and radiant, brilliant beyond measure.

He looked up in admiration and love at such a her, yet hated that the sun didn’t belong to him alone.

Jiang Zhaoxue opened the Mizhen Illusion Array. Feeling Pei Zichen’s gaze, she turned to look and saw that young man standing in darkness.

The surroundings gradually dimmed bit by bit. Heaven and earth seemed to have only the two of them remaining. She didn’t leave this place, and he didn’t retreat either.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment, took out that jade pendant from her sleeve, and tossed it over.

The instant Pei Zichen caught the jade pendant, his entire person froze. Jiang Zhaoxue feigned ease, joking: “Just now I heard you going on about the jade pendant. Thinking buying another would cost me another sum, I fished it out from the river for you.”

Pei Zichen gripped the jade pendant. He tried his utmost to suppress his surging emotions and raised his eyes to see Jiang Zhaoxue standing not far away, saying calmly: “I can’t give you the result you want, but I will explain things clearly to your master. But if you must have my answer, wait until I become a Nine Realms Fate Master.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s eyes carried some sadness as she forced a smile: “At that time, if you still think as you do now, I’ll give you an answer.”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue turned to leave: “I’m going back to my physical body. Go back and cultivate your mind well. Don’t walk crooked paths.”

“Lady!” Pei Zichen called to her. Jiang Zhaoxue turned back and saw him standing not far away.

The young man’s hand rested on his longsword, white robes moving without wind. He seemed to stand on water, his reflection in the water like a petal of a pear blossom.

“Where the Lady is, my Dao is.” He looked at her seriously. “No matter what Dao I cultivate, I am the Pei Zichen the Lady saved.”

Jiang Zhaoxue looked at the young man before her without speaking. She seemed to see that seventeen-year-old child standing before her, gazing at her with devotion and gentleness.

She turned with a smile, waving her hand: “I’m leaving.”

After speaking, she broke through space, left the Mizhen Illusion Array, then on her physical body, instantly opened her eyes.

The instant she opened her eyes, surprisingly, Mu Jinyue was first to pounce, grabbing her sleeve and urgently speaking: “Master’s Wife, you cannot! You cannot give up the God-Slaying Sword!”

Jiang Zhaoxue ignored her. She sat up from the ice table and saw souls everywhere—those souls falling one by one onto the surrounding people. Jiang Zhaoxue moved her gaze to the young man not far away.

He looked somewhat weary, somewhat fearful, much calmer than when in the illusion.

He suppressed his surging emotions, watching Jiang Zhaoxue. Jiang Zhaoxue remained silent for a moment, glanced at Mu Jinyue beside her whose eyes were full of pleading, and finally said: “First settle these common people. When the time is right,” she raised her eyes to look at Shen Yuqing, “we’ll talk.”